Nate is silent.

Hugh keeps glancing at Nate, wondering when he'll speak up. They are on the train back to Nimbasa City, having just lost against the Subway Bosses Emmet and Ingo. Nate has been uncharacteristically quiet since then. Hugh wonders if it's because they lost, or if it's because he just found out the full extent of Hugh's douchebaggery. Hugh suspects it's the latter.

Finally, he can't take it anymore. "Say something, dammit!" he demands.

Nate shakes his head, as if to snap out of a daydream. He stares at Hugh for the longest time. "You know," he says finally, "I've always thought that what Yancy did to me was bad. That I could never find anyone as cruel as she was to me. But I guess I was wrong. There are worse people on this planet. I just hadn't met you then."

Hugh doesn't reply. The guilt burns up his insides like acid.

"I was so naïve back then," continues Nate. He gives a hollow, humorless laugh. "Yancy is like a goddess compared to you. Hell, Team Plasma are like charity workers compared to you."

If Nate had said that two months ago, Hugh would have punched him to next Tuesday for that comment. But he doesn't move a muscle. Instead, he asks, "What happened between you and Yancy?"

"Um," Nate bites his lip. Hugh notices that Nate is prone to doing that when he's talking about her. "We were in love."

"Yeah?" says Hugh. It feels nice to talk to Nate about something that isn't Rosa.

"Yeah," replies Nate. "We met when I found something she'd lost. She was beautiful, smart and funny – we just clicked, you know?"

Hugh nods. He knows.

"Anyway, so we started talking. Like, a lot. I mean, she didn't have much time to talk to me, cause her job got in the way, but she always called when she had a signal." Nate pauses.

The train jerks forward suddenly, and Hugh hits his head against the back of the seat before him. But he urges Nate to go on.

"Slowly, I fell in love with her. One day, I asked her to meet me at the Ferris Wheel. You know, the same one you and Rosa rode? So I told her how I felt. Turns out, she'd been feeling the same way."

Hugh smiles. He's happy for Nate, but his happiness is punctured by the fact that this story doesn't end well.

"We began dating after that. I mean, whenever we could, anyway. Whenever I asked her to meet me, she was always busy and had her job to go to. And our calls were always cut short by her coworkers calling her to work. It got annoying after a while.

Nate pauses to catch his breath.

"So one day, when I called her, her coworker answered the Xtransceiver. And you won't believe who it was. It was Pokémon Idol Nancy."

"Yancy works with Pokémon Idol Nancy?" Hugh raises an eyebrow, impressed. "That's cool. And it rhymes."

Nate shakes his head. "No. I mean, Nancy answered the Xtransceiver, but I recognized her. It was Yancy. Yancy, in her work clothes. Yancy is Pokémon Idol Nancy."

Hugh hisses in shock.

"Yeah," says Nate sadly. "I was confused too, at first. But then I did a little digging. I realized Yancy never told me what her job was. That's why she never had time for me. She'd hidden such a big part of her life from me."

He slumps in his seat.

"And then, when I called her up again to talk about it, she kept lying to me. She insisted it was her coworker who answered the Xtransceiver, and that she wasn't a Pokémon Idol. That hurt. A lot. Since then, I haven't spoken to her."

"Oh." Hugh doesn't know what else to say. As much as he tries to convince himself otherwise, that was nowhere as bad as what he did to Rosa.

Nate shakes his head. "But I'll deal with that later. Anyway, tell me what happened between you and Rosa then. I hope you apologized to her."

Hugh's face scrunches up, like he's about to cry. Nate looks alarmed. But then Hugh just swallows hard and continues with his story.

One month ago

It was a beautiful spring day.

The crater's forest in the Giant Chasm was usually eerie and silent, but today it was teeming with life. The indigenous Pokémon were alert, for they could sense something in the air. Something big. And it probably had something to do with the monster hidden deep within.

