Hope you enjoy reading this update. It's a bit longer than normal :)
Chapter 22
Sitting in the back of the car, May noted with some anxiety the older man's apprehension. He didn't say anything, but she noticed the way his eyes strained whenever he glanced at her, and couldn't help but wonder why.
'So, where are we going?' May asked as she played with the pokéballs she'd collected from an irritable Brendan.
'Slateport City. My father said you would have to visit the area, and I needed some assistance with surveying a building. Under normal circumstances, I'd ask Wallace, but he's said he's too busy, so he has suggested I enlist your assistance. He believes that you will be able to utilise the space better than any,' Steven explained, his steel blue eyes intent upon the world outside. His tone surprised her, it was grim and not at all inflected with its usual air of confident politeness.
'I can help?' May frowned at the man, flushing at his positive words. Wondering why else she would be in Slateport, she briefly recalled the Devon Parts she had. With a flush, she whispered, 'I do need to be in Slateport! Do you know where Stern's Shipyard is?'
The man chuckled once before saying, 'yes, I'm sure you can. Now, I'd take you to the building myself, but I'm required in another part of Slateport fine.'
'That's fine, I'll help you when you're ready,' May grinned up at him as her eyes caught sight of Slateport's infamous beach. Ignoring the way her heart throbbed in her chest at being back here of all places, May sent the man an eager smile. He didn't need to know the pain this place brought her, especially in light of recent events.
In response, the man sent her an appraising glance before the sound of his Xtransceiver could be heard.
'This is Steven,' the man answered in a smooth voice, before May could hear an excited feminine voice rattling down the line faster than even Dawn could. Whilst she tried her best not to focus on the man's conversation, she couldn't help but wonder who the woman was, and what her relationship was with the man.
Realising that she knew next to nothing about the man, May hesitantly turned her attention to her own device. Blinking, she felt surprised when she saw her face on her BuzzNav feed, laughing at one or another thing Iris had said. Whilst she looked good, she could tell that something wasn't quite right.
With a pout, she turned her device off and stuffed it in her small carry bag. Anyone who knew her would know that she was not her usual self and that something was very, very wrong. She only hoped that her family didn't see those images, otherwise she'd be in trouble.
Seeing the car come to a stop outside the Shipyard, May glanced once at Steven before stepping out of the vehicle.
'I'll see you at the Contest Hall when you're done,' Steven nodded curtly before she shut the door behind her, still in contact with the strange woman who was a worse Rotom mouth than Dawn.
Watching the silver car drive off, it took May a moment to suppress the feeling of déjà-vu at the reality of being back in Slateport. Blinking as she focused on her whereabouts, she saw the railings around the yard, the same design as the one Drew had leant on when she first met him. Feeling a painful pang in her chest, May shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts.
'Come on, May, you can do this,' she reminded herself before clenching her fists and walking towards the large steel structure. The building itself was an imposing obstruction on the otherwise pristine view, but she tried not to focus on just how uneasy she felt about doing this. How was she meant to find Mr Stern in such a large building and meet Steven at the Contest Hall in a reasonable fashion? She sorely wished someone was there to help her. The thought alone brought up painful memories of Drew, in which he helped guide her through Contests and gave her those roses she'd secretly wanted to keep forever.
Pushing aside those thoughts, May reminded herself that the man was not only absent, but also happy with another. She wasn't going to harm herself further by mooning over him if she could help it.
Walking into the shipyard, she ignored the men who paused in their movements to eye her, clearly appraising her physique. Instead, she surveyed her surroundings briefly before seeing one man return to his work. Deciding that he was her best opportunity at ascertaining where Mr Stern would be, she walked over to him.
'Excuse me sir, where would I find Stern?' May asked one fellow, whose black hair was styled in a vertical line above his head.
'He's usually upstairs, in the office, miss,' the man responded, elbowing his friend who'd opened his mouth to say something.
'Thank you,' May smiled back before walking up the stairs. She tried not to think about the way the men were staring at her, nor the way her boots clicked on the cement ground. If anything, she focused straight ahead, past the men working on steel parts and the like, and onto an iron-worked staircase, embedded into the side of the building.
Reaching the steps, May held the handle unsteadily as she walked up the stairs, her footsteps echoing in her mind. She wasn't going to focus on how alone she was, surrounded by strangers. Instead, she was going to focus on the matter at hand—the Devon Parts she had to deliver.
Knocking on the door, May saw it open to reveal a balding man leaning over a mechanical contraption.
