Chapter Five - Starlight
"Two years I've spent preparing for this position, but in all that time, I never expected my first battle as a gym leader to be so rough. You've definitely earned this badge though, so please take it."
Rosa accepted the Basic Badge from Cheren with elation and slid it into its place in her badge case. It had been a full week since the incident at Floccesy Ranch, and in that time, Rosa had taken full advantage of having a new partner. Zaveid and Anna had trained vigorously in preparation of challenging Aspertia's gym. The dynamic had been strange at first, as Rosa had never tried training more than one Pokemon at once. She'd started off by alternating between Anna and Zaveid, but her Oshawott wasted no time in making his displeasure at being ignored known. So instead Rosa strengthened them both. Zaveid used his time during Anna's leveling sessions to build up endurance (usually by swimming or running long, wide laps through the forest), and when she leveled Zaveid, Anna did the same. Initially Rosa had worried her Oshawott would not get along with his new teammate, but her fears never amounted to anything. The battle he and Riolu shared against Stoutland had apparently been enough to forge a bond between them. If anything, Zaveid watched over Anna with careful diligence.
Rosa's royal-purple Basic Badge shined delicately in its case, and she smirked as she snapped it closed. The metal rectangle represented so much more than just conquering a gym: it was the first step to achieving her dream. Knowing it came from her hometown's leader only added to the effect, and in a way, Rosa felt completely liberated from Aspertia. Aside from visiting her mother, there was no reason to ever return to the city again.
The gym badge looked lonely in the case by itself, however. She'd have to fix that.
"I'm sure you'll reach the league if you keep working hard and training your Pokemon. That is where you're heading, isn't it?"
Rosa chuckled as she tucked the case back into her bag. "Was it that obvious?"
Cheren caught her sarcasm and ruefully ran a hand through his raven hair. "Sorry. I guess that was a pretty pointless question. I just . . . well, your battling style kind of reminds me of someone I knew back when I was traveling as a trainer. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad thing. She was a firecracker when it came to battles; she and her Pokemon were always showing me up." His lip pulled down slightly. "It was really annoying actually. I guess she was naturally gifted or something, I don't know. Anyway, you just have that same fire in your eyes as she always did." Cheren hesitated. "It's nice to see that again."
Rosa wasn't sure what to say to that. The girl had clearly been important to him, but he'd referred to her in past tense, meaning the topic was likely a touchy one. An awkward silence filled the space. Cheren shifted his weight uncomfortably, perhaps realizing he'd said too much to the stranger in front of him, and Rosa chewed the inside of her cheek before relenting.
"Who was she?"
He shrugged in a noncommittal sort of way while adjusting his burgundy tie. Rosa could already tell where his reply was going. If he didn't want to talk about it, then why bring her up in the first place? "Just a friend from a few years back. And anyway, it isn't important, I just wanted you to know I enjoyed our battle. Thank you for challenging me Rosa, it's been a pleasure."
Men could be impossibly frustrating. Still, she offered Cheren a strained smile, thanked him for the battle, then made a hasty retreat for the exit.
The sun was shining as Rosa left the Aspertia gym and strolled down the familiar cobblestone road to the marketplace. She wasn't yet running low on food or medical supplies, but there was little chance of finding a convenience store in the woods between Flocessy and Virbank city.
Rosa stopped at the bustling farmer's market for food. The vendors were only too happy to offer her deals on their goods, and it didn't take long to fill her pack with ingredients for several days' worth of meals.
A visit to the Pokemart came next. The isles were slightly less busy than the booths at the market, and Rosa took her time browsing the goods for potions and status healers. After some thought, she even threw a small tent and tarp into her basket.
Her mind was busy comparing the benefits of different berries when the buzzing of an Xtransceiver tugged her back into awareness. Rosa checked the watch-like device on her right arm, halfway hoping the incoming call was from Hugh, but her machine was silent.
The buzzing was insistent, however. Her eyes tightened as she stepped back from the shelf and looked around, searching for the source of the vibrating. It resounded in her ears, becoming louder the more it was ignored, until finally Rosa fell onto her hands and knees to look underneath the display. Her eyes swept around under the dusty shelf, and then she pulled out the polished aqua arm band and held it up to examine it.
It was clearly a newer model of her own Xtransceiver. The screen was cracked in the upper right hand corner, but as Rosa smeared some of the dust away with her thumb, the call answered with a click.
She hesitated. "Hello?"
"Hello?" The man on the other end sounded as unsure as she felt, but his tenor voice quickly brightened as he said, "Oh, hey! You found my Xtransceiver! I didn't think that thing would ever see the light of day again, where in the world was it? Please tell me you're somewhere in the Unova region."
