Chapter Seven – Vigil

May walked ahead of the rest of the traveling party. She held her fingers in front of her face as if they were a camera, framing an imaginary picture.

"Welcome, die-hard mystery fans and fellow travelers, to the program you've all been waiting for! It's another thrilling adventure on May's Expeditions!"

Ash laughed. It had been a long time since he had seen this routine. Bianca and Rex looked confused.

May spun around to face the rest of the group, as if she was filming them. Walking backwards, she continued her narration.

"Seeking out the wonders of the world, today our heroes find themselves on the road in Unova. Following this bubbling stream through the wilderness, they are on their way north to Striaton City! Nightfall is a few short hours away, and soon they must seek out a suitable site for a camp, or otherwise face the night cold and hungry, without shelter. What will become of them in this dire situation? Stay tuned!"

"Dire?" said Bianca, hand up to her mouth. "That's bad, right?"

May adjusted her finger-camera's positioning and zoomed in on Bianca.

"It seems there is unrest among the traveling party! Has morale reached a new low? How do our more seasoned adventurers feel?"

She panned her frame over to focus on Ash. Killing the drama, he was just laughing, hand behind his neck, with Pikachu doing the same atop his shoulder.

Then, she panned over to focus on Rex. He frowned and rolled his eyes.

"It's not dire," Rex said. "There's plenty of light left."

"Are you sure?" said Bianca.

"Yeah, no worries," said Ash. He pointed into the distance. "I think I see a clearing up ahead. That might be a good place for us to stop for the day."

Rex removed a crinkled map from his back pocket and unfolded it.

"If I'm reading this thing correctly, and if my memory serves me, we're not far from the edge of this forest. This stream should lead us into a meadow. We shouldn't be more than a mile away, at most."

May spun around, facing forward again. She squinted as she pretended to zoom in on the distance.

"Alas, it seems there is a sliver of hope for our weary travelers!" she said. "Your intrepid narrator can see more light poking through the trees up ahead. Could our navigator's hunch be correct? Will this fabled meadow provide them with the respite they so desperately need? How will they shelter themselves from the unknown of the creeping night? All this and more, after these messages."


"Come on, May! Can you please help me?"

Ash struggled under the load of heavy wood, taking step after uncertain step with a stack of fallen branches in his arms. The stack he carried reached all the way up to his face, obscuring his vision. Pikachu ran ahead of him through the edge of the forest, trying as best he could to direct Ash back toward the open meadow and avoid falling, but the communication gap was proving difficult.

May followed the two from behind, still pretending to film them. Framing the scene with her fingers, she continued to narrate.

"Now, one of our travelers has located wood for a fire – a fire that will provide everyone with warmth and light through the night. Observe the cooperation between Pokemon and trainer as Pikachu directs him where to go."

"I'm serious, if you don't help, I'm making you do this yourself next time!" said Ash. "Me and Pikachu will follow you the whole time and pretend we have cameras, too!"

"Frustration appears to be setting in," May whispered to her nonexistent audience. Then, she put her finger camera down and responded to Ash. "Oh well! That's the price I pay. This is too much fun!"

Ash turned his head and saw that May was now following him with her arms folded, a playful smile on her face. Meanwhile, his arms were straining. They seared with the paint of overexertion.

"Please, May!" Ash said. "I really need your help! I'm gonna drop all this!"

May shifted her eyes up and away, as if she was thinking.

"How about you give me one of your cookies?"

"What? No way!"

"If you let me have one, I'll help you."

"But I'm running out already!"

"Whose fault is that?"

"It's yours!" said Ash. "If you hadn't tried to get one from me every night since we left town, the box would still be half-full right now! Instead it's almost empty!"

"Maybe you shouldn't have let me have them, then," May said, sticking her tongue out at him.

"That's right!" said Ash. "I shouldn't have! You should have bought your own box back in town!"

"I'm going to buy my own box next time," said May, "but you should let me have one of yours tonight."

"Why?!"

