Hi all,
Here's the latest update for May, Gym Leader. Hope you enjoy the latest chapter :)
Chapter 23Taking a moment to enjoy the sea breeze, May did her best to avoid remembering the words of either Archie or Maxie. To her, both land and water were needed for survival. It was all well and good to have all water and no land, but how would they have crops to survive? As for requiring more land than water, the same theory applied, bar with water. If those two self-proclaimed educated men really meant well, they would talk to any of the specialists and ask them about the water cycle and what the planet really needed.
Pushing aside such negative thoughts, she headed towards the Contest Hall, noticing its bright red walls almost instantly. It looked different, more modern, and she couldn't help but like it.
'Wow, they really changed the place,' May muttered to herself until she noticed a large crowd growing outside the doors.
'Is that all for Steven? I didn't think he'd be the type to like crowds,' the woman muttered to herself before walking forward.
'Hiiiiii, ev-er-y-bo-dy! Lisia here! Me and my Altaria, Ali, have come to Slateport City's Contest Spectacular Hall for a bit of FUN!' An effeminate voice giggled endearingly, causing May to almost turn back. She didn't need any more people chatting her ear off, especially after Archie and Maxie. However, the thought of Steven waiting inside spurned her on.
Ignoring the people as they cheered for Lisia—whoever she was, May thought she had something to do with Contests, though she really only followed the trends to find news on her rivals. May tried to snake her way through the crowd, muttering apologies along the way.
'Well then, watch me as I dive right in again today!' The woman grinned, causing May to glance at her. Seeing her turquoise hair and eyes, styled in perfect waves around her face, May noticed her deep blue corset and white gloves, cut in a way which exposed her bellybutton. Her skirt was ruffled and she wore mini blue booties to match. All in all, she was as stylish as May had been dressed that morning.
Beside her was an Altaria, whose cotton-looking wings glowed, almost reflecting her blue feathers. The pokémon itself sparked May's memory, causing her to recall that Lisia was a new brand of Contest Star, a Contest Spectacular Idol. She didn't know how she felt about the new title for this woman, but decided she couldn't exactly put a stop to it.
Pointing to her pokémon, the young woman cried, 'dazzling, dizzying, doldrums defying!'
'I'll give her points for her alliteration,' May muttered to herself as she took out her Xtransceiver, hoping to contact the Champion to ascertain his whereabouts. She wasn't going to find him anytime soon with this woman attracting all of her attention, as well as blocking entry to the Contest Hall.
Again, her voice sliced through May's mind, calling out, 'and now it's time for… Lisia's... Miraculous... Contest Scouting!'
'Lisia's what?' May questioned a little too noisily, ignoring the disbelieving glances she was getting from the others around her.
With an extravagant flourish that would have left even Wallace impressed, the woman continued, 'all righty! I'm going to bring another fantastic Trainer into the wild world of contesting! Eenie... meenie... miney...'
Meeting the woman's turquoise eyes, May saw the young woman's face become filled with shock before she began beaming even more—not that she'd thought that was possible.
'You there, watching me with that baffled expression on your face! Hi! Have you never joined in a Contest?' The woman grinned, pointing directly at May, who floundered slightly.
Feeling extremely self-conscious as everyone's eyes turned to her, May made an uncommitted noise, her Xtransceiver still in her hand.
'Excellent! That's just what I want to hear!' The woman continued before stepping forward and grabbing the Johto woman's hand in her own, completely disregarding her Xtransceiver.
Finding herself awkwardly standing beside the woman, May flushed as Lisia continued, 'then let's get this show on the road! This is the Trainer I'm gonna scout today! And her name is...'
Realising that she was meant to say her name, May muttered, 'May.'
'May! When I took a good look, I could easily see that May is a powerful Trainer, probably with several Badges of her own already! May, you can enjoy Contest Spectaculars at the Pokémon Contest Hall right here,' Lisia continued, not at all perturbed as May saw some of the people in the crowd send her contemplative glances, apparently recognising her from somewhere.
