Chapter
42
She
walked. And she walked. And she walked.
She roamed the streets with a dispirited demeanor, one which would be expected from a girl who lost her mother. Her face was full of grief, her rich skin was now pale in comparison to the healthy tones she used to posses. Her large sapphire eyes were once filled with hope, energy and vigor, but now they appeared to be an empty husk with a loss of color. Her body had lost its spirit, as if she was just drifting by aimlessly and no longer cared about the things that once pleased her.
Her eyes were fixed on the ground as she walked, she couldn't sustain a positive gaze on the world around her. She walked slowly without direction, had she had pockets her hands would have been inside rather than gripping onto her skirt tightly. Her long locks of hair messily cascaded down her face, obstructing the view of her face from people who were passing by. She didn't want to be recognized or noticed, not in this town, not in Petalburg City, her hometown.
Caroline's kidnapping was plastered all over the newspapers, television, and was the gossip of the town. It was Petalburg City after all, and she was the wife of the famous Gym leader, Norman. Although Norman did not permit any reporters from getting comments, this did not stop them from banking with the story for their weekly paycheck. The town was getting rich in entertainment with the story of a missing wife and mother, and this disgusted May greatly.
She didn't want to give them the publicity that they were after, not them, not the city. She kept her face low as she walked, avoiding unnecessary attention and being pestered with questions about a tragedy. She knew they didn't care how she felt, they just wanted an addition story to fill another few minutes on the evening news.
May tried to figure it out in her head, why would they bother her with this? She was tearing up inside, her whole body was splitting apart from the inside out. Without her mother, an essential figure in her life was gone. She was depressed and felt like falling to pieces, having strangers stuffing microphones in her face to get some words about it would be like nailing the final nail in the coffin of her emotional stability. She didn't need anyone to tear open the wound any more than it was, she was hurting inside, and found it hard to cope to begin with.
She passed by another street corner, roaming aimlessly down another block in Petalburg City. She had no idea how far she walked from her house, she had no idea where she even was. Where she was doing didn't matter, she just needed to walk.
The glaring absence of her cheery mother made her want to walk away from the Petalburg Gym as far as possible. She didn't want to be reminded that she wasn't there, that she had lost a mother to the cruel, unforgiving world. She wanted to spend a few hours getting away from it all, trying to get away from the pain and hurt. Little did she know at the time that the pain would continue with her wherever she went, and that the loss of her mother would forever be in her mind until the situation was resolved.
She had recalled what Ash asked her when she wanted to leave the Gym. It was simply concern from the boy to see where the girl he cared for was going, but she needed to be alone.
"Are you sure you don't want me to come along with you?" he asked.
"I just need to walk," she recalled herself replying.
"I want to make sure you'll be ok," he replied in a typical "Ash" tone of voice.
"Stay with Max," she remembered saying, "He'll need you when he wakes up. I…just need to walk."
He would insist that she stay and do everything in his power to show his concern, she knew that his kindhearted personality would always get the best of him. He was Ash after all, and he was the kind of person who meant every single word he said.
"I'm just going to walk. To settle some things in my mind, I'd like you to stay here, for my brother," she said.
She recalled Ash's nod as he knew he was defeated, there was a time when everyone needed to be alone, especially when something pivotal is triggered in ones life. May remembered opening the front door, and once she stepped one foot outside the house, she walked. And she walked. And she walked.
A car honking its horn loudly snapped May's attention back into the present time, when she almost walked into the street while the light was green. The driver yelled out an insult from his window, she didn't manage to catch the exact words, but it was a typical, "Watch where you're going, you dumbass!" type line whenever a driver almost hits some absent-minded person crossing the street.
May watched from behind as the car drove down the street and out of view. She briefly pushed her brown locks back, licked her lips, and continued on her way. There was no way of course, as there was no plot from point A to point B that she was headed. It was a point of continuing onward, somewhere, anywhere, as she let her mind dwell on the thoughts of her mother and family.
