With nothing else to say, May left the restaurant at slow pace, without looking back at her friend, without looking at anybody in the restaurant. She couldn’t stand inside the place anymore, with that pressuring sensation of people and walls falling over her, suffocating her. Upon reaching the street, with the cold night air caressing her cheeks, she could finally take a deep breath, feeling better. But there was still some people around, she needed more space, more… solitude. Instead of going back to her hotel, she began wandering through the streets until she arrive to a bridge close to a park. It was a bit away from downtown, so it was mostly deserted. Ideal environment for her thoughts to pile up again on her head.

Different emotions twirled inside her heart. The brief happiness during dinner was overshadowed by the increasing fear of Brenda finding out about her feelings. The intense wish of change in their relationship, how much she wanted to go further with her friend, stopped by the guilt of chaining Brenda and not allowing her to be free. What was more important: her love of Brenda’s happiness? She was still convinced Brenda would never be happy along her, she never…

“MAAAAAAAAAY!”.

A sudden scream brought May back to reality. A voice she knew very well, one she didn’t expect to hear again, at least so soon. She turned around quickly, only to see Brenda running towards her. She stopped a few meters away, trying to catch her breath. May couldn’t believe what her eyes saw, but she was right there. Her heart was not ready, but she tried to dissimulate.

“Brenda, why… why are you here? I told you I’m-”.

“YOU AIN’T FAAAAAAIR!”.

Brenda’s scream made May’s heart shrink in distress. There was just one time she saw her friend talking like that: the day she came out, the day she let out all her emotions. She seemed annoyed and frustrated at her, and she feared the course of that conversation.

“When I was in trouble… When I suffered, you… you came to me! You asked me to say it!”, exclaimed Brenda. “You lent me your hand and helped me. And now that you’re in pain, you hide it from me?”.

“I… I’m not…”, tried to say May to defend herself, but the shock made it impossible for her to form a whole sentence.

“Yes, you are!”, insisted Brenda, scaring Brenda. “There’s something wrong, I know! And I want to help you! We are friends, right?”.

“Precisely!”, exclaimed May. She was getting extremely nervous, trying her best to avoid a breakdown, but she was getting tired. “Precisely because we’re friends, I can’t tell you! You don’t get it!”.

“I can’t get it if you don’t tell me, so please, say it!”, answered Brenda back.

Like a spell, those words summoned a memory inside May’s brain. The sunset, the tears, the wish of a girl who longed to be herself, all of them appeared in front of her eyes crystal clear… She was right. May went after Brenda and asked her to open up. She didn’t want her friend to hide her troubles from her. And now, it was the same, but they exchanged their roles: May was the one running away, with Brenda begging to know. How did she end up in that situation? All that time, she cared about her friend’s happiness, or so she believed, but if this whole situation made Brenda go after her… was she wrong? Did she fall on the same mistake? And still, she was scared of telling Brenda, just like her friend was back then. She didn’t know what to say. Her lips trembled and only vague sounds came out from them. But then…

“I’m sorry, May”.

The horror. The pain. The guilt. All of them caused by a single tear, one that fell on the ground. A tear that fell from Brenda’s tender eyes. May never wished to see Brenda in pain again, and seeing that image, hearing those words… A pain worse that a knife pierced her chest.

“I… I don’t know if I did something wrong. I don’t know why, but at least let me say… I’m sorry”, apologized again Brenda. “It’s okay, you know? If you hate me…”.

‘Hatred’? Was that the impression Brenda got from her behavior? That couldn’t be. That was not true. That single word, that single idea was enough for May to rush to Brenda. She didn’t notice the stream of tears on her face, or her hands grabbing her friend’s shoulders. She didn’t care anymore about anything else. The only worry in her mind was clearing that misunderstanding.

“NO! NEVER! YOU GOTTA BELIEVE ME! I’D NEVER HATE YOU, BECAUSE… BECAUSE… I LOVE YOU!”.

When she realized, it was already too late. May heard it. Brenda heard it. If there had been any other human or Pokémon around, they surely would have heard it. However, she wouldn’t have done anything different. Even if she lost her at that instant, she didn’t want Brenda to believe she was hated. And now, the Skitty was out of the bag. Both of them were in shock, both confessor and confessed. After saying so much, May couldn’t hold it anymore.

“I… I don’t know how or when, but… I fell in love with you”, repeated again May in tears. “You’re pretty, kind, sweet… I… I enjoyed every second by your side and… I didn’t want to leave you, I… I never wanted to come here...”.

May kept her face down, hiding her red eyes from Brenda. In a way, she was ashamed of taking so long, ashamed of causing so much trouble to the girl she loved by hiding everything. But at the same time, she felt liberated from the anguish of keeping it all to herself. She couldn’t look at Brenda, but she could hear her say with broken voice:

“Why… did you do it then? Why didn’t you tell me?”.

“Because… Because!”, exclaimed May in frustration. “I told myself you’d be happier without me, but the truth is… I was scared that you didn’t like me… or worse…”.

“What do you mean… ‘worse’?”, continued Brenda.

“That you lied to me”.

Saying that, May released Brenda and turn around, always avoiding her face. That thought, that fear… it was too painful, something she tried to avoid all this time.

