A.N.: Hello and welcome to my first self-indulgent fanfiction, where I don't care about anything other than chaos, inconsistency, and things that don't make sense, topped with the occasional touching moments. You are welcome to join this train wreck of a ride that is definite OOC, hopes and dreams, questionable motivations, and magical girls! This fanfic is mostly to keep me going as I continue my studies because I've been writing some heavy stuff lately, and I really need a guilty pleasure to indulge in. Enjoy and I'll see you at the end!
Chapter 1: The Heroine of Truth, Cure Flare!
It is like a scene from a movie or even a perfect dream.
The lights of Nimbasa City are flickering beneath their feet. The background framing their view of each other morphs from the blinding sea of glowing dots to the vast star-covered void of the night sky.
They're smiling at each other, both of them pulling their hats down to hide some of their giddiness. The atmosphere is definitely romantic; a first for them ever since they've met.
The Ferris wheel stops. Their cart rests at the top.
"Touko," N begins, extending his hand out to her, "Let's travel together."
The girl across from him clasps his outstretched hand and nods. "Okay, N." They let their hands linger together, basking in the tiny shocks their fingers experience whenever someone's hand twitches. The heat in her cheeks continues to bubble up even after they have stopped talking to take in the breathtaking view.
Yes, it is definitely something out of a fairy tale, happy ending and all.
…
"That's strange. N is usually here on Fridays. Did I come here early?" A bubbly young trainer with a tote bag stands on her tiptoes as she scans the crowd for messy green hair. Her back is turned to the exit of the Ferris wheel, so she doesn't see N heading out that way until he calls her name.
"Mei? Oh, were you waiting for me?"
"N! I've been looking for you! You're usually waiting at the front…" Mei gasps when another girl dashes up to the lanky man, quietly apologizing for taking a while. He, in turn, shakes his head calmly, gazing at her with a softness Mei only sees when he talks about the friend who saved him.
"N, is that…?"
"Oh, that's right. Mei, I want you to meet Touko. She's the friend I told you about."
The two girls both stare at each other. Neither of them makes a move for several seconds. Touko starts to move her hand up to her fluffy ponytail, ready to run her fingers through the thick bundle of hair.
Mei grabs her hand before she can do so.
"You're really Touko?! The same Touko who saved Unova two years ago?!" The excited trainer shakes their clasped hands up and down with the same energy as her awestruck voice. Her eyes transform into stars, clearly dazzled by the plain-looking girl.
"I'm Mei! It's nice to meet you, Touko! I bet we'll be good friends!"
She flashes an infectious smile, and Touko can't help but reciprocate. "I think we will. Nice to meet you too." To the side, N joins in with his own small grin. A part of him was afraid that they wouldn't be able to get along, but it seems that his fears were misplaced.
"Oh, am I interrupting something? Are you guys on a date?"
Touko lowers her head, her cap hiding her rapidly coloring cheeks and shaky smile. N only tilts his head.
"A date? Mei, what is that?"
…
The next day...
"There is an outbreak of Sudowoodo on Route 20. Professor Juniper wants me to observe them, so can you come with me, Touko?"
"Yeah, of course! I'm not doing anything today."
The two childhood friends, reunited after three long years of pursuing their own dreams, are strolling back down from the perch overseeing the lake hidden within the nearby forest, catching up on lost time, when Bianca receives a call from Professor Juniper.
"Aspertia City is such a homely city. I envy Cheren; he works here every day."
"I know right? But he's so busy taking care of the gym and the school that he doesn't even have time to hang out with me! And he says that he's trying to 'have fun' more often."
"It's not Cheren unless he's multitasking on work. I'm glad that he's found his calling, just like you."
Bianca smiles back and nods. Seeing her taking a step towards a future chosen from their journey makes Touko grin melancholically. While she was gone pursuing her sense of wanderlust, her friends were settling down. It makes her wonder if her own journey was as impactful as her friends' were. They've changed so much.
"Speaking of, I've heard that you met N again and that you're traveling together now! But wait, if that's the case, then where is he?"
She takes quick peeks down the street, searching for the tall, lanky man.
