A/N: Hi guys! Sorry for the wait! My life recently has been composed of a lot of watching X-Files marathons and playing The Last of Us, so I was procrastinating a bit on this. Whoops!
Thanks to everybody for supporting this fic! As always, extra love to the reviewers; without you guys, I'd have no idea how I'm doing. Every comment, even if just a short sentence, really means so much. Anyways, hope you guys enjoy!
Steven had never considered himself a worrier before, and so the anxiety he felt on account of May was unfamiliar.
After Steven had pointed out that there was possibly trouble up on Mt. Chimney, the girl immediately took it upon herself to assume the position of the savior, once again. She said that she just must find out what was going on, and she promptly thanked Steven for lunch before taking off in the direction of, Steven presumed, her host family's house.
"Wait!" Steven called, a bit flustered. He pulled his sunglasses off of his face and jogged the few steps it took to catch up to the young girl, who was bouncing on her toes.
"Yeah?" May asked, throwing a quick, anxious glance back in the direction she had been running.
"It could be dangerous," Steven said, and he felt like a broken record. They had had this conversation before, right? From the annoyed look that crossed May's face for a moment, he assumed that they had.
"I know," May said without hesitation, and she sounded like she had no problem with that.
Steven took a deep breath. He had to bite his tongue to stop himself from going on a rant about how she needed to be more cautious and stop rushing into things head-on. He wasn't her dad, or her boyfriend, or anything; they were barely even friends, so it wasn't his place to try to tell her what to do. Even if he did, he knew with complete certainty that she wouldn't do it. She was truly a free spirit, and he knew that she'd do whatever she wanted to if she set her mind to it.
"It'll take you a week to get there on foot," he said weakly, knowing that it was futile.
"Really?" May asked, frowning. Half a second later, her face lit back up. "Oh! Rydel at Rydel's Cycles in Mauville City offered me a bike free of charge for advertising! I told him I'd come back some time because I couldn't decide if I wanted the Acro Bike or the Mach Bike. But that'll be perfect! How long will it take on a bike?"
Steven frowned, his heart sinking into his stomach. "Pr-probably until tomorrow night."
"Perfect!" May grinned.
Though Steven felt defeated, he couldn't deny that he felt warm at the huge smile on May's face. She was still bouncing her feet, and Steven's eyes focused on her hand as her fingers curled nervously around the frills on her jean shorts.
"I need to get a move on if I want to make it back to Mauville by the time it gets dark," May mused, and suddenly Steven was eager to let her go, hoping that she'd be able to do just that. They said their farewells, and the girl took off once again. Steven had to forcibly tear his eyes away from her retreating form.
The next night, Steven left work early under the excuse of a headache. Though he did have a migraine, it was far from bad enough to go home. He was just tired and getting increasingly anxious about May.
He had told his workers to keep tabs on any contacts near Mt. Chimney, and to report to him immediately if there were any signs of suspicious activity up there. Still, nobody heard a word. He wished desperately that he had May's phone number (did she even have a phone?), or that he had told her to call him once everything was resolved.
By the time he made it back to his apartment, he was even more exhausted. The simple action of raising his hand to turn the key in the lock felt like bench-pressing weights. He flipped the switch inside the door and watched as his apartment lit up, the brightness stinging his darkness-adjusted eyes and making him blink several times.
He walked to the thermostat and turned the air conditioning up several degrees, simply to hear the sound of the air kicking on and making the flat less silent. Then, he robotically made himself some herbal tea- in the new-age way of using the microwave, not the kettle, and he could practically feel his father frowning at him in disapproval.
Steven took the steaming mug with him to his room, where he flipped on the TV hanging on the wall opposite his bed. A news show was playing, but Steven just wanted it on, similar to the air conditioning, for the background noise. He set the mug on top of a magazine on his bedside table and stripped down to his boxers. With the air turned up in his apartment and making the room chillier, he also pulled on a pair of sweatpants before flopping onto his bed.
