Hi all,

Sorry it's (again) late, I've had an extremely hectic week. Having said that, here's the latest update and I'm so sorry it's late :)

I hope you like my surprise and I hope it makes up for this being late ;)

Happy reading!

Chapter 21

Smiling smugly as he flew on Aerodactyl, a rock type fossil pokémon, which had large, grey, membranous wings, Gary rubbed the reptilian pokémon between the sharp ears on top of its head. Beside him flew Brendan, who'd somehow summoned a Latios to Kanto with what he called an Eon Flute. The wooden flute, which was shaped slightly like an arrow, was something which fascinated the pokémon Researcher, though the Hoenn man didn't want to broach the topic.

Latios, as far as the Kanto man knew, was a legendary with an aerodynamic body which reminded the auburn haired man of a jet plane. His blue and white body was marked by a red triangle on his stomach, and he seemed to be beaming at the oceans below, his character far more chirpy than Gary had ever expected from any legendary.

'So, how did you of all people end up with an eon pokémon?' Gary called over the wind at the black haired Trainer who rode on the presumably wild pokémon beside him.

'I'd rather not get into details, but I can thank May for it,' Brendan responded gruffly, his tone unusually clipped. The man, clearly, did not want to discuss the matter, though Gary was too preoccupied by the news to notice this.

Hearing his friend mention May's involvement with the eon pokémon, Gary couldn't help but feel a burst of pride at the brunette he was flying to hopefully meet again. He knew Solidad was there, and once he was finished aiding Brendan's friend, he'd try to find the pretty brunette and possibly discuss some work options with the older Kanto woman. After all, she may be in another region, but they were still colleagues who, unfortunately, had obligations to their contractors.

When Ash had mentioned travelling with a girl called May, who was not only cheerful, but also relied on dumb luck and was as obsessed with food as Ash himself, Gary had found the personality traits amusing in their similarities. After the group had separated and Ash had contacted Gary, the Researcher hadn't been able to believe his ears, as the black haired man told him stories of his Hoenn adventures with not just Brock, but May and Max. The names alone struck a chord with Gary, though he couldn't recall why. Even a few months after last speaking to Ash, he hadn't been able to focus on anything for days until he'd asked Professor Oak for information about their names, one of which partly included in the name of his sister, Daisy-May.

The older man, to his embarrassment, had laughed at his grandson and pinched his cheek, stating in a surprisingly carefree manner that Max and May were the names of Gary's cousins whose mother had moved away from Kanto to Johto after Gary had been born.

Of course, when he'd finally felt up to the task, he'd done a bit of research to find that his aunt, Caroline, had moved from Johto to Hoenn to follow her husband, Norman. After much tribulation and procrastination, he'd decided to travel to Hoenn, an unfamiliar land, in search for his extended family. When he'd reached Petalburg, he'd discovered a carefree brunette who he'd thought, at the time, had been pretending to be the Gym Leader. She looked like a glammed up version of the young girl Ash and his grandfather had described, one who he thought had been an imposter. Upon hearing her say she was the Gym Leader, he'd scoffed and said some things he'd regretted. They hadn't seen eye to eye since.

It concerned him to think that he'd upset her, but he didn't know how to apologise. After all, he'd never been one to apologise before, not to Ash, Misty or even Leaf. It just wasn't his style, so he'd never really said those words before, always finding another way to reiterate his apology.

'By the way, the friend we're saving, has she got a name?' Gary frowned, knowing that whoever it was, was a woman. Brendan's Xtransceiver volume was loud enough for him to make out the gender of any who contacted him, if not the words spoken themselves.

'I suppose you'll find out when we get there. It's May, that Mankey of a crush of hers has probably done something again. I swear to Groudon that if I see him, he'll be begging Arceus himself for mercy by the time I'm done with him. That Grimer is nowhere near good enough for May, why she persists in waiting for him of all people is beyond me,' Brendan glowered, his voice turning more menacing than the Kanto native had ever heard.

'She has a crush?' Gary frowned, blinking at his friend in disbelief as he saw a Wingull flock fly nearby, calling out a greeting to the two pokémon, who seemed unperturbed, carrying the Trainers to their desired location.

'Yes, and you'd do well to remember that, or I'll be asking Steven to take you out if I can't do it myself,' Brendan snarled as even Latios seemed to glower at the handsome brunet.

'I suppose I've missed out on much,' Gary grimaced, petting his Aeordactyl in the hopes of soothing his own concerns. If her crush made a habit of hurting the young woman, then Gary himself would step in before Brendan or this Steven person could even think about it.

'What do you mean by that?' Brendan questioned, his ruby eyes boring into Gary's black.

'So we're headed to Almia, then?' Gary frowned in response, hoping to dodge the man's probing questions. After all, the man was becoming irritating, and Gary's one tentative link to his extended family was May. He'd tried to contact Max, but the man was proving to be difficult to track down. Ranger duties required that he never stay in one spot for long, and his movements were always sporadic. Besides, he never liked to leave a message with an Operator, not trusting them to express the delicate nature of his concerns without spoiling something.

