Exhaustion.
Comfort.
And blissfulness.
Those were the words that described how Sophia felt when her crimson eyes peeked up slowly. The softness of a bed welcomed her and a thin blanket wrapped her with warmth. Dim lights slightly blinded the ex-roserade, but her eyes were able to adjust in a matter of seconds. When her orbs were fully open, Sophia raised her body and groaned lightly before looking ahead, her red eyes meeting a pair of green ones as she did.
"Hey there," Caroline said with a light smile. She was sitting on a chair that was against the wall, with one leg draped over the other.
"C-Carol…?" Sophia whispered lightly, still feeling the grogginess of her awakening. "Where am I…?"
"One of the infirmaries of our base." The ginger answered. "You've been healing up for a while."
The ex-roserade sat back against the bedpost and checked out the blue hospital gown she was wearing, disliking the strange texture to it. "How long have I been out?" she asked.
"Since yesterday," Caroline said. "You went out as soon as the battle ended."
Sophia's crimson eyes widened at the news, for she just now remembered the large and bloody battle that took place in the castle. "Oh my gosh! Where's Aaron and Mel-?!"
A loud snore interrupted the girl's panic, which made her turn toward the right to see where it came from. Laying down in a bed that was identical to her's was Melissa, who was still asleep. The brunette's mouth went agape as she let out another short snore, seeming to be at peace in her slumber.
"She should be waking up soon; Melissa healed up the quickest out of everyone." Caroline informed.
Sophia breathed out a small sigh of relief, glad to see her friend in one piece. "Okay, but where's Aaron?" she asked.
"Right here."
The sudden voice surprised both girls as they turned to see Aaron standing in front of the doors of the infirmary. He was dressed in combat attire and had his saber sheathed at his hip, but lacked the helmet and armor. His appearance in the room annoyed the Caroline, who got up to frown at the commander.
"What are you doing here?" The ginger questioned in a annoyed and angered tone. "You should be resting up!"
"Relax Carol, I'll be fine." Aaron reassured. "I just wanted to see how these two were holding up."
Sophia tried to speak to the commander, but was cut off by another abrupt snore. She glanced back at the brunette to see her stirring in her sleep. Within several seconds, Melissa shot up with eyes and rapidly checked the room.
"Who what when where and why?!" she yelled quickly before letting out a soft groan and taking a hold of her aching head.
"Hey Melissa." Aaron greeted the exhausted brunette.
"Eh…? Guys?" Melissa groaned. "What… happened…?"
"You went unconscious back at the Bellator castle." Caroline answered. "We brought you back to the base to heal up."
"Right… that…" The brunette moaned. "Did… did we win?"
"Yeah, we won." Aaron smiled. "Thanks to Sophia."
"M-me?!" Sophia squeaked in surprise, not realizing she brought victory to the Aurora force.
"Of course," Caroline said. "Not only did you heavily damage most of the castle and their army, but you also defeated their queen. We would've been screwed if it wasn't for you."
"Wait, she defeated the queen?" Melissa gasped out in shock, then looked toward the ex-roserade. "How? We were getting our asses handed to us. How did you beat her and destroy the castle?"
"I… don't know…" Sophia answered slowly.
"What do you mean you don't know?" Aaron questioned, now confused. "I thought you had complete control over those plants you summoned."
"I-I did, it's just…" The ex-roserade paused for a second. "I really don't know what happened. When I made those plants appear, I felt a strange power take over. It was weird, like I felt this power before, but at the same time I had no idea what it was."
"Don't think about it too hard, Sophia," Caroline said. "This might just be a new ability that you've unlocked. You'll most likely figure it out when you have time to look into it."
"She's right, it'll come to you later." Melissa agreed. "For now, let's get back on the topic of Team Bellator. Speaking of which, what happened to their leader? Is she dead?"
"No." Aaron shook his head in denial. "We captured her as a prisoner."
"You what?!" the brunette yelled, now flabbergasted that their most dangerous enemy is still alive.
"Calm down," Aaron said firmly. "We have Viola under heavy guard AND put Sophia's dark gem on her, meaning she's not using any psychic powers on anyone."
"Oh no, nononono." Now Melissa was one shaking her head. "We shouldn't let someone that dangerous live. What do guys think will happen if she frees herself from captivity?! How on earth are we gonna stop her again?! We've gotten our asses kicked by the queen, twice. Not to mention that Sophia doesn't know how to use-"
"Sophia, is the one that let her live. She could've killed the queen, but she chose not to." Aaron argued.
"We should honor her choice, Melissa." Caroline chimed in. "It's for the best."
Melissa blinked at the two for a couple seconds before eventually sighing in defeat. "Alright, fine, we'll let… Viola… live," she said. "But just know, if that bitch makes any sudden movements, I will not hesitate to kill her."
