Losing hurts

I had the idea for this one-shot just yesterday, and I felt like writing it down to get new energy for my current story.
I would love to publish countless VisorShipping fanfics just so there are a few more, but since I couldn't move myself to promulgate anything without satisfying quality (at least quality in my eyes), I guess this one has to do.

As always, I wish to read about your thoughts, praise and criticism, so please review if you want to commend anything about this story or give me tips how to improve my writing style.

I don't own the characters, places or Pokemon itself, and I have no intentions to earn money with this story in any way!

„Say, Rosa, why do we have to battle every time we meet?", Nate asked the cute girl with the hair buns as his Emboar knocked out her last conscious Pokemon, Serperior, with its powerful Heat Crash. He won, once again, six on three. „Why can't we use our time together for something else?"

She surely wasn't an easy opponent. After all, she had proven to be one of the strongest trainers in the world. Even in her young age, she was one of those who defeated Team Plasma and the Black Kyurem, won against the Elite Four and the champ multiple times, filled Unova's Pokedex, starred in the most popular movies from the Pokestar Studios, climbed the Black Tower and defeated the most talented adversaries in the PWT.
They would have called her the most powerful trainer of all, if there hadn't been this one boy who accomplished all of that as well. And he constantly kept beating her!

„I can't believe the Occa Berry didn't work.", Rosa sighed. She called her favorite Pokemon back and came over to Nate. Beneath the Railroad Crossing they were standing on, a train from Nimbasa City passed and stopped at the station of Anville Town.

Nate shook his head amused. „An Occa Berry only weakens the power of Heat Crash once. But since the strength of this attack depends on the weight of your Pokemon, maybe an item increasing the heft will serve better.", he advised. It was meant nice, but it somehow stung in her heart that he even gave her tips how she might outdo him.
„Now that we've finished the routine, let's have some fun here!", he required. „We have to enjoy our time here as long as it..." The sound of his Xtransceiver ringing disrupted him. „...lasts.", he ended and rolled his eyes. „You don't mind when I answer that?", he asked her to be safe.
She nodded. Actually, she knew as good as he did that the call was from Yancy, his ex-girlfriend, who tried to break them apart, thinking their relation was a romantic one, just like every week.

„Hey, Natey!", she greeted him loudly.

„What is it, Yancy?", he greeted back kind of annoyed.

Yancy giggled, telling herself he would play the unapproachable one to impress her now. „I hoped you could join me in the amusement park of Nimbasa.", she invited him.

He quickly took a glance at Rosa, who leaned against the railing and healed her Pokemon with Potions. „I'm technically busy at the moment.", Nate apologized, but she wouldn't let him get off the hook that easily.

„Oh, but I just caught another rare Pokemon I could trade to you. Don't you want to fill Cedric's Pokedex?", she propounded. She always got him with that...

„Fine, but that's not a date!", the boy grumbled.

The young Idol grinned pleased. „Of course it's not a date.", she repeated ironically before she ended the call.

Nate gave Rosa an apologetic look. „I guess I have to go. See you next week.", he saw off as he called out his Braviary, took place at its back and flew away, leaving the girl alone with her mostly depressing thoughts.

It was always the same. What worried her most was that it could become different one day. Because the one thing he got that she was still working on was an admirer. She didn't even know why she liked him. At least she hated the fact that he was so much better than her. And the way he caused every girl around them to swarm displeased her for comprehensible reasons.
Maybe she liked him for his supportive behavior and his positive attitude. And maybe that were the reasons for all the other nameable girls having a crush on him as well. During her journey, she got annoyed by all of them telling her how much she reminded them of him.
The gym leaders Elesa and Skyla were the first to tell her about Nate, raving about his talent and his looks. She asked Hugh about him one time, and he growled something about being beaten by him in Nimbasa City once before he changed the topic. Even the champ Iris went into raptures during the process of recording her name in the Hall of Fame. And when she already was tired of hearing about this unbelievable talent, she finally met him...

It was a sunny day in Nuvema Town, and no cloud was to be spotted in the sky. Rosa had spent much time to make her way to this place. Now she was preoccupied to see Professor Juniper's lab.
As she wanted to enter the biggest house in the village, Bianca come out of the door and towards her. „Bye, Nate. I hope to meet you again soon!", she said to someone inside as she left.

„Hey Bianca, long time no see.", the girl greeted her friend delighted, overhearing the familiar name.

Bianca giggled about something when she noticed her. „Oh, Rosa, I haven't seen you there. Are you here to show the professor your Pokedex?", she asked to drown her cackling.

The girl nodded. „Yeah, I finally completed it.", she cheered.

„Really?", she wanted to know. „You're the second one today!"
'Second one'? She hated the sound of this by now.
„I'd love to stay with you, but I have to go and collect more data about the way of life of Zweilous now. He found out there are wild ones in the new Victory Road.", she reported as she turned to run away.

Rosa was confused about this statement. „He...?", she replayed.

„This boy is a child prodigy, just like you. I'm sure you'll like him; everybody likes him!", Bianca added. With that, she was gone.

