Her eyes fluttered open, but the light was too bright for her to bear, and she closed them tight shut again, twisting her face. She heard shuffling beside her, but couldn't yet make out what the mumbling was. Her head throbbed, her legs ached, but she slowly opened one eye again, adjusting to the light slowly. As her vision cleared, her eyes met with Dawn's, and a wave of relief washed over her. Her friend's face lit up.

"You're awake!" She announced, her eyes watering a little. "We were so worried!"

She turned her stiff head to the side, catching Ash walking towards her bed. Her body grew warm again, and tears welled up in her eyes. She threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around his neck, kneeling on her bed. Her legs burned, but she didn't care. She felt his arms around her back, and the butterflies in her stomach spread across her whole body.

"You won, May. You scared them off. Your mom was a little shaken by it but she told us to bring you here and watch over you until you came around," Dawn spoke from beside them. May never wanted to let go of Ash, but he slowly pulled away from her, and May, feeling her face beginning to burn, turned to Dawn instead.

"How long has it been?"

"29 hours. Ash has been here this whole time. He didn't even come down for dinner."

May turned back to Ash, who was looking away now. So many questions floated through her mind, but the excitement overwhelmed her. For once, she believed there was a chance that he had feelings for her too. He rose, clearing his throat.

"I'm really glad you're awake, May. I'll go tell your mom." He hurried out, not turning back to face her. He pulled the door slowly shut behind him.

"He's in love with you, May," Dawn spat out and smiled.

"What?" May spluttered, facing her friend. "You can't know that."

"No, you're right, I can't. But I see the way he's been acting, and I can't think of any other explanation for it. I'm so happy for you. I can see you love him more than anything."

May looked down at her hands in her lap. "I'm not allowed to be with him, there's nothing I can do about that, even if somehow he does love me back. You know fire and water types have never fallen in love before? It's never been documented. It's believed water types can't get feelings for fire types, and vice versa." She paused, wringing her hands together and sighing. "I would be the first, wouldn't I? And it would have to be this strong, wouldn't it? What are the chances of him having feelings for me too, when it's never happened before now for even one person?"

"You're really going to give up, May?" Dawn stood. "You're the only fire type to ever fall in love with a water type, and I'm so sure he has feelings for you too. This is the first time that's ever happened in history. You're special, May. Something's different about the two of you that made this happen. You've overcome all the odds, that your types are supposed to be completely incompatible, when everyone would be looking at you funny, and yet you've been best friends for months." She paused again. "Ash and I were speaking earlier. He asked me if you had feelings for him. I lied and told him I wouldn't know, and do you know what he said to me? He said there was no chance because you're a fire type. He doesn't believe it could ever happen, and I believe he's in denial about his own feelings." She began to head for the door, but turned back just as she left. "You can't give up on that." She closed the door, leaving May alone with her thoughts.

Her next visitor was Drew. He came alone, his face lighting up as she sat up to meet him. He sat at the foot of her bed, facing her.

"How are you?" He asked. May held out her hand, and he took it.

"I feel drained, but better. What about you? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I hardly did anything yesterday… I felt as though I couldn't protect you, and I feel so terrible about it."

May smiled, rubbing his hand. "Don't be silly, Drew. Let me protect you this time."

He smiled again, but it quickly faded. He lowered his head. "How are you coping with the news of Ash leaving?"

May's heart sank. In the excitement, she'd almost forgotten that he had to leave. "When does he leave?" She asked, her lips trembling.

"He didn't tell you?" Drew asked. May lowered her head and shook it, blinking her tears back quickly.

"His mother is due to arrive any time today." Drew paused. "Do you want me to get him for you?"

May stayed silent for a moment. She knew the answer she wanted to give, but it was no longer the practical one. She shook her head. "I suppose there's nothing to say."

Drew was unsure of what to say. His frown was persistent, and he knew there was nothing he could do to make her feel any better. He stood, still holding her hand, and squeezed it.

"You know I'm here for you."

"Thank you." She forced a smile. Drew let go of her hand, and she didn't move again as he left the room, and she had to fight even harder to hold back the tears. She would give him one last chance. He would either come to say goodbye to her, or he wouldn't.

