24. future sight

Storms in the city of Lumiose were unlike anything May had experienced before. She had thought Slateport a large city, but it was nothing compared to the City of Lights. Despite the rolling black clouds, the city was somehow even brighter than Slateport on the sunniest of days. The water that fell on the city streets shined like puddles of starlight. Even the dark alleys glinted and glowed.

May's heart sang giddily with the pulsing lights as she stepped into the fluorescent lobby of Augustine Sycamore's lab. Water dripped from her limbs and hair, and though the puddles had glowed outside, their remnants smeared black and brown streaks underfoot across the pristine tiles as she made a beeline for the back room.

"May, how many times have I said to wipe your shoes before coming in here?" cried one of the researchers. She grinned sheepishly but didn't stop.

"Sorry, Henri. Just leave it. I'll clean it up!" she called over her shoulder. He grumbled, still reaching for the mop propped up in the corner.

At the sound of May's voice, a dark head of hair appeared. Augustine Sycamore's handsome face popped into the doorframe of the laboratory ahead. Her blissey followed suit. They both beamed.

"Wonderful timing, ma chere! I have just finished the exam on Shinju." The blissey came scampering out, throwing her arms around her trainer. May smiled and rubbed her pokemon's head.

"Careful, you'll get wet!" she cried. The blissey hardly seemed to care, rubbing her face against May's.

"I see you got caught in the storm on your way back from Shalour," noted Sycamore.

"Yeah, sorry for the mud. I must look a mess."

"Diantha could never hope to look as lovely even in jewels as you do in the elements," he said grandly. May laughed.

"Don't flatter me. Here, a gift," said May, pulling out a bag full of stones from her backpack. Little flashes of color glinted through the sediment and dust as Augustine peeked inside. "I hope there's something worthwhile in there."

The professor chirped with delight as he turned to set out the new stone specimens along the counter. As his assistants began their cataloguing process, May plopped down tiredly at a nearby stool and pulled out a bag of treats to share that she had bought at a famous Shalour bakery, water still dripping from her boots. Shinju took hold of a particularly large pastry and smashed it into her mouth.

"Was it a good trip? Where did you go?" asked Sycamore, picking flaky crumbs off of the blissey's cheek.

"Well, we obviously spent a good amount of time in Reflection Cave collecting stones, but we also stopped to check out the Baa de Mer Ranch. Aen got a little mouthy with the skiddos and got headbutted a few times, but it was overall a good time. We were planning on spending a few days at Azure Bay before the storm came in, so we'll have to go back another time this summer."

"Ah, I will have to draw a map for you of the bay. There is a secret cove located on one of the islands that is a lovely hideaway spot. I used to stop there often when I was a traveling Trainer myself," said Sycamore, chewing through a bit of pastry offered to him by the blissey. "Did you hear about the Championship Tournament for your replacement? I spoke to Roxanne earlier who says Brendan has made it to the Final 16." May smiled.

"Yeah, Wally called me yesterday. I was thinking of calling Brendan tomorrow to say good luck," she said.

"How is the new Petalburg Leader?"

"He seems surprisingly happy. I think he's taken to teaching the younger Trainers better than he'd expected. I wouldn't be surprised if he increased his one-out-of-three-months rule."

"He did not wish to compete with Brendan?"

"I think watching my experience as Champion convinced him that it wasn't a good fit," said May with a grimace.

"Perhaps he shall follow you here as well one day." Augustine smiled dreamily. "And perhaps some of your other lovely friends shall as well." May rolled her eyes.

"Between Diantha and the rest of the women of Kalos, how do you have time to entertain even the thought of more romance?"

"Ah, but life is too short to love just one, no?"

She shook her head and popped the last of her pastry into her mouth just as the doors slid open once more. A sharp looking man in a black suit appeared. May's heart fluttered just a little as she met his eye and wondered how Augustine's words could ring so false for her. As if he knew her thoughts, Steven Stone shot her and the professor a knowing smirk.

"I thought I'd find you two gossips here," he said. Eyeing May's wet form up and down, he arched a brow. "I don't know who will be ruined first - you when you finally catch your death from recklessness or Henri as he tries to clean up your messes one too many times." May stuck out her tongue at him, earning one of Steven's famous sighs before he turned to Sycamore.

"Do you really have time to be sitting around eating croissants? Don't you have some novice Trainers coming by?" he asked. Sycamore glanced down at his watch before slapping his forehead, aghast.

"My god, what am I doing? Everyone, we must clean up! The Trainers will be here any minute!" he cried, rushing off to prepare for his new group of mentees. May chuckled as she swept up the crumbs back into the little bag and reached down to wipe at Shinju's messy mouth. Steven gave a small pout.

"No treats for me?"

May rolled her eyes but reached into her bag to pull out a separately wrapped croissant. Her cheeks flushed as he brushed her hands with his own to accept it. His smile was almost insufferably smug. When he was sure none of the lab staff was looking, he laced his fingers loosely with hers and leaned forward so that only she could hear.

"Hi," he said. She smiled.

"Hi."

"Welcome back."

"Thanks for coming to get me."