Aaron gave the brunette a small nod. "Now with that out of the way, let's address some of the other news, like the state Team Bellator is in."
"We've gotten reports of Bellator activity all over northern unova," Caroline said, taking a step forward. "However, now that they're leaderless, the soldiers are clueless on how to proceed."
"So what do we do with them?" Melissa asked.
"When we hunt them down, we'll give them two options." The ginger answered. "Option one: they'll turn themselves in peacefully and will be shown mercy. They'll be judged on their crimes once everything is in order."
"Option two, should any of them resist arrest and fight back, will be met with lethal force." Aaron continued. "I hope most of them will take the former option, because everyone here has had their fair share of fighting."
"I see," Sophia said. "What about the city? Was it attacked again while we were gone?"
"Thankfully, no." Caroline answered. "In fact, it's being repaired as we speak."
"That's good to hear." Melissa grinned. "So what do we do now?"
"Well, it'll be a while before we start hunting down the rest of the unorganized team," Aaron said. "For now, we'll rest up, and celebrate our victory."
"Celebrate?" Sophia questioned.
"Indeed." Caroline nodded. "Since the knights are dead and the queen is captured, the rest of Team Bellator is clueless on how to proceed. They might try to free Viola, but chances of that are extremely low, due to them not knowing the location of our base."
"The battle in the castle was a crippling blow against Team Bellator." Aaron continued. "Thanks to you guys, we practically have them around our fingers."
"So… there's a celebration for defeating them?" Melissa asked, her voice rising with giddiness. "Does that mean there's going to be a feast?!"
"Of course there'll be-" Caroline attempted to speak.
"FINALLY!" Melissa screamed out, the ginger's words bringing endless joy to her. "It's been TOO long since I've had a proper meal! Where are my clothes?! I need to see it!"
Caroline flinched at the brunette's loud voice, and slowly pointed a finger toward a closet at the end of the room. Following the direction of the digit, Melissa sprang out of the bed and dashed to it. The brunette violently swung the closet open and quickly grabbed the blue Aurora uniform within. Afterward, the hyper teen quickly spotted a bathroom and ran into t to change. In the matter of a few seconds, Melissa jumped out as soon as she ran in, completely changed into new clothes, to the mass confusion of the ginger leader.
"Wha…? How did you-?" Caroline tried to ask, completely dumbstruck by the brunette's insane speed.
"It's… for the best not to question her, Carol," Aaron said to the ginger. "When it comes to food, Melissa will do the impossible to get to it."
"Alrighty then!" The brunette beamed. "Now that I'm ready, I'll need an escort to the feast!" Her brown orbs were now on the only male in the room, who slightly shuddered under her gaze.
"Uh oh…" Aaron whispered.
"Alright Aaron! Let's get to the-"
"H-hey, Melissa?" Sophia quipped at the brunette, interrupting her small cheer. "Can you leave Aaron here? I want to talk to him, privately."
Melissa blinked at the ex-roserade before she flashed another smile. "Yeah sure, that's alright." Her eyes now landed on the Aurora leader. "I'll just take the ginger instead!"
"Uh… what?" Caroline blinked at Melissa, who appeared in front of her in within a second.
"Let's go, Carol!" The brunette beamed as she attempted to grab the ginger's wrist. However, Caroline pulled her hand back at the last second before Melissa could touch her. Confused, the brunette gave the leader a puzzled look.
"If… all you wanted was to grab my hand," the ginger said before she tangled her fingers with Melissa's, intertwining their hands together. "All you had to do was ask," Caroline said with a grin.
"Er… Uh… umm… w-well…" The brunette's words tangled her mouth as her face got beat red, which only came out as gibberish.
"What's the matter?" Caroline whispered as she got closer to the rookie. "Did a meowth catch your tongue?
"N… n-not at all!" Melissa stuttered out. "Y-you… d-dumb ginger..."
"My my!" Caroline purred. "That's no way to talk to your leader."
Melissa tore her eyes away from the ginger's and pulled her to follow as she walked to the door. The brunette blushed heavily as she held Caroline's hand, getting more flustered as the ginger spoke to her.
"I can talk to you however I want…" Melissa whispered under her breath, increasing the grin on her leader's face. "I d-don't care who you are… s-stupid ginger…"
Once the two women left room, silence filled the air of the infirmary. Aaron kept his head toward the door Melissa and Caroline left through, and soon closed his eyes. Sophia gazed at the teen ahead, and once she knew the others were far enough, she began to speak to him.
"Aaron-"
"I… I gotta ask, Sophia." Aaron interrupted her as he looked her way. "Why did you let Viola live? She wouldn't have shown you a shred of mercy, so why did you spare her?"
