"Then I'll trust you two." May fell asleep not long after saying that, her head tilting against the window, her breathing slow and steady. She slept through the entire four-and-a-half-hour flight.
Lin Hao stayed awake, watching the rolling clouds outside the window the whole way. Pikachu curled up on his lap, occasionally swiveling an ear before settling back down.
At twelve fifteen that afternoon, the plane landed at Lilycove City Airport. The moment the cabin door opened, a wave of humid heat washed over them.
Hoenn's climate was completely different from Johto's. The sunlight was dazzling, and the air was full of the salty tang of seawater and the fresh scent of greenery.
May rubbed her eyes as she walked down the boarding stairs. The hot breeze jolted her awake, clearing away most of her drowsiness. "It must be twenty degrees hotter here than on Mt. Coronet, right?"
"About that."
Lin Hao took off his jacket and draped it over his arm. Pikachu wriggled out of his clothes, jumped onto his shoulder, and stretched luxuriously, ears swiveling in every direction with obvious curiosity about this unfamiliar place.
Once they left the arrivals hall, Lin Hao immediately spotted the person waiting outside.
Steven stood beside a pillar directly opposite the exit, his silver-gray hair particularly striking in the midday sunlight. He wore a casual suit jacket and held a paper bag, looking relaxed, as though he were waiting for a friend to get off work.
"Lin Hao." Steven raised a hand in greeting, his smile warm.
"Champion Steven."
"Just call me Steven."
Steven walked over, glanced past Lin Hao's shoulder at May, and nodded in greeting. "Hello, Investigator."
"Former Investigator," May corrected crisply.
Steven raised an eyebrow but asked no further questions. He handed Lin Hao the paper bag. "A Hoenn