May's Nightmare
Across the Hoenn region, the evening sun was setting over the horizon, painting the sky in a mix of light and dark orange colours. In the midst of this display, the activity of the Battle Resort, located on the outskirts of the region, was beginning to die down and slowly become replaced with quiet, with the intense battling that took place both inside the Battle Maison, the centrepiece of the resort, and out was slowly starting to die down with the various residents and passer-by's looking to rest for the night and await the dawn of a new day. At the Battle Maison in question, two Trainers were stepping out of the doors as they swung open to allow them to exit; the Trainers happened to be none other than May Maple and Wally. As the two were making their way towards the staircase leading down from the large mansion, May stretched her arms up into the air and let out a content sigh while Wally turned his head to her. "Ah… another successful battle streak! This time, we managed to make it all the way up to fifteen battles. At the rate we're going, we'll make it to the Battle Chatelaines before we know it!" May happily commented, showing a smile of excitement as she turned her head to Wally, clearly thinking about how much of a great team they had been making in Multi Battles ever since they arrived. Wally showed a bright smile as he was listening to May and nodded in agreement.
"It would be really exciting if we did. I've actually heard that the Battle Chatelaines are some of the strongest Trainers that the Battle Maison has to offer." He then showed an expression of uncertainty as the possibility of him and May battling against two of them at the same time began to run through his head. "Since they are the leaders in their given battle type, I guess it makes sense. I'm just not sure if we'll be able to match up to them…"
May could only turn her glance to Wally in surprise upon noticing his uncertainty of their chances of being able to win against the Battle Chatelaines and she quickly showed a comforting smile in reply. "Don't worry, Wally. With our match-up of my Gardevoir and your Gallade, and with both of them being able to Mega Evolve, I'll bet we have a pretty great chance of winning against them! They'll have a hard time trying to take us down with our teamwork." With a smile of confidence showing on her face, May gave a wink to Wally with a giggle escaping her lips as she did so. Wally was simply listening to her in silence before a small smile crossed his face and he nodded.
"Yeah… I guess that's true. Thank you, May. I guess I'm just worried about being able to stand alongside with you in a battle, especially knowing how strong your team is. Compared to you, I still feel like I could be stronger." Wally quietly explained. He then turned his glance down as he could still remember how during the two battles he had with May over the course of his journey, she managed to triumph over his team with little trouble; seeing how strong her Pokemon were basically served as his inspiration to become stronger himself, and the way he saw things, he still had a long way to go before he could even match up with her. He was soon broken out of his thoughts as he felt May's hand being placed on his shoulder and he turned his head to her to see the gentle smile she was showing.
"Wally, you really shouldn't be so hard on yourself. You've managed to do so much and come so far ever since you left Petalburg City, and it's all thanks to your Pokemon, the ones who have been by your side and will always stand with you no matter what. You've become so strong since the day you caught your first Pokemon, the day that you met your Ralts on Route 102, and look at you now. Here you are at the Battle Resort, and it's all because you and your Pokemon worked together to get you where you are now."
Wally could only stare in silence upon hearing everything that May was saying, and he felt a bright smile cross his face as he realised that what she had just told him was true. But in his eyes, there was one other person who made it all possible for him to begin with. "May… I really should thank you too." May showed an expression of surprise as she was wondering what Wally meant, and she was met with her answer as he continued. "It was because you were with me on the day I caught my Ralts that I managed to begin my journey in the first place. If it wasn't for you being there to support me, I don't think I would have been able to do any of the things I have. You've helped me so much throughout my journey, and I don't know if I could ever thank you enough for everything you've done for me."
May was left in stunned silence for a few moments before she showed a touched smile, feeling thrilled to hear how much her support meant to Wally, and how much he considered her an inspiration over the course of his journey, and hers too. "You're welcome, Wally. I'm so glad I could be the one to inspire you." As the two were happily smiling at each other, May let out a sigh as she stretched her arms upwards again before turning her attention back to May. "Well, it's starting to get late. I'm thinking of spending the night at home; it's been a while since I've stayed in my room for more than a few hours at a time." Wally let out a giggle of amusement at May's cheeky comment, before he nodded.
"I'm planning on doing the same thing. I'm looking forward to telling my parents about what the Battle Resort's like, and how much of a great team we make together." Wally replied. May nodded in agreement with this idea, and then she grabbed out one of her Pokeballs from her bag and threw it out in front of her, allowing it to open and release her Swellow, Ace. As May began to climb up onto Ace's back, Wally made his way over to her. "May!" May turned her head to him with an expression of surprise, wondering what else he had to say. "How about tomorrow morning, you come over to my place to meet up with me and we'll come back here together?"
