Notes
Hey, happy Sunday, and sorry this chapter is so long! I was originally going to have these be separate chapters, but I felt like despite the length, it read better as one. Thank you, as always, to everyone who has been reading and enjoying this so far! I really appreciate every single person who checks this out, even if you guys don't review or anything. As I said in the first chapter, this story means a lot to me, so the fact that you guys are enjoying it makes me so happy!
Anyways, hope you guys enjoy. Thanks again for reading!
Chapter Two: Southern Island
It felt like ever since she had laid her eyes on that mural, May's dreams and headaches had only grown stronger. It was terrible – where she was supposed to be enjoying finally getting to traverse with her Pokemon, she was constantly on the lookout for spaces where she could rest and take breaks, much more frequently than those around her. Nova still refused to go inside his PokeBall unless there was another Pokemon out with her, always wanting to make sure his trainer was alright; and while May appreciated that, it wasn't exactly common, and almost made her feel on edge while she walked through the various cities of Hoenn. She had gathered various badges at this point, had even fought her father, but the paranoia that she'd have to stop traveling wouldn't leave her mind.
Walking from Mauville hadn't been so bad, though, at least so far. Fortree was where May had set her sights on next; however, she didn't think there was a good place to stop on the way from where she was – which meant, unfortunately, another uncomfortable night of camping and loud, curious Pokemon. Her Mightyena, Yena, loved it – if May had to guess, it probably reminded her of where she came from, before she'd been captured. It made her feel a little bad, if she were to be honest with herself, but it wasn't anything that she couldn't deal with. Yena had taken to her quite well, which was all that really mattered, May supposed.
And the route she was on was beautiful, as well. She could smell the ocean strongly from where she was – practically at the shore. No matter where you went in Hoenn, the reminiscent smell of the sea always followed. It was something May really liked about being in Hoenn, though there was nothing quite like being right on the edge of the sea. The salt was heavy, the wind blew freely, and Yena was right at her side, wagging her tail like a puppy. Things were easy, for the time being, and May appreciated the respite.
Of course, however, as soon as May began to relax even the slightest bit, she came upon a familiar face.
Of course, she thought to herself. Beautiful, silvery hair; a fancy suit despite her impression that he was some kind of cave dweller… There was no doubt in May's mind, that that was Steven.
How annoying. After her last encounter with him, there had been a part of her – and annoying large part of her – that had wished she could see him again, despite the unlikeliness of it. Upon laying eyes on him again, however, May was beginning to regret that wish. Turning around to head the opposite way, she almost missed Yena taking off to say hello to the man, and swore to herself.
She trudged after her Pokemon with much less enthusiasm. Yena hadn't even been out of her PokeBall when May had met Steven before, which made this whole situation even more irritating. She picked up her pace before her extremely excitable Mightyena could make a fool of herself and her Trainer, holding back a groan the whole jog over.
"Hey, Yena!" May called, making her way over. "Come back here, it's not nice to pounce on strangers!" Her jog turned into a full sprint for moment, making sure to get a hold of her Pokemon before she actually had the chance to jump on him.
She halted in her tracks, which May appreciated, looking over her shoulder with guilty eyes. Giving her Pokemon a quick pat on the head to let her know it was alright, she looked up to meet Steven's – stupidly – pretty eyes.
"Why, hello," he said, giving her a small smile. "We met in Granite Cave, didn't we?" May opened her mouth to answer, slightly offended that he'd forgotten, but he continued before she got the chance. "No, I remember. It's May," he paused for a moment, smile growing wider as he remembered. "Right?"
It took all of her willpower not to outright scowl at him. "Yes. Hello," she punctuated, not interesting in playing nice with him now that she had no reason to be.
She wasn't sure why it bothered her so much that he'd nearly forgotten her, but the irritation had bubbled up whether or not she understood it. Maybe she would've been less offended if he hadn't been on her mind so much for the last few weeks, though she doubted it. It had been such a short interaction – really, maybe about ten minutes of meeting – but their meeting in the cave had stood out to May so much; between the vivid thoughts of the mural and Steven as a whole.
She'd dreamt about it plenty – both Steven, and something she was sure she could've only gathered from what he'd said about the mural.
Dreams involving heavy storms, dark skies, and quick goodbyes late into the night; somewhere out on the ocean.
Drop it, May reminded herself, shaking herself out of her thoughts. It wasn't the time nor the place to be thinking about that, and she needed to get moving. There was no point in sticking around when she was on her way somewhere, after all. Plus, a less rational part of her thought, she had no intention of embarrassing herself any further by spacing out more in front of Steven.
"It's, uh, nice to see you again?" Instead of friendly and maybe a little awkward, it came out sounding more like a drowned Rattata when she spoke. She inched away slowly as she did so, hoping he'd get the hint and let her go quickly.
"It's good to see your journey is going well," he told her, nodding towards her almost full belt.
