Hello everyone to another holiday one-shot! For all of my followers and favorites, thank you so much for being patient with me and my awful updating schedule. Even if the stories you are following do not look like it will be getting an update soon, I hope that you continue to be patient. This year's holiday one-shot explores the world of Pokémon, specifically generation five. This is slightly AU, and therefore slightly OOC, but I intend to capture as much of the characters' original personalities as possible since this particular pairing seems to suffer from a lot of OOC (at least according to Tumblr). Also, this is a bit on the short side to see if I can write shorter fanfiction. It's been a trend that I come up with an idea, and they expand to 6,000 words or more in the final version, so I want to shrink down the size of my one-shots a bit. Leave a favorite or a review if you've enjoyed!
Warning: Spoilers for all generation five Pokémon games, especially Black and White 2.
N groans for the millionth time, his hands running through his unkempt hair. His Zoroark sleeps peacefully next to him, having already exhausted itself staying awake as N slaves away in his notebook. He flips his pencil to erase whatever progress he had made in the past few hours and starts a tapping motion, mimicking the same unfinished rhythm that has stumped him for the past week or so.
Aside from returning to his crumpled castle to fight Mei every season (and perhaps wait for his special person to find him), N travels the Unova region in his never-ending quest to express the feelings of Pokémon to his fellow humans. Lately, though, the crowds have become more and more cynical towards his honest words, especially after uncovering his past affiliation with Team Plasma. N, despite the increasing backlash, never wavered, continuing to interact with various trainers and Pokémon in an attempt to understand their individual tales.
To further integrate himself into society and relate to his species more, the green-haired man had taken up various hobbies, everything from sewing to cooking Poffin to researching Pokémon. It actually took N quite a bit of convincing from a rather adamant Bianca for him to engage himself in research. She remembers his wary gaze every time they head into the forest with the newest gadget for collecting data. He eventually opens up and helps Professor Juniper with various topics from time to time, all related to the wellbeing of Pokémon.
Whatever N is doing now, however, has completely baffled Zoroark ever since his friend gleefully walked out of the Nacrene library with a book of music theory in his hand.
A snap of his notebook marks the end of his attempts for the night, and N leans back against the tree, closing his eyes and envisioning a certain trainer that had enraptured him with her confidence and strength in her convictions.
…
"Ah, N. You're back! Looking for another book about famous musicians?"
"Yes. I apologize for hoarding these books if someone wanted their hands on it."
"It's fine! Those things usually bore most people anyway." Lenora laughs at the eccentricity of his curious eyes as he strolls through the familiar hallway, searching for a specific artist and a specific genre of music.
"I'm honestly quite surprised. It only seemed like yesterday that Touko was talking about you and how you want to liberate all Pokémon from their trainers."
A bittersweet smile flashes on his face as he pulls out a thick book lined with dust. He blows on it, making the title more visible, and glances back to Lenora. "It does feel that way," N simply replies. The older woman catches the hint of longing in his gray eyes and internally reprimands herself for forgetting that she's a touchy subject.
"I'll take these." His voice, which is now back to glowing with unhindered interest, brings the former gym leader back to reality. After scanning the book for him to check out, Lenora is caught off guard when N's mood shifts back to that regretful haze, something that she had only seen once on the man.
"Why have you been so nice to me, Lenora?"
It doesn't take her long to figure out his thoughts. She heaves out a sigh as if she's about to lecture a child. "We all make mistakes. That's a truth which has plagued humans since the beginning. But that is also why we can forgive and start anew with a different mind. And I can tell that your heart is in the right place. You really do care about Pokémon, and you strive to improve their lives. That's enough reason to support you, even if you were wrong back then."
Something about her words catches him off guard. It is certainly not the first time that he has been forgiven for his time with Team Plasma, but the notion still feels foreign. As if he's expecting something else, a sort of test before they truly pardon him. And yet...
Hearing the former gym leader forgive him for his past deeds soothes him.