"Because if you let me have one, I'll help you!"

For a moment, Ash felt an acute desire to rip his hair out, but the weight he was carrying prevented him from acting on that impulse.

"Alright, you can have one," he said, admitting defeat.

"Yes!" said May, pumping her fist.

"Just please help me," Ash said, whimpering as he handed off some of the load to May.

A few minutes later, back at their campsite at the edge of the woods, Ash let the load down. He groaned in relief, massaging his tired arms. He and May found Rex overseeing Bianca building an enclosure for their campfire out of gathered stones.

"Is this right?" said Bianca. She was kneeling next to her handiwork, pointing at the circle of stones.

"Looks good to me," said Rex. "I think it's big enough. Do you have the tinder?"

Bianca pouted, scooping up a fistful of dried needles and weeds from a pile next to the circle of stones and placing it inside the enclosure.

"Yes," she said. "I hate picking this stuff! Why do you always have to make me do this the hard way? Why can't we just use a fire Pokemon to light it?"

"Because you're not always guaranteed to have one with you when you're out in the wild," said Rex. "You've got to learn to do things by yourself. Be self-sufficient."

"When you were traveling alone, did you start fires this way?"

"No, but that's not the point."

"If you wouldn't do this, why are you making me?"

"So that you won't die of hypothermia if you're ever separated from the group and Tepig is injured."

Bianca continued to pout at him.

"Come on, this is an important survival skill," said Rex, trying his best to sound more supportive. "It's not so hard, either. Here," he said, taking a flint from a pocket of his bag and tossing it to her. "You know what to do."

Bianca did indeed know what to do. Over and over again, she struck the flint with the backside of Rex's bush knife. The sparks were flying, but fire was nowhere to be seen. The tinder was smoldering, but she couldn't quite seem to coax the flames out of it.

Ash and May exchanged glances of understanding. This was going to take a while.

"Wanna kill some time?" Ash asked her.

"Depends. What do you want to do?" said May.

Ash gave her a look she had seen hundreds of times before.

"I wanna battle!" he said. "I can test out my new Pidove against you!"

"Okay!" said May. "I accept your challenge!"

"Just keep it away from the camp, you two," said Rex. "And please don't disturb the other Pokemon."

Ash and May understood that the other Pokemon Rex was referring to were most likely his, and not disturbing them was undoubtedly good advice. The two of them looked warily over at the group of Pokemon gathered at the perimeter of their campsite. When they had shed down their gear for the evening, they sent out all of their Pokemon to get some fresh air, relax, and eat.

May had brought five Pokemon with her to Unova. As she had explained to Ash, the open sixth slot in her party was so that if she caught anything while she was here, she wouldn't have to wait until they reached a Pokemon center so she could swap out one of her other Pokemon for it. Among that group at the edge of camp were her five most trusted battlers: Blaziken, Venusaur, Wartortle, Glaceon, and Beautifly. Skitty and Munchlax, she had decided, were much better suited to staying with her family at home.

Joining May's Pokemon were those of Ash and Bianca: Oshawott, Pidove, and Tepig were all amicably playing and conversing with May's Pokemon, with Pikachu scurrying over to join them.

The other six in the group belonged to Rex, and their personalities all seemed to bear an uncanny resemblance to that of their trainer. Excadrill, Torterra, Camerupt, Gigalith, Conkeldurr, and Ferrothorn all lounged quietly in the late afternoon sun, seeming content to be left alone.

"Is there one of my Pokemon in particular you want to battle?" May asked.

"Yeah, there is," said Ash. "Hey Pikachu! Tell Pidove and Beautifly to come join us over here!"

Pikachu looked back at Ash and nodded, then spoke individually to both Pidove and Beautifly. The two of them took flight and soon thereafter landed with their trainers, out in the open meadow.

"So you must have wanted Pidove to battle against the only other flying Pokemon we have with us," said May.

"Yep!" said Ash. "That's right. I want to see what Pidove can do in the air. Are you ready?"

