Hi everyone. Welcome to this little prologue of this huge monster I'm writing. I've been at this for over a year now and I've ben stuck in a rut for the last month. So I though, maybe I'd post something here and any good feedback I'd get might inspire to continue writing? So ... comments and encouragements would be appreciated if you want to see more of this.
A few things to note; this is NOT the final draft of this chapter. Heck, it's not even the second or third draft. It's the first and I'll be posting the ginal version once the entire story is done. I'm working on the first draft of what's going to be a 50 chapter long story and I didn't plan on uploading any of it until it's all finished, revisions and all. But I've been stuck in a rut for the last month, so I thought maybe I'd post a little somethinghere and maybe any good feedback I get might inspire me to continue writing? So ... comments and encouragements would be appreciated, especiall if you want to see more of this. And if it works, I might just post another chapter if I end up in a rut again.
But overall, until the entire thing is done, updates will be very, very slow. Like ... once in a year slow at best. Of course, if I manage to finish this witout needing further encouragement, the chapters will start coming out once a week, so ... yeah. For now, have fun reading this little snippet of what's to come and more notes (and previews) will follow at the end of the chapter.
Isn't it nice to think
that tomorrow is a new day
with no mistakes in it yet?
L.M. Montgomery
Prologue - The first step of a thousand mile journey is always the hardest
"We're in the last minute of the battle and things are heating up even more. Ladies and Gentlemen, I cannot remember the last time I watched such a riveting battle!"
The crowd was deafening as the MC's voice carried through the stadium, but May didn't hear any of it. She was too busy focusing on Drew. Drew, who had his teeth clenched. Drew, who was glaring at her. Drew, who was losing.
"Combusken, use Fire Spin and Squirtle, Bubble!" She cried.
The water fire tornado it created was packed with beauty and power and Drew's Pokemon stood no chance. Roselia and Masquerain both got swept up in it, helpless to defend themselves.
"Roselia! Masquerain! NO!"
"Now Combusken, finish them both off with Overheat!"
It was the first time they'd used that attack today, so it's power was off the charts. Drew couldn't even respond, damned to watch helplessly as his two Pokemon were caught by the powerful blast of fire in midair, falling to the ground burning.
"Masquerain, Roselia, shake it off", he commanded.
But that's when the time hit zero and the match was over. May didn't even have to look.
"And the winner of Johto's Grand Festival is none other than May Maple from Pallet Town", the MC cried and once more, the crowd roared.
May could hardly believe it. She'd made it. After all this time and all that struggling, she was finally top coordinator. She'd made it before Drew did, too. Happy as a Clamperl, she skipped up the steps to the podium, taking her Cup and waving to the audience. THis was the best day of her life.
"Thank you! Thank you everyone!" She cried over the crowd.
Ash, Brock and Max were next to her first, getting hugs from all three of them and Ash even picked her up and spun her a few times. Solidad was next, ruffling May's hair before pulling her into a big hug as well. Harley came, glaring down at her, but even he couldn't keep down a small 'hate to admit it, but you deserve that win, girlfriend.'
Then there was Drew. He was just standing there, a few steps away, smiling at her the way he had in Fennel Valley. The way put a smile on her face as well, whether she wanted to or not. The way that made her wish they could just spend all day together. She hopped towards him and the crowd disappeared. So did her friends. Her cup. The stadium. It was only the two of them.
"You did good", he said, voice low and husky.
"Yeah?"
He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
"Yeah …"
"You weren't so bad yourself."
He held out a rose and she took it gingerly. The old game. Familiar territory.
"For Beautifly?" She asked.
"For you", he answered. "They were always for you."
She smiled down at the rose. Sure, she'd had an inkling, but it was nice to hear him say it.
"May."
His voice sounded far away. His hand was on her jaw, gently tilting up to look him in the eyes. Those gorgeous, emerald eyes ...
"May."
How many roses had he given her now? She couldn't remember. He was closing in on her and she was ever so willing to close her eyes for him.
"May …"
"MAY!"
The crash woke her up before the pain did. Because nothing quite beat the vertigo of falling when you were sleeping. And she'd had a really nice dream, too. Damn that brother of hers.