Feeling her heart pound in her chest, May frantically hoped that they didn't remember her. She didn't know if she could return to Contests, that part of her life was closed off, as surely as her friendship with Harley and Drew. That thought sent another painful pang in her chest, but she tried not to show it.
'Now listen up, because I don't just want to see you making your pokémon strong. I want to see you bringing out a whole new brilliant side of them to show off! So here you go! Take these! This is a Contest Pass, which is the first thing that anyone needs to take part in a Contest Spectacular! And this one is a pokéblock kit, which will let you make pokéblocks for your pokémon out of berries!' Lisia grinned at May, who was staring at the all too familiar Contest Pass of Hoenn, as well as an updated pokéblock kit which was compact. The design of the Contest Pass hadn't changed at all, and she was struggling not to throw it away.
'May's story begins today! Yep! And this chapter should be titled... "A Sudden Encounter! Miraculous Contest Scouting!" That's what I'd call it! Now, everybody out there watching... You'd better expect great things from May, because I do! That's it for today's Lisia's Miraculous Contest Scouting! See you all next time!' The woman winked all too endearingly before taking May's arm and dragging her inside the revamped building.
Finding herself inside the brand new foyer of the Slateport City Contest Hall, May blinked as she saw Steven standing in the very centre of it, looking mildly surprised by her somewhat harassed expression, as well as Lisia's eager grin.
'May, if you feel up for it, try your hand in a contest for me, OK? Tee-hee!' Lisia giggled before sending Steven a knowing glance.
'I see you've met Lisia,' Steven considered, his voice inflected with the subtlest hint of amusement.
'Err, yes, just now outside,' May said as an unseemly flush filled her face. She couldn't help but wonder how the two extremely different people had met, though decided not to pry.
'Thiiiis iiis May, she's my latest recruit from Lisia's Miraculous Contest Scouting!' Lisia grinned with a flourish, causing May's flush to deepen.
'That would be great, except May already has a Contest Pass for Hoenn, and was quite successful if Wallace's words are to be believed,' Steven chuckled as his steel blue eyes flickered from one of the women to the other.
'Oh! You know my uncle? May, I'm so sorry! Thanks for playing along back there! I guess it was quite the shock, huh?' Lisia gasped as May muttered assurances that it was fine.
'Excellent, but don't mind the drama from back there! Contests are really fantastic, you know! I'm suuure you're hooked on them too!' Lisia beamed at May, whose expression dampened visibly.
'Yes, I'm sure,' May mumbled as Steven cleared his throat nervously.
'Lisia, May is here as a personal favour to me. I know we needed someone to test the lighting and sound for before the Contest starts, so I asked May to come here,' the man said, his expression perfectly impassive.
Considering the events of earlier, May grimaced, 'I'll go to the stage. Let me know when you want me to start.'
'Thank you, May,' the Champion smiled as his companion opened and closed her mouth, appearing uncertain of what to say. May couldn't help but smugly think that it was the most silent the woman had been since their encounter.
Rather than taunt the younger woman, May sent her a small smile before walking towards the suddenly intimidating stage, climbing up the steep tile steps.
Standing at the familiar curtains, May glanced out at the empty seats. This was part of the whole she was missing, the other part being her family and friends. Seeing Steven and Lisia take a seat at the centre of the aisle, she heard him call, 'whenever you're ready, May.'
Taking in a breath, she tried not to focus on what she was going to do. She hadn't practiced an appeal, but knew she was expected to make one on the spot. Furthermore, she and her pokémon were out of shape. Ignoring the Beautiflies and Butterfrees in her stomach at her impromptu act before such prestigious members of the Hoenn pokémon community, she stepped forward and into the bright spotlight.
Twirling on the spot, May called out, 'Beautifly and Blaziken, take the stage!'
