Pride of Your Soul

by grey0716

Nate is a cynical thief who can understand Pokemon and believes that there is no such thing as 'good' in humanity. Rosa is an arrogant, aspiring trainer who believes that she will become the next champion. The world decides to give these two a reality check. Sequel to Color of Your Soul; a loose adaptation of Pokemon Black and White 2.

28. 26: Reigniting Flames

Pride of Your Soul:

Chapter 26: Reigniting Flames

---

AN: AKA the Rosa chapter with LiveCastershipping, where she finally gets an upgrade, because by God does she need one. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and happy holidays.

Also to those of you who noticed, I took down the update from Fidelity and Platinum Witch. No this does not mean that they are out of hiatus. I had to do that because I was warned by someone that doing so was violating Content Guidelines. I have no ideas what could happen if I kept violating them, but I'd rather not risk anything that can be avoided. So Fidelity and Platinum Witch are still in hiatus. Sorry if I got your hopes up.

Although now would be a good place to let you guys in on future plans:

Once PoYS is done, Fidelity and Platinum Witch will continue, with perhaps a few, infrequent bonus epilogue chapters from PoYS akin to CoYS. We're like 75% done after Hugh's chapter, I think. So we're getting there.

I do have this idea floating in my head about a parallel version of PoYS, in a similar fashion to that one-off chapter I did about a parallel CoYS.

I do plan to make an Ultra Sun and Moon story in the future, as that is actually one I REALLY want to do. Truth be told, I actually have the first chapter of this story written out already.

An unrelated to Pokemon: no I did not forget about Chrono Paradigm, nor did I forget that I promised a sequel. However, I actually kind of wish to rewrite Chrono Paradigm before I even attempt a sequel of that a la reboot. I mean the story's like stupid old now; who's even gonna remember what happened?

For those of you unaware, Chrono Paradigm is a BlazBlue fanfic that I wrote; the very first fanfic that I published on this site a good 6 years ago, being a loose adaptation of BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma with a prevalence in OCs. Summarizing it to the bare minimum, think BlazBlue meets Fire Emblem Awakening, sort of. It's still on the site if you're curious to see my first fanfic and/or know of BlazBlue. Don't say I didn't warn you. It did better than I expected it to do, all things considered though. Way better than I expected. I mean looking back, it was baby's first fanfic. And it had a lot of OCs no less. Usually OCs are hit or miss territory. Frankly I'm proud of how well it did; even though CoYS and PoYS (and even Platinum Witch) dwarfs it in comparison of quality and whatnot.

I had announced that I would make a sequel to that story three years ago, and I still wish to, but I also wish to reboot and rewrite Chrono Paradigm and make it into a much better story, now that I've gotten more experience in writing and now that BlazBlue as a series (from a plot standpoint) is completed. On the fence of what to do though, but I have not forgotten this promise and I wish to make due on that.

Now to reply to reviews:

Tony Anderson: Glad you like the plans I have. Hope you had a Merry Christmas.

RedPkmnMaster: Thank you!

I M Poik: Glad you understand my reasons for splitting the chapter. Yes, Route 10 did close down to the public due to a landslide that was caused (in this universe at least) by the events of Team Plasma from BW, or CoYS in this case. Of course that's not stopping people from finding other ways in. And sorry to disappoint you with Curtis not going to join the party afterwards.

TheDarkMaster4000: Apparently snicker and snigger are the exact same thing in context from what I'm aware of, so make of that as you will. Someone correct me if I'm wrong though. Also thanks for pointing out the mistakes, I will go edit them. Glad you enjoyed the last chapter though.

zeldamaster456: Honestly a lot of Nate's problems could have been avoided if he had gotten several hours of therapy. Or never met Kyurem. Glad you like the chemistry between Nate and Yancy.

FantasyLover88: Lol, no worries. I'm just glad you enjoyed the last chapter.

Alright now onto solving the worries of Bunhead!

---

Rosa soared through the skies being courtesy of Mandi, while Curtis was following next to her, being carried by his staraptor.

"So how far are we to this place you were talking about?" Rosa asked Curtis.

"Not too far, actually," Curtis replied back. "Give or take five more minutes or so."

Rosa nodded as she glanced back in front of her. A lot had happened within the past 24 hours. A lot was on her mind. Many things were revealed. Many things were said. There was so much that Rosa contemplated on, which made the already-thirty-minute trip to wherever it was that Curtis suggested in relative silence. Rosa felt bad for seemingly ignoring Curtis for the most parts, but she could not help but ponder on the events that had transpired.

She had lost to Yancy in a battle that determined who got to go after Nate back at the lab. Rosa ended up losing that bout in an instance of unfortunate luck; had Thunder Fang not have triggered Guts, then Rosa would have had a far easier time against Yancy's ursaring. But what happened had happened. It did not change the fact that Yancy had prevailed. That alone was enough to dent her already shattered pride and confidence.

And to think, not even half a year ago, she declared so boisterously that she would become the next Champion of Unova. Rosa could not help but let out a bitter laugh. How wrong she was. How arrogant of her to assume that such a dream was so easy to obtain and laid out for her. The Rosa from roughly five months ago was a far cry from the Rosa she was now.

In turn, Nate and Hugh grew stronger faster than she could keep up with. What started out as her and her childhood friend being behind Nate slowly turned to Hugh managing to catch up, while Rosa was struggling to do the same. It was from there where she felt everything began to fall apart.

And eventually it led to the disaster that was Undella Town.

"We're here!"

Before Rosa could let herself dwell further into self-depreciation, Curtis managed to get her out of her own pessimistic thoughts at his announcement that they had arrived to their destination; a giant stone arch bridge that had several rural-looking houses settled on it. A river flowed underneath the bridge, where there was what appeared to be a small café of sorts to the left. The two descended down onto the front of the bridge, glancing around at the rural scenery.

"So this is the Village Bridge, huh," Rosa said, before glancing over to Curtis as she recalled Mandi. "This is the place you wanted to go to?"

"I always wanted to come here," Curtis admitted. "It has a rather...old-fashioned feel to it. I figured this would be a good place to just relax and all."

"Yeah, I can see that," Rosa mumbled.

Curtis glanced at Rosa from the side. She seemed to have gotten over what had happened between her and Yancy, along with the tension that had existed between her and Nate. While her apparent crush on Nate took Curtis by surprise, she seemed to have conceded to Yancy, letting his little sister win over Nate, which was even more surprising. Curtis could not help but feel relieved that Rosa had seemingly given up on Nate; it gave him a chance. Curtis was determined to just show her a good time and let her take her mind off of all the chaos that happened within the past few days.

"So, what's there to do here?" Rosa asked Curtis, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Ah–Right," Curtis stammered, his face flushing slightly. "I heard there was a good berry sandwich café here. Let's grab something to eat."

"Sounds good," Rosa nodded as the two headed over to what looked like the café in question.

---

The 'café', which was called the 'Village Bridge Restaurant', was merely a small sandwich van with several tables lied out in front of the van, which people attending them and enjoying the sandwiches the van offered. Rosa and Curtis found an empty table nearby the bridge and the river, before taking their seats. Upon noticing her new customers, a small, rotund woman rushed over to Rosa and Curtis.

"Hello! Welcome to the Village Bridge Restaurant!" the woman greeted them cheerfully as she handed them two menus. "What would you like today?"

"Let's see..." Rosa said as she looked over the menu. "I'll take the tamato berry sandwich and a lemonade."

"I'll have the chesto and pecha berry sandwich and an espresso," Curtis ordered.

"Coming right up!" the woman replied as she scurried back to her van.

"This place is pretty nice," Rosa commented, sparing a glance at the clear river behind her and the peaceful mood the café brought about. "I can see why you wanted to come here."

"Yeah," Curtis agreed. He then noticed how Rosa's expression looked lost in thought. "Is everything alright?"

"Huh? Yeah..." Rosa mumbled. "I guess...I have a few things on my mind, is all."

"What's up?" Curtis asked. "...If you want to talk about it, of course."

"Ah–It's fine," Rosa stammered. "I'd rather not dampen the mood..."

"Not at all," Curtis insisted. "I'm all open ears."

"If you say so..." Rosa shrugged. "...Well, you probably saw what happened back at the lab, seeing as how you were so quick to the scene afterwards."

Curtis could not help but look guilty as charged, considering he did in fact eavesdrop on the two out of concern, and had witnessed their battle and the outcome.

"I made that battle to put an end to this petty rivalry I built between us," Rosa said. "And truthfully, I thought I would've won. I was confident in my abilities to take her on at least. But she proved to be much more competent than I should've given her credit for. She barely beat me out. And that settled the score. I guess I still feel a bit remorseful for losing, even if it was a fair and square victory on her part."

"The fact that I lost to Yancy doesn't exactly make me feel any better. Like don't get me wrong, she proved to be way stronger than I thought, and I should've given her at least some more credit, but..."

Rosa rested her head on her hand and elbow, staring blankly at the table.

"I wish I had beaten her for closure."

