At 6:03 the next morning, May stood at Sandgem Town's harbor, gazing out at the calm sea.
Red sat on a reef, holding a fishing rod with its line already cast into the sea. Charizard lay beside him, letting the sea breeze sway the flame on his tail.
Steven wore casual clothes and sunglasses and carried two insulated coolers.
May turned to Steven and asked in confusion, "Why are you here too?"
Steven lowered his sunglasses a little. "I'm here on vacation."
May pointed at the coolers. "You're the Hoenn Champion. How do you have time for a vacation? And what's in those?"
Steven patted the coolers. "Even Champions need a break. These are premium Pokéblocks. Metagross burns through a lot of energy in battle."
Metagross floated behind him, staring at the coolers with all four red eyes. "Meta."
Watching Metagross, May quipped, "Looks more like someone's waiting to be fed."
Steven shook his head. "You don't understand. This is the composure of a Champion-level Pokémon."
Metagross floated another half meter forward and urged him on. "Meta!"
Steven hugged the coolers tighter. "Don't rush me. It's not mealtime yet."
Unhurried footsteps came from the other side of the harbor. Lin Hao approached with his hair a mess. Pikachu perched on his shoulder, holding half a bread roll in his mouth.
May suppressed her irritation. "Lin Hao, you're three minutes late."
Lin Hao glanced at his terminal. "Two minutes and fifty-eight seconds, to be precise."
May gave a cold laugh. "Is there a difference?"
"Of course," Lin Hao replied without a trace of shame. "It shows I'm making an effort."
May gritted her teeth. "Then you'd better try a little harder."
Lin Hao ducked his head and turned toward the sea to change the subject. "Pikachu, nice sea breeze today."
Pikachu