The next day, May decided to team up with Nanu and Koga against Phoebe's team, believing that the support of a gym leader and a member of the elite four would be crucial for their victory. Koga's poison type Pokemon gradually weakened their opponents, while Nanu unleashed his most powerful moves on the three ghost type Pokemons.
This time, May focused on defending her partners, placing her Blaziken at the forefront, even though it wasn't the most resilient Pokemon against ghost type attacks. In fact, May relied on Blaziken's speed, one of its greatest assets, to avoid taking serious damage for as long as possible. They were hoping that the gradual effects of Koga's Crobat's poison on the ghost type Pokemon and Nanu's attacks would weaken their opponents over time, giving May's team a chance to win the battle.
After eliminating Acerola's Pokemon, May allowed herself to counter-attack, mainly targeting Phoebe's Dusclops because she knew her well. She had defeated this Pokemomn before with the same Blaziken in the Hoenn League. Phoebe was finding herself in a tough spot, with Nanu and May focusing all their efforts on her, but the elite 4 maintained her smile. Her Dusclops had hit May with her Curse move, and now they needed to win quickly because the attack drained more of Blaziken's energy with each passing round, also slowing down his speed.
Even when Phoebe's Dusclops eventually succumbed to Persian's attacks, the trainer didn't let her defeat lower her spirits.
"I'll leave them to you, Agatha... at least, I'm condemning to defeat the Pokemon of my dear friend May," the elite 4 teased her, with a steady look.
Indeed, Phoebe's curse sealed the fate of May's Pokemon in the following round. May had seen her defeat coming and reluctantly called back her Pokemon.
"I know you did your best, Blaz," she whispered to him.
She could only count on Koga and Nanu now, and although instinctively, May knew that they had more chances of winning than losing against Agatha, she remained tense, following the battle attentively.
Being eliminated from a Pokemon battle was always a kind of personal defeat for her; May felt like losing face in public. Yet, when she quickly glanced at the bleachers, she had to face the evidence: no one was paying attention to her anymore. All eyes were fixed on the ongoing battle. Her defeat didn't matter as long as Koga and Nanu managed to defeat their remaining opponent.
"You battled very well, May..." (Wally was so discreet that May hadn't heard him joining her under the arches of the arena) "It was bold to put yourself in a position of weakness like that with your Blaziken. I had doubts about that tactic, but you held on for a long time..."
"Yeah… I'm just hoping it will be enough," she grumbled.
"It is enough," Wally said with an assurance that was unusual for him. "Look, Nanu is about to use his sync stone... Agatha has little chance of handling it!"
May wasn't following the battle as closely as him, still disturbed by her defeat, but when she saw a strange light erupting in the middle of the field, she realized that Wally was right. Nanu had managed to activate his sync stone, amplifying the power of his Persian. The Pokemon rushed toward Agatha's Gengar, his clawed paws sending dust all around him. When the air cleared, Agatha's Pokemon was laying motionless on the ground, and for a moment, the silence fell in the arena.
"Agatha's Gengar fainted!" the commentator finally announced, "The victory goes to May, Nanu, and Koga. Congratulations to them."
"I told you!" Wally innocently smiled at her. "Your strategies always work anyway. Even the most absurd ones."
In the excitement that followed, May and Wally rejoined their team. Phoebe came to congratulate May, teasing her about her defeat with a smirk.
"But don't take it too hard though. Your Pokemon fainting was normal. No one can resist a curse from my Dusclops!"
The fact that an apparently so sweet and kind woman had chosen to train such scary and mysterious Pokemons would always puzzle her, but she had to admit that they could be interesting allies in their race for victory.
"Do you want to join our team, Phoebe?" May dared to ask. "It would be much more reassuring to have you with us than against us."
"Hahaha, if you ask so nicely May... I'd be happy to continue this PML with some of my old friends from Hoenn."
"Great! Welcome to the team Phoebe!" Lisia rejoiced, having heard May's proposal. "Flannery and Roxanne will be thrilled to hear that you've joined us."
"Oh yeah, you've also recruited those two," Phoebe remembered with a laugh. "You have a big heart May. As big as your team."
"That's also a little self-interested, you know," May confessed to her.
"I know. But anyway, I'm still happy to be among you."
