Violin Practice with May [https://i.imgur.com/wcofm7G.png]

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May glared into the water of the pond, frustration writ across her face.

“Okay, listen to me. I know you want to get stronger. I want you to get stronger. You getting stronger helps me, it helps you, there’s no downside,” she said, pacing across the shore. Pausing, she turned to the water. “I can help you. It’s my job. But in order to do that, I need you to do what I say. Are we clear?”

From the surface of the lake, May’s Tentacool bubbled quietly. She stared him in the eye, nodding after a moment.

“Right then; one more time, from the top.” She turned and pointed at a log she had set up earlier. “Hit that log with a Water Gun!”

A splash of pond-water impacted May’s face and dribbled down her front, leaving a slightly scummy trail of dampened cloth. Tentacool lowered his tentacle in quiet glee as May’s teeth grit together, eyes twitching. From the side, Astra burst out into laughter.

“Oh don’t you start with this shit too!” she yelled, rounding on her companion. “It’s bad enough that this prick won’t listen to me!”

Astra stifled another giggle, kicking her legs idly from atop a stump. “It’s just really funny seeing you get splashed in the face like that. Are you sure that’s the best way to go about it, though?”

“Tch, what do you mean by that?” May asked, wringing out her shirt. “Ugh, I’m going to get algae stains.”

“I dunno.” She gazed around the clearing thoughtfully. They had entered the forest shortly after dawn and May had spotted it in the distance after half an hour, through a small break in the trees. It was, as May declared, ‘A perfect place to train our new captures!’ Astra had yet to let out Marill, wanting to examine how May trained her Pokemon. So far it just seemed to result in frustration and wet clothes.

“Hm. Maybe try to ask Tentacool nicely?” she suggested, glancing at the floating creature. She didn’t even have to use her empathy to tell he was stressed; the constant twitching and flexing of his tentacles were more than enough. “You’re being a bit forceful; I don’t think he likes it too much.”

May squinted at Astra, shaking the last few droplets from her hair. “I’m not exactly going to have time to be polite in the middle of a fight, Astra.”

“Well yeah, but you’re not in a fight right now,” she retorted. “Start off nice and, I dunno, he’ll get used to being bossed around? Unless you’re that big a fan of getting soaked, I mean.”

“Tch, I’ll soak you, see how you like it,” May grumbled, a light scowl on her face. Sighing, she turned back to her Tentacool, crouching to his level.

“Hey,” she started, shifting to a kneel. “Look, I’m sorry for going all drill sergeant on you. What’s say we try again, with less shouting?”

Tentacool observed the girl for a moment, before bobbing in the water. May grinned, standing up. “Alright. One more try, then. Can you please use Water Gun on that log over there?”

“Tenta,” he said, diving down and swimming toward the log. Astra frowned at the sight; even after the agreement, the Pokemon still looked…hesitant?

Tentacool surfaced at the edge of the lake closest to the wooden target and gazed at it; even with its mostly immobile face, it looked unsure. It paused for a moment, before raising a tentacle and slamming it down, spraying the log with a plume of water.

“Cool,” he said to a confounded May.

Astra tilted her head. “Was that a Water Gun?” It didn’t look all that useful.

“No, that was just a Splash.” May shook her head, mouth set in a grim line. “What the hell? Why didn’t he use Water Gun? Hey, Tentacool, what gives? Was that the best shot you had?”

Tentacool made an irritated clicking noise. “Tenta tenta!”

May slumped, groaning. “Great, I’ve got an aquatic Pokemon that doesn’t know even the most basic water move.”

Astra eyed her fellow trainer warily. “What are you going to do now?” she asked. Old horror stories from back home often mentioned that trainers would ‘discard’ those who couldn’t follow orders. She didn’t think May would do something like that, but...

“Isn’t it obvious?” she said, flipping a bang out of her eyes. “I just gotta teach him how to do one. It shouldn’t be that hard.” Glancing back at quietly relieved Astra, May raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you have a new Marill to take care of, or are you just gonna stare at us all day?”

“I will, I will,” she said, waving May off. “I just wanted to see how you did it; I’m not too sure how to start, myself.”

May paused, before a grin crept across her face. “Oh I see,” she said in an ominously familiar tone, “You’re trying to spy on my training, aren't you?”

What? That wasn't what she meant at all! “No, I was—"

“Trying to steal my secrets!?” May continued, stepping closer.

“Steal your—what?” Astra said, inching backwards.

“Thwarting my plans!?”

“Thwarting your plans?”

“Are you!?” she thundered, looming above her rival.

Astra shook her head wildly, scooting back again as she tried to ward off May’s advance. “No, I don’t even know what you’re talking about!”

May grinned, taking a half-step back. “Good; because if you were, I'd have to get even.”

A sudden sense of foreboding fell upon the clearing. Astra gulped. “Even how?”

“Oh, you're smart. I'm sure you can figure it out.” May said, tapping Astra’s hat. “You just gotta use your head!” she shouted, driving her fingers into Astra’s forehead.

Astra only had a moment to cry out in panic, the sky filling her vision as she toppled backwards. Sprawled on the ground, a small giggle was all she heard as she stared at the sun dappled leaves above. Scowling, she sat up and tugged her hat back into place, glaring at May.

“Hey, what was that for!?” she said, rubbing her back. There wasn’t any pain, but the shock of it still had her on edge. “That hurt!”

“Pssh, you’re fine.” May said, rolling her eyes. “It was just a joke. You were all like, ‘Wah!’” She made a comically surprised face, then laughed. “It was great.”

“Well,” Astra grumbled, brushing the dust off her robe, ”I didn’t find it very funny.”

May just rolled her eyes. “Funny to me. Anyway, I wasn’t totally messing with you. I want the lake to myself for a bit.”

Astra frowned. “What? Why can’t both of us use it? It’s not exactly small.”

May shrugged. “I want to help my Tentacool learn some new moves for our re-match, but having you sit around watching me makes all that effort useless. After all, what’s the point of us going head to head if we already know each others’ techniques? I need to bring something new to the table, and if you want to keep up with me, you better do the same.”

She smirked. “Or maybe you’d rather just admit defeat now and make it easy for me? Our last bout was pretty one-sided, if I recall.”

That one stung a bit. The casual ease in which May had utterly destroyed her in their first match was a sore reminder of how little she had known, and how much farther she still had to go. Faced with a repeat performance, surrender was not an option; she could never pass up a chance to prove herself!

“As if!” she declared, a new fire in her eyes. “The only thing easy about it will be my victory!”

“Yeah?” May challenged, “We’ll just see about that! I’ll beat you so hard they’ll have to write songs about it, and then I’ll make you do a cover!”

Electricity sparked in the air, the two rivals staring each other down. Soon, a reckoning would come, the victor uncertain. Astra’s will resolved into the hardest of steel; there was no doubt that she would win.

The tension was dispersed by a voice from the side. “Tenta?” Tentacool said, staring at his master in confusion.

They both blinked, reverie broken. “Hey, yeah we’ll start up again in a second,” May shouted over her shoulder. “Just do a couple laps around the lake for now.”

