A/N: This chapter really shows off how Miltank is a romantic. She gets a little silly with it. Anyway, Chapter 10 comes after this. It's the first special long chapter. That's when the story really gets going.
Disclaimer: I don't own pokemon. I think some guy named Satoshi created it. His name is in the credits for some of the games.
Chapter 9 Karate cow and the power of love!
After Miltank and Growlithe were healed, May walked out of the center still happy about that Gym battle.
(I'm glad that I won and none of my pokemon were knocked out.) "We really got a Dynamo Badge, Growlithe."
"Groooowlithe!" Growlithe was very happy too. He won a Gym battle for May. And he sensed that she was happy. That put him in an even better mood.
"You did excellent work. Your first gym battle was great. We only need one more badge before I can challenge my dad." May took out the Pokenav and looked for the location of the next Gym. But was a little disappointed. It was WAY over in Lavaridge town. That would take a lot of leg work. She wasn't even sure how to get there. The map didn't show her exactly. (Oh well, I'll just see where the road takes me.)
May started walking around the small city. There wasn't much to do. Except go to the game corner and play the slot machines. Then she noticed a lot of bikes parked by a small building. May looked at them and read the sign by the building. "Ride in gravel and shake up your soul!" "Rydel's cycles. It looks like a bike shop." (I wonder how much they cost.) She thought.
May walked in and saw a lot of bikes. Red, blue, and yellow colors. A worker came up to May. "Hello there. Is there anything I can do for you? Well, I probably wont be able to answer many questions. I'm learning about bikes while I work here. If you need advice on how to ride your bike, there're a couple handbooks in the back."
"I was just looking around. I don't even have a bike." May told him.
"Oh? Then talk to that guy over there. He'll help you out." The worker suggested.
May walked over to the man he pointed to and said man looked happy. "Well, well, what do we have here? A most energetic customer! And just what is your name?"
"It's May. And who are you exactly?" (I'm getting tired of giving out my name. But Mom always told me to be polite. Oh! Right! I need to call her.) May thought.
"Me? You may call me Rydel. I'm the owner of this cycle shop." He looked down at May's shoes and slowly shook his head. "Your running shoes... They're awfully filthy. Did you come from far away?" Rydel asked.
"Yes. All the way from Littleroot." May answered.
Rydel processed that information. "Hm, hm... ... ... ... You're saying that you came all this way from Littleroot? My goodness! That's ridiculously far! If you had one of my bikes, you could go anywhere easily while feeling the gentle caress of the wind! I'll tell you what! I'll give you a bike!"
"Really?" (I get a free bike? Woohoo!) May thought with excitement.
"Yep. Oh, wait a second!" He said as if he just thought of a catch.
(I knew it was too good to be true.) May thought while a little disappointed.
"I forgot to tell you that there are two kinds of bikes! They are the Mach bike and the Acro bike! Mach bike is for cyclists who want to feel the wind with their bodies! And the Acro bike is for those who prefer technical rides!" Rydel said.
May's hope returned! (So I actually do get a bike. Rydel is great.)
"I'm a real sweetheart, so you can have whichever one you like! Which one will you choose?" He asked.
May answered, "I choose... the Acro bike." The compact bike was stored away. "Thank you so much Rydel."
Rydel smiled and said, "No one should travel such a distance without transportation. It was the least I could do. Glad I could help. Remember, if you get the urge to switch bikes, just come see me!"
May thanked him again and left the shop. That was very fortunate. "Maybe we should look around a little more. And then call my mom." (We could get more free stuff.)
Growlithe nodded and they went inside a house. A man with glasses was inside. He was happy to see a trainer. The man saw Growlithe and was impressed. "Woohoo, your pokemon look pretty strong. I like that! Here, take this HM!"
May gladly accepted HM06. "Thank you for the HM." (Well that was unexpected. But in a good way.)
The man with glasses replied, "There's no need to thank me. It's my job to give out this HM to strong trainers. That HM contains Rock Smash. If you come across large boulders that block your path... Well, use that HM move and smash it right out of your way! Teach it to a pokemon."
"Sure. But before I go, do you have a phone?"
"Sorry, I don't. Except my cell, but it ran out of power."
"Oh okay." (Man... I really want to call mom.) "Well goodbye." May said.
He said bye and May left. She saw another house. (They probably have a phone.) She walked in and saw a depressed looking woman. The woman sighed. "Um... what's wrong?" May asked.
