Day 7: Dream
"In order to dream, you have to be asleep."

As soon as I saw her, I understood what she'd meant by saying "you'll know where to find me". Something clicked into place deep inside my chest. I was shocked to the point of awe.

She looked like she'd been standing there, by the water, forever. My first instinct was to run forward and grab her, keep her from slipping out my fingers again, but when I tried to take a step I found I couldn't move.

She must have heard my gasp, and my footsteps halting, but she didn't turn. The familiar white Champion's cloak fluttered in the sea breeze behind her, its edge wet and sandy; it had always been just a little bit too long for her. She wore it as lightly as a bird would wear a pair of wings, as if all the heaviness, the responsibility and care of the position, had left it when it had touched her skin.

She had her Pokémon with her, her whole team, all of them just as motionless as she was. Six Poké Balls lay discarded on the ground at her feet; they were all broken. She'd released all her Pokémon, and they'd all chosen to stay with her. I could see from the set of her back that she had no fear they'd leave her, that relinquishing her final control over her closest friends had given her the answer she'd been looking for. Watching her like that, surrounded closely and tenderly on all sides by Pokémon, I suddenly felt that I was intruding on something deeply personal and sacred.

In the end, May's bond with her Pokémon had broken through all else; human technology, society's rituals and rules, the aching bonds of tradition, the responsibility of power and fame and love. She had truly acknowledged her Pokémon as her equals, capable of deciding their own fate, and I understood that she viewed their loyalty as a gift and not an expectation.

It was that simple. She'd never return to the wild thicket of politics, the labyrinth of fame, the sweaty glowing comfort of a crowd of people all moving with the same force- she'd never have to. She'd completed the circle, escaped cleanly out of caring about everything messy and painful and unimportant, sort of like finally leaving the ground to take to the sky for the first time.

She turned and met my eyes. She was smiling, but she didn't seem perturbed that I didn't return the smile; instead, she met all my confusion and awe and frustration- which I'm sure were painted right across my face- with a suffocating acceptance. I could see that she was happy; the difference in her face, her posture, her hands, it was unmistakable. Seeing her happy, in that one minute, it struck me that she hadn't been happy like this for - I didn't even know if I'd ever seen her happy. When she wasn't grinning for the media, or laughing at my stupid jokes, her face would fall back into unmonitored lines of desperate care. Now, every part of her seemed to be lifted up by an invisible force.

Oddly enough, I felt a sense of loss. To win back her happiness, she'd lost so much. To find peace, she'd had to cut all the ties that had made her May- that had made her lovable, imperfect, inspiring, grounded, human. At that moment, I think I fully accepted that I'd really fallen in love with that girl, and that I'd lost her for good. I'd had a chance to hold her back, and instead I'd let her go, and now I regretted how easily I'd chosen to do the right thing.

I think she was expecting me to try and come to her, but instead I turned and walked away. When I paused and looked back, May was flying away, the silhouettes of her and her Pokémon turning dark and small against the bright wideness of the sky. Her other five Pokémon wandered in different directions along the beach, each of them moving with an unhurried purpose.

Over the course of my relationship with May, I'd filled a lot of roles. Helper. Advisor. Challenger. Friend, for a while. Lover, briefly. But all of that, I understood, was now over. Everything faded in the face of my first debt to her; that of teacher. And there was only one lesson she'd ever asked me to give her.

This would be the last thing I could ever teach her. It was just a pity that it would hurt so much.

"Foolish boy," Maxie snapped, grabbing me by the collar and yanking me through the door, which he slammed behind me faster than I could regain my balance. "What are you thinking, coming here? If you'd been seen- "

"I didn't let any of them see me," I snapped back, brushing down the front of my clothes. It hadn't been easy, either, slipping past the myriad journalists camping out at the main entrance of the Team Magma base. Everybody was looking for a statement from Team Magma on May, May's absence, May's motives, not to mention the ETPA. Letting them see Steven Stone slip into the Magma building wouldn't have been a smart move. "Contrary to your apparent beliefs, I am not completely incompetent, thanks."

