I was walking back to the castle, each of us with a cloak to hide ourselves and our newfound identities. And of course, courtesy of Dawn, her's and Misty's matched their dresses. "For a town with no electricity, it sure sells pretty good stuff," Dawn commented satisfying, looking at all the bags in her arms. I must have underestimated her muscle power for her to be able to carry those along.
"I agree to that," Misty told, holding just as many supplies, and strangely just as confortably. "I was even able to get some materials so I can invent more things. There's so much stuff in the Medieval Ages that don't even exist back in our present time. It's like working from scratch!"
An awkward sweatdrop made its way towards Dawn's head as it dripped downwards. "Yeah you invent your things Misty." She then noticed my quiet demeanor as I trailed behind in silence. Always one to never ignore a friend she called out as if normally. "Hey May, you haven't said a word at all on our little shopping spree. You okay?"
"Or would you like us to start addressing you as 'Princess May' now?" Misty said jokingly, trying to lift my somewhat down spirits.
I quickly replied once they mentioned me, as to not show any nervousness"I'm okay guys, really. I just have a lot on my mind right now, that's all."
"Ooh! Was it that Drew boy? He looked like he caught your eye," Dawn suggested with a winx, only for Misty to make a distorted face. Only Dawn would think it was boy troubles. Her fellow red-head, on the other hand, inwardly proposed my problems consisted of other topics surrounding our time.
"Are you kidding?" I ashed Dawn in disbelief. "I barely know the guy. And he's pretty rude if you asked me."
"Well he looked sweet," Misty said, trying to defend the stranger. She wasn't one to insult people she didn't know.
Dawn nodded vigorously. "Yeah! I mean sure he's probably in a lower class but still!" Misty sighed depressingly with a tilted head.
"Yeah, still," I repeated uninterested, kind of feeling the same way.
Seeing me not taking her seriously, Dawn stubornly and hard-headedly marched up in front of me and halted our walking, authorative hands resting femeninly on her hips. "May, you're almost thirteen, and you haven't even had a crush on one guy back in the present! Just try it now while you've got nothing to loose! We traveled back in time for heaven's sakes how much worse could things possibly get-?!"
"Dawn I don't think your assumed persuasion skills are working on her," Misty said, pushing her aside gently so she herself could stand in front of the confused brunette I presume myself to br. " I'm sure everything will be fine, May. Everything always is, remember? Like the time we went to that after-night rave and got arrested and put in juvi."
"And the time when we had to rescue Misty's pet fish from the school's water supply system in the cafeteria!" Dawn remembered suddenly butting in with a dreaming smile. Where does she remember stuff like that? How does stuff like that even happen to us? "Oh! When that bank robber broke into school and tried to steal all our money during study hall and you got all of the class to beat the snot out of him!" she added, punching her fist in the air, trying to imitate me.
"We missed our math test for that," Misty smiled, only for me to look at her in disbelief. Was she actually agreeing with Dawn in this?
"And when Ash accidentally destroyed his mom's 7-layer birthday cake and you had us remake another one exactly like it a second before his mom made it through the door!" Dawn said dreamily, remembering the tasty and miraculous 7-layer cake.
"Ooh! And also also when we had to sneak into school at night so we could get Ash's Pokemon video games from Mr. Hagurn's confiscation drawer," Misty added with a bright smile and a pointed hand upright.
"Not you, too," I said depressingly at the red-head.
"Oh I remember that! Boy did I ever find the perfect chance to wear my slimming black spy outfit." Dawn slyly grinned, holding the sides of her slim figure.
"Okay guys I get it, I get it," I said with my hands up, trying to bring the two back down to earth. "I know we always come through in the end, no matter how strange or weird things always seem to end up, but this time it isn't as simple. I have to make a choice one way or another. Don't you two get that?" I looked down at my medieval shoes. I had the unusual habbit of flexxing my toes inside my socks whenever I made some big speach or talk. I took the two secone oppertunity to realize I missed wearing socks, on account I wasn't wearing any anymore. "If I decide to stay, you guys will have to leave and I'll never see you again. But if I decline the throne, one day Petalburg will have no ruler and it'll be all because of me."
