There's heaps more to come after this, but please let me know what you think. Before I start, I don't own Pokemon nor its characters.

Prologue

Trying to ignore the bitter glare of the two screens before her, May sighed as she struggled to grasp the terms of her current situation. Here she was, sitting behind a dreary desk in dim office light, wondering where everything had possibly gone wrong.

When she was ten, she'd dreamed of being a Top Coordinator, not a call centre assistant who was underpaid and overworked, dealing with more complaints than she could throw her bandana at. Not that she wore it anymore. Such inappropriate attire had been stamped out of her by her supervisor, Shelly.

Her current slump was caused by a recent text she'd received from her brother on the Xtransceiver. While it was great to hear from him, it always left her feeling slightly, well, deflated. Thankfully, his message had been brief, stating that he'd returned from his most recent mission safe and sound. Having responded with a quick message reiterating her brief relief that he'd returned, she found herself once again wondering about her future.

After she'd left for her soul-searching journey through Johto, Max had considered his future whilst he studied pokémon at home with their parents. After much tribulation, he'd decided to follow the footsteps of none other than Jack Walker to become a ranger. Not only was May lucky enough to hear about all of his great journeys—note sarcasm—but she also had to worry about his overall welfare whilst he went out on these top secret missions. Sure, she had a great deal of faith in his operators, Linda, Rhythmi and Marcus, but he was still her little brother. Besides, all she got to see was the office she worked in whilst her brother was out risking his neck with the ralts they'd once encountered on their journey with Ash and Brock.

Speaking, well, thinking of those two made May's heart slump further. Brock was finally an esteemed Pokémon doctor who'd had his fair share of chances with not only Nurse Joys but also Officer Jennys. However, the last she'd heard from him, he was trying to settle down with the infamous Pike Queen Lucy, who managed to somewhat smother his infatuations with other women.

Then there was Ash, his face was all over her television. Finally he was going for the chance to be a Pokémon Master, challenging not only the Elite Four of his home region, Kanto, but hopefully the Champion, Lance. It made her heart hurt, wanting him to do well, but being afraid that his dreams would be shattered. Sure, he'd had the chance to fight Cynthia from Sinnoh, but he'd wanted to have not only his mum, but also Professor Oak bear witness to the challenge. May also had a sneaking suspicion that he'd wanted Misty, his first crush and one of their close friends, to be there to witness his coming of age. It surprised May that Iris didn't receive a personal invitation, either. Though she knew she shouldn't be, Iris was facing her own challenges with Alder a month later, meaning she'd be far too busy to support her friend in this instance.

With a heavy sigh, May considered the other friends she shared with Ash and Brock. Dawn was making quite a name for herself as a Poké Stylist, though she'd had to work with May in the call centre to make ends meet in the beginning. While May was happy for her friend who was a two time Top Coordinator, she couldn't help but feel a little jaded that even she was making a name for herself. Having said that, her designs were simply beautiful, and May couldn't wait for her friend to open her first boutique in Kalos.

Then, of course there was Serena who was making quite the name for herself in her Pokémon Showcases, even becoming the coveted top-class performer she'd longed for. May herself had voted for her younger friend to win an award on TV for a recent role. While she was pleased that her friend was doing well, it only reiterated her slump to her all the more.

That left her coordinating family. With a pain in her heart, May considered the people she'd spent her time in Johto with. Solidad, who was not only beautiful, but also graceful, talented and smart. She'd won the Top Coordinator title a few times before she, too, dropped out of the sphere. While they never discussed her reasons, May had a sneaking suspicion that Solidad hadn't wanted to become an historian, though that was her current task, all the way in Johto, helping someone called Gary. May had never pressed her friend for her reasons for leaving coordinating, knowing that her friend missed that world as much as she did.

Then there was Drew, he'd disappeared shortly after Solidad, telling Coordinator's Weekly that he was missing the thrill. While May hadn't had the faintest idea what he'd meant by that, she'd soon found herself trying to find any hint that he was still out there. To her disappointment, she'd seen a rather frivolous article of him with an unknown blonde woman, though her face was hidden from the cameras. From the images in the magazine, May had seen a new side to her rival, friend and unrequited love that she hadn't seen before. But then, she wasn't sure the first two descriptions could apply to the young man any more. At least she'd never admitted her affections to anyone, even if they'd teased her about it anyway.

Silently she mused if she even knew her friends at all. After all, two of the people she had once considered her closest friends had left the coordinating circuit without even a word to her. More surprising was that even Harley had left, of course, after he had finally won the coveted Top Coordinator title. Now, being Harley, upon declaring that he'd leave himself, he'd caused a massive scene which only he could do. He'd always added an unusual spice to life, and, even though they'd often clashed, May found herself missing the man.

