I wanted to start this story for a while now but postponed it because I didn't know how. Now that I have an idea, I'm ready with the first episode.
There's going to be fifteen episodes in total. The story is set in 2017 and in a universe in which people can't possess and travel with pokémon until they're eighteen. Johto is still May's third region here, but she'll be in her mid-twenties instead of her preteens because—let's face it—there's only so much children can do in mature stories. Those of you who read my work know I can get really, really dark. It'll get rated-T dark in this one.
I'm combining themes from Like No One Ever Was, Pokémon Emerald: The Adventures of Nadine, and The Korrova Region (a discontinued story that will be deleted by the time you read this) into this, so you bet it's going to be a fun ride. I won't know if this is going to be a scheduled ongoing story like the rest of my projects until I get feedback; so if you want more episodes, follow and review! If not, then expect the updates to be sporadic. I want to focus on the stories you enjoy, after all. Everything else will matter when I feel like it matters.
Without further ado, here's the first episode! Enjoy.
NOTE: Pokédex entries were provided by ORAS flavor text.
May couldn't breathe. Johto was a beautiful region, and she was only viewing it from the distance. The ferry drew closer and closer to New Bark Town's docks, which were packed with boats and crew. But what attracted May's attention most was the mountain beside them. Its point extended to the clouds, concealed by shadow and fog. What wasn't hidden sparkled in the sunlight.
She will go to that mountain, May vowed to herself. She wanted to see the world? Imagine how much of she'd see from up there.
Once the ferry hit metal, May practically ran out of the ship. She waved at every sailor and citizen she passed and explored the streets and avenues. There were more trees than buildings, and the buildings that were present were made of wood and brick. It was like going back in time when things were simpler.
But May had a promise to fulfill. She arrived at Johto at one o'clock in the afternoon. Now it was almost three. As soon as she entered the town's pokémon center, she rushed to a computer and dialed her landline. A smile stretched across her face when her family appeared on the screen.
"May!" Caroline sighed. "Thank goodness you're alright."
"Are you alright, May?" Norman asked.
"Yeah," May confirmed slowly, confused by her parents' gravity. "Sorry, I didn't call sooner. I was exploring the town."
"See, guys, May's fine!" Max threw his hands up. "I don't know why you guys were so worried. How's Johto, May?"
"Johto's beautiful!" May exhaled. "You guys have to come here sometime. It's amazing!"
"We've been there before, May," Caroline placed a hand on Norman's shoulder. "But we know what you mean. Your father and I miss Johto sometimes."
"But we're content here in Hoenn," Norman interjected. "Have you spoken to Professor Elm yet?"
"No, I'm going there later," May answered. "Is everything alright?"
"Yes, of course, honey!" Caroline assured. "As long as you're safe, everything will be fine."
"Okay," May nodded. She wasn't convinced but didn't want to press further. If there was nothing to worry about, she wouldn't worry.
"I gotta go train Gallade," Max waved at his sister. "Kick ass, May! We'll be cheering you on from Hoenn!"
"Max!" Caroline scolded, but her son ran off before she could reprimand his language. She shook her head and returned to May. "Excusing your brother's profanity, we will support you, dear. Just tell us if you need anything, and we'll be there for you."
"Literally anything, May," Norman added. "If things get too difficult there, I'll come and bring you home myself."
"Thanks, Dad, but I'll be fine. I promise," May assured. "I love you, guys."
"We love you too, sweetie," Caroline responded. "Take care, okay?"
"I will."
Once the call ended, May contentedly approached the front desk to register for this year's contests. From Hoenn, Norman and Caroline engaged in a pressing conversation.
"She'll be fine, Norman," Caroline assured. "It's been over twenty years. I'm sure that bird has given up its search."
"We don't know that for sure, Caroline," Norman remarked. He raked his scalp. "How could we allow her to go back there?"
"No one has seen it for years," Caroline responded. "And we raised May to be a strong, intelligent woman. She'll take care of herself."
