Even though the population of an entire city occupied its space, the ground level of the Weather Institute was completely silent. Some people stood against the walls, some sat on the floor. Some were wide-eyed, and some had their heads bowed. But they all knew.
They knew that two champion-level trainers, a member of the Elite, and an entire gym, had not been enough to stop one boy.
First Wally's family, and now, an entire city. How much more of Hoenn's population would lose faith in May before she finally did something right?
She couldn't believe that only a few days had passed since she'd last sat on the docks of Pacifidlog, wishing to no longer be the nation's strongest trainer. Now, as she gazed at the dozens of people before her, their faces white with terror and their homes destroyed, did she realize that her wish had come true.
The nurses that worked at Fortree's pokécenter flitted through the crowd. One nurse held a stack of blankets, and the other one, who'd been making rounds with her first-aid kit, was now cleaning the wound on Winona's arm.
The nurse with the blankets moved over to where May stood near the front door.
"Champion May," the nurse greeted. She balanced the stack on one arm and held a blanket out with the other. "For you."
"Oh." May shook her head. "No, thank you."
"But… you're soaking wet."
"I'm okay. Really."
They were speaking in hushed whispers, as though anything louder would send the people into a fit of hysteria.
The nurse drew her brows together in concern. "Are you sure? You might catch a cold."
"I really am –"
Someone reached forward to take the blanket.
"She'll take it," Steven said. "Thank you."
The nurse bowed, and then redirected her attention to the townspeople.
Steven pushed the blanket into May's arms. His right shirtsleeve was still damp from when he'd pulled her from the river.
"Here," he said.
She stiffened. "I'm fine, Steven. Let's give this to someone who really needs it."
"You need it."
May looked around the room. "But not everyone has one yet."
"Yes, well, not everyone jumped into a river and nearly drowned."
"But –"
"May." His tone was firm, authoritative, as though he'd said a command instead of her name.
He watched her with hardened eyes, steady and unflinching in his gaze. Only when she wrapped the blanket around herself did he finally look away.
Without another word, he moved to join Lisia and Brendan on the other side of the room.
May swallowed back her hurt. Steven had never sounded nor looked so angry with her. Still, she supposed his anger was justified – she'd be angry with the person who'd let a threat to the nation escape, too.
Drake walked through the front entrance.
"I spoke to Wattson," he said to May. "As soon as the nurses confirm that everyone is in good shape to travel, we can start the evacuation to Mauville."
"Good," May said. "And what's the status on Fortree?"
"The police are still putting out the fires, but they're almost done." Drake frowned. "Members of the press are starting to show."
May sighed. "Of course they are."
"What do you suppose we do about them? Shall we hold a press conference?"
May shook her head. "There's no time for that."
She would not rest until she found Wally again. No more breaks, no more naps, no more playing dress-up.
"Winona," Drake greeted as the freshly bandaged gym leader and her students walked over to join them. "How is your injury?"
May winced. Those scratch marks should've been on her arm.
"Not nearly as bad as it looks," Winona said. "The nurse did an excellent job." She looked at May. "And you? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, thank you. Glad to see you're okay," May said. "I've been meaning to discuss with you both our next course of action – shall we move our conversation to a more private setting?"
"Of course," Winona said. Drake nodded.
"Great." May turned and led the way to the stairs.
"You guys," she called to her friends. "Come with us."
They wordlessly joined the group, but Steven still had ice in his eyes when he looked at her. She'd really messed up this time.
Her stomach felt as though it were twisting into itself.
The moment the group made it up to the next level, Winona lost it.
"Have you lost your mind?" After an hour of whispered conversations, her shrill demand made everyone jump. "What on earth were you thinking?"
May had no answer. She hadn't been thinking when she'd pulled her little water stunt. She'd acted rashly, and because of her, Wally had gotten away.
She looked at the floor, prepared to take whatever Winona had to say next.
Winona strode right past her.
May looked back. The gym leader had placed her hands on top of Lisia's shoulders.
"Well?" Winona asked. "Do you want to tell me why you just stood there?"
Lisia was wide-eyed. "I… I didn't…"
"We all jumped out of the way," Winona went on. "We all summoned a pokémon. And you just stood there. You stood there and stared. Why, Lisia? You're smarter than that."
May walked over and placed a hand on Winona's arm. "Winona. It was a lot for her to take in."
