I did not plan for this one to be so long, nor could I find a good stopping point. I mean, it feels much longer to me since I pay attention to this stuff... The NPCs just would not stop talking. Dear god.
So... enjoy?
Image by - Tokkotea on Deviantart
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"Rosa?" A fist lightly rapped on the oddly tall, golden, door to the princess's bedroom. Before she could call out again, the girl on the other side of the door answered.
"Is that you, Hilda? Come on in!" Rosa twirled around to face the other brunette, her sky blue dress following her movement. "Isn't this dress just the cutest?"
Hilda placed her hands on her hips and took in her cousin's appearance. "It's kinda nice, but, anyway, that's not what I came to tell you." She looked down at herself with slight disgust at her own dress, which was green, definitely not her favorite color to wear. Rosa forced her to wear it because the other girl knew it would piss her off.
"Oh, then tell me." The seamstress, who was actually a Leavanny wearing glasses, held out another dress for the princess to try on, the girl swooning at how pretty it was.
"Your prince is here. Better not keep 'im waiting." The older brunette winked, watching in amusement as Rosa frantically checked herself in the mirror.
"He's here! He's here!" She squeaked and dashed out of the room, narrowly missing a Pikachu flying in the air with balloons attached to it, before moving down a slide that replaced the stairs. Hilda followed her cousin, but at a slower pace. Many pokémon inhabited the main room, freely entering and leaving the castle as they pleased. Rosa spotted the boy she was looking for. "My prince!"
Her prince was none other than Hugh, the spikey-haired rival. Similar to that of his signature jacket, he wore a red and white suit; it was fancy and practically screamed royalty. He feasted his crimson eyes on his brunette beauty. "Princess donut-head." He acknowledged her with that smirk that Rosa adored. She always pretended to hate his nickname for her, when in fact she loved it.
Bianca showed up out of nowhere, sprinting after the flying Pikachu. "Is no one going to acknowledge the fact that this Pikachu is from that other book?!" Hilda stepped back as to not get collided into. Other than that, these random occurrences went unnoticed.
"Hugh..." Rosa's eyes sparkled and she approached him. "Why have you come here? Not that I don't want you here!"
The boy chuckled before suddenly dipping her in the most smoothest manner one could possibly muster. "I have come to propose!" Hilda and Rosa gasped.
"B- But we've only been courting for a week!"
"I want everyone to know that you're officially mine, and only mine!"
The girl's eyes couldn't get any more wider. "Well, damn - let's do it!"
As soon as they blinked, their surroundings changed to a balcony; although it was a tad small for a wedding, it had a wonderful view. Hilda, Bianca, and Rosa's mom dabbed a tissue to their eyes as the trio cried hysterically. "What a beautiful wedding!" You could vaguely make out Cheren's voice down the hall adding, "said the bridesmaid to the waiter!" Of course, he didn't get to sing the rest. Lily eagerly hopped in place right next to the alter, being a bridesmaid along with Yomo and Bianca - Hilda being the maid of honor.
Hugh allowed Rosa to get back on her feet before they stared lovingly into each other's eyes. Their clothes had changed to a suit and tie and a wedding dress respectively. As soon as the wedding theme died down, everyone looked expectantly to the marriage officiant.
Shifting around on the six-foot tall chair, Rina looked up from the huge book in her hands and cleared her throat. 'We are gathered here today to witness the union of Prince Hugh and Princess Rosa in holy macaroni!' She continued with "blah blah blah" then slammed her book shut. 'You may now nuzzle your mate!'
Unsurprisingly, the two weren't going to do that. They leaned in for a kiss, then, suddenly, the ground started to shake violently. Everyone was nearly thrown off their feet.
"What's going on?!" Rosa, snapped out of the moment, glanced around while holding on to Hugh's hand. Their surroundings grew cold and everything started to become encased in ice, turning a dull gray-ish color. "Guys?!" She looked to the side to find that her friends were as frozen as everything else, even Hugh. The brunette yanked her hand out of his, wincing at the sight of his hand shattering, before bringing her attention forward.
A dragon climbed its way up the castle and onto the balcony, causing it to groan under the weight. Rosa choked on a gasp when the frozen figure of Rina broke during the dragon's movements. Finally acknowledging the human, it towered over her, lowering its head to peer into her soul with bright, yellow eyes.
Rosa sat up in bed quicker than one could say "what". Her breathing was heavy as her lungs demanded large quantities of air, and the girl's long brown hair stuck to her face due to the fear sweat. "What... in the world?" She uttered, finally calming down. How did a silly dream turn into THAT?
