Seated in the living room of the Birch household, May lounged on the brown couch, her shoes placed neatly on the floor beside it. She'd spent a significant amount of her childhood inside this very house, which acted like a third home to her. Nearby, Orlando was sitting on another couch, nursing the burn his brother's Blaziken had given him on his arm.
'I'm sorry Blaziken did that. I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen,' May grimaced as she saw the raw red skin on her younger friend's arm.
'That's ok, he would've done it anyway,' Orlando shrugged as the placed a blue paste on it.
'I suggest you eat some of that rawst berry too,' May muttered as she began flicking through a textbook on pokémon.
'I know. What do you think is in this thing?' Orlando grimaced as he lifted a white cup off the table. Just visible from her seat, May could glimpse the light blue drink, which was famously bitter.
'Oh, that stuff's not the nicest. You have my sympathies, it tastes way too bitter,' May grinned as Brendan came sulking into the room, rubbing the ear his mother had pulled.
'It's brutal, all right,' Orlando grimaced as he struggled to swallow it, sending his brother a glare which the older man completely ignored.
'You know, I think it's growing on you. You're drinking it faster than when you were younger,' May offered the man, trying to be optimistic, though she knew it would fall flat.
'It just means that I'm used to Brendan setting Blaziken on me,' Orlando scowled as he took another sip, watching Brendan move to sit where May's feet were.
'You're not getting any sympathy out of us, you know,' May glared at the older man as he sat on the end of the couch, forcing her to pull her feet back. She snapped the textbook shut and placed it back on the coffee table, glaring at her friend all the while.
'It was worth it,' the man chuckled in response, his red eyes fixed on his scowling brother, whose skin had been darkened by his time in the sun, his hair also lightened slightly by the sun's rays.
'You're impossible,' May groaned as Orlando proceeded to sulk at his brother's amusement, knowing that he couldn't retaliate in his burnt state.
'But you wouldn't have me any other way,' Brendan grinned at May, who tried to kick him out of the seat.
'She wouldn't have you at all,' Orlando scoffed before once again sipping his drink.
'That's right, Orlando! See that, Brendan? I've got Orlando in my corner,' May grinned before poking her tongue out at the man who was imposing his behind in the place her feet had once been.
'Like that's going to surprise anyone,' Brendan snorted, causing May to kick his leg slightly.
Hearing someone clearing their throat nervously, May glanced back at the door to see Wally hovering awkwardly at the door.
'Wally, come in,' May grinned, jumping off the couch to greet the younger man. She tried to suppress the pang in her heart upon seeing the chartreuse hair. After all, it wasn't like either of the men knew each other.
'A-are you sure? Mrs B. said that I should, but…' the man hesitated, acting nothing at all like Drew.
Seeing him act so uncertainly, May wanted to just hug the man, but decided not to. With a grin, she reassured him, 'of course I'm sure. Now, why don't I introduce you to Orlando?'
'Who's this?' Orlando frowned as he placed his cup on a ceramic coaster on the wooden coffee table for him.
'Orlando, this is Wally. He's a challenger from the Gym,' May smiled as she placed a cautious arm around Wally's shoulders, whose face flushed at the contact.
'Right, why's he here?' Orlando scowled, a perfect imitation of his brother's glare, his eyes flickering from May to Wally with a venomous anger that had May stumped.
'Well,' May began, glancing at Brendan for assistance. Whilst the brothers' anger didn't intimidate her, it could possibly intimidate Wally, who seemed extremely timid.
With a heavy sigh, Brendan spoke, 'he's going to be your travel buddy.'
'What?' Orlando glowered, turning his grey eyes to glare at his brother's red ones.
'Wally, how about we go check up on Mrs B.?' May grinned before herding the man back to the kitchen. She knew that when the Birch kids fought that no one could be saved. Any who had commented on her fights with Max had been clueless as to what world war Brendan and Orlando could cause. Those two could burn a whole village and still keep fighting.
She led Wally down the hallway which led to the kitchen before ushering the man inside. She was relieved that he didn't question her as she steered him into the chair beside his cousin. She saw Steven and Wallace glancing that them, both preoccupied with something unseen in their hands.
'Mrs B., you might want to get the Professor or your husband,' May chuckled nervously as she saw the motherly woman stirring a saucepan on the stove.
'Oh, not again! Honestly, those two boys are going to be the death of me!' The woman sighed before placing the spoon beside the stove. Throwing her hands in the air, the woman stalked out of the room, muttering things about having had daughters instead of sons.
'Are they usually this adventurous?' Wally frowned as May chuckled. The Birch household had never been truly peaceful unless Brendan and Orlando were planning on pranking someone else, which put everyone else on edge.
'Adventurous?' Steven blinked as he pocketed something May couldn't see.
'Steven's right, I wouldn't really call them adventurous. Rather, I'd possibly say they're reckless, immature, typically adolescent, rather conniving,' May chuckled as she saw Wally's expression fill with horror.
Realising her mistake, she hurriedly added, 'but there's no need to worry, honestly. Orlando is the reasonable one of the two, and it's only ever Brendan who spurs him on. Honestly, if it's anyone you should worry about, it's Brendan!'
