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Chapter 9Walking beside Jackie, May couldn't help but feel concerned as to who those people had been. The way they had carried themselves, it had been an indication that they were a team, as surely as Aqua and Magma or even Dim Sun. Her previous elation at having defeated her foes had since deflated as her mind considered possible reasons the group Bright Moon could have been created. However, she'd reminded herself that Jackie would have to be the one to investigate the matter further. After all, it was one of the many reasons why Rangers were revered in Almia, as Gym Leaders were respected in other regions. She did not have any influence over Almia, nor should she have any.
'May! Where are you?' Max's voice called out, sounding strained and pulling May out of her thoughts faster than her Munchlax could locate stolen food.
Hearing his strangled voice, May knew she'd unnecessarily worried her brother, and couldn't help but feel guilty for it. After all, as eldest sibling, it was her role to reassure him, not cause him pain and worry as she had been doing lately.
Beside her, Jackie must have noticed her unease, because he took hold of her hand and squeezed it gently, reminding her that he was there to support her. It made her feel even more gratitude to the man who'd been nothing but a friend and mentor to both herself and her brother.
'I've got her!' Jackie called as he sent her a reassuring wink and extrapolated his hand from hers.
Feeling flustered, May continued to walk beside him as they regrouped with the others before the Pokémon Centre. She couldn't help but wonder if her brother would scold her, as he had every right to.
Reaching her friends, May smiled politely at them, doing her best to ignore their concerned expressions. With a sheepish chuckle, she awkwardly held her hands behind her back, knowing they were less than impressed with her behaviour.
'May, you should know better than to run off like that. We were all really worried about you,' Max chastised, glaring at his sister in clear anger.
'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry anyone,' May apologised, suppressing the urge to hug her brother. She often forgot he wasn't a little boy anymore, though she knew he'd always forgive her, even if it took him a day or two. Besides, after her self-inflicted isolation in Sootopolis, the last thing she wanted to do was the upset him further.
'He's right, May, even Gary was worried about you,' Solidad frowned, glancing over May's slightly messy hair, noticing her rumpled shirt and bloodshot eyes.
'I'm sure he was,' May muttered bitterly, surprising the older woman slightly. Clearly her resentment for the world hadn't been completely stamped out after she had left the boutique.
'It doesn't change that you had me worried sick, hon!' Harley snapped, his green eyes glaring down at May.
'I'm sorry, but I'm ok now. We only got into a small bit of trouble,' May chuckled nervously, glancing sheepishly at Jackie, hoping he'd back her up. Whilst she could face their previous opponents with ease, she always seemed to forget her friends would worry over her. She'd often been scolded about that in Hoenn, too.
'Slight? From what Max said, you were fighting multiple people, and no one had any idea where you were! We couldn't even get in touch with the Ranger Union to find out where you were, they were flooded with complaints about a battle happening here somewhere!' Harley glowered, his voice an unusual screech as he moved his hands jerkily towards her, as though he wanted to shake her.
'I'm sorry,' May winced, forgetting that she had no real obligation to the people of Almia, even if she felt obliged to help everyone.
'Don't apologise, May, you did what you thought was right. Besides, I couldn't have done it without you,' Jackie frowned, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder and giving it a slight squeeze.
Hearing this, May's face flushed as she glanced bashfully up at the man, unsure of how to respond to his compliment. After all, the last time she'd met him, he hadn't uttered such glowing praise towards her actions.
'Jackie?' Max frowned, apparently equally surprised to hear the man's blatant praise of his sister. Again, when he had started out as a Ranger, Jackie hadn't offered him such praise.
'She's not ten anymore, Max, just like you're not either. You've both come a long way from the fumbling kids you once were,' Jackie smiled down at the younger man, appearing to have found a newfound respect for the younger woman.
With a sigh, Max groaned, 'great, someone's after May again.'
Blinking, May wondered what her brother could possibly mean. After all, Brock had told her he'd uttered similar sentiments when Brianna had insisted on becoming May's rival. However, from what she could gather with her friendship with Jackie, the man wasn't attempting to be her rival, especially not to save others.
Hearing a muffled growl from behind her brother, May glanced behind him to say Harley biting his hat in anger. While muffled, she could still hear the man muttering, 'no, no, no, no, no! How many times do I have to say this? Only one man is allowed to get with that pipsqueak, so why is she attracting all of these gorgeous hunks? It's not fair!'
Blinking in surprise, May frowned, 'Harley, are you ok?'
'Yes, perfectly happy,' Harley glowered in a tone which signified he was far from happy.
Sharing a confused glance with Jackie, May grimaced slightly. The only person who could decipher the man's every mood was Solidad, though when May glanced at her, she found her mentor chuckling slightly. The pink haired woman shook her head at May, her eyes dancing with mirth at the younger woman's unspoken question.
'Oh, Harley,' Solidad smiled in a bemused manner before turning her knowing gaze on May. In a stern voice, she lectured, 'May, you may be an adult, but that doesn't mean you can run off without telling your travelling companions where you're going. None of us had the faintest idea where you were, and then Max told us you were in trouble. Do you have any idea how concerned we were for your safety?'
'Really? We're travelling together again?' May beamed, clasping her hands together as she stared at the pink haired woman before her in eager disbelief.
With a light chuckle, the woman nodded once, discontinuing her fretful tirade at the sight of May's eager joy. The brunette's joyful moods had always made it difficult for others to remain angry with her for extended periods of time.
Upon registering the affirmative nod, May squealed and danced in a circle, calling out, 'all that's missing is Drew!'
'I'm sure he's not too far off,' Solidad smiled at the brunette, who responded by continuing to dance on the spot, excited to see her friends together at last.
'Really? So he is coming?' May beamed up at her friend, who was pointedly ignoring Harley's frantic motions behind Max.
