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Notes: Chapter Nine's title comes from a proposal for long-term nuclear waste warning messages; Stanistaw Lem suggested "atomic flowers" that would only grow near a terminal storage site with the warnings encoded in their DNA. what if they were roses

---

He had called Oleana as soon as he could, but the call didn't go through. Rose tried over and over until he remembered the issue: Oleana had configured her personal phone to filter out unfamiliar numbers, and he didn't have his usual phone. The Macro Cosmos line didn't pick up.

That, combined with Gloria's messages, led to him getting very little sleep that night.

The next morning, Oleana announced her return by struggling with a locked door in the hotel lobby and drawing quite a bit of attention before Raihan found her and swiftly brought her inside.

A weight lifted off Rose when he saw her walk in. "Oleana!" he said, standing up. "I tried to call you–"

"Raihan has explained the situation," Oleana said, her tone flat and disaffected. "I will keep in contact with the League until the threat is taken care of."

Rose sighed. "That's good," he said. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

"I have your pokémon."

"You have what?"

Leon entered the room in time for Oleana to take the belt out of her purse. The belt itself was unfamiliar, but Rose recognized the ultra balls attached to it as his own. Leon took one look at them and said, "How did you get those?"

Oleana barely glanced at him. "The Macro Cosmos bylaws state that if the CEO is unable to perform his duties, control of the company and its assets fall to his second in command, which would be me. Therefore, I was able to retrieve his pokémon not long after they were taken into custody."

Leon shared an incredulous look with Raihan. "His pokémon counted as company assets?"

"Not all of them," Rose said, staring at the belt in his hands. "Only the ones I frequently loaned to others, which… happened to be my main team. It saved a lot of paperwork." He glanced up at Oleana. "I didn't expect that technicality to be useful in any other situation. Thank you, Oleana."

"You're welcome, Chairman."

Leon shook his head. "Sure, whatever. Don't let Gloria find out."

Before he could question that, Sonia poked her head out of a nearby door. "Leon, the police want to talk to you again."

"Oh, God," Leon said, and both him and Raihan quickly joined her in the meeting room, closing the door behind them.

Rose and Oleana stood there in an awkward silence, neither one of them daring to speak first. Just as Rose opened his mouth, Acacius walked in.

"Oh, huh," he said, seeing Oleana. "Glad to see you're safe. Have any of you seen Budew?"

"I didn't know you let her out of her pokéball," said Rose. "Could she have gotten outside?"

"Not unless she's busting through the walls." Acacius paused. "Which, probably not, but I wouldn't put it past her. I'll ask Leon."

"Unfortunately, he's in a meeting." Rose frowned. "Sonia and Raihan are with him, and I'm not sure anyone else has the key to the door."

Acacius swore. "I think Piers did," he said. "I'll look for him. Just keep an eye out for the little brat, alright?"

He left the room. Rose realized he was still holding the pokéball belt and affixed it around his waist, pulling his shirt down over it.

When he looked up, Oleana was staring at him. Rose blinked. "Is there something you need?"

"How do you feel towards him?" Oleana asked.

"Excuse me?"

"Acacius," Oleana said, as if she could have meant anyone else. "You said he helped you, but you didn't say anything else, and you have a different attitude with him. He called himself your friend when he found me."

Rose shrugged. "What is there to say? Acacius was a stranger who saved my life. With no way of contacting anyone else, I had to put my trust in him, and he's been a good friend since. I'm indebted to him." He paused. "He does have a casual demeanor. It may be rubbing off on me."

Oleana looked away. "Maybe it is," she said. "I suppose I owe him my thanks. I wouldn't have known where you were if not for him."

"I'm glad he found you." Rose smiled at her. "I've said it already, but I really am sorry, Oleana. I should have stayed with you."

"What's done is done." She didn't meet his eyes. "I'm not angry at you, Rose."

"Really? When you left…"

Oleana sighed. "I was upset, that's all," she said. "I didn't want to cry in front of you."

"Ah." Rose sighed. "Well, I hope you're feeling better now."

"I am," she said. "Thank you, Rose."

The conversation ended when Leon opened the meeting room door. "You need to get in here," he said, gesturing at Rose. "The police need to hear your side of the story."