He leaned over the side to dig his phone out of the pathetic pile of clothes on his floor, but snapped his head up in shock when he heard a familiar voice coming from the TV. With a shaking hand and without tearing his eyes away from the screen, he fumbled around on his nightstand until he found the TV remote. He turned up the volume, eyes wide.
"So May, tell us again about what the rebel group was doing up here," a somewhat-familiar female reporter said. "For our viewers just tuning in, this young girl, Trainer May from Littleroot, has saved the Hoenn region from a possible catastrophe." the hostess threw a sugary-sweet fake smile at the camera.
May stood there, looking uncomfortable but also looking like she was trying to ignore it. She laughed nervously at the question. "U-uh, well," she stuttered, smiling (though it looked forced). "They call themselves Team Magma." Steven looked the girl's pixelated form up-and-down, his tea forgotten. Though she was in what he assumed were her normal travel clothes- the clothes she had been wearing on their first encounter- they looked singed and dirty. There were flecks of black all up and down both her arms and legs, probably from soot. Her pigtails were messed up, and there was a long cut down her right cheek. Steven clenched his fist.
"They stole a Meteorite from Meteor Falls," May continued, and Steven remembered, Oh, yeah, I should probably listen to this. "And they had this- this machine thing," the camera cut to an image of the machine in question for a few seconds, "and they put the Meteorite in it. I think they- they wanted to make the volcano active again, or something. He also said something about..." May looked off to the side, seemingly unsure about what she wanted to say.
"About what, May?" the reporter prompted.
"About how the power of the Meteorite could make a new Mega Stone and Key Stone," she finished, and the reporter's eyes went wide.
Steven ground his teeth. A new Mega Stone? Mega Stones were new technology that nobody here knew much about. They were an item that a Pokemon held and, if their trainer possessed a Key Stone and a powerful enough bond, they could go to a stage past their final evolution; a stage in which they were able to reach full power and full potential. Very few people had them in Hoenn; they were all higher-ups who had managed to have them imported from a company in Kalos, which Steven didn't believe was right. Devon Corp had been studying Mega Stones for months now, and had been working to perfect Key Stones. There had been a debate about whether they would ever be able to sell them, or if they could only give them to trainers who proved themselves worthy. Steven could imagine the prototypes sitting in the lab back at Devon Corp right now.
On the TV, the reporter pressed on with, "And did anybody on this Team Magma seem to possess the power of Mega Evolution?"
May opened her mouth, then closed it with a frown. After a second, she answered, "Well, the leader- Maxie- was going to use Mega Evolution, but then he got interrupted by a phone call..."
The reporter's smile faltered. "A... phone call?" she asked, regaining her fake TV smile.
May frowned, seeming to realize that the reporter was beginning to the validity of her story. "Yes, a phone call," she said, sounding more confident and a bit angry. "They're going to Mt. Pyre next."
This drew the reporter's attention in once more. "Mt. Pyre?" she questioned, interest in her eyes.
"Yeah." May grinned- finally, a genuine reaction. "But don't worry. I'll stop them."
The reporter smiled. "The Hoenn region is lucky to have such an aspiring young girl. Tell me, May, will we see you again in the future?"
May laughed. "I don't know. Check Ever Grande City in a few months, and we'll see."
The reporter wrapped up the story and the show cut to commercial break. Steven sat there, feeling empty as his tea cooled off next to him.
Weeks went by, and Steven didn't hear from May. He continued checking the news, looking to see if there were any more mentions of her, but everything was oddly silent. He couldn't keep obsessing over her, though; it would start to look creepy.
So, with a struggle, Steven attempted to push all thoughts of her out of his mind and focus on his work.
Ever since the broadcast, Devon Corp had been working even harder on perfecting the Key Stones. The government was now regarding Team Magma as a "terrorist organization," and was putting pressure on Devon to have the Key Stones made readily available before Magma made their own. It had taken Steven many late nights at the office, but finally, the prototypes were ready to be tested out.
