Rosa does not like the look of the stairwell before her. Concrete steps lit by a few flickering bare bulbs? There's only one outcome here. She's going to get jumped at the bottom. Three goons are going to attack her with blunt objects and take all her money. And, she's going to deserve it for being stupid enough to descend these stairs. Still, every person she asked directed her right here. This is the entrance to Virbank's Gym. If she wants to continue her Pokémon journey, she has no other choice.

One hand resting on her Servine's Pokéball, she takes her first step. Right onto something that squishes under her foot. She doesn't have the fortitude to discover what it is, but she can see the steps are covered in trash. The walls, in graffiti. She takes a second step.

One of the muggers reveals himself at the bottom of the stairs. He looks surprised to see Rosa. "Oh, you here to fight Roxie?"

He's a bit older than Rosa. His head is shaved and he's dressed like a thug. Still, he isn't threatening Rosa, at least not yet. And there isn't a baseball bat in sight. She leaves her Pokémon in its ball.

"Yeah," she says, keeping a stammer out of her voice, "is this the right place?"

"Uh-huh. This is it," he replies. "Sorry, I was s'posed to be up there greeting people. Had to run to the john. Just come on down and head through these doors." He hooks his thumb to point behind himself.

He leans against the wall. The stairs aren't wide enough for him to climb while Rosa descends. He starts to rest his hands in his pockets, before crossing his arms instead. Rosa appreciates that. It's slightly less threatening.

Rosa reaches the bottom of the stairs without stepping on anything else unsettling.

The man smiles at her. "Good luck." He heads upstairs.

The doors are the only thing on the landing. They're big, made of metal. Rosa can still hear the sound of music coming from the other side. She takes a deep breath and shoves the doors open. They're heavy, and it takes a lot of strength. Rosa perseveres, overcoming the Gym's first challenge.

Inside, the music is deafening. The Gym is laid out like a concert hall. The music is coming from a band on a stage at the far end of the room. Rosa recognizes Roxie behind the microphone. Besides the band, there are only a few other people sitting at a bar in the corner to Rosa's left. Nobody notices her. She walks forward.

She's halfway across the room when Roxie finally spots her. She raises a fist and her bandmates stop playing. The sudden silence crushes the room like a black hole. Everyone in the room turns their attention to see why the band stopped playing. All their eyes are on Rosa.

"Hey, you here to challenge me?" Roxie asks through the microphone.

Rosa can't find her voice. She nods a few times instead.

Roxie grins. "Awesome."

She puts her bass down on a stand behind her. She hops off the stage and walks over to Rosa. She takes one more step than entirely necessary, ending up a little too close for Rosa's comfort. She puts her fists on her hips. "You ready? I'm not gonna go easy on ya."

She's trying to look intimidating, but her height only comes close to Rosa's if you count her ridiculous ponytail. The way her dress hangs off her shoulder makes her look like a kid wearing something of her older sister's. And she's wearing platform boots! She's wearing a pair of boots that should add inches to her height and she still has to look up to meet Rosa's eyes.

Rosa giggles. She can't help herself.

Roxie scrunches her nose. "Huh? What's so funny?"

Rosa tries to compose herself. "N-nothing! I'm not…"

"You're laughing at me!"

"No!"

Roxie shakes her fist at Rosa, like some kind of old-timey cartoon character. "I can't believe this! Now I'm really gonna clobber ya!"

She turns and stomps away from Rosa. She turns back around a couple feet before reaching the stage.

"You got at least three Pokémon, right? We'll do a three-on-three! Ready?"

Before Rosa can respond, Roxie tosses out one of her own Pokéballs. There's a flash of light, then a Koffing is floating between the two girls. It lets out a jovial cry and twirls in place.

Rosa studied for this fight. She knows Roxie uses poison-type Pokémon, and she knows how to counter them. She caught her Psyduck to specifically stop Roxie's team in its tracks. This was going to be a piece of cake. She sends it out, ready to claim her badge.

Psyduck stares down Roxie's Koffing. Well, maybe stares is a strong word for the eternally tormented Pokémon, but it recognizes the threat posed by its opponent and is ready for combat.

Rosa's strategy is simple, but effective in theory. Psyduck's Confusion attack would be very effective against any Pokémon Roxie might send out, meaning that so long as Rosa could keep it in the fight, the battle would be trivial.

"Let's do this, Psyduck!" Rosa cheers.

Psyduck quacks a weak battle cry, clutching its head. The Pokémon knows how to handle its opponent, and doesn't need specific orders from its trainer. It uses a psychic attack. There's no visible trace of the attack, but Koffing's face twists in pain. It connected.

"That's your play, huh?" Roxie asks. "Okay then, Koffing, show 'em how it's done!"

Koffing darts toward Psyduck, happy to obey. It somersaults to a stop inches from Psyduck. A cloud of noxious gray-green smoke bursts from the spouts over its body. Even from several feet away the stench turns Rosa's stomach.

Rosa does not want to deal with a lot of that. She has a way to keep it at bay, even if it means deviating from her strategy. "Psyduck, Disable!"

Psyduck glances back at Rosa. This isn't part of their drills; it's confused. With a grunt, it obeys regardless. This move doesn't hurt its opponent in a direct way—there's no clear sign that it's effective.

Only then does Rosa notice the odd slouch in her Pokémon's posture. It's hurting. It was only hit once, that couldn't have been enough to wound it. Could it be poisoned?

Roxie grins. "Wrong move. Too bad!"

Koffing spews a slick purple slime from the pores on its body, dousing Psyduck.

Rosa winces as her Psyduck cries out in pain. It stumbles. Psyduck is still conscious, but Rosa can't leave it in the fight in this condition. She recalls the Pokémon.

"Sorry, Psyduck." She replaces the ball in its place on her belt.

"That's one down!" Roxie shouts. "Hope you got another plan!"

Rosa doesn't. Of her remaining Pokémon, Servine is her strongest, but it would be vulnerable to Roxie's poison types. After Servine, Riolu is her next strongest—not that that's saying much. It wouldn't last long against Roxie's Pokémon. She makes her choice, tossing her next Pokéball out.

"Servine!" If she gets lucky, Servine might just overpower Roxie's Pokémon despite its disadvantage.

The serpentine lizard emerges from its Pokéball with a cry. It doesn't seem intimidated by Koffing. Without waiting for any encouragement from its trainer, it pirouettes. A swirl of leaves sheds off the Pokémon, gusting up into a vortex. As Servine stops spinning, the leaves shoot toward Koffing.

The attack connects hard—Koffing gets caught in the vortex and gets dragged back a couple feet. It's still up after the blow, but it's hanging on by the skin of its teeth.

