I've been really preoccupied recently, but I still love you guys and this story! :) Thanks for sticking with me.
Chapter 22: Love Divided
"Soren… You're sure you don't want to rest in your ball for a little while?"
The grovyle in question shook his head, snorting out a little puff of air through his nostrils as he did so. "Gro."
May eyed him. He'd just finished his second battle of that morning, the last one being a double battle with Demi against a pair of friends called Anna and Meg. They'd won fairly easily, and Soren's golden eyes were still as alert as ever as May observed him. He didn't seem tired.
"Okay then..." She removed her hand from his ball, despite the fact that she'd really prefer he rest anyway.
Soren had been rather restless about leaving May's side for any extended period of time for the last day and a half. Whether it was a change in her own demeanor or simply the fact that Brendan had made a frequent habit of staring into empty space, scowling at his own thoughts, it was like her grovyle sensed something was amiss.
As for May, she'd at least thought that she'd done a decent job of acting like nothing was wrong. She'd been jumpy at first, but on the peaceful Route 117, surrounded by her companions and the sounds of nature, the attack on her seemed like something from a dream.
And the more she thought about it, the more she realized that Team Aqua probably didn't really care about all that much. If they did, wouldn't they have sent someone more… intelligent after her? She'd gotten in their way a couple of times, but surely, if she stayed under the radar from now on, they'd put their other priorities first.
At least, she desperately hoped so.
Either way, May wasn't going to make the same mistake again. She'd train harder than ever so that she'd be ready to defend herself, yet never so long that her team was completely wiped out all at once. She'd never felt so foolish in her life once the reality of what had happened set in. If the police hadn't been nearby to hear her scream…..
She glanced at Brendan out of the corner of her eye, and he was doing it again. With his lips and eyes bunched up the way they were, he almost looked pained.
I should just be grateful that what happened to him didn't happen to me, May thought solemnly, realizing that releasing any of her pokemon other than Gunner that night could've been a death sentence for them.
"Brendan," May said, and it took him a moment to notice that she was addressing him.
He blinked, turning his head to look at her questioningly. There was no sign of the usual quip about to roll off his tongue, and seeing the strange light flickering in his gaze, May had the distinct feeling that he blamed himself for what happened.
She didn't like it, not one bit. She'd take their banter any day over this.
"How long until we get there?" May asked, purposefully making her voice pouty. She figured nothing could change his mood like getting on his nerves.
A grin tugged at her lips when he rolled his eyes. "It's been right over this hill for the past ten minutes. What are you, blind?"
"What, really?!"
Sure enough, amidst the rolling land they were traversing, a cluster of buildings sat nestled in the shadow of a mountain range. The peaks closest to them were little more than large hills, but in the distance May could see that they rose up like great formations in the sky. Near the town, the beautiful fields of wildflowers that she'd become so accustomed to down the route seemed to grow even thicker, and she felt her excitement grow.
"It's so pretty!"
The leathery texture of one of Soren's leaves slid over her leg, telling May without looking that he was making fun of her obliviousness. She stuck her tongue out at him over her Pokenav screen.
"Don't get me in that picture," Brendan cried, ducking behind her and giving the Pokenav a suspicious glare. He'd never trusted her with it since she'd snapped that first horrible photo of him back in Rustboro.
"I'm just telling Wally we're almost there," May said, snickering. She snapped her Pokenav shut. "Happy now?"
Brendan grumbled to himself, rarely taking his eyes off of the little black device still clutched in her hand. May shook her head but kept silent, amused by his paranoia.
For once, she actually wasn't trying to lure him into a false sense of security so she could get a picture when he least expected it. She'd really just been texting Wally to let him know they were almost there, as he'd agreed to meet them when they arrived. Unfortunately, Lisia had already flown out to a city called Lilycove for her next contest, so she wouldn't be able to do the same.
As they approached Verdanturf, a pleasant floral scent carried through the vibrant sky, and May could understand why Wally's parents had moved her sickly friend to this countryside out of all the ones in Hoenn. However, once the sweet-smelling breeze had died down and left her to survey the town without distraction, the corners of her lips turned down.
"I thought you said this place was boring."
"It is," Brendan said, looking puzzled. "Or was…"
It didn't look very boring to May. There were numerous people gathered on the streets, carrying bouquets of flowers and setting up carts packed with items. Littleroot and Oldale certainly hadn't had so many residents out and about, and they were about the same size as Verdanturf.