"Whaaaat?" May whined, trying to untangle herself from her sheets. "I had such a nice dream, why would you interrupt that?"
Ouch. She must've hit her head when she fell. And these stupid blanket just wouldn't come off. Max was looking down at her, snickering. Yep, she was going to strangle him … just as soon as she untangled herself.
"Because your ferry is taking off today, remember? Seriously, of all the days for you to sleep in …"
Sleep in? What did he mean, sleep in? What time was it? She reached upwards, trying to find her alarm clock and it was already eleven? Wow, she really had slept in.
"Mom made brunch", Max said. "So get up already, lazy bum."
"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming already, so get out!"
He stuck out his tongue at her before leaving her room and she stuck hers out right back. At least she was finally free of her sheets. May stretched and looked out the window. It was a gorgeous bright and sunny day. Perfect for her first day on a new journey.
She skipped down the stairs to the kitchen, where Max and her mother had already started eating.
"Good morning, dear", Caroline smiled. "How unusual for you to get up so late. Is everything okay?"
"Everything's fine, mom", May sat down at the table. "I was just so excited last night that I couldn't sleep."
There were waffles, bacon, poached eggs and a whole assortment of berries on the table and May's mouth was watering. Sure, Brock's cooking was great, but there was little that could beat the magic of her mother's brunches. What a shame she'd have to depart from that in a few hours.
"Max said you were dreaming."
"Yep", May swallowed down the waffle in her mouth. "It was a really good dream, too."
"What was it about?"
That … huh. That was a really good question. She couldn't quite remember. She had been on adrenaline at first. Then she'd been euphoric. And then … then what? She could only remember that it had been the best part of the dream somehow.
"I forgot …"
"She was dreaming about a boy", Max smirked.
"I was?"
"You were making kissy faces. Mwah, mwah, mwah, just like that."
Ew. The faces he was making were so disgusting. No way she looked like that when sleeping.
"I was not", she protested.
"Yeah you were. Fess up, who you were dreaming about?"
"I told you, I don't remember."
"Liar. Was it Ash?"
"Eww, no!" Good thing she had a strong stomach. Just the idea of that was so revolting, a weaker woman would've thrown up.
"What's wrong with Ash?" Caroline asked.
"Nothing's wrong with Ash. But dating him would be like dating Brendan."
"What's so wrong with Brendan?"
Ugh, this was going nowhere.
"C'mon mom, May and Brendan are like twins." Max said. "Those two going out would be so wrong."
"What a shame. I always thought you two looked lovely together. Your babies would be so cute."
Okay, now May actually did have to gag. "Why are we discussing this anyway?"
"You started it", Max said.
"How?"
"Because you were dreaming about kissing a boy."
"I was NOT!"
"I thought you didn't remember what you dreamt about."
"I DON'T!"
"Then how do you know you weren't dreaming about kissing a boy?"
That … little … UGH! She was so going to strangle him. She was going to keelhaul him. SHe was … she was ...
"You are SO infuriating!" She gulped down the rest of her breakfast and swiftly stood up. "Where's dad? I want to go talk to someone who has interests other than my nonexistent love life."
"He's in the greenhouse, tending to the Pokemon. I'm sure he'd love your help."
"I wanna help, too!" Max cried.
"No way! I'm going there to get away from you." She stuck her tongue out again. "Besides, you can help dad anyday. I only have today with him."
And with that, she stormed out of the house. Still fuming because Max just made her mad like that. Stupid know-it-all. Like she'd be dreaming about any boy. If she'd be dreaming at all, it would probably be about how she'd win the Grand Festival. Yeah, that's probably what it had been. Anything else wouldn't make any sense. Stupid Max. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Still though … she would miss home. She always did. As much as she loved adventuring and exploring, in the end, there really was no place like home, even if Max was in it. How much different would it be travelling alone? Would it be quiet? Lonely?
Those were the thoughts running through May's head as she walked down the familiar streets of her home, greeting the one or the other fan when they recognized her. Lucky for her, the greenhouse wasn't too far away.
