(Author's Notes)
So, this chapter definitely has some more serious themes towards the end of it. When I set out to write this story, I really wanted Team Aqua to actually be scary. I felt that they really needed to be the bad guys here, and not just kinda quirky punks like they are in the games, haha! But anywyas, I still hope you guys will enjoy this chapter! :D
Reviews~
lightxhope2124: Don't worry, Steven's not going to be that bad, haha! He's just a little... strange, I guess? But I really love his character, even though it's a bit harder to write! And yes, he will be a rock collector. However, much like in the games, it's not the biggest feature of his character. I'm glad you liked her attitude! She will continue to get braver as the story goes forward. ^_^ And actually, the wait for evolution won't long at all, hehe!
gummyninjagirl01: I'm glad you're enjoying the story! And yes, I agree. I'm pretty terrible with the descriptions, and I really need to come up with something better. Maybe I'll work on it tonight! Parts of her team are definitely based off mine, yes! However, there will be a few differences. And as for the bug Pokemon... maybe. ;)
Brendan stared in shock as the doors to the Rustboro Pokemon center slid open noiselessly, and in sauntered a rather exhausted looking girl dressed from head to toe in bright pink clothes.
"May?" He mumbled in shock from his seat in the center's little cafe. It was then that he locked eyes with her from across the room, and the girl smirked at him, brimming with confidence as usual. She strutted up to him and slid into the seat across from the teen.
"What are you doing here?" He asked cautiously.
"Gracing you with my presence, obviously! You're going to treat me to lunch." She stated, calling the waiter over.
"Hey, wait—" He called, but May ignored his protest and placed an order for a rather large meal, indicating that Brendan would receive the bill. Then she began happily humming to herself, planning on entirely ignoring him throughout her meal. Brendan grumbled to himself in irritation, but eventually his curiosity got the better of him.
"But, seriously, why are you here? You still live in Littleroot, right?" He asked, and she looked thoughtful.
"Well, I guess technically. My house is still there, after all. But I'm traveling now." She explained flatly. Brendan gave her a genuine look of surprise.
"Wait, so you made it all this way without a ride or something?" He questioned, looking highly skeptical. May seemed very offended.
"Hmph! Of course I did!" She shouted, and Brendan winced at the volume of her voice. She then grinned at him. "AND. I did it all whilst looking far more fashionable than you~" She sang triumphantly, waggling her finger at him. Brendan rolled his eyes at her cockiness. Soon her food arrived, and May began to eat happily.
"So… you're taking on the gyms, then?" He asked a few moments later. May paused. She hadn't really thought about it, in all honesty… but her goal was to become stronger than her father, so…
"Yeah, I am." She said, and the suddenly serious look on her face startled him a bit. She seemed really determined, as she stared passed him.
"Well, if you want to take on the gyms, you'll have to get registered as a trainer…" Brendan mumbled uncomfortably. Looking closer at her face, though, he could see the faint outline of a bruise on her cheek, that she had clearly tried to cover with make-up. He wondered concernedly what could have happened to this girl since he last saw her…?
"Woooow!" May called excitedly as she walked into the Rustboro city Pokemon gym. Before her stood soaring ceilings and massive fossil displays, that had been put together lovingly by the gym's leader; Roxanne. A giant Kabutops skeleton glowered down at the inhabitants of the gym, and a Lileep seemed to be crawling out from the wall on the opposite side. The massive bones and scaling heights left May feeling quite in awe. Was this what Pokemon gyms were supposed to be like? She, of course, had even lived in the one in Petalburg, but it certainly couldn't compare to this place.
At the door, a man asked for her trainer ID. May grinned, pulled out the newly made card, and handed it over to him. Brendan had told her at the end of their lunch yesterday, that it was possible to register as a trainer at the Pokemon center, and the process had been very much a smooth one. That morning, after a peaceful night's sleep in a nice fluffy bed, May had picked up her ID at the front counter and scampered off to the gym. She had a couple of hours before her recording session began, according to Wallace, so she figured there was no time like the present to test her skills.
The man smirked at May's ID picture, which showcased the girl winking at the camera and throwing a peace sign. May entirely disregarded him, however, and excitedly entered the gym. She soon found herself traipsing through a man-made rock tunnel, where two official trainers from the gym challenged her. May had the type advantage with Tsubaki, however, and she soon found herself face to face with Roxanne.
The leader was dressed like a school girl and sported a rather elaborate hairstyle, and May immediately felt a little intimated by her good looks. She quickly shook her head though and repeated a mantra under her breath:
"I am the queen of cute. I am strong. I can do this."
