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May was soaking up the atmosphere. She couldn't miss the Easter Festival near Pinwheel Forest, and even though it meant skipping a Pokémon Contest, she had no regrets. Stalls full of treats and beautiful handmade souvenirs, attractions of all kinds, and squealing children and Pokémon alike—it all felt so fresh and exuberant, full of life, exactly how a proper spring should feel. She even tried out some of the attractions with her own Pokémon. Only Blaziken stayed in the background, playing the adult in the room, and refused to even go on the carousel.
It was fun, but the most important thing—the real reason she had come—was still waiting for her: The Great Egg Hunt. Around the forest and the abandoned train cars on the unfinished tracks, the organizers had hidden a specific number of colorful dummy Pokémon Eggs. Each egg contained a slip of paper with a prize, but one egg was real. Whoever found the real egg would become the ultimate winner. They would get to keep it, and on top of that, win a year's supply of chocolate. She simply couldn't pass up an opportunity like that.
When she looked toward the forest, however, her enthusiasm dampened a bit. She didn't have a very good feeling about the thick, dark woods. She might be fifteen now, having traveled alone for a few years and proven she could take care of herself, but the dark, dense undergrowth with wisps of mist rising from it still scared her a little. Especially since contestants weren't allowed to bring any Pokémon whose sense of smell could guide them during the event. Everyone had to make do with just a map and riddles pointing the way to the individual hiding spots.
She was walking idly, following her nose toward another stall with local specialties, her eyes on the forest, so unaware of her surroundings that she bumped right into someone.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to..." she apologized, trying to pick herself up.
"Still got your head in the clouds, Maple?" a familiar, slightly raspy voice spoke up.
"Drew? What are you doing here?" She looked up and noticed who she had knocked to the ground. Or rather, hadn't. Drew was standing there, offering her a hand with a smirk.
"Just enjoying some inspiration. Where else to soak up the spring atmosphere for the next Unova performance?" he replied simply.
"Right, right. All work and no play. You know, one of these days you're going to lose your mind," she warned him with feigned annoyance.
"Definitely not before you forget your own head somewhere," he shot back, referencing her clumsiness.
"We've been running into each other a lot lately," she muttered, remembering all the times they had crossed paths during their travels through Unova. And it wasn't just at Contests. In fact, they suspiciously kept missing each other there. It was almost like fate. Or someone's planning. She shot Drew a suspicious look.
"You're probably just imagining things," he mumbled quickly. Was it just her, or did he blush a little? She didn't want to get her hopes up. For a while now, she had known that she enjoyed his company more than just as a friend. But he always seemed so composed and aloof... She was afraid to make the first move, and his behavior confused her.
"Mr. Drew? May? I'm so glad to see you again!" another familiar voice called out, this one belonging to a girl. May looked over, immediately spotted an old acquaintance approaching, and her face lit up.
"Hi, Brianna! What are you doing here?"
"May! Well, you know how it is. Last season was a bust, so I decided to take a break and look for inspiration. I figured I'd try experiencing traditions from all over the world, and I just couldn't miss this event. And I can see I won't regret it," she smiled, glancing at Drew.
"Ah, I see. Gathering inspiration," May adopted her most sarcastic tone and looked back at Drew as well. She really hoped she wasn't showing any disappointment. The idea that they had both come for the exact same reason didn't sit right with her. It sounded more like the perfect excuse. "Well, I won't interrupt you two. The Egg Hunt starts in a little while, and I need to get ready. Free chocolate for a year, here I come!" she said her goodbyes and quickly blended into the crowd before anyone could stop her. She wasn't about to force those two to come up with excuses just so they could be alone together.
Drew wandered around the festival grounds, his mood growing increasingly sour. Yes, he was trying to accidentally bump into May and ask her out on a date again. Just like so many times during their travels through Unova. Solidad had been quite helpful this time, and together they always somehow figured out where May would be competing and where she’d just be sightseeing, allowing him to orchestrate accidental encounters one after another. Except, whenever it came down to it... he either lost his nerve at the last minute, or something got in the way.
He swore to himself that today had to be different. But in that crushing crowd, he couldn't find her anywhere. The only thing he knew for sure was that May was definitely hanging around somewhere because of that chocolate competition.
