Hello! Welcome to my latest multi-chapter fic! (Though...this was supposed to be a oneshot...at least that's how I got tricked into writing this while already being busy with two other projects...XD) This fic will be roughly 8-10 chapters long, with five chapters focused on Pokemon Black and the rest focused on Black 2. Yes, this is one of those novelization fics...but don't expect everything to be predictable, especially by Chapter 4 (insert evil laughter). But this first chapter does (mostly) stick to the plot.
This is the first multi-chapter fic I've written where pairings are the main point (previously, pairings are a side thing in my larger fics), so it should be interesting seeing how this works out. It's certainly been fun so far, if a pain in the butt (especially constantly checking scenes/quotes). I've tried to include lots of humor to help balance out some of the inevitable darkness later on, and I want this to be fun fic overall.
Also, I know the main girl char is usually referred to as "White", and often has an innocent personality to match her name. But I played as the girl in Pokemon Black, so she always had a "dark" vibe to me. Also, it takes a certain spunk to wear the outfit she does, in my opinion XP. So, I present a "black" version of White, so to speak lol. (There will also be a "white" version of Black, though not in this chapter).
Disclaimer - I do not own Pokemon. I don't have room for all the human chars, much less the 600-some Pokemon out now. And what would I do with a Steelix, anyway?
Play a Hero False
"Do you think it is weakness that leads to temptation? I tell you that there are terrible temptations which it requires strength, strength and courage to yield to." -Oscar Wilde
Chapter 1 - The Fall: And Then He Was There
Accumula Town - (Wild Layla appeared! Wild Cheren appeared! Wild N Appeared! N is growling in a way that almost sounds like speech.)
"So you dislike the sunlight too?" asked the strange boy. A petite purple cat, a Purrloin, sat on his shoulder, its crooked tail twitching and its green eyes wary.
At least, Layla thought the boy was strange. Most of his outfit was either black or white - a black baseball cap with a white patch on the front, a white dress shirt covering a thin black turtleneck beneath it, and pale khaki pants. He had long hair that was jade-green and tied back into a ponytail, as conspicuous as a summer Deerling out in the wrong season. A oddly-patterned green-and-gold Rubric's cube hung from a silver chain attached to his belt.
And he was sunburned. Very, very sunburned.
Well, so was she. Her own fair skin had never handled bright sunlight well. It didn't help that she had plenty of said skin exposed with her sleeveless white shirt and her extra-short jean shorts. Maybe this wasn't the best outfit to be traveling the wilderness in…oh well, at least she got the boots right. Oh, and the pink-and-white baseball cap. That was the only thing preventing her from being blinded by all the sunshine.
"Well, I wouldn't say I hate sunlight or anything," Layla replied, craning her neck up to look at the older boy. He seemed incredibly tall for his age, which she guessed was about fifteen or sixteen. Older than her, but not by much. "But I would say it's way too hot and sunny for a fall day. I shouldn't be getting sunburned in the fall!"
"Should have put on sunblock," said her friend Cheren matter-of-factly, adjusting his glasses. The black-haired boy's pale skin, what little of it that wasn't covered by his blue coat or long black pants, was fine. He must have had actually checked the weather report before going outside.
"I didn't put on any sunblock because I didn't think I'd need it for a fall day!" Layla snapped back. She wished that he had given her a head's up.
Layla's Snivy, a little green-and-gold snake-like creature that was her very first Pokemon ever, bounced happily up and down on its stubby limbs. Cheren's Tepig, a tiny orange-and-black piglet, also cheerfully jumped along with Snivy.
"Sniv Sniv! Vy!"
"Pig Pig! Te Te Tepig!"
The strange boy's blue-gray eyes switched to the two small Pokemon dancing about. He seemed surprised by their hyperness. His Purrloin gave a puzzled cry of its own.
Layla gave the boy a confused look herself. "What?"
He returned his gaze to her and Cheren. "Your Pokemon…Just now, it was saying…"
"Who saying what?" asked Layla. His words had come out so quickly that they were a blurred jumble to her.
"Slow down. You talk too fast," Cheren said to the other boy, mirroring Layla's own opinion. "And what's this about Pokemon…talking? That's an odd thing to say."
"Yes, they're talking," said the strange boy, only slightly more slowly, before noting their still-befuddled faces. "Oh. Then, you two can't hear it, either…How sad. My name is N."
"E-n?" asked Layla.
"No, just N," the strange boy replied.
Layla raised an eyebrow. "As in, the letter N?"
"Yes. That is my name."
Layla and Cheren exchanged looks. This boy was getting more bizarre by the minute.
"My name is Cheren, and this is Layla," Cheren replied, his already-cool tone now marble cold. Clearly he did not trust someone who only gave a letter for a name, and Layla shared his sentiments. "We were asked to complete the Pokedex and we just left on our journey. My main goal is to become the Champion, though."
"Better find a new goal then, Cheren," countered Layla. "Because I'm gonna be the one who's gonna be the Champion!"
"Alright, I'll let you be Champion then," replied Cheren casually. "For about five minutes. Then I'm going to kick your butt outta there and be the real Champion."
"In your dreams, Cherie," retorted Layla with a smug smile, pronouncing his nickname in the French way he couldn't stand.
Cheren glared back proudly, folding his arms. "Yeah, because my dreams will become the truth."
Layla just rolled her eyes. They both knew there was no real point in having this argument. They had both been debating this since they were five or six. Really, they may have been both fourteen, but not much had changed since their kindergarten days.
The boy called N had been watching the two argue quietly, his expression unreadable. "The Pokedex, eh? So…You're going to confine many, many Pokemon in Pokeballs for that, then. I'm a Trainer, too, but I can't help wondering…Are Pokemon really happy that way?"
Layla wasn't sure what to say to that. It did sound kind of stupid when he put it like that way…Oh well. Like she had said, that wasn't really her goal as a Trainer anyway. She had just agreed to it to make sure she got her first Pokemon and became an official Trainer. Let Bianca handle the collecting part of it: that seemed like the kind of thing her other old friend would enjoy.
N took a step toward Layla, returning her to reality.
"Well, Layla, is it?" asked the boy with jade-green hair, now smiling. "Let me hear your Pokemon's voice again!"
His Purrloin leapt off his shoulder and landed in front of him, tail and posture alert. It fluffed up and hissed at Layla and her Snivy.
Layla assumed that he wanted to battle, though this was a rather roundabout way of challenging someone. Well, he did say he was a Trainer. "Go, Snivy!"
"Vy!" the grass-snake replied, happily hopping into battle position in front of Layla.
I have the jolliest-natured Snivy in the world, Layla thought with both amusement and adoration. And it was hers! She had waited forever for this day, for this first Pokemon, and it was even better than she thought it would be. "Snivy, Tackle!"
"Purrloin, Scratch!" shouted N, pointing ahead.
Snivy was faster, ramming into Purrloin. The violet feline nevertheless managed to rake it claws over Snivy's side even as the purple cat was sent flying back. Purrloin nearly collided with N, who appeared to be very concerned. Purrloin timidly went back to N with lowered ears, got some careful petting from him, and only then returned to the battlefield more confident.
"Tackle!" Layla ordered.
Snivy charged forward once again.
"Purrloin, Growl!" N commanded.
