Well, here it is, the nineteenth part of the fifth and final installment in my 'Heart' series on the right day as promised. After a shocking upset in their first Contest, May and Dawn bounced back in Laverre with May coming out on top and securing her first regional ribbon as well as her first win over Dawn. Now that she has that, though, it's time for the tough conversation that May knows she has to have. That is all the administrative stuff I have for this Part and as there are no guest reviews to respond to or questions to answer I will leave this off here but do please keep your reviews coming as I love hearing from y'all. That is it for this pre-Part note which means that it is once again time to sit back which and enjoy the latest installment in Heart of Champions. Part CCVIII: Departure.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.

Part CCVIII: Departure

"Wait are you sure?" Ash asked his eyes wide staring at May as she finished what she was saying to Ash and Dawn. "You really want to leave and head out on your own?"

"It's not that I want to, it's more that I have to." May said confirming it to Ash. "I'm sorry but this is the best course of action for us and deep down you both know that I'm right."

It was the day after the Laverre Contest and Ash, Dawn, and May were all relaxing in Ash and Dawn's room in the Laverre Pokémon Center. Normally they'd have a talk like this in the common area or over breakfast in the dining area but they couldn't right now given the fact that Ash's presence in Laverre had been noticed and reported online so there were several trainers who had gathered in the common area to wait for him and either challenge the new Champion of Kalos or just talk to him for advice as trainers.

That wasn't all though, there were a handful of coordinators who'd remained after the Laverre Contest who were hoping to get some tips and advice from May and Dawn following their impressive final. Well that and they were both known Top Coordinators so their advice was going to be sought out by coordinators who were serious about making the Grand Festival regardless.

As such, they had to have this chat here and now before they headed down and sorted things out there. Naturally they'd help out anyone who wanted help, they didn't mind that, but that just meant that the day would be busy, made more so for Ash as he was going to see Valerie for some tips with Florges that afternoon as that had been booked before any of this, so anything that needed to be discussed had to be before that.

It was a little earlier than May would have liked but she knew she had to have this chat so better to rip the band aid off now so that they could enjoy the day together. It would be their last as she'd already booked a ride back to Lumiose to catch her flight tomorrow evening.

Ever since they'd started their latest journey May had known that this moment was coming sooner or later. Without Serena to balance things out May was a clear third wheel to Ash and Dawn and that was going to be hard to deal with, especially now that they were engaged, but that wasn't the only reason, it was just the one she couldn't vocalize. May knew that Dawn would understand, she already saw it in her friend's eyes, so that would be good. It was the other reason that she'd give to convince Ash that this was the right course of action.

That was why she'd spent the night before, after celebrating her win over Dawn in the Laverre Contest final and thus securing her first regional ribbon on the path to the Majestic Festival, figuring out how to phrase this chat. She knew that Ash would understand in the end, it would just take a little explanation and now she was ready for that.

On top of that, and as a parting gift, she had done some research so she had some good news for them that should allow for Dawn to go after her Kalos ribbon and without May around there shouldn't be much competition against Dawn for it. That had actually led May down an interesting rabbit hole regarding a special series of Contests in Kalos as well as the potential contenders on the Kalos Circuit this year along with a check up on a Kalos native who wasn't competing here that May knew and wanted to get an update on.

"We do." Dawn said with a nod breaking May from her thoughts on what she'd found out the night before. "May's right, this really is for the best for all of us."

"It is?" Ash asked. "I still don't get it. If May wants to go then that's fine, I understand, she did so after the Battle Frontier to grow on her own and hone her style but if she doesn't have to then she could stay if she wants."

"I'd like to stay." May said and she meant it though she would have preferred to have Serena or Misty as well to help balance out the third wheel stuff. "But this makes things much smoother and lessons the pressures on me and Dawn going forward."

"It does?" Ash asked a little confused at that.

"It does." May confirmed. "Think about it, Ash. Dawn and I both have the same requirement and this isn't like usual requirements, it's a level above. 8 ribbons, not 5, that's a really tough ask and that's not including the massive amount of travel that this requirement has."

