Fortree City: The city of treehouses and home to the Gymleader of flying-types, Winona. Even though it was supposed to be a city, it was a refreshing change for it to look like the countryside. The smell of wood filled my nose. In the air, humidity hung heavily to stick to any of the city's inhabitants and travelers. What really stuck out for me, were all the pine treehouses connected by wooden bridges. From shops to homes, that's where all the buildings were…oh wait, not all of them. Well… the gym was the only place where people had to enter on the ground. Its inside consisted of standard gym trainers and various methods of getting closer to the leader. The only specific difference with this place is that you had to start at the bottom and work your way up. When I did just that, my reward was being able to battle with my father's colleague, Winona.

Being a flying-type master, Winona stood NO chance against me! Why? Because of my advantageous attack-type Pokémon, Mightyena and her ice fang! Well, I let my other partners join in too, so it wouldn't be too unfair. As it turns out, I still overpowered her. Thankfully, her gracefulness and whatnot didn't make her bitter about losing, and awarded me the Featherbadge. Apparently, this badge allowed my Pokémon to fly me regardless of their size or my weight.

Sweet! Now to get one of my teammates to learn it! Hmmm….looks like Pelipper was the only candidate since everyone else had no wings or wasn't designed to fly so high. Okay, let's see how we do this.

"WAAAH! PELIPPER! DOWN! I WANT DOWN NOW!"

The difference between latias flying me and Pelipper flying me, was speed. Since Latios' sister went at terrifyingly fast speeds, there wasn't too much too much to be afraid of. Flying with Pelipper however, was slow enough for me to see everything below. Basically all the things I could possibly LAND ON if I fell. I think I'll stick to walking for now, thank you.

Now back on the ground with Dustox at my side, I was ready to continue my journey! Dustox had been especially glad to be out. She flitted about from tree-to-tree; stopping only for a few minutes to chew on the bark from the pine trees. Meanwhile, I was literally in over my head with tall grass. Nearly hiding my if not for the bow of my bandana sticking out. Man I was so short.


Many hours in the tall grass made great training for Dustox and allowed me to further my pokedex closer to almost perfect completion. We would stop outside of the tall grass every now and then to break for snacks. Unlike the rest of our team, Dustox didn't eat human food. Instead, she enjoyed to chew on white towels and….bright-colored socks. An odd appetite, but whatever makes her happy.

When we finished our snack breaks, the journey resumed with happier stomachs along with renewed willpower. The latter especially came in handy when a "Hey kid!" and an "Over here!" suddenly echoed in my ears. My head quickly turned to focus on the source of the noise. Oh boy, them again. In terms of what I mean in 'them', it translated to the news crew duo, Gabby and Ty. Man, what did they want from me this time? I was still feeling plenty sour from them filming my actions at Mt. Chimney and broadcasting it to the public where my dad could see it. Well I guess I shouldn't be too sore about it.

Since they already identified me, there had been no other option than to go and see what they wanted. The rest of me turned in their direction and marched forward.

"Oh hey, what's up?" I asked; pretending to be excited upon noticing them. As I came close enough for a proper social interaction, I quickly picked up that Ty had his camera pointed directly at me. This wasn't gonna be a quick conversation, was it?

"There's our favorite hot, awesome trainer! How's it going, kid?" asked Gabby with a fiery vigor. Her microphone thrusted eagerly into my face. Oh no, not a professional interview! Those media vultures! Was there no end to their shame?!

I was prepared to make a face, when I remembered every action being made would be viewed by everybody in the region. If there's anyone wondering why I didn't ask to not be filmed, trust me, Gabby ALWAYS finds a way. She once showed me all the secret interviews she obtained through many mini cameras; it was pretty disturbing. Might as well get this over with.

" Alright, I guess,"

"Awesome! Any recent crime-bustin' you've been doing? You seem to do that pretty well,"

"No! Nothing like that! Just uh…just doing regular training and stuff,"

"EURGH, that's incredibly boring! How about we battle to see if you've got stronger. Ty and I are dying to see our favorite trainer in action!"

"Interesting, as am I,"

Gabby, Ty and I heard another person that was not only close by, but had a mighty need to enter our conversation. Coincidentally synchronized, we moved our heads to lay eyes on a calm Steven Stone. What's he doing here?! I thought he was way ahead of me after that Southern Island rescue mission.

While I was certainly surprised, Gabby and Ty looked bewildered at the very sight of him. Couldn't really blame them if they already knew what to expect from Steven. Speaking of which, he walked over to us for the want of merry company.

"Y-you!" Gabby blurted out unexpectedly while nearly tripping over herself to come towards him. Eh? As weird as Steven was, it's a wonder why anybody normal would WANT to delve into any interaction with him. Or maybe I'm just the crazy person here. Wait, who am I kidding? Gabby was the one who had her personality and occupation going against her in the world of normal social activity.