Time passed, and she got hungry. She was walking for hours, and both her legs and her body needed something to sustain her activity. She noticed a couple of street vendors on the corner, the typical foreigners who would set up their hot dog shops in a big city to make a living. She licked her lips as the smell of the hot dogs and roasted beans caught her attention, almost drawing her to the stands. She pondered what time it was, she didn't remember eating breakfast that long ago. She never wore a watch, since the PokeNav always told the time, but that was in possession of her little brother, who was back at the Gym. She was hungry though, so it didn't matter, she needed to scarf something down. She reached her hand back into her yellow fanny pack, which was strapped around her waist as usual, and looked for any spare cash or money she could find.
The food smelled good, she was almost frantically pushing aside her apparel in her fanny pack to look for any money or loose change. She was frothing at the mouth, she needed to devour something as quickly as possible. Her hand kept searching her bag as she looked forward at the street vendors, she wasn't feeling anything but a couple of coins.
May sighed as she realized she had no real money on her, only a few coins. A hotdog was only a single dollar however, so if she could find four quarters in her bag, she would be ok. She eventually got so frustrated with blindly searching her bag that she finally took the thing off her waist and pried her eyes away from the vendors to look inside carefully rather than just fidgeting with it.
"Two quarters," May muttered, as she held the two coins in her right hand, "I better have another two."
She continued to search her bag and found another quarter, that made three! While she was searching for a fourth and final quarter however, someone bumped into her while running from behind. May staggered to the side slightly as she wasn't expecting it, and dropped her three coins to the floor.
The woman who bumped into her turned around to apologize. "I'm sorry, I was in a big hurry."
"It's ok, maybe I should have stood on the side rather than standing in the middle of the sidewalk while I search for my quarters," May said.
May glanced up at the woman who looked oddly familiar. She was tall, taller than her by several inches. She had red hair that went down to her shoulders, and was covered in a large overcoat. Her face was well concealed by a pair of sunglasses and a scarf that went over her mouth. Needless to say, her voice also had the hint of familiarity.
She looked at the woman oddly as she bent down to pick up the quarters that were scattered about. May didn't want to pry however, so she carefully searched the pavement for the last remaining quarters. The red-haired woman picked up a quarter for her while May held the other two.
"Three quarters, I need one more," May sighed.
"Oh, did your fourth quarter roll away somewhere? No problem, I can give you one," the woman responded.
May was about to say that she only had three quarters to begin with, but her body desperately needed something to eat. The woman handed May her quarter and took another out of her purse to make it an even four.
"Th-thanks," May said timidly, accepting the fourth quarter.
The red-haired woman nodded and adjusted the sunglasses on her face. With that, she then quickly jogged down the street the same way she did when she bumped into her. May watched for a few moments before the tantalizing smell of the hotdogs caught her attention again. She opened the palm of her hand and squealed as four shiny coins rested in her hand.
"Hey, can I get a hot dog?" May asked with great enthusiasm.
The hotdog vendor smiled at the young girl as he opened a bun and reached inside the vat of grease and oil to pick out a hotdog. She had her hands clasped while watching the man place the hot dog in the bun, her stomach was actually rumbling loudly that the vendor decidedly hurried up.
"Ketchup?" the man asked.
"Oh, yes! Lots of ketchup, please!" May said, happily.
After getting the hot dog just right, he placed it in a napkin and handed it over to her. May smiled and quickly handed the man her four coins, she of course didn't hesitate to chomp down the hot dog as fast as she could. Vendor hot dogs were always flimsy and never really made of much meat, so she knew she could probably eat through the thing in a few bites. After delightfully eating three quarters of the hot dog, she decided to take her time and nibble on the remaining pieces. This was her only source of food for a while at least, so she wanted to enjoy it.
She walked over to the side of the street and continued to nibble away at her dog, minding her own business as she ate.
"That was Norman's daughter? Oh, I just set up shop in this town a little while ago, I didn't know!" the hot dog man said.
May swallowed the pieces in her mouth and gulped the rest down. She turned her head cautiously as she heard her name being called in the distance. A newswoman dressed in proper attire and a cameraman came running toward her as quickly as possible. The reporter had beady eyes and a gigantic microphone, while the cameraman had the most obnoxious and old fashioned camera still in existence in the modern world.
"Crap," May muttered to herself.
Fearing that this might happen if she went out alone, she tried walking away from the news crew to avoid unnecessary attention. She knew that her luck held out for a long time without bumping into any nosy reporters, but sadly, the luck was bound to end sometime.
"Miss, can you wait a second!" the reporter insisted.
