May couldn't stop stuttering.
She was trying so hard to tell Steven what had happened, but it was difficult to form words from her jumbled mess of a mind.
"W-Wally… H-he was… I don't know what h-happened, b-but he was… and then he a-attacked me and…" Her voice was growing thinner and thinner, threatening to break beneath her rising hysteria.
Steven said something, but she couldn't hear him. Her heart was pounding too hard.
"What?" she asked.
"Shhh. Try to relax." His voice, calm and steady, grounded her in place like an anchor. She tried to do as he told and forced herself to suck in a couple of deep breaths.
"That's right," he said, coaching her through the phone. "It's okay."
He let her take in a few more breaths before he spoke again.
"Now," he said, "tell me what happened. Slowly."
She swallowed. "My friend, Wally… Something must have happened to him. He wasn't himself."
"In what ways?"
"He…" May shuddered, recalling the feral look in his eyes. "He wasn't acting human. It was like he'd become possessed. He had fangs, and there was light coming from his skin." She paused, realizing how absurd she sounded. "Please believe me."
"I believe you," Steven promised. "Where is Wally now?"
"I don't know. I can't find him."
"You said before that he attacked you. Are you hurt?"
She looked down at her injured foot. "I'm bleeding a little, but I don't think it's anything too serious."
"Bleeding?" Steven was silent for a moment. Then he asked, "Where are you?"
"Petalburg Woods."
"Hold on. I'll be right there."
May felt herself relax. Steven was coming. He would take care of everything.
The wind intensified then, blowing her hair into her face. As she reached up to brush it away, her hand grazed the cut on the side of her face. It was still wet.
She held her fingers in front of her eyes. They were dark with her blood, burgundy under the darkness of the night.
Overhead, a layer of clouds passed by to reveal the full moon. It was high in the sky and bright, basking everything underneath it in a muted glow. The burgundy of May's blood became bright red.
Her fingers began to tremble. There was more blood than she'd thought.
She wiped her hand against the grass and held it up again. It was still red.
Her trembling intensified.
"May?" Steven asked. "Are you still there?"
She remembered how Steven had looked at the party. How he'd been awash in the light of the sun. How his pale, blue eyes had frozen her in place.
He was a man of silver and gold. And she would not let him become red like her.
She would keep him safe.
"A-actually," May said, "I think I'm okay."
How could she have been so eager to take the backseat and let Steven do her work for her? He wasn't Champion anymore. He was under no obligation to come and put his life on the line. If he got hurt because of her, she'd never forgive herself.
It dawned on her then just how pathetic she was acting. Champions weren't supposed to cry and stutter in the woods.
Why was she constantly reminding herself to not be so weak?
"May?" Steven asked.
"It-it's okay." She paused, cleared her throat, and then tried to speak with more confidence. "You don't need to come. I was just overreacting."
"May –"
"Stay indoors." Her voice had taken on an authoritative tone. "Don't go outside, no matter what. I'll take care of everything."
"What –"
"Don't come," she repeated, hoping he would heed her warning seriously.
She hung up before he could say anything else. Her nav began to ring almost immediately after, but she ignored his call. She'd explain everything to him when she herself knew what was going on.
She stood up, wincing as the cut sole of her right foot burned beneath her weight. Favoring her uninjured foot, she turned around in a slow circle, watching for any sign of her glowing, possessed friend.
But she saw only darkness.
A dozen or so voices, all coming from Petalburg, began to rise above the wind. May immediately started back for the small town. Whether Wally was still in the area or not, she didn't want anybody out and about.
Residents clad in bathrobes and pajamas were emerging from their homes and crowding around the rubble of Wally's home.
"You heard the explosion, right?" one woman was saying to another. Her hair was pinned up by rows of pink hair rollers. "What do you think happened?"
"I don't know," the other woman said. She tightened the belt of her robe. "Maybe it was a robbery."
The first woman frowned. "Well, whatever it was, I hope Wally's okay. Do you think he's still inside?"
"I don't know," the second woman said again. "But I called the police – they should have been here by now."
A young boy pulled on her arm and pointed up to the sky. "Look, Mom!"
Two Pidgeottos cawed overhead, and from their backs dropped two police officers – one man and one woman.
"Holy Shelgon. What a mess," the man said, surveying the damage. He turned to the crowd. "Well, folks. Anybody want to explain what happened here?"
