As always, thanks again to everyone who reads, follows and favorites this story, it really does mean a lot to me that so many of you are sticking through with this horribly cliché plot that I continue to produce. Or for those of you that that's the reason you're still here, do not fear, as there are several more clichés coming your way! A big thanks to everyone that reviews, because without them I would have no idea what reaction my writing has, and having that is huge motivation to keep pushing out chapters. With all of that said, please enjoy this chapter as much as I did writing it!
Of Hoops and Holists - Chapter Nine
Steven had left more than just a Pokéball and a letter.
"Well, this settles it," Norman said, "because I just got off the phone with Steven, who's visiting the Silph Co in Kanto right now. You being here right now is impossible, not to mention your slightly differing appearances."
They were back in the Petalburg Gym now, in the room where Norman conducted challenges, sitting on cushions on the floor. They chose it best to stay inside to discuss their current situation, though they were all still trying to understand what that was.
May was doing her best to stay calm. This man looked just like her father, and had the same name as her father, but was somehow not her father. She glanced over at Steven to try to get a feel for how he was handling things, and she recognized that look all too well now. There was no doubt that he seemed a little shaken by all of this, and rightfully so.
"Dad, I mean…Norman," May said, needing a moment to correct her easy mistake, "do you know about the phenomenon of mega evolution?" Even in this confusing situation, May was starting to remember some of the things that Zinnia talked about. She had said something about an alternate world where mega evolution never became what they knew it to be in their world. If mega evolution didn't exist in this timeline, then that would be their sure way of knowing that they were not where they belonged. Steven glanced at her curiously that she thought of the question, but remained silent to hear the exchange instead.
"I can't say that I've heard of such a thing..." Norman said, "but does it have some relationship to your bracelet?" He pointed to May's bracelet, and while startled at first that he made such a connection, she still held it out for him to get a closer look. Norman paused for a moment, observing the piece of jewelry unknown to him, then spoke again, "I had a feeling that there was some kind of tremendous power coming from it. And sorry for staring," Norman continued, shutting his eyes, "but you really do look just like my daughter."
"And you look just like my dad," May automatically replied. She was staring, too. She couldn't imagine how this Norman was feeling, having just been beaten by his actual daughter in a battle, and now meeting his daughter's equivalent from another timeline. Albeit, recognizing how frustrating it was for Norman, didn't make it any easier for May to understand for herself. This was putting into place and understanding though, a few of the things that Zinnia had talked about when they were trying to obstruct the meteor.
"Are you originally from Johto as well?" Norman asked. May nodded in response. "Do you remember the legends about Celebi?"
May paused for a moment, but then her face lit up. "Isn't Celebi a time traveler?" May asked in confirmation, getting a feeling she knew where Norman was going with this. "Do you think Celebi's existence proves the possibility for an alternate timeline?"
"I think the fact that we're here and that there are pieces of technology missing is all the proof we need," Steven interjected, also still trying to wrap his head around everything. He didn't mean to shut down the premise of a mythological Pokémon as proof, but it was unfortunately habit. He knew at least a little better now, and needed to remind himself that they were originally from Johto; that those culture differences still existed. Norman gave him a look that wasn't quite a glare, but definitely disproval, and Steven quickly explained himself, "When I had my confrontation with the May of this timeline just outside the gym, I knew something was amiss when I saw her PokéNav. To my knowledge, the Devon Corporation hasn't used that model of the PokéNav in at least 5 years, and considering I work with the company's technology on a regular basis, you can understand why that threw me for a loop." Steven gave a deep sigh, and threw a hand through his hair in contemplation and frustration. It was evident that all parties involved were not quite sure what to think.
"So...how do we even proceed from here?" May asked, almost rhetorically, and slumped into her seat.
"I think a decent place to start," Norman began to suggest, "is to find an explanation as to how you even got here in the first place."
"In our timeline," Steven started to explain, his forehead scrunching as he tried to recall past events to the best of his ability, "islands have been appearing and disappearing along the ocean route, and we're pretty sure these islands are from other regions. We've been exploring them, in hopes of finding some kind of explanation, and some trips have been luckier than others."
