May smiled as she took a moment to indulge herself in the music crooning from the in-wall speakers of the cozy Café Crooner in Mauville City, sipping her coffee as she did so. It was Thursday, and conveniently enough, it was the one day of the week where the customer count dipped considerably, which made it the perfect hangout spot for her, Wally and Brendan, who were fashionably late.

She put her coffee down and sighed, her three-seater table wedged between a few fake house plants and the wall. As much as she looked forward to catching up on things with her two best friends in the world, a pang of anxiety was hidden somewhere deep inside her. All she was thinking about recently was Steven Stone, the former champion of the Hoenn region. Of course, she had taken his righteous place as champion just a few months ago, but that didn't make him any less wonderful.

Another sigh escaped from her lips, glancing at the wall clock. Thirty minutes past one. She felt like leaving if another ten minutes passed by without any sign of the two. Suddenly, her mind was somewhere else as she wondered what it would be like if she invited Steven of all people over to the café. Would he be late as well? Or would he saunter in with a glint of confidence in his eyes, the exact moment the seconds hand reached "12"? He'd come to her table, with that air of cool dauntlessness, shaking her hand, maybe giving her a hug; then they'd chat for a while, keeping eye contact for a considerable part of the conversation, and after a while, they would gaze at each other longingly, and finally...

As soon as she realized who and what she was thinking about, she grew hot, her face flushing, and resisted the urge to slam her head on the café table and then proceed to pour the scalding-hot coffee over her bruised, battered and broken self. It's perfectly safe to assume I have a crush on him, if not a bit on the obsessive stalker side, the young woman thought to herself, and I don't think I can keep this bottled up forever. Today's a perfect opportunity to tell my friends. They'll keep this secret safe for me.

May took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her racing heart and primordial desires to throw coffee at herself. She knew her best friends would be here soon. They didn't need to see how red her face was. And of course, by a stroke of luck, a most-familiar rough voice rang in her ears. "Yo! May!"

Brendan was miraculously right in front of her, sporting his white knit cap as usual, along with Wally, a bit younger than the both of them, smiling sheepishly. They both held a croissant in their hands.

May's eyes widened. Was she so immersed in her thoughts that she didn't even notice her friends coming in? The two boys occupied the empty seats, putting their foodstuffs on the table. "Um," she started, trying to keep her composure, "hi, you guys. I didn't notice you two coming in here, sorry. But that's beside the point. I want to know what took you guys so long. You were supposed to be here thirty minutes ago!"

"Yeah," laughed Brendan, "I know. We were heading to Mauville, me on my Swellow, and Wally on his Talonflame, right? So anyways, Wally felt the onset of an asthma attack coming on, so we had to make a pit stop at Petalburg real quick to get his inhaler, and after he used it, he just sat there on top of his bed, not wanting to come out of his house until I finally talked him out of it. Crazy story, right?"

Now it was May's turn to laugh, with a bit of nervousness on the side. "Yep, crazy. Totally... ridiculous. Well, how was your day aside from that? Mine was okay, I woke up early and I was thinking about entering a Pokémon Contest Spectacular before coming here but then I decided against it and then — "

"Hold on, May," Wally spoke up, "you're talking too fast. I mean, there's nothing wrong with that, but... can you speak a little slower, please? It's like... you're trying to hide a secret or something."

The champion let out a low whistle. "Alright. I kind of... I kind of am. Well, it's - kind of... not a secret anymore, once I tell you guys. Just make sure nobody else knows. Please." She was very grateful the café only had a few people other than the staff and her small circle of friends in it, most of them being elderly, and none of them even recognizing the champion was breathing the same air as they were.

"...Yes?" Brendan and Wally were genuinely curious now. "Just make sure nobody else knows" along with a "please" added to it were not words to be taken lightly.

May took a deep breath once more, her heart beginning to race again as well. "You guys know... Steven Stone, right? The former Hoenn champion?"

The two boys nodded, eager to know more of whatever May was hiding.

"He's... dashing. Charming. A bit stoic and on the cold side sometimes, yeah, but I know he means well deep down. I mean, he cares for me! He's went ahead and helped me out of pretty tight situations before, so that really shows his morals and ethics!"

Brendan raised an eyebrow while Wally merely blinked. "And you're implying...?"

To May, "implying" clearly was not the right word to say, as she glowered. "I'm not implying anything! What I'm going to say to you is a fact! And you'd better keep this to yourselves, and if you tell this to him, I'm probably going to, I don't know, kill you both. Anyways," her voice was now a harsh whisper as she beckoned the two to come forward. "I have a crush on Steven Stone."

Brendan beamed, taking a deep breath. He looked like he was about to say something, but instead he forced himself to take a huge bite out of his croissant. Wally looked at him in bemusement, before turning to May and smiling.

"Well," started Wally, "that's wonderful. I mean, you've never really told me much about him, but it's great to not just keep that to yourself, I think."

"Yeah," May agreed, "it's pretty nice, letting my feelings loose like this. At least now I can kind of... freely talk about it without getting all flustered? I probably might get flustered, but anyways... can you guys excuse me? This coffee went right through me, I'll be back in a few..."

