"Do we know each other?" N asked, sweeping the cap off his head to run his long fingers through the strands. They didn't tangle like hers usually did; the teal cords passed like water through his hands to cascade down his back. Rosa stared at the smaller wisps dancing in the breeze near his eyes. Why were they so beautiful?

Gaston grunted and moved his cheek from N's chest to watch her expectantly, snapping her from her daze. "N-no," she said, crossing her arms tightly in front of her. "I'm a friend of Rood's. And Ella's. They mentioned you back when I met Gaston – Zoroark, I mean."

Another angelic smile warmed his face, but this time it was directed at her. "You know my friends?"

A stiff nod.

"And you've been caring for Gaston since my departure. You must be my friend as well! It's Rosa, isn't it?"

"Yeah. How'd you know that?"

"Another friend told me," He grinned and rubbed Gaston's ears, earning another happy grumble from the fox.

Her heart skipped painfully at their familiar exchange, and she had to look away. Rood hadn't specified how long N had been away before she'd met Gaston as a Zorua, but time obviously hadn't blunted their relationship. "That's um . . ." She blinked, trying to clear her thoughts. "Zoroark told you my name?"

"You could say that. But it's Gaston now, isn't it? That's what you call him?"

Her arms tightened. "Yeah. He agreed to the name when we decided to travel together. I uh, give nicknames to all my team members. It helps me feel closer to them." Her eyes flickered back to the cuddling pair, then again to a long tree branch swaying behind them. Did Gaston love her as much as he loved N? She certainly wasn't the perfect trainer, but maybe N was. And there was that time on the Plasma frigate . . .

"I'm sorry," she blurted, "I don't mean to be forward or anything, but you aren't here to take back Gaston, are you?" Natural held more claim on her partner than she did, but the thought of giving Gaston up turned her stomach. What would she do if N took him away? There was nothing she could do if her Pokémon wanted someone else.

To her surprise, N laughed. "Now why would you think that? You've taken such wonderful care of him – he hasn't stopped singing your praises since you ran through those bushes. Though he keeps referring to you by different names, so perhaps he's confused . . ."

Her heart constricted. "You aren't taking him, then?"

"Of course not. I'm not his master anymore; I gave up that title the day I left him with Rood. Trust me, Gaston's love and loyalty belong solely to you."

The breath she'd been holding poured from her lungs like the tide going out, and Rosa sagged. He wasn't there for Gaston. She wasn't sure why N spoke of him like he knew what the Pokémon was saying, but maybe that was just one of his quirks.

If it meant keeping Gaston with her, N could talk to the trees or the cube at his hip and she wouldn't bat an eye.

Maybe N could be her friend after all.

The tangle of nerves churning her stomach lessened to a dull ache, and Rosa dropped her defensive stance. Gaston apparently took this as an invitation, because he wriggled free from N's arms to rush forward and throw himself against her waist. He smelled strongly of pine.

"So why are you out here, then?" She asked, ignoring Gaston as he sneezed into her shirt. "Rood made it sound like you're not one to be found if you don't wanna be."

He shrugged. "For the same reason you are. Gaston said you were pursuing a member of the Shadow Triad, but lost him when he entered the forest. It's no surprise you didn't catch him; they're nearly impossible to trace." N tucked his hands in his pockets, a thoughtful look clouding his eyes. "I've been tracking Ghetsis since I stumbled across a Pokémon liberation rally in Nimbasa eleven months ago. They weren't excited to talk to me, but seeing them there was enough to know my year of peace was over. The members who stood by Team Plasma after Touko tore it apart weren't loyal to the organization itself: they were loyal to Ghetsis. It certainly wasn't his disciples preaching in the streets – these people didn't know who they were working for."

N's brows creased as his lips pulled down at the corners. "So I contacted Rood, and have been hunting down Ghetsis since. I'd always known my father would return - he's a stubborn old man, too set in his ways to ever see the error in them - I just wish it hadn't been so soon. I was on my way to Humilau City when the airship flew overhead. What did Plasma want in Opelucid?"

