Hi all,
Here's the latest for May, Gym Leader.
Chapter 14Walking into the second entrance which was inside the cave, May let out a gasp at the giant cave in which she found herself. Not only was it well-lit, but it was so much larger than the cave they had used to enter into it. The ceiling was high above her with stalactites littering the surface, eagerly trying to join with the towering stalagmites below.
On the walls, she could see various forms of pokémon, all of whom seemed familiar to her. Walking down the hallway, she didn't hear her companions gasp, nor Brawly chuckle at their obvious surprise.
Blinking, she turned her attention to the far wall, to see Steven, in his suit, analysing the wall with an intense interest she had last seen in her kitchen. At the time, he'd been preoccupied with a stone that her Skitty had found. She couldn't help but feel the slightest amusement at the man for being quite so taken by the rocks around him.
Returning her attention to the cave, May saw what had the man's intense attention. On one side of the wall was a giant pokémon, breathing something as volcanoes erupted around it, on the other, were whirlpools, water and another giant pokémon. Between them was another pokémon, its serpentine body surrounded by stars.
'Hmmm, so in the ancient world, their primal forms once held this much power? The super-ancient pokémon, what terrible strength. But his appearance here, it seems somehow different from mega evolution. Hmm, it seems my questions will not be answered today,' Steven frowned as May and the rest of their group reached him, climbing the stairs to the podium on which he stood.
When Brawly simply crossed his arms and smiled, May wasn't too sure as to how to react. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him nudge his head at her ever so subtly.
Taking this as a sign, she cleared her throat, and asked in an unusually small voice, 'excuse me, Steven?'
Suppressing a flush at how foreign the name sounded in her lips, May forced her gaze upon the man, hoping she didn't appear too intimidated.
'Hm?' The man turned upon hearing her, his steel blue eyes lingering on May's sapphire.
'Oh, May, a pleasure to see you. As you may have gathered, I'm interested in rare stones, so I travel here and there to further my knowledge of them. Sometimes, just visiting someone else can bring you a surprising find, as I'm sure you know. While my journey brought me here, what about you? What brought you out of Petalburg?' The man questioned, completely disregarding her companions, causing her to blush darker.
Aware of Brawly yawning as he leaned on an irritated Brendan, as well as Orlando's gasp and Wally's eager grin at seeing Wallace's good friend, the young woman hesitated slightly.
'Umm, I have a letter, from your father,' May began, her voice small and uncertain, though more confident than before.
'Oh? A letter for me?' Steven blinked at her, glancing back at the wall before regarding her with his full attention.
With a flush, she searched her bag for the letter, hoping it wasn't too crumpled. The Champion probably wouldn't appreciate anything worn and stained by her carelessness.
Finding it, May gave it to the man, her face flushing as she saw it was profusely wrinkled, with slight marks from where it had been hit by the sea's sprays.
Rather than judge her for it, Steven simply opened it, not at all perturbed by the mess which clashed with his impeccable suit.
His eyes glanced at the words before he folded it again and placed it in his breast pocket.
'Why thank you, May. It must have been some trouble to track me down. I suppose I must repay you in some way. Let me see, I shall give you this pokémon. Please accept it, it would mean a lot to me. It is part of my favourite evolutionary lines and a cherished member of my team,' Steven smiled before handing May a shiny pokéball.
'What?' Brendan hissed as Orlando gasped, 'no way! She just gets a pokémon from the Champion!'
Hearing her friend's fury, May flushed, 'oh, um, I don't know what to say. T—thank you Steven.'
Releasing the pokémon, May was surprised to see a Beldum, which was a shiny silver one, floating eagerly around Steven's face.
'Beldum, meet your new Trainer. I hope you serve her as well as you have helped me,' Steven smiled as the pokémon glanced from May to him.
'May, if you don't mind me asking, do you feel anything in particular when you look up at this wall?' Steven asked, once again disregarding the others around them.
'Hmmm, it makes me feel small, like there's a giant world out there. I feel like there's a lot more for me to learn too. The painting seems primitive, but it's displaying something complex in a way we don't usually associate with historical things. Just because it's old, it doesn't mean it's inferior in strength or abilities,' May said, feeling as though her words weren't enough to explain just how small she felt. Her thoughts lingered on her time in The Temple of The Sea, and how advanced the technology of her ancestors were. No, because this was an old painting, people would make the mistake of taking it with a grain of salt. From experience, though, she knew better.
