All Through These Times Ch4
Title: All Through These Times
Pairing/Characters: Contestshipping, minor Brendan/OC
Rating: PG
Summary: May continues her journey in Johto, meeting both old and new friends, reliving and making new memories along the way.
Warnings: Brendan and the OC are weird.
AN: Sequel to Gathering Thoughts. I wrote this some time ago...I really need to do the formatting for this chapter...Kohanna's speech is a little too weird...I PLAN TO REWRITE THIS ONE DAY (knowing me, not anytime soon...) ...What have I done? This is not very good....
-------------------------------------------
Unwavering Memories: Shadow's Hope
May was running down a path in the rain as fast as she was able.
'I'm almost there…I'm almost at Katerina…Shadow, I'm coming…'
Unfortunately for May, she was running too fast and she ended up slipping and falling. May attempted to get back up, but she barely ended up sitting on her knees.
'The ground's not that slippery…why do I suddenly feel so tried…'
May's eyes grew heavy and her vision was bleary. She suddenly found that she could no longer stay awake and she collapsed…
May woke up with a start when she realized that she was in a bed and clearly never remembered having fallen asleep in a bed. She felt dizzy from the sudden shock but May was still able to get a good look of the room before her dizziness forced her to lie back down. It was someone's bedroom. There were faded flower patterns everywhere: the walls, the pictures, the bed. A small table was next to her. May then heard a voice.
"I see that you're finally awake. You shouldn't try to move too much, that's quite the nasty fever you have," the old woman, who obviously lived there told her. The lady had short silver-gray hair and was wearing a dress of a similar print of the room.
"I'll say, you had me quite surprised. What were you doing out in the rain with such a fever? Don't strain yourself, though. Here's some water," the lady told May, handing her a glass and helping May sit up.
"I didn't think that there was much further that I had to go to get to Katerina Town…I have to get to Shadow before…" May started coughing.
"It's okay, I believe I understand. You can relax. Those idiots can't do anything to the forest to flush that wily Umbreon out with all this rain we've been having these past few months. Too wet to start a fire and it also makes it too dangerous to cut down the trees and other plants."
May looked startled, "How…how did you know that I was talking about an Umbreon…"
The old lady smiled sadly, "It's understandable that you don't remember…it was a sad time…"
May's eyes widened in surprise as she remembered a similar moment.
Flashback
An old woman, exactly like the person May was with except for the design on her dress, looked at her sadly.
"It seems that this little one has been through some tough times. He may never truly recover from it…"
End Flashback
"M-miss Rosy?" May stuttered.
The woman seemed startled for a moment, then she smiled, "Yes, it seems you're starting to remember a bit."
"I can't believe I didn't recognize you after looking through those 'diaries' of mine that I had Brendan save…he gave them back to me a few days ago…" May said slowly.
Ms. Rosy smiled, "It's okay, you only got them back recently and you have a fever…It's been a long time."
"Just reading and looking at the pictures in those diaries didn't really help me remember anything…It was like…I was just reading a book full of drawings for the most of it…" May said, trailing off a bit, "But every time I read about Shadow…I felt as though I should be quicker…about hurrying back…to help him…I remember that we used to come over here and play all the time…me, Brendan, Kohanna, Tony, Wally…and Shadow…we…" May was so tired from her fever that she fell asleep.
Ms. Rosy put her hand on May's forehead and gently ran her hand through May's bangs.
"The fever isn't as bad as it was. It's just like always. Little May will suddenly get a fever from worrying to much and by simply talking to her for a while…she gets better faster…That accident may have taken much from you, my young friend, but it's obvious that it didn't damage your caring spirit…I hope you feel all well soon…for both your sakes…The rain won't last forever…and those people who want to get rid of Shadow are quite clever themselves…"
Ms. Rosy cast a sad glance out the window. The rain had stopped.
A few more days passed with May sick in bed. The fever was worse than either of the two had thought. May knew that her worrying about Shadow only made her fever worse, but she couldn't help it when Ms. Rosy wasn't around. The two of them talked about many things, but mostly about the past before May's family moved. Ms. Rosy would often bake cookies for whenever May and her friends came to visit, and half the time they ended up coming in. They laughed as they remembered Brendan, Kohanna, and Tony getting into everything, and May and Wally would try to keep them out of places they weren't supposed to be in, even though half the time they was just as curious themselves.
"Despite all their antics, it was obvious that they looked up to you, May. They practically worshiped you," Ms. Rosy said, laughing a little.
"And literally as well…" May grumbled, "I never quite understood why they did that…"
Ms. Rosy looked at her with a knowing look in her eyes, "Brendan, Kohanna, and Tony were always…peculiar…and Wally was sickly…others shied away from them….before I met the five of you…I heard that none of the children at the daycare would play with them. And they were too scared of rejection to approach each other…so sad for such young children…Then you started to come to the daycare,"
"I think I remember a little…I couldn't understand why they weren't playing with everyone…and why no one would play with them…the other kids, because they knew that my father was a great battler, they all wanted to be friends with me…" May trailed, and angry look growing in her eyes, "I felt angry at that…and lonely…I knew that if one of them had a well known family member who was close…the other kids would want to be friends with them too. After several days of trying to talking to those four and reason with the other others kids…I blew up when I saw some kids picking on Wally. They had kicked the sand castle he was making down. The next thing I knew, the daycare lady was holding me as I was kicking and screaming, 'I hate people like that! You meany bullies!'. I was put into the time out corner for pushing and kicking sand on them…"
"I heard that most of the other children avoided you after that for a while…" their was a sad tone in Ms. Rosy's voice.
