The Secret of Earth and Sky
Chapter 4: Bren's Back and Gone
Brawly returned with Pokemon while May returned hers. He looked at the Trainer resourcefully.
"I see that you have improved since our last battle back at Norman's."
Drew, who sat quietly in the bleachers, remained in deep thought about how May was able to command her Pokemon without speaking. May nodded at Brawly in agreement.
"The way your Combusken made that kick was awesome, just like how your aunt did it when she battled me with her Scyther!"
"Thanks!"
Brawly handed her second badge, and looked at her.
"Here is what you get for a great battle."
Drew snapped from his trance and rushed down the stairs to meet May.
"He's right," He looked at her. "You were great."
May smiled back at him. "Well, how about that Contest you're working on. I got another Gym Battle, so I can't enter now."
Drew suddenly wore a face of shock.
"You aren't entering?"
"Nope. My next Gym Battle deals with Electric Types. I guess I need to train."
"Well… okay then…"
"Good job! Combusken! Now let's try that Sky Uppercut you just learned."
The firebird looked at its Trainer with pride and completed its move and smashed the boulder Tropius dropped from above. May gleefully jumped in air. Then she looked at her Poketch (what can I say? It's Dawn's gift for her, so she doesn't have to carry a PokeNavi, and it's been changed slightly with Hoenn settings).
"Oh, no!" May exclaimed. "I've got five minutes to get to the Contest!"
She quickly returned Combusken and leaped onto her Tropius to fly away.
"Thanks, Tropius! You need a rest- oof!"
May bumped into a man who just entered a contest. She quickly looked up to see purple curls hanging down and she immediately stepped back in fright. To her, he resembled somewhat like a Cacturne with his green hat and jacket and jeans, and a purple shirt.
"What's with the wide eyes, hon?" the man asked in a sassy tone. If anyone heard it, it would have sounded like nothing like a guy, though.
"Um… nothing! I just came to see my friend at the Contest, eh-heh." May looked around for the entrance to dash off, but someone grabbed her arm just as she was about to run. With quick retaliation, she bent down and swerved her foot to sweep the attacker from his feet and fall flat on the ground. When May saw her assailant, she gasped in fright to see the man on the ground.
"Oh! Really sorry!" May apologized as she quickly helped him up.
"No matter! By the way," The man didn't notice a bruise on his forehead. "The name's Harley."
He strutted off from her, leaving May in great doubt. Then she turned to crash into another person.
What am I? A people magnet or something?
May groaned as she got up, and then she immediately hugged the person, tilting his glasses and hat to the side.
"Oh! Hi Brendan!"
"Um… Hi… May…" Brendan was rather nervous to see May's sudden enthusiasm. "You entering a contest?"
"No, just watching."
"Same here! Let's go get some good seats before they run out!"
The two walked side by side, as they had done in a long time.
"So, how's your Gym Battles going? I heard you've got a ribbon for the Festival already."
"Two Badges." May proudly held out her badge case to him. "So have you decided what to do?"
"Nope, still researching, but I just got my first Badge," Brendan held out his Stone Badge as the two settle down on the seats. "But it was only to help Mudkip gain confidence. I'm not into the League thing. You rooting for anyone yet?"
"I guess I do…" May tried not to blush, but some of the pink escaped through her cheeks.
"Who is it?" Brendan became slightly suspicious.
"Some guy I've been going around with…" May couldn't contain any longer, and her face flushed red. "Oh, Bren! I can't talk about this now, okay?"
"Wow, May! I haven't seen you this nervous! Is he nice?"
"He's kinda pushy and arrogant, but I've only been with him for a few days.
"Ah well," Brendan took off his glasses and returned it to his case. "The show's starting."
"Evening, everyone!" Vivian Meridian happily waved a hand to the audience as it became silent. "Welcome to the Venice Contest, where double battles are the name of the game! The winner of the Contest will get the Grace Ribbon! Everyone ready?! Then let the Appeals Contest begin! Starting off with Harley!"
"Oh… great…" Both of the two Trainers groaned, but then May perked up.
"Since when did you know Harley?"
"Crashed into him at the Pokemon Center today."
"Wow…"
The purpled haired Coordinator appeared through the walkway with a Sealed Pokeball in his hand. Waving to the audience he tossed out his Pokeball to reveal from the smoke… none other than a Cacturne.
"Hello my friends!" Harley waved to the camera that his face filled the whole screen, causing Drew, and everyone else, to jump back in fright. "You are in for a great start for today! Cacturne use Pin Missile!"
The walking cactus bowed and shot an array of spikes in the air as they zoomed down to make a perfect circle around it and it's trainer.