The violet feline emitted a rumble that was more cute than terrifying. It still intimidated the little Snivy, however, and caused it to slow down significantly. It still struck the Purrloin, but the lost speed meant a less severe hit than before. Purrloin only skidded back a little bit, but N still appeared worried about the blow to his Pokemon.
Layla wasn't discouraged though. She was loving it, the rush of battle. "Tackle again!"
"Scratch!" decreed N, a note of anxiety lacing his voice.
Snivy charged toward Purrloin and smashed into its side. Purrloin cried out in pain, tottered a little bit, and then fainted.
"Purrloin!" N exclaimed, hurrying over to his defeated Pokemon.
"Alright! We won!" cheered Layla, jumping up into the air.
"I-vy! I-vy! I-vy!" Snivy cheered along with her, hopping in circles around its Trainer. Cheren's Tepig also joined in the celebration, following Layla's Snivy about gleefully.
Cheren just sighed and shook his head as he watched his starter Pokemon join the overwrought celebration. "I should have chosen Oshawott…"
N gingerly picked up his Purrloin, and then gazed at Layla and the others with mild contempt and much confusion." I never expected to hear Pokemon say such things…"
"Hey, it was a good battle, N!" said Layla, as her Snivy finally contently plopped down near her feet. "Maybe we can fight again when we've both gotten stronger. A lot of Trainers form friendships that way, you know, fighting each other a lot to make each other stronger."
N glanced down back at his Purrloin in his arms, and then back to Layla, seeming uncertain what to think of that idea. Then his expression became more somber, as his gray-blue eyes returned to his Pokemon again. "As long as Pokemon are confined in Pokeballs…Pokemon will never become perfect beings. I have to change the world for Pokemon, because they're my friends."
N turned around and walked away, still cradling his Purrloin. He never looked back once.
"Huh…Strange guy," said Cheren with clear disapproval, returning his now-napping Tepig to its Pokeball.
Layla had to agree. Though he wasn't quite as strange as that other absurdly-garbed man that had been lecturing in the town square earlier. Seriously, that guy had one of the creepiest, most ridiculous outfits Layla had ever seen - a long robe that was purple on one side and gold on the other, with huge red eye patterns on both sections. The one eye she could see (the other was covered by some futuristic red monocle) was a deep scarlet. She wondered if it was his real eye color, or if he was wearing contacts to make it look that way.
The olive-haired man had went on and on about the liberation of Pokemon - how Pokemon should be free of all human control. Which was quite stupid, in Layla's opinion, but several people seemed to be deeply disturbed by the man's message. What was the guy's name again? Gheter? Jetsis? Ghetsis, that was it!
"But I'm not going to worry about it," added Cheren, now facing Layla. "Trainers and Pokemon help each other out! Listen, I'm going on ahead."
"Whaddaya mean you're going ahead? No way you're getting ahead of me!" Layla declared, putting her hands on her hips. She paused. "…Besides, I'm hungry."
"…What does that have to do with anything?" asked Cheren.
"Aren't you hungry too?" asked Layla. "Or am I the only one who skipped breakfast this morning because I was so excited?"
Cheren's stomach growled loudly.
Layla grinned.
"…Fine," Cheren eventually replied.
Route 2 - (Wild Bianca appeared! Layla appears to be very happy. Bianca looks dreamily content…Cheren is picking at the ground for some reason…)
No one wanted to go home on their first day of Pokemon Trainer adventures, so Layla, Cheren, and Bianca decided to have a large picnic. All the trees were red and orange with autumn colors, and leaves fell like snowflakes whenever there was the slightest breeze. Their Pokemon chased and attacked the leaves like they were potential opponents.
"The fall is just so lovely, isn't it Layla?" asked Bianca, her green eyes gazing absentmindedly into the shedding treetops. The poofy blonde hair sticking out from beneath her green hat already had a few leaves stuck in it, but she didn't seem to notice. Her orange top and white skirt were covered in cookie crumbs and pawprints from her Oshawott.
"I prefer winter myself," replied Layla, picking leaves out of her ponytail. Then she snatched the BLT sandwich next to Bianca and began to scarf it down.
"Layla! That was supposed to be mine!" Bianca whined when she finally snapped out of her reverie. "I only made three sandwiches!"
"Osha Osha!" Oshawott scolded, pointing its scallop at Layla and looking very serious.
However a tiny white-and-blue otter creature with a big brown nose and tiny blue ears failed to intimidate most things, much less Layla.
"You should have eaten your lemon cookies faster then." Layla replied, tossing the leftover tomato slices to her Snivy, who greedily swallowed them up. "Wild Pokemon aren't going to wait for you to finish your food either."
Bianca let out a sigh of defeat. Oshawott still appeared to be insulted, and continued to glare at Layla.
"Your own Pokemon won't wait for you to finish eating," added Cheren, as his Tepig devoured the remains of his sandwich. "My Tepig's appetite is endless. I already gave it all the PokeFood I had brought with me. I don't understand how something so small could eat so much."
"Well, he is a pig Pokemon," remarked Layla with a grin, as she began munching on an apple. "What did you expect?"
"A lower food bill," Cheren replied dryly, as his Tepig curled up in his lap to sleep.
"Well, that's why you gotta win Trainer battles," said Layla. "Imagine how much it'll eat when it's an Emboar."
Cheren groaned.
"But seriously, the winners get money to feed themselves and their Pokemon and whatever else they want, while the losers starve and have to quit," Layla went on. "But I'm not worried, because I'm not gonna lose. I'm gonna win and win and win until I'm stronger and more famous than anyone else, and then I'll be the Champion!"
"Not if I'm the Champion," Cheren answered with a slightly sly smile.
"If you're the Champion, and that's a pretty big if," Layla replied. "Then I'll catch some legendaries and wipe your entire team out! Because I'll be that awesome!"
"Well I'll be so awesome that I'll just beat you with my own legendaries!" Cheren retorted. "Hell, I'll have a team of nothing but legendaries! I'll be the Champion of Champions!"
"Um…Guys…" Bianca began, raising her hand like she was in a classroom. She was impolitely ignored.
"Champion of Champions?" Layla asked incredulously, and then laughed. "Screw that, I'm gonna be World Ruler!"
"World Ruler? You?" Cheren questioned with a raised eyebrow. "You'd destroy the world in a week."
"What? I would not!"
"Yes you would," Cheren replied. "Because you're absolutely nuts."
Layla was about to answer when Snivy hopped onto her shoulder with a broad smile. Instantly her competitive demeanor switched to an adoring one, and she happily coddled and petted her Pokemon.
Cheren noted the sudden change in Layla's temperament. "Wow Snivy, you've just done something neither me or Bianca have ever been able to do, and we've known her forever."
"What's that?" asked Layla, as she and Snivy turned to Cheren.
"You've proven that Layla actually has a heart and isn't totally crazy," Cheren answered with a cool smile. "We've never been sure about that."
"You're one to talk," Layla replied flatly. "So shut up Cheren."
Striaton City to Nacrene City - (Foe Team Plasma appeared! Cheren seems to be enjoying the walk…Layla is happily keeping up. Layla is challenged by N! N used Chatter! It's not very effective…Layla became confused!)
The next few days flew by for Layla. Already she had her first badge, earned from Gym Leader Chili. He was the Fire-Type user of the triplet Gym Leaders, and he was a lot tougher than Layla had expected. He even almost beat her, except that her new Water-type monkey Panpour got a critical hit with its Water Gun attack.
