Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.
Hello! So this is my first story here on fanfiction and I'm proud of this first chapter so I really hope you guys like it too! Thanks for clicking!
May was not happy with her current situation. She was stuck in the back of a moving truck with all of her family's belongings because of a slight miscommunication on how many would be riding. The truck was being illuminated by a single light from her now useless Pokegear. Once she had entered Hoenn, all signals had been lost from her device, leaving her with no form of communication. She had managed to find a spot on the boxes safe enough to sit on without falling from the truck's movement.
"This is totally not fair," she mumbled irritably to herself. "First, I'm forced to leave Johto and all of my friends behind and now I'm riding back here all alone while being tossed around like a rag doll."
Just then, the truck hit a speed bump rather forcefully, lifting May off her seat and dropping her back down to the box with a loud thud. She groaned loudly, hoping her mother would somehow hear from the passenger seat of the truck.
It had already been an hour of driving. The young brunette was running out of things to combat her boredom. For the first twenty minutes, she tried thinking of the upsides of living In Hoenn, like her mother had suggested before they left. The only things she could think of was the beautiful sunny weather and all the new Pokémon there were to discover. After these, her mind could only wander to what she was going to miss about Johto, only worsening her already terrible mood. She had been going to start her own Pokémon adventure three months from now in Johto. At least, that was the case until her father was given a job offer to be the new Petalburg Gym Leader.
"He just had to accept this stupid job. Without even asking for my opinion either," she complained, not caring that there was no one to hear her.
The next 20 minutes of the trip consisted of May attempting to sleep. She managed a five-minute nap before she fell off the make-shift seat. Needless to say, May hadn't attempted another nap after her fall. The last 20 minutes had so far consisted of her sorting through the boxes. Inside were old notebooks and posters from her old room. There were also small Pokémon plush dolls that May had owned since she was a kid. A certain doll had caught her eye. It was an old Azurill doll. She'd been given this doll by her dad when she turned five. It had been placed on the top shelf of her bookshelf for the past couple years, forgotten about by May.
"I'd forgotten I had this old thing," she breathed out, examining every detail of the doll. It was small enough for her to hold it in one hand. Suddenly, the truck came to an abrupt stop, sending both May and the doll to the floor. She groaned and tried grabbing for the doll. Just as she was beginning to stand up, the double doors swung open, letting the afternoon sunlight in, causing May to squint after being in the dark for so long. Her mother came around the corner and saw May lying on the floor.
"May! What are you doing on the floor? That's unsafe. Boxes could have fallen on you!" she screeched, earning an eye roll from her daughter.
"Not anymore unsafe than leaving your sixteen-year-old daughter alone in the back of a moving truck," she muttered quietly as she stood up, hoping her mother wouldn't hear her snide comment.
"What was that?" her mother asked, raising an eyebrow at May.
"Nothing!" May squeaked out quickly and hopped out of the truck, taking in her surroundings. It was a small town, covered in beautiful greenery. There were about 15 houses in total, each with similar designs. Young children could be heard playing and pretending to be in a Pokémon battle.
Littleroot Town was much smaller than her hometown in Johto, but somehow, it felt more inviting than Azalea Town ever did. All of the houses had beautiful flower beds and large, vibrant trees. The tranquility of the town caused even May to forget about her bad mood.
"Isn't it lovely May? There are trees everywhere we look. I really think you're going to like it here in Hoenn. What do you think?" Her mother said, hoping for a cheerful response from May.
She looked around and took a deep breath.
"I guess it's not as bad as I was expecting it to be," May started, not wanting to admit that she had fallen in love with Littleroot in the short time she'd been here.
"Perfect! I just knew you would!" Caroline said happily
May had more pressing matters at hand, like the availability of Pokémon.
"Are there any Pokémon in the area?" she asked, still wanting to go on a journey, despite being in a new region.
Her mother bit her lip as if she were hiding something and finally said
"We can worry about that later. First, I think we should go see our new house. I can't wait for you to see your room! I picked out all the furniture myself," she looked rather proud of this and started for the house. May followed, slightly irritated over the avoidance of her Pokémon question. She brushed it off because of how happy her mother looked. May hadn't seen Caroline look so happy in weeks.
