I tapped the clipboard with the pen I was holding. " Name- Rosa. Date of birth- October 7th. Allergies? Hmmm...." I looked at my poor best friend and tried to input a joke. " The doctor."

Rosa's cheeks turned red. " S... Stop it, Mia!"

I sighed. " Oh Rosa...."

I walked to the receptionist and gave her the clipboard, then walked back to Rosa and sat down.

" R... Remind me why you wanted to come?" Rosa squeaked

I gave her a look. " Because last time you ran away and we received a call from the clinic, me, Misty, Lillie, Erica, Leaf, Blue, Paulo and Red went out searching for you. We didn't find you until one day Red went up to train in the snowy mountains and found you!"

Rosa cringed, hiding her face in her hands. "Don't remind me... I still can't believe I survived that."

I chuckled. "Survived? Rosa, you lived in the snow with a pack of wild Swinub for three weeks! You're practically a legend now. Red said even he was impressed, and that's saying something."

She peeked at me through her fingers, her cheeks still burning. "I didn't exactly have a choice, Mia. The snowstorm trapped me, and I panicked, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," I waved my hand dismissively. "But come on, you could've at least sent us a signal or something. Blue nearly lost his mind thinking you'd been abducted by Team Rocket."

"Wait, Blue was worried?" Rosa blinked in surprise.

"Of course he was! He paced so much that Misty said we should tie weights to his shoes and generate electricity from his nervous energy." I grinned. "You missed out on some quality chaos, Rosa."

She groaned. "Great. My humiliation just keeps getting better."

The receptionist called Rosa's name, snapping us out of the conversation. "Miss Rosa, the doctor will see you now."

Rosa stiffened. "Nope. I'm good. Let's go home."

I grabbed her arm before she could bolt. "Not happening, Rosa. You're getting that check-up even if I have to carry you in there myself."

"You wouldn't."

I stood up, cracking my knuckles. "Oh, I would. Ask Red if you don't believe me."

Rosa sighed in defeat, slumping in her chair. "Fine, but you have to come with me."

"Obviously," I said, tugging her toward the door. "I'm your best friend. And if the doctor tries anything funny, I'll yeet him out the window."

Rosa let out a weak laugh. "Thanks, Mia. You're insane, but you're my kind of insane."

"Always," I winked. "Now let's get this over with before Blue starts pacing again."

Rosa clung to me like her life depended on it as we made our way down the hallway toward the dreaded scale. I honestly didn’t mind at first—she was my best friend, and I knew she was nervous. But when we reached the scale and she wouldn't budge, I realized this was going to be a challenge.

"Okay, Rosa, time to hop on the scale," I said, nudging her gently.

She shook her head, her grip on my arm tightening. "Nope. Not happening."

I sighed. "Come on, Rosa. It's just a scale. It's not going to bite you."

"It might!" she whispered dramatically.

I blinked. "You need to get out more."

The nurse gave us a patient smile. "Miss Rosa, it’ll only take a second."

Rosa glared at the nurse like she'd just suggested skydiving without a parachute. "Mia, please don't let her make me do this."

I sighed again. "Rosa, you're being ridiculous." I tried to pry her off me, but her grip was iron-tight. "Fine, if you won't do it, I will."

With that, I grabbed her by the shoulders and physically turned her toward the scale. She squeaked in protest, but I held firm.

"Step up," I ordered.

Her feet remained planted on the floor. "I can’t!"

"Yes, you can," I said through gritted teeth. "One foot in front of the other. Like this." I demonstrated, stepping onto the scale myself.

Rosa shook her head, eyes wide. "Nope, nope, nope—"

"Rosa," I interrupted, "if you don't do this, I'm going to call Blue, and you know he'll show up just to tease you about this forever."

Her eyes widened in horror. "You wouldn't!"

"Oh, I would." I smirked. "Now, do us both a favor and get on the scale before I have to carry you onto it."

Reluctantly, Rosa let out a dramatic sigh and stepped onto the scale, clinging to me like I was her last lifeline.

"There, see?" I said. "Not so bad."

Rosa muttered under her breath, "I'm never forgiving you for this."

The nurse chuckled. "You two are quite the team."

"Yeah," I said, grinning. "She's the drama, and I'm the muscle."

Rosa shot me a glare, but I just laughed.

The doctor entered the room, clipboard in hand, giving us a friendly smile. "Hello, Rosa. Ready for your checkup?"

I glanced to my side. "Rosa? Uh... Rosa?"

