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 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.

After what seemed like hours, Hugh realized that he couldn't keep crying for his sister's Pokémon. Sure, Hana was probably waiting for Purrloin to come home, not Liepard. But he knew that this was the same Pokémon she had lost all those years ago. If it loved her then, it would learn to love her again.

He approached the Cruel Pokémon slowly.

"Come on," he whispered, beckoning to the Pokémon. "Come here, Liepard. Come to Papa."

Liepard raised an eyebrow at him, unimpressed. It leapt out of the chair nimbly and glared at him.

"Yes," he whispered. "That's it, Liepard. You remember me, don't you? It's me, Hugh. I helped catch you six years ago. You remember Hana, right? That little girl who loves you so much? She's waiting for you to come back."

For a moment, it looked like Liepard had recognized him. It stared at him quietly, like it was remembering. But then it simply jumped back on the chair.

The Poké Ball that the Shadow Triad man had released Liepard from was lying open on the table. Liepard jumped on the table, bopped its nose against the Poké Ball and detained itself back inside.

Hugh sighed. Clearly, taming Liepard was going to take a lot of work. But he was going to do it. For Hana. He hadn't come so far just to give up this easily.

He pocketed the Poké Ball and collected his things. Time to see if Rosa has saved the world yet.

The inner cave of the Giant Chasm was smaller than he thought it would be. It wasn't hard to find, either – for some reason the ice around it had melted, and the entrance was easy to see. There was also a lot of commotion coming from the cave.

Hugh raced inside to find the cave very, very crowded. None of the people seemed to be Team Plasma members, though. It looked more like the media had caught wind of the happenings in the Giant Chasm and had rushed here as soon as they could. Even Cheren and Bianca were here, whispering amongst themselves. That could only mean one thing:

Rosa had saved Unova.

Hugh's heart swelled with pride. This was so Rosa – excelling at everything she did. Already famous, she had added another feather in her cap by being Unova's second hero – the first, of course, being the trainer that defeated Team Plasma two years ago. This was so her.

He made his way straight towards Cheren and Bianca, who greeted him. When he was closer, he realized why the place was so crowded. Pokémon Idol Nancy was here, and so was her entire crew. And right in the middle was Rosa. She looked tired, but happy, like she'd just finished running a marathon. She was beaming at the crowd.

Hugh grinned automatically. She hadn't seen him yet, she was too busy being interviewed by Nancy, but he felt like her smile was just for him.

He wondered if she could feel his presence there.

"Hey," he whispered to Cheren and Bianca. "What happened here?"

Cheren snorted. "You mean you haven't heard yet? Well, after Rosa battled the Shadow Triad, she got here and found Ghetsis. He tried to use Kyurem to kill her, but N – you know him right? The former king of Team Plasma? – he saved her. Then Ghetsis fused Kyurem and N's dragon together, but Rosa defeated it and managed to separate them. And then she beat Ghetsis."

"Wow," whispered Hugh. "Wow. Rosa…did all that? By herself? She's…she's…"

"Amaz-ing!" squealed Bianca. "And she's getting interviewed now. By Pokémon Idol Nancy! Nancy's so awesome! Do you think she'd give me an autograph?"

Both Hugh and Cheren ignored her.

"And now that you've defeated Team Plasma," said Nancy, in her upbeat voice, "and become a major movie star and managed your own business and won all eight badges, I have to ask: what's next?"

"Well," said Rosa, biting her lip in fake modesty. "I'm planning to take on the Pokémon League challenge next! I know it's going to be tough, but I think I can do it!"

"That's great!" Nancy clapped her hands eagerly. "I don't doubt it! If anyone could, it's you. You are Unova's new hero, after all. So, Rosa, for all our male watchers out there, tell us: are you single? Or is there a man in your life we don't know about yet?" Nancy waggled her finger teasingly.

Hugh felt like he had stopped breathing.

"Um," Rosa turned scarlet. "No, not really. I don't have the time for that kind of stuff."

He just blinked in shocked, wondering whether he had heard right. He didn't realize that he was still holding his breath.

Nancy pouted. "Oh, come on! I'm sure there's someone you like! Come on, don't be shy!"

Surely she didn't mean that. Rosa hadn't stopped loving him. It wasn't possible. He had seen it in her eyes, back in Undella Town. Hell, she had even told him herself that she did. She loved him. She was lying. She had to be lying!

Rosa forced a laugh. "There really isn't. Honestly, I think I'm better off being alone. Nobody's worth it."

At that moment, Hugh's whole world came crashing down.

He had built himself up for this moment. For months, he had prepared himself for the time he confessed to Rosa. He had even come to this cave to do just that.

Only to learn that he apparently wasn't worth it.

He didn't want to think. He didn't want to analyze why she said it. He didn't care about anything.

At that moment, all he cared about was how hurt he felt.

"Well," Nancy grinned at the camera. "You heard it here first, folks. Unova's new hero is not just a strong Pokémon trainer, but she's also a movie star and businesswoman who'd rather put her career before love. Isn't that right, Rosa?"

"Um," Rosa looked flustered. "Not really. I just don't think I want to date anyone right now. I mean, my Pokémon and I have worked really hard to get here. I don't want to stop now, you know?"

Her eyes began to shine. His dimmed down.

"I'm going to make my way through Victory Road now." Rosa's voice was filled with determination. "And then I'm going to beat the Elite Four and Champion. I owe it to my Pokémon to get there. Nothing – and no one – is going to slow me down."

The ambition in her speech was hard to ignore. He turned around.

"Hugh?" came Bianca's voice. She sounded worried. "Hugh, what happened? Are you okay?"

He didn't reply. He just walked away, drowning out the sound of Rosa talking about her dreams, none of which included him.