In the end, he decided to register too. Even though he didn't care about the egg hunt in the slightest and didn't want to part with his Pokémon, it was his only chance to find her.
And then, as he was returning from the registration booth, fate laughed in his face. She crashed right into him. At that moment, he was so relieved he almost couldn't find the right words. So, as always, he resorted to teasing, though he meant it half-seriously. Her tendency to be careless was worrying him more and more.
Everything seemed to be going perfectly. Plans immediately started forming in his head about how he'd make up an excuse about participating for the Pokémon Egg and offer to team up. That he could show off his skills... But then Brianna showed up, and May soon disappeared into the crowd again. And judging by her words, with a completely wrong impression. And the worst part? She didn't show the slightest hint that the idea of him with another girl bothered her at all.
He was left staring after her, all his courage having taken a vacation and his plans to show off going straight down the drain.
Annoyed, he wanted to pack up and just leave. Disappear before anyone else noticed him, and then hide somewhere and train until he dropped from exhaustion. Just so he wouldn't have to think about that stinging indifference.
"That May... She still hasn't noticed, has she?" Brianna's voice pierced through his thoughts.
He said nothing. He wasn't in the mood for prodding. Brianna had asked him out a year ago, and she hadn't taken it very well when he explained he already had his eye on someone else. She was sharp enough to figure out it was May, but she hadn't done anything about it besides that one scene. He just hoped she wasn't waiting for an opportunity.
"I think you should go after her. There'll be quite a bit of competition during the hunt, and you know her. You should make sure she doesn't wander too deep into the forest. It can be dangerous out there without Pokémon," she pointed out.
"Is that supposed to be a threat?" he asked suspiciously.
"What? No! Not at all! May is my friend. And even though... Even though things are the way they are, I don't wish her any harm. Really. I know I didn't react very well back then... But I want you to be happy too. May is lucky... But she doesn't pay much attention, and..." she immediately started defending herself, stammering.
"Thank you, and I'm sorry, I shouldn't have," he replied simply, mentally kicking himself for his paranoia. "It's just..."
"You're worried about someone you care deeply about. I know the feeling. Go," Brianna smiled sadly, and then headed off on her way as well.
With a sigh, Drew headed toward the starting area.
"So I won't be able to avoid this stupid game after all," he grumbled to himself, but in truth, he was rather glad. He had to admit Brianna was right. May really did have a tendency to run off into adventure without proper preparation.
May was completely gripped by hunting fever. Armed with the organizers' map, a compass, and a relentless determination to sweeten her day, she pushed her way to the front of the starting pack. She threw the map away after the first riddle; it was only slowing her down anyway, and she stuck solely to the clues. She bypassed the ordinary eggs, growing increasingly frustrated in her fervor.
As the hours passed and the sun slowly moved across the sky, she listened more and more tensely for the announcement of the winner, hoping every second that no one had found the egg yet. She had completely fixated on that chocolate.
The final riddle led her quite far from the festival. The other hunters remained far behind. Tall grass reached her waist, and the wreck of an abandoned train car stood on the overgrown tracks. It sat there in the shadow of the forest; between it and the nearest tree trunk, an Ariados had spun its web, where the last drops of dew now glistened.
An ideal, if somewhat ominous, hiding place. May finally gathered her courage and cautiously made her way toward the car. She stepped as quietly as she could. Step by step, until she heard a rustling sound coming from the car. She froze, and the rustling stopped.
"Hello?" she called out, desperately wishing she had her Pokémon with her. But they had been left in the care of the local Nurse Joy. "Is anyone there?"
She thought she heard a faint gasp, but no one answered. Should she keep going or not? What if the egg was there? But what if it wasn't, and she disturbed the Ariados that spun that web?
She hesitated for only a moment, swallowed hard, and, with thoughts of chocolate, pressed forward. The rustling grew louder and faster again. And then something jumped out.
May cried out and jumped back as a pink-and-cream something looked back at her with its big blue eyes.
"Audino?" she breathed in confusion. Yes, it was an Audino. And it was clutching an egg in its paws. Exactly the same kind they had seen on the screen when the organizers showed them what to look for.
May reflexively reached for the precious prize, but the Audino immediately bolted, running as fast as its little legs could carry it.