Her face paling as she realised Dawn's catchphrase had slipped from her mouth, May quickly glanced at the others in the room, only to realise they had no idea of the repercussions of said catch phrase. With a sigh of relief, she headed to the stove to continue stirring, knowing that Mrs B. could be distracted by her sons for quite a while.
'Are you sure?' Wally frowned as May glanced back to see Wallace was tapping way on his Xtransceiver.
'Yes. Besides, I grew up with Brendan and Orlando, and I turned out fine,' May beamed, barely stopping herself from adding the words mostly. She ignored the external factors which had affected her life, instead opting to focus on her friends.
'Wally, your cousin sends his love,' Wallace said as he pocketed the device.
'He does? How is he? Where is he? How are his pokémon?' Wally grinned, his face lighting up at the news.
'Yes, he's good, though we'd better discuss that later,' Wallace beamed as his gaze flickered to May who was trying to appear calm as she stirred the pot, listening for any noise from her friends. She couldn't understand how Brendan could still act so childish, but then, that was just her friend.
'So May, how long have you known Brendan and Orlando?' Steven questioned as he leaned forward in his seat, his light blue eyes intent on May.
'Well, we've always been really close, even back when I lived in Johto. I honestly can't ever remember not having either of them in my life, and I'd hate to picture it. They're like family to me, like the cousins I never had,' May shrugged as she paused in her stirring to take out some glasses from a nearby cupboard.
Opening the fridge, she swiftly poured them all some oran berry juice from the canister before returning it to the fridge and passing a glass to each of the guests. After all, she was close enough to the Birch's that she was considered one of the family.
'So how old were you when you moved to Hoenn?' Steven questioned as the others murmured appreciation for the drinks.
'Hmmm, I don't remember the exact age, but I was young. I vaguely remember moving to Petalburg City before Max was born. There was a glitch with the booking of the moving company so I had to stay in the back of the truck, and that honestly wasn't fun. However, when we arrived, I was just grateful that dad had been in Petalburg a while already to set up all of the basic necessities for my room,' May shrugged as she checked the boiling pasta.
'Where did you say you came from in Johto?' Wallace frowned as he looked up at her, tapping his fingers softly against the benchtop.
'Olivine City, it's a sea port,' May responded, grimacing slightly as she once again found herself wondering what life in Johto would have been like. She silently wondered which starter pokémon she would have chosen.
'Do you miss it?' Wally asked, his expression innocent as May glanced at him. Whilst he seemed at ease to her now, she knew that she had a lot in common with the young man, who was hiding his fear of the journey from the others quite well.
Considering his question, May frowned, 'I'm not sure. I mean, I had a lot of fun there, but I've had fun here in Hoenn too. And I suppose I've had a few incidents as well.'
'Incidents?' Wallace prompted as the trio of men gazed at May, who was deep in thought.
'Yeah, I had a thing on the beach with some Tentacool where my mum tried to catch me. It left me terrified of water type pokémon and shortly after that, Dad left for Hoenn. Mum tried to keep things running smoothly for me, but my fear grew until I was terrified of all pokémon,' May confessed before flicking her sapphire gaze away from the stove and to the others.
Seeing the chartreuse haired man's eyes on her, May continued, 'Wally, as a young girl, I was beyond terrified of pokémon. I didn't even read any information on them if I could help it, and any teacher at school would already know of my fear before I attended class. When I finally came to Petalburg City, my dad couldn't understand what happened to me. The girl he knew always loved pokémon and played with them. He didn't understand, and I couldn't explain it. When you're afraid of something, your mind is overcome with this irrational instinct and it varies on every occasion.'
The youngest man nodded his head as she spoke, his eyes shining with an understanding May knew he felt. With a grimace, she continued, 'what I'm trying to tell you is that you should go out on your journey. Honestly, it's an experience beyond words, and I learnt so much from my travels, from my friends I met on my travels, and my pokémon. Just look at me now, I'm a Gym Leader who actively accepts challenges.'
'What if Orlando won't come with me?' Wally questioned, his ice blue eyes meeting May's sapphire ones.
'Trust me, he will,' May winked before turning her attention to the stove once more.
'May, hon, I'm so sorry. I told you I'd be cooking for you, and then those two boys of mine had to get in the way!' Mrs B. walked into the room with her two sons sheepishly walking behind her.
'That's ok, Mrs B., you know I'm always happy to help,' May grinned at the woman, ignoring Brendan as he rolled his eyes at May's chirpy response, as well as Orlando's deep flush as he glowered at his brother.
'What would Caroline say, though?' Mrs B. sighed as she ushered May into a seat beside the Hoenn Champion, who sipped his drink idly as May twiddled anxiously with the hem of her shirt.
'Honestly, mum wouldn't mind. She'd just be grateful that I'm not stuck in the Gym by myself,' May whispered, though the woman's attention was focused on the stove.
