May woke what seemed like partway through the night to loud wind. Two of the other trainers were fast asleep. Red was nowhere to be found, and one of the female trainers was situated in the window sill, a pink, birdlike Pokemon resting on her knee. She looked vaguely familiar to May, but honestly, May had met so many trainers she was surprised she didn't get that feeling more often. The trainer didn't look up when May got up to look outside. The rain had let up, but now sky was dark as it was over Lilycove, aggressive wind whipping at the trees. Everything was very, very dark.
"Did the power go out?"
"A-yup," the trainer said with a faint Kalosian accent. "And you wouldn't know it, but it's actually midmorning."
"It is?!"
"Yup, but even I've never seen weather like this, and where I'm from, storms are nothing if not common. Then again, we usually have rain... Your friend is downstairs, by the way. He took your Pokemon with him so they can eat with his."
"Thanks," May picked up her bag, securing it around her middle as she went downstairs. Red was leaning back in his seat, listening to the rain behind his head. His hat was on the table in front of him, his damp, sun-streaked dark hair falling lazily in his eyes. He looked very tired
"Good morning," May sat down in the seat beside him after picking up Red's Pikachu, setting it in her lap. Red cracked open an eye and turned in his chair to look at her. He smiled gently, wiggling his fingers in greeting, and went back to relaxing. A Chansey brought him a steaming cup of coffee, which Red took with a warm smile and a nod of gratitude.
They decided to leave the city within the hour- the centre was still packed, and there was no point staying in it. They chose to visit Mr Stone to see where Steven was, only to get a letter needing posted to Steven instead and told he was in Rustboro with Roxanne.
"I guess we should go to Petalburg, then Rustboro, then it's backtracking to go to see Brawly?" May asked.
Red nodded, and they headed out into the storm. Lightning forked the skies, followed by a clap of thunder so loud, May felt it reverberate inside her chest. Red sent out an Altaria, which calmed the weather around them in a little bubble, allowing them to walk safely out of the town and along the boardwalk to the Petalburg Woods.
Petalburg Woods was in ruin. Tree branches were scattered everywhere, and a few full trees had been blown down. A large hawthorn tree had fallen down across the pathway, blocking the woods off from Slateport. A young Bug Catcher and his Ninjask were attempting to get through the blockage, Ninjask using Fury Cutter like its life depended on it. Red's Altaria hummed, calling attention to them.
"Do you live in Petalburg?" May asked kindly.
The boy nodded.
May turned to Red, but he'd already approached the Bug Catcher and knelt to his level. The boy put on a determined face, even though his nose was still runny and his eyes full of tears.
"I can't go home."
Red reached into an inner pocket and handed the child a tissue from a plastic packet. May watched him interact with the child, all without a word from Red himself. Red let the child climb onto his back, walking back over to May.
"I don't know if we can go around," May said. "Breaking through might be hard with all those branches, but worth a try. Eris! Britain!"
Britain and Eris were not prepared for the wind at first. Eris had to turn herself slightly, her flower collar putting up wind resistance. She looked extremely miffed.
"Britain, use Dual Chop on the fallen tree! Eris, use Psychic to move the logs out of the path!"
Red watched with interest while May's Pokemon worked. It didn't take long for Britain and Eris to clear part of the path, though hacking through the hawthorn's many branches made it difficult. May scratched Britain's chin while Eris shifted the branches out of the way. Britain closed his eyes lazily, enjoying the attention, before allowing himself to be returned to his Pokeball. Once done, Eris, too, allowed herself to receive attention from her Trainer before returning to the safety of her Pokeball.
"That was really cool," the little boy said, peering at May over Red's shoulder. "You could beat the Champion, I bet."
May blushed. "Well, that would be hard for me..."
"No way! You're cool."
"I already am the Champion," May told him.
Red looked at her with interest now, too. The boy's eye widened. "You are!?"
"Yes," May showed him her trainer card, unique in the foil Champion's symbol in the bottom right corner by her picture. She tucked it back in her badge case.
"Wow!" the boy's distress seemed all but forgotten. "I got rescued by the Champion!"
May led the way through the woods, putting Pokemon to sleep using Red's Blissey, who cheerfully followed her commands. Outside the woods, the winds were strong. The storm seemed to have moved over to Petalburg. Red dug his heels into the ground to avoid toppling over with the bug catcher on his back.
"James? James!" the voice was close, but being drowned out by the wind shaking the trees above them. "James!"
The boy on Red's back looked around. "Haley?"
Haley didn't seem able to hear him. Red set the boy down so he could access his Pokeballs easier, sending out his Pikachu. There was a pause, and then the girl's voice rang out again. Pikachu's ears twitched as it searched for the source of the sound, bounding off. Red caught May's arm as she made to chase it, shaking his head slightly and using only his dark eyes to indicate the boy standing with them, who Red had a hold on to prevent him running off. Not long later, Pikachu returned, a lass in tow.
"Pi! Pika pi! Pika!' Pikachu was pointing at them, communicating to the girl.
"I- James!" Red let go of the boy, who rushed towards his sister. "James, are you okay!?"
"I'm fine, Haley. I even got saved by the Champion and her friend!" James pointed to May and Red.
"I'm glad you're all right..." she sighed. She looked up at Red and May. "Thank you for helping my brother. Here, you can take these as thanks. They're not much, I don't even know what they are, but I want you to have them."
She handed Red and May each a stone, taking her brother by the hand and sending out a Ludicolo. "Lead the way, Marina."
The aggressive wind picked up again and May stumbled to the side as she attempted to keep her balance. Red moved to protect her, his arms around her shoulders in a supportive embrace. May blushed faintly, adjusting her stance to help support Red in turn. The gust of wind calmed and Red let go. May led the way down the road to Petalburg, though the two of them were blown about into a small house by the dock. May took Red by the hand and knocked on Mr Briney's door.
"Ah, Miss May," he greeted her warmly. "Or should I call you Champion May? Come in."
May sat down on a floor cushion, Red following suot beside her. For the first time since she met him, he looked very drained.
"Sorry to impose, Mr Briney."
"Not at all," he said, setting a hot cup of tea in front of her. "You're welcome to visit any time, my child. Now, who is your friend?"
"This is Red," May said. "He's from Kanto."
"Kanto, hm? Long way from home."
Red nodded, nonverbally thanking Mr Briney for the tea. He took his hat off, setting it beside him on the floor.
"The two of you are welcome to stay if you'd like," Mr Briney told them. "I've never seen a storm like this in all my years at sea."
"Oh, no, we wouldn't want to impose," May said. "I need to be getting to the source of the storm soon."
Red glanced at her.
"I insist. At least for the night. Peeko would love to have you, and your friend looks exhausted."
May looked at Red. She gave a small sigh. "Okay. Thank you, Mr Briney, for your hospitality."
"Not at all, my dear," he said, standing up and walking off to get blankets and mats for them.
I should clarify that I don't abide by a real timeline- ORAS here is set about 10 years after Red/Blue/Green, so near the time of the Sun and Moon games. Making Red around 21 here. Also, I've always hated to do this, but please, review. Reviews are what make me want to keep on writing. Granted this one I have a lot of backlogged chapters I just forgot to post, but I like getting feedback.