"No, I'm not doing any interviews," May said, bluntly.
"Just for a few seconds, it'll only take a moment of your time!" the reporter said.
May tried to walk forward but the woman stood right in front of her and shoved the microphone in her face. She looked behind her as the cameraman had his humongous camera already zoomed in on her as well. She was being cornered by the feisty media, something she dreaded might happen. She cursed herself under her breath for not wearing a hooded jacket or something similar, that way she could have covered her face more effectively so nobody would notice her.
"Your father unfortunately refused to comment on his reaction to his wife's kidnapping, but I'm sure you have a few things to say, yes?" the woman asked, "Hey, Charlie, if we manage to get this interview going we'll have the scoop on all other networks! None of them have managed to get a proper interview with Norman or his family, but we got one in the palms of our hands!"
"Right, let's get this rolling," Charlie said.
May looked at the news reporters distastefully, as expected, they were only eager to get their ratings and paychecks, and truthfully didn't give a damn about her missing mother. She crossed her arms and grinded her teeth, she was losing her temper quickly.
"Now then, can you tell us how you feel at the moment with your mother missing?" the lady asked.
"How do you think I feel?" May snapped.
"Well," the lady said, "A few non-rhetoric words for the camera won't hurt, yes, dear?"
She shoved the microphone further into her face. May tried to angrily look away before she snapped, as she could no longer tolerate being used as a piece of promotion for a news station. What caught her attention as she looked away however, nearly shocked her.
May's mouth gaped as she saw a man in all leather walking in the street next to the street vendors, his hair was shaved and had several chains dangling on his chest. When she walked a few steps closer as her eyes opened wide, she knew it was him; the kidnapper.
"Uh, miss?" the newswoman asked.
"I…I don't believe it," May gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.
Ross was walking quickly down the street, so she knew if he wasn't followed now, she'd lose sight of him. She quickly turned to the news crew as she got an idea.
"The man who kidnapped my mother, I see him walking over there!" May exclaimed.
The newswoman and Charlie were bewildered as May urged them to follow her. After a few moments of hesitation, they decided to quickly run after the girl with the camera rolling.
I can't let him know we're following him, but I don't want to lose track of him either, May thought, I…might never find Mom if I don't follow him…I have to keep him in my sights. That bastard is going to hell for this, I'll make sure of it!
May eyed him as he turned a corner down the street, in which she slowly inched her way to the side of the building. She wanted to keep some distance so he didn't notice anyone nearby, yet she knew she couldn't let him get too far. She turned around to make sure the news people were still with her, if she could get them to film where he was going, the police would have a lead as to where her mother was being held.
"Be quiet, and follow me," May urged them.
"I'm not too sure about this," Charlie said.
"Quiet, this could be the scoop that we're waiting for," the reporter remarked.
May continued to eye Ross from a distance as she noticed him enter into an alley. She suddenly had a flashback of when she and Ash saw Ross while they were coming home from the mall, and realized this was the exact same alley as the one he was in right now. She quickly looked around at the buildings around her, and sure enough, this was the same street they walked home from the mall in.
She wiped some sweat off her forehead, and felt slightly discouraged once again. If Ross was hanging out in an alley again, then perhaps following him wouldn't lead her to her mother after all. It seemed like he was just taking a stroll around town, rather then heading back to his "hideout" like May figured.
The thought then registered in her mind, should she confront him?
May had some conflicting thoughts as this was the same man who gave her father several harsh fists to the face and knocked him unconscious in front of their house. If her proud and confident father was dispatched of quite easily, what chance would she have?
Her hand moved over her fanny pack, she knew that if need be, her Pokemon would be there to help her out. More than anything though, she wanted Ross to be captured on film so his face would be plastered all over the news. In addition to that, if she was able to knock him out, the police would be able to interrogate him to find her missing mother.
May cautiously looked over at the two news people who were hovering over her shoulder. She originally wanted to blow these two off for exploiting her sadness on television for ratings, but now the tables have turned, and they might actually be of some use to her after all.
She took a deep breath to calm herself down, this would be no easy task. She knew that a lot was riding on the outcome, as this might be the only time she ever sees Ross out on the street. She remembered the vow she made to her mother about how she wanted to be courageous and confident like her, and how she wanted to have the strength of Ash and her parents, rather than letting everyone walk all over her like Ross and Precita and her friends did in the past. With none of her friends around her and nobody to turn to but herself, she took another deep breath and quickly jogged across the street.
