A/N: Hey guys! A few kind of important things (which is why this it at the top instead of the bottom). First - this is a holiday based fanfic. Which means it'll only be updated during holidays. The next chapter is looking to be around December time, and then probably New Year's. It'll be slow-going, but I'll try to keep it engaging. The second thing has little relation to this fic, but NaNoWriMo is in November, so instead of updating any fanfictions I'll be working on an original story. I apologize. But I also challenge you all to partake as well - it's a fun exercise. Take care, have fun, and be sure to enjoy a safe and candy-filled Halloween yourselves!
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, its characters, nor do I have any affiliation with Nintendo or Game Freak. That'd be sweet though. Just imagine - release dates would be postponed more than usual with me on board! No, wait that's a bad thing...
"Good evening… my name is Touya. I bid you… welcome. Enter freely and of your own will." That was my greeting every Halloween, originating simply as a joke that transformed into a trademark. I wish I was kidding about that. Then I wouldn't be saying it a million times every Halloween.
The kids giggled, accepting candy for themselves and a few berries for any Pokemon that may have lived with them. Parents gave wan smiles, already worn out for the evening while their children simply stuffed chocolate into their mouths to keep going. I gave my own smile, trying to express some form of sympathy to the adults. Either they didn't see it, or they were too busy corralling the kids away to the next house to respond. I shrugged, and closed the door once more. Setting the candy bowl down next to the door, I used my now freed hands to fiddle with the ties on the cape.
There was a reason cheap costumes were cheap. By the time I got the stupid knot undone, there were already more kids ringing the doorbell and squealing. With a sigh, I tossed the cape to the side and took up the candy bowl once more. Taking a deep breath, I forced my visage into a more somber one and slowly creaked the door open. "Good evening… my name is Touya." And so on and so forth. I'm not going to keep relaying that part – I got sick of saying it four years ago. The evening was monotonous, and unlike every other teenager in Nuvema Town I had no desire to watch a scary movie. I had enough of that traveling Unova, thank you very much. Ever got lost in Twist Mountain during the winter? That's a horror story in itself, but I'd really rather not discuss it.
My sister was out with her girlfriend Bianca, attending some kind of event in the Relic Castle area. About thirty minutes ago Touko – my sister, I mean – texted me about how there were so many disturbing legends surrounding the place she couldn't wait to tell me about it.
I wasn't looking forward to her kind decision to share.
Cheren was at his own house, partaking in his own twisted idea of fun. Very few people knew it, but the grotesque zombie running around terrifying the pants off of small children was Cheren in disguise. The guy was normally pretty calm and collected, but every year I've witnessed the transformation. Since the first time I saw it, I've made a note to never get on his bad side. They say it's always the quiet ones… in his case, yeah – he has a list.
Not joking about that, either.
Mom was off having an adult's night out with Bianca and Cheren's parents. Professor Juniper and her "friend" Fennel were also joining them. I had my questions about the kind of friendship the professors had, but so far neither were budging in their claims. None of that is really all that relevant, but these were people that were fairly active in my daily life and all of them were busy. Me? I was just handing out candy. And watching My Little Ponyta: Friendship is Magic.
Shut up, it was either that or Saw IV and I didn't have the stomach for it.
While Princess Luna was doubling the fun on television, the night continued on in repetitive motions. The cape remained on the couch, discarded and undesired due to a perpetual wardrobe malfunction it caused. Children squealed, and in the distance I could sometimes hear the cries and whimpers of Cheren's victims. My greeting was a rinse, wash, repeat process and by nine o'clock I didn't even hear my own voice any longer for sanity reasons. By ten almost all of the kids were finished trick-or-treating, and I still had another two hours before anyone else would be home. And a bowl full of candy.
Oh, I had plans. I had plans galore. I'll give you a hint: sugar rushes were involved.
And like all my other plans, they completely fell through.
