Presence of an Angel

Chapter 3

Dinner is one of the best times of the day~

Especially when you meet someone special. ;D

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon

"Roselia!"

I turned to look at my companion as I was overseeing my other Pokémon as they were having dinner. By the expression she was giving, I immediately knew she was concerned about me.

"Don't worry about me, Roselia," I tried to reassure her. "Everything's fine. Besides, taking some time to enjoy is good for everyone."

She tossed me a disbelieving look but nonetheless accepted my words.

The look she gave me was probably the same one I would give myself if heard myself say that. What was I doing?

Moving over to Absol, I gently ran my hand over his fur. I was regarded with a curious look, but it didn't stop him from turning back to his food, a silence acceptance of my actions. The mellow atmosphere among my chattering Pokémon brought something to my attention.

They knew.

Like some unspoken agreement, it appeared that we had all consented to not talking about my 'break' from contests. Although I was thankful for this, I also knew my companions deserved the truth that I was holding back from them.

It just felt like now wasn't the time.

After everyone had finished off their dinner, I decided it was time for me to eat as well. Let everyone free roam the apartment with a brief warning to be careful, I slipped out ready for the chilly night ahead, with a certain destination in mind.

Pulling out the map on my phone, I zoomed in, double checking to make sure I was heading the right way. I had been following the recommendations from my landlord recently, and so far, nothing disappointed. Deciding to put some trust in their choices, I was giving another place a try.

Stopping in my steps, I realized I had arrived.

Daydream Diner.

The building looked old, but held a welcoming aura. Heading in, I scanned the place. Despite how quiet it seemed on the outside, there were quite a lot of people inside, keeping the noise level a just over a murmur.

"Welcome!" A brunette greeted me with a bright smile. She adjusted the tray in her arms. "Feel free to sit anywhere you like and we'll get to you as soon as possible."

Scanning for available tables, I spotted a brunette sitting alone, who looked rather familiar. As I approached, I immediately recognized her. The girl who might have been in the alleyway. The girl who breezed by me last night.

She was here.

At least I think so.

With a red bow on the top of her head and a matching dress, I wondered if she knew that she pulled off that simple look rather elegantly. Sliding into the empty seat in the booth across from her, I watched her as she ever so cautiously lifted the soup to her mouth. She didn't even notice me yet, being so concentrated on her food.

Giving it a moment, I finally decided to make myself known to her.

"Mind if I sit here?" I asked.

Startled, she looked up at me.

"Oh, sure!" she agreed with a smile.

I offered her my hand. "I'm Drew."

"Nice to meet you, Drew! I'm May."

May.

I casually picked up the menu that rested on the side of the table, scanning over the food this place offered. It was exactly what you would expect at a diner, the exception being healthier choices and the specialty portion. There were some interesting names to some of the dishes, such as Sweet Nightmare and Pleasant Thoughts, which sounded like something I would try one day if I came back.

"You should try what I'm having," May piped up, interrupting my thoughts. "It's pretty good."

"Do you come here often?" I asked.

"It's my first time," she admitted, brushing back a strand of her hair that had fallen forward. "A friend brought me here, but I really like it!"

"Maybe I will give it a try." I nodded.

Just then a waitress walked up, pulling out a pen and notepad from her apron.

"Hello, welcome to Daydream Diner. Would you like to order?"

Something about her looked familiar as well, I looked at her, trying to figure out where I had seen her from. It seemed like I was running into everyone who I only had vague memories of today.

"I'll have what she's having," I said, gesturing to May's food.

The girl gave a hum of approval, nodding as she jots down the order. As she was writing, I was able to catch sight of a bandage on her arm, which reminded me of someone I helped recently who sustained the same injury.

A small smile appeared on her face when she caught my eyes. "Thanks for helping me the other night. I'm Violet."

"I'm glad you're okay," I replied. "I'm Drew."

"I'll be back with your order shortly, Drew," she curtly responded. Once she was gone, I turned back to May.

I watched her for a moment, trying to put together my thoughts. I was curious, to be honest, I really wanted to confirm my thoughts. The girl in the alleyway was her, right?

As I was piecing together my thoughts, Violet stopped by, carefully placing my food in front of me before leaving to dealing with the dinner rush. As much as I was tempted to start eating my food like May, my curiosity blocked out my other thoughts.

"Have I seen you before?" I blurted out, leaning forwards to get a better look at her. An image of the girl in the alleyway a few nights ago wavered in my mind. I could still see her brilliant sapphire eyes. "By any chance, a few days ago?"