Misty drew on a sympathetic half smile and went back to he rmotherly sense, coming back to my side and holding my shoulder. "Hey don't worry May. I'm sure you'd be a great ruler if you decided to stay," she said placing her hand on my shoulder. "You'd make an awesome princess, for one."
"Misty I don't know the first thing about being a princess! Eating proper, walking proper, dressing proper, talking proper-"
"May just chillax," Dawn shrugged off with a nonchalant look. "You were never one to over-react and now's not a good time to start. And besides, it's not good for stress and complexion."
"Sure it isn't, Dawn," Misty went along, only for me to look to the side. If only it were that easy. After we resumed our walk we shortly arrived at the castle garden again. It was the same natural beauty it was when we first left early afternoon. Except there we saw someone very familiar tending to the flowers in the bushes, trimming unwanted thorns and bruning the overgrown leaves. It was a young redhead, somewhat a shade of pink, wearing typical medieval clothing. Also known as Nurse Joy in the Pokemon Video Games. In the middle of her dress she had a red-colored stone embedded on it, instead of her nurse's hat with the colored hospital crosses.
"Please tell me that isn't Nurse Joy in real life," I said with an expectant look on my face. When you see a video game character that's when you really start to question the laws of reality.
"It's her alright," replied Misty shockingly, not believeing what her own eyes were projecting to her, as well.
"Ah, Princess May. It's been a while since I have seen you," Nurse Joy greeted upon seeing us, standing and bowing her head to me as we came over. I heard Misty and Dawn chuckle from behind me from the unusual greeting.
"Um... good to see you too?" I greeted back awkwardly. Did I know her know her? Because I sure don't recall knowing any Nurse Joy. Ever.
Nonetheless the charming woman just gave me her signature warm smile. "No need for white lying, Princess May. Before the Queen left for her trip, she told all my sisters and me about your memory loss. My sisters and I work here at the palace grounds as your maids."
"Maids?" I repeated. We have maids??
"Yes, we serve her majesty, as well as you. The queen was so kind to have given us commoners this job, otherwise my sisters and I would be living on the streets."
"Commoners? Wow, I really am back in the Medieval times." I said, making a sad look.
"Need not worry Princess May. You don't have to worry about us lower class people."
"But isn't that what Royalty does? Help their people?" I asked.
"Partially, but they mostly tend to their land and neighboring kingdoms, no time for their people. Luckily, Queen Somei has time for pretty much everything. I don't know how she does it, but she is as great a leader as your mother and father were May."
"My mother and father..." I paused, looking down. I felt kind of guilty more than remorseful, not knowing my father and mother. Even worse, not remembering them. "I wish knew who they were."
"You'll remember eventually, May," comforted Nurse Joy. "Memories can't really be erased forever. Just think of them as... lost. They can be found if you search hard enough."
I smiled at the ever kind Nurse Joy. "Thanks, Nurse Joy."
"Hey May!" shouted a familiar voice. I looked at the entrance to the palace and saw Ash and Drew there, Misty and Dawn looking up as well. Ash seemed to be the enthusiastic one while Drew was following shortly behind, his hands in his pockets. Since when did those two become such good friends? "Guys this castle is so cool!! The rooms are so huge and the kitchen has so much good old-fashioned food!" he cried out of pure delightment. I didn't know whether to assumed he thought he was in heaven or he had gone crazy. Perhaps both, even. Same old Ash I guess.
Dawn sweatdropped with a half to the side of her face. "It doesn't really surprise me that he'd mention the kitchen first."
"Come on guys, how about we go inside and get something to eat?" Misty suggested to Dawn and me as the two boys made their way here over to us. "We could use a bite. And I'm starved, anyway."
A small smile crept up onto my face. "I guess we can. I'll cook," I volunteered. But then I felt sudden stares from Nurse Joy and Drew, like feeling sudden chills in the midst of autumn. I said I'd cook. Is that much of a big deal here? "W-What..."
"It's not normal for a Princessto do her own cooking, let alone for her people," Drew said stereotypically, his hands still in his pockets. He said the word princess bitterly, though it could've just been my mind.