Winona didn't appear to hear her. "Do you know what would've happened if I'd been even a second too late?" Winona shook the girl. "Do you?"
Lisia's lip trembled, but she said nothing.
"You would have been killed. You were almost killed." Winona's own eyes were wide with fright, as though she didn't know how to stop the terrible words from pouring out of her mouth.
"Do you have any idea what that would do to your family?" she continued. "What that would do to Wal –" She shut her mouth. Just like that, the torrent of words had come to an abrupt end.
"What?" Lisia asked. A switch was flipped. Her wide eyes narrowed into daggers. "What did you just say?"
Winona dropped her hands from the girl's shoulders. "Forget it."
"No, I want to hear that last part," Lisia said. "What were you saying? If I had any idea what my death would do to… who, now?"
It was Winona's turn to remain silent.
"I hope you weren't about to say Wallace," Lisia continued, "because you've made it very clear that you don't care about him."
Winona's face paled as though she were going to be sick. "Wallace is a fellow colleague. Of course I care about him."
"Really? Do you care that you broke his heart into a million pieces?"
"Liz." Brendan appeared at her side. "Let's not talk about this here."
Lisia turned on him. "Oh, now you say something?" Then, back to Winona, "So, Aunt Winnie. Please don't act like you care about my uncle. My death wouldn't destroy him – you already did."
She didn't wait for Winona to say anything else. She spun on her heel and ran back downstairs.
"I should…" Brendan looked at all of them, and then went after Lisia.
Those who remained were watching Winona.
"I…" She cleared her throat. "I'm sorry about that." She looked at May. Her face had not yet regained its usual color. "I just… I couldn't stop myself."
"It's been a long day," May said, her tone even despite her surprise. She glanced around the room. Everyone wore the same grim expression. Apparently, she was the only one who hadn't known that Wallace and Winona had, at one point, been romantically involved.
Winona took in a few deep breaths. "What are we going to do now?"
"R-right." May squared her shoulders. Back to business. "If Wally continues to follow the path of the river, he should wind up somewhere near Slateport," she said. "I plan on heading down there as soon as possible."
"Do you want the Elite there, too?" Drake asked.
May shook her head. "No. Wally's movements have been too unpredictable. I don't want the entire League to go to Slateport only to discover that he's somewhere else entirely. I'd rather you remain in your designated areas, just in case."
Steven joined in the conversation. "We can find him again and again. But how are we actually supposed to stop him?"
"He's still paralyzed," May pointed out. "He's going to be slower."
"But no less deadly."
"Then I'll have my Vileplume use Sleep Powder," May said, "and then, maybe, I'll be able to retrieve the orb while he's asleep."
"Maybe?" Steven repeated. "We can't keep basing our course of action off of speculation alone."
"Well, what else can we do? We've only encountered him once."
"You saw how fast he overpowered the effects of his paralysis," Steven said. "Who's to say he won't do the same should we put him to sleep? Would you still risk being so near to him?"
"Yes."
Steven's jaw tightened.
"We don't have any other choice, Steven."
"We do. For one, what if I was the one to bring the meteorite to Wally?"
The thought of Steven being so close to something so unstable horrified her. "No. Absolutely not."
"And why not?"
"Because it's too dangerous."
His eyes flashed. "Ah, so you do understand the risk involved. Strange, considering how eager you seem to put your life on the line."
May felt her insides heat up. "I'm not eager about any of this, Steven. This is something I have to do."
"You don't."
"I do. I'm the champion."
The ice was back in his eyes, but this time, May did not, and would not, back down. He could hate her, even leave her again, but it would all be worth it, so long as he remained unharmed.
It would all be worth it, even though she would die on the inside.
"That talk again," Steven muttered. Then, in a voice laced with frost, "This might be surprising for you to hear, May, but despite your insistence otherwise, getting yourself killed is not a requirement of your job."
"It's not," May agreed. "But I do have to protect the country, no matter what. If I happen to get hurt in the process, then so be it."
He looked at her as though she'd just hurled the vilest of insults at him. "How can you say that so easily? Do you really have so little regard for your own life?"
The flame inside her only grew under his icy scrutiny. "I don't know if you've noticed, Steven, but an entire city fell to the ground today. It's a miracle that nobody was killed, but I'm not about to push our luck for a second time. So, sorry if I'm not thinking only about myself – I have thousands of other lives to look after first."
