A/N: SOOOO... I'm going to disappear for a while. End of semester exams, and all that. I'll try and update in the next few weeks, but I make no guarantees. Yeah, I got sidetracked a lot writing this. Expectations kept pulling me back; even when I swore I'd work on this instead. I'm sorry. I still love you guys, and I still live off my reviews. They make my days all the more awesome. So, in return, I give you some fluff...

Learning the Art of Friendship

...

Chapter 8: Rematch
White

"WHITE! Your time is up!"

She grinned, whipping around to confront the mysterious person who'd threatened her. She found him waving excitedly from a nearby balcony. "Chili, you flame-haired nut job, is that really how you greet someone?" She waved eagerly as the Fire-user leapt off the balcony and landed in front of her.

"Haha! My greeting was awesome, just admit it. Now, you may have beaten us the first time, but we've decided to get revenge!" Chili crossed his arms, winking evilly. He hadn't seemed to get over his frequent subject changing problem since the last time she'd seen him. It was extremely difficult to keep up with Chili, he moved at such a fast pace. "Nah, but seriously, it's been a while since you last visited. We haven't had any decent Trainers challenge us in ages, so when we found out you were around; we figured we'd come test how good you are now, and if you were worth the Trio Badge!"

Never one to ignore a challenge, White grinned fiercely, her expression a match for Chili's own. "Let's do it! Although...technically I only fought Cilan the last time I was here. So does that mean I'm gonna have a rematch against him alone?"

Chili gave her a highly offended look. "No way! This time we're going all in, us three verses you in a fight for supremacy!" Chili pumped the air with his fist, his enthusiasm making White snicker.

"What part of 'wait' didn't you understand?" a voice sighed, as Cress walked up, followed by Cilan. The blue-haired waiter nodded to White. "Always nice to see you again, White. We were going to wait to re-challenge you, but apparently someone can't control himself." Chili flipped him off, causing Cilan to giggle nervously.

"Hi, White," Cilan said, waving at her as Cress and Chili fought in the background.

She smiled and studied the Grass-user, remembering her first Gym battle. She'd been out of her mind with nerves, worried that she wasn't good enough to win against them, but had somehow emerged victorious. "How have you been?" She laced her fingers together behind her head, amused by the insults the other two were trading back and forth.

"Not too bad, I'm learning to battle a whole lot better," he informed her proudly.

Chili slung an arm around his shoulders. "Yeah, but I still beat you." The young hot-head laughed, flashing a grin at White. She snickered again as Cress shook his head in annoyance.

"Stop being so rude, Chili. You're incorrigible! I thought you swore to at least try to be polite. You're a waiter for Water's sake! Customer service is part of our job!"

Cilan smiled at him, stepping up to play peacemaker. "It's okay; he does have the type advantage against me. And he is alright at his job, the customers like him...sometimes..." Chili withdrew his arm, muttering under his breath.

It's nice to see they haven't changed, White thought to herself, smiling. Chili was still a fast-talking, overenthusiastic nut, Cress was still quiet, sarcastic and pissed off at Chili, and Cilan was still the all round good guy.

"White...I'm going back to the Pokemon Centre now, since I have no wish to rebattle the Leaders," N said in a low voice against her ear.

She jumped about a foot in the air, having completely forgotten about his existence while absorbed in the three Gym Leaders' conversations. "Oh, N right, uhh...sure. I'll umm...see you tomorrow?" She bit her lip, realizing that he probably felt left out again, since he hadn't spoken a single word the whole time.

"As you wish." N stared off into the distance, before turning and walking briskly in the direction of the Centre. She felt a twinge of guilt, but brushed it aside. N was an adult, he could do as he pleased.

"Anyways..." Chili rubbed his hands together. "When did you want the rematch?" He was shifting his weight excitedly from foot to foot.

White watched as N disappeared around a corner. "...Hmm?" she queried, turning back to the Gym Leaders.

"What time would be best for our battle?" Cress tilted his head, studying her expression.

She shrugged, her mind on other things. "Umm...how about tomorrow morning? Nine o'clock sounds reasonable, don't you think? Unless you have work duties?"

Chili gave her a feral grin, his eyes dancing with mischief. "Nope! We're completely free tomorrow, so nine is fine. Do you want to just meet us in the Gym again?" She nodded, earning grins from all three of them.

"Great! We're going to have so much fun." Cilan swept a strand of green hair off his face. She noticed that he seemed a lot more confident than he had the first time she'd battled him. She gave him a smile, genuinely pleased to be able to see how much better they'd gotten. Not to mention the chance to fight Cress and Chili as well...

