Nate makes a noise somewhere between a squeal and a d'awww. Hugh raises his eyebrows. This is not a noise he expects a guy his age to make.

"That's adorable!" gushes Nate. He looks like he wants to jump up and hug Hugh, but the taller boy stops him just in time. For those of you keeping score at home, Nate and Hugh have won 16 battles in a row and are well on their way to meeting the Subway Bosses.

"So what happened next? Did you confess to her? Did she say yes? Did you kiss her? Did you two start dating? Tell me!" Nate is jumping up and down in excitement.

Hugh chooses not to reply. Instead, he drags his feet slowly to the next car, not unlike a tired old man who's forced to babysit his hyperactive grandson.

Thankfully, Nate's Xtransceiver rings again, silencing the boy. Hugh glances at it to see Yancy calling yet again. This time, Nate declines her call without even looking at the device. It's amazing to see how he can be so chipper and happy at one moment, then sullen at the mere mention of her.

The two boys deposit their Poké Balls into the computer for healing.

"Is Yancy your girlfriend?" asks Hugh.

Nate avoids his gaze. "Sort of," he says. He stares dully at the blank screen.

Hugh leans against the machine. "Tell me about her."

Nate perks up. "What can I say? She's pretty and smart and amazing and she likes to cook and she's-" Nate stops and sighs, "also a liar."

"What?" Hugh asks.

Their opponents have released their Pokémon, a Munna and a Swoobat. Nate shakes his head. "Never mind," he says.

After the battle begins, Nate pokes Hugh in the side.

"What?" asks Hugh irritably. He doesn't like being poked.

"Did you and Rosa ever…you know…" whispers Nate.

Hugh scowls. "If you're asking me if I've ever slept with Rosa, then I think you're a –"

"No!" cries Nate, his face scarlet. "I just wanted to know if you've ever kissed her! Man!"

Hugh facepalms. "Good grief…"

Four months ago

It was a beautiful day. The sky was clear and sunny and the air smelled fresh and clean. Pidove cooed as they soared across the sky.

Hugh and Rosa were walking along a stream. His arm was around her as she clung to him. She rested her head on his shoulder, her brown hair tickling him in the neck. He patted the side of her arm.

"Oh, Hugh," said Rosa happily. "Isn't this amazing?"

"Indeed it is, my love," replied Hugh in a voice much deeper than usual. He quickly kissed the top of her head.

Rosa blushed. "You're so romantic, Hugh." She nuzzled against his neck. "I love you."

Hugh smiled and then leant down for a kiss. He puckered his lips in expectation.

"Hugh?" said Rosa uncertainly. "Um, Hugh? Hugh!"

He frowned. Why wasn't Rosa kissing him back? He leant closer.

"Hugh?" asked Rosa, more urgently this time. "Hugh!"

With a loud crash, Hugh found himself at the foot of his bed. The remnants of his dream faded away, and he woke up to find Rosa bent over him, peering at him anxiously.

"Hugh?" said Rosa. "Are you okay?" She helped him up.

He nodded mutely and sat down on the bed. Where was he? Oh, that's right. He had reached Undella Town last night and was now in his room at the Undella Bay Resort. Then why was Rosa here? How did she find him? They hadn't really spoken much since that evening in the Ferris wheel. What did she want now?

He suddenly realized that the only thing he was wearing were his Bouffalant boxers.

"Gah!" he yelped, trying to cover his crotch. Not that it made much of a difference. Before she could say anything else, he grabbed his backpack and rushed into the bathroom, emerging only once he was dressed in his signature outfit of black pants and t-shirt with a red and white jacket.

"What are you doing here?" he muttered, trying and failing to flatten his hair. He really needed to change his brand of hair gel. Kwilfish Kool apparently wasn't doing it for him anymore.

"Weeeell," sang Rosa, hands behind her back. "I thought we could spend the day together again! We've been so busy lately that we deserve a break! Don't you think so?"

"No," replied Hugh curtly. He found himself unable to look her in the eye. He wondered what she thought of his abs. Not that he had any. Still, he hoped she liked what she saw.

"Oh, come on," whined the girl. "We're in Undella Town! Let's hit the beach!"

"I have to train," he said, rummaging into his bag for his Poké Balls. Maybe he could grab a quick bite to eat and head for Route 13. It was rumored to be the longest route in Unova, and was practically littered with Trainers. As soon as he got rid of Rosa. The younger girl could be incredibly persistent when she wanted to be.

