1.

4 years after the induction of Champion May into the Hoenn Pokemon League Hall of Fame

"Four years, undefeated," chimed the ex-Gym Leader Wallace, donned in his usual white cap and cloak, as well as that suave, yet cheeky smirk he always seemed to wear when he wasn't around any reporters. "That's really something, May."

The trainer was pouring himself a glass of red wine, and moved to fill the one across from him as well. May pulled her glass out from beneath the bottle just before the substance could dribble out; if Wallace had had a drop more of the drink earlier he would've spilled the substance all over the table. "I'll just have water, thank you."

The leader pouted, but did as asked, moving to the sink to fill up the glass. The younger trainer was a little peeved. Ever since she'd hit drinking age – somehow, her birthday had been revealed to the public, and she suspected it was Brendan's doing – Wallace had been pestering her for 'just a glass', though with how snoopy she found the man to be, part of her suspected he wanted to get her a little tipsy so she'd leak a few secrets about her life. At this point, what is there he doesn't know, though? Thought the girl with a frown.

"It's a long time for a Champion," he continued, sitting back down at the chic minibar he had in his mansion of a house. Some of the more recent renovations were thanks to the kind Champion pay he was getting, by helping out May with work. "Lance only made it two, before that girl Lyra kicked him off his throne."

The trainer sitting across the bar from Wallace gulped down her water. She remembered hearing about that, and wanting to meet Lyra someday. Someday, when she could travel out of the region, she supposed. There'd been plenty of League challengers over the years, some powerful and some not so much. And though she came to find she wasn't one for glorification, it came to her nonetheless.

"Yeah," was her only reply, lips pursed.

Wallace's smirk grew. "You don't even need to be drunk for me to see something's up."

May glanced at him now, irritation flaring up in her chest. Her fingers tightened around the bottom of the ornate wine glass she held, though she was not conscious of it. "I'm just stressed."

Wallace rolled his glass in his hand and leaned back in the chair he was seated in, gazing out the sliding glass door to his right that looked out across Sootopolis. May followed his gaze, quietly. It was beautiful; the bowl-shaped city was a sea of white houses with gray and blue accents, much easier on the eyes than Lilycove or Slateport, the Champion found. Yet still, every time she saw this landscape, images from four years prior flowed through her mind like it was yesterday.

"Stressed? But you're finally getting a vacation!" cooed Wallace. "The Four would kill for a break as long as you're getting, May."

The young Champion couldn't argue with that. Sydney, especially, was antsy on those days where he was cooped up in Ever Grande sunup to sundown, but it was nothing a good battle with a challenger couldn't quell. She smiled at the thought of the group, who'd seemed so intimidating at first (even after she'd won against them). They weren't like coworkers at all; they were like a family to her, a weird family, maybe. Sydney always had his cool, was ambitious to one day defeat May, yet respectful in his own strange way. He seemed to want to travel, not possessing the same homely and traditional spirit of a Hoenn native, but his attachment to the Evergrande League and Hoenn itself was too strong. Phoebe was a calm soul despite her specialty being Ghost-type Pokemon, and one of the sweetest people May had ever met. Her grandmother, as it turns out, was the old woman atop Mt. Pyre. She seemed to pity May in a similar way that that elderly woman did, despite her never having opening up to the elite trainer about anything. Glacia was less affectionate, at least on the surface, but admitted often to admiring May's fiery spirit. She'd also get antsy in waiting for battles, so sometimes Sidney and her would face off in their free time, Dark against Ice. Drake, in his gruff exterior, was able to convey some sense of genuine care to May, and he spent a lot of time with her Salamence. Sometimes he would ask about 'that boy', too, how he was doing. May would have to tell him, "I don't know, I haven't spoken to him."

"I'm going to miss them, though," May responded, finally. Suddenly, she found she wished she hadn't decided on the break. Her hand drifted away from the glass and onto the counter, one finger tapping against the granite top. She wore the same old, worn gloves from four years ago, along with most of her old outfit.

