Worthy of You (ContestShipping version)

By Fox McCloude.

Disclaimer: Pokémon and all related characters belong to Satoshi Tajiri, Nintendo and GAMEFREAK. All rights reserved.

Hoenn Region, LaRousse City…

The moment was drawing near. He had been in many Grand Festival finales, but none had made him feel as anxious as this one. And not just because it would take place in his hometown, but also because of his upcoming opponent.

As he donned his best costume in front of the mirror, Drew began thinking about his past three years as a Pokémon Coordinator. He had always thought that the best way to improve oneself was having someone to encourage you. Just like Solidad did when he lost his first contest, he tried to follow her example with somebody else, even though he did it in his own particular style. However, the results had clearly.

Both of them had come a long way since then, when he met her as a rookie getting started in Pokémon Contests. It was fun to see her fail at her first attempts, but even then, Drew had seen something in the girl. Obviously she was starting from scratch, but he had the feeling she could get really far with the proper motivation. And he couldn't think of a better way than criticizing her performance and teasing her just to rile her up. May was quick to take the bait and work harder to prove him wrong and become a great Pokémon Coordinator one day. And she didn't disappoint.

Both of them always looked forward to face each other in the Grand Festival, even more so in the finals. Two years before, they faced each other in Sinnoh, where he came out victorious. And last year it was in Kanto, where she beat him. That was an unusual moment, because Drew had never felt so happy for losing a Grand Festival. That defeat convinced him of something important: May hadn't just become his equal. She had surpassed his expectations and became a Top Coordinator, just like she said that day.

The fact the years had turned that rookie girl into a beautiful and talented young woman didn't hurt either.

And that was exactly the reason he was so anxious. This was perhaps his most important Contest Battle ever, one he couldn't afford to lose for anything in the world. As he glanced at the clock, he saw there were five minutes to go, so he had to go and get on stage.

"It's time," he said as he glanced at his Pokéballs, exhaling deeply to relax himself. The moment of truth had come.

After leaving his dressing room, he walked through the hallway and heard the crowd's screams in the distance as they awaited the start of the match. From the other side, he could see her, already wearing her best outfit. The dress she was wearing showed a perfect blue and white combination, and the diadem on her head made her look like a real princess.

Drew mentally scolded himself for using that comparison, but then again, he couldn't think of anything else to describe her at the time.

"You're looking good today, May," he said after taking a few seconds to admire her from head to toe.

"So do you," she replied with a smile. "Well, it's our third final round in a row. Are you as excited as me?"

"Maybe a little more," he said. "May… there's something I'd like to tell you."

The girl titled her head. "What is it?"

It seemed the perfect timing. They were alone, with nobody to interrupt them. All he had to do was to say those seven words: "I want you to be my girlfriend". But he just couldn't. Not yet, not like that. He quickly shook his head and assumed his usual confident expression.

"That can wait for now. I'll tell you after the battle… when I've beaten you."

He couldn't resist the urge to smile defiantly as he said the last part. Of course, it was part of his way to show off his competitive spirit, and she always took it in good mood. Thus, she replied the same way, with a smirk.

"Oh, aren't you a little cocky today?"

"I've got confidence," he replied. "It's a very important battle for me, and I'm not planning to lose for anything in the world."

"Ah yeah? Well, neither do I." May respectfully extended her hand. "Let's both do our best, shall we?"

"Of course." Drew gladly accepted the handshake.

It always felt nice to hold May's hand, but it was always in a friendly manner, or the typical courtesy between rivals. But after today, he could hold her hand as something more than that. After today, he wouldn't be just her friend or rival. For a long time, he had wanted her to be something else for him, someone much more special.

That was why he needed to win that battle. He wanted to be sure he was worthy of her.

On stage, minutes later…

"Ladies and gentlemen! The moment we've all been waiting for!" Vivian Meridian announced in the middle of the stage. "This year's Hoenn Grand Festival finals are about to begin! Contestants, take your positions!"

