"Rosa, Rosa! Wait up, I forgot I wanted to show you something!"
Rosa inwardly groaned. She hadn't even made it back to her mother's house yet, but that didn't deter Bianca. She risked a glance behind her. Bianca was running through the streets while waving frantically, calling the attention of everyone within ear shot.
Rosa briefly considered ignoring her. It would be rude, sure, but something about the young woman reminded Rosa of nails clawing chalkboard. Still, she'd traveled from Nuvema to deliver the pokedex and her starter, and her misguided advice had been well intended.
Sighing reluctantly, Rosa slowed her pace. Bianca was puffing as she approached, but then her signature grin flashed across her flushed features.
"I'm so glad I caught you before you left! I wanted to show you how to catch a pokemon! Oh, but first you'll need these first!"
She retrieved a handful of contracted pokeballs from her handbag and thrust them into Rosa's arms. One fell and clunked against the ground before rolling, but Bianca snatched it up. "You're not getting away that easily. Here you are Rosa."
Her expression was earnest. Too earnest for Rosa to justify the headache forming between her brows. "Thanks Bianca. It's nice of you to help me out like this." She had to drop to her knees and set all the pokeballs on the concrete so she could swing her bag over her shoulder. "But there's no need to worry about teaching me. I wouldn't want to keep you, and I've already learned how to-"
The suggestion didn't register with Bianca. She offhandedly flapped her hand, answering, "Don't be silly, it's no problem at all! Catching a pokemon is a lot different from studying about it, so I'm happy to pass down whatever wisdom I have. Besides, after that battle, you probably need the help."
The pressure building in her skull was more than reasonable. Rosa's hands clenched into fists, and the pokeball she'd been placing in her bag went in with unnecessary force. She exhaled.
"Really Bianca, I appreciate the offer, but I'll be fine. Please excuse me, I need to go say goodbye to my mother."
She threw her bag back over her shoulder and nodded respectfully in Bianca's direction before starting back down the street. Rosa was surprised at the temper that had flared inside her, but the assistant's assumption had shaken her to her core. She hadn't even left town yet and she was being told she was a poor trainer. Surely most others starting out were at least given a chance.
Resolve gripped her. It didn't matter. It wasn't up to Bianca to decide whether or not she was capable of being a successful trainer. One lost battle would not condemn her to a lifetime of failure, and so help her, next time she was going to grind Hugh's team to dust.
"I'll just meet you on route nineteen then, Rosa! Take your time saying goodbye, I can stay for a while before I have to leave." Bianca's persistence made Rosa peer back in disbelief. The woman was waving again, but her enthusiasm caused her glasses to slip from her nose and Bianca had to pause to push them back into place.
Rosa shook her head at Bianca's obstinate nature, but saw no point in correcting her. It seemed the assistant could not be reasoned with once she set her mind to something.
The southern side of Aspertia was far quieter than the main square. Rosa's weather-worn house was still, accompanied only by the chirping of bird pokemon and the occasional passing of a car down the road. She touched it's wood paneling, observing the sharpness of roughened lumber and flaking paint under her skin. Rosa was happy to be leaving, but in that moment, she felt a new fondness for the little building she'd always called home.
She swept through the front door, noticing almost immediately the easy atmosphere. Her mother, who was sitting at the two-person dining table sipping coffee and absently skimming a romance novel, looked up at the sound of Rosa's entrance and was instantly on her feet.
"How did it go, Rosa? Were you nervous? Did you get your Oshawott?" She started fidgeting with one of the curls that had freed itself from the twist atop her head. "Sorry, that was a silly question, I'm sure you did. Aurea Juniper is always so happy to help new trainers out, after all. She's always been that way, even when we were kids."
Sensing what her mom needed, Rosa walked into the kitchen and threw her arms around her neck. Her skin was warm to the touch, but it was trembling as her mother returned her embrace.
"I'm going to miss you, Rosa." Mom's voice was muffled. Rosa could feel her forehead pressed against her hair. "If I didn't know this was best, I would just keep you here. But you've wanted this for such a long time, I can't cry now."