Norman sighed and took his wife's hands. "Let's hope so."
Caroline pulled him into her arms and squeezed.
~.~
Professor Elm's lab wasn't far from the pokémon center. May didn't even need to use a navigation system. The lab was the large building beside a magnificent beach. More importantly, close to the mountain she aspired to explore.
May was jogging to her destination when a small pink creature intercepted her path. A man with long red hair and a weavile dashed close behind it.
"Give it back!" the man demanded.
May stopped and watched them disappear. The man sounded angry. Whatever that pokémon stole from him was probably very valuable. But she didn't have time to keep watching. She had to get to the lab so she could get to that mountain.
Ten minutes later, May knocked on the lab's entrance. The glimmering ocean pulled her into a spell until a skinny man in his fifties opened the door.
"May!" he beamed. "You've grown so much!"
"I-I'm sorry," May blinked. "Have we met before?"
"Yes, but you were a baby, so I wouldn't expect you to remember me," the man offered his hand. "I'm Professor Elm. I was a friend of your parents when they still lived here."
"That's so cool!" May met his handshake. "My parents are friends with two pokémon scientists."
"Birch being the other one, correct?"
"Yeah!"
"How wonderful!" Elm jeered. "How is he?"
"He's doing alright," May answered. "He told me to give you his best regards."
"I'll give him a call tonight," Elm decided. "In the meantime, why don't you come inside? Let me prepare you for your journey."
Elm's laboratory was significantly different from Birch's. It looked more like a house than a structure conducting research. A cup of hot chocolate offered by Elm's assistant accentuated this feeling, as did the fireplace in the middle of the office. January began this year with a light layer of snow. But May couldn't feel the frost. She was warmed by her awe and excitement.
"Here's your pokédex, May," Elm handed back her device. "I know pokédexes are absolute now that almost everything can be done with a smartphone, but I assure you this is more efficient than the app."
"Thanks, Professor," May regarded. "It'll come handy when I meet new pokémon."
"Speaking of pokémon, I'm sorry I can't provide you one right now," Elm apologized. "I distributed the ones I had to new trainers yesterday. There are a lot more of them now than ever. Though Johto is a bit behind on technological advances, our youth are tempted enough to make that big decision."
"I don't blame them," May admitted. "I still remember getting my Torchic after graduating high school. My life wasn't the same after that. I always wanted to travel the world, and having pokémon granted that wish."
"Oh?" Elm grinned. "You want to travel the world?"
"Yeah," May nodded. "That's why I was so excited to come to Johto. The first place I want to go to is that mountain over there."
She and Elm approached the window displaying her desired destination. The sight of it made Elm frown.
"I wouldn't go there, May," he said. "It's incredibly dangerous."
May whipped her head to him. "Huh?"
"That's Mt. Silver," Elm informed. "It used to be an attraction for tourists, but then people started to disappear from there. Every time authorities show up, no one can be found. The strange mystery is why some speculate the place is haunted."
May tried her hardest to look concerned, but in the inside, she was tempted more than ever to explore the landmark. A mystery was only a mystery until disproven by fact, and she wasn't going to get the facts by evading the problem. Beauty was always worth the risk. Being a coordinator taught her that.
She and the professor engaged in friendly conversation until May dismissed herself to venture the town. Elm made her promise not to go to the mountain, and she pretended to comply just to get him off her back. She dropped off her baggage in her hotel room before heading west.
Imagine what the sunset would look like from Mt. Silver.
~.~
The redheaded man May saw earlier was named Silver. He and his companion were indeed pursuing the pink creature because his crystal was in her hands. As efficient as Silver was in devising tactics, the cleffa was as sharp as he was. She wouldn't succumb to his traps. He had to take her down with force.
Why was this crystal important to him? Because it would help him find his father. Silver might have sent his dad away when he was sixteen; but now that he was two years from being thirty, he saw things differently. More so now that his mother had a drastic change of heart.
