Chapter Ten: It's All on the Line
What's going on my lovely muffins, IcyAngels here! It's a new chapter of Hoenn and it didn't take me ten million years to update! Yaay! Anyway, let's look at the reviews!
The Phantom Starfish: Glad you like the story! One of my writing mottos has always been "Write the book you want to read". And while there are a lot of great adaptations of Pokemon Alpha Sapphire on this site, they never quite went the way I wanted them to, so I decided to write my own. Thanks for reviewing!
UpbeatButNegative: Oh yeah. May is stubborn all right lol. And even though I haven't really used it, I've always like Swellow. I think it's got a great design and with that incredible speed, it's got to be worth using. And I agree. Gym Leaders should be able to put up a fight, regardless of what badge number they give. And thank you for the fight scene advice! Thanks for the review, as always :)
Martyn: Thanks for the review!
Matthew Garner: When it comes to Trainers knowing how much energy their Pokemon have left, I think it's just an estimate based off of how the Pokemon is acting. And I hope so as well! Thanks :)
Crepo the Porcupine: Thanks for the suggestion!
Aquaprincess3: Really? Glad you liked it!
Daniel: Take your white vans somewhere else, please.
Skyla Pearl: KEY CLUB HAS THE DANKEST OF MEEEMES. And hooray for Brendan development! And there's going to be a little bit more development of May's relationship with her Pokemon in this chapter, just you wait. And glad you think that I write battle scenes well! I focus on emotions a little bit more in this chapter too, so I think you'll like that. Thanks for the review as always!
And now with that out of the way, let's get into the actual chapter. Thanks guys!
May sat on the edge of her bed in her room in the Pokemon Center, staring out the window as the sun set over the horizon. Two more hours. Two more hours until Roxanne's Pokemon would be completely healed and ready to battle her once again. Two more hours until her fate would be decided. If she won, she'd finally be able to leave this stupid town and continue on her journey as planned. If she lost, there were no more chances. Which would make getting all eight badges impossible, and, in turn, proving herself to her father by winning the League.
"Hey."
She turned around to see Brendan walk into their room, closing the door behind him. "Hey," she replied quietly. He sat down next to her, both of them looking outside in silence.
"You did really well in that battle," she said after a few minutes.
"Thanks."
She looked at him, then sighed. "Look, Brendan, I'm…I'm sorry. For blowing up at you. You were just trying to help me and I got so caught up in doing things by myself that I completely ignored everything that you were trying to do for me." She then reached into her bag on the ground next to her, pulling out the red blanket from the night before. "You can have this back. Even if red works better on me than it does on you."
Brendan took it from her hands, stared at it for a few seconds, then laughed. "You're such a girl, May!"
"What do you mean?!" she exclaimed, her face becoming the color of her shirt. "I'm trying to say sorry for being a complete jerk, and you just—"
He laughed again, flicking her bow with his index finger and thumb. "I'm kidding. And I'm sorry for not listening to you." He tossed the blanket back at her, causing it to land in her lap. "And you can keep that as a gift from me to you. You don't have one, after all."
"Thanks," she replied, putting it back in her bag as her face returned to its normal color. She sighed, placing her head in her hands. Even with things smoothed out between them, it still didn't lessen how much her stomach flipped every time she thought of that upcoming battle…
"Nervous?" he asked.
She suddenly snapped out of her thoughts, then shook her head. "Of course not."
"So you're just tapping your foot and grinding your teeth for absolutely no reason, right?"
Dammit. He read her way to well. "Can you blame me, though? I've only got one more chance to do this, Brendan. If I don't, then—"
"No Stone Badge for you, I know," he finished. "I'm sure you'll do fine, May. Just ignore all of the people around you, focus on the battle, and bam! First Badge."
"Damn. I almost forgot about the people before you mentioned it," she mumbled. Knowing how quickly word spread through Rustboro, there were probably going to be at her match than there were at Brendan's. And knowing Gabby and Ty, they were probably going to find a way to broadcast it all over Hoenn. Meaning her father and everyone else back at home would see it. Great.
"Either way, I know you'll do well," he said, interrupting her thoughts once more. "I'll be rooting for you in the stands. Plus it'd kinda suck if my rival dropped out of the race not even one badge in."