Silence.

My eyes darted around the room, and my stomach dropped. "Oh, Arceus," I muttered. "She escaped."

The doctor's smile faltered. "Escaped?"

I groaned and pulled out my phone. "You'd be surprised how often this happens."

The first person I called was Lillie.

She picked up immediately. "Hey, Mia. What's up?"

"Rosa escaped the doctor's office again," I said in a rush.

There was a long pause. "Again?"

"Yup." I sighed. "Can you help me find her? Bring Misty if you can."

A second later, I heard Misty's voice on the line. "WHAT?! How does someone even escape a doctor's appointment? Isn't that, like, illegal?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Misty, it's Rosa. Rules don't apply to her when she's scared of doctors."

"Fair point," Misty muttered. "We'll meet you there. Don't move."

I hung up and turned to the doctor, who looked thoroughly confused. "Sorry about this," I said. "We'll find her. Probably."

An hour later, we were all gathered outside the clinic, searching every possible hiding spot. Misty was pacing, clearly frustrated. "She's not in the mountains this time, right?" she asked sarcastically.

"Nope," Lillie said, checking her phone. "I already called Red to make sure. No sightings up there."

"Great," Misty groaned. "So she's just... gone?"

I rubbed my temples. "This is getting ridiculous."

Just then, Lillie's phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen and frowned. "It's from Leaf. She says Rosa's not at the Pokémon Center either."

"She's really committed to this escape," Misty muttered. "Maybe she joined Team Rocket to avoid her checkup."

I shot her a look. "Not helping."

"Look," Lillie said, "we're going to find her. We always do."

I nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Rosa might be a pro at disappearing, but we're better at finding her."

Misty smirked. "Time to track down our runaway drama queen."

Desperate, I dialed Blue’s number. The call connected, and he picked up on the third ring. "Yo, kid. What's up?"

"Blue, have you seen Rosa?" I asked urgently. "You know, the girl with the twin buns?"

He sounded confused. "The one who freaks out at doctors?"

"Yeah, that one," I groaned.

Blue's voice echoed faintly, likely from his gym. "Nah, I haven’t seen her. Why? Did she vanish again?"

Misty, who was leaning against a tree, muttered, "Obviously."

"Yup," I confirmed. "She bolted from the doctor's office, and now we can't find her anywhere."

There was a pause. "You're telling me Rosa managed to Houdini her way out of a clinic?"

"Exactly."

Blue whistled. "Impressive. I mean, she could probably qualify for a ninja squad at this point."

I rubbed my forehead. "Blue, focus. If you see her, please call me."

"Will do, but hey, maybe she's hiding in plain sight. Check some places you wouldn't expect."

I sighed. "Thanks, Blue. We'll keep searching."

"Good luck. And if you find her, tell her I'm impressed. In a weird way."

I hung up and looked at Lillie and Misty. "No luck. Blue hasn’t seen her."

Misty crossed her arms. "Great. So where does a doctor-escaping ninja with twin buns hide?"

"Somewhere we least expect," I muttered. "Guess we're checking every corner of this town."

"Lead the way," Lillie said determinedly. "Rosa can't outrun all of us forever."

That night, we all gathered by the fountain in the town square. The cool night breeze swept through, and the faint glow of streetlights illuminated our exhausted faces. I slumped down on a bench, dark circles under my eyes and my hair messier than Pikachu after a thunderstorm.

Misty sat beside me, her eyes narrowing in concern. "Mia, are you okay?"

I blinked at her slowly. "Yeah. Just stressed. Very, very, very stressed."

"Gee, I couldn't tell," Paulo quipped, biting into a snack bar.

Lillie sat on the edge of the fountain, her hands clasped together. "Any leads?"

I shook my head. "Nope. We've checked every hiding spot from the forest to the shopping district. Not a trace of Rosa."

Misty sighed. "Do you think she left town?"

"Rosa doesn't even know how to leave town without getting lost," I muttered.

Leaf crossed her arms. "You look like you haven't slept in years. Maybe you should take a break, Mia."

I shook my head stubbornly. "No way. Not until we find her. She's probably cold, scared, and regretting every life choice that brought her to the clinic."

"Sounds accurate," Blue said, strolling up with his hands in his pockets. "Checked the rooftops. No Rosa."

"Why would she be on the rooftops?" Misty asked incredulously.

Blue shrugged. "Hey, it's Rosa. At this point, anything's possible."

