A/N: Hey guys! This chapter... is much longer than I anticipated. Whoops. Half of this is just major characterization stuff, and I hope that doesn't bore you! I quite liked writing this (though I've found that I prefer writing from Steven's perspective).
Thank you so much to everybody for following, favoriting, and especially for reviewing. You guys are the reason I continue to do this. I hope you enjoy!
Verdanturf Town was not the most interesting location that May had visited.
She hadn't really even meant to travel there, actually. After beating Wattson in Mauville and receiving the Dynamo Badge, she had intended to go north and be on her way towards Lavaridge Town and Flannery's gym. Unfortunately, she had rushed out of excitement and adrenaline from her battle and gone east instead, and didn't realize it until she was in Verdanturf. Her mother's words about her being an airhead were finally starting to make sense.
Though she was angry at herself, she felt that it would be stupid to have traveled all the way here and not have at least stayed to see what the town had to offer. Plus, it was late afternoon, and she knew it would be dark before she made it back to Mauville, so she might as well crash at the Pokemon Center.
First, she had wandered around town, hoping to check out some of the local businesses. Unfortunately, it didn't yield much; the town's small population didn't call for many shops. Instead, May got caught up with a girl who was crying because she couldn't reach her boyfriend, who was on the other side of a boulder in Rusturf Tunnel.
"I, um," May reached a hand out to awkwardly pat the girl's back. The action just made the girl sob harder. "Well, um, my Linoone knows the move rock smash..." The girl's head immediately shot up, her eyes widening through the tears.
"R-really?" she stuttered, quickly rising to her feet. "Do you think that would work?"
May wanted to ensure the girl that it would, but as she had only recently obtained the HM and hadn't yet had a chance to use it outside of battle, she wasn't able to. So, she just shrugged. "It's worth a shot."
The girl- whose name May had still not learned- excitedly grabbed her hand and started pulling her in the direction of the tunnel. May just barely had time to grab her bag as she was dragged away.
Once inside the cave, the girl directed May to the boulder and continued to shake her arm until May convinced her that she needed to let go if she wanted May to reach her Pokeball. When May succeeded to, she called out Linoone. The ferret Pokemon looked up at May in surprise and seemed to take a moment to let its eyes adjust to the dark. Once it seemed to be comfortable with its new surroundings, it looked back to May for instructions.
"Linoone, do you think you can use rock smash on that boulder right there?" May asked gently, smiling at her Pokemon. Linoone nodded its affirmative before turning to the large rock.
May could see Linoone rearing up for the attack, and just as it launched itself at the boulder, May reached out and grabbed the girl and pulled her backwards, stumbling a bit. When Linoone collided with the boulder, it shattered into thousands of pieces, scattering everywhere with a loud crash. May instinctively threw an arm over her eyes. When she lowered her arm, she swatted the air around her to clear the dust and to clearly make sure that the girl wasn't hurt.
Though she looked a bit startled at first, the girl's eyes quickly widened. May thought something was wrong and was about to speak, but then the girl ran past her with a shriek. May turned around just in time to see the girl leaping into the arms of a man who May presumed was her long-lost boyfriend.
May expected a quick embrace and then some expression of gratitude, or something, but after what seemed to be at least a whole minute of them hugging and May just standing there, she started to feel like she was intruding on something. She smiled to herself. Oh, well. She quietly thanked Linoone and called it back into its Pokeball.
May turned and started to head towards the entrance to the cave, but was immediately halted when the girl cried out for her to wait. She turned back around, and the young couple approached her, attached at the hip and grinning. May rubbed at the back of her neck awkwardly, hoping that this wasn't going to get too emotional.
The girl immediately reached out and gripped May's free hand in both of hers, startling her. "I cannot thank you enough," she looked back at her boyfriend, "You've brought us together. Plus, you've helped out everybody who wanted to travel in this tunnel! Now it's so easy to get from Rustboro to Verdanturf, and vice-versa."