May noticed and quickly added, "I wasn't bothered by that. They only wanted to be friends because of my father's talents, not for just me…Besides, that day, Wally had waited for me…As soon as I was let out of time out, he started apologizing…"
Flashback
A young Wally and May were standing and facing each other in the daycare. Wally was crying and May seemed slightly confused.
"I'm sorry!" he sobbed, "You got in trouble because of me! I'm so sorry! I'm-"
"There's nothing to apologize for!" May quickly cut in, "I'm the one that was the hot-head who attacked them anyways. Besides, I don't think running yourself out of breath is good for your health," May said with a grin, "Do you want to play with me and some others, if they'll play. If not, just me?"
Wally quickly wiped his tears away and smiled, "Sure,"
"Okay! Let's go round up the other's I've been wanting to play with!" May cheered enthusiastically.
Wally blushed, "Y-y-you mean you've been wanting to play with me…th-those times you tried to walk up to me and the others pulled you away.."
"Yup, I wanted to play with you," May replied with a smile.
"The others you mentioned…they're Kohanna and Tony, right? Since Brendan left early because he was sick…"
"Yeah, I knew it, you're really smart! I hope Brendan feels better soon…since I heard from Mommy and Daddy that we're cousins, I had already wanted to know him better before I started coming…" May said, "Of course, now, I want to know you all better, too!"
Wally smiled, "Thank you,"
May looked as though she remembered something, "Ack! I forgot! I'm May. You're Wally right?"
"Yes," he replied.
"Okay, Wally, let's go!" May said, taking Wally's hand as they went in search of Kohanna and Tony…
End Flashback
"…Wally, Kohanna, Tony, and I became friends very quickly…And we all hoped that Brendan would get better soon…so he could be friends as well…that day…we decided to explore the area near the daycare for a while, since it would have been a bit before our parents came to pick us up…
Flashback
"The bridge is over this way!" a young Kohanna shouted excitedly. She wanted to show her new friends her favorite place, "It's just around this-EEK!"
"Huh? What is it?" the others rushed up to see what was wrong.
Brendan was walking on top of the stone wall of the bridge. He looked feverish, and very, very depressed. They watched him worryingly for a moment, and they nearly panicked when he almost fell. Brendan seemed to be unaware of his surroundings. He suddenly turned towards the river.
"Nobody likes me…" he said sadly, then he got a grin on his face, "I wonder if I could fly…jumping from here…"
"Fly?" Tony asked, "I wanna fly too!"
May stopped him in his tracks, "You won't fly from jumping off a bridge! Or off anything!" she shouted before rushing to stop Brendan.
May's first real impression of Brendan:
He's an idiot
"Don't jump, Brendan!"
"Huh?" Brendan blinked and as he was turning to look, he started to fall.
"Brendan!"
Somehow, May was able to get close enough to grab Brendan's pant leg. What amazed the rest of the group, however, was that May had managed to pull Brendan back up and on the bridge by herself. After she did so, May pulled down Brendan's cap in front of his eyes and gave him a slight push.
"Honestly! What were you thinking!" May ranted, "Obviously not much! Don't you ever pull a stunt like that again, you hear!"
Looking at her blankly, Brendan replied, "Okay."
"Now, let's get you home so you can get over that fever. If you don't, it would be hard for you to play with us, cousin Brendan. Where do you live?"
Brendan looked surprised, "You must be the cousin that moved in that mommy and daddy were talking about…wonder why I didn't realize…"
"Less talking, and more walking! You can talk, but only to give directions!" May commanded.
"You most certainly do not act like you're two years younger than me…more like my mother…" Brendan muttered.
End Flashback
"And that was what Brendan called 'The start of our friendship as a group'…" May trailed off as she fell asleep.
Ms. Rosy put her hand on May's forehead and smiled, "Seems like her fever finally broke…" she then gazed sadly out the sunny window, lightly rubbing her fingers against her wrist, which had a slight bruise on it…
May woke up quickly sometime later.
'Something's wrong…I can feel it.'
Suddenly, May heard shouting from outside and she rushed to the door, not noticing that she was dressed in a long pink nightgown.
"Are you trying to get yourself hurt, old lady, or can you just not understand that we're trying to help the town by getting rid of that stupid, weird-looking Umbreon?" a young man, who was older than May and had a rather squashed face, shouted at Ms. Rosy as he pushed her to the ground, a group of others were laughing nearby.
"HEY!" May shouted irritably, "You shouldn't pick on other people, especially an old woman. And the one you're calling stupid and weird-looking is my friend! You should get a mirror, you ugly squash-face, you fit 'stupid and weird-looking' quite well!"
"You think you can threaten me in that outfit?" he and the others laughed.
For reasons that May didn't know at the time, her anger and agitation were so great. It seemed as though his words hadn't registered in her mind as she glared at him. She punched the boy with such force that he flew back and coughed up blood.
"It seems I'm out of practice…" May said, with a strange look of pure rage and venom practically dripping from her voice.
The group of people panicked, "It's that scary kid from six years ago! Run!"
They all run off, taking their injured friend with them. May looked after them and blinked, all of the anger replaced with confusion.
"W-what did I just do?" May asked Ms. Rosy as she helped her up.
