A/N: Woo! Time for the Delta Episode!

Also, a special shout-out for the sudden influx of readers and reviewers. As Steven would (probably) say: you guys rock!


The Eighth

Her parents were overjoyed with her victory, of course, even if they weren't too surprised. Like the other night, both May's and Brendan's families had gathered together to listen to the tale of how she conquered the Hoenn Pokémon League.

May was many things, but a good storyteller was not one of them. Nevertheless, they listened with avid attention, and she was pretty sure Brendan was jotting down notes in his mind.

"What about the Champion?" asked Professor Birch, leaning towards her excitedly. "How was your battle with the strongest trainer in the region?"

May lowered her gaze to the dining table. "Slightly harder than the rest, but I beat him in the end."

"Details!" begged her mother, grinning.

May forced herself to loosen her jaw as she gave them a very watered down version of her battle with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. She gave no inclination that anything unprofessional occurred down in that hall. Everyone accepted her story easily—why would they think otherwise?—but from the corner of her eye, she noticed Brendan's uneasy frown. Her heart thundered against her chest for a few beats before she assured herself that it was nothing. Really.

When dinner was over and Brendan's family had left, her parents began to bicker. Well, began probably wasn't accurate – it seemed like they had been arguing for a while now. They probably thought she couldn't hear anything from her room but boy, were they wrong.

"I can't believe you," hissed her mother, causing May to flinch. Her mom was a total sweetheart! Dad must have seriously screwed up. Reminding herself that she was worried and not just nosy, May crept out of her room and peeked through the entrance of the staircase.

Dad was still seated by the dining table, his head bowed over his cup of tea. "I'm sorry, June, but I'm a Gym le—"

"Don't give me that excuse again," she snapped, arms crossed as she stood in front of him. "It's bad enough we missed our anniversary this year with all the moving, but when I purchase tickets for an event that occurs once every ten years? Norman, how could you?"

"I'll make it up to you, I promise." Dad raised his head, resolute eyes holding his wife's disappointed ones. "You know I don't break my promises."

Mom sighed. "Okay. But it's going to have to be a good one – and not the kind where we set off for another region in search of a rare Pokémon," she noted wryly.

Smiling, Dad rose from his seat and walked over to deliver her a tight hug. "Of course. This will be all about you."

That was all May wanted to see. She hastily backed into her room before she witnessed something that would send her running to the closest therapist. Still, she couldn't help but envy her parents and their unfailing love for one another. A flash of steel blue flicked through her mind, and May squeezed her eyes shut in order to drive the sight away.

Despite being home and reuniting with her bed once more, she didn't sleep well that night.

When she woke up the next day, the tension between her parents had mostly dissipated. Whatever was left was so thin and subtle that May probably wouldn't have noticed it if she hadn't eavesdropped the previous night.

"Morning, sweetie," greeted Mom. "In order to celebrate your victory, we have a gift for you."

May glanced over her shoulder as she rummaged through the fridge. "Really?" she said, grabbing a carton of OJ. "What is it?"

Dad handed her a pair of tickets that glistened as if they were made of gold itself. "These are tickets to the Littleonid shooting star show presented at the Mossdeep Space Centre," he said, smiling slightly. "Why don't you invite that young man Brendan along with you?"

"You mean, like, on a date?" she asked, grimacing.

Dad's eyes narrowed. "You know what? I changed my mind. Go with your mom." He turned to said woman. "Sorry, dear, I have to rush back to the Gym. Thank you for taking care of the house, as always."

Mom smiled crisply. "Of course, dear. Have a safe trip."

May shivered, and her dad—the fearsome Norman of Petalburg Gym—seemed to cringe as he hurriedly left the house.

"Those tickets were originally meant for us," admitted Mom, watching the door close firmly. "They were so difficult to get, too…"

"You can still go, Mom," offered May, tracing a finger around the rim of her glass cup. "Just with me."

Mom smiled tiredly. May finally saw where she got it from. "It's okay. You really should go with Brendan, though," she added with a wink. "I'm sure he'll be over the moon."

May winced. "Mom, we're not like that."

"Really?" she asked, genuinely surprised. "But why? He's so sweet."

"He's, ah, not my type."

"Then who is?"

Someone who had no idea what casual wear was, who wore a suit every time she saw him. Someone who was brave and kind, who loved Pokémon and would protect them at any cost. Someone with an odd passion for stones and rocks, who was once the strongest Trainer in the region…

May gripped her cool glass of juice as she said, "Doesn't matter." She downed the last of her drink before placing it in the sink. "I'll ask B, because he's my best friend. Not as a date, though!"

