(Author's Notes)

Sorry this chapter took a few days, but I've been very sick. :( Anyways, May gets a new Pokemon in this chapter, plus Wallace shows up! I hope you enjoy!

Reviews~

lightxhope2124: Haha I know right?! He's just such an easy target. xD May will definitely have a reaction to his new clothes when she sees him next, though. And May may not believe it yet, but there are definitely people who care about her in this story!

Guest: I'm glad you like May! :D And don't worry, Wally has an appearance in this chapter, actually~

Goldenfightergirl: Oh, really? I wasn't aware, actually. I knew they must be related, but I didn't know how haha. I wanted portray Lisia as a little more mature and cunning than she is in the games, hence I made her the older sister. Guess it's a little weird thinking about it, but I think it fits for this story.

"Nowhere to run now!" May shouted triumphantly to the little pink Pokemon before her. She and her two Pokemon were currently crowded around a Skitty, somewhere on route 110. The air was tense, and May knew the pink Pokemon had been testing her for the last few days. It had first appeared to her in Slateport, where it had taunted her and then fled. It continued doing so several times on her way to Mauville, and each time the Pokemon had evaded her. But, now that she was getting close to Mauville, May had predicted it's next move, and cornered the Skitty with the help of Tsubaki and Kanato. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves, and then she confidently ordered Tsubaki to attack it. May had decided. If she wanted to get stronger and overcome the obstacles in her way, as much as it scared her, it was time to open her heart up to another Pokemon.

However, the Skitty was stronger than she expected, and it easily dodged Tsubaki's attack, wriggling it's tail back and forth to taunt the trio. May's Grovyle glared harshly in response, and geared up to attack again.

"Wait." May ordered. She had been thinking about it a lot these last few days — this Skitty obviously felt a connection to her as a trainer, so why wouldn't it allow itself to be captured? It obviously wanted to see something before it gave in. May narrowed her eyes.

"You want to know if I'm strong enough, huh?" She asked. The Skitty stared at her fixedly, and her two Pokemon looked rather confused. May held her arms out to each side, staring determinedly at the pink Pokemon.

"Then, come at me! Tsubaki, Kanato, stay out of this. You can tackle me or whatever as much as you want. I'll show you I can withstand it. I can be strong!" May exclaimed confidently, all seriousness. Her two Pokemon shot her worried looks, but May stayed firm. There was a voice in her head screaming out that she was crazy, but May knew that things weren't going to be easy for her if she wanted to keep moving forward. She squeezed her eyes shut and waited.

For a few tense moments, the Skitty glared at her. Then, it started… rolling around in the dirt? And that sound… was it laughing?! May opened her eyes and glared.

"Hey! Don't laugh at me!" She shouted angrily. The Skitty soon stopped at her feet, and looked up into her eyes. Then, it nodded. A wide grin spread across May's face. She had a new partner!

"I think we'll call you… Yui!"

"Woooow! This place is huge!" May commented excitedly, as she found herself wondering around the enormous indoor city of Mauville later that day. She was dazzled by the vast array of shops and cafes scattered about, as well as the large and colorful advertisements, and throngs of people that filled the city. May had always wanted to live in a big city like this, and even though she was exhausted from a long day of traveling, she couldn't help stopping in at a few clothing boutiques on her way to the Pokemon center.

Using her pokenav as her ever faithful guide, May eventually found her way to the large outdoor courtyard in the center of the city. She stopped in at the pokemart to stock up on a few items, before heading next door to the familiar red-roofed building for a much needed rest. However, upon entering, she ran face first into something firm. Looking up, she could only stare in surprise. A familiar face and a shock of bright teal hair stared down at her with a charming smile.

"Wallace…?" She murmured, but trailed off as his two large hands grasped onto either side of her face. Slowly, his face drew closer to hers, and a moment later, their lips brushed together. May was in such a state of shock, that she simply froze in horror. What was happening?!

"Tsk, tsk. You kept me waiting." He commented with a sly smile. Suddenly regaining mobility, May promptly took two swift steps backwards. Then, she let out a blood curdling scream, turned round, and ran straight out of the Pokemon center as fast as her legs would take her. Wallace was left to blink confusedly at the place where the girl had just been standing.