"Yeah but in the past we've done 8 gym badges and 5 ribbons in a year." Ash pointed out. "Hell, last year we also got 3 princess keys as well as 3 ribbons in 7 Contests and saw an eight, so two sets of 8 shouldn't be too hard."

"In theory I agree but there are two other factors that I've noticed and if I've noticed it then May has as well." Dawn said taking May's side in this as she understood it and agreed that this was for the best not just for the third wheel stuff, which she totally understood and didn't want to burden May with that as well, but for the other reasons as well, reasons which were probably more important anyway. "The first is that it's not 8 in one region, it's 8 in 8 regions which means traveling to those regions for the Contests and that adds to the whole thing as we have to plan around that to ensure we hit the right Contests at the right time. That will add time to everything."

"The second thing is that this isn't just about us." May said. "It's about everyone else. With gyms you're just facing the gym leader so it's either win or lose against the gym leader and you can challenge ask many times as you'd like. For us we have to face a tournament and in that anything can happen. There will be other Top Coordinators who may beat us or we may both lose to a circuit favorite like we did to Amelia. That Contest really showed us that this can, and at times will, take more than two Contests per region. That loss alone has already put us behind schedule. It is easier if we split up now and I go to a new region to continue now that I'm done in Kalos while Dawn wins here before moving on as well."

"It would really help if we don't have to both get ribbons in a region before moving on." Dawn admitted. "We really can't spend more than a month in a region if we want to qualify this year and we've already been in Kalos for over a month and I still don't have my ribbon. This way we can ensure that if we lose one, or even two, Contests in a region it's not going to be a major setback as we both don't need to get one before moving on."

"Don't get me wrong, this strategy made sense for Kalos." May continued. "It was easier to start out together because we were already here but I've known pretty much since we started on this journey that one of us had to leave the moment we won a ribbon due to how tough the qualification requirement is. If Dawn had beaten me yesterday then I would have insisted that you go to Alola as planned and I'd stay and head to the next Contest here before going to a completely different region for my second regional ribbon."

"Wait you won't even go to Alola next?" Ash asked. "But that was the plan, wasn't it?"

"It was but I'm changing it now that we're splitting up." May said. "I'm going to go back to Hoenn and get my next ribbon in my home region. As good as it would be to leave that for last given that the Majestic Festival is there this year, I do want to see my family so if I go there I can see them and spend a little time at home. Plus, Petalburg is having a Contest in a week's time so it would be fitting for me to win it though that is a coincidence. I did lose the Wallace Cup when it was held there so I'm due winning something in my hometown."

"That does make sense." Ash admitted. "And then where would you go?"

"Not sure, I'll see where the winds take me after that." May said. "I'm going to go on my own from there and get some solo experience to grow and adapt to any changes in the Contest world since I won the Sinnoh Grand Festival while working in what I've learned in Kalos into my repertoire. I think it will help and I do need some tricks for Dawn in the Wallace Cup and the Majestic Festival that she hasn't seen before."

"That does work for me because I don't want all my secrets out as well." Dawn said with a smile. "It will make things a hell of a lot more fun when we meet again and I know you're going to be in Unova for the Wallace Cup."

"Of course I will be, can't miss that at all now that I can compete in it again." May said with a grin. "And after I win the Dawn Ribbon we can travel there together as well only this time with Serena again. At least for a bit depending on how many regional ribbons we all have at that point."

"Well that would be nice." Ash said. "That was the plan for Unova after all so we should stick to that at least."

"It was and so long as we have enough ribbons by that point we can still do it." May said. "This way though I can carve my own path to that and then the Majestic Festival afterwards while also ensuring that we both end up there."

"I do agree with this, it is for the best." Dawn said looking to her fiancé. "And you know it too Ash."

"I'll admit that this does make sense." Ash said as he thought on May's idea and saw the logic there. "And with my own status we will have to deal with that as well. I'm going to have to have at least one battle in each region against some notable Elite Four member, gym leader, or even a Champion if he or she wants it and that will take up a little time as well so with that as a factor it does work better if only Dawn is with me."

