Pride of Your Soul
Chapter 13: Progression
AN: Y'know I probs should've worked on Platinum Witch, but I found myself working on this more for some reason. Regardless, sorry for taking so long. If any of you follow Color of Your Soul, then you should know already, but in case you don't, the reason for my tardiness this time was due to a corrupted USB drive which resulted in me losing all my files, and forcing me to recreate the new chapters. Fortunately I managed to get Fidelity up, and now this, so all that's left is to recreate Chapter 3 of Platinum Witch and there, I'm all caught up, and I have to repeat this process...again...
Anyways, while I was gone, the starters for Sun and Moon, along with the legendaries and Rotom as a pokedex were revealed, and honestly, I love all of them. While personally I'm picking Sun and Rowlet, cuz I always pick the Grass starter for every new generation, they're all equally appealing to me.
And before you ask me if I will do a SuMo (SM) fanfic: yes I will, but not anytime soon; even when the games are released. I'll need some time to see what I'm working with, so don't expect me to upload anything SuMo related with the 500+ people who'll probably go on the SuMo bandwagon on this site in December.
Well regardless, let's get through some reviews:
flasyhero: Hmm, maybe that could happen. But for a Nate v Red battle, that will most likely take place in the epilogue.
Anonymous Trainer: I don't think that's the best ending line, but I'm glad you liked it at least! And yeah, like I said to flashyhero, maybe, but probably in the epilogue.
Tony Anderson: Glad you liked it! And now for some more intensity!
Defender31415: Yeah, Luca is scary when she's allowed to let loose. And at least I know you're standing mostly neutral for the love triangle.
Guest (Mar 28): Thanks for the compliment! Hope you enjoy this chapter!
TheDarkMaster4000: Gee, funny you say that, cuz now I'm REALLY late with this one lol. While it would be amusing to have Nate fear Red, I'm probably not gonna dwell that deep into it. Although I will mention this, that surprisingly Red will have some more significance in the future. Yeah, Nate's starting to open up and show some compassion towards his friends now (in his own, blunt, twisted way). And in return, his friends are now seeing him for who he is and stand for him regardless of it. Yay for character development and the power of friendship :D
And like I mentioned before, there will be an epilogue, but as of right now, I don't know how long it will be. And yeah that would be helpful if you along with all you lovely readers could point out any typos and whatnot, cuz odds are, I'm gonna upload these at like 3 at night and that means my brain is mush.
Bob the guest: Lol calling him a feminist. That's actually pretty amusing. And yeah blue skirt is pretty much what everyone defaults to.
Pacha: Glad you liked the battle scene. Hope you enjoy these scenes!
xQEAx: Yeah Hilbert and Nate aren't exactly alike are they? But then again if you went through what Nate went through in his childhood, then you wouldn't be too forgiving of society.
sdhat11: I dunno, maybe. (to both of your reviews)
FantasyLover88: Thanks! Funny you'd mention Yancy's male counterpart though...
Unfortunately in this universe they are siblings. Sorry. However, this means that your last suggestion may be possible.
BreadNotDead: Glad you liked everything that happened last chapter! And hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter as well!
soraroxas123: Thanks! Glad you like it so far.
Eris: Oh my god your review is bad for my 3 AM brain. Not saying you did anything wrong, but I'm kinda half-conscious right now and my brain's kinda mush right now. I like your interpretation on the love triangle here to be honest. It's the first I've seen this interpretation. Are you correct though? I dunno maybe (probably). And don't worry, Hugh will have more purpose, and won't just be a third (fourth?) wheel to the group. Yeah I also agree, his dilemma in canon felt a bit dragged out for me. So I opted to just get it over with to give him more development potential. And should Nate end up fighting Hilbert, then the results...won't be pretty. For one of them.
And for Rosa and Hugh's final members? Well good news, you'll get an answer for one of them, and eevee becoming espeon? Maybe. I have other plans, to be honest. Just watch and see what kind of madness I come up with.
And finally, regarding your interpretation of Nate's opinion towards his bro? Well I won't just blurt out the answer, but I will say this: his feelings/opinions towards Hilbert (and his family in general) can be interpreted in either way, and eagle grandpas make for great means of travel.
I M Poik: Are FRLG and HGSS fanfics confirmed from me? Hmm...maybe...
Also funny you mention Rosa/Curtis...
kanrisha-san: Well I'm glad you're willing to give Transceivershipping a chance, even if you area team Visor. Although spoilers, I didn't get all the matches in this chapter due to the length, so sorry, if you didn't see a match you wanted, expect it next chapter. But still, glad you liked it.
Zeffron Aquille: That's no excuse at all. And newsflash, this is the internet. I don't know you personally or have ever met you in person (or have the ability to do so), so I can't make that judgment. And personally I'd like to leave it at that. If you aren't trolling, then good, we won't have any problems then.
Knight of Wings: Yes, we all were reminded that Nate isn't exactly the angel. Also Luca isn't that far from the moral spectrum either. How he develops later on will probably leave you with judging whether he is redeemable or not. And yeah, while Rosa's battle may have been 'underwhelming', at least the build up was good, according to you. And what better way to show that you're not the best with an arrogant lech effortlessly handling you with relative quickness?
midnightson41: Well thanks! Glad that you like it. Will I add Yancy to the roster? Actually, might as well since she's pretty much a main character now. Will there be a lemon?
Uh...I'm not too comfortable answering that. Oneshot? Okay maybe that.
Guest (Apr 15): Thanks!
Tech: Oh don't worry, I'm far from finished.
ANIMEFORDAYSXD: Well welcome aboard, and glad that you like it! Rosa not getting enough spotlight though? RosaxCurtis? Well about that...
blue6798: Thanks! Glad that you like it!
Okay that's done. Let's gooo!
Hugh cracked his knuckles as he heard the announcer's voice boomed for him and his competitor to go to the arena for their match. The azure-haired boy was motivated. He did pretty well in his first match against some ace trainer who had a rather formidable reuniclus, but Servine managed to pull through. He figured there would be lots of formidable opponents in this tournament, and boy was he right. Just by watching the first matches, he could tell that the competition was no joke.
As expected, Roxie, Clay and Professor Cheren easily beat their opponent; Roxie's Scolipede making quick work of her opponent's gothitelle, Clay's Krookodile trouncing his opponent's sawk, while Cheren's Unfezant effortlessly picked off his opponent's galvantula, in spite of all of them having the type disadvantage.
Surprisingly, Bianca proved to be just as capable as the others. Her mienshao fought on a ferocity that could match Cheren's; hell even Luca's intensity when she unleashed it upon that poor seismitoad.
Of course, Iris did well in her first match, her haxorus was still a powerful combatant, as expected. That poor cryogonal. Hugh would've sympathized more if he cared enough. Although, there were three more contestants to truly worry about.
First there was that Colress. From that debacle from the Castelia Sewers, Colress was able to easily handle all three of them. Had their starters not evolved at that timing, then Colress would've won. He certainly made quick work of his opponent's conkeldurr in spite that his magnezone had a type disadvantage, which further supports how dangerous Colress is.
Then there was that weird, black-cladded stranger, 'Schwartzer'. Nothing was known about him; not even his face or his real name. All that was known about him was that his shiny haxorus absolutely ripped that skarmory apart. Type disadvantage be damned, it made that Steel-type bird look like a flimsy Ice-type so quickly. 'Schwartzer' was just as dangerous as he was mysterious.
And then there was Nate.
That mauling Luca inflicted upon that darmanitan at the opening second round. Calling it brutal was a huge understatement. Even if his motives was noble, it was still much. It was one-sided. Luca tore the darmanitan apart just as viciously as that haxorus did. And if that weren't enough, Hugh would have to deal with him in the quarterfinals.
Well, he knew the competition was going to be fierce; he would need to put up his A-game.
His train of thoughts were cut off as he noticed his opponent; a portly, yet jolly-looking man by the name of Willy, entering the field.
"Ohohoho! What's a young lad like you doing here?" Willy asked. "This isn't a place for children, silly boy!"
