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The Adventure Saga;
The Art of Progression
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Start Date: August 20th, X018
Current Date: August 24th, X018
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May's eyes cracked open, her entire body drenched in sweat. The room was smoldering, hot and uncomfortable. Disoriented and near delirious with thirst, she stumbled out of bed.
"Gah! What the-?!" May yelped as she stepped on something at on the floor.
Cyndaquil let out a squeal, flames spurting out his back. May shrieked, stumbling back as fire licked up her sheets. Using the blanket that she kicked at the edge of the bed, she slammed it on the sheets and quickly put out the fire before it got out of hand.
May was silent, looking at her smoldering bed. The fire hadn't at all helped with her heat issue. Did her mom cut the air off to her room or something? May could see her mother doing that for ignoring her, petty as it was.
Wrenching open her door, she strode across the room to the top of the stairs.
"Mom!" she called down. "Mom, did you turn off the air conditioning or something? What's wrong with it?!"
"What do you mean, dear?" she called back. Her tone was sing-songy as she continued. "There's no AC to turn on."
Dread suddenly settled in May's stomach, quickly replaced with outright irritation. Who builds a house in this hot and humid environment without AC? What kind of place did Dad get them?
"This has to be a ploy to get me to leave." May muttered under her breath as she stormed back to her room. "They want me to go about and be a trainer… Fat chance."
Throwing open her window, the morning breeze soothed her smoldering skin. Even though it was still hot, the breeze outside was cooler than her room, and that was a relief. Leaning on the windowsill, she stared blankly out to the world around her.
It was quiet, but somehow, the quiet only unsettled her. May was used to the hustle and bustle, the noise of cars rolling by and people yelling at each other in conversation. Things were to peaceful here, and it made her feel… bored.
"People actually like this? Think this is relaxing?" May looked around.
Folks were sitting in rocking chairs on their porches, children were running with kites in hand, people in gardens and preparing for the day. And around all of them, were pokémon. Flying types on porches, children being chased by a fluffy brown and white pokémon and pink bug types- Wurmple?- were inching along the wooden posts. Were these pokémon wild? It didn't look as if these people were controlling them, but trainers here seemed off their rocker anyways…
May felt something paw at her ankle, and she glanced down. Cyndaquil, with soot on his paws, was pawing at her, trying to get her attention. Seeing the pokémon only caused her ire to grow.
"Get out!" May marched to her door, holding it wide. "Out of my room, you almost burned it down! Now!"
Cyndaquil blinked at her, then lowered his head. Slowly, he walked across the room, right up until he reached May. She leaned down and shuffled him out with her hand, then slammed the door shut.
The lack of draft only made the room somehow hotter.
"First things first, a shower." May muttered, grabbing some extra clothes. "I'm not spending the day all gross like this… And just when I got all the grime from yesterday off me…!"
As she walked to her door, her gaze caught the cushion she used for Cyndaquil's bed. Scooping it up, she opened the door to her room.
Cyndaquil let out a yap, May dared to assume it was an excited and happy sound, but quickly scurried out of the way of her feet. Going downstairs, she placed the bed next to the couch.
"You don't want Cyndaquil in your room, May?" Mom glanced at the pillow, coming out of the kitchen.
"He almost burned my room down this morning, so I don't want him in my room anymore." May said simply, smoothing down the cushion. "It's cooler down here anyways, he'll be happier here."
"Your father would be so disappointed."
May rolled her eyes and ignored her, going back upstairs. It was a stinging reminder of how inadequate she was as a trainer, compared to her, compared to him.
"No matter what I do, I'll never be good enough for you two,"
May muttered bitterly to herself, bypassing Cyndaquil going down the stairs. As soon as they passed, Cyndaquil turned and began to struggle climbing up the stairs again. She glanced at the fire-type, then closed her eyes and headed for the bathroom.
"… So it's better off to not try at all."
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"May! May!"
May cringed as her mother began to bang on the bathroom door, just as she was getting out of the shower. Towel wrapped around her and comb still in hand, she barely turned the doorknob before the door swung in and smacked May in the forehead.
"Ow! Mom! What-?!"
"It's the Petalburg Gym!" her mother grasped her arm excitedly. "Maybe your father is on TV!"