"Hey dad? Are you there?" May cried when she entered the greenhouse.
"Over here!" He cried.
Great. Where was 'over here' supposed to be anyway? The greenhouse was one huge jungle. But if she listened closely, May could hear the splashing of water, which was a little unusual, so she followed that sound. Skitty came running towards her, excitedly bouncing around her feet.
"Hi Skitty. Sleep well?" May asked, crouching down to pick him up.
Skitty cried in delight and wriggled around in May's arm until he could lick her face. May couldn't help but giggle at that. Skitty had always been her most playful Pokemon.
"Can you take me to dad, Skitty?" May asked.
Skitty cried again and hopped off May's arms, running off as excitedly as he had towards May. SHe had to run to keep up with him.
"Not so fast!"
She was a little out of breath by the time she'd reached her father, who was spray cleaning his Slayking at the pond. So that's where the water noises came from. And of course, Skitty was already playing with the water, hopping around the stream from the hose
"Good morning, honey", Norman smiled. "You're up pretty late. Couldn't sleep last night?"
"Not one wink. I was so excited. Still am!"
"First time going off on your own. Must be scary, huh?"
"Hmmm … not really. I mean, I expected to be on my own on my first journey, too. I ended up travelling with Ash by coincidence. And now that I've actually traveled, I feel much more prepared than the first time."
That made Norman smile. "My daughter's all grown up, huh?" He said whimsically. "Next thing I know, I'll be walking you down the aisle."
Oh no, not him, too.
"Can we not talk about boys please?"
"Uhh … certainly."
The confusion was obvious on his face and May sighed. Her dad was as dense as ever, huh? He kind of reminded her of Ash sometimes. No wonder her mother was so fond of him.
"Why don't you help me wash Slaking then?" He suggested. "It's been a while since I've given him a good rubdown."
"Of course."
Much better. Much, much better. Tending to Pokemon was nice. Plus, to her, it was a new way of bonding with her father. One she wished she would've discovered years ago. Though to be fair, Slaking still did intimidate her a bit sometimes. Right now however, he was being a peaceful lazybum and that's how May liked him best. So she grabbed the liquid soap and the brush next to her dad and began soaking the giant up. When he yawned and stretched out to show how much he was enjoying the treatment, May couldn't quite keep in a giggle.
"At times like this, it still amazes me how much you've grown", Norman said. "NOt too long ago, you wouldn't have gotten near Slaking within a ten foot radius."
"Like you said, I'm all grown up. By the way, have you seen the rest of my Pokemon today? I need to get them ready for the journey."
"They're all around here somewhere. I'm sure they'll come if you call for them. Who are you taking?"
"I was thinking I'd start off with Combusken, Beautifly, Eevee and Squirtle. Eevee and Squirtle because they're my youngest, so I want to work with them a little more. Beautifly and Combusken because they're the most experienced, so I know I can rely on them if I get into any iffy situations."
It was then that Blaziken appeared out of the bushes, arms crossed and staring May down. She had a good guess as to why.
"Oh right … you're Blaziken now. I'm sorry, I haven't quite gotten used to it yet."
Blaziken grunted his name, walked over to May and ruffled her hair.
"Good morning to you, too", she giggled.
"Looks like Blaziken developed a grumpy streak when he evolved", Norman said.
"Nah, he's just a big tsundere. Underneath it all, he's still as sweet as ever."
SHe just had to hug him. Because it was true, he was a sweetheart and now he was much bigger but just as fluffy and she just loved him so much. SHe didn't even care that he was trying to get her off him, because she was soaked from head to toe and he was still a fire Pokemon.
"Alright, alright, I get the message", she laughed. "But could you do me a favor? Find Eevee, Beautifly and Squirtle for me? Once I'm done helping dad, it'll be time for all of you to get back in your Pokeballs."
Blaziken nodded and disappeared back into the forest that was the greenhouse. May stared after him for a bit. Her dad, unnoticed by her, did too.
"You raised that Blaziken magnificently", he praised. "There's power basically radiating off him. He could probably give even my Slaking a run for its money."
Wow. That was high praise from her dad, the gym leader who could even make it into the elite four if he wanted to. May could feel her chest swelling.
