Chapter 34 The Queen of Diamonds, King of Hearts, and Ace of Spades

Immediately following his departure, she had shed the new suit he had given her and packed it away in her frustration, doing her best to shake off her wet clothes. Her Emboar worriedly looked her over and livened up the flames of its head to try to warm her up. Hurt in a way she didn't understand and annoyed with Dr. Colress' seemingly natural knack to get into her head and scramble her thoughts, she waved the pokémon away and glared at him spitefully. "Why do I have to care about him?" she demanded abruptly, as if he might have the answers she was looking for. Instead, the Emboar just stepped back and shook its head, rumbling uncertainly. Dissatisfied with that response and even more flustered knowing that Dr. Colress could have heard that for all she knew, Rosa had just turned away from him sharply and started marching out of Reversal Mountain.

Every time she tried to help somebody, it felt like it somehow backfired and burned her far worse. For so long, every time she tried to assist Nate, he would lash out at her, and in the end, it had been proven she was right that he was in dire need of help. Maybe that had taught her that everyone that acted so cruel deserved her attention and her help, but she was starting to get tired of it, and she had half a mind to slap Dr. Colress next time he bothered to show his face to her. He was doing what Ghetsis had done to him to her, and she was still trying to navigate her escape from his clutches in a way that wouldn't make him violently lash out, that… wouldn't hurt him. Because for some fucking reason, she cared.

Part of her thought that she should have just said to hell with her Emboar and let him do what he would, steal the suit and move on; yet, she couldn't do that, either. She was far too stubborn, far too curious, dying to see how their turbulent game of Chess concluded. She had decided he was her problem, as was Nate's father, as was Neo Plasma—had she decided all of that? Although she didn't pause as she slowly marched her way through Marine Tube and into Humilau, it was suddenly becoming clear just how fast Dr. Colress had derailed her, it made her breath come faster and less regulatory. This had come so far… too far.

It was not about her Emboar anymore at all.

She knew that to be true as she hugged herself tighter and ignored his almost pleading snorts, hobbling after her, trying to get her attention. Banishing her thoughts as she hurried, ignoring her Emboar, she just wanted to go meet back up with Nate and Hugh, hear what they had to say about their battle with Gym Leader Marlon, and laugh and joke with them until they went to sleep. She answered a text from Hugh at some point to tell him she was on her way down the Marine Tube.

Yet, she could only dream, as when she arrived, the laughing and joking was soon cut short, as it was already quite dark, and they were all tired from their long days. Just before she curled up in her bunk to sleep, Nate had gently called out to her, and as soon as she tensely turned her attention to him, she was caught off-guard by the wide, genuine smile on his face. It seemed so wildly out of place on him, and then she noticed that his hair wasn't slicked or tied back, lengthy brown locks framing his expression and giving him a much kinder look than she was used to. In the past, when he wore his hair like that, he had always boasted such a resentful or distant look… "Yes, Nate?"

"I… just wanted to say, ah… thank you… for listening to me, before… I know you said you don't want to talk about it, and I get that, but, if you ever need to talk to me…" He sheepishly raised his shoulders and looked down a little. "I'm here."

"Of course, Nate…" she breathed. After that he waved, and returned to his bunk, patting for his pokémon to join him. In the past, she had noticed that he had difficulty sleeping with any more than just Spacey near him. Of course, with her being a Samurott now, it meant she took up a fair amount of the bed, and his Excadrill naturally couldn't join him, but his Sunflora and Zorua joined him as well, and he was happy to let them lie as close as they so desired… He was happy.

Then, his Xtransceiver buzzed. Nate didn't so much as flinch and seemed fine to ignore the device on his bedside table. That was the only sound it made for a long time, but Rosa couldn't sleep after hearing it, nor after receiving his praise, even as he and Hugh clearly fell asleep, based on Hugh's occasional snore and the gentle rise and fall of Nate's chest beneath his covers. He still thought she was a good person, and she believed she was, too; sure, she had arrogantly claimed so many problems for herself, but she was still fighting for the right reasons, wasn't she?

Another vibration came what felt like an eternity later.