May hugged the side of the building, as she knew when she looked in the corner of the alley, he would be right there. The news crew were standing right next to her as well, and she urged them not to make too much noise with the clunky camera. If case need be, she might need them to help her bring the man who kidnapped her mother down.
"I'm going to quickly run into the alley with my Pokemon at my side," May whispered, "I want you two to stand behind me, so the man has no means of escape and will have to push through you two to get out of the alley."
"This is sounding a bit dangerous," the newswoman said, "I'm not sure if I'm being paid enough for this."
"You want your friggin news story, don't you? If you want to be a coward then just leave, but if you want to get your "precious" story, then I suggest you do as I say," May retorted.
The reporter and Charlie exchanged glances. May nodded at them and slowly let out her Combusken next to her. A fighting-type Pokemon like Combusken would be her best bet to confront Ross with, especially since he wouldn't stand a chance against attacks like Mega Kick or Sky Uppercut from her Pokemon.
"Combusken, I need you more than ever for this. Don't disappoint me," May said.
"Combusken," Combusken nodded.
May took another deep breath, her heart was pounding. The adrenaline was pumping in her body as her flight-or-fight scenario began to take affect. She wanted more than ever to deliver Ross to justice for kidnapping her mother and beating up her father, and she knew she could make no errors in doing so. She tried to relieve herself of her fear that Ross might physically attack her, but she promised herself that no matter what happened to her, she would take him down eventually.
May and Combusken knew how dire and important the situation was, and both of them were practically in sync for the upcoming struggle. This would be the first time she ever used her Pokemon to attack another human, to effectively harm and dispatch of him with vengeance in mind specifically. She knew that this wasn't proper, but there were times that rules needed to be disregarded, especially if she had any hope of ever seeing her precious mother again.
With one last deep breath to calm herself down, she was ready to confront Ross. She quickly darted across the opening between the buildings and stood in the entrance of the alley way. Sure enough, Ross stood there with his back leaned against the wall, twirling his chains that dangled off his chest.
May's eyes twitched with anger as she saw how nonchalantly Ross was leaning against the wall. This man committed horrible sins, yet he was just walking out in the open without a care in the world. He had to be stopped.
"Hey, whaddya know!" Ross said, smiling as he walked away from the wall, "Don't I know you?"
The news reporter and cameraman stood behind May, blocking the entrance like they promised they would, in order to prevent Ross from making a run for it. May stood in front of them, her loyal Combusken by her side, ready to deliver the worst if need be.
"I'll ask you once, and only once. Where's my mother?" May asked, angrily.
"Hm, your mother? I don't know, she's probably chained to a wall somewhere, I forget where exactly," Ross snickered.
"Wrong answer," May said, "Combusken, Mega Kick!"
"Combuuuusken!" the Pokemon shrieked.
It leaped off its burly legs into the air, as it positioned itself to deliver a devastating kick to its opponent. The feathers on its head and foot began to glow a majestic blue hue, as the attack was channeling all the chi within its body.
Ross wasn't quite sure what to expect, but he could certainly not dodge a Pokemon that was coming right for him. Combusken's foot struck Ross directly in the stomach, as the man was kicked backward all the way into a wall in the back of the alley. Ross fell to the floor and panted, spitting out saliva from his mouth after receiving the blow.
Combusken landed down right in front of May, as the Pokemon and trainer smiled triumphantly. The reporters were catching it on tape, Charlie had his camera zoomed in on a gasping Ross on his hands and knees. The newswoman was grasping her microphone excitedly as she was getting the scoop she was hoping for. May eyed the man with contempt, she was not used to such brutality, but he deserved it. Nobody could do such horrible things to her parents and get away with it.
"…that was…pretty good," Ross gasped, wiping the saliva off his chin. It took him a couple of seconds, but he managed to stand up on his legs again, although his stomach was still pounding.
"How could you do such a thing!" May yelled, her emotions getting the best of her. "Why couldn't you just go to some other Gym to get a badge instead of tearing apart my family?!"
