A/N: Hello y'all. So. I did promise another chapter or two of this story and well, I decided... why not? This whole thing is in one universe, so every chapter is inter-related. This is a mesh of game and anime story. Here, May and Max joined Ash in his journey but May is currently Champion and they have no clue. Drew gets dragged into it and well... just see what happens.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or any of their characters. Just havin' a bit of fun with my feels.

Setting: Hoenn, Ever Grande City (anime), Ever Grande Headquarters (game)
Pairing: Steven/May (Hoennchampionshipping), one-sided Drew/May (Contestshipping)
Time: Some years after ORAS
Warnings: Mesh of game and anime

Ages:

Drew Hayden: 15
May Maple: 15
Brock Slate: 17
Ash Ketchum: 13 (yes, I know he's immortal but I let him grow)

In which Drew realizes that he had lost what he never had in the first place.

~OOOOOOOOOOO~

"You're WHAT?!"

The shout echoed throughout Petalburg Forest, alarming the wild Pokemon dozing in the morning sun. Wurmples crawled away in agitation and Tailows flapped their wings to avoid the commotion, more than a little disgruntled. The yell came from a handsome teenager with vivid green hair, eyes wide and jaw hanging open, a finger pointed at the girl he considered his main rival.

"Champion Sapphire of Hoenn, how do you respond to the message?" Officer Jenny asked in a professional tone, not minding the young lad who looked like he had been slapped silly with a Magikarp.

The girl in question, who was fetching a bright shade of red just a moment ago, gathered her wits and took a deep breath. She nodded, blue eyes suddenly sharp. "Message received and action will be taken. Expect me at Ever Grande Headquarters no less than noon today."

Satisfied, Officer Jenny gave her a quick salute and a short nod to her companions, which included a boy with a Pikachu and a squinty-eyed young man with dark skin who had tried to (unsuccessfully) flirt with her earlier, both of whom looked as flabbergasted as the green-haired fellow who was still staring at the Champion with bulging eyes. The only one who didn't looked affected in any way was the bespectacled little boy, who was radiating an aura of smugness.

Shrugging, she kicked her motor into gear and sped away, her mind still on the Champion she had been ordered to look for. It was a little odd to find her in the thick of the woods instead of being in Ever Grande where she belonged, but then again she wasn't the only Champion who was involved in extra activities besides defending their title and region.

Still…

"Strange company she keeps, isn't that right Lita?"

"Growlithe!"

~OOOOOOOOOOO~

Drew Hayden had a pattern in his life. He would wake up, train his Pokemon, outperform the heck out of everyone in Contests and come out on top. He was perfectly happy with maintaining his routine but sometimes life gives you roadblocks in the form of people who were more than happy to mess your schedule for you.

There was Soledad for one. He didn't mind her that much. She was nice. A good coordinator and an even better competitor who had given him advice after she defeated him that one time. He rarely saw her anymore since she was off doing contests in Unova but he found her rare calls and messages pleasant enough.

And then there was Harley. Who he would gladly avoid for the rest of his life. Someone needed to tell the guy to tone down his creepiness which for some bizarre reason, Soledad found charming. Not to mention his obsession with May was grating on his nerves, especially the way he wanted her to cry or break down by defeating her using dirty tactics.

And yes. There was the girl in question. May Maple. Brown-haired klutz extraordinaire who had almost hit him with a Frisbee the first time they met if he hadn't (rather suavely, might he add) caught it with one hand. He found her short temper amusing, the way she would blow up a fuse whenever he teased her and how she would go around with clumsy naiveté, without a care in the world.

Who he now found out wasn't that naïve at all.

Just ten minutes ago he had just been strolling into the forest with Roselia when he spied the little ragtag group. As they were headed towards the same direction, Drew opted to either follow them from afar until they reach Rustboro or join them if they spotted him, whichever came first. He trailed them for a few moments, the peace and quiet punctured once in a while by excited exclamations coming from that that black-haired boy with a Pikachu. Something about challenging a gym. Well, he was a trainer. He could tone it down a bit but Drew could let it go.

His eyes had drifted towards the rest of the group.