"Hmph." Maxie snorted and looked me up and down, apparently unimpressed. "What's happened? If you're here because the League wants me to say something about the bloody ETPA, you can just-"

"It's not that!" I sucked in a deep breath. "It's about May."

Maxie froze momentarily, which was all the proof I'd needed.

"You helped her hide, didn't you," I said; it wasn't a question. Maxie's eyes flicked to mine, as if gauging how easy I'd be to fool, then dropped to the ground. He blew out a long, slow breath.

"We did," he admitted. "She came to me, asked me to help her disappear completely. Threatened blackmail, the whole thing. I had no choice." I wondered, staring at him, if he was ashamed. Nothing showed on his face. "She's gone now, so you're too late. I don't know where she is now, and that's the truth-"

"No, I know. I've just seen her," I interrupted, quickly. "I don't want her back. I want you to do the same thing for me that you did for her."

Maxie stared at me. I stared back, defiantly. I suppose it must have taken a moment to sink in.

"You're not kidding," he said, which was remarkably ineloquent for him. After a few seconds more of staring, in which I did not throw up my arms and yell "April Fools!" his face twitched and he turned away in apparent disgust.

"You Champions are all the same," he spat, walking in a little circle with his hands locked behind his back. "Look, I started this organization to do some good in the world, not to help flocks of rich kids bored of the spotlight go remake their identities as simple Oddish farmers in Kanto-"

"-and you ended up almost destroying the world, so I don't think you've got much right to say that about either May or me yet," I cut in, taking a step towards him. "Look, this isn't just some whim. This is for May's sake."

Another ringing silence that I hadn't intended to create.

"You are going to have to explain that one to me in a bit more detail, Steven Stone," said Maxie, after a bit of an awkward pause. He took off his glasses and polished them on the edge of his shirt. "After all, she- ah- well, correct me if I'm wrong, but is she not in love with you?"

I blinked, momentarily thrown. "She said that?"

Maxie's expression was entirely too knowing, considering the situation. "So the feeling is reciprocated?"

"I- wh- that's actually none of your business," I said lamely, frustrated with the way the conversation had spiraled out of my control. "It doesn't matter who loves who, I need to leave her life right now. Please, just take my word for it."

Maxie sighed. "And you're completely sure of this very ambiguous claim that you seem to have no proof for?"

"I can't explain it just like that," I snapped, out of patience. "Please just help me. I can pay you, favors or money or whatever, I-" I stopped. Maxie didn't even seem to be listening to me anymore; he was staring off into the distance, looking thoughtful. Eventually, as I stared at him, he took a remote-control device from his pocket and pointed it at the television screen on the wall, which lit up. Onscreen, May dismounted from her Pokémon and looked around, smiling serenely at the crowds of people that were gathered around her, yelling and crying and laughing. Police officers fought their way through the mob as the screen cut back to the announcer, who was sobbing.

"Ah, so that's why," Maxie muttered, half to himself, as I gazed at the screen. Abruptly, he turned to me. "She -cares for you, Steven Stone." Surprised at this seemingly incongruous statement, I looked at him. "You do realize that, right? She loves you still." He grimaced again, as if the word love was bitter in his throat. "Just make sure you understand that, before you make this decision."

"So you'll help me?" I chose to ignore the rest of what he was saying, confused and frustrated by his ambiguity.

Maxie glared at me. "Yes, Steven, but-"

"It's the only way," I interrupted.

Maxie gave me a really unimpressed look and turned off the TV with a harsh snap of his wrist. After the light and movement of the screen, the hallway seemed dark, throwing odd shadows into his face. I was seized with the sudden, unexplainable urge to make him understand, that the only way I could help May now was to leave her, that she needed a new start that she couldn't have as long as she held onto me. That I didn't want to do it. That I'd give anything to be able to be with her.