One elderly woman already had a booth completely set up, and she was sitting behind it like she was a vendor in Slateport's outdoor market. Sensing her chance, May said, "Let's ask her what's going on."
"Let's just ask Wally—May."
She ignored Brendan's protests and started towards the woman with Soren scrambling irritably after her. The lady smiled as she approached.
"Hello, dearie. A bit early?"
Head tilted to slightly to the side, May inspected the curious array of objects splayed across the table. There were pottery shards, stone crafts, and even what looked like some old wooden toys carved in the shape of miniature dragon types.
"Early for what?" May asked, squinting her eyes when an aged vase caught her attention. It was sat back in the corner, but there was a peculiar symbol etched on the side. She couldn't help but reach out and touch it. As her fingers glided over the cracked surface, nothing happened, and she felt a smidge of disappointment.
Weird.
"The Festival of the Fireflies, o' course," the lady exclaimed, as if she couldn't believe May didn't know. "And you have a good eye, dearest. That vase was found near Meteor Falls. It's the remnants of one of Hoenn's most ancient peoples."
"Vyle," Soren said, peering over the counter doubtfully. He glanced up at May, clearly wondering why she was interested in such junk.
"Oh," May said, despite the fact that she had no idea what the Festival of the Fireflies was or what types of people ancient Hoenn had been home to. An impatient tap on her shoulder caught her attention, and she reluctantly put the vase she'd been inspecting away.
"Wally's over there," Brendan said. May wondered how long he'd been standing behind her. She followed the direction his finger was pointing, and sure enough, Wally was heading in their direction from out of the forest of wooden houses and booths.
"Thanks," May said to the elderly woman, who sighed dramatically when her potential customers turned away. The booth had caught her interest, but she hated to keep Wally waiting.
He smiled uncertainly as they reached one other. His chest appeared to be heaving, as if he had come very quickly to meet them, and Alastair was peering down from his shoulder in concern.
"Hey!" May said, before nudging both Soren and Brendan. Both grumbled less pleasant greetings of their own.
"Hi," Wally said, through a long breath. He coughed once before fiddling with his fingers, and May worried that he'd agitated his asthma in his hurry to reach them. "Um, I wasn't sure if you wanted me to come now, or… Well, later, so, um…"
"Now's great," she reassured him, smiling. He visibly relaxed.
"Oh, good."
May glanced back out at the strange goings on around them. Surely Wally could have a better answer for them. "So what's this Festival of the Fireflies thing?"
"Yeah," Brendan added, eyes turning to the other boy with unveiled interest.
Wally swallowed, looking a bit uncomfortable with having everyone's attention on him. "Verdanturf has it every year for the volbeat and illumise pollinating their flowers. I've only been once… It starts in the afternoon with locals selling all kinds of stuff, and then when the sun sets everyone watches the wild volbeat's mating dance."
"I've never seen that in person," Brendan said. He had perked up at once, and a small smile was playing at his lips. "My dad says it's awesome."
May, on the other hand, felt her face grow pale at the prospect of being surrounded by bug types. She clasped her arms together so they wouldn't shake, and Soren chirped up at her in concern. His scales pressed against her leg, like he was trying to reassure her, but for once, it didn't really help.
"Oh," was all she said when both boys' expectant eyes fell on her. She strung on an awkward laugh after sensing their confusion, but it only intensified their weird looks.
"Are you okay?" Wally asked, but Alastair was staring at her in a way that was all too knowing.
Oh crap, he can feel my emotions, May thought frantically, trying to ease the fear tugging at her mind. She did not want them to realize how much bug types terrified her. It would make her look so pathetic!
To her immense dismay, Brendan said, "May's terrified of bug types."
May's eyes widened. No, she thought she'd done a decent job of hiding it!
"Not terrified," she began weakly, but his shaking head stopped her.
"Yeah you are," Brendan said, and his voice was too confident to argue with. He knew. May cursed herself inwardly, feeling stupid for thinking she could keep such a huge phobia concealed from someone as observant as Brendan, especially when he was around her so much. "You always do everything you can to avoid places that might have them. And don't you remember when those wurmple swarmed your campsite?"
May shivered just thinking about it.
Wally's face fell, like he was devastated for even bringing it up. "May, you don't have to go! It's fine. We can do something else-"
"No, you need to go," Brendan cut in. "You'll like it, and you'll be mad if you don't see it."