"Maybe this move won't be so bad after all," May thought, looking at her surrounding more carefully.
Machoke were shuffling in and out of the house, carrying the boxes from the moving truck. May had never been so close to a Machoke before. She couldn't help but feel a little intimidated, even if she was fully aware of how well-trained these fighting types were. Trying to distract herself from the large Pokémon, she looked around. Each house had a sign in front with the family name. One name caught her attention.
"Birch?" she thought "that sounds familiar. Maybe Dad knows them."
Caroline noticed May looking in the directions of the Birch home.
"Those are our neighbors, the Birch's. You've never met them, but your father and I have known them for years. Professor Birch, his wife, and son live there. The professor is one of the top researchers in Hoenn, "she explained, piquing May' interest.
"Did you say professor? Don't professors have Pokémon for beginning travelers?" May asked excitedly.
"Maybe," Caroline answered back, smiling at May.
May squealed with pure delight and clenched the Azurill doll she was still holding. She might be getting her very own Pokémon! Maybe Hoenn wasn't going to be so bad after all.
The interior of the new home had standard high-end furniture.
"Looks nicer than what we used to have. Guess Dad's new job must pay better," May thought, admiring the arranged furniture throughout. Caroline began heading up the stairs and called for May to follow. They climbed to the second floor together and stopped at the first door in the hallway. "May" was written on the door with large purple wooden letters.
"Well, this is your new room. I spent a lot of time choosing your furniture, so I really hope I captured your taste just right," Caroline said as she opened the door.
"Wow," May breathed out, admiring her room. It looked like her old room, but better. She even had her own television!
"What do you think?" Caroline asked, anxious for an answer.
"I love it! It's so cute and it looks like my old room!" the teenager chirped, smiling ear-to-ear.
Caroline looked immensely pleased with herself and walked towards the door to leave May alone. She paused just as she was back in the hallway and turned back around.
"Oh, May. I forgot to mention this but we're going to the Birch's home for dinner tonight. Lisa invited us over. I'm afraid it's only going to be her and their son. The professor has some business to attend to so he won't be able to join us," she said, already expecting a less-than-enthusiastic look from May, which is what she got. May had her heart set on meeting Professor Birch the second her mother mentioned her.
"Don't look so disappointed May. We're going to have a great time. Lisa is very nice. And I believe their son is around your age. His name is Brendan," Caroline was hoping the mention of a potential new friend would raise her spirits, but that was not the case. If anything, May looked even less enthusiastic about going.
"Fine. I guess I don't really have a choice in the matter," May groaned, earning a frown from her mother.
"I'll be nice, don't worry," she added trying to make Caroline feel better.
"Alright. Be ready by 7. You have an hour to get ready." Caroline called out as she closed the door.
May groaned again and landed face-first on her bed. She was not in the mood to go make friends. Not after that grueling truck ride. The only human interaction she would have been potentially looking forward to was meeting the professor. If she could get her own Pokemon, she could go on her journey.
"Whatever. I guess I would have had to meet them eventually," May thought, trying to raise her own spirits.
She stood from her bed and walked over to her full-size mirror. May looked terrible. She was wearing an oversized Eevee t-shirt and basketball shorts. It seemed like a great option in the morning, comfort-wise, but now she couldn't help but cringe at her own messy outfit. Her hair wasn't any better. It looked like a knotted birds nest. May walked over to her closet, praying her clothes were already in there. Thankfully, the closet was full. She sorted through the hangers and settled for her regular outfit. It was a red tank top with a black rounded collar, white shorts with black spandex under. The next issue to deal with was her hair. May combed harshly through her hair, trying to remove all the knots. This took her about five minutes until she gave up and settled for a ponytail with her bangs framing her face.
"Somethings missing," she thought as she scanned the room. In an unpacked box across the room, she could see the outline of something red. She pulled it out to reveal her white and red bandana. She played around with how to wear it and settled for tying it into a large bow at the top of her head.
"Good enough," she breathed. Suddenly, something her mother had told her ran through her head.
"Didn't she say the son was my age? Oh, Latios," she thought fleetingly before she realized how foolish she was being.
