37. Problem
Team Magma had made their business mine. It didn't have to be that way; they could have picked anyone else. But they messed with me, so they were my problem now. And I was finally okay with that.
That lady laughing at me really pissed me off.
They would be back again, sure, but when they returned, I would be ready for them. I would take them down again and again if it meant stopping them. I was sick of seeing their tacky red costumes.
It was a bother, but if it had to be me, I would finish this.
38. May
The scientists at the Weather Institute were nice enough to lend me a bed after the Team Magma fiasco, so I slept for as long as I could in their break room. After a shower the next morning, I felt good as new, until I walked back outside into the rain again.
It was the first of May…
See, this was the reason I hated the month of May. The expression said, "April showers bring May flowers." But it was May, and it was still raining. It was a betrayal.
At least there were only thirty more days until June.
39. Exchanging Pleasantries
As if the rain was not miserable enough, Brendan showed up right across the bridge from the Weather Institute. If I had just waited five more minutes… if I had slept a little longer, or maybe if I had slept a little less…
"Hey, May, good to see you," he greeted, and I smiled at him. Maybe courtesy would get him to leave. "How are you?"
"I'm good, Brendan. How are you?"
He grabbed a Poké Ball off his belt and gave me a toothy grin. "Good, but I'd be better if I beat you in a battle for once."
40. Another Day
Finally, I made it to Fortree…
Brendan didn't get his wish to win the battle, but even I had to admit that he had gotten better. And he had been nice enough to give me a parting gift in the form of another HM. I stuck it in my bag pocket with the rest, running my fingers along the smooth edges of the rest. Steven Stone's TM was still right in front.
I settled into the Pokémon Center, slumping down into a chair. I was eager to challenge the gym, but I would wait until the rain stopped this time.
Author's Note: Sorry, this chapter was kind of boring. But if it's any consolation, Steven'll be back in the next chapter.
It's actually kind of nice to update something so frequently, considering I can get slow at updates (um, I'm pretty sure I have a fic I haven't updated since September, but I will say that is an anomaly). I wonder if it's annoying for you as readers, though, or do you like the daily updates?
Either way, a week from today, updates will cease for a couple of weeks, so you'll have a break from me, hehe.