When Ash's mother arrived, he was waiting in the hall, things packed into a case Caroline had given to him. Delia didn't look at Caroline in the eye, though she was very polite to them all. Dawn kept her hands behind her back, and tried her best to stay upright and formal, even when she began to cry. After spending everyday together for so many months, she didn't know how she would cope without Ash there. She couldn't even begin to imagine how May would feel.

May. She was still too weak to move from her bed. As Ash prepared to say goodbye, Dawn rushed forward, and Ash stopped.

"Don't you think you should go to say goodbye to May?" She asked. Ash seemed to freeze on the spot, and his face became blank, hiding all of his emotions. He was putting a mask on, so she couldn't read him, she could at least see that. He was silent for a moment, before he turned to her.

"There's no point in that now, Dawn," he whispered, his voice cracking as his mask disappeared for a moment. Dawn's eyebrow furrowed, her eyes overflowing with sadness. Ash glanced at Gary, as if silently sending her a message, and then back to Dawn. She knew there was nothing she could do now. It was out of her control. She looked down, and Ash turned away, to say his goodbyes and leave them.

The door closed, and a distinct cloud of misery fell on the room. Drew turned to Dawn, and she knew what he wanted to say before he opened his mouth. She nodded. Both of their faces expressed their sorrow for their friend. One of them had to tell her. "I'll go," she muttered. She headed for May's room. When she opened the door, her friend sat up quickly and eagerly. Dawn took a deep breath and closed the door behind her, but she didn't move away from it.

"He's gone."

She watched as May quickly turned away, hiding her face from Dawn. Dawn began to cry again. She moved towards May. "I'm sorry, May."

"Go." May muttered, her voice breaking. Dawn held out her hand, but May quickly swatted it away with her own, turning back towards Dawn. Tears streamed down her face now, her expression a mixture of anger and misery. "I said go, Dawn."

Dawn couldn't bear to see her friend this way, but May's voice was so full of anger, Dawn had no choice. She moved her hand back to her side. She left May alone, and went to rejoin Drew.

That night, as Dawn curled up in her bed, sleepless and cried out, unable to cry anymore, Paul joined her. He came in quietly, sighed at the sight of her, and lay beside her, letting her curl up against him as he lay there silently. "I thought it would get better once we left," Dawn spoke in the dark, "it's only gotten worse."

May hadn't made an appearance since she'd heard the news about Ash. Drew was worried for her, but Dawn knew it would take time for May to want to come out and talk to them again. Ash meant more to her than either of them could understand, and now that he was gone she would feel as though there was no point in coming out. When May appeared in the living room the next day, looking exhausted and dull, Dawn was shocked.

"Are you alright?" she asked, standing to give May her seat. May waved her hand to reject the offer of the seat.

"I'm fine. What's going on?" She pointed to the TV. "Anything new?"

Dawn swallowed hard. "We were watching the news yesterday. It said people had begun to fight in the streets, that they were hiding all news about any of this from people inside the Arena so they would know."

"And today?" May asked. Dawn shrugged.

"Your mom took the remote from us this morning and we haven't seen her since. I went to watch the one in my room but the TV was gone."

May's brow furrowed. "She took all of them?"

"Yeah."

May looked to Drew. The TV was high up, hung on the wall. You could turn it on from the side, May knew. "Drew, lift me on your shoulders."

"Why?" he asked, standing hesitantly.

"If she's not letting us see anything, there's something she doesn't want us to see. Something's happened today that we can't know about. I have to know what it is. Where is mom?"

"She went somewhere with your dad."

Drew lifted May up onto his shoulders and she found her balance. He walked to the wall with the TV on, but the room was so tall, May had to reach her arms up quickly and fumble for the power button. She swayed, holding onto the TV for some balance, and found the button. The TV flashed on, already on the news station, and Drew lowered May to the floor. They all watched in silence. Most of the news reported for the last week had been on this topic, it had spread across Hoenn and other regions, sparking either outrage towards the Arena, or support for it. Nothing new played at first as they watched clips of Hoenn officials giving statements on the situation. May watched with bated breath as the station changed to a lady sitting at the news desk. She was barely listening as it cut to a lady being questioned. May didn't recognise the woman, but Dawn gasped beside her. They turned to each other. Dawn seemed hesitant to speak.

"That's Ash's mom."