"You were always trying to be strong for your friends, and you had ended up being strong in other ways other than emotionally and mentally. You were quite rough when you became angry…I think that just now with you remembering so much of your past…a part of you from then came out…"
"I was…like that…?" May seemed almost devastated as she looked at the drops of blood on the ground.
Ms. Rosy closed her eyes, "Only when you were truly angry or upset. With all that's been going on it's no wonder you got so angry…"
"B-but, I said I was out of practice, that means-"
"No, I believe it was because the boy was actually injured that you said that. Somehow, no matter how uncontrollable you were at the moment and angered, you were able to punch, kick, and throw people around in such ways that they were greatly shaken, but never injured. Unless, that is, you were making some sort of point, but it would never be serious. You've always had such a kind heart…At any rate, you seem to be much better, you should change back into your clothes and go see Shadow."
"Huh?" May looked down and finally realized that she was wearing a nightgown, "I've been wearing this the whole time?" she said flatly, "And yet, I don't at all feel embarrassed…"
Ms. Rosy chuckled, "Ha-ha! Hurry now, there are others out there, not just those young people."
"Right!" May started to go in the direction of the woods, but then remembered that she was still in the nightgown and rushed back inside Ms. Rosy's house to change…
May ran as fast as she could to the forest. When she got there, she tried to remember the path she had always taken to get to the place were Shadow stayed, hoping he still lived there. Soon she came across a group of people and fire-type Pokémon who seemed to be surrounding something.
"Take that, you pest!" a man from the group shouted, "HAHAHA! Once we get rid of you, we can burn this place down, no problem!"
"Hey! Just what do you think you're doing!" she shouted, full of rage, "I thought the point of burning down the forest was because of Shadow, who isn't even half the menace you're making him out to be! And it's not right to gang up on a Pokémon like that!"
"Keep out of this, kid," the man whom was speaking earlier sneered, "We've been meaning to do some construction here for quite time, and this wily old Umbreon ain't nothin' but trouble. So just get out of here, you brat!"
For the second time that day May's anger got the better of her. The next thing everyone knew, May grabbed the man by his shirt collar and threw him against the nearest object, which happened to be a Charizard, and force of the throw managed to topple the Charizard over. Everyone there was so surprised that even the Pokémon backed out of her way.
"Good, it looks like I don't have to ask you all to get out of my way," she said with an eerie smirk and went to Shadow.
When May saw what they had done to Shadow, she was horrified and her rage grew. He was lying unconscious on the ground, beaten and bruised. He even had blood all over his fur and in a pool around him. There was so much blood and dirt on Shadow's fur; one would just barely notice the normal markings of an Umbreon or strange markings that were Shadow's own.
"Shadow! Hang on, you'll be alright soon…I promise," May cried as she picked up Shadow, "I've seen many terrible things…And this is among the worst. I don't think even Team Rocket goes as to beat a Pokémon bloody…You're all lucky I have more important things to do."
With that, May ran as fast as she could out of the woods.
'…May…is that…you? …' a weak voice echoed.
-With Shadow-
'…May…is that…you? …' Shadow could swear he could hear her voice, and that she saved him, 'I must…be hallucinating…in this time…'
"Don't give up Shadow…" In Shadow's mind, two voices blended, one very young, and the other was older but still young.
"Don't give up!"
Flashback
A strange looking Eevee was limping in a foggy seeming forest and seemed completely unfamiliar with its surroundings. This Eevee's brown fur was darker than normal and the fur was supposed to be tan, it was white. Though the strangest part was on the Eevee's paws, the tips of its ears, and tail the fur was blue.
"Hey! Come back here, you stupid Eevee!" a group of young boys, whose features were blurred, ran from out of the fog, holding sticks and rocks in their hands.
"Vee!" the Eevee cried out as it fell.
"Get 'em!" one of the boys shouted gleefully.
"AHHH!" the Eevee blinked, somehow, one boy was sent flying into a tree and the others had paused in their assault.
The culprit was revealed to be a young girl. She appeared to be somewhere between four and five years old and for reasons unknown, the girl was wearing clothes made out of grass and leaves. Her brown hair hung on either side of her face and her blue eyes glittered fiercely.
"Ack! It's May!"
"Just what do you think you're doing!" she growled, "You shouldn't pick on others, no matter who they are, especially defenseless Pokémon," the girl, May, hit her fist into her hand, looking almost eager for a fight, "Are you guys gonna leave or am I going to have to make you?"
"Run!" the boys shouted and ran away.
'How strange…'
"I knew that there was something different about you, but I never expected that you could use telepathy, and I've seen many things," May was suddenly next to the startled Eevee and tending to its wounds.
'I let it slip…I guess there's nothing I can do now…but why is a human helping me?'
"Cause it's the right thing to do, of course! Also, I like you already, I want to get to know you," she said with a smile, "That should hold for now, but we should really go to a Pokémon Center," she said as she gently picked the Eevee up.
'Okay…May…' the Eevee replied, snuggling slightly against her, 'Something is definitely different about her from other the other humans I've met...so warm and kind…'
"Do you have a name, little Eevee?" May asked.
The Eevee gave her a playful glare, 'It's Shadow, little human child.'
May laughed, "Shadow, I like it."
