Hi all,
Who else is exited for Pokémon Go?! xD
Here's the latest chapter :)
Chapter 39
Stepping out of the airport, May let out a stunned gasp as she saw three people watching for them. One was a beautiful woman with honey blonde hair, her light blue eyes glancing around at the people. She wore a pink playsuit with a red cardigan over it, a pink hat resting softly upon her hair.
The two others had such similar features that there was no mistaking them for siblings. They both had yellow hair and blue eyes, with fair skin. Where the man had round glasses and wore blue overalls, the young woman had her hair in a side braid and wore an orange dress with a red hem as well as black tights underneath.
With an eager cry, Dawn rushed towards them, leaving Gary and May behind. Upon reaching them, the bluenette grinned, 'Serena, Clemont and Bonnie, it's been so long! Arceus, Bonnie, you're so tall now!'
'There you are!' Serena grinned as she hugged both Dawn and May, once the two brunettes reached them.
'May, if you need anything,' Serena implored, barely registering Gary's presence as she sent May a sympathetic smile.
'I know, thanks Serene,' May whispered as she felt the breath hitch in her throat. She didn't want to think of Drew, he had to be all right. She'd spent far too long without him, and to think that he could possibly lose his legs because she'd felt the urge to explore left her all the more devastated.
Rather than succumb to the tears that threatened to spill, she offered the Kalossian woman a forced smile, knowing her friend would understand the sentiment.
'Are they Bonnie and Clemont? He looks every bit the scientist you've said he is, and Bonnie is definitely as pretty as you've described,' May grinned as she noticed Dawn hug the other two.
'Hi May,' Clemont said, his blue eyes filled with a sympathy May was beginning to abhor.
'Wow, she's beautiful! We've been waiting for someone like you! I need you to take care of my brother!' Bonnie cried, grabbing May's hands in her own, the sapphire eyed woman blinking at her in disbelief.
'Uhhh, what?' May questioned as Serena flushed, 'no, Bonnie!'
'Bonnie, don't! This is so embarrassing!' Clemont cried, hiding his head in his hands as Dawn let out a peel of laughter, Gary sniggering behind a hand as his cousin floundered obviously.
'Bonnie, I'm sorry to tell you this, but she's taken,' Dawn grinned at the younger woman, causing her shoulders to slump in defeat as May felt a wave of relief flood through her.
'What? Why are the pretty ones always taken?' Bonnie moaned as Gary chuckled at her dejection as he smirked at his cousin.
'Well, that's some greeting into Kalos,' Gary mused as he glanced at his Xtransceiver, starting an application that May recognised.
'Don't tell me, you want to visit the professor here?' May frowned at her cousin, recognising the application on his device from one on both Brendan and Orlando's devices.
'Maybe,' Gary mused with a wink to their companions, who were watching their interaction closely.
'Well, we can introduce you to Professor Sycamore, if you want. I'm sure he'd love to meet another researcher. It's a shame you just missed Professor Willow,' Clemont grinned, sliding his glasses along the bridge of his nose.
'Really? That would be great, I've been wanting to talk to one of his apprentices about his studies. I'm sure I'll see Professor Willow meet another time,' Gary smirked as May felt herself becoming very wary of her cousin's ulterior motives. She'd heard enough about him to know that he rarely wanted anything without a catch which wasn't necessarily evident to others.
'Gary, do you know every Professor's side kick or what?' May frowned at the man, realising that he had more acquaintances than Brendan or Orlando did.
'Have you already forgotten who gramps is? The man attracts other professors like honey attracts Combee,' the man chuckled back, flicking her nose as he walked towards the exit.
'That doesn't explain anything! I don't know every Gym Leader in Hoenn, even if my father has a large fanbase!' She retorted back, stomping her foot in anger.
'It's not my fault you don't network,' Gary shrugged in a nonchalant manner as Clemont hesitated visibly at their ongoing spat.
'Are those two always this explosive?' Serena frowned at Dawn, who was shaking her head at the two brunettes.
'Really, you think this is explosive? You should see her reactions when she's with Drew, Serene,' Dawn shook her head, looking slightly as the rest of the group followed the Kanto man.
