Ash's Last Dance

May vs Drew

3rd Person POV

May stood up and smoothed out her dress, getting ready for her battle against Drew. She was pretty confident in winning, as she had beaten him several times during their Johto journeys.

The announcer called their names, and the two of them entered the stage from opposite sides.

"Yeah! Come on, May! Beat him up!" Max cheered.

Ash raised an eyebrow at his enthusiasm but shrugged.

"Send out your Pokémon," the referee called.

It was just a normal battlefield, so May decided that it was probably best for her to send her best fighter out.

"Come on out, Blaziken!" May called.

"In that case, go Flygon!"

Max growled.

"Of course, he decides to let May send out her Pokémon first before sending out his own."

"Well, he's technically allowed to since May decided to send her Pokémon out first," Ash replied.

"Doesn't matter," Max huffed.

Ash gave him an amused look but started to wonder why Max hated Drew so much. As far as Ash knew, Drew hadn't done anything awful, and May seemed to like his company a lot. That thought gave Ash an unknown pang in his chest, but he shrugged it off.

Serena's POV

I had finally made it to the outskirts of Santalune City. I had been traveling on this route for nearly 2 days, and I was starting to get sick of it.

When I made it into the city, I quickly checked into the Pokémon Center and got myself a room. I then saw people flocking to some dome/arena, and I decided to go check it out.

It turned out there was a contest there, and I decided to check it out. They were somewhat similar to Showcases, which I wanted to do, and I could learn from the coordinators.

I sat near the back and saw that it was now the final round. It was May Maple and Drew Shu, two coordinators from Hoenn. I had watched them in a match before and remembered Drew defeating May.

I certainly hoped that May would win this one, as Drew was insanely stuck up during interviews and seemed like an overall prick.

Thankfully, May started to gain the upper hand, and her Blaziken hit Flygon with an Overheat, which knocked it out.

The audience began to clap, and May was awarded the Santalune Ribbon. I could see Drew's dejected face and sneer, and it made me even happier that May had won.

When she came off the stage, she was surrounded by people who I guessed were her friends. Then, I realized I recognized 3 of them.

And the one I was interested in most was hugging May.

Ash's POV

When May won her match, all of us ran up to congratulate her.

"LET'S GO MAY! WE TAKE THOSE! TELL THAT GREEN-HAIRED WEEB TO FU-"

"Alright Max, let's calm down, shall we?" Bonnie interrupted.

"Well, good job, May. You were awesome up there," I said.

"Thanks, Ash," May said and surprised me by giving me a hug. I returned it, and we all congratulated May on her win and eventually walked out of the arena once she had changed out of her coordinating dress.

While May and Dawn were talking about random coordinator stuff and Max and Bonnie were having a conversation about something, Clemont and I were walking up front when something came onto my mind.

"So, Clemont, how did you exactly get kicked out of your gym?" I asked, a small smile playing on my lips.

Clemont blushed in embarrassment.

"Well... the truth was that I preferred inventing stuff a lot more than actually maintaining a gym. So I made Clembot so I could focus on my inventions full time, but I guess something went wrong and now Bonnie and I are now here. I never forgave myself for that, you know. I was supposed to take care of Bonnie, but I failed," Clemont said, looking dejected.

"It's alright, we'll get you your gym back. I promise. I told you that already, didn't I?" I replied, patting him on the back.

Clemont nodded and turned back to look at Bonnie, who was deep in conversation with Max.

"I hope so, at least. Maybe then I could just make a Bonnie the Gym Leader," Clemont said with a chuckle.

"Hey, Ash! Don't you have your Gym Battle tomorrow?" Max spoke up, making me turn my head back again.

"Huh, oh yeah. What about it?"

"Do you even know what type the Gym is or who the Gym Leader is?" Max asked, his eyebrow raised in suspicion.

"Of course not, It's only my first time going to battle a gym," I said sarcastically with a sigh. "I'm not an idiot anymore Max."

"You're always an idiot," May called.

"There's no way you really said 'anymore'," Dawn added with a facepalm.

"I'm just suffering from success, too many haters around nowadays," I mumbled, and Clemont and Bonnie chuckled at that.

3rd Person POV

As they continued to stroll to the Pokémon Center, May found herself lagging behind a bit, lost in thought. Suddenly, a hand grabbed her wrist, pulling her aside. She turned to see Drew, his face twisted in an unfamiliar expression.

"May, can we talk for a moment?" Drew asked, his tone serious.

"Um, sure," May replied, puzzled by Drew's sudden demeanor.

Drew led her a few steps away from the group, his grip on her wrist tightening ever so slightly. May felt a tinge of discomfort, but she followed nonetheless.

"What's up, Drew?" May asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

"I saw the way you hugged Ash back there," Drew said, his tone low and intense. "What's going on between you two?"

May's eyes widened in surprise. "What? Nothing! Ash and I are just friends."

"Friends, huh?" Drew scoffed, a flicker of jealousy flashing in his eyes. "Well, it didn't look like 'just friends' to me."

May felt a mix of confusion and frustration bubbling inside her. "Drew, seriously, there's nothing going on between Ash and me. We're just friends, that's it."

Drew's grip on her wrist loosened slightly, but his expression remained guarded. "I hope you're telling the truth, May. Because I don't appreciate seeing you cozying up to other guys."

May felt a surge of irritation. "Cozying up? Drew, you're being ridiculous. Ash is my friend, that's all. And even if there was something more between us, it's none of your business."

Drew's jaw clenched, and for a moment, May thought he might argue further. But then, he seemed to deflate, his shoulders sagging slightly.

"Fine, May. Whatever," Drew muttered, releasing her wrist and stepping back. "Just... be careful, okay?"

May nodded, still feeling a mix of frustration and unease. As Drew turned and walked away, she rejoined the group, her mind swirling with conflicting emotions.

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A/N: New chapter let's go. I'm updating again yay. 1000 words cyaaaaaaaa.