A/N: Thank you all for the support! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or the picture used as cover (though I did edit it).

Days

The day travels are discussed

May

Saturday, January 4th

"Iris, you coming?" May called to her friend.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming, I'm here," Iris said, walking into the living room and plopping down on the couch. "Time for a break, I get it."

"Finally, you've been running around all day," May said and handed her the tea she had prepared.

Iris muttered a thanks and sunk further in the couch. May sat down next to her, and carefully studied the Gym Leader. The stress around the wedding hadn't done her much good, but possibly, she looked even worse now. There were purple bags under her eyes and a frown seemed permanently etched into her face.

May was absolutely certain that whatever League thing had happened yesterday, it wasn't a small thing.

"Have they even let you sleep last night?" May asked, worry creeping in her tone. Yesterday evening Iris had had to leave for 'League business,' as she had told May, and had only returned very early this morning.

Iris opened her mouth, and then snapped it closed again. "Can't tell you that, sorry. Classified League stuff."

"Wow, is it really that bad?"

Iris grimaced. "Yup, sorry, I'm really not allowed to tell you anything."

"That's okay." May smiled and tried to make light of it. "You're being a responsible Gym Leader, that's all. I shouldn't be nosy."

Iris shook her head and sighed. "Nah, I understand where you're coming from. I'm sorry I've been so occupied with work these last days…"

"No, no, I completely understand, don't apologize," May said quickly. It was true that she had been left to her own devices since yesterday, because Iris had had work to do, and it had made her realize she had work, too. "I, uh, should probably return to Hoenn at some point, anyway…"

"What?" Iris looked genuinely surprised.

May shrugged. She had been thinking about it ever since things had settled between Iris and Cilan. She had been on unpaid leave so far, and even if she did still had some savings, she was going to need a stable income.

"Well, I can't stay here forever, right? I have a job to get back to," May explained.

Even if she wasn't looking forward to it. An empty apartment in a city which she had chosen for its central position, for Drew's travelling-

"Do you even want to go back?" Iris asked, apparently having caught onto her hesitance.

"I, uh- well, I have a responsibility-" May sputtered.

Iris drank from her tea, waiting and watching with sharp eyes and a hint of a smile.

"But do you want to?" she asked again.

May sighed and sipped her tea to delay answering. "Right now, not really," she finally said. "I mean, I kinda like being here, with you, seeing new things, doing new things…"

And in Hoenn, she'd be all alone again, doing the same thing over and over-

"So you don't want to go back. Then don't," Iris said it as if the was most logical thing in the world.

"I have a job, Iris," May said with a small laugh. "I have to go back."

"Quit your job," Iris proposed, sounding half-serious. "I know I would."

"What? Quit my job or yours?"

Iris hesitated for a moment too long, and May cocked her head in curiosity.

"Mine as well, at the moment." Iris let out a wry laugh. "It's not the most fun right now. But if I had your job, definitely. I wouldn't be able to stand not working with my Pokémon. I'd rather be a Connoisseur or Pokémon photographer or something before I settled for something that boring."

May cringed. It was not the first time that people had been unenthusiastic about her career choice, but no one had been so blunt about it as Iris, except perhaps Max before their parents had reigned him in.

"Sorry," Iris quickly said. "That was- I'm just frustrated right now, with my own stuff, which I can't tell you about, which is also frustrating. So, I'm sure the job is fun, right? I mean, you work at a travelling agency, you must have seen a lot of exotic places."

Iris's attempt to correct herself made it worse, because it only made her remember what her job wasn't.

"Not really," May mumbled. "My job is just to sell those journeys to other people."

"Oh."

But she wanted a stable job. This was a stable job. And she loved travelling, and this was the closest thing that could combine stable with travelling.

"Well, to each their own," Iris said hesitantly, and then occupied herself with her tea, seeming unsure how to continue.

"I have great colleagues," May said, feeling like she had to defend her job. "And it pays pretty well. I help a lot of people, so that's good."

"Yeah," Iris said, although she didn't sound convinced. "Sorry I said that. I'm just so used to my Pokémon and my freedom, that I just- I mean, it wouldn't be my kind of job, but it's great that it works for you!"

"It's okay," May said. "I understand. More friends think like you do."

"But if you like your job, why don't you want to go back?"

