Prologue: Black and Blue
Sometimes, May thought about a trainer who had come and challenged her father a year before she left on her own journey. She could never forget his name, and he had lilac hair and a hard, angry line to his brow, and he had a Pokemon she'd never seen in Hoenn before that looked really funny. It was green and had a shell and four tiny legs, and a leaf sticking out from the top of his head. Max had smugly told her it was a Turtwig, and that must have meant this was a trainer from Sinnoh. But this trainer had told her father in passing conversation (she liked to eavesdrop on interesting people sometimes, purely out of innocent curiosity) that it was his first year of training. Most trainers traveled their local regions first before going further afield. How odd that he would choose to go so far away from home.
She decided he must have been an adventurer.
She liked him already.
Not one for watching her father's gym battles, Norman had been surprised when May had dropped herself into the stands to watch their battle. Smiling obliviously across at him, pleased for the attention, May wove her legs together and leant forward on her wrists, observing her father as he took care of the gym formalities. They'd always felt dreadfully dull, but she found herself a little intrigued today. The boy her father was explaining the format of their battle to was just so focused, and had his eyes so determinedly trained upon him as he spoke. It was strangely entrancing to watch his intense stare. It wasn't long until Max appeared next to her, tugging on her hair by means of greeting. Scowling, May swatted at her younger brother in a vague frustration. At seven years old, Max was proving to grow more of a nuisance every day. He flashed his glasses up at her, grinning curiously as she scowled. Kenny, her father's assistant, had begun to confirm both battler's confidence in the rules of the gym, and Norman and the challenger took their places opposite each other on the battlefield, an electric tension buzzing between them.
"Dad won't lose," Max predicted smugly, folding his arms and settling into himself. "Dad never loses to first timers without a few attempts. He's too smart for some greenhorn and his greenhorn to slip under him like that." His voice was high and a little shrill with his youth, and even though she was only two years older than him, May still found him nauseating. Especially in his arrogance.
"Don't be so cocky," May told him quickly. "Being full-a yourself never helped anybody. And besides, Daddy has lost plenty of times before."
"Full of," Max corrected, snickering. "You know, nobody will ever take you seriously if you don't speak properly. That's what Dad always says." The battle was beginning, and the challenger had sent out his Turtwig that Max had identified earlier. It was small, and seemed relatively meek when facing up against the enormity of Norman's Slaking. Pursing her lips, May leant further forward.
"No one will talk to you at all if you keep being a bore," May said wearily back, tired of her brother's antics. "Anyway, shush. I wanna watch." The challenger seemed unperturbed by his apparent disadvantage; for a moment, May wondered if he might even just be motivated by it. Orders were thrown out from each side, and the battle began in a sudden spark of action. Slaking dragged his meaty fists forward, slamming on his chest for a moment before lurching towards the little Turtwig. Anticipating the move, Turtwig scurried away, darting between the larger Pokemon's legs and skidding across the gravelly gym floor, creating a small cloud of dust as he did.
"It's quick!" Max paused, a little taken back. He readjusted his new glasses, blinking owlishly behind them. "I wouldn't expect that from a Pokemon with such stunted legs."
"Well, what's Momma always say?" May suppressed a smug grin, pleased her brother was being disproved. "You can't judge a book by it's cover, ya know?"
"You can make deductions from physical evidence, May," Max replied disparagingly, sounding snooty and older than his years. "If a Pokemon has short legs you can presume it's speed will be affected. If a Pokemon has no arms, you can presume it won't know a move like Focus Punch. Just like if you see a man wearing sunglasses and holding a cane, you can presume some issues with his sight. Identifying things like this is key to being a skilled Pokemon trainer."
"What would you know, squirt?" May sulked audibly. "You ain't gotta Pokemon. You just read a lot." The Turtwig began to fire off somewhat lacking, but enthusiastic torrents of leaves towards Slaking, cutting into his flesh a little and making him grunt in a mild pain. It seemed more of an annoyance than a real issue. Norman shook his head, disappointed.
