Nice Guys Finish Last
By: Comicker

Chapter One: Turning Tables

Black and White are all I see,

In my infancy.

Red and yellow then came to be,

Reaching out to me.

Lets me see.

Congratulations!

We are pleased to inform Touko White of Nuvema Town on her acceptance to Adler Smith's Unova Technical Institute, the number one leading Pokemon education facility in the world. Here at UTI, we offer a progressive hands-on learning experience, providing promising trainers with a scholastic education in the field of their choice and an extensive trainers program. According to your application letter, you have applied for a major in PGLD (Pokemon Gym Leader License Degree) and a minor in PRE (Pokemon Rights and Equality). We are pleased to be able to offer you your requested programs. Additional information on your accommodations and material list will be provided upon your arrival to the Main Complex on September 1st. Remember to bring your Trainer Card and Pokedex for verification of identity and credentials.

We look forward to your arrival!

UTI

Seconds were smaller then people made them out to be. It was a simple and quick measurement, and in a single rotation of the earth, thousands of seconds passed by. Seconds didn't last forever, as described by star-crossed lovers, nor did people want them to last forever. On such a day however, I was absolutely sure that there had to be a flaw in the measurement of a second, because every word that left my lips felt like eons of effort.

"I got accepted, Burgh, I actually got accepted."

There was a brief moment of disbelief, a wave of excitement, and then doubt. Burgh, the Gym Leader of Castelia City, leaned across the coffee shop table to snatch the letter from my hands. For the past couple of months, I had been helping him with the refurbishment of his Gym and the recruitment of his new 'obstacle trainers'. It had been two years since the defeat of Team Plasma. Adler had decided to establish a trainers school only mere months afterward, and already it was the highest ranked. I watched as Burgh read over the letter, inspecting every little detail and reading over the information. Slowly, he handed the letter back over to me.

"I knew you could do it," Burgh… what a softie. He had always been that way, though. Despite his outwardly flamboyant exterior and strong personality, he had a heart of pure gold. "It's not like I'm surprised, really… just proud." He smiled, wiping a tear off his cheek and relaxing back into his chair. "It's only natural that you would have been accepted; after all, you did defeat me. And all the other leaders, including Adler. I'm sure he expects great things from you."

Now, let me set the record straight. Sure, I had beaten the Elite Four and Adler, but that wasn't without extreme difficulty. When Adler offered me the title as Champion, I was thrilled. It's not like I didn't want to become the Champion… but there were other reasons. Adler knew it as well as Cheren and Bianca. Even Touya knew. My head hung lightly as I looked back to the letter. As if he could read my mind, Burgh leaned across the table to grasp my hands in his own. "Look at me, Touko. Hey, just listen." I had to force myself to look up to him then, knowing full well what he was about to say. It wasn't like I had to be reminded.

"You did something amazing. You, along with the help of your friends, brought down Team Plasma. And it was you that finished it in the end..." He paused, searching for the right words - the words he knew would hurt me regardless. That damn golden heart of his. "but sometimes, darling, it's hard to let go. I know. You've been doing great work here, and I don't want to see you leave - but I think it's time for you to move on. I'm sure Cheren and Bianca will be attending, as well. Even Touya."

Despite his best attempt to mask the hidden truth behind his words, I knew what he meant.

It was time to let go.

I smiled a little, looking out towards the busy street. People were rushing past, trying to get home from the daily grind of work and back home to their families. The setting sun was dazzling in the distance. "…It's been two years since he's left, and it barely feels like yesterday." I mumbled, finally letting go of his hands adjusting myself back into my chair. "I mean… it doesn't hurt anymore. Not like it used to. I like keeping busy with you and the Gym, and I've really learned a lot."

"I know you have, I can see it." Burgh smiled, "when you came to me at first, I had never seen a more pathetic looking woman in my entire life." There was a wink hidden in there - even without looking I knew.

"…Things really have changed, haven't they?" I sighed, taking a sip of my coffee.

"They sure have, kiddo. They sure have."

I was ready to take on the challenge. I knew it would be a hellish amount of work, dedication and perseverance, but I knew I could tackle it. With my apprenticeship under Burgh, I had learned enough about the inner workings of the Gym itself to have an advantage over other students. There was no problem I couldn't face. No problem I couldn't solve.