Hugh narrowed his eyes as he reached for a pokéball.
"Alright, now let's begin the second match!" the announcer declared. "Trainers, get your Pokémon ready...!
And BEGIN!"
Hugh and Willy released their Pokémon at the same time. From Hugh's side came out Magmar, while from Willy's side came out a large Pokémon that resembled a giant chain of gray boulders that become smaller towards the tail.
"An onix..." Hugh muttered.
"I'll show you what a real man's Pokémon battle is like!" Willy taunted. "Onix, Rock Slide!"
Onix roared as it shot out a boulder into the sky, which broke apart and released a shower of huge rocks upon Magmar. The Fire-type managed to avoid the attack, but got hit by a stray boulder.
"Magmar!" Hugh cried.
The fire duck shook off the pain as Onix continued to unleash more Rock Slides.
"What's wrong? Can't keep up, little boy?" Willy kept mocking Hugh.
"Magmar, Flamethrower!" Hugh kept his cool and ignored the hiker's taunting.
Magmar unleashed a stream of intense fire at Onix, engulfing it in flames and stopping it from spamming Rock Slide.
"HMMM?! Not a bad Flamethrower," Willy muttered. "But it's not enough to beat us! Onix, show him what a true man's Pokémon is made of! Double-Edge!"
Onix roared in response and lunged at Magmar at an alarming pace.
"And Onix continues to go on the offensive! Will Hugh's Magmar be able to take on this Rock-type serpentine head on?!"
"Jump on him!" Hugh commanded.
Magmar nodded as Onix approached him, where the fire duck jumped above Onix, before proceeding to land on it ascended up high.
"Muoo?! Shake him off, Onix!" the hiker yelled.
"Flamethrower!" Hugh yelled.
Onix thrashed about, trying to shake Magmar off, but the Fire-type clung on, blasting its head with intense flames. Eventually Onix managed to shake Magmar off, but was severely burned from the constant Flamethrower.
"Toughen it out, Onix! Double-Edge!" Willy yelled.
"Focus Blast!" Hugh yelled in retaliation.
As Onix charged at Magmar, the Fire-type charged energy between his hands and jumped over Onix. The energy became an orb of energy, as Magmar shot it at Onix's head, nailing a clean hit. The rock serpent fell to the arena, knocked out by the blast.
"And it's over!" the announcer yelled. "With a clean hit from that Focus Blast, Hiker Willy's Onix goes down! Trainer Hugh is the winner, and will proceed to the quarterfinals!"
"Good job," Hugh congratulated Magmar as he recalled his Fire-type, before glancing at Willy, who was tending to his onix. "Next time, focus more on the battle instead of spewing useless taunts."
Before Willy could even respond, Hugh turned and left the arena, making his way back to the backroom. As he entered the room, something was thrown into his direction, which he caught at the last second. He glanced over to see Nate, eating a hamburger while lying on a bench, where Yancy and Rosa were seated at opposite sides from each other but next to Nate, Iris and Roxie were chatting amongst themselves, and Colress was by himself, tapping away on his tablet.
"Welcome back," Nate lazily greeted Hugh. "There, have a burger."
"Where'd you get these?" Hugh asked as he unwrapped his burger.
"Snuck out and bought some," Nate shrugged as he enjoyed his fast food. "Yeah, that's good..."
"You sound like you never had a hamburger before," Hugh chuckled.
"Well, considering circumstances, my main diet was berries, basculins, and whatever I could procure myself," Nate said. "Never had money unless I pickpocket."
"Sounds rough," Hugh muttered.
"Yep...It was rough alright..." Nate muttered back, before being handed a water bottle by Yancy. "Oh thanks."
"No problem," Yancy smiled as Nate accepted the water bottle. "I ended up getting a second one from the vending machine anyways..."
Nate sat back up and took a chug out of the bottle. While Yancy looked pleased, Rosa merely glared at the pinkette, her cheeks lightly colored.
"Uh...is something the matter?" Yancy asked, noticing how Rosa was staring intently at her.
"...Nothing..." Rosa grumbled.
"You sure?" Nate asked.
"Y-Yes, I am," Rosa stuttered somewhat.
Hugh noticed how the bunhead girl's cheeks were flushed when she stuttered. Hell, the fact that she stuttered was new to her. It was Nate, so there shouldn't have been a reason to stutter. Before Hugh could contemplate anymore, Iris surprised him from behind, placing the cold bottle against his back, making his shudder.
"Gah!" Hugh yelped, turning to see the chocolate-colored girl.
"Nice job out there," Iris smiled, handing him the bottle. "Being able to take on an onix with your magmar."
"Thanks," Hugh muttered, accepting the water bottle. "It was a good thing I taught Magmar how to use Focus Blast. Would've been a lot harder without it."
"Yeah true," Iris agreed.
"What about you though?" Hugh asked. "Your next match is up against that Schwartzer guy. His haxorus was something vicious."
"Yeah, I know," Iris replied. "He has an impressive haxorus. It was REALLY strong! But if it's a battle of Dragon-types, then I won't lose so easily!"
"Glad that you're pumped," Hugh chuckled. "...Say, how did Clay know you anyways?"
"Huh?" Iris asked.
"I mean, he only brought along other gym leaders and trainers he seemed to know," Hugh said. "So how does Clay know you? Did you beat him in a gym battle before?"
"Ah–yeah, you can say that," Iris stammered slightly.
Hugh tilted his head slightly in slight confusion, but didn't prod at it any further.
"So, what's the next match?" Hugh asked.
"I don't know, it didn't seem too important," Iris shrugged.
Before Rosa could try to get Nate's attention away from Yancy, something in her bag vibrated lightly. Looking confused, she rummaged through her bag, until she saw that the old Xtransceiver she picked up back in Nimbasa was ringing.
"I'm gonna step out for a bit," Rosa blurted, standing up and quickly leaving.
Nate and Yancy saw the bun-haired girl hastily leave, before glancing towards one another and gave each other a questioning glance. Rosa rushed outside the hall, before quickly taking out the Xtransceiver.
"Uh...h-hello?" Rosa asked, but was unable to see the other side for some reason.
"Uh...Hello?" the other side replied.
"Are you this Xtransceiver's owner?" Rosa asked.
"Oh yes! That's right!" the other side replied. "I'm talking on an old Xtransceiver, so that's why there's no video. Sorry about that."
"Oh, it's no problem." Rosa assured.
"Thank you for finding it though," the other side showed their gratitude. "I dropped it at Nimbasa, and I was worried so much, but it sounds like it's in good hands. I want to pick it up as soon as possible, but I'm not sure if now's a good time...where are you anyways?"
"Huh? I'm at Driftveil," Rosa replied.
"You're in Driftveil?" the voice asked. "That's perfect! I'm there right now! Meet up at the pokécenter?"
"Sure," Rosa complied.
"Thank you," the voice said. "I'll see you in a bit!"
The call ended, leaving Rosa with the Xtransceiver.
"Well that's convenient, I guess," Rosa muttered. "...It's not like I have to stay for the rest of the tournament, anyways..."
Finding no reason to not go, Rosa grabbed her things and left the tournament, heading straight for the pokécenter. Once she reached the building, she saw a boy with light blonde hair that goes down to his shoulders from the back and dark green eyes, wearing a black, blue and green cap, green vest with a greyish collar, a black long sleeve shirt underneath, and jeans, pacing in front of the pokécenter.
"That must be him," Rosa said to herself as she approached the boy. "Um, excuse me?"
The boy jumped, before frantically hiding his face.
"Ah–No! I'm not who you think!" he squealed in panic.
"Uh...okay?" Rosa asked, before she took out the Xtransceiver. "Is this yours?"
"Huh?" the boy asked, before glancing to see the Xtransceiver. "Ah, yes! That's it! So you must be the person who picked up my Xtransceiver."
"I guess," Rosa shrugged as she handed him the Xtransceiver back.
"Sorry about that...I thought you were someone else..." the boy apologized as he accepted the Xtransceiver. "Well, uh...I guess, um...nice to meet you! The name's Curtis!"