'Do I want to?' Serena questioned with a light laugh as she saw May poke Gary's head in irritation, appearing oblivious of the stares their group was gaining. After all, they were quite famous, Serena with her videos, Dawn with her Top Coordinator title and impeding Boutique, Gary the Researcher was infamous again, and Clemont was the Gym Leader of the city. It was little wonder why people were staring at them, not to add that May, despite her objections, was reknown for her time as Petalburg Gym Leader, as well as her unofficial coordinator's title as Princess of Hoenn.
'I don't know, would you like to see Misty and Ash fighting? I think they're about as bad as each other, except Drew has figured out when to end the fight where Ash just flounders,' Dawn mused, internally wincing at her friend's dejected expression.
Though the girls—bar Iris and Misty—were mostly conflict avoidant, Dawn knew that she had to explain something to Serena to save her future pain. She didn't want to be the person to break her friend's heart, but she needed to help the woman now, before Serena hurt more.
'Listen, Serena, Ash is loyal and caring, you know that and so do I. But his relationship with Misty runs so much deeper than his relationship with any of us ever has. She was his first travelling partner, and even Pikachu won't fight her, that's how much they both love her. I never wanted to be the person to tell you this, Serene, but no one will ever compare to her. You know that I hate being the bad guy in this, but I had to tell you, and I'm hoping you give up that hope, for your sake,' Dawn whispered, squeazing her friend's shoulder slightly. She could see the pain in the young woman's eyes, and grimaced herself.
'How do you cope with it?' Serena responded, her blue eyes brimming with tears as they walked along North Boulevard.
'I smile, and convince myself it'll all be ok. Besides, my situation is different,' Dawn shrugged, appearing indifferent, though her stomach was filled with Beautifly and Butterfree.
'Dawn, I know you prefer Paul by a mile, we all do. Your situation isn't that different to mine if you count the idea that everything comes next to pokémon battles for the man,' Serena laughed through her tears as one slipped down her cheek.
With a wince, Dawn murmured, 'that obvious, huh?'
'Very, you're probably only fooling little May, and that's because we all know how clueless she can be,' Serena murmured, causing the Sinnoh woman to pout.
'Point taken,' Dawn grimaced as they walked past a clothing store which both women frequented.
Seeing the familiar Prism Tower, Dawn glanced before her to see May dancing around everything, staring at each individual item in disbelief, ranging from pokémon to cafés.
'She really hasn't seen much of Almia, has she?' Serena giggled as Gary said something which caused the Hoenn woman to stomp her foot and jab a moody finger in his chest, though he simply grinned back at her.
'No, she hasn't. Just look how happy she is,' Dawn giggled, clutching her hands to her chest.
'Yes, it's adorable. What's going on with that guy, though? I thought she was still head over heels for Drew? At least he's a cute replacement,' Serena questioned, arching a perfectly manicured eyebrow.
'That's just it, I don't get the deal either. One minute she's raging at how much she hates him, the next they're inseperable, all supportive and sickeningly cute. Gary even ditched a childhood friend for her, one Misty's told me he's completely smitten with,' Dawn grimaced as she glanced at Bonnie talking to May, appearing oblivious to Gary's mocking poses of the brunette behind her back. Clemont, on the other hand, was not as subtle as his sister as he failed to smother his laughter.
'Gary Oak, if I turn around and see you doing anything, you'll be sorry!' May snapped as Clemont let out a peel of laughter, unable to contain his amusement.
'What? I'm not doing anything, as innocent as the day I was born, I am!' Gary protested profusely.
'Oh really? Then what was your first sin? You know I could see you in the reflection of Clemont's glasses!' May snarled as Dawn sighed.
'All right, I've had enough of your lovers' quarrels! Gary, don't mock May, May, be nice to Gary!' Serena scowled as she stood between the two, her eyes narrowed dangerously.
'A feisty lady, hey? Bet you picked Delphox as your starter,' Gary mused, his voice becoming a purr in the honey haired woman's ear.
'Gary!' May scowled as she heatedly stomped on the man's foot.