Silver didn't realize where the cleffa was leading him until a chill ran up his spine. Mt. Silver was looming over him. He didn't believe its curse but knew better than to near it. People had disappeared from the location; that was a fact. But he had no choice. The thief was already ascending the mountain.
His boots might have kept him from slipping, but it wasn't the snowy path that concerned him. The winter season darkened the skies too quickly. He could turn around and continue his search tomorrow, but he couldn't risk losing the crystal. He risked his life to get it.
"Go on without me, Weavile," Silver commanded. "We need to get that crystal before the sun sets."
Weavile nodded and sped toward their small but nimble target. Silver followed quickly but not enough to expel excess energy. Although the path was at the bottom of the mountain, it was a long way down.
~.~
Ahead and higher up than Silver was May. Silver's chase led him around before he arrived at the mountain. May went straight there. So far, she wasn't regretting it. She was far from the top yet could see all of New Bark from where she stood.
Hiking uphill was challenging but kept her warm in the lowering temperature. She debated coming back tomorrow to have a whole day to trek but didn't want today's efforts to go to waste. She was going to spend the entire year collecting ribbons and training for the grand festival. Even if she did want to come back, she wouldn't be able to take the time without rousing suspicion. She didn't want anyone to worry about her. A woman almost twenty-five years old deserved more credit than that.
May was about to go around another loop when a bolt of electricity missed her face. Her back hit the snow hard, knocking the wind out of her. She regained her senses and got up before another one struck her. They weren't ordinary bolts, she realized. They were Thunderbolts.
"S-Stop it!" she demanded. "Who's there?"
Another bolt sent her flying off the path, but May managed to catch the edge and hang there. "Help!" she screamed. "Somebody! Please!"
A final Thunderbolt struck her between her hands, forcing her to let go. Her scream pierced the air until she crashed into a cold river.
~.~
"Vile!"
Silver ran until he spotted Weavile diving into a gap. The pokémon Slashed the crevice, but then the cleffa leaped out, headbutted him, and ran down the mountain.
"Damn it!" Silver cursed as the star shape pokémon fled. "Weavile, go!"
Weavile passed him and took off. Silver wanted to follow, but his body collapsed and didn't move. It was tired and not as immune to the cold as his companion's was. But he couldn't stop now. If he did, he wouldn't just lose the crystal; he would lose his father.
Silver grunted and stood back up. That crystal would be his again. Even if he died trying.
"Help!"
Silver stopped.
"Somebody! Please!"
He rushed to the edge to see May dangling a level above him. A Thunderbolt then struck her hands and sent her plummeting into the river below.
"No!" he cried. The river flowed slowly but was cold and a long distance from where May had fallen. If the fall didn't kill May, then the cold and the depth would.
Silver cursed and gripped his hair. Something had attacked this woman for her to drop into the bank. Now he was conflicted with three things: regaining the crystal, saving May, and defending himself from an attacker. His first thought was to flee and follow Weavile. It would return him to his search and save himself from being another victim. But then May would die.
The redhead didn't know what had come over him, but he glided down the slopes to the river. He also didn't call his feraligatr to get May; he dove into the water himself. The sheer cold of the stream momentarily paralyzed him. But then he regained the strength to move when he spotted May and dragged her out of the current.
Silver couldn't stop shaking as he pulled them into the shore. Once May was laid flat, he pinched her nose and puffed air into her mouth. He scolded himself for being so stupid. He risked the crystal and his own life to save this woman, and she might have already been dead as soon as she hit the water. Maybe his stubbornness kept him from stopping what he started. But if that was the case, why did he halt his chase for someone he didn't even know?
On the twelfth kiss, May coughed and hacked water out of her lungs. Silver sat and watched the result of his efforts. May was shivering, just like he was. Then, when her vision cleared, she looked at her savior.
"You, idiot!" Silver screamed.
May fell back.
"Why are you here?" he demanded. "This area is restricted!"
"Don't yell at me!" May barked, her voice cracking from the cold. "You're here too!"
