A girl walked down the street. She's in a slum. Surround on both sides by old, run-down houses, she moved with conviction, her eyes set on a building at the end of the street. She entered the dimly lit bar, and looked around. With a sigh, she trudged over to counter. "Nate. C'mon, Nate, it's time to go." She shook the boy lying at the counter in a futile attempt to wake him up. Changing tactics, she kicked him in the stomach. "Ow!" He bolted up, glancing around in a drunken daze. "Rosa? What'd you. . .do that for?" "It's time to go home Nate." "Yeah. . .but what time is it?" "Let's go, Nate." Ever since Nate lost both his parents in the War, he'd never been the same. Gone was the cheerful boy from her childhood, replaced with a shell of a man filled with a never ending flow of alcohol. "Nate, can you please try straightening out? We can't afford your. . .habits. If you actually got a job for once, maybe you could have a drink every once in awhile without us having to cut down on food, water, and heat." "Rosa, you know every time I try, I just fall right back down. I. . .I'm sorry, Rosa, but I can't." Nate had a twinge in his voice, as if he were going to cry. "I know, Nate, I know." Rosa knows she can't afford Nate's habits, but she also knows she can't get him to quit. "Nate, I'll have to get another job." "But there's nowhere else. The diner is the last place in town." "I never said I'd be doing anything like working in the diner." "You're not going to go to the street battles, are you?" Nate sounded worried, an unusual characteristic for him even when sober. "They're too dangerous, you, you could get hurt, or worse. . ." "We don't have a choice. We can't afford anything else unless we have another source of income." "Yeah. . .just promise me you'll be careful." "I promise, Nate, I promise." The two of them walked back down the street, to the small home Rosa's parents had left her. "We have enough food for the week, but after that, we're out." "Rosa, I'm really sorry, okay, but I-" "Don't worry. It's not your fault. I'll do well in the streets and then maybe we can get a hot meal for once, right?" "Heat and air conditioning would be nice, too." "Hey, now you're pushing it." As they laughed and started making dinner, Rosa's mind still lingered on the next day, and her street battle debut.
Five Years Ago…
"Do you really have to go, dad?" A younger Nate looked up at his father. The man kneeled down, eye to eye with his son. "Nate, there are very bad people doing very bad things in this world. I don't have to go off to war, but if I can save the life of just one person, son, then I'll say that it was worth it." "Dad you could die!" The father sighed and nodded. "Yes. I very well could. But if you can make a difference, and die trying, that's always better than not trying at all."
Present Day...
Nate heard a sound. It wasn't a nice sound, and it seemed to have some sort of urgency to it. The rhythmic beat, four shrill chirps followed by a short pause, and repeated. He had no idea what it was. But wait! He remembered. It was the alarm. Nate jerked back in his bed, the sudden moment of clarity bringing him back from reality. He walked into the kitchen, and saw the note Rosa left for him. "Nate, I'm going to the Streets. I'll be back by 6 at the latest. Try and make yourself useful for once. -Rosa" Now, Nate was a simple man, with a simple life. He woke up, ate, drank, and went back to sleep. Now, apparently, that makes him useless. If the only way to impress her is to get over his "drinking problem", then so be it. But first, just one more drink. . .
