The sun shines through the windows of the condo as Lyra awakens from her sleep at the sound of the alarm clock on her pokegear. She jumps out of her bed and stretches her arms out. She pulls out the pokegear from under her pillow, sending a little text to Dawn, "How was your date.." Lyra speaks aloud as she types. When she clicks send, she skips over to her bedroom mirror to admire herself like usual, taking a seat oh the wheel chair. In the left upper corner of that mirror was a picture of herself and Ex- Kanto Champion Blue Oak. They were on Cinnabar Island at the time. Lyra held up the peace sign with a huge grin, while Blue had his arms crossed, looking stiffed with a fixed expression.

There was another photo in the right upper corner of the mirror, was a photo of Lyra, Lance and Claire together near the entrance of the Dragon Den. A small giggle escapes from Lyra's lips. She dials Daisy Oaks number onto her pokegear, and raises the device to her ears.

When the call picks up, she was greeted by a voice which belonged to none other than Daisy, "Lyra! Wow, you called!" Daisy exclaimed, her voice cheerful as ever. It actually wasn't too long ago since she last made a call to her. Lyra kept in touch with most of her Kanto friends often, and it would be pretty hectic for her since she was quite a popular one.

A little grin makes a curve upon Lyra's lips as she took a spin around her chair, turning her back to the mirror, "And you know what that means." excitement made its way into her tone.

"You're going to be back in Kanto?'

"For a week or two." Lyra replies, "I've set a vacation plan for me and my girls two weeks from now. We're going to spend three months in Fiore. I haven't seen Kanto in awhile. Sinnoh's rubbed off on me so much, I so need a break from it."

Laughter came through the speakers when Lyra finishes her reply, she could imagine Daisy's joyful expression from behind the pokegear,"How did you manage to spend sixteen years of your life in Johto if you hate staying in the same place so much?" More bits of laughter came along with her voice.

"Oh, believe me, girl." Lyra rolls her eyes, "it was not easy."

"Yet, you're spending three months in the Fiore region?"

A little chuckle finds its way out of Lyra's lips, "Fiore is an amazing place, it's like it was made to be the perfect setting for a summer adventure, especially if you're vacationing in Summer Land of course."

Daisy exaggerates a deep sigh through the phone, "You are so lucky, Lyra. Even though you've achieved all of your goals as a trainer, and became Champion, you're still out on adventures having the thrills of your life. I wish I had that much free time."

"Well, you know what they say, once an adventurer, always an adventurer." Lyra says.

On the other end of the receiver, Lyra could hear things like dishes clashing together. Daisy was probably tidying up the house already for the visit, it seems like she never catches a break. Maybe it was a single-housewife thing Daisy had going on. Time to find her a man, Lyra thought mischievously.

"Hm. Of course. By the way, Blue's going to be in town the week you arrive, so I'm warning you in case you want to reschedule." Daisy says with a hint of concern. Lyra and Blue didn't exactly get off on the right foot, and it's not like they got along better now. Occasionally, if you put the two in the same room together, they would immediately butt heads. Daisy knew just as much.

"Oh, please." Lyra scoffs, "Thank's for the heads up, but I'm not afraid of Blue." Rude and cocky didn't equal intimidating. Plus, the plans made were set in stone anyways. Lyra was determined to have a good time whether Blue was there or not.

Daisy inhaled deeply, "Well, alright. I suppose you'll need a place to stay while you're here then?"

"As long as I'm not intruding." Lyra says. But truthfully, she wanted to stay at Daisy's house. It's not like she had anywhere else to stay in Kanto.

"Of course not!" Daisy exclaimed, "so it's settled then, I'll be seeing you soon right?"

"Yeah!" Lyra beams, obviously relieved. She feels her poke-gear vibrating for a moment and checks her notifications.

"Two words: Never again." - Dawn

"Thanks for letting me stay, I'll call you back when I'm there." Lyra says hastily, hanging up the phone without a reply from Daisy.

What the hell, Dawn? Lyra thought. It's all because of her high standards, isn't it? No one would ever be good enough for her. Arceus, was Dawn trying to die a virgin? Or maybe she just had poor taste in men. That was probably it. Buck was probably a 7 or a 7.5 in the looks department, but he probably had a decent personality, right?

Lyra furiously dialed the number to Dawn's cell. "But still.. I am concerned about what happened.." Lyra admits softly as she raises the phone to her ears.

"..Yeah?"

"Dawn! What happened?!"

She could hear Dawn exhale on the other end of the line, "All he did was hammer me a bunch of questions pertaining to Volkner.. honestly, he was such a tool." Dawn explains in a bored, disinterested tone. It was like all of her other blind dates, but this one could win the award for being the worst one. Dawn thought.