"I'll miss you too." It was comforting, knowing her mother was proud of her. She had worked endlessly to fill the role of two parents throughout the years, and Rosa was immensely grateful for her unwavering love and support. Even if she refused to miss Aspertia, Rosa would return to visit Mom.
Her mom pulled away, taking the warmth with her. "I have something for you. A parting gift that I'm sure will come in handy. Over here." She disappeared into the bedroom they both shared, then after a moment returned holding a white box tied with pink ribbon.
The gift made Rosa's eyebrows knit with concern even as she accepted the box into her arms. "Mom, you didn't need to get me anything."
"Oh, none of that. Smile and tell me you love them."
Still worried, Rosa gently set the box on the table and untied the bright trimming with trembling fingers. It came apart easily in her hands, and she set the tie aside before lifting the lid. Inside the container was a pair of high-performance athlete shoes.
"You got me running shoes?!" Rosa's tone was a mixture of panic and disbelief, and as she pulled them out of the box to examine them, her Mom laughed.
"Of course I did. You're going traveling, you're going to need a decent pair of shoes. I'm afraid your old ones wouldn't hold up very long. What kind of mother would I be if my daughter were running around bare-foot?"
While it was true that her mud-stained tennis shoes were wearing down, Rosa could hardly dare believe she now owned trainer shoes. The cheapest pairs usually cost more than fifty dollars, but the elegantly stitched "Trainer's Wear" brand across the side of each shoe told her these were not knock-offs.
"Mom, how did you . . . how could . . .?" The shoes fell onto the table as she hugged her mom tightly for the second time. "God, I can't even tell you how much I love them. Thank you."
Her spine tingled as her mother's fingers traced over her back, but the gesture was short-lived. Rosa let go to try the silver running shoes on. They were well-padded, offering arch support her older pair had long since lost, and as she retrieved her bag from the floor, her steps made no sound.
"Okay Rosa, you'd better get on your way. It's going to get dark in a few hours, and I want you and your pokemon well settled by then. Make sure you get plenty of rest, and don't push yourself too hard. Oh, and eat at every meal. If word gets back to me you're starving, I will drag you home."
The lush vegetation and soundless atmosphere of route nineteen was a welcome sight for Rosa. Sunlight streamed lazily through the trees, lighting the well-worn dirt trails left from past travelers. Rocky Mountains loomed in the distance, forming a wall of foliage and stone between the woodlands and the rest of Unova. A murky pond wrapped around the base of the mountain.
Aspertian Woods was known to house a variety of pokemon and served as the passage between Aspertia and Floccesy Town, but for being such a popular traveling route, it was unnervingly still. Rosa touched the base of an enormous tree, observing the roughness of the bark under her fingertips.
"Alright Zaveid, let's get started."
Her Oshawott tilted its head, giving her an exasperated look that implied he'd been waiting for her to start a while ago. Although the air between them was still charged with distrust, Zaveid seemed willing to honor his promise to give their partnership a chance.
"According to my pokedex, you only know tailwhip and tackle at the moment. That's not going to get us very far. So on top of learning water gun, I want you to be at least level ten before we leave these woods. Basically, every Patrat and Purrloin in this route is going down. Tackle is a weak move, but it's the only offensive attack we have right now, therefore we are going to wander the grass until the ground is littered with unconscious pokemon."
The words sounded harsh coming out of her mouth, but Rosa wasn't exaggerating. For several hours she and Zaveid combed their way through the undergrowth, bringing the population of Patrat and Purrloin to its knees. Bianca hadn't been kidding when she said the pokedex would be useful. It carefully monitored Zaveid's progress, gaging the amount of experience he earned from each battle and vibrating each time he elevated a level. It was a long and tedious process as most of the pokemon within the route were below level four, but Rosa was determined to get Zaveid to a suitable strength.
Her Oshawott didn't complain about the length of their training session. On the contrary, he seemed to be enjoying it. The Patrat he battled now used growl, but Zaveid's eyes flashed like a vengeful god and he crushed the rodent into a shrub with unnecessary force. Its eyes clouded over, and Zaveid snorted and waddled back to Rosa.
