A/N: Thank you to manulani, missalex3030, and A. B. Flarain for your reviews! I really appreciate the feedback.

A. B. Flarain: Thank you so much! I actually don't know anything about the fandom despite being a fan for years, but from the little bit of skimming I did in other stories for this pairing while preparing my plot, I noticed that it seemed rather juvenile, like you said, which is why I'm feeling a little silly about it. I'd thought that there would be more stories like this already, so I'm glad I can fill a niche though for readers like you. I really hope you keep enjoying the story, and thank you so much for the review. It was exactly what I needed to hear!

manulani: FF won't let me stylize your name properly, but thank you for the review again! It's fun writing May's fluster, so I'm glad you enjoy it!

missalex3030: Hello! How are you? I feel like I've been away for a long time haha. I hope engagement life has been fun. Also, I'm happy you're still enjoying the story! It's really cool to have a reader come into this with no prior knowledge, so the fact that you're still interested makes me really pleased. Maybe I could write my own book one of these days if life slowed down sigh. Anyway, hope you're doing well! Summer and wedding season is almost over!

Ch. 5: feint

August was the peak month for Ever Grande's tourism industry. With the sweltering heat and the crash of waves, the island was in full swing with parties every night and festivals everyday. The sound of cheers and laughter could be heard on every shore. Fireworks lit up the night sky, and the streets were filled with vendors and street performers. The only place seemingly untouched by the surge of tourists was the Elite Four's quarters, high upon the hill above.

Since her secret excursion to the Southern Island, May hadn't left Ever Grande. There was a Challenger coming in the next month that required preparation. Trainers rarely made it through the trials of Victory Road, so when they did, the entire country seemed to shut down in order to watch the Elite Four.

May did not know what Trainer had conquered Victory Road, nor did she plan on engaging until the first round. In her nearly four years as Champion, only a handful of Trainers had even attempted Victory Road, and out of those, perhaps five had made it through. But none had made it past Sid, and so May remained the most unchallenged Champion in history. Getting worked up over a Challenger was a sure way to set herself up for disappointment.

Perhaps the current generation of Trainers was lacking in talent. Perhaps the particular reign of this Elite Four was superior than those in the past. Either way, it was rather boring, and though May would train just in case to keep her skills sharp, she doubted the Challenge would last longer than a few days.

May sighed and sat down in the middle of the private gym. She had a thin coat of sweat on her forehead from drilling with her team, but no matter how hard she trained here, she always felt restless. There was no comparison to mountains and beaches. She had state of the art equipment in Ever Grande with gear designed specifically for her team, but the best training was really out in the wild, where she and her Pokemon were free to run and fly and pit themselves against the elements.

As she looked around the high vaulted ceilings, May felt that anxiety in her gut again. She hadn't seen the forest in over a month. She hadn't flown in over a month. Her fingers itched for dirt and grass, and her poor Pokemon were about to riot with the need to stretch. Indeed, Kohaku had burned a hole through one of the punching bags out of frustration the day before, and May knew that if she did not find a way out of there at least for a day, her team would rebel against Drake.

Could she sneak out again? There didn't seem to be any good reason for her to use. She scoured her mind for an excuse. Perhaps she could say she was going to visit her parents. But Drake knew she hated visiting her father, so that would be hard to pass off.

As she sprawled out on the floor thinking, a yellow face peered in her vision. Her ampharos Akagane gave her a curious look, and she smiled tiredly.

"I'm bored, Aka-chan," she said. The ampharos gave a long groan with her mouth pulling widely. She laughed. "You too, huh?" She groaned again and then fell to the ground to join May, flopping her large head on May's stomach. May grunted at the impact but reached up to rub her Pokemon's face absentmindedly.

Another month had passed, and just as May had suspected, she hadn't heard anything from Steven since seeing him on the island with Latias. She hadn't even heard news of him from Phoebe or Wallace. No matter what promises he made, it was evident he never meant to keep any of them, and she felt like a fool for even believing them in the slightest.

She thought back to the sharpness of his white shirt as it blew in the wind and the way he'd watched her go. He'd looked like a half-starved man, washed up on the island alone and desperate for any human interaction. She'd never known him to want any human affection, content to live his days in solitude with his Steel Pokemon and cold, lifeless rocks. Of course she had imagined whatever she'd thought to be longing. She should have known.

