Anger radiated off of Ash as he watched Golurk getting smaller among the clouds. Before they could disappear completely, he released Taillow from his pokéball.

"Tail!" Taillow announced himself as he appeared in the air before his trainer.

"Follow them." Ash ordered him, pointing towards the Golurk which by this point was little more than a speck in the sky. Able to sense Ash's rage, Taillow simply nodded and flew after Golurk as fast as his wings could carry him. Soon both flying Pokemon disappeared among the clouds and several moments of silence passed as the weight of what just happened sunk in. Once it did, however, Ash suddenly collapsed to his knees and pounded his fist into the ground with great frustration. The sudden action scared Plusle who drooped his ears and teared up a little.

"Plu..." he whispered. Pikachu, who had finally managed to get out of the tree he was thrown into, limped over to them and could sense the pain within his best friend.

"May..." was all Ash could whisper. He felt as though he had completely failed her. He promised to protect her, and now she had been kidnapped by the very Pokemon that had been threatening her life within her dreams. He was taking her Arceus only knows where and was going to do Arceus only knows what to her when they got there. If she got hurt in any way he'd never be able to forgive himself. Pikachu had never seen Ash so upset, but he still cautiously approached and placed a paw on his arm.

"Ash...we'll get her back..." Pikachu promised. Ash remained silent as Pikachu nuzzled him in a small attempt to comfort him. A few more moments of silence passed before Ash turned to his friend, now remembering the beating he had taken during the fight.

"Are you okay...?" he asked.

"Just a little sore...I'll be fine..." Pikachu assured him.

"At least that's something…" Ash sighed. Pikachu nuzzled his chest again, hoping to bring whatever comfort he could. "Thanks..."

"We'll figure this out..." Pikachu whispered. Ash turned his attention to Plusle, only to see the little Pokémon crying on the ground. Just by looking Ash could tell that he was as devastated about losing Minun as he was about losing May. He gently pulled Plusle into his arms and hugged him. Plusle cried into his sweatshirt as Ash pet him gently.

"Plu plusle..." the Cheering Pokémon whimpered.

"We'll get May and Minun back...I promise." Ash promised him. Plusle slowly looked up at him and tried to dry the tears from his eyes.

"Plusle..." he sniffled.

"I promise..." Ash repeated. Plusle was silent for a few moments before he gave a small nod. Knowing that all his Pokémon were hurting right now and in no condition for another battle, Ash picked up Pikachu in his arms along with Plusle and began to limp back to the Mauville Pokémon Center.

Once Ash found his way back to the Pokémon Center, his jaw dropped in shock. The damage to the building from the attack was far more extensive than he had realized. He must've been so focused on protecting May that he hadn't realized how much damage was being done around him. He headed inside and found Nurse Joy frantically working with the authorities to treat injured Pokémon and rescue trapped people from the rubble with whatever equipment they had that was still operational. Nurse Joy heard his footsteps and looked over.

"Ash!" she gasped as she ran over to him. "Thank goodness you're ok!" Ash could only look up at her sadly, his face indicating that he wasn't as ok as he looked. "Ash, what happened?"

"He took her..." he finally spoke up. Nurse Joy's eyes widened as she caught his drift.

"You mean...?" she gasped. He simply nodded in response. "Oh, Ash...I'm so sorry..."

"...That Golurk is a seriously high level...most of our Pokémon didn't stand a chance..." he explained.

"Do you have any idea why he was after her...?" Joy wondered.

"She's been having nightmares about him...saying she didn't belong here." He added.

"Oh...I'm afraid don't know much about Pokémon from Unova...but I know that Golurk can be nearly as old as she is..." she said.

"I see..." he nodded.

"Perhaps there's a connection...do you know where he took her?" she asked.

"I'm not sure...I sent Taillow to follow..." he answered.

"Do you have a direction at least...?" she tried again.

"North towards the ocean..." he remembered.

"Oh dear…Then he could be headed anywhere..." Joy realized. Plusle lowered his ears further at the revelation as Ash grit his teeth, feeling his rage begin to resurface. Pikachu looked up at his friend sadly as he sensed Ash's mood sour further.

"We don't have time to rest." Ash declared, turning towards the entrance to leave. "We're going after her."