Curtis listened to Rosa's spiel intently, before the girl shifted her eyes to her lime-haired companion.

"Do you think I made the right decision?" Rosa asked Curtis.

"...Honestly, I have no right to determine what's right or wrong for you," Curtis replied honestly. "I mean there are obviously blatant exceptions, but...honestly if you feel that it was the right thing to do, then I feel like that should be enough of an answer for you. So...Did you feel like that was the right way to decide it?"

"Did I? Well...I guess," Rosa replied. "I didn't know

"Then there you go," Curtis said, smiling. "You should be the one who decides what's right and wrong. Be more confident in yourself."

"Curtis..." Rosa mumbled, before she could not help but smile back. "Y'know, you're really like Yancy."

"Huh?" Curtis asked.

"You two are nice..." Rosa said. "Almost sickeningly so. Way nicer than I could ever be really. You always tried to help and make me feel better, much like Yancy does for Nate, and what she tried to do for me...but I refused to hear her out."

"Thanks..." Curtis muttered, his expression flushing from embarrassment.

"Here you go!" the woman said cheerfully as she presented them with their respective orders.

"Thank you," Rosa said as she and Curtis accepted their orders. "Well, let's eat."

Curtis obliged as the two took a bite out of their meals, savoring the rich flavor of the berry sandwiches.

"Wow, this is really good," Curtis commented in awe.

"Yeah," Rosa agreed as she took a sip out of her lemonade. "As expected of this place's specialty."

"How did she win, if you don't mind me asking?" Curtis asked.

"Oh, her ursaring brute forced Nina when his Guts activated," Rosa recalled.

"I see," Curtis nodded. "...Wouldn't that mean she won because she got lucky with Guts activating?"

"...Well when you put it like that..." Rosa said. He did have a point. Although that just made her feel worse because in a sense, that would mean she just set herself up for defeat because Yancy got lucky from Rosa's own tactics.

"Sounds like your luck hasn't been your forte as of late," Curtis could not help but chuckle.

"I could totally beat your ass, limey" Rosa grumbled indignantly.

"I dunno, maybe I'll get lucky," Curtis snickered.

Rosa glowered at Curits, before the two ended up laughing with each other and proceeded to enjoy their meals. Rosa enjoyed her lunch with Curtis. Nothing to worry about at the moment. No Team Plasma craziness. No tension between her and Yancy, or Nate for that matter. Just herself, the calm atmosphere, and someone to hear her out. She was curious on how the others were spending their vacation day. Yancy was surely with Nate, and Hugh was probably off training somewhere. Rosa, however, was content to just relaxing here with Curtis. And nothing about the looming threat to worry about. Sighing in content, Rosa decided to look around, glancing towards the bridge.

And stared.

And dropped her sandwich on her plate.

And stared some more as her jaw dropped.

"Hm? Rosa?" Curtis asked, noticing how Rosa had been staring at the direction of the bridge with an expression that was shocked, confused and alarmed.

The boy followed Rosa's eyes to the bridge. More specifically, underneath the bridge. And he stared as well.

Not too far from the food truck, underneath the bridge, near a burning trashcan was what appeared to be some purple mechanical creature that vaguely resembled a sort of insect who was currently in a fetal position, staring at the trashcan.

"What...in the world is that...?" Curtis asked, where Rosa suddenly stood up and ran over to the purple creature. "Wha–Rosa!?"

The bun-haired girl did no hear Curtis. Her attention was focused on the purple mechanical creature underneath the bridge that she most definitely recognized. The girl stopped a good two to three feet away from the purple creature, staring at the thing incredulously.

"You...!" Rosa exclaimed, pointing a finger at it. "You were with Team Plasma!"

The creature looked up away from the fire and glanced over to Rosa.

---

"W-What is this thing?" Curtis asked, staring at the purple robotic insect with much confusion. "Is it a pokémon?"

"As hard as it is to believe, yes," Rosa confirmed. "If I remember correctly...they called you MKI..."

"Affirmative," MKI responded in a robotic monotone, causing them to jump in surprise.

"It talked!?" Curtis gasped.

"Affirmative," MKI replied. "Model number CM-649-01. Species name: 'Genesect'. After extended maintenance, I have learned to adjust my vocal units to handle human language based on data provided by Professor Colress."

"So that's your actual name?" Rosa asked as she took out her pokédex. While it may be a long shot, perhaps the device could shed some light on this mysterious robotic creature.

To Rosa's surprise, the device scanned MKI, and it did in fact provide her with information on the creature; something she did not expect the pokédex to have.

"Genesect, the Paleozoic pokémon. This pokémonexisted 300 million years ago. Team Plasma altered it and attached a cannon to its back."

"Wait, so Team Plasma made this pokémon?" Curtis asked. "Team Plasma created a pokémon!?"

"Well that would make sense," Rosa muttered. "Colress had a pokémonno one else even knew existed. Speaking of which..."

Rosa stared at the genesect in front of her. The last time she saw this creature, it was under Colress' control. That was until Hilbert, still disguised as Schwartzer, managed to forcibly release MKI from Colress' influence and it proceeded to flee to parts unknown. It would appear that this was where said automaton ended up after all that time.

"Why are you here?" Rosa asked.

"...I do not know," MKI replied.

"You don't know?"

MKI stared back at the burning trash can he was huddled in front of, seemingly staring at the fire that was consuming whatever trash that was inside as fuel.

"My existence is to serve my creators as a weapon," MKI said. "My sole purpose is that of a weapon meant to eliminate their opposition. That was the purpose I was created for."

"...So why not return to them if you feel like that's your only purpose in life?" Rosa asked.

"...When I was freed from Master Colress' command," MKI replied. "In that brief instance, I was confused. I hear Master Colress' orders, but I do not feel compelled to execute them voluntarily. I felt...free. There was nothing in my protocol that compelled me to listen."

"So you ran? Because you were confused?" Rosa asked, earning her a nod from the robot.

"I was not aware of such a life," MKI said. "I was curious. I was curious as to how one such as myself would fare in a world without following orders. However...wherever I would go, the wildlife around me would fear me. They fear me because I look nothing like a living being. They fear me because I look like a weapon as opposed to a lifeform. They fear me because they sense that I could eliminate them. All understandable justifications. However..."

"That left you alone," Curtis finished for MKI.

"...It was understandable that they feared me," MKI said. "But...I could not learn how to live properly in the wild because everyone feared me. As a result I avoided and was avoided by all contact with unknown sources, before ending up here. No one would dare approach me, so I was able to live adequately to myself. Yet...I am lost."

"Lost?" Curtis asked, perplexed.

"...What do I do now?" MKI asked. "When I am nothing more than a weapon without someone to wield them?"

MKI looked up to the two humans, hoping for an answer to his internal plight. Curtis was at a loss for words. Never in his life would he had thought he would meet a manmade pokémon; much less have it ask him for advice as deep as that it was seeking. Curtis was not sure what to say to the creature that would amount to an adequate answer. He glanced over to Rosa, who had a much more unreadable expression on her face. It did not look like she was utterly confused as he was. She seemed to be more prepared to deal with the situation than Curtis could ever hope to be right now.

"...Then stop being just a weapon," Rosa eventually replied.

"Huh?" Curtis asked. What did that mean?

"Elaborate," MKI said, seemingly equally confused.

"You're asking this because you just don't know what to do now," Rosa said. "Because you were only ever made to be Plasma's flying death machine, you don't know any other way to live. Am I right on that assumption?"

MKI nodded in response, curious as to where Rosa was going with her words.

"Then the answer's simple. Try something else. Prove to everyone else that you're not just some weapon that's ready to blow," Rosa said. "The world's a really big place. There's so many things you can do now that you're free. So try them."

"How will that remedy the fact that others are afraid of my existence?" MKI asked curiously.

"You're supposed to be some hi-grade machine made by Team Plasma," Rosa scoffed. "I'm sure you're more than capable of doing something that'll get everyone to think that you're something more than a weapon."

MKI stared at the girl, seemingly absorbing her words into whatever acted as its brain and processing them. The two humans stared at the mechanical creature in silence for what seemed to be an eternity, waiting for a response from it.

"...Do you think it worked...?" Curtis whispered to Rosa.

"Human," MKI suddenly said, making the two jump in surprise. "What is your name? What should I call you?"

"Me?" Rosa asked. "It's Rosa. Rosa Echoes."

"Thank you," MKI replied. "Your words are most informative."

"...No problem," Rosa smiled, before suddenly an idea creeped itself into her mind. An idea that Rosa immediately jumped on. "Y'know, if you wanna see the world from a different perspective, I might have an idea."

"You do?" MKI asked, tilting its head in curiosity.

"Why don't you join me?" Rosa asked, shocking Curtis. "Granted that means you'll be under my ownership, and I'm not sure if you'd like that, but I can guarantee you you'll get a completely new experience of the world than what you've seen so far. You can even work on how to be nice and, not weapon-like."

MKI stared at Rosa silently. The girl could not help but feel slightly unnerved; the creature did not move so much as an inch. Its red glass-eyes stared blankly at her, as if they were piercing through her very soul; as if they were judging her at this very moment.