Tentacool blinked once then dove below, vanishing with a splash. A small wave began circling around the shoreline soon after.

“Well,” Astra said, drawing her friend’s attention. “You do have a point. But you can’t be the only one to use the lake, I have a water Pokemon too you know!”

May shrugged. “At least Marill can walk; Tentacools are like a big floppy bag on dry land, and I don’t know if the gym in Rustboro has a pool. Might need to catch something that can actually move around...“ She mumbled to herself with a tap to the chin, then shrugged. “But yeah, that’s fair; just come back when you want a go, we can trade off in a couple hours. They’ll need to rest for a while afterwards, so I’m thinking we start heading to Rustboro around two and I can kick your ass before sundown.”

Astra nodded; it was a reasonable enough plan, and it would give her enough time to—wait a minute. “Hey!”

May snickered. “Got you~” she sing-songed with a grin, before turning serious. “Alright, enough of that. We’re burning daylight, and I’ve got some serious schooling to dish out!”

Astra shook her head, but nevertheless began making her way out of the clearing. “I’ll be back for my turn. You’d better do your best!”

“As if I’d ever do any less!” May retorted, turning back to the lake.

Astra smiled despite herself as the sound of her friend ordering her Tentacool around faded into the distance. Thinking back to only a few days ago, she could never have anticipated having someone like May joining in on her journey—or anyone at all, really. Even if she was a bit rough around the edges, Astra was glad that she wasn’t doing this alone.

Still, she groused, did she have to play so many painful pranks on people? What was so funny about someone falling off a log? Confusing people was where it was at, she thought; there was nothing like a well timed illusion or quip to inspire that look of dumbfounded realization. Too bad she couldn’t use any Psychic powers; the voice throwing telepathy lie was one thing but anything like telekinesis or a proper illusion was off the table.

Or at least while anybody was around. Double checking that the area was vacant, Astra grinned and yanked several stones out of the forest floor. Crackling with pinkish-purple aura, the psychic moved them through the air in myriad patterns and shapes, flourishing her arms in tune with their movements like a conductor's baton. Stars, triangles, cubes, interlaced circles and more—oh, how she had missed this!

Gathering them all together again, they swirled around her hands like angry insects, and with one violent shove they shot forth like shards of exploding ceramic into a nearby tree. Fragments of bark scattered in the air as the rocks impacted the wood, leaving light scarring across the surface of the giant. Astra sighed in relief, dropping her arm to her side. Traveling with May was nice, but not being able to exert herself was more confining than she had expected.

With a thought both of her pokeballs shot into the air, two streams of crackling light resolving into her Pokemon. Treecko stretched with cat-like grace, looking at his new surroundings curiously as Marill blinked confusedly—before screeching and sending Treecko flying with a meaty thwack from her bulbous tail.

“MARILL!” she screeched, feet stomping the forest floor and tail swinging through the air erratically. Treecko—having picked himself out of a broken shrub—glared at his assaulter and dropped into a crouch, ready to spring forward at any moment.

Astra’s eye twitched. With a wave of her hand a screen of purple light shimmered into existence between the two, diverting the quarreling Pokemons’ attention. “What do you think you’re doing!?” she demanded, locking gazes with her furious Marill. “Stop attacking Treecko! Wait, why are you attacking Treecko!?”

Marill glowered at Astra and Treecko in turn, tail twitching in agitation. “Marill-rill,” she snarled, pointing at Treecko. “Rill!” With that proclamation, she turned up her nose at them both and faced away.

Astra shared a confused glance with Treecko. What was her deal? The beleaguered trainer sighed, focusing on what the blue Pokemon could have meant by her little tirade. There was anger, of course—or, indignation? She was embarrassed about something, with a dash of wounded pride... It came to Astra like a bolt from the heavens, and she giggled at the obvious conclusion.

“Hey,” she messaged Treecko, “I think she’s mad that you made her slam her own tail into her face.”

“Tree?” the Pokemon said, blinking. He looked over at his sulking teammate for a moment before giving a trainer a shrug. ‘What do you want me to do?’ he seemed to be asking.

She shook her head. “You gotta make her feel better, obviously! Here,” she said, rifling through her pack, “I’ll give you a hand. Give her a few of these.”

Treecko squinted at the Leppa berries in his hands, as if wondering how this would do any good. “Ko,” he shot back at her with a huff.

“Yes, I know she just threw you into a bush,” Astra smiled reassuringly, “and I’m not ignoring that, but I need her to cooperate with us. Please?”

Treecko nodded in resignation, already padding toward Marill. Tapping her on the shoulder, he unceremoniously thrust the fruit into Marill’s scowling face. Marill stepped back in confusion and bewilderment, eyes darting between Treecko and the proffered fruit. The air turned tense; Marill alternately glaring at Treecko and eyeing the small red berry in his hand with twitching arms, before finally snatching the fruit from his hand and devouring them all in one messy bite. Astra snickered at the sight; not even Marill was immune to a good snack, it seemed.

Having finished the offering, Marill pointed at Treecko. “Marill mar,” she announced haughtily, the effect mostly ruined by the juice still smeared around her mouth. “Rill.” Apology accepted. Having said her piece, she marched past him to stand in front of her new trainer. Treecko rolled his eyes and followed suit.

“Are we all good now?” Astra asked, receiving a nod and an affirmative chirp in reply. “Alright! So, today we’re going to do some good old training! We have a new teammate who so wonderfully volunteered to start us off, so I’d like to start by seeing what you can do, Marill.”

Marill puffed up. “Marill!” she said cheerily, clearly looking forward to a chance to show off. Astra smirked, and Marill’s smile faded once she saw the swirling mass accumulating around Astra. Treecko patted his teammate on the back and leapt into a tree to enjoy the show.

“So…” Astra smiled, a swarm of fist sized rocks circling through the air. “Let’s see how good you are at dodging, shall we?”

Marill whimpered.

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Marill huffed and puffed, out of breath as the rocks continued to swirl around her. Taking a deep breath, the water Pokemon swelled up once more and shot a burst of water at a speeding pebble. The jet missed her target by a wide margin, uselessly splashing against a tree.

The Pokemon growled, glaring at the offending piece of shale. “Marill!”

“You can do it, Marill!” Astra shouted from the side. “I believe in you!”

Marill sniffed and turned her nose up, but Astra still saw her smile when she hit the next one.

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Both Treecko and Marill took tentative steps forward, eyes covered with blindfolds. Astra watched the scene intently, feeding the both of them her own field of view.

A rock hovered to Treecko’s side and waggled enticingly. With a fierce cry, Treecko struck out with his tail, the impact sending a plume of dust and dirt into the sky. The rock, 90 degrees in the other direction, remained unaffected.

Marill laughed. Astra threw a rock at her.

She dodged into it.

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Treecko darted across the forest floor in an unprecedented burst of speed, grass fluttering in his wake. In an instant he struck out, a clenched fist impacting Marill with great force.

