The first thing May saw when she woke up was a pistol aimed at her forehead. It took less than three seconds to evaluate that she was tied, gagged, kidnaped, and going to be killed if she made one wrong move.

Oh, the downsides of being the governor's daughter.

"Think this one'll fetch a high price?"

"I don't know. This one looks rather scrawny."

"Is her father loaded?"

"James, which town did you say she was from?"

"Or wes could give 'er to da boss."

"Meowth, what use would the boss have with this thing?"

"Picture this: the boss is laying in bed one night, unable to sleep. That's when dat little girl comes in and sings 'im a lullaby, and blamo!! Da boss man is fast asleep with dreams of givin' us riches when he wakes up." The small cat crossed his arms and closed his eyes as if he had just solved every problem in the universe and everyone decided to give him a life-time supply of fish as thanks.

"Uh, Meowth, we don't even know if she can sing," the redhead with the gun pointed out. "Meowth, remove her gag so she will sing for us."

"Why can't Jimmy do it?"

"If I do it, then who will be driving the carriage, you dum dum?"

"Oi. I do all da work around here."

Acting on a split second decision, May bit down hard on the cat's paw the moment the gag was loose.

It howled in pain as chaos broke loose. Jessie hit May square in the chest with the heal of her boot and slammed the butt of the gun against her head.

May screamed as she fell to the ground head spinning so hard she couldn't move.

"We don't have use for rebels like you," the woman grunted, taking aim.

Before she could fire, however, she was hit on a pressure point on her shoulder by a different gun. The new attacker paid no mind as she crumpled to the ground, but turned to race the man and the cat.

However, for one reason or another, he instead grabbed May and jumped off the back of the wagon, letting the force of the blow fall on his back.

He stood up and brushed himself off as May's world came back into focus.

"Smart move angering one of the Rocket Gang," he commented making no move to help May up. "Even a little prissy like you should have heard of them."

"Well I wasn't the one who knocked one of them out," May protested.

"Thanks for the compliment." He shrugged while she glared. "They already hate my guts anyway, so what's the harm?"

"You like to live things on the wild side don't you?" She said, gravel in her voice as she was not too fond of being kidnaped twice in one day.

His lips formed a smirk. "I try."

"And thanks to you, we're lost in the western desert without food or water," she complained.

"And thanks to me, you're not dead."

She was about to make a retort, but quickly realized the truth of his statement and how her blade-tongued comment could be her demise. "Thank you," she muttered. "But that doesn't change the fact that we're both going to die before we reach civilization."

"Some of us live away from civilization, Princess." He rolled his eyes and gave a loud, high pitched whistle. Moments later a white horse with a blue-gray face, mane, tail, and feet cantered towards them.

"Lucky for you, I'm one of those people."

She stared up at the beautiful horse.

"Here."

She turned to see the boy offering her a red bandanna. At least, she assumed he was still a boy. He looked no older than her - almost 17.

"Why?" She asked, regarding the bandanna.

"You have no experience in the desert, do you? Wear it over your mouth and nose so you won't inhale dust as we ride.

May took an alarmed step back. "I've been kidnaped more than enough today. I'm not going with you."

"Well, unless you want to walk the twenty miles back to Petalburg..."

She put her hands on her hips. "How can I trust that you'll take me home?"

He shrugged. "It's either that or die of dehydration. Your choice."

She glared at him. This boy had a way of so casually one's hope she couldn't even stand it.

He over dramatically gestured to the horse. "Ladies first. Or skinny little girls."

May's eye twitched. "I know I'm scrawny, so shut up."

"I never said scrawny, but take it as you want."

Reluctantly, she pulled herself into the saddle and felt the boy do the same a few milliseconds later, sitting behind her.

Chills ran up her spine as he reached his arm's around her to grab the horse's reigns.

"Chill. I'm not going to hurt you."

"Said every kidnaper ever."

"I'm not a kidnaper!"

"What's the horse's name?"

"Absol."

"How old are you anyway?"

"Eighteen."

May's eyebrows shot up. Eighteen? "Arceus, you're short."

"Are you done with our little question and answer session?" He asked, annoyed.

