Winona was sitting in her Gym, rubbing her temples. After the Gym Leader meeting, she had a lot of things she needed to work on. Since the Pokémon Association gave her authority over the Gym Leaders, that's why she acted like she did with Norman, because him leaving felt like he spit in the face of the authority she was tasked with.
Now granted, she didn't know why she, of all people, got this position. Norman was stronger than her, and Wattson had more experience. Even Juan could have been better. But no, she got put in charge, so she's trying her best.
But she was worried her best wasn't enough with everything going on, and this whole drama that has the Gym Leaders separated. And since Tate and Liza have been MIA, she hasn't been able to feel like she's in control.
Plus the stuff with Flannery, she would like to be able to help her, but without the Pokémon Association's permission, she couldn't do her own investigation. So she's worried, and just hopes that the Association is conducting its own investigation.
So when the meeting ended, a lot of things were unresolved, and she had a lot on her mind. Especially since, when the meeting ended, Juan called her and asked if she was okay, and told her that Wallace had asked about her too.
At the mention of Wallace, Winona flinched, but she put on a smile and said she was perfectly fine, and told Juan to tell Wallace that everything was fine with her.
Of course, Juan didn't believe that at all, but he didn't say anything. He just nodded and hung up, letting Winona's smile fall as she sighed. It was...complicated.
Winona wasn't really ready to talk about it, so she went back to doing her thing and being a Gym Leader. Even if her mind wasn't all there, she might have ended up giving out more Gym Badges than she should have, but it didn't really matter. She wouldn't get punished; the Association gave her certain privileges, although she didn't like abusing them.
But that brings us to right now.
Winona was tending to her Pokémon, feeding them, when she heard the door open. She turned, ready to tell any challenger that came through that the Gym was closed and to come back tomorrow, but who she saw made her nearly drop the Pokémon food she was holding.
Wallace was there.
He rubbed the back of his head and held out some takeout that he knew Winona liked, along with some paperwork, "Hey...I came by to hand you this. The Association needed someone to deliver it to you, so I volunteered. And I thought I could bring you something to eat."
Winona felt her throat tighten. She didn't know what she was going to say, but her stomach beat her to it as it grumbled. Admittedly, she hadn't really been taking care of herself very well with all the stress from the Association.
Winona sighed softly, "…You always did have an impeccable sense of timing," she said at last. She set the feed aside and brushed her hands together, deliberately avoiding looking at him for too long, "Though I don't recall requesting a courier."
Wallace gave a small, easy smile, though it didn't quite reach his eyes, "Well...I figured you wouldn't."
He stepped forward, holding out the takeout first rather than the paperwork, "You haven't been eating properly, have you?"
Winona hesitated. Then, with careful grace, she accepted the food, "The wind has been...restless as of late," she replied, as if that explained everything, "It's difficult to find time to land."
Wallace let out a quiet breath, like he wanted to say more, but held it back, "…Yeah. I figured."
Winona finally looked at him properly, and just as quickly looked away again, "…You said the Association sent you?" she asked, shifting the conversation.
"Mm." Wallace lifted the papers slightly, "They needed someone to give this to you, and well...I was done with Champion duties, so...why not." He laughed, though there was no humor behind it.
Then he stopped and didn't look at her, "…I also wanted to see how you were doing."
Winona looked down sadly but shook her head, pushing the thought away, "I am functioning within expectations," she said, a little sharper than intended, "There is no cause for concern."
Wallace's expression softened, "…Winona—"
"I am aware of my responsibilities," she continued, cutting him off. Her voice was still controlled, but there was an edge to it now, "The Association has entrusted me with this role. I will not falter."
Wallace nodded slowly, "I...realize this is none of my business anymore, since I'm not a Gym Leader," he said carefully, "But the Association filled me in. The...discourse between the Gym Leaders during the emergency concerns me."
Winona's head snapped toward him, "Are you telling me you have a problem with me as the Leader!?" The way she said it made her sound angrier than she intended. She didn't mean to snap at him, but the stress the Association was putting on her got the better of her, and she regretted it immediately.
Wallace blinked, taken aback, "No—no, that's not what I—" He exhaled, trying again, calmer, "I understand you're doing your best. I really do."
"It's just that...I think it's going to be very difficult to unify a group of Trainers with such strong personalities."
