The Chasm

May brushed her hair from her eyes as the sea sprayed heavily on her face. She stood at the bow of the S.S. Tidal, the fast ship skimming atop the waves on its voyage to Sinnoh.

“Leave it to Steven to get the fastest boat on Shia as his own personal ship,” she laughed to herself, taking in the sheer size of the vessel. A full-size luxury liner, Steven Stone had purchased the Tidal only recently; the reason being—he claimed—that a Champion needs to have proper travelling conditions when going from region to region.

May on the other hand had seen the rooms marked “occupied” on the otherwise deserted vessel; entire ballrooms that Steven had devoted to displaying a few of his best stones.

“You’re really a strange man,” she said as Steven himself walked up on deck, “You do know that right?”

“Come now, May,” he laughed, “We’re all a little strange deep down, right?”

May sighed and shook her head. “Yeah, yeah,” she laughed, brushing him off. “Some a little more so than others…” she winked. She looked out towards the horizon, her hair whipping behind her in the wind.

“How much longer until we get there?” she asked curiously, having never made the crossing by boat before.

“Not too much longer,” Steven assured her, resting himself on the railing. “The Tidal makes incredible time,” he smiled, “I must say it was one of my… better investments.”

May flashed him a quick smile, quickly setting her eyes back on the horizon. Her lack of a response surprised Steven; he was used to May dominating the conversation when they were alone.

“How is your training going?” he asked, trying to strike up a topic.

“Oh, it’s… fine,” she answered him weakly. Steven could feel her tapping her fingers anxiously along the metal rail; something was bothering her.

“You know, May, I’m pretty sure I heard the cook say he was making his famous miso soba for lunch. Care to join me?”

“Thanks, but I think I’ll pass,” she said, flashing him another quick smile, “I’m not really that hungry.”

“Okay; what’s the matter?” Steven asked pointedly, “The May I know would never turn down a meal, much less her favorite dish.”

“Nothing’s wrong,” she dismissed, “I’m just, not hungry is all.”

“Sure…” he chuckled, setting his hands on her shoulders, “Now, why don’t you tell me what’s really going on?”

May sighed, unsure of how to finally break the news to her mentor.

“It’s… well,” she stuttered, “I—I can’t synchronize with Kyogre. I try and I try and I just can’t seem to get it right…”

“Is that all?” Steven smiled, squeezing her shoulders. “And here you had me worried it was something serious!”

“This is serious, Steven!” May pushed, “You gave me a task and I failed; I can’t do it!”

“May,” Steven said, pulling a few deck chairs over to where they stood, “You’ll get it. It just takes time…”

“No, I won’t!” she said defiantly, plopping down next to him. “Maybe I’m not cut out for this after all…”

Steven shook his head as he watched her slump down in defeat. He walked over to a deck phone and made a quick order to the crew before sitting back down in the chair next to May.

“Look, May,” he said, leaning back in his chair, “You have a very rare gift, and one that I wouldn’t expect you to fully master right away. I’ve watched the effort you’ve put into your training over the past few years and I have to say, you’ve advanced much farther than I had at your age. You’re a very talented young woman; what’s to keep you from making it all the way to your goal?”

“Steven…” she said, looking up at him, “You always seem to know what to say to me.”

“Well it is my job after all,” he chuckled, stretching his arms up over his head. “After all, what sort of mentor would I be if I couldn’t motivate my apprentice every once in awhile?”

“You jerk,” she laughed, punching him playfully on the arm.

“Now,” he laughed, sitting up as some of the crew came above deck carrying platters of food, “How does this sound: you help me eat all this food, and then we practice your synchronization together?”

May smiled, licking her lips as the delicious scent of her favorite food pervaded her senses.

“That sounds great…” she replied, her mouth watering in anticipation, “I’m starving!”

◄►

Despite its classification as a “fast ship”, Kyogre was having no trouble keeping an even pace behind the Tidal. May and her mentor had moved to the wide-open deck at the stern of the ship, a more suitable environment for Steven’s own partner, the legendary Pokémon Groudon. Standing nearly 12 feet tall the colossal, red behemoth towered over them, his body clad in heavy armored plates with sharp, bony spines the size of small trees bristling from the sides of his neck to the tip of his tail. Similar to Kyogre, Groudon’s armored body was grooved with glyphs that pulsed a deep blue hue, outwardly displaying the immense amounts of primal energy contained within.

May watched Groudon with a nervous caution. She’d seen Steven’s partner in person only a handful of times and despite Kyogre’s belittling of him, Groudon was powerfully intimidating. Usually hunched over under the weight of his armor, he now stood straight as a board in the presence of his lifelong adversary, bringing his full height—and 2000 pound weight—to bear and dousing May in a thick shadow. Sitting next to his partner in full sunlight Steven leaned back in his chair, watching his pupil with an observant gaze.

“Now, do just as you’ve practiced,” he said, waving her on. May nodded and took a deep breath, centering her focus, 

“Alright!” she said, her voice ringing out towards the ocean as she reached an outstretched hand up over her head. “Let’s go Kyogre!”

