The Millennium Festival came and went. The gang stayed for a few days, soaking it all in, and it was definitely fun. Ash even went to the show and spotted Butler and Diane performing, but notably, there was no sign of any mysterious rock.
More than that, Butler actually seemed… happy. He looked like he genuinely enjoyed being a performer, not like a former scientist hiding something. Still, Ash couldn't help being thorough. During one of the shows, he slipped away to check their van himself.
No rock.
Nothing suspicious at all.
That pretty much confirmed it for him: they didn't have it. Which meant the events of the Jirachi movie weren't going to happen. Crisis averted, probably.
So, once the festival finished packing up to move on to its next location for the year, the group set off again on their journey.
Pikachu and Vee rode on Ash's shoulders, tails swaying lazily as they walked.
May skipped a few steps ahead, arms overflowing with five plushies, three keychains, and a glittering glass Jirachi charm that caught the sunlight every time she moved.
She glanced back, smiling, "I still don't know how you keep winning these."
Ash shrugged, hands laced behind his head, grinning easily, "Told you I could. You doubt my power."
"I'm just glad you didn't almost get banned from playing this time," Brock said, remembering the good old days a little too clearly.
They stopped at a crossroads where the dirt path split, one route toward the coast, the other deeper inland. Brock unfolded the map and studied it.
"If we take this route," he said, pointing, "we'll reach the next town by tomorrow evening."
"Sounds good," May said, "A hot bath sounds even better."
Ash stretched, cracking his back, "Man, festivals are fun, but I always forget how exhausting having fun is."
Max shot him a look, "You didn't even do anything!"
Ash gasped, offended, "Excuse you. I emotionally supported May through multiple rigged carnival games."
May elbowed him lightly, "You're the one who offered to come with me."
"And I offered to win something for everyone," Ash added, grinning, "Your point?"
May opened her mouth, paused, then huffed, "My point is, you enjoyed it way too much."
Ash tapped his chin thoughtfully, "Wow. Accusing me of enjoying spending time with my friends? Cold, May. Real cold. First you cheat on my cooking, and now this." He placed a hand dramatically over his heart.
"We are not starting this again," May said, pointing at him, "I already told you your cooking is great, so stop saying it like that!"
Ash staggered back as if struck, "Great. Just, great. First you abandon my lovingly prepared lunch for some fancy restaurant, and now you're yelling at me in public." He sighed loudly, "I thought what we had was special."
Brock pinched the bridge of his nose, "Ash, it was a noodle stand."
"A noodle stand that served her," Ash said, pointing accusingly at May, "Without me."
May sputtered, "YOU WERE LATE!"
"Because I was seasoning," Ash shot back.
Pikachu snorted. Vee tried to keep a straight face, but it was a losing battle.
Max leaned toward Ash and muttered, "You're enjoying this way too much."
Ash broke character for half a second and grinned, "A little."
That earned a groan from May as she tossed one of the plushies straight at his head, "Stop saying it like that!"
Ash caught it easily, "Fine, fine. Anyway, like Brock said, let's go." He chuckled and tossed the plushie up into the air.
A faint glow flashed, and Ralts peeked her head out of Ash's bag, catching it with [Confusion] and gently pulling it inside.
—
{Meanwhile, in Mauville City}
Brendan rolled into town on his bike, coasting past the familiar streets. He wasn't here for a Gym battle, though he probably could take one if he wanted. No, he'd come all this way because his dad, Professor Birch, had told him something strange was going on in Mauville and wanted him to check it out personally.
Brendan had been to Mauville plenty of times before. He should know, he already had the Gym Badge. According to his dad, the issue was some kind of sandstorm.
Which didn't sit right with him.
Sure, Mauville wasn't that far from Route 111's desert, and sometimes sand got caught in the wind and blew into the city. That happened once in a while. But never a full-on "sandstorm," at least not the way it had been described.
So this was his job: see what was going on, find anything unusual.
He pedaled slowly through town, eyes alert.
Fine grains of sand skittered along the sidewalks, collecting in corners where the wind shouldn't have been strong enough to carry them. Several shopkeepers were outside, sweeping sand away from their doorways and muttering under their breaths, and this was on the far side of town, the area furthest from Route 111.
Brendan frowned.
"Yeah," he muttered, hopping off his bike, "That's not normal."
He wheeled the bike along the curb, scanning rooftops and alleyways as he went. Route 111 was still miles away, there was no reason sand should be showing up here.
He stopped near a small plaza where Mauville's central generator tower loomed overhead, its turbines slowly turning. But the real reason he stopped was the unexpected traffic jam blocking the road ahead.
"…Of course," he sighed, "Dad really couldn't have just texted me about this."
He was in the middle of putting his bike away when he heard a voice, "Uh…excuse me?"
Brendan blinked and turned.