But really, except for the almost-losing part, it had been a lot of fun. Chili was a lot of fun, full of gung-ho spirit even after the loss. She liked him. She liked all of them really, though Cress was more snobbish and Cilan was more polite.
Well, she didn't have time to dwell on that. Now she was at Nacrene City, ready for her next Gym battle. She would have been here sooner if it weren't for those Plasma people.
That damn Team Plasma! Going on and on about Pokemon liberation this and Pokemon liberation that, and then beating on wild Pokemon, and then stealing Pokemon to "liberate" them…It wasn't just wrong, it was just stupid. That wasn't counting their silly uniforms - apparently they were trying to look like knights, but their hooded outfits made them look more like Wobbuffet wearing aprons. They were some of the most idiotic villains Layla had ever met. Not that she had encountered many villains in her life, but still…But still, it was so fun watching Team Plasma people flee in utter terror from her cute little Snivy as it chased them around.
Cheren proved to be a further distraction, insisting that he show her around the whole place before she go off to train in Pinwheel Forest. Not that there was much to see besides a café (where they both stopped for a bite to eat, and ultimately decided together that coffee was the nastiest drink ever) and the Gym she was trying really hard to get into. Cheren seemed to be enjoying himself so much though, so Layla put up with it. Her patience was rewarded with Chesto Berries and some advice about Gym Leader Lenora, whom he had already beaten earlier.
"Is she really that tough?" asked Layla, squinting in the sunlight despite the shade from her cap. It was still unseasonably warm and sunny, just as it had been for most of her trip so far. Thank Arceus for sunblock.
"Yes," Cheren replied with all seriousness. "She actually beat me a few times before I beat her. It's proof that I need to get stronger." He looked away.
"Hey, we all need to get stronger! I mean, we just started!" Layla replied merrily.
"I know," Cheren replied, a small sigh escaping from him. "It's just…ugh, I studied and studied to prepare for all this. I feel like I should be more ready than I actually am."
"You're thinking too much," Layla replied, poking him on the forehead. "You need to do less thinking, more acting. I mean, actions mean more than thoughts in the end."
Cheren nodded. "Yeah. Thanks."
"No problem," Layla answered. "Can't have my friend and rival getting all depressed. We can't have the ultimate fight if you give up halfway."
Cheren chuckled, and began to walk away. "Yeah, right. Later Layla."
"Later," Layla called after him.
He answered with a casual wave. Then he was gone.
Now Layla stood in front of the Nacrene Museum, which housed the Pokemon Gym inside. Why anyone would put a Gym inside a museum was beyond her. Couldn't something valuable get broken during one of the battles that way?
Oh well, that was their problem. She stepped forward.
N stepped forward as well, slipping out of the shadows of the museum arch. He was sunburned again.
Layla froze. How long had he been there? And what was he even doing here?
Probably here for the Gym, just like any other self-respecting Pokemon Trainer, Layla reminded herself, and mentally slapped herself for freaking out over nothing.
"I…want to see things no one can see," N spoke." The truths of Pokemon inside Pokeballs. The ideals of how Trainers should be. And a future where Pokemon have become perfect…Do you feel the same?"
"Uh…sure…" Layla answered, though she wasn't sure what he was actually talking about. Part of it was because of his too-fast speech, and part of it was because what little she heard still made no sense. Guy's been watching way too much Ouran High School, talking and acting like that all the time.
"That so?" asked N with a smile, bringing out a Pokeball. "I think my friends and I should test you to see if you can see this future too."
His first Pokemon was a Pidove, a small gray bird Pokemon (Cheren had one too, Layla remembered, a proud little thing). It was easily defeated by her Electric-type zebra Pokemon, Blitzle. It also made short work of N's Tympole, a small tadpole-like Pokemon that was little more than a tan face and a tail. But N's Timburr, a gray humanoid Pokemon wielding its own woodblock weapon, knocked out Layla's Blitzle with a well-timed Low Kick. N seemed to get little satisfaction out of the victory, which was somehow more insulting than if he had jumped up and down in glee, or even a smug smile. Snivy took care of N's Fighting-type easily, however, and that ended the battle and Layla's slightly sulky mood.
"I cannot see the future yet…" N said, appearing deeply troubled by the loss. "The world is still to be determined…"
"Where's your Purrloin?" asked Layla, noticing the purple cat's absence from the battle.
"He does not enjoy fighting," answered N. "So he does not have to fight in Trainer battles anymore."
"So he's just a pet for you?" asked Layla.
N looked insulted. He retreated back into the shadows of the museum arch. "He's my friend. I will not force him to do something he does not want to do."
"He won't get any stronger that way," said Layla.
"It's his choice."
What kind of Trainer is this guy? He won't get far if he's this soft, thought Layla. "You should at least use some sunblock or something. You're roasted to a crisp whenever I see you."
"I did use sunblock earlier," said N, leaning against the arch and folding his arms. "It doesn't work very well for me, as you can see. I suppose I'll just have to avoid sunlight when I can."
"Really? Huh," remarked Layla. "Maybe your sunblock was expired. It does expire, you know. It doesn't work that well if it's too old."
"Ah, that would explain why it didn't work for me," mused N, looking upward. "And why it tasted so bad."
"Well yeah, that's why it tasted-" Layla began, before abruptly stopping to gape at N. "…You ate the sunblock?"
N looked back over to her. "It works like a Potion or Pokemon vitamins, doesn't it?"
Layla continued to stare dumbly at the boy with jade-colored hair. Is this guy for real?
N tilted his head as he gazed at her curiously. "…What is it?"
…Oh Arceus, the guy's serious, Layla thought with an inward groan. She stomped over to N, yanking out her own bottle of sunblock from her bag.
N suddenly tensed at her unexpected approach.
"This is sunblock," Layla said tersely, holding up the bottle for N to see. "And this is how you use it." She squirted some onto her palm, grabbed one of N's arms, and started to vigorously lather the sunblock onto his skin.
N went rigid under her grasp, supremely uncomfortable. "W-What are you-"
"You rub the sunblock onto your skin until you can't see it anymore, to make sure it's well-absorbed," Layla went on, oblivious to N's growing discomfort. She moved onto his other arm. "That will protect your skin from the sun. Just apply some to your skin some whenever it's bright out, and you won't burn."
"So it's not a permanent effect?" asked N.
"No, you dumbass!" Layla exclaimed, rubbing N's arm even more furiously. "You put it on whenever you need it. Are you retarded or something? Now let me see your face."
"My face?" questioned N.
Layla let out an aggravated huff. She slathered more sunblock onto her hands, stood up on her tiptoes (Why did the boy have to be so tall?) and began to rub the ointment on his face.
N made a strange cry that almost sounded like a growl, and staggered back from Layla. He pulled the brim of his baseball cap low over his face in defense. "Stop that!"
Layla was a little taken aback by his reaction. "You'll need sunblock on your face too. That hat will only protect you so much, and what if you lose it?"
N straightened himself, pushing his hat back up. "I believe I understand the concept of sunblock now. I can do it myself."
"Don't act so proud about it. It's common sense," Layla replied flatly. Common sense you apparently don't have. "Whatever, as long as you don't try to eat it."
