Two mornings later, May was all set to go. She'd made a few calls here and there and now everything was sorted. She'd left messages for most of her friends, apologising to a few who'd planned on visiting her on a whim. It made her feel all the more special knowing that she had friends like Serena, or Misty, who'd advised her they were planning on visiting, though would find alternate arrangements since she was leaving.
Too excited to feel tired, the young brunette silently hoped she had everything of importance. Having packed in a rush, she'd sent some of her belongings to Steven, but the most returned to her home in Petalburg.
Smelling the refreshing, salty air, May relished the freedom which soared in her heard. Sure enough, she'd followed Harley's instructions and found herself at the harbour of Slateport, where she was meant to meet Harley. The extravagant man was, as ever, fashionably late. It made May wonder if he'd dragged Solidad or Drew along with him. She couldn't put it past him, though she wasn't sure how she'd react to finally being reacquainted with the latter.
Waiting impatiently at the beach, May found herself suppressing painful memories by wondering if she was making the right choice. She'd called Brendan to apologise for leaving him so suddenly, but her red eyed friend had seemed overjoyed by her sudden departure. Apparently her family weren't the only ones who'd been concerned about her, though Serena and Misty had managed to hide it much better than her black haired friend.
Placing a cautious hand on her pokéballs, May once again ticked off everything she may need on this journey. It had been so long that she'd had to consult Brendan, who had laughed at her for having been so uncertain as to what to bring. Of course, for her pokémon, Blaziken was on the top of her list, but she'd had much difficulty considering the remainder. In the end, she'd chosen Munchlax, Skitty and Glaceon. She would leave her remaining pokémon with her parents simply so her mother could receive some comfort if anything happened to her father.
Receiving a call on her Xtransceiver, May silently hoped it would be Harley. There was only so long that one could stand awkwardly on a port, not meeting anyone. With the press of a button, she put the small device to her ear, 'Hello, May speaking.'
'You're lucky I have some influence over my friends, May. As of now, you have a tenant in your apartment, and quite a gracious payment too. I assume that it'll help you fund your journey, which, by the way, is still a mystery to me,' Steven's smooth voice filled her ear, his irritation evident by the length of his speech.
'Steven, it's great to hear from you! I can't say this enough, but thank you so much for helping me with this! No, let me correct myself, thank you for everything over the years! You know I appreciate it more than I can say, though I'm not the best at explaining how grateful I am. Now, don't be cranky, it doesn't suit you. Besides, I'm not too sure where I'm going either,' May laughed into the technological device, her gratefulness something which the Hoenn Champion could comprehend from her voice alone. After all, their relationship was not only based on trust, but also a lot of unspoken words and thoughts. The two had a deep understanding of each other which she'd only experienced with a few others. One prime example was Ash, who she'd bonded with after being in a few too many dangerous situations with the young man.
'How do you live your life with such uncertainty?' The man sighed into her ear, though she could easily detect the smile in his voice. He definitely knew she was grateful, and it would have made her smile if the man hadn't questioned her somewhat amateurish nature.
Flaring up with faux anger, May retorted, 'No one asked your opinion, Mister Stone! We can't all be as solid and certain as you are! Besides, Harley's the one who told me to be here, I'm only doing what I'm told!'
'I'll miss these moments, May,' Steven's voice whispered softly down the phone, making May grimace; she would miss him too. After meeting him, she'd come to rely on him, Wallace and Brendan quite a lot, and not just because they were the friends in her region when her father became ill.
'I know, I'll miss you to. But then, we'll always be friends, right?' May grinned back, knowing the man was one of her closest friends, even if they might not talk as often in the near future.
'Definitely,' the man grinned back at her, making her smile in a childlike manner at his words.
'I'd better go, Harley never told me which boat I'm meant to take. Tell Wallace I said hi and thank him for all of his help too,' May smiled into the Xtransceiver, picturing her friend rolling his eyes slightly at her request.
'Yes, I'll let Wallace know, though I'm certain he's as aware of your gratitude as I am. I'll also remind him not to go through the boxes in my basement, though I'm sure he'd love to see that Teddiursa onesie you have for the extra cold winters,' Steven grinned back before ending the call.
