I walked quietly through the woods, keeping as close to the tree trunks as possible. The rain was pouring down heavier now and even the canopy of leaves was proving to be less than satisfactory coverage. I could feel the cold water against my arms as it dripped down from the branches above.
The woods seemed to be getting denser as I traveled further away from the worn path. The grass was getting slightly longer and it tickled against my bare ankles. I dashed quickly out of the grass and onto a dryer patch of earth.
"White, come over here!" I heard an oddly familiar voice call.
I hustled towards the sound, ignoring the fact that it could be an awful idea. In front of me stood Cheren, a small tent already set up. I hustled over to him and ducked under the cover of his tent, sighing in relief.
"Cheren, what are you doing here?" I asked, taking off my hat and pushing my bangs back.
He looked at me and pushed his glasses a little higher on his nose, "I saw you chase after Team Plasma and I came looking for you here. Good thing, too. Otherwise you'd be soaked."
I laughed a little, "You're always coming to my rescue."
He rolled his eyes at me in a very exaggerated manner. I smiled at him and scooted a little further into the tent. We sat in silence for a little while, watching the rain pound against the ground.
Finally, he broke the silence, "White. What do you think is important?"
"I think what's most important is being happy, Cheren. You know that." I replied quietly.
He studied me for a moment, "I find strength to be truly important."
We fell into a second silence. We'd had this conversation so many times, and neither of us had changed our opinions. I wasn't sure why he would bring it up again when he knew my answer. In fact, he could probably have this whole conversation with himself because he could predict every answer I would give.
"What do you know of Team Plasma?" I asked off-handedly.
Cheren shot me a look before answering, "Not much. Just that they're trying to 'liberate' pokemon. Why?"
I sighed, "I just keep running into them and it's getting frustrating because I don't know anything about them."
"Well, I met this one guy earlier. Said he was a friend of yours." Cheren shrugged, "He said that you were chasing after Team Plasma. That's what led me here."
"A… friend of mine?" I echoed quietly, "Who was it?"
"He said his name was N. Just… N." He replied.
For a moment, I was sure that I had heard Cheren wrong. N had sent Cheren to find and maybe even help me? But… wasn't he related to Team Plasma somehow?
As I thought about it, I realized I wasn't sure. He didn't dress like anyone in Team Plasma. And he made no attempt to take my pokemon from me. But he had appeared when Team Plasma appeared, and they referred to him as their lord. He had to be with them, right?
"That's strange. He's with Team Plasma." I admitted to Cheren.
"Really?" He raised an eyebrow at me, "That's not what he told me. He told me he was hunting them down."
"What? B-but… They refer to him as 'Lord N'!"
He frowned in thought, "Well, either they're lying to you or he's lying to me. Who do you think is more likely to lie?"
I took in a deep breath, closing my eyes and rubbing my temples, "I want to say Team Plasma is more likely to lie. But I don't know N or anything about him, so I can't say he wouldn't."
"I guess that's fair. I think for now we shouldn't worry about what he says or does. As long as he's not aiding Team Plasma, he doesn't really matter." He reasoned, nodding assuredly at me.
Another silence fell between us. The only thing I could hear was the rain pattering against the ground, the leaves and the tent that we sat in. For a moment, everything felt weird and I couldn't explain why. Cheren was one of my best friends, someone I trusted with everything. But as he sat next to me, we felt different, further apart.
"Cheren, I'm scared." I whispered softly, almost hoping that he didn't hear my words.
He lifted a hand casually and placed it on my shoulder, "Everything will be alright, White. It always is."
"I know. But," I leaned back on my hands, "I don't think everything will go smoothly for awhile. And that terrifies me."
"You're strong, White. And confident and brave. You can get through it. And if you can't, I'm always here to help you." He muttered, resting his elbows on his folded legs and propping his head up in his hands.
I sighed, "You're right. Thanks, Cheren."
He smiled a little but didn't turn to face me. That silence surrounded us again. The rain outside was letting up enough for the trees to provide sufficient cover. I stretched my legs out in front of me, my shoes just poking out past the end of the tent.
"What are you going to do now, Cheren?"
He sighed and looked at me, an unreadable emotion in his eyes, "I'm going to become stronger and take on the champion."
There was a hollow tone to his words that sent another wave of fear across my heart. I had always dreamt about going out on my own adventure, but never had I realized that it would be so hard.
"What about you, White?"
I stared into his blue eyes for a long moment, deciding on my words, "I'm going to get my badges. And I have a feeling I'm going to be involved with Team Plasma a lot in the future, too."
