Hi all,
Thank you all so much for your reviews, favourites and follows, I honestly can't say how honoured I am. Fingers crossed I *finally* have a regular schedule so I can set a set time to update my stories and write. I miss writing properly so much, but we'll see how we go. Here's a rather long chapter :)
Chapter 20Waking a few weeks later, May groaned as she heard the Swellow chirp eagerly outside. Hiding her face in her pillow, May tried to tune out the familiar song of her Xtransceiver ringing.
Sighing when it came to a halt, May was about to turn to face her ceiling when it started up again.
Groaning, May answered the persistent device, 'hello?'
'Hi, is May there?' An effeminate voice questioned, causing the brunette to blink as Brendan subtly flashed a thumbs up to May's starter pokémon.
'It's me, no wait, I mean I'm May,' the brunette responded, fumbling over her words as her sluggish mind tried to place the voice to a face. It could be that she hadn't slept enough, or she hadn't been eating well, but she really couldn't recall who this was.
'May? You sound so different! Is everything ok?' The voice gasped as May racked her brain to try to identify the person on the other side of the line.
'Umm, I guess I'm ok?' The brunette shrugged as she walked down the stairs to glance apprehensively at Venusaur who was already helping with the chores by cleaning her empty bowl.
After a slight pause, the other person frowned, 'you have no idea who you're talking to, do you?'
Responding in a non-committed manner, May glanced at her Munchlax, who was watching her movements intently. She noticed that his bowl was uncharacteristically full, his eyes intent on her movements.
'May, what's happened?' Another voice growled down the line, surprising her with its concern tone as Brendan busied himself in her kitchen, doing his best to appear unaffected by her listless brain processes.
Blinking, May quickly checked her caller ID. It was an unidentified caller, but their voices sounded familiar; a little too familiar for her to have forgotten. Her Slugma-ish brain, on the other hand, was drawing a blank.
'I…' May whispered as her wide sapphire gaze met Brendan's knowing ruby one. Seeing her friend nod his head once at her, May grimaced, 'to be honest, I really don't know.'
'That's it, we're coming for you. We heard you were a mess, but there's no way we're letting you just be there so hopelessly alone like that! Don't bother telling us where you live, Brendan's already told us, and I'm not going to let you be so emotionally drained that you'd just forget us!' the first voice lectured before May heard the dial tone ringing in her ear.
'Wait, what?' May whispered, her expression bewildered as Brendan anxiously rubbed the back of his head.
'What did you do?' The brunette hissed, her eyes narrowed with a fury the man was a little too familiar with.
'Look, I've done my best to cheer you up, and it hasn't worked. I can't do anything, May. You're staying here, with memories of him, not moving on. I'm at my wits end, and your pokémon are just as worried about you as I am. Can you blame me if I had Blaziken steal your Xtransceiver so I can contact some of your other friends? Some girls who might have an idea about how to help you?' Brendan rambled, his face losing its colour as he frantically tried to keep as much distance between himself and the advancing fury before him.
'You and Blaziken did what?' May hissed, her gaze flickering to her betraying starter pokémon and back to her friend in disbelief.
'May, you mightn't have noticed this, but I can't help you with this. Groudon, I'd do so much for you, May, you're not just my best friend, but you're like my little sister. You haven't been yourself, and I miss you. I want you back, May, so do Kenny and your pokémon. I just can't deal with this on top of everything else right now,' the man continued, his ruby eyes searching May's sapphire for any hint that she would back down. After all, she'd been known to be so angry that her body might as well have been encased by fire, though that was usually when people tried to steal her food.
Hearing this, May frowned as her sapphire eyes glanced around at her pokémon, who cried in agreement, almost drowning out the subtle sound of a knock on the door.
Being pushed to the door by her Venusaur, May begrudgingly opened it to reveal a group of very attractive women. Taking a moment to digest the four beautiful ladies who stood at her door, May couldn't help but feel at a loss.
'Where do you think you've been, young lady?' The familiar visage of an orange haired woman glowered, her hair styled loose around her shoulders, wearing small, blue denim shorts over a white one-piece swimsuit, a windbreaker jacket of a similar colour on her shoulders, and white boots to add to the look.
Opening and closing her mouth in response, May struggled to think of an appropriate answer. Instead, she appeared like a stunned Magikarp, unable to do anything than flounder out in an open field. How had she possibly attracted so many beautiful ladies in her life, and what had she done to attract their vehement fury?
