The Dragon Buster and the Dragon Master

(Author's notes: I've changed the first chapter. Drew is now in it and May is now pining for him instead of Brendan)

While the three of them wait outside for Bonnie, Max explains to Ash and Serena why he isn't challenging the gyms. Ash smiles at his young friend, then says, "That's very kind of you Max. But you should give them a go at some point." Max nods, then sees Bonnie running out of the gym, waving the badge in the air. When reaches her friends, she pulls Max into a tight hug. "You're a genius!" she exclaims. "Your strategies really helped, thank you!" Max chuckles bashfully. "Thanks," he replies. "It was nothing." After she lets go of Max, Bonnie then goes to hug Ash and Serena, before stroking Pikachu. "Thank you for coming to watch!" she says. Serena laughs. "Of course we did," she says. "We weren't going to miss your first gym battle, were we?" Ash nods. "You two make a really good team," he says. "Can't wait to see what strategies you come up with next." "Now, how about we celebrate at one of the cafes here?" Serena asks, earning a resounding yes from the group.

As they walk, Bonnie asks, "Are you two going to come and see my other battles?" Serena and Ash shake their heads. "We would love to," Serena says, "but my mother returns today, and she wants to speak with Ash. Probably the whole, 'Treat my daughter well, don't break her heart' spiel. She hasn't had a chance to do that yet." Ash looks noticeably nervous about this. "Oh Arceus, I hope that's not going to happen" he sighs. Serena laughs and kisses his cheek. "Don't worry," she says, "I don't think it will. She's known you for four years now, and we've been dating for two of them." Ash smiles and thanks her. Max and Bonnie hang back a little as they walk, getting a bit bored of the sappiness.

The group reach one of Serena's favourite places to go in Santalune. Ash reminisces about it being the place they went to on their first date. As they're about to find a seat however, a voice calls out, "Hey Ash, Serena! Long time, no see!" The two spin around to see who's calling them. It's a teenage girl, with long indigo hair and tanned skin. She's wearing a flowery summer dress. Beside her is a girl roughly the same age. She has flaming red hair, covered by a yellow cap, and pale skin. She's wearing a green t-shirt and blue denim shorts. Ash and Serena recognise them immediately and head over, with Max and Bonnie following after, both sharing a look of confusion. "Hey Iris, hey Georgia," says Ash. "What're you doing here?"

Iris, the girl waving them over, replies, "We heard about how beautiful the Kalos region is, and that it's the Region of Love, so we decided to take a holiday here." Georgia, the girl with the yellow hat, nods, and Max notices her cheeks colouring a little bit. "And who are these two?" asks Iris, looking at Max and Bonnie. Ash introduces them and explains how they met. "So, this is May's little brother," Georgia comments. "And you must be the Lumiose gym leader's little sister." Bonnie nods, then turns to Ash. "Who are they?" she asks. "Iris is a Dragon Master from the Unova region," Ash explains. "And Georgia is her old rival, who calls herself the Dragon Buster." Both girls wave when their names are said.

Once the introductions are finished, the four of them join Iris and Georgia at their table and place their orders. They sit around for a while and talk about what they've been up to. Max found out that the reason Iris and Georgia know May is because Ash's mother invited them all to Kanto to celebrate his 13th birthday. Max is a bit miffed that May didn't think to bring him along but cheers up when he finds out that she was already in Kanto performing in contests, so she couldn't have brought him. Iris and Georgia also talk about how they've grown a lot closer in recent years, and now their rivalry has completely thawed out. They continue to chat as their drinks and snacks arrive, and toast to Bonnie's first badge.

But then, the conversation takes a more serious turn when Serena asks, offhandedly, "So, how's the Village of Dragons?" The effect this simple question has is startling. Georgia winces and tenses up, looking nervously at Iris. Iris meanwhile has gone rather quiet. Looking at her face, Max can see her expression went from happy and carefree, to one of cold fury and deep loathing. She's clutching her glass so tightly Max can see her knuckles whiten. Georgia puts a comforting hand on Iris's shoulder and rubs it affectionately. Serena leans forward to do the same, and is about to apologise, when the glass in Iris's hand shatters. The drink inside it spills everywhere, and Iris swears loudly as her hand begins to bleed. "Sorry about that," she says, her voice still tense. "I'll go and get tissues." Then she leaves the table rather quickly. "What was that about?" Ash asks Georgia. Georgia looks nervously between them and the door that Iris ran through, before sighing and saying, "The Village of Dragons is a touchy subject for her right now." "Why?" asks Bonnie. Georgia glances between the table and the door again, before saying, "Iris was banished six months ago."