Marill took the blow with a grunt, but her eyes sharpened with grim glee. With a flick of her tail, Marill dug her ball into the earth behind her. Launching off the ground like a springboard, she soared into the air, descending on her opponent with a triumphant cry.

Treecko had only a moment to step back in surprise before Marill’s bulk flattened him to the ground, a small cloud of dust enveloping the area. A moment later Marill flew out from the debris, her rebound sending her spinning out of control.

“Riiiiiiiii—!” she screamed, her rotund body continuing to accelerate down a nearby slope. Astra watched in astonishment as the blue Pokemon impacted a tree, the force making a sizable crater into the trunk of the ancient wood.

“Riii…” she slurred, stars spinning above her head.

Well, wasn’t that interesting? Astra ran over to check her companions for injuries, pondering the cavity Marill left in the tree as she did.

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Midday rolled around quickly, and Astra walked back to the lake in high spirits. Treecko and Marill were back in their pokeballs, both of them getting a well deserved break.

The lake came into view soon enough, and there she found May sitting at the edge of the water, staring into the distance contemplatively and idly kicking water about. Her Torchic was chirping wildly in the middle of the lake; Astra’s eyes widened as he began to falter and sink, but Tentacool rose beneath the struggling chick, granting him a reprieve. After Torchic caught his breath, Tentacool sank again, leaving Torchic to his apparent swimming practice. Her Poochyena, meanwhile, was paddling in circles around the perimeter.

“Hey!” she called out, waving her arm. May jolted, a reflexive kick sending pond water showering across her face.

“Augh!” she sputtered, wiping at her face. She glowered at her friend, still dripping. “Again! Dammit Astra!”

“Aw, did I frighten you?” Astra asked, failing to hold back a snicker. Revenge!

“Tch, I was just startled.” The girl crossed her arms with a huff. “There’s no way you could ever scare me.”

“If you say so~” A certain incident yesterday begged to differ. By May’s scowl, Astra bet she remembered that too.

“Whatever. Guys, time to go, out of the pond!” she called. Poochyena immediately hopped up onto land, shaking water everywhere. Torchic merely chirped happily as he rode Tentacools head to the water’s edge. Tentacool bobbed in the water as his passenger departed, a red beam of light recalling him to his pokeball.

“So, did you get Tentacool to use Water Gun?” Astra asked, stepping to the water's edge.

May just grinned, a mysterious twinkle in her eyes. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” she said, patting her on the shoulder. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

“Hm. I guess I will,” she said, eyes narrowing. That expression… something odd had happened. But what? Well, she had a few new tricks of her own; she looked forward to seeing which came out on top. “I’ll be taking the lake now, good luck in the forest! You’ll be needing it~”

“As if,” May dismissed, one hand brushing both a stray bang and Astra’s comment away. Torchic and Poochyena followed her as she advanced into the forest. “See ya in a couple hours!”

Astra waved her off, then wandered to the lake’s edge. She sat down for a moment, letting her feet dangle into the oddly chilly shallows and basking in the warm sun. What to do, what to do…?

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Marill bobbed atop the water, a sense of superiority almost tangibly wafting off her smug grin. Treecko, having waded out as far as he could while standing, glared at her.

“You can do it, Treecko, it’s not that hard.” Astra coaxed from the shore. “Look, Marill can help you if anything goes wrong. You’ll be fine!”

“Tree?” Treecko said, staring at Marill and looking like he had bitten into a lemon. Marill reared back dramatically, betrayal etched on her face. Treecko gave Astra a flat look, Marill chattering in offense behind him.

Astra threw a pebble at Marill. “Go on,” she said, ignoring the yelp from the lake, “You’ve got this!”

Treecko flashed her a thumbs-up and a single nod. Backing up, he took a running leap and dove into the lake. A bit of flailing ensued, but Treecko managed to keep his head above water; soon enough his splashing settled into an awkward front stroke.

“You did it!” Astra cheered. Her excitement faded as Marill began moving toward her partner. Couldn’t these two just get along for once?

Marill circled around Treecko, effortlessly keeping up with his movement. “Marill mar,” she said, condescension dripping off every syllable.

Astra scowled at the display. Of course he was having trouble, it was his first time! “Marill, can you—eh?” She blinked as Treecko began to growl and pick up his pace, arms and legs straining to their limits. “Treecko? What are you—"

Treecko burst forward with a fierce cry, in mere moments lapping a stunned Marill twice before losing energy and coming to a stop. He floated on the water, his display leaving him breathless and panting. Shakily raising his head, he looked Marill in the eye and grinned victoriously.

Said grin abruptly vanished when he tilted and began to sink. “Tree—!” he yelped, before his head dipped under the water. Immediately the surface began to churn as Treecko flailed in panic.

“Treecko!” Astra screamed. Thrusting out a hand, she reached out and tried to lift him, straining her power to cover the distance. It only took an instant to know it wouldn’t work; Treecko was too far away, too alive; she couldn’t—she wasn’t strong enough—he was going to drown and she couldn’t do anything!

Wait, the pokeball! With shaking hands she hurriedly fumbled through her bag and it was only once it was in her hand that she realized that the splashing had stopped. She looked up with dread, only to see Treecko safely above water, clutching tightly to Marill’s back; the blue Pokemon muttering to itself as she ferried Treecko to the shore.

“Oh,” Astra breathed, panic subsiding. “Marill, you’re a lifesaver! Bring him over here, quickly!” She rubbed her hands as they paddled to the shore, shaking off the pin and needle sensation; the surge of energy her panic brought had left as quickly as it arrived, leaving her drained and lethargic. When they came close enough Astra lifted her friend off Marill’s back, Treecko letting out a loud squawk as she fussed over him. “Are you okay? You didn’t swallow any water did you?”

“Tree!” Treecko fended off her prodding, waving her hands away. He wriggled out of her grip over her protests and dropped to the grass below, scuttling away when she made to pick him up again.

“Ugh, fine, fine,” she grumbled. “I just wanted to make sure you weren’t hurt.” Drowning wasn’t something to joke about! Still, on a second look Treecko didn’t seem to be too bothered. She’d have to keep an eye on him in any case. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

He flashed her another thumbs-up, a reassuring smile on his face. Astra let out a sigh. “Well, I’m glad. But what was going through your head out there anyway?” she asked, crossing her arms. “You barely knew how to swim; I know Marill was egging you on, but that was no reason to exhaust yourself in the middle of the lake!”

Treecko kicked the dirt at the reprimand, gaze downcast. “Treecko,” he said, scratching at the side of his head. “Tree.”

Astra glared at him for another moment before she sighed. “Just don’t do it again. And you!” she said, spinning around and pointing at Marill, who was partly submerged in the lake.

She looked surprised. “Mar?”

“Yes, you! Stop antagonizing Treecko; you two are supposed to work together, not—not whatever that was!”

Marill sank lower into the water with every word her trainer said, a few bubbles accompanying a muted sound of protest.

“Don’t give me that! You did pull Treecko out of the water—and I appreciate that—but I am still not happy with you!” She huffed, giving both of them a stern frown. “Look, just—can you two try to get along?”