'Look at her struggling for words. If I didn't know better, I'd think she was just a little kid,' a young woman with enlarged, violet hair scoffed, her maroon eyes complimenting her skin perfectly. She wore a skater dress with a dark outline made of frills, accentuating the light pink colour. Unsurprisingly, she was also wearing dark pink boots.
'Don't be rude, Iris, she's probably in shock. Misty, you don't need to be rude either,' a woman with dark blue hair admonished, her blue eyes sparkling as they held her companions. May noticed that her hair was held in place by a white beanie, a white scarf wrapped snugly around her neck, sitting on top of a maroon coat, white, knee-high socks barely visible over her pink boots.
'Dawn, I think we need an intervention. There's no way we can get her to come out with us in this condition,' the last woman frowned, her eyes flickering from the still stunned May to the pretty bluenette before her. The woman had short, honey coloured hair, her blue eyes filled with concern. She, like the others, wore boots, though they were brown, and knee-high socks, which were black. She wore a pink playsuit with a red, sleeveless jacket over it.
All in all, the women screamed stylish, and May couldn't bring herself to face them, especially with how worthless she was feeling.
'Come on, we are getting you dressed and out of those pyjamas!' Dawn scowled before she and Misty pushed May into her home.
Against her wishes, May was herded to her room, with Brendan anxiously calling directions as Misty glowered at him to stay in the kitchen. The Kanto woman's fury was one which Brendan had previously heard of, so he stayed quite far out of the intimidating woman's way.
Once they reached her room, May grimaced as she was placed firmly on her bed. The group of women were unperturbed by the mess in her room as they attacked her closet, taking parts of her clothing out to analyse them.
'Dawn, you take care of the hair and makeup,' Serena was ordering as Iris and Misty glanced apprehensively at May to ensure she was still where they had placed her.
'So, spill it,' Iris scowled, her maroon eyes narrowed in a dangerous manner.
Grimacing, May considered the women before sighing in defeat. The women might look formidable, but they were still the group of friends that had travelled with Ash during his journey. That alone made them click together in a mutual understanding of the man's presence.
Taking the article from under her bed, May handed it to the woman from the Village of Dragons in Unova.
The woman frowned upon seeing the magazine. With a serious expression she scanned the article once before scoffing and handing it to Misty, who in turn began to read.
'May, if he can't see the absolute gem that you are, then we'll have to show him. Let's get your face out there, I'm sure there's a way you can show him just how much fun you're having without him,' Iris scoffed, crossing her arms as she sat on May's bed in an elegant manner, taking out her Xtransceiver to contact someone.
'Do I have to?' May whined, knowing her hair was a mess and her eyes would be red from tears.
'Of course you do. You can't just sit there and let him slight you so,' Misty snarled as she handed the magazine to Serena and Dawn, who read the piece together.
'W-what?' May whispered, her eye twitching with anxiety.
'You heard me. If he's off with this blonde fake bombshell, we'll show him a real one, and a formidable brunette one, at that,' Misty growled before turning her eyes on the other women for support.
'Yeah, you bet!' Dawn agreed, fist pumping the air with an eager enthusiasm that May simply couldn't share.
'Come on, this is exactly what you need. We've all heard about your dad and mum, and Max isn't here either. Brendan's home is in Littleroot Town so he can't be here for you all the time. You were lucky he was coming to visit you when he did. When was the last time you actually relaxed?' Serena smiled at the woman, who found it increasingly difficult to meet their eyes. After all, their arguments were all extremely valid, and she couldn't help but feel silly for avoiding her friends so. She knew that Zinnia and her Johto friends would all scold her too.
'Don't you think it's time you took the Rhyhorn by the horn?' Serena winked as Misty let out an exclamation of triumph.
Feeling something hit her face, May blinked, seeing clothing her mother had sent her fall into her lap. A white blouse, with a pink gilet, as well as matching pink and white shorts.
Dawn placed some pink boots to match the look at her feet, a white bow on the front of the boot and a pink bow on the side. It was the outfit her mother had purchased for her next journey, which had been planned for in Sinnoh.
Blinking, she looked up to see her friends smiling at her.
'Go freshen up. Take a shower and take as long as you need. Let us know when you're done and we'll help you with your hair and makeup,' Iris beamed at May, her lips pulled back into a small smile.