Brock, he was sure that was his name, was nodding at whatever Ash was saying. The little brat who was May's brother was fiddling with a PokeNav, shoving his glasses into his eyes whenever it drooped too low.

The only girl of the group was doing that 'May's Expeditions' of hers, pretending to film and narrate everything that was going on around her, whether it was just an interesting rock at her foot or her Munchlax chomping on berries. It was childish really, although Drew admitted she was quite cute… in an innocent sort of way. She wasn't as annoying as other girls, found Drew infuriating instead of charming, and he could hold decent conversations with her that he enjoyed more than he would ever admit.

But he was nowhere ready to blurt out any of his thoughts to her.

"Drew!" May had finally spotted him and waved with sunny enthusiasm, pretty blue eyes bright.

He flicked his hair. Join them it is.

Before he could saunter over and say two words, the sound of tires screeching came out of nowhere and an Officer Jenny with a Growlithe at the car seat came barreling between him and May.

"Holy shit-!"

"Champion Sapphire of Hoenn, your presence is direly needed at Headquarters." she said without preamble, saluting towards May's direction with one hand and holding out an official-looking folder stamped with the Hoenn League crest at the front.

Drew's mind hit a brick road. The cogs in his brain stopped working as he tried to chew on that piece of information.

'Champion who-the-what-now?!'

To their shock, May just straightened from her casual posture and adapted a grave aura Drew had only ever seen when she was serious about a contest.

"Champion Sapphire reporting. Status?" May said, taking the folder and read it through. Drew numbly saw that her eyes darkened with every word she scanned. Officer Jenny leaned into her as they talked and Drew could see in the corner of his eye that her other two companions had also gone completely still.

The rest of the conversation was drowned out as Drew finally processed that this girl… THIS girl… was the… the…

"YOU'RE WHAT?!"

~OOOOOOOOOOO~

So now here he was, sitting cross-legged with Roselia at the mossy ground, his idle fingers ripping at blades of grass as he waited for answers that he hoped would right his world again.

The source of his problem was currently going through the files Officer Jenny had given her, opting to sit in a rock and poring over her notes, pointedly avoiding the issue. Judging from the expressions made by Ash and Brock they had been clueless about May's shocking status. But of course the smug little brat sitting beside May would know; he was her brother.

"That was a joke, right?" Drew found himself saying.

May's eyes darted to him and he swallowed, suddenly remembering all those times he had belittled her, taunting her with insults whenever she lost a contest to him. She never cried or retaliated, nor did she burst out with emotion just as she tended to do whenever he teased her outside of contests. She would give him one long look, a small smile and a sincere congratulations, making him seem like the largest heel in the face of the earth. She had the same look this time, her blue eyes flashing with an unknown emotion that left him feeling like a fool. He knew he should stop, that he was hurting her with words that she didn't deserve…

But his stupid mouth won't stop blabbing.

"There's no way that you… of all people-"

"She is, you big jerk!" Max, the ever loyal brother, stomped his foot in emphasis. "She's the Champion of Hoenn! The Champion of your region and has been for two years now!"

"Whoa, really?" Ash finally broke out of his shock and grinned excitedly. "That's amazing! I mean, whoa! May, you're the Pokemon Champion!? I can't believe-"

"Two years?" Drew interjected. He knew he should keep his mouth shut but he just couldn't believe this! "What are you doing traveling with a bunch of brats?!"

Said brats looked mightily offended, but with all the shenanigans they get through every week, stumbling into all sorts of trouble that made Drew's head ache just by hearing about them made him wonder why… WHY would she be here of all places? If she was really the- he winced- Hoenn Champion then the middle of a gloomy, muddy forest was definitely NOT one of the places she should be!

"Just a change of scenery." she mumbled, eyes fixed on her papers.

"Scenery?" Drew's voice was reaching a high note of incredulity. "Scenery? Arceus, you command the most powerful faction in the region and you're tagging along in someone's journey!"

Ash looked at May guiltily.

"She doesn't answer to you!" Max retorted, hands on his hips.

"She's the Champion! She's responsible for fifteen thousand people and Arceus-knows how many Pokemon-"

"Enough."