Ross staggered a bit as he wiped his brow. He grinned that same mocking way he always did, as he continued to twirl the chain on his neck. He reached into his pocket and took out a blade; a pocketknife.
May was aghast as she saw the weapon, she trembled a tad as she struggled to regain her composure. Combusken stood warily, ready to protect May at all costs.
"Who are your friends back there? News reporters?" Ross scoffed, twirling the blade in his hand.
The newswoman and Charlie looked over at Ross, as the feeling of danger began to loom over them. They wanted to get the news, sure, but putting themselves in a life-threatening situation was another story.
"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that I'm not ready for my 15 minutes of fame just yet," Ross said.
In the blink of the eye, he threw the blade from his hands toward the people in front of him. May didn't budge as the blade whizzed a couple of inches past Combusken's feathers. The blade then found its target and struck the lens of the camera, shattering the glass to pieces as electrical sparks flickered about.
"Damn!" Charlie gasped, as he dropped the broken camera to the floor.
The reporter and Charlie exchanged nervous glances as they eyed the destroyed camera on the floor. May and Combusken turned around and noticed what happened. Ross managed to hit a perfect bulls eye, if his aim was a bit off, the knife might of struck Charlie's arm rather than the lens of the camera.
The news people looked at each other in unison, and realized that this wasn't worth putting their lives to risk at. They then cowardly ran away from the entrance of the alley as fast as they could, and darted down the street to safety.
"Hey, wait!" May pleaded, "I needed you two to block the entrance!"
It was of no use, the reporters had run away to save their own hides and left the girl in the alley to confront Ross herself. Ross cackled as May and Combusken's attention returned to him.
"That was fun, in any case, I'm not ready for my close-up, as I said," Ross laughed.
"Busken," Combusken uttered, looking up at May.
May wasn't sure if she should make a break for it as well. After all, she was standing near the entrance, and the knife he threw was sitting behind her, so he probably didn't have any other weapons on hand either. She contemplated over recalling Combusken and darting for safety, but then again, she had managed to deliver a blow to the man, and he was the only one who knew where her mother was. Her heart pounded against her chest quite rapidly, this was a do or die situation.
May timidly shifted her gaze to the man in front of her, as he stood quite awkwardly without making a sound. She hoped that he didn't have another weapon in his pocket, because he threw the first knife so fast that she couldn't even register what happened until she heard glass shattering behind her. If he had another blade, she knew she could be in serious trouble.
"Well, May, what's it going to be?" Ross asked, cracking his knuckles.
She grunted, and prepared to continue her attack.
"I just want my Mom back," May said, weakly.
"Heh, your mother certainly was fun. She actually tried to escape from my place earlier this morning, but thanks to my Sableye, we were able to bring her back down into reality and chain her back to the wall," Ross said, "She certainly was a tricky woman, she even managed to knock me unconscious at one point."
May gasped as she backed up a step. "Is…is my Mom alright? Did you do anything to her?!"
"Don't worry, she's fine for the moment. Of course, after she tried to escape I gave her a deserving punishment, I'm surprised she was able to withstand all the torture."
"What…" she gasped, her throat feeling dry.
"And, if you're wondering, yes, I did rape her, a number of times actually," Ross said.
May shook her head as he eyes began to water. She backed up a few more steps toward the entrance of the alley, back to the broad daylight that would lead her to safety. The horrible realization of what her mother was going through finally caught up with her, and she could barely even breathe correctly without feeling like she was going to fall into pieces. The man who was destroying her family was standing right in front of her, yet she nearly lost her will to do anything to stop him. She was terrified, and the fear was consuming her completely.
Mom, May thought.
It was the one thing that was pounding in her mind. Her mother was such a kind and caring person, the concept of Ross doing horrible things to her almost made May lose her emotional stability completely. Her pulse quickened, her body temperature rose, and her heart was nearly leaping out of her chest.
I need my mother back!
Combusken could sense its trainer's tension, and immediately opened its mouth to fire a projectile attack at the rapist. Rings of fire began to emerge from its beak, as the Pokemon launched its Fire Spin attack at the attacker.
Ross quickly darted to the ground to avoid the fiery rings, as the heat just quickly warmed his back and struck the wall behind him. Needless to say, one missed attack wasn't enough to discourage Combusken, especially since it knew what was on the line.
