Man in the Mirror

Chapter 8: The Way You Make Me Feel

The first thing May caught sight of when she awoke were her six lovely Pokémon, with breakfast for the coordinator in their hands. Her eyes filled with joy as Blaziken placed a tray of bacon and eggs with other delicacies and beverages brought by her other devoted Pokémon.

She took a sip of her OJ and looked at her friends with gratitude. "Let's get this started!" her Pokémon celebrated their day off with May.

The coordinator ran and stood on the border of the large pool. She breathed in fresh air while her skin absorbed the heat from the sun's rays. Today will be beautiful, May thought as she closed her eyes.

"Gla!" Came a triumphant yell, but before May could react or even think, she got pushed into the pool. The loud splash caused laughter among the Pokémon standing by the pool's edge. May resurfaced with a gasp for air. Glaceon also abruptly resurfaced, laughing about her sneak attack on the coordinator.

"Glaceon!" May glared at her Ice-type before giving a defeated chuckle.

"Munch!" Munchlax wanted to partake in the laughter. He immediately launched himself like a cannonball into the pool.

May and Glaceon's eyes widened as they saw the fat Pokémon coming their way. When the chubby Pokémon landed, the splash was so big it soaked the other Pokémon, much to Blaziken's annoyance. Regardless, the starter's smile returned when he saw May's giggling. A few wet feathers were a small price for a smile on his best friend's face.

With help from her Pokémon, May climbed up the Oran berry tree. The tree was thick enough to block sunlight from coming in. Mid-climb, the brunette smiled at her Glaceon and Skitty. Her feline friends were collecting Oran berries a few feet away, too.

Upon reaching the top, May plucked an Oran Berry from the tree branch. Suddenly, she heard a buzzing sound. Multiple Beedrill swarmed out of the tree as they threatened to handle the intruders. Plucking off a few more berries, May started sweating in fear as she climbed down the tree with her two Pokémon close behind her.

"Run for it!" May yelled as she carried as many berries as possible, dropping only a few.

"Nya nya," Skitty kept up her speed to stick beside Glaceon and her trainer. The trio ran off as fast as possible to escape the pursuing Beedrill, hoping they would lose them once back in the garden.

"Phew," May wiped her forehead as she admired the last batch of Oran Berry pie she made for her Pokémon.

With help from Blaziken and Wartortle, May carried all of the pies out to the backyard. The sweet girl placed all of them on the picnic table as Munchlax began to drool over the food he saw. "Munchlax!" the Normal-type tried to jump for the table until he tripped.

"Saur," Munchlax looked back to find Venusaur pulling him back from devouring all the pies.

"Now, don't be greedy. It's for all of you to enjoy!" May reminded, clasping her hands together.

The Pokémon kindly thanked her as they each ate a whole pie. They also insisted that May have some since she worked hard preparing them. May happily accepted their offering as she ate alongside her Pokémon; the seven shared many laughs when they saw their mouths covered in blue coloring from the berries and ate until their bellies were bloated.

May lay down on the grass after eating. The coordinator took a deep breath and admired the night sky with her Pokémon. Her sapphire eyes shined under the twinkling stars, making them appear more beautiful than usual. As they all stared at the dark sky, one thought crossed May's mind, What a beautiful day.

After spending the whole day with them, May realized her friends were visibly tired. The brunette let them sleep outside for the night, but Glaceon decided to come inside with the girl. As they sat by the fireplace inside the cozy home, she petted the sleeping Ice-type gently while staring at the fire. With her eyes fixed on the flames, May felt drowsy. However, a sudden voice snapped her out of it, "May, I'm pleased to tell you that your mail has arrived," a butler walked into the living room with a cart filled with hundreds of envelopes of all colors. There were so many envelopes that some were just an inch away from falling off the cart's edge.