Castle of Shadows

-.-.-

Part 1: Ideals

-.-.-

Chapter 4: White's First Badge

-.-.-

"N?"

An uncomfortable breeze flowed through the bushes on Route 2. The grass beneath the young trainer's feet swayed slightly, flickering like tiny green flames on the ground. Because of it, N barely noticed the voice below him, though he knew perfectly well that the being was there. Instead of acknowledging it, he continued to walk, hands in pockets, head pointed forward, eyes barely moving at all as he scanned the surroundings. The forests, the trees, and even the occasional bark of a Lillipup or chipper of a Patrat. It was all beautiful to him.

The source of the voice didn't seem bothered by N's failure to reply to him. He continued to trot, black, pointed nose to the ground and beady eyes looking ahead. Every-so-often, he would have to dodge the trainer's careless footsteps to avoid being squished. His trainer was often careless, especially in the state he was in now. He looked up again, gazing at his trainer's face. In his head, which had taken a bit of a wander since he'd called upon N, he imagined a hundred minimized Beautifly fluttering around in his shaggy hair. Perhaps they thought it was a nest, or a tree. His hair was bushy, after all, much thicker and longer than most normal people's in this day and age.

Snorting, the fox shook his head, his ears flapping around him, red hair on his neck tickling his back. Being a Zorua was annoying in more ways than one. He had to constantly avoid civilisation, hiding in the shadows from anyone that may pass. If he made himself too known, he would be swarmed upon. Zorua were rare, and if anyone even glanced at the black, fox-like form, they would at least widen their eyes and take a second glance. That, and the fact that he was covered in a decently thick layer of black, bushy hair made warm weather about twice as warm for him. This made travelling a pain, and since they'd left that castle, N had planned on travelling. A lot, apparently. And that would mean that Zorua could no longer stay in an air-conditioned room and lounge around all day.

He looked back up at his trainer, eyes wide and nose twitching. Did he even hear me, or is he just ignoring me? The question circled through his head multiple times, though he couldn't quite get a handle on it. Deciding to test the theory that N wasn't listening at all, he barked the word out much louder. "N!"

N didn't even jump. He just continued to walk, never even twitching his head to look down at Zorua. Yes, he hadn't even heard his own name. This was a state N went into quite a bit; the absentminded state where anything and everything to do with nature was especially beautiful. He was probably worse than a teenage girl when it came to fussing over things, though those things were usually trees or wild Pokémon that he heard say something interesting. Of course, he was too immersed in them to notice when his own Pokémon said something.

Gritting his teeth and snarling slightly, Zorua decided to take matters into his own paws. Trotting a little faster for a few paces before breaking into a run, he galloped over a few metres ahead of him and skidded to a halt, standing right in the path that N would surely have to step on eventually. When he did, he'd see Zorua standing there, possibly leaping on his paws a little bit out of sheer impatience.

Instead, N just stepped over the pathetic excuse for a roadblock.

Oh, for Arceus- Zorua paused in his thoughts, glaring at the figure as he continued to walk ahead of him. The sun was in front of him, making him seem more like a silhouette to Zorua, whose eyes were more accustomed to the dark than anything, and his smell beat the rest of his senses out of the park.

N had been absentminded before. Part of the strange boy was always absentminded. But never like this. If a Pokémon needed him, he would almost always go completely out of his way to help it. Zorua just had to be the exception for that rule. If an injured Patrat or abandoned Purrloin staggered out of the bushes right at that moment, he would have dropped to his knees straight away and fawned over the Pokémon like it was his own.

If Zorua tripped over, he'd probably just give him a pat on the head and be on his way.

Maybe it was because he saw Zorua how most humans would see a human friend. They were always together, Zorua generally acting as a voice of reason for N when no one else could. Of course, it hadn't come naturally. If he hadn't been raised by N, he probably wouldn't have given him a second glance. That is, unless he'd somehow realised that he could understand Pokémon like they were speaking fluent English, and no matter how much he tried, Zorua definitely couldn't say anything but a series of barks and howls.

In the end, he had to rush up behind N and nip him on the ankle in order to catch his attention entirely. When he did so, the boy looked down and stared, still with an absentminded look in his eyes, almost like he couldn't care less about the small bite on his ankle.

"Ow." The word was quiet and filled with the least feeling Zorua had ever heard. "You needed something? You should have called sooner." Smiling slightly, N bent down and stroked Zorua between the ears. Despite wanting to be reluctant about it, the fox couldn't deny it felt good; he liked being scratched between the ears. N knew that better than anyone.