"Well, there are so many varieties of Pokemon it's hard to have comprehensive information on all species, like their strengths and weaknesses, and even their names," Max continued, pushing his glasses further up his nose in a manner that made May want to break them. "There are a bunch of species they say we don't even know about yet. Trainers need to be able to assess a battle situation, even in a situation where they're unfamiliar with the Pokemon they're facing." He gave her a sidelong glance, bearing his teeth in a self congratulatory snicker. "You'd know that if you paid attention when Dad told you stuff." The challenger was growing frustrated. He ordered another attack. It was combinations of words May was unfamiliar with, in a Sinnoian accent that was a strain to interpret from a distance, so she was a little baffled at the green orbs that began to soar towards Slaking forcefully.
"I listen to everything Daddy says to me!" May felt her cheeks get hot, frustrated at the implication. "I just… don't find any of this all that interesting. It's all so technical and time eating, and so dull." Swallowing, May let her hands find her chin, cupping it as she balanced her elbows upon her knees. "Anyway, squirt, I don't care what you gotta say about Pokemon or battling or any of that stuff. I'm not going on a Pokemon journey anyhow, and if I wanted to know somethin' I'd ask Daddy."
"I still can't believe you don't want to go," Max said sullenly, folding his feet underneath himself. Slaking powered up a Focus Punch that hit Turtwig square in the cheek, throwing him across the room and crashing him into the wall solidly. As the newly formed dust cloud began to clear, it was obvious that Turtwig was down for the count. The challenger wasn't pleased. May watched with interest as his lip twitched, irritated, and he recalled the Pokemon completely dispassionately. He almost seemed disinterested in his Pokemon's pain. It baffled her. In all her time watching her father and mother interact with Pokemon, it had been with the utmost care and adoration. "I mean, why wouldn't you want to explore the world and train Pokemon?"
"I want to see the world," May said quickly, protesting with a sharp glare. "I just don't want to drag Pokemon along with me. So I'll just go when I'm older and don't need them to protect me and stuff. Momma said that if that's what I really wanted she'd be okay with it." The next Pokemon was called out quickly. It was a small, grey pebble in a big battle field, and Max sat up, interested.
"An Aron!" Suddenly, Max was less disappointed. "They have super good defense, and normal type moves won't be as tough. He might have a shot, with this one!"
"I have no idea what you mean." Snorting, May raised an eyebrow. "But it's way less cute than the last one. What's the point?" Norman wasted no time in getting back into the swing of the battle, throwing another Focus Punch that slammed the small steel type into the gym floor, leaving an impression in the gravel when Aron eventually tottered away.
"Stupid." Max shook his head, sighing. "I don't understand you." May gave him a dark look, feeling her cheeks heat up again. Her little brother had never respected her, really. It wasn't fair in May's eyes. Not sharing his interest in Pokemon was in no way related to her intelligence or right to be respected as an older sibling. At least, it made no sense to her. Everyone else seemed to look down on her point of view as well. Was it so wrong to simply have different motivations in life than collecting creatures that could only parrot their names back at you? She couldn't see how they could really connect, anyway. There was no communication or common ground to be shared with a Pokemon. They just existed. But they were all anyone talked about; especially to the Gym Leader's children.
"Well, I never asked you to." May's voice had taken on that haughty tone that told Max he'd pushed his limits a little far, and he went quiet, focusing on the match instead. Aron was taking hit after hit, getting in weak attacks during Slaking's restful periods, but never making an impact on the larger Pokemon that gave Norman a moment of panic. The challenger was getting more and more riled, his commands garbled with his own fury as he demanded for his Pokemon to be stronger, hit harder and move faster. There were limits to willpower, May noticed blankly.
Aron was soon knocked out.
With only one Pokemon left, the trainer seemed to stop for a moment, looking away in a mild repulsion as he recalled the Aron that had failed him thus far. He didn't hesitate in throwing out his third Pokeball, revealing a small yellow fighting type with a little knot on the top of his head.