May rolled her eyes, playfully shoving his shoulder. "Shut up."
"I'm just saying," he said with a shrug. "It'd be pretty boring without any competition."
"Tiana can be your rival," she snarled, lifting her bag off the ground. Tiana. Just the mere mention of the name sparked a burning fire in her heart. She gripped the bag harder than normal.
Brendan snorted, standing up and stretching. "I don't think that'd be worth it."
"Trust me, it's not," she snapped. "I think I'd rather work in the lab with Harold."
He smirked, slinging his backpack over her shoulder as she stood up. "Agreed. Do you want to go get a bite to eat downstairs before your Gym Battle?"
She nodded, then followed him out of the room.
…
"It's gonna be two against one," May remarked, staring down at her pizza.
Brendan looked up, his mouth full of syrup-soaked pancake. Pancakes for dinner. Of course. "What do you mean?"
"The Rustboro City Gym does two on two matches," she replied. Ventus chomped on a Pecha Berry next to her. "Pink's out of commission. I'm gonna have to do it with Ventus alone."
He swallowed, then grabbed the syrup container and pour a little bit more on. "You could borrow Patriot if you want."
She raised any eyebrow. "Patriot?"
"Yeah," he replied, cutting his pancake up more. "I forgot to tell you. I caught a Taillow yesterday on Route 116. I haven't used it yet, though."
"And you didn't tell me?!" she exclaimed.
He shrugged, putting another piece of food in his mouth. "You were mad at me."
She sighed in defeat, taking another berry out of her bag and giving it to her Treecko. "Thanks, but I'd rather not. I need to do this—"
"Yourself, I know," he finished, rolling his eyes. "Okay…so why don't you just ask Roxanne if you can have a one-on-one so it's fair?"
May scoffed. "Gabby and Ty will find a way to twist that. They'll say I'm not strong enough or too scared, so I requested an "easier" match. I have to do this with just Ventus."
Brendan sighed, leaning back into his seat in the booth. "I can't wait to be out of this stupid city."
"You're telling me."
…
May stood at her end of the battlefield, nervously rubbing Ventus' Poke Ball with her thumb. People were beginning to file into the stands, each one giving her a dirty look as they walked in. Within about ten minutes there were at least sixty people, Gabby and Ty right in the front row at May's end, and two police officers right behind them. Probably there to throw May out as soon as she lost. Brendan flashed her a smile and a thumbs up from where he was, about a foot away from the two reporters. She returned the gesture with a shaky hand.
"Are you ready?" a voice behind her asked quietly. May turned around to see the Gym Leader standing there, an encouraging look on her face.
"As ready as I'll ever be," she replied. There were more people coming in. So many witnesses…
Roxanne took in a deep breath, then exhaled. "I'm not going to go easy on you. Not only does it go against everything I think as a Gym Leader, but people would be able to tell. Then we'd both be in trouble."
"I know."
"Even if I'm going to be trying my hardest to beat you, I hope that you do well, May," she said. She gave the other Trainer a squeeze of encouragement on the arm. "Good luck."
"Thank you."
Roxanne nodded, then walked to the other end of the battlefield, standing in her spot. The stands were filled to the brim with people, so much so that some had to stand next to them or sit on the ground. It was as if the entirety of Rustboro had shown up, plus some from the nearby towns…
May watched as Clyde walked over to his usual referee spot, the crowd getting quieter and quieter, her heart pounding against her ribcage. With every step he took, her stomach seemed to flip a little, causing a nauseous feeling to form in her throat. She gripped the Poke Ball even tighter, her hand trembling from the force. Keep it together.
"This'll be a two on two ma—"
"Two on one," May said quietly, but it was loud enough to get Clyde's attention. "I only have Ventus." Roxanne raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Clyde nodded in confusion but went along with it anyway. "This'll be a two on one match. Only the challenger will be permitted to switch Pokemon, even if she only has one…as always, there will be no interruptions to the battle unless approved by the Gym Leader or challenger. Begin!"
