63 Hard Lesson [2/2]

Growling, the steelix plummeted at full speed, making the sky silent again a few seconds later. Waiting a few more seconds to savor the fate of her victim, Scarlet then teleported back inside the mountain.

"Scarlet? Where are you?" Max called out, hitting the kinetic dome with one of his palms.

As he was expecting a response soon, he felt the ground shaking with a booming noise; it was not very loud from where he was, but it felt like a small meteor had landed nearby.

"Scarlet?!" Max called out again, getting worried sick.

Shortly after, Scarlet appeared in front of him, outside the dome and still injured with weird light burns.

"Scarlet? What happened?"

Not responding, she touched the dome and made it disappear.

"...Scarlet?" Max said worryingly.

Still not answering, she grabbed his shoulder and teleported them outside the cave, close to the entrance. Max quickly looked around to figure out where he was. When he did, he looked at Scarlet again; more precisely, her wounds.

"Scarlet, you should-"

Unable to finish his sentence, Max was interrupted by his shirt landing aggressively on his stomach followed by a very hurtful and resounding slap across the face, courtesy of the gardevoir.

"...God...damnit!" Max cursed with difficulty, trying to breath while holding the painful left side of his head. "Hmmm," he growled in pain. "...Okay, I might have totally deserved that. I'm sorry, okay? But you should really heal those burns."

Scarlet then grabbed Max with her power and pulled him an inch away from her face, staring at his eyes with unadulterated fury.

{Do you see us as tools? Do you see us as some kind of weapon to do all of your bidding? Do you see us as fucking expendable toys that you can do whatever the fucking hell you want with?!}

"No, I-"

{SHUT UP! Seriously, shut the fuck up! Or else I'll make you swallow all of your teeth!} Scarlet ordered, making Max gulp in shame and fear. {What you are gonna do now is get back to the camp, enter your stupid sleeping bag and not say a single word, got it? Then, you're gonna wonder if you really deserve to have pokemon at your side because you can bet your life that I won't let any of us stay with a careless and selfish trainer! I hope I made myself clear.}

Not able to utter a word, Max only nodded.

{Great. Now get out of my face.} She commanded before releasing and pushing him away.

A bit weakly, Scarlet turned around and walked on the ground, holding her head and barely keeping her balance. Max wanted to help her, but knew too well that it would only worsen the situation. When he saw her take a break by resting a hand on one tree and stretching the other one directly at him, Max understood that he needed to go away immediately, feeling an ever-growing anger coming from her.

Max could barely walk straight, going at an unvarying pace due to an overwhelming amount of guilt, shame and anger at himself. He didn't recall ever seeing her that angry before, but couldn't blame her since she had a good reason to be. Max is all she has and seeing him acting so careless and risking losing him was a good reason for her to explode. He felt tremendously stupid for acting like that. He could barely think of what kind of pain he would cause her if he ever dies because of his negligence.

After taking twice the time it should have taken, Max arrived at the campsite. The fire was still on, with Bonny, Aurora and Jade around it.

{Master, you're back. I was wondering, do you th-}

Not even bothering to look at them, Max completely ignored her and went inside the tent.

{...Nevermind?} Bonny said, looking at Aurora interrogatively.

{It's not my fault this time.} The lucario replied.

Bonny then looked at the tent for a short moment before standing up.

{Whoa, what do you think you're doing?} Aurora inquired, stopping her.

{Going to see what's wrong, what else?}

{I don't think it's a good idea.}

{Why not? What are lovers supposed to be there for, if not to be supportive?}

{Supportive is one thing, but invasive is another. Didn't you see how he looked? I don't think he wants any support right now.}

{And how do you know that?} Bonny asked, paws on hips and a bit upset.

{Because-}

{She's right.} Jade intervened.

{What? How so?} Bonny demanded, glaring at Jade.

Jade was barely paying attention to Bonny and was looking at the tent, looking more apprehensive than usual.

{Right now… his mind is a violent storm of emotions. I can't identify them all, but I can assure you that he won't be receptive at all. If you go now, you're probably gonna start something horrible.}

{So what then? We let him suffer and act as if we don't care?}

{Exactly.} Aurora confirmed.

{Seriously?!} Bonny replied, getting angry.

{Look, I know you mean well, but sometimes being overprotective and overly-caring is not always the right thing to do. You'll have to accept that sometimes, it's best not to do anything and take your troubles patiently. Nothing good will come if you rush this.}

For a moment, Bonny contained her anger by biting her lips and looking around. Eventually, she sat back down with a growling sigh.

{You did the right thing. Let him be for now. Maybe tomorrow he will feel better and then, you can ask him what happened.}

{Since when have you become a voice of reason?} Bonny asked with crossed arms, still a bit angry.

Before answering, Aurora stared at the fire.

{I don't know. Maybe I always had it but… perhaps the chains of my past were crushing me, and preventing me from being whole. Sometimes, leaving someone alone is the best way to help him or her. Sometimes.}

Bonny quickly understood that the 'sometimes' was referring to her; her getting caught in a loop that she shouldn't have stayed alone.

{...I suppose. But it pains me so much to see him like that and not doing anything.} Bonny shared, now feeling very worried.

{I don't like it either, trust me.} Aurora calmly affirmed.

{Tsk. I wonder what happened.}

{Maybe we'll know tomorrow.}

{...I sure hope.}

Maybe an hour later, Jade had fallen asleep close to the fire and Bonny decided it was time to hit the hay as well.

{Gonna get some rest.} She announced, standing up.