"Ash wait. Everyone is exhausted...Corphish isn't even conscious and Treecko is just barely so...how can we fight off that thing if we're not at our best...?" Pikachu tried to remind him.

"She said he was trying to kill her. We don't have time to just sit here and wait!" Ash countered, growing more frustrated.

"I know…but if he is going across the ocean we don't have any way to follow right now..." Pikachu fired back. Unable to argue that point, Ash remained silent. "Ash please..."

"Point made alright?" he snapped. Pikachu drooped his ears at Ash's irritability as Ash turned back toward Nurse Joy. "I know there's been a lot of damage done, but is there any way you can heal my Pokémon?"

"I'll do everything I can." Nurse Joy promised as she accepted his Pokémon and begins to treat them as best she could given the damage. Ash waited quietly for her to be done, trying to control his anger. He knew from previous experience that if he let anger cloud his judgment he'd never be able to save May. After a few minutes that felt like an eternity, Nurse Joy returned Corphish and Treecko's pokéballs and set Pikachu and Plusle down on the counter. "Alright. They should all be ok now."

"Thank you, Nurse Joy…" Ash said. Pikachu hopped off the counter and landed near Ash's feet. Ash kneeled down to his level and pet his head. "Feeling better...?"

"Yeah." Pikachu nodded, cooing softly at Ash's gentle touch. Ash gave a small smile and Pikachu smiled as well, happy to finally see his best friend smile again. Ash lifted Pikachu to his shoulder and Pikachu accepted his favorite perch. Plusle looked up at the two of them from the counter and finally spoke up.

"Plu plu plusle sle?" he asked. Ash nodded and lowered his other arm towards his other Electric Type. With a small smile, Plusle climbed up his free arm and perched on the opposite shoulder to Pikachu. After placing his remaining pokéballs back on his belt, Ash took a deep breath and looked at Nurse Joy again.

"Nurse Joy, are any of the video phones still working by chance?" he asked.

"Yes a few of them survived. Why?" she wondered.

"Because if I'm going to be traveling across the ocean, then I'm going to need some help."

Heading in the direction that Golurk went, Ash spent several days doing all he could to follow by moving in that direction. It wasn't until he got to the coast of Slateport City and ran out of beach that he was forced to stop walking. He had barely stopped to rest or eat. All he could really focus on was finding May and getting her back safely. Looking out over the vast ocean beyond Slateport City, it felt like a near-impossible task. But a tiny speck of hope suddenly lit up under them as Pikachu suddenly piped up.

"Over there!" he called, pointing to a small dot on the horizon that was seemingly flying towards them. Ash squinted his eyes and did his best to make out the distant figure. As it drew nearer, Ash recognized his Taillow flying towards them, albeit with a very tired demeanor.

"Taillow!" he yelled out. Taillow flew until he was over the sand and then finally collapsed in exhaustion. He was panting hard as Ash ran over and gently picked him up. "Taillow are you ok…?"

"Tail…" Taillow nodded tiredly as he looked up at his trainer. "Tai...llow...tail..." he tried to explain as he pointed north across the ocean.

"He said something about them going to a region with a giant mountain..." Pikachu translated.

"Thank you for all your hard work Taillow...you deserve a nice long rest." Ash thanked him before recalling him to his pokéball.

"So all we have to go on is a region north of here that has a giant mountain?" Pikachu asked.

"Plu plu?" Plusle echoed Pikachu's question.

"That's more than enough for me." Ash said as he grabbed a sixth pokéball from his belt. "It's time Charizard! Let's go!" he yelled as he threw the new pokéball. In a bright flash of light, one of Ash's oldest and strongest Pokémon partners appeared on the beach. Charizard shook out his scales and launched a small Flamethrower into the air, per his usual entrance.

"Plu!" Plusle gasped, hiding his face behind Ash's shoulder.

"It's ok Plusle. Charizard is a good friend of mine. He'll help us find Minun." Ash explained.

"Good to see you again Charizard!" Pikachu greeted his old friend. Charizard smiled and roared back a greeting of his own.

"Let's get moving." Ash announced as he boarded Charizard's back. Pikachu and Plusle tightened their grips on Ash's shoulders as Charizard spread his wings wide. With a mighty flap of his wings, he lifted the group off the ground and flew out across the water.