"I want to try that", she cried. "Let's have a battle. My Blaziken against your Slaking!"
Norman laughed. "I don't think we'll have time for that today. We'll have to leave soon and you're not even dressed yet. How about next time you come home, hmm?"
Oh yeah. SHe had overslept. May had almost forgotten about that fact. Next time she came home it was. It would probably be after she'd completed the Johto circuit, meaning her Blaziken would be even stronger. PLus, she'd actually know him better then. As much time as May had spent with her starter, as a Blaziken, his abilities were still a bit of an enigma to her.
"Next time it is!"
"Good. Now what say you we finish up with Slaking here so you can go get ready?"
May let out a sheepish giggle, but finished soaping Slaking down, all the while shooing her Skitty away on a regular basis who just wouldn't stop trying to get the over overgrown ape to play with him. They were almost done when Beautifly came soaring out of the bushes, landing on her head.
"Hi Beautifly. Ready to go?"
Beautifly chirped her name and that's when Blaziken came out of the woodworks too, Eevee at his heels and holding a protesting Squirtle by the tail.
"What's up with you two?" May asked.
Squirtle and Blaziken glared at each other for a bit, before Blaziken unceremoniously dropped the water Pokemon in his grasp. Guess Blaziken must've unwillingly pulled him away from something.
"Alright you two, let's break this up before it turns into a fight", May pulled out her Pokeballs. "You guys ready to get back on the road?"
THis managed to cheer Squirtle up immediately and hopped towards May gleefully. She laughed, summoning him back into his Pokeball, Blaziken, Eevee and Beautifly following suit. Skitty was crying at her feet and May picked her up gingerly.
"I'm sorry baby", she cooed. "I'll get you once I get the hang of things in Johto, I promise. Until then, stay here and be a good boy, okay? Don't give my mom too much trouble."
Skitty cried again and rubbed his head against May's affectionately, a gesture she was ever so willing to indulge in. She wondered where Munchlax and Bulbasaur were. She wanted to say goodbye to them as well.
"Don't worry about them", Norman said. "I'm sure your mother will do all she can to fuss over them in your place. Now go, you have to get ready."
"Thanks dad. See you in a bit."
Just like that, she strolled back towards the Gym, once again feeling complete now that she had her some Pokeballs with her again. Odd how feeling their weight had become so second nature that she felt naked without them, even after a full week of being home.
"May?", Caroline called when May entered the house.
"Yeah? What is it mom?"
Her mother's head popped up around the corner. "Come here for a second?"
"Uhh … sure …"
May wondered what she could want as she walked into the living room. Her mother was fishing something out of a bag. What could it be?
"There we go", Caroline said and what she pulled out of the bag looked like fabric. "Your old clothes were getting a bit too small. NOt to mention, they looked a bit torn after all those adventures you had, so I bought you some new ones."
Her mother. Her dearest, dearest mother. Always thinking of her, always looking out for her. It deserved a hug. MAy would miss her most of all.
"Thanks mom", she whispered into her chest.
"You haven't even looked at them yet", Caroline blinked.
"DOesn't matter. You got them for me, so I know they'll look great."
The brought a smile to Caroline's face and she tenderly hugged her daughter back. It was then that May understood that she wasn't the only one missing people while she was gone.
"Promise to call once in a while, alright?" Caroline smiled.
"Of course, mom. I'll call before and after every contest. I promise."
She knew she'd keep that promise. That's what she'd done so far after all. She gave Caroline one last smile when she was let go and jumped up to her room to get ready. A morning routine consisting of combing her hair, brushing her teeth and an intricate facial routine later, she finally had a look at what her mother got for her. A new pair of bicycle shorts (she'd never gotten a new bike from Ash, now that she thought about it), a new bandana and fanny pack in matching green colors and an orange mini tunic. Stylish and practical, right up May's ally. Her mother had even thought of new shoes and gloves for her. It was absolutely perfect. She looked at the clock. 13.30 already. Where had the time gone? Oh right, she'd overslept. Oops.
"Not too shabby", Max was leaning against her door frame, smirking, "for a dweeb."
