Deep Diamonds - Written in early August 2006 (shark week inspired, deviantART exclusive)

She had just dived into the crystal, clear waters off Red Island, one of the many isles on the Scarce Archipelago in the middle of the ocean four hundred miles off the coast of Limestone City. The water was as calm as the tropical air above it. She swam around in nothing but a black top and a black pair of shorts with a snorkel in her mouth and round goggles covering her big, brown eyes. Her light, brown hair trailed behind her as swam. She dove from the surface a little deeper to join a school of Luvdisc in their swim, only to part from them soon after and break the surface next to her white boat for a breath of slightly humid air. The bottom of the ocean wasn?t too far down, perhaps a good ten feet or so where she could see a coral reef perfectly under the lapping sea surface that was clear as glass.  
She hoisted herself onto the wooden deck of her boat and lifted herself up on her legs. The rocking of the vessel had her look for balance before continuing onward toward the steering. The boat was small with a tiny cabin area underneath the steering room. About the deck was a bunch of pails filled with fish awful she used on occasion to attract Sharpedo and Gyarados. This girl was a Pokemon photographer during the few months after Grand Festivals and today she was out to get some aquatic pictures. She usually had some sort of goal to go by, since no one assigned her anything and right about now she would scroll through her endless books looking for the perfect target.
She dried herself off with a light blue towel that hung on the cabin door and then strode to the very small staircase. She descended down into the metal stairs to the bunk area were a mattress on a steel frame was put up against the wall. A few other furniture items followed its lead. Upon a cheap, wooden dresser sat her water proof camera, as well as some various pictures she had taken a long time ago of a group of a few Pokemon she found. There was one of some Raticate, another of a Girafarig and still another of two Pikachu. She sold very few, but not because they were poor, but because they reminded her of those memories and selling memories was just cold. So, she kept most of them and sold a few reluctantly.
Lifting the camera, her eyes wondered to an open book on the floor where she had left it the night before looking for her target. A drawing on the shiny paper reeled her in like a fish on a hook and she knelt down to get a better look. It was a picture of a very large fish Pokemon, one she hadn?t seen in the wild on her many expeditions. It was a legendary, she read, no wonder. The book mentioned that the Pokemon could be found, on lucky occasions, on Diamond Island. Well, what do you know, she was right near by. It?d only take a boat ride to the other side of the archipelago. She had found her target, and since this Pokemon had been seen in folklore, getting a picture of it would mean she?d never have to sell another memory again. She loaded up her camera - 1 photo for the press, twenty three for her.
With a new found drive, she found herself sprinting up the stairs soon after and turning the key that had been left in the ignition of her boat. The engine grumbled, almost annoyed, and then pushed the boat along, directed by her hand on the metallic steering wheel. Small waves splashed up against the hard sides as the vessel sliced through the glassy surface. It wasn?t long until she was zooming past Gold Island, Silver Island, and Crystal Island, low tide having them connected by a small strip of sand. The tropical sea breeze wisped through her long, brown hair and she left those islands behind with no interest. A few Wingull followed her, curious of her presence in a remote area such as this.
Diamond Island came into view quickly, with its small mountain situated behind the sultry forest beyond the strip of white, sandy beach. Tall cliffs hung to the left, opening up a cave underneath making the landscape look like the mouth of a dangerous water Pokemon. She anchored her boat offshore where the coral reef still filled the underwater landscape with color. She took her camera from the steering counter and shoved her breathing device into her mouth. The last thing to do was put on her goggles and black flippers. She put them on quickly and then jumped into the water, excited. The bubbles followed her down when she dove into the water, but then left her to escape to the surface, as if frightened by the deep. She paid no mind as she dove deeper, flapping her flippers, reaching the corals and meeting the inhabitants there. Before she even reached the bottom, a school of Magikarp swam right in front of her, oblivious to her existence. She backed up, startled, but then continued her quest through the field of pink and emerald. Beyond a few hills of coral, she saw a few Remoraid swim by and Corsola hid behind some algae covered rocks.
As she swam, she looked for possible, quick snap shots. She eventually came across a small cave where an Octillery was spending his day, snoozing. The girl lifted her camera and clicked the shutter. The slight noise didn?t startle the octopus out of his slumber, but it attracted someone else - a Seel.
He grabbed the camera right out of the girl?s hands and played a game of keep away with her. Not wanting to lose any film, she lunged for it but he was too quick for her ? definitely the better swimmer. Getting annoyed, she took a Pokeball from the waist of her shorts and threw it at the Seel. Against the water current, it didn?t reach him, but she wasn?t trying to capture him. No, the Pokeball opened to reveal a Sharpedo. The Seel sweat dropped as he watched the shark Pokemon open his jaws threateningly. The Seel dropped the camera and swam away in fright. The girl swam up to her Pokemon and gave him a PokeBlock she retrieved from her PokeBlock case she also attached to her waist. Rubbing the Sharpedo on the head as he snacked, the girl retrieved her stolen camera that had fallen to the seabed.
