Chapter Two: Leaving Home?
What's going on my lovely little twat muffins, IcyAngels here for chapter two! Yay! I honestly didn't expect so many people to review since I've been gone for so long, but you guys came back for more! So I guess I'll start replying to reviews.
Pokerox27: Nope, I'm not dead, and I'm glad you like my writing! Thanks for sticking around :D
UpbeatButNegative: First off, thanks for the long review! I love those. Anyway, yeah, I was over at the Sonic section a while back, but I guess it's time for something new. My first game was actually Blue version, but hey, it's still Kanto! And the same game, practically. And yes, I will be asking for team member suggestions for May. I've only written one chapter ahead, so there's always room for ideas!
TheHoennTrainer: I agree with you on Team Aqua and Team Magma. Good intentions, just bad execution. I know a YouTuber who has two posters in her room of Maxie and Archie. They say "Team Magma: For the Good of Everyone." and "Team Aqua: For the Good of Pokemon." Anyway, thanks for the review!
Crepo the Porcupine: I'm glad you like the new story X) True, Kalos is pretty awesome. ALL THE CLOTHES! If you play as a girl, you can get a really nice coat in Lumiose City in the store that you aren't allowed in unless you're stylish enough. It costs 500,000 Poke. I bought it XD Thanks for the review!
Firespirit2000: I really like Unova too. I know it better than the back of my hand, and the Route numbers even better than Kanto, actually. The theme park is pretty sick too, but I wouldn't want to go when that weird Hiker dude is on the Ferris wheel XD Thanks for the review!
Stormblade3: Thanks for the review :D Haha, it seems like a lot of people get attached to their first Pokemon game and its region. The first time you play a Pokemon game is an experience that can't be repeated.
TheArtSmartQueen: I KNOW, EVERYONE THOUGHT I WAS DEAD! Thanks for the review :D
Matthew Garner: Thank you for reading all of my stories, it means a lot :) Hopefully I'll be able to continue Seven Worlds in the future, but for now, Pokemon is a breath of fresh air. Thanks for the review!
Again, thank you all for the reviews, it means a lot. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!
"Professor Birch?!" May exclaimed.
"Yes, May, it's me!" he replied, backing away from the Poochyena. He soon found himself along the edge of the forest, his dark hair and lab coat getting caught in the branches of trees. "Could you please help me?!"
"Oh, right—" May said to herself, coming to her senses. The bag contained three Poke Balls right next to her. "Which one do I use?!" she asked quickly.
"Any of them!" Birch shouted, backing further into the trees.
"All right…" her gaze fell upon the ball the furthest to the left. Something about it was beckoning her. She grabbed it and threw it as hard as she could. "Go!"
The ball burst open and flew back into her hands with a surprising amount of force. In front of the professor stood a green, lizard like creature. Its arms were crossed, a fierce look in its eye.
"Treecko, very good choice," the Professor said, trying to scramble up a tree. "Its moves are Pound, Leer, and Absorb! NOW PLEASE HELP ME!"
"Okay, okay!" she exclaimed. "Treecko, use Pound!"
Treecko sprang in to the air, its green tail glowing with light before crashing down on the Poochyena's head. It fought back, tackling the lizard-like creature into a tree.
"We can keep going, Treecko!" May yelled. "Alternate between Pound and Absorb, and don't stop until we win!"
It nodded, jumping into the air again, its tail a sparkling green. After a few strikes, the Poochyena was down and out, leaving Treecko with a satisfied look on its face.
"We won…" May whispered, putting a hand to her chest. She had chills running down her spine, her heart racing incredibly fast. Battling had stirred up something inside of her that she wasn't sure even existed.
Birch laughed, climbing down from the tree. "You really are your father's daughter."
May looked up at him as Treecko jumped on to her shoulder. "Seriously?"
"Definitely," he replied, picking his bag up off of the ground. "When your father and I went to school together, he was always thrilled about battling. He just had this look in his eye that said he lived for Pokemon…" He shook his head. "Look at me, getting all caught up in the past. This isn't really the place to talk though…why don't you come by my lab later?"
"Uh, sure!" May replied.
"Great!" Birch exclaimed. "I'll be seeing you later, May!" He walked down the road toward Littleroot, leaving her and Treecko alone.
"Everyone keeps saying I'm just like Dad," she whispered. "I'm not really sure what that says about me."
Treecko groaned impatiently, not having any interest in May's soul searching. It wanted to battle again, just to feel the rush of defeating an opponent. To its surprise, May answered out loud as if reading its thoughts.