'I'm sure he's already spent quite a while here,' Solidad responded, sending a subtle glower at the extravagant man, who froze at her disapproval.
'Then why haven't I seen him? Wouldn't he have been at the Ranger festival? I mean, from what Lucas said it wasn't an everyday occurrence. Surely he wouldn't want to have missed that,' May frowned in confusion, staring down at her feet in disappointment. She couldn't help but wonder if the green haired man was avoiding her. Considering how long had passed since she'd last seen him, she couldn't hold it against him.
'Relax, remember what I told you before,' Jackie whispered so that only she could hear, squeezing her shoulder slightly.
Hearing this reminder, May beamed up at the man before pulling him into a hug, whispering, 'I hope you're right, Jackie. I know it sounds like I just want to be a hero, but I'm honestly not. It's been so long since I last saw him, and I don't know if he'd even give me a chance.'
'You are a hero, May, to me,' Jackie responded in a louder tone, ignoring Harley's muted squeals of rage. In a softer voice, he continued, 'and if some people won't give you the chance, then it's not meant to be. Don't bet all of your poké dollars on something that might not happen. Your happiness is far too important for you to place all of your hopes on someone you haven't seen in years.'
'Thanks Jackie, you're the best! This is one of the many reasons why Max and I love you,' May grinned up at him, making the man flush slightly in surprise. From what Max had told her, the man didn't interact with many women, so this praise from May would have been highly unusual.
'Will you stop hitting on my mentor?' Max glowered up at her, sounding scarred as he glared at his sister.
'What? I'm not flirting with him,' May pouted, puffing her cheeks in anger. Harley groaned upon hearing her response, stomping his foot in anger whilst Jackie stifled a chuckle at the cobalt haired man's resentment.
'Sure, and I'm the king of the Slakoth,' Max retorted dryly, crossing his arms in anger.
'Well you do look like a Vigoroth to me!' May snapped back, taking a step forward towards her brother, her hands pressed on her hips in anger.
'Oh yeah? Says the Snorlax!' Max glared back, mimicking her movements and stepping towards her in equal fury.
'Don't you call me Snorlax, Porygon!' May hollered back, poking her brother's Ranger vest in irritation, apparently forgetting all about their companions' presence near them.
'Oh, Porygon, real smart, Aipom!' Max scoffed before turning his back on her as he closed his eyes, his expression turned into a moody glower.
Seeing the back of his head, May giggled slightly, hiding her mouth in her hands.
Her brother, upon hearing her happy laugh, turned and grinned down at her. With a light chuckle, he pulled her into a tight hug, whispering, 'I've missed these moments. You bounce back faster than Spoink.'
'And you're still as capable with witty insults as Smeargle is with artworks,' May responded before wrapping her arms tightly around her brother's torso, taking the chance to truly relish the hug.
'And I'm amazed you both know that many normal type pokémon,' Harley frowned at them both, reminding them of their startled spectators.
Glancing at each other, May grinned as her brother boasted, 'when your father is the normal type Gym Leader from Hoenn then you have to know your stuff, isn't that right, sis?'
'It definitely is,' May beamed back at him without missing a beat, her countenance brightening with her brother's happy chuckle.
'Well, let's head off to Vientown for the contest there—you'll finally have your great debut that we've all been waiting for,' Harley smiled, taking May's hand in his own before pulling her away from the others.
'M-May!' Max gasped, reaching out for his sister.
'It's ok, Max, I'll call you later. Stay safe!' May called out to him, knowing from experience not to protest to Harley's demands, if only for the sake of her sanity.
'Well, there she goes,' Jackie chuckled, crossing his arms as he watched them head down the crowded street.
'Hey, wait for me!' A soft voice cracked as a woman rushed after them, her blue hair blowing in the wind.
The two men watched her jog after the others, her angered yell carried by the wind, 'if you ruin my hair by making me run after you, I will personally ensure that even Arceus' judgment cannot compare to my punishment!'
'Then hurry up, chocolate covered marshmallow!' Harley's voice taunted back as he paused slightly.
'Where's Lucas?' May called as she turned to stare at her bluenette friend.
'I think he's doing some work for Professor Rowan near a farm outside of Vientown. He said we should totally check out Nabiki Beach and the Marine Cave,' Dawn frowned at her friend, her face flushed from her light sprint.
'Oh, I've heard stories about that place,' May whispered, her expression troubled.
'What's wrong?' Solidad frowned down at the younger woman, who seemed perturbed by the direction of their recent conversation.
Considering her friend, May sent her a reassuring smile, shaking her head slightly. Her hand grazed her pokéballs, her thoughts filled with concern about the Beach. Rumour had it that encountering a pokémon at this beach may result in a close relationship with them. However, May couldn't comprehend how a relationship with a pokémon could be closer than hers were with her friends. To her, they were more than friends, they were family. They'd supported her through so much, seen so many sides to her that it would do them an injustice to consider them anything less than family.
Where Blaziken was a source of comfort for her by his sheer strength and confidence, Beautifly comforted her by listening and being mostly gentle with her reactions. Then there was Skitty, who was a never ending source of amusement and joy, Munchlax who was mischievous and confident, Glaceon was far too stubborn for her own good, whilst Wartortle still sometimes needed reassurance. Then there was Venusaur, one of her strongest pokémon who tried to comfort the others around them, acting as a mentor and counsellor. She couldn't possibly imagine a closer bond than the ones she had with her own pokémon, especially the ones she'd gained from her journey with Ash, Brock and Max.
With such concerns, May hesitantly walked beside Harley, who was gushing over the beauty of previous appeals. None of that made May's worries disappear as she was painfully reminded of her own struggles in constructing an appeal she could feel confident with.
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