"Shadow…"
End Flashback
"Shadow…hang in there…"
Shadow's eyes were closed. He could feel a hand running through his fur. And Shadow knew, even though the voice was older, and the hands were bigger, he knew it was May. Slowly, he opened his eyes. A worried, smiling face, brown hair parted on either side, and sparkling blue eyes.
"Shadow, thanks goodness you're alright…" May started to cry, "I'm sorry…for leaving you all alone…"
'It's okay…you're family had to move, and that accident gave you amnesia. It's not you fault." Shadow assured her.
May gently hugged Shadow, "Thank you, Shadow, I don't really remember all that much…but I'm remembering about you and everyone else little by little…"
Shadow could no longer stand it, he too, starting crying, "Don't try too hard, okay? Being with you, by your side is more than enough for me.'
They stayed like that for a few minutes, and then Nurse Joy came in for Shadow's checkup.
"It's a good thing May got you here so quickly, and that you have a strong will. You've recovered very well," she said rather quickly with a smile, then she sighed "I'm afraid your appearance still bothers me though…You're even more formidable and decorative, for lack of better words, than when you were an Eevee…Even though I cleaned you up myself several times, I still find it hard to believe that it's natural."
Which was quite true, as Shadow stood up the blanket covering him slid off of him, revealing his full form. Shadow had the fur patterns like any other Umbreon, but he had several more patterns on his fur as well. He had blue fur in the same places as he did when he was an Eevee. At the bases of his ears, there were two curved white four-pointed stars. He had white heart shaped marks on his chest and back, the one on his back was an outline with a smaller heart and a wing-like pattern inside. His eyes were outlined with white fur and he had a white line under each eye. On each leg between Shadow's blue paws and golden rings, he had white rings that went completely around his legs and were pointed down at the front of his legs and up on the back. And on his tail was a patch of spiky white fur in which all but one of the points pointed away from his body.
"True, but that doesn't make you any less of a handsome Pokémon," May assured him, but to Shadow, it seemed as though she was thinking hard.
'Is something wrong? You seem worried about something…' Shadow looked to the side and noticed that a Pidgey, an Eevee, a Squirtle, a Beautifly, and a Blaziken were peering inside of the door, looking at him with wonder, 'Is there something you all want?'
While Shadow didn't ask unkindly, the other Pokémon still froze on the spot. All except for the Eevee, Sunny, who ran up to Shadow and started talking to him with a look of admiration in her eyes. From some of the things that Sunny said, Shadow was quickly about to figure out why May was worried: she knew that there were dangers for Shadow going with her, people like Team Rocket were always after rare Pokémon and Shadow's markings made him an even bigger target.
'My markings won't be much of a problem,' Shadow told them with a smile and then concentrating his psychic abilities, his markings seemed to disappear, 'It took a while…but I knew that being able to hide my markings would make some things easier…I can keep up this illusion for about an hour at one time, though I might need to practice with coming out of a Pokéball. Though I'm not saying that I'll always stay in it, I don't want you to get hurt, especially if I can do anything about it,' since Shadow didn't really need to hide his markings at that time, he dropped the illusion.
"Well you most certainly leave not room for argument. Welcome to the group Shadow!" May said with a smile. Sunny cheered and the other Pokémon approached Shadow to greet him warmly. May quickly dug through her pockets and pulled out a black Pokéball with blue and white markings, it appeared to be a few years old.
'That Pokéball…isn't it the custom Pokéball that everyone designed and bought together for me for when you became my trainer…it was kept after all these years?'
"Yeah, Brendan kept it for me…along with some other things apparently," May replied, looking slightly amused and slightly annoyed, "He sent it after he realized that he hadn't put it with my dairies…"
'He was always very absent minded… With the push of a button it will be completely official…' Shadow said, putting his paw on the Pokéball button. He was drawn into the ball and as soon as it clicked in capture, Shadow came back out.
'Now it is time for us to catch up…and for you to explain what exactly is a 'Contest',' he said.
May smiled a big grin and laughed, "Okay, Shadow…" and she told him everything that had happened since she moved…
-With Drew and Zel-
Drew and Zel were in a restaurant in some other town. Drew was uncharacteristically bored and he had his head lying on the table.
"Can we go now?" he complained, Drew had the feeling he shouldn't be there for too much longer…
"Aw, stop complaining, you're so impatient," Zel replied as she paid the bill and they left.
"I feel as though someone's been watching me…and I don't mean the usual watching people…" he said looking annoyed when they got out of the door.
"You're just - is that, Kohanna!" Zel looked in another direction.
"I'm doomed…" Drew groaned, that girl was way too hyper for him to handle.
"Hello!" Kohanna said as she ran up to them, "Friend of my best friend Drew and his friend and maybe sister from looks of whom I have never met before now,"
'She said all of that…in one breath…while running…'
"You're wearing the clothes I made for you! Yay!" she continued cheerfully, then Kohanna turned to Zel, "Oh, I just have to make something for you as well. You have that look that says 'I don't care what I look like while I look for something that matches me and please the person who gave me these clothes at the same time'…oops hope I'm being rude…though your dress really looks like a nightgown…gah! I'm rambling rude! Who are you?"
"I'm Zel, Drew's sister. My darling brother looks wonderful in the clothes you made for him!" seeming very excited.
"Non! Non!" Kohanna replied, shaking her finger in Zel's face, "It's the clothes that bring out the person, not the person brings out the clothes!"
"Sorry…"
"That's okay, let's go somewhere!"
