Pure White Dreams / First of the Dreams & Destiny Trilogy
Rating: K+ for occasional minor language
Disclaimer: Despite using characters, story, and some dialogue from this lovely source material, I can only express my admiration, rather than any ownership.
Previously: Touko parted with N on uncertain terms and left hung up over something he said. After trying out a new style of training to prepare, Touko headed for the gym and met N on the stairs.
.
Chapter Ten
A Trainer's Conviction
.
There was something—some things—she wanted to ask N. She remembered that much, but at the moment, she was at a loss for what exactly they were. She still remembered exactly what he said, it was kind of ingrained by this point, but what she wanted to ask about what he said…She'd sort of just dismantled that track of thought so she could focus on the gym.
Plus, she'd been looking for him all week (she could admit to herself, albeit reluctantly) and to suddenly have him appear right after she stopped was a little disorienting in itself.
But now, here was N, right in front of her…
…Not really talking. He only looked at her for a moment, briefly surprised before his face clouded over and he turned his attention to Snivy.
The new reaction further pushed Touko's questions back. She tilted her head, glancing down at Snivy to see what might be interesting there. Her Pokémon folded his arms and met N with a glare. The time away had done nothing to calm his…heated feelings regarding N.
So that wasn't too interesting, a little disappointing perhaps, but…
As N and Snivy kept the stare, it felt like something passed through the air, something Touko wasn't privy to; an understanding and a disagreement. For the first time, Touko wondered if N might have a better idea about why Snivy disliked him than he'd indicated thus far.
"Why are you here?"
"Eh?" Touko looked up from Snivy back at N, startled by his sudden speech. Among the things that were bothering her, there was something specific about N just then that didn't seem very much…like him. She couldn't quite put it into words.
It wasn't until a small crease formed in between N's eyebrows—confusion over her silence, she realized thanks to her self-consciousness—that it occurred to her that something was missing. She could barely read N's expression after his initial surprise at seeing her. He'd asked a question, but he didn't look at all inquisitive like before.
"I…I'm here to challenge the gym," she answered hesitantly, despite it being the obvious answer. "Weren't…"
"I was looking at the museum just now," N cut her off, quickly answering her question before she even finished thinking it through. "I was thinking about the things people choose to display. What it says about this world they've created."
"That's…" Touko stopped, not really quite sure what that was. "I never really thought about it. I'm not really that interested in museums."
"Right. You're not that sort of person…You are a 'trainer'…"
Touko pursed her lips. Maybe the time away had caused her to forget some of his bluntness; she'd spent more time away from him than she'd actually known him after all. Or maybe she was just reminded of the almost bitter way he spoke of trainers back on route 2; it seemed like ages ago now. She chanced a glance down at Snivy and seeing the familiar, dangerous look on his face, figured it was the latter.
Annoyance was a great memory booster and she remembered the only too easy questions she wanted to ask, "What did you mean by that? Back then." Albeit stated less than elegantly.
"By what?" Just a trace of confusion again. Somehow that was annoying her as well.
But the annoyance was distant, overwhelmed by the realization that it really wasn't a big deal. Not even to the person who said it. N didn't even remember. No one thought anything about it…except for her.
Her shoulders slumped.
It was just…because it came from him. And at that time, too…
"Aren't you coming?"
Touko looked back at N in confusion. They were almost there, there had only been one final delay that morning—a pretty wonderful delay, she had to admit. Nacrene City was in sight, and all that was left was less than twenty more minutes of walking.
But N stayed there in the clearing as she started to move on.
He looked back, at something down the path Touko couldn't see, something that probably wasn't even there. "I am not finished on route 3 yet. There are still things that need to be done before I go on to Nacrene…"
"But shouldn't you at least go to the Poké Center?" Touko asked with a little laugh. It seemed absurd, after all this time to stop now. "You can always come back to train or whatever else later. Your Pokémon's health…"
"My friends are fine. What I want to do will help them more than going to a Poké Center …"
"That's…" she started, unsure of what to really say. Silly? Stupid? Who was she to really judge what was best for his Pokémon? So for a long time she didn't say anything.
Touko bit her lip and looked down at her shoes. Snivy was already nudging at her to start walking again. So, she did, but she walked back to N, much to her Pokémon's frustration.
She looked up at N, a little concerned. "Are you sure?"
The question caused N to look puzzled, making Touko crack a small smile.
"I know what I have to do," he said almost stubbornly.
"Yeah, but I really don't," Touko said with a quick laugh. Then she stepped back, still feeling a little uneasy. "Well, I guess…I'll see you later. Just…"
She frowned. It was new terrain she'd been forced onto suddenly. She didn't think of what would happen when they reached their destination. In fact, she never thought about having to say goodbye to anyone. Her father used to go on about all of the people he met on the road, but it wasn't a situation she ever expected to encounter, considering…well, she was Touko.