May smiled kindly at her. "It was no trouble, really. I'm glad I could help."
The girl's eyes were wide, and May suspected that she was going to cry again. Her eyes widened just a bit more, and she reached into her bag. She pulled out a large stone, which she held out to May, who looked at it in surprise. It... was just a big rock. Despite her apprehension, May reached out and took the stone, her hand dropping a bit at the sudden weight. She smiled awkwardly, unsure of what to say.
The girl seemed to notice her hesitance, so she laughed. "It's an Aggronite. I want you to have it, as a thank you for helping us."
May frowned down at the rock, and then up at the girl. "An... Aggronite?" she asked.
The girl's boyfriend seemed to notice her confusion. "It's a Mega Stone that will serve to mega-evolve an Aggron, if you have a Keystone and your connection is strong enough."
Though the term 'Keystone' wasn't exactly familiar, it did strike a cord in the back of her mind. Had she read about it in one of her books? No... for some reason, she felt as though it was a newer finding.
Still a bit unsure, May smiled graciously and tucked the rock into her bag. "Thank you very much," she said.
"No, thank you!" the girl said again. "And- oh! I never even caught your name! How rude of me! I'm Wanda."
May grinned. "I'm May. It's nice to meet you."
The girl's eyes widened comically once again. "May? You're not... you don't happen to know a boy named Wally, do you?"
May frowned. "Actually, yeah, I do."
Wanda's face lit up. "That's my cousin! He's staying here in town with my parents and I! Oh, you have to come see him; he's so sick, and that will surely cheer him up! Even better yet, where are you staying tonight?"
May shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I was just going to sleep at the Pokemon Center and be on my way in the morning, but..."
"You can stay at our house!" Wanda was practically in May's face now, though she was still holding onto her boyfriend's hand.
May took a step back. "Oh, I, uh... I wouldn't want to impose..."
"Nonsense," Wanda said, finally taking a step back and waving her hand nonchalantly. "Like I said, it would make Wally happy. He's bedridden at the moment, though I know he yearns to go out and travel..."
Bedridden? May had just seen the boy this morning... though that seemed so far away now. He had looked sick at the time, but she hadn't realized just how bad his illness was.
Though May was a bit apprehensive about staying over with Wanda, who was a tad too emotional for May's liking, she would feel a bit guilty about not seeing Wally. Especially after what he had said earlier that day... he nearly asked her to be his rival, but he just couldn't get the words out. May felt bad for him; when she was his age, she had also yearned to be a Pokemon trainer, but her mother had made her wait until she was older. Wally's case wasn't exactly the same, but still, May felt empathy for the boy.
"Alright," May said, smiling (though it felt a bit forced). Wanda gave her directions to the house and May departed to finish her venturing around the town, as well as to give Wanda some alone time with her boyfriend.
May's "venturing" didn't last long, as the town didn't offer much to see. The Contest Hall was closed and looked gloomy. May ducked into a shop and bought some Potions and Pokeballs, but it was more for the sake of having something to do than it was for necessity. Afterwards, she just wandered around town some more to kill time.
Finally, when it was nearing sundown, she approached the house that Wanda had described. She hoped that Wanda was back by now, or else it would be extremely awkward for May to tell the girl's parents that she had been offered a place to stay.
She hesitantly raised her hand and rapped at the door three times, shifting her weight from foot to foot. After a few seconds, the door opened. A woman, who May presumed was Wanda's mother- and Wally's aunt- stood there; May was immediately reminded of her own mother. The woman stared at her in confusion for a split second before smiling. "Hello," she said kindly. "How may I help you?"
Once again, May shifted uncomfortably. "Hi," she said, smiling weakly. "I'm-"
"Is that May?" a voice cried, and suddenly a green-haired boy was at the door and shoving the woman aside.
"Wally," May said, her awkward smile still in place. "I thought you were... bedridden."
The boy's aunt frowned at him and pushed him farther inside. "He's supposed to be in bed," she said in a scolding tone, giving Wally a warning stare. He shrunk a bit, but still kept his eyes glued on May.
