Chapter Seven: The Ugly Side
The chill in the night air was more potent that evening in Ecruteak City, but the flickering jack-o-lanterns that graced the sidewalks emanated a spooky warmth that suited Snowe and her friends just fine. Halloween had arrived, and the entire city, from the store windows to the whirlwinds of fallen leaves shined golden-orange. The beauty and spookiness of the traditional town was what Snowe liked to see on Halloween. Even if she were too old to enjoy candy or get terrified anymore, she could still enjoy the atmosphere.
Bianca had somehow persuaded her and Cheren to dress up and attend a Halloween party for trainers and their Pokémon. They marched towards a dance theater, the site of the party, in a line that took up nearly the entire narrow street thanks to Bianca's enormous costume. She had found a wide-skirted dress that resembled the body of a Lilligant. Though she looked a tad ridiculous in her hoop skirt with a big, orange flower in her hair, the one that stole the show was Cheren. He wore a simple brown suit, but the gigantic, white, afro wig that covered his usually neat hair forced him to stand out. Bianca also claimed responsibility for Cheren's Wimsicott costume. Luckily for Cheren, he knew better than to complain. The uncomfortable expression on his face made Snowe burst out in laughter each time she saw it.
"Oh shut up," he whined. "At least my costume doesn't suit me as disturbingly well as yours does." Cheren whacked the devil-horned headband off of Snowe's crown. Snowe managed to pull his wig off before he shouted for a truce. Readjusting her horns, she looked down at her costume, hoping that her short, red dress would keep her butt covered in case she needed to battle someone.
"Oh, guys look!" Bianca shouted, pointing past a torii that marked the South entrance into the city. A small, red Pokémon weakly limped across the path. Overcome with pity, Bianca broke from her friends and ran to the little Pokémon's side.
"Careful, Bianca," Cheren shouted, swiftly following her. Snowe pulled her Pokédex from a drawstring pouch and scanned the unknown creature.
Vulpix: the Fox Pokémon
It controls balls of fire. As it grows, its six tails split from their tips to make more tails.
Type: Fire
Gender: Female
Status: Paralyzed.
"Hey, we need to get this thing to a Pokémon Center," Snowe ordered. Carefully, Bianca put her hand out to the Vulpix. The Pokémon didn't bite or draw away from her.
"Okay sweetheart," Bianca muttered, softly taking Vulpix into her arms. "W-we're going to get you fixed up. Just stay calm." She lifted the Pokémon up and the three slowly walked to the nearby Pokémon center, being careful not to cause Vulpix any more distress. They were all business when they arrived, and a nurse was at the counter right away to fix up the injured Pokémon.
"Go on ahead of me," Bianca said, handing the Vulpix to the nurse. "I'll catch up as soon as we're done here."
"Are you sure?" Cheren asked.
"We can wait," Snowe added.
"No, go have fun," she commanded with a smile. With that, Cheren and Snowe took their leave and continued on to the dance house.
Snowe and Cheren were pleasantly surprised as they entered the squat, wooden building. What was an Eastern-styled tea and dance house on the average day had been turned into the perfect Halloween venue. The white paper lanterns above them were outfitted with black light bulbs. The lights were rigged to flicker like candles, keeping the atmosphere dark. A thick fog stuck to the floor, biting Snowe's bare ankles with it's chill. At the front of the room, a group of tame Ghastly and Haunter hovered around a wooden stage, frightening the partygoers at random. One of the ghost Pokémon flew through the DJ, causing him to fall back into a speaker and interrupt the music.
A man at a table on the far corner of the room took the pause to make an announcement. "Attention! This is the last chance to register for the double battle tournament. Anyone wishing to participate needs to choose their Pokémon and come up to the table. The tournament starts in ten minutes."
"Damn, Bianca isn't going to make it," Cheren remarked. "I promised her she'd be my partner."
"Want to partner up with me?" Snowe asked.