"...I require time to process this offer," MKI stated.

"Sure," Rosa nodded. "We'll be here all day if you came to a decision."

MKI nodded in response, before staring back at the burning trash can that it was huddled in front of. Glancing at Curtis, Rosa shrugged, before the two humans returned to their table, leaving MKI to its own thoughts.

---

"That was a pretty inspiring speech," Curtis commented to Rosa, who finished her sandwich.

"You think so?" Rosa asked as she wiped her mouth with her napkin.

"Yeah," Curtis nodded as he finished his own meal. "I mean you knew what to say to help it with its problems in such a short amount of time. It seemed to work really well too."

"Thanks, I guess," Rosa chuckled. "Although truthfully, I didn't think of what to say on the spot."

"You didn't?" Curtis asked, genuinely shocked.

"Yeah," Rosa said. "Truthfully, that speech was what I prepared to say to Nate had I won my battle with Yancy."

"For Nate...?" Curtis asked.

"That's right," Rosa sighed. "Obviously I had to change some parts of the speech since Nate's a boy and MKI's...well...a giant walking jet cannon. But after hearing what it had to say, I kinda thought 'huh, that kinda reminds me of why Nate hated humans'. Because everyone treated him like some kind of outsider. Just like how the pokémon treated MKI. So I thought, maybe I could use that speech for here. Because obviously MKI needed some help more than Nate probably does right now. Kinda felt bad it got a rehash of a speech meant for someone else."

"Well it was a nice thing to do, regardless," Curtis insisted. "...Do you think it'll want to join you?"

"I dunno," Rosa shrugged. "But better give it a choice rather than forcing it into something it doesn't want to be."

"True," Curtis agreed, before letting the waitress know to get their check.

"Although," Rosa said offhandedly. "It would be nice if it decided to come with me. God knows I need a legendary with Nate and Hugh having their own."

"That's a legendary?" Curtis asked.

"I mean probably," Rosa said. "Actually that's a good question, what is that considered? I mean Team Plasma made it right? What would it be classified as then?"

Curtis shrugged, obviously having no idea of how to answer Rosa's question as the waitress came to collect their dishes and leave them with their check. Rosa reached into her pocket to take out some money, but Curtis raised a hand to stop her as he took out his wallet.

"Allow me," Curtis said.

"Are you sure?" Rosa asked.

"It's the least I can do," Curtis insisted as he placed enough money on the table to pay off the meal and leave a decent tip.

The waitress came back and collected the money, confirming the amount. "Thank you, I hope you enjoyed your time here. Please come again!"

Rosa and Curtis collected their belongings before getting up to leave the café. "So what else is there to do here?" Rosa asked Curtis.

"Well, there is the other side of the bridge to sightsee," Curtis offered. "There's a patrat show, along with a basketball and tennis court on the other side..."

"Sounds good," Rosa said as the two headed over to cross the bridge. Upon closer look, the bridge was even larger than Rosa had thought. Several people were gathered on the bridge; some kids were playing in their own group to the side, a few women were gossiping amongst each other and there were even shops stationed on the bridge, with business seemingly booming. Up ahead, however, was an even larger group of people gathered around. "What's going on up there?"

"Dunno," Curtis said. "Wanna go check it out?"

"I mean we can't go across the bridge with whatever it is that's going on up ahead," Rosa replied.

The duo made their way to the group of people, managing to slip through the crowd to see what was going on that warranted such a large audience. They reached the middle of the crowd to see two people battling it out. In front of them was an ace trainer with a magmar, with his opponent opposite to him being an old gentleman with a lucario that was primarily blue.

"Is that...a shiny lucario?" Rosa asked skeptically.

"What? No that's a normal lucario," Curtis replied, eyeing Rosa as if she was going crazy. "Why would you think that's a shiny?"

Rosa stared at the lucario with narrowed, dubious eyes, before realizing that Curtis was right; the lucario that was fighting in front of her and the crowd was indeed a normal lucario.

"Sheesh, I'm so used to being around Luca that I thought she was what lucarios were supposed to look like," Rosa muttered. "Forgot that Luca is the shiny and lucarios aren't supposed to be yellow."

Curtis could not help but chuckle at Rosa's mistake as the battle raged on. Despite the type advantage, the magmar was losing the battle, as the lucario kept on the offense.

"Now, Lucario, finish this with Bone Rush!" the old man yelled with gusto.

The lucario produced a long energy staff and slammed it across the magmar's chest, sending him flying into the air and landing in front of its trainer rather pitifully.

"Magmar!" the ace trainer cried out.

"And that is the finish, my good sir!" the old man shouted back as the lucario sported a rather cocky grin. "Well played, but alas, not quite enough it would seem!"

The ace trainer gritted his teeth as he recalled his magmar, before promptly leaving the crowd as it roared out in applause for the old man.

"Thank you, thank you!" the old man said to the crowd. "And that marks 999 straight wins! Will anyone dare try to challenge me and bestow upon me my 1000th straight win?"

"999 straight wins?!" Curtis gawked. "That's amazing!"

"Yeah..." Rosa muttered. 999 straight wins? That meant that this old man went through 999 battles and managed to win all of them. That feat, if it was true, meant that this old man must have an extraordinary amount of skill and strength in his pokémon. Rosa was not sure if even Nate, or Arceus-forbid Hilbert, had been capable of such an arduous win streak.

"Who is this guy, anyways?" Curtis asked.

"His name is Stonewall," a man answered, overhearing Curtis' question. "The man moved here two years ago and had battled anyone who crossed the bridge and won ever since."

"So he's been farming wins off this place?" Rosa asked, raising a brow.

"No one has been able to beat him for the past two years," the man explained. "So whenever he gets a challenger, the people tend to gather to see if someone can finally beat him."

"Uh huh..." Rosa muttered as she eyed the man with narrowed eyes.

The old man Stonewall seemingly noticed Rosa's narrowed gaze, before waltzing up to her.

"That gaze of yours mademoiselle...it seems to be disapproving," Stonewall said with a knowing smirk. "Would you like to try and defeat the great Stonewall?"

All eyes were now on her as she crossed her arms. It was tempting. Beating someone with such a long-lasting win record would certainly prove to a challenge, and reward her with bragging rights. Moreover, Rosa wanted nothing more than to knock the arrogant-looking old man off a few pegs, and the town seemingly wanted that to happen as well, given that the man has such a long-lasting period of not knowing defeat.

But at the same time, she had to consider what kind of opponent she was potentially facing. This man, even if he gave off an air of hubris, had accomplished a 999-win streak that lasted for two years. That meant he went two years without facing defeat. That in itself was a steep hurdle Rosa needed to overcome. And frankly, she was not sure if she could do it when compared to her own record.

"Rosa?" Curtis asked in concern. "If you don't want to do it, then I can..."

"There's no fear in conceding, young lady," Stonewall said while keeping his condescending tone. "A mere fledgling would have a hard time keeping up with a veteran such as myself. You can rely on your friend if you want–."

...Did he just call her a fledgling?

As in, a newbie?

One of Rosa's eyes began to twitch as her face immediately contorted into one of suppressed rage.

"Uh...Rosa–GUGH!" Curtis coughed as Rosa slammed her palm against his chest and pushed him away.

"Oh it is ON, you pretentious old man!" Rosa snarled at Stonewall.

---

And thus, the battle between a royally angry Rosa and a conceited Stonewall was being prepared to being any minute now. After she calmed down (ever so slightly), she mentally chided herself for letting her anger take control of her emotions and make a hasty decision without considering all her options. But she could not help herself! No one called her a 'fledgling' and besmirch all the hard work and time she poured into her journey as a trainer!

Stonewall stood on his side of the field, his lucario ready and waiting for his next opponent. Staring at the canine, Rosa could not help but note the differences between Luca and this lucario that did not involve the color of their fur. For one, Luca always composed herself as a serious, almost cold merciless warrior whenever she was on the battlefield. This lucario oozed of an air of arrogance just as much as his trainer. While lucarios were noted to be prideful, the 'pride' Stonewall's lucario was exhibiting was something else; and not in a good way.

But then again, it is a lucario. Rosa knows firsthand just how powerful their species can be. And this particular one had 999 straight wins under his belt. There was no telling how strong this one was.

Rosa contemplated on who to use. Nina was an obvious choice due to type advantage, but at the same time, she just witnessed Stonewall's lucario overcome a similar type matchup. Mandi was not exactly a good option either since lucario's typing would let it shrug off Dark-type moves and only take neutral damage from Flying-type moves. Gustav was an even worse option by virtue of the lucario's Steel-typing.

Which left Eve and Ottavia.

...Both of them, despite being her first pokémon, had seen little time on the battlefield recently, when compared to Nina or Mandi. She felt bad for them, especially considering the last time she even used them in battle.

She decided to give them a chance back on the battlefield. And since Eve was quite possibly the worst possible choice to pick here, Rosa opted for Ottavia. The Water-type landed on the field, looking around to see what was going on.