"Sometimes they've been transported while we were on them, and sometimes we watched islands disappear before our own eyes," May added. "Has anything like that been happening here?"
"It's several islands you say?" Norman repeated as a question, just to make sure. "We've only had that happen with a single island, and even then not everyone believes it," he explained. "It's earned the nickname "Mirage Island," and it's just east of Pacidlog town. We also have no explanation for why it comes and goes, but in regards to where it might be from, well, we don't have any leads on that either."
Steven and May exchanged worried glances. They had done so much island hopping already, and island hopping wasn't even how they got into this mess this time.
"To think…islands have been transported not only to different regions, but different…universes…as well?" Steven worded carefully, his voice low as he came to the conclusion as he spoke. They were still wrapping their heads around teleportation, the premise of an entire island going from one region to another, and now this?
"So does this mean that my entire secret base was transported while we were inside it?" May asked in a deadpan tone, mostly to herself, "I can't even think...of how we begin to explain this…"
"To the League," Steven finished for her as she trailed off, "I'm still having a hard time believing this for myself."
"I don't know that much surprises me, anymore," May mumbled, and Norman quirked an eyebrow at her in response.
"You mean that this doesn't entirely shock you?" he asked, but mostly to prompt her, as he felt he already knew the answer.
"A few months back, there was this woman...Zinnia," May spoke slowly, recollecting her memories from the trying time. She looked to Steven, and she swore his eyes flashed for a moment, but he still looked at her curiously. That's right, it would make sense that he didn't remember anything about her, or what happened with Rayquaza and Deoxys. "Hoenn was in a little bit of a jam, and this girl, Zinnia, a Draconid, she kept talking about other universes, dimensions, timelines, ones different than ours, but still similar, and how we have to preserve them in any way we can." May paused again, remembering the scenario now all too well, "She did some awful things, and her actions weren't justified, but weren't wrong, either. In the end, her plan worked out, but I could tell she was speaking from what she knew to be truth, and there was a lot of pain coming from her words."
Steven only sat silently, watching May as she spoke, but Norman's eyes squinted as he brought a fist to cover his mouth, grimacing. "I hate how much sense this makes. This jam, it was a meteor, wasn't it?" Norman asked, but by the reaction of May's face, he knew he was spot-on.
"Your mother, I mean, my wife…" Norman said, stuttering a bit, as he was putting the pieces together while he spoke, "has been doing quite a bit of sight-seeing since moving to Hoenn, and she's taken an interest in the Draconid reserves, doing all her shopping there, meeting the natives…" Now his head was in both of his hands, because he managed to say, "We were invited to a festival coming up, some celebration of "our" Hoenn being safe from some destruction that we don't even understand...I thought it was completely ridiculous at first, but now...it seems the Draconid people could sense what happened in another universe versus what was supposed to or about to happen."
It was a lot to follow, but May understood, and her expression broke into a tiny smile, "Then it really was worth it…" she muttered, almost a whisper, "and it actually worked."
May was pretty sure this was what the beginning of closure felt like.
Steven had no idea how, but May's regular smirk was back, and she rose to stand, her hands in determined fists at her sides. "We should probably go soon," she said, looking to Steven, who only looked back at her dumbstruck, "if it's true that we're being targeted, then we need to be on our way before the whole city of Petalburg gets taken away by whatever keeps dragging us about."
Norman stood to meet May, and May couldn't help but feel her heart strangely twinge at the look he was giving her. It was a mix of comfort and confusion. "I can't help but feel like I should be thanking you," he said with a half smile, now shaking his head at the ground, "and I hate how much sense this is starting to make. Don't get me wrong, I'm relieved that there is some kind of answer, but that doesn't mean I care for any of this."
"Somehow I think we were brought here just to meet you," May said, and reached a hand to Steven for him to stand as well, as he'd still been sitting, just watching. She couldn't blame him for not knowing how to react with all of this. He still couldn't remember what had gone on with Zinnia and the Space Center, and now that she had this coming on sense of closure, she was getting more anxious to get back and get his memories back, too, so she could figure out just what was going on in his head back then.