Rosa darted before him and promptly swiped the Poké Balls from his hand. "There," she announced triumphantly. "Now you don't." She threw a brown paper bag at him. "Breakfast." She then gestured to the Styrofoam cup she'd set down on the mantelpiece. "And coffee." Her last act was to throw something blue in his face. "Put this on and meet me at the bay." With that, she turned around and stalked out of the room.

Hugh peeled the pair of swimming trunks off his face and shook his head. "I was right," he mumbled to himself. "Looks like Rosa really is a Team Plasma member."

Half an hour later Hugh was walking down the shore in the trunks Rosa gave him. He felt completely naked, and it wasn't because of his lack of clothing. Rather, he didn't like the thought of wandering about without his Pokémon. What if Team Plasma showed up? He didn't want to feel helpless and useless again.

He had every intention of walking up to Rosa and demanding his Pokémon back, then resuming with his training. The fact that he had changed clothes had nothing to do with it.

Rosa was lying on a towel on the sand, sunbathing. She was wearing a pink bikini and shades. Beside her was another towel, a pair of slippers and a bag.

Hugh decided his best bet was to sneak his Poké Balls out of her bag. He crept closer, hoping she hadn't seen him yet, but stopped abruptly. Rosa's shades were glinting in the sun. Her pink lips pouted at the sky and her bare belly gleamed in the light. He caught sight of the outline of her bikini top, where the edges of her not-so-well-endowed chest could be seen. He blushed fiercely. His eyes traveled south, down her torso to her navel and below…

He quickly wiped away the drool from the corner of his mouth.

"Hugh!" said Rosa happily. She pushed up her sunglasses and sat up. "I can't believe you came! I totally thought you wouldn't. I mean, you can be such a Grouchy McGroucherson sometimes." She began speaking in a baritone. "I must go train. I must get stronger. I must fight Team Plasma."

"Rosa," he cleared his throat. "Can I have my Pokémon back? I wasn't lying when I said I had to train."

"No," replied Rosa stubbornly, folding her arms. She patted the towel next to her. "Come sit down."

"Rosa," said Hugh tiredly. He rubbed his forehead and sighed. This was going to be difficult. He could already feel himself getting worked up. And the last thing he wanted to do was yell at her again. "Stop wasting my time."

"Hugh!" countered Rosa. "What's wrong with you? You've always been so obsessed with training and beating Team Plasma. Why can't you just relax? Seriously. You gotta enjoy life as it comes. Who knows? One day you'll regret all these chances you missed."

Hugh opened his mouth to respond but Rosa cut him off.

"Don't." She shook her head. "Just don't. I was trying to be nice. Trying to get you to lighten up, but-" She stood up. "I can tell when I'm not wanted."

Rosa began gathering her belongings, not meeting his eye. He could tell that she was trying her best not to cry. He remained silent. His mind replayed her last few lines over and over.

Finally Rosa turned to him. "Goodbye," she said softly. He watched her spin around and walk away. At last something clicked in his head.

"Rosa, wait!" Hugh leapt forward and grabbed her wrist. The feel of her skin sent a jolt of electricity down his arm, and he shivered.

As far as he was concerned, Rosa was wrong. He didn't see the point in relaxing when Team Plasma was still on the loose. Yes, maybe he was a tiny bit more concerned about destroying them than most people were. But he couldn't just sit idly while more Pokémon were being separated from their Trainers every day. He knew he'd be able to relax once Hana and Purrloin were reunited. If only Rosa understood that.

On the other hand, he had recently realized that he was in love with Rosa. His feelings for her were conflicting with his mission and clouding his judgment. He couldn't tell whether he was doing the right thing by hanging out with her when he could be getting stronger. Despite her constant annoyances, he truly cared about her and didn't want her to get upset.

"I'm sorry," he said, in a small voice. "I really want to spend the day with you, too. Please don't go."

Rosa glared at him for some time, but then smiled. "It's okay, dummy!" She knocked him lightly on the back of the head. "You just needed to be reminded about what's important. And having fun is really important. That's why we're going to have the best day ever!"

Hugh smiled and watched her ramble on about their plans for the day. He couldn't believe that he had been friends with this girl for eight years now and yet he hadn't realized how amazing she was. She was strong, beautiful, carefree, fun and happy – everything he wasn't. Not to mention she looked really sexy in a bikini.