"I…" May didn't know how to answer. She had her job to get back to, but what else? Her family lived on the other side of Hoenn, and her friends were either travelling or far away…

"You can stay here, you know. For however long you like," Iris said. "I really don't mind. Arceus knows you've been a great help." Iris snorted in a self-deprecating way. "I wouldn't know where I'd be if you hadn't been around."

"Thanks," May said, smiling a bit. "But you're very capable of taking care of yourself, you know."

Iris laughed. "Oh, absolutely, but it's always good to have some help."

They fell into silence and May finished her tea. She turned the cup around in her hands.

"No, I suppose I don't want to go back," she finally said. "It's… It'll be lonely. And my job… It's a good job, but I suppose it does get a bit boring after a while." She jutted out her chin. "But I need a job, and I need a place to stay, so I'll just have to deal with it."

"Hm," Iris said, and seemed in thought. "You know, as a kid, I always thought that you should do what you love, but I suppose that sometimes it doesn't work like that in adult life…"

"No, unfortunately." May smiled a bit, trying to dispel the heavy atmosphere.

Iris narrowed her eyes at her. "But what would you love to do? What did you dream of doing, as a kid?"

"I love travelling," May answered easily. "That's why I originally became a Pokémon Trainer, so I could be on the road. But I loved being a Coordinator, too, it combined travelling with working with my Pokémon and making new friends and all that stuff…"

"Hm," Iris said again. "You're a Top Coordinator, right? Why can't you go back to Coordinating?"

May almost laughed at the absurd idea. "I can't just go back to Coordinating!"

"Why not?"

"It's been years!" May shook her head with a laugh, before sobering and adding quietly, "Coordinating is Drew's thing-"

"Fuck Drew," Iris interrupted. "And so what if it's been years? Your Pokémon are still strong, and I bet the sponsors will welcome you back with open arms."

"I don't know…" For a moment May allowed herself to fantasize about the scenario where she'd sweep onto the Contest scene, to completely beat Drew in a match, and then to become Top Coordinator again-

"I doubt it," she said, interrupting her own daydream. Because it was just that, a daydream.

"You're considering it," Iris said, sounding smug. "I can see it." Enthusiastically, she continued on. "And you can do it! The media loved you, remember? You have amazing Pokémon and you're always super nice! How did they call you again- the Princess of Hoenn? The sponsors will love your comeback!"

"Alright, it's a nice dream, I admit that," she said. "And maybe I'd consider it, but I do need to eat and pay for clothes and the apartment and all that stuff. I'm adult now, I'm not eligible for the League's grants." She shook her head. "It's just not realistic, it's too big of a risk."

And it was. She couldn't quit her job and start Coordinating again. It was a ridiculous idea. And now she was making the responsible choice, the only right one-

If only Iris's words didn't sound so appealing.

"What's life without some risks?" Iris continued trying to tempt her, excitement shining in her eyes. "Sometimes you just have to take the chance when it comes onto your path. And you're a Top Coordinator, I bet you won't have to worry about money for long."

"Iris, I'm pregnant," May said, flapping her hands as she tried to convey her point. "I can't just start travelling again, and I need money for the future…"

Finally Iris seemed to understand, and her fiery enthusiasm faded. May couldn't help but feel disappointed.

"You have a point," Iris said, thoughtful. "But you do have some money saved, right?"

"Yeah, but not that much…" It was quite a bit, though, May knew, and the brunt of it came from her winnings as a Coordinator.

"And your unpaid leave, can that be extended for a few more months?"

"Uh, probably, but not more than that… What are you getting at?"

"Well, you're pregnant," Iris said. "So, in about seven months, you'll have a baby. What are the odds you'll be able to travel then?" Iris paused for a moment as May took that in, and then plowed on. "I'll tell you that they are a whole lot smaller. You can't just leave your kid with your parents while you go off travelling and Coordinating, you know.

"So here is what I propose." Iris fully turned to her and leaned forward. "You take a few more months of unpaid leave. You have your savings. You go off and travel and do what you want. Participate in Contests, challenge Gyms, see the sights, whatever, but do something you like. Enjoy yourself! And then, after all that, you can go back to being responsible and stable, because you have more than enough years ahead of you when you have to do that."

May closed her mouth, which had opened sometime during Iris's speech.

"I… I hadn't thought about it like that," she finally said.