"If you say so. Bye!"

"See you." With a sigh, May called out her Eevee. She scooped it up in her arms and stroked it as she headed outside.

She was immediately greeted by a fierce woman.

"Whoa!" she said. "Are we in sync or what? I was just thinking about you." She cocked her head to the side, her the ends of her bobbed hair brushing against her shoulder. "This is our first meeting, right?"

"Um, yes," replied May, her hands on her hips as Doe dropped to the grassy ground. "Who are you?"

"I'm Zinnia." Zinnia smiled, and the sight was oddly unsettling. "I know all about you, of course. May, the new Pokémon League Champion."

"How do you even know that?" she asked warily. Almost no one should have known, especially so soon after her victory.

Zinnia bared her sharp teeth in a grin. "I have my sources. You're even one of the special few who get to use Mega Stones to get closer to their Pokémon, now aren't you?" Her eyes darted to the bangle on May's wrist, a hungry look washing over her features.

May tensed, her hand clenching a Pokéball. Doe, by her side, growled warningly. Before a fight could erupt, though, something by Zinnia's feet purred. May's eyes darted downwards, and was mildly surprised to see a small Whismur clutching Zinnia's ankle. The gentle creature was probably the last Pokémon May imagined a woman like Zinnia would choose to bond with.

Zinnia gazed down at the whimpering rabbit. "I know," she said, tone much softer than May had heard from her so far. "I'll leave it for now." She glanced around them, her tattered cloak swinging as she looked from right to left. "Still, Littleroot is a n-i-i-ce town, isn't it?" she almost sang. "The people here are n-i-i-ce, too. Like that neighbour of yours."

She could sense a threat any day of the week. "What are you planning?" May asked, voice low and dangerous.

"Oops!" Zinnia replied instead, shooting her a saccharine smile. "Didn't mean to run off my mouth like that. We should keep our first meeting short and sweet, right? See you soon, May!"

"Wait!" Before May could even take a step forward, Zinnia was already out of town. She was running faster than any normal human should be capable of. Who the hell was she?

And what did she do to Brendan?

Anxious and supremely concerned, May dashed to her best friend's house. Upon knocking on the door, she was greeted by a panicky Mrs Birch, which did not help her current mood.

"Oh, May," she breathed, pressing a hand against her chest. "Thank goodness you're here. Brendan was attacked!"

"Mom, please," Brendan sighed from the couch. "I was just pushed down – that's all. Hey, May," he said. "Did you see a wild lady run by?"

"Yeah," she admitted, leaning on the doorway. "Said her name's Zinnia. What happened?"

Grimacing, Brendan grumbled, "I was heading out, when she took me by surprise and shoved me. Before I knew it, my Key Stone was gone. I tried to fight for it back, but she was too strong." Her best friend dropped his gaze, unable to look her in the eye. "She wiped me out."

May scowled, her hands curling into tight fists. "Don't worry, Brendan. I'll get it back for you."

"As expected of the Champion," he teased. "I heard her muttering to her Whismur as she left, though. She said she was going to hit Petalburg next. Be careful, okay?"

"When am I not?" she asked, smiling.

He winced in response.

Being the mature girl that she was, May stuck out her tongue at him. "I'm off to Petalburg now," she told him. "I'll see you later, Brendan, with your Key Stone safe and sound. Bye, Mrs Birch."

The Birches bade her farewell with varying levels of concern, and she was off. Swapping Doe for Ruffles, she asked her Blaziken to carry her as it ran towards Petalburg. Several townspeople out and about judged her with their gazes alone, but she was the Champion now, and she could do whatever she wanted. Besides, Ruffles would get her there much more quickly than her puny human legs could ever hope to.

Despite being home to one of Hoenn's eight Gyms, Petalburg was rather quaint and quiet. There were only a handful of houses in the area, as well as one moderately sized Centre and Mart. Today, however, there was a commotion in the small town. May hopped out of her Pokémon's arms and rushed over to Wally's house, where its owner was being confronted not by Zinnia, but a familiar purple-haired girl.

"You," spat May, disdain dripping off just that one word. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, if it isn't the little hero," drawled Courtney. "Perfect. I can kill two birds with one stone." She thrust a hand forward, still as bossy and demanding as ever. "Hand me over your Key Stone before someone gets hurt."