Ash directed his question at Pidove, who stood near his feet, pecking at the ground. Pidove did not respond.

"I guess Pidove isn't used to having a trainer yet?" May suggested.

"I dunno," said Ash. "Maybe it just needs some time to get used to all this."

Ash knelt down in front of Pidove and made eye contact with it. Now, seemingly understanding that it was being addressed, Pidove readily stood at attention, firmly focused. Ash scratched his head, thinking.

Pidove hadn't responded particularly well to being captured. Two nights ago, Pidove's first with the group, it had tried to fight with all the other Pokemon. Yet, to Ash's surprise, once Pidove realized it was upsetting everyone, it immediately calmed down and became gregarious and attentive. He wasn't sure what to expect from it in battle. Now, with nothing at stake, was the best time to find out.

The two trainers stood a fair distance apart in the open field. It was time.

"Ready, Beautifly?" said May. Beautifly sat perched atop her outstretched arm, and nodded in the affirmative. It took off and faced its opponent.

Pikachu sat atop Ash's shoulder, ready to support Pidove in any way he could. Ash held up a fist.

"Alright Pidove, this our first battle together. Just follow my commands and do the best you can!"

Taking Ash's address unexpectedly seriously, Pidove turned its head toward Ash and saluted in understanding with its wing. It made May giggle.

"Looks like it understands you so far!" she said. "Let's hope it stays that way."

Ash gripped the brim of his hat and adjusted it. Even though this was only a training battle, he had no intention of losing.

"Pidove, use Quick Attack!"

"Beautifly, Aerial Ace!"

In their opening contest of speed, Pidove had moved first, and it was the clear winner. As Beautifly attempted to strafe and get behind it, Pidove charged into its opponent's abdomen, landing a clean hit. Pidove then backed off, and it became clear that Beautifly was not particularly damaged.

"Use Gust, Pidove!"

"You too, Beautifly!"

Ash suspected he knew how this exchange would turn out before he saw it, and his guess was correct. The two Pokemon both directed gusts of wind at each other, but the larger, more experienced Beautifly's attack was much more powerful. It blew away Pidove's attack, and then blew away Pidove itself. Ash's Pokemon tumbled to the ground, flapping frantically to right itself.

"Now, Quiver Dance!"

May issued her command with a graceful hand motion and a full spin, a technique that Ash figured must have come from her contests. Still, he had no idea what the move she ordered was supposed to do. Beautifly was glowing and appeared to be vibrating, swaying from side to side rhythmically.

"Quick Attack, Pidove! Strike it before it can finish its move!"

Pidove looked at Ash and tilted its head, confused.

"Quick Attack!" Ash commanded again. Pikachu echoed him, trying to make the order perfectly clear.

This time, Pidove took off and charged at Beautifly, but it was too late.

"Now, Silver Wind!" said May.

Ash could see that Pidove was going to take a direct hit, and a strong one at that. It was plain to see that Beautifly's strength had greatly increased. While Beautifly gathered power for the attack, he gave another order.

"Forget about attacking Beautifly! Use Quick Attack to dodge!" he said.

Only a few feet away from its opponent, Pidove stopped in the air and turned around, once again looking to Ash with its head tilted to the side.

"No, Pidove! Get out of the way!"

It was no use. Pidove was blindsided by Beautifly's Silver Wind, and was hurled through the air a fair distance, crashing to the ground several feet behind Ash. Pikachu hopped off of Ash's shoulder and ran over to where Pidove landed, with Ash right behind him. To everyone's surprise, however, Pidove was already back on its feet.

"Are you okay, Pidove?" Ash said, kneeling down next to his Pokemon.

The question seemed pointless as Pidove staggered while trying to step forward. The answer was clearly no, but Pidove was stubborn. Pikachu tried to urge it to rest, but Pidove took another step forward, and then spread its wings and took to the air again. Its flight was wobbly.

"Pidove, you should rest," said Ash. "That's enough for now. I appreciate you trying so hard, but I don't want you to get hurt."