There was no time, now, to take pictures of everyday Pokemon that had now all scuttled to safety with the presence of a dangerous Sharpedo in the area. She had to find that legendary, and only now that she had arrived underwater she figured that the mysterious beast was somewhere on or in the island. In the cave, most likely. She knew by experience legendaries liked to hide, but most liked to stay hidden in one place. She gave her Sharpedo instructions by pointing towards the island and soon the two were off to the cliff side of the island into the belly of the beast.
Watching the seafloor as she held onto her Pokemon?s dorsal fin, watching as flurries of color shifted past her goggles. Just then, a Gorbyss slithered past them from a brief moment and the girl couldn?t lift her camera in time to capture it on film. It scuttled away too quickly.
Her Sharpedo slowed as he came to a drop off, though not very deep, the bottom wasn?t very visible. Her Sharpedo guided her towards the cave, being wary of what could emerge from the depths of the trench below.
She kept her camera ready not wanting to miss what could come up from a deep sea lunch as they followed the edge of the underwater cliff. Suddenly, ever so faintly, a voice could be heard singing a long drawl. It was the voice of a Wailord, the girl knew, and she looked around for the culprits of the melody. Looking up, the girl could see them at the surface. A pair of Wailord passing by. The girl let go of her Sharpedo and got into a position where she could capture the float whale Pokemons? majesty in all. She got the shot from below, clicking the shutter as they lumbered by overhead like slow jet planes. They didn?t have a care in the world and their laziness got to the girl as she watched them float by. The current pulled her along as she watched the whales.
She was interrupted when her Sharpedo sped into her, pushing her away as an aggressive Kingler tried to perform a Crabhammer on her. She scratched the back of her head apologetically ? obviously she had floated too close to his home. Before leaving, however, she managed to get a picture of him. He didn?t mind, as long as she didn?t swim near his nook.
She wrapped her arm around Sharpedo?s dorsal fin again and they continued their journey to the cave and to find the legendary. They crossed the trench mouth speeding along with Butterfree in their stomachs ? who knew what sort of Gyarados or Tentacruel lived down there?
Entering the mouth of the cave, the girl could see already that the inside was dimly lit by the shards in the centers of Starmie and Staryu stuck to the walls of the tunnel. She figured this a discovery ? usually the star Pokemon liked to be on the open ocean floor, never known to venture into underwater caverns, not to mention lighting them up. The girl put on the flash on her camera and letting go of her Sharpedo for a quick second. She took a great picture of a Starmie. Its center jewel pulsated the light, as if its heart was lit up. Sharpedo came up to her, latched her arm around his dorsal fin and led her deeper into the cavern. If given the chance, she?d waste all her film if not careful.
She put on the light of her camera, to light the way so that she could see all of the inhabitants of the cave. She saw a few Shellder line the bottom and when they closed their shells the girl looked up to find a Huntail slithering about them, looking for one foolish enough to not have closed his doors to the beast. The girl took a picture of the serpent and the flash scared him away, unfortunately. The Shellder opened their shells again and unraveled their tongues from their mouths. The girl took pictures of them as well. Worried about a Cloyster showing up to give them a hassle, Sharpedo pulled his trainer along through the tunnel.
As they went deeper into the cavern, the floor disappeared and the bottom was merely a black hole. Yellow lights could be seen far below them and the girl just knew they were Lanturn looking for a morsel of food. She hoped they?d come to the ceiling where she and her Sharpedo glided, but there was no such luck. Soon the little lights disappeared into the murky abyss below them.
Disappointed, the girl turned back ahead of her. Something in the distance reflected the light from her camera back and she knew it had to be the scales of a fish, perhaps a Remoraid. But as they neared it, the light reflected was off a much bigger surface than any Remoraid could muster. Sharpedo was being brave, but under her fingertips, the girl could feel he was shaking a bit. There was something massive ahead.
There was a swift blow of sea current all of a sudden and when it subsided the girl and her Sharpedo opened their eyes to come face to face with what they were looking for. Not quite face to face, as the large, shark Pokemon ahead of them swam around its cavern, eyeing them cautiously. A large, fierce eye with a row of three large, pearly fangs underneath passed them by, followed by a horizontal pectoral fin, five, red gills, and large, silvery body. As it swam, the deep diamonds in the cave walls lit up, lighting the area so that the girl could see the massive sight. It was none other than Whitshoda, the legendary the girl had been searching for. The Pokemon must?ve spent its life there in the cavern ? there was no way the shark could fit its large mass through the thin corridor of the cave the girl and her Sharpedo had come from. Excitement surged through the girl?s chest and she let go of her Sharpedo for a second to take the giant?s picture, the first that had ever been taken of it. She took another for herself, the second flash of light causing the leviathan to retreat back into the dark shadows of its cave. The girl watched it go.
The girl felt sad as she watched it leave. Years upon years being in that cave, it probably didn?t even know what a human was. She knew that if she sold its picture to the public, they?d want to know where she took it, and that?d bring so many people in to disturb the great beast. As she grabbed Sharpedo?s dorsal fin again for a ride out of the cave darkness, she shut off her camera light and soon the two were submerged in the bleak blackness of the cavern. Sharpedo sped out of Whitshoda?s chamber, back past the Shellder cluster and Staryu and Starmie cling grounds and the girl thought to herself about the large Pokemon she had just encountered. As the clear blue waters came into view like the light at the end of a tunnel, she knew that both pictures were memories not to be sold.