A tall boy stood by the entrance, watching the scene unfold before him. Rood, one the seven sages formerly in Team Plasma, was arguing with a few members of Neo Team Plasma. The boy crossed his arms across his chest, his eyes traveling back and forth between both sides. At any other time, he would usually be up there with them, fuelling the argument, but today he was quiet.

He ran his hand through his Qwilfish-like hair. Where was she?

Hugh had been having the worst month of his life. Ever since that day on the Plasma Frigate, nothing had been the same. For starters, his sort-of relationship with Rosa had ended. Granted, he had been giving her the cold shoulder before that, but the incident that day had really sealed the deal. Hugh still found it hard to believe that Rosa loved him. He wondered if she still did, after all the terrible things he had said to her.

He winced as he remembered that day. It wasn't that he didn't love Rosa – because he did, despite convincing himself that he shouldn't. Somehow his bull-headed ego had managed to get in the way and ruin things. He had realized his mistake as soon as he left the ship, but by then it was too late. He called her plenty of times since then, but she never returned his calls. And he briefly ran into her a few minutes back at the entrance cave, but she ignored him.

Just like he had ignored her before.

It was driving him nuts. He couldn't take it anymore. Several sleepless nights and tears had convinced him that he had screwed up, big time. Hugh was determined to apologize to Rosa anyhow and tell her he loved her. And he would do it as soon as this mission was over.

Because right now, he really needed his head in the game.

Today was the big day. The day he finally took down Team Plasma and got back Purrloin. He could feel it in his bones. He was going to do it, once and for all.

All that was left was for Rosa to arrive. When he last saw her, she had been battling her way through the cave. It was only a matter of time before she got here.

And there she was. She stepped outside the cave, her eyes tired and her brow covered with sweat. Squinting, she made her way towards the small group.

Hugh straightened up. She didn't look as terrible as she had back at the Plasma Frigate, but she didn't look great either. She nodded at him as she approached the group.

"Hugh," she said curtly.

"Rosa," he whispered. He had so much to tell her – and even more to apologize for. "Rosa, I-"

She simply held up her hand, indicating he should stop. He felt as though someone had punched him in the stomach. Karma was a bitch, indeed. It was clearly bent on making him suffer, like Rosa had suffered for those two months.

Rosa poked an ex-Team Plasma grunt in the side. "What's going on here?" she asked.

Hugh sighed as the grunt proceeded to fill her in on the argument before them. His fingers itched to grab her hand, to force her to look into his eyes. To open her ears and force her to listen to his apologies. But deep down, he knew that he deserved every bit of pain he was feeling.

He watched the argument unfold before him. He also watched Rosa not-so-discretely flirt with the ex-Team Plasma. Yep. Every bit of pain.

Rood continued to urge the Neo Team Plasma members to give up on their job. However, they clearly weren't listening, this close to their goal. He pulled out his Poké Ball.

"Well," he shrugged. "That didn't work. HEY!"

The whole group turned to face him. Hugh could feel Rosa's eyes boring into his skin like laser beams. He turned red.

"Let me through," he instructed the Team Plasma members.

"What are you trying to do?" sneered one of them. "Looking to get hurt?"

Hugh clenched his fists. Time to unleash his rage.

"I'm going to get a stolen Pokémon back," he replied, his voice uncharacteristically low. "I'm not going to listen to villains like you."

Everyone exchanged glances of confusion, Rosa included. Hugh tried to catch her eye, but she stubbornly gazed away.

"Why do you have Pokémon by your sides?" he continued. His voice rang through the forest. "To protect what's important to you, right? Even if your precious Pokémon get hurt, even if your ideals are damaged, the time to fight is NOW!"

"Whatever." One of the Neo Team Plasma members rolled her eyes. "You're just a kid. Quit trying to act so cool." She turned to her companions. "Nobody's getting close to the Plasma Frigate. Wipe them ALL out!"