And Kohanna led them off someplace else…
To BE continued…
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pairing/Characters: Contestshipping, minor Brendan/OC
Rating: PG
Summary: May continues her journey in Johto, meeting both old and new friends, reliving and making new memories along the way.
Warnings: Brendan and the OC are weird.
AN: Sequel to Gathering Thoughts. I wrote this some time ago...I really need to do the formatting for this chapter...Kohanna's speech is a little too weird...I PLAN TO REWRITE THIS ONE DAY (knowing me, not anytime soon...) ...What have I done? This is not very good....
-------------------------------------------
Unwavering Memories: Shadow's Hope
May was running down a path in the rain as fast as she was able.
'I'm almost there…I'm almost at Katerina…Shadow, I'm coming…'
Unfortunately for May, she was running too fast and she ended up slipping and falling. May attempted to get back up, but she barely ended up sitting on her knees.
'The ground's not that slippery…why do I suddenly feel so tried…'
May's eyes grew heavy and her vision was bleary. She suddenly found that she could no longer stay awake and she collapsed…
May woke up with a start when she realized that she was in a bed and clearly never remembered having fallen asleep in a bed. She felt dizzy from the sudden shock but May was still able to get a good look of the room before her dizziness forced her to lie back down. It was someone's bedroom. There were faded flower patterns everywhere: the walls, the pictures, the bed. A small table was next to her. May then heard a voice.
"I see that you're finally awake. You shouldn't try to move too much, that's quite the nasty fever you have," the old woman, who obviously lived there told her. The lady had short silver-gray hair and was wearing a dress of a similar print of the room.
"I'll say, you had me quite surprised. What were you doing out in the rain with such a fever? Don't strain yourself, though. Here's some water," the lady told May, handing her a glass and helping May sit up.
"I didn't think that there was much further that I had to go to get to Katerina Town…I have to get to Shadow before…" May started coughing.
"It's okay, I believe I understand. You can relax. Those idiots can't do anything to the forest to flush that wily Umbreon out with all this rain we've been having these past few months. Too wet to start a fire and it also makes it too dangerous to cut down the trees and other plants."
May looked startled, "How…how did you know that I was talking about an Umbreon…"
The old lady smiled sadly, "It's understandable that you don't remember…it was a sad time…"
May's eyes widened in surprise as she remembered a similar moment.
Flashback
An old woman, exactly like the person May was with except for the design on her dress, looked at her sadly.
"It seems that this little one has been through some tough times. He may never truly recover from it…"
End Flashback
"M-miss Rosy?" May stuttered.
The woman seemed startled for a moment, then she smiled, "Yes, it seems you're starting to remember a bit."
"I can't believe I didn't recognize you after looking through those 'diaries' of mine that I had Brendan save…he gave them back to me a few days ago…" May said slowly.
Ms. Rosy smiled, "It's okay, you only got them back recently and you have a fever…It's been a long time."
"Just reading and looking at the pictures in those diaries didn't really help me remember anything…It was like…I was just reading a book full of drawings for the most of it…" May said, trailing off a bit, "But every time I read about Shadow…I felt as though I should be quicker…about hurrying back…to help him…I remember that we used to come over here and play all the time…me, Brendan, Kohanna, Tony, Wally…and Shadow…we…" May was so tired from her fever that she fell asleep.
Ms. Rosy put her hand on May's forehead and gently ran her hand through May's bangs.
"The fever isn't as bad as it was. It's just like always. Little May will suddenly get a fever from worrying to much and by simply talking to her for a while…she gets better faster…That accident may have taken much from you, my young friend, but it's obvious that it didn't damage your caring spirit…I hope you feel all well soon…for both your sakes…The rain won't last forever…and those people who want to get rid of Shadow are quite clever themselves…"
Ms. Rosy cast a sad glance out the window. The rain had stopped.
A few more days passed with May sick in bed. The fever was worse than either of the two had thought. May knew that her worrying about Shadow only made her fever worse, but she couldn't help it when Ms. Rosy wasn't around. The two of them talked about many things, but mostly about the past before May's family moved. Ms. Rosy would often bake cookies for whenever May and her friends came to visit, and half the time they ended up coming in. They laughed as they remembered Brendan, Kohanna, and Tony getting into everything, and May and Wally would try to keep them out of places they weren't supposed to be in, even though half the time they was just as curious themselves.
"Despite all their antics, it was obvious that they looked up to you, May. They practically worshiped you," Ms. Rosy said, laughing a little.
"And literally as well…" May grumbled, "I never quite understood why they did that…"
Ms. Rosy looked at her with a knowing look in her eyes, "Brendan, Kohanna, and Tony were always…peculiar…and Wally was sickly…others shied away from them….before I met the five of you…I heard that none of the children at the daycare would play with them. And they were too scared of rejection to approach each other…so sad for such young children…Then you started to come to the daycare,"
"I think I remember a little…I couldn't understand why they weren't playing with everyone…and why no one would play with them…the other kids, because they knew that my father was a great battler, they all wanted to be friends with me…" May trailed, and angry look growing in her eyes, "I felt angry at that…and lonely…I knew that if one of them had a well known family member who was close…the other kids would want to be friends with them too. After several days of trying to talking to those four and reason with the other others kids…I blew up when I saw some kids picking on Wally. They had kicked the sand castle he was making down. The next thing I knew, the daycare lady was holding me as I was kicking and screaming, 'I hate people like that! You meany bullies!'. I was put into the time out corner for pushing and kicking sand on them…"
"I heard that most of the other children avoided you after that for a while…" their was a sad tone in Ms. Rosy's voice.