The brunette sat quietly for a minute or two with her face in her hands. She still had this knot in her stomach because of this dream, and it didn't help that she could still see the dragon's eyes – which were etched into her mind. With a sigh, Rosa checked the time, seeing that she had an hour before the time she originally planned to wake up at. 'I'll just take this time to do my hair.' She smiled over at her pokémon, who were asleep at the foot of the bed, then carefully got off to head toward the bathroom.
Aside from Hugh and everyone else, seeing Hilda trapped in ice really didn't sit well with Rosa, but she was unsure as to why. She opted to focus on how warm and happy she had felt with her cousin showing up in her dream, having never dreamt of her before, whilst going about the beginning of the day. She was glad to have at least gotten to see Hilda again, even if it was only in a dream.
Rina stared at Jano and Yomo with admiration on their way to the front desk of the Pokémon Center. 'I can't wait to evolve too!'
"Then you'll be twice the trouble..." Rosa muttered, rubbing the leftover sleep from her eyes. She made an attempt to get the nightmare out of her mind but to no avail. Hopefully it didn't hinder her battle against the gym leader.
Nurse Joy beamed at the girl when she arrived. "Ah, there you are! Growlithe is feeling much better now!"
Rosa brightened up - now the nightmare was out of her mind. "Really?! May I see him?!" Her pokémon were patiently, yet eagerly, awaiting to meet the other one.
As if summoned, Audino wheeled out the gurney carrying Growlithe. "But he's still sad. No amount of food or toys seem to cheer him up..." Nurse Joy regarded the pokémon with sympathy.
"Well... come on, Shisa." The Growlithe tilted his head upon hearing the name. "Let's go find your mom! I don't care how long it takes until then!" Shisa stared into the human's blue eyes, that seemed to hold many emotions, before finally shaking his head. "Huh?" Rosa frowned.
Rina leaped up onto the gurney, but nearly fell off; she had to kick out her back legs to propel herself upward. The Growlithe scooted away from her with a hint of caution. 'You don't wanna find your mama?!' Jano and Yomo moved closer to the pokémon but made no move to join the two up there.
Their trainer watched them, knowing that her team would tell her what was on Shisa's mind. Jano looked up at her. 'He does not wish to speak to us, my lady.'
"Did he say that?"
'No.' Yomo fiddled with her wool. "He didn't really say anything...'
Rosa looked away with a sigh. Shisa blinked, glancing up at her, before mumbling something that only Rina could catch, being the closest one to him. 'Ah? Looks like our pal Shisa wants to come with us.' The fire-type lightly glared at her for voicing it so loudly.
"Is that true?" Receiving a nod, Rosa smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "I would love for you to come with me... but are you really sure?" She understood that the pup wouldn't be able to live in the wild without his mother, seeing as he had gotten poisoned not too long ago and then developed a sickness. Shisa, although sad, still wagged his tail to signal another yes. "Well, alright." The brunette enlarged a poké ball and tapped it to his head, the Growlithe being sucked inside. The ball shook three times until it gave a ding. Smiling, Rosa sent him out into the open again. "Welcome to the team!"
Although he was still cautious with the other pokémon, he allowed them to greet him – displaying a hint of antisocial behavior. Rosa hadn't noticed that Nurse Joy left until the woman returned with a bag of pokémon food. "Even though your Growlithe looks better, he may need a bit of more medicine and another day of rest before you begin training him. This pokémon food was made with his medicine, so be sure to feed this to him when he gets hungry."
Rosa nodded and accepted the bag, storing it in her bag. "Seriously, thank you for everything!"
"I'm just doing what I enjoy." The nurse waved her off with a pleasant grin.
The brunette turned to her team. "Alright, guys, it's time to challenge the Virbank City gym!" She watched their eyes light up, excluding Shisa. "There's this small building just up ahead by the complex - I think that's it." With that, the foursome exited the Pokémon Center to follow the path toward the Virbank Complex, this time taking a left.
Once they arrived to the building, Shisa scrunched up his nose and hesitated on going in there. Yomo nodded in agreement. 'It smells awful in there! I think some of the trainers have a Koffing, if this is a poison-type gym.'
Rosa sniffed the air and picked up the faint odor. "Maybe it would be best for you guys to be in your poké balls." With their ok, she returned them before heading inside, finding sets of stairs leading her down. Aside from the stench in the air, loud music was coming from beyond the door at the far end of the hall. Rosa braced herself and entered the room.