"Whoa, what- I can't believe he did that." Lyra sat down at the edge of her bed, shocked. When she asked Buck if he wanted to be set up on a date with Dawn, he seemed really into it, and went on about how excited he was. But on Lyra's part, she knew Buck was pretty good friends with Volkner. Not a great idea to set up a date with the friend of the person's heart Dawn broke.

"Yeah, the date was over as soon as it started. It wasn't even a date at all. Buck only agreed to dinner just to bash on me me about how I 'played' Volkner." Dawn's tone grew bitter as she went on, remembering not only the date, but everything that was beyond Buck's understanding "He basically used the date as an excuse to trash me in front of everyone." she closes her eyes, burying half of her face in her right hand. Dawn could remember the sleazy look Buck had on his face the entire time.

Lyra felt a pang of guilt cling onto her chest. She took back all the terrible things she was thinking about Dawn earlier. Yeah, Buck was now a fucking 2, "I'm so sorry.. don't tell me you let him-"

"Of course not." Dawn's tone chirped up. That's the bubbly Dawn she knew, "I flipped the table on his dick after I told him off, and did a number on him while he was on the ground. Kicked him in his face, chest, stomach, and where the sun don't shine. The guards took me away and now I'm temporarily banned from the Seven Star Restaurant."

Laughter stopped right in the middle of Lyra's throat. Dawn was never one to use violence, she usually tried her best to be gentle and delicate. Maybe Buck pushed her buttons and went a bit too far. Lyra thought. She didn't care if Buck went on that date as a concerned friend. Whatever had happened with Volkner should have been ancient history, so Lyra thought. She didn't peg him for the type to hold a grudge. And to send his buddies over to bully Dawn? Guess she has to cross Flint off the list just in case.

"..I'm sorry." Lyra spoke softly, "I'm really, truly, sorry. I shouldn't have set you up on that date, you didn't deserve to go through that."

"No kidding." Dawn gave off a sarcastic scoff, "but, don't worry about it. I knew one way or another the date wouldn't go well." she sighed through the phone, "Still, you set me up with a prick."

"I take full blame." Lyra raises her hand up, even though Dawn couldn't see it.

Dawn chuckled, "I mean, who agrees to go on a date with someone just to tell them off? Can't believe I got all hot just for that."

"Okay, well, next time I'll make sure the guy isn't a sleazy loser, and that he actually wants to date you." Lyra said.

"I can't believe you have the nerve to still try to set me up on dates after what I just went through!" Dawn exclaimed, she was slightly amused.

"Well, with the rate you're going, you'll die a virgin." Joked Lyra.

Dawn rolled her eyes, that was so not going to happen, "There's really no need to rush my love life. Genuine relationships take time."

"Says the girl who's never even had a boyfriend!" And it was true. Dawn has never legit had a relationship of any form. Sure, like Lyra, she was friendly and antiquated with a lot of guys but Dawn was just so lost in Pokemon this and Pokemon that to even make a move on them. It made her wonder if she.. swung the other way. Not that Lyra was judging, but she could just come out and say so!

"Lyra, you've had more boyfriends than Silver has had losses from all of his battles with you, and they've lasted as long as those battles." And she wasn't kidding, "You're not entitled to give anyone relationship advice." Dawn says jokingly.

"Ha-ha, very funny." Lyra pouted, "I'll take that as you complimenting me for my top notch battling skills." she then smirks triumphantly, looking at the time on her poke-gear, "Oh! Hey, Dawn, I gotta get packing real soon."

"Ah, trip to Kanto, right?" Dawn's tone perked with interest.

"Yah." Lyra says averting her eyes to the closet across from her mirror.

"Guess I'll see you in two weeks then. Tell Blue I said hi."

Lyra restrained herself from groaning at the mention of his name, trying her best to manage her tone, "You got it!"

"Bye."

"Bye." Lyra hangs up and tosses her poke-gear on the bed. Heading to the closet, she pulls out a suitcase from it and starts picking out clothes. She looks back at her mirror, walking over to it, setting her eyes on the picture of her and Blue.

"Guess I'll be seeing you soon."

Out on the living room couch was a paranoid Solana who didn't get a wink of sleep the night before. Someone had swiftly broken into her apartment without a trace of evidence except for the note. Terrified of another surprise note, Solana waited until Spenser was asleep before she sneaked downstairs to stake out her own apartment. That made her think, what if she didn't wake up to get a glass of water that night? What if she didn't even wake up before Spenser? Clearly, the asshole who left this note didn't think of what would happen if Solana never got to this note first.But maybe that was just what they were aiming for. Even though the note was addressed to Solana, she was only lucky that she found it when she did. She'd thought to tell Spenser about it, but tell him what? That he doesn't know how to lock the damn door? No. Not now. Solana didn't know what was going next. She didn't even know what was happening right now. So, maybe she'd tell him when she did.