Two of the grunts stepped forward. Hugh groaned. He had multi battled several trainers and grunts with Rosa, but he wasn't sure he could do it today. He turned towards her. Every time they battled together, there was always that unspoken glance between them that said I've got your back. Their synchronization and understanding helped pull off most battles flawlessly.

This time, however, Rosa refused to look at him. Instead, she said, "I'll handle this one. You take the other."

Hugh opened his mouth to yell at her, but bit back his words. Nope. He deserved this. The two of them quickly took down the grunts.

"Rosa," he said, grabbing the girl's hand. More Team Plasma grunts were arriving, but for once he ignored them. "You have to listen to me. I-"

She dug her elbow in his stomach, not letting him finish. He groaned in pain.

Rood handed them a few Max Revives. "Their backup has arrived." He nodded towards the forest. "But we can handle them. You two get going."

"Roger," Rosa nodded at the man. Before they could leave, Rood beckoned to Hugh.

"About the Pokémon you're looking for," he said. "In all likelihood, it is in possession of the Shadow Triad – the dark warriors who appear silently."

Hugh scratched his head, trying to understand. Then he remembered. Opelucid City…

However, Purrloin didn't seem that important anymore.

His goal was finally in sight – but had it been what he was looking for?

"If I rescue it, it helps you guys absolve your guilt, doesn't it?" Hugh replied, his voice devoid of emotion. "Guess I'll help you out."

Hugh and Rosa sped on ahead, deeper into the forest. When Team Plasma was finally out of sight, he stopped. "Rosa," he whimpered. The lump in his throat had turned his voice hoarse. He had to tell her. Before he found Purrloin. She had to know. "Rosa, please…"

But his ex-best friend had already disappeared.

Hugh ran past the warp panels, confused. Hours of battling countless Team Plasma grunts had left him dizzy, and his Pokémon tired. He wanted to sit down for a while and catch his breath. But he couldn't. Somewhere on this ship was the Pokémon he lost five years ago. Every second he wasted was another second that kept Purrloin away from Hana.

And also on this ship was the girl who used to be his best friend. The girl who loved him. The girl who he loved. And, being the colossal male appendage that he was, he had broken her heart and neglected to tell her how he felt. He had to fix things soon.

Stepping on a panel to the left of the room, he was immediately transported to some sort of office. Before him was a wall covered with television screens. There was a revolving chair and a desk before it.

Hugh was suddenly aware of the presence of another two people in the room besides him. One of them was Rosa, her eyes determined. The other was some sort of white-haired ninja that looked vaguely familiar.

The Shadow Triad…

There it was. His ultimate choice. His mission or his feelings? His head or his heart?

Without thinking, he turned to face them.

"Aren't you one of the Shadow Triad?" he questioned the man, his eyes narrowed.

The man said nothing, electing to cross his arms over his chest instead. Hugh took this as a yes.

He marched over to the man, grabbing him by the collar. "Tell me about the Purrloin that was stolen in Aspertia." he demanded.

The man let out a harsh, bark-like laugh. "You're going to have to let me go if you want that information." His voice was low and raspy, but Hugh knew he meant business.

He pushed the man away with as much force as he could conjure. The man fell against the desk, scattering a bunch of papers that were on it. Without missing a beat, he stood up, craning his neck to the side with a loud crack.

"Very well," he whispered, gracefully pulling out a Poké Ball. "This might be it."

And before Hugh stood the Pokémon he had spent a year searching. The same Purrloin that he and his grandfather had caught so long ago for his baby sister. Only this wasn't a Purrloin – it was a Liepard. It hissed at him angrily, clawing the air.

"I stole this Pokémon five years ago in Aspertia." the man rasped, licking his lips. "So it seems likely that it is the Pokémon you're talking about. But now, it only listens to my commands. Such is the fate of Pokémon that are trapped in Poké Balls!"

Hugh could feel his whole world come crashing around him. Purrloin – had evolved? He kicked himself for not thinking about. For not considering the simple fact that yes, Purrloin was strong, and yes, Team Plasma would probably train and misuse it. How could he have not seen this coming?