"Let's get out of here. You can tell me about your trip," he said, nodding to the exit. She followed eagerly, waving goodbye to Sycamore and his assistants. Shinju jumped back into her pokeball with a flash of light just as the doors slid to a close behind them.

"Did you go to the ranch?" he asked as they walked down the long corridor.

"How'd you know?"

"You have skiddo wool in your hair." He plucked out a green wooly clump to show her. She laughed. "Where are you heading next?"

"After the storms pass through, I want to go back to Azure Bay while the weather is warm. Besides that, I was thinking Laverre City." He nodded and gave her a somewhat shy smile.

"Would you mind if I joined you?" he asked. May's grin was slow and smug.

"Do you think you can keep up, old man?" she teased. Steven gave a mild smile and leaned down just slightly, sliding his fingers discreetly across her lower back.

"Come home with me, and I'll show you just how long I can keep it up." May's entire body clenched as his voice rumbled low in her ear, and her face burned red. He maintained that neutral smile as he stepped a respectable distance away.

As they reached the end of the corridor where the elevators waited, the doors opened with a ding to reveal the lucky novice Trainers setting out on their first journey. There were five of them - three boys and two girls. Two of the boys chatted with one of the girls, who bounced up and down giddily as they stepped out of the elevator. The third boy smiled and nodded along with his friends, but the last - the second girl - remained quiet, casting a curious gaze around her. She was smiling, a look of wonder in her eyes. Her hair was long and dark, and her eyes were round and wide. May smiled at her as they walked past, noting the tiny fennekin that followed closely behind.

"Cute hat," she said, nodding to the girl's red accessory. She jumped slightly with surprise but beamed.

"Thank you!" she said happily. May smiled back and continued out with Steven, shooting the fennekin a warm smile as well. Just as they stepped into the elevator, May saw Sycamore emerge from the back with a grand sweep of his arms.

"Welcome! Are you ready to start your pokemon adventure?"

May watched him guide the cheering students into the lab. Just as the elevator doors began to slide shut, the dark-haired girl glanced back, a flash of recognition on her face as she looked at May again. May smiled knowingly and waved as the girl's eyes lit up with awe at the former Hoenn Champion. May's chest was tight with excitement for the young girl, who could only guess at the adventure she was about to embark upon, the people and pokemon she had yet to meet.

As they stepped out into the rain, Steven offered an umbrella and an arm, and they chuckled at the absurdity of covering May's already soaked clothing. The bright lights of the city danced in Steven's eyes as May pulled him down the busy streets, muddy boots splashing through the glowing puddles.

The next morning proved that Lumiose could glow even brighter in the daylight than in the rain, for the wet streets shone like a thousand mirrors in the blinding sunlight. May had to squint her eyes as she looked out over the city. A large sweater clung to her shoulders, warm and filled with a familiar scent that seemed to seep into even the smallest details of her life these days. The source of it lay asleep in his bed, his hair glinting in the morning sun.

May had crossed land and sea to get to this moment, and she knew there was even more that the world had to offer. Lumiose was the grandest city she had ever seen, but she knew there was even more that the world had to offer. She could go anywhere and meet anyone, and no matter how far she went, the pokemon at her side would always be there. She had friends to cheer her forward, and though she knew her time in the limelight was gone, there were people here in Kalos and back in Hoenn who wished her well.

Later, May would rouse Steven from his grumbling sleep and pull him back out into the sun where they would venture out into the incredible city they now called home. A few days after that, they would step out of Lumiose for one of many future adventures together. She didn't know what types of pokemon they would encounter or if they would return home empty-handed, but she knew that wherever they went, it would be worthwhile. And despite the unbending demeanor May had once attributed to Steven Stone, she knew that he would always yield to the winds as long as they brought him back to her side.

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A/N: I can't believe it's over. What a wild ride. I'd meant for this story to be something short and self-indulgent, but it turned out to be much more than I'd anticipated. I just want to say thank you to every person who read and another thank you to every reader who reviewed. I read every piece of feedback and really appreciate being able to share my writing. May was a bit of a crybaby, and Steven was a rockheaded fool, but I enjoyed writing about them both.

I've been asked a few times about a sequel. I won't flat-out say no, but it's not in the cards for me at the moment. Frankly, I feel like I've taken this story as far as I can. May they find happiness and adventure out there together.

I had originally planned on giving prominence to the beldum Steven left behind for May, but he just never really fit in anywhere. His name is Chitan, now a very well-loved, quiet, and gentle metang - a stark contrast to Steven's own metang, whom I wrote to be quite rambunctious. I think he enjoys being coddled and spending warm peaceful days in the sun with May.

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Thank you to Storm Skyress (OG reader!), ForeverAloneWhat, Guest (1), Eagle, Perenne, Shikisai-san, and Pejzal for leaving me reviews and feedback.

Perenne: I honestly haven't thought about the summary since I wrote it, but you have a good point. I'll go re-examine it. And I'm really glad my story filled a void in your Hoennshipping world. I also wanted to see more about May x Steven, which led me to writing this. I hope it holds up to multiple readings and would love to hear your thoughts after another read-through.