Been stuck on this chapter for a while, wondering how I was going to write it. I guess it's adequate?
After taking some time away from roleplay (which feels more like a chore nowadays...) I managed to get shit done.
At the time of this chapter's publishing, I've likely prewritten a couple more already ;)
Image by – Anime
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The temperature outside remained unchanged no matter how much time passed. The sun beamed down in an attempt to provide warmth to every living being, but failed to do so.
Once Rosa exited the building, she found Hugh waiting for her, a hand on his hip and a smile upon his face. "I know that look." He approached her excitedly. "You won?"
The girl returned the smile, nodding more than once, and brought out her badge case to show him. "Yup!" Her laugh cut off as she was pulled in for a tight hug. Although she relaxed into the touch, her eyes were still wide in surprise.
"Congrats! You're ready to take on the League!" The realization made her giddy. The Elite Four were going to be tough, that's for sure, but she felt more than ready. "But..." Hugh sighed and released her, a conflicting expression crossing his features. "But dealing with Team Plasma comes first."
"Oh, right..." She hissed under her breath. Team Plasma just spoil everything.
"What's this about Team Plasma?" The duo jumped in surprise and found Marlon standing there. "Ah, sorry, bros!"
Getting over the fright, Hugh furrowed his brows. "They're a bunch of thieves going around and snatching up people's pokémon like my sister's Purrloin! They plan on conquering Unova by using pokémon to freeze it solid. They're disgusting." He hissed, seemingly not done talking bad about them, but managed to bite his tongue.
"Haven't you heard of them?" The brunette trainer tore her gaze away from her friend to look over at the gym leader. Judging by his wide eyes after the explanation, it was obvious he had no clue about the organization.
"Nope! When the ocean's your home, you don't worry about things like that, 'cause the ocean accepts all rivers!" Rosa and Hugh raised a brow at that, not really catching on. "So you think Team Plasma's bad, then?" Such a question nearly made Hugh burst out laughing, so Rosa answered for him.
"Um, yes."
"I get it. They're bad, so you fight 'em. But, first, you gotta say that in your own words. When you do, you'll understand better what you want to do and what you're hopin' for." The trainers still couldn't grasp what he was trying to say. "Well then..." Marlon looked out toward the ocean before making his leave without much else to say.
"Man," Hugh exhaled, "I don't know if that guy is laid back or just irresponsible. Anyway, we have to focus and find out where Team Plasma's hiding. What do you suggest we do first?"
His friend pulled her jacket closer. "Let's split up." As much as she would rather stick by his side, they'd cover more ground this way. "I'll check Route 22 and you stick around here, maybe head down south as well." She then remembered someone. "Say, where's Nate gone off to? We could use his help. Also, you both disappeared on me a while ago, so I'm a little mad." She managed a small glare.
The blunet scrunched up his nose. "Well, for your information, YOU disappeared on US. We wanted to stop by the Pokémon Center for a moment, and we turned around to tell you, but you weren't there. What caught the attention of that little mind of yours?" Rosa tisked when he flicked her forehead, puffing out her cheeks. They were probably in the right since she did have a slight tendency to get distracted.
"And where's Nate now?"
"Dunno." Hugh shrugged. "I guess he went off to search for Team Plasma anyway. He's a trouper."
Rosa rolled her eyes and pushed his shoulder. "We should head off. If you find anything suspicious, call me." Earning a nod, she and her dear friend parted ways for now – not before stopping by the Pokémon Center. Jano needed to be healed up.
With how peaceful the walk through route 22 was, one would easily forget that Unova was in grave danger.
Sighing lightly, Rosa allowed her mind to trail off from reality, thinking way back on what's happened thus far. Hard to believe she started her journey nearly two weeks ago. It made her crave for those times before she found out about Team Plasma. As if sensing her mood, she felt the poké balls at her waist shake, her team attempting to comfort her. "I'm the luckiest person ever to have you guys with me." Rosa couldn't hold back a smile of happiness, not aware of another trainer looking at her oddly as she passed by. Who was she talking to?
Suddenly, a loud cry was heard from up ahead. Not long after that, there was a comical bang. Rosa, out of curiosity, hurried her pace, but remained careful crossing the balance beams that were for some reason around the area.
She slowed down and surveyed the land, seeing nothing but trees, grass, and hills. "What–" Her eyes then landed on two figures nearby, though she couldn't make them out very well – her sight wasn't perfect. One of them was on the ground, which sparked her worry as she approached them. What she saw... wasn't what she had expected.
"Nate?!" Once recognizing the other brown-haired trainer, Rosa immediately fell to the ground next to him. His eyes were swirling in a dizzy manner and his bushy mane of hair, if possible, was even messier – windswept, even. "Nate? Are you alright?" She received a groan in reply.
"Oh, you should have seen him." Her head snapped up to find a person she hadn't seen since Driftveil. "It was quite amusing."
