all,

I'm so, so, so sorry for disappearing off the face of the planet. I hope this update makes it up to you :)

Chapter 24

Giggling as Brawly was recounting a story from when he was younger, in which he and Steven were stuck on an island which was covered in rocks, May could all but picture them struggling to battle each other for a Riolu.

'So who got the Riolu in the end?' May asked as she saw a weatherboard house whose blue paint had been stripped off by the ocean breeze. Beside it was a weather stained sign which a young girl in a blue dress was repainting the words.

Seeing them, she put down her paint brush and beamed up at them with a childish delight.

'Yo Trainers, whether you're hot to trot or cool cat not, chill at my papa's spot!' She called to them as they neared the hut, her hair pulled into pignite-tails on either side of her head.

Seeing her adorable grin, May sent the younger girl a small smile as Brawly petted her head affectionately. Hearing the girl squeak, he nodded to her before ushering May up the porch.

'In the middle of our battle, an older man from Kalos said he needed it for his granddaughter. He told us a story about her and, when neither of us won our battle, we decided to let him try to catch it,' Brawly shrugged slightly as he entered the hut with May under his arm.

Casting a glance around their surroundings, May noticed a few beauties, delinquents and some tubers nearby, all of them with their eyes on the newest arrivals. Feeling self-conscious, May glanced at Brawly fo support, once again being reminded that they didn't follow the factions evident throughout Hoenn.

'Right, we're here for a tag challenge,' Brawly's voice boomed across the wooden room, putting a halt to the conversation.

'Tag challenge?' A delinquent frowned, turning to stare at them with her sceptical one eye from their left, her pale yellow hair clashing with her dark outfit.

'Yeah, you know, tag along with someone, actually talk to your neighbours,' Brawly responded flippantly, causing the woman to glower.

'Don't you take that tone with me, surfer man! The burger I ordered is taking forever! It's making me so totally crabby!' The woman snarled before grabbing her pokéballs.

'Hey! Hey, hey, hey! What's the deal? Are you after my snow cone?!' The nearby street thug snarled as she sent him a glare, a Plusle emblazoned on his black polo shirt.

'Shut it, Blake, no one wants your damn snow cone!' The woman hissed at him, rolling her eyes and flicking her hair over her shoulder.

'Pfft, I've seen the way you eye my food, Destinee!' The man snarled back, banging his hand on the nearby table for effect.

'Whatever! Go, Sableye!' The woman snarled causing the younger woman to blink in surprise.

Blake rolled his eyes once before releasing his own pokéball, grunting, 'go, Poochyena!'

'Go, Hariyama!' Brawly cried out as May grabbed her own pokéball, saying, 'Blaziken, take the stage!'

'Take the stage? What are you, twelve?' Destinee scoffed, crossing her arms slightly.

'Stop being so crabby, leave the woman alone,' Blake snapped at Destinee, causing her to scowl in response.

'Two fighting types against these two aren't a good idea,' Brawly frowned as he glanced at May.

'Don't worry, I've got a plan,' May grinned at the man as her Blaziken growled his name confidently.

'I'm hoping you do, because we're up against a ghost type,' Brawly muttered in her ear.

Waving him off, May called out, 'Blaziken, overheat!'

Her pokémon leant back once before letting out a fiery inferno.

'Brawly, make it a combination to push it forward, use any of your fighting type moves,' May nudged the man beside her, causing him to blink at her in surprise.

'If that's what you want,' Brawly muttered before calling out, 'Hariyama, use vital throw on that fire!'

The pokémon glanced once at him before utilising his hit on the wave of fire, forcing it forward.

'Sableye, zen headbutt!' Destinee called, smirking as both Brawly and May blanched at the super effective command. She didn't at all seem to be perturbed by any damage her pokémon would take, watching it rush through the inferno of flames that was heading for itself and its companion, Poochyena.

'Dodge it, Hariyama and use earthquake!' Brawly cried out as May growled, 'no you don't, intercept it with blaze kick!'

'Are you gonna help me or are you just gonna watch? Ya lousy street thug, you're all so unreliable!' Destinee snarled at the man, her eyes narrowed in a cold fury that would have left May quaking in her pink boots if she'd been the object. Instead, she watched with surprise as Hariyama's attack tripped up the puppy pokémon, causing it to hit his chin slightly.

'All right, all right, Poochyena, sand attack!' Blake snarled before muttering, 'lousy wench is always having a go at anyone, especially when she's hungry.'

'Sand attack? Are you trying to intimidate them with your puny attacks or what?' Destinee snarled at the man, causing May to blink as her pokémon readied his attack, aiming for the ghost type.

