A/N: Summary 2 : An HoennChampionShipping fic in Pasio.

It's an idea I've had for a long time and I can finally share it here. This fanfic starts one year after the events of the game, once May became the Hoenn Champion and Steven left the region. There is a lot of characters of Pokemon who will be appearing in this fic but the plot will stay focused on May and Steven, with some Hoenn characters who play bigger roles.

May is 21 at the start of the story and Steven 24.

This work is a translation of my french fic "Hoennchampionshipping à Passio". English isn't my first language so I apologize for the potential mistakes that could be left in this fic...

I hope you will enjoy this story, I'll try to update at least every month!


Sometimes, May felt like she had been deceived.

No one had ever told her that being the league champion could also look like this: piles of papers to sign, reports to write on her every move, dozens of trainers' records to read... It was the end of the afternoon, she had spent the day locked inside the league, tidying up all this paperwork, and now she was dying to tear up the sheets that remained for her to read.

There was also this account of her last battle that she hadn't written yet; a woman with dragon Pokemons who had given hers a hard time. May wasn't very good with words, but she would never have believed that it could become a problem in her role as a champion.

A year ago, she still thought her newly won title was all about glory and intense battles. No one ever mentioned what was hidden behind the stage, like the overwhelming responsibilities and the boring administration. Everything was so regulated at this level of the competition...

May would have liked to have been more aware of the realities of the job before finding herself thrown to the most demanding position of the Hoenn region. It would have made her think twice before challenging the league. Especially when the person who was supposed to oversee her formation, the previous champion, had rather liked to run away as soon as his title had been withdrawn from him than to help her. Thus, in addition to being already lost, the new champion had also found herself alone.

Bzz bzz…

May's Blaziken moved lazily in a corner of the room, bothered by the ringing of her Poke Nav. The young woman jumped at the chance to escape from her duties, grabbing the device as she rose from her chair.

"Champion May."

"Hi May!" An amused voice answered. "This is the legendary trainer Brendan. You still haven't saved my number?"

"Well, when I see how little you call me these days…"

"I know, sorry… I wanted to save my battery as much as possible during our trip, but Wally and I finally arrived at the Pokemon center so it's all good now! We can call each other all night if you want."

"The Pokemon center? Wait… does that mean you've already earned your five badges?"

"Yeah," Brendan replied with enthusiasm. "Now we are officially registered for the PML! And we're finally going to be able to sleep in a real bed tonight."

"I'm very happy for you."

"There are already so many people there…" His friend continued. "We met a few trainers when we arrived, one from Sinnoh and two others from Kalos. It's so cool to be able to talk like that with them. It awakened my thirst for adventure and battles, I can't wait for this PML to start and for me to be able to compete against all these people from all over the world..."

May nodded sadly, then remembering that Brendan couldn't see her, she repeated:

"I'm very happy for you..."

She meant it, of course. But the words of her old neighbour were especially painful to hear. What would May have given to be with him and Wally, right now?

She glanced at her messy desk, and the three bookshelves filled with files about the old champions, old battles in the league, semi-annual reports from previous years, league rules... For her, this room was more like a prison cell than the champion's working room, and knowing there was a Pokemon Masters League thousands of miles away from there where she couldn't go to wasn't helping her to get rid of this impression.

"It would be a shame if you didn't participate," Brendan said. "Until then, we have teamed up with trainers we have met on the road, but for the official competition... we are looking for a third person to complete our great duo. You know, like… a league champion who loves to kick her opponents' ass with her Blaziken!"

May couldn't help but smile. She was dying to team up with them. Just as she was dying to spend her summer on an artificial island, battling and going on adventures. But she just couldn't do it.

"You know very well that my duties as a champion force me to stay in Hoenn. If I leave, who would take care of the league in my absence? Half of the gym leaders are already on Pasio, we can't all leave the region just like that."

"Couldn't you… I don't know, take an arrangement with the director of the Pokemon association or a former champion of Hoenn? Cynthia and Lance were able to come. Wally and I spotted them as we arrived at the Pokemon center, surrounded by an army of cheering fans… If they can participate, you should be allowed as well, right?"

