My eyes flutter gently as I feel warm sunlight grazing against my cheeks. I look to my right to peek at the pretty sunrise; however, my view lands on a folded note with my name written elegantly on it.
Leaning over, I grab a hold of the paper and open it. I quickly realized that Steven must have delivered this while I was asleep.
Good morning May,
Pardon me for not waking you. I simply wanted you to rest and recover properly after yesterday’s incident. The reason why I am not with you is because I received a call from the esteemed Professor Cosmos of Fallarbor. He discovered that I was one of the key figures investigating the mystery of Meteor Falls and proclaimed he had a possible lead. So he invited me to his residence in order to discuss this newfound information.
Please meet me at his home as soon as possible. The professor lives on 32 cherry lane, and it is about a 15 minute walk from the lodge. We can also consume breakfast together once we meet in person.
Kind regards,
Your handsome silver knight.
I chuckle a little from admiring his beautiful handwriting. Seriously, what is Steven Stone not good at? I wouldn’t be surprised if he took a calligraphy class when he was younger.
My arms stretch toward the sky as I roll my neck a couple of times. As I feel less fatigued and more awake, I throw off the covers and proceed to make the bed. I also slip on my bag before scanning the room for anything missing.
By the windowsill, I notice Blaze and Taillow sleeping soundly underneath the sun’s embrace. It is kind of cute to watch them snuggling against each other like a couple.
Making my way over to them, I lean down slightly in order to pet their heads. This causes both of them to wake up, and they both chirp happily once they see me.
“We need to get going guys. Steven is waiting for us at Professor Cosmos’ house,” I say to them.
Both Pokemon are ecstatic to hear about their silver friend, and they perk up immediately. Blaze hops on my shoulder whereas Taillow flaps her wings, following us out the door.
It only takes me about a couple of minutes until I reach the inn’s lobby. Looking around, I admire how homely the scene is around me. Elderly people are laughing at one another while feeding their Pokemon some treats. A few kids are also seated at one table, concentrating on building a house of cards. One of the staff members brings a cart of fancy tea over to a couple sitting upon one of the couches.
I make my way over to the main desk where two receptionists are waiting for their next guest.
“Good morning,” the female clerk greets me. “How may I help you today?”
I pull out my wallet from my bag, cringing when I glance at the tiny stack of money. “Um, how much was it for an overnight stay? Someone checked me in while I was asleep.”
“Do you remember which room you were in?” she asks.
I frown. “No, I’m sorry. I should have checked-”
“That won’t be necessary. Your bill has already been paid for,” the other receptionist voices out.
“It has?” I state hesitantly.
He nods, giving me a small grin afterwards. “Yes, your husband has already paid for your room. Are you perhaps feeling any better? It seemed like you passed out, but he carried you in here and demanded a room last night. I was also the one who checked you two in.”
My face burns from the staff member’s assumption. “Husband!? You . . . you th-think he’s my husband!?”
The female receptionist giggles. “Oh my. That sounds like any girl’s dream. I wish I had someone to carry bridal-style like that.”
Clearing my throat, I give the two a sheepish smile. “Well I’m fine now. Thanks for asking. Um, I’ll get going.”
They both nod their heads at me, slightly bowing. The male receptionist uses this as an opportunity to make one last comment as I walk away.
“Thank you for stopping by. We hope to see you and your husband again in the future!”
Taillow doesn’t seem bothered by the man’s words. However, Blaze seems to have caught on because he lets out a few cackles in response.
I glare at the small Pokemon, but he only chirps haughtily. As I am about to exit through the entrance, I hear an all-too familiar voice call out to me.
“May! Wait up!”
Stupid Brendan.
Rolling my eyes, I push open the doors and start jogging down the steps. It’s too early to deal with him. Maybe Taillow can peck his eyeballs out while I make a run for it.
“May! Please wait! I need to talk to you!” he yells. He sounds way too close.
I decide to fully run down the nearly empty street. Blaze is caught off guard, almost falling off my shoulder. I catch my first partner Pokemon in time as I try picking up speed. Taillow follows my pace quickly as we both zoom down the street.
We go at this for about a couple minutes. I start to think we finally lost him until Brendan shouts an order.
“Treecko! Quick attack!”
“What did you say!?” I reply.
Before I know it, his Treecko launches itself several feet in the air and then slams viciously against Taillow. I can tell Taillow didn’t get a chance to even dodge because her body is now tumbling violently amongst the road.
“Taillow!” I cry out as I rush over to her side.
She coughs out some dirt she almost swallowed. Then Taillow manages to stand on her own thanks to Blaze’s help. Both of my Pokemon glare at Brendan and Treecko who are now standing 10 feet from us.
“How dare you attack my Taillow!” I say angrily. “Are you insane!? Who do you think you are!?”
“Excuse me!?” Brendan snaps back. “Did you forget that I helped save you yesterday? When you nearly drowned in Meteor Falls? Besides, your Taillow looks fine. I know it’s a strong Pokemon.”
“You had no right to do that! We’re not even in a Pokemon battle!”
My former best friend releases a long sigh before looking up at me with that puppy-dog face he used on me years ago. “Look May, I’m sorry. I didn’t know what else to do to get your attention. I just want us to talk. That’s all I want.”
Brendan glances at Taillow. “I’m sorry too Taillow. I just really wanted to talk to May.”
