Long before the invention of the pokéball, in times when most of the people still feared the wild and the monsters inside that were known only as Magical Creatures, the world was divided into several kingdoms. In these ancient times, one particular Kingdom was almost divided evenly between its land and its water. Known as the Kingdom of Hoenn, the unique land was ruled by a fair and just royal family. King Norman, his wife Queen Caroline, and their children, Princess May and Prince Max had ruled over their subjects from their castle in a castle near the ocean that they called Petalburg for as long as anyone could remember. They cared for and supported their people and in turn, the people adored them and gave them their unfettered loyalty. With such a thriving economy, many settlements across the Kingdom, even the smallest ones, flourished and produced goods and services for the Kingdom. One early morning, in particular, the sunlight crept into the bedroom of the eighteen-year-old Princess.
"Mmm…" she mumbled as she pulled the blankets over her head to try and block out the sun. A soft knock at her door sounded and the door creaked open, revealing her Lady in Waiting on the other side.
"Good morning Your Highness." She greeted the Princess.
"Mm…five more minutes…" the royal mumbled under her blankets.
"I'm very sorry Your Highness." The young woman said as she walked over to the large window and pulled back the curtains. The sunlight poured into the freshly opened windows and lit up the entire room. "But the King and Queen have requested your presence promptly this morning at breakfast."
"Akari!" May complained as she sat up, unable to hide from all the light even under her blankets.
"I'm sorry Your Highness but they deemed your attendance mandatory." Akari informed her.
"What is so important…?" the Princess grumbled as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
"They mentioned something about a solo assignment." May's eyes widened in shock as the grogginess immediately left her attitude.
"A solo assignment?! Why didn't you say something earlier?!" May gasped as she quickly leaped out of bed. She ran quickly to her private bathroom and quickly began running a bath. While she rushed through her bath, Akari stayed in the main bedroom and began going through the Princess's sizable closet.
"Is there anything, in particular, you'd like to wear today Your Highness?" she called out.
"You're certain they mentioned something about a solo assignment?" May called back.
"Quite so." Akari confirmed.
"Then let's go with my favorite. If this is a legitimate assignment I'll want to look my best." May decided.
"Very good Your Highness." Akari replied as she began to gather the pieces of the gown May had indicated. May finished her bath quickly and wrapped a towel around her body before running back to the bedroom. Working together with Akari, May was dressed in a white, pink, and red ball gown decorated with tiny bows and a clip designed similar to Beautifly wings on the back of her waist. She slipped on a pair of red heels and then hurried over to her vanity. She sat down in front of the large mirror as Akari approached her from behind. "Any preferences for your hair today?"
"Hm…well since I don't know what might be a part of the assignment so let's be practical. Two ponytails should be enough to keep it out of my face and still look good." May answered.
"Yes, Your Highness." Akari acknowledged as she began to style the Princess's wet brown hair. Akari tied her hair on either side of her head with hairbands that had little pink pom-poms on them for decoration. She also left two strands of hair up near the Princess's bangs and braided them, tying them off with tiny red bows that matched her dress. Once she was done, May smiled at her reflection then pulled Akari into a hug.
"Thanks so much, Akari." She whispered. Akari smiled softly and hugged her back.
"You're welcome, Your Highness." Akari replied.
"I'll see you soon!" May smiled before running out of the room and towards the dining hall. Akari smiled at her friend and began cleaning up May's room as her next duty of the day.
May ran into the dining room where both her parents and her younger brother had already sat down and were having breakfast. They all looked up as the Princess burst in and ran up to the table.
"Akari said something about a solo assignment for me! Is that true?!" she exclaimed.
"Good morning May." Her mother reminded her. May sweatdropped at her own lack of manners and tried to reign in her enthusiasm.
"Sorry…good morning Mom, Dad, Max." she corrected herself.
"Good morning dear." Norman greeted back.
"Eager much?" Max teased. May stuck her tongue out at him before turning her attention back to Norman.
"In answer to your question May, yes. Your mother and I have decided that you're ready to visit a settlement on your own." Norman announced.
"Yes!" May cheered.