'Do you think those two are actually friends?' May frowned at Brawly, who shrugged, equally surprised at their diabolic relations. She watched as her pokémon's emblazoned leg sent Sableye spiralling down to the Poochyena.

'I should've teamed up with the Tuber!' The man groaned as Poochyena's attack hit Sableye.

'Yeah, well even the Beauty over there has more of a brain than you do! I can't believe your puny attack hit my Sableye!' Destinee snarled back, crossing her arms in irritation.

'If they're not going to finish this battle, we'll have to! Hariyama, close combat that Poochyena!' Brawly called as May's Blaziken watched Sableye struggle to get the dirt out of his eyes.

'Blaziken, use flame thrower!' May called out, grinning as her pokémon leant into the attack, emitting a giant flame towards the ghost type.

As the Delinquent's pokémon fainted, so did the Street Thug's.

'Poochyena, return! Go Carvanha!' Blake called as Destinee gasped, recalling her pokémon too.

The man sent her a disapproving glare before saying, 'Carvanha, use aqua jet on that fire type!'

'Blaziken, use sky uppercut!' May called out as Brawly jumped forward, saying, 'Hariyama, vital throw your opponent so he can't hit straight!'

Hariyama picked the water type up and threw him at Blaziken's awaiting fist, causing him to fall to the ground in a heap.

'Get up, Carvanha!' Blake snarled, causing May to grimace.

'Hariyama, make sure he doesn't!' Brawly scowled, causing the Street Thug to blanch as the fighting type loomed over his water type.

'Where did you get that from?' The man questioned before he returned his pokémon.

Destinee scowled at the man, 'who cares where he got it from? Gah I'm starving! There's something special about the food at the Seashore House, isn't there? It's not like it's particularly good or anything, but I never want to miss out.'

'Don't steal my snow cone,' Blake glowered at the woman before returning his attention to his meal.

May sent Brawly a bemused glance before she returned her pokémon and was lead to a Beauty, whose blonde hair was wrapped around her shoulders, her fake lashes fluttering slightly at the site of Brawly. Beside her stood a Sailor, his tanned arms accentuated by his tight uniform.

The woman smiled at them before saying, 'boring battles aren't worth the effort. Fiery hot battles are what toughen up Trainers and pokémon!'

The sailor grinned, 'Johanna's right. The name's Dwayne, and if you're on the lookout for a battle at the Seashore House, you'll find no hotter Trainer than me, mateys!'

'Goldeen, battle's up!' Johanna grinned, releasing the water type.

'Tentacool, show them what you're made of!' Dwayne cried out, releasing the pokémon that May feared.

'Oh Arceus, Brawly keep it away from me!' May hissed, sorely tempted to clutch onto the man in fear. Of all the pokémon in the world, Tentacool had always been her least favourite after that fateful event on Olivine Beach.

'Dude, you're scared of Tentacool?' Brawly chuckled as May blanched visibly.

'It's so squishy, squelchy and disgusting! I can't!' May grimaced as she sent out her Shroomish.

'Shroomish, use absorb on that Tentacool!' May hissed as Brawly released his Machop, calling out, 'Machop, karate chop that Goldeen!'

'Goldeen, dear, peck!' the Beauty grinned before Dwayne gritted his teeth, 'poison sting!'

'Dodge it and continue to absorb!' May cried out, sending Brawly a glance.

The man seemed to understand what she was hinting, calling out, 'Machop, cross chop again!'

Goldeen jumped forward, dodging Machop's attack and hitting him in the face with her horn, creating a gash.

'Dude, Machop!' Brawly gasped as May called out, 'Shroomish, absorb again!'

'Doesn't Shroomish know any other moves?' Brawly questioned as he glanced at May.

'Not yet, but I won't let that be held against her,' May grimaced, before grinning, 'Shroomish, you know what to do!'

Shroomish jumped forward, absorbing Tentacool's health once again as Brawly frowned, 'Machop, low sweep that Tentacool!'

'No you don't, use supersonic!' Dwayne cried out, though Brawly snarled, 'get in there, Machop!'

Watching Machop trip over his feet in confusion, May grimaced as Brawley growled wordlessly. I Machop was struggling, May and Shroomish would most definitely lose, even with th best strategy. Her pokémon was simply too weak.

'Machop, be like the wave!' Brawley called out, causing his companion to blink in slight confusion.

'Watch this, May,' the man smiled at the woman as he waited for his Machop, who was balancing on his feet as though he was surfing, is eyes swirling around the room in confusion.

'Shroomish, absorb again!' May called out as Machop struck a pose. He closed his eyes once before opening them and, with immense focus, charged forward, executing a perfect karate chop on the Goldeen.

