I was really scared that I wouldn't get this chapter out this week, but I managed it! It has a special surprise. I think you guys will like it :)

We might reach 400 reviews with this chapter. Like, what?! I didn't think I'd have that many by the time the fic was complete, much less at this point! I have the best readers EVER.

Chapter 25: Shifting Winds

"An electrike? I knew you had electrifying tastes," Wattson said, before laughing very loudly.

The snarl disappeared from Gunner's mouth, and he cocked his head to the side, confused. May barely refrained from covering her eyes in attempt to hide herself from the awkwardness. "Uh… Thanks?"

May itched to go straight in and take care of Magneton with a couple of powerful attacks, but she resisted the urge, knowing it would only spell trouble. Out of the two, Magneton was undeniably the more advanced pokemon when compared to Gunner, yet both should gain an advantage when exposed to the powerful electric currents in the air from the fences surrounding the field. Her main hope was that Wattson didn't know that Gunner's ability was Lightening Rod. If she could goad him into using an electric attack, then she might be able to gain the advantage.

Gunner raked his paw over the field, impatient, but she didn't give him an order. Wattson raised his eyebrows. "Giving me the first move this time? Alright Magneton, thunder shock!"

Wattson was clearly testing the waters to measure Gunner's strength, but it was just what she needed. May jittered excitedly, careful not to put too much weight on her ankle. It was beginning to ache after standing for so long, but she didn't care.

"Take it and use spark!"

Gunner growled, and his fur fluffed dangerously as electricity gathered in his fur. He ran forwards, straight into the bolt of lightening that Magneton fired at him. The static crackled around Gunner harmlessly before dissolving into his absorbent fur, creating an even larger gathering of energy around him.

Magneton's eyes widened as Gunner burst, unfazed, through its attack to tackle it straight in its middle. It squinted in pain as the super-powered spark coursed across its steel hide, providing Gunner time to dart several feet away. He growled, crouched and ready to move again at the slightest notice.

"Perfect, Gunner! You rock!" May cried, barely resisting the impulse to do a little victory hop. The battle wasn't over yet, but she just knew that if she could land one more hit that powerful, Magneton would be out of the game.

"Ela, electrike!" Gunner barked eagerly.

"Lightening Rod instead of Static," Wattson said, looking like he couldn't decide whether to be amused or impressed. "Clever, but we won't help you out again. Mirror shot, left center and then right!"

Magneton glowed, shooting two mirror shots significantly faster than it had before. Stumped, May realized they were also weaker. Gunner weaved around them, barely stepping out of the second one's path before what Wattson was doing clicked.

"No, Gunner, go the other way!"

But it was too late. Just like with Ezra before him, Gunner was back helplessly in the corner, two electrified fences on either side of him.

"Now mirror shot, full power!"

Gunner bared his fangs, electricity popping off of his fur in preparation to try to defend against the approaching attack, but May knew it was futile. His attacks still weren't powerful enough to fend off a close range mirror shot, but she couldn't risk the fences electrocuting him, either.

As the silver glow around Magneton became so bright it was almost painful to look at it, an idea clicked in May's mind. It was crazy, and maybe downright stupid, but her instinct was telling her that it would work.

If Gunner's Lightening Rod could protect him from Magneton's powerful thunder shock, then why shouldn't it protect him from some artificial electricity?

"Gunner, jump in the fence!" May yelled, curling her hands so tightly she was sure to have fingernail imprints left behind in her palm.

Gunner's dark eyes widened at May like she was crazy. Worry that he would ignore her pooled in her belly, but thankfully, he shook his head and leapt into the colorful beams of electricity just as the mirror shot slammed into the ground he'd just been standing on.

The result was instantaneous. A sharp crackle filled the air, and the red and blue fencing began flickering wildly as all of it flooded to where Gunner was standing. In the center of the commotion, her electrike had his eyes squinted shut in strain as so much energy built up in his fur. However, to May's immense relief, he seemed unharmed.

The fence flickered once more before shutting off completely. Static bounced off Gunner's fur from the pure force of the energy he now possessed, and Magneton and Wattson could only watch agape at what was happening.

"Er…" For once, Wattson actually seemed taken aback. "Magneton, supersonic!"

No. Powerful or not, Gunner would only pose a threat to himself if he got confused. Magneton spun its magnets, and a vibrating sound wave floated through the air towards Gunner. He was too far away to get a spark in in time!

