Work Text:
Rose swayed from side to side, and she took slow, unsteady breaths as she trudged along, away from Temporal Tower. The Human-turned-Bulbasaur was trying her best to at least make it to the Rainbow Stoneship, but it felt like her muscles were getting weaker with every step, like her lungs were taking in less air by the second.
Maybe I’m just tired?
She and Chrysanthemum had just finished defeating the Pokémon that controlled all of time—a task that took several attempts and just as many excruciating climbs of the awful Dungeon—so maybe the adrenaline was finally wearing off, and Rose was starting to feel how exhausted the past few days had made her.
If only that was all.
The past few days had certainly drained her, especially between the lack of sleep and the constant battling, but Rose knew that wasn’t the true extent of why it felt like the world was weighing her down—both physically and mentally. No, the true reason why Rose had trouble walking, even down a decline and away from a waking nightmare of a Mystery Dungeon, was something that she knew would happen even before she stepped foot in Temporal Tower.
I’m starting to disappear.
Rose had ruminated over this ever since she learned it would happen, and she started to overthink like she tended to do.
Rose thought about how it would feel, what she’d be thinking while it happened, whether it would even happen at all, and…
how she’d tell Chrysanthemum.
Rose’s pace slowed as she thought about the last one again, and the immense shame that came with that thought hit her all over again.
How would I tell her? How could I tell her? How could I not tell her?
Rose felt fear over saying the wrong thing, leading to Chrysanthemum hating her and leaving her behind to wither away pitifully.
However, at the same time, Rose’s procrastination over her own fate could lead to the same outcome anyway, if Chrysanthemum found out as it happened.
Does it even matter what’ll happen after I disappear? If an afterlife were to exist, would I see it or simply cease to exist? Would my mind fade entirely? Would—
“Rose?”
Rose quieted her thoughts as she stopped and looked up at her most trusted partner, who had stopped and turned around to face her. Rose was met with kind, cheery, yet worried eyes and a patient smile, an expression that often graced the Eevee’s pretty face, especially when Rose was as lost in her own thoughts as she had just been.
Is it odd to think of a Pokémon as pretty? I was once human, so maybe I only think that way because I myself am now a Pokémon, but I don’t want to think of Chrysanthemum as lesser, and…
Rose derailed her own train of thought and refocused herself, as she had to acknowledge the fact that her own name had been called.
“Is something wrong?” Rose tilted her head a little.
“I could ask the same of you.” Chrysanthemum walked closer to Rose. “Are you tired? We could take a rest for a bit. After all, we have plenty of time!”
Chrysanthemum finished her somewhat lame—yet still endearing—joke with a giggle as she stopped right in front of Rose.
Chrysanthemum was someone who had been nothing but kind to Rose ever since the moment they first met; someone who had helped Rose as much as Rose helped her; someone who made Rose laugh whenever Rose was down and yet still knew when to be serious.
Rose’s fears melted away as she felt even more shame over simply not telling Chrysanthemum about what was happening, but Rose figuratively shook all of that away—her own pride was what stopped her from telling the truth anyway.
It’s better to say it now rather than never, but what to say?
“Sorry, too soon?” Chrysanthemum’s expression faltered ever so slightly as she herself felt a little bit of shame.
Rose realized she once again hadn’t responded to Chrysanthemum.
Rose giggled a bit. The joke was at least a little bit funny.
“No, sorry, I guess I am a bit tired, and,” Rose said, taking a deep breath and preparing herself for what she was about to say, “I have something to tell you.”
Chrysanthemum’s ears perked up, and she leaned forward to show that she was listening, just like she had always done whenever Rose had something to say—no matter how rare that was. It was also something Rose had done for Chrysanthemum many times over; for every lame joke and late-night ramble, Rose listened.
Now, Chrysanthemum won’t have that anymore.
Chrysanthemum would no longer have a partner to listen to her, to always be there by her side, and to comfort her as much as she comforted Rose.
Chrysanthemum had family that she often wrote to, but they lived far away. The other guild members could help support her, but they all had their own work to attend to, so they couldn’t be around as much as Rose could.
It seemed that her earlier fears never fully went away, but Rose didn’t expect them to.
Well, no backing out now.
“Chrysanthemum, I…” Rose trailed off as a small, bright light flew off of her.
After that, a second one flew off, then a third one, and then multiples at once. The lights quickened their pace as they left her body for the sky, forever disappearing into the unknown.
Rose would’ve called it beautiful if she didn’t know what it entailed.
“Rose! Wha-what’s happening?” Chrysanthemum’s smile immediately fell away into an expression of complete worry.
Rose’s heart squeezed at the sight.
“I-I’m sorry.” Rose started to cry. “I’m sorry for not telling you sooner. I’m sorry for keeping this to myself, but… I have to say goodbye.”
Chrysanthemum’s expression changed from worry to outright panic as her ears fell.
“G-goodbye?” Chrysanthemum put her forepaws on Rose’s shoulders. “What are you saying? What have you been keeping to yourself?”
Rose so desperately hoped that the lights would pass, that nothing was happening, that the trouble she had earlier was simply out of exhaustion, that she and Chrysanthemum would go home and sleep for a week, and that neither of them would ever panic or fear like this ever again.
Unfortunately, hoping didn’t make the current situation any less real.