"You're not disappearing, May," Wallace retorted, taking another sip of the wine. "You're just staying at the Frontier for a bit!" He chuckled, and May felt like a little kid.

"I guess, on my off-days, yeah, I could visit," she thought aloud.

"There you go," he chimed. "Those guys get lonely. I'm sure you're aware of that."

There it was, the pang of… what? Anguish, probably. May knew they were lonely, because they were always complaining about Steven. They wanted to see Steven again, check in on how he was doing. Even if he hadn't had a four-year-long Championship like she did.

The room suddenly felt very quiet to May, which was weird, because she remembered the radio being on. This happened a lot, when her thoughts would close in on her, memories of that time whirling about, and the girl had to sit there and deal with them until someone or something was able to snap her out of it. Her hands sat in her lap now, clenched together, her blue gaze hazy and looking far out into Sootopolis.

Wallace frowned. "In any case, the Battle Frontier will be an exciting ordeal. I'm not at all into that competitive battling, but if that's what sails your ship, May, go for it." He hopped out of his seat and started to put away the wine. May, drawn from her trance, got to her feet as the man continued. "It'll be good for the League, to show union between us and the Frontier and all that new-era battling."

He's right, thought May. The Battle Frontier had sprung up right around the time she'd moved to Hoenn, creating problems with the League as it was seen as a sort of spin-off. Only it was "better"; it had conditions, customized environments, an island dedicated purely to battling rather than an entire region a trainer would have to traverse to collect badges and then fight a super-powerful League. It was more accessible. Pokemon's power could be scaled up or down in the arena with modern technology. You didn't even need Pokemon either – you could rent them. It was the perfect alternative for the traditional Pokemon League challenge, and had much more attention with the trainer crowd now.

It was for that reason that May was even able to get a break; there were less trainers challenging the League, now. And more than any of the Four, she was hungry for a good battle. As much as the League would've hated her to say it, she was drawn to the Frontier in the same way everyone else was. Her father had given her a ticket not long after she had become champion; all it took was one trip there to sow the seeds of excitement in the feisty trainer's heart.

May started to collect the few belongings she'd brought, clipping the same-old yellow pouch around her waist. Wallace made some comment about her fashion sense, chortling. The girl gritted her teeth, arguing that he still wore the same cloak, too. In passing, May wondered if the third member of their little trio was still wearing the same getup, too. The two parted ways.

The Champion was glad to be rid of the beautiful, cerulean and pearl-white landscape of Sootopolis as Salamence rounded the crest of one of the volcanic city's walls. Her eyelids fluttered shut as her thoughts drifted back to that first meeting she'd had with Wallace, a few days after she had become Champion:

"So, I take it you found out?"

The trainer forced a smile as the waitress came by, jotting down both of their orders. She was ravenous after all the traveling, and hadn't had time to eat the night before. It was already past noon. Wallace ordered his "usual", as well as a cocktail of some sort. May's lips twitched into an awkward frown.

"Would you like one, May?"

"I-I'm eighteen…"

"So that's a no?"

The Champion excused the waitress and let out a long sigh.

Wallace sat back in his seat. The chairs were silver, wire, and complemented the white patio the two were seated on that looked out across Sootopolis, but May found they were uncomfortable on the back, especially after a day riding atop her Salamence. "I was going to tell you, you know. Just once you came to visit. I wasn't sure how you'd react."

May's eyes clouded as they met his, but she was forced to look away after a few seconds; his expression was genuinely one of pity, glowing with concern, his lips curved into a sad smile. "What do you mean by that?"

He sighed through his nostrils. "Well, I know you two… Well, you admired him, and I figured you'd be sad or upset or something to see him leave without a trace."