"Really?" Rose said. "I thought they weren't–"

"Now, Chairman."

Rose shot an apologetic look to Oleana and left to follow Leon.

Sonia and Raihan were seated at the table, a phone placed between them. Despite the animosity of their previous interaction, Sonia nodded at Rose and glanced at Leon before turning back to the phone.

"He's here," Leon said. "It's on speaker."

Rose nodded. "Good afternoon," he said in the direction of the phone. "I'm told you wanted to hear from me?"

The voice on the spoke was gruff and staticky. "Yes, we did. Why did you not comply with police instructions?"

"Well…" Rose wondered how often he was going to repeat himself before the situation was resolved. "I did not believe I would be in a position to negotiate my medical treatment while in prison, and you must understand that was a great concern. I apologize for any trouble I've caused."

"And how do you know you would have gone to prison? You left without a trial."

"There would have been no trial. My lawyer advised me to plead guilty, and had the circumstances been different, I would have taken his advice." Rose paused. "I am aware of the severity of my actions and the charges against me. It was difficult to imagine an outcome where I wouldn't face prison time."

"So you thought running from the law would help?" the policeman said. "All it did was bring more charges against you. If you don't turn yourself in–"

Leon interrupted him. "Rose is under the Pokémon League's jurisdiction," he said. "He couldn't turn himself in if he wanted to."

"Then we'll have a warrant for his arrest."

Rose made a surprised noise he hoped the phone didn't pick up on.

Leon's expression darkened. "You will not. The Pokémon League is the authority in this situation. After the situation with the ex-Flare scientists is dealt with, then we'll be ready to negotiate a sentence for him."

"Right," Rose said. "The circumstances are not ideal, but I do not intend to keep running. I will turn myself in and accept the charges against me once I am not in danger."

The line was quiet for a few moments. "Fine," the policeman said. "If all goes well, we'll send the ex-Flares back to Kalos and have the whole mess cleaned up next week."

"Sounds great," said Leon. "I'm done here."

He turned the phone off and buried his face in his hands. Raihan put a hand on his shoulder. "They're not going to like that you hung up like that," he said.

"At this point?" Leon said. "I don't care."

"I'm sorry," Rose said. "You've been dealing with a lot of stress because of my actions. I'm not surprised you're angry with me."

Leon raised his head up, but didn't look at him. "Yeah," he said, "and I'm trying very hard not to let how pissed off I am change how I treat you, because all of your requests so far have been pretty damn reasonable."

Sonia glanced at him. "Leon, what?"

He made a fluttery gesture with one hand. "I'm serious, Sonia. There should have been some consideration for the whole heart thing, some sort of exception made, but there wasn't, and I don't think that was fair. Honestly, breaking out of the hospital was probably one of the better options, all things considered!"

Rose blinked. "I didn't know you thought that."

"Yeah, of course. I didn't tell you." Leon sighed. "I just want this to be over."

Rose nodded. "I do hope things can go back to normal soon."

Leon looked at him incredulously. "Nothing is going back to normal," he said. "You know you can't be the league's chairman anymore. You'll be lucky if you get to keep

your company. You can't keep acting the same way you always have."

"Trust me, I am aware," Rose said. "I have been trying to adapt to my new circumstances."

Sonia glared at him. "Do you feel even a little bit guilty about what you did?"

"Sonia–"

"Of course I feel guilty," he said. "Despite what you may think, I care very much for Galar and the people in it. I will have to live with the guilt of nearly destroying the region I love for–" His mind skipped a beat when he considered how long he would live. "–for the rest of my life."

He took a breath. "More than that," he said, "I know my behavior has hurt people in ways I had been oblivious to. I don't want–I cannot keep acting the same way. Even if–"

He stopped short. Leon, Sonia, and Raihan were all staring at him. "Even if what?" Sonia said.

"Nothing," Rose said. "It doesn't matter." He stood up. "Do you need anything else from me?"

Leon shook his head. "You can go, Rose."

"Thank you," he said, and left.

---

He encountered Budew in the kitchen. When she saw Rose, she ducked into a cabinet. He shook his head and crouched down to peer inside. "Acacius is looking for you," he said while she glared at him. "How about you go back to him so he stops worrying?"

Budew hissed and backed away, pressing herself against the rear of the cabinet. Rose sighed and grabbed her.