Then, there was another thing she had to watch out for, and that was Dawn. Solana did love her as a best friend and considered her a sister, because she was the closest one to her out of the entire group. And like a sister, she could tell when something was off. Solana just wasn't quite ready to tell the gang about Billy, as he was supposed to be a past time. It wasn't that they weren't close enough to her for her to tell, it just never came up. She could only imagine the reactions she'd get from them if she were to tell them. May would get a little too excited and go on about how it was such a romantic story, because that girl was one hell of a hopeless romantic. Dawn would probably be speechless. Lyra definitely would hammer her for more info on Billy and ask nosy questions like, "So how big is he down there?" mainly because Billy's a huge celebrity and that would be a big deal to her to know that kind of stuff.

Yeah, maybe I'll tell them a little later as well.. since they already know about this note and all.

A pair of arms wrapped itself around Solana, which snapped her out of her thoughts, bringing a smile on her face. She looked up at Spenser and let him kiss her.

"What are you doing out here? I usually wake up earlier than you." Spenser said.

"No reason." Solana nonchalantly shrugged. No good reason. That's the same thing. So it's not technically a lie. Technically.

"Really? Well, okay. Oh, yeah! I got a call from Lunick a little while ago, he says that he's going to give up his position as Ringtown Leader and hand it back to me when we move back to Fiore. So, it'll be just like the old days." He says this with a wide beam.

"The old days, huh.." Solana's thoughts were suddenly filled with nostalgia, "Most of them were memories of us, though."

"That was one of the best parts." Spenser chuckles, "I'm going to go make breakfast for us now, okay?"

"Okay." Solana says, watching him pull his arms away from her.

When Spenser crosses over to the kitchen, already starting to get occupied with the cooking, Solana takes out the note, putting it up to her face and reads it again. This penmenship looks so familiar.. it just has to be. Even after all of these years, she could still recognize the hand-writing. If he really was the anonymous author, then that only meant one thing.

The Go Rock Quads are back.

Approximately eight hours after Dawn's phone call with Lyra, she was already over at May's house, standing outside of her door. May had asked her to help pack up for the trip in Fiore. "Why the hell did she have to live so damn far away? Especially since May insists on not using her Tropius so much?" Was what Dawn had grumbled in annoyance, she was lucky she had Togekiss. She'd die if she had to walk and take boats everywhere she went. And yes, that was figurative.

"Mind telling me why you had to live so Arceus damn close to the ocean?" Dawn spat out as soon as May opened the door, "I didn't even know you liked water this much."

May rolled her eyes. Dawn's the only person who really ever complains about why she lived so far from the villa- the other two just made fun of her for it. But at least Dawn was genuinely concerned. Though it wasn't that May didn't like to use her Tropius. Back in Hoenn, she only used her Tropius to fly across land and surfed on the sea with her Relicanth. (She loved to feel the waves crash at her shins.)

"Well, hello to you, too." May widened out the door and let her in.

Simple as always, Dawn thought as she went to May's bedroom. The entire layout consisted of a double-bed in the center, framed pictures on the beige colored walls, a closet with a full length, stand alone mirror next to it, and a drawer near the bathroom.

"So, like, I'm having trouble with what to take with me to Fiore, it's been awhile since I've been on vacation. Plus, I've never been good at packing for trips." May said with a faint smile, bitter emotions trapped between her gritted teeth.

"Start with the essentials." Dawn moved over to the bed with a couple boxes scattered on it, along with a suitcase opened on the ground she knelled down and inspected it, "We'll be there for three months, so in this case you can pack more heavily." She started to organize the contents in the suitcase. Clothes, Poke-Potions, Poffins, Passport and a map of Fiore. She stood up and checked the boxes on the bed, which were filled with personal items, "Where are your toiletries?" Dawn asked this facing May.

"Gah! I always forget those." May says with a panicked tone, rushing to the bathroom.

Dawn let out a huge sigh as she sat down on the bed and took another look at the boxes. If May was taking these out, that probably meant there was something important enough for her to bring in there. These boxes sat in the back of her closet for four years, and not once had they'd seen the light of day.

