So I lied. I was really impatient to update so I couldn't resist throwing this out there a day early! Haha. I missed y'all!

And oh my gosh. 100 reviews! You guys are amazing!

Chapter 10: To Catch a Thief

"Why are we here?"

May put a hand on her hip, abandoning the set of Kirlia Girl Dolls she had been admiring. Her deep blue eyes glinted with annoyance towards her traveling companion.

"I told you, I'm not going to a tropical island without a cute bathing suit," she said firmly. According to Brendan, the next gym she needed to challenge was located on a tiny island called Dewford, which was across the sea. He was crazy if he thought she wouldn't take the chance to enjoy the beach.

"It's not a vacation," Brendan snapped, grimacing at the shopping bags in May's grip. "And didn't you already buy two?"

"I might find something else I need," May said, glancing around the shopping center longingly. She loved being a trainer, but sometimes she really missed being in touch with her feminine side because of it.

"What if you need your money for pokemon stuff?" Brendan asked convincingly.

May hesitated. She had a few extra pokedollars left over from her battle with Roxanne, and she was quickly becoming better at winning battles for more profit. However, at the same time, she knew how easily it could run out. She sighed reluctantly.

"Fine," she agreed.

"Thank Latias," Brendan grumbled, heading towards the exit. "I'm starving."

May debated on whether calling Brendan a grumpig or an emboar would be more insulting. Just when she decided to go with emboar, her own stomach gave a loud, unattractive gurgle. For a moment, she allowed herself to hope he hadn't noticed, but his victorious gaze let her know it was a lost cause.

"Got something to say, Maple?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

She laughed awkwardly. "Uh. How about pizza?"

Brendan quickly agreed; apparently he was just as tired of eating at the pokemon center's cafeteria as she was. Although it was at least cooked (Unlike the majority of their meals on the road), they had been eating it for a week and a day straight, and they deserved to celebrate their last day in Rustboro with some decent food.

To May's annoyance, Brendan immediately began flicking through his Pokenav for directions to the nearest pizza place. She didn't have any cool techy device, and most of the time, she had no natural sense of direction, either.

"There's a place right outside," May said, rolling her eyes and giving a tug on Brendan's sleeve.

He raised his eyebrows, but he put away his Pokenav nonetheless. A smirk grew on his lips as they walked. "So you actually remember where things are if they involve food. I'll keep that in mind."

"This place is amazing," May said defensively. "We have-had them in Johto."

Before Brendan could respond, May had dragged them to a stop in front of a large, colorful building. Depictions of adorable pikachu surrounded by mounds of pizza decorated the neon signs labeling the restaurant. It was located in the midst of Rustboro's main street, and rivers of children streamed in and out of the doors.

"Pika Cheese?" Brendan questioned warily, his tone dropping to a near whisper. His smirk wavered slightly. "This is a little kid's restaurant!"

"Well it's good!" May said, after an uncertain pause. It was good! And she also loved seeing the dancing pikachu in costumes, but she wasn't about to tell Brendan that.

Unfortunately, she didn't get the chance to force him inside Pika Cheese.

"Outta the way!" a rough voice shouted, and a few cries of annoyance or fright rose from the surrounding crowd.

A figure in vaguely familiar clothes barreled into Brendan, which shoved him forcefully into May. Her much smaller body swayed dangerously upon impact, but just before she face planted into the cement, a hand shot out to steady her.

"Sorry," Brendan said, glaring after the guy. His hand burned a hole into her arm, leaving May to stare dazedly after the retreating man. He was wearing a raggedy striped shirt, and-

It couldn't be, she thought, suddenly alert. No way.

Her worst fears were confirmed when a green-suited man emerged from the crowd, panting. His hair, which had been so carefully groomed the last time May had seen him, was sticking up at odd angles, and his Devon Corp. name tag was askew. When he spotted her, his eyes lit up in relief.

"Ronald," May breathed automatically. Brendan shot her a confused look, but there was no time to explain.

"Girl with the treecko!" Ronald cried, looking like he could hug her. "You have to help me! I was about to deliver my package to Mr. Stone when that thug came back and took it!"

May hesitated slightly. That man was dangerous, yet she had beaten him last time, and with Brendan at her side, he wouldn't stand a chance. She also began to wonder if that package didn't have more to it than she had originally thought. If that Team Aqua man had followed Ronald all the way out of Petalburg Woods for it, it must be really valuable.