"Well, think about it now," Iris said, pointing towards her with her mug. Then she downed her tea and jumped up from the couch. "I'm going to get some more tea." She grabbed May's cup as well and then left her alone to her thoughts.

It was ridiculous and unrealistic, right? Travelling, Coordinating, adventuring around just for fun- those were dreams of the past, things for children, not something to actually consider…

But here she was, thinking about it. Iris was right: if she wanted to do something radical like this, the time was now.

Could she do it? It had been ages since she had travelled, even longer since she had travelled alone. It would be an adventure…

Excitement and fear warred within her. It was absolutely crazy, and yet so tempting-

"There you go." Iris appeared back in the living room, laptop under her arm and two steaming mugs in her hands. May accepted her own and Iris sat down again, placing the laptop next to her.

"So… what are your thoughts?" Iris looked at her expectantly.

"Well, I can't just decide something like this on the spot!" May exclaimed, before realizing how loud she was talking. "Sorry, I just… It's a lot to take in. I've never considered it before…"

Iris's excited expression softened. "I understand. I think you should do it, but you have to make the decision yourself."

"Do you want to come?" The thought suddenly occurred to her and as she spoke it out she realized how well it fit. Iris's words from before had sounded as if she herself would want that, too-

"I… do want to, but I'm not going to," Iris answered seriously. "I have the Gym, I can't just up and leave."

"I have a job," May bounced back, but even as she said it, she knew it was not the same. You couldn't just close a Gym for a few months, she knew that from her parents'.

Iris nodded and seemed to struggle with her next words. "With Cilan… If I left now, it would feel like running away."

May couldn't protest that and a heavy silence hung between them.

"But am I not running away as well?" she finally asked.

"No," Iris answered immediately, and then, more slowly, "My problems are in here, in Unova. Your problem, however, is that you don't know what you want to do with your future, and you don't want to go back home, so travelling just might be the way to discover what you do want to do with your life.

"Although," Iris added after a pause. "You should contact Drew. But there's no need to be in Hoenn to talk to him, in fact, some other things to distract you might be for the better."

A long silence fell again as May pondered Iris's words, running through them again and wondering if she really could do this.

"Thanks, Iris," May said, voice soft.

Iris snorted and broke the heavy atmosphere. "Don't thank me, thank the tea. I'm normally not that philosophical, that's more Cilan's thing."

Iris's mood immediately sobered and May patted her arm. "You've done your best. I'm sure- I mean, you and Cilan had a strong friendship, you'll pull through."

Arceus, she certainly hoped so for them. Drew and her friendship had been long as well, and look how that had ended. But Cilan was committed to the baby, at least, and that might make the change for them.

Or perhaps some things were simply not to be, and no matter how much she had wished or how much she had tried, things between her and Drew were never meant to work out.

As those thoughts passed through her head, May realized she was not going to return to Hoenn. She wasn't going to go back to the life she had made to accommodate Drew, or whatever illusion she had created of them together.

"Thanks," Iris said, voice a bit choked. May's own eyes were wet with tears, too.

"You know," May said strongly, straightening her posture. "Let's do it like this. I'll travel. And you're not going to give up on Cilan." She backtracked a bit. "If that's what you want, of course."

Iris nodded once, lips pressed together. May nodded in response. "Alright. You're not going to hide or run away again, but you're going to face your feelings and talk to him about it if you have problems again, okay?"

Iris nodded again.

"Good," May said. Suddenly doubtful, she added, "Uh, although you should probably wait until he comes to you, at least for now. I mean, it's not been that long yet…"

Iris smiled. "I understand what you mean, May." Her eyes glinted. "And you're going to travel."

"Yes." A pause, and May's smile turned sheepish. "Although I don't know where to yet."

"Hm, I might have an idea for that…" Iris said slowly, grabbing her laptop. She typed something and handed May the device. "Here, look at this."

"The Wayland Tournament?"

"The Wayland Tournament."

A/N: Thank you very much for reading! Look at this, things are slowly coming together ;) I hope you enjoyed this chapter, this was not an easy conversation to write, but I hope it worked. Please leave me a review on your way out!

Thank you!

Recommendation:

Sofia the First: Intoxication by Jessibelle811. FFN. Rated M! An in-progress multi-chaptered story about forbidden love, so if you love angst and romance, this might be for you. It's CedricxSophia, but nicely aged-up of course. Also featuring a love potion!

Recommendations are welcome!