As she approached the dais, May grinned wildly, even though she could feel her hands shaking.
"I had a feeling when I saw you, that you would come this far." Roxanne greeted, smiling politely.
"Now, would you kindly demonstrate how you battle with your Pokemon?" She called, tossing her first pokeball up into the air without another word. May responded by releasing Tsubaki from his pokeball, and the battle began.
"Tsubaki, use mega drain!" She ordered, and her Pokemon drew up to his full height. Reaching one of his thin arms outwards, Tsubaki drew in bright yellow orbs of energy from the opposing Geodude. The attack was super effective, and left Roxanne's Pokemon with less than half of it's health. May could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest. So far, so good!
Roxanne called for a rock tomb attack, and though it hit before Tsubaki could dodge, the attack did little damage, and with another mega drain, Roxanne was left with only one Pokemon remaining. This time, she released a Nosepass. May scrunched up her face in disapproval.
"What an ugly Pokemon…" She mumbled, but Roxanne paid her no mind and ordered another rock tomb attack.
"That won't work on us!" May yelled, pumping a fist into the air. Tsubaki had speed on the rock Pokemon, and evaded the attack. Then, at May's command, he launched a mega drain that KO'd the gym leader and her Pokemon.
For a few moments, May couldn't believe in her victory. She stood staring at Roxanna with a confused look on her face, as Tsubaki smirked at her triumphantly.
"So… I lost." Roxanne commented quietly, and at her words the situation really set in for May.
"We did it?" May questioned, a smile growing on her lips. Roxanne nodded.
"I understand. Please accept the official Pokemon League stone badge." Roxanne requested pleasantly, handing May the glittering badge that signified her victory.
May left the gym in a daze, but once outside, she paused in the street.
"I DID IIIIIIT!" She suddenly yelled into the sky, jumping up and down repeatedly. People stopped and stared at the strange (and very loud) display, but May neglected to care in the slightest.
"Great job, young lady! Wallace wasn't exaggerating when he recommended you!" The producer complimented May through the microphone. May removed her headphones and took a deep breath. She'd been singing her heart out for the last few hours in the studio, and her voice was now properly exhausted. And yet, she still managed a cheeky smirk.
"But of course!" She chirped, giving a perky thumbs up to the man in the other room, a window separating them.
"That should be good for now, come on out!" The man said, opening up the door for her.
Needless to say, May was feeling quite superb as she exited the recording studio and emerged out into the crisp, cool night air. As May headed back to the Pokemon center for a good night's rest, she found herself staring at the pretty little badge she had earned earlier that day. May watched as it reflected the light from the street lamps while she walked, and she found herself giving a silent thanks to whatever deity seemed to be watching over her these days. Today had been wonderful, after all!
However, May's joyous thoughts were soon interrupted by someone shouting and the sounds of heavy footsteps echoing off the pavement.
"OUT OF THE WAY!" Someone shouted, and May once again found herself thrown aside as she tumbled to the ground. Looking up with a sharp glare, she could see the retreating back of what appeared to be the same guy she had fended off in the Petalburg woods the day before. She quickly got to her feet, muttering a string of curses under her breath. And sure enough, a few moments later, the man in the lab coat came running up behind her, clearly out of breath as he paused before the girl.
"Oh, it's you! Thank Arceus! You have to help me get those parts back! If I don't get them back… I'll be in so much trouble…!" He screeched, and May found the sound of his voice irritating. But she grit her teeth, outrage growing. Whoever these Team Aqua nerds were, they were about to get their teeth knocked in!
"Screw that! I'm showing that guy some manners for sure this time!" She growled, more than confident that she and her Pokemon could take him on again. She then took off running after the thug. The man in the lab coat watched her go nervously, more than a little worried for not only his, but the girl's safety as well.
May followed the grunt out of the city and down a grassy path. Eventually, she saw him disappear into a tunnel that burrowed deep into the rock around it. She hesitated at the mouth of the tunnel — there was a sickening feeling churning around in her stomach, and it left her feeling a little apprehensive. She pushed that aside, though, sternly telling herself that she had to throw away her fears if she wanted to truly move forward.
The tunnel was dark and dank, but the path was straight, and May used the light from her pokenav's screen to guide her way in the dimness. Eventually, she came to a dead end, and of course before her stood a rather frustrated, and rather familiar, looking grunt. He was wrestling with a decidedly frantic Wingul in his arms, attempting to force the creature to be still.
"UGH! This stupid thing is useless! And how the hell did we end up in a tunnel to nowhere?! Wasn't this supposed to be checked out ahead of time?!" He shouted in frustration. When the man noticed May, his glare deepened.