May was silent for a few moments before she showed a bright smile and nodded in agreement with this idea. "You got it!" With this, Ace began to flap his wings rapidly to take up to the air and he zoomed off to make his way towards Littleroot Town, with May holding on tightly to him and she looked back at Wally as he watched her leave. "See you tomorrow morning!" May called, waving to Wally as she was saying this.
Wally gave a nod in agreement before he started to wave back. "You too, May!" Once May and Ace were a far enough distance, quickly disappearing into the evening sky as it was beginning to change from its orange into a light purple and dark blue, Wally began to make his way over to the port leading to the ferry; he was looking forward to what new battles he and May would be facing come tomorrow.
Meanwhile with May, she was keeping a lookout over the view of the Hoenn region to see where she could spot Littleroot Town on Ace's back. After a few seconds of scanning the region just below her, May's eyes fell on a small town near the edge and pointed down to it. "There's our stop! Let's get down there, Ace!" Letting out a loud squawk in agreement, Ace spread his wings out in front of him and began to nosedive towards the area where the small town was located, with May clinging on tightly to him as he did so. After a few seconds, Littleroot Town began to get closer into view, so Ace started to slow down before arriving just above the ground, allowing May to hop off his back and land on the ground safely. Upon seeing that they were in the right place, May turned around to face Ace.
"Ah, here we are. Thanks, Ace!" She then grabbed out his Pokeball and returned him into it before placing it back in her bag. Once that was done, May made her way over to where her house was and slowly turned the doorknob to open the door and allow herself inside. As she stepped inside, she was met with the sight of her mum standing in the kitchen having started getting dinner ready. "Mum! I'm home!" May called, closing the door behind her once she was inside. At the sound of her voice, her mum walked over to see her and showed a bright smile upon seeing her.
"Oh, welcome home, May! You're just in time to help me with dinner. I've just started, so that means I won't have to worry about making too much tonight." May showed a smile of amusement at this comment, since she was aware of how infrequent her visits at home were becoming thanks to her spending all of her time at the Battle Resort with the rest of her friends, before she followed her mum as she made her way into the kitchen to start figuring out what they should make.
Later that night after dinner, May had arrived up in her room and she was looking around at the familiar space around her, a space that she hadn't spent much time since the start of her journey, and she let out a quiet sigh to herself. "It's been quite a while since the last time I spent a full night in here…" She then made her way over to her wardrobe to get changed into her pyjamas, which consisted of a bright orange top and matching pants with white stripes running across the sides and reaching down to the ends of her pants. Once she was now fully changed, she made her way over to her bed and pulled the doona back to make herself comfortable, and she turned her glance up to the ceiling as she had a small smile on her face.
"I know Wally will be looking forward to me coming over to him tomorrow morning. He's always been happy to see me since the day we met, back when I first helped him catch his first Pokemon. I know he wants to be stronger and catch up with me, but I can't help but wonder if he pushes himself too hard. What would happen if he got too focused on trying to be as good as me…?" With this question now running through her head, May felt her smile fade and become replaced with an expression of worry as she was starting to wonder what could possibly happen to Wally if he pushed himself too far. After a few seconds, May shook her head rapidly as if she was trying to shake the thought out of her head. "I'm sure nothing will happen. There's no way he'd ever do something like that." With this said,
May placed her head against the pillow, the blanket covering her and closed her eyes to get a goodnight's sleep and await the morning.
A few hours passed into the night, with the stars shining brightly in the clear night sky. With no one else around save for the sounds with the wild Pokemon scampering in the grass outside the town, all seemed to be peaceful. But inside the room of one certain brunette, things were proving to be anything but peaceful. May was sound asleep in her bed, but her eyes were tightly shut, occasionally flickering back and forth between being shut and slightly open. Her head was tossing back and forth and she had the blanket grasped in both of her hands; it seemed that her dreams were far from pleasant. In fact, they were playing out like her worst nightmare…
May slowly opened her eyes to find herself in a familiar place, but it was one she didn't seem to recognise at first. She was lying on what felt like solid concrete and just beside her was a door painted in white, light green and scarlet red, leading into a large building. After a few seconds, May began to sat up and looked around at her surroundings in surprise. "Huh…? Where am I?" As she stood up, she had a look at the door and slowly took a few steps backwards to try and figure out where she was; just in front of her stood a large three story building that had white walls, pale green windows, bright orange roofing on each story as well as on the far sides, crimson red pillars on both sides of the door, brick red fencing on both sides of the building and a shining golden Pokeball symbol over the head of the building. As May had a closer look at the building, it didn't take long for her to recognise where she was currently.