'So Wally, which pokémon do you have?' Orlando frowned as he leaned on the bench, ignoring his mother's glower as he blocked her access to cutlery. Brendan, in a move to appease the woman, took some plates from a nearby cupboard.
'I have a Kirlia,' Wally responded shyly, causing May to smile at him. He was honestly so unlike Drew, even if they had a striking resemblance in appearance.
'That's cool, a psychic type! I'm going to get one tomorrow,' Orlando nodded as Brendan sighed and began to take out plates from a nearby cupboard.
'Which one are you going to get?' Wally grinned, appearing to have overcome his shyness at the mention of pokémon.
The brunette couldn't help but smile as she saw the two younger men interacting. Orlando had been gutted to hear that Max was travelling to Almia, near Sinnoh, though he'd accepted his friend's wishes. It was a very long way away from Hoenn, and May herself had been reluctant to see the young man go. However, it was to attain his dreams, and May wouldn't be able to live with herself if Max didn't try to achieve something with his life.
'May, I hope you realise that Wallace and I didn't mean to offend you in visiting your Gym so suddenly,' Steven's voice pulled her out of her thoughts, making her blink into her drink.
She hadn't even registered the Champion walking towards her, though pretended not to be too startled by it. The man, whilst attractive, didn't need to know that his presence, and that of Wallace, intimidated her slightly.
'Oh, no that's fine, honestly. I'm grateful that you both decided to grace me with your presence,' May responded demurely, taking a sip of the oran juice as she could almost feel Brendan's indefinite glare on her. After all, he'd definitely resent the Champion so actively choosing to talk to her.
'It was the least we could do for you and your father. Norman has been a great help to the League in his time as Gym Leader, as I'm sure you will be.' Steven assured her, his light blue eyes smiling down at her.
With a grimace, he continued, 'I know you might not believe this, but if you need assistance with anything Gym related, I hope you feel comfortable enough to contact me. Even anything related to your father, I would consider it my duty to help you personally.'
Hearing this, May felt her cheeks flush as she turned her gaze to the blue juice in her glass.
'So wait, is this normal protocol then?' Brendan glowered, surprising May by the venom in his voice.
'Not really, but I suppose May can be a special exemption,' Wallace shrugged, responding on behalf of the Champion, who sent him a brief glance.
'Hello everybody, we're home,' a male voice called as another could be heard laughing.
'Dad!' Orlando grinned before running out of the room, calling 'Brendan, I'll say hi to them before you can!'
'Oh no you don't!' Brendan growled, dropping the plates at the table before running after his brother.
'Boys, don't break anything!' Mrs B. cried as she lifted the saucepan from the stove, her expression filled with exasperation.
'Don't worry, I'll follow them,' Wally offered before rushing out of the room.
With a grin, the man rushed out of the room, surprising the others by his eagerness.
'I think it's catching,' Wallace smiled as May blinked at the chartreuse haired man who rushed out of the room.
'What is?' May questioned as she blinked at the man with turquoise hair.
'The enthusiasm that's filled Brendan and Orlando,' Wallace beamed at the youthful brunette, who blinked at the information.
'Oh, I suppose it has,' May responded as five men entered the kitchen, Brendan glaring moodily at his brother.
'It's about time you two showed up. Honestly, do you have any idea the antics those two boys have been pulling?' Mrs B. glowered at the two burly men, who smiled nervously in response.
'Mrs B., don't worry about it, Brendan and Orlando are sorry, right guys?' May smiled innocently at the older women before sending a menacing glare to her childhood friends.
'Yes, of course they are,' Professor Birch agreed before nudging his nephews' shoulders subtly.
'Mum, I'm sorry,' Orlando grimaced as Brendan muttered, 'sorry, mum.'
'You shouldn't be acting like such children. Now, both of you know what you need to do,' Mrs Birch glowered, crossing her arms and glaring at the two younger men.
'All right,' they both muttered meekly as May chuckled, watching them run out of the room.
'Is something amusing, May?' Steven frowned as Brendan's father placed a reassuring hand on May's shoulder.
'I've seen this discussion so many times, and they never learn. As much as Mrs B. acts like she hates it, she loves her boys interacting so much. It just means they're close,' May beamed as both the Birch men chuckled.
'May's right, those two always have been inseparable,' Professor Birch chuckled as Mr Birch sat at the dinner table, completing the task Brendan had abandoned previously.
'Those two will be at it for a while,' May grinned as she heard Wally frown, 'but where did they go off to?'
'Every time they fight, they have to fix their father and uncle's paperwork,' May chuckled as both the male Birch's in the room smiled with embarrassment.
'It's not their strong point, and both Brendan and Orlando are so aware of where the paperwork should go that they've really improved the running of the research of both my husband and brother in law,' Mrs B. explained as she brought the pots onto the table.
'I hope we're not imposing too much, Mrs Birch,' Wallace beamed at the woman, his turquoise eyes following Mrs Birch's cooking pot.
'Nonsense, you're guests,' the woman responded as May's eyes lit up, following the steaming pot.
'I'll get the boys,' Mr Birch offered before walking out of the room.
Please let me know what you think, if anyone is OOC or anything.