"Did you..." Rosa hovered protectively over Nate, narrowing her eyes on Colress. "What did you do to him?" She demanded.
The man raised his hands up. "I did nothing. This boy had merely upset a young girl's Bouffalant and took a head charge." The brunette's eyes widened and she looked down at her friend once more, then she noticed a quick ball near him. She reached over to pick it up. "And yet, I've never witnessed someone as lucky as him."
Rosa raised a brow at that, wondering if he meant that surviving the attack and fall was lucky, until the quick ball, along with her own luxury and ultra ones, quivered energetically in sync. "Oh... don't tell me..."
"I am as surprised you are."
"Nate!" She groaned and smacked his head, ultimately waking him. The boy sat up quickly and looked around in confusion.
"What happened?!"
"You caught Terrakion, is what happened! I work my butt off fighting Cobalion and Virizion, who were challenging, might I add," Nate stared at her with rounded eyes of confusion, "but you come along, unconscious, and catch Terrakion with NO PROBLEM!" Rosa proceeded to smack his back repeatedly, making him whine in protest.
"Stahhhp!!" Something about this exchange felt strangely familiar.
Colress blinked, having no clue what to say, until he cleared his throat to gain their attention. "It seems to me that Terrakion's been waiting in this exact spot for someone, who I can safely assume is you." He looked to Rosa. "You have its comrades, after all. That aside, are you planning to confront Team Plasma?"
She knitted her brows together. He always brought up Team Plasma, and it roused her suspicions. "You just say the strangest things. Of course I'm planning to confront them!" Rosa scrunched up her nose and watched something flicker in his eyes.
"I see. If that's the case, you must have the power to protect your own pokémon. Being protected by them alone doesn't make you a trainer." Those wonderful words don't feel right coming out of his mouth, as the dude was pretty weird.
Who was Colress anyway? To her, it seemed that he had some sort of affiliation with Team Plasma. Then again, when he brought them up on route 4, he didn't sound too fond of them. 'But he was talking about the old Team Plasma. The one that wanted to free pokémon from people.' She'd nearly forgotten that the reborn organization was set on taking over the world. 'I think I'm getting a headache from all this thinking...'
"Wow, man! You're so smart!" Nate's comment snapped Rosa out of her thoughts and she found him staring at Colress with sparkling eyes. The man was flattered, to say the least.
"Why, thank you." He then outstretched his hand over to Rosa, having clutched something throughout their whole exchange. "I've nearly forgotten! This right here is a prototype of my device that energizes pokémon." The brunette hesitantly accepted it, wondering if it was going to shock her. Hugh once offered her some gum and, well, she never got it, and she developed short-term trust issues. "Now, it won't work during battles, but you may find it useful. Well then, it was pleasant seeing you again, Rosa. I wish you and your pokémon a safe journey."
Colress really was something. She had no clue whether to trust him or not, especially when they have such a decent conversation with each other. He's even gone and given her a gift. "Thank you, Colress." She cracked a smile. "It was nice seeing you again."
"Come to think of it." He drew her attention once again as he was walking away. "In the Seaside Cave, there is something that reminded me of our encounter on route 4."
Rosa angled her head to the side, while Nate glanced from one person to the other. "So... uh... Who was that??"
"Just some guy." Rosa shrugged before glaring once more at her friend. "Ok, back to the incident." She earned a groan. "Do you even know about the sacred trio??"
He raised a brow. "Did you just make that word up?"
"Y- Yes, but don't change the subject!" She had realized that Cobalt and Viri both knew sacred sword and figured that Terrakion knew it as well, which was why she dubbed them "the sacred trio." Nate looked to the quick ball in her hands.
"I actually do. I'm not dumb, Rosa." He rolled his eyes, much to the girl's surprise. His mannerisms reminded her of Hilda. "The trio protected pokémon during the war long ago. With Team Plasma causing problems now, it's not a surprise to find those three roaming around."
He left her speechless for a moment, as she wasn't familiar with this side of him. "O- Oh, uh, yeah!" She finally stood from the ground after her rear started to ache. "Are you hurt?"
Nate examined himself, stretching every which way and wincing. "A little sore." He looked up to find her hand near his face and accepted it, pulling himself to his feet.
"If someone was hit by a Bouffalant, I would think they'd be in a hospital right now." Rosa snorted, shaking her head.
"Guess I really am lucky." He flashed his trademark grin before snatching up his quick ball from her hand. "Let's let 'em out! I bet they wanna see each other!" Agreeing, Rosa took out her capture devices containing Cobalt and Viri and released them into the open.
The Virizion smelled the fresh air, having missed freedom, and she looked over at Cobalion. What was he thinking? It was his idea to allow Rosa to catch them, but he had yet to explain the reason. Maybe he saw something in the young human that she and Terrakion couldn't...