"Hang on… I recognise this place." After taking a few moments to make sure she was seeing this right, a big smile crossed May's face. "I'm in Evergrande City. I'm standing in front of the Pokemon League!" Almost immediately, memories of her trek through the Elite Four flooded through May's mind; she could recall how she worked through each member one by one, starting with Sidney, then coming Pheobe, Glacia and finally Drake, before coming face to face with the Champion of Hoenn: none other than Steven Stone, the same man she met occasionally during her travels to give her advice. As the memory of her greatest victory returned, May then showed an expression of puzzlement as something she didn't realise at first suddenly registered. "Wait a second… what am I doing back here?" She opened her bag up and looked inside to see her six Pokeballs sitting safely and she let out a quiet sigh of relief; her team of six were safe and sound where she remembered them. Blaze the Blaziken, Rose the Gardevoir, Ace the Swellow, Ivy the Roserade, Aqua the Azumarill and Volt the Manectric… her valuable team that saw her through to the end and continued to stay by her side. She then closed her bag up and began to have a look around at her surroundings.
"Hmm… if I'm back here, I guess that means there's something I need to do." May turned her glance down to think over what it could be, before a bright smile came to her face as she had an idea. "I know! Wally is probably still here. I should go pay him a visit!" So without a moment to spare, May rushed down the zigzag path to find the entrance to the cave leading out to the field she knew too well.
It didn't take long for May to arrive at the cave entrance and she stepped inside to find herself looking out at the field where she and Wally had their battle, where he wanted to show her how strong he had become over the course of his journey and how much he had grown thanks to her support. Slowly stepping towards the bridge, May felt a bright smile as she looked around the familiar sight, hearing the sound of rushing waterfalls fill her ears and seeing the petals of the lovely red flowers surrounding the field dance in the air. As May walked to the centre of the bridge, she could see that standing there in the middle of the field… was Wally. The moment she caught sight of him, May felt a smile of excitement cross her face and she immediately began waving to him to try and get his attention.
"Wally! There you are!" Without a moment to spare, May dashed across the bridge and made her way over to the field, stopping in her tracks just in front of Wally, while he stood with his back turned. "I had a feeling I'd find you here. How come you came back here?" After a few seconds passed, however, Wally didn't give any reply. May quickly showed an expression of confusion at this odd sight; she had never known Wally to be the kind to ignore someone. There had to be something going on here…
"Wally? Are you alright? Can you hear me?" May asked, showing an expression of concern as she was wondering what was going on. After a few more seconds passed, Wally slowly turned around to face her, but as May had a closer look at the expression on his face, she could see that it didn't have any signs of the gentle happiness or fierce determination she was familiar with from him. Instead, his expression looked… solemn, something that May had only seen in the aftermath of their first battle, where he had realised that he still had a lot of training to do if he wanted to become a strong Trainer. The moment May saw this, her concern soon gave way to worry.
"What's wrong, Wally? Is everything okay?" As May reached a hand out to place it on his shoulder, she was met with a shock as her hand suddenly went through his shoulder, almost like he was transparent. May quickly pulled her hand back in alarm upon realising this, and after she briefly looked down at her hand, she lifted her glance back up to Wally as he continued to watch her with that solemn expression, and then he slowly closed his eyes before he seemed to disappear completely. May watched in alarm before running over to him, but he completely vanished before she could reach him. Once she saw that she was gone, May could only stare in silent worry.
"Wally… where are you? What's going on?" As May stood in silence, she could suddenly hear the sound of her PokeNav Plus ringing in her bag, and she quickly grabbed the small device out of her bag and lifted the lid up to find that a message was coming through on the Entry Call app. May could only stare in puzzlement at this; she had always figured that the Entry Call wouldn't function properly if she was standing in caves and other areas like that, but since she was standing closely to the exit and open air, it didn't seem unlikely that it would be working. Deciding that this was the least of her worries, May pressed the light blue button to answer the message.
"Hello?" After a few moments of silence filled the air, an answer came through on the app, and it was Wally's voice.
"Come to Petalburg City…"
Once this short message came through, May was met with the sound of the messenger hanging up. Taking a few seconds to let this sink in, May slowly crossed the lid of the PokeNav Plus and placed it back in her bag, turning her glance down slightly to allow everything that had been happening so far sink in. First there was Wally standing there with a solemn expression that she believed she would never see from him again, his entire being vanishing right before her eyes and now this one message asking her to come to the place where she helped him begin his journey. It all had to add up to something, but for the life of her, May couldn't figure out what it could be. But once she had a bit of time to think it over, that was when it clicked.