She had been doing a lot of work, catching wise. It wasn't like she knew exactly what Pokemon she wanted, or anything like that – May preferred to let it happen naturally, but she supposed she might be going faster than other Trainers. There was also that girl at the Slateport City Pokemon Center, who had given her the bright red PokeBall containing an oddly colored Beldum, too. She had tried to refuse it, but the woman at the center insisted, saying that it was for her.
"Yeah, you could say that," she said, holding back a sigh as she gave up on this encounter going quickly. It wasn't that she had given up, though, she tried to convince herself.
"You know, May," he looked her over, nodding towards her Mightyena; who stood calmly at her side, tail wagging ever so slightly. "In this vast world, there are many kinds of Pokemon. They come in many different types. Should you raise different types?" He asked, a hand moving to his chin in thought. "Or will you only raise Pokemon of a certain type you like? I wonder what you think, as a Pokemon Trainer."
Ignoring the way her heartbeat got louder, May thought about his words, but found she couldn't come up with an answer for him. Some people would say that you should have a balanced, strong team – one of all different types, which could cover each other's weaknesses. But there were so many Trainer that could do that with only one or two types, as well: Gym Leaders being a very obvious example of such. Even from what she remembered from her time at school, there were Dragon Tamers, Ghost specialists, and eve Fairy-type Trainers existed; though May didn't know how popular that was in Hoenn. Training only one type of Pokemon didn't make one any less strong than another Trainer; but there was merit to having a well-rounded team as well.
If May were honest with herself, the most important thing in her mind was the bond you had with your Pokemon. If you were raising a Pokemon for the sake of its typing, that was sad for both the Trainer and the Pokemon.
Subconsciously, May scratched Yena on the head as she thought this out. Was there a right or a wrong way to choose Pokemon for a team? She wasn't sure.
Realizing that she'd been silent for too long, Steven continued on after a moment before she could come up with anything to tell him. "Not that it's anything I should be concerning myself with," he chuckled, "but I somehow find myself wanting to know what you think." The way he talked, just like when they met at Granite Cave, it almost felt like he was talking to himself; like these were private thoughts he didn't mean for the world to pick up on.
Hearing that, though, May couldn't fight the small blush that spread across her cheeks.
Wanting to know what she thought? Nobody was ever this interested in her, not even that weird kid that lived next door to her new residence in Littleroot – Brendan, she believed his name was. It was flattering, but something about it almost felt familiar to May.
Nodding mutely, she wasn't really sure what to say to that without making a total fool of herself. She really shouldn't care, with how often she did crass or stupid things on her journey, but a part of her didn't want to ruin the moment. For once, she let that part control her without thinking too much about what it meant.
He moved his gaze from Yena back to May, their eyes meeting easily. Just like before, she felt herself flush hotter. It was ridiculous. It almost felt like he was staring straight through her, right then, and it reminded her of dreams – where they would stand there, wind whipping the ocean water around them into their faces; their hands connected as they stood on a shallow island of sand in the middle of that endless, endless ocean…
May physically shook her head this time, tufts of her hair hitting her in the face as she did so. Steven thinking she was weird, or maybe a bit rude was a better alternative than getting completely encased in her dreams. If she were being honest, he probably had a terrible opinion of her anyway. How could he not, really, with how she had acted both at Granite Cave and today?
"I think," May spoke up, startling him, "trainers should do whatever they'd like. I think you can be strong no matter what kind of team you choose to raise." It was a good answer, she felt, and it was a good way to get her mind off of that endless, rainy ocean that kept appearing in her dreams.
For a quick second, Steven looked as if she had slapped him in the face instead of speaking, but quickly schooled his features once again. She knew, just by looking at him, that it wasn't what she had said that had startled him – while not nearly as easy to read as her mother's, she could tell he had also been deep in thought before she had spoken up.
"I suppose I should be going," he said, completely and totally ignoring her. "I hope to see you again, though."
"What?" May had only meant to think it, but it rushed out past her lips before she got the chance to stop it.
It was so sudden, just like the first time she'd met him. Part of her wondered why – especially with how it seemed he'd been snapped out of a trance, just as she had been, before declaring he would be on his way. She didn't dare think it had anything to do with the weird feelings she'd been having, despite everything. Those dreams – the desperation she felt in them – were likely hers and hers alone; nobody else's to struggle with. The likelihood of them actually meaning anything was so low, regardless.
He turned to leave, but stopped himself short, eyes growing wide as saucers and jaw flying open.
It was the first time May had seen him look so human. Sure, she'd only met him the one time before this, but he had looked and felt so… untouchable, to her. She couldn't see what he was gaping at, could barely even see him gaping at the angle they were in, but nonetheless he looked normal, to her. In that instance, May felt more at ease then she'd felt the entire rest of the conversation – if you could even call whatever their interaction had been a conversation. It was like a weight had finally been removed from her shoulders.
It was also, however, the perfect distraction from why she had felt so strongly about his sudden leave.
After sitting in her own head for what was probably far too long, May slowly moved to see what he was staring open mouthed at, only to have her own jaw drop practically to the ground.
"Latios?!"