Koffing closes the distance again. It releases another puff of gas, this one purple, and not quite as foul-smelling.

Servine is too quick for Koffing and twirls away, avoiding the attack. Without a missed beat it moves from the dodge to a counterattack. A repeat of the previous move. There's no need to change things up.

This time when the attack catches Koffing the Pokémon gets tossed to the ground by the whirl. It's down for the count.

Roxie recalls it. "That's one down," she says. "Good job."

Next, she sends out a Grimer. It smells terrible. Rosa has to cover her nose.

"Gross!"

Roxie laughs. "Can't take it? Feel free to give up!"

"No way!" Rosa's starting to loosen up a little. She may have gotten this battle off on the wrong foot, but her Servine is still fresh. The fight's even again. She can do this! She shakes the thought of losing out of her head. Steeled, confident, she shouts encouragement to her Pokémon. "Let's take them down, Servine!"

"Here are your Pokémon back, miss." The nurse hands Rosa the three Pokéballs.

"Thank you…" Rosa's voice is lifeless.

That battle did not go as planned. Rosa has a long way to go if she's going to have any chance of making it to the Pokémon League. She slinks out of the Center. Time to get back to training. Maybe catch some different Pokémon too. It would help take her mind off of that humiliating defeat. She picks her head up just in time to spot Roxie coming around the corner. Coming right toward her. Rosa hopes she doesn't see her. She's not ready to face Roxie again so soon. How embarrassing. Rosa turns to go off in a different direction.

"Hey!" Roxie shouts. "Uh… Trainer!"

Oh, no. She can't be calling for Rosa, could she? Rosa tries to be subtle about glancing at Roxie, but Roxie is locked onto her. She is coming for Rosa. Rosa considers running. It's a tempting prospect. Roxie's quicker than Rosa expects, however. She's already right in front of Rosa.

"Yeah, um, sorry. You didn't—I don't think you told me your name."

She seems a lot more timid than earlier. She's still standing way too close to Rosa, but she's not making eye contact. She's even fidgeting a little bit.

Did she really hunt me down to ask my name? "Rosa."

"Cool," Roxie says. Then silence. The awkward kind. "Um. I mean, I just wanted to apologize if I came off as a jerk. During our battle."

"Really?" Rosa asks. She's still confused as to why Roxie felt the need to follow her.

She blushes. "Yeah. It's, like, an act. Y'know, like wrestling? I wasn't trying to make fun of you or anything. It's just putting on a show."

Rosa can't help but notice how pretty she is, now that she's not acting terrifying. She may act like a tomboy, but she has such delicate features. "Oh," is all she can say. She's become distracted.

Roxie grimaces, but only for a split second. "Hey, you uh… Wanna go grab lunch?"

Rosa blinks. "What?"

"Lunch!" Roxie insists. "Yeah, I uh… I was on my way to get something to eat. That's why I saw you. I wasn't—I didn't come looking for you on purpose."

That makes sense. "Okay," Rosa says, "sure."

Roxie beams. "Cool! I know a great place." She grabs Rosa by the wrist and leads her away. She's quick, and Rosa has to work to not be dragged along.

"So, where're you from?" Roxie asks. She's not even breathing heavy, despite her pace.

"Aspertia," Rosa struggles to get even the one word out through her panting.

"Oh, cool! That's not too far away. So you're a pretty new trainer, huh? That makes sense." Roxie skids to a stop. "Oh! Um, no offense."

Rosa relishes the chance to catch her breath. "I-it's fine."

"I heard there's a new Gym opening in Aspertia. Have you fought that Gym Leader yet? Uh, Sharon, I think her name was…? Something like that."

Rosa giggles. "He's a guy. His name's Cheren."

Roxie laughs. It gives Rosa a flush of confidence.

"I beat him already. That was my first badge. You'd be my second."

"Nice." Roxie starts walking again. This time, Rosa resists a little. Roxie catches on, and walks slower this time. "After me? Castelia?"

"Yeah. There's a ferry straight from here, isn't there?"

Roxie snorts. "My dad runs it."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He's super embarrassing." She slows down even more. Rosa isn't expecting it, and the change in pace makes her stumble. "'You ever been to Castelia before? It's pretty huge. It's easy to get lost."

Is she trying to scare me? "I'm sure I'll be fine."

Roxie shrugs. "Well, if you want, I could probably go with you. Show you around or whatever."

Rosa considered it. Even finding Roxie's Gym was a bit confusing. Castelia is a big city. Maybe it's not such a bad idea. "Sure. Sounds fun."

"Cool." She kind of says 'cool' a lot. "Here, look, this is the place."

They're in front of a small pizzeria. It's run down and a bit grimy. Rosa doesn't trust it.

Roxie must be able to read Rosa's expression. "Yeah, I know it looks kinda crappy, but trust me, their food is great."

Rosa isn't convinced, but feels obligated to play along at this point. "If you say so."

Roxie pulls Rosa inside before she can change her mind. Immediately, Rosa's nose is bombarded by the smell of cooking food. However the place looks, it smells delicious. It's pretty empty, despite it being lunch time. There are a few people sitting and eating, and no line at the counter. The two workers have their backs to the door. A chime hung above the door jingles, alerting them to the girls' entrance. The older of the two men turns around.

"Roxie!" he says. "Good to see you! And you brought a friend! What'll you two be having?"

"Hey, Elias! Gimme a gyro." She turns to Rosa. "What about you?"

Rosa doesn't operate well when put on the spot. "Um, the same thing."

"Okay, two gyros, coming up!"

Roxie finally lets go of Rosa's wrist. She sits down at a table by a window. Rosa sits across from her. Roxie is staring outside. Rosa tries following her gaze, but doesn't see anything she might be looking at. Neither girl says a word. Before the silence can go on too long, Roxie turns back to Rosa. She says, "My band's got a show tonight. Wanna come? I can get you in for free."

Rosa's never been to a rock show before. Honestly, she's not the biggest fan of the genre. She mostly just listens to the radio. She only knows two or three songs by Roxie's band. Still, she finds herself interested in the chance at spending some more time with Roxie. "Yeah, I'd love to."

"Awesome." Roxie is blushing a little. "It's not until later tonight. I have to get back to the Gym after this, so how about we meet up there? At, say… six-thirty?"

"Okay."

"So, do you listen to my band much?"

Rosa considers lying, but decides against it. "Not really… Only what I've heard on the radio." Rosa winces, ready to be berated.

Roxie looks a bit disappointed, but she shrugs it off. "Yeah, you don't really peg me as someone who'd listen to our type of music."

To avoid letting Roxie down further, Rosa asks a question of her own. "How long have you been playing guitar?"