The voice was quiet but carried a bite that made them flinch. Everyone turned to Brock whose face was uncharacteristically serious.

"Now, let's deal with this calmly." He stood up, pointing at each of them. "May, you have some explaining to do. This is a big deal that I think we should've been aware of a long time ago. Ash, I know you've got a lot of questions for her about the League but it can wait until later. Max, your sister can defend herself. And Drew, we're confused as you are but you don't see us flinging accusations around."

All of them winced at the scolding but they nodded. Brock clapped his hands, grim expression turning into a smile.

"Now, who wants some sandwiches?"

~OOOOOOOOOOO~

One round of snacks later, they were finally getting answers. Granted, it was Max doing most of the talking but May added her input here and there.

"So let me get this straight." Ash said as he absently fed Pikachu a bottle of ketchup. "You immediately went on your own journey when you moved here from Johto three years ago at twelve-"

"Eleven and a half." May corrected, nibbling on a potato wedge.

"Right, right. And-"

"Your father let you?" Drew butted in with a raised brow. What little he knew of Norman, the Petalburg Gym Leader, was that not only did he had a horde of fangirls (the man was married but women were insane anyway), he was also a very devoted family man according to his Pokemon bio. With a daughter like May (who stumbled into trouble every other day), he couldn't picture how he let her go on her own.

"Er- not 'letting' me per se… More like having no choice but to let me go on after disappearing for months?" May chuckled weakly.

"You ran away?!"

"Mom made her go." Max chirruped as he picked on a piece of lettuce on his bread. "Dad was out of his wits and only saw her again when she challenged his gym."

"I wrote him letters!"

"A little teenage rebellion, hm?" Brock said, grinning as he unscrewed his water thermos. "But really, eleven and a half? You were very young. It's impressive you managed on your own."

"I had my Mudkip for company." May smiled wistfully. "Ah, I suppose I should stop calling him that since he's already a Swampert."

"I thought you had Blaziken as a starter." Ash said.

"More like a second starter. You know Professor Birch, right? He gave me my Mudkip after I saved him from an angry Poochyena. When I decided to come with you bare-handed, he gave me another starter. But that doesn't mean I love Blaziken any less." she said, brushing her fingers at the pokeball containing the fire Pokemon.

Ash scratched his chin. "Okay. So after that you went on your own and challenged gym after gym, caught more Pokemon-"

"-just like what we do right now-"

"got into trouble with Team Magma-"

"-just like we always ran into Team Rocket-"

"and Team Aqua-"

"-not my fault there were two Team syndicates running around Hoenn!"

" –and ended up being Champion after challenging the League." Ash finished.

"That sums it up, I guess." May said slowly.

Drew's eye twitched. No, it did not sum it up. That left a whole lot of other questions waiting to be answered. What kind of trouble did she go through with Team Magma and Aqua? And why was she here in the first place? And what was she doing, competing in Contests instead of battling out trainers challenging her position? And why was she being summoned back? And-

"Sapphire." Everyone looked at Drew who enunciated his words slowly. "The Hoenn Champion's name is Sapphire."

Not May. That was his first argument. May was May. The Champion Sapphire was elusive and there were no pictures of her but she had a description in the weekly Poke Magazine.

'Chestnut brown hair to her waist… sparkling blue eyes brimming with confidence… a heart-stopping smile… sun-kissed skin and moves with an amazing amount of grace. This reporter had the privilege of meeting the lovely Champion Sapphire only once but could safely say that this exquisite yet powerful Champion would someday leave a trail of broken hearts and dreams if you dare challenge her without an ounce of skill. I must say, the admiration the region gives her is well-worth and more-'

Right. Brown hair. Blue eyes. Right on the dot, along with her heart-stopping smile, but Drew couldn't see where the rest popped up. She might have just looked similar to the Champion. The officer might have just been mistaken—

"Ah, that." May said, a fetching shade of red blooming in her cheeks. "That's my whole name. May Sapphire Maple. At first, I was called Champion May but someone got a hold of the fact that my middle name was Sapphire and it seemed that people liked it better. So now I'm Champion Sapphire."

Drew faltered. Well. Case closed.

"Sure makes it easier for you to go around as you please." Max chortled.