"We're all responsible here, May."
"Well, you guys didn't lose the blue orb."
"Neither did you."
She pursed her lips.
"Nobody has to get hurt," Steven continued. "We just need to think of a less dangerous course of action."
"A less dangerous…? Did you even see what we're up against? Every course of action we could possibly take is dangerous."
"You only say that because you're too stubborn to even try to think of a safe one."
"Well, unless you have any ideas, we don't exactly have the luxury of time to think."
As they spoke, Wally was being swept closer and closer to the ocean. Maybe he'd already made it and was fast on his way to Sootopolis, his glowing skin well hidden beneath the white-capped waves. Or, May couldn't help but think, maybe he'd decided to take a detour onto the shores of Slateport, where dozens of beach-goers lounged, unaware and defenseless.
Maybe she was already too late.
The room began to shrink. The walls and ceiling moved inward, the air inside grew warmer and sparser. Soon, she'd be trapped in a space the size of a coffin.
She forced herself to focus only on Steven's face.
"I can't let him get away," she said. "Not again. I don't care what I have to do. Even if I have to tackle him to the ground myself and let him tear me apart, limb by limb –"
Steven ground his teeth.
"-I will retrieve that orb," she finished.
She hadn't thought that his gaze could possibly become even colder, but it did. The blue of his eyes froze over, icier than the most brutal of winters. Her internal flame jumped and flickered, dangerously close to being completely extinguished, but she did not look away.
His eyes closed, and when they reopened just seconds later, the ice inside them had thawed.
"I suppose I can't blame you for thinking you need to do everything by yourself," he said quietly. "After all…" His mouth twisted up into a humorless smile. "It's not as though I've done anything to make you think otherwise."
Though the ice was gone, May felt a chill run through her. "What are you talking about, Steven?"
"I'd have thought it was obvious."
"Well, it's not. Please explain yourself."
He shook his head, still wearing that terrible, empty smile. "That's the first time you've ever asked something of me."
She waited.
"Tell me, May. What did I do the night Wally attacked you, the day his family belittled you, and, most recently, the moment you jumped straight into that damn river?" The smile left his face. "Now, tell me what I did four years ago, when Team Aqua nearly brought the entire country to complete ruin and I had the responsibility of saving it?"
She didn't answer. She didn't know what he wanted her to say.
"Nothing," he said. "I did nothing." Then, quieter, "No wonder you can't rely on me."
His eyes were glassy, distant, focused on something nobody else could see. It was the same look he'd worn in his apartment.
It was the look that belonged to a man who didn't think he was worthy of anything.
"I do rely on you, Steven."
"Then use me." His voice had taken on an edge of desperation. "Use me, and stop treating me like I'm something to be protected when you won't even protect yourself."
"Because I'm the –"
"Don't." His expression had hardened once more. "Just… don't."
The room continued to shrink. Every move she made, every word she said, was wrong.
"Is it so wrong to want to keep everyone safe?" she asked. Then, in a whisper, "To keep you safe?"
His eyes softened, but his voice remained sharp. "It wouldn't be, if you'd wanted the same thing for yourself."
He wasn't listening to her. "Steven. It's my job to protect everyone."
"And do you think that means you're not allowed to be protected yourself? If that's the case, why do you think I came with you? Why do you think the Elite Four exists? To be protected by you? To sit back and watch you do everything by yourself? No, May. We're here to help you. Give us some of the weight to carry. Let me help you."
May couldn't believe what she was hearing. Steven really didn't know.
He didn't know that he'd already helped her so many times, the he alone could ground her in place whenever her thoughts were on the verge of flying away.
He didn't know that when she'd told him she'd never forgive herself if he got hurt, she'd meant it.
He didn't know that it hurt her, hearing him insist she treat him like a pawn when he meant so much to her.
No. He didn't know he meant so much to her.
"All I want," she said quietly, "is for you to keep yourself safe."
His mouth tightened. "You still can't rely on me?"
Her eyes went wide. "No… That's not…" How could he interpret what she'd said into something so wrong?
She took too long to say something else, something better. The mask of composure reclaimed his features, leaving no trace of the ice that had been there moments ago.
"Alright," was all he said.
The room wasn't shrinking anymore. Instead, it felt much too big, and she, much too small.