Pidove didn't seem to be listening. It was flying toward Beautifly, unsteady.

"Ash, you should call Pidove back to its ball!" May called from across the battlefield.

Ash reached to his belt, but then had an unfortunate realization.

"Aw, no!" he said. "I left my pokeballs at the campsite!"

May froze for a moment, but then she had an idea.

"Beautifly, use Whirlwind!"

Beautifly complied. Whipping the air with its wings, it created a vortex of wind, then blew it toward its oncoming opponent. Pidove was sucked inside, then spun around and shot back out in the direction from which it came, dizzy and confused. As soon as Pidove could steady itself, it landed, collapsing to the ground.

The two trainers both rushed to where Pidove lay. Ash knelt down and scooped up Pidove in his arms.

"Thanks, Pidove," he said. "That was a great effort. You gave it everything you had."

"Yeah, definitely," said May. "If you always keep getting up like that, you'll be a great battler one day."

Ash smiled at May. He couldn't deny how impressed he was. May was a much stronger trainer than the last time they met. Her quick thinking had saved Pidove from further injury, and she complimented Pidove with exactly the words he was about to say.

Standing up, Ash looked at May with great determination. May smiled back at him bashfully.

"Thanks for the battle," said Ash. "That was great."

"You're very welcome," said May. Then, her smile turned devious. "And don't forget, you still owe me a cookie tonight."

Ash groaned.


The campfire crackled. May lay comfortably curled up in her sleeping bag, gazing up at the night sky. Nearby, gathered around the fire, she could hear Ash snoring, already asleep. Bianca was quiet, getting closer to slumber. Only Rex remained awake. The sounds of writing came from his direction, as he lay stretched between trees in his hammock, scribbling in a journal by the dim light of the fire.

Pokemon lay all around, sleeping outside their balls. Pikachu was sleeping next to Ash, and Tepig next to Bianca, but most of the other Pokemon were huddled together, watching over the perimeter of their camp. With the combined forces of May and Rex's parties, there was little doubt about their safety. The only other Pokemon not huddled in the group at the perimeter was Excadrill, who dozed at the base of one of the trees to which Rex's hammock was attached.

May couldn't remember the last time she felt this content. Their journey so far had been so carefree. The days had passed with she and Ash reminiscing about their travels together, and the two of them and Rex helping introduce Bianca to life on the road. It reminded her so much of the first days of her journey many years ago, with Ash and Brock doing the same for her.

It was so different from her time traveling in Johto.

And the cookie had been delicious.


May felt the refreshing breeze of the pastoral farmlands caressing her face and whipping through her hair. She found herself at a familiar vista, one she had found herself at years before. She was somehow more nervous now than she had been back then. Just like the last time she was here, she stopped at the road sign and read it four or five times, trying to be absolutely sure. Each time she read it, it remained consistent. Her destination was just ahead.

The downhill walk into the town was sobering, much like she remembered from her previous time here. To come all this way on a whim was a move risky enough to make her stomach uneasy, even though she loved being able to pick up and travel so far on a mere moment's notice. The reality of her situation sank in as she descended into the streets. No matter how she broke it down, logically speaking it was foolish for her to be here. Not only was the person she was here to see unaware that she was coming, she wasn't even sure if he was home.

Even if he was home, what was she going to say? It wasn't like last time, how she just couldn't give up traveling with him. It had been years since she gave that up. She needed a new explanation, and soon. She wanted to kick herself for not having thought about this earlier. She couldn't blame herself, though. Having the freedom to do something like this was enough to make anyone's head spin.

For the umpteenth time that day, she felt her heart flutter as the vivid fantasy of the ideal scenario crossed her mind again, playing like a movie in her head. His doorstep, the opening door, his surprised face, the overwhelming emotion, and then the embrace. And next, a confession? A kiss? An entire afternoon, evening, and most of the night spent with just the two of them cuddled up on the squashy sofa, watching cheesy movies on television and sharing stories from their time apart. Could it be real? Or would it only be a fantasy?