She was good. She was doing this for him and for… for Hugh, right? Battling Neo Plasma. For Unova. Neo Plasma was bad for everyone, not just them, but they had been her inspiration, hadn't they? Nate clearly wanted to help, too, and his father… She couldn't get that horrific story out of her head. Everything he had told her. How awful was it, then, that he constantly had to deal with that man in his Xtransceiver, demanding his attention?

Another buzz.

Fuck that Xtransceiver, fuck his dad, fuck Neo Plasma—she got up and waited with bated breath to see if either of them would react. They didn't, but her Emboar snorted and glared at her. She snatched Nate's Xtransceiver up and then her bag, and she waved a finger at the pokémon. "Come with me and shut up, or stay here," she ordered it with a hissing whisper. She was not in the mood to be reprimanded. She knew what she was doing. "I don't care."

She easily unlocked the broken Xtransceiver and saw a few texts from Nate's father, buried beneath a barrage of messages that hadn't been responded to. According to the last few of them, Nate's father was in Undella, and was tracking the device. The most recent message, however, the one that had just caused the Xtransceiver to vibrate, infuriated her as she read it over, and she clutched her bag so tightly she thought her nails might cut through the fabric and into her flesh.

"I'm done playing this game, Nate. You thought I was so fucking bad to you before that you ran off with some slut to take care of you? To answer the phone for you? What kind of man are you? Should I teach you how to be one? Have you still not fucking learned? I love you. Why are you running off with her? Don't you love me, too?"

She deleted the message and tossed the Xtransceiver back to Nate's bedside table, and looked down at her bag, where she knew the suit Dr. Colress had just given her was safely tucked away. She was starting to tremble in anger. She felt her Emboar sit next to her and she looked down at him. He was giving her a knowing, determined look, despite her biting words from earlier.

"I'm going to Undella," she whispered. Softly, she asked, "Are you coming?"

Uttering a snort that sounded eerily like a resigned sigh, he started to shuffle toward the door. Casting one last look at Nate and then to Hugh, Rosa steeled her jaw and followed.

She had a problem to solve…

…oh, how she'd love solving it.

The shores of Undella were eerily devoid of life in the night and the sand almost glittered silver in the glow of the moon. Alone amongst the picturesque landscape, a heavyset man stood alone and smoked in front of the Pokémon Center, a Stoutland at his side, the last pokémon that remained from his own journey so many moons ago. He hadn't been able to sleep, but he hadn't wanted to approach his son in the next town over so late at night; he had to wait for the next day, the next morning, fully intending to catch him as he tried to leave Humilau. Broad daylight so that Nate wouldn't cause a scene. Marine Tube was the primary way in and out of the seaside paradise and his son would almost certainly pass through it again to head to the next gym. From tracking his Xtransceiver, he knew Nate had not yet traveled to Opelucid. Fleetingly, he thought of how impressed he was that Nate had blazed through the other seven gyms so quickly.

Flicking the cigarette, he briefly looked up at the smoke curling into the atmosphere and jolted when his Stoutland started to growl and bark. Out of the inky darkness and through the smoke, a figure manifested, an Emboar trotting at their side. He narrowed his eyes with the intentions of figuring out who it was, but he blanched when he saw that whoever it was, they were in an odd sort of… biker getup? A helmet featuring a diamond-shaped visor obscured their face and as they advanced, two digital ovals appeared on the visor, uncomfortably reminiscent of eyes, blinking and moving all the same.

"Stay back," he snapped, backpedaling toward the Pokémon Center behind him, waving his cigarette as if he intended to use it as a weapon. His Stoutland lunged forward, snarling at the Emboar. Incensed by their refusal to acknowledge or even answer him, he demanded, "Who are you?"

"My name won't matter," came a roboticized feminine voice, clearly augmented by the odd suit she was wearing. She took a decisive step toward him, unfazed by his pathetic display with the cigarette, and he flattened himself to the wall.

"The fuck do you want?" he growled, starting to shake. Another deliberate step toward him. He gripped the bricks behind him and dropped the cigarette, stomping it beneath a powerful boot. Curling his lip, he bristled, "Your Comic-Con suit doesn't scare me." He licked his lips and his face twisted into a repulsive smile. He thought he knew exactly what to do to throw her off her game and send her packing. "I'll rip it off and show you just who's boss if you don't start talking, pretty lady."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" she drawled, disturbingly unfazed by his threat. The digital eyes curved upward slightly in what he swore was amusement.

