Beyond the Desert Sands (Contestshipping)

[Xiang]

I'm redoing my first fic again, this time its PG-13. Its gone under a complete makeover, meaning improvement. ^_^ Please try your best to give me more harsh reviews, if not, elaborate your posts more than "great chapter, can't wait for the next." As a young fanfiction writer, I'd like to know your full opinion. ^__^

Prologue

The murmur of the restaurant was just as subtle as the glow of the candles that hung still from the ceiling. They glowed warm colors and breathed their heat against the patterned wall like a soft breeze. Drew glanced at a clock and tapped his foot. He had no reason to be impatient. He was the one early, just hopefully she wasn't going to be late. A waitress waved at him and smiled, but Drew shook his head.

She came over. "Can I take your order?"

"I'm not ready yet. I'm waiting for someone," he snapped.

The waitress giggled and ignored his obnoxious tone. "You look experienced in this field."

Drew looked away. "It's my first time, actually. Go away. You're not the girl I'm supposed to be talking to."

The girl still stood there. "You? First time? You're the type of guy who could hook seventeen girls at once!"

"Don't flatter me. Go away," he repeated coldly, and the waitress obeyed him with a frown on her face. His tuxedo was making him sweat, but he remained as still as a statue, waiting, for that one person.

"Drew!" May said to him. Drew scanned her with his green eyes and his eyes had a feast. Her red bandana was off (Drew never had seen her with her bandana off), revealing her soft, neat, hair that slid down either side of her head like a small brown waterfall. She was wearing a blue summer dress with light blue and cerulean layers of thin cloth-like material with a silk layer of turquoise on the bottom. And with her blue eyes, to Drew, she looked like a little angel in disguise. Her cheeks had a light shade of red. Apparently she was a little embarrassed, since was her first time in such a fine restaurant.

"I've never been in a place like this," she said. Drew smirked a little.

"So where do you usually go?"

"A ramen shop or a noodle buffet-" seeing the expression on his face (which was an expression of surprise), May quickly tried to relieve his tension. "But I'm okay at a place like this!" She giggled a little. "Its my first time on a date too..."

Drew looked away and sneered playfully. "Gee I wonder why."

May smiled, as she had a counter ready. "Isn't it your first time too?"

"No girl could be finer for me to accept than you," he said, looking away again. May blushed and stared out the window into the dim streets of the city.

"Why did you really ask me out this suddenly for?" May said. "I mean, you think of me as just a friend... mostly. Right?"

Drew felt his world turn to icy stone as her words echoed in his mind. Just a friend... To hide his disappointment, he wanted to get straight to the point. His hand reached into his pocket and he took out an envelope.

"What's this?" she asked him out of curiosity.

He fumbled to find the right words. "It's an invitation to a contest region- the Thirteen Islands. Most people know it by "Beyond the Desert Sands" because it's hidden in the deserts of the Orre region. Only selected coordinators are invited, and they can bring along only up to two people. This invitation is the pass to the contests there. You would've received one if you had started a bit earlier, but either way you can come with me."

"Oh, well, I'll... consider it." May pulled a menu out from a small stack on the table. "Wanna order something?"

~

"Really?" Ash yelled in surprise as May finished her last sentence. "Well if you wanna go, I can't really stop you."

"It'll be good experience, especially since Orre holds nothing for you. With experience in Hoenn and Kanto, you'll do great." Brock offered more wisdom. "But we've been traveling together for a long time..."

Max looked like he was on the verge of tears. "If you go without me, I'll really miss you, so if you go I'll have to come, but I don't want to leave Ash and Brock!"

"Pi!" Pikachu reminded him.

"And Pikachu!" he cried.

"Don't make it too difficult for her," Brock whispered to Max. "Remember, its up to her."

May hesitated and her friends waited, suspense paining them to no end.

"I'll... I'll go."

"Then I'm going too!" Max announced.

~

May carried her bags to a bench in front of the Pokemon Center. The moonlight was brighter than usual, and the stars winked happily at her. She stared at the beautiful blanket of night above her, then turned to Drew, who was waiting in the shade of a tree for her answer.

"I'm going," she said to him, and he smiled.

~

Please consider the fact that I am not a pro and am not trying to be.

;155;

 

[chrisivy]

Wow good story,I like the beginning. I hope I can be a good writer like you, someday.(-_-) (Jealous...(just kidding...I'm not jealous...But, I hope you get better at writing and show me your other pieces!) (^_^)

 

[Xiang]

If you want to humor yourself, visit the first version (it made even my eyes bleed) I believe you'll be able to find it on the last page of the topics in this forum, if you can't I'll provide a link.

Either way, thanks for the review!

 

[Ayra]

Not bad! You might want to add a bit more backround to the events that led up to the date, though. Otherwise, it's a really good start!