Wallace stepped a little closer, "I think…" he began, gentler now, "you should delegate responsibility to others instead of trying to carry the burden of leadership all on your own." He reached out, resting a hand lightly on her shoulder.
For a split second, she didn't move.
Then Winona pulled away sharply, as if the touch had burned her, "The Association chose me to lead the Gym Leaders!" she snapped, her voice breaking from its usual calm, "I'm just doing what I was told the best I can! I didn't ask for feedback!"
For a moment, the Gym was silent, save for Winona's heavy breathing. She wanted to say more, maybe yell at him again, maybe apologize, but she didn't.
Winona turned away from him, and her voice was quieter now, "You don't get to worry about me like that...not anymore."
Wallace's hand fell to his side. He wanted to say something, but chose not to. He looked down, "Right...well...it was good to see you again. I hope things get better," he said, before turning to leave.
Winona didn't turn to watch him go. Her feelings were complicated. In case it wasn't already clear, Winona and Wallace used to date. They had been a couple, but they broke up, and neither of them seemed ready to talk about it.
But she also knew she couldn't let these things distract her. She looked at the documents Wallace had brought her and sighed. She had a lot on her plate, including the upcoming Feather Carnival.
She'd manage.
She always had to.
—
{In Kalos}
Alain was at a loss for what to do.
He had spent every day battling other Mega Evolution users to prove himself the strongest. He thought he had reached the top, until he met Elite Four Siebold in his restaurant.
He had asked for a battle.
He lost.
Badly.
It wasn't even a battle, it was a one-sided defeat. A complete dismantling.
And just like that, Alain learned he wasn't strong enough.
So that's how he ended up here, sitting on a bench, staring up at the sky, wondering what to do next.
After all, he had started this journey for Professor Sycamore, to grow stronger for him, and to collect Mega Stones for his research.
And of course, soon after, he met Lysandre, and learned that Lysandre had once worked with Professor Sycamore as well. But the first time they met, they battled...and Alain lost that, too.
Afterward, Lysandre invited Alain to Lysandre Labs, where he revealed his intention to harness the energy Pokémon produce when they Mega Evolve, for peaceful purposes. He also claimed that if Professor Sycamore were to publish the secrets of Mega Evolution, mankind would inevitably find a way to use them for nefarious ends. He said he would not allow the Professor's name to be tarnished.
Alain believed him completely. He thought he couldn't let Professor Sycamore's name be slandered, so for the sake of protecting him, he agreed to work with Lysandre Labs. Besides, it's not like they were evil...right?
Well, actually, they really weren't.
Lysandre had started Team Flare with good intentions. It was only after he gained power that he became corrupted. The current Lysandre was a genuine man, trying to make the world a better place. He even had projects he was working on with a man named AZ.
Anyway, that wasn't important right now. Alain was.
He thought about what he should do next. He had been battling constantly, but even so, Trainers with Mega Evolution were hard to find, so he wasn't getting much stronger lately.
That's when his communicator rang.
He picked it up and saw Lysandre's name. Confused, he answered anyway.
"Alain," Lysandre greeted calmly, "I trust your training is progressing."
Alain hesitated for half a second, "…Not as fast as I'd like."
Lysandre smiled faintly, "Good."
"…?"
"Recognizing one's own limitations is the first step toward surpassing them."
Alain didn't respond, but his grip on the communicator tightened slightly.
Lysandre continued, "I have a new assignment for you."
That got his full attention, "A mission?"
"Yes. One that aligns perfectly with your goal, and with Professor Sycamore's research."
At the mention of Professor Sycamore, Alain straightened slightly, "I'm listening."
Lysandre's tone shifted, "There are ancient ruins located in the Hoenn region. Recent findings suggest they may be connected to the origins of Mega Evolution."
Alain's eyes widened slightly, "The origins…?"
"Yes," Lysandre said with a nod, "If we can uncover how Mega Evolution first came to be, we may better understand its limits...and how to push beyond them."
Alain didn't say anything, but he didn't need to. Lysandre could already tell he was interested.
"All travel arrangements have already been taken care of," Lysandre added, "Transportation, lodging, access permissions. You will encounter no obstacles in reaching the site."
"I see. It shall be done, sir," Alain said with a nod.
Lysandre smiled in return, then ended the call.
Well...it looked like Alain finally had something to do.
He wondered how this would go.
All for the sake of the Professor.