She was quick to spot Roxie on the stage skillfully strumming her guitar. By her expression, it wasn't hard to tell that she was letting off some steam through her music, likely due to that argument with her father. Roxie met the other girl's gaze and shot a smirk her way, inviting her to approach the band for a battle.
Rosa took a moment to gather her thoughts. She inhaled and exhaled deep breaths. Her nightmare attempted to sneak out from the vault she had locked it inside, but Rosa would not allow it to distract her from this battle. Her hand snatched up Jano's device before she finally approached the stage.
Switching out Yomo, as she was extremely tired, Rina took the Flaaffy's place and finished off Roxie's Whirlipede. Rosa was glad she wouldn't have to look at the thing again.
The gym leader, having been strumming her air guitar every now and then, finally stopped, her eyes wide in disbelief. She returned her fainted pokémon and allowed the guitar to hang around her shoulders by its strap as she clutched at her hair once again. "What are you doing losing, Roxie?!" A heavy sigh slipped from her lips.
Rosa knelt down to pet Rina on her head. "You did amazing!" Before the Riolu could respond, she froze and a familiar bright light enveloped her, filling her with that uncomfortable but normal sensation. Rosa watched in awe as her pokémon grew taller and she stood back up.
Rina, now a Lucario, clenched her fists and flashed a toothy grin at her trainer. 'About time!' Rosa giggled, bringing her into a hug.
"Well..." Roxie smiled over at them. "I guess that you winning means that you're strong. This stinks, but I gave it everything I had, and," she breathed in deeply, "I feel revitalized and refreshed now! Here – proof that you beat me!" Rosa clumsily moved to catch the Toxic Badge tossed her way, observing it in her hands with a smile.
"Thank you." She was glad the other girl was feeling better. After placing this badge in the case, next to the Basic Badge, Rosa made her way down the steps, only to be stopped by a man running up to her.
"That was impressive! I felt like you were something special during your battle with Roxie!"
"O- Oh?"
"Please, come with me to the Pokéstar Studios!" He ran off before Rosa had the chance to follow. She exchanged a look with Rina who, as always, found these moments amusing.
"You're going to Pokéstar Studios?!" Roxie suddenly jumped down from the stage to land in front of her, startling her. The gym leader huffed. "The old man! I forgot! I have to get him back to work as captain."
"Before you run off—" And girl did just that. "Never mind..." The brunette left the gym and stopped by the Pokémon Center to heal her team, then moved on to the studios. She did know where it was, but it would have been nice to walk and talk with a fellow human again while on the way there. 'Looks like pokémon are all I need.' She giggled to herself.
After exiting the terminal between the city and studio, Rosa noticed the man from a while ago talking to an older man. She heard their conversation as she approached. "That kid sounds promising..."
"Indeed. She should be here any moment." He glanced in her direction twice, double-taking, before grinning widely. "There she is! Welcome," cue dramatic pause, "to Pokéstar Studios! We've been waiting for you!" He gestured to the elderly man next to him. "This is our boss, Mr. Stu Deeoh."
Rosa's eyebrows shot up. "What?"
'Stu Deeoh?' Rina blinked. 'Stu... Deeoh... stu... dio... studio... studio!' She seemed like she accomplished something and patted herself on the back, earning a snort from Rosa.
Stu grabbed the brunette's hand and frantically shook it (she thought her hand would break off any second). "Bonsoir! Hello! I'm Stu Deeoh! Charmed, I'm sure! You must be Rosa. We were just talking about you!" He spoke with a twinge of an accent that she couldn't make out.
"Y- Yeah." He was pretty friendly - well, REALLY friendly.
"I'd like to explain Pokéstar Studios, but I need a little time to prepare." He released her hand and sighed lightly. "I'm so sorry, dahling, could you wait an eensy moment?"
The other man spoke up. "In the meantime, I'll show you around the studios."
"Oh, that would be marvelous! Movies! They're amazing!" Stu's eyes lit up. "Pokéstar Studios inspires and moves people all over the world! You can make sure this girl experiences its many charms!"
Rosa looked out toward the building ahead with slight curiosity. "That's my boss for you." She turned her attention back to the younger man, finding that Stu left. "Well then, come with me!" This time he didn't run off without her, which the girl was grateful for. He went on to explain what the studios were for and what they did as the two walked around the area. He led her to the theater, moving through the reception area.
"Oh, if it isn't the scout himself!" Rosa looked to where the voice had come from and saw the sailor from yesterday – Roxie's father. He smiled brightly at the man beside her. "Thanks to you, I've made my movie debut!"
"Glad to hear that!"