"We'll help you," May said, nodding determinedly.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you!" Ronald said, and she was shocked to see that tears were forming in his eyes. He latched onto her arm, his grip like iron. "He went this way!"

Ronald yanked May through the crowd at lightening pace, and she struggled blindly to keep up with him so her arm wouldn't be yanked out of its socket. She could only hope that Brendan had gathered the sense to follow them.

Finally, they broke through the mass of bodies that lined the main street of Rustboro, and May could see that Ronald had brought them to a stop in front of Route 116. For a scary moment, she noticed that Brendan was missing, but then he emerged around the corner of the building, panting. He glared fiercely, although May wasn't sure if it was directed at her, Ronald, or the both of them.

"Oh, he could've gone anywhere," Ronald wailed, drawing May's attention away from Brendan. The man was looking despairingly across the expanse of wilderness in the distance. "He could be headed for the mountains, and we'll never find him then!"

May patted him awkwardly on the back. "Uh, it's alright! I'm sure we'll find him, right Brendan?"

"Maybe," Brendan began, crossing his arms irritably. "If we called the police, like normal people, they could track him down. There's an idea!"

"Oh, good idea! I'll call them and wait here while you two go on ahead to look for him!" Ronald said eagerly, gazing at Brendan with awed eyes.

"That's not what I-"

"Come on," May said, pushing Brendan forwards. She glanced back at Ronald uncertainly. "We'll try to find him."

As they headed out onto Route 116, May could see Ronald's figure behind them, talking animatedly on his Pokenav. She took in her surroundings nervously, remembering from the past week just how many places there were to go. Hopefully the police were quick, because she wasn't confident she and Brendan could find the thief.

"I still think this is stupid," Brendan said, glancing around. He seemed to be having similar thoughts to May, but there was an undercurrent of something else on his face- worry, maybe? "This isn't really our place, is it?"

May frowned. She knew Brendan could be quite prickly at times, but he wasn't a coward, nor was he particularly averse to helping out others.

"He needed our help," May said simply, not in the mood to draw a potential argument out of him.

As a trainer, it made her feel good that she was helping someone who couldn't do it himself. As silly as it sounded, it just warmed her that after all of her years of being cooped up, she could finally make a difference to someone.

Brendan was relatively quiet after that, although she occasionally heard him mumble something to himself with a troubled frown on his face. He kept fingering his pokeballs and looking around almost defiantly, as if he were daring the Team Aqua man to attack them.

For what felt like hours, they wandered around, looking for any sign of the thief. They had to be miles from Rustboro by now, but nothing had given them any clue as to where the man had gone. They passed no other trainers, and they received no indication that the police had arrived to help them.

May was beginning to allow herself to hope that the police had somehow found the Team Aqua member right outside of Rustboro, and that was why nothing had happened, when she suddenly realized Brendan wasn't beside her anymore. She glanced around anxiously.

"Brendan?" she called nervously. She spotted him soon after that, and he was standing a few feet away, gazing into the tree line beside a worn picket sign. His head swiveled around at the sound of his name.

His eyebrows were scrunched up in confusion, and after looking at May, his eyes darted around, searching for something. "Where'd she go?" he asked out of the blue.

"Um… Who?" May asked, furrowing her brow. She certainly hadn't seen anyone.

"The little girl!" Brendan urged, waving his arm towards the trees. "She was right there a second ago!"

May looked around doubtfully. She hadn't seen anyone, much less a little girl. Catching May's expression, Brendan jumped to defend his sanity.

"I swear! She told me-"

He cut himself off then, clearly in deep thought, and a frown made its way back onto his face. Slowly, his eyes drifted to the picket sign and back to May again. He signed in resignation.

"Never mind," he muttered. "But I think I know where that guy went."

Brendan pointed at the sign, and May followed the direction his finger was indicating. The words, "Rusturf Tunnel ahead!" were printed in faded black paint.

"What's that?" May asked, trying to ignore the fact that either there was a child running around in the wild, or her companion was having hallucinations.

She much preferred the idea of a wild child.

"Some building project Devon started a few months ago," Brendan said, still in deep contemplation. "Something about connecting Rustboro with central Hoenn."

"Oh," May said. She wasn't exactly an expert on the layout of the region, so she couldn't really comment one-way or the other.