"Aren't you….out here and-"

"I'm just enjoying my time off. Being cooped up in a building isn't very appealing to me. I prefer to get out when I can help it. But the real star of your show looks like she's being neglected,"

My face went blank from the confusion of what was transpiring. Gabby let out a surprised laugh and hooked her free arm around my shoulder before reeling me in like a fish Pokémon. "Her? Noooo! Even you can't steal the spotlight from this one!" She boasted while bringing me in close. NGH! I hated being pulled around like this. Steven smiled slyly at her response.

"Is that so? She must be very talented,"

"Actually, that's an understatement; this kid is gifted! You know she took on Team Magma TWICE?! She doesn't even break a sweat in those battles!"

"I could only imagine. I was just here to see how strong your favorite trainer has gotten; if you don't mind,"

"Hey, it's no problem! You don't mind, right kid?"

" I guess…."

"Good! But I gotta warn ya, she makes it a pretty short battle!"

This was a little strange for me. To the extent of my knowledge, Steven Stone was just a traveler/ unhealthy rock enthusiast. For him to be known by a news crew AND have a job sounded super weird to me. Then again, Professor Birch was obsessed with getting me to be Brendan's girlfriend. He must be a famous desk jockey or ( What I heard from those Magma grunts) he was some sort of celebrity shut-in. Anyway, Gabby and Ty cued up their equipment, while I readied myself for another interview battle.


"Guuah!"

"Wrruuff!"

"Nanabs!"

"Hm, that's good! You got all that?"

"Yeah, but nanabs? Can't you think of anything to say, kid? I don't wanna waste my energy holding heavy camera equipment for 'nanabs',"

After the very short interview battle, I stood there with Dustox on my head and Mightyena brushing against my leg while the news crew of two inquires us about the experience. Gabby held her microphone close to my face for a 'quote of the day'. There wasn't much that came to mind other than the fruit I ate for breakfast this morning. Ty's urging forced me to think of what else to say. Racking my head for a few more minutes allowed my brain to come up with something better.

"Supercalafragalisticexpealadoc-"

"Okay, just stick to nanabs!"

"Perfect! I've got a good feeling about this! We gotta go now, but keep up the great work! Bye!"

With that, news reporter, Gabby along with cameraman Ty made their exit towards the route I, myself would follow. Right now though, there was still Steven to interact with (Judging how interested he looked in talking with me). He eagerly stepped forward with a flamboyant aura to imitate what people would call a greeting. I swear I could feel those imaginary sparkles repeatedly hitting me in the face.

"I must congratulate you on your success thus far. And judging by where we are, it's no secret that you've already obtained your Featherbadge," He complimented with dramatic expressions and animated hand movements. Usually my responses remained bland as possible in continued attempts to balance things out. "Yeah, it was easy. You collecting more rocks out here?" Crap, I shouldn't have asked that.

In that moment, Steven's eyes glittered with excitement at the question. Faster than a speeding bullet, the man fished into hid pocket and pulled out several more vibrant, colorful rocks; one of them being an orange-red looking marble. The middle having a scarlet crest design. Yaaay, more time wasted on talking about rocks. Can't wait.

"Most definitely, Miss May!" He began with an ecstatic tone. "I found some peridot earlier along with jasper! Although I did buy some artificial bismuth not too along ago. However, there was something that pertains especially to you; please hold out your hand,"

Steven was a weird character no doubt, but he wasn't shady unlike 'some people' were….SYCAMORE! So I wasted no time stretching out my arm to him. He too put his own arm forward and carefully placed the orange-red marble on my palm. I stared curiously at it.

This stone, Miss May, is called 'blazekinite'. When a blazekin holds it, and its owner possesses a megastone, it…well, I believe that's something you should experience first hand,"

"Oh. Well uh…thanks,"

Wow, this was a pretty interesting item to come by. Chirpie will definitely investigate something like this; although he might need to get a holder for it since he couldn't just hang onto it during a battle. But there was a wonder that had been in my head since Mt. Chimney. What exactly does a megastone do? In a general sense, I couldn't have asked a more stupider question. But given how much information was obtained by yours truly, all that had been known to me was that a few Pokémon could evolve past their final forms. How it had eluded me for a while until Steven showed up to fill me in a little. Ugh, I wish he could tell me EVERYTHING about it instead of being so secretive.

I unzipped my bag and put the blazekinite inside. " I would love to talk with you more, but I'm afraid our conversation must be cut short. There is another mineral in my possession that I must tend to. In that, I bid you adieu," He concluded with a polite bow. Geez, did he have to say it French? Whatever, just say 'bye' and get it over with.

"Okay, see you around,"

"Likewise. I look forward in seeing you develop,"

"What?"

"I said 'I look forward in seeing you develop',"

"…."

"Your skills, Miss May,"

"OH! Right, right. See ya!"


Mt. Pyre: A place that I've never felt so uncomfortable going to. Why? Well a whole mountain dedicated to death wasn't very pleasant sounding in the least bit. Okay, maybe I'm getting a little anxious. I mean, it was sorta akin to the memorial tower in Lavender Town, Kanto. A first and last experienced to be desired as a small child.