Sophia lowered her head at the question. "Because… well… there are two reasons." She looked at the teen again before continuing. "First off, I'm not a killer, Aaron. I haven't killed anyone up to this point, and I'd like to keep it that way."
"What about the Bellator soldiers in the city? You know, the ones you fought against?" Aaron asked.
"They're not dead, I only knocked them out." Sophia answered. "Even the ones I poisoned will live, because I made sure that the poison wasn't lethal."
"Okay… then what's your second reason?"
"The other is… well…" Sophia paused. "She spared me once before."
"But, that's because-" Aaron tried to say.
"I know, I know, you stopped her from killing me," Sophia said. "But she could've easily ignored you and finished me off then and there. However, she chose not to, and spared my life." The ex-roserade's gaze fell to her feet. "Maybe… maybe there's some good in her, Aaron…"
The commander shuddered at the last part, silently disagreeing with the girl completely. Flashes of what the Bellator queen did to him and his comrades flooded his mind as he thought about her, but he quickly shoved them aside, knowing that time was over with. Hopefully for good.
"I see," Aaron whispered as he approached the ex-roserade's bed, kneeling on one knee and placing his hands on her's when he was close. "Can I ask you one more question?"
"Shoot." Sophia smiled, placing her other hand on top of his.
"Why do you love me?" he asked.
The white haired girl was taken back by his words, not expecting him to ask such a question. She wondered what were the right words to answer with, and drew in a small breath before she spoke.
"Why?" she said. "It's because you've taken care of me for as long as I know. Everyday, you give me so much happiness and love. You make me smile and laugh, and… and I want to return all of that and more to you.
"When I was still a roserade, and when you were retiring from your life as a trainer, I felt… terrified. I was scared that I would never see you again when you disbanded the team." Sophia squeezed the teen's hand as she continued, feeling tears in the corners of her eyes. "And… and when you were captured by Team Bellator, I was frightened. I blamed myself for not being able to stop Viola, I and hated myself for not being able to prevent your pain. I don't want us to part ways again, Aaron. Never again."
"Sophia…" Aaron whispered.
"You mean the world to me." She continued. "Without you in my life, I feel lost, alone, empty, and scared. The reason why I love you is because you give my life a purpose, and that's to make you as happy as you make me!" The tears were now flowing down her cheeks as she choked on her words. "And… and I don't care if you don't return the same feelings I have, because I'll still love you, no matter-"
Sophia was cut off when Aaron placed his lips against her's and brought them into a light kiss. The ex-roserade gasped at first, but quickly melted into the liplock and kissed him back. She removed her hands from his to wrap her arms behind Aaron's neck to deepen the liplock. Sophia felt overjoyed as they kissed, and started to moan lightly into it. Every second felt like a minute to ex-roserade, and she didn't want it to end.
Unfortunately for Sophia, Aaron pulled away to draw a breath. He smiled lovingly at the white haired girl and pulled his arms around her body to pull her into an embrace.
"Don't you remember Sophia?" He asked into the hug. "I said I do love you. And I promise, for as long as I live, that I will make you the happiest person on this planet."
The ex-roserade's smile grew in length as she returned the hug, letting tears of joy flow down her face. "I hope you keep that promise," she whispered.
"I will." The commander reassured. "I swear on my life, I will."
Aaron pulled away from the hug and lightly swept his fore finger across Sophia's face to wipe away some of the tears. The white haired girl hummed a small laugh as he did, enjoying the feeling of his touch.
"Heh, you always give me a reason to smile, huh?" Aaron grinned.
"I try my best to," Sophia said sweetly.
The teen pecked her lips before rising up on his feet. "You feel healthy enough to walk?" He asked.
"Yeah, I just need to change out of this gown." Sophia answered. "Can you get my clothes?"
Aaron nodded and walked over to the closet to retrieve her clothes. The ex-roserade removed the blanket covering her and brought herself out of the bed. As she stood and tried to walk, she limped slightly. The white haired girl did her best to ignore the pained feeling in her leg as she approached the commander, who had her outfit in hand. The green material was repaired from the battle, and was washed out of any blood stains that covered it before. Sophia took the outfit and walked over to the bathroom. But before she walked in, she turned around and smiled lovingly at Aaron.
"No peeking~!" She teased.
"Yeah yeah." Aaron smiled back and waved his hand at her. "Take your time, I'll be waiting outside."
The teen left through the doors and stayed nearby the room, keeping his word on staying. Sophia grinned again and went into the bathroom to change. After a minute or two, the white haired girl finished putting on the roserade outfit. She checked out her appearance in mirror, trying to see if she missed anything. But as she did this, Sophia could feel a faint power resonate within her. It was the same power from before, but it was incredibly weaker. The ex-roserade eyed her outfit, wondering if it was the reason for this power.