Her partner dove beneath the wake of the boat, suddenly throwing himself high over the back of the Tidal. His red markings pulsed with power, and his entire body began to glow and shift as if he were being drawn back into a Poké Ball. The fluid energy landed itself in May’s awaiting hand, taking the form of a long staff tipped with a blade. As she spun the glowing weapon gracefully around her body May felt the familiar sensation of Kyogre’s raw power flowing into her, swallowing her body in the same warm glow. When the light finally subsided May was clad in clothes not her own, the bond she shared with her partner taking physical form just as it had throughout the ages: she looked as though she were actually wearing Kyogre; the form-fitting blue and white dress traced with pulsing red highlights that followed her curves to where it split into four separate panels at her waist. Kyogre’s primal symbols decorated each panel, and four long ribbons reminiscent of Kyogre’s tail ebbed and flowed like the ocean below the open back.

To continue the theme, the staff she held in her hands was equally impressive: a deep blue color, the entire staff was crisscrossed with glowing red runes, and four ribbons danced in the air from where they hung at the base of the blade.

Her transformation complete, May spun her staff a few more times before aiming it directly at Steven, the energetic glow bursting off of her like a firework.

Steven smiled and shook his head; despite her fears, his student was trying to impress him with her performance.

“Very nice,” he laughed, “But flair will only get you so far.” He rose to his feet, and without even a nod Groudon followed Kyogre’s lead, let out a thunderous roar and beginning his own metamorphosis. His fluid form split in two, wrapping themselves around Steven’s arms and solidifying into a pair of red, armored gauntlets tipped with four razor-edged blades. In a similarly streamlined fashion, Steven began to move into a fighting stance as a blue glow covered him from head to toe; in one motion he grounded his feet and pointed one set of claws at his apprentice as the energy burst off of him to reveal his own unique appearance.

Taking the form of a knight’s armor, Groudon clothed Steven’s body in a protective red and black suit, the surface of which was grooved with glowing blue lines. Atop his head was a helmet that seemed to radiate an invisible blaze with two sharp spines flanking Groudon’s crest in the center, two more spines protruding from the top of each shoulder pauldron.

“Come at me,” he said plainly.

May stared at him blankly. “Wait, what?”

“Come at me!” Steven repeated, still poised to fight. “The best way for you to learn is by doing! Now show me what that overgrown fish of yours can do!”

Before May realized it, she was already halfway across the deck, lunging her blade directly at her mentor’s chest. Motivated by a rage not her own, she felt consumed with a sudden desire to spill Steven’s blood on the polished wooden deck of his ship.

Steven let loose a sly grin, raising a gauntlet and easily knocking her advance aside while simultaneously whacking her across the back of her head.

“Oww!” May cried out, holding her throbbing head in pain. The sudden swell of her own emotions overcame the foreign ones, and she regained control of her body.

“Kyogre!” she yelled at her staff, immediately pegging the root cause of her loss of control. “We don’t really want to kill him!!”

“He called me a fish,” Kyogre echoed back in her head, “I am NOT a fish.”

“I’m sure he didn’t mean it!” May said, desperately trying to calm his spirit as she looked back at Steven. She’d never actually fought her mentor in combat—or seen his suit of armor for that matter; seeing him fight first-hand was showing her what a capable fighter he really was, and it scared her. The man hadn’t so much as moved a step during her attack, yet he had both deflected and retaliated. Now he simply stood in place, his armor and enormous gauntlets glinting in the sunlight.

“Is that it?” she heard him call. “I would’ve thought the mighty Kyogre would put up more of a fight than this…”

May could feel the heat from her staff as it began to glow again, pulsing in tandem with the primal rage she felt rising in her stomach.

“Fine!” she shouted, submitting to her partner’s emotions. May jumped to her feet, charging at Steven once again. She thrust her blade towards him again and again with Steven blocking her advances every time.

“Your moves are fast and fluid,” he said over the clashing of their blades, managing to get in some advice mid-battle. “They do feel a bit angry though…”

May twisted her face in frustration, the ribbons on her staff suddenly jumping to life and attacking Steven of their own accord.

“Ah, I love that trick!” he laughed as he moved to deflect them, truly enjoying the battle. “Moves like these prove you two are very close to synchronizing!”

May slid her hands down to the end of the staff, swinging her weapon like a bat. Sparks flew as the blade scraped hard against Steven’s raised arm, not even scratching his armor.

Steven swung out with his free claws, narrowly missing May as she jumped out of the way. She had only seconds to regain her footing before Steven was upon her again, missing her once more but carving deep gouges in the deck.

May rolled recklessly across the deck, coming to a crouched stop in front of a deck chair. She flicked her dripping hair out of her face, looking back hopelessly at Steven; he hadn’t even broken a sweat.

“You’re good at running, I’ll give you that! But, there are some things in life that you just can’t run from…” he added with a smile, the grooves of his armor flashing a blue hue as his eyes strangely followed suit; he thrust his claws forward, venting a plume of fire directly at May.

