Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon

This is the chapter that helps Brendan join May's battle at stopping Team Aqua but also gives you another battle between them much better than their first one. Thank you Lyra Sprinkles for coauthoring with me on this chapter.

Brendan's POV

I experienced a double battle between two trainers with Plusle and Miniun. I used Combusken and Wingull against them and thanks to Flame Charge we won.

I had also been to the Trick House, and had completed the Trick Master's challenge. Needless to say, I was extremely pleased with myself right now. I had two badges, and was well on my way on getting my third one. My Pokédex was filling up nicely, too. I had caught quite a few Pokémon, though only a select few would be on my team. Professor Birch and mom were both proud of me.

Nothing could get my spirits down. Nothing except for - well, her.

Speak of the devil. May was standing in the grass up ahead, staring at the sea. She caught my eye and scowled. I could see that she was making her way here and immediately facepalmed. What a way to ruin a great day.

" Didn't expect to see you here, but while you are here how about we have a Pokémon battle?"

"Why?" I replied snarkily. "Did you forget how it felt to have your ass kicked last time?"

May rolled her eyes. "Just battle me before I change my mind."

Surprised by May's inability to make a comeback,I shrugged. Without another word, I released my Mawile. I had caught it on my way out of Granite Cave, shortly after my meeting with Steven. It was now a loyal member of my team.

May narrowed her eyes at it. She quickly pulled out her Pokédex and read up on Mawile.

Most foes underestimate Mawile as a pretty Pokémon until they see the giant appendage in their backs that look like scary monsters.

"Wait," I said suddenly. "You've never seen a Mawile before? Where have you been, living under a rock?"

She gritted her teeth. "For your information, I have been involved in stuff far more dangerous than you'll ever dream of. So stop being an ass."

Now what did she mean by that?

"Marshtomp, go!" She released her starter, which had finally evolved.

Combusken wouldn't have the strength to stop its evolved form with stronger water moves while the only thing my fire moves could do were small damage.

" Mawile, use Attract."

Mawile blew a flying kiss at Marshtomp, whose fierce expression was soon replaced with a lovestruck one. May smacked her forehead angrily, while she tried to plan her next move.

Something was wrong. Even though I had battled her only once - and won - I knew that May was a strong Trainer, and not one to waste time during battles like this.

"So, uh," I said, thinking of a way to broach the subject. "When you said 'dangerous stuff', what did you mean by that? I assume that you weren't just talking about Pokémon Contests."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, nothing," she said. "Just an evil eco-terrorist group that worships the sea trying to destroy Hoenn. No biggie."

" Okay. Back to the battle, Mawile use Crunch."

"Marshtomp, Mud Bomb!" May said quickly. Marshtomp moved before Mawile, and quickly shot out an explosion of mud that lowered Mawile's Health Points significantly.

Crap. I had forgotten that Marshtomp was part Ground-type, and Ground was super-effective against rock.

"I mean," May said loudly, interrupting my thoughts, "Team Aqua only plans to punish everyone for dirtying the sea by maybe killing them all. Nothing for small fry like you to be worried about."

Wait, what?

"What are you talking about?" I asked, as I tried to think of my next move.

" I mean you got lucky to make it this far in your quest but your only a footnote on how to be a small trainer."

Ouch.

"Don't forget that I'm still stronger than you'll ever be," I growled. "I got both the Gym Badges before you. Not to mention that I've beat your ass once, and I'm about to beat it again." With renewed vigor, I yelled, "Mawile! Fairy Wind!"

"Mud Bomb!" May yelled at the same time. Unfortunately, Mud Bomb was super-effective, and Mawile promptly fainted.

I gritted my teeth, expecting to hear a snippy remark about my skills. When nothing came, I stared at May. She stared back angrily.

Something was different about her. She wasn't being as catty as she usually was, and seemed more interested in battling than taunting me. I mean, it was a welcome change, but it seemed so odd.