Write a passage where May and Drew are already a couple.(CS Thread topic by Jo-Jo)
Cookoff! - Written on April 16, 2006
May's eyes fluttered awake and she shifted her head from side to side on her soft, white sheeted pillow. When her eyes finally adjusted, she realized that it was late. Strong sunbeams did their best to burst through the thin curtains hanging from their thick bars above the long, elegant windows from either side of her bed posts. She had overslept. She stretched and yawned, moving her right hand over to the other side of the bed. It was vacant.

"Drew?" she asked sleepily in a yawn.

She rose up to look around, bringing the edge of the blanket to her chest to cover herself. She regretted it. The room's stagnant air felt cold to her bare skin. Her long, brown hair tickled her back.
Far off she could smell someone using the stove. Smelled like eggs of some sort. She smirked, now wide awake.

"Ready to start today," she murmured to herself as she grabbed her summery, deep red nightgown from the chair in the corner of the room.

She slipped it over herself, as well as a new pair of panties, for she couldn't find the ones she had had last night, and walked out of the room.
In the hall she was greeted by Beautifly who was coming down to wake her.

"Hello, Beautifly," she said warmly to the butterfly, "Now, what on earth does Drew think he's doing?"

She put her hands to her hips. Beautifly giggled and followed her down the extravagant spiral staircase downstairs.
On the ground floor, the elegant white tiling they had installed last month was cold to her bare feet, as well as hard, but she paid no mind. Picture frames, furniture, and plants lined the hallway to the kitchen.
When she finally got to the kitchen, she knew right away everyone was awake and hopping that morning. She couldn't help but smile at the scene though.

"Drew, are you desperately trying to make a decent breakfast?" May asked as she walked to the stove where he worked.

In the frying pan he had clasped in his hand, a pool of thick yellow liquid was being swirled around by his spachula.

"Oh, yes, honey, good morning to you too," Drew said, sarcastically.

He was wearing his own sleep wear which constituted dark pajama pants and a white shirt.
May looked at him and came to the conclusion once again that he had not changed as much as she had over the years. His hair was the same length it always had been and green nonetheless. Though, he had grown taller, in which she had to look up a bit to make eye contact, he was the same coordinator. She and Drew had traveled a little more before getting married, and even still, they'd travel around during the summer months. Summer was the only time to do such things because of one factor.