"A Makuhita!" Max's narration was grating, but reluctantly May admitted it was informative. "A fighting type. He should have the advantage, but it's so little and weak compared to Slaking."
"I guess strategy and knowing lots doesn't always mean more than experience." May tilted her head slightly, observing. "I wonder what he'll do."
"What do you mean?" Max quirked an eyebrow at his sister quizzically. More orders were blurted out hastily, and the Makuhita lunged forward, his fist outstretched.
"Well, look at the challenger." May pointed to him subtly, gesturing with her fingers from her lap. Max looked up, watching him. His feet were planted firmly apart, and his face was completely blank and expressionless. There was a hard sheen in his eyes that made Max hesitate before responding. "See? He's not worried. He's only got one Pokemon nexta all three of Daddy's, right? And it's still a small one. So shouldn't he be panicking?" Slaking easily deflected the small fighting type, but it didn't stop there, and soon Makuhita was flying back towards him, making full use of the lazy ability Slaking was cursed with and clocked him square in the nose. Norman winced.
"I guess." Max leant forward, a little less subtle. "I dunno, May. Maybe he just doesn't care very much?" There was a ruthlessness to his commands, but that idea didn't sit right with May. It felt more likely that he was the kind that cared too much.
"It's doesn't, not dunno." May felt a smug swell in her chest as she corrected him, and Max scowled. "I don't think so. I mean, you gotta be pretty confident to travel so far from home, right? He's probably super frustrated on the inside but he doesn't wanna show it. I wonder why?" Slaking was stunned, but didn't take long to fling himself forward again. The significantly overleveled Pokemon dropped himself onto Makuhita with a huge belly flop of a body slam, crushing him with the immense weight of a fully evolved Pokemon. The challenger had the decency to wince, and once Slaking rolled away and Kenny announced he was unable to battle, he recalled the Pokemon without complaint.
"Dad won!" Max cheered, bubbling up joyfully. His father was his hero, and he relished in seeing him succeed over strangers. May smiled and hummed with him, equally loyal to her father. However, there was a tone of distraction in her voice as she watched the challenger's reaction. His body language shifted from aggressive to defensive, with arms jutting forward as they folded over his chest, and leaning back slightly on one shoulder to stop from having to face Norman fully after his embarrassing defeat.
A few words were exchanged between them: Gym Leader to Challenger. It didn't take long for him to leave, shoving his hands into his pockets and his hair falling slightly over his face. As May watched him, her curiosity growing, she felt her breath leave with him.
What a fascinating person.
Caroline stirred the pot in front of her noncommittally, not totally focused on the soup in front of her as she twirled the spoon around the pan. Both May and Max were home from school for the weekend, and usually that meant company. Max would linger in the gym and observe his father training, and May would often float about the house with her, sometimes helping with chores but more often chatting aimlessly at her while she did them. But today, it had been quiet. May sometimes went out with friends, or stayed in her room and played some indescribably bland pop music far too loudly, but it was strange to think she was choosing to spend her day in the gym with Max. It was uncharacteristic.
She couldn't help but feel a twinge of hope.
"Hey Mom!" Max was the first in, his voice full of excitement and giddy glee as he bounded in. He often tried to shed his childhood so quickly, it was always good to see him bubble with youth after a day in the gym. "Dad to-o-otally creamed this kid from Sinnoh! Of course, if I had been battling him…" His tone became a little snide and high again. "It would have been just as good!"
"Max is being a pain again Momma." May's complaints fell on deaf ears as she dragged herself after him, visibly weary. Melodramatically, she flung herself into a chair, her hand pressed to her forehead and her back arched mockingly. "Need… sustenance… in order… to cope… with lame-o brother…"
"May, be nice." Caroline chastised her gently, but bit her lip to hide a laugh. "Is Kenny staying for lunch today?"