"Hey! Wait! Thief!" she yelled after the Pokémon and took off without thinking. She leapt over clumps of grass and tripped over the overgrown tracks, but she didn't stop, charging ahead after the vision of the grand prize. Fortunately, the pink didn't blend into the grass. She was so focused on not falling and keeping pace with the surprisingly fast Pokémon that she didn't even notice someone yelling at her from a distance, nor that the Audino had turned and headed straight into the forest.
Tracks gave way to branches and fallen logs; May jumped over and climbed across them, completely locked onto her target. She didn't hear the approaching running footsteps, nor did she realize how dark it had gotten around her. The Audino, however, knew the terrain well and maintained its lead. May almost had it; she reached out her hand, just a few more steps... But suddenly, someone grabbed her arm and yanked her back violently.
"No!" she screamed, and then, flushed with anger, spun around toward her supposed competitor, ready to teach him a lesson. Instead, she found herself staring into an equally angry, familiar face.
"Drew? What... Why..." She couldn't find the words. The shock dissolved, leaving pure rage. "How dare you..."
"What do you think you're doing?!" he yelled back at her. "Do you even know where we are right now?! What the hell were you thinking?!"
May cringed under the weight of his voice. He had never yelled at her like this before. He sounded genuinely, truly furious. She backed up a little, and only then did it begin to dawn on her how far she had run.
Thick, moss-covered trunks growing close together. Fallen logs on the ground. Vines. Canopies of cobwebs and buzzing Bug-type Pokémon. Ferns so tall their tips could tickle right under her nose... Only then did she realize she had run deep into the heart of Pinwheel Forest.
Drew marveled at May's speed and determination over and over again. She was like a Snubbull as he watched her hunt for the egg. Actually, he found himself quite liking it. That focus, that undeniable capability. She solved the riddles and diligently kept going, while others gradually gave up and settled for lesser rewards. But when she started straying too far, it stopped sitting well with him.
He hadn't wanted to interrupt her and risk a confrontation, but he finally gathered himself and decided to go after her to bring her back. Just as he was approaching, however, he caught sight of her sprinting sharply after something pink. His first thought was a Skitty, but she must have left hers with Nurse Joy, just as he had done with his Pokémon. Without thinking, he sprinted after her, reasoning that whatever she was chasing would likely attack her soon. A cornered Pokémon could be incredibly dangerous, even if it looked harmless.
He tried calling out to her, but she was completely deaf to it. Even her agility no longer seemed admirable to him. He struggled to follow her; it wasn't until they hit the forest that he began to catch up, desperate with fear and overwhelmed by visions of May getting lost in the green depths, only to be eaten by some wild Pokémon.
When he finally caught her, the fear had completely taken over. He hadn't meant to, but it crept into his voice and his choice of words. It was only when May flinched and stepped back that he realized what he was doing and quickly fell silent.
They were both panting. Looking at each other. A mixture of confusion and hurt.
"I... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled," he apologized quickly. She said nothing. There was a guarded look in her eyes. He regretted it. "I saw you heading this way... Why did you even run out here? Did you decide you'd rather get lost than admit defeat? With your sense of direction..." he asked, attempting to tease her. Teasing was good. Familiar. But this time, May didn't take offense. She didn't even smirk.
"I didn't lose. I found the egg. But a wild Audino stole it," she replied calmly. Without emotion. Without her usual competitive spark. He wanted to kick himself. He had really messed this up.
"And you had to chase it mindlessly?" he poked. He wanted it to sound playful, but he knew instantly it had fallen flat.
"What's it to you? Shouldn't you be looking after your date?" she countered, starting to look around. He had no idea if she was looking for a stick to express her indignation over the ruined hunt, or for the Audino's tracks. She seemed even more determined to continue.
"Brianna wasn't here for me. She had her own business. We should go back," he replied. Could she be jealous after all? Or was she just being blunt? Most of the time she was transparent, but he wanted to hope.
"In a minute, just as soon as I find that thief. Look! A piece of pink fur on a twig, a track! It must be tired, I'm sure it slowed down, I can still catch it," she set off, walking slower now, following a small twig with a tuft of pink.
"Come on. Be reasonable, we'll get lost," he warned. As he looked around, he had the sinking feeling it had already happened. Even so, going deeper into the forest was foolish.