—
{Back with the gang}
They had been walking for a few days now, making their way toward the next town. Although they had lost signal on their electronics, it didn't matter, since Brock had thoughtfully brought along a paper map.
Still, as they walked, Ash kept glancing up at the sky every now and then, like he was searching for something, or more like waiting, but he didn't say anything to the group.
Meanwhile, Max was busy holding his new Egg carefully, keeping it warm against his chest, and being a little too excited about it.
Brock was tending to his Pokémon, and as for Lombre, well, Ash had told him that whenever he wanted to evolve it, he just had to ask, since he had the Eternal Evolution Stone.
Brock thanked him and said he'd do it later, but for now, there was still more he wanted to train Lombre on before evolving it.
As for May...she was trying a little too hard to train on her own, especially with her newer Pokémon Swablu, Squirtle, and Skitty.
Unfortunately, Skitty was distracted by Vee, who was trying to take a nap. Squirtle had found a flower and was busy sniffing it. Swablu was the only one who was actually kind of listening.
May sighed, then clapped her hands once, trying to regain control, "Alright! Let's reset! Everyone back to starting positions!"
Skitty yawned.
Squirtle continued sniffing the flower.
Swablu obediently hovered in place.
May froze for a second...then forced a confident laugh, "Eheheh...okay! Maybe we just need a little more practice, that's all!"
Ash finally stepped forward, "Want a hand?"
May turned quickly, almost too quickly, and shook her head, "No! I mean, uh, thanks, but I've got this." Her tone came out sharper than she intended. She immediately softened it, rubbing the back of her head, "I just...want to try doing this on my own for a bit."
Ash studied her for a moment. He knew this was coming, but the way May was going about it...it wasn't good.
He remembered how things went in the anime, back when they headed toward Rubello Town. She wanted to do everything on her own and ended up pushing Ash, Brock, and Max away, and she was kinda a A-hole
Ash didn't want her to go down that same path again.
But sometimes...people couldn't be helped if they didn't want to be helped. And unfortunately, she might need a bit of a reality check.
Ever since Caroline praised her, May had been getting a little overconfident. Not to the point where she was being an A-hole, but she was definitely starting to change, and not in a good way.
Granted that was also because Drew provoked her, made her angry, and basically tricked her into using a baby Bulbasaur in a Contest, the one she had gotten the day before. Yeah, Drew was a bit of a A-hole in the anime
Either way, Ash crossed his arms, "You know," he said lightly, "training on your own is good. But getting help is okay too."
May stiffened slightly at that, then forced a small laugh, "Eheheh...I know that," she said quickly, "I just want to make sure I can do this myself. I mean, I can't always rely on you, right?"
Brock glanced up from brushing Lombre's leaves, "There's nothing wrong with wanting to do things alone," he said calmly, "But we are a team, you know. We can help you."
May crossed her arms, a little defensively, "I'm not saying I won't accept help ever," she insisted, "I just...want to prove that I can stand on my own. I've been working really hard, and my Pokémon and I are getting stronger every day."
She said it confidently, but Ash could tell there was more behind it.
This might have something to do with what they talked about back in Mauville, when they fell underground, plus finally returning to her hometown, with all of her...'fans' might have had something to do with it
Ash sighed and decided he wouldn't push it. At some point, people just had to learn on their own. That didn't mean he'd abandoned her, though. If he could help, he gladly would, but...well.
"…Alright," he said finally, easygoing as ever, "But we're here for you if you need it. Just ask."
May nodded quickly, "Yeah! I will. Totally. I mean, it's not like I can't ask for help or anything," she added a bit too fast, then laughed, "I just...wanna see how far I can go on my own, you know?"
Even as she said it, a part of her wanted to accept. But she couldn't shake that little voice in her head, the one telling her she'd only won those contests because she had Ash.
And even though she still remembered when they were stuck underground, when Ash told her he'd always be on her side...she didn't want to feel like a burden.
Truth was, she didn't even know where to start.
So instead, she pushed them away, just a little. Even if she didn't want to.
May quickly looked away and picked up her Squirtle, "Alright, we're gonna show them!" She raised Squirtle into the air, "Squirtle! Let's show them!"
"Squirtle!" it cheered, striking a pose midair.
"There's no way I'll lose! I'm gonna win my next Contest, no, ALL of them! And I'm gonna do it on my own, with my Pokémon! No shortcuts, no relying on anyone else! I don't need anyone's help!"