May glared at him. "I'll be mad if I don't see bug types? Really?"
"Yes," he said, unwavering. "And bug types are everywhere. If you want to be the best trainer, you're gonna have to get used to them."
May crossed her arms, determined not to admit that he was right, yet a tiny voice inside her mind whispered that he was. It wasn't like she could just avoid bug types for the rest of her life. What if she got to the League tournament and flaked if she had to face someone with a scyther or something?
An image of the writhing mass of exoskeleton and legs that had haunted her since she was five flashed across her memory, and she couldn't help but squint her eyes shut. She had been so helpless as it crushed her…
But I'm stronger now, she tried to convince herself. Slowly, she peeled back her eyelids to reveal that both boys were staring at her with varying degrees of concern.
"I mean," Brendan began, awkwardly pulling at the black tuffs of hair lining the nape of his neck. "You don't have to go-"
"I'll go," May said quickly. She'd fought off kidnappers in the pitch black of Granite Cave, and she'd saved Captain Stern from some of what she suspected to be the most dangerous people in the region. She could handle a few bugs. She could.
The boys exchanged a glance. Before either could comment further, May asked, "What do we do until then?"
"Well, um. We could go to my uncle's for a few hours and watch a movie, or something," Wally suggested, looking up at Alastair nervously. The ralts cooed in his ear and patted him on the shoulder, as if reassuring him.
Brendan shrugged at May, who then nodded. "Sounds fine to me."
Wally led them through the streets of Verdanturf, which were lined with charming flora and log cabins of varying size. As they walked, Soren sniffed discretely at some of the flowers, and May got the impression that he quite liked the little town.
"So why did you guys decide to leave Mauville?" Wally asked, distracting May from smiling down at her grovyle. "Did you already get your badge?"
Wally was blinking back at them with his large, emerald irises, and May's words caught in her throat. She hadn't planned on telling him anything about Team Aqua; not because she didn't trust him, but because she really didn't want to drag anyone else into the situation.
"Well, uh…" Brendan tugged at his collar, coughing pointedly in May's direction.
"I don't really like cities," she said. It wasn't actually a lie. Mauville hadn't made her particularly comfortable to begin with, and she'd take a place like Verdanturf over it any day. "I'm gonna train here and then go back for my badge."
"Oh," Wally said. He swallowed, biting his lip like he was trying to figure out how to say what he wanted to get at next. Alastair smiled down at him encouragingly. "Would it be p-possible… I mean, uh… Do you think… Could I, uh…"
"Grovyle," Soren said impatiently, flaring out the leaves on his wrists. May shushed him; she had an idea of what Wally might be trying to ask.
"Would you want to come when I battle Wattson?" she asked, trying to save him from the pain of getting his words out.
Wally's face positively lit up. "Could I? That would be so cool!"
"Of course!" May said, and then she flicked Brendan on the elbow playfully. "But you have to cheer louder than Brendan. I only take dedicated fans."
"O-oh," Wally said, watching worriedly as Brendan gave her the evil eye. He ran a hand through his greenish hair. "Um, sure. I guess I can try…"
A loud burst of laughter erupted through May's lips, and Brendan rolled his eyes. "She's kidding. Don't worry about it."
"Yeah. I haven't heard this grumpy pants cheer for me once."
Soren coughed a laugh, nodding eagerly in agreement as he always did whenever May was trying to make Brendan look bad. Brendan scowled at both of them. Before he could shoot out a comeback, Wally came to a stop in front of a doorway.
"Here it is," he said hurriedly, and May suspected he was trying to avert the argument that had probably been about to take place. "My aunt and uncle are out setting up a flower booth. It's just me and my cousin here."
"Your cousin?" Brendan questioned, as Wally ushered them inside the cozy home. Their curiosity was sated when a feminine voice called out to them from down the hall.
"Wally, where've you been? I'm—Oh. Hi."
An older girl had stepped out of another room, and she was blinking at them with wide, green eyes that reminded May sharply of Wally. Her long chocolate hair had been braided down her back to drape over her white sundress in a lovely way. She held a mascara wand in her hand, like she was in the middle of doing her makeup, but May was slightly caught off guard to see that her eyes were red, as if she'd recently been crying and was trying to hide it.
"This is May and Brendan," Wally said, observing her with clear concern on his face. "And this is Wanda."
