A/N: This chapter was inspired by a couple of Trainers in the Pokemon X/Y games in Reflection Cave. The man is freaking out because he can't find his fiancee, but after fighting him and going just a little farther, you find the woman completely at ease. They lingered in my mind thereafter as a doomed couple.

I imagine the underground tunnels in Mauville like the old-school ones in Seoul with the tiny shops, not the new commercial ones that are super flashy and pretty. If you're not familiar, Google them. They're awesome.

Also, blisseys each carry around an egg. It's said that whoever eats it is filled with happiness and feelings of caring affection.

Ch. j: helping hand

May loved autumn in this area. Route 110 to the south turned through lovely shades of yellows and reds, and Route 118 to the east blew with a crisp, cool breeze on the beach. May inhaled deeply as a cool gust of wind blew through the streets of Mauville, laughing happily as Shinju cringed.

"Is it really so bad?" she teased. Shinju glared at her as she shivered with a wide grimace.

"Eeeee!" she moaned. May grinned and tugged her by the arm down the street.

Nine months had passed since her last Gym Battle, and May was starting to think it was about time they moved on to the next. She had been thinking through her pokemon, wondering which Leader she'd hold the most advantage over with her strongest team and couldn't decide whose Gym she should approach first.

Winona in Fortree specialized in Flying-types, so Akagane would reign supreme. Liza and Tate could be defeated with Aen and Ginko, but Akagane would have no luck. Against Wallace, Akagane would again have a great advantage, but Sootopolis was just so damn far away, and Wallace was renowned as the toughest Leader in all of Hoenn. She realized with a grimace that Kohaku would be completely ineffective against all of them.

She sighed. Maybe she needed to catch a Ghost-type. That would be a decent match against any of the remaining Gym Battles, right? She strained to think of all the places she'd been to that had rumors of Ghost-types. Maybe she'd call Professor Birch later and ask if-

"Genny!"

May stopped. Had she imagined that voice? She looked around and saw no one who could have been shouting. Even Shinju looked a bit confused.

"Did you hear that?" she asked. Shinju nodded.

May waited another few seconds, and then came another, "Genny!"

She turned toward the voice, as it grew closer. It sounded like a man. Several other people around her looked to be searching for the source of the voice as well. May looked down at Shinju questioningly.

"That doesn't sound good," she said. Shinju hummed worriedly and stared off towards the direction of the voice. "Should we go check it out?"

"GENNY!"

May cringed as the shouting grew louder, and as she turned the corner, she understood just what was causing the ruckus.

A tall man stood in the center of the shopping area. Or rather, he flailed. Dressed in a smart suit and glasses, the man seemed to be throwing himself across the space with as much fervor as a primeape on a rampage. As he ran back and forth, he continued to shout, "Genny!" at a nearly deafening volume. The people around him seemed to be either struck with horror or actively avoiding him. May frowned with confusion.

Was Genny his wife? A pokemon? What if she were his daughter? She looked around again for some clue to what he could be looking for, but the crowd looked just as flabbergasted as she. She cringed as he screamed again. Whoever "Genny" was, clearly she needed to be found for her own safety [or perhaps his].

Wasn't someone going to help him? She looked around again, but people were now hurrying away, leaving her in the street with him alone. May knew in her heart it would be the right thing to do, but as she watched the young man continue to shout and flail, she really wished she also had the ability to just walk away. With a great sigh of resignation, she stepped forward.

"Excuse me, sir. Is everything okay?" she shouted.

The man spun on her, eyes wide, and exclaimed, "No! Everything is not okay!" May felt as if her hair were being blown back by the force of his statement.

"W-Well, what seems to be the problem?" she sputtered.

"My darling fiancee Genny is missing! I turned my back for just a second and then she was gone! Genny!" he screamed again. May cringed and buckled slightly from the volume. "Please, you must help me find her! She's a delicate woman, and she has a terrible sense of direction. I'm sure she's in a panic without me!"

"Have you reported her missing to the police?" she asked.

"I tried, but they said she hasn't been gone long enough for them to file a missing person's report."

"How long has she been gone?" she asked.

"For two miserable hours! She could be anywhere by now! Someone could have taken her miles from here at this point!" he shouted.

As he continued to shout and flail for Genny, May wished she had just minded her own damned business. This man, even if he were right to be worried, was nearly incoherent.

"You'll help me, right?" he cried, suddenly spinning on her again. She and Shinju cringed, but she nodded shakily.

"Y-yes… sure," she mumbled. His face lit up.