"Mom, I don't-"
May's words fell on deaf ears as her mom wrapped her fingers around her wrist and began yanking her down the stairs. Her mother practically vaulted over the couch, eyes glued to the screen. May cast the TV a long glance.
"… We brought this report to you live from the front of Petalburg Gym. Next up, a special look at a long-awaited meteor shower in the upcoming star show…"
May cast her dry, now annoyed, gaze to her mother, who let out a sigh of disappointment.
"Oh, looks like we missed him…" she whined. "What a shame."
"Was it really necessary to drag me down the stairs in a towel for literally nothing?" May crossed her arms over her chest, shooting Mom a sour look.
"Well, I thought you would want to see your father." Mom's voice had a certain clip, like something was brewing just beneath the surface. "It's been so long, after all."
"If I wanted to see him, Mom," May ground her teeth, forcing a smile. "I would have gone to visit him. Or, even better, he could come here, to visit you and me."
"Don't start, May."
May knew she was teetering on an edge with her mother. Still dripping wet from the shower, May turned on her heel to retreat.
"Doesn't seem like we missed much."
May tossed the dismissive comment over her shoulder. She practically heard her mothers neck snap as she turned to look at her. Going back to the bathroom, she shut and locked the door, bringing out her comb.
A small part of her felt satisfied in knowing that she had the last word against her mother.
o.0.o.0.o
"May!"
May flinched at her desk, pencil skirting across the page as her door slammed open. Staring at the broken tip of her pencil, followed by the traces of lead dust that speckled across her drawing. May exhaled through her nose. It's fine, she could just blow the dust away…
"May, I was thinking, it's a beautiful day out, and you can't spend all day cooped up inside," Mom placed a plate wrapped in cellophane with a giant bow right on top of her drawing, beaming. "And as it turns out, I made way to many cookies! So you should go and deliver them to our new neighbors."
"But Mom, I…" May trailed off, lifting the plate off her drawing. She resisted the urge to break her pencil in half.
The cellophane had smeared the lead dust across the page. It wasn't a particularly large problem, a careful hand would be able to fix the smears, but still…
"… I'm kinda in the middle of something." May handed the cookies back to her. "You can go and do it, if you want."
"May," her mother's voice held a tilt. May had a feeling she was irritated with her response. "One of your fathers friends lives here. I think it's very important that you go and say hello."
"I'll do it later.
"May." Mom's voice was sharp, gritting her teeth. "They really want to meet you."
"Then they can come here, if they wanna meet-"
Her pencil suddenly slashed across the page, ruining the drawing as her mother snatched it from desk. May felt her eye twitch as she stared at her empty desk. As if to mock her, her mother placed the cookies neatly where the sketchbook once was. Slowly, May turned.
"Mother." she spoke curtly, tensely. "Give me back my sketchbook."
"No. I'm confiscating it until you go and say hi to the neighbors and properly greet your father's friend."
"Are you serious?" May demanded, standing up. "You're holding my sketchbook hostage until I go outside?!"
"Yes, I am." she turned on her heel. "Please make yourself presentable, after all, you only get one chance at a first impression."
May clenched her fists tightly, snarling as her mother padded down the stairs, sketchbook in hand. Bowing her head, she stared at the cookies on the table, gaze slowly trailing to the box of art supplies in the corner.
"Heh…"
o.0.o.0.o
"Go greet the neighbors, May. If you don't I won't give you back your sketchbook."
Crumbs fell from her mouth as she huddled under a tree near the entrance of the town. Her pencil stroked across the paper.
"As if I don't already have a spare sketchbook. You take the book but you didn't take the pencil? Moron." May continued to giggle, curled up under the shade with a full plate of cookies beside her. "Now I get a ton of cookies for myself!"
After grabbing her bag and with Cyndaquil on her heels, May left the house under the pretense of going to the neighbors. Of course, May had zero intention of actually following through with that. If Mom cared so much about her precious reputation, then she could go socialize with these bumpkins. As far as May was concerned, she was going to live her life peacefully in isolation… Maybe she'd leave to draw and work on commissions once that idea takes off, but for now, she was going to practice until she was perfect. Perfect enough to leave this bumpkin place and run far away, back to the city where-
"What the-" May trailed off as something suddenly fell on her head. Reaching for it, she saw it was a white hat with a black band, looking relatively new.