Four Years Ago…
"Nate, would you please come down?" Nate's mother asked. Ever since he learned his dad was killed in Hoenn, Nate had sulked up in his room. For three months, he only ate when he needed to, and never came out of his room. Today was just like every other day; he sulked in his bed, and ignored his mom. "Nate please, you're worrying me." Number two marked down. Now she'd try to guilt him down by saying his friends missed him. Except this time, something unusual happened. The friends actually came to him. There was a knock on his door. Nate responded with an annoyed grunt. "Nate, please let me talk to you." It was Rosa. Normally, he wouldn't talk to anyone, but Rosa. . .Rosa was special. He'd make an exception. "What…" He croaked. "Just let me talk to you. . ." "Fine. Come in." She opened the door. "She's changed so much," he thought to himself. "She looks so mature." Nate slowly pulled himself up. "What?" She just stood there. "Hey, Rosa, what's wrong?" She sighed, a deep, heavy sigh. "You're what's wrong. You won't do anything. You barely eat, you never leave your room. What about your Pokémon? You never let them out." "My dad died. Have some sympathy." Rosa clearly grew more frustrated. "I do have sympathy, but not for this! This isn't-this isn't healthy! You're hurting yourself." Nate got up. He was too skinny. Malnourished. "I'm hurting myself? I'm not the one who got himself killed! Who left his wife and kid behind to fight in some war that wasn't his! He did this! With-with his. . .his uh. . .self righteous attitude. 'I'd I die, don't care, because it's for a good cause.' Ooh, well that's not saying much when you never come back!" He paced between the two walls for a minute. "He didn't have to die," he said through the tears. "It wasn't his war, Rosa. He didn't have to die in the last damn fight!" With that, he collapsed on the bed. Rosa just stood there, a frown on her face. "I know, Nate. . .I know."
Present Day. . .
To say Rosa was nervous would be the biggest understatement of all time. Her three Pokémon, all that were allowed under the rules, were strong enough. These were street battle though. There's no telling just what Pokémon your opponent would pull out. From the roar of the crowd, she guessed that a battle had just been won. Great. That means it's her turn. "And now! Introducing our newest battler! The rookie of Nimbassa! Rosa!" That's her cue. She walked out into the plaza, and was greeted with a myriad of calls, boos, and everything else. "Now, for her opponent, the one, the only, Mikey!" This Mikey kid looked like your typical punk. Shorts, cap, he was trying too hard to be comfy and casual. "Hey lady! You goin' down!" Rosa sighed. "Let's just get this over with." "Okay, but it's your funeral! C'mon out, my boy Watchog!" Rosa had to stifle a laugh. For all his bragging, he pulls out a Watchog? Pathetic. "Alright, Crobat, I choose you!" As the two Pokémon stared each other down, the MC went over the rules. "Two Pokémon each. First one that has both faint loses! So now, ladies and gentlefolk, LET'S! GET READY! TO TUSSLE!" Rosa leaped right into it. "Crobat, go for the Brave Bird!" Crobat blitzed the Watchog, going straight for the KO. It was over, but Mikey just smirked. "Give the Big C a taste o' yo Detect Watchog!" Watchog dodged Crobat. "Doesn't matter! I'll just hit you with it again!" As Crobat went in for another Brave Bird, Watchog's hand started to glow. "Hah! Give the Thunder Wave home slice!" Watchog hit Crobat with an electrical pulse, paralyzingly it. Because Rosa's the luckiest person ever, Crobat was fully paralyzed. "Where'd you get a TM? And a Quick Claw?" "Yo I got connections everywhere. Ain't nobody beat Mikey!" "Yeah, we'll see." "Oh yeah? Super Fang that purple bat Watchog!" As Crobat struggled to lift itself off the ground, Watchog leaped in and bit it. Hard. While Crobat lost half its health, it did have an opening. "Crobat! Brave Bird!" Crobat slammed into Watchog, and knocked it out. "Now that ain't fly, yo! I'm Mikey!" "Stop complaining, send out your next Pokémon." Mikey fumbled around for a Poké Ball. "Oh yeah, uh, go, my Whirlipede!" "I'll just take you out with Brave Bird!" "Uh oh. Well, uh, I'm still faster! So. . .use Poison Tail?" Whirlipede's tail glowed a sickly purple color, and it slammed into Crobat, who only looked annoyed. "End this Crobat!" Crobat launched another Brave Bird, and crashed straight down onto Whirlipede, knocking it out. Of course, Crobat took itself out from the recoil, but still, Rosa had won! "And the winner is...ROSA!" Rosa collected her fee, which was more than enough to last them a month. Things were finally looking up. If she kept winning, they'd be on the path to luxury.