"-Uh...what's going on...?-" Ottavia asked, before spotting the lucario in front of her. "-Luca...? No that's not her.-"

"We're in a battle, Ottavia," Rosa said. "Get ready."

"-Eh!? R-Right...-" Ottavia mumbled as she faced her opponent.

"You can do it, Rosa!" Curtis cheered from the side.

Rosa nodded, her attention focused on her opponent. Stonewall grinned as his lucario got ready to fight, eager for his next victory.

"Even if you are a fledgling, you will be my 1000th win in a row," Stonewall said. "Gya ha ha! Well let's make this a grand show then!"

Rosa narrowed her eyes once more. It was like this man was trying to tilt her with his condescending tone.

"Lucario, Swords Dance!"

"Ottavia, Aqua Jet!"

Blue swords of energy formed around Lucario, before they spun around the canine and dissipated into energy that flowed to the jackal. Ottavia used the opening to charge at Lucario in a bullet of water, ramming into the jackal. Lucario grunted somewhat, before pushing Ottavia back, sending her back to Rosa.

"Bone Rush!"

"Razor Shell!"

Lucario produced a blue energy staff and lunged for Ottavia, who grabbed her shells and produced her two blades of water to combat Lucario. The Bone Rush staff felt extremely heavy against Ottavia's blades; the Water-type struggling to push Lucario back.

"Tch, Scald in his face!" Rosa yelled out.

Ottavia spewed out boiling water into Lucario's face, making the jackal jump back in pain at having scalding water scorch his face. Ottavia got back her footing with the opening she made for herself, before charging at Lucario, hoping to swing the offense back to her.

"Hm, not bad," Stonewall commented. "But we will not lose so easily! Lucario, Close Combat!"

Lucario threw the staff at Ottavia, who nimbly evaded the oncoming projectile to attack. Lucario met Ottavia's oncoming blade strikes with his paws expertly, pushing her back and immediately gaining the offensive. Ottavia was too busy trying to block all the heavy hits, leaving no room for an opening for Ottavia to strike at. Thanks to the attack buff that Swords Dance provided, the Fighting-type was able to effortlessly parry all of Ottavia's Razor Shell strikes with little effort while dishing out absurd amounts of damage, which further frustrated Ottavia. Ottavia tried to fake out Lucario and aim for his legs, but the Lucario reacted to that, blocking the strike and sending his own punch at the otter in the opening she gave up by going for the fake out.

"-Agh!-" Ottavia yelped as the strong punch sent her flying back to Rosa.

"Ottavia!" Rosa cried out as Ottavia landed on the ground pitifully.

"Come now, surely you can do better than this," Stonewall goaded. "This battle will end too quickly."

Rosa gritted her teeth. The man was right; with the Swords Dance boost, Lucario's physical attacks hit Ottavia with the force of a truck. One or two more hits would be all he needed to finish off Ottavia. Lucario's defense also gave Ottavia little room to deal any significant damage outside of that one Scald she managed to land. But that was not enough to fell Lucario before Lucario could subdue Ottavia. At this rate, Rosa would lose.

Once again.

'Am I gonna lose...? Again...?' Rosa thought to herself as Lucario got ready to make his next move. 'Why? Why does this keep happening!?'

Rosa darted her eyes around her. It seemed like the audience calmed down and looked disinterested, assuming that the man has claimed yet another victory. Rosa grinded her teeth in anger. Again! Again she would be humiliated in front of a crowd against someone who acted like a showboat!

...No. She refused. She refused to go down like this again. She has been through enough shit to go down like a chump again. Like hell would she throw in the towel so early again!

Rosa glanced over to Curtis. The boy, unlike the majority of the crowd, kept his eyes on Rosa, still worried about her and still seemingly hopeful that somehow she can pull this around. Curtis still believed in her in spite of her situation. She did not want to let him down after he put faith in her.

'I can do this...' Rosa thought to herself as Ottavia got back up. 'I've beaten six gym leaders, gone against Team Plasma...I can win this! So what if this guy has a 999-win streak, his lucario isn't even as tough as–!'

And then it hit her.

This lucario, as strong as it may be, was nothing compared to Luca. This lucario simply bolstered his attack power and mindlessly swung at her. Luca, while not boasting a means of enhancing her strength, was far more versatile, ruthless and calculating.

In fact many of the opponents she had faced were more cunning and skilled than this old man. And she had fared much better against them than right now. Sure she lost against the more skilled opponents and then some, but all those times she could have certainly won had it not been for several avoidable factors.

She was capable of winning this. No, she would win this. She was sick and tired of things going awry for her. And damn would she lose to someone who was only mindlessly swinging.

"Ottavia," Rosa said, getting her starter's attention. "You can still fight, right?"

Ottavia nodded in response as she glared back at the lucario. A blue aura began to flare around the Water-type. Rosa smirked; Ottavia's Torrent ability decided to activate. Just what she needed.

"Okay, we need to strike when they're busy on the offense," Rosa told her, surprising the Water-type. "C'mon, you were able to do it once. You can do this. I know you can. Besides."

Ottavia glanced back to Rosa, only to find a very confident smirk; one that Ottavia had not seen for a long while, painted on Rosa's face.

"This chump's nothing compared to Luca," Rosa declared.

Ottavia stared back at Rosa, before nodding in response and facing the lucario with a renewed vigor.

"You seem to be rather confident despite the fact that you're going to lose," Stonewall scoffed. "Well, I suppose you should enjoy the show as much as possible. Lucario, Close Combat!"

"Scald when you can find an opening!" Rosa quickly commanded. "He's just swinging, so watch his strikes and block them!"

Lucario rushed forward to Ottavia to finish the fight. Ottavia did as commanded, and saw where Lucario would strike and parried them with her blades. Clicking his teeth, Lucario kept up his offensive storm to try and take down Ottavia, but Ottavia was able to fend them off easily. Frustrated, Lucario roared and went for a straight lunge, but Ottavia saw that coming as well, before evading the straight punch and shooting a Scald straight into Lucario's face. The Fighting-type yelped in pain as he stepped back, holding his face in pain.

"Now!" Rosa yelled, signaling Ottavia to lunge forward and strike Lucario with a strong Razor Shell attack, sending the lucario back.

The crowd began to perk up as Ottavia began to show signs of a comeback. Stonewall, however, began to grit his teeth, annoyed that the battle was not done yet, and that his opponent was starting to mount a comeback.

"Lucario, quit dawdling and finish this! Bone Rush!" Stonewall yelled.

"Aqua Jet!" Rosa countered.

As Lucario began to prepare his Bone Rush staff, Ottavia immediately shot forward in a bullet of water and rammed straight into his gut, causing the jackal to gag in pain and drop the staff before it was completed. Ottavia jumped back slightly as Lucario clutched his stomach in further pain.

"L-Lucario, Shadow Claw–!"

"YOU'RE TOO SLOW!" Rosa growled.

Before Lucario could register the command, Ottavia let out a battle cry, before jumping at Lucario and slamming her Razor Shell blades down upon the vulnerable lucario. The hefty strike slammed down upon the stone bridge, as Lucario's eyes faded white before he slowly fell to his knees, before slumping down on the ground in a pitiful mess.

---

"She did it! Rosa won!" Curtis cheered.

The crowd was silent for a moment, before erupting to a loud applause for Rosa and Ottavia, whom reigned victorious over Stonewall and his lucario, ending his 999-win streak that had lasted for two years. Both Rosa and Ottavia let out an exhale of relief as Ottavia dispelled her water blades and put her shells back onto her legs.

"Finally," Rosa muttered. "I finally get a win back on my belt."

Ottavia went over to Rosa, who smiled and patted the Water-type on the head. "You did amazing out there, Ottavia."

"-Ehehe...-" Ottavia managed to let out a laugh as she enjoyed her victory and her master rubbing her head, before suddenly her body began to glow. "-Huh?-"

"What the...?" Rosa mumbled as she stepped back.

Ottavia's body began to shine blindingly bright as it began to change shape and grow. The light eventually died down, revealing Ottavia in a new form. She was now a quadruped, blue sea lion-like Pokémon with sharp red eyes and a white seashell-like carapace that covered her underbelly. Her limbs were covered with a similar yellow, sectioned bracer-like coverings, that seem to be composed of seashells. Long, white whiskers extend from her snout and head where on the back of her head is a large, rounded yellow helmet-like shell with spikes and a spear-like, pointed protrusion in the front.

"Ottavia!" Rosa gasped. "You...you evolved!"

"Into Samurott...!" Curtis gasped.

"-I-I did...?-" Ottavia gaped at herself, checking out her newly-evolved form. "-I did!-"

"Congratulations," Curtis said as Rosa rejoiced and gave the newly-evolved Ottavia a big hug. "Looks like that fight managed to push Ottavia to her next stage."

The duo then glanced over to Stonewall, who had a look of shock on his face as he stared at his defeated lucario.

"My win streak..." he murmured defeatedly. "My 999 win streak...that I steadily extended for the past two years...And now it's over..."