The mountain was one huge grave site for Pokémon. People from all over came to this place to pay their respects. Professor Birch: Why did you hafta do your ultra important research here?! Let's just get this over with.

Taking a deep breath, I hopped off the pier and onto my waiting Pelipper- "GOOD ARCEUS!"-SPLASH!

*Sighs* Yeah, I jumped off the wrong spot. We can just skip to later on.

-Later on-

So later on when I finally reached the small island where the mountain was, I withdrew Pelipper once my feet were firmly on the pier. Giving just the harbor a once over had already creeped me out a little. Fog covered most of the wooden, man-made creation. In the radius of my vision, gloomy foliage that had been tall enough to poke out of the eerie mist bowed their tops in eternal misery. Oh boy! What a way to start! I sure as hell wasn't gonna trek this alone!

"Come out Chirpie!"

I threw out his ball, and in a swift morphing of light, out came my trusty companion. He blinked warily while already surveying the area. The mountain itself didn't put him on edge; only the dense fog that handicapped his excellent vision made Chirpie more alert than usual.

Upon seeing my small form, he knelt down a motioned me to get on his back. Alright! Don't mind if I do! Very quickly, I scrambled onto him with arms securing themselves around his feathered neck. "Okay Chirpie," I announced to the fire-fighter. "Onward to the professor! To the top!"

My battle partner gave out a squawk of agreement and began his walk. In his previous forms, Chirpie used to run almost everywhere he went. As a blazekin, he kept a slow pace when our current situations could afford it.

During the walk, I kept looking at my surroundings despite the fact that it was similar to the harbor; foggy with gloomy vegetation. Just being here for a few minutes made my skin, hair and clothes damp with moisture. Beyond the occasional, distant cry of a wild Pokémon and grass crunching under Chirpie's talons, it was quiet. Thank goodness I didn't try to go at night or else I'd be having panic attacks every second I took a breath!

W eventually reached the entrance of the mountain; a large cave opening with distant flickering of small torches attached to its walls. According Brendan, the professor was at the top, and all we had to do is pass through the cemeteries. How convenient. Not that I'm scared of cemeteries or anything, but considering its location combined with the atmosphere, well, I'm sure Chirpie's presence will make the situation less tense.

I was still on my battle partner's back when he walked in. The darkness wasn't as dark as my imagination made it out to be; therefore making easier on my thoughts on our welfare. To top it off, Chirpie only had to walk a few minutes until we were literally able to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Hahaha….see its funny because I know we're not dead….I'm 99.999% sure.

Anyway, we reached the end and found ourselves in the lobby area of the mountain; a.k.a the first level of three cemeteries. Thankfully, they kept it well lit as to not scare the hell outta visitors with many large torches and candles. And while its ceiling remained a cavernous origin, neat, polished marble tiles lined the floor. Hundreds of grey tombstones lined up in rows with a few people standing next to them. A small, lobby desk claimed its own space and a set of stairs leading to the next level. Not bad.

"….Maple…."

Shit, what was that?!

"…..Maaaaple…."

My head suddenly turned upon hearing my last name whispered in the air that lingered weakly for a short moment. Okay, that was weird. Maybe I'm freaking myself out too much…..at this exact second.

"…Maaaaaaaaple…."

"Okay, who's saying that?! Was it you Chirpie?!" My finger pointed discriminately at the firebird as I quickly faced him. He looked puzzled by the accusation. Oh right, he can't speak pokéspeak.

My head turned again with nervous disappointment when I saw it. Just several feet from us, was a floating grey robed figure. Of course not all of it was hidden from view. No, the bleached skull with glowing red lights for eyes was out for everybody and their mother to see! This thing was about the size of Chirpie when he used t be a torchic. Still, I couldn't help but be a little uncomposed about it coming closer.

"….MAAAAAPLE!"

"G-GET BACK! I'M WARNING YOU!"

"…MAAAAAAPLE SYRUP!"

The thing came up, phased right through me and went on its way. It turns out later that, that particular duskull (a ghost-type) used to be a heracross who loved maple syrup. As for me, I reacted just as normal as anybody would expect.

"AAAAAAAAH!AAAAAAAAAHHHH! $ :#*&%+D:$/#!"

My body dropped to the floor like dead weight, retracted in a fetal position and began rolling around as if I was on fire. Chirpie remained unfazed as he watched me break down and swear. Some people nearby also spectated, but with more understanding.

"Poor dear. This must be her first time in Mt. Pyre,"


When I ran out of energy from all that rolling around, Chirpie picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. He knew it was gonna take some time for me to recover. We went upstairs to the second floor, where it was pretty much the same except for a couple of gaping holes in the ground. Geez, one wrong move and we'll be going splat at the bottom.

But potential falls weren't the only thing to be wary of. The entire cemeteries were infested with duskulls and the occasional shuppet. Some were bold enough to follow Chirpie around with collective interest. It unnerved me so as they tagged along. I shooed them away with my loud voice, but the firebird didn't care if I got rid of them or not.

