PLEASE READ : As of 2/7/14, I have decided to discontinue this story and delete it on 2/14/14. I have updated it solely to alert my followers of what I would be doing to this fanfiction. You're still welcome to read it though.
Chapter 1 : Unforseen
"And so, it is now illegal for pokemon to be owned by trainers. If you would all please deposit your pokemon here, we will liberate them," a plasma grunt announced.
There were worried and outraged cries from the crowd.
I looked around nervously, then at my palm holding my pokeballs. 'We were almost at the champion... And now...'
Team Plasma; they were thought to be a harmless group, peacefully protesting for pokemon liberation. I somewhat understood their position, but not all trainers were bad trainers. But all of the sudden, they got aggressive.
I had decided to visit my home before challenging the champion. However, as soon as I stepped foot in my house, Team Plasma members ran in from Route 1 and flooded our town. Everyone was ushered to the center of the town. In the chaos, I was separated from my mother.
The crowd was now in utter pandemonium. Crying and screaming filled the air. I was being pushed and shoved from all sides.
'One, two, three, four, five...' I counted, sighing with relief as I hid the pokeballs in my bag. I looked around hastily. 'I have to get out of here...'
Nuvema Town was my home, so I felt guilty leaving everyone there. I could probably take all of the plasma grunts on, but that would only get them to call in more, and we would be in an even worse situation. Since the pokemon lab was situated here and it was one of the smaller towns, Team Plasma obviously planned the start of their liberation here.
I started to shove my way through the crowd heading towards the side. 'Of course I had to be in the middle of this...' I sighed.
I heard more worried screams, mostly screaming in protest.
"QUIET!" the earlier grunt shrilled.
The crowd settled down and looked towards the makeshift stage. I turned around, not wanting to arouse suspicion.
"Our Lord N has befriended the legendary Zekrom," the grunt preached.
There were now hushed voices in the crowd gossiping about Zekrom and the supposed "Lord N." The grunt ignored it.
'Wait a second...' I contemplated. 'Lord N..? Don't tell me... Is it that boy from Accumula Town? I hadn't seen him since.' I shook my head. 'It couldn't be.'
"And he has beaten the Pokemon league," the grunt continued.
There were a few gasps, and now the atmosphere was tense.
'It looks like I've been beat,' I teased to myself, allowing myself to grin faintly.
"Team Plasma will officially be taking over Unova within the near future, and if any of you have a problem with it," the grunt warned, "you may confront our Lord N and the almighty Zekrom about it."
Glares.
"That is, if you dare go against the ideals of a legendary pokemon."
Silence.
"Now, your pokeballs. Don't let us use force."
People looked at each other, as if asking what each other what to do.
"How do we know you aren't lying?!" an angry voice called out.
"YEAH!"
A myriad of chants started erupting, and I planned my escape route again. Within a few seconds, I made my way out of the crowd and almost tripped from the force I used to escape.
'I could run into Route 1, but...' I shook my head. 'It'll be impossible to see in the night without a light of some sort... That'll catch attention. Plus, I have to see this.'
Realizing I was standing in the clear, I ran towards some trees that led to a forest that no one dared to explore. I hid behind the closest tree and peeked my head out.
I escaped just in time, too; the crowd had gone into utter pandemonium. The riot was getting so uncontrollable that Team Plasma members started to encircle the crowd as a whole.
'Dang... Everyone in town must be here,' I thought worriedly. I shook my head. 'I have to take advantage of this moment.' I knew what I had to do. I could win against a few dozen grunts, but not a whole organization. And if this Zekrom thing was true, I would definitely lose. I took the five pokeballs out of my bag and clutched them tightly. "I'm sorry," I whispered before summoning all of my pokemon from their pokeballs.
They looked around, clearly befuddled, except for Emboar, who shot me a suspicious glare. He stepped up to me, as if knowing something was wrong, but I shook my head and put my hand up to halt him.
"Shh," I hushed them, catching their attention. "We don't want to attract any attention here," I warned.
