let's go on a JOURNEY! (POKEMON ORAS)

15. HOME

The look in her mother's eyes said it all: she knew. She knew about the victories. She knew about the losses, and she knew that going down the mountain was even harder than going up it. She knew why May was here, and she knew that she had lost.

Her mother just held her tight, not once loosening her grip. The two stood there together in a loving embrace. Her father was watching close by, so proud of the brave woman May became. She was once his little girl, his darling daughter who had no experience whatsoever. And now, she had gone places where others didn't dare to dream of.

May was not the same person she was when she left Littleroot all of that time ago. When she left, she was giddy and excited. She couldn't wait to conquer the world. But today, now that her hopes and aspirations had been dashed, what did she have to look forward to?

That night, they got together to have dinner with Professor Birch. As expected, his son, who might've been the rude boy in Slateport City, was nowhere to be seen. May shared her stories with the group of adults, telling them all about her most difficult gym battles and the interesting people she met along the way.

Before she earned all eight badges, she always had the next one to anticipate. And when she earned them all, she still had to go through Victory Road and the Elite Four. But now that she lost... What else is there to do? She should've been a lot happier while reminiscing, but she wasn't.

"So now that you've seen Hoenn, what's next?" Professor Birch asked. "Are you going to stick around, or are you going to travel somewhere else?"

May stopped to think about what he just said to her. A strange anecdote that some man once told her popped up in her mind. 'Death doesn't have to mean stopping.' That was it. Her journey wasn't over. It wasn't even close to ending; she was just getting started.

"You know, I'll think about it," May replied, smiling widely. "It's only a boat ride back to Johto. I did it once, and I'd love to do it again."

That night, she packed her bags yet again. The first boat set sail at 6 A.M., so she had to be up early if she wanted to make it on time.

"Swampert, are you ready to go on another journey?" May asked, shoving the last of her hyper potions in her bag. She glanced at her pokémon, taking note of the gigantic grin on his face.

"Swampert!" he cried in response.