May noticed and quickly added, "I wasn't bothered by that. They only wanted to be friends because of my father's talents, not for just me…Besides, that day, Wally had waited for me…As soon as I was let out of time out, he started apologizing…"
Flashback
A young Wally and May were standing and facing each other in the daycare. Wally was crying and May seemed slightly confused.
"I'm sorry!" he sobbed, "You got in trouble because of me! I'm so sorry! I'm-"
"There's nothing to apologize for!" May quickly cut in, "I'm the one that was the hot-head who attacked them anyways. Besides, I don't think running yourself out of breath is good for your health," May said with a grin, "Do you want to play with me and some others, if they'll play. If not, just me?"
Wally quickly wiped his tears away and smiled, "Sure,"
"Okay! Let's go round up the other's I've been wanting to play with!" May cheered enthusiastically.
Wally blushed, "Y-y-you mean you've been wanting to play with me…th-those times you tried to walk up to me and the others pulled you away.."
"Yup, I wanted to play with you," May replied with a smile.
"The others you mentioned…they're Kohanna and Tony, right? Since Brendan left early because he was sick…"
"Yeah, I knew it, you're really smart! I hope Brendan feels better soon…since I heard from Mommy and Daddy that we're cousins, I had already wanted to know him better before I started coming…" May said, "Of course, now, I want to know you all better, too!"
Wally smiled, "Thank you,"
May looked as though she remembered something, "Ack! I forgot! I'm May. You're Wally right?"
"Yes," he replied.
"Okay, Wally, let's go!" May said, taking Wally's hand as they went in search of Kohanna and Tony…
End Flashback
"…Wally, Kohanna, Tony, and I became friends very quickly…And we all hoped that Brendan would get better soon…so he could be friends as well…that day…we decided to explore the area near the daycare for a while, since it would have been a bit before our parents came to pick us up…
Flashback
"The bridge is over this way!" a young Kohanna shouted excitedly. She wanted to show her new friends her favorite place, "It's just around this-EEK!"
"Huh? What is it?" the others rushed up to see what was wrong.
Brendan was walking on top of the stone wall of the bridge. He looked feverish, and very, very depressed. They watched him worryingly for a moment, and they nearly panicked when he almost fell. Brendan seemed to be unaware of his surroundings. He suddenly turned towards the river.
"Nobody likes me…" he said sadly, then he got a grin on his face, "I wonder if I could fly…jumping from here…"
"Fly?" Tony asked, "I wanna fly too!"
May stopped him in his tracks, "You won't fly from jumping off a bridge! Or off anything!" she shouted before rushing to stop Brendan.
May's first real impression of Brendan:
He's an idiot
"Don't jump, Brendan!"
"Huh?" Brendan blinked and as he was turning to look, he started to fall.
"Brendan!"
Somehow, May was able to get close enough to grab Brendan's pant leg. What amazed the rest of the group, however, was that May had managed to pull Brendan back up and on the bridge by herself. After she did so, May pulled down Brendan's cap in front of his eyes and gave him a slight push.
"Honestly! What were you thinking!" May ranted, "Obviously not much! Don't you ever pull a stunt like that again, you hear!"
Looking at her blankly, Brendan replied, "Okay."
"Now, let's get you home so you can get over that fever. If you don't, it would be hard for you to play with us, cousin Brendan. Where do you live?"
Brendan looked surprised, "You must be the cousin that moved in that mommy and daddy were talking about…wonder why I didn't realize…"
"Less talking, and more walking! You can talk, but only to give directions!" May commanded.
"You most certainly do not act like you're two years younger than me…more like my mother…" Brendan muttered.
End Flashback
"And that was what Brendan called 'The start of our friendship as a group'…" May trailed off as she fell asleep.
Ms. Rosy put her hand on May's forehead and smiled, "Seems like her fever finally broke…" she then gazed sadly out the sunny window, lightly rubbing her fingers against her wrist, which had a slight bruise on it…
May woke up quickly sometime later.
'Something's wrong…I can feel it.'
Suddenly, May heard shouting from outside and she rushed to the door, not noticing that she was dressed in a long pink nightgown.
"Are you trying to get yourself hurt, old lady, or can you just not understand that we're trying to help the town by getting rid of that stupid, weird-looking Umbreon?" a young man, who was older than May and had a rather squashed face, shouted at Ms. Rosy as he pushed her to the ground, a group of others were laughing nearby.
"HEY!" May shouted irritably, "You shouldn't pick on other people, especially an old woman. And the one you're calling stupid and weird-looking is my friend! You should get a mirror, you ugly squash-face, you fit 'stupid and weird-looking' quite well!"
"You think you can threaten me in that outfit?" he and the others laughed.
For reasons that May didn't know at the time, her anger and agitation were so great. It seemed as though his words hadn't registered in her mind as she glared at him. She punched the boy with such force that he flew back and coughed up blood.
"It seems I'm out of practice…" May said, with a strange look of pure rage and venom practically dripping from her voice.
The group of people panicked, "It's that scary kid from six years ago! Run!"
They all run off, taking their injured friend with them. May looked after them and blinked, all of the anger replaced with confusion.
"W-what did I just do?" May asked Ms. Rosy as she helped her up.
