Winter in Johto was harsh, but not harsh enough to prevent two determined adults from training. In a snowy clearing not far from a cabin by the main road, was May and Silver. There, they heatedly threw hits...at each other.

May huffed and stared intently at her sparring partner. Silver had his long hair tied into a ponytail, and his conservative outfit was replaced by a tighter one suited for physical activity. The coordinator had a similar getup, tying her hair into low pigtails and costuming a sports bra and tights. She had previously worn a jacket to shield herself from the winter. But after enough regimens, the jacket proved to be a hindrance.

May flinched and narrowly missed an uppercut to the face. She glared at Silver, who had feigned tripping over a concealed stone to nearly land the hit. The snob was playing dirty. May would've gotten hit if she hadn't learned to keep her guard up.

She threw another punch. Silver ducked and charged to tackle her, and a lightbulb flashed in May's mind. That was her chance! She swerved to the right, passing him, and kicked the back of his left knee.

Silver immediately fell onto the snow as a result and rose just as swiftly. "You're not holding back this time," he noted. "A little more to the side, and you could have injured me."

"I know," May stuck out her tongue. "But if I injure you, then who's gonna train me?"

Silver smirked and lunged once more.

The trainers continued to spar until the skies turned violet. The cold winds intensified then. Their heated exercise no longer granted them imperviousness to the cold. May and Silver agreed to call it a day and headed back to the cabin they were renting. The small structure was located deep into Route 30. Far enough from Cherrygrove City to achieve privacy but close enough to return there for supplies.

As a final regimen, May and Silver decided to jog back toward their cabin. May counted every crunch of snow beneath her sneakers as the remaining quiet allowed her to reflect. She understood that she needed to train beforehand, but she had been on a training hiatus for three months. She might have endured extended breaks so that her old traveling companion could acquire his gym badges, but never had she idled for that long. Alas, Silver insisted that three months was the minimum. Training was hard work, and her team needed a lot of it to redeem themselves in another contest. But three months was also the maximum, May affirmed. A contest circuit only lasted a year long. There was no way that she could secure five ribbons in less than nine months.

Training herself wasn't part of the plans either. Why was Silver training her like she was about to go to war? Not that May didn't appreciate the workout. It just seemed...unnecessary. And frankly, it sometimes made her feel like she was in danger, and that her parents were right to worry so much about her. It took a while for her to accept her friend's explanation—that it was all to strengthen the bond between her and her pokémon by giving them a chance to empathize with each other's efforts to better themselves. She and her team weren't even in the same place most of the time! Silver's pokémon were training hers in a canyon a little bit farther from the cabin. Only Silver's weavile remained in his trainer's pocket for their protection. Not that they needed it, May thought. After those three months, she was confident she and Silver could take down anyone with their bare hands.

"I'll get the pokémon," Silver announced at the front steps of their cabin. He dug through his pocket for the cabin key and then used the bronze item to unlock the front door. Once he and May were inside, he snatched his snow jacket from the bedroom and untied his ponytail.

"Don't take too long," May told him. "I want to get to Cherrygrove before the dinner rush comes in."

She didn't expect a reply from Silver and didn't get one. Once the man closed the door behind him, May grinned and headed toward their bedroom. The cabin lodge provided her only one room, but at least it had two beds at that time instead of one. May wouldn't be comfortable with Silver staying on the floor. She was barely comfortable sharing a room with him, even if the past three months have encouraged the two to bond.

Perhaps it was because, after all of that time, she still had trouble getting to know him. Silver was the definition of mystery and seemed determined to stay that way. May would get him to open up, though. She was determined she would. Maybe tonight, at dinner! Everyone deserved to celebrate the last day of their three-month training. The coordinator could get the redhead to talk about something other than training.

May was in front of her dresser when her cell phone began to ring. She jogged toward the bedside table and raised the device to her ear, smiling.

"Hey, Mom."

"May!" Caroline cried. "Thank goodness you picked up!"