At that cue, both opponents appeared through their respective entrances, waving at the crowd as they received a standing ovation. As usual, the judges were Mr. Raoul Contesta, Mr. Sukizo and the local Nurse Joy, and also as special guests, Wallace, the Grand Contest Master, and Aria, former Kalos Queen in Pokémon Performing, who was considering seriously to try her hand on this particular field.

The scoreboard lit up, showing the five-minute timer and the faces of both contestants over the point bars. Vivian then continued.

"On this corner, we have a local Top Coordinator, hailing from this very city! Winner of the Sinnoh Grand Festival two years ago, give it up for Drew Hayden!"

The green-haired boy simply did a little hair flick and waved at the crowd. Moments after there were many screams of girls professing their love for the young man, even some of which fainted, but he didn't pay any mind to it. He has his full attention on the girl before him.

"And on the other corner, let's give it a big hand to another distinguished Top Coordinator, from Petalburg City, and winner of the last Kanto Grand Festival, May Maple! This promises to be a match to be remembered, fans!"

The ovation for May was just as big as Drew's, the only difference being that it had more male voices than female. The girl had gathered her fair share of admirers, although she didn't seem to care. That was good, since Drew had no problem with her having fans, as long as they kept a reasonable distance from her.

"Everything ready? Contestants, let she show begin!" Vivian declared. That was her cue.

"Roserade, Butterfree, let's go!" Drew said as he threw his Pokéballs.

Roserade appeared performing some pirouettes as she unleased a petal shower before landing. In turn, Butterfree extended his wings to execute a Sunny Day attack, illuminating the stage and making a grand entrance.

"It's time! Beautifly, Glaceon, take the stage!"

May's duo made a big entrance too: Glaceon appeared with a few twirls and glowing pink, evidently using Secret Power and unleashing it to let out a stardust around. Meanwhile, Beautifly appeared letting out some Silver Wind spores and spreading them with her psychic powers. Both entrances caused the point bars to drop slightly in equal amounts.

"Let's get started!" May said. "Glaceon, create three Shadow Balls, and Beautifly, use Psychic to hold them until I tell you!"

Glaceon fired three spectral energy spheres, placing one to the left, one to the right, and one above forming a triangle, while Beautifly flew above and glowed with psychic energy as she held them in place.

Drew smiled; that was the same move she used to beat him the last time, but he had prepared a specific counter to it. "Butterfree, stop that attack with Electroweb! Roserade, Solar Beam!"

Drew's butterfly let out sparks by the eyes, and fired an electric string out of his mouth, expanding it to create a large spider web, expanding it to trap the three Shadow Balls before they hit them. Roserade then took advantage of the Sunny Day's quick charge and fired her own attack through the three ghostly spheres, forcing Glaceon and Beautifly to jump away and avoid getting hit. Nevertheless, Drew's counterattack made them lose a fair amount of points, so they'd have to do something spectacular to make up for it.

"Roserade, Petal Dance! Butterfree, direct them with Psychic!" Drew called.

Roserade once again executed her twirls as she let red and blue petals out of her rose hands, while Butterfree used her psychic powers to direct them in a specific pattern, creating a beautiful show before bombarding Beautifly and Glaceon from several directions. They tried to dodge, but coming from everywhere they just couldn't and lost more points.

"Beautifly, String Shot! Glaceon, Ice Beam!"

Beautifly extended her proboscis and fired sticky thread streams, moving in circles to describe a spiraling pattern over Roserade and Butterfree. Glaceon fired her Ice Beam to freeze the threads, and right when they started falling and Drew's Pokémon planned to dodge, May called for the final touch.

"And now, Beautifly, use Silver Wind, and Glaceon, Icy Wind!"

Said and done, both Pokémon fired their attacks. Glaceon's icy breath mixed with the silver blades, boosting their power, and after they hit the frozen threads, they exploded in a sparkling rain all over Roserade and Butterfree, who began shivering. It was then Drew realized: that combo wasn't aimed at causing damage, but to restrict their movement. As he had trained Butterfree with that Sunny Day to make it last long enough, he had to exploit it for as long as he could.

