Chapter 2

Soft light infiltrated May's eyes as they fluttered open. The first thing her brain could register was that it was warm. Shee was cocooned with a thick blanket. Though still slightly disorientated, her blurry vision could make out a small fireplace and pokémon sitting in front it it. She sat up slowly, a remnant of a headache still throbbing her head. After rubbing her eyes, she finally realised that it was an Alakazam meditating. It must belong to someone, maybe a ranger, she thought.

The room was small, making the air feel snug and warm; a stark contrast the the frigid weather. There was also a small brown sofa, and a desk with a neatly tucked chair behind it. May gently tiptoed towards an enormous bookshelf, intrigued. It covered a wall, each wooden blank carrying books of various topics: Biology, History, Ancient History, Mathematics and much more. This was definitely not a Pokémon Centre. Tense, May went through a mental check-list of the yesterday's events. She frowned, not remembering what occurred after he lost her scarf.

"You're awake," a voice said. May instantly turned around, shocked as if someone caught her doing something she shouldn't be. A boy, not much older than herself, stood with a friendly smile, holding a tray of food. He placed a plate in front of the Alakazam, who started to eat it using telekinesis. An Umbreon and Glaceon were sat behind him- wait a second, she knew that Glaceon! The pokémon ran to May, practically exuding glee. She giggled as it began to snuggle itself beside her.

"Looks like I got lost. Are you the person who brought us in?" she asked, her tone brimming with gratitude.

"Yeah." He laid the tray on a small table. "You caught a mild case of hypothermia."

"Hypo-what?" May creased her forehead in confusion.

"Hypothermia is a medical emergency that happens when your body loses heat faster than it can produce heat, causing a low body temperature that can be potentially dangerous," he explained. "Any ways, my name's Gary Oak." Politely, he put his hand out. May gladly shook it.

"The name's May. I'm a pokémon coordinator-" She paused abruptly, "-Wait, Gary Oak?"

Irritation expertly hidden in his dark eyes, Gary waited for the inevitable you're Professor Oak's grandson! followed by star-struck eyes. Not that he hated being constantly reminded of his grandfather, Gary wanted to pave his own road to recognition through his hard work and discoveries. But it seemed that everyone he met only knew his because he was related to a famous pokémon professor. It started to grate on him. Most of the time that was always their first impression of him. Did anyone even remember that he competed in pokémon leagues? That he was also a successful trainer?

"Are you the researcher who wrote that article about endangered pokémon?" she asked thoughtfully, a finger resting on her chin as she pondered. "I remember reading something like that. Your name is familiar..."

"Er, yeah. That was a while ago," he replied, shock colouring his face. Well, that was not the answer he was expecting at all. "You still remember that?"

"Are you kidding? It was really interesting!" May eyes lit up at she thought back. "I had no idea that some pokémon were endangered. That's so sad."

"I'm currently working on Sinnoh mythology. So I plan to head out to Lake Acuity soon."

"Is this about the legendary pokémon Uxie?" May asked with thinly veiled excitement.

"You know about that?" Gary was surprised. May didn't seem like someone who'd have an interest in ancient folklore that hardly mattered to the present time.

"Yep! I heard stories about it from Snowpoint City locals last time I came," she answered, beaming. "Can I come along?"

Gary grinned at her enthusiasm. "Sure, after you ate breakfast we can leave. I'm gonna explore the Acuity Cavern."

"Explore," May repeated, completely captivated with the idea. "I love exploring."

"Is that why you're prone to getting lost?" he teased. May flushed a light shade of red, nodding subtly.

The two, dressed in their snow-gear and with their bags, arrived at the Acuity Lake-front after minutes of walking in the snow. Much to May's relief, the weather was calmer than before. The sun was shining brightly, though a cold breeze would sometimes sweep by. Umbreon and Glaceon walked together behind their trainers, refusing to return in their pokéballs. laughing at the two's sudden close companionship, Gary and May agreed to let them stay out. After treading alongside a narrow pathway and entering through some trees, they had come to the vast lake.

Lake Acuity was beautiful, shining as the sun's rays reflected off the clean water. The air was cool and clear, a more tranquil ambience than the routes close by. Thick pine trees were wrapped around the lake like guards, and the ground was dusted with powdery white snow. It was strangely softer than the normal pathways. There wasn't a cloud left in sight, so luckily they didn't need to worry about sudden bad weather. Not many trainers visited Lake Acuity; the trek was strenuous and, though it was a tourist destination and has a lot cultural significance, they didn't consider to visit it in particular. In fact, there weren't any special pokémon too catch here either. May and Gary stood still, simply taking in the breath-taking scenery and admiring the beauty of the mysterious lake.