"Sapphire for your eyes, is that right?"

May looked startled at Drew's inquiring gaze but nodded, feeling rather embarrassed at his stare.

"Yes."

He hummed. "Suits you."

The pink blush erupted into a full blown fire-engine red and Drew smirked, flicking his hair and ignoring the exasperated sigh from Roselia. Yep, he still had it.

"Well, quite the busy life you lived before you met us." Brock said, leaning back.

"Probably explains why you can keep up with all the trouble we have with Team Rocket." Ash agreed.

May laughed. "Yup. I'm not at all fazed by the grunts in uniform chanting odd propaganda. Been there, done that."

"That doesn't explain why you're currently here." Drew intoned, putting emphasis on the last word. "In Petalburg Forest. With us. Competing in Contests."

Being my rival. He added silently.

"Drew's right." Brock said gently. "I'm not saying this to discourage you from coming with us May, but Champions are the faces of their region. You have a lot of responsibilities and I don't know how you can keep up with that."

"Did you even wonder why she kept on disappearing for days sometimes?" Max said shrewdly, watching their faces morph into surprise.

"That's where you go, isn't it? Do Champion duties?" Ash said excitedly. "Ha! So that's what you've been up to!"

"Fine, fine. I've been caught. Happy?" May threw her hands up. "Yes, I do grown-up stuff every now and then. So I'm not ignoring my duties at all. And Dad and the other Gym Leaders were told not to call me off while I'm away. So that's why even if they recognized me, they didn't say anything."

Ash then began to prod her about battle strategies and the system of Hoenn's League, which she playfully replied was a secret. The atmosphere slowly relaxed, still quite tense after the revelation but comfortable enough that May was talking about her own journey with enthusiasm.

Drew frowned deeply. There were still a lot of holes in her story.

"Champion Sapphire. Defeated the former Champion at age thirteen after a year of being an official trainer." Brock murmured at his side.

"Technically, a year and a half." Drew snorted, remembering May's correction earlier.

"Just a year and a half is an impressive timeframe by itself. Most people spend their lives trying to reach the caliber of even just the Gym Leaders." Brock said. "With no prior experience, to defeat the reigning Champion after such a short time is amazing. If I'm right, she's the second youngest Champion in history after Red. And to defend her title for two years at her age…"

Drew sniffed. "She must have some insanely strong Pokemon."

"Or she's an insanely strong trainer." Brock countered.

Drew promptly ignored him. And the laugh that followed.

Well. He should probably be more deferential and respectful to her now since she was actually her region's Champion but this was May. His rival who had bed hair sticking all over her face in the morning and was terrified of Tentacools, and would chase her Skitty around instead of waiting for the Pokemon to come back. He just couldn't come to terms that his clumsy, ditzy rival with the devil-may-care attitude was the elusive Champion Sapphire. The elegant, cool, and strategic young lady who won the heart of Hoenn years ago.

But to him she was just May. He hoped it would be enough.

~OOOOOOOOOOO~

"You want to what?"

"Tag along. Come with you. Hitch a ride. Take your pick." Drew drawled. Beside him Ash and Brock nodded determinedly. Hey, their friend was a Champion. They wanted to know what exciting things she was up to. So when she announced that they were to stay at the Rustboro Pokemon Centre while she trekked to wherever she was called by the League, everyone immediately refused.

"Sorry, no spot left." Max answered snidely by his sister's side, yelping when May pinched his ear.

"You're not supposed to come either. Mom told me not to bring you in any Champion-related issue." May said, tapping her sneakers menacingly.

"But I wanna come! You always get to do the cool stuff!"

"And the incredibly boring ones. Want to do my paperwork?" she threatened. "You're not coming, that's final."

Max grumbled but stayed silent as a Chancey pushed him into the guest room of the Pokemon Center.

"Besides, we can't all travel by air in this weather." May murmured when she returned from ferrying her brother, looking through the window of the Pokemon Center.

Dark clouds blanketed the sky and the air felt heavy with humidity. Flashes of lightning appeared. A storm was brewing.

"That's some odd weather patterns. It was just sunny a moment ago." Brock said, listening to the menacing rumble of thunder.