"What could she possibly want in here that she'd need in Fiore..?" Dawn asked herself as she dug through books of photo albums and old jewelry. She took out a random album, then lied down and flipped the pages through it. The album she picked happened to be a picture diary of May's adventures. First starter Pokemon. May on her bicycle. May's completed secret base. The Hall of Fame. Occasionally there were pictures of her with the gang, consisting of her with just Dawn and Lyra at the time before they met Solana. Dawn flipped through more pages until she got to the end, and pop!

Out came a photo and a sheet of paper with words written on it floating through the air, landing face down the ground. Maybe May forgot to attach those to the very last page. Dawn thought as she slowly sat up, "Ugh.. effort." Dawn grunted in what was obvious, exaggerated pain as she went down to get the photo and note. Her eyes widened when she flipped the photo over first. To her surprise, the photo wasn't of someone like May or even Wally. The surprising part was the person in the picture wasn't Wally, if memory served Dawn correctly. She knew she wasn't getting that old.

Familiar silvery blue hair with distinct eyes of the same color. Black suit with purple zig-zag lines on either side of the shoulders and a red tie. Dawn knew she'd seen this man before in person. But why did May have a picture of him..?

Six years ago

Dawn had just gotten done dealing with sandstorms, trainers, and battling trainers IN those sandstorms. Oh, and was sand mentioned already? Dawn was tired of seeing it. Yes, even the tough Sinnoh Champ Dawn Berlitz has things that even she couldn't stand. Dawn was thankful to have found a Pokemon Center after the sand hell she went through. Maybe boots and a coat wasn't the best attire for cooling off in the summer. Dawn decided that with no spare shoes, she could at least do something about the red coat, and stuffed it in her bag after taking it off. Now she was left wearing a black and pink mini dress with a white under shirt beneath it. Everything else stayed the same.

"Ah, that's better!" Dawn beams as she exits the Pokemon Center, stretching out her arms, glad to have the heat off her, "Man, I'm so going to the spa to hit the pool!". But the second she steps out of the door, Dawn's wrist was wrapped in a firm grip. She could feel the fear rising in her chest, and with her free hand, she clenches it in a fist and doesn't waste a moment to turn around ready to beat some ass. Dawn didn't have time for this, and whoever wanted to pick a fight with her out in broad daylight was pretty damn stupid.

"Wait, no!"

With her hand still balled into a tight fist, Dawn softened her glare at the man standing before her. She sized him up from head to toe. He wore a black suit with purple zig zags on either side of his shoulder and a red tie. Psychical traits of silvery blue hair and distinct eyes of the same color, and with a gorgeous face as well, he looked like he was about in his early to middle twenties.

The man looked at the ground shamefully, his voice shaking. He needed to leave Sinnoh, and he wasn't going to let her shoot down his offer. "I.. need you to do me a favor. Please don't say a word until I take you there.." There was hesitation in his tone, but Dawn wasn't sure how to answer, and when she tried to say something, he pulled her up to the stairs, running without stopping to explain himself. Dawn thought to herself that she'd send out Empoleon if this would lead to something bad.

"Wait a minute- take me to where, exactly?! Don't think that just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I won't be able to knock you out!"

The man's expression grew sad. Yeah, he seemed harmless. But that's how they all seem. No matter. Dawn was a big girl, and she could deal with this herself.

He finally stopped, not loosening his grip on Dawn's wrist. They were surrounded by a pattern of shiny boulders and flowers lined up together. To their left, was a garden of berries and what appeared to be a house, but much larger than all of the other houses in the resort area. It was white and gave off a premium summer vibe.

"Um, okay, if this is your way of trying to bring a girl home, you're going about it the wrong way- and I'm also not interested. So if you could let go of my hand-"

"Listen, it's not what you're thinking.." He says with a rather somber tone, he was aware that the impression he gave on Dawn was pretty bad, "Please, just come inside."

Not like Dawn had an option. A beautiful strangers hand on her own, leading her inside of his house. That was probably something a bunch of middle school girls fantasized about. But all Dawn wanted was to go to to the Arceus damn spa to splash in the Arceus damned pool. Then the minute she walks out of the Pokemon Center showing a little skin, this is what happens.

When the two were inside of the villa, the man locks the door, then lets go of Dawn's hand, and faces her. She was looking around the barren home with only a table with a book and what appears to be a contract on the table. Oh, hell no. Please don't tell me this is some Fifty Shades of Grey kink he has going on here.

"Not too shabby, right?" he smiled faintly. He hoped that she would be his ticket out of here. Apparently, he couldn't just ditch his house in Sinnoh just like he was able to the last time he pulled something like this.

Not what you're thinking, my ass. Dawn almost said- but didn't. She'll wait for what he had to say.