The women from before approached him.
"I know the family who lives here," the first one said. "The parents aren't in town right now, but their son Wally… I think he might have been inside when this happened." She gestured toward the hole in the house.
"We would've gone inside to check, but there's too much glass on the ground," the second woman added.
"Don't worry," May said, stepping into view. "Wally is unharmed." At least, he was in the physical sense.
All eyes turned to her, and a collective gasp erupted from the crowd.
Perhaps May shouldn't have called attention to herself like that. It didn't serve any good for the people to see their leader all bloodied and haggard. She could practically see the color draining from the faces that stared at her.
"Champion May!" The officers moved the meet her. "Are you alright?"
May held up her hands and tried to sound reassuring. "I'm fine. There was just a bit of an accident."
"You're bleeding," the female officer noticed. "Please, let us escort you to the pokécenter."
"Really, I'm fine. It's not as bad as it looks." May started to smile, but stopped when she realized that doing so would probably make her look worse.
She turned to address the crowd. "Please, return to your homes. Everything is fine."
Nobody moved a muscle. Everyone stared at her like they knew she was keeping a dark secret from them, and to some extent, she was.
"Everything is fine," she repeated. "There's nothing to see here."
Her words did little to dissipate the fear in the residents' faces, but she was obeyed without question. The crowd dispersed.
"Are you really alright, Champion May?" the female officer asked once everyone was out of earshot.
"Yes," May said. "But I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a big problem on our hands."
She explained what had happened, starting from the moment she'd met Wally earlier today to the moment she'd run into Petalburg woods to look for him.
"Wally seems to be under the influence of something beyond our understanding," she concluded.
She realized then just how shaken up the officers appeared to be. Her recounting of actual events had sounded more like a scary story. At least they were taking her seriously.
"But it'll be okay," she added, trying to end on a positive note. "Whatever is controlling Wally, I'll stop it."
"What are you going to do?" the male officer asked.
May thought for a moment. She still hadn't a clue where Wally was, or what had caused him to become so inhuman. She couldn't call for Steven for help again – he was to be kept completely uninvolved. Luckily, he wasn't the only strong trainer she knew.
"I'm going to meet with the Elite Four," she decided. "We will reach a decision together before taking action."
"What do you need us to do?" the female officer asked.
"Call for backup. Survey the area. Under no circumstances is anyone to go outside tonight." The directions were pouring out of her mouth. With her panic attack out of the way, it was easier for her to think clearly. "Contact my… I mean, contact Norman. Explain everything to him. Tell him to gather his students and remain stationed at the gym. Tell him that if Wally makes an appearance, do not engage in battle. Instead, try to dodge his attacks for as long as possible. This should buy enough time for everyone to evacuate to Oldale."
May didn't want her father to risk his life any more than she wanted Steven to, but in this dire situation, Norman had to uphold his position as a gym leader. She needed to count on him to help protect the people.
"Send someone out to Lavaridge," May continued. "Wally's parents are there. They need to know what's going on." She paused. "Can I count on the police to do all this for me?"
"Yes!" the officers replied.
"Thank you."
The officers sprung into action and began to dial numbers into their navs. May took her own nav out and dialed Sidney's number. She paced toward the beach while it rang.
Sidney picked up on the third ring. "Hello?"
"Sidney, it's May."
"May?" he repeated. "Well, this is certainly unexpected. When was the last time we spoke?" It was difficult to hear him – there were a lot of voices in the background.
"Listen, I need to talk to you," May said.
"What? You finally confessing your love to me?"
"Please be serious. I need to talk to you and the rest of the Elite Four."
"Okay, go ahead. The whole gang's right here."
She winced as her foot hit sand. "You're all together? Right now?"
"Yup," he said. Then he directed his attention to what May assumed was the rest of the Elite Four. "Guys, it's May! Everyone say hi!" A chorus of hi's followed.
"Where are you guys?" There was no way they were at Ever Grande at this time of night.
"Where else? We're at the Devon Party!"
May thought she heard Brawly whoop in the background.
"The Devon Party? That's still going on?" When she'd called Steven earlier, it hadn't sounded like it was still going on.
"Of course it's still going on. Oh, and by the way, I heard that you were here earlier. Why didn't you stay? You could've seen your old pal, Sidney!"
"Sidney, listen to me. I need all of you to meet me on Route 104. I'm calling an emergency meeting."