"I'm Rosa," the girl introduced herself.
"Thank you for picking up my Xtransceiver," Curtis showed his gratitude. "Sorry for any trouble it might've caused."
"No, no, it was no problem at all," Rosa said.
"...Hey," Curtis said. "Are you doing anything later?"
"Huh?" Rosa asked.
She still had to go back to the tournament and group up with the others. They might be worried if she's gone for too long.
...But then again it wasn't like she needed to be there. She lost the first round, so her not being there made no difference in the long run. Nate would've probably won anyways.
"...No, not really," Rosa replied.
"Oh, well then, I was wondering if you wanted to go sight-seeing for a bit," Curtis offered. "As thanks for finding my Xtransceiver, of course. Truthfully, this was my first time in Driftveil...I mean, if you don't mind..."
"...Sure," Rosa said. "I don't mind."
"Really?" Curtis asked, much more excited now. "Great! Where do you wanna go see?"
"How about the market?" Rosa suggested. "There's bound to be some stuff there. Maybe get you a souvenir or something."
"Sounds good to me," Curtis nodded. "Alright...so where's the market?"
"Follow me," Rosa giggled.
Rubbing the back of his head, Curtis followed Rosa as she led him to the Driftveil Market. The girl glanced back at the blonde boy as he looked around the city. He looked admittedly cute; naively looking around the city.
He also reminded her of Yancy for some reason.
"Alright, let's get on with Round 4 of the Second Rounds!" the announcer yelled. "Will both competitors for this round step up to the arena?!"
On their cue, Roxie and Colress stepped up onto the arena, facing each other on the field.
"Hm, so you're the rumored nerd from Team Plasma," Roxie smirked, tossing a pokéball up in her hand.
"Looks like I have a reputation to protect, it would seem," Colress commented, putting away his tablet and glancing at the Poison-type gym leader.
"Heh! You better be able to keep up!" Roxie challenged. "I'm gonna show you the pride of the Unova Pokémon League!"
"Trainers, get your Pokémon ready...!
And BEGIN!"
Roxie and Colress both released their Pokémon at the same time. From Roxie's side, her trusty Scolipede appeared on the field. From Colress's side, Metagross landed onto the field.
'A metagross, huh,' Roxie thought, glancing at the blue steel titan. 'Steel and Psychic...Scolipede's Poison-type attacks won't do anything...but Scolipede has Earthquake, and Megahorn still does neutral damage. But what does this thing have up its sleeve though...?'
Metagross stared at Scolipede with a cold, calculating gaze, patiently awaiting for its trainer's orders. Colress, meanwhile, was doing the same thing, seemingly examining the megapede.
"If you're not gonna do anything, then I'll gladly make the first move!" Roxie yelled. "Scolipede, Megahorn!"
Scolipede turned his two curved horns into long spears, before charging for Metagross.
"Parry it," Colress calmly commanded.
One of Metagross's front legs began glow as Scolipede thrusted for the Steel-type. Metagross quickly and easily parried the Megahorn away, before smashing Scolipede with the leg, sending it aside.
"Scolipede!" Roxie cried, but the Poison-type was able to land on his feet. "Damn, this thing is strong..."
"Meteor Mash."
Metagross's front legs glowed and the titan went for the offensive, charging at Scolipede.
"Fend it off with Megahorn!" Roxie yelled.
Scolipede prepped Megahorn once again, before being forced to retaliate against Metagross with the spears. Scolipede struggled to meet Metagross's Meteor Mash with Megahorn; the sheer difference in physical strength making it all the more difficult.
"Damn it, try to push it back!" Roxie yelled.
Scolipede roared in response, muscling up enough strength to push Metagross back, much to its surprise.
"Well now," Colress smirked.
"Earthquake!" Roxie yelled.
"Counter it with your own," Colress commanded.
Both Scolipede and Metagross lifted their front legs, before slamming them down onto the arena, causing two massive earthquakes to shake the ground. The two earthquakes met with one another, crashing into each other and forming one giant pillar made out of the faulted battlefield.
"Incredible!" the announcer yelled. "These two powerful Pokémon are ripping the field apart! It's a fight between two goliaths!"
"Interesting," Colress commented, his smirk growing wider. "Truly interesting. Metagross, destroy the pillar!"
Metagross nodded, before smashing the newly-made pillar, causing it to explode into rubble and pelting Scolipede with it and creating massive dust clouds to cover itself.
"Agh!" Roxie yelled, shielding herself from the incoming rubble. "Scolipede! Megahorn straight ahead!"
In spite of the rubble pelting him and obscuring his vision, Scolipede obliged and thrusted a Megahorn attack straight forward, clearing the dust clouds that was blinding him. But much to his and his trainer's surprise, Metagross was nowhere to be seen.
"The hell?! Where is it?!" Roxie gasped, with her and Scolipede looking around frantically for Metagross.
"Zen Headbutt."
Before they could realize it, Metagross came crashing down from above, smashing Scolipede into the ground.
"Scolipede!" Roxie cried.
Once the smoke cleared, Metagross stood back up and returned to Colress's side, while Scolipede was embedded into the ground, completely knocked out.
"AAND IT'S OVER! With a devastating Zen Headbutt from Metagross, Scolipede is down!" the announcer declared. "Colress wins the round and moves on to the quarterfinals!"
Colress nodded as he recalled his metagross, while Roxie kneeled down towards the downed scolipede.
"You did well, Scolipede," Roxie assured the megapede, before recalling it and looking up to Colress. "Yo! How did you do it?"
"Hm?" Colress asked.
"How was Metagross able to sneak up into the air?" Roxie asked.
"Oh that," Colress said. "Well then, while you were distracted with the rubble caused by the pillar, Metagross used Agility to and propelled itself into the air, before descending down with a Zen Headbutt."
"I see..." Roxie muttered.
"Regardless, your scolipede is well trained," Colress commented. "Not many could boast to be able to overpower Metagross like that. Plus the trust you two share is notable when it obeyed your last command."
"Thanks, I guess," Roxie scratched the back of her head.
"No, thank you," Colress smiled. "This battle, and the data it provided, will serve wondrous for my research."
With that, the two of them left the field, before returning to the backroom.
"We will resume the remainder of the second rounds shortly once we repair the field," the announcer informed everyone.
As the two returned to the backroom, Yancy was waiting for them with two water bottles in hand.
"Welcome back, you two," she said, before handing them the water bottles.
"Thanks," Roxie smiled, accepting the bottle.
"Thank you miss," Colress said politely, accepting the bottle as well, before returning to his corner.
"Did you buy these yourself?" Roxie asked as she opened the bottle and took a drink from it.
"Uh huh," Yancy said. "I'm not participating in the tournament, so the least I could do was help out in any way I could."
"Aww, thanks," Roxie cooed. "Still lost though..."
"Hey, the dude had a metagross, and you mainly use Poison-types," Nate offered, still laying on the bench he was sitting on. "You did pretty well, all things considering."
"Thanks," Roxie replied, somewhat surprised that Nate offered some sympathy. "You seem pretty relaxed."
"Well not much I can do right now," Nate said. "Just gotta wait 'till quarterfinals and for my next match."
Hugh looked up when Nate mentioned 'quarterfinals'. The bluenette had forgotten that he would be against Nate in his next match. This would be the first time the two square it off. And considering Nate's last performance on the field, Hugh knew fighting Nate would require his full potential for Hugh to even stand a chance.
"We apologize for the wait, ladies and gentlemen, but the arena is now fully repaired!" the announcer announced. "We shall now resume the second rounds! Will Iris Lilia and Schwartzer please step up to the field?"
"That was fast," Nate muttered.
"Well they are running a tournament," Yancy offered. "I guess they have some quality maintenance."
"I guess," Nate shrugged. "Alright Dragon Girl, you're up."
Iris smirked as she stepped off her seat.
"Alright, let's do this!" Iris exclaimed.
"Good luck out there," Hugh said. "This guy's gonna be tough."
"Hehe, thanks," Iris smirked, before she left the room.
"...So she's your type?" Nate asked Hugh.