"I'm sure Birch'll give you plenty of chances to battle later, Treecko," she replied, starting the trip back to the lab. As much as she would've loved a Pokemon herself, she doubted the Professor would let her keep this one. A few minutes later they were standing in front of the Professor's Lab. They walked in to see Birch trying to catch a Poochyena running to and fro across the room.
"Get back into your Poke Ball, Poochyena!" he exclaimed, almost tripping over a stack of papers. After a few more seconds of trying he gave up, throwing the ball at the creature and putting it back in its proper place. "Why does my son always catch the most unruly—oh, hello May!"
"Um, hi Professor…" she said, clutching Treecko to her chest. Birch's assistant was now chasing a Wurmple across the room. "I can come back at a later time, if you'd like—"
"No, no, it's fine," he grumbled, picking up a stack of overturned papers on the ground. "This is actually one of the quieter days—hurry up and catch that Wurmple, Harold!" he yelled at his assistant. He stepped over another stack of papers and approached May. "So, like I was saying, you've definitely got your father's blood in your veins. And for saving me, I want to thank you with something—"
"You really don't have to," May replied with a nervous grin. She was becoming increasingly aware of Harold knocking over everything in the lab. "It seems like you've got enough on your plate anyway. I'll just return Treecko to you n—"
"Let me finish!" Birch exclaimed. "I want you to take that Treecko as a gift."
Harold knocked over an expensive looking machine behind her. "Really?" she asked. Treecko looked up with hopeful eyes. "A-Are you sure?"
"Absolutely!" Birch said. Harold took a faceplant into the floor behind him. "That Treecko definitely seems to have taken a liking to you. I'm sure it'll enjoy battling at your side!"
May stared at Treecko, speechless. "Well…thank you, Professor…I'll make sure to take good care of it!"
"I'm sure you will," Birch laughed. "Are you going to give it a nickname?"
"Good question," May replied. She looked at the Treecko who had climbed back on her shoulder. "I don't want to give it something like Blade, everyone does that…what about…Ventus?"
"Sounds great!" Birch exclaimed, writing something down on the clipboard. Treecko yawned and shrugged, but thankful that it didn't get something stupid like 'Geico'. "Now May, there's something I've been meaning to ask you—"
She looked up. "What is it, Professor?"
He seemed to ponder it for a moment, then shook his head. "Never mind. We can talk about it later. Since you're a Trainer now though, why don't you go out on Route 103 up past Oldale Town?"
"Sure," she replied. "Do you need me to run an errand?"
Birch laughed. "Surprisingly, no. I won't be making you pick up any parcels or retrieving eggs. My son Brendan's up there looking for Pokemon. It might be a good idea to go up there and see him, don't you think?"
May returned her attention back to Harold, thinking of the awkward encounter with Brendan. Even though his teasing had all been light-hearted, his cocky grin and stupid hat triggered something very competitive inside of her. It was probably best not to let that feeling of rivalry blossom too much. "Uh, I don't know, Professor…"
"Oh, don't be like that," Birch said with a wave of the hand. "You should go see my kid. He can teach you all about being a Trainer!"
Well, that last sentence did the trick.
"Fine," May said, biting her lip. She took in a deep breath. "I'll go see your son. Route 103, right?"
"That's right!" he said cheerfully.
"All right then," she said, holding head high. "I'll go see your son for advice." She opened the door and walked out, almost slamming it behind her.
Birch laughed a few seconds after she had left. "See Harold? That's how you use reverse psychology."
…
"That Birch," May muttered under her breath. "'My son can teach you all about being a Trainer,'" she mocked. "I'll teach Brendan a thing or two…" Ventus rolled its eyes as it followed her through the tall grass, keeping an eye out for any wild Pokemon up for battle. It did manage to take on a few Poochyena along the way, but May had been so wrapped up in her mumbling that she never noticed. That being said, she was surprised to see it tuckered out by the time they reached Oldale.
"What's wrong?" May asked. "I mean, Route 101 wasn't that long…"
Ventus, hunched over and panting, mustered up the strength to jump in the air and land a Pound her right on the head.
"Ow!" she shouted, rubbing the area with her hand. "Okay, I'm sorry! I should've paid more attention. Let's just go to the Pokemon Center, okay?"
Ventus rolled its eyes, but jumped on her shoulder regardless as she walked in to the Pokemon Center. The inside was alive with light: a TV was on overhead as people sitting at tables watched, the lights on the ceiling shined brightly on people reading maps and magazines, all while a giant screen behind a pink haired woman displayed different Pokemon. "Um, hi, I'd like to—"
The nurse gasped. "I know who you are! You're Norman's daughter, aren't you?"