Rosa and Ottavia exchanged glances, before walking up to the man. Stonewall recalled his lucario, before looking to the 'fledgling' that had just defeated her.

"I am a man of honor," Stonewall said, regaining his composure before he extended his hand out. "That was indeed a good show, young lady."

Rosa arched an eyebrow, looking unimpressed, but accepted the gesture nonetheless. "Good match."

"If I may ask, how was it that you were able to mount such a decisive comeback?" Stonewall asked.

"...You were too simple-minded out there," Rosa replied bluntly. "You simply Sword Danced and threw out physical attacks mindlessly in hopes of just finishing off Ottavia swiftly. Once I realized that, I just had her go on the defensive and make you slip up. You having Lucario spam Close Combat and lowering his defenses while letting Ottavia trigger Torrent helped end the match quickly."

"I see," Stonewall said, not expecting the answer to be so blunt. "Well then, I say good game to you, young lady."

"Sure," Rosa said offhandedly.

"While I may have lost my streak, I have a strong will!" Stonewall declared. "I declare that I will try again to have a 1,000-win streak! Oh, I won't battle you though next time. You'll just break my streak again."

"Good luck with that," Rosa said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"You did mention a 'Luca' during the match," Stonewall commented. "Might I be right to assume that 'Luca' is another fellow lucario owned by your friend or someone?"

"...Yeah," Rosa muttered.

"Hmmm, perhaps one day I might try my hand and cross paths with the trainer and this 'Luca'," Stonewall pondered. "And do battle with this Luca to test my own lucario's skills."

"...Sure, good luck with that," Rosa replied in an even drier tone. "You probably wouldn't even last a minute against Luca."

"Well then, I believe I must immediately get started on the revival of my streak," Stonewall said, seemingly ignoring Rosa's last statement. "I bid you farewell, young lady."

Stonewall bowed to the girl, before proceeding to make his leave as the crowd gathered around Rosa to congratulate the new winner on the Village Bridge.

"You were amazing out there, girl!"

"Way to go! You won over Stonewall!"

"Damn you turned that one around. Kudos, kid!"

Rosa and Ottavia were showered with compliments from the villagers who made up the giant audience. The girl could not help but fluster at the shower of praise she was receiving.

"Rosa!" Curtis called out as he managed to squirm his way through the crowd. "That was amazing!"

"Thanks," Rosa replied back. "Well, Ottavia did most of the work though."

"But it was your quick thinking that made your win a reality," Curtis said.

"I guess," Rosa mumbled. "But sheesh, he must've not been too popular if everyone's cheering that he lost."

"He's been here for two years now, and frankly he wasn't exactly humble to be around," someone said.

"Yeah he was kinda insufferable," someone else added.

"I see..." Rosa muttered. Well if the man was causing trouble for everyone for that long, then she supposed she should not feel too bad for Stonewall.

"You must be real strong, young lady!" an older man laughed as he gave her a strong pat on the back. "Your parents must be mighty proud to have such a strong daughter like you!"

"Thanks," Rosa laughed. It was flattering to hear the continuous compliments. Rosa did wonder how her mother was doing. Rosa did miss her. She hoped the older woman was doing fine on her own. The last time she saw her was at the beginning of her journey, roughly half a year ago.

The last time she saw her was at the beginning of her journey, roughly half a year ago.

The last time she saw her was at the beginning of her journey.

The last time she saw her–.

"Alright now," Ms. Echoes said. "Make sure you stay in touch! Make sure you call me when you reach the next town!"

"Oh fuck," Rosa blurted out loud.

"Rosa?!" Curtis exclaimed, shocked to hear Rosa suddenly blurt out such profanity.

"Crap crap crap crap crap CRAP!" Rosa stammered as she assaulted her bag for her Xtransceiver. "I forgot to call my mom!"

"You forgot to what?"

"I was supposed to call my mom when I reached the next town!" Rosa exclaimed frantically. "That was like half a year ago–Oh shit I left her hanging for HALF A YEAR!"

Rosa ripped the Xtransceiver out of her bag and assailed it to get it to call her mother. Unfortunately it had no battery left when she tried to activate it, for she did not charge it since she never actually used it since around Mistralton, where she did in fact forget to call her mother like promised.

"You piece of junk!" Rosa yelled at the dead Xtransceiver, before turning to one of the townsfolk. "Please tell me there's a place where I can charge this thing."

"You can charge your Xtransceiver at that inn near the east end of the bridge," a man responded.

Without even bothering to reply back, Rosa immediately darted for said inn that the man described, leaving Curtis and the rest of the crowd in her dust. Curtis gave a quick apologetic look, before chasing after her.

---

It took roughly an hour, but Rosa managed to fully charge her Xtransceiver. Rosa turned on the device, before searching through it to find her mother's phone number. Rosa gulped. She was not sure what to expect. She did not keep in touch with her mother for half a year now. Rosa was not sure what to expect from her mother. Would she be angry? Relieved? Indifferent?

She felt a hand being placed on her shoulder, which made her immediately turn around. To her relief, it was merely Curtis. Rosa supposed she was rather tense about facing her mother again if Curtis managed to startle her like that, even though he was there the whole time.

"C'mon, I'm sure it'll be okay," Curtis assured her. "You're worrying too much."

"...Right..." Rosa nodded.

Rosa stared at the screen, before nodding once and dialing the number on her Xtransceiver. Rosa took a deep breath as the device began to connect to her mother's Xtransceiver, readying herself for what was to come. After a minute, the call connected, and a woman with brown eyes and brown hair tied up into a bun above her head.

"Rosa?" the woman asked from her line.

"Hi...Mom..." Rosa greeted somewhat nervously.

"Oh my god it's been forever!" her mother, Mrs. Echoes exclaimed. "I thought you were gonna call me when you reached the next town!"

Damn straight to the point.

"Ah yeah...I...forgot to do that..." Rosa mumbled nervously. "I'm really sorry!"

"Calm down, Rosa," Mrs. Echoes chided. "I'm not mad."

"Y-You aren't?" Rosa asked.

"I'm just glad you did call," Mrs. Echoes replied. "I was worried that something might've happened to you out there."

Right, by not calling her, Rosa unintentionally made her mother worry that something bad might have happened to her. She gave her own mother unnecessary worry to deal with.

"Sorry..." Rosa mumbled, ashamed of herself.

"I'm just glad to see you after so long," Mrs. Echoes smiled, reassuring her daughter. "So how is your journey so far? It's been six months. You must have a lot to talk about!"

Rosa let herself relax and smile, as she began to retell her days out in the world, starting from when they left Aspertia City half a year ago. She retold her journey up to now, how she, Nate and Hugh battled and won six gym badges, how she caught Nina, Mandi, and Gustav, and how they ended up running and battling Team Plasma at times, all within proper chronological order. Rosa did, however, wisely left out a few key details, such as how Nate had up to now plotted to destroy Unova, about Kyurem, and about her own descent into madness over Nate, and especially the Undella Town incident. She did not want to her mother more things to worry about. Overall though, Rosa could not help but smile the whole way, reliving her journey through her stories with her mother and see her growth as a trainer. Being able to speak to her mother after so long felt like a blessing; a breath of fresh air, especially considering the insanity that had happened recently.

"Sounds like you had quite the journey so far," Mrs. Echoes said. "I'm glad you're enjoying it though. That's the important part!"

"Yeah," Rosa said.

"So, you need two more gym badges, right?" Mrs. Echoes asked, which Rosa confirmed with a nod of her head. "Then you must be real close to making that dream of yours a reality."

"Yeah..." Rosa muttered as her expression slightly faltered, something her mother immediately picked up on.

"Something wrong?" Mrs. Echoes asked. "I would've assumed you would be gun-ho about becoming the champion."

"...Well...to tell you the truth," Rosa began. "I'm kinda in a slump recently. I barely managed to scrape a win together at Mistralton, and the battles before and afterwards weren't that good either. I did win a battle against someone with a crazy long 999 win streak just before though, but that was after I realized what I was doing wrong and changed tactics, but up until then, I didn't know what to think about myself. I was having doubts about my aptitude as a trainer. I...even began to question whether I could even become champion at this rate."

Mrs. Echoes listened to her daughter with a serious expression. Once Rosa was done, Mrs. Echoes let out a sigh, before responding.

"I did see your battle back at the Driftveil Tournament," she revealed, shocking Rosa. "It was televised after all."

Rosa internally cursed the fact that that damn tournament was televised. She knew that it was, and should have known that her mother might have seen her lose to that bastard Miles. Great, her mother saw Rosa battle for the first time, and it was the humiliating loss against that asshole.

"It must have been devastating for you," Mrs. Echoes said.

'You don't even know the half of it,' Rosa thought bitterly to herself.

"I'm not gonna mince words here, it was pretty bad," Mrs. Echoes went on. "...But, I know you're better than that."

"Mom?" Rosa asked.

"Yes, you weren't so hot back there, but hey, everyone has their bad days," Mrs. Echoes said. "I know you would be able to shake it off and bounce back."