'What?' Gary hissed at the woman, his eyes narrowed in anger, surprising Dawn by his indifference to the pain which had to be shooting up his leg. After all, May could be surprisingly strong.
'Don't you even think of going there! I suggest that you think very carefully about what you're doing. She happens to be a good friend of mine, as well as Dawn, Misty and Iris. Now, you can pretend not to know what will happen if you hurt her, but I think Brendan may have filled you in on a few details,' May smiled a little too sweetyly as Serena let out a light laugh.
'May, why do I tolerate you again?' Gary questioned, his expression contorted to a mockingly intrigued countenance.
'Because you love me and I'm your favourite Hoenn friend?' May grinned back with a wink as Serena and Dawn gaped at her.
'My favourite? Are you forgetting Max?' The man teased back with a wink.
Seeing her pout, the man chuckled and pulled her into a hug, muttering, 'you're right, you're much smaller than Max. Besides, you're really from Johto anyway.'
'This is adorable!' Serena squeaked as Dawn went, 'I'm almost forgetting who my OTP is.'
'You do know we can hear you, right?' Gary questioned as May gagged, 'disgusting!'
'What's disgusting?' Dawn scowled at the duo before them as Bonnie and Clemont scratched their heads at their antics.
'Can we just go see the Professor please?' Gary scowled, a slight flush filling his cheek as May hummed a soft tune.
'If you insist, follow us,' Clemont offered before walking down the main road, appearing oblivious to May's sapphire eyes flicking everywhere.
'So why is the prospect of you two being together so hard to tolerate?' Dawn questioned as she and Serena linked arms with the younger brunette.
'I can't say,' May mumbled bitterly as they stopped in front of a giant, cream coloured wall.
'Wow, this is the life,' Gary whistled as May frowned at the wall.
'Professor Sycamore, we've just come for a visit with a couple of new friends!' Bonnie grinned into an electronic device which was attached to the pole.
The large, ironwrought fence pulled open as the three Kallosians walked forward.
'We can just enter?' Dawn frowned, blinking at May, who shrugged.
'When in Lumiose, do like the Lumiosians,' Gary mused before ambling in, smirking languidly at May as she followed him, her eyes narrowed with a suspicion the others didn't feel.
Walking down the long stretch of path, May glanced from the neat green grass to the imposing building, the Kalosian doors opened for them to enter.
'Hi there, Professor Sycamore,' Gary smiled amiably, making Dawn blink at how respectable he could be.
'Yes, do I know you?' The Kalosian professor questioned politely, his eyes flickering from May to Gary thoughtfully.
'You know my grandfather, Professor Oak,' Gary responded with a smile as Dawn's blue eyes flickered to Serena's, who seemed equally surprised. Where had his arrogant demeanour gone?
'Oh, Gareth, was it?' The man smiled politely, not noticing May's muffled chuckle at the man's name.
'It's Gary, this is Dawn, and that's May. I believe you're already acquainted with Serena, Bonnie and Clemont. I was wondering if one of your assistants was in?' Gary responded with a smile as Clemont frowned at his female companions, who were gaping quite obviously at Gary's suddenly mature antics.
'I see. Which assistant were you after?' The black haired man questioned, his grey eyes smiling down at the group.
'My apologies, I forgot you have numerous assistants to help you with your studies. I was after Calem, if he's in,' Gary responded as Bonnie squeaked at the man's name, a flush filling her cheeks.
'Bonnie!' Clemont hissed whilst Serena smirked at the younger woman's startled antics. After all, Bonnie had told her all about this Calem, and she was intrigued to finally meet him.
'What's going on?' Dawn frowned at the honey haired woman.
'I haven't met him, but Bonnie seems to have a bit of a crush on the Professor's newest apprentice. Apparently he's très chic,' Serena mused with a small smile as Bonnie sent her a subtle pout.
'I doubt he'll be that great,' May scoffed irritably as Gary placed a reassuring arm around her, pulling her into his chest with a light laugh.
'No one ever compares to me or Drew, do they?' Gary chuckled as the Professor smiled, 'yes, Calem is in the office today. Follow me and I'll take you to him.'