"Precisely." May said. "With the tightness of the schedule that we have to work with this will free us up a bit."

"Not to mention anything else that happens in other regions." Dawn said. "Iris and the Alolans we met will be there so we'll spend time with them, Emily and Adam are in Galar so we can see them once we're there if they're around, Misty, Max, Bonnie, Miette, Alain, and Owen are in Kanto which will delay things if we meet up, Brock and Lucy are in Sinnoh, and that's just some of them who's to know who else we run into on the Majestic Qualification Circuit or just in general."

"We're bound to see a few of our friends who are now Top Coordinators." May said. "Nando, Mollie, Yuma, Robert, Solidad, and Zoey are all good to meet but we could also cross the negative trio or Harley or someone else from our past who's now a Top Coordinator but wasn't a good rival or even just run into a regional favorite like Jessilina or Emily. There are so many factors that adding in having to wait for one of us to get that second ribbon before moving on just makes this so much harder of a time crunch."

"True, I guess I just got used to having you back that's all." Ash said. "I could understand Serena, she needed it and our plans are inter regional while she needs to stay in one region, but I did expect you to stay May. This is for the best though, the logic makes sense."

"It really is but I'll be a call away and we will coordinate things." May said. "Plus I've already done some research, I know just the Contest for you two to go to next that should get Dawn her ribbon and allow you to leave Kalos within a fortnight. It's next week and can be reached from here within 3 days. Plus it's between here and Coumarine where there's an airport you can use to get a flight to Alola."

"Really, where?" Dawn asked her interest peaked at the idea of her next, and hopefully final, Kalos Contest being so close. "I haven't had time to check so thank you May, this really helps."

"Of course and it's actually in a place we've been to before so you already know the area." May said as she pulled out a map and laid it out between them before pointing to a location on it that was between Laverre and Coumarine. "Here, it's in this town though it's not named after the town itself."

"Wait, isn't that…" Dawn began as she thought back to when they were in the northwest of Kalos the year before.

"Yup the town that hosts the Fire Festival every year and where we had a great time with Max, Bonnie, Trevor, and Owen and met Kahili for the first time." May said with a nod. "And as such they're doing a fire type themed contest called the Conflagration Contest, it's going to be the second in the type series of Contests in Kalos."

"So they're going to keep it up then." Dawn said. "The more themed Contests that are in some way tied to the various Pokémon types, it's not a bad idea really."

"Yup, the Haunted Contest was the first and it worked well though I think the fact that we both lost to Amelia, a Kalos native who isn't a Top Coordinator, really helped them more than it being by that haunted mansion." May said. "The next three are all actually in towns known to host type based events but don't have gyms though they're going to be a little different."

"How so?" Dawn asked. "The Haunted Contest alone was different after all as it wasn't even in a town or city. That was a first for me other than the Wallace Cup in Sinnoh and the Wallace Cup itself is a special Contest."

"True but these three are going to be themed in towns so that those towns can have their own normal, un-themed ones as well if they want and already one of them has announced plans to do just that." May explained. "So for example, the one after the Conflagration Contest is going to be the Spark Contest and I'm sure you know where that will be."

"Where?" Ash asked.

"Oh, that town we went to with Bonnie." Dawn said recalling. "While you and Serena went on ahead of us to Snowbelle to get ready for the Wallace Cup there. What was it called again? It had something to do with electricity if I recall."

"Wait, wasn't that were we met Surge again." Ash said and Dawn nodded at that. "That's it, I remember now. Tierno was there as well and we had a great time. There was a battle tournament and Pikachu won beating both Tierno's Raichu and that Galarian electric and poison type Surge had. Pikachu got a statue for that I think."

"Pikachu." Pikachu said with a nod of confirmation at what Ash had said, he'd won and now was immortalized there as a great electric type which made it one of his better solo achievements with Ash. "Pi, Pikachu."

"Yup that was in Joule Town." May said. "Serena and I went there the year before with Clemont and Bonnie because it was the perfect place for Clemont to go given his specialty in the type. They're still holding their yearly Zapdos Festival this year though what you did was a once every four years thing. However, this year the town has decided to do an electric themed Contest as part of the Type Series and then another normal Contest later on in the year as a way to hype up the Zapdos Festival. There is one condition for the three ones that are in towns though so that they can host a second, normal one later in the year."