"May's the one who taught me how to catch a Pokemon, Auntie!" Wally cried, seemingly trying to defend his excitement. May was still standing outside, unsure of whether or not she should interject.
"Oh!" the woman cried, a smile returning to her face as she immediately pulled May into the house. The handsy-ness obviously ran in the family, then.
May was welcomed in as if she were a part of the family. Wally's uncle, who May had met earlier in the day, asked her how her gym battle had gone. They invited her to sit and eat dinner with them, and over the meal, she explained how she had helped Wanda to reunite with her boyfriend. In the back of her head, she was thinking about how it was Wally's uncle, Wanda's father, who had given May rock smash in the first place. That meant that he had had the power to help Wanda the whole time, and had just chosen not to.
When Wally started to beg her for tales of her travels and his uncle told him to go back to bed, May started to wonder about the overprotectiveness of this family.
May's dad hadn't ever been around much, even when they lived in Johto, so she had never really had to worry about him being overprotective. And while her mom had kept her at home for years after May was ready to go out and travel, it wasn't exactly because of that. Though she knew her mom would never say it out loud, May suspected that she wasn't quite ready to let go and be left alone yet. She couldn't imagine her parents never letting her go and follow her dreams.
Her thoughts drifted to Steven Stone for half a second before Wally, who had yet to leave the table, interrupted her daydream to ask when she was planning to take on Flannery.
May indulged Wally's questions for a while, after which his aunt and uncle forced him into bed (which he only complied with after May promised she would still be there in the morning). Wally's aunt later asked her what her plans were; she assured them that she would be off their couch and out of their hair by the morning.
"Nonsense!" Wally's aunt said, eerily similar to her daughter. "You can stay here for as long as you'd like, dear. And I'd encourage you to stay longer! The Verdanturf air is good for you, you know," she bobbed her head, smiling contently, "It would due good for a young trainer like you, who's surely stressed out."
"I don't know..." May said, trailing off. She was eager to get out of here and reach Lavaridge Town. Then again, being too eager and getting out of a town too quickly was what made her take a wrong turn and end up in Verdanturf in the first place. Maybe that was the universe's way of telling her to slow down; to take a breath of fresh air.
"Come on," Wally's aunt smiled. "There's a lovely little cafe over near the Contest Hall. They make the best cookies in the entire region; I'd bet my life on it. It'd be a shame if you left town before you tried one. Unfortunately, they're closed now and don't even open until afternoon, so it'd mean you'd have to stay an extra day..."
May knew it was just a ploy to get her to stay in town longer, as it made Wally happy, but she smiled and gave in. "Okay."
Wanda arrived home late into the night, after all of the lights in the house had been turned out and May was pretending to be asleep on the couch in the living room. She heard as the girl tried to sneak into her bedroom unnoticed, and also as her parents opened their door and began scolding the girl. May wasn't sure what side she was on; on one hand, Wanda's parents had every right to be angry at the girl for being home so late, but on the other, Wanda had finally been reunited with her boyfriend and it was understandable that she had lost track of time. Nevertheless, May had continued to pretend that she was asleep and ignore the whole thing. After the shouting died down and the street lamps outside stopped flickering, May finally managed to drift off to sleep.
The next day, May found herself being shoved out of the house by a very determined aunt. May hadn't realized that the woman actually expected her to go to the cafe, but apparently she did.
Wally's uncle had gone to work for the day, and while May had asked his aunt to join her on her the outing, the woman said that she had to stay and care for Wally. The boy was once again too ill to get out of bed; his uncle blamed his little "trip" to Mauville the day before, and May was immediately overcome with guilt. She resolved to bring home some of the "famous" cookies back for Wally and his family.
When May reached the cafe, which she had somehow overlooked yesterday, she realized that it was more than just a "cafe;" it was a full-fledged restaurant. That people sat down and were waited on in. So, it wouldn't be as simple as just going in and picking up some pastries to go. May considered just skipping the experience and telling Wally's aunt that she had gone, but she was determined to bring back something for the sickly boy.