Honestly, did May have to deal with this? Did her Poochyena try to eat Torchic or something? What about Brendan? Nobody ever told her that being a trainer would be like mediating between squabbling hatchlings.

Treecko and Marill glanced at each other for a long moment, a silent conversation passing in the blink of an eye. They nodded once and turned back to Astra.

“Tree.” “Rill.”

Astra let out a breath. “Good. I don’t want to see anything escalate that far again. Now, let’s get back to training!”

Treecko still had trouble swimming, his earlier speed a rarity born of frustration and overwork. However, Marill had taken to swimming next to him, occasionally belting off a remark or two. But even wrapped in disdain or haughtiness Astra could still hear advice for what it was, and Treecko’s ability started to improve faster than she had expected.

Maybe Treecko had impressed her with his earlier display? It couldn’t have only been her lecture for such a change to happen so quickly. Hm. Well, whatever it was—even if it was still coated in barbs and thorns—she was glad that they could work together.

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Astra hadn’t managed to get much innovating done during her time at the lake; most of it was spent bringing Treecko up to par and practicing basic maneuvers. He still wasn’t at his best while in the water—and never would be, really—but Marill was absolutely in her element.

Her Water Gun was dangerous in the open air, and it didn’t lose any force when submerged either. Her tail-sphere was another factor—Astra had held it for a moment and nearly dropped it on her own foot. Apparently Marill could control how heavy it was; nothing else could explain how she could have such a weighty object on the end of her tail and swing it around with such casual ease.

“Or maybe I’m just not very strong,” the psychic muttered to herself. Physical exertion wasn’t precisely something she excelled in.

So all in all she was happy with the progress she had made so far. She had a better understanding of what each of her companions were capable of, a few new tricks up her sleeve, and if she had to fight in the middle of a lake or something she wouldn’t be dead in the water.

They had just stopped for lunch when May came plodding out of the forest covered in soot and slightly smoking, Torchic and Poochyena following along and similarly charred. Astra choked on her fish as her friend plopped down next to her, staring across the lake with lidded eyes.

“Wh—May!?” Astra coughed, scrambling to her feet. “Are you okay!?”

“Yep,” May said, voice flat and emotionless.

Astra sputtered, flat-footed by her casual dismissal. What was with this tone? Was she trying to act like nothing was out of the ordinary? A quick glance at her Pokemon revealed Torchic sitting on the ground, forlorn. Poochyena was nearby and seemed to be alternately glaring at the chick and looking at his master worryingly.

“Um,” Astra tried. “Are you sure? I mean, you’ve covered in soot.”

“Oh, really? I hadn’t noticed,” May drawled out, a spark of annoyance creeping into her otherwise dull tone.

Astra eyed her companion incredulously. A small flicker caught her attention, drawing her gaze to one of May’s long bangs. A tiny dull red glow had appeared, and rapidly grew in intensity until—

She stared at the small flame that had emerged in her friend’s hair. “You’re on fire.”

Without blinking, May licked her thumb and pinched the ember out, a small hiss of steam the only evidence it had existed at all.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

A moment of silence.

“So why were you—"

“Hey,” May said, cutting her off with a glance. “If you ever think about using Sand Attack and a fire move at the same time?”

“Eh?”

“Don’t.”

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One rinse in the lake, a change of clothes and a quick pilfering of Astra’s dried Magikarp later—

“Hey!”

“I exploded, let me have the fish!”

“You could at least ask first!”

“EVERYTHING TASTES LIKE ASH.”

—May seemed to regain her usual enthusiasm. Mostly by eating Astra’s food. There was little else to do after that but recall their Pokemon and set out once more.

This turned out to be harder than either of them thought.

“How did we lose the trail!?” May snarled, kicking a small tree in frustration. A few leaves fluttered down, flitting into her hair and face. “It wasn’t even more than a couple meters away!”

Astra frowned at the tiny map on her pokedex, ignoring her friend’s bout of expletives. They had been traveling back quite a while now, and their icon was still showing as being on the trail in the forest. Considering the trail was nowhere in sight, she was starting to despise whoever designed this garbage.

“I’m not sure,” she admitted, snapping her pokedex shut. Just how long had they been searching, anyway? The sun had descended pretty far, and the occasional harassment by the wildlife wasn’t helping matters. Were they in a thin section? Astra bit her lip. “We went into that clearing from the east, right?”

“Stupid, leafy bastard—What? No, we came in from the west.” May picked a bit of foliage out of her hair and frowned. “Didn’t we?”

Astra looked at May in confusion. “I was sure it was the east.”

“Wait, aren’t we heading east right now?”

“! thought this was west!”

“Where the fuck are we!?” May screamed, her frustration sending a distant group of birds scattering.

“Ow!” Astra rubbed at her ears, grimacing. “You don’t have to yell, I’m right here.”

“My entire problem is that we’re right here!” May said with a huff. “Look, you grew up in a forest or whatever, right? Shouldn’t you know the way out?”

Astra scowled, rounding on her companion. “Just because I lived outside doesn’t mean I know every forest in the world! This place isn’t like back home, I don’t know where anything is!” Honestly, Astra was just as mad as May was, but she wasn’t freaking out! They were only here because May went off sideways in the first place. “We only even left the trail because you wanted to train at that pond, why don’t you know the way out?”

May’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t you dare blame this shit on me,” she said, words coming out in a low hiss. “I was following your lead this whole time! If anything, it’s your fault!”

“My fault!? I only went this way because you were halfway out of the clearing!”

“That is complete shit and you know it!”

“It is not! You need to stop blaming me for your poor sense of direction; I could do better blindfolded!”

Bared teeth shone in the light as May cracked her knuckles. “Bold words coming from such a tiny runt!” A soft wind whistled through the trees, and with a flash of movement May snatched a pokeball, brandishing it with an almost frenzied fervor. “You wanna fuckin’ go? Right here, right now?”

That familiar shock of energy had begun to spark in her veins, and Astra found her own pokeball already clutched tightly in her grip “Maybe I do,” she challenged, staring into May’s eyes. “What are you gonna do about it?”

“I’m gonna kick your goddamn ass, that’s what!” May roared, rearing back. “Go, Pooch—!”

“Hello?” said a voice.

“—yenOH FUCK!” May lashed out, abruptly changing direction and launching the sphere to the side. In a gap between the trees, Astra could just make out the surprised expression of the newcomer as the pokeball rocketed toward their face—

Only for the stranger's arm to flash up and catch it in the instant before impact. Both trainers stood there in surprise as he examined the pokeball.

“Well, it’s not the warmest welcome I’ve ever gotten, I’ll say that much…” he commented, fixing May with an icy blue stare. His hair shared the same hue, and his clothing was a uniform shade of black, save for his jacket which sported jagged purple stripes. His face—pale, sharp, and handsome—smiled warmly. “Though far from the worst. Do you make a habit of throwing pokeballs at strangers? I’m afraid they don’t work like that.”

He tossed the ball back, and May caught it with a scowl. Both trainers shared a glance; the boiling agitation had evaporated slightly, but Astra couldn’t help but shift in place, nerves still high-strung and twitchy.