N sighed. Suddenly his gaze and attention seemed to be far away. He looked up into the bright sky almost longingly. "Right now, my friends aren't strong enough to save all Pokemon. Maybe I can't solve the equation that will change the world. So, I need power…Power enough to make anyone agree with me."
"You can't-" Layla began.
N abruptly spun around to face Layla, his gray-blue eyes now alight with a feverish determination. It startled Layla a bit, the passion in those eyes.
"Now I know what power I need," N went on, flinging out one arm to the side. "Zekrom! The legendary Pokemon that, along with the hero, created the Unova region. It's my turn to become that hero - and you and I will be friends!"
Layla honestly didn't know how to reply to that. One minute he's talking about sunblock, and the next he's raving about getting Zekrom, Unova's ultimate legendary Pokemon?
With a flawless smile N turned around and strutted away, apparently happy about the answer he came up with. It only left Layla more befuddled.
"What…the…crap…?"
Pinwheel Forest - (Layla appears to be very happy…Bianca is making an unhappy face…Cheren almost tripped!)
"He ate the sunblock?" asked Cheren in disbelief, as he, Layla, and Bianca traveled through Pinwheel Forest for the second time. The first time they had been chasing after Team Plasma, who had stolen a dragon skull from the Nacrene Museum. Now they were taking their time to explore all the twists and turns of the dark foliage, complain about how tough Gym Leader Lenora had been to beat, and search for both Pokemon to catch and items others had dropped. Finders keepers was an unwritten rule among Trainers.
"He ate the sunblock!" Layla exclaimed, throwing her arms up in exasperation. "And then he starts rambling on about getting Zekrom and the old hero legend and then something about us being friends. The guy's freaking crazy!"
"Says the girl who stared at a big white rock at the museum for hours," Cheren remarked with a cool grin. "Seriously, there was a Dragonite skeleton and fossils and even a Gym, and you're fascinated by something boring like that?"
"It was pretty," Layla replied with a slight growl. It was the only way she could think of describing it, though there was so much more to it then that. If Cheren hadn't finally dragged her out of there himself, she suspected she still might be there. Now that she was out of the museum she felt kind of embarrassed about spending so much time looking at it.
"But how would this N guy get a legendary like Zekrom?" asked Bianca. She was walking behind the other two. Layla knew she was scared of Bug-Types, and this woods had plenty of those, so it was little surprise.
Not that Layla shared the same phobia. Earlier a Venipede had suddenly landed on her head. Layla had promptly swatted it off, stomped on it, and kicked it away. Cheren immediately lectured her that the purple grub could have stung and poisoned her, his tone more anxious than angry. Bianca quietly thanked her for getting rid of the Venipede.
Layla snorted. "No-Name's not getting any legendary Pokemon. Not with his crappy battle skills. What's he gonna do, talk to it about life and world peace and hope it'll be his friend? Seriously, that's what he calls his Pokemon: his friends. I mean, not that I don't love my Pokemon. I consider them friends of a sort, but the way that guy says it, it's like they're people too, or something. I mean, what person-"
"That's it!" shouted Cheren, slamming his fist downward into his palm.
"Wah! Y-Yes?" Bianca asked nervously, startled by his sudden exclamation.
"Yeah, what?" Layla questioned too, surprised and also annoyed.
"I know exactly why N's so strange!" Cheren answered, facing Layla with a look of determination. "And I know how you can prove it too!"
Castelia City - (Foe Team Plasma appeared! Layla used Pursuit! It's super-effective! Foe Ghetsis appeared!)
Layla liked Castelia City, until she realized there was nothing to do in the towering city except get lost. When she finally did locate the Gym of that Burgh guy, she got the Gym door slammed into her face.
"Ow! Dammit!" Layla yelled, holding her face.
"Layla!" Cheren exclaimed from the doorway, just as surprised as she was. "Crap! I'm sorry!"
"Ah, don't worry about it," Layla replied with a smile. "If you were anyone else, you'd be screwed. Good thing you're Cheren, huh?"
"…Yeah," Cheren answered. "Hey, Layla. I just challenged the Gym Leader Burgh."
"Yeah, I'd guessed that," said Layla with a dry smile.
Cheren turned back to the Gym. "He's a seasoned Gym Leader. He made me work for that Gym Badge! But for me, Bug-type Pokemon aren't much of a challenge."
"So he wasn't that bad then?" asked Layla.
"Not really. But he was harder than I expected," Cheren clarified, turning back to Layla. "I'm going to keep winning like this against all of the Unova region's Gym Leaders! Then, I'll head for the Pokemon League and outperform the Champion!"
"Then I'll outperform you!" Layla declared with a roguish grin. "That is, if I don't beat you there."
Cheren didn't seemed to hear her, as he gazed up into the overcast sky. "If I do that, everyone will admit what a strong Trainer I am…That will make me feel truly alive…" His voice had a quiet, almost dreamy air to it as he spoke.
Layla nodded. "Yeah, we'll be true grown-ups! No one will look down on us anymore just 'cause we're kids! We'll be famous! We'll be able to do whatever we want!"
Cheren looked at Layla and nodded back with a smile. "Couldn't have said it better myself. See you later!"
"Later!" Layla answered, as Cheren walked away. Now even more pumped for her upcoming Gym battle, she once again headed for the door.
And once again, the door got slammed into her face. This time spindly Burgh emerged from the Gym, giving Layla a mildly curious look as she once again rubbed her sore nose.
This time Layla was much less forgiving. "What the hell, Burgh? Put a window in that goddamn door so people stop slamming the goddamn door into people's goddamn faces, dammit!"
But Burgh paid little attention to Layla's curse-laden rant, only muttering something about trouble with Team Plasma before hurrying past her. This infuriated her even more, so she chased after him.
Then she saw what the problem was, and it was far too personal for Layla. Bianca was sobbing and blubbering on about her Munna being stolen by Team Plasma, while a young dark-skinned and purple-haired girl named Iris tried to calm her down. A furious Layla joined Burgh in the chase after the responsible Plasma Grunt, which led them straight to a building full of Team Plasma members (next to the Gym no less!). Two of these members were of higher rank than the grunts, one of being the man who made the speech in Accumula Town, Ghetsis.
"I thought it would be amusing to prepare a hideout right in front of a Pokemon Gym," the man called Bronius was saying to the other ridiculously-robed man. "But we were detected more quickly than I imagined."
"Indeed," remarked Ghetsis, who seemed rather annoyed. Whether it was by their early discovery or by his companion's stupidity was hard to tell. "No matter. We already have an exceptional base of operations. Is everyone familiar with the legend of the founding of Unova?"
"I am!" Iris piped up, before anyone else could answer. "It's the black Dragon-type Pokemon, right?"
I know that too. Everybody does, thought Layla dryly, who really wanted to sic her Servine on all of the Plasma people and get this over with. It had worked well on the grunts guarding the outside, though for some reason Burgh got mad at her for this. She didn't understand it: they were bad guys, so they had it coming. What good did words do by themselves, in the end?
"The truth is this…" Ghetsis began, starting to pace back and forth as he talked. "The black dragon appeared before a hero who sought the ideal way to knit together a world full of warring people. This black Dragon-type Pokemon shared it knowledge - and bared its fangs at those who stood against it. Together, the power of the and the hero brought unity to the hearts of everyone in the land, and that is how Unova was created."