{Go ahead. I'm just gonna stay here and watch over her.} Aurora replied, pointing at Jade.

{Suit yourself. You think I can go sleep inside?}

At that question, Aurora looked at Bonny funnily.

{I'm just asking.} Bonny justified.

*sigh* {Sure, why not?}

With her own sigh, Bonny entered the tent. A few inflatable mattresses were already placed with Max lying on one in the extreme left of the tent while Dusk slept a few mattresses away from him. Bonny believed that Max wasn't really asleep since she wasn't hearing him do his slumber breathing. She rested on the one that was next to Dusk on her side and began to stare at Max. Even though he probably wasn't sleeping, he was completely immobile. Bonny's first reflex was to want to go snuggle with him, but took Aurora's words seriously and contained herself. She kept looking worryingly at him for quite a while before her eyes began to close on their own.

The next time she opened them, it was already morning and she was still facing Max. But this time he was on his back and was lightly snoring. Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes and took a few seconds to wake up her brain to its fullest. While standing, she noticed Dusk was still sleeping, but oddly, it was just her. She left the tent and saw Aurora still sleeping next to the now-extinguished campfire.

{Where's the rest of the team?} She asked herself.

Bonny then felt her stomach grumble. Feeling hungry, she planned on getting something to eat in the woods before breakfast. Suddenly and right after walking beside the tent, Jade appeared.

{Ghaa!} Bonny exclaimed, making both of them jump. {Shit, Jade. You scared me. Please stop appearing suddenly like that.} She requested, slightly upset.

{S-Sorry. I was j-just getting something to eat, and I thought that maybe you would like some.} Jade explained, showing a modest pile of berries on her two hands.

At the same moment, Aurora opened her eyes with a yawn.

{Oh. Thank you. But you do know that you can use your powers to transport them, right? You could have gathered more that way.}

{Y-yeah. I just didn't think about it.}

{Anyway, have you seen May or Scarlet?} Bonny inquired, taking a small handful of berries.

{Talk about a noisy morning.} Aurora commented, doing some stretching.

{No. Not since yesterday.} Jade answered.

{Strange.} Bonny remarked before munching on the berries. {What about you?} She asked Aurora.

{What about me?} The lucario repeated interrogatively.

{Have you seen either May or Scarlet?}

{Not really. Scarlet always disappears when she feels like it and May left the campsite yesterday night.}

{Wait, May left?}

{Yup. She tried to do it when everyone wasn't looking but I spotted her.}

{And you didn't stop her?}

{Do I look like a nanny to you? If she wants to do some private business, then so be it.}

{I guess. Maybe I'm getting worried for nothing.}

{I'm sure they are okay.} Jade reassured.

{It's undeniable with Scarlet, that's for sure. But I wonder about May, though. She might be a big girl, but it's quite unlike her to do something like that.} Bonny noted.

{Maybe we should wait for Max to wake up and ask him?} Aurora suggested.

{Oh yeah. Master too left for a walk yesterday night. It was strangely a long one but maybe he saw her. I just hope he feels better today.}

{If he's still unwilling to talk, I don't think he will wake up anytime soon.} Aurora pointed out.

{Tsk. Well, no need to stay here doing absolutely nothing, so might as well do something productive. I'll go check if I can find May until our master wakes up.} Bonny told them.

{Before that, do you want to do some morning sparring? It's gonna wake us up.} Aurora proposed while standing up.

{It's a bit early to train, don't you think?} Bonny stated.

{Meh, I'm used to training earlier than that.}

Bonny considered her offer for a moment.

{Relax, I agree with Jade and I'm sure they are just fine. Besides, if anything did happen to May, both Scarlet and Luna are around.}

{...You're right. I think the whole ordeal about master not feeling okay and me not intervening put me a bit on edge.} Bonny conceded.

{That's what battles are about; expelling the bad vibes by punching the other.} Aurora sagely informed.

{You know, I almost miss the old Aurora.}

{Do you want her back?} The lucario asked, raising an eyebrow.

{No, thanks. She's good where she is.} The lopunny honestly shared.

As they both grinned, they went a few meters away from the camp and began some warm-up punches and kicks. After a little while, they began to get a bit more serious and threw some weak attacks so as not to injure each other. As Jade was observing them, Max and Dusk exited the tent, with the braixen still looking drowsy.

"Good morning," Max wished a bit coldly while heading behind some trees for his morning business.

{He doesn't seem a lot better than yesterday.} Bonny commented, stopping.

{Not much. Whatever it might be, it's still not resolved.} Aurora stated.

{Did something happen to him while I was sleeping?} Dusk asked, concerned and confused with her trainer's attitude.

{That's what we also want to know.} Aurora answered the braixen.

{...Screw it. I'd say that enough is enough.} The lopunny asserted.

She then headed towards Max as he was coming back.

{Are you okay, master? You know you can tell me, and us, everything.}

Max took a moment to process what he was just asked.

"...Nothing serious. I just got tired very quickly yesterday."

{Really? First, you leave us for almost the entire night, then May did the same. What's going on?} Bonny demanded paws on her hips.

"...Oh right, May," Max remembered, now releasing his mawile.

Upon appearing, May was asleep in a sitting position and began to weakly open her eyes. By the look on her face, it was like she didn't sleep the entire night at all.

*gasp* {Master!} May exclaimed while jumping into Max's arms with a scared tone.

Her enthusiasm and movements were a bit sluggish, which got Bonny a bit worried.

{I'm so glad you're alright.} May expressed with a strong hug, tears shedding from her eyes. {I waited for a long time, but you never called me out, so I thought… I thought...}

"I'm really sorry, May. I… got a bit carried away by the events," Max apologized.