Eventually, we made it to the final level where there was a much smaller plot of tombs; only they were much grander. Oh I get it. Rich people tombs. Dam, they were fancy.

After moseying through ( and admittingly admiring their complex splendor) the last cemetery level, we eventually came back outside and saw a much less uncomfortable scenery. The fog here was light and warm as if it had still been morning. The greenery had been more scarce, but at least wasn't gloomy looking. Rugged terrain was what mostly covered the area; and it was time to climb it.

Fortunately, I regained enough energy to climb up all those steep steps cut out in the bronze colored earth. Along the way, I caught Pokémon native to the area that HASN'T died. It was refreshing considering how long I was inside that mountain. Guess Professor Birch was right to come here; for his research of course.

Chirpie and I reached the top of the stairs when our eyes caught the last thing we expected: A ruins. My vision widened with wonder as I looked upon the remains of a human civilization. There looked to be a handful of homes or wooden shrines that had broken down from their former glory. They looked like they were made from clay. Aside from that, strange drawings the color of mud decorated their outside walls. Funny, the depictions of Pokémon, wind water and earth felt very familiar. I'm sure I've seen it somewhere-"*Squawk*!"

Chirpie's cry of alarm broke into my thoughts. He noticed something up ahead. Then without warning, he grabbed me by the arm and took off. I was thankful that the fire/ fighting type was at least considerate of my fragile form, lest I end up with one less arm. The two of us continued on until we reached a part of the ruins that had been in complete shambles. While the mess itself wasn't new, a small, triangular tent set up next to it certainly was. Movement started to occur inside it, and then its front flap unzipped. Out stepped a man who had made the start of my journey possible; the father of my bestie. Also known as –

"Professor Birch!"

"Oh?! May is that you? And is that-"

"YES!"

Without mercy, I lunged for the big man armed with a squeezing hug. My limbs wrapped around his soft, pudgy torso as far as they could upon contact. The goofy professor stumbled back with surprise for a moment before laughing excitedly and hugged back. Even Chirpie, who had started to act more stoic and reserved, moved over to us both to casually attempt to receive some sort of affection.

"Oh my gosh! This can't be the same May Maple I know! She looked smaller and angrier when I left! Now she's a little taller and less prone to violence!" He joked when we finally separated. A friendly hand ruffled my hair. Oh he had no idea. I still had my moments and wouldn't outwardly admit it, but yeah: My thirst for violence as well as the need to punch boys had significantly dropped. Brendan largely played a role in that.

"Its…really good to see you again professor," I started while fixing my hair. "I got a lot stronger AND have six badges! Chirpie helps out me out too, but he acts like a dad sometimes!" Of course my battle partner heard the comment, but chose not to say anything. Times like these were very precious, but he would plan to get me later where it hurt the most: My snacks. Birch laughed even more at the statement.

" He's probably making sure that his one and only trainer doesn't get into too much trouble. He most likely sees you as a little kid now,"

"…really?"

" Well, it depends on the kind of trainer raising the Pokémon and their own personality. Some act like kids, while some grow mature and serious. But speaking of trainers and Pokémon, how's Brendan been treating you?"

"Okay I guess. I haven't seen him much aside from Verdanturf Town Meteor Falls and the Weather Institute. He said something about finding special Pokémon on a list you gave him,"

The second that statement came from out of my mouth, Professor Birch's happy expression quickly dropped. What replaced it, had been puzzled frustration that follow a heavy sigh. It was the first time that I saw the professor so upset. For me, it felt outta place, so you couldn't blame me for being concerned. "Professor? I asked a little hesitantly. " Are you….okay?"

"Hm? Oh, I'm fine! It's just that boy,"

"What boy? Where is he?! You want me to beat him up?!"

"It's alright, it's alright! I'm only talking about my boy. Sometimes, he's too smart for his own good,"

Professor Birch twiddled his thumbs and let out a nervous laugh. That was weird. "So…what did he do?" I inquired with a raised brow. Hearing even a hint about Brendan doing something wrong really sounded off, considering he hasn't intentionally messed up in terms of decision-making yet. That would be the equivalent to purposely putting salt in the cake batter and think it would taste delicious.

"Well…." He started while wandering a few inches away. "He was supposed to be traveling with you and Professor Sycamore the whole time,"

….what?

Considering the kind of statement that came out of his mouth, my face had been rightly justified when it suddenly twisted into confusion. Chirpie meanwhile, wasn't interested in the content of our conversation, so he went to explore part of the ruins in fascination. I however, was left to comprehend his words.

"Wait a second, Brendan told me that you gave him a specific list of Pokémon to study. How was he supposed to be with Professor Sycamore and I?"

