A/n: yes, a new story. And yes, I know I should be updating my other fic instead of starting a new one, but this idea refused to go away...

Actually, I intended this to be a oneshot, but it was becoming a bit big for just one chapter, so I split it in three (yep, like the Unova dragon! :P), also meaning that I can publish the already finished parts, without the need to finish the whole story to release everything at once (as would be the case with an oneshot).

So, the usual "gotchas": I'm bad with descriptions, and English isn't my primary language, so there may (and will) be grammar errors, blah blah blah.

Now, here's the first part!

Pokemon Black and White: Ideal Friend

Written by Aiyumi

Disclaimer: Pocket Monsters/Pokemon, as well as any other trademark that may be referenced in this fan fiction, are properties of their respective owners. I am just a fan and I do not have any relations to said people/companies.

Chapter 1: Touko

"Touko, time to go to bed," her mother said.

"No!" Four year old Touko wined. "I want to play more."

"It's getting late. We can play more tomorrow."

"No!" The little girl stomped on the ground. "I don't want to go! If I sleep, the monsters come."

Her mother sighed. "I'll tell you a happy story, about a place where monsters don't come."

"... Okay." Touko reluctantly gave in and followed her mother to the bedroom.

"Once upon a time," the woman began when Touko was already laying on the bed. "there was a very beautiful place. It was full of flowers and the sky was always blue. Everyone lived there happily and..."

X:X:X:X:X

Touko quickly fell asleep and began dreaming about that place from her mother's story. There were the flowers and the blue sky, but something was wrong. She was alone. Where was everyone? They should be living there happily, right? Could it be that they were inside to get warm? Or maybe they were... Hiding? But from what? Answering to her mental question, the sky that was supposed to be always blue darkened, and a ferocious roar was heard. She knew it. It was the monster, like the other times. Monsters supposedly couldn't reach that place, but it was there. Touko ran as fast as she could. She had never been caught before, but unfortunately, this time the pursuer was faster than usual. She was getting tired. Her legs threatened to give way at any moment. The creature was closing the distance, and Touko didn't know what to do.

"Help! Someone... Help!" She shouted, though there was no one there. "Aaaaah!" She screamed as she tripped and fell on her face.

Her legs didn't obey. She couldn't move. Unable to stand up to continue running, Touko closed her eyes and waited for the end. She heard something like a thunder from behind her, and the sound of the creature chasing her was gone. Then, everything happened really quickly. The ground disappeared from beneath her and she felt as though falling. When she opened her eyes, she was floating in a seemingly endless space, and a thick fog prevented her from seeing anything. "Aaaaah!" Touko began crying as the change in environment finally registered. She was scared. What if the monster was still there, hiding in the fog, ready to attack her at any moment?

"There is no need to cry. Everything is fine now." A deep, gentle masculine voice said.

"The... Mons-ter...?" Touko asked between sobs.

"It is gone."

"You... Saved me?"

"Yes."

"Um... Th-thank you..."

"You are welcome."

Touko breathed deeply, staying quiet until she calmed down and stopped crying. She didn't understand what was going on, but despite the weirdness of the place, she felt safer. It was still fogy and nothing could be seen. "Um... Hello? Are you still here?"

"Yes, I am." The voice answered.

Fear was replaced by curiosity, and she decided to try learning more about her savior. "Are you from here?"

"No."

"Then what are you doing here?"

"I was asked to protect you."

"Really?" Touko beamed. "You're going to get the monsters away?"

"Yes. I won't let anyone bad touch you."

"Oh! That's great!" Touko would continue with her questions, but she was interrupted by her mother calling her name.

"Touko! Touko, it's morning!"

"Time for you to wake up." The deep voice said.

"But... I don't want to go! I want to talk more!"

"If you sleep early today, we can continue talking."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Okay!" Touko happily accepted it without thinking twice. With that, she allowed herself to wake up.

X:X:X:X:X

That day, Touko eagerly awaited for the night's arrival. When told to go to bed, she complied without hesitation, to her mother's surprise.

X:X:X:X:X

Half awake in his hibernating state, Zekrom was deep in thought. He had heard that Reshiram couldn't get to the other hero yet, because the boy was blinded by the lies from those humans around him. Zekrom was worried about the possibility of him also not being able to reach his hero, when said person began having a nightmare. She desperately asked for help, for the first time giving him an opening to reach through to her mind. She seemed to warm up to him quickly too, which was a victory. And now, as promised, there she was, willingly giving him access to make a mind connection to her, in that fogy space between dreams and reality.