"Watcha doin', May?"
May shrieked, hugging her sketchbook to her chest as the breath of someone speaking hit her cheek. Scrambling away, she rolled over the cookies, cellophane and cookies crumbling under her. Looking up, she saw a boy she barely recognized yet was also somehow familiar, hanging upside down on a vine, grinning at her.
"… Brendan?" she asked hesitantly.
He looked completely different from the day before. He was cleaned up, exposed skin still flecked with freckles, scars, and scratches, with his hair still hanging long and shaggy, but she could tell someone took the time to cut and comb out the matts from before. He was wearing bike shorts and a jacket, but was still lacking shoes. Rather, his shoes were tied to his backpack, dangling with him.
"The one and only! Hello again!" Brendan grinned, flipping right-side up and landing on his feet. Glancing down at her cookies, his nose twitched, sniffing, then a huge grin stretched across his face. "Cookies?! Well don't mind if I-"
"No!" May snatched up her plate, scurrying back. "They're mine! Hasn't anyone taught you manners?! Who just takes someone's food?"
"… I thought you said you'd share food with me…" Brendan trailed off, nearly whining.
"That was a one time deal!" May exclaimed. "Go get food from whoever gave you those clothes!"
"Aaaw…" Brendon whimpered, quivering lip and all. May fully turned her body, going back to her sketchbook. She could feel his gaze on her back, and try as she might to ignore him, he sniffled. This boy wasn't seriously crying, was he?
Slowly, she turned to look over her shoulder. The minute May's gaze fell on him, she felt like something pierced her heart. He had his head bowed, sitting with his back hunched so his hair hung in his face. His shoulders trembled as he whimpered.
"He's not crying." May muttered, turning her gaze forward. "Just focus on yourself, maybe he'll loose interest and go away…"
The sniffling suddenly increased, alongside whimpering.
"I'm hungry…" his voice wavered, whimpering and so, so pitiful. May felt as if every muscle in her neck creaked as she glanced over her shoulder.
May nearly choked as her heart contracted in her chest. Brendan was rubbing his eyes, tears trickling down his cheeks. He gave her the biggest, most pitiful puppy-dog eyes behind his tears.
"I'm really hungry, May…"
"F-Fine. Fine!"
You're weak, May!
She chastised herself as she flipped around, putting the plate between them. Brendan blinked, eyes glimmering as he looked at her. Flinching, May averted her gaze, pushing the plate closer.
"Y-You… you can have some. I'll share." she managed, averting her gaze as heat that wasn't from this accursed places weather crawled up her neck. "Please stop looking at me like that, Brendan. I can't handle it."
As if the tears were never there, Brendan's face lit up like a shooting star. Immediately, he scooped up some crumbled remains of a cookie and shoved it in his mouth. He managed to say something around his stuffed mouth, and May took it as thanks.
"Hey, I'm talkin', y'know." Brendan said once he swallowed. "You could at least answer or somethin'…"
"I don't particularly care to entertain conversations I can't even understand." May answered, not looking up from her sketchbook. Casting him a side-eyed glance, she continued. "Where did you learn my name, anyways?"
"Oh, well, I kinda lingered to make sure you made it home safe. Some lady called you May and tugged you inside." Brendan explained simply, as if such behavior wasn't the least bit unusual or creepy. "I remembered it because May is such a nice month. The flowers are really pretty during May and April, here in Hoenn. Maybe I can show you!"
"I, uh, am fine." May dismissed the idea quickly. Best to keep this strange boy at arms length.
"Really? Suit yourself, I guess." Brendon continued munching on his cookies. "So what are you doing out here all by yourself?"
May opened her m mouth to answer, but as she looked up, Brendan had his hand extended to Cyndaquil. Cyndaquil sniffed at his hand, nuzzling into his palm. Brendan beamed, rubbing his head fondly as Cyndaquil purred.
"That's so nice! You're such a good pokémon to your trainer."
May assumed that Brendan was simply talking to fill the silence. Returning to her sketchbook, she began to sketch something new in the corner, grabbing a piece of a cookie and popping it in her mouth.
"You can go home, you know." May spoke after she swallowed. "You don't need to try and be friendly with me."
"I'm not trying to do anything." Brendan was now holding Cyndaquil. He looked at her with a huge grin. "It's only right to welcome you to the Littleroot family!"