" A list that correlates with the same path of your journey. But it's not like it mattered anyway; all those Pokémon that were on there had already been studied. I just hoped that his teenage instincts would kick in and loaf around with you. Geesh, that boy must have gotten impatient and skipped around,"

"WHAT?! I can't believe you! Brendan got so excited because he thought he was helping you out! How could you do that to him?! Hold on, why did you even do that in the first place?! You could have just told him to come with us in the beginning!"

This was awful! Poor Brendan looked so excited when he told me about spending hours observing a shroomish's sleep habits! I couldn't begin to imagine how heart-broken he would be if he found out that it was all for nothing!

"Well I….uh, didn't think about it at first. But when I got here with him, I realized that he's pretty smart, but doesn't have to grow up too fast! I mean look at him: sixteen years and no friends or girlfriend? That's the kind of recipe that makes someone lose their means of communication with other people as an adult! Pokémon are amazing creatures, but even the best can't substitute the power of human relationships. Plus I was afraid that he might grow up to be a bachelor with obsessive stalking issues,"

"Oh you have no idea,"

"But more importantly, there's no other person I'd rather have him spend the rest of his life with, than a girl like you,"

Uh, he does know that his best friend/ my father is still looking for ANY excuse to kill him on sight, right? Actually, I think he's well aware of that. I'm sure Professor Birch is more likely to orchestrate an elopement if the situation allowed him to go that far. Good arceus, I hope not. Besides, I'll never date/marry anyone as long as I live! There would have to be brain damage in my head in order for that to happen!

"Errr…whatever you say…"

"Good! But aside from that, how's Professor Sycamore treating you?"

Hell on earth. Like the devil incarnate. My endless tormentor who refused me both rest and mercy. Evil in the form of a human! He's evil, Professor Birch! Completely, unregrettably EVIL! You made a terrible mistake about putting him with me! Not even dad can faze this guy! What did I do in my life to deserve such torture?!

"Okay I guess,"

Wait, that's not what I wanted to say! Take it back, you moron! Take it back before something else happens-"*Squawk*!"

Our conversation was interrupted when Chirpie's cry rang out in alarm. The both of us turned suddenly in the direction where he was, to see a Team Magma grunt jump into view and attempt to run past us. What the hell is a Magma nerd doing in a place like this?! Hm, weird or not, I'm gonna find out.

Waiting for the right moment, I stuck out my leg just as he prepared to pass us. He tripped unceremoniously with his face impacting the dirt. My sadistic thirst for violence (as I said before) wasn't entirely quenches, so you don't have to imagine what occupied my thoughts as I pulled the man up to his feet and turned him around. I immediately gripped the front of his sweater onsie. "Well lookie here; it seems that I caught a Team Magma nerd. I wonder how many times I can punch your face in before your face changes into different colors!"

"No please!"

"May, what are you doing?!"

Professor Birch took the thug unexpectedly from my grasp and dusted him off. HUH?! Why was he being nice to a lowlife criminal?! Did he turn to a life of crime?! That would explain his nefarious plans to get Brendan and I together.

"Professor, what gives?! I just wanna beat him until he tells me what Team Magma's up to and take his wallet!"

" What are you talking about? This young man right here is part of the geological research team on Mt. Pyre,"

Okay, so maybe he wasn't much of a mastermind as I initially thought. He just happened to like playing a devious matchmaker. But let's focus on the new task at hand: Getting the bird to sing. I quickly snatched back the shaken grunt before applying a hearty punch to his face. Chirpie intercepted any protests from the professor by standing in his way.

"Alrighty, here's what I'm gonna do: If I hear anything else aside from where Maxie is and what he's up to, I'll personally play dentist and punch out all those teeth you can check in for the tooth clefairy!"

"May! Didn't you hear me?! He works for the geologica-"

"OKAY, OKAY! I'll tell ya!"

The outburst of surrender from the grunt surprised Professor Birch, as he looked at my captive with new eyes. Geez, I can't believe he was duped in the first place. Come on, man! How did they even LOOK like geologists?! Anyways, back to my duties. Another punch to the face was aimed at the grunt to get him started.

Not even an hour passed when he finished telling me what Team Magma had plotted. Apparently, Maxie heard about some local legend and discovered that there were two artifacts connected to the story on top of Mt. Pyre. Okay two things. One: Maxie was a total nerd, why would he waste his time on something like that? Two: I'm sure meeting him here would be inevitable; fighting was unavoidable. Protecting Professor Birch might be a little hard. Well, there's no time to worry about that now.

I dropped the grunt (with his wallet in my hand) and made sure he left the mountain instead of going to warn his boss. The professor looked pretty dumbfounded and just stood there. "Yo Professor!" I waved my hand rapidly to get him out of his stupor. " We gotta go! No time to waste!" . Chirpie helped him over to my side.

"I-I don't understand. He said they were the geological survey team. They even explained to me how their thermonuclear heating process works,"

"Don't beat yourself up about it. I'm just glad they didn't try to take you hostage or something. That would've been a big mistake,"

"Well that's true. Still, they seemed like nice people. One of them even complimented my scandals,"

"Yeah, okay! Stop talking about it!"