"What's the condition?" Ash asked curious at that even if he wasn't into Contests himself beyond the potential training opportunities they provided him. "This isn't usual for Contests, is it?"

"No it's not though there have been Contests in the past with a ribbon requirement for entry but those aren't common." May said. "This is something new that Kalos is trying out. Apparently the other expansion regions are dabbling in these experimental ones to increase their numbers and intrigue especially with the Majestic Festival coming though I don't know what they're doing. As for the condition, it's a simple one, two of your registered Pokémon have to be of the type the Contest is honoring."

"Huh, that wasn't the case in the Haunted Contest." Dawn noted. "But we both honored that requirement anyway."

"We did but that was inadvertent and done because I made sense." May said. "This is only for the Conflagration, Spark, and Combat Contests though."

"Combat Contest?" Ash asked.

"It's being held where the fighting type tournament you and Lucario won was held." May said which in hindsight made sense given how it was a town that held a long running fighting type tournament. "It's the third of the three in an actual town that I found out about last night while going down this rabbit hole. They're having it later in the year as a warm up for the fighting tournament they always host so it should attract a good crowd and introduce Contests to a wider audience."

"That it should." Dawn agreed. "But like the others it will have this type requirement."

"Yup, an add on to Kalos's four Pokémon requirement that is in effect for every official Kalos Contest." May said. "It doesn't matter when you use the two types so long as you use them in the Contest which means that you need to use both to win it. It makes sense if the towns are to host two Contests that the type specialty one be more limited and focused on why it's being held in the first place."

"Agreed." Dawn said with a nod. "And that's not an issue for me as I have Pyroar, Ninetales and Typhlosion to choose from for the Flame Contest so I'm set there. In fact I think I'll use all three of them just to really show it. Ninetales did win one of the events in their Fire Festival as a Vulpix and got a Fire Stone to evolve so it's fitting to have him in it."

"Yeah it would actually be an issue for me if I had to compete in it." May admitted. "I only have Blaziken so I'd either have to avoid it or catch another fire type and train it up beforehand and there really isn't time for that."

"Well you don't have to worry there." Dawn said. "And don't worry I'll win it this time and then Ash and I can move on from Kalos and head to Alola."

"I know you will." May said. "There aren't going to be any Top Coordinators there other than you from the chatter I'm seeing on the forums but there may be one of the favorites or dark horses on the circuit this year so be careful."

"I expect as much after seeing Amelia the other day." Dawn said. "She reminded me that I can't underestimate anyone in a Contest so I'm going to be prepared for that. On that front, any idea who that might be?"

"No clue, it's still a little early." May said shaking her head. "There are some who were in the other expansion regions last year and made it to Grand Festivals but decided to come here for this. The notable ones are a pair of Alolans called Plumeria and Hiroki who both competed in the Alolan Grand Festival as well as Alola's inaugural Contest and made it to the quarterfinals of the Grand Festival there before losing along with a Unovan girl called Flora who's trying to do both the Kalos Grand Festival and Lumiose Conference but I really don't know anything else about them other than their names and records."

"I can't speak for the Alolans, I don't know them." Ash said. "But Flora sounds vaguely familiar."

"Probably because she was in the Vertress Conference same year as you so that's likely where you heard of her." May said. "After losing, and according to her Coordinator profile I found, she went to Hoenn and Sinnoh over the last two years to compete in the Evergrande and Lily of the Valley Conferences there but didn't win while also picking up some Contest Ribbons in both regions in the process. As such, went back to Unova last year and she used the hybrid method to qualify there as training for a second crack at Vertress. It helped her reach the semifinals in the Vertress Conference apparently but she lost in the quarterfinals of the Grand Festival to the girl who Kalos wants back."

"A girl Kalos wants back?" Dawn asked confused. "Who's that?"

