Summary: How does a social introvert with no experience discover friendship? Hell, he's not even sure what it is! But there's something about her...something...magical...that makes him believe in it. Even when he's sure she wants nothing more than to run away. NXWhite
Author's stuff: Well, for the first time I'm venturing into the land of Pokemon fanfiction. I've been playing Black, so you can blame that for the sudden need to write about N, White and the rest of the Unova region. Please feel free to review, and let me know what you think!
Learning the Art of Friendship
...
Chapter 1: New Friend
N
N studied the girl in front of him. She was angry, sparks almost seeming to fly from her vivid blue eyes. Her chest heaved as she grabbed her last remaining pokeball. Her other Pokemon had fought valiantly, but all had been beaten. Now she was left with one.
"Go, Neptune!" Her Samurott burst from its pokeball and roared. She ran her hand across its face. His face, N corrected himself, as the Pokemon snarled at him.
Shall we do this? the Pokemon she'd called Neptune challenged in his deep voice. N could only blink in response. He'd never seen such a fierce Pokemon against him. His Zekrom had accepted him to be the Hero, and he was sure that Zekrom was the strongest Pokemon in all the regions. Yet his Pokemon had never looked at him like this, with such fury.
"Use Waterfall!" White yelled, pointing a finger at Zekrom. N watched as her Samurott summoned all the power of a waterfall and crashed into the other Pokemon. The legendary Pokemon stepped back and shook itself. White quickly moved out of the way as Zekrom retaliated with Slash. White called from the sidelines as her Neptune jumped backwards. "That's it, kick its ass!" she yelled, raising her fist. Her Pokemon roared an affirmative, and N couldn't help but take a step back at the rage on her face.
Why was she so angry? Couldn't she see that this was the way things were meant to be? He was the King; the new world he was creating would set Pokemon free! Why was she fighting him? "Stop this!" N called suddenly, as Zekrom returned to his side.
She turned to look at him, her Samurott growling. "What?" She glared at him, her hands on her hips. N was distracted for a moment by the way she suddenly flicked her hair back. "Have you finally realised how crazy your plan is?" she called, as N was momentarily hurt. His plans were not crazy; he was going to save the Pokemon.
"Don't you see? I am the Hero; it's my mission to save the Pokemon! I-I don't want to see you get hurt," N said quietly, watching as disbelief flickered in her eyes.
"Then why are you trying to hurt all the trainers? You don't seem to understand the bonds between Pokemon and humans. We're not enslaving them, we become friends and partners! Do you think my Pokemon would really stick around if they hated me?" She threw the question at him.
N turned his gaze to her Samurott. "Is that why you stay?" he asked. "Isn't it hard to be trapped for your entire life, nothing more than a pet?"
The Pokemon she called Neptune shook his head violently. NO! He denied fiercely. White is my trainer! Because of her, I have become strong! We have fought together and played together for a long time! What is there otherwise? A life spent swimming in the water or such? How is that truly fulfilling?
N was shocked at the Pokemon's words. It had never occurred to him to wonder what the wild Pokemon did all the time. "But you aren't free! You're stuck in a pokeball whenever she doesn't need you, and you only emerge when she needs you to fight others. Others of your kind! It's wrong!"
White straightened up. "You jerk!" she yelled at him, her hands clenched into fists. "My Pokemon and I are friends. Friends! A word you don't even know the meaning of!"
N flinched back like she's slapped him.
He remembered the loneliness in his room, broken only by the Pokemon he'd met. Injured creatures in such pain that he wasn't sure they would ever heal. He'd discovered their real voices when they cried out for help. That was when he had learned the truth of how trainers abused their Pokemon. He shook his head, reminding himself that he wasn't alone; he had the legendary Pokemon Zekrom on his side. And when he beat White, he would take Reshiram from her as well.
"I have Zekrom," he repeated out loud, earning a sigh from the trainer across from him. "That means I am the true Hero. My ideals are right, and I'll prove it by beating you!" N was sure of his convictions. It was what he believed in. Pokemon needed to be free.
"Then why did Reshiram choose me?" White demanded. N smiled softly.
"I needed to be tested, needed to be sure that my path was the right one. This is my test, and when I beat you there will be doubt," he proclaimed. White gasped when he pointed at her as Zekrom answered his command by using DragonBreath. She threw up her arm in an attempt to protect herself as the beam of pink light flew at her.
N watched as her Samurott used Surf, leaping in front of her and blocking Zekrom's attack. N was confused by this. He couldn't believe that her Pokemon would willingly throw itself in the way of an attack.