In other words, the same old legend we've been told since forever, thought Layla. She willed Ghetsis to trip on his ridiculous outfit and land flat on his face so that he would shut up, but it didn't happen.
Ghetsis stopped and turned to face them, a aloof smile on his face but a fervent fire in his gaze. "We shall bring back the hero and that Pokemon once again! If we can win people's hearts and minds, we can easily create the world that I - I mean, Team Plasma - desires!"
Burgh then commenced to argue with Ghetsis over the value of Pokemon and differences and liberation. Layla didn't catch much of it: she just wanted to fight already. She restlessly rolled Servine's Pokeball in her hand. A couple of the grunts were doing the same as they leered at her. Bianca clutched to Iris, who looked ready to battle as well.
"…I swore to myself that I would dedicate myself to Pokemon even more strongly!" Burgh was saying, flinging one arm to the side. "What you guys are doing…Aren't you going to strengthen the bond between people and Pokemon even more?"
Ghetsis paused, and then laughed. "You are quite hard to figure out- a little more intelligent than I'd expected. I am fond of intelligent people, you see. You'll enjoy hearing about this…From every corner of the world, I have gathered knowledgeable people for our king's benefit. You could call them the Seven Sages."
Their king? thought Layla. What a stuck-up title! Geez, these guys think they're royalty or something?
"Very well! We will submit to your opinion and be on our way," Ghetsis replied, before turning to one of the grunts. "That girl over there…Return her Pokemon!"
With a questioning glance the addressed grunt released a floating pink creature with floral patterns on it. Once it saw Bianca, it hurriedly glided over to her.
Bianca embraced it eagerly, tears threatening to pour from her eyes. "Th-Thank you! Munny, I'm so glad to see you again!"
"Bianca!" Iris exclaimed with more than a little anger. "Why are you thanking them? They take people's precious Pokemon!"
"Yeah, seriously!" Layla added. "It's okay to hate sometimes, you know."
Bianca shrank back from both of them, still clutching her Munna. "It's just…I'm…I'm so happy that my Munna is safe."
Layla wanted to smack Bianca upside the head, but she knew the girl was traumatized enough already. Besides, she wasn't the one she really wanted to go after…
"The friendship between Pokemon and people can be very touching," Ghetsis remarked, the smallest of smiles on his face as he began to walk away. "But, in order to liberate Pokemon from foolish people, we will revive the legend of Unova - and win the hearts and minds of everyone. Farewell…"
And then they let them go. They let them go! They didn't even fight them (Iris made sure to yell at Burgh for this)! Layla's whole purpose of being there was defeated! Aside from the guards outside, she didn't even get to do anything! That man Burgh was useless! So after Bianca was dragged off by Iris to properly enjoy the city, Layla stalked Burgh to his Gym. She defeated his Bug-types easily.
Route 4 - (Layla is challenged by Bianca! Bianca used Wish! Layla is challenged by Cheren! Cheren used Assurance!)
So after earning her third badge, Layla was more than ready to move on. But then Bianca called, requesting a match at the gate to Route 4. Not that Layla had too much of a problem with that - a battle was a battle, which meant instant fun for Layla. But she was only doing that after getting a shower: those honey-like walls in Burgh's Gym were disgusting and left her all sticky. There was such a thing as trying too hard to be creative with one's Gym.
So she got herself all nice and clean, met with Bianca, and swiftly defeated her.
"I trained with Iris…But I still couldn't win…" Bianca mumbled, looking down at her feet.
"Hey, I don't pull punches, even for friends," said Layla. "Especially for friends. Holding myself back would've been insulting to you. You wanted to see how strong you really were, right?"
Bianca turned her back to Layla, pulling her beanie hat over her eyes. Instantly Layla felt both guilty and annoyed - she didn't want to hurt her old friend, no, but at the same time Bianca needed to get thicker skin. Layla couldn't be around to help her all the time, and neither could Cheren.
"I'll never be a strong Trainer like you or Cheren or Iris, but…" she began, pulling her hat back up. "You know, since we've left Nuvema Town, I've met a lot of people and I've been thinking about what I want to do in life!"
What to do in life, Layla thought. Well, she knew that already - she was going to be the most awesome and famous Champion ever, even if she had to climb over Cheren in order to do it. Though she wondered what would happen if they tied - maybe they could both be Champions then? Or maybe they could take turns kicking each other out of the Champion spot - wasn't that what that Wallace and Steven guy did in Hoenn?
So after exchanging a few more cheerful and encouraging words with Bianca, her childhood friend went back to Castelia. Layla meanwhile eagerly rushed outside to Route 4 - and got a full-on blast of sand in the face. She dashed back outside, spitting the grit out of mouth. She learned from the receptionist lady that it was always heavy sandstorm weather on Route 4, and that there was no other way to Nimbasa City from here other than Route 4. With a barely contained groan Layla headed back outside.
She had only gone a little ways down the half-constructed path when she noticed Cheren standing near one of the signs. He looked just as displeased about the nasty conditions as she was, perhaps even more so. Well, at least he had a coat to protect him from the buffering sands. Once again Layla regretted her exposing outfit.
Cheren jumped slightly when he finally saw her too. The sandstorm caused poor visibility as it was, and Cheren's glasses were dirty from the flying dust too. Somewhat clumsily he made his way over to her, being very careful of where he was walking.
"Hey, Layla," Cheren greeted, squinting even as he drew near her. He vainly adjusted his glasses. "I've been waiting for you to get the Insect Badge. And now it's time to see which one of us is the stronger Trainer!" He sent out his Pidove, and the little gray bird stuck its chest out pompously despite the conditions.
"You've been waiting for me out in this sandstorm all this time?" Layla questioned with an arched eyebrow, sending out her Blitzle. The small electric zebra gave an unhappy neigh upon having the gritty wind blow in its face.
"Of course not," Cheren answered with a roll of his eyes. "I just got here a few minutes ago, actually. Castelia City is confusing."
"So you got lost?" Layla asked with a smile.
"You can't tell me it didn't happen to you too."
"Well…yeah," Layla admitted. "Whatever, let's fight already."
It was a fairly miserable fight, thanks to the sandstorm. Both Layla and Cheren had trouble seeing what was happening in the match, which led to some misguided orders. But eventually Layla prevailed, though she was already ready to retreat back inside. And she was going to have to put up with a whole route of this…? She wanted to scream, but that would have meant only getting more of the nasty grit in her mouth.
Cheren was obviously even worse spirits, since he had both been out in the sandstorm longer and had just lost a battle against Layla again.
"Impressive," said Cheren carefully, before anger flared in his slate-blue eyes. "But why can't I win?"
" 'Cause you couldn't stand seeing my pretty little face sad, Cherie?" Layla teased.
Cheren leered at her. "What pretty face? I don't see any pretty faces around here."
"That's 'cause you're glasses are all dirty and you can't see crap without them," Layla replied with a grin. Servine, beat up but still happy, nodded vigorously.
Cheren sighed, his expression becoming more serious. "It's now clear to me. The reason you are so tough is the trust between you and your Pokemon. But…that shouldn't be a problem."
"Yeah, your Pokemon love you," Layla agreed, now returning Servine to its Pokeball. "Especially Pignite. It wants to be around you all the time."
"Yeah," Cheren answered. "They always try hard for me. I can get more out of Pignite and my other Pokemon too."