Rosa's shoulders fell slightly at the friendly tone. She brushed dirt from her pants as she returned to her feet. "Well it was under a grimy shelf in the middle of a pokemart, but it's vibrate could cause an earthquake with how loud it is. Trust me, if I hadn't found it, someone else would have. I'm assuming you want this thing back?"
The man surprised her by letting loose a warm, throaty laugh. It was a pleasant sound, and one Rosa suspected he made often.
"Yes, I would really love to have it back." He agreed, still chuckling. "Does that mean you are in Unova then?"
"I am at the moment."
He sounded relieved. "I really hate to ask you this, but would you mind hanging onto my Xtransceiver for a little while? My job takes up most of my time, so I won't be able to pick it up from you until I get some time off. I don't really want it to go back under the shelf though, so I promise I'll make it up to you somehow."
"I don't know if I want to do that. It's not like I know who you are." Rosa adjusted the bag on her shoulder and started walking towards the front of the pokemart. She had enough provisions to last her until she reached Virbank City. "But if you can swear to me I won't be stuck with it for the rest of harvest season, I guess I can hold onto it. I'm going to need a name though. And I'm warning you now that I charge interest."
He laughed again, causing the edge of Rosa's lips to involuntarily curl upwards. "I think I can live with that. And my name is Curtis, so please don't give my Xtransceiver away to anyone else. While we're on the topic of introductions, can I know the name of my debtor?"
Rosa stopped at the front register and used one arm to unload her items onto the counter for the cashier to scan. The employee offered her a smile that Rosa returned.
"It's Rosa."
There was some muffled chatter in the background, and she overheard Curtis respond to the person who had appeared on his end. After a second, his voice came back clear. "Sorry about that Rosa, my coworker is telling me to get off the phone. I have to go, but thank you for holding onto my Xtransceiver for me. Do you mind if I keep in touch with you until I can get it back?"
She declined the plastic bags the cashier offered her and instead started packing the items directly into her traveling bag. "Yeah, I suppose."
"Thank you, Rosa! It won't take long, I promise. I'll talk to you later."
A goodbye barely escaped her mouth before the call dropped. Rosa sighed and threw Curtis's Xtransceiver into the key items pocket of her bag. Such trouble for such a small device.
Night fell over Route 20 like a silent curtain. The crescent moon from the previous cycle had at last fallen into darkness, so the starlight overhead pooled in rusting tree leaves and shimmered across the river's rapids. It reflected in the sweat dripping down Rosa's forehead as well, but she used her arm to wipe the offensive water trail away.
"Anna, use force palm!"
Riolu's chest heaved rapidly, already spent from a grueling afternoon of mowing down wild Pokemon. The training session had been worth it, as Anna had finally reached level nineteen, but Rosa regretted accepting a battle with the boastful challenger they now faced. The dirt-streaked brute of a hiker had come tromping through the dim thickets like the highlands were his to own, and he'd refused to leave her and her team alone until she agreed to battle. Rosa had hoped it would be an easy fight, but the Lileep Anna confronted now was tough.
Anna wound up her right arm, her gloved fist gathering potential energy as she extended her elbow back. She leaned back on one heel to gain momentum, and then she sprung forward and released the abundance of charged energy in Lileep's direction. The grass type bent its large head to one side to dodge, but the brunt of Riolu's attack slammed into its side. Its great pink petals swayed in the gust of wind, but Lileep endured.
The hiker's thick arms flexed as he pumped the air and let out a whoop. "Ya'll call that an attack? I knew you and your Pokemon were a bunch of city-slickers!" The backpack he wore bounced with his movements, and from across the field, she could see him springing up and down on his toes. "Take notes little girl, that's how a real Pokemon does it. Lileep, let's kick these guys all the way back to town!"
Rosa's fists clenched as her jackal Pokemon dodged another attack. She desperately wished she had chosen Zaveid for this battle instead. Anna's thin legs trembled with fatigue, and great beads of sweat rolled down her face and soaked her fur. She maintained her fighting stance, however. As if sensing Rosa's anxiety, Anna briefly glanced back to flash her trainer a cheeky grin.
Pride mixed with guilt burned in Rosa's chest. "Anna, again! Force palm!"
"You'll have to do better than that! Ancient power, Lileep!"
The vacant-eyed plant extended its petals, surrounding itself with a psychic power. Enormous chunks of rocks and dirt broke free from the earth as they were swallowed by glowing psychic energy. Each spiraled high above Lileep's head.
Anna pressed back on her left heel as she gathered energy in her clammy palms, but the floating rocks started their descent. One hurled into the space between the sparring Pokemon and crashed into the ground with tremendous force. The strength of the impact caused the earth beneath Anna to quake. Her back foot slid as she became unbalanced, but she maintained the force palm.