But she still wanted that warmth. She still wanted him to think of her. She wondered why he bothered to make promises when he knew he would break them. Perhaps all men were built that way. Her father certainly was.

"Ring, ring, ring! Phonecall! Phonecall!"

May and Akagane jumped as her Pokenav's polite voice began to chime. She looked around frantically for her belongings and saw them against the far wall. She blanched, but just as she scrambled to her feet, Akagane simply pulled the phone to her hand with a slight charge. May smiled gratefully at the ampharos and patted her on the head in thanks as she took it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, May. It's me," came Brendan's voice. May smiled.

No, not all men were built to disappoint. Brendan was evidence enough. No matter how much she'd put him through, he always followed through on his promises. He never did things with the expectation of anything in return. He was honest to a fault, and in all the years May had known him, he'd never let her down even once. It was really too bad she couldn't find any attraction to him.

"You busy?" He asked. Her smile broadened. He always seemed to know when she was bored.

"Unfortunately not. Why?"

"Wanna come to Rusturf with me?" he asked.

"What's in Rusturf?"

"There are some rumors about a colony of dunsparce migrating through from the south, and my dad wants me to go check it out and maybe tag a few for research. I thought you might wanna get out too," he said. May nodded without a second thought.

"Yeah, that sounds good. Let's go," she declared.

"You sure? Think you can get away?"

"If I tell Drake it's for research, he'll let me go, and you'll be there to make sure I don't 'wander off on my own,'" she said dramatically, mocking the older man.

"Okay, sure," laughed Brendan. "Let's meet in Rustboro at noon? How about we grab lunch at the old cafe on Corroer Street?"

"Sounds good. See you soon," she agreed.

"Later."

May hung up the phone and looked up at Akagane, who was staring at her curiously. May smiled happily.

"Care for a hike?" She asked. The ampharos squealed with delight before leaping to her feet. She then bounded for the door before May could even stand, shouting after the Pokemon to slow down.

May was perfectly content for the first time in a long while.

She stepped out of her favorite Rustboro cafe with Brendan, belly full and legs ready for hiking. The sun was high and hot, and a soft breeze was blowing down from the near mountains. May was ready to make the most out of this day away from Ever Grande.

There were few places May could go these days without getting bombarded with Trainers and cameras, and this cafe was one of them. She had first come during the initial months of her journey, when Kohaku had just evolved into a combusken, and Ginko had been completely unknown to her. Tired and covered in dirt, the cafe owner had given her a discount on her meal and a hot towel to wipe her face and hands. She'd lingered after finishing her meal to simply talk after weeks alone in the forest, and every time she'd visited Rustboro since then, she'd been sure to stop by at least to say hello.

And now, it was her Rustboro sanctuary. Small and located on a narrow side street, it was a miracle she'd found it at all to begin with. Tourists rarely found it, and even locals were mostly unfamiliar with it. It was quiet and cozy, making it one of the only places in Hoenn she could turn to for a good, peaceful meal. Sure, the sandwiches were a little greasy, and the tables were always a bit sticky with some unknown film, but it was warm and safe and the people there called her "May" not "Champion."

As she and Brendan waved goodbye to the owner, they set a steady pace down the street, using the smaller alleys to make their way through the city. Even with her hat and sunglasses, May didn't want to risk drawing a crowd. She felt a small pang of guilt for making Brendan go the long way through, but as she glanced up at him, she couldn't help but smile.

There were few people in the world who were so naturally happy, and Brendan was one of those people. His brown hair poked messily out from beneath his hat, and his boots were already caked with dry mud. With his silly white beanie and face turned up towards the clear blue sky, he truly was a carefree image. She would've been envious if she weren't so impressed.

"So what's going on with these dunsparce?" she asked.

"It's an unusual migration pattern. Dunsparce generally avoid moving this way, as they don't like the ocean, but something's brought them out here. I want to see if there's some stress I can identify or if it's a completely different kind of colony than we've seen."

"That's awesome. I'm excited to see them," said May giddily. She hadn't battled any wild Pokemon in a long while, and to potentially discover a new colony was a thrill most Trainers would never have.

"I hope you don't mind being the muscle," said Brendan. May grinned.

"Aren't I always?"

Brendan shot her a guilty grin, but before they could say more, a voice shot out of nowhere:

"May?"