Instead, she remembered all the shows she used to watch. This sort of thing was common there, saying goodbye to someone you just met (whom you would never end up meeting again, somehow to Touko's eternal frustration) and she decided to use it as the guide like she had for all her other trainer things. It had done her right by the posing, after all.
"I guess, next time I see you, I'll be a better trainer. So, look forward to it!" she announced brightly, all while inwardly wincing at how unnatural it sounded.
"I wonder about that…" N looked serious as he said it.
Touko's fake smile to faltered for a moment. "About me being a better trainer or…"
He nodded before she finished, looking very thoughtful about the matter. "You mentioned it before…but I wonder if you were really meant to be a trainer…"
It was a pretty awkward goodbye after that, putting Touko in a sullen mood until she reached Nacrene City. Periodically after as well.
"What you said before…Back then…you…" Touko started to explain, mind back in the present. She looked up at N's face, searching for some sort of recognition, but still there was nothing.
It made her even more self-conscious about the statement. Maybe it was all the self doubt that made her questionable as a trainer. In her current panic, she must have made a sorry picture. Even Snivy was looking at her with some dissatisfaction.
She put on a coward's smile and decided to bear it. Like a good trainer could do naturally in the situation. Like a good trainer, her mind shouldn't fall from her task either. "So, how was the gym? You must have just challenged and I'm sure you won. Cheren said it was really tough, so I'm a bit worried but in the end I'm sure…" Her voice cracked.
It must have been because she was rambling. She didn't admit it to herself, but there was a brief flash of fear at her failing that couldn't be covered up with a smile.
N didn't notice, or at least he gave no inclination, calming Touko considerably, almost enough to smile genuinely. He was wrapped up in something else going on in his mind; he looked back at the building he'd just left.
"The gym is just a gym," N answered cryptically. "I'm not really interested in that."
"Right…the museum and about what people display." Touko nodded like she understood. "I guess it could be interesting. I spent some time in the library already though and I thought that was pretty cool."
"I don't really like libraries."
At this point, Touko decided to give up on understanding. It's not like she had ever been good at that before with him. "Right…I wouldn't have guessed that though. You don't seem the type to dislike learning though." She had absolutely no evidence to back up her reasoning, but she figured that the know-it-all she'd classified N as must be attracted to knowing things.
"That isn't what I object to, though I probably know more than what those books say anyway…"
Touko had to fight a little to keep her face impassive. Know-it-all classification was confirmed though.
"…It's the methods in which people use to obtain such things. I would enjoy reading about Pokémon if I could trust the information. But everything is filtered through a human's faulty perception."
"Of course. I guess to you, things like books aren't necessary. You can just find the answer yourself. Most of the time." Touko shot him a quick smile and enjoyed his frown at her comment. Feeling more relaxed now, she decided to play a little more. "So, I guess the hierarchy of knowledge is museums are good, gyms are just gyms, and libraries are untrustworthy. Right?"
"I didn't say museums are good…"
Touko laughed and rolled her eyes. "Of course not."
N ignored her interruption—Touko wasn't entirely sure he had a handle on sarcasm—and continued in an increasingly serious manner. "…It got me thinking…there is a skeleton of an ancient dragon Pokémon inside…"
As he spoke, he seemed distracted, as if he was thinking about something else entirely. He wasn't looking at her, but the gym instead.
"It's helped me remember things properly…" This time, as N paused, he looked at Touko, his expression unreadable. There was a change in his demeanor; he stood up a little straighter. "I…want to see things no one can see. The truths of Pokémon inside Poké Balls. The ideals of how trainers should be. And a future where Pokémon have become perfect…"
Touko was frozen in place as he spoke, unsure what to think of the change. There was no hint as to the real meaning of these words in his expression, but his eyes seemed so powerful. How exactly, she couldn't really explain, but she almost felt a tinge of fear. What she was hearing seemed like the usual unfathomable thing N might say. Pokémon and trainers and on and on. But it was different. He was different.
He'd mentioned it before, the idea that Pokémon needed to become perfect. Back in Accumula. Was that just his weird way of saying he wanted to train his Pokémon to be better?
"Do you feel the same?" He was looking at her quite intently, waiting for her answer.
"I-I guess…" Touko stammered out, though she was still confused. How was she supposed to answer when she didn't even really understand? "N, what…" but she didn't even really know what it was she wanted to ask.
"I think my fiends and I should test you to see if you can see this future, too." N pulled out a Poké Ball.