"Geodude, let's roll!" Roxanne shouted, tossing a Poke Ball up in the air. The familiar Rock-type sprung out of the ball, landing on the ground with a solid thump. It rolled itself forward on the battlefield, its eyes narrowed in determination. Was it just May, or did it seem more pumped up than earlier that day?
She swallowed, took a deep breath, and threw the Poke Ball as hard as she could on the battlefield. "Pride's on the line, Ventus!" The Treecko appeared on the ground, landing on its feet with its arms crossed. It stared at the Geodude with an equally determined expression. "I'm counting on you," May whispered.
"You can take the first move," Roxanne said confidently from the other end of the field.
"All right. Quick Attack, Ventus! And if it tries to roll away to dodge, don't stop until you hit it!" May shouted.
"Rolling, huh?" the Gym Leader asked. "All right then, jump from rock to rock and use Harden while doing it!"
Ventus was mere millimeters from striking the Geodude when it suddenly bounced off the ground, landing on a boulder a few feet away. The two continued to perform their attacks, the Treecko never getting the chance to strike and the Geodude progressively sharpening its defense.
"If you think we're going to use the same tactics we did this morning against Brendan, you're wrong," Roxanne said, crossing her arms. "The thing you have to know about us Gym Leaders, May, is that we all have more than one strategy. It keeps challengers on their toes."
"Well if you want to use jumping on rocks as your thing this battle, two can play at that game!" she shouted. "Jump over it to land an Absorb!"
"Keep doing what you're doing, Geodude!"
Ventus landed on a rock and glared at its opponent, then sprung further into the air than the Rock-type would ever be able to reach, its tail glowing bright with green light. It was about to come crashing down on the Geodude when—
"Tackle it from below!" Roxanne shouted.
The Pokemon suddenly shot up from the rock it had been sitting on, ramming its entire body into the Treecko's stomach. The Grass-type was sent flying high into the air, then roughly landed on its feet, wrapping its tail around the injured area and wincing in pain.
"You can keep on fighting, Ventus," May encouraged. "Now go for Absorb!"
"Rock Tomb!"
May's heart felt as if it was going to leap out of her chest. She froze as the Geodude began forming rocks above its head, ready to crush its opponent. It was Rusturf Tunnel all over again…the vision of Pink being squashed underneath a pile of boulders flashed in her mind. If it happened to Ventus…she suddenly felt the urge to intercept the battle again, jump right in and intervene, when a voice stopped her.
"Don't make the same mistake twice, May!" Brendan yelled from the stands. The entire population in the building, including May, turned to look at him. "Do you really want to let Ventus down again? Remember what we talked about earlier!"
She suddenly snapped out of her thoughts, getting a grip on reality. "He's right. Dodge, Ventus!"
With that command, the Treecko quickly jumped out of the way, unscathed. It looked back at its Trainer and nodded in reassurance.
Roxanne smiled. "Glad we didn't have a repeat of yesterday. Being able to learn from past mistakes is always important, whether you're a student or a Trainer. Either way, go for another Rock Tomb, Geodude!"
"Jump to dodge, Ventus!"
Mere moments before the rocks could come crashing down on it, the Treecko leaped into the air and over the attack, leaving it hanging in the air for a few seconds.
"Now use Absorb!"
"Use Rock Tomb to block it!"
Ventus' tail began to glow as Geodude prepared another series of boulders, then dropped the heap around itself. The Treecko crashed into them with its tail, which smashed them into a million pieces.
"Mega Drain while you're close, Ventus!" May yelled.
Before the Geodude could even get the chance to think about rolling away, the Treecko's tail lit up again, smashing into the Geodude's face. It sprung away, having regained most of the energy it had lost from the Tackle.
Roxanne grinned from the other side of the field. "Not bad, May. Using our defenses to get in closer…smart move."
May nodded, her heart still beating against her rib cage. "I like to use what I'm given. Ventus, use Quick Attack to get in closer again!"
"Jump out of the way!"
Ventus sped across the battlefield, dodging and weaving through the various piles of rocks until it reached the other Pokemon. They both rocketed into the air at the same time, Ventus landing minuscule damage.
"Use Rock Tomb to smash it to the ground!" Roxanne yelled.
Within the blink of an eye, the Geodude had formed three huge boulders in front of it, grabbing and smashing them onto the Treecko, knocking it to the ground and trapping it underneath the rubble.