There was a bowl of candy in my lap, and I was watching some of the old B-films that play in marathons every Halloween. The effects were terrible, but there was a reassurance in knowing it was fake. I'm not a brave little toaster, which is why instead of letting my imagination run wild in attempting sleep I was going to stay up until someone got home. Until then, nothing like candy and popcorn to make time fly. Oh, right – and really poor excuses for horror films. I was watching the seventeenth woman run screaming through fake bushes, the occasional camera making a cameo as she did so while being chased by a Dusknoir who seemed more interested in hugging the woman instead of disemboweling her.
Casually, I glanced away from the flickering screen to observe that all the living room lights were on perfectly as I pressed mute. Even if the effects were terrible, the feeble attempts at simulated violence and the noises that accompanied it were disturbing. Giving it about two minutes, I pressed the volume back on – and jumped. There was a crackling sound, and my head snapped to see the cause even though I already knew why. There was the static snow of a lost channel, and I gave an exasperated sigh to try get past how coincidental the timing was. Of course I would lose reception when not watching, that was my luck. Not a sign of anything, nope.
Changing the channels, I frowned when realizing nothing else was coming through. Did something happen to the satellite?
And then the lights began to flicker. If I had been Cheren, I probably would have gotten up cursing and swearing about little brats disturbing my personal time. If I had been Bianca, I would have grabbed my Musharna and held her ready like a machine gun to anyone that threatened us. If I had been my sister, I would have grabbed a bat. But I was me, and I followed my flight response and ran upstairs calling for the only thing in the house other than myself – the family Liepard. She lifted her head slowly, drowsily as I yelled for her. With a lopsided feline grin and a trilled meow in greeting, she languidly got up to stretch.
Lifting her up by her rear and beneath her front legs, I pulled her close while peering outside. "Liepard. Something's out there." I whispered to her as quietly as I could, trying to keep my voice even. She simply purred in my arms, and as I held her for more than thirty seconds I remembered she was not the Purrloin I grew up with. She was fatter now. Oh, and I guess bigger. Liepard gently nudged me, her tail flicking past my waist. "Right! Good girl…" I murmured, and adjusted her in my arms so I could get one hand ready on one of my PokeBalls. If there were any serial killers or murderers or monsters outside, I could just send out my Maractus. She was an overly friendly Pokemon normally, but she had a mean bone she reserved specifically for people encroaching on "her territory."
If the monster or serial killer had a fire-type on hand though, I was sending out Golett. What? The only water-type I had was a Frillish. Sending him out on land was cruel and unusual. Liepard snuggling against me in one arm, and my other on Maractus' ball, I creeped slowly around the house with my ears straining for anything out of place. Which was tricky with the loud background sound of Liepard, and the fact she was starting to knead my shoulder further distracted. "Oww… oww… oww! Liepard, we talked about this! Gentle with the claws, gentle." She eased up.
There was a crash outside, followed by a loud popping noise. That was when the sprinklers went off, and a loud yell echoed. Like any good victim in a murder, I ran towards the sound rather than away. This is how people die, I told myself but my feet kept me racing towards the back door. Something smashed into it, and I screamed. The body flung itself from the back door, and raced through the bushes. Liepard yowled at me, more perturbed by my scream than a random person smashing into our house.
Maractus jumped from her Pokeball, pink eyes swerving all across the room. The lights gave one last flash, before the power gave up entirely and we were thrown into darkness. Slowly sinking down, I huddled with my Pokemon in the shadows. There was another shout, the sprinklers still going off. Releasing a sigh, my muscles relaxed. "Just a drunk." No murderer was this loud. I hoped.
We stayed in our little group, Maractus shaking occasionally in disapproval. Eventually, there was knocking on the front door. I waited. The drunk was going to lose interest, and eventually go away. Ignore a drunk, and that was generally what they did. Unless they were an angry drunk.
Then they would axe down the door, followed by me. I shuddered at the thought and the morning's newspapers: young trainer killed by drunk – Maractus on angry rampage, Liepard makes off with trainer's jacket.
They would, too.
The knocking continued. I remained ignoring it. With time, the knocking subsided. "Finally…" Breathing out, I tried maneuvering my way around two Pokemon to check my C-Gear for the time.
The door busted down, and I totally did not scream like a five-year old. Maractus left my side immediately, using Needle Arm in the dark against the trespasser. There was a masculine yelp, and the sound of two creatures wrestling with each other.