His Stoutland attacked her Emboar then, and the pokémon briefly wrestled. Just as he went to order it to use Take Down, the girl interfered, bringing her boot cruelly up on the Stoutland's lower jaw. It yelped as it was tossed backward, cartwheeling into the bricks behind him. There was a sickening crack and blood flecked across the stone. His jaw dropped and he cowered slightly, looking her over with newfound fear. "How… how did you…? Were you that bitch on his Xtransceiver?"

Her Emboar chuffed and blew a long stream of smoke into the air. Those digital eyes narrowed at him and he heard her give a synthesized laugh. "Looks like you're not totally stupid… But yes, I am."

"Who do you think you are?" he snarled, suddenly regaining his confidence, getting into her face. "He's my son. He's mine! Do you understand me? Mine! Not yours! I love him and he loves me!"

She just stared at him for a minute.

"Where is he?" he barked when she still failed to respond.

"Dear Arceus, you're serious…" she commented dryly, then leaned forward so her visor touched his nose. "Look, I could explain to you just how fucked up your ideology is, Mister Man, but I've got a better idea. And for the record, you can just call me the Queen of Diamonds…~"

He started to question what the hell kind of a name that was but was cut off when she brutally reared that visor back, and then smashed it forward, breaking the skin on his forehead. Blood dribbled down his head and he winced, gritting his teeth against the throb of pain that welled with it. He scoffed in disbelief as he watched her stretch her neck, as if the strike had hurt her, too. "There are cameras!" he fearfully reminded her as he touched the wound on his forehead. "They'll see you!"

More laughter. Her Emboar growled as she spoke. "So, what? What if I misbehave a little? I have this suit on. Nobody knows who I am… It's what everyone craves, anyway." She rubbed her Emboar's head lovingly and then abruptly lunged at him, making him jump back like a frightened Purrloin. In delighted amusement, she added, "The only thing that matters with those cameras is… everyone will get to see how pathetic you were."

'Were…?'

The following morning, Nate and Hugh had difficulty making any considerable headway toward Opelucid. Rosa had woken them up early as she traipsed back into the room, clutching her stomach, shuffling her feet almost dazedly. What had woken them was her collapsing to the floor in a heap. Nate had shot up at the noise and almost yelped at seeing her like that. She waved him off quickly as he leapt to her side, staggering back to her feet. She looked so, so pale, and grimaced. "Sorry," she mumbled, "been… been up and down all night. Not feeling well."

Her Emboar worriedly supported her side and helped her back to her bunk. Hugh then jumped from the bed above hers and yawned, "Wha… what's going on?"

"Nothing," Rosa snapped, clutching her abdomen again and doubling over. "Nothing's wrong, I'm just not feeling well."

"I'll go get some water," Hugh muttered, immediately rummaging in his bag, like for his wallet. "Maybe some toast, too, I think they say that works well with an upset stomach…"

"We can stay here for today," Nate offered, keeping a respectful, even if awkward distance. He worriedly frowned at her. What is going on with you, Rosa…? "So you can rest, and all that…"

"No. I don't want to stay here today."

Hugh looked up from his bag and raised a brow. "But… you came in here, and collapsed… That… Can you even travel…?"

"I need to find a way. I want to get out of Humilau," she answered without looking up. Her hair was a mess and her voice dry and croaky. Had she slept at all?

"You haven't even tried to beat Marlon yet…" Nate said halfheartedly, wanting to convince her to stay, but confused by her combative tone. She was sick, they were trying to help… Surely that wasn't too personal to assist with, was it…?

"I'll fight him some other time," Rosa quickly supplied. She put her head in her hands. "I just… I just want to get out of Humilau, Nate, Hugh. Please. We need to go. We've got to go."

"Alright… well, after we all eat and stuff, we can start heading out…" Hugh reluctantly relented. He exchanged a concerned look with Nate, and Nate just shook his head.

I don't know, Hugh, I really don't.

All but growling, he waved a hand at her, refusing to show the fear this 'Queen of Diamonds' was instilling in him. He was not about to be bested by a girl, much less the one that had apparently stolen his prized possession from him. To him, it seemed obvious that she had poisoned his son's mind and drawn him away like a moth to a flame. The seductive way she carried herself said all he needed to know. This sinful whore wanted him all to herself. He didn't understand the suit, but he didn't need to; she was just hiding her ugly, awful face behind it. He flipped her off. "Fuck you. I'm not afraid of you. If anyone's pathetic, it's you. Keeping a son from his father!"