~Ayra~;267;

 

[DanK84]

It's definately improved. I'll tell you that much. ^.^ In the seventh paragraph, the word "coolly" looks weird, but I guess there's not really a better way to express the word. Maybe instead of "coolly" it could "in a cool way" or "in a cool tone" or something. Alright, I'm obssessing too much over one word. >.< But it's still a really good start! Question though: Is Max actually coming? I'm pretty sure he is, but I just want to make sure. Anyway, this fic is actually getting me interested in contestshipping more than before. Keep it up, can't wait to see the next chapter.

 

[Xiang]

WaterTrainer243 and Ayra- Thank you for the replies! ^_^

DanK84- Thanks for the review! Maybe I should change it to "coldly"?

I've just started the next chapter, it'll probably be up this weekend if I can move this lazy bum.

 

[DanK84]

Yeah, coldly sounds good to me. ^_^

 

[Xiang]

Alright! I spent my precious morning on this chapter- and my lunchtime (a bit of it) so I hope it was worth it! Remember, I'm starting it from scratch (except some of the ideas and events are the same). Enjoy!

Chapter One
Day of the Ferry and Luvdisc of the Sea! The Fans Attack!

The door creaked open slowly, letting streams of electric light in the dimly lit room. Drew flicked the light switch and a flash that struck their vision faded to a comfortable glow that filled the entire room. Drew's stomach did a backflip as he saw the bed. Sure, it was comfy looking, with a white fluffy pillow and feather-stuffed quilt. It was heaven in your sleep from the looks of it, but there was only one.

May, flustered when she saw this, rushed to speak. "I claim the bed!"

"You can't have it to yourself!" Max complained.

"What about me?" Drew whined. "You're not going to leave me to sleep on this scratchy carpet."

"Fine," May snapped. "Max will sleep with me and you'll do fine on the floor."

"No, I'll sleep with Max and you sleep on the floor," Drew shot back.

"Or I can sleep on the floor and you two can-"

"Shut up, Max, we don't need to hear that," May said to him. "Sister and brother WILL sleep together."

Their arguing kept going on until it was decided by Drew that everyone would have to sleep on the floor if they kept this up. In the end, May and Max claimed the bed and Drew had a few covers and the floor to himself. No one was really pleased- May and Max had a mattress but Drew had the covers. Either way, in a moment, they all fell asleep.

~

It was a bright summer morning at the Seafoam Islands port. The ocean and the sky sparkled endlessly as they bathed in the sunlight, and the blue hue of the sea was like a kaleidoscope of the heavens. The clouds were pale and small like the salty foam, the rays of the sun were like the sea's shimmering, and the eternal stretch of blue was the same as the cool ocean water that curled itself into a wave as it hit the shore. A beachy breeze curved and swung itself here and there, jingling the hotel chimes.

It was pleasant if you were awake, but annoying if you were still sleeping. May twitched. Her body felt stiff and unable to move, but her eyes, as blue as the sea, opened half way and her blurry vision came into focus. Drew sat on the rail of the balcony, letting the wind wrap around him softly. He was facing the place where the sky met the sea.

"You're up," he said as she joined him. He turned his attention back to the horizon and pointed towards it. "That's the direction the ship is going to go towards for the region."

May looked after it too. Just scanning it with her eyes once just interested her. Looking in the direction of her destination made her feel nervous and excited all at once.

Did she make the right decision to join him? She should trust him at this point because of all they've been through together so far, but she didn't know much about him yet.

(Flashback)

May was practicing an appeal for her first contest in Slateport on a unoccupied area of the beach.

May lept into the air and gracefully received the two frisbees her Beautifly and her were using to practice. "Eh," she blinked in realization that she didn't catch the third disc as it zoomed over her. She ran after it and to her surprise, a green haired boy, leaning on the rail of a fence, had caught it with his eyes closed. He had a smirk on his face.

"I'm sorry!" May exclaimed. The boy twirled her frisbee around and sneered.

"Do you expect to enter the contest with a cheesy act like that?"

(End Flashback)

That was when they first met, and the first words he spoke she would never forget. She also received several roses from him. They all, with their beauty and neatness, calmed her and gave her a feeling of happiness.

(Flashback)

The sun was setting outside the Contest Hall. May caught up to Drew, keeping a distance. With a flick of his hand, he tossed her another rose. It landed perfectly on her ribbon case, and she picked it up and examined it.

"I guess this is for Beautifly, huh?" she asked.

He flicked his hair gently and looked away, smiling. "Yeah, something like that."

(End Flashback)

He could be a real good friend too. He gave her the warning about a masked phantom-person that was really powerful, even if he didn't need to. He also pulled the wool off her eyes when it came to Harley. And he saved her from Team Rocket on the Mirage Island, with the Wynaut. His taunting started to fade and he was more friendly towards her as time went on.

Drew looked at May as she was thinking and remarked, "Are you going to change into something decent?"

May, confused, looked down at herself and realized she was still in her yellow T-shirt and froggy pants. She ran into the bathroom. "Okay!"