"Is that right?" Sophia whispered to herself. "Well, it does feel like I'm adding a piece of myself when I wear this, could that be the reason as to why I feel this power?"
After a couple of seconds, the ex-roserade shook her head to get rid of those thoughts. "It's best not to think about it right now. It'll come to me later.'
Nodding to herself, Sophia left the bathroom and exited the infirmary. When she did, she immediately approached Aaron, who gazed at the dress she was wearing with awe.
"How do I look?" the ex-roserade asked as she spun in place to give the teen a full view of her outfit.
"Stunning." He answered with a grin. "Although, the mask might get in the way if I try to kiss you."
"You can always take it off," Sophia said as she got closer to him.
"Eh, I suppose," Aaron said before extending his arm to her. The white haired girl locked her own arm with his, and together, they walked down the hallway to meet the others at the celebration, with Aaron mostly leading the way.
"This… this is…" Melissa gasped out with wide eyes.
"This is…?" Caroline went off.
The two women stood within the cafeteria, gazing at the many rows of sweets in front of them. The deserts ranged from chocolate to ice cream and cookies of all kinds. There were plenty sweets available for everyone as well, and many Aurora soldiers picked out which ones they wanted to eat.
"Heaven…" Melissa whispered, feeling her mouth water as she saw the soldiers eat the sweets. The brunette loosened her fingers away from Caroline's and approached the sweet feast in front of her. The desert's aroma filled her senses, and made the teen get lost within. Melissa eyed a row of cookies when she arrived, many of which were made with pieces of chocolate embeded inside. Ever so slowly, the brunette picked up a cookie and stared at it. Small crumbs fell off of the light brown sweet, which only made Melissa smile with glee as she examined the chocolate dug with.
The piece of food was practically begging for the teen to eat it.
She brought it over to her mouth and opened up slightly. When the cookie was close, Melissa violently bit down and chomped on the rest within a second. The brunette grabbed two more from the row and destroyed them in the same manner, devouring the helpless pieces of food.
"I can die happy now!" Melissa called out happily.
"Just make sure not to eat too much," Caroline said as she approached. "You don't want to miss out on the main course."
"Main course?!" Melissa gasped. "What is it?! Where is it?!"
"You'll see soon enough." The ginger smiled.
"I hope it's meat! It's been too long!" The brunette yelled in a excited tone.
Not far from the two was a small crowd of soldiers surrounding a table. Leo stood upon it with a half empty bottle of sake in his hand. The captain's steps were horribly coordinated as he moved about, wearing a large smile on his face.
"Then… THEN…" Leo slurred. "I duck away from the sword slash at the last possible second, turned around, and stabbed my own sword into the knight's gut! He went down a second later!"
The soldiers cheered at the drunken captain, fascinated by the story of his battle with the red knight. From behind the table, Mac and Beth approached, giving Leo an annoyed glance when they could see his erratic state. Chris, Mac's chimchar, rode on top of the large captain's shoulder. The fire monkey stared at the shaggy haired man curiously, wondering why he talked and moved in such strange ways.
"Are you drunk already?" Beth asked in a annoyed tone.
"Ah ah!" Leo turned to see his fellow captains. "There's nothing wrong with getting a little tipsy, Beth!"
"Drinking half a bottle of alcohol isn't a little, pipsqueak," Mac said. "Especially when you're a lightweight."
The drunk captain laughed at the insult. "Call me what you want, sweetheart! You're not breaking my good mood today!" he said.
The two sober captains sighed and rolled their eyes at their drunk peer. They walked around the table and took a seat in the chairs nearby. Some of the Aurora soldiers approached the captains and asked them about their battles. Neither Beth or Mac went into great detail about their fights, only saying who they fought and how they defeated them.
After a couple of minutes, Aaron and Sophia entered the populated room. Both looked on in awe, impressed by the amount of desert presented and how good it looked. The two teens approached Melissa and Caroline and exchanged their own greetings with them. Once the group talked for a minute, they decided to sit down near of the round tables to get more comfortable. Aaron and Sophia sat next to each other, while Melissa and Caroline sat on the opposite side.
"Alright you two." The brunette started. "I have to ask because my intuition is killing me. Are you a couple now?"
"E-eh?!" Sophia and Aaron yelped at the same time.
"You are, aren't you?!" Melissa pointed accusingly. "I can see it in your eyes!"
"Not to mention that you guys had a private conversation and took a while to get here." Caroline laughed.
Aaron opened his mouth to retaliate, but stopped himself with a small sigh of defeat. He glanced at Sophia, who simply flashed a light grin his way and nodded.
"Your ridiculousness will never cease to amaze me, Melissa…" Aaron groaned. "Your intuition is too accurate as well."
"Ha! I knew it!" Melissa yelled triumphantly before mockingly singing, "Sophia and Aaron, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G~!"