And that was why Steven was on his way to Petalburg City and its gym; who better to test out products than gym leaders? Gym leaders were guaranteed to have strong bonds with equally strong Pokemon. He had already given one to Roxanne in Rustboro, and wanted to give one to Norman in Petalburg, too.
It was late morning when he made it to Petalburg City, and the town was already alive. Young children were playing in the streets with Wurmples and Poochyenas, and Steven frowned; their parents really let them run around unsupervised? A flower lady stopped him, thrusting out a daisy, which Steven declined to buy; when she insisted that he take it, free of charge, he smiled and tucked it into his lapel.
Once inside the gym, the man at the front desk stopped him to ask his intentions. Steven informed him that he was from Devon Corp and had some new technology for Norman to try out.
"Unfortunately, Leader Norman is currently in a match..." the boy grimaced. "But you can wait out here until he's done. Or, you can go and sit in on the match. It's supposed to be a good one," he grinned. "The girl competing for the badge is Leader Norman's daughter."
Daughter? That'd be an interesting match to see. Steven had only met Norman a few times before, but he was surprised that he didn't know that Norman had kids. Not many of the gym leaders did; some were just too young, but others felt that it was simply too hard to start a family when they were always needed at work. Steven wondered if it was hard for Norman's daughter- not having her dad around. Apparently not too hard, if she had made it this far on her Pokemon journey. Norman wasn't an easy leader to beat.
Steven grinned at the boy at the desk. "I think I will sit in, thank you." The boy gestured towards the door, which Steven quickly slipped through quietly, immediately heading towards the seats on one side of the battlefield.
Steven situated himself before he actually looked out at the field, and his jaw dropped. While he had already been surprised to find out that Norman had a daughter, he sure as hell wasn't expecting that it would be May.
Somehow, neither of the two trainers had noticed Steven's entrance. In front of May was her Blaziken, and in front of Norman was one of his two Slakings. A quick glance up to the referee and the scoreboard showed Steven that it was obviously a three-on-three match, and both had already had two Pokemon knocked out. Steven wondered what Pokemon May had used before this.
Norman called for Slaking to use Feint Attack, and Blaziken stumbled back a bit. After a second, it seemed to regain its composure and steel itself. Both Pokemon were looking weak, and Steven had to wonder how long this battle had been going on.
Steven wondered absently why May had chosen to call out Blaziken last. As a duel-fighting type, it could have easily defeated all of Norman's team on its own. And from what May had told Steven over lunch, she had spent much of her childhood reading up on and studying Pokemon so that she would have the upper hand when it came to looking at battling from the technical side. So, there was no way that she wouldn't have known that. Therefore, she must have done it simply for the challenge; Steven smiled despite himself.
"Blaziken, use Focus Punch!" May cried, throwing her hand out. The look in her eyes was as fiery as the Pokemon before her. Her clothes appeared to be freshly-pressed, and she looked so much more healthy than she had the last time he had seen her- on TV. Her face was red, and she appeared to be panting. Steven wondered why, as it wasn't as if she was really doing anything physical; was battling really that intense? Steven wouldn't know. Still, despite this, she looked happier than Steven had ever seen her, and he smiled.
The fire-fighting type attacked, and Norman's Pokemon, unable to dodge it due to its Truant ability, dropped like a rock.
The referee declared May the winner as Norman looked at her in shock, and Steven wished that he had gotten to see more of the battle. He wanted to clap for May, but as she approached Norman, he felt that this was probably a private moment. He quickly stood and ducked out of the room. The boy at the desk didn't question him as he took a seat in the lobby.
It was several minutes before the pair emerged together, May grinning and Norman looking defeated, yet proud. Steven rose to his feet, and Norman approached him with a smile as May stood in place, looking surprised.
"Mr. Stone, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Norman asked, reaching out to shake his hand.
Steven shook the man's hand with a smile. "Just business, unfortunately." Norman chuckled at the joke. "Are you familiar with Key Stones?" Steven asked.