'Umm, if this goes here, and that goes over there... Then where does this thing go? And what about that other doohickey? Aaargh! I can't make heads or tails of this !' The man scowled, causing the younger woman to blink in clear surprise.
Appearing to have finally registered her entrance, the man blinked at her in clear surprise.
She hesitated once before asking, 'excuse me, but I was looking for Mr Stern. I have a parcel for him from Mr Stone.'
When the man simply stared at her, she brought out a small brown package from her bag.
'Hmm? You... Oh, sorry, I'm Dock. Captain Stern commissioned me to draw up designs for a ferry. Oh! Those parts you have... Those are the Devon Parts! But... hmm... This won't do... I guess Captain Stern is probably off at the Oceanic Museum again... Sorry, but could I ask you to find the captain and give the parts to him? ' The man questioned, his eyes lingering on the item he was fiddling with.
'Oh, all right,' May murmured, flushing as she began to walk away, hurriedly returning the parts to her bag before walking down the steps she'd clambered up.
Once she was outside the warehouse, she frowned and glanced around her. Seeing nothing but the ocean to her left, she opted to turn to her right.
Following her rough memory of the layout of Slateport, May found herself at the Oceanic Museum, recognising its dome shaped structure.
Walking into the foyer, May heard someone call out, 'excuse me, please go through reception!'
Blinking, she walked up to the blonde woman behind the counter, 'entry into the Oceanic Museum is 50 poké dollars. Would you like to enter?'
'Actually, I just need to talk to Mr Stern,' May offered, only to see the woman's flat stare.
With a sigh, she forked out the cash and walked into the pristine building. Seeing various models around the room, she read the sign in one of the glass display cases, 'It's a Fossil with wavy ridges on it. Soil on the ocean floor gets scoured by the tide. The flowing seawater marks the soil with small ridges and valleys. If this soil becomes fossilized, it is called a ripple mark.'
Glancing at a ball, she saw it shrink and expand, depending on the pressure of the compartment it was in. She saw a sample of dirt from the ocean floor, displaying its stratified dirt types, and skimmed the passage there before seeing steps.
Climbing up the steps, May smiled hesitantly at the group of people who walked down the stairs, noting their harassed expressions. Something must be happening upstairs for that many people to leave at once.
Telling herself that she was imagining things, May let out an eager cry when she saw a model of the Hoenn Region at the top of the stairs. Leaning over it, she saw a miniscule version of Petalburg City, though Littleroot Town wasn't even visible on the map.
Taking a quick snap of it on BuzzNav, she sent it to Brendan going, 'where's Littleroot? I can't quite find it in Petalburg's shadow!'
The man retorted almost instantly, 'where's the awesome professor who hands out pokémon? Oh, sorry, you're not entitled to one with that attitude!'
'I love you too, diaper buddy,' May responded, sending him emojis with kissing faces.
'Yeah, now you grovel,' the man retorted, though she knew that his pride was wounded. She walked past a group who were wearing outfits that reminded May of Team Aqua. Shaking the thought away, she glanced past them to the water samples from various regions before spotting Mr Stern on the other side of the room.
Walking over to the man, May called out, 'excuse me, Mr Stern!'
Seeing the man with dark brown hair and black eyes glance at her, she was surprised by how youthful he appeared.
'Yes? If you're looking for Stern, that would be me,' the man smiled down at her, his exterior as strict as his name.
'I was asked by Mr Stone to give you these,' May said before handing him the Devon Parts.
'Ah! Those must be the parts I ordered from Mr. Stone at Devon. Thank you for bringing the case all this way. Now we can prepare for our expedition at last!' The man beamed, his exterior becoming one of glee.
'Hah hah hah hah…' a cold voice laughed behind her, causing May to turn around to stare at the two Team Aqua Grunts that were blocking their escape from their corner.
'Just a moment! We'll be taking those parts!' A cold man sneered, causing May to blink in disbelief.
'Wh-what was that? Who are you people?!' Mr Stern yelled as he clutched the parts to his chest.
'We are Team Aqua!' The Grunt scoffed, rolling his eyes slightly.
'Our boss has need of the parts in that case, so relinquish it to us at once!' The second Grunt hissed before throwing their pokéballs into the air.
Taking hold of her own pokéballs, May threw two in the air, revealing Beldum and Shroomish.
'Carvanha, use bite!' The first Grunt cried as the second said, 'Zubat, use wing attack!'
'Beldum, iron head that Zubat, Shroomish, use absorb on that Carvanha!' May called out, not even bothering with her usual catch cries.
