(Author's Notes)
Yaay, the next chapter is ready! I found this chapter really amusing to write. I'm very unaccustomed to writing humorous things, but hopefully you can still enjoy it!
Now to answer reviews~
lightxhope2124: I'm so glad you're enjoying this! Yes, that's the basic gist. May will still be challenging the gyms along the way, however! And yes, as this is a reverse harem style fic, many pairings will be featured! (MayxSteven, MayxBrendan, MayxWally, & MayxWallace) However, the current main pairing I have planned will be StevenxMay. ;)
"Yes, yes, I'm doing fine!" May chirped into the Pokenav's speaker. The hint of shortness in her voice, however, was entirely ignored by the man on the other end. She sighed and crossed her legs as her mentor continued.
"So, you've unpacked? How are the neighbors?"
"Yep, everything's put away. Just gotta get a comforter or something… maybe some chairs. And the neighbors — well, I'm pretty sure they all think I'm on crack. Or something like that." May related flatly, though he could hear her smile in her tone. He chuckled; this girl really didn't sugar coat anything. He liked that about her.
"So… no word from your Dad yet, then?" He asked, his voice full of trepidation. He knew it was a touchy subject with the girl, and the silence that followed left him feeling uneasy.
"No — wait, hang on sec, Wallace! I think I hear something outside." May finally responded with, hopping up from her make-shift bed and and throwing the window open. She covered the Pokenav's speaker so that Wallace's panicked voice was effectively muted, and stuck her head outside. Looking out over the sunset-soaked lawn, she didn't see anything unusual. However, upon listening closely, she could hear the faint sounds of screaming coming from the woods behind her house. Confused, May picked up the device again.
"Weird. Someone's, like, screaming bloody murder in my backyard."
"WHAT?!"
"Yeah, so, anyways, about my—"
"No, no, wait! You have to go help them!"
"Huh? Why?" May asked, and her blatant lack of empathy had Wallace sighing in exasperation.
"C'mon, May! You're the heroine of this story, you have to go help that person!" Wallace insisted, and though she couldn't see it, back in Sootopolis, he was smiling quite excitedly. This was the chance he'd been waiting for!
"The hell? What story?! Are you the one on crack, Wallace?" There was a deep breath and a short silence on Wallace's part, following her outburst.
"May. You're going to go out there and help that person." Wallace's suddenly serious tone caught May off guard, and her brows furrowed as she bit her lip — clearly she was getting annoyed.
"Ha! It's amusing that, after all the time you've known me, you think you can order me around." She said with a cute smile and a threatening tone, as she examined her nails.
"Dear, I'm not ordering you. I just have a feeling about this — something good is going to happen. Go!" He explained. May was well aware of Wallace's "feelings". The man claimed, quite publicly, to be clairvoyant, but May wasn't really sure she believed him. After all, Wallace was known for being theatrical.
"But… there are Pokemon out there!" She protested, knowing that this was quickly becoming a losing battle. The silence on the other end left her exhaling a frustrated breath.
"Fine, fine, I'll go! You're the one with the money anyways…" She grumbled before hanging up. How annoying! Feeling heavily irritated, she shoved her Pokenav into her purse and hurriedly left the house, careful to lock up after herself. Standing at the edge of her yard, she took a deep breath to steady her nerves, and gave herself a little pep talk.
"I can do this!" She mumbled tersely, before plunging into the forest. It didn't take long to locate the commotion, and she soon found herself staring at a somewhat chubby, middle-aged man with his back against a tree. There was a Poochyena in front of him, it's lips curled back into a snarl and it'a back arched with anger. The man had two bite marks on his legs; the puncture wounds looks deep, and there were splatters of dark red blood thrown about his skin.
"You there, oh thank goodness! You have to help me!" He yelped as his eyes fell upon May. The girl was frozen in shock, she barely heard him. Her eyes were glued to that Poocheyena's face.
"W-what do I do?" She murmured, her voice cracking. She felt like she was on the verge of a mental break down, as the memories flooded into her mind. She remembered how that Vigoroth's claws had pierced her skin repeatedly. She remembered the smell of blood that became so common place, but most of all, she remembered his face. The face of her Father.