"Ventus!" May screamed, covering her mouth. She watched as it slowly climbed out of the rock pile, its breathing very labored. It looked back at her and gave a nod of encouragement. It was fine. She took a deep breath, then let it out, allowing her to regain her composure. "Go for Mega Drain!"
"Dodge!"
Ventus rushed at its opponent, slamming its tail on its head before it could get out of the way. The Geodude was low on health now, barely able to stay upright, but still fighting.
"Rock Tomb!" Roxanne yelled.
Before May could even utter another word, the rocks came crashing down on the Treecko, making it lose a chunk of the health it had just gotten back. Struggling to breathe, it climbed out of the rocks again.
"We can keep going, Ventus," May called in a desperate attempt to stay calm. Despite the earlier Mega Drain, her Treecko was starting to run low on steam. And Roxanne still had Nosepass…
"Rock Tomb again!"
"Use Pound to break through them!"
A few seconds later and the two Pokemon were doing exactly as told: Geodude chucking the rocks and Ventus smashing through them with its tail.
Roxanne grinned from the other side of the field, her hands on her hips. "I have to point out, I like the way you battle, May. Using a combination of your attacks and ours to create a defense…it's interesting."
"Thanks," May replied, wiping her palms on her shorts. People were giving both her and Roxanne dirty looks for the compliment.
"But I'm still gonna find a way through it. Geodude, Tackle with all you've got!"
"Mega Drain, Ventus!"
They made contact in the center of the battlefield at the same time. Ventus' tail pushing against the Geodude's head, they were locked in place at the same momentum. Eventually, that momentum stopped, causing the two of them to spring a few feet back. The entire population of the building sat in desolate silence, watching the two Pokemon stare at each other, breathing heavily.
A few seconds passed and Geodude landed on its back, unconscious.
Clyde raised a flag in May's direction. "Geodude is unable to battle, Ventus is the winner!"
There were multiple "boo's" from the crowd, directed toward both Trainers on the field. "And it looks like Roxanne's Geodude has been taken out by Norman's daughter and her Pokemon," Gabby said, turning to the camera. "This is a shame for all of Rustboro, as not only has Roxanne let a banned Trainer come back into the city for a rematch when the first battle shouldn't have even happened in the first place, she's also now losing to said Trainer. How embarrassing. As for May, to further make a big deal out of the situation, she's decided to only use one Pokemon throughout the entire match. If that's not a desperate cry for attention, I don't know what is!"
It was all Brendan could do to not grab the microphone and use it as an instrument of destruction against the camera.
Roxanne, completely ignoring the crowd, returned the Rock-type to its Poke Ball. "Get a good rest, Geodude. You did well." She smiled and looked across the field to the challenger. "Not gonna lie, you're doing much better than you did last time, May."
"Thanks," she replied. How could Roxanne ignore the crowd so easily? May felt as if every pair of eyes was boring into her with judgmental looks. Every single person in the room wanted to see her lose. Except for Brendan, of course, who was glaring at Gabby who had probably made some stupid remark that May couldn't hear over the crowd. She looked back at the Gym Leader. "But that's not really saying much."
Roxanne shrugged, taking out another Poke Ball. "I like to focus on the positives. Nosepass, let's roll!" She tossed the ball into the air, allowing the Eastern Island headed Pokemon to spring out.
May took in a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. Brendan needed both Truffle and Sora to beat it when he had battled…and if Sora hadn't evolved into a Combusken, there was a good chance it would've lost…
She shook her head. Now was not the time to be having those thoughts. "Ventus, start out with Quick Attack!"
"Harden!"
The Treecko struck the Nosepass within the blink of an eye, but, as expected, the attack did little to nothing. The opposing Pokemon continued to use its move, its defense getting higher by the second.
"Go for Mega Drain!"
"Tackle before it can strike!"
By the time Ventus had concentrated enough energy into its tail to perform the attack, it had already been knocked flat on its back by the blunt force of the Rock-type crashing into it. It was trying to stand up as its opponent towered over it, but was clearly struggling. The Nosepass hit a lot harder than the Geodude.
"Rock Tomb while you're close, Nosepass!"