"Go back if you're scared. It's not about the reward anymore, I have to save that egg!" she replied stubbornly, beginning to search around the twig again.
"I'm not leaving you out here alone," he retorted, joining her.
"I didn't ask you to," she snapped.
"Did I ask for an invitation?" he shot back, then pointed in another direction. "It ran that way. See the torn bottom leaves on the fern?" he added with a faint smile.
She merely narrowed her eyes at him, but then headed where he had pointed. He didn't let it deter him, hoping he'd still get a chance to make amends.
"What do you think it wants to do with the egg? I thought Audino were gentle and caring..." she sighed after a while. They had been searching for about ten minutes and still nothing. Now, it seemed they had lost the trail entirely.
"I don't know, it is weird," he answered honestly.
"Audino don't eat eggs, do they?" May reacted with genuine horror.
"No, definitely not. They're herbivores. They eat berries, roots, and young shoots," he assured her.
"That poor egg... I should have been faster," she blamed herself.
"It's not your fault," he tried to comfort her, but before he could say more, a high-pitched shriek pierced the air.
"Dino!" the Audino cried out, sounding like it was in mortal danger.
"This way!" she bolted again, faster than he could stop her, and so he ran too.
May's heart was pounding like crazy. It wasn't just about the egg anymore, but the Audino too. No Pokémon screams like that for no reason.
She vaulted over a moss-covered fallen log, and as she landed, her foot slipped slightly on the decaying leaves. Barely regaining her balance, she immediately started backing away. Before her, the front half of a massive Scolipede reared up into the air.
Its legs twitched in the air, its eyes darting hungrily between May and something to the side. There, pressed helplessly against a tree trunk, was the Audino, shielding the egg with its own body, a red gash marking where the Scolipede had struck.
"Pick on someone your own size!" May shouted furiously, stepping forward. Her hand fumbled for her Poké Balls, and as the Scolipede turned its full attention to her, the heavy realization hit her—they were still at the festival...
She gritted her teeth and reached for a pebble.
"Come on, you monster... You want a defenseless egg? Let's go," she threw the stone and quickly jumped back as the Scolipede tried to strike back. Another attack, another dodge.
"Hey! Over here, monster!" Drew called out from the other side, also hitting the Scolipede with a stone.
"Over here!" May chimed in. "Run, Audino! Get the egg to safety!" she then yelled at the pink Pokémon, who was staring at them in disbelief.
May and Drew took turns, working together, pressuring the Scolipede and driving it back. But the centipede Pokémon wasn't about to give up. With an ugly screech, it went on the offensive. A strike to the ground sent dirt, pebbles, and broken branches flying. Another screech and another hard strike. May jumped back, but her foot slipped as she landed. She skidded on the damp leaves and fell right on her rear. That was all the Scolipede needed.
"May! No!" she heard Drew yell; his voice sounded muffled. The yellow eyes of the predatory centipede locked onto her, and time suddenly dragged on endlessly.
"Au-Di-No!" a loud shriek from the angry Pokémon suddenly pierced the moment, and a fierce Double Slap attack struck the momentarily off-guard Scolipede, which let out a wail and finally fled.
The pink Pokémon then turned to May with a worried look.
"Dino? Audino?" it fretted.
"May! Are you okay?" Drew ran over and immediately dropped to his knees beside her.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks to Audino here. What about you?" she turned to him and smiled. Only in hindsight was she realizing how dangerous it had all been.
"Aside from a near heart attack, I'm fine... Don't ever scare me like that again," he breathed out and pulled her into a quick hug. She was so thrown off that she completely froze, and just as quickly as the gesture came, it was gone. "I... What would I do without my biggest rival... I wouldn't have anyone to push," he coughed awkwardly afterward.
May smiled again. That was just Drew... She swallowed her disappointment and then looked at the Audino.
"And what about you? You little thief," she asked her savior.
"Audino, au au," it nodded its head, its feelers drooping tiredly. But then it immediately perked up and ran back to the egg.
"Wait! You have to give the egg back! It's mine! It was part of the contest, meant to be found!" she called after the Audino. Even as it was lifting the egg into its arms, it stopped and looked back.