"Where are you?" Norman demanded. "Did something happen?"

"No, Dad," May rolled her eyes. Her phone hadn't been ringing for that long. "I was just going to take a shower."

"Oh, thank goodness," Caroline exhaled in relief. "We thought something had happened."

"Like what?" May asked.

The brunette listened attentively, but her parents didn't respond. When she asked again, shuffled noises came from the other end before her mother began to stammer.

"N-Nothing, honey," Caroline assured. "Sorry for worrying you. How's your journey going so far?"

May sighed. Her parents had been doing that a lot since she arrived at Johto—act like something was horribly wrong and then dismiss her when she asked questions. Not that they didn't have a reason to worry. May had almost gotten herself killed on her first day there if Silver hadn't saved her. But they had been panicky since May even left Hoenn, her home region. So at that point, May was sure that they were just behaving that way because they didn't trust her to be alone.

"I actually just got done training my pokémon," May announced with pride. Wisely leaving out further details, she added, "Now I'm going to take a shower and feed the pokémon. I'll call you guys later, okay?"

Once she finally got her parents to hang up, she sighed once more before tossing her phone onto her mattress. She didn't like withholding information from her parents. If anything, she'd love to brag about how tough Silver had made her so that they wouldn't have to worry so much about her safety. But she knew what would happen if she did that. So she only shook her head and prepared a change of clothes. Silver should be back soon, and she wanted to shower before he did.

But Silver entered the room much sooner than that.

"Huh?" May blinked at his frowning countenance. "Silver, how did you come back so soon? Isn't the canyon far from here?"

"The pokémon were already on their way here when I went for them," Silver answered. "There's a storm coming, May, and not snow. Hail."

"Hail?" May echoed. She looked up to the ceiling and listened. Lowly but persistently, hailstones pelted the roof above them. "But it's the end of March!" the brunette reminded. "Didn't spring start a few weeks ago?"

"Doesn't matter," Silver remarked. "If we step outside, we'd be beaten by ice. Let's just go out tomorrow."

May grunted, "I really wanted to celebrate tonight."

"I'll cook," Silver offered. "Just take a shower. I'll be done when you get out."

That lifted May's spirits a bit, and Silver knew it. If there was anything May knew about her companion, it was that he was a surprisingly great cook. He had yet to make anything that didn't send her taste buds to paradise.

"Thanks, Silver," May grinned. She gathered her pajamas from her dresser and then entered the bathroom.

Norman and Caroline smiled as their child slept soundly in her mother's arms. The infant's chest rose and fell, ruffling her pink onesie and matching cap.

"She's so beautiful," Caroline cooed, stroking one of the baby's mittens with a finger.

"Just like her mother," Norman added.

Caroline grinned before pecking her husband's lips. Giving birth to her daughter was the most physically straining thing she had ever done, but gazing upon the child's face was the most relieving. Nine patient months have delivered a healthy baby girl to them. All that was left from then on was to raise her in a loving home.

Three knocks echoed from their front door before Norman revealed an old friend waiting behind it. He was a young man with thin brown hair and large glasses. A familiar face the couple was happy to see.

"Hello, Frank," Norman greeted quietly. He raised a finger to his lips as he gestured the guest inside.

Frank, or as many refer to as Professor Elm, was confused as he entered the abode. Then he spotted Caroline and the infant in the living room, and he smiled in understanding.

"Hello, Caroline," Elm approached the beaming mother. "Is this her?"

"Yes," Caroline nodded, grinning at her slumbering joy. "Her name is May."

"May," Elm repeated. "What a pretty name for a pretty girl."

"She seemed to have captured everyone's hearts," Norman said as he stood beside him. "Everyone has been giving us gifts since she was born. We have a room filled with bags and boxes we still haven't opened."

"No surprise there," Elm chuckled, "but I bet my gift will outshine them all."

"Oh?" Caroline looked up. "You've brought a gift, Frank?"

"You bet I did!"