"You have that much faith in me?" Rosa asked, genuinely shocked.

"I'm your mother," Mrs. Echoes said matter-of-factly. "Of course I know my daughter can and will make a comeback. Yes, you're bound to have those days where everything doesn't go as planned. Yes you're not going to win everything; no one does. The important part is how you learn from them and keep moving forward. And I know you will stop at nothing to improve from those bad losses and be that much closer to your dream of Champion. You're just that stubborn after all."

"Mom..." Rosa said, truly touched by what she just heard.

"I know things might be rocky for you right now kiddo," Mrs. Echoes continued. "But trust me, things will get better. Don't let all those losses and close calls get you down, and keep moving forward, because I know in the end, you'll be the one standing on top of everyone."

"...Thanks," Rosa smiled. "I...I really needed to hear that."

"Anytime, kiddo," Mrs. Echoes smiled. "So...you mind showing me your team? I'm really curious to see the team you've been traveling with."

"Oh, of course," Rosa said as she placed the Xtransceiver on the table they were sitting at and rummaged through her bag, taking out her five pokéballs. She tossed them into the air to release Eve, Ottavia, Nina, Mandi and Gustav, in that order. The four turned to Ottavia, surprised to see that the dewott had evolved. Ottavia merely giggled slightly at her fellow teammates' surprise. Once they were all gathered, Rosa pointed them to the Xtransceiver on the table.

"Everyone," Rosa said. "This is my mother."

"-Oh it's Mom!-" Eve barked excitedly, running to the device eagerly. "-Hi Mom!-"

"Glad to see you're as enegertic as ever, Eve," Mrs. Echoes chuckled as the rest of Rosa's pokémon gathered around the Xtransceiver. "And it's nice to meet all of you. Thank you for taking care of my daughter. I trust my daughter with you all."

Ottavia stammered before politely bowing, Nina managed to let out a happy bark, while Mandi and Gustav nodded back. Smiling, Mrs. Echoes now took notice of Curtis, who was nearby against the wall not wanting to intrude on Rosa's reunion with her mother.

"Who's that?" Mrs. Echoes asked. "Your boyfriend?"

The two kids suddenly sported rather fervent blushes, as Curtis began to go into a coughing fit out of shock from the sudden accusation.

"No–No, no no no no, it's not like that!" Curtis managed to stammer.

"We're just friends!" Rosa immediately told her mother.

"Sure you are," Mrs. Echoes smirked. "If you're worried that I'll go overprotective mother mode, then relax. He looks pretty cute. As expected of my daughter. Such refined taste. When can I expect grandkids?"

"WHA–!?" Rosa could only wheeze out, her face now completely red. Curtis, meanwhile, seemingly lost consciousness and was staring blankly at the screen in a daze.

"Relax, I'm just messing with you," Mrs. Echoes could not help but cackle. "That's for not calling me for so long, even though you promised to do so as soon as you reached the closest town."

"Damn you..." Rosa weakly muttered as Mrs. Echoes turned to Curtis.

"What's your name?" Mrs. Echoes asked.

"Curtis. Curtis Lapis," Curtis replied stiffly.

"Please do take care of Rosa," she said, snapping the boy back to reality. "She can get rather lonely. Heavens knows she needs someone to keep her from doing something stupid and I can't rely on Hugh all the time."

"...I will ma'am," Curtis nodded, relaxing quite a bit.

"Good," Mrs. Echoes smiled. "If you do anything to hurt my daughter, then BOY. You are gonna wish you were dead when I'm done with your scrawny ass."

"D-Duly noted," Curtis stammered.

"Just making sure," Mrs. Echoes said, before turning over to Rosa. "Is there anything else you wanna talk about?"

"N-No, I think I'm good," Rosa said. She was not sure if she could take any more of her mother embarrassing her in front of the audience.

"Alright then," Mrs. Echoes said. "I'll be signing off then. I gotta go prepare my dinner anyways. Make sure you stay in touch this time, young lady. If you need to talk about anything else, I'm always here for you."

"I will," Rosa said. "Bye Mom. I love you."

"Love you too, kiddo," Mrs. Echoes smiled gingerly, before hanging up the call.

---

Rosa smiled, before putting away her Xtransceiver, feeling a weight being lifted off her.

"I'm glad I finally kept that promise," Rosa said. "Better late than never, I suppose."

"That's good," Curtis said, smiling. "So, what now?"

"I guess, do what she said. Keep going." Rosa said. "I can't let all this stuff keep me down."

"Your mother does give some good advice," Curtis nodded, glad to see Rosa cheered up.

"Yeah, she does," Rosa smiled, before laughing. "Although she can be a bit of a troll if she wants to be. I mean, seriously, calling you my boyfriend. Like if that's gonna happen, that's means you gotta actually fall in love with someone like me. That's funny, ha ha, right Curtis?"

"EH!?"

Rosa turned her glance over to Curtis, whose cheeks were a rosy red. Rosa blinked, as her jesting smile slowly faded away as the abrupt silence between them grew. The boy looked flustered. Way too flustered for it to be from the 'joke'. It was as if he was caught red-handed by something.

"Curtis?" Rosa asked. "C'mon w-why aren't you laughing? It was just a joke...right?"

"Uhh..." Curtis moaned as he tried to defend himself, but could only spew unintelligent blabber.

"C-Curtis...?" Rosa asked. "I-Is there something...you wanna tell me...?"

"Uhhh..." Curtis repeated, too flustered to make any actual words.

"D-Do you..." Rosa asked carefully. "Have like...a crush on me...?"

"OH well would you look at the time, I better be going now!" Curtis suddenly blurted as he tried to make a run for it, only to have his collar grabbed by Rosa.

"Don't you run away from me," Rosa growled as she stopped Curtis from chickening out. "...Is it...Is this true?"

"Rosa I..." Curtis mumbled, before finally relenting, and nodding. "Yes. I am."

Now it was Rosa's turn to match Curtis' own shade of pinkish red as she felt her cheeks heating up at the revelation.

"Why...?" Rosa asked. "I mean, we only knew each other for like what, three months now? And we barely talked to each other during then. Hell, the last time I talked to you, I was manipulating you for my own, unsavory, actions. If anything, that should've been a turn off. So...why...?"

"Well when you put it like that..." Curtis muttered, before straightening himself up. "Well...I guess it came down to when we first officially met."

"You mean back at Driftveil?"

"Yeah," Curtis nodded. "Back when you returned my Xtransceiver to me. You kept your word to return my Xtransceiver to me, even though you had no obligation to do so whatsoever. You could've just taken it and sold it off or something for all I know, but you kept it with you and returned it to me."

"So you have a crush on me because I returned your phone?" Rosa asked, arching a brow.

"I'm not done yet, but I guess you can say that," Curtis deadpanned. "When we went on our...well, 'date', I got to know you better than from what little we talked. You were nice, cute, beautiful, strong and considerate. And I guess, I kinda...got attracted to that."

"I-I see..." Rosa stammered, flustered by the genuine compliments Curtis gave her. "...But what about...everything revolving Undella...?"

"...Well...I will admit, what you did back there...going behind everyone's back...was wrong," Curtis said. "I'm not saying you're the only guilty party here, but you did go behind everyone's back for your own motives. But, you had your reasons. Even if they weren't the best ones, you had your reasons. And honestly, some of them can be attributed to me. Because I asked you to find Yancy, did this all start anyways."

"No, it wasn't your fault," Rosa insisted. "You were only looking for your sister–."

"Who was suffering under Father's neglectful 'caretaking'," Curtis shook his head, pronouncing 'caretaking' with air quotes. "Honestly I would've been surprised if Yancy didn't run away sooner."

Right, their father was not exactly parent material, according to Yancy.

"Look...we're getting off topic," Curtis said, bringing the conversation back to the main point. "Point is that you shouldn't just focus on the negatives about yourself! There's tons of positives about you! Positives that...well...I couldn't help but fall for...I guess..."

Curtis's cheeks were now a vibrant pink as he finished his sentence, while Rosa just stared at him dumbly with an equally pink expression.

"H-Huh..." Rosa mumbled. Curtis had fallen for her from her simple act of patronage. He was fascinated by her when she had acted natural by herself; as herself. More than she would have guessed given the little time they had spent together. He had showed Rosa of positive traits about her that she had felt that she forgotten. It was surprising, if not flattering and embarrassing. And then to Rosa, she could not help but find a mental image of a certain pinkette emerge in her head.

'Ah,' Rosa thought to herself, causing her to giggle. 'He's kinda is like Yancy in a way, huh.'

"R-Rosa?" Curtis asked, taken aback by Rosa's sudden giggling.

"Sorry," Rosa apologized through her giggling. "It's just that your confession...it kinda reminded me of Yancy."

"Yancy?" Curtis asked, somewhat confused.

"The first time we ever actually spoke," Rosa decided to reminisce. "She got mad at me and defended him when I thought he was just deceiving her for something. Even though they shouldn't have known each other for at least an hour or so back then. Your confession kinda reminded me of her defending Nate. Kinda, but I felt it. I guess you two really are siblings huh..."

