And I'm back with another update on Hoenn. This chapter's got a small lore dump as well as some relationship stuff for our main characters so I hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: Don't own Pokémon...never will.
Brendan had found his way to Granite Cave on the other side of Dewford. The entrance had some light but the further in he looked the darker it got. Thinking about how to proceed he got an idea.
"Alright Ralts front and center!" he called out, while releasing the blue terror.
He took a disk out of his bag and beckoned Ralts to come over.
"I picked this up in Rustboro before my fight with Roxanne. These disks allow a Pokémon to learn a new move instantly. I need you to learn this one so we can proceed through this cave." Brendan explained.
Ralts nodded and Brendan held the HM to Ralts' head. Just like that, Ralts learned flash. She emitted a super bright light through her horn thing and lit up the entire cave. This came with an extremely bad down side though. Looking up he saw that the cave was covered with hundreds of Zubats and he thought he just woke all of them up. After a few seconds though Brendan was surprised to see that none of them moved.
"Wait, Zubats don't have eyes so they must only see with echolocation. If we stay quiet then we should be safe." he thought.
He gestured to Ralts to stay quiet and the two carefully inched forward into the cave. Every step was nerve racking as the anxiety of waking all the Zubat up grew. After a very careful couple of minutes the duo had made it to the very end of the room. He looked back to see if the Zubats were all good only for his blood to freeze solid. When he looked back a single Zubat was directly behind him. He thought it was weird that none of them attacked when he called Ralts out. Turns out this sneaky bastard had noticed and quietly followed him until now.
"Fuck." was all he thought.
The Zubat screeched, waking up the hundreds on the ceiling. The thunderous screeching mixed with the horrible echo of the cave made Brendan's ears start bleeding.
"RUN!" he yelled even though no one could hear him.
Him and Ralts ironically took off like a Zubat out of hell. They were able to maneuver every rock or pit that came up before them as a horde of Zubat so thick you couldn't see the cave behind them gave chase. At the deepest part of the cave was a large room with luminescent man Brendan had come to find was looking at the ancient art carved into the wall.
"Even after all these years this is still a baffling discovery. Almost makes me want to become a mythologist...almost." Steven gushed to himself.
He then felt the ground begin to shake and heard a thunderous noise that grew louder every second.
"What the hell is going on?!" he exclaimed.
A light began to shine out of the entrance to the room and in came Brendan and Ralts.
"Oh shit a dead end!" Brendan panicked.
"Excuse me but who are you and what is happening?" Steven asked.
"Hundreds of angry Zubats is what's happening!" he freaked.
"Oh is that all?" he said as if it was no big deal.
He walked out to meet the Zubats and Brendan followed. Seeing the wall of angry Zubats Steven took a deep breath in and out. Suddenly his eyes shot open and gleamed with a bright blue Aura. He sent a wave of Aura out around him that stopped the Zubats in their place. Most of them passed out while some turned tail and ran. When the wave hit Brendan he dropped to his knees instantly. He only stayed conscious because he used his own Aura. Ralts was out like a light.
"Those Zubat should know better than to stir up that much noise. This is a sacred site. What if they had caused a cave in?" Steven said as if he didn't break a sweat.
Brendan was having trouble keeping it together. The pressure of Steven's Aura was suffocating and knocked the wind out of Brendan. He was in a cold sweat and couldn't catch his breath.
"So this...this is the power of Hoenn's Champion? This guy's a monster. I don't even think Lance is this strong." Brendan thought.
Steven noticed Brendan's condition and sent a small Aura wave at him which snapped him out of his shock.
"Sorry about that. I should have warned you beforehand. I am impressed though. It takes a lot of Aura to handle that." Steven apologised.
Brendan got up and returned Ralts. He then looked at Steven dumbfoundedly.
"What was that?" he asked.
"That was an Aura Pulse. It's a very advanced Aura technique. You send your Aura out in a 360 degree wave around you. Anything with a weaker Aura than you is bound to feel something." Steven explained.
"I got a long way to go after seeing that…" Brendan said to himself.
"Anyway I'd say introductions are in order. My name is Steven Stone. I'm a very enthusiastic geologist but I guess I'm more known as the Champion of the Hoenn Region." he introduced.
"Oh my name is Brendan Ruby. I'm currently on a journey across Hoenn to complete the Gym challenge." he answered.