"Dad, are you desperately trying to make a decent breakfast?" asked a thirteen year old girl from Drew's other side.

"Oh! Good morning to you too, Sara!" Drew said, sarcastically again, "I see you two planned this. Go set the table."

Sara shrugged and went to the cabinets behind them to retreive the porcelain plates. Unlike Drew, Sara had been changing ever since she was born. She used to be a sweet little girl who always wore a dark blue, sleeveless, summer dress. Now she was a tomboy, backward baseball cap and all. She had long, dark brown hair, almost black with sapphire eyes and a light complexion. She was pretty, and any fans that got the chance to see her if they behaved agreed on that and would remark it was because the parents were considered beautiful. Sara would roll her eyes, Drew would shake his head, but May would gobble the praise up about her daughter, hook, line, and sinker.

"Drew, you're gonna burn it," May remarked, snapping her own self out of her thoughts.

"Oh, really? I knew it, you wanna make breakfast. Well, tough, I'm doing it," Drew told her.

"We're going to be eating charcoal," May muttered with a playful smirk.

"Oh yeah? Well, if you cook we'll have to go out for breakfast," Drew countered, "Besides, my eggs completely own yours. Right, Sara?"

"No, dad," Sara answered as she set a fork down.

"See?" Drew said, ignoring the actual answer, "I can make breakfast ten times better than you."

"Oh really? Is that a challenge?" May asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Yay! Cookoff!" Sara exclaimed from the table, "I'll be eating well...again."

"Yeah, it was a challenge, you're on!" May said.

She walked to her own personal stove, a few feet away from Drew. It was for these reasons, as well as making Pokeblock, that they had an extra stove installed.
May got all her supplies in a flash. She wouldn't let all her mother's teachings go down the drain, although she did lose a few of these challenges.

"Okay! Now I want a clean fight," Sara set the challenge up from the table, "You'll make the following - cheese omelate, sausage, french toast, bacon, crepes, pancakes, scrambled eggs, waffles, and orange juice! Hold the pulp. Begin. You have an hour!"

And they got to work. It was mornings like those that made their house so lively. As frying pans and flour flew everywhere, Sara picked up the phone and dialed her friends' as well as her parents' friends' houses.

"Hey, Grace! Have you had breakfast yet? Good. Don't. Come over....Yeah, Mom and Dad are at it again. I have like a buffet at my house! Get here! Stat!"

Pokemon Contest! Yuzuriha Convention! FAN WRITTEN - January 2006

(written on a fic challenge issued by Jo-Jo)

>>>>>>>"Yes! My next contest!" May exclaimed as she and her compainions marched into Yuzuriha Town, "I can't wait to get my next ribbon!"

May was beaming. She had recently won a contest ribbon, and then one before it, as well as get a new Pokemon on her team. What coordinator wouldn't be beaming?
Ash, Max, Pikachu, and Brock followed their group's sole girl as she walked with her chin held up high. Nothing could possibly bring her down.
...
"Only two ribbons, May? My, I'm not surprised," said Drew.

Well, maybe somethings could bring her down - her long term rival, Drew, was certainly one of them. Meeting him in the Pokemon Center was not on May's agenda.

"Oh yeah?" May started up.

She was reluctant to say "How many ribbons do you have?" which she did anyway.

There was no use asking anymore. Drew would always be one, two, or even three steps ahead of her, and with a line like that, it was evident he was ahead.

"Three," he said and showed them off, all polished and well kept.

May fumed. For once in her life, she wished she could at least have one up on Drew. It was almost like he made sure he was ahead before greeting her. And then it seemed he spoke to her only to rub it in her face that he was yet again ahead.
But the anger passed over her. That's just how things were - Drew would always be ahead and he probably had good reason to be, anyway.
May then formulated in her head that she could still win in the this battle for material things. She had realized last time she met up with Drew, he had no new Pokemon to show off. She knew he would have done so if he had any.

She smirked and said, "Well, what about new Pokemon? I have two new Pokemon!"

May was referring to Eevee and Squirtle - although Squirtle couldn't be considered new since Drew'd seen it already, but saying two made it sound like a greater feat. Drew sniggered to himself.

"Well, you better train that Squirtle in order for it to be something of a threat," Drew said, closing his eyes and flipping his hair.