Winona and her students were off to the side, schooled together like Magikarp in the midst of a battle between two Gyarados. Only Drake was brave enough to say something.
"I think we're all tense after what transpired today," Drake said. "Emotions are running high. Let's take a moment to clear our heads, shall we?"
Clear their heads? How much time did these people think they had?
May opened her mouth, and then closed it just as quickly. She didn't have it in her to get into another argument.
She turned on her heel and headed for the stairs. The blanket she'd wrapped around her shoulders fell to the floor.
"Where are you going?" Steven asked. His voice was steady, easy.
"I'm going to get some fresh air," she said without looking back. She didn't want to see that mask of his.
Nobody said anything else as she walked out the door.
She made it downstairs. The townspeople were still little more than statues. Brendan and Lisia weren't down here.
They weren't outside, either. May turned, searching, and then immediately dove into the long grass. Standing on the bridge was a reporter and a cameraman. They hadn't seen her, thankfully, but there was no doubt in May's mind that they would soon be joined by dozens of others.
She withdrew her Salamence's pokéball and started treading through the grass. As soon as she made it to a safe clearing, she was headed straight for Slateport.
A face emerged from the grass.
"What the hell?!" the woman shrieked.
May flinched.
The woman raised a hand against her chest. "Oh, it's you. You nearly scared me to death."
"Um…" May dropped the pokéball back into her bag as she studied the woman. "Have we met before?"
The woman's jaw dropped. "Seriously? You seriously don't know me?"
May stared at her and tried to put a name to the face. Was this woman a fan she'd once met? A trainer she'd once battled?
She shook her head. "I'm sorry, I don't…"
"Wow. Um. Okay. Didn't realize I was so forgettable. You know, I recognized that annoying, cute face of yours right off the bat."
"Wait. Shelly?"
One of Shelly's brows rose. "Oh. So you do remember me."
"Of course I remember you. I just didn't recognize you."
The Team Aqua admin had cut her long, blue-streaked tresses, and now sported a bob that just reached the tip of her chin. No longer did she wear purple eyeshadow, red lipstick, and a blue, two-piece body suit with Team Aqua's logo stitched into the fabric. Her face was bare, and her outfit – a black tank top and a pair of jeans – was simple.
"I guess I can't blame you too much – it has been a few years." Shelly frowned. "But would you mind telling me what you're doing, lurking around in the grass like this?"
"Hiding from the press. And you?"
"I'm looking for the brat who took the blue orb."
"You're…" May shook her head. "I'm sorry, what?"
"Don't tell me you forgot about the blue orb, too."
"What? No. Shelly. You can't go after Wally."
"Oh, is that his name?"
"He's much stronger than you think, Shelly."
"I know how strong he is. I got to see so for myself."
"What?" May's heart flew into her throat. "When?"
"Yesterday morning. Around eight, I think."
"Where?"
Shelly eyed her warily. "I'm not liking the look you've got in your eye, kid."
May gripped her by the shoulders. "Where did you see him, Shelly?"
"Alright, alright!" Shelly pushed her hands off. "It was right by Oldale, to the north."
"Route 103?"
"Yeah, that."
"What happened? Are you okay? Why on earth are you looking for him? Why –"
"Woah, woah!" Shelly held up her hands. "Just slow down, okay? I can only answer one thing at a time. My goodness. I didn't know you'd become so... I don't know. Skittish."
"I'm not skittish."
"Then you need to look in a mirror right now, because you could be the poster child for skittish."
"Can you please just tell me what happened, Shelly?"
"Alright, I'm getting there. Relax." She rolled her shoulders. "Now. You asked me why I'm looking for the brat. I guess I'll start with that one.
"Look. What happened four years ago… we know we were wrong. And we still feel bad about it. I mean, who wouldn't? We nearly destroyed the planet. So this time, we want to be the ones to save it." Shelly shrugged. "Call it what you want – an apology, retribution, whatever. But we can't just sit back and watch this whole thing play out when we know better than anyone what the repercussions are."
May raised her brows. "I'm impressed with how much Team Aqua has changed."
"Thanks. We've really reinvented ourselves, haven't we? As soon as we saw the broadcast, we knew what we had to do.
"Archie had us all meet at the hideout. It took us much longer than we would've liked to come up with a plan, since none of us could agree on one."
May understood.