"Get out of the way, Ventus!"
The Nosepass raised its tiny compass-like arms above its head as the Treecko got up and scrambled out of the way, just barely missing the attack. Ventus leaped onto a pile of rubble to catch its breath once more.
"Trap it in the rubble with Rock Tomb, Nosepass!" Roxanne shouted.
"Use Mega Drain to break through the rocks!" May yelled.
Before the Treecko could even react, it was crushed by the rocks above it and knocked down once more. May winced, biting the inside of her cheek. With every Rock Tomb, Ventus was getting progressively slower and slower. It was getting low on energy too. If they couldn't find a way to sap some of Nosepass' energy, then…
"Go for Tackle, Nosepass!"
"Hurry up and use Mega Drain!" May yelled.
The two Pokemon's attacks met at the exact same time, Ventus preparing its attack quicker this turn. They pushed against each other for the upper hand, but then backed off a few seconds later. Ventus seemed to have gained some sort health back, but not much. It was still having trouble keeping up…
"I know you can do it, Ventus!" she shouted. The Treecko turned around, hearing her words of encouragement. "You've always been a good battler, right? Remember when we saved Harold from that grunt back in Petalburg Woods? Or when we battled those twins on Route 4 with Brendan? Why should we lose this battle?"
Ventus then did something that it didn't do very often…it smiled.
"And May provides some words of encouragement to her Pokemon," Gabby said into the microphone. "While apparently using some examples of battles that she's won, too! This is the first time I've heard about her winning any battles, but I guess you can't lose them all, right?"
"If by 'all' you mean you and Ty's respect for people, then yes, you can," Brendan muttered under his breath.
Roxanne grinned from the other side of the field. "I think you're starting to get it, May. Encouraging your Pokemon is one of the ways to keep yours and their hopes up during battle!"
May nodded. The encouragement was made for herself just as much as it was meant for Ventus, but she could see that Roxanne was right; Ventus seemed like it had a little bit more hope and energy than before. She was just hoping that it would last for the both of them.
"All right, Nosepass," Roxanne said. "Go for another Rock Tomb!"
"Use Quick Attack to dodge it!" May shouted.
The Rock-type aimed its attack at a specific location but ended up hitting nothing but air. Ventus was already ten feet away from its previous location, coming in very close range to where the Nosepass was located.
"Now go for Mega Drain!"
The Nosepass was struck with a bright green tail before it could even react. Ventus hit it with so much force that it was knocked on to its side, allowing the Treecko to steal its energy and use it as its own. The Rock-type got back up, still ready to fight.
"It's getting some of your energy, Nosepass!" Roxanne shouted. "Go for Rock Tomb again and don't stop until you hit it!"
"Use Quick Attack to dodge again!" May yelled.
Ventus zipped through the battlefield, once again dodging and weaving through rocks and boulders, the Nosepass leaving a trail of Rock Tombs behind it. Eventually, the Grass-type came to a dead end, being cornered by a giant pile of rubble and three rocks floating in the air, which came down all at once and crushed it between both. The Treecko crawled out of the mess as its Trainer watched in worry. Ventus had clearly received major damage from that attack, barely able to stand up.
"We can do this, Ventus," May said from her end of the court.
"And May's Treecko has clearly taken some damage," Gabby said into the mic that Brendan oh so dearly wanted to grab and flush down the toilet in the restroom. "Can Roxanne redeem herself for letting this unruly Trainer into the Gym? Or is she just going to let May get off without punishment?"
"You people are the reason why she had to sleep outside in a tent last night!" Brendan exclaimed, but the two media workers seemed to ignore him.
"Go for Tackle while you're up close!" Roxanne commanded.
"Use Pound to deflect it!"
The two struck each other at the same time, the Nosepass landing much more damage than Ventus did. They were both clearly beginning to get low on health, now.
Roxanne smiled. "This had been a good battle, May. But unfortunately, I think it's going to be ending soon. Use Harden and then Tackle right after!"
"Mega Drain, let's go!"
The Nosepass instantly stiffened its body as Ventus' tail struck it as hard as it could. With every second the attack seemed to be sucking up less and less energy until it was hardly doing anything at all. Ventus had barely gained any energy back from the attack, and before May could say another command, it was hit with a Tackle, erasing any of the energy it had gotten from the Mega Drain.