'A primal world, lost thousands of years in the past. A legendary pokémon of tremendous power became humanity's greatest threat. The terror aroused by that power is clear to see in this ancient artwork is plain to see,' Steven explained as his eyes gazed around the rock wall. He seemed to be considering May's words as well, muttering phrases under his breath that she couldn't quite catch.
'Do you think it's how the world was formed? I mean, that's Kyogre and Groudon, right? Weren't they the legendaries who created Hoenn with their sheer power during the battle?' May asked, licking her lips nervously.
Upon hearing her question, the man turned, 'yes, but not all power is terrible. Your pokémon are clearly quite capable as well. Looking at you all together, I think that you have in you what it takes to become a pokémon League Champion. As long as you keep training, that is,' the man mused, his eyes flickering to Brendan, who hollered, 'I don't hear you saying that to me, sweet cheeks!'
'Good luck to you. I must be going now,' the man smiled once before bowing slightly. He petted Beldum once before walking briskly to Brawly.
'Brawly, I will visit you in your Gym as soon as you have confirmed the details for that badge we discussed,' Steven smiled at the man, who nodded his head in response.
'No worries, dude. I'll Xtransceive you as soon as I have an update,' Brawly chuckled, clasping the man's shoulder before his eyes flickered to May's, his expression thoughtful.
'Just don't leave it too long,' Steven smiled before letting his eyes linger on Wally and Orlando.
'I hope both of you are well on your journey,' Steven smiled before sauntering away.
'Yeah, just ignore me! That's fine!' Brendan scowled at the man, his eyes narrowed in anger.
'Awww, diddums was ignored by his hero,' May chuckled as she pinched the man's cheek affectionately.
'Get off me!' Brendan scowled at her, though she only giggled more as he led their group out of the cave and onto the beach.
'Whatever, I've got a stunner to see tonight,' Brendan glowered at her, adjusting his clothing in what could only be described as a self-conscious manner.
'Have fun on your date, Brendan,' May chuckled as she grabbed Orlando's arm and pulled him away, Wally and Brawly following.
'Hey!' The man scowled at her, though she sent him a mischievous smile.
'So, what'll you do now, little dudette?' Brawly questioned as he glanced at her, their group rearranging themselves so that Wally walked beside Orlando, who was beside May and Brawly.
'I don't know, train a bit? I have to wait for Slowpoke before I can get back to Petalburg with Mr Briney, otherwise he'll never make it across,' May pouted at the man, seeing Orlando and Wally glance at her in confusion.
'He gets seasick,' May said to Orlando, who chortled at the news.
'Really? Oh man, I'm never gonna let him live through that! So you're going to wait to hold his hand?' Orlando snorted, his eyes widening in disbelief.
'Orlando, don't be mean to your brother, that's my job,' May chastised with a small smile, though Wally couldn't help but chuckle at her playful tone.
'Please, he'd slaughter me if our roles were turned and you know it!' Orlando laughed as he turned back to see his brother meet a woman with dark blue hair, wearing red and navy coloured sporting attire.
'Dude, she's hot,' Orlando whistled, causing May to hit his chest in faux anger.
Glancing at where her friend was staring, May grimaced before grabbing Brawly's arm, hoping to distract him from glancing back to see Shauna.
The man, upon hearing Orlando's remark, glanced back to see Brendan wrap an arm around the waist of the woman who was now his ex-girlfriend.
'May, go out for dinner with me?' The man questioned, surprising the woman.
'I don't think this is a good idea,' May grimaced at the man arched an eyebrow at her, appearing indifferent to the glowers of Wally and Orlando.
'Dudette, I'm asking as a friend. You're going to be here tonight anyway, by the look of it. Shauna is a hard task master, and she keeps her men going for quite a while,' Brawly said with a shrug, appearing oblivious to the scowls of the men beside him.
'I suppose, though I'd probably have to register with the Pokémon Centre for a room,' May grimaced with a sigh, silently wishing that Brendan didn't push her out of her comfort zone quite so much.
'Chill, babe, you can crash at mine tonight, no sweat,' the man chuckled as he lead May towards Dewford City, bidding Wally and Orlando a brief farewell.
'Umm, I'll have to make some calls, just so that people know to lock the Gym, and all,' May grimaced at the man, who waved her concerns off.
'After you've cleared up the closure of your Gym, I'd like to battle you,' Brawly mused, surprising her with how easily he suppressed his grief.
With a smile, she responded, 'you're on.'