It wasn't without a trace, May thought, reminded of the Beldum sitting in her bag. "He's not obligated to stay here, especially after I literally kicked him out of the League…"

"Yes, but it would've been nice if he'd stayed behind to help you get used to the job, at least," Wallace responded a little too quickly, a slight edge in his tone. "I mean, gee, May. You don't have the same professional background as him. He knew that. Not to mention everything that happened, with…"

The waitress came back with their drinks, and Wallace had the sense to close his mouth until she'd retreated back to the kitchens again.

"…That whole battle. I mean, it wasn't that long ago. He could've stuck around to help clean up." The Gym Leader took a sip of his drink, then held it out to May. "You sure you don't want any?"

She waved it away with a groan. "…I think it's good that he's getting away from it all. He is the heir to Devon after all." Frustrated with the feelings welling up in her chest, the Champion shook her head and grabbed the glass of vegetable juice from the table, the ice jingling, condensation cooling her sweating palms. "I just don't know why this is such a big deal. You really wanted to have a long conversation about Steven…?"

Wallace's turquoise eyes flashed as he took another sip of his bright-blue drink. "You're the one who came here, May. Looking just as distraught as you look now."

She huffed and bit on the rim of her glass as she took another gulp. There was a long pause, and sweat began building up on her skin, tanned just slightly after being outdoors throughout the long summer. "I… I just don't know why he didn't tell me anything. I mean, a letter…?" Her feet shifted beneath the glass table, and an ugly feeling settled in her stomach. "Was he that mad?"

The waitress came out with the food, and her thin eyebrows raised as she placed it before the two, probably at the sudden, tense atmosphere. "Thank you, Amelie," Wallace said, waving her away. "That'll be all, for today."

She bowed and headed indoors.

May took a hesitant forkful of noodles, not used to using the utensil with the meal, but Wallace had insisted they go to his favorite foreign restaurant, bragging about how they made the most delightful western meals. In the end, the girl couldn't read the menu choices and had gone with simple Mauville ramen.

"I don't know much about his decision," Wallace murmured, "besides guesses, but I know for sure he wasn't angry with you at all, May."

Doubt rose immediately to her tongue but she held back, relishing in the relief Wallace's matter-of-fact tone gave her. Why, then…?

He moved to his food, releasing his gaze of scrutiny from May. The two trainers ate, and the subject changed, mostly to League business but also easier subjects like contests and Pokemon and League gossip. When at last, they were finished, and Wallace had paid, the sore topic returned once more.

"May," he asked, gently, and the girl was only half-listening, watching the city streets far below. "What exactly do you think of Steven, anyway?"

Uneasiness hit her like a jolt of lightning, preventing her from shifting out of her position with one arm on the table, cheek resting in a palm, and she thought that perhaps it was better most of her hair and bangs were covering her face from Wallace because she certainly felt it heat up. Why? This reaction? What do I think of him? "Um, he's… He's wise, a powerful trainer, and he's very knowledgeable, and…" she took a long sigh for the second time that day, finally able to turn and face the Gym Leader sitting across from her, placing both her forearms against the glass tabletop. The Gym Leader found her expression to be not unlike that of an angered Skitty. "And… I don't think Hoenn would be here without his help."

Wallace stirred his meal, a soup of some kind, for a bit, humming. "Hmm – he did help you quite a bit during your journey, didn't he?"

He was watching her carefully, as if waiting for a reply. "Yes," May replied, defensively. "I don't really know why he did, but... I mean, thinking back, most of the time we only met by chance, but still…" She groaned. "I'm sorry, Wallace, I don't see why this is important."

"Well, you didn't exactly answer my first question," he chimed, taking a sip of the soup and raising his eyebrows.

"Your… first question?"

"I meant what your view of him is. In relation to you," he said. After another spoonful he set the utensil back down, and May held her own forkful of noodles in midair, dripping, at what he was implying. "What kind of relationship do you have with him? I know it must seem redundant with what the media has been talking to you about, but, boy, after thinking about it I'm curious. I want to hear it from you, May. Steven's a long time friend of mine, but he'd never speak about something like this for the life of him."