"Don't you have some Pokemon trivia to fawn over, nerd?" May spat back.
"I'm not a nerd!" Max cried.
"If I'm a dweeb, you're a nerd."
"At least I don't go around dreaming of kissing boys. Mwah, mwah, mwah!"
She could feel the blood rush to her face in anger. "I WAS NOT DREAMING ABOUT KISSING BOYS!" She hollored.
"Mwah, mwah!"
That little … he was … she was gonna … GRRAH! "I'M GONNA HURT YOU!" She lunged at him and that little dirtbag had the audacity to dodge. So she lunged at him again.
"Hi, I'm May and I'm so boy crazy I even dream about them at night", he laughed, dancing out of her reach.
He was so dead. The moment she got him into her fingers, he was going to die.
"SHUT UP!" She yelled.
"You still haven't told me who you were dreaming about. It's gotta be Ash."
"NEVER!"
"May and Ash, sitting in a tree!"
"I'M GONNA SLAP YOU!"
The slap came several minutes later and it was loud enough to echo around the house. The sound of a young boy's wailing followed shortly after. May was still fuming when she reentered the living room, aggressively sitting down on the couch. Her mother entered and she heard it long before she saw it.
"He had it coming", she huffed before Caroline could even open her mouth.
"That he did", she sighed. "But next time maybe try slapping him a little less hard. That cheek is going to glow red for at least a week."
"I make no promises."
Caroline sighed again, but dropped the topic anyways. She sat down on the couch next to her daughter, gently patting her head. It never failed to alleviate any mood May might be in and put a smile on her face. This time was no different.
"Do you have everything you need?" Caroline asked.
"Yep."
"Your PokeNav?"
"Right here", May fished it out of her fanny pack.
"Your Pokemon?"
"Got them just earlier."
"Boat tickets?"
"Yep."
"Spare clothes?"
"Yes."
"Hygiene products?"
" And my wallet and the updated Pokedex and the note for Professor Elm that Professor Birch gave me."
"Looks like you're well prepared."
"Of course", May giggled. "You've haunted me for three days making sure I have everything together after all."
"I know. It's just … Johto's so far away. I get worried."
"It's right next to Kanto, mom."
"But you were with Ash and Brock when you were in Kanto, so I knew you'd be safe."
Safe? With ASh? And all the trouble they kept getting into? Good thing her mother had no idea or she'd never let May out of the house again.
"It'll be fine, mom", May smiled. "Ash has a lot of friends over there that I can call if anything goes wrong. Plus, my own friends will be there too."
"You mean Drew, right? He did give off a fairly reliable impression …"
"Yep. And I know you never met Solidad, but she's easily as reliable as Brock."
She wouldn't mention that Harley would be there. It was impossible to tell what impression her mother had of him. Not to mention, just thinking about him unnerved her as well.
"Well alright. I'll trust your judgement."
"Thanks mom. Now how about we get going? It's not the shortest of rides to Slateport."
"Of course. Why don't you go say goodbye to your father while I fetch Max."
That's exactly what she did. He had finished up in the greenhouse while she was getting ready, so she found tending to the Gym, like always. She knew there'd be a challenger later today, when she'd be halfway to Slateport.
"Time to go?" He asked when he spotted her.
"Yeah. Want to make sure I don't have to hassle."
"Smart girl."
He pulled her into one of the biggest bear hugs he'd ever given her and she hugged him back with just as much enthusiasm. It would, after all, be the last time in a while she'd see him. She already missed him.
"You be safe now."
"Yes, daddy."
"And make sure you kick butt out there."
"Of course daddy."
"I love you, baby girl."
"I love you too, daddy."
Then, and only then, did he release her. She gave him one more quick peck on the cheek, before finally turning and leaving.
Her mother was already waiting by the car with Max and that was when the anxiety started. Did she really have everything? Was she forgetting anything important? She just couldn't shake the feeling that she had.
"Ready to go?" Caroline asked.
May took a deep breath to fight down the anxiety. Didn't quite work though.
"Yes." She said, sounding a lot more confident than she felt.