"I suppose this has something to do with your 'Champion-related issue'?" Drew said, waving a hand at the plants and wee Pokemon being buffeted by the strong winds outside the window.

May looked startled. "How did you arrive at that conclusion?"

"I remember something about a crisis a few years ago. Something to do with the Champion and strange weather." Drew replied, still irked that he couldn't exactly point out what it was. He never kept up with news.

"Fine, yes. Although again, this is a classified issue. Not a public one. So I can't let you come." Then she paused in frustration. "Although knowing Ash, you guys would probably get roped into this mess anyway. There's no forcing you out is there?"

"Nope." they chorused.

"Fine." she gritted her teeth as Nurse Joy came out with a tray containing a Cherish Ball, a pink charm bracelet with a shiny stone embedded at the middle, and what looked like a bunch of red wristbands.

She took the charm bracelet and Cherish ball carefully, thanking the nurse. She handed them the wristbands, clicking it close around their hands. "Clearance pass. Allows you inside Ever Grande for a limited amount of time. If you ever make it there, be careful. Now if you'll excuse me…"

"Where are you going?" Drew said, snagging her hand.

"Out. I have to go. You can catch up instead by Pokemon or through another ride if you really want to." she replied, shaking him off and darting to the exit.

They barely had time to ran out into the heavy rain and see her throw the Cherish Ball, their eyes widening as the majestic image of the Legendary dragon Pokemon shimmered into view. They haven't even managed to process the white and red form when May shouted out words that shocked them even further.

"Latias, Mega Evolve!"

Their eyes were blinded by a bright white light and after a breathless moment, it dimmed to show the Eon dragon Pokemon formed differently, purple and white colors dominating its features as it gave a trilling cry, nuzzling May's head gently. It dipped its body as May climbed on and once secured they sped forward with blinding speed, rapidly shrinking into a tiny dot in the dark sky.

"Well," Brock glanced at Drew a few moments later. "There's your insanely strong Pokemon."

~OOOOOOOOOOO~

"I am never doing that again." Ash gasped out as the cold wind hit him from where they were teleported. He shielded Pikachu with his jacket. The Kadabra holding him clicked its spoon together and disappeared.

"Funny how you managed to find a Kadabra to teleport us all the way here." Brock shouted over the wind.

"I know people." Drew yelled back, shaking his head to get rid of the water soaking his hair. It took them a few hours (because May was right, no flying Pokemon- except a Legendary dragon who could go Mega and break the sound barrier- could withstand the winds) to find a way to go to Ever Grande but he remembered that his family had a couple of influences here and there.

The storm was full-blown by now, the skies completely gray with crackles of lightning, and they could only watch as the stadium seats were ripped away from the hinges and…

Wait.

"Stadium? We're in a stadium?" Drew spat out as the cold hit his back. He was just thankful they weren't pelted by the rain as they were in the shade.

"That's right, lad. Now what are you three doing in the middle of the storm inside the Ever Grande Stadium, eh?"

They turned to the gruff voice and saw a man wearing a tattered Captain coat, worn pants and black boots, his white beard soaked from the rain. Still, they couldn't help but notice the alertness in his grey eyes, the way he seemed to skip around in excitement around the storm.

"We're here with Champion Sapphire." Ash chattered despite the cold, holding his shivering wrist up.

Drew still found those two words bizarre. Champion. Sapphire.

Trippy. He had to get used to it someday.

The man squinted and his brows lifted. "So you are. What was that lass thinking, bringing three young ones into this mess…"

"That we're stubborn bastards." Drew couldn't help but say as he tried to shake water off his pants. Roselia had retreated to her Pokeball so he had no one to share his displeasure with. Dammit, why did he wake up today? This was like a bad dream.

The old man barked out a laugh, his chest rumbling and (how could he walk around with a bare chest in this cold?!) he clapped them all in the shoulders, almost buckling them to the ground.

"So you are, hm? Well, come inside and have a cuppa. The rest are handling the issue just fine."