"...Thank you, Lenora. I'd better get going now. And if Touko ever stops by, please contact me as soon as possible."
"Anytime, N. Don't forget to take care of yourself."
...
"What do you mean, it still sounds mechanical?! I've incorporated almost every possible technique that expresses happiness together in a perfect formula!"
Even the Pidoves resting on the trees above him cringe when he hums the tune again. Zoroark barks at him to make him stop.
"I just don't get it. Each and every one of these theories worked in the past, but once I start making music, it doesn't turn out the same."
His partner snarls back a sneaky response, smirking at the utter confusion that flashes across N's gray irises.
"Are you implying that I sound bad, Zoroark?"
It nods and howls in laughter as his face explodes in color. His eyes switch from the heavily crumpled notebook to his Pokémon friend and back, mouth agape at such an accusation.
"That is not...true."
His lips form something similar to a pout, but on someone like him, it looks more pensive. N stands up to stretch, feeling some of his joints pop from not moving for most of the day. The Pidoves who were listening to his music all fly off, chirping a small tune to each other.
N stares at their retreating forms, his heart swelling as he listens to the tiny chirps. His hand snatches up his notebook, and with the melody still lingering in his mind, he scribbles down the notes of their song before they disappeared with their creators.
…
When N discovered that there are certain people in the world that have perfect pitch, his brain struggles to unlock the mysteries surrounding this bizarre talent. He spent weeks reading up on this strange new power, but even the humans who display this trait do not completely understand how it works.
Mei had just beaten N after finding him sitting in the remains of his castle, abusing the once smooth pages of his notebook yet again. The seasonal battle is a nice distraction from his lack of comprehension for the lyrical arts, but as soon as they relax on a messily sprawled blanket for a picnic lunch, N heads right back to his notebook. He hums several notes in succession to see if they strung well together, but Mei snatches the book out of his hands and violently shakes her head.
"N, you're not singing the right notes! They're off-pitch!"
"How do you know?"
"Because I have perfect pitch! Here, let me sing it to you."
While she clearly doesn't have the refinement of idol singers or opera performers, Mei's voice is flighty, fluttering in the air like a delicate Beautifly, fitting for her perky, girlish personality. Now that N hears the correct notes from her, he realizes that he is always flat, not quite reaching the intended pitch.
He claps when she finishes her impromptu performance, smiling when she takes his praise in stride with a bow.
"That's amazing! I've read that perfect pitch comes genetically. Did one of your parents have it too?"
"I don't know. It's always just been a part of me. How about you? I've never got to ask how you can talk to Pokémon."
N ponders over his own special ability. How is he able to speak with them?
"You've told me that you've been raised by Pokémon before Ghetsis found you, right?" Mei dares to venture. N takes a deep breath at his former father's name but nods to answer her question. She catches this as she taps her chin to finish her hypothesis. "Maybe it came from that. Your time growing up with Pokémon has allowed you to develop the ability to speak to them. It's the same for me. Even if I'm born with it, I must have had music training when I was super young, or else it would have gone away. Wait, is that why my parents…?"
Mei mumbles to herself for a while. An annoyed pout forms on her face as she continues to sift through her memories. Meanwhile, N picks up his notebook and takes several notes about their conversation, particularly about the origins of their respective abilities.
"Either way, it's kind of a waste on me. It doesn't help me when I'm battling, or when I'm filming a movie."
"Still, it's an incredible ability. Maybe you can help me with my endeavors?"
Mei almost spits out her drink. She dissolves into a fit of coughs, one that takes several seconds to push away. Once she has recovered, for the most part, she takes a huge bite out of her sandwich.
"N, you know that I'm too busy for that. If I'm not accepting challengers for my title, I'm at Pokèstars Studio, shooting my next film!"
"Is that so…? I actually came to watch a few the other day."
"R-Really? Which ones?" Just the thought of N sitting in a movie theater almost makes her chuckle. He would probably sit in the back, tilting his head at the confusing plot as he fuels his analytical mind with popcorn. The whole time, he would be thinking about how nothing makes sense.