'Thank you,' Gary smiled at the man before promptly releasing his suddenly moody cousin. Without another word, the group followed him into the large foyer, the mahogany staircase decorated with a red carpet.
Taking a few turns, May kept her eyes on the lavish paintings of pokémon which lined the walls. They were displayed in intricate brass frams that really made the colours pop out.
'Hey, this Bidoof looks different to the other Bidoof I've seen,' May frowned as she leaned into one particular painting.
The otter pokémon seemed lighter to her, his usually red nose a shade or two fairer than the norm.
'You have a good eye, that's a Bidoof we're coming to term as a shiny pokémon. It's a pokémon that has a slightly different colour to the others, though we're not certain what circumstances are required to create one,' the man smiled as he inspected the image with her.
Flushing at the compliment from the polite professor, May poked her fingers together sheepishly.
'Professor, I think we found something to improve the relationship between prehistoric pokémon and those who have acclimatised to this generation!' A deep voice called as another presence entered the room, attractinthe attention of the group.
'Ah, Calem, meet Gary, he was asking after you,' the Professor smiled as May lifter her eyes to see a black haired trainer with grey eyes.
'Are you two family?' She blurted out, flushing as everyone glanced at her.
'Again, good eye, he's my nephew,' Sycamore chuckled as Gary smirked at May's embarrassment, appearing not to notice the younger grey eyed man's gaze flickering from one person to another, trailing only marginally longer on the honey blonde woman.
'Hi, I was just wondering if we could discuss your latest theory on pokémon adaptation to their environments,' Gary said, his voice impartial, though May noticed a subtle hostility in his eyes.
'Sure thing, I've heard that you're known for reviving fossils, so our research would really be useful together,' Calem smiled back before his eyes fell back onto the older Kalosian woman. Clearing his throat slightly, he grimaced, 'assuming your companions would be happy to part with you.'
'Please, as if we want to spend more time with Gareth!' May winked with a light laugh.
'Oh really? I could have sworn you begged me to come here, Maya,' Gary scoffed, his eyes narrowing slightly.
'Who? Me? Never, you must have me mistaken with Max,' the younger woman questioned with feigned innocence as a blush filled her cheeks.
'Really? So you wouldn't mind if I got on the first flight back to Almia to spend time with Maxwell, then?' Gary retorted, a sly smirk filling his lips.
'What? No, please don't go,' May whispered as her bottom lip jutted out precariously in a definitive pout.
With a light laugh, Gary teased, 'wouldn't dream of it, not even if Fennel needed my dreams specifically to help with her research on Munna.'
'Thanks Gary, you're the best!' May grinned, tackling him into a hug as Dawn and Serena once again exchanged confused glances.
'Are those two together, or aren't they?' Bonnie whispered as Serena shrugged.
'Beats me,' Dawn frowned, blinking at Calem in confusion.
'Er, Gary, did you want to head off to do the studies now?' Calem coughed politely, his grey eyes focusing on Serena's blue.
'Oh, sure. May, practice your appeal somewhere, will you?' Gary chuckled as he released his cousin from his grasp.
Pouting, May muttered, 'just let me know as soon as you're free.'
'Shall do, I'll also call gramps to let him know you're keen to meet Daisy. I think you'll find that you will have more in common than you thought,' Gary responded with a cryptic smirk.
'Who's Daisy?' Clemont grimaced as his eyes flickered apprehensively to his sister, whose eyes were intent on Calem's retreating back.
'She's the love of Gary's life, for all I care. That guy was cute!' Serena whispered, surprising her companions as a small smile played on her lips.
'And he only had eyes for you, Serene,' Dawn chuckled, nudging her friend eagerly as they followed the Professor down an alternate path.
'Please, he was focused on little May,' Serena flushed delicately, though May was too absorbed in her possible strategies to listen, following at the backl of the group.
'Are you kidding me? He would have thought she was Gary's, like everyone else does. Honestly, May, what was with that? You're even giving each other cutesy nicknames!' Dawn scowled at her friend, who was following Clemont outside.
'What?' May frowned at her friend, blinking out of her stupor.