"Excellent! We must head now to the center of the city!" he cried.

As the man ran off, May shared a look with Shinju, who pulled an egg out of her pouch.

"Bliss?" she chirped, holding the egg up. May smiled tiredly.

"Sorry, I don't think that'll work here," she said. Shinju frowned but put the egg back into her pouch. May sighed and they followed after the strange man named Richard.

Street after street, Richard shouted and threw himself from person to person, asking if they'd seen his darling fiancee. Of course, no one had, and he scared off anyone who possibly might've seen her. May and Shinju walked a few paces behind him so as to not draw attention to themselves as well.

"What are we even doing?" sighed May. Shinju frowned and looked around, but nowhere did they see a sign of a woman who could possibly be Genny. Of course, they had very little to go one beyond Richard's poetic nonsense. A photo would probably be helpful, she thought, but she was too irked to stop Richard and ask for one. "Should be just leave?" she asked Shinju. The blissey looked worriedly between May and Richard as he began to cry out once more, but before they could make a decision, a voice rang out:

"May?"

May turned to see a dark-clad figure moving towards her, and she lit up.

"Steven!" she greeted happily. He smiled brightly, and her heart fluttered a bit. Shinju chirped in greeting.

"I was just thinking about you," he said. She blushed pleasurably.

"Really?"

"Yes, I saw a woman with a bright red scarf earlier, and it reminded me of you," he said. She couldn't help but grin giddily at the thought, fingering her own scarf.

"I guess it is my signature," she laughed. He nodded with a warm smile.

"So what brings you to Mauville?" he asked.

"I was just stocking up on supplies before heading north," she said. "But then I ran into someone and well…"

Just at that moment, Richard let out a loud, "Genny! Where are you?" Steven arched a brow.

"A friend of yours?" he asked. May smiled awkwardly.

"Not exactly," she started slowly. He frowned. "Um, that's Richard. I just met him a little while ago. His fiancee is missing," she explained.

"And you volunteered to assist him," said Steven, confused. She nodded.

"I can't just walk away when he needs help," she reasoned. Steven rolled his eyes.

"You're much too generous with your time," he sad dryly.

"Well, what if she's hurt? I'd hate it if something bad actually happened to her and I didn't stop to help," she said ardently. Steven sighed and looked between May and the strange tourist thoughtfully. May noted that he sucked on his bottom lip slightly when he was contemplating.

"I suppose I could help you then," he offered. May perked up.

"Really? You don't have somewhere you need to be?" she asked.

"No, like you, I was just coming into town to restock," he said.

"I don't want to bother you though with something like this."

"You shouldn't bother yourself with this either, but it's fine. Another pair of eyes would help, right? And besides," he said, eyes lingering narrowly on Richard behind her, who was still shouting out for his fiancee. "I'd feel much better if you weren't with that man alone."

"Why not?" she asked.

"Just a feeling," he said vaguely.

He nodded for her to lead the way, which she did begrudgingly. As they approached Richard once again, he continued his flailing and shouting. May cringed as he shouted especially loudly right next to her.

"Hey, Richard?" she called.

The man stopped and spun around to see her. His panic, strangely, softened slightly at the sight of Steven. He looked at the silver-haired man expectantly.

"Who's this?" he asked.

"This is my friend Steven. He's agreed to help us look for Genny," she said. The man made a dramatic expression and let out a great sigh.

"Excellent!" cried Richard. He rushed forward to shake Steven's hand vigorously. "Thank you, sir! I am in your debt!"

May frowned at the man's reaction. He hadn't acted that way towards her.

"Let's continue on our way!" he cried, rushing off once more. May sighed.

"I'm sorry to drag you into this," she said as they followed.

"It's fine, but are you sure about him? He seems… off," he said. May grimaced as Richard howled Genny's name again through the street. A few people cast them dirty looks as they walked by. May smiled apologetically to them and hurried along.

"I know, but…"

"You feel bad, I know," sighed Steven. "That generous nature of yours is going to get you into trouble one of these days."

She laughed awkwardly, knowing that it surely had already. Team Aqua came to mind. She wondered if Archie and those fools were staying out of trouble.

They picked up the pace to keep up with him. May looked up curiously as Steven stepped up beside Richard.

"How long have you and Genny been together, Richard?" asked Steven.

"Almost a year - it'll be a year in three weeks and two days!" he answered readily. May almost rolled her eyes at how exact he was.

"That's not very long," said Steven smoothly, which May found surprising. A year with anyone felt like a lifetime to her.