"Because I had to be! I was looking for something!" Silver seethed. "But now it's gone because I had to save you!"
May gasped and actually looked at him. He was the man she saw chasing the pink creature earlier. If what he was saying was true, then that meant she had caused him to lose his target.
"I'm sorry," she croaked.
Silver groaned and kicked a nearby rock. May took a poké ball from her pack and threw it in the air.
"Blaziken, come on out!"
A tall bipedal chicken with flaming wrists shot out from the sphere and materialized behind May. Once the pokémon spotted her freezing trainer, he took her into his arms.
"Can you carry him too, Blaziken?" May pointed to Silver. "We both need to get out of here."
Blaziken looked down at the redhead and knelt down. Silver was skeptical at first. Then, after deciding he didn't want to freeze to death, allowed the blaze pokémon to carry him on his back.
Two platforms higher than the one May had been on, a yellow mouse gathered static in his cheeks. He waited for another command to attack, but the order he got instead was to stop.
"Let them go," a deep, masculine voice directed. "She'll be back."
Dark brown eyes narrowed at May and her companions escaping.
"They always come back."
~.~
The fire and fighting pokémon didn't have to travel far until the trio was at the foot of the mountain path. May was ready to go back to her hotel, but Silver insisted he continued his pursuit.
"I need to find my pokémon and the thief," he said. "Now leave."
"Wait, hold on!" May called out. "You're soaking wet, and it's cold outside. You'll freeze to death!"
"I've already wasted enough time with you," Silver snapped. "Now go!"
His words hurt May's feelings, but May pretended it didn't and stood her ground. "I'm not going to let you die out here. Not after you saved my life."
"I said leave!"
The outburst was loud enough for Weavile to find his trainer. He gave May and Blaziken a wary look before regarding his redheaded companion.
"Did you find it?" Silver demanded.
"Weav," Weavile shook his head. He didn't find cleffa, Silver interpreted. He stopped the search when he realized his trainer disappeared.
"Damn it," Silver clenched his fists. He gritted his teeth before kicking the snow behind him. "Damn it!"
"L-Listen."
The man whipped to May. The brunette was trembling for more than one reason now.
"After we change clothes," May proposed, "I'll help you find the thief."
"I don't need your help," Silver stated.
"Please," May begged, entwining her hands below her chin. "You helped me more than I could ever repay. Now let me help you."
Silver gritted his teeth but considered her words. As much as he preferred to work alone, he did risk losing the crystal to save her ass. The least she could do was make up for it.
"Fine," Silver complied. "But let's make it quick. I want to find that cleffa before night comes."
"A cleffa?" May asked. "Is it native to this region?"
"Yeah."
May dug into her bag until she got her pokédex. Fortunately, it was waterproof like her phone and was able to describe the pokémon in question.
"Cleffa, the star shape pokémon," it started. "On nights with many shooting stars, cleffa can be seen dancing in a ring. They dance through the night and stop only at the break of day, when these pokémon quench their thirst with the morning dew."
"So these pokémon are active at night," May concurred. She looked up to the sky. It was turning dark blue.
"It said a night with shooting stars," Silver remarked. "Do you see shooting stars?"
"They're active at night. That's a start," May stated, irked by his tone. "Let's change quickly. I know someone that can give us more information."
~.~
"You want to know about cleffas?" Elm asked.
"Yes," May confirmed. "One stole something that belongs to him," she gestured at the redheaded man beside her, "and we want to find it as soon as possible."
She and Silver were in Professor Elm's office. Silver was obviously hesitant when May guided him to Elm's lab but didn't explain why. Elm also showed discontent meeting Silver but also didn't explain why.
"Stolen, huh?" Elm crossed his arms. "I know how that feels."
"Can you help us or not?" Silver growled.
Elm shot him a glare, which Silver returned, before turning to May. "Well, it's a good thing you got to me before I closed the lab. I'm more than happy to help."