No. No, May couldn't believe what she was seeing. Blinking owlishly, May tried to dissipate the Pokemon staring at them; floating calmly at head level. There was just… no way. There weren't many myths from Hoenn that she was familiar with, but she had loved the legends surrounding the twin dragon Pokemon while she had been in school. The protectors of the land, her teacher had called them; and May had always thought they were beautiful, in the drawings she'd seen.
So it wasn't her fault, really. She couldn't help it. She screamed.
Steven and Latios both jumped – in a similar matter, she thought to herself vaguely somewhere in the back of her mind – and Yena was immediately alter, instead of staring silently at the blue, feathered dragon. May stumbled backwards in shock, and Nova forced himself out of his PokeBall to catch his Trainer; his new height as a Blaziken giving him quite the advantage over Yena's smaller, less sturdy body.
Once Nova had steadied her, she apologized quietly to both Steven and the Pokemon in front of her. Looking down, her face as red – and as warm – as Nova's feathers, May was completely mortified that she had screamed like that. The shock had just been… too much.
As she slowly raised her head, she snuck a glance at Steven to find a surprisingly serene smile on his face while he looked at her. He glanced away as soon as he noticed her own staring, but she was reminded of the thoughts she had just had about him, moments prior; wondering if he thought of her as more human now, as well. She was used to being called all sorts of rude and unpleasant things, so it shouldn't have come as a surprise to her if he did think that – a surprised scream was definitely more human than the scowls she had grown accustomed to giving him, after all.
Sorry, she apologized to him mentally, though she wasn't quite sure why. Sorry I'm not nice, anymore.
As they stared at each other for a moment, Latios cooed, interrupting whatever was going on between them just like that. Quickly composing herself, May almost wanted to laugh. Latios wouldn't just appear like this, out of nowhere, to watch them watching each other, for however long they had been zoning out.
"Do you," Steven paused, gathering himself the best he could, "want us to soar somewhere with you?" The way he phrased that made something inside May stir, but she ignored it, reaching instead for Yena's PokeBall off her belt to return her silently.
Glancing at Nova, he nodded sagely at her, allowing his Trainer to do the same for him. She carefully clipped the PokeBalls back onto her belt, staring at the odd, almost wingless dragon in front of her.
"May," Steven said, reaching out to her, "come with me." It was another voice she'd never heard him use – this was commanding, like he was used to leading entire armies. She held back her snark for Latios' sake, walking over to where he stood next to the legendary creature.
"Latios," he trailed off, putting his hand back down at his side when May didn't take it, "I believe that it sought us out for help. If that's the case," he grinned, "let's go!" That time, May noticed, he almost sounded giddy. She was learning so much about him today, she thought, as she mentally catalogued this tone into her head as well; for reasons unknown.
If someone had asked her before, if she would've been happy about it, she'd have said no – no questions asked. After all of what she'd seen today, however? She wasn't so sure of her answer, anymore.
Steven was an odd case for her, indeed.
With a sigh, she looked to Latios, hoping nobody picked up on the sound of her swallowing. "Can I climb on?" She asked, not at all understanding if there was a protocol in this situation. The feathered blue dragon nodded in response, and May took a moment before shrugging.
Deciding she wouldn't think too much on it, she jumped onto its back, swinging a leg over the other side a bit clumsily.
Steven let out a light, breezy chuckle; climbing on behind her with ease. Again, and again against her will, May's face begun to burn from their close proximity as he wrapped his arms around her sides.
"Don't fall off, now," he said, joking, but May scowled anyway. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
The island, May thought, was absolutely gorgeous. It was nothing like what she'd thought to expect from Hoenn when she first arrived – lush, green grass; evergreen trees growing everywhere; wildflowers sprouting up from wherever they could; and the sound of the wind making its way through everything around her. It was, for lack of any other word she could think of, stunning.
She looked around in awe, setting herself carefully on the ground. It reminded her of what she had wanted to see from travels in Johto, way back when. Hoenn, it seemed, had much more to the tropical region then she'd originally thought, in her fantasies of soft white sand and clear skies.
"We've arrived," Steven said from behind her, brushing nonexistent dust off his shoulders. He smiled gently at Latios, turning to pat the legendary dragon on the head. "Thank you, Latios."
There was an odd sense of familiarity in the movement, to May. Steven had been just as surprised to see the legendary Pokemon as she had been; so why would he be familiar with it? May shook her head, not wanting to dwell on those kinds of thoughts right now. She was probably just imagining it, anyways.
She looked around the island again, but it was like a switch had been flipped. Gone was the sense of beauty, and she almost shivered at the feeling that had settled deep within her bones. Putting her finger on it was impossible, but something felt off – like something had infected the island itself. Briefly, May wondered if she had overlooked it when she took her preliminary glance around, finding it hard to believe such a peacefulness could disappear so quickly.
The feeling, though, despite being off putting, was familiar to her, somehow.
"I don't know what it is," Steven said, pausing as he took in the atmosphere for himself. "It's not quite unease, not quite fear, but there is something," he took a deep breath, "unsettling."