"No, Zoroark wait…!" The male voice yelled, and now there were crashes in my living room. Even Liepard's head snapped up, I could feel her movements. Wriggling out of my arms, she raced towards the commotion. I shook slightly, and gathered courage – I had to protect my Pokemon from these invaders. With a deep breath, I held out my C-Gear and raced towards the living room.
"What's going on…?" I demanded, trying to peer through the darkness using only a feeble light.
"Touko…?" The man asked. Touko…? "Ah, well… you can't be Touko… uhm… are you, ah… Touyu?"
"No?" I responded, momentarily thrown off. He was close to my name – one letter off. Wait, was this someone my sister knew…? I tried to recall all the names of people she had met when she was on her journey – too many names.
"You aren't Touyu…? Oh no…" He groaned. "Zoroark, you were wrong – this isn't her house…" The man continued, and there was an unfamiliar noise that sounded offended. I was guessing that was Zoroark – which was probably his Pokemon… noticing the lack of sounds, I also realizing Maractus was no longer tangoing with them.
"My name isn't Touyu, I mean. It's Touya." I corrected, wondering why I was assuring a complete stranger that broke into my home this was the right home to break into. It was almost like I had some kind of twisted death wish.
"Oh. Oh! Right. Sorry about that, I'm better with names when I have a face to put to them and while Touko did have a picture of you there were a few other people also in it and it was only a brief glance so I apologize that I don't really remember your name or what you looked like not that it really matters since I don't think you've ever met me and I probably… I sound like a creeper, don't I?" There was a tumble of words, and I didn't realize the man stopped talking until he made an awkward cough at the silence. "It's all right, Touko said so as well…"
"I'm sorry, what?" If my sister called this guy a creeper, he probably was.
Holy Arceus, he was one of her exes, wasn't he? I was so screwed. Came here to kill my sister, found me instead, and now to exact vengeance for being dumped he was going to kill me.
"I'm looking for Touko. Is she… she's not in, is she?" The man sighed. "I guessed as much, but there was a small percentage of a chance that she might be – I crunched the numbers myself – and I had nowhere else to go and I just… I was really hoping, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised I mean why would she be here I'm sure she has plenty of other things to do rather than sit around at home doing nothing on such a festive night…"
"Thanks." I murmured.
"For what?" The man responded inquisitively. In no way was I going to justify that level of cluelessness, so I silently simmered and waited for this chatterbox to just get it over with. "Oh! No, I didn't mean… that is… I'm sorry. I'm not… making a very good first impression, am I?"
"Not really." There was no sense in beating around the bush, and if my sister was blunt with him there was no reason I couldn't be. "So… who exactly are you, and why did you break into my house? Well, it's also my sister's house… why did you break into our home?" These were rather pressing questions, you know.
"I'm in." The man replied quickly, and I could hear him shuffling his feet.
"…yes. Yes you are in. But why did you WANT in? And what is your name? A little unfair you know so much about me, and I have no idea who you even could be."
"I just told you – I'm… ah, I hear it now. Sorry, I didn't realize it could be heard any differently but I suppose when you hear your name all the time you just assume everyone else does which is a little self-centered and presumptive of me – " The man could talk me to death, and I was starting to think that was his plan.
"Your name, please." I sighed, tired of his rapid-fire speech.
"Yes. My name is N, and as for why I broke in… I needed somewhere to stay. Briefly." He added that last part in a hurry. Somehow, I doubted the brevity of his stayi-… wait. His name was N. There was only one 'N' that my sister ever mentioned from her travels through Unova, and he had been the king of Team Plasma… past-tense. Between her and one of the sages, he lost that title and his cult of followers. At the end of it all, Touko said she felt bad for him – for everything he had been put through. But all I was aware of was what this man had put my sister through…
"Get out." My voice was flat, and I jumped hearing myself. I had never sounded like that before.
"Pardon?" The man – N – asked hesitantly, afraid to hear the verification he had not misheard. I took a deep breath.