Mechanically, May went to the bathroom, going through the motions until she found herself once again seated in her room, with Dawn brushing her hair and Misty and Serena applying makeup to her face.
'Good, now you're ready, let's get going,' Dawn grinned before heading out of the room, leaving Iris, Serena and Misty to shepherd her out.
Taking a deep breath, May followed the Sinnoh native down the stairs before seeing Brendan in the kitchen. Scratching her arm nervously, May heard her friends clear their throats, causing the man to turn around and drop the berries he'd been holding.
Hearing her friends giggle in response, May felt her face flush. They'd had this argument with her about her friendship with Brendan quite often, and she didn't appreciate their giggles now of all times. She subtly heard Dawn whisper about Brendan being a possible boyfriend, and almost screamed at the woman, her sapphire eyes glued on her friend, whose ruby eyes were still wide.
'Umm, Brendan, you're staring,' May whispered, suddenly very conscious of her friends who were watching them.
'Uhh, yeah. You look good, May,' Brendan said, his voice sounding unusually strangled as he hurried to collect the dropped berries from the ground.
'Were you making pokéblock?' May frowned, moving forward to help her friend.
'Yeah, I noticed you were almost out,' the man chuckled as he placed them in the sink.
'Have I run out?' May whispered as she hurriedly moved to check her fridge.
'May, you haven't had any in days, I've been making it,' the black haired man frowned, causing the woman to freeze in her actions, her gaze flickering to her pokémon, noticing their anxious expressions as they watched her movements.
'Oh, I see,' May whispered as she turned her attention to her pink boots, feeling incredibly foolish. Just how much had she let slip in her misery? Her pokémon must have noticed her misery, and she felt terrible just thinking about how worried they'd be of her of all people. She was their carer, their friend and she'd let them down.
'They don't seem to like my pokéblock, though,' Brendan chuckled, his expression sheepish as May returned her attention to her childhood friend.
Focusing her gaze on his selection, May smiled, 'that's because you're not factoring in their types when you make it.'
'Lansat is preferred by Beautifly, starf is Glaceon's preferred berry, enigma is preferred by Blaziken, whilst Skitty prefers custap,' May muttered before scribbling instructions on a note and passing it to Brendan.
Her friends watched on in shock as she quickly grabbed a blender and began to take berries out of her fridge.
'We'll help,' Serena grinned before Dawn pushed Brendan out of the kitchen.
'Ok, Serena, could you please crush some lansap berries?' May smiled as she began to take out equipment.
'What do you want me to do?' Dawn frowned as she, too, glanced around the kitchen.
'If you wouldn't mind cutting the enigma berries, I'd appreciate it,' May offered the bluenette a small smile.
'Consider me on it,' Dawn winked before taking the tools from her friend.
After a short time, May had handed the mixtures to Brendan, who nervously began to follow the steps to bake the pokéblock.
'Thanks so much, Brendan, for all of your help,' May grinned at her friend, feeling her face flush as the group of women nearby sent each other smug glances. She frantically hoped that her childhood friend did not notice their expressions, otherwise she'd be in a world of trouble.
'Don't worry about it. Now, get out of here before I get Blaziken to throw you out,' Brendan chuckled, causing his childhood friend to grin back sheepishly.
'Is that your Blaziken or mine?' May winked back, rushing away before the man could retort. She knew him well enough that if she continued to question him about the topic that he'd send both her starter pokémon and his own on her back, and her Blaziken might just listen to him.
'Come on, ladies, let's get out of here,' May called before rushing out of her front door, calling out, 'Brendan, my house had better be standing when I'm home, or else I'm doing the same to yours!'
'Come off it, don't you remember forcing Max and me to cook with you? I can out pokéblock you any day because mine won't be burnt to a crisp!' The man retorted, causing the brunette to giggle in response.
'I think my pokémon beg to differ!' May teased back as she felt her mood lift drastically with her presence in fresh air.
'So, where are we going, ladies?' May grinned as she felt Serena and Dawn take a hold of either of her arms.
'Well, I was thinking of trying the ice cream parlour near the outskirts of Petalburg,' Misty's voice called as Iris sent a message to someone on her own Xtransceiver.
