(Author's Notes)

Chapter seven is here already! :D In this chapter, we get lots of Steven, haha! I really hope you guys like his character well enough. I find him really hard to write, but at the same time I love his character, personally! It's really... interesting, I think. But anyways! I wanted to tell you guys that I'm working on some art for this story! The cover is getting close to complete, and what I have up now is just the lineart (which took me 20+ hours to complete on it's own =_=), but I've done other drawings as well, and I hope to share them with you guys soon~ Also, I decided to switch around the events in Dewford a little bit. Nothing major, I just felt May needed some time to recover her resolve.

Review tiiime~

lightxhope2124: Yes, she certainly will! She's come a long way already, hasn't she? I'm glad you think I did well with Team Aqua! My writing background is actually in horror stories, haha, so I couldn't make a story that was complete fluff! xD Peeko and Mr. Briney are briefly mentioned in this chapter, but they will have a small scene in the next!

gummyninjagirl01: I'm glad you like it! ;) My goal with this story is to kinda have the best of both worlds; a little dark, a little silly, and a lot of in-between. Yes, May's growth is very fun to write! I look forward to showing you guys what she can become! :D

May listened idly to the steady thrum of the engine as her eyes gazed vacantly out over the seemingly endless sea that surrounded the vessel. She was currently seated on the deck of a boat bound for Dewford, her fingers playing apprehensively with her hair. Her experience in the tunnel outside of Rustboro the night before, had left her thinking about a lot of heavy things.

A man named Mr. Briney had found May stumbling out of the tunnel a few minutes after the incident, his precious Wingull, Peeko, as well as the devon parts, clutched tightly in her arms. After having been brought to the Devon corp. building, and being looked over by one of their physicians, she had returned the parts to the company's head, Mr. Stone. May was entirely in a daze as the president thanked her and commented on her bravery. He had then requested that the girl deliver a letter for him to a man named Steven, who was currently in Dewford. May's mind had completely fled her by that point, and she agreed with a simple nod before heading back to the center at a time well passed midnight. She hadn't been able to sleep at all that night, and, at Mr. Stone's suggestion, had immediately departed for Dewford the next morning on Mr. Briney's ship.

May shifted, pulling her sweater closer around her body as she watched the waves crashing against the boat's hull in the early morning light. She had asked herself a lot of questions the last few hours, but the one that had stuck with her the most, was probably the one that would haunt her for years to come.

"If I had died back there… would anyone have missed me?" She murmured the question into the salty air. And though the answer saddened her, May knew that things were better that way. She had never pretended to be a good, sweet girl — a girl that people could love, and she also knew that she never could be that girl, even if she wanted to. May was loud, prideful, and more than a little broken inside. That would never change, she decided. All she could do is keep moving forward, and hope for the best.

May's depressing thoughts were soon disturbed when her pokenav began ringing. The jarring sound startled her a bit, but she quickly dug the device out of her bag. She didn't bother checking the caller ID — Wallace was the only one that ever called her anyway.

"Wallace?"

"No… um, it's Wally." She heard the meek voice on the end of the line, and it certainly shocked May to hear the guy's voice.

"You're all over the buzznav right now… I was a little worried so I, uh, decided to call…" He explained quietly.

"You were… worried?" She muttered confusedly. She couldn't wrap her head around the thought.

"Y-yeah! But, um, sorry, maybe you didn't want to talk right now…" Wally thought aloud, suddenly feeling self conscious.

"Jeez, don't call someone with such half-heated reasons, silly!" May chided, but she couldn't keep the smile off her face.

"S-sorry!" Wally apologized profusely. May only chuckled. She'd never say it out loud, but the girl was secretly glad he had called her.

"But really… I'm glad you're okay, May! You were so brave…"

When May's feet hit the wooden boards of the dock in Dewford town, she had decided that depression was irrelevant, and she had to shake this off. She put on a grin and threw her hands up into the air.

"You had better be prepared, Dewford! May has arrived!" She yelled, skipping up and down the dock. She then jumped down onto the sandy beach, and took off running into the heart of the little town, leaving a trail of confused citizens in her wake.

An hour or so later, after having rested a bit, May was standing before the entrance to the Granite Cave located at the edge of town.

"Ugh! Why did I agree to this, again?" May mumbled. She had decided to deliver the letter that Mr. Stone had requested first, and besides that, she felt a little more training would be good before attempting to challenge the gym. So, even though she thought it a major pain, she decided she had nothing better to do and plunged into the darkness.

She was feeling pretty annoyed at this task by the time she managed to find her way to the main cavern, where Mr. Stone had seemed confident that his son would be. She had spent a solid two hours stumbling around in the dark, battling innumerable Zubats, but she found that the cavern itself was reward enough. The large area had been lit by mining lights that were placed strategically throughout the cavern, and their flickering illumination licked at the walls hungrily. Before her stretched a gigantic painting, one that had been scrawled across the rocky walls themselves, and that must have been unimaginably ancient. It depicted a massive, whale-like Pokemon that May had never seen before.

However, what put a frown on her face, was the man standing in front of it. She recognized him immediately as the silver haired man she had met on the beach the other day. Was this mysterious guy Mr. Stone's son, Steven?

"Hmm… So in the ancient world, their primal forms held this much power…? What terrible strength… Yet, it's certainly different than mega evolution. Hmmm. It seems my questions will not be answered today." The man mused aloud, as he stood before the ancient painting. As May approached, though, he turned to face her. He looked slightly surprised to see another person here.

"Ah, it's you. May… I can't say I expected to see you here." He commented with a smile. May was careful to keep her distance as he examined her. She didn't want a repeat incident of their last encounter.