I really didn't have the patience or the maturity to deal with his talk about being chummy with the enemy. Meanwhile, the three of us all began our speedy ascent to Mt. Pyre's top. Along the way, several Magma grunts were encountered, passed and skipped. It was for the sake of time that battles with small fry had to be avoided. But that didn't mean they didn't care about us. I'm pretty sure Professor Birch and I were trailing a small handful of Maxie's minions behind us.

"*Pant, pant* How long…..do we…..have to keep…..running?!"

"Just…..until we…-there he is!"

Speeding up the steps with our thighs feeling like they were on fire, the torment had paid off when we were able to finally reach the peak and see the slim, plotting figure with flaming red hair. It was a good thing too, because Professor Birch looked like he was on the verge of collapsing. I pushed my legs into overdrive and forcibly ran ahead to confront the villain. "Stop…..s-stop right…..Magma….okay….I said stop!" Once I was able to slow down and catch my breath, I had to pace myself before proper sentences finally came back to me.

The top of the mountain was blanketed in smooth earth that had a, small clay wall around the little area in a rectangular shape. Within the perimeter had been a beaten up, wooden shrine. The structure itself wasn't much to look at first glance, but a double take revealed two sparkling gems inside.

These gems weren't the standard kind you'd find in a jewelry store, but the ones that would be in adventure movies. Both were about the size of my fist and shaped like an egg; and that was about the only things they had in common. One of them was a deep ocean blue with a strange, faded symbol embedded inside it. The second gem was a vibrant crimson color with another shaped inside.

And it was that gem, that was now in Maxie's hands.

Aside from the shrine, was an old couple who looked like they lived here. They were off to the side and blocked by….good arceus, tell me that's not-dam it is Courtney. I couldn't see the Magma admin's expressionless face, ( and frankly, I'm pretty glad for that) but given her yellow horned Magma uniform was proudly shone as bright as day, I didn't have to make too many guesses. I was able to see fear in the old couple's eyes, but for some reason, I had this feeling that the fear wasn't because of her or the immediate danger; it was for something else.

"My, what an unexpected surprise. To what do I owe the pleasure of my number one fan?"

Ugh, what an ego-bloated jerk! If I wasn't so out of breath, I'd go knock his glasses in!

"Oh and what's this? Professor Albert Birch? We meet again. I do apologize for that silly misguided girl dragging you into quite the mess. She seems to have a knack for sticking her nose where it doesn't belong,"

"Not at all! She's a little hot-headed like her dad, but this girl's gonna be my future daughter-in-law for sure!"

"Focus Professor!"

"Oh right, sorry!"

My gaze was briefly fixated on him with a glare that assured unhappy consequences for acting friendly with the enemy. Professor Birch let out a nervous laugh that accompanied a half-hearted shrug.

"Hm, daughter-in-law you say?" Maxie repeated as he boldly stepped closer to us. Like a fierce animal, I lunged to attack; only the assault had been stopped with an act of humiliation. An effortless hand to the forehead held me at bay. Still, the very sight of him provoked me to throw as many punches as I could. Although none of them hit their mark.

"I can only pity the poor soul who has to be forced to be bound in matrimony with this uncouth child. But I think there's a more pressing question to be answered,"

Using the hand he was holding me with, he abruptly pushed me hard and fast enough to where I stumbled back. Professor Birch was able to catch me before I could have fell down the stairs. Chirpie immediately jumped in front of us; and then moved off to the side when a cookie was thrown in that direction. How embarrassing.

"What would Professor Birch think of your infidelity with another scientist? If it was me, such treachery would be heart-breaking,"

Huh? Was he talking about-

"What?! You've been seeing other professors?! How could you, May?! You're like a daughter to me!"

"He's talking about Professor Sycamore! And you're the one who put him with me!"

"Oh! Right, right….so to clarify-"

"I'M NOT!"

By now, my entire face was red with anger. Stupid Maxie instigating fights; and stupid Professor Birch for being dumb enough to believe anything he said. I shuffled furiously back into balance with thoughts aimed at another attempt to maul the Magma boss. Instead, I came face-to-face with Courtney. Her emotionless features blankly stared right back at me. Of course, the admin's presence nearly caused my body to jump out of its skin. But Maxie?! Where did he go?!

I quickly scanned the area until it found its mark just off to the side. Off the path of the stairs with the gem still in hand.

"I hate to leave, but there are places I have to be, plans to make and people's faces to rub my victory in. Please allow Courtney to entertain you in my stead. Until we meet again, child,"

At this point, my blood was boiling and threatening to erupt from my veins. Just as I prepared to jump after him, a hand effortlessly latched onto my shirt to prevent me from performing the violent action. It was no surprise who was responsible. The hand then threw me to the opposite side where Maxie was; making me roll downhill on Mt. Pyre's rocky soil. Shit, this stuff was uncomfortable.

"…..Hello…"

Her voice was just as empty as her expressions.

