Acting (Rosa/Mei x Colress)

Rosa x Colress (Moonringshipping)

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Mei Rosa had always been an actor.

Rosa was happy when she won a battle and sad when she lost. She felt joy when she was acting for her company. Those feelings were genuine. But the rest of it... that was fake.

She had been acting. Rosa had never wanted to gather all of the badges, never wanted to challenge the Elite 4, never wanted to fight the Champion, never wanted to BE the Champion. She never wanted the fame, the fortune; she had only wanted to be a normal trainer who just happened to do some acting on the side. But with the return of Team Plasma and herself being a strong young trainer, pressure was immediately put on her to stop them. Rosa remembered the day she made her "vow":

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A pretty young hostess smiled and looked at her. Behind her, a large crowd and cameras sat, waiting.

"So, Mei Rosa, everybody is wondering: will you be the one to stop Team Plasma?" The hostess asked. Rosa looked out over the crowd and cameras before taking a deep breath and facing the hostess with a smile.

"Yes; yes I will." Rosa told her.

"And afterward, are you going to challenge the Elite 4 and become the Champion, just like our last savior, Touko White?" The woman pressed. The crowd seemed to be holding their breath as they awaited the young trainer's answer.

"Yes, and I promise to be the best Champion there ever was," Rosa said proudly, puffing out her chest a little as the crowd clapped and whistled and cheered her name.

"Rosa! Rosa! Rosa!" The crowd chanted, and Mei waved to them, a smile plastered to her face.

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LIES. Every single word she had said that day had been complete and total BS. She had been acting, every word that had fallen from her tongue had been a lie. And now, she couldn't take acting and lying anymore. She ran away from the Elite 4, her friends, her family... everyone.

"I can't take this life anymore," Rosa whispered to herself, a tear rolling down her cheek as she stood at the edge of a cliff. She was barely 15 years old, at the start of her life, and she  was already tired of living.

Rosa took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She was about to take the final step forward when a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her waist and she felt somebody bury their face into her hair as they pulled her away from the cliff edge.

"What do you think you are doing... Mei?" She heard a familiar voice whisper. Rosa's heart almost stopped beating when she recognized who it was.

"...Colress?" She croaked. She hadn't expected to see the young scientist ever again, least of all at the very moment she was about to end her life.

"You haven't answered my question," Colress replied softly. Rosa sighed and crossed her arms.

"I'm tired of it; this life full of constant lies and drama, and I don't want to have to live in it a moment longer. I never asked to be a strong trainer, I never asked to be chosen to defeat Team Plasma or become the Champion of Unova, to live up to the expectations of everybody and surpass the last great Hero. I never asked for any of it; not one bit." Rosa said, her head drooping as she began to cry.

Slowly, Colress turned the young Champion around to face him. Immediately, the young teen threw her arms around the scientist's waist and sobbed into his chest. Colress embraced her gently and held her while she cried.

After endless minutes of crying, Rosa pulled herself together enough to speak.

"It started about four years ago, around the time when Team Plasma first reappeared." She said, and Colress nodded slightly, signaling that he was listening. After another shaky breath, Rosa continued:
"My acting career had just started to take off. I was staring in small films and movies from time to time when I first heard about Touko White and her adventures. I watched her as she became a rising star- the Hero Unova needed to defeat Team Plasma and save the pokemon, not to mention Unova itself. I watched every battle that she had that was broad cast on TV and fell in love with battling. I wasn't about to give up my acting career, but I knew, without a doubt, that I wanted to be a trainer someday too."

"In truth I envied Touko; she was the Champion and had all the fame and fortune in the world, so when she disappeared, I was shocked. I didn't know how she could have left the perfect life she had all together, to just leave without telling anybody where she was going. So when N asked me to find her for him at the start of my journey, I agreed without hesitation. I wanted to ask her why she left. And when I found her, you know what her answer was? She told me that 'Fame and Fortune will not bring a happy life.' When I first heard that, I didn't understand the meaning of her phrase. But after my first big encounter with Team Plasma, I began to understand a little. And now, little over a year later, I feel as if I have that phrase and its meaning engraved into my heart.
I understand now how scared Touko must have been going up against seemingly impossible odds and all of the life and death situations she must have gone through. I completely understand it- all of it."

With her last words Rosa's voice broke and she began to sob again and Colress held her close, rocking her gently as he mulled over what she had just told him. After a few minutes, Colress pulled away a bit and moved his hands up to cup both of her cheeks, gently forcing her to look at him.

"Run away with me," He said quietly as he wiped some of her tears away with his thumbs. Rosa blinked in surprise at his request.

"B-but-" Rosa stuttered, but Colress sushed her by placing a finger on her quivering lips.

"I won't force you to go with me, but I'd rather have you disappear with somebody rather than have you die. The world just wouldn't be the same without you." He whispered, rubbing his thumb slowly across her bottom lip, causing her to blush slightly.

"...Why do you care so much for me? We used to be enemies, you know." Rosa whispered. Colress stopped and looked her right in the eye, his golden gaze unwavering.

"Because I... love you," he replied, and before Rosa could react he dipped his head and pressed his lips softly against hers. Rosa gasped and then melted into the warm kiss.

A few moments later they parted and Rosa buried her face into his chest, her face flushed a deep crimson. Colress didn't do or say anything- he just waited.

"...Fine." Rosa mumbled, wiping her eyes and looking up at the young scientist with a slightly pouty look on her face. "I'll go with you, but there's something I have to do before we go."

Colress smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Thats fine," he replied, "we are in no rush after all."

"Oh, and Colress?"

"Yes?"

Rosa lifted her head and kissed him lightly before pulling away.

"I love you too."


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The next morning, an envelope containing a letter was found on Rosa's bed:


Dear Mom, friends, or whoever may be reading this,


If you are reading this, that means I have already left and people are probably looking for me right now. Please know that I am alive and well although I am not around.
I am currently traveling with a friend and don't plan on returning soon.

To Mom and Friends: I'm sorry for not saying good-bye before my departure, but that would have made leaving that much harder for me. Please tell everyone I'm sorry.

Please tell my director that I'm sorry and to give other girls the chance to act the roles I have abandoned, as everybody deserves a chance.

Tell the Elite 4 that I'm very sorry and please ask Iris to fill my spot until I return.

I do plan on returning someday, but for now please do not look for me, for I desire not to be found.


With lots of Love:

Mei Rosa