With a trill, Beautifly came out of her pokéball, scattering shiny dust around her as she twirled above a ready Blaziken.
'All right, I know this has been a while, but we're not going to back down from the challenge! Beautifly, Silverwind and Blaziken, flamethrower! See if you can create something spectacular!' May called to her pokémon, hoping that this worked.
Her pokémon let out eager cries before launching their attacks, Beautifly's wind shaping the fire to create something that appeared to look like a wave.
'All right, let's role with this, Blaziken use blaze kick to scatter those flames! Beautifly, use psychic to make them float once Blaziken reignites them!' May cried, not noticing as another person entered the hall, shaking Steven's hand eagerly.
'Now Blaziken, finish it off with overheat, Beautifly, you use morning sun!' May called again, her eyes fixed on her pokémon as she struggled to contain her smile, seeing Blaziken's fire attack swallow up the flames as Beautifly rested on his head, sparkling effortlessly as she regained her health.
Hearing the sound of people clapping, May flushed as she saw not just Lisia and Steven, but Brawly as well in the seats.
'May! Wow! Gratz! I watched it all! You were great!' Lisia beamed eagerly as Steven sent May a small smile, though she again noticed the apprehension in his eyes.
'Thank you,' May said with a flush as she petted her pokémon affectionately, pleased by how well their contest appeal went.
'So will you be going around Hoenn again to compete in Contests? I heard there's a new one opening right in LaRousse City!' Lisia beamed, barely noticing as May flinched at the name of Drew's hometown.
'No, thank you. This is great, and I miss it, I really do, but I have duties to attend to. I can't just throw it all away for my selfish hobbies,' May chuckled, though she knew it sounded flat.
'Nonsense, babe, you were great out there!' Brawly huffed at her, causing her to smile a little more brightly.
'Brawly is right. You do have a gift for Contests. If you don't want to leave the Gym, I understand, but you can always do what Fantina does and do both of them together?' Steven offered, his expression more relaxed than before.
'Thank you Steven, but I can't. My rivals have all moved on to bigger, better things, and I don't want to start off again. Besides, my place is in Petalburg,' May said as she bowed, aware of her pokémons' sad eyes on her.
'Babe, you can get new rivals. I don't say such high praise often, but you were amazing out there,' Brawly said, glancing at his companions in disbelief.
'I could, but I don't want to,' May shrugged slightly as her Blaziken huffed in disgust.
'Don't you get all disgruntled with me, Blaziken! Do you think it's fair on Lapras, Roserade or Cacturne?' May hissed at her pokémon, her sapphire eyes narrowed in anger. With a glower, she continued, 'what about Pikachu or Ludicolo?'
Hearing this, Blaziken hung his head slightly, causing the brunette to mutter, 'I thought so.'
Sadly, Beautifly trilled her name, though neither of her friends responded.
Recalling the events which had occurred in the Oceanic Museum, May grimaced, 'Steven, could I have a discussion with you? It's about that thing your father asked me to do.'
Hearing this, Steven's eyebrows rose slightly before he stood up in a fluid movement.
Silently suppressing her jealousy at the confident man's prowess, May saw him glance at his companions. In a polite tone, he said, 'Lisia, I'm afraid I'll have to cut this short. I'll be back as soon as I can, but I'll let your uncle know I might be late for our plans later tonight. Brawly, did you see what I meant about how a performance with pokémon can give you a different perspective too?'
'Yeah, dude, it was rad. I didn't know May had that in her,' Brawly chuckled as he sent May a subtle wink, though she busied herself by returning her pokémon, hoping the others didn't notice her flushed face.
'May is a-maz-ing! She looks like she was born for Contests!' Lisia grinned as she focused her intense turquoise eyes on May.
Feeling the blood once again rush to her face, May glanced at her feet, almost jumping when Steven placed an arm on her upper back to lead her away from the others.