Meaning that it was time for a more direct offensive. "Roserade, Solar Beam! Butterfree, use Psychic to direct it!"

Roserade raised her rose hands and started charging power, while Butterfree's eyes glowed with psychic energy. Still using the quick charge, she could fire almost immediately, and May's first reaction was to call for her two Pokémon to jump to opposite sides to dodge, but it wouldn't do any good.

Butterfree used his psychic powers to send the energy towards the sky and focus it all into a large sphere. Once Roserade stopped firing the attack, Drew snapped his fingers to give Butterfree the cue, to burst the sphere, causing all the contained energy to rain all over May's half of the field like a meteor shower. Glaceon and Beautifly tried to dodge desperately, but they finally got hit by several of them, which cost them plenty of points.

"Now, Roselia, launch your Stun Spore! Butterfree, use Whirlwind and direct it on them!"

Roselia outstretched her hands and fired a spore cloud at May's Pokémon, which Butterfree directed blowing his Whirlwind in a spiral pattern. The timer now had reached the three-minute mark and Drew had the lead, but May was about to give a big surprise.

"Glaceon, use Blizzard! Beautifly, use Psychic to focus it!"

Blizzard was usually a powerful, spread-out attack, but by compressing it in a smaller area its power was even higher, way superior to Butterfree's Whirlwind. Beautifly used her psychic powers to create a tunnel for the frozen wind straight at Roserade and Butterfree. The latter attempted to use his own Psychic to override his female counterpart's, seeking to spread out the attack, but it was too late and didn't stop it in time. The icy blast hit them both hard and knocked them up into the air.

Nevertheless, Butterfree didn't waste his own Psychic attack, and after catching Roserade, used the remnant energy to straighten them both and land safely, avoiding a bigger point loss.

'She's good, more than the last time,' Drew thought. 'Should I try to win by KO, or keep the advantage until time runs out?'

That was a big dilemma. Even though Drew's Pokémon were well-trained and could win by KO if needed, over the years May had also oriented to a rather offensive battling style, and several of her victories in the past years had been achieved by KO. Drew attributed it to her friend Ash Ketchum's influence, which back in her rookie days had been notorious, and it resurfaced a few years after. Trying to win by KO against an opponent like her brought many risks, and he couldn't afford to lose.

"Butterfree, Electroweb all over the field! Roserade, Magical Leaf!"

Butterfree flew up and threw a series of electric nets that rained over Beautifly and Glaceon forming a dome or cage of sorts, while Roserade fired a rain of bright leaves spinning around said cage. May and her Pokémon stood still, unsure as to what they were up to, until Drew snapped his fingers again. Butterfree had the cage he formed to collapse in itself, and the Magical Leaves added a light show that drained a fair amount of points from May's bar.

"Beautifly, Morning Sun!" May countered.

The female butterfly lit up instantly, and started recovering the damage she had sustained, taking advantage of Drew's previously set Sunny Day. The green-haired boy gritted his teeth for a moment; he wasn't the only one capable of taking advantage of the weather conditions, and the advantage he could have earned was slowly closing as the timer went on. Less than two minutes left, he asked himself: could he take the risk?

"Roserade, combine Petal Dance with Stun Spore, and Butterfree, spread it all over the field using Whirlwind!"

Roserade performed a pirouette dance, unleashing red petals from one of her hands, and the paralyzing dust from the other, describing a spiral pattern around her, while Butterfree tried to direct them with his wind currents. The rose Pokémon seemed to jump between the wind currents with such grace and elegance, it almost looked like she was flying. In response, May and Beautifly tried a String Shot and Ice Shard combo to stop her, but it was useless as they didn't hit her even once. She finally jumped, and still playing on the Sunny Day, she fired a powerful Solar Beam from the air, aiming at each with one hand.

Glaceon managed to jump out of harm's way, but Beautifly wasn't as lucky, and the energy beam pinned her against the floor, losing a good amount of points.

"Glaceon, cover Beautifly! Use Shadow Ball to the air and then Iron Tail!"