"We'll be sending you to the Lavaridge settlement just on the other side of the desert. We've received word that their crops are doing well in the volcanic soil and we'd like you to go and confirm that their reports are accurate." Caroline explained.
"I can do it! I won't let you guys down!" May assured them.
"We're sure you'll do great sweetheart. We've already prepared transportation and guards for you. Just make sure you have everything you need before you go." Norman reminded her.
"I sure will! Oh thank you guys so much!" she exclaimed, pulling each of them into a tight hug before running off to pack. Norman glanced at her untouched breakfast plate that she accidentally left behind before turning to his wife.
"I think we'll need to make sure she has-"
"I already have the chefs working on it."
"Very good."
After packing up with Akari's help and saying goodbye to her family, May had boarded her carriage and left the safety of Petalburg. She relaxed inside the carriage as the guards assigned to her guided the Rapidash that pulled the carriage along the path. She had never been outside Petalburg without her parents, so she was very excited to be able to help her people on her own for once. Once they had traveled considerably far into the desert with no real end in sight, May began to worry. She opened the window of her carriage and stuck her head out. She looked to the guards controlling the Rapidash and called out to them.
"Excuse me, sir?"
"Yes Your Majesty?"
"How much further to the Lavaridge settlement?"
"Twenty Miles."
"Is that all through this desert?"
"Unfortunately."
"I see..." May sighed. "Thank you."
"Your welcome Your Highness." The guard nodded. May sat back down and watched the vast desert go by out her window. After what felt like hours, the group noticed a strong breeze beginning to pick up.
"Huh?" May looked back out her other window and saw the wind beginning to blow harder. The harder it blew, the more sand began to get caught up in it.
"A storm is picking up Highness..." the Guard informed her.
"Looks like it'll turn into a Sandstorm..." she noted.
"Your orders?"
"Um…we should stop here for now. I don't want the Rapidash to get injured trying to navigate it." May decided.
"That is wise. As you wish Your Highness." The guard agreed. The guard pulled on the reigns of the Rapidash and the group veered off towards a large rock that helped shield them from the blowing sand. May stepped out of the carriage and was quick to notice how little shelter the rock provided from the blowing sand.
"Are we sure there's nothing that will provide more shelter?" she asked.
"Unfortunately no. The closest settlement is on the other side of the desert. And we're still miles away." the guard explained as he tied the Rapidash down to another rock. "There we are."
"I see…" May sighed as she sat down on another rock.
"Alright let's get this shelter put together." The lead guard called to the others as they began to work to put together a stable shelter. As they worked, the wind continued to get stronger and it was quickly becoming apparent that the makeshift shelter they had was not keeping them very safe.
"There has to be something better somewhere…" May stood up from the camp and tried to see through the blowing sand. As she scanned the horizon, she suddenly noticed what looked like a tower appear out of the corner of her eye. She turned her attention towards it in surprise as she tried to get a better look at it. Very faintly, she could see the slightly transparent tower in the distance. "...Odd...I thought they said there wasn't a settlement out here..." she began to slowly approach it, but she hesitated and looked back at her guards.
"Easy girl easy." The guards tried to comfort the spooked and restless Rapidash. Deciding they had enough to deal with, May headed off towards the mysterious tower on her own. As she got closer, she found the tower looked to be ancient, built out of stones that were nearly the same color as the sand around them. Nervously, May walked into the tower and looked around. It appeared to be completely vacant, but stable enough that it would provide shelter. She stepped further inside to look around, trying to make sure it was safe.
"Is anyone here...?" she wondered. Her voice echoed a bit in the empty tower, but there was still no response. "Very strange..." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she suddenly felt the entire tower shake violently. "Huh?!" she gasped as the sudden shaking knocked her off balance. The tower continued to shake violently, and May stumbled backward again, this time accidentally hitting her head into a column and knocking herself out. She collapsed as the tower continued to shake. And then, as mysteriously as it appeared, the tower disappeared with May unconscious inside.
"Princess May?" the guard asked, looking away from the Rapidash and around the campsite for his charge. He didn't even notice the tower in the distance fading away completely.