She unconsciously reached down to pat his head in approval, but the Oshawott swatted her hand away. "Oh, sorry. You just leveled up again, I got distracted." Rosa apologized. Zaveid shook out his fur and turned his attention to polishing the shell on his stomach. Whether that was acceptance of her apology or not, Rosa didn't know.
She silenced the vibrating pokedex in her hand and put it back in her pocket. The sun was beginning to set behind the mountains now, casting pink and orange hues across the sky. "Well Zaveid, you reached the goal level. Water gun definitely needs work, but I think you've earned some dinner and a night of rest. We can get back to training tomorrow."
They set up camp under a patch of sky, and Rosa got to work building a fire. It had been years since she and her mother had gone camping together, but she still remembered some of the basics. She sent Zaveid out to gather wood (although he was small and she expected mostly sticks) while she gathered rocks into a ring for a makeshift fire pit. There was an abundance of dead leaves around the base of trees she could use for kindling, and she used tree branches to form a teepee shape.
Zaveid returned every few minutes to dump his sticks into a pile, and each time Rosa thanked him. Soon enough wisps of smoke danced into the sky, and finally her fire caught and sparked life into the wood she'd provided.
"That's enough wood Zaveid. If we need more, I'll gather some myself." Her Oshawott yawned hugely, then settled into a patch of grass opposite the flames. Rosa pulled out a container of pokemon food from her bag and poured some into a bowl for Zaveid. Her homemade recipe was one she'd spent years perfecting. Her little punk better like it.
Rosa swore she saw the Oshawott smile as she placed the food in front of him, but if she had, it was gone as Zaveid realized his hunger and tore into his meal. Did he even chew before swallowing? It didn't look like it. She briefly wondered if Bianca had bothered feeding the starters before taking them from the lab, but the thought fell from her mind as she unpacked her own dinner and made preparations to warm it over the fire. She hummed as she worked, content with the night.
"Hello? Is someone over there?"
Rosa looked up from her dinner, brought back to awareness by the voice echoing in the darkness. The moonlight stretching down from the waxing crescent wasn't strong enough to aid Rosa's vision in the dense forest, and she got to her feet.
"Who's there?" Her words were weak, but Rosa cleared her throat and tried again.
"Rosa?"
A figure with a mushroom-shaped head appeared in the distance, and Rosa rubbed her forehead in exasperation. "Yes Bianca, it's me. Get over here, you look cold."
Bianca made a joyful noise and picked her way through the foliage to hug Rosa. Zaveid had been watching cautiously before, but now his full attention was on his second helping of food.
"What are you doing out here, Bianca? It's too dark to be by yourself, and there are lots of wild pokemon running around. Something could have happened."
Bianca settled down next to the fire and reached her hands out to warm them. "It's okay, I wasn't worried. I knew you and Zaveid were out here somewhere. I've actually been searching for you."
"Why?"
"I promised I'd help you catch a pokemon, remember? I knew you were just being modest back in Aspertia. You've been out here for hours and haven't caught anything!" She threw her arm out towards Zaveid to justify her point. He didn't spare her a glance.
"We've been training. There aren't any pokemon in this route I'm interested in adding to my team, so Zaveid and I have been working on leveling up."
Bianca choked on a spoonful of vegetable soup she'd been sampling from the pot resting over the fire. "You don't have to keep them in your party. Just catch them and box them like everyone else does. That's how you fill up the pokedex."
Rosa sighed as Bianca tried another spoonful of soup. "Do you want a bowl, Bianca? You're probably hungry after wandering the woods all afternoon."
"No, no. I'm fine!" Bianca looked embarrassed as she shoved the silver spoon back onto the pot and got to her feet. "Just trying it is all. But I'd really like to show you now, if you don't mind. I need to be heading back to the research lab. Professor Juniper gets worried when I'm gone a long time."
I can only imagine why. "Alright, alright. Zaveid, finish your food. We're going out again."
A breezed whirled the grass around in swirling patterns as the three wandered through it. In many areas, nighttime brought out different pokemon for trainers to catch, but such was not the case for route nineteen.