"No, it feels like just yesterday that I met her!" gushed the other man.

"Would you say you know her well?"

"Yes, she's the most amazing girl I've ever met! The loveliest, sweetest thing you could ever imagine. I knew the moment I met her that she was the one!"

May paused at Richard's response. Something about the way he spoke about Genny bothered her, though she couldn't quite pinpoint it. She glanced up at Steven to see that cool, neutral smile on his face. Clearly, he wasn't impressed by Richard's answers either.

"Why don't we split up and look for her? I think we could cover more ground that way," suggested Steven. Richard lit up.

"That's a great idea! May, why don't you come with me towards the financial district? I bet she's around there!" said Richard.

"No, May can go look at the underground shops on her own. I'll go with you," said Steven cleanly. Richard frowned but didn't argue. And did he look concerned? May smiled awkwardly.

"Okay, I'll head down there then. Why don't we meet back here in an hour?" she suggested. They both nodded.

"Okay, we'll meet you there after we've checked around here," said Steven. He scowled as Richard already took off running. "Be careful," he added. May laughed.

"You're such a worrier," she teased. He sighed and waved at May as he jogged after him.

"Well then, shall we go down?" she asked Shinju. The blissey beamed and nodded with excitement before leading the way at a quick pace.

The underground tunnels in Mauville were May's favorite part of the city besides the roof gardens. They ran for miles and miles under the main city with so many shops and tiny restaurants that May was sure she'd never be able to explore them all within her lifetime. As she and Shinju moved down into the underground system, she grinned around all the stands.

"Want to get a snack?" asked May. Shinju grinned. "Right? I mean, we might as well since we're down here already."

May looked around, suddenly wanting pudding. She strained her mind for a memory of the cafe location.

"Do you remember where that pudding place is? The one with the miltanks," said May. Shinju jumped up happily and headed for another tunnel. May chased after her, laughing.

Shinju turned down one tunnel and then into the next. May dodged the few people that dotted the small paths until they turned down one more street and found themselves suddenly in a dark corner of the city May didn't recognize. She shivered, suddenly very cold.

"Shinju, where have you brought us?" she asked. "I don't remember ever coming here before." Shinju murmured worriedly as they slowed down to a steady walk.

"I think we're near the main artery of the tunnels, but I can't tell which direction the noise is coming from," she said. "It feels dangerous to have such small pathways down here. It's like we're asking to get mugged."

They continued walking with both of them straining their ears. They seemed to be walking in the right direction, but then a dead end appeared and they had to go back and down another tunnel. May checked her watch and saw that they were running out of time if they were going to do any actual searching.

"Finally!" she cried as they saw the bright lights of the main artery in the distance, but before they could start towards, it, she stopped and took a deep breath.

"Do you smell something sweet?" she asked, sniffing. Shinju sniffed the air as well.

They both went pale and spun in opposite directions. May strained her eyes in the flickering light and saw it: an amorphous dense gas.

"A haunter!" she shouted.

The haunter, realizing it had been spotted, gathered up its gas to a more solidified form and let out a piercing screech. Shinju leapt forward just as it charged.

"Shinju, psychic!" shouted May.

The haunter cried out with pain at the harsh attack but immediately reared itself back up to attack once more. Just as Shinju was about to attack again, it vanished. Shinju came to a halt and looked around with confusion.

"Bliss?" she chirped.

May saw a slight glimmer from the corner of her eye, and in an instant, the haunter was charging Shinju from above.

"Shinju! Look up!" shouted May.

The blissey was too slow though. She gaped as the ghost dove to attack her. May reach for her ball to pull her back, but just as she opened her mouth, there was a cry:

"Saphir, crunch!"

May gaped as a pale blur shot towards the haunter from behind her with a mighty shout. The haunter cried out in pain as the pokemon clamped down on it hard. It swung wildly as the haunter thrashed.

"Miss! Your pokeball! Throw now!" came the voice again.

May didn't wait. She grabbed her ball and immediately threw it with practiced aim. The haunter gasped as it was sucked into the ball. It fell with a delicate clink to the concrete.

For five long seconds, they waited, watching the ball jerk back and forth with the haunter's struggle. May held her breath for 3, 2, 1, and…

"We did it!"

May finally saw that the hero pokemon was a nidorina. She let out a victorious cry and scampered back to her Trainer. May glanced back to see the person who had saved them.

