For the second time today, I was seated in an isolated cafe booth across from a friend that I had left behind.

"Yes, so about those kids," Cheren explained, "that's what I instructed them to do in case a suspicious person in a black outfit came into the gym."

"That's oddly specific," I commented. "What's wrong with black?"

Cheren crossed his arms. "Not too long ago, Team Plasma came back."

"Huh?" I narrowed my eyes. "You're joking, aren't you?"

Cheren shook his head. "No, but don't fret. The crisis was averted a few weeks ago. Despite that, some grunts have managed to miss the memo."

I cursed under my breath. "I thought I put an end to them... some 'Hero of Truth' I turned out to be. But wait, does that mean N was..?"

Cheren held up a hand. "Let me explain; this time, it was all Ghetsis. They completely gutted the 'pokemon liberation' facade. They also lost their old uniforms and changed the color to black."

"Ah... so that's why those kids tried to jump me," I grumbled, followed by a sighed. "But... I still can't help but feel responsible."

"It was never your duty to disband a terrorist organization," assured Cheren. "They didn't even make any moves until recently, so no one anticipated this."

I laid an elbow on the table and rested my head. "Yeah, sure..." I muttered. "But on a side note, who took'em down? You?"

Cheren rubbed the bridge of his nose. "As a gym leader, I couldn't leave often. After all, I had challengers coming in from around the region and had to protect the city in the case of an emergency." He looked up. "Now I regret blaming the gym leaders for not taking down Team Plasma back then... But a new trainer took them down this time, with her friend too."

"Oh, really? Maybe I can spar with her later. What's her name?"

"Rosa," answered Cheren. "Actually, she's the new champion."

It clicked. 'The girl with N...'

Cheren noticed that I had spaced out. "Do you know her?"

"Oh, uh... I just think I've seen her around," I replied with a wave.

"Ah, I see." Cheren paused for a second to stir his drink that apparently came without me noticing. "Interesting bit; the last time I spoke with her, she had the Dark Stone."

I felt a pit in my stomach. "What?"

"Yes, I was shocked too," claimed Cheren, "more so when she told me N gave it to her."

I sat back. "Why would he do that..?"

"Apparently, N didn't feel worthy of Zekrom and thought she was," he explained. "I don't know if Zekrom woke up for her, however; I'll probably ask about it."

I nodded. 'I see... if N feels that way, maybe he does need some help after all.'

"But enough about that; I still have a lot of questions for you."

After explaining why I left, I made Cheren swear to secrecy that he wouldn't tell anyone that I had returned; even Bianca. I wanted to confirm to myself that Rosa really had the Dark Stone before I was ready to take the heat about my disappearance act from everyone else.

My plan was to stalk around the Ferris Wheel prior to N and Rosa's apparently weekly meetups. It was simple; I intervene Rosa before she makes it to N and ask if it's true. Of course, I coild just ask N himself, but I didn't want to risk him finding out who I was. I had already made my decision on the matter and I was going to stand by it. This meant laying low until Friday.

I couldn't go home yet, as Mom would surely call every one, be that Professor Juniper and Bianca. I wouldn't have minded camping out again, but Cheren insisted that I crashed at his gym.

My little side mission would probably be easier to pull off by asking, say... Alder, but I wanted to actually see the stone for myself. There was also the fact that the potential region-wide hype of me returning could interfere with my plans, as I would be presented with a busy schedule from my friends and "collegues" to apolgise for leaving them standing. That, and I was getting a kick out of wearing this cloak, even if it did cause me a minor injury.

To kill time, I had went to Opelucid City, hoping to walk through Route 10 again. Some of my fondest memories came from there; the angst of getting to the champion before N, the feeling of the sun setting on on my skin, the sky turning orange...

But no. It was closed for construction.

So after nearly wrestling some construction workers to get past the barricades, I decided to find another way into the Pokemon League. I didn't know where that was either, so I settled for flying to the Pokemon League itself and then backtracking to Victory Road.

I was expecting to see the same old mountain maze, but apparently, that was what caused the landslide that killed Route 10, so in a huff, I explored the new Victory Road.

Another thing I didn't expect to see was that a good portion of it was created out of the underground ruins of N's Castle. Admittedly, it was a fitting and creative idea, but I was surprised that the League would be that gutsy to actually use it, or even have the idea to use it.

There were trainers there like always, and I did make eye contact with them, but luckily my attire made all of them too wary to approach me for a battle.

I was left to explore the castle ruins to my heart's content. I searched for what was there and what wasn't. The place, even in ruins, still felt grand.

'The place looks like it's been down here for ages,' I thought while experimentally running a finger over the wall. 'These walls used to be such a vibrant color, but all of the paint has eroded off.' I observed my finger, now caked with dirt and dust. Memories of running through these halls with walls that looked like the night sky resurfaced. I noticed something from the corner of my eye and turned my head.

There was a girl who looked a bit shocked, but then quickly turned around and started to power walk away. It wasn't too dark down here, but I couldn't see her too clearly. I noticed that she seemed caught off guard.

'Was she just watching me?' I turned my body in her direction. 'Better make sure she's not reporting a suspicious figure,' I thought jocosely. "Wait."

The girl halted and reluctantly turned around. "I was just passing through, haha..." she claimed awkwardly. "Are you lost? I was wondering because you're, um..." She hid her hands behind her back in embarrassment. If it hadn't been obvious before, it was clear now that she was watching me. Then I recognized her giant hairstyle.

"... By any chance, are you the champion?"

"O-Oh, yeah, I am!" she claimed, scratching the back of her head. She smiled. "How'd you know?"

"Your hair," I pointed out.

