I like using the English version of cities and pokémon names but I like the Japanese version of their nicknames. It's kind of a habit so sorry about that.

-7.50 am-

Black looked at the grey sky above Striaton City. Unova was going through a harsh winter. The weather was bitterly cold; it snowed most of the time, sometimes raining, which made staying inside absolutely ideal.

Unfortunately, the agency—or White, to be precise—sent Black on a mission to gather all the pokémon actors for the short film. She gave him a list of pokémon scattered around Unova. These pokémon had already been registered to the BW Agency and were on standby. The agency would send people to collect them directly if they were needed.

"Opelucid, Lacunosa, Humilau, Virbank. And Anville. Arghhh! This will take me a whole day!"

Black groaned when he saw the locations on the list. Now he had to fly to these places one after another. The boy stood still for a moment to figure out the city he would visit first. He then took out a pokéball and sent out Warr.

"Warr, are you ready for a long journey?"

The eagle pokémon gave him a trusty cry and friendly pecked him on his beanie. Black climbed on Warr's back and gently hugged its neck.

"Humilau City, let's go!"

…

-11.30 am-

People stopped what they were doing and began to spread out. Most of them formed groups and left the studio for lunch. The president, however, entered a small eatery alone; this was where she and Black often spent their lunch break at. She ordered some sandwiches and sat at their favorite table next to a window. While she was eating, the girl couldn't help recalling the conversation a few days ago yet again.

The president still believed she was doing the right thing for him. She wanted him to be happy; it was actually that simple. She was quite sure she won the conversation and he would fly to Kalos as she planned the vacation for him. And he would be able to do whatever he wanted, literally, during that time. Some skiing and training, maybe. When was the last time he trained with his pokémon? She hadn't seen him blabbering on about his latest battle technique lately. And it hurt her that he couldn't be living with his dream just because of her.

She knew he wanted to talk about this so she had tried to avoid him recently. Even when there were just two of them together, the girl made sure her friend wouldn't find it easy to bring up the subject by interrupting him just when he was about to mention it. This had discouraged him and he really stopped after numerous failed attempts, though it resulted in her feeling so guilty about it.

White never wanted to think that she actually forced Black to do what he didn't want to. But… did she imagine seeing some kind of sadness in his eyes when she made that final decision? Did he really mean it, that he wanted to stay with her no matter what happened?

Aughhh… what's wrong with you? He couldn't possibly mean it. He just felt bad for you.

And this was the reason why White sent him to different places to collect the pokémon actors today. She didn't want to face him so much because she knew he wouldn't refuse one last chance to talk about it just like what he'd been doing in the last few days. She was feeling really sorry for pushing him away. But it was for the greater good. For his own good.

Tonight, he would fly to Kalos.

No matter how hard she tried, the girl couldn't lie to herself. She wished they could be together tomorrow.

…

-1.05 pm-

Black just finished receiving an Emolga from a very old lady in Opelucid City. After politely asking her to sign a lot of papers, the boy bid her farewell and later stopped at a fast food restaurant in the city. He ordered a burger and went to sit at a table next to a window. He took out the list and counted how many places remained.

"3 down. 2 to go. But I'm about to reach the far side of Unova!" Black tore his hair out and groaned inwardly at the thought of flying across the rest of Unova. Then he took one bite of the burger and thought about what happened between him and his president.

Black wanted to talk to his president again about her decision. The boy certainly would have no fun spending time at a far off ski resort alone. He'd rather stay by her side to do whatever she asked him to. He had to admit that it was almost too late to change her mind; he'd been trying again and again but he couldn't make it. However, his instinct told him that it wouldn't hurt if he made one last attempt to persuade her. There would be a slim chance she would agree to let him cancel his flight and stay.

He had one last chance before his flight took off at midnight, tonight.

However, in case it didn't work—

Black finished his burger in a few more bites and headed west to Route 9. He hurriedly entered the Shopping Mall Nine and began to look around eagerly.

Just in case it didn't work, he would definitely try something else so that he wouldn't regret wasting this special occasion not letting her know how much she meant to him.

…

-9.25 pm-

Black just returned to Striaton City from his mission. After handing the pokémon to the members of the film crew, the boy went back to the hotel which the studio kindly arranged for the agency duo. Though he got really worn out, he decided to head for the girl's room first.

"Hey Prez, I'm back. And I've also got your favorite hot chocolate here."

He knocked twice and waited but no one answered the door.

"Prez?" He knocked again. Then the boy realized the door was closed but not locked.

How could you be so careless, Prez? What if a bad guy sneaked in and kidnapped you? Black thought. But what if she knew he would return and come to see her so she left the door unlocked? Well, maybe…

Black slowly opened the door and carefully peeked inside.

And there he saw a tired White sleeping at her desk. It seemed like the president had reached her limit so she just collapsed on the desk, her loose hair covering the whole face; papers were seen scattered here and there on the floor.

Black decided not to wake her up because he knew she would go back to work.

However, it also meant his last chance to persuade the girl was gone.

But it couldn't be helped.

Why don't you ever take care of yourself, Prez? What if I'm no longer with you one day? Black thought to himself and sighed. He hesitated a little, but decided to pick her up and carry the girl to her bed.

At that moment when he noticed her face was so close to his, had he ever realized she could look so beautiful when she was sleeping soundly? He always loved looking at her when she didn't notice him doing but this time, it was special. He could see her lips slightly opened, a few strands of curly hair resting on them as he slowly walked across the room. This whole experience gave the boy a warm smile on his face, a moment that would forever be engraved in his mind as he would never allow himself to forget it.

I like you, Prez. If only you could know it.

…

"Don't… leave… me… alone…"

She suddenly talked to him and this scared the hell out of Black. His heart missed a beat and he almost dumped the girl on the floor by reflex. Fortunately, he calmed himself just in time to realize her eyes were still closing and the girl was still breathing steadily.

Did she just sleep-talk?

Black carefully put his friend down and set her in the most comfortable position. He then wrapped her up in a warm blanket. Just now, he was more certain that she was still sleeping. But what did she just talk in her sleep?

Is she feeling my presence here? Did she just say something like don't leave her alone? Or did she just tell me to get out and leave her alone?

Maybe I should go back to my room and start packing.

Black left a note so when White woke up, she would know that he came. He picked up the papers on the floor and sorted them out into neat piles so that the girl could easily find his note. And just when he was about to finish, something fell onto the floor.

He picked it up and immediately realized what it was. It was a ticket, the same type as the one she gave him the day before. And Black was still having his own ticket in his bag.

So whose ticket was this?

Prez…

And the boy started to understand more about what was happening, or what was supposed to happen, to be exact.

Black finished his work in the quiet of the room and after that, he wrote something more into the note. He came to his friend and carefully put his Christmas present next to her.

"See you later, Prez," he whispered.

Looking at the sleeping girl for one last time, Black left her room and went back to his own room. He packed his bag with enough warm clothes for his trip and some other items for discovering the regional pokémon.

It was Christmas Eve tonight. They were supposed to have finished everything and enjoy their Christmas together.

"Good evening, Mr. Black. Are you going outside this late? I suggest you wait until the morning when the snow stops falling, according to the weather forecast."

The doorman greeted Black, hesitating to open the door. But the boy himself showed no hesitation. He didn't slow down when he reached the door and sent out his pokémon.

"I have to go," he mumbled.

The bald eagle pokémon looked confused but it still lowered its body for its owner to climb up.

"We're going south."

Enough with Black's POV. The last chapter, also the longest, will be mainly about White's POV.

...

"What if I'm no longer with you one day? What if one day I just disappear?"

Feelsbadman (sobs)