Something like this? May forced the bite of noodles into her mouth just to not look too ridiculous, sitting there gawking at his words. "W-what kind of… relationship…?" she mumbled in-between chews. Suddenly she was very hungry. What was that, anyway? We weren't really friends, were we? Acquainted, maybe. We met a few times. He gave me a lot of gifts, helped me out. But not enough for me to consider him a mentor figure. And despite his status as Champion at the time, he'd treated me too much like his equal. Our relationship wasn't really… ordinary. We'd fought gangs together and dealt with a near-apocalypse. Someone who had your back through the very worst of things, gave you gifts completely unprecedentedly, someone who seemed interested in you and your potential even when you were a rookie trainer, who treated you with respect despite obvious faults and mistakes, someone who was a renowned trainer and of a higher class, who probably knew countless other people yet had left a single, private letter specifically for you at his private cottage, gifted you his favorite Pokemon, something that couldn't be found in Hoenn at all-

"May?"

Her head snapped up. The ramen was in a big spiral, after she'd been unconsciously stirring it. "What?"

"Spacing out?" His head was tilted just slightly, lips parted in a knowing smile.

"No, I just…" She pulled her fork from the ramen and jabbed it into some egg. "I don't really know how to answer that. I haven't known him long enough."

He leaned one elbow on the table and picked up his cocktail again. "You need to know more about him to make a decision? Because I can tell you all you need to know."

The girl furrowed her brow, heat rising to her cheeks again. "T-that's not it." I already know enough about Steven. At least, I think I do. I just… "I just… I'd need to spend more time with him, if I wanted to answer that…" The frustration, hot and scratchy, returned and she rose from her seat at once. "And that's not going to happen, since he's gone. Honestly, I don't even know why I came here…" Upset, she started for the edge of the balcony, pulling out Salamence's Pokeball.

"May?" Wallace called, punctuated by a brief chuckle. "I'm sorry, perhaps I pushed it too much. But you have my number if you ever need someone to talk to. You'll find I'm quite the good therapist, I'm sure, and despite how much I gossip I'll be sure to keep my lips sealed when it comes to sensitive subjects."

Ugh… This is absurd, thought the Champion, jumping from the balcony onto her Salamence's back, wincing at the hard landing. "Thanks for lunch, Wallace. I'll keep in touch."

It was obvious Wallace missed him too.

May wanted to be angry. She'd been angry at some point, but first she'd been sad. Then she became infuriated with herself. Then she was confused as to why she had so many different feelings on the subject, in the first place. Unable to answer those questions, she'd directed her negativity at Steven for leaving behind the Four and Wallace and his father and, if it mattered, herself. Then everything had eroded away into bitterness, and it was like that for a while, but slowly, May was able to get past that. Now, it seemed there was only uncertainty and a wisp of sorrow left.

Like she had a million times before, May pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind and focused on the present.

The television was one of the newest models, 48-inch, offering a crystal-clear picture of the battlefield being displayed. Stadium-style seating rose up on all four sides of the building, dropping into a round arena with the design of a Pokeball printed onto the ground. One half was dark red, the other a pale blue; bright white lights shone both down from above and up from the space around the floor, providing a clear picture of the battlefield itself. The camera shifted every few seconds, between four different angles; a bird's eye view, a camera rotating the floor from the air, one slightly closer to detail the action, and one attached to the edge of the Pokeball-battlefield itself that could focus in on the trainers and Pokemon. The crowd was in an uproar as the announcer shouted with exuberance.

"And now, we welcome the challenger, over on the blue side! This is her first battle in the Frontier, but she's far from inexperienced! Let's give a warm welcome to the Hoenn League Champion, May!"