A few meters away stood a young woman, perhaps in her mid-20s. She wore a sophisticated red cap on top of thick, cropped, dark hair. Her pale green dress rustled in the breeze against her tanned limbs, and a delicate red silk scarf fluttered from her neck. May's immediate thought was that she looked beautifully graceful.

The nidorina nuzzled against the woman's leg, and she beamed, bending at the waist to pet the pokemon on the head.

"That was fantastic, Saphir. Looks like we made it just in time," she said. Her voice chimed like a bell. She then looked up at May and Shinju.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude," she said. "We just heard some shouting and before we could stop ourselves, we were charging into your battle!"

"No! Thank you so much for your help! We were definitely off-guard when you came in, so you saved Shinju here a trip to the Pokemon Center," said May quickly. She looked around at the dark alley and felt another shiver.

"Why don't we get out of this alley first?" she suggested. The woman nodded and all four hurried back onto the main street. May let out a sigh of relief at the brightly lit stores and food stands.

"Oh, that's better. Anyway, thank you again. You really saved us back there," repeated May. The woman smiled.

"I'm so glad. I was worried you'd be upset or think we were trying to steal your catch."

"No, not at all! Thank you! You were a great help! Honestly, we should have been more aware, but I can't believe there are still haunters out in Mauville at this time of the day," said May.

The woman's smile was so warm, like a sunrise, and May wondered to herself if she would ever look so feminine. Pokemon training certainly wasn't appropriate for soft skirts or pretty hats. She imagined Richard fretting over his missing fiancee and wondered if any man would ever consider her so ardently.

The red flutter of the woman's scarf suddenly reminded her of Steven's fond words from earlier: I was just thinking about you. Her cheeks warmed as she pictured Steven seeing this woman's red scarf and thinking of her instead. Her heart beat a bit faster, and she decided she wanted to get back to him soon.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. My name is May. This is Shinju," she said, introducing her blissey. Shinju squeaked happily at their new acquaintances.

"It's lovely to meet you, May and Shinju. My name is Genevieve, and this is Saphir. We're visiting here from Kalos," she said. The nidorina hummed happily.

"I've always wanted to go to Kalos. What city are you from?" asked May.

"Oh, a tiny little place you've never heard of, I'm sure. It's called Aquacorde Town," she said.

"No, I'm afraid I'm not familiar," admitted May sheepishly. "How long are you planning on staying?"

"Just until the end of the week, though I wish I could stay forever. This city is enchanting!" she saw romantically. May grinned.

"If you're interested in big cities and have time, you should Fly to Rustboro. It's the largest industrial city in the country, and it's near the ocean so you can spend some time at the beach, though it's a bit cold now," suggested May. Genny lit up at the idea.

"Oh, that sounds lovely! I'll definitely have to suggest it to my boyfriend, though we'll see if he ever wants to leave the hotel," she said a bit sadly.

A flag went up in May's head, but she didn't know if she should take it. She looked at Genevieve, who looked elated to be in the city with her pokemon, and she wasn't sure if she had the heart to potentially dampen the woman's day with her earlier task. If "Genny" weren't her, then it would be fine, but if she were...

Then the woman turned toward her. May jerked slightly with horror at being caught staring and faltered. Her first impulse was to pretend that she had been looking at something else, but luckily, the woman hardly seemed to notice. She pulled a camera out from her purse.

"Would you actually mind taking a photo for us?" she asked sweetly, offering the camera.

"O-oh, yes, o-of course!" she sputtered.

She made sure to hold the camera tightly as to not drop it and then focused it choppily on the woman. Through the lens, she smiled brightly with Saphir as they posed in front of a brightly lit ceramics shop, and May snapped a couple of shots. As she handed the camera back, she again wondered a bit enviously if she would ever be as beautiful as this woman.

"Thank you very much," said the woman happily, but instead of walking away as May had expected, she instead turned back towards the scenery with a warm smile and said dreamily, "It's lovely here, isn't it? When there aren't haunters sneaking around, that is. I've always wanted to see the tunnels here, and they're even more than I'd hoped!"

"Did you come to Hoenn on your own?" asked May curiously.

"No, I came with my boyfriend. We came for a couple's trip, but he didn't want to come down here with me," she said a bit sadly. "So I slipped away for a bit to see the sights alone, and I'm so glad I did. I would've really regretted not coming. And of course we never would have met you or Shinju," she finished with a sweet smile. May felt that chime ring in her head again and wondered if fate had brought Genny down for more reasons than to save her from a rogue haunter.

"Do you go by 'Genny' ever, by any chance?" she asked. The woman smiled.