I was done with him. No more waiting. He wasn't coming back.

N.

"YOU WHAT! OHMYGOD, GIRLY, DO YOU KNOW HOW AWESOME THIS IS!"

"Bianca, can you please stop screaming for two seconds? I want to talk to her."

"Ohmyfreakinglord, this is going to be the best year of our lives! Do you realize how many cute guys are going to be there? Oooh, what program did you apply for again! I'm in Pokemon Nursing! But you already knew that, ooh, I'm just so excited~"

"Can you just give me the XTransceiver for two goddamn seconds?"

This was why they were my best friends. I giggled, watching as Cheren snatched the phone from Bianca. Ever since we defeated Team Plasma, Cheren had loosened up a little. He had spent the past two years studying under Adler and helping him form the trainer's academy. Although he was still as studious as ever, he also seemed like he had relaxed - if only a little. There was a small smile curling up the corners of his lips as he finally steadied the phone and looked at me. "Well, looks like we've got cause to celebrate."

Samurott was watching me from the corner of our small, one bedroom apartment. It was a little small even for me, but she refused to be inside her Pokeball most of the time. At the sound of Cheren's voice, she poked her head up and yawned.

"Hi to you too, Cheren."

"I have to admit, I knew you were accepted long before you did." He winked; if there was one thing I absolutely hated about Cheren, it was his well-kept ability to withhold crucial information. To put it bluntly, he liked to keep secrets to himself. "Adler was so excited when he got your application, we didn't think-"

I raised a brow as he paused. "…Didn't think what, Cheren?" Oh, boy. Not them too.

Cheren looked uncomfortable as he looked over his shoulder to Bianca, who immediately joined his side and looked into their XTransceiver. "Darlin', don't think ill of us, but we just didn't think you'd be coming. We knew you were working with Burgh, and everything…" She seemed a little upset herself. It wasn't like it was just me who was affected by this, after all.

"To be honest, Bianca and I talked about all our options. In the end, though…" Cheren pushed his glasses back up again. Of course they'd decided to go! I would've been furious if they hadn't. Still, I couldn't help but feel a little at fault - it was because of me that they were contemplating rejecting their offer in the first place, wasn't it?

"It's only right that we go! Once we finish this year, we'll have free reign over all the other regions! Kanto, Hoenn, Johto… and that's only the beginning. You, Cheren, Touya and I will all be able to see the world. I mean, really see the world." I cringed slightly. See the world?

I want to see the world, Touko...

"Yeah," I mumbled, forcing a smile. "It's going to be great, isn't it?"

"Speaking of Touya," Cheren grinned, looking to his watch. It was almost close to midnight, and I'd been growing sleepy. As I yawned, I heard Cheren mumbling on about something and then laughing with Bianca.

"Huuuh? Whuddya say?"

"I said, Touya should be there any minute. He's passing through tonight and told us he'd be stopping by to see you," Cheren smirked, giving a little wave. "See you next week. By the way, there's something you should know-"

Well, that came out of nowhere. I blinked wildly, my mouth falling open. Touya was here? In Castelia? Why wouldn't he tell me beforehand? And more importantly, why the hell was he going to be showing up at my house at this ungodly hour?

"W-w-wait, what? Why would Touya-"

The door bell rang.

Sammy sprung up from her bed, rushing over to the door and snarling. As I looked back to the Xtransciever, Cheren and Bianca had already hung up. "Sammy, just relax. It's only Touya." I grunted, jumping up off the couch and trudging over to the door. Touya had the nastiest habit of showing up at the most inconvenient times, didn't he? Gently, I tried to usher Sammy away from the door but she insisted upon staying put. She was poised to strike, almost as if she knew that there wasn't something good on the other side of that door.

"What're you getting so worked up over…?" The doorbell rang again. I slapped both hands over my mouth, realizing that I'd probably been a bit too loud. I peered into the peep-hole that lead out into the hallway, but saw nothing but darkness. Okay, now that was a bit freaky. Stepping back from the door, my fingers gingerly touched the silver knob until I mustered up the courage to finally say something.

"Hello? Who is it?"

Silence.

Then it rang again.