"No…"
She didn't want to believe it, but it seemed that it couldn't be more true: something terrible had happened to Wally. Her eyes going wide in horror at the thought of this being a reality, May knew she only had one choice. "I have to get back to Petalburg City right now!" With no hesitance, May turned on her heel and ran towards the exit of Victory Road, stepping out of the cave and leaving behind the flowery field. Once she found herself standing outside once more, May grabbed out one of her Pokeballs and threw it into the air, allowing it to open and release Ace, who landed on the ground beside her.
"Ace, we have to get to Petalburg City right now!" May firmly stated, rushing over to him and climbing onto his back as she said this; the tone in her voice made it apparent that they couldn't waste any time. Luckily, Ace didn't need to be told twice as he nodded in understanding before taking up to the skies and soaring off towards the small city, his flight speed being a bit faster than usual as he was aware that this was urgent. As May kept her grip tight on Ace's back, her thoughts seemed to quickly race towards Wally and what could have happened to him. 'Wally… whatever's happened to you, I'm on my way right now. I just hope I'm not too late to help you…' Little did she realise just how wrong she would end up being…
It didn't take long for May to arrive in Petalburg City and as Ace touched down on the ground, May hopped off his back before returning him into his Pokeball and placing it back into her bag. Once that was taken care of, May slowly turned her head in both directions at the sight in front of her: everything in Petalburg City looked the same, but there was no sign of colour in any of the buildings nor any kind of sunlight shining down. The whole area looked as though it was shrouded in some kind of thick, perpetual fog and all the buildings looked as though they had had their colour washed away, leaving the whole area looking rather dismal. With a silent gasp of shock escaping her lips, May begun to slowly walk around the area, looking around at the barren and lifeless sights surrounding her. "Petalburg City's never looked like this… What happened here?"
Finding herself standing in front of the Pokemon Centre, May stepped inside as the door slid open and she was met with the sight of the building being completely empty: there was no sign of any of the usual visitors and Nurse Joy was absent from her post behind the front desk. May stared in silence for a few moments at the emptiness before walking back outside; as she has a close look around, she could see that there was no one standing outside. Everywhere she looked, there was not a soul to be seen where there should be. "Where could everyone have gone…?" May was soon met with her answer when she spotted a small group of people standing outside the door of the house where Wally's parents lived, with two columns of three standing on both sides of the door and one person stood to the side of the door. As May slowly approached the house, she could see that all of the people were wearing black and she began to feel her heart sink in her chest and her uneasiness slowly increased. The small group all turned their heads upon noticing her make her way over and she could hear their voices one by one as she walked towards the door, with none of their words being very pleasant.
"This shouldn't have happened."
"He was doing so well…"
"We thought he had beaten it…"
"He looked up to you."
"Why couldn't you give him a break?"
"He'd still be with us if not for you…"
"He didn't think it was good enough to move further… it's your fault."
Hearing each of their words, their stabbing words that cut her right through like a Sceptile's Leaf Blade, May now seemed to understand what was going on, what they were saying had happened to Wally. But even with this, as May slowly reached her hand out to open the door, she didn't want it to be true. She was hoping, praying, that one of her worst fears hadn't been brought to life. But as she slowly swung the door open and stepped into the house, she let out a quiet gasp of horror and placed both of her hands over her mouth at the sight that awaited her.
Resting there in the centre of the room, with a few people scattered around and two faces she recognised very well, was a small black coffin. A fear that May had believed would never come true was taking place right in front of her eyes.
Wally… had passed away.
Feeling her heart basically shattering inside her, May slowly removed her hands from her mouth and she began to slowly shake her head, trying to deny what she was seeing with very little success. "No… No!" She then began to feel tears filling her eyes as she placed both hands on her heart, almost as if she could feel it break inside her. As she slowly took a few steps forward, she could spot Wally's parents standing there in front of the coffin, his mother having tear-filled eyes and his father standing beside her with both of his hands placed around her in an attempt to comfort her over their loss. May then stopped in her tracks once she was standing beside them and slowly turned her glance over to them; she didn't want to know what had happened, yet at the same time, she felt that she needed to. She had to understand how it ever came to this. "W-what happened…?"