The champion excused herself from her chair and went looking for the restroom. Once she was out of earshot, Brendan swallowed his croissant piece and fist-pumped.

"Yes! Finally, she's gone! That means we can discuss our modus operandi, even if it's just for a few short minutes."

"Our what now?" Wally was beginning to get confused as Brendan shot him a disapproving glare.

"Our modus operandi. I mean, May and Steven are destined to be a couple! Like, their wedding was supposed to be yesterday!"

"But she just told us about her crush — "

"Okay, listen, Wally. You're really not getting it. Just because she just told us about her crush doesn't mean she hasn't been harboring a crush for Steven for a while now. I've seen the guy and how he works. That kind of style is enough to draw someone like May in. So what do you say we... set them up? I've heard Steven frequents the Mauville Food Court Friday afternoons, which is a shame, because May never goes. All we have to do is get them both there, we'll make sure those pesky kids don't take their seats, and they're all set."

Wally was silent for a while. "I guess that works. It's a bit crazy, but I think that can work."

Brendan smiled once more. "Well, it's good to know we're on the same team, buddy."

Afterwards, May came back with a puzzled look on her face as she studied her two friends' facial expressions. They looked like they were both part of an inside joke they had created.

"Uhh, so do you guys care to fill me in on whatever? I wasn't gone for that long, you know..."

Brendan gave Wally a knowing smirk. "Yeah, May. Look, it's fine. Just guy stuff. Nothing you need to know about. Yet."

"What was that?" The champion had asked, sipping on more of her coffee.

The two boys stared at her blankly, feigning the slightest hint of ignorance and innocence. The soft music had been playing long enough for the trio to not really care about it anymore, and the other customers were eating in silence — granted, the majority of them were elders, anyways — and the baristas didn't seem to care very much either, which made it an awkward environment for May. She scowled, muttering something about auditory hallucinations and uttered a quick apology to her two friends.

"Well," she started, pretending that the period of awkward silence had never happened at all, "what do you want to talk about? Surely, there are a lot of interesting things you two have done since our last meetup. Right?"

"Yes," said Wally, "we certainly have done some terribly interesting things." In a desperate attempt to keep the conversation going, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "You know, like, right now! We're planning to make someone and this other person meet up in a really great place!"

Brendan nudged him very hard in the ribs. "Great going, pal! May will be on to us pretty soon, and then she'll figure out that she's the one being played!" he whispered harshly.

Fortunately for the both of them, May was oblivious and quite piqued about this scheme — paying no mind to Brendan's whispering. "Really? That's so cool! You guys should really include me in your plans next time. The responsibilities and stress of being a League Champion can really get to you. But anyways, I want to know more about this! Who are the two people you're trying to set up? Maybe I know them!"

A devious chuckle escaped from Brendan as he grinned. "Maybe. I'd rather not elaborate here, though. You see, Wally and I have to leave soon. We, uhh, really, really hate to cut it short."

"We do?" Wally asked, while Brendan mouthed "shut up".

"Oh, alright," May said despondently, "but that wasn't even thirty minutes! You sure you have to leave now?"

"Yep, yep," Brendan nodded, having to clasp a hand over Wally's mouth for a brief moment to prevent any further objections. "Really important business. Top-secret. Even more secret than that, actually."

The champion huffed. "Really? If it's that important, you can go ahead and leave. But... when will we discuss the plans, then? Next week seems too far away."

"Okay, fine. All I can tell you is that tomorrow at one in the afternoon we'll all meet up in the Mauville Food Court, okay? Take the very first four-seater you see — that's where Wally and I will sit, and then discuss what'll happen there."

"Great!" May was elated. "That's wonderful! I'll see you guys tomorrow, then."

Brendan smiled. "Yeah. Sorry we had to leave so early, though." He got up and ushered Wally and himself outside, giving his best friend an over exaggerated wave as he left.

"Perfect," he said to Wally once the two boys were a considerable distance away from the café, "all we need to do is wait for tomorrow. This is the stuff of romance novels, bud, and I can't believe it'll be coming true."

12:59, May's PokéNav read. She was a minute early, and she didn't mind. The Mauville Food Court was packed almost every day of the week, with Friday afternoons being an odd exception.

Nearly running into a child on the way there (and apologizing immediately after), May sighed with relief knowing that the very first four-seater she saw was just a short distance away. She gallantly walked towards it, deciding that her eyes should be closed for this very moment, hoping every step of the way that Wally and Brendan really were there and not just some weird creep.

May opened her eyes and found Steven Stone, former champion of Hoenn and her crush, was sitting in that particular table.

Oh, it's just Stev—wait, what?! She panicked internally. Nobody informed her of this! Looking at Steven, and then the table, and then at Steven again, it slowly dawned on her that she was the one being set up with another person.

After a few minutes of severely questioning her life choices and asking herself why did she think it was a good idea to go through any of this (although to her, it seemed like hours), she was pulled out of her reverie by none other than Steven, voicing his concern. "May? Are you alright? You were staring at me for quite a time there, and now you're staring at the wall."