"There it it." Gary pointed at a small island in lake. May turned to the direction he was gesturing to, an automatic smile gracing her lips. "Blastoise, let's go!" He threw a pokéball and from a flash of bright white light, a Blastoise appeared it the water. The final evolution of Wartotle, May thought, wondering about the possibility of her pokémon reaching it's last stage. Gary's Blastoise was huge; a large, tough shell curved on it's back. Definitely one not to be underestimated.

"We gotta surf across," he informed her as he climbed on it's back, with Umbreon. May picked Glaceon in her arms as Gary held his hand out to help her on.

The cavern was dark, and dusty. Light somehow seeped in, but the spacious chamber was still smothered in black. May squinted in the dark, but it was still difficult to see. Glaceon mewed, slightly uncomfortable at the lack of light.

"Umbreon, can you use flash," Gary suggested, searching for his journal in his bag. The yellow stripes and circles on Umbreon's body emitted a golden glow, creating a source of light that brightened the cave. Light emanated through the circle on it's head, pouring out like a flash-light.

The cavern was empty; a few puddles of water were randomly scattered on the floor, but one particular feature which Gary was drawn to was a pillar in the middle of the room.

"There is a similar pillar erected in each cavern of the three lack; Lake Verity, Lake Valor, and now, Lake Acuity," Gary spoke, observing the stone column. May followed behind him, her index fingers and thumbs forming a square.

"Welcome to another episode of May's Expeditions!" she announced through the rectangle, as if it were a camera. "Today we explore the old Acuity Cavern with a special guest: a well-known pokémon researcher, Gary Oak!" She faced Gary, still maintaining her posture. "So Gary, what are we doing?"

Gary smiled at her, finding himself enjoy her unique attitude on exploring. "We are going to decipher ancient ruins and the language to find out about how the lake pokémon, Uxie, fits in with the intricate history that is Sinnoh lore," he answered with a clipped, professional tone. May grinned brightly at his willingness to join in. It was rare, seeing as most of the others she encountered brushed it off with a laugh. "And then take this information to Gramps."

May's hands slowly dropped, a puzzled expression taking over. "Why would you take it to your grandfather?"

Gary couldn't help but laugh at her obliviousness. "Well, Professor Oak is working with Professor Rowan on Sinnoh Legends. It's sorta weird you didn't know I'm his grandson, I gotta admit."

May's sapphire eyes widened, almost comically. She inwardly face-palmed at her silly question. "You're Professor Oak's grandson," she stated quietly, embarrassed at the fact she forgot the obvious. "My little brother would be so mad at me for forgetting! He's a huge fan of Professor Oak."

"It's fine." He murmured, "Hey, can you pass me a magnifying glass from my bag?"

May zipped the backpack open, finding various books, a small laptop and several tools. She eventually spotted it, and passed it over. May watched Gary work silently. He compared the ruins to the ones from the heavily-annotated pages of his journal. He took some photographs, and then returned to studying the strange writing. May watched him with curiosity, observing the analytical furrow of his brow. He occasionally pursed his lips, needless to say that he was trying to understand the logic behind it. And when he did, a victorious smile curved on his mouth, making May absent-mindedly smile too.

"You must really enjoy doing this," she said, breaking the comfortable silence, "figuring out history and learning about legends."

"I prefer Archaeology," He differed. Gary seemed a little strained. "I prefer facts rather than theories. But I need to submit papers on a range of topics than just my specialist subject if I want to get the top Academy placements I want," he replied, scribbling something down in a book. "I've been doing all sorts here in Sinnoh for the past two years. I'm looking forward more to getting back to my own field of study pretty soon, hopefully." He flashed her a grin, "What about you?"

"I'm going to compete in the Alamos Town Pokémon Contest and win my final ribbon," he told him triumphantly, "And then enter the Sinnoh Grand Festival."

"I'm sure you will." He smirked before adding, "Princess of Hoenn."

May blushed at the famous epithet for her formed by the media. It circulated around while she performed in Johto contests, already known from her appearances in Hoenn and Kanto contests. And it was now it was somewhat a name crowned to her after her success at the Johto Grand Festival.

"Please, call me May."

"Your Johto Grand Festival performance was amazing," he noted, smiling. She was against a person with her Blaziken and Altaria.

"You saw it?"

"Only the finals," he admitted, packing his stuff up. "And funny thing is, I'm headin' to Alamos Town later too. I really wanna check out the Space-Time Towers. It was built to represent Dialga and Palkia, the pokémon of space and time. Maybe I'll discover something interesting there that I can add on to the paper I'm writing."

"We can go together," May offered cordially, "I haven't travelled with someone in a long time."

"And you won't get lost with me," he assured with a teasing grin.

May flushed red again. "I don't get lost all the time!" she defended, crossing her arms as he let out a laugh.

Are you enjoying reading this so far? Please leave a review and make me smile! I'm open to ideas and improvements. Thank you :) I don't know when will be the next time I update, but it's likely when I know that people are looking forward to reading more. I really appreciate you taking out your time to read and comment on this story.