So so sorry for the long wait! I had some real life down times, and for a bit there I either didn't have time to write, or wasn't feeling inspired. Thank you to my supporters on tumblr, and all of you readers here! Much appreciation for my reviewers tacypoc, Meemeeru, Rainbowsponies, obsessivesyndrome, MutantMj23, Doki-Doki, and Sakebu!
My Great Big Adventure
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Would it really be so bad?
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Would what really be so bad?
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Why can't I stop thinking about it?
I let out a long sigh and paused mid-step. This was the third time today that I had let my thoughts run away and circle back to my conversations with Colress. It was driving me crazy; I finally get some time away from the creep, and I can't stop thinking about him! He probably says all of that nonsense just to get inside my head and screw me up. I can't let him get to me.
This morning, I finally got my things together and left Driftveil. I had imposed on Clay long enough, and I was starting to feel cooped up anyhow, what with Bianca checking on me every five seconds (and here I had thought Cheren would occupy her time, but nooo…). Speaking of, Cheren too had felt it was time to leave, so he had up and left in the dead of the night, presumably to return to his gym. Bianca was a complete mess, and I felt bad for Clay as I left her with him, crying uncontrollably. Even though she could just go visit Cheren at his gym! Or like, call him? Seriously, if I have his number in my xtransceiver, I'm sure she does; he's probably on speed dial #1.
And so I set out for Route 6. It was actually a pleasant walk, with such pretty scenery and these little bridges taking you across the rivers.
There were many puddles leftover from the rain, and several trainers had their umbrellas still out. No matter; their umbrellas couldn't shield them from the MIGHT of my Pokemon! I had so many type advantages… heh he… mwuahaha!
Zorua poked his head out of my purse and gave me a look. Stop gloating over your victories… You should be ashamed at beating that last little girl. You made her cry.
"What!" I cried indignantly. "She shouldn't even be out here on her own, for starters! She's like, what, five years old? Where are her parents? What happened to kids starting their Pokemon training at age ten? Plus, she challenged me, thank you very much! She got what was coming to her."
Zorua rolled his eyes but settled down back into my bag nonetheless. I could tell he was getting a bit restless, but there wasn't much I could do about it right now. He was so strange-looking and rare that he would attract unwanted attention if people saw him.
"Look, up there in the distance is a big, official-looking building," I told him, stretching my legs. "We'll rest there and I'll let you out for a bit. It just isn't safe for you to be out and about… you're like insured cargo here, ok?"
Zorua's second eye roll was cut short by the ring of my xtransceiver. I hastily dug it out of my bag and answered the call.
"Curtis!" I exclaimed happily. "Hi…!"
"Good to see you too, Rosa!" he responded, smiling brightly. It was so weird to suddenly be able to see him on the screen. But it was a good kind of weird, the kind that makes me a bit bubbly inside.
"Thank you so much for yesterday," he continued. "I had a lot of fun! And it's so good to see you on my screen now; you look nice."
I blushed, and Curtis must have realized exactly what he just said, and then he blushed too.
"I mean IT'S NICE! It's nice… to see you on the screen!" he recovered, waving a hand apologetically. "You know, instead of just black space…"
I couldn't help but smile. "Yeah… it is nice."
"So Rosa, how are you? How's the weather out there?"
I held the device up to the sky, showing him the clouds. "The rain is mostly gone," I said, bringing the xtransceiver back into view. "I'm currently on Route 6, just enjoying the walk."
"Ah, yes, it is a new month, after all! Spring is in the air and such."
New month…?
"Crap," I said, accidentally out loud.
"What's wrong?" he asked. "You don't like springtime?"
"No, no, not that," I replied, sighing loudly and running a hand through my hair. "I just have this stupid… contract thing with Pokestar Studios. I'm sure you've heard of or even seen the awful movies… but don't judge me. My contract says I have to film a new one every month. And I didn't even want a contract! I was practically tricked into it! And if it's a new month, that means I have to film another one of these movies!" I groaned and rested my back against a tree.
"Oh, I see… that does sound rather… bad," Curtis finally said.
