A/n: thank you to everyone who read/reviewed/followed/favorited! I got a review just a few minutes after posting the first chapter. I was shocked :D. Just in two weeks (as far as I remember), this received more views and followers than what my other story got during the same period. Thank you! ^_^

I'm currently stuck in the decisive moments of chapter 3. It'll take some time until the final part comes out. Meanwhile, here's chapter 2!

Pokemon Black and White: Ideal Friend

Written by Aiyumi

Disclaimer: Pocket Monsters/Pokemon, as well as any other trademark that may be referenced in this fan fiction, are properties of their respective owners. I am just a fan and I do not have any relations to said people/companies.

Chapter 2: N

Nearly ten years had passed, and it was the day Touko had waited for so long. The day when she would finally receive her starter pokemon and leave on a journey. Professor Juniper had dropped by her house and left the three poke balls there, and now, Touko and her two friends Cheren and Bel were faced with the difficult decision of which starter to pick.

"Who first?" Bel asked, looking at the other two.

"Touko should pick first, since it's her house." Cheren suggested.

"Um, okay..." Touko stepped forward, looking at the three poke balls. Snivy, Tepig and Oshawott. Which one to choose, was the question. Then, she remembered.

X:X:X:X:X

"When I grow up, I want to be a pokemon trainer!" She had said one night. "Mom told me that before the journey, I have to choose one of three pokemon: Snivy, Tepig and Oshawott. I don't know which one to choose. Mike, what do you think? do you know anything about these pokemon?"

"Yes. Snivies are grass typed, usually fast and defensive, but not very capable offensively. Unfortunately, they also have many weaknesses, mostly to pokemon types that are very common throughout all Unova. Tepigs are fire typed and are the opposite, having more strength, less speed and defenses. However, they get a fighting type when they evolve, which brings a few type advantages, but also a few more weaknesses. Oshawotts are water typed and can become quite capable offensively, though not as much as the Tepig line, and they tend to be a bit better than it defensively. They don't get any new type after evolving, and have the less weaknesses among the three."

"Oh..." Touko was amazed with the explanation.

"In summary, The Snivy line focuses more on defense and evasion, the Tepig line is all about brute force, and the Oshawott line lies more or less in the middle between those two extremes."

"Hmm. Okay. But you still didn't tell me which one I should choose!"

"I already gave you the explanation. Now, you have to consider which one of the options is better for you."

"But Mike..."

"This choice is yours to make. I can't do it for you. Think carefully, you still have time until then."

X:X:X:X:X

"Touko?" Bel asked, pulling her from her thoughts.

"Uh, sorry." Touko smiled sheepishly at her two friends, who were shuffling and looking around impatiently. She concentrated on the poke balls. With a defensive pokemon, she would need to be too tactical for working around the lack of power and the many common weaknesses, and Touko figured she didn't have the brains for that. Cheren was the tactical one, not her. No, just defense wasn't going to work for her. So, Snivy was out of the question. Too much force wasn't very appealing either, plus the other type Tepig would get after evolving would just make things more complicated. So... "Balance..." She whispered, grasping Oshawott's poke ball. "Yeah, it's decided. I choose Oshawott!"

Choosing their starter pokemon, the three friends had a quick battle, then headed to Professor Juniper's lab, where they were handed Pokedexes.

"With these, you can record and analyze information about the pokemon you encounter," the professor said. "Speaking of which, do you want to give nicknames to your new pokemon?"

They nodded.

Touko looked at the Oshawott, who was out of the ball. "Hmm, I'll call you... Libra. It's the name of a constellation that symbolizes balance. Is that okay?" The pokemon bounced happily, so she took that as a "yes".

"To register the nickname and view other information associated to your trainer ID, you have to recall the pokemon and scan the ball with the Pokedex." The professor explained.

Touko input the nickname and scanned the poke ball as instructed. It showed that her pokemon was a female Oshawott, now nicknamed Libra.

On that same day, they left on their adventure and arrived at Accumula Town. There, they witnessed a speech from Ghetsis, one of the higher-ups of a group called Team Plasma. He said that trainers were making pokemon suffer by enslaving them and making them captive inside poke balls, and that the only way to rectify that was to set all pokemon free. The speech ended, and Touko didn't know what to make of it. "What do you think?" She looked at her two childhood friends.

Bel didn't answer. Soon both girls had turned to Cheren in hopes of getting an insightful answer, since he was the most knowledgeable person in their group.

