Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon

I'm very tired because this is the hardest day I worked at my minimum wage job but thankfully I managed to post this chapter. This is thanks to Lyra Sprinkles that I finished this chapter because we still write together. Thank you.

May's POV

Slateport City.

I was finally here, and I was tired and hungry. It had been a long journey from Dewford, but thanks to Mr Briney's boat, at least it was free. I was now looking for Captain Stern, to whom I had to deliver the Devon Goods.

I trudged tiredly through the city. A quick stop at the Pokémon Center had given me some information - Capt. Stern usually hung out at the Shipyard, which he owned. However, on my way there, I noticed something strange.

Team Aqua was here. Again. They were all lined up outside the Oceanic Museum. However, Team Aqua could wait. I was tired of running into them everywhere I went. True, they did provide me with some training and a chance to kick their butts repeatedly, but I wanted to deliver the goods first.

I made it to the warehouse and delivered the goods to the person who needed them. However, I soon found out that Capt. Stern was in the museum. Which meant that I would have to drive out those Team Aqua thugs from there if I wanted to find him. With a sigh, I made my way to the museum.

Surprisingly, the Aqua goons had already vanished from the scene when I got there. I was confused. Did they get what they wanted?

On entering the museum, however, I realized I was wrong. The pirates were all over the places, acting like tourists. If they were trying to be in disguise they should change those hideous outfits they wear.

So tacky.

I paid the receptionist P50 and walked into the first room.

"Hey!" One grunt walked up to me and poked me in the shoulder.

"Ow, what the hell?" I cried, shooting a glare in his direction. Wait, he looked familiar. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

"Are you kidding me?" He said incredulously. "You kicked my ass before, remember? Here, I'll give you this." He handed me a TM for Thief. "Just leave the boss alone, alright?"

"Gee, thanks," I replied. Once the TM was safely secured in my bag, I said, "No chance. Your boss is going down. See ya."

Ignoring his curses, I made my way upstairs to the second floor.

I could see an old man in the corner of the second floor room, being threatened by yet another pirate guy. But he wasn't dressed like the others: he had on a blue bandanna instead of a black one, and wore a blue coat thingy that bared his chest. Yeesh. The man had a serious chest hair problem going on.

Not to mention, he was extremely intimidating. He looked like he wanted to rip my head off.

I was pretty sure that the old man was Capt Stern. I tried to keep my cool and approached the pair slowly.

" My name is May and I don't approve of you Team Aqua members taking over this museum." I said.

The man laughed. He laughed as though I was doing a stand-up routine before him. He laughed like it was the funniest thing he'd ever heard.

"Hey!" He said, digging his elbow into the stomach of the Team Aqua grunt flanking him. "Didja hear that? Little Missy here doesn't 'approve' of us taking over this museum! Watcha gonna do about it, set your dollies on us?"

I gritted my teeth and resisted the urge to deck him in the schnoz. I didn't know his name, and I had met him barely a minute ago, but he was already on my hatelist.

"No," I said slowly, trying to suppress my anger. "I'm going to beat you. In a Pokémon battle."

The man doubled over and laughed again.

"You're gonna beat me, Aqua Leader Archie? A.K.A. the boss of Team Aqua? The most feared pirate to ever set sail? With THAT?" He asked incredulously.

Aqua Idiot Archie was this close to officially piss me off. "Yeah," I replied, crossing my arms over my chest. "If you're so confident that you can beat me, why don't you put your money where your mouth is and battle my Shroomish?"

He smiled, and jabbed one of the grunts in the side. "She's fierce. I like her." He nodded at me. "I won't battle you today. Instead, I'm gonna do you a favor. I want you to join Team Aqua. We sure could use strong Trainers like you on our side."

I stuck out my tongue and gave him a raspberry. That defiant action told him all he needed to know.

"That's a no, then?" Archie asked.

"You're damn right it's a no!" I growled. "You must be an idiot to think I'd ever join the likes of you!"

"I see," he said. "I hope you realize you're making a mistake, missy. Team Aqua is committed to protecting the sea and the Pokémon who live in it! Do you know that all people, Pokémon and all life in the world depend on the sea for life?"

" We already have people in this world who protect sea and oceans."

Archie turned away and stared off into the distance. I had a feeling he was about to launch into a long, impassioned speech.

"The sea is an irreplaceable treasure for every living thing on this planet," he said slowly. "But with our selfish extravagance, humanity dirties the ocean, destroying this great source of life...our most precious resource. If we humans suffer from our actions, maybe we'll end up getting what we deserve. But what about the Pokémon in our world? The Pokémon that no longer have a place to live because we stole and soiled their seas? The Pokémon that won't have a place to raise their young and watch them grow?"

Yep. I was right. Long, impassioned speech.

As much as I hated to admit it, he was making some really good points. It was true. People WERE treating the sea like crap. Every year there were reports of Pokémon dying because of polluted seas and harmful human activities. I knew this because my dad was an expert on Pokémon habitats, and I sometimes accompanied him on field trips to the ocean. I knew how bad the situation was.

But even though I agreed with him (to some extent, at least) there was something...off about this guy. What was that about "humans getting what they deserved"? Was he some sort of eco-terrorist?

"You're crazy," I replied, shaking my head.

Archie ignored me. "We are creating a world in which innocent Pokémon suffer as the result of our actions...and that is something I can't forgive!"

I was just about to turn around and walk out of the place (with Capt. Stern, of course) when he said something that made my blood run cold.

"That's why I came to a decision," he continued. "The foolish actions of my fellow humans, the seas we have blighted, nature itself - I WILL return everything to its unspoiled beginnings!"

I tried not to let that statement scare me. It was clear that Archie was going to do something very, very bad, all in the name of the sea. I had to stop him and Team Aqua before they could carry out their dangerous plan.

"You," he said, fixing his gaze on me. "What's your name, little scamp?"

I debated on whether I should tell him my real name or not. "May," I said finally. "Remember my name, because I'm going to be the girl who takes you - and the rest of Team Aqua - down!"

Archie didn't seem to react to what I just said, only looked at me in a new light.

"I see," he smirked. I could tell that he was trying not to roll his eyes. "Well, May, I'm disappointed that you chose not to join us. But the offer's still open if you're interested. Also, I'm letting you go this time. Get in my way again and you won't walk away unscathed next time."

He nodded at the grunts and the three of them walked off, leaving me and Capt Stern behind.

"Thank you, May," Capt Stern said softly as I handed him the parts. "Thanks to you, we can now set out on our ocean floor expedition! I will always be grateful to you. You come to the Shipyard whenever you need anything, alright?"

I nodded, watching him walk out of the museum. Devon and the parts didn't seem important anymore in the wake of everything I'd learnt.

I had a lot to think about. I contained Shroomish back in its Poké Ball and made my way out of the building. There were no Team Aqua grunts around anymore, something which I was thankful for.

I could feel that Archie was really angry, with the way he spoke about humans and the sea. But what did he mean when he said that he would return everything back to its beginnings?

I had a feeling that he had said big in mind, something on the apocalyptic level. If that was true, all of us...everyone in Hoenn...were in grave danger.

Team Aqua had to be stopped at all costs.