Okay, now this was pissing me off. My brows knitted together as I grabbed the knob and swung the door open, ready to send out Sammy to take out whoever was deciding to mess with me this late at night. "I don't know who the hell you are, but you should-"

It was then I realized that the peep-hole had to have been covered by someone's finger. The hallway was lit brightly, as always, and there was no sign of anybody. I felt my breathing snag in my throat as Sammy leaped out into the hallway, looking around frantically for the force that made her feel so uneasy. I stepped out into the hallway, half-expecting a serial killer to barrel out from a room down the hall and towards me.

But there was nothing. Nothing was there.

I stood frozen in the doorway as Sammy sniffed around the area, trying to locate some sort of scent or sign that someone had been here. There was a very faint smell in the air, and although it could have came from any of the other apartments in the hall, I had a sinking feeling that it had come from my surprise visitor. "Peppermint," I mumbled, slumping against the frame of the door and swallowing the fear that threatened to rise. Sammy looked up to me, her eyes hardened and filled with determination. She would have done anything to protect me and the other Pokemon, no matter what the cost. But what the hell was that?

"Hey, Touko!" The sudden voice, in all the adrenaline, made me scream. Sammy immediately turned around and charged down the hall, ready at any moment to unleash her Razor Shell on whoever had spoke.

"H-HEY! SAMMY! IT'S ME, S-STOP!" Touya squeaked, jumping out of the way of her attack. After clumsily regaining my composure, I ran from the door towards the two of them. "Sammy! Stop!" She was already on the attack, so there was no point shouting at her. I practically tripped over my two feet as I reached them, immediately grabbing at her back and trying to pull her away. "That's enough, Sammy!"

Samurott's had a nasty habit of being incredibly protective over their companions, so it took a little while to cool her off. Touya had released Kieth, his Zebstrika, who had no freaking idea what was going on. Touya himself looked absolutely frazzled by the sudden attack and was about to unleash a wealth of carefully chosen words.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL WAS THAT ALL ABOUT! ARE YOU MAD?" He screamed, oblivious to the fact that there were other rooms on this floor as well. I had finally managed to pull back Sammy when he started his rant, but in all honesty I couldn't blame him. He loved Sammy, and Sammy loved him just as much. It wasn't much of a welcome.

"Relax, just chill!" Yep, there was no avoiding it; Touya was a bit of a drama queen. "Were you ringing my bell earlier? Is that your idea of some sort of weird, creepy joke?"

Touya finally let himself relax a little as he returned Kieth to his Pokeball. With Sammy still grunting and snarling, he still didn't feel quite at ease yet. "What are you talking about," he sighed, taking off his hat and running a hand through his hair. "I just got here. I literally just got here."

I raised a brow. "No joke?"

"Touko," He groaned, putting his hat back on and pointed down the opposite end of the hall that curved to the left. "I just got back from the Pokemon Centre. Kieth and Arlen had a run-in with a tough couple of trainers in the square, so I took them to get healed before I came here." He walked up to Sammy, offering her his hand and his assurance. "Why? What was going on - and why did you attack me, missy?" Touya bent down in front of Sammy, patting her cheek gently until she started to relax.

"Someone was ringing the doorbell, maybe just some kids playing a prank." I lied, knowing full well that no kid could reach up that high to cover the hole. "We just got a little paranoid, this is usually a really safe building. Burgh is just a few floors down."

Touya looked concerned. "So, you don't know who it was…?"

I shrugged, stretching out my shoulders and letting out a small yawn. "Nah, but whatever." I looked back to Touya, who was looking down at his shoes. His brow was knitted tightly together as he bit his lip, almost like he was in pain. "Hey, Touya… you okay? Want to come inside?"

Like he had forgotten I was there at all, he snapped his head up and nodded quickly. "Y-yeah! Of course. Let's go in, I've got plenty to tell you. So much has changed." He smiled, making his way first into my apartment. I watched his back, my hand resting gently on Sammy's head as I did so.

What did he know?

Authors Note:

Hello, everyone! Thank you for taking the time to read through this first chapter, and hopefully you liked it~! I know it seems a little rushed right now, but I just want to get everything falling into place. I'm not sure if this is a terribly original concept or not, but I wanted to try something out of my comfort zone. o Ao ;; We'll see where it goes!