We were both quiet for a while after that.
"Well, maybe they'll change their minds, you never know," he said, though I knew it was just a lame attempt at sounding hopeful. "Anyway, I should get back to work. Let's chat again soon, ok?"
"Sure thing, Pidove wing!" I watched him laugh as he ended the call.
Smiling to myself, I put the xtransceiver back in my bag, and continued on towards the building up ahead. I may have a binding contract, but I wasn't about to hop on over and help them along! If they wanted me to do another movie, they'd have to call and drag me over there. I was not looking forward to my next phone call.
As I drew closer to the building, I heard voices up around the corner. Very familiar voices…!
"…I've got to get back to the gym," Cheren's voice rang out. "Bianca has already called twice to inform me of several trainers waiting back in Aspertia. So, let me leave you with this!"
"What is it?" Hugh asked. I heard some rustling, an exchange of something or other.
"It's HM-03, Surf," Cheren explained. "You can teach it to a Pokemon and ride across many bodies of water now that you have the Quake Badge."
I poked my head around from the tree I had quickly hid behind. Cheren and Hugh were standing outside the building, which I discovered (now that I was up-close and personal) was actually a research lab.
"The quickest way to Mistralton City is through Chargestone Cave. I've got to go back to Aspertia City, or I'd offer to go with you."
"It's fine, I can handle it," Hugh said with a scoff. He paused for a moment before asking, "Did Rosa already pass through here?"
HE ASKED ABOUT ME! I let out a loud hiccup of a shriek.
Both boys turned towards my tree, and I instantly clamped my hands over my mouth.
"Did you hear that?"
"Yeah, sounded like some sort of Pokemon… maybe."
Hugh took one step in my direction, and my heart skipped five or six beats! He couldn't find me like this! He obviously wanted to travel alone; what would he think if he found me here, spying on him like some sort of stalker? He'd never speak to me again!
I looked around wildly, but there was no real cover. I did the next best thing.
I bolted up the tree.
Disappearing up into the branches, I successfully concealed myself as Hugh and Cheren came to stop at the foot of my tree. I clung onto my branch so tightly that I could feel the splinters cutting into my skin.
"Well whatever it was, it's gone now," Cheren reasoned, his words relieving me (if only slightly). "You should press on and take the next gym challenge. Call me for any advice."
Hugh nodded, but still seemed suspicious. Cheren waved goodbye and left, his footsteps fading as he headed back towards Driftveil. I breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short-lived as I noticed Hugh hadn't moved. He circled the tree, glancing out into the distance, presumably looking for some Pokemon he suspected was hiding. Finding nothing, he sighed and turned.
And then my xtransceiver rang.
FML.
I jammed my hand into my bag, flailing around on the branch and likely scaring the fur off Zorua, and crushed the device between my fingers, pressing all manner of buttons as to shut off the darn thing. Hugh whipped around, unsure of where exactly the noise came from, but I could tell that he knew it was nearby. I felt Zorua's fur bristle against my arm, and unfortunately I only ended up making the ringtone louder.
Hugh looked up, and we stared at each other for a few moments. Until I heard a large CRACK!
Oh sweet mother of Arceus…!
With another loud, resounding crack, the branch I had been perched on splintered off from the tree, crashing to the ground and taking me along with it. "OOF!"
Hugh, whose cheeks had reddened somewhat, continued to stare at me, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. I was sore and covered in bruises, but I hastily scrambled up, back away from him, and dusted myself off in the process. My xtransceiver continued to ring.
"What the hell were you doing?" he finally asked, still a bit shocked by my sudden appearance.
The hand still inside my purse petted Zorua's head as if to comfort him, but really I was trying to keep the Pokemon out of sight. With my free hand, I began to pick off dirt and leaves from my hair.
I tried to play the whole thing off casually.
"Oh, you know… just… bird-watching…"
"Bird-watching?" he repeated, doubtful.
"Uhh, yeah! I found a Tranquill's nest up there!" I lied enthusiastically. Hugh looked more skeptical than ever. I scratched my neck and continued to smile wildly.