"So what if it is a guy my age. What do I care?" May commented aloud. She looked at herself in the mirror one more time and decided a little mascara never hurt anyone. Just as she finished applying the last coats of mascara, her mother began calling for her. Well, more like began yelling for her.
"May Maple! We're going to be late if you don't come down right now!" Caroline shouted from downstairs.
"Coming!" May shouted back as she grabbed her bag and bolted down the stairs.
Caroline was already at the door, waiting for May. She smiled apologetically at her mother, causing Caroline to sigh.
"Okay. Let's go," she said as she herded May out the door.
The walk to their neighbors' home was very short. The sun had already set, leaving only the house lights and streets lamps to illuminate the small town. May could feel her stomach churning more and more the closer they got. She felt nervous. This was the family of a great Hoenn professor. She had to make a good impression, or else she'd never get her own Pokemon. May attempted to calm her nerves by readjusting the hair bow, rubbing the soft fabric between her fingers soothingly.
The Birch home looked almost identical to May's home. The only noticeable difference was the lighter paint shade. Caroline approached the front door, with May trailing closely behind. She knocked three times and a distant "coming!" could be heard from the inside. It was a woman's voice.
"That must be Mrs. Birch," May thought
The door suddenly swung open and revealed a petite woman with ruby-brown eyes and chestnut colored hair and lightly suntanned skin. May couldn't help but notice just how beautiful she was.
"Caroline! It's been so long!" Lisa exclaimed and pulled Caroline into a tight hug.
"It's so nice to finally see you again!" Caroline as they pulled away.
May was hovering awkwardly beside the two older women, wondering if they had forgotten that she was there. Lisa directed her gaze to May and widened her eyes.
"You must be May! I've only ever seen you in photographs. My name is Lisa Birch," she said, giving May a warm smile.
"It's nice to meet you," May answered politely and returned the smile.
Lisa ushered them inside into the living room and said "Please make yourselves at home. Dinner will be ready soon."
Caroline smiled and looked around. She seemed to be looking for something.
"Lisa? Where's Brendan?" She asked
Lisa motioned upstairs.
"He's probably in his room. He must not have heard your arrival. May? Would you mind going up to get Brendan for me? His room is the first door on the left," Lisa said, giving May a bright smile.
She looked at her mother, who had the same smile as Lisa, and soon realized she didn't have much of a choice.
"I guess so." She mumbled and started the stairs, gripping the railing tightly with both annoyance and nervousness.
"Why do I have to do this? I don't even know the guy!" May thought
She made it up the stairs and saw Brendan's door. As she was walking towards it, another nearby door caught her eye. It had "Luke" spelled out with large blue stickers, surrounded by drawings obviously made by a younger child.
"That's weird. They didn't mention another son. Just Brendan," May breathed out quietly as she made her way to that door instead.
She pressed her ear against the door, hoping to hear sounds indicating the presence of a young boy. Silence. Just as she was about to knock, another door swung open. A boy about May's age came about and immediately saw May.
"What do you think you're doing?" he snapped, causing May to jump.
"Oh hi. You must be Brendan. I'm May and your mom sent me to come get you for dinner," she answered back with apprehension in her voice, shocked by his harsh tone.
"Well, you're obviously at the wrong door. Hasn't anyone ever told you not to snoop?" he hissed, glaring at May.
She was at a loss for words. All she could do was stare at the boy with wide eyes. May couldn't comprehend what she had done to make him so angry. All she did was walk up to a door. It's not like she went into the room or stole something!
"Look, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend you. I was just curious," She apologized, trying to keep a level tone.
Brendan's harsh facial expression softened a bit. He took a deep breath and met May's gaze. She could see his clenched fists relax as well.
"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have acted like that. It's just that I wasn't expecting anyone to be up here," he said, with obvious strain in his voice. He didn't seem to like the idea of apologizing.
"Since we've both apologized for our wrongdoings, let's start over. I'm May Maple, your new neighbor," She stuck her hand out to shake his hand. He reciprocated the action and took a deep breath.
"Brendan Birch. It's nice to meet you," He replied, with a small forced smile. It was obvious he was trying hard to be nice after their altercation.