The young champion shook her head as she entered the building in front of her. In the main room, Professor Juniper was just speaking with a spiky-haired boy at her age that wore a red visor and a jacket.
At the sound of the closing door, they turned towards the girl. The boy stepped forward and stretched out a hand. „Hello there, I'm Nate.", he introduced himself. „We've seen each other before, haven't we?"

Rosa gently took his hand, but reacted surprised to his question. „I don't think so. My name's Rosa.", she answered.

His inviting smile turned into a pensive one. „I'm quite sure. You defeated the Black Kyurem while I captured Ghetsis."

Now the girl remembered, but she didn't like it. „So you're the Nate everyone's comparing me with?", she asked shocked.

„I guess that's a compliment for me.", he said with a playful laugh.

She blushed at this, but urged herself to stay focused. This was her chance to show she was better than him. „Well, if everybody thinks you're so great, why don't you show me your skills in a Pokemon battle?", Rosa challenged him.

She lost that day, just as she lost every time they battled. She lost more than the title of the world's best Pokemon trainer; she lost another chance to win him over. The knowledge of her time for this running out gnawed her, but the yearning to finally beat him was stronger. And that's what she hated herself for.

„You got one cool boyfriend!", a girl that was about five years older than her admired.

„Thank you.", she mumbled. „But... We're only friends." The thought of this hurt her. The thought of this never changing...

The woman noticed the frustration in her voice. „Oh, I'm sorry. You just looked like a very cute couple.", she excused.
As Rosa stayed quiet, she turned around again. „You know, you should tell him what you feel when you get the chance.", she added. Then she left the girl alone on the wide bridge.

It wasn't like he hadn't given her chances. She had had plenty chances, to be honest, but she had always been too obsessed about vanquishing him, which would have normally been Hugh's part. And after their show fights, she had always been too frustrated or too shy.
He even wanted her to overcome these blockades so they could do other things, but he failed, and slowly he got tired of it, though he'd never say something rude to her. And since he flirted with every girl around, she didn't take that talk of him serious anymore. Maybe it would have been different if she had done so.
Every week could be her last chance to attempt something else with him. She promised herself that she would try to tell him the next time they'd meet.

On the next Saturday, he called off their meeting to go out on a date with Iris. It devastated her that she really had wasted too much time. She had no other idea about what to do than to go far away. Far enough to forget about everything. About her rank as the second best, about the fans that kept surrounding her, about everyone comparing her with others, and about him.
She flew on her Unfezant to Nuvema Town, walked to the river on Route 1 and surfed away from the land on her Walrein. She had no direct destination, her only aim was to get away from Unova. But since she paid no attention to her way, her Walrein got into some streams, and she came across a small island with a strange laboratory.

At the beach on the other side, Rosa spotted a ship she knew very well. She sneaked over to the Plasma frigate and searched for guards, but the only grunts she could see were testing new versions of the Lifecaster. They greeted her welcoming, and one of them led her to the room where she once defeated Colress. Named scientist already waited for her.
„He foresaw you would come here. What took you so long?", he said instead of a 'hello'.

„Always nice to see you, too.", the girl returned ironically. „Why did you want to me to come?"

Colress smiled amused at this question. „Although I have to thank you for showing me the potential I searched for, I'm not the one who arranged this meeting." He looked at his pocket watch. „Would you do us a favor and lay down your Pokemon on that table?"

Rosa felt very uncomfortable about this request. „Why would I? And who do you mean with 'us'?", she wanted to know.

„A noble man decided to spend a great part of the money he earned during a long journey to promote my peaceful research.", he explained. „I owe him a lot, so I consented to help him with a special project. You can believe me that this has no evil purpose!"

The young champ, who had never been a suspicious or unforgiving one, slowly walked over to the table. „Fine, but if you betray me, you'll regret it! I have many powerful friends.", she loomed.

The scientist grinned. „I know that for sure.", he agreed while she laid five of her Pokeballs beside her, hiding her Serperior behind her back. He noticed it, but he didn't care. One wasn't enough...

„So, what's going to happen now?", she asked as she stepped away from the table. Colress just pointed towards the entrance.

As the girl looked in this direction, she saw a well-known visor-capped boy leaning in the doorway, showing his winning smile. „Now we're going to have some fun together.", he said.

Rosa blushed in disbelief. „But... I thought... You were..." As much as she tried, she couldn't form a full sentence.

„I thought we could do something else than battling, now that you're Pokemon are taken care of.", Nate invited her.

On instinct, she turned around, but Colress had already taken her Pokeballs and stored them in a box. „I'll keep them save for you. Enjoy your time!" With that, he climbed the stairs and sat at his working table.

The boy had to hold back a laughter. Her reaction was thus predictable. In fact, he predicted her reaction at him canceling their meeting as well, and since his plan worked out perfectly, he was able to receive the prize. „Come on, we need to hurry if we don't want to miss the movie.", he said as he gently took her hand and leaded her towards the exit.
She wanted to argue at first, but then decided against it. It seemed like she'd get one more chance!