"Haha, right..." She petted one of her hair buns and walked over. "I'm Rosa. Nice to meet you!" She held out a hand.

I shook it. "Hi-ello..." 'I'll introduce myself formally after I get some answers.' I cleared my throat. "So, what're you doing in Victory Road?"

"A friend and I sometimes meet up here for a battle," she explained. "Are you on your way to challenge the Pokemon League? If you are... then good luck!"

I shook my head. "No," I answered, "I tried my luck at the League before."

She cocked her head to the side. "Oh? Then what are you doing in Victory Road?"

"It's different from when I last came here. Apparently, Team Plasma's old castle makes up Victory Road now, so I've been exploring," I explained. "I'm not lost, just curious." I paused. "Actually... I had been meaning to ask you a question."

"Really?" she looked puzzled. "What?"

"This could be a mere rumor, but do you have the Dark Stone?" I asked.

Rosa had evidently not been expecting that question. "Oh... so people know?" she asked shyly. "I guess that's okay, but I didn't want to attract too much attention."

I shook my head. "No, I simply heard it from a friend of mine. Mind me asking, but how did you come by obtaining it?"

"Well, I'm sure that you've noticed Team Plasma's revival in the past few weeks," she began, "but they're no longer a threat."

"By you, right?"

She turned her cheek and scratched the back of her head. "Yeah, but I wasn't alone; I got so much help, and one of those people was named N."

'So N actually had a hand in Team Plasma's downfall?' I nodded, urging her to continue on.

"Oh, you must know of him then," she observed. "Did you know that he had Zekrom? It isn't really a secret, but it's not like it was really advertised." After a pause, she continued on. "After Team Plasma was defeated and I beat the Pokemon League, N battled me and then gave me Zekrom, who turned into the Dark Stone."

"I don't understand why though..." I murmured to myself. 'N had a clear bond with Zekrom... and I doubt that he'd hand over a legendary pokemon without a good reason.' I quickly realized that what I had said aloud might have been seen as an insult. "N-Not that you're undeserving, but why would he give up Zekrom?"

Rosa didn't look offended. "I don't know myself," she admitted. "When I asked, he had said that he didn't see a need to confine Zekrom anymore. Apparently, he had no more ideals to pursue and that he was ready to let go of his past entirely, except for a few words meant for a friend of his. He said that I had acted like an ideal Hero that wouldn't waste Zekrom's talents."

"So Zekrom reawakened for you?"

She nodded. "I don't know what ideal I have, now that I've accomplished all of my goals, but maybe that's the point..? Oh, sorry! I've rambled on, hehe..." she apologized.

I shook my head. "Not at all," I assured her. "So N... does he seem alright? You did say that he let go of his past and ditched his ideals."

"Yes, he did, but not in a bitter way," she explained. "He decided to let go of his mistakes, and even some of the nice people he's met in order to justify his right to keep going on. Apparently, he doesn't want to bother them anymore. I don't really get it, but he seems confident in this ideal." Rosa paused. "He said that after realizing that his first ideal was made of ignorance, he'd stop his own hand from obtaining a new one, but it looks like he just a new one by the sound of it," she said to herself with a smile.

'N's happy, Zekrom wasn't given out on a whim... I guess I'm done then,' I decided. 'But just for fun...' "Hey, Rosa... would you like to battle?"

"A battle? With you?" she repeated. She scratched the back of her head again. "You see, I would have accepted, if I wasn't about to head into a battle now, eheheh..." she apologized

I held up a hand to assure her that nothing was wrong. "No, I'm sorry for asking; you told me that earlier and I had forgotten."

Something occurred to her. "Actually, the friend I'm meeting up with is none other than N! Since you're so interested in him, maybe you would like to watch our battle?" she offered.

'N's here somewhere?' I looked around. 'Well... I probably should have seen that coming. It is his castle.' I shook my head. "I wouldn't want to intrude, but the offer is well appreciated." 'I'll leave N to pursue his own ideals.' I turned to take my leave. "Thank you for answering my questions."

"Yes, of course! Oh, wait! I didn't get your name," she realized.

I turned back and smiled. "It's..." I paused. 'Rosa's meeting up with N, and the last thing I want to do is have her reveal that she met a girl named Hilda down here...' "Bianca."

"Well, Bianca, maybe we can battle some other time if you're up for it," she suggested. "Do you have an Xtransceiver?"

"Oh, um..." I dug through my satchel and took it out.

Rosa took it from me and started typing away. "Feel free to call me anytime! You seem like an interesting person... you remind me a lot of someone," she said, trailing off to herself. She handed me back my Xtransceiver.

I nodded. "Will do." I started walking away.

"Oh! And... I'm sorry for staring at you earlier," she threw out. "It was dark, and although Team Plasma's not really active anymore-"

"-My attire made you think that I was a grunt?" I finished for her. I chuckled. "There's no need to worry, you wouldn't be the first; I'm just glad that you didn't jump to a conclusion and kick me in the knee."

End

Well... not much to say about this story. If you've been following me for a while and don't read my profile, a Hidden in the Crypts rewrite is in the works, and I hope to get it out within a week. Oh, and LadyMeiLian, hopefullu this convinced you to not want to kill Rosa XD (But if it didn't, I don't have any plans to have her show up in person after this =P)

Laura : Thanks for dropping a review. You're not alone on choosing Cheren though. Some other guy said that he/she was undecided. I think people pair her with n because they like N better. I actually didn't even realize the usual love triangle outcome until you pointed it out. Cheren never gets with Hilda while N is there, lol.

Mayshen : Well, what if I said that Hilbert's going to show up and make this a love square? Well, it's not going to happen, so I have no idea why I asked that. Thanks for following, favoriting, and beware the killer toddlers.