"No, I don't want to make her feel left out," he replied. "You were going to have to find a random partner anyway, so hurry up and register." Snowe nodded and pushed her way through the crowd towards the table.
"Your name, license, and your chosen Pokémon's species," the tournament organizer ordered. Snowe pulled her trainer card and a Poké Ball from her handbag.
"Snowe Weiss, and I'll be using a female Zoroark," she answered. Her stomach dropped as she watched the man scrutinize her license.
"Hilda Weiss?" he asked. Snowe flushed.
"Hilda Snowe Weiss," she replied. "I go by my middle name." The organizer shook his head, seemingly trying to understand kids these day, then punched her information into a laptop before handing her a number.
"You'll be assigned a partner based on your Pokémon's type," he explained. "When your number is called, you better get your butt on the stage. If you don't show, your partner will be automatically disqualified and you'll have to answer to them."
"Sounds good," Snowe replied. "Thank you." She walked close enough to Cheren to that he could see her gesture for him to move closer to the stage. "I need to stay close," she explained. "I have no idea when they'll call me up."
The lights above them dimmed, and the focus of the room shifted to the stage. The DJ switched the music from a sugary pop mix to something more spooky and ambient. From behind the curtain, the host of the night's event appeared. Cheren recognized him as the Ecruteak Gym Leader, Morty. The tournament organizer handed him a microphone from the front of the stage. Morty tapped it a few times for comic effect before speaking.
"Wow, there are a lot of people here today," he said, covering his eyes from the spotlight and gazing into the crowd. "Thank you all for coming to the Sixth Annual Halloween Bash. Now, my publicist says I need to clear something up right away. I know some pictures of me have been printed in the tabloids." He paused as the crowd giggled. Cheren and Snowe rolled their eyes. Since arriving in Johto, this scandal had been the talk of the region. "I want to assure all of you that the smoke you see on the floor is just from a fog machine, not from me." The audience roared with laughter. Morty smiled and put an approving hand up at the crowd, gently silencing them.
"Now for something completely legal," he declared. "I'm happy to announce the first four competitors for tonight's tournament. To the left...your right...our competitors will be Joey from Cherrygrove City and Diana from Mahogany Town." The crowd cheered as a young boy and a twenty-something girl took the stage. Diana seemed unenthusiastic about having a child as a partner. "And on the other end of the stage, we have Hilda all the way from Unova and Yoshi from Cainwood City." Cheren grinned mockingly at the sound of Snowe's first name and received a hard punch on the arm in return. Quickly, Snowe made her way onto the stage and shook hands with her partner, a man dressed as a black-belt. From the way he carried himself, she could tell that his karate uniform wasn't a costume. Morty gestured to all four competitors. "There we have it, our first four participants everyone. Now, let me get the hell out of your way and let's start this competition."
Morty disappeared behind the curtain and the pop music began again. A projector displayed a countdown from five on the curtain. The four trainers readied their Poké Balls, and the moment the counter hit zero, four bright flashes of lit up the stage. Snowe's eyes adjusted to find a Hitmonlee standing next to her Zoroark and a Raticate and Mamoswine facing her.
Immediately, her partner ordered Hitmonlee to use Low Kick on the Raticate. Not missing a beat, Snowe had Zoroark hit the Mamoswine with Night Daze. Both opponents managed to dodge the attacks, and the Raticate struck back at Zoroark with Super Fang. Snowe cursed under her breath. Zoroark hadn't taken the hit well.
As for Mamoswine, its trainer ordered it to use Bulldoze. It charged at Snowe's team, knocking both Zoroark and Hitmonlee to the floor. Snowe looked at Yoshi and gestured to Mamoswine. They both knew that it was the real threat. Yoshi ordered his Hitmonlee to charge forward and attack with Blaze Kick. This distracted the other team from Zoroark, who began to charge her Focus Blast. Joey's Raticate knocked Hitmonlee off track with a powerful Iron Tail, but the diversion worked. Zoroark fired her Focus Blast, hitting Mamoswine square in the face, knocking it out.