Glaceon fired the ghostly energy sphere up into the air, and then jumped after it with her tail glowing in metallic energy, spinning around to bat it in Butterfree's direction. The male butterfly managed to raise a Protect while Roserade charged up a second Solar Beam, though the Shadow Ball hit so hard that, despite avoiding damage he still got pushed back with the impact.

One minute left in the timer: he could try and play safe, but he was getting too excited, and he wanted to win with style, to deliver a spectacular finale. It wouldn't harm to impress the girl a little, would it?

"Roserade, Solar Beam at full power!" the green-haired boy called.

Beautifly was still trying to get back on her feet and fly again, but she was starting to feel drained. Roserade finished charging her attack quickly and fired directly at Glaceon. The Ice-type Eeveelution held firm in place, holding out for the moment her trainer gave the command.

"Glaceon, Mirror Coat and Secret Power!"

Glaceon kneeled down to endure the attack while a reflective coating covered her. The Solar Beam hit her dead on, but she was able to take it and send it back. Not just that, but right when the beam went back, a pink energy covered Glaceon's body, and she pierced through it straight at Roserade. The combined impact ended up knocking Roserade out of the game, costing Drew many points for KO.

"Roserade is unable to continue!" Vivian declared.

Drew clenched his teeth; he was careless in doing that. If he only had Butterfree left, he had to defeat Glaceon before Beautifly could recover to even out the situation.

"Hurry, Butterfree, use the Electroweb dome again!"

The purple butterfly obliged and prepared to throw the electrified net to immobilize Glaceon before Beautifly could recover. Unfortunately, May's butterfly managed to flap her wings and rise again.

"Beautifly, Spiral String Shot!"

Stretching her threads, Beautifly spun it around to intertwine with Butterfree's electric net. She fired a thread after another making a large sticky sphere, and Butterfree's Electroweb vanished before touching Glaceon. Beautifly pulled back and threw the sphere at Butterfree, who dodged, but also gave his counterpart the chance to rush with an Aerial Ace and catch him off-guard.

"And now, for the grand finale, Ice Beam!"

Glaceon opened her mouth and fired her freezing beam. This time around Butterfree was still dazed and unable to dodge, taking it all. The Eeveelution directed the energy to not only leave her opponent encased in the ice block, but also make a big sculpture with it, forming a structure resembling a large winged trophy, with Butterfree in the middle. The butterfly shook around trying to break free, but he couldn't, and then, the horn went off, indicating the match was over.

The finale had been extremely close, but the result was clear: May's point bar slightly surpassed Drew's, as the reflected Solar Beam and leave poor Butterfree trapped in the ice sculpture earned her a spectacular comeback, and the board lit up the brunette's portrait, declaring her the winner.

"And that's all, fans!" Vivian declared. "An amazing match until the end, but we have our winner! May Maple from Petalburg is our Top Coordinator this year!"

"Yeah, we did it, we did it!" May shouted, hugging Beautifly and jumping in joy along with Glaceon.

Meanwhile, Drew was left speechless. He couldn't believe he had lost. Even though he was glad to see May as radiant and happy for her victory, he felt crumbling inside. She had surpassed him, by far. Now she was above him. He couldn't stand by her side as an equal, let alone… share his feelings for her.

"Drew? Hey, earth calling Drew." A gloved hand shaking in front of her face snapped him out of it.

"Huh? What?" As he glanced down, he saw the brunette staring at him in confusion.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Sure," he said, trying to hide it. "You really surprised me, congratulations. You've grown even stronger than I imagined…"

"Hey, I'm not the only one." She smiled at him. "You didn't make it any easier; a little bit more and you could have won."

Drew smiled too, albeit somewhat forced. He could only cover appearances and shake hands to congratulate her. He couldn't ruin her moment of triumph, even though he felt completely destroyed inside. Not so much for the defeat, but for making himself a fool in front of a person who was so special to him.

That girl who had captivated his heart, and now had completely surpassed him.

Later that day…

He had blown it. He couldn't even stand in front of her. Heck, he didn't even have the courage to stay until the award ceremony ended.