"What? What're you talking about?" Hugh asked, confused.
"...Oh nothing," Nate shrugged.
Rosa glanced around the bazaar, viewing the various merchandise they had for sale with Curtis.
"Wow, they have a lot of stuff here," Curtis said.
"Driftveil does have one of the largest markets after all," Rosa told him.
"Yeah, I can tell," Curtis agreed. "So, you said you were a trainer?"
"Yeah..." Rosa mumbled.
"...You don't sound too pleased about it," Curtis noted.
"Well, I thought I was a good trainer, but I'm starting to notice that my opponents are getting stronger, and I'm starting to fall behind," Rosa muttered. "I even lost the first round in a tournament today, so...I'm not sure what I want to do now..."
"Oh, I...see..." Curtis mumbled. "Well...have you won any gym badges?"
"Hm?" Rosa asked. "Well, I won five of them."
"Well then hey, that's not bad," Curtis said. "If anything, you're a lot better than most average trainers. You shouldn't just give up because of one bad day."
"I guess..." Rosa mumbled.
Curtis glanced over to see a stand that was selling smoothies. Glancing over to the slightly-depressed girl, Curtis walked over to the smoothie stand.
"Two pecha smoothies," Curtis said to the stand owner.
"Right, coming up," the man smiled as he went over to prepare the smoothies.
"Curtis?" Rosa asked.
"You need to let loose for today," Curtis said. "Just forget about today, have some fun, and just let loose."
That did sound nice. A whole day away from worrying about her battling skills and just relax. It sounded like a nice change of pace.
"Here you go, two pecha smoothies," the man said, handing Curtis the two smoothies. "That'll be 1600 pd."
"Here you go," Curtis said, paying the man and accepting the smoothies, before handing Rosa one.
"Thanks," Rosa said, taking a sip out of the smoothie.
"Enjoy your date," the man said with a teasing smile as the two left.
The two blushed when the man called it a 'date'; Curtis more so than Rosa.
'Would this be considered a date...?' Rosa thought.
"Well that was sorta awkward..." Curtis laughed nervously.
"Y-Yeah..." Rosa mumbled as they continued to walk through the market.
"So you said you were a trainer," Curtis said. "You mind if I saw your team?"
"Huh?" Rosa asked. "Well...sure, I guess. C'mon, let's get out of here then."
Rosa led Curtis out of the market and to a more open space area, before she released her entire team out into the open. Eve, Ottavia, Nina and Mandi landed in front of her, glancing at Curtis questioningly.
"An eevee, a dewott, a growlithe and a mandibuzz," Curtis said as he looked at all of them. "Huh, they all look pretty good."
"You think so?" Rosa asked, perking up somewhat.
"Yeah," Curtis said. "While it may not be a full team, it's still pretty good."
"Thanks..." Rosa smiled.
"-Rosa, who's that?-" Eve asked.
"-Yes...who is this-?" Mandi asked, glaring at Curtis.
"C'mon, he's not a bad person," Rosa assured them. "Oh yeah, Ottavia, are you alright? Are your wounds feeling better?"
"-Oh, y-yeah...-" Ottavia replied.
"Hmm...Maybe you could catch another Pokémon," Curtis suggested. "I mena you only have four Pokémon after all."
"Catch another Pokémon..." Rosa said. That's right. Her team wasn't complete yet. She still had two more slots open. Surely adding two more members would help her immensely. "Yeah...that sounds like a good idea."
"Great then!" Curtis said. "You wanna look for something now? Route 6's not too far from here. There could be something there for you."
"Yeah...maybe..." Rosa said, her spirits climbing back up.
"Alright then, let's go," Curtis said as he finished his smoothie.
Rosa finished her smoothie, before following Curtis. Her team glanced at each other somewhat skeptically, but followed their trainer nonetheless.
"We're halfway there in the second rounds! Now, let's get Round 5 started!"
Iris stepped up onto the arena, where her opponent; the mysterious and black-cladded Schwartzer, stepped up onto the arena opposite of her.
"So you're the rumored Schwartzer, huh," Iris said. "That was a nice haxorus you had there."
"Well, well, if it isn't the Opelucid City Gym Leader," Schwartzer commented. "Or should I say 'former' now."
"Huh, so you know," Iris said. "Well then, let's see if your haxorus really is worth all the rage the other trainers are worrying about!"
"I'll try to meet your expectations then, Miss Dragon Expert," Schwartzer chuckled.
"Trainers, get your Pokémon ready...!
And BEGIN!"
Iris and Schwartzer both released their Pokémon, where from Iris's side, a mighty hydreigon appeared onto the field. From Schwartzer's side, the black haxorus landed onto the field.
"Wow...it really does look as amazing on the field," Iris said, gaping at the shiny haxorus in awe.
Shiny Haxorus ignored Iris, glaring murderously at Hydreigon.
"Dragon Dance," Schwartzer commanded curtly.
"Oh right, the battle," Iris snapped out of her stupor. "Hydreigon, let's go for Dark Pulse!"
As Haxorus paced in a circling motion, Hydreigon aimed one of its arms at the black dragon and shot a stream of dark aura at him. Right before the Dark Pulse made contact, Shiny Haxorus finished his motions, before bulleting out of the attack range at a blistering speed.
"Fast...!" Iris gasped.
"Dual Chop."
Both of Shiny Haxorus's tusks glowed blue, before turning into two scythe blades as he lunged for Hydreigon. The hydra narrowly avoided the first strike, but Shiny Haxorus went for a bulleting uppercut, catching Hydreigon by the jaw.
"Hydreigon!" Iris cried out as the hydra was sent up into the sky.
Hydreigon managed to recover in midair though, now floating high above Shiny Haxorus. The black dragon never left his gaze off of Hydreigon, slowly walking around awaiting the next move the three-headed dragon would do.
"Keep on the offense! Dark Pulse!" Iris commanded.
Hydreigon aimed both of his arms at Shiny Haxorus before continuously shooting Dark Pulses at him. Shiny Haxorus sneered, before swiftly avoiding all of the attacks thanks to his newly buffed agility.
"Dual Chop."
Shiny Haxorus's tusks turned back into blue scythe blades and he jumped for Hydreigon. Surprised by the sudden assault, Hydreigon hastily fell back, but Shiny Haxorus was able to catch the hydra with the first chop, smashing it into his gut, before maneuvering himself in midair to slam Hydreigon into the ground with the second one. The hydra was sent plummeting to the ground, while Shiny Haxorus landed away from him. The hydra was able to get back up, but was panting heavily.
"Hydreigon, are you alright?" Iris asked worringly, and to her relief, Hydreigon nodded in response.
"Impressive," Schwartzer commented as Shiny Haxorus looked down on Hydreigon. "To be able to take this much punishment and still stand, especially considering they were all super effective...as expected of you, Iris."
"You flatter me," Iris shot back, as Hydreigon glared back at Shiny Haxorus. "I can see why everyone's so afraid of you though...that haxorus is something."
'But if I keep going on, then Hydreigon won't last much longer...' Iris thought. 'I need to finish this here and now!'
"Alright, Hydreigon! It's all or nothing!" Iris announced. "Use Draco Meteor!"
Hydreigon rose up to the sky, before revealing a dark blue gem within his possession.
"A Dragon Gem..." Schwartzer commented. "...Swords Dance."
Shiny Haxorus closed his eyes, as several swords began to surround him. Meanwhile, Hydreigon ate the gem, where a dark blue aura surrounded Hydreigon. As the swords that were dancing around Shiny Haxorus began to dissipate one by one into red mist that flowed into Shiny Haxorus to power him up, the hydra then proceeded to release said aura into the air, where it exploded into several energy spheres the size of meteors to rain down upon Shiny Haxorus.
"WHAT'S THIS!? Iris's Hydreigon had been hiding such a powerful attack as a trump card!" the announcer boomed. "Will Schwartzer's Haxorus be able to withstand such a daunting attack?!"
"Brick Break."