Instead of resisting like his brain was telling him to do, he ended up nuzzling his head further into the palm of the trainer's hand, causing a soft chuckle to slip between N's lips. When he drew his hand back, Zorua looked up, black eyes wide and his tail flicking back and forth. N stayed on his knees, getting as close as possible to eye-level with the Pokémon. His elbow was rested on his elevated knee, and his eyes were now more concerned than ever.

"I called awhile ago." Zorua couldn't help but growl slightly. Of course, if there were any passers-by, growls and yips were all they would have heard. There had been multiple times where strangers had given the two odd looks in the midst of their conversations. Zorua wasn't sure if it was because he was a rare Pokémon, or because the human in front of him was acting like he could talk to him. It could have been both, but he usually didn't consider this until N rose to his feet again and continued walking like talking to Pokémon was a common thing.

"Oh, sorry," said N, twisting a strand of hair in-between his fingers. "I didn't hear you."

"I can see that." Zorua backed up a little, sitting down on a slightly softer bit of earth. "I've been meaning to ask; why did you take such an interest in that girl?"

N seemed to hesitate for a split second. That proved Zorua's point entirely. N didn't usually hesitate. "I-I did not," he spat, trying to seem offended but overall failing miserably. "I took interest in her Lillipup, that's all." He stood up suddenly, flicking his ponytail behind his head and folding his arms defensively.

"Oh, I'm so convinced," drawled Zorua sarcastically. He raised a brow, beckoning N to tell the truth, though that probably wouldn't come without some serious convincing. "I know that look when I see it. Well, actually, I've never seen it before, and that's the point. You never take interest in random humans. Never. Especially trainers."

"I did not, N repeated, turning his nose into the air.

Zorua couldn't help but grin. "You did. She has a lot of strange vibes, doesn't she?"

Well, there was no escaping that one.

N looked down at Zorua, who was now sporting a devious smirk. He was a jokester; N knew that much, but sometimes he went a little too far. Strange vibes. Who the heck would say…?

He paused.

"Oh."

Zorua's eyes squinted more, the smile still plastered onto his face, tight enough to show off his top canine teeth. N's eye twitched. He had found her interesting… The look in her eyes when her Pokémon was lost. She seemed utterly horrified. And the relief of finding him again. Even if she could have been a little nicer about their encounter, he still couldn't help but find her interesting.

Even so, the slight harshness wasn't surprising. All humans had turnoffs. And if her turnoff wasn't being horrible to Pokémon – a usually large turnoff – then it must have been her general negativity. The Lillipup was just as interesting as her, though. When he'd seen his trainer, he'd suddenly been happy.

"White! White! White's back!"

And then she'd taken hold of him again.

"White! I missed you!"

No Pokémon he'd ever seen had been that happy to see a trainer. That's not what he'd been told. Trainers were foolish people, using innocent Pokémon to do their bidding. What other explanation was there to that? Well, apparently there was White. Perhaps there were exceptions to that rule?

Or maybe it was just an act…

"N!"

He snapped out of his thoughts as Zorua barked up at him. When he looked down, he was expecting to see the same look on the fox's face as had previously been shown. Instead, however, he saw more of a worried look. Zorua's ears twitched, no longer smiling or snarling.

"Are you okay?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Anyway, what did you mean by that? Getting a strange vibe?"

N hesitated for a moment. "I'm not sure." He sighed. "She just seemed… Different." He shook his head. "But I was probably wrong. All trainers are the same. She was putting on an act." Placing his hands on his hips, he nodded confidently, before continuing to walk along the route with a somewhat more confident stride.

Zorua blinked, turning his head to the side as he stared at the boy before him. After a few moments, he shook his head and began to trot along in his path. Well she's a damn good actor then, he mused.

-.-.-

As White, Bianca and Cheren exited the Trainers' School (having successfully avoided a dozen wannabe trainers asking for autographs), they walked in complete silence. White and Cheren, completely exhausted from their battle, were still clutching their Pokémon in their arms. Bianca, much less tired, was skipping merrily in front of them, skidding to a halt occasionally and waiting for them to catch up, though she usually seemed impatient doing so. She found it hard to stand still for even a few moments, and she tended to tap her foot or jog on the spot for the time where she was forced to wait.