"No, he said he had a date or something." May waggled her eyebrows mischievously. "How romantic! I can't wait till I'm old enough to go on romantic dates and meet someone…" Her tone shifted, becoming a little dreamy. "Jetting about together, all glamorous and stylish… just like in the big films."
"Ew, who would ever want to go out with you?" Max snorted, prodding her shoulder, and May flared pink, shoving him away from her with a scowl and a whine.
"Mo-om!"
"Max, be nice." Caroline shook her head, slowly feeling what energy she had drain away. "Why don't the two of you get dishes out for lunch, and set the table? If you can manage that without arguing…" She paused, chuckling. "Maybe Rayquaza does exist." At the mention of the legendary Pokemon, Max suddenly brightened. He rushed to his mother's side, clinging to her as she cooked, whining in a low, needy voice that could only come from a young boy. Pausing to ruffle his hair, she smiled.
"Can you tell us the story again Mom?" He asked pleadingly. May seemed far less interested, storming around in the cupboard to try and find the things she needed for the table. Thoughtfully, Caroling tapped her son's nose with her index finger.
"Not now, sweetpea," she said gently. "Perhaps your Dad might be convinced this evening before bed. He tells it better than me! But only if you help your sister now, hm?" Max's eyes grew wide - clearly, he was in agreement - and he nodded eagerly at the prospect, grinning stupidly as he rushed to help prepare for lunch by grabbing the appropriate cutlery from the cupboard to her right.
Once lunch was ready, Max zipped out of the kitchen to retrieve his father from the gym, where he was undoubtedly tending to his Pokemon after training. May lay glasses out on the table while her mother sliced bread, and filled a jug with tap water to place in the center of the table. Her mother hated not having something to drink alongside a meal, and it had rubbed off on her children, although Norman never seemed to do the same. For a moment, she watched the water ripple inside the jug, thinking to herself.
"Momma?" May asked suddenly, although she hadn't quite felt ready to voice it yet. Caroline turned to her, humming her acknowledgement, and May felt her mouth go a little dry. "How come…"
"Whatever it is you've made," Norman said brightly, grinning as he swept through the room, kissing his wife's cheek and taking a place at the table. "It smells phenomenal." May shut her mouth tightly, not looking up from the jug of water, but took her seat silently, leaving space on either side of her for her mother and brother. Sitting next to her father always ended awkwardly for her.
"It's just soup." Caroline chuckled, shaking her head at her husband. Max hadn't been far behind, and had thrown himself into the seat next to his father. He was full of exuberance and enthusiasm as he recounted the battle against the trainer from Sinnoh, and how easily Slaking had dismantled his entire team. May didn't comment, instead waiting for her mother to take her seat and pass out the bread before quietly taking to her meal.
"And then I thought for a moment because Makuhita was a fighting type you might have a problem," Max explained hastily. "But then May said something like experience was more important, and she was right! You were so great, Dad, he didn't have a chance!"
"May, you said that?" Norman looked across at his daughter with a slight curve in his lips. There was something to his voice that May didn't like. It was like a cross between bewilderment, confusion and hope. He had no reason for any of that.
"I said something like that, I guess." May tore some of her bread with her teeth, not looking at him. Norman's eyes bore into her, steely and firm.
"I was surprised to see you watching the battle today, May." His eyes weren't going to drop from her any time soon, and May shifted uncomfortably. "You seemed rather taken by the whole thing."
"She was saying stuff too!" Max burst in, eager to bring his sister into his interest in Pokemon. "She was telling me to look at the challenger's body language and stuff, and she was really into it!"
"I wasn't into it." May's protests came out a little weak. "I was just bored this morning. Anyway, it doesn't matter. It was a good battle, Daddy. Well done."
"Hmmm." Norman's smug hums were grating, and she felt herself shrink in her seat. "Would you like to help me with training the Pokemon this afternoon? I can show you some basic techniques."
"Why would I want to do that?" May snorted, unimpressed. "I'm not going on a journey, remember?"