He had hit the nail right on the head, and May nodded along with his words. Her fingers brushed against her PokeBalls out of habit, taking time to brush over each and every one of them in case she needed them. As in in response, they twitched one by one at her waist, bringing a small smile to her face. Despite how little she'd been a Trainer for, May had no doubt that she could trust her Pokemon with her life.
Even so… She shivered, and allowed herself to release Nova from his PokeBall – not that he would've stayed in there long, she told herself.
"It is an odd feeling, as though I am walking in a dream – or an illusion."
May's eyes widened, mind going to the strange dreams and feelings that had plagued her for her entire life. This was almost similar, she realized, to the unease she'd felt during the more violent dreams. She wanted, desperately, to think his choice or words were just a coincidence – he couldn't know about her dreams, could he? – but something about the way he said it, made her think otherwise.
"I agree," May's voice finally found her. "It doesn't feel good at all."
Steven nodded in agreement, his silver hair brushing over his eyes as he did. "I once hear an odd fable," he said. "It was said that the two Pokemon that live on this island guard some secret about that great form of evolution – Mega Evolution."
"Mega Evolution?" May parroted, confused. She hadn't really cared about it too much during classes, and it never sparked a particular interest in her or anything; meaning her knowledge was quite limited. "I thought that was super rare," she continued, racking her brain for anything she'd retained from school. "And didn't it only become popular in battles over the last decade or two?"
If this island had to do with Mega Evolution… well, May almost wanted to leave. She may not remember much about it from school, but she remembered that it was very powerful, and could be extremely dangerous if it was attempted by someone unskilled.
She wasn't one who lacked confidence, but she wasn't stupid. There was no way she or any of her Pokemon were ready to attempt it – after all, it hadn't even been six months since she'd gotten her Trainer's license. That would feel like she was asking to get hurt.
"That's correct, May." Vaguely, she wondered why it always felt like he was talking to himself, even when directly addressing her. "Could it be that some dangerous element is here because of that?"
She thought about it for a moment, surveying the island around her again. Could it be that? It didn't seem likely in her opinion; Latios wouldn't have sought out two fairly random Trainers if that had been the case, it was almost assuredly smarter than that. But what other reason could she come up with?
Well, Steven, she thought to herself, since coming to this region my weird issues with headaches and déjà vu have gotten worse and I've been having weird dreams about people and places I've never seen before that obviously exist and this island feels like one of them? It took effort not to scoff aloud at her thoughts.
"It's a possibility," May eventually decided on. Safe. Neutral. Not stupid.
"Come," Steven said with a sigh. "We should be going." He turned to face the only path they could see, but waited for her to start walking.
He was right, she knew. They'd probably been talking too long. Her eyes moved to Latios, unsure. "Are you gonna stay here?"
It made an odd noise that resounded in her skull, but it seemed to be saying yes. She shrugged, deciding to not put much thought into it.
"Well, alright," May said, still feeling unsure. "Be safe." She wasn't sure why she bothered – it was a legendary Pokemon; it certainly didn't need her telling it to be safe.
May walked on ahead then, in front of Steven, and found herself wondering if she'd be alone in facing any threats there. She knew he had some Pokemon on him, but she hadn't thought to ask whether they were powerful, or if he was more on her level. It was slightly concerning – he was a guy who went gallivanting in caves in a suit, after all; it was hard for May to imagine him being terribly strong.
Something about him, though, made her reconsider as she continued moving. Maybe it was the way he held himself, or how calm he seemed at most times. Regardless of what it was, she couldn't help the excitement she felt at seeing what kind of Pokemon he'd raised.
The- wh- mem- dese- to carv- th- rts….
Stumbling back in Nova, May brought a hand up to her head quickly. Was she hallucinating again? She swore to herself, praying that this would pass quickly. Now was not the time.
Those whose memories fade seek to carve them in their hearts….
The breath she was taking to calm herself caught in her throat. The line voiced itself in her head, almost as if she had thought it herself, but she definitely hadn't. She braced herself for the headache that was bound to come, but… nothing did.
The phrase, though, was something she was familiar with – something she'd heard before in her dreams, a few times. There was always something reaching out for her, in those dreams, something that she couldn't quite grasp.
After taking a minute to be sure no headache was coming, she pushed herself off of Nova and sped off ahead into the forest, determined to figure out what was going on. Had something materialized the thought? Made her think it? May wasn't sure, but she was going to figure it out.
The dense brush opened up into a clearing, and again, she stopped short. The clearing robbed her of her breath; it was beautiful… but May still couldn't shake the sense of unease that covered the entire area.
Taking a quick look around, she spotted the same wildflowers covering the grass; ending in a plateau in front of a few small waterfalls that converged into the stream. It was mystical, almost, like a human shouldn't have been there.
But what was even more mystical, May realized, was Latias, staring her directly in the face – almost as if she had been waiting there for her.
Anything she could have said died in her throat.