It wasn't too long before White heard purring at her feet. She ignored it for a few moments, figuring she could have just been hearing things. When she eventually noticed a considerable lack of Cheren standing next to her, she paused in her walking and turned on her heel. Behind her, the spectacled boy was kneeling down, smiling as he stroked the very same Purrloin that had been following him around previously on the head.

"Is that-?" White paused when Cheren picked the cat up and nodded.

"She only went to look for food," he said. The Purrloin let out a soft, "Meow," and licked her paw. Cheren chuckled. "I didn't think she would come back, but hey." He shrugged, placing the Purrloin back on the ground again.

"Will she let you catch her yet?" Bianca had come running back as soon as she realised she was no longer being followed.

"Don't think so," said Cheren. "I'm not going to catch her if she doesn't want to be caught. Maybe she doesn't like pokéballs."

"How would she know?" White crossed her arms.

He shrugged. "I don't know, but to a wild Pokémon they probably don't look too appealing."

"I guess so." She looked down at the cat, which was now licking her paw and not really paying attention to anyone around her. "Let's go and get some food. I'm starving."

"Well, I have the solution for that!"

Before White could even focus on what was happening, Bianca was standing in front of her with a brochure of some sort, covered in attractions for Striaton City, most of them having something to do with food. Like she was leading a lecture, Bianca began pointing at a specific place on the map, circling it with her finger whilst grinning excitedly.

"I've wanted to eat here since we left," she said, tapping the spot. "It's the main restaurant here. It's run by the gym leaders, and it also happens to be where the gym is located."

Hearing the word "gym" was enough for White. "I'm good to go there, then. I can challenge the gym after we eat."

Cheren crossed his arms, raising a brow. "Did I hear you say 'leaders'?"

"Yeah, why?" Bianca folded the map again, shoving it carelessly into her bag and turning back to Cheren.

"Isn't there usually only one leader at a gym?" He tapped his foot.

Bianca only shrugged. "That's a point." Shrugging, she turned towards the path and gestured for White and Cheren to follow her. "I guess we'll find out, come on!"

When White entered the restaurant, following behind an overly-eager Bianca, the smell of food empowered her senses. It was certainly a busy place; the bustling waiters and waitresses never seemed to stop walking, whether it was jotting down orders onto a notepad or delivering three dishes of food balanced on their arms. When she, Bianca and Cheren took their seats, their menus were delivered to them within a few seconds. Bianca seemed hasty in her seat, scooting back and forth in excitement. Cheren adjusted his glasses as he read through the menu.

White took the time to scan her eyes around the place. Everything seemed polished, almost perfectly clean. The table where she and her friends sat did not sport a hint of dust or food residue, and the view out the arched windows was enhanced by dark red curtains which captured the colours of the room pretty much perfectly. The floor in which the waiters walked on was so shiny it almost looked dangerously slippery, and a piano player sat in a corner, playing calming classical tunes which fit the atmosphere very well. The calming chatters of diners rung over the instrument, though they almost complemented the song. Soon enough, Cheren's voice joined them as he read the menu, not even looking up at his two friends.

"So," he said, almost absentmindedly, "what's the reason for you guys going on your journeys?"

White laughed bluntly, more focussed on what she was going to eat than anything anyone had to say. "Not really sure," she replied after a few seconds, though Cheren didn't seem fazed by her late reply. "I just want to travel, I guess. See new places, get stronger." Running a finger along a dish that looked particularly good, she licked her lips. "Maybe I'll challenge the League one day, if I get the chance to."

"That's a weird thing for you to say."

White raised a brow at his comment.

"I mean," Cheren continued, finally closing his menu, apparently having decided what to eat, "you're usually so competitive." He smirked. "Especially with me. If you have the chance to beat me at something, you usually don't hesitate to do so."

White scoffed, though she couldn't deny that he was probably right.

"But I'm going for the gyms, then the Pokémon League eventually." His face suddenly turned serious. "I mean, what else do I go for on a journey like this?" He spoke as if the question he'd previously asked was pointless to him. "Anyway, what about you, Bianca?"

The blond took a few moments to reply, too immersed in all the good-looking foods to say anything. After a few seconds, she looked up and shrugged. "I'm not sure, to be honest. I planned on finding that out while I'm travelling, y'know?" She laughed a little, also closing her menu.

Cheren suppressed a laugh. "You really haven't changed, always figuring stuff out at the last minute."