May must have felt the same, as her low growl proved. “No, I don’t. Who the hell are you?”

The stranger seemed taken aback, eyes flickering between the two of them. Suddenly he chuckled. “Well. I suppose introductions are only fair. You may call me Steven. Steven Stone.” He stepped forward, extending a hand in May’s direction. “May I ask your names?”

May didn’t take it. “Name’s May. Now, what the hell is a guy in a fancy suit doing all the way out here? This ain’t exactly an office building!” Steven’s smile didn’t leave his face during May’s interrogation, but it did thin a bit.

Astra blinked at her friend's words, then scowled. “Hey!” she said, kicking her teammate’s leg.

May yelped, then rounded on her short companion. “The hell did you kick me for!?”

“Don’t be rude!” She scolded. “We just met! There’s no reason to be mean to him! I’m sorry about that,” she continued, turning back to Steven, ”It’s just—"

Astra paused. Steven’s smile had vanished, his piercing gaze turning upon her in an instant. A sudden pressure fell on Astra without warning; an invisible presence descending upon her mind until the whole of the world had vanished behind Stevens eyes. Her throat ran dry and she swallowed, thoughts hazy and indistinct.

“Just…w—we’ve just been lost for a couple hours now...” she managed, feeling faint.

“Interesting…” he muttered, still looking at her. Prickles crawled up Astra’s back. A second passed, the pressure increasing…before it vanished as soon as it had appeared, a smile re-appearing on Steven’s face. Astra let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding. What was that!? It wasn’t anything like psychic energy, but what else could it be? Who was this guy?

“Lost, you say?” he rubbed his chin, seemingly oblivious to her struggle. “Well, you will be happy to know that the trail is just a short jaunt that way.” He pointed behind him. “Come on, it’s not far.”

May and Astra shared a glance before they followed after him. If May had any indication she had felt the same thing Astra had, she certainly wasn’t bringing attention to it. Why had Steven focused on her? Could he tell there was something different? How?

She didn’t know, but despite the man’s apparent friendliness she felt extremely uneasy.

They didn’t have to walk far before the endless treeline broke into the wide dirt path they had abandoned that morning. Both trainers gawked at the endless stretch of beaten earth.

“It was right here!?” May grasped at the air, looking like she wanted to throttle something. “We were wandering around for hours, how did we miss this!?”

“I’m not sure.” Astra shrugged, just as confused. “You’d think we would have come across it at some point, considering how close we were.”

A brief laugh drew their attention back to Steven. “You’d be surprised how easy it is to lose one’s way, even in the most innocent places. Why, I recall one of my associates once spent a rather embarrassing length of time trying to escape a furniture store.” He smiled fondly at the memory. “I believe he got confused by a peculiar arrangement of vases replicated throughout the floor.”

“Right…” May drawled out, arms folded. “Any point to this absolutely riveting story?”

“...No,” he said, a faint crease appearing on his brow. “I just thought it an amusing anecdote.”

“It wasn’t.”

Astra glanced between the two. May was already irritated and Steven’s cheer seemed to be decreasing with every word she said. She still didn’t know what exactly that pressure was, but making him mad probably wouldn’t do anybody any good. It was time to intervene.

“Well,” she said, “I thought it was funny.”

Steven brightened, shooting her a grateful look. “Thank you…I’m sorry, I don’t appear to have caught your name?”

Suppressing a flinch, she returned a wavering smile. It was at times like this where she was thankful her face was mostly hidden. “Ah, right. My name is Astra. It’s nice to meet you, Steven.”

“Mm. Lovely to meet you as well Astra. I wish we had met in a more conventional manner but things are as they are, I suppose.”

“It’s fine! I mean, you did help us out, after all.”

“Yes, which is why I am curious, really. Miss May,” he turned to Astra’s companion, who still looked like she had bit a lemon. “I must ask, have I done something to offend you? I’m not sure what I have done to warrant such…hostility.”

May’s glare, if anything. deepened. “What, did you not hear me earlier? What the hell is a fancy pants like you doing out here? This isn’t exactly a city park, you know.”

Steven coughed, but couldn’t quite hide the bark of laughter under it, nor the amused glint in his eyes. “Well! No, it certainly isn’t. I’m afraid my reasons are rather mundane; I was merely walking along before I heard shouting in the distance and decided to investigate.”

Astra nudged May. “I think that was you. Loudmouth.”

“I’m going to punch you,“ May ground out, a light dust of red covering her cheeks. “I am actually going to punch you. In the face.” She looked at Steven, then huffed. “Tch, well. Thanks, I guess. I would have figured it out eventually!”

“I’m sure,“ he said, tone as dry as the summer air. “As to my presence here in general, I was heading south; I have business in Dewford and it was a nice day so I thought I would stretch my legs and take a quiet walk in the woods on my way there.”

“I see. Well, thank you for coming when you did,” Astra tried to put on a smile. She wasn’t sure she succeeded. “I’m not sure how much longer we would have been stuck out there otherwise.”

“Well it was no trouble really; I’m always happy to help people I meet on my way,” he said, smiling. “I would recommend staying on the pathway until you are more experienced, however.”

”I’ll keep that in mind.” Astra tugged on May’s wrist, ineffectually attempting to drag her toward Rustboro. He had been helpful, but the faster she left this man and his piercing gaze behind the better. “Thanks again, but we should really get going—May!?” she yelped as May yanked her arm out of Astra’s grip.

“No we’re not done here. See, I just thought of something.” A glint appeared in her eye. “Something real interesting. ‘Take a quiet walk on my way there?' Bullshit!” Her arm shot out, an accusing finger pointed directly at their well dressed savior. “People don’t just take a stroll through these types of woods, and it’s still days away from the nearest city. You were flying, weren’t you?”

A prickle of dread rose inside Astra as she considered May’s words. Consideration gave way to realization turned into fear. Oh. Oh no.

The smile vanished from Steven's face at her words. “So what if I did?” Steven replied, face and tone expressionless.

She was picking a fight, wasn’t she?

“Well, that means that you flew here on something, doesn’t it?” May grinned victoriously. “You’re a Pokemon trainer!”

The wind picked up for a moment, scattered leaves drifting through the air as Steven stared at May. “Hm,” Steven sighed, closing his eyes and running a hand through his hair. “I had hoped to avoid this, but it seems inevitable now. Yes, I suppose you could call me a Pokemon trainer.” His eyes cracked open, a bite of irritation accompanying his lidded gaze. “I expect you want to challenge me, then?”

“You bet your ass I do.” A pokeball found its way into May’s hand as she crouched low, prepared to throw it at a moment’s notice. “Well? Are you ready to throw down, fancy pants?”

Okay. This was…fine! Astra could work with this. If she just stayed out of the way, there wouldn’t be any reason for Steven to do…whatever he had done again.

Steven hummed to himself. “Well, those are the rules, I suppose. But if I must, then I think I shall make things a bit more interesting.” He smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Would you care to make this a double battle?”