Brendan altered their direction slightly, starting towards a cluster of stony foothills at the base of the much larger mountain range in the distance. As they walked, the ground below them slowly transformed from lush grass to worn dirt. May could see the imprints of feet in the ground, as if several people had traveled this very path for days on end.

"It seems like one of these workers would've seen him if he came this way," she said uncertainly.

"I know, but I just- got a feeling that he's here," Brendan said, looking similarly conflicted. His red-brown eyes caught something and then widened in understanding. "Project cancelled."

May followed his gaze to a large notice posted in the center of the pathway. It was a message from a month ago, announcing, "… regrettably, the construction on Rusturf Tunnel has been cancelled due to environmental concerns. "

So maybe there were no workers to see him, after all.

They picked up their pace, hurrying towards the rocky formation that Rusturf Tunnel had been drilled through. At the bottom, May could make out a small, dark opening through the stone that was clearly man made to be wider. However, the tunnel itself wasn't what really held her attention, but the figures beside it.

An elderly man with a shaggy gray beard paced back and forth in front of the cave, appearing to be in immense distress. His puffy orange vest was mud stained, and a scratch lined the side of his cheek, as if he had been attacked. As they grew closer, May was alarmed to see tears streaking his face.

The other was a young man, probably a few years older than Brendan. He was on the ground propped up against the cave wall, painfully nursing a black eye, and his entire body was covered in grime. Both looked up in relief upon May and Brendan's arrival.

"Oh, thank Rayquaza," the young man said, his wide face red from anger. "I was trying to work on the tunnel when some thug jumped me!"

"And he kidnapped my darling Peeko!" the elderly man cried, and he sounded like he was on the verge of a breakdown. "My sweet Peeko, oh, she must be terrified!"

"Do you have a Pokenav?" the young man asked eagerly. "Mine's dead, and this guy left his on his boat."

The older man turned towards him fiercely. "There's no time to call someone! Peeko needs to be rescued now!"

"It's okay, we'll get her," May said sympathetically, trying in vain to console the terrified old man. The poor guy! She had no idea that that Team Aqua man would go so far as to kidnap someone's wife to keep him quiet, but it made her more determined than ever to put a stop to it.

Brendan sighed from behind her, but when she turned to face him, he nodded at her. He accepted that they had to take care of this.

To May's surprise, he reached for one of his pokeballs and called out Orion. The blaziken cawed pleasantly at she and Brendan upon seeing them, but he suddenly turned serious when he saw the state of the other two people present.

After gawking at them thoroughly, May finally gathered her senses and released Soren. He glanced around coolly, and his yellow eyes widened only slightly when he saw what was going on.

"There's a criminal in this cave and we're going to find him, so be ready," Brendan explained.

Orion nodded, and Soren hopped up to rest in the space between May's neck and shoulder. His familiar presence reassured her in the face of the dark tunnel, while his scales were smooth against her sensitive skin. With him, she could do this.

Brendan treaded silently into the cave, Orion following loyally on his heels. After a semi-second of hesitation, May stepped after him, and the old man called for them to be careful as her body was enveloped by the darkness.

Thankfully, there was at least a limited amount of visibility in the cave. Strings of very dim lights were hung haphazardly across the walls, as if half of them had been taken down in a hurry. Foreboding mist curled in the air in front of them, and the rocks inside smelled strongly of mold.

May couldn't help it; she shivered. The place was downright creepy, and she didn't have fond memories of stuff lurking in the dark. Unfortunately for her, it didn't go unnoticed.

"You can wait outside if you want," Brendan suggested awkwardly. She could scarcely make out him rubbing at the back of his neck through the dark.

"No way," May whispered harshly, trying to muster up a scowl even though she knew he couldn't see it. She had to prove that she wasn't a baby, and that she could do anything that he could!

"Fine," Brendan said, his tone matching hers. "But stay behind me, and do what I say!"

"I've already beaten this guy once, you know!" May said, pointedly moving to walk on the side of him that Orion wasn't on. Not only did it show him that she could be brave, but it also secretly calmed her nerves to be closer to him.

"Shhh. And try not to have one of your girly panic attacks, would you?" Brendan said, glancing around carefully.

May huffed, trying to think of a mean comeback, but Soren interrupted her. "Tree," he snapped, clearly telling them both to shut up. Orion chirped an agreement from the other side of Brendan, and he pointed meaningfully into the dark void ahead.