~

The ferry was extremely large, but sturdy. It rocked gently with the waves as the three took their seat on the deck. The ship tooted loudly and started to move. Drew watched children toss food into the air. Max grabbed his bag of bread crumbs and joined them. Wingull hovered in a large flock above the children, each one catching a bit of food in their mouth before being pushed away so the other greedy sea birds could have a share. He ran out quickly and the birds squacked at him in complaint. He ignored them.

What he was focusing on was a girl about his age. He couldn't see her face because she faced away from him, but some of her reddish hair curled down her shoulders under her white hat. That voice was familiar, but only in the back of his memory. A teenager boy called to her.

"Haha, sis, you should stop before the Wingull pester you for food the whole way!"

"Aw, Nicholas!" she whined and ran to him.

"Max!" May called and waved to him.

"What?"

She held out another basket of crumbs. Max reached for it, but a group of girls half-ran over him, screaming and cheering.

"Max, are you okay?" May cried.

"...Yeah..." he mumbled in reply.

The girls circled around Drew, who was sitting in the shade of an parasol with a pair of sunglasses. His navy blue shirt was off and his hands were behind his head. He glanced indifferently at the girls as he removed the sunglasses, and they squealed.

"Can you believe it?"

"Is it really you?"

"You're so cool!"

"Will you please go out with me?"

"I love you and your coordinating!"

They all silenced as he held up his hand and signed the autograph pads that were held out to him, but they didn't silence because of that. He looked very annoyed with them.

"Are we... interrupting something?"

"We're sorry!" they all screamed.

Drew grimaced. "I'll answer all your questions. Make it quick."

"Will you be my boyfriend?" a teenage girl asked.

"No."

"Why not?" she asked, on the verge of tears.

"I'm her boyfriend," he half-lied as he pointed at May. May blushed a little bit.

"That ugly baboon?" the girl exclaimed. May fumed and opened her mouth to breathe fire at the girl, but Drew spoke first.

"You don't call anybody I respect an 'ugly baboon.'"

"Eeek! I'm sorry!" she squealed.

"How are you so good at coordinating?" another girl asked coyly.

"My Pokemon do half the job. It takes talent, but more hard work," Drew replied. "Next."

"I love you! Do you love me too?" another girl said.

"No," he snapped. "Now all of you leave me be."

The girls turned to each other and screamed for joy that they got to talk with him and they gathered closer, asking more questions all at once. A sweat drop ran down his forehead and he turned to May, connecting eyes. His were screaming "Help me!"

She released her Munchlax and threw a pink Pokeblock at the center of the girls. Munchlax chased after it, tearing through the building crowd of girls.

"EEK! What's that thing!" a girl squealed.

"It happens to be my Pokemon," May snapped.

"It's hideous!" she cried. "Get it away from me, Drew!"

Drew snorted. "You have no respect for Pokemon, do you? I happen to. Munchlax is a powerful Pokemon May uses in her contests, one that I have a challenge against." He glared at her, apparently sick of all the annoying fans that don't respect the people he cared for. "I don't like snobs."

"O-of course I care for Pokemon," she lied.

May ignored her. "Munchlax, chase them away!" Munchlax grinned with glee and ran towards all the girls, who ran away screaming in response. Munchlax sulked, feeling unwanted, but cheered up as May gave him a thank-you hug.

"Return, Munchlax," May ordered as she held out a Pokeball. Munchlax obediently warped inside, and the Pokeball was put in her fanny pack. She walked over to Drew and looked down at the worn out rival. "You could've driven them away yourself."

Drew stuck a finger out towards her and wiggled it. He sighed. "For boys, there's a Golden Rule most of us follow, and that's to never hit a girl."

~

The sun was setting slowly. A blending arc of wondrous color rippled out from the dimming sun, and Drew was reading an information booklet. Max and May read with him over his shoulder. Drew's Roselia napped beside him, and his Flygon and Absol guarded his chair from any other fans waiting to attack. The two powerful Pokemon succeeded in keeping others at bay.

"The first Island is the second largest Island in the region, its called Clover Island. A peaceful Island protected by the Orre Environmental Care Association. It is an Island to the west, with forests and canyons and few cities. It has only one Contest, but it is held once every two weeks. This contest is necessary to enter the Grand Festival at all for people who were invited. People who hold the invitation are not permitted to enter this contest. The prize is a contest pass, or a copy of an invitation," Drew read.

"Our first stop is Orre still, keep that in mind. The next island is Juniper Island. Its not a very big or small island that is closest to the Equator than any other Island. It has many beaches and volcanoes, in other words, mostly a tropical island with many tourists."

"Ooh, I would love to go there!" May commented.

"It is a rich island with many cities but plenty of evil about," Drew continued.

"That stinks," Max interrupted.

The reading was stopped by an uproar on the other side of the ship.

"Wow!"

"Look at them!"

"They're so cute!"

"What are they?!"

A small, heart-shaped Pokemon bounced gently on the wooden deck, with even smaller Luvdisc copying their mother's behavior.