"There are some pokeballs in my bag, you can use one of the pokemon inside to fend this guy off, please!" The man explained, though the look on her face disturbed him.
"I can't battle…!" She shouted worriedly.
"I understand it can be scary, young lady, but please help me! I'd do it myself, but this Poocheyena's smart. I can't get to the bag! I made the mistake of approaching a pup after my son left earlier, and the mother came out of nowhere!" He explained. May could feel her lip trembling, but even through the terror, she could feel a thrumming in the back of her mind. A feeling that wanted to pick up that pokeball and bludgeon the mutt until it could no longer move. Shaking, she walked over to the bag and reached her hand inside.
"I can do this, I'm the heroine after all!" She said with a cocky little smile, all false bravado. She could feel multiple pokeballs inside, but it didn't matter to her which Pokemon she chose. Withdrawing the ball, she looked at the little red and white container in confusion.
"Wait… how do these work?" She questioned, and the professor was beginning to feel a little frustrated.
"Just press the button and throw it!"
May did as she was told, and there was bright flash of red light that caused her to squeeze her eyes shut tightly. When she opened them, a bipedal little lizard was standing between herself and the snarling Poochyena. It had a bushy, dark green tail and piercing yellow eyes that seemed to gaze right through her.
"What the hell is that thing?!" She exclaimed. May had never seen this Pokemon before — not that she was particularly knowledgable about these creatures, though. The man's frustration deepened, but he deigned not to show it.
"It should know pound, give it an order!"
"Uh… Okay! P-pound. Use pound, weird lizard thing!" She shouted. The Pokemon looked back at her with it's yellow eyes. Was that a smirk she saw? Nonetheless, the Pokemon obeyed her and charged the Poochyena. It only took a few turns before the bloodied Poocheyena collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Sighing with relief, the man approached her and vigorously shook her hand.
"Thank you so much, young lady! You really saved me! How about we head back to my lab?"
"So, you're our new neighbor? The singer, right? My wife was really excited for you to meet our son." Proffesor Birch said with an air of merriment, despite the fact that one of his assistants was currently stitching up his wounds.
The lab was certainly an amazing place, even May had to admit it. The building was larger than anything else in town, and the white washed walls and various machinery gave it a very professional feel. Of course, there were many Pokemon and people hanging about as well, and needless to say, May was feeling quite uncomfortable.
"Well, now that I've saved the day, this heroine shall be making her exit!" May stated with a dazzling smile and a low bow, completely ignoring the professor's chit chat in favor of a quick escape.
"Oh, please wait! You don't have a Pokemon yet, right?"
"Uh, no, but—"
"Then, take this Treecko! It seems attached to you." Birch said with a wide smile. May could feel the blood draining from her face. No, absolutey not! May laughed nervously but shook her head.
"I'm not really into Pokemon… You should keep him." May said, turning to leave. However, before she could make her escape, she felt a tugging on her leg. Looking down, she saw the little green Pokemon grabbing on desperately to her shoe. There was a look of determination reflected in his golden eyes.
"Y'know, you may not like Pokemon, but… When you were battling with this guy, you looked pretty happy." Birch commented as he stood up from his chair, the assistant having removed himself once the work was done. Birch grasped her hand, and in it he placed Treecko's pokeball.
"At least give this guy a chance. You can keep him for a few days and see how it goes. Maybe make a day trip over to Oldale town? My son is on route 103 right now, doing some research. He left a few hours ago, so he shouldn't be back until tomorrow evening." The professor related with a smile. May looked dubious, but thinking back on the battle… maybe there was something to this? The thought both disturbed and excited her.
"Make-Up bag?"
Check.
"Sweets to snack on?"
Check.
"Water?"
Check.
"And… Pokemon?" May mumbled the last one as she stared down at the pink-and-white duffel bag sitting on the counter, now crammed full of various items she figured would be useful on a day trip. Originally, she hadn't planned on going, but upon thinking about it that night, she had decided it might be a little exciting. Aside from Littleroot, May had never left her home town of Petalburg, and this was a rare opportunity; especially since it was very unsafe to travel without a Pokemon by your side.