Bianca gasped in excitement as a Purrloin came into view. Its purple fur blended into the shadows, but its eyes shimmered like gems.
"Okay Rosa, there's your target. You'll have to hurt it first." Bianca tugged on Rosa's arm to get her to go in front of her. Zaveid followed, passing his trainer to take his place in battle.
Rosa tilted her head, assessing the Purrloin. It was watching them suspiciously, and a growl of warning rumpled in its chest as Zaveid approached.
"Okay Zaveid, water gun."
A gush of water burst from Zaveid's open mouth, drenching the cat pokemon. It hissed and snarled, darting forward to retaliate with scratch. Zaveid dodged easily, then at his trainer's command, moved to use tackle.
"Don't!" Bianca called from behind Rosa. She stretched out her arm, as if doing so would stop the attack. "It's hurt enough. Throw one of the pokeballs I gave you, Rosa. If it breaks free, just try again."
But Rosa shook her head. "Zaveid, finish it with tackle."
"But you'll knock it out!"
"I know."
Zaveid didn't hesitate. He shoved against Purrloin, and it fell into a patch of grass and disappeared.
Bianca stomped her foot. "What was that, Rosa? I told you to throw the pokeball! You could have had it!" She looked frustrated as she crossed her arms and stared pointedly, but Rosa's gaze didn't falter under the glare.
"I told you before, Bianca, there aren't any pokemon in this route I want on my team." She signaled for Zavied to follow, then turned and started back towards camp.
Bianca wasn't prepared to give up.
"But it's for research, Rosa! You can't collect the data of all the pokemon in the Unova region if you're too stubborn to catch any of them! They don't need to be on your team. You catch them, they go in the box, and you move on. That's what good trainers do!"
For the second time that day, Rosa's temper flared. Her head jerked to face Bianca. "No, Bianca. You aren't listening to me. It may be all about the pokedex for you, but for me, it's about the pokemon. They aren't emotionless beings waiting to be studied. Pokemon are living, breathing creatures, and they don't deserve to be boxed their entire lives. The only pokemon I'm catching are the ones that I can dedicate my time too. They will be valued for their companionship, not their research potential." Her eyes tightened. "Zaveid is my partner, and I love him. If anyone tried to permanently box him, I'd sock them."
She didn't wait for Bianca's response and instead started through the grass again. Bianca didn't argue anymore. Perhaps she'd been stunned to silence. Rosa could hear her breathing behind her, but she was quiet the rest of the walk back to camp.
Bianca wasn't the only one. Zaveid was walking in front of Rosa, but as she watched him, she noticed his chest wasn't puffed in pride as it normally was. His eyes were on the ground, his attention far away.
When they reached the fire, Rosa pulled her sleeping bag out and rolled it out onto a smoother patch of earth. She was starting to feel guilty for scolding Bianca the way she had, and she was careful to avoid eye contact as she asked, "Are you staying with us tonight, Bianca?"
Bianca's voice was soft. "No, I don't think so. Professor Juniper sent one of the other researchers to Floccesy Town to pick me up."
They said goodbye. Rosa knew Bianca would likely get lost on her way to town, so she gave her the flashlight she'd packed and added her number to the Xtranvsceiver (another gift from Professor Juniper) she wore on her wrist. "In case you get lost." She murmured.
Once again, the night was still. Rosa extinguished the fire, then burrowed her way into her sleeping bag and closed her eyes. She hadn't realized how she exhausted she was. Her entire body seemed to droop as she relaxed.
Something was pulling at her side, and Rosa opened her eyes. Zaveid had left his place on the grass. At first he was hesitant as he stepped onto her stomach, wobbling a bit, but he grew more confident when she supported his weight. The Oshawott curled into a ball, refusing to look at her as his head settled against her rib cage.
Rosa closed her eyes again, a small smile warming her face.
A/N Hello lovely readers! I hope you're enjoying the story so far. I know its sticking to Black2/White2 fairly closely at the moment, but it will branch off into its own story very soon, I promise. Let me know what you think, or if something needs edited. I hope you all have a lovely day!~