"Gym challenge eh? I look forward to seeing if you can make it to me. Anyway, what brings you here? Come to see the ancient carvings?" Steven asked.
"Umm no I came to find you but now that you mention it...wow those carvings are huge." Brendan said in awe.
"Yes they are magnificent. The granite in this cave is of such fine quality that even after an unknown amount of time the carvings are still perfect!" Steven began to gush.
Steven then began to ramble on about the different rocks and minerals found in the cave. Brendan cut him off after 5 minutes.
"Ok but what do they mean or represent?" he asked, tired of the rock talk.
"What? Oh right, the meaning. Each of the 3 massive carvings depicts a legendary Pokémon of ancient myth. The red one is Groudon, a Pokémon with such an intense heat around it that all water would vaporize in its presence. It's said it created the very land we walk on today. The blue one is its eternal rival, Kyorge. It brings massive torrential storms with it and is said to have created the world's oceans. Each of their creations are in direct contrast with the other so they battle for dominance whenever they meet." Steven explained.
"If that's the case wouldn't they still be fighting to this day or wouldn't one have won and the world be taken over by land or sea?" Brendan asked.
"That would be the logical conclusion yes but that's where the third Pokémon comes in. The green one, Rayquaza, is said to be earth's guardian. With its control over all weather, it stopped these two and made them retreat into an eternal sleep...or so the story goes anyways." he finished.
"Wow. Hoenn has some pretty interesting myths." Brendan stated.
"It's more legend than myth. Each one of these amazing beasts spawned a human clan that worshiped them and these clans are still in Hoenn to this day. Groudon had the Mantle Clan. They took up residence around Mt. Chimney in what's now known as Lavaridge Town. They are distinguished by red hair but the clan is on the brink of extinction with only two living members. Kyogre spawned the Reef Clan which took up life in the Sootopolis crater. That clan has such mixed blood that there's no physical indicator of the clan except for a birthmark somewhere on their body. Finally the followers of Rayquaza are known as the Draconid, a clan with no known place of origin. Their defining feature is naturally red eyes or the ability to turn them red. The previous Champion Drake and his wife are the only members I know of but he supposedly had a son and a granddaughter. Anyway each clan has a Lorekeeper that knows all the stories of these beasts and the clan passed down from the previous Lorekeeper." Steven explained, going on a tangent.
"Didn't realize Hoenn had such a deep mythological history. Johto has one or two myths but nothing as deep as this." Brendan noted.
"Well I don't really care all too much about it. My best friend is just the current Lorekeeper of the Reef Clan so I have to sit through his stories all the time. Anyway you said you came here looking for me? What for?" he asked.
"Oh right. I have this letter from your father." Brendan said, handing it to him.
Steven took it and began to read it. Once he was done he looked at Brendan with a smile.
"So you helped the Devon Corps when they were robbed? Seems I owe you a bit of thanks." he said.
"Hey, don't sweat it. You saved me from being eaten by Zubats so we'll call it even." Brendan said, trying to be modest.
"Very well. I'm going to stay here for a little longer but I'm sure I'll meet you again and I'll look forward to it." Steven said as they parted ways.
After Brendan was gone Steven's smile turned to concern.
"Only a select few employees even knew about the Devon parts so how did a criminal organization find out about them? Did we have a leak? No...we must have had a mole. According to father both Tabitha and Shelly haven't shown up for work in a while...I don't want to suspect old friends but...This Team Aqua warrants further investigation." He began to think.
Suddenly he felt a presence looking at him from the dark. In a fraction of a second his Aura flared up and he bolted towards it. He slammed it up against the wall and held whoever it was there by the throat. He then used his Aura to light up this person so he could see. It was a small woman. She had short black hair and was in a red hoodie getup with animal ears on the hood. There was also a funky looking M on her chest.
"Who are you?" he asked.
She slowly opened her eyes to reveal a piercing pair of red orbs.
"A Draconid?!" he said in shock.
He let go of her and she fell to the ground trying to catch her breath. As she did, Steven recognized the logo.
"That's Team Magma's uniform. A rival terrorist group to Team Aqua...What's a Draconid doing with them?" he asked, taking a defensive stance.
"I didn't come here to talk about myself. I came here to give you a warning." she answered confrontationally.