She just stared, completely and totally dumbfounded, until she finally regained control over her body. Creeping forward, she tried not to break whatever… thing they had, trying her hardest not to startle the legendary dragon. May felt Steven come up behind her, but he didn't move any closer and didn't say anything, which she appreciated.
Oddly enough, it didn't feel like he was intruding on whatever was happening between herself and Latias. It was almost like he was supposed to be there in her mind – she decided she didn't want to think about that, right now.
When she finally reached the legendary Pokemon, Steven spoke, and May wasn't sure if he realized he was talking aloud.
"Latias," his voice came out in a whisper, "it's so beautiful... if I were to describe such beauty in terms of a stone, it would be a Sun Stone." He paused, shaking his head to himself. "No, it goes beyond that… isn't it's brilliance like that of a Dawn Stone?"
Despite the almost tenseness of the situation, May couldn't help but snort. She didn't know much about Steven – not even his last name – but what she did know was that his love for stones was obviously genuine. He wasn't offended, though. She wasn't even convinced he'd heard her, as he finally made his way next to her to stare in awe.
"It is as fantastic as a Steel-type Pokemon…"
Now this was something to catalogue for later. He'd given her the Steel Wing TM, so she supposed she shouldn't be too surprised if it was his favorite typing. She wondered then if he was a mono-type Trainer, briefly thinking back on the conversation they were having before Latios had shown up. It would make sense, may thought, and somewhere in the back of her mind the thought that it suited him popped up. Stealing a glance at him to confirm those thoughts, she noticed for the first time the keystone he had pinned to his lapel.
So he's capable of Mega Evolution, she thought to herself; the realization that he must be much stronger than she'd thought setting in. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about that, as her eyes flicked between Latias and the bright stone on Steven's suit jacket.
The two of them were so lost in thought, that if it wasn't for Latias' shrill warning, May doubted they would've heard the intruders coming up through the brush.
She turned around and scowled instantly upon seeing who they were. "Team Aqua?" She exclaimed, surprised but not really surprised; mostly disgusted and irritated. They seemed to be where she happened to be more and more often lately.
Steven, however, was much more on top of things. "Team Aqua, is it?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at them. "So Latias noticed their coming, and that it is why it called on us."
Oh. That made at least some sense, may thought. It had wanted protection. Did it send Latios out to find any group of Trainers that had looked capable enough? Even so, May still felt it was too much of a coincidence; especially with this not being the first time she's run into and subsequently defeated Team Aqua in the last few months.
Whatever, though, she thought to herself, nodding at Nova. She was always ready to battle these thugs. They had given her nothing but grief thus far, and at this point, it was more or less a personal vendetta than trying to do the right thing.
"What's this!? You!?" The buff guy spat out, looking just as aggravated as May felt. It was then the grunt next to him met May's eyes, and they lit up in recognition. Great, she almost groaned aloud. Just what she needed.
"Mr. Matt, sir! That pipsqueak there is the kid that I heard keeps getting in our way!" She screeched out, and May winced involuntarily at the piercing sound.
"Hey, I resent that!" She shouted back without thinking. Maybe she was short, but she wasn't some kid to be trifled with. She was seventeen, for Arceus' sake, and she had beaten them every single time they got in her way.
"B-but that rather alluring gentlemen with her," the grunt said instead of responding, completely ignoring May.
"Ugh," she said under her breath, throwing a glare to the grunt. She had always had a temper, but Team Aqua took her irritation to a whole new level. Whatever patience she may have possessed snapped anytime they were involved – May was completely done with dealing with them.
Steven, on the other hand, was looking at the grunt rather curiously.
"Oh, I feel like I should know him from somewhere," the grunt continued, looking back to who May now knew was Mr. Matt. "Maybe he's a contest star?"
May snorted, and opened her mouth to reply that he was just some nobody who liked rocks, but Mr. Matt cut her off instead. "Oh ho! I have no time to worry about that!" He said with a grin, pulling a PokeBall from his waist. "The name's Matt! That's Team Aqua Admin Matt to you!"
Admin? May's face was blank at his words. "That means absolutely nothing to me," she told him honestly.
He plowed on ahead, not at all deterred by her deadpan. "What I want from you is that Latias behind you there. But that Mega Stone," he paused, eyeing Steven, "we of Team Aqua are definitely gonna need the transcendent power of Mega Evolution to achieve our ambitions."
Matt cocked his head, eyes moving to lock with May's. Despite Nova already being out, her hand went for his PokeBall on instinct. "How 'bout it?" He asked, his voice full of arrogance – way more than hers ever was. "If you get out of our way, we won't rough you up."
"Fat chance!" She spat at him, clenching her fist tightly. "I'm not going anywhere."
Steven smiled next to her, and she glanced to see him enlarging one of his own PokeBalls. "That's right," he nodded to her, voice smooth as ever. "Full points for the correct answer!"
Rolling her eyes, May did her best to ignore the way her heart beat a little faster in her chest at his words. She didn't think she'd ever met someone in her entire life who complimented her this much.