"Dino? Dino, dino, audino?" it asked, sounding confused and perhaps a little ashamed. Its eyes darted between May and the egg.
"Did you think it was abandoned?" she asked. It was finally starting to make sense. After a moment, the Audino nodded.
"It really isn't. Since I found it, it's mine now. Will you give it back? The forest is dangerous; we'll head back and take good care of it," she coaxed the Pokémon. It smiled and was about to oblige, but just then, the shell began to crack.
May held her breath. The egg began to glow, the shell cracked further, and then suddenly the Audino was holding a baby Audino in its paws. It was an egg of its own kind.
"It must have heard it was going to hatch soon and came to help," Drew whispered in amazement as the baby Audino chirped softly and snuggled up to the larger one.
"Look, it thinks she's its mom..." May said, touched. This was so beautiful. The large Audino smiled, stroking the little one, but then it looked at May and its expression saddened.
"Au, Audino, dino, dino," it pointed at May, and the baby turned around in confusion.
"I think it's explaining that it belongs to you," Drew guessed, and May saw tears welling up in the baby's eyes.
"No, Audino. It's yours now. You actually found it first. And you took a hit for it. Besides, without you, that Scolipede would have eaten me... Even out here in the forest, you can take care of your little one. You're a family now," she said after a moment of thought.
"Dino? Audino?" The Pokémon seemed unable to believe it and pulled the baby close.
"Yeah. I'm not going to take a baby away from its mom. But you make sure you take good care of it," she wagged her finger as if scolding them. Both Audino beamed, before the older one gave a tired nod, turned around with the baby, and disappeared into the forest undergrowth.
"That was really kind of you," Drew said into the ensuing silence.
"I couldn't tear a family apart... I'll catch my own Audino someday, but doing it like this wouldn't have been right," she replied, staring for a moment longer at the spot where they had vanished. She was happy for them. Purely and unclouded. And in that moment, she didn't even mind that she definitely wouldn't be getting that year's supply of chocolate. That only started to bother her gradually. Just like the fact that she no longer had the faintest idea where they actually were.
"Drew? You're always so put-together... Do you remember the way back?"
Drew couldn't help himself. Seeing how May had chosen the little Audino's happiness made him love her even more. Even with that crazy side of hers that had driven her to face down a Scolipede barehanded—something he had originally intended to scold her for again. But the moment she turned to him, hoping he knew where they were, he went pale. He didn't have the faintest idea. When she had bolted, he had pushed everything out of his mind except the need to protect her.
"Ahem... We need to track our footprints. We're not exactly stealthy; we must have broken plenty of branches and disturbed a lot of moss," he tried to improvise. But it wasn't as easy as it sounded.
"This way? Or over there?" May asked. On both sides, there were signs that something large and clumsy had passed through. The path back to safety, or the trail of another Scolipede?
"I wish I had my Absol," he muttered in frustration. His Disaster Pokémon would have gotten them out of this easily. Its keen senses were better than modern technology. Right now, they were helpless. But he didn't want to show it.
The air was heavy with the smell of decay and the dampness of the mist. He was tempted to point out that the Audino could have been more grateful and at least led them to the edge of the forest, but he kept it to himself. He didn't want to worry May any further. They were both exhausted, their clothes were torn, and the cold was beginning to seep into their bones.
"Do you smell that too?" she asked suddenly, and when he looked back, he saw her sniffing the air slightly.
"Smell what?" He tried sniffing too, but smelled nothing besides the rot.
"Flowers... This way, we should go this way," she abruptly changed direction.
"May, wait," he tried, but then sighed and shook his head. He opted to follow her immediately. And then he smelled it too. A fresh, floral scent. The essence of spring. And then, up ahead, he caught a glimpse of a tall shadow from which the fragrance was emanating.
"What is that?" he breathed.
"What do you mean?" she asked, but the shadow had already vanished.
"Nothing..." he replied unconvincingly.
"This way, it's coming from over here now." May caught the sweet scent again before he did.
"I don't know if we should follow that... Maybe another predator is luring us into a trap..." He let reason speak again, but he couldn't mean it seriously. It was strange. It felt as though the forest itself held a deep reverence for that scent and the shadow flitting through the mist. He tried to think rationally, to form a defense plan, but before he could finalize the scenario, the forest thinned out.