"I play bass, actually," Roxie says, "Basses have four strings; guitars have six. But I did start on guitar! Back in like, second grade? I didn't last all that long. Then when I was thirteen one of my dad's friends gave me an old bass as a birthday present. I basically taught myself, but I've been playing ever since!"

"That's so cool! I wish I could play an instrument."

Roxie's body language shifts again. She fidgets and looks away from Rosa. "Well, if you get bored once you're the Champion or whatever, feel free to come look me up. I could give you some lessons."

Rosa rolls her eyes. "Champion? No way! I'll never be that good."

"Aw, don't say that!" Roxie says, "You can totally do it. Look at the girl sitting up there right now! She's, like, six. Distract her with candy or something. It'll be easy."

Rosa laughs. "Pretty sure that would be cheating."

Roxie displays her fist. "It's not cheating! It's tactics! All's fair in love and Pokémon battles!"

"Hey you two, your food's ready!" Elias shouts from behind the counter.

Roxie hops out of her seat. "I'll get it."

She doesn't give Rosa a chance to protest. She does move really fast. She reminds Rosa of the Patrat she's seen on the roads she's traveled so far. She returns with a tray of food and sets it on the table. The gyros are a kind of wrap using a pita for the roll. There's meat and tomato and some kind of sauce.

"You ever have a gyro before? They're soo good."

She slides a plate off the tray towards Rosa before taking the other for herself. Rosa hesitates, so Roxie takes the first bite. White sauce dribbles out of the other end of her wrap, spilling onto her plate. Rosa takes note to avoid making a mess. She picks up her own gyro and takes a bite.

The texture of the meat is different from anything she's had before. The sauce is weird. It's not mayo or anything. It tastes good though. The veggies in the wrap crunch as Rosa bites into them. The tomato is nice and juicy.

The gyro is delicious. Rosa struggles not to devour the thing like a wild beast. It gets messy, anyway. By the time she regains her composure, Rosa's fingers are coated in the sauce. She can only imagine what her face looks like.

Probably a lot like Roxie's actually. She's a mess too. She grins at Rosa. It's not a dignified sight. "Told you it was good!"

Rosa feels bad using so many napkins to get herself presentable, but there's nothing to be done about it.

Roxie stands again once she's cleaned herself up. "Don't worry about paying. I already covered for you."

Rosa piles her mess of napkins onto her plate. "You don't have to. I have money."

Roxie takes the tray with both plates and dumps the trash into a bin. "It's cool. I gotta spend that prize money you lost somehow, right?"

Rosa isn't clever enough to come up with a comeback.

Roxie holds the door for Rosa. Back on the street, she pulls out her X-Transceiver. She curses. "I'm running late. See you later?"

Rosa nods. "Yeah. Six-thirty."

Roxie flashes devil horns at Rosa. "Right on."

And she's off. In no time at all, she's out of sight.

On her own again, Rosa finally realizes how bizarre an afternoon this has been. Roxie can't be like this with all the people she battles, can she? Just the ones who lose, maybe? Still pretty weird.

Rosa checks the time. It's just after one o'clock.

At least she has plenty of time to think about it.

Rosa gets to the Gym fifteen minutes early. The door is locked, so Rosa's stuck outside. She walks across the street. She leans against the railing and looks out at the ships in the bay. Even as the sun sets the ports are hard at work. Rosa watches a large ship being tugged into a dock.

She's still confused about what Roxie's behavior could mean. Could she just want to be friends with Rosa? They're about the same age. Rosa can't imagine they have much in common, though.

Rosa's so ordinary—there's nothing special or interesting about her at all. She can't play any instruments and she doesn't have any neat skills. She couldn't even beat Roxie in their Pokémon battle earlier.

Meanwhile, Roxie is just plain cool . Forget that she's a Gym Leader. She's a rock star! Rosa had lunch with someone whose music plays on the radio! For reasons only known to her, she's taken an interest in Rosa.

Not that Rosa's complaining. Her afternoon with Roxie was a bit overwhelming due to the girl's dervish-like energy, but Rosa did enjoy herself. She felt pride every time Roxie responded well to something she said. She wanted Roxie to like her.

Roxie already offered to show Rosa around Castelia. That would almost be like going on a date! Rosa feels tingly at the thought. That can't be what's going through Roxie's head. Can it?

Rosa's head is too full of panicked feedback to notice the person sneaking up on her. There's no time for Rosa to react. The person wraps their arms around Rosa's waist and yanks her backwards. Rosa can't see the person behind her, so her defense is just to flail her arms and hope for the best. One elbow connects with the top of her assailant's head, loosening their grip. Her other arm gets between their bodies and breaks their grip on her. She can't stop her momentum though, and now off-balance she can't stop herself from toppling backwards onto the other person.

Rosa rolls off of them, ready to fight, until she realizes they're laughing. She recognizes the laugh.

Roxie's sitting on the ground, rubbing her head where Rosa had bopped her. She grins at Rosa. "That was pretty good!"

"You scared me!"

Another girl approaches the two of them. Rosa recognizes her from the Gym; it's one of Roxie's bandmates. She extends a hand to Rosa. "I'm sorry about her," she says. "That wasn't cool. You okay?"

Rosa takes her hand. The girl pulls her up without any effort at all. "I'm fine. It wasn't that big a deal."

The girl glares down at Roxie. "No, it wasn't cool. She shouldn't have done that."

Roxie realizes her friend isn't going to help her up. She gets up on her own. "You're no fun."

The girl's face scrunches up. Rosa can barely hear her counting down from ten. At one, she relaxes again. She holds her hand out to Rosa again, for a shake. "Anyway," she says, "I'm Billy Jo. I play guitar in the idiot's band. What's your name?"

Rosa shakes her hand. "Rosa," she answers. "Nice to meet you."

Billy Jo nods. "Same." Her voice is so deadpan, and her face is so stoic, it's hard to tell if she's putting on some kind of weird act. "Roxie said you'd be helping with our equipment tonight?"

Rosa crooks her head at Roxie.

"Yeah, uh…" Roxie winces. "That's the condition for getting in for free. You gotta help us set up our crap."

Rosa's confused. "But you were already set up. You guys were practicing when I came in this morning."

"We're not playing here," Billy Jo explains. "We're driving out to a place near Mistralton. The van's loaded. You just have to help with setting up at the place."

"It's fine. That's no problem."

Roxie grins. "Cool." She takes Rosa's wrist. "BJ's van is around back."

"Don't call me that."

Roxie makes no sign of hearing her. She drags Rosa along at her usual pace, leaving Billy Jo in the dust.