What came out was, "Haven't you ever been in love?"

Maxie jerked, as if I'd slapped him. "The nerve-!" He threw me a burning look; I looked back at him, torn between repentance and defiance. "But you're young still- nevertheless- the arrogance of the young is truly incredible…"

"You care about her, though- May, I mean-" I couldn't seem to keep ahold of a single conversation topic. "Do you really think someone like me would be able to put her back together? I- I can't change that much- I wish-"

I trailed off, silenced by Maxie's disgusted look.

He stared at me a moment more, in silence, then turned away and muttered something inaudible, walking away from me down the hallway. I distinctly caught the words not worth my time.

"Are you coming, then?" he added, without turning his head. It took a minute to sink in. I shook off the odd feeling that had settled on my shoulders and ran to catch up.

"Don't worry. We, Team Magma, specialize in going underground. As long as you're sure you want to do this…"

Everything was ready. I'd written the note and left it on the table May had cried over, then packed my bags and readied my Pokémon, donating many of my rocks to the museum and my PC-stored Pokémon to a reputable rehoming organization. Maybe someday I'd come back here, but definitely not for a long time, and I preferred to travel light. I'd never been as attached to Hoenn as May was; one place was the same as another to me, and the molten core of the Earth didn't change no matter where I was.

Teach me how to run away.

"Are you ready yet?" Maxie called from the living room. I hesitated, then shouldered my bag and headed out of my room.

"Do you want to leave now?" he asked, one foot already halfway out the door. I took one last look at my house, which I'd never even spent much time in. The note on the table winked at me, square and white. I imagined May walking into the house and picking up the note, even though I knew that the police would undoubtedly take it and read it over a hundred times before she was even allowed to see it.

Never mind. The point was to leave as easily and lightly as possible, to distance our bond as much as possible. Even so, the thought of leaving so little of myself behind made my chest ache.

Surely love, even a love that was coming to an end, deserved a little more of a tribute.

"Wait one second," I told Maxie, who huffed impatiently and stepped back through the door. I walked over to the table and reread my note one last time, even though I'd memorized the words long before I'd set them down to paper.

To May,

I've decided to do a little soul-searching and train on the road. I don't plan to return home for some time. May our paths cross again someday.

-Steven Stone

I grabbed a Poké Ball from my belt, feeling through instinct the Pokémon I wanted. I set it down on the table, where it wobbled slightly before coming to a rest. I took the pen I'd left on the counter and scribbled a quick postscript.

I have a favor to ask of you. I want you to take the Poké Ball on the desk. Inside it is a Beldum, my favorite Pokémon. I'm counting on you.

I wasn't sure if May would understand what I was trying to say, but I had to hope that she would- and if not, I supposed there was no harm done. But I got the feeling that she'd remember that conversation, the one we'd had so long ago it seemed like a dream.

"You really have taught me a lot. I do think that Steel Wing TM is symbolic."

"You can't do any flying with metal wings that weigh you down to the ground."

"Maybe I was too quick to try and fly away from everything."

"Well, May, you're flying now, much too high for me to follow you and bring you back down," I muttered, tucking the pen in my pocket and turning away. If she understood what I was trying to say with my gift of a Beldum, she'd know that I wasn't unhappy for her.

Metal wings may hinder you if you try to flap them, but if you're magnetic they're sure to be a big help.

True flight. That's what the Beldum line employs to lift itself into the air. A kind of flight which doesn't rely on wings, but on the force of nature.

MAY, ON DISAPPEARANCE OF STEVEN STONE: "I LOVED HIM."

i feel like this whole story has become surreal
anyway this is the last chapter; i really hope you enjoyed this fic!
for more quality daiharu content, check out the #daiharuweek tag on Tumblr. thanks to soaringillusions/SamKo for organizing this event!

thanks for reading!