"Ah, look. You scared her away." Commented a rather annoyed Steven, from a chair nearby.

"Ah, well, I suppose that could have gone better." Wallace commented, though his smirk was highly contradictory to his words. What an interesting protege he had!

May slowly walked the streets of Mauville in a daze. What the hell had happened back there? Had Wallace just appeared out of nowhere… and kissed her like that? It was unimaginable to her. After all, her mentor had never shown any of that kind of interest in her before, and they had known each other for quite a a few months now. Not to mention… that was her first kiss, wasn't it?

The more May thought about it, the angrier she got. What right did he have to tease her like that? There was no way she would ever believe that man was seriously interested in her. But then… why? What kind of game was he playing? May clenched her fists as her slow pace became heavy stomping, and the look of rage in her eyes sent people scampering to get out of her way.

So, naturally, when May felt someone tug at her sleeve tentatively, she whipped around with the full intention of letting loose all hell on the unsuspecting person.

"WHAT?!"

"Oh! U-umm… I'm s-sorry… I didn't mean to bother you…!" The teen before her hurriedly explained, panic written on his face. Needless to say, when May saw Wally's worried expression, she felt a little guilty. She exhaled heavily to release her emotions a bit, and then sent him her signature smirk.

"Ah, so it's just you, Wally. Don't worry, I'm not mad at you. Not now, at least." May said with a simple shrug. Wally looked incredibly relieved.

"So anyways… what are you doing here? I thought you lived in Verdanturf now."

"O-oh… well, I had to come see your concert, May! I asked my uncle to bring me so I could see you." Wally said with a bright smile. But wait…

"Concert…?" Was there something she was missing? She'd never had a concert before, and she wasn't aware of any happening anytime soon.

"Yeah! U-um, it's all over the buzznav…" Wally explained uncomfortably. May laughed with false bravado.

"Uh, yeah, of course! My concert." May said quietly, inwardly cursing every bit of Wallace's existence. Is that why that bastard was here?! Wally nodded happily, cleary excited at the prospect.

"But… so, anyways… I really want to challenge the gym while I'm here, but my uncle… he w-won't let me… so I was wondering if… m-maybe you could…" He began nervously, his face reddening as he tried to force the words out. May arched an eyebrow impatiently.

"Eh?" She asked. Wally paused, but then looked up at her with a certain determination.

"I… want to show you how far Ralts and I have come! Y-you were the one who brought us together anyways… and then my uncle will see it, too! We're strong now!" Wally explained to her with glimmering eyes. May hesitated, avoiding his gaze. She was pretty sure that if he only had one Pokemon, and it hadn't even evolved yet… this wouldn't be a fair battle.

"P-please, May…!" He begged, clearly desperate. Wally wanted to change his life so badly, and May could see that. A dark look passed over her face.

"Fine, I'll battle you. But I'm warning you right now, I won't hold back." She stated frankly. May wasn't a kind girl, and she certainly wasn't going to baby this guy. If he wanted to experience the world, he was going to have to understand it's harsh nature. This was her way of helping him move forward. Even so, she couldn't help feeling a little sad.

Unfortunately, the battle was short lived, as May had expected. Wally's Ralts fought for it's trainer as hard as it could, but in the end, Tsubaki was able to land a one-hit KO. Wally sighed as they returned their Pokemon. He smiled at her sadly.

"… I should have expected this… We're d-definately not r-ready for gyms…" Wally said quietly, and May could see tears gathering in his eyes. May took a deep breath.

"We both… have a long way to go. But listen to me, because I'm only going to be nice and tell you this once!" May exclaimed, with a cute wink.

"The most important thing I've learned so far, since I left home is… and I know it sounds a little stupid, but… don't ever give up, okay! If we both keep trying… I'm sure that one day, we will be strong. Who knows, maybe you'll even be my rival?" May said with a smirk. Wally brushed away his tears. This girl… was the strongest person he had ever met. He found himself really admiring her.

"I would really… l-like that!"