He knew it was cowardly of him to leave that day, but he didn't care. After all, how could he look at her face to face after losing? At the time, all he could think of was leaving home in a hurry. Lucky for him the Grand Festival was held in his hometown that year, so he wouldn't have to find a place to hide.

He hadn't felt so bad after losing a competition since his first Pokémon Contest. Sure, he wasn't going to break down to cry or anything now, but maybe it was even worse. In his attempt to show off when he had victory in his grasp, he made a mistake. Maybe he could have won by points if he had waited for a bit, but no; he tried to go all the way and win by KO just that time to impress, and it cost him dearly. A rookie mistake, and he was ashamed of himself for being so stupid.

On the other hand, it proved something beyond doubt: she had surpassed him completely.

"Drew! Wait up! Drew, are you listening to me?!" a familiar voice called out to him.

The green-haired boy stopped walking and turned around. Who else; her voice was unmistakable wherever she was.

The girl was dressed in a very similar attire to the one she had when they met, except that it was almost completely light blue, a miniskirt replaced the shorts, and wore thigh-high black stockings. May finally stopped running as he arrived next to him and gasped heavily to catch her breath.

"Hey." Drew put on his usual air to hide his feelings.

"Would you tell me… why did you leave like that?" she asked. "I've been looking all over for you. What were you going to tell me?"

"It's not important," he said, looking away. "Not anymore, at least."

"How can you say that?" May protested. "Drew, anything you want to say to me, I'm sure it's important."

"I said I would tell you when I had beaten you," he replied. "Now there's no point in doing it. I lost after all."

"Who cares whether you won or lost?" the brunette insisted, and then a thought crossed her mind. "Wait a second… you're not gonna tell me you let me win so you wouldn't have to say anything, are you?"

"What?" Drew gasped.

"Was it that?" May frowned. "Because if you did, I'd feel very disappointed in you."

"Don't even think about it," Drew snapped back, feeling somewhat angry that she thought that. "I fought you at full strength, and you beat me fair and square."

"Then what's going on?" May asked again. "Drew Hayden, you better tell me the truth, because I'm not going anywhere until you do."

Drew exhaled with resignation; May was still as headstrong as always. Then again, that was one of the things he loved the most about her; that stubbornness made her adorable and was the source of her determination to improve every day. Even while frowning, the brunette still looked charming, though it couldn't compare to when she smiled.

Anyway, there was no escape; if he entered his house without sparing a word, he'd only make things worse.

"May, I wanted to tell you… well, it's more like I was going to ask you the most important thing in my life. I've seen you grow over these years, since you started as a rookie Pokémon Coordinator, and how you went up until you reached the top. I always knew you'd make it far, and so I tried to give you the initial push to get you on track, just like Solidad did it for me long ago."

"And I'm really grateful for it," she said as she softened her expression a little bit, but still somewhat angry. "But you still haven't answered my question."

"I was about to get to it, don't push me," the green-haired boy replied. "As I was saying, I always knew you'd make it far. But then, you started taking big steps, and I realized that I'd be left behind if I was careless. So I worked harder, and I always looked forward to face you again, more than anybody else. I always wanted to be sure I was on your level, to face you as you deserved. But today… today you surpassed me completely."

"So what's so particular about that?" May asked again. "I've always done my best too, to follow your example and face you with dignity. What does that have to do with me beating you today?"

"I realized something else," he replied. "Something that maybe had been going on for quite a while. I began to see you as something more than a rival… and a friend. I don't know when it happened, but you became a very special person for me."

"What do you mean by…?" May stopped as Drew's words sank in. No, that couldn't be. Was he trying to say what she was thinking?

"That's why I couldn't afford to lose today," Drew continued. "If you surpassed me, that means I'm not on your level anymore, and I'm not worthy of asking you to be my girlfriend."

The brunette's face turned red, and she involuntarily placed a hand on her chest. Her heart was thumping against her chest so hard, it almost looked like it was going to burst out at any second. Had she heard wrong? Drew had really said he wanted to ask her to be his girlfriend?