"H-How did you know I was talking about Squirtle as well?" May shrieked.

She couldn't lie, because then at some point, she'd have to show him.

"Intuition," Drew said calmly.

May grumbled. How dare he...he...he know so much about her to make that kind of conclusion! How did he know? Did he believe that strongly she couldn't catch two new Pokemon over the time span they had not seen each other?

"So, what's the new recrute?" Drew asked, almost curious.

"It's an Eevee I recently hatched," May blurted.

She wanted to slap herself. Now Drew knew she had two baby Pokemon on her team - which she figured he wouldn't take seriously.

"That's cool," he said.

May's eyes widened. It was cool? Not weak? How so?

"Have you planned on what it will evolve into?" he asked, very curious.

She wondered why.

"Um, no," she giggled nervously and sweat dropped.

She figured that if Drew was asking, it was something she should have done already. Drew sniggered again to himself.

"What? What's so funny?" May asked, showing her fangs, "What's your new Pokemon?"

Although May was pretending to be tough and competitive, she expected Drew's new Pokemon to be flashy, dazzling, and overall, one hundred times better than anything she recently got. She wasn't disappointed in her Pokemon, she was disappointed in herself. It always happened when Drew was around. It wasn't really all that bad, it just felt as though the world she knew just disappeared to show what was really going on. She knew she needed that, but a large part of her didn't want it.

"On second thought!" May said, not giving him any time to anwer the last question, "How about a battle? And I force you to use that new Pokemon!"

"Alright," Drew said, amused, "But remember, you asked for it."

...

In the park nearby the Pokemon center, May and Drew stood opposite each other in a clearing. A breeze swept by, almost signifying the beginning of a battle...no, a war. May's friends stood behind her for support, like they always did.
May tightened her face. She was ready to get this over with. She was deciding on which Pokemon to use. Combusken would be geat, but...she was thinking of using Eevee. If Drew had to use his new Pokemon, so should she. Besides, after Squirtle had been beaten by Drew, it went on to the Saffron Contest to win the whole thing. True, beating Harley was a small feat nowadays, but it was still something. She decided to go on and use the same tactic with Eevee.

"Go Eevee!" May called out and released the furry Pokemon.

"Come on out, Jolteon!" Drew called and released the vicious, yellow evolution of May's Pokemon.

Ash widened his eyes. Go figure!

"This will be a timed five minute match!" Brock played referee, "Begin!"

"Use Tackle, now!" May shouted to her plush look-alike.

Eevee ran toward Jolteon. The evolved form watched the little baby made its way over to it. Drew tried not to yawn. He wanted the best match he could get out of this, and angering May would deflate the possibility of that.

"Jolteon, show them a real Tackle," Drew said.

Jolteon ran quickly to Eevee and crashed into it, sending it back to May's ankles. Eevee sprung up, mad, and charged foward for Jolteon.

"Eevee, use your Quick Attack!" May said.

Eevee was faster this time. With a tail of white light behind it, Eevee shot foward to Jolteon. Jolteon sat, not amused.

"Use Double Kick to block!" Drew called.

As soon as Eevee was close enough, Jolteon outstretched one of its hind legs at the small Pokemon. With the force of both moves, Eevee was crushed between them. Jolteon was stronger though, and the blow had Eevee fly back to its side. Jolteon then resumed its sitting position and licked its front, right paw, awaiting further instruction.
Eevee lied on the ground for a while, and then forced itself to get back up. May, clueless on what to do next, and watched as the brown, fur ball made its own decisions.

"This battle's over," Drew said.

"What?" May shrieked, "What for? We still have fight left in us!"

Eevee nodded with an "Ee!" and stood ready for another attack.

"Rewind and take a look at what has happened so far," Drew said, "So far, we've been able to easily deflect each and every attack you threw."

May stood silent, knowing he was right. Yet again she felt so weak in his eyes, and that's not how she wanted it. She wanted, more than anything, for Drew to see she was a good coordinator, or good at something.

"But, who knows," he said, interrupting her thoughts, "I said the same sort of things about Beautifly, and well, look at it now."

May gasped with realization. Could that be the compliment she had wanted all this time?

Loners - December 2005

(an Xmas Contestshipping fic, written for the topic in the CS thread "What would May and Drew get each other for Xmas?")