"Found you. Again." Steven's voice shocked May out of her reverie, as she sat staring up at the dark sky, from a bench on the rooftop park in Mauville city. Great. So this guy was here too? She looked up at him vacantly. Somehow, seeing Wally working so hard earlier had cheered her up a bit, but she still found herself avoiding Wallace. Steven watched her for a moment, and then came to sit beside her on the bench.

"You said... you're friends with Wallace, right? So you know him pretty well?" May asked tentatively, as she stared up at the black sky, strewn with twinkling stars. Steven looked a little annoyed at her question.

"Do you like him?" He asked pointedly. May puffed out her cheeks in irritation.

"No, of course not! Wallace... is like family to me. He helped me out of a really bad situation. I just want to understand him a bit..." May said quietly, her hands gripping fistfuls of her skirt. Steven sighed.

"Hmm... I've known Wallace for quite a few years now. And even still, it's nearly impossible to decipher his actions, and I don't know much about his past. However, through observation, I've learned a few things about him, and I'll tell you this: whatever he's got planned for you, is highly calculated. He's very serious. I have a feeling... it goes a lot deeper than we think it does, though." Steven answered, watching her reaction carefully. May looked as though she was thinking hard. What could all of this mean?

"I'm curious, though. Are you avoiding Wallace because of what he did, or are you upset that he's pushing you so hard, with the concert and all? I'm sure you've heard about it by now." Steven asked. Night having fallen over the city, the street lamps shone brightly, and very few people passed by them. May gave him a foul look.

"That's none of your business! Why are you even here, anyways?" She shouted, waggling a finger in his face. Without a second thought, he grabbed her wrist with surprisingly fast reflexes.

"To hear you sing, of course. I like you, after all, remember?" He reminded her with a smirk. May could feel the rage burning inside of her at his remark. Between this guy and Wallace's recent behavior, May was really sick of being toyed with. But something occurred to her then… what if she gave them a taste of their own medicine? Determined, May put on a playful smile.

She began to lean in close to him, until their noses brushed. She reached up a gentle hand, and let it graze his cheek. He looked like his usual calm self, but what she hadn't expected was the wild look in his eyes. Could that look mean that he actually…? No, it couldn't be. Wallace and Steven were surely teasing her. She knew that had to be it.

Suddenly a grin spread across her face, and she withdrew. She began to giggle as she watched his blank expression. Had it worked? Did he know how it feels now?

"HA! I would never do something like that. So, you should give up!" May said triumphantly, but as she looked back over at him, she realized he seemed rather strange. As she watched closer, she realized his whole face had gone red, and his eyes looked very confused. Was the usually calm and mysterious Steven Stone... blushing?! Suddenly, he began talking so quickly that May couldn't make out what he was saying at all — but he was grinning like an idiot, and looked more excited than she had ever seen him. What was going on here? May was confused, and more than a little unnerved.

"D-did I break Steven?" May mumbled quietly, staring at him. Then, he froze, and slowly seemed to gain his composure. He turned his head downwards so that his hair hid his eyes from view.

"… You may tease me anytime you like, Princess." Was all he said, his voice even now. May stared at him with a raised eyebrow. Somehow… this wasn't the annoyed reaction she had been expecting.

"Besides that, though, we'd best head back to the center. Wallace is waiting to explain to you about the concert." He said, looking over at her. May was bewildered, but at this point she felt like staying out here wasn't a great option, either. So, the two of them headed back to the Pokemon center.

Wallace was waiting for the pair in the Pokemon center's cafe. He smiled broadly and gestured excitedly as they walked in. May immediately shot him her most venomous glare, as they sat down across from him. He continued to smile.

"Steven, I knew you would find her." Wallace commented happily. Steven watched bemusedly as steam practically began to rise from May's head.

"Wallace! WHAT THE HELL WAS ALL THAT ABOUT?!" She yelled, grabbing him by the collar of his skimpy shirt.

"Nevermind that! We have to get you prepared for your concert tomorrow~!" He chirped happily, completely unfazed by her outrage. May froze in horror.

"T-tomorrow…?"