His student stared wide-eyed at the blaze, the fires reflecting in her glassy eyes. With shock gluing her in place Kyogre quickly took control, forcing his wielder out of the way.

May’s body hit the deck hard, knocking her back to her senses. She stared at what twisted metal scraps remained of the chair she was just in front of, surrounded by a huge black scar of charred deck. She quickly turned to her mentor, dumbstruck. “What was that?!” she demanded.

“That was synchronization,” he smiled. “When you and your partner can connect on this level, all of their powers are available to you,” he explained. Then, without warning, Steven suddenly propelled another column of flame towards her.

May screamed, frantically diving out of the way. Steven continued launching volley after volley after her as she ran panicked, scrambling her way towards the front of the ship. She tried her best to dodge the bursts, the ends of her hair singing on a few close calls.

She quickly ran out of deck, falling to the floor as one of Steven’s attacks impacted near her feet. May looked up in terror, truly frightened for her life.

Steven raised his claws over his head, preparing for his final attack. He fired, the flames licking their way across the deck towards the helpless girl…

May shut her eyes tight and screamed her partner’s name, moving her staff in front of her face in a desperate attempt to shield herself. Her weapon suddenly began to glow, and a huge wave washed over the bow of the Tidal, extinguishing the fires and leaving both her and Steven drenched with salty seawater.

May just sat there, soaked and dumbfound. She looked to her mentor, preparing an apology, but stopped when she saw the enormous grin spread across his face.

“That was WONDERFUL!!” he said, quickly closing the distance between them. He wrapped May in his arms and squeezed her tight, his hard armor pressing into her ribs, “I knew you could do it!”

“Do it…” May asked, still confused. “Wait, you mean I did that?!”

“You sure did!” Steven continued excitedly, releasing her from the embrace. “It seems that when faced with insane amounts of fear of certain death, you were able to unconsciously synchronize with your partner!”

May’s head dropped in annoyance. Her mentor had almost killed her in an effort to help her progress; what a great teacher.

“Of course, there’s still much work to be done,” Steven said, touching a claw to his chin as he thought, “But progress is progress!! Alright, let’s go again!”

“What?!” May cried, scrambling to her feet as Steven jumped towards her again, claws bared. “Can’t we take a break?!”

“Of course not!” he laughed, slashing at her in quick succession, “Practice makes perfect, May!”

◄►

Several hours later, Steven led his exhausted apprentice down a quaint dirt road flanked by tall, healthy palm trees. The Tidal had made port at Sinnoh’s Battle Park, a large island off the northeastern shore of the mainland. A sort of theme park for Trainers, the Battle Park was home to Sinnoh’s Battle Tower, the ultimate test of a Trainer’s skill, second only to the Pokémon League itself. The two of them were making their way to Steven’s villa on the southeastern peninsula of the island, the site of May’s residence for the next few days.

As their suitcases rolled noisily behind them across a long wooden bridge, May looked down into the water, delighted to see the many different kinds of exotic fish swimming elegantly through the clear water. She was entranced by the scenery; the Battle Park was a tropical island and it reminded her very much of her own home in Mossdeep. Sinnoh was a beautiful region, and as the trees opened up and the path grew into a full road May gasped in excitement as she got an incredible look at the beautiful bay cradled by the twin peninsula of the island.

“Well we’re here!” Steven said, pointing to a beautifully landscaped hill overlooking the bay. May reluctantly tore her eyes from the beautiful scene in front of her, only to set them on an equally impressive view: perched atop the hill was a glorious luxury home, its rows of tinted glass windows glinting in the sunlight.

“This is your villa?” she laughed as they walked up the beautiful stone path to the door, “I should’ve known.”

“Now, now; no need to be rude,” Steven laughed back, resting his hand on a scanner next to the door; May heard the clicking of several automatic locks from behind the door before it whisked open of its own accord. “I had your biometrics added to the house before we arrived; you’ll be able to come and go as you please during your stay!”

“Thanks, Steven,” May smiled, making her way into the huge house. It was truly a sight to behold; no expense had been spared to furnish the house with every known luxury. Everything was top of the line from furniture to appliances, and she could literally feel the wealth of its owner dripping onto her.

“It’s nice,” she commented, walking through the main sitting room. “I guess it’ll do…”

“I would certainly hope so,” Steven laughed happily, taking her suitcase, “Now let me show you to your room.”

He led her across the room and up a flight of glass stairs suspended from the wall, providing a floating path up to the second floor. Steven showed her to the master bedroom, a wonderfully spacious room with an enormous bed, situated at the perfect point in the house to overlook the bay through its glass wall.

Steven set her suitcase by the door, “Well, I’ll be on my way. The refrigerator and pantries are well stocked; I doubt even you could eat through them in the next few days.”

May shot him an embarrassed smile but quickly followed with a disappointed, “You’re leaving?”

“Unfortunately, yes. My first meeting is in a few hours and the summit itself is scheduled to run the remainder of the week…”

“Oh,” she sighed. “Well, have fun I guess. Try not to upset any of the other Champions…” she added with a smile, opening her arms to him.