"Swaa?" Swanna asked, peeking her head to the right. It appeared she caught sight of the crowd of unhappy people.
"You all remember Team Plasma... We battled them a few times," I started.
Emboar nodded nonchalantly while Simisage and Stoutland looked at me with curious eyes.
"Well..." I started, but decided to skip the small details. "We don't have much time... This is goodbye."
They all started exclaimed in protest.
"Shh!" I hushed vigorously.
They shrunk back. Simisage came up to me, but I put up a hand to stop him, much to his astonishment.
"Team Plasma is demanding that we hand in all of our pokemon so that they could liberate them, but..." I paused and shook my head. "I don't believe them. I believe we can beat them, but only for so long... Get out of here while you can," I demanded in a faint tone.
They all objected again. Simisage and Stoutland vigorously shook their heads, while Swanna let out little desperate caws. Boldore extended one of his feet, but Emboar just stared at me. I couldn't tell what he was thinking.
"You have to," I snapped.
Their faces went distraught.
I felt my face soften. "I'll miss you all too," I claimed. "But if you stay with me, Team Plasma might get their hands on you," I added. I couldn't stand the pain just from looking at them anymore. I looked to the side. "Besides, I had no right to take you from your homes, so-"
Simisage used cut.
I hissed lowly and looked at Simisage. Cut was a very weak move, so he obviously didn't have any intent to hurt me. He seemed angry and sad, but worst of all, disappointed. The rest of my pokemon gave me hard stares. It was as if they were saying I was their home. They all inched towards me.
"No," I commanded.
They ignored me and brushed up against me. I looked down at their pleading faces and gave in.
"So... You want to stay with me," I confirmed out loud. I felt a gradual happiness, but my face would not show it. I was smiling, but it was a faint and worried smile.
They nodded in response. I was sure that under different circumstances, they would've started screeching at me for even considering such a thing.
I knelt down and brought them into a hug. Suddenly, I heard a scream. 'Oh no!' I thought as I jostled my bag for their pokeballs. "Return," I commanded before even giving them a second to respond.
I stood up and hid behind the tree again, my back itchy from standing against the bark. I peeked my head to the side. The crowd was looking up at the makeshift stage with worried eyes.
I looked down at the five pokeballs in my palm. 'I promise...' I concluded, and went to put them into my bag. 'Wait a second,' I thought as I halted my hand. I shook my head. 'If I'm caught, that's the first place they'll look.'
I ruminated on possible places to put the pokeballs. I reluctantly stuffed them into my shirt against my back. When I leaned against the tree again, my back was unpleasantly bumpy. 'Hopefully with my black vest and the darkness of the night, they won't notice.' I quickly checked my bag again, eased of my tension when I saw six empty pokeballs. 'These will have to suffice.'
I peeked my head from behind the tree again. The crowd was now dead silent, with not one person speaking up. The Team Plasma grunt that was speaking smirked at this.
"Now that you are all civilized," he taunted, "I assure you that our Lord N did indeed befriend Zekrom and beat the Pokemon League single-handedly."
I heard gasps and saw astonished faces. 'He said this already... No one should be this surprised.' I pursed my lips. 'What's going on?'
I felt the ground shake with a thud, almost knocking me over. The pokeballs slid down my back a little, until I leaned against the tree again.
I heard hushed tones of "it's true," "no way," and other expressions of defeat.
'What's going on?' I thought again, trying to peer my head a little more and try to see what was happening.
"Please, people... Please, we can settle this in a calm matter," a genial and gentle voice said.
'He sounds familiar...' I thought.
"Please understand; Pokemon should be free. They shouldn't be captivated..." the voice continued.
I clenched my teeth in anxiousness.
"Oh yeah?! Then why do all of your henchmen have them? And why do you have a legendary pokemon in your captivity?!" a brave voice retorted.
"Hush!" the earlier grunt commanded.
"No, it's okay... I'll answer any questions," the voice intervened.