"Wow! That was an amazing Pin Missile! I bet the judges have something to say about this!"
Vivian held the microphone to the Mr. Contesta first.
"I must say this is an impressive move! I would give that a 9.5!"
Then the camera panned to Mr. Pokefan.
"Oh, marvelous! Just marvelous!"
Nurse Joy was the last to comment.
"Oh! This is a new sequence… but it's unique!"
"High marks for you, Harley!" Vivian turned back to the purple haired Coordinator. "You are sure to pass!"
"Thank you everybody!" Harley pranced offstage blowing kisses to the audience (I think there was swooning woman in the crowd).
Brendan looked at May. "Wow. He's good."
"Now, presenting one of our favorites, Drew!"
The emerald-haired boy stepped on the stage to wave to everyone. May (sweatdrop) gaped at the line.
"He's not a new guy?!" She whispered to herself.
"Go Masquerain!" Drew tossed his Pokeball into the air to reveal through a dazzling combination of flower petals and several stars a pink and white butterfly. It happily hovered in the air, awaiting instructions.
"Silver Wind!"
The butterfly nodded and proceeded to spin cause a whirlpool of silvery wisps of wind. Drew smirked at the glinting performance.
"Now, Gust!"
Masquerain the broke the whirlpool with a powerful blow, making the wisps of Silver Wind blast into tiny particles of glitter that showered down upon the whole area of the arena. May and Brendan smiled at the performance as Vivian looked unblinkingly at the act.
"My my!" Vivian gasped. "I'm always impressed by this Coordinator!"
Drew walked quietly to avoid the paparazzi when a brunette suddenly hugged him.
"Congratulations, Drew!"
"May…" a boy with a white hat looked at her, and the girl pulled away with a flushing red face.
"Sorry, about that, Drew."
The emerald haired boy looked at the other boy.
"Um… who's this, May?"
May suddenly perked up.
"Oh! He's an old friend! His name's Brendan!"
Drew looked at the boy.
"We've met, have we?"
Brendan nodded and turned to leave.
"Where are you going, Bren?" May looked at him.
"I need to leave to do some more research." Brendan replied flatly, and he continued walking, leaving the two behind. Then Drew looked at May.
"Since when did you get all bubbly?"
Karen swooped down from the crevice and landed softly on the ground. No one was supposed to know that she was here. Her brown eyes scanned the area for something, but the cave corridor was completely empty.
A Ninetails softly landed down as well and looked at its Trainer with innocent eyes before being quietly returned. Karen got up and quickly proceeded down the hall with silent footsteps and swift movement. Then she stopped completely. Sensing several shadows coming to her at the halls, she quickly swerved to hide behind a wall, and she waited for the Grunts to leave. If she couldn't get to the database, then her team would be doomed.
Then she felt light breathing beside her ear, and with no hesitation to know whom the man was, Karen took him down and pinned his arms behind his back as she slammed to the wall. A little sense of madness welled over her, and tiny wisp of blue hair clung to her sweating cheek. The man cocked his head, his sunglasses lopsided and revealing a pair to two brown eyes flashing up at her dark face.
"Fancy seeing you again," He chuckled as Karen snarled and then her right arm was caught by a flying green vine and was pulled away from the man and was slammed against the wall. She fell to her knees to be approached a woman with bushy red hair that fell to her knees. Like the man, she wore striped sailor's shirt, blue jeans, and a navy blue bandanna with a symbol that Karen had always hated. The man got up, but he stayed back as several Aqua Grunts approached them.
"What is it, Commander Kevin and Shelley?" one of the grunts asked. Shelley did not take her eyes off the fallen Magma commander.
"Some little Magma runt tried to break in." Shelley began to taunt Karen as she stepped back to place a comforting arm on Kevin's burly shoulder. "Isn't that right?"
Karen didn't bother to look at the menacing blue eyes.
"Maybe," She slyly etched a smile, and then a cloud of white smoke ripped through the hall. The grunts coughed uncontrollably as they heard a yelp of pain in the smoke. A grunt was thrown at the wall while another was kicked at the legs and swept of her feet. Shelley and Kevin looked uneasily around as the grunts yelled and tossed about in the forest of white. Then something caught the two off guard when Kevin was kicked square in the face and Shelley was pinned down to the wall by an unperceivable figure. She couldn't hear it well, but a low voice came softly to her ears.
"Back off from my husband, or you'll get worse."
The force of the grip was so strong as the figure's nails drove down into Shelley's arms as she struggled, but then for some reason, she weakened and then fell to the ground with a sickening thud.
The figure then jumped away and down the halls as she returned her trusty Torkoal before the smoke cleared. Now the Red Orb was at hand.