With a cry, Goldeen fell to the ground as Tentacool fainted.

'Goldeen!' The Beauty cried out, causing the Gym Leader duo to hesitate slightly, watching her pokémon with baited breath.

'Use peck!' Johanna hissed, her eyes narrowed in anger as Dwayne grimaced, returning his fainted Tentacool.

Brawly didn't have the time to react before Goldeen's horn hit Machop's cheek dead on. With With strangled cry, Brawly watched his partner wince and colapse onto the ground, his chest heaving.

'Go, Machop!' Dwayne called out, releasing another Machop.

Confused, May glanced at her companion, who chuckled, 'your Machop looks good.'

'Thanks, just you wait until he crushes your Machop in battle!' Dwayne grinned back as both he and his pokémon flexed their arms before them.

'We'll see about that!' Brawly chuckled as May gritted her teeth, 'enough talk! Shroomish, go!'

Shroomish cried out his name once before trying to absorb the Machop's health.

'No you don't, karate chop!' Dwayne cried out as Brawly said, 'block it like we trained.'

'Goldeen, peck again!' Johanna cried again.

'Machop, dodge it!' Brawly said as Machop put blocked Dwayne's Machop attack, bracing himself clearly. Taking Shroomish in his arms, he bent down as Goldeen reached them, causing her horn to collide with her team mate's head.

'Oh! Machop, I'm so sorry!' Johanna gasped as May cried, 'now, Shroomish!'

The small mushroom pokémon jumped forward before attacking the Goldeen.

'Excellent,' May cried as Brawly said, 'Machop, low sweep, dude. Make him fall like a wave on land!'

'No you don't, Machop, stop that attack with karate chop!' Dwayne cried out as the Beauty grimaced. Returning her pokémon, she gushed, 'that was fiery hot!'

Watching Machop block the other Machop's arm, May blinked as she saw him fluidly swipe at his opponent's legs, causing him to fall to the ground.

'Now, Machop!' Brawly shouted as he winked at May, who flushed at the way his eyes lingered on her a little too long.

The man's Machop sent him a subtle smirk before crossing his arms and hitting his opponent in the face.

'Machop!' Dwayne cried as he saw his Machop teeter on his feet before fainting. With a yelp, the man returned his pokémon, gritting his teeth, 'are you kidding me? Yowch, too hot!'

'You two are an amazing team! You're so hot, I can barely look at you!' Johanna grinned, causing May to send her a rather fake smile as she returned her pokémon with her friend. Brawly simply smiled at the two before he took May's arm and looked at the last person in the room.

Seeing a young child with a tube tucked under his arm, he hesitated.

'Don't cry when I beat you! I'm Tuber Simon, the next Pokémon Champion!' The young boy grinned before releasing an Azurill.

Blinking, May glanced at Brawly, who nodded his head slightly. In a soft voice, he muttered, 'it would be beyond insulting to reject his challenge because of his age. That's something you'll have to face in your role as Gym Leader too.'

'If you're sure, though I don't feel too comfortable about this,' May grimaced as she pulled a pokéball from her bag.

'Beautifly, take the stage!' May cried before releasing her pokémon, who blinked at the young boy they were fighting.

'Azurill, use water gun!' Simon grinned, causing May to blink before calling out, 'fly up to avoid it and use silver wind, Beautifly!'

Her pokémon flapped her wings, causing the water to hit the small normal and fairy type in the face.

Seeing it struggle to hold back tears, May whistled to her pokémon, causing her to come flying back, landing on May's head softly.

'Don't be too hard, it's a new Trainer,' May whispered as she looked up at her friend.

In response, her pokémon trilled her name. Nodding her head slightly, Beautifly flew up above her opponent.

'Use psychic!' May called out as the boy said, 'use charm!'

With bated breath, May saw the small Azurill enlarge its eyes and glance shyly up at her Beautifly. Rather than react, Beautifly used psychic to lift the pokémon off of the ground slightly. Crashing to the ground, May winced as she saw the boy rush forward, pulling the small Azurill in a tight hug.

'Azurill, no!' The boy gasped, barely choking back a sob.

'I lost, but I won't cry!' The boy sniffled, clearly struggling to hold back his tears.

'Hey, you fought well,' May grinned at the boy before Beautifly landed on his head in a comforting move.

'Yeah, especially since you were battling a Gym Leader. Keep up those strategies and you might even defeat Steven,' Brawly grinned as he gently squeezed the boy's shoulder.

'You think so?' Simon whispered, appearing to brighten slightly at the news.

'We know so, just keep practicing and studying, and you'll get there.' the man winked before turning his attention to the man behind the counter.