"I'm a trainer from Hoenn." He said, trying to reassure her, but her eyes are still widened.

"The truth is, I came here to collect all of the rare stones I could and then travel to another region," he explained, "but I can't leave this villa without finding another owner for it." a sigh escapes his lips and he's already starting to lose hope in his explanation, "I've been trying to find someone to take over this home but everyone seems to think it's a scam since I'm not selling it.. but regardless, please say yes."

Dawn gave the man a reluctant look. There was something about his need to give this villa to someone that made her- suspicious. No, she knew it wasn't a scam. But in his eyes, Dawn could see he was running away from something. He was lying, but it wasn't to trick someone.

"Fine, I'll take it." She gave in. If the villa did end up costing something, she had the money to pay for it anyways.

"I beg of you. I have no other choice- wait, yes?"

Dawn nodded.

"Thank you, that's a load off of my mind!" the man exclaimed, his face showed signs of being relieved. "I feel bad for imposing this place on you, but I am truly grateful."

With that over with, Dawn signed the contract to seal the deal. When she gives him back the contact, he fixed his eyes on her signature like it was a rare shiny pokemon.

"Dawn Berlitz.. I'll be sure to remember that name." He says, facing Dawn with a smile, "May our paths cross again someday." he gulps down that last sentence, because the last time he used those words, he never meant them one bit.

"Sure.."

His expression starts to change, as if he's realized something, "Oh! I gotta go." he moves pass Dawn and heads to the door.

"I just hope she doesn't find me here.." Dawn heard him mutter, then he shook his head, "..Or maybe she forgot all about me." he added quietly as he walked out the door.

And whatever that man had been trying to run away from, Dawn couldn't stop him. Actually, more like she couldn't be the one to do it.

Because somehow, she had a feeling that this wouldn't be the last time she'd see him again.

Dawn then picks up the letter which says:

To May,

I've decided to do a little soul-searching and train on the road. I don't plan to return home for some time. I have a favor to ask of you. I want you to take the Poke Ball on the desk. Inside it is a Beldum, my favorite Pokémon. I'm counting on you. May our paths cross again someday.

—Steven Stone

"..No way...don't tell me this is actually-"

Steven Stone. Dawn didn't know it back then, but she knew that Steven was the man May had dethroned. The day he left, May bawled out her tears to Dawn, Lyra and Wally about it. Apparently May and Steven were very close, and all Dawn knew was that the next morning after May became the new Hoenn Champion she went straight to his house, and he'd left her with just a letter and a Beldum as physical proof that a Steven Stone ever existed in the home of Mossdeep City. And even though Steven had left May long before Wally did, she was still just as affected by the mention of Steven Stone. The only difference was that Steven was supposed to be May's mentor and friend. Wally was her lover.

Dawn knew she had no business holding the personal belongings of her best friend, especially since she knew the contents in her hand didn't pertain to her at all. Dawn only had cellular contact with May and Lyra during their journeys, but even with just that she still thought she knew everything about the people they had met and what kind of interactions they had, the bonds they made, the intimacy with people other than Dawn. But because of the picture and letter, Dawn knew she'd actually met Steven. The day she'd met him was approximately an entire month after he left Hoenn for good.

I blew right passed him. Dawn thought. She didn't think to ask for a name, Steven seemed really peculiar at the time, she'd never suspect it. Dawn's attention to the letter and picture made her deaf, so she couldn't hear the sound of May emerging from the bathroom.

"Okay, Dawn! I got all of my toiletries and-" May stopped in her tracks, speechless for a moment, trying to find her words she says, "I wasn't planning on taking those with me.."

"..Why do you still have his letter?" Dawn asked.

"That letter was meant for me." May said, dropping her toiletries in the suitcase, "So what's wrong with keeping it?" A tone of anger was beginning to rise in her voice.

Curiosity really did kill the Glameow.

"Nothing." Dawn said simply, "I just didn't think you'd kept it all this time.."

"Well, it doesn't mean anything." A bitter, vile tone replaces May's soft voice, "That last sentence, I mean." her voice softens up, "Where he says, 'May our paths cross again someday.' If anything makes me more upset than Wally, it's Steven. Why'd he just abandon everything out of the blue.. I wonder.. if it's my fault.."

"No, no, no, May, no." Dawn went over to her and pulled her into a hug. She could feel the tears bawl over her shoulders.

"Why'd things have to go the way they did! I want Wally and Steven back! T-they were the best friends I've ever had a-and now I'll never see them again!" May cried loudly.

Dawn didn't say a thing. Now she knew the real reason May asked her to come here, and it wasn't to help her pack.