Her eyes widened as she lowered her fork. A clear expression of shock covered her face. "You saw me that night?"

The way she said that, it was almost as if she expected me not to have seen her. I hesitated, but nodded. Realization dawned onto her after she saw my response. I heard her quietly murmur, "So someone did see me that night..."

It was her.

May was the one who kept appearing before me for some reason. She was the one who in the alleyway who had seen the man lurking around. Why didn't she do anything? How did she disappear so quickly? All these questions hovered around my head, but when I opened my mouth to say something, May pointed to my food.

"Eat." She looked at me with a warm expression. "Humans need food, I don't think you're an exception. Besides, don't let it go cold!"

Although the way she phrased it was strange, I nodded, picking up my food. The food here was actually pretty good. I saw myself stopping here more often.

"Thank you for helping out that night," May quietly murmured in between bites of her fries. "I was... scared, so I wasn't able to do anything but run away. I'm thankful you were able to."

"It's no problem." I waved her off after swallowing my food. All the questions I had slowly faded from my mind.

May shook her head. Her expression turned serious as she gently grasped onto my hand with her own.

"Really, Drew, I mean it. I'm glad you were able to do something I wasn't able to. You know, after hearing that it was you who saw me that night, I don't mind too much. You're a nice person!"

Once again with her strange way of talking, but I could feel the sincerity in her words. With how she was holding onto my hands, I could feel my heart fluttering again. Seeing how subtle the feeling was, I shoved it aside.

It was hard though, because when May pulled away, she picked up a fry and held it my way.

"Would you like me to feed you?" An innocent yet cheery smile returned to her face. My heart was hammering in my chest at this point. She seemed to have noticed my reaction – or lack of one – and moved back with a giggle. "Sorry, only couples do that, right? I watched so many romance dramas and shows, it just felt kind of natural in this situation."

As I was awkwardly trying to eat my dinner, which was still surprisingly warm, I could feel May's eyes watching as she finished off her meal. She kept quiet as I finished off my own food as well.

"You're not from Unova, are you, Drew?" she asked, tilting her head slightly as she looked at me.

"I'm not."

"Where are you from?"

"Hoenn."

The brunette's eyes sparkled when she heard this. "Cool! Hoenn is so green and pretty. What brings you to Unova though?"

Hearing these words, I realized that May didn't know about my coordinating past. This brought a bit of comfort to me. I didn't want someone as beautiful as her to know about my terrible lost that only occurred recently. I didn't want her to learn about my fall from the top.

"Vacation."

Accepting my words, she nodded. "Since we're both new around here, maybe we can hang out together sometime."

"Yeah."

How long would it be until she ended up like my Pokémon?

She would find out eventually, but I wanted to have someone around who accepted me without knowing my past to judge me.

I wanted to see her again after today.

Checking my phone, I realized how much time had gone by since I had come to Daydream Diner. My Pokémon were probably worried for me if they weren't already asleep. I knew Roselia would be around waiting for me by the door until I returned.

"I should probably get going," I told May. "It's getting late. Are you leaving soon?"

"I'll be going with my friend," she explained. "But I could use some fresh air. I'll walk out with you."

The waitress I had run into earlier stopped by the table. I offered to pay for May as well, but both the waitress and May declined, claiming her meal was already covered. When we stepped out, I breathed in the cool night air, taking in how refreshing the air was.

When I turned to May, I could see a cloud of warmth leave her as she exhaled.

Moving to stand in front of her, I took the scarf in my hand and wrapped it around her neck, making sure it was on properly.

"Here," I said, while adjusting it. "Make sure you dress warm next time. Nights are chilly around here."

Her cheeks flushed pink. Humming in acknowledge of my words, May smiled brightly. Even in the dim light, she shone out to me.

Whatever these feelings I had for this girl already, there was the desire and the dread to discover what they were. Affections for someone was not what I needed at this stage of life. Maybe a friend, but that was about it.

Patting the top of her head, I chuckled at the pout on her face, before shoving my hands into my pockets.

"Well, I'll get going."

"Be safe!" May chirped out. "Thank you."

"No problem. I'll see you around."

Walking away with those lingering words, I couldn't help but hope they held some form of truth. Because I wanted to see her again soon.

Hehe, lots of hinting towards contestshipping here~

Did you guys notice how all the chapters happen during the evening or at night? LOL. I guess realized that. XD

Anyways, May's human adventures have begun. :) Things will be interesting!

Thanks for reading and have a fabulous day!

~Skitty13