Somewhere before them, they heard scuffling sounds. Soon, nasty mutterings rose to accompany them, and they paused behind a curve in the cave.

"Shit! Of all the places…."

Peeking around the corner, May could see the Team Aqua member. His back was to them, and he was pounding furiously at the rocky barrier in front of him with the hand that wasn't holding Robert's briefcase. He had reached a dead end.

A tiny tweet echoed throughout the tunnel, and May's gaze drifted to the ground beneath the man. Next to his dirty shoes, there was a miniscule white and blue bird pokemon bundled on the ground. Wetness pooled in her deep black eyes, and her wings were bound roughly against her body with rope. She was petrified.

The man spun around, teeth bared like a rabid pokemon. "You damn useless pokemon! Shut up, before I make you!"

He reared his leg back as if to kick the defenseless wingull. Sapphire eyes met furious ruby ones, and a silent understanding was passed between them.

"Don't," Brendan said forcefully, stepping around the corner so that the man could see him. May moved to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him (Well, more like head-to-shoulder), trying to look half as intimidating as Brendan did.

"You again?" The man sneered as his eyes traveled to May, although his leg retreated wisely away from the wingull. Beneath his threatening exterior, she could see a thread of doubt in his face. She liked to think it was because of his previous loss to her, but in reality it probably had a lot more to do with the presence of Brendan and Orion.

"Give back what you stole!" May demanded, trying to steel her nerves. She faltered slightly under his dark expression. "Uh. Now!"

He waved the briefcase tauntingly at May, and he nudged the wingull with his foot. He was surprisingly cocky for someone who was so outnumbered. "If you want them, come and get them. I'll teach you the lesson you deserve."

Soren hissed, and even Orion popped his claws protectively.

"Try it," Brendan said. His voice was like ice. "Just give us back the wingull. The package too. Now."

The Team Aqua member's hand inched towards his poochyena's pokeball, but then he glanced back up at Orion. He scowled; even he knew there was no way for him to win in this situation.

Norman had always instructed May to never corner a wild pokemon. In this case, it was a criminal, but his glower was every bit as alarming.

"Fine! You want 'em, take 'em!" he roared, swinging the briefcase dangerously.

In a flash, he had flung the object hard at Brendan, briefly winding him. He ran straight towards the boy, skillfully ramming him into Orion with his shoulder. With his other hand, he shoved May out of the way and high tailed it out of the cave.

With no Brendan nearby to steady her this time, May fell hard onto the cave floor, and the impact jarred her tailbone painfully. Vaguely, she noted Soren sliver around her to shoot a stream of yellow seeds towards the retreating man, but they ricocheted harmlessly off the sides of the tunnel. She scowled.

"Oww," she whined, rubbing her backside and crawling back to her feet. "I really hate Team Aqua."

"Ko," Soren agreed. He pounded his tail angrily against a nearby rock, breaking it clean in two.

"I told you they were idiots," Brendan said, fiddling irately with the clasp on the briefcase. He hadn't fallen, thanks to Orion, who had caught him easily. "It's locked!"

"What are you doing?" May cried. "That's Ronald's. He'll have an aneurism if you mess with his stuff."

"That guy wanted this for a reason, and I'm going to find out what it is," Brendan said. He didn't stop trying to pry open the briefcase.

May paused. After a brief moment of consideration, she nodded at him. She really wanted to know what all the fuss was over too, seeing as it was obviously more important than she had first assumed. For all she knew at this point, maybe the guy wasn't a rogue at all! What if there were other people on Team Aqua who wanted it too?

Besides, she'd saved Ronald's tail twice now. She figured she deserved to know what all the effort was for.

A frightened cooing sound drifted to May's ears, and she suddenly remembered the wingull. The little bird was trying pitifully to shift her yellow feet so she could escape the cave, but the ropes were too tight for her to move properly.

Ashamed, May rushed to her side while Brendan fiddled with the briefcase. She reached out a hand to attempt to loosen the rope, but the wingull recoiled in terror. She froze, and the pokemon continued to shiver fearfully.

Renewed anger at the thug filled May. How could someone treat an innocent creature so awfully, especially someone who was supposedly working for environmental activists?

Something occurred to her then.

"Peeko?" she said aloud, slightly incredulous.