Rosa winked at him. "So, are we gonna go have fun, or are you just gonna stand there ogling me?"

And so Hugh found himself doing something he'd never thought he would do – taking a break. He spent his morning at the Undella Bay, sunbathing with Rosa. It was difficult at first; he was very antsy and kept a vigilant eye out for Team Plasma. But after she convinced him for the seventeenth time that everything was alright, he calmed down. She had given him his Poké Balls back and there was nothing to worry about.

The two had lunch in a small beach shack nearby. While the sun hadn't had much effect on Rosa, Hugh was distinctly browner, a fact that Rosa noticed as soon as they entered the restaurant.

"You're so lucky," she sighed, watching Hugh scan the menu. "I wish I could tan like you. You look amazing."

Hugh stopped inspecting the menu to gawk at her. "You think I look amazing?"

"Well, yeah, the tan looks great on you," replied Rosa, not noticing Hugh's breath hitch. Hugh sighed in disappointment while she continued, "So what do you wanna eat? Everything looks great here; though I'm not sure I wanna eat too much, since I realized my pants have been getting tighter every month…"

While she babbled away, Hugh resumed scanning the menu. He thought back to the morning's events. Even though Rosa had returned his Pokémon, he had still decided to spend the day with her. Her rant earlier hadn't made him change his mind, but it was enough to make him slow down for a minute.

Plus, she looked really cute when she was mad.

"So what can I get you?" asked the waiter, tapping his foot against the floor.

"Oh!" Rosa was flustered. "Um, salad, please. Thank you." She squirmed uncomfortably.

"Steak. Tofu." growled Hugh, passing the menu to the waiter. The man nodded and walked away.

The two sat in silence for a while. Rosa looked like she wanted to say something and kept swallowing nervously. Hugh folded his arms, waiting for her to speak.

Finally, she said, "I'm really glad you came. I've been worried about you."

"Yeah?" said Hugh, raising his eyebrows. Rosa was worried about him? Why? Did she think about him as much as he thought of her?

Rosa sighed. "Hugh, you're my best friend. I care about you a lot, you know? And, well, it seems like ever since we left home, you've been so obsessed with Team Plasma. I get that you wanna find Purrloin, but it's all you ever talk about!"

Hugh's hands clenched into fists. No. Surely Rosa wasn't going to give him grief about finding his sister's Purrloin, only the most important thing to him. He thought she understood. He thought she was helping him.

"Don't get me wrong," added Rosa hastily. "I know how important it is to you. But I just want you to slow down a little. Take a break now and then. Don't overwork yourself and your Pokémon."

Hugh remained silent. He knew she had a point, but he didn't want to admit it.

The waiter arrived with their food. Rosa welcomed the distraction to dig into her salad, while Hugh just stabbed at the mushrooms that accompanied his steak over and over. He hadn't really thought about it before. Was he really overworking his Pokémon? Did they hate him? He cared about them a lot and didn't want anything to happen to them.

Just like Rosa cared about him.

"Don't be mad at me," pleaded the girl. She placed her hand over his. Apparently holding hands was a thing they did now. "I just can't see you like this, that's all. It hurts."

A lump was starting to form in his throat. He wanted so badly, right there and then, to wrap her into his arms and hold her close. To let her know he was okay and she shouldn't worry. To tell her how much he loved her.

He swallowed hard.

"I'm not mad at you," he replied hoarsely. He gripped her hand hard. His steak lay there, untouched. "You're right. I've been working too hard. I needed this. I'm going to stop worrying about Team Plasma and Purrloin and enjoy our journey."

"Really?" Rosa's eyes were shining. "Thank you so much, Hugh!" She clasped both of his hands. "I really don't want anything to happen to you."

"Nothing will," he replied. His palms were beginning to sweat. He hoped she couldn't feel it. He knew he would kiss her if she continued holding his hands, so he pulled away. "Let's continue eating." He began stabbing his steak, his heart beating fast. Damn Rosa.

After lunch, Hugh and Rosa had a Pokémon battle. Hugh was eager to see how his fully evolved Pokémon would do against her. It was an exciting battle and Hugh was determined to win against her at least once. However, Rosa beat him again. His three-Pokémon team proved to be no match for her. She let her aptitude for strategy shine through again and shot down his Unfezant with a crippling blow. Again, Hugh felt a mixture of sadness and pride. He wondered when he would get as strong as her.