Tomorrow promised to be a lot of fun.

. . .

She groaned and rolled over. The digital clock by the bedside table said 2.40 in the morning. She grumbled and threw off the covers, deciding that she wasn't going to sleep anytime soon.

The bottom floor of the Pokemon Centre was empty, the lights dimmed to their lowest –although never turned off fully- and all the tables and chairs were tucked out of the way. White opened the door, getting a blast of cold night air in her face. She scowled, winter was officially only a week or so away, and she could already feel the effects. She hated winter the most. It was nice seeing all the snow, and the Ice type Pokemon that only appeared during winter, but it was still cold, and she disliked being cold.

Making faces, she rubbed her arms briskly to warm herself and strode off, deciding to take a walk around the Dreamyard. She hadn't been there in ages, and she briefly toyed with the idea of catching a Munna but decided she was content with her current team.

She was very surprised when a tall, green-haired figure materialized out of the misty night, leaning against the broken wall. She trotted over to him, stopping only when she stood directly in front of him.

"N...what the hell are you-" Her breath left her as she was suddenly slammed against the wall. "...N?" She could barely make out his features in the moonlight.

"Oh...White, it's you. Sorry." He released her abruptly, taking a giant step back.

She gasped for breath, more than a little concerned. "...What did you think I was going to do?" She clenched her fists, bringing her face in close to his to read his expression in the faint light. An irritated murmur drew her attention to Chikorita, who was glaring at her from under the feathery strands of N's hair.

N himself just watched her, making no movement whatsoever. "The nocturnal Pokemon say someone else is here," he said quietly, shoving his hands in his pockets.

She immediately felt bad, like a mother scolding her child. "Oh...like who?" His statement confused her. He didn't seem to care about her actions.

N looked off to the right. "Not a townsperson." He looked back at her, a crooked half-smile on his face.

"Do we know them?" She wondered if she was asking the right questions.

N grinned happily. "Yep! One of the Sages is hiding over there!" He pointed towards the right.

White nearly threw up her hands in disgust. "A Sage! You could have just said that, instead of beating around the bush! Let's go already!" She ducked past a barrel, jogging past the grassy patches to find a staircase leading straight down into the ground. "Where does this lead?" She didn't remember seeing this when she'd been here last.

"It leads to a secret," N whispered in her ear, causing her to jump slightly.

"W-what secret?" Her voice was breathy, and she mentally kicked herself for letting his closeness get to her. What was she, some infatuated schoolgirl or something?

"You'll see." N grabbed her hand casually. She gasped and pulled back. He raised an eyebrow, bowing slightly and indicating the staircase. "Well, shall we?" His expression was amused.

"Fine." She stood up straight and marched down the stairs, N following close behind. They emerged into a musty, dimly lit room with piles of junk everywhere. She muttered curses under her breath as they skirted the piles, trying not to trip over anything. Her foot caught on a metal pole, and only N's arm stopped her from kissing the ground. "Uhh...thanks." She moved away, not looking at him.

They reached another staircase, this one leading upwards. She moved quickly, excited at the prospect of finally catching a Sage. She'd been so interested to know where they'd disappeared to when she'd found out that the castle was empty.

The only thing she could see when she emerged into the moonlight was a large patch of grass and a few bits of broken wall. She sighed, walking behind one of the walls.

"BOO!"

She shrieked at the top of her lungs, leaping backwards and tripping over her feet to go sprawling on the ground. Raucous laughter greeted her as she looked up to find an old man in a deep red robe staring at her.

"Oh fuck me," she muttered as she pulled herself to her feet. "There really is a Sage here, and he just happens to get his rocks off by scaring the living shit out of people. Are you completely crazy? Why the hell did you just jump out at me like that?" Rage made her voice louder than usual as she yelled at the man.

"Ah, I do apologize." He smiled, smoothing out the front of his robe. "It's nice to see you again, White. I am Gorm of the Seven Sages," he reminded her. She nodded, pulling out her Xtransceiver and pressing the button for Looker.

"Yeah, if you say so. Anyway, there's a dude coming to arrest you because of you being a part of Team Plasma. Just thought you should know. Don't run, because then I might have to hurt you." She smirked.

Gorm nodded calmly. "I expected something like this would occur. It's alright; I'll happily share everything I know. We of Team Plasma...our methods were questionable. We weren't approaching our goal the right way. But that is all right now. Your future will no doubt be amazing to watch."

