Image by - Reuska on Tumblr
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Once the light faded from Komori's form, Rosa hugged him, petting the fluff around his neck. "Wasn't that a wonderful training session?" He nodded his agreement before yawning, attempting to climb atop her head. "You're too big now!!" She squeaked and pushed at him. With a shrug, the Swoobat closed his eyes. It hadn't even been a minute and he was already asleep. "You'll never change." Rosa smiled in amusement, returning him so he could rest. The jingle of a bell caught her attention and she looked down at Manami, the Eevee rolling around on the ground. "I'm, uh, starting to think you like being dirty..."
"Vee!"
"That's enough of that." Rosa scooped her up, receiving no protest, before carrying her the rest of the way, crossing Driftveil City's bridge – which was also called the Charizard Bridge, as one boy told her. Occasional shadows of bird pokémon passed by, dropping pretty feathers along their way. Manami couldn't help batting at the ones that fell over them. A single snowflake landed on her nose, eliciting a giggle. Rosa looked up at the darkened sky, more flakes beginning to fall. "Even that won't make me put on a jacket."
The duo reached the end of the bridge, only to cross a shorter one. The brunette looked down at the smiling Eevee in her arms since she seemed to be enjoying the sights around them. 'Maybe she's only used to a city like Nimbasa.' "C'mon!" Rosa snapped her head up in surprise at the sudden voice. She put up her guard as she saw a Plasma grunt talking to... another one? Their clothing was way different. "Let's have fun stealing pokémon together, like we did before." The man patted the other one on his back, who then stepped away with a deep frown.
"I can't." His friend narrowed his eyes. "I've learned the hard way that stealing from others is wrong..."
"Oh, come on! It's too late to start acting all goody-two-shoes now!" Obviously angered, he shoved the other man. "People don't understand our just cause! Don't they call you a villain who was plotting world domination? Even though you quit Team Plasma, people are still really cold to you, right? So, you might as well just come steal pokémon with us and take over the world."
Rosa exchanged a glance with Manami. "I'm not really following his logic..."
"Those people will be groveling at your feet and saying how great you are!"
The other grunt stared at him before shaking his head once again. "I can't." He declined more sternly. "My lord N would be sad. I can't do that to him..."
The black-clothed grunt scoffed. "N! Team Plasma's king..." He begin to snicker, causing the other man to glare. "What a joke! He's nothing more than a traitor! He disappeared and abandoned us when we needed him!"
Rosa found that she much preferred the ex-Plasma grunt over this douche. Her feet moved on their own. She, for some reason, wanted to provide her assistance. She thought it was her imagination when she heard Hugh's voice, but out of nowhere, the boy showed up and delivered a punch to the Plasma grunt's face. Rosa was shocked. Sure, the man's a prick, but you do not go around punching people, especially not in the face. "Start talking, you bastard!"
"Oww!" The grunt yelped, placing a hand over his cheek. He directed a weak glare at Hugh. "You're gonna pay for that, you little sh–" He stopped himself, reluctantly. "I'll get you next time!" With that, he ran off toward Driftveil.
"You're not getting away!" Rosa attempted to grab Hugh but he sped off as well.
"Damn it!" She trailed a hand down her face, Manami giggling at the display. The ex-Plasma grunt poked his fingers together before slowly approaching her. Remembering his presence, Rosa offered a smile. "Hi! Are you alright?"
"Ah, yes." He glanced to where the man had run off to, glaring for a moment. "We were friends back then."
"If you don't mind me asking, seeing as you were in Team Plasma, what happened?" The brunette had been waiting to find out. She just saw two grunts arguing - both on different sides, from what she could tell.
"Two years ago, Team Plasma split into a group that follows Lord N, who just wants to save pokémon, and a group that follows Ghetsis, who plans to take over the world." He explained the gist of it. Rosa had listened in awe, since it sounded like a plot from a book.
"Wow..."
"You can hear the rest of the story in our home." She was taken aback by his friendly smile. This dude was from Team Plasma. Had she just stepped into an alternate universe?
Not at all skeptical, she agreed to stop by the ex-Plasma group's house, then the man left. After all, Manami seemed to be ok with his presence (she was actually a good judge of character), and Rosa really wanted to hear more of that story.