She laughed, a little dramatic, a little too dramatic, "Eheheh! We've got this! There's no way anyone can sto—"
Suddenly, the trees shook. Something burst out toward them, a Skarmory.
It dove straight at May and Squirtle and then it was flying away with them.
"Wha—?!"
May's triumphant pose instantly turned into flailing panic as she was yanked into the air.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHH—!!!"
Squirtle squeaked in shock, retreating into her shell.
May dangled helplessly from its grip, kicking her legs, "HEY!! LET GO!! LET GO OF ME!!"
She looked down at the rapidly shrinking ground, "ASH!! BROCK!! MAX!! HELP!!"
The bird kept climbing.
Higher.
Farther.
Silence settled over the clearing.
Ash, Brock, and Max slowly turned their heads toward each other.
They all wore the exact same deadpan expression.
Max spoke first, "…She jinxed herself."
Brock nodded solemnly, "Spectacularly."
Ash let out a long sigh, already reaching for a Poké Ball, "Yeah, I got this one. You guys wanna set up camp?"
"Sure, I'll start cooking lunch. Should be done by the time you get back," Brock said, already setting his bag down and pulling out utensils.
Ash sighed again. Sure, he could have Gardevoir teleport, but May was in the air, so that wasn't really an option...unless he wanted her to fall.
Plus, that Skarmory was exactly what he'd been looking for. Originally, he'd planned to not let it kidnap May, and make it lead him to the mountain and help May get her Bulbasaur…but yeah. Plans change.
Ash threw out his Poké Ball, and out came Dragonite. She landed with a heavy thump, crossing her arms and wagging her tail as she waited for him expectantly.
And no, he wasn't planning on using his dragon bikes, they were still, you know...crippled. It would take a lot longer for them to heal, even with him using Aura on them almost every day.
Though honestly...he really should let his friends see them. Sneaking out in the middle of the night to check on them was starting to mess with his sleep schedule.
Ash walked over to May's Skitty and Swablu, since they had been left behind, and picked them up.
"Come on, you two. Let's go get your trainer," he said, handing them to Dragonite.
She immediately hugged them, more than happy to help.
Ash climbed onto Dragonite's back, while Pikachu and Vee ran over and hopped onto her head.
"Let's go!"
Dragonite took off into the air with a powerful beat of her wings, shooting upward as they went after the Skarmory, and the very loudly kidnapped May.
–
{Meanwhile with May}
May kicked her legs wildly, flailing in the Skarmory's grip like a Magikarp out of water.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH—!!!"
Her bandana flew off her head as she twisted, fluttering away into the sky, but she clutched Squirtle tightly to her chest.
"PUT ME DOWN! PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NOW!" she shouted, "I AM NOT FOOD! I REPEAT, I AM NOT FOOD!"
"Squiiirtle!!" Squirtle squeaked in agreement.
The Skarmory screeched, clearly irritated. It had swooped down expecting something small, maybe prey, maybe a shiny object, maybe just curiosity.
Instead, it now had a loud, flailing human making an incredible amount of noise.
Its wings beat harder as May kept wriggling.
"STOP FLAPPING ME AROUND LIKE LAUNDRY!" she yelled, kicking again.
The Skarmory tilted its head mid-flight, giving her an utterly unimpressed look. From its perspective this whole situation had very quickly become more trouble than it was worth.
So It let go.
May froze mid-flail, "…Uh oh."
For one split second, May and Squirtle hovered in the air. Then gravity remembered they existed. And they fell.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH—!!!"
The wind roared past her face as the ground rushed up to meet her. May squeezed her eyes shut, clutching Squirtle tighter.
"I TAKE IT BACK! I'LL ACCEPT HELP! I'LL ACCEPT ALL THE HELP!!"
She plummeted toward the mountain below but instead of hard rock she landed on something soft.
She tumbled once...twice...then stopped.
Silence.
After a moment, one hand slowly rose into the air.
"…Ow," she croaked.
Squirtle wiggled free and sat upright on her stomach, blinking,"Squirtle?"
May blinked twice, then slowly sat up, patting herself down in disbelief.
"…I'm alive," she muttered.
She looked around and saw she landed on a field of flowers, way better than landing on rocks
Far above, the Skarmory circled once, let out a final dismissive screech and flew off into the distance.
May stayed there a little longer, then lifted a hand to her head and froze. Her hair fell forward.