'Who's speaking?!' I thought angrily as I tried to change my angle. I already knew, but I wanted to confirm it. It just seemed so unlikely that someone who causally passed me on the street could accomplish this.
"I did not capture Zekrom... It willingly befriended me," the voice explained.
'Befriended?' I wondered. 'A legendary pokemon..? So is it true?'
"If it hadn't, do you really think I'd have the power to keep him in my captivity?" the voice reasoned.
This resulted in people murmur to each other.
"As for the members of Team Plasma," the voice continued. "We just want to make sure all pokemon are fairly liberated, and though I don't like this... If anyone refuses, we have to use force. I hate battles, but it's for the greater good..."
The murmuring stopped.
"You heard him! Now, hand us your pokemon!" the grunt reasoned.
"Allow me," the voice said, and I heard footsteps echo.
'This is him...' I thought anxiously, trying to see his face.
I waited attentively, suspecting that the leader was showing himself to the crowd. My conclusion was right. It was him. I couldn't think of who else it could be. Pokemon Liberation? His one-letter name? Life wasn't this coincidental.
I met him when I first started my journey; my only two pokemon were Emboar and Stoutland, who were only Tepig and Lilipup at the time. He had requested a battle, and claimed he could hear pokemon voices.
"Please, understand..." N spoke. "Pokemon are my friends... I only want to see them stop suffering."
The people looked at each other again, some with faces of understanding, some with remorse.
N held out his hands.
The crowd, knowing that they wouldn't win, reluctantly took pokeballs from their pockets. Whether they believed N's words or just succumbed, they complied. I heard people whispering to their pokeballs, perhaps saying goodbye. I saw rebellion in some of their eyes, but none of them were trainers. In fact, Bianca, Cheren, and I were the only actual trainers from this town. Everyone else had pokemon around for either work or purely for companionship.
The first to give N a pokeball was a little girl. She held out her hand and N knelt down to take the ball from her.
"Purrloin will be happy now, right?" she asked nervously.
"...Yes," N confirmed with a smile.
The little girl beamed.
'Time to get out of here,' I decided remorsefully. I turned around but bumped into something. "Oof!" I cried as I fell to the floor. "Ahh," I hissed as I rubbed my head.
A Team Plasma member was looking down at me and held out his hand. "Your Pokemon."
"I-I don't have any," I tried to say casually, but failed to. The smile I was trying to shoot him with failed too, and probably seemed like some sort of distorted grimace.
He looked at me skeptically. I heard footsteps behind me. I looked left and right. Two more Team Plasma members had come to my sides, and started cornering me to the tree I was hiding behind.
"You can't fool us," he spat.
'Dang... How am I going to pull this off?' I thought anxiously. 'That's it!' I thought happily, as I remembered training Stoutland. As a Lilipup, he knew sand-attack, and often missed and hit me in the eyes instead. After a while, I gained "immunity," which made Lilipup think that his attack was getting weaker. From that, I learned how to tear on demand, just to make him feel good. But now...
I felt hot tears go down my cheek. 'Success!' I cheered in my head. "Please, no..." I begged feebly and clutched my bag, hoping that my performance was believable enough. Remembering that people were next to me, I backed into the tree, hoping that they wouldn't notice the pokeballs bulging from my back.
The Plasma grunts gradually closed in on me.
'HA! Is this actually working?!' I thought, fighting the urge to laugh. I shook my head, though not for the reasons the grunts thought. 'Do I have an opening? I need to make a run for it.' I looked from one member to the next. 'No... I guess I'm just going to have to wing it.'
"Noooo!" I screamed as I ran past the member in front of me.
He had fast reflexes, as he pulled my bag off of my shoulder. The force he used made me make somewhat of a U-Turn. The empty pokeballs fell from my bag. I mentally counted the bumps on my back, relieved when all five were still in place.
He knelt to pick them up, while the two other grunts ran to me to try and reprimand me. I ran the other direction and looked back. They were chasing after me, until the first grunt huffed a "no."
I curiously watched them as I ran further into the uncharted forest.