"Of course." Norman retreated a little, disappointed. "I just thought you might want to understand a little more about the battle mechanics you encountered this morning."
"No thanks," May said haughtily. Caroline and Norman exchanged a long, defeated glance. Max blinked a little, staring at his sister.
"Why'd you watch the match this morning?" Pressing wasn't going to do Max any good, May decided, and she took a big gulp of soup while she considered her answer.
"I was curious," May said lightly. "About the boy who chose to travel so far away from home."
"Ah." Norman's face changed. "Paul. He was an interesting character. I can see why you were curious. He's very withdrawn. There are a lot of good ideas in his battle style, and he has some Pokemon with a lot of potential. Time will help him; he needs a lot of time to train and grow with his team. Although…"
"Although?" May's ears pricked up. People watching was one of her favourite hobbies, and this Paul person had been an enigma to her. Nothing about him was easy to figure out; it baffled her.
"He seemed very angry." Norman shrugged, taking a spoonful of soup into his mouth. "I'm not sure. I'll let you know when he returns, if you want to watch his rematch later." His voice had a little upturn of hope at the end, watching his daughter's reaction closely. May shuffled awkwardly, nodding.
"Okay." Draining her water, May hid a smile behind the glass. "He's coming back?"
"All trainers who lose come back at least a couple of times." Norman blinked, his mouth curving into a smile. "I don't think he's the type to give up easy."
"Alright then." A little brighter, May stood up, finished with her meal. "Momma, may I be excused?"
"You may." Caroline wrinkled her nose in a smile, and May tucked her chair back into place, scurrying out of the room. It was the most she and her father had interacted in weeks - maybe months. There was only so much she could let herself hope for. As she scuttled off, she could hear Max beginning to plead with their father to tell them the story again tonight, but he stiffly told him no, and that was all that was left of that topic.
School was over for the day. It wasn't something May particularly enjoyed, and one of the things she was a little disappointed over was that deciding not to travel meant she couldn't simply enroll in the online trainer school to keep up with her studies, and instead would have to continue to attend school after her tenth birthday. That was a small price to pay, though, she kept telling herself. It was something she was quite resolved on. Petalburg was pretty in the spring, and the temperate nature of Hoenn meant she rarely needed a coat. Sometimes she waited for Max after school so they could walk home together, but he had an afterschool club in something desperately nerdy like super advanced maths, so today she was left to potter through the streets by herself, swinging her bookbag by her knees. It was a pleasant route home; it skimmed along the outskirts of the city and close by to the wooded area that was near the shore. Being so close to the sea always left a fresh, salty taste to Petalburg air. May found it soothing and exhilarating all at once.
Her usual path was a little shadowed by some of the cedar trees that began to lead into Petalburg Woods to the north. The light dappled prettily through the high branches, and May turned it into a little game. Hop from one spot of shadow to another. Keep out of the light. Keep safe in the dark. Somewhere along the way, she began to frown.
Breaking through her thoughts, a loud yell caught her attention and a sudden cyclone of greenery burst out in front of her, inches from missing her face and forcing her to stagger backwards with the sheer force of wind it sent at her. There was an involuntary gasp and a stumble, and somehow she found herself nursing her sore coccyx as she tried to scramble to her feet. There was no way such a concentrated gust of wind like that would happen naturally, carrying such pointed and deliberate foliage. Glaring in the general direction they came from, she knew someone in there had a pokemon they were training, and they weren't being particularly considerate of passersby pedestrians who maybe did not wish for their walk to be hindered by a random grass type attack. Maybe there might even be passersby pedestrians who didn't particularly like Pokemon who would be affected.
It was for selfish reasons that she'd hitched her skirt back into place and begun to storm her way through the trees, searching out the culprit.
It hadn't taken long to track him down. Recognising his lilac hair and blue jacket instantly, May paused, wondering for a second as he worked with his Turtwig. She'd thought as much. They were practicing a move that he kept calling Leaf Storm and it would fire in different directions, not always entirely under their control. They were aiming at a particularly girthy tree in the middle of the clearing they worked in, and the boy's face kept screwing up tightly every time it didn't go the way he wanted it to. His back was to her, and he hadn't bothered to turn at the sound of the crunching leaves and splitting branches from her clumsy entrance.