May's head shot back to the TV, holding her breath. Delia was angry, calling out for Hoenn officials to do something about the problem, asking why nothing was being done. As she finished speaking, it cut back to the lady at the desk, and May was almost relieved. For a moment, she believed the news might have been about Ash.

"Delia's outrage comes after her son, Ash, was abducted from her as they travelled from Caroline Maple's household back to their own early yesterday."

May was on her feet instantly. The rest of the words were lost to May, her brain had shut down. She intended to head for the door, but Drew had her arm. She pulled against him angrily, fear in her eyes.

"This is why she didn't want us to see it May. I know you're upset but please don't do anything stupid."

"Stupid?" May cried. "He's our friend, Drew. He came out here with us, so if he's been taken back there, we have to get him. I have to get him."

"How? May, your mom practically has an army stationed outside so no one can get in, and we can't get out. The gates will stop us once we reach them."

May sighed. She looked to Dawn for support, but Dawn looked away. She agreed with Drew.

"May, as much as we care for Ash, we can't go back there. They'd overwhelm us, we'd be so heavily outnumbered, even our powers wouldn't be able to help us. They'd take us back too. Wait for your mom, and his mom, to plan something, and then we can help to get him back."

Dawn used a soft, convincing tone. May sighed, and nodded. Her heart was racing out of her chest. "Alright."

"I'm sorry, May." Dawn placed her hand on her friend's shoulder. May gave a fake smile and began to walk out of the room.

"It's alright, I'm going to go to bed, if that's alright. I don't feel so good after all of this."

Her friend's nodded, and May headed out of the room, closing the door behind her. Once she heard them beginning to talk again, she rushed away, running up the stairs, and turned towards the corridor that her parents' bedroom was on. She hurried to their room, and entered, closing the door behind her. Their room was bigger than her own, with a bathroom attached. May felt wrong for invading their room, but she pushed that thought out of her mind and glided into their bathroom, opening cabinets, cupboards and drawers until she found what she wanted. She took hold of the box and left, putting everything back into its place. She ran, from her parents room to her own, before anyone could see her, and turned the lock. She sat on the edge of her bed, looking at herself in the mirror, her heart pounding faster than it ever had. She placed the box under her bed, and sat, staring forward for what seemed like an eternity.

Her friend's checked up on her a few times for the rest of the day, and she made conversation with them normally. Everything seemed to be going back to normal, as much as it could, and they would resume waiting for something to happen, for some fighting to begin.

When all her friends went to bed for the night, May sat on the edge of her bed, staring at herself in the mirror. By now, her hair had grown to fall below her shoulders and almost onto her chest. She played with it for a moment, before standing, taking the box from beneath her bed, and heading for her bathroom. She locked herself in there, standing by the sink, and opened the box. The hair dye stared back at her. She'd figured out Caroline dyed her hair blonde, and she knew she'd keep some in her bathroom for it. She pulled open the box, taking out the gloves and the bottles, and began. She tried desperately to stop her hands from shaking as she bleached her hair, and every minute she waited seemed like an hour. Once she was done, she turned on her shower, and stepped inside, still shaking, and let the hair dye wash from her head, without giving herself time to regret what she'd done. She stepped out, wrapping herself in a towel, but she couldn't risk blow drying her hair and waking someone up, so she waited.

She didn't let herself sleep, in fear that she'd sleep too long. She waited, until her hair had dried, and took a deep breath, turning to look at herself in the mirror. May barely recognised herself. Her hair had turned a beautiful shade of blonde, much like Serena's. She grabbed a hair tie from her drawer and pulled her hair up into a high ponytail, letting the sides fall around her face a little still. May never wore her hair up, and definitely did not recognise herself now. She headed to her wardrobe, and slowly pulled out her suit and boots from the Arena. She could barely look at them. Holding back her tears, she stuffed them into a backpack, and changed quickly into a casual outfit, a pair of black shorts a floral shirt. Checking she had the money her mom had given her a few days ago, she slowly crept out into the corridor and down the stairs. If anyone spotted her now, she'd be trapped, kept under constant supervision. She headed for the back entrance, and peered out, waiting for the guard to pass, and ran quietly out, heading in the direction she had a few nights beforehand. Once she reached the slope, she lowered herself, wary of the loose ground this time, and slowly let herself skid down it. At the bottom, she ran into the forest and loosened up. She'd made it out.