"I'll take part in this battle as well," Steven declared, stretching out his arm. "Let's protect Latias from these beasts together. We cannot allow Latias, or even a Mega Stone, to fall into the hands of such villains!"
"Always so dramatic," May said under her breath, shifting to let Nova stand in front of her.
"Oh ho!" Matt called out, throwing his PokeBall into the air. His grunt followed suit, the bright lights of materializing Pokemon taking up her vision. "If you're really this stupid, I guess I have no choice but to squash you!"
"You're the one that'll be getting squashed!" May shouted back, before jumping right into the battle with a command. Team Aqua had yet to win against her, and they most certainly wouldn't be breaking that streak today.
She hadn't even broken a sweat, not really. Between Steven's strong Metang and Skarmory – confirming her earlier thoughts that he was a mono-type Trainer – and Nova's pure, brute strength and endless irritation when it came to Team Aqua, it hadn't really been much of a fight.
The grunt girl fell backwards with a loud shriek after the battle had finished, Nova glaring at the girl with menace. May wanted to roll her eyes, but didn't want to ruin the effect – the grunt didn't have to know that outside of a Pokemon battle her starter was harmless.
Matt, on the other hand, laughed loudly as he recalled his fallen Pokemon; the grin he wore before the battle still there. "Strong, ain't cha?" He nodded at Steven easily.
May glanced over at her battle partner, too – he had surprised her a lot in the battle. He had been quick on his feet, though it was obvious to her he put a lot of thought into his every command. It had almost seemed to her, however, that he was holding back during the battle. His Skarmory especially had seemed almost… bored.
"You're an interesting punk too, I'll give ya that!" Matt continued, shifting his focus to May, effectively snapping her away from her thoughts.
She huffed a laugh, but Matt didn't seem put out. May was almost wanting someone in this region to react to her rude demeanor, at this point.
"I love interesting, strong dudes!" He said, turning himself to look back at Steven. "That's why I love my bro, Archie! And that's why I'm gonna start loving you from now on, too!"
Blinking owlishly at him, she thought she made some sort of noise. A squeak, maybe, at his words. Maybe Steven made a similar noise. She couldn't tell – all she knew is her face had turned bright red at the implications, while Steven maintained composure.
Matt's grin turned feral as he continued. "Next time I see you, I'm gonna smash you up real good, okay?" He turned to the grunt without another word for the two of them, nor did he give them a chance to say anything back. Not that May could've, really, after his ridiculous declarations. "Let's get out of here, you dull grunt!"
With that, he went on his way, the grunt meekly following behind him through the brush; leaving Steven and May to watch without a word. Once the two Team Aqua members were out of her line of sight, May finally let out a breath, feeling like her lungs had opened up for the first time since coming here. Nova, too, relaxed his posture, moving to find a comfortable place to sit and relax – and to give his Trainer some space as the legendary dragon watched them carefully.
"Good work, May," Steven started, his eyes lighting up. "Ah, that's right. We should first heal up the Pokemon that fought on our behalf, shouldn't we?"
May nodded along, glancing over at Nova who was already sitting on the grass. Pulling out a Potion spray, the two of them worked in silence while they healed up their Pokemon; Latias still watching them with keen eyes. Under normal circumstances, May might've found herself unsettled by Latias' watchful gaze – or maybe just at the fact that the legendary Pokemon was there. Oddly enough, though, now that Team Aqua had left the premises, she felt calm. It almost felt natural to her, to be there with Latias.
When they were finished, and his Pokemon were back in their PokeBalls, Steven turned to face her again. "You preformed spectacularly," he told her honestly, and May's eyes widened at the praise. "We were able to protect both this wondrous Pokemon and its Mega Stone, thanks to you."
Truthfully, May hadn't even realized that Team Aqua was after Latias' Mega Stone – thinking they just wanted Steven's when they saw the chance. Keeping this information to herself, though, she asked with an edge to her tone, "Why are you always complimenting me like this?"
She couldn't really help the guarded curiosity – it was a new experience, for her. It was only their second meeting, though she guessed this qualified as a bit more than just a meeting, but the point still remained.
Steven just smiled at her, enigmatic as always. May swore she could hear Nova holding back a chuckle. He began to say something else, but Latias waved its arms frantically instead, letting out a trill and halting their conversation.
They both turned to look at the Pokemon who'd been watching them all this time, surprise on May's face. Looking into its eyes, she could feel the enormous power this creature contained. Seeing that, she wondered why exactly it had called for help – did it not want to hurt people, she wondered. And on top of that, there was something strikingly familiar to May about the Pokemon. She couldn't quite place it; though it was very different from the usual feelings she experienced. This was something new.
"It looks as though Latias may have also recognized you as a trainer worthy of its trust," Steven spoke up, breaking the silence that had fallen.
May looked over to him sharply, eyes narrowing. How could he possibly know that? His smile turned into something gentler, and heat rose to her face despite how uncomfortable she felt. Whipping her head back to Latias, she trained her eyes on the dragon and kept them there, not wanting to look at Steven anymore.