"We must've been there for hours," Shelly continued. Her expression darkened. "I get annoyed just thinking about it. Some idiot suggested we hand out inner tubes. To every single person in the country. Is that not the dumbest thing you've ever heard? Ugh."
"So how did you know where to find Wally?" May asked, trying to steer the conversation back onto relevant territory. "And what happened on Route 103? Was anyone hurt?"
"One question at a time, remember?"
"Yeah. Sorry."
Shelly folded her arms. "It wasn't hard to narrow down our search. I mean, there were a ton of cops flying right over Petalburg. Speaking of which, do you think you can put in a good word for us? We're still on Hoenn's wanted list."
"If Team Aqua really has changed, then I'll see what can be done."
"Great, thanks. I knew you'd be on our side. So anyway, me, Archie, and a few others head out to Petalburg and start searching. Kinda hard to do, though, when there's a handful of cops and a member of the Elite right on top of you. So, naturally, we tried to stay out of sight and went to the areas with the least number of people around. That brought us to Route 103, and that's when we saw him."
"Did you attack him?" May asked.
"We didn't, and probably couldn't even if we wanted to. He knocked two of our pokémon out in like, five seconds. One of our girls was smart enough to throw a Quick Ball, but he broke out of it right away."
"Wait, you tried to catch him?"
"Yeah. Tried to. He ran into the woods before we could."
"I didn't know that could work."
"We didn't see why not. He's got the energy of a pokémon inside him, doesn't he? And if that can be sensed by a pokéball, it can also be stored by a pokéball."
"That's… really smart," May mused. "I hadn't even thought of that."
"It's a great plan, isn't it? Once we capture him, he'll listen to whatever we say. We can make him sit, stay, and be a good boy while we figure out a way to remove the orb."
"You can remove it with meteorite," May said. "You just need to place it against his chest."
"Is that right?" Shelly asked. "Hmm. Okay, this is good news. I'll have to tell Archie this. Thanks."
"No, thank you. The fact that he can be caught opens up an entire new set of options."
"Well, I wouldn't start throwing pokéballs just yet if I were you. We must've gone through, like, a hundred of them, and he broke out every single time. You'll need something stronger. Much stronger. Like a Master Ball."
May's newfound excitement deflated. "I don't have a Master Ball."
"Yeah, I figured you wouldn't. Not many people do. But apparently, the former champion does."
"Who? Steven?"
"No, the one before him."
"Wallace?"
"I said Champion, kid. Not gym leader." Shelly frowned. "Archie told me the guy's name, but I forget it. He was Champion before you were even born. According to some locals, he always kept an unused Master Ball in his pocket. Nobody knows where he is, but this Master Ball is the solution to all our problems. Just one throw, and we could stop the brat. We could end this."
May didn't need to be convinced. Her excitement ballooned back to life.
This was it, May thought. This was the right plan. This was the common ground she had Steven hadn't been able to find.
With this, there would be no risks, no room for failure.
There would be no arguments with heated words and frozen eyes
"I'll see if my colleagues know anything about him," May said.
"Alright, thanks. Here, give me your nav so we can keep each other posted."
May handed over her nav and let Shelly log in her contact information.
"What are you planning on doing now?" May asked when she was handed back her nav.
"Exactly what I've been doing. I'm going to keep looking for the brat."
"By yourself?"
Shelly scoffed. "You don't have to say it like that. I can take care of myself. That's why Archie sent me. Besides, I'm not here to fight the brat. I'm here to find him, so at least someone will know where he is. But…" Shelly shook her head. "I haven't seen him."
"He jumped into the river."
"Oh, is that why your hair's all wet?"
"Yes."
Shelly huffed out a sharp breath. "Well, isn't this great? Now he could be anywhere."
"I'm sorry."
"Hey, I'm not blaming you. I'm just frustrated that I came all this way for nothing. Guess I'm back to square one. I'll probably ask Archie to send some help."
"We managed to hit Wally with Stun Spore, so his movements are slower now. That might make your search a little easier."
Shelly grinned. "You've given me a lot of good information today, kid. Archie will be pleased."
"What is he doing now?"
"Now? He and everyone are still searching the entire country for the Master Ball, but after I give him a call, he's probably gonna want some of us to go search for some meteorite, too."
The former criminal organization certainly sounded surer of its next step than May was of hers. Clearly, their leader was doing something right.