"I said: Get out. You… just… you can't just, just can't do this! After everything you did – everything you DID! All the horrible things… and then break down the… the house door! And expect it to be okay with someone! To just force your way inside and expect me to say, 'Oh sure! You can stay as long as you need to!' That's… that's not how it works! You, you should be… doing stuff to make amends! Sending those 'I'm Sorry' cards to my sister, and doing some kind of volunteer service to show people you understand you need to give back before you can ask for forgiveness!" Half of what I was saying wasn't even making sense to my own ears, but N silently listened even though my words were probably a bunch of nonsense to someone like him.
Someone like him. Someone who condoned stealing someone's friend, a Pokemon that traveled with them, fought by their side… someone who wanted to rip everyone apart from the inside out by force. Someone who went so far to bring a legend to life, and forced my sister to be something she never wanted to be just so he could live in an illusion…
That wasn't someone who was welcome in my – in our – home.
"…is that how… you make things better?" N asked, softly.
"Yes." Actually, I had no idea – but I replied before I honestly thought about it, and I was willing to say anything to get him out of my home and my life – before Touko got back and saw him there. Before he hurt her again.
"Oh." That was his only reply. "Then… once I do all that… may I come back, and stay? Briefly, that is?" What was with him and staying here? I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself.
"That's up to my mom and Touko at that point. But… seriously, why did you break in here? What is with this, 'may I stay here' stuff? I'm sure your followers would love to have you stay with them 'briefly'…" Scoffing was not my forte, but I felt I was doing a reasonable attempt.
"I just… I…" I could hear him trying to say it, trying to get the words out. And for someone who could talk like they were running an open auction, who had no end to things to say… he was unable to say anything more. N sighed, defeated by his own self.
I was not going to feel guilty. This was a monster in a man's disguise (not that I could really see him), and I would not pity someone who made other's suffer just to feel good about himself.
"I'm sorry." N finally muttered. "If you were Touko, perhaps I could… but not to you, no… I… I can't. She wouldn't laugh… but you don't seem very fond of me, and I would rather not… be mocked…" His words were becoming broken up, awkward. Suddenly, it occurred to me that yes – I was being mean to him, to someone who had been hopeful to come here for… whatever he wanted to come here for, and instead I was down talking him and probably making him incredibly uncomfortable.
And suddenly I became uncomfortable with myself. He totally deserved the treatment I was giving him, but then… thinking of it like that, what was I accomplishing by being cruel? Massaging my temples, I wished for an easy answer on what to do in this situation to come to me. Instead, Liepard began to rub against my legs purring.
I was not going to rub against a strange man's legs and start purring. There were so many things wrong with that, I wasn't even sure where to begin. Obviously, this answer was rejected.
"I won't laugh." I promised instead. "I'm… sorry for… making you feel unwelcome, but you should really look at it from my perspective – you did terribly things to my sister, and I'm not really sure how many more times I'm going to have to say this before you understand it's not acceptable… but you broke into my home. And you won't tell me why. Now. You're going to fix that door, and explain everything to me. Everything."
"Even the number-crunching?" Was that intended as a joke, or was he being serious? Just in case…
"No. You're just going to explain why you're here, and fix the door." I was being too soft on the guy. Even if the fact he sounded awkward and uncomfortable reminded me of myself, I was being way too soft.
"Right. I think I can fix the door…" N murmured, and there was some shuffling and whispering. After a moment, there was an odd sound and suddenly there was a Duskull floating between us, it's one red eye releasing an eerie glow. I could kind of make out N – he was a lot taller than me, but I was more startled by his face – he was probably no more than two years older than me. Hearing everything about him, I imagined him to be a lot older… considering he was the king of a bunch of crazy cultists, I figured he would have had to spend a few years gathering funds, recruiting people, preparing speeches…
It occurred to me I knew almost nothing about Team Plasma and how things worked. I didn't really set out to explore the world until after everything happened. After things were dubbed 'safe' by my mother.
I was so… ignorant.