She leads Rosa to a parking lot behind the Gym. There's a beat up maroon van pulled right up to the back of the building. A man is leaning against it. The third member of Roxie's band. He looks up from his phone at the sound of the girls' footsteps.

"Took you long enough!" he says. "Thought you might've gotten stood up."

"No!" Roxie counters. "Rosa, this is Nicky. He's the drummer."

Nicky holds a fist toward Rosa. "Yo."

Rosa bumps his fist. "Nice to meet you."

Roxie opens one of the sliding doors of the van. There's only one open seat in back.

"We're all going in the one car?" Rosa asks.

Billy Jo rounds the corner then. "You two are smallest. You have to share." She gets into the driver seat.

Nicky eyes the two girls. "Guess Roxie goes on top."

Roxie shoves him. "Don't say it like that!"

Rosa doesn't get it. "It's fine, you can sit on my lap." She climbs into the seat.

Nicky elbows Roxie in the ribs. "You heard her."

Roxie makes a point of stepping on his foot as she climbs into the van. She isn't heavy, and it isn't that uncomfortable when she rests her weight on Rosa's legs.

Nicky sneers at Roxie. "Have fun." He slides the door shut. He circles around to get in the front passenger seat.

Billy Jo starts the van, and the sudden explosion of music from the stereo is deafening. It only seems to bother Rosa.

At least it isn't a long car ride. Not with how Billy Jo drives. Fifteen minutes later the group is pulling up behind a warehouse. It doesn't stand out at all from the surrounding buildings. The only hint that there's something different about it is the activity outside. Another band is already unloading gear and carrying it into the building, and there's a short line of people waiting to get inside. Billy Jo pulls her van next to the other band's truck. As soon as the van comes to a stop a girl with blue hair and way too many facial piercings runs up and presses her face against the window. She blows a raspberry at Roxie.

Roxie counters with a rude gesture. "You tryna fight!?" She yanks the door open and hops off Rosa's lap to stare the girl down. Even on the tips of her toes, she has to look up.

Nobody else seems to care that a fight is about to break out. Billy Jo walks over to talk to a person holding a clipboard. Nicky opens the rear doors of the van and starts pulling gear out. Rosa wonders if she's going to have to break the fight up.

Before she has to do anything, the two girls break out laughing. They hug.

"It's been a while!" the girl says.

" Forever !" Roxie replies. "How was Hoenn?"

"Great! We had a lot of fun. 'Course, they liked the ska band we were touring with more than us."

"Yeah, they love their trumpets over there. It's weird." Roxie turns and beckons Rosa to join the conversation. "Rosa, come meet Sheena. Her band's playing with us tonight. Sheena, this is Rosa. She's my new best friend."

Sheena exaggerates a shocked expression. "Best friend? You mean you replaced me?" A sly smile splits her face. "Is the sex that good?"

Both Rosa and Roxie turn an impressive bright shade of red.

Roxie shoves Sheena. "Shut uuuup!"

Sheena laughs. "Chill out, Roxie. Learn to take a joke."

Billy Jo comes up to join the group. "Enough horsing around. We need to unload our stuff."

"I'll leave you guys to that. Good luck tonight!" Sheena waves and wanders off to handle things with her own band.

"She could've helped…" Roxie grumbles.

Nicky had already started getting things out. The next thing to come out is a guitar amplifier. Roxie climbs into the van and pulls it towards the door.

"Grab the other side, Rosa. Careful not to drop it."

The girls lower the amp together. It's heavy, but not unmanageable. They lower the amp slowly. Roxie drags out a long, wide case.

"That's on wheels, so you should be able to push it on your own. Follow me, we'll figure out where to bring this stuff."

Roxie leads the way into the warehouse.

Inside, someone directs them to a specific section of the backstage area to drop the stuff. Between the three members of the band and Rosa, it doesn't take long to get all the band's gear inside. Rosa sets down the last box that she had grabbed.

"What now?" she asks.

"We got time before any of the bands go on," Roxie says. "This place has a small green room for us to hang out in."

Billy Jo and Nicky are already in the green room when Rosa walks in. Sheena's there too, and a bunch of other people.

Roxie steps past Rosa. "Hey guys," she says. Everyone turns to look at her. "This is Rosa. She's a friend. Rosa, these are the other band people. Most of 'em anyway."

She looks over the group. She shoves an intimidating-looking guy with a pink mohawk to one side of a couch, making enough room for herself and Rosa to sit. "Sheena, where's Damian?"

""He's probably hiding in his car or something. You know how he is."

Roxie chuffs. "What a total dork."

"Who's Damian?" Rosa asks.

Roxie waves her arm. "Just an ex. He's an idiot. It ended weird and now he refuses to even face me."

An ex? Rosa feels a pang of jealousy.

She doesn't get a chance to dwell on it before the people in the room begin introducing themselves to her. It's kind of a whirlwind. Rosa repeats the names back, to see that she has them right.

"Bekka and Jason… You're in Sheena and Damain's band, northernlights.… Steve and… 'Lube'? Really? Um… Okay. You have another guy in your band named Travis, and your band's called Violence ? Okay…"

They were a strange bunch, to be sure. Is this just what musicians are like? Roxie seemed normal when they were at lunch, but that was after tracking Rosa down for no real reason. How normal could she be? Rosa didn't join in the conversations, really. It was a lot of talking shop, which she knows nothing about. She doesn't mind too much. The sofa she's sharing is a tight fit, so she's pressed close to Roxie. The other girl's body heat is comforting. Rosa wouldn't mind just sitting like this for a while.

After some time, the guy with the clipboard from earlier told the members of Violence to head out for soundcheck. Despite room opening up on the couch, Roxie doesn't take advantage of it, to Rosa's delight. Conversations continue until the sound of Violence's first song comes through a speaker on the wall.

Roxie steals Rosa away then, to go out and watch the band from the front. They circle around and stay behind the crowd.

Violence's name was fitting. Their music was loud, aggressive, and raw. Not Rosa's cup of tea, but the energy between the band on stage and the crowd was something that she had never experienced. It made the music enjoyable, at least in the moment. She can't help but entrain to the simple, primal rhythms of the music.

"Pretty good, huh?" Roxie is almost shouting in Rosa's ear, and she still barely hears her.

Rosa doesn't try to shout back. She just nods her head vigorously. Roxie grins. She throws an arm around Rosa's shoulder while giving her a devil horns salute with the other.

For the rest of the band's set, Roxie goads Rosa into jumping and thrashing along with the music. When they finish their last song Roxie grabs Rosa's arm and holds it into the air. Rosa plays along and cheers for the band. After they leave the stage the lights in the club turn up.

Roxie pulls her arm back. "So what'd you think?"

"They were really good! That was a lot of fun."