Norman returned eye contact with her and nodded. "Are you the champion of your league?" the leader asked as he led the two out of his gym, although his question was geared towards May.
May let a little bit of a grin show, but mostly to herself, and said, "Yeah, but it wasn't without a good battle," and she gently elbowed Steven, but immediately regretted it, based on his facial response that was clearly confused and conflicted. He still didn't remember. They needed to work on that.
"So what's your plan?" Norman asked next, "nothing too public I hope. I don't need my daughter getting caught up in this."
"I don't think we really want to get noticed while we're here, anyway," May responded, glancing at Steven to confirm, "We have a theory of us being targeted by a Pokémon, and if that theory is true, then we need to get out into the air, and back to my secret base, if it's even still there." May worried her bottom lip for a moment, then said, "We're searching for artifacts called plates in our Hoenn; does that sound familiar to you at all?"
And just like that, Norman's face hardened and paled, and May felt a pit grow in her stomach. Why the sudden change in demeanor at the mention of the plates? "Are things that dire for you right now? Are you out of other options?"
May scrunched her forehead and caught her breath. Looking at Steven was becoming a habit but in that moment she started to wonder if facially reaching to him was only bringing him more stress. "I…I'm not sure, to be perfectly honest," May stuttered, "we actually…don't know much about the risks…and I don't think we even knew that there were risks to be considered."
Norman let go of a previously restrained sigh, then said, "I could be wrong. The effects could be different in your universe. It would be worth reaching out to Cynthia, champion of Sinnoh, that is…if she is the champion of your Sinnoh? She'll have more answers than someone like me."
This time Steven nodded and spoke, "That she is. I'll make a note to get into contact with her when we get back."
"Well…" May began as they stepped out of the gym, "this has been…thoroughly weird, to say the least." She reached her hand out towards Norman, and he met hers with his own to shake, "you should see if you can find out any more information on that island out by Pacifidlog."
"It's first on my list," Norman replied, "and if you somehow find yourselves stuck here or wind up here again, you come straight to me and we'll work things out from there."
Steven and May nodded, and released their Skarmory and Altaria, respectfully, mounting their flyers. When they took to the sky, May was finding herself not calling on Altaria to reach their regular level of altitude, because she was caught up in hyper-analyzing the landscape and everything they flew over to see if she could notice any differences. She wasn't broken from her unconscious gaze until Steven and his Skarmory passed her on the side she was looking.
"We should really get higher, May," Steven called behind his shoulder to her, now taking an upward incline, "we need to take whatever precautions we can as to not garner any attention to ourselves."
May shook her head quickly so she could refocus her attention, and urged her Altaria to follow Skarmory's upward climb. Steven was right. They couldn't afford making contact with anyone else while they were here, which, reminded May of something Steven had said earlier. She had Altaria pull up to fly by Skarmory's side.
"When we were in the gym," she called out to Steven, "you said something about coming into contact with the me of this universe…" She tried to watch for Steven's expression while she spoke, "what was that like?"
"Ah…" Steven started, his lips pressing together in thought of recalling the event, "considering I thought she was you, and she thought I was the me of this world, it was…" He looked straight ahead again, and May couldn't tell quite what was the expression he was making. "It was…humbling?"
May watched him for a moment more, expecting him to continue, but he didn't. His expression didn't change, and he continued guiding his Skarmory forward, so May did the same with her Altaria. The bridge above the pond near the entrance of May's secret base was now in sight, and she could feel her chest build with anticipation. Hopefully their theory was right.
"Humbling wasn't the right word," Steven spoke up again. So, he wasn't done talking, after all. May quirked her head toward him when she heard his voice and her eyes searched him expectantly. "I was scared. When you…when she, acted so…I don't know if short is the right word. She was in a hurry, and she ran off, and…"
May eased her Altaria so that they were right up next to Steven and his Skarmory.
Steven didn't make eye contact, but he turned his head toward her when he said, "It'd be a lie if I said it wasn't still bothering me," and he turned his head to look forward and down again before muttering, "…a little bit."