Sure enough, the wingull stopped shivering and gazed at May with slightly less scared eyes.

Obviously that man doesn't have a wife, she couldn't help but think.

"It's okay," May tried. "I won't hurt you. I just want to untie you so we can take you back to your friend."

Peeko stared at her for a long time before finally nodding in acceptance. However, as May's fingers worked carefully on the ropes, she remained stiff, as if she didn't feel comfortable being handled.

May frowned. The knots were too tight, and she couldn't untie them without having them dig painfully into Peeko's feathers. Soren tugged uselessly at the ropes as well, but May had to pull him away because he was being too rough. She was about to ask Brendan if he had a pocketknife or anything on him when Orion kneeled down beside her.

"Blaze," he said in his deep voice. Surprisingly gentle, he easily shredded the ropes with his sharp talons, and Peeko was able to stretch her wings at last.

"Thanks," May said appreciatively. Orion patted her on the head like she was a little kid, and she was about to tell him to never do it again when he was abruptly pulled in by a beam of red light.

"I can't open it," Brendan said, sullenly holding up the briefcase. He clipped Orion's pokeball back to his belt.

May didn't return Soren, instead reaching down to pick up Peeko. The wingull shifted uncomfortably in her grip, but she didn't protest too much. Soren glared up at the other pokemon with envious yellow eyes.

"Let's go," May said, ignoring her treecko's attitude. "I'm tired of this stupid cave."

"Me too," Brendan said.

Heaving the briefcase, he started towards the ray of light that was the exit. May quickly sped up to walk beside him, clutching a squirming Peeko safely in her arms. Just as she suspected, Soren sulked behind them for merely few seconds before hurriedly darting after them to leap back onto May's shoulders. His hands yanked her hair tightly, pulling a few strands out of her ponytail.

"Ow," she said, trying to glare up at him. He was totally doing it on purpose.

"Treecko," he said innocently.

It didn't take them long to emerge from the cave. The bright sunlight stung at May's eyes after being in the dark for several minutes, but she was still thrilled to see it again.

"Peeko!" a voice cried, oozing relief.

Immediately, Peeko clawed her way out of May's hands and flapped her wings to get to her trainer. Her flight was clumsy from having her wings tied, but she made it. She nuzzled her beak happily into the man's vest.

May couldn't help but smile at the sight, despite the row of scratches Peeko had left on her arms. To her surprise, she saw that Brendan was watching them with a half smile on his face as well.

The young man with the black eye stepped in front of them, looking agitated. May had almost forgotten about him, but now that the rush had died down a bit, she took the time to look him over more closely. He was tall and strong looking, with a thin growth of black stubble lining his chin. She was surprised the Team Aqua member had managed to get a hold of him, honestly.

"That jerk got away," he said bitterly, and then he pointed over his shoulder at the old man and his wingull. "I woulda' tried to stop him, but I was busy holding this guy back."

The elderly man glanced up, still massaging Peeko's feathers absentmindedly. "Boy, I told you that I couldn't let him get away with harming my sweet Peeko."

"You would've gotten killed," Brendan said, raising an eyebrow incredulously. The guy with the black eye nodded along with him, looking faintly annoyed. Seeing the man's frail stature, May couldn't help but agree with them.

"Aye, but I could've gotten in a good wack or two." Changing the subject, he said, "They call me Mr. Briney. Peeko and I can never repay you for saving her life."

"Oh, it was nothing," May said, laughing awkwardly. "I'm May."

She looked at Brendan expectantly, and he sighed. "Brendan."

The other man waved, and then he pointed towards Rusturf Tunnel. "Riley. Well, I should be getting back to work. I told them I'd dig it all by myself with my bare hands if I had too."

"Why would you do that?" May asked, eyeing his hands worriedly. Yeah, he looked strong, but no one could do that alone! She had seen the rocky barrier for herself.

Riley grimaced determinedly. "My girlfriend lives in Verdanturf, right on the other side of the cave. Finishing the tunnel is the only way I can see her more than once a month."

He waved farewell before making his way back into the dark tunnel, probably to work for hours on end.

"That is the sweetest thing I've ever heard," May gushed the moment he was gone. His girlfriend, whoever she was, was one lucky person. She doubted any boy would ever do that for her.

Soren hacked in mock disgust, while Brendan rolled his eyes. Mr. Briney chuckled at all of them.

