Hi guys,

Sorry for the shorter chapter- I felt this chapter covered everything I wanted it to in a smaller number of words.

MasterFrench- to be honest with you, I'm not sure. I started this account in 2014 so a long time ago and I honestly don't remember what I was thinking. You're right, Queen of Fire or Princess of Darkness does sound cooler x3

The next two weeks were much the same for May. Her friends stayed around her, Ash included. Dawn was eager to return home to see her mother, but also deathly afraid. As were the others. Paul seemed fine with the fact that his parents hadn't been located, but May spotted the darkness that crossed his face when the others looked away. She hoped maybe she could do something about that, in due time.

Her situation with Ash had stayed the same. They snuck around together, stealing kisses whenever they were sure no one was looking. More than a few times, she'd snuck into his room again in the middle of the night. She found that sleeping alone didn't feel the same anymore- she was always thinking about the fact that he was just a moment away, and how much better she'd sleep if she felt his arms around her, or could rest her head on his chest.

She didn't tell him she loved him. There were times- many times- when she thought she would. When a silence fell over them as she looked into his eyes, or as they lay together in the night, talking well into the night. She wanted to, so badly, but she was too afraid. She didn't want to drive him away, she was too afraid that he wouldn't return her feelings and she would ruin what they had. So she put it off again and again, pushing it to the back of her mind as best she could. It could always wait just one more day.

But the day had come- the day when she'd agreed to meet Giovanni, and she would have to hurry if she were to meet him there before he disappeared again.

She hadn't told Ash. She knew he would try to stop her because the risk was too high. She knew he'd be mad at her when she returned, if she returned… but by then, it would be done, and all would be revealed to everyone. She had to do this. For herself. For once, she would be selfish. Once again, she would risk her life. She had to.

It was early morning when she dressed to leave. Outside, the sun was still rising. She'd shoved on a pair of jeans and a hoodie, so she could pull the hood over her head and avoid detection. As she pulled her shoes on, the guilt hit her hard. She should have told Ash, but it was too late for that now.

She was ripped from her thoughts at the sound of her door opening. Dawn walked in, taking a step before she froze, noticing her friend was dressed and ready to go off somewhere. She cocked her head, and May's throat closed up, unable to conjure up any decent excuses.

"You're going somewhere?" Dawn asked, closing the door quietly behind her. May supposed she had no way out of it now. She had to tell her, and pray that her friend would let her go without notifying anyone first. She would have to convince her that it was the right thing, and that included…

She sighed. Her friend didn't sit, eyeing her suspiciously. "Ash and I have been seeing each other," she spat out before she could convince herself not to. Dawn's eyes lit up.

"You're serious?" Her friend squeaked, now hurrying to sit beside May on the bed. May nodded. Dawn pondered for a moment. "When you say you've been seeing each other, you mean…?"

May's cheeks flushed. "We've been together. In all ways." She gestured to show Dawn what she meant without having to say the words. Her friend's eyebrows raised up, her face showing her shock, and her wicked delight. She smirked, nudging her friend with her shoulder.

"Well, look at you. So that means he's your boyfriend?"

May dropped her head, unsure of how to answer the question. "No, not exactly. We've been seeing each other, talking all the time, and, you know… kissing and whatnot, but I'm too afraid to tell him how I feel in case I ruin it. He hasn't said anything to me about it."

"But you want to be with him?"

May's eyes glowed as she raised her head again to meet Dawn's eyes. "More than anything." She paused, swallowing hard, and Dawn noticed. "And… that's why I have to go where I'm going today."

Dawn's voice lowered, her solemn face back, she asked, "Where are you going?"

"Remember when I fought Giovanni, and he appeared to be a psychic type?" Dawn nodded. "Well, did you notice that he was no longer a psychic type when I fought him the second type?"

By the look on Dawn's face, she knew the thought hadn't occurred to her friend. She twisted her face, her brows furrowing. "How?"

"He has this device, the watch around his wrist…" She spoke in a hushed tone. "He uses it to change his type. That's where I'm going."

She reached for the bag she'd prepared for herself, and pulled out the Pokeballs she'd stashed in there. "These are his. I blackmailed him."

Her eyes had widened, and May knew the protests were coming before Dawn even opened her mouth, so she held up a hand, silencing her friend. "I know it's dangerous, but he has nothing to fight me with now but his raw power, and he wouldn't risk using that in public, so I'm meeting him in the city. He's going to show me where he obtained the watch, so I can get one myself, and change my type."