He would look completely out of place.
"The Love and Battles series...I think. It was very interesting."
Mei, all of the sudden, feels a rush of hot blood flood her cheeks, and she covers her face for a moment. N tilts his head, confused at the weird gesture. Is she embarrassed?
"You have no idea how mortifying that movie series was! Sure, I can handle the battles and all that, but saying some of those lines made me want to hide in the dressing room forever!"
"Well, you did a wonderful job, Mei. I think that should count for something."
Grumbling her thanks, the champion of Unova chomps on an apple slice, the cherry red color on her face slowly disappearing from her cheeks.
"Is there someone you think in that way, Mei? Is that why it's embarrassing to you?" The way Mei's blush returns with a vengeance confirms N's suspicion. Ever the spontaneous girl, she immediately denies any leads of someone catching her attention.
"W-What?! N-No! I-I mean, I guess? Wait, no! Wrong! There's no one like that!"
Perhaps this is what humans call teasing, but N pulls out yet another notebook, one that has a green cover and a rope bookmark. He scrolls through the pages until his eyes light up with mirth.
"Oh really? Because according to my observations, Hugh has an affection towards you that can't be explained in terms of friendship or rivalry."
"What?! Hugh?! Mr. 'I'm obsessed with my sister's Purrloin'?! That Hugh?!"
"Yes, him. Are you sure you haven't had an inkling of his feelings before today?" Mei shakes her head fervently, the long strands of her hair not in her twin buns slapping her cheeks back and forth as a sort of punishment for being oblivious.
He scribbles a note next to Hugh's name about the new revelation as Mei pleads for him to stop. To push the sensitive topic away, she says, "A-Anyway, I'm still surprised that you're still going at it, this songwriting thing. It's not easy trying to create music that resonates with people and Pokémon. Anyone can make sound, but only the truly talented can craft songs that can withstand the test of time."
N has never really thought of it in that way. He figured that it would be that simple since any Pokémon and human can produce what is a generous definition of music. Even the Pidoves he had met the other day had their own beautiful tune. But now...who else would actually remember their song or even care about it? Even in this new path, the same problems appear again and again. He still needs the strength and courage to stand out and make a difference.
"...Thank you, Mei. Because of you, my determination has been renewed. When I finish my first piece, would you like to be the first to listen to it?"
"Of course, N! The pleasure is all mine."
They exchange smiles, basking in the joy of sharing dreams with each other. It reminds N of her and of her beautiful words. Words that saved him years ago and fuels his pursuit to better the world and himself.
He wonders if he'll ever find her again, if he'll be able to tell her just how far he has come.
"Say, Mei?"
"Yes?"
"Do you think...Touko actually misses me?"
"N, where is this coming from?"
The former king of Team Plasma bows his head, attempting to hide once again into his cap. "I've been thinking that Touko must be out there fulfilling her dreams. It's been two, almost three, long years, and I'm starting to wonder if she thinks of me…like I do about her." To his surprise, Mei leans back nonchalantly, only letting out a small hum of thought.
"You have nothing to worry about, N. She's your other half, the other hero. I know for sure that she misses you as much as you do her."
"How do you know?"
Mei smirks. "Just a girl's intuition." Of course, she's not going to tell him that when she visited Touko's house, her mom mistook Mei for her daughter, revealing the tiny hint that Touko is indeed searching for N.
"Is this another special ability of yours, Mei?"
"You can say that."
N glances at his half-eaten sandwich and then to his notebook. A distant smile crosses his face. Mei can tell that he's struggling to believe her.
"Out of all of the Love and Battles movies, which one would be most applicable to me?" The weird question that came out of nowhere stuns the Champion for only a brief moment.
Oh, so he's-?
He doesn't see the sneaky glint in her eyes that tells of a hidden secret, one that Mei relishes in. She simply shrugs and answers, "The last one."