"After you two leave Rustboro, Peeko and I would love it if you would pay us a visit at our cottage in Petalburg," Mr. Briney said. Peeko tweeted in compliance, although May wasn't entirely sure the pokemon liked them all that much. "I could show you my secret fishing spot, maybe help you find a fancy water pokemon."

"We'd love too, but for now we're headed to Dewford," May said uncomfortably. She was thankful for the man's generous offer, so it was hard for her to turn him down.

Mr. Briney brightened even more. "Oh, then why not let us take you there? Free, on a real boat, not a fancy cruise liner."

"Free?" Brendan asked, his interest spiked. May elbowed him.

"Really? Wouldn't that put you out of the way?" she asked, trying and failing to conceal her eagerness. A free ride would help them tremendously. They could afford a ticket on a ferry, but it would take almost all of their funds.

"Not at all, lass! Peeko and I are docked in Rustboro Harbor right now. They sell the best fishing tackle here, so we have to stop by every now and then," he explained. "We can set sail first thing in the morning if you're ready!"

"We will be," Brendan assured him. Well, apparently being free took priority over asking May her opinion.

"Aye, that settles it, then." Mr. Briney beamed.

"Uh, don't you think we'd better take Ronald's briefcase back?" May suggested. He was probably really freaking out by now. If he could freak out more than he already had, that is.

"I guess." Brendan sighed, as if doing so would be a great chore. After they bid goodbye to Mr. Briney and began the trek back to Rustboro City, she had to say she could see where he was coming from. Ronald could definitely be a trial on one's nerves, particularly after what they had just gone through.

"I've realized something," Brendan said as they neared the city. He glanced at her out of the side of his eye, and she could feel a baiting comment on the way.

"What?" she asked reluctantly, trying to look threatening. Unfortunately, a yawn rose up in her throat right at that moment, which kind of ruined the effect.

Soren snorted at his trainer's lack of dignity, and she swatted absentmindedly at him.

"You're the most troublesome human being I've ever met," he stated dryly, as if it were a fact he'd picked up out of the dictionary.

"What? I am not!" May argued, rising to the bait at once. One second he would act kind of nice to her, and then he would go and start an argument with her! He was so annoying!

To her horror, Brendan began to count off a list of things on his fingers, and a satisfied smirk decorated his lips.

"Hm. Making a mess in my room-"

"I tripped! Over your stupid backpack!"

"Attracting a swarm of wild pokemon with food… Oh, let's count waking up everyone on Route 102-No, Petalburg City and Oldale Town- screaming-"

"You got it! You got it you got it you go it! Oh, thank you so much!"

Ronald suddenly charged towards them from where he had been standing on the edge of the city, talking a police officer. May tensed awkwardly, and Brendan's eyes grew wide with apprehension. He tried to back away, but before he could escape Ronald had pulled them both in for a hug with a hard yank on their necks.

Thankfully, the embrace was over as quickly as it began, allowing both teenagers to shuffle away. Ronald snatched his briefcase out of Brendan's hands and stroked it lovingly. He dismissed the police officer (Who stormed off) before returning to running his hands over the cool black leather.

May exchanged a glance with Brendan. If they could agree on anything, it was over their opinion on this guy.

To May's dismay, Ronald's attention was soon back on them in full force. "Devon has so much to thank you for. I'd like you two to come with me," he announced.

Before either of them could object, he was already marching determinedly towards the nearby Devon Corporation building, which seemed to stretch endlessly into the sky so close up. May tried in vain to protest. "Oh, no, we don't need thanking!"

Ronald shook his head, brushing aside her comment. They arrived at the entrance to Devon, and beautiful depictions of trainers and rare pokemon were carved masterfully into the stone above their heads. May couldn't help but stare at it in awe. Even Soren shifted on her shoulder to get a better look, while Brendan gazed upwards with reluctant curiously.

Smiling knowingly at their reactions, Ronald pressed a button on the keypad. "Sylvia, it's Ronald."

While they waited, May eyed her shoes critically. They were caked with mud, and she figured Brendan's must be the same. Were they even allowed to enter such a place? Ronald certainly didn't seem concerned about it.

A few seconds later, the immense doors peeled apart from one another, permitting them to step inside. The lobby was gorgeous. Exquisite tile expanded across the room, and classy music played over the intercom. Best of all was the center of the floor, where tile transitioned to glass to reveal another set of stone carvings set underneath the building.