He sank to his knees. Hugh wasn't a person to call home often, but when he did, Hana always demanded to speak to him. She would ask him about his journey so far and whether he'd found Purrloin yet. And every time Hugh's heart would sink for having to disappoint her.

Even if he did get this Purrloin – sorry, Liepard back home, there was no telling whether it would even recognize Hana or listen to her. Everything…all wasted…

It couldn't be Hana's Purrloin. It couldn't, it couldn't, it couldn't!

"Don't mess with me," he replied hoarsely. The lump in his throat was back and bigger than before. "That's someone else's Pokémon!"

The Shadow Triad member laughed again. "Ah…I feel sorry for Pokémon." he mocked, patting Liepard on the head. "They're ruled by Poké Balls and the whims of their trainers. Lord Ghetsis spoke of liberation two years ago simply for his own ambitions, but if his plans had succeeded, many Pokémon would have been saved. This Liepard," he scratched it behind the ears, "well, you knew it as Purrloin – if it had been released, it might have returned to you."

He ignored Hugh's sharp intake of breath and turned towards Rosa. "Well then," he licked his lips again. "You! I won't let you interfere with Lord Ghetsis's plans!"

Rosa, who had been silent the entire time, released her Pokémon.

He simply stood there watching Purr – uh, Liepard, as Rosa battled the Shadow Triad member. His mind was blank. He couldn't think of the next step. All those things he was worried about earlier – defeating Team Plasma, confessing to Rosa – nothing mattered anymore. It was like life had led him down a long, winding path, only to end up at a blind alley.

Life could be a giant pain in the Azelf sometimes.

Rosa continued to battle the entire Shadow Triad, who had shown up later. He knew he should have been up there, fighting alongside her. But Hugh felt too weak to stand up. Drained up of all this energy and rage. So tired. He just wanted to curl up there and fall asleep and wake up with his Purrloin next to him…

Finally defeated by Rosa, the leader of the Shadow Triad shook his head. "No matter. The only thing you can do is watch Lord Ghetsis use Kyurem to freeze Unova solid. That's all…"

What?

He turned towards Hugh. "You. I'll return this Pokémon to you. Considering what Lord Ghetsis is about to do, I have no further need for it." With that, the three men vanished into thin air.

He and Rosa – and Liepard – were now alone in the room.

She faced him, as though expecting him to say something. She didn't seem angry anymore. Her eyes were filled with pity.

When he continued to remain silent, she knelt down before him. "Hey," she whispered. She patted him arm comfortingly. "It's going to be alright."

He nodded. Liepard, abandoned by its master, curled up in the revolving chair. The two sat there in silence.

Finally, Hugh spoke up. "Hey, Rosa?"

She raised her eyebrows.

"If we let Team Plasma do whatever they want," he whispered. "There'll be more sad Pokémon like Purrloin and Kyurem…"

"Yes," replied Rosa solemnly. "Yes, there will." She stood up to leave.

"Wait!" blurted Hugh. She looked at him inquiringly.

"I'm sorry," he said, staring directly into her eyes. "For everything."

She smiled at him. Despite the events of earlier, his heart soared, and he instantly knew he was forgiven.

"Oh," he remembered. "And I wanted to tell you that- that I-" He stopped suddenly.

"What?" said Rosa curiously.

He smiled. "Nothing. It can wait." He nodded towards the warp panel. "I think you have a world to save."

She laughed, the beautiful, musical laugh he'd missed for so long. "You're right. I'll see you soon, then." With a flash of green light, she was gone.

He knew the right thing to do would be to follow her out of the room. How could one teenage girl save Unova alone? He was selfish for wanting to stay behind with Liepard.

