In the seas south of Hoenn lies an archipelago called the Serentia Islands. A chain made up of several unique islands, the Serentia Islands function as a separate region with it's own government and Pokémon league, despite its proximity to Hoenn. Serentia is a monarchy, though it was a modern nation through and through, but it still kept many of its cultural traditions. However, in truth, the king or queen is a figurehead with a set of rules that restrict his or her powers, imposed upon them by the Council of Nobility, a group of nobles that rule Serentia by hereditary right. These nobles govern the region, and many of them are also executives within the Pokémon League. This is evident by the fact that the annual Pokémon League tournament is recognized as a national holiday and government hosted. In fact, the government has set aside an entire island for the Pokémon League to use each year, an island called Grandrise Island.

Pokémon battles also play a large role in Serentian culture. Traditionally, disputes in the islands were always solved with Pokémon battles, and this method was particularly common amongst nobility. So, it came as little surprise that when the last king, King Frederick Graywood IV, died without an heir, the Council announced succession would be decided with a Pokémon battle. But, what did shock the nation was that the new monarch would be this year's Pokémon League champion. What's more is that succession would be open to everyone, not just the nobility. Now, with a kingdom on the line, as well as a championship, the interest surrounding the League was more intense than ever. With the announcement coming a month before the start of the League season, the reaction was fierce. Trainer registration jumped by the thousands. Hundreds of foreigners rushed into the islands, trying to make a claim to the throne. The whole region took on a festival atmosphere, with every royal hopeful burning with desire to sit the throne.

One of the ambitious was named André Roseland, scion of the noble family Roseland. At seventeen years of age, André was a lord in all but name. He sat in his father's seat, governed the family's lands, and spoke for his father on the rare occasion the Roseland family was expected at court. The only thing keeping André from taking his father's place as Lord Roseland was the fact that André's father was still alive, though it was painfully obvious he wouldn't be for much longer.

Despite the Roselands being a fairly wealthy family, they were not well respected. The Roselands rose to nobility abruptly and from nothing, after an ancestor discovered the gold mines on their ancestral home of Redpetal Island. For this, the old families see the Roselands as upstarts risen to power by money, rather than blood. And André despised that. Money couldn't buy the respect of the other families. But he knew what could: a show of strength. A traditional Pokémon battle. And thus, he formulated his plan. Why shouldn't he be king? If he couldn't buy respect, at least he could win it. And now he had his chance. The only problem being, he had never battled before, much less raised a Pokémon. His mother had always been protective of him and his younger siblings. She saw Pokémon as dangerous to her precious children. But, André wouldn't let that hold him back. He had contacted Professor Kale, a famed researcher from mainland Hoenn to fly out to Serentia and drill him on the basics of Pokémon, and eventually send him on his merry way to become champion and king. Kale's plane was due any moment...