They were ushered inside the private suite of the stadium, a luxurious hall that was emptied of people except for one girl at the far end of the sitting room looking engrossed at the computer she was typing away at. It wasn't until Drew spotted her olive-skin and the red flowers at side of her hair that, with dawning horror, he finally realized who he was facing.

Brock's ears perked up at the sight of the pretty female and he was about to spew out flatteries but Drew's words leashed him immediately.

"Elite Four Drake and Phoebe!" the green-haired Coordinator exclaimed, straightening his spine. Arceus, he may be a Coordinator and not a trainer but these were the best masters Hoenn had to offer. Ash and Brock straightened as well, knowing that to meet even one of them outside of battle was rare.

Phoebe looked up, obviously confused, glancing at Drake who pointed at the wristbands May clasped on them. She brightened in understanding and danced out of the room, returning back just as quickly, arms filled with towels and sheets. They took it gratefully.

"May's friends are you?" Phoebe beamed as they dried off. "Wonderful! She rarely brings friends along. Not that she can, poor dear. She tries hard to keep her two lives separate."

"What, two lives?" Drew blinked, sneezing once.

Phoebe's smiled looked pensive. "Oh, yes. She felt such pressure from her role, you know? We do understand. Such a sweet girl becoming the youngest Champion in Hoenn is a great burden. She handles the stress amazingly. So once light season starts she goes around the region doing whatever she wants." she giggled. "Coordinating was Lisia's idea. Never knew May would be so into it. She swore looking pretty and being the center of attention was not her style but she's doing quite well for herself."

She was awfully chatty for an Elite Four.

"Five ribbons already." Drake puffed up in pride, as if he earned May's ribbons himself.

Drew's lips tugged into a smile. Huh. So that's how she started Coordinating? And… Lisia? Wasn't that the name of the Top Contest Idol of Hoenn? He had no idea May knew such people in high places. But then again… He huffed out a laugh. She was the Champion. Elite Four Drake and Phoebe were obviously on close terms with her but her influence clearly spread out everywhere if it stretched to idols and Team syndicates like Aqua and Magma. He did need reminding every now and then… It was just so bizarre to think…

Well, he could at least thank idol Lisia for influencing May into Coordinating. He would've never met her…

Then he mentally smacked himself. It wasn't because of anything special! Not that he wasn't thankful for meeting May, but hey, he would've never gotten a decent rival if Lisia didn't coax her out of it.

"Anyway, introductions!" Phoebe said happily as she handed out mugs of hot Moomoo chocolate milk. "We're not going anywhere in this weather so we might as well get to know each other."

Thunder rumbled in emphasis.

"You probably know me." Drake grunted when Phoebe poked him to go first. "Elite Four Drake. Dragon specialist. That is all."

"Boo, Drake. Such a grump." Phoebe pouted then smiled at them. "Phoebe of the Elite Four! I specialize in Ghost type Pokemon. I come from Mt. Pyre but I spend my days at Headquarters now."

"I'm Ash Ketchum and this is Pikachu." Ash went first, Pikachu chirping his agreement. "I'm a trainer from Kanto."

"Kanto, hm? Challenging Hoenn are you?" Drake said in interest. "How many badges are you on?"

"On my way to get my fourth."

"Flannery's, eh? Congrats, kid. Buck up on water types, that'll help you." the Dragon specialist said. Phoebe turned to the other two curiously.

"I'm Brock Slate." Brock smiled. "Pokemon breeder."

"Drew Hayden. Coordinator."

Drake's brow lifted. "Slate. The Gym Leader of Pewter in Kanto? Long way from home."

"Travelling right now. My father's handling the Gym."

"I see."

"And Drew Hayden. The Coordinator making sweeps in Contests." Phoebe said, smiling at his direction.

"How did you know?" Drew said, slightly startled.

"Lisia makes a point to keep an eye out for Coordinators with potential." Phoebe said. "And we make a point of keeping an eye out for our Champion."

On one hand, he felt flattered that Hoenn's top idol knew him by face and name. That just shows how good he was. On the other hand… was it alright to feel disturbed that the Elite Four kept such sharp tabs on May that they even knew who she met with all the time? And there was that niggling feeling on the back of his head again. About why…

"How come she never told us?" he said under his breath. It was a big deal, and he just couldn't imagine how they could know each other for months without him getting an inkling of who May really was in their world. Was it a game to her? All those times he taunted her, on how clumsy she was, how inexperienced… When she had in her grasp what were probably the most graceful and powerful Pokemon… Was she actually mocking him in silence?