Touko lets out an embarrassed laugh. Her hand instinctively reaches for her cap, pulling it down over her eyes. "Yeah, it still feels like a dream that we've finally found each other again. I mean, when he told me where he's been, I'm surprised I didn't bump into him sooner! We did decide to travel together, but he wanted to deal with a personal issue before we head out, so he's in Driftveil City at the moment."
"Oh...Oh! I think I know what he's doing."
Their conversation ends there as they walk through the Aspertia gate. The warm summer sun beats down gently, sending a soothing warmth straight to their bloodstreams. Touko takes a glance up at the clear sky, marveling at the sheer beauty of such a normal and common day.
Route 19 is teeming with life. The two trainers lurking on the path wave to them as they leisurely pass through. A pack of Purrloin decides to chase down several poor Patrat, victims of their game of cat and mouse.
"Didn't you say that Alder lives nearby? Can we visit him?"
"Oh yes! I'm sure he wants to see how the Heroine of Truth is doing."
Touko grimaces. "Please don't call me that again. It feels weird."
"Whoops! Sorry! But you have to admit, it's such a cool title!"
Down by her hips, Reshiram's luxury ball rumbles slightly, as if to agree with Bianca. The heroine groans as her mind entertain the idea of her legendary partner and her best friend sharing notes on how to embarrass her.
"The three of you show affection to one another by teasing each other. It is a sign of friendship, is it not?"
"I didn't ask for your input!" Touko mentally screams, suddenly dashing ahead to clear out the heat under her face.
"Wait, Touko, watch out!"
Thud!
"Oww…" she grumbles out, rubbing her butt as she looks up with one eye closed in pain. Another person, an older man, releases a grunt at the same time.
"I'm so sorry...Alder?!"
"Why if it isn't Touko! What's got you so flustered?"
She picks herself up quickly and helps the former champion up. "Nothing! Nothing at all! Just running to feel the breeze!"
Bianca, behind her, shakes her head. Alder erupts into laughter. "Well, I apologize for suddenly jumping down like that. I probably should have given a warning."
He laughs again after apologizing, and Touko feels a bead of sweat running down the back of her head.
"So what brings you two to this part of Unova?"
"Oh, we're heading off to Route 20 to study the recent outbreak," chirps the blonde assistant.
"Oh, you mean that pack of Sudowoodo? Then let me accompany you. I can show you where they hang out."
Bianca's smile grows even brighter as she thanks him for his help. Touko, however, finds his hospitable gesture a bit odd. Surely, her help is enough for Bianca, right? He knows that she's accompanying her.
"Alder, not to be rude or anything, but why are you helping us? I can take care of Bianca myself."
His face darkens suddenly. Both girls flinch at the sudden shift. Bianca is even scolding Touko under her breath with a panicked tone.
"To tell you the truth, I sense something bad coming from that direction. I've been trying to warn people as they head into town to be wary of what's ahead, but I don't know what exactly it is."
The two look at each other and nod.
"Lead the way, Alder," Touko says, silently steeling herself for a battle.
…
According to Bianca, nothing about the route itself is off.
It isn't something drastic, like ice covering the river or a giant hole in the middle of the path. But the sneaking feeling of something lurking in the shadows pricks at Touko's skin. They see the local Pokémon hiding in the trees, near the bottom of the river, in that neat batch of tall grass.
"What's gotten into them?" Bianca wonders aloud as she takes note of their strange behavior. Touko and Alder each release a Pokémon to assist them, a Samurott and an Escavalier respectively.
"Should I call N and see if he can translate for us? I know that he's busy checking up on Anthea and Concordia, but..." Touko asks them, already a tap away from contacting him on her Xtransceiver.
"If you can get a hold of him, then yes. It would be a great help," Alder answers, but before she can tap on the call button, another voice echoes throughout the route.
"I've found the perfect specimen for my experiment."
"W-What?!" Bianca cries out, and just as the word escapes her lips, she screams. Finding herself in someone's grip, she tries her best to break free, but the mystery person is too strong for her. He keeps a tight grasp on her arm as he covers her mouth with his other hand to cut off her panicked shrieks.