"I'm sorry; have you two met before?" May asked. She wanted to focus on finding the cleffa, but the tension between the professor and her savior was suffocating.
"That's not important," Silver glared harder at the professor. "Time is running out. If you really want to help us, then help!"
"Hey!" May scolded.
"No, it's fine, May," Elm excused. He turned back to Silver, whom his expression became grave. "I will help you, but on one condition."
"What?"
"You and I are going to have a chat later."
Silver clenched his fists. The last thing he wanted to do was talk to this geezer. But what choice did he have? The man was a pokémon professor. If anybody had information about cleffa, it was him.
"Fine," Silver conceded.
Elm smirked and uncrossed his arms. "Cleffas, clefairies, and clefables inhabit a cave not far from the town," he informed. "Your cleffa might be hiding there."
"Where's the cave?" Silver asked.
"There's a hidden passage in the rock behind Lemony Lake. You can sneak in at about eight o'clock. The moon will be high enough for the pokémon there to start their nightly dancing."
"I thought cleffas only dance when there are shooting stars," May commented.
"These pokémon like to be active as long as the moon is out," Elm educated. "Especially in the winter when the moon is higher, and the weather is colder. The moon energizes them while their dancing warms them."
"That...makes sense," May nodded. "So we go there at eight?"
"Yes, and right now, it's...fifteen minutes before eight," Elm checked his watch. "You two might want to get going."
"Thanks so much, Professor!" May bowed cordially.
"You're welcome, May," Elm grinned. "As for you, young man," he pointed at Silver, "come back tomorrow morning."
Silver shot him a final glare before running away.
"Thanks again!" May bowed again before sprinting after Silver.
When the younger adults exited the lab, Elm crossed his arms. How did a gym leader's daughter get involved with a criminal?
~.~
If the mission wasn't so urgent, May would've reveled at how Lemony Lake look like it was sprinkled with diamonds. Johto still took her breath away, even if it almost killed her a few hours ago. But she wouldn't tell her parents about that. Elm was the one that worried her. She didn't know how close he was to her parents but had a feeling he was acting as a babysitter for them. One bad word from him, and she was going back to Hoenn.
"H-Hey," May called out to Silver.
"What?"
"Can you do me a favor and not tell Professor Elm we were in Mt. Silver?" she asked. "He knows my parents."
"Fine, whatever," Silver grunted. "We're here."
Indeed, there was a passage behind Lemony Lake's rock. The pokémon within kicked and twirled in what appeared to be a foreign ballroom dance. The full moon shone through the opening above them, illuminating the setting with white light.
"There it is!" Silver pointed. Indeed, Silver's thief was dancing in the middle of the ceremony. She raised and waved its possession, a small oval crystal, in the air as if it would trigger something in the gem.
"Is that your crystal?" May asked.
"Yes," Silver muttered. "Don't tell anyone I have it. Just help me get it back."
"Okay," May agreed. "So how are we getting the crystal?"
"We can't attack because we'd be surrounded," Silver said. "We need a diversion."
"Wait, hold on," May stopped. "Have you tried asking for it back?"
"Of course I have, dumbass," Silver snapped. "It didn't work."
"Well did it occur to you that it's because you're an asshole?" May hissed. Silver rolled his eyes, making her fume even more.
"Well, what are you suggesting?" Silver demanded. "You want to ask the pink cult worshipping my property nicely to return what their leader stole from me?"
"I'll ask," May proposed. "They'll probably kill you if you do it."
"Fine, then go," Silver jerked his head. "But don't expect me to save you when those pests eat you alive."
May stuck out her tongue before slipping inside. Silver watched as the pokémon immediately noticed her presence. Some were surprised, some were delighted, and a few were angry at the intrusion. When May got within arm's reach of the thief, the crystal did something nobody expected.
It started to glow.
Silver's eyes widened as memories flickered in his head.
"What is that, ma'am?"
"It's that bird's crystal. If it is what I think it is, then we're one step closer to finding Giovanni."