Was there some truth to what she was saying after all? Her Pokemon seemed to believe in her, and it worried him.
N returned his attention to the battle. White was calling out moves, and her Samurott was obeying, hurling water at Zekrom. The legendary dragon brushed off the attacks and retaliated with Slash.
"Fusion Bolt," N said suddenly, as Zekrom immediately switched moves. He watched as the blast hit his opponent's Pokemon, sending him flying into the wall.
"Neptune!" White called, racing over to her badly weakened Pokemon. "Don't give up on me," she pleaded, rubbing his face gently. "C'mon buddy, we can't lose!" She fished something out of her bag, and N watched as she gently sprayed her partner with a Hyper Potion. He saw the tenderness on her face and was utterly lost. He'd never seen that kind of expression before.
For a second, he wished she would look at him like that. N was confused by the sudden pain he felt. No one had even looked at him like that, or stroked his head like White was doing with her Neptune. No one had ever shown him that kind of emotion before, and he wanted to know what it felt like.
The Hyper Potion did its job, and her Pokemon slowly got to his feet. I'm not done yet, he growled towards Zekrom. The legendary Pokemon merely laughed.
Do not imagine that you can beat me. This human will change the world. Zekrom inclined his head towards N. I will make his dream a reality. N felt happier hearing this. He was following the right path; he knew that for sure now. Still, maybe White's ideals weren't completely wrong. Maybe he could convince her to join him!
Zekrom began to gather power, and unleashed a Zen Headbutt straight towards Neptune. White whispered something to her partner, and he stood still. N watched in horror as the move hit the other Pokemon and once again sent it flying.
"How could you?" N yelled in horror as he watched White's determined face. "You claimed to care about your Pokemon, yet you just made him stay still and take that attack!" N drew in a deep breath. White looked nervous for a second, before her Samurott got shakily to its feet.
"Revenge," White said softly, as her Samurott unleashed an attack that was twice the power of Zekrom's Zen Headbutt. N could only stare in disbelief as Zekrom groaned and slowly toppled over.
She had beaten him.
It wasn't possible...
White immediately went over to her Samurott and whispered words of encouragement, and announcing their victory. She stayed by his side for some time, before gently recalling her wounded Pokemon to his ball.
"Well, N?" She straightened up and called. N was staring at his fainted Zekrom.
At her words, he turned back to look at her. "...How is this possible?" he asked in a low voice. To his surprise, White walked over to stand in front of him.
"Because I believe in my Pokemon, and they believe in me because we are friends, and we don't want to be separated. If you could understand that..." She trailed off, unsure how to continue. N looked up from under his bangs.
He said nothing for a second, mentally running over what he was about to do, before deciding. "I don't understand what you are saying." White's shoulders slumped. She's tried her hardest to save the bonds between trainers and Pokemon, but N still had a lot of power. She was trying her best to get through to him, but he could still pull off his crazy plans. "But...maybe you can teach me." He watched as her head whipped up in shock.
"...What?" she asked softly, unsure of what she was hearing. N gave her a small grin. Maybe he could discover why her Pokemon were so happy with her.
"I want to know about friendship," he explained, watching as her eyebrows rose and her mouth opened. "You said I have no idea about friendship, and you're right. But you do know about it! So you can teach me!"
White stepped back and started shaking her head. "This is insane," she moaned, wishing she could just race to a Pokemon Centre. "How am I supposed to teach you friendship? It's something that just happens over time!" N stepped forward until he was almost touching her.
"I don't know how, so you have to show me, White." He said her name gently, wishing her to just agree with him. "You beat me as a Hero, so your ideals must be the right one. In your world, Pokemon and trainers are partners. I've only ever seen Pokemon used by trainers. I need you, the strongest trainer, to show me how to be friends with other people, not just with my Pokemon." She gave him a look that said she was weighing up the offer. "Please," he all but whispered, as she sighed.
"I can't believe I'm doing this, but...fine."
N felt a smile light up his whole face. "Great!" He swept her up and hugged her. He felt her tense up in his arms, and quickly released her. "Isn't that what friends do?" He looked down, worried that he'd already failed as a friend. He heard White laugh softly.
"Sure. You usually wait until you're comfortable with the person first, but in your case..." Her words were interrupted as Ghetsis swept into the room.
"Well now. Have you finally beaten her?" The Sage leered at the two of them, noting their close positions.
"She won." N straightened up, looking Ghetsis in the eye.
The older man gasped, and glared at White. "Impossible!"
White grinned, flicking her long brown locks behind her. "You better believe it!" she called, planting a hand on her hip.