{How's Scarlet? Did she…?}

"She's fine. She won, but I don't know where she is at the moment," Max answered while noticing Bonny, Dusk and Aurora looking at him, alongside Jade a bit further.

{Are we gonna have some explanations or you believe that we don't take part in that story?} Bonny questioned impatiently.

Max let out a heavy sigh.

"I suppose," he only replied before taking a seat beside the campfire.

Shortly after the others followed his action, Max started to share the misadventure he and May had last night. While doing so, May calmed down and fell asleep in Max's arms.

{Oh my! I'm so glad you're okay, master!} Dusk exclaimed, almost in horror.

{Why didn't you get us to help?} Bonny questioned, upset about Max's behavior.

"It was supposed to be a simple and plain cave, so we thought that it was rather safe. The plan was to discover whatever was making May uncomfortable and leave immediately if we sensed that it was getting dangerous."

{Talk about a strong danger sense.} Aurora commented sarcastically.

"Immobile rocks weren't supposed to be a giant snake made out of steel."

{It's a cave, what were you expecting?} Bonny demanded, still in disbelief.

"...Nothing like that, I guess."

*sigh* {Freakin' hell. When I think it could have been the last time I saw you yesterday.} Bonny added, rubbing her forehead. {I wonder if you really are aware of how lucky you are, and to have Scarlet with us.}

"What I'm aware of is that I won't get inside a cave anytime soon."

{You say that now but then what?} Aurora started. {Are you gonna get yourself into another similar situation?! Or worse even? Shit, you should really use your head sometimes, damnit!} She expressed with anger.

"I know, but-"

{There are no fucking buts! You have responsibilities towards us and yourself, and doing something that careless and stupid is not how a fucking trainer should act, for fuck's sake!} Aurora furiously spat before kicking the rest of what was left in the campfire. {Fuck!} She growled before walking away angrily.

{I'm not as impulsive as her, but she has a point.} Bonny started. {What you did yesterday was probably the dumbest thing you've ever done. Why do you care so little about us?!}

"What? I care a lot about all of you!" Max defended fervently.

{Then why didn't you think about what could happen to us and how much pain you would have put us in if you died?! Humans are not accompanied by pokemon for nothing! The wilderness is hostile and extremely dangerous for a simple human like you. It's very odd that you didn't get that info through your thick head, yet.}

"I…"

Max was about to reply, but seeing how angry she was glaring at him dissuaded him from doing so.

"...You're right. You have the right to be angry. You should just slap me like Scarlet did. I deserve it."

{What would that change? Hurting you won't make me feel any better. Quite the opposite. However, I believe that one slap was not enough. I hope she hit you strong enough to straighten that mind of yours.}

"Believe me, she didn't miss me," Max commented, rubbing where Scarlet slapped him, still having a red mark.

{Good. I just hope this will be the last time she will have to do that and us having this conversation.}

"..."

{I love you, master, we all do. The anger aimed at you right now is not about hate, but rather about what would have happened if you were to vanish from our lives like you were nothing.} Bonny assured, now pointing at Aurora who was further ahead, kicking whatever she could see. {Can you imagine how hurt you would have made her if you had ended up dying? How it would have hurt me, Dusk, and the rest of us?} She asked, turning her back to Max.

"I think I can but I don't want to imagine that."

{Of course, you don't. I'm not bashing you, master. I just want you to understand.}

"I do, don't worry. If I'm honest with myself and you all, I believe I may have started to take you all for granted lately. I have been feeling a bit overconfident and started to have a... a 'god syndrome', if you will since I kept telling myself that you all could just save me if things go wrong. Life reminded me how weak and fragile I am and how things can go from shit to hell in a matter of seconds."

{You're not as weak and fragile as you think, but you have to be aware of your limits. We'll always be here to protect you, master, but going into trouble and danger carelessly is a huge display of selfishness. What if we are not nearby and we don't arrive in time to save you next time? What if you happened to involve us in a great danger that even we can't face? I believe that yesterday's episode gave you a glimpse of what can happen.}

"...Yeah."

After that speech, Bonny let out a sigh.

{Glad we could settle this. If you understand, there is no need to scold you even further.} She concluded, standing up. {As soon as everyone is ready, we're good to go.}

"...Sure."

{In the meantime, I'll go try the impossible.} Bonny added before heading towards a rather angry lucario.

"As for me, I have someone I need to go apologize to," Max said while standing up.

Once again, Max left the camp after putting May on a mattress in the tent and went on a search for Scarlet. Normally, Max was able to more or less know where she was and could feel where to go. This time, however, he was feeling nothing, as if she was purposely hiding from him.

"Scarlet!" he called out after a while. "Where are you?!"

While walking, Max waited for an answer, which never came.

"Come on, Scarlet, it's not funny."

Again, no answer.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done what I did and I'm very grateful that you saved me… again. I did something very irresponsible and I deserved every bit of that slap and your anger. What I do not deserve, however… is you."

For a moment, Max waited for an answer, which yet again never came. Then, he suddenly felt something on his back and he disappeared before reappearing elsewhere. Probably on purpose, he was teleported to another location and a bit high from the ground so he could land a bit hard on it.

"Oww," Max moaned before slowly standing up.

When getting up, he saw Scarlet facing the horizon over a cliff, providing a nice view of a tiny portion of the region. She had her back facing him with crossed arms, a small breeze slightly moving her hair around.

"I knew you were somehow listening," he engaged while dusting his clothes.