The cleffa stepped back, and the crystal dimmed. When she took a step toward May, it lit up again.
"Why? What is it?"
"It's called a purity crystal. It glows in the presence of someone with a pure heart."
Cleffa and her companions cheered when the crystal continued to shine in May's hands. They started to dance again. This time, around the confounded May.
"How is this going to find Giovanni?"
"Giovanni established Team Rocket for the sole purpose of finding the pure-hearted person to defeat him. If we find the one with a pure heart, we'll find him."
Silver tread into the cave, unaware that the pokémon had stopped dancing. His eyes were only on May, who raised the gem to his vision and winked. The cleffa thief pointed to him and ordered her companions to attack; but the second May told them to stop, they did.
The redhead was in front of May now, staring down at her with a mixture of shock and awe. May waved the crystal at his face hoping to break his blank expression.
"I told you, you just had to ask nicely," she bragged. "Now say 'thank you.'"
She squeaked when her cheek hit his chest. Silver's arms were around her now, awkwardly pulling her toward him.
"Thank you," he whispered. "I...thank you."
May's cheeks flushed. That crystal must've really meant a lot to him if finding it got him to behave this way. She didn't know whether to be glad or afraid. One feeling did eventually surge through her mind: appreciation.
"You're welcome."
~.~
May didn't know how and why she and Silver left without resistance but didn't care. Their mission was complete; Silver got his crystal back. What she couldn't figure out was why he was eyeing her more than his treasure.
"I know you're thankful and everything," May said as they walked past the lake, "but you're kinda freaking me out with the staring, you know?"
Silver finally realized what he was doing and looked away. "Sorry."
"And now that I think about it," May added, "I don't think I got your name. You heard mine when Professor Elm said it earlier. Can I know yours?"
Silver gave her a long, careful look. Then, very quietly, replied with, "Silver."
"What?"
"Silver."
"Like the mountain that almost killed us," May sighed. "But you're not like the mountain," she beamed at him. "Well, you're kind of like the mountain. Your cold, dark, and your words bite like frost bite. Hahaha, get it?" When Silver said nothing, she blushed and continued, "Anyway, despite all that, you're better than the mountain. You can be mean sometimes, but on the inside, you're a really nice guy. You almost lost your crystal to save me, after all. I can't thank you enough for that."
"You really believe that, don't you?" Silver asked. "That I'm a nice guy."
"Well you're not completely nice," May remarked. "But you can be! Who knows? Maybe you are, and I just don't know because we just met."
Silver faced the road ahead of them, deep in thought.
"Well if you need anything else, just let me know, okay?" May added. "You know where my hotel is. Wait, do you want my number to stay in touch?"
"Where are you going after this?"
"Huh?"
"Are you going to stay in New Bark Town?" Silver asked.
"I'm going to Cherrygrove City," May answered. "There's a contest there next Friday I want to compete in."
Silver narrowed his eyes. "Contest?"
"Yeah, I'm a pokémon coordinator," May explained. "I collect ribbons and compete in grand festivals to become a top coordinator. I've already competed in Hoenn and Kanto. Now I'm in Johto!"
"Are the contests broadcast to the public?" Silver asked.
"Yup! And grand festivals are broadcast around the world!"
May didn't notice it, but his expression completely stilled.
"How about you?" she asked. "Where are you going to go?"
"I'd like," Silver paused, "to come with you."
May gaped. "What?"
"I'd like to see what these contests are about," Silver added. "Can I accompany you to them?"
May blinked once, then twice. She didn't plan on traveling with anyone, much less with Silver. She didn't even think he would be interested in something as grandiose and ostentatious as pokémon coordinating. Nevertheless, she found herself not minding. She wouldn't have been able to compete or do anything if Silver didn't save her. All he asked in return was to know what it was like to be a coordinator. Who knows? Maybe she could hook him to be a coordinator himself.
"Alright!" May pumped a fist in the air. "We can leave tomorrow!"