Taillow huffs in response, flaps her wings, and then flies up into the air. She gives Treecko and Brendan a disapproving sneer before landing on top of a nearby building. On the other hand, Blaze circles around Brendan and then gives him a warning look as well.
I sigh. “What do you want Brendan? Make it quick because I’m busy.”
“I . . ,” he trails off. Brendan places his hands in his pockets, leaning his hips to the right slightly. Biting his lip, he takes a deep breath before meeting my gaze directly.
“I want to know how you’re doing. I miss you May. I’ve always thought about you. I mean, I still think about you everyday. And you have Pokemon now too! Which is great! I really-”
“You gotta be kidding me,” I interrupt. “You ruined my morning just to tell me this crap.”
Brendan’s shoulders sag depressively as a broken expression crosses his features. “It’s not crap. I mean every word I said. I know we haven’t talked in a long time. Last time, we got off on the wrong foot. But whatever it was, don’t you think we should bury the hatchet? I don’t know why you hate me.”
I clench my fists in rage from listening to his words. I swear that hot steam flared through my nostrils while I thought about decking him in the face.
“You have some nerve to say we should bury the hatchet. That is never going to happen Brendan,” I state.
“May, look if you just listen-”
“No you listen!” I scream. “I’m not an idiot! You think I don’t know what you were doing during our senior year!?”
“Now what would that be!?”
“You wanted me to fail school! And in life! You were jealous at how the school Pokemon always flocked to me while you only looked at Pokemon as tools! You’ve hated how I’ve always gotten more attention at school than you just because my dad was the gym leader! You’ve hated whatever I got!”
Whatever anger I held for all of these months is now finally surfacing. Brendan and I are starting to attract some nosy bystanders, but I really don’t care at the moment.
He gives me an appalled expression. “Is that why you thought we were friends!? You’re so full of yourself! I don’t give a shit about all that! We were best friends! We can be friends again! I want us to start over!”
I snort, not believing a single word out of his mouth. “It must have been amazing for you when you were on the way to becoming valedictorian. When you became more popular in school, what better way to stay at the top than to ditch your loser best friend. You stopped talking to me during our last year together. You got all these shiny new friends and acted like you didn’t need me anymore.”
Brendan’s stance softens as he tentatively tries to reach out with one hand. I take a couple steps back. Guilt is now written all over his features. He isn’t even going to deny it at this point.
“May, I’m sorry for everything,” he says in a quieter tone. “I was a fool. I wanted to be the best, and the others said being with you would hold me back. You don’t know what it’s like being in the Honors society. Everyone judges you based on who you hang out with.”
“So you chose the people you’ve known for a few months. Meanwhile, we have been by each other’s side for years. Do you really think we can go back to the way things were?”
“May please. I was wrong. I’m sorry. I do want us to start over-”
“You abandoned me!” I shriek. The back of my hand immediately wipes away my tears.
What I hate more than revisiting these painful memories is that I ended up crying in front of Brendan. His Treecko slumps in defeat as it looks up at Brendan sadly. Blaze snuggles against my leg while Taillow leaves her previous position, gliding toward me.
“I’m so sorry,” Brendan says. He comes closer to me. “I swear if you give me a chance, I will prove that I have changed. I have always regretted what I did to you before. I wanted to talk to you sooner, but I was too afraid. I’m still afraid.”
Brendan extends his hand toward me again, determined to comfort me now. However, we are both shocked when his hand is suddenly swatted away by a gigantic claw.
Before I can fully look up, a brutal scream is released in Brendan’s direction. I watch as my former friend yelps in fear, clumsily falling on his butt.
“What the heck?” I say. I freeze when an Aggron walks right in front of me.
Blaze and Taillow ready themselves to attack Aggron; however, his other claw gently uncurls itself, revealing a crumpled piece of paper.
“Wait!” I ordered. “Don’t attack Aggron!”
My two Pokemon stand down, but they remain near me in order to pounce anytime.
Picking up the paper, I open it and try to smooth out the wrinkles. I sigh in relief once I recognize that same elegant handwriting from earlier.
May,
I am beginning to worry, so I have sent my dear Aggron to personally escort you to Professor Cosmos’ residence. I trust Aggron will do his job well. However, if you are not here in the next 10 minutes, I will assume something unfortunate has happened and send out a search party for you.
Please arrive safely.
Your dear handsome knight.
Shoving the note inside my bag’s pocket, I rest a hand against Aggron’s arm. “It’s nice to meet you, Aggron. I’m May.”
Aggron lets out a satisfied roar in response. He places a claw against the small of my back, gesturing for me to follow him.
“You’re just going to leave?” Brendan says.
I stop walking for a second, looking at him from the corner of my eye.
“I have to go. Goodbye Brendan.”
I can feel him and his Treecko burning holes through the back of my head. Aggron gives me a few pats as he leads me away. Before Brendan is finally out of sight, he proceeds to say one last thing to me.
“We’re not over May. I will make everything right again.”
Thanks for reading Chapter 10: An unwanted visit from Red Silver Hearts!
Let me know what you think about the story in the comments down below.
I also drew the cover art used for this chapter. I’ve been drawing more often, and I’m trying to improve as an artist. I may also go back to previous chapters and replace them with my own images.
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💜 Nicole 💜