The car ride was eerily quiet at first. May's head was far away as she watched the scenery of her home region pass by. Johto, huh? A whole new region she'd go to all by herself. Funny how she was more anxious about that than she'd been going on her first adventure. Maybe that was exactly the reason why; now that she had experience, she was painfully aware of what she was lacking and what could go wrong. Ash and Brock had always been there to help her out. Would she really be alright without them?
"You know … Ash and I met an archeologist here", she said, more to herself than her family when she saw the sign for Oldale Town. "He showed us some ruins and we discovered a new part of them together."
"THat sounds exciting", Caroline said.
"And of course, I wasn't part of it", Max pouted, but May hardly listened.
"It's also where I tried catching my first Pokemon. But I didn't know anything about them yet, so I failed miserably."
"I take it you learned from that experience?"
"Yeah … Ash taught me a lot of the basics that day. Looking back at it, he was so patient with me. I'm sure I would've ripped my hair out in frustration if I had to watch a rookie make such obvious mistakes."
"You would probably still rip your hair out if you could watch yourself today. You still suck after all."
"No picking fights with your sister today, Max", Caroline chided.
"Yes, mom."
May had to snicker at that. Her mother usually left them to their own devices when they bickered. Fighting was part of being siblings, she always said, so it was so nice and endlessly satisfying to see her shutting that know-it-all brother of hers up.
"Tell me more", Caroline said. "What else did you learn?"
As if she and Max hadn't spent that entire last week telling her mother all about their adventures … minus the super dangerous stopping evil organisations part of course. And still, Caroline wanted to hear more. It really was a blessing to have a mother like her, wanting to hear and know everything her children wanted to share. And now that May watched the landscape of Hoenn passing by, other memories surfaced. It was the small, everyday moments in between the exciting stuff. The many mistakes she made at the beginning of her journey and the many hours Ash patiently taught her to handle, catch, train and battle with Pokemon. The rests they'd take in the middle of a forest or field and enjoy some Brock's delicious food. When they'd find a Pokemon they'd never seen before and marveled at it. The mundane suddenly became the thing she remembered and longed for most. And the mundane is what she suddenly understood she had parted with when she had decided to travel Johto by herself.
"It sounds lovely, darling", Caroline smiled when May had finished talking.
"Yeah … yeah it was."
They were almost in Slateport and just like that, more memories popped up. Memories of her first contest. Of meeting Drew. Of hating his guts and being charmed by his skill. Of being frustrated over her ineptitude in the contest and being cheered up by his underhanded compliments. Of roses. Lots and lots of roses. For Beautifly, but not really. What was he doing now? Was he already in Johto? Would she see him? No, she certainly would, but how soon? She found that moment that she wanted it to be sooner rather than later. The idea of maybe not meeting him until the Grand Festival didn't sit right with her.
"You sure it wasn't Drew you were dreaming about?" Max teased.
"Mom said no fighting", May shot back and that shut him up immediately.
"I'm sure you'll see him again soon, honey", Caroline smiled. "Who knows, maybe he's already in Cherrygrove City, just waiting for you to arrive."
"Why would he do that?"
"Rivalries like that tend to be that way. There's nothing quite as exciting as spending time with them after a while apart and measuring yourself against one another to see where you stand."
Yeah. That sounded about right. That's kind of what they did whenever they met, even after they got on friendlier terms.
"Have you had a rivalry like that, mom?" Max asked.
"I did, when I was still a trainer."
"Really? What happened to them? Do you still meet? Are you still rivals?"
"I ended up marrying him and we had two beautiful children together. One of them is just about to depart for Johto."
There was a moment of silence that went on for just a beat too long.
"WHAT?!" May and Max finally exploded.
"What do you mean you ended up marrying him?"
"Dad was your biggest rival?"
"How did that even happen?"
"Like a real rival?"
"I don't understand. Why was dad your rival?"
"So you battled and all that?"
"But you two are so lovey dovey today."
"Wait a minute. Dad is like, super strong. And if you were his rival, that must mean you're super strong, too."
This went on for a few more minutes and Caroline waited patiently for her two sprouses to get all their confusion out of their system. By the time they were finally done, she had taken the exit to the Slateport City port.