…
Several days later, N travels to Sinnoh in an attempt to find a Kricketune. The hoard that lived in the Dreamyard have migrated out a year ago back to their home region, so N, for the sake of expanding his knowledge, boards a ship in order to study how they create music and what kind of songs they can produce.
His research trip had proven very valuable to understanding the different effects certain strings of melodies have on anything listening. Eventually, after a whole season passes, he asks a very interested Kricketune to accompany him on his journey. Well, it was more of the Pokémon hitching a ride on his boat back to Unova, and after hearing of its conviction, N couldn't refuse. The last thing he wants is to see it drowning in a wave of sadness as they separate.
It must have been a side effect of her and her truths. He certainly wouldn't have hesitated to release his Pokémon years ago.
But even after his rather enlightening trip, he still encounters the same problem as before. Kricketune insists that he's getting better, but it was not enough, even after having Kricketune play his pieces instead of N humming them. He finally admits that he has no semblance of pitch. To remedy his already deflating confidence that he can understand something so formulaic and yet so complicated, N decides to head back to his ruined castle in the hopes that Mei might help him with her special ability.
So when N waits in his crumpled castle for his seasonal battle with Mei, he was utterly flabbergasted when another trainer finds him instead. She adjusts her cap as she approaches him, the nervousness evident in the tilted state of her hat.
No...it can't be…
"N…Finally, I found you."
Feet automatically lifting his body up, N hangs his mouth open. His notebook lies forgotten next to his feet, the page of sheet music he has been working on riddled with eraser shavings.
"T-Touko…" he dares to whisper out, fearing that with a single breath, she and her voice will disappear, never to return.
"I can't believe it took me so long to find you."
N tilts his cap down to hide in its hooded cover. He can't find the words to respond to her, even though there were so many things he needed to say. The former king of Team Plasma lifts his head nervously, only to find his counterpart sporting the same expression as him. Neither speaks for a tense moment. Then as if a dam broke, Touko and N sprint towards each other. N's arms wrap smugly around Touko's waist, while her hands grasp the back of his white shirt. An unfamiliar sensation floods N's body as it travels with the intensity of a fully-powered hyper beam. Her head buries itself into his chest as her breath turns uneven. Touko struggles to hold her tears back, and in doing so, grips N tighter, pulling him closer. Their hats fall to the floor from the collision, instantly forgotten.
"I-I'm sorry if I've made you worry, Touko," he says finally as she edges closer to him. "How did you find me?"
"Well, I came back to Unova once Reshiram sensed something was wrong with Zekrom. By the time I arrived, everything seemed to be resolved already. After that, I met Mei and pieced everything together from there. Still, it took me half a year to actually pinpoint your location. It's like I was on a goose chase."
N chuckles. Oh, how he had missed her simple and yet entertaining words. That fearless personality that speaks of her determination. The silly idioms she uses that displays just how human she is, how integrated she is in this world while still containing the heart that N seeks.
"It certainly feels that way. I've missed you, Touko."
How did he forget about this? The way his words spill easily from his mouth, his honest thoughts bubbling up to the surface almost as easily as bird Pokémon flying in the sky.
"I've missed you, too. You must have learned a lot while I was gone. I mean, you even gave Zekrom to Mei."
"Mei is a worthy successor of Zekrom's power. Its power will be more useful in her hands."
It was Hilda's turn to laugh. "I see. But why are you here, of all places?"
Flustered, N glances down at his notebook. "This castle...is very important to me. It's where I was saved, and where my journey truly began. I come back once in a while to reaffirm my convictions." His eyes, accompanied by two glowing cheeks, ask her a silent question. There's a hopeful twinkle sparkling underneath the mixture of black and white.
Touko must have caught it because her smile softens, her own vast blue eyes staring up into the combination of truth and ideals. "Yeah, this place is important to me, too."
"You don't know how happy I am to hear you say that! Ah, how about we sit down and catch up? I want to hear about everything that's happened to you over the past two and a half years!"
"Alright! In exchange, you've better do the same. Tell me your side of the story: how you met Mei, Team Plasma, Kyurem, and Zekrom."