"Bianca!" Touko cries out, her Samurott already assuming a battle stance. She is barely able to register the white hair on the captor's head before she releases her first command. "Ritsu, use Waterfall!" The Formidable Pokémon charges at the mysterious villain with a current of turbulent water, but he merely jumps out of the way and takes Bianca up the cliff. He stares down at her with a dead serious glare, taunting her to act on impulse.
Now that they've come to a standstill, Touko and Alder take in the sight of Bianca's captor. The first thing they notice is that his mouth is covered by a black cloth. His white hair is the part that sticks up the most, flowing down to his upper back. A long gray cape obscures the rest of his outfit, but under the gap that has opened up for his arm to slip out and keep Bianca in place was a glimpse of black clothing.
Touko gasps.
"You're...from the Shadow Triad! Does that mean that Team Plasma is back again?!"
The man's glare only deepens. "And you're the trainer who defeated Ghetsis the first time. No matter. I got what I was looking for." He refuses to answer her question.
"Let go of Bianca!" she commands, her Samurott rushing up to the top of the cliff with another waterfall. A Bisharp appears out of the shadows to swat her Pokémon back down to the ground.
"Ritsu!"
"Now, let's commence the experiment."
"Touko!" Bianca screams, but a sudden gust of heavy wind drowns out her cry. She slumps down abruptly as the heavy wind turns into a vacuum, sucking up both Touko's friend and all of the Sudowoodo to a gaping hole that opened up in the sky.
"Behold, our new power!"
Alder and Touko can only stare up in shock as a giant tree monster slams down next to Shadow, causing a small wave of tremors. It doesn't have any eyes, but the top of the tree is barren, just a web of dead leaves. The branches are equipped with bundles of compact leaves that form large boxing gloves. And in the center, where the trunk expands out to the branches, was Bianca. Her body is absorbed into the tree, leaving only her head and her arms exposed. Her visible body parts are entangled with an intricate web of vines as it releases an aura of dark energy.
"Bianca...what have you done, you fiend?!" Alder demands. He has recalled his Escavalier for his trusty Volcarona. Shadow is also in awe of what just transpired, but he recovers quickly and turns to them.
"Cower in fear, heroes. We are now able to fuse humans and Pokémon together. This is only the first step towards our real goal."
Fuse people and Pokémon? The abominable idea terrifies them both. With sweaty palms, Touko recalls Ritsu and releases Reshiram from its luxury ball, knowing that a water type Pokémon will not do much.
"Heroine, I am here to assist."
"Reshiram, Fusion Flare!" Touko orders. The Vast White Pokémon inhales deeply and wills its powers to summon an orb of flames. It fires at the horrifying fusion, but a wall of dark energy shields the creature from harm. Its attack was inches away from spreading across Bianca's morphed body.
"Volcarona, Bug Buzz!"
The Sun Pokémon unleashes a series of sound waves that visibly shakes the tree monster but ultimately does nothing when the dark barrier shows up again to reflect the damaging radiation. Under his cold persona, there is a twinkle of excitement in Shadow's eyes.
"Pokémon attacks won't work on it. And even if they did, this poor girl here would be taking the brunt of the attacks. I'm sure you don't want to harm her, right?"
Another petrifying revelation. Shadow holds up the device it was hiding underneath his cape and presses another button. The tree creature begins to move.
"Now, my Kugeki! Bring despair to those two bothersome thorns!"
"Alder, run!" Touko screeches, the fear building within her. The former champion opens his mouth to protest, but the fiery blaze in Touko's blue eyes halts his words.
"I-I can't just leave you here alone against that thing!" he finally manages to sputter out. The Heroine of truth shoots another glare at him.
"You need to go to the nearby towns and make sure no one comes here. I'll delay this...thing for as long as I can."
With a gruff sigh, Alder surrenders and follows her orders. He dashes onwards to Virbank City, having already withdrawn his Pokémon. Shadow makes no moves to stop him and instead sets his sights on Touko.
"Kugeki, attack her! Make sure she stays down forever!"