A small smile cracked his lips, "You always did have a knack for getting into trouble, didn't you?"
"I'm just a magnet for it, what can I say?"
We both laughed a little and it reminded me of our years growing up together. It made me feel light hearted and a little bit relieved. Life would always be hard and it would bring me down, but I could get through it as long as I had people and pokemon by my side.
"The rain has stopped." I whispered.
He stood and exited the tent, looking around, "Yeah. I think it's time we get going again. I'm heading back to Nacrene City for a little while. Remember, White. Call me if you ever need anything."
I nodded and walked over to him, hugging him. Cheren never was one for hugs or physical contact in general, but he put up with me when I felt the need to hug him.
After I released him, he collapsed his tent and packed it away. He waved to me one more time before stalking off into the distance. I sighed. I was on my own again. But he was correct. I was strong. I could do this!
With two deep breaths, I set off in the direction I thought I was supposed to go. If I was honest with myself, I'd have to admit that I wasn't actually sure which way was out of the forest. But being lost in the forest meant new pokemon and new adventures.
A few feet ahead of me I spotted a wild Cottenee hiding under the shelter of a tree. I picked a pokeball off my belt and sent my Lilipup out. The Cottenee tried to flee, but my Lilipup was quicker and cornered it. The two battled for awhile before I was able to get a clear shot at it with my pokeball.
I held my breath in anticipation as the ball wobbled from side to side for what seemed like forever. Finally I heart a small click and a light flashed on the front of the pokeball.
"Yes!" I exclaimed, running over and lifting my pokeball off the ground, "Oh, Lilipup, we did it! Great job!"
He barked at me, running to my feet. I bent down and nuzzled my face against him, petting his head.
"What do you say we figure out how to get out of here and hit a Pokemon Center?"
He dropped back onto his butt and stared up at me, waiting patiently to be put away. I lifted his pokeball and returned him to I and then clipped both him and Cottenee to my belt.
I continued on my way through the forest, which was a tangle of different paths and tree roots. Every once in a while I encountered fallen, hollowed tree that I was forced to duck through, but I made it out eventually. The sight of the main path was a huge relief to me.
The sun was dipping below the horizon and the sky was turning a wonderful mixture of oranges and yellows. It put a smile on my face as I headed towards the bridge that I had seen in the distance earlier.
Once I reached the top of the bridge, I paused. The breath was taken right out of me as I stared over the water at the sunset. The beautiful colors of the sun danced across the seemingly endless river. The beauty of this moment reminded me why I wanted to leave my town on this adventure in the first place.
"It's gorgeous." I breathed out.
In a moment, another set of hands was on the railing next to mine. I looked over to see green hair and a beautiful pool of green, orange and yellow for eyes.
"N." I whispered.
He looked at me through the corner of his eyes, "White."
I stared at him in complete shock for a long moment, not sure what to say. Why did I keep running into him? I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding, trying to think something through. What was it about him that unnerved me so much when I saw him?
One of the main reasons I wanted to go out on this adventure was to make new friends and keep in touch with them. But for some reason, N worried me. There was just something about him that made me feel on edge when I was with him. But there was also something that I was okay with.
"I hear you're looking for Team Plasma," I finally uttered, looking away from him.
I didn't fail to notice the small smile that curved up the corner of his lips, "Something like that."
"You sent Cheren to help me earlier."
"I thought you might need it."
"You don't believe in my power?"
"Au contraire," He laughed. The sound was smooth and surprisingly silky, "I know you can handle it alone. I just wanted to make sure Team Plasma didn't try anything because you were so good."
"That doesn't make any sense." I sighed and turned around, placing my arms against the railing of the bridge and leaning back, "What are you doing here, anyways?"
"Traveling around. Just like you."
"And you have nothing to do with Team Plasma?"
He chuckled, "I didn't say that."
An agitated sigh escaped my lips, "What are you, a riddle or something? What iwill/i you tell me about yourself, then?"
He stared at me and I couldn't help but notice the green of his eyes. They were so vibrant and full of life, of dreams. They almost knocked me off my feet with their intense beauty. It was definitely not something I had ever seen before.
"What do you want to know?"
"Anything." I muttered, looking away from his eyes, "Everything."
"Well then, spend some time with me. Get to know me." He replied as if it were the easiest thing in the world.
"How? You're always running off."
His hand rested against my shoulder as he stared down into my eyes, "You'll get your chance, White. Just keep on the track you're on. Your answers will come soon enough."
He smiled at me before turning back to the sunset. We stood there in silence. And this time, instead of leaving me confused and frustrated, he left me breathless.