The crowd applauded the first KO of the night. Snowe looked out on the audience and beamed. The roar of the crowd was her favorite part of competitive battling. Even if people were screaming "Go Hilda!" rather than "Go Snowe!" her heart still soared.
One person wasn't cheering. Rather than become a part of the momentum that made battles so great, this man appeared dead-set on spoiling the fun. His ornate mask caught Snowe's eye, but it was his crown that made her gaze freeze upon him.
Snowe took the stairs two at a time, her empty lungs desperately inhaling the damp castle air. Time was running short; the Shadow Trio's little tour ensured that. He would be at the top, in his throne room, battling Alder, and no doubt defeating him with the power of the legendary Reshiram.
She reached the landing, and stopped only as long as it took to catch her breath. Her mind dizzy with exhaustion and fear, she only now noticed the giant painting on the wall before her. It was a portrait, beautifully painted in the art nouveau style and framed in gold. Its subject made her feel as if someone had pressed an ice cube to her spine. The young "King" of Team Plasma stood in profile, a contemplative expression on his face, long, green ringlets twisting amongst white poppies.
The King stood before her now, watching her battle from behind a golden mask. At any other time, her body would be ecstatic with joy with his presence. Somehow, this time felt different. Her legs felt weak with apprehension as he met her gaze. Snowe felt something very wrong, as if she were gazing at dark thunderclouds on the horizon. He backed into the crowd, disappearing behind a curtain of people.
"Hilda! Pay attention!" her parter shouted. Snowe felt punched in the stomach. She had lost track of the battle. Hitmonlee was locked in combat with Joey's Raticate. As Snowe found her bearings, Raticate pushed Hitmonlee back and defeated him with Hyper Fang. Now, it was only Raticate and Zoroark. Quickly, Snowe ordered her Pokémon to stay as far away from Raticate as possible, but the speed of Joey's Pokémon was surprising, and it kept managing to close in on Zoroark.
"Night Daze, Zoroark!" she shouted. A black wave burst from the fox Pokémon. It managed to hit Raticate, yet it still hung on.
"Raticate, Super Fang!" Joey ordered. Snowe watched helplessly as Zoroark, still too worn from her last attack, took the attack in her chest. The wind was knocked from her, and she fainted at Snowe's feet. The crowd cheered for Joey at the extraordinary comeback. Dejected, Snowe recalled Zoroark and bustled off of the stage before the winner could be announced. Cheren was waiting for her at the stage exit.
"Snowe, what happened?" he asked, his tone more concerned about her than she thought possible.
"I...I'll be in the restroom," she mumbled, still clutching Zoroark's Poké Ball in her hand. Once locked in the tiny bathroom, she released her Pokémon and began to administer a Hyper Potion. "I'm so sorry," she mumbled. "That was so...ugly of me. I'll never let myself get distracted like that ever again." Zoroark growled affectionately at her. Although she was her toughest Pokémon, she still knew how to comfort Snowe. Snowe wrapped her arms around the Pokémon.
"He's here," she remarked. "What do I do?" Zoroark broke away from her trainer and scratched at the bathroom door. Slowly, Snowe reached for the doorknob.
"Sniff him out for me," she ordered, biting her lip with agitation. Pulling the door open, Snowe allowed Zoroark to run ahead of her onto the dance floor. Immediately, she bulldozed through the crowd, focusing on the monarch. Snowe was just as polite as her Pokémon as she shoved people aside. Luckily, everyone was too focused on the next battle to pay any attention. Zoroark stopped a few yards short of the wall and pointed to a caped man. His back was turned to them, his attention focused on the stage. Snowe commanded her Pokémon to stay put and she slowly stepped towards him. When she was just close enough, she gently pulled on his shirtsleeve. He recoiled abruptly and spun around to meet her gaze. When he realized who it was, his posture relaxed.
"What are you doing here, N?" she asked, her wavering voice nearly lost in the sound of music and cheering.