{...Yet, it seems that I'm the only one who listens here.}

Sighing, Max walked next to her, also now admiring the gorgeous view.

"You always have been the smart one, so no surprise there."

{Someone has to be since intelligence seems scarce around here.}

"I believe you don't plan on slowing down with the insults?"

{We'll see.}

Sighing again, Max sat down.

"I really messed up this time, didn't I?"

{Do I really have to answer?}

"I guess not," Max replied, looking at the horizon for another moment. "The more I think about what you told me, the more I tell myself that I really don't deserve you, or any of the girls whatsoever. You're so kind and lovely to me and how do I repay you? Worrying you all uselessly. Maybe being a trainer wasn't-"

{I'm gonna stop you there. I didn't accept to see you again for you to complain or to tell me how bad of a trainer you seem to believe you are.}

"...Why then? You already heard my apologies, so there is not much more to say."

{You think? Then how about you start by telling me what the fuck were you thinking?}

"No need to lecture me, Bonny already did it."

{Don't patronize me. If I have to lecture you, no matter if someone else already did it, you can bet that I will.}

"..."

{It's the second time you got close to death, and for what reason exactly this time?}

"I-"

{Shut up and let me finish. Do you have any idea how you made me feel? Seriously, if you keep doing that, you're gonna be the death of me.} Scarlet said before doing a short pause. *sigh* {But why do I keep telling you that? It's not like you're listening or anything.}

"I do listen."

{Then why are you desperate to make me suffer?}

"I-"

{You're all that I have. I know I'm just repeating myself, but it looks like it didn't get inside your small brain.}

"Okay, that's enough," Max retorted impatiently, standing up. "I already said I'm sorry. You can belittle me as much as you want, it won't change what happened."

{I don't really like that tone you're using with me.} Scarlet exclaimed, facing him.

"I know you don't and I am sorry. No, you know what? I'm not. What's even the point of insulting me? What do you want to prove?"

{What do I want to prove? I want to prove nothing. What I want is that you put some lead in that empty head of yours and stop acting like a spoiled brat!} Scarlet spoke, almost yelling at him. {When will you understand you're not alone in this world and have people that care for you now?! I'm not asking you to be smart or strong or anything in that realm... I just want someone who cares a bit more about his surroundings and the consequences of his actions and stops whining about every little thing. Grow up, goddamnit!} She finished before pushing him a little.

"Is it over? Are you done expelling what has been bugging you since the very beginning?"

{That's exactly what I'm talking about. You lack way too much maturity.}

"So what? You're gonna abandon me too?"

{Don't compare me to those filthy humans.} She growled.

"You're talking about me not caring about his surroundings, but besides me, who do you care for? You're not really the one to talk."

{...That is low. Pathetic.} She replied, oddly a lot calmer, facing the horizon again. {You made your apologies. You can leave now.}

With Max looking at her back again, he took a few seconds before trying to calm himself down. She had a point: he indeed acted immaturely a lot of times. It was the harsh truth, and upon realizing it, he wanted to prove her wrong.

"...Look, I regret what I did. I sincerely do..." he started as he gently put his hands on her shoulders. "I love you and you love me. I made a mistake and I won't do it ever again."

Max then heard Scarlet sighing loudly before turning around to face him.

{That's all. I wanted. To hear.} She said with an oddly soothing tone as if all of her anger vanished in one go.

"I can barely imagine the pain that it would cause me if any of you were to disappear or die. I guess that if our roles were exchanged, I would have probably acted the same."

{There we go. Now you're starting to get it. Maybe I said it in very harsh words, but what I just wanted to say is that I don't want to lose you, so stop putting yourself in danger.}

"Why didn't you start there, then?" Max asked, chuckling.

{Because I already told you a million times: you have a way with words and I like hearing them. When it's not about being mean, that is.} She reminded him with a small smile.

"Hehe, I'm glad we settled it," Max shared, hugging her.

{I'm glad that you're still alive and with me.} The red gardevoir shared as well, returning the hug while grabbing firmly the back of his shirt.

They kept hugging in silence for a short moment before Max broke it. He noticed that a small tear had been shed from one of her eyes.

"Now I guess you want to know why I did it?"

{No need to, I already know why. Speaking of, I'm going to have a small talk with that mawile, too.}

"Please, don't blame her. She-"

{She's the one that insisted on going on her own. What if you weren't there? That could have been her end.}

"I think she already knows that. No need to add another layer."

{I hope she does. However, she won't escape from a little lecture, too.}

"Please be kind with her, at least. She's young and naive."

{I'll try. Anyway, I see you didn't find what she was looking for.}

"Unfortunately no. Yet, I'm still thinking about it. What could that have been? I guess we'll never know."

{You know, mawiles aren't psychic types, so I find it rather odd how she 'sensed' something.}

"Don't tell me it stung your curiosity."

{You know how I am, I hate not understanding something.}

"Hehe, alright, but what do you want to do about it?"

For a moment, Scarlet moved away from Max and became thoughtful.

*sigh* {I can't believe I'm gonna say this, but if she still senses something, we have to find it. For science.}

"For science? Since when have you adhered to some human philosophy?"

{I haven't but I used an expression that you would understand the best.}

"Forget that. Are you seriously telling me that you want me to get in there again? After what you just said?"

{Of course not. I don't want to see you near a cave anytime soon without qualified supervision. However, I'm trying to be objective here. We, and by 'we', I mean I took care of may be the only threat in that cave. And I'm gonna accompany you to keep an eye on you. I know it intrigues you as much as me.}

"Yeah, but…"

{But what?}

"But… never mind. You're just hard to follow sometimes."