"Go on, keeping teasing like an eight year old." Aaron rolled his eyes while grinning in slight amusement.
"Well, don't mind if I do!" Melissa matched his grin with a bigger smile.
Before the brunette could continue however, the rings of several bells went off. Everyone in the room turned their attention toward the entrance of the cafeteria to see several people pull in a large amount of various cooked meats, cakes, and beverages on multiple karts. The aroma of all the new food-especially the meat-struck Melissa's nose and made her mouth water greatly.
"MEAT!" The brunette moaned as she tried to get up from her seat and dash toward it. But mid run, Aaron quickly got up from his seat and intercepted the brunette. He wrapped his arms around the crazed teen's stomach and lifted her up, which kept her running and lunging at the food.
"Hold your horses, you wild animal!" Aaron yelled, struggling to keep the brunette at bay and from destroying the feast.
"Let me go!" Melissa begged as she stared at the food. "It's calling to me! They're BEGGING for me to eat them!"
"And you'll get some!" Aaron groaned. "But you need to wait a little bit longer!"
"I've waited long enough!" Melissa yelled back.
The soldier continued to the pull the large amounts of food into the cafeteria, and came to a halt once they reached the middle. When they stopped, Caroline got up from her seat and walked over to them. She turned around in the middle of her stroll to smile at the flailing brunette.
"I'll bring you a plate after the short speech," the ginger said.
"No! I need it now!" Melissa seethed during her struggle.
Caroline rolled her eyes and continued to walk toward the middle of the room. Once she was there, the ginger brought up her xtransceiver and began to type on the commands prompted on the small screen. After a few seconds, she tapped on the watch phone again, which echoed throughout the speakers in the cafeteria and engulfed it which a small tapping sound.
"I'd like to get everyone's attention, please." Caroline spoke into the xtransceiver, allowing her voice to come through to the speakers. All eyes were now on her as she continued to speak. "I want to thank all of you for coming. As most of you know, yesterday was a huge turning point in our war with Team Bellator. Yesterday, we found and assaulted their castle, which happened to be their head quarters.
"The main purpose of the attack was to free Lieutenant Colonel Aaron, my second in command, from captivity. Not only that, but once he was free, we also planned on eliminating all Bellator leadership present. The battle was difficult, to say to the least, and was practically suicidal. But thanks to efforts of everyone that fought to their fullest, not only did we save Aaron and defeat the four knights, but we've also captured their leader, Queen Viola Bellator. If it wasn't for the efforts of our three High Captains, Beta company, along with the two recruits, Melissa and Sophia, then the mission would've ended in failure. May those of you that have been mentioned, please stand."
Several soldiers surrounding two tables got up from their seats, along with Leo, Beth, and Mac doing the same. Sophia stood up as well, seeing that Aaron and Melissa were already standing since the commander was still trying to stop the brunette from destroying the feast.
"Now, let's give these heroes the gratitude they deserve!" Caroline called out before clapping her hands together repeatedly. The rest of the room followed suite, with everyone giving a round of applause for the soldiers that stood. Everyone-expect for Aaron and Melissa-smiled greatly and waved at crowds cheering at them.
"Thanks to you, we've dealt a crippling blow to the enemy, and with that, this war will soon reach it's end." Caroline smiled. "Now, without further ado, let's celebrate our victory!"
The cafeteria roared with another cheer, and large amounts of the soldier got up and approached the feast that waited for them. Caroline took a plate and started to pile it with all kinds of the cooked meat, and once it was full, she went back to the table Sophia and the others were located. When she got close, Melissa increased her struggling tenfold when she saw the plate, to much of the annoyance of Aaron. The approaching ginger smiled and placed the plate on the table before glancing at the two teens.
"Unleash the beast," she said.
The commander's arms pulled away from the flailing teen, who dived in quickly once she was free. The brunette grabbed a drumstick of chicken and bit into it, letting out a sigh of relief once the flavor settled in her mouth. The teen sat down once more before digging into the rest of the food.
"Now I can die happy!" Melissa said with glee before biting into another piece of meat.
The group chuckled at the brunette and went to get their own plates of food. Soon, the entire cafeteria was filled with noise as soldiers conversed at each with each other, with some even opening bottles of sake to celebrate their major victory over Team Bellator.
An hour passed as the party went on. A huge pile of plates sat in front of Melissa, who was lightly picking her teeth with a toothpick. A large and content grin covered her face, enjoying the large meal she consumed. The rest of the group only had a plate or two in front of them, along with glass cups that were mostly empty.
"Ahh… there's nothing like a stomach full of great food," Melissa sighed happily.
"Oh? You're full?" Aaron questioned. "You sure you don't want to stack a couple more plates on that mountain you got there?"
"Hmm… nah." The brunette denied. "I'll save that for later."