"A Luvdisc!" Max exclaimed. "They're Pokemon that live in the ocean. They can sense romantic connections between people and between Pokemon. They are very fast in water and the offspring hatch and grow quickly."

May and Drew grew tenser as the mother went closer to them. One of her children strayed from the line and hopped around May and Max. They both slapped their faces. The mother, sensing her child's mistake scolded it and it returned to the line. Another one circled around Drew and Max, causing Drew to fall from his chair and Max falling on his face.

The mother, very exasperated had all her children follow her as they circled May and Drew.

Huh? Drew thought as heat was rising to his face. He looked away, and so did May. The Luvdisc just kept circling them, and a crowd came to watch. Max recognized the teenager that stepped forward as Nicholas, the name the familiar girl called him.

"Hm, you two must be lovers!" he remarked in a strange tone.

May invented two new shades of red. "No, there's a mistake with that!" But the crowd agreed with the teenager. They murmured and nodded their heads. Drew covered his face with one hand. It was just too embarrassing.

Soon the crowd fell apart and everyone turned back to their own business. The sky was mostly dark with twinkling violet at this point, and the Luvdisc, one by one, hopped onto the side of the boat and jumped back into their cool, ocean home. The mother took one last look at May and Drew and smiled before joining her offspring into the depths of the sea below.

~

Please consider the fact that I am not a pro and am not trying to be.


;155;

 

[DanK84]

Very nice chapter. I liked the description throughout it, there wasn't too much and there wasn't too little. Keep it up, this is getting good. (Ugh..Sorry about the short review.. <.<)

 

[Xiang]

Nah, its okay, you told me what you liked about it, and that makes me feel better ^__^

I'm going to get started on the next chapter now.

 

[DanK84]

Thanks for understanding. ^^ Good luck on your next chapter.

 

[Xiang]

You're welcome!

This chapter was rated PG- PG-13 for one curse word and some gore. Either way you'll be okay.

Chapter 2
Colosseum Battle

The ship rocked soothingly with the waves. As the splashing of the curling water fell against the smooth, white metal side of the ship, they formed a gentle rhythm of their own. A Wingull flapped its long wings and soared over the boat, its white feathers gleaming in the sun. As it flew over the ship and towards its resting flock, land came into sight.

At first it was a speck. Just a yellow speck with a smaller white speck in the middle of it. The yellow speck grew to an everlasting stretch of desert, cut off by large mountains, cliffs, and canyons. It looked so desolate and unbearably hot that May wondered if she was going to stay alive when even sticking her hand in there. A wind started up and sand flew up in swirls, and then faded. Some of the sand drifted over the water. May made a disgusted look- it reeked of death.

But the white speck glowed with its own aura of beauty. The buildings, made of shining white marble stood next to each other, separated by crystal water fountains and man-made streams. In the center of the city was a large, cylindrical building with a set of stairs leading up towards it. Waterfalls cascaded down either side of the stairs. From a far distance the city was blinding any eye that looked upon it with its beauty, while the desert blinded people with... er... sand.

The ship reached the shore and a path was laid out for people to depart.

“I guess we’re finally here,” May said. “At least the city’s beautiful.”

They walked through the gateway to enter.

"Well, you want to go shopping first?" Drew asked, unsure of what his female companion preferred.

May shook her head. “I want to check out that building over there,” she said as she pointed at the huge building at the end of two stairways. It was so enormous; she just had to wonder what would be inside something so big.

~

“Wow!” May said as they entered the building. “This place is huge.” Her voice echoed on the walls and the ceilings. In the back of the room were two waterfalls; one on each side of the platform in the middle. In the waterfalls were really tall doors. The water parted at the doors like separated silk curtains.

A lady behind a desk that was on the platform asked politely, “How may I help you?"

“What is this place?” Max questioned in awe.

“It’s the Phenac City Colosseum,” she said. “We are holding Double Battles today. You have to battle through the preliminary rounds, the 2nd round, the semifinals, and then the finals. You can either battle with a partner and use one Pokemon each, or battle alone using two Pokemon.”

May turned to Drew. “What do you think, you and me? After all, it's a double battle, and we make two people.”

“That's really obvious,” he answered but May knew that he was agreeing. "We'll be entering."

The lady smiled. "There's a fee for entering, however." Drew scowled, but paid reluctantly nonetheless.

“Alright, enter through the door on the left. Audience members go through the right. Thank you!” she replied.

~

“Which Pokemon should we use?” May asked her partner in the waiting room. She sat on a chair with a velvet cushion on it while Drew leaned against a table, facing her. He turned around to face a laptop. On the screen was a picture of May and a picture of Drew, as well as their available Pokemon. Munchlax, Eevee, Combusken, Roselia, Flygon, and Absol were arranged in a two-by-three template on the screen. On the other half of the screen was a raven-haired girl with plain brown eyes, named Kate. Her Pokemon resembled rocks, save for one Swellow.

“My Roselia and your Bulbasaur should beat them up pretty quickly,” Drew said.