The woman replied, "If I had a bike, it'd be easy to cycle to Slateport for some shopping. I'd be able to buy Harbor mail at the Pokemon Mart it Slateport... I really want that stationary."
She sighed again. May didn't have the heart to ask a favor. Even though it was a small one. She left the house and thought about it. (Well... I could go on the bike road and go to Slateport to buy that stationary for her. And I know there's a pay phone there...... okay. I wanted to test out my bike anyway.) "Growlithe, we're going back to Slateport for a quick trip."
And before you could say "Wattson looks like Santa", May was on her bike riding through cycle road. It was a smooth ride. Growlithe ran after May to keep up. The view of the water and the poor trainers who had to walk made the bike ride more enjoyable. May finished the trip in no time and was in Slateport in only a few minutes. She got off her bike and walked over to the pokemart.
A sales man said, "Hello! How may I serve you?"
"Do you have any Harbor Mail?" May asked.
"Yes, it's a Wingull print paper for mail. It costs P50."
"I'll take it."
He handed it to her. "Here you go! Thank you very much."
May paid for it and walked out. She was about to go to the phone booth when she noticed a building right next to the mart. She walked over to it. (I've never been here before. Oh, there's a sign.) "This sign says, Pokemon fan club. "Calling all fans of Pokemon!"
It couldn't hurt to take a quick look inside. So May and Growlithe walked in. A Zigzagoon, Azumarill and Skitty were inside with a bunch of people. A woman with her Skitty walked over. Her name is Belle. "Hello and welcome to the pokemon fan club. Aw... what a cute Growlithe. I love seeing pokemon that love their trainers. Did you know that pokemon are very sensitive to the feelings of their trainers? If you treat your pokemon with love and care, they'll love you back. And I can tell, your pokemon really adores you."
(Growlithe adores me? I know he likes me. I'm not sure about adoring me. Is it true?) May looked at Growlithe. As if he read her thoughts, he nodded.
"For you, a most compassionate trainer, a gift from the fan club!" Belle gave May a Soothe bell. It was a nice looking silver bell with red string to hold it.
May accepted it. (It's actually very nice. Wow I'm getting a lot of stuff today.) "Thank you."
"No problem. That bell calms the spirit and fosters friendship." Belle said.
"Well thanks again. We have to hurry up and go. So goodbye."
Belle said bye and May walked out of the club. She looked at the bell and decided to put it around Growlithe's neck. She stood back and looked at it. "It looks good on you. What do you think?"
Growlithe smiled and pawed at it to make it jingle. "Growlithe."
"Glad you like it now I guess it's time for me to call mom. Stay here and I'll be right back."
May walked over to the nearby phone booth and dialed the number. It rang twice before her mom answered. "Hello?"
"Hey Mom. I beat the Gym leader."
"So you have 3 badges now. That's wonderful!" May held the phone away from her ear when Ruby screamed.
"Mom. Can you please not yell so loud?"
"Sorry dear. I got a little too excited. But I'm just so happy. Anything else happen?"
May told her, "I got a free bike. Oh, and I met up with Brendan and this kid named Wally."
"Is this... Wally, your friend too?" Her mother asked.
"Yeah, I guess so."
"Interesting. Brendan and Wally are your new friends. You don't have any female friends. Is it that you have crushes on these boys?"
May blushed and thought about her meeting with Brendan. " ....... No mom."
"You hesitated when you answered. Which boy is it?" (I love messing with May.)
May wanted to end the conversation now. This was embarrassing her. "I have to go give something to someone. So I have to go."
"Okay. But when do you plan on calling again?" Ruby asked.
"I could be very busy the next couple of days. So I'm not sure." It was true. May wasn't sure when she'd talk to her mom again. Getting the next badge might take a while.
"Okay, I understand. But be sure to take care of yourself."
"Don't worry. I'll be fine. I promise. Bye Mom."
"Bye sweetie."
They both hung up. And May was glad that conversation didn't go to that certain topic.
May exited the booth and went back to Growlithe.
Back in Mauville... the woman who wanted the Harbor mail was still sad. (I wish I had some Harbor mail. Harbor mail reminds me of that Wingull I used to have as a child. I miss him...)
A few minutes later... May and Growlithe walked in. May took the mail out and was about to give it to her when-
"Oh! You have Harbor mail? Will you trade it for a coin case?"
(A trade? Well I guess that's fair. I was going to give it away for free, but this is better.) "Okay." May handed her the Harbor mail.