Of all the moments they'd had so far, this was when May knew she felt her heart swell. She convinced herself it was okay to push herself to be bold, and reached a hand out to him as she said his name to get his attention. His cheeks went pink when he saw her gesture, but he cautiously raised his hand to meet hers after a moment of understanding just what said gesture was. May faced her palm toward him and laced her fingers in his, and she simultaneously thanked and spited Altaria and Skarmory in her mind for understanding what she was doing as they leaned in together.
May was shocked she'd managed to maintain eye contact with Steven for this long, but her gut feeling that led to her actions in the first place was reinforced when she felt his fingers tighten around her hand. "I'm not running off, Steven," she delicately worded, somehow knowing that that was where his fears were.
His fingers tightened again, and he felt his arm wanting to pull her closer, even though they couldn't get much closer while riding their Pokémon. "Are you sure?" he barely said, his eyes going downcast again. May could hardly hear him, and she knew those were words he didn't want to say, but had to ask.
"Steven, please look at me," May's voice pleaded, and when Steven's eyes caught her own again, his expression changed.
He withdrew his hand from hers, and leaned for his Skarmory to bring distance again. May was ready to sternly call out his name again, but he spoke before she could. "I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to speak to me this way," he said, and taking the hand that was holding hers, threw it through his hair, straightened his posture, and forced a laugh. "My guard's been down too long, and while I thought it was going to improve as I regained my memories, I feel that the opposite has been what is actually happening."
May didn't want to completely close the distance he created, but she was feeling torn at the gap between them, and leaned in slightly when she said, "In your defense, it's not really your fault. And…you shouldn't have to put up a guard with me, okay?" May wasn't expecting Steven to look back at her again, but he did, and her heart swelled once more when he gave the softest smile and gave the slightest nod. They were close enough to where they needed to be to access the pond, and gently descended to a landing.
"Oh thank goodness," May muttered under her breath as her Swampert surfed them across the small pond under the bridge on Route 120, "it's still here." May made eye contact with Steven as if to say "here goes nothing" before she led them into her base for the second time that day, and low and behold, it was still hers. They cautiously stepped into the room.
"So…I guess we're just gonna chill here for a bit?" May sheepishly suggested.
Steven was about to agree, but then his face lit up with an idea, and he tucked a hand into his jacket, and withdrew his Pokénav. The screen, however, was still static. "If – and when – we're brought back to our Hoenn, our Pokénavs should have service again," Steven explained.
It was uncomfortable for a moment, of them just standing there, of Steven staring at the screens of his Pokénav, and May self-consciously looking around her room as they waited. "And you trust staying here overnight after what just happened? Steven asked, reiterating what May had suggested on the flight over to her base, and lifted his eyes from the Pokénav to meet hers.
Clasping her hands together behind her back and shyly looking to the side, deciding to fix her eyes on one of her new mats, May replied, "If coming back here gets us back to our Hoenn, I have a feeling that my base is done being tinkered with for now."
"And that's the feeling that you have?" Steven asked next, his tone of voice not quite matching the harshness of the question, and realizing that, he quickly clarified by stating in a softer tone, "I mean that for validity, not because I want to deny any feelings you have. I trust whatever feelings you have regarding all of this, truly."
Well, there was no point in changing her answer just because he was questioning her, right?" "Yeah," she finally said, looking back at him now, "I'm not worried about it anymore. And…" she sighed this time, looking around her newly decorated base, "it'd be nice to stay here again. I need that familiarity for at least a night, I think."
That statement drew a smile to Steven's face, but it only took a moment for that smile to slightly falter when he then asked, "And…it's alright for me to stay here with you? In case something does happen, so we're not getting split up…" He also took a moment to look around her base, then said, "I can buy another bed, and some room dividers, since we're headed back to Fortree."
"I think that's wise," May replied, but then blushed immediately, "You staying here, I mean," although there was no way for her to say they didn't need room dividers without it being embarrassing. She knew he was only trying to be gentlemanly and not a burden.
Steven looked back down at his Pokénav, and his small smile returned. He turned it towards May to show her the screen, and it was back to normal, aka, the indicator they needed to know they were back to where they needed to be. May's eyes though were immediately drawn to his Buzznav app, and the "30" hanging in the top right corner of the shortcut icon.