“But she also has a Swellow to fend off our Grass Pokemon,” May said. “Skitty knows Blizzard, though, and that can pull off a lot of damage!” she suggested.

Drew nodded, because they had no time for arguing as they were up next.

“Would May and Drew against Kate please report to the battlefield,” said a voice over the PA.

~

Kate, the opponent, appeared to a nervous look about her. She tried to hide her fear by mixing it with aggression. She had the true look of a rock Pokemon trainer.

The referee shouted, “Send out your Pokemon!”

“Go, Roselia!"

“Go, Skitty!”

“Go, Graveler and Swellow!”

The referee shouted, “Begin the battle!” and he blew his whistle, signaling the start of the battle.

Kate was quick in giving orders. She called to her team, “Graveler, Double Edge on that Skitty!”

Graveler nodded and started charging towards Skitty, rocking the ground as each heavy foot of rock thundered as it hit the ground, it ran faster and faster, leaning more and more towards his target, endangering his balance. It gave the impression that it was very powerful, which is why Drew acted fast.

“Roselia, use Leech Seed on Graveler!” Drew commanded.

Seeds shot at the running Graveler from Roselia’s roses. The seeds stretched out into vines upon contact with its target, holding it down and sucking energy out of it.

Kate groaned. “Swellow, Wing Attack on Roselia!”

“Skitty, blizzard!” May responded. Drew's eyes flashed a grateful look to her and she nodded back.

Swellow was flying at Roselia with its glowing wing outstretched. It was about three feet away from Roselia when Skitty launched its devastating ice attack, bringing the bird down to a halt. Shards of ice grazed it all over. Swellow lay on the ground, unable to battle. The trainer recalled her Pokemon just as Graveler finally broke free of Leech Seed. It slowly stood up, weakened but determined to win.

“Roselia, use Petal Dance!”

“Skitty, use Assist!” May prayed that Petal Dance would come out as well.

Roselia and Skitty launched the powerful typhoon of petals on Graveler, knocking it out.

The referee raised the right flag. “May and Drew win, and will move on to the next round!”

~

“Our next opponent has many different types,” May reported. “He has a Shiftry, Shelgon, and Manetric. This is going to be tough.”

“Your Combusken can use Sky Uppercut, right? My Flygon can take care of Shelgon and Manetric,” Drew suggested.

“Well, this battle’s decided,” May said.

“Just one thing May,” Drew said. “My Flygon knows Earthquake. It hurts all Pokemon on the field. In order for Combusken to avoid this, he must be in midair.”

~

The referee shouted once again, “send out your Pokemon!”

A boy with brown, spiky hair sent out his Manetric and Shiftry. Manetric growled as static electricity sizzled and flashed over his furry blue and yellow body. Shiftry got into a menacing battle pose.

“Go, Flygon!"

“Go, Combusken!”

The boy shouted a command before Drew could even move. “Manetric, use Spark on Combusken! Shiftry, use Aerial Ace on Flygon!”

“Flygon, use Earthquake!”

“Combusken, jump up really high!”

Combusken bounded up as Flygon slammed the floor to make an earthquake. Manetric froze in its tracks, but Shiftry pulled through the vibrating and splitting.

Shiftry was about to strike Flygon when May had an idea. “Combusken, land on top of Shiftry!”

Combusken plummeted down on top of Shiftry, stopping its attack. The earthquake stopped as well, saving the young fowl from excess damage.

Manetric went down fell to the ground after its traumatizing encounter with the attack. The boy recalled it. “Shiftry, use dig on Combusken!”

“Quick, Combusken, Blaze Kick!”

Shiftry started burrowing into the ground, unaware of May's plans. Combusken put its foot on fire and kicked Shiftry in the face causing Shiftry to fall flat on its back putting it out of the battle.

The referee raised the right flag. “The victory goes to Drew and May!”

"Uh, well that was really kind of... easy," Drew admitted.

~

"Our next opponent is...?" May asked.

Drew froze at the laptop and slowly turned around. "Ash."

May fell off her chair and hit her head on the wall. Drew rushed over to help her up and pulled her up. She was in a dazed state, but Drew wondered whether it was from the fact that Ash was her next opponent or that she hit the wall so hard.

"He has... Donphan, Sceptile, Corphish, and Pikachu with him currently. This doesn't look good," he said.

~

Tension rose between the two teams. On Ash's side was Pikachu and Sceptile. May and Drew had sent out Absol and Munchlax. The battle had been going on for two minutes now and not a hit as been landed. All four Pokemon were panting and gasping for breath, as they had just tried to hit each other, but no damage was done, unless you count the battlefield. The audience, roaring and loud, were especially enthusiastic for the finals.

Drew gritted his teeth. "Absol, Razor Wind again!"

The scythe-shaped thing that stuck out to the side of Absol's head glowed with gathering power.

"Pikachu, Quick Attack Absol!" Ash yelled. Pikachu dashed towards Absol, becoming a small yellow blur.