"To water?" Dawn asked, her voice barely more than a whisper now.

"Yes."

Dawn ran a hand through her hair, trying to take in the information. She knew it would tear her friend apart, but May had to go. Dawn had to let her go. She waited for her friend to process the situation, then stood, closing the bag and slinging it over her back. She turned to Dawn. "Please, Dawn."

Though her face was grave, and her eyes gave away the answer she wanted to give, Dawn nodded. Relief flooded May, but she didn't pause to say goodbye as she opened the window and began to climb down the trellis.

She recognised him right away, even though he'd used the same trick as her and had a hood pulled down over his eyes. Once he saw her, he began walking, and she followed, a few steps behind, her hands shoved in her pockets and looking around as though she were a casual tourist. He veered around a corner, and she stalked him, until they entered the woods, and her heart began to hammer in her chest. She thought about turning back, about returning home and running off with Ash instead, but she had come too far to turn back now. So she followed him into the trees, until another figure appeared in the shadows.

She froze. If they were about to gang up on her, she wouldn't go down without a fight. He'd been foolish to lead her into the woods, where she could unleash her full power on them. She didn't know who he'd brought along, but she was willing to beat she could defeat them both.

Then he stepped out into the clearing, and she relaxed a little. He was perhaps the same age as her, his hair was the brightest of yellows and a messy nest of curls. He pushed up the large glasses resting on the end of his nose as he inspected her. Giovanni merely crossed his arms and rested against the trunk of a tree. May remained silent, waiting for an explanation.

"This is Clemont," Giovanni finally spoke once Clemont took a step back, giving him a nod. "He made the device for me."

Clemont nodded. "My whole life I've created devices that have never been seen before, but no one ever appreciated my work. You can hardly blame me for allowing someone, anyone, to finally use one of my works of art."

May's breath caught in her throat. "And you can truly give one to me, too?"

"I can, but do you know the risks?"

She glanced at Giovanni, but his face was an unreadable mask. She hadn't had time to ask him of any risks, but… he seemed fine and healthy, and that was good enough for her. Still, she shook her head, figuring she better hear it first.

"I have devices that can change you into a type. I have devices that can allow you to switch between different types. But all have the same consequence- you will never be able to change back." He gestured to Giovanni. "His curses him to never have a true type. He is typeless, and anyone that assessed him properly would know it. If you perhaps wanted to change into an electric type, you'd be electric for the rest of your life."

That didn't seem so bad- she had expected that. She opened her mouth to tell him that she accepted the consequences, but he spoke again.

"There is also a chance that you could lose a part of yourself," he said gravely, and her heart sank. "Or, the chance that your body will reject the change and go into shock."

Her heart was pounding in her chest, and a sharp nausea rose in her stomach, the fear closing her throat. She fought to push it down, but her hands shook. "And how high is that chance?"

Clemont shrugged. "Fifty-fifty."

Though she was nearly sick at the thought, May nodded. "I'd like to change to a water type."

Clemont began to grind his jaw, glancing at Giovanni, who shrugged. He turned back to May, his face grim. "Alright, so be it. You'll have to follow me. I'm staying in a room in the Pokemon Centre, and I have some there."

May nodded, and Clemont began to walk back the way she'd came. Before she followed him, May slung the bag over her shoulder, rummaging in it until she'd collected all of Giovanni's Pokemon. In silence, she handed them to him, hardly able to look him in the eye. He grunted in thanks, and she walked off to follow Clemont.

His room was filled with machines. Some of them looked worn or broken, but others were magnificent- devices May had never thought of before. She marvelled at them as she waited by his door for him to collect the watch she longed for. Suddenly, the thought hit her- how would she pay for it?

"What do you want for it?" she asked. Clemont shook his head as he continued to rummage through his bag.

"I don't want anything for it, only for you to appreciate it. The more people that have them, the more likely they are to take off, and people will see me for the great scientist that I am."

"Aren't you concerned about the risks?"

Clemont looked up at her then, hurt flashing in his eyes. "I am. That's why I lay them out clearly before the person. It's always their choice, and... I am working on creating devices that will no longer carry that risk."

May didn't have time to wait for Clemont to develop a better alternative. If she didn't act quickly, she'd be forced to marry Gary and give up Ash. She was free from her prison now, but she'd never truly be free until she could tell everyone that they were together- until she could be by his side. She kept quiet.