May could only focus on the fact that somehow, his canines looked sharper than normal. Was this boy human or pokémon?
"You seem to get along well with Cyndaquil." May ignored the 'Littleroot family' comment, figuring if she didn't acknowledge it, he wouldn't feel the need to indoctrinate her into this regions ways. "You can keep him, if you want."
"What?" Brendan's face dropped, still cradling Cyndaquil.
"You don't want him?" May asked. "I'm surprised, he does have a strange color to him, I assumed-"
"You can't just give your friend away!" Brendan's tone was both baffled and flustered, like her not wanting a pokémon was the most inexplicable thing ever. May blinked at him, narrowing her gaze.
"Don't lecture me." she spoke coldly. But in the face of her scalding look, Brendan laughed, shaking his head. As if the shock from before was gone, replaced with his breezy attitude.
"Don't be silly, May. Cyndaqil is your pokémon. You can't just give him away."
May exhaled an irritated breath through her nose. How could no one understand? She had no interest in-
"Brendan!"
Just as May was about to open her mouth to set Brendan straight, a portly man approached them. He was dressed in cargo shorts and sandals, looking extremely stereotypical of people of this region. At least, based on what May had seen so far. However, what set this man apart, was he was wearing a bright white lab coat.
Or at least, it would be bright if it wasn't covered in grass and dirt stains. And wasn't worn around the edges, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Additionally…
What on earth happened to him? Did he fall off a cliff or something…?
One eye was swollen shut and he had bandages wrapped up and down his arms. May could see more bruises having formed on his face and splotching across his neck and chest, only hidden by the collar of his shirt.
… As far as she was concerned, it was none of her business, and she wasn't going to poke her nose into it. Ignoring the man, she went back to her sketchbook.
"Hey Dad!" Brendan hopped up, Cyndaquil in one arm and the cookies in the other. May paused entirely, glancing back up, eyes darting between the two. Dad? He was Brendan's father?
May narrowed her gaze, trying to see the resemblance. She… supposed their hair was the same color, but in terms of body type, facial structure, height… the two didn't look a lick-
"Look, our new neighbor made us cookies!" Brendan held up the plate, and his father glanced down.
"Cookies? Well don't mind if I do!"
Well, now she could see the resemblance.
"Are you going out to do more field work?" Brendan asked as his father munched away.
"Actually, I came out here to fetch you before you ran off. There was something I wanted to discuss with you." his father spoke through a full mouth. May… supposed she could see where Brendan got his manners from now. Brendans dad suddenly drifted down to Cyndaquil in Brendans arms. "By Groundon! Is this a Cyndaquil? A shiny Cyndaquil? Where did you find a pokémon like this, Brendan? Is this something we overlooked during our studies?"
His father held up Cyndaquil to the sunlight, ignoring the cookies and May. Slowly, she got to her feet. If she moved quietly and quickly, maybe she could slip away…
"Gah!"
May flinched as Brendans father yelled and Cyndaquil let out a squeal, fire lighting up on his back, scorching the mans fingertips. Landing deftly on his feet, he bounded after May and latched onto her shoe.
"Get off… Come on…!" May muttered to herself, shaking her ankle slightly. Cyndaquil held tightly, refusing to let go. Her heart sank. So much for just running off…
"As I was 'bout to say, Dad," Brendan came up to her and threw an arm around her shoulder. "This is May! She moved in just next door and-"
"Wait," his father held up his hand. "May? With a Johtonese pokémon? Who just moved in? Are you… May Sugita?"
"Uh, yeah?" May stepped back, out of Brendan's arm and finally getting Cyndaquil off her foot. "Where you with Brendan when-"
May cut herself off as he grabbed her hand, shaking it vigorously and boisterously.
"Little Miss May Sugita! You're Norman's girl! Look at you, you're so tall!" he let out a belly laugh, still shaking her hand. May was twisting her hand back and forth, trying to get free of him, not understanding why he was grasping her hand like he was… some sort of old friend. "What has it been? Eleven years? Do you remember me?"
"I- No? I have no clue who you are? Let go!"
May finally got her hand free, stepping back.