"Yes, my family calls me that, and a few close friends," she said. May sighed inwardly.

"Is your boyfriend's name Richard?"

The woman's eyes narrowed with confusion, and May knew she had found Genny.

"How do you know Richard?"

May sighed and slowly explained how she had come to meet the frantic man and the reasons that had brought her to the roof in the first place. Genny's scowl deepened further and further.

"I swear… What is wrong with him? 'Delicate with a bad sense of direction?' Does he think I'm some stupid little girl?" she hissed. May flinched and wondered if it'd been right to mention that. Despite the woman's still-graceful cadence, her anger was apparent and scathing. "And to inconvenience total strangers! I am so sorry he made you a part of this. Where is he?"

"He and my friend went to go check out the business district, but they should be coming back-"

"Genny!"

May and Genny turned to see a wild form flying towards them. May let out a shriek of surprise and leapt to the side, but Genny simply side-stepped. Richard ran straight into the nearby wall.

"Agh! G-Genny," he gasped. Wincing, he looked up at her and gawped at the sight of her obvious anger.

"Richard, what on earth are you doing here?" she demanded.

"I-I was looking for you! I was so worr-"

"Worried? I left you a note!" she exclaimed.

"Y-you… you did?" he asked meekly. Genny looked ready to throw her hands in the air.

"Of course I did! You didn't check?" she asked.

Richard was at a loss for words. His mouth opened and closed like a fish. He looked at May and Steven beseechingly, and May wished again that she had just minded her own business.

"Steven, May? You understand, right? Why I was so worried?" he whimpered.

"Richard, I understand your concern, but you need to understand why your fiancee is upset," reasoned Steven. Genny's nostrils flared.

"I am not his fiancee!" she said firmly. "We have discussed the topic of marriage, but I told him I needed more time to consider it. Well, you can rest assured that my mind has been made up now!"

May cringed as the young woman laid into her boyfriend - or perhaps, ex-boyfriend now - and took a slow step back. Steven followed suit.

"We should leave them to sort this out," he murmured. May nodded eagerly, turned, and hurried away before they could be dragged into the argument again. They didn't slow down until they had reached the ground level.

May's heart felt heavy. She thought of the contentment on Genny's face as she'd looked out over the shops and suddenly regretted speaking to her. If she had just left them alone, they would have sorted it out by themselves, right? But no, who knows what would have happened if they'd allowed Richard to tear the city apart looking for her alone? He might have even gone to the police again. She sighed. Their relationship had truly been doomed either way.

"What an awful guy," muttered May. "I can't believe a strong woman like that would tolerate someone so obviously misogynistic." Steven nodded grimly.

"Yes, it's unfortunate for the both of them. It's too bad he can't see how capable his fiancee is," said Steven. He coughed. "Or girlfriend, since I suppose they weren't engaged to begin with." May sighed.

"I wonder if they'll be okay."

"I'm sure Genny will be. I can't say the same for him," said Steven with a wry smile. "People like that require a lot to change."

"I don't understand what was so appealing about the woman he saw her as anyway," continued May. She felt some anger flare in her face at the memory of his franticness earlier that day. "Why would anyone want someone who's 'delicate'? Seems pretty tiring to me."

"I can sort of see where he was coming from," he said. May's head whipped up accusingly, and he gave her an appeasing smile. "You've never been with someone before?" May's face blushed dark red.

"No, not really," she said awkwardly. "I haven't exactly met a lot of boys on the road."

May's skin felt as if it would burn off. Thankfully, he seemed to understand and didn't linger on it.

"Well, when you meet someone, it's easy to get swept away in your idea of them rather than in the person they actually are, and while I agree 'delicateness' isn't a desirable trait for a partner, it is nice to feel needed and relied upon."

May wondered just how true this was for her. Was her strange attraction to Steven just the result of wishful thinking and romanticism? She scowled and resisted the urge to look up at him.

"Did you have fun today at least, Shinju?" asked Steven. The blissey nodded happily and chirped. He smiled. "It looks like you made a friend with Genny's nidorina as well."

"Oh!" exclaimed May, stopping in her tracks. Steven frowned and looked back at her as she rummaged for her belt, suddenly remembering the pokemon she had just caught. She grabbed one of the pokeballs and pushed the button. A very grumpy, pouting haunter emerged.

"Sorry, Haunter. I got distracted," she said apologetically. He glared at May but didn't say anything, simply floating in front of her. She smiled as stepped back and Steven waited quietly, watching with rapt attention. "My name is May. As you've probably already figured out, I'm a Trainer. I'm taking on the Pokemon League Challenge with Shinju here and a bunch of other pokemon."

