Chapter 1 – A Rose in the Garden

Dawn. The first rays of the sun spread their golden light over the lush, green meadow, making the dewdrops shimmer like stars. The dazzling roses awoke from their sleep, stretching their petals and embracing the morning light. As the sun rose higher, its rays crept closer to a beautiful seaside villa by the glimmering shore. The rays crept through a window to slowly light up a beautiful bedroom.

Reaching a bed, the sun's rays tickled the eyelids of a young woman with long wavy hair, lush and green as the grass outside. Feeling the warmth on her face, she smiled contently to herself. It was time to greet another day.

Having showered and got dressed, Althea sat down on the terrace with a cup of tea and took in the scent of her rose garden in the early morning. She smiled contently to herself. For many years, she had been a star at Pokémon Contests, winning a world-record number of ribbons and mentoring hundreds of aspiring coordinators. Soon, she decided to start mentoring full-time and withdrew from the stage, occasionally guest-starring as a judge or a hostess. A few years ago, she had decided to retire from the world of contests altogether. She sold her house in Lilycove City and went to live on the island where her villa was located, just half an hour boat ride away from Evergrande City.

Althea took a sip of her tea and let the moment embrace her. She was content here. Even though she loved contests, it was a busy place to be, and she felt she needed some peace and quiet. Granted, journalists and reporters constantly visited the island to ask her when and if she was going to return to the stage, but she always said she had given the stage to the next generation of coordinators and wasn't going to return. Instead, she focused on another one of her passions…

"Roserade!"

"Good morning to you, too, Rosemary." Althea smiled and giggled slightly as the elegant Pokémon twirled around in excitement of the lovely weather.

"Rose, Rose!"

"Roselia!"

"My, my, aren't you sweeties happy today!" Althea chuckled as all the small Roselias joined Rosemary's morning dance. The rose-Pokémon had always been fond of the island, and she was more than happy to care for the colony of Roselias that inhabited it. Rosemary the Roserade was her first Pokémon and life-long companion that had been by her side ever since it was a tiny Roselia. Althea therefore felt she had a natural connection with the rose-Pokémon, and on the top of it all, she loved roses in general. Her garden was filled with red and white roses, filling the air with a lovely fragrance all year round.

Althea took a sip of her tea and gazed over the sea to the high-climbing rocks upon which Evergrande City stood. In the distance, she could see the majestic waterfall crash down into the ocean, creating a dream-like mist above the otherwise calm water. She sighed contently and leaned back in her chair, going through her plans for the day in her head. Take the boat to Evergrande to get some supplies she had ordered from Lilycove Department Store, tend to the Pokémon and the garden, cook, call a friend in Unova…

"Rose, Roserade!"

Althea snapped out of her thoughts and shifted her focus to Rosemary, who was pointing at the mailbox down by the dock. The flag had been erected, which meant the mail boat had actually delivered a letter before sunrise. A bit baffled, Althea went to grab the letter from the rose-covered box. She hardly ever received snail-mail to the island; almost all correspondence was done electronically. A physical letter was a rarity.

Walking back to her terrace, Althea examined the envelope. It was a lighter shade of pink and shimmering. A small golden and ruby replica was fastened on the front. That could only mean it was from…

"The Contest Spectacular Board… but why?" she murmured out loud to herself and sat down again, a bit puzzled. Roserade came to stand by her side as she proceeded to open the envelope and unfolded the letter. It read:

Dear Miss Althea,
This year will be the 50th year anniversary of the annual Contest Spectacular in Hoenn, and contestants from every region will participate in this exciting event. It will be the grandest, most amazing and extravagant Contest Spectacular in history, and we would kindly ask You, Miss Althea, to be our hostess for the contest. Your reputation as a contestant is well known and has already become legend. As you hold the record of most contest wins in history, as well as for most coordinators mentored, we cannot think of anyone more qualified for the task at hand.

Your presence and cooperation would honor us greatly. The Contest Spectacular starts on 7th May and lasts three weeks. We would kindly ask you and your co-host Mr. Wallace to meet us organizers in Lilycove City a month before the contest starts, and hope that the request is manageable.

Please reply to us soon.

Respectfully
the Contest Spectacular Board

The letter was signed by all the members of the Contest Spectacular Board. Althea read through the letter again, thoughts rushing through her head. It was certainly tempting. She hadn't attended a single Contest since the last coordinator she mentored won the Contest Spectacular for the first time.

Althea had always loved contests, as she had never grown tired of watching the beautiful appeals the Pokémon and their trainers put together to get an unforgettable experience. This letter in her hands could just be the key to discover that world all over again, as it would fascinating to see what the past years had done to the Contest Spectacular first-hand. Granted, she had watched several on TV, but being backstage and involved was something completely different.

She looked at the letter again, and a slight smirk crept to her lips. Wallace. Her long-time rival, friend and crush. She hadn't seen him in years and they hadn't really upheld contact that much, even though she didn't live that far from Sootopolis. He was busy at the gym, and she was busy on her island. Seeing and working with him again could actually be quite a thrill.

Seeking advice, Althea looked at Rosemary, who was still standing beside her.

"Should we head to Lilycove, Rose?"

"Roserade!" was the answer, accompanied by a positive, dramatic gesture. Rosemary loved contests and was a graceful competitor herself. It was due to her that Althea had become so famous in the first place, she thought, since the Pokémon was the highlight of the contests and Rosemary had shone like a star. So, naturally, asking her would be a definite "yes!"

"Lilycove City it is then." Althea stated, standing up and putting the letter back into the pink envelope. "And the 7th of May… luckily I'm heading for Evergrande today; I can send a snail-mail reply from there… That's what they want anyway."

Rosemary followed her trainer inside to the study, where Althea proceeded to write a reply for the Contest Spectacular Board. When she was finished, she put it in her bag, ready to leave for Evergrande City.

Althea sighed and leaned back in her chair. She would need to leave in six months, and she would be gone for about two. The Roselias would make it without her that long, they were able to stand their ground if needed, and they would naturally take care of the rose-garden as well. Still, she hadn't been visible in the world of contests for years, and returning was both exciting and a little bit anxious. It would have changed, it always did. Would she still fit in? Would she be able to adapt to the contemporary norms and styles? Seeing it on TV was one thing, actually doing it was another.

Rosemary, sensing her owner's insecurity, nudged her arm gently with her left rose. She tilted her head to the side, as if asking what was wrong. Althea smiled at the Rosemary, petting her.

"This is going to be exciting to say the least, Rose, exciting indeed… and we need to take up regular practice again, starting this afternoon."

"Roserade!" the Pokémon stated confidently and Althea let out a slight chuckle. This lady didn't lack confidence.