"Hilda! Where's Rosetta?" Marlon asked. Hilda shook her head. A Grassside Girl ran up to the two of them talking.
"Couldn't find her in the ruins. We took every single plank of wood, but no sign of her… all we found was this," she said, holding up a long coil of brown hair. Hilda grabbed it, and started clutching it.
"Hilda…" Marlon said tentatively, holding out his hand. Hilda turned herself away, and started sobbing uncontrollably. Marlon stepped back, terrified of what he saw.
"She was my world… She was my best friend… And he… *sob*" Hilda said, running off.
"We meet here today to honour and pay tribute to the life of Rosetta, and to express our love and admiration for her. We also to try to bring some comfort to those of her family and friends who are here and have been deeply hurt by her sudden death…" Alder read from a podium. The citizens of Humilau City, the Grassside Girls, and Rosetta's parents sat before him. Not a single person wasn't clad in black, nor was there a single person with a dry eye. Especially Alder, as he came upon a passage stating Rosetta's age.
"I'm sorry… I can't read anymore…" Alder sighed, pushing the text away, and turning to where the Lodge once stood. Now, a memorial statue in Rosetta's likeness stood at the exact spot Rosetta was last seen. Hilda was kneeling at this statue.
"Hilda!" Hilda's mother exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her daughter. "It's so wonderful to see you? Working hard, have you?" Hilda looked up at her mother, and sniffed.
"Yes… Yes I have…" she whispered.
"Hilda needs a break from the Grassside Girls. Please be kind to her," Marlon stated. Hilda's mother nodded.
"Working too hard, I see?" she asked. Hilda coughed.
Hilda woke suddenly. For a moment, she didn't recognise where she was. And then the events of the days prior began to sink in even a little more. What struck her harder was the callous treatment her mother gave.
Working too hard…
Hilda ran from the room, and then from the house. She entered a clearing in the forest outside her home. The full moon shone over the bark of the trees, and Hilda pulled out Rosetta's lock of hair.
"Rosetta…" she whispered, before sobbing uncontrollably.
I should've died. I should've taken charge, and threw you through that hole. I'm such a coward… she thought to herself. She felt her Oshawott come out of its Poké Ball, and turned to face it.
"Oshawott… we have to… avenge her…" Hilda muttered, looking at Oshawott expectantly. Oshawott nodded, and pulled his scalchop from his chest. He swung it in a terrifying arc, hitting three trees before it flew back to himself. The sight of the thrown arc gave Hilda an idea.
"Oshawott… you will… *sob* get even stronger… stronger, stronger and stronger still. I want you to beat Ghetsis with one arm tied behind your back," Hilda said, her mind clearing up. Oshawott nodded, and threw his scalchop more and more, thudding into wood with a faster and faster consistency.
"Not good enough… we will get better together. We will find Ghetsis, and we will not rest until he has paid for his crime," Hilda said. Oshawott nodded. He agreed: Excellent wasn't good enough.