"We have what we need," I thought I heard him say, as the two grunts returned to his side.
I snapped my head forward and ran faster. 'I need to get out of here before they notice it's empty... I could win against three in a battle, but a legendary?' I shook my head and bursted with a booming laughter, not even caring if anyone could hear me anymore. 'I can't they fell for that!'
After I was sure I was long out of sight, I slumped by a tree, panting. I reached my hand behind my back and pulled out the pokeballs.
"One, two, three, four, five..." I counted. "Come on out!"
With a flash of red light, all of my Pokemon came out. They all looked at me happily. Simisage jumped into my lap while Swanna and Stoutland brushed up against me. Emboar and Boldore crept up behind them; they weren't as affectionate. I wrapped my arms around Swanna and Stoutland.
"I wonder how Mom and Professor Juniper are..." I wondered out loud. I looked up at the sky. It was still relatively dark. I yawned. "Anyway, I'm glad you all decided to stay with me."
Swanna let out an affectionate caw.
"Did you guys overhear what happened in your pokeballs?" I asked.
They all nodded in response.
I nodded back, unsure of what to say. "But the thing is... I don't know what to do now," I confessed.
Emboar looked at me curiously.
"I'm pretty sure that I'll be punished for having pokemon," I explained. "Not that you can't take them, but... I'm sorry to say, but we're not strong enough to fight a legendary pokemon yet."
Stoutland nudged me.
"Yeah... I should go check on mom..." I said standing up and stretched. "I don't know if that whole fiasco is over yet, but... I'm sure I could slip in. After all, they probably couldn't see my face clearly." I held up my pokeballs. "Just know that if we don't see each other again... I tried the best I could," I said as I called them back, not giving them the time to respond. 'But that'll never happen... I'll have to be imprisoned before I let you all down.'
I decided to kill time by looking at the constellations. Being as dense as I was, I had no creativity and saw nothing. Although, the stars and the moon alone were quite a sight.
After a while, I walked through the barren forest. With the night sky, it was surprisingly serene. But since there really was no path and just a bunch of trees, no one really came here. There were no pokemon either. I wasn't sure how I felt about that.
I contemplated waiting until morning when the catastrophe was definitely over, but I was too worried about Mom and Professor Juniper.
I didn't know how long it took me to get back to town, but being drowned in my thoughts, it felt like seconds. As I peeked through the trees, I saw that most of the people were still there, but there were no Team Plasma members.
I slouched and made a bee line for the crowd, acting as if I had just been a victim. I looked around me hastily. "Mom?!" I wasn't sure if she was here or went home by now, but it wouldn't hurt searching.
"OH, HILDAA!" I heard a high cry behind me.
Before I could even turn around, I felt someone hug me from behind me. In shock, I tried to shake them off, but she was persistent. I turned my head.
"Bianca?!" I asked, surprised. "I thought you were at Route 10 looking for Braviary!"
She shook her head depressingly and let go. "Professor Juniper needed a quick errand first. I came back, but-"
"It seems all three of us were in this predicament," a voice said from behind me.
I turned around. "Cheren? You too?" I asked anxiously. "Weren't you at Victory Road?" I continued, surprise surfacing in my voice.
He looked away and adjusted his glasses. "I decided to visit my mother first, as you told me you would... But when I didn't see you in the crowd, I was so sure that you got away," he explained. I heard a hint of disappointment in his voice.
"Where were you?!" Bianca demanded. "We were fighting them... And... And..!"
"What she means is," Cheren cut in. "After the first pokeball was handed in, we were asked by surrounding members to hand ours in. Bianca and I fought them and won, but then that N guy came in with his Zekrom..." he unwillingly admitted. Cheren wasn't a guy who liked to admit defeat.
"N... Who would've known?" I wondered.
Cheren bowed his head for a second, showing his concurrent thought.
"You could've helped us..! You could've... You could've..." Bianca struggled. It was clear that she wasn't spiteful towards me in any way, but just distraught over her loss.