He stood in silence for a moment, then shook himself out of disbelief. "I came here to enjoy the party." Snowe stared at him in disbelief, more shocked than angry. "I know what you're thinking. I shouldn't be out in public with so many people, but I had to...I wanted to."
"I'm just surprised," she remarked. "As long as you're being careful, which I assume is what the mask is for, I can't condemn you. I-I'm not mad if that's what you're thinking. I just can't believe you're here." To her horror, she was speaking quickly. Blushing, she dropped her gaze to her feet. The battle on the stage drew to a close. The partygoers erupted in cheers for the next two winners. Morty appeared on the stage to announce an intermission before the next set of battles, but N and Snowe remained oblivious to the action.
"I've never been in this type of setting before," N admitted. "There had always been ceremonies or dinner parties at the castle, but I've never been a participant, just the focus."
"That's...really depressing," Snowe replied with a half smile. "It's good that you're here then." She paused, trying to figure out what to say. "I wanted to see you again anyway, so it's lucky that we bumped into each other too."
N noticed her apprehension. Her focus still hadn't moved from the floor. He moved to reach his hand out to her, but instead she grabbed his wrist. A slow-tempo rock song began to play. A column of heat rose from his chest and broke into his head, tinting his face bright red behind his mask.
"You've never been to a party before, so I guess that means you've never slow danced with a girl either?" she thought aloud. Slowly, she lifted her eyes to his face. "To be honest, I've never danced with a guy myself. I have no clue how things ended up that way, but...d-do you want to dance?"
N answered by silently allowing her to pull him away from the wall. Snowe's hands shook as she placed them on his shoulders, as did his as he found her waist. For a minute or so, they swayed awkwardly back and forth in silence, Snowe's mind buzzing so fervently that she could barely hear the song. Only the touch of his hand kept her anchored to reality. She wondered if his speechlessness was for the same reason as her.
"It's a shame that you and I had to meet the way we did," he mused, looking past her shoulder. "I would have liked to have gotten to know you as more of a friend than an adversary."
"What are you talking about?" she asked. "Aren't we friends now? I consider you my friend. Who cares if things were...rusty at first? Anyway, it was your father's manipulation anyway that kept us on opposite sides." She paused. "I never thought of you as an enemy. It was just circumstance, N, and circumstances have changed."
"You really care about me as a friend?" he asked, his attention finally landing on her.
"Yes, I do," she said weakly, his eyes sending a bolt of green lightning through her chest. "Maybe even more than friends should." Hesitantly, she reached up to touch his mask. Just as she was about to remove the disguise, he grabbed her hand and slowly pulled it away.
"Not now," he mumbled. "It might be too late for us. We've been dancing around, following, and chasing each other for nearly a year, with still no end in sight. I'm sorry."
"No," she protested. "Now." Snowe glared at him in defiance. For a moment, N considered pulling away, but her eyes flickered not with anger but with concern he had never felt from another human before. Slowly, but still much to Snowe's surprise, he wrapped his arms around her back and pulled here into an embrace.
"I've made camp at the Burned Tower at the edge of the city," he whispered. "Are you sure you want to go now?"
Snowe glanced around the room to locate Cheren. She only needed a little bit of time to talk to N, to make everything between them clear. If they left now, she could be back before the party ended.
"Yes, let's go," she answered. N pulled away from her and led her towards the exit. Zoroark met them at the door. Snowe rubbed her head and made a request. "Zoroark, can you make sure that no one follows us?" Zoroark stayed behind to give them distance, watching them disappear together into the cold, Halloween night.
Tapping his fingers against his leg, Cheren grew impatient as he waited next to the bathroom door for Snowe to emerge. She had been in there for nearly ten minutes. While he understood how embarrassed she was, this isolation was out of character for her. Usually when she had a problem, she felt comfortable enough to come to him or Bianca. Something up there made her choke and lose the battle, and he wanted to know what.