The woman was ecstatic "Oh, I'm so happy! Okay, I'll trade you a Coin Case!" She gave May the case. "That Coin Case can be used at the Game Corner. If you are into that sort of thing."
After giving that woman the Harbor mail. May and Growlithe left. May looked at the time. It was 1:27pm. She could still do a few things. (According to my Pokenav, Verdanturf isn't too far away. I suppose I could see how Wally is doing. Oh yeah, I almost forgot.) May threw out a pokeball. Miltank came out while the wind blew her stylish Silk scarf.
"Millo?"
"I want you to learn Rock Smash". (A very weak move, but it should come in handy.) May took out the HM and a light glowed from it to Miltank. And after a few seconds, Miltank gave up the move defense curl, in favor of Rock Smash. May put the HM away and patted Miltank on her head. "Now that you know a new move, I want to test it out. So you should stay out of your pokeball until then. We're going to Verdanturf now. Maybe we'll find some rocks on the way." (I also would like to test out Milk drink, but that can wait until we need it.)
Miltank nodded and May took out her bike. May started riding to the path that led to Verdanturf. Miltank and Growlithe followed after May. The ride to Verdanturf was a nice one. Small ponds and flowers made it enjoyable. In only a minute, they reached the town.
It was a nice small town. There were only 3 houses. Many flowers were swaying around them.
"But where is Wally staying?"
A man walked over to her. "I couldn't help but overhear you, miss. You see..."
(Whoops. I can't believe I spoke my thoughts out loud. How embarrassing.) May thought.
The man continued. " ...He used to be sickly until recently I heard. But here, the way the winds blow, volcanic ash is never blown in this direction. The air is clean and delicious here. Living here should do wonders for even frail and sickly people. Ah yes... you were wondering where the boy is staying. He is at Wanda's house. His cousin. I see you have two pokemon with you at least. Next door you should visit the lady. I have to take care of something. So I'll be going. These are the houses."
The man pointed at two houses and then walked off. May didn't really get a chance to say thanks. Just then, she heard two guys talking.
"Do you see the cave next to the pokemon mart?" One said.
"Yeah, what about it?" The other guy asked.
"There's a guy who's trying to bust up boulders so he can bust out through the other side. It'd be great if we could get through... It'll make it easy to visit Rustboro." The first guy answered.
May turned to Miltank "Bust up boulders? You should give it a try after we visit Wally."
Miltank nodded and they walked in Wanda's house. May saw Wally's uncle and greeted him. Uncle was glad to see her. "Oh! May! Good to see you. Wally's next door. In his room. But, boy, there's something I have to tell you. This natural environment is doing wonders for Wally's health. Maybe it's not just the environment. It could be pokemon that are giving the boy hope."
"Growl..." Growlithe said at a distance.
May looked behind her and only saw Miltank. Who pointed to Wally's room. (What is Growlithe doing?) "Excuse me sir."
May went over to Wally's room and saw him petting Growlithe. "Hey Growlithe. That was a good match." Wally didn't look so depressed from their earlier battle. May was glad for that. Wally saw her and stopped petting Growlithe. "Hello again. I lost to you, May, but I'm not feeling down anymore. Because I have a new purpose in life. Together with my Ralts, I'm going to challenge pokemon gyms and become a great trainer."
May told him, "Well that's good." (Looks like he is not going to give up. Maybe Wally is stronger than I thought.)
"Please watch me, May. I'm going to be stronger than you. When I do, I'm going to challenge you to another battle." Wally said.
"I believe you will make a worthy opponent. I guess that means we're rivals." May said.
"Rivals who are friends." Wally told her.
After having a small talk, May left his room and planned on leaving. She saw a woman sitting at the table. "Are you Wanda?" May asked.
"No. I'm Wally's aunt. Wanda is my daughter. Right now she's in the cave watching her boyfriend try to dig through. My daughter's boyfriend is a very driven and passionate sort of person. He's been digging a tunnel nonstop just so he can see my daughter. My daughter's a little concerned, so she goes out to the tunnel a lot." Wally's aunt said.
May thought that was a little sad. But she didn't expect Miltank to start crying. She put her hoofs over her eyes.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make your pokemon cry."
"It's okay." (Wait. A guy digging through a tunnel. And it leads to Rustboro? It's the same guy!)