"It's nice to meet you too," She said cheerily, making eye-contact with him. He towered over her. May was only up to his shoulders. She couldn't help but notice how beautiful his eyes were. They were the same ruby-brown color as his mother's. His skin was slightly tanner than his mother's, but he had the same chestnut colored hair. Brendan cleared his throat awkwardly and May realized she had been staring for a tad too long. They both suddenly became intensely interested in the floor. May could feel a slight blush creep up her face.
"We should probably go downstairs. Dinner must be ready by now," He said, trying to fill the awkward silence. May nodded and followed Brendan down the stairs.
Caroline and Lisa were setting the table together when Brendan and May walked in. Caroline looked up and immediately stopped what she was doing to greet Brendan.
"Brendan! How lovely to finally meet you. Your mother has told me so much about you," She pulled him into a hug without hesitation. Brendan tensed at her sudden action but relaxed and returned the hug. May rolled her eyes. Her mother was very social and a big fan of hugging. She released Brendan from her tight grip and gave him a warm smile.
"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Maple," he said politely.
Lisa popped out from the kitchen and called Brendan over to help her and told May and Caroline to take a seat at the table,
"Isn't Brendan a handsome boy?" Caroline whispered to May with a wink. May's eyes widened and she could feel her cheeks begin to burn up.
"Mom!" She hissed, glaring at her mother.
Caroline gave a breathy laugh at her reaction and smiled at May. Before anything else could be said, Lisa and Brendan walked in, carrying plates. May wasn't sure what to expect from Hoenn food, but any concerns disappeared as she saw what was inside. It was just regular pasta. Brendan and Lisa took their seats across from Caroline and May. The first few minutes of the meal was spent in mostly silence, minus Caroline's comments about how much she liked Lisa's cooking. The silence was taking its toll on both women, who took upon themselves to force conversation out the two teens. The women bombarded them with questions like "Are you dating anyone?"(No from both ends), "May, do you have Pokemon of your own?"(Sadly, no), and "Brendan, do you have Pokemon?"(Yes). They were trying hard to keep the conversation going, but neither Brendan nor May was very interested in talking. While they had both apologized for their outbursts from before, there was still certain awkwardness between the teens.
"So May, have you thought about going on your adventure here in Hoenn? I think being in a new environment would make it even more exciting," Lisa asked May. Brendan tensed slightly beside Lisa and picked at the last of his meal. May hadn't noticed his sudden change in attitude.
May had begun answering, but Caroline interrupted.
"Well, we did just move here. I'm sure May would want to get settled in before thinking about leaving," she said while May gave her a curious look.
"I guess you're right, Caroline," Lisa answered with a knowing smile. They were hiding something, but May didn't bother asking what that something was. She figured she would find out sooner or later.
"What about you Brendan? Your mother mentioned your extensive experience with Pokemon," Caroline said to Brendan, whose facial expression had noticeably hardened.
"I don't do much of that anymore," he muttered, looking down at the table.
May watched him with worried eyes, not sure what had triggered this sudden change in attitude. Caroline realized she has said something wrong, and looked to Lisa for help.
"Oh, Brendan! You're a great trainer," she exclaimed, almost yelling. Brendan was trying hard to keep his composure.
"In fact, why don't you show your –" she began, until she was interrupted by Brendan.
"Sorry. I should be going. My Pokemon haven't eaten yet," He said, already walking out.
He stopped and turned back around.
"It was nice to meet you both," He said curtly and walked out the room.
May wasn't quite sure what had just happened. Lisa was already standing and picking up dishes.
"I'm really sorry about that. He's not usually like that. Training is just a sensitive topic for him," She apologized.
Caroline stood and began to help clearing the table.
"It's my fault. I shouldn't have brought that up. I'd forgotten about it when I said that," Caroline said sadly.
"What did she forget about?" May pondered. She decided to not pry, especially after what had just happened.
"May, why don't you go ahead and head home? It's getting late. I'll be there in a bit," Caroline said to May. The look Caroline was giving her told her that it wasn't an option. She got up immediately and said goodbye to Lisa.