"I'm sorry, but can we discuss this later? Let's warn Accumula Town and-"
Cheren shook his head. "Look around you, Hilda."
I complied. I was surprised to see Team Plasma members blocking Route 1. I hadn't seen them from my angle earlier.
"You didn't notice?" he asked with disbelief. "They don't want anyone interfering with their plans." Cheren stared me down.
"They're also stationed around our houses... Not anyone else's, just ours!" Bianca added with a pout.
I nodded with understanding. 'After all, the three of us are the only prevailing trainers here...'
"The Pokemon Lab, too... Professor Juniper is under house arrest," she added.
The news surprised me, but I decided to change the topic. "So why is everyone still here?" I asked.
Cheren looked at me skeptically. I shot him back a glare.
"Because the announcements aren't over..." Bianca said unwillingly. "They just wanted to escort that Plasma guy out."
"So they're heading for Accumula Town now?" I asked.
She shook her head. "In a week..." She didn't even acknowledge how ignorant I was of the situation. "Some grunts claimed that there are still pokemon, and they want to settle that first."
"...Is that so?" I asked, trying to give her a hint.
"Mhm..." she nodded in a melancholic fashion.
Cheren took a quick glance at Bianca, then the forest. "Hilda, what's that over there?" Cheren interrupted.
"What?" I asked, turning in the direction he was pointing.
"There!" he pressed as he took my arm and pulled me.
"H-Huh?" I asked, confused, but went along anyway. Then it snapped. 'Cheren got the hint.'
"H-Hey! Wait up you guys!" Bianca called out nervously from behind us.
"Woah, Cheren, what's gotten into you?" I asked to lull suspicion from peeping ears as he pulled me into the forest.
"I-I don't think we should be here!" Bianca suggested as she nervously followed. "No one ever goes into the forest!"
Once we were a few feet into the trees, Cheren let go and gave me a stern look. "Well then?"
I smirked and pulled out the five pokeballs from my bag.
"W-Woah Hil-!" Bianca exclaimed, but stopped when Cheren covered her mouth.
"When I overheard some grunts saying a trainer gave them empty pokeballs..." Cheren explained. "And that she escaped..."
Bianca's eyes widened.
Cheren smiled confidently. "I knew it was you," he said as he slowly lifted a pokeball from his pocket.
"Y-You too?" Bianca asked.
"Indeed," he responded as he fixed his glasses again. "I had actually caught a Mincinno on my way back here from Route 1. Having 6 pokemon in my party already, the seventh pokeball was locked."
"Ooh!" Bianca mused.
"Tch, sneaky there," I complimented.
"Hmph," he responded smugly. "So then of course Team Plasma would only take 6 pokeballs. The Mincinno may be low leveled, but..."
"Yeah," Bianca chimed in. "I don't trust these guys! They seem to be doing the right thing, but... It's good that you have a pokemon with you, just in case."
"We'll need a fighting chance," I added in. "In case they try anything sketchy."
"Mhm!" she smiled and let out a muffled giggle, and reached into her hat and took out a pokeball.
I felt my face go into surprise for a second, and saw Cheren's do the same from the corner of my eye, before putting on a teasing smirk. "Well, this is climactic," I teased. "Rebelling against the public, Bianca?"
Cheren seemed amused. "Do tell, Bianca."
"I had actually told Musharna to release dream mist," she informed confidently.
"Wait a second..." Cheren retorted. "I don't remember you telling it to use dream mist," he accused, clearly irked that he didn't notice that she had.
"Do you remember when your Gigalith used earthquake and everyone got all surprised?"
A stern nod from Cheren.
"Well, I saw that Musharna was going to faint, so in the confusion, I told her to use dream mist!" she replied cheerily. "And after the next attack, she fainted. Well, you thought she fainted, but really, she flew off."
"Intriguing..." Cheren commented. "And I suppose you had her return once all of the grunts left and the people were still in disorder?"
"Mhm!"
"Hilda," Cheren started, turning to me. "Bianca and I don't have much of a starting point here, but..." Cheren contemplated to himself. "We'll be counting on you if something goes amiss."