'Brawly! It's a pleasure to see you again,' the man chuckled as the young boy ran out of the door, yelling a brief thank you to him and May, his pokémon returned and his tube clutched tightly under his arm.

'Who's this? Is she your new girlfriend?' The man grinned as he sent May an appreciating glance, his black hair combed neatly over his ears.

'Oh, we're not together,' May flushed as she glanced up at the man beside her.

In response, Brawly laughed and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, chuckling, 'May's a babe, but we're mates, that's it.'

'Yeah, what he said,' May frowned as she sent him an appraising glance, not appreciating his devious wink.

'Oh, I see. Well, I suppose I should introduce myself, I'm the owner of the Seashore House. You can call me Mr Sea! What I love above all is to see hot pokémon battles, and yours were hot! Here, have these lemonades on the house!' The man said before ushering them into a seat.

With a knowing smile at them both, the man returned to his position behind the bar.

'So, we find ourselves once again by the beach, enjoying some lemonades,' the man from the Dewford mused, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

With a squawk, May hit his arm, laughing, 'don't you dare! We're not going back to your house this time!'

'No, but Steven might need you to stay here in Slateport for a while, you know, to help with the arrangements for the Contest,' Brawly mused winking at her before taking a drink from the glass bottle.

'He does? He didn't say anything about that to me,' May questioned uncertainly, not recalling if the man had said anything of the like to her.

Seeing her sudden flush, Brawly set his bottle down on the table and gave her a flat stare. Glancing around them to ensure that there were no unwanted eavesdroppers nearby, he said, 'May, you're a charming, goofy and extremely easy going girl. Not only that, but you're a gorgeous babe to boot. If I wasn't so hung up on taking advantage of you in my messed up state, I'd totally date you.'

Hearing this, May anxiously fidgeted with the label on her lemonade, her sapphire eyes intent upon her drink. Trying to find some way to respond, May found herself at a loss. Brawly's words were flattering, true, but she didn't know if she reciprocated his sentiments. She could see the apprehension in his eyes and knew she should respond to him.

In a small voice, she said, 'I don't know what to say to that.'

'Then don't say anything, it's probably a blessing. Most relationships rarely last anyway, like the water in a turbulent storm. But if they lead you to that one that'll eventually be the on you've wanted all along, it'll all be worth it,' Brawly mused as he watched May with an amused smile. Considering her attire, he asked, 'what's the occasion?'

'What?' May questioned, before realising what the man was getting at. With a light laugh, she said, 'I just had some bad news and some friends thought it would be a good idea to get me out and about.'

'It's Stu isn't it?' Brawly frowned, his eyes hardening slightly.

Letting out a snort at the man's persistent nickname, May smiled, 'yeah, he's moved on without me.'

'I see. I'd say it's unfortunate, but there are better opportunities for you out there. He was probably a Magikarp in the sea, and babe, you deserve Lugia or Kyogre,' Brawly mused before taking another sip of his lemonade. Watching May drink hers, he asked, 'so what's going on between you and Steven, then?'

Almost spitting the drink out in surprise, May spluttered as she watched the man.

Sipping his own lemonade, Brawly raised his eyebrows. In a clearly smug tone, he said, 'think about it. You're in Petalburg this morning, as the pictures on my BuzzNav feed showed me, and now you're in Slateport City when Steven needs you to be? Anyone would get ideas, not just me.'

Flushing, May spluttered slightly before recollecting herself. Visibly considering her words, she began, 'Mr Stone gave me some parts to give to Mr Stern. Steven knew about this and needed some assistance in the area, as you saw. It just happened to work out.'

'A lot of things work out, babe, and you two are seeing a lot more of each other than is normal for any Gym Leader and Champion. You're probably seeing him as much as me, or Wallace. We're both close friends with the man, and you're new to the scene, from what I can gather. Under normal circumstances, I doubt you'd see him this much, and Roxanne, Wallace or myself would be coaching you in his place. It's a natural question to ask, babe. Besides, after what Shauna did, I need to make sure you're not going to hurt him,' Brawly mused with a small smirk, appearing to enjoy just how flustered she was.

'I don't know what you're talking about,' May flushed as she struggled to keep a neutral expression. She could still hear her friends teasing her earlier that morning and couldn't help but feel a wave of anxiety wash over her. Steven was far more unattainable than Drew, and the latter had been a disaster that left her beyond shattered.

'You mightn't know what I'm talking about now, but you will when you're ready,' Brawly chuckled before shaking his head in disbelief.

I hope that made up for it somewhat, and honestly I'm so sorry I've been gone for a month!