Trouble. "DNA Splicers," Rosa said, loosening her grip on Gaston to rub her forehead. It was starting to ache. "We were trying to get them back for Drayden, but things went sour and the Triad managed to get a hold of them. That worthless piece of shinx is probably handing them over to Zinzolin as we speak."

N's frown deepened. "My father is playing with things he knows nothing about."

"You know what he's planning?"

"I have my guess."

Pursing his lips, N fell silent. Rosa was quiet too. When Rood explained N's disappearance from the colonial house on the hill so long ago, it never registered that she and Curtis weren't alone in their fight against Plasma. Someone else felt the threat hanging over Unova, and was working desperately to change things. N understood what Ghetsis was capable of. He'd been hurt as deeply as she had – deeper, if the rumors surrounding his childhood were true. The stakes were high, but he wasn't skirting the truth to make her feel better.

He was an ally. She counted herself lucky to finally have another.

"You and I have been fighting Ghetsis for some time," N said at last, drawing her from her thoughts. "You know he's planning to harm more people and Pokémon. If we don't act soon, it'll be too late."

As if she weren't aware of that already. "What are you suggesting?"

"We both pose a threat to Ghetsis. He's paranoid; constantly moving around, trying to pull the strings without actually appearing in person. I don't know where he is right now, but Humilau is where he's headed."

Rosa's fingers, which had been stroking the tips of Gaston's mane, stilled. How did he know that?

"His plans are coming to a head. You feel it too, don't you? That we're running out of time? I'm not strong enough to finish him myself. But together-"

"Rosa!" A voice cut through the trees, warm and familiar and wracked with concern. "Where are you?"

N stiffened. "Who is that?"

"Another friend," she assured him. The battle in Opelucid must be over. "My traveling companion was chasing one of the other triad members when I left. Maybe the ninjas did a switch off and he got the splicers back. I'm over here!" She called, turning slightly to face the empty woods.

"Maybe," N repeated, looking unconvinced.

"Rosa!"

Curtis emerged from the foliage, his normally pale cheeks flushed with exertion as he stumbled into the clearing. Behind him, Espeon trailed, her forked tail flicking, the glow of psychic power fading from her eyes as they locked onto her assigned target. That's right—Espeon could read air patterns. It was comforting, knowing that between Anna and Espeon, they'd always be able to find each other.

Taking a steadying breath to calm her pounding heart, Rosa raised a hand in greeting.

Curtis didn't seem to notice N. He crossed the clearing in record time, his long strides eating up the distance, and swept her into a steel-armed hug, awkwardly trapping Gaston between them until the fox wriggled free. The movement sent sparks dancing in her vision, but Rosa smiled and tightened her arms around Curtis's neck. He was okay.

"Don't ever do that again," Curtis said when he finally pulled away, his voice a low growl. "You're brilliant—absolutely brilliant—hiding Gaston like that. But Arceus! Let me in on these plans. I thought you were going to let them take you."

Never again. "They couldn't hold me if they tried. Did you catch your shadow?"

"Yes, but he didn't have the DNA Splicers, and slipped away when Zinzolin tried to drag Bianca onto his ship. He's lucky I was the one who saved her, and not Drayden. That man's not a Pokémon trainer – he's a Pokémon wrestler."

A bit of dust smeared Curtis's cheek. She smoothed it away with her thumb. "Least you caught yours - mine disappeared before he got the beating he deserved."

Which meant another piece of Ghetsis's plan had fallen into place. Their window to stop him was getting smaller, just as N said.

But it wasn't closed. Not yet.

"So, my father has the splicers after all."

The two glanced up, their moment of quiet intimacy interrupted. N's hands were still tucked casually in his pant pockets, but the transparency he'd worn just moments ago had vanished, replaced by a blanket of dark skepticism. His eyes were tight as he eyed the pair.

No, not the pair.

Curtis.

Rosa frowned, her brow furrowing in confusion. That look—sharp, assessing, full of tension—didn't belong on N's usually serene face. Her eyes flicked to Curtis, but he was already looking back at N, unflinching. In fact, he seemed almost... unfazed? No, not unfazed. He was matching N's gaze, not in fear, but with something else—something steady, perhaps even defiant. It was like they were engaging in some silent battle of wills.