"You can lean on me," I assured him.
Bianca smiled brightly while Cheren smirked smugly.
"Well, well," I said mockingly. "It looks like if Team Plasma does a wrong move, they'll be in for it."
"Team Plasma's up to no good, I can feel it!" she exclaimed in a hushed tone.
"And we'll be there to stop them," Cheren added in. "But first, we better get back into town. With your long absence, they might suspect you're the one who has pokemon." He tucked his pokeball back in his pocket. "That'll be problematic.
"Right," I nodded. I followed in Cheren's example, and taking Bianca's idea, I stuffed my pokeballs in my hat.
The three of us proceeded back to town, making sure not to be caught by Team Plasma guards coming from the forest's direction.
"Tomorrow, same place..." Cheren whispered to us before we disbanded.
Bianca and I nodded, before going our separate ways. I had to look for my mom, and I was sure that Cheren and Bianca wanted to make sure that their own respective families were alright.
After a few failed attempts to find her, I stood at one end of the crowd, waiting patiently. I tuned out the conversations going around me. 'I hope Mom is okay...' I pondered.
Within a few minutes, Team Plasma grunts marched back onto the makeshift stage in two lines from opposite sides. This sight caused the chatter in the crowd to die down.
The grunt who was speaking earlier ascended to the middle. "Now we assure you, we mean no harm, but this must be done," he reasoned.
I looked around me. Some people looked like they wanted to talk back, but knew it was best not to. Others actually started to believe him, despite what just happened.
"Team Plasma's goal is to liberate pokemon, and we're glad that most of you acceded. Now that our Lord N will soon take over Unova, we are passing new laws to be cautious of traitors. The last thing we want is for pokemon to keep suffering." He stepped down and walked out of sight.
Another grunt replaced his position. "Starting when our problem is resolved, Route 1 to Accumula Town will be opened. You are not to interact with pokemon unless they approach you," she explained. "In addition," she continued, "there will now be random checkups for strange behavior. From route to route, you will be checked. We assure you, this is in everyone's best interest."
A few people nodded.
'What the heck... Are they agreeing?' I wondered, cringing at their reactions. 'Don't they see that they're being oppressed?'
The grunt cleared her throat. "There will be more news in the near future, once our Lord N has finished his goals of peace. That will be all. Plasmaa!"
"PLASMAA!" the rest of the grunts followed.
I flinched back in surprise, as did a handful of other people. In addition, what shocked me was that some people in the crowd actually followed the salute.
'Just what happened when I was gone..?' I wondered. I then remember everyone calming down a little once N appeared. 'He must've convinced them... He's probably a good public speaker... I wonder what he said back there.'
The plasma grunts lined up and marched off of the stage, taking their flags and spotlights with them.
The crowd started disbanding too, but erupted with conversation. I weaved my way through and headed for my house. Just as Bianca said, there were two grunts standing outside of my door. I walked up to them and glowered at them. They shot me back the same expression, but eventually lifted their heads up and started to ignore me.
"Tch," I spat, and walked into my house. "Mom..?" I called out doubtfully. "Are you here? Are you okay?"
"Oh, Hilda, dear!" a worried voice called from the kitchen area.
I turned around and she pulled me into a tight hug. "Oh, thank goodness... You're alright."
"No, not me, dear!" she objected. "Your pokemon! They took them, didn't they?!"
I opened my mouth to tell her otherwise, but then remembered that there were grunts outside. "Yes... They're gone," I said grimly. 'Sorry Mom, but I can't tell you... Not here...'
"Oh, that's horrible!" she shrieked. "But... You're okay, right dear?"
"I'm all good, Mom," I assured her.
She let go of me. "I was hoping you weren't here," she trailed off.
"But I wanted to visit you," I said. "Before I battled the champion."
She gave a wry smile and walked back to the kitchen area. "...You must be hungry," she said faintly. She probably thought that it was her fault that my pokemon were taken. However, pointing that out and denying it wouldn't help her in any way. She was probably shaken up about losing her patrat that I caught for her to keep her company.