“Heh.” A second pokeball made its way into May’s awaiting palm. “Well if that’s how you want to play it, sure; I’ll just have to win twice as hard! Let’s go—eh?” Steven held up a hand, halting May mid-throw.

“I apologize,” he said, lowering his arm. “I haven’t made myself clear. If we are to fight, I will battle the both of you at once.” He nodded toward Astra, much to her dismay.

“Eh!?” It was a shame that she liked her hair so much, Astra thought distantly, because she really felt like tearing it out right now. “Wh—isn’t that a little unfair?” she asked, glancing between Steven and May.

“What? Nah,” May waved off Astra's concern. “People do double battles all the time!” Pausing a moment, she examined her friend, frowning. “Why are you so jittery? What, don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet; you were all fired up like, a minute ago!”

That was before Steven came and left her feeling like a bug! There was no way she wouldn’t be nervous! But any words to that effect failed to manifest, leaving Astra bereft of words. How could she possibly explain that if May hadn’t felt any of it?

“I—I just…”

A hand clapped on her shoulder rendered her silent. She blinked, looking up into May’s face. “Yo,” she started, “I dunno what’s up with you all of a sudden, but you better snap out of it!” She snapped her fingers in time with her words, grinning madly. “C’mon, where’s that enthusiasm? I know you’re better than this, and so do you, so get pumped up! Now, are we gonna take this guy down or what?”

Astra stared at her friend, at her ever confident smile and eyes free of doubt, and she couldn’t help but think: what was she doing? Even if Steven was mysterious, and that invasive force was scary…if May thought she could handle it, then who was she to disappoint? She couldn’t back down this early into her adventure!

She took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. She met May’s gaze with her own, determination burning brightly in her heart. “Alright,” she said, “Let’s show this guy what we can really do!”

“Now that’s more like it!” May laughed, slapping Astra on the back and almost knocking her over. “Oh, shit, whoops. Man, you are tiny!”

“Oh?” Astra deadpanned, righting her hat. “I hadn’t noticed.”

Steven looked at the two impassively. “Are you two ready?” he asked.

“Yeah, let’s do this!” May grinned, almost jumping in place as Astra merely nodded, pulling out her violin in one swift motion.

Steven raised an eyebrow. “Is that so? If you are certain, then let us begin.”

“Finally! Go, Torchic!” May tossed her pokeball, the fiery bird materializing with a loud chirp.

Astra did the same, a flash of light revealing her own companion. “Let’s do our best, Treecko!” she called, taking up her bow and resting it on the violin strings.

Steven viewed his opposition with an air of eerie calm. “I see I was correct; you two are very new, aren’t you?”

“Eh?” May shared a look with Astra, who was equally confused. She scowled at Steven. “We just started a few days ago. What’s it to you?”

Steven replied by bringing out his own pokeball, idly tossing it in his hand as he stared at May. “Not many people show as much…bravado as you do unless they are beginners, or have let their ego consume them.”

He stopped, closing his eyes for a moment. “I would hazard that you have not even lost a battle yet, have you? Very well then, I shall be your teacher for this lesson. And,” he held up the lone sphere, eyes snapping open, his icy gaze holding nothing but certainty. “I shall only require one Pokemon to impart it.”

“Only one?” Astra asked, shocked. “But we have two; you’ll be outnumbered!”

“Yeah, what are you trying to pull?” May accused.

“If I let something as trivial as numerical inferiority bother me, I would not be where I am today,” Steven stated. “Now, Miss May, see the folly of your arrogance; come, Skarmory!”

He tossed his pokeball high into the air and the shining light screamed downward. The radiance faded, revealing a ball of what seemed to be red and white plates. Before they could react, it twitched, unfurled itself with a horrendous shriek of metal.

Dark, steely blue talons dug through the earth like clay as the plates swept outwards, revealing themselves as a multitude of bladed wings. Its ovoid white body uncurled and stretched toward the sky, thrice as tall as its opponents. A sharp, angular head emerged, a spike protruding from the center of its scalp and within, sickly yellow eyes snapped open and peered at the world in disdain, focusing on Treecko and Torchic in turn.

Astra stared at the towering metal bird. “May?”

To her side, she heard a gulp. “Yeah?”

“I hate you.”

“That’s fair.”

“Skarmory,” Steven said, “Advance.”

The Skarmory opened its maw and screamed, a shrieking, torturous cacophony of steel and rage blasting out across the forest, and then there was no more time for words.

It darted forward and Astra’s bow screeched across the strings, her mental command echoing in time with May’s voice directing Treecko and Torchic to move.

Skarmory was upon them both in a flash, wing blades scything out at both of its opponents. Treecko threw himself to the side, the tip of the steely feather barely nicking the top of his tail. Treecko tumbled into a crouch, grimacing but unharmed. His partner, however...

“Torchic!” May screamed. The small bird had been too slow, and been hit by the full brunt of Skarmory's assault, sending him flying into a twitching heap. “Torchic, get up!”

The tiny bird twitched, then scrabbled to his feet with a pained warble. A large gash crossed his torso, staining his orange feathers a much darker shade. “Damn it…” May muttered. “This guy…”

Steven had not issued any further commands to his Skarmory, the bird itself taking the time to observe its handiwork. Astra eyed it warily, shaking hands attempting to steady the song that had been cut short.

“I don’t think Torchic can take another of those hits. Or dodge it,” she murmured to May. “I think I can get Treecko to distract him, can you take advantage?”

May jerked in surprise, eyes flickering to meet Astra’s own as she listened. As the message ended, May nodded incrementally, mouth drawn into a thin line. Right. The tone of her melody shifted a pitch deeper, the tempo increasing to match.

Let’s go.

Treecko darted forward, letting out a wild cry. Skarmory snapped to attention, gaze locking onto the smaller Pokemon. As Treecko closed in, one spike-tipped claw rose into the air, points gleaming in the sunlight. Treecko put on a burst of speed as certain doom slammed down into the earth, slipping past the razor’s edge in a plume of dust.

“Skar?” The bird peered at its claw, confused at the lack of prey. Treecko, still underneath his opponent, spotted something. He stood up and wound back his fist.

An enraged, metallic shriek echoed through the forest.

Skarmory whirled around, Treecko ducking and weaving through the flurry of razor sharp feathers that followed. Every ounce of speed and agility were put to the test, Treecko’s limits straining against the righteous onslaught set forth by his opponent.

Skarmory pursued Treecko with a mindless fervor; relentless, unforgiving—

“Torchic, fireball!”

—And completely blind to its surroundings. A gout of brilliant orange flame appeared from the sidelines, searing the air as it homed in. The bird squawked madly, claws gouging the earth as it tried in vain to halt its mad charge, one wing closing in to shield itself as the projectile hit dead on.

Skarmory exploded, a plume of fire and smoke enveloping the giant where it stood. Treecko skidded to a stop near an exhausted Torchic, labored breath coming in spurts. The music slowed, Astra watching the smoke through two sets of eyes. Had they done it?

“Hah! How’d you like that, you big metal bastard!” May shouted, fist clenched in celebration. “That’ll teach you to—oh shit.”