The ground shakes as the tree monster digs its roots into the cliff and throws its many branches out to sock her. Touko desperately hops onto Reshiram's back and takes flight, knowing that she can't possibly be able to dodge the Kugeki's punches on the ground. The tree monster merely changes the trajectory of its bullet punches, and soon Touko finds herself weaving in and out of the clouds.
"Reshiram, what do we do?! None of our attacks won't work, and we have to save Bianca!"
"...There may be a way."
"Well, what is it?! We have to hurry!"
"Remain calm, Heroine. First, take out my luxury ball."
She fumbles trying to find Reshiram's compact home. Once she has successfully taken the ball out of her bag, the legendary Pokemon dives down and lands behind the tree monster. Bianca's head digs its way to the back of the tree monster to face Touko. The sight makes her shiver.
"I am going to use this as a medium to transfer my powers to you. Take a deep breath, concentrate, and then say 'Curing Fusion Orb!'"
She blinks several times. Is...is she hearing things right? Touko glances up at the legendary Pokémon, but she sees no twinkle of mischief or amusement or anything other than an eerie seriousness.
"I-I'm not saying that!"
"Just say it, Heroine. Those are the activation words."
"No, I won't! Can't you make it less childish?! Less cringy?! And why are you transferring your powers to me?!"
"If I give you my powers, then the combination of human and Pokémon might be able to disrupt that force field of darkness surrounding that monster. And Heroine, I am afraid it will not respond in any other way. Do you want your friend to stay in that state?"
"Leave it to Reshiram to deliver a low blow so casually." But when Touko makes eye contact with her merged friend, she hears something crying out to her.
"It's so cold in here...am I doomed to be stuck here, useless to everyone…? I'm trying not to be a bother, but..."
Shadow must have heard that too, for he casts a backward glance and nods.
"That's right. You are only a stepping stone for us, for Ghetsis, for your friends. You should revel in your weakness and surrender completely to us."
"Don't you dare insult Bianca's struggles like that!" the trainer fiercely retorts back, glowering at the Team Plasma member with unrestrained fury. "She knows that she can't be like me or Cheren or any of the other trainers, but she keeps looking towards the future and following her own path! It takes true strength to keep moving forward after accepting your weaknesses! You and Ghetsis will never understand that!"
She points a finger at Shadow. "I'm going to free her from your horrible experiment and bring the real Bianca back! And just so you know, none of my friends are useless!"
There is no hesitation from Touko now. Sure, she has no idea if Reshiram's idea will work, but no one dredges up Bianca's fears and anxieties and gets away with it.
"Curing Fusion Orb!"
She erupts into flames. A pillar of orange light engulfs her, blinding the monster and Shadow. The enemy lets out a sputtered gasp, the only sign of emotion he has released ever since their first meeting. Touko finds herself transported to a realm of fire and floating white feathers. Reshiram's luxury ball levitates out of her hands and opens up, expelling a burst of orange and blue flames. She feels her clothes and hat melt away (and senses an orange-tinted white dress covering her naked form) as the fires continue to wrap around her. Her body starts free-floating in this strange new realm, tumbling with the flames.
On a whim, she drips a finger into the billowing fire spewer and finds that she can manipulate the flames as it follows along with her finger's path. A force takes over her, and she loops her finger over her legs, and a pair of white boots materializes over her feet, reaching up to her ankles. Golden rings, two on each boot, snap themselves onto her footwear to secure them.
Touko then draws a trail of spirals over her right arm. Some of the floating feathers blend with the swirling flames to create a short white cloth that serves as an arm guard with a wing-like attachment. Dripping her finger back into the luxury ball, Touko lets the clashing combination of blue and orange flames engulf her body, and a pure white one-shoulder dress soon replaces her preparation gown. Several feathers stick to her left shoulder to make a wing-like sleeve. The white skater skirt reaches just about the middle of her thighs, fluttering as she twirls around to get a feel of her new outfit. She draws an incomplete butterfly shape onto her chest and then drags her finger downwards, creating an upside down triangle that stops at her stomach.