"Uh-huh… I see…"
My xtransceiver continued to ring incessantly.
Hugh glanced at my bag. "Aren't you… going to answer that…?"
Honestly, I hadn't planned on it. I was hoping it would roll over to voice mail or something (do xtransceivers even have voice mail? If not, they should), but Hugh was looking at me expectantly. Hoping Zorua would keep himself hidden, I withdrew the hand clutching the device.
"Why don't you just wear it?" Hugh asked, raising a brow.
He has a very good point. Really, I just forgot to put it back on after finishing up at Pokestar Studios, but I wasn't about to mention that place in front of him, seeing how ticked off he was at the dress I wore to the tournament. Which was only because my other clothes were dirty! I much prefer my lame pajamas, even if they are lame.
"I… I have a really good reason for that, but I gotta take this call first!" I blathered, switching on the xtransceiver. "…hello?"
"Rosa! Finally you answer," Mr. Deeoh started, rightfully annoyed. "What took so long?"
"Um, well, that is… Yes! What do you need, Mr. Deeoh?" I asked, stumbling over my words. From the corner of my eye I could see Hugh watching me.
"Well, I just wanted to inform you that we have adjusted your contract. You are no longer required to do one movie per month," the man explained.
"What, really? I mean…" Was it bad to sound so pleased? "How did that happen?"
"Well, one of our… other stars," he explained, sounding a bit stressed, "they requested more movies, and they suggested perhaps we should cut down on some of yours…"
"What?!" Not that I was complaining, but seriously, why would someone ask the studio to stop filming movies with me? Did this actor perhaps not like me? Or maybe they actually had a brain and saw how awful the scripts were? Even still… I felt a bit insulted by this notion.
"Yes, so we agreed to cut back on your contract. We agreed on one movie per year, and since you've already done several this year, I am calling to let you know we won't require your services for another year."
'We' agreed? Who exactly is agreeing on my behalf?! What the heck is going on?
"Um… well, that's… nice… I guess." Despite feeling grateful at hearing about my relaxed contract, I was still hurt because somewhere, some hot-shot actor thought my movies sucked, and I suppose he thought I was bad too, or he would've suggested to just cast me in other movies, rather than just hoard all of the roles to himself.
"Glad we agree. Ta-ta, then!" And with that, Mr. Deeoh hung up.
I continued to look at the xtransceiver, though not really seeing it. Dumbfounded, I slipped the band onto my wrist. It felt very out of place.
"Rosa…?"
Oh, I had forgotten Hugh was listening in on that. I bet he's thrilled; he always seemed to hate Pokestar Studios anyway.
"Right, ok! Gotta go," I blabbed, eager to get out of here and away from him. His concerned look was making my heart ache!
He blushed. "Yeah… I suppose I should get going too…" He fiddled with the zipper on his jacket, ran a hand through his hair (making it stick up even more than it already was and oh did it look good), and dug the toe of his shoe into the ground. Why wasn't he leaving?! I was going to snap any second now and do something stupid!
"Ok then," I said, trying to take control of the situation, "I'm just going to… go inside that building and… use the bathroom! Yes, I need to do that…!" I quickly excused myself.
"Wait!" Hugh called after me, catching my wrist.
Stop touching me, stop touching me, stop touching me Hugh or I swear I'm gonna melt into a pile of hormonal mush!
My heart was practically racing with all of this anxious buildup he was throwing at me! Just say goodbye already before I break down and beg to travel with you!
"Y-yes?" I stammered, my wrist burning. I avoided his gaze.
"Rosa, I… I…" If I didn't know better, I would have thought he was nervous. He never gets nervous. Hugh doesn't do nervous.
"I… I mean, um… Maybe… I… Well… Um… We…"
Oh dear me the anxiety was DRIVING ME UP A TREE! "What is it!" I practically shrieked, unable to contain myself.
Hugh jumped at my voice and dropped my wrist, staring at me with wide eyes.
"I…" he started again. "…I …do you need to borrow my Surf HM?"
I all but fell over.