In the smog, pale yellow eyes glinted. Razor wings unfurled once more and swept aside the smoke without care, sunlight gleaming off its unscratched body.

“N-no way…” Astra stepped back, spotting the faint black streak on the metallic bird’s wing. “He only got scorched!?”

“The hell?” May whispered, eyes wide. “That move blasted a crater in a tree! What is this thing!?”

Any response she could have made vanished with the sound of screeching metal. In an instant Skarmory shot forward, covering the distance in an iron blur.

“Treecko!”

“Torchic, no!”

Skarmory fell upon the exhausted pair in an instant, their trainer's warning coming far too late. Steel claws wrapped around their forms in a vice grip and slammed them both into the ground, choked screams abruptly cut short.

Pain

Astra winced as Treecko’s pain radiated through the bond, grasping at her head with a faint hiss. This was bad, this was really, really bad. This thing was way too tough! But Treecko was still conscious, she could think of a new plan-

Skarmory raised one leg and Astra had only a moment to see Treecko shakily try to pull himself up before it thundered down once more. The feedback flared for one horrible moment, then vanished.

Skarmory stepped to the side and twin beams of red light cast out across the field, returning the injured to their homes. Astra stared at her pokeball in sorrow.

You did your best. Her grip tightened until her hand turned numb. I won’t let him get away with this.

“Well then,” Steven spoke up, breaking his long silence. “Was that all you had to show? Feel free to surrender, if you wish.”

“Tch, I’m not giving up that easily!” May growled. “Poochyena, let’s go!”

“I can’t give up here,” Astra straightened, flaring anew within her heart. “I know there’s a way to win! Show him what we can do, Marill!”

“Marill mar!” the aquatic Pokemon said, coming out in a flash. Her tail twitched through the air, and to her side May’s Poochyena barked in agreement.

“So I see.” Steven closed his eyes with a sigh. “Let us continue this farce, then.”

“Don’t count us out yet!” Astra warned, her violin once again singing a song. Marill, Impact!

“The only thing that’s a farce here is your face!” May shouted, pointing at her opponent. “Poochyena, take a bite out of this bird!”

Poochyena bolted across the path, Marill trailing in his wake. Steel wings sliced down as they approached, driving the hound away. Distracted by the dog, it failed to notice as Marill dashed in, tail wrapped around her body. With a twirl it sprang out, slamming into the joint of the bird's wing and knocking him aside.

“Skar!?” The bird reeled, off-balance and furious. Seizing the opportunity, Poochyena leapt, snarling maw clamping down on Skarmory's jugular. Astra heard a horrid scraping noise and Poochyena fell to the ground, thrashing and whining as blood trickled from his mouth. A few measly scratches were all that remained on his foe's neck.

“What!?” May said, eyes wide. “No! That wasn’t—get up!”

Water Gun! Astra called out, urging Marill on. They couldn’t lose him, not now!

Poochyena was still writhing on the ground when Skarmory's beak descended, bashing him against the ground. Twice more it crushed him, each resulting whine growing fainter and fainter before a torrent of water distracted it from its gruesome task. It shielded itself with its wing, glaring at Marill.

“Poochyena, get out of there!” May desperately called. Her dog didn’t respond and laid in the dirt, unmoving. “Poochyena!”

Astra bit her tongue, cursing internally even as she directed Marill to dodge Skarmory's ire. Its wing still covered its face, shielding it from the sporadic barrage of water. That it was bothering to block at all mystified her considering how little it seemed to hurt, but any time bought was time she could still fight.

Next to her, she could feel the utter fury building in May as she recalled her Poochyena. She risked a glance, only to see May's teeth gritting so hard that she could hear them creak, white knuckled fingers squeezing the pokeball so tightly she thought it might break.

“Bastard…” she growled, swapping out to her last pokeball. “You’ll pay for this!”

Wait, was she really going to bring out Tentacool on dry land? Had she gone mad with rage?

“You’re bringing him out, here?” she asked, incredulously. She could barely keep Skarmory at bay with Marill, and Tentacool couldn’t even walk. “What are you doing?”

“Just keep blasting that thing and lure it closer.” May’s response was curt, and brooked no argument. Tentacool popped out, burbling unhappily as he fell to the ground with a wet sound. “Got it?”

“Nngh.” Astra returned her focus to the field, directing Marill to retreat between blasts of water. Her violin thrummed wildly as Skarmory advanced, a makeshift elegy of desperation and hope pouring into the air. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“Of course I do!”

“Well, you better do it fast,” she pressed as Marill dodged a wild swipe of Skarmory's claws and came to a stop next to Tentacool, her Water Gun blasting her opponent to little effect. “I can’t hold it back forever!”

“Tch. You should feel lucky.” May looked at Astra, and behind the anger she saw a mix of pride and disappointment in her eyes. “I was going to save this for our rematch, you know. But making this bastard pay will do just fine!”

“Let’s see how you like this, you shiny prick!” May shouted, arm shooting forward with a flourish. “Tentacool, Aurora Beam!”

Across the arena, Astra thought she saw a faint look of surprise flash across Stevens face, the only motion he had made since he had last spoken. But then she was far more distracted by May’s Pokemon.

“Tenta,” the aquatic Pokemon said as the red spheres on its head began to glow. The light dimmed, the rays of the sun seemingly sucked into the now brilliantly shining crimson orbs. Tentacool pulsed, and then from his eyes came a riotous flare of light, a rainbow of colors blasting across the dirt road. Skarmory let out a shriek as the luminous beam collided with its soaked wings, prismatic lights refracting through Marill’s Water Gun and washing the area in a dazzling array of hues.

“Woah…” Astra whispered, entranced by the sight. “What…what is this?”

“I was trying to get Tentacool to do a Water Gun earlier; turns out he makes a bitchin’ lightshow instead,” May said, almost criminally smug. “Doesn’t just look pretty either; can’t you see it?”

She looked, and then she saw. Across Skarmory’s wings, the coat of water from Marill’s attack had frozen over, leaving them encased in a thin sheet of cracked ice. Astra’s eyes widened. “Ice? He’s freezing over!” she gasped. “If we can encase him—"

“Then it’s all over.” May finished, grinning madly. “Keep firing, Tentacool! Aim for the feet!”

Soak him head to toe, Marill! Astra ordered, a rush of energy bolstering her melody. If they could just hold out a bit more, they could win!

Skarmory pushed onwards through the combined assault, shards of ice forming and falling from its body in waves. Water seeped between its wings and froze under Tentacool's chromatic assault, and soon the metal bird was struggling to hold it aloft under the weight. The dirt below took on a glossy sheen as the ice spread, claws skittering across the surface as they failed to find purchase. Unbalanced, it fell, shrieking all the way.

“That’s it!” Astra cheered as the ice crept across their adversary. “We’ve got him pinned!”

A sigh drew their attention to Steven, who looked upon the scene with amusement.

“I will admit,” he started, “you’ve shown some remarkable ingenuity for beginners. However, this is where your success ends.”