"Look," he continued, gesturing at the Pokemon. "It's trying to offer you its allegiance. I believe it is trying to show that it wants to go with you on your journey." May dragged her eyes back over to Steven for just a moment, seeing an oddly familiar smile on his face. "Go on. Hold your hand out to it."
Forcing her attention back to Latias, May noticed it was kind of holding its small arms out to her. Gingerly, she put out her own hand, like she was trying to shake Latias'. With a tenderness May hadn't expected from such a large creature, Latias put a shard of something into her hand. Holding it up to the light, the stone sparkled and casted a bright, multicolored shine on the ground. She stared at it for a moment, before taking a deep breath.
"Latias," May started, voice already feeling hoarse, "do you want to come with me?
The great dragon nodded easily, making that trilling noise again. The urge to faint was coming on strong, but May did her best to stay standing. This kind of thing was what you saw in the movies, read in books – it wasn't supposed to happen to her. She had grown up, like all kids did, on stories of people saving legendary Pokemon; befriending them and protecting the world from evil. These kinds of things…
Well, they weren't supposed to happen to her – yet here she was.
Slowly, slowly, May took a PokeBall out of her bag and held it out, carefully gripping the stone shard in her other hand. Much more quickly than she expected, Latias leaned forward, hitting its nose to the center button. Just like that, a bright light enveloped it until it disappeared, safely contained inside May's PokeBall.
All was quiet for a few moments; only the sounds of running water from the stream and Steven and May's breathing could be heard. Though, she thought wryly, the sound of her heart pounding in her chest could probably be heard from all the way over the ocean. The PokeBall in her hand felt like it weighed five tons, but her grip on it and the stone didn't give. When she finally had the ability to look over at Steven, he cleared his throat slightly, holding something out for her to take.
"You should take this from me," Steven said quietly, and May slowly put the PokeBall on her belt before heading over to him.
It felt all sorts of wrong keeping a Pokemon like Latias cooped up – she always liked to keep her Pokemon out of their PokeBalls, though the legal limit was one at a time – but she guessed she didn't really have a choice at the moment. She moved slowly over to Steven, each step feeling a bit lighter than the last.
With careful eyes, she watched as he took her hand, her heart beat not slowing down for a second as he clipped a cold, metal bracelet around her wrist.
He moved away from her as soon as it was clasped properly, and May exhaled. She wasn't used to people being that close in her personal space, especially someone who she had so many conflicting feelings towards. Last time she met him, she had thought she hated him, but this time around… He'd been helpful, and kind.
She thought about it for a moment as she took in the cool metal that sat around her wrist. She'd never been one for jewelry, so the feeling was uncomfortable, but looking at the sparkling, rainbow stone in the center had her mind reeling instantly.
No way, was her first immediate thought. She opened her mouth to object, but as usual, she was smoothly cut off.
"With the Mega Bracelet that I just gave you and the Mega Stones that a Pokemon may hold, your Pokemon will be able to achieve a powerful boost, quite unlike any usual form of evolution," Steven paused for a moment, looking down at the PokeBall on her belt that now contained Latias. "But only if you are bound by great affection, you will be able to achieve Mega Evolution."
Gaping at him openly, May could feel Nova staring at the silver haired man, mirroring his Trainer's shock. Key Stones were not exactly easy to come by – if May remembered correctly, even the rich could barely buy them, as no stores new a solid supplier. Most people found them on their own, if they got lucky, but that was a rarity for average Trainers. There wasn't exactly a tourist stop where they happened to exist, or anything.
"I suggest you try it with Latias the next time that you happen to have the chance to battle," he continued, smiling at her.
It was like the puzzle pieces snapped into place in an instant. The sparkling stone that Latias had given her, before going into the PokeBall that now wiggled in excitement on her waist… it was its Mega Stone. She'd never seen one before, so she hadn't realized, but it made sense now.
May tried to swallow, but her mouth and throat were both bone dry. "This is," she willed herself to speak up, "this is too much. Mega Evolution is huge."
Steven nodded thoughtfully, taking a moment before replying. "Mega Evolution is a phenomenon that has been long shrouded in mystery," he agreed. "What is a Mega Stone? What is a Key Stone? The process by which bonds between Pokemon and people manifest in a tangible power," he exhaled, shaking his head as he spoke, "how do we explain that?"
This had to have been one of the first times May listened to him and found his thoughts matching her own. The last part rung out loudly in her head, repeating itself like a bell. If people couldn't Mega Evolve, did that mean their bonds weren't strong enough, she wondered? If they could, did that mean other Trainers weren't as… worthy?
If she couldn't, she thought as she bit back a painfully dry gulp, did that mean her father had been right about her, all along?
Any answer she could've come up with would take a while; there was nothing she could think of right then. Steven and May were both silent for a moment, lost in their own thoughts. Even Nova, who had perked up considerably when hearing about Mega Evolution from his spot on the ground, had went back to quietly relaxing; waiting for his Trainer with patience.
