Chapter 10

May awoke with a start. At first, she didn't know why, as she peeked out the shell and noticed that it was still light out; the sun hadn't set yet. She was about to curl up in her shellbed again when she heard a faint whimpering. She immediately recognized it and shoved the top of her shellbed open before swimming quickly to Popplio. The poor Pokemon was curled up in her bed, whimpering as though in pain.

"Popplio?" May said worriedly. "Is everything okay?"

Popplio just continued to whimper, barely acknowledging the mermaid's words. May floated down and started petting her in an attempt to soothe her. As she stroked her head, she noticed that it felt warmer than usual: unnaturally warmer.

"Oh no," she whispered. "You're burning up!" She scooped the small Pokemon in her arms and swam out of her room. Gently flicking her tail so she wouldn't wake her sisters, she swam out to the hall, picking up the pace once she knew she wouldn't wake them. It didn't take her long to reach the royal hall; from there, she swam to her mother's room. She quickly swam up to her shellbed and started flicking her tail against it. She heard her mother moan tiredly from inside the shell. After a few more flicks of her tail, the shell opened, and she emerged, squinting as the sunlight from above reached her eyes.

"What –?" she blinked, trying to adjust to the sunlight. "What's going on? The moon isn't out yet. I told you to come when –"

"I'm sorry, Mother," May said with a frown, "it's just that Popplio's sick, and I don't know what to do!"

"Popplio…?" Cynthia said groggily. She blinked again, then her eyes widened as she became fully awake. "Oh, May! I'm so sorry, I thought you were your sister."

"It's fine," May said. "Don't worry about me. Popplio needs help." She held the Pokemon out to her. Cynthia bent down and laid her hand on Popplio's head.

"Oh dear," she mused. "Looks like she's got a fever."

"Can you help her?"

"Yes," Cynthia said, gently taking Popplio from her arms. "It might take a day or two, but I can help her."

"Oh, good," May sighed with relief. "Is there anything I can do?"

Cynthia just chuckled and put her hand on her daughter's shoulder. "You're a good girl, May," she said, "but you can leave this to me. Don't worry. I'll have Popplio back to her old self in no time at all."

"Okay," May smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Mother, and I'm sorry to wake you so early in the evening."

"That's quite all right," Cynthia smiled warmly at her as she started to swim out of her room. "You can go back to bed if you want."

"Okay," May said, swimming out after her and heading back to her room.

Cynthia smiled as she watched her go, although it faltered slightly as she swam away to take care of Popplio.

May sat atop the palace, watching the sunset from far beneath the surface. She'd gone back to her room to try and sleep, but she found that she was already wide awake; there was no point in trying to sleep now. So she swam out and decided to watch the spectacle that most mermaids didn't think much of. She didn't care for it much either, but it was still a beautiful sight, and since she wasn't getting anymore sleep right now, she might as well enjoy it since she can.

"I hope Popplio will be okay," she mumbled as she watched the light from above change to a beautiful array of oranges and magentas. "I was really hoping we could get back to scouting the ocean soon." She sighed. "Poor girl's been away from home for far too long, and that storm from a week ago did her no favors." She looked around her as the light from above moved through the water, illuminating it in a uniquely beautiful way. She smiled as it reflected off the palace, glinting in a unique way.

"The girls wouldn't think of coming up here," she muttered to herself as she watched the spectacle unfold. "They say that sitting on top of buildings is unnatural." She sighed again and shook her head. "Maybe it is for humans, but mermaids can swim in more than two dimensions. Why should we limit ourselves?" She smiled again as she gazed at the lights around her. "Maybe I should invite Ash up here sometime." No sooner had she thought this than her face fell. "Oh, who am I kidding? He'd probably rather watch this with Serena anyways." Serena had talked about convincing Ash to come to the surface with her when she was allowed to become human. May wasn't sure he would, since he had to take care of his mother, but he always mentioned that his mother would try to convince him to do something he wanted to do for once rather than worry constantly about her. Would Serena take him with her to the human world?

As the lights from above faded to a faded silver, as the moon was in its last quarter, May shook her head of these thoughts. "What am I thinking?" she grumbled. "We only just met up again two weeks ago, and I'm gonna act like I wanna be more than friends with him? Ugh! Take it easy, May!" she told herself. "One swim at a time!" As she watched the silver light wave in the water, she sighed as she continued to think about her old friend. "Still and all," she mumbled, blinking her eyes tiredly; she was starting to feel the side effects of waking up earlier than normal. "He is a wonderful merman." She smiled dreamily as he thought of his kind heart, his warm eyes, his contagious smile, his strong tail, his well-toned chest –

"No no no NO!" May growled, shaking her head and clutching it with her hands. "Stop it, May! He's just a nice, childhood friend who you just happened to reconnect with after years apart! That's all he is! Ugh, I'm driving myself crazy!" As she panted from lack of breath from her outburst, she started snickering before bursting into a fit of giggles. "I guess I am the only mermaid capable of doing that...besides, Serena, perhaps."