"Right, you were probably maybe four when I saw you last. I'm an old friend of your fathers, Austin Birch!" the man grinned, hands on his hips. "But everyone around these parts just calls me 'Professor'. Norman mentioned you and your mother were coming into town, actually called me about a week ago to check in on me and he mentioned to tell me to be expecting you soon!"
May blinked owlishly. She didn't know this guy at all, but somehow, the fact her father took the time out of his day to call his friend over his daughter wasn't at all surprising to her.
"Nice to meet you?" May stepped back. "Anyways… uh, nice seeing you. I'm gonna go home…"
"Oh, nonsense." Professor Birch waved a hand through the air. "I actually wanted to talk to you and Brendan, thats why I cam to fetch him. So this works out perfectly!"
"Oh, no, I'm good." May stepped back. "I've got, you know, things to do…"
"But don't I owe you some thanks?" Professor Birch asked. "I heard you helped my boy out against some Mightyena. Brendan is a good trainer, but sometimes gets in a little over his head."
Professor Birch clapped his son on his shoulder, grinning.
"I'm glad that you came through for him. Let me at least give you something as thanks."
That caught May's attention. At first, she was going to correct him and say it was Brendan who had saved her, but Brendan must have sung her praises to him. Reputation is everything, according to her mother, so who was she to correct him?
A reward though…
Absentmindedly, she thought it over. If the was a professor and friends with Dad, then maybe if she got into his good graces, she could convince him to convince her parents to let go of this trainer pipe dream for her.
A smile slowly grew on her face at the mental image. Stooping down, she picked up Brendan's forgotten hat.
"A reward, huh?" she echoed. "What are you talking about? What kind of reward?"
"We can talk about it in my lab, if you like." Professer Birch offered, nodding his head back towards town as he turned. "Come along, you two! Adventure awaits!"
As Professor Birch led the way, May felt compelled to follow. If things went accordingly, she could finally be free of her parents dreams for her.
"So your dad is a professor." May commented to Brendan.
"He is." Brendan grinned with pride. "I always help him out with field work. My job is to document and catch wild pokémon in the surrounding areas. I've covered every nook and cranny of these routes."
"So what happened to your dad?" May nodded to the bandaged up man, whistling a merry tune as he led the way. "Did he fall out of a tree or something?"
"W-Well…" Brendan averted his gaze, reluctant to answer the question. "You could call it a field accident of sorts…"
May left the conversation at that. If he didn't wanna talk, she wasn't gonna push. She was just making conversation and she didn't care enough to try and figure it out. May didn't need to make close interpersonal ties here anyways.
The trio approached the door to the lab. It electronically slid open, and May was met with refreshing cool air. Air conditioning, only the finest of amenities for scientists and professors, she supposed. May was was curious if this was the most technologically advanced building in Littleroot Town. Walking through the building, May saw all manner of computers inside, alongside lab assistants looking after pokémon.
As they neared the back, May saw three separate terrariums, nearly taking up half the room and almost seven feet tall, catered to three specific environments. One seemed to hold a bamboo grove with a massive heat lamp over the top. Torchic was pecking about at the ground. The second held a small waterfall with a muddy riverbank. Mudkip was paddling in the water. The third had condensation building on the window, clearly warm and humid with trees and vines. Treecko was resting on a branch.
"This is Dad's lab!" Brendan threw out his arms proudly. As if just noticing, the three starters seemed to get excited, scrambling out of their homes to greet Brendan. Well, Torchic and Mudkip scrambled, Treecko was more chill as she ambled across the lab. "He studies pokémon habitats and distribution."
"Quaint." May commented as Professor Birch stepped forward with a box in hand. "So, Professor Birch, uh… In regards to a reward, I was wondering if you could call my Dad-"
"Right, your father." Professor Birch was sitting in an office chair, spinning to face her. "Norman told me that you've had cold feet about being a trainer. And that got me thinking about how it was high time for Brendan to go out in the world, beyond Route 103, and see what else is in Hoenn. So,"
Professor Birch set out the three pokéballs that belonged to the starters that were currently using Brendan as a makeshift climber. Next to them were two devices.
"Oh, no," May shook her head, backing up. "No, no, no, I am not the person you wanna give a Pokédex to."
"Your father insisted." Professor Birch said. "Go on, it'll be a useful piece of equipment, even if-"
"I'm fine." May cut him off, pinching the bridge of her nose with a sigh. "Listen… I can't even say I appreciate the opportunity. I have no interest in being a trainer."