"I wouldn't really call it the last minute," interrupted White. "I mean, she's figuring it out on the way, right? She can always backtrack if there's anything she's missed."

At that point, a waiter, apparently having noticed that they'd disregarded their menus, approached them with his notepad, impatiently tapping the tip of his pen on the page and staring at the three.

"You ready to order?" he asked. His tone was blunt, though he'd probably been working for awhile. White assumed he was just tired.

She, Cheren and Bianca told him their orders, and he walked off with a pace that was almost a run, now clicking the pen repetitively.

-.-.-

"If this place is a gym," White paused, tapping her foot and looking around with a slight impatient tinge in her eyes, "then where the heck do you have the battles?" She looked around, eyeing all the tables with a disgruntled look. "As much as I'd like to have a battle on tabletops, this place seems way too fancy to actually allow that."

She couldn't help but laugh at the image in her head of Oshawott battling on top of tables. The otter had enough trouble keeping herself steady in battles on a field, let along leaping from table to table. It seemed like a thing Snivy or Tepig would be more cut out to do.

"A gym battle?"

White was almost scared out of her own skin when the voice came up behind her. Despite it being soft, fluent, and calm, it still made her jump and go all-out-ninja on the person behind her. Well, she almost did. When she turned on one foot, her hands were raised in a karate-chop form as she glared at the person in front of her. The boy, who didn't look too much older than seventeen or eighteen, simply chuckled, brushing his straight, aqua-blue fringe out of his similarly coloured eyes.

"Hello," he said simply as White slowly lowered her hands to her side. "Did I hear something about a Gym battle?"

Slowly, her face a pale pink out of embarrassment, White nodded. She resisted the urge to elbow Cheren, who was snickering quietly behind her.

"Well, I think I can provide that." The boy smiled, the tone of his voice never rising out of the quiet, serene one it already possessed. "Although, you are lucky it was not my brother who met you just then. He would have picked a fight with you if you seemed willing." He shook his head, an almost ashamed look on his face. "If you're ready, come with me."

White glanced back at Cheren and Bianca, somewhat nervous about the situation. Cheren just shrugged. The boy seemed trustworthy. He had a sort of voice that manipulators would die for. It seemed perfectly truthful, and White didn't want to question anything he said, despite having only just met him.

The back of the room was draped over with curtains. Bright red and velvety, they hung almost like waterfalls down from the ceiling. Previously, White had assumed they were more of a wall decoration, only covering what would otherwise be a completely blank wall. It certainly worked, the red matching the atmosphere of the restaurant perfectly. Because of this, something in the room seemed to disappear when the blue-haired boy pulled on a string and the curtains parted, revealing a large battlefield.

White saw a finger appear in the corner of her vision, and when she turned, she saw Bianca pointing straight at the new-found room, her eyes filled with disbelief.

"I think," she started, "we just found the battlefield."

Despite the fact that the two would have usually rolled their eyes at such a remark, Cheren and White couldn't help but nod in response. The field wasn't anything special, really. White had seen cooler ones on television. But the fact that they had just thrown it into a café without considering the consequences seemed like both a stupid and absolutely clever idea at the same time. White gaped in awe as the boy walked serenely to the back of the room where a small stage was positioned. On the stage, two people stood, dressed in the same fancy waiters' outfit, their hands folded across their laps. As the boy joined them in-between the two, White laughed at what an interesting contrast they had when they stood in a line.

Standing beside the blue-haired boy to the left was another boy, same height, same face, only his eyes were a piercing red and his hair, a similar colour, looked like it hadn't been brushed in Arceus knows how long. Despite the resemblance to his blue-haired companion, his mouth took the form of a large grin, leading his eyes to look steely and determined.

To the right stood a boy with green hair, spiked up at the front from what White could see, and pale green eyes. He almost looked sick with nervousness, which became more apparent as White, Cheren and Bianca approached with anticipating looks on their faces. Well, all except Cheren, who was examining them with the same face he would have when reading a book.

"Welcome to the Striaton Gym Café!" they chorused together, the greener of the three seeming to trip over his words a little.

"I'm Cress, the Water Master." Cress, the blue-haired one, bowed formally.

"I'm Chili, and I fight with fire-types!" The redhead punched the air determinedly.

"My name is Cilan." White noticed so-called Cilan's hands fidgeting slightly, and he reached one of them back to flatten down his green hair. "I like grass-types." He seemed extremely hesitant with all eyes on him.