“Hah,” May barked out, “The hell are you talking about! If you haven’t noticed, we’re winning!” she gestured to Skarmory, laid low by Tentacools freezing chromatic beam.

“So I see.” Steven closed his eyes, seemingly unconcerned with the display. “Have you realized I have not given a single command to Skarmory this entire fight?”

“I—" May started, then paused. She glanced at Astra with puzzled eyes.

Astra stared right back, equally confused. Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t heard Steven give any orders after the start of the fight. May had grown used to her musical ‘commands,' but Steven didn’t have that. What was going on?

Shaking her head, May glared at Steven once more. “What, you’re not pulling some trick?”

Steven raised an eyebrow. “A trick?”

“Well, she has her goddamn violin, I dunno!” she retorted, waving at Astra. “I thought you were doing some bullshit too.”

“Hm. Intriguing,” he said, looking at Astra. A chill ran up her spine at his searching gaze, the feeling lingering even as he turned away. “But incorrect. I was not utilizing any trickery in this match. I was not doing anything at all.” He smiled, though his eyes remained cold. “My Skarmory defeated your Pokemon all on his own.”

That got May to step back, eyes flickering between Steven and the seemingly helpless Skarmory. “The hell are you trying to say?” she demanded.

“Merely that your successes so far have hinged upon my inaction; an act I am discontinuing. The time for silent acquiescence is over.” Steven lazily raised a hand, middle finger and thumb poised to snap. “Allow me to show you my favorite technique, as a gift for doing so well.”

“I’m not letting you pull anything!” May roared, “Tentacool, fire that aurora beam as hard as you can!”

Astra didn’t know what Steven would do next, but it couldn’t be good. Do your best, Marill! She urged.

Steven smirked, even amongst the renewed assault. Raising his hand high, he spoke.

“Skarmory…” He snapped his fingers, the crack echoing through the forest. “Steel Wing.”

The very wind seemed to pause in that moment, as if the world was holding its breath. In a flash, a sourceless light enveloped its prone form and Skarmory roared. Empowered steel feathers lashed out and an almighty crack resounded as every piece of ice covering the bird shattered at once, flickering away as so much snow.

Skarmory twisted to its feet and lunged with a single beat of its wings, a kaleidoscopic halo of light following as Water Gun and Aurora Beam faltered in its wake. It crossed the distance in the blink of an eye, razor limbs striking both Marill and Tentacool at once.

“Ma—!” Marill started, then choked as all air was driven out by the impact. On Skarmory’s other side, Tentacool screamed incoherently.

Its foes caught, Skarmory halted and swept its wings forward, sending them tumbling to the dirt. Silence reigned as both water Pokemon lay still—save for their broken, wheezing gasps.

Astra's violin hung uselessly from her hands, her song muted. Limply, she retrieved her pokeball and recalled Marill, Tentacool vanishing in the same instant. She sank to her knees and stared at her ball in disbelief. How…how had it turned bad so quickly? They were winning. It wasn’t...

“I believe we are finished, then,” Steven said, walking to his Skarmory and running his fingers down its neck. The bird closed its eyes and leaned into it, a low pitched trill echoing from deep within. “You two did exceptionally well, considering the circumstances.”

“You…” May growled, an overwhelming spike of anger flaring in Astra’s senses. She turned to see her friend shaking, a murderous glare directed at Steven. “You bastard! What the hell was that? We almost had it, and you had to—to—nngh!”

“I had to what?” Steven snapped, turning from his Pokemon. “I had to give an order to my Pokemon like every other trainer in the world? That is the way of things, Miss May, or were you under the impression that every fight would be as easy as a roadside brawl with the wildlife?”

“Tch, if you didn’t have that freaking bird...” May went to step forward, but a warning caw and a shifting of steel wings from Skarmory had her backing away instead, anger stymied by a flicker of fear.

“If I didn’t have Skarmory,” Steven said, the hints of disdain staining his voice, “I would still have the five other Pokemon in my possession, all of whom are at his level of skill or higher. Are you going to bemoan their existence next? In case you have forgotten, you were the one who challenged me after a constant barrage of negativity, despite my efforts to avoid it. I am not at fault for your failure here, and you are not entitled to victory simply because you demand it.”

May became even more incensed at Steven’s speech, looking to start up a tirade of her own when Astra stood back up and grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks. She didn’t know why May was so angry, but she didn’t like it. Even disregarding Steven's worrying presence, this rash of hatred was disturbing. She couldn’t let this argument spiral any further out of control.

“May,” she said, almost pleading, “we lost, fair and square; getting angry won’t change it. Please don't lash out like this, you're better than that.”

May stared at her for a moment, then tore her arm loose and whirled away, teeth grit. “Fine,” she bit out. “Whatever. Let’s just go.”

“Thank you, Miss Astra.” Steven called, having mounted Skarmory. The bird strode over to the two trainers. “I must apologize; I was getting somewhat heated myself, it was most unbecoming. It seems this is where we part, however. I am due in Dewford soon and I must make haste.”

He nodded at the cloaked trainer. “Miss Astra, may we meet again under better circumstances. Your style of fighting is…most unusual; I would love to discuss it further. Perhaps with a performance, if you were so inclined?” He smiled at her, and Astra returned an uneasy grin in return.

“Maybe,” she demurred. She could only hope said meeting would never come to pass.

He turned to May, and nodded at her as well. “Miss May, I hope you will learn from this encounter.”

She scowled. “The fuck was I supposed to learn from that!?”

He stared at her, disappointed. “The entire time I have been here, you have been nothing but suspicious, rude, or demanding of me at every turn. If you had not been so, I would imagine this conflict would have ended very differently, or perhaps not arisen at all. Now both you and your friend’s Pokemon are all severely injured.”

May gaped at Steven, sputtering. “But you're the one who brought her into this!”

“Sometimes, despite—or because of—our wishes, friends can get dragged into a conflict they had no desire to participate in,” Steven replied, looking right through her. “Though I am not blameless, her Pokemons' injuries are ultimately on your hands. All actions have consequences; you cannot simply do whatever you wish.”

He whistled, and Skarmory flapped its wings, hovering off the ground.

“Farewell, and take care.”

Without a pause, Skarmory shot into the sky and started southward, shrinking until it vanished amongst the clouds. The two trainers stood still for a moment, gazing after their mysterious foe.

“What a fucking sanctimonious ass,” May muttered.

Astra glanced at her companion, still uneasy. “He… did have a bit of a point. You weren’t very nice to him.”

“Who gives a shit? It’s not like we’re actually going to see him again,” May retorted, but there wasn’t any heat behind it. She slumped, sighing. “Whatever; let’s just get to Rustboro. I’m sick of this forest already.”

Astra hummed in agreement. “Yeah. Let's just get going. I think we might have to set up camp early today…”

“Ah fuck, you're right.” May groaned. “All my guys are useless right now. Ugh. I'll need a few potions for this. Did you need any?”

They walked onward in search of a suitable campsite, but despite May's reassurance and her own hopes, Astra couldn't help but feel that this wasn't the last she had seen of Steven Stone.