His hands gripped the leather lining painfully. The ache in his chest tightened.

"That's something you should ask her." Phoebe answered. She seemed unsurprised that they didn't know. "You're wondering why she never told you of her status as Champion? She's not the first to keep a secret like that."

"Oh, heavens no. We had so much fun when dear May challenged him." Drake guffawed. "The look on both their faces-"

"Anyway, her reason might just surprise you." Phoebe said. "We're not in the liberty of talking about her feelings, but she thinks of you as friends so there might be a good reason for it."

This settled Drew's mind a bit. Yes, there was probably a good reason for it. The May he knew would never do something as malicious as to keep her status as a secret only to throw it back at his face. She was the most innocent, good-natured person he knew, which was probably why Harley could do his schemes without her getting a clue. She was that nice. His shoulders relaxed.

"What's light season?" Ash inquired. "You said earlier that May can go around because of it?"

Phoebe blinked. "Hm? Oh. Light season. It's the months when the Conference is ongoing. Few trainers try to come in Ever Grande Headquarters to challenge us; too busy with battling Gyms instead."

"It's closed right now, anyway. Emergency." Drake grunted.

"Wait, what? This isn't the Headquarters? So where are we?" Drew said. Kadabra was instructed to bring them to Ever Grande, specifically where the Champion was, but this was no Headquarters. This was a stadium. His knowledge on battling was scarce but Ever Grande Headquarters was the place to challenge the Elite Four and the Champion of Hoenn, right? So what was two of them doing in a stadium?

"We're at Ever Grande City. We might not be getting challengers right now but we're in charge of the Conference." Phoebe nodded, then her eyes shone in understanding. "Oh, you don't know the difference? Ever Grande City is where the Ever Grande Conference is held yearly. The official Hoenn League on the other hand is stationed at the Headquarters. We are stationed at the Headquarters. That's where dear May is right now."

"Uh…"

Drake, who was leaning on a large red sofa, laughed and pointed at a map of Hoenn plastered on the wall. "See it like this. You're here to compete in the Ever Grande Conference, yes?" At Ash's nod he continued and pointed at a large portion of Hoenn. "So. That's where we are right now. At Ever Grande City Stadium where it'll be held. After getting eight gym badges, trainers compete against trainers for a week until a Conference winner is declared. The winner gets a buck load of prizes and a chance to challenge the Elite Four and the Champion. The Conference is held every year."

He then pointed at a smaller bit of land father away from Hoenn. "Now, the Ever Grande Headquarters are stationed a few waters away from the mainland. There, you'll find us, the Elite Four and the Champion. If you manage to get eight badges, you can challenge us every day so as long as your badges are still valid."

"That's why it's called light season." Brock said in understanding. "Because everyone's interested in the Conference that no one bothers to go to Headquarters to challenge you directly."

"Yep. That's right. Sort of a mini-vacation for all of us." Drake cricked his shoulder.

"Wouldn't it be easier to challenge the Headquarters directly?" Drew asked. The Conference sounded a bit pointless.

Phoebe laughed. "A Coordinator would never dream of facing a Top Coordinator without practicing moves. Just like a Breeder wouldn't want to have a perfect Pokemon without knowing how it arrived in that state." She beamed. "It's much more fun and challenging to face as many trainers as you can. Sharpen your skills before facing the best instead of doing the quick route and failing just as quickly."

"So we're in the city proper, then." Drew mused. "Why didn't we end up in the Headquarters? That's where we told Kadabra to take us."

Drake looked amused. "Boy, there's no point in the Headquarters if you can just teleport inside. That's cheating. There are obstacles to get through. Swim, dive, fly, smash rocks, and get lost inside a cave. A trainer's psychic pokemon won't be able to get through."

"So we were brought here instead." Drew grumbled. Just great. So May wasn't here, what was the point?