"Hah, naturally, I'm unpredictable!" She announced with a smirk. Then she looked as though she remembered something important.

"Oh! But you're Steven, right?"

"Ah… I suppose I never did introduce myself properly. My name is Steven Stone, and I'm a collector of rare... well, stones." He explained, as he approached the girl. As he stood before her, Steven took her hand in his own and placed it to his lips.

"… And it is certainly a pleasure to see you again, Princess." He said, smirking up her as he held her small hand. May immediately snatched her hand away from him with a glare.

"Don't do unnecessary things!" She shouted, her voice uneven.

"So, then, what brings you here? Perhaps… did you want to see me again that badly?" He teased, his voice flat, but holding the slightest hints of hopefulness. May rolled her eyes at his arrogance.

"Hmph, as if! I have a letter for you from your father." May stated shortly, handing over the letter she had been holding on to.

"It's so much like father to be this old fashioned." He commented drily, pocketing the letter. He then turned to her with an alluring smile.

"Now, of course, I'll have to repay you. But first…" Steven said, suddenly stepping behind the confused girl. He drew their bodies close together, and used one hand to guide her gaze over the massive painting, and rested the other on her shoulder. He brought his lips to the nape of her neck so quickly that May barely had time to respond. At first, May's instinct was to get away from him, but as her eyes fell over the enigmatic painting, she found her mind going suddenly blank.

"Now tell me… what does this painting make you feel…?"

"It's… hard to explain… I feel strange looking at it…" May mumbled, feeling lost in a maze of thought. The world seemed to melt away around her in a kaleidoscope of colors.

"Yes, absolutely. A primal world, lost thousands of years in the past… A legendary Pokemon of tremendous power became humanity's greatest threat… The terror aroused by that power is clear to see in this ancient work. It's unnerving just looking at it, hmm?" He whispered into her ear, and May winced every time his lips brushed her neck.

"Now, shall I treat you to lunch, Princess?"

Right about now, May was cursing the fact that she found it entirely impossible to reject free food. She was currently seated across from the man that she now knew as Steven, in a quaint little cafe back in Dewford. However, his gaze was heavy on her person as she ate. He had left his own food completely untouched, and instead fixed her with a highly amused stare, that had May shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

"So, you're challenging the gyms, now?" He finally asked, though his gaze was unwavering. May avoided his sharp eyes.

"Obviously!" She chirped with an eye roll. A silence fell over them again, and May picked up her fork.

"Hmmm… then you'll be challenging Brawly next. Your Shuppet should do well against him, consider fighting moves have no effect on ghost-types." Steven commented offhandedly. May immediately dropped her fork back onto the table, her eye twitching slightly. How did he know she had a Shuppet?!

Suddenly, though, his smile faded, and his eyes became gravely serious. May raised an eyebrow, and trembled as his hand extended towards her neck. Memories flooded her mind of that horrible night in Rustboro tunnel, but Steven's gentle hand only pulled down the high collar of the blouse she was wearing, exposing the bruises on her neck from where she had been choked by the grunt.

"This has been bothering me since I noticed it earlier. I'm assuming you got these from Team Aqua?" He rather stated than asked. May found herself unable to speak, her lips trembling. Steven's eyes narrowed.

"Poor thing…" He said quietly, but May immediately slapped his hand out of the way, drawing the attention of the other patrons to their table.

"I don't need your pity." She said darkly, a shadow having fallen over her face. Something lit up in Steven's gray eyes.

"So then, the question is, what will you do from here on out? Will you take up arms and find a reason to fight the thugs? Will you take the path of revenge? Or… will you avoid them out of fear and protect your life?" He questioned, giving her a wild expression. For a few moments, May stared straight through him, her gaze unseeing.

"When it first happened… I was really scared. I almost lost everything. I wanted to crawl back home and cry my eyes out… but… but...!" She began shakily, and then she slammed a fist down on the table. She fixed him with the fiercest stare he had ever seen.

"Screw that! I've decided. I've had enough being weak. From here on out… anyone who gets in my way… I will crush them! I'm not going to back down anymore. I'm not going to be afraid anymore. Team Aqua… my father… it doesn't matter in the slightest. I will overcome them all! I will be stronger than all of them!" May shouted at the top of her lungs, and she was genuinely surprised when the occupants of the restaurant met her words with applause. Steven grinned amongst the noise.

"Exactly. That's the correct answer."

"Wow… that was amazing! We were blown away!" Brawley exclaimed as he recalled his fainted Makuhita. May stood proudly on the other end of the arena, her Shuppet hovering betwixt herself and the gym leader. May congratulated her Pokemon with a triumphant smirk, and then she returned Kanato to his pokeball.

"For such a cute little thing, you really pack a punch… well, here's your badge!" Brawley told her, handing the girl the shiny badge that marked her victory in Dewford.

After finally managing to separate herself from Steven the day before, May had spent the rest of her day training Tsubaki and Kanato in the Granite Cave, and she hadn't returned to the Pokemon center until late into the night. Kanato clearly had the advantage over Brawley's fighting-type Pokemon, and after May's intensive training, the victory had been easy.

"Fufufu, but of course! I'm the full package, strong and cute!" May gloated, taking the badge in hand. Brawley chuckled, and the pair parted ways.

As May strutted around town a little while later, she wondered vaguely how she was going to get off this tiny island. However, she decided firmly that that was something to be decided on later — for now, it was time to relax and celebrate! Her excitement was interrupted, however, by a major buzzkill. Her pokenav was ringing, and she reluctantly dug it out of her purse. This time, she read the caller ID before she answered, but the name listed left her in shock.

"How does Steven even have my number?!"