Considering Max's unpredictable motions, his thoughts flew to Leaf, the brunette who'd captured his attention after years of separation. She, too, had always been unable to track, training in Kanto one day, and then moving across to Johto without even advising her family. Now at least he had Misty to give him some clues as to her whereabouts, although the redhead didn't give many. It seemed no one wanted to keep Gary Oak in the loop as to their whereabouts.

'Where else do you think May is, Sinnoh?' Brendan scowled, a clear indication that he didn't believe Gary's innocence.

'What's our ETA?' Gary frowned as his gaze focused on a small island before them. Brendan's unwarranted anger was annoying the older man, though he was trying his best not to lose his cool. Tracy had taught him the value of patience, and he tried his best to practice the lessons he'd learnt.

'If you stop yapping, I'll let you know,' Brendan glowered back, pushing Gary's anger to its limits.

'Brendan, I'm sorry if I pissed you off, all right? The thing is, I may act like an arsehole, I may look like a womaniser and yes, I might not be the brightest Chinchou in the sea when it comes to delicate situations, but I do care about May, all right? Give me a break, stop acting like a woman and let me help you to help her!' Gary snarled, finally submitting to his rage. He didn't appreciate being messed around like he was by his companion.

'Well why are you even coming? If you know her as well as I do, then you'd know she doesn't want you there!' Brendan snapped back in response, turning his Latios to face Gary's Aerodactyl.

'Because she's my family!' Gary roared, his gaze darkening as he watched the red eyed man open and close his mouth in shock.

'She's what?' Brendan yelped, acting as though he was burned by a fire blast and almost causing the Latios to drop him.

'Yes, Brendan, she and Max, are my cousins. I wasn't visiting Hoenn simply to research the myths of Kyogre and Groudon, as fascinating as they are, and as fascinating as that disaster was! I was actually trying to meet the son and daughter of Caroline, my aunt who moved away from Kanto to be with the supposed love of her life! She's all that me and Daisy-May have other than gramps, and I want to reconnect him with his other grandkids before it's too late,' Gary retorted, his expression more furious than his companion had ever seen, Aerodactyl growling in irritation beneath him.

Heaving, Gary continued, 'she doesn't even know that I'm her cousin and that I exist. I screwed up my first ever encounter with her and she won't give me a break about it. Plus, she knows Ash, so I can't even talk to my best friend about this to get his advice. If she knows Ash, she'll know Misty, and it just keeps getting worse from here. Now, living in Hoenn, I thought she'd know you, and I was right. Every single person I talk to seems to know her and it just makes this giant mess worse!

'Brendan, she doesn't even remember that Professor Oak is her grandfather! Gramps met her and Max, and they didn't even recognise him! I'm not just doing this so I can finally have some family outside of gramps. I'm doing this so he can be reunited with one of his daughters, because my mum isn't going to come flying back to Kanto on a Lugia or Ho-Oh any time soon! Moltres, Articuno and Zapdos help me if it doesn't benefit my sister too.' Gary heaved as he stared at the man in anger.

'Wow, you're serious. You, Daisy, May and Max are all related?' Brendan whispered, the blood draining from his face as Latios let out a small noise of distress.

'Yes!' Gary cried in exasperation, lifting his hands in the air in frustration.

'Well, do you want me to tell her?' Brendan questioned, his tone bewildered as his ruby eyes flickered around them at the pristine blue sky.

'No, I want to be the one to tell her,' Gary muttered, his childish pride resurfacing. After all, he may have matured from all the times he'd berated Ash and had Misty mock him in return, but he wasn't going to change completely. His pride and arrogant confidence were one of his biggest sins, but he made it work for him, calculating every flaw within his strategies to make sure his plans works. He may be proud, but he wasn't a fool.

'Well all right, but now I feel a whole lot better knowing I don't need to keep an eye on you,' Brendan laughed, causing his companion to send him a dark glower at his sudden and obvious elation.

'Man, that's the funniest thing I've heard in a while! Why haven't you just spoken to Max?' Brendan continued to chuckle as they returned to their journey to Almia.

'Because I can't get a hold of the little Poochyena!' Gary growled as he followed Latios' tail, doing his best not to grind his teeth in irritation.

'Do you want his number? I think it might make your plight a little easier,' Brendan called from the front, his tone filled with amusement.

'Would you mind?' Gary called back, his pride wounded, not just by his friend's amusement, but also about having to ask the man for help.

'It's yours. We're calling him as soon as we set foot in Almia,' Brendan's laugh could be heard over the wind, reiterating once again that Gary had failed to resolve this simple task on his own. It did nothing to boost his suddenly deflated confidence.

'What if he doesn't believe me?' Gary whispered, his nerves finally getting the better of him.

'Did you say something?' Brendan's voice called, carried by the wind.

Gary hesitated once before repeating his question. To his surprise, Brendan stopped Latios in his movements to stare at the brunet, his expression unusually serious.

'If he doesn't believe you, he can ask otherwise your grandpa, or his mother. Besides, suddenly Daisy-May's name makes all the more sense to me,' Brendan smiled, his voice returning to its usual manner.

Hearing this reassurance from his friend, Gary couldn't help but grin. He was finally going to make contact with Max, and he couldn't wait.

Hope you liked the surprise and it was worth the wait! I'm sorry if Gary seemed slightly OOC, but I found it hard to visualise him asking anyone for help.