Standing outside and looking in, May suddenly felt self-conscious. Though she had never considered herself the type to be embarrassed at the prospect of eating alone in a sit-down restaurant, she had never exactly been faced with the situation first-hand, either. She quickly wracked her brain for a list of friends; she was embarrassed to realize that the list wasn't very long. Before her journey, she had spent most of her time inside, reading.
She would call Brendan, but she had no idea where he was at this point. He was probably already in Lavaridge; for all May knew, he might have already gotten his fourth badge. She seethed at the thought. The only other person she could really call a "friend" was Wally, who had already been ruled out. She pursed her lips and began to walk away from the place.
Then she had a thought. 'Now it's so easy to get from Rustboro to Verdanturf, and vice-versa!'
She could call Steven Stone. He was really just a few minutes' walk away. That was so weird to think about. Though it had been less than two weeks since she met the man, it seemed like she had traveled so far to get here.
Suddenly, she was embarrassed with herself for even considering it. Why would she call Steven? They weren't friends, or anything. They had only talked once, and it was over business. But maybe he'd be interested to hear about what had happened in Slateport a few days before... that had been related to Devon Corp products, so maybe he'd find it important?
Or maybe he'd laugh in her face.
You'll never know unless you try, a voice in her head prompted.
May steeled herself and headed towards the Pokemon Center.
While May had her Pokemon checked out by the nurse, she sat by the phone and flipped through the phone book. It was right there, listed under D. "Corporation, Devon." In subscript underneath, a footnote clarified, "Rustboro City." Below the listing, there were similar listings, but in different locations. After May triple-checked to make sure she had the right one, she dialed the number into the pay phone with shaky fingers.
A woman answered. "Hi! You've reached Devon Corp in Rustboro City. How may I direct your call?"
May hesitated, unsure if she should list a specific department, or something. "Uh... may I talk to Steven Stone?"
There was a pause, and for a moment, May wondered if the woman had hung up, thinking it a prank call. Then, she said, "Of course, ma'am," and there was a click. Elevator-type music played for a few seconds before there was another click.
"Steven Stone," a voice said, and it entranced May immediately.
She paused for a few seconds before the man on the other line coughed uncomfortable, and she realized that she should probably say something. "Hi! Um, this is May. We met a few weeks back? At Devon Corp? I helped-"
"May!" Steven said happily, his voice taking on a much lighter tone. "Hello! How are you doing?"
"I'm doing good," May said, smiling to herself and sitting back against the wall. His lighthearted tone helped her to relax. "Listen, Steven, I'm sure this is out of the blue and probably really weird, but would you like to get lunch?"
Steven paused for a second. "Sure," he said eventually, and May hadn't realized she had been holding her breath. "I think I'm available next-"
"I meant today," May said quickly, biting her lip. Of course he was probably busy; he was running a company.
There was another hesitation. "Oh... of course," Steven said. May wondered what he was doing. Did he talk with his hands, even when it was just over the phone? Did he tap his fingers, or play with his hair? Was May weird for wondering these things? "Where are you, exactly?" he asked.
"I'm in Verdanturf," May said, and the silence that followed reminded her of something. "Oh! The boulder blocking Rusturf Tunnel is gone, so it's a quick trip over to Verdanturf. That is, if you don't mind a few minutes in a cave," she added.
"Wait- it's gone?" Steven asked in astonishment, and May imagined him furrowing his brow. Jeez, why was she so hung up with him?
"Yeah," May said sheepishly, grinning to herself. "Long story. So, are you interested, or...?"
"I'm definitely interested," Steven said, and May tried not to let the words get to her. "I can be there shortly."
May quickly recited the address of the restaurant before hanging up. She retrieved her Pokemon- Combusken, Linoone, Swellow, and Beautifly- from the nurse before rushing over to the cafe.