"Wow," May couldn't help but whisper. No one heard her except for Soren and maybe Brendan, who spared her only a brief glance.

They didn't get to admire it for long. Ronald ushered them into a shiny golden elevator, where he pressed the button for the top floor. May fiddled with her charm bracelet nervously as she stared out the glass casing, watching the city shrink beneath them. Just where were they going?

Ronald led them off the elevator (He had to enter a special code for the doors to even open) and left them in a smaller lobby type room while he went through another door. On either side of them, there were displays of shiny metals and stones of all kinds, many of which were labeled to be from far away regions.

"Where the heck are we?" May whispered to Brendan, glancing out of the corner of her eye to make sure Ronald hadn't returned.

"No idea," he admitted.

Trying to distract herself, May bent over so she could examine one of the rocks. It was glittering in an odd way, and the case said it was from the Kalos region. She squinted, trying to get a closer look.

"Don't touch that!" Brendan hissed. He yanked her back by her shoulders (Soren hissed indignantly at the disturbance), causing her to brush up against him slightly.

May wriggled out of his grip, unable to tame her blush. "I wasn't going to!"

"Just making sure," he said doubtfully. She narrowed her eyes at him, but what could she say, really? She was sort of a klutz.

"This way, you two!" Ronald had appeared in the doorway just in time to break apart their little squabble. He waved hurriedly for them to come in the room, and they cautiously crept over to him. "Our president wants to speak with you!"

May's eyes widened, and she shook her head frantically. "What? Did you say president? I'm not-"

She tried in vain to get Ronald's strong grip off of her arm, but for such a puny guy, he really was hard to shake off. He tugged them into an office with a long mahogany meeting table and yet more cases filled with rare stones.

At the head of a table sat a man around the age of fifty. His silver hair was streaked heavily with a duller gray color, although it was still spiked to perfection. He wore an expensive, pinstriped purple suit, and he was watching them with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"My employee just informed me of the great service you've paid us," he said. He leaned forward, clasping his hands together on the table. "I'm Mr. Stone, president of the Devon Corporation."

"Um…" May exchanged a wary glance with Soren, and then Brendan. She had no idea what to say to the president of this fancy corporation! She was just a nobody trainer from a nobody town. Unfortunately, her companions didn't look like they were going to provide much assistance with the matter.

"Nice to meet you?" she said finally, and then she immediately wanted to smack herself.

To her surprise, Mr. Stone cracked a smile. His eyes travelled across both she and Brendan, although they lingered on Brendan for a split second longer than they did on her.

"I don't believe you understand the importance of what you've done for us," he said. His tone was businesslike and a bit brusque, yet May could tell he was genuinely grateful to them. "Without you, we would've lost thousands of dollars worth of parts, and our deal with an important buyer would've been set back. But most importantly, you kept our technology from falling into the wrong hands, and for that I am immensely grateful."

"Sir," May said, without thinking. "Could you tell us what's even in there?"

She pointed towards the package on the table, and Brendan's eyes shot to her. "May," he hissed under his breath.

She winced. Oh. Maybe that wasn't the most appropriate question to ask.

In her defense, it had been Brendan trying to pry it open just minutes ago, not her! May watched the president with nervous eyes, dreading the inevitable awkwardness that would come when he told her it was none of her business.

Mr. Stone paused. "I suppose I have to tell you, especially with what I'm about to ask of you. This package contains very valuable parts to a submarine motor, intended to assist Captain Stern's expeditions from Slateport City. I would like it if you two delivered it to him for me personally."

"Us?" May repeated, in shock. Mr. Stone, president of the famous Devon Corporation, was asking two teenagers to deliver his package for him? Surely he had more capable employees than Ronald who could get it where he wanted it safely! She didn't even know where this Slateport place was.

"We're already booked to go to Dewford first," Brendan said uneasily. He looked equally caught off guard by Mr. Stone's request.

"Ahh, well that's actually even better!" Mr. Stone said. "My son, Steven, is in Dewford, and I was going to have a messenger deliver a letter to him for me. If you're going, I would appreciate it if you would do that as well."

"Well, alright…" May said. They couldn't really say no, could they?