" Our Great Leader Maxie…I like him a lot….."

"*Grunts* Yeah? Well good for you,"

Going off from her strange dialogue from Southern Island and her response of 'entertaining me', Courtney was clearly infatuated with her boss. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to mock her interests, but it was too good to resist.

I struggled to my feet as Courtney neared ne with intent to continue the abuse. "…And when you are gone….I will be his number one fan,"

She was going for my hair when a tall figure swiftly landed beside us to interfere. Courtney abandoned her assault to prevent any attacks on herself as she jumped back for safety. Fortunately for her, it was only Chirpie, who was still munching on the DAMMED COOKIE! Geez man! Hurry up and finish it already!

Once the embarrassing moment passed, the firebird squawked threateningly at the Magma admin while acting as an obstacle. He knew we were gonna hafta battle this crazy woman in order to successfully pursue Maxie. Good, now if he could learn to resist those stupid snacks. That would save me so much dignity.

Courtney took out her one and only pokeball and pointed it right at us. Wait, was she gonna-"Go, camerupt,"

The woman threw her pokeball above Chirpie and I. Our heads inevitably looked up at the air-sailing object to see it open. Light already poured out and began forming mass, but we weren't gonna sit there and wait for it to finish.

We both dove out of the landing point of a kajillion ton camerupt. I had to roll down further to accomplish that, but as long as I'm still aliv-" Don't move, kid!"

*Sighs* Right.

In all the distractions, I forgot about the Magma grunts we accumulated on my way here. They held out their pokeballs threateningly towards me; oh like that's gonna stop me when Chirpie's- oh wait, never mind. I was sure that he had been right behind me, but a quick glance behind my shoulder revealed otherwise. The firebird was now occupied with Courtney's camerupt to stop any further advances. Still, I wasn't gonna get myself captured so easily.

With some energy still in me, I sprang to my feet to take out a pokeball and meet my foes in battle.

"Wait May!"

The sounds of rocks tumbling down behind me caught our attention. My head turned to watch Professor Birch clumsily descend to where we were. His breath labored when he finally met up. As soon as the man was able to recover, he pulled out a pokeball from the pocket of his lab coat. A determined smirk manifested on his face.

"You know May, even though you and my son are certified trainers, it doesn't mean you can count me out just yet. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve,"

Another empty pokeball? Sorry professor, but Professor Sycamore already performed that trick at Mt. Chimney; and it wasn't even that impressive.

"Go Razor!"

Wait, what?

The professor threw out his pokeball in front of us; making the device open and pour out its contents. Its light stretched out wildly to form a Pokémon seven feet tall. Once it finished taking shape, I could see the beast with its head raised high.

As it stood as the same height as Chirpie, this Pokémon was a large-looking gecko. Like some reptilian Pokémon, it was the color of green leaves with a scarlet band across his belly and under his chin. His four leaf-shaped prongs that made up the large tail had been a more darker shade of green. His three clawed fingers stood carefully poised in the air. Professor Birch's Pokémon simply cocked its head both sides to take in the scene of everything within his field of vision using black slitted pupils and mustard-colored corneas.

"Mmmm professor? How long have you had THAT walking around with you?! I didn't know you actually had a personal Pokémon!"

"Of course I have a Pokémon! What professor doesn't? But I've had Razor for a very long time. But I only started training him around the same time you became a trainer. Let's just say that after you and Brendan made your choices, I made mine,'

Razor neared the grunts who still had their pokéballs out, but didn't yet have the thought to release them. Before it could happen however, the grass-type snatched one of them up by the back of the hood and shook them violently. The grunt screamed in terror in all ten seconds until Razor stopped. Professor Birch stood in front of the two and cleared his throat.

"You know, (Bob, Andy and Tom) I'm pretty disappointed that all of you lied to me about being a geological survey team. But, I'll give you a choice: You all can either leave now, or face Razor here. Just so you know though, he likes to play rough,"

At that moment, Professor Birch's Pokémon dropped the grunt in favor of watching him scramble to his teammates. From how he got unsteadily to his feet while shaking like a leaf, I'd say they made up their minds. The grunts quickly left us to see them scramble down the rugged terrain until they vanished from sight. Maybe I should get Chirpie to do that sometime.

When it was safe, Razor stalked over towards me with a mellow look. He bent his head down to sniff my head, inspect it and finally start chewing on my hair. Okay, this was weird. Alrighty professor, you can tell him to stop now…."PROFESSOR!"

"It's alright! He's just being friendly! Think of it as him getting to know the family's future daughter-in-law,"

Nevertheless, Professor Birch gently pushed Razor's head away. The large gecko thankfully let my hair go in the process. He now just stared at me with that ever relaxed gaze; I wonder if that's how Razor always looked.

"Now that that's settled, we can focus on curb-stomping Courtney and seeing if those old people are oka-UGH!"