"Hi! I came!" The girl announced. "... Hello?" She asked as there was no response.

He was pulled out from his thoughts. "Oh, hello. I am here."

"Yeaaah! You kept the promise. I was starting to think that you were going to leave me."

"I was waiting for you. I was distracted, sorry."

"It's okay!" She resumed the talk from the previous night, trying to know more about him. "So, you still didn't tell me where you're from."

"I am from Unova." He simply said.

"Oh. I live in Unova too! I live with my Mom and my Dad. You?"

"I am alone for most of the time."

"What about your friends? I have two very nice friends, Bel and Cheren. They live near me. We meet every day, they always play with me and we have a lot of fun together! Do you have friends?"

"Just a few." Zekrom had become friends with the other heroes, a few humans and pokemon, but none of them was there anymore. Besides them, there were only the other legendary pokemon, who also lived for centuries.

"Why?" Touko widened her eyes as if that was absurd. "You're so nice, you should have more friends."

"I had, but most of them are gone."

"Gone to where?" She didn't understand. "Don't they visit you?"

He didn't feel like explaining. "They are gone... To never come back." There was a hint of sadness in his tone.

"That's sad." Touko didn't really understand yet, but she wished she could comfort him somehow. "Um, can I be your friend?"

"Of course."

"Yeah! Then, I'll come every day so you don't be so alone."

"Hmm, thank you." He seemed unsure on what to say.

She insisted on asking about his personal life. "And your family?"

He thought carefully before answering. "I have two brothers."

"That's cool! It'd be nice if I could have one. I wanted a twin brother, to be just like the hero from the legends!"

"You don't need one."

"Why?"

"You already have your two good friends, don't you? It doesn't make much difference." With also the hidden meaning that she didn't need a brother to become a hero (and to fight against) like in the legends.

"Three!" She said as if correcting him.

"Uh?"

"Three friends. You said 'two'!"

"That is what you told me."

"Yeah. But it's three, because I have you now."

"Oh." Zekrom was surprised. "... Thank you."

That was met with more wining. "You already thanked me!"

"Uh? ... Yes. And I am doing it again." He already saw another "why?" coming. "Because you are a very kind and caring person, like... The hero from the legends. So thank you once more, my little heroine."

Touko closed her eyes and smiled, very happy to hear that. Then, she realized something. "Oh yeah, I think I didn't say this yet. My name's Touko. What's your name?"

"I don't really have one."

"You don't? Then what can I call you?"

"You can call me by whatever you want." He just hoped that she wouldn't choose anything silly or offensive.

"Hmm..." She thought for a bit. "Can I call you 'Mike'? I saw a movie with Mom the other day, and there was a guy called Mike. He was strong and had a nice voice, like you!"

"It is fine."

"Okay! It's Mike, then!" Touko smiled.

"Touko!" Speaking of her mother, there came her voice again.

"Time for you to leave."

"Aww..." Touko made a sad face. "Can we talk again tonight?"

"Yes, we can. But just promise me something."

"What's it?"

"Don't tell anyone about me."

"No one? Not even Cheren and Bel?"

"No, not even them."

"Why not?" She protested. "I wanted them to meet you, and I wanted you to have more friends too..."

Zekrom sighed, thinking on how to say the complicated details in easy words. "Because this place is special, and only you can enter. If you tell them about me and they can't get here to meet me, they will say that you were lying. You don't want that, do you?"

"Ah... No," she said, resigned.

"So, do you promise?"

"Promise." Touko finally nodded. "Do you promise to wait for me tonight?"

"Yes." Apparently, ending their talk with promises would become a every night routine.

"Yay! ... And, um, thanks, you really protected me from the monsters. They didn't come, it was great!"

"Touko... Touko!" Her mother's voice called insistently.

"I have to go now. So, bye, Mike."

"See you later, my little heroine."

X:X:X:X:X

Months went by, and Touko never again had nightmares. She kept her promises and he kept his, always waiting for her. Their talks were nice, but there was something that disturbed her. The place was always so fogy and weird. She was unable to see anything. She couldn't see him. She could never know if he was in front of her or at her side. There was only his voice and nothing else. She felt as though she was floating. There was no ground, no walls, nothing to touch.