The walk home was quiet. There was no one outside anymore. May couldn't get what had just happened out of her head. Why did he react like that? Why was training a sensitive topic for him? What happened? May was almost home when she heard noises coming from the nearby woods. There was a voice. A guy's voice.
"That sounds like Brendan," she whispered and began to walk towards the noise.
The closer she got, the louder and more understandable Brendan got. He was talking to someone. She kept walking and eventually saw his figure from within the trees. She didn't want him to see her in case he hadn't cooled down fully, so she hid behind nearby bushes. He was sitting on a log with this head in his hands, surrounded by six Pokemon. They all looked incredibly powerful.
"Those must be his Pokemon," She whispered to herself, admiring how experienced they looked.
They all seemed to be trying to comfort Brendan, but he still looked upset, He had cooled down, but his initial anger had turned into misery. May watched him and almost went over to him, but decided against it. She was afraid she would only worsen his mood. Suddenly May lost her balance, and stepped on a twig, breaking it in half. The Pokemon immediately snapped their heads towards the noise. May froze in her spot, praying they wouldn't see her. Brendan looked up at his Pokemon and realized they had heard something. He stood up and looked in May's direction.
"Who's there?" he demanded, making his way in front of all the Pokemon.
May was holding her breath, weighing her options. She could just run and not turn around and hope he wouldn't see it was her or follow. Or she could face the consequences of snooping and reveal herself to Brendan.
"Come out now, or I'll have my Pokemon do it by force," He growled, getting more and more impatient. She shut her eyes and began to stand up when a lilac-colored, cat-like creature jumped over and landed on her lap. She screamed and jumped up, pushing the Pokemon off.
"Athena! I didn't say you could do that!" Brendan said, scolding his Pokemon. May thought he was busy with his Pokemon, so she tried sneaking away, but Brendan caught her.
"Wait," He said, making her stop in her tracks. She pivoted to face Brendan and immediately started apologizing.
"I'm really sorry! I know I shouldn't have been snooping like that. I was walking home and I heard a voice and I wanted to see where it was coming from and-"he cut her off.
"It's alright. It's not like you caused any harm," He said quietly, looking down. "Besides, I should be the one apologizing, considering how I stormed away from the dinner, " Brendan was looking down at the ground intensely, not wanting to meet May's eyes. He called back all his Pokemon, except for one.
She was watching him, not sure what to say. She began to open her mouth when the same Pokemon that has jumped on her earlier began to rub its body against her legs. May instinctively took a step back, and the Pokemon gave her a confused look.
"Don't be scared. She just telling you she likes you. Her name is Athena. She's an Espeon," He explained, watching the creature try to get May's attention.
May relaxed a little, and bent down slowly to pet the Espeon. Athena rubbed her head affectionately into her hand.
"That's strange. Athena usually doesn't like strangers. She must have sensed something about you," He said, barely loud enough for May to hear.
She looked up at him. There wasn't much light, but a distant street lamp illuminated the area just enough for them so see each other's faces. He didn't look as somber as he did earlier, which relieved May.
"So," she began as she stood, "Is everything all right?" she asked, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. May knew they had only met a few hours ago, but she couldn't help but worry.
"Everything's fine," He said in a cool voice. "It's getting late. You should be heading home now. I'll walk you."
She wanted to object but he had already started walking. May could do nothing but follow him. She caught up with him and they walked shoulder-to-shoulder. Well, more like shoulder-to-head, since Brendan was taller than May by almost a foot.
The walk back to May's home had been silent, but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. May wanted to pry, but decided it wasn't her place to force him to open up. They barely knew anything about each other, having barely met. She settled with simply walking next to him, hoping he would say something. He remained silent until the houses were in sight.
"Here we are," He said and turned his head to look at May.
"I'll see you around. Good night."
"Oh. Good night. Thanks for walking me back," she said.
Brendan nodded and turned towards his house and May stood there watching as he walked away.
Maybe Hoenn wasn't going to be so boring after all.
Alright! That was Chapter 1. I really hope you guys liked it! I would appreciate any and all reviews. I always appreciate any constructive criticism, as I realize some of my grammar may not always be perfect. I hope you'll stick with me. I'll probably update in one or two weeks. Thanks so much!