"What? Are you serious? I ain't leaving!"
"Sidney, it's an emergency."
"What could be so important that I need to leave the biggest party of the year?"
"How about the fact that there is an opponent who knocked out my Swampert in one hit, and now he's running rampant throughout Hoenn?"
"Ha! Good one, May."
May's grip around her nav tightened. "This isn't a joke, Sidney."
Sidney didn't say anything. A dozen other voices floated through the background.
"Sidney," she said, thinking that he hadn't heard her.
"You serious?" he asked. His voice was quiet, made quieter by the party, but May could still hear him.
"Yes," she said.
"This isn't some kind of prank?"
"No."
"You serious?" he asked again.
"Sidney."
He was silent for another moment. May only hoped that her desperation was finally getting through to him.
"I forget," he finally said. "Where's Route 104?"
"It's the beach to the left of Petalburg City."
"Okay. Be there in a sec." The line clicked off.
As terrible as everything seemed at the moment, May was grateful that the Elite Four happened to be so close by. Sidney, Phoebe, Glacia, and Drake all lived in different parts of Hoenn, so meeting up could have taken much longer.
May paced back and forth on the beach. She let the tide wash over her injured foot even though it dampened the ends of her dress. She'd have to buy Lisia a new one.
It felt like she'd waited forever, but when she checked the time on her nav, she was surprised to discover that only three minutes had passed since her call to Sidney.
An additional minute passed until they arrived.
She could see them soaring over the trees. Drake was on his Salamence, Sidney on his Mandibuzz, and Phoebe and Glacia rode together on a Flygon. May guessed that they'd borrowed it from Drake.
She raised her hand to get their attention, and they promptly landed around her.
"Thank you for coming," she said as they dismounted their pokémon. "I know this isn't the most ideal spot for a meeting, but it's an emergency."
Like her, they were dressed in formal attire. All bow ties and dresses.
Everyone's eyes widened after taking in May's appearance.
"Sidney said the situation was serious," Glacia began, "but I didn't realize how bad it really was."
"Yeah," Phoebe said. "Are you alright, May?"
"I'm fine," May reassured.
"You don't look so fine to me," Sidney said.
"I am, really."
"What happened?" Drake asked, raising the brim of his hat. "Do we need to prepare for war?"
May shook her head. "There's no war, but the situation is just as dire."
She gave them the same story she'd given the police, and they listened to her with their full attention. Even Sidney remained completely focused.
"The police are surveying the area, and my father is on standby," May finished. "I wanted to ask each of you what you think we should do from here."
"You've done well so far," Drake praised her. "But I suggest we have every gym leader on standby."
"Every gym leader?" Sidney repeated. "It's just one boy. Do we really need to have the whole nation on high-alert?"
"This one boy defeated May's Swampert with just one hit," Glacia reminded him. "If May couldn't defeat him, nobody else stands a chance."
"But May didn't even fight him seriously," Sidney pointed out.
May stiffened. "I don't want to hurt him."
Sidney crossed his arms. "We might not have any other choice."
"Hold on, Sidney. I'm with May on this," Glacia interjected. "Possessed as he may seem, Wally is still human. An attack from any of our pokémon could very well kill him."
"Then how are we supposed to stop him?" Sidney asked.
"We paralyze him," Drake suggested.
"Paralyze him?" May repeated. "No. I can't do that."
"We wouldn't have to hurt him," Drake reiterated. "I'm thinking we could utilize Stun Spore. Many of the pokémon in this region know it. It's the perfect TM - its effects are temporary and wouldn't cause any lasting physical harm to the boy."
"I see… That could be enough to stop him," May agreed, "but it doesn't solve the bigger issue. We need to figure out what's controlling him."
"Have you any theories?" Drake asked.
May shook her head.
Phoebe, who'd been uncharacteristically quiet, finally piped in. "I think I know."
Everyone looked at her.
"Really?" May asked.
Phoebe nodded, and then asked, "Do you still have the blue orb in your possession?"
"Um…" May hadn't been expecting that question. "I think so." She opened her bag and began to rifle through its contents. When she couldn't find the orb right away, her digging became desperate. "It's… it's not here."
"I thought so," Phoebe murmured. "It's the blue orb. That's what's controlling Wally."
"An orb is what's controlling him?" Sidney asked. "How is that even possible?"
Phoebe threw him an exasperated look. "Please. If it can control Kyogre, it can control a boy."