Both of their Xtransceivers rang loudly, causing both of them to jump. They both activated the communications device on their wrists, and Professor Juniper's face appeared on the tiny four-way-split screen. It also included their own faces, which was unnecessary since they were standing next to each other anyway. The fourth mini-screen had nothing but static.
"Hello there!" Professor Juniper greeted enthusiastically, her young face grinning widely as it always was. "Layla, do you have a second?"
"Professor Juniper, do you need something?" asked Cheren, who was quite clearly annoyed by the interruption.
"I called Bianca too, but I guess she didn't hear the call. I wonder what's she 's caught up in," Professor Juniper went on, her smile faltering for only a second. "Well, I suppose I'll just have to call her again later. OK! I'll be waiting for you two in front of the gate to Nimbasa City!" She might have said something after that, but the call began to break up.
"…Um, hello?" Cheren said, to no avail. Both he and Layla hung up. "That was random."
"Bianca…" Layla mused to herself. She seemed to be feeling better when they had parted her, but maybe…
"Hmm?" questioned Cheren. "What is it?"
Layla took a deep breath. "It's been a long day for Bianca. You see…"
IIIIII
"Why didn't you guys call me?" Cheren demanded.
"I thought you were already long gone," said Layla, a bit surprised by the strength of his reaction. "And the whole thing was over pretty quick, really. If it got really bad, we would've let you know."
Cheren clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, glaring at the ground. "But what if things got really bad really quick? I need to be there, if something like that happens. That's…that's what a guy is supposed to do."
"Hey, hey, it's not like we're total damsels in distress," Layla replied, before pausing. "…Well, maybe Bianca is sometimes, but I can take care of myself. Always have, always will. So you don't have to fuss over me every minute or anything."
"But I need to be there for when you guys do need me," Cheren went on, shaking his head. "And…And I need to be strong for that. I need to be strong for everything, not just for being the Champion!"
"You are strong," Layla said.
"Then why do I keep losing?" Cheren snapped.
"…Cheren, how many people have you lost too?"
Cheren paused. "You, and…just you."
Layla broke out into a grin. "Then what's the problem? We all know how awesome I am. It's not humiliating to lose to me, 'cause I beat everybody! So stop overreacting. You'll get stronger. We'll all get stronger."
Cheren smiled slightly. "Yeah, right." He turned around, facing the road ahead. "So…"
"Yeah?" asked Layla.
Cheren didn't answer at first. "So…Nimbasa City's gate is straight down Route 4." Then he walked away, and was quickly swallowed by the sandstorm.
Soon Layla was on her way as well. The road soon gave way to sand, which occasionally hid a Pokemon in it. There were quite a few times when Layla nearly got bit by an unfortunate Sandile that her boots happen to step on. There were other Trainers to fight too. She couldn't believe people actually regularly went through his sandstorm-ravaged passage. They needed to hurry up the construction work here so they could do something about the sandstorms.
While unhappily traveling through the sand, she noticed two shapes darting by her. One was a little fluffy Minccino, the cute little rodent Pokemon obviously out of place in this harsh desert area. It was being chased by a Krookodile, the huge black-and-brown crocodile Pokemon's jaws slathering with saliva as it hungrily snapped at the poor little creature barely before it.
Layla paused to watch, as they dashed out of sight. She quietly rooted for the Krookodile.
Nimbasa City - (Layla is challenged by N! N used Flatter! Layla used Return! N's illusion wore off!)
It was late into the night, cool and clear, when Layla finally arrived at Nimbasa City.
Layla had always loved the night. For one, she didn't have to worry about sunburn, because there was no sun out. When kindergartner Bianca had already hurriedly retreated inside her home, and kindergartner Cheren was stubbornly but uneasily glaring at the darkness outside his window, kindergartner Layla was still outside, eager to explore the secrets of the coming darkness. Then her parents would track her down and bring her back to her house, despite her protests.
But now she had no set bedtime, though her schedule was now somewhat dictated by her old friends. Though the trio traveled separately, there was an unspoken agreement that no one was supposed to get too far before everyone else. Not to mention that Bianca, who was the only young morning person Layla knew, always called her and Cheren at 8:00 am every day to get them up. Though Layla ultimately appreciated it - she certainly didn't want to waste much time sleeping in - it also left her exhausted by dusk, her favorite time of day. With some annoyance she wondered if she would ever truly be free.
Well, right now, she was free. Nimbasa City was amazing. This was what Castelia City was trying to be. A thin crescent moon lingered above the multi-colored lights, and replicated endlessly in the many waterways flowing through the place. Techno-pop music hummed about in the crisp air, the bass thumping in her bones. Laughing people were everywhere, many wearing glowsticks and other shining items, and heading for the amusement park on the right side of the city.
Layla, ready to collapse into the local Pokemon Center moments before, was now pulsing with energy. She raced after the masses heading for the amusement park. Then she spotted the Team Plasma grunts, one male and one female. They were harassing the old Day-Care Man from the Pokemon Daycare Center. They assumed that since he ran the Daycare, he must have a lot of Pokemon to steal.
Layla highly doubted this herself - if he had any Pokemon whatsoever, he would be using them to defend himself already. The Day-Care Man soon confirmed her theory when he ran over to her and pitifully asked for her help.
She gladly helped. Her Servine made quick work of the male grunt's Watchog, and her Herdier easily defeated his Trubbish. The terrier dog Pokemon continued growling at the grunts even after the battle was over, ready to dash over and bite them at Layla's command. It was such a good dog Pokemon.
The male Plasma grunt slowly backed up in fright, bumping into the female grunt beside him.
"This went downhill fast!" the female Plasma grunt said somewhat stiffly, also clearly afraid. "So I think…We'd better…Ruuun! Let's hide out in the amusement park." The two grunts hastily fled from Layla and her Pokemon.
"Eat their faces, Herdier!" Layla commanded with a grin.
Herdier barked loudly and pursued the running foes, who indeed quickly disappeared into the nearby amusement park.
"You're…you're not really going to hurt them, are you?" the Day-Care Man asked with genuine concern.
"Nah," Layla replied easily. "I just like to see those Plasma people screaming like girls from my Pokemon. Make them think twice about trying to steal Pokemon, you know? If more people did that, there would be less of a problem with them."
"I suppose…" the Day-Care Man answered, still not looking convinced.
"Besides, he's just a Herdier," Layla added. "Worst thing he'll do is some heel-nipping. He's not really vicious. He's a big puddle of love, actually. He loves people that are not bad guys."
Layla wanted to hurry up and follow her Herdier, but the Day-Care Man insisted on giving her a portable bike for her future travels. She did in fact really want one, so she eagerly took the gift. Then just as the old man left, Bianca arrived and chatted with her. Layla was kind of surprised that Bianca was up this late, actually. Though there talk was brief (Bianca was both excited and exhausted, and rushed into Nimbasa for further exploration) it was another delay that Layla did not want at the moment. Her Herdier still wasn't back, and that worried her a little.
So Layla entered the amusement park in search of both the Plasma grunts and her Herdier, neither of which she could spot in the colorful chaos. But she did hear some happy barking above all the gleeful din, and followed the sound.
She expected to see her Herdier eagerly woofing up a tree or something, with the two grunts terrified and clinging to each other on their awkward perch. But instead she found her Herdier sitting next to a certain jade-haired boy near the bright-yellow Pikachu tent.