{You don't have to if you can't keep up, anyway.}

"So you're serious?"

{Of course, I am.}

"...Fine," Max conceded, pinching the bridge of his nose. "But it means we're gonna need May again. She's the one who's gonna guide us."

{Indeed.}

Suddenly, Scarlet teleported away. Before he could realize what just happened, she was back with May in her arms, still sleeping.

"Come on, you're not gonna wake her up, are you? She didn't sleep well because of me. Besides, she's so cute when she's like this."

{We don't really have much of a choice.}

*sigh* "Alright, but I'll wake her up."

{If you insist.}

Gently, Max rubbed May's head.

"May, can you wake up, please?" he softly asked.

Slowly, she opened her eyes and locked them on Max, half-open.

{Master?} She said, still drowsy.

"Yes, May. Listen, do you mind helping us?"

The mawile then yawned and stretched before the gardevoir dropped her gently.

{I'm still a bit tired but I think I can. What do you need help with?} She questioned, rubbing her eyes.

"Scarlet suggested that we check once more inside the cave for whatever you were looking for."

May took a few seconds to realize what he just said. She raised her head and looked at Scarlet interrogatively.

{Really? Aren't you afraid that we might encounter another big bad meanie?}

{That's why I'll come with you this time. Speaking of which, you and I are going to have a small discussion about how to properly act as a human's pokemon and how to not put him in danger.} She told the mawile with an authoritarian face.

*gulp* {Are we in trouble?} May asked Max, looking at him with hopes to be saved.

"I'm afraid so," Max admitted, a bit despite himself. "I've already been scolded, but I couldn't save you from your lecture."

May then looked at Scarlet, almost in shame.

{But not now...} Scarlet said. {...there is something in there that seems to attract you, so I'm curious about what it could be. Do you still feel it?}

May took a moment to put the idea of Scarlet scolding her aside and began focusing.

{I…} May started, glaring at the mountains. {I think I do. Yes, whatever it might have been, it still is inside there.}

{Great. Alright, get a hold of your cells.} Scarlet said before teleporting them to the entrance of the cave. {After you.}

More or less focusing, May entered the cave and let her instinct guide her with Max and Scarlet right behind her.

"Are you feeling any presence?" Max inquired to Scarlet, reliving the pursuit in his head.

{Not for now. I can't guarantee that there are no pokemon around since these walls are very thick.}

"Okay."

For a good while, the three of them proceeded through the tunnels with May more or less knowing where she was going.

"Are we still on the right track?" Max asked May after a little while.

{Yes. We're getting closer to it.}

"Alright then."

After a couple of minutes, they arrived at the same dead-end.

{End of the road.} Scarlet commented. {And there's nothing of relevance here. You sure this is the right spot, May?}

Stopping, May looked all around the place, starting to doubt herself.

"Hmm… When you think about it, May's a steel-type, so probably there are some magnetic rocks in the walls. Maybe that is why she was feeling something."

{But… it's stronger here!} May protested.

"We're probably surrounded by those kinds of rocks, May."

Not giving up, May walked around almost desperately.

{I'm sorry, May, but maybe you just made a mistake. We should go back.} Scarlet said, trying to soothe the mawile.

"Don't worry, May, we're not mad. In fact, it was quite fun to go on a little expedition with just the three of us."

{Yes. It was a nice change of pace.}

"...Come on, sweety, let's go."

{...I'm coming.} May replied, sounding very sad and disappointed.

Suddenly after a few steps, the sensation got a lot more intense for the mawile and turned around immediately.

{Wait!...} She told them before going back to the dead-end wall.

Max and Scarlet looked at each other before the gardevoir slowly sighed.

"We already told you, May, it's probably just some magnetic rocks," Max said while joining her.

{No. It's something… different. That is no magnetic rock. I would know. And whatever it is, it's behind this wall.} May assured, rubbing the wall carefully.

{May, it's nice seeing you that enthusiastic and motivated, but sometimes-}

[Wait.] Max said in Scarlet's mind. [Look how determined she is. It pains me to say this, but if we need to break that wall to prove her she was wrong, then so be it.]

[...*sigh* Alright. However, if there is nothing, we get out. No bargain.]

[Sure.]

{You're positive, May?} Scarlet asked, now moving towards her.

{Yes. If we could know where exactly it is…}

{I suggest you step aside, then.}

{Huh?} May replied before being pulled away by Max, who led her some meters away from the gardevoir.

{Cover your ears, this is gonna be noisy.}

As both Max and May did as told, Scarlet focused her power and used Psychic on the wall, sending a powerful wave of pulverizing kinetic energy to destroy a huge chunk of it. As it was shattered, rock chunks of all sizes were propelled everywhere, with Scarlet using Protect to shield them from the harmful projectiles. As the dust was settling down, it began to reveal what was behind that wall.

*koff* *koff* "See something?" Max asked shortly after, waving a hand around.

{Not yet.}

Soon enough, the dust fog had dissolved enough so that Scarlet could see what lies behind. To Max, and especially May's surprise, the destroyed wall revealed nothing but a half-exposed dark-grayish boulder, which was similar to a steelix's body part, but darker and less shiny.

"What is it?" Max asked after Scarlet approached it to get a closer look.

{I don't know. Maybe the rest of an old steel-type pokemon or just an odd-looking rock.} She answered while briefly touching it.

{No! It can't be what I was feeling. Right?} May sadly expressed, looking like she was on the verge of crying.

"It's okay, May," Max went to reassure her, quickly noticing it. "At least we tried."

