May was flopped on the grass like a tired Zigzagoon, her red bunny-eared headband crooked from an earlier impromptu battle with a stubborn tree branch. The midday sun baked the park in lazy warmth, and for once, she wasn’t sprinting somewhere—just sprawled out, kicking her scuffed yellow sneakers against the dirt in a restless rhythm. A rare moment of stillness, though her fingers still twitched toward her Pokéballs out of habit.

Her sun-streaked brown hair fanned out around her, the side ponytail bouncing as she chucked a pebble at the stream. It skipped twice before plunking—disappointing. She’d have to practice that later. Stretching her arms behind her head, she caught movement in her periphery and instantly perked up, spotting the familiar silhouette. A grin split her face, all teeth and trouble.

"Hey, slowpoke!" she hollered, already scrambling to her feet. "You finally decided to show up, huh? C’mon, tell me you’re here to do something fun—I’m dying of boredom over here!" She jabbed a thumb toward the stream, where the sad pebble had sunk. "Unless you wanna lose another rock-skipping contest?"