"If we get it back, will Wally become normal again?" Glacia asked her.
"I think so, but I'm not one-hundred percent certain. My knowledge of the orb only runs so deep. But my grandpa knows more about it." She looked at May. "I believe you've met him before – he watches over Mount Pyre."
"Can you call him?" May asked.
Phoebe shook her head. "He doesn't have a pokénav."
"Seriously?" Sidney muttered.
Phoebe ignored him. "If we wanted to talk to him, we'd have to do so in person."
"Where would he be?"
"Where he always is. Mount Pyre."
"Even at this time of night?" May asked.
Phoebe nodded. "Yes. He doesn't like to be away from it."
May reached into her bag and pulled out Salamence's pokéball. "Then let's go."
"Wait," Glacia said. "I still think we should let all of Hoenn know the gist of what's happening. What if Wally were to appear at Rustboro right now, where there are hundreds of unaware people?"
"In a situation such as this, you can never be too cautious," Drake added.
May saw their points. "Then we'll let everyone know."
Glacia retrieved her nav from the small bag at her side. "Should we call the gym leaders and ask that they warn their towns?"
"We could, but we need to consider the towns that don't have gym leaders," May said. "I think what we need to do is get in touch with Wattson and ask that he open Mauville's TV station for an Emergency Broadcast. I'll issue the news to the entire region all at once. After that, Phoebe and I will go to Mount Pyre."
"Maybe you should let one of us issue the news," Sidney suggested.
"Why?" she asked.
"It's more time efficient. We'll do the broadcast while you and Pheebs go see her gramps. Besides," he said, "you look like sh –"
"What Sidney is trying to say," Glacia cut in, "is that you look a little… beaten up."
May raised a hand to the cut on her face and realized that it was still bleeding. "Oh."
Considering the way Petalburg's residents had reacted upon seeing her in her current state, it probably wasn't a good idea for her to appear on national television.
"Then Phoebe and I will go to Mount Pyre now," May said. She summoned her Salamence and swung herself onto his back. "Just make sure to say that if anyone comes across Wally, do not engage in battle. Fleeing is the best option."
"Got it," Sidney said.
"And don't make Wally out to be a criminal – he's a victim."
"Got it."
"And mention that we are actively solving the issue. We don't want to sound completely hopeless."
"Okay, got it."
"And don't –"
"Okay, we got it," Sidney cut her off. "Quit worrying so much, Champ. We have it all under control."
Glacia and Drake nodded once in agreement.
Phoebe swung herself up behind May. "Let's go, May. To Mount Pyre!"
With one pump of his powerful wings, Salamence took off from the ground. Then like an arrow from a bow, he shot through the night sky. The women's dresses billowed behind them like wind-torn flags.
Phoebe, having almost lost her balance, threw her arms around May's waist.
"I'm going to fall," she said, breathless with dread.
"Sorry," May said, "but it's best that we make haste."
The land beneath them was just a dark mass of rustling trees. May couldn't help but glance down to look for the glowing figure of her possessed friend, though she knew the effort was futile.
"I didn't get to say this before," Phoebe began, her voice loud enough to be heard above the wind, "but it's good to see you again, May."
"It's good to see you, too."
"I was beginning to think that you'd never come back."
"Same here."
Phoebe laughed. "Well, I'm glad that you did."
May pursed her lips. She couldn't agree with that. It was her fault that any of this was happening.
She did see the humor in it, though. To think that she returned to watch over the country, but ended up being the one to put it in danger. She didn't know whether to laugh or to cry.
They flew for another twenty minutes, but Mount Pyre remained a speck in the distance. May bit back her frustration.
Both hers and Phoebe's pokénavs began to ring. They fished them from their bags.
"'Emergency Broadcast Alert'," Phoebe read from the glowing screen.
The screen cut to a shot of Glacia, who sat at a desk like an anchorwoman about to give the daily news.
"People of Hoenn," she began. "It is with a heavy heart that I come bearing urgent news."
May held her breath even though she already knew what was going to be said.
"Before I say anything," Glacia continued, "please bear in mind that we, the Elite Four, and our brilliant champion, are actively solving the problem at hand."
"Glacia's good at this," Phoebe mused. "Her voice is so calming. I can't imagine what we would've done if Sidney was in her place."
