Chapter Eighteen- The Tricky Fox
"It's been too long since we've had company over." Ella hummed as she carried over a large red kettle filled with steaming water. Her bare feet stepped gracefully over the shag carpet to where Rosa was seated in the cozy living room, and she smiled amiably as she poured the steaming liquid into a flower-printed teacup resting on the coffee table. "You are very welcome here, Rosa."
Rosa shifted uncomfortably on the leather sofa, her fingers fidgeting in her lap. It was strange being in a house that belonged to what used to be considered Plasma members. Ella and Rood had only shown her kindness thus far, but she still couldn't shake the feeling of cynicism that gripped her.
They weren't the only people who lived in the house, either. From her spot on the couch, Rosa could see the occasional glimpse of knighted uniform-wearers wandering across the carpeted hallway into the kitchen, and could hear creaking footsteps from the floor above her head.
Despite the grandeur of the colonial home from the outside, it was obvious the home was in disrepair. There was wet rot in the upper corner of the living room ceiling, the carpet was worn from years of use, there were no paintings or decorations adorning the walls or tables, and even the furniture was mismatched.
The printed teacup Ella handed her was also different from the one she was filling for herself and Rood. It seemed the separation from Team Plasma had not had its consequences, but none of the members of the home seemed to mind. Rood settled into a shabby arm chair in the corner of the room, and Ella took a place next to Rosa on the couch.
"I'm the owner of this house while Lord N is away, Ella, and I'm the one who decides who is welcome here." Rood grunted as he laid back in his chair with his tea. Rosa was silent as he slurped noisily from his cup, and when he'd swallowed, the older man shot her a toothy grin. "Rosa, you're welcome here."
Well, that was almost comforting.
Rosa nodded stiffly, still too overwhelmed with the situation to offer a competent reply.
"So you want to know about Team Plasma. Can't say I blame you – they're starting to become a real thorn in our side, especially since we haven't corrected all the damage that was done to this region from the last time they tried to take over. Lord N's been in a fit since their attack on Aspertia, and now he's hardly ever home. It's become a huge mess for all of us."
A jolt went through Rosa's heart like she'd been shocked with a defibrillator, and the tea she'd been sipping caught in her throat. They'd attacked her hometown? Her hometown? She suddenly felt ill. "They attacked Aspertia? When?"
How had she not heard about it? She never had time to read the paper or watch the news, but why hadn't Mom contacted her? Did Hugh know?
Rood nodded gravely. "A few weeks ago. It was a rally gone wrong, from what I heard. Another attempt to address Pokémon liberation, but while the grunts were preaching in the streets, someone else was setting fire to buildings. Thankfully the farmer's market had ended before it happened, but many local businesses were burned beyond repair, and the Pokémon Center was completely destroyed."
Horror infested every atom of Rosa's body. The teacup in her hand trembled, spilling blistering hot liquid onto her hands and pants, and Ella hurriedly snatched the cup from her and placed it back on the coffee table.
She'd been in the desert at the time.
"And . . . and the civilian homes?" Rosa asked, her voice hollow. "What of those?"
"Plasma was driven out by police before they could reach suburban neighborhoods."
Relief flooded her, but she felt guilty for being relieved, so it warped into despair. "Why would they attack the Pokémon center? What could they possibly gain from burning people's livelihood to the ground?"
Ella answered before Rood had the chance. "We don't know. To feel in control, maybe? The attack should have alerted the entire region to the fact that Team Plasma was back, and its possible that's what they were after, but the media played the fires off as an accident. They're trying really hard to keep people from panicking."
So they were lying again. Typical.
They'd lied about Touko, too. If they'd alerted Unova to the fact that she was missing, maybe she would have already been found.
There was more slurping as Rood drank his tea, and when he'd finished, he slammed the cup back on the table with far more force than necessary.
"No one wants to believe that Team Plasma is back." He rumbled, smearing tea away from the edge of his lips with his fingers. "They'll tell people whatever they want to hear, and civilians follow along because that is the easiest thing to do. Heaven forbid you ask questions or think for yourself, but that is the way society works. And who knows? Maybe those people spreading lies are even lying to themselves."
Their conversation was interrupted by a loud crash down the hallway, followed by a muffled "What's gotten into you?"
All three sitting in the living room looked towards the hall at the same time, and Rosa's eyes caught a black streak as it blurred across the hallway. Whatever it was smacked into something as it blew past – it sounded like pottery when it broke – and then the blur was back.
It took position in the middle of the living room opening, chest heaving as its flint-eyed gaze narrowed in on Rosa. The hardened expression it wore was probing, as if demanding answers Rosa didn't know the questions too, and although it wasn't hostile, its mien stripped her defenses and left her feeling naked.