“Come now,” he said, completing her hug, “It’s me after all!” May walked him to the door, waving goodbye as he headed down the path from his villa, leaving her all alone in the large house.

With its owner now gone May immediately took a thorough tour on her own, exploring every possible room in the house. Steven was right, her handprint worked at every scanner she came across, granting her access to rooms that were probably intended to be off limits to visitors. In addition to a fully stocked kitchen with two refrigerators and three pantries, May also discovered that the three-floor villa housed a small movie theatre, a two-lane bowling alley, an indoor—and outdoor—pool, countless bathrooms, and two elevators. There was also an underground complex that boasted a full battle arena and a fully furnished healing center for Pokémon, as well as many other machines that May couldn’t quite figure out. They all bore the Devon Corporation logo, so she assumed they must be prototypes of some kind that Steven had kept for himself. After several hours of exploration she finally returned to her own room—Steven’s room—and went about unpacking her suitcase, setting up a little of her own décor to make it a bit more homey. She stepped back to admire her decorating skills; it was good, but something was still missing. Walking over to the balcony May pushed open the heavy glass door, letting the warm ocean air fill the room. Pleased with herself she jumped onto the bed, grabbing the remote and clicking on the TV.

As she flipped through the seemingly infinite array of channels, May grabbed a Poké Ball from her pack and released her Glaceon into the room. The icy-blue feline stretched out her body before jumping up onto the bed with her Trainer, pacing in a tight circle to prepare a suitable place to rest. May smiled as her Pokémon pulled at the comforter with her claws; content, Glaceon laid herself down next to May, the girl petting her gently as she settled on a special showing of Gym Leader Spotlight from the Johto region.

◄►

May was startled awake by the rumbling of her stomach. She had apparently dozed off; it was now late into the evening, and the sun was casting a warm glow through the glass wall into her room. She stretched her arms high over her head and yawned, waking her Pokémon as well.

“You wanna get something to eat?” May asked, rubbing Glaceon’s head. She purred in delight, leaping from the bed and disappearing into the hallway.

“I guess that’s a yes!” May laughed, following Glaceon down the stairs. She bypassed the kitchen, walking straight to the front door and slipping on her shoes.

“I know Steven said the pantry was full, but you’re supposed to go out your first night in a new place and experience the town, right?” she asked, happy to use any excuse to go out.

Glaceon purred happily again, winding her way around her Trainer’s legs. May stumbled past her, the door startling Glaceon as it whisked open by itself. May heard the familiar clicking of the numerous locks behind her, securing her new home until she returned. She smiled as she looked back at the house, the evening sun casting a glowing halo around its sharp corners. Steven sure knew how to live…

By the time May and Glaceon made it to civilization the sun was nearly set, but the town was far from dark. They walked excitedly through the busy town, the bright neon lights and loud music proving a sharp contrast to their quiet, hilltop villa. Flocks of people were coming and going everywhere, and May had to really push to make her way through the crowds.

“People obviously come here for the night life,” she grinned, eagerly reading the names of the storefronts when she felt the familiar thumping bass of a club in her chest.

“Oh let’s go here!” she said, making a sudden turn towards a building with dark blacked-out windows and bright neon decorating its front. Glaceon followed close on her heels, chasing her Trainer into the dimly lit building. Her hunger eating at her, May quickly found a table and ordered, sipping her water as Glaceon sat in the chair across from her.

“Isn’t this great?” she asked, feeling more at home in the familiar setting. She looked around at all the people in the club, especially the groups gathered on the dance floor, “It’s just like our favorite one back in Lillycove!”

Glaceon looked up from her bowl of water set on the table and meowed happily, returning to her drink. When their food finally arrived May immediately began stuffing her face, her Pokémon surprisingly doing the same. But as Glaceon ate her meal, another Pokémon glided onto the table and landed next to her. May stopped gorging herself for a moment to check out the small creature; she’d never seen a Pokémon quite like this one! The small black rodent looked up at her with its cute white face, its large ears flopping as it tilted its head happily. It turned to Glaceon, showing May its fluffy tail, and reached for a bit of her food. Glaceon immediately pawed at the creature, pushing it away from her dish and protecting her meal. But the other Pokémon was persistent, trying over and over to reach for her food as Glaceon continued blocking its advance.

May smiled at the cuteness of their antics, stifling a laugh as she saw yet another one of those strange creatures poke its head up above the table on the opposite side of Glaceon. Unnoticed, it reached for some of the food, slowly pulling it away from Glaceon.

Her Pokémon noticed just as the other Pokémon was about to get away with it; Glaceon hissed, and swatted at it with her claws, the rodent taking to the air and gliding on cape-like membranes stretched on either side of its body.

Glaceon jumped after it, pouncing as it came to rest on a neighboring table, knocking food and drink everywhere.