He didn't even know how, but suddenly they were standing in a meadow outside the forest. Within sight of the festival, where loudspeakers were already announcing the contest results.
"What was that?" May breathed in confusion and looked back. Drew, meanwhile, pinched himself. He felt the pain cleanly and clearly. He definitely hadn't been imagining it, then.
"Drew!" she hissed at him, tugging on his hand. It was as if a thousand electrifying sparks shot across his skin, but he couldn't savor the touch. The moment he looked in her direction, he saw it at the edge of the forest, too. A tall, horned silhouette resembling an antelope.
"Virizion?" he paused in shock, but it took only a blink and the silhouette was gone.
"What?"
"Virizion... A Sword of Justice, the local Legendary Pokémon... According to the legends, it's supposed to have a resting place in the forest... But... That's impossible," he muttered in bewilderment.
"Wow... Do you think it was the one who got us out?" she wondered, still holding his hand. He smiled softly to himself.
"I don't know. And I think I'd rather not find out. Don't you want to head back to the festival and get something to eat? I can hear your stomach growling," he decided to deflect, lest May get the idea to chase the Pokémon back into the forest. At least until he had his Pokémon back with him, he'd had enough adventure.
"Hey!" she protested, quickly letting go of him. She gave him her usual pout and planted her hands on her hips. He smirked at her in relief. Everything was back to normal. "But yeah. You're right... I'm starving. Have you tried the local sweet bread yet? You have to! My treat!" she turned her attention toward the festival. "First, we need to pick up our Pokémon, though. Mine have already tried it, but I bet yours haven't. They'll definitely love it; it's like a little piece of heaven in your mouth. Fluffy as a cloud..." she started rambling, babbling about food with such enthusiasm that he could have listened to her forever.
May ended up having a lot of fun with Drew after all. They had some good food, checked out more attractions, and had a great time. They stayed until the evening. When she saw the organizers loading up the supply of chocolate, she grew a bit sad.
"Oh well... Once the holidays are over, I'll have to run around a lot of stores," she sighed.
"Cheer up. You made two Pokémon happy," Drew tried to encourage her. "Isn't that a good enough feeling?"
"Yeah, but chocolate is still a little sweeter. Anyway. Do you have a room at the Center?" she opted to change the subject. She didn't want to think about saying goodbye just yet, but the day was quickly coming to an end.
"No, I'll be camping this time. I didn't get here early enough, and because of the holidays, they're fully booked at both the Center and the hotel," he replied as they sat down on one of the benches that weren't scheduled to be packed up until tomorrow, looking up at the sky. Above the forest, the bright orange of the sunset was already glowing. Combined with the rising ribbons of mist, it looked almost as if it were on fire.
"What a coincidence. Me too. Shouldn't we stay in the same spot? Not that I'm scared, but one campfire instead of two is more eco-friendly. And if that Scolipede comes back for revenge, it'd at least have two bites instead of one. We'd be doing another good deed and making a third Pokémon happy, you know?" she joked.
"You really know how to kill the romance," slipped out, and May froze for a second. Drew stiffened too. "I mean the atmosphere," he added quickly.
"Right, got it," she smiled, but inwardly she felt a pang of disappointment again. "What about those tents? It's going to be dark soon, we should get to it. Blaziken could light things up for us, but fire isn't the same as the sun," she decided to just let the situation slide.
"Yeah. Let's do it. Did you see a good spot around here? I'd rather not sleep on the tracks," he responded, starting to stand up.
"Come on, I saw a little clearing over there," she stood up as well.
They ended up camping, and it was nice. The Scolipede didn't come for them, and they managed to avoid the tracks when pitching their tents. May was exhausted; the run through the forest and everything else had taken its toll, so by the time she woke up, it was already light outside. As soon as she poked her head out of the tent, she looked around for Drew, but his tent, just like him, was already gone. She smiled sadly to herself.
She put her hand forward to crawl out on all fours, but bumped into something solid. She looked down and found a basket sitting in front of her tent flap, full of chocolate figures of Lopunny, Torchic, and Mareep. And a small note written in neat handwriting, folded around the stem of a perfect rose.
"It might not be a year's supply, but hopefully it'll last you at least a day."