Her eyebrows furrowed as the little fluff stared at her, and from the chair, Rood asked, "Zorua? What's the matter?"
The fox made a high-pitched squealing sound, almost like a cry of joy, before it rushed into the room. It leapt onto the table, knocking over Rosa's cup with its bushy tail on the way, and then it was in Rosa's lap blissfully rubbing its furred face against her cheek.
"Zorua, that's incredibly rude! You can't just jump on people!" Ella cried, reaching over to snatch the fox around the waist. Zorua snarled at the hands that tried to grab it, and his claws sunk into the fabric of Rosa's thin shirt, causing her to hiss.
"Oh my goodness, are you alright? Forgive us Rosa, I honestly don't know what's gotten into him, he's usually quite shy – Zorua, come here! This is horribly impolite!"
Ella locked her hands around him and tugged hard, but her attempt to remove Zorua only resulted in the Pokémon snapping at Ella's fingertips with his tiny fox teeth. She let out a string of unladylike phrases as he nipped her, and as soon as her grip loosened, he pulled away and curled up against Rosa's collarbone.
Okay, this was new.
Rosa wasn't entirely sure what to do. The Pokémon continued resisting Ella's attempts to move it, making the skin around her shoulders ache where Zorua's claws latched on, and finally the ex-plasma gave up and ran an embarrassed hand through her curly hair.
"Forgive me. I . . . I can't seem to get him off."
Zorua gave one last warning growl, then returned its attention to burying its fluffy head into the side of her neck.
Rosa shrugged. The fox's midnight fur was soft, and he practically purred when she scratched his ears. She'd always been fond of canine Pokémon.
"Don't worry about it, I don't mind. My own Pokémon do the same thing all the time. Well, except my starter, but he's kind of a butt. Who does Zorua belong too?"
"Lord N." Rood said, helping himself to another cup of tea. He didn't seem to mind the liquid dripping from Rosa's cup onto the carpet, and was smiling to himself cheerfully. "They've been together for quite some time, but Natural left Zorua here while he went off chasing Plasma. Usually he doesn't like other people, but I guess he's taken a liking to you. It's kind of nice – Zorua has been very lonely without his master."
The fox hummed and shuffled down her chest to settle into Rosa's lap. His large ears flickered, and as she stroked the fair fluff on his back, he stretched and let out a huge yawn.
"How long has N been gone? Actually, I'm not even sure I know who N is." Rosa admitted.
Ella brightened. "He was the original king of Team Plasma. Ghetsis – Plasma's current leader - raised him to be the frontrunner of Plasma's new world, and he was supposed to be the chosen hero who called down the legendary dragon because of his ability to understand the hearts of Pokémon. But Natural was never cruel and power hungry like his father. He was kind to everyone, even grunts like me, and after Touko ruined our plans to take over Unova, he dedicated all his time to getting stolen Pokémon back to their trainers. He's a good man, always amiable, and he never-"
She flushed hard, perhaps realizing she was going off on a tangent, and Ella twisted her hands in her lap as her voice softened. "He never grew bitter. When everyone else scorned us, shunned us, and drove us out, N took care of us. Now he's risking himself to stop Ghetsis a second time. And he left Zorua here so he wouldn't get hurt."
Zorua made a content sound at his name, and Rosa halfway smiled. For being a tricky fox Pokémon, he didn't seem all that threatening.
"You know," Rood interrupted. "Zorua hasn't been nearly this pleased since N left. He's not affectionate towards anyone in this house, and he's always had an adventurous streak in him. Why don't you take him traveling with you? I'm sure N won't mind, especially since you're such a nice girl."
Rosa blinked. "But Zorua isn't wild. He has a trainer."
"N would want him to be happy, and there's no telling when he'll be back. Believe me Rosa, it's perfectly fine. Zorua doesn't even have a pokeball – N tried to release him. But I have one here you can use."
Rood reached into the sleeve of his robe and pulled out a neon green friendball. It expanded under his touch, and the older man casually tossed the sphere in Rosa's direction.
"Do you really think it's okay to give away Lord N's beloved Pokémon, Rood?" Ella asked, doing nothing to hide the concern in her voice. "They've been partners for an awfully long time."
"It's not giving away when N already released him. And if you're still worried, just ask Zorua what he wants. The little bugger will follow Rosa out the door anyway."
Nervously tucking a strand of stray hair behind her ear, Rosa turned her gaze to the fox on her lap and asked, "Zorua, would you mind traveling with me? I'm not your trainer or anything, but if it's something you'd like to do and N really wouldn't mind . . ."