"Oh right she wasn't here this year as she left for Unova to compete in Contests there as her primary Pokémon was originally discovered in Unova as well as to learn the art of Pokémon theater there rather than join Serena, Miette, and Shauna on the Contest circuit in Kalos." May said. "I'm sure we've mentioned her but she was a good friend and a positive rival on the Showcase scene called Nini. Great girl, always bubble and happy to be around but she was knocked out early in the Master Class and rather than compete with the three finalists of her year, and be reminded of that I think, she opted to leave Kalos and forge her own path in Unova."

"That does make sense, gives her a fresh start where she can be away from that as she grows and discovers more about herself while broadening her own style at the same time." Dawn said. "Similar to what Serena is doing this year. If she beat this Flora girl in the quarters then she made it far indeed. Even in the expansion regions, making it to the semifinals as a rookie is an achievement."

"Yup, only rookie in Unova to make the semifinals and one of only two in all four expansion regions with Serena being the other one, but Nini did end up against Mollie in them." May said and Dawn winced slightly at that. "Yeah, that girl is a total sweetheart but damn is she a powerhouse in Contests with a raw strength specialty few expect when they first meet her. From what I heard she utterly steamrolled her way through Unova with only one regular season loss and didn't really face much opposition in the Grand Festival. Probably the most convincing one in the expansion regions given how Kenny was just an ass in Alola."

"I don't doubt either of those things." Dawn said. "Mollie was something else when we faced off in Gardenia Town. She beat me fair and square in that final, which also made her the only favorite to beat the other three that year, and really showed what taking time to focus on training under a Top Coordinator can do for you. She's still one of only two Coordinators I've never beaten, the other being Zoey. Well I guess three now that my mother is out of retirement for the Majestic Festival but yeah I wasn't surprised at all that Mollie won it all in Unova, she earned it."

"That she did and Nini was just one of the ones who lost to her on her path to the first Unovan Ribbon Cup." May said. "And I've heard that Mollie's already gotten her Kanto ribbon for the Majestic Festival. It would have been two but she opted not to stay in Unova after winning and has already announced she intends to return there for the Wallace Cup to make the Dawn Ribbon her Unovan ribbon."

"Really?" Dawn asked. "I think I heard something about that actually."

"Yeah I think Mollie wants to win it not just because it's in the region she became a Top Coordinator in but also because you're going to be there Dawn." May said. "It is your ribbon after all, and she is one of the few who's beaten the Prodigy of Sinnoh when she was at the apex of her game so it would be fitting for the first winner of the Unovan Grand Festival to win the Dawn Ribbon in Unova. You're popular Dawn and with the Majestic Festival the Wallace Cup is going to be big this year I think."

"Well I'm getting back to that level and I for one am ready for a rematch, I do owe the Sweetie from the Garden that much and it would be fitting to finally beat her in the Wallace Cup." Dawn said using the moniker Mollie had earned the year they competed together in Kanto. "But what happened to this Nini girl? Where is she?"

"That I don't know." May admitted. "Only that it's probably one of the original regions. She said that she was going to compete in one of them before returning to Kalos and taking on the Kalos Contest Circuit if she doesn't win wherever she is right now, at least according to an interview Serena showed me before she left as Serena keeps track of her friends. It's likely that either or both of us may run into her on the Majestic Circuit."

"That we may." Dawn said. "I look forward to it and seeing this friend of yours and Serena's for myself. Well then it seems like if I do face a challenge it will likely be from one of those three you mentioned."

"Most likely, if they show up and from what I've hear Plumeria's primary Pokémon is a fire type from Alola so she's the most likely of the three to be there though I don't know where she is right now." May said. "Of course you could end up facing someone else who's an up and coming coordinator ready to break into the favorite ranks but hasn't gotten the momentum yet, especially if he or she is a Kalos native. Right now only Amelia and Flora are being talked about as favorites with Amelia the only one confirmed after what she did to us."

"Well yeah she beat two Top Coordinators in the same Contest." Dawn said. "So that will solidify it. Plus it really boosted the Type Series and made it a viable idea."

"That it did and if you win the Conflagration Contest it will help further that." May said. "I looked and there are several others, all out of towns or cities, already planned but not yet confirmed in the schedule. I expect that they will be soon though."