May scoffed. "The only one getting hurt is you." She reached for a Ball before pausing at the sight of Wally's worried face. "You know what? Fine. If you want it, come get it." Without another word, she ran to the left, towards Route 105.

Fortunately, there weren't many people out and about today, so their upcoming battle wouldn't be as disastrous were she to remain in Petalburg. Predictably, Courtney followed, hot on her trail. Before she could properly regain her breath, May tossed out a Ball and yelled, "Cotton, Sing her to sleep!"

Her handsome Altaria obeyed, uttering a lovely lullaby that made Courtney collapse onto the ground in a heap. Her arm fell to her side, the Pokéball clutched in her grasp rolling away harmlessly.

Wally burst through the opening, almost trampling on the fallen body in the process. "Whoa!" he gasped, neatly side-stepping the Magma Admin. "What happened here?"

May shrugged as she collected Courtney's Pokéballs. "Cotton here used Sing." She patted her fluffy Bird affectionately, who trilled under her ministrations. "Do you mind contacting the police for me?"

"Ah, sure," said the green-haired boy. He rubbed his arm awkwardly as he glanced at Courtney's comatose body. "Should we move her into my place? So no one starts panicking."

She nodded, quietly impressed by Wally's train of thought. "Good idea."

With the help of their Pokémon, they carried Courtney to Wally's house. As they walked, the timid boy explained how she had shown up demanding his Key Stone, even though it had been taken that very morning. May had a creeping suspicion as to who had stolen his Stone, and she admitted as much to Wally.

"Wow," he whispered as he opened the door to his house. "What is she planning on doing with them?"

"Whatever it is, it can't be good," muttered May.

A buzzing sound resounded in the air, sounding like an angry telephone. She glanced at the phone in Wally's hand, but he was in the middle of contacting the police. Wait. The sound was coming from her bag.

Puzzled, May fetched the source of the noise. She pulled out her PokéNav from her bag and clicked on the phone icon flashing on the screen. Cautious, she placed the speakers towards her ear, and almost dropped it when someone's voice came through.

"Hello?" called Steven. "Is that you, May?"

She fervently ignored the lurching of her heart. "Yeah," she whispered. "It's me."

"It's me, Steven." There was an uncomfortable pause. "Have you been well?"

Her lips pinched together. "Well enough," she said curtly. "You?"

"I…The feeling is mutual. I bet you must be surprised," he added, changing topics. "This is a communication mode Devon is currently developing. I traced your PokéNav Plus from the information received when my father updated it a while ago. I thought I'd use it for emergencies only, but it seems that time has come."

May could hear him inhaled deeply from the other end of the line. "I'm sorry to ask you of this, but I need you to come to the Devon Corporation in Rustboro. There's some I have to talk to you about – in person. I'll be waiting for you there."

A small click signalled the dropping of the line, but May barely heard it over the stream of thoughts rampaging through her mind. A small, desperate part of her hoped that this urgent matter Steven wanted to talk about was, well, about what happened in the Hall of Fame. She entertained that fantasy for a brief second before harsh reality came crashing down. No, judging by the timing, it had to do with the Key Stone thief. And yet…

With a shake of her head, May excused herself. She left Cotton with Wally, instructing him to use Sing once more if it looked like Courtney was going to wake again. Once she was a good distance from the inquisitive stares of the town, she summoned Latios and flew to Rustboro, paying no mind to the surprised faces of those she passed.

Latios dropped her off right in front of Devon Corp's building, where Steven was already waiting for them. He barely paid attention to the Legendary as it shot off into the heavens once more, his eyes glued to her instead. It was a shame it was filled with pain rather than love.

"May…" began Steven. He cut himself off with a light sigh. When he spoke again, his voice was detached and businesslike. "I'm sorry about calling you so suddenly."

A meaningful pause followed, forcing May to reply. "What's up?" she asked, her tone too cool and casual to be genuine.

He shifted, perhaps out of discomfort. Who knew the statuesque Steven Stone could experience such a vulnerable emotion? "What needs to be discussed shouldn't be done in public. Come inside."

He waited for her to enter the building first, and May could feel his eyes on her as she held her head high and stepped through the entrance. They opted for the stairs instead of the escalator, saving them both from a suffocating silence. The trip up the stairs was only slightly more bearable. It was a wonder Steven didn't trip along the way, what with how his eyes never seemed to leave her figure.

They couldn't have reached the top floor any sooner. At the end of the corridor were a set of double doors, which opened into the office of Devon Corp's current CEO. Mr Stone seemed to space out as they entered, and it was only when they came to a stop before him that he really noticed them.

