The afternoon after the champion was defeated was supposed to last an afternoon or so, just to accompany Brendan to the nearby towns. Baskets of berries, jars of sweet honey harvested from local combee farms, marill dolls, complimentary technical machines and bouquets of vibrant flowers greeted them at each stop and it was only natural for her to continue through each town, helping him carry the ever-growing pile of gifts while he shook hands and took pictures with each and every person.

The afternoon stretched into the evening and by the time the crowds finally dispersed, they were more than halfway back to the hamlet and there was no point for her to turn back to where she was staying back on the east coast of Hoenn.

So the evening stretched into night.

Flying would've been faster but the scenic bike route let the day last twice as long.

They would ride their bikes through short stretches of time, saying nothing except with their laughs and silly tricks—at one point, the brown-haired boy stood up on the bike seat and pretended to ride it like he was in a circus. He was the official champion, the hero who saved Hoenn from drought, the tamer of Groudon and yet to May, that was all secondary to the very fact that he was still the serious yet silly boy who moved just months earlier to her little Littleroot nestled in the southwest corner of Hoenn, far removed from the urban metropolises beyond. Far beyond from what the hamlet could ever hope to become.

Beyond what she ever did become.

Not so far beyond of what he became.

They would stop occasionally to point out certain things on the route—hey, remember that secret hiding spot up in the trees on the other side of the pond? The wild linoones in the grass made it difficult to get there… look May, it's Mt. Chimney...wow, it took ages for me to climb it a few months ago...that was a few months ago?

It felt so normal, as if nothing had changed and they were still on their adventures, travelling through Hoenn, catching and raising their own families of pokemon while navigating the gyms and the disasters that seemed to strike them at every turn with the coincidental run-ins with Team Magma. But each place passed in a blur from the corner of her eyes as she rushed to cycle faster to catch up. Fallarbor, Meteor Falls, Verdanturf—when she first stepped foot along this path, she took days to explore them. Now they flashed by like an end credits scene for this adventure. Their adventure.

Route 103. The weathered sign signalled the upcoming end of their journey home and they slowed on their bikes to a stop.

"Look, there's that pond! I had my first battle there with you. Even then, I knew you and your treecko were going places," May exclaimed as she dragged him over by the water's edge. She parted the shrubbery to reveal the clear surface reflecting the moon high above.

"Oh please. Did you really?" Brendan grinned as he crouched down beside her. "You should've become a talent scout then. You would've made millions."

Maybe she could've. Maybe she should've.

The end of the journey somehow deserved to have some sort of eulogy in order to finally mark its final resting places in the burial places of their hearts but May found herself unable to voice anything that sounded remotely fitting for the end. Congratulations? No, she already said that when he first came out of the Champion's room. I'm glad it was fun while it lasted? Too casual. I'll remember this forev-

"I was thinking of travelling to the other regions in the next few months," he said. "Steven said it would be a great way to meet the other champions and challenge myself further. Apparently, there's this tournament in Unova for the strongest trainers around the world."

"Oh." No, that didn't sound right just now. "Oh!" May tried with more enthusiasm. "That's a good idea. T-that's a really good idea! You should definitely meet the other champions. They're probably super strong."

"Yeah." He looked off to the distance, a dreamy sparkle in his eyes. She looked down, her smile faltering as her heart sank into the ground. It wasn't fair for her to feel this way. It wasn't fair for Brendan, who had grown far beyond Littleroot's boundaries even though she'd only grown into her quaint home the farther she'd gone. Aside from her pokemon, he was her only close friend. For him, she was only a friend.

"Why don't we have a battle? You know, for memories' sake?" she suddenly said.

"Sure," he grinned. "See if you can beat the champion."

She was 99.9 percent sure she was going to lose but she still swung out her first pokeball with force, yelled her encouragement to her team and focused on adapting her strategies as best as she could. When the end finally came, she retrieved her weary blaziken and whispered her thanks to her pokemon before shaking hands with the victor.

"I'm proud to say that I'm the first person to be defeated by the new champion at least." She shook her head in mock sadness and despair.

"Aww, why aren't you prouder to be the first to challenge the new champion instead?" he replied sarcastically.

"It's not that…" May's smile faded as she searched for what she was going to say. Brendan's expression became confused.

"It's not what?"

"It's not…" she started again.

"Here, I'll finish your sentence for you. It's not that you lost to me that matters. It's the fact that every time we meet, you always ask for a battle. So it'll never be the end of the line for you and I'll be here to help you. Always." He crossed his arms and nodded.

May felt herself warm from the sincereness in his voice. There was no loneliness nor a complete end. Just determination towards the future on both their parts. Definitely. Definitely. So she let empty words fill the still air. Words made of disbelief of how time flew. Words made of thanks and appreciation.

Words which May couldn't quite say.

I'll… miss…you.

"Hey. Hey! Are you seeing this?"

I...love…

"May? Hello?"

She blinked as the gloved hand in front of her face stopped waving at her.

"You're going to miss this. Look up!" An excited Brendan pointed up to where a celestial symphony of lights lit up the sky. "Shooting stars! How lucky is that?"

She followed his gaze and gasped at the display before her. The stars etched themselves into the very fabric of the endless canvas of the sky and one by one, they streaked across an infinite distance.

How lucky it was indeed.

To end this journey like this...

With...

You.