Hearing her supervisor cough nearby, May grimaced slightly, acknowledging the guilt she often suppressed. After all, she'd left them behind in a whirl after Drew had finally agreed to join not only Solidad and herself, but also Harley in Sinnoh. Considering he loathed coordinators making a show of themselves and dressing up for anything, May had really considered that a stupendous triumph. It was a shame she'd had to leave shortly before the Grand Festival. Her father hadn't been well, so she'd rushed out of the region to her brother and mother's aid without a word to the two boys. What could she tell them that wouldn't distract them from the contest? Her father had been taken in a helicopter to Mauville City, courtesy of Wattson. Even now, years after the fact, she knew that her family would always be grateful to the man, his readiness to help them had saved her father's life.

Either way, she had suppressed her own desires, and agreed to take care of things at home, not only the gym. Being a gym leader wasn't just taking on challengers, it meant ensuring the safety of one's people, as well as helping them. That was how she'd missed her chance at being Top Coordinator and found herself in the rut she was now. She couldn't blame her father, who'd only just recovered a year ago after being in and out of hospital with her terrified mother following him wherever he went. He'd been ill for years, and May had realised it after the first year had passed that his recovery might take longer than initially anticipated. So, May had bitten the bullet and done the unthinkable. It took May all of her resolve, but she'd managed to demand her brother embark on his journey, trying not to make her pained jealousy obvious. After all, someone had to take responsibility of their family's affairs, and she wasn't about to lie down and let her brother take that role. She was the eldest sibling, it was her duty, not his.

Seeing the screen above her flashing red, she sighed and grabbed her headset. A call had been waiting for two minutes and her break was almost over. From the other side of the room, she could hear Shauna from Dewford Town, having left the gym there under unexplained circumstances, apologising on the phone for one or another perceived slight.

With a soft sigh, May muttered, 'here we go.'

With the press of a button, she made herself available for the call just as her supervisor, Shelly, snapped, 'Someone take that call, please!'

'Welcome to Rockson's Boutique, how may I help you?' May tried her best to sound optimistic on the phone. You never know, it might help convince someone not to yell at her.

'Who am I speaking to?' An effeminate voice snapped angrily down the line, surprising the young woman slightly.

With a heavy sigh, May quickly suppressed her previous optimism as she muttered into her headpiece, 'my name is May, how may I help you today?'

'May, it's you! Finally, I'm talking to you! Do you know who I am?' The person's elated cries turned furious faster than she could blink. With a wince, May quickly pressed down the volume on her headset, wanting to salvage her hearing. She was rapidly approaching the last dredges of her cumbersome shift and really wasn't in the mood for dealing with yet another irate customer. After all, she could earn better money in the fast food joint around the corner from their prestigious office.

'No, I do apologise, but I do not know who you are. I speak to many people and cannot guarantee I will remember individuals. I do apologise for this,' May responded, trying her best not to roll her eyes at her two screens. From beside her, she could see one of the women from their email team glance at her in disbelief.

'Do you have any idea who I am, hon?' The person snapped, their tone becoming quite threatening, and in an eerily familiar manner. It sent an all too familiar shiver of fear down May's spine, though she'd learnt to ignore her emotions. After all, her previous cheer had been stamped out by the people she dealt with every day.

'No?' May responded, though her tone was hesitantly questioning. Just her luck, her shift finished in five minutes and she had a disillusioned diva on the phone. Even worse, she'd been scolded for taking her break so late during her nine hour shift despite taking calls from people who had been demanding to speak to a supervisor, which she clearly wasn't. Frankly, she was earning base pay and had no incentive to stay back to process additional work she would not get paid for. Especially when she knew how many six digit sales were being processed as she was talking to this deranged fool. Sometimes, her newfound anger surprised her. Other times, she relished in it. Life had not dealt her a fair hand, and boy was she sick of it.

At least she was seeing Brendan this weekend. Her childhood friend offered her many a positive insight and reminded her quite frequently that laughter was the best medicine. Sure, as a kid she'd had the teensiest of crushes on him, but then she'd met Ash, who'd led her to Drew. After meeting both of them, nothing was ever the same again. Where Ash was like an older brother to her, Drew was an irreplaceable figure in her life.

'Listen, my favourite little gingerbread cookie, you may think that I have simply forgotten you, but that is not the case! When are you going to get out of that abysmal place and join us back on the circuit? We're all waiting for you to get your cute little patootie back into gear! Now stop hesitating and get on it, girlfriend!' The voice scowled, almost making May fall out of her chair in surprise.

Quietly, May squeaked, 'H-Harley?'

'Finally, sweetpea, I thought you'd never get it! Now, I'm in Sootopolis City too, so you are coming out with me, and you do not have a say in it! I'll meet you at that quaint little café that serves all day breakfast by the harbour. I'll go powder my nose while you finish up. See you soon, my patootie!' Harley's voice cheered notably before promptly hanging up, leaving May speechless on the other end of the line before recalling to log out of everything and rushing out of the office, ignoring the calls of her angered supervisor for her abrupt departure.

Please leave some R&R :)