"Well, welcome, welcome. It's been quite a while... Hasn't it?" He looked thoughtful, but not necessarily perturbed. "I suppose I'm just getting old. Recently I seem to forget details just as soon as I learn them..." he added, chuckling merrily.

"Dad?" asked Steven, sounding concerned. May glanced up, noting the startling uncertainty on the young man's face.

Mr Stone tried to play it off with a small cough. "Oh, I know. I know what you want to say. My, what a hasty one you are! What are we to do with such an impatient one for our Pokémon League Champion?"

Steven frowned. "Dad, I told you, I'm not the Champion anymore." He looked to May, who automatically avoided his eyes. "May is."

"Oh, is that so? So you're the new Champion, May? Then I guess we'll never break you of that impatience after all, Steven!" he teased, grinning.

"Dad!" scorned Steven, surprising May. Never had she seen him express such vivid emotion. She didn't even know he was capable of such frustration – directed at his dad, no less.

"Bah," scoffed Mr Stone, dismissing his son's irritation, "I know, I know..." Arching a fuzzy, grey eyebrow, he turned to May. "Now then, I'm afraid that I'm planning to start in on a rather long and quite heavy topic. You might want to take a seat."

May did so, and was immensely grateful for it. Once she was settled, Mr Stone weaved to her a tale that was both horrific and intriguing. He detailed the origins of Devon Corp, how it came to be because his ancestor wanted to convert a weapon (which was powered by the lives of Pokémon) into a source of energy – Infinity Energy. And they would need this energy in order to destroy the enormous and destructive asteroid that was currently hurtling towards the planet. Fantastic.

Mr Stone pressed his fingers against his temple. "In order for this plan to succeed, we need a Meteorite Shard."

"And that's why you need May," concluded Steven, who was hovering uncomfortably close by her side. "So she can collect a Shard."

"Correct." Mr Stone beamed proudly at his son. "That's my boy. I knew you'd understand at once."

Steven shrugged. "It's hardly a deduction worthy of praise."

"Modest as ever, eh?" Smiling, he turned back to May. "According to our research, you can find some Shards in the Granite Cave in Dewford. And Steven – I want you, son, to head for the Space Centre at once to start the preparations, using that Link Cable that I gave you." His smiled dimmed as he said, "Be careful."

Steven nodded. "So it's to be a warp system. Do you remember the Granite Cave, May?" he asked, sounding much warmer. "It's where we first met."

"Yeah," she murmured, "I remember." May locked eyes with him for a moment before she turned to Mr Stone. "The weapon is going to be used as a teleporter? Where will it be sent to?"

"We don't know for sure," Mr Stone replied uneasily. "We only know it won't be in our universe."

Parallel universes actually existed? May's eyebrows shot up in amazement. She had always believed, but to hear it confirmed… Wow. There were endless possibilities!

"Why me?" she asked, once her euphoria faded. "Why not the Gym leaders? They're meant to protect the region, aren't they?"

Mr Stone nodded, but his lips were pursed into a thin line. "Yes, that is indeed the duty of the Gym leaders. However, like with the Groudon incident, they are occupied with keeping their individual towns calm. The Pokémon Association was doing something similar, but on a larger scale; they were maintaining order in the region as a whole, snuffling out rumours and executing damage control on the media."

Typical. May pinched the bridge of her nose wearily. "I see," she sighed. "I'll accept this task."

"It looks like it's decided, then," noted Steven, and an air of finality descended on them. May valiantly ignored the ominous weight of dread that nestled in her gut. "I'll head for the Space Centre in Mossdeep. If I learn anything, I will contact you at once, May. It'll end up as another one-sided message like the one I sent you, I'm afraid. Good luck."

"I won't need luck," she said before she could stop herself. "After all, I'm a pro when it comes to one-sided situations."

Steven froze, as did May. Her eyes widened in horror. What the hell was wrong with her?!

She was just weighing the pros and cons of jumping straight out of the window when Mr Stone swept in and saved the day.

"Then…I will be counting on the two of you to take care of this for me," he said, voice tinged with curiosity. "If you forget just what it is you need to do, come talk to me again... Assuming I remember as well!" He chuckled affably, not seeming to mind that his good humour fell flat for his audience.

Nodding quickly, May bid the Stones farewell. She practically ran out of the room, not once glancing back. If she never saw Steven again, it would be far too soon.