He had hardly finished getting the words from his mouth before she brought that iron boot across his left shoulder, careening him into the ground on his opposite side. He groaned in pain as he felt over where she had struck him. Adrenaline had dulled the pain, but he could feel she had once again split his skin open and had badly bruised his upper arm. He started to scramble back to his feet, but her Emboar rushed forward and blew a stream of fire above him, sending him flattening to the ground in terror to avoid the uncomfortably close ray of flame. It still singed the back of his shirt.

There was more laughter from her and he furiously slammed a fist against the ground, regretting it when his palm pulsed with pain after. "What the fuck are you laughing about? You bitch! Call that fucking Emboar off! Let me up!"

"Just how ironic this is," she giggled. "You haven't felt real helplessness before, have you?" she taunted, stepping in front of him. Her Emboar loomed over him, threatening to roast him should he try to get up, so all he could see was the bloody toe of her boot as she towered above him. She made a pitiful noise and scuffed her shoe against the ground. "Aw, I'm sorry. Did you say you wanted us to stop?"

"Yes! Back the hell up off me!" he blustered.

"Too fucking bad," she retorted wickedly. "I wonder how many times he asked you to stop and you never did…"

"The fuck are you talking about? My relationship with my son is none of your business!"

"The fact you already know what I'm talking about says a lot." She raised that boot and he yelped, trembling, and covered his face with his hands.

"B-but besides, he enjoyed it! He would ask sometimes, but he never meant it… h-he even asked me for it sometimes!"

"Wrong fucking answer, pal."

Kicking that cruel boot across his hands covering his face, he saw stars as he was dimly aware of the cracking of bones. There was a ringing in his ears, and he found it hard to understand what she was saying as blood cascaded down his face and his entire body suddenly felt so heavy… His head dropped flat against the ground and he saw white foam pool from his mouth, mixed with a sickening amount of drool.

"'Never meant it!'" she was screaming, absolutely screaming, pacing in front of his downed form. "'Asked you for it!' Listen to you! Trying so desperately to justify it! And you wonder why he won't fucking pick up your calls or answer your texts! By the way, nice love notes in your texts!"

Another brutal kick across his head, and he couldn't react at all, just lie limp as his neck contorted at an awkward angle and the world around him swam in darkness, pain blossoming all around his face and shoulders. The foam in his mouth multiplied and he found it difficult to breathe, gurgling against the fluid.

"You're pathetic! I hate you! He hates you! Everyone fucking hates you, he's with better people now, and he's going to be a great person! Better than you deserve to ever know!"

He lacked the capacity to think about anything she had said. His entire consciousness was focused on struggling to breathe as his eyes glossed over, the night sky above blurring from view.

Rosa pushed for them to travel, and travel fast, even as she struggled to keep pace. Eventually, as they were shuffling along the beaches of Route 13 just beyond Undella, Nate managed to convince her to sit on the back of Spacey. The Samurott worriedly sniffed her and then proudly raised her chin, as if telling them she'd be the best ride she could be for their ill friend. Nate smirked amusedly and rubbed her shelled head. "Thank you, Spacey."

Then, his Xtransceiver started ringing again, and he almost bared his teeth at his own pocket. "They usually blow me up, but today's been nonstop. What is wrong with them today?"

Rosa leaned her head against the shell protectively covering the back of Spacey's neck, gripping the sharp protrusions, as if she didn't have the energy to hold herself upright. Nate worriedly hovered his hands near where she was holding onto Spacey. "Careful," he warned, "those are sharp… Don't cut yourself…"

The Xtransceiver was still ringing. Rosa shakily let go and hugged Spacey's neck. Muffled by having her face pressed flat against the pokémon's neck, she almost whimpered, "Answer it."

"What?" Nate almost yelped. "I-it's probably just my parents… I don't… really want to answer that…"

"Then cut it off, or something," Rosa quickly muttered in response, waving a hand at him. "Just, please, make it stop ringing…"

He looked at the device and found he had an alarming number of texts and calls from various sources, but most notably his mother—and even more noticeably, not his father. Looking down at the call waiting from his mother for his response, he swept an uncertain look across Spacey, Hugh, and Rosa. "It's my mom," he said at last, mumbling, almost. "I'm… I'm gonna answer it."