As she progressed down the sidewalk toward his side of town, she saw an oddly familiar figure off in the distance, seated on a park bench. The features were only vague at this distance. She couldn't be sure, but she had a good idea who it was. Or perhaps, a bad idea. Or maybe a set of ideas with a bunch of conflicting emotions. Yes, that was it.

"I knew I'd find you here," Drew said. He sat on the bench, loose and calm, one leg atop the other and an arm outstretched along the top of the backrest. He looked at her with his penchant half-smirk, his expression half sardonic and half sultry, with that glint in his eyes that drove women wild. May felt a chip in her armor, a sign of weakness in her resolve, as the realization hit her that he was in her way.

"Why are you here?" she said. She was not at all interested in making smalltalk today. She knew that he should have no business being here. The only reason he would have ever come to this place would be because of her.

Drew stood and whisked the hair out of his eyes with a flick of his wrist. He settled his hands in his pockets as he leaned against a lamppost. He eyed May levelly, his grin making it all too clear that he knew exactly how to get under her skin, and he loved it.

"Oh, no reason," he said. "I just figured I might stop by and watch the fireworks. This is a pretty place, you know."

May folded her arms and scowled at him.

"Oh please," she said. "Do you expect me to believe that? That's a lie if I've ever heard one. You're here to mess with me and we both know it."

"Maybe it is a lie," said Drew. "Maybe we do both know it. But why does that matter when we also both know that you're lying to yourself?"

"What in the world are you talking about?" said May.

"You already know the answer," said Drew. "You just aren't being honest with yourself."

"So you're here to aggravate me and call me a liar. Is that it?"

"No, I'm here to make it clear to you that you're making a bad decision. You're throwing away the obvious solution for something that you don't have any idea whether or not it will work."

"The only thing that's obvious about your 'solution' is that it doesn't work,' May said. "I'm not giving up anything."

"That's what you think."

May narrowed her eyes.

"What do you have up your sleeve?" she asked him. "I know you've got something up there."

"The only thing I've got up these sleeves of mine is the truth," said Drew. "And the truth is that you don't want to face reality. The truth is that you want to hide from your problems, to forget about them. The truth is that you're running away."

"I'm not running,"said May. "I'm facing reality head-on. I've already dealt with one set of problems and I'm here to deal with another, for better or for worse. Now, good-bye."

With that accentuated final syllable, May turned on her heels and stormed off down the street. Enough was enough. She knew in the first place that talking to him was going to be nothing but trouble, so why did she bother to do it anyway?

"You know this isn't over," Drew called after her as she grew farther and farther away. "It's a real shame you're making it like this."

Two dozen white picket fences later, she found the one she was seeking. A quaint little house much like all the others, the only reason she knew it was the one was because of the memory of arriving at the doorstep years before. She could smell the rich, earthy aroma of the well-tended and teeming garden, vegetables ripe on the vine and ready to be picked. All was quiet.

Her footsteps broke the drowning silence as she ascended the short wooden staircase onto the house's front porch. She wondered if there was anyone inside, and if they could hear her approach. She hadn't been aware of it until now, but she could feel the moisture on her palms. She tried to remember if she felt the same way the last time she was here, but she couldn't remember.

Without thinking, she pressed the button for the doorbell. She could hear a muffled chime come from within, but nothing more. She stood still. If nobody was home, then what was she going to do? Wait here until someone showed up? She didn't even know how long that would be.

She was startled as she heard the click of the front door being unlocked and the sweeping noise of it being pulled open. She was caught by surprise. Whoever had come to open it must have tread lightly. She had not heard their approach.

And then, she understood why.

Through the glass of the exterior door, May locked eyes with someone who also wore an expression of surprise. Someone who she wanted to see just as much as she wanted to see Drew. Someone who had just as little reason to be here.

Dawn shifted her slight figure behind the door awkwardly.

"Um, hi," she said to May, blinking a few times.

"Hi," said May.