"You WHAT?!"
May ran a hand down her face as father and son yelled in her face. Could a bellow send a gust of wind her way?
"How could you not wanna be a trainer?!" Brendan seemed downright appalled at her declaration.
"Not everyone wants to raise pokémon." May answered simply.
"P-Perhaps a coordinator, then?" Professor Birch suggested. "Surely a lass like yourself must have an interest in something like that…"
"I don't even know what that is." May lifted her gaze. "In fact, I really don't have any interest in pokémon, period. They're just interesting things to draw, to me. I don't want to raise, train, coordinate, do anything else outside of drawing them."
"But perhaps a journey could help you see new pokémon to draw!" Brendan exclaimed. "A Pokédex also keeps record of everything, so-so-"
"Why would I do that when I could just look pokémon up online?" May met Brendan's stare point blank. Brendan's jaw was slack, staring at her like she lost her mind. "And just to be perfectly clear, I'm not all that interested in pokémon to begin with. I only took Cyndaquil because of it's-"
"Don't say that!" Brendan blurted. "Cyndaquil is a him, not an it, and-and they can understand you!"
"I didn't ask for a second opinion." May snapped back at him. Brendan seemed to whither, curling around Torchic with a quivering lip.
"W-Well, your father said that you were nervous about-"
"Seems you have a lot more contact with my father than me," May brushed off her shorts. As she turned, she continued. "So maybe you can get the point across that I don't need him to give me an opportunity to be a trainer. I have no interest in it. At all."
And just like his son, Professor Birch's jaw went slack, staring at her with an open mouth. Satisfied she got her point across, she turned on her heel towards the door.
She could hear Cyndaquil following behind her as the doors eased open and shut. Thankfully, no one made any effort to follow her, which meant she could make an easy, one way trip home. And luckily for her, the two kept the plate of cookies.
Mission accomplished, she supposed. Now Mom won't get mad at her for not delivering the cookies. After all, she technically did the thing her mom asked her to…
"Locked?" May muttered under her breath, trying the front door. "Why would Mom…? Did she go out or something?"
She knocked on the door.
"Who is it?"
May let out a sigh. Why would she lock the door if Mom knew she was coming home anyways?
"Mom! It's me, why'd you lock the door?" she tried the knob again, but it refused to turn. "Could you unlock it and let me in?"
"Oh, I would, but it appears that the lock is broken. You're stuck out there."
"… What?"
"Perhaps you should go and visit your father and show off that Pokedex you got!"
May felt a wave of dread wash over her.
"Mom." her voice was stern, but her heart was racing. Struggling to maintain composed, May tried the doorknob again. "Are you serious?"
"Yes, unfortunately the door is stuck fast. You said you wanted to see Dad correct? This is a perfect opportunity to not only do that, but also help Austin with his research! I'm sure both will be so happy that you're finally starting this journey!"
"Mom!" her voice cracked as she banged on the door. "Let me in! I don't wanna- I don't even have anything packed!"
"You should have everything you need in your bag May. I packed it for you." May could practically hear her condescending smile. "Aren't I such a kind mother?"
"Mom! You can't just lock me out…!"
"You have Cyndaquil, a Pokédex, and your bag, you don't need anything else."
"I'll cause a scene!" May threatened, slamming on the door with both fists. "Let me in, I don't want to be a trainer!"
May was met with silence, but she heard footsteps coming to the door. Relief flooded through her, knowing her threat had likely worked. However, the relief was fleeting as she heard the deadbolt click into place.
May could only stare at the door in disbelief. She didn't even need to ask if her mother was serious, because apparently she very much was.
There was no way she was getting inside, at least not until she did what Mom said and went to see Dad.
She could do that, she supposed, but… Did she really have to go and get the Pokédex? Since they're all in cahoots with one another, she supposed she had to, or else she'll never be allowed back inside. Her mother was that stubborn and overdramatic.
"Jokes on them," May muttered, turning on her heel and marching back to the lab. "Their loss when that Pokédex gets lost. Or broken. Or chucked into the ocean!"
Glowering out of frustration, May marched away, with Cyndaquil on her heels, struggling to keep up.
o.0.o.0.o