Rosa's relief for her Pokemon was short-lived. The remainder of the levitating rocks became missiles as they plunged towards the place where Anna stood.
Riolu instinctively changed the trajectory of her attack to focus on the psychic downpour. Wind whipped across Anna's face as she released her stored energy, and then the onset of rocks exploded.
Rosa covered her face in her elbow to protect herself from being hit by shards of splintered rock. The pebbles that skimmed her exposed skin hurt, but she hardly noticed the sting. As soon as the blast cleared, Rosa's fearful eyes returned to the battle field to search for Anna. The cloak of night had already reduced visibility, but now a layer of dust turned Anna and Lileep invisible.
Charged tension filled the air as the opposing trainers waited.
The first thing Rosa saw was a body on the ground. It rested flat on its back and wasn't moving, but the more she squinted to manipulate the starlight to show her what she needed to see, the more Rosa recognized it was Anna. Lileep stood triumphant a few feet back.
The hiker slapped his knee and howled with laughter. "That's the way! That is the way! Nice going Lileep! Nice! That's how it's done."
Rosa ground her teeth together as she stared at the body of her partner lying on the ground. Defeat didn't bother her, but Anna's still form shadowed by galaxies was enough to turn Rosa's insides to ice. Her Riolu had never been knocked out under her care.
"Ri . . ."
Rosa paused her retrieval of Anna's pokeball, and the celebration on the other side of the field quieted. Slowly, painfully, Anna lifted her head. Her arms quivered as they braced against the ground, but there was determination in her crimson eyes as she forced herself into a sitting position. Dust clung to her sweaty pelt.
In that moment, no trainer had ever been prouder of their Pokemon than Rosa was of her spunky, stubborn Riolu. Anna's chest heaved with exertion, but she balanced herself up onto one foot. The other foot pushed against the grass. She swayed, and then Anna was standing.
She's so strong. Anna carefully balanced back into her usual fighting stance, attention trained on Lileep.
But I can't let her fight anymore.
Anna had done her part, and now she needed rest.
The hiker's voice broke through Rosa's train of thought. "Ya'll are dumb for getting back up! Don't you know when a battle is over? I'm not gonna do this all night. Lileep, swat it down with Ancient Power!"
Words poured from Rosa's mouth before she gave them permission too. "No, wait! Stop!"
Jagged boulders splinted off the earth. Psychic power hummed about the rocks as they swirled threateningly in the air above Lileep, and internally, Rosa panicked. There was no way her Riolu could handle another powerful attack. She was struggling to stand!
Anna knew this as well. Rosa's blood drained and her heart hammered erratically as her pokemon drew a deep breath and closed her eyes.
Accepting her fate.
The pokeball on Rosa's belt erupted. Light poured from the capsule, bright enough to temporarily illuminate the field. Rosa stumbled back in alarm, but her mind didn't have time to process what was happening before Zaveid was sprinting across the field to Anna.
Light like fire consumed him as he snatched Riolu around the waist and pulled her protectively against him. Zaveid's body grew larger as he maneuvered himself in front of the boulders to shield Anna, and as he did so, the burn of evolution dwindled until Dewott stood firmly where Oshawott had been. His features were sharper, his body slimmer, and he sported an oval-shaped tail. His charcoal eyes, however, were as brittle and cold as always.
He ripped the pair of razor shells from his hips and swung them like knives in front of him. Lileep's ancient power crumbled to gravel, and pebbles dropped harmlessly to the ground. Zaveid returned to his defensive position in front of Anna, but his sullen eyes never left Lileep. His mouth stretched to bare his needle-sharp fangs menacingly.
The hiker howled, but there was nothing amusing about the sound now. "That's not fair! You can't call out another Pokemon, this is a one on one battle! What kind of trainer are you, you can't even obey simple rules? You're a cheat!"
Rosa held up her hands pleadingly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"
He stomped across the field, waving a beefy arm as he scolded, "You owe me money, 'ya hear? You forfeit the second you cheated. I want double for your breaking the rules! Pay up!"
"I'll pay you, just hang on-"
Zaveid withdrew his razor shells again, but this time he left Anna's side to stop the man's advance. The hiker paused to stare, temporarily unsure what to do. "Move it, 'ya little bugger. This is between me and your trainer. I said move it!" His anger escalated. He aimed a kick at the otter.
"No, don't!"
Zavied's eyes flashed. He dodged easily, then positioned himself again in front of the fuming trainer.
The hiker's lower lip curled into a snarl, but he directed his words to Rosa. "Tell your Pokemon to back away. I'm not leaving until I get what I'm entitled too!" He drew back his thick calf to kick at Zavied again, but missed. "Urgh! This wouldn't be a problem if you knew how to control your stupid Pokemon! Be a halfway decent trainer, and make him back off!"