"You there! You're under arrest!" Looker appeared next to her, a small gold-brown Pokemon in his arms. Gorm nodded and walked over to stand next to him. "Tell me everything you know about Team Plasma! As for you White, thank you for your assistance. I will await your call soon." The Pokemon he was carrying made a mewing noise, and they disappeared.

"Whoa!" She blinked, staring at the place where they'd been. "What Pokemon was that?"

"It's called an Abra." N's arm came around her waist, pulling her back against his chest.

"Where were you?" she asked curiously, her face starting to flush as he nibbled her earlobe. "N-N, what are you doing?" She gasped as his teeth grazed a particularly sensitive spot on her neck. "Yahh!" Shivers ran down her spine as N snickered softly.

"Mmm...White." He turned her around until she was in his arms, facing him. A devilish grin lit his face as he grabbed her wrists and kissed her.

"Mph!" She stood there like a statue as he pulled back a moment later, his eyes glinting.

"Let's go, White." He dropped one of her wrists and pulled the other one forward.

White followed in a daze, slightly concerned that N had kissed her so...casually. It didn't even seem like something he would do, he usually avoided offending her like that. Not that she was offended, but N would usually view it as such to invade her personal space. "Okay. Are we going back to the Pokemon Centre?" His powerful strides forced her to jog to keep up. He didn't answer as they navigated past the junk piles and back out into the open. "N! What's with you tonight?" He just grinned at her as they walked back into the city. She was getting more than a little pissed off that he kept avoiding her questions.

White folded her arms over her chest, the cold morning air starting to chill her. She'd have to remember to buy some warmer clothes. She walked up to the Pokemon Centre and turned around to find N gone.

"What the fuck?" She couldn't even be bothered to think about it, deciding she was more than ready to sleep now, since the lack of sleep was making her cranky, and she wanted to be in top form for tomorrow's battle.

. . .

She dragged herself out of bed when the alarm went off, so she didn't miss her rematch with the boys. She yawned, stretching her arms above her head as memories of the previous night crashed in. N had kissed her, acted really weird, and she'd caught one of the Sages. And N had kissed her.

...N kissed me. She stopped dead, replaying the previous night back through her head. How was she supposed to act around him? Had it meant anything to him? It hadn't seemed to; he'd just dragged her around afterwards. Maybe she would just act normal, treat him the same as she did every other day.

She went downstairs to find a bright and cheery N playing with Chikorita.

"Morning White! Did you sleep well?" He smiled happily, stroking Chikorita's leaf. The little Pokemon rumbled, enjoying the attention.

"Uhh...sure?" She gave him a look, not appreciating the strangeness. "Anyways...what was up with last night?" She may have decided to play it cool, but she still wanted an explanation of his actions.

"...Hmm? What happened last night?" N grabbed a Pecha berry out of his pocket and gave it to his friend. She shifted her weight to the side, resting a hand on her hip at his innocent expression.

"You know, at the Dreamyard? At some really stupid hour of the morning? Where the Sage was captured?" She wasn't going to mention the kiss.

N stood bolt upright, almost spilling Chikorita onto the floor. "You met a Sage? What? Why didn't you come get me? I wanted to talk to them! Who was it?" N was staring at her intensely, the questions tumbling out of his mouth in a flood.

She held up both hands in a gesture of surrender. "Uhh...Gorm? Remember? At the secret area of the Dreamyard, where we were last night or early this morning? Looker arrested him." She didn't understand why he was acting oblivious.

N was confused, his brows drawn together as he thought. "Gorm? Why would he be at the Dreamyard? And what did you mean, 'last night'? I didn't go anywhere after I said goodbye when you were talking to the Gym Leaders. I went back to my room and talked with Chikorita." N put his hands in his pockets, watching her cautiously. "Are you sure it wasn't just a dream, White?"

She rubbed her forehead in confusion. What the hell was going on? It couldn't have been a dream; she'd been wide awake...hadn't she? She gasped and checked her Xtransceiver.

Last call: 3.17am

So she really had called Looker last night. That meant there really had been a Sage in the Dreamyard, and she'd been there. So why didn't N remember?

...Or had he really been there at all? She thought back to his strange behaviour, the casual knowledge of a place N had never been...

"...N?" She rubbed her neck, avoiding his gaze. "You...really weren't at the Dreamyard last night, right? You and Chikorita were here the entire time?"

He nodded slowly, placing Chikorita back on his usual perch. "Yes White, we didn't leave the Pokemon Centre. Why, did something happen to you?" He frowned, running a hand through his hair.