Flash back
BF said, "Try to hurry, and not make too much noise. Oh, and there are rocks blocking the way in there. I was trying to dig through the blockade. Anyway, that goon doesn't have anywhere to go. You can corner him."
End of Flashback
Miltank wiped her eyes and looked at May with determined eyes. "Millo moo moo!"
(She wants to help. This is the perfect time to test her attack.) "Let's go." May, Growlithe and Miltank left the house and went into the cave next to the pokemart. It was filled with mist.
(Yep, this is the same place. We're just on the other side.) May thought.
They walked a little and found a woman. She had to be Wanda. She was looking at BF. BF didn't even know May was there. He just kept chipping away at one of the huge rocks. Wanda noticed May and her pokemon.
"You're Wanda, right?" May asked.
"Yes, I am. I'm not sure what you want, but can't it wait a little? You see, on the other side of this rock... My boyfriend is there. He... He's not just digging the tunnel to come see me. He works his hands raw and rough for the benefit of everyone. I can't leave yet." Wanda said.
"You've got me all wrong. I'm a friend of Wally's. And we heard your story." May examined the large rock. It was as tall as she was. But- "It's a rugged rock, but a pokemon may be able to smash it."
At this, BF looked up. (... It's her!)
"Really?" Wanda asked with growing hope.
May nodded. "Miltank... crush it."
"Moo!" She lifted her hoof and karate chopped it into pieces. And it cleared the way!
BF was amazed with Miltank's power. "Wow! You shattered that boulder blocking the way. You are amazing. You should be called Karate cow." Miltank blushed and BF reunited with his girlfriend. Then he bent down next to Miltank and handed her something. "To show you how much I appreciate it, I'd like you to have this HM. It's HM04. That contains Strength. If a muscular pokemon like you were to learn that, you would be able to move even large boulders. Haha. If you can't crush it, them shove 'em out your way Karate cow!"
He got up and turned back to his girlfriend. "Wanda! Now I can see you anytime!"
Wanda was just as happy. "That's... wonderful. Please, take some rest at my home."
The happy couple practically skipped out of the cave. Miltank smiled and gave May the HM. "Wow, "Karate cow." You did some real good work. And now you can learn the move Strength."
Miltank forgot Tackle and learned how to use Strength. After smashing the other rock, they left the tunnel to check on Wanda and BF. They went back to the house and saw the couple sitting at the table with Wanda's mother.
Wanda saw May and said, "Excuse me, I never really got to ask who you are."
"My name is May."
"Oh, right, I get it! You're the May who Wally was telling me about. I'm Wally's cousin. Glad to formally meet you! I think Wally's become a lot more lively and healthy since he came here. Now with my boyfriend here and my cousin feeling well, I'm ecstatic."
BF told May, "Yeah, thanks to you and your pokemon, I can see my girlfriend everyday. Happy? You bet I am!" The couple started laughing and May, Miltank and Growlithe walked out while the family started making plans for a party.
Wally's aunt started to think. (It's amazing. My daughter's boyfriend was digging the tunnel by hand! It's so incredible! And that May was something else too.)
May walked over to the house next door. She wanted to hurry up and see this woman.
(Parties are nice, but I wanted to do a few things. After talking to whoever is here, I planned on going through the tunnel to Rustboro to see Mr. Stone. I want to tell him I delivered the letter and goods. Then, go back to Mauville. Since that's where I'll be staying tonight.)
May walked in the house next to Wanda's and saw a friendly looking woman with her Pikachu. "Hello there trainer. I see you have some very cute pokemon. I'm Lovely, and this is Pikachu."
"Pika pika!"
"My name is May." (When will the introductions end?) "Some guy said I should see you.
"That's because I can tell how pokemon feel about their trainers. Many trainers come see me to see if they truly have a bond with their pokemon. And I'm glad to inform them... well, when it's true. There have been many cases when the pokemon is either indifferent or hates them. Anyway, do you want to know, May?" Lovely asked.
".... Sure. I am curious."
"Then let's step outside. Pikachu, stay here and guard my house if it's not too much trouble." Lovely said.
Her pikachu nodded and they stepped outside. May released Lapras and Lovely looked at her three pokemon. "Oh. Your pokemon..."
(Oh no. Does one of them hate me and just pretends not to? No. I'm being paranoid.) May thought.
"They like you quite a lot. They seem to want to be babied a little. Give them some extra love and that'll make them even happier."
May sighed with relief. (Thank goodness.) "Really? Thanks for letting me know."