"northernlights. is next. They're not as aggressive as Violence. You might like them even more."

"I can't wait!" Rosa's more interested in finally seeing who Damian is than what the band sounds like, to be honest.

"Their audience doesn't get as rowdy as Violence's. Want to see what it's like being in the crowd?"

Rosa looks out at the people gathered in front of the stage. Without a band to occupy their attention they've spread out. Some wander off to the bathroom or to get drinks. It's nothing like how they acted while Violence was on the stage.

"You think it'll be okay?"

"Yeah, it's not as bad as you think. You can hold my arm so we don't get separated. If you start to freak out, tug on it and I'll get you out of there." Rather than grabbing Rosa's arm this time, Roxie holds her hand out for Rosa to grab.

Hand in hand, they squeeze through the crowd. Roxie doesn't take them too close—they're still a distance from the stage, and off to the side.

"This way we won't get shoved as hard," she explains. "When they come on people'll start to push and shove to get close. Don't bother fighting it. I'll make sure we don't get separated. Focus on not falling down. That's dangerous."

Rosa starts to have second thoughts. "Is it going to get rough?"

Roxie shrugs. "I doubt it. They're not some huge band or anything. But it's better to be safe than sorry."

"Okay…"

They go silent. Rosa watches the stage crew break down Violence's gear for a bit. Then, curiosity gets the best of her.

"Hey, Roxie?"

"Yeah?"

"If you don't mind, could you tell me a bit about this Damian guy? You said you went out before."

Roxie makes a face like she smells something weird. "Uh… Sure, I guess. It's nothing interesting, though. We met at a show, hit it off. We went out a lot at first, but things slowed down after a few months. One night he invited me out to dinner and broke it off. It was whatever, honestly, but I think he thinks I took it really hard or something. That's why he avoids me. Guilt or whatever. It's dumb. Guys are stupid."

Rosa doesn't know what she expected to hear. She feels a little relieved to know Roxie is over the relationship. "I see."

"Why'd you want to know, anyway?"

Rosa turns red. Her brain fails to invent a convincing lie. "Um, w-well… I dunno. I mean, I guess 'cause his band is about to pl—"

Before Rosa can finish her excuse Roxie turns away. She's shouting and waving her arms at the stage. Sheena is there, tuning a guitar. No, a bass. It has four strings, like Roxie's. When she finishes she sets it down in a stand. She finally notices Roxie. Roxie makes a rude gesture, which Sheena returns with a laugh. Roxie is laughing too. When Sheena leaves the stage, Roxie doesn't return to their previous topic, to Rosa's relief.

"They shouldn't be too much longer now." she says.

As if on cue, the lights start to dim. People start gathering in front of the stage again. Rosa has to take a few steps forward as people crowd her trying to get a good spot. Roxie takes Rosa by the waist and pulls her closer. The sudden touch makes Rosa stiffen. Not because it's unpleasant or unwanted, but rather the opposite. She lets herself melt into Roxie's grip. Roxie hesitates for a second before pulling Rosa a little bit closer. Rosa puts her own arm around Roxie. In the darkness, Rosa sees the band members make their way on stage.

They stand on the stage in almost complete silence, nothing but the sound of guitar feedback. Each second drags on forever. Finally, the drummer counts the band on a cymbal and the band jumps into their first song.

Roxie didn't lie, they aren't nearly as aggressive as Violence. They're still loud, their guitars still distorted, but their energy is different. They're not as angry .

That doesn't stem the force of the crowd at all. The surge shoves Rosa forward. Her hand slips off Roxie's waist, and the other girl slips away. She fights the panic that wells in her stomach and tries to ride the crowd in Roxie's direction. Someone grabs her arm and pulls her closer. Rosa looks over to see Roxie squeezing through the crowd towards her. She finally gets back to Rosa's side. She grins at Rosa. She shouts something, but it's lost in the noise of the band and the screaming fans.

The first song is short. It couldn't have been longer than two minutes. The band doesn't launch right into their next song. Instead, the guy at the center of the stage begins to introduce the band.

Rosa doesn't need to hear his name to realize that he's Damian. She's too far away to get a clear look at him, but she can make out at least his general appearance. His dark hair is long, down to his chest. He's tall and spindly. Considering he's fronting a rock band, he seems a bit awkward.

"Uh… Hey everyone! Thanks for coming out tonight. We're uh… I know it's been a while. We were on tour in Hoenn!"

The crowd erupts in a cheer.

"In case you don't know, we're northernlights.. It's so great to be back home, so we're going to play some music to celebrate!"

The roar from the crowd is deafening. The drummer starts to count in the next song. The second song surprises Rosa. The guitars aren't distorted,and the tempo is much more reasonable than anything Violence played. When Damian's vocals come in, he's singing, not shouting or screaming. Rosa likes this song.

They play their next couple songs with no breaks, and they flow together seamlessly. Their songs are a lot more varied than Violence's, but overall they're softer and easier to listen to. Rosa really enjoys their music. Before long, it's time for northernlights.'s last song. As Damian thanks the crowd and introduces the song, Roxie pulls Rosa in close.

"My band's next," she says. "I have to get backstage. You wanna stay out here?"

Rosa just nods.

"Cool!" Roxie says. "You better still be here when we go on!"

"Good luck!" Rosa shouts.

Roxie grins and flashes devil horns at her as she disappears in the crowd.

Again the drummer counts in. On four, the band hits a huge chord in unison. They let it ring before repeating a series of similar chords. Damian starts soloing over the progression. It wasn't the only solo he had played that night, but it's the longest and most impressive. Rosa is in awe. He ends the solo in a blistering descending tapping line, and without a hiccup the band segues into the first verse. The song is their loudest of the night, but it's not aggressive. It's more of a fun, almost party song. Everyone around Rosa is dancing and singing along, and she can't help but join in. She feels rude every time she bumps or jostles her neighbors, but if they notice at all it's with a big smile. Rosa is having the time of her life.

The song goes on for so long, but Rosa is still disappointed when it finally comes to an end. Damian gives the audience one last "thank you, goodnight" before the band leaves the stage.

The lights come back on and the crowd thins a little as well. Not as many people wander off as before. Roxie's band is the last of the night, and the one most people came to see. Still, it opens up enough for Rosa to get some breathing room.

Only now does Rosa realize how far she had been pushed forward. She's now just a few feet from the stage. There's room for her to squeeze just a bit forward. She gets greedy and moves a bit closer. She's nervous about the crowd getting too rowdy, but she wants Roxie to see her. It's worth the risk.

Rosa doesn't have anything to do but wait for the band. She's bouncing her foot in time with the song playing over the speakers when someone taps her shoulder. Rosa jumps and spins around.