Sometime later, Rosa was given a Shell Bell from an elderly man since she was doing so well on her pokédex progress. Manami's eyes widened more than anyone thought possible and she tried to make a grab for the item. "C- Calm down!" Her trainer couldn't hold her still with all her wiggling. "Hold up a second!" With a sigh, Rosa took off the Eevee's Soothe Bell before replacing that bell with the other one. "This one is supposed to heal you a little during a battle." She smiled at the softer chime it possessed while she tied the strap around Manami's neck.
"Vee~!" Glad that the fox creature was satisfied, Rosa carried on with exploring the city. She paid a visit to the marketplace to see what they had, and what do you know, a woman in the same outfit as the ex-Plasma grunt was there selling essences. As the "newer" grunt had mentioned, people were indeed sending wary looks toward the ex-grunt. The woman likely wasn't having luck selling anything, so Rosa decided to buy a couple of the essences from her.
Once she exited the market, she glanced up to find a house on the hill up ahead. She remembered the dude saying that their house was on a hill. "Let's stop by for a visit, shall we?" Manami gave a nod.
Rosa followed the path, being led toward the steps, before she made her way up. It seemed colder here, but she refused to put on her jacket. "Sir, that's the girl I was talking about!" Said girl noticed the ex-Plasma grunt from before with an older man. He eagerly approached her to give her a light push toward the man. Rosa relaxed, seeing as Manami wasn't acting up around them.
"So, you're interested in Team Plasma, are you?"
The brunette slowly nodded. "Uh, yeah."
The younger man returned to the elder's side. "If you hear what we have to say, you might be able to understand us." He gestured for Rosa to follow them inside, but the older man raised a hand to stop them.
"My friend," he referred to the girl, "wait a moment. I would like to see what kind of person you are,
with a pokémon battle. Do you find this acceptable?"
Rosa glanced down at Manami. "Yes." She answered.
"Where are my manners." He shook his head at himself, sending out a Herdier. "I am called Rood."
The grunt piped up. "I'm Levin!"
"Rosa." The brunette smiled before debating on which of her pokémon should fight. She was hesitant on letting Manami go, even as the small creature wiggled around in her arms. "Sorry, Manami, but let's allow Jano to take this one." The Eevee huffed in disappointment. Jano was sent out into the battle, bowing to his opponent.
'En garde!'
Rood ordered a work up and Herdier became cloaked in a red light. Rosa took this chance for an attack. Jano slammed into the dog, but it didn't do much damage. "Leaf tornado!" The Servine jumped into the air, tail glowing and creating a green vortex, before launching it at Herdier - the creature being swept up.
The elder winced at his pokémon getting hurt. "Ride the vortex, then attack the Servine with take down!" Obeying its trainer, Herdier braced itself in the tornado until it was able to find a way out. It immediately launched itself at Jano, injuring both of them in the process. Rosa ordered one last move, a mega drain, then Herdier fell unconscious while its opponent gained some health. "You did wonderful out there. Get some rest, my friend." Rood returned his fallen pokémon before sending out a Swoobat.
"Jano, come on back." Receiving a nod, she switched her starter for Yomo.
'Freedom~!' The Flaaffy giggled until she noticed how cold it was up here and hugged herself. 'B- Burrr!'
"A good battle'll warm you up." Rosa assured, ignoring the chilly breeze that swept by.
"Attract!" Before Yomo could respond to her trainer, she fell victim to the love spell of her Swoobat opponent.
'Sweet Arceus, he's soooo cute~!' Her eyes were a pair of hearts now as she teetered around the field. Manami blinked, finding the display odd and not understanding what was happening, while Rosa bit her lip. She gave a command, but Yomo replied with, 'Sorryyy, no can doooo~!'
"Oh, come on!" Swoobat's nose started to glow then a heart-shaped stamp was shot at the Flaaffy, causing her to grunt from the contact and fall back. "Come on, Yomo, you can hear me! Please, an electro ball would be useful right about now!" Truly hearing her trainer's voice, the sheep became cloaked with yellow electricity. She molded the power into a ball before launching it toward Swoobat, the creature being zapped. "Hurry, tackle!" Yomo slammed her head against its abdomen and the bat fell to the floor, cushioning her fall.
'Wha...?' She blinked once the attract wore off, looking down at the fallen pokémon. 'What just... happened?'
Rosa beckoned her over. "Don't worry about it!"
'That just makes me want to worry.' Yomo explained as she joined her trainer's side, accepting a warm hug.
Rood comforted his injured pokémon before returning it. "I apologize for testing you." He heaved himself up from the ground. "Being former members of Team Plasma, we must deal with a lot–"
"He got away!" Rosa jolted at Hugh's sudden appearance. He stopped at her side to catch his breath, unaware of the two ex-Plasma members right there.
