'Where did Pikachu rush off to now?' May frowned as Ash called out his name from outside the large hallway they found themselves in. The pokémon had been too quick for either of them to keep up—a sure sign of his strengths and Ash's training of him—but now they were both cursing the strengths of Ash's team.
'I think he must have heard something. I say a lot of shit about Ash, but his pokémon are all really affectionate to him and wouldn't typically scarper off like that. Besides, they're well trained, just don't let him know I said that. Can you imagine how cocky he'd get if he heard I said that?' Gary muttered to his cousin, whose sapphire eyes flickered from one man to the next, her expression thoughtful.
Shaking his head, Gary muttered, 'I'm always picking on him to push him on. If he gets too complacent or too much of an ego, he'll just crash and burn, I've seen it happen so often it's not funny.'
'You know, Gary, you're right. If you weren't constantly grounding Ash, his ego might just be as large as yours if he heard!' May teased the man, winking at his pout.
If what Gary said was true, then May could only imagine how big Ash's ego would have become.
Seeing how close the two men were made May smile, especially since it low-key reminded her of her own friendship with Brendan. She was lucky to have someone who knew her as well as Brendan did. Without Brendan's support, she didn't know if she'd have gotten to the point of meeting Ash in the first place, that's just how scared she'd been.
With a light laugh, she continued, 'seriously though, I'm proud of you both. You two clearly have a very caring relationship, especially if you're pushing him on as you are. Not everyone has someone like that, and I dare say that more need it than have it.'
'Thank Mew no one would believe you if you told them Ash and I care about each other. Even Ash isn't aware of it, so don't you dare start telling anyone that I said that. Daisy hasn't even gotten that much out of me, and I'll kill you myself if I have to,' Gary frowned at May in a dangerous tone, who couldn't keep the eager grin off her face.
Just Gary's reaction alone made her realise firstly, how much Gary cared about his reputation, and secondly, how aloof he pretended to be.
'Please, would I do that to you?' May grinned a little too innocently at the man, biting back an eager giggle at the slight panic she saw in his expression.
He did well to hide it, though.
'Yes! We might not have known each other for long, but you're still my family and I know what I'd do!' Gary retorted with a moody glare, evidently regretting confiding in her.
'It's a good thing I'm not you, then. I wouldn't upset just anyone like that,' May giggled as she turned to see a man with black hair, hidden by a red and white cap. He was wearing a matching collared shirt, which was open to reveal his black t-shirt. His hands were in the pockets of his jeans as he turned his red eyes on them.
'Red,' Gary said, giving the man a curt nod, not at all asking the man anything else. Unlike his usual actions to Ash, Gary seemed positively reserved, which surprised May.
Rather than respond verbally, the man named Red nodded, not even acknowledging Gary with a glance. Instead, his red eyes were focused on May, a perplexed expression filling his face, an unfamiliar Pikachu leaning on his shoulder scrutinising her as closely as he was.
'Hi, I'm May,' the Hoenn woman smiled as she offered him a hand.
Without a word, Red took it in his before glancing away, his Pikachu staring down at May from his perch on Red's shoulders.
'It's good to see you, man. Have you seen your cousin?' Gary questioned, his expression more arrogant than May had seen it, even when around Ash.
Rather than respond with words, the man glanced to a nearby door, not appearing to have the capacity for basic human speech, much to May's irritation.
'He'll be back then,' Gary mused as he leaned against a wall, appearing perfectly poised to stay where he was, surprising May by his lack of concern for Ash or Pikachu. Was he trying to impress the stranger that he was leaning near? Why? And what had happened to all of his talk about supporting Ash?
Did Gary really care so little for Ash that he'd let his friend run around on a wild Swanna chase? The thought surprised her, especially given their recent conversation about his profound relationship with the man.
'But Gary, Ash is out there looking for Pikachu. Shouldn't we help him?' May whispered as she glanced from her cousin to the stranger.
'I know better than to go out there and look for him with Red and his Pikachu here. Ritchie would never pull any of those disappearing pranks on me, but then, it's always the quiet ones,' Gary responded, arching an eyebrow at the cousin of his childhood friend.
With a neutral expression, Red petted his Pikachu, causing it to let out sparks into the room, its tiny sparks lighting up the whole room.
Seeing this, May blinked as the pokémon purred his name in eager contentment at the affection from his trainer. For something that small, it was definitely strong.
Almost immediately, May heard Ash's Pikachu let out a cry before it ran into the room, his trainer huffing and puffing behind him, his cheeks flushed, eyes intent upon his pokémon.