Paul. Her father had said his name was Paul.
"Hey!" May felt a surge of bravery, wincing her way through the last of the greenery as it caught on her bare legs. She'd never been one for practical clothing. "You knocked me over with that silly grass attack of yours!" Paul twisted, not moving his feet from where they pointed towards his Pokemon, but allowing himself to lean back and see who had interrupted his training.
"Oh." He didn't seem too perturbed. "I'll keep that in mind." He didn't say anything more, but turned back to face his Turtwig and ordered another attack. This time it hit the target, and took a layer of the tree bark with it. Paul hummed, a little more pleased.
"You'll keep that in mind?" May huffed, her hands finding her hips crossly. "Well ex-cuuuse me, Paul, but I think you owe me an apology!"
"How do you know my name?" Paul didn't face her as he spoke, but he paused from his training for a moment to tolerate her presence.
"Huh?" May blinked. "You don't recognise me? I watched your battle with my Dad just a couple of days ago. I'm Norman's daughter." Paul's shoulders lifted for a moment. He rolled them back, like he was trying to work out a knot in his neck while he thought about his response. May waited, quiet.
"Nah." He shrugged. "Don't remember. Turtwig, try that Leaf Storm again." May's mouth fell agape as Turtwig followed his command, twisting and jumping slightly as he sent off another flurry of verdant specs towards the tree. It hit the mark again.
"Well you don't have to be rude to me!" May's voice took on that sulky, haughty tone she usually reserved for Max. "Are you gonna apologise or what?"
"Hn." Paul finally turned around, as if accepting the fact she was a problem that wouldn't go away on it's own. "I'm sorry." He didn't sound it. "Will you leave now?"
"No." May shuffled from one foot to another, unable to find a reason why she should stay. "I'm going to observe your training."
"And why do you think I'll let you do that?" Paul arched an eyebrow, unimpressed. His lips were pulled tight and thin. Now that he'd designated himself to facing her, she could see the pale, chalkiness of his skin, and the almost bruised look to the bags under his eyes. He was exhausted.
"Because I'm the Gym Leader's kid." Her answer had come from some deep hidden quick wit that she didn't know she possessed. "And I know all about my Dad's battle strategy. And… um…" Pausing, she clasped her hands behind her back, rolling onto the tips of her toes, trying to think of what the clever heroines in her favorite films would say to impress him. "I'd be… invaluable to your training to beat him." Paul watched her face for a moment, searching for something May didn't anticipate him finding. A twitch of the lip. An involuntary blink. A breath that was too loud or too fast.
"You're lying." Paul didn't waste any more time. "I don't have time to waste on someone who doesn't know what they're talking about."
"I do!" May's protests didn't even fool her. "Why don't you want my help?"
"I don't need help." Paul rolled his eyes, his arms folding over firmly. "Don't you have better things to do than bug me?" May scowled. She decided maybe she didn't like him so much anymore.
"Everyone needs help sometimes." May parrotted her words in a flush, feeling a little petulant. "My Momma said that. And you should never be scared of asking for help!"
"Listen… kid." Paul couldn't find a better word to put to her for the time being. "I don't need anybody's help; I just need to get stronger. I don't waste my time with weaklings. With weaklings like you." He snorted derisively as May's face turned purple with frustration, and she stomped on the ground childishly, jittery with fury.
"You're so mean!" Her voice was becoming shrill. "Why do you think it's so mean to ask for help? I ask my family for help all the time! That doesn't make me weak!"
"I don't care about what you have to say," Paul said cooly. "You should really get back to being coddled by Daddy and not contributing anything of worth to the world. People like you get through life relying only on their families; it's weak. It's pathetic."