"Fair enough. You see…"
The two quickly drowns into a newfound rhythm of being in each other's presence. N notices the slight tan that layers over her once fair skin, while Touko finds that his hair has grown longer, slowly reaching all the way down his back. She buries her fingers into the thick mane.
"H-Hey, Touko!"
"Wow, I'm slightly jealous. Your hair is longer than mine!"
"I'm sure that's not the case. Here, why don't you let your hair down so we can compare?"
They continue like this for some time, laughing, comforting, smiling. Touko spots the heavily crumpled notebook on the floor and picks it up, much to N's dismay.
"What's this? Are these...music notes?"
N snatches the notebook out of her hands and huddles it close to his chest. His cap hides his gray eyes that are slowly clouding with shame. "I-I've decided to take up writing music in order to help me with my quest to convey the feelings of Pokémon to people. In the many books I have read about the subject, they always say that music is a universal language that both people and Pokémon can use to communicate. So I thought if I can learn this language and combine it with my ability to talk to Pokémon, I can be able to reach out to more hearts than ever before. Unfortunately, I have not been very successful."
Touko, with a soft smile, attempts to hum his unfinished melody, but when she gets to the end, she flashes him an apologetic grimace.
"I see what you mean. It sounds like so many different things put haphazardly together. There's no sense of...direction."
With widened eyes, N suddenly grasps her shoulders as the thrill of finally, finally solving his issue overwhelms his sense of self-control. Touko tenses but only because his face is so close to hers.
"Teach me, Touko, please. I wish to be able to communicate with everyone and anyone. With your knowledge, we can create something wonderful!"
A deep red spreads to her cheeks, burning under the thin layer of skin. N, seeing her reluctant state, slowly shakes his head and starts to retreat, opening his mouth to apologize for his rather bold request.
"N, I'm not really an expert on this kind of stuff. All I know what to do is battle and take care of my Pokémon. Even back then, the reason I fought against your ideals was that I didn't want to be separated from my Pokémon. Big lofty goals like that just aren't my thing."
Her blush fails to go away as if contradicting what she's saying. His shoulders sagged, saddened by her admission. When he realized what his true dreams were, he searched for her, hoping that she can be a part of them. The person who guided him onto the correct path...it was only natural that he wanted her by his side.
Were they truly destined to converge only once in their lives and separate forever?
"But I can tell you one thing. You cannot create music that sways the heart by using a formula, N. Instead, you should listen to your heart, listen to what it's telling you, and go from there."
Touko laughs nervously, an indicator of how inept she is in the subject. "Yep, I definitely don't know what I'm talking about."
"No, I think I understand now. All this time, when I was reading these books about famous artists from long ago, I thought of music as a puzzle that needed to be placed together. The world is full of complimenting formulas that allows it to be what it is today. And I am one of many of those formulas. Before I can truly understand others, I must understand myself. Is that what you're saying?"
She dazes off halfway through his monologue, despite doing her best to follow his words. "Y-Yeah, that's right!"
"I see. Then the first step is to write a song that resonates with me. And once I manage to do that, I can start expanding to my Pokémon and eventually to other people. That must be it! Thank you, Touko, for helping me yet again."
"I'm glad I could help, N. That notebook looked like it was taking quite a beating from your pencil."
Touko chuckles as she stares at N with his head up to the destroyed ceiling. He closes his eyes, feeling the light hit his face, as his smile grows. Even after being apart for so long, she can sense that he still retains a regal aura, the posture of a savior. It amuses her, but it also leaves her in a state of awe.
"I think I can hear a tune playing in my head. Would you like to hear it, Touko?"
His counterpart smiles with the warmth of Reshiram's fire. "Of course, N!"
Meanwhile, down the hall towards the entrance, Mei clutches her bag and turns around. She can battle N another day.
…
"Touko, my other half. Will you be my muse? I wish for you to be my source of inspiration, the one who I dedicate the rest of my songs to."
Fin.