The shock wave shoots a blast of wind in all directions, knocking Whi-two off her feet and onto the cool sands of Undella Bay. Panic overwhelms her as she holds back a shriek, and she throws up her arms to shield herself of the light rain of displaced sand. Far up in the night sky, a monstrous white Pokémon screeches and soars northward, its destination unknown.
Despite the terror racking her body, telling her to bolt out of there and pretend nothing even happened, that that… thing hadn't emerged from the mysterious, ivory stone she had been carrying and into the clear skies, she forced herself to notice what else did-
Or should she say, who else did.
Whi-two tries her best to steady her breathing, blue eyes wide and locked on the body that laid face down only a few meters away from her on the beach. At first glance, it appeared to be a young adult, but after a second, she realized that it was just a teenager. A lanky teenager. An unusually pale, unusually still teenager.
Whi-two couldn't help but gasp and jump to her feet. Oh no, no no. Is- was he…? Who could survive a blast from that close? Well, she kinda just did, but- but-
The stranger's fingers twitch, and Whi-two freezes. For a moment she thought she was only imagining things, but she was proven wrong when again the other's fingers twitch and curl, and very slowly push himself up to his hands and knees. He looks up and stares at her blankly, as if he couldn't process what had just happened either.
A moment passes.
"Th- Thank you." He finally breathes out.
Whi-two stares wide-eyed at the boy on the ground, getting a better look at him as he tries to push himself up. His brown hair was a wild mess and covered in sand- most likely because of the fall- and she noticed a red trainer cap laid on the ground beside him. What kind of trainer would be around such a powerful Pokémon? Maybe he didn't know what he was getting himself into.
The boy's legs tremble like a newborn Mareep's as he starts to stand, and Whi-two's eyebrows furrow with worry as she cautiously approaches him. Despite how lethargic he appeared, the other takes a step forward immediately and blurts out, "You didn't-"
His knees buckle and he staggers, and without thinking Whi-two stumbles forward to catch him- he's far taller than she is, so at first it's a bit hard to support him, but it's just enough to help him back on his feet.
The boy stands a little straighter this time, shooting the girl a warm smile. "You actually talked to me! You helped me!" he exclaims giddily. "It's Whi-two, right?" he asks a little quieter.
Her eyebrows raise, and the gears turn in her head. He had heard her talking to the stone...
"Y-Yeah." she says softly.
"My name's Black!" A pause, and some sort of look crosses his features that Whi-two can't put a finger on. It's as if something was on his mind. "Are you... really a Team Plasma member?" he finally asks.
She blinks. Ah, now that was a tough question. Throughout her life, fighting for the independence and happiness of Pokémon, caring for the Pokémon whose lives were in the wrong hands- these were her goals. And yet… Everything that has happened in the past couple of months made her question her point of view. King N was nowhere to be found. The old Team Plasma was in shambles. The International Police was on the hunt even now for remaining grunts and sages.
Yet even though it felt as if the entire world was against her, old habits die hard.
"Yeah, I am." she answers, hesitantly, though she doubted that the other had worked for the police. Still, her eyes dart over Black's face for any change in expression.
Black's smile is still there, albeit soft, though his eyebrows furrow slightly in mild confusion. "But… You set me free."
Huh?
Whi-two opens her mouth to ask what he had meant- What does he mean by that? Free from the stone? What does Team Plasma and her have anything to do with-?
"Whi-two?"
She jolts at the shout that echoes through Undella Bay. Lack-two. He was looking for her- he had finally caught up! It had to have been that white dragon Pokémon that blew her cover- and now he's found her, and now she's going to get arrested and thrown in jail. She was going to go to jail.
Whi-two clutches at her chest and she starts to find it hard to breathe. No, no-
"Who's that?" Black asks innocently, giving her a worried look, but she can't focus on him right now because her thoughts are running through her mind at a hundred miles a minute. What is she going to do? Oh Arceus, what is she going to do?
"Whi-two!" Lack-two's voice echoes again, closer this time.
She grabs Black's wrist, reminding herself not to squeeze the frail boy too tightly. "I-It's not safe here," she stammers out, adrenaline coursing through her veins. Her eyes lie west, where Undella Town was, where it was more heavily populated and easier to hide. "It's not safe here. We have to go."
Black gives her a bewildered look. "What? But-"
Whi-two turns to look at him directly, her mouth open to retort back, but nothing comes out. Instead, she closes her mouth and gives him a silent, pleading look.
He stares at her for a moment, then swallows, nodding.
"Okay," he says. "Let's go."
Author's Note: This is my first attempt at writing a fic. Let me know how I did! Thanks for reading.