Now using both pointer fingers, Touko crafts two feathery protrusions, one at each hip, similar to the ones on Reshiram's legs. As she uses up the remaining fire erupting from the luxury ball, three rings swirl around her, two on her neck and one on her waist. From the rings around her neck, two silver chokers are formed. The ring on her waist makes a silky belt, complete with a light blue wing-shaped bow. From the chaos of fire and feathers, a back accessory shaped like Reshiram's majestic wings attaches itself to her lower back.
Touko looks up to find the flames dancing around her hair. She feels her ponytail extend until it easily reaches to her hips, curling to the edge to resemble the element around her. The bangs by the side of her face clasp themselves back to her ponytail, while the tiny hair antennas on top extend to a point where they become thicker and droop down to her back, flowing just as voluminously as Reshiram's mane. As the flames complete their work, the chocolate-brown color of her hair explodes to a golden orange.
The luxury ball, having exhausted its fuel, finds comfort in the furry bag that is latched to her lower back. The flames also dissipate, leaving behind the orange light and storm of feathers.
Touko lands on her feet with practiced precision.
"The Heroine of Truth!" she proclaims with a finger twirl of blue fire. Snapping her fingers, Touko lets the small ember spin around her before clasping it with her hand. It flickers, scatters to the wind, as she places her left hand on her waist and raises her right arm to follow an arc around her face. Slamming down her hand, a burst of fire encircles the magical girl before finally revealing her final pose.
"Cure Flare!"
The pillar of light vanishes. Flare stands before the fused monster with a defiant glare...before immediately hiding her face behind her hands and groaning audibly.
"W-What in the world am I saying?!"
"Congratulations, Cure Flare. I believe that the merging of our powers is successful."
"R-Reshiram, explain yourself!" she shrieks out. A brief draft causes her skirt to flutter, and Touko lets out another whine. Shadow recoils back, eyes wide with shock, while his Kugeki trembles with him.
"A-And what the hell am I wearing?! I better have shorts under this skirt!"
Just to check, she pushes her hands under the back of her dress. Flare immediately sighs in relief when she feels rough fabric instead of cotton panties.
"You are going to be fighting in that, so yes, I have provided shorts."
Her disbelief skyrockets. "I-I'm going to be fighting in this...dress?! No way! This thing isn't practical at all!" Something lands on her right shoulder, and it takes her a moment to register that it was a miniature Reshiram who perched itself there.
"Do not worry, Cure Flare. Your dress will not be torn to shreds. My powers will keep it intact."
"T-That's not-! And why are you calling me that?! And why are you so small?! Gah! There are so many questions I want answers to, and you need to spill now!"
"We can talk later. First, let's save Bianca."
"And how am I supposed to do that in this?!"
"Flare, incoming!"
Her head swiftly turns to the front. A barrage of punches is throttling towards her direction, and her reflexes aren't fast enough for her to react. She can only block the one punch aimed directly at her face, and the force from the impending collision pushes her back several feet.
"Amazing. A normal human would have been knocked unconscious just from the impact. Your reflexes have also been enhanced."
"Are you saying that you actually don't know what this transformation does?!"
Flare glances up from her arms to focus her gaze on her enemy. How in the world is she supposed to fight that? It can launch multiple powerful punches as easily as a Machamp can.
"Close the distance, Flare. You need to weaken it before we can separate Bianca from that monster."
"So essentially like a Pokémon battle." Her head spins with the surreal realization that this is actually happening, and not some fever dream she's having on a hot summer day.
"I really don't know what is going on, but if it means saving Bianca…"
She slowly bends her legs as the next volley of punches charges her way. When they're about to hit her head on, Flare takes off running, dodging each rapid-fire strike with tiny sidesteps and hops. As she continues to traverse the forest of volleying jabs, she takes to reflecting and blocking some of the attacks that she's unable to swerve away from. Soon, she's engaged in a heated exchange of punches with the monster, slamming her way closer and closer to the base of the tree.
"I-Impossible...what is going on?! Where is this power coming from?!" The Shadow Triad member exclaims. And honestly, she lives for bringing terror to bad guys like him. The way she subverts their expectations of her and personally makes them realize just how utterly screwed they are never fails to set her heart ablaze.
He fumbles with the controls on his device, and upon hitting a random button, watches as the monster's aura darkens to a sickly purple. Bianca's head grimaces as the vines consume her arms and part of her face. Touko urges herself to run faster, dodge quicker, punch harder. She's so close.