N walked over to the door, the mysterious Duskull providing light. Having little else to do, I followed after with my Pokemon. The two of us were silent, mostly to permit N time to try and figure out how he was going to deal with the door. Finally, he let out a breath. "We broke off the hinges." He concluded. "I'll just… have to get you a new door. I can kind of fix it for the night, but it wouldn't be permanent."
At least he was honest – and was offering to buy a new door.
"Well… just do what you can, for now. We'll wait up until everyone gets home. You can explain what happened." When I said that, he flinched slightly – and then looked at me with surprise.
"You'll let me stay until Touko gets home?" N sounded far too happy about that. He looked far too happy about that. I eyed him warily.
"Yes. And then whatever she decides, I'm okay with." This sounded fair to him, so he nodded and began to set out to trying put a temporary fix on a broken door.
"Right. I suppose, I should start at the beginning… it'll make more sense to you, if I do. I am… or rather, was… the king of Team Plasma. I'm still not really… accepting the facts, so I apologize if my tense is incorrect. A lot happened. Much of it I don't wish to believe." He paused, took a deep breath, and plunged forward. "Team Plasma, officially, is no more. I am no longer the king, and if they asked me to be the king again I would turn them down. Team Plasma was not what I thought it was, what I was making it into. There was me, a front… and then there was my father, the reality." He paused, hovering between continuing and hiding. He went on, "I just wanted… to give Pokemon a world they could live happily in, without fear or concern. Without undue suffering… I realize I cannot save Pokemon from everything, but I wanted to at least save them from abuse and abandonment. My father… he just wanted to use them, and I never… I didn't…
I don't know how I never noticed. I guess I just didn't want to see it… until I found out the truth, I didn't realize how much I contradicted myself. All I talked about was setting Pokemon free… but the entire time, I let myself be used to control and enslave them. But your sister, Touko… she was the one who made me realize the truth. All that time, I thought I was the hero of truth… but the reality was that your sister was. I misunderstood the legend, and I caused so many problems. Even so… I want to make it right. I don't want to continue being manipulated to cause suffering – I just want to help make things better again. So I thought, maybe I could come back here… and she would let me make things better. She would let me help." N finished, and took a step back from the door that was barely staying in place. "Will that do? Is that all right, Touyu?"
"It's… Touya." I corrected. It had never even occurred to me N thought he was doing the right thing. I just thought… clearing my throat and trying to shake the questions and confusion away, I inspected the door. "That's… not going to work. But you at least made the effort." I consulted him. His shoulders drooped, and he hung his head like a scolded Lillipup.
"It was a poor effort, if it isn't going to work." N muttered, dejected. "Ah. Perhaps if I pretended to be the door…?"
"You would freak people out." I stated flatly. He sighed, and looked to the Duskull for help. The creature shrugged, indifferent to the situation outside of providing light. "So… you mentioned… something about Team Plasma being officially being gone? Any reason you put it that way…?" That was a reasonable question, right?
"Yes. Officially, they are disbanded. Unofficially… they are still around. Have you ever heard of Team Rocket? Even after they fell apart, there were rogue ex-members still trying to accomplish the original goals. It would be naïve of me to claim Team Plasma is any different… was… any different."
"They were different, though… right?" I asked, finding myself strangely trying to cheer the guy up. First wanted to boot him out, and now I'm trying to correct his self-esteem…
…mom was right in not releasing me out into the wild until I was older if this is how I treat these situations. Though she didn't let me leave the house until later for an entirely different reason.
"I thought they were." N replied miserably. Well this conversation was rapidly turning for the depressing…
"Uhm… s-so… where did the Duskull come from?" Changing the subject solved everything. Everything.
"Mm? Ah, yes… Zoroark, this is Touyu. Touyu, this is Zoroark… while she is using an illusion, that is." N explained, nodding between the two.
"I'm Touya." I corrected for what I hoped was the final time. N gave a sheepish apology, while Zoroark/Duskull bobbed her head in greeting. Maractus jingled from behind, and Liepard gave one of her own friendly trills.