'Steven!' May shrieked, only to hear the tone of death in her ear. Silently fuming, May knew the Hoenn Champion would consider himself extremely lucky if she'd forgotten about that jibe the next time they saw each other.
Ignoring the curious stares she was receiving, May headed to a nearby bench and took a seat, silently fuming at the teasing from one of her closest friends. While she was sorely tempted to call Steven back, she knew that she had to wait for Harley's contact. Considering she didn't have the faintest idea of how he would contact her, she wanted to keep her Xtransceiver's line open.
It didn't take long before someone took a seat beside her, though the brown haired beauty did not glance to her side. Slateport was a busy city, and people moved as they liked, so it was next to impossible to keep the seat beside her empty.
'So, it's true, you're really back?' A soft voice questioned, sounding both hopeful and hurt.
Glancing around her, May realised that there was no one else remaining in her vicinity long enough for the speaker to be talking to them. Whoever the speaker was, they were addressing her.
'I beg your pardon?' May whispered, turning her gaze to the right to see a younger, brown haired woman beside her, her blueish green eyes focused intently upon her own.
'Brianna?' May gasped, unable to hide her surprise at seeing the younger woman. While she hadn't kept touch with the woman, it surprised her to see her here, in Slateport. After all, it was the place May had first met Drew, and held a lot of fond memories for the older Coordinator.
Did Brianna hold similar sentiments for this seaside city?
'Hello May, it's nice to see you again,' Brianna smiled at the older brunette, her green eyes filled with joy as they seemed to drink up every one of May's movements.
As the two stared at each other in momentary silence, the younger's lips were soon pressed into a tight pout. Realising that she should initiate conversation, May frantically searched for something to say. She couldn't remember the last time she'd spoken to Brianna, and felt slightly guilty about losing touch with the younger woman.
'How've you been, Brianna? You look great!' May grinned, her sapphire orbs lingering on Brianna's flattering rose coloured dress, her medium length hair pulled back into a neat braid. Though she was really fishing for something to say, she did mean it. Brianna no longer looked like an uncertain young child, fighting for Drew's affections. She was confident, more confident than May herself felt.
'I've been well, I guess. I mean, you and Mister Drew both disappeared and it left the coordinating circuit desiring much. I know that even your friend from Sinnoh, Dawn, was concerned over your welfare,' Brianna mused before glancing at the ship docked in the harbour.
Hearing this, May once again felt guilt wash over her at having isolated herself from so many genuine friends. It took her a moment to realise that Brianna had continued with a soft smile, questioning, 'So, you're finally back?'
'I don't know about being back, but I am going on a journey. I've had a much needed reminder from a friend that you only really have one shot in life, and that my wishes have been far from fulfilled. So wait, Dawn was worried about me?' May frowned, turning her gaze onto her sturdy boots anxiously. She'd never meant to make anyone worry, that was why she hadn't told anyone anything. Was what she did wrong?
'May, everyone was worried about you! What did you think would happen when you registered for the Festival and didn't turn up? Everyone noticed your absence, and it was hard not to try to call you! By Arceus, you're still the Princess of Hoenn, as sure as Drew is the Prince!' Brianna snapped, her brows furrowed in anger.
Hearing the younger woman snap so suddenly, May almost jumped out of her skin. Clearly her fiery disposition hadn't changed, even if her physique had. It made May smile a little, though the younger woman didn't appreciate the other brunette's contemplation, let alone her cheerful disposition at being publically reprimanded.
With a pounding heart, she whispered, 'I'm sorry, Brianna, I didn't mean to upset or worry anyone. Besides, you know that if I could have done anything to stop that nickname, I would have. I'm far from a princess, even if Drew thinks he's a Prince.'
'Not upset anyone? Do you have any idea how crushed I was? After all these years, the press are still adamant that you and Mister Drew are secret lovers! Why would neither of you at least tell me? Don't you think that I'd deserved to know that?' Brianna's voice escalated angrily, slicing through the silence of the beach air like a knife and attracting quite a lot of unwanted attention to the pair.