“No Glaceon!” May shouted over the music, jumping up after her. “Oh! I’m so sorry, miss!” she apologized, grabbing a napkin and mopping up the spilled drinks. “I don’t know what got into her…”

“No, it’s alright,” the woman said, standing up and dabbing her napkin to her jacket. “I think I know exactly what got into her… These two get into all sorts of trouble,” she glared.

“Emong…” the Pokémon said, hanging its head. Its partner in crime glided down onto the table as well, blushing in embarrassment.

“And what do you two have to say for yourselves?” the woman demanded, still staring them down.

The two creatures looked around at the table, finding a few clean scraps of food and offering them to Glaceon. She turned her nose up at them at first but eventually accepted the treats, nibbling at their gifts.

“See, now isn’t that better?” the woman said, smiling kindly. “I’m sorry they caused you trouble,” she said, turning back to May and shrugging, “It just seems to follow them wherever we go!”

“I’m still sorry for the mess,” May replied, trying to straighten the cluttered table. “Glaceon’s usually so well behaved…”

The woman put a hand to her hip, looking a lot like her two Pokémon in her open yellow jacket and black tights. Three strips of black fabric wrapped around the bare skin of her body like rungs on a ladder, and May looked even more confused as her eyes landed on the large headphones the woman wore, their cables unplugged and dangling down to her knees.

“Miss…” May began.

“Please,” the woman interrupted, “Call me Elesa, everyone else does,” she winked.

“Miss Elesa,” May said, “What are those Pokémon? I’ve never seen one of them before…”

“Who, these guys? They’re Emolgas; cute little things with huge appetites!”

“Emolgas…?” she asked, looking them over, “Where are they from? I’ve been nearly everywhere…”

“We’re all from the Unova region. It’s very far from Sinnoh, so I doubt a girl as young as you has travelled that far!”

“Unova… I’ve heard of it, but you’re right: I’ve never been. Well they sure are cute!”

Elesa laughed as she took a dry seat, “Oh please don’t flatter them; they’re already big-headed enough as it is!”

May giggled, taking a seat along with her, “So what are you doing all the way over here in Sinnoh? Just for fun?” she winked, nodding the crowds of people.

“I wish,” Elesa laughed again, “Unfortunately I was sent here on business. The Champion of Hoenn requested that I help look after a student of his who’s staying here for a while. Perhaps you know her: May Senri?”

May sighed heavily, “Yeah, she’s me.” Why did Steven think she needed a babysitter?! And who was this woman that he would request for her specifically?

“Oh! Well then hello there, May!” Elesa smiled, shaking May’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

“Likewise,” May smiled back to her. “So, can I ask why Steven asked you to ‘look after’ me?”

“Well, it’s not quite as dry as assignment as that,” she said, lowering her voice. “I’m here to help you work on your synchronization…”

May was taken aback; who was this Elesa person and how did she know about synchronization?

“And, um, how are you going to do that?” she asked suspiciously. “Who are you?”

Elesa grinned, standing and bowing to her. “I’m Elesa Kamitsure, Gym Leader of Nimbasa City in Unova and partner to Rotom. I’ve been sent here to assist May Senri of Mossdeep City, partner to Kyogre, in her training. I’m one of the fastest wielders when it comes to synchronizing; Steven felt there was a decent amount I could teach you while you stayed here.” Elesa sat down, relaxing back in her chair. “Does that answer your question?” she winked.

“You’re a wielder?” May asked her, her hushed voice barely audible over the music, “And a Gym Leader, too?”

“That I am,” she nodded, looking out at the crowd of people. “Hey; do you want to dance?”

“Oh, um… yes!” May stuttered, the off-topic question catching her off guard.

“Can I ask you something?” Elesa asked as they made their way towards the dance floor. “Now, I know I’ve only known him for a short time, but is your Champion always so… eccentric?”

May shook her head and laughed, “You don’t know the half of it.”

◄►

The morning sunlight kissed May’s cheek, urging her awake. She sat up and stretched, her heart skipping a beat when she realized she wasn’t alone in the large bed. She glanced to her left, relaxing as she recognized the familiar headphones atop the head of bright yellow hair next to her half covered by the blanket.

That’s right, she thought to herself, she’s staying here, too.

May tried to slip out of bed without disturbing her guest, halting as her leg got caught on something beneath the sheets. After untangling herself from Elesa’s headphone cables, she headed downstairs for breakfast, pouring herself a bowl of cereal.

Before long Elesa’s two Emolgas came gliding into the kitchen, followed by Elesa herself wearing one of May’s nightshirts she had borrowed the night before.

“What’s there to eat in this place?” she asked between yawns.

“I’ve got Poké Puffs!” May answered happily, shaking the contents of the box and winking.

“That’ll do,” she laughed back, seeking out her own bowl. Her Pokémon landed on the table, energetically chasing each other across the spacious surface.

“They’re obviously morning people,” May smiled, pointing at them with her spoon.

“Morning, noon, evening and night,” Elesa sighed, seating herself next to May, “They’re always like this. Such a handful…”

Her Emolgas stopped running and looked at her with their big eyes. One of them grabbed the cereal box and slid it across the table to Elesa, looking up at her Trainer and smiling.