N! Layla thought in surprise. What's he doing here?…And why isn't my Herdier chasing after the Plasma grunts like it's supposed to? Arceus knows where they are now…
N was fooling with the puzzle square that he always carried with him, chatting with Herdier as he fiddled with his toy. He made a literal growl of frustration as he began to grow annoyed with the perplexing cube. Herdier whined in return.
Layla suddenly felt a bit nervous, looking to the side. She remembered what Cheren had said, and what he had told her to do. When she glanced up again, she saw the jade-haired boy's blue-gray eyes looking straight at her. She jumped a little - When had he noticed her?
"Hey Layla," N greeted with the usual grin, walking over to her. Herdier ran over to her, its tail wagging ecstatically.
"Hey," Layla greeted blandly. She wordlessly returned Herdier to its Pokeball.
"You're looking for Team Plasma, right?" asked N.
Layla nodded, wondering how he knew that.
"They ran into the amusement park," added N, as if reading her thoughts. He stopped right in front of her, and frowned when he noticed her uneasiness. "Something wrong?"
Layla swallowed. This was the perfect opportunity. Before N could react, she snatched up a Pokeball from her pocket, reached up, and smacked N square in the forehead with it. The capturing device popped open in her grasp, and absolutely nothing happened.
N and Layla stared at each other, both of them frozen in place. There was a long, awkward silence. A few curious onlookers paused at the strange scene, but soon moved on to other matters.
"…So, you're not a Zoroark?" Layla finally asked.
N gaped at her for a couple seconds. Then he collapsed into laughter, leaning against a flag-decorated lamppost. Layla felt her face grow hot.
"Now if I were a Zoroark, I would have felt furry when you put the sunblock on me the other day," N pointed out with a good-natured smile. "And if I was furry, I wouldn't have had problems with sunburn in the first place, would I?"
Layla was feeling stupider by the minute. "But we - I was sure that you were a Pokemon in disguise or something. You don't make any damn sense as a human."
"Sometimes I wish I was a Pokemon," N replied. "But I am a human, and really it is just as well. I can help my friends best that way."
"What kind of Pokemon would you be, then?" asked Layla.
N thought about it for a surprisingly long time. "A Zoroark, probably. What about you?"
"Me? Let's see…" Layla pondered. Then she pounded her fist down into her palm. "I know! A Hydreigon!"
N gave her a puzzled stare. "You mean the Dark-Dragon Pokemon with three heads?"
"Yeah!" Layla confirmed gleefully. "It's just so powerful and awesome and cool-looking, and it just destroys everything! And it can learn so many attacks, like Flamethrower and Dark Pulse and Head Smash and Draco Meteor! All other Pokemon run before the mighty Hydreigon! I want one so bad! I always have, you know."
"But how does that Pokemon suit you?" asked N, who only seemed more confused by her excited rambling.
"How does that Pokemon not suit me?" Layla demanded, folding her arms. "I'm strong and awesome and able to do anything to kick others' asses."
"But you're too cute to be a Hydreigon," said N with a flawless smile.
Layla opened her mouth to retort, and left it ajar when his words finally registered. …Huh? Did he just hit on me?
"Anyway, Team Plasma, right?" added N, taking her hand and pulling her with him as he walked. "Come with me."
Oh yeah, he's definitely hitting on you, girl, Layla thought, before she wrestled out of his grip. "H-Hey, hold on!"
"What's wrong?" asked N, honest bewilderment in his eyes. "You want to find Team Plasma, right?"
"Yeah," Layla answered awkwardly, before straightening herself and holding her head high. "And I can walk by myself, thank you very much."
"…Ah," N replied, starting to go forward again. "Alright."
Layla followed him, but kept her distance.
They explored the park in search of the Plasma grunts. At least, that was what they were supposed to be doing. In truth, both of them kept getting distracted by the bright and joyful sights around them. There were double-jointed performers (sometimes with double-jointed Pokemon with them), food stands selling everything from giant chocolate pretzels to spicy chili dogs (the latter which N refused to buy because of course the Pokemon-loving boy was a strict vegetarian), and game stands of all kinds (N particularly enjoying the basketball-shooting one, and was surprisingly good at it). N insisted on paying for everything, which Layla relunctantly accepted because she had recently spent most of her money on more Pokemon supplies. She wondered where all that money came from - had he gotten better at Pokemon battles since she had last seen him?
"It's all…very overwhelming," said N, now in possession of a white balloon with little black stars all over it and some blue cotton candy. "Delightful, admittedly, but overwhelming."
"That's what makes amusement parks so awesome," answered Layla, feasting on a caramel apple herself. She had a stuffed Deino N had given to her after he had won it at the basketball shoot. "And it's night, which means everything's all lit up so it looks even more awesome."
"I don't know," replied N. "I think I would prefer it during the daytime actually, when it's brighter and warmer. I find that I prefer sunlight, now that I'm more used to it."
"Suit yourself," Layla replied. Now that she thought about it, he wasn't sunburned this time. Either he was finally using sunblock correctly, or his skin was adapting to the harsh light. She did notice some places where his skin was peeling from past burns.
N stopped, nearly causing Layla to bump into him. With the mobs of people earlier, Layla had to stick close to N just to keep track of the jade-haired boy. Now the crowd had mostly evaporated, however, as the hours had slipped well past midnight. "They're not here."
"They?" Layla asked, yawning. "Oh right, the Plasma guys. Damn, I totally forgot. They probably left the park hours ago."
N glanced over to the nearest ride. "Let's ride the Ferris Wheel and see if we can spot them. I love Ferris Wheels…The circular motion…The mechanics…They're like collections of elegant formulas."
"Uh, I guess so," Layla answered. She had never thought of Ferris Wheels like math equations before. She supposed you would have to be pretty good at math to design a Ferris Wheel. Which she was not, so she would leave that kind of thing to the math guys. "But yeah, we can do that. Been awhile since I've been on a Ferris Wheel."
There was no line, since it was so absurdly late, so it took no time at all for them get on board one of the cabins. They were shaped like upside-down Pokeballs, with the white half replaced with glass to look outside, and so compact that Layla and N had to sit close beside each other in order to fit. Soon after they had been sealed into the cabin, the ride began.
Now that they were being carried upward, N seemed a little tense. He fidgeted in his seat, his elbow bumping Layla a couple times, looked outside, looked at Layla, and then quickly looked outside again. There his gaze (mostly) stayed, until he finally straightened himself and focused completely on Layla. "First, I must tell you…" Then he paused, glancing away again.
"Yeah?" asked Layla. His restlessness was making her antsy too. But she highly suspected she knew where this was going…
N finally looked back at her again. "I am the king of Team Plasma."
Layla gaped at him. "…What?"
N nodded, perfectly serious. "Ghetsis asked me to work with him to save Pokemon." He gazed outside again, toward the forest just beyond the park. "I wonder how many Pokemon exist in this world."
Layla had expected some more attempts at flirting, or perhaps even a request for a future date. She wasn't expecting anything like this. "…You're pulling my leg, aren't you?"
N raised an eyebrow. "How? I'm not touching you at all."
Layla restrained the urge to facepalm herself. "You make no sense."
"Neither do you," N answered. "In fact, out of all the humans I have met, you're the strangest one of all."