"Damn it," Drew muttered under his breath. Absol can't move while charging for Razor Wind! She's wide open for a direct hit!

May gritted her teeth too. "Munchlax, take the hit!" she commanded against her will. Drew threw her a surprised look.

Munchlax scurried in front of Absol and anticipated the hit. Pikachu hit the Pokemon in a flash. The pain lasted only a second, and Pikachu bounced off, momentarily confused from hitting something so early. Munchlax fell over and got up again. Absol lept over him, into the air and swung her head. A slicing gust tore out and struck Sceptile. He cried and was blown and cut back.

Small, shallow gashes all over his body bled a little bit. "Leaf Blade!" Ash said to his Pokemon. "You're okay, right?"

His Pokemon nodded and attacked the other team, wounding Munchlax. Munchlax fainted from receiving two attacks in a row, and May sadly recalled him. Drew felt sorry that he didn't return the favor for May. The result was preventable. He turned his attention back to the battle. Time for revenge...

"Absol, slash Sceptile repeatedly!" Drew ordered. Absol disappeared- she moved so fast that Sceptile was struck over and over before he could blink. The assault was cruel. Gashes, larger than the small cuts from before, went over the previous gashes, and Sceptile fainted from the pain. The audience and Ash gasped. He returned the Pokemon to his Pokemon before he could torture himself with sight. Pikachu had already woken from his confusion and no matter how much he liked May, he couldn't help but feel a strange devilish emotion take over him.

Anger.

"Thunder!" Ash instructed his best friend. Pikachu bared his fangs as his body literally exploded with electricity. Absol felt her whole body stop and shudder and shake. She felt like her heart broke in two and screamed in pain before falling limp at Drew's feet. Her furry chest still moved, signaling life, but she was out.

"Congratulations, Ash, you have won the Phenac Colosseum Challenge!" Ash managed a grin, but felt guilty for feeling such strong emotion against his friends. Drew nodded and smoothed his Absol's fur gently before returning her to her Pokeball.

"We... lost?" May stuttered. Drew laid a hand on her shoulder.

"We did great. Don't worry about it. You were amazing," he said calmly.

May blushed a little bit. "Y-you held out great too, but will Absol be okay...?"

He nodded. "Just a visit to the Pokemon Center is needed."

She sighed in relief.

~

Drew and his two friends departed from the Pokemon Center. Drew had his hands in his pockets, reaching for a Pokeball.

"Where to now?" May asked him. He took out a Pokeball and threw it into the air. It snapped open and Flygon took shape before them.

"We're going to head to the Islands," he said. "Climb on."

“Ryyyyy!” He bent down for May and Max to climb on. They used his sturdy neck as a pathway to his large body.

“Guess there’s enough room for all,” he said, taking a seat in the front.

Flygon tightened his muscles and pushed off the ground with his feet. As soon as he was airborne, he flapped his wings to stay in the air. Flygon reared his neck and pushed it forward and flapped his wings to go faster.

Because the dragon was flying so fast, the three felt as if there were strong winds. Flygon flew low to the ground, stirring the sand as he went. The wind was scratchy and rough on their faces.

“Do you see a secret door anywhere?” Drew shouted above the wind.

"No," May and Max replied together.

"What's... that?" Max shouted as he squinted his eyes. A moving whirlwind of sand was rapidly spinning towards them. Drew stared at it in horror.

"Flygon... turn back!"

Flygon urgently twisted around and flapped his wings harder and faster to gain speed. The sandstorm was catching up and coming closer. Drew's heartbeat reached a terrible height and his eyes widened in fear of the dangerous storm. He looked fearfully back at it, and saw it attempting to swallow him.

"Go... away..." he said shakily. "Leave me alone!" he screamed.

"Drew! We're going to be alright!" May screamed in a panic. Drew only clung onto his Pokemon's neck like a frightened child to his mother and his world went black.

~

Apparently, if you haven't noticed, Drew has a fear of sandstorms. First time we've really seen him like this, actually, but he has another great fear later ^___^

;155;

 

[DanK84]

Very nice chapter and again great job with the description. ^^ I did notice one mistake: I believe it is in the 19th paragraph, May calls Kate a "he", you just forgot the "s."

 

[Xiang]

>_< Do you realize that that typo has been there since the first version and the only person who noticed it was you?

I worship you.

 

[DanK84]

People are still posting in that other version. (Not counting you or Encyclopika) Maybe it would be best to get that one closed if you haven't already requested so. ^.^

Anyway, I'm actually surprised I found that. I'm not usually the person to find things like that. xD

 

[Stephy]

I've read the old version, but decided to read the new one. ^_^ It was cute in the first part, and how they traveled was cute! ^_^ And Masato was in? Hm...A good CSer for Haruka and Shuu. xD

And Shuu has a fear of sandstorms? I wonder how he caught Flygon... I can't wait to see Shuu's next fear, anyway. xD

 

[Xiang]

Sankyuu!
Next chapter coming along pretty good
It'll be up sometime tomorrow or Saturday
I have a surprise waiting in the Shipping Fics Forum, though, so keep your eyes peeled!