She looked around. She knew the direction the gate would be in, and headed that way. It didn't take long for May to reach it, and she stayed concealed in the trees alongside the road until the gate was out of view, and May was alone in the open world for the first time. She breathed in the fresh air, and for a moment felt more free than she ever had. She followed the sign for Petalburg.

Once May reached Petalburg, she headed straight for the Pokemon centre at the beginning of the city. Nurse Joy behind the counter looked up at the sound of May walking in. May struggled to hide the fact that she was overwhelmed by all the new things around her.

"Could I have a room for the night?" May asked, handing Nurse Joy some of the money she owned.

"Sure. Follow me." Nurse Joy led May up a flight of stairs and into a basic room. Once she left, May slung her backpack down on the ground and crawled into the bed, lying there in the silence. She was terrified, but she also felt good. It felt good to be free. She could just run away now, but that wasn't why she was out here. Eventually, she drifted off to sleep.

She woke the next morning groggy, and for a moment forgot where she was. Once her senses came to her, the terror hit her again, and she sat up quickly. She fumbled in the bag for her hairbrush and fixed her hair, pulling it into the messy high ponytail again. She grabbed her bag, clutching the straps as she headed down the stairs. If anyone were to see what was inside, she'd be taken away immediately. Once she left, May headed down the main street of Petalburg until she reached the fashion store. She'd seen on TV years ago that they often sold something that would be useful to her. She pushed the door open, heading inside quickly. All the people around her overwhelmed her, and scared her. It would only take one of them recognising her to send everything spiralling down. She headed for the counter, and asked for green coloured contacts. The lady handed her them in a box, and once she'd paid, May walked to the mirror in store, taking them out of the box. She carefully placed them in, and looked at herself again. No one would recognise her now, with her blonde hair, bangs and green eyes. She took a deep breath. The hard part began now.

May spent the rest of the day wasting her time around time. She let herself try ice cream, and spent more time than was necessary looking around the supermarket. When night began to fall, she headed out of the city in the direction she had came, until she found the road she and her friends had travelled down. It had been over a week, but May remembered exactly where they had emerged from the trees, and the exact steps they had taken. Clutching her bag tighter, she headed into the trees. She continued walking for what seemed like forever, until she reached the edge of the trees. She crouching, edging forward silently, and peered out. The walls towered above her, the hole in the wall still there. There were signs of construction around it, and part had been patched already, but the workers would have gone home for the night. Two guards stood stationary by the entrance, guns in their hands. They were quite far away, and wouldn't spot her from there. Seeing the walls of that place again caused panic to rise in her, and she fought hard to maintain the panic attack that threatened. Instead, she backed off a little, and slipped off her shorts, and her shirt. She reached into the bag, pulling out the suit, and pulled it up, zipping it up the front. It felt so much more uncomfortable to her now, but she had no choice. She shoved her other clothes back into the bag and pulled on the boots. She would have to leave the bag here. She chose a large tree, and placed the bag in a section on the back. On the front, she used a stick to scratch a marking. Now, she froze. She stayed still for a moment, psyching herself up for the challenge ahead of her. She had to take out the guards before they noticed her, and she had to make sure she made no noise at all. She studied them, the way they moved when they turned to talk to each other, and waited. She waited for the moment they both turned away in the same direction, and pounced. She jumped from the trees, her power building, and fired the flames in their direction. They had no time to react, before they sent them back into the wall, with a thud. May ran over to where they lay, trembling at what she was capable of doing to people now, and dragged them away into the woods, so people wouldn't be alerted in the morning, and thought they'd just already moved before guard changeover. She raced to the wall, and squeezed through the gap. Once she was inside, she ran, past the broken fence her friends had left behind, and into the familiar woods. Once she was far enough from the hole, she stopped to catch her breath and stood, looking around her. Her heart raced. She was back. Breathing heavily from panic, she found an area of the woods that seemed reasonably comfortable, and lay. She knew she couldn't go inside, for she'd have no room to stay in, and would be caught if she snuck into her old room. It took her some time to fall asleep, with her mind whirring constantly with fear and adrenaline. Eventually, she drifted off.