Confusion rolled over her, and she moved her hand from Curtis's cheek. Was this some weird alpha male thing she wasn't aware of? She doubted it.

"N?" She asked tentatively. "What's the problem?"

"This man is the traveling companion you spoke of?"

Rosa blinked, taken aback by the sharpness in his voice. "Yes? This is Curtis. He's—"

"Curtis?" N's gaze flicked over Curtis again, his emerald eyes flashing in the afternoon sun. "Really?"

Curtis stepped forward, cutting her off before she could respond. "It's not what you think," he said with an unmistakable edge to his voice. "I would never harm her. Or her Pokémon."

"I didn't say you would."

"Then why are you looking at me that way?"

N didn't answer Curtis's question. Instead he dropped his gaze to Curtis's boots, where Espeon had curled to form a barrier between her master and the man scrutinizing him. Her jewel was pulsing fiercely.

Rosa's head and heart pounded harder. She stood rooted in place, blood cold, hardly believing what she'd heard. This was the second time today someone had questioned Curtis's name. Accused him of something . . .

"I don't wanna fight with you. We're on the same side."

"I believe you. Or at least, I believe Espeon."

"Then what is it?"

"You haven't told her . . . that she's bleeding. Rosa, are you okay?"

Curtis whirled to face her, his expression instantly anxious. Rosa was numb and barely saw him, but she had the presence of mind to raise a hand to her nose. Sure enough, it came away wet. She rubbed the red liquid between her fingers, suddenly tasting metal on her tongue as more dribbled down her lips.

"Arceus, you should have said something." Curtis threw his bag down to search through it, probably for a tissue or handkerchief. He swore colorfully when he came up empty, instead grabbing one of his t-shirts. He extended it to her, but when she didn't immediately accept, he lifted it to her mouth to stem the flow.

"It's bad," he fretted. "Tip your head back so it'll slow a bit. It's all down your front."

"Curtis," Rosa snatched his hand to stop his anxious daubing, "what is going on?"

"It's . . . a lot to explain."

"Then explain it to me."

"Let's get you cleaned up first. I promise I'll tell you everything after."

"No, tell me now."

"Rosa-"

"Now."

Her head was killing her. Rosa ripped away from Curtis, sprinkling blood into the grass at their feet. A cold sweat formed against her head and chest as she stumbled forward. Gaston snatched her waist before she could fall. She was going to faint.

Then Curtis was there, lifting her into his arms so her head rested against his chest. Blood smeared his jacket and arms, and more trickled down her neck to pool between her face and his collarbone. Gaston pressed the t-shirt into her fingers so she could lift it to her nose.

N watched with growing concern, his gaze flickering between Rosa and Curtis. He seemed torn, hesitant to approach, as if unsure whether to interfere or stay back. He shifted on his heels, trying to get a better look at her, but when his eyes met Curtis's, he quickly averted his gaze, as if uncomfortable with the closeness.

Curtis ignored him. "We need to get you back to Opelucid. I think something's wrong."

"Wait!" N said. He pulled the bag from his shoulder and rummaged around for something inside, finally withdrawing a crumpled paper and pen. He scrawled something on the page in hurried handwriting, then jogged forward to offer Curtis the message. "Take this. It will help you."

***

There were forty-seven tiles in the room they were staying in at the Pokémon center. Twenty-four of them were red. The rest were white. Rose stared blankly at those tiles, still clutching Curtis's soiled t-shirt to her face even though she'd stopped bleeding a few minutes ago. He'd gone out to pay for their rooms, but had hesitated to leave her alone for even that long. Her head no longer hurt, but her thoughts were an ocean. She'd basically kicked him out the door so she could be alone.

Curtis wasn't who he said he was. That much was obvious. The man she'd come to trust, to rely on, to love had been lying to her. He'd said he'd never harm her or her Pokémon, but why would he even need to tell N something like that?

Everyone knew something about Curtis she didn't. But that was going to change.

The tiles flashed a thousand snapshots of Curtis grinning as he teased her, smoothing her hair and gently caressing her cheeks, trudging behind her as rain dripped down his face. His long fingers pulling her for a passionate kiss, warmth in his eyes as he teased Gallade, a cloud of purple as he gripped her hand and begged her not to trade herself for Bianca. Was any of it real?