But Archie's actions confused her. He'd seen Wally for himself, and undoubtedly knew how dangerous the situation was. Still, he'd sent Shelly, whom May knew he cared about, to search for Wally by herself. But why? Wasn't he worried that she would get hurt?
And why was every single member of his team searching the country for the Master Ball? How could he possibly keep track of all of them?
Her method of leading couldn't have been any more different. Under her orders, the gym leaders were to remain in their gyms, and the Elite Four to their assigned areas. She alone would have searched the entire country if her friends hadn't insisted on joining her.
But maybe, this is where she'd went wrong.
She'd taken her team and broken it into parts when she should have moved it as one unit. She'd restricted the responsibilities of her colleagues when she knew that they were capable of doing more. She'd been so overprotective of her friends that she'd made them feel useless.
Maybe Steven was right. Maybe, she needed to trust that her friends and colleagues could help her.
Shelly's nav began to ring. She pulled it out from the back pocket of her jeans.
"Speak of the devil. It's Archie." She looked up at May. "I have to take this, but seriously, keep me updated."
"Will do."
May found her way back to the Weather Institute. Just as she'd predicted, more news outlets had descended upon the scene. A small hoard had formed on the bridge, and the only thing that was keeping it from crossing over was a short line of police officers.
"Champion May!" one reporter called out. She was quickly echoed by a dozen other voices.
May ducked through the doors as quickly as possible.
When she emerged onto the second floor, Winona was still grouped with her students, and Drake and Steven were deep in their own conversation.
Lisia was off to the side, sitting by herself against the wall. Brendan was standing just a few feet from the stairs, his head down and his hands in his pockets.
May went to stand beside him. "Where did you guys go?" she asked.
Brendan shrugged without lifting his head. "Nowhere in particular."
When he didn't say anything else, she asked, "How are you feeling?"
"As well as any guy could feel, after seeing his girlfriend nearly get killed."
"Brendan…"
He lifted his head and smiled at her. "Kidding, May."
She knew him well enough to know that he wasn't.
"Ah, May," Drake called. "You're back."
"I'm back." She looked once more at Brendan.
"What?" he asked. "They're calling for you. Go on."
He was still smiling. May hadn't known that he, too, could put on a convincing mask.
She turned and walked over to Drake and Steven.
"I think now's the time to finally discuss our options," Drake said.
"Actually," she said, "I think I might have a plan. One that doesn't involve anyone getting hurt."
"Including yourself?" Steven asked.
"Including myself."
He raised his brows. "Impressive. I was beginning to think you lacked any sense of self-preservation."
His tone was pleasant and conversational, but May knew that there were frozen edges hidden just beneath the surface.
"Well," she said, keeping her tone just as light, "I'm not the one who came up with the plan. Team Aqua did. I just ran into one of its members."
Drake frowned. "They're wanted criminals."
"They've changed, Drake. They want to help."
"How nice," Steven said, "that you're able to accept help from the same people who, if I'm recalling correctly, wanted to bring about the same crisis we're facing now."
She felt her internal flame flicker to life. She forced it back down. "Yes, but they really have changed."
Neither man looked convinced.
"So tell us," Steven said. "What is their brilliant plan?"
"They plan to use a Master Ball to catch Wally."
"They're going to catch the boy?" Drake asked.
"Yes. It turns out that pokéballs work on him."
Now the men looked surprised.
"This is the safest plan anyone could possibly come up with," May went on. "With this, we're guaranteed to catch him on the first try."
"It is an interesting concept," Drake said. "But how did Team Aqua get a Master Ball?"
"They don't have one. Not yet, at least. But that's what I wanted to talk to you two about. So, with that being said, do either of you know where the former champion is?"
"Wallace?" Steven asked. Across the room, Winona looked over.
"No, it's someone before him. Apparently, he always kept a Master Ball in his pocket."
"Ah." Drake nodded. "Yes. He was a great champion, that one. Somewhat of an oddball, but great nonetheless. As soon as his reign ended, he all but fell off the map. I haven't seen him in years."
May's heart sank. "So nobody knows where he is?"
"Not to my knowledge." Drake closed his eyes and folded his arms. "Perhaps he finally found one of those Mirage Spots he was always rambling about."
May gasped. "Charles," she said. "It's Charles."
Drake raised his brows. "You know him?"
She nodded. "And I know where to find him."
A/N Remember Charles, from Chapter One? Yeah, me neither.