After sitting up there for a few more minutes, she pushed herself up and swam down towards the front gate. She swam into the palace and headed straight for her room, thinking of getting a catfish-nap so she wouldn't be battling sleep all night. When she swam into the outer chamber, however, she was surprised to find her younger sisters floating there, eager smiles on their faces.

"May, there you are," Dawn said to her. "Where have you been?"

"I was watching the sunset," May said, not bothering to mention what happened to Popplio. "It's really beautiful watching it from the top of the palace. What're you girls doing up so early?"

"Misty said she had a surprise for us," Serena said. "She swam off about five minutes ago to get it for us."

"Ooh!" May giggled. "I wonder what it could be?" She floated over to the seat in front of the mirror and rested on it, taking deep breaths as she relaxed herself and trying to get a little shuteye in before Misty came back.

It wasn't long before their elder sister swam back in, carrying a large tray whose contents were covered by a large shell. "Ah, May!" she said with a smile. "I was wondering where you swam off to."

"She was watching the sunset," Serena said. "Said it was really beautiful."

"Oh, you think that's nice?" Misty smirked. "Well, you're about to see something even better."

"Ooh, come on, Misty!" Dawn squealed in excitement. "What's this big surprise you've got ready for us?"

"Ooh, excited, are we?" Misty smirked teasingly.

"So, whatcha got on that tray?" May asked.

As the girls gathered around, Misty's smile grew. Seeing that she had their attention, she took the shell and removed it. There, sitting on the tray, were four vials of strange, orange liquid, bubbling slightly as though boiled. The girls looked down at the vials, slightly confused.

"You got us something to drink?" Dawn questioned, slightly miffed.

"Not just to drink," Misty said, her smile unshaken. "These aren't just fun little drinks to enjoy at mealtime." She leaned forward, her eyes sparkling:

"This is the forbidden potion."

The younger mermaids gasped, their hands flying to their mouths as they stared in newfound wonder at the vials.

"The...forbidden potion?" Dawn breathed.

"Then that means…" Serena whispered, a bright smile forming on her face.

"That's right, Serena," Misty nodded. "Tonight, we swim up to the surface and trade the life of a mermaid princess for the magical wonders of the human world!"

"AAAAHHH!" Serena squealed, lunging forward and tackling Misty in a hug. The tray slipped from her grasp and floated down to the ground thanks to the buoyancy of the water. Dawn quickly scooped it up and set it on the table next to the mirror. "I can't believe it's finally happening!" Serena squealed. "We're gonna be human!"

"How did you convince Mother to let Serena come with us?!" Dawn asked, barely able to contain her excitement.

"She agreed to let Serena come with us on the condition that we stay close together until she has reached the age when she would normally be allowed to request the potion," Misty explained. "The human world is very different from ours, so we'll keep an eye on her until she's steady on her feet."

"FEET!" Serena squealed again. "I'm finally gonna have legs and feet! All my dreams are finally coming true!"

In the wake of their excitement, they failed to notice their sister's shock at what was happening. A mere week ago, her mother had told her that this night would come, and she insisted that she still had time to think about it. Now, however, she found that the night she had dreaded for so long had come four years earlier than she had expected.

They were going to become human.

And she wasn't ready.

"W-Wait," May stammered, barely able to form a sentence due to shock. "When are you...I mean, when will you –?"

"Tonight, May!" Dawn squealed, tackling her sister in a hug. "We're gonna become human tonight! Ooh, I can't believe it's finally time!"

"We just need to swim to the surface before the sun rises," Misty said. "Once we're on the shore, we'll drink the potions, and then we'll finally be human!"

"Ooh, I can't wait!" Serena giggled.

"But wait!" May said, abruptly pulling away from Dawn. "I can't leave tonight!"

"What do you mean?" Misty blinked, confused.

"I can't leave," May said, steadying herself. "Popplio came down with a fever this evening, and I can't just leave her behind."

"Oh, whatever!" Serena giggled, putting her arm around May's shoulders as she pulled her along. "Popplio's gonna be fine. Mother can care for her. We have our dreams to fulfill, and we're gonna fulfill them tonight!"

"Serena, you don't understand!" May said, pulling away. "I promised Popplio that I would bring her home. I can't just swim off and forget that promise!"