"Cheren!" Bianca emerged from the crowd and took his hand. "Vulpix decided that she wanted to join me!"
"That's great," he said, trying to clear the air of his worry. Bianca perceived something wrong.
"What's going on? W-where's Snowe?" Cheren explained all of what he understood. Rather than wait patiently for Snowe to emerge from the bathroom, Bianca began to tap on the door.
"Snowe! What's wrong?" Bianca called. "Come out and talk to..."
Creaking on its hinges, the door slowly opened. Bianca and Cheren stuck their heads through the doorframe to find an empty bathroom. Cheren felt a chill settle in his gut. He withdrew his head and began to frantically scan the dance floor for any sign of Snowe. Unable to distinguish her in the crowd, he and Bianca went out and manually searched for her. After a few minutes, Cheren took a position by the stage and crossed his arms in frustration. He continued to scour the room with his eyes, searching for the plastic horns she wore on her head.
Although she was nearly indistinguishable from any other brunette by the back of her head, he watched as a girl of her height and build walked towards the exit, her red dress fluttering in the breeze of the opening door. Cheren made a motion to run after her, but he stopped dead as he noticed the man who accompanied her out.
Tall. Long, green hair. There was only one person who matched that description who Snowe would willingly leave with. N had returned, and Snowe had felt the need to keep his reappearance from them.
"H-have you seen her?" Bianca asked, approaching Cheren from the side.
"I think I just saw her leave," he answered. "But why should we let her spoil the night? Let's stay, Bianca. She'll turn up when she damn well pleases."
"Are you sure?" Bianca asked. Cheren pulled her close and kissed her on the forehead.
"She doesn't need us. Snowe can handle herself."
As she climbed a ladder that led to the uppermost accessible part of the gutted tower, the anxiety she just felt at the party began to melt away. In reality, N was a peaceful individual and very easy to be around. Perhaps the pressure of the crowd made their reunion all the more nerve-racking. That wasn't to say she still didn't feel a little bit of apprehension. She still shook, causing her to lose her footing in her high heels and fall down a few rungs. N took her hand, keeping her steady as she made it to the top.
This hiding place was much the same as the last. A couple of sleeping bags piled in the corner served as a bed. A tarp was pitched over the blankets to keep any rain out. The ceiling was partially collapsed, allowing moonlight to infiltrate the room. For once, no trash littered the site, apart from a small pile of dirty clothes.
"Occasionally, a burglar will show up to loot the basement, but I haven't been noticed in the week I've been here," he assured as he surveyed the floors below them through a hole in the wall. "I'm sorry that this place isn't very comfortable, but I'm sure that we won't be bothered here."
Snowe made her way to the sleeping bags, desperate to remove her heels yet terrified of splinters. She plopped down and slipped out of her shoes, unsure what move to make next. N continued to look out of the wall, gazing at the sea of orange trees and the far mountains that halted their expansion.
"What's on your mind?"
He looked at her over his shoulder, his eyes darting from her bare feet to her plastic devil horns and everything in between. "You," he answered, smiling.
"That's...direct," she muttered, blushing.
"It's the truth," he said quietly. "Since the day we met in Accumula Town, when I heard the voice of your Snivy, I've known that you were special. Even after Zekrom chose you to be its partner and you defeated both me and my father, when you should have been at the pinnacle of impressiveness, you still managed to amaze me."
He turned back to the opening before continuing. "I still understand so little about human beings, but I've seen enough to realize that the ability to truly show kindness to those who oppose you is an exceptional trait. You're exceptional."
"I'm just a seventeen-year-old girl," she rebuked. "I was a mediocre student in school with no real direction in life. I might be a good Pokémon trainer, but there's really nothing else special about me. I told you all of this last time we talked. I really don't get how I'm exceptional." She readjusted her dress over her legs. "You're the one who's special. I know almost nothing concrete about you, but everything I do know is absolutely amazing. Somehow, you managed to be a decent human being, even though your dad deserves the worst parent of the century award. Not to mention you can freaking talk to Pokémon."