Then again, this was no ordinary teenage girl. This was Rosa, the most amazing girl he knew. All his life, he'd been obsessed with getting stronger. And yet she had beaten him every single time they battled. He always wondered when he'd get to be as strong as her. Now he knew that he could never reach her level. All he could do was comfort her and support her as she took on the ultimate enemy.

He smiled to himself as tears flowed freely down his cheeks. He didn't care. As far as he knew, everything was going to be alright.

That was Hugh and Rosa's last moment together.

Hugh will always associate Natural Harmonia Gropius with pain and sadness. That's because the first time N had met Hugh, he told him the most terrible news he had ever heard.

N arrived in Ghetsis's office to find Hugh curled up against the wall, staring into space. Liepard had been clawing at the chair. The boy seemed lost and confused, but he recognized N, the man behind his mission. But despite his hatred towards the man, he didn't immediately pounce on him and kill him. In fact, his first words were, "Where's Rosa?"

And so N told Hugh the whole sad story.

When his dragon informed him about the activities in the Giant Chasm, N did his best to get here as fast as possible. He rushed through the forest, knocking out any Neo Team Plasma members he encountered on the way.

The next thing he saw was a brown-haired girl skating over the ice outside the Plasma Frigate. He didn't know who she was, but there was something about her that seemed so familiar. There was that glint in her eyes that he had seen in only one other person – the hero who saved Unova. He instantly knew that this girl was on her way to repeat history.

He stealthily followed her towards the Inner Cave, his dragon trailing behind him. Although it was huge, it understood its friend well enough to know that it had to be quiet. N hid behind the rock and watched.

There he saw Rosa come face to face with the man he loved and despised at the same time. His father – Ghetsis Harmonia.

Ghetsis was holding a cane of some sort, and his appearance had changed. He looked older and even more terrifying. N shuddered. His dragon, sensing his discomfort, wanted to attack. But N warned it not to. It wasn't time yet.

"The Giant Chasm," stated Ghetsis. The sound of his voice released a flood of emotion in N's heart.

"This is the spot where Kyurem's power resonates," he continued. "Here, Kyurem can use the full extent of its power and easily cover all of Unova in ice!"

N's breath hitched. Of course. His father hadn't changed one bit.

Rosa faced Ghetsis defiantly, not saying a word. N saw his father pace across the cave. Then he did something strange: he tapped his cane hard into the ground.

"Kyurem, come!" he called.

The string of events that followed next were difficult to comprehend. At one moment the cave was cold and dry, and next there was a flurry of ice that blew through it. N's dragon shielded him, protecting him from the cold. Rosa covered her eyes.

And before them stood a new visitor. The third of the Legendary Dragon trio of Unova – Kyurem.

It gave a deafening cry that echoed within the walls of the cave. N's eyes widened. This was Kyurem?

Apparently his friend recognized it. The dragon nudged N, telling him not to worry. But N was not convinced. Just by observing the beast he could tell that there was something not right with it. That it wasn't happy.

It made him sad.

"I have a memory that continued to haunt me," said Ghetsis. "Just one. That unpleasant look in your eyes reminds me of it. That aside, this is my gift to you to show my respect for making it this far."

He tapped his cane on the ground again. "I'll freeze you solid right here so you can watch my glorious ascent!"

N gasped. Surely his father wasn't going to kill this little girl? His father was many things – cruel, unforgiving and cold, but he had also taken N in as a child. He raised him and taught him everything he knew. No, his father wouldn't do such a thing. It was illogical.

"KYUREM! GLACIATE!" screeched Ghetsis.

Apparently N had underestimated his father's cruelty. The dragon roared, a cry so terrifying that it frightened both N and Rosa. The girl's eyes were wide with fear. Before she could do anything to defend herself, the Pokémon used its enormous power to create giant spikes of ice. The icicles hovered in the air for a few seconds.

N paused, wondering if now was the right time to reveal himself. That turned out to be a costly mistake.

For the icicles changed positions. From hovering over the terrified Rosa, they spread apart, only to launch themselves directly at her.