Finally, he stood, holding it in his hand. Her breath had become shaky.

He approached her, holding it out in his hand. It looked identical to the one Giovanni had worn. Holding out her all-but-steady hand, she made to take it from him, when a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders and pulled her back. She panicked, thrashing against the grip of whoever held her. She had been so close, too close, for it to end this way.

"May, stop." The hands tightened on her shoulders. Drew. Dawn had told him, knowing he would come to stop her. Silently begging for his forgiveness, she gathered her power within her chest and pushed it outwards, heating her skin up. He yelped, releasing her shoulders as he jolted back in pain. In the split second she had, she lunged forward, snatching the watch from Clemont's hand, and flung it around her wrist.

She felt it immediately. Her body was flung back, her arms outstretched, and she began to glow. Her mind shut off, her eyes glazing over, as vines of blue ink spread across her skin from her wrist where the watch now sat, extending across her, up her neck and to her face, even into her eyes. Drew watched, near blinded by the light shining from her, screaming her name, but she couldn't hear him. She couldn't see, couldn't hear, could only feel the warmth within her, along with a searing pain in every part of her. The blue vines extended, travelling through her eyes and down, further and further until it reached her heart, and pierced straight through it.

She let out a cry louder than she ever had, and crumpled to the floor. Her senses returned to her, the pain fading away, but she continued to shake, lying curled up on the carpet. Drew ran to her, calling her name, kneeling beside her and shaking her limp body. She couldn't move. Overwhelmed, she began to cry loudly. Everything felt a little different. She glanced at her hand without moving, and noticed the blue ink was gone.

"What have you done to her?!" Drew was shouting to Clemont. May still couldn't move.

"Only what she asked me to- I changed her to a water type."

Drew's face turned a ghostly shade of white as he looked back down to her, his eyes wide. His lip trembled as he scooped her up into his arms, holding her against his chest. Even his touch felt different to her.

"How long will this last?" Drew asked, gesturing down to May's body. Even her eyes stilled now, her face expressionless.

"I can't say. It depends on her own strength. My only warning is… she may not be the same person. She will act the same and be the same as she was before, but a person's type defines them… she will feel different to you."

They exchanged only a few more words before Drew hurried from the room, holding her tight in his arms, and ran from the building. Night was already beginning to fall as he ran, as fast as he could manage, back to her manor. He spoke to her a few times in a quiet, soothing tone, but she barely heard him, and her mind couldn't find a response. She remained lifeless.

When he burst through the door, Dawn was waiting for him. In the middle of the night, the manor was quiet, and Dawn's gasp echoed around the hall. She clasped her hand over her mouth, hurrying to May's side, but Drew rushed past her up the stairs. He set her down on her bed, keeping a hand on her cheek, still speaking to her, waiting for a response. She pushed, but she couldn't.

"I was too late." Drew shook his head, tears welling in his eyes. "How am I going to explain this to Ash?"

"Explain what to me?" He spoke from the door. Despite her lifeless state, May's heart jumped in her chest at the sound of his voice. She longed for him, but she couldn't force herself to move yet. She was trapped inside her own body, her limbs and eyes unmoving, as though she were dead. She screamed inside her own mind, banging on the walls, but she couldn't escape. She had explain, to make him understand…

As soon as he lay his eyes upon her, he rushed to her, pushing past Drew. All the secrets they'd kept would come out now, she knew. Ash shook her shoulders, calling her name, his face contorted with terror, and she wanted nothing more than to hold him. To tell him that she'd done this for him. He had to understand.

"What happened to her?" Ash demanded, turning to Dawn. Fragile, the girl burst into tears, throwing her hands over her face.

"Ash," Drew spoke. Ash turned to him, the terror still present on his face, in his eyes. "She…" He paused. "She… that watch she's wearing on her wrist, she… she used it to change her type."

Ash's eyes glazed over as Drew explained, but he didn't speak. He looked down at her. She wondered if he were angry. He didn't ask what type she'd changed to. He knew.

He lowered himself to sit beside her on the bed, turning her head to face him. She could see him properly now, and began to cry. Even when her face remained straight, the tears flooded from her eyes. He brushed them away, rubbing a hand across his cheek.

"You shouldn't have done this, May. You didn't have to change your type for me. We would have found a way." He leaned in to kiss her gently for a moment. Behind him, she could see Drew piecing things together as he finally began to understand. Ash turned to them again.

"I'll let you know if she returns to normal."