"HAAAAAAAHH!" With a fist full of fire, she lets loose a charged punch to the base of the tree monster. The dark barrier protecting the fused monstrosity shatters to pieces. The Kugeki wobbles once, twice, to try to stabilize its footing, but the weight of her attack ultimately uproots it from the ground as it slumps back onto the edge of the cliff.
"Now, Flare!" Reshiram telepathically commands.
The strange realm of fire and white feathers emerges again. Flare senses a smothering heat flowing from her fingertips, and after flying up with her dainty wings, lets the flickering blue flames surround the Kugeki. She draws a circle in front of her and announces her special move.
"Precure...Blue Flare!"
An inferno of azure embers descends onto the weakened Kugeki. Shadow is blinded by the brightness of her attack and can only look away as a beam of condensed neon blue fire slams down onto the base of the monster's trunk. What soon occurs is a massive mushroom cloud-shaped flame fountaining to the sky. The cage of vines burns down without any sort of resistance, leaving behind an unconscious assistant Pokémon professor and several Sudowoodo, all clinging onto the knocked out human.
The device in Shadow's hand blows up. He grunts and promptly disappears, not bothering to leave behind a threat of defeating her next time.
Flare lands next to her friend feeling completely drained. Just how much power did that last attack need? The adrenaline begins to expel from her bloodstream, and once again, she's standing there in disbelief.
"I think I'm crazy," she confirms after a moment of silence.
…
"Ngh...huh…?"
Bianca opens her eyes and finds Touko over her, watching with relieved blue eyes. The professor's assistant registers that she's laying on her friend's lap and hastily sits up straight.
"W-Where am I? What happened?"
Touko tilts her head as they pick themselves up. "You don't remember?"
"Remember what? The only thing I can recall is being held captive by someone…?" Bianca scans the route for any unusual activity, but it seems that everything is spotless. "That's weird...I'm pretty sure something did happen, right?"
Unbeknownst to the blonde assistant, Touko is shifting nervously, mentally pleading for an excuse from Reshiram.
"She doesn't remember! What do I say?!"
"That must be the side effects of that device. I suggest telling her about what really happened."
"Does Reshiram even hear itself speak sometimes? How can it not know how that is out of the question?!"
Shaking her head vigorously, Touko retorts back, incredulous to how she's the only one taking this seriously.
"And tell her how through some weird...magic transformation, we were able to combine our powers to defeat a giant tree monster that was created from fusing her and a pack of Sudowoodo?! She's not going to believe me!"
"Then I will vouch for you."
"No! No! No! This is going to be a one-time thing! Whatever that was is never happening again!"
"Oh, but if I'm here now, that means that you saved me, right Touko?!" Bianca squeals out, eyes sparkling with hope. Her friend can only rub her head nervously as she sheepishly verifies that she has indeed rescued her.
"Thank you so much! No matter what, you'll always be my hero!"
The starstruck expression prints itself onto Bianca's face. Touko's cheeks warm at the cheesy line. "Come on, Bianca. Stop embarrassing me."
They both devolve into a fit of giggles. And as they head back to Aspertia City, the Heroine of Truth prays that this is hopefully a one-time thing.
Profile: Touko
The main protagonist of Pokémon Black. Chosen by Reshiram as the heroine of truth, she's a feisty, tomboyish trainer with a girly side that is rarely seen. Realistic and blunt, her defining character traits are her unwavering convictions and a strong belief in herself. If she can do it, she will do it. She cares deeply for her friends and will do anything to keep them safe. Touko is the kind of person to do what she thinks is the right thing, which can put her at odds with others, especially with her strong convictions backing her up. Unfortunately, due to her confrontational nature, she is a terrible liar. She's currently forming a budding relationship with N, her former enemy, while trying to reconnect with Cheren and Bianca after losing contact with them for three years.
Age: 17
Horoscope: Scolipede
Alter Ego: Cure Flare
Symbol: Rings or circles
Signature move: Precure Blue Flare
Transformation Device: Reshiram's luxury ball