"Very recently," Glacia said, "a young man fell victim to the control of Hoenn's blue orb. What this means is that if anyone happens to come across this young man, do not engage in battle. I repeat, do not engage in battle."
"She's not even saying his name," Phoebe noted.
"It's probably best that she doesn't," May said. "I did tell them not to criminalize him. Plus, we don't want to bring negative attention to his family."
"According to our champion, this young man has developed glowing blue eyes and skin in reaction to the orb," Glacia said.
"Woah." Phoebe raised her brows. "She said that like it was the most normal thing in the world."
May's throat tightened. "I just hope people will believe it."
"If you happen to see him, please get in contact with your gym leader, or with the police department. For those of you attending the Devon Party, we highly suggest you return to your homes as soon as possible. We do not anticipate the problem to last long, but please keep yourselves safe until is completely fixed." Glacia cleared her throat before concluding, "This is Glacia of the Elite Four. Thank you for your time."
The screen went black.
"That was short," Phoebe said.
"Yes. But Glacia did well."
Another forty-five minutes passed until Mount Pyre began to loom.
It looked menacing in the darkness. Thick clouds of mist surrounded its peak, and the sea at the bottom crashed against its sides. There was something forewarning about it, almost as if it was alive and watching them.
"Where will your grandfather be?" May asked.
Phoebe pointed to the top of the mountain. "There."
"Let's go, Salamence."
They soared through the mist and landed in a patch of over-grown weeds. A cluster of tombstones sat directly to their left.
"I can hardly see anything through this mist," May said. "How are we going to find your grandfather?"
Phoebe turned her head to the right. "They said he's that way."
May looked at her. "They?"
"Yup." She grinned at the tombstones.
May tried to ignore the chill that ran up her spine.
"Return, Salamence." She withdrew him back into his pokéball.
She and Phoebe walked straight, and soon enough, a dirt path revealed itself. A bit further down was a stairway carved from stone. At its top stood a lone figure.
Phoebe broke out into a run. "Grandpa!"
Her grandfather held his arms out. "Phoebe, my dear."
They embraced.
"Hello," May greeted, coming up behind Phoebe. "I believe we've met before, but it's been a while."
The old man untangled himself from the embrace. "Ah, yes. The girl who retrieved the blue orb from that terrible Team Aqua."
"She's more than that, Grandpa," Phoebe interjected. "She's the champion."
"Oh, yes. That's right," he said. "Pleased to have you here, Miss Champion."
"Thank you for having me."
As much as May wanted to ask him why he was standing on top of a mountain at this hour, there were more important things that needed to be addressed.
"We need your help with something," she began.
"Is it about the blue orb?" he asked.
"Yes… How did you know?"
"I've watched over the orb for over sixty years. Though it is no longer in my possession, I can still tell when something has happened to it." He smiled. "Call it a sixth sense."
"I… no longer have the orb with me. I wasn't careful enough." May bowed her head. "I'm sorry."
"Please don't apologize, Miss Champion. Every owner of the orb has had it taken at some point." He chuckled softly to himself. "But am I wrong in assuming that this is a much more serious case?"
"No, you're right." May looked up at him. "I don't know what to do."
His eyes were kind. "Let's hear what happened."
She told him the same story she'd been telling all night. He seemed to process the story much calmer than both the police officers and the Elite Four had. He nodded along to what she was saying as easily as if she was describing the weather.
He was still nodding by the time she'd finished.
"This is quite the predicament," he mused.
"We want to know more about the orb," May said. "Why it's controlling Wally, how to get it back… everything."
The old man immediately had an answer. "I believe it is controlling poor Wally because of his soul."
"His soul?" Phoebe repeated.
"Yes. The orb can control those whose souls have become weak."
May's breath caught. "So that means Wally…"
"Was in a very dark place," the old man finished. "He must have been very unhappy for this to have happened."
With the feeling of a knife twisting into her gut, May realized that she'd already known this.
She had seen the way Wally couldn't meet her eyes, had heard the way he explained that his parents were out buying him medicine.
Of course Wally had been unhappy. And she'd done nothing to change that.
This really was all her fault.
"The soul is what controls the body," the old man was saying, "and the blue orb is a soul in itself. If a body's soul is weak, then the blue orb can take control over it. It's like a ghost possessing a living creature."
"So how do we get it back?" Phoebe asked.
"Meteorite."
"Meteorite?" the women repeated.