Wincing slightly at once again finding herself in such a compromising scene, May frantically wondered if every reunion would be this melodramatically angry. If that was the case, she was sorely tempted to return to her apartment and never come back out. Why did she attract so much attention now? When she'd been a child, surrounded by other children, she'd never had this much drama; or at least it had been spaced out nicely. Going on a journey as an adult was more emotionally taxing than she'd ever imagined.
'How dare you!' An all too familiar voice hollered, making May wince with fear. This was not the person she wanted to see whilst she was already in the spotlight. If anything, he would only make it worse, and May did not think her heart could stand any more strain.
Frantically, she glanced around for a place to hide, ignoring her younger friend's confused anger. Whilst the younger woman may have been clueless as to what was coming, May knew. She was extremely familiar with the impeding tirade and wanted to seek protection from it while she could, otherwise she might not make it out alive.
'Don't you dare look so confused! Yes, I'm talking to you!' Harley's voice continued to bellow as he swayed through the crowd, pushing people aside with his hips. As usual, he seemed to be completely unfazed by the glares of others around him, whilst May was struggling to maintain her own composure. Honestly, she just wanted to use Iris' Excadrill to use dig so she could sink into the ground in shame.
Brianna blinked in clear shock as Harley reached them, hands on his hips and his green eyes ablaze with anger as he ranted, 'Excuse me twerpette, but you have no right to talk to my favourite little gingerbread cookie like that! It's taken me hours to get her to get this far and you're not sending her back to that punishment! Don't you see how her years of exile slaughtered her self-confidence? You are not going to destroy that in five minutes, do you hear me? Who do you think you are?'
Surprised, Brianna opened and closed her mouth, evidently uncertain as to how to respond. Once again, Harley had truly intimidated his opponent, though May couldn't blame Brianna for clamming up at the sight of that Banette costume.
'I'm sorry, Bri, we'd better go. I'll send you an email tonight with my Xtransceiver number,' May apologised before jumping off the bench and herding Harley as subtly as she could away from her younger friend.
'Take care, I won't forgive you if you forget!' Brianna called as May weaved Harley through the crowd, all anger removed from her suddenly cheerful voice.
Reaching the wooden and homely dock, May arched a cool eyebrow at Harley, tapping her foot impatiently as she crossed her arms in clear irritation. She'd learnt this trick from her mother, and had it work wonders on not only Max and Brendan, but also Steven.
To her vexation, the purple haired man completely ignored her anger, taking in a moment to admire her attire. Clearly Harley had to be an exemption to every rule.
'May, hon, you scrub up well for your journey now. Look at you, with your skin tight denim and loose red shirt. Where's that bandana of yours gone to?' Harley wiggled his eyebrows, nudging her side. Evidently he was not distracted, nor intimidated, by her apparent anger.
'Don't change the topic,' May glowered, impatiently swatting his elbow away.
'What? Is green no longer your favoured colour?' Harley whispered with feigned shock.
Rolling her eyes in response, she glowered, 'Where are we going?'
'Heard of Kalos?' Harley grinned, his green eyes sparkling with mirth.
'Who hasn't heard of Kalos?' May retorted, knowing that her friend would expect her to still be as clueless as ever.
'Oh, well we're not going there,' Harley giggled before sauntering to the ticket machine and purchasing two tickets, though he used his body to hide the buttons he was pressing.
'Then where are we going!' May groaned, trying her best to suppress the urge to stomp her foot like an impatient five year old. Didn't she have a right to know the location of her journey? What would her family think if they knew that even she did not know where she was going?
'It's a surprise, didn't you get that memo? Solidad's already there waiting for us,' Harley taunted, wagging a finger in mock scolding.
With a pout, May relented and followed Harley around the crowded rooms, wondering all the while why he wouldn't just tell her. Then, placing either hand before her eyes, he led her towards the ship they would sail on, not once hinting at where they were going, nor letting her catch so much as a hint of their determined location.
Please do review this, as I would love some feedback. Don't worry, I'll be introducing other characters soon.