She woke the next morning to the sound of the birds, and rubbed her eyes. She pulled her tangled hair out of the ponytail and brushed her fingers through it, making it as neat as she could. She still hadn't accepted the fact that she had blonde hair. Sighing, she tied it back up messily. She didn't know much about what she would do while she was here, but she knew she had to find Ash. She also knew no one would bat an eyelid in her direction. Everyone that didn't recognise her would assume they had just never noticed her before, and the guards would just assume she was one of the many people trapped there.

It didn't take her long to reach the field in front of the main entrance. She stood for a moment, taking in the size of the building before her. She'd never quite appreciated how big it was when it was the only thing she'd known. She kept her head down and her mouth shut as she walked, fearing she'd recognise someone and become emotional, or that someone would recognise her voice. She pushed past people, into the main doors, and headed for the canteen she and her friends would always go to. She braced herself, and pushed the door open. The canteen was full of people eating breakfast, as she'd expected. She stayed by the door, surveying the room. Misty and Brock sat on their usual table, but she didn't see Ash there. She kept looking. He wasn't there. She sighed, and walked to the counter, taking some of the old, terrible food she always used to eat, and sat alone, slowly eating as much as she could force down. She debated speaking to Misty and Brock, pretending to be an old friend of Ash's and ask where he was, but she knew both of them would remember her voice, and she didn't trust herself enough to change her tone. One slip up, and May would be trapped for good. During the day, there were far more guards everywhere. She felt surrounded.

Once she finished the food, she left quickly, avoiding eye contact with anyone. She went to the bathroom, assessing herself in the mirror. She still wouldn't have recognised herself, her bright green eyes staring back at her.

"Excuse me, have you seen a girl around here, with purple hair and a scar on her left cheek?"

May whirled around. A young girl, perhaps 14, was stood behind her. May froze, panicking. It's just a girl, she won't recognise you.

"Sorry, I haven't," May answered, raising her tone slightly. She surprised herself with how well she could pull it off. The girl thanked her and ran off. May stayed staring at the mirror for a moment. Could I pull off speaking to Brock? He would recognise me the least…

May left the bathroom in a rush. She needed to move fast to feel as though she was in control. She re-entered the canteen. Misty and Brock were standing, taking their trays to the trash. Misty went ahead of Brock, and May rushed over quickly, taking Brock by the arm. He turned to her, confused. May panicked, clearing her throat, and forced the words out in the same tone she had just managed to use.

"Excuse me, I was just wondering if you'd seen Ash Ketchum? We spoke a little before he disappeared and I heard he had returned but I haven't seen him."

Every moment that passed between May's question and Brock's answer made her more anxious. She expected him to question her, and for her to not have the answers. After a second, Brock shrugged, seemingly not caring.

"He did come back, yeah, but we have hardly seen him either. There's something not right about him, he spends a lot of his time in his room."

Relieved that Brock wasn't suspicious, she pressed him more. "What happened when he came back?"

"I'm not sure exactly. They dragged him back in, and it really seemed like the fight had left him. He hasn't spoken to any of us, but people are saying he ran away with his group of friends that he made. I'm not sure why he's the only one to return, but since then I've seen him get taken out of here to speak with the leaders. They seem interested in him."

"Alright, thank you," May said quickly, and scurried off before Misty could return and speak to her. She knew exactly how to get to Ash's room, but it was early, and May was willing to bet that he'd be by the lake. She walked quickly towards the door and out, following the route she knew so well. This time, she took the quicker way, avoiding the woods. At this time of morning, hardly anyone was out, and it was almost peaceful. May could have felt calm, if she could forget where she was. She was surrounded by walls again, and she needed to find her way out again. By the time she and Ash made it back to the wall, the hole may be gone, and she knew that. It had been a rash decision, but in her mind, she'd rather be trapped inside with him than him be gone forever and her be free. She needed to have him there, and she couldn't bear to be on the outside knowing he was still trapped. She would rather spend her days pretending and hiding and know he was there than stay outside without him. May reassured herself with these thoughts as she headed for the lake. She reached the water soon after, and scanned the area around her. She looked to her right, and her heart stopped. He was sitting, alone, his knees drawn to his chest, staring out to the water, and in that moment May had never felt so happy in her whole life.