“But they can also be very sweet,” she smiled back, scratching her Pokémon’s chin. “I guess when all’s said and done we’re just like a family, complete with our own little quirks. Now, this guy on the other hand,” she said, tapping her headphones, “He used to be as bad as could be, always pulling pranks! But he’s come quite a long way.”

May looked at her confused, not sure what she meant by that last statement. But suddenly the lights on the woman’s headphones began to blink and the cables slithered through the air of their own accord, crackling with electricity.

“Well, he’s usually well-behaved…” Elesa laughed, tapping her headphones again. “Come on out here, Rotom! You haven’t gotten to meet her yet!”

The cables dropped limply to her sides as a lightning bolt burst from the headphones, zigzagging all over the room before stopping next to her face.

Suddenly stationary, May could finally see the small orange creature shaped like a little ball with a spike on its head. It was coated with a layer of some clear liquid and its whole body crackled with static electricity.

“Is that your partner?” May asked, curious as to what this creature was.

“That’s right,” Elesa replied, “This is Rotom, a Pokémon I met in this region, actually!”

May’s confusion suddenly changed into laughter, and she quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

“And what’s so funny?” Elesa asked, visibly offended.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized, still laughing, “But he’s just so tiny! How do you fight with something like that?!”

“Well why don’t we just find out?” Elesa said pointedly, rising from the table. “Let’s have a little battle!”

“Okay!” May agreed, eager to prove herself to someone other than Steven for a change. “But I’m warning you, Kyogre and I are really strong. I’m not sure if you guys can handle us…”

Elesa grinned slyly, “We’ll see about that.”

The two of them went upstairs to change, meeting back downstairs ready to fight. May released Kyogre into Steven’s pool; she explained the situation to him and he transformed, May taking her staff with her to the lower level of the house.

“This is an impressive battlefield…” Elesa said excitedly, taking in the vast underground complex. “You ready to get beat?”

“Yeah right!” May challenged, the two of them taking their positions on the battlefield as if having a normal Pokémon battle. She angled her staff at her opponent, taking a fighting stance as the glow of her own transformation enveloped her, the blue dress flaring out gracefully as the energy dissipated in a burst.

“We’re ready when you are!” she called to her, her voice echoing against the walls.

“Very well,” Elesa nodded, grabbing Rotom out of the air and pressing him to her chest as he literally phased his body into hers. Elesa shouted loudly as her body began to glow, launching an enormous bolt of electricity towards May from her hands before her transformation was even complete.

Caught off guard, May did little to defend. Her staff even acted like a lightning rod, drawing the attack to the tip of the blade and directing it down the weapon and into her body. May fell to her knees, propping herself up on her staff.

“I thought you said you were ready,” Elesa taunted, smirking at her. She stood arrogantly with a hand on her hip, her jacket and tights exchanged for a tight, black bodysuit crisscrossed with yellow pin striping that gave her the appearance of a circuit board. Small tubes flowing with Rotom’s plasma sprouted from a metallic pack on her back, connecting loosely to receiving ports on Elesa’s arms and legs, with a thin layer of the fluid curving up over the back of her head to form a transparent visor over her eyes. “I told you I was the fastest at synchronizing. Rotom packs a wallop for such a small Pokémon, doesn’t he?” As she spoke, two small antennae rose up from her headphones, locking in place above her head as visible current began arcing between them.

May winced as the remaining electricity dissipated from her body, struggling to stand.

“Well that was unexpected, was it not?” Kyogre said. “Are you embarrassed for challenging her yet?”

“Shut up,” she said aloud, dismissing him. “We’ve got a few tricks, too.”

May ran along the edge of the battlefield, narrowly dodging burst after burst of electricity. When she was close enough to Elesa she struck out with her staff, the woman easily sidestepping her thrusts with movements that appeared too fast for the average person.

Trying her next option, the ribbons on May’s staff sprung to life and reached out towards Elesa, but one of her cables suddenly animated itself and coiled around them, rendering them useless. Similarly, the other cable wrapped itself around May’s staff and held it so tight she couldn’t break free no matter how hard she struggled.

With a sly grin on her face, Elesa pressed a palm to May’s chest and launched her backwards with another burst of electricity. The attack forced May’s muscles to release her grip on her staff, throwing her backwards across the ground without her weapon.

“Where’s all that skill you talked about earlier?” Elesa laughed, tossing the staff into the air, “I’m almost disappointed—” but before she could finish Kyogre transformed back to his immense normal form, nearly crushing Elesa as she frantically leapt out of the way.

“The heck?!” she shouted, tumbling into a kneeling position and looking back over her shoulder to see Kyogre throwing himself towards her a second time. Barely able to dodge his razor-sharp maw as it slammed shut inches from her body, Elesa could do little more than shield herself with her cables as he opened his mouth again, a massive stream of water rushing at her full force. The wall of water carried her off the ground and across the battlefield, crashing her high into the wall opposite May.