Her two pokémon didn't hesitate before executing their actions, Beldum closing its eye before colliding painfully with Zubat's wing as Shroomish flinched at its opponent's bite attack.
'Come on guys, you can do this! Beldum, iron defence and Shroomish, you use absorb again!' May called out, seeing her pokémon rush forward.
'Zubat, supersonic!' The Grunt retorted as his companion cried out, 'Carvanha, bite again!'
'Dodge it and use your attacks!' May cried out as her pokémon moved forward again.
Beldum was hit dead on by Zubat's soundwave attack as Shroomish's grass type attack caused Carvanha to stop in its tracks.
'Keep going, Shroomish! Beldum, use hold back!' May cried, though her pokémon fumbled to the ground, hurting itself.
'Carvanha, use aqua jet!' One of the Grunts cried as the other one hissed, 'wing attack, Zubat!'
'Dodge it and carry on with your attacks!' May called out as Beldum struggled to aim, though, thankfully, hit the Zubat's wing with its attack. Shroomish, meanwhile, replenished her overall health.
May saw Shroomish be hit head on by the water type attack as Beldum managed to counteract Zubat's wing attack.
'Zubat, you'd better succeed this time! Leech life, go!' The Grunt snarled as the other one roared, 'Carvanha, use aqua jet and hit them hard this time!'
'No you don't, Shroomish use absorb again! Beldum, iron head again!' May retaliated, grimacing as she considered Mr Stern's presence behind her. From what she could see, he had no pokémon of his own to defend himself.
Her pokémon didn't hesitate in executing their actions, effectively injuring Zubat so it couldn't fly, and hitting Carvanha critically so it fainted too.
'Zubat, return! Go, Carvanha!' The Grunt snarled as the other Grunt saw
'Absurd! I was beaten by this child? This is quite disastrous. At this rate, I will become the target of the boss' fury!' The first Grunt hissed as the second growled, 'My, you really are incompetent… I suggest you observe while a future Ace Grunt of Team Aqua makes short work of this infant. Carvanha, use aqua tail!'
'No you don't! Beldum, I want you to use hold back, Shroomish, absorb again!' May responded, her eyes narrowed in dislike.
'I can't lose this, or the boss will have my hide. Carvanha, bite!' The Grunt scowled, though May retorted, 'hit it before it can warm up! Use your attacks again, guys!'
Her pokémon utilised their attacks perfectly, effectively knocking her opponent out in their combination attack.
'Could it be?' The Aqua Grunt grimaced before recalling his pokémon. 'How could a future Ace Grunt of Team Aqua be defeated? Wh-what should we do now? We must obtain that case at once!'
'Hmph… I would never have posited that a mere child would prove such an obstacle,' the other Grunt agreed, before the sound of a rolling step could be heard. Almost immediately, they both turned to the entrance to the room, looking scared.
'What do we have here? I came to see what was taking so long just to steal a few parts, and I find you simps getting beat by this kid?' A deep voice growled, sending a shiver of fear down May's spine.
Recalling her own pokémon, May reminded herself that Steven was in the city, and she could get Mr Stern to contact him on her Xtransceiver if she was truly desperate for help. Glancing back at the man in question, she saw his eyes widen with an unmistakable fear, and did her best to appease the man by exuding a confidence that was completely feigned.
When the owner of the gruff voice stood before her, she noticed with a sceptical glance the man's buff exterior, a trademark Team Aqua scarf on his head. His black eyes narrowed in anger as he focused on her, appearing unconcerned by his tight fitting blue cloak, which was ragged on its edged. He crossed his arms once, not only flexing his muscles, but also holding a giant gold chain closer to his chest. He wore what appeared to be a wetsuit under his tattered dark blue shorts, though May averted her gaze upon realising how little it hid of th man's toned legs.
'Hey, I'm no kid, who do you think you are?' May scowled as she digested his words, forgetting momentarily that she was at a grave disadvantage, especially with Stern having no pokémon of his own.
'Heh! That's quite a fierce expression for such a wee little scamp. That face tells me you're not just another mindless Trainer brat. The name is Archie. The rough-looking lot you see here are members of my team―Team Aqua. So tell me, boyo… Do you know that pokémon, people, and all life in this world depend on the sea for life?' The man questioned, his eyes glancing at the older man behind May before dismissing him completely and leaning in closer to May, the scent of the salty sea air and whisky filling her nose.
Holding back a snarl at being called boyo, May hissed, 'of course I know that! We all need water to survive, don't we? The oceans are the largest mass of water there is on this planet!'