Taking notice of the fact that she was there, Wally's mum turned her head to May to explain, her voice visibly quavering as she spoke. "The damp cave air aggravated his condition. He strained himself to become better so he could finally be as good as you... but he pushed himself too hard. His body gave out..." May could only listen in horror to the details; she had no idea that the same place where she had inspired him to become stronger would be the one to claim his life. Now she understood the meaning of those flowers that surrounded them during their battle: they were red spider lilies, and they had bloomed in that field to guide Wally into the afterlife. Wally was someone May would never see again, and those flowers knew it. As Wally's mum broke down, finding herself unable to continue, his dad took over.
"A Hiker found him, a Pokeball clutched in his little hand, his Pokémon refusing to leave his side... He called us using Wally's Nav. Do you know what it's like? Being informed by a total stranger that someone you love is dead?" May nearly flinched at the sound of that last word, as it only seemed to hammer in the fact that Wally had left their lives forever, and the worst part of it was… it was because of her. She had inspired him to push himself to become stronger, and his health paid the heavy price. By this point, May could feel the tears building in her eyes begin to flow down her face and she slowly turned her glance over to the coffin, as hard as it was for her to do so. As she slowly approached it, she reached a hand out to place it against the coffin's surface, feeling memories flowing back to her…
She could still remember the day she first met Wally when he stepped into the Petalburg Gym and how the moment she laid eyes on him, she considered him to be the most precious boy she had ever met. Timid, polite and soft-spoken… there was no doubt in her mind that this was a boy May wanted to protect with her life. And the moment he asked her to come with him when he went to catch a Pokemon to take with him… how could she possibly bring herself to say no?
She could remember them stepping out onto Route 102 and how she stayed nearby to watch him go through with the catch, how from out of the bushes burst a small Ralts, and how she considered it to be a perfect match for him. After all, Ralts were very small and frail and she already had one of her own, so she considered it to be the right Pokemon for him. She remembered how overjoyed he was to have his first Pokemon, and how she cheered for him on his success.
She could remember how she met up with him again in Mauville City, how she noticed his eagerness to take on the Gym Leader, and how he had made it this far with just his Ralts by his side. Impossible or not, May still considered it to be an amazing feat. He then asked her for a battle, which she won effortlessly. She could remember how upset he was with the defeat, but then he thanked her for the battle and he came close to asking her if he could call her his rival. Even if he told her to forget about it, May considered it to be absolutely adorable seeing just how sweet Wally was, even after a loss. When she decided to pay him a visit in Verdanturf Town, she learnt from his uncle that he had already left, that after his battle with her, he was determined to become stronger and battle her again someday. Needless to say, May was amazed that she had inspired him so strongly, but she was still looking forward to when it happened.
She could remember how that opportunity finally arrived as she was approaching the end of her trek through Victory Road. As she came out into the field with those flowers, she saw Wally standing there as if he was waiting for her and it was there that he challenged her to another battle, to show her how strong he had become. And how when their final Pokemon, it was May's Mega Gardevoir against Wally's Mega Gallade, almost as if it was meant to happen. She could remember how he thanked her after the battle for showing him how much stronger he could be, and how he could challenge her to another battle when he felt the time was right.
She could remember how after he was attacked and had his Key Stone stolen, the one thing he was focused on was making sure that his parents were safe and that he would protect him. May considered it amazing for him to go through that ordeal and not be worse for wear; it only seemed to show her how strong he had become, not just with his Pokemon, but also how strong of a person he had become.
Feeling the memories of all the times she had spent with him, May still couldn't believe that it was her being his inspiration that caused him to lose his life. He wanted to be as strong as her and look at what had happened. And through it all, May didn't just consider Wally a rival… she thought of him as her little brother. As quiet sobs escaped from her lips, May could only keep her glance on the coffin for a few seconds before shutting her eyes tightly, allowing the tears to fall freely down her face and splash against the floor. "Wally… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" Gritting her teeth tightly, May could only allow her quiet sobs to continue, her sorrow over losing her close friend and precious little brother and her guilt over having been the cause of this tragedy beginning to weigh down on her. As she simply stood there motionless, she slowly opened her eyes and turned her glance up to notice a silhouette standing over the coffin before floating down in front of her: it was Wally. His appearance was vastly different from the way May remembered him; his skin was pale and all the colours surrounding him had been washed out like the entirety of Petalburg City. And yet, even with his sickly appearance, there was a gentle smile on his face. As May could only stare at him in shock, Wally simply watched her with that gentle smile before he spoke.