'Then let's go!' May grinned before extrapolating herself from the other women to rush ahead. She hadn't been to the ice cream parlour since her father had been ill, and she sorely wanted to have another pecha berry ice cream. She'd rushed ahead of the others by quite a while, though neither party minded. Whilst she was enjoying the sunlight, her friends were hurriedly discussing something May couldn't hear.
Her mind was so focused with the impeding deliciousness that she failed to see a stranger walk in front of her, a beige cloak and matching fedora hiding their features from her.
Letting out a pained grunt as she collided painfully with an auburn haired stranger, May landed painfully on her behind. Fumbling onto her feet, she hurriedly gasped, 'oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there!'
She didn't see a man with curly brown hair hiding behind a tree, his pink and maroon jumper drawing attention to the professional camera in his hands, focused on May's encounter with the stranger.
The auburn haired man glowered at her once, his rather attractive expression unfriendly as he held May's gaze before snorting, 'well, I suppose that can't be helped when you're as attractive as me. Ladies make it a habit to almost fall over themselves to touch me.'
Hearing this, May's eyes widened as she felt her face flush, 'then I suggest you find one of those women and get out of my sight! Honestly, I haven't had to meet anyone as audacious as you in years!'
Stomping her foot in anger, May crossed the road, not turning to see the man's expression become filled with guilt as he reached a hand out to her, almost as though he wanted to call her back. If she'd turned, she might have seen his unspoken apology, or the brown haired woman with dark green eyes hidden inside a clothing store, her eyes trained upon them both, a camera which was attached to a headset intent on the young Gym Leader's every movements.
'May, wait up!' Dawn's voice called as the brunette heard steps come closer to her.
Pausing so her friends could reach her, May offered them a small smile, feeling her heart skip with anticipation. She honestly couldn't remember the last time she'd seen any of these women, and it made her feel much better than she had that morning, making her forget the bad dreams she'd had the previous night.
'We're almost there!' May responded with a cheerful smile, her anticipation of the treat increasing her eager mood drastically.
'Well, at least we know her appetite is still as active as Ash's,' Iris chuckled, placing a hand on her hips as May shared an eager grin with Misty, who looked as happy as she did.
'By Raikou, Entei and Suicune, I haven't spoken to Ash in ages,' May grinned as she led her friends to a quaint ice cream parlour with a red and white banner outside.
Climbing into the wooden seats outside, May didn't notice a man with dirty blond hair focus his digital camera on them, his grey eyes serious as he took a series of images of her and her friends.
'My shout!' Iris called, her expression pulled into a giant grin.
'While I admire your enthusiasm, you'll need to know our orders for that,' Dawn giggled at the violet haired Unovan, who didn't seem in the least bit perturbed by the statement.
'Please, I could totally guess your favourite flavours!' Iris scoffed, crossing her arms and closing her eyes, much to her friend's amusements.
'Next she'll be saying she's an ice cream connoisseur,' Misty teased, causing Iris to glower and poke her tongue out at her.
'Be careful, or she'll say you're acting like a little kid!' May grinned back at Iris just before Serena called, 'I'd say Iris is acting quite the kid herself.'
'Just be happy she hasn't started jumping from tree to tree yet,' Misty teased, poking Iris' cheek as the younger woman pouted.
'Go on, guess my flavour of choice,' May sighed, deciding to pity her friend. After all, they'd teased her enough and she deserved a break.
Hearing this, Iris' eyes lit up as she gasped, 'really, you'll let me pick for you?'
'Of course. Besides, I'm a fan of every flavour this place has to offer, anyway,' May grinned, not noticing the woman from before as she took a seat near them, taking a hairbrush, pokémon food and a diary from her bag before she found the newspaper she was after.
'All right, I'll go get it for you!' Iris squealed, jumping up and down with joy.
'Well, with that enthusiasm you can guess mine too,' Dawn shrugged, sending the inconspicuous woman nearby a subtle wink.
'If Dawn and May are game, then I guess I will be too,' Serena grinned at the maroon eyed woman, who couldn't contain her joy as she started dancing on the spot.
'With that much faith from the others, I guess you'd better get mine, too. Besides, the sun feels nice,' Misty sighed, appearing reluctant, though May suspected she was relieved to have someone to blame if she didn't like the flavour offered to her.
When Iris had rushed into the parlour before anyone could consider her options, May saw her friends stare at her in a knowing manner.
Grimacing, she frowned, 'What? Is there something on my face?'