"That's a lot of nonsense," He said. "I heard that there're some unscrupulous people who catch pokemon only to 'collect' them, as if they were mere objects. But that's just a minority, like in the black market or something. It can't be generalized like that. I believe that most trainers really take good care of their pokemon. The League Champions, for instance!" Bringing up the subject of the Champions, he was suddenly very enthusiastic. "They give the best example of how pokemon should be treated, maintaining balance between making them strong and healthy. That's why Mister Alder constantly appears on television giving advice on the best practices for taking care of them! His pokemon don't seem to be acting forced either, so they must like it. I know I still have much to learn, but I'll do everything I can to always take proper care of my pokemon, which I'm sure is one of the secrets to become a Champion!"

Touko smiled. It made sense. Aside from the Champions part, it seemed like something... Mike would say. Maybe, that Plasma group was just making noise and there was nothing to worry about. But in the back of her mind, there was something that seemed right about that speech, and Touko felt she should be worrying...

It was getting dark. Bel and Cheren went to the Pokemon Center while Touko stayed behind. She sighed, looking at the Oshawott in her arms. "I'm sorry. I was too selfish. I was so excited about leaving on a journey, and I didn't even ask if you wanted to come with me... If you don't want to come... If it only makes you suffer... Then I'll let you go."

The Oshawott widened her eyes, quickly shaking her head and speaking frantically. How Touko wished she could understand what the pokemon was saying...

"That... That Oshawott... No, it can't be! I never heard a pokemon say something like that!"

"Uh, what?" Touko turned in the voice's direction. A tall teenager with long green hair was standing at some distance from her, seeming bewildered and talking alone. "E-excuse me? Wh-what did you just say?"

"Uh?" He was embarrassed noticing that he was being watched. "... Th-this pokemon was saying..."

"Saying...?" Touko looked curiously at him.

"Oh. So you can't understand them either." He seemed a bit disappointed. "Since she looked so happy, I thought..."

"Wait, do you mean..." It was her turn to be bewildered. "You're saying that you can understand pokemon words?"

"Yes."

It was hard to believe, but if that was true... "What did she say?"

"She said that she also wanted to travel around and is happy that you chose her, and that you gave her a nickname." He spoke. Even the Oshawott seemed amazed that he had understood her and began talking more. "Hmm, she says that your name is Touko and her nickname is Libra." The pokemon tripped on a word and he decided to help. "Hm? Do you mean 'constellation'? ... Ah, I see..." He looked back at Touko. "She says you nicknamed her after a constellation that symbolizes balance."

Since they arrived there, no one had mentioned her name nor the pokemon's nickname (much less the constellation), so it was proof that he really could understand pokemon. So maybe, by talking to a lot of pokemon, they could prove or disprove what Team Plasma was saying. "Oh, that's great! Really cool. I never heard that there were people who could do that! Um, okay, you already know my name, but I don't know yours."

"My name's N."

"N? Like the letter?"

"Yes."

She found it strange. "But just a letter?"

"Well, actually it's just the first letter, but, um... Some people told me that my name's a bit... Unusual, so..."

"Ah, okay." From the way he was trying to justify himself, it had to be very awkward for him to talk about his name. "I understand. Nice to meet you, N."

Then, the poke ball that N was carrying opened on its own. A Purrloin came out of it without being called, surprising him. "Ah! What? Oh... Alright."

"What's it?" Touko asked curiously.

N had his eyes wide. "He... Wants a battle."

"Oh... Okay." Touko fidgeted nervously. "Hahaha... Um, not counting the small battle with my two best friends, this is my first battle against another trainer."

N seemed equally nervous. "Mine too..."

"Really? Then let's make it memorable! Libra, Water Gun!"

"Ah! Wait! Purrloin...!" N was caught unprepared and didn't have time to give a command. His pokemon was sent flying a short distance. "Sorry! Purrloin, are you alright?" The pokemon nodded and the fight continued. "Use Fury Swipes!"

"Water Gun!" Touko repeated.

Libra didn't have time to dodge and was scratched multiple times. The attack was vicious and fast but didn't cause much damage. The close distance allowed Libra to hit the opponent strong and squarely, causing a critical hit.

"Good! Now, Tackle!" Touko commanded.

The Purrloin didn't have time to recover from the Water Gun. The Tackle sent him rolling on the ground, and he was disorientated by the end of it.

"Well... I think this is enough..." N called it the end of the battle. He gently took his pokemon in his arms and sighed, disappointed because of his loss.