"Wingull, go!" I released my next Pokémon, still wondering why she was being so weird. Wingull gave a loud cry and circled around us.

"Wing Attack!" I yelled. Wingull obeyed and hit Marshtomp hard.

"Wait, what's this about Team Aqua?" I said suddenly.

" Their heartless pirates who want to rule over the ocean or some nonsense like that and it's up to me to stop them."

"You?" I asked, blinking in confusion. Marshtomp had fainted with another Wing Attack, and May had released her Shroomish. "Why you?"

"Um, because you're too busy wandering around Hoenn with your head in your ass?" May replied, pretending to shrug innocently. "Because everyone else in Hoenn is too busy being helpless and behaving like frickin' NPCs? Because I seem to be the only person who recognizes that Team Aqua is a threat?"

"May..." I whispered. Anger came over me. Shroomish had used Mega Drain, which, when combined with Leech Seed, sucked away a good amount of Wingull's HP. I quickly ordered Wingull to use Wing Attack again.

"Well, if I knew that a villainous group was targeting the region, I would've already beaten their asses by now!" I yelled. "I bet the only reason they're still around is because you're too weak to take them on!"

" I took down plenty of their members. Their just a very hard organization and they have ways of getting away from me."

"Those just sound like excuses to me!" I yelled. "I've been traveling around the region, catching Pokémon, collecting badges, filling up the Pokédex...I haven't been sitting around on my ass you know. If I had known -"

"But you DID know, Brendan," May interrupted. Her Marshtomp had kicked my Wingull's ass - hard - so I returned it and sent out my last Pokémon, Combusken. "You were there when Team Aqua stole that Devon guy's stuff. And you did nothing."

"I -" I couldn't argue with that one. She was right. When the scientist ran past us, crying about his goods, I had stood there, while May had rushed to help him. "I didn't know..."

"Ignorance is not an excuse," she said quietly. Combusken had burnt Shroomish out of the battle with Flame Charge, and it was not down to it and May's last Pokémon, Taillow.

" Combusken use Flame Charge on that Taillow. If it dodges remember to leap towards the sky and hit it hard."

"Taillow, Aerial Ace!" May yelled. Aerial Ace was super-effective against Combusken. However, Combusken hit back with Flame Charge. Due to it being several levels above Taillow, which I could tell wasn't trained yet, Taillow lost plenty of HP.

"You're right," I said, through gritted teeth. "It's true that I didn't fight against Team Aqua during the one time I saw them. But I promise you, now that I know that they exist, I will do everything in my power to take them down. And I'll do it before you."

May clicked her tongue in annoyance. "It's not a race," she said irritably. "Team Aqua is a serious, legitimate threat to Hoenn. It doesn't matter who takes them down - as long as they stay down."

I ordered Combusken to use Flame Charge again. With a final burst of power, Combusken hit Taillow again - hard - and the tiny bird collapsed on the ground.

May returned Taillow into it's Pokeball. " You did great." she said to the bird Pokémon.

"Anyway," she continued, turning towards me. "You win, I guess. Again. And you're right. I'm still not as strong as I should be to take down Team Aqua. But know this: I WILL get stronger, I WILL defeat them, and I WILL be Champion."

She tossed her Poké Ball in the air and caught it deftly, before walking away towards Slateport City.

I was happy that I had won against her yet again. But I was disturbed. I couldn't shake the feeling that I had failed. Was it because of Team Aqua?

I never even met them and yet they seemed to be showing themselves in my mind. This was enough to make a person mad.

May's taunts still rang through my mind. She was right. She was so right. I was too absorbed into my own world to notice all the problems Team Aqua was causing. And what made me even madder was that May of all people was fighting them.

This had to stop. I decided that I was actively going to seek out any evil group that tried to take over and kick their butts before they could even begin. I wasn't just some nobody to sit around and twiddle my thumbs while people or Pokémon were suffering. I had to do something. I had to get stronger.

If May thought that she was the only person who could take down the bad guys, she had another thought coming.