"Thank you, May… Thank you so much for everything." May felt her eyes grow wide in amazement and her tears only seemed to flow from her eyes faster; even with everything that happened to him, Wally was still thankful of her for what she did for him: supporting him during his first catch, helping him become stronger and inspiring him to become as strong as she was. He was grateful to her for all of her help, and that was the only thing that mattered to her. Once this was said, he then vanished right before May's eyes. As she stared in silence, she was interrupted as Wally's mum approached her, pushing her back from the coffin much to May's shock.
"Get out. You're done here. You disgust me." She then proceeded to shove the young brunette out of the house, slamming the door once May was back outside. May simply looked back at the house, her eyes wide and tear-filled at what she had just witnessed. Yet, she didn't find it hard to blame Wally's mum for reacting this way; after all, she had caused her to lose her beloved son.
Sometime later, a small group of people all dressed in black were slowly parading through the city, with Wally's coffin in the centre. From where she stood, keeping a safe distance from the crowd, May watched as they exited through the right side of the city, stepping out into Route 102. Slowly following behind them, making sure that she was keeping a safe enough distance so she wouldn't be spotted, May stopped in her tracks letting out a silent gasp when she saw where the group had stopped and placed Wally's coffin: it was at the small patch of grass where Wally caught his Ralts, where he managed to find his first Pokemon with her support, where it all began…
"No! Please, make it stop!" Closing her eyes tightly, May turned and started to run, feeling the tears falling out of her eyes as she did so. However, she was stopped in her tracks as she ran into someone, knocking her back and causing her to fall over onto the ground. As she sat up, she turned her glance up to find out who she had run into and she was met with a face she didn't expect to see. "Dad?!"
Sure enough, standing there in front of her was Norman. His clothes were completely black like the rest of the people in the city, he had his arms crossed tightly and he had a disapproving look on his face. "May… how did you allow it to come to this? Wally trusted you, he believed in you to help him become stronger, and this is what you did for him. You allowed him to push himself too far… and he paid the price for wanting to become as strong as you."
May felt her mouth open in shock at Norman's words, the tone in his voice making it clear as day how disappointed he was in her for what had happened. She quickly stood up with a despairing expression showing on her face and she shook her head rapidly. "No… I never wanted to do this to him. I only wanted to inspire him to become stronger. I didn't think it would come to this!"
It seemed that Norman wasn't finished, however, as he kept that disapproving gaze on her, one she believed she would never see. "This is your fault, May Maple. You allowed this to happen to him, and now his parents are suffering because of your foolish actions. I feel ashamed to have ever called you my daughter…" He slowly shook his head during this last statement, and then he turned and began to walk away while May could only stare in horror at what she had just heard, and she quickly reached a hand out at him as she cried out.
"No, Dad! I never meant for this to happen. Please, don't leave me!" Her cries fell on deaf ears as Norman payed no notice of her; he simply stepped back into the Gym, the door slamming shut behind him. As May slowly lowered her hand with no idea of what to do, she was met with the sound of a voice she didn't recognise, one that sounded like a twisted amalgamation of her worst nightmares.
"Do you see now what you have done, May? One of your close friends is gone, having lost his life from wanting to become as strong as you are. His parents will never forgive you for your crimes and now even your father has abandoned you. All of this has happened because of one thing: you allowed this to happen!"
May felt her eyes begin to fill with tears once more at the sound of that twisted voice reaching her eyes, and she shook her head. "No… I never meant for any of this to happen. I didn't want to do this!"
"Yet you still did. Your strength has not only cost you one of your close friends, it's cost you your precious brother. The boy you promised to protect with your life, the boy who you inspired to become stronger, the boy who's lost his life because of you!"
As this was followed up with the sound of sinister laughter, May covered her ears with both hands to try and drown out the sound, but it didn't seem to be working. She could hear that twisted laughter loud and clear, cruelly reminding her of her crimes and what she could never take back no matter how hard she tried. As the laughter continued, May collapsed to her knees with an expression of despair on her face and her eyes filled with tears; she had been pushed to her breaking point. "Please… make it stop! I can't take anymore! I'M SORRY!"
"AAAHHH!" Right at that moment, May found herself broken out of the nightmare and that she was once again in her room in her small house in Littleroot Town. Clutching the blanket tightly in her hands, May could only let out rapid and heavy breaths as she felt her heart pounding in her chest and sweat drops running down her face. After a few seconds passed, May slowly turned her head to look out the window and she saw that morning had arrived. Once she noticed this, May breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Ohh… what a nightmare…" She then climbed out of her bed to place the blanket back correctly, and then she made her way over to the small desk in the corner of the room and grabbed her hairbrush out to start brushing her hair. As she was looking at her reflection in the mirror, she turned her glance down to think over what she had just experienced.
