Credit to Co-Author OrangeXLightning
One morning in a tiny village nestled beneath a towering mesa, the inhabitants busied themselves with their daily chores. Children ran and played outside, their laughter filling the air. But inside one particular hut, the atmosphere was anything but cheerful. Norman stood by the doorway, his face etched with frustration.
"Look, May. An arranged marriage is an arranged marriage. The LaRousses are the wealthiest family here. You should feel honored that their son fancies you."
"I should be honored that some creep won't stop staring at my chest? Father, do you even hear the words coming out of your mouth?!" May's eyes flared with anger.
"May..." Norman began, but she cut him off.
"And even if he weren't a creep, I am not a piece of property that can be just signed away." she spat. Norman sighed, his voice growing softer.
"Come on, May, it's not like that..."
"Seriously?" May raised an eyebrow, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "So tell me. How much are they offering you as compensation for my hand in marriage?"
"That's not—" Norman stammered.
"Yeah, not about property or money, my foot," she retorted, crossing her arms defiantly.
"May." Norman's expression hardened. She stood her ground, refusing to back down. "Go out to the garden," he said sternly.
"Why?"
"I don't want to see you until dinner," he replied, shaking his head as he walked away. May rolled her eyes.
"Well then, the feeling is mutual," she muttered, storming outside. As she stepped into the yard, her younger brother, Max, walked past her, a smirk on his face.
"Went well, didn't it?" he taunted.
"Peachy," she snapped, pushing through the gate. As she left, a sudden chill from the mesa washed over her, like a whisper on the wind. She rubbed her arms, shivering slightly. "Huh?" Before she could wonder where the wind had come from, her attention was drawn as her supposed husband-to-be, Drew, approached, his voice oily and unwelcome.
"Hello, dear." he greeted her. May groaned inwardly.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," she muttered, continuing to walk without acknowledging him.
"May..!" Drew called after her, but she quickened her pace, determined to leave him behind. Drew caught up with her and swiftly grabbed her arm. "Stop! I'm talking to you!"
"And I'm not talking to you!" she growled, yanking her arm from his grip.
"You better start curbing that attitude May. We're going to be married soon enough. And I won't tolerate being disrespected by my own wife." he warned her.
"Well lucky for you then, I have no intention of being your wife!" she declared. Drew's glare hardened and he grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her flush against him.
"You don't have a choice. The contracts have already been signed. You belong to me May." he said with a quiet, yet firm voice. May's blue eyes glared daggers at him as she shoved him away from her and yanked her wrist out of his grip.
"I don't belong to anyone!" she screamed before storming off. Drew huffed under his breath, but decided not to give chase this time. He headed inside to speak to her family as May made her way into town.
May continued walking, her steps heavy with frustration, as she approached a trail that veered in two directions. She paused, looking between the paths: one led down to a gentle stream, the other wound up the mesa. A sudden breeze hit her again, whispering something that sounded vaguely like "freedom."
"Again...?" she murmured, glancing around.
"I can grant you freedom from this..." A voice, soft yet commanding, echoed through the air.
"Who's there...? Who are you...?" May called out, taking a tentative step toward the mesa, despite seeing no one.
"Follow the chill running down your spine..." the voice urged. May hesitated but then, nervously, began to follow the path up the mesa. The trail led her higher and higher until she reached a ruined temple she had been warned by the town's elders as well as her family to avoid at all costs. Their warnings echoed in her memory, but she scoffed at them.
"Yeah well, I was also told I had to marry a creep too," she grumbled to herself. With a determined stride, she approached the temple. The door was slightly ajar, and she peeked inside, finding the place empty save for a strangely shaped bottle at the back of the room. "Huh...?" The bottle seemed to call out to her.
"Free me...and I will liberate you from your unhappy wedding..." May took slow steps forward, eyes fixed on the bottle.
"Who are you...?"
"I am like you, a soul treated like property, handed off for profit..." the voice from the bottle replied.
"You...are?" she asked, doubt flickering in her eyes.
"Free me..."
"I-I don't know..." May stammered, her hand hovering over the bottle.
"I will free you from your bonds if you free me from mine..." the voice promised.
"You...really have that power...?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
"And more..." the voice answered as the room then fell silent. May took a deep breath and slowly reached out, her fingers trembling as she grasped the bottle.
"Well...ok." She pulled off the cap. Instantly, mist filled the room, and the sky outside turned dark. An enormous figure emerged from the mist, laughing maniacally.
"FINALLY!" the figure exclaimed. May stumbled back, her heart racing.
"W-What the?!" The figure, now clear in the dim light, patted her head with one of his many hands.
"Thank you, my pet. Hoopa is free at last!" A sinister smile spread across his face.
"H-Hoopa...?" May's voice quivered.
"And now...my end of the bargain..." Hoopa declared, bursting from the temple and charging toward the town.