"Really?" Ash asked getting back in the conversation as he'd been lost with all the technical Contest circuit talk but this intrigued him. "What are they?"

"Well already they've planned the water type one to be held on a floating arena with floating stands in the area around Shalour and it will be called the Sea Contest." May said as she began to recall what she'd read the night before while researching to help Dawn find her next Contest so that Dawn could get her own Kalos Ribbon as soon as possible. "Then there is the Mountain Contes which is to be held in the mountains near Cyllage and is for rock types, the Sand Contest in the desert that exists in Kalos for ground types, the Meadow Contest for grass types though I don't know where that is being held, same with the Aerial Contest for flying types other than that it's in the sky, and the Frigid Contest for ice types in the snow in the mountains between Dendemille and Anistar."

"Those all make a lot of sense for the locations and really play into the types that they are honoring." Dawn said. "Are there any others planned?"

"There's the Toxic Contest for poison types, the Metallic Contest for steel types, and the Night Contest for dark types but none of those have a set location yet from what I could tell though unlike the remaining ones they have been given names already." May said. "As for the ones for fairy, dragon, normal, psychic, and bug types, those I've not heard about though the bug type one will likely be in a forest and the normal one can be anywhere but if I had to guess it will be in a town and held outdoors. The other three I really have no idea about."

"And yet none of them use the type in their name directly." Ash said. "Kinda like how there are gym badges that don't directly refer to the type of the gym but make it clear that that was the type you faced to earn it."

"That's exactly the point of it." May said with a nod. "A way to honor them without being direct about it. Some are in towns that have no gym but an association with the type, others are in areas associated with it be it via legend or via environment, and the remaining ones have yet to be seen. It's rather clever and broadens the Contests you can have as it justifies having a Contest not in a town or city."

"Yeah I agree, it's a good thing." Dawn said. "And I can't wait for the Conflagration Contest but that is in a bit. For now, we should go down and deal with the crowd waiting for us and help out anyone who wants it. I want to maximize our last day together May. We won't see you until Unova probably."

"Almost certainly so let's make the most of it and help spread Contests more so that more people learn the beauty and joy of competing in them." May said as she got up and the other two followed suit. "And then meet again in the Wallace Cup when we have more ribbons and are well on our way to the Majestic Festival to compete to be the Supreme Coordinator."

Dawn just smiled and nodded before they, along with Piplup and Pikachu, headed out and down to the waiting trainers and coordinators who were looking to learn from and in some cases challenge the Kalos Champion and two Top Coordinators. It was going to be a long, fun, day but a fitting one before May headed off to Hoenn and Ash and Dawn continued on their own journey alone as the girls forged their own paths to the Majestic Festival and Ash continued his tour as Champion as he prepared for the upcoming PWC.

They may diverge now but all roads led to the same place, the only question was how much stronger would they all be when they met again. Time would tell as May's latest journey with Ash came to an end and she once more headed off on her own ready for whatever came her way.

A nice, short, transition chapter that sets up both what comes next for Ash and Dawn as well as showing May's plans going forward. This was always coming; May just can't stay so it's for the best that she goes off on her own and can spend some time with her parents before forging her own path to the Majestic Festival while Ash and Dawn enjoy their journey together. From this point on it will be just Ash and Dawn with others coming and going depending on where they are and what they are doing at the time. Next up for them is (hopefully) Dawn's final Contest in Kalos as she tried to make it third time the charm to get her Kalos Ribbon but now she's aware of who she may face and can get ready for it. Whether or not characters like Plumeria, Flora, and Hiroki are seen, I will use canon characters from various reasons for this purpose to flesh things out and these are just the named ones so who knows who else might be out there to challenge Dawn as she tries to qualify for the Majestic Festival. That is all that I have for y'all, however, so I will leave this Part off here. As always if you like my work then please favorite (both this story and me in general to be notified of any new content I post), if possible leave a review as I really like hearing what you think of my work and your suggestions that help complete this story (and respond as best I can) and just in general keep enjoying my work. Until next time.

Stringdog