Rosa stood frozen, her hand on her bag. She knew she should call Zaveid off. Scold him for breaking battle rules. Punish him somehow. But the man's actions boiled her blood.
She swung her bag back over her shoulder and stared at the trainer for a long time. Her hands were trembling, so she clenched them into fists to still them. "Purposely trying to harm another person's Pokemon outside of battle is far worse than cheating – it's a crime. Touch him again and I swear to you, you will definitely receive your payment. Now I think you should leave."
The man seemed taken back by Rosa's words, but he remained undaunted. He locked his jaw and continued his advance, but with each step closer, Zaveid growled louder. Dewott's rigid muscles strained in preparation to lash out, and not once did he drop his protective stance.
Rosa had forgotten about Lileep. It was still on the opposite side of the field, observing. It finally made a squealing sound that drew its trainer's attention.
The backpacker's eyes flashed between Zaveid and Lileep until at last he stepped back. "Fine. You aren't worth my time anyway." With his fists still clenched, he retreated back to where his pokemon stood. He kept his back to Rosa as he said, "It doesn't matter anyway, you and your Pokemon are weak. Ya'll can train until you're blue in the face, but you'll never be a great trainer until your Pokemon learn to be submissive."
He returned Lileep to its pokeball, and then with a huff, stormed into the misty trees.
Rosa watched the empty darkness. Her nails were biting crescent moons into her palms, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the place where the hiker had disappeared. Was he right? Was she a bad trainer because her Pokemon had minds of their own?
There was a tugging on her pants. The sensation pulled Rosa from her daze, and she peered down to lock eyes with Zaveid. One of his blue paws held Anna's hand, but the other remained locked around the fabric of her blue jeans. He tilted his head in concern. The suffocating curtain of anger fell away, leaving gratitude to swell in Rosa's chest, and she dropped to her knees to wrap her arms around the otter Pokemon's neck.
He didn't stiffen, as she'd expected. Instead, Zaveid purred softly, and he leaned his forehead against Rosa's.
"You're the best, Zaveid." She whispered. "Thank you."
She loosened her hold on Zaveid to sweep Anna into her arms. Rosa snuggled her affectionately, ignoring the sweat coating her pelt.
"I'm sorry Anna. I pushed you too hard again."
Riolu rumbled contently and buried her face against Rosa's damp neck, showing she was already forgiven. The blossoms of guilt grew from Rosa's chest up into her throat to choke her. Anna's unconditional love was something unexpected, especially after the way she'd been hunted down during her capture, but Rosa was grateful for it nonetheless.
"We're done for the night, Hun. Let's get you healed up, and then you can get some rest."
Everyone was healthy and fed less than an hour later. Rosa hadn't bothered setting up her tent because the night was so warm, and had instead rolled her sleeping bag out under the stars. Anna rubbed at her eyes tiredly, watching her trainer settle beneath the bag's covers.
Despite his new size, Zaveid claimed his usual spot on Rosa's stomach. He didn't really fit, but he burrowed his head into the hollow between her ribs and seemed content with his makeshift pillow.
"Oh, hang on."
Rosa sat up partially and extended her arms. Anna rushed into the embrace, rumbling happily, and Rosa tucked her pokemon beside her as they lied down to sleep.
This had become the routine for every evening. The first night after catching Anna, Rosa had tried to convince her Pokemon to sleep in their pokeballs. It hadn't gone the way she'd hoped. Zaveid's response had been to pull down the corner of his eyelid, stick out his tongue, and then forcefully sit on her sleeping bag. Anna hadn't wanted to be the odd one out, so she'd followed Zaveid's defiant lead and refused to return either.
Maybe she really didn't have a handle on her Pokemon.
Rosa had only just closed her eyes to sleep when she felt Anna squirming in her arms. Her heavy eyelids curled back open, and she shot Riolu a "What's your problem?" look.
Anna's eyes were expectant as she made a low humming sound in the back of her throat. It was scratchy and disjointed, but Rosa recognized what the Pokemon wanted.
She grumbled, but lifted herself onto one elbow. Why could she never say no to those innocent, garnet eyes? The movement jostled Zaveid, but he didn't seem to mind. He just angled his head slightly and yawned.
"Fine. But this was never meant to be a tradition, you know."
She opened her mouth, and as the first line of soprano notes poured into the atmosphere, Anna relaxed further against the sleeping bag.
"Lavender blue, dilly, dilly. Lavender green . . ."
The tender night sighed, and as Rosa sang softly to her Pokemon, the heavens turned an ear to listen.
A/N Maybe its cheesy for a trainer to sing to their Pokemon, but if I were a trainer, it's probably something I would do. What little quirks do you guys think you would have as trainers raising Pokemon? As always, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and have a lovely day!