Red gave me a concerned glance and handed me a water bottle. "… … …"

I took it gratefully. "Thanks, Red."

Pikachu climbed onto my lap, nuzzling my arm. I sighed, petting her absentmindedly. "We'll find her. We just have to keep looking."

Lillie stood up. "Then let's make a plan for tomorrow. We can't give up."

Misty nodded. "Agreed. But Mia, you are getting some sleep tonight, whether you like it or not."

"Good luck with that," Blue muttered. "This girl's stubborn."

"Very stubborn," Paulo added with a grin.

I crossed my arms defiantly. "Stressed and stubborn. Great combination."

Misty glared at me. "Sleep. Or I'll tie you to that bench."

I sighed in defeat. "Fine, but only if we start looking early tomorrow."

Lillie smiled. "Deal. We'll find her, Mia. Together."

The streets were eerily quiet at three in the morning. The faint glow of the moon barely lit the cobblestone paths as Pikachu and Eevee padded alongside me. I scanned every alley, every shadowy corner, desperate to find Rosa. My heart was heavy with worry, and the biting chill of the night didn’t help.

"Anything?" I whispered to Eevee.

She flicked her ears and shook her head. "Vee..."

Pikachu sniffed the air and sighed. "Pika..."

I ran a hand through my hair in frustration. "Nothing. Where could she have gone?"

Suddenly, a voice cut through the stillness. "Kid, what are you doing outside in the middle of the night?"

I froze and turned to see Blue standing a few feet away, arms crossed and looking unimpressed. His usual cocky smirk was nowhere to be seen—he just looked tired and concerned.

"Blue?" I whispered, blinking.

He sighed, stepping closer. "Seriously, Mia? It's freezing out here. What are you thinking?"

"I'm looking for Rosa," I said stubbornly. "I couldn't just sit around and do nothing."

Blue raised an eyebrow. "At three in the morning?"

"I don't care what time it is. She's out there somewhere, and I'm not stopping until I find her."

Blue pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're gonna run yourself into the ground, you know that?"

"I'll sleep when I find her," I snapped.

He groaned. "Arceus, you're as stubborn as ever."

Pikachu nodded in agreement. "Pika-pika."

Blue knelt down, scratching behind Eevee's ears. "Even your Pokémon look exhausted. Come on, kid, let's go back to the Pokémon Center."

"No," I said firmly. "You can go back if you want, but I'm not giving up."

Blue stood up and gave me a long, hard look. "Fine. But I'm not letting you wander around alone. If you're this determined to be reckless, I'll be reckless with you."

I blinked in surprise. "Wait, seriously?"

"Yeah, seriously," he muttered. "Someone's gotta keep you from getting into more trouble."

I smiled faintly. "Thanks, Blue."

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled. "But if we don't find her by sunrise, you're going back. Got it?"

"Got it."

And with that, we set off into the darkness, our Pokémon by our sides, determined to bring Rosa home.

The first light of dawn crept over the horizon, painting the sky in hues of pink and gold. Blue let out a long sigh, ruffling his hair as we stood by the edge of the forest.

"Alright, Mia. Sunrise," he said, his voice firm but laced with concern. "We had a deal. Time to head back."

I shook my head, exhaustion weighing down my every movement. "No way. I can't give up, Blue. Rosa's still out here."

Blue frowned, crossing his arms. "Kid, you've been out here all night. You're running on fumes."

"I don't care," I muttered, my voice hoarse. "I'm not going back until I find her."

Pikachu, sitting on my shoulder, yawned but nodded in solidarity. "Pika..."

Blue clenched his jaw, clearly frustrated. "Mia, listen to me—"

"I'm staying," I cut him off, my eyes burning with determination. "You go back if you want, but I'm not leaving."

He stared at me for a long moment, his expression torn between exasperation and admiration. Finally, he sighed and shook his head. "You're impossible."

"Thanks," I muttered, taking it as a compliment.

Blue rubbed the back of his neck. "Fine. But if you're not back by noon, I'm coming to drag your stubborn self back to the Pokémon Center."

"Sure," I said, already turning to continue my search.

As Blue walked away, I heard him mutter under his breath, "Crazy kid..."

Pikachu nudged my cheek. "Pika-pi?"

"I'm fine," I whispered. "We'll find her, Pikachu. I know we will."

The forest was eerily quiet as I pressed on, my heart heavy with worry but fueled by determination. The morning light cast long shadows through the trees, but I kept my eyes focused, refusing to give up. Rosa was out there somewhere—I just had to find her.