With his dismissal, they turned to leave, and he faced her again. She was so exhausted from the change, she struggled to keep herself awake as he began to stroke her hair.

"I'm sorry, May," he said quietly to her. "I'm sorry for this. I'm sorry I didn't tell you this earlier. I hope this works. I hope you haven't made a mistake, because…" He paused, his hand stopping where it was. "I was too afraid to tell you until now, but I love you."

She felt her heart soar in her chest, but at the same time crash to the floor. She screamed inside her head. It ached. She wanted nothing more than to say it back to him. This was it- her risk was worth it. He loved her. She cried harder. She'd never felt so warm and complete.

He leaned over to kiss her forehead, and as pulled away, she was pulled into sleep.

When she woke, the light shining through the window almost blinded her. She hissed, raising a hand over her eyes, and then froze. She'd moved her hand. She bolted upright, holding her hands before her eyes. They moved perfectly. She felt everything the way she had before. She cried with relief. This was it. She was free. Her heart soared with a joy she'd never felt before. Ash loved her, and she loved him, and now that she was the same type as him officially, no one could say anything about them being together. She'd overcome her final hurdle, and was excited about the future for the first time in her life.

She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, not caring that she still wore the clothes she'd worn the day before, and ran for his room. She threw open his door, and he was upright immediately, and unreadable expression on his face. After a moment, his frown spread into a grin, and she returned it. She barely pushed the door closed behind her before she ran to him, climbing onto the bed and onto his lap. He smiled as she pushed him down, her lips crashing against his, her kiss rough. She pushed a hand through his hair as she adjusted. With her legs either side of him, she moved her hands to his chest, to lift his shirt. It had all happened so quickly, and May was so ecstatic, but something felt strange, different...

He pulled away from her suddenly, and she still smirked in his direction, looking up from his chest, but his face shook the look from her own face. His face was stricken. She blinked quickly, her stomach tightening.

"What is it?" She asked after a moment. His eyes were roaming over her, as if he were looking for something. "Ash?"

"I don't feel it…" he said, his voice barely a whisper. "You're not you. I don't feel like I'm kissing May anymore. You're not you anymore. I can't…" his voice trailed off as he continued to watch her, his eyes heavy with grief but wide with fear. "What have you done…?"

Horror clawed at May's chest. She moved back, holding her hands up before her. She shook her head, tears sliding down her cheeks again as she shook her head. No, no, no. Her hands looked the same, but…

She may not be the same person… she will feel different to you.

Ash loved the old May, and the only May loved him. She wasn't the same person. Water type May was a different person, trapped in the same body. Her heart shattered on the floor. She scrambled for the watch, hardly able to see her through her tears. She pulled it from her wrist and hurled it at the wall, screaming. It smashed against it, falling in pieces to the floor. She felt the same. She cried louder, and Ash held his hands out, but didn't touch her. He didn't love this May. She was like a different person trapped in her body. She had ruined it after all. She thought she might never stop crying again.

Suddenly, she bolted upright, wiping her tears away frantically, even as more fell. She scrambled off him, hurrying, and bent before the smashed watch on the floor, gathering the pieces. He had told her he loved her, after all this time, and she wouldn't give up on that now. She had to try. She had to do something.

"May, what are you doing?" Ash asked, throwing off the covers. She didn't answer him, only shoved the broken pieces into the pocket of her hoodie.

"Maybe…" she started, her voice shaking, "maybe he can reverse this somehow. Maybe… maybe I can use a fire type device, and then I'll be the same… I have to try."

Before she could say anything else, he was beside her, a hand on her shoulder. Silently telling him he was with her. When she'd gathered the pieces, they hurried out together. They didn't speak as they rushed for the city, for the Pokemon Centre. May's mind raced. She knew there was still some hope, and she'd cling onto it until there was none left at all.

They ran up the stairs, their breathing ragged, and May began to calm somewhat. It would be alright, they'd talk Clemont into letting her change back to a fire type. She'd survived the first time, meaning she was strong enough to survive the second time. She'd be back to normal, and Ash would love her still. Her mistake would probably affect her for a while, and perhaps she'd take a little longer to come back this time, but it was worth it. That morning, when she'd woken, she'd felt free for the first time. Free to be with Ash, to do whatever she wanted in this world. She longed to feel that again.

So they veered around the corner, rushing to Clemont's door, and flung it open, May's breathing ragged. Her heart sank.

The room was empty. He was gone.

May sank to her knees.