As she stood in front of the restaurant waiting for Steven, May suddenly wished she had spent more time getting ready. She was just wearing a variation of her regular traveling outfit, while the rest of her clothes were being graciously washed by Wally's aunt. Her hair was down rather than in her normal pigtails, and she tugged her fingers through it, wishing desperately for a comb. Though the restaurant looked relatively casual, and this wasn't a date, or anything, she was sure that Steven would be dressed to the nines and make her pale in comparison.
When the CEO showed up, sure enough, he was dressed up. He still smiled at her and looked her up and down, causing her cheeks to flush. They exchanged quick greetings before going inside.
They were seated instantly, and Steven gave her a sweet smile as she started to feel embarrassed and started to wonder why she thought this was a good idea. The waitress brought them glasses of water, and May swirled her straw around in her cup.
Steven cleared his throat. "So, May, did you get the Knuckle Badge in Dewford City, then?"
The question stirred her from her thoughts, and she looked up, embarrassment suddenly gone as she burned with pride. "Yep! And the Dynamo Badge from Mauville, too."
Steven beamed. "That's wonderful. And... er... why exactly are you in Verdanturf? Shouldn't you have headed on towards Lavaridge Town next?"
May grinned sheepishly. "I... got a little ahead of myself. I was in a hurry to get out of Mauville, and I read the signs wrong."
Steven frowned, looking a bit concerned. "You should be more careful. You could have ended up stranded somewhere!"
May rolled her eyes. She hadn't expected a chastising from Steven. "I already told you this; trainers aren't scared of stuff like that. With my Pokemon around, I'll always be safe!"
The silver-haired man didn't look like he exactly agreed with that, but he didn't press the matter. "Very well. I trust that you know what's best for your own well-being. So, then, how do you like the PokeNav Plus?"
They talked casually as the waitress took their orders- the menu wasn't very diverse, and many of the titles were of local cuisine that May was unfamiliar with, so she just ordered a grilled cheese- and even on after she brought out the food. As she dropped off the order, May asked her to bag up a selection of the restaurant's pastries to bring back to Wally. Steven raised an eyebrow out of curiosity, and May explained Wally's situation to him.
The man's expression softened. "I see. Well, it was very kind of you to help him catch a Pokemon. Was it really worth it, though? If he'll never be able to go out and travel?"
May frowned. "There's always hope, Steven. Even if his illness lasts ten more years, even if it takes that long to find a cure, he could still go and travel. He'd just have a late start. It's never too late to start your journey; if you love Pokemon, then your travels are just as worthy at age thirty as they are at age ten."
Steven was quiet after that, looking a cross between intrigued and perplexed. He seemed to really be considering the notion.
May felt the uncomfortableness in the air, and attempted to shift the conversation. "So, about the real reason I called you here..."
Steven's eyes flicked up. His expression was unreadable. "The real reason?" he asked. Was May just imagining it, or was there just a hint of hurt in his tone?
Even though talking about the incident in Slateport wasn't really May's priority for this lunch, she wasn't ready to tell Steven that. If it looked like she had a reason, then he wouldn't get the wrong idea; the idea that Steven might start to get the wrong impression of May and think of her as some love-struck teenage girl was nauseating.
May took a sip of water and ran her fingers through her hair; she wasn't used to having it loose like this. She didn't miss how Steven's eyes caught the action and focused in on it. "There was... an incident. In Slateport city, at their Oceanic Museum."
A flicker of something flashed across Steven's eyes for a fragment of a second before he masked it with perfectly-feigned confusion. "What kind of an incident?" he asked. May narrowed her eyes. Did he already know? Why would he lie about it?
Two could play at that game, then. "Oh, just something I heard about while in town," May lied, waving her hand dismissively despite the fact that she had just hyped up the scenario. "There was a break-in at the museum. Something was stolen, I believe." She left out the fact that she knew who broke in, what was stolen, and had a general idea of why.
Steven also narrowed his eyes. "Oh, really? And how did you... hear about this situation?"