"Gunner, use discharge!" May yelled, against all of her reservations with the attack. He still didn't have absolute control over it, especially so overpowered, but she had no choice.

Blinding, furious light illuminated the gym, and May could hear Gunner grunting and a mechanic screeching that could only be coming from Magneton. Her hands shot to her eyes in an effort to shield them, but she was still left dazed even through the cracks in her fingers. Loud rumbles filled her ears, easily on par with Voltorb's earlier explosion attack, and May could only pray that the discharge wasn't even more dangerous than she'd originally thought.

Slowly, she dropped her hands from her face, and lights swam over her vision for several moments. When it finally cleared, she could see Magneton knocked out on the ground with Gunner standing a few feet away with a smug look on his face. The lighting in the gym was dimmer without the electric fences, and to May's horror, she saw that several streaks of torn up rocks lay across the battlefield from where Gunner's overpowered attack had completely ravaged it.

"Uh…. Magneton is unable to battle! I think. That was allowed… Right?"

"Yes Ben, that's allowed," Wattson said, blinking as he returned Magneton.

May bit her lip, hoping he wasn't furious that she had basically ruined his battlefield. Gunner wasn't helping. Instead of looking guilty, he was strutting around as if he couldn't be more pleased with himself.

"Gunner," May hissed, and he looked at her with large eyes. She faltered. She couldn't scold him; she'd ordered him to do it, and a part of her couldn't help but feel giddy with excitement as well. "Good job, but, um…"

Wattson saved her from making things even more awkward by chuckling. May's gaze shot up towards him, her face heated in slight embarrassment.

"Um… Sorry about your fence… And your field, and your lights-"

"It's not problem, May!" he said, his tone still surprisingly cheerful. May wondered if this man was ever anything else. He grabbed a third and final pokeball. "This is one of the most entertaining battles I've had in quite a while, and that was very inventive! But it's not finished yet. You've still got my brightest spark to deal with!"

You mean that wasn't Magneton? May thought with dread as he tossed the ball. The light condensed into a tall, quadruped figure before dimming.

Its legs where slim, yet powerful, and shapely in a way that gave May little doubt it was a female pokemon. Glossy blue fur covered most of her body, and the distinctive yellow mane that wrapped around her head and neck practically danced with electricity. A pair of piercing, crimson eyes glared calmly out at the battlefield, like thunderclouds waiting to strike.

Manetric.

May had never seen one in person, but faced with its size and clear power, she couldn't help but feel slightly intimidated. It was the evolved form of electrike, and theoretically that meant that it was superior to Gunner in every possible way. If Manetric also had the ability Lightening Rod, most of Gunner's attacks wouldn't even phase her. Although Soren could be switched back in, she wasn't sure if he was recovered from his earlier battle enough to do any good.

Gunner ceased his strutting, and his fur bristled in a way that seemed even more vicious that it had towards Magneton. He was determined to prove himself to his evolved form, and it resonated deeply within May.

She clenched her fist. She was still ahead. Manetric or no manetric, they could pull off this win!

First thing's first: figure out if Manetric has Lightening Rod, May thought. "Alright Gunner, use thunder wave!"

Her electrike shook his head, clearly unhappy with the lack of offensive, but a quick stream of electricity rolled off of his fur and shot towards Manetric nonetheless. With a disheartening speed that easily left Gunner's in the dust, Manetric stepped around the attack and continued peering down at him over her blue snout. If she dodged, then surely she didn't have Lightening Rod…

"Maneeec." She sounded unimpressed.

May scowled.

"You'll have to do better than that, May," Wattson said. "We may not be able to hurt you with electricity, but don't think battling us will be easy. Quick attack!"

"Spark back!" she ordered, still annoyed at Manetric's treatment of Gunner. She briefly wondered if Soren's opponents felt the same way about his superior attitude, but she was sucked back into the battle almost at once.

Gunner rushed forward, alight with a great burst of speed, but next to him, Manetric was like a blur. She stepped out of the way of his spark attack before shooting back towards him, ramming his back and then moving back out of reach. Rinse and repeat.

"Gunner, stop!" He was only wasting his energy, and judging by the flash of his fangs, he was quickly growing flustered as well. "Use quick attack too!"