Rosa let out a deep breath, before facing Curtis, having made up her mind.

"Look...I'm flattered..." Rosa began. "But...I'm not sure if I feel the same way about you. Right now at least."

"O-Oh..." Curtis stammered, feeling himself go immediately disheartened. "Y-Yeah, what was I thinking? Suddenly confessing to you like that after–."

"But," Rosa said, stopping Curtis. "...Give me some time."

"Eh?"

"I just got off of a heartbreak," Rosa said. "And let your little sister be with the boy I fell in love with, no less. I still need some time to gather my own feelings. At least once we deal with all this Plasma chaos. And once I've reached the goal I'm aiming for in my journey. Until then..."

Rosa's eyes met Curtis' eyes, her expression sporting a vibrant pink. "Can you wait for my answer then?"

Curtis stared at Rosa dumbly, not expecting the 'answer' Rosa gave him in response. Eventually, the boy could only let out a chuckle.

'Yeah...this girl's amazing...' Curtis thought fondly.

"W-What?" Rosa muttered.

"Oh nothing," Curtis smiled. "I look forward to your response in the future."

---

Rosa blinked at Curtis' response, before letting out a sigh, being content with the answer. She glanced over to the clock nearby. It was already close to dusk. Rosa blinked. She could have sworn it was somewhat past noon when she got here.

"Oh wow, we've been here for a while," Rosa said.

"Right..." Curtis said, rubbing his stomach. "I'm actually pretty hungry, not gonna lie."

"Hm," Rosa nodded. "Alright then, let's go grab something for dinner. I wonder if there're some other restaurants around here. Maybe we can go back to that berry diner and–."

Rosa glanced over to the window to see how dark the outside had become, only to freeze. Staring straight at the two of them from the window was none other than MKI, and its glowing, machine-like, soulless eyes.

"Have you finished your discussions?" it said in its monotonous tone.

"WHA?!" Rosa blurted. "How long have you been there!?"

"For three hours, ever since you began to converse on your Xtransceiver," MKI replied almost casually, although its words sounded muffled from behind the closed window.

"Uh, why don't we open the window for you," Curtis said, regaining his composure and opening the window for MKI.

"Thank you," MKI replied to Curtis as he stepped back.

...Before proceeding to walk straight through the wall of the hotel they were conversing in, destroying it and leaving a large hole that conveniently preserved the window case in the process.

"THERE'S A DOOR YOU KNOW!?" Rosa yelled at the audacity of the machine's entrance.

"I see no problem," MKI replied.

"No there's a BIG problem!" Rosa argued. "You just destroyed someone's property!"

"More importantly," MKI said.

"Don't just brush it off like that!"

"I have reached my answer to your offer," MKI announced, getting Rosa's attention. "...What you have said to me. To find a life outside of being a weapon. I wish to experience that."

"You..." Rosa said, eyes widening.

"However," MKI said. "Regardless of all I said, I am still a weapon first and foremost. Thus, I wish to see."

"See...what?" Rosa asked cautiously.

"If you have the strength to wield the weapon that I am," MKI said, his eyes glowing even brighter and earning Rosa's surprise.

"...So you wish to challenge her to a battle?" Curtis asked.

"Affirmative," MKI nodded. "I wish to see if you have the strength to live up to your words. To see if you can lead me to a life naught as a weapon, that you so claim."

Curtis's eyes widened in shock as he turned to Rosa. She was as equally shocked as her companion was. However, this was a golden opportunity. The manmade legendary pokémon had personally challenged her to a battle; a chance for her to claim it as her own. Not to mention, if she recalled correctly, this was the exact pokémon that defeated Nate all the way back at the Driftveil Tournament...

"This might just a good chance to one-up him for once," Rosa mumbled.

"Huh?" Curtis asked, glancing at Rosa. The confusion that had been on her face was solidly replaced with a fiery determination. "Rosa..."

"Alright," Rosa declared. "I accept that challenge!"

"Acknowledged," MKI nodded. "There is a secluded grove to the east of our current position. You can find it by crossing under the bridge. Let us regroup there."

Finishing its business, MKI proceeded to turn around and exited the building through the hole it made by walking through said building. It then suddenly stopped in its tracks, before turning back around and proceeding to close the windows, before leaving. The window proceeded to fall from its frame and crash onto the ground.

"...Even if you close the windows..." Rosa muttered as she stared at the mess it left. "...Curtis, please tell me you're rich."

Curtis groaned in annoyance before he pulled out a credit card as one of the owners approached them.

---

After settling the damages that the hotel suffered, the duo hurried to the grove that MKI had told them about. It was indeed secluded; hidden away within the forest that surrounded the bridge, its village and its river. The grove was decorated with lots of white flowers and lush green grass patches. Wild pidoves made their places among the trees.

Standing alone in the middle of the grove was MKI. The dimmed light of dusk shined down on the mechanical monster. MKI was kneeling down, staring at the ground, specifically at one of the white flowers.

"The flowers...they are fascinating," MKI said, having sensed the two humans arriving. "They are weak in nature. They can be trampled and ruined by even the slightest of force. They cannot act as weapons in the slightest, no matter what. And yet, they manage to live, in spite of their weakness. They are loved by the creatures they coincide with. They can live anywhere and everywhere, so long as they have ground to live on. They are the complete opposite of me. And that is what intrigues me about them. How can such weak things exist in peace? Perhaps they know something that I fail to understand?"

MKI stood back up, before facing Rosa and Curtis. "Sorry. That was merely my own ramblings."

Rosa nodded as she sent out Ottavia, who brandished one of her blades, ready to fight. That was enough for MKI to confirm the battle.

"Target identified..." MKI said in a cold monotone. "Scanning...scanning...scanning complete. Target identified: Dex Number 503: Samurott. Target data acquired. Enhancing appropriate offense attributes.

"...Show me your power. Show me this possibility of yours."

"Alright then, we will!" Rosa yelled, wasting no time at all to start her offense. "Ottavia, Razor Shell!"

Ottavia's blade glowed blue, as Ottavia immediately darted for MKI. MKI parried the blade with its own metallic arms. Ottavia reacted by reaching out to her second blade, but MKI instantly responded by unleashing a torrent of electricity from its body, shocking Ottavia and forcing her to jump back.

"Thunderbolt!?" Rosa gasped.

MKI continued its silent assault by aiming its cannon at Ottavia and charging an immense amount of energy into it. MKI unleashed a violent green laser at Ottavia, who was forced to bring up her two blades to shield herself from the attack.

"Ottavia!" Rosa cried out.

The Water-type was able to deflect the beam away from her and into one of the trees, blasting through its trunk instantly.

"-What power...-" Ottavia gaped at the devastation the beam left.

"-Ah, Ottavia, in front of you!-" Eve yelled out.

Ottavia immediately looked back forward to see MKI charging straight for her. Ottavia brought her blades up and swung them upwards, intercepting MKI and sending it straight into the air. MKI immediately transformed into its flight mode as it proceeded to fly off into the sky.

"After it!" Rosa yelled, prompting Ottavia to go after MKI with a speedy Aqua Jet.

MKI began to shoot down Ottavia with several Techno Blasts, but Ottavia was able to weave around the laser beams and got above MKI. Ottavia brought her sword above her head, before swinging it down upon MKI, slamming the blade against the mechanical bug. MKI crashed into the ground as Ottavia landed a good distance away, poised for her opponent's next move. MKI managed to get back on its feet, before pointing its claw at the Water-type and immediately shooting out a thick thread of silk at her, hitting her arm and covering it with it.

"-What the heck...?-" Ottavia muttered, before she found herself getting pulled. "-Whoa!-"

MKI proceeded to grab the silk on its end with both claws, before swinging it, and Ottavia, around. MKI flung Ottavia into the ground, before reeling her towards itself. MKI slammed one of its feet onto Ottavia to pin her down, before aiming its cannon at her, charging energy.

"Stab the cannon!" Rosa quickly commanded.

Ottavia reacted accordingly and thrusted one of her swords into the cannon, jamming it. Panicking, MKI immediately kicked Ottavia away from it with enough force to rip the silk ensnaring her in the process, before quickly prying out the sword and throwing it at her like a spear. Ottavia managed to deflect the sword into the air and catch it, while MKI was forced to release the energy earlier than anticipated, shooting it at Ottavia. The Water-type dodged it relatively easily as the burst of energy went astray, vaporizing the trees that were unfortunate enough to be in the way. Both combatants were beginning to pant; Ottavia more heavily than MKI.

Letting out a mechanical clicking sound, MKI began to surge with electricity. Rosa narrowed her eyes, recognizing that MKI was about to send out another Thunderbolt attack. If it lands its mark on Ottavia, then she would certainly fall. She needed to end this quickly, but how...?

"...Wait..." Rosa muttered, an idea forming in her brain. "Ottavia, stab you swords into the ground!"

"-Eh?-" Ottavia asked, confused, but immediately did as she was told once she saw the Thunderbolt fire off and stabbed both swords into the ground.