"Well I'm not normal, " I told him in remark, for some reason not wanting to look inferior in front of him. "Besides, in my home time, I can cook, for your information." I crossed my arms.
"What?" Drew replied, not really understanding what I meant by 'home time'.
I just rolled my eyes, "Just come on." I ran on inside and the others chased after me. I could hear Misty and Dawn calling for me to slow down. Normally we would've been okay with splitting up, but being stuckin a Medieval world, we must've accustomed to sticking together as much as possible.
"She's a pretty fast runner," Drew complimented, watching us disappear.
"Well she is the most athletic girl in our school," Ash stated proudly. "She can do over twenty push-ups and can do laps around our gym without getting too tired."
Besides not know half of what Ash had just said, the boy understood what his message mainly was. "Girls being athletic? That's new."
Dawn got an anime vein at the back of her head by the castle door while she glared back at the green haired boy. Even though she and us were pretty far, she had realitively good enough hearing to hear the boy's conversation while Misty and I tried to pull the large door open." I'm really starting to get why May doesn't like this guy."
"Dawn would you not mutter to yourself and help us open this thing?" I asked while straining my voice. Dawn came to help and slowly we began to re-open the palace entrance.
After some running, we finally found the kitchen down this long endless hall. It looked like one of those old style kitchens, but it seemed usable enough for me to know where everything is. And as Ash had said before, it was huge. And I mean huge. I made something for us to eat in a matter of minutes, at least something recognizable. Not like the had microwave ovens in this time period. We ate our meal for the day.
By now it was night and Misty and Dawn were asleep in their beds, slumbering regally and peacefully. Ash was asleep in his room and Drew was back at his home. I was looking at myself in the mirror, since I just put on my night gown. This is something I really had to get used to since I usually went to sleep in raggy clothing. I sighed, realizing this was my first night with a REAL bed, but for some reason I couldn't fall asleep the way I usually would back at my 'home'. I envied how serene Dawn and Misty could rest where as I couldn't so easily. Instead I got up two stairs and opened my two corridors to the room's balcony.
I stepped out barefoot, letting the gentle breeze fall upon me. Smiling I enjoyed the feeling of cold concrete under my bare feet. I didn't have to worry about stepping on pointy pebbles or broken glass from soda bottles. I walked up to the center of the balcony, overlooking the Kingdom of Petalburg in its own slumber. I soon found myself speaking aloud my private thoughts. "That Drew... why does he seem like I've met him before?"
"Maybe because you have met him before, Princess May," answered an unexpected and unfamiliar voice from behind me. Hesitantly yet quickly I turned around seeing a hooded figure. In front of him was the Pokemon I recognized to be a Cacturne. I could see some long purple hair from below his hood, and the essence of bad mystery kind of, well, creeped me out. SO by human instinct I backed up as much as I could, but I reached the stone railing of the balcony. Looking down I saw it was a really long way from where I stood.
Deciding to hold up some kind of argument I turned back around to face the stranger. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" I demanded, just like in those cliche Tv shows you'd see back home. Damsel in distress, new bad guy,, of course you're ask the typical question.
The man took off his hood. "My name is Harley, Princess May. And shall I say that it is finally a pleasure to meet you once again."
I glared at him. Anyone with a brain could tell thus guy was no good. I mean evil entrance, dark timing, polite gesture, like, yeah. "What do you want from me?"
"OH Princess May, I thought you were smarter than that. You were the target during the Invasion 6 years ago after all, but then you mysteriously disappeared. Now that you, another heir of the Maple Family, has come back, there could be the chance you'll rule after Queen Somei passes away."
"You never answered my question."
Harley just smirked. "I'm afraid that can't be told just yet, Princess May. But know this, you will not be ruling any time soon. Cacturn use Poison Needle!"
My eyes widened as the glowing purple needles shot towards me. My instincts kicked in once more and I dodged them just barely, but falling over the balcony's edge in the process. I concentrated and tried to grab onto something before I could reach the ground, which didn't exactly give me a lot full of time. Luckily my hand caught onto a tree branch and I made a flip, catching onto a window sill before making another flip to land on a lower tree branch. I then landed on the ground gracefully, without a scratch.