Ghetsis frowned and turned back to N. "How could you lose? I gave you everything you needed! Wounded Pokemon, the belief in what you were doing...I even prepared you for becoming the Hero! How could you fail me? I left you in that room all your life so you wouldn't be distracted by useless things such as friendship, just so you could become King of Team Plasma and I could take over the world!"
White leapt forward, but before she could say anything N stepped in front of her.
"White beat me. Her ideals are stronger than mine. As the Hero, she has the right to change the world to the way she wants. She has chosen to keep it the way it is, so we have to acknowledge that."
Ghetsis laughed mockingly. "Well, if that's what you think, let's see how she fares against me. When I beat her, I'll use you to change the world to the way it should be!" He raised a pokeball, but N interrupted again.
"White is my friend! She beat me, and we need to accept that! I don't want you to hurt her." He reached up to brush his light green bangs out of his eyes.
Ghetsis laughed again and threw the pokeball. "You are so innocent," he said, as his Pokemon burst from its ball. "How would you even know what friendship is?" He pointed forward and his Pokemon opened its mouth.
White gasped behind him, and N immediately reached for a Max Revive. "Zekrom!" he yelled, as the legendary dragon burst from its ball. "Let's go, White!" He reached for her, and easily picked her up, just as the enemy Pokemon's blast reached them. Zekrom took off as they landed on its back, narrowly missing the beam of light.
White blinked in surprise at the turn of events. N worried that he was being a bad friend again. Did friends pick up each other and fly on dragons? Probably not. He sighed. He wasn't very good at this...
He looked below to see Ghetsis shout something as he recalled his Pokemon. The Sage looked very angry as he stormed off back in the direction he came. N returned his attention to White. He gently lifted her so that she was sitting properly in front of him, since her previous position had looked uncomfortable. She turned back to look at him.
"What are you doing?" she questioned, frowning. N wasn't sure what she meant, or how to answer. "I mean, you just betrayed Ghetsis and all of Team Plasma! What the hell?"
He studied her face. "You're my friend," he said quietly, watching as shock crossed her face. "I'm not supposed to let you get hurt." The wind blew a chunk of hair in her face, and N found himself softly brushing it away. White froze as he touched her face, sweeping her hair out of the way. She looked at him with wide eyes, and N found himself staring at the beautiful blue colours hidden in them.
White coughed and quickly turned back to face the front, leaving N feeling very confused. "So anyways," she said, still facing the front "where are we going?" She looked down at the world below them. They were currently crossing over Opelucid City, the autumn air slightly chilling.
"I...don't know," N said, suddenly lost. Plasma Castle had been his home for so many years, where else was he supposed to go?
White sighed. "Alright, we'll have to find a motel somewhere to stay the night." The sun was slowly making its way towards the horizon, and the temperature was starting to drop. "Then we can work out what to do from there. Nimbasa City has a couple of motels, we could try there," she announced, turning back to see his response. N nodded; glad she had solved the problem. Nimbasa City...
His mind flashed to the time he had ridden the Ferris wheel with White. He remembered the way her face had eagerly looked out the window, watching the scenery below. He remembered the look she gave him when he told her he was the King of Team Plasma, and the way she had all but fled when the ride was over. N sighed, earning another look from his passenger.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
N shook his head. "Nothing is wrong. I was just remembering the time we rode the Ferris wheel." White went quiet.
The two rode in silence the rest of the way, each wrapped in their own memories, until Zekrom landed heavily in the middle of Nimbasa City.
"There's a motel this way," White said, pointing past the stadium. N followed her as she turned down a road and walked up to a motel, the sign proclaiming it to be "Nimbasa's Beautifly Motel". White opened the door and walked in, where they were greeted by an enthusiastic receptionist.
"Aww, what a cute couple! Are you looking for a room?" she gushed, as White's face turned red.
N watched as she clenched her teeth and gritted out "Yes. Are there separate rooms available?"
The receptionist gasped, and looked at her. "You're not a couple? Aww, what a pity. Anyway, I'm sorry to say we only have a double room available, all the others are booked out for the Stadium games."
White clenched her fists. "Fine." She took the key and strode up to the elevator. N hurried after her as he realised he was supposed to follow.
They stood awkwardly in the elevator, N covertly watching her in the mirrored walls. She was frowning, patches of red still showing on her cheeks. Was she embarrassed by him? Or was it something to do with what the receptionist had said? N wasn't sure, but something told him not to ask.
Finally, the elevator dinged to announce their arrival at the fourth floor. White quickly found the door and inserted the key, opening it to discover a small, neatly furnished room with a small kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. The bedroom's only piece of furniture was a double bed. White frowned again, as N gazed around the room.