"Nice to meet you," Wanda said, in a soft yet somehow somber voice. "I made sandwiches if you'd like some. There, on the counter."
And she drifted back into what May assumed to be the bathroom, wiping at her eyes discretely.
As Brendan and Wally both chose a sandwich, May hovered behind them uncertainly. She shot a look back down the hall before quietly asking, "Is she alright?"
"Her boyfriend was supposed to meet her for the festival today, but he got held up in Rusturf Tunnel. She's been crying for days," Wally explained sadly. He pinched off a section of his sandwich and handed it to Alastair, who accepted it with a cry of delight.
"Isn't Rusturf Tunnel closed anyway?" Brendan spoke through a mouthful of sandwich, and May wrinkled her nose y at him. He made a face back at her and continued eating.
"Yes, but I think he's been trying to finish it by himself. He lives in Rustboro, so it's really hard for him to visit without it," Wally said, staring down at the table. He'd barely touched his sandwich, and May could tell that his cousin's melancholy was seriously bothering him.
"Wait," May said, her mind suddenly flashing back to the time when she and Brendan had chased down that Aqua grunt for Ronald. There'd been a man outside Rusturf Tunnel, and he'd said something about having a girlfriend in Verdanturf…"Is his name Riley? We met him!"
"I think so…"
May sighed, thinking back to how clearly in love Riley had been. She wished there was something she could do to help them out, but there didn't seem to be a solution other than for one of them to move. If Rusturf Tunnel construction was really such a hazard to the environment, there was no way Devon could go back in their with heavy machinery.
Wanda padded back through the kitchen, the skirt of her dress swaying prettily as she walked. After grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, she frowned down at Wally's plate.
"Please don't feed it all to Alastair," she pleaded, cupping her free hand over his shoulder. "You need to eat."
Heat rose to his cheeks. "I won't."
"Okay," Wanda said, her face doubtful. With her makeup fully done, the only remaining sign of her depression was the light crinkle in between her brows.
Wait, she's wearing a lot of makeup, May realized, suddenly self-conscious of her own appearance. After being on the road, she was looking rather rough, but Wanda… Wanda was actually pretty dressed up.
Before she could disappear back into the bathroom, May blurted, "Hey, Wanda, what do girls usually… wear to the festival?"
Wanda paused briefly before turning back around to face May. Her gaze slowly traveled from her messy ponytail to her grass stained sneakers. She hesitated.
"Well… You look okay."
May groaned and covered her face with her hands. "I look like a hobo."
Brendan snorted from beside her, and she swatted blindly at him. Unfortunately, her hand only slapped empty air, letting her know she'd missed. More amused laughter drifted from beneath her, where Soren was also apparently getting a kick out of her crisis.
On her other side, Wally valiantly refrained from making fun of her. "No, you just look like a trainer."
"With no taste," May grumbled from in between her fingers. She finally let her hands drop from her face so she could glare at both of her offenders.
From across the room, Wanda's lips had formed a half smile. "The festival won't start for a while. Want to borrow my curling iron?"
"Thanks so much," May said, fingering a piece of her hair in the mirror. Courtesy of Wanda's curling iron, it was now lying in cute little ringlets atop her shoulders.
She had decided that she liked the other girl. Wanda wasn't particularly talkative, probably because she was still devastated that she wouldn't get to see Riley, yet she had a kind aura about her that reminded May of Wally.
She was currently weaving some honeysuckles into her braid. "No problem. The dress looks cute, too."
"Thanks." May grinned down at the sundress Wanda had loaned her. It was the shade of the midday sky, a hue that nicely complimented her eyes. A thought occurred to her that caused her smile to fade away. "I don't know where I'll put my pokeball belt, though."
"You can't just let them walk around with you?"
May nearly balked at the idea. Yeah, if we want the festival to go down in flames and waves of destruction.
She forced a laugh. "I don't think so."
May snatched her belt off of the bathroom counter (Thankfully she had managed to talk Soren into returning to his ball, so her entire team was safely tucked away in it) and headed back towards the living room. Wally looked up from the couch blearily at her entrance, while Brendan remained sprawled on the recliner. A light snore escaped his lips.
Fighting back a devious smirk, May tossed her belt onto his lap. He jerked awake, looking around wildly, and she said, "Hold those for me."
Brendan rubbed his eyes, like he couldn't figure out who he was looking at for a second. Finally, he wiped the puzzled look off his face and looked away, mumbling, "About time. Let's go."