"It may have been just a nightmare, but… it felt so real. It all did; getting that message, seeing Wally's coffin, even…" May's voice slowly trailed into near silence once she realised what she was saying. "Even hearing those words, including Dad's…" As she turned her glance back up to look at her reflection in the mirror, she could suddenly see flashes of the nightmare she had just experienced. She could see it all: seeing Wally's coffin in his home, learning about how it happened, seeing his funeral proceeding, Norman abandoning and disowning her right to her face and… hearing that voice in her ears right when she had reached her breaking point.
"This is all your fault!"
May let out a gasp of shock upon hearing that voice echo and she took another look in the mirror to see her reflection, nothing else. She let out a sigh of relief upon seeing this, but then that relief quickly faded as a thought she hadn't considered crossed her mind. "I know it was just a nightmare, but… what if it really isn't? What if something has happened to Wally and that nightmare was a warning? What if… I've caused something terrible to happen to him?" With those worrying thoughts spiralling through her mind, May quickly jumped on her feet as she knew she only had one choice. "I have to go see him right now!" So without a moment to spare, she rushed over to her wardrobe to grab her clothes out.
A little later, May was completely dressed and she was rushing down the staircase as she had just finished tying the bandana around her hair. As she arrived at the bottom of the staircase, her mum turned to see her and showed a bright smile. "Oh, good morning, May! I've just finished making breakfast. Would you like me to serve you some?"
May quickly turned her head to her mum upon hearing her voice and rushed over to the front door, looking back at her as she opened it. "Sorry, Mum! Sounds great, but I have to get going. It's important!" Without a moment to spare, May ran outside slamming the door behind her in the process. Once she was clear out, her mum could only stare in surprise, wondering what could have May worked up.
With May, she was rushing down the route leading into Oldale Town and once she arrived in the small town, she turned the corner leading down onto Route 102 before resuming her running, feeling her heart racing in her chest as she did so. She had to get to Petalburg City and see Wally. She had to make he was okay. 'Please… tell me that Wally is okay. Tell me that nothing has happened to him…' Feeling those desperate thoughts running her head, May continued her rush towards Petalburg City, not planning on stopping until she got to where Wally's house was. It didn't take her long to arrive in Petalburg City and she could see that the whole area was vibrant in colour with the sunlight shining down, a stark contrast from the barren image she had seen in her nightmare. As she stopped and rested her hands against her legs to try and catch her breath, Norman was stepping out of the Gym and he showed a bright smile upon seeing her standing there, having suddenly arrived.
"Oh, hello, May. What brings you out here so early?" Upon hearing her dad's voice, May lifted her head up to see him walk over to her and it didn't take long for him to notice her looking out of breath, to which he showed an expression of concern. "May, are you alright?"
After taking a few more seconds to catch her breath, May stood upright before turning around to face Norman. "Sorry about me suddenly coming, Dad. But I need to pay Wally a visit. I have to make sure he's alright!" Without a moment to spare, May started to rush off to find Wally's parents' house, while Norman watched in surprise.
"What could have happened to make May so worried about him?" Norman wondered to himself, keeping his attention on the direction May had sped off in, wondering why she was feeling so worked up.
Back with May, she had arrived at the front door of the house she was looking for. She could see that there were no people standing at the front, which was already a good sign. But she knew that there was only one way for her to be certain that she wasn't reliving her nightmare, so she placed a hand on her doorknob and swung the door open to see Wally's parents sitting together at the table and they both turned their heads to see her standing there, with his mum showing a bright smile. "Oh, hello, May. It's nice of you to visit."
May looked around the room to see that everything looked normal: there was no coffin in the centre, no people dressed in black and no sign of anything she had seen from her nightmare. She then turned her attention to Wally's parents as there was one more thing she wanted to be sure of. "Is… is Wally here?"
The two nodded in confirmation before his mum pointed towards the staircase. "He's up in his room waiting for you. He said that he's looking forward to you two going back to the Battle Resort together. He told us all about how well you've both been battling together!" As that seemed to be all the answer she needed, May made her way over to the staircase to get to Wally's room and find out if he was really okay, if he hadn't suffered like he did in her nightmare.
As May arrived at the top of the staircase and into the room she was looking for, she stopped dead in her tracks when she was met with a wonderful sight: standing there, having just finished getting his things ready to head back to the Battle Resort, was Wally. After a few seconds, Wally turned around to see May standing there and he showed a bright smile upon seeing her. "Oh, good morning, May! You could come after all. It looks like we're ready to go to the Battle Resort together." He was then met with a surprise as May stood there, not giving a reply. She simply had the biggest smile of relief he had ever seen from her. Taking notice, Wally showed an expression of concern. "Are you alright, May? What's the matter?"