Defeated and almost mad, she turned around to get out on her own.

"May..." he softly spoke in sympathy.

Rubbing his neck, Max looked at Scarlet who also had an empathic face. Looking a bit disappointed too, she went on to follow the mawile. Max was about to do the same but something caught his attention when Scarlet moved away from the blast zone. It was a very black and outstanding rock in the wall, which strangely looked like it was impaled there rather than naturally formed. Upon getting closer, the shape was very odd as if he could almost take it out from there with his bare hands.

{Master?} Scarlet called out, turning to see why Max wasn't following, as well as the sad mawile. {What are you doing?}

"This rock is weird. It's like it's not supposed to be here."

{So?}

"I don't know. Maybe I'm getting delusional, but I wonder if a rock like this could be of any value. Maybe even we could get a good price for it."

{Seriously? It's just a rock.} Scarlet pointed out with crossed arms.

"Look at it. It's black, almost like an onyx gem. Hell, maybe it is one."

*sigh* {I'm surrounded by children.} Scarlet commented, facepalming.

Ignoring her, Max grabbed the rock with one hand and began to pull it.

"Ooof, a tough one, I see," Max said as the rock didn't budge.

Tightening his hold, Max pulled again with a lot more force.

{Need some help?} Scarlet arrogantly asked, still with arms crossed.

"No, thanks, I'm okay. I just need to…"

Now using both of his hands, Max gradually pulled stronger and stronger until he was at his maximum strength and had one leg pushing from the wall.

"I… can… feel it… getting loose."

As his face was turning red, the rock finally popped out of the wall, making Max propel himself backward way too fast. Luckily for him, Scarlet stopped his momentum before his head smashed into the ground.

{Now that you got your new toy, can we-} Scarlet began to say before stopping mid-sentence.

{What is that?} May wondered, walking towards Max.

"Huh? What is what?" the human questioned, sitting up.

When next to him, May looked at the other side of the rock that Max was holding. Noticing that, he flipped the rock around and frowned in surprise. Encrusted in the rock and barely exposed, a pinkish gem was visible.

{What is that?} Scarlet also asked, floating next to them.

"I have no idea."

Moving his face closer to it, he could barely make out some colors deep within the gem.

"...N-No way! I think I know what this is."

{What is it?} Scarlet inquired, her curiosity peaking.

"Tell me, does it remind you of something?" Max excitedly asked Scarlet, lending her the rock.

Scarlet examined it for a short moment.

*gasp* {Is that a mega stone?} She guessed, looking at Max with a surprised and hopeful face.

"I believe it is," Max answered proudly while standing up.

{A mega stone?} May repeated, getting excited. {A mega stone for who?!}

"I don't know," Max replied, motioning Scarlet to give back the stone. "To whoever it belongs to, it's obviously not refined."

{You can't tell from the color? If I remember correctly, each mega stone is unique.} Scarlet pointed out.

"True. There is some coloration deep inside the gem, but I'm not sure I'm seeing it correctly. It seems to be black and yellow..." he shared while examining it again.

{...I definitely see the same colors you described.} The gardevoir confirmed.

"Let's check it out, then."

Giving back the stone to her, Max took out his pokedex and did some research.

{So?...} May asked impatiently a few seconds later.

"Give me a few seconds. I'm not even on the page, yet."

{Then hurry.} Scarlet urged, also impatient and excited.

Going a bit faster, Max reached the page he was looking for, which was showing every known mega stone so far.

"Alright, let's see…" Max mumbled with his two pokemon staring at him intently.

A short moment later, his eyes widened.

{What? What?!} Scarlet inquired.

Briefly looking at the gardevoir, Max walked next to her to show her what he found. Almost immediately, her eyes widened as well.

{Stop doing that and tell me too!} May urged.

After briefly looking at each other, they turned their sight to the mawile.

{What?} May said, getting uncomfortable.

"...May, I think we found a mawilite. Your mega stone!"

Suddenly, time seemed to have frozen for May. She stared at them, paralyzed.

{We… what?} May managed to let out.

{Congratulations, May. You will finally be able to mega evolve.} Scarlet wished with a smile.

A moment later, May finally processed what she just learned, an oversized smile appearing on her face.

{...YES!} She yelled, her voice resonating from afar within the cave. {Yes! Yes! Yes! Oh my god! Oh my god! Yes!} She continued with her celebration, jumping around in pure happiness and joy.

"Whoa whoa! You should calm down there a bit or your heart's gonna explode," Max said, trying to get her to calm down.

{I can't believe it! A mega stone! I have a mega stone!}

Giving up, Max looked at Scarlet, both of them silently nodding and agreeing on just letting her live her excitement until she calms down on her own.

{That means I can mega evolve! That means I can get stronger! That means I can be like Bonny and- *GASP*} May quickly exclaimed before looking at them, more specifically at Max. {It means I can… I can… I can finally m-… ma… maaa…}

Unable to finish her sentence, May's excitement got in overload mode and made her fall unconscious on the ground.

{...}

"..."

{Did we… kill her?}

"Tsk, poor little May. The emotion was such that she couldn't take it all and fainted on her own."

{Talk about moderation.}

"I don't think she did it on purpose."

{Well, at least we found what was attracting her here.}

"I think I can speak for both of us…" Max started before he moved to pick up May. "...that it's all thanks to you. If you hadn't proposed to accompany us after we deceived you, we would have missed it."

{N-no big deal. I was just curious as well, too, so I hit two birds with one stone.} Scarlet replied, blushing a bit while dodging Max's gaze.