"I'm alright," I said, not wanting to impose on her.
Suddenly, the door slammed open. My mom and I shot our heads back and saw five Team Plasma grunts, ushering in the clearly uncomfortable Cheren and Bianca.
"What's the meaning of this?" my mom demanded. Her voice shook faintly.
"You are to come with us," one of the grunts replied.
I tensed up. "What business does she have with you?" I enforced.
"Let's go," he said, ignoring my question. On command, two grunts came and took my mother by her sides. They didn't brutally force her, but they guided her out, which I saw as aggressive enough.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" I protested. I stepped forward to stop them, but Cheren's hand appeared in front of my face. When I turned to look at him, confusion clearly on my face, he scarcely shook his head. "But-" I tried to object, but my door closed, making my attention go back to the latter. "What was that for?!" I demanded. I stomped to my door to go after them, but Bianca's voice stopped me.
"Wait!" she pleaded.
I stopped in my tracks and looked back at her with expectance.
"I assure you, your mother is in no harm. It's most likely that they only kicked her out of the house and no more," Cheren replied.
"What do you-"
"They want us all together," Cheren answered, cutting me off.
I relaxed my stance, but still looked at Cheren anticipation.
"They came into my house with Bianca and coerced me out," Cheren explained. "When I asked what I was going on, a grunt had told me that as the only three trainers from this town, we were to be together, so that surveillance would be more convenient."
"So they're isolating us," I concluded with a huff.
"It would seem so," Cheren confirmed. He then switched his mood to one of inquiry. "But this works out well for us."
"B-But how, Cheren?" Bianca asked nervously.
Cheren lowered his pocket flap to indicate his pokeball. He then glared at the door, indicating the grunts guarding outside. "This way, our families aren't concerned."
"B-But my family!" Bianca stuttered. "What if something happens to them?"
Cheren and I shot her inefficient looks, much to her confusion.
"Let's just... Call it a night," Cheren suggested, as he went upstairs. Midway up the staircase, he paused. "I apologize. May I?"
I nodded and made my way to the stairs. Bianca timidly followed. The only sound within the moment was our feet creaking against the wooden staircase.
As soon as Cheren reached my room, he walked over to my bed and sat down, bouncing a little upon impact. I stepped to the side to allow Bianca to come up first. She walked over and sat next to Cheren, placing her hands in her lap. I walked to the opposite wall and leaned up against it.
"So, what's the plan?" I asked, crossing my arms.
"Th-The what?" Bianca asked nervously.
"Well, we won't take any action until they do... We have to confirm our suspicions first," Cheren answered, ignoring Bianca. "In the mean time, I need to train Mincinno. Bianca," Cheren called out.
"H-Huh?" she asked, startled that he said her name.
"Would you mind assisting me in Mincinno's training?"
"Me?" Bianca asked, dumbfounded. She then put on a spectacular grin. "Of course!" she beamed.
"But sadly, you won't be able to participate in this, Hilda," Cheren added coldly. "The training, that is."
"Huh? Why?" I asked.
"It would be suspicious for all three of us to go missing at once," Cheren explained.
I nodded in understanding.
"Plus, my Mincinno's the priority of any training whatsoever."
"A-And I can use the practice too!" Bianca added in. "I refuse to let down my pokemon again!"
"Got it," I replied.
"In the mean time, we might as well get familiar with your room, Hilda," Cheren brought up. "I have a suspicion that we'll be here for a while."
Bianca bowed her head.
"Roam free, my friends," I said sarcastically while opening my arms wide. I was relieved when I saw Bianca try to restrain a giggle. 'At least I was lifting her mood, if even a little.'
Cheren nodded and stood up. "Now, for the sleeping arrangements. I think it's in everyone's best interest that Bianca gets the bed."
"N-No!" Bianca interjected. "I wouldn't want to impose like that..." she replied timidly. "And I'm alright with anything. Really!" She shook her head. "It's your room, Hilda!"