"Excellent!" Mr. Stone said. He handed the package, which had been removed from the briefcase and was now simply in a thick yellow envelope, to Brendan. After that, he pulled a letter smoothly out of his pocket and passed that to May.

"I know what you're thinking. That I'm crazy, having you do this job for me," he continued. "But believe it or not, I do know you. Or at least, I know of you, Brendan. My son was actually quite concerned that you might dethrone him a couple of years ago, and you've already shown yourselves quite capable."

"Oh." Brendan looked at the ground, his expression cold.

May froze. Dethrone, as in take the position of champion? Was Mr. Stone's son the Steven Stone, reigning Champion of Hoenn? She had heard her father mention him in passing, but she had never seen him any closer than from her TV screen.

Oh. My. Latias, she thought. I'm holding a letter for Steven. Steven Stone. I'm going to meet Steven.

Her inner fangirl almost prevented her from hearing Mr. Stone' next words.

"Of course, I wouldn't have you do all of this without a favor in return. Young lady, I see that Brendan has a Pokenav, but do you?" He gestured to the red device sticking out of Brendan's shorts pocket.

"Oh, no I don't," she admitted.

He smiled, and then reached into his desk for something. A moment later, his hand reemerged holding a sleek black device. It was thinner and shinier than Brendan's, but it was undoubtedly a Pokenav.

"I'd like you to have this. It's the newest version, and it hasn't even been released to the public yet."

"Wow, thanks!" May exclaimed, taking the Pokenav. Finally, she could join the modern world again! She inspected her new Pokenav excitedly, and then she realized how expensive it must be. "Oh, um. Are you sure?"

"Definitely!" Mr. Stone said. "Well, I'm afraid I have a lot of paperwork to attend to. Ronald, if you could show these lovely children out. Try not to draw any attention to them, if you can."

May didn't particularly appreciate being called a child, but she followed after Ronald obediently regardless. Mr. Stone had given her such a fantastic gift, after all, and she didn't want to be rude. However, before they reached the elevator, the president called after them.

"Oh and Brendan? Keep that package in your backpack. I'd rather the people outside didn't see you with it."

"Oh. Okay." Brendan blinked. May shrugged at him, and he zipped the envelope carefully into his backpack, just as Mr. Stone had suggested.

"Thanks again for all you did for me," Ronald said, when the elevator dinged for them to get off. "Good luck on your journey."

May smiled back at him, but this caused her to not pay attention to where she was going. She walked smack into a tall man, oblivious to Soren's warnings. She scampered away from him immediately.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she said quickly. The man, one in a group of three, was dressed identically to his companions. They were all in suits with crimson ties, although strangely, they lacked a Devon Corp. name tag.

The man muttered to himself in annoyance and treaded past her towards the elevator, completely ignoring her apology (Luckily, he also ignored Soren's threatening glare). The group joined Ronald in the elevator.

"You. We're here for our emergency conference with Mr. Stone," one of the men said coldly. Ronald nodded, but she could see his face pale as the golden doors to the elevator slid shut.

"Well that was rude," May said, glaring after the elevator.

"Tree." Soren nodded his head viciously in agreement.

"And weird," Brendan added. He scrunched up his eyebrows in deep thought. "Whatever. I'm ready to get out of here."

So was May. After all of the events of the day, it suddenly dawned on her just how exhausted, dirty, and hungry she really was.

"Brendan," May said, her voice slightly irritable. "You better believe we're still going to Pika Cheese."

And she banished all of her troubles, from Aqua's mysterious motivations to Brendan's potential hallucination, to farthest corners of her mind.

AN: Silly Brendan. We can't do something sane like call the police in Pokemon! Speaking of Brendan, he isn't settled over the Aqua/Magma situation yet. Just you wait!

I've been trying to create a balance with May regarding the whole bravery thing. I'm sure you notice that she's far from being fearless, but to me the truest courage is about being scared and going forward anyway.

On another note, almost everyone portrays May to have no idea who Steven is (Because that's how the game is), so I took a different route. I totally think her reaction is believable. Steven is hawt XD So going with this theme, along with the approach of Valentine's Day:

Most attractive character in the pokemon universe? (Red. Totally Red, although Steven is pretty awesome. Some of you will say no one. You people are no fun :P)

Hope you guys have a great Valentine's weekend! I'll be spending it with my cat while enjoying the heart-themed cupcakes I baked myself, but maybe you have more fun things planned XD