"Yeah! We did it! We won! Our first battle!" Touko embraced the Oshawott who had a very happy expression on her face, then both laughed together.

But N was too distracted with his thoughts to pay attention to the exchange.

"Hey, come on!" Touko was signaling him to follow her.

"Uh?" N was pulled out from his thoughts.

"The Pokemon Center is in that direction!" She pointed. "Our pokemon need to be looked after, right?"

"Ah... Right." He followed awkwardly.

In the Pokemon Center, they waited for their pokemon to be healed.

"N, you look so down. Is it because of the battle?" Touko had been very excited to win her first (outsider) trainer battle, but she was feeling very bad seeing him like that. "I'm... Sorry."

He sighed. "I lost. I only made Purrloin suffer for nothing..."

"It'll be okay. Purrloin will be fine. And you... Well, It was just the first battle. You'll get better at it."

After they got their pokemon back, N talked to the Purrloin, and that only served to increase his confusion.

"What did he say?" Touko asked.

"He said that... It was the greatest battle he ever had, and that he wants to become strong and have many more of these battles... I don't understand. I thought..."

She cut him off. "See? I told you that it'd be fine."

The trainers talked a bit more.

"So, N, after leaving this town, where are you going next?"

"Striaton."

"Oh! Is that because of the gym there? Are you going to challenge the gyms too?" Touko was suddenly very excited.

"Uh... Yes, I intend to."

"Great! Me too! Then, maybe we'll meet again!"

"... Maybe..."

And they did. Touko met N a few times throughout the following months, she quickly noticing how deeply he cared about pokemon. They agreed on many things, except on the relation between pokemon and trainers. That subject frequently started arguments between them, and soon their meetings weren't so nice as Touko had hoped. It was strange. He should know better since he could understand pokemon words, but no, it was as if he believed in those speeches of Team Plasma. After also meeting said group many times and, in every one of them, seeing their members do the very opposite of what they said was right, Touko knew that their ideas were far from the truth. However, things really went downhill when she met N in Nimbasa City and they rode the amusement park's ferry's wheel. The subject of battles popped up, he came again with that talk about pokemon suffering in the hands of trainers, and Touko couldn't take it anymore.

"It's as if you believed that nonsense from Team Plasma!"

He seemed offended. "That's not nonsense. And yes, I do believe in Team Plasma."

"Why? ..." She gave him a hard stare.

"Because... Actually, I..." He breathed deeply, speaking seriously and as firmly as he could. "I am the king of Team Plasma, and those are my views."

"What? You..." Then it clicked. The "king" that she heard many grunts mention. The person they said wanted to make a better world for pokemon. But was that really him? "You're the one who formed Team Plasma?" Touko asked incredulously.

"Yes."

"No way!" It was hard to believe. Despite their different views on a few things, Touko was sure that he was a good person, and she couldn't imagine him differently, nor thought he had the qualities to lead a group, much less a huge (and evil) one like Team Plasma. "So... Does it mean that the horrible things those grunts did... Those were your orders too?"

"Horrible things?"

"Yeah! They kicked a Munna, trying to force her to make Dream Mist. They say that pokemon shouldn't be used for battles, but they still do that, and say horrible words to the pokemon when they lose. And they order the pokemon to attack people too!" Touko spoke angrily.

"What? No..." N was shocked. His voice almost didn't come out. Breathing deeply, he tried to calm down. "No. I would never order them to do things like that!"

N could be lying, but for some reason, Touko didn't want to believe he was and felt a bit relieved when he said he wasn't behind that. She calmed down a little, but her seriousness remained.

He continued, thinking it was just a misunderstanding. " Where did you hear that from? Whoever told you that was just spreading bad rumors..."

"No, I didn't hear it. I saw it, N. I met a lot of them in the last months, and they did those things right in front of my eyes! It wasn't just one or two. A lot of them... Most of the ones I met did things like that!"

He searched her expression, but couldn't find anything indicating that she was lying. His shock returned. "No... It can't be! That's completely against the rules! How come I didn't know of this sooner?" He buried his face in his hands.

"You... Didn't know?"

"No."

"You really had no idea?"

He shook his head.

"So you don't have any control of what your group's doing? What kind of a leader are you! ?" Touko exploded.