'That's right. The sea is an irreplaceable treasure for every living thing on this planet. But with our selfish extravagance, humanity dirties the great ocean, destroying this source of all life… Day by day, we're all destroying our most precious resource! If we humans suffer from our actions, well, maybe we'll end up getting what we deserve. But what about the pokémon in our world? The pokémon that no longer have a place to live because we stole and soiled their seas? The pokémon that won't have a place to raise their young and watch them grow? We are creating a world in which innocent pokémon suffer as a result of our actions… And that is something that I can't forgive! That's why I came to a decision, see? The foolish actions of my fellow humans, the seas we have blighted, nature itself… I will return everything to its unspoiled beginnings!' The man said, clenching his fist before him as he spoke, his eyes alight with a fury that left May feeling extremely apprehensive.
When she didn't respond to his words, simply arching a cool eyebrow at him, the man continued, '… Heh! It's not like me to talk so much. Never mind, little scamp… I'll withdraw for now and leave you be. But understand this… Get in my way again, and you won't walk away unscathed next time. Remember that, at least!'
With a frown, May didn't respond to him, turning her attention to the wide eyed man near her. Vaguely, she heard Archie call out, 'we're moving out, lads!'
'Young lady... Ah, May, is it? That was quite a tense situation! Thank you for helping me out! Oh, yes, I almost forgot that you brought the parts from Devon!' Mr Stern grinned at her, with the same childish glee she'd seen earlier.
'It's no trouble at all,' May chuckled, feeling touched by just how grateful the man was.
'This is it! I can't be standing around here! It's finally time for us to set out on our ocean-floor expedition! Thanks for this, and excuse me!' The man grinned before rushing out of the floor, leaving May to chuckle by herself at his antics.
She was about to leave to head to the Contest Hall when another person entered her vision. His step was brisk and light, his hands clasped behind his back and his red hair, which was slicked back over his head, hung loosely around his neck.
He wore thick rimmed glasses and had a strict expression, and his coat and pants were a deep red. He had the distinctive smell of cigarettes on his breath as he leaned closer to May, appraising her as he blocked her access to the stairs.
Upon realising that he wasn't going to move out of her way, May frowned, 'excuse me, but I'd like to go downstairs. I have to meet someone somewhere.'
'Hmm. Whoever you are meeting can wait,' the man sneered, his eyes scrutinising her face, filled with a cold demeanour that left May's mouth feeling parched. In spite of that, she held her own, refusing to budge an inch from her position. The man had no right to block off her escape in a public forum like the museum, and she'd rather battle him than let him win.
In a soft voice, he continued, 'I see, though you are but a child, your eyes tell me of your fierce determination. My heart is pounding in my chest... Yes, I think I can see why those lowly Grunts could not stand one minute against you. I am called Maxie. I stand as the head of Team Magma, a noble organization whose goal is to propel humanity to even greater heights of progress and evolution. Indeed. And you are one of the young persons who may shape our society's future. Considering that fact, I believe I shall educate you in the ways of the world. The land... It is the stage upon which humanity stands. The land exists so we humans might continue onward and upward, stepping into the future... For us to continue growing and evolving, humans require a grand stage upon which to stand. A land upon which we can stride forward... A land we can explore... develop... exploit... This is the basis for the growth of all human endeavour. That is why we, Team Magma, must increase the landmass of the world! Believe that this will lead to a future of eternal happiness for humanity... And consequently for all life!'
Considering the lengthy speech she'd just received from Archie, May wasn't all too impressed by the man's eloquent and softly spoken words. Rather than respond to him, she sent him a flat stare, hoping he would hurry his tedious soliloquy along so she could meet Steven and be rid of the insane men that seemed to frequent the Oceanic Museum. She almost felt sorry for Stern and Dock, though doubted they knew the creeps who insisted on assaulting her ears with blatantly biased propaganda.
The man seemed to notice her impatient scowl. With a huff, he continued, 'humph. I suppose the concept may still be too difficult for a child to comprehend. Is that the case? At least I have tried to open your mind. I will take my leave for now. I suggest you take care that you never again stand against Team Magma. I will not be so lenient next time. I implore you to remember that.'
With a glower, May muttered to herself, 'do all these insufferable men look at all women as children or what? Just because I don't agree with either of these fools doesn't mean I'm going to be risqué enough to try and stand up to them again.'
The man sent her one last glance before saying, 'we are done here.'
'Thank Lugia for that,' May muttered to herself as she walked down the steps. She frantically hoped that she wasn't keeping the Champion waiting for too long.