'If you have plans with Lisia and Wallace, I can tell you later,' May blurted out anxiously, struggling to fight down a flush. She honestly didn't want to impose on the duo, not if she could help it.
Rather than accept her response, the man mused, 'Lisia is a lovely young woman, but she needs to associate with people closer to her age. While I'd love to wait with her for Wallace to tend to his business elsewhere, you have actually done us both a favour.'
Feeling her eyes widen at the admission, May questioned, 'don't you two get along?'
'Quite the contrary, Lisia and I get along very well, just like I get along with the rest of Wallace's family that I've had the pleasure of meeting. However, Lisia's never had much of a chance to socialise with others her age. She spent most of her time training with Wallace to learn all there was about Contests. From my understanding, she has a brother who underwent similar training, but he only learnt the basics from Wallace. The rest, he wanted to learn by himself,' Steven responded as his eyes glanced at Brawly and Lisia, entering into a tentative conversation.
'You do care for her, though. Are you worried Brawly will hurt her?' May asked, trying not to smile up at the man's hidden side that she was seeing for the first time. She'd suspected that he wasn't as distant to others as he portrayed to be.
The man sent May a glance she couldn't read before he said, 'it's not her I'm worried about.'
Hearing this, May frowned, wondering who the Champion would admit to being concerned over.
'Moving along, what is the Devon Corporation discussion you wanted to have with me?' Steven questioned as he turned his full attention onto May.
'Oh, well, you see,' May began, poking her fingers together. Seeing the man's expression, one filled with patience, May took a seat on the edge of the stage. Letting out a small breath, she began to tell him of the events which had occurred in the Oceanic Museum.
'That is worrying,' Steven frowned once she had completed her recount, his expression troubled.
'I didn't know if I should tell you or not, but I'm happy to pay for any damages that happened in the museum because of our battle,' May said, poking her fingers together as she stared at her feet.
'While I appreciate your concerns, I must advise you that won't be necessary. You were defending the museum as an official member of the Hoenn League, the League will cover any expenditures. Now, have you been to the Seashore House?' Steven questioned as he saw Brawly place an arm around Lisia's shoulder.
'Is that the shack that's on the beach?' May asked the man, noticing the disapproving set to his jaw.
'Yes, it will have some powerful Trainers there that would be good for your training,' Steven said as he sent her a contemplative glance.
Realising what he was thinking, May said, 'I'll take Brawly with me, shall I?'
'I'd be grateful as I'm not sure Wallace would appreciate anyone behaving this way with his niece,' Steven frowned, though May noticed some apprehension in his eyes. Realising that his concern wasn't just for Lisia, May felt her heart skip a beat in her chest.
'Don't worry, I'll be fine,' May grinned up at him as she began to walk away. After all, she didn't want him to think that she was incapable of looking after herself.
'May,' the man called out, surprising her.
'Yes?' She asked, turning to face the man who was effectively her boss.
'I don't like you being in this position. If you feel unsafe with him, don't hesitate to call me. He's a great guy, but whatever went on between him and Shauna left him a little,' Steven paused, searching for the right words.
With a small smile, she said, 'Steven, I understand. Don't worry, I'll be fine. You've seen Brendan and Orlando, Brawly has nothing on either of them.'
'If you're sure,' the man frowned, though she was already walking towards Brawly.
'Brawly, you want to tag team the Seashore House?' May asked, sending Lisia a subtle wink.
'Babe, do I?' Brawly grinned at her before wrapping an arm around her and, with a charming smile at Lisia, lead May out of the room, talking about various surfing moves that May knew she couldn't perform herself—she wasn't coordinated enough by a mile.
If May had turned around, she would have seen Brawly's eyes linger slightly on Steven's disapproving expression. However, she was too busy trying to suppress memories within this Contest Hall. The foyer may have changed, as had the outside, but not a lot else had changed too much. The basic layout and atmosphere, even the smell, it was all the same.