She was left speechless, but then, when he saw the boy's face, she finally understood everything. So it was that. And once everything sunk in, she felt the annoyance coming back, but for different reasons.

"You idiot," she said bluntly. "How can you think that? Drew, you were always an inspiration to me, someone I've always admired and who always encouraged me to work harder every day. Do you think you're not good enough for me, just because I beat you once?"

"Twice," he corrected. There was this time, and the Kanto Grand Festival.

"Whatever," she replied. "Point is, do you think a defeat makes you any less? If you were so willing to do your best for me, you should have told me from the beginning."

"Why do you say that?" he asked. The brunette looked away, as she blushed again.

"Because… to be honest, I've liked you for quite a while myself." She shyly played with her fingertips.

"Oh?" Drew raised his eyebrows. He did not see that coming. "And how long has that been?"

"I guess… since that Brianna girl asked me if I was your girlfriend," she admitted. "Sometimes I couldn't stand you, but those roses you gave me, and those times you gave me support when I needed it… do you think they wouldn't have any effect on me?"

For the first time in that conversation, Drew was able to smile genuinely. That was true; his habits of giving roses wasn't for just about anyone. Sometimes, he'd just toss them at random for his admirers, but May… over time she became a special case, and before she realized, he started saving them all only for her.

"In any case, I think a single contest battle isn't the best way to decide whether you're good enough for me or not," she said to break the uncomfortable silence. "I think I should be the judge of that."

"Then what do you have in mind?" he asked. This was getting interested.

"Well…" May started to blush again, and after swallowing, she gathered up courage to say it. "Why don't you just give me a kiss, here and now?"

Drew's eyes widened briefly. Now that had been a very direct approach. Then again, maybe it was the best way to solve this once and for all. And if she was asking for it, why refuse? Better take the chance before she changed her mind.

Besides, the neighborhood was all clear and nobody was watching. It was the perfect moment.

"Alright," he said, wrapping her around his arms. "Are you ready?"

"Not really, but what the hell," she replied, closing her eyes and waiting.

Carefully, Drew lifted her by the chin and kneeled slightly so they could line up their lips together. He felt somewhat tempted to make her suffer a little by leaving her waiting a few more seconds, but he ultimately couldn't resist and finally kissed her. After a couple seconds, he felt her gloved hands grabbing his cheeks, firmly yet softly, making it clear that she didn't want him to let go. Not that he was planning to do that, of course.

May was forced to stand on tiptoes, raising one of her feet to try and deepen the kiss even more. Just like him, she didn't want to break the moment for the world.

Until finally the air betrayed them forcing them to separate. They both glanced at one another, losing into the bluish stare of the other. They had done it, but neither of them knew what to do or say now.

"So?" Drew asked, trying to smile to break the moment's tension.

May smiled too. "Silly, you know my answer."

May jumped to his neck to kiss him again. The beginning was a little more aggressive, but little by little she relaxed and the kiss turned much sweeter. Drew for some reason had the feeling she was trying to teach him how to give a proper kiss, and she was doing a pretty good job. But at least, now he had his answer.

If she thought he was good enough for her, nothing else mattered. All that mattered was to walk the path by her side, make her happy, and show her every day how much he had come to admire and love her.

Six months later…

Pokémon Contests were starting to grow popular in the Kalos region, and as expected, Drew and May didn't miss the chance to go there to participate. However, region's the romantic atmosphere made the committee to approve a special modality for Pokémon Contests, where Coordinators could compete in pairs, and when Drew and May arrived in Camphrier Town, they found themselves in one of these for the first time. It went without saying they were very surprised, but they gladly joined in. The idea of earning a Ribbon together was too good to pass up.

In the final round, they faced against a very odd couple, who boasted about being 'the most loving couple in the whole region', a boy named Oscar and his girlfriend/fiancée/whatever she was Andi, who looked like they were permanently in a ball or something. May told him she knew them in passing, from one time she fought them alongside Ash, and they messed up with them by assuming (wrongly) that she and Ash were a couple, which played against them and made them lose.