A boy about his age stood a few steps away, gripping the straps of a small backpack with both hands. He had light green, slightly messy hair and an expression that hovered somewhere between nervous and determined.
"Oh sorry," Brendan said automatically, "Didn't mean to—"
"You're Brendan, right?"
That stopped him.
Brendan straightened slightly, curiosity flashing in his eyes, "Yeah. Do I… know you?"
The boy shook his head quickly, "N-No! I mean, kind of? Not really. I'm Wally."
Brendan blinked, "O-oh you're Wally." His expression softened, "Nice to meet you. So you're… him, huh?" He smiled faintly, "Did you get the package? Everything go okay? How's that Treecko?"
Almost on cue, a small green head peeked out from behind Wally's shoulder. The Treecko blinked at Brendan, tail twitching once.
"I-um… yeah," Wally said, scratching his cheek, "We've been getting along."
"I see," Brendan nodded, "That's good to hear, oh and I assume May and Ash told you about me?"
"Ah…yeah. A little," Wally said, "Um… speaking of which, they said they're on their way here next."
"Oh?" Brendan raised an eyebrow, "That's surprising." He tapped his chin thoughtfully, "Might be nice to greet them. Maybe hang out for a bit," He shook his head, "Later. I've got things I need to take care of first. It was nice meeting you, but—"
"W-wait!" Wally spoke up, stepping forward slightly, "You're here because of the… weird stuff, right?"
Brendan blinked, "…How did you know?"
"Well… May and Ash told me your dad is a professor," Wally said, "And since he studies environments, I just thought maybe he sent you here. Sorry for assuming if I'm wrong." He scratched his arm lightly.
"Uh… no, you got it right on the money, actually," Brendan admitted.
Wally nodded, then hesitated, taking a small breath like he was working up the courage to continue.
"Um… yeah. That's actually why I wanted to talk to you," he said, "It's… kind of hard to explain. I thought maybe you should see it yourself."
Brendan raised an eyebrow, "See what?"
Instead of answering, Wally stepped aside and gestured past the line of stalled traffic, "This."
Brendan leaned to get a better look, and stopped short.
The road ahead didn't just have sand on it.
It was covered.
Fine golden grains stretched across the street in thick drifts, piling up against curbs and lampposts. Cars were half-buried up to their tires, doors jammed shut by compacted sand. People shouted to one another as they tried to dig vehicles free or help stranded drivers climb out of open windows.
"…What the heck," Brendan muttered.
"This is why traffic's stuck," Wally said quietly, "It started this morning. At first it was just dust, but then it kept getting worse. The city workers tried clearing it, but…" He pointed.
Brendan followed his gaze.
Farther down the street, a group of workers stood with shovels and equipment, bracing themselves against the wind. Suddenly, the sand beneath them twisted upward, spiraling violently into a roaring column. A sand tornado formed in seconds, shrieking as it tore through the street.
"Whoa—!"
Several workers were lifted off their feet, thrown backward like dolls. They crashed into a nearby tree with dull thuds as the vortex tore past, scattering sand in every direction.
"That's… concerning," Brendan said flatly, crossing his arms, "Where's Wattson?"
Wally hesitated, "That's the thing. The Gym's been closed since this started. And, um… when it first began, some people heard these strange noises."
Brendan turned fully toward him, "What kind?"
Wally looked down, rubbing at his side, "Well… it's hard to describe. It almost sounds like singing. And when people hear it…" He swallowed, "Sometimes… people follow it."
Brendan's expression hardened, "And what happens then?"
"I don't know," Wally said softly, "But someone who got out said that inside the sand tornado, people start sinking. Like the sand pulls them down." He motioned with his hands, mimicking the motion, "So Wattson went down to the old underground part of the city."
Brendan went still.
The underground city of Mauville was no secret. Five years ago, there had been a massive project to create New Mauville, a fully functional underground city, funded by Mauville Holdings. It was supposed to be revolutionary, a shining example of innovation and progress.
Back then, Mauville Holdings had rivaled giants like Devon Corp and Silph Co.
But a series of unfortunate events, poor management, and mounting losses crippled the company. Funding dried up, investors fled, and eventually the company collapsed into bankruptcy. New Mauville was abandoned halfway through construction, its tunnels and chambers left dark and unfinished beneath the city.
And that wasn't even the end of it.
Later came the Neo Mauville project, an ambitious expansion meant to modernize the city aboveground. But when studies revealed it would severely damage local Pokémon habitats, Wattson himself shut it down.
Another failed project. Another blow to Mauville Holdings. But more on that later.
Brendan exhaled slowly, "…So Wattson went down there alone."
Wally nodded, "Yeah."
That was all Brendan needed to hear.
Brendan's expression sharpened immediately, "Alone?"