"Combusken, Sky Uppercut!" May commanded.
"Combusken!" it roared.
The Pokemon lowered its arm to the ground as its claws began to scrape up the pavement as it went charging for Ross. The man was still lying flat on his stomach from dodging the fire attack, but now he struggled to reach into his pocket for something as Combusken was drawing near.
May caught whim of what Ross was reaching for and called out to her Pokemon desperately.
"Combusken, stop!" May pleaded.
It was too late however, as Combusken was a few inches away from Ross before she called out its name. Before it picked up its arm from the ground, Ross reached into his pocket and pulled out his taser. He immediately struck the Pokemon with the weapon as the electricity coursed through Combusken's body. The fowl Pokemon shrieked in pain as it toppled over backward from the electrical shock.
"Combusken!" May screamed.
Combusken was on the ground, flinching erratically from the weapon.
"This taser still comes in handy, I gotta say that," Ross said, licking his lips as he juggled the taser in the air.
"NO!" May cried.
She immediately reached for its Pokeball and shot out a red beam of light toward Combusken. The poor Pokemon was retracted back into its ball, where she safely put it back in her fanny pack. She couldn't bear to think of what Ross might do to it if she left it on the ground any longer, so she recalled it almost instinctively.
Her eyes twitched as another one of her loved ones was taken down by Ross, her first Pokemon; Combusken.
"You see, May, you just can't win," Ross said, "Why don't you just give yourself up then? If you come with me willingly, I'll promise I'll reunite you with your mother."
May was silent.
"I mean sure, I'll probably never let you leave my pad once you come with me, but at least you'll see your dear old mother again. She may not be quite what you remember though, but she's still your mother, more or less," Ross said.
"I…"
Ross put his taser back in his pocket as he slowly walked toward the girl. He put his hands behind his head as he grinned, he knew he could easily dispatch her if he wanted to.
"Besides, if I already have the mother why don't I add the daughter to make a complete set? I promise to open you up to a world you never knew existed," Ross said.
May looked around the alley and then turned to her fanny pack, could she risk sending out another one of her Pokemon after what happened to Combusken?
She stepped backward and looked toward the open street behind her, she was still able to make a break for it if need be. If she ran though, there was no telling if she could ever find Ross again.
Just as she felt like she was running out of time, a glimmer appeared to sparkle on the side of the building, mysteriously floating in mid-air. She couldn't quite grasp what it was, but it appeared to be forming into something. She pondered over if it could be his Sableye…but it didn't resemble it, whatever it was.
"You're…going to get hurt," May gasped.
"Haha!" Ross laughed, "What in the world do you mean by that? You're not going to threaten me with one of your cute little Pokemon again, are you?"
"No, but you're still going to get hurt," May said, forcing out a mocking grin.
Ross looked at her confused, and then realized that something seemed to be hovering near the wall of the building in mid-air. He turned to it frantically as he wondered what it was, as the mysterious glow began to form into a dark purple ball.
"Is that a…Shadow Ball?" Ross pondered.
The ball then immediately launched itself from the air and collided with Ross, propelling him harshly against the brick wall. He smacked his head against the bricks on impact, and due to him having a shaved head, it hurt him quite a bit. His head was bleeding, as the blood slid off the wall while Ross fell to the ground, sitting on his knees.
Taking advantage of the situation, May quickly ran up to Ross and grabbed him by the collar of his leather vest.
"WHERE IS MY MOTHER?!" May demanded.
He was too stunned to give a reply.
"WHERE IS SHE?!" May repeated, more desperate and fearful in tone.
She shook him violently as she continued to slam his head against the wall repeatedly. She was becoming emotional as tears ran down her face, unable to get an answer from the rapist who still had her mother in an unknown location.
"ANSWER ME!" she shrieked, her voice mixed with anxiety and frustration.
"Damn," Ross grunted, feeling blood run down the back of his scalp.
Once he quickly realized what was happening, he summoned whatever strength that was still in his body to get up from the floor and push May aside. The girl fell on her buttocks to the ground, and Ross quickly ran out of the alley as fast as he could. The girl got up from the floor frantically, and exited the alley.
She frantically looked in all directions at the streets and sidewalks, but the man was nowhere to be seen. May cursed herself repeatedly under her breath as Ross had gotten away.