"I'm strange?" Layla almost yelled. "You talk to Pokemon, blab on about getting a legendary, call yourself a king, and you eat sunblock! You're the weirdest guy in existence!"
"If I am what you call weird, then I don't want to be normal," N answered with a proud frown, folding his arms.
"…Are you sure you're not a Pokemon?"
"We determined this earlier, didn't we?"
Layla groaned inwardly. "Yeah, yeah we did."
"So, would you like to join Team Plasma then?" asked N with a perfect smile.
"…What?" replied Layla. Where did that come from?
"I know that you are a strong person, and a strong Trainer," N went on. "I know you love Pokemon too, and want them to reach their full potential. So if you join us, we can work together to free Pokemon from enslavement, and help them realize their true power. We will set a perfect example for the rest of the world to follow. What do you say, Layla?"
"No," Layla replied flatly.
N's confident grin abruptly vanished, like he had been slapped in the face. "But why not? I am the king of Team Plasma, and of the reborn Unova before long. It is not just a team I am inviting to you, but the march of destiny itself!"
"…See, this is why I'm not joining you guys," Layla answered, still not impressed. "You're all freaking nuts. And you're the nuttiest of them all. King Nuts, that's what you are."
"That's not my title," N replied indignantly. "It's Lord N."
Layla let out a growl of frustration. This guy didn't even know when he was being made fun of.
N retained his calm, but it was clear he was both disgruntled and disappointed. "You may disagree with us, but we are in the right, and that will be clear when the time comes."
Both of them lapsed into silence. The end of the Ferris Wheel ride couldn't come soon enough for Layla. And when they finally did get off, there were those Plasma grunts they had been (sort of) looking for earlier. They were saying Lord N this and Sire that, and confirming that N was indeed the king of Team Plasma, and that it wasn't just the hallucination of a boy who ate too much sunblock. Thunderclouds were gathering in the distance.
"There's no problem," said N the Plasma King to his Plasma grunts, though he was obviously annoyed by their unexpected presence. His back was turned to Layla. "You're part of the people we brought in to help us save Pokemon. So, you're under my protection, as well. Go, quickly, and let my battle cover your retreat." He turned to face Layla again. "…Now then, Layla, do you follow my logic?"
"Nobody can follow your logic, N," answered Layla somewhat tersely. Now that N's speech on the Ferris Wheel was finally sinking in, she was beginning to feel angry. The boy was truly an idiot, to be working for a stupid organization like that. How did he become "king" anyway? Then again, considering Team Plasma in general, she probably didn't want to know.
"So that's how it is…That's unfortunate," N answered solemnly, plucking a Pokeball off his belt. "Ah. Then…The future I envision…Perhaps I can't beat you here and now, but I'll battle you to buy time for these members of Team Plasma to get away!"
N sent out a Sandile. Layla sent out her Servine, which was just as cheerful now as he was when he was a Snivy. He seemed even happier to see N again, which irritated Layla. She thought Pokemon were supposed to be good judges of character.
"Your Pokemon look happy," remarked N thoughtfully, and then the battle began.
N's Sandile quickly fell to Servine, as did his Scraggy. But then her Servine was defeated by N's Sigilyph. Layla was shocked and angry not only at her Servine's loss, but by N's utter lack of satisfaction by the knockout. She wondered why he was even a Trainer, if he hated battles so much. She sent out her Zebstrika, who quickly finished the weakened aviannoid.
N gazed at his last Pokeball thoughtfully. "Even if I lose, is it different from the future I saw?" He finally sent out his Darumaka into battle. Layla's Zebstrika quickly took care of the round red creature, and the fight was over. N appeared more sad than angry about the results.
"Where are your other Pokemon?" asked Layla, as she watched N gloomily recall his Darumaka. "You would have an easier time winning if you stuck to training the same guys."
N shook his head, pulling his cap over his eyes. "I couldn't favor a few Pokemon that much. I have too many friends that want to fight beside me, so I want to give them all a chance."
"Oh," Layla replied. "But you should have at least a couple that you always have, guys that you know you can really count on. It'll help stabilize your team more, which should make it easier to train." Wait, why am I giving the head of a whack-job organization tips on how to battle?
But N appeared not to be listening. "The result was the same…" Then he abruptly locked his gray-blue eyes with Layla's slate-blue ones. "But you…Who are you?"
Layla felt herself grow rigid under his powerful gaze, but she quickly recovered and returned his look with a smirk. "I'm Layla Black, the girl who will defeat you and your team and become world-famous for it, just like those other kids who defeated other organizations in ther regions. The real question is, who are you, N?"
N frowned, but he didn't answer her. Instead he folded his arms and closed his eyes. "You're quite strong. But I have a future that I must change. And, for that future-"
A bolt of lightning crashed loudly, cracking the dark sky into two halves. N stiffened at the loud sound, his blue-gray eyes wide.
At this Layla grinned coyly. "Are you afraid of thunder, your Majesty?"
"Of course not," said N, flipping some of his long hair in an obviously practiced manner, with an equally practiced smile. "Now as I was saying, for that future…I'll defeat the Champion and become unbeatable, unlike any other! I'll make all Trainers free their Pokemon! Just try and stop me! If you want to be together with Pokemon, your only hope is to collect the Badges from each area and head for the Pokemon League! Try to stop me, if you dare! If your conviction is not strong enough, you will never be able to defeat me."
N proudly strutted away from her, head held high, as if he had actually won. After a couple moments, Layla sauntered off in the other direction, never looking back.
It was only later, as she was drifting off to sleep in the Pokemon Center, when it all came together. The way the Plasma Grunts just happened to be right there, and then conveniently said where they were going before dashing off. The way N was magically nearby, and then insisted on exploring the park, and insisted on paying for everything and other things to impress her, and then insisting on going on that Ferris Wheel, where he waited until just the right moment to announce his grand title…
It was all one big set-up! He had planned every bit of it! Except for her refusing, of course. The Plasma Grunts were probably waiting there assuming she would be one of them by the end of the ride! She wondered how many other people he had recruited in a similar fashion.
Arceus, she felt stupid.
IIIIII
So, what do you think so far? What do you think of Layla?
On "Guy's been watching way too much Ouran High School..." - I think N's fast speech is something that doesn't quite translate right over here. When we have dramatic speeches here in the West, we speak slowly and put careful pronunciation on important words. But in Japan (at least from what I've observed in subbed anime) when they have dramatic speeches, they speak REALLY REALLY fast, and often have elaborate body motions while doing so. Tamaki from Ouran High School Host Club does this, for example, albeit in an exaggerated fashion (if you don't know him or Ouran, track down the show on youtube. It's hilarious and awesome). So, considering N's fast speech and the fact that he's a very animated little sprite in the games, I've always imagined him being a bit like Tamaki during one of his ramblings. This is what Layla was referring to.
Currently I have the next two chapters typed up, and will be working on typing up the fourth, so updates should be somewhat steady for a while. However, then I will need to write rough for the following chapters, plus check scenes and quotes for Black 2, so updates after chapter 4 or 5 may take a while. But anyone that knows me knows that while I may take a while on stuff, I do finish whatever I'm working on eventually. Just keep in mind that I'm juggling a couple other projects as well (one fanfiction - Gilded Smile - and the other original).
As side note/shameless advertisement: I also have a Scyther vs. Scizor story called Bushido Code Red that was recently released. If that interests you, go check it out!
Cya!