Touko looked at him in confusion at the abrupt challenge. But of course, wasn't this what she wanted anyway? She glanced up at the gym. It was still morning, so there'd be time later after she healed her Pokémon. And after all, she had told N before that she wanted to battle him again.
If only he didn't seem to be acting so oddly, she'd go forward without hesitation. Was this just how he got before battles?
Despite her unease, Touko nodded and motioned to Snivy, who was eager—perhaps a bit too much—and jumped right into battle for the second time against the Pidove met on route 3.
Despite the type disadvantage, Snivy won again. The entire fight seemed to pass like a blur. She went through it as if on auto-pilot. Snivy was injured after fighting Pidove so she sent out Panpour to fight Timburr. Then Lillipup took Panpour's place halfway through battle with Tympole, Touko unwilling to see another of her Pokémon faint so soon.
But rather than watch the battle, she'd watched N. At first his expression was calm, but then he would look more and more pained at each hit, more distressed after each loss.
The end of the battle finally made her take notice of something. After Tympole fainted, N didn't send out any more Pokémon. He only used three Pokémon, none of which were Purrloin.
She hadn't seen Purrloin at all on route 3, even though Pidove had never once gone into a Poké Ball…Why…?
"I cannot see the future yet…" N murmured, bringing Touko fully back to reality. "The world is still to be determined…"
Touko faced him. Until now, she'd kept quiet, wanting to let N have his secrets like everyone should. But this new side of him was…disquieting. Suddenly, it felt like a duty to find out what was going on, because something was wrong. She just wasn't sure how to ask. N wasn't the type to just abandon his Pokémon and she didn't want to imply it.
She didn't even know what to make of that stuff about the future and the world, concepts far beyond her own worries about just making it to the next town.
"Right now, my friends aren't strong enough to save all Pokémon. Maybe I can't solve the equation that will change the world," he continued speaking at his quick pace, making it even harder for Touko to figure things out. "So I need power… Power enough to make anyone agree with me."
He spoke with a conviction Touko hadn't seen yet. A conviction that almost frightened her.
"Stop it…" Touko voiced in a harsh whisper, but in the quiet air it sounded much louder. As her command floated in the air, she found herself as surprised as N at her words. She briefly glanced at him, feeling weak and foolish again. Now that she had his attention, she wasn't sure what to do with it.
N stayed silent, looking at Touko for the longest time. When he did speak again, it wasn't as forceful, "Not now, but I could do it. I know what power I need…Reshiram, the legendary Pokémon that, along with the hero, created the Unova region."
Touko looked up at this outlandish declaration, meeting his eyes. They'd softened somewhat at her request, but she could see that determination lurking behind. As well as anger, she put a name to the ferocity that had frightened her.
Then he seemed to hesitate for just a moment before he finished, "It's my turn to become that hero—and you and I will be friends!"
He turned and immediately walked away without another word.
Touko watched him go. Legendary Pokémon and heroes? It was the kind of stories she grew out of by the time she was ten. It just didn't make sense. Not to Touko from the small Nuvema Town.
Perhaps that was why she had such trouble understanding him sometimes. She was small town through and through while he…was certainly something else. He clearly thought big; the world, the future, legendary Pokémon. But that was just a piece, what sort of person was he really?
The N she'd just met was different than the N she'd known so far. Back on Route 3, he frowned a lot, he'd lapse into silence at least occasionally, and it seemed like he was almost always looking at her in some confusion. Now, he stood tall, he looked straight ahead, he even smiled. Though his smile wasn't like what she'd seen once or twice…it was different, somehow.
Somehow… Touko let her gaze fall to Snivy standing off to the side, sulking over his wound. He sensed her stare and turned back to face her with fierce eyes. She took in a sharp breath, but then quickly shook her head. She called her injured Pokémon back into his Poké Ball to rest. As she looked down at his containment, she sighed. They were being silly, both her and Snivy.
There was just one thing she could figure out quite easily as she stood alone on the steps of the gym.
Whatever uncertainties N once had, they were gone now.
Uncertainties…She clenched her hands into fists. Of course, everyone had them at some point. N had some before…but she still…
Touko finally noticed that N had left her view and without another thought, she ran after him. There was a question she needed answered.
Minutes later, she caught sight of him still walking at a slower pace and shouted down the road, "N!"
It was a little louder than necessary, but as the road was empty she didn't care for a change. Since N turned around, looking back at her in some surprise, it certainly did the job.
Touko slowed, a smile coming on her face before she stopped a few feet away. She had to lean over, hands on her knees, to catch her breath. She'd run a lot harder than she needed to, but she didn't want to lose him. She didn't want the chance to lose her resolve either.