Several hours had passed as the group made their way across the skies over the ocean. Everyone was keeping a sharp eye out for the large mountain that Taillow spoke of. Charizard was flying north as fast as he could as Ash clung to his back. Pikachu and Plusle hung onto his shoulders as they each provided an additional set of eyes to try and find the landmark.

"I think I see the mountain!" Pikachu suddenly announced as he pointed to the peak of a mountain on the horizon.

"That must be it!" Ash confirmed.

"Whoa...it's huge..." Pikachu gasped.

"Plusle…" Plusle agreed. Ash gritted his teeth as Charizard flew directly towards the landmass. He hadn't expected May to be taken to a mountain that big. On foot, it could take days to search the entire thing. There had to be a way to narrow down the search. Sensing his dilemma, Pikachu came up with an idea of his own.

"Maybe we should see if we can see her from the air? If she's not inside the mountain we might be able to spot her." He suggested.

"Good idea." Ash agreed. "Charizard, circle the mountain and see if you can spot anything."

"Alright." Charizard nodded as he began to fly in circles around the mountain, going up a level with each loop. All three passengers keep their eyes open for any sign of the girls on the rocky edges and cliffs. Several rotations yielded no results, but finally, as they neared the top, the sight of a bright red color caught Ash's eye.

"There!" Ash yelled. Charizard flew in closer and the group saw May laying on her back among a large site of ruins on the top of the mountain. Minun meanwhile was shaking her arm frantically, looking like she was trying to wake May up.

"Mi! Mi mi minun!" Minun cried out. From the height they were at, Ash couldn't tell if she was breathing or not. And that absolutely terrified him.

"May!" he desperately screamed out.

"Plu plus!" Plusle echoed his call, which reached Minun's ears and drew her attention. Once she spotted up in the air, she frantically waved her paws in the air.

"Mi mi minun nun!" she yelled. Sensing the urgency on both sides, Charizard landed among the ruins as quickly as he could. No sooner had his feet touched the ground than Ash jumped down from his back and bolted over to May's side. Plusle leapt off his shoulder and quickly ran to Minun to check on her. All of Ash's attention was on the Princess as he lifted her upper body off the hard stone ground and cradled her in his arms.

"May...?" he whispered, praying that she'd respond to his voice. For a few moments, she didn't move. But just as Ash was fearing the worst and was about to break down completely, May's finger twitched and a soft moan escaped her lips.

"Mmm..." she shifted a little at his touch and slowly her eyes opened as the world around her began to come back into focus. "Sir...Ash...?"

"May…" Ash smiled as he embraced her tightly. He had never been so happy to hear her say that title. The days of worry and anger he had been feeling while he searched for her were erased completely in his mind. It was all worth it to hear her say his name again. May blushed at his actions but was quick to hug him back.

"Oh thank goodness you're here..." she said. The two stayed locked in the embrace for several minutes before Ash finally felt safe enough to release her.

"Are you alright…?" he asked.

"I-I'm fine...I was so scared after the attack I guess I just...blacked out..." she explained. Ash nodded in understanding and placed a comforting kiss on her cheek. His gift made her smile softly, but then she slowly looked around the ruins they were now in. It didn't seem like any part of Hoenn that she knew. It was far too cold as well. "Where are we...?"

"I don't know...I followed Golurk to this region after he took you. I don't think I've ever been here before." He answered.

"Oh..." she sighed.

"Come on, let's get you out of-" the suggestion was interrupted when the ground suddenly began to shake in a very familiar footstep pattern. Rounding one of the corners of the broken temple remains, Golurk marched into the ruins. Ash quickly shielded May's body behind his own as Pikachu, Plusle and Minun got down on all fours and sparked their cheeks, ready for another battle. Charizard growled in a deep voice and took a battle stance as well. May gripped onto Ash with fear painted back onto her face. Ash grit his teeth as he readied another pokéball in his hand.

"Golurk..." the behemoth said in his deep low voice.

"Back for round two!?" Ash yelled angrily. Golurk continued walking towards them, but instead of firing an attack, he stopped in front of them and simply pulled an envelope from the seal on his chest. Ash and the Pokémon jerked back slightly in surprise as Golurk presented the ancient-looking paper to May.