May could only stare in amazement at what she was seeing: Wally was indeed standing right in front of her, looking just as strong and happy as he had been since starting his journey. There were no signs of him suffering like she saw in her nightmare; his skin was its natural, his colours were all vibrant like they always were and before he had taken notice of the fact that something was wrong, he had a bright smile on his face just like how she always saw him. Upon seeing that her nightmare hadn't been brought to life in any way, May started to feel tears of relief building in her eyes. "Wally…" After a few seconds passed, May rushed over to him while he stared in surprise, wondering what had gotten into her. "Wally! You're okay!" Once she had gotten close enough, May threw her arms around him tightly, refusing to let go as if she was afraid of losing him again.
Wally could only stare in surprise at what he was seeing before he turned his glance over to May as she kept her arms around him. "Of course I'm okay. What do you think happened to me?" May let go of him to turn her attention to him, and it was visible for Wally to see that she had tears built up in her eyes. "I should probably ask if something happened to you."
May gave a few sniffles as she struggled to find her voice. "I had the worst nightmare last night. You pushed yourself too hard to be as strong as me, and I got a message saying to come here, and when I got here…" She felt tears rebuilding in her eyes as she could recall the nightmare playing in her mind. "I found out that you had passed away." Wally felt his eyes go wide in shock at this statement, and before he could find any words to give a response, May continued. "Then everyone here had your funeral… and they said that… it was my fault that it happened to you. That I caused you to push yourself too hard, and that you paid the price for it…" Feeling her voice starting to break at the memories, May buried her face in her hands as she began to sob, feeling unable to continue with her recollection.
Wally could only stare in stunned silence at what he had just heard, that May had experienced something as terrible as that. He found it hard to believe that this was the reason she had arrived in a hurry; she was so afraid for him, so afraid that she had caused something bad to happen to him all because of her being his inspiration. After a few seconds, Wally turned his attention to May as she was sobbing and placed a hand on her shoulder, prompting her to look up at him. "May… I don't think I have any idea how any of that could have happened. But I do know for sure that nothing could happen to me because of your actions. You've helped me see just how strong I can be, what me and my Pokemon's limits are, what we can do when we work together. You even helped me catch my first Pokemon. It's thanks to you that I've gotten as far as I have, and there's still so much more we can do. And we have you to thank for all of it."
May stared at Wally in silence for a few moments before she reached up to brush the tears out of her eyes with a smile of relief crossing her face. She now felt so glad that nothing in her nightmare had come to pass, because she couldn't imagine herself having anything to do with what happened to Wally now. She had done more good than harm for him, and that was something she couldn't forget. After a few seconds, May turned her attention back to him. "Thank you, Wally. I guess I've just been so afraid if something happened to you, I would lose my little brother." She quickly covered her mouth upon realising what she had just said, but it seemed she was a bit too late as Wally was staring in amazement at what he had heard her say.
"D-did you just call me… your little brother?" As she lowered her hands from her mouth, May let out a sigh before nodding in confirmation.
"Yeah… I know I haven't said this before, but from the day I met you, I considered you to be someone I wanted to protect. You were just so sweet and soft-spoken that I felt won over by you. I wanted to support you and show you how strong you can be. I wanted to be able to inspire you through everything I do. And I guess, more than anything else, I wanted to tell you that I felt this way much sooner, but I never felt sure of what I should say. So… I've always seen you that way, Wally, and I still do." May felt a bright smile cross her face as she finished her explanation and she kept her attention on Wally to hear what he had to say. He could only stare in silent amazement for a few moments before giving his reply.
"May… I've actually wanted to do the same thing for as long as I can remember. But I always felt unsure of how you would feel if you knew that I felt that way about you. But, knowing you feel the same way, it's all I could ever ask for." May quickly felt her smile grow in delight and she wrapped her arms around Wally tightly, while he was silent for a few moments before doing the same; right now, the only thing that mattered to the two was that they would stay by each other's side, not just as close friends, but also as siblings. After a few seconds, the two let go of each other with Wally being the first to speak.
"So… should we head to the Battle Resort now?" May showed a big smile before nodding in agreement.
"I thought you'd never ask." So with this, the two made their way over to the staircase to head out of the house and set off towards the Battle Resort. They were looking forward to a new day of battling together, and this time, they were aiming to make it to the Battle Chatelaines.