N was taken aback for a bit. "But... But they swore they would abide by the rules!" He said innocently. After a deep breath, he spoke again. "Touko, thank you for reporting this to me. I'll talk to the Sages and make sure the infractors are punished. I need the general public's support to create a perfect world for pokemon, and can't allow these occurrences that taint Team Plasma's image. Violence only brings more violence and cause resistance. In order to have my ideas heard, I need to earn the respect from Unova's citizens. And for that..." N's expression became serious and he raised his voice. "I'll conquer the Pokemon League, and surpass the Champion! What a better way to gain respect than becoming the region's Champion? By doing this, everyone will hear my ideas, and pokemon will finally be freed from humans! Do you follow my logic?"

At that moment, the ferry's wheel ride came to an end. Back to the ground, Touko abruptly spun to face N, with confidence showing in her eyes. Her seriousness and her tone nearly matched his when she finally answered his question. "I see what you mean... But no, I don't agree. This is wrong. You can't just separate humans from pokemon like that!" She took a poke ball. "N, I'll stop you!"

He sighed, also taking a ball. "I didn't want to do this, but if you'll stand on my way, I have no other choice."

The battle was quick. Maybe it was because N disliked making his pokemon fight and didn't train much, but Touko won easily, increasing the confidence that she could stop him.

N had a sad expression while he put his poke balls away. Looking seriously at Touko again, he spoke. "I may have lost now, but it's not over yet. I'll awaken Reshiram, the legendary dragon pokemon of truth! I'll become a hero like those in legends, and show everyone the truth of trainers' cruelty and pokemon's suffering. Then, I'll surpass the Champion, and with the legendary pokemon by my side, everyone in Unova will respect me and follow my ideas!" Not waiting for her to comment, N turned and walked away in a brisk pace.

Touko just stood there in silence, deep in thought. Hearing that N was Plasma's king was already hard to believe. But legendary pokemon, really? Those were just myths. It was absurd. If not for N's serious face, Touko would be sure that he was joking. Maybe she acted so confident only because of the ridiculousness of what he was saying, otherwise she probably wouldn't have been able to stand on his way with such courage. And now that the hot-headed moment was over, she didn't know what to do. Touko sighed, taking one last glance at the ferry's wheel. She was so caught up in that argument with N that she missed the unique opportunity of enjoying the view from above...

"... I like to observe places from high up, for example. It is interesting how many details can be seen from different angles."

"... Mike..." Touko smiled, remembering the invisible imaginary friend from her childhood. She had forgotten about him for a long time, but since starting her journey, she was being reminded of him too much. It was silly, but she suddenly wanted to talk to him again. Touko gave one more sigh, beginning to walk back to the Pokemon Center. It was ridiculous too. She was so confused that she had to rely on imaginary friends now. That made her think she was as crazy as N... Yes, that was it. If N believed in legendary pokemon, why couldn't she believe in imaginary friends? Touko decided to at least try. The worst that could happen was not dreaming about him, right?

That night, Touko slept while concentrating on going to talk to him, like in her childhood.

X:X:X:X:X

To her surprise, Touko found herself in that foggy space that she remembered from childhood. But would he still be there?

"Um, Mike?" She called tentatively. "Are you here?"

No answer.

"Mike!" She tried again. "It's me, Touko!"

She waited, but there was only silence. Touko started to panic. She had thought the worst that could happen was not dreaming about him, but actually getting there and having him not answer her was even worse. Maybe he simply wasn't there. But what if he was and was ignoring her? With that thought, her heart tightened.

"Mike, why don't you answer me? Is it because I'm not a child anymore? Or... Are you angry because I didn't come to see you for a long time? Yeah, I promised I'd visit you every day... And I broke my promise... I'm sorry..."

His words from one of their talks rang in her head. "Touko, would you still want to be my friend even if I were not like you expect?" It was almost as if he was asking "Even if you knew that I was an illusion, and that you would suffer when you woke up from it?"

Touko shivered. In her childhood, she had believed that she had found someone very gentle, wise and strong, who protected her from nightmares and became one of her best friends. Back then, she had believed that he was real. But was he really not how she had expected? Was Mike really only an illusion, just part of her imagination? It was confusing. No matter how hard she thought about it, he couldn't be a creation of her mind. There was no way that she would be able to create his personality and his wise words based on things from inside her head. He told her things that she didn't know, and showed experiences that she didn't have. It was crazy, but Touko still wanted to believe he was real.

"Mike, say something, please. I want to talk to you like before. I want to continue being your friend... Can I?"

The only answer was more silence, and she cried.