"I guess those years of fighting-video games with Ash finally paid off," I said tiredly, catching my breath.
"I know you're there Princess May! You can't hide forever!"
I got to my feet and began running. Of course my feet ached for I was still barefoot, and I ran along the road, looking for anywhere to hide. I found an old well and I stopped to take a break from running there. I slowly slid to the ground, catching my breath yet again. The ride of both excitement and danger felt rather thrilling, but not as thrilling that I'd wish to live though that event again.
"At least... he's gone," I panted.
"Who's gone?" asked a familiar voice.
I yelped and looked up, only seeing Drew. I made a sigh of relief at that. "Oh it's just you," I replied with a face.
Drew cocked his eyebrow at me. "What are you doing now? I know you like sneaking out of the castle but this late at night?... And barefoot?"
"You think I wanted this? Some guy named Harley sneaked onto my balcony and tried to kidnap me I think. I barely dodged his Cacturne' Poison Needle attack."
"You dodged? On your balcony?" Drew repeated. "And you ended up here.... how?"
"I sorta.... jumped off the ledge, hehe." As I explained this to him wearing a sheepish look I didn't wish to have, I rubbed the back of my neck to wipe off the sweat from my previous run.
"That I find hard to believe."
I crossed my arms, furrowing my eyebrows at the pre-teen. "So what are you doing out here at this hour?"
"I came to get some water from the well, obviously," he flipped his hair. "Apparently I'll have to put that on hold. Your feet - they're bleeding."
"They're what-?" I looked down and realized the bottom heels of my feet had a lot of small cuts on them, bleeding. I musn't have noticed because I was too scared to stop and check..
"Oh, well what do you know. They are," I said in a non-panicking, calm way.
"Wow, you sure know how to endure pain easily," Drew commented untruthfully.
"Could you not say every sentence to me with sarcasm?" I asked him with a vein. "And so what. Just because I'm a princess doesn't mean I'm helpless, Drew. Geez how much worse could you possibly get." Deciding to head back I stood up, only to find myself falling back down on my bottom, which only added to my currently pain. It seemed my feet finally given out.
"Uhuh, not helpless."
I glared up at him. He just sighed and picked me up so my arm was over his shoulder. I felt a weird warm feeling at his touch but I didn' really seem to have a choice as he was holding me. "H-Hey, what are you doing?" I asked unsure of where this was going.
"Walking you to my place. That Harley guy might still be at the palace so you can't go home yet. Besides, my house is close by. And if you walk on your own you'll only be hurting yourself." He closed his eyes as we walked. "And knowing the strictness of everyone around here, I'd probably be punished for leaving you on your own."
"Oh, so you are helping me," I finalized for him.
"Hey don't get used to it. This is a one time thing got it?"
"Yeah yeah whatever," I said pouting off to the side. How rude, again.
He began walking as I tried to keep from falling again. Whenever I would almost collapse over my legs Drew would hold onto me tighter. I winced a few times when my feet touched the ground. Drew noticed this and oblivious to me, he felt secretly sympathetic for his old childhood friend. After a short walk we arrived at that farm he told me about. We walked into his small house and I took in its small surroundings. He sat me on a wooden chair and I took a huge breath, rubbing my feet to clean some of the dry blood off. Luckily it wasn't much. Just a frew scratches, right? It was then than an orange pinkish haired woman walked in.
"About time you got back Drew- Oh my gosh who's this? What happened to her feet? Oh I'll get the bandages. Be right back Drew." She walked out the room as I stared in her direction, then back at Drew. For a stranger, she had an unusual fast speech.
"Who's that?" I asked curiously.
"That's my step-sister Soladad. My parents adopted her when I was little."
I never knew Drew had a sister. "Where are your parents?"
He kept a still face. "Not here. They died during the invasion of Petalburg 6 years ago."
He said it like it was any other ordinary question. I would've answered the same way, trying to hide the remorse with causality. "I'm sorry, Drew."
"It doesn't matter anymore. Just forget about it." Drew looked away when he said that.
Eventually to ease the room's sudden awkwardness Soladad came back into the room with this woven basket, supposedly the emergency kit or something of the sort. She bent down in front of me and began cleaning my feet of its cuts, which hurt at first. It's only to be expected. And then in the end she began bandaging them.