"Is Team Magma trying to threaten me? Pretty strange tactic sending a pretty little thing like you to scare me." he said condescendingly.
"I'm not here on behalf of Team Magma. I'm just here to tell you that this world is about to face great peril and you will be at the center of it." she warned before getting up to leave.
"Wait! What do you mean peril? What do I have to do with it?" he asked.
"I don't know anymore than what I said. It's up to you to figure it out." she shot back.
"Very well. I can tell you don't really follow Team Magma but there must be a reason that you're with them. I won't pry and I won't blow whatever cover you have but may I at least get your name?" he asked out of the blue.
"What? Why would you need to know that?" she answered skeptically.
"I don't need it but...well if I could be so bold, you are very beautiful. Especially your eyes. They glow like perfect gemstones in the sun. I just want to know your name." he explained.
She was caught very off guard by this and her cheeks lit up red. Lucky for her the darkness of the cave hid this well.
"It's Zinnia...and...thanks." She said before running off.
Steven just stood there smiling.
"What am I doing? I never believed in love at first sight but...there's something special about her. I do hope we meet again." he said to himself.
Outside the cave Zinnia stopped and leaned against some rocks and slid down to sit. She was breathing heavier and holding her chest.
"What's wrong with me? He's just some stranger yet a simple complement makes my heart skip a beat? This is ridiculous! Even if it is the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me…" she thought to herself.
Brendan was walking to the dock and decided to stop by Brawly's house to say goodbye to his new buddy. Once he got to the house however he decided to keep on walking because all he could hear was Roxanne moaning.
"Sounds like they sure made up." he commented, feeling a bit horny from her sound.
He met the old man at the docks and they left for Slateport City. Brendan was looking out at the sea zipping by lost in thought.
I need to get myself a girl...May's really hot and her tits are amazing but I couldn't do that to Wally...poor boy is head over heels for her. The only other girl I met since coming here is Roxanne who is currently getting destroyed by Brawly...not to mention I could never handle that bitch personality…" he began mumbling to himself.
"Something bothering ya kid?" the old man asked.
"Nah, just girl troubles. So much love in the air with my friends makes me want to find someone you know?" he said, talking to the man like he's a therapist.
"I hear ya kid but I wouldn't sweat it too much. There's someone out there for everyone, it's just a matter of time. Might take you years or you might find her tomorrow so don't sweat it kid." the old man said.
Brendan just smirked.
"Why do random old guys always have the best advice?" he joked with him.
Both him and the old man laughed and shot the shit the rest of the ride. Finally they made it to the docks at the end of Route 109. Brendan stepped out to see the massively popular Slateport Beach. It wasn't super crowded with it being the evening and the sun getting ready to set but there was still a pretty good crowd. Just seconds after stepping on the sand he heard his name being called.
"Hey Brendan! Over here!" May called out, running towards him.
He looked and his jaw dropped. May's bikini left very little to the imagination. A red bikini bottom that tied on both sides and only covered her ass crack leaving both cheeks exposed and a red top that was two pads held together by a little string in the middle. It tied around her neck and back and only covered the front so she had top, side and under boob spilling out of it. Watching her run up to him he couldn't take his eyes off her chest. Bouncing around like they had a mind of their own. As she grew closer she saw exactly where his attention was and blushed.
"Hey sorry I bailed on you but one of my old friends messaged me saying she was going to be in Slateport for a bit and wanted to hang out. I haven't seen her in a while so I just had to come right away." May explained, feeling a bit guilty.
"Hey don't worry about it." he said finally able to pry his eyes away from her tits.
She could tell he was trying really hard not to stare at her and she smirked.
"See something you like?" she asked seductively, putting her arm under her boobs to lift them up a bit.
"Shit. She's into me?! Dammit...I don't know if I can hold on Wally. She's literally pushing her boobs in my face!" he began to freak out in his head.
"Hey it's ok. If I didn't want people to stare I wouldn't have worn this getup. So go ahead and let your eyes drink up." she flirted, coming on real strong.
"Oh umm...That's not really...I mean...Y-you said you were hanging out with a friend right? Shouldn't you get back to them?" he said nervously.
"Oh yeah. Why don't you join us? It'll be fun. Oh but you're a little over dressed for the beach. Hurry up and go change." she said, dragging him to the changing rooms.
After getting there he came out in just a pair of black swim trunks and his chiseled abdomen on full display. May was literally drooling.