Sophia smiled at her friend's bickering, delighted that they were having a good time at the celebration. These happy thoughts passed however, once the ex-roserade's mind was on another topic. Specifically, Sophia was thinking about Viola, wondering why someone would do such heinous things to people to get their way. What did she have to gain from it, the ex-roserade questioned in her mind. It bugged her endlessly.
"Hey, Carol?" Sophia said, gaining the ginger's attention. "You said that we have Viola prisoner here, right?"
"Yeah… why?" Caroline raised her eyebrow curiously.
"Noth- er… well…" The ex-roserade stuttered. "I was wondering, could you bring me to her? I… I want to ask her a couple questions."
The group looked at Sophia in confusion, not knowing why she would want to speak to the former queen. "You want to talk to her?" Aaron asked. "Why?"
"I just want to ask her a couple questions, is all." Sophia answered. "And I doubt she'll try anything on me either, what with her under heavy guard and everything."
"Uh… I suppose I can take you to her…" Caroline accepted, unsure of what to think about the ex-roserade wanting to speak to the former queen.
"Well, if you're going, then I'm coming with," Aaron said, about to get up from his seat.
"No, no!" Sophia waved her hands at the teen in denial. "It's alright! You should stay here and enjoy the party, we'll only gone for a couple minutes."
"But Sophia…" Aaron began.
"We'll be fine, Aaron, I promise." The ex-roserade reassured with a light smile.
Aaron kept his eyes on her, feeling greatly concerned over this. But after a few seconds, he sighed in defeat. "Fifteen minutes," he said. "If you're not back by fifteen minutes, I'll come running."
Sophia gave the commander a small nod and got up from her chair. When Caroline did the same, the ex-roserade followed her out of the cafeteria and through the entrance. Aaron and Melissa watched as they left the room, the commander frowning slightly as they walked out.
"I should've went with them," he said.
"Eh, I'm sure they'll be fine." Melissa shrugged. "That 'queen' or whatever is under heavy lockdown, she won't do a thing to them."
"I hope that the case," Aaron sighed. "Say, Melissa. I've been meaning to ask, now that we're alone…"
"Ask what?" The brunette questioned.
"Well, I want to know… What happened when I was… you know… back at the castle." He trailed off slowly.
"Oh… you mean that," Melissa said quietly. "When you were under the queen's control."
"Yeah…" The commander nodded.
"I… don't really know, to be honest." The brunette admitted. "I fought the blue knight when you possessed, so I didn't really know what you were doing until I defeated her. When I got to you, you were standing over Sophia, and was going to- y'know…"
"I get it," Aaron said.
"Yeah…" Melissa breathed out. "Anyways, when I did arrive, I started to… well… yell at you. I yelled at you to stop, and you did just that."
"I stopped?" Aaron questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Because you yelled at me to?"
"It's not like that," the brunette said. "When I shouted at you, something seemed to hit you mentally. You looked pained when I did, and you kept screaming when I was talking to you. It's hard to explain, but you went blank for a couple seconds before coming back to normal."
"Huh… I see," Aaron said quietly. "That's odd, but thanks for telling me nonetheless."
"Of course." Melissa nodded. "And while we're at it, I need to tell you something as well."
"Like what?"
The brunette's expression darkened as she thought about it. "It's about my battle with the blue knight. When we fought, she told me that… that she… k-killed… Ryan…"
"What?" Aaron gasped out.
"At first, she was just taunting me, asking me why I fought against Team Bellator. Then, she went on about your reasons for fighting, saying that you fought to avenge a friend that you lost a year ago. She said she killed him, and that she used a dagger to do it."
"I… I can't believe this…" Aaron whispered as he held his head in shock. "To think that one of the knights was responsible…"
"She realized that he was my friend too, and started to mock him…" Melissa's now strained voice choked out as she thought about the dead blonde. "She kept going on about how she killed him, and was constantly insulting him."
"Well… at least that monster is gone from this world," the commander said. "She got what was coming to her."
"That's not all, though." Melissa continued. "When the knight was mocking Ryan, something within me… snapped. My aura just sky rocketed out of nowhere and I tore her to pieces. Her armor felt like nothing to me, and shattered when I attacked. She died so quickly… and I-"
"You went A-R." Aaron gasped a little once he realized what the brunette went through.
"A-R?" Melissa asked.
"Aura Rage." The commander explained. "It's a mode that can only occur when the user is under heavy amounts of anger. In that state, a person who goes A-R will unleash extreme amounts of aura to decimate whatever set them off. Not much can stop A-R once it activates.
"However, this mode should never be used in long periods of time. Our bodies can't handle that much aura all at once. So if you use it for too long, you'll die. You're lucky that you killed the knight quickly." Aaron finished.