This time, it was May who had to rush to the Pokemon center to heal her exhausted Blaziken. Lisia accompanied her while the other members of her team went to celebrate their victory in the village. As the competition progressed, the victories became more invigorating, like a well-deserved reward for their intense training.
The center wasn't too crowded in the middle of the afternoon. Today, there was no one waiting at the front desk, so nurse Joy could help her Pokemon immediately. May and Lisia sat on one of the couches in the Center, it was during these rare moments of rest that May suddenly felt all the tiredness accumulated in her body. She no longer wanted to move.
"Oh, I got a message from my uncle," Lisia realized as she checked her PokeNav. "Big news! Guess who is with me at the port of Pasio…?" she read with a perplexed tone. "Don't shout, it's confidential information… Oooh!"
"What's going on? Who is he with?"
Lisia showed her a blurry photo that Wallace had just sent her. It mostly showed a sea of people crowded together at the port of Pasio. But behind them, you could guess the face of a young woman with short hair and perfectly made-up grey eyes.
"Diantha…?" May whispered.
"So she's finally here? I have to tell Dawn and Serena! They'll never forgive me otherwise!"
"Didn't your uncle just say that it was confidential?"
"With the number of people already there, it can't be that confidential anymore…" Lisia exclaimed, getting more and more excited, "I'm calling Dawn!"
May did her best to hide her annoyance as Lisia held her PokeNav to her ear. Undoubtedly, Lisia and the other two girls would want to go to the port to catch a glimpse of Diantha (and get caught up in the crowd in the process). May didn't particularly feel like joining them, but on the other hand, it had been a long time since she had allowed herself an afternoon of relaxation with a few friends. She had spent so much time preparing for their battle against Phoebe.
"May," called nurse Joy from the center's front desk. "Your Blaziken has been healed. He should be in perfect shape for your next battles."
"Thank you very much, nurse Joy" she said, getting up from the couch.
When she returned to Lisia, the coordinator had finished her call and seemed ready to leave.
"May! I'm going to the port," she announced happily. "Dawn and Serena are meeting me on the way. Are you coming with us?"
May had already anticipated the course of events. As she put Blaziken's Poke Ball in her bag, she made her decision, even though she suspected she would probably regret it.
"Yeah, I'm coming too."
Diantha, the big star from Kalos, the best actress of her generation, the most elegant Pokemon champion... May had to listen to the praises of Dawn and Serena throughout all their journey to the port.
"Do you know that she's just a human like anyone else? With flaws and dark sides and everything?" she eventually pointed out, wondering if these words would make her in troubles.
"Oh, come on May, can't we dream a little?... Of course for another champion like you, everything she has achieved may not be as impressive as it is in our eyes," Dawn replied. "You don't know what it's like to have an idol you've admired forever and finally have the opportunity to meet her in person."
"Yes, it's so amazing!" Serena agreed, clenching her fist with excitation. "I had the chance to see her once in Kalos, and I never thought the opportunity would come again so soon! This time, I brought one movie poster with me, hoping she'll agree to sign it for me."
The four young women arrived at the port and quickly spotted a gathering of people on the dock, next to a large boat with the colours of the Kalos' flag.
"There she is!" Serena exclaimed. "Let's hurry!"
Serena started running, impatient. As they approached the small group, May felt relieved that the crowd was less imposing than it seems in the photo Wallace had sent. Diantha stood in the middle of her adoring fans, signing DVD and movie posters handed to her, and taking selfies with her fans one by one. Wallace was still by her side, looking somewhat absent-minded. When he saw them, he waved at them, seemingly unsurprised to see all four of them here.
"Hi my dear friends! Don't be shy, come over... Diantha, I want you to meet my nephew, Lisia, and her friends, May, Dawn, and Serena."
The Kalos champion turned in their direction and gave them a smile full of curiosity. She was dressed in a very elegant white ensemble with a small handbag. Although May had thought she would be indifferent to Diantha's arrival in Pasio, seeing her now in front of her gave her a strange sensation. Even without having seen her act as an actress or battle as a champion, she could feel that Diantha was a special person, like Cynthia or Lance. There was a kind of intimidating quiet strength emanating from her. May wondered if she could someday inspire the same power to people just by her mere presence.
"It's a pleasure to meet you four," Diantha said, extending her hand to each of them.
Beside her, Dawn and Serena fell silent, perhaps overwhelmed with emotions. May watched them shake hands with their idol in a trembling manner, wondering what they could be feeling at that very moment.