"And we would like to welcome your entertainment for the evening!" all three chorused together, resulting in a few claps from diners.

White's face fell. Great, so she was going to be nothing but entertainment.

Almost before she could set her mind on her goals again, Cress stepped off the platform and made his way to the three teenagers. When he approached them, he stood directly in front of White, eyeing her from above. White crossed her arms and stared back, waiting for him to say something.

After a few seconds of just looking at her, Cress flicked his fringe and spoke. "What's your name, challenger?"

"White," she stated, stepping back slightly in order to regain her personal space.

Cress, too, stepped back. "Lovely name." He turned around and gestured to Cilan and Chili. "Now, I will explain how this gym works. Each one of us specialises in a specific type, as previously mentioned. You only battle one of us, so don't worry about that." He turned around and began to walk casually back to the stage, his voice progressively growing louder as he got farther and farther away. "The leader you challenge depends on whatever your starter Pokémon was. If you started with the generic water, fire or grass-type, you will challenge our respective Pokémon of those types, depending on whichever Pokémon is strong against your own. If you did not, you will fight against one of our other Pokémon." He looked down and mumbled the rest. "Namely a Lillipup. We really need to work on that…" He coughed before continuing. "Now, do you have a generic starter Pokémon type?"

White gulped. She could lie and say that she didn't, but that would rule out Oshawott as an option anyway. Lillipup, though he was very determined, probably wasn't strong enough to challenge a gym Pokémon. Sure, said gym Pokémon would be another Lillipup, but that one was likely stronger than one she'd only caught the previous day. On the other hand, she could probably fight through with Oshawott if the opponent was evenly levelled by just using strategy alone.

Damn it, she thought. This would be easy for Cheren. She glanced back at him. He'd tell on her anyway if she lied, so instead, she pulled out Oshawott's pokéball and held it up.

"I started with Oshawott," she declared.

On the other side of the field, Cilan flinched as his two brothers turned to him, gesturing for him to take his position on the field. As he did so, White noticed that he was shaking slightly.

"He must be extremely shy," she heard Cheren mutter behind her, not particularly to anyone else, as he and Bianca made their way to the sidelines to watch. White, shaking any lingering thoughts out of her head, took her own position and sent out Oshawott. Cilan, fidgeting with his pokéball and fumbling to throw it into the air, sent out a green Pokémon that looked like a monkey with a piece of broccoli on its head.

"I'm not the best battler," he admitted. His Pansage looked about ready to hit him on the head with something. "But I'll do my best."

White nodded. "I will, too," she muttered. No matter how bad of a battler he was, he was still a gym leader with a type advantage, and she'd be better off remembering that.

Cress, now standing on the side with a black and white chequered flag in his left hand, held said flag up and called, "The battle between gym leader Cilan and challenger White will now begin!"

"Oshawott, use Water Gun!"

Before she'd called the move, White had taken a glance at Cilan. At the time, he'd seemed to have been thinking, analysing Oshawott with all his concentration. Because of this, he'd jumped slightly when the jet of water shot out of Oshawott's mouth and hit his Pokémon in the face before it could even dodge.

Surprised, but not really hurt at all by the attack, Pansage shook itself off and glared at Oshawott, who was now laughing slightly. White knew the attack wouldn't do much, but she didn't want to risk going for a direct attack like Tackle. That would waste too much time.

"Pansage, use Vine Whip!"

Pansage leaped into the air, and White was expecting the vines to come out of its hands. She was perfectly prepared for it; this seemed an awful lot like her and Cheren's battle earlier in the day. Because of this, she was a little taken-aback when the vine was instead made out of Pansage extending its tail. It stretched like a rubber band as Pansage flicked it, sending it lashing through the air towards Oshawott.

"Dodge it!" called White. Oshawott leaped into the air as the vine slammed into the ground, kicking up a cloud of debris and dust which filled the air like mist. A split second later, however, the vine, still not taken out, shot up through the cloud and wrapped itself around Oshawott, who grunted as it tightened.

Because of the dust, White hadn't seen the vine still moving. It clouded Pansage's entire body from view until it was nothing but a shadow at the other side of the field. White gritted her teeth as the monkey hurled Oshawott across the room, sending her crashing into the wall. As she hit it, the vine made one last attempt at whipping her on the wall, and it did so successfully, before retracting back into a normal tail. Pansage, the entire time, had simply been standing in place once it had recovered from the jump, and was now flicking its tail back and forth while it awaited its next command.