THAT is the question he was trying to ask?! I almost had a heart attack over THAT?
"No," I replied, trying not sound frustrated. "I already have my own; Bianca gave it to me."
Hugh merely blinked, as if my answer hadn't really mattered. "Oh. Ok then."
By this point, I was desperate to escape the bizarre awkwardness that had somehow formed between us. Since when had Hugh and I ever talked like this?
"Well, see you later," I said, pointing back at the lab. "I've got to… you know."
And with that, I made my hasty exit and ran off towards the building at full speed, barreling through the sliding glass doors.
…I was not expecting to crash into the lab directly, and disturb all five scientists who were working. I was expecting to enter into some type of lobby. Whoops, seems my noisy entrance disturbed them.
"Uh, hi…" I said, managing a small wave.
They merely stared at me through their safety goggles.
"Um… can I use your bathroom?"
One of the female scientists pointed slowly at a door to the right. I managed a small thanks before rushing inside and slamming the door shut.
It was a small bathroom, with just your standard toilet and sink. I was thinking labs had giant bathrooms with multiple tubs and sinks, all manner of places to wash the experimental germs off and such. I wondered what sort of lab this was.
Gah! What the heck had just happened between Hugh and me? We never talked awkwardly like that! Then again, never before had I been trying to avoid him, or had he wanted to travel alone. I mean, we had never exactly traveled together, but previously we always seemed to meet up a few times on the road. Whereas now, he had stated he wanted to be alone.
And he had just caught me spying on him from up in a tree! He'd also seen me most unceremoniously fall from said tree… how embarrassing! I inspected my hands; they were a little battered up from all of tree-climbing. And my butt hurt from landing on it when I fell.
I'm surprised Hugh didn't say anything about my phone call with Pokestar Studios… I was sure he was going to start celebrating and possibly even trash-talking. And then he went and fumbled around and asked if I wanted to borrow an HM? Something's up with him…
While I had originally just escaped into this building to run away from Hugh, I actually did end up using the facilities. I also washed my hands and sprayed a bit of Potion on them. Though I'm still not sure if that actually works on humans or not.
I exited the bathroom to find that the scientists had gone back to work. I hope I hadn't ruined anything for them. Not wanting to be even ruder by leaving and saying nothing, I went over to the female scientist who had pointed at the door.
"Thanks for letting me use your bathroom," I told her, though I made sure to be loud enough that I was heard by the other occupants of the room. "And, I'm sorry for barging in so rudely… it was sort of an emergency…"
She smiled. "It's ok. We don't often have visitors."
"What exactly do you research here?"
She laughed. "I bet you were expecting something out of Timegate Traveler, right?" she asked with a wink.
UGH. Why is it that everyone has seen those awful movies?
"This is the Seasons Research Lab," she explained. "We experiment with the weather. The temperature and humidity inside this case next to me are controlled by a machine." Behind her, there was a large greenhouse-looking area with different plants and things.
"Ah." I nodded, not too interested in wanting to control weather. Mother Nature is a force to be reckoned with, and all.
"We also study how seasons affect Pokemon," another scientist said from right behind me, scaring the bejesus out of me. "Like these Deerling, some Pokemon change depending on the season." He gestured to four Deerling running around the room. Each one was a different color.
"Hey, it's a Deerling of a different color!" I said, laughing at my own joke.
The scientists apparently didn't think it was very funny.
"Yes… as I said, they change with the seasons. We discovered this after we had the Champion catch us a different Deerling every season."
The Champion caught these Pokemon…? Wait… 'forced'?
"You couldn't catch the Pokemon yourselves…?"
The scientist examining the greenhouse plants turned and stated, "We don't leave the lab," as if it were the most obviously thing in the world.
"Here, take this," the first female scientist said, handing me a Pokeball. "It's a Deerling."
"Uhh… thanks," I replied, stretching out my hand for it.
"Oh, wait! You have six Pokemon already," she said. "Come back when you've made room for it."
"I can't just take it and deposit it into my PC in the next town…? I swear I won't use it!"
"Come back when you've made room for it."
UGHHHHH.