Almost every head in the building turned to look at May, her face turning red. "Oh, gosh…"
"I've got you covered, sweetheart," the nurse whispered, then spoke up to the people surrounding them. "False alarm!" she declared. "Norman's family hasn't come through yet!" The other people at the center shrugged before going back to their business. "Sorry to put you out there like that," she said, returning to her normal voice. "In small towns like Oldale and Littleroot, it's kind of a big deal."
"Uh, no problem," May replied with a nervous laugh.
"Now," the nurse cleared her throat. "I'm Nurse Joy and welcome to the Pokemon Center. We can heal your Pokemon to perfect health. Would you like to rest your Pokemon?"
"Sure," May replied, returning Ventus to its Poke Ball. "Here you go."
"All right, I'll take your Pokemon for a few seconds then," she said. She placed the ball on a special machine as the screen behind her lit up, displaying an image of Ventus. After a few seconds it faded away, allowing her to return the Poke Ball. "Thank you for waiting. Your Pokemon have been restored to full health. We hope to see you again!"
"Again?" May repeated.
The nurse waved her hand. "Protocol, don't worry about it. We don't actually want that Treecko of yours getting hurt." Ventus broke out of its Poke Ball, hopping back up on May's shoulder. "So, what's brings you out here?" she asked, leaning over her counter. "Going to visit Norman?"
"Actually, I'm going out to Route 103," May replied. "I have to go meet a uh…friend, up there."
"Is it Birch's son?"
"Yeah, how'd you know?"
The nurse shrugged. "Just a theory. I mean, he's only been through here about five times today. He keeps saying there's some super rare Pokemon he wants to find out on Route 102, but there's some idiot saying he's found the footprints of a rare Pokemon. I kept trying to tell that guy that it's his own footprints, but he won't listen…"
May laughed. "Well, I don't think I'll have to worry about going out there today…I guess I'll see you later, Nurse Joy! Bye!" Waving, May stepped back outside and letting the Center's doors close behind her. She sighed, looking up at the sky. Being constantly referred to as "Norman's Daughter". She hoped this wouldn't become a regular thing. Ventus groaned of course, not interested in the least. "Hey," she said sternly. "I'm allowed to have my moments, aren't I? Let's get going."
And so they did. After a few wild Pokemon battles (with May actually paying attention) Ventus seemed to be getting stronger, its skills sharpening more and more. May grinned. "You're really getting better at—huh?"
"Okay…so it's this one and that one that live on Route 103…" a white, floppy hat popped out of the grass, its owner holding a Poke Ball. "Hey, it's May!"
"Hey, it's you," May said, much less enthusiastically. Brendan didn't seem to hear her, however.
"It looks like Dad gave you a Pokemon," he said, walking up to Ventus and patted it on the head. "So, since we're here, how about a little battle? I'll teach you what being a Trainer's about!"
So that's what the professor meant.
"You teach me?" she scoffed.
"Yeah," he replied with a grin. May groaned. He was teasing her again. "I mean, I've been a Trainer for a lot longer than you have. I'm pretty sure I know more about this kind of stuff than you do."
"I don't need to be taught anything," she snapped, her hot temper and pride for being independent causing her face to fluster. "I saved your dad from a Poochyena this morning!"
"Pssh, he gets chased by those things all the time," he said, waving a hand. "No biggy. I've done it hundreds of times before!"
May squeezed Ventus' Poke Ball as hard as she could, her hand trembling. She couldn't think of anything to spit back at him. "Battle me," she growled. They were the only words that would come out.
He laughed, spinning his Poke Ball on his finger. "All righty, then. Just promise you won't get too salty! Or more than you already are, anyway."
"You—"
"Go, Sora!" Brendan yelled, chucking the ball. A small, orange chick Pokemon popped out, its tiny arms sticking closely to its body. "It's a Torchic," he explained, latching his fingers together behind his head. He looked down at his Pokemon. "We need to show this May girl what we've got!"
"Let's fight, Ventus," May said, trying her best to stay level-headed. She needed to battle with fiery passion, not anger. "Start out with Pound!"
"Ember, Sora!"
Ventus jumped in the air, its tail glowing with light before it came crashing down on the Torchic's head, just as it had done to the Poochyena chasing the Professor. Sora recovered quickly, sending a burst of flames toward its opponent, scoring major damage.
"Ventus!" May yelled.
"Fire is super effective on Grass," Brendan said casually. "Don't you know that?"