"Well I think Drew introduced me to you already. So who are you?" Soladad asked kindly, looking up at me.
"I'm May."
Soladad rose her eyebrows at me in shock. "May Maple? Princess May?" Was my name really that recognizable in this time period?
Drew sighed sounding annoyed. "Yes, that's her."
Soladad bowed her head to me. "Princess May it's a pleasure to see you again."
I blinked twice in confusement. "We've met?"
"She got memory loss when she was 6. Let's not talk about it alright?" Drew told Solidad who was apparently lost.
"Uh, if you say so Drew," Soladad said unsure, looking at him weirdly.
'So I did meet them before. Just who were these people?' I asked in my mind. "You don't need to bow your head to me Soladad. And you don't have to call me Princess, either. If we've met before then we're friends, right?"
Soladad smiled up at me. "At least she remembers that. Thank you, May. So tell me, how'd you end up like this so late? What happened?"
What did happen, anyway? I though back to the late evening before explaining to Solidad my story about escaping from Harley and jumping escaping, thus leading to my injured feet and meeting of Drew by the town well. When I said the name 'Harley', I couldn't help but notice Soladad tense up, like a spider or snake had just made its way into the room. Then again, I could have sworn I saw Drew react the same way when I said 'Harley; back at the well.
"So that's what happened," Solidad began. "I'm surprised you defended yourself like that. Women here don't have the proper training to perform such combat."
"Well I've, had a lot of time on my hands."
"Clearly," Drew said after he scoffed.
I replied with an intent and menacing glare. "And what's that supposed to mean?!"
Again Drew annoying flipped his hair. "Nothing, nothing."
Soladad couldn't help but smile a little. She recalled in her young teen memories of her childhood. "Here we go again."
In the end I stayed at their house over night, not really being givin the choice to leave either. Soladad made me take Drew's bed while he slept on the wooden chair. I tried to say no but obviously Soladad wouldn't take no for an answer. I was laying in bed with covers over me. I've never felt this comfortable in a bed before. However I knew the one back at the palace must've felt more luxurious. Thinking of the palace, I wondered about my friends when they would wake up. What would they think when they saw me missing. Letting out a tired sigh or yawn, whichever it was, I fell into a finally peaceful sleep; hopefully one that would provide me with just as enough rest.
--
The next morning I awoke to sunlight in my eyes. This is how I would wake up back in my time so many years of waking up early for before-school chores, I learned to beat the alarm clock to waking up. I sat up and looked around. The chair where Drew was sleeping in the previous night was empty.
"He's gone..." I said mysteriously. Throwing my legs over the small bed I saw the bandages around my feet. Could I walk? I tried to stand up, which I was successfully able to do. However I winced with each step I took as I applied pressure to each foot, my hands holding to the wall for support. Some time soon Soladad saw me along the fifth step, and stopped what she was doing, rushing to place my arm over her shoulders.
"May, you know you shouldn't be walking in your current condition," Soladad lectured.
"I was just gonna look for Drew," I said to her.
Soladad rolled her eyes smiling while she sat me down on another wooden chair in the kitchen. "He's outside tending to the Pokemon and the farm," Soladad replied later on, pointing out the window. I almost forgot I was wondering where the boy was. I turned my head to the window she was pointing at and I saw Drew out there. When you get past his attitude I guess you can say he's a nice guy. He even helped me to get to his house.
"So what Pokemon does Drew have?"
"Hm, Drew's Pokemon you ask? He has a Masquerain, a Flygon, an Absol, and a Butterfree. His Roselia was his first Pokemon and has always been by him ever since. Oh, and there's also Torchic."
"Torchic?"
"Yes, in fact that was your Pokemon May."
"It was?" I asked, looking back out the window.
"After you disappeared, Drew took in your Torchic." Soladad explained. I was dazzled. I actually had a Pokemon? And a Torchic at that. Torchic was my favorite Pokemon in the video game, similar to Ash's relationship with Pikachu. And this was just the beginning. I wondered, what else will I find out about my past? And something told me Drew was a major part of it.