"No problem. I must be going now. But come visit me again in the future. I'm sure they will have much more affection to a kind trainer like you in the future. Farewell." Lovely went back in her house and May was glad her pokemon liked her after only knowing her for only about a week. But it was time to move on.
"Okay, Lapras, time for you to get back in your pokeball. You too Miltank."
Miltank and Lapras went back in their pokeballs. And so, May and Growlithe started to quick trip back to Rustboro. Meanwhile... on the other side of the tunnel, the Devon researcher was sitting in the grass. "Ahhh.... It feels good to relax after a tough meeting. Hm. I wonder if that girl, will come back."
May and Growlithe emerged from the tunnel. "Oh! It's you! Hah! Speak of the devil. You're that person who not only helped me in Petalburg woods, but also got back my stolen package and even graciously delivered it to Slateport! Capt. Stern informed us that the package arrived, too! I thank you very, very much! Why, if I were a rain cloud, I would shower you with gratitude and hail you as a hero!"
May couldn't help but have a small blush. Never. Has anyone thanked her like this. (This guy is really crazy. It's moments like these that make me not want to do anyone favors.) "I'm glad I could help. But it wasn't really much..."
"Oh but it was! And for you, the most wonderful trainer, I bear good news! Recently, our company developed a new kind of Pokeball. As a token of our appreciation, this is our gift to our wonderful trainer!" He handed May a Repeat ball. "Our new pokeball will be available at the pokemon mart in Rustboro. Please try it out! Thank you and bye-bye!"
He suddenly ran off. Growlithe started sniffing the ground and he saw a pocket watch. May looked down and noticed it too. (Why me?) "Let's go all the way back to Rustboro and return this. Man... I'm too nice."
Growlithe smiled at May's comment and followed her to Rustboro. This was a short trip too. And they easily made it to the Devon building. The researcher was confused when he saw May walk in the president's office, until he saw his watch. She handed it to him and-
"Oh! Thank you so much! My grandfather gave this to me as a kid and..."
Mr. Stone interrupted, "Hello May. I see you're back. Can you come here please?" May was glad she had an out on Devon guy's ranting. She practically ran to the president. "You delivered my letter?"
"Yes I did." (Wasn't easy though.)
Mr. Stone was glad. "Thank you kindly! This is my way of thanking you. It should help you, a trainer." He handed May an EXP. Share. Like the ones she already had. But the more, the better.
"Thank you Mr. Stone." May said.
"No, don't thank me. You are the one who needs to be given thanks. Ah, you know, since my youth, I've immersed myself in work. Consequently, I'm not familiar with trends and that sort of thing. But do young people all want to be trainers in the pokemon league? Hm. I wonder."
"I can't really speak for everyone. But I don't think so. I personally don't think it's a trend." May said.
(Why does President Stone have conversations with her and only yells at me?) The Devon researcher thought sadly.
After a nice chat with Mr. Stone. May said her goodbyes and started riding her bike back to Mauville. They made it though and were back in Verdanturf town. May was going to continue on to Mauville, when a pokemon nurse stopped her. She was the Verdanturf nurse.
"Oh excuse me. But are you May?" Nurse Ti asked.
"Yes. Is there something you need?"
"My name is Nurse Ti. Nice to meet you. Anyway, I received a letter addressed for you not too long ago. I've been looking for someone named May for about an hour." She handed it to May and May noticed the letter was wet. "Whoops, my mistake. I was treating a Lotad when I got this. And Lotad sort of used a water attack on it. I tried drying it off, but I didn't do a good job."
May read the letter... as best as she could. But all she could read was "watching." (Weird. I wonder who this was from. And what they were saying.) "It's okay, it wasn't your fault. Well, goodbye Nurse Ti."
Nurse Ti waved as she watched May ride away on her bike. She went back to the pokemon center while May went to the one in Maville. The rest of the day was uneventful, and May went to sleep that night, glad she only needed one more badge to face her father.
Preview: May continues to travel. But she learns that Team Aqua is up to something. Whatever it is, it must be trouble. Now she has a mission, find Team Aqua and stop whatever plan they formed. Next chapter... Chapter 10 Get that meteorite!
A/N: Hm... that last part doesn't happen in the game. Does this mean I'm being original? Yes it does. That's going to be brought up later. Hope you enjoyed this laid back chapter. 'Cause a lot of action and drama will happen in the upcoming chapters. Especially when we get to 12-14. Not much longer now. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