"Uh...No. It's alright, I mean. I called Looker, and he arrested Gorm. It's okay..." She was rambling, but couldn't work out why N had been in the Dreamyard, when the real N had said he wasn't.

The real N.

Of course. She was stupid sometimes. It hadn't been N in the Dreamyard at all, it had been Musharna making dreams a reality.

...Then why had N kissed her, even if it was only a dream-turned-reality? She turned bright red. No way, she wasn't thinking about N like that, so why would that be the thought Musharna picked up? "Anyways...we'd better go, or I'll be late for my battle with the boys!" She raced out the door, putting the events of the previous night out of her mind entirely so she could focus on what was important.

She arrived a few minutes later, standing outside the front of the restaurant that doubled as the Gym.

"Maybe we can grab a bite to eat afterwards," she muttered to herself, shaking her head as she realized she'd forgotten to eat breakfast. "Oh well, doesn't matter." N walked up next to her and the two went inside.

"Hey, White!" Cilan bowed, appearing next to her. "You're right on time!" He beamed, indicating for her to move into the battle area.

"Hey Cilan, where's your crazy brothers?" A pair of vivid red eyes suddenly met hers. "Well, there's one of them," she laughed as Chili grinned.

"The best brother, you mean. Cress will be here in a sec, he's just finishing off his work. And then we can battle!" Chili spun her in a circle, laughing maniacally to himself. She couldn't help laughing at his antics. She was about to flick his head when Cilan spoke up.

"Uhh...if it's alright with you, White, we thought we'd each use two Pokemon against you. You can use a full team of six if you want, or...well, we can change the rules." He hadn't quite conquered his nervousness, White noticed.

"Sure, six-on-six sounds good. A nice, long battle. Uh wait, can I eat something first?" Her stomach growled.

Chili laughed and ran off, reappearing with a large plate of chocolate chip muffins. "How about these? They're really good!"

She almost drooled at the smell of hot, melting chocolate. "Heaven..." She took one, almost inhaling it because it tasted that good. "Great choice, Chili." He danced around ecstatically, his enthusiasm knowing no bounds. Cilan giggled as she spilled crumbs down her shirt. "Gah! Oh well, I'll just have a shower later," she laughed.

She soon found herself dancing along with Chili as they waited for Cress, his energy infectious. N had left a little while ago, saying that he wanted to go explore the Dreamyard and talk to the Pokemon there. She hoped that he might catch another member for his team, although she had her doubts.

"Now...spin!" Chili grinned, flinging her around.

"Whoa, whoa! Easy! I'm getting dizzy." White stopped for breath, holding the edge of the table for support. "Okay, that'll do, I'm done dancing," she said breathlessly, staring at the flame-haired Gym Leader. His face was close to hers, flushed from his exertions.

"Aww, c'mon White, do we have to stop? I was having fun," he grumbled, his twinkling eyes betraying his lack of anger.

"Yes, actually, you do. Or did you decide not to battle after all?" Cress's acerbic voice said from behind him.

"Whatever. Okay, let's do this!"

Cress glared at him as his brothers took their places at the other end of the field. "Sorry, White, I would have liked to chat, but apparently my brothers have decided to forget all their manners." He turned and walked up to them; Chili making weird faces and Cilan scuffing the floor.

"Sorry Cress," Cilan said, looking up.

Chili just huffed. "You're such a stick in the mud, Cress. Like the boring-ass vegetable you were named for. Live a little, c'mon! Stop being grumpy for one day!"

White coughed politely, interrupting before the siblings tore each other apart.

"Not to be rude, but could you save the lover's tiff for later? I came here to be entertained, not to listen to pillow talk." The disbelieving expression on their faces made her crack up.

"I can't believe you just said that!" Chili grinned wickedly, running over to slap her a high-five. "We'll make a man out of you, yet!" She raised an eyebrow, smirking at him.

She'd continually called him a girl when they'd first met, and Chili had retaliated that he couldn't compare to her manliness. Hence why there was now a flood of cross-dressing dirty talk between them. It had become something of a ritual.

"Jealous that my testosterone levels are higher than yours?" she shot back, sticking her tongue out.

Chili batted his eyelashes outrageously. "Oh whatever gave you that idea, White? It's merely because I enjoy being wrapped in your manly arms all the time!" He draped himself over her shoulders, his cheek next to hers. White snickered as she saw the others' faces. Cress looked like he'd been hit in the face with a saucepan, and Cilan looked very worried.

"Haha, sorry guys. We'll be good now, I promise. Let's get this battle started!" She grinned and made a fist.