"Wait...!" May cried, running after him, panic surging through her. Hoopa laughed maniacally as he descended upon the town.
"DIE!" he cackled, unleashing a devastating Hyperspace Fury. Waves of dark energy radiated from his form, destroying huts and slashing through the air with devastating force. The village crumbled, people screaming and scattering in terror.
"No...!" May cried, running desperately toward the chaos.
"Pathetic human pests! Meet your end!" Hoopa's eyes gleamed with malicious delight as he unleashed more waves of energy, obliterating everything in his path as his mirade of hands crushed down anything or anyone that managed to escape the initial hits. Huts were reduced to rubble, and lives were snuffed out in an instant. The once peaceful village lay in ruins, bodies strewn everywhere.
"Stop it! No!" May screamed, her voice breaking with despair. Hoopa turned his gaze toward her house, the last piece of the village left standing.
"Ah! The finishing touch!" he laughed. With a swift, brutal motion, he destroyed it, revealing Max and her mother, Caroline, crushed beneath the rubble, and Norman lying with severe lacerations.
"NO!" May's heart shattered as she stumbled forward, her legs weak with shock and grief. Hoopa fired off his final assault, completely eradicating the remains of May's home and family, silencing the last of the life within the area. The village was silent, except for the sound of Hoopa's laughter echoing through the air. May fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face. "No... This isn't what I wanted...!"
"Oh tiny human." Hoopa hovered above her, a cruel smile on his face. "I have freed you from your unwanted engagement. We're even." He laughed uncontrollably, the sound chilling her to the bone. "Be careful what you wish for," he taunted, flying toward her. May's sobs grew louder as Hoopa grabbed her with one of his many hands. She screamed, struggling against his grip. "And now your final reward," Hoopa sneered.
"No...!" May's voice was hoarse with terror. "Help..!"
"ENOUGH!" Suddenly, beams of light streaked down from the sky, hitting Hoopa. Hoopa screamed in pain, his form shriveling and twisting. He dropped May from his massive hand, and she screamed, believing that once she hit the ground, she would meet her end as well. However her fall was suddenly stopped mid-air, and her body was gently lowered down to the ground.
"What the?!" May gasped, shielding her eyes from the blinding light as she tried to see what was happening. A majestic figure emerged from the sky, radiating power and authority. The Almighty Arceus descended, his presence commanding and grave.
"YOU!" Hoopa growled, trying to attack the great Pokemon, but Arceus's power rendered him completely incapable of fighting back.
"I will not let all of humanity suffer for one girl's mistake." Arceus declared. His red eyes began to glow with power and Hoopa was forced back into his confined form, screaming in agony and hatred.
"NO!" Hoopa raged in agony. Arceus returned him to a mist that was sent back into the bottle from which he came and the prison bottle closed around him with a snap. With Hoopa gone, only May and Arceus remained in what used to be a peaceful little town. The silence seemed to really bring to reality what had happened for May. The weight of it all caused her to drop to her knees and cover her face as she began to sob. Arceus looked gravely at May as she cried, her body wracked with sobs.
"How pitiful..." he murmured, his voice filled with a mixture of sorrow and disappointment. May sobbed uncontrollably, her tears mingling with the dust of the ruined village.
"I didn't mean for this to happen..." she whispered amid her sobs.
"That Hoopa is a bloodthirsty djinn. He was sealed because he could bring about the world's destruction...and I cannot dispatch him so quickly forever. It could have been far worse than this, my dear." Arceus regarded her with solemn eyes.
"I didn't know..." May wept, her voice breaking.
"Be that as it may," Arceus continued, his tone heavy with gravity, "a lesson must be learned here. The consequences of your actions stole one hundred lives today...and it could have been far more. Should he escape one more time, I will not be able to stop him on my own."
"I'm sorry.." May's weeping grew softer, her heart laden with guilt and sorrow and Arceus's gaze did not waver.
"This cannot go unpunished...for even as you weep, you cannot truly understand the weight of every one of my beloved's deaths."
"I didn't want anyone to die!" May cried out, her voice filled with desperation. "I never wanted this..."
"I know," Arceus said quietly. "But you must face consequences for your actions."
"What conse-" however Arceus did not let her finish. His body began to glow with a golden light and he spoke in a booming voice that commanded her attention and down out all others.
"Great power will be given to you, but none of it will be your own. Your selfish actions have brought destruction, so to this ring you shall be confined. He who wheres it shall be your Master until death do you part. The cycle shall continue until 100 have been served to pay for your crimes." he recited a curse. May's eyes widened in shock as she felt herself changing. Power from Arceus flowed into her body, changing her very self as her clothes transformed into the garb of a slave, and a ruby-encrusted ring appeared in the air between the two of them.
"W-What have you done to me…?!" May asked in a panic, able to feel somehow that her very being had been changed.