"Yes, it's nice to meet you both as well." N said, his voice sounding considerably warmer towards those two. At least I knew he was being genuine when he talked about doing it for the Pokemon. Apparently the road to the Distortion World is, in fact, paved with good intentions. Reaching around behind me, I searched for Maractus' head and when finding it, gently petted her. The fact she calmed down enough to accept N in here was reassuring. I trusted Maractus' judge of character, especially when she took the time to judge them.
We stood in an awkward, uncomfortable silence. Introductions were over, I knew why he was here, and now all that remained was waiting for everyone else to get home. Touko was better with conversations anyway – and since she knew more about the guy, she could probably cheer him up more easily. And if not, there was always Bianca. That blonde could turn a frown upside down with minimal effort, and all the while not even notice. Still stood by my opinion she needed to become some kind of therapist, be it for people or Pokemon. I checked my C-Gear, and sighed. They were running behind – it was a little past midnight. That was okay though – not like I expected anyone home on the dot.
"They should be here soon." I announced, mostly to fill the silence. In attempt of being playful (but also a little scolding) I continued, "You know, the wait would be easier if you hadn't knocked our power out – we could have watched TV or something."
"Knocked your power out?" N asked, his voice quizzical and his brows furrowing in the red light. "I don't remember doing that… but then, I don't know what knocks power out, either." He continued. "Let's see… Reshiram accidentally knocked into I think a satellite…" That explained the loss of channels. "And when I realized that, I had my friend set me down. But Reshiram landed on something, and then water started spraying us from all directions – much as I dislike doing so, I called Reshiram back into their ball since my friend is not a fan of water…" There was the sprinklers going off. "So I tried pushing them back into the ground, but that didn't work. Then I requested Zoroark for assistance, and she helped me find the front door. That's when I started knocking, and… well, would any of that have cut off power?" He tilted his head slightly to the side, curious. My own brows furrowed.
"Well, no…" I paused, remembering the body flinging into my back door. "Did you run into anything while you were outside? Like… a glass sliding door?"
"I have no recollection of running into anything other that water, I am sorry Touyu… I mean, Touya. Touya." He repeated, frowning. About time he had it.
Wait.
"I'm going to check the fuse box." I murmured, and walked around N and the Duskull illusion to get outside. Was Cheren playing a joke on me? No, it couldn't have been him – if he saw a giant legendary Pokemon crash-landing at my house he would not have been trying to scare me. He would have been racing inside to ensure everything was okay. Which brought me to another thought… how could he have missed Reshiram landing in my backyard? Shivering, I lifted up Liepard who was still trotting daintily after me and Maractus hurried up to stay closer. I heard footsteps behind me, and that familiar eerie glow of the fake Duskull informed me that it was only N.
"Is everything okay?" N asked as he followed after me.
"I'm sure it is." My voice was shaky, but if he noticed he was polite enough to not comment on it. Getting to the fuse box was not some kind of grand, epic quest – it was only on the side of the house, and with the light from the fake Duskull's eye much easier to find. My eyes scanned over it, and I frowned. Normally, there was a lock on the outside to prevent wild Pokemon from playing with it or neighborhood kids from being stupid. Instead, the metal was bent and the lock lay broken on the ground.
"It's not supposed to look like that." N observed, and I resisted the urge to make a sarcastic remark. He's just trying to be nice and helpful, I reminded myself. He reached forward, and gently opened the door to look inside.
The fuse box was completely fried. I was surprised the lights even flickered a few minutes' worth of warning from how bad it looked. "Let's get back inside." I murmured, and motioned everyone to follow me. They did as I asked, keeping questions to themselves. When we got back inside, I took a few deep breaths. Everything was okay. It was probably just some wild Pokemon. Probably an electric-type, which is why it wasn't just lying there twitching. Maybe a steel-electric. Magnemites weren't exactly native to Unova, but sometimes trainers from other regions made their way over here… exotic Pokemon were on occasion found wandering about.
Yeah. That was it. Some Magnemite or one of its evolutions was wandering around, destroying fuse boxes. And Cheren was probably getting scolded by some parent, finally found out and that was why he wasn't currently at my house threatening to strangle N. I checked the C-Gear again, and took another deep breath trying to calm myself. Everyone was just running late. There was nothing to worry about. They probably didn't even know it was almost one in the morning now. That was what happened when people had a good time. And being scolded until one in the morning was not unusual. It happened sometimes. Maybe Cheren frightened some child with epilepsy and sent them into a fit, and now he was panicking with the parent about what he did and if the kid was going to be okay.
