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Sand whips around in every direction stinging the surface of everything it touches, while winds howl in the night sky and blight out the moon's light with clouds of tan. Rose walks against the wind with a hood tightly wrapped partly closed around her face. All of her pokemon, including her Vulpix, Tamiko, would be safely inside their pokeballs to protect them from the sandstorm. Three other trainers follow closely behind her, all trying to keep within sight of one another while they seek out the entrance to the ruined castle hidden among these dunes. Among them, Rose's friend Chloe, a medic, and an ace trainer named Ruko. Eventually, after a long hike through the dunes they finally come across the entrance they sought out for. The four trainers gather around once inside the entrance and out of the howling winds of sand. They all remove their hoods and take a moment to breath more freely before Rose speaks up.

“Chloe, you and Hachiro keep watch on the entrance. Keep them from leaving or more coming in. Ruko, you're with me. Let's try be careful, these ruins are known for falling out from beneath people's feet.” Rose would say, giving out the orders before moving to continue further into the Ruins. As she walked, she became aware that the majority of the floor was sand, and it felt like at some points there was no floor beneath the layers of sand either.

“Mam', look down there, at the end of that hallway!” Ruko would exclaim as he noticed a Team Plasma member standing by a stairwell that led to another level. As soon as the plasma grunt noticed them, he went running down the stairs and out of sight. Ruko shouts out, “Halt!” and moves to run after the grunt. However, as he runs down the hallway the floor beneath him gives way and he is swallowed up in a swirl of sand being sucked down the new opening.

“Ruko!” Rose yells out as she tried to reach out to him to catch him but to no avail. “Damn it! I said to be careful!” Just then, as she tries to look down the opening in the floor for Ruko, more of the floor gives way and begins to crumble, threatening to suck her down below as well. Rose's heart jumps as she feels herself begin to fall but is grabbed by someone behind her and quickly yanked back away from the crumbling ruins. She scrambles to her feet and turns to look who had saved her. As soon as her eyes rested on the image of a young man dressed in darker clothing her heart skipped another beat and she was instantly filled with the feeling of nostalgia.

“'Jeez, Rose. I had to save you so many times when we were younger, I had thought that when you became a gym leader I wouldn't have to save you anymore. Yet, here we are again.” The trainer spoke with a smile on his face and a hand resting on her head, running a few fingers in her hair. “Still the same damsel in distress I use to love saving.” This trainer, wearing a black hoodie with black shorts and shoes, sporting a belt loaded with six pokeballs, takes a step back from her and continues to hold a smirk. His dark brown hair sits messy and at about shoulder length with a pair of sunglasses sitting above his forehead.

“Daniel... what are you doing here?” Rose was unsure of what to say or do, until she remembered what had happened to Ruko. “Ruko? Ruko!” She turned again, shouting down the gaping hole in the hallway. How was she to feel in a moment like this, one of her followers just fell through the ruins and could be hurt, and now HE decided to show up in a time like this.. she should be excited to see him, had the circumstances been any better. Rose frantically tried to call out for Ruko and try to see if she could see if he was alright or not.

“Relax, he should be fine. Each level is filled with so much sand it was probably a soft landing. However, it looks like we will need to find another way around now. That grunt, he must have been a look out. No doubt the Sage Bronius is indeed in these ruins. Come on, we should get moving.” The one called Daniel begins to walk down another path while pulling one pokeball from his belt. “Rogan, you're up.” He said as light pours out from the ball and materializes into his Growlithe. “Lead the way Rogan, find that grunt's scent again.”

Rose looked back and forth between the hole and Daniel unsure of what to do, stumped... Rose, of all people, at a loss for words, it really was him, the only man capable of leaving her without words.

“W-wait up,” she finally said as she quickly but carefully moved to follow the two of them while memories of their childhood flashed through her mind, memories of their adventures together when they both first became trainers... those were such innocent times...