Norman and Caroline immediately hushed him, reminding him of the sleeping baby in the room. The young professor apologized before digging through his satchel. He didn't mean to be loud, but what he had found was so rare, finding it a second time was miraculous. He wouldn't use it for himself again, though. That time, two close friends needed it more than he did.

The parents watched Elm present a thin rectangular box. Their curiosity grew as he removed the lid and displayed a thin green strand.

"What is that?" Norman asked.

"This," Elm grinned, "is one of Celebi's antennas."

Caroline gasped. "Are you talking about Celebi, the time-traveling pokémon?"

"That very one."

Norman and Caroline leaned closer. The green strand was curving slightly, reminding them of the usual two that stood on Celebi's head. It gleamed under the fluorescent lights, flashing an almost silvery light.

"But how is that possible?" Norman asked.

"Celebi's antennas fall off during its trips sometimes, but always grow back," Elm explained. "If a person manages to find one, then he or she can take it to a seer in Ecruteak City and see the future or past—depending on from which time Celebi visited when the antenna fell off."

"Have you used it yourself?" Caroline asked.

"I have," Elm nodded. "The antenna I found was from five years ago. When the seer looked into it, she saw specific things no one else could know," Elm was a bit hesitant as he said this, but quickly regained his energy when he added, "But don't take my word for it. If you ever want to see the future or past for yourself, the antenna is yours. Who knows? Maybe you'll be able to see May's future with it."

Caroline and Norman didn't say anything at first. They looked at each other, hints of curiosity, doubt, and elation simultaneously mixed into their gazes. After a moment of silence, Caroline turned to Elm and smiled.

"Thank you, Elm," she acknowledged. "This couldn't have been an easy thing to find."

"It wasn't," Elm shook his head. "I found the antenna I used for myself over eight years ago. I found this one near my lab last night."

"Why did you decide to give it to us?" Norman asked.

"Because you're my friends," Elm nodded. "You two have supported me for many years. I'd do anything to repay you for that, especially now that you have born a child."

Norman and Caroline cast their sleeping daughter an affectionate gaze. They loved her so much. If they had a chance to know if their baby had a good life ahead of her, then what harm would it do to take it?

"Okay," Norman agreed. "We'll go to the seer."

Violet City reminded May much more of her home than the previous towns. Their countless skyscrapers rivaled those of Petalburg City, but they weren't the ones May was looking at. After a quick stop at a pokémon center, she dragged Silver into Janez Boulevard. They had a lot of what she was looking for.

Restaurants.

"C'mon, Silver!" May dragged her red-haired companion by the wrist. "It's already 12 o'clock! We need to get a good seat before the lunch hour comes in!"

Silver grunted and allowed her to drag him through the sidewalks. He either had to comply with her demands or face the wrath of her temper, and he knew by now that her anger flared when she was hungry. Almost two hours of walking from their cabin to the city could do that to a person. Especially if said person was already frustrated by not being able to eat out the night before.

The traveling companions didn't venture long until they stopped in front of a food truck that caught May's interest. The vehicle sold meats and cheeses grilled together into what looked like a flat sandwich, something the coordinator had never seen before. Unable to contain her hunger for much longer, May reeled Silver to the truck and stood at the back of the line.

"I'm surprised you didn't want to go to a restaurant," Silver commented. He scanned the truck's bright exterior paint and gray metal interior. It was a setting similar to the ones he had grown up frequenting. He didn't expect someone as wealthy as May to be interested in something below her rich daddy's pay grade.

"I'm really hungry," May said enough. "Besides, I've never ordered from a food truck before, so this will be a new experience for me."

"Yeah, I figured," Silver smirked. "Well, you're in luck. Food trucks serve some of the best meals you can get."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"You don't really question it after the first bite."

That hyped up May's anticipation. Not impatience, Silver noted. He could tell because she was grinning and almost hopping in her place instead of screeching in displeasure. The girl had come a long way from whining and using force to get her way. Well, unless she was hungry. Either way, Silver liked to think that his and his pokémon's training of May and her team had instilled some discipline into them.