Centuries began to pass and the world changed with each one that passed. Kingdoms began to fade away and new governments began to form. Kingdoms became countries and technology began to advance at a record pace. People and the wild creatures, now called Pokémon, grew closer, and soon the tradition of Pokémon Trainers began. And with that tradition came many others, such as regional tournaments called Pokémon Leagues. One, in particular, dubbed the Hoenn League, had a new participant this year. A twenty-year-old man from the Kanto region was on his way up Route 111 intent on earning his fourth Hoenn Gym badge. He wore a blue hoodie, black gloves with green cuffs, light blue jeans, and sneakers. A green backpack was situated on his back and his messy raven black hair was partially contained by a red and black hat with a green pokéball symbol on it. The young man smiled up a small yellow Pokémon on resting his head and chuckled.
"Comfortable up there Pikachu?"
"You bet Ash…" Pikachu yawned. Ash Ketchum smiled as he continued walking. He had traveled around many different regions over the years, but he had always done so with friends. This was not only his first time traveling around Hoenn but his first time traveling a region alone. It was different than he was used to and if he was honest with himself, he missed having someone around. All of a sudden, Pikachu's ears perked up and he sat up on Ash's head, catching Ash's attention.
"What's up buddy?" he asked.
"I thought...I heard something..." Pikachu replied.
"You did? But there's no one around." Ash pointed out as he looked around for what his friend might've heard. Pikachu stood up on Ash's head to get a better view as he looked around too.
"I think it's coming from over there..." Pikachu said, pointing towards what looked to be the start of a desert.
"Looks like the Desert Resort Nurse Joy mentioned." Ash noted as he began walking towards the change in scenery. Pikachu nodded and sniffed the air again, picking up a scent.
"Oh no!" he gasped. He quickly hopped off Ash's head and ran off.
"What the?! Pikachu where are you going!?" Ash yelled as he ran after his partner. He followed as Pikachu ran into the Desert Resort and towards a giant tower that Ash could've sworn was not there a minute ago. Pikachu ran inside without hesitation, but the sudden appearance made Ash skid to a stop and look up at the massive structure in awe. "What in the...?"
"Ash!" Pikachu called from inside the tower. The trainer shook off his surprise and ran inside the mysterious building. Inside he found a massive open room, the only notable feature being a staircase leading up near the back wall. Finally, his eyes landed on Pikachu, who was standing next to the unconscious body of a girl. Ash gasped in shock as he ran towards the young woman.
"What in the world!?" he quickly kneeled down next to her and checked her wrist for a pulse as an old friend once taught him to do. With a sigh of relief, he was able to find a strong pulse. "Thank goodness…"
"Who is she…?" Pikachu wondered.
"I don't know…" Ash admitted. Having confirmed that she was just unconscious, he finally took a minute to look at her features. Her brown hair was pulled back into two ponytails and she was wearing a dress that made her look like she worked at a medieval carnival. Ash moved a few strands of her hair from her face and noticed just how flawless it looked. "Whoa…" he whispered. Suddenly, the entire tower began to shake and tremble around them, snapping Ash out of his daydream.
"What's happening?!" Pikachu gasped.
"I don't know but let's get out of here!" Ash ordered him. Pikachu ran back out the door as Ash took the young woman into his arms and carried her out. Once the two felt like they were at a safe distance away, they looked back and watched the tower disappear into thin air just as mysteriously as it appeared. The two friends looked at where the tower had been in awe for several moments before Ash regained enough breath to try and speak. "Wha...?"
"Did...did the entire tower just...?" Pikachu stammered.
"I-I think it did..." Ash responded. As they tried to make sense of what they just witnessed, the woman in Ash's arms groaned a little as she started to stir and wake up. "Oh!" he quickly laid her down on the sand and kneeled beside her, supporting her upper body with his arms as she started to come to.
"Mmm..." her eyes slowly opened and her eyesight began to come back into focus. Her deep sapphire blue eyes were met with warm auburn ones as Ash's gentle voice reached her ears.
"Hey, are you alright?"
To be Continued...