N watched in shock as the girl screamed and collapsed to the ground. Rage built inside him – a feeling he wasn't used to. He jumped out from behind the rock, calling for his partner to attack.

But it was too late. The damage had already been done.

The next hour passed in a blur. N remembered his father's expression, adorned with the same scorn he wore whenever N tried to prove himself. He remembered his father calling him a freak. He remembered his friend battling Kyurem and defeating it. He also remembered taking on his father's entire team, crushing each one of them. And he remembered the Shadow Triad arriving to take Ghetsis away.

But he didn't remember Rosa waking up.

"Wait," said Hugh slowly. He couldn't process what he had just heard – his mind wouldn't accept it. "You mean – she – Rosa –"

N's eyes were filled with guilt. "After he left, I checked on her," he said softly. "She was frozen solid. And she wasn't breathing. I checked her pulse. She – she didn't have one. I'm sorry, friend. Rosa is –"

"SHUT UP!" bellowed Hugh. "Shut up! Shut your mouth! Don't say it! DON'T – YOU – FREAKING – SAY IT!"

For the second time that day, Hugh broke down. He wept. He cried as though he had never cried before. He cried and cried for all the regrets he had. He cried for Purrloin, for he had let Team Plasma take it away. He cried for the Castelia sewers, when he had couldn't be bothered to help Rosa with her fear of the dark. He cried for hurting her in Nimbasa City, for using words he would never be able to take back. He cried for that moment in the Ferris Wheel, for taking too long to realize that he loved her.

He cried a lot for what he did to her after he kissed her for the first time, and the fight that transpired after that. That was time he could have spent with her, something he would never be able to do again.

And he cried the hardest when he realized that he didn't tell her he loved her. Even when he had the chance to do so today.

All those happy moments with Rosa – the memories did nothing but increase his pain.

N sat beside Hugh, holding the boy as he wept his heart out. When he was finished, N led him out of the now empty frigate. He knew what he had to do next.

He gently picked up the broken boy and placed him on the back of his dragon, before lifting himself up. "I think we should take him to the Lacunosa City Hospital," he said slowly. "He needs – to see her. To let it all out."

The dragon nodded and began to fly.

Three days later, Hugh stood alone before Rosa's grave. The pain still wasn't gone; in fact, it was worse than before. He knew that part of the reason he couldn't let go was because he blamed himself. If only he had followed her out of that room towards that final battle…

He wondered if she would have still been alive had he done things differently. If had accepted her confession on the Plasma Frigate. If he hadn't let her go after kissing her.

Would things have been different if had spent his journey traveling with Rosa instead of focusing on Team Plasma? Surely his life would've been much better if Purrloin hadn't been stolen all those years ago.

But Hugh could feel Rosa shaking her head six feet under. They both knew that if things hadn't turned out the way they had Hugh never would've gone on that journey and he never would've realized how he felt about Rosa. And she never would've known she loved him.

Throughout his journey he had convinced himself that he was traveling for Purrloin. To get stronger and defeat Team Plasma and get Purrloin back and make Hana happy. He thought he wouldn't have anything to gain besides that.

But he knew that his journey had been so much more than that. He had found something that didn't happen very often – love – and he had experienced it. At the moment he was a mix of happy memories and regrets, all rewards of his journey. Finding Purrloin had just been a by-product.

"Hugh?" he heard a small voice say. He turned around to find Hana beside him, her hand on his shoulder. She looked solemn in her black dress and little black bow. His parents were a few feet away, talking to Rosa's mother.

"We have to go." she said softly.

Hugh bowed his head at the gravestone, silently thanking his best friend, rival and beloved for everything. He had so much more to tell her, and this definitely wasn't the last time he would be here.

Goodbye, Rosa, he thought. I'll be back soon. And since I didn't say it before, I'm not going to make the same mistake again. I'm going to keeping telling you every time I come to see you. I love you.

He held Hana's hand and nodded towards their parents. "Let's go."