"I hope that the Mega Bracelet I just gave you might bring us one step closer to finding the answer to these questions," Steven continued, his eyes shining just as brightly as the new stone he had fastened on her wrist.
The more she experienced with him, the more questions she had, but it always seemed to come back to this feeling that grew deep inside her stomach. It wasn't like the déjà vu that she was so familiar with, but May couldn't say it was entirely different, either. It was, she realized, very similar to what she had felt when she befriended Latias no more than a few minutes ago.
Excitement? No. Nervousness didn't cover it, either.
Steven let her mull over what he had said, patiently watching as she stared blankly at the stone on her bracelet. Nova, too, had shifted his focus onto his Trainer, though his eyes were careful. She knew he would be worried over her; over how fast things were moving, and May appreciated the concern.
Even if she was confused – even if things were moving far too fast for her – Nova and her other Pokemon didn't deserve a Trainer who couldn't keep up with them. May had to be better. So instead of taking the time she knew she probably needed, she took a deep breath and met Steven's bright eyes.
"I'll figure out Mega Evolution," she told him with confidence, despite her head swimming with doubt. All those thoughts – not being able to, the ever present possibility that her issues got too much and she'd have to stop traveling – she shut them out, to the best of her ability. She couldn't – wouldn't – give up now.
Her answer, though, seemed to appease Steven, and he nodded at her. "If that settles that," he gestured to the clearing opening, where it turned back into covered brush, "should we be heading back? Together with Latios, waiting so patiently for us there," he trailed off, and May rolled her eyes. He was always so dramatic.
"Yeah," she agreed, pushing her unease to the back of her mind, "let's get out of here." Picking up Nova's PokeBall off her belt, she held it out to him, and to his credit he returned into the ball without complaint.
Though she wasn't looking forward to having Steven hold onto her again as they flew, it would be, for once, a welcome distraction from her own self-doubt.
The feeling of flying was something indescribable. There was nothing like it, in May's mind. Even if it was embarrassing with Steven pushed up against her like this, the feeling of the wind flowing freely through her hair and being so high up above land was akin to magic. May understood, now, why there were barely any cars in Hoenn, as opposed to Johto. If the air was always this warm, she thought, why would anyone take any other kind of transportation?
She didn't want to land, but she certainly wasn't about to risk looking like a spoiled brat by asking Latias to fly with her a little longer when the blue dragon stopped on the edge of Route 118. May got off of him, albeit reluctantly, ignoring Steven's outstretched hand entirely. Again, just like before, he wasn't fazed by her at all.
For whatever reason, May frowned at the thought.
"Thank you for your help, May," Steven told her once they were both solidly on land again.
She didn't even have time to take out Nova's shaking PokeBall before Latios trilled, calling to them. She and Steven both looked back, startled, but the look on Latios' face was not angry or scared – it was peaceful.
May smiled back at it, unable to help herself.
"Perhaps it's trying to tell you to take good care of Latias," Steven said, a small smile tugging on his lips.
"Is that it?"
The blue dragon nodded at her. She had never really cared about legends and myths before, but May did remember, somewhere in the back of her mind, that Latias and Latios were sibling legendary Pokemon. They spent their whole lives together, usually. Her hand went to the PokeBall that contained Latias, and she nodded back at Latios.
"I will," she vowed, and she meant it. She had, despite all her misgivings about so many things, wanted to come on this journey, after all. Even if she had started it too many years too late, in a completely different country, without the support of her family – she would take whatever happened on this journey and roll with it. Even if it meant carrying a legendary dragon on her belt. "I will."
Latios trilled once more, and like a rocket, flew up into the sky, zipping away from them in an instant. She guessed he must've been holding back for them, and she couldn't help the grin that formed at the thought.
"In the end, you were a far greater help than I expected you might be," he said, and May scowled at him. "I expect that you and your team will be able to best both Route 119 ahead and even the Fortree Gym beyond that," he continued, following up his almost rude comment with praise that had her face warming. "I'll be curious to see how much stronger you might grow by the next time we meet. Until then, May."
She didn't have any words for him as he walked off, back into the Hoenn wilderness, still looking completely out of his comfort zone in his fancy suit. She stared off in the direction he left for a few moments, almost dazed, until Nova's shaking in his PokeBall grew too violent for her to ignore. Shaking her head, she released him, trying to clear her head.
He materialized in front of her, almost immediately giving his trainer a look, and May threw her head back and laughed. Rude as they might be, her Pokemon were good to her.
"Come on," she told him, a smile wide on her face. "Let's head to the next Gym, okay?"
Nova ruffled his feathers, but nodded at her, letting his Trainer take the lead. For now, she wouldn't worry about how she would show Latias the world without Team Aqua constantly trying to take her; or if she would ever be able to Mega Evolve her own Pokemon. The bracelet hung heavy on her wrist, but May would just keep moving, the best she could, with her Pokemon at her side to support her.
Notes
That was a really long one, lmao. When I first wrote this, I wrote it all in one day (ow), but editing it took me a few lmao. Anyways, next chapter will be out in a week, March 17th! See you then!