"Geez, do you just never check the news?" May asked in a teasing voice.
Steven looked at his Pokénav again, without hesitating to tap on Buzznav to open the app in question. "No, actually," he said with a concerned tone, "I usually check stories as soon as they appear." His eyes began scanning his Pokénav as he swiped his finger through stories. "Yeah, it's mostly gossip, but I still like to stay on top of events happening in Hoenn," he said as he was about to swipe again, but his face suddenly fell as his eyes rapidly read the story.
May didn't hesitate to ask, "What is it?" when she saw his reaction to obviously a story or headline.
Instead of saying anything, Steven handed his Pokénav to her so she could read it herself.
CONSTANT ABSENSE: LEAGUE BUSINESS OR SECRET BLOOMING ROMANCE?
It's fairly common knowledge that Hoenn champions May Maple and Steven Stone have worked together in the past to protect and preserve the region, but is that the case this time? Their activity during previous events has veered on the side of secretive before, so it could be disconcerting that there is something big coming to the Hoenn region that requires preparation. However, their perceived activity recently leads belief otherwise. Maple and Stone were recently spotted checking in at a bed and breakfast on Floe Island: the smallest populated island of the Southern Islands of Kanto and popular honeymooner destination.
May cringed at the bolding.
Team Aqua Leader, Archie Ramos, was rumored to have captained their trip, but was unavailable for comment. Norman Maple, Petalburg Gym Leader and father to May Maple, was reached for comment but showed displeasure in his response to refuse comment, which further fuels speculation.
Joseph Stone, father of Steven Stone and president of the Devon Corporation, offered us, "They sure have been close lately, haven't they? I wouldn't close out business as the possibility, though. I think we're all anxiously awaiting this month's League Report."
As are we, Mr. Stone. League Reports are published on the last Friday of the month.
May pulled her bottom lip in with her teeth into a grimace, and handed the Pokénav back to Steven without looking up at him. "At least your dad was sort of rational?" she tried to ask to spin things in a positive light.
"I'll deal with my father later," Steven grumbled, tucking his Pokénav back into his jacket. "For now, let's focus on getting to the Pokémon Center and getting the information we need to proceed."
May pulled her own Pokénav out to check the time. 7:43. They needed to get going. But it was impossible for her to not see the abundance of messages and voicemails waiting for her that must have collected while they were out of their service area. Steven could tell something else was up and offered her a concerned look, but she put her device away and said, "Just messages from today, but I'll check them after we talk to Morty." Steven only nodded in agreement, and they left her base for Fortree, a ten-minute walk.
The PC was in use when they arrived, and May recognized that hair. It was Winona, and it looked like she was in a call, too. They approached her to let her know they needed the PC, but May could see Steven physically hesitate before approaching the PC, only taking her a moment to register why.
That was Wallace on the screen.
Winona must have noticed that Wallace's attention had gone behind her, because she turned to look over her shoulder to see where his eyes went, and immediately flushed. Normally being seen chatting with Wallace wouldn't have mattered, but it was pretty well known that Wallace and Steven were close, if not best friends, so there was no way he didn't have assumptions about their video call, thanks to prior knowledge of their history.
Despite this, Steven had no issue turning his usual gentlemanly presence on, and grabbed a chair from the lounge space and pulled it right up next to Winona, taking a seat beside her.
"Greetings Winona, Wallace," Steven said, nodding towards them respectfully, "I don't mean to interrupt, but Wallace, as you know, we have a call soon." Steven felt zero remorse in breaking up their call. He knew they had every opportunity to get in touch, and he knew cutting them short would probably help that cause.
"We were just finishing up," Winona flatly stated, and Steven wasn't convinced. "I'm sure the three of you have plenty to discuss anyhow. Until next time, Wallace," she said, but her eyes hardly addressed him as she relieved herself from the chair, opening that space for May.
May tried to offer a small smile and wave to Winona as she excused herself, but Winona only curtly nodded to her as she left. Feeling dismissed by this, May uncomfortably approached the PC and sat next to Steven.
"What was that all about?" Steven had no reserve in asking.
