The Joy of Life

Through the battles, Wallace, Steven, and every member of Team Aqua and Team Magma could feel all the powerful tremors, and they all seemed to be holding their breath collectively as they waited for the battles to end. When the tremors finally stopped, they all began to wait on baited breath, unsure if Brendan and May had been victorious, or if they had been defeated. It took about ten minutes, during which time Brendan and May were telling each other what they'd experienced in their battles, but they kept it brief, knowing that their Pokémon needed to be healed as soon as possible. When the doors to the Cave of Origin finally opened, everybody breathed with relief, and Steven ran up to the trio as they walked out of the cavern. Gwen looked worse for wear, and her shoulder was heavily bruised.

"Is it over?" Steven asked, keeping it simple.

"Yeah, it's over," Brendan said as both he and May held up the now filled Master Balls. "I got Groudon, May has Kyogre."

Steven nodded. "I see, and it looks like it took everything you had."

May nodded this time. "Yes, it was like fighting a storm for us…we only barely won. And it was only because we were lucky."

Steven looked at Gwen, and realized that her arm definitely needed immediate medical attention. "Alright, I'm going to take you guys to my personal wing of the Pokémon Center here. It has its own doctor and nurse, and they're some of the best in the region," he said.

Brendan seemed to perk up a bit at that suggestion. "Really? That'd be great," his voice, however, seemed to show his thorough exhaustion with the whole experience more than excitement, and May's face showed it as well.

Steven started to lead the way out of the grove. Wallace stopped them briefly before they left. "I'll be in contact in a few days. You two should take that time for some rest and relaxation," he said. Brendan and May just nodded and continued to follow Steven to the Pokémon Center, only taking about twenty minutes to get there. When they walked in, a nurse immediately walked up to greet them.

"Hello Mr. Stone. It's a pleasure to see you again. How may we be of service to you?" She asked.

"I'm having two of my friends stay here for a few days. They just had some very intense battles and their Pokémon need to treatment," he said, gesturing to Gwen as an example, the bruise having gotten worse as they walked.

The nurse looked to Brendan and May. "Alright, please give me all your Pokémon, and I will take them to the healing area for the doctor to start healing them." Brendan and May both removed their Pokéball belts and handed them to the nurse. "What Pokémon do you two have?"

"I have a Sceptile, a Slaking, a Crawdaunt, a Camerupt, a Gardevoir, and a Latias," Brendan said. The nurse seemed to perk up slightly at the mention of Avery.

"And I have a Blaziken, a Beautifly, a Pelipper, an Aggron, a Spiritomb, and a Latios," May said. The nurse once again seemed surprised at the mention of an Eon Pokémon.

"Alright, we'll assess their injuries and let you know when they'll be fully healed. We can call to the residence area when we finish the assessment to let you know how long their healing will take.

Brendan nodded. "I think I should mention that just battled the two Pokémon that were battling out in the middle of the lake earlier." The nurse looked like she was about to faint when he said that.

"Why in the name of Arceus would you put yourselves or your Pokémon through that?" she said as she took their Pokéballs and belts.

"Ask him later," May said as she pointed to Steven. "He'll explain it." They then walked with the thoroughly confused nurse to the treatment rooms, where they saw the doctor seemingly waiting for them to call for her. She had short brown hair, a curvy figure, and slightly tanned skin. She seemed to give off a reassuring aura that told Brendan and May their Pokémon would be in good hands.

"Hello, you two, I am Dr. Alicia Reynolds, and it seems I'll be caring for your Pokémon. I promise you that no matter how long it takes, we will have your Pokémon fully healed and in peak condition. In the meantime, please enjoy the residence as long as you'd like," she shook hands with both May and Brendan before taking the Pokéballs with her. With that, May and Brendan both gave Gwen a gentle hug, taking care to not cause her any pain.

I'll be okay. I'll see you both in two days at most, she said.

Brendan nodded. I'll stop by to make sure you're doing alright tomorrow morning. He gave her one more hug before letting her go with Dr. Reynolds. The nurse then led them to the other side of the wing where she opened a door, revealing a huge room with a king-sized bed, and a bathroom easily big enough for at least twenty people to fit comfortably.

"Well, thank you for your help," May said to the nurse.

"Of course, I'm very happy to help in any way," she said. May just smiled and whispered something in the nurse's ear, before the woman left the young couple and closed the door behind her. That was when May turned to Brendan, her smile telling him that she had something more on her mind than just resting for their time here.

"You know, I'm really cold, and I feel like we could both use a hot shower, why don't we go together and…have some fun?" May said, pulling Brendan close, her eyes looking more than seductive. "After all, we really should celebrate not dying today."

Brendan kissed her, holding her waist gently. "I think that's a good idea." He let May take him by the hand and pull him into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind them.

a-a-a-a-a-a

Meanwhile, Gwen was once again laying in a healing pod, Dr. Reynolds streaming the anime Bleach for the Gardevoir's entertainment while she was healing. Gwen was on the fifth episode when she began to sense what Brendan and May were doing.

Oh, come on! Again? she thought as she did her best to block out the sensations. Well, at least now they're engaged.

Anyway, please leave a review letting me know what you honestly think, without flaming, but realize that this is absolutely the last time I write a lemon scene for this fanfiction, no matter how much people ask (you know who you are).

Until next time – jmoul18.