"I don't like that I can't see anything in this place. I want to see you," she said one night.

He seemed thoughtful. "Touko, would you still want to be my friend even if I were not like you expect?"

"Huh? What do you mean? Like... You're worried that I won't like you anymore if you're ugly or something?"

"... Something like that."

"Ah!" She threw her arms to the sides. "Of course I'll still like you, silly. You're nice and strong and awesome. Even if you don't look like how I imagine... Well, if you're much different, I might be scared for a bit, but yeah, you're you, and that won't change."

"Thank you, my little heroine. I hope you are right."

Touko smiled. She wanted to be like the heroes from the legends, so she liked when he called her that. "Why do you thank me so much? You're the one protecting me, I'm doing nothing for you."

"Yes, you are. You are keeping me company, just like you promised, and that is very important to me."

"Um, okay, if you say so... But I still want to see you! Is that why you don't appear to me? Because you're worried that I won't like you if I see you?"

"Not really. It is something else. I can't show myself to you just yet, but don't worry. You will be able to see me one day."

"When?"

"One day." He repeated.

"Mike..." She wined.

"Sorry. I don't have a date, as it depends on many things."

"One day... Many things...!" She snapped. "I want a better answer! I want to know when, and what things..."

"I also don't know, Touko. It depends on things which I don't have control of... Like what will happen from now on. We can only wait until the time comes." He noticed that the girl was starting to cry, but he couldn't do anything to do what she wanted. "My little heroine, I am sorry. I can't do anything about it now, but just be patient and it will happen. We will meet, and it won't be in dreams. You will be awake."

"... Re-ally?" She asked, sobbing.

"Yes, I promise." It was one more to their collection. "I never broke a promise with you, did I?"

"... No."

"Then, trust me like you always did, and everything will be fine."

"Hum." She nodded, finally willing to accept that.

X:X:X:X:X

Everything was going well. But on the following year, Touko's father died in an accident. The children in town, including herself, didn't really understand what had happened. The adults cried like she had never seen before. Her friends Cheren and Bel seemed as clueless as herself, and her mother was unable to comfort her either, also having a hard time. Some days passed. Listening to a few more conversations, Touko finally had the realization: her father would never come back. After getting to that conclusion, she lost her will to play, to eat, or to do anything. She only wished that things could have happened differently, and cried for the rest of the day.

X:X:X:X:X

"Why, Mike? Why does it have to be like this?" She asked, fighting through her tears after telling him what was going on.

"That is the way it is. Unfortunately, we can do nothing about it." His tone was sad and resigned.

Then, it hit her. His words from another conversation, from when she had asked him about his friends, replayed in her mind. "They are gone... To never come back."

"Was... Was that what happened to your friends?"

"Yes."

She felt sad for him, more than before when she only knew he was mostly alone. That added to the sadness from her own situation. They shared a moment of silence, which she broke after having run out of tears. "What now, Mike? I don't know what to do."

"It is part of the cycle of life and death. It happens and we can do nothing about it. We never know when it will happen, so all we can do is to make most of each moment. I know it is hard, but you have to continue your life, and make the most of it. Of course, you should do what is your responsibility, like taking care of your health. But have fun when you can, be yourself, and try to do things that make you happy. Your father wouldn't like to see you sad, so you should be happy for him as well."

"... What do you like to do that makes you happy?" She asked.

"Hmm. I like to observe places from high up, for example. It is interesting how many details can be seen from different angles."

"From high up, like up on a tree?"

"Yes." Only, he wouldn't tell her that he did it while flying.

"Cool! I always wanted to do that, but Mom doesn't let me climb trees."

"I can show you, when we meet outside of your dream."

"Hum!" She nodded, the change of topic managing to cheer her up.

X:X:X:X:X

A few months after that, Touko began attending school. At first, she kept talking to Mike, telling him how school was and what she learned there. She usually waited anxiously for the night to arrive so that she could talk to him again, however, her everyday life gradually became very agitated, with school, a few new friends and other activities taking all of her time and energy. There were days when Touko was so exhausted that she forgot about going to talk to Mike, falling asleep instantly as soon as she hit the bed. These were nights of dreamless sleep. With many more things to worry about, sometimes she also didn't think about him during the day, until, eventually, she forgot about him completely.