"Ah!" she let out a very forced nervous chuckle. "It's nothing, nothing. I was just wondering about something. It's not important. I'm sorry about that, though. So much for a proper greeting. So I'll try that again. Hi, Stev–ugh!" She tried to sit down on her chair across from him and somehow missed, sitting on the floor instead, overcome with anxiety.

"Er, hello, May," Steven titled his head in concern, "are you sure you're fine? You just, dare I say it, missed your chair."

"Yes, I'm fine!" May was insistent now, almost to the point of screeching. She picked herself up and sat down on her chair. "I'm better than ever! It's just that I didn't expect to see you here today."

Steven smiled. "I didn't either, honestly. I was actually going to invite you over sometime next week, but I suppose this coincidental encounter will be good enough. I haven't seen you in a while, though. Care to inform me of whatever you've been doing?"

"Yes, of course," the current champion said, trying very hard to maintain her composure and started to babble, "well, yesterday, I went to Café Crooner to meet up with my friends and I told 'em I liked you, and the day before that I battled some kids who were adamant to become the next champion; even though I proved them wrong!"

A nod. "Interesting, interesting. Um, actually, can you repeat that statement again?"

May froze. Did she say something she wasn't supposed to say? She was so caught up in looking at his dreamy face, that —

Oh no. I did say it, didn't I?

She frowned, hoping that he wasn't asking about what she thought she meant. She forced yet another nervous chuckle. "I, uh, battled some little ruffians who were adamant—"

"No, the one before that."

Every single possible curse word intruded her thoughts as she braced herself for what was to come. Of course she had to go ahead and reveal what her feelings really were before she was ready. "Yesterday, at Café Crooner, I met up with my friends, and I told them that... I liked you."

A period of silence came after that, as she started to worry. She studied Steven's face during that brief moment: he avoided eye contact with her, his eyes shifting, and after some musing, he sighed.

Pangs of anxiety rushed through May. He was going to reject her, and she knew it. Her life as she knew it was over.

She decided to patch up the awkward moment with another statement. "I mean, me liking you doesn't mean the feeling has to be mutual. We can still be friends if you'd like! At the very least—"

"May." Steven's voice was gentle, not at all what she was expecting. Her voice trailed off and allowed him to speak.

He didn't know how to react. He exhaled and looked at her.

"The very first time we met in that cave, I knew we had a special connection. You were just a rookie back then — a fledgling trainer, eager and lucky enough to experience the world of Pokémon firsthand. But now, you've really grown into a fine young woman, haven't you?" He chuckled. "You saved the world, tamed Rayquaza, and took my title as Champion in just a few years. And you know what? I really admire that. You had perseverance and determination even when things went wrong. I even want to say you changed me for the better."

He was maintaining full-on eye contact with May now, who was very close to swooning and fainting with delight. A small smile creeped on his face — he was blushing now — as he said words that May never thought she would never hear from him in her life:

"I suppose the feeling is mutual, then. I love you, too."

At this point, May's face was absolutely red. "So... what does that mean? If we both admitted our feelings, we can be in a relationship, right?"

Steven smirked. "It seems so. What do you think?"

The current champion's heart was racing. "Well, I like the sound of it. And I think you'll like this, too."

Without a moment's hesitation, she leaned across the table, closed her eyes and pressed her soft lips against his, not caring what the other people in the food court would think. She cupped his face with her hands as Steven was taken aback slightly, but soon began to savor it.

After a few seconds, May pulled away, her hands trembling and cheeks burning. Steven was panting, his face very red.

"Wow," Steven said, his voice shaky, "that was..."

"Amazing?" May smiled, finishing the sentence.

"Yeah. That. And to think, if we never bumped into each other today, we would have never done any of this, right?"

"Right. So, now that we're a couple... what should we do?"

In the distance, one bush near the entrance, with binoculars sticking out exclaimed, "Yeah, Wally! We did it! We're matchmakers!"

Steven turned his attention towards the bush. "What was that?"

May resisted the urge to facepalm. Of course they would be spying on her. "It's nothing. I think there are speakers in the bush and a glitch occurred or something."

"Well, okay then. You know, I came here with the intention of getting lunch for myself."

"Ah, so that's it. You're hungry, then. Hungry for me? Want to kiss again?"

A smirk. "Actually, I was thinking about getting some ramen noodles. Look, the line's gotten shorter since I came here."

A look at the line confirmed he certainly was right. There were only two or three people in line, and ramen did sound good...

"Care to share a bowl then?" she inquired. "I'll pay. You can wait here." She got up to order their food, but not before Steven interrupted.

"Hey, May?" His tone of voice was sheepish.

"Yes?"

"Would this count as our first date?"

She laughed. She never thought about it until he mentioned it. "I guess so."

Steven nodded, exhaling what seemed to be a sigh of happiness. "I see. I was just wondering. You can go ahead and order now."

May smiled once again as she fell in line to order. Sure, things were quite rocky at the start, and as much as she was appalled at Brendan and Wally for setting her up without her knowledge, she was, at the same time, quite grateful.

After all, it was thanks to them that she was with him.