Manetric was faster, more experienced, and physically stronger, but May prayed his smaller size would at least make him harder to hit if he sped things up. Gunner's sparks sunk back into his fur and he picked up his pace, weaving around Manetric in a kind of deadly dance. She made to sweep him off his feet with her long leg, but at the last second he leapt up and barreled straight into her chest. The impact sent her wobbling, and both pokemon were soon rolling around on the ground in a flurry of teeth and flailing limbs.

The scuffle immediately reminded May of two wild houndour fighting over a scrap of meat. Heart pounding, she was taken back to another time Gunner had been involved in a primal scuffle, which had taken place in a dark alleyway with a vicious golbat… Goosebumps crawled down her arms, and she shook her head to snap herself out of it. Her gym battle was the last time she needed to be thinking about that.

Wattson was just as displeased by the nature the battle had taken as she was. "Enough of that, Manetric! Crunch."

In a flash, Manetric had Gunner pinned down, belly up on the broken terrain of the battlefield. He snarled up at her, wiggling helplessly in under her greater weight. Manetric's lips pulled back to reveal her sharp canines (which suddenly seemed to be glowing black) as she sought out the best place to launch her attack.

May felt her heart rate pick up yet again. She had to get him out of there, and she had to get him out of there soon. "Discharge!

Sparks gathered around Gunner yet again, but they seemed weaker this time. They flickered on and off, like a dying light bulb, and Manetric sunk her black teeth into his shoulder. He jerked in pain, and his electricity faded almost completely before suddenly flaring out in a violent spark.

The static, though far from discharged, successfully zapped Manetric straight in between the eyes. She flinched away instinctively and Gunner was able to crawl back out of reach.

He was panting, and his injured shoulder seemed to twitch with pain. His eyes, however, were aglow with a renewed blaze. "Elec, trike, tri," he growled, and Manetric stared him down with equal dislike.

May gritted her teeth, shuffling through her mind for ideas. Gunner's discharge had completely failed him when under intense pressure—she'd have to work on that with them all in training, but for now, she had to try something else. The use of electricity and small size were her only advantages.

Discharge was easily Gunner's most powerful move, but it wasn't very effective against another electric type. Wattson wasn't going to fall for powering him up again, and the fences were gone. Gunner would have to get in close for a better hit, but without giving Manetric time to wrestle him into submission.

"Start your discharge, but run forward before attacking!"

In May's head, it was a crazy mixture between spark and discharge. Like with spark, Gunner was lighting up as he ran forward, yet unlike with spark, which popped as he moved, all of his fur was standing straight up with silent electricity. It was messy, but May prayed it would work.

As Gunner neared Manetric, electricity began shooting out from his body. Several bolts struck his opponent, yet he was holding in the majority of the blast for when he was right in under her—

"Flamethrower, now!"

Manetric opened her maw, and a large, boiling hot wave of fire spilled out of her mouth. May froze, shocked, and Gunner faltered as the attack came straight for him. With ease, the huge flames split right through his cloud of electricity and licked at his fur.

"Gunner!" May cried, her voice breaking out of surprise. A fire type move was the last thing she'd been expecting. Manetric and Wattson observed calmly as the flames died down.

"Electrike is unable to battle!" Ben declared, practically bursting with excitement at what he'd just seen. Gunner was collapsed near Manetric, his eyes closed. Shakily, May recalled him.

"I told you my manetric was tough," Wattson said, smiling. "It's important to be prepared for anything in a battle."

"It's not over yet," May shot back, snatching Soren's pokeball. She froze. Soren was a grass type. A direct hit from a flamethrower would take him out in one, two hits at the most.

"I like your spark!" Wattson laughed. "But I expected nothing less."

Please be recovered, Soren, May thought, tossing her final pokeball.

When Soren appeared, he stood straight and strong, the effect of the thunder wave clearly having worn off. He had his fair share of scrapes, but across from him, Manetric was still panting from her battle with Gunner. Neither one was at full strength, and it was Soren who'd just come back from long break.

As long as he avoided that flamethrower, he could win.

Soren glanced back at May out of the corner of his eye, waiting for his queue to attack. She motion subtly with her hand. Catching on, he began inching his way backwards, closer to May and farther from Manetric.

"We'll take the first move, then. Flamethrower!"

Like last time, a large burst of fire burned through the air, yet Soren was able to duck underneath it due to the distance the attack had been launched from. Manetric's spiked tail twitched irritably.

"Get in close with quick attack!" Wattson said, catching on to May's strategy.

"Stop her with bullet seed!"