Kyogre roared loudly, his cry of triumph reverberating painfully through the room and bringing May back to her senses. She ran furiously to her partner, grabbing hold of him as he transformed back into her weapon and immediately went back on the defensive as Elesa fell to the ground.

Drenched, Elesa slowly rose to her feet; her plasma visor retracted and she rubbed her neck, looking up at the crack in the wall her impact caused.

“Well, I think that’s enough for now,” she said as Rotom phased out of her, the familiar glow surrounding her as she transformed back into her regular clothes. Still soaked, she pulled off her jacket to wring it out, “Your partner’s surprisingly impressive on land; I can only imagine how strong he is in his own element.”

May eyed her suspiciously, still pointing the blade of her staff at Elesa. “So we’re done?” she asked.

“Yeah, we’re done. But… I don’t recall seeing you two synchronize even once…”

“Well…” May started, embarrassed, “You see, we really don’t know how to do it…”

“Really?!” Elesa asked in shock, “You’ve never done it?”

“Well we did once!” she said quickly, remembering their near-death experience on the Tidal at the hands of Steven. “But it was kind of an accident; I don’t really know what we did.”

“Well no wonder you were so easy to beat! When you synchronize with your partner your own abilities skyrocket. The power you feel, it’s… electrifying! No pun intended,” she added with a smile.

“I’ve seen it in action,” May nodded, thinking of Steven and—more recently—her current roommate. “The powers you can use are so incredible…”

“They’re pretty awesome,” she nodded, suddenly straightening up, “Ah, but we only use them for their intended purpose, never selfishly!”

May’s curiosity was sparked upon hearing that. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure, what’s up?” she answered, putting her damp jacket back on and shivering.

“Well, it’s about what you just said. What exactly is the ‘intended purpose’? Steven won’t tell me and Kyogre keeps saying not to worry. What is it I’m being trained so hard for?”

“Oh…” Elesa sighed, “In that case I’m not sure Steven would want me telling you… But I can imagine you’re tired of people just dismissing it, huh?”

May nodded, “So, can you tell me?”

Elesa sighed, having difficulty in finding her words, “Well, how much do you know about the Great War?”

“Only what I learned in school,” she replied, “Um, there were a bunch of good kings and one bad one, and they killed him to liberate the rest of Shia.”

“I thought so; that sounds basically the same as what we teach kids in Unova. The Great War was a huge part of history so there’s no denying it happened; the only thing we can do is tweak the details a bit…”

“What do you mean? What details?”

Elesa moved towards the edge of the arena, leaning back against one of Steven’s large machines. “You know the saying ‘those who don’t know their history are doomed to repeat it’? Well in this scenario, those who know their history are doomed to repeat it. Wielders played a big part in the war, and if people knew that…” She shook her head, “Over the years the wielders have slowly erased their existence from history. In the beginning we were needed to lead the people of Shia, but eventually we got too big and that’s what caused the Great War.”

May looked at her in disbelief. “But… wielders are a force for good!”

“Not all of us,” Elesa huffed. “In fact, you could say that wielders started the war. Or at least one of us did.”

“But Sinnoh’s king started the war…”

“Exactly,” Elesa nodded, “How do you think Septimus got to be king? How did any of them? They were wielders.”

“You mean all eight kings…?”

“That’s right. There’d been a world-wide famine for over a year, and Shia was literally falling apart. Neighboring villages were pillaging one another and using their Pokémon to do it, and it wasn’t long before the strongest villages began fighting each other for dominance. The wielders chose eight of their best to go in and break up the fighting and delegate peace, which they did with amazing results. They used their abilities to bring rains and repair the lands of Shia, and it worked so well that the people insisted they stay to lead them. With the rest of the wielders’ approval they ended up becoming kings of the newly formed kingdoms, and we had true peace in the world.”

“So what happened?”

“What else? Being made king went to Septimus’ head and he wanted more. He wanted not only Sinnoh Country, but all of Shia to be his domain, and that included the other wielders.”

“So they killed him?” May asked, remembering what she’d been taught, “But how could wielders kill one of their own?”

Elesa sighed and looked up at the ceiling, “That’s another detail we’ve tweaked; the other kings didn’t kill Septimus. His daughter did.”

May was totally lost, “Wha…?”

“Princess Shirona was a wielder too, and she was completely aware of her father’s intentions to rule over all of Shia. She pleaded with the other wielders not to kill her father and to leave it up to her to stop him. After long arguments they agreed, and Shirona immediately went to her father to convince him to abandon his goals As you can probably guess Septimus wouldn’t listen, so the princess was left with only one other option: she went to the Hall of Origin and made a contract with Arceus to stop her father’s tyrannical raid on the rest of the world.”

May couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “She… she actually saw Him? Arceus?”

Elesa nodded. “Shirona and her father were both partners to members of the Creation Trio: Dialga and Giratina. Wielding one of the Original One’s sons gives you certain… perks.”

“That’s incredible… So then what?”