The Thunderbolt struck down upon Ottavia, making her grit her teeth in pain. To her surprise though, the attack was not as painful as the first Thunderbolt. She glanced to the swords she stabbed, before understanding the purpose of Rosa's command.

"Now, Hydro Pump!" Rosa yelled.

Amidst the Thunderbolt, Ottavia released a strong Hydro Pump at MKI, nailing it in the face. MKI was pushed back, stopping the Thunderbolt in the process and giving Ottavia some breathing space. A blue aura began to surge around Ottavia as she managed to calm down. MKI recovered from her attack, but was panting heavier. MKI noticed the blue aura surrounding Ottavia, and decided to end the fight now. MKI began to charge energy into its cannon once more, this time channeling even more energy than before.

"Ottavia, throw one of your swords into the air!" Rosa yelled out.

This time not questioning her orders, Ottavia threw one of her swords up into the air. MKI immediately looked up, following the airborne sword and directing all focus to it. Fearing whatever the sword could do, MKI preemptively shot at it. Just as Rosa hoped for.

"Now, Razor Shell!"

Ottavia gripped her other blade and charged forward at MKI. By the time MKI realized that the first sword was a distraction and looked back to Ottavia, she was already in front of it. MKI tried to aim its cannon at Ottavia, but had no time to defend itself. With a triumphant roar, Ottavia swung her blade across MKI, slamming it across the robot's chest. The impact sent MKI flying across the ground, before abruptly crashing and sliding across it. Seeing the pokémon faint on the ground, Rosa immediately saw an opportunity and grabbed an empty pokéball from her bag.

"Now!" Rosa yelled out as she hurled the pokéball at MKI. The bug struggled to get back up, only to see the pokéball flying at its face. MKI lifted a claw as if to intercept it, but did nothing.

"...So this is your answer..." MKI mumbled as it lowered its head in acceptance, allowing the ball to make contact. The ball opened up and turned MKI into a mass of red light, before absorbing it. The ball closed and fell to the ground, where it shook three times before flashing, confirming a successful capture.

---

"Yes!" Rosa exclaimed triumphantly as she pumped her fist. Ottavia panted heavily in exhaustion as Rosa ran up to her and pulled her in for an embrace. "You were amazing out there, Ottavia!"

Ottavia blushed in response while smiling bashfully, enjoying her trainer's praise. Rosa let go of the embrace and rushed over to the pokéball that contained MKI. Rosa immediately sent out MKI from its pokéball; the mechanical bug landing in front of its new trainer. MKI glanced up, staring straight at Rosa.

"...You win," MKI stated in its usual monotone.

"You have any complaints?" Rosa asked.

"No," MKI shook its head. "This is your answer that I chose to accept."

"Welcome aboard," Rosa smiled. "Hmm...Now what to call you..."

"Hm?" MKI asked, confused. "I already have a codename assigned to me."

"Well it sounds too...I don't know, 'lifeless'," Rosa muttered. "Now that you're mine now, you need a new nickname to declare your first step to your new life...Ah, I got it!

"From now on, you're 'Geno'!"

MKI stared at Rosa, assessing the new name she gave it, before nodding in response.

"Very well," MKI, now rechristened as 'Geno', nodded. "ID data edited. Model number CM-649-01. Species name: 'Genesect'. Codename: Geno. I will be in your care Master."

"Just Rosa's fine," Rosa clarified. "Calling me 'Master' sounds kinda stuffy."

"Very well...Rosa," Geno said.

Rosa smiled as Geno, her newest catch, her newest and final party member. The catch she earned through battling; through winning.

"Congratulations," Curtis complimented Rosa, walking up to her. "That was amazing."

"Thanks," Rosa replied back, before noticing Geno limping slightly. "Ah, right, you still need to be healed. You too, Ottavia!"

Rosa reached into her bag and took out a few hyper potions as Ottavia went over to Rosa. She sprayed Ottavia and Geno with the potions, healing the physical wounds the two inflicted one another.

"While this should be alright, you should take them to a pokécenter later," Curtis suggested.

"Of course," Rosa said as she proceeded to take out the rest of her team. "Now to introduce you to the rest of the gang."

Rosa tossed her pokéballs up into the air, sending out Eve, Nina, Mandi, and Gustav in front of them. The group turned to see Geno, shocked to see the mechanized bug in front of them.

"Everyone," Rosa said. "This is Geno. It...He...they? Uh...Actually, Geno, what's your gender?"

"I have no specified gender," Geno replied. "It is an attribute Professor Colress deemed unnecessary. Refer to me as you wish."

"Well, calling you an 'it' sounds demoralizing," Rosa muttered. "Regardless! They're now a part of this team, so get along everyone!"

Geno nodded as they faced their teammates.

"-Hiya!-" Eve was the first to greet Geno. "-Welcome to the team! I'm Eve! Let's get along!-"

"-Yeah!-" Nina quickly followed. "-I'm Nina! If you need anything, just ask!-"

"-Hm, looks like she got herself someone interesting this time around,-" Mandi quipped. "-The name's Mandi. Well, nice to meet you.-"

"-...Name's Gustav,-" Gustav introduced himself. "-Pleasure to meet you.-"

Geno nodded, before glancing over to Ottavia. The Water-type approached Geno, having sheathed her blades.

"-Time for proper introductions,-" she said as she extended her paw. "-I'm Ottavia. That was a good match. I look forward to working with you.-"

Geno stared at the extended paw, before accepting the gesture with one of their claws. Rosa smiled, glad that it seemed that her team was accepting of Geno. She glanced to the sky. Dusk had been long gone, and it was now night time.

"We should probably get to a hotel to check in for the night," Rosa said. "Maybe not that last one, all things considered."

"Right..." Curtis muttered, being reminded of the damage Geno had caused to it, and how much repairs cost him because of it. "There's bound to be another one around here."

Curtis made his way out of the grotto to look for another place for him and Rosa to stay for the night. The other pokémon began to follow after the boy. Rosa started to go after him, before glancing up to the night sky once more. It was beautifully clear, with stars decorating the black sky to emphasize its beauty. Rosa could not help but smile. She felt several loads off her chest, and felt as clear as the sky she was gazing upon.

Today ended up being a good day. She was able to put her own doubts at ease and overcome them, regained her confidence, and managed to not only finally completing her team, now sporting a full roster, but caught what was most likely a legendary pokémon. She now has her own legendary pokémon to compete with Nate and Deo, and Hugh and Tornadus. The fact that it was Geno, who holds a win against Nate of all people, was simply icing on the cake. While she knew fully well that she would have to beat Nate himself eventually, she could not help but feel a sense of accomplishment overcoming a foe that Nate failed to beat.

"Rosa?" Curtis called out.

Rosa snapped her attention away from the night sky and back to Curtis and her six pokémon, all staring at her curiously. "Everything alright?" Curtis asked in concern.

"...Yeah, I'm fine," Rosa said as she ran up to the boy. "Sorry about that."

Rosa felt like herself again. The confident Rosa that she remembered starting out back in Aspertia. It was as if a flame within her that had been extinguished came back to life thanks to the events of today.

And Rosa was sure that the flame in her would still keep going from here on out.

---

To be continued

---

AN: And part 2 done. Rosa is back, Rosa x Curtis is basically established, Ottavia evolved and now Rosa has a genesect. Hope this did Rosa some justice. All I need now is to evolve Eve, which will happen after Hugh gets his chapter. Kind of wanted to make Rosa x Curtis mirror Nate x Yancy in ways, so hopefully that worked. Also fun fact, excluding the Unova starters and their own personal 'starters', Rosa is the only one out of the trio who battled and caught all her party members herself:

Nina: Caught at Virbank Complex as a growlithe.

Mandi: Caught at Route 4.

Gustav: Caught at the Hidden Grotto at Route 6.

Geno: Caught at Village Bridge.

Nate only actually battled and caught Vire: Brav was going to join no matter what, and Nate only actually chased after Zoro back in Route 6; he convinced Zoro and Deo to join him instead. Hugh battled and caught Magmortar (as a magby) and Heracross; he received Carracosta (as a tirtouga) from Iris, and Hugh convinced Tornadus to join him. So good for her.

Next chapter is Hugh's part and the last part of this day off.

And current team rosters:

Rosa: Eve (Eevee) / Ottavia (Samurott) / Nina (Arcanine) / Mandi (Mandibuzz) / Gustav (Amoonguss) / Geno (Genesect)

Curtis: Rampardos / Luxray / Staraptor / Gastrodon-East

And that's enough for me. And once again, I have a discord fan server, Grey Space, in case you're interested to join and bug me about stuff or hang out with other fans.

Also can someone do me a favor and tell me what the name of the Hugh x Iris ship is called? I tried looking, but found nothing. Does that ship even exist? I'd be surprised if it did, considering in the actual games the two never interact at all.

EDIT: Realized that I somehow forgot to include the part when Ottavia evolved, so added that after she won against the lucario (while still being a dewott). Sorry bout that, no idea how I forgot about that.

See you next time!