"Excuse me?" May swallowed, feeling her stomach tighten. "My Daddy does not coddle me. And - and family isn't weak, family is super special! I mean, I'm totally always mad at my family; my little brother is a huge pain and my Mom is totally overbearing and I…" she paused, pursing her lips. Suddenly, she felt a little more sympathetic. "I guess Daddy doesn't talk to me very much. But even so, he would always help me if I needed it! Because family matters and if you don't care about your family then you're stupid."
"You said you were Norman's daughter." It was a statement, not a question. May nodded, thrown off by his sudden interest in her. When she confirmed, he nodded back, feeling justified. "Exactly, he's strong." Paul suddenly didn't seem so harsh in his words. It almost seemed as though he just really wanted her to understand his point of view. "He doesn't spend time with you because he understands that his time should be spent getting stronger. And training to defeat him is a way for me to get stronger."
"Why are you so obsessed with being strong?" May folded her arms, still sullen. "Honestly. Pokemon are weird anyway. It's so dumb."
"You wouldn't understand, you're just a silly girl." Paul turned away again suddenly, frowning deeply. There was a disappointed sigh mixed in somewhere in his words. "I would have thought a Gym Leader's kid would have a better head on her shoulders, but you're the most clueless person I've ever met. No wonder your dad is too busy for you."
"You're wrong. People like you… you're the weak ones!" May's face crumbled a little, wounded by his words. He didn't seem too pleased by hers either. "I'm not clueless. You'll see. And he'll see that too. You're just…" she blinked quickly, feeling a couple of tears group up in the corners of her eyes. "You're both wrong!" Turning on her heel, she marched away, stomping through the bushes and flattening greenery in her path.
Max asked about the story again that night. May tried not to listen as her father told him that it wasn't the night, and that he was too tired. It was the same cycle that came up every now and again. Sometimes, Caroline would just tell it and get it over with, but Max would always be a little disappointed. Sometimes, she'd bully Norman into sitting down with the two children and giving them half an hour of his time, but he would always be a little reluctant and it didn't go unnoticed by Max nor May. As annoying as May found her little brother, she hated seeing the effect their father had on her beginning to transfer to him. Max idolised their father. It wasn't fair.
So late that night, she snuck into his room, with a box of cookies she'd swiped from downstairs, two glasses of milk, and an old fashioned torch with slowly dying batteries.
"Mom?" May was almost offended that Max's first assumption had gone to their mother. "May?"
"Pipe down, dweeb, you'll get us caught" May whispered hurriedly. She shook the bag of cookies lightly to let him know they were in for a midnight treat. "Now shh!"
"What are you doing?" Max's voice was bleary with sleep, but when she sat the milk down on his bedside table and the cookies in his lap, he was much less likely to complain. The room was dark, but it was a clear night and Max always forgot to close his curtains, so there was a thin, silvery light that let May find her way around.
"I'm gonna tell you a story." May cracked a smile, shining the torch into her face as she settled herself cross legged at the bottom of the bed. "A story of three ancient beings. Of the sea, and of the land, and of the sky." Max immediately froze in place, his face splitting into a grin. Suddenly, he jerked back to life, squirming around to sit himself upright and settle himself opposite her, listening intently. May waited for him to get comfortable before she began. "Hoenn was founded by three nations uniting. The Draconids, the People of the Water, and the Tribe of Terramin. Once, there was war between the People of the Water and the Tribe of Terramin; this is the story of how the Draconids brought them peace."
May hadn't been home from school for five seconds before she and Max were sprinting for the gym together. It had been weeks since she'd seen him. Maybe a little more than a month. Sometimes when she'd walked home from school, she'd listened hard at that little point on the path to hear if he was still training there, but eventually she figured he must have moved elsewhere. It had been something she'd tried not to think about, but every night when she closed her eyes, all she could see was lilac hair and cold steely eyes, reminding her fiercely that she was never going to be good enough for her father.
But here he was again, in person. Maybe she could get the chance to prove him wrong.