After receiving their order, May squealed after biting into what Silver referred to as a chicken quesadilla. It was delicious! The chicken was juicy, and the salty cheese melted perfectly around the onions and cilantro. "Silver! This is so good!"

Silver chuckled and took a bite of his burrito. He guided them to a nearby bench so that they could sit down. May continued to chatter excitedly about food while Silver listened quietly beside her. Before the coordinator could swallow the last of her lunch, a young boy walked by and handed her a pamphlet.

"Ruins of Alph," May read its bold text out loud. "What is that?"

"They're just some ruins on the outskirts of the city," Silver sent the boy scurrying away with a glare. "You have to pay to see them these days so the people would stop spraying graffiti on the walls."

"But they're so pretty!" May stared at the pictures of the location. "Why would people want to ruin something so beautiful?"

"Some people get a kick out of it," Silver replied, nonchalantly tossing his wrapping foil and plastic into a nearby bin. "Some do it to mark their territory."

"Like, they want to own the ruins?"

"Something like that."

May stared harder at the photos. Then, after a huff, she abruptly stood from the bench. "Let's go there."

"Now?" Silver asked.

"Why not?" May returned. "I want to support these ruins. And I also want to explore something that isn't just grass and snow."

Silver considered her words for a minute before standing as well. "Fine," he said. "I'll lead you around, so you don't get lost."

"Have you been there before?"

"A couple of times."

"You don't sound excited about it."

"When have I ever been excited about anything?"

May rolled her eyes and gave him a sly smile. There he was again, slyly diverting her away from his past. Maybe she should change her strategy. If the past was off-limits to her male companion, then maybe the future would be easier to talk about.

"You'll be excited soon," she said. "I'm going to enter another contest after you've trained me, after all. Those three months of training will pay off, you'll see. I won't let you down."

Silver smirked and walked ahead of her. "We'll see about that."

"Good evening!" a kind lady no older than sixty opened her cottage's front door. Her soft, ivory hair was tied into a bun behind her. "You must be Norman and Caroline. And oh! What a beautiful baby girl!"

"Good evening, ma'am," Caroline greeted. Young May was sleeping in her arms, oblivious to their interaction. "You must be Francesca. Professor Elm has told us great things about you."

"Likewise," Francesca, the seer, grinned. Her flowing skirt fluttered as she stepped aside. "Come in! Come in! You must be tired from the long drive here."

The room that the family entered smelled of dust and incense. At the center of the space was a small table surrounded by folding chairs. A miniature stove comprised of a torch and a legged metal plate sat on top of it. Though the tiny expanse was brightly illuminated by fluorescent lights, Norman couldn't help but scan the room for places to hide. It seemed like the kind of place that would conceal things in plain sight.

And if it was the terrain of a seer, it would benefit him and his family to foresee such secrets.

"Would you like some water? Or tea, perhaps?" the elder offered.

"Caroline?" Norman regarded his wife.

"I'm fine, thank you," Caroline dismissed. "And I have May's bottle in my purse if she wakes up hungry."

"You're very admirable parents," Francesca complimented. "May is fortunate to be under your care."

"And we'd like to keep it that way," Norman replied. "Frank told us you can see the past or future with one of these?" He reached into his left jacket pocket and pulled out a slender wooden box. His thumb flicked its lid open, revealing Celebi's fallen antenna.

"Indeed, I can," Francesca confirmed. "Come, have a seat. We shall see what Celebi has in store for us."

"Is this a common occurrence for you?" Caroline inquired as she sat May and herself on a chair. "Do people regularly bring Celebi's antennas to you?"

"It is not a common practice, no," the seer settled onto a seat as well. "Celebi's antennas are quite rare, and most who have the fortune of finding one doesn't know what to do with it. Fortunately for your family, you are acquainted with a brilliant pokémon researcher. A brilliant researcher who also happens to know me."