'Don't worry, you look fine. No, wait, you look more than fine. Honestly,' Misty tried to assure her friend, though it didn't work too well.
'Then what is it? Why's Dawn grinning like an Aipom?' May frowned as Dawn blushed at the statement.
With a sigh, Serena spoke up, 'what's going on with you and that guy that was in your home? Who is he and why haven't you told me us about him?'
Fighting the flush that filled her cheeks, May squeaked, 'B-Brendan? He's my friend from when I was a child. Honestly, there's nothing going on between us. He's like a brother to me as Dawn would know!'
'Isn't there?' Dawn questioned, her tone only slightly disappointed as she arched a cool, blue eyebrow at May. Clearly May was being thrown under the stampeding herd of Tauros for not contacting the Sinnoh native sooner in her plight, but May honestly hadn't considered contacting anyone. She'd wanted to be left alone to worry about it herself, even if it got her nowhere.
'We're friends, he's like a brother to me!' May growled, sending the bluenette an angry glare.
'Oh, well that's a shame. That would have been great story for on BuzzNav,' Serena sighed, looking thoroughly disappointed.
'What's going on?' May scowled as she sent the two younger women an angry glare. Her friends weren't the type to make such statements without a reason, and now she was fearing the worst.
'Relax, they're just stating that it would have added some juice to your BuzzNav debut. After all, it has to happen soon, right? Brendan told us that the Hoenn Champion is paying you quite a bit of attention after you became Leader,' Misty grinned at the brunette, subtly kicking both Serena and Dawn in the shins under the white, metallic table at which they sat.
Thankfully, the brunette didn't notice the winces on their expressions as she digested Misty's response.
'He told you that? I thought that was normal for a new Gym Leader, though I don't think I'm very new anymore.' May squeaked, once again fighting a flush as she poked her fingers together subtly.
'Not really. I mean, I only had Joy from the Pokémon Inspection Agency come to process a routine check to make sure the Gym was up to scratch just before I arrived, though that had absolutely nothing to do with me. Other than that, Lance and I barely talk,' Misty shrugged as Iris returned to their table, pocketing a bill and sending a small wave to a woman hidden behind the newspaper, the same woman to witness May's encounter with Gary.
'So you don't have his number?' May frowned, poking her fingers together sheepishly, causing Serena to gasp at the news.
'What? Was it something I said?' May squeaked as Iris squealed, 'who gave May their number? Please tell me it's someone awesome! Come on May, do not let me down! I'm banking for an awesome person just because of Serena's reaction!'
'She only has the Hoenn Champion's number saved on her Xtransceiver. I don't see what the big deal is,' Misty sighed in a nonchalant manner, something which was extremely unlike her.
There was a moment of silence in which May glanced furtively around the table, noticing all of her friends were digesting the news, though she honestly didn't think it was such a scandal. What could there possibly be to discuss about this?
It started with Dawn, who let out a slight squeak, her expression unusually pale. Then there was Serena, whose eye twitched, Iris, who scratched her head in confusion before finally Misty broke it.
'WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, MAY?! YOU HAVE STEVEN STONE'S NUMBER AND YOU DON'T THINK THAT'S OF SIGNIFICANCE? WHEN AND WHERE DID THIS HAPPEN? WHY? HOW? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MANY PEOPLE IN HOENN, NO, KANTO, NO, JOHTO, OH JUST EVERYWHERE WOULD KILL TO HAVE HIS NUMBER?' Misty roared, her face flushed in an anger that May had usually managed to avoid.
May opened her mouth to respond, only to hear another friend yell, 'She's right. MAY! YOU'VE BEEN HOLDING OUT ON US! STEVEN STONE IS HOT AND YOU DIDN'T THINK THAT WE, YOUR BEST FRIENDS, WOULD WANT IN ON THIS INFORMATION?! THE MAN IS IN THE TOP TEN LIST OF BUZZNAV'S MOST ELIGIBLE BACHELOR! IF YOU DON'T WANT HIM, THAT'S FINE! LET ONE OF US AT LEAST HAVE A SHOT!'
'I—' May began once Dawn had finished, only to be cut off again.
'I'D LOVE TO HAVE DIANTHA'S NUMBER AND SHE'S NOT EVEN MALE! I AGREE WITH MISTY AND DAWN, TELL US!' Serena cried as well, closing her eyes and clenching her fist.