He tried to tuck her under his shoulder like Acacius did, but Budew kept squirming, making it impossible to hold her steady. He grasped her with both hands and held him up to his face.

"Someone has to keep you out of trouble," he said. "If you don't want to go back to Acacius, then you'll have to spend time with me for a while."

Budew stopped struggling and chirped at him. Rose smiled. "That doesn't sound too bad, does it?" he said. "Let's find an empty room to sit in."

The four children were in the piano room, the "Do Not Play" sign laying on the floor while Marnie plucked out a tune. The kitchen was occupied by Nessa and Sonia in an animated conversation. The meeting room had Leon and Raihan talking to each other in low voices. Out of the two remaining rooms, the first had Piers, who used vulgar language and no less than two insults to tell him to get out, and Oleana was in the last. "Have you seen Acacius?" Rose asked her.

"He went out," Oleana said. "Is that the pokémon he was looking for?"

"Yes. She doesn't like him very much." Rose closed the door behind him and placed Budew on the table. "I'll watch her until he gets back. Maybe she'll warm up to me."

He sat down and held out a hand to the pokémon. Budew bit him.

Oleana furrowed her brow. "Does that hurt? I didn't think they had teeth."

"Oh, no. No teeth, and not a lot of jaw muscle, either." Rose sat there while Budew did her best to chew on his hand. "I'm not an expert, but I don't believe they eat much solid food at this stage, so there's no reason to–ow!"

Budew grabbed one finger in her mouth and bent it back painfully. Rose retracted his hand and wiped it on his pants. "She took that as a challenge," he said with a small smile. "Don't worry, Oleana, there's no damage."

Budew made an annoyed noise and jumped down. Rose kept an eye on her as she ambled around the table and stared intently at each speck of lint and dust on the floor.

"Budew evolve by happiness," Oleana said.

"Acacius says she's had a hard life," said Rose.

"Hm." Oleana leaned down and met Budew's gaze as the pokémon looked up at her. Budew chirped at her and walked away.

A thought occurred to him. "I'd almost forgotten," Rose said, taking a pokéball off his belt. "I can't let them all out, but she can meet my pokémon, now. Perrserker, here."

He opened the ball. Perrserker appeared in a flash of light, shaking herself and looking around, clearly disoriented until she saw her trainer. She yowled and pounced on him, knocking him and the chair over.

"Rose!" Oleana jumped up.

"I'm fine," Rose wheezed. Perrserker purred loudly and rubbed her face against his. "It's good to see you again. Could you get off me?"

Before Perrserker could move, Budew rammed her body into the larger pokémon. Perrserker looked at her and flexed her claws.

"None of that," Rose said. He managed to get Perrserker off of him and sat up. "Budew is my friend's pokémon. I'd like the two of you to play nicely."

Perrserker snorted, but obeyed, gently pushing Budew away without scratching her. Rose picked himself off the ground and returned to his seat, brushing off his shirt as he did so.

"Where did you get those clothes?" Oleana asked while Budew and Perrserker sized each other up. "They're not yours, are they?"

"No. The league provided them to me, as my only other outfit had gotten disgusting." Rose sighed and ran a hand over his face. "I haven't been able to keep up my personal grooming routine, as I'm sure you've noticed. It's somewhat demoralizing."

"I could bring you something."

"Are you sure? I would worry if you were out by yourself…"

"You let Acacius go out alone. I don't see why I would be any different." Oleana frowned. "Besides, the woman that threatened you was last seen in Hammerlocke. I won't leave Wyndon."

"That's true," Rose said. "If you're willing, I would appreciate it."

Perrserker yelped. When Rose looked back, his pokémon was pretending to lie defeated on the floor while Budew puffed up triumphantly. Rose smiled. Good that they were getting along.

Oleana stood up. "If you don't mind, I'll go now," she said. "That way, I can be back with your things before nightfall." She paused. "All things considered, I am glad you're doing well. I was terribly worried."

Rose sighed. "I want to say you shouldn't worry, but there may not be truth to that. These past few days have been a right mess, Oleana. I can't thank you enough for your support."

"I know," Oleana said, and a faint smile flickered across her face. "I'm only grateful I get to see you again."