Fortunately, this time it wasn't the case, and despite the pair formed by their Nidoking and Nidoqueen were pretty strong, they were no match for Butterfree and Beautifly's teamwork. The rival couple was left in a shock when their two titans were defeated by a pair of butterflies, and to add insult to injury they performed a romantic victory dance as they unleashed spores over their bodies on the arena.

After the award ceremony and getting their twin Ribbon, the couple left for the city's outskirts, both of them happy for their victory, but not as much as their Pokémon, who continued to perform their courting dance even after the battle had long ended.

"Look at them, aren't they adorable?" May said.

"They've grown quite close lately." Drew nodded. "It's true what they say, Pokémon reflect their trainers' feelings."

"Yeah, I think they're getting lovey-dovey like us," May admitted.

Drew stared at them. No doubt about it: Butterfree and Beautifly always awaited the moment to meet each other, but not to fight. Both Coordinators had caught on how the two butterflies had developed a clear attraction to each other, and even though this was the first time they fought as a team, they had coordinated rather well with each other. It almost saddened him that they'd soon have to separate, since both he and May would take time to travel by themselves to avoid growing too dependent on each other. It was time to part ways again.

"May, I've been thinking, don't you think we should leave Butterfree and Beautifly to spend some time together?"

"I wouldn't mind, but we have to take different paths now," May said.

"I know, but…" Right then, an idea struck on Drew's mind. "Come to think about it, there's a Pokémon Daycare Center west of this town. Why don't we leave them for a while?"

"Leave them there?" May tilted her head.

"Think about it; they've both have been working hard lately, they could use a good rest. And it'll give us time to focus on our other Pokémon."

"I guess you're right," May said. "Though, leaving them together and alone… aren't you worried, you know, that something could happen between them?"

"You're saying as if it was a bad thing," Drew replied arching an eyebrow. "That wouldn't be a problem for me in the least. Would it be for you?"

"No, not at all!" May shook her head. "Well… maybe just a little, but… it's just that I don't quite like that our Pokémon reach that stage of their relationship ahead of us."

Drew tried to make a remark about that, but he refrained himself. He wasn't in a hurry to take their relationship to that level, not yet at least. He could wait a little longer, until May was ready. He didn't want to drive her away with pressure.

Fortunately, the aforementioned Daycare place wasn't too far from town, and they could leave their butterflies without issues. The sun was setting, and as they reached the fork on the road, they both knew it was time to go their separate ways. May was planning to go to Kalos' coastal zone, while Drew was going back to the central zone.

"Well, I guess we'll meet here in three months to pick them up," said Drew.

"And then, the Kalos Grand Festival," May replied. "I'm gonna miss you a lot."

"So will I, but I'll be following you closely on PokéVision. You better train hard, because I want you to be at your best when I beat you this time around."

"Ah yeah? I'm planning to keep my winning streak, so don't think it'll be easy for you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

The Coordinator couple exchanged defiant glances with one another, and for a moment it looked like sparks were going to fly against one another, but instead, they just kissed each other and let loose in laughter.

"Take care," Drew said as he let go of the girl.

"You too," she replied.

Finally, each one left on his own. They never said goodbye, since they knew they'd meet again. Some would find it strange that a boy would compete against his own girlfriend, but that helped Drew stay sharp and always give his all. Now, regardless of the result, all that mattered was that he did his best for May, to prove that he was still worthy of her.

FIN.

Author's notes:

Hey, hey, people. Well, this oneshot was written shortly after I ended the Ash-Misty-Serena triangle story, so I decided to venture with some of my other favorite ships. And here we are, with one of my favorite Pokémon Coordinator pairings, Kenny and Dawn being the other (I'll be translating the other oneshot starring them soon enough, if you're interested). I meant to make this story from Drew's perspective, since most of the fics I've read with this pairing tend to take May's POV, and I tried to delve into what he thinks about May and his feelings for her,

So well, hope you guys enjoyed this story. Until next time.