"From this moment forth, I sentence you to enslavement as a genie."
"W-What...?!" she gasped.
"So that you truly understand the weight of every life lost, you must serve a hundred lifetimes to account for every life lost." Arceus's voice was firm. "And not for a mere three wishes. You must be your Master's servant until their death. If you don't, their life shall not be counted. Your powers will not be able to do any harm, nor prolong your sentence, but they can still do nothing for yourself. Yet they are still vast, and you will use them to serve anyone who wears your ring until your debt has been repaid." he explained.
"O-One hundred lifetimes…?!" May teared up, crying harder. Arceus's expression softened slightly as he watched her cry, but his decision remained firm.
"I have preserved your youth. You will no longer age. Nor can you be killed, or diseased. As you are now, you will stay until your sentence is completed."
"Oh..." May whispered, the weight of her sentence sinking in.
"I'm sorry, little one. But it is for your own good," Arceus said, his voice tinged with sorrow.
"How heartless do you think I am...? You think I didn't care about those people...?" May cried out, her voice filled with anguish.
"I know you did. But you did not care enough...nor do you appreciate how much worse it could have been," Arceus replied. May felt herself being drawn toward the ring that had materialized. Her form began to dissolve, tears streaming down her face.
"No! No!" May cried, dissolving completely into tears as the ring absorbed her. Arceus turned away, his voice filled with regret.
"I am sorry..." The ring, now holding May's essence, dropped to the ground with a soft thud. Inside, May cried into her hands, the weight of her punishment pressing down on her soul.
Several months passed before the ring was picked up again. Over the centuries, May was used for both good and evil, each master and mistress chipping away at her hope and humanity. The passing centuries left her feeling almost nothing at all. The ring occasionally got lost, negating a life and leaving her alone for long periods. No master, however, was more vile and cruel than the man who appeared to be her 100th Master. A man named Derek rubbed the ring on his finger, a sly grin spreading across his face. May's eyes opened, her heart sinking at the sight of him as she appeared beside him.
"Slave," Derek began, his tone dripping with malice. "Tomorrow the caravan begins our journey to the eastern kingdom. I trust you will do everything in your power to keep us safe in the wild?"
"Yes..." May replied, her voice barely a whisper. Derek placed a hand on her cheek, the other on her waist.
"Yes what?" May winced, her skin crawling under his touch.
"Yes...Master..."
"That's better," Derek sneered, pressing a kiss onto her lips and holding her in place. May winced, standing but refusing to kiss back. Derek's invasion of her mouth made her hold back a gag, his fingers running up and down her back. He pulled away from the kiss, a knowing, malicious smirk on his face. "Slave," he commanded, "I wish you would kiss me back."
"...Yes...Master..." May's heart sank. Derek kissed her again, groping her. May winced as she reluctantly kissed back, her spirit crumbling further. Derek moaned in satisfaction, pulling away for air.
"Good girl," he said, stroking her cheek. "The kingdom is about to meet its new king." May said nothing, her eyes filled with a hollow resignation. "Once we're at our new home, I'm keeping you outside of the ring at all times. It will help maintain the illusion you're just a simple slave. You wouldn't want to be stolen from me, would you?"
"...No...Master," May replied, her voice devoid of emotion.
"Very good. Now," Derek stood up, "make me food."
The following afternoon, the caravan traveled through the desert, dozens of solider carts and weapons lined up in a row. Inside the ring, May cried, the weight of her existence pressing down on her. Derek rubbed the ring, a bit harder than usual, loosening it slightly. May dried her eyes as she appeared before him.
"I desire your company," Derek said, holding her waist. May remained silent, her eyes downcast. Derek caressed her, loosening the ring further as a breeze picked up.
"Sir it seems a windstorm is beginning!" a solider called to Derek from outside the carriage.
"So it would seem." Derek huffed.
"We must take shelter before it gets worse!" the solider insisted
"No, we must press on!" he barked at them before turning his attention back to May. She winced as suddenly a strong gust of wind hit the carriage, nearly tipping it over. "Ack! Slave! Do something about this sand—" Derek commanded, but a blast so strong hit them that it blew the ring off his finger, making May vanish.
"Ah!" she gasped. Forced back inside the ring, May gasped in surprise, feeling the ring tumble across the ground amid the wind and sand. Even from inside, she could hear Derek's scream of rage echoed through the air.
"MY SLAVE!" he bellowed as the storm blew the cart over, burying the ring deep in the sand in the process.
"Oof..." May groaned and rubbed her head.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Derek's voice grew distant, drowned out by the howling wind. May looked outside, her breath catching in her throat. The ring was buried, severing her ties with who would have been her final master.
"...Oh…" Tears welled up in her eyes, both sad and relieved to be away from him. She started to cry, the mix of emotions overwhelming her as she was forced to once again, wait.
To be Continued...