May giggled - she had detected a sensitive reaction to his height, which was only maybe an inch taller than her own. And she was all of five-foot-four.

She was going to hold onto that one.

----------------------------------

May wrapped the blanket the boy had given her tighter around herself to keep herself warm with only that and the dying fire that was pretty small to begin with.

He stood up and yawned. "Let's get some rest. Uh, you can use my sleeping bag."

May smiled. "Thanks."

"Only because I don't want to hear you griping and complaining all night long," he excused.

May scowled.

"Besides, my sleeping bag's warmer and I'm more accustom to the cold nights here than you are," he commented, looking at May's shivering frame. "Honestly, you look like you've never been outside before."

"Well excuse me for not being crazy enough to sleep outside in the desert."

"Well then I guess I'm crazy."

They had both been laying there, trying to fall asleep for the past twenty minutes, and May could feel her last bits of consciousness fading when she heard a ruffling sound to her left.

She slid out of the sleeping bag and over to the noise.

"Can't sleep?"

The boy's green eyes opened and he tiredly shook his head. "I've been having some trouble falling asleep the past few nights," he admitted.

May smiled with sympathy. "Would you like it if I sung you a lullaby?" She asked.

"I don't need to be sung to sleep," he mumbled. "I'm not a baby."

"Do do do do do, do do doooo do do do do..." May hummed softly, ignoring the statement right before.

The boy's eyelids drifted together again, and for the first time in about a week, fell asleep before the early morning hours of one and two AM.

May smiled before crawling back into the sleeping bag and falling asleep herself.

------------------------------------

"You... Really took me home?" May asked in somewhat disbelief as they unmounted at the outskirts of Petalburg town...

"I told you I would." He sighed. "This is where I take my leave. I assume you can make it to your house without being kidnaped again?"

"Of course I can!!" May argued, then softened. "By the way, I don't think we ever actually introduced. I'm May. May Maple."

He smiled. "The name's Drew. And for your own good, I advise you take some self-defense classes." He mounted Absol and rode off so he couldn't hear May calling to him.

"Wait!! I still have your bandanna!!!!!"

Drew, however, didn't turn around, so she went to walk home.

"Drew. I'll remember that."

----------------------------------

"Oh, May! You're home!! Where have you been!!!!!! The whole town was in a panic looking for you!!!!!" Caroline cried, May's whole family clinging to her as if their lives depended on that one action.

"I-I was kidnaped, but I'm alright," May began, not sure of what to share and what to keep to herself for fear of her family never permitting her to leave her room.

"Was it by the Thorned Outlaw?" Norman asked darkly.

May shook her head. "It was the Rocket Gang. Um, who's the Thorned Outlaw?" She asked.

"A young outlaw by the name of Drew. That's all you need to know, May. We'll keep you safe so you never have to meet him," Norman promised.

"What does he look like?" May inquired, thinking of her emerald-eyed green-haired hero.

"No one alive has ever seen his hair, and those who have seen him were too traumatized to describe anything more of him. All we know about him is that he leaves a red rose where ever he's been that trouble has aroused. That's how he got his nickname, ironic though as they're all thornless," Norman explained.

May closed her eyes. Impossible it was the same guy, and there had to be a million guys named Drew. But still...

"Some nice, random guy who never told me his name brought me back after the Rocket gang abandoned me, saying I was no use to them. He's long gone by now. Can I go rest?" Without waiting for an answer, she walked up to her room.

After closing and locking her door, she lay out the bandanna on her bed. Inside was a thornless red rose.

She stared at it for a moment.

So he was the Thorned Outlaw.

But that, she decided, would remain her little secret.

---------------------------

Done!!!

It's awesome 'cause I was saying how o hadn't had any good oneshot ideas in a while in the authors note of chapter twenty of with you by my side, and then BAM! The next day this comes along

Funny story how I got the inspiration for this, actually.

Mom was looking through my closet for stuff to sell at a garage sale when we came across my old webkinz clothes. So naturally we pulled out all of my old webkinz (I probably have at least 12) and dressed them up to see who would look good in what. Naturally.

Anywho, we found my disformed old cowgirl hat, so of course I put it on.

That's when I got the inspiration for this.

By the way, did you guys like it? Love it?

See ya!!!