The person is about Rosa's age. They're shorter than Rosa and have shoulder-length brown hair. They're wearing a purple beanie that looks like it has cat ears. Rosa can't tell if they're a boy or girl.

"Sorry!" her assailant says. "I didn't mean to surprise you."

Even their voice is androgynous.

"It's fine," Rosa says.

"Cool! Um. Was that Roxie you were with before?"

Rosa feels a bit smug when she says "Yeah."

The person's eyes go wide. "So cool! I love her band so much. Are you her, um, girlfriend?"

Rosa blushes. "Wh… No! We're just—" Friends? Is that really the word? She hasn't known Roxie for a whole day.

"Oh," they say, "sorry. But are you, like, close?"

Rosa shakes her head. "We only met today. I challenged her Gym."

The person gets excited again. "Ooh! I'm planning on challenging her soon! What's she like?"

Rosa flinches. "She's tough. I lost."

"That's too bad!" they say. "I'm sure you'll do better next time."

Rosa forces a smile. "Hopefully."

They pump their fist. "You can do it! I believe in you!" They laugh, embarrassed. "Sorry, that was a bit much."

The lights start to dim.

"Ooh, they're starting!" they say. "Sorry for bothering you. My name's Morgan, maybe we'll see each other on the road some time!"

They vanish into the mass of people swarming toward the stage before Rosa can give them her own name.

The lights go out and leave the room in almost complete darkness. Smoke machines shroud the stage in mist. There's no sign of the band yet. The crowd starts chanting "Tox-ics". Rosa joins in.

Muted guitar starts coming from the amps, so quiet it's almost inaudible under the chanting. Drums start beating in rhythm with the guitar. Rosa can't see Nicky through the smoke—the only evidence there's someone behind the drum set is the glisten of a jangling cymbal.

Strobe lights flash on the stage as Billy Jo walks on stage, also revealing Nicky behind his kit. The crowd's screaming gets louder. The chanting changes to "Rox-ie". It seems like the audience is ready to riot. The energy is about to reach a head.

Then, spotlights focus on a point off stage. Roxie dashes on to the stage and dives into a power slide. She hits the lowest note on her bass. It sounds like an earthquake. Roxie hops to her feet. She grabs her microphone.

"How you all doin' tonight!?"

The crowd cheers.

"Aw, what was that? I asked, how you all doing tonight!?"

The screaming around Rosa hits jet engine volumes. Rosa feels like her throat is going to tear from her own screaming. She's a bit to Roxie's left, but she's close enough that she might be able to get Roxie's attention. If she tries, anyway. She has no idea how to do that without making a fool of herself.

"That's what I'm talking about! Well, in case you don't know, we're Koffing and the Toxics!"

The audience cheers again.

"I hope the other bands treated you alright, but if not, we're here to make it all better!"

The band immediately launches into their first song. Rosa recognizes it, a more recent radio hit. She hasn't listened to it enough to sing along to anything but the chorus. Still, the energy of the room is too contagious to ignore. Rosa jumps and dances and claps along with everyone around her. The song ends and the band immediately starts the second. Rosa doesn't recognize this one. She makes a mental note to check out the music she had heard tonight, not just from Roxie's band, but northernlights. and Violence too. The second song ends, the third begins. There isn't a single lull in their first set, which lasts five songs. At the end of the fifth song, Roxie addresses the crowd again,

"So we doin' okay so far?"

The cheering is as loud as it has been all night.

Roxie turns to Billy Jo. "Aw, that doesn't sound so good."

"We should do something about that," Billy Jo responds.

"Think we can do it?"

'Billy Jo checks her tuning. "We'll owe the venue a lit of money if we can't."

"Crap, good point. Well, let's see what they think of a cover! This is a song called 'Lacy Loo', by the Regrettes!"

Rosa joins in the cheering, though she's never heard of the band, let alone the song. The band doesn't get thirty seconds in before Rosa adds it to her list of music to check out.

The second set is six song long, and Rosa enjoys every second of it. For the third set, Billy Jo swaps out her guitar for one that's huge, with weird holes on its face. As she gets situated, Roxie banters with the crowd. She tells a funny anecdote about a mishap with her Koffing that ended with Roxie being banned from an entire restaurant chain. Billy Jo strums a chord, and the band plays a soft song. Billy Jo's weird guitar sounds like an acoustic. The third song of the set is another big hit for the band, probably Rosa's favorite of the few songs she knows. The fourth and last song of the third set starts slow and soft, but builds into a loud rock ballad by the end.

By the time Roxie addresses her audience again, she looks winded. "So we're almost done for the night. Before we get to our last couple songs I just want to thank you guys for coming out tonight. Not just for us, but for our friends too. C'mon, give it up for Violence!"

The crowd cheers.

"And let's hear it for northernlights.!"

Again.

"This is one everyone should know, so I want to hear you all singing along!"

Rosa recognizes the riff. It's one of the band's first hits. Rosa hasn't heard it in a few years, so she actually isn't too confident about the words. However, fueled by the energy all around her, she manages to follow along. As the song reaches its climax, Sheena runs onto the stage and joins in singing the final chorus. The band plays two more songs, before Roxie speaks again.

"All right, so this is our last song for the night, so you guys better tear it up! We're Koffing and the Toxics, and you guys have been fucking awesome! Good night!"

The last song is, of course, the band's biggest hit. It's loud and fast and high energy. The crowd is going absolutely wild—Rosa is getting tossed around like she's caught in a hurricane. The final chorus of the song wraps up, only for the band to add on a second round, playing one additional chorus. It's one of the loudest things Rosa has ever experienced.

Rosa's hands are in the air, and she manages to catch Roxie's attention. Roxie holds her hand out to Rosa. Rosa grabs it, and Roxie tugs. She wants Rosa to join her on the stage! Rosa doesn't have a chance to resist. The people around Rosa realize what Roxie wants, and help lift Rosa up and onto the stage. Roxie hugs Rosa before turning her around to experience the musician's vantage point. Rosa freezes, just staring out at all the people before her. She's stricken with stage fright, and she doesn't even have to perform with them. Anyone who could look out at that and keep their wits about them has Rosa's eternal respect. Roxie grabs Rosa by the wrist, as she has so many times today, and pulls her off the stage.

She pulls Rosa back to the green room. It's empty now. The sound of the audience still cheering is coming through the P.A. system.

"So what did you think?" Roxie asks, grabbing Rosa by the shoulders. "Were we good? Did you like it?" She shakes Rosa so hard she can't answer. Rosa has to push Roxie away to get her to stop. Roxie looks hurt, as if the shove was Rosa's thoughts about the band.

"You were so good!" Rosa says. "It was so much fun. All of you were so good!"