"She…wanted to see if I knew anything about the rumored islands," Wallace stated, but the way he shifted in his seat revealed that he knew he wasn't believable.
Steven's eyebrows pinched together before he questioned, "Are you getting back together?"
Wallace removed his beret and sighed, "I don't know…it's like she speaks in riddles when we talk…but she's considering taking a break from the league."
"Which is in spite of you though, correct?" Steven asked immediately. "I assume she of course didn't say it outright, but I imagine she's still trying to surpass you in strength."
Since when was Steven an expert on relationships? May couldn't help but wonder, or rather, maybe he was more perceptive because he was more familiar with Wallace.
Wallace sighed again, and realized he was subconsciously ringing his beret in his hands, so he tossed it to the side. "Enough about me…" he drawled, clearly not interested in talking about himself any longer "how was memory collecting today?"
May and Steven swapped unsure glances for the hundredth time that day, before May decided to speak. "I think that's a conversation for later," she said, something that needed to be said clearly laced in her voice, but she wasn't sure she was ready to discuss everything that had happened to them that day with anyone other than Steven just yet.
"Hang in there, Wallace," Steven said with a small smile, signifying the end of their call with him, "We'll catch up with you tomorrow."
Steven ended the call and started going through the PC's directory to find the Ecruteak City Pokémon Center, and found it shortly after accessing the Johto list. The attempt at calling only lasted a moment before it was answered, the respective city's Gym Leader waiting for them on the other side.
"Good evening, Morty," Steven greeted, "thanks so much for taking the time to assist us."
"Morty nodded in response to them and said, "Steven," and narrowed his eyes before posing as a question, "…May? It's good to finally meet you."
May felt a tinge of flattery at his words, but then remembered that it probably had more to do with the fact that she hadn't gone on any official business yet. "Same to you, Morty," she responded, repeating his name so as to help better associate the name with the face.
"Let's get right to business, then," Morty said, and Steven nodded and pulled out his little black notebook from the inside of his jacket to write down the locations. Route 107, and Routes 124 through 130, with specific directions of how they could find them as well. After he listed them all, both Steven and May had looks of confusion, so Morty spoke up again. "I know what you're thinking," he said, "I mean not literally, I'm not a mind-reader, which is often a mistake, but I digress. I think it's wildly odd too, that all of the plates are located in the ocean routes of Hoenn. Makes finding them easier for you, but opens lots of questions about how they got there to begin with."
"I take it you've located these plates before?" Steven pondered aloud.
"You'd be correct," Morty disclosed. "I located them once before for the captain of Kanto and Johto's most well-known cruise line, the S.S. Aqua. Although, I can't say I know for sure what happened after he collected them, but they must have been relocated somehow after he got what he needed out of it."
There it was, May couldn't help but think, this mysterious thing, was probably what her dad from the other universe was about to warn them of. Morty just said he wasn't sure of what that thing was, but she was certainly starting to get a feeling about it. Good or bad though, she still couldn't say.
"While I've got you, there's one other thing I'd like to mention, that might be of interest to you," Morty spoke again, his eyes now downcast and to the side as he flipped through his notes that he took, "While I was scanning the area, I came across an item giving off a strange energy from the Pokémart in Sootopolis, if you have the time to check it out."
"…strange energy?" Steven repeated, cocking an eyebrow.
Morty sighed, and pushed a hand through his hair as if to emphasize his attitude, "I really can't figure out how to explain it beyond that. But when I say strange energy, I mean strange. It's not like the plates, which are actually artifacts. Artifacts that have a lot of history or lore surrounding them tend to give off certain energies or auras. This item is…some kind of container, a bottle I think? That's the other thing…" Morty faltered for a moment before continuing, "I can't get a read on it. That's why I checked it out to begin with, because it intrigued me, but I can't even figure out what it is for sure. It's holding something, probably this strange energy I'm sensing."
Steven and May looked at each other in worry, but it only lasted a moment as Steven turned back to the PC and said, "Thanks for the tip, Morty. We really appreciate your help."
"Hey, it's not a problem at all," Morty replied, a goofy grin appearing on his face. "Things have been slow lately, and you gave me something to do. I'll be looking forward to your reports to see what comes of all of this."
