(Author's Notes)

So, this chapter focuses mostly on Brendan! But don't worry, we'll be getting some major Team Aqua action in chapter twelve. =)

Reviews~

organizationkhII: That's very true haha! And yes, I adore Steven as well. :) I agree, his Metagross is pretty amazing! I just finished beating the elite four for the second time, and I was really lucky my Banette did so well against it.

Autumn-trot: Oh okay, that makes sense, I do remember that. And yes, absolutely!

archnemesisnae: I'm glad you enjoyed it! I'm really excited to write their relationship as it grows; the next chapter will be a pretty big moment for them, hehe!

lightxhope2124: Not quite in this chapter, but definitely in the next! And don't worry, this chapter stars Brendan, so hopefully you're questions are answered. :) Thank you!

alemery: She definitely will be very soon!

A few hours into her walk to Mt. Chimney that morning, May took a rest in a shady cove by the side of the path, in order to heal up her Pokemon and hydrate herself.

"Hah. Those Winstrates were a bunch of losers." May commented idly, as she took a sip from her pink thermos. Earlier that morning, after leaving Mauville, May had encountered a family of career trainers who were taking on challengers in their home, and a large prize was offered to any one who could beat all of the family's members. Naturally, May had taken on the challenge. She had emerged victorious, but only Tsubaki was left standing by the time she finished the last battle. Still, a victory was a victory, and such things only stood to bolster May's significant confidence.

As her thoughts drifted to her destination, however, May's smile faded. She hadn't made an official decision to take on Team Aqua just yet, but she wanted to at least see what was happening at Mt. Chimney. She knew she had to do at least that much. But… the question was, if a fight did break out, were she and her three Pokemon prepared for the possible consequences? May quickly shook her head to rid herself of her negativity. She reached into her bag and retrieved her compact, quickly re-applying her lip gloss before tossing everything back into her back and heading back out onto the road.

By early afternoon, May found herself at the base of Mt. Chimney, but unfortunately the cable car that went up to the top appeared to be out of order, not to mention the path through the mountain was completely blocked off by large boulders. After an hour or so of snooping around to no avail, May concluded with satisfaction that Team Aqua didn't even seem to be here, so she made her way back down the path to re-group. Looking at her map, May could see that there was no way to reach Lavaridge city until the path was cleared, so… where should she head next? May pouted. How annoying!

Suddenly, the girl was startled from her pity party, as her pokenav sprang to life. By now, May had learned that she really couldn't predict who would be calling her these days, so her eyes quickly scanned the caller ID.

"Brendan?" May questioned as she answered. At this point, she was getting a little tired of guys somehow managing to find her number without asking.

"Ah, yes! How are you, May?" His familiar voice resounded in her ear.

"Fine, I guess. I'm assuming you want something?" May questioned apathetically. Brendan laughed.

"Well, I was wondering where you were headed? You've left Mauville by now, I would think…" He asked. And was that a hint of uneasiness in his voice? May lifted a brow; what was he up to?

"Well, I'm actually heading up to Fallarbor right now. I was, uh, thinking you were heading there next?"

"Why would I?" May asked flatly. If memory served, there wasn't even a gym there, and it would be way out of her way. Suddenly, there was a strange shuffling sound, and another all too familiar voice came through the device.

"May, what this fool is trying to say, is that you need to come see him in the Pokemon Spectacular! That's why we're heading to—" Lisia began, but Brendan quickly wrenched the pokenav away from her.

"Uh… I'm actually going to check on a meteorite one of my Dad's, er, I mean, Professor Birch's, research buddies found… but I guess there's a contest there, too… if you wanted to…" Brendan mumbled. How the hell had Lisia dragged him into all of this? It was so embarrassing for Brendan! And besides that, there was no way May would come all the way out to Fallarbor just to see him, he knew that much.

May wasn't very interested in Brendan or the Pokemon contests, but what had caught her attention, was the word "meteorite". Thinking about it, hadn't those grunts she'd spotted in Mauville mentioned something about that? But it didn't really have anything to do with her, right…?

"Maybe I will come!" May found herself saying a few moments later. She honestly couldn't imagine why she was agreeing to this… but, there was a feeling of uneasiness in her stomach that urged her on. It couldn't be… but... maybe she was worried about Lisia and Brendan?

"Just don't hold your breath on me watching that contest or anything." May added with an all too cheerful smile.

One night and a day and a half later, May found herself stumbling into the old farming town of Fallarbor, covered in ash and thoroughly exhausted. The road to Fallarbor had been long and arduous, and about halfway through, when she found herself spending another night by the side of the road, she began regretting her decision. But, by that time, it was far too late to turn back, and now all May was clinging to, was the hope that the sooty ashes hadn't stained her clothes.

May hobbled into the Pokemon center in a sorry state, and quickly got herself a room. She promptly took a shower, and was rather proud of the fact that it only took half an hour to do her hair and make-up. Then, she headed over to one Professor Cozmo's house, where apparently Brendan, and the meteorite, were staying. It took her a while of wondering around aimlessly before she found the house, but when she did, May had absolutely no hesitation and knocked upon the door immediately. She decided to completely disregard the fact that she was supposed to have met Brendan and the professor a full two hours before.

However, before her hand could even touch the wooden surface, the door sprang inwards and flew open. A rather annoyed Lisia stood in the entryway, a frown pressed to her lips as she toyed with her teal hair.

"You're late."

"Fashionably so, of course." May responded with, smirking as she breezed passed the woman and entered the house. The living room was decorated sparsely; only the necessary furniture had been placed about, the walls were a cool grey and the overall attitude was a bit… depressing. Clearly, this was the home of someone who's sole focus was his work. May sighed as her eyes fell over the two figures seated at the small couch, but what met her eyes certainly gave her pause.