"Fury Swipes!"

It seemed this Pansage had far too many hidden weapons. It held its previously blunt paws up, which didn't look at all threatening. That is, until shining silver claws shot out of the fingertips like spines. Flexing its paw, Pansage leapt into the air and began charging at Oshawott, who rolled out of the way just in time. The monkey hit the wall with its claws, letting out a wail of pain before retracting them and looking around. A long, faint scratch mark had carved its way into the bricks, and a pale red tinge now stained Pansage's paw where the claws resided.

White flinched at the sight; it looked painful even from how far away she was. "Oshawott, use Tackle while it's distracted!"

Not hesitating in attacking despite that fact that the opponents paws were bleeding slightly, Oshawott used the wall to propel herself at a faster rate towards the startled monkey. Pansage tried to dodge, but out of the confusion only sent itself crashing into the wall, having meant to dodge the opposite direction. As soon as it hit the wall, Oshawott made her move, slamming her shoulder into Pansage and sending it flying back towards the ground a few metres behind it.

The Pansage, despite having been hit quite hard, skidded backwards on its feet, only just managing to land upright. It was now panting slightly, clenching its paws and baring its teeth, which didn't look all that threatening. As Cilan called for another Vine Whip, it obeyed without question, stretching its tail out once more, the leaves at the tip quivering as they approached Oshawott.

"Water Gun at its face!" called White. Oshawott, not seeming all that content with the idea considering that move had previously done practically nothing, hesitated slightly when spitting the water this time. She resisted the urge to glance back at her trainer, and instead focussed on dodging the Vine Whip after giving the opponent a face-full of water.

When she jumped, however, she understood why she was ordered to do such a thing. Now with a face full of droplets and stinging eyes that struggled to stay open, Pansage couldn't even hope to redirect the vine in Oshawott's direction. Instead, it retracted the vine in shock as it blinked furiously, trying to get the stinging out of its eyes and make another move.

Before it could do so, Oshawott leapt off the ground for another Tackle attack, this time hitting Pansage's stomach. The monkey let out a wail and flew backwards, stretching its tail out to stop it from slamming into the wall.

White smirked; this was easier than she'd thought it would be.

"I-I'm not done yet." Cilan clenched his fists, his entire body shaking with either nerves or rage. White couldn't tell either way. "Pansage, use Work Up!"

Like its trainer, Pansage clenched its fists and shut its eyes tightly until it began to shake. White's mouth fell open as the previously green monkey took on a redder colour, and it looked like steam was coming off of the leafy puffball on its head.

"Use Lick!"

With its claws rendered useless, White had expected another Vine Whip. The last thing she expected was for the Pansage to dive at Oshawott with a massive tongue sticking out of its mouth. It seemed to expand with the attack, tiny strands of saliva dripping off of the muscle. Pansage still took on the faint red, and as it wrapped its lengthened tongue around Oshawott and pulled back, White noticed a look of rage now painted onto its face.

Oshawott shivered at the move. It was disgusting. For a second, she was completely stunned, her arms sticking out at her sides, but she couldn't move them. Her entire body was paralysed completely, and she didn't snap out of it until she felt the lash of a vine slapping against her skin. She was sent tumbling back towards the wall with the force. White wasn't really sure what to make of the Work Up other than the fact that it scarily increased Pansage's strength.

As she looked up, the monkey was panting heavily, but still standing. Its attacks were doing a lot more, but at what cost? The attack looked like it used up a lot of energy, so was the decreased health worth the higher attack power?

White decided to test this. Despite having been hit multiple times, Oshawott was still standing, if only barely. She, too, was panting slightly, hot breath pouring out of her nose, which had a glob of saliva dripping off of it from the Lick attack. Her slightly damp body was covered in dirt from hitting the wall.

"Oshawott, use Water Gun! A really powerful one!"

Too tired to consider the consequences, Oshawott let out a powerful stream of water from her mouth, which went shooting straight at Pansage. Well, it did for awhile. When the attack got near, the monkey leapt into the air, using its tail as a spring, and dodged the attack cleanly.

White smirked.

"Oshawott, redirect it up!"