Zinzolin's warning tore at her most. It drove deeper into her heart every time it played through her mind. She'd brushed it aside at the time, but would she have seen what everyone saw in Curtis if she'd paid more attention?

Was that even his real name?

The door creaked open, followed by a hesitant, "Hey." Rosa didn't look up as Curtis crossed the room, Espeon following closely behind. His eyes fell over her hunched form like a blanket, but for the first time, it didn't bring any comfort.

"You feeling any better?" he asked gently. "If you're tired, I can leave for a while so you can rest. Or I can get you some food. It's been a while since you've had a real meal. Maybe it would help settle your headache."

She didn't reply. After a long stretch of silence, Curtis dropped down to crouch in front of her. He tilted his head to meet her eyes, but she dodged those beautiful flecks of green and gold and stared at her hands instead.

"Rosa . . . please talk to me."

His face was pale with fear. It was just as well. She was scared, too.

"I want the truth," she murmured, still studying her cracked fingernails. "All of it. I can't bear to hear you lie anymore."

A long, drawn-out sigh escaped him. He dropped his eyes from her face to the floor, staring at a tile that reflected an image of him clutching her waist under the living room doorway during the earthquake. She noticed his fingers trembling. Rosa swallowed, her throat tight.

"You're going to hate me," he whispered.

"Maybe, but that's my choice. If you take it from me, I'll hate you regardless."

He picked at the blankets hanging down the side of the bed, letting the tension between them thicken like smog. It curled around their necks, tightening with every passing second, but she couldn't bring herself to stop it. She needed to know he was still her Curtis.

Then, all at once, his words spilled out.

"My name isn't Curtis," he said, "it's Christoph. And you didn't find my Xtransceiver by accident. I threw it under the store shelf and turned the vibrator all the way up to make sure you'd find it. And when you answered, I wasn't halfway across Unova. I was eleven aisles away."

Her fingers tightened around the t-shirt. "Why?"

Curtis's hand fidgeting with the blankets formed a fist. He worked his jaw, as though trying to ease the tension, but the strain was unmistakable. It seemed to disturb Espeon, who tucked herself close to his side. "I was assigned by a man named Colress to watch over you," he said, his voice tight. "At the time, I was with Team Plasma as one of the three members of the Shadow Triad. Everything I told you about my family was true, but after my father died and I left the music academy... it was N's wallet I pickpocketed. He was the one who took me in.

"Ghetsis admired my ability as a thief," he said. "He trained me alongside the other Shadows, who treated me like a brother. I was taught the arts of espionage, infiltration, and parkour. I spent a year perfecting those skills before I was finally instated as a full admin."

He paused, swallowing hard, his fingers twitching as if the memories were trying to claw their way out. "You need to know something else," he said, tilting his head to force their eyes to meet. His gaze was so intense it made her stomach tighten. "I was involved in the events surrounding the takeover of the Elite Four two years ago. I wasn't just standing by. But I wasn't involved in... Touko's death." His voice cracked slightly on her name, his face tightening with regret. "My job was to keep Ghetsis from being arrested, silence the press, and cover up everything that happened. I swear to you, I didn't know the organization I worked for had murdered anyone."

Nausea curled in Rosa's gut, and she wasn't sure whether she was more likely to throw up or faint. Her eyes burned at the mention of Touko, and every fiber of her being screamed to get up and run. Her Curtis—the third member of those ninjas? A brother to her captor?—She subconsciously rubbed her fists, shuddering, then cringed away from him, instinctively seeking space. Curtis looked away, running a hand through his hair, frustration seeping into his voice. "That was my life, until Colress gave me a new assignment, pretending it came from Ghetsis."

His words hung between them, heavy and damning.

"Colress told me to keep you safe, and to keep him updated. That was all. He ordered one of my brothers to do the same for Hugh. I didn't know anything about you at first—my only concern was doing what I was told," he continued, his voice growing quieter, more distant. "So, I used my middle name as an alias and pretended to be someone else. I built a friendship with you, gained your trust. You shared everything—where you were, how you were doing. And I relayed it all back to Colress. It was easy, once you were comfortable with me. Too easy. Colress stopped keeping tabs on me."