Roxie brightens back up. "Awesome! Guess you got good taste in music, then. Hey, so listen: there's a party at Steve's in a bit. You wanna go?"

Rosa would love to. She wants to get to know these people more. She wants to spend more time with Roxie. But it's already getting late. If she doesn't rent a room at a Pokémon Center, she's going to have to rough it. She doesn't care. She'll worry about that when the time comes.

"Sure!"

"Cool." Roxie grins. "Hope you're ready to help pack the van, then."

Rosa helps the band load up their equipment at breakneck speed, and soon, they're off.

Again, there's no talking over Billy Jo's loud music. Rosa can't believe it doesn't bother the others. Her ears are already ringing. The drive is mercifully short, at least. As soon as the car comes to a stop Roxie throws open the door and hops out. Rosa steps out behind her. Roxie scans the neighborhood a few times. It's clear she has no idea where to go.

"Uh…" She trails off. She turns to Nicky, who just stepped next to her. "Which house is it?"

He waves his arm to their left. "We had to park around the block. It's over that way."

Rosa grabs Rosa's wrist once again, but rather than yanking Rosa along she pauses. She slips her hand into Rosa's. She squeezes. "Let's go," she says.

Roxie isn't rushing now; she's even taking her time. She's swinging her arm in a wide arc, taking Rosa's with it. Rosa doesn't mind. It's amusing.

On the right street, Roxie picks out the right house with ease—not that it's difficult. Even Rosa would guess the house with all the teenagers loitering outside is hosting the party. There's a few people smoking, and a couple making out on the lawn. Roxie leads Rosa past the sentinels towards the front door.

Once inside, Roxie starts leading Rosa through the house. It's not as packed as Rosa expected. By the time the girls get to the kitchen, at the back of the house, they encounter barely over a dozen people. In the kitchen is Sheena, and a few other people Rosa met in the green room. Sheena smiles at the girls and walks up to them.

She hands each of them a beer. With a playful wink she raises a finger over her mouth. "You didn't get that from me," she says to Rosa.

She steps back and says, in a louder voice, "You're such a bad influence, Roxie."

Roxie shoves Sheena. The two laugh.

"Yeah, whatever," Roxie says, popping the cap off her beer. "Anyway, you guys did pretty good tonight. I mean, not as good as us, but y'know, can't compare you to perfection."

Sheena rolls her eyes. "Yeah, sure." She turns to Rosa. "What did you think, Rosa?"

Rosa tears her eyes from the bottle in her hand. She's surprised to see Sheena looking right at her. She even remembers Rosa's name!

"Y-you were really good!"

Sheena beams at her. "Aw, thanks!"

Sheena is a lot nicer than her intimidating appearance would suggest. She leans on the wall to the girls' side, putting Rosa in the middle. "So, how did you two meet?"

Roxie answers. "We had a Gym battle today. Rosa lost, but she seemed cool. We went to lunch and I invited her to the show."

Sheena winces. "Yikes," she says. "You took her out to lunch and to see your band on the same day? You gonna propose next?"

Rosa's never seen a person turn such a vivid shade of red so quickly. "Stop that!" she nearly shrieks.

She grabs the attention of everyone in the room. They all laugh. Even Rosa laughs, starting to feel comfortable among these people. She's loosening up—and she hasn't even opened her beer yet.

Sheena lifts the beer in Roxie's hand towards her mouth. "Chill out," she says. "It was just a joke! See, Rosa thought it was funny."

Roxie pouts, but she does as Sheena suggested anyway. She takes a long swig and doesn't say another word.

"So how late can you stick around, Rosa?" Sheena asks.

Rosa is watching the bottle in her hand like it's a live grenade. "Um… Well, I was planning on getting a room at the Virbank Pokémon Center, but if it gets too late I can figure something out.

Sheena takes the bottle from Rosa and twists the cap off. she offers it back. "Do you not drink? Don't mean to pressure you or anything."

Rosa hesitates. She reaches out and takes the bottle back. She takes a sip. It tastes gross. She makes a face.

Sheena laughs. "If you don't want it, give it to Roxie. She'd love to finish it for you."

Roxie sticks her tongue out at Sheena. She turns her focus to Rosa, deliberately excluding Sheena. "If you need someplace to crash tonight, you can come to my place. My dad won't mind."

Sheena won't allow herself to be silenced. "Yeah, you could even sleep tog—ow!"

Roxie had tossed the bottle cap she kept in her hand at Sheena. It gets her right in the forehead.

Rosa manages to hold in a laugh at the other girl's expense. "That would be great," she says. "Thanks!"

Billy Jo comes in then. She sees the bottle in Roxie's hand and rolls her eyes. A minute or so behind her comes Nicky, with a girl on his arm.

Rosa only drinks half her beer before giving the rest to Roxie. Beer really isn't for her. Bekka offers Rosa a hard lemonade, which she does enjoy a bit more. She ends up having two.

She becomes more involved in the conversations. She tells some stories herself; the one about how a Mareep ignited her shoe at Floccesy Ranch is a big hit. She gets into a passionate debate with Bekka over whether Jigglypuff or Clefairy would be better for cuddling. She loses track of time. The night might go on forever if not for Rosa's drooping eyelids.

She tries to hold on as long as she can, using Roxie to prop her up. Roxie doesn't seem to mind being cuddled up against. It's only when Rosa's head drops onto Roxie's shoulder that the game is up.

Roxie brushes a strand of hair out of Rosa's face. "You wanna head out?" she asks. "You look dead."

Rosa blinks, tries to look as awake as possible. "No, I'm fine."

Roxie giggles. "You're not fooling anyone." She turns to Billy Jo. "Let's get going."

Billy Jo just nods. She glances at Nicky, whose face is in a battle of dominance with the girl he walked in with. He gives her a thumbs-up without detaching himself. She shrugs and starts for the door.

Roxie helps Rosa along, with an arm around her waist. Rosa doesn't think it's necessary, but she doesn't protest. She puts her own arm around Roxie.

They don't need to share a seat when they get back to the van, but they do anyway. Billy Jo doesn't blast her music this time, but there still isn't any talking during the drive. Rosa dozes off for a bit. When she opens her eyes, they're at Roxie's house.

Rosa has to wait while Roxie unearths her bass from the back of the van. They say their goodbyes to Billy Jo and head inside. Roxie leads the way to her room, slowly and quietly to not wake up Roxie's dad. In her room, Roxie flicks the light switch.

The room is not tidy. The bed isn't made, and the trashcan is overflowing. There are band posters on the wall and a collection of Pokédolls on the dresser.

"Uh… You can have my bed. I'll sleep on the couch. D'you wanna borrow some pajamas?"