"And who might this be?" Rood looked to Rosa, who grinned.
"A friend of mine!"
"Friend? Then, he may come in as well."
Hugh blinked in confusion as Rosa willingly followed the older man inside the house. Afraid that something would happen to her, he kept close to her, eyeing Levin, who stayed outside. He allowed himself to scan the room, still on guard. "You guys are all Team Plasma too, right?" Why was he even calm at this moment? Was it because of Rosa, who looked pretty relaxed? He knitted his brows together, meeting Rood's gaze. "Tell me, what makes you different from the Team Plasma back there?!"
Rosa sent him a sharp look. "Chill."
The elderly man assured her with a smile. "We are former members of Team Plasma." He explained. "Because of the incident two years ago, we started taking care of the pokémon that were separated from their trainers, as a way to atone for our misdeeds. My name is Rood, and you are?"
The blunet glanced to Rosa. "I'm Hugh, from Aspertia City..." Even with the explanation, he was still on edge. "Seven years ago, Team Plasma - I mean you - stole my little sister's pokémon. I'm the pathetic trainer who wasn't able to stop you." He snorted, fists clenched. "'Separated?' What a joke! YOU were the thieves who STOLE them!" Hugh glanced to the few pokémon in the room. The ex-grunts paused in what they were doing for a couple of seconds before continuing on with their day. Rosa did wonder if any of them felt guilty; she did believe Hugh was right about the stealing part.
Rood frowned deeply. "Is that so... My sincerest apologies..." He meant it, from what Rosa could tell, but Hugh wasn't having any of it.
"Just an apology? That's it?!" The brunette stepped between her friend and the old man to avoid any more people getting punched today. Although, he wouldn't hit an old man... right? "Where is she?! WHERE IS PURRLOIN?!"
"Please, Hugh." Rosa attempted to calm him, seeing as he was frightening the pokémon in the room, especially Manami. The Eevee escaped from her trainer's arms to hide behind Rood. She bumped into something as furry as her, then turned around to meet a Zorua.
"The pokémon you speak of..." Rood began, keeping his composure despite being yelled at, but this situation wasn't a surprise. "She is not in this place. I imagine she is still being used by Team Plasma now. Just as you say, our apologizing doesn't solve anything, but you can't move forward unless you admit you were wrong and apologize..."
"En- Enough already!" Hugh's voice wavered, looking over Rosa's head at the ex-sage. "That won't bring back Lily's pokémon." When nothing else was said, he cast the girl in front of him a blank expression. Rosa tried to read his mind, but sadly, that wasn't a thing she was able to do. "I'm going to the gym..." With that, he turned around.
'I hope he's not upset with me...' The short teen watched him leave, vaguely hearing Manami play around with her new friend, her bell jingling with every movement. "Team Plasma made trainers like him suffer..." Rood's expression broke her heart as well and she took note of the gloomy aura in the room, likely from the others. They did feel remorse after all. "I feel terrible about it, how foolish we were..." Rosa faced him again.
"It's a shame we can't change the past." She sighed, now seeing whom her Eevee was playing with. She's never seen a creature like that before. It was fox-like too, almost a darker version of an Eevee.
"Ah, Rosa, I have a favor to ask of you." Rood changed the subject as he remembered the Zorua.
"What is it?" She regarded him with curiosity.
"Could you please look after this pokémon - Zorua?" The two foxes quit playing upon hearing those words, with Zorua giving a bark.
Rosa was taken aback but agreed to look after him. "Uh, sure. I don't mind!" She offered him a smile, to which the pokémon scrunched up his nose and turned his head away. "Oh..."
"That Zorua is one of the pokémon that my lord N relied on as a friend during his journey." Rood explained. "Be on your best behavior, Zorua." He lightly scolded the fox's rudeness, the pokémon proceeding to glare at the ground.
"Eevee!" Manami frowned at his attitude and whipped around to return to Rosa's side. This confused Zorua, but he decided to follow her.
Rosa wondered how she would juggle seven pokémon. The Zorua's expression read, "catch me, I dare you," so that was out of the question. "So, tell me about lord N." She was curious since they spoke so fondly of the man.
"Ah, my lord is a wonderful person who has the power to understand the hearts of pokémon." Rood smiled, and Rosa found herself remembering something Colress said, even if it was worded differently. "But still," she snapped out of it to listen on, "he has much to learn about understanding the hearts of people. I hope he will develop this skill while he travels with the legendary pokémon to atone for the trouble he caused in Unova as the king of Team Plasma."