May and Brendan froze at the sound of her name and turned carefully to see a group of men dressed in sleek dark suits - five of them. At the head of the group was an older man with silvery hair. He smiled brightly as she made eye contact with him and rushed forward to shake her hand.

"It is you! I thought for a moment that my eyes were deceiving me, but here you are!" he exclaimed happily. May beamed at his warm greeting, the initial fear of being discovered slipping away.

"Mr. Stone, it's so good to see you! How have you been?" she greeted.

"Good, good. Thank you. And how are you? It's been - what - four years since I saw you last?" he asked. He looked to the men beside him, who all seemed awestruck to see the the Pokemon Champion out in public and speaking so casually with the President of Devon Corporation. May smiled at them, but then her throat caught as she saw the fifth man standing with them.

"May," he greeted simply. May plastered on her brightest grin and hoped it didn't look too fake.

"Steven, hi," she greeted sweetly. President Stone grinned.

"Oh ho, Steven! You haven't seen May since you returned, have you?" he asked, ushering Steven forward. Steven nodded.

"A couple of times now," he said curtly. May looked to Steven for a sign that he even registered her presence, but his cool gaze was pointedly directed at his father. She sighed inwardly and also looked back to President Stone.

Steven was dressed in a dark slate suit with his silvery hair gelled back cleanly. He looked even taller, if that were possible. May had never noticed before, but she supposed he paid little attention to his hair usually despite his otherwise pristine appearance. She had been sure that Steven could not look colder than he generally did, but this certainly proved her wrong. She felt as if a single glance from him could set her blood to ice.

"Yes, we've run into each other a few times. He came with Wallace to see me battle in May," she confirmed. President Stone arched a brow at Steven.

"Is that so? I didn't realize. You should've said something, Steven!" he said to his son. "I would have liked to have seen that in person as well, though I watched the live broadcast, of course." May smiled saccharinely.

"Oh, thank you so much. I really appreciate it," she said. "The next time I participate in an Exhibition Battle, I'll be sure to send you tickets for your family." Mr. Stone grinned.

"Ah, still such a sweetheart after all this time," he gushed. He turned to the men in their party. "Did I ever tell you boys that I met her when she was just a teenager? She'd barely won her first Badge when she first stumbled into my office! All scraped knees and elbows and now look at her! The Champion!"

"Father."

May tensed at the sound of Steven's terse address and made sure not to look up at him. Was he really so unhappy to see her?

Mr. Stone, however, was unperturbed. He shot him an amused look.

"What, am I boring you now?" he asked. "You never let me brag about you when you were a Trainer, so the least you could do is let me have my moment with her!" Steven's eyes narrowed.

"We have a meeting to get to," he said, ignoring his father's chiding.

Mr. Stone glanced at his watch and threw a hand to his forehead dramatically.

"Ah, so we do!" he exclaimed. He looked to May and Brendan apologetically. "I'm so sorry to rush away like this, but it was wonderful to see you. The next time you're in town, you must drop by the office and say hello!" he insisted. May nodded.

"I'll do that," she promised. The older man grinned and patted her on the shoulder before leading the party away.

As Steven passed by her, May tried to catch his eye, but he ghosted past her as if she weren't there. Her throat tightened with hurt as this cold stranger stalked away without another word and wondered what on Earth she possibly could have done to insult him.

"We should get going too," said Brendan.

May nodded and tried to push a smile to her face as they headed in the opposite direction. She told herself that the fiery heat in her face and gut was due to the blistering August sun.

Even if she'd come out here to help with Brendan's research, dunsparce didn't seem so interesting anymore. All she wanted to do was Battle until her legs gave out. She wanted to forego even her Pokemon and simply fight anything she could find with her bare hands. Her legs burned as she marched ahead of Brendan, much to his confusion.

Even if he didn't think of her as much as she thought of him while they were apart, she'd at least hoped she and Steven could be friendly on the rare moments they did see each other, and even if his promises were all empty, the least he could do was put on a front of civility. He, however, didn't seem to agree, as he walked away without a single glance back. However interesting he found her in their moments alone, it didn't translate to real life. As May stepped out of Rustboro with Brendan guiding in front, she promised herself she would stop thinking about him from then on. Steven Stone could jump off the top of Mt. Chimney for all she cared.