'She's definitely keen on Gary, that's for sure,' Bonnie frowned before Clemont choked, 'like you are on a certain Assistant Researcher?'
Flushing, the yellow haired woman scowled, 'no!'
'Good, because it looks like he has his eyes on Serene!' Dawn teased in a sing-song voice as they reached a tall glass door, blocking their entry to the garden.
'Really, Serena? Why do you call her Serene?' Bonnie scowled as she looked at the blue haired woman, turning to stare curiously at her newly acquired friend.
'Because she's usually just that—serene,' Dawn mused as Clemont opened the door which would lead them outside after the professor had bid them a brief farewell.
'Wow, this place is beautiful!' May squealed as she turned around in the grass to take in the man-made lake nearby, as well as the slight forestry.
'Yeah, we've had to extend it a bit, but that's part of the job of being a Gym Leader,' Clemont chuckled nervously.
'You helped with this? Clemont, this is amazing! I've never been able to achieve anything at all like this when I was in charge of Petalburg Gym!' May whispered, her tone filled with awe.
'Well, when you say it like that,' Clemont flushed slightly.
With a smile, May released the pokémon she had with her.
'All right, Riolu and Elgyem, I will be using you for the appeals round. Munchlax and Glaceon, you two won't be involved in this Contest, so you can play around with the other pokémon if you like. Blaziken, we'll be pairing you with Roserade in this as a homage to Drew. Let's get started, guys,' May winked to her friends, who called their name in response.
'Where's Skitty?' Dawn frowned at her friend, her eyes flickering around the group.
'I sent her back home, I wanted to bring Roserade, so I had to make a sacrifice. At least I know the others back home will be happy to see her, and they'll definitely cheer us on for our contest,' May shrugged with a subtle pout.
'Wow, you're a Coordinator?' Bonnie beamed as she jumped forward, startling Elgyem and Riolu.
'Yes, I am,' May responded with a small smile as Roserade and Blaziken glanced at her with clear apprehension.
'Bonnie, she wants to do her training now, it's not polite to interrupt,' Clemont chided, sending an apologetic glance to the Hoenn woman.
'Oh, don't worry, she's not interrupting. I'm actually going to try this with my first two Almia pokémon. They've never had an audience before, nor have they worked together. It'll be interesting to see how it will work out,' May smiled anxiously as Serena and Dawn sat on the grass nearby.
'We've got poké puffs for when you're finished,' Serena called, smiling as Bonnie's eyes lit up.
'Really? Just wait until Dedenne can eat some!' Bonnie squealed, jumping out of the way and towards the woman with honey coloured hair.
Hearing Drew's pokémon call his name, May blinked to see the grass type use magical leaf to create a large circle.
'What are you doing?' May questioned quietly as Roserade glanced at her expectantly.
'This is the stage, isn't it?' May whispered, trying to suppress a smile as she saw the pokémon nod his head in affirmative.
'Ok, Elgyem, Riolu, take the stage!' May called as she pointed towards the centre.
'Now, you're a psychic type, which means we could utilise your moves to send objects across the stage. But, Riolu is a fighting type, which could pose problems. However, Elgyem does know hidden power, but I can't rely on that.
'Ok, Elgyem, I want you to use psychic on Riolu and then throw him around the field in a star-shaped pattern,' May called as she saw Dawn setting up a table.
Watching the two pokémon struggle, May wasn't too sure what to do next. After all, the two pokémon weren't experienced with contest appeals.
As her pokémon began to dance in the sky in an eerie pink glow, May frowned, not certain what to do next.
Seeing Blaziken and Roserade frown at each other, she grimaced slightly, hesitating uncertainly at the best course of action to take.
Rather than come up with a strategy, she called, 'keep it up until you have control, then I'll think of something.'
The grass type rolled his eyes once before calling his name to the pokémon, giving a command to the psychic type.
When Elgyem lifted another hand to create balls of light, May frowned.
Blaziken stepped forward and said something to Riolu, making him create a bone rush in mid air.
'I get it,' May whispered before breaking into a grin. 'All right, throw the balls at Riolu and Riolu, I want you to hit them back! Let's see if we can get you to master it so you can create a shape!'