Chili danced back over to the other two, but not before responding with another dirty comment.

"Control yourself!" Cress exploded, whacking him over the back of the head. "Before I disown you!" Chili shot him the bird before they arranged themselves and all pulled out pokeballs.

"Let's go, Simisear!"

"Simisage!"

"Simipour."

The three elemental monkeys appeared in a burst of light. They'd agreed to a Triple Battle, sending out three Pokemon at a time. White grabbed her first three Pokemon.

"Shahara! Neptune! Freyja!"

Her Chandelure chimed, Samurott roared and a bright ring of sparkles appeared as a dark pink Conkeldurr appeared.

"Holy shit!" Chili gasped, staring at it. "What the hell's with its colours?"

She glared at him. "There's nothing wrong with Freyja, she's just a lot darker than other Conkeldurr. I think she's prettier, really." The others shrugged, their gazes captivated by the unusual creature.

"Well, let's get this show on the road!" Chili yelled, and the battle was underway.

Neptune soon made quick work of Chili's Simisear, and he cursed and withdrew it, sending out a Darmanitan. Freyja the Conkeldurr slammed her cement blocks down on Simisage, but the agile little monkey rolled out of the way and retaliated with Leaf Tornado. Freyja fought valiantly, but succumbed eventually.

White switched her out, taking a risk and sending out her Swanna. The beautiful swan Pokemon may be a Flying type, but she was also half Water, and against a Grass type that was dangerous.

"Brave Bird!" The swan gathered all her energy and slammed into the Grass monkey. Simisage groaned and fainted, causing Cilan to recall him and send out Maractus instead.

She studied their new Pokemon, interested in why they'd chosen those. Obviously, they were all of the same type, but she wondered what had made them choose those Pokemon specifically.

Cress's Simipour was attacking Shahara; the Ghost/Fire chandelier dodging and weaving to avoid the attacks. Neptune stepped in and beat Simipour, causing Shahara to chime angrily. Neptune growled at her and returned to the battle as Cress sent out his last Pokemon: Alomomola.

Shahara fell to the Water Pokemon, and White returned her to her pokeball, whispering words of encouragement before she sent out Nyx.

"Ah, that thing's hideous!" Cilan shrieked, pointing. He gasped, and apologized profusely. "I'm sorry White, I can't believe I was so rude. Forgive me?"

She grinned, waving his apology off. After all, Hydreigon looked like everyone's worst nightmare. "I forgive you. Nyx is pretty scary, isn't she?"

It was now her Hydreigon, Samurott and Swanna versus their Alomomola, Darmanitan and Maractus.

"Crunch!" The three-headed dragon took a bite out of Maractus, as her Swanna used Scald against Darmanitan. Maractus screeched and hurled leaves at the airborne Pokemon, but missed and hit Neptune.

The Samurott roared, swiping at the Grass type, but colliding with Darmanitan instead. The giant Fire ape groaned and crashed. Chili swore violently and strode off to sulk in the corner at being the first to lose.

Cilan redoubled his attacks, ordering Maractus to hit Aphrodite the Swanna. A particularly vicious attack sent her spiralling downwards. She pulled up before hitting the ground and rammed into the cactus-like Pokemon. Cilan summoned Maractus back and stepped out of the way, leaving Cress fighting on his own.

"Doesn't look good, does it?" White taunted as her three Pokemon lined up, all facing his lonely Alomomola.

"Not really," Cress groaned as they made short work of his Alomomola.

"Victory goes to White!" Guido, the man who had been acting as referee cried.

"Haha, that was so much fun!" Chili hugged her, his good humour restored.

"Damn straight. We should do this again soon!" she snickered.

Cilan laughed at that. "Why, so you can beat us again?" He smiled to show he meant no hard feelings.

"Anyways, White, I hope you enjoy your new journey. We'll be here if you ever decide you want another rematch," Cress told her, as they all sat down to relax.

"Sounds good to me," she replied, a smile on her face.

...

...Or not, hahaha. Well, I guess it counts, even if it's all just in White's mind. Apparently Dream Mist makes very realistic illusions. Isn't that fascinating? I love those three. Give me Triple Trouble any day! Oh, and Freyja really is my Shiny Conkeldurr. She kicks ass. I must also apologize for all the crack-ness of this chapter. I should be shot.

And for those who are confused:

Neptune= Samurott
Aphrodite= Swanna
Nyx= Hydreigon
Shahara (or Candle)=Chandelure
Freyja= Shiny Conkeldurr

-Aerococonut