Chapter 57: Rosa's Friend
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"Rosa, why are we at the pier so early in the morning?" Gary asked, clearly groggy after being pulled out of bed by an excited Rosa.
After quickly washing up and having breakfast, she had dragged him to the pier of Slateport City.
Rosa looked thrilled as she responded, "A friend of mine is arriving in Slateport City today!"
"A friend?" Gary echoed, a bit surprised.
"Yep," Rosa nodded enthusiastically. "My best friend, Hilda, is coming to Slateport today!"
"Hilda?" Gary recognized the name immediately and looked at Rosa in surprise.
Of course, Rosa noticed Gary's surprised expression and tilted her head, asking, "Didn't I tell you about her before?"
"Definitely not," Gary replied, spreading his hands in a gesture of denial.
"No way?" Rosa thought back and realized she might have forgotten to mention it, blushing slightly in embarrassment.
Under Gary's questioning gaze, Rosa explained everything about her friend Hilda and her journey to the Hoenn region.
"Hilda and I are both Trainers from the Unova region. I'm from Aspertia City, and Hilda is from Nuvema Town in Unova. We first met when we both received our starter Pokémon from Professor Juniper. She introduced us, and we decided to travel together through Unova, challenging Gyms."
"Hilda always looked out for me during our journey, so we became really close friends who could talk about anything."
"I see!" Gary said, understanding the connection. Based on Rosa's introduction, Gary confirmed that Hilda, like Rosa, was one of the protagonists in Pokémon Black and White.
"I remember you mentioned once that you faced a very strong opponent in the Vertress Conference in Unova. Could that have been her?" Gary asked, recalling a past conversation with Rosa.
"Yes, it was Hilda," Rosa confirmed. "In the final match of the Vertress Conference, it was me versus Hilda. My Serperior barely managed to defeat her Emboar, and I won the championship of that conference."
Rosa's face lit up with joy as she recalled her victory over Hilda, a memory that clearly made her very happy.
"When does Hilda's ship arrive in Slateport City?" Gary asked, now interested in meeting this formidable friend.
"Well, it's supposed to arrive in two hours," Rosa admitted with a sheepish smile.
"What? Two hours?" Gary's eyes widened in disbelief. "Why did you drag me here so early?"
"I just wanted to see Hilda as soon as possible," Rosa explained, sticking out her tongue playfully, a little embarrassed.
Gary could only sigh, patting his forehead in exasperation.
Time seemed to crawl by as they waited, but eventually, two hours passed, and the expected arrival time for Hilda's ship was near.
After a blast from the ship's horn, a large vessel docked at Slateport City's pier.
"Is this the ship Hilda's on?" Rosa asked eagerly as the ship came into view.
"There's only one ship arriving from the Unova region at this time," Gary replied, recalling the information he had gotten from the dock staff.
"Let's make sure we don't miss her!" Rosa said, her energy renewed as she began scanning the passengers disembarking the ship, hoping to spot Hilda.
Finding a specific person in such a large crowd was no easy task, so Gary held up a fluorescent sign with "Hilda" written on it, which he had prepared while they were waiting, hoping it would catch her attention.
Sure enough, Gary's preparation paid off.
After holding up the sign for a few moments, a clear, familiar voice rang out, catching their attention.
"Rosa, I'm over here!"
Hearing Hilda's voice, Rosa's face lit up with excitement. She and Gary turned toward the source of the sound.
Gary spotted a girl with a brown ponytail, wearing a white short-sleeved top, a black sleeveless vest, denim shorts, and a white cap, smiling and waving at them.
"Hilda!" Rosa shouted joyfully and ran towards her friend with excitement.
In no time, the two girls were embracing each other happily at the bustling pier.
Gary, watching the scene, easily recognized the girl as Hilda, Rosa's close friend and one of the protagonists of Black and White.
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