“That you confessed to me… only for repayment”, explained May. “That you didn’t love me, but stayed by my side only as thanks for everything I did for you. All that without actually loving me. If that happened, I… I’d hate myself! I’d be taking your future, your life! I don’t want to make you miserable! I want you to be happy!”.

The vision that daunted May for so long. Seeing Brenda sad and dull, forced to stay with her… That was her worst nightmare. What else could she do but letting her go? And still, there she was, telling everything just like she was asked. Or rather, how she desired. Love words that caused her pain by being held, finally released, even if they lost their path and ended up stranded. With no one to take them.

Or so she thought.

“Then… shouldn’t you ask me… what would make me happy?”.

For a moment, May thought she misheard. She didn’t fully understand what Brenda said. Finally, after all that time, she dared to look at the girl, the one she professed her firstborn love… Her eyes wide as a Wailmer’s mouth, her lips trembling, upon finding Brenda crying.

“You… you really think… I’m happier if… you aren’t there?”, insisted Brenda. “Because I wasn’t! Sure, I did things and met people, but all this time, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I was so happy with you, but… when you told me you were leaving, I thought it was time to let you go, to handle things myself… But I realized how much I needed you in my life!”.

“Need… me?”, asked May in shock. “Why? You… you are free… independent… you don’t need my help…”.

“I’m not talking about your help. I WANT YOU!”, shouted Brenda.

How could that be? Why would Brenda want her? Why would anybody want her? She had nothing special, she was just plain and normal… A normal girl seeing the prettiest girl in the world smiling back at her in tears. Just like reading an open book, Brenda could see all those meaningless thoughts roaming through May’s mind, wondering how she could belittle herself so much, and at the same, understanding how your brain can trick you into believing nobody will care about you. May was someone who deserved kindness and she was going to give it to her. Approaching her slowly, holding her hands with grace, like if they were the most beautiful and frailest of all flowers. She didn’t deserve less than that.

“I don’t need you to arrange my hair in the morning, but I want you to greet me after waking up”, began saying Brenda. “I don’t need you to teach me about make-up, but I want you to show me your smile and your laughs. I don’t need you to go with me to the bathroom, but I want to walk by your side and experience all the wonderful things in the world… together”.

One by one, all those beautiful words had the power to push away May’s thoughts. They were the proof that there was something good in her, that someone could appreciate those little things that she never gave too much credit. And it wasn’t just anyone: it was Brenda, the girl she adored the most. Hearing all those things felt wonderful, but she wasn’t prepared for what was coming.

“May… I love you”, said Brenda, making May blush. “You’re the sweetest, kindest and prettiest girl in the whole world. And I would be super happy if we could be together for the rest of our lives”.

The purest happiness she even felt embraced May’s heart. It was so warm, so fluffy that she couldn’t actually believe it. But there was no room for mistake: she heard Brenda, she heard her most honest feelings. Even if she somehow didn’t believe herself worthy of them, she didn’t want to let them go. May wished to hold them close to her heart. New tears, born out of such happiness, fell down over her pink cheeks, accompanied by the melody of her nervous giggling.

“You know what makes me happy”, said Brenda with a sweet smile. “Now… It’s my time to ask: What would make you happy, May?”.

Why did Brenda make it look so easy? Happiness always sounded as something one give to others, but should never expect it back from others. Finding happiness in solitude was easy for May, she was used to that, like with Contests. The only thing that would make her happy at that moment was being with another person, the one she loved, but that sounded so selfish. However, that very same person, that girl she loved the most, was waiting for her to claim her wish and make it a reality. For once, she was allowed to be selfish.

“I… I want to be with you, Brenda. Being with you, traveling with you, spending every moment with you… That would make me the happiest girl in the world, because… I love you”.

No longer was May scared of saying those words out loud. She knew those words weren’t not a burden for someone else to carry, but a ribbon that would tie two loving girls together. May let her head rest on Brenda’s chest, while Brenda let her hands on May’s back.

“Then, let’s make us each other the happiest girls in the world, okay? By loving each other”.

A soft sensation accompanied those words, one that reached May’s head. A kiss. A sweet kiss from a adorable girl. One that made May squirm playfully, holding tight onto her new girlfriend dress. But that wasn’t fair. She wanted to give something to Brenda in exchange. And so, catching her off-guard, May raised her head and kiss Brenda in one cheek. Like a spell, the cheek turned red instantly, as much as her whole face. Even so, their eyes shone brightly under the moonlight. No fears, no nervousness, just… bliss. Sheer happiness that made them laugh. So long they had to wait to hear each other laugh like that, but the wait was over.

“Hey, I… I know you’re busy, but… if you have some free time, maybe… you could show me around?”, asked Brenda shyly. “I’d like to make up for the lost time”.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be taking a short break. Lisia owes me a BIG ONE after her little scheme”, said May, but Brenda didn’t understand the hidden meaning of her words. “Don’t worry about it. What matters is… we’re gonna spend a lot of time together. That’s a promise”.

And so, within the calmness of the park, the two girls held their hands and began their peaceful stroll back to their hotels. That night was the beginning of everything and they would walk that path together step by step. May would chase Lisia later as payback, then both girlfriends would enjoy their time in Sinnoh, and then… well, they couldn’t know what their future would bring. But whatever happened, they knew one thing: their love would last until the end of times.