"Bliss!" cheered Shinju. May smiled, and the haunter looked at her with narrowed, haughty eyes.

"I know we caught you kind of suddenly. Usually I ask my pokemon right away if they're interested in coming with me, but we got sidetracked by someone," explained May. "So now, I'd like to propose that you come with us on our journey. You'll get to meet a lot of people and pokemon, and instead of sneaking up on people you want to meet, you can learn how to greet them properly," she said, grinning.

The haunter looked shocked that May had figured him out. She smiled as he realized she understood that he hadn't been attacking them. He'd simply wanted to say hello and was awkward. He smiled bashfully and nodded.

"You want to come with us?" she asked. He nodded again and gave a sheepish grin. She beamed.

"Welcome to the team then, Haunter!" she exclaimed. Shinju jumped and cheered, and the haunter looked absolutely elated. "Oh, but we should call you something besides 'Haunter,'" she added.

She glanced at Steven, who was smiling proudly at her. She grinned with some embarrassment but looked back at the ghost. A name sprang to mind.

"Is 'Suigan' okay?" she asked. The haunter grinned and hummed happily and floated a bit higher. She laughed.

"Well, Suigan, welcome! We're so glad to have you with us!" she said. The haunter let out a triumphant cackle that made May shiver a bit, but she accepted him back into her ball, where he settled warmly and happily. She looked back down at Shinju.

"Are you happy? We made another a new friend," she said. The blissey beamed. May then looked back up at Steven, who was moving to join her once again.

"You sure were efficient with your time today," he said with a smirk. "You found a missing person and recruited a new team member." She grinned.

"Well, Suigan found us actually," she said. He smiled softly.

"It's a thrill to watch you and your pokemon. You're growing faster than I can keep up with," he said. May's cheeks reddened at his words, and his smile deepened.

But he turned for the city's eastern border, and May followed.

They walked quietly together for a while with May admiring the busy streets. Even if she'd been to Mauville numerous times, the city still amazed her. She thought back to the first time she'd arrived here and the awe she'd felt upon seeing the clash of technology and commerce, just as Genny had.

She glanced up at Steven. He had been there the moment she'd left the city that first time, standing there on Route 118 as if he'd been waiting for her. She wondered how many times fate could bring two people together so serendipitously and when it would decide that they had had enough.

"Where are you going next?" she asked.

"I was planning on heading to Sootopolis," he said. May grinned.

"To see Wallace?" she asked. He glared at her.

"Yes." She snickered to herself as they continued.

"You two are a funny match," she said.

"Match?" echoed Steven with an arched brow. She nodded.

"You act like he's a huge burden, but when it comes down to it, you two are actually great friends, aren't you?" she said. Steven looked thoughtfully towards the edge of the city, and she hummed with great cheer.

"Where are you headed?" he asked.

"I think we're going to challenge Winona in Fortree next," said May. Steven nodded.

"She's tough, but I'm sure Akagane can handle her team," he said with a smile.

"You think so?" she asked hopefully.

"Yes. Her pokemon are very fast though, so maybe try some target practice before you go," he said with a grin. "And teach Shinju some Fairy-type moves. They'll probably come in handy," he added, smiling down at Shinju. She beamed.

May thought carefully. She had just received a TM from a Trainer she'd met on the road for a Dazzling Gleam, but she hadn't thought to use it yet. She looked down at Shinju and wondered if the blissey would take to it.

"Okay, we can start working on that tomorrow then," said May. Shinju cheered excitedly, and Steven smiled.

"Well, I must get going then. Try not to get sucked into any strange searches again," he said. Skarmory emerged from his ball and stretched his wings wide.

"Have a safe flight," she said as Steven mounted the pokemon. He looked upon her warmly.

"Give Winona my regards. I'm sure I'll see you again soon. Until then," he said with a wave. Skarmory reared back and then shot straight into the air like an arrow.

May didn't wait to watch him disappear into the clouds. Instead, she also began to head east on foot. Shinju pattered along happily, and they both breathed in the crisp autumn air. Pulling her jacket on a little tighter, she wondered just how cold it would be by the time they reached Fortree City.

Winona the Flying-type Leader - May would have to kick up Akagane's training, and if Steven were right, Shinju would also be working hard for the next few weeks. She looked back up to the sky and saw that he was gone, but she smiled. Maybe as she left Fortree, he would be there again on the road, standing in her path as if he'd been waiting for her.