Hugh visibly tensed, then sighed. "Alright…"

He answered her call and braced himself, clenching his teeth. "Hi, M—…Mom?"

Her face was red and puffy, and tears poured in thick streams. "N-Nate!" she all but wailed. "You're okay! Wh-where's your camera feed…? Oh, honey, I really need to talk to you face-to-face… Something awful's happened…"

He curled his lips and it took everything in his power not to snarl back at her about how right she was, plenty of awful things had happened. Instead, he steadied his voice with a few practiced breaths, and defeatedly asked, "What's wrong, Mom…?" Easier to just agree and get it over with.

"It's your father…"

She leaned over his cracked skull and foaming mouth and saw the way his neck was bent awkwardly, incorrectly, restricting his airflow, and turning his face bluer by the moment. Somewhere in her lost mind, which was drunk on the adrenaline that had come with unleashing all of her pent-up frustrations on his portly, ugly face, on this monstrous man, a voice was screaming at her to stop this, to help him and call the police, to salvage what of her humanity she had left. Yet, she didn't move, just loomed curiously over his broken visage, and watched as the viscous scarlet built up around his body. White frothiness flooded his mouth and his eyes were rolled into the back of his head. Maybe she had broken his neck, maybe she had kicked a piece of his skull into his brain; regardless, he was dying, and she was terrified by how much watching this enraptured her despite the nausea that flooded her stomach.

When the light finally faded in his eyes and he quit gurgling for air, she stepped back—stumbled, really—and gasped for breath, realizing she had apparently been holding hers. Her Emboar followed her and looked up at her concernedly. He was shaking, she was shaking; what had they just done? That high was ebbing, and a visceral fear ripped through her in a way that made her entire form convulse. He may have been a horrible man that enjoyed preying on his own son, but she had still killed a man. She had killed someone!

"That was quite unexpected, Miss Rosa," Dr. Colress' voice suddenly flooded her helmet and she squeaked in shock, jumping in place. "Calm, calm, it's just me! I was watching through your visor and your Emboar… I am shocked, if I am completely honest, Miss Rosa, but I am very, very pleased. You are quite willing to do anything you set your mind to, aren't you? This is fascinating for my research!"

"Shut up," she gasped, feeling like she couldn't get enough air. A rush of nausea overwhelmed her, and she waved her arm for her Emboar to follow her, then darted back for the Marine Tube, hugging herself as she tremored violently within the iron confines of that suit. She wouldn't even consider taking it off yet for fear of cameras catching her in the act. Yet, here came Dr. Colress, already willing to start blathering to her about how this helped his research!

As if on cue, he said, "There are no cameras on the Humilau end of the Marine Tube. If you step just outside of it and then to the side, you can avoid the Pokémon Center's cameras as well, to get out of the suit."

"Shut up, Dr. Colress!" Rosa wailed, starting to cry, fighting back the urge to vomit. "Just, leave me alone! I just killed somebody! Can't you understand that? Give me a minute!"

"As you wish."

He sounded patient and she could practically hear him saying to himself that he was putting up with her emotional outburst for the sake of more research. She knew that was exactly what it was, and that infuriated her. She had just killed a man! He might have deserved it, but it had been so easy to just… forget what she was doing, kicking him repeatedly in the face as she had. If it was so easy to lose herself in the suit like that, what did that mean for others, others that might not deserve such a horrific end that happened to get on her bad side?

No. I'm good. I'm a good person. I'm doing this for good reasons… He deserved that… He deserved that and more…

About halfway down the Marine Tube, she had to just collapse to her knees and hug her Emboar. "I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier," she whimpered between sobs, "I'm so sorry. I don't know what's happening to me. I don't know what's going on. I don't know how it got this bad."

He just warmed himself pleasantly for her and leaned into her hold.

"He… he was what?"

Nate was at a loss for words. He wondered if he were dreaming and looked up at Hugh with an expression describable only as lost. His arm slacked and he accidentally dropped the Xtransceiver to the ground. Scrambling to pick it up again, he blinked dumbly as his mother struggled to explain through heaves and gasps.