Rosa blinks a few times. "Yeah, sure."

Roxie goes digging in her dresser. She pulls out an oversized t-shirt and a pair of thin sweatpants. "These might work…? I gotta go to the bathroom. I'll be right back." She plucks her own pajamas off the bed when she leaves.

Rosa changes into the pajamas. They're a little snug, but not uncomfortable. She lets her hair down, then does it up into a loose ponytail. She folds her clothes and sets them at the foot of the bed. Rosa sits on the bed. A few minutes pass.

A revelation finally sets in for Rosa. She likes Roxie. Like, really likes. She realizes just how much she enjoyed being so close to Roxie all night. She never wanted it to end. She wants to do it again. Roxie offered to go to Castelia with Rosa—was she serious? If Rosa brings it back up, would Roxie stick to it? Rosa would be heartbroken if Roxie took it back. She wants to tell Roxie how she feels, but she's scared. What if Roxie doesn't feel the same? What if she doesn't feel comfortable letting Rosa spend the night?

Rosa's brain is caught up in a whirlwind of anxiety when there's a knock on the door. Rosa jumps.

"You dressed?" Roxie asks through the door.

"Yeah," Rosa says, "you can come in."

Roxie does. She's changed, and let her own hair down as well.

Rosa giggles. "You look cute with your hair like that."

Roxie can't make eye contact with Rosa. She blushes. "Uh, th-thanks," she says. "Well, good night, I guess. I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night."

Roxie turns to leave.

An alarm starts going off in Rosa's head. She has to say something, now. What? She doesn't know. But she feels that if she lets this opportunity pass that she's going to regret it. Maybe it's the alcohol clouding her brain, but if this is going to happen, it has to be right now.

"W-wait!"

"Huh?"

By the time Roxie can turn around, Rosa is right behind her. Guided by pure instinct, Rosa places her hands on the back of Roxie's head. She leans in and kisses her. Only after their lips are connected does Rosa's brain actually compute what's going on. Her mind blanks in sheer panic. What is wrong with her? How could this possibly be the right thing to do? Roxie is going to think she's a freak! Rosa holds the kiss as her own mind reels. She knows she has to let Roxie go, of course, but she'll have to deal with the fallout as soon as she does. She doesn't know if she can handle it.

Still, it's going to have to come. Rosa steels herself for the worst and releases Roxie.

Roxie is red. More than she ever got when Sheena was picking on her. Her eyes are wide, her lip is trembling. "O-okay…"

That doesn't sound good. Tears well up in Rosa's eyes. "O-oh my god," she says. "I'm so sorry. I don't—"

Roxie interrupts her with a kiss of her own. It's shorter than Rosa's.

"I might've tried that sooner if I knew you felt the same way." she says, a wry smile on her face "Though I don't think I could have made it so dramatic."

The girls laugh.

Roxie glances at the door, then her bed. "If you want, um, I could— we could sleep together." Roxie blinks. Her face pales a bit. "I mean—no! Not like that. I mean, just…"

Rosa giggles. "Yeah, I get it."

"So do you…?"

Rosa turns the tables, and takes Roxie by the wrist. Roxie barely has time to flip off the lights before Rosa pulls her towards the bed. Rosa is trying to be smooth, but she misjudged the distance to the bed. She hits it earlier than she expected and tumbles backward, yanking Roxie along for the trip.

Roxie's forehead hits Rosa's cheekbone. Both girls make noises of pain that quickly dissolve into laughter.

The girls slide into the bed. It's too dark for either to see more than the vague outline of the other. They fumble getting under the blanket on the first try. Once they're under the covers, they cuddle close.

They kiss one final time before drifting off to sleep.

Something prods Rosa's cheek. She refuses to let it rouse her from her sleep. She's been having the most wonderful dream, and she doesn't want to lose it. The prodding gets more aggressive. Rosa doesn't give in. A hand grabs her shoulder and starts shaking her.

Reluctantly, Rosa opens her eyes.

It wasn't a dream.

Roxie is leaning over her. She's smiling, though it doesn't hide the hint of annoyance in her face.

"Morning, sleepyhead," she says.

Rosa blushes. She wants to bury her face under the blanket for acting so silly. "G-good morning."

"So, did you sleep okay?" Roxie looks a bit smug.

Rosa laughs. "Yeah."

Roxie kisses the tip of Rosa's nose. "Good."

She climbs over Rosa to get out of bed and look out the window.

"Looks like it's going to be really nice today," she says. "Definitely good for a stroll around Castelia."

It takes a minute for Rosa's sleep-addled brain to comprehend what Roxie said. "But… I still have to beat you, first."

Roxie rolls her eyes. "You don't need badges for a casual stroll around the city, do you?" She plops herself back on the bed. "Although… If you really want my badge first, you can battle me for it yourself!"

Without giving Rosa even a second to react, Roxie lunges at her.

She commences tickling.

Rosa begs her to stop, but her pleas fall on deaf ears. She has no choice but to defend herself. She has the advantage of height and reach over Rosa, which she uses to leverage herself out of Roxie's grapple. She completes a reversal by trapping Roxie between her knees and pinning her arms down.

Roxie is panting. "Well, I guess you beat me," she says. "I have no choice but to award you with the Toxic Badge."

Rosa pulls back from Roxie. "What? You can't be serious!"

Roxie sits up so she can reach up and rap Rosa's forehead with her knuckle. "Of course not! Dummy. I guess you do deserve a reward for your victory though. How about I help you train instead?"

Rosa lowers from her defensive stance. "That sounds fun."

Roxie wags her finger. "Oh, no. It won't be. It'll be super boot camp. No mercy for the weak!" She punches the air a few times, to demonstrate the ferocity of her training regimen.

Rosa laughs.

Roxie glares at her. "So what'll it be, Castelia? Or…" She punches in slow motion at Rosa's face, stopping as her fist touches Rosa's nose. "Training?"

Both options sound like fun, to Rosa. Both involve getting to spend time with Roxie.

"I don't know," she says. "What would you rather do?"

"Indecision is the first thing you need to overcome to become a better trainer!" Roxie says. "But since you asked nicely… How about we just do nothing?"

"Nothing?"

Roxie shrugs. "Yeah. You're not in any rush, are you? It's already kind of late anyway. Plus, it's one more day we can hang out before you have to leave on your traveling again."

Rosa can't argue her logic. "Nothing sounds great."

Roxie grins. "Well, it's getting late, so we better get started!"

Roxie lunges at Rosa again. Rather than tackling her down though, she wraps her arms around the other girl's neck. Their lips collide. Roxie holds them together for a long time.

Rosa is going to enjoy doing nothing all day.