"Yes. Meteorite," the old man affirmed. "It is the only thing that can force the blue orb from your friend."
"How do we use it?" May asked.
The old man pointed to his chest. "Just touch it against Wally's chest. That's where the orb should be – right next to the heart."
"That's it?" Phoebe asked. "Just touch it against his chest?"
"Do not sound so doubtful, my dear. Meteorite is incredibly powerful. The fact that some of it is able to make it to our planet without burning up is testament that it is a sacred gift from the deeper realms of the Universe."
"I remember," May said, "that Team Aqua once stole some from Professor Cozmo."
The old man nodded. "Yes. It is sought after by both people and pokémon alike."
"How does it work?" May asked.
"Meteorite has incredible healing properties. Its very aura promotes spiritual growth. When used on Wally, it will strengthen his weakened soul, and he will be able to reclaim his body. But –" The old man held up an appraising finger. "Be wary of the orb's power. It is, essentially, the strength of Kyogre compressed into the size of a pokéball. Be careful you don't get hurt."
"Are we able to hit him with attacks?" Phoebe asked. "We were discussing this earlier, but we weren't sure if doing so would hurt Wally."
The old man shook his head. "No, don't attack him. Wally may have the power of a legendary pokémon, but that power is being held in a very fragile shell. A hit that could injure a pokémon will definitely do lasting damage to poor Wally."
"Then how are we supposed to get near him?" Phoebe asked.
"We can do what Drake said," May suggested. "Paralyze him with Stun Spore. It should stop him long enough for us to get the Meteorite on him."
"Oh, yeah," Phoebe mused. "That might work."
"Now our only concern is finding him," May said.
"The blue orb should be pushing Wally to the Cave of Origin," the old man said. "I believe that it means to merge itself with Kyogre and wake it up."
Phoebe gasped. "It's going to wake Kyogre up?"
"And… what will become of Wally?" May asked, though she dreaded the answer.
"If the orb is removed from Wally before he can reclaim his body, then…" The old man's expression tightened. "His soul will be lost forever."
"Then we can't let that happen." Phoebe looked at May. "Right?"
May nodded, though the movement was feeble. "Right…"
This was all too much to take in at once.
Kyogre had caused enough destruction when it had been under the control of Team Aqua. If Kyogre was given free-reign to do as it pleased, the results could be disastrous.
There was also the pressing matter that her friend was in danger of losing his life. How could she save Wally when she didn't even know where he was?
She suddenly found it difficult to breathe. Her chest seemed to constrict around itself like a bloodthirsty Seviper. Her mind clouded up, becoming foggier than the mist that blanketed the mountain. It was like she was back in Petalburg Woods, only this time, she didn't have Steven to help calm her down.
Phoebe was looking at her. Her mouth was moving.
"What?" May asked.
"What's the plan?" Phoebe asked again.
May shook her head. Her mind was still too foggy to form a rational thought.
"Meteorite," Phoebe insisted. "We need meteorite first."
May forced her mouth to move. "Yeah. Meteorite."
Phoebe placed her hands on May's shoulders. "Focus, May! Hoenn's depending on you!"
May stepped out of her grasp. "Yeah… Just give me a minute."
Phoebe and her grandfather watched as their champion struggled to breathe.
Shhh. Try to relax, came a voice from the fog of May's mind.
Steven's voice?
She forced herself to focus on it.
That's right, it continued. It's okay.
They were the same words Steven had said to her in the woods. Though faint in her mind, they were no less calming.
It was amazing how much of an impact this man continued to have on her.
She began to see reason through the anxiety. The longer she struggled to get a grip, the closer Wally got to the Cave of Origin. She needed to spring into action. Panicking could come later.
"Okay, I'm good," she said, though her voice was still a bit breathless.
Phoebe looked doubtful. "Are you really?"
"I am," May insisted.
"Alright…"
"Now, for the plan." The fog in her mind was gone. She could focus again. "I'll fly you back to meet with the rest of the Elite Four. Tell them everything we learned tonight. Then station yourselves across Hoenn." She retrieved her pokénav and opened up her map. "One of you will patrol the areas surrounding Littleroot, Oldale, Petalburg, and Rustboro. Someone else will patrol the areas around Verdanturf, Mauville, and Slateport. Another will patrol the areas around Lavaridge and Fallarbor, and lastly, someone will patrol the areas around Fortree and Lilycove. Not only are you to look for Wally, but you are to help protect the people in those areas should he appear."