"Of course I do," she snapped. "Everyone knows that!" She didn't know how to get out of her predicament, however. Another couple of hits would take Ventus out. We'll just have to keep going, I guess. "Ventus, Pound again!"
"Ember again!"
Sora ran closer to Ventus, another fireball welling up inside of it. It blasted it at close range before Ventus could dodge. Ventus retaliated quickly, Pounding again, doing double damage than last time.
"It's a crit!" May cheered. "Good job, Ventus!"
Brendan shrugged. "Eh, lucky you. But you know what that means, right?"
"…what?" May asked cautiously.
"Sora and your Treecko have about the same amount of health," he explained. "So whoever wins the speed tie wins this match. So…" He threw his arm out toward Sora, his head held high. "Sora, use Ember one last time!"
"Pound it Ventus!" May yelled at the top of her lungs. She felt the same thrill of battling running through her again, a surge of energy powering through her. Ventus and Sora were about to collide when—
Splash!
The next thing May knew she was soaked from head to toe in water, sitting in a pond a few feet away from where she had previously standing. In her place stood a horde of Zigzagoon that had knocked her down, now scurrying back into the grass. The two Pokemon stood still, dumbfounded.
What'd Brendan do? Oh, he laughed.
"What's so funny?" May snapped, attempting to stand up. She slipped on the rocks underneath her and fell back down, making Brendan laugh even harder.
"Nothing, nothing," Brendan gasped, bent over with laughter. He tried to offer her a hand, but couldn't look at her without bursting out again. "Do you…do you want help?"
"No," May said, successfully climbing out of the pond this time. She wrung out her hair and used her bow to send water flying in his face. "I can handle this myself. Let's just get back to the battle."
"I can't, I'm sorry," Brendan wheezed, wiping a tear from his eye. "I can't concentrate like this…let's…let's just go back to the lab…maybe Dad will have a blow dryer big enough for the bow of yours…" he returned Sora to its Poke Ball and started laughing again, making his way south back to Littleroot Town.
"He is so infuriating!" May growled, fixing her bow. "We would've won that battle too…" She looked down at her clothes, completely and utterly soaked. "Let's just get back to the lab…"
…
"Uh, are you all right, son?"
Brendan was now in the lab, trying to explain to Birch what had happened to May. He was still bent over laughing, attempting to get his words out. "And then…and then this random horde of Zigzagoon came over and knocked her right in to the pond out by Route 103! Dad, it was hilarious, she got—"
"Absolutely soaked," May said, stepping in to the room, still dripping wet. Ventus sat on her shoulder, trying to keep as dry as possible.
"See?" Brendan laughed. "I told you!"
Birch sighed. "Brendan, why don't you go out on Route 102 and catch some Pokemon? There's still one more that you haven't found—"
"I know, I know," the boy replied, his laughs slowly fading. "But a four percent encounter rate isn't much to work with…"
"You'll find it eventually," the Professor replied, placing a hand on his son's shoulder. "Now get out there. I need to talk to May over here."
"All right," Brendan replied, picking up his bag and walking toward the door. "Later, May," he snickered. "I'd say watch out for ponds, but…I don't think you can get much wetter!" He ran out the door before May could say anything.
Birch shook his head. "That Brendan…sorry for all the trouble. He's generally a good kid, but occasionally he gets a little too cocky for his own good."
Understatement of the year, May thought. She could see what Birch was saying, however. He had offered to help her catch a Pokemon when they first met, and had offered to help her out of that pond even if he couldn't stop laughing. "Yeah…um, what'd you want to talk to me about?"
He took in a deep breath, then let it out. "May, there's a big world out there…full of different types of people and Pokemon. Lots of things to see."
She nodded silently.
"So, as the leading Professor of the Hoenn region and a childhood friend of your father, I want to ask you this question…have you ever thought of going on a journey?"
May had known this question was coming ever since she accepted Ventus as her first Pokemon. She just wasn't expecting it so soon. It was the same dilemma she had been pondering before the whole Poochyena incident occurred. She had been dreaming of becoming a Trainer since she was a little girl. On the other hand, she was the only person her mother had. Leaving home would break her heart. "I-I don't know…"
"Well, I'll let you sleep on it," Birch said, walking over to his desk. "But in the mean time I'll give you these." He picked up two small handheld devices on his desk and placed them in her hands. "This first one is a PokeDex. It's a high-tech tool that automatically makes a record of any Pokemon you meet or catch. Brendan goes everywhere with his. Whenever he catches a rare Pokemon, he looks for me while I'm out doing fieldwork and shows me." He laughed. "It's giving me the itch to go out and do fieldwork again!"