Manetric darted straight for Soren, but she stumbled slightly when she was bombarded by a powerful array of seed projectiles. Some of them landed beneath her feet, while others smacked her in the chest. She growled and backpedalled slightly, looking for an opening.

"Shock wave!"

For the first time, the electricity crackling in Manetric's glorious mane gathered. It floated to the air above her, building strength before suddenly flying towards Soren in a ray of energy. It easily burned through his bullet seed attack, and he stopped attacking at once to try to escape.

He curved agilely in a maneuver that should've made the attack missed him, yet it suddenly changed direction and shot towards him again. It slammed into his lower half, nearly blasting him off his feet.

Eager to seize her opening, Manetric sped over towards him, flames already pooling in the back of her throat.

"Watch out!" May screamed, and Soren rolled out of the way and swerved back onto his feet. A tinge of the flames sizzled against the leaves growing out of his back, but he gritted his teeth and hissed up at Manetric.

She was close, too close for Soren to escape again, and another flamethrower was forming around her mouth. There was no way for him to escape in time, no move to counter it, unless…

"Jump on her back!"

Using his strong legs to his advantage, Soren expertly leapt over Manetric's tall figure and wrapped his arms around her neck. There was no possible way for her to hit him with a flamethrower from that angle.

"Yes! Now leaf blade!"

Manetric's legs nearly buckled as the first sword-like leaf sliced across her shoulders, yet Soren didn't let up. Holding on as tightly as possible with his back claws, he hit her with another leaf blade and then another.

"Get him off, now! Shock wave!" Wattson ordered, and for the first time, his voice was all business and no play.

Electricity buzzed straight from Manetric's mane and into Soren this time. He flinched, yet he determinedly kept up his leaf blade barrage. Slowly, as lightening continued to course through his scales, a green aura formed around his outline, signifying that his Overgrow was coming into effect.

May tensed. If Overgrow was taking over, he'd not be able to withstand that shock wave for any longer.

"Get down now!" she cried. With one last, weakened leaf blade, Soren flipped over Manetric's head and landed in a crouched position.

Through the light of Overgrow, May could see that Soren was barely standing. Across from him, Manetric was trembling, and she appeared to be struggling to hold her head up. Electricity crackled in the air between the two pokemon as they stared at one another.

Soren wobbled, but he caught himself with one of his front claws at the last second. Manetric glowered at him stubbornly, as if asking why he didn't give up already.

May held her breath, waiting to see which one would fall first.

Finally, a sigh slipped through Manetric's mouth, and her strong body fell onto the torn battlefield.

"Oh my- Wow! Manetric is unable to battle! The challenger wins!" Ben was practically jumping up and down, and May might've just copied him if not for the painful flare in her ankle. She'd been standing on it for far too long.

She half ran, half hopped over to Soren, throwing her arms around him in a sloppy hug. He sighed, and she felt him slump against her for support.

"You're the best," May said, grinning. He nuzzled her arm in a rare show of affection, which made her concerned about how tired he really was. Thankfully, the gleam in his eye seemed as cocky as ever.

"Gro."

May hugged him again, promising she'd take them straight to the pokemon center for healing before giving them something extra special for supper. She'd just returned him when a jolly laugh brought her back down to Hoenn.

"My, my, May! That was some battle," Wattson said, patting his round stomach cheerfully. He pulled something shiny out of his pocket. "You've earned this!"

The Dynamo Badge winked up at her in shades of aqua and yellow. The metal was shaped roughly like a coiled wire. May grabbed it eagerly. She couldn't believe it; three badges! Three!

"Yes! Thank you so much!"

"Not bad," Brendan said, standing surprisingly close. The kids from the bleachers had wandered over, watching her with large, amazed eyes, and the plusle and minun were beginning to wiggle impatiently in their arms.

He snorted suddenly, and May paused, stumped, before jerking her hands instinctively to her hair. She could feel her bangs and even some of the hairs restrained in her ponytail floating around in the static-heavy air. Desperately, she tried to pat them down. Of course, it was a lost cause.

Brendan opened his mouth, but May cut him off with a fierce glare. "Don't. Say. A. Word."

"I don't think I have to."

"Ugh, you-"

"You kids have so much energy!" Wattson chortled, but the wise look in his eyes told May he knew exactly what he was doing when he interrupted them. "May, you're the best trainer I've seen in months. Keep working, and you'll blow the others away!"