May looked back at Dawn with confusion. This wasn't Dawn's house. This wasn't even the right continent. Why did she answer the door?

Without so much as the slightest explanation, Dawn shut the solid interior wooden door behind her and turned the lock. Before May could say anything, Dawn retreated into the confines of the house.

"Wait!" May called after her, slamming her palm onto the door frame.

"There's no use calling after her," said another familiar voice. "Trust me, I would know."

May turned her head and saw someone she didn't quite recognize, not until she looked the person in the eyes. Everything else had changed since their last encounter, but not her eyes.

"Misty?" said May.

Misty sat in an old rocking chair at the far end of the porch. She had matured considerably since they last met. She looked to be several inches taller, and her hair was several inches longer. Her eyes still shone with youth, but her face betrayed a great sorrow.

"Yep, it's me," said Misty.

"What are you doing here?" said May. Everything began to overwhelm her. None of this made sense. "What is Dawn doing here?"

"Oh, her," said Misty. She groaned, putting her head in her hands. "She followed him back here from Sinnoh."

"But why?"

"For the same reason you followed him back here from Hoenn. For the same reason I followed him for all those years. For the same reason you're here now, I think."

"How... how did you know?"

"It's way more obvious than you think. To everyone but him, at least."

"So why is Dawn inside, but you're sitting out here? Why did she shut the door on me like that? Did she do that to you, too?"

"Yes, she did."

"Why would she do that?"

"Because she won, and you and me both lost."

"What?!" said May. A feeling of panic began to well up in her throat.

"See for yourself," said Misty, pointing with her thumb toward a window. May noticed that the blinds weren't drawn all the way. Like a kid staring into a toy store, she pressed her face against the glass. She could see inside. As she looked around, she could feel her breathing intensifying.

Then, she stopped breathing altogether.

She could see them. They were on the sofa together. They were all over each other. Their lips melded together. Their hands wandered adventurously. They were lost in passion, unaware of their onlookers.

Tears obstructed May's vision. She stifled a cry as she collapsed to her knees beneath the window. She tried to speak, but nothing sensible came out. Instead, she gripped her hair as if she thought her head was going to implode, and she sobbed.

"I guess you see what I mean now," Misty said. "Believe me, I know it's hard to take. I've already had a few dozen good cries about it over the years. Heh, I think some of them were actually caused by me finding out how attached he was to you."

"But..." May choked, the tears dampening her collar and causing her hair to stick to her reddened face. "But... this can't be real!"

"What do you mean?" said Misty. "You can't escape reality. You're trapped in it."


May's eyes fluttered open. As she stirred from her sleep, she was grateful to see the smoldering remains of the fire a few feet away. It hadn't been real. It was only a dream.

Everyone else was sound asleep now. Ash's snoring had ceased, but he continued to breathe deeply, unaware in slumber. Bianca and Tepig still rested peacefully. Rex was still in his hammock, with his journal laying open, face-down on his chest. It appeared he had drifted off while writing.

May took in a deep breath and then sighed, quite a bit louder than she intended. To her surprise, she saw Excadrill open an eye and look at her.

For a moment, she froze, as if she was in a predator's line of sight. Then, timidly, she withdrew a hand from her sleeping bag and waved at Excadrill.

The fierce Pokemon gave her the slightest of nods, then closed its eyes again.

May shifted her gaze to Ash. His slow, steady breaths were accompanied by slight twitches every now and then. She wondered what he was dreaming about.

There was no way to know. Shifting around in her sleeping bag, she rolled from her side onto her back, and gazed up at the stars. For a few minutes, she watched the pinpoints of light above her as they performed their nightly dance across the sky. For as many times as she had watched them, they still seemed as unknowable as Ash's dream.

A rustling noise told her that she wasn't the only one awake. She turned her head and saw Rex coming back to life in his hammock, picking up his journal again and this time shutting it properly. As he reached over the side of his hammock to slip the notebook into his bag, he caught notice of her. Their eyes met.

