Early that morning, the train from New Bark Town pulled into Silver Town Station right on time.
There were few people on the platform. Lin Hao leaned against a pillar with his cap pulled low, while Pikachu crouched at his feet, fiddling with a sugar cube that had rolled over from who knew where.
Red stood beside him, holding three cans of hot coffee. "You bought three?" Lin Hao asked, glancing at the cans in his hands.
"Yeah."
"Makes sense."
The train doors opened, and passengers streamed out. May was instantly recognizable in the crowd. She had changed. Beyond the short training jacket she now wore, her posture was straighter, her steps steadier, and the carefree look in her eyes had vanished completely.
When she spotted Lin Hao, she quickened her pace. "You're not dead."
"You went to a Special Training Camp, and that's the first thing you say when you get back?"
"I thought you'd already flown to Sinnoh to fight Cyrus." May accepted the coffee Red handed her, pulled the tab, and took a sip. "Then Morty told me you were competing in the Silver Conference, with absolutely no sign of going off to risk your life."
"Cyrus hasn't finished repairing his equipment. We still have time." Lin Hao slipped his hands into his pockets. "How was your training?"
"Pretty good." May raised her wrist. An assessment patch was stuck to the back of her hand, its green progress bar nearly full. "Instructor Chuck said my combat stress response improved by thirty-two percent."
Red glanced at the number. "Not bad."
May paused. "You approve too, Red?"
"Most Special Training Camps top out at a fifteen-percent improvement." Red took a sip of his coffee. "You've got decent potential."
May stared at Red for two seconds, then turned to Lin