"How do you know what to do with these objects?" Norman asked, sitting down.

"I've studied them diligently, though not in such detail as scholars such as Frank Elm," Francesca replied. "I've grown fascinated with the legends and myths we've come to know and derive great pleasure from uncovering the truth in them. And if you live in a city filled with mysteries to uncover, my search is never a dull one. I've seen and learned things from the past and future, as one would expect a seer to be able to do. But a lot is happening in the present that people don't pay attention to. The key to seeing all is to truly see all."

Norman and Caroline shared a look before turning back to the seer.

"Can you see something that would benefit our child?" Caroline asked.

"Perhaps," Francesca answered. "To do so, I would need May to take ahold of the antenna."

Norman was about to pull the object from the box when Francesca halted him with a wave.

"Only your child's skin should touch Celebi's antenna to relate the visions to her," the seer pulled latex gloves over her hands. She gently took hold of one of May's hands before lifting the antenna from its case.

The antenna's light nudge on May's tiny forearm was enough to wake the baby. Caroline hushed and rocked her child as May began to cry. She was about to ask the seer to justify her actions when the seer suddenly tossed the antenna onto the metal stove. The strand exploded upon impact, expanding into a cloud of dust that glimmered blue and silver.

"What's happening?" Norman asked.

"Blue light," Francesca noted. "This antenna is from the future."

Norman and Caroline witnessed several grassy clearings materialize within the blue smoke. They made out several pokémon: a wartortle, a blaziken, and a beautifly. A woman's reflection could be seen on a still body of water. Though the parents have never seen her before, they recognized her immediately by her bright blue eyes and chocolate brown hair.

"Norman," Caroline sighed as tears gathered behind her lashes. "That's our baby girl."

"She's so beautiful," Norman gasped, almost choking.

The couple drew closer to the blue light, entranced by its images. That was when they saw something else. Behind the reflection of their aged daughter was a large creature with bright red and yellow wings. Suddenly, the vision altered to several walls of flames. And Norman and Caroline heard the first sound of May's future voice: her blood-curling scream.

"No!" Both Norman and Caroline cried.

But the blue smoke started to disappear when the flames came up, so it vanished altogether before the parents could see anything else.

"What was that?" Caroline demanded. Baby May cried even louder at her parents' raised voices, but her mother only held her tighter—silently waiting for an answer.

"That was Ho-Oh," Francesca narrowed her eyes. "But I can't imagine why. Ho-Oh is a positive figure from history. I don't know why it would appear in the future with your daughter, much less hurt her."

Norman slammed a fist on the table, alarming the ladies in the room. "I won't stop until I find out why," he gritted his teeth. "Tell me everything you know about this Ho-Oh, and how to stop it."

The Ruins of Alph were surrounded by so many trees and fencing, that May would have been convinced that she and Silver were lost if he hadn't led her to the tollgate. After paying for their entrance fee, they took in the many tiled caves scattered across the surprisingly vast area.

"It looks so much bigger on the inside," May gasped. "Why were they so hard to find?"

"It used to be harder because the trees surrounding this place blended in with the forest's," Silver remarked. "This used to be a place some people used to just stumble into."

"Let me guess," May frowned as they walked forward. "They put up the fences to keep people from painting on the walls?"

"Yeah."

"Well," May forced a smile, "that just means the ruins will stay pretty, right?"

"I guess," Silver muttered as they neared a cavern. Traces of spray paint could be seen on the lines dividing each building block. Other sections of the surface were more faded than the others, most likely from the maintenance staff scrubbing off more significant parts of the defacement.

The two of them were about to enter a cave when they spotted someone familiar staring at the opening. May stumbled forward and blinked twice, making sure her eyes weren't deceiving her.

"Solidad?"

The woman in question turned from the entrance of the cave and faced their approaching figures. Her expression was sober, almost sad, until she looked May in the eyes.

Then she smiled.

"Hi, May."