"And who would this be?" The sailor directed his kind smile to Rosa, making her return one of her own.
"I'm Rosa, and this is Rina." The Lucario simply waved while looking around the large theater in awe.
"I witnessed this trainer challenging your daughter." The yellow-haired man beside Rosa explained, catching the sailor's attention. "It struck me – here's someone with real potential! A fresh discovery for Pokéstar Studios!"
'Wait... what?' The girl was taken aback. What did he mean by that?
"You beat Roxie, I see." Roxie's father tapped a finger to his chin as he observed Rosa. "You must be a pretty good trainer. Oh, you know what? They're releasing my movie now! Are you thinking about making a Pokéstar Studios debut, too?" So, that wasn't her assumption after all. "I do insist you watch my movie in order to gain acting tips from a professional such as myself."
"That's a good idea!" Yellow-head [I don't know what to call him] perked up and turned to Rosa with a wide grin that was starting to make her uncomfortable. They were nice people and all, but their excitement was too much to handle. "It should be a good introduction to filmmaking for you!"
"B- But–"
Roxie's father gestured toward the very back of the room. "Follow me!" With a sigh, Rosa did just that.
They checked in with the reception desk to choose which film to watch, the sailor choosing his own. "Oh, um, are pokémon allowed inside?" Rosa asked the lady, to which she responded with an "of course." Rina eagerly followed her trainer and the sailor, her steps quicker than their own.
The trio quietly exited the theater room with blank expressions, excluding Rina (who actually enjoyed the film). Rosa had to force herself from cringing at how awful it was. She didn't know what to say to Roxie's father. Good thing Yellow-head showed up with that usual smile of his. "I hope you had a good time! How was it?" When he received no answer, his smile faded. "What's the matter?"
The sailor turned his back to them, then laughed dryly. "I've always dreamed of making my debut on the silver screen... now I've fulfilled that dream..."
Rosa tilted her head. "What are you saying?"
"Different people have different talents. I knew it all along. I see my daughter striving to balance the responsibility of being a gym leader while pursuing her own dream of being in a band. Although I'm a father, I really wanted to pursue my own long-held dream..." He sighed, facing them. "If you stop pursuing your dreams, your life might as well be over, right?" Rosa exchanged a glance with yellow-head. "Well... I'm going back to my duties as a ship captain for now." The sailor finally smiled. There was a happy air to him again. "Someday, I'll return to the screen! Until that day comes, I'll leave all the starring roles to you!" He flashed a grin toward Rosa, who seemed to freeze in a goofy manner. They really weren't listening to her. She did not want to do any of this! Just the thought of acting, and being recorded, filled her with anxiety.
"We had better get going. Mr. Deeoh should be ready by now." Rosa had no choice but to follow him again, internally complaining along the way out of the theater building and toward the filming studio. Rina seemed to love every second of this day.
"Well now, thanks for coming!" Stu frantically shook the brunette's hand again, much to her dismay, before introducing himself once again. "So, Rosa, dahling, I brought you here because I have a very important request of you! I'll bet you've figured it out already!"
"Unfortunately..." She said under her breath.
"I want you to be in our movie!" It was expected, but it still made her twitch. "The scout said you were absolutely, positively oozing with star potential!" Ok, so, maybe Rosa was liking this so far. Those compliments were giving her a big head right about now. "And when I saw you, your potential stuck me like a lighting bolt!"
"Yessir, boss!" Yellow-head piped up. "There's no doubt in my mind that this trainer will become a top star of Pokéstar Studios' silver screen!"
"I know! Isn't it fabulous?!" The older man exclaimed. You could feel the unnerving excitement in the air. Rosa could barely get a word in with these two practically bouncing off the walls. She was starting to feel pressured into doing this, but she would hate to disappoint them. She had to suck it up. "I am sure you'll be a big star, dahling!" As if sensing her hesitance, Stu offered an assuring and expectant smile. "So I beg of you! Be in a movie! I- I've even called on an amazing, outstanding costar for you!" He turned around to face the door in the very back of the room. "Brycen! Would you join us?"
A man with blue hair exited the room. He had this calm aura to him that really calmed Rosa's nerves. "I'm Brycen..." He nodded to the girl. "Pleased to meet you..."
"A- Ah, I'm Rosa - nice to meet you too." She adjusted the strap of her bag in a slightly nervous manner. She hadn't noticed that Rina ran off a while ago.
Stu clapped Brycen on the back with a grin. "Brycen is Pokéstar Studios' pride and joy – our marquee star! I've prepared a positively perfect script for a big, veteran star like him and a fresh, new talent like you!"