"H-Huh...?" she asked as she hesitantly accepted the paper. Once she had accepted it from him, Golurk took a step back and kneeled down before her with what almost looked like reverence. Ash could only watch in total shock as Golurk bowed down to her. May's attention shifted from Golurk to the paper in her hands. Her eyes widened in surprise as she examined it. "It...it has my name on it..."

"A letter…? How is that possible…?" Ash wondered. May turned the envelope over to the back and ran her fingers over a wax seal that held it closed.

"It has the seal…the seal of my Kingdom…" she realized, recognizing the pattern. "Could…could it really be from...my time...?"

"Only one way to find out…" Ash pointed out. Giving him a small nod, May carefully broke the seal and pulled out the letter. She took a deep breath and began reading it aloud, her voice almost shaking.

"My dearest May, if you're reading this then it means that my lifelong search for you has finally ended. My dearest daughter, when you disappeared your mother and I were heartbroken. To not know where you had gone or if you were ok...it was almost too much for us to bare. But I could not stop until I knew for certain what had happened. I worked my entire life, researching and exploring all of my Kingdom to find what had happened to you. Finally, I had my answer. The Mirage Tower had taken you to another time. Even though the tower's jumps are random, it gave me so much comfort to know that you were still out there somewhere. In my studies, I had found legends of a Pokémon that governs all of time. The Temporal Pokémon, Dialga. I tracked him to this ruin, the Spear Pillar, to ask him if I could go to where you ended up and bring you home. He declined to bring me in order to protect the Timeline from further damage, but he gave his word that if you were to appear here at Spear Pillar one day, he would grant you passage back to our time, sending you back as if you had never left. That was good enough for me. I had this Golett made so that there would be someone left who would know to bring you here. Your mother and I miss you so much my dearest Princess...we love you and wish you a safe journey home...love Dad..."

"May…" Ash said as an uncomfortable silence passed over the group. The revelations of what her father had gone through to bring her home had left him unsure of what to say. May laid the letter in her lap as her eyes began watering at all the information she had to absorb. Deciding not to even try to say anything right now, Ash wrapped his arms around her. She began to sob quietly into his shirt as he held her tightly, allowing her to cry as much as she needed. Once she had gotten the raw emotions out of her system, May lifted her head from his chest and sniffled.

"Thank you…" she said to Ash.

"You're welcome…" he replied.

"I don't…I don't understand…how do I know this is real? Why would Golurk still be waiting for me after all this time?" she asked as she continued to calm down.

"I think it has something to do with its pre-evolution, Golett." Ash answered as best he could, proceeding to pull out his Pokédex and lookup Golett to confirm his theory.

"Golett, the Automaton Pokémon. Golett was created from clay. It is said that it received orders from its master many thousands of years ago, and it still follows those orders to this day." The device explained.

"I see…then it really did receive orders from my Dad…he wasn't trying to kill me…he was trying to bring me here like my Dad told him to…" May slowly realized. Sensing her revelation, Golurk stood back up from his bow and proceeded to lift up a boulder nearby, revealing a hidden chest below it. As both Ash and May watched him, he opened the chest and pulled a shimmering diamond orb from it.

"What is that?" Ash wondered.

"Golurk…?" May asked. Golurk held the orb high in the sky and it started shining brightly, forcing Ash and May to shield their eyes. A hole in the sky above the ruins was suddenly ripped open and another large blue Pokémon flew out of the tear. He roared loudly as the light from the shining orb faded. Ash held onto May tightly as the newcomer landed in the ruins. Ash pointed his Pokédex at the Pokémon and scanned it for information.

"Dialga, the Temporal Pokémon. Dialga completely controls the flow of time. It uses its power to travel through the past and future at will." The Pokédex explained.

"Just like my Dad said…" May remembered. Dialga looked the two of them up and down as Ash returned its gaze and glared ever so slightly. Recognizing May's temporal signature, Dialga began to glow blue and allowed the spikes on his back to grow larger. He suddenly fired a beam of energy from his mouth towards the space in between the two main pillars. The beam caused a portal to open in that spot and both Ash and May's eyes widened in shock at the sight of the massive portal. May slowly stood up and looked at the massive gaping hole in the sky as Ash followed behind her. "Is...is that...?"

"...Your way home..."

To be Continued...