"No, it's fine," I said. "Ever since I moved out, my Mom got the top floor. I bunk on the couch downstairs now," I explained. "Well, when I visit, but you get the point."
"That's not a wise idea," Cheren intervened. "I think it's best that we're all together. Again, Team Plasma hasn't done anything bad, but you can't be too sure."
"I suppose..." I replied. "But are we maybe thinking a little too much of this?"
"You can never be too sure!" Bianca pressed. "I don't think they really did anything to my family, but they separated us... I don't know what I would do if I was separated from my best friends too!"
"Oh please," I replied. "You can still see them. You just can't sleep there, or something..."
Cheren shook his head. "We're allowed no contact, though I don't know why..."
I glared at Cheren. "That's news to me," I said coldly.
He shrugged coldly. "Anyway, I'm quite weary. So where do we sleep?"
I made my way to the closet. "I have some blankets and pillows in my closet."
"I suppose they'll make do," Cheren commented as he took off his jacket.
I pulled out some pillows and tossed it to him. He took his pokeball out of his jacket pocket and stuffed it in the pillow. Bianca seemed awed at the idea, and took off her hat. She too put her pokeball in her pillow.
"Just in case," he explained.
I tossed Cheren a blanket, which he shook and then spread out by the stairs.
I shook my own blanket and laid it out next to the closet. Dropping the pillow, I took my five pokeballs out of my hat. I considered putting them in the pillow too. 'No, all five wouldn't fit.'
"Under the bed," Cheren suggested as if he read my mind. "That way it's within your reach but out of their sight."
"Thanks," I muttered and did as I was told. I stretched and yawned. "Good night."
"Good night... And thanks again, Hilda... But really, I can sleep on the floor."
"No, it's okay," I assured her.
"I'm grateful for your hospitality as well," Cheren clarified as he walked over to the light switch.
"Not that any of us had a choice," I joked as Cheren turned off the lights.
We were plunged into the darkness.
I laid on the ground and wrapped the blanket around me, only wanting to fall into blissful sleep.
Unforseen : End
It's probably a bad idea for me to be writing two fanfictions at once, especially since I'm just winging both, lol. I actually do have ideas for this, but I don't have every single detail worked out. I'm also using this to get writer's block out of my system for my other story, which I doubt any of you actually read.
This was probably a short chapter, and I don't think I wrote it that well. Criticism would be greatly appreciated.
Don't be confused about this; it isn't that she met N all of those times and he just didn't choose her or admit he was the king of Team Plasma. It's an alternate universe where Hilda only met N in Accumula Town with Cheren. No other times, just then. However, I'd say that she met Ghetsis a few more times. Obviously in Accumula Town. I'd also say whenever he appeared after a Team Plasma incident (For example, with Burgh in Castelia). Though he'd obviously leave out the details regarding Hilda battling N.
That being said, she's also had all of those Team Plasma encounters, except for when she was directed to it. (For example, the Daycare Man thing in Nimbasa did happen, but N didn't bring her into the Ferris Wheel and Confess, along with Bianca's Munna being stolen and the dragon skull being stolen from the gym in Nacrene. The thing in Dragonspiral Tower did happen, but we'll assume that Bruce tried to handle it on his own and Hilda wasn't there because the Shadow Triad never showed up for her, and she probably left Iccurus by the time anyone noticed something was going on.)
If you're wondering why I chose Hilda, it's actually because I play as her. I don't intend to do any romance in this story at the moment.
I always assumed that N was a good public speaker. I don't know why, but I did. And there had to be some way that the people in Nuvema town started to respect Team Plasma.
Oh, and that forest is the myriad of trees surrounding Nuvema that you oddly can't walk around. So basically, the border.
I'm not sure how well I got everyone's characters, so I'd like some pointers on that too. I think Hilda's fine, because technically, she doesn't have a character. It's for the player to decide. I always thought of her as hard-core, somewhat sarcastic, and fun-loving from her artwork.
Thank you for reading.