Lisia, on the other hand, hadn't lost her words, rushing over to Wallace with a shocked look on her face.
"Wait… you already knew Diantha?! And you NEVER told me?" There was almost anger in her voice. The Kalos champion intervened:
"Don't worry, your uncle didn't keep anything from you Lisia. We both know each other by reputation," she explained, "but it's only today that we've met in person."
There was something extremely relaxing in her voice as she spoke.
"Yes, I was walking around the port with Steven and Drake when I saw her boat arrive... and I didn't want to miss the chance to meet the Kalos champion."
"I'm delighted to have finally met you too. I attended one of your contests a long time ago... I really enjoyed your performance."
"Oh I'm very flattered to hear that," Wallace answered, putting his hand on his chest.
Diantha turned her head towards Lisia:
"And I did hear that you were following the same path as your uncle?"
"Oh you've heard about me?!" Lisia was shocked, suddenly seeming less at ease.
"That's the perk of being a star!" Serena nervously murmured. "You're so lucky, Lisia..."
"But I remember you too, Serena," the champion assured her.
"Really?!" Serena asked, full of joy.
"Yes, I have a very good memory for faces. We've met in Kalos once, right? And your friend..."
"M-me?" The young trainer panicked slightly. "I'm Dawn! I'm from Sinnoh! It's an honor to meet you!"
"That's wonderful! I've just arrived and I'm already meeting trainers from other regions," Diantha rejoiced, putting her hands together in a prayer gesture.
She appeared to be friendlier than May had expected, even though Diantha didn't seem to recognize her. Perhaps the Kalos champion wasn't aware of the title change in Hoenn; after all, their regions were geographically faraway.
Gradually regaining their composure, Dawn and Serena began chatting with Diantha, bombarding her with questions about her work as an actress and as a champion. Lisia and May let them take the spotlight, understanding that this moment was much more significant for the two fans than for themselves, and they didn't want to spoil it for them.
"Would you agree to give me an autograph?" Serena asked shyly, noticing that new people were approaching Diantha, eager to speak with the Kalos star as well.
"Of course, Serena, with pleasure!" Diantha said, taking the poster that the young girl gave her.
"Look how happy they look," Lisia whispered to May, watching Serena and Dawn as they bid farewell to their idol. "That's also one of the great things about becoming famous: you have the power to bring immense joy to others, just by being here and alive."
May shrugged. For her, idolizing someone was never positive. Even if Dawn and Serena were very happy right now, later, when this moment would be over, the two women would be left alone with their admiration, their unrequited love for their star, and perhaps they would feel melancholy thinking back of this moment.
"Ah, it's about time," Wallace said to Lisia, pulling May out of her deep philosophical thoughts. "My two teammates have returned from their boat trip."
The coordinator approached to meet them. May sighed. Of course, Steven had to show up out of nowhere again... May was so used to them running into each other at the most inconvenient moments on this damn island that she couldn't genuinely be annoyed anymore.
Steven was wearing his usual three-piece suit, although he had removed his jacket, probably because of the intense heat on this late spring afternoon. Drake, on the other hand, was dressed in his captain attire. Were they really returning from a boat ride, or was this another one of Wallace's jokes? May found it hard to imagine Steven as a sailing enthusiast.
"Wallace, we just found out that our next opponents will be Glacia, Pryce, and Wulfric's team," she heard Steven announce to his teammate with concern. "And unsurprisingly, all their partners are ice type Pokemons. We'll need to think about what strategy to use to..."
"Later, my friend, later," his best friend interrupted him, patting him on the shoulder. "Get the PML out of your mind for a few minutes and come greet our new arrival, straight from Kalos."
Steven's face took on a slightly annoyed expression until he locked eyes with May and then Diantha, showing surprise as he approached them.
"So today was the day of your arrival? I wasn't aware... but I'm glad to see you again, Diantha," he said, ignoring the young champion.
"Steven... it's been a long time," she responded affectionately. "I heard you're no longer the reigning champion of Hoenn."
"That's correct," the young man replied, his tone becoming increasingly formal. "May is the current champion now." Steven gestured towards the young woman.
"Oh, so you're the new champion?" (Suddenly, May seemed to gain some interest in the eyes of the actress.) "Congratulations... You seem quite young, how old are you?"