"Oh my god...May is this your friend you were telling me about? Hot damn!" a girl called from behind May.
Brendan looked behind May and his jaw dropped again. This girl was smoking. She had a similar body to May just about a cup size down. She had long turquoise like hair done up in a pony tail on the top of her head and a little off to the side. She was also sporting a bikini but very different from May's. May revealed all while this girl had a cute light blue standard bottom with a skirt like band that didn't cover much but made it look really cute. She also had a cute strapless blue and white frilly top with about 4 layers of frill. May saw the way Brendan was looking at her and got a bit discouraged.
"Yep. What did I tell ya? Whole package right?" May said.
"Whole package indeed. I'll call this chapter...Fated Encounter With a Ripped Hunk! If Sparks Fly I Won't Be Dry!" she said, looking him up and down with a wink.
"Wow...she's into me too? Wally ain't got dibs on this one so I'm all in. Maybe flirting with her will also get May off my back." he thought to himself.
"Getting a little bold there don't you think?" May said in a friendly but annoyed tone.
"Says the girl who looks more ready to give a lap dance then relax at the beach." she shot back with the same tone.
"Ladies please don't fight over me. Now May never told me her friend was so...pretty. What's your name, hot stuff?" Brendan asked, looking her up and down.
She giggled at the complement and blushed heavily. May however looked a little hurt.
"May said you weren't from Hoenn so I guess I can't really blame you for not knowing who I am. My name is Lisia Reef. I'm a popstar and Pokémon coordinator. All the rage here but I guess I'm not well known outside of Hoenn." she introduced.
"Reef you say? I just learned about your clan. I'm told you all have a birthmark somewhere. Mind if I see it?" he asked in a seductive tone.
"Oh my...You can't just ask a girl that out of the blue...tell you what though, if you play your cards right I might be persuaded to give you a peek." she said with a wink and tugging at the band to her bikini bottom.
Brendan smirked. He hadn't really flirted with a girl before and now he finds it quite fun. He looked at May and it was clear her heart was breaking.
"Shit! This isn't working at all, it's just hurting her...What the hell do I do?" he asked himself.
"Hey Brendan, can I talk to you in private for a minute?" May asked, the disappointment in her voice apparent.
Brendan nodded and followed her.
"I'm sorry Wally but if I refuse anymore of her advances it's going to hurt her real bad. I'll try not to out you but I need to clear this up." he said in his head, hoping his friend could forgive him.
Before Brendan could say anything May spook up.
"Look I won't pussyfoot around this anymore. I like you ok? I thought you were hot when I first saw you and that rival speech on Dewford made me realize that I fell for you...I thought I could tell that you liked me too so I turned the flirting up to 11. I bought this bikini because I wanted you to drool over me which it seemed you were so I just don't understand...Why are you flirting with her and not me?! Am I not pretty enough?! Am I not putting out enough for you?! If that's the case I'll blow you in the change rooms right now! Just give me a chance to…" she was cut off when Brendan put a finger over her lips.
"You're killing me here May...please don't make this harder than it has to be…" he said.
"What do you mean?" she asked, confused.
"Sigh...I like you too. I might be a bit biased because I've seen your naked tits but you're probably the hottest girl I've met in Hoenn...that being said I can't in good conscience take you up on that offer...no matter how much I want to." he told her.
"I...still don't understand...is it because you feel like you're pressuring me to do it? Don't worry about that. I wouldn't have offered it if I didn't want to blow you." she said.
"That's...not the issue. The issue is you have a secret admirer and I became good friends with him. I'd be riddled with guilt if I ever tried anything with you. Besides whatever the fuck I feel for you he feels it 10 times more. I'm attracted to you but him...he's in love with you." Brendan finally explained.
May stared dumbfoundedly for a few seconds. You could basically see the gears turning in her head as she processed all this information. First it was shock, then it was realization, frustration was next then it all ended with a smile as her cheeks grew more and more red.
"Umm what was that about?" Brendan asked in concern.
"I just...here I was complaining that you weren't noticing my feelings, when all this time...I never noticed Wally's feelings for me…" she said looking a bit guilty
"What?! I never said Wally! How did you know it was Wally?! I mean...why do you think it's Wally?" Brendan freaked out.
May giggled a little bit at Brendan before answering.