"Well—" Wally shifted his weight, "I think some workers went with him at first. But… no one's come back up yet."
That did it.
Brendan was already moving, swinging his bike back out and pushing it alongside him, "Then we're going underground."
Wally blinked, "U-Underground?"
"Yeah," Brendan said, eyes sweeping over the sand-choked street, "Sand doesn't just appear like this. Not in a city. Something's either pulling it in… or pushing it up."
Almost on cue, a low rumble shuddered beneath their feet. The ground vibrated as another sand tornado began to form nearby. Several people cried out as the wind howled louder, and one of the half-buried cars lurched as its tires sank even deeper into the sand.
"Move!" someone shouted.
Brendan grabbed Wally's arm, and they ducked into the nearest shop just as the sandstorm tore through the street. Through the dusty windows, they watched the storm rage, sand slamming against the glass like waves.
"…Okay," Brendan muttered, "Yeah. Definitely underground."
Treecko tightened its grip on Wally's shoulder, tail stiff and bristling. Wally swallowed hard, then nodded, "I—I can show you the way. The maintenance entrance is near the old bike path."
Brendan looked at him, surprised, "You sure?"
Wally glanced down at himself, then pulled out an inhaler and took a deep puff. After a moment, his breathing steadied. He looked back up and nodded firmly, "Yes. I want to help."
Brendan grinned, "Good. Let's move before this gets worse."
–
{Back with the gang}
They traveled through the night and arrived at Mauville early the next morning. May was already looking forward to a real bed and not having to camp anymore. She had Torchic out, hugging the little Pokémon tightly against her chest as they approached the city.
Then they stepped into town.
"Uh… guys?" Ash said, stopping short as he stared ahead.
They followed his gaze.
In the distance, near the center of town, the roads were coated in sand, thick, uneven drifts swallowing sidewalks and curbs. At the heart of it all, a sand tornado was already forming, twisting higher and higher into the sky.
The moment the vortex grew taller, Ash stopped walking entirely.
"…Okay," he said slowly, "That's new."
May hugged Torchic a little tighter as grains of sand skittered across the road toward them, "Mauville doesn't… do this, right?"
"Nope," Brock said flatly, already scanning the area, "This isn't normal weather. And it's definitely not seasonal."
Another low rumble rolled through the town. The storm intensified, pulling loose debris, paper, leaves, even a traffic cone, into its spinning core.
Ash, Brock, May, and Max all raised their arms to shield their eyes as the sand whipped past them, stinging exposed skin.
Before anyone could say more, a group of townspeople rushed past them, some coughing, others dragging luggage or clinging to one another.
"The heck is going on?!" Ash shouted over the wind as Vee and Pikachu scrambled up and hid inside his bag, clearly unwilling to deal with sand in their fur.
"Why are you asking me?!" Max yelled back as a sudden gust nearly knocked him off his feet. He grabbed onto Ash's leg just in time, clinging tightly.
"Ah! Torchic, you should get inside your Poké Ball," May said urgently, fumbling at her belt as she scrambled to grab it.
But the moment she did, Torchic suddenly leapt out of her arms, nearly knocking May off balance.
"W–Torchic! What are you doing?!"
Torchic dug her talons into the grass, eyes darting around as if she sensed something. She pecked at the ground insistently. And before anyone could react, the grass flipped upward.
What looked like solid earth snapped open, revealing a hidden trapdoor beneath it. Torchic vanished through the opening in a flash of red and orange.
"TORCHIC!"
May lunged forward without thinking. She managed to grab Torchic mid-fall, but her momentum carried her forward. The trapdoor swallowed them both, snapping shut with a sharp clang as they disappeared underground.
"May!" Max yelled, sprinting forward on instinct.
"Max, stop!" Brock shouted, grabbing his arm just as another powerful gust tore through the street, nearly knocking them both over, "It's too dangerous!"
"I can't just leave her down there!" Max yelled back, panic cracking his voice. He tore free and dropped to his knees, clawing at the edges of the concealed door, "May! Can you hear me?!"
Ash rushed up behind him, hauling Max to his feet. Planting one foot firmly against the edge, Ash stomped down hard.
The trapdoor burst open again.
Ash glanced back at Brock, sand whipping past his face, "I'll go after May. You and Max find another way out."
Brock hesitated, only for a heartbeat, then nodded sharply, "Right. Max, with me."
"I'm not leaving Ash either!" Max protested.
"You're helping May by staying safe," Brock said firmly, already pulling him back, "Underground cities always have more than one entrance."
Max opened his mouth to argue, but Ash placed a hand gently on his head and flashed him a wide, confident grin, "Don't worry about it, Max. After all," He winked, "I'm invincible."
Before anyone could stop him, Ash took a step back, and deliberately dropped straight through the opening. The trapdoor slammed shut behind him with a metallic clink.