Opening her mouth, May was about to retort when she paused and glanced at Iris.
'What? I have Alder's number. Admittedly, he's not nearly as attractive or as young as Steven, but he's still a Champion who gave me his number,' Iris shrugged, causing the furious trio to fall from their chairs in disbelief.
'See? Iris understands me. Did he give it to you to keep in touch in case you needed help with anything for the Opelucid Academy?' May smiled at her Unovan friend who saw a waiter bring an ice cream to the woman behind them.
'What? No, you've got it wrong, May. He gave it to us ages ago to give to any attractive women. When he heard I was meeting Dawn, he also told me to ask Dawn to give it to Cynthia, since they're friends,' Iris laughed, shaking a hand in a dismissive manner.
'What? You have got to be kidding me, is Alder still after Cynthia?' Dawn laughed as she elegantly took her seat again, adjusting her hair slightly in a mirror she pulled out of an unseen pocket in her coat.
'You know Cynthia?' Serena gasped, clutching her hands together as she, too, sat down again.
With a laugh, Misty once again took her seat, shaking her head at Serena's admiration of the Champions.
'What's so funny?' Serena pouted, sending Misty a steely eyed glare.
'Cynthia, I've met her too. She's quite easy going as long as she doesn't need to make any decisions. Besides, Champions are easy enough to get a hold of if you know how. I'd still love to have Steven's number, though,' Misty chuckled as she ran a hand through her orange hair, creating some movement as she tried not to look too smug.
'Oh yeah? How would you know?' Serena retorted, causing May to frown at Dawn and Iris. They all knew about Serena and Misty's competition, which was initially catalysed by their shared affections for none other than Ash Ketchum. Whilst he was the one who had initially united them all, he'd also been the one to cause the biggest rift between the two women.
'Because I know someone who happens to be Lance's prodigy. She's to Kanto and Johto what Iris is to Unova, and possibly what May is now to Hoenn. Face it, if I wanted to arrange a meeting with Lance, I could through quite a few different channels, and only one of them is Ash,' Misty bragged, crossing her arms as her expression was filled with an unusually smug smirk.
'Hold it! We are here for May and do not need yet another discussion on Ash,' Dawn scowled as she glared between the two women, who sighed in response.
'So that means the only person here with no definite links to the Champion of their region is you,' Iris frowned to the Kalossian before clasping her hands before her lips, her eyes flickering with regret as Misty chuckled.
'Don't worry, Serena, what matters is what's in your heart. So Diantha hasn't noticed you enough to give you her number, that's no big deal. Make a name for yourself so she comes to you. What Misty says is right, she has access to Lance, but Champions are there to help the people as much as the Jennys and Joys are. Chin up, stay strong, and Xerneas will find a way to bring her into your life somehow,' May smiled, placing a hand on Misty's in silent apology for her words in aid of her friend's biggest rival.
'You sure seem to know what a Champion's job is. Are you sure there's nothing going on between you two?' Misty retorted, her pride wounded by May's betrayal. After all, the two had known each other the longest out of any of them.
Hearing this, May once again felt an unseemly blush fill her cheek as she focused her gaze on the table, not noticing a waiter as he brought out their glass bowls of ice cream.
She didn't lift her sapphire eyes as Misty offered her the ice cream Iris had chosen for her. Instead, May's mind were filled with Steven's light blue eyes and hair, as well as Wallace's indifferent turquoise eyes, his lips pulled into a frown.
'May, is everything ok?' Serena's voice called through her thoughts bringing her back into reality.
Shaking her head, May blinked, 'sorry, I was just thinking about things.'
'How's your dad?' Iris frowned, her expression troubled, assuming that May's thoughts had been preoccupied by the man.
Hearing the question she'd been fearing, May's breath hitched in her throat as her hands began to shake.
'I-I'm sorry. He's not well, the chemo and drugs aren't working. My brother's got a lot of work at the moment and I'm not sure if I should have him come home. He's worked so hard in the Ranger School that I'm not sure I could bear having him abandon it all like I did contests. Mum's not coping with the cancer and I just don't know what to do. Life wasn't meant to be this hard. I was meant to be a Top Coordinator, travel and try different foods and just be happy! I just feel like everything's falling apart no matter what I do!' May whispered as her eyes began to flood with even more tears.