Her eyes widened, "My bandana!"
She scrambled to her feet, spinning around, "Where, where is it?!"
There was no sign of the red bandana anywhere. It must've fallen off somewhere during the flight.
She slowly deflated, "…Okay," she said weakly, "That's...not the worst thing that could've happened."
May slowly stood up, brushing dirt and petals off her clothes, "…Uh," she said.
May swallowed, "Okay," she said, trying very hard to sound brave, and only half succeeding, "Don't panic. We just...need to figure out where we are."
She cupped her hands around her mouth, "ASH!!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.
Her voice echoed faintly off the mountains, "BROCK!! MAX!!"
Silence answered her.
A small gust of wind rustled the flowers.
May sighed and sat on a nearby rock, "Just great...me and my big mouth," May muttered. This just made her feel like, again, she was being a burden, so she sat down to wait, because she knew full well they were coming to save her, yet again.
"I can't even do this right," May muttered dejectedly.
She wondered how she was gonna explain this to everyone. They were probably going to tease her. She could already picture Ash's face, holding back a snort. She was already embarrassed, and they weren't even here yet.
But as she was thinking, she heard some rustling.
She quickly tensed up, and her Squirtle stood up, ready to try and defend her.
But then what she saw was a small Bulbasaur pop its head out, well, actually her. May could tell from the little heart pattern on her head.
"…Bulba?" she chirped softly.
May froze for a second, still sitting on the rock, dirt in her hair and flower petals stuck to her sleeve. Squirtle remained standing protectively in front of her, tiny arms spread wide like a bodyguard twice his size.
"Squirtle…" she warned cautiously.
The Bulbasaur tilted her head, clearly confused by the defensive posture. She sniffed the air once...twice...then took a careful step forward.
May exhaled slowly, some of the tension leaving her shoulders, "Oh," she said, her voice still a little shaky, "You're...not trying to attack us, are you?"
"Bulba!" the little Pokémon replied brightly, shaking her head.
She padded closer, then stopped a few feet away, studying May with open curiosity, like she'd never seen a human before. Which...she hadn't. But May had no way of knowing that.
May rubbed the back of her head awkwardly, "Yeah...I guess that did look pretty weird from your point of view," she admitted.
She looked around, and so far she didn't really see any other Pokémon nearby, "Are you alone?"
Bulbasaur tilted her head like she was confused by the question. She looked around, as if just realizing, oh, hey, her friends weren't here.
Oh well. She could find them later.
Then she looked back at May, waddled forward, and gently nudged May's knee with her nose.
"…Bulba," she said gently, gesturing between May and the sky. It seemed like Bulbasaur had seen her fall and was checking to see if she was okay.
May blinked in surprise, "You're...checking on me?" she asked.
Bulbasaur nodded. Then she remembered something, opened her bud, grabbed a flower with a vine, and handed it to May happily, "Bulba!"
"Aww, is it for me?" May said softly, taking the flower and showing it to Squirtle. Squirtle took a big sniff, immediately calming down.
"Oh, wait a minute-" May quickly went into her bag and pulled out the Pokéblock maker that Lisia gave her. She hadn't really used it before, since she always had Ash and Brock to make Pokéblocks for her, but she had watched them make them. Ash had even explained the basics.
She wasn't that good at cooking, but Pokéblocks weren't technically food.
She grabbed a berry, put it in, and quickly tried it, and it actually turned out really well for her first time.
She pulled out the little square and cautiously held it out to Bulbasaur, "Wanna try this?"
Bulbasaur looked at the block. She was confused, but the smell of warm berries was too enticing, so she took it and ate it happily.
"Do you like it?" May asked hopefully.
Bulbasaur nodded enthusiastically, once, twice, then trotted in a tiny circle like she had just discovered the best thing in the world.
Squirtle placed her hands on her hips proudly, "Squirtle!" he declared, as if taking partial credit.
May let out a small, relieved laugh, "Well...that's a good sign," she said, smiling faintly.
She sat down, and the Bulbasaur waddled up and settled into her lap, letting May pet her.
But then they heard the sound of flapping, and a familiar voice above them. It was Ash, behind him came the sounds of Swablu and Skitty calling out to May.
"Well, look at what we have here. Guess you made yourself comfortable, huh? Well, let's see what we can do about this," Ash said with a grin as he stood on Dragonite's back