 

[~ContestChampion~]

May and Drew grew tenser as the mother went closer to them. One of her children strayed from the line and hopped around May and Max. They both slapped their faces. The mother, sensing her child's mistake scolded it and it returned to the line. Another one circled around Drew and Max, causing Drew to fall from his chair and Max falling on his face.

The mother, very exasperated had all her children follow her as they circled May and Drew.

Huh? Drew thought as heat was rising to his face. He looked away, and so did May. The Luvdisc just kept circling them, and a crowd came to watch. Max recognized the teenager that stepped forward as Nicholas, the name the familiar girl called him.

"Hm, you two must be lovers!" he remarked in a strange tone.

May invented two new shades of red. "No, there's a mistake with that!" But the crowd agreed with the teenager. They murmured and nodded their heads. Drew covered his face with one hand. It was just too embarrassing.

Haha! You got me ROFL! that part was hilarious!

 

[Xiang]

Glad you thought it was funny ^_^

Hey! This is the shortest chapter ever! I promise I'll do better, but most of it is flashback. Sorry not much goes on.

Rated PG

Chapter 3
Memory Lane
(Flashback)

There was nothing but sand as far as the eye could see. It was blank, drab, desolate, and frightening to be alone in a desert. The sand dunes seemed to rise and snicker wickedly at him. His clothes were sweaty and scratchy with sand, and his feet were burning against the desert ground. He'd been tolerating, somehow, this intolerable pain for a while now, waiting for a savior.

"Someone... help?" he squeaked timidly. His small body fell on his knees. I'm just going to rot here and die. The desert doesn't care about me. No one's going to come and save me either, he thought sadly. His green hair was covered in the golden sand now and dirt was getting in his eyes, mixing with the tears as they fell from his chin. Being only six, he couldn't help but to cry.

Yeah, I'll just cry myself to death. I wish I never went on this stupid trip, he thought miserably. Suddenly, the sand and the wind stopped and the air's heat was the only thing he felt. A rustling sounded in the distance. It became louder and louder, and the rustling turned into a thundering blowing noise. Drew slowly turned his head in horror to discover that a swirling mass of sand was rapidly coming towards him. Sand began to rise and move in the air.

Drew staggered to his feet and ran, his footsteps instantly covered. He ran and ran, and eventually the sandstorm was right behind him. His breathing felt heavy, and he tripped over a stone in his path. Blinded and heart about to beat itself out of his skin, he crawled helplessly in a random direction until he hit something rough and hard. His hand reached around to feel the rock, but he felt an opening instead. He crawled in, and slid in. Something warm rubbed the sand from his eyes, so he could open them again. His eyes met with his mother's dark ones, and he cried.

"Drew! We thought we lost you," she whispered to him as they embraced.

(End Flashback)

The memory of it made him hug his Flygon tighter as it flew frantically back towards the city.

(Flashback)

"I just wanna get outta here as fast as I can," a ten year old Drew panted as he ran through the desert. "It brings back bad memories."

Roselia, in a pair of protective socks, ran beside him and crooned. The last thing he wanted was a sandstorm to hit him, and already one was approaching from several miles away- fast.

Pokemon were wandering around, looking for a place to hide. Drew started to do the same, but the sandstorm hit in an instant. Drew recalled the last time he was hit by one of these dangerous storms, amazed that he was still able to think in this situation.

Drew slowly turned his head in horror to discover that a swirling mass of sand was rapidly coming towards him. Sand began to rise and move in the air. He staggered to his feet and ran, his footsteps instantly covered. He ran and ran, and eventually the sandstorm was right behind him. His breathing felt heavy, and he tripped over a stone in his path.

The sandstorm weakened a bit, so he could squint, but what he saw made his heart stop dead. His horror was reborn, stronger now, as his eyes managed to see that the Pokemon around him had suffocated to death. Roselia was unconscious, and black took over as his air supply ran out.

~

Drew's eyes fluttered open and adjusted to the darkness around him. The surface he was on was hard rock, and the place he was in was nice and cool. He realized he was in a cave.

"Trap!" a voice cried. A Trapinch ran to him and grinned. "Trap! Pinch! Trapinch!" the Pokemon tried to say to him.

"Roselia!" Drew cried. "Where is she? Is she alright?!" He struggled to sit up, but he was sore all over. Trapinch put a leg on him gently and pointed towards his left. Drew rolled his head over and saw Roselia smiling down at him. He smiled back, but coughed. A little bit of red liquid splattered on the wall and dripped down, and Drew frowned.

"The sand- it damaged my breathing."

A rippling feeling went through him and his chest felt better.

"Aromatherapy," he muttered to himself. He sighed, a little content.

~

"Well, the storm stopped and I'm feeling better," he said. It was nighttime in the desert, and stripes of stars shone down on him. He turned to the Trapinch. "Thank you- for everything."