"…uya? Touya?" I snapped from my thoughts, finally hearing N trying to talk to me. "Touya, are you all right? You're very… pale." He said quietly.
"Yeah, yeah – I'm fine." I brushed him off, and held up a finger for him to be quiet while I attempted to call my sister on her V-Transmitter. Nine rings later, I scowled and slammed it shut. Taking a deep breath, I tried Bianca next. Then Cheren. Then my mom. Finally, every number in the blasted thing. Those I could get a hold of, were groggy and curious why I was calling them in the middle of the night. None of them even remotely knew anything about my friends or family that I hadn't told them personally. Watching me silently the entire time was N, his mouth turning into a thin line. I guess he didn't believe me anymore about being fine. Sighing, I shoved the C-Gear back into my stomach more out of frustration than anything else.
"Touya…" N began, and then hesitated. I motioned for him to just let it out – my patience was wearing thin from being as clueless as I felt helpless in not knowing what was going on. If this was a joke, it wasn't funny. The man tried again, this time clearing his throat. "Touya. Maybe we should go to one of your neighbors…? They might have power. We can wait there." He suggested.
"That's… yes. Good idea." I nodded, already knowing which neighbor we would be going to first. "Come on." I took the lead again, everyone falling beside me. Which was okay – I didn't really want anyone out of sight at the moment. My stride was long and rushed, my reasoning being that the faster we got there the sooner we knew what was going on. Most lights in the little town were completely out, which was odd because usually even the street lights were on at this time of night. It was no longer Halloween, but it still felt just as if it was. We traveled silently, and I stumbled on occasion when we walked because while there was some form of light… it wasn't the best for seeing everything on the ground.
And then the world was plunged in a bright flash.
There were shouts and yells, and Maractus starting Needle Arming anything and everything in a blind defense of me – she kept one arm on me, to ensure she didn't accidentally hit me. Last time she did that… well, she had been extra careful to never do it again. Liepard hissed, and started clawing at whatever was suddenly approaching us. I blinked my eyes rapidly, trying to focus as the light faded and everything was plunged into absolutely darkness. I heard movement all around me, and Zoroark was no longer Duskull because that creepy red light was gone and she was roaring at someone or something. A hand grabbed me, thick and calloused – N. He pulled me forward, and I stumbled over my feet following while trying to yank Maractus with me and calling for Liepard.
"D-don't run so fast!" I gasped, tripping over my feet as I tried to keep up with the other. Maractus made an angry sound, and she was further behind me than I realized – when had she let me go? There was the trotting of little paws following, and I felt reassured at least knowing Liepard was keeping up. N was pulling me harder, moving faster and the more he yanked me along the greater difficulty I had in keeping up. "M-my legs aren't that long! Slow down!" I yelled, the sounds of some kind of scuffling echoing in the background. "Please!"
"Shut up." A male voice snapped – and I froze. He was still pulling me though, and I fell flat on my face, yelping when I skidded a little along the ground. The man dragging me stumbled over himself, and cursed. "Get up." He hissed, and hoisted me up from beneath the shoulders to resume running.
"Who are you?" I asked, trying to wriggle my hand free and pull away. The fall left me scratched and bruised, but nothing worth worrying about for the moment. None of the scratches were big enough to be worried about for awhile.
"I said, shut up. Now keep moving." He hissed. I shook my head, and tried to wretch my arm free – he just yanked me forward and I stumbled along whether I wanted to or not. I couldn't take another fall like that.
"Liepard…?" I asked worriedly, hoping those paws trotting along were hers. A Liepard responded, but it wasn't the one from home. I shivered, fear crawling up and down my spine. A strange man was dragging me off into the night. We stumbled along, my arm feeling sore and aching from how hard he was pulling me and my whole body wasting energy in shaking and trying to pull away. My free hand tried reaching towards my pocket to grab one of my other Pokemon, but Liepard scratched my head away. Yelping, my hand retracted and I instinctively pressed the injury to my side. That wasn't going to do me any good, but it was still a reassuring motion.