Norman frowned. "You mean the thing you use to Mega Evolve a Pokemon?"
"One of the things, yes. Devon Corp has been busy perfecting the Key Stone technology. We've converted them into things called 'Mega Bracelets,' but there's a chance of eventually converting them into different forms, as well. We'd like to ask you, along with several other gym leaders, to test out the prototype and report to us your findings," Steven grimaced, pausing. "Unfortunately, we are not able to provide you with Mega Stones, and therefore the technology will only work if you're able to find one yourself." He pulled the box out of his bag and handed it to the man before him, who took it.
Norman studied the box for a moment before looking up at Steven and grinning. "I think I'll be able to manage."
Steven smiled gratefully. "Thank you. It's much appreciated."
Norman, seeming to remember that his daughter was still there (still looking shocked), turned around and called her over. "May! Come here! This is Steven Stone, the vice president of Devon Corporation."
May looked at him wearily, then shrugged out of the arm her father had wrapped around her. "I know, Dad," she said, looking nervous as her cheeks turned red. "We've met before."
"Briefly," Steven added, lying, but wanting to see if he could push May's buttons. Her eyes widened and she glared at him.
"Steven, let me tell you something about my little girl here," Norman started, and May looked at him in horror.
"Wait, Dad-"
"Please, do tell," Steven prompted, grinning.
"She's the best young trainer you'll ever meet," Norman said, beaming. May looked temporarily relieved, as that wasn't that bad. Then, Norman continued with, "She's always wanted to be a trainer, ever since she was a little girl! Even as a toddler, she'd somehow find my Pokeballs and be letting my Pokemon out, all the time. Almost got herself hurt a few times, too, and yet she always managed to do it again-"
"Okay, that's enough of story time," May said quickly, and suddenly she had a hand on Steven's jacket and was tugging him towards the door. "Bye, Dad! Love you!" Steven didn't even have a chance to say his farewell before he was out the door and laughing despite the blinding sun.
"Congrats, you've now had to listen to one of my dad's dumb stories," May mumbled, starting to walk off. Steven followed, not sure where they were going, but not in any hurry to get back to Rustboro, either.
"Come on, it was cute," Steven said with a chuckle, which was immediately cut off when May's steps faltered and she tripped. Steven had to reach out and grab her arm to stop her from face-planting. When she looked up sheepishly at him, her face was beet-red.
"Guess I don't have to worry about my dad embarrassing me, since I do it so well myself," she muttered, turning and walking again.
"Oh, you're fine," Steven reassured. "Consider yourself lucky that you haven't had to meet my father yet."
May giggled, and Steven rejoiced at the sound. It did draw his attention to her face, though, where the cut from weeks before was still prevalent and scabbing over. He wanted to ask about what happened, but he was afraid she'd take it the wrong way and assume he meant that it looked bad. He hadn't exactly had much experience talking to girls before, and though May seemed far from being the emotional type, he felt like he was walking on a field of land mines.
What did girls like? Flowers? Girls liked flowers, right? Maybe Steven should offer her the daisy he had gotten from the flower lady. Yeah, he'd do that. Later.
They reached a small park, and when May went and sat down on a bench, Steven followed suit. He wasn't exactly sure what they were doing or how long May planned to stick around town, but he didn't plan to question it.
When May didn't say anything, Steven followed up with, "So, why didn't you ever tell me that Norman was your father?"
May's expression fell, but she didn't look at him. Instead, she stared off at a nearby pond, the sunlight reflecting off the surface of the water. "Because I don't want special treatment for who my father is. What's success if you only get it through your parents?" Steven took the rhetorical question as a slap in the face, but May didn't seem to be directing it at him. "I don't feel like I'll gain anything out of boasting about who my dad is. Emotionally, I mean. I'm so proud of myself and my Pokemon for all of our accomplishments, and I don't want that feeling taken away simply so I can take an easier route."
"That's... admirable of you," Steven croaked out, his throat suddenly dry.