“Well the Original One agreed to grant her request, but only if she would vow to spend the rest of her life repairing the damage her father had caused. She agreed, and after she made her vow Arceus ended her father’s reign permanently. By taking his life.”

Out of shock May unconsciously lowered her voice, “That… That’s horrible…”

“It definitely wasn’t what the princess had intended, especially after she worked so hard to keep the wielders from doing it themselves. She later returned to Arceus, hoping to trade her life for the return of her father, but He denied her request. The contract she’d made with him required her to look after Shia, and she couldn’t do that if she were dead.”

“So what’d she do?”

“The only thing she could do: honor her contract. Shirona went back to Sinnoh Country and took the throne, spending the rest of her time on Shia reconciling her father’s misdeeds. That’s usually where the altered history picks back up; you learned about all she did, right?”

“Yeah, she was one of the greatest leaders in Shia’s history. It was almost miraculous how much she was able to reverse from her father’s time in power.”

“Some would say that because she was a wielder, it actually was miraculous; it let her do a lot of things others couldn’t to fix the problems she was faced with. But maybe that’s why Arceus made the contract with her instead of removing wielders from power. He knew that Shia needed someone like her, someone with abilities beyond those of a normal person.”

May thought on that for a moment, arriving at yet another inquiry. “Elesa…? It’s great to get the truth about the war and all, but what about now?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well… each region has a government to deal with problems, and the Pokémon Association keeps Trainers pretty much under control nowadays. So what are wielders for now? Why are we still around? If Arceus wanted, He could’ve just kept us in positions of leadership, right?”

Elesa cleared her throat and took a deep breath, quoting from memory:

“During times of peaceful morn,

An adversary shall rise; his thoughts forlorn.

Though wielders will stand to fight,

They shall not be successful in their plight.

Seeking to protect what is right and just,

Into the hands of the chosen shall they place their trust.

O chosen ones, powerful though he may be,

His strengths shall not prevail o’er thee.

Thus he will take one from among you,

With power to fight, now renewed.”

May listened closely as Elesa’s voice danced across the syllables of the poem. “That was beautiful,” she said. “But what’s it mean?”

“That was a prophecy made after the Great War by a seer in Fiore Country,” she explained, “The interpretation is that something bad is coming, we just don’t know when or where. It was assumed that these ‘chosen ones’ are a set of wielders, so every generation has done their part to seek out the next generation as they’re born and train them up properly so as to keep them from falling into the wrong hands.”

“So…” May paused, thinking it through, “I’m being trained to fight against this ‘adversary’?”

“Yeah, but also not to become the adversary either, just like I was when I found out I was a wielder. But don’t worry,” she assured, “This might not even come true during your lifetime! Many wielders have come and gone without it happening, so what’s to say it won’t for you too?”

“Wow…” May sighed, sitting down on the floor. “I can’t believe Steven never said anything about it. And you!” she added, squeezing her staff, “Why didn’t you tell me?!”

“There was no need to worry you about something you may have never even encountered…” Kyogre replied.

“I think this is one of those things you should tell a girl about! ‘Oh May, it turns out I am to be your partner,’” she said, mocking Kyogre’s voice, “‘Oh, and by the way, you’d better train hard because you’re going to be involved in a WAR!’”

Elesa chuckled at May’s cynicism, “Yeah, that’s basically how it’d be! I can’t imagine anyone would want to be a wielder though when it’s presented like that.”

“Yeah,” May scoffed, “No kidding…”

“You know,” Elesa started, “If you’d been born in Unova you wouldn’t have had so many questions, and you definitely wouldn’t just be sitting around waiting for something that may or may not happen to you. Our wielders have a much stronger presence than in regions like this one.”

“Really…?” May asked, intrigued, “How so?”

“Well, let’s see…” she thought, coming up with a few examples. “Occasionally we’re called in on police matters, although we’re hired under the assumption that we’re this elite security force and not actually wielders… More importantly though we work behind the scenes to keep Unova safe from certain… threats. Just like the first wielders did.”

“Wait, what threats?” May asked, “I thought that between the governments and the Pokémon Association…”

“Unova’s a little different from the other regions,” Elesa interrupted, “But you wouldn’t know it just by visiting, and we work hard to keep it that way.”

“I’m sorry; I guess I don’t understand…”

“And that’s just fine,” Elesa smiled, but in a way that told May she should probably curb her interest.

“So getting back to the whole prophecy thing; what if all that does happen and I’m not one of these ‘chosen ones’?” she asked, “What happens then? It sounds like the other wielders get pretty thrashed…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Elesa said softly, May cringing at the phrase Steven had fed her for years. “It’ll be okay, just keep on doing what you’re doing and I’m sure it’ll all work out. That’s what I’ve been doing for years and look at me!” she smiled, “I’m a super-successful Gym Leader!”

May sighed loudly, “I guess…” After a moment of silence she slapped her thighs, dismissing her troubling thoughts. “So!” she said as she got up off the floor, “Are you gonna teach me or what?”

Elesa smiled at her willingness to continue “Of course.”