"It wasn't hard to piece together. You've made two friends that aren't girls. Wally and Brawly.
According to the text Roxanne sent me earlier Brawly is currently fucking her brains out so he can't be my admirer. That leaves Wally. I just feel so bad...I'm usually great at seeing others feelings...but I never saw his…" she explained.
"Yeah...I should apologize. I should have just told you when I noticed you flirting with me. Instead I decided to ignore you and started hitting on your friend. Sorry," he apologized.
"Hey it's fine. I'm sorry for putting you in that situation. Between not wanting to hurt me and not wanting to tell his secret it must have torn you up inside. You're a good friend Brendan. Putting your own feelings aside for Wally. I hope we can still be friends after this." May said.
"Of course we can. So what do you plan to do with this information? Do you like Wally?" he asked.
"Hmm...I've known him for quite some time. We both attended Petalburg School together...honestly if he had asked me out back then I would have said yes. He was such a sweet boy. It would be a shame for this bikini to go to waste...looks like I have an old friend to catch up with. You think he'd like some pictures?" she rambled on.
"I'm sure you'd definitely surprise him, that's for sure." he answered.
"Well then I have a photoshoot to do. Why don't you go and enjoy some time in the sun with Lisia? I can tell you're really into her." she said with a wink.
Brendan smiled and turned to walk away.
"Oh wait Brendan!" May said.
He turned back around only to see he lift her top up and let her boobs drop out. Brendan was speechless. Even after his resolve to not hit on May he couldn't pry his eyes away from her perky pink nipples.
"Just figured I'd show you one last time what you're giving up for the sake of your friend. I was willing to blow you a second ago and now you'll never be able to know how these puppies feel. Can you live with that?" she teased, shaking her chest back and forth.
Brendan just turned away and let out a little laugh.
Yeah I can. Besides I can just ask Wally how they feel." he shot back at her.
Brendan returned to Lisia.
"What was that about? Did I make her upset by hitting on you?" she asked with some guilt in her voice.
"Nah she just had to see about another old friend. So it looks like you're stuck with me for the rest of the day. I believe you said you were going to show me your birthmark?" he said.
"Hey I said if you play your cards right mister." she laughed and wrapped her arms around his.
Elsewhere in Verdanturf Town Wally was just finishing up some training with Ralts when his Pokenav went off. Looking at it he saw it was a message from May.
"Heyyy cutie! Got a tip from someone that I have a secret admirer. Wouldn't happen to know anything about him would you? I got some really nice pics I want to show him...If you know what I mean. Take a look for yourself. Think he'll like them?" the text read.
Confused, Wally opened the attached photo and damn near had a heart attack. It was a selfie of May in her bikini holding her boobs up with her right arm and flashing a peace sign with her left. She was also winking and sticking her tongue out playfully.
"Well? What do you think? Pretty enough for you? I can make this a daily thing if you want." she sent.
After gaining his composure back Wally quickly shot Brendan a text.
"What the hell did you say to May?!" it read.
Brendan read it and just laughed.
"Enjoy." was all he sent back.
Wally sighed but had a huge smile on his face. Nervous as all hell and not sure exactly what to say, he began writing May back.
"Umm...well...I mean if you...like doing this...I don't mind...looking at them…" He texted, riddled with anxiety.
"Hahaha! Aww you're so cute when you're shy. Very well. I'll send a sexy pic everyday! Also I'll be in Mauville City tomorrow so we should meet up and hang out. See you then cutie!" she answered back.
Wally's heart was pounding. It's not everyday your crush sends you almost naked pictures of herself out of the blue. He couldn't wait for tomorrow so he could tell her his feelings in person.
"See you then...beautiful." he sent and immediately regretted it.
He kept thinking that was way too bold of him despite the things she was sending. Then he started thinking maybe she only wants a one night stand and isn't looking for anything romantic. Hundreds of thoughts zipped through his mind in the few seconds it took her to write back. She simply sent a winky face and a heart and all of Wally's doubts were put at ease. He laid down in the grass with the biggest smile on.
"Brendan you bastard. I don't know whether to punch you or thank you. *cough cough* Both. I'll do both." he said to himself.
Wingman of the year here. A chick flashes him and offers to blow him and he still sets up his homie. Next chapter will be the rest of Brendan's date and Wally and May's date so look forward to that.