Thanks to MidoriKiwi for reviewing!

My Great Big Adventure

"Rosa, you're such a lifesaver!" Nancy gushed to me over the xtransceiver. "I don't know what I would do without you!"

"Clone yourself?"

She laughed. "You're so funny! But really, thanks! I wasn't thinking straight when I agreed to be on Pokemon Today this week; I'd forgotten I was supposed to help host the Musical Awards! And I had so been looking forward to that. So thank you SO much for covering for me!"

"Yeah, yeah," I replied, already having second thoughts. "Couldn't your co-host just do it by himself?" She had mentioned there was some pop idol guy slated to host with me.

"Oh no, he's more of a singer than a tv star."

…singer?

"Anyway, my plane is taking off! I'll call you later!~" Click.

Nancy was too sweet, nice, and kind for me to have refused. However, a SINGER? Shouldn't this dude be hosting the Musical Awards, while Nancy and I can do this talk show? I've never been one for pop singers. I prefer classical music; guys these days sound like they're 12 years old when they sing! It's like male singers are super popular when they sound like they haven't hit puberty. Ugh.

Mr. Deeoh told me that Pokemon Today was using Studio 10, which was great since that was fairly close to the dressing room area. I came out of my room to see a lot of people with headsets running around looking for various props or Pokemon. I looked back into my room, making sure Zorua was still inside. He stared at me from inside my open closet, sitting comfortably on the pile of dirty clothes at the bottom (I hadn't been very concerned when I rummaged through the closet this morning looking for 'something cute' that I had to wear for the show). "Just stay hidden til I get back, ok?" I told him. I swear he looked at me with an expression that said Do you really need to remind me? "I'll bring you food later," was all I said before locking the door behind me.

The employees, or PA's as the director calls them, greeted me excitedly when they realized I was in the hall. Thankfully they didn't try to fawn over me much, though one girl did fix my hairbows. My dress itself wasn't too fancy, so they didn't really need to mess with it. Which was all good to me.

The PA's greeted me, but then they were scurrying off in different directions. Some to the studio, some to the crew's offices, and some… towards an open dressing room.

I crept over to the door, curious to know who my co-host was…

Christoph.

Wait, CHRISTOPH? As in, that sparkly, green-haired fairy-boy plastered all over the CDs my mom has in her cabinet? THAT Christoph? FML.

I hate his voice, seriously hated it. Mom would always listen to his CDs or watch him on various celebrity shows, gushing about how 'if she were younger…' and other nonsense. I could understand if Hugh's little sister swooned over the boy (maybe…), but my MOTHER? She's in her late thirties! She shouldn't be thinking that way about a teenage boy! That's one of the reasons she and I didn't get along, among many many others.

Time to escape!

"Oh? Who's that lurking in the doorway?" a soft-spoken male voice called out.

Hmmm, that voice sounds kinda familiar… Probably from hearing him on tv.

Christoph popped his head out of the doorway… scaring the crap out of me! "EEP!"

"A cute girl has appeared!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands together. He was wearing one of his overly-frilly pop idol costumes and a headset mic.

I don't know why I suddenly blushed; this is Christoph! Stop blushing!

"A plaid skirt?" he observed, looking me up and down. "…school trip? Well, I should reprimand you for sneaking around, but… you're here for an autograph, right?" He flashed a dazzling smile at me and leaned on the doorframe lazily.

…

Is he… serious…?

"Nancy forgot to mention that you are to be my co-host," I said, frowning. "Maybe they can still get someone else; I quit." Then I turned and walked straight away, savoring in my mind the duped expression written all over his face.

"Wait!" he called after me. I could hear his footsteps hurrying to catch up. Not bothering to slow down, I continued on my way to the studio in search of the director. Ignoring Christoph completely, I wondered if it was too late to find a replacement.

Christoph jumped in front of me, blocking my path. "Wow, you sure are fast, ha ha," he laughed, panting a bit.

"Or maybe you're just slow…?"

He flicked his hair out of his face and flashed another smile. "So sorry about that! I didn't realize my co-host was going to be so pretty!"

"…so you thought I'd be ugly?" He's every bit as stupid as I had imagined.

"What? No, that's not what I meant," he said, still smiling. "I knew Nancy had canceled, but I thought they might pair me with one of the other regulars—"

"Don't worry, I'm sure they will," I cut in, walking away.

His smile was too bright. He was practically emitting gold sparkles. It was all too much, I was starting to twitch!

"What do you mean?" he asked, hurrying after me. "You aren't leaving, are you? Why?"

I spun back around and glared at him. Because you're annoying! "Because… because I want to!"

"…! You don't like me, do you?" he asked, suddenly much more serious. "You think I'm just one of those brainless teenage popstar singers who loves having fangirls throw themselves at him, am I right?" He smiled knowingly.

"Well, aren't you?" I challenged.

His smile grew smaller. "Not really…"

"Christoph! Rosa! There you two are," Mr. Deeoh said, appearing out of nowhere and ushering us into Studio 10. "You can get to know each other while you go over today's topics!"

Christoph blinked and looked at me, puzzled. "You're… Ros-a…?"

Oh no, please don't tell me he is thinking about Riolu Girl…

"Unfortunately," I responded, closing my eyes and grimacing. "And, before you say anything, I do not want to talk about the movies I've done, ok? I'm only here because I signed a stupid contract and didn't know it was a contract."

After several moments of silence, I opened my eyes to find Christoph staring at me thoughtfully. As soon as he noticed me staring back, he smiled again.

"Ah, ha ha, I wasn't going to ask about your movies. I actually don't have much time for that. I have other things I find more enjoyable," he told me, in an odd voice. Weird. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.

"Again, I'm sorry if I've offended you," he apologized. His face softened into what could possibly be considered a real smile. Not one of his popstar cookie-cutter smiles.

"It's… ok," I replied slowly, finding the change in him a bit bizarre.

"I'd love it if you stayed as my co-host," he continued, leading the way to the set. "So, what do you say?"

I looked him over. Obnoxious hair, sparkly skin, pouffy clothes… but he does have a nice smile.

Ugh, I had a feeling I might regret my next few words…

"Alright… I suppose I'll stay."