AN: A collection meant to deal with the family-like bond that could exist between May, Drew, Harley, and Soledad - with some romance thrown in for good measure. All of these oneshots are going to vary in length, be different stories, and will probably not be connected unless said otherwise.

That all mentioned, we'll kick this off with something featuring May and Drew.

She pauses when she leaves the coffee shop, her hot cappuccino an inch from her lips.

He's sitting at the farthest table, away from the people and pokemon that have taken seats right by the shop's front, their voices mixing together with the news of the day. He sips at his own steaming beverage, his emerald eyes focused on the page of the book he's reading – a thick novel, with a black-colored hard cover, and a spine decorated with the elegant, golden letters of a title she then recognizes as a bestselling fantasy story.

She isn't surprised that she sees him here. Ever since she started her tour through Johto a month ago, they've run into each other multiple times. A majority of those times were within the waiting rooms of contest halls as they competed against one another in the art of pokemon coordinating. Rarely, though, had they really met with one another off of an arena's stage, and she wonders if she should say hello or leave him to his reading.

Her answer is chosen for her, as he looks up from his novel to take another sip of his coffee. He notices her as she stares at him from across the outside dining area. His eyebrows rise, but only for a second, and a small smirk tugs at his lips as he gestures her over.

She blinks. With her fingers warm from her cappuccino (cardboard coverings can't suppress the heat forever, she figures – and she realizes how long she's been standing there), she walks over to him, watching as he dog-ears the page to his novel, closes the book, and sets it down on the table in front of him, his eyes meeting hers.

"Hey, Drew," she says, stopping by his table.

His smirk shows itself more fully. "What's up, May?"

She shrugs, wondering what she could say to her rival.

Drew frowns. He looks down at the empty seat across from his, and then he looks back at her. Their eyes cross, and he tilts his head toward the seat.

May smiles sheepishly and takes the empty seat. She's glad that she's not intruding on anything, but even with that she still feels awkward. A sense of comfort always came to her when she was around Drew, as he reminded her that she wasn't entirely alone in the big region of Johto. However, this didn't change the fact that, apart from that, they were still rivals, and rivals sitting down with one another outside a coffee shop seemed contradictory. She and Drew had done this before – striking conversations outside of the line of work that made them rivals to begin with – but that didn't stop the uneasiness that came with the feeling that she was breaking some sort of golden rule about competition.

Maybe it's just her that feels weird, because Drew leans back in his chair, runs his fingers through his chartreuse-colored hair, and asks, "So, how're you doing?"

"Pretty good," she says, for the lack of anything better. She looks up at the sky; it's clear over Violet City, the sun shining brightly, warming the air. "I was just going for a walk. It's a nice day today."

"It is."

"What about you? What are you doing?"

Drew places his hand on his book. "Catching up on my reading. I haven't had much time for it with my coordinating and all."

"Where are Harley and Soledad?"

"Out there somewhere. Probably arguing and stuff, you know?"

She chuckles. "Yeah."

He meets her eyes for a third time. Her breath catches in her throat. His eyes had always reminded her of a dragon's – deep and majestic.

"How are your pokemon?" he asks.

And their conversation continues. She talks about her pokemon, he talks about his, and they both tell their plans for what they want to do next after they leave Violet. From there, more topics are brought up, and more stories are shared. As Drew speaks, she listens, and she learns things about him that – with the busy schedule of their rivalry – she didn't have time to learn before.

And, suddenly, things aren't so awkward anymore.

An hour passes, and she only realizes how much time it's been when she goes to take a sip of her cappuccino and notices that it's empty. She frowns, tossing the cup into a nearby trashcan.

"Need another cappuccino," May says. "I'll be right back."

But, Drew stops her with a hand to her arm. "Don't worry about it. I'll get it."

She blinks, watching as he pulls out his wallet. "You don't have to do that."

He shrugs, as if the decision is nothing out of the ordinary.

"What are friends for?"

She blinks again.

And then she smiles.