"That's right. Ever Grande immediately translates to the City itself for any teleporters. No looping to the Headquarters, no sir. One of the most heavily guarded places in Hoenn."

A loud ring interrupted and Phoebe pulled out a purple PokeNav out, eyes widening in surprise after seeing the caller on screen. She excused herself, their curious eyes following her as she answered it a few feet away, the whispered conversation too inaudible for them to catch. They could hear the surprise in her tone though, and when she returned she had a thoughtful look on her face.

"Drake, Brandon said the Frontier has been alerted. They're on their way there."

Drake cursed. "Great. This is League business. They shouldn't poke their heads into this mess. Where were they a few years ago?"

"Having no clue?" Phoebe said, cocking her head to the side. "We should be happy Devon chose the League and Frontier to test out their latest communication line of products. We can reach each other easily now. Last time this happened it was too late for the Frontier, no—even the Elite Four to help."

"I still say the Frontier have no say in this." Drake crossed his arms. "The League can handle it."

"We're an entire region." Phoebe said gently. "We may have differences but in times like these we band together."

Drew watched the two Elite bicker, exchanging glances with Brock. They knew what they were talking about. The Battle Frontier, which was the opposite of the Pokemon League in terms of conception. It operated almost the same way as the League, only they were all located at one place instead of being scattered all over the Hoenn region like the Gyms.

The public was still torn about it. For one, the Frontier wasn't officially recognized unlike the League. The League had a long recorded history while the Frontier was barely new. The Frontier had no say in terms of watching over Hoenn legally while the League had political power and controlled a portion of Hoenn's economy, security, and safety. That was why some people seem to think that those from the Battle Frontier were rude upstarts who were disrespecting the system of not only Hoenn, but the entire Pokemon world where the League has been traditionally recognized for decades.

Personally, Drew saw no harm in the Frontier. He also agreed with Phoebe, that setting aside differences at a time like this was important. And there were more important matters to tend to other than soothing the bruised pride of a minority of people. Like knowing—

"What exactly is happening here?" Drew's voice rang out, interrupting Drake and Phoebe. "I'm sorry, but we've been kept in the dark for a while now! This morning, we ran into Officer Jenny, watched May pull out a damn Mega-evolved Latias and goes who-knows-where, we met two of the most powerful Masters in Hoenn and the weather is going haywire!" he took a deep breath. "And it's not even lunchtime!"

Everyone stared at Drew, who looked away in embarrassment.

"Thought we ought to know." he muttered.

Phoebe covered her mouth as she laughed. "No, no. You're right. You have a right to know some things." she directed a stern gaze at her colleague. "And Drake, there's really nothing wrong with the Frontier helping. May conquered them a while ago—"

"—she what?"

"—so they respect her skills. They get along well with her. I know Lucy and Tucker adore her."

"Fine." Drake said flatly. "Let 'em meddle."

"Okay. So here's the deal." Phoebe said. "We're technically not allowed to say anything regarding the incidents that's been going on this morning, but nothing's stopping you from going there to figure out on your own."

"Going where, exactly?"

"Are you out of your mind, Phoebe?" Drake said incredulously.

"We're cleared. There's no harm in bringing them." Phoebe shrugged. "We have a dozen of our best officials waiting on standby just in case something happens but so far nothing. Heck, the gym leaders are there. And they've got the Champion's clearance. They can go."

~OOOOOOOOOOO~

The weather changed for the better. Thick black clouds were still looming above but it wasn't rainy nor very windy anymore. They marched out of the stadium, Phoebe handing them coats and waved at them to be careful. She couldn't come; either she or Drake should stay to keep watch on the city but she more than cheerfully told them that they could visit any time. Drake whistled at the damage the storm caused to the stadium.

"Might need a few of our crew to fix that up." He grunted. "Well, Phoebe gave the signal so I guess you three are in the clear."

"Clear for what exactly?" Brock asked.

Drake's eyes twinkled mischievously. "You're gonna see something interesting."

A/N: And cut. It was getting too long, but I'll be uploading the next chapter a few days from now. It's mostly GEN, as you can see, as it's explains how May came to be Champion and shit. Hoo... Well, I hope you understood all of that and ta, for now!