She pushed her hand through her hair and felt her forehead, as she slowly inched her way backward to lean against the side of a building. She rubbed her arm over her eyes to try and take away her tears, the girl was on the verge of having a nervous breakdown.
As she leaned against the wall in her misery, the small energy that was floating in the air slowly began to take shape beside her. The girl jumped to the side quickly, uncertain whether this mysterious energy would be friend or foe.
The energy began to reveal an entity, feminine in nature. It was covered in a white and green hue, as it had a skirt like opening near the bottom of its legs. It had small tender arms, both of which were white. Its face was white and the top of its head had a green hair-like substance that went down its back.
"A...Gardevoir?" May gasped.
"Garde-voir," Gardevoir replied, giving off a harmonious nature.
"H-how…wh-at?" May struggled to say, as she shook her head.
Gardevoir pointed to a woman with red hair in a long overcoat, a pair of sunglasses and a scarf who was running toward her direction. May nervously looked at that person, as she was immediately recognizable. It was the same woman who helped her with her quarters back at the hot dog stand.
"You…" May gasped.
"Are you ok?" the woman asked.
"I-I think so…but…did you help me with that Shadow ball attack? Is…is this your Gardevoir?" May asked, timidly.
"Garde-voir," Gardevoir smiled.
May turned to Gardevoir, the Pokemon appeared to be oddly familiar as well. Her recollection then caught up with her as she made an astonishing discovery.
"You're the same Gardevoir that helped with Swellow's surgery back at the Pokemon Center near Latrommi's laboratory!" May gasped.
Gardevoir nodded, it was indeed the same Pokemon that helped to heal Ash's Swellow after it was crushed by a tree several weeks ago.
"Yeah, Professor Latrommi let me borrow it when I said there was trouble brewing," the woman said.
"But…what? Who are you then?" May asked, confused.
The woman chuckled, slowly removing her sunglasses and scarf to reveal her face. She let her red hair go down to her shoulders as she smiled at May.
"Tana?!" May exclaimed.
"Long time no see, huh?" Tana chortled.
"This doesn't make any sense, I thought you were with Brock and Jamie! What are you doing here with the Professor's Gardevoir?" May asked.
Tana frowned. "I'm afraid Brock is in trouble, and I know it's connected to the same man who kidnapped your mother," she said, "I was running down the street to try and find Ross, I didn't want to get you involved unless I had to. When Gardevoir tracked him down during that skirmish, I knew there was no choice but to fill you in. That's why I came to save you, I need your help."
"Some-thing happened to Brock…too?" May asked, stuttering.
"It's a long story, but if we can regroup I can let you in on everything. I just want to let you know that Professor Latrommi is doing everything he can to help out, just like Gardevoir here is doing," Tana said.
"Gardevoir, garde-voir!" Gardevoir said.
"Do you know of any place where we can sit calmly to discuss this? You look completely frazzled yourself," Tana said.
"I – I know, uh…my house is not too far from here, I can lead you there," May said, "I…I don't know what in the world is going on, but…"
She quickly turned to Gardevoir and made a request.
"My Combusken was hit with a taser, and it's…it's probably suffering in its Pokeball right now. Could you please heal it with your Recover technique, Gardevoir?"
Gardevoir nodded.
"Indeed, first let's get you out of here," Tana said, "Put your hand on Gardevoir's arm, we're going to teleport out of here."
"Uh…o-okay," May said timidly, resting the palm of her hand on the shoulder of the Pokemon.
Tana put her hand on Gardevoir's left shoulder as well. "Alright, Gardevoir, you can probably read May's thoughts now that she's in physical contact with you, so you know where the Gym is. Teleport us to her home, we really need to regroup," Tana instructed, "By the way, is Ash still with you?"
"Y-yes," May nodded.
"Good, we're going to need his help too," Tana said.
May still didn't have the slightest clue of what was going on, but she knew that she was at least safe for the moment in the presence of Latrommi's Gardevoir and Tana, who she knew as Brock's girlfriend from Atona beach.
Gardevoir began to glow a bright white light, and seconds later, the three of them disappeared completely out of sight. They were being teleported back to the Petalburg Gym, where May would hopefully discover a way to rescue her mother from Ross, as well as discover Brock's whereabouts, once and for all.