They spent the afternoon swimming in the bay. Rosa managed to pull a prank on the unsuspecting Hugh by grabbing and pulling his leg underwater. He was furious and tried to get her back for it, but failed. However, karma intervened and helped him out by having a Jellicent pull her away, before Hugh called on the Tynamo he'd just started training to help her out.

They walked along the beach in the evening. Neither of them said anything for a while, just enjoying each other's company.

"So," said Rosa finally. "How was it? Did you enjoy the day?"

Hugh thought about it. Despite the serious conversation they'd had during lunch, it had been a pretty fun day. He hadn't spent a day like this – not training – in a long time. In fact, it wasn't since Rosa had forced him to watch a movie with her a month ago. He was probably the happiest he'd ever been today.

He glanced at her and smiled. "Yeah. I did, actually. Thanks for making me to take a break. I guess I needed it."

Rosa turned pink. "You're welcome, Hugh. You know I'd do anything for you."

They continued walking, a comfortable silence between them. She linked her arm with his. She glanced up to see if he was okay with it. The boy had turned Cheri Berry red, but hadn't said anything, which she took as a green light. So she rested her head on his shoulder.

Hugh was uncomfortable. Not because he didn't like it, but because he liked it a little too much. What was his next move? Was she expecting him to hold her? Did she want to be patted on the head like a Pokémon? Was he overthinking this? He finally decided to just hold hands with her, as was the norm now.

"Look," she said softly. He turned in the direction she was pointing and caught sight of the sun slowly sinking into the ocean.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" she whispered. He turned to look at her. Her face was illuminated in the orange light, and the setting sun was reflected in her eyes.

A feeling came over him, not unlike the one he experienced on the Ferris wheel. His heart bounced in his chest like a Spoink. He found himself moving automatically. He brushed her arm off and held her hand. His other hand cupped her face.

"Rosa," he whispered. He was gazing into her eyes, blue and beautiful. He stroked her cheek with his thumb.

"Hugh," she whispered back. Her voice was husky and her breathing was ragged. Their faces were drawing near, their noses almost touching.

Their lips met, slowly at first. He let go of her hand to cup her other cheek, while both her hands were in his hair. Her lips were soft and tasted of Sitrus. His heart was pounding in his chest. Even though he'd been trying to keep his hands off her all day, ultimately, he failed. But for some reason, he wasn't feeling guilty or embarrassed. For the first time, he felt complete. Like he'd finally come home after a long, long journey. Like he'd finally found what he'd been looking for. And no, it wasn't Purrloin.

He pressed against her lips harder, deepening the intensity of their kiss. She responded by opening her mouth wider, granting him access to her tongue. He let his own tongue explore her mouth. Soon, they were kissing passionately before the Unova sunset.

Her arms traveled down his body, setting his skin ablaze in the process. It was like she was turning on switches down his neck and across his back. They finally stopped at the waistband of his trousers. He let his own arms drop down to her neck, where they found the knot that was holding her bikini top in place. Hugh withdrew his tongue, allowing himself to think. If he undid that knot, there would be no turning back. He tugged on the bow lightly, trying to decide what to do.

"No!" came a shrill voice behind them. "Stop!"

Hugh groaned and pulled away. He wanted to punch the person screaming for interrupting his long-awaited moment with Rosa. They blinked at each other, panting, before turning to the source of the commotion.

A small boy was chasing behind two people clothed in black. Hugh recognized them immediately as Team Plasma members. They were laughing at the boy, and one of them was holding a Lillipup, who was barking angrily at the men.

"Hugh?" said Rosa, but he ignored her. He quickly ran up to the boy.

"Hey!" he barked, shaking him violently. "What's going on?"

The boy was close to tears. "They…stole…my…Lillipup…" he blubbered.

At that moment, everything turned red. Hugh was infuriated. He quickly pulled out his Poké Ball. But before he could do anything else, the two grunts called on their own Pokémon and flew away.

"No," he whispered. The boy clung to his jacket, tears flowing down his face. Rosa ran up to them.

"What happened?" she demanded. Both the boys paid no attention to her.

He couldn't believe it. It was happening all over again.

He was helpless and useless, watching another Pokémon get stolen by Team Plasma.

And it was all her fault.

Without another word, he brought out his Unfezant. "Fly," he instructed the bird, who immediately obeyed.

The last thing he heard was the girl he loved screaming his name as he disappeared over the horizon.