The stream whipped up with Oshawott's head movement, catching Pansage off guard and sending it flying into the air with the force. The attack propelled it all the way to the roof of the building. Due to being in mid-air, the water didn't hit as hard as it could have. However, that wasn't what White had been intending to happen, for it also sent the opponent flying at a faster rate towards the stone roof, which would definitely hurt.

As the stream of water died away, Pansage fell limply to the ground, having taken on its original colour once more. Its tail flailed uselessly in the air as the earth grew nearer. Pansage hit the ground with a thud, eyes spinning in circles and now minimised tongue hanging out of its mouth.

Coughing slightly, Cress held up the flag towards Pansage. "Pansage is unable to battle!" he called, and White noticed he was smiling slightly. With another swift movement, he redirected the flag to where White was standing. "The victory goes to White, the challenger!"

White, in hearing those words, let her mouth fall open. In the adrenaline of battling, she'd completely forgotten that this was a gym battle in the first place. "We… Won?" she muttered to herself, before her eyes lit up and she punched the air. "We won! We did it, Oshawott!"

She ran up to her exhausted Pokémon and picked her up, letting her nuzzle her nose into her cheek. It was still slightly damp, but who really cared? They'd won, damn it!

As Cress approached her, he held out his hand. "You have earned this," he said, unclenching his fist to reveal a small badge. Three gems, a red, a blue and a green, lined with gold.

White took it and smiled. "Thanks," she said.

"And this is the case you will keep it in, along with all other badges of the Unova region." He held out a silver case with the Unova League sign carved into it. He flashed a smile as White took it, placing her new badge inside. "If you intend to earn all of them, that is."

Before Cress could say anything else, Chili interrupted with a bound off of the stage. His hand shot out and he pointed a finger at Where Cheren and Bianca were sitting. The two seemed a little startled by the sudden action.

"Right!" he exclaimed, glaring determinedly at the two. "Who's next?"

Glancing at Bianca quickly, Cheren stood up and walked over to where White had previously been standing on the battlefield. Snivy was sitting on his shoulder, and the snake instantly leapt onto the field and flicked his tail.

His eyes widening, Chili leapt up and punched the air. "Yeah!" The yell echoed around the room as he took his position on the other side of the battlefield, ready to face Cheren.

Cress shook his head as he picked up the flag again. "Brothers…" he muttered.

-.-.-

So… To me, Zorua is kind of that one friend that's such a close friend that you really don't care if they get hurt anymore. Do you guys have that friend? I don't know, but I do. With all my other friends I freak out, but if he falls, I sort of just laugh. He always gets beaten up by girls anyway.

I actually listened to the Black and White Gym Battle Theme while I was writing the battle, and it was pretty intense. I hope it turned out alright. I hate writing battle scenes early on…

Anyway, since N is the other character that shows up in the character list, I figured I should put in some behind-the-scenes parts with him in them. I might do it every-so-often, since otherwise he doesn't really show up much. I want him to be a well-included character throughout the story, and not just the weird stalker that shows up and challenges White to battles.

I know it's always Cilan who kind of runs the gym in the games, but I threw Cress in to be that one instead. He just seems more… Capable? I don't know, but I think he's kind of the one that balances the two brothers out (and keeps Chili in tow when he goes crazy) but that's just me. Plus, I want this to be kinda unique from the games.

Along with N, Zorua is going to be a recurring character. I like N having conversations with one of his Pokémon, and because he switches teams a lot, I wanted a Pokémon that will always be around. I made Zorua that part in the old version, too, but he's going to play an ever-so-slightly different role in this one (Hemightendupferriswheelshippingtoo), but you didn't hear anything from me… Plus, he's just a funny character in my mind. Kind of like N's slightly smarter, less childish sidekick, only N never listens to him because he's a friend, not an advisor.

And now, we'll have some behind the scenes stuff that really isn't too interesting but I'll throw it in anyway.

For White and N's first encounter, I was originally going to have N breathing down her neck because it would be very creepy, but then I came up with the whole lost Lillipup thing. Reason being was that N seems too tall to breath down her neck. It would be more like him breathing in her hair, and that just wasn't as creepy when I imagined him staring at her with completely blank eyes while mindlessly stroking a dog. (If I could draw, I would draw that scene from White's point of view. Seriously, that would be hilarious).

That's it for this super duper long author's note. I'm sorry if this chapter wasn't as long as the previous ones, but I didn't want to shove anything else in there. It turned out okay, though, I think. So, thanks for reading, reviewing, favouriting and/or following, and I will see you in the next chapter!