---

Acacius returned before Oleana did. "There she is!" he said, opening the door to see Budew with Perrserker. "I really thought she got out, I couldn't find her anywhere. Where's your girlfriend?"

"My–" Rose let out a short, awkward laugh. "I assure you, Oleana and I have a strictly professional relationship."

"You can't tell me she only feels professionally about you."

"Well, it's more accurate to say we're friends, but our feelings for each other are platonic." Rose shook his head. "Regardless, she's left to get some items for me. She'll be back soon."

"Cool, cool."

Acacius wavered in the entrance to the room. Budew and Perrserker stopped batting around a crumpled paper ball to stare at him. Rose frowned. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Acacius said, a little too quickly to be honest. "Look, can you watch Budew for a while longer? I'm going out again."

"Right now? You just got back."

"Yeah, well, I need the alone time." He took Budew's pokéball off his belt. "I'll leave this with you, just in case."

"Acacius, wait," Rose said, standing up. "I'm sorry, did I do something to upset you?"

"What?" Acacius rolled his eyes. "Trust me, Chairman, not everything is about you."

He tossed the pokéball at him. When Rose caught it, Acacius had already backed out and closed the door.

Budew and Perrserker went back to playing. Rose sat back down, turning the pokéball over in his hands. He couldn't shake off the feeling that he had done something wrong, especially given that it wouldn't be the first time… but he had to assume Acacius was irritable for other reasons. There was no reason for him to lie, was there?

Had Acacius ever lied to him?

Rose shook his head. He couldn't dwell on that.

---

Rose found himself in the midst of thick red haze, the air hot and humid. He inhaled and nearly choked on the stench; he pulled his shirt over his mouth and nose, which made little difference, but calmed him down enough to start moving.

The ground was soft and uneven. Rose struggled not to trip over dips and mounds. Sometimes, his foot would sink into damp red muck, and it took effort to pull it out.

Something moved. The haze shifted, as if breathing. Rose stumbled and sat down hard, eliciting a wet noise from the surface.

A shriek cut through the atmosphere. 

Wind picked up, pushing aside the haze and revealing Eternatus curled on a large mound. It shrieked again, a long, rattling cry, raising its head to the sky. Rose began to make out shapes in the pile, curves and forms that reminded him of–

They were bodies.

Rose tried to rise, fell again, and–they were bodies, he was trapped in the midst of half-decayed flesh and blood and rot. He wanted to vomit. He gasped and sobbed and managed to get upright again, his clothes coated in horrible, disgusting fluids, and turned to run.

But the landscape of the dead stretched as far as he could see, disappearing into the distance. Rose looked back at Eternatus in desperation, but the great dragon didn't look at him, continuing its fierce wailing.

With no way out, he remembered–hoped–that this wasn't the real world. Rose fell to his knees. "Wake up," he told himself. "Wake up, wake up, please, please–"

---

He woke up.

For a moment, the soft mattress of the bed felt like the fleshy ground of his dream, and he panicked and threw himself away from it. The thin carpet over the floor did little to cushion his fall, but it at least served to snap him back to reality.

His surroundings gradually became recognizable; the hotel room he shared with Acacius. Hopefully Rose hadn't woken him up.

But no, when he looked to the other bed, the only being in it was Budew, sleeping soundly. Acacius hadn't come back.

Rose put a hand over his chest, breathing hard. Acacius was fine, he told himself. He had the burner phone, he had responded to the league's messages, and he had told them he "might not be back until morning." Leon hadn't liked that, but he couldn't exactly stop him.

His nerves were racing. Rose got off the floor and picked up his phone from the bedside table.

The first phone call went unanswered. The second was cut short. Rose was about to call Acacius a third time when his phone got a text.

Acacius < can't call. what is it

Rose let out a sigh.

I take it you'll be back in the morning? > Rose

Acacius < yeah that's what i said
Acacius < did something happen

No. I noticed you weren't here and wanted to check in. > Rose
Where are you? > Rose

Acacius < i found a place to crash
Acacius < just needed to get away from everything
Acacius < go back to sleep chairman

Alright. I'll see you in the morning. > Rose

The typing notification appeared, faded out, appeared again, and eventually vanished without any response from Acacius. Rose stared at the phone for a long, long moment before he lay back down.