~.~
Professor Elm wasn't as busy as Silver had hoped. As a matter of fact, the older man greeted him at the front of his laboratory. His arms were crossed, and his eyes regarded the redhead with a smug grin.
"I'm impressed you actually upheld your part of the deal," Elm commented as he led Silver inside.
"Well, I'm here," Silver grunted. "What do you want?"
"Have a seat."
Silver sat on one of the chairs in the kitchen. He leaned against the table as Elm turned on the coffee machine. The professor offered Silver a cup, but the guest declined and insisted he got on with their conversation. Elm frowned and sat across him.
"How do you know May?" he inquired.
"Why?"
"Can't I ask?"
"You can, but it's none of your business."
"Alright then," Elm sat up straight. "How about this: does May know who you are?"
"Ask her yourself," Silver remarked. "She might tolerate stupid questions like that."
Elm's cup slammed on the table. "Don't get smart with me, young man!"
"Then don't get dumb with me, old man."
"Alright, that's it," Elm stood up. "You want to get difficult? Fine, let's get difficult."
Silver smirked as the frustrated scientist stood before him. It was amusing watching the elder assert authority he didn't have.
"You're a criminal," Elm stated. "Fair and simple."
"I wanted to give you back the pokémon I stole from you, but you let me keep it," Silver reminded. "You can't call me a criminal if you pardoned my theft."
"But stealing one of my pokémon isn't the only terrible thing you've done," Elm pointed out.
"We've all done terrible things, old man," Silver rebutted. "Don't tell me you're completely innocent."
"I'm not, but at least I'm trying to be," Elm retorted. "And one of the ways I do that is looking out for my friends' daughter, who managed to get involved with a man with no manners and little to no regard for anyone or anything but himself!"
Silver almost punched him right then and there. If what the geezer was saying was true, then May would've been dead. The redhead was a lot of things but he wasn't selfish.
"Well, what are you going to do about it?" he stood and glared at Elm. "Tell May's parents about me?" He wouldn't waste time correcting the geezer. There were more pressing matters he needed to address that didn't include the professor's opinion.
"I just might," Elm dared, "if it keeps her safe from you."
"Then tell May first," Silver said. "Ask for her opinion before assuming she can't make her own decisions.'"
Elm narrowed his eyes. "I will."
Silver stormed out of the laboratory and slammed the door behind him. What a rude bastard, Elm cursed to himself. He couldn't believe he withheld the young man's identity the first time he saw him with May. He'd fix that now.
~.~
Silver waited outside the laboratory until May exited through its front door. She looked at him for a while as if analyzing him for the first time before smiling. "What?" he asked.
"He told me about what you did back then," May answered. "How you a stole a pokémon from his lab."
"Okay?" Silver stepped forward. "And?"
"And how you eventually tried to give it back to him," May added.
"Did he mention that?"
"Only when I asked."
"Okay," Silver crossed his arms. "So what do you think?"
"That you were a misguided kid that eventually made up for his mistakes," May tilted her head. "It's not something to keep a grudge over. Everyone has done something bad, so everyone deserves to be forgiven."
Silver's arms relaxed. "You really believe that."
"I do," May nodded. "Which is why I still want you to travel with me. Just don't tell anyone you are. If my parents find out I'm traveling alone with a boy, they'd kill me."
Silver huffed. "You need to cut the umbilical cord sometime, you know."
May pouted and hit him on the arm. It caught Silver by surprise, but he smirked when a grin spread across May's face.
"Let's just go," she said, walking ahead of him.
Silver tucked his hands in his pockets, a smirk still on his face, and followed.
And cut! Wow, what a great episode. Did you like it? I sure did.
Remember, if you want more of this series and soon, follow and review, so I know you want it! What did you like and didn't like? Excited to read about two opposites traveling together? What do you think Drew will do about May journeying with another man? Do you think May has what it takes to survive in this region?
Let me know, and I'll see you on the next episode!