May took in a deep breath, trying to control her fear. Ventus was getting really low on energy at this point. All doubts she had been trying to push back during the battle were starting to flood her mind. If she didn't win this battle, it was over. No eight badges. No League. No proving herself to her fa—
A groaning sound emitted from Ventus' mouth, causing May to focus on her Pokemon. Despite all of its pain and the effort it took, it managed a tiny smile. That's when it hit May:
Her Pokemon was counting on her too.
"If you need me, you've got me, Ventus," May said. She could feel confidence bubbling up within her, allowing the feelings of insecurity, worry, and fear to dissipate. For once in the entirety of the match, she didn't feel so vulnerable. "Go for Mega Drain again!"
"Block it with Rock Tomb!"
Ventus was up and ready to go the moment the words escaped May's mouth, slashing its tail through the rocks that came flying at it and smashing them to pieces. It then came down on the Nosepass as hard as possible once more, knocking it onto the ground. It got back up again. It wasn't done with the battle quite yet.
"Tackle it, Nosepass!" Roxanne shouted.
"Intercept with Pound!"
The Treecko was even quicker than before this time. Before its opponent could even get moving, it slammed its tail down on its head, not leaving much damage, but every bit of health was significant when both Pokemon were that low on energy. It dodged the Tackle coming its way.
Roxanne grinned. "See, May? A little encouragement can do a lot of good. I don't think I've ever seen you and Ventus more in sync before!"
"Really?" May asked. She could feel her heart beating fiercely again, but this time, it was out of excitement rather than fear.
The Gym Leader nodded. "It's something that I've studied a lot here. The bond between Pokemon and Trainer. And usually, if they're in sync, it does wonders for the both of them in battle. But either way…Nosepass, go for another Rock Tomb!"
"Dodge and Mega Drain!"
It all happened in a blink of an eye. A pile of rocks was hurled at Ventus, but the Treecko had quickly dodged without hesitation. The next thing May knew it had slammed its tail down on the Nosepass, draining the last of its energy and knocking it out.
They had won.
Clyde raised another flag in May's direction. "Nosepass is unable to battle, Ventus is the winner! And the match goes to May!"
Feeling all happiness need to burst out of her, she squealed and across the battlefield and over to Ventus, who openly jumped into her arms. "We did it, Ventus!"
Roxanne closed her eyes and smiled, taking a Poke Ball out and recalling her fallen Pokemon. "Nosepass, return." After it had gone back into the ball, she looked back at May. "Congratulations!" she exclaimed. "I'm so glad you can continue and go on with the rest of the League!"
"Thanks, Roxanne," May said with a grin.
"Now I have to give you this." She pulled a small accessory out of her pocket, placing it in May's palm. It was exactly the same as the one Brendan received, two bronze and gold arrows facing in opposite directions. "As the Gym Leader of the Rustboro City Gym, I present you with the Stone Badge."
Gabby turned back to the camera again, shaking her head. "And Roxanne not only allows a banned Trainer back into her Gym, but to beat her. Rustboro should be ashamed. As for May, she gets her first badge, but even with a Pokemon with a type advantage she still stru—"
"That's it!" Brendan exclaimed, lunging for Gabby's microphone. He missed, almost fell on his face, and was planning to try to grab it again, but Roxanne stopped him.
"I can handle it." She walked over to Gabby and looked into the camera. "My name is Roxanne. I am a Gym Leader, and this is my Gym. Which means that as long as it falls under the rules of the League, I can do whatever I please within its walls." She turned and looked at Gabby. "For example, I'm throwing you two out."
"What?!" the reporter exclaimed. "You can't do—"
"I think I can," she interrupted. She pointed at the door. "Now get out." She crossed her arms with a triumphant smile as the reporter huffed, then left the building with her cameraman. "And as for the rest of you," Roxanne said, facing the crowd. "The match is over. "Regardless of who you think should've won, you can leave." There were multiple groans of disappointment as people filed out of the building and into the now dark streets outside. Soon it was just Roxanne, May, Brendan, and Clyde once more.