"Hehe, I love it when you act so cute and innocent. It looks good on you."

{Oh, s-shut it.} She told him, now blushing madly.

"Haha. Now, how about we head back to announce the good news to the others?"

{Yeah. I'm starting to feel cramped in here.}

At that, both of them started heading towards the exit. Shortly after arriving outside, Max sensed an upset feeling. By looking at Scarlet, he quickly understood why.

"Don't be like that. I'm sure you will be the next one to have your mega stone."

{I hope so. I'm the only one who doesn't have one now.} She pouted with crossed arms, the rock floating by her side.

"You just need to be a bit more patient."

{I know. It's just that I overhyped myself way too much, hoping it was mine.}

"...I wish I could say I know that feeling, but I can't mega evolve, so…"

*sigh* {Better forget it for now.}

"If it reassures you, you are strong enough already, even without a mega stone."

{Not really, but thanks for trying.}

Scarlet was now the one to feel Max's emotions: the feeling of powerlessness.

{Don't feel bad about me. In a couple of hours, I will have forgotten about it.}

Her words soothed him a bit. A little while later, they were now halfway to arrive at the campsite.

{Quick question: why didn't you put May back in her pokeball? It would have spared you the need to carry her.}

"I don't mind carrying her, despite her being a bit heavier than she looks. Besides, I want her to be out as soon as she wakes up. However, can I count on you to help her in case of another emotional surge?"

{Sure.}

"Thanks."

{So what do we do with that now?} Scarlet inquired. {It's nice and all that we found a mega stone, but I'm not sure we can use it yet. In that state, at least.}

"Technically, it should work, but no way May will carry that whole thing in every battle. It needs to be refined and compressed into the small stone we know."

{Oh, and I assume you can do that?} She mockingly questioned.

"Do I look like a mega stone craftsman?" he retorted with slight annoyance.

{I'm just asking. Geez.}

"Sorry. Looks like we'll have to find someone who can actually do it. And no, I don't know where to find one."

{We didn't really progress, then.}

"We found one, which I think is big progress."

{I suppose.}

"The best we can do for now is to ask around in the next village or city."

{Not much of a choice there. Anyway, if you say it can actually work, you still could train with her for the mega evolution. Just keep in mind that it might not work the first couple of times.}

"Good point. We'll work on that this evening. However…"

{What?}

"I can already imagine what would happen if Aurora finds out that May got her mega stone and was able to mega-evolve in just a short amount of time before her. Her confidence is still a bit fragile."

{I know how you feel. But sincerely, you shouldn't cut your progress with others or yourself because of her. I'm just starting to appreciate the type of lucario she's becoming, but she still has a lot more to learn. The first one is that sometimes, someone can surpass you even if you try very hard.}

"...I guess that in the end, I'll have to do my best to support and reassure her. After all, that is what a trainer is for. Not only for training and power but also to be there when they need it and help them to grow; physically and mentally."

At that, Scarlet couldn't help but to look at him with a smile.

"What?"

{Nothing. I'm just impressed with how you've grown yourself. She may say or think what she wants, but Aurora is very lucky to have a trainer like you.}

"Oh, come on. Don't exaggerate," Max replied embarrassingly.

{I'm not. I'm not sure a lot of humans are willing to be that invested in their pokémon's development. Eventually, I'm sure they will all notice that.}

"Are you still talking about Aurora? Because I'm sure they are all pretty much aware of that."

{Hm, are they, though? They see how good of a trainer you are, but I wonder if they know that you're more than that.}

"If you keep on like that, I'm gonna start asking myself about your true motive behind those compliments."

{What? Can't bear hearing the truth every now and then?}

"No, just that you might be overestimating me."

{On the contrary, maybe it's you who belittles yourself too much. Remember what I said the day after we did it for the first time? I'm in your head and I know you better than yourself. I love you, master, but your biggest flaw is that you don't believe in yourself enough.}

"..."

{Start trusting yourself a bit more and you'll be surprised with what you can do.}

With that, Max didn't know what to reply anymore and just continued walking back to the camp in silence, where they finally arrived after a couple more minutes. Their first sight was Bonny sitting next to the campfire, exchanging words with Jade and Dusk.

{Ah! Better late than never. We were starting to wonder if something bad happened to you again.} The lopunny engaged them.

"Well, almost," Max jested, looking at Scarlet, making her stick out her tongue at him.

{Anyway, what happened to May and what's that you're holding, Scarlet?} She questioned, noticing the stone.

"It will be my pleasure to explain," Max said, preventing Scarlet from answering. "Mind if you go drop May in the tent again?" he asked her.

{...Sure.} The red pokemon replied while rolling her eyes, handing him the rock and receiving the mawile.

"This, Bonny..." Max started, sitting next to her. "...is a mega stone. A mawilite, to be more precise."

{A mawilite? Like, a mega stone for a mawile? For May?}

"Yup."

{Damn! That's fantastic!} Bonny exclaimed, almost as happy as May was.

"Isn't it? Our cute little girl is about to be a big and strong girl. You can kinda guess how very thrilled she got. She just couldn't take it and fainted on her own."

{Wow. Hihi, she really let herself go. She already is strong for her size and age, but put some battle experience in the mix with her mega form and she could be a very strong asset to the team. One of the strongest, even."

"Yeah, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. We first have to get her to mega evolve in the first place."

{I don't think that will be any trouble. You have a deep connection with pretty much all of us, especially because you know what.} Bonny shared, getting a bit more seductive at the end.

"Oh... right," Max said as if he remembered something bad.

{What did I say?}

"Nothing, but… Tsk, never mind."