There was one very tall and slim man, who was clearly the professor Cozmo she had heard about, but beside him, was a figure that left her mouth agape. Was that guy… Brendan?! May couldn't believe it. She swiftly came closer, facing him head on as her eyes scanned his body. Lisia watched her from the sidelines, her expression that of a predator that had just locked onto her prey.

Conversing with the professor before her, sat a completely transformed male. Brendan was dressed to the nines; gone were his sporty clothes and strange hat, which were replaced with tight black jeans and a studded belt, along with a custom-made jacket fit with studs, cuffs, and a certain rock-star flair. His brown hair, which she hadn't really seen much of before, was styled impeccably and fit with a red and yellow streak.

"Oh! You're here, May." He said with a casual smile. May completely ignored him though, and promptly began lifting up his shirt.

"W-what are you…?" Brendan stuttered, his face flushed as her fingertips grazed his skin. He realized quickly, however, that May wasn't interested in him. She appeared to be examining the seam finishes on his shirt.

"Ahh… it's sewn well, too! This stitch is perfect! It must be a brand name… maybe…? No, it has to be another one…" May mumbled excitedly, as she examined his clothes. The professor beside them looked more than a little concerned. To make his embarrassment worse, Lisia stood a ways behind May, giving him a perky thumbs up and a little wink.

Suddenly, May removed her hands from his person and gave him a skeptical look.

"What is this for?" She asked almost sternly. That was so like her — she didn't even bother with saying hello, and now she's demanding things! Ah, but… he realized with a start that May's face was awful close to his. This wasn't good…!

"Why, it's for the contest spectacular, of course! My apprentice here will be performing tonight, after all." Lisia chimed in happily. May withdrew from Brendan a bit, looking contemplative. Brendan let out a relieved breath, his cheeks still flaming.

"So… people usually dress up for that?!" May suddenly exclaimed, her eyes glittering with excitement. Brendan nodded, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

"Uh, yeah, I guess they do."

"Hmmm… I might just grace you with my presence tonight, then!"

"Woooow…" May found herself murmuring as she watched the contestants take the stage later that night. The theater itself was beautiful, and quite large — the soaring ceilings and opera house-like seating left an overwhelming impression. The first part of the show consisted of each contestant taking the stage in an attempt to appeal to the crowd, and capture their hearts — as well as their applause, of course. May was astounded by the outfits that both the contestants and Pokemon had donned for the event; they were elaborate and delicate, and each seemed to hold it's own special theme.

However, when Brendan took the stage as the final contestant, May noticed a change in the audience. Their was a tense sense of anticipation floating around in the air. As he reached the center of the stage, fireworks went off at the sides of the platform, and wild colors filled the contest hall. A wide, confident smirk spread across Brendan's handsome face as he pumped a fist into the air, his Combusken dancing wildly at his side, spewing fire in a fantastical medley. The crowd went into a wild frenzy of cheering and yelling, and May was left to watch the spectacle with mild amusement. This guy… had changed a lot since she met him, May felt. And that night, was the first time that May really noticed Brendan.

May had been told to meet Brendan and Lisia backstage after the show, so that the trio could head back to the Professor's place together. May hadn't had a chance to talk to Cozmo earlier, as the man had business to attend to out of town, and had hurriedly excused himself soon after her arrival. However, as she emerged from the thicket of people heading for the exit to the hall, and into the backstage area, May noticed Brendan surrounded by a couple of excited girls.

"Ahh, that was your best performance yet, Brendan!"

"No wonder you won so easily!"

"And the way you handled Combusken… it was amazing to watch! Another win!" The girls gushed, and May had to bite her lip to keep herself from bursting out into laughter at Brendan's uncomfortable expression. It was a little strange to watch though, she had to admit. When Brendan noticed May, he quickly spoke up.

"Ah, thank you, but, um, excuse me…" He muttered with a nervous laugh. He brushed passed the girls and made a b-line for May. He grabbed the girl by the hand and quickly led her outside. May could feel the venomous glares of Brendan's newfound fangirls as they left the room. Brendan's hand was wrapped tightly around her wrist, and he didn't seem inclined to release her. May arched an eyebrow. He seemed a little… nervous? He had just won, why wasn't he more confident or excited?

"So… u-umm, did you enjoy the show?" He asked quietly as they parted through the crowd and left the contest hall.

"Where's Lisia?" May asked, purposely avoiding the question. She chuckled at his worried look. Was he really worried that much about what she thought? She found it a little annoying, but also highly amusing. Brendan sighed. What a cruel girl she was!

"She headed back first, apparently there was some show she wanted to catch before bed." He commented drily.

"I…" May's sentence died in her throat as they approached the professor's house. One of the front windows had been shattered, and they worriedly entered the house, clearly on guard with their Pokemon at the ready. The house was dark, but as May flipped on the lights in the living room, the pair noticed Lisia slumped over on the couch, and the room appeared to have been ransacked. May quickly ran through the house to make sure no one was still there, while Brendan examined Lisia. She appeared to have a wound on her head, but was still conscious.

"I think… they took the professor…" Lisia mumbled tiredly, as Brendan called for a doctor. May re-entered the living room with a frown.

"Team Aqua…" She growled as she approached the pair. May had had enough of these guys. It was time for action.

"Do you know where they went?" May asked Lisia pointedly. Lisia blinked in thought.

"I think they said… Meteor Falls… but you shouldn't…!"

"Make sure she's taken care of." Was all May said to Brendan, before she grabbed her bag off the table and headed out into the night.