May said nothing. Maybe Cynthia and Lance knew how to impose their will, but she wouldn't be able to plead her case in front of Drake or Glacia.

"Seriously May, this won't be the same without you!"

She sighed. That's when someone knocked on the door.

"Huh… I'll call you back later!"

"What? But… May?!"

She hung up just as the door opened. Glacia didn't seem to notice the Poke Nav that May had just hidden behind her back. The Champion wasn't supposed to be on the phone during her working hours.

"Hello May, I came to see how you were doing. I also looked at the trainers' records that you signed the other day and… I'm afraid there is a few mistakes."

"Oh um… I kind of read them in a hurry…" May admitted with a sheepish gaze.

Glacia gave her a weary look as she put the papers on her desk. She was used to the careless mistakes of the new Champion. Drake and her regularly checked her work before sending it to the Pokemon association. In fact, they both took on the role that should have gone to the former Champion of Hoenn. May would have freaked out a long time ago if they hadn't been there to help her.

"What did I miss this time?" May asked.

"Well, this one, for example," Glacia said, holding up one of the papers under her nose. "It is the record of a Pokemon trainer who has already come to challenge the league twice, I remembered him. Someone – Sidney surely – noted that it was only his second attempt. And it wasn't Drake but Phoebe who defeated him."

"Oops… I guess I was too lazy to check in the archives…" May sighed in a small voice.

"That's what you're supposed to do. We won't always be there to correct your mistakes."

"I know… I know… Is there anything else?"

Glacia looked at her sternly before continuing in a professional tone:

"The fairy-type specialist from the other day… In the description of her six Pokemons, it is noted that he notably had a Jigglypuff but that's incorrect. It was a Clefairy. And there is a mistake in its name, it is written with a Y and not an I. Obviously this kind of detail can go unnoticed if you read the files without enough attention."

"I usually read them better but I was a little tired and…"

"You need to be more focused," Glacia answered. "The Hoenn's Pokemon League can't afford to record any erroneous information about the trainers who come to challenge it."

May nodded silently this time. The more she tried to justify herself, the more the elite would lecture her. Glacia was nice once you got to know her, but she didn't mess with the administration.

"Listen, I know it's not easy for you, especially at your age. But it seems to me that lately you've been particularly distracted."

"It's true…" The young woman acknowledged, choosing to be fully honest this time. "I will try to do better, I promise."

"No May, let me finish…" Glacia said, raising her hand. "Yes, you need to be more focused… But if I'm counting correctly, you have held the position of the Hoenn league Champion for more than a year now, and despite the few mistakes you may make, you have shown you were worthy of this role. Drake and I, and everyone in the League and the Pokemon association know that you've been doing your best since being named..."

Where was she coming from with this curious speech? A few seconds ago, Glacia was annoyed by her work and now she was congratulating her? Oh no… maybe the league had organized one of those big private parties to celebrate her first year in the league, where all the personalities of the region would be present, and they wanted to make it a surprise. May was definitely not a fan of these kinds of events, let alone if she was the center of the attention.

"So we consulted each other and… we all agree that you deserve a little break, the time to change your mind a little."

"What?"

She had heard right? It wasn't a surprise party but a vacation? Was she really offered a vacation? Without her having to ask anything?

"I think you are aware that Stev… that the previous Champion used to be absent from the league sometimes for several months, and that the association managed to find a replacement for him. You have the right to the same privileges as him. Besides, this time, there will not even be a need to find a replacement. The league will exceptionally close this year, from may until the end of the summer."

"The league is going to close? But…"

May was doing her best to hold back the smile that burned her lips. It was as if Arceus had just granted her deepest wish. The league never closed its doors to trainers usually, there was always someone to receive new challengers.

"Yes, the decision has just fallen. You must be aware of the organization of this great competition in Pasio…"

"The PML?!" May cut her off. "Sure! So is that why?"

Glacia nodded:

"It seems that this competition is taking on exceptional proportions. All existing leagues are invited to close their doors while to take part in the competition. If trainers want to keep challenging gym leaders and Champions, Pasio is where they need to go."

May should have known it had something to do with the PML. Lance and Cynthia weren't the only ones who could come to terms with their region, Hoenn was going to follow suit.