Shiny Haxorus let out a monstrous roar as his tusks glowed in energy, before converging to form one blade, and lunged for Hydreigon. The force of the jump was enough to leave a small crater around where the black dragon once stood, and the power of the attack was enough to allow Shiny Haxorus to literally rip through any Draco Meteor that met his path, effortlessly breaking through the attack like they were mere pebbles.
"What?!" Iris yelled in shock.
Before Hydreigon could react, Shiny Haxorus shot into the Dark-type Dragon with the Brick Break right at the gut, before shooting into the ceiling of the building. Shiny Haxorus ripped Hydreigon out of the ceiling, before hurling him back onto the arena. As Shiny Haxorus landed, he walked over to Hydreigon, who was knocked out for the count, looking down upon it with bloodthirsty eyes.
"INCREDIBLE!" the announcer screamed. "Schwartzer's Haxorus was able to muscle through such a devastating attack and seal the deal! Hydreigon is down for the count, which means Schwartzer is the winner!"
The audience roared as Schwartzer walked towards his haxorus.
"Nice job out there," the masked man said, before taking out his pokéball.
Shiny Haxorus nodded, but his gaze never left Hydreigon until he was recalled into his pokéball. Iris, meanwhile, rushed over to her hydreigon.
"Are you alright?" Iris asked the hydra.
Hydreigon managed to groggily respond with a weary, toothy smile, but coughed up some blood from the sheer pain of the last attack.
"You did great out there," Iris assured him. "You deserve a nice long rest."
Iris recalled her hydreigon, before standing back up to face Schwartzer.
"That was...amazing..." Iris didn't know what else to say.
"Likewise," Schwartzer replied. "That was a good battle."
"But Hydreigon didn't even land a move on your haxorus," Iris mumbled in a defeated tone.
"Come now, don't be like that," Schwartzer said. "I saw the Dragon Gem your Hydreigon had. If that Draco Meteor had managed to hit Haxorus even once, then you would've won. I had to make some emergency measures once I saw the gem."
"But still, your haxorus was amazing out there," Iris complimented. "Even if it was from a Dragon Dance, it was so fast."
"He was trained up to be the very best he can ever since he was an axew, after all," Schwartzer replied, before extending his hand. "I do wish you good luck with the rest of your endeavors, Unova Champion."
Iris's eyes widened slightly in shock, but smiled as she accepted the handshake. Fortunately the audience was loud enough to block that quiet statement out.
"Likewise," Iris responded, before putting up a determined smirk. "Next time, I'll win though."
"I'll be looking forward to that day then," Schwartzer chuckled as they broke off and headed back to their respective exits. "Oh, and I apologize if Haxorus acted more aggressive than normally. He just doesn't like hydreigons very much."
That last comment left the tan-skinned girl somewhat confused, but she let it slide as she headed back to her backroom.
"Nice job out there," Hugh said as she came back in, tossing her water bottle at her.
"Thanks," Iris said, catching it. "Man, that haxorus was really strong..."
"No kidding..." Hugh agreed. "If anything, that guy's the trainer to watch out for in this tournament."
While everyone else was discussing about the black-cladded trainer, Hugh noticed that Nate and Yancy were absent from the room.
"Wait, where're they?" Hugh asked, talking about Nate and Yancy.
"They stepped out of the room for a moment," Colress informed Hugh. "Apparently they needed to discuss something."
"Discuss? Discuss what?" Hugh asked.
"So basically your dad wasn't impressed enough with our mock battle against Elese the other day, demanded you work harder for the sake of money or something that doesn't involve your feelings, saw you as merely a worker instead of a daughter, you took my advice to stride, and ran away, and here you are now," Nate said, summing up Yancy's explanation. "Is that it?"
"Yeah, that's pretty much it," she said.
Nate and Yancy were outside of the backroom, where the boy had confronted the idol-in-hiding about the news about her 'disappearance'. Apparently on the other day after Nate had left from his 'interview', Yancy's father/manager had not liked their performance against Elesa. While the battle was a success, he wasn't pleased with how the 'random trainer' was taking charge the majority of the battle, with the actual 'star' taking up a support role and was pushed to the sidelines. And the last attack didn't help in any ways. While it did win them the battle, many people didn't approve of the apparent friendly fire attack, sacrificing her teammate for the victory painted a negative image on her. The man blamed Nate for apparently 'stealing' the spotlight from her and causing the negative image to be implemented upon her and tainting her career. While Yancy protested against it, her father didn't seem to care. For the sake of her career, her father/manager was planning on putting a tighter leash around her; scheduling more concerts, more charity events, etc. Anything to bring her image back up. When Yancy tried to argue, he didn't listen, and dismissed her.
"In that case, remake it. If no one remembers who 'Yancy' was, then remake that personality. From the scraps of your old personality, remake it into a new one; one that you're true to and that you'll be proud of."
If she hadn't met up with Nate beforehand, then Yancy would have conceded begrudgingly and listen to her father. She remembered the advice he told her. Which she decided to follow to heart by running away. She had enough. She wasn't her father's tool anymore. She was her own being. And she would prove it.
"And because of that, the news is now saying you disappeared," Nate summed it up. "Like I'm flattered you followed my own life advice, but did you think this through?"
"Ah–N-No..." Yancy mumbled.
"Ugh..." Nate groaned, scratching the back of his head. "...You...don't want to go back, do you?"
"Uh uh..." Yancy mumbled, lowering her head in shame.
Nate grumbled under his breath. Keeping her with them any longer would certainly come back to haunt them in the future. Who knows what the media (and her dad) would think if they caught her with them? They would probably think that they kidnapped her for their own personal gains.
But she didn't want to go back there and presumably continue having to listen to her father without any consideration about her own feelings. She fled from him to find an opportunity to become her own person. And sending her back there would ruin it all. She may never have a chance like this ever again.
"...Ugh..." Nate groaned. "Fine. You can stay with us."
"R-Really?!" Yancy blurted.
"I mean you don't want to go back, and I'd feel like a douche if I brought you back to your dad when you don't want to," Nate muttered. "Although this is probably a bad idea."
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Yancy squealed, throwing herself into Nate for a hug.
"Gah!" Nate blurted. "But! You're gonna have to go back to him and explain things eventually. Maybe even make a compromise."
"Uh huh!" Yancy smiled.
Nate glanced down to the smiling pinkette as she embraced him. Sending her back was the smart choice. But she didn't want to go. And for that, he didn't want to send her back. He contemplated on returning the embrace and proceeded to try to do so, but he hesitated, and stopped before he could touch her.
"C'mon, let's head back," Nate told her, making her release him from her embrace.
"A-Alright..." Yancy mumbled, moving ahead and hiding her blushing cheeks from him.
'...I'm getting soft...' Nate internally grumbled, looking away to hide his blushing cheeks as he followed Yancy.
"Nina, Flamethrower!"
Nina spewed a stream of intense flames at the opposing tranquill, scorching it with the fire. The bird flew back, before going in for a dive bomb.
"Now, Crunch!" Rosa commanded.
Nina jumped at the incoming tranquill, before sinking her teeth into the bird, wrestling it down to the ground until the bird was knocked out from the damage.
"Good job," Rosa said as Nina let go of the tranquill and happily rushed over to her.
"Impressive," Curtis commented as he watched Rosa battle.
"I haven't been using Nina in a while," Rosa admitted. "I figured she needed some time to fight."
The duo were out in Route 6, where Rosa was training her Pokémon and trying to find a suitable fifth member for her team. While there was no such luck so far, her Pokémon were able to get somewhat stronger and learn some new moves; Nina especially after learning Flamethrower and Crunch.
"Now, if only Nina could learn Flare Blitz..." Rosa muttered.
"But for now, this looks like a pretty good set up," Curtis said.
"I guess," Rosa shrugged. "Well for now, let's see what else is in the area–."
As Rosa looked towards the tall grass, Nina suddenly rammed into Rosa, pushing her out of the way of a shard of ice that was shot straight at her.
"What the–?!" Rosa blurted.
They turned around and, to their surprise, saw an enraged Miles along with his donphan, glaring murderously at the bun-haired girl.
"Miles?" Rosa asked.