"You were always trying to be strong for your friends, and you had ended up being strong in other ways other than emotionally and mentally. You were quite rough when you became angry…I think that just now with you remembering so much of your past…a part of you from then came out…"
"I was…like that…?" May seemed almost devastated as she looked at the drops of blood on the ground.
Ms. Rosy closed her eyes, "Only when you were truly angry or upset. With all that's been going on it's no wonder you got so angry…"
"B-but, I said I was out of practice, that means-"
"No, I believe it was because the boy was actually injured that you said that. Somehow, no matter how uncontrollable you were at the moment and angered, you were able to punch, kick, and throw people around in such ways that they were greatly shaken, but never injured. Unless, that is, you were making some sort of point, but it would never be serious. You've always had such a kind heart…At any rate, you seem to be much better, you should change back into your clothes and go see Shadow."
"Huh?" May looked down and finally realized that she was wearing a nightgown, "I've been wearing this the whole time?" she said flatly, "And yet, I don't at all feel embarrassed…"
Ms. Rosy chuckled, "Ha-ha! Hurry now, there are others out there, not just those young people."
"Right!" May started to go in the direction of the woods, but then remembered that she was still in the nightgown and rushed back inside Ms. Rosy's house to change…
May ran as fast as she could to the forest. When she got there, she tried to remember the path she had always taken to get to the place were Shadow stayed, hoping he still lived there. Soon she came across a group of people and fire-type Pokémon who seemed to be surrounding something.
"Take that, you pest!" a man from the group shouted, "HAHAHA! Once we get rid of you, we can burn this place down, no problem!"
"Hey! Just what do you think you're doing!" she shouted, full of rage, "I thought the point of burning down the forest was because of Shadow, who isn't even half the menace you're making him out to be! And it's not right to gang up on a Pokémon like that!"
"Keep out of this, kid," the man whom was speaking earlier sneered, "We've been meaning to do some construction here for quite time, and this wily old Umbreon ain't nothin' but trouble. So just get out of here, you brat!"
For the second time that day May's anger got the better of her. The next thing everyone knew, May grabbed the man by his shirt collar and threw him against the nearest object, which happened to be a Charizard, and force of the throw managed to topple the Charizard over. Everyone there was so surprised that even the Pokémon backed out of her way.
"Good, it looks like I don't have to ask you all to get out of my way," she said with an eerie smirk and went to Shadow.
When May saw what they had done to Shadow, she was horrified and her rage grew. He was lying unconscious on the ground, beaten and bruised. He even had blood all over his fur and in a pool around him. There was so much blood and dirt on Shadow's fur; one would just barely notice the normal markings of an Umbreon or strange markings that were Shadow's own.
"Shadow! Hang on, you'll be alright soon…I promise," May cried as she picked up Shadow, "I've seen many terrible things…And this is among the worst. I don't think even Team Rocket goes as to beat a Pokémon bloody…You're all lucky I have more important things to do."
With that, May ran as fast as she could out of the woods.
'…May…is that…you? …' a weak voice echoed.
-With Shadow-
'…May…is that…you? …' Shadow could swear he could hear her voice, and that she saved him, 'I must…be hallucinating…in this time…'
"Don't give up Shadow…" In Shadow's mind, two voices blended, one very young, and the other was older but still young.
"Don't give up!"
Flashback
A strange looking Eevee was limping in a foggy seeming forest and seemed completely unfamiliar with its surroundings. This Eevee's brown fur was darker than normal and the fur was supposed to be tan, it was white. Though the strangest part was on the Eevee's paws, the tips of its ears, and tail the fur was blue.
"Hey! Come back here, you stupid Eevee!" a group of young boys, whose features were blurred, ran from out of the fog, holding sticks and rocks in their hands.
"Vee!" the Eevee cried out as it fell.
"Get 'em!" one of the boys shouted gleefully.
"AHHH!" the Eevee blinked, somehow, one boy was sent flying into a tree and the others had paused in their assault.
The culprit was revealed to be a young girl. She appeared to be somewhere between four and five years old and for reasons unknown, the girl was wearing clothes made out of grass and leaves. Her brown hair hung on either side of her face and her blue eyes glittered fiercely.
"Ack! It's May!"
"Just what do you think you're doing!" she growled, "You shouldn't pick on others, no matter who they are, especially defenseless Pokémon," the girl, May, hit her fist into her hand, looking almost eager for a fight, "Are you guys gonna leave or am I going to have to make you?"
"Run!" the boys shouted and ran away.
'How strange…'
"I knew that there was something different about you, but I never expected that you could use telepathy, and I've seen many things," May was suddenly next to the startled Eevee and tending to its wounds.
'I let it slip…I guess there's nothing I can do now…but why is a human helping me?'
"Cause it's the right thing to do, of course! Also, I like you already, I want to get to know you," she said with a smile, "That should hold for now, but we should really go to a Pokémon Center," she said as she gently picked the Eevee up.
'Okay…May…' the Eevee replied, snuggling slightly against her, 'Something is definitely different about her from other the other humans I've met...so warm and kind…'
"Do you have a name, little Eevee?" May asked.
The Eevee gave her a playful glare, 'It's Shadow, little human child.'
May laughed, "Shadow, I like it."
"Shadow…"
End Flashback
"Shadow…hang in there…"
Shadow's eyes were closed. He could feel a hand running through his fur. And Shadow knew, even though the voice was older, and the hands were bigger, he knew it was May. Slowly, he opened his eyes. A worried, smiling face, brown hair parted on either side, and sparkling blue eyes.