"What are you still doing up?" he whispered to her. "My cooking can't possibly have caused you indigestion tonight. It wasn't that bad."

May allowed a hint of a smile to form on her face, and she shook her head.

"No, I just had a bad dream, that's all," she whispered back to him.

Rex slid his notebook into place in his backpack, taking care not to make too much noise.

"Understood," he said.

"What are you doing up?" May asked him.

"I just drifted off for a while," he said. "I'm always up late, though. I like keeping the night watch."

"Don't you think our Pokemon have that covered?"

Rex turned his eyes toward the dozen Pokemon scattered around their camp.

"Probably so," he said.

For a moment, he appeared to lay back again and look up at the sky, and May turned her head and did the same, thinking that was the last she would hear from him tonight. But then, not more than a minute or two later, she heard him rise from his hammock and search through his backpack.

May looked at him again.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

When Rex turned to face her, he was holding a black, metallic flashlight. He hadn't yet turned it on.

"If you're having trouble sleeping, would you care for a walk?" he asked her.

"No thank you," said May. "I shouldn't have any trouble getting back to sleep."

"Alright," said Rex. Without another word, he stepped past the sleeping Pokemon and out into the open field. May heard a click, and she saw a small patch of white light move away from the camp.

May stopped watching after a short while, when the footsteps became too soft for her to hear. She shifted again in her sleeping bag, trying to find a more comfortable position. After a few failed attempts, she started to reconsider Rex's offer.

Trying to make as little noise as possible, May pulled herself out of her sleeping bag and slipped her shoes back on. Tiptoeing through the camp, she made her way over to Blaziken, who was resting with the other Pokemon. She placed a hand on his arm and rubbed it a few times, stirring him back to consciousness.

"Blaziken," she whispered, seeing her Pokemon's eyes open and turn to look at her. "I'm going to go for a short walk. Would you come with me, please?"

Blaziken nodded and rose to his feet. Side by side with May, the two walked out into the field, searching for where Rex went. May's motivation in choosing Blaziken had been simple – with the flames on Blaziken's wrists, she had no need for a flashlight.

The field was a gentle, rolling hill that led from the edge of the forest down to a stream. Silhouetted in the darkness, May could see the outline of Rex seated by the bank of the stream, leaning back on both hands, looking upward. As May and Blaziken approached, Rex turned his head to see them. His flashlight was shut off now, sitting on the ground next to him.

"Changed your mind?" he said.

"Yeah, I did," said May. "I had more trouble falling asleep again than I thought I would."

"Well, plenty of room here," said Rex, motioning around. "You can claim whichever patch of dirt you like the best."

May examined the ground. There was nowhere that looked to be comfier than anywhere else. She sat down a few feet away from Rex, the cool grass tickling and scratching at her legs. Blaziken remained by her side, standing, arms folded, looking at the sky.

For a while, the only sounds were those of the flowing stream before them. May was wondering why she chose to do this. The dream that woke her lingered in her mind.

"So, you and Ash have traveled together before," said Rex.

"We did, a few years ago," said May. "I met him on the first day of my journey as a trainer."

"And he helped show you the ropes and got you started back then?"

"Yeah, he was a huge help. I don't know what I would have done without him. I was really clueless when I started."

"And now the two of you are helping Bianca get started on her journey, just like Ash helped you."

"Mhmm," hummed May, nodding. She smiled to herself in the darkness.

Rex smirked and shook his head.

"Well, that's just adorable," he said.

"Adorable?" said May, laughing.

"Absolutely," said Rex. "First Ash mentors you, then you go out in the world on your own, and then you reunite and help Bianca together. There's something poetic about that."

"You know," said May, "there kinda is, isn't there?"

Rex nodded. After a few quiet moments, he laid backwards and stretched out on the ground, tucking his hands behind his head. Not interested in dirtying her shirt, May remained seated upright. Her thoughts drifted to her first days on the road as a trainer. It was easy to see the comparison between how Ash worked with her then and how she and Ash were working with Bianca now. It was cute.