“W-when you went to put the Relic Fragment into the Rainbow Stoneship, Dusknoir told me that saving time meant erasing the Dark Future, and,” Rose said, taking a deep breath and forcing herself to not look away from her partner, “everything that came from it.”
Chrysanthemum’s eyes widened as she realized what Rose was implying.
“B-but… Dusknoir said that! He could’ve been lying just to scare you, couldn’t he?” Chrysanthemum started to cry as well.
“I wanted to believe that too, but,” Rose said, sighing as she put even more effort into not looking away from Chrysanthemum’s sad and fearful eyes, “Grovyle backed him up. He even said that I had already accepted that fact before I first arrived in the past.”
Chrysanthemum blinked, and she then let out a low, humorless chuckle, a far cry from the bright and cheery attitude her laughter usually carried.
“That’s just like you, isn’t it?” Chrysanthemum whispered, pulling Rose into a tight hug. “Of course, you’d always be so kind, selfless, and brave, even before you lost your memories. Of course, you’d set out on a quest to save the world, even if it meant certain death.” Chrysanthemum soaked Rose’s shoulder with tears. “Why?!” Chrysanthemum cried harder as she shut her eyes tight. “Why couldn’t you have been selfish for once?! Why couldn’t you have just decided that you were more important than the entire world?!”
Rose’s breath hitched, as the situation was worse than she feared. The only thing worse than making Chrysanthemum angry was making her sad.
“I’m sorry, Kris!” Rose cried harder as she returned the hug. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before now! I’m sorry I can’t go on any more adventures with you, even if I really want to! Even if these are our last moments together, I’ll never forget what you’ve done for me and for the world!”
Chrysanthemum’s hug tightened as if she could act as Rose’s anchor to the world.
The nickname that Rose had used was never said during serious moments unless they had to rush.
The thought that they probably didn’t have much time left hurt more than anything Primal Dialga had ever thrown at them.
“D-don’t say that! Don’t apologize, because I really want to go on more adventures with you, too!” Chrysanthemum nuzzled Rose. “Besides, I’ve only gotten this far because I’ve had you here with me! You make me strong, Rose!” Chrysanthemum faltered for a moment as her voice lowered to a whisper. “Don’t you see… If you go… I… What would I… I don’t know if I can…”
Chrysanthemum tried and failed several times to start a sentence, as she was unsure of what to say.
“I want you here with me, Rose.” Chrysanthemum shook as sobs wracked her body. “How do I move on if you can’t be here with me?”
“No,” Rose said gently yet firmly.
Rose leaned back—not far enough to break the embrace, but far enough so she and Chrysanthemum could make eye contact again.
“Kris, all of your strength and everything you’ve done—you achieved all of that yourself.” Rose leaned forward so their foreheads could touch. “Now, take that strength and use it to make it home. Make it home, and tell everyone about what happened here, so nothing like this ever happens again.”
Chrysanthemum sniffled a bit.
“Rose…” Chrysanthemum mumbled.
The lights grew brighter, and more began to appear.
“Rose, please!” Chrysanthemum lowered her head, and she shut her eyes again. “Please… don’t… don’t go!”
“Thank you, Kris.” Rose took on a small, sad smile. “Thank you for training with me, for adventuring with me, and for always being there for me. I’m so happy that I got to meet you, Kris.”
Rose's next words left her mouth before she realized.
“I’m so lucky that you were the one I fell in love with.” Rose’s eyes widened when she finished the statement, as even she herself didn’t expect her to say that.
Yet, I can’t find any reason to deny it. I really love Chrysanthemum. I love Chrysanthemum, who has always been kind and caring to me, who makes me laugh, and who has been so brave despite everything that's happened. I want to continue exploring new places with her, see beautiful sights with her, help all kinds of Pokémon with her, and… spend the rest of my life with her.
Rose felt her face heat up more as she thought about her feelings for Chrysanthemum.
Chrysanthemum slowly raised her head as she met Rose’s eyes again.
“I-I feel the same way, Rose! I always admired you since you helped me get the Relic Fragment back, but little by little, day by day, I felt more and more drawn to you!” Chrysanthemum looked at the ground bashfully as her face heated up. “I finally realized I loved you at the end of our first expedition at Fogbound Lake when we saw the lights together. All I could think about was… how much prettier you looked.”
Rose and Chrysanthemum both blushed as they took a silent moment to stare into each other’s eyes.
However, the moment was cut horribly short, as the lights started to become blinding, and they almost completely encompassed Rose.
“N-no!” Chrysanthemum held onto Rose as tight as she could without harming her. “Please, not now!”
Rose was starting to become see-through, and the number of lights was finally starting to thin out.
Rose knew that this was it, and yet…
Rose simply felt resigned.
“Kris, even after I disappear, I will always remember you.” Rose shed a final tear. “Goodbye. I love you, Chrysanthemum.”
Rose disappeared entirely, and the last of the lights floated into the sky.
“Rose… Rose!” Chrysanthemum stared at the fading lights in both sadness and horror.
When the last light faded away, something slowly fluttered down and into Chrysanthemum's paws, as if it were being gently placed by an invisible force.
Chrysanthemum looked at the object, and she saw that it was the fuchsia ribbon that Rose always wore.
It was one last keepsake of her most trusted partner.
Chrysanthemum curled up on the ground, clutching the ribbon, and cried.