"You! You dirty whore!" Miles growled. "Because of your barbaric boyfriend, I lost the tournament!"
"Wha–boyfriend?!" Rosa exclaimed confusedly. "Wait, you mean Nate?"
"Yeah that little dirt bag!" Miles hissed. "Because of you, your boyfriend beat me, I lost the tournament, and now Father cut me off of my funding!"
"How is that my fault?!" Rosa argued. "That's your own fault for provoking him in the first place!"
"He wouldn't have been provoked if it wasn't for you, and I would've beaten him!" Miles shot back. "And now you're gonna pay for it! Even if I have to drag you back kicking and screaming!"
Rosa took a step back as Nina growled at Miles, but Curtis stepped in, a pokéball in hand and a rather menacing glare on his face.
"I don't know what's going on," Curtis said rather dangerously. "But it sounds like this is your own fault. And you have no right to blame it all on Rosa here."
"Curtis...?" Rosa asked.
"And who do you think you are?" Miles spat. "Outsiders shouldn't get involved! Or do you want to feel my wrath?"
"Well don't you think so highly of yourself," Curtis growled as he released his own Pokémon, a large, dark-gray dinosaur-like Pokémon resembling a Pachycephalosaurus. "Mind if I knock you down a few pegs?!"
"A rampardos...?" Rosa gasped at the sight of the dinosaur.
"Hmph! You really think such a fossil will stand a chance against my donphan?" Miles scoffed as Donphan got ready to fight Rampardos.
"Well isn't this a rather heated standoff."
A new voice interrupted everyone as they looked around, wondering who decided to barge in this time. Rosa glanced to the side, where someone was standing right next to her.
"Whoa?!" Rosa yelped, jumping back in surprise. 'When did she even get next to me?!'
The person next to her was a girl much older than Rosa, with long brown hair wearing a white sleeveless overcoat over a white and gray dress with black stockings and white and gray boots, along with white sleeves that covered her arms. The girl wore a white opera mask, covering her eyes, yet allowing her to flash a rather mischievous smile.
"And you are?" Miles asked.
"Oh, just a passing-by traveler," the woman said coyly. "It would seem that you all are arguing about something. Mind if I join in?"
Miles leered at the newcomer, before glancing over her.
"Well now, might as well," Miles said, his tone much more relaxed. "So, what is a fine woman like you doing here?"
'Is he...trying to hit on her?!' Rosa thought, recognizing the seductive tone he switched to.
"Hm, I just happened to be in the neighborhood, when I heard some yelling," the woman replied. "So I went to where all the yelling was and I find myself a rather pompous fool, a rather noble boy and the innocent girl who's stuck in the middle."
"Well then, would you like to watch as I trash this fool over there?" Miles asked in a seductive tone. "And then maybe once I'm done with her, then you and I can go tour around the city?"
Rosa looked enraged and was about to lash out on Miles, but the woman placed a hand on Rosa's shoulder, stopping her.
"Flattering, but I'm already in a relationship with someone," the woman casually replied. "And he's much more of a man than you, you pompous fool."
"...Excuse me...?" Miles asked, his tone dropping. "Do you not know who I am?"
"All I see is an arrogant third-rate who's in way over their head," the woman replied coyly. "Am I wrong?"
"Why you insolent...!" Miles growled. "Fine then! I'll teach you a lesson first!"
"Oh, do go ahead and try," the woman beckoned. "That is, if you can."
"That tears it!" Miles yelled. "Donphan, Ice Shard that whore!"
At his command, Donphan created several shards of ice and shot them at the woman. The woman, in response, revealed a pokéball and released the Pokémon inside of it, the flash that the pokéball caused blinding everyone. Once the light quickly dissipated, a Pokémon had shielded the attack from its trainer. The Pokémon was a small, dark brown bipedal Pokémon that vaguely resembled a ram; with blue curled horns and amber, oval-shaped eyes. The Ice Shard had been cushioned by the large, white cotton-like substance that covered its back, neck and forehead.
"A shiny whimsicott?!" Rosa gasped, before frantically taking out her pokédex and scanning the creature.
"Whimsicott, the windveiled Pokémon," it read. "They appear along with whirlwinds. They pull pranks, such as moving furniture and leaving balls of cotton in homes."
"Hm, an Ice-type move, yet it did barely anything to her," the woman mused. "Are you sure you're cut out for this?"
"Why you–!" Miles yelled. "Donphan, Rollout!"
"Stun Spore."
Before Donphan could even move, Shiny Whimsicott already released spores from her cotton, showering Donphan with them and paralyzing the elephant and preventing him from using his move.
"What?!" Miles gasped.
"It went first?" Curtis asked.
"Whimsicott's Ability is Prankster, after all," the woman explained. "All her status moves will always outspeed the opponent's move, provided they don't have ascended priority, like Quick Attack or Bullet Punch."
"Tch! Ice Shard!" Miles growled.
Trying to fight the paralysis, Donphan created several more ice shards and shot them at Shiny Whimsicott. The Grass-type giggled as she easily avoided all the Ice Shards as if she was dancing around them.
"-Ahaha! Too slow, too slow!-" Shiny Whimsicott taunted as she kept dodging the Ice Shard.
"She's fast," Curtis commented as he saw the spectacle in awe.
"Insolent plant!" Miles gritted his teeth as he released Darmanitan as well. "Flare Blitz!"
Darmanitan glanced at Shiny Whimsicott, and sighing in relief, before preparing to shroud himself in fire, but Shiny Whimsicott had already released another Stun Spore at the burning ape, paralyzing him and ceasing the attack.
"Argh!" Miles grunted in frustration. "You annoying little shit!"
"Now, now," the woman reprimanded lightheartedly, waving her finger mockingly. "You know better than to cheat. Now then, let's finish this. Giga Drain on Donphan."
Shiny Whimsicott was already behind Donphan, before her horns glowed green and shot out at the Ground-type, ensnaring him by the trunk and draining the energy out of him. Before Donphan could realize it, he felt all his energy being sapped away, before fainting.
"What?!" Miles gasped.
"One down, one more to go," the woman said as Shiny Whimsicott set her eyes to the struggling Darmanitan.
"Y-You're still a Grass-type!" Miles stammered, now realizing that he was losing. "You still can't beat a Fire-type like Darmanitan!"
"Oh you're so naïve that it hurts," the woman pouted. "Whimsicott, Hurricane. End this pathetic man's show, would you be so kindly?"
"-Happy to oblige, milady,-" Shiny Whimsicott replied cutely, before creating a blade of air above her, and shooting it at Darmanitan like a Frisbee.
The blade of air hit below Darmanitan, before it expanded into a violent tornado, engulfing Darmanitan into it, before ripping him apart. Once it ended, the fire ape fell to the ground, completely knocked out.
"Oh, such a waste," the woman sighed. "You really aren't as good as you think you are, y'know that?"
"Wha-but-wha...?" Miles sputtered, unable to comprehend what just happened.
"Now then," the woman said. "I suggest you leave, before Whimsicott here decides she wants thirds."
Shiny Whimsicott leered at Miles, prompting the boy to recall his fainted Pokémon and frantically run away from the route rather pathetically.
"Hmph, such fools," the woman scoffed, before turning to Rosa and Curtis "Are you two alright?"
"Uh...Y-yeah..." Curtis said while Rampardos nodded dumbfounded. "Thank you for helping us out there."
"Oh, it's no problem," the woman assured. "Personally I can't stand men like that. Perverted worms who think they're at the top of the food chain, when in reality, they're little more than the dirt on the ground."
"W-Wow..." Rosa gaped, still in awe from the woman's performance.
"So, from what I overheard before that garbage showed up," the woman said. "You're looking for another Pokémon, correct?"
"Huh? Oh, y-yes..." Rosa stammered, somewhat intimidated by the woman.
"C'mon, you don't have to be afraid," the woman giggled. "I won't bite."
"R-Right..." Rosa sighed.
"Well, maybe I can help," the woman said as she walked ahead, beckoning the other two to follow.