'You know, it's not nice to pull pranks on others,' May frowned at Red, who shrugged in response, a smile tugging his lips as he gazed at his cousin.
'And it's also rude to simply not reply when someone is talking to you!' May scowled, her eyes narrowing in anger as Ash registered the man's presence and grinned, pulling him into a hug.
Again, Red didn't respond. He simply appraised Ash, not mentioning a word.
'All right, that's it. You've clearly pranked Gary and Ash and I are so close that he might as well be my family. I don't care if you're his family, I want a battle!' May snapped, surprising both Gary and Ash.
'May, you don't have to do that for Ash and I. Seriously, it's fine. Red's watched us grow up, that's just the way he is. Besides, he's super strong… don't do this,' Gary hissed, his eyes filled with something May knew to be fear.
'No, he needs to be taught manners, and you two clearly aren't going to defend yourselves. What do you say, Red?' May responded with a small, confident smile, before turning her eyes on Red Ketchum.
In response, the man held out a pokéball, his lips pulled into a subtle smirk.
'We'll need a referee,' Red said, his voice smooth, calm and neutral, very unlike his cousin, who usually let his emotions fly.
'Ash, go get Steven or Cilan to referee, they're qualified and level-headed enough to be neutral. Make sure you get Max or Brendan for me and tell one of them that I need my gym rotation for my pokémon. Iris will know where it's based, so just ask her. Don't bring anyone else to this match, or I'll be battling you next,' May said, her voice far more steady than she felt.
With how strong Red seemed, she was itching to battle.
If Steven or Wallace heard, they'd be happy, but instead, it was making her feel an uncomfortable pit in her stomach.
When did she like battling as a trainer?
'Where will we be doing this?' Red smirked as Gary muttered, 'May, don't do this. For your sake, please. He'll annihilate your pokémon, and trust me, I'd know.'
'Why not? I have faith in my pokémon's strength and abilities. Besides, I don't remember the last time I had a really challenging pokémon battle with someone I don't know,' May demanded, her eyes narrowed in disbelief. Did her cousin honestly think that she couldn't battle with her pokémon? Did he think that coordinators where weaker than the average trainer?
'I've learnt my lesson, Blue. I promise it won't happen again,' Red retorted, a trace of anger filling his voice.
'You promise? Is that meant to make everything better after all your years of absence? You're saying you learnt your lesson by pushing everyone away and not talking about it? Wallowing in your own sick brand of muted self-pity?' Gary hissed, glaring at the man with a vicious anger that surprised May.
Whatever Red had done had clearly traumatised Gary enough to forget his own reputation enough to drop the cool act he tried to portray to others.
'Did you ever think about anyone but yourself? Delia was a mess, bawling her eyes out cause of you! Daisy was searching for you for years, and so was Leaf! You have no proof that you've learnt from your mistakes, especially if you're not even going to talk to us, and I'll go up against Arceus himself if I let you put May through that! Why are you even here? Just go back to your mountain,' Gary snapped, his eyes narrowed with a rage that left May shrinking back in fear.
'I'm sorry, Gary. After what happened, I thought it was best that I let you all mourn your loss in peace. I didn't want to impose and remind you of something you lost,' Red replied, his eyes surprising May by how hollow they were.
'For fuck's sake, Red! The Ketchums and Oaks are so close we're practically family! Do you think we weren't all worried about you? Yes, Raticate died, but I lost not just my pokémon, but one of my best friends that day!' Gary snarled, his eyes ablaze with anger as he glared at the man, revealing a perfect set of pearly whites as he glared at the man.
'And I can't help you with that. I gave you space to mourn the loss of not just your pokémon, but your parents. Do you think I didn't notice that me being with you was detrimental to your health? You and Ash were both trying to make me become your fathers, and I couldn't do it. I couldn't do it then and I sure as shit can't do it now. Now, are we going to battle?' Red retorted angrily, his eyes flickering to May, his lips pressed into a scowl as his Pikachu released the powerful sparks again.
'Follow me, I've got a place,' May whispered before leading them to the underground battle ground Nurse Joy had shown her, Iris and Cilan. From the way Gary and Red spoke, she knew that he must have been a powerful trainer.
Given how out of practice she was, May wasn't feeling too certain anymore. Remembering what he'd done, May clenched her hand, adamant that no one should prank her friends.
Sorry if it's a lot to take in, I just couldn't resist adding yet more to the lore haha
What do you think will happen when May goes up against Red?