The crowd's roar became deafening even on the speakers, making it clear that the audience must've consisted largely of Hoenn natives. An elevator rose into place on the back of the blue half of the arena, and standing in the center, though she was just a tiny speck from this angle, was the challenger mentioned. The view switched to get in a close-up. The Hoenn Champion was a young woman with springy brown hair and an athletic build, and though to anyone who didn't know her face, they might mistake her for an average trainer, she was anything but that. Her lips were curled just slightly into a smile as glittering blue eyes scanned the crowd around her, and the cheers escalated even further. One of her hands slipped into the yellow pouch at her waist and reappeared clutching a Pokeball.

Sitting just a few feet from the TV on a small leather couch, in the darkness of his rented villa, was the former Hoenn Champion, Steven Stone, leaning forwards with his elbows resting on his knees. He couldn't keep the grin from his face at the scene unfolding on the television. The announcer struggled to speak over the crowd, even with the abundance of high-tech speakers spread across the brand new Battle Frontier stadiums. May rolled her shoulders, seemingly unaware of the noise, all her attention now poured into the battle.

Steven let out an exasperated sigh, which relinquished into laughter. After all this time, she's still the same, isn't she?

Far above, a Frontier Card appeared on the monitors surrounding the stadium – not unlike a Trainer Card but designed for the Frontier instead, it showed the trainer's progress and records, as well as their name, hometown, and background. May's photo sat to the left of the information, red bandanna tied around springy hair, one of her hands held up in a V-sign.

Eventually, the announcer's voice was able to break through the noise. "This will be a three-on-three battle! Trainers, release your Pokemon!"

The red-side trainer was the first to make his move, releasing a Manectric. The Pokemon roared, and as it did so sparks went jumping down its pelt.

An Electric-type… How will she counter this? Aggron seems like the most practical choice… but there's also that Salamence. Or, will she be stubborn and wipe the field with Blaziken? Steven was completely enthralled, his foot tapping against the floor. Or will she use a new Pokemon? There's no telling if she's completely redone her team since our battle so long ago… but I get the feeling she hasn't. She's not that type of trainer.

The crowd at last quieted in anticipation. Then the Champion swung her arm and released the device in her palm; in a flash of light it exploded before her, revealing…

"My, my! What's this?"

The camera closed in on a Pokemon all too familiar to the ex-Champion – Metagross. Metagross? The hesitation in the audience lasted only a moment before their cheers returned. The camera shifted to the red-side trainer for just a moment, his jaw having dropped. It was as if he'd studied relentlessly for an exam, only to be given a question he could never had seen coming miles away.

The quadrupedal Pokemon slammed onto the floor and adjusted it limbs before focusing a killer glare over at Manectric. Its metal body shone brightly under the stadium lights drilling down from above.

"Well, this certainly is a surprise, folks! A Metagross! For those of you who are avid fans of our Champion here in Hoenn and have been following her since her victory in the Pokemon League, we haven't heard of a Pokemon such as this being in her party at all!"

The battle waged on, but blew by at such a speed that Steven had a hard time catching up, as experienced as he was. Metagross took down Manectric in one blow with a deadly Earthquake, and moved on to weaken the trainer's next Pokemon, Swalot, gravely with a Psychic. The announcers chattered back and forth as to the origins of this Metagross; that perhaps it was traded to her for the Frontier challenge. But the way she fought with it was clear evidence that the two had been training together for far longer than that.

As the announcer and the two expert consultants continued their banter, Metagross finished off Swalot and knocked out the following Absol with a Meteor Mash and a Hyper Beam – it was nimble enough to dodge the Dark-type attacks sent after it, as well. And as quick as it started the battle was over, with both trainers disappearing back down their respective elevators.

The voices of the analysts became background noise as Steven sat back on the couch, the leather cool against his back. He stared at the ceiling for a while, fidgeting with the rings on his fingers, an unfamiliar feeling settling in his chest. "So," said the trainer with a scoff, "she's using that Beldum after all." A smile settled onto his face.