May supposed by 'others' he meant 'other gym leaders'. She found herself glowing from the praise. "Wow, thank you so much! I mean, uh, thank you, sir!"

"Just call me Wattson." He patted her on the head, so much like a friendly grandfather that she half-expected him to offer her some candy and tell her to go play. Beaming, he turned to Brendan and held out his right hand. "It's been great seeing you again, too, Brendan. I hope you'll give me a rematch someday."

"I doubt-" Brendan was rolling his eyes, halfheartedly sticking his hand into Wattson's when he suddenly jumped back with a sound that had to qualify as a borderline yelp. He shook his fingers in annoyance. "Ow!"

Wattson burst out into his loudest laughter yet. Through his amusement, he managed to flash May a glimpse of the shock ring on his pointer finger. Seeing the expression on Brendan's face, she couldn't help but laugh along with the gym leader.

"You youngsters never learn." Wattson wiped a fake tear from his eye.

Brendan crossed his arms sulkily, looking worse than an overgrown weezing. May nudged him, still laughing. "You're no fun."

His expression soured even further. "Ha ha. Hilarious."

The air in Rustboro was thick, thick with smog and other city waste. To the naked eye, the atmosphere would seem as clear could be, but it made Wally's fragile lungs want to cry with agony. As his breathing grew increasingly labored, he couldn't help but think back to the gentle breezes of Verdanturf.

He shoved his inhaler farther into his coat pocket. Not today, asthma, he thought with resolution. He didn't care how hard it was. He did not want to be in Verdanturf again, and he was immensely grateful to be where he was.

A pronounced feeling of concern prodded at his brain. To anyone else, such a thing would have been foreign and perhaps even frightening, but Wally had grown well accustomed to such invasions over the past weeks.

He smiled up into Alastair's worried scarlet eyes. "I'm okay. Promise."

The ralts's gaze blinked down at his hand in the pocket of his oversized jacket, and worry washed over his brain with renewed vigor.

Wally struggled not to take a deeper breath. "I don't need it."

Brendan didn't need it. May didn't need it…

But he did.

The muscles in his chest were quickly constricting, closing in on him in that all too familiar, inescapable way. It was almost as if walls were shrinking around him, suffocating him, regardless of the fact that he was in the open amidst the gorgeous stone structures of the city.

"We need… to train. Yeah. If we want…. Badge…"

Before he could get all of his words out, Wally felt his knees tremble, and he was forced to collapse onto a nearby bench. In seconds, his inhaler was levitated before his face, held up by an aura of purple psychic energy.

"Raaa," Alastair cooed, patting his shoulder as he broke down and took several deep draws of the medicine inside. It seeped into his lungs, and like magic, he could breathe again.

Wally felt like crying. If only his parents could see him now…. They'd only say, "I told you so".

He wished he could be like May. She was so confident and strong. Stronger than he could ever hope to be. She probably already had her third badge, while he was struggling to even train for his first.

A strong sense of determination surged through his mind, and Wally felt Alastair's smooth cheek rub against his. "Raa, ralts."

Having his pokemon feel such a way first made Wally's stomach roll with more shame, but it was rapidly replaced by a renewed vigor to do his best. He could do this. He could.

He'd promised May, after all. And more importantly, he wouldn't let Alastair down, not after all they'd been through to sneak all the way through Rusturf tunnel to get here.

And I'll prove myself, too.

He was so deep in thought that he barely noticed the shrill shriek of sirens echoing throughout the city of stone.

May was laid back in her twin size bed in Mauville's central pokemon center, her ankle propped up on a pillow. It hadn't bothered her for several days, but after all the walking and the excitement of her gym battle, it had started to ache again.

"Hmm… What should we watch, Demi?"

She paused in flipping through the limited selection of channels to glance over at her marill. All of her other pokemon were tucked away in their pokeballs, resting after a celebratory meal at a nearby restaurant. Demi, however, was as energetic as ever, and May appreciated the company. Even though they were safe inside, the thought of being all alone in Mauville still gave her the creeps.

"Ril, marill," Demi squeaked, wiggling her ears. She jumped up and down on the springy mattress like it was a trampoline.

"Ooh, the S.S. Cactus. This is a good movie," May said. She lifted her finger off the remote, preparing to watch it, but she was disappointed to see that the main couple had already gotten together. The movie was over halfway over. Sighing, she continued browsing through the channels.

