At the same time when Brendan was helping Wally catch a Pokémon...
May finished up looking through her DexNav of all the Pokémon she could catch within the area. The area she was scanning for Pokémon was in Petalburg Woods. Normally in these woods, not much light shines through due to the massive canopy of trees that block out most of the sun rays. Up to this point, she had made sure she didn't miss a single Pokémon she could catch in every area she could walk through, so far.
She stared at the Pokédex in fascination upon the entries of the Pokémon she found that were recorded within. "These Pokémon are fascinating. It seems as though Silcoon and Cascoon like dimly lit woods like this one so that they can hide from predators... Also, Slakoth likes to dwell within here. I guess they like areas where it's not very sociable."
After she was finished reading through, May walked all too fast through the forest, eager to see what lies on the other side of the forest. The forest itself was a natural maze. She read in a book featuring the Kanto Region that Virdian Forest's layout was similar.
Something was odd when she reached a turning corner. May saw a scientist in a white-clad coat looking around the trees, as if he lost something and is looking for it. Concerned, she went to the scientist in an attempt to help. "Excuse, me sir. Can I help you with what you're looking for?"
It took a few seconds to notice May but when he finally did, he went to her because he noticed her PokéDex. "Ah, yes. Hello, little girl. Have you seen any Pokémon called Shroomish around here? I really love that Pokémon."
May smiled as she knew where she spotted some. "Ah! I know where there's some! You can follow me! I'll catch one for you to have!"
The scientist's face lit up from May's courteousness. "R-Really!? Thank you! Oh, thank you! You have no idea how much time I've lost scouring this forest for the darned little thing..."
But the peppy atmosphere would not last. A shady man, wearing a striped shirt with white and blue colours, and pants of the same colour approached the scientist from behind, looking infuriated at him. He appeared to also be wearing a black bandana and gloves of the same colour.
May looked at the man with a puzzled expression. "D-Did he get lost on the way to a costume party?"
The shady figure growled before speaking his mind. "I was going to ambush you, but you had to dawdle in Petalburg Woods forever, didn't you? I got sick of waiting, so here I am!" He stepped within the scientist's personal space. "You! Devon Researcher! Hand over those papers!"
The scientist shrieked and out of survival instinct, he scurried too fast in behind May. "You're a Pokémon Trainer, aren't you? You've got to help me, please!"
May was confused as the situation. A scientist and a man who's dressed up like a pirate? Did Halloween come early this year, she wondered. "Uh... Stealing is wrong, okay? But I won't hesitate to battle you if you're serious about taking the important papers away!
The strangely dressed man looked at May with his head slightly tilted. "Hunh? What do you think you're doing? You're going to protect him? No one who crosses Team Aqua gets any mercy, not even a kid! Come on and battle me!"
Battle!
The shady man smirked at May as he held out his Poké Ball. "Let's see how you handle the bite of my Poochyena! Go!"
He tossed the Poké Ball in the air and out came a vicious-looking Poochyena.
May tossed her own Poké Ball in the air. "That Poochyena doesn't look happy. I have to be careful." "Go! Torchic!"
She tossed her Poké Ball in the air and out came the Torchic.
The shady man tried to pull off a fast attack on her Torchic. "Tch. A Torchic, eh? Let's see how you handle this. Poochyena! Howl!"
The Poochyena made an echoing, spirit-lifting Howl that intimidated the Torchic and raised its fighting spirit.
"Tackle! Go!"
The Poochyena charged straight at May's Torchic, looking to inflict the maximum amount of damage possible.
May's eyes lit, spying a weak spot. "Torchic! Use Ember!"
The Torchic spewed flames from its mouth at the Poochyena. The Poochyena appeared to have been caught so easily within the flames. It stopped almost instantly when its fur caught on fire. The Poochyena squirmed around, trying to put out the flames on its fur.
May pressed on. "Now! Go! Scratch on the burn marks!"
The Torchic attached its feet onto the Poochyena's burnt spots, as it was distracted. It then dug the nails of its feet into the Poochyena, making it cry in agony. Soon, it was squirming around, crying out for help.
The shady man who claims to be a member of Team Aqua panicked at this and withdrew his Poochyena back into the ball. "Y-You're crazy strong!" He said, astonished that a preteen girl beat him.
May and the Torchic stayed silent as they continued to stare the man down.
The Team Aqua grunt growled at May again. "You've got some nerve meddling with Team Aqua! Come on and battle me again! I wish I could say that, but I'm out of Pokémon. And, hey, we of Team Aqua are also after something in Rustboro. I'll let you go for today!"
The Team Aqua grunt walked away but until he was completely out of sight, May never took her eyes off of him.
The scientist came out of hiding from behind May. "Whew! That was awfully close! Thanks to you, he didn't rob me of these important papers. I know! I'll give you this as my thanks!" The scientist handed what appeared to be a machine with a bunny-ear looking antenna to May.
May looked at this machine in a puzzled manner. "What is this thing?"
The scientist explained. "That's an Itemfinder. It's a super high-tech device. I had to strain every fiber of my brain and body to develop this device. I have another one, so don't feel guilty about taking it from me. It'll help you detect items that aren't clearly visible on the ground. The downside is that the noise it emits, isn't really good for sneaking around and finding Pokémon, I'm afraid so pick a good time when to use it! And with this, I'll restore your Pokémon's health using this other device that I'm proud of!"
The scientist used a mobile healing device to restore May's Pokémon.
May smiled as she took the Poké Ball containing a fully recovered Torchic. "Thank you, sir. It was my pleasure to help!"
The scientist's head suddenly twiched, as if he could sense a dangerous omen. "Ah! Didn't that Team Aqua thug say they were after something in Rustboro, too? Uh-oh! It's a crisis! I can't be wasting time! I'm sorry for this but I have to get going! This is more important than the Shroomish! Maybe next time!"
With that being said, the scientist scurried off in the direction of Rustboro City.
May stood there for a moment to contemplate what had just transpired.
"I don't understand what's going on here. I thought that guy was late to a costume party! But he said he's a member of Team Aqua... Is that like a fraternity? Fraternities are vicious places... With how I just spotted one of the members here, there might be more of them lurking in Rustboro City! Brendan might still be in Petalburg City so there might be some time for me to check and see if there are more thugs running around. He'll never see their ambush coming in the event they target him. I have to make sure it's safe!"
May started to run towards the other side of the forest, making haste towards Rustboro City. She turned on her AreaNav so that she made sure she was on the right path.