Exchanging a few glances, Rosa and Curtis followed the woman as she led them to a hollow that was hidden within several trees.
"What's in here?" Rosa asked.
"These are known as 'Hidden Grottoes'," the woman explained. "Like the name implies, they're grottoes that are hidden from the naked eye, usually housing rare items. Sometimes even Pokémon with their Hidden Abilities."
"Pokémon with their Hidden Abilities?!" Rosa gasped.
"Yep," the woman said as she entered the grotto, with Rosa and Curtis following. "Their existence has been recently discovered by Professor Juniper's assistant, Bianca Belle, but as to how many of them even exist are still a mystery. Oh...?"
As they reached the end of the narrow path, they found themselves into an open space, hidden by the trees. In the middle of it, stood a mushroom-like Pokémon with a large, light-colored pokéball designed cap with warts.
"Well looks like we have a winner," the woman said as Rosa scanned the Pokémon.
"Amoonguss, the mushroom Pokémon. It moves the caps on both arms and does a dance to lure prey. It prefers damp places."
"An amoonguss..." Rosa muttered.
These Pokémon were known to be the more bulkier and defensive Grass-type Pokémon that Unova had to offer. Blessed with good support moves such as 'Clear Smog', 'Stun Spore', and the rare and powerful 'Spore', amoonguss were very good, if not passive Pokémon. Perhaps such a Pokémon would be a good fit to her team...
The amoonguss noticed the group and kept staring at them, seemingly studying them.
"So, is this a good enough candidate?" the woman asked, snapping Rosa out of her stupor.
"Right," Rosa said as she stepped up, with Nina getting in front of her and growling at Amoonguss.
The mushroom noticed Nina, and recognized her as his opponent, before getting ready to battle.
"Nina, Flamethrower!"
Nina spewed a Flamethrower at Amoonguss, who retaliated by shooting a cluster of sludge from his mouth. The colliding attacks caused an explosion, blinding Nina. As the dog shielded herself, Amoonguss jumped in front of Nina, and shot a green powder into her face.
"-Agh!-" Nina coughed, before feeling drowsy. "-Why am I...so...sleepy...?-"
Nina then proceeded to fall over, having fell asleep.
"Nina!" Rosa cried. "Damn it, must've been Spore..."
"You might need this," the woman said, handing Rosa a blue, chesnut-like berry.
"A Chesto Berry...?" Rosa asked, before remembering what the Chesto Berry does. "Thank you!"
Rosa rushed over to Nina, getting the dog to devour the Chesto Berry in her sleep, before promptly waking up.
"Are you alright?" Rosa asked Nina.
Nina looked up and barked in response, before hastily pushing Rosa out of the way of another cluster of sludge. The dog glared at Amoonguss, who calmly stared at the dog.
"We need to be more careful," Rosa told Nina. "If we get caught by Spore again, then there's no telling what will happen..."
Nina nodded, while Amoonguss shot another cluster of sludge at the dog, who dodged it and shot a Flamethrower in retaliation. Amoonguss shielded himself from the Flamethrower, withstanding the pain as much as he can. Amoonguss, in response, shot green beam whips from his arms at Nina, which ensnared the dog and began to drain energy from her.
"-Aaaah?!-" Nina yelped in pain.
"Nina!" Rosa cried out.
"Is that Giga Drain...?" Curtis asked. "This is bad, Rosa. It's recovering its health!"
"Nina, you gotta break out of it!" Rosa pleaded. "Try Crunch!"
The dog did her best to withstand the pain and gnawed at the whips to break them, but to no avail.
"Crunch won't do it..." Rosa muttered. "That's it, Flame Wheel!"
Nina roared in defiance, as intense fire covered her, burning off the whips in the process.
"Wait...that doesn't look like Flame Wheel..." Rosa muttered in confusion.
"Well, probably because that's Flare Blitz," the woman pointed out. "Congratulations, your growlithe knows Flare Blitz."
Casting a worried gaze, Amoonguss shot another cluster of sludge at Nina, but the shroud of fire was enough to shield her from the attack.
"Nina, Flare Blitz!" Rosa yelled.
Roaring in determination, Nina lunged for Amoonguss in a fire ball of scorching flames. Amoonguss wasn't able to evade the attack, and felt himself getting rammed with a giant ball of fire, blasting him with the infernos and causing a huge explosion. Nina bounced back, suffering from the recoil, while Amoonguss fell to the ground, barely holding on to consciousness. Seeing this as an opportunity, Rosa quickly got out an empty pokéball.
"Now!" she yelled as she hurled the pokéball at Amoonguss.
The ball hit Amoonguss, swallowing the mushroom into the capsule via a red laser, before dropping to the ground. The ball shook three time, before it sparkled slightly, signaling a successful capture.
"Yes!" Rosa exclaimed in joy, as she ran over to retrieve the pokéball.
"-Alright!-" Nina barked happily, before jumping into Rosa's arms.
"You were great out there, Nina!" Rosa congratulated the dog. "You even learned Flare Blitz! I'm so proud of you!"
"Congratulations, Rosa," Curtis said as he and the woman walked up to her. "You were amazing out there."
"Thanks," Rosa replied, before turning to the woman. "And thank you for giving me this opportunity.
"Oh it's no problem at all," the woman smiled. "It's also a good thing that you seemed to regain your confidence."
"Huh?" Rosa asked.
"You seemed down under the weather when I found you two," the woman explained. "So I figured helping you might make you feel better."
"Well, yeah...actually..." Rosa mumbled, before deciding to explain to the woman her recent slump.
"I see..." the woman nodded. "Well then, you shouldn't feel bad."
"I shouldn't?" Rosa asked.
"Of course," the woman said. "No one's perfect. You will lose eventually. But the important thing is to learn from it and improve yourself from there. You shouldn't just give up because you lost once. And if you feel that you're falling behind, then just do your best to catch up. I'm sure a talented young girl like you can do it."
"You really think so?" Rosa asked.
"Uh huh,"" the woman smiled. "Now, let's get out of here and get some fresh air."
Agreeing to that sentiment, Rosa and Curtis followed the woman out of the Hidden Grotto. While they stepped out, Rosa decided to scan her newly caught amoonguss and his personal data.
"Bold Nature...Male...Capable of taking hits...Ability is Regenerator...so that's his Hidden Ability, I would presume..." Rosa said. "Knows the moves Spore, Giga Drain, Hidden Power, and Sludge Bomb."
"That's an impressive amoonguss," the woman commented as they stepped out of the grotto. "He'll sure to prove to be a valuable member to your team."
"Yeah..." Rosa said as she stared at Amoonguss's pokéball. "Hm...Amoonguss...guss...Gustav...that sounds like a good name."
The group stepped out of the hidden grotto, where the woman stretched her arms out.
"Well that was eventful," the woman said. "Well I better get going."
"Huh? You're leaving?" Rosa asked.
"Yeah, I have some business to attend to," the woman admitted sheepishly. "So sorry, but I gotta go."
"Oh I see..." Rosa said. "But thank you for everything you've done today."
"No problem," she smiled. "Oh, and before I go."
The woman rummaged through her coat, before taking out a yellow stone with a fire crystallized into it.
"A Fire Stone?!" Rosa gasped.
"I found it while investigating the Grotto a few times before hand," the woman said, before handing it to Rosa. "I'm sure you could use it more than me."
Feeling extremely giddy, Rosa happily accepted the Fire Stone.
"Thank you so much!" Rosa exclaimed, before facing Nina. "Nina! Are you ready to evolve?"
"-What? Really?-" Nina gasped.
The bun-haired trainer placed the stone onto Nina's head, where Nina began to glow and grow, as the Fire Stone dissipated. Once the light ceased, in place of Nina was a quadruped, canine Pokémon with an orange pelt marked by jagged black stripes, with diamond-shaped ears with beige insides, black eyes, and covered in shaggy beige fur on its head, muzzle and chest except for two oval sections around each eye and ear. As Nina examined herself, Rosa was jumping for joy as she scanned Nina's new form.
"Arcanine, the legendary Pokémon. The sight of it running over 6,200 miles in a single day and night has captivated many people."