"Thanks, Professor," May said, looking down at the device in her hands. The red metal shined under the lab lights, showing that it was brand spanking new. She looked at the other device in her hand, a yellow Gameboy-like device. "What's this one?"
"Oh, that? That's a PokeNav Plus," he replied. "All it's got on it right now is the AreaNav though, so it's pretty basic. You can probably get updates for it later. Anyway, I've gotta go out and do some fieldwork before it gets too dark outside. You tell me first thing tomorrow if you're going to go on a journey, all right, May?"
"Got it, Professor," May replied as he headed toward the door. "Thanks again!"
"No problem," he laughed before closing the door and leaving the lab.
…
Ventus munched on an Oran Berry, still sitting on May's shoulder as she sat in the grass facing the setting sun. When the Professor had asked her about going on a journey, she had completely forgotten that she was soaked to the bone. "What are we going to do, Ventus? Can we really leave Mom to go on a journey?" She looked toward Route 101, yearning to pass through the gates of Littleroot once again and see the rest of Hoenn. "I don't know," she said, running a hand through her still damp hair.
"May?"
May looked up. Her mother was approaching her, her face shadowed by her sombrero. She must've been gardening.
"Hey, Mom," she replied uneasily.
"Sweetie, why are you all wet?"
"Uh—"
Her mother gasped, reaching out and gently picked Ventus up off of her shoulders. "Is…is this your Pokemon?" She placed the wood gecko back down on the grass. "It's very cute. You look good with Pokemon, just like your father…"
"Thanks," she replied. Again, was being like her father really that good of a thing? "Can…can we go inside?"
"Hm? Oh, of course," she replied, taking off her sombrero. "I can get you a towel and make some dinner."
…
May poked at her spaghetti with her fork, unable to eat. A giant knot was sitting in her stomach; she still hadn't asked her mother. She looked at the sleeping Treecko on the table. If only she could be that relaxed all the time.
"You haven't even touched your food, honey," her mom said while washing the dishes. "What's wrong?"
May sighed, putting her fork down. "Mom…I need to tell you something."
"You're not lonely, are you?" she asked quickly. "Don't worry honey, I'm sure you'll make friends—"
"It's not that, Mom," she interrupted. "Trust me." Taking a deep breath, she reached into her bag and pulled out her PokeDex and PokeNav. "Mom…Professor Birch gave me these today. And I…I want to go on a journey."
Her mother took a step back, then recovered and placed the towel she had been holding down on the counter. She sat down in the chair opposite of her daughter. "I knew you were growing up May, but I didn't think you'd be leaving so soon—"
"I don't have to leave if you don't want me to," she said quickly. "I mean, if Dad's not here you're the one that's going to be lon—"
Her mother suddenly stood up, going upstairs. She came down a few minutes later with a box in her hands. "This was supposed to be your birthday present, but I think you should have it now."
May gave her a confused look, but opened it anyway. A pair of brand new yellow and orange sneakers sat in front of her. "Running shoes?" she asked, taking them out of the box.
"You always need a good pair for traveling."
Chapter Two's done! Yay! Lots of stuff happening this chapter. May getting her first Pokemon, the battle with Brendan, etc. Speaking of Brendan, he's kind of a hard character to classify. He doesn't really have any defining personality trait (like Barry being hyper or Silver being rude) so I kind of used my own interpretation of him. Friendly and light-hearted, but a bit cocky. He also kind of a know-it-all, but not in an intentional way. He occasionally mentions how you're a Hoenn noob ("You may not know this because you just moved here, but Mr. Briney was once blah, blah blah, blah…") but he's not doing it to belittle you, he's trying to help. That'll come in to play with May's character later.
As long as we're on the subject of rival's, QOTW: Who's your favorite rival and WHY? Is it their personality? They're Pokemon? Personally, mine has got to be either Blue or Wally. It really just depends on what day it is. I like Wally because he goes through real character development (but I did a whole video on that last week, no need to repeat myself). I also like Blue because…well…he's Blue. Cocky and always one step ahead of you, but you can't hate him. Yet it's so satisfying to take that Champion title away from him. It's a strange mix of emotions. Yeah, he's kind of a douche, but he's not a bad person. He doesn't torture his Pokemon and he did work just as hard as you (if not harder, he actually tried to complete the PokeDex). And by GSC, you can see he's matured as a person in three years. Yes, he's still cocky, but his comments about what happened to Cinnabar Island shows that he's thinking about other people more and not just himself. There's no rival quite like him.
Anyway, be sure to answer the QOTW in the reviews and I'll see you guys later!