Melissa's expression dropped when processed the information. "So, I could've died if I stayed like that for too long?"
Aaron nodded lightly and leaned back into his chair. "Try to avoid using that form in the future, okay? I don't want your death on my mind as well." The commander let out a small sigh. "Still, at least Ryan's killer is gone from this world. Didn't think you would be the one to get them, but I won't complain."
Melissa reached out to a bottle of sake that wasn't open yet; she poured the drink into two glasses and offered one to Aaron, which he slowly took.
"To Ryan," Melissa said as she held up her glass.
"To our brother." Aaron tapped his cup against the brunette's and downed the drink, with Melissa doing the same with her's.
The sounds of the party slowly died out as Sophia and Caroline got further away from it. The ginger led the white haired girl through several empty hallways, save for the few ghost pokemon that lingered and patrolled about. The pair went down a stairwell that led to a large metal door that was under guard by a golurk. This door was unlike any other within the base, for it was circular in shape and had a large ship-like steering wheel attached to it.
Caroline nodded at the large ghost pokemon, which nodded in return before turning around to grab the wheel. After turning it multiple times, a large click went off, signalling the golurk to pull the large door open. On the other side was a dark hallway, which was oddly pitch black.
"Let's go." Caroline motioned Sophia to follow and stepped into the darkened passageway. The ex-roserade followed closely, and watched as bright lights turned on after the other as they walked down, illuminating their way.
It only took several seconds for the duo to come across another door, this one was of similar design to the door located in the sewers. Caroline placed her hands on the two circular panels on the door, and soon afterward made them glow with her green aura. Another series of locks went off as the panel beeped, and ever so slowly, the door began to open.
Within the room was a woman suspended by several chains, which was wrapped around their body and kept their arms and legs spread out. A single light shined on their body, revealing the torn up battle dress she wore. A necklace could be seen dangling from the woman's neck, which had Sophia's dark gem acting as the pendant. The woman's purple locks covered her face as well, hiding the closed eyes underneath.
"Make it quick, I'll be right here." Caroline motioned the ex-roserade to enter.
Sophia gave her nod before she foot into the room. She looked up at hanging before her to get a better look of their face. Sure enough, the white haired girl could make a frown, which gotter larger as she got closer to the woman.
"Hmph, look who's dropped by," Viola said in a seething voice as she glared at the ex-roserade. "Came to gloat about your pathetic victory?"
"Not at all," Sophia responded calmly. "I just wanted to ask you a few questions."
"Oh? An interrogation?" The former queen questioned. "And what makes you think I'll talk?"
"It's not like that, Vio-"
"Don't you dare utter my name, you disgusting degenerate." Viola cut her off with a sharp growl.
Sophia continued to give the former queen a blank stare, not intimidated by the glare she received. "Fine, but answer me this: why do you want to take over the world so badly?" she asked.
There was a slight pause, then Viola let out a small chuckle. "Tell me, Sophia. What do you know about my surname?"
"Your surname?" The ex-roserade cocked her head in confusion. "It's Bellator, right? You named your team after it."
The defeated queen let out another laugh, this time in greater volume. "Tch, just as I've thought, you really don't know anything about my name," she said. "Well, let me indulge you. My family name dates back centuries ago, when it was a name that was feared by all. The Bellators once ruled over vast amounts of the world, and I intend to take back what rightfully belongs to us."
"Wha…? What are talking about?" The ex-roserade questioned.
"I won't say anymore, just know that this world will know its queen when the time comes," Viola said. "And you, along with your army, will suffer for rebelling against me."
"Okay… next question." Sophia continued. "Why kill so many people? What do you have to gain from it?"
"Why?" The purple haired woman rasped. "Because idiots that would defy my rule deserve nothing more. They're the ones that would ignite rebellions against my empire, and that would be time consuming to deal with, should they come to life."
"Alright, last question…" The ex-roserade paused before continuing. "Why are you… Why do you… why are you in love with Aaron?" She sputtered out quickly.
The question made Viola go silent for a couple seconds, which took her off guard when Sophia asked it. She stared into the ex-roserade's eyes to see if she was serious, and when she decutced the girl was, the former queen let out another chuckle.
"Aaron and I are meant to be together." Viola started. "He's strong, fast, brave, and his potential knows no bounds. It's only natural that he should rule by my side when the world's mine. It's a shame however, that he's being corrupted by you degenerates right now. You scumbags poison him to hate the very person he's destined to be with."
Sophia couldn't hold back the glare that formed when she listened to the former queen, somewhat seething at her words. "Aaron was never destined to be with you!" she yelled. "If you had him, all you would do is treat him like slave, just like everyone else!"
"How dare you?!" Viola snarled at the white haired girl, furrowing her eyebrows greatly in the process. "Aaron would suffer endlessly with you heathens! He'll never reach his full potential when idiots like you hold him back! Only I can help him reach his full power! He needs me! And I need him!"