'Oh honey,' Dawn gasped, as Misty lunged forward, pulling May into a tight hug as the Gym Leader once again let the tears out.
'No wonder Brendan contacted us,' Serena whispered as Iris scowled.
'Don't you dare do this, May!' Iris yelled as the older woman struggled with her tears.
'Iris!' Serena hissed, as May raised her head to meet the maroon eyed dragon lover, her tears halted by the sudden exclamation.
'W-what?' May choked, her voice gone again.
'Don't you dare do this! Your father is in that hospital struggling to stay alive for you and your family! Don't you dare just give up hope now when he needs it most! Turn to Arceus if you need to, or pray to Xerneas that Yveltal doesn't take your father now when you need him most. I know what it feels like to have Darkrai controlling your life with his dark phase in the new moon, but I'm telling you that Cresselia will be with you soon, renewing your hope and gracing you with good luck!' Iris lectured, standing up for added effect as she stared at her sobbing friend.
'Iris is right. Now is the time you need to ask for help. I'll see if I can find Uxie so your doctor may have the knowledge to heal your father. Even if I can't, I'll try to contact Mesprit to ease your emotional pain and Azelf to strengthen not just your resolve, but also that of your family. If I need to I'll also ask Dialga for time for your father, May,' Dawn growled, her expression filled with a determination as the group of friends considered her brown haired friend.
'I'd love to say a list of pokémon like Iris and Dawn, but all I can say is that I can hope Ho-Oh will grant you and your family happiness. Either way, I honestly hope that everything goes well for you all. Losing a parent isn't something anyone wants to experience, ever,' Misty murmured as she rubbed her friend's back gently.
'Losing anyone is a terrible feeling,' Serena agreed, surprising the others by the ease with which she agreed with Misty, who also looked slightly surprised by this.
'It's ok, I'm sure things will improve, May,' Misty reassured her younger friend, whose makeup had smeared with her tears.
'I hope so,' May responded before rubbing her eyes on the back of her hand, only to see the black smudge of mascara.
'Oh no, I've ruined all of your hard work!' May groaned, much to her friend's apprehension.
'Don't worry, I'll fix that for you,' Dawn grinned before rushing over to her friend and reapplying her face, barely giving the woman the time to protest.
'There, you look beautiful. If Drew won't have you, he doesn't deserve you. Especially when you look this good,' Dawn winked, noticing the brunette's wince at the man's name.
'Don't worry about what Dawn said, she didn't mean to bring up bad memories,' Serena offered May a small smile, though the sapphire eyed woman didn't respond to her, her expression troubled.
'Please, we all know that that Oddish brain has no idea what he's lost,' Misty scoffed before turning her attention to the melting bowls of ice cream before her.
'Now May, we're going to eat this deliciousness and you're going to enjoy it, got it?' Misty scowled at the younger woman, who let out a weak laugh at her cerulean gaze on the food before them.
'Yes, if the food of the legendaries can't help you feel better then nothing will!' Dawn cheered before taking her spoon and digging in, her faux cheer unnoticed by May.
Nibbling slowly on her pecha berry flavour, May cleared her throat, glancing at Iris, whose expression was troubled as she, too, ate her ice cream.
'Congratulations, Iris, you guessed my favourite flavour,' May offered her friend, who grinned at the news.
'Of course, if it's one thing I know, it's my berries! Besides, pecha is sweet and helps detox the poisons from your body,' Iris boasted, puffing her chest out with pride.
'Yes, if Cilan was here he'd say you're a connoisseur, right?' Serena teased, sending May a subtle wink as her PokéNav Plus began to vibrate in her pocket.
Glancing at it, May saw that another Coordinator's tabloid, one that she had subscribed to in order to keep up with Coordinating trends as well as for news on her friends, had just released a story on Drew and the mystery woman.
Switching the application off, May offered her friends a sad smile before scooping another mouth of ice cream into her mouth.
'I know, how many of you have spoken to Ash lately?' Iris questioned as the group fell silent, appearing to have run out of things to say.
'Well, I haven't spoken to him since my dad became sick,' May frowned as she glanced around her friends.
'I haven't really spoken to him since he went to Kalos,' Misty grimaced, glancing at her hands so she didn't see the devious smirk which filled Serena's expression.
'Even I haven't spoken to him since I started my journey through Kanto,' Dawn muttered, her countenance deep in thought.