They got there just in time to see the end of the battle. Both trainers were both down to their last pokemon, and Norman was looking tense as he ordered Vigoroth to strike. Paul had Turtwig dodge as best he could, but even though the little grass type was fast for his species, he couldn't outrun a Vigoroth. The little Turtwig was knocked back - hard - and Paul held his breath for a moment.
Everything flipped on it's head.
Turtwig glowed an ethereal white, a low hum taking over his body as he began to morph. Max, though out of breath from running, grabbed May's hand as his glasses began to fog.
"Turtwig is evolving!" His announcement didn't go unnoticed, and Paul turned for just a second to see the two late audience members, with pink flushed cheeks and wide, awed eyes. May held his gaze for just a second before exhaling, and he turned back to his Pokemon without a hint of surprise or emotion in his face. Norman hardened. Grotle looked a lot stronger than Turtwig had.
It didn't take much longer for Paul to take hold of the momentum of battle and throw it against Norman.
Norman was never one to get upset at a loss (although Max did not take it well), and was pleased to present Paul with a badge which May overheard happened to be his third. He planned to move on to Mauville next, apparently. Paul tucked the badge into an inside pocket of his jacket, shook Norman's hand politely and respectfully, and began to make his way out of the gym. Unfortunately, this meant walking past May. She stood in wait, leaning her weight onto one side and bending the knee on the other, her arms folded sternly as she prepared herself to scold him for being so rude to her. The whole conversation had been practiced in her head, over and over and over. He would listen to her, and he would respect her.
But in actuality, he walked straight past her without even glancing her way.
Immediately, she seethed, storming after the Sinnoh boy. "Hey, Paul, wait up!" She chased him out of the gym, expecting him to stop and wait when she called, but he just kept walking. Out through the wooden doors, onto the stairway leading away from the gym, back into the city. Her cheeks burnt red, offended. "Stop!" Finally she caught up to him, and reached out to grab his sleeve, forcing him to look back at her. When he did, it was with a resigned, bored glare. "I was tryna talk to you!"
"I was trying to leave." His reply was blunt and indifferent. "What do you want now?" Her face puffed up again, and she hadn't let go of his sleeve.
"Why do you wanna be strong?" May asked, forcefully. "What's the big deal?"
"Why would I waste my breath?" Paul scoffed openly, tugging his arm out of her grasp. "There's no point explaining anything to you. You wouldn't have the mental capacity to process it."
"You're being rude again!" She flung her words at him furiously. "You know what? I'm gonna leave on my journey, too, soon. And I'm gonna pick up a Pokemon, and I'm gonna travel all over the world and see everything there is to see and learn everything there is to learn." Black eyes met blue, and she found herself stomping her foot again. This time, it didn't seem as childish. "And you're gonna hear about me one day, and you're gonna stop and realise I'm not so clueless after all!" She hissed through her teeth, her eyes narrowed. "You, and Dad. You'll respect me, you can count on it!" He looked at her for a moment, almost seeming intrigued for a moment, before lifting his hand and pointing at her, lazily. His finger brushed one of the frills of her blouse. Flushing, she edged back. If she was going to follow through, she'd need to buy some more practical clothing.
"That is why I want to become stronger." His voice came across almost loftily, and May closed her eyes for a moment, a wave of realisation tingling through her. It was so obvious. Suddenly, he made all the sense in the world to her. Paul from Sinnoh was no mystery after all; he was just like her. He didn't say anything else to her, instead choosing to just turned around and walked away. He almost jogged down the rest of the stairs and then headed out into the distance with powerful, purposeful strides. May watched him leave, fascinated all over again, as his retreating figure became lost in the spring skyline of Petalburg, dusted with cherry blossom and new life and everything that seemed so opposite to who he was, and yet so appropriate for what they both wanted to achieve. She sucked her lip up into her mouth.
"Dad!" It was time for her to grow up. She flew back into the gym, filled with a sense of purpose. "I've changed my mind. I want to go on a journey after all."