Wasn't everyone, May thought to herself.
They bade more thanks and goodbyes before ending the call, and even though May was starting to feel pumped at being one step closer to their mystery, she knew it was getting late and that it would be best if they turned in for the night soon, which is what they agreed on. But first, they went back to the Secret Base shop that they were just in that morning, where Steven made his purchases. It wasn't long before they were back in May's secret base, and Steven was at the laptop, setting up the new items he had just purchased. After the room dividers went up, a Swablu doll appeared on May's bed.
Before May could protest, Steven's voice meekly called out, "That's for earlier." May stared at the doll dumbly. He was really regretting how he acted while they were flying that much?
"Steven?" May voiced.
He didn't answer right away. May considered saying his name again but perhaps with a different inflection, until she finally heard a weak, "…yes?"
"…are you tired?" she asked.
Steven didn't take as long to respond this time. "Not particularly," he said, "I can't stop thinking about these plates, now."
"Me too," May said. She got up from her bed and poked her head around the room divider. Thank goodness he hadn't changed yet, which she hadn't realized could have been a flaw in her approach until after she saw him. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, hunched over with his elbows on his legs. She asked now that she was looking at him, "wanna go start at route 124?"
Steven was bewildered at the suggestion for a moment, but that ended in a slight chuckle and he said, "I think that'd be alright." Sure it was getting late, but going to bed right now seemed so anti-climactic, despite how exciting their day had already been.
"I don't think I could sleep right now anyway," May said after they exited her base, and she played her Eon Flute. Her face broke into a huge grin as her Latias' cry chimed out into the night air, and in a flash, the eon Pokémon was before them. May's pep was definitely evidently back again as she had no hesitation in leaping onto Latias' back, and eagerly reached a hand to Steven to help him up behind her. He let himself grin a little more than usual, and accepted her hand as he climbed up behind May.
When they took to the air, not that May was being overly conscientious or anything, but she couldn't help but pay attention to how Steven's arms were around her. He wasn't holding her too tight on the sharp turns and jerks that she normally made Latias do, but he wasn't holding her uncertainly, either. Heat rose in May's chest. He was comfortable. And considering how unsure he seemed earlier, getting to feel that from him then meant the world to her.
They finished flying over Lilycove and reached the ocean, the beginning of Route 124, and they both became alert to look for the area Morty described for them to find their first plate, the Sky Plate. They needed to find a dive sport northwest of the Treasure Hunter's house, and the plan was for May to dive below with her Swampert to find it.
"Well, that's hard to miss," May spoke, but she wasn't talking about their target. Steven looked to see what she was referencing, expecting to see darker waters, but instead saw…a new island.
Steven could tell that May slowed Latias, and he had a feeling he knew what she was thinking. "Want to check it out?" he asked.
She tucked her head over her shoulder and asked back, "Are you okay with that? I feel awful dragging you all over the place."
Thank goodness for the night sky though, because May knew her face went crimson as Steven's arms drew tighter around her middle, and whether intentionally or not, he softly said to her, "I'm more than okay with whatever it is you're wanting to do." May tried to ease her breathing as she let Latias descend, and convinced herself that Steven was unaware of how his response made her feel.
The island was completely forested, with trees as far as they could see, but there was a clearing that appeared to be a path leading within the island and into all the foliage. May led the way, and approached an old wooden sign that was shortly within the path.
Ilex Forest is so overgrown with trees that you can't see the sky. Please watch out for items that may have been dropped.
"Wait a second…" May mumbled, the wheels in her brain turning. This sounded familiar, but…this wasn't an island. No way, there was no way that… She picked her head up, and looked around, the path taking a slight curve, and there she saw what she expected to see.
"What was that?" Steven called out to her, hastening his step to catch up. May had disappearing abruptly behind some trees, and he had no intention of losing her on another one of these blasted islands; he'd already learned his lesson there, and when he found her, she was approaching a small wooden shrine in a small clearing.
When May turned her head to respond, she had what Steven could only describe as the devilish grin he had come so familiar to knowing.
"We're getting your memories back."