"He doesn't need you! Why would he ever need someone as vile as you?!" Sophia bit back, increasing the anger that resided in Viola. "Aaron would never suffer with us, nor is he destined to be with you! I know that for a fact!"
"And why's that, you little bitch?!" The former queen insulted. "You act as if you know everything about him!"
"I do know everything about him! Because I lo-" Sophia instantly covered her mouth with her before she could utter another word, as if it was on instinct to do so.
"You…?" Viola led on.
The ex-roserade took several steps back, increasing the distance between her and the hanging woman. Despite getting further away from Viola, Sophia could feel her glare intensify with each passing second as she got closer to the truth. And when it finally hit her, the former queen looked at her with wide eyes.
"You… love him too, don't you?" she asked, earning nothing but silence from the white haired girl. Very quietly, Viola chuckled to herself and slowly increased the volume of her laugh, which soon engulfed and echoed within the small room loudly. Sophia couldn't tell if she lost her mind or was extremely pissed. Or worse, both.
"You know what?" Viola said as she ceased her laughter. "To hell with destroying that idiot on the other side of the door! Because when I'm free… I'm coming for you, Sophia. You're going to wish that you killed me back at the castle, because I'll make your life become a living nightmare. Mark. My. Words."
The ex-roserade kept silent as she opened the door and stepped out. She stared into the glare Viola sent her way, feeling the intense rage and hatred that resided within the queen.
"Good luck with that, Viola," she said defiantly before Caroline sealed the door and locked it, finally breaking their intense eye lock.
Two weeks have passed since the battle of Bellator castle. Since then, Castelia City was once again filled with life as people and pokemon alike repaired it to its former glory. The members of Aurora's Light were hailed as heroes by the populace for saving the city from the clutches of Team Bellator. After a meeting with the leftover Unova Defense Force and city leaders, they and Caroline decided to reorganize Aurora's Light into the New Unova Defense Force. The remnants from the previous force were absorbed into the new organization, and Caroline was appointed as the chief to it.
Together, she and Aaron-along with the new UDF-started to hunt down the remainder of Team Bellator. They arrested many of the members that turned themselves in, and brought them back to the city to be judged on their crimes. Those that resisted arrest met the lethal force of the powerful duo and the army that followed them. The new UDF was successful in clearing out the rest of the region.
Captains MacArthur, Kythria, and Traxus also assisted when their leaders went after the disorganized team. Once they were finished, the three captains were tasked with escorting Viola to the region of Hoenn by sea, where she would be imprisoned in a highly defended underwater prison. The group did so successfully, meeting no ambushes from the enemy team along the way.
Melissa, who also helped clear out the remnant, decided to move in with Aaron and Sophia after she found out her apartment was destroyed in the Battle of Castelia. The new couple didn't mind however, since to them, the brunette was basically living there before. They would lock her out the refrigerator of course, to much of Melissa's dismay.
As for Sophia…
She was happy.
For she finally had the man she loved.
It was late at night in the small household. Melissa was sound asleep in her room, knocked out by a stomach full of a large dinner. The rest of the house was peacefully quiet. Outside on the roof, Sophia and Aaron sat together silently, with the ex-roserade leaning back against the curly haired teen's chest. Aaron wrapped his arms around her, and smiled lightly when she placed her head under his chin. Sophia held onto him as they watched the starry night sky above, with a full moon illuminating it brilliantly.
"It's so… peaceful," Sophia whispered.
"As it should be." Aaron agreed.
The ex-roserade turned her body so she could face him. They shared a smile with each other before pushing their lips together, creating a light kiss. The liplock wasn't as intense as the first one they shared two weeks agos, but it still made their hearts flutter all the same. Once the kiss broke, the white haired girl placed her head against the teen's chest again, and was soon brought into a soft embrace.
"I love you, Aaron," Sophia said in a soft voice.
"I love you too, Sophia." Aaron spoke in a similar tone to her's
Despite the fact that the ex-roserade heard those words before, they still made her feel like she was at the top of the world. She snuggled herself into Aaron's chest and closed her eyes, never wanting this feeling to end.
"Best. Wish. Ever." Sophia smiled.
The end.
Author's Note
And so, the revisions of the main story are complete! Sorry that these took so long to complete, I didn't really have a lot of free time when I was typing them.
I'll fix the alternate endings too, by the way. But first, I want to hurry up and start brainstorming the general ideas for the next story (and maybe even make some one-shots, it's been a while).
Thanks to everyone that read my mediocre story, I hope that I'll get your attention when I eventually make the sequel!
And, once again, FAVORITE THIS STORY OR DIE!
Just kidding.
See ya in the next update, whenever it'll come!
Theta-Shuffle