"I think we can agree to disagree then," he said, turning to her. For some reason, he seemed unable to shake off that smile. Snowe giggled and looked down at the floor as he crossed the room and took a seat on the bed. He fell backwards and put his arms behind his head. Again, they fell into silence.
"N?" she muttered. He blinked in response. Slowly, she leaned over and put her hand over his mask. This time, he let her pull it off, revealing his face. "You're pretty clear about how I feel about you, right?"
"I am," he answered. "And you can understand how I feel about you?"
"Yes," she said weakly, setting the mask aside on the floor. "So why are you resisting it?"
N sat up, forcing Snowe back. She felt him reach for her hand.
"I've been using my exile as an opportunity to learn to truly understand how the real world works, but the more I go out, the more I learn, the more I realize how little progress I've made. To be with you, to be the lover you deserve, I need to understand so much more. To start things now wouldn't be fair to you. What if I hurt you? I'd never be able to forgive myself."
"Is that all?" Snowe demanded. "Being hurt is a risk you're supposed to take if you want to be with someone. I'd take that risk for you."
His hand tightened around hers. "I don't know. It's all so-" Never before had N realized how large and expressive Snowe's blue eyes were. With her free hand, she stroked his cheek, all the while hypnotizing him with her gaze. He felt his eyelids drop. Snowe pressed her lips against his. This spark ignited an engine that powered something overwhelmingly human inside of him.
She pulled away, but this new warmth inside of him compelled N to pull her back. He kissed her with a depth she had never felt before. They fell back on the sleeping bags together, embracing and lips-locked beneath a canopy of stars.
"Is this where you've been all night?" a voice bellowed. Startled, Snowe raised herself instantly. Cheren, sans afro, stomped towards her, Bianca and Zoroark standing behind. Though Zoroark looked apologetic, Bianca wore an expression of disappointment on her face. The next thing she knew, Cheren grabbed the front of her dress and pulled her up.
"Answer me damnit!" he shouted. Enraged, Zoroark head-butted Cheren in the back. He lost grip of Snowe and they tumbled to the floor. Bianca scrambled to Cheren's side, urging him to calm down. Between heavy breaths, Cheren made an accusation. "You were here with N, weren't you?"
"Cheren, what are you talking about?" Bianca asked.
"I saw her leave the party with someone who had long, green hair," he snarled. "Tell the truth, Snowe!"
Snowe nearly broke her neck as she looked around the room. N wasn't there, and for that matter, neither were his things. A white feather blew across her hand. She felt her chest collapse.
"Where is he?" she demanded, ignoring Cheren's accusations. "Did you see him leave?"
"Give me a straight answer you crazy bitch!" he shouted, ripping away from Bianca to strike at Snowe. Bianca tackled his legs, causing him to fall forward onto the floor.
"S-stop it!" she cried. "Please calm down, Cheren!" Bianca scrambled to her feet and went to Snowe. She got on her knees to hold her friend, now sobbing dryly.
"He's gone," she mumbled. She said this several times, each repetition becoming more hysterical than the last. "He left me..."
"Let's go, Bianca," Cheren growled. "This is the third time she's run off on us. You're a fool to side with her this time."
"No," Bianca shouted. "S-she might owe us an explanation, but I won't leave her like this. She's my best friend."
"Did you see him?" Snowe whimpered. "He was just here as the sun came up. He was just here..."
"I'm sorry, we didn't. Zoroark took us here just a little while ago," Bianca answered softly. Snowe began to wail with more intensity. Even Cheren couldn't ignore the pain she felt. He crouched in front of Snowe and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Please Snowe," he begged, his voice still tinged with betrayal. "Tell us what's going on."
Snowe grabbed at the front of his shirt and he put his arms around her. She sobbed onto his shoulder as Bianca held both of them. Snowe, for the first time in her life, prayed, wishing above all else that the two of them could forgive her...and that he would come back.