Steven's thoughts were eventually interrupted by May's voice coming from the television, and his attention snapped back to the device. They were doing a post-battle interview, it seemed, back in the lobby of the monster of a skyscraper that was the Battle Tower. May stood beside an excited reporter, her cheeks glinting with sweat but otherwise looking calm and collected.

"Now, we have to ask, May… About that Metagross! It seems your team has a new addition!" barked the reporter with a wide, hungry grin.

The Champion smiled. "You bet. I think they've already released the statistics for that, right? So I shouldn't go into that..."

Apparently, the Frontier officials would scan each of your Pokemon before starting a challenge so as to display its stats on the large screens and make the information available on electronics. Truly, it was much more high tech than the League, and Steven was impressed, to say the least. He reminded himself to look up the file for May's Metagross the next time he could.

"Stats are stats. What we want to know is where you picked it up! Goodness, it appears well trained, Champion May! Metagross aren't easy to come by, you know."

She shifted her shoulders, glanced around the room a bit. "They aren't, are they? But this one was trained by me, ever since I got it as a Beldum. I think we get along pretty well! Ah, but it's not used to being in the spotlight, so it may be a little shy…"

The reporter pressed on, holding the mic closer. "But where did you come across a Beldum? How come it hasn't been used in past battles?"

The Champion's eyes flashed and she moved to adjust her bandanna. It seemed more like a nervous tic to Steven by now than anything else. "Well, I've been busy training it on my own…" The reporter didn't move his arm, keeping the large microphone just below May's chin, awaiting more of a response. Perhaps it was the high-definition display of the television that let Steven pick up on the slight rosiness of her face. "Where I came across a Beldum? Well, hmm…" She folded her arms. "It was a gift."

"Well, a gift well given! You and your Metagross are amazingly strong! I wish you luck in the rest of your challenge, Champion May!"

"Thank you," she replied, nodding, and the reporter headed off, dragging the cameraman along with him.

Steven sighed and picked up his Poketch, lying on the small oak coffee table that sat between him and the television. He technically wasn't supposed to own one, since the Poketch Company was in a way a competitor to Devon Corporation, but Steven wasn't exactly a Devon Employee, just part of the family, and different regions called for different technologies since most of the Pokenav's apps were useless in Sinnoh. He scanned over to the Calendar page, noting the date. September 1st. The cold weather – colder, that is – would be arriving in Sinnoh. It would only make sense that he headed home soon. There were just a few more things to check in on.

But now, with the image of May and that Metagross fresh in his mind, it felt like there was more of a rush to get back. He'd traveled quite a bit the past four years, learned a refreshing amount of information about other regions, and had been able to escape the stresses of Devon, as well. Steven had almost returned after meeting that girl in Kanto with a remarkably similar look to May, but in the end had stopped himself from even trying to call home. Now, the return felt almost overdue; after the Frontier show the ex-Champion almost felt anxious to return and reunite with the others.

But as he thought about what he had left to accomplish before leaving Sinnoh, it felt like a dauntingly long list, so Steven put it to the back of his mind and slumped over on the couch, picking up a pen and something to write on. Lazily, he scribbled down an attempt at a letter to write to his friends at the League; it slowly turned into a letter for May, saying something about him coming back soon, but Steven couldn't find the right words and soon dozed off, the battle replaying over and over in his head.

A/N: Hey, everyone. I've been planning to write this for a while, and I think it's finally at the place where I can start posting. I originally wanted to write something related to the Regi trio, and also what a postgame thing would be like with May and Steven and that whole letter business, but the way it is I don't know if they'll actually be interacting directly with each other a whooole lot for a little while lol

It's also sort of a sequel to that other long ass Hoenn fic I've been doing, but it's not really necessary that you go through that whole thing just to read this. The important thing to know is that the events of RSE are a bit mixed up - in this, Kyogre, Groudon, and Rayquaza were all summoned like in Emerald, but Aqua was the main aggressor and Steven stayed Champion.

I'm not sure about how many chapters this'll be and don't really have an update schedule, so bear with me on that.

Thanks for reading!