If I could describe the next several seconds in one word, I'd hafta tell you how impossible that would be If the question had been about what was on my mind however, that would be easy. You see, of a rock suddenly came out of nowhere to hit you in the stomach and caused your descent down the mountain, wouldn't your words consist of 'I'm so screwed!' in a never-ending loop? Because mine were just that.

Upon impact of the rock it knocked me back to kick start the treacherous tumbling. My vision could only see everything as an earthen blur while continuing down. But that brown suddenly turned sky and ocean blue. Before I knew what was happening, I rolled right over a cliff.


Ugh, man. I should've said no. I really should have made an excuse. No favor to a friend was worth this.

From early in the morning to late afternoon, being stuck with Professor Sycamore had been nothing short of misery. He complained about everything from the moment we stepped outside. The kalosian ranted about how undeveloped and humid the region was. About how uncomfortable his t-shirt and khakis were. And even my dad shortcomings couldn't escape his gripes! That part had been more subtle, but hadn't gone unnoticed by my ears. "What a shame!" He would say as we walked. "Quite a brilliant scientist he is, but missed the opportunity to work in better conditions! Maybe his son will learn from his sins!" My dad may not a lot of common sense, but at least he's not a jerk! I should have ditched him in the jungle when I had a chance. Well, maybe another opportunity will pop up. Is this what you had to suffer, May?

Anyway, we came to Fortree City and quickly passed right through. Every time I slowed down to enjoy a sight, he came behind to push me along. Insisting that I use my own free time to act like a tourist. He's lucky that I already got the Featherbadge, or else we might have some problems. Why was he in such a hurry to catch up anyway? My dad wasn't really an unreasonable person. But no matter what the situation, the fantasy of being rid of Sycamore shamelessly played like a carousel throughout my hea-"Mr. Brendan, is that you?"

My feet suddenly halted with Professor Sycamore's following suit. I knew that voice! It was undoubtedly-" Could it be? Is that you, Mr. Stone?"

And now I'm confused. Of course it was Steven Stone who had stopped us, but how did Professor Sycamore know this guy? Well, it actually makes sense since they have the same mannerisms. But it was still a little strange to see a kalosian professor casually greet a hoennian rock collector with a friendly handshake.

"Professor Sycamore! What a surprise! I didn't expect to see you here!"

"Likewise; but life is full of surprises….no matter how unexpected they are,"

The two laughed if it was some funny joke before relaxing their stances. It was then that I slowly inched closer to them. Steven noticed my actions and turned towards me. "And its quite the pleasure to see you again," He said with a hand on my shoulder. "I trust your journey is going well?"

"Uh yeah. Professor Sycamore and I are just going through…and stuff. So how do you guys know each other?"

At the question, Steven's face lit up.

"You see…" He began while straightening his posture. Wow, even when explaining something, he didn't want to slouch. "….Professor Sycamore and his employer research the secrets of megaevolution and opened their mineral department to my curious hobby. I help here and there in exchange for sending any megastones that are found, to his laboratory in Kalos. A very fair agreement for the good of Pokémon and humanity if I say so myself. But that reminds me, I have something for you,"

He put his hand into his pocket and started to pull something to pull something out, but another object fell out and landed on the grass between the professor's shoes. Since it was a small, rectangular shape; Steven's cell phone. Out of courtesy, he bent down to pick it up when his finger accidentally pressed and turned on the screen. I could tell that Professor Sycamore's gaze had only glanced at the screen, when a surprised look was suddenly slapped on his expression.

"Professor Sycamore?"

He continued to stare at the screen with the corners of his mouth pulling down in a displeased frown.

"Professor Sycamore?"

The man's eyes flicked back up to see Steven and I staring at him. A shallow smile that showed an unusual amount of teeth was what now appeared on his features.

"Oh, goodness me! Pardon my rudeness! I was merely taken back by an unexpected revelation,"

I was sorta confused, but looking over to Steven, his face suddenly looked like he had been a stanler in a headlights. Clearly, there was something he didn't want anyone to find out. Without any real announcement, he flipped the phone for both of us to witness.

WHAT. ON. EARTH?!

"Steven…why is there a picture of you kissing my best friend?"

"I-it's not what you think! There was this Pokémon…."

Yeah, that explanation didn't sound any better. The guy's face was red and he tugged at his collar more than he should have. Meanwhile, Professor Sycamore's sadist-like smile only grew bigger from watching him break down. When he felt like he was satisfied enough, the kalosian swung an arm around Steven's shoulder and turned away from me. Sounds of whispering were heard, but unintelligible to my ears.

After a few minutes, Steven was released with the phone in his hands. The professor excitedly turned on his heels that matched one of an overly excited child. "Mr. Birch," He began. His eyes now staring at me intently. "Would you kindly wait here with Mr. Stone for a moment or two? There is something that I had forgotten to do. I will try not to be long!"

Without even waiting for my approval, Professor Sycamore suddenly disappeared into the tall grass. Steven was still recovering from the embarrassment, and it wasn't until an hour passed that I realized he wasn't coming back.

*Continued in Chapter 30*