"Does that mean that as a member of the league, I can…?"

"The prince Lear, organizer of the competition, invites us all to participate, yes. From what Phoebe told me, a lot of famous trainers are already there. Pasio is an artificial island, without any wild Pokemons, built by this strange prince who must have a colossal fortune... Glacia explained. Trainers have to make teams of at least three, and they will only be allowed to use one Pokemon per battle. If I'm not mistaken, these are the rules he stated, but you will receive all the details in an email."

"So the break won't really be a break." May deduced.

"No, I do agree: this international competition won't be easy," Glacia smiled. "By the way, you are under no obligation to participate. If you prefer to use these months of closure to do something else, we members of the league will respect your decision, but already know that all the Hoenn gym leaders are ready to participate, just like Sidney and Phoebe, who are already on their way to Pasio. As for Drake and me, we were hesitant to leave but finally, we decided that a little challenge would keep us in shape. We plan to leave the day after tomorrow. Whether you join the trip or not is up to you."

May lowered her head, pretending to weigh the pros and cons in her mind, but deep down she already knew what her decision would be:

"I don't need to think any longer, I want to come with you and participate in this PML. My friends have already booked me on their team… Oh, I hope that's not a problem?"

"Of course not, May. This contest isn't an event organized by the league, so you have no obligation to join us. Myself, I'm considering teaming up with some old friends of mine, Ice Pokemon Trainers I haven't seen in a while..."

"That's great!" May answered. "It's true that this competition also gives us the opportunity to team up with trainers from different regions!"

Glacia nodded, breaking into a genuine smile, without the polite distance she always maintained between them. And May realized that she had given up her professional cover in favour of her true personality.

"Come on, May, what time is it?" She asked, looking at her watch. "Aren't you finished for tonight? Do me the favour of putting away all these papers! Me, I'm going to see if Drake is already gone. I do not want to lock one of us in the building, we wouldn't survive the summer with the heat of the season."

Glacia took out the keys of her dress' pocket and left the room while May set about the task of collecting all the loose sheets on the desk into a homogeneous pile of paper. Her Blaziken had come out of his nap, maybe he had felt the unexpected excitement that had suddenly won over her trainer.

"Do you realize, Blaz? We're going to Pasio!"

The Pokemon raised its beak, looking surprised.

"Yes, I know that I had preconceptions about the PML," May admitted, shrugging her shoulders. "At first, I thought this whole thing was just a big joke: a prince from who knows where who builds a huge island just to organize a Pokemon tournament? It seemed pretty weird, right? I thought his project wouldn't be successful, especially with this concept of sync pairs and three-on-three team battles. Why three? I'm much better alone! And why only one Pokemon for each trainer and not six, as usual?..."

May stopped, realizing she got carried away.

"But… well, in short, a competition that takes on this magnitude, I wouldn't have the opportunity to participate in it a thousand times in my life, you understand?"

"Criii…" Blaziken said.

"Yes, I told you that this thing wasn't good enough for us. But that was because I was disappointed that I couldn't get there when Brendan and Wally unscrupulously abandoned me. I had resigned myself to not going but now that I can… I kind of feel like a teenager again! Like when I was about to start my journey in Hoenn…"

Blaziken squealed approvingly. Obviously, this memory made him nostalgic too. May approached him to stroke his plumage, and he closed his eyes.

"Meeting and battling all these trainers is a golden opportunity to test my level. I will be able to measure myself against the Champions of other regions... I have been waiting for this for so long... And above all, I will finally have time to be with Brendan and Wally for a bit. It makes you happy too, huh?... You will be with Scepticle again."

"Cri!" Blaziken agreed happily.

"May, are you still here?!" Glacia's voice came from the hallway. "What are you waiting for? I'm really going to end up locking you and your Pokemons."

"I'm coming!"

May took out her Poke Ball. After a final stroke to her Pokemon, she called it back inside it. If she was only allowed one Pokemon, the choice was obvious. Her first partner, the one with whom she had experienced all her beginner's mistakes, which had allowed them to forge an unique bond... It was him who would be her ally at Pasio.

"Bye bye, dear league, May whispered as she left the room. It's time for the PML."