"What about the meteorite?" Phoebe asked.
May looked at the old man. "Do you know where I would be able to find some?"
"In Meteor Falls, in the very highest part of the cave," he said.
May looked back at Phoebe. "After I drop you off, I will head to Meteor Falls and get some. Once I do that, I will join in the search."
"Will you be okay looking by yourself?" Phoebe asked.
May nodded. "I'll be fine."
Even though May had said she'd be fine, her foot was really starting to bother her.
Walking along the ocean didn't seem to have helped much. The cut had opened even more, and the slightest movement sent pain up her entire leg.
"That's a nasty cut," Phoebe had told her right before she'd been dropped off in Mauville. "You'd better get that taken care of before you go mining."
"I will," May said, and she'd meant it. If she were to go mining, she would need the appropriate footwear.
She directed Salamence to her house. It was three o'clock in the morning, and the sky was still dark. All May wanted to do was throw herself on her bed and sleep forever.
But she couldn't. Sleep was for those who didn't have the responsibility of saving the world.
She returned her Salamence, who had his neck hung over in exhaustion, before entering her home.
"May!" Her mother flew down the stairs.
"Hi, Mom."
"I was worried sick! First you wouldn't answer any of my calls, and then that Emergency Broadcast happened, and I –" Her words abruptly stopped as she got a better look at her daughter. Her eyes widened in fright. "Oh… May, you…"
May held up her hands. "I'm fine, Mom. I look much worse than I really am."
Caroline looked like she was about to faint.
May moved past her and started up the stairs. She tried not to limp, but the burn of her cut made tears spring to her eyes. Caroline followed her.
"Really, Mom. Everything's okay. I have a plan and everything."
She rounded into the bathroom and turned the light on.
She started at her reflection. "Huh."
Now she could see why everyone kept going on about her appearance. She really did look terrible.
The winged eyeliner that Lisia had meticulously painted onto her lids had smudged into the hollows underneath her eyes. The blood from the cut on her face had dried down her face, looking like a red tear trail. Her hair had blown free from its curls with all the control and poise of a tumbleweed.
Good thing she hadn't done the Emergency Broadcast.
"May," her mother said from the doorway. "You're not going out, are you?"
"I have to, Mom." May turned on the faucet and began to wash her face. "I'm the champion."
Caroline's breathing became ragged.
"Mom, it's okay."
"But…" She handed May a towel that had been hanging over the door. May dried her face with it. "You're hurt."
"Oh, this?" May pointed to the cut on her face. "This was an accident."
Caroline swallowed hard.
"Did Dad go to the gym?" May asked.
"Yes. The police came and said that you needed him there."
"Yeah. I need him to help watch over Petalburg." May hung the towel back over the door before heading into her room and closing the door.
After tossing her bag onto the floor, May reached behind her and unzipped the dress. It pooled around her ankles in a discarded heap. She limped over to her closet and pulled out a bra, a black tank top, and a pair of denim shorts.
"How bad is the situation?" Caroline asked through the door. Then, in a frightened whisper, "Don't lie to me."
May sighed as she strapped her bra on. "It's bad, but nothing that I can't fix."
Caroline fired another question. "Who's the young man who took the blue orb?"
May threw on the tank top. "Um… Nobody you know."
She couldn't say that it was Wally. Caroline adored him, and May wasn't about to cause her mother any more grief when it was clear that she had enough as it was.
"How did he get the orb?" Caroline asked.
May stepped into her shorts. "I wasn't careful enough with it."
Caroline was silent. May could just feel her mother's anxiety like anyone could feel heat from an open flame.
May reached down to the bottom of her closet and pulled out a pair of socks and a pair of shoes. She sat down to pull them on, hissing as the cotton material stuck against the wound.
Caroline's silence ended. "Shouldn't you stay here and rest up?"
May stood up. Her foot still hurt, but at least her shoes would prevent her from getting any more injuries. "I can't, Mom."
"But you look exhausted. You need energy."
"Really, Mom." May scooped up her bag and went over to open her door. Caroline stood right outside, her expression tight with worry. "I'm fine."
Caroline touched May's head. "At least get a brush through this hair."
May stepped around her to go back into the bathroom. "I will."
She untangled most of the knots before pulling her hair back into a high ponytail. Afterwards, she headed back downstairs. Caroline continued to follow closely behind.