"You did it, May!" Brendan said excitedly, giving her a short hug. "Now we know for sure that you're back on track…for now."
She elbowed him playfully. "Shut up…"
Roxanne grinned. "Once again, congratulations. But as much as I'd hate to do it…I've gotta kick you out now."
May raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"I'm a girl of my word," she replied. "I told that officer that I'd give you another shot at getting your badge, and if you did, you'd be able to leave quietly. But hey, at least you're getting out of this city, right?"
She smiled. "I guess you're right." The two embraced for a few seconds, then let go. "Thanks again, Roxanne."
"It was my pleasure," she said as the two Trainers began heading for the door. "And May…don't let people like Gabby or Tiana get you down. They don't know anything."
May nodded as Brendan held the door open for her, feeling the cool, night wind touch her skin. "I won't. See ya later!"
"Have a good trip! Oh, and if you need to get to Dewford, go see Mr. Briney! He'll give you a ride over first thing!"
Brendan gave her a thumbs up as the two walked outside, ready to hit the road again once more.
...
"So glad to be out of that stupid town," May said with a sigh of relief. She watched as Brendan set a blanket down on the grass. The two had found their way back to Route 4, despite the nighttime creepiness of Petalburg Woods. When they arrived at Mr. Briney's cottage there was no movement in the house, its owner presumably asleep, so the two planned to spend the night outside. It wasn't uncommon for people to do around that area, after all; Mr. Briney was a well-known sailor. But at the moment, there was no one else around, just the sound of crashing waves on the beach and the starry sky twinkling above them.
"I know," Brendan replied. He sat down on the blanket, his back leaning against the cottage, and invited her to sit next to him. Complying, she took out the one he had given her earlier and positioned it so the two of them could both use it to protect them from the cold. "If I had to sit through one more day of hearing Gabby never shut up I would've taken the microphone and…"
May gave a tiny laugh, then looked up at the sky. The constellations were especially clear that night, not a cloud in the air to block them. "There's the Ursaring Major," she said, pointing up at the sky. "And there's the Teddiursa Minor. Those are the only Johto ones I recognize, though…"
Brendan smiled. "We had a telescope once. Dad was doing research on some legendary Pokemon. But…it got ruined when Harold knocked it over trying to run away from a Zigzagoon."
She laughed again, then sighed. "My mom said that when I was only three or four, my dad would take me to the Olivine City Lighthouse every night and we would watch the stars." She frowned. "I don't really remember it, though. It must've been before he got all caught up in being a Gym Leader."
He nodded. Before he had met May, he had never truly realized how much he appreciated his father. All of those days spent out on the routes around Littleroot looking for Pokemon had never seemed that special until now. He would have to tell his father that the next time they went home. "Well, at least you're closer to him now, right? When it comes to physical distance, anyway."
May shrugged. "I guess you're right." She looked down at her PokeNav. "It's almost midnight. We should get some sleep."
He nodded again, closing his eyes. "Night, May."
"Goodnight, Brendan."
Chapter 10's done! Yay! So now May has one badge under her belt and they're off to Dewford. For me this chapter was kinda hard for me to write because of my lack of confidence in my battle scenes, but I hope this one way all right. As for my update schedule, from this point forward I'll be updating on Tuesdays in this order: Seven Worlds, Hoenn, YouTube video. This does mean more time between updates for specific stories, but at the same time you guys will be getting content on a consistent basis! Speaking of Seven Worlds, you guys should go check it out and leave your lovely reviews :) You know how much I appreciate them. It's a Sonic and…well, everything crossover. I don't really treat it as professionally as I do Hoenn because it is based off a concept I thought of when I was twelve, and I have improved as a writer A LOT since then (hence why my first story is terrible), but Seven Worlds is all right. More specifically the more recent chapters because my writer's block FINALLY went away for that story. God. Anyways, you guys can if you want to. You already leave awesome reviews on here, so I don't want to ask for too much. Either way, QOTW: So far based off of what you've seen me write, which moments do you think I write the best? Humor, description, character interactions, etc. I know we're only ten chapters in and there hasn't been that much of a mix yet, but based off what you've seen, what do you think? Be sure to tell me in the reviews! Smell ya later :P