The silence that followed was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Ash is flabbergasted to hear this. "What, why?" he asks. "Because of me," Georgia says sadly, and Max can see tears well in her eyes. "We already told you that our relationship thawed a lot over the past few years, right?" The group nods. "Well, we didn't tell you just how much it thawed. We started dating maybe a year and a half ago." Ash, Serena and even Pikachu's jaws drop. Then, Serena squeals and hugs the redhead, saying, "That's great, I'm so happy for you!" Georgia thanks her before continuing. "She confessed her feelings to me one night when she thought I was asleep. The look on her face when I showed her I was awake was hilarious. She looked so happy and amazing when I told I felt the same. But not everyone in Unova approves of our kind of relationship." "What?" asks Bonnie. "What's wrong with it? You two look so cute together!" Georgia chuckles and thanks her. "The problem a lot of people have is the fact that we're both girls. There are quite a few people who believe that relationships like ours should be strictly between men and women only."

Bonnie's face falls as she thinks about that. "Well, that's really stupid!" she says. "It is," says Georgia, liking Bonnie more and more every second. "But unfortunately, Unova isn't as accepting as Kalos is with gay relationships. It's legal there, but there are a few communities that frown upon it. The Village of Dragons is one such place." The group gives Georgia a very sympathetic look. "So," she goes on, "We decided to keep our relationship secret while in Unova. Whenever we leave it, we're a hell of a lot more open about it. But, just under a year ago we got a bit too open about it." Regret fills Georgia's face as she says this part of the story.

"One night in Alola, the two of us shared a romantic moment together under the stars. This eventually evolved into us making out. Unfortunately, a photographer working for a travelling agency took a picture of the beach we were sitting on, unaware that we were there. When the picture was published in a travel brochure for Alola, it didn't take people long to spot us and figure out who we were. The picture spread like wildfire, with loads of people talking about how cute it was, how brave we were to be so open, or how wrong it was. Eventually of course, it reaches the Village of Dragons." Max's stomach begins to sink. He can guess where this is going. Georgia begins properly crying at this point. It becomes a bit difficult to understand her as she chokes out the rest of the story.

"The villagers confronted Iris about the picture," she stutters, "and she's forced to admit that not only she likes girls, but that she's dating one. And one who calls herself The Dragon Buster no less. So, they give her a choice: dump me and stay with the village; or stay with me and be permanently banished!" Serena's hands fly to her mouth at this, and Ash has a look of anger on his face. "How could they give her that ultimatum?!" he asks angrily. Georgia shrugs sadly and shakes her head. "What did Iris say to that?" Max asks. At this, Georgia grins despite her tears. "Nothing," she replies simply. "She showed them all that she chose me by pulling me into a long kiss and flipping everyone off. Then, hand in hand, we left that village." Another long silence follows the end of Georgia's story. She sighs again, clenching her fists, before admitting to the four of them, "I love Iris. And I'm so happy she chose me over the village. But she grew up with them, I've only known her for four years, and we've dating for only a year and a half. Sometimes, I wonder if she'd be better off back with the village."

At that, Max stands up angrily. "I've only just met you today, and I've never been to Unova, so I don't know much about it," he angrily tells her. "But what I do know is, Iris willingly chose you over that cesspool of a village! If she went back with them, they'd have treated her differently, because they know she's gay. So, this is a better result for both of you! Those villagers blatantly ignored the 13-14 years Iris lived there, so why should she stay? She chose you, so she believes she's better off with you than with the Village of Dragons!" Georgia smiles at Max. "And I don't regret it for one second" calls a voice behind them.

The group turns to see Iris walking up to the table, a cloth wrapped around her bloody hand and a small pile of tissues in the other hand. She wipes down the mess she made then sits down again, this time on Georgia's lap and kisses her cheek, causing Georgia to melt slightly. "That was well said Max," says Iris, giggling at her girlfriend's reaction. "Couldn't have put it better myself." "Iris," says Serena, putting a hand on her friend's wrist. "I'm so sorry to hear about what you're going through." Ash nods, doing the same. "Remember, we're all here for you." Pikachu nods and nuzzles Iris's arm. Iris thanks them. "And can I just say," adds Bonnie, "that you are a total badass! That is such a cool way to show that you chose Georgia over that village." Iris and Georgia laugh, then Georgia buries herself in the crook of Iris's neck.

After that the conversation moves on to other, more light-hearted topics. But eventually, Serena notices the time, and she and Ash have to leave again. Iris and Georgia decide to head off and have a look around Santalune. Max and Bonnie both decide that they want to continue on their journey. So, the three groups part ways, and Ash, Serena and Pikachu set off back to Vaniville, Iris and Georgia go back into Santalune, and Max and Bonnie set off for Cyllage City and the next leg of their journey. As they walk, Max notices that Bonnie seems troubled by something. "Are you alright?" he asks. Bonnie looks at him sadly. "How could people be so horrible!?" she asks. "Iris was their friend, neighbour and family! But they banish her from the place she grew up, simply because she likes girls!?" Max nods solemnly. "I know," he agrees, "it's horrible. But Iris isn't letting it way her down or get in the way of her life. And look, she found a large group of friends who support and accept her no matter what." Bonnie nods. "You right," she says. "It's just, I can't believe that anyone could be so callous." Max nods again. "But Iris is happy now," he comforts. "She's not letting it bother her, so those people aren't worth thinking about. How about we focus on preparing you for the Cyllage City Gym?" Bonnie nods, then the two begin discussing her next battle.