"He… he was f-found… murdered in Undella… Nate, please… come home for a while… I miss you… I'm scared for you… I'm sorry I didn't take you… seriously… before, I know you weren't close to him, but… I miss you… we can do better…"

"We can do better?" he scoffed, his voice painfully raw and squeaky.

Suddenly, Nate didn't feel so lost.

He didn't give a damn what had happened to his father.

He was somewhat frightened, wondering who could have done it, but then he just gritted his teeth and huffed. Perhaps one of the teachers at the school had caught wind of what he enjoyed doing somehow. Maybe he had another victim that actually had the gumption to attack him. Oh, he was certain whoever had done it, his father had more than done something to deserve it. He wished he knew who they were so he could thank them again and again. Maybe some thought his reaction was too smooth, or maybe could have even drawn suspicion to him, but they didn't know the number of times he had been pinned below the other's body, listening to his deep voice croon sweet nothings in an attempt to keep him calmly in line so brutality wasn't required. They didn't know the nights he had spent awake, staring at the ceiling, praying to Arceus something horrible would happen to him by sheer accident so he never would have to feel the closeness of sweaty skin like that ever again. He had been wishing for this for too long, to the point he wanted to believe it, even if part of him thought that perhaps it wasn't even real… Yet, his mother was there, bawling her eyes out. He set his jaw hatefully.

Nate didn't care. His father was gone, and he was far enough now from those constricting walls of Aspertia to recognize that he hated his father. He hated him, he hated everything he had ever done to him, and he was happy to have him gone. Beyond that, he was furious with his mother for expecting him to simply come home so they could 'try again,' like his father's death should have meant something more to him. Especially as another realization dawned on him from her words. "You're sorry? You sound—did you believe me before, and just make me think I was the crazy one?"

Hugh and Rosa both looked up at him, the former looking just as angry as he felt, the latter's eyes round with unspoken sympathy.

"Nate… honey… You don't understand…"

"I don't understand what, Mom?" Nate snarled back, clenching that Xtransceiver tightly in his grasp. "I don't understand your need to look perfect to the rest of the town? Your need to look the perfect housewife to everyone else? That need to make yourself comfortable instead of me?" He wanted so fucking badly to throw that Xtransceiver. Spacey moved closer to him and rubbed her head along his side. "Yeah, well, fuck you," he shot back in a whimper. He wished it would have been in dry, perfect anger, but his voice was warbling unsteadily, betraying the hurt from what he had just learned. He rubbed Spacey's head and gave Hugh and Rosa both a tearful look, as if asking them for permission for something.

They both issued him deliberate, slow, reassuring nods, and he turned back to the Xtransceiver.

"I'm going to where people actually care about me. Where I'm going to actually be of help to people and they'll be grateful." He took a shuddery breath as his heart skipped a beat. With apprehension or excited anticipation, he wasn't sure which. "With my real family."

"Nate…"

"No." He squared his shoulders and glared at her weeping expression on the other end of the line. "You're on your own. You're not my mother far as I'm concerned."

He hung up and then, all the vitriol escaped him, and he collapsed to his rear in the sand, dropping the Xtransceiver behind him. Rosa unsteadily slid from Spacey's back, and she and Hugh both sat down on either side of him, leaning cautiously close to him. In the past, he would have hated the gesture, maybe have even rudely demanded they back off, but in that moment, he just cried. He let them console him, secretly glad for their comforting closeness.

His tears were not for his father, but for the fact his mother had apparently believed him the entire time. That hurt far worse than the misconception he'd had of her finding it too horrible to believe. Yet, there was another reason, too, especially as Hugh awkwardly leaned against his left shoulder and Rosa shakily held his right hand, as Spacey leaned down in front of him to nervously look him in the face, clearly concerned by his sudden breakdown. Zeshi, having been bringing up their rear, poked her fluffy head between Spacey's front legs and whined sadly at him, lowering her ears cautiously.

This broken house of cards was his family now and he'd do anything in his power to protect it and hold onto it, no matter what that meant. He was so, so grateful for them… He clasped Rosa's hand back tightly, leaned closer to Hugh, and just let the ugly sobs wrack his body. He'd help take down Neo Plasma if for no other reason than to keep them safe.

It was just the right thing to do.