{Stop doing that. You know I hate it.}

"...Okay. It may sound stupid, but since May and I never have... you know, properly mated, maybe it will be harder to succeed because of that."

{Hmm. It's a bit far-fetched, but not completely senseless. I mean, I can understand why you think that. However…} Bonny pointed out before going thoughtful.

"However what?"

{I don't think it matters that much in the end.}

"How can you tell?"

{From what I've learned, mega evolution has been around us for quite a while. A lot of pokemon already achieved that and I doubt that all of them got physical at night with their trainers. Alongside that, you and Aurora have done it a couple of times now and she still can't mega evolve, right?}

"Hmm, that's a good point, and a well-made one. Heh, I guess I got worried for nothing. Again."

{I think the word for that is karma, isn't it?} Bonny replied with a smug grin.

"I'll say yes just to make you happy," Max teased, with what Bonny replied with a poke in his side. "I don't suppose that you know where we could refine this."

{Was I there with you since I was born?} Bonny cheekily answered.

"Fair enough, then," Max replied, rolling his eyes. "What about you two? Any ideas?" he asked the pale green gardevoir and braixen.

Suddenly getting attention almost made Jade jump.

{I… N-no. Sorry.} She shyly answered.

{No idea, master. Sorry.} Dusk said.

"It was worth the try. Maybe Luna knows, though. She has spent a lot of time with them."

{Maybe.} Bonny agreed.

"Well, anyway, we don't have much of a use for this at the moment, so…" Max said while getting up to get his backpack and put it in.

{You should wait a little while before telling Aurora about this. You know how she is, if she learns that May got her mega stone and manages to evolve before her, I'm not sure if she will react very well.}

"I thought of that on the way here. But I would like to believe that Aurora is not that kind of pokemon anymore. Besides, if May manages to mega-evolve, I won't be able to hide it for very long."

{True, I guess. But I still think her self-esteem is still somewhat fragile.}

"Maybe, but she's making progress."

{Speaking of her, you should go talk to her. She's still pretty mad at you. And her rancorous side is still very present.}

"On that aspect, I'm afraid you're right. Where is she?"

{Last time I saw her, she went over there.} Bonny directed, pointing behind her.

Sighing while rubbing his hair, Max headed towards where the lucario should be. It took him a little while of walking before finding her at the foot of a tree in the middle of a tiny clearing. Upon getting closer, he noticed her closed eyes.

"Can I join you?" Max gently asked.

{No.} She replied with bitterness.

"...Alright... Can I say I'm sorry, then?"

{Do as you want, see if I care or it changes anything.}

*sigh* "You're not making it easy right now."

{Says the idiot who wants to die without caring at all about those around him.}

"I do care about you."

{Then why the fuck did you do that?!} Aurora growled, opening her eyes and glaring at him.

"Because I…" Max replied before trailing off. "...May and I were convinced that it was rather safe to explore. Now I see that it was really stupid."

{It was.}

"..."

{You know, dying in there would have been like abandoning me, the thing you promised me that you would never do.}

"I still hold on to that promise," he honestly affirmed. "And I already made my promise to the others and I will do the same with you: I promise not to do that ever again. Look, I know you're mad, and rightfully so. I did something incredibly stupid... but I just want to move on and leave it in the past. I'll say this very sincerely, Aurora: I'm sorry."

For a moment, Aurora examined her trainer intently, trying to get a read on him.

{If you really are, then I suppose there is no need for me to hold a grudge against you. I just hope for your ass' sake that it's the last time.} She told him while getting up.

"So you forgive me?"

{Calm down. I only said I won't hold a grudge against you. I'm still mad at you and will be for a while.}

"Understandable. So, no peace hug?" Max asked with a shy smile, but Aurora only threw him an unamused glare. "Figures," he conceded, shrugging.

{Anyway, we lost enough time here. Shouldn't we resume our travel?}

"Of course. I can't wait to put this story behind me."

{For once, I agree.} The lucario confirmed before walking past him.

With a sigh of relief, Max followed suit. A couple of minutes later, both were back with everyone waiting around the campfire, even Luna.

"Nice. Everyone is here," Max commented before noticing May lying against Luna's belly as both were sitting. "How do you feel, May?"

{A bit light-headed, but I'm okay. I'm still wondering if it was all true.}

"It was."

{...Oh my god! Then it's the best day of my life! After the day we met, of course.}

"Very sweet of you."

{Did I miss something or…} Aurora pointed out.

"Oh, right. I hesitated to tell you because I didn't want to make you feel bad, but…"

{But what? In all honesty, you're not on the right path of forgiveness.}

"Well, it's kinda related to why we went into that cave. You see, we found a mega stone, which happens to be a… mawilite."

For a moment, Aurora stared at him suspiciously.

{...Okay. That's it?}

"Hem, yeah. That is it."

{And why exactly would you think that that would make me feel bad?}

"…Honestly, I don't know."

{I hear that way too often with you.} Aurora nagged a little. {May got a mega stone, so what? Our team will be stronger, so what's to be feeling bad about?}

"Well, because you… "

{Can't mega-evolve yet and I would have taken it the wrong way?}

"..."

{Well, I'm not.} She affirmed, arms crossed. {Nice to see how you think of me.}

"Okay, sorry for misjudging you."

{Hmpf.}

*sigh* "Well, time to go, girls?"

After everyone agreed, they packed the campsite and prepared themselves for the day ahead. As usual, Max was accompanied by Scarlet, but both Bonny and Aurora insisted on walking with him, pretending to need to keep an eye on him.