"I'll sleep on the floor," she said suddenly, causing N to look at her.
"Why? There's enough room on the bed for both of us, and the floor wouldn't be very comfortable." N realised he'd said something wrong when her face turned bright red.
"You idiot!" she screamed, stomping into the bathroom and locking the door. N looked at the floor and moved over to sit on the couch. What had he said wrong?
White eventually emerged from the bathroom wearing fresh clothes. She took a breath and then sat down next to him.
"I'm sorry,' N said, watching her out of the corner of his eye. "I said something that made you angry before. I'm sorry for that." He dared a glance at the trainer.
She gave an exasperated sigh and waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. I kind of overreacted anyway," she said sheepishly, giving him a smile. N felt suddenly warmer. "So...anyways, did you want dinner now?" she queried, seemingly out of nowhere.
N hadn't even given a thought to food. "Uh, yes?" he answered, wondering where the food was going to come from. A Team Plasma grunt had always delivered his meals at the same time every night.
"Okay, well I'm just going to make some Poffins." She stood up and walked to the kitchen, pulling out a saucepan from the cupboard below and rummaging through her bag for berries. "You got a favourite flavour?" she asked, as N just stared at her.
"...What's a Poffin?"
Her face became incredulous. "You've never eaten a Poffin? Sweet fuck, what have they done to you? They're the yummiest treats!" Muttering under her breath she turned the oven on and added berries to the boiling water.
After ten or so minutes, N became aware of a delicious scent. "What is that smell?" He sniffed curiously.
White smirked as she put something on a plate and handed it to him. "Pecha Poffin," she laughed as he inhaled the scent.
"This smells amazing!" He looked up, smiling as she laughed.
"Tastes even better," she said, indicating that he should try it. Nervous of his audience, N slowly put the Poffin to his mouth and took a bite.
Never had he tasted anything so incredible.
"This is...delicious," he sighed, eating the rest. White grinned and went over to get her own.
"Told you they were good. The Pecha ones are my favourites."
N decided on the spot that he was going to eat these at least once a day from now on. "You are a great cook," he said, wanting to make her happy.
White rolled her eyes instead, making him worried. "They're really not hard to make. Boiling water and berries is pretty much all you need." N had never cooked anything in his life, so the fact that she could immediately made her higher up in his eyes. "I'll teach you how to make them someday," she said, making N reel back. "...What?" she asked suspiciously, as N just smiled to himself. "Friends teach each other things," she said almost defensively. N couldn't help but grin at her. She rolled her eyes again and ate her Poffin.
There was a small television in the corner which White switched on while they ate. The lead story was about how there had been an epic battle at the Champion's Chamber, and left it in ruins. The participants were unknown, and had mysteriously disappeared. White laughed at how the newsreader speculated that maybe the Champion had beaten off a grand challenger, and then left to travel. N couldn't help but smile as the newsreader's ideas got bigger and more fantastical.
After watching the TV for an hour or so, White stood up.
"I'm going to bed now," she said, getting ready to lie on the floor. N stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.
"You shouldn't have to sleep on the floor," he muttered, pointing at the bedroom. White's cheeks flushed. "I won't hurt you," he reassured the trainer, as she stepped back.
"Don't you get it? It's really awkward for me to suddenly sleep with a boy I barely know, especially when he was my enemy not so long ago! I don't care if it's just sharing a bed for one night, it creeps me out!" She sat down on the floor with her back to him. "Night," she finished, waving a hand.
N looked down at her back, and wondered what a friend would do in this situation.
"Can't friends share beds?" he asked quietly, as she groaned.
"Why won't you let this rest? Fine. But if you do anything, so help me I will throw you out the window!" N wasn't sure if that was an idle threat or not, so he held up his hands in surrender. She got up and moved to one side of the bed. N watched as she rolled over, facing her back to his side. "Can I sleep now?" she asked in a grumpy tone.
N nodded, even though she couldn't see him. "Goodnight," he whispered, lying down next to her. She twitched slightly and shifted further away, but N was satisfied. He had a friend!
It didn't matter now that he'd lost against White. He still believed that the Pokemon should be free, but maybe now he could convince White that his was the right path. Friends learnt other points of view, didn't they?
N smiled to himself and closed his eyes.
...
Let me know what you think, was it good, needs work, or something like that? Should I keep going, or not? I have some ideas about where to go next. If I keep going, I think I'll make it from White's point of view in the next chapter. Thanks for reading!
-Aerococonut