'Am I the only one he still talks to regularly?' Serena questioned, though her tone sounded quite proud.
'By the sound of it, yes,' Dawn thought as May's sapphire eyes flickered to Misty's distraught ones.
'Then let's call him,' the Hoenn woman suggested, her expression determined. While she did like Serena, she couldn't help but empathise with Misty's sudden quiet demeanour. If she could at least help her friend reunite with her fellow Kanto native, then May would consider their unplanned meeting an accomplishment.
'All right, let's do this,' Dawn grinned, pulling out her Xtransceiver and dialling a number.
'Hello?' The familiar voice of Ash Ketchum, aspiring Pokémon Master, sounded out on the phone.
'Ash Ketchum, what in Arceus' name do you think you're doing?' Dawn glowered, her voice sounding angrier than May had heard in quite a while.
'W-what? Who is this?' Ash questioned, his voice sounding unusually uneasy at the suddenly angry tone on the other end of his device.
'What do you mean 'who is this?' How many people would call you at—where are you anyway?' Misty glowered, her face pulled in a furious snarl May knew all too well.
'Please, he's such a kid, trust him not to know who's calling him,' Iris scoffed, waving her hand in an admonishing manner.
'W-What? Dawn? Iris? Mist?' Ash yelped as a loud crash sounded in the background, followed by a 'pika pi!'
'Hi Pikachu! It's been so long, I've missed you!' Misty's voice grinned into the phone, her cerulean eyes sparkling with a light May hadn't seen in quite some time.
'Cha!' Pikachu responded as Ash's voice groaned in the background.
'Did Pikachu just use an attack on you, Ash?' May giggled, deciding to weigh in on the conversation.
'Well yeah, I fell off my chair and right onto him. Sorry about that, buddy,' Ash's voice spoke as the girls began to giggle.
'So wait, what're you all doing together? Why wasn't I invited? And what's with the blocked ID that you're using to contact me?' Ash's voice scowled as the women suddenly became increasingly interested in their ice cream.
'The ID is blocked? Oh man, I thought I fixed that glitch in my application! Uhhh, I'll have to ask Kenny for help after all!' Dawn's voice whined as she began to fumble with the device.
'We decided to go out for a girl's night, or day, rather. Do you have a problem with that?' Serena questioned, her tone laced with innocence as she watched the bluenette woman struggle with her Xtransceiver.
'Please, I'm sure Ashley would like to join us. After all, she dresses up quite well,' Iris giggled, her expression one of goading as she winked at May.
'Ashley? Oh Mew, Ash did you dress up again?' Misty's voice giggled as Serena frowned, apparently not appreciating being out of the loop in this situation.
'W-what?! Iris! That's 'cos you made me! The next time I see you, you will regret it! I can't believe you told everyone!' Ash's voice growled as his starter pokémon could be heard laughing in the background.
'Wait, he's dressed up for you too?' Iris beamed at the Kanto native, who grinned in response.
'You bet, to get into a gym. It was hilarious,' Misty giggled as the two ignored Ash's empty threats.
'Hey Ash, when will we be seeing you again? Or should I call you Ashley?' Dawn winked at May once she placed the device back on the table.
'Hey!' Ash's voice roared as Pikachu could be heard laughing in the background, apparently enjoying the teasing his trainer was receiving.
'Ladies, please, ganging up on someone is bullying!' May sighed, pulling their attention to herself.
'Thank you, May, I knew I could count on you to be a true friend!' Ash grinned as May smiled.
'Thanks Ashley. When did you say you'd be visiting us again?' May giggled as she just picture Ash falling to the ground in defeat.
'What? May, I can't believe you! Pikachu, at least I can always count on you when the women start going crazy!' Ash's voice scowled into the device.
'I wouldn't be so sure about that. Pikachu, we have ketchup,' Misty teased, flashing a challenging look to the Kalossian woman before her.
Hearing Pikachu cry out in eager delight, May couldn't help but giggle as her own Xtransceiver began to ring.
Glancing down at the phone, May saw a number she was becoming increasingly familiar with.
'Excuse me, I have to take this,' May grimaced as she pulled her chair from the table.
Hearing the choruses of catcalls which followed her, May poked her tongue out at her friends and paced away, barely hearing Ash voice his confusion at May's sudden disappearance.
Please do let me know what you think, I did have fun writing this chapter and teasing Ash.