Chapter 5

Looking up at the bright, blue sky, May found herself questioning her life choices, and not for the first time. This time, however, was so much worse than normal.

Everything hurt. Whether it was the stinging pain of her skin breaking, the numb, dull pain of something deeper or the sharp pain of something more serious. She was in pain, and a lot of it.

Looking up, May grimaced.

She'd fallen pretty far down the cliff, so she'd be lucky if anyone even found her. Her body ached and stung from where she'd crashed into the ground.

A flying type hovered overhead, circling the sky for something that May knew she didn't want to find out.

'Please don't be a breviary. Knowing my luck someone released theirs here,' May grimaced, her head pounding. She wasn't in any position to be fighting a braviary, especially with how determined they could be. And, with the secluded place she was in, she could be in their territory.

Looking down at her bloody leg, May grimaced. It hurt, bad. And not just the typical stinging that came from a fall, but the dull, throbbing ache that happened when you really hurt yourself.

Trying to move it, she hissed as a sharp pain shot up her leg. Nope, she definitely couldn't move to hide from the flying type.

Looking back up the cliff, May tried not to grimace. With her body the way it was, she couldn't even try to climb up herself, and the cliff was too steep for her to want to try with her pokémon. Looking up at it, she couldn't even guarantee that her pokémon would be able to climb it with her.

Feeling her eyes sting, May doubted that even Brendan could find her here. She couldn't even remember him ever letting her down, but there was always a first.

He'd always been the one chastising her for being reckless, even if he still fixed her up when she fell.

Remembering how high the cliff had seemed, May knew that she was too far down for him to find her. But if anyone would find her, it would be him.

'Brendan, help,' May whispered, trying to fight the tears she felt. There was no way he was going to find her, not with how big Mount Chimney was.

She didn't even know which pokémon he had in his rotation for this trip.

Why hadn't she just stayed on the path with him? So, what if she had to shout him dinner if she lost the bet, or his ego got too big for his shoes because he won?

She loved him for who he was, even if she'd never really managed to tell him. In all the years she'd known him, his ego had always inflated super quickly, but it usually only took one comment from her and he'd be grounded again.

She felt tears slide down her face, picturing her childhood friend. In all the years she'd known him, all the years they'd teased each other, she'd just been the annoying younger sister to him.

If she'd been someone else, she might have had a chance with him. Instead, she was stuck in the easily scared younger sister role who needed protecting and rescuing.

'Brendan, please,' May sobbed, knowing no one would hear her over the wind, pulling one of her legs up to her in the foetal position.

Her body ached with each movement she made, but there wasn't anything she could do to help herself. She didn't even have a first aid kit, Brendan had always been there to save her.

Peering out at the cliffs around her, May blanched.

There wasn't a single path up or down from the mountain.

Arceus, she was screwed.

Hearing the distinct sound of wings flapping, May frantically hoped the Braviary hadn't found her. If it did, she wasn't sure she could fight it, and her pokémon would just worry about her.

Hearing a familiar cry, May jolted her head up.

Above her, flapping his wings eagerly wasn't a braviary. No, it was a familiar Swellow, landing next to her before nestling into her, crooning softly.

Seeing him, her heart jumped in her throat.

Brendan.

He'd realised she'd fallen and had sent his pokémon to look for her.

For all his insufferable qualities, Brendan Birch hadn't ever really let her down once.

Scrubbing at her eyes, May whispered, 'this is why I love you, diaper buddy.'

Hearing Swellow coo at her, May let out a light laugh, scrambling to greet the pokémon with a hug.

A sharp pain shot through her foot and May let out a strangled cry, dropping on the ground in pain.

Groaning, her hands trembled as she glanced at her foot, which was definitely bigger than the other.

Trying to refrain from bawling her eyes out, May sent the pokémon an imploring look, 'sorry, Swellow. I can't get up.'

Seeing his concerned expression, May stretched out a scratched arm, trying to soothe the pokémon. If Swellow had found her, then Brendan would be around too. And she could trust him not to let her down.

He'd have her hide for being so unnecessarily reckless… again.

But she wouldn't have Brendan any other way.

Propping herself up, May grimaced, 'if you're here, then that means Brendan won't be far away, thank Groudon.'

She could already picture him, pacing up on the path, clenching his hat, his hair a mess from stress. Knowing him, he was probably promising to murder her, too.

Letting out a shaky breath, May muttered, 'shit, he's going to be so pissed.'

She'd gone ahead and really done it now. Trying to stand up again, May let out a cry as a surge of pain came up from her ankle, Swellow cooing at her, flapping his wings, feeling her distress.

Groaning, May knew that the pokémon would have to return to his trainer soon, or Brendan might just jump off the cliff to find her.

Glancing down at herself, May clenched her jaw. She had cuts and developing bruises all over her skin, her ankle was almost double the size already and her jacket was scuffed and ripped. She couldn't even imagine how her face looked.

If she'd been up Schitt Creek without a paddle before, she had no idea where she was now. The ocean?

She couldn't let Brendan see her in this state, he'd never let her hear the end of it.

Leaning her back on the cliff, May tried not to look down, seeing that there was still more space to fall.

If she fell again, she was a goner.

Licking her lips, May offered the pokémon a smile, saying, 'he sent you to look for me, right?'

Focusing on her leg, Swellow nodded, though May could see the concern the pokémon had for her.

'Can you go tell him I don't think I can get back up?' May whispered, glancing up at the top of the cliff.

She knew Swellow couldn't talk their language, but she had no doubt that the flying type would find a way to let Brendan know.

With an eager cry, Swellow took off, flying back up to his trainer, leaving May to wallow in her own self-pity at just the idea of Brendan's impeding wrath.

But at least she'd see him again.

A/N:

Brendan and May are finally going to be reunited soon! I'm sorry this was so slow to start (a bad habit of mine, I know!) but I'm so excited for you to see what happens next.

How angry do you think he'll be? Or will he just be too worried to really be angry?

Let me know what you think :)