Brendan watched May from the top of the stairs. They'd taken the Team Aqua woman up to the spare room, which used to be Brendan's. May silently waited at the bottom step, staring out of the open door and towards the sun setting over the glistening ocean. He was trying to wrap his brain around the whole situation. May was barely speaking to him. The last thing she said was 'she knows'. He had gathered that something had happened that May didn't want him to know about. Maybe she ran into her while they battled Team Aqua throughout their journey? He just couldn't work out why she was so upset, so afraid, so guilty.
He wanted to console her but May clearly wanted to be alone. Although he felt like he had a duty to be there for her he also wanted to respect her privacy. They didn't really have any privacy considering their situation. He wouldn't take the little time she had to herself alone. He was also worried he would make things worse. She would come to him when she needed too. He'd hoped.
Brendan took a step back and glanced through the doorframe leading to the spare room and towards the Team Aqua woman sleeping comfortably in the bed. She was older than him by about half a decade. Curly and messy red hair. She was covered in scars and all sorts of damage. Her Pokémon was down and out. Brendan didn't expect to hear from the Pokémon for atleast the next day. It must have flown hundreds of miles to be that tired.
In a way, Brendan was glad that this woman had arrived. Even though she was the enemy, she was another human being. Another survivor. Which meant there must be more people out there. He'd given up all hope to find any of his friends or family, but now, a little spark had just lite up inside him.
The house was silent for the next hour, May had barely breathed for the last three. Her hands were shaking, her legs jumping up and down. Whenever Brendan came near May clutched her knees to stop them, but she could only hide it for so long, if she was even hiding her pain from Brendan. She interlocked her fingers and pushed them against her chin and mouth. Taking a breath she stood up and pulled her red tank top down. Glancing around the house she searched for Brendan but couldn't find him.
"You." A dark and vicious voice called out to her from the top of the stairs. May turned to face the woman. "You remember me, don't you. May." The way she said her name, it was full of hatred.
"I didn't mean too." May mumbled out.
"Doesn't matter." The woman replied, her voice sinister. Her hands formed fists and she slowly stepped down towards May who felt more terrified with every squeak the wooden stairs made. "You know what they say. An eye for an eye."
She was about to leap at her but Brendan appeared, his eyes gazing towards them in confusion. "Oh. You're awake."
The woman stopped and smiled. "Yes. I am." She turned to May slowly and glared at her but Brendan didn't notice. "I'm, Sally." She smirked at him.
"Brendan." He replied. "And this is May."
"We've met." Sally got to the bottom of the stairs, the turned to Brendan and gave him a cheeky wink. "Isn't that right?"
"Sure." May mumbled back, trailing off.
"I've made some food, if you want some." Brendan interrupted the two, clearly sensing the tension. "You both must be hungry." He gestured towards the kitchen and Sally nodded respectfully, heading past Brendan but accidentally bushing against his chest as she moved into the kitchen. Brendan stared at the floor then to May, shrugging towards her, but she was to full of guilt to be jealous, or So she told herself.
Brendan and May entered into the kitchen together. Brendan wrapped his hands around Mays fragile fingers and squeezed them gently. He moved his lips close to her ear and whispered "I love you." She didn't respond verbally but she wrapped her fingers around his and clutched his hands before letting go and taking a seat at the table opposite Sally.
Brendan grabbed the plate of vegetables and salads and placed it in the middle of the table. May didn't even look at the food but Sally immediately grabbed a spoonful and began to devour it. Brendan slowly took some food began eating, then noticed Mays empty plate. He took some salad and placed it onto her plate. "I know you don't feel well but you need to eat." She nodded in reply. Sally watched, chewing loudly on the food in her mouth. "It's good."
"Yeah! It is." Sally shouted, spitting out bites of food. "Thanks, handsome." May's eyes shot up and glared at Sally, she smirked in response. "He really does look after you, doesn't he?" Sally turned to Brendan and twisted her head, beaming a smile at him, before moving back towards May who started to breath heavily, her hands forming fists underneath the dining table. "I'm surprised, considering what you did." May clutched the table and dug her nails into her wood. Sally looked at Brendan, confusion all over his entire face. He'd stopped eating and watch the woman. Sally controlled the room and May, May looked like every negative emotion rolled into one. Guilt, anger, fear, anxiety.
Sally stopped chewing and copped Brendan's confused face. "Oh. He doesn't know!" She exclaimed. "You didn't tell him?"
"What's going on?" Brendan asked.
May stayed silent.
"This is going to be good." Sally laughed. "He's going to hate you."
"May?" Brendan asked.
May jumped up from her chair and it slammed to the floor. Her fists slammed the table and she let out a loud burst of air from her quivering lips. "I was... I was going. I was going to tell him.... Eventually."
"Tell me what?" Brendan stood up slowly and watched her eyes glance over to him. "Tell me what!"
"Don't lie. You were never gonna' say anything." Sally interrupted.
"I was!" May shouted at her. "I was going to tell him the truth."
"Then tell him!" Sally shouted back. "Tell him now!" Brendan watched as the two woman shouted back and forth. "Go! And tell him now!"
"I can't!" May screamed. Tears streaming down her face. "I can't lose him."
"Enough!" Brendan commanded. The two woman stopped and turned to Brendan, he stood up tall over them both, his strong arms placed firmly on the table. "May. If you have something to tell me-" before he could finish May fled out of the door. Brendan looked at Sally who sat down and continued to eat from her plate. She smiled at him as he ran after May outside the house.
"May!" He called to her. "Where are you going?"
"I can't." She was shaking and her arms violently swung around as she kneeled down. Brendan ran to her side but she pushed him away. "I'm sorry, I can't!" She screamed. "I can't lose you too."
"May? Whatever it is-"
"It's my fault!" She shouted out. "All of it, it's my fault."
"All of what?"
"All of this!" She waved her hand toward the ocean, the moon making it glow a perfect white. "I did this."
"Kyogre. Team Aqua did this?"
"And you would have stopped it!" She forced her face into her hands. "If it wasn't for me."
"What are you talking about?"
"I followed you into the cave!" She lifted her head away from her hand and stared straight into his eyes. "I went with you, you didn't see me. When you went to fight Kyogre. I was there!"
"No. That's-"
"You were fighting him, winning. He couldn't fight much longer and I tried to help you. But I ended up getting in the way. You were so busy fighting Kyogre and I just wanted to help. You managed to trap him, but when I went to attack, I freed him by accident. Then he went primal and all of this happened." She explained. "If I didn't go down there! If I didn't try and help you! You would have beaten him. I just wanted to help you, like you always helped me. And it cost everyone, everything!"
"May. Why?"
"I had to be by your side. I wanted to help. I screwed it all up. It's all my fault." May grabbed his shirt and pulled him towards her. Her tear-soaked eyes glistened in the moonlight, her gentle lips pressed together violently. Her hands shaking against his chest. Her determined stare pieced his heart. "You should have let me die down there."
Brendan moved away from her. He suddenly, became overwhelmed with everything. He'd lost everyone, everything. His family, his Pokémon, his friends. The whole world was buried under an ocean, living through constant devastating storms all because of May. He felt angry, even hatred. She'd gotten in the way, he'd nearly beaten Kyogre but May had made him lose. He didn't know why but he opened his mouth and the words just came out. "Your right..." He whispered towards her.
"I should have let you die."