"I'll tell you all about it when you come back from Johto, alright May?" Caroline said. "I'll give you something to look forward to."
"No way. I'm going to be thinking about this nonstop now", May whined.
"No you won't. You'll stop thinking about it once you reach CHerrygrove CIty at the very latest. It's a beautiful city I hear, with lots of amazing restaurants and tons of shopping."
She hated to admit it, but that did sound like something that would distract her from just about anything. Including the hidden epic backstory her parents apparently had. She just couldn't believe they never told her about that. Traitors.
"Here we are", Caroline said.
They sure were. If nothing else, the gentle song of the sea that was ringing through May's ears was a dead giveaway that she was near the ocean. SHe'd never told anyone that she could still hear Manaphy's songs. It was her secret and hers alone. An invisible promise she shared with the Ocean.
May knew Slateport Cityity well by now. She'd been here several weeks when she traveled through Hoenn with Ash and had left and arrived here at the beginning and end of her journey through Kanto. That didn't mean that the port wasn't still incredibly impressive. With Hoenn being an Island Region and all, international seaports were dime a dozen, but even among them, Slateport City's was by far and large the biggest. They were walking for more than fifteen minutes by the time they finally found May's ship.
"S.S. Tidal. That's it alright." Max said, finally laying off the teasing. "You sure I can't come with you?"
"No", she admitted. "But even then, it's too late to change my mind now."
She gave her mother and her brother a big hug each and Max even teared up a little bit. All fighting was forgotten as she squeezed him and wiped his eyes.
"I'm gonna miss you", he sniffled.
"I'll miss you, too. Don't give dad too much of a hard time, okay?"
He nodded miserably. "Say hi to Drew, Harley and Solidad for me, okay?"
"Of course."
One more big hug. He was a pain in the neck sometimes, but he was still her little brother and loved him more than the stars and the moon.
One last hug to each of them and one last exchanging of goodbyes and she was off, entering the huge ferry that would take her to her new adventure. She wondered for a minute if anyone she knew would be on that ship, but threw away that idea almost instantly. It would be too much of a coincidence. Hell, she'd spent two whole weeks at home, so all her friends were probably already in Johto. Drew probably already had his first ribbon and would probably sneer at her easygoing attitude.
There wasn't a lot of talking as she checked in and went to find her room. Who was there to talk with? She was alone on that boat after all. Her room was small but gorgeous, clad in navy blue, with a single bed, large closet, a TV and a bathroom docking on it. THere was only one problem with it; it was quiet. Very quiet. That would be how her entire journey would go, wasn't it? It would be quiet like this, no Ash to learn from, no brother to bicker with, no Brock to rely on. She'd been so excited to start but now, sitting here all alone in this room, the loneliness overwhelmed her. She wanted to go to Sinnoh, find ASh and tell him she was sorry and that she wanted to continue travelling. She wanted to run off this ship and beg her brother to come with her.
She wanted to cry. And after a few minutes of fighting that notion, she gave, curled up on her bed and did exactly that.
By the time the ferry departed, May had cried herself to sleep, lulled by the soft, gentle voice of the water surrounding her. It would be a long, lonely two days. It would be a long, lonely journey.
And there we go folks. This was the prologue to what will be a long, arduous journey. I call this the prologue because 1. nothing's actually happening here yet and 2. this is like, maybe a third of the length of the other chapters? Yeah, the singular chapters are gonna be long. Like ... looooooong long. But if you did like this and want to see more without having to wait an eternity and a half, leave a few comments, some encouragements so I can over that stupid rut and hopefully, it won't be too long until you see the rest of this. Until then, enjoy this little teaser of the next chapter.
"Hi, I'm here to sign up for the contest!" May chirped at the receptionist, a pretty bluenette with equally blue eyes and a large smile.
"My, you're early."
"Yep, I sure am!"
"For the first time ever", Drew smirked.
May just stuck her tongue out at him. First off, it wasn't even true, but even if it was, she had other things to worry about. She was here, signing up for her very first contest in Johto. Oh it was so exciting!