Speaking of Terrakion, Nate sent him out to join the others, and he wore an irritated but also ashamed expression. Viri couldn't help taking advantage of the situation to tease him. 'What happened, my dear friend?' She cracked the smallest of smiles.
'It was out of nowhere!' Rosa listened to them, taken aback by the bulkier pokémon's gruff-sounding voice. 'I was right here, minding my own business and waiting for her.' He looked at the brunette, then at Nate. 'And he fell out of the sky! The next thing I know, I'm trapped in a poké ball!'
Nate puffed out his cheeks. "Oh, come on! Is it really that disappointing to be caught by me??" He didn't even question the fact that he could hear them speaking.
Rosa frowned. "No, it's just..." She tried to cheer him up but failed horribly to think of what to say.
With a sigh, Nate held out the quick ball. "Here... I mean, he was expecting you anyway..." He was surprised to find her pushing it back toward him.
"How about we just stick together?" She suggested with a smile, glancing to the sacred trio. "Then we won't have to separate them."
This was enough to change Nate's mood and he excitedly nodded. "Sounds good! So, I'm thinking we call him Terra." The pokémon of mention tisked, but didn't seem all that objecting.
Cobalt cracked a smile for a moment. 'Alright. Listen up.' He gained all their attention. 'I believe that, now with my allies gathered, I should explain why I allowed a human to capture me.' Rosa was surprised to hear him speaking in longer sentences.
'Please do.' Terra huffed, casting a not-so-fond glance at Rosa and Nate.
The Cobalion stared at the brunette. 'This girl has the same potential as the one from a couple years ago. She will soon face not only Team Plasma's leader, but the danger lurking in that cave ahead.' He craned his head behind him, where a mountainside lay.
Viri's jaw fell agape. 'The one from years ago?' She poked her face forward that Rosa had to step back. 'Ah, she does look like her, I suppose.'
'What does this have to do with us?' The Terrakion impatiently questioned, his ally turning to face him, but Viri was the one to answer, finally understanding.
'Keldeo.' She uttered, raising her head away from Rosa.
"Keldeo?" Nate raised a brow, unfamiliar with the word.
'A young pokémon separated from his parents during the war.' Cobalt explained, his eyes darkened from the memories. 'We took him in and trained him to become a protector like us. The first occurrence of a severe temperature drop is when we began scouring Unova, but Keldeo never returned...' He narrowed his eyes. 'Which leads us to believe that Team Plasma has captured our comrade.'
Rosa resisted the urge to laugh. "If he's anything like you three, I highly doubt Team Plasma could've captured him!" The trio seemed to be approving of her words. "But why am I in this?" She glanced from one legendary to the other, and even Cobalt's companions looked over at him, wondering the same thing.
'We all have the same goal. So, you help us, and we help you.' Rosa stared into those serious, caramel-colored eyes. She still couldn't understand why he wanted to join up specifically with someone like her. As if sensing her confusion, Cobalt continued. 'I've been keeping an eye on you even before you first encountered me outside of Driftveil. You have potential to fight alongside us.'
"Oh..." Rosa couldn't imagine it. Everything she'd went through on her journey thus far, Cobalt was there. It made her feel embarrassed.
Nate had been quietly listening with wide eyes. It didn't really take much to impress him. "Then, that means I'm helping too?" He asked, hopeful. As Terra was technically his pokémon, he was in this somehow.
Viri shifted her shoulders in a shrugging manner, turning her face into the path of wind and flinching away from the cold – which had come from the direction of the mountains. 'I don't see anything wrong with another hand. That human with the durin berry hair may be reckless, but I believe he will also be of assistance.' Rosa snickered, exchanging an amused glance with her friend.
"Well, what're we waiting for?" She grinned before taking out her map to check the surrounding area. Her expression faltered, realizing that the cave ahead was the giant chasm, where a monster was rumored to be. "U- Uh, that danger you mentioned," she gulped, "I- Is it the monster from that old lady's story, back in Lacunosa Town?" The brunette was directing the question toward Cobalt since he was with her during that time.
He simply nodded while Terra huffed. 'Don't tell me you're backing out on us now, after Cobalion's given you his trust!'
She quickly shook her head. "N- No! It's not like that!" Clamping the map shut, she stuffed it into her back and threw on her jacket. If they were entering the giant chasm, they needed to be prepared. "I may be afraid but that doesn't mean I'm going to give up. I've come this far." The girl looked over to find Nate putting on another jacket over his signature short-sleeved one.
"I'm not afraid at all!" He beamed, much to her surprise.
Viri openly smiled and nudged Cobalt's shoulder. 'You have chosen well.' Although he kept up his tough exterior, Terra couldn't agree more, and the leader of their trio gave an approving nod.
With that, the three creatures were returned to their respective poké balls and Rosa and Nate continued on through route 22. It wasn't long until they caught sight of the yawning mouth of the chasm, which they carefully scaled down.
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