He hooked May's pokeball belt to his own with surprisingly little complaint, and the four of them set out to wander around the town. By this time in the afternoon, the festival was in full swing, with everything from booths selling merchandise to a few locals performing tricks with their pokemon for tips.
May watched a pair of roselia drawing marvelous patterns out of their petal dance with a particular sense of delight. They were beautiful, graceful pokemon, but the thorns on their heads reminded her of how deadly they could be. She'd battled trainers that owned them, and they definitely weren't to be underestimated.
"Wow," Wally said, next to her. Both Brendan and Wanda had continued on to another display, but he seemed even more taken with the flower pokemon than May was.
"Pretty, huh?" He nodded. "They're strong, too!"
"Oh really?" Wally asked, looking at her with a renewed sense of curiosity. May's smile widened as she toyed with an idea in the back of her mind.
"Yep," she said, trying and failing to sound casual as she moved on to watch an electrike catching Frisbees. "I think you can find them close by. You know… If you want to challenge gyms, you'll need more pokemon than Alastair."
Wally and Alastair, who was still perched on his shoulder, obedient as ever, looked at one another. "A roselia… What do you think, bud?"
"Raaa," Alastair cooed, waving his arms in an enthusiastic way.
But then Wally's shoulder's slumped. "But my family…. They don't… I…"
May patted him on the back gently, but the fire in her gaze was anything but. Wally was special; she knew it! If only everyone else could see it.
"I think you can be anything you want to be," she said, smiling at him. If she hadn't carried that same belief for herself, she wouldn't be here now, would she? She knew from experience that he couldn't let his overprotective parents stop him from reaching for his dreams.
Wally stared at her, his eyes sparkling with wonder. "You… You really mean it?"
"'Course I do!"
"Wow, May… T-thank you."
"You guys coming, or what?" Brendan yelled at them from up ahead. He was standing at the edge of the line of booths, one of his brows raised in that arrogant way only he could accomplish. "We won't get a spot if you don't come on!"
"Relax, we're coming," May replied, but on the inside, she felt her nerves jump back to life. There was only one thing left to do at the festival, and judging by the dim glow of the sky, it was almost time for it.
She kept uncharacteristically silent as Wanda led them down a path in the sparsely wooded area right outside of the main town. Several other festival goers appeared to be headed in the same general direction, making May wonder just how soon she was going to have to face her biggest fear. They passed Rusturf Tunnel as they went, and she was provided a momentary distraction in observing Wanda, who blinked furiously and did everything in her power not to look at the cave.
Brendan glanced back at May and then did a double take. The corner of his mouth fell, like he was trying to hide a frown, and he slowed down to fall in step with her. She watched him, trying to meld her expression into an expectant one rather than show the worry she was really feeling. She hoped he wasn't about the pick on her for being scared… She didn't know if she could handle it at the moment.
He prodded her arm lightly with his elbow. "Your stupid belt is weighing me down. Tell Soren he needs to lay off the junk."
May couldn't help but laugh a bit when she pictured what Soren's face would look like after hearing Brendan say that he was out of shape. He would absolutely freak. "I'm sure he'd rather hear it from you."
Brendan spared her one of his rare grins, and she couldn't help but be briefly taken aback by the way his perfect teeth seemed to make his face glow. She cleared her throat awkwardly and looked away, thankful that the dim lighting would hide her blush. How embarrassing.
"Guys, we're here!" Wally's excited voice saved May from the flustered fumble that she was probably about to inflict on herself, and she mentally thanks Latios for him.
When she looked up, however, she could see why he'd sounded so thrilled. The path opened up to a wide field of wildflowers, which grew all the way down an embankment and to the edge of a sparling lake. Across the water, a thicker tree line grew, obscuring any forest inhabitants from view.
"Wow," May whispered.
Lots of people were either finding seats or were already seated across the field, most of them on large blankets. To her slight embarrassment, she saw that many of them were couples. Eyes firmly averted from any romantic displays, she stepped awkwardly in front of Brendan so that she could sit in between Wanda and Wally on the hill they'd chosen. She really didn't want to sit next to him in a place so… couple-y.
Brendan gave her an odd look, but then shrugged as if accustomed to her behavior before tossing back her pokeball belt. Flashes of white light went off from the other side of Wally, and getting the memo, May released her own team members so that they could enjoy the show as well.