"Twenty-one."
"Twenty-one," she repeated with approval, "I'm impressed."
May didn't like how Diantha emphasized her age, as if trying to belittle her. It was true that the actress had become a champion when she was already in her thirties, so maybe she was surprised that someone else could reach the top at such a young age. But May wasn't an exception; other trainers had stood out from an early age. It was said that Iris had become a champion at just seventeen, and Blue when he was still in his early teens. Moreover, May had once read in a Hoenn league journal that Steven had actually won the title at nineteen, becoming a champion even younger than her...
And to think May had learned this information from the press… Steven never found it necessary to tell her, even if it could have reassure her about her abilities as a champion despite her young age... In any case, the former champion had never wanted to talk to her about anything remotely personal.
"So, how do you like Pasio, Diantha?" Steven asked.
He seemed eager to change the topic of conversation. Actually, Steven didn't look particularly at ease, standing upright with rigid shoulders, placing his hands on his hips, then at his back, as if he was looking for a way to get rid of them... Perhaps May had managed to make him as uncomfortable as she felt every time they were forced to spend a moment together. He wouldn't be able to pretend anymore, and she was glad about it. It was too easy to act as if nothing had ever happened between them.
"Well, as you can see, I've just arrived today. But from what I've seen from the boat, this island looks very pleasant, and I can't wait to see the arena."
"Do you already have a team?"
"Unfortunately, I don't. Since I'm arriving in the middle of the competition, I didn't want to impose myself on my Kalos colleagues," Diantha replied before letting out an embarrassed laugh.
"I doubt that you'll have any trouble to find a team here, but I want you to know that you're welcome to join ours if you wish..."
"That's very kind of you, Steven. May I know who you're competing with?"
"Drake and Wallace" Steven said, pointing to his two teammates standing in the background, chatting together.
"Would it be okay to have a fourth trainer?"
"Of course," Steven assured her. "Having new members will be a luxury for us, because the remaining teams are all of an excellent level. What do you two think?"
"You're absolutely right," Wallace agreed. "And we'd be crazy to refuse such a talented trainer as Diantha."
"It will undoubtedly be very rewarding to battle with you, Diantha," Drake added.
"I see..."
Diantha pretended to ponder for a few seconds.
"Well, then I gladly accept your offer!"
"Fabulous!" Wallace exclaimed, while Steven showed a satisfied smile.
Wow, Uncle Wallace, you're really going to compete with Diantha?!" Lisia playfully hit his arm. "You're putting all the odds in your favor."
"Of course, we have to if we want to stand a chance against your team," her uncle responded, teasing her nephew.
"From now on, I'll be watching all of Steven Stone's team battles," Serena whispered to Dawn.
"Me too... Can you imagine if one of us ends up facing them?" Dawn said.
"Oh my goodness, that would be both incredible and completely frightening!"
The two girls burst into laughter. May didn't know where to look. She was consumed by frustration and annoyance, but as always, she forced herself to put on a good face. Everyone was happy and excited that Diantha was now joining the PML, while May couldn't understand what had just happened. Steven had casually asked Diantha to join them... It was ridiculous to be affected by something so small, but May couldn't help but see it as yet another proof of Steven's indifference towards her, when he was so engaging with a champion he barely knew.
May knew well the hypocrisy he hid behind his good manners. With her, his little game didn't work anymore. No matter how pleasant and polite he acted during the PML, it wouldn't prevent him from disappearing again once it was over. But everyone accepted his behavior. Roxanne called him "unpredictable," but the correct word was more like "cowardly." It's Steven, that's how he is, we get used to it... Why was everyone so accommodating with him all the time? Why did everyone continue to admire him when they couldn't even count on him?
It was this tolerance that also infuriated May. Wallace, the elite four, Roxanne... No one was on her side. No one validated her anger against Steven. According to them, she was the one making a fuss and should have forgiven him. But in any case, it's not like he was waiting for her forgiveness. For that to happen, he would have to truly regret what he had done. But over time, May began to understand that he didn't regret it and didn't care about hurting her. He wouldn't acknowledge his bad behavior.
He preferred to maintain the awkwardness between them rather than give up his facade of a well-mannered man. Even if it meant having no contact with her anymore. Apparently, it didn't bother him that much. Their relationship didn't matter to him; she knew that now.