"Shadow, thanks goodness you're alright…" May started to cry, "I'm sorry…for leaving you all alone…"
'It's okay…you're family had to move, and that accident gave you amnesia. It's not you fault." Shadow assured her.
May gently hugged Shadow, "Thank you, Shadow, I don't really remember all that much…but I'm remembering about you and everyone else little by little…"
Shadow could no longer stand it, he too, starting crying, "Don't try too hard, okay? Being with you, by your side is more than enough for me.'
They stayed like that for a few minutes, and then Nurse Joy came in for Shadow's checkup.
"It's a good thing May got you here so quickly, and that you have a strong will. You've recovered very well," she said rather quickly with a smile, then she sighed "I'm afraid your appearance still bothers me though…You're even more formidable and decorative, for lack of better words, than when you were an Eevee…Even though I cleaned you up myself several times, I still find it hard to believe that it's natural."
Which was quite true, as Shadow stood up the blanket covering him slid off of him, revealing his full form. Shadow had the fur patterns like any other Umbreon, but he had several more patterns on his fur as well. He had blue fur in the same places as he did when he was an Eevee. At the bases of his ears, there were two curved white four-pointed stars. He had white heart shaped marks on his chest and back, the one on his back was an outline with a smaller heart and a wing-like pattern inside. His eyes were outlined with white fur and he had a white line under each eye. On each leg between Shadow's blue paws and golden rings, he had white rings that went completely around his legs and were pointed down at the front of his legs and up on the back. And on his tail was a patch of spiky white fur in which all but one of the points pointed away from his body.
"True, but that doesn't make you any less of a handsome Pokémon," May assured him, but to Shadow, it seemed as though she was thinking hard.
'Is something wrong? You seem worried about something…' Shadow looked to the side and noticed that a Pidgey, an Eevee, a Squirtle, a Beautifly, and a Blaziken were peering inside of the door, looking at him with wonder, 'Is there something you all want?'
While Shadow didn't ask unkindly, the other Pokémon still froze on the spot. All except for the Eevee, Sunny, who ran up to Shadow and started talking to him with a look of admiration in her eyes. From some of the things that Sunny said, Shadow was quickly about to figure out why May was worried: she knew that there were dangers for Shadow going with her, people like Team Rocket were always after rare Pokémon and Shadow's markings made him an even bigger target.
'My markings won't be much of a problem,' Shadow told them with a smile and then concentrating his psychic abilities, his markings seemed to disappear, 'It took a while…but I knew that being able to hide my markings would make some things easier…I can keep up this illusion for about an hour at one time, though I might need to practice with coming out of a Pokéball. Though I'm not saying that I'll always stay in it, I don't want you to get hurt, especially if I can do anything about it,' since Shadow didn't really need to hide his markings at that time, he dropped the illusion.
"Well you most certainly leave not room for argument. Welcome to the group Shadow!" May said with a smile. Sunny cheered and the other Pokémon approached Shadow to greet him warmly. May quickly dug through her pockets and pulled out a black Pokéball with blue and white markings, it appeared to be a few years old.
'That Pokéball…isn't it the custom Pokéball that everyone designed and bought together for me for when you became my trainer…it was kept after all these years?'
"Yeah, Brendan kept it for me…along with some other things apparently," May replied, looking slightly amused and slightly annoyed, "He sent it after he realized that he hadn't put it with my dairies…"
'He was always very absent minded… With the push of a button it will be completely official…' Shadow said, putting his paw on the Pokéball button. He was drawn into the ball and as soon as it clicked in capture, Shadow came back out.
'Now it is time for us to catch up…and for you to explain what exactly is a 'Contest',' he said.
May smiled a big grin and laughed, "Okay, Shadow…" and she told him everything that had happened since she moved…
-With Drew and Zel-
Drew and Zel were in a restaurant in some other town. Drew was uncharacteristically bored and he had his head lying on the table.
"Can we go now?" he complained, Drew had the feeling he shouldn't be there for too much longer…
"Aw, stop complaining, you're so impatient," Zel replied as she paid the bill and they left.
"I feel as though someone's been watching me…and I don't mean the usual watching people…" he said looking annoyed when they got out of the door.
"You're just - is that, Kohanna!" Zel looked in another direction.
"I'm doomed…" Drew groaned, that girl was way too hyper for him to handle.
"Hello!" Kohanna said as she ran up to them, "Friend of my best friend Drew and his friend and maybe sister from looks of whom I have never met before now,"
'She said all of that…in one breath…while running…'
"You're wearing the clothes I made for you! Yay!" she continued cheerfully, then Kohanna turned to Zel, "Oh, I just have to make something for you as well. You have that look that says 'I don't care what I look like while I look for something that matches me and please the person who gave me these clothes at the same time'…oops hope I'm being rude…though your dress really looks like a nightgown…gah! I'm rambling rude! Who are you?"
"I'm Zel, Drew's sister. My darling brother looks wonderful in the clothes you made for him!" seeming very excited.
"Non! Non!" Kohanna replied, shaking her finger in Zel's face, "It's the clothes that bring out the person, not the person brings out the clothes!"
"Sorry…"
"That's okay, let's go somewhere!"
And Kohanna led them off someplace else…
To BE continued…
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------