"Godammit! Not you again!" He yelled. May placed a hand on her hip and gave him little wink.
"Of course it's me! I've come to make your day even worse, sweetheart~" She said happily, ready to release Kanato from his pokeball. May's heroics were interrupted, however, as two more grunts, dressed equally strangely, dropped in from a dark ledge behind the first. May felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. Could she take on all three of them…?
"Ah, you were right! She is a cocky one!" The other man shouted to the first, and the woman who had arrived with him sneered at May.
"And awfully gaudy looking, too!" She jibed, and May's rage flared up yet again at the woman's comment, and she quickly lost her inhibition.
"Hah! Coming from an ugly woman like you, that's kinda hilarious! I mean, look at that shirt!" May mocked with a little smirk. The grunt fumed.
"C'mon boys! Let's take this brat down!" She ordered, and the three of them each sent in a Poochyena. May grit her teeth as she released Kanato and Tsubaki together. Three on two? This wasn't good… but somehow, May found herself believing that her Pokemon would protect her. That was strange... since when did she believe things like that?
They fought valiantly, and May managed to do quite a bit of damage, but the woman's Pochyena knew bite, which did massive injury to Kanato. A few turns in, and Kanato was collapsed on the ground, while Tsubaki held on with a string of health. May could feel panic thrumming through her body. If she lost… what would these thugs do to her and her Pokemon? That thought hadn't occurred to her when she rushed into the tunnel.
"Poochyena, bite!" The woman called with a violent grin. The dog-like Pokemon charged Tsubaki and hit him dead on. Tsubaki's body crumpled and fell over. May looked over the scene in horror. Could this really be happening…? She ran over to her fallen Pokemon and gathered them in her arms.
"Aww, not so cocky now, huh, little girl?" The woman commented gleefully.
"But what should we do with her? We ought to teach her a lesson!" One of the men mused.
"Leave her to me. You two go find a way out." The woman ordered more than suggested. The two men nodded obediently and scurried off into the darkness. The woman grinned, her dead eyes seeming to glow in the darkness as she sauntered up to May. She raised a lofty hand up into the air, as she looked May over. May could feel her whole body trembling in fear… but somehow… she couldn't give up. She'd worked so hard since she'd left home, and May felt that she and her Pokemon had grown a lot together. She glared at the woman, who was currently the object of her hatred.
"What? Not going to beg for your pathetic life, little girl?" The grunt questioned harshly. May gulped. Life? It was then that May realized with a start that hers, as well as her Pokemon's, lives really were on the line. These people… this Team Aqua… they were dangerous guys, whoever they were.
May yelped as the woman tackled her to the ground and pinned her there. The female grunt sat on May's chest and crossed her legs.
"Now, what to do with this stupid little brat…? You've been a major thorn in our side for this operation! If you fuck up this mission as well, we'll all be punished severely. So, that's why I'm going to kill you. Right here, right now. You and your weak Pokemon are going to die. Then, think about it! My supervisors will call me a hero!" The woman monologued, watching May with a deviant stare. She then wrapped her fingers around May's slender neck. And after that, she squeezed as hard as she could.
May flailed her arms about, desperately trying to fend off the thug. She scratched and clawed as her mind ran a mile a minute, but nothing would loosen the mad woman's death-like grip. May could feel her consciousness fading as her vision went black.
Was this really how it would end? Just like that? She felt she had grown so much… and yet now, it was all over. May found that she had a lot of regrets. There was so much left that she had wanted to accomplish… Please, someone, help...!
Suddenly, a bright light lit up the tunnel. The grunt shrieked in shock and relented, turning towards the source of the light. May spluttered and hacked as she gasped for air.
Before the pair, May's Treecko was standing, it's whole body enveloped in white light. As they watched, it's form began to shift and change. And then, when the light finally faded away, a Treecko no longer stood there. Instead, there was a Grovyle, it's glimmering eyes narrowed into thin slits. It wasted not a moment, and charged the woman with it's last vestiges of strength, determined to protect May at all costs. It used it's scythe-like claws to slice open the woman's chest, and she clutched herself as blood drops fell to the ground. The grunt screamed, clearly panicking. Then, she took off running after her comrades, dropping the devon parts she had been holding to the ground in her panic.
Tsubaki opted to run to his trainer's side, rather than pursue the grunt. Tears were streaming down her face as bruises formed on her neck, and yet somehow, she managed to smile at her Pokemon.
"T-thank you, Tsubaki, Kanato!"