For a brief moment, he seemed to lose his nerve, his gaze faltering. Rosa stared past him, focusing on the tiles beneath her feet. She should have known. It had all been a lie, every bit of it. All the smiles, the shared moments. Curtis was part of the organization that killed Touko. Stole Hugh. Burned Aspertia. His earnest face was so familiar, so wonderful to her and yet . . .

"Lying became harder once I got to know you." His shoes squeaked on the floor as he shifted from crouching to kneeling. "You were open and kind, and I admired how hard you worked. And... you cared about me, which only made it worse. I went against orders to meet you at the Ferris Wheel. I wanted to see you... I wanted to know you so badly."

"Are you working for them now?" she asked stiffly.

Curtis quickly shook his head. "No. I quit just before you were ambushed on the Plasma frigate." His shoulders slumped, and his gaze dropped to the floor, avoiding hers as if the weight of his confession was too much to bear. "We were supposed to travel together. I'd been working to disentangle myself to make that happen. But when Colress found out you'd been captured, he contacted me in a panic. He works for Team Plasma in their research department, but by then, I'd stopped keeping him updated."

His fingers twisted together, the weight of his next words heavy in the air. "Together, we got you out. I disabled the frigate's security systems and made sure my brothers were distracted, giving Colress the chance to rescue you and Hugh. But I got knocked out before I could see it through. Next thing I knew, I woke up in a hospital bed in Nimbasa."

Colress worked for Plasma too. It explained how he'd located the Plasma frigate, and how he'd been able to break into her cell so easily. No one would ever suspect their esteemed scientist would betray them.

Rosa felt something shaking the bed. A glance downward revealed it was just her legs trembling. Everyone in her life seemed tied to that disgusting organization. She was their puppet, manipulated by a thousand invisible strings. The realization stung, sharp and bitter, twisting inside her chest.

Curtis pressed on. "Any shred of loyalty I had left towards Plasma for taking me in was gone after that. When you sent me away, I didn't go to Sinnoh. I broke into Colress's office to figure out why he was so interested in you. That's when I found the notebook. It connected Arceus's guardians and laid out the timeline. There was evidence in that lab that suggested he'd been researching The Regeneration Effect around the time of Touko's murder. Somehow, he'd pieced together that you were her replacement. He seemed concerned Ghetsis would try the same thing with you. I don't know why it mattered to him, but I didn't stick around to find out.

"I stole the notes to show you, and decided I'd do what it took to make things right." He scoffed, plucking viciously at another loose thread on the blanket. "But I've been a coward. This moment—telling you the truth—knowing I could lose you, seemed to justify everything at the time. Obviously it doesn't.

It was too much. In a sudden rush, Rosa sprang to her feet, her footsteps pounding against the tiles as she tried to escape. She knocked Curtis back as she moved, but the dull thud of his elbows hitting the hard floor wasn't satisfying enough.

His betrayal burned. She wrapped her arms tightly around herself, knowing it wouldn't be enough to hold her together, but she tried anyway. Arceus, she'd been so stupid. Why hadn't she pressed him harder about his job? Had she doubted him all along, only to push those doubts aside because their relationship felt too important to risk? He had been everything she needed, right when she needed it most—a reliable friend, a warm smile, the voice that guided her when the fighting was too much to bear.

Curtis meant everything to her. Still did. He had her trust, her worries and fears, her dreams – she'd have walked through hell for him an hour ago. Happily.

But this was Christoph. Her safe house had never been safe at all.

Christoph looked tired as he slowly returned to his feet. "You mean more to me than anyone in this world, Rosa. I can't change the past, but I'll do whatever it takes to make up for it. Above all, that's my truth. I need you to know that."

Her bag was sitting on the bed, next to Christoph's bloody shirt. Carefully, deliberately, Rosa grabbed the long strap and slung it over her shoulder.

She couldn't look at him anymore. Team Plasma was her enemy. That was the only black and white in her world.

Without a word, Rosa opened the door and walked away.