Taking a moment to get herself together, Rosa managed a nod. "Alright. I'll do this."
Brycen's eyebrows twitched, likely planning to come together, as he observed Rosa once again. "Those eyes..." Yes, that determination, along with the blue eyes and brown hair, was vaguely familiar - but why? "I... look forward to acting with you..." With that, he returned to the room in the back to get ready.
"Cool as ever!" Stu's sudden exclamation caused Rosa to jump in fright. "So that's the situation! Don't be afraid of making mistakes."
The trainer managed a smile. She could do this. Not too long after, Rosa donned an outfit similar to something a superhero would wear. She checked herself in the mirror, fiddling with her cape. "I can't believe I'm doing this..." She all but whimpered.
"Let's start shooting, Rosa!"
Rosa yelped and quickly went over her lines once again. 'Good thing this is a short movie...' She sighed, looking over to the single poké ball on her vanity. Rina returned a while back, explaining that she wanted to explore the building, and wasn't too thrilled to find that Rosa would be using a rental pokémon – a Riolu (who was actually quite vain behind cameras). Sighing once again, the brunette grabbed the ball and made her way toward the green screens, nodding toward Brycen. He wore the same outfit from the sailor's film.
"Aaaaand," the director spoke up, "we're rolling!"
Steadying her shaking legs as best as she could, Rosa sent out Riolu while Brycen sent out a Pawniard. She had the first move, as the script said. "Riolu, force palm!" Riolu bounded toward the other pokémon and placed his paw over it, a blast of energy shot out and knocked it out.
Brycen returned his fallen Pokémon. "A single hit to KO my pokémon..." He hissed. It surprised Rosa how in-character he was. "You're pretty good, Riolu Girl! Despite that, however..." His next pokémon was a Vullaby, a perfect fit for an evil character. "You will get down on your knees before me when I end you with my dark, secret arts! Prepare to be finished!"
Rosa narrowed her eyes, remembering her line, and stood straight. "Bring it on!"
"Well said! My dark, secret arts enter! Take them and be gone!" Vullaby chirped on cue and awaited a command. "Use faint!" The bird jumped at Riolu but didn't attack straight away; instead, she pointed at the ceiling. Riolu fell for it and followed her line of sight, only to feel something slam into him and send him tumbling backwards.
Rosa regarded the rental pokémon with worry before issuing a super effective command. "Alright, Riolu, ice punch!" The fighting-type's fist turned an icy-blue color and he charged at his target with swift movements. Vullaby was made to dodge, only for the Riolu's other fist to glow and make contact with her face. Like that, the battle scene ended and Rosa grinned victoriously.
"Fine work, everyone!" The director clapped. "Filming's done!"
Releasing the breath she did not know she was holding, the trainer made her way back to yellow-head and Stu. Their eyes were alight with joy. "Great! Good work!" The older man clapped Rosa on the back, her nearly falling forward. "That was stirring acting. I can't wait to see the finished film. Your movie will be finished in an instant and released on the silver screen!"
"Wow..." Rosa's brows shot up. "That was quick." It was to be expected for a short film though, she remembered.
"Now, go change, dahling." Stu shooed her away. "Then we'll be off to the theater." But yellow-head showed up to tell him he had a thing to do, to which he apologized and said he must leave, but he told her to go see her debut whenever she could.
Rina came out of nowhere and hugged her trainer tightly. 'That was awesome!'
"I admit it was, but I don't think I want to do this again. I was this close," she held her index fingers one inch apart from each other, "to fainting!"
'But at least you did it!' The Lucario crossed her arms. 'Now you have another memory.'
'Why, hello there~' A shiver ran down Rina's body as she refused to acknowledge the Riolu standing by the door.
Rosa wondered why her pokémon suddenly started acting weird until she spotted the pokémon she had used during the shoot. "Oh, hey, Riolu." She went unnoticed as the smaller dog sent a flirtatious wink toward Rina, then the human caught on.
'Let's get out of here!' Rosa yelped as she was shoved out of the building. As soon as they were standing in the very center of the Pokéstar Studios, her pokémon relaxed. 'That thing wouldn't leave me alone!'
"Now, that's mean." The brunette scolded, earning a careless shrug. "Anyway, let's go see how my debut went." Rina happily agreed and followed her trainer back toward the theater.
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Jano | M | Servine | Lvl. 20
Rina | F | Lucario | Lvl. 18
Yōmō | F | Flaaffy | Lvl. 19
Shisa | M | Growlithe | Lvl. 5