Chapter 1

I ran through the woods and cut through the caves; surprised that I had remembered such paths that led back home but was too eager to notice. I suppose I was running so fast that I didn't mind where I was going because the next thing I know, I tripped and landed nearly face first. I actually laughed it off, got right back to my feet and continued my sprint through the path. I had only made it so far though, to the entrance of Nimbasa city, when I reached a needed point of a small break. However, to say the least, I was far from prepared to stop now! Or, so that was the case, till my blue eyes set upon the brightly lit Ferris wheel. "Let's ride the Ferris wheel and see if we can spot them. I love Ferris wheels. The circular motion… The mechanics… They're like collections of elegant formulas." And with that memory, as if I could hear his very voice ringing in my ears like he was right next to me, I felt the warm sting in my gut, the lump in my throat and faint spin in my head. All of which swarmed around me like symptoms to a terrible disease.

It was dark enough for the ride to light the sky nicely. So nicely, it almost disturbed me how I had not noticed it before. The air so warm and relaxing though that, with a sigh and following shake of the head, I went bolting once more out of Nimbasa city and down the familiar paths I took so many times through my very first journey.

I could feel the brightening smile spread across my face as I finally, with night lurking just behind me, made it back home. I swung open the door and walked inside with a relief clear as day on my face as I greeted my mom, who was supposedly three years older now but just as jumpy and healthy from when I left this region. She was at the dining table, tweaking the silverware and place mats that lay neatly along its sides. It only took her seconds before looking over and seeing me and I watched as her exhausted face turned into one of a loving and proud mother's. "Touko! You've come back!" She exclaimed and I laughed as she came quickly to wrap her arms around me. I return the embrace tightly to the point of clutching her by the shirt helplessly and burying my face into her. My mom was one of the few I could open up to and not someone I had to be the strong and tough trainer everyone saw. Nothing, as I learned right then and there, had changed in my absence for her. I was still her precious and only little girl and just from the way she held me, I knew that wouldn't change.

"I missed you mom," I say just loud enough for her to hear. She gave a laugh of relief. We held each other for another moment before she pulled away and kissed my forehead. "Dear, you must be must be so tired. And hungry! Go upstairs and take a shower while I set up a nice dinner for you alright! Go give your pokemon a rest too! I have so much to talk to you about since you were gone!" Mom said with excitement. I gave a laugh at her enthusiasm and parted with her to go give my pokemon a rest and to wash up like she had said to do. I won't lie though, hearing her sound as though I had missed a great deal in my absence made me a little too anxious in the shower as well as getting dressed to where I was bouncing so hard in excitement until I fell on both occasions.

After I was all nice and clean and my pokemon had the time to rest, I came rushing downstairs to accompany my mother with the dinner she had set up while I was upstairs. She covered all what she had heard on the news about the newest trainers and their own adventures. How Bianca had become mixed in with her studies and decided to continue her life's journey in studying pokemon. How Cheren had become so knowledgeable of his pokemon and how they learned together to become strong and leading to their rise as a gym leader of normal type pokemon. It made me happy to hear how far they both had come and how they had become so successful in finding and achieving their dreams. But when she had mentioned more to nothing about N, my heart sank. "Is he all you can think about?!" my thoughts screamed and I had to shake off the uncomfortable state my mind was starting to re-enter. However, I chose not to share these feelings as I wanted to enjoy the time I had with my mom.

Through the night, my mom and I shared laughs and stories and ate a warm meal. It was at the end though; she decided to share with me what she apparently really wanted to say from the beginning of my arrival.

"Touko," she started, "I had not yet gotten a chance to tell you, since you've been gone at least, but your old friend had dropped by last year. Said something about wanting to tell you how he really feels. His name though…what was his name…," my mother stumbled.

My breath had been taken and put on hold as I watched my mother stumble in her mind for a name. That damn name. It almost took me a moment to break through my paralyzed thoughts to just simply speak.

"Was his name N?" I asked hesitantly and with that, my mother jolted with the snap of her two fingers and a laugh.

"That was the one! N! What a peculiar name he has…," My mother said with a laugh, completely oblivious to the pale color my face took on in that very moment.

I arose slowly from the table, causing my mother to take some notice, but it was far too late to stop any action of mine.

"Dear, are you alright?" she asked worriedly and I forced a smile in return.

"Yeah! I think I am just going to take my pokemon out for a night time walk! Get my mind off things I guess," I said, encouraging the thought I was ok to my mother and watched as ease and agreement set into her before moving to leave.

"Alright dear! Well, just be careful and have a nice walk!" she said as she stood too to take the dishes to the sink.

Once her back faced me, I was off into a sprint. My long brown hair waved behind me as a bolted for the door, picking up my bag and pokemon on my way out. I ran and grabbed my bike that lay against the side of my house and moved with it tightly in grip. I may not fully understand what made me run as fast as I did or what sent the feeling of fevered licks of fire against my cheeks but I knew it wasn't something I was prepared to ignore. I refused to ignore this! I didn't even know if N was still in Unova town but I was prepared to take that risk. I would search all around Unova to just see what's become of him, to just know whether my dream was still in arms reach. And so, from there, I rode my bike out of town and went off on what would be my next attempt, no, my next adventure, to find my dream, just as that very dream had asked me to do so long ago.