Demi immediately let out a thrilled squeak at the sight of the lake, but May snatched her back before she could move. "No! You guys have to stay right next to me, okay?"
"Ril," Demi's ears drooped briefly, but then she perked up and sat down in her trainer's lap. May made a face as she adjusted her legs, uncomfortable from the combined feeling of the itchy grass beneath her and the fact that she had to be wary of flashing people. It had been forever since she'd worn a skirt.
Like the nice, polite pokemon he was, Ezra sat down with a reasonable amount of space between he and May, while Soren lay with his head on her knee. His reptilian eyes coldly observed Gunner, who plopped on the other side of Ezra.
Instinctively, May sought out the back of his neck where the golbat had savagely bitten him, but apart from a small bald patch, it looked as good as new. Due to pokemon's accelerated healing abilities, she'd been able to remove his bandage that morning, and Brendan had promised her there wouldn't be a scar. A smidge of guilt swarmed within her all the same.
A sudden hush fell over the clearing, and May glanced upwards. Across the lake, what looked like dozens of yellow lights flickered on through the foliage. Her breath caught in her throat, and she squeezed Demi more tightly against her chest.
They were coming.
"They're really gentle, May," Wally said, turning to look at her with concern. More and more lights appeared, and she didn't doubt that they numbered in the hundreds at this point. "And they won't come too close."
"I know," May said, but her words couldn't have come out sounding less confident. Soren shuffled closer to her, placing his clawed hand on her arm.
She began to smile down at him, but something large and very warm abruptly materialized behind her. She almost had a heart attack before realizing it was only Orion. His bright blue eyes shined down at her as he took a seat, cross-legged. Confused, May peered over at Brendan, who was surrounded by the rest of his team.
He avoided her gaze. "Orion was making it too hot over here," he said loudly, scratching his neck.
May bit her lip to hide her smile. She knew he was spouting bull, and judging by the amused breath of air that Orion let out against her neck, so did he. The fact was that bug types were absolutely terrified of Orion. Even if the volbeat and illumise did stray near them, they'd still give May a wide berth simply because he was next to her.
Brendan would never admit it for the world, but she knew he'd told Orion to go sit next to her to make her feel better. It was so oddly… considerate.
She didn't dwell on it, for the lights in the forest were now floating upwards. They zoomed through the black sky, leaving beautiful streaks of light that seemed to sparkle before slowly fading against the dimmer light of the stars. The silhouettes of the volbeat were scarcely visible behind the glow of their tails.
May watched, open mouthed, as she realized the volbeat were flying in coordinated patterns around other, smaller forms that didn't light up. An intoxicating aroma filled the air, stronger even than the scent of the wildflowers, and she realized that it was the illumise in the sky, drawing the volbeat in with their signature sweet scent.
She had no idea that bug types could be so beautiful.
Their enchanting spell was broken too soon when a loud boom shook the valley.
Boom.
Boom.
BOOM.
Pokemon and humans alike screamed in terror, and as another massive tremor rocked the ground, May felt her pokemon squeeze in protectively around her. Someone else, probably Wally, was squished up against her side in the panic, but she couldn't do anything but throw her hands over her ears and just wait until that terrible sound stopped.
"It's Rusturf Tunnel!" a man screamed from somewhere above the frightened shouts of the others. "It's coming from Rusturf Tunnel!"
A horrified intake of air sounded from May's left. "Riley. Oh Groudon, no!" Wanda breathed, and the next second she had disappeared, charging off through the forest like a mad zubat.
AN: So, originally this chapter was super duper long, but I ended up cutting a huge chunk off the end to stick onto the next chapter. Unfortunately, the big exciting scene got cut out of this particular chapter (So a lot of it serves mainly as set up for the next), but it's coming for you next time! For now you just have to revel in the Wally cuteness.
The Festival of the Fireflies is purely my creation, but I thought Verdanturf could use something to make it more interesting without changing the essence of the town. It's also a key step in May's bug phobia.
Updates will be… Kind of sporadic for the next couple months for multiple reasons, so I'm going to apologize in advance in case it ever takes significantly longer than usual. I'm never planning on taking a ridiculously long time, but if I do just realize that the update WILL come! Also, review replies to this chapter may be delayed if they're sent after today, but I promise I'll get to you! :)
If pokemon were real, which one do you think would scare you the most?
Next time….
More screams carried from deeper in the cave, so she continued shakily forwards. Around the next bend, she spotted something that made her heart stop.