Trapinch nodded, and Drew turned to leave.

"Trap!" the Pokemon stopped him, and ran to his side. "Trap..." the desert creature whimpered sadly and looked at him with lonely eyes.

"You want to join me?"

Trapinch nodded.

"You may," Drew replied solemnly, but deep down, he smiled lovingly.

(End Flashback)

That same Trapinch was the loyal warrior that was struggling against the strong winds. In a pull of muscle, the four escaped and instant death missed them by a hair of their eyebrows. Drew regained himself and stared at the the storm, which was now moving in the opposite direction of them. He grimaced.

"Crap," Drew scowled to himself. "We won't be able to get to the Islands with this storm in the way. We'll have to wait for it to clear out. Flygon, gain some distance from it." Flygon obediently drifted backwards towards the city, his eyes following the swirling mass carefully.

Drew squirmed a little bit in discomfort, still shaking from another close encounter with his nightmare. He didn't get it. What was it about the storm that made him so uncomfortable?

He didn't like the way that it carried one simple thing and turned it into a weapon- the desert. The way it made you feel powerless as it wrapped its arms of wind around you and scraped you with its sand- the way it darkened the sun with its power and offered no chance of escape with its size- the way that it roared and seemed to grin evilly at you when it was on your trail.

May looked at him and focused on his face with her blue eyes with a look of concern. He seemed so helpless and afraid a few seconds ago, and now he was calmed. What had happened to him to make him so uneasy?

"Drew..." she said softly. "Are you... afraid... of sandstorms?"

Drew hesitated and nodded painfully, the shadows of his bangs hiding his eyes. "Especially since I had lost something of extremely value to me because of a sandstorm."

May and Max leaned in closer.

(Flashback)

"No..." Drew squeaked. The rain fell on him in the form of a thick blanket; layer after layer of water was splashing down on him. The wet, gritty ground he stood on no longer resembled the sandy desert. He was facing his stepfather, who looked at the ground, his hat hiding his eyes. Rainwater dripped and flowed into Drew's black shirt and mixed with his increasing sweat. "No... tell me what happened!" Drew yelled. The world around him, oblivious to his confusion, was cut off of him. Only his stepfather was in his world of darkness now.

"She- died- your stepsister," the man said, apparently not taking it so well either. Drew fell to his knees in shock, ignoring the mud that splattered all over his legs.

"Who... what... did this?" His mother asked. Her dark hair was soaked and down. "Who?"

The red-haired man before him looked away.

"It... wasn't a who, it was a sandstorm. I was informed that she was caught right in the middle of it. There was a lot of debris in it as well. They tore her body down while the sand suffocated her- and none of her Pokemon -all six- survived the attempt to save her..." He could not listen to it anymore.

Drew could only hear his heartbeat now.

Why? Why does just one sandstorm have to take seven lives- seven... precious lives? No matter how much I could love my sister all I want, and a sandstorm can ignore all that and take everything away.

Why?

(End Flashback)

Drew closed his eyes hard, shoving out a little bit of tears that appeared from the memory.

"My stepsister- at first I hated her, because she was part of the replacement for my real father, but I soon got to know that she was a loving person who deserved everything but a painful death." Drew paused. "That- that is all."

Drew turned away after they sat on the marble benches outside the city gates.

May stared at her feet. Is this how Max would feel if I was gone? She glanced at Max, then to Drew. Hm...

~

The sandstorm had cleared, but Drew had not spoke a word since then. They had climbed back on to Flygon, and Drew silently looked out for "a tall rock that had a very irregular shape".

Most of the rocks were lumpy cylinders and plump boulders, until one rock that had jagged ledges sticking out to the side came into view.

Flygon landed at the base of the rock and let the group down. They felt around the rough surface for any strange textures. Max came into contact with a strange incision on the side and followed it to find that it was in the shape of a square.

"I think I found something!" Max notified his friends. They ran to him and gathered around the incision. May tripped over her own foot (somehow) and fell against the surface, preparing for impact, and the impact came, but...

She fell through with the door. For sure now it was a door, mainly because May fell into the pit behind it.

She screamed as she was lost in the darkness. "Eeeeaaaahhhhh! Don't let it eat meeeeee..." Her voice couldn't reach the boys anymore.

"Sis!"

"May!" he cursed under his breath and recalled his Flygon. "We're going in." Why do you have to be such a klutz?

~

Please consider that I... oh forget it this time- I'm too tired right now

;155;

 

[DanK84]

Nice chapter! You did a good job of explaining in the flashbacks about Drew's fear of sandstorms and his history with his Flygon. I think I found a spelling mistake, unless it's supposed to be like this; it's at the paragraph after the second flashback:

"That same Trapinch was the loyal warrior that was struggling against the strong winds. In a pull of muscle, the four escaped and instant death missed them by a hair of their eyebrows. Drew regained himself and stared at the the storm, which was now moving in the opposite direction of them. He grimaced."

I believe "and" should be "an."

Anyway, good luck on your next chapter.