As it had repeatedly throughout the past several hours, May's mind turned back to her gym battle. Wattson had given her such an amazing compliment… Keep working, and you'll blow the others away!

Was it true? Was she really doing that well?

May knew that she won most of her battles, far more than the average trainer. Even back when she'd just had Soren, she'd done that, although she'd improved tremendously since. Sure, most of the people she battled only trained as a side hobby instead of as a serious passion like she did, but many of them had also been with their pokemon for much longer.

Was it possible, even a little bit, that the insane thoughts she'd buried within her, the thoughts that she had never voiced to anyone, could come true? If she worked harder than ever, would she stand a chance at becoming Hoenn's Champion one day?

But I'd have to beat my dad…. The thought sent a nervous tingle down her spine. Her Dad was beyond amazing. He'd built his career off of decades of winning enormous tournaments and vigorous training, and she'd always watched, praying that she could one day become half the trainer that he was.

How could she even hope to compete with him, much less with trainers who were even better?

And becoming strong enough to be the Champion had a lot more to it than just running around and defeating eight gyms. She'd need to fight more serious trainers than gym leaders and the few real ones she happened to encounter on the road. Her training would have to intensify to a whole new level.

The sound of the shower cutting off reminded her of just who was already helping her out. Brendan. Brendan, who had once tried to become Champion himself.

You could ask him for advice, a tiny voice said, but the thought made May oddly nervous. What if he got upset when she mentioned it? Or what if he just laughed at her and told her she was crazy?

She shook her head. He liked to pick on her, but he wouldn't do that. Even if he doubted her, he'd let her down gently if he knew she was serious.

Demi finally grew tired of jumping and moved over to nuzzle into May's side. Still troubled, May set the remote on the nightstand, leaving the TV on cartoons. If anything, they'd relax her.

"Ohh… Who lives in a pinap berry under the sea?"

"MudFred FishyFins!"

"Squishy and blue and-"

The bathroom door clicked open, immediately drawing her attention away from the cartoon about a goofy marshtomp and his ocean friends. Brendan was emerging at last, his dark hair damp from his shower. May had taken her own as soon as they'd arrived so she could crawl straight into bed.

He met her gaze with a raised eyebrow. "MudFred? Really?"

"It's classic," May defended. Beautifly danced in her stomach, but whether it was from trying to bring up what she wanted or the intoxicating sent of his aftershave, she wasn't sure. "So, which gym should we go to next?"

"Lavaridge," Brendan said at once, plopping down on his own bed. She noticed that he was watching the cartoon out of the corner of his eye, and she struggled not to smile. "It'll be a long trip. Route 111 is terrible."

"Was that the fire type gym?"

He nodded. "Yep. I think the old gym leader just retired, though, so that might be good."

Her skirting around the question she really wanted to ask was interrupted by a legitimate thought. She stroked Demi's rubbery blue fur, scrunching up her eyebrows. "I was thinking I need to teach Demi aqua tail or something for Huge Power. And some fairy type moves."

"That'd be a good idea," Brendan said, but his reply lost when he suddenly lunged for the remote. He flipped through the channels, ignoring May's scowl and slowly growing an even more disappointed expression than she had. "Ugh, S.S. Cactus. How stupid."

Brendan glanced at her as he said the last part, probably expecting to goad her into an argument. She only stuck her tongue out at him, however. Instead of commenting further, he changed the channel to the Hoenn News Network.

"Ugh, Brendan," May complained, winkling her nose in disgust. Despite the fact that she was sure he'd only done it because he knew she hated watching the news, she added, "I swear you're mentally a 40 year old."

"And you're eight," he fired back, and she groaned.

Suddenly, the light atmosphere in the room was split by the foreboding beat that signified an HNN special report. Judging by the red warnings flashing across the bottom of the screen, it was an emergency. Even Demi sat up straighter, ears straining towards the television.

The screen didn't flicker to a natural disaster or attack, but a posh stone apartment building with a reporter standing before it. May could immediately tell that it was in Rustboro City.

"We've just received more news on the potential attempt on the life of Mr. Stone, president of the famous Devon Corporation."

An old photo of Mr. Stone standing solemnly behind a podium at some meeting or other flashed across the screen. His spikey gray hair and pinstriped suit caused May's breathing to catch in her throat as she was bombarded by memories of the stern yet kind gentleman who'd given her a Pokenav. Had someone… tried to assassinate him? Why?