As we continued along I asked, "Wh-where are we going?" With how much my voice cracked and shook, I sounded like a pubescent boy. I was seventeen – way past the voice cracking point. The man grunted, offering my no response and that simply scared me further. Against my will, a whimper came out. I didn't want to die. I didn't want to find out what this man had planned, or where we would end up. I just wanted to know where everyone was – that was all. Was that so wrong? The wind began to pick up, and it's kind of funny the things that run through your mind at moments like these. I wondered if the weather man had mentioned any storms for the next day. What my sister mentioned to N about me. If the people I called were sleeping well, or lying there wondering if something was wrong.
And then fire burst around us, flames curling and flicking at us like a threatening beast. The man jumped back, knocking me into the ground again. The Lipard hissed, pouncing in front of her trainer in a protective stance. Light now there, I could see the man – he had unbrushed red hair, wild and untousled. There was stubble all along his chin, and thick sideburns. He wore a dirty uniform, tatty and ripped everywhere. Most of the colours were gone beneath dirt and grime, but on his chest I could just barely make out an insignia – Team Plasma.
What did Team Plasma want with me?
"Touya! Are you okay?" N – that was definitely N's voice. I look up, and Zoroark jumped down from Reshiram's back. Sitting behind N were Maractus and Liepard, the latter jumping down after with her fur sticking up. The grunt and his Pokemon stumbled backwards, glancing between the flames and the other Pokemon. Without a sound, Zoroark simply scooped me up with Liepard jumping into my arms, purring and mewling at me. Reshiram lowered itself, blue eyes swiveling between me and the grunt. The man made no move to stop them, frozen by its gaze. The illusionist Pokemon carried me and Liepard onto the legendary's back, and once we were all aboard Reshiram lifted off to leave the man and his Pokemon there.
I couldn't stop shaking, but Zoroark was nice enough to simply pull me closer into her chest – treating my trembling like it simply meant I was cold, instead of terrified. Saying nothing, I moved closer and enjoyed the warmth and reassuring presence. "…Touya?" N tried again, and I snapped my head up.
"Y-yes?" My voice squeaked, and I didn't care.
"Are you… are you all right?" N asked softly, turning his head slightly so he could watch me. There was no light aside from the stars, but there was still a soft glow – Reshiram's tail, fire flickering from the turbine.
"...I'm… I'm not sure." I stammered, still shaking. Still bleeding. Still bruised and uncomfortable. Checking myself, I shivered. Still in my Halloween costume. Didn't expect anything like this to happen, and all of my desmopressin was at home. It took extra effort to not vomit.
"…your sister mentioned to me that you were… that is, you… Touya, are you injured?" When he asked that, my trembling stopped momentarily. Touko told him. He knew. That was… relieving, in its own way. That saved a lot of explaining.
"Yeah. Hemophilia A. I got a few… cuts, and I'm a little bruised… but… if we stop by a center or something, they can give me some DDAVP. I'll be fine until then." I assured him. N was silent, but he nodded his head. I didn't want there to be silence. Not after all of that. I wanted to hear a friendly voice, even if it wasn't exactly familiar. "N… do you… do you know why they did that?"
"I have some guesses." N's voice sounded pained, confused. "After that, I don't expect you to trust me. But after we get that… D and D stuff… if you want, we can try going to where your sister and everyone was. I think they were at your house because… your sister is the main reason for Team Plasma's fall, and they were after there. But you were there instead. I don't know if my suddenly being there encouraged, or discouraged what they decided to do. Or what they planned to do. Or if they changed their plans… or… I'm sorry Touya. I'm not… if I was, I would… I'm sorry."
"…that's fine, N." I tried to offer him a smile, even if it was a shaky one. "Let's just… get the factor VIII concentrates. That's easier to remember for you, right?" At my words, he gave a half-smile of his own.
While we flew, I slowly drifted off to sleep… wanting and hoping everyone was okay.