Zorua's hooded eyes flashed open, and he shot her a "you don't even have a choice" sort of look. She wasn't sure why the fox was attached to her, but if N wasn't bothered, she could use another team member.
"Alright then, I guess you're coming along. But even though you technically belonged to N, all my Pokémon have names, and it would be kind of weird to call you Zorua. Do you care if I give you a nickname, or . . .?"
He flicked his tail, and she took the gesture as permission. "Alright. Then from now on, your name is Gaston."
The name rater back in Castelia would probably have a fit, but eh.
She offered the friendball to Gaston, and he touched it with the tip of his fire-tinted nose. He disappeared in a flash, and she watched the ball rock several times before clicking.
"I'll take care of you. I promise."
A dark type on her team. Gaston would need training, as he was obviously behind her other team members in brute strength, but if he was fast like Anna, then he would do alright. She briefly wondered how different it would be raising a Pokémon that once belonged to someone else, but quickly dismissed the thought. If Gaston was willing to see her as his trainer, then she would fully embrace him as her own.
Rosa shrunk the ball and went to attach it to her belt, but before she had the chance, it burst open again. Gaston appeared on the floor, and with a happy cry, he jumped back onto her legs and curled into a ball.
She sighed. Another team member she had no control over.
"About Asperia." Rosa said, reluctantly returning to their previous topic. "With destroying the Pokémon center and burning down businesses. My mother lives in that city, along with almost everyone I've ever known. There weren't any fatalities, were there? Everyone made it out okay?"
There was a choking noise from Ella, like she swallowed tea wrong, and Rosa's pulse quickened.
"It was a Pokemon center," she said, "and the attack happened midday. There was no way of knowing how many people were in their rooms at the time, so a lot of them were injured-"
"Seven." Rood grunted, tugging on the end of his silver beard. "Six trainers from the Pokémon center, and an elderly woman who owned a flower shop. I'm sorry this happened to your home town, Rosa. I'm still a bit shocked you didn't know."
The kind woman who always gave blossoms to coordinators. After her husband passed away, she spent her evenings caring for her rose garden and teaching floral arrangement classes.
Six trainers, with family and friends and Pokémon and dreams. Dead for no reason at all.
And she'd had no idea.
"They're going to pay for this." Rosa fumed. Gaston bounced from her lap as she shot to her feet, and she snatched her bag off the couch and threw it over her shoulder. "Ghetsis is going to wish he'd been the one if the fire when I'm through with him. He'll meet his maker when he's rotting in Hell."
She needed to call her mom and make sure she was okay. She needed to snap Ghetsis' neck. "Thank you for having me, Rood. I have to go now."
"Wait Miss Rosa, you aren't strong enough yet!" Ella gasped, standing as well. Her thin fingers wrapped around Rosa's arm, holding her back. "You couldn't beat Rood; how do you think you'll do against Ghetsis?"
"I don't need Pokémon to break his skull!"
Rood's voice was calm. "Ella is right, you can't fly off the handle because of this. You must train yourself more, and be properly prepared to take him and his organization down. He is vicious and wicked, and if I know him at all, he'll have something huge planned. You mustn't throw yourself into a situation you can't get out of."
"Then what should I do?" Rosa demanded. She was yelling now, although she wasn't sure when she'd started. "Train and collect gym badges like nothing is happening? My mother could have died if she'd been in that center. She could be in danger right now, and you want me to do nothing?"
The older man shook his head. "Not nothing. Train. Make yourself and your Pokémon stronger. And find out what you can about what Ghetsis is planning. If you're determined to make this your fight, then you have to be prepared."
A part of her knew he was right, but she was too furious to admit it. Ghetsis was a monster. His followers were monsters. The longer he roamed free, the worse off the region was.
If only she knew where to find him.
"Oh, and I have something to help!" Ella said, bounding across the room and into the hallway. Rosa's eyebrows knitted and her confusion temporarily pulled some of the anger from her veins, but then the ginger was back, and she was holding something tightly in her hands.
She skittered across the carpet, startling Gaston in the process, and snatched up Rosa's clenched fist.
"This is a firestone." Ella said gently, placing the warm stone in her hand. The polished orange rock reflected brilliantly under the florescent lights, and when Rosa held it up to the window, it seemed to glow from the inside out. "I heard you mumbling about a Growlithe earlier, and I thought maybe you'd like an Arcanine someday. They're very loyal Pokémon, and I'm certain it would give you an edge in a fight against Ghetsis. Just promise me you won't go after him yet. Please. There's no telling what he would do to you."
Rosa glanced between the firestone and Ella's ocean eyes, and although the desire to hunt Ghetsis down didn't die away, she clenched her jaw and nodded.
"Okay. I promise."