The screen briefly changed to show a crowd of harassed looking people. Some of them were in business uniforms, while others were police officers being interviewed. Among them all, May's eyes were drawn to a familiar shock of white blonde hair.

"Why's he there? Why's he everywhere?" she growled, pointing accusingly at an angry-faced Blaise Steele. A thought occurred to May. Her dad clearly hated him (She figured it must run in the family), and he certainly had an annoying habit of popping up near crime scenes. He'd been near the Oceanic Museum. What if he was working with Archie? "It was probably him! That stupid, pretentious-"

"The PPA think they have to stick it in everyone's business if it has anything to do with pokemon, that's why." Brendan looked every bit as irritable as she felt.

"Don't you think he looks like he's up to something? I think he's got something to do with Team Aqua. How'd he know about the Oceanic Museum so fast?"

His mouth turned down, deep in thought. After a while, he said, "I don't think so. I honestly think he just wants to pretend to be important. And I've heard him call them disgraces to environmentalism a million times in the news. I don't think he'd do that if he was working with them."

May huffed. He was probably right, but that didn't change the fact that something about Blaise Steele made her skin crawl like no other. She didn't have to reply, for the TV refocused on the reporter from before.

Receiving her cue, the woman on screen spoke again.

"Yes, Judy. I spoke with the president's closest associates minutes ago, and he's assured me that no harm was brought on him or any of his possessions. Authorities believe that the crook- believed to be the Black Hand- might be behind the attack."

A sharp intake of breath sounded from Brendan, and May's scared sapphire eyes shot to him. "Wait, Brendan, who's that?"

He ignored her, completely absorbed in what was on the TV.

"Reports say that he teleported away with a pokemon when he realized that Steven Stone, the region's current Champion, happened to be staying there. Unfortunately, he allegedly fled the scene as soon as he realized Steven was there, and so far there's no trail."

Brendan never bothered to answer her question, but HNN was prepared for uninformed, new Hoenn residents like her. A picture of a large, scary-looking man in all black popped up, along with a list of facts and crimes he supposedly had under his belt.

Poached the single tyranitar inhabiting the Safari Zone. Always spotted in black. Murdered trainer's prized Typhlosion. Approximately 6'3.

The list went on. May quickly grew sick from looking at it, and she was strangely relieved when the reporter returned.

"Mr. Stone has issued a statement that he has no idea what the Black Hand or his potential employer could've been after. He also assured us he is perfectly content that his safety will not be at risk in the foreseeable future."

HNN promised to follow up the report as soon as they learned more, but May had an uncomfortable feeling that they wouldn't learn more. Holding on to Demi, who had become very still after the news flash, she glanced over at Brendan for reassurance.

He flipped off the TV and slipped into bed, his back to her. May swallowed. Demi squeaked something and licked her arm, but the nerves coiled in her insides didn't relax in the slightest. Her eyes roamed over Brendan again, seeking out the obvious tension in his shoulders. He was clearly very concerned about what was on TV.

With Brendan's suffocating silence, she was alone with Demi's comfort and her own raging thoughts. May squeezed her marill more tightly.

Working out a path for her to try becoming Champion would have to wait.

AN: That gym battle was such a pain to write, but I say that about them all, sooo. Originally, I didn't have the scene with Wally, but after going back and adding it in, I'm glad I did. Expect to see these occasionally, but not every chapter or anything. There's another one coming really soon though!

I made a tumblr and I have no idea how to use it, but go check it out if you're curious about what I'm up to (Don't make fun of me too badly when you do though. Haha). It'll probably be posts about this story, like, 99 percent of the time. My username is alphinia11. Oh, and I made a page where you can ask questions about the story, too! Or questions about me. Whatever floats your boat I guess.

I'm going away for the weekend, so review replies 'might' be a bit slow depending on how soon you review. Also, the next update will probably take a while, because finals are almost upon us. Ugh. Seriously, I'll be happy if I can get it out before Christmas with the schedule I have to look forward to! At least I've finally finished this Mauville arc, though. In the mean time, I hope you guys have a fun and safe Thanksgiving! (PS help me. I'm already listening to Christmas music.)

What's your favorite eeveelution? I literally love them all, but I think umbreon's design is just so awesome. Actual battle wise, I'd probably go with either sylveon or espeon.

Next time….

"Care to return the favor?" he asked, and May felt uncertainty creep over her when she saw that his smirk had returned.

"How?" Brendan asked suspiciously.