"Now May," Misty said, putting a gentle but firm hand on her shoulder, "Popplio knows how much you've done for her, and I trust that Mother will continue to take good care of her. But now, it's time to look beyond the sea: beyond the deep blue that we've known our whole lives. We've waited a long time for our chance to see the human world with our own eyes, and tonight is the night when that wait ends."

"But…"

"No need to worry, May," Dawn smiled. "Popplio will be just fine."

"Yeah, but…"

"It's time to make our dreams come true!" Serena giggled as she swam excitedly in the water.

"But that's not –"

"And don't worry: I know the perfect spot for us to go when we drink the potion!" Misty grinned.

"Ooh, I think I know what you're talking about," Dawn grinned knowingly.

"Who cares where it is?" Serena said, swimming carefree. "As long as we get our legs!"

As the girls chattered excitedly about their dreams finally coming true, May floated there, still slightly numb with shock. It didn't take long for the numbness to fade, however. May wasn't sure what it was: maybe it was Serena singing again about being ready to stand, or Misty leading them in their excitement with no consideration for what even the other two thought, or Dawn telling May that she'd already found the perfect human prince for her. Maybe it was one of these things; maybe it was all of them; maybe it was just some of them.

Whatever it was, May finally decided that enough was enough, and she told them the truth:

"I'm not going!"

The girls were giggling and chattering excitedly, but when they heard May speak up, the water became completely silent. They turned to her, eyes wide with shock, as though she'd just claimed she had a fish's head and human legs.

"W-What?" Dawn breathed.

"What do you mean?" Misty blinked, folding her arms.

"You heard me!" May replied, trembling with fear. "I'm not going to the surface, and I'm not drinking that potion!"

"But then," Serena started to ask, "how will you –?"

"I won't," she said, cutting her off. "I don't wanna be human."

"What?!"

"May, how can you say that?!" Misty exclaimed. "The human world is full of wonder and magic, and we finally have the chance to see it all! We've been preparing for this moment our whole lives!"

"No," May shook her head vehemently. "You've been preparing for this your whole lives. You've all been so obsessed with the human world since Misty's rite of passage, you just assumed that I was obsessed with it, too."

"I mean, we're mermaid princesses," Dawn said. "It's kinda what people expect us to do."

"I don't care what's expected!" May shot back. "I'm not gonna trade my life under the sea away just because everyone thinks I should! Has it ever occurred to you that I might be miserable as a human?! I can barely breathe the dry air as I am now; how do you know that'll change just because I get a pair of legs?!"

"Don't worry, May," Misty said. "Once you drink your potion, everything will be fine. I mean, it's gonna be painful, since it's changing our tails into legs, but aside from that, you'll be happy."

"No," May shook her head again. "I won't take that risk. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't risk the chance that I'll spend the rest of my life struggling to breathe."

"So instead you're gonna spend the rest of your life alone in the ocean as some freaky fish girl?" Serena said.

"WHAT?!" May shrieked. She was already upset about this whole situation, but hearing her little sister say something so awful pushed her over the edge.

"Unbelievable!" Serena spat in disgust. "I knew you were hard to reason with, but I never thought you would stoop this low!"

"What is that supposed to mean?!" May snapped back, getting in her face.

"Girls, that's enough now," Misty said, swimming between them, only for May to shove her away.

"NO!" she shouted. "I've been putting up with this kind of pollution for years, and I'm through with it! Unlike you three, I actually like my life down here! Mother has been nothing but kind to us all our lives, and she's never tried to keep us from doing what we wanna do, whether it's exploring the human world or taking care of lost Pokemon. Our home is wonderful; we've been cared for and provided for all our lives. Why should I leave all that behind just because everyone says I should?!"

"Because the human world is better!" Serena shot back furiously. "We will never find true happiness until we get our legs! We will be nothing but miserable mermaids drifting in the water for all –"

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH BEING A MERMAID?!" May screamed. "What's wrong with liking who I am?! I was born a mermaid; I've spent my whole life as a mermaid! And now you're telling me that my whole life has been a big mistake and that the only way to fix it is to get legs?! Pollution!" May turned away and angrily swam for the hall, but before she swam out, she paused to say one more thing. "You girls wanna go live the rest of your lives on land as humans? You go for it. I won't stop you. But don't try and drag me up there with you, because I'm not coming. I love my life, and I love the ocean! It's home to wondrous creatures that no human will ever see, and I wouldn't trade it for anything, especially not a pair of legs." With that, she flicked her fins and swam out of the room, leaving her sisters floating there at a complete loss.