>>>>>It was a snowy evening. The white flakes fell silently and landed on the soft ground without a sound, without a change to world. The sky was a dark, gray plate, not transparent, nor did it have a dent of any other color but that solid gray that dragged the day into a depression. May sat close to the cold window pane, watching this natural art as her friends enjoyed hot cocoa that Nurse Joy had served them not too long ago. The place was quiet and empty, except for the four travelers that made little white noise as they discussed something out of May's interest.
It had been too long since she had been in a contest. She missed it all. She missed the competition, the rush of excitement, the friends she caught up with...and the boy that glued it all together.
It was Christams Eve, yet nothing was happening. There was no big party, there was no laughter, just the cozy warmth of friends that were now drifting away. Her family was broken - as half of it was in one place and the other was all the way in Petalberg, miles away. What kind of Christmas was this anyway? She sighed as she held her head up with her hands as her elbows leaned on the window sill, now asleep from the long period of time she had them folded.
"Bedtime, everyone," Nurse Joy's voice could be heard calling, though seeming an endless journey away from May.
May sighed, got up, and walked to her room, glumly, as her three male friends followed to their seperate rooms.
Hours flew by like Pidgeotto on their way to their winter destination. Twelve o'clock midnight bonged on the great grandfather clock in the lobby, yet for no one to hear but lonely May herself. Christmas Eve used to be a time of love between lovers, but now it was nothing to her. There was no holiday cheer amongst her friends. And what, she had not even received a gift, or little trinket, that would've let her know that one of her male companions cared for her in the least, the way she longed for. Max was not expected to give her anything, but Ash or Brock most likely, but there was nothing. Ash was too into his future battles to give her one look in the face, to even express any sort of feeling other than friendship or a mentor. The only one she could sympathize with was Brock, who seemed to have accepted that he would always be alone on Christmas Eve.
May sighed, and tried to get to sleep, when the door to the Pokemon Center flew open. She could hear the cold rush in, as the flurry outside had begun to get stronger. There was chatter in the lobby between Nurse Joy and some guy. She couldn't hear the conversation, but the boy was frantic, yet collected. There was silence for a few seconds, and then there was a short conversation, for goodbyes most likely. Then, the door whipped open again, and the visitor left. May heard Nurse Joy fumble with something, but the actions in the lobby were of little importance to her as she fell to sleep.
...
The next morning seemed to come slowly, or not at all, as it seemed the day never got brighter. The gray plate from yesterday's afternoon was back, yet the small, snow flakes that had fallen from it ceased.
May was the first awake. Her hair was a mess, but she did little about it as she made her way to the lobby. Something drew her there. She had not made a trip to the bathroom, nor did she bother putting on her red sneakers. Almost in a trance, the poser sleepwalker made it to the lobby, where Nurse Joy stood attentive. The nurse glanced at her, and with a delayed reaction, jumped as she realized who May was.
"Last night," Nurse Joy began, "Someone came in, and gave me this to give to you."
Nurse Joy held out a long, gray box with a red ribbon tied around it. May looked at it, and for a second, could not register what it was. She then realized it was a present, for her, of all people. What's more, a jewlery box, wrapped in a beautiful ribbon by the giver himself, it was evident. It was incredibly dirty though, as if it had traveled a long way just to reach her. A burst of excitement and wonder bursted up through her stomach into her chest. She slipped off the ribbon ever so gingerly, as if it were made of glass. It fell to the floor, and in a small crash, landed, yet unnoticed by the world. May slowly opened the box to reveal a gold necklace, with a small, rose shaped charm in the middle. The rubies glistened into her eyes, accompanied by the shine of the gold. It was beautiful, as if never touched by human hands, yet touched by an aching human heart. May was speechless. So beautiful she didn't want to touch it as it stole her breath. A piece of paper unfolded itself. It was nothing special, a ripped piece of looseleaf paper, the note written in black from a pen that must have been running dry. She read the note, the one sentence, to herself:
"May, Why are you and I such loners on Christmas? -Drew"
May's eyes welt up in tears. He was right, but she would have never guessed he'd be among the clan of loners. He, with such a female fanbase, alone on Christmas Eve? Was that even possible? Something struck her, as she whispered, "But I didn't get you anything." The bitter words made the world stop.