"That's also why I don't have a phone, and why I didn't have a PokeNav until you gave me one. It's not that I couldn't get one from my parents, since they have plenty of money, but that's not how I was raised. It feels much better if you earn it yourself. My mother lives in a relatively small house, too. That's just how my family is."
Steven suddenly felt guilty and was on the verge of having an existential crisis about whether or not he had been living a lie, but May interrupted his thoughts with a subject-changing question of her own. "So, that thing you gave my dad... that was a Key Stone?"
Finally, something that Steven could talk about without getting too emotionally involved. "Yes," he said, smiling politely. "Are you familiar with the technology?"
May nodded slowly. "Yes, as of recently. Did... did you hear about what happened on Mt. Chimney?" When Steven nodded, May continued. "After that, I started doing all of the research I could about Mega Evolution. After I beat Flannery, I returned home to Littleroot for a while, which is why I'm just now getting here. Professor Birch is my neighbor, and he has an expansive library, so I've spent a lot of time camped out in there."
Steven was suddenly all-too-aware of the third Mega Bracelet that was in a box in his bag. It had been given to him as a gift, but he knew he would never use it. Though he loved his Pokemon very much, they had never really battled together, and therefore there was no way that their bond was strong enough to activate the power of Mega Evolution.
"What are your thoughts on Mega Evolution?" he asked the girl, trying to push the thoughts out of his mind. He couldn't just give her the Bracelet. He could be in so much trouble with Devon scientists if they knew that he gave away one of their prototypes to some novice trainer.
May seemed to contemplate the question. "I think it's a wonderful way to show how powerful the bond between Pokemon and trainer can be," she said eventually, slowly. "It's a beautiful concept, really. The idea that a Pokemon could have all of this extra power, but that it's hidden until it and its trainer get close enough. That's what Pokemon battling should really be about: connection."
Seeming to act on its own, Steven's hand crept towards his bag. Dammit, he thought. He couldn't not give it to her after that answer. He pulled the box out and handed it to her. "Here," he sighed.
She looked at the box in confusion. "What is this?" she asked. Steven nodded for her to open it. She pulled out the thick red-and-black Bracelet. Steven noted how it coincidentally matched her normal outfit. "Is this..." she trailed off, throwing out that sentence and instead continuing with, "Why?" She looked at him then, her sapphire eyes full of questions.
"It was given to me by the scientists at Devon, but I have no use for it. I trust that you'll take it and help one of your Pokemon reach their full potential. It's up to you which one. You just have to find a Mega Stone." Steven smiled.
Steven expected her to argue, as there was hesitation on her face, but that look quickly turned into a grin, and she said, "I don't even know how to thank you. This means so much, really."
"You don't have to thank me," Steven assured her. The happiness on her face was more than enough for him. She slipped on the Bracelet and stared at it in wonder.
"So, how long are you going to be sticking around Petalburg City?" he asked, and May seemed to have to force herself to tear her eyes away from the Mega Bracelet.
She laughed. "Oh, I'm not, really. I'm just waiting on-"
"May!"
The girl jumped to her feet and whirled around and Steven followed suit, alarmed. A boy who looked about May's age with brown hair and a white cap was jogging up to them, a grin on his face. "May, I got the badge!" he shouted.
A huge smile grew on May's face, and she ran around the bench and over to the boy, practically tackling him in a hug. Steven frowned, and he felt his pulse speed up a bit. The pair was talking in a quick chatter that Steven couldn't quite make out. The boy said something, and May nodded eagerly. The boy took off running.
May turned back to Steven, once again bouncing on her feet. "I gotta go. Nice talking to you, Steven! Thanks again!" She didn't even allow him to respond before she was off running. After a few steps, however, she turned around, adding, "Oh, by the way, nice flower!" before going off again.
Steven dug his nails hard into his palm and sighed in frustration. They were always parting like this.
He pulled the daisy out from his lapel and watched as it drooped a bit, already getting wilted. He crushed it in his fist and dropped it on the ground.