Once May reached the front door, she turned around. "I have to go now, Mom."
Caroline shook her head no.
"I'll be okay. I promise."
"You're leaving again," her mother whispered.
May walked over and hugged her. "I'm not. I'm just doing my job."
Caroline sighed heavily. "I know that. I'm just… worried." She returned the hug.
Though she was an adult, May wanted to break down in her mother's arms.
But she couldn't. She was the champion.
"Promise me you'll try to be safe," Caroline said.
May nodded.
"May," Caroline warned. "Promise me."
"Okay, I promise."
Caroline released her daughter. "I'll always be here for you."
"I know. Thanks, Mom." With that, May turned for the door.
"Call me if you need anything," Caroline called after her.
Once the door closed, May began limping again. She'd treat her foot properly the next time she stopped at a pokécenter.
"To Meteor Falls," she said to herself.
She was just about to summon Salamence when she heard a cry overhead. She looked up.
It was a large bird pokémon. It cried again as it spotted her, and it began to descend. As it grew closer, May could see that its feathers glinted like polished steel.
"A Skarmory?" she questioned aloud.
But as it landed, she realized that it wasn't just any Skarmory.
"Steven?" she asked as he dismounted his pokémon and began walking toward her.
He stopped just a foot away from her. Now that she wasn't in heels, he towered over her.
"Steven," she said again. "What are you doing here?"
Without breaking eye contact with her, he reached into his pocket and produced a silver-and-black stone.
She gasped. "Is that…?"
"Meteorite," he confirmed.
She looked back up at him. "How did you…?"
"I called Phoebe."
"What? Why?"
"I didn't know what else to do. You weren't in Petalburg Woods when I arrived, and then I saw the Emergency Broadcast and I just…" He looked torn.
"You went to Petalburg Woods?" May felt the color drain from her face. What if Wally had still been in the area?
"Of course I went."
"I told you not to come."
"I know," he said. "But I couldn't stay away. Not when you'd sounded the way you did."
A small part of her was angry with him. He had, after all, ignored her warning to stay away. The bigger part of her, however, was shaken by the soft concern in his voice. How could it be that he had been more worried about her than she about him?
He held the meteorite out to her. "Here."
"You're just giving it to me?" It saved her a ton of time if he was.
He nodded. "It's been sitting on my shelf for years. I'm glad it can finally be of some use."
"Well, then, thank you." She took it and placed it in her bag before asking, "What did Phoebe tell you?"
If he knew about the meteorite, how much did he know about the entire situation?
"Everything," was his answer.
May pursed her lips. "I see."
Of course the one person she'd wanted to keep uninvolved in the situation would know everything about it.
"What are you going to do now?" he asked.
"I'm going to look for Wally," she said. "The Elite Four are each assigned an area of Hoenn to search, but I plan to do a sweep of the entire country."
"Let me come with you."
She stared at him in disbelief. "What?"
He moved closer. "I know that I'm not as strong as you, but I promise that I can be of some use."
"I know you're strong, Steven, but…" She shook her head. "Wally is a target that cannot be hit. He's too dangerous."
"Do you really think that makes me want to leave you alone?" Steven took another step closer, and his gaze landed on the cut on her face. His mouth tightened into a hard line.
May turned away. "You don't understand. I'd never forgive myself if you got hurt."
The words just slipped out of her mouth. A second later did she realize just how embarrassing they were.
"Um." She felt her face burn up. "I mean… you're my friend. I don't want my friend to get hurt."
He reached up and, with the pad of his thumb, gently brushed the length of the cut on her face.
"So I'm not allowed to get hurt, but you are?" he asked softly. "That's not fair."
Her face burned even hotter. "I..." She cleared her throat and veered the conversation back into safer territory.
"Why do you want to come with me?" she asked. "What could you possibly gain by risking your life?"
"Your safety."
Her lips parted, but no response came out.
"Please, May." His words were light as feathers.
She tried to ignore the flush creeping back up to her face and released an exasperated breath. This man could put on some damn good puppy eyes when he wanted to.
"Okay," she relented. "But don't say that I didn't warn you."
He released a smile so dazzling that she wanted to cover her eyes.
"Wait," came a male voice behind them.
"We're coming too," added a female voice.
May looked over and sighed heavily. "No, Lisia and Brendan. You guys are not coming."