He was calling her bluff. "Just from gossiping tourists," she said, with a sickly sweet smile.
Steven flattened his hands on the table. "Why are you lying, May?" he asked, smiling. She wasn't sure exactly how sarcastic the smile was.
"Why are you?" she challenged. "And how did you already know?"
Steven deflated a bit. He sat back in his chair. "Whenever an incident occurs involving major Devon goods, somebody from there has to give a statement for the investigation. By the time I got to Slateport, you were already gone. The cops said they couldn't track you down."
Oh. May smiled uncomfortably, biting her lip. "Oh, well, I... I was in a hurry to get to Mauville."
Steven studied her for a few seconds, his eyes not revealing anything. "I'd like to believe that."
May frowned. Her heart seemed to stop for a second. "In what scenario would you not?"
He grimaced. "Well, not everybody is... so inclined to believe that you're just a Good Samaritan. It looks a bit suspicious that you were in the same place as the stolen Devon goods in both cases."
May flew to her feet, slamming her hands down on the table and causing Steven to jump in alarm. He looked around them nervously, checking to see if the outburst had drawn other customers' attention; somehow, it hadn't seemed to. He gestured for her to sit down, still looking a bit shocked. May deflated and lowered herself back into her seat, still chewing on her bottom lip in frustration. "But I returned the Devon goods to you," she hissed. "Why the hell would I be involved with Team Magma?" she spit.
Steven cringed, looking apologetic. "That's what I told the police."
"The police?" May cried. She buried her head in her hands and tugged at her bangs. "This is what I get for trying to help out," she mumbled into her hands.
Despite the situation, Steven chuckled. May's head snapped up so she could glare at him, which halted the sound immediately. "Sorry," he said, with a smile. "You just fascinate me. I get the feeling that despite this information, you won't hesitate to fight against Team Magma if you're given the chance again."
Though her heart was beating fast and anxiety was pooling in her stomach, May smiled and clenched one hand into a fist. "Absolutely."
Shortly after, the waitress came out with May's to-go bag and the bill, which Steven ripped off the table just as May's fingers scraped for it. She gave him an icy stare. "I can pay for myself, you know."
Steven smiled. "How gentlemanly of me would it be to let you do that?"
He seemed to realize that was the wrong thing to say, as his expression fell when he saw the look on May's face. "Chivalry is dead," she ground out. "Plus, I invited you; I should pay."
Still, he held the check out of her reach. "Okay, how about this: you let me pay because I have a job and you're a Pokemon trainer on her journey? I understand that you make money from battles, but you still have to feed yourself and your Pokemon, along with buying all of the other battling necessities."
May frowned, but she didn't argue, and after a second, Steven grinned. He called the waitress over and handed her a credit card, which she ran and then brought back, smiling and telling them to have a good day.
By the time they left the restaurant, the sun was already starting to get low in the sky. May was startled, not having realized so much time had passed. "Oh, shit," she said, looking at Steven apologetically as he slid on his sunglasses. "I didn't mean to keep you for so long. I'm sure this was much longer than your normal lunch hour," she apologized.
Steven just smiled at her. "Don't be sorry. It was a delight. Oh, and," he paused, pulling out his wallet and pulling out a business card, which he handed to her, "Here. The second number on there is my personal phone. Just in case you ever wanted to get lunch again. Or," he added, seeming to backtrack over his words, "I-if something happens with Team Magma again."
May grinned. Despite the awkwardness that she had felt at the beginning of their meeting, she was now beginning to feel comfortable around the man. "Will do," she said, and shoved the card into her shorts pocket.
Far off in the distance, May could see smoke. For just a moment, a bright light flashed across the sky, mixing in with the smoke. May frowned, and Steven followed her gaze. "That's Mt. Chimney," he said softly, sounding perplexed. "I wonder what's going on there."
May could already feel her fingertips buzzing, and she shook her hair out of her face and grinned. "Looks like I've found my next stop."