"There's nobody quite like Ash," said May. "I've never met anyone like him. I've seen him do unbelievable things. He always overcomes the odds."

May paused for a moment and saw Rex looking at her.

"Could I ask you a personal question?" said Rex.

May leaned away from him a few inches.

"Maybe," she said. "What is it?"

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to," said Rex, "but why did you decide to come to come to Unova, anyway? What brought you here? Was it just the chance to travel with Ash again?"

"It wasn't just Ash," said May. "There were other reasons."

May felt grateful for the darkness.

"Why do you ask?" she said.

"I'm just curious," said Rex. "Curious about what drives you. It seems like Ash has a clear goal in mind, but I don't know that you do. Not that there's anything wrong with that."

"Well, I am a coordinator," said May, "and I've been pretty successful with that. They call me the Princess of Hoenn."

"They?" said Rex.

"My fans," said May. "And a newspaper, once."

May felt her face turning red.

"You have fans?" said Rex.

"I do," said May. "Ash is probably my biggest fan."

"You're aware that there's no Pokemon contest circuit in Unova, right?"

"I know," said May. She rolled her eyes. "Ash didn't know when he invited me to join him here, though."

"He asked you to travel with him?"

"Mhmm."

"And you accepted his offer, despite the circumstances?"

"It was worth it to me. I felt like going on a carefree journey with him was the best thing I could do for myself."

"Is being a coordinator stressful?"

"You have no idea," May groaned.

Rex chuckled.

"I might," he said. "I lived in Sinnoh for a while. I've seen contests on TV there."

"You lived in Sinnoh?"

"For a few years. That's how I met my Torterra, and my Camerupt," he said. "They were only Turtwig and Numel back then, though."

"You don't seem like the kind of person who would watch a contest," said May.

"They were unavoidable, really," said Rex. "They were everywhere. They seemed... cutthroat."

"They can be," said May. "I've seen some really nasty backstage arguments. Most coordinators are supportive, but some do anything they can to sabotage their opponents."

"All for what? Prizes? Fame?"

"That's not all there is to it," said May. "You know how some trainers talk about bonding with their Pokemon in battle?"

"Yes."

"Performing with your Pokemon can create the same kind of bond. I've always done contests for the experience. I love the experience of performing, and I love sharing that experience with my Pokemon. I love sharing it with other people, too."

May reached into the pack on her hip and dug around for something.

"Like this," she said, holding up an unidentifiable object.

"What is that?" said Rex, squinting at it.

"It's a contest ribbon," said May. "Half of one, actually."

"Half?"

"It's my half of the ribbon," said May. "Ash and I won it together, a long time ago. We battled to a tie in the final round, and when the battle was over, his Sceptile split the ribbon in half so that we would both be able to keep it. I've kept it with me ever since. It's like a symbol of all the experiences I shared with him. I'm pretty sure he still has his half of the ribbon, too. He had it with him when I visited him in Sinnoh."

"Adorable," said Rex.

May couldn't see it, but she was sure that Rex was rolling his eyes. She giggled.

"It's the things like this ribbon that make it all worth it to me," she said. "When I left home, I didn't want to be a trainer. I didn't even know what a coordinator was. I just wanted to travel. I wanted to go out into the world and experience life. Being a coordinator has helped me do that, and I think that being here in Unova is going to help me do that, too, even if it isn't in quite the same way."

"What do you mean?"

May tilted her head to one side, and then the other, gazing upward in thought.

"I dunno," she said. "When I left home on my first journey, I didn't know where I was going, who I was going with, or why I was going there, but I still had all kinds of experiences that changed my life and gave me some direction. I think the same thing can happen here. I'm a couple steps ahead, actually! I'm here with Ash, and I know where we're headed."

"So does that mean you don't know why?" said Rex.

"Actually, I do know why," said May. "There are a lot of reasons for me to be here. I guess that makes three out of three, doesn't it?"

"It certainly does."