May could see the red glint of the pokeball that held the professor's Treeko within her open bag, and still it's very presence made her uncomfortable. She took a deep breath as she zipped up the bag and slung it over her shoulder. She opened her front door with a glaringly confident, yet not so obviously forced smile, and marched down the well-worn path that led out of town.
May and Treecko encountered two wild pokemon along the way, but all of them were easily knocked out by the little lizard Pokemon. Still, by the time the pair reached Oldale town, they were both quite physically exhausted. The Pokemon center was easy enough to locate, though, and as the nurse took in Treecko, she realized this was her first time ever having entered one of the red-roofed buildings. They appeared to not only heal injured pokemon, but to have a little cafe and rooms available for nightly rent as well.
After grabbing a bite to eat in the cafe, May found herself wondering around Oldale town. It was pretty small, but still bigger than Littleroot. It was very quaint, and children played idly in the streets while adults shopped and worked throughout the town. As she walked, she unconsciously began observing the people of the city, along with their Pokemon. They all seemed so happy… did they not know what these creatures were capable of? She shuddered at the thought.
May sighed as the afternoon found her at the edge of town. Before her stood route 103 — but did she really want to bother with seeing Brendan? She wasn't a very social person to say the least. Despite her flamboyant personality, May preferred to keep to herself as much as possible.
Her thoughts were interrupted quite suddenly, though, when a dark figure darted towards her face, and a moment later she was on the ground with a pulsing pain in her forehead.
"Ugh…" She mumbled blearily, as her hand flew up to rub her aching forehead. Luckily, she didn't feel any blood or serious injury. When her eyes fluttered open, she was quite surprised to see the familiar face and strange hat of Brendan staring down at her. He wore a look of interest mixed with bemusement that really ticked her off.
"Are you okay?"
"WHAT THE HELL?!" She shouted, suddenly sitting up straight without warning. She was so fast, that the girl nearly head butted Brendan, but the teen managed remove himself just in time.
"Sorry, sorry! It wasn't me!" He defended himself loudly, taking a quick step back as she stood up and dusted herself off. She turned to him with a look of vehemence.
"I was trying to catch a Zigzagoon, but it ran off before I could throw a pokeball. It went towards town, so maybe it already has a trainer?" He explained, scratching the back of his head nervously.
"You're paying for my dry-cleaning bill. Ugh! And now I have to fix my hair…" She grumbled, her glare intensifying. She then turned away from him abruptly, shot him the middle finger over her shoulder, and stalked off.
"Hey! Wait!" Brendan called, jogging up beside her. May gave him him a look of disdain.
"WHAT?"
"You have a Pokemon now, right? My Dad told me you took Treecko! We should battle!" He said with a smug smirk. May froze, suddenly feeling uneasy. A battle…?
"Aw, what, scared you'll lose?" Brendan prodded, his smirk widening. He was confident that he could beat her without much trouble. It would be payback for the other night!
May reacted on impulse, and quickly withdrew the pokeball from her bag. She reared back, pressed the button, and launched the ball straight into Brendan's smug face. Brendan stumbled backwards as a bright flash of red light covered their vision. Treeko stood between the pair, clearly looking amused.
"You wanted a battle, didn't you?" May chided with a pleasant smile. Glaring, Brendan withdrew his own Pokeball, and released his Torchic. The two Pokemon stood face to face, and so did their trainers.
"Don't think I'm gonna go easy on you!" Brendan growled with a glare of his own. And so the battle began!
May's years of living with a gym leader told her that Treecko's absorb attack would be little more than useless against a fire type, so she opted to stick with the pound move. Treeko had speed on Torchic, and the battle between beginners was short lived.
"I WON! I WON!" May shouted excitedly as she jumped up and down, her little pink ribbon bouncing along with her. Brendan rubbed his temples, clearly frustrated.
"You may be cute… but you really are the worst!" Brendan grumbled under his breath, thankful that the girl failed to notice his words. In all the excitement, May had entirely forgotten her early uneasiness, and when she thought of it again, she and Brendan were already well on their way back to Littleroot town.