"By any chance..." The brunette picked up the two foxes, placing Zorua on her head while she carried Manami. It wasn't like she was going to carry them both, since she needed one free arm. "Would you guys happen to know what happened to Hilda White?"
"Hilda White?" Rood brought a hand to his bearded chin as he contemplated. "That name rings a bell." Manami giggled and tapped her Shell Bell, eliciting a soft chime.
Rosa's eyes sparkled with hope. "She... She became champion sometime after Team Plasma's fall, but she just... up and left one day, without a word..."
Before Rood could reply, a soft voice spoke up. "Did I hear someone mention Hilda?" The first to step into the room was a woman with pink-colored hair, then a woman with blonde hair. "Oh," their eyes had widened for a second, "I thought you were her. You could be mistaken for twins!"
"So you do know Hilda!" Rosa nearly cried right there in front of them all. She rubbed at her eye, playing it off like it was simply an itch. "I suppose we look like sisters, but she's actually my cousin."
The two women and the elderly man were surprised, to say the least. "Please," the blonde gestured to a chair, "have a seat. We have much to talk about."
Rosa obeyed, plopping down on a chair by a long table. Zorua and Manami moved to sit on the table. "How so?" The girl raised a brow. What did they have to do with her cousin?
"Let us introduce ourselves." The blonde smiled kindly. "My name is Concordia."
"I am Anthea, her sister." The pinkette next to her smiled as well. Aside from the shape of their faces, they didn't look related. "We were referred to as goddesses in Team Plasma, and we are lord N's foster sisters."
"I'm Rosa." The younger girl smiled at the duo. "Now, how do you know Hilda?"
"We only spoke to her once, before her battle with lord N. They were quite fond of each other, despite the great responsibilities placed on their shoulders." Anthea explained, watching Rosa's eyes bulge out.
"My heart ached for them. Although they were on opposite sides, they found a friend in each other."
Rosa felt as if her brain would explode. What had Hilda been up to on her journey? "Sorry, but whaaaat...? Why was... what was Hilda's great responsibility anyway??" She worried about annoying them with all these questions, but she had to know. This was her cousin they're talking about.
Rood sat down one seat away from the brunette, exhaling a deep sigh. "That girl was chosen by the legendary pokémon, Reshiram, to be the Hero of Truth. She fought against Team Plasma then, and I suppose she beat Alder and took the title of champion of the Unova region."
"If I recall," Concordia turned to the elderly man, "she worked with that police officer to capture you and the other sages."
"That she did."
"This is a lot to take in!" Rosa clutched her head as she felt an ache coming on. "My head hurts now..."
"Oh, dear." Anthea frowned. "Would you like a cup of tea?"
The trainer politely declined. "No, I should be going. I have my next gym badge to win." Zorua took his spot on her head while Manami was returned into her ball after she nearly fell asleep, likely tired from their previous training session. "And I really, truly, appreciate everything you told me." She smiled at the three of them before bowing gratefully. "I can't help feeling bad that Hilda's journey involved such obstacles, but knowing her, she accepted it because she got to save so many people."
Anthea and Concordia returned the smile. "We loved having you here. Do visit us whenever you have the chance." The blonde said, reaching up to pet Zorua. "Have fun on this trainer's journey. You'll likely have more fun than sitting around here all day."
"Please, don't cause her trouble." Her pink-haired sister narrowed her eyes when the Zorua snickered. He promised not to cause too much trouble.
"Again, thank you." Rosa stood up to stretch. "I promise to visit. See you soon."
Exiting the house, she walked to the overlook to stare out at the view. 'I remember seeing the gym somewhere... Ah!' She could see it from up here, and someone was standing in front of it. "Hugh?" Rosa took a guess - the boy's dark blue hair was unmistakable. He was likely waiting for someone, and she hoped it was for her.
"Well, Zorua." She looked up at him. "Welcome to my family. I hope to get to know you better." He didn't reply. "Aw..." With a sigh, Rosa made her way down the steps.
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Ahhh... I forgot... *pained hiss* in White 2, N has Reshiram, but, in Black (which I had), he has Zekrom :|
Forgive me if I change up some things!! Hell, this is a fanfiction, I can just... do that. Yeah.
I also forgot about Zorua... uhh, I guess he's just there. Not sure what to do with him, but I guess I'll think of something. My ideas just come to me as I go along.