Today was a good day. While sure she lost the first round, she was able to see that jerk Miles get his ass handed to him handily twice, captured a new member for her team and Nina evolved, while learning some powerful moves. This was great! Maybe with this, she would be able to catch up with the boys. And maybe then, Nate would think of her in a more positive light...
"Well today must be a good day for you," Curtis chuckled, while noting how it was already twilight. "You captured a new member, and your growlithe evolved."
"I can't thank you enough!" Rosa exclaimed to the woman.
"It's no problem at all," the woman smiled, before getting ready to leave. "Although I really better get going."
"R-Right," Rosa said. "That's right, I never got your name. I'm Rosa Echoes."
"You can call me Weiss," the woman finally revealed her name. "It was nice meeting you, Rosa. Hopefully we'll meet up in the future, and maybe we can have a battle then."
"A battle..." Rosa mouthed, before sporting a more determined look on her face. "You can count on it!"
Weiss smiled, before she left the area, leaving Rosa and Curtis to themselves.
"We better get going too," Curtis said, pointing to the twilight. "It's getting late."
"Right..." Rosa said. "Let's head back to the pokécenter."
By the time they reached the pokécenter, it was already dark outside. She quickly rushed into the center and had her Pokémon healed up by the nurse, where her Xtransceiver rang.
"Huh?" Rosa asked as she picked it up. "Hello?"
"Where the hell are you?!" Nate angrily shouted from the other line. "A step for fresh air shouldn't have taken fucking FIVE hours!"
"Oh crap..." Rosa paled, realizing that she basically ditched them all for the entire day. "S-Sorry..."
"Ugh...well at least you're safe and sound..." Nate muttered. "But you still owe us an explanation for disappearing for five hours. Everyone's worried."
"Sorry..." Rosa mumbled ashamed. "How's everything over there?"
"Eh? Well after you left, Colress beat Roxie, that Schwartzer weirdo beat Iris, Klutzy Four-eyes–I mean Bianca won, and we're right now in the middle of Cowlick–I mean Cheren or whatever, versus Clay," Nate recalled. "Cowlick basically stopped caring about being a gym leader and is using his actual team, if the jellicent is any indication, so he should be able to deal with the old man's excadrill."
"I see..." Rosa said.
"After Cowlick's match, the tourney's done for the day, and is gonna resume tomorrow," Nate explained. "Dragon Girl and Punk Girl already have a hotel booked and offered some extra rooms for us to crash for the night, so meet up at the hotel next to the pokécenter."
"Right," Rosa replied.
"...You look a lot happier," Nate commented. "Did something happen while you were out?"
"I'll tell you about it when we meet up at the hotel," Rosa replied. "But yes, a lot happened."
"Well at least you're not depressed anymore," Nate shrugged. "Personally you look better as your usual self. Anyways, we'll meet up there."
As Nate hung up, Rosa was glad that he didn't notice her intense blushing. Sighing, the girl put her Xtransceiver away.
"You're meeting up with your friends?" Curtis asked.
"Oh yeah," Rosa replied. "I kinda ditched them by accident..."
"Well that's alright," Curtis chuckled. "I should be on my way too. Oh, hey, you mind if we exchange numbers?"
"Huh? Sure," Rosa agreed, as the two exchanged contact numbers.
"Thanks," Curtis smiled. "It was fun hanging out with you. And I was wondering, if it was alright if we could still talk...y'know, via Xtransceiver."
"Of course," Rosa smiled. "It was nice meeting you too, Curtis."
"Y-Yeah..." Curtis mumbled, blushing slightly. "Oh, and one more thing. I might as well let you know too just in case."
"Huh? What's wrong?" Rosa asked.
"Well, to tell you the truth, I'm looking for someone," Curtis explained. "My sister. She ran away from home, and I'm kinda looking for her. Our dad's really angry and worried that she left, and so am I, so I was wondering if you do manage to find her, you could let me know."
"Oh of course," Rosa nodded. "You must be really worried."
"Yeah...hopefully she's alright though..." Curtis said. "As for descriptions...well, whenever she goes out, she's usually wearing a white and hot pink panama, white short-sleeved shirt over blue long-sleeved shirt, blue skirt...so I would assume she wore that when she ran away. She has light pink hair and blue eyes. Oh, and her name's Yancy."
Rosa's expression suddenly dropped. Did he just say 'Yancy'?
"Y-Yancy?" Rosa asked.
"Yeah, it may sound like a weird name," Curtis rubbed his head. "But she's a nice girl. Dad's just been pressuring her lately, and that's probably why she ran away. So, if you do happen to run into a girl like that, could you let me know?"
"...Of course," Rosa said. "I'll help however I can."
"Thanks," Curtis smiled, seemingly oblivious to Rosa's sudden change in expression. "Oh crap, I better get going. It was nice meeting you today, Rosa. I'll be heading home now. Goodbye!"
"Yeah...bye..." Rosa replied somewhat weakly as Curtis left the pokécenter, still lost in her thoughts.
Yancy? The Yancy that was traveling with them right now, right? The description perfectly matched the one that was following Nate like a puppy dog. And how many people are even called 'Yancy' to begin with?
So she ran away from home? Well that would explain why she seemed so desperate to come along with them at Nimbasa. But what did she do that would make her want to run away?
...No, the more important matter was at hand. She knew she ran away. Yet she's clinging onto Nate as a means of escapism. A mean to flee from her home.
Rosa gripped her hand tightly. She needed answers. She needed to know why Yancy ran away from home. And she needed to know whether or not she had any intentions of heading back.
...Maybe she should head back home. Her parents must be worried, as Curtis implied. It would be for the best if Yancy headed back home as soon as possible to her family rather than freeloading off of Nate.
Maybe it would be for the best if she would just go away and leave Nate.
At the very least, then that means all of their problems would be solved, and Nate would have no choice but to pay attention to Rosa.
To be continued
AN: Well at least Rosa's not depressed anymore. Don't worry I'm not gonna skip Bianca's and Cheren's match. I just couldn't fit them into this chapter, so I'm leaving them for next chapter. Yeah, a hella lot happened this time around. Hugh won against random hiker, Colress won against Roxie, Schwartzer won against Iris, Rosa FINALLY meets Curtis (and now that ship can commence. What was it called again? I forgot), another new character makes an appearance, Rosa receives a massive upgrade in a new party member and Nina evolving. And now that last little gem is set.
And now I can finally edit this thing:
Nate: Luca (Lucario) / Nite (Pignite) / Buzz (Electabuzz) / Brav (Braviary) / Deo (Keldeo) / Zoro (Zoroark)
Rosa: Eve (Eevee) / Ottavia (Dewott) / Nina (Arcanine) / Mandi (Mandibuzz) / Gustav (Amoonguss)
Hugh: Flygon / Servine / Magmar / Tirtouga / Heracross
Yancy: Audi (Audino) / Teddi (Ursaring) / Snor (Snorlax) / Toge (Togekiss)
Before you yell at me about Yancy's party, hey she likes Normal-types, and it's not like you've seen the bear ever since Chapter 5. Or her entire party for that matter.
And before I go, as apologies for taking so long with ALL my stories, I am actually planning to make an extra, Q & A styled chapter thing. Don't worry, this won't impede the story progression at all, I just want to try out this kind of style is all. Just send me questions about the story, anything about the characters and Pokemon alike, anything you're confused on, general questions, etc. and Nate along with another character will answer them as bluntly and as in character you can expect them to answer. You have been warned by the way.
Send the questions either through PMs, or just leave them in the reviews if you're interested (if you leave them in the reviews, let me know if you want me to include it into the Q&A). If I get enough questions (like maybe around like 5 -10), then I'll make this Q & A (which shouldn't take as much time as an actual chapter), and it'll be uploaded with the next chapter. Think of this as a bonus of sorts, and condolences for my tardiness. The window frame for submissions is a week from the most recent update date (6/6). So by the 13th. Hopefully you'll give them some interesting questions.
Welp, that's about it. Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed it, and I'll see ya next time.