As soon as she could talk, even before she stood up straight, she blurted out her question, "Why did you say you wondered if I really should be a trainer?"
Clearly, the question hadn't been what N might have expected in the already unexpected situation. "What?"
In other circumstances, the short response might have made her feel accomplished, but now she could only sigh with what little breath she could muster. She stood up straight, not bothering to hide the concern in her face this time. "When you stayed behind on route 3, before I left…you said that maybe I shouldn't be a trainer. Why did you say that? Why am I not a good trainer?"
Now N looked quite surprised and actually at a loss for words for a moment. He got over the brief affliction to articulate quite clearly, and almost urgently, "I didn't say that."
Touko felt her shoulders slumped and looked at him in disbelief. She quickly righted herself and spoke in loud indignation, using a lot more of her hands than she usually did when speaking, "What are you talking about? I was there. You said you wondered if I should be a trainer. Should. Like I'm not…"
N's face was passive now, just waiting for his chance to speak. So Touko broke off defeated, hands falling uselessly to the side.
"I didn't say that you are a bad trainer. Trainers, however, have problems which you…" He hesitated, leaving Touko to looking up at him, her fear and confusion all written plainly on her face. He finished calmly, "I wonder if something else might suit you."
Her face relaxed slowly into a small relieved smile, although she still stared at N, who looked so sure even in the small explanation of his thoughts. His passing thoughts, she thought with a little embarrassment. It was the honest, straightforward look in his eyes though that reassured her. He didn't think she was a bad trainer.
A laugh escaped her for just a moment, silenced when she saw N look over his shoulder.
There was somewhere he needed to be. Somewhere that had to do with legends or whatever else existed in his world?
She wondered the possibility only briefly. Whatever that was, it was out of her league of dreams. Right then, Snivy was still her pinnacle, something she was satisfied with. The missing piece, whatever it was, was at least partially filled, knowing that her career as a trainer wasn't a closed door. Not yet.
And as a trainer, there was something she did want to address.
"N," she spoke firmly to get his attention. She kept his attention with a serious gaze. "Where is your Purrloin?"
"The Purrloin you fought in Accumula Town?" he clarified to Touko's terse nod. "He is on route 2."
"Why?"
"Route 2 was his home."
Touko just nodded, almost understanding, but not liking it at all. For N, who didn't understand starter Pokémon, parts of what he said weren't surprising. Even so, to Touko, who grew up wanting Pokémon, it was worrying.
But that's as far as she was willing to go; to pry. At this point, she didn't know what more to ask or what to do about such a thing. She didn't understand quite enough…about what kind of trainer N was.
Luckily, she was a trainer and for once that meant she knew what to do, going by the guidebook of television.
"N, are you going to Castelia City next?"
He nodded.
Touko smiled. "I'll be in Castelia City, too. Maybe not today, but soon…"
N looked over his shoulder again, still distracted by whatever waited ahead. But Touko was undeterred.
Taking up her classic challenge pose, Touko put her hands on her hips and wore a confident smile. "I want to battle you again." That caught N's attention. She held up three fingers. "In three days in Castelia City. We can meet at the center pier around noon."
N's eyebrows had furrowed in confusion, the corners of his mouth tugged down. In that moment, Touko decided she liked the uncertain N better. People shouldn't know everything.
"Why? We just battled…It isn't necessary to—"
"If still you don't get it, then that's why," Touko replied with a small shrug. Then, seeing his still-present confusion, she explained, "I want to improve as a trainer and I enjoy battling you. Plus, I want to understand…"
It wasn't a full explanation nor one that made a whole lot of sense, but it was the best she could put into words. You couldn't explain the thing you didn't really know yourself.
N didn't say anything, looking at Touko in a subdued sort of surprise. It was long enough for Touko to feel that creeping anxiety. Long enough that Touko decided she wasn't going to have any of that creeping back, thank you very much.
She scrunched up her face in determination and gave herself a quick slap on the cheeks with both hands. At this action, N's surprise looked decidedly less subdued.
Touko took a step forward, wanting to meet N's eyes properly as she looked up at him with her determined frown. "So, what do you think?"
Again, the hesitation, but at least Touko had gotten some kind of reaction, though "stunned" wasn't a whole lot to work with.
"Alright…" he said it hesitantly, but it was enough.
Touko stepped back, a smile settling back on her face. "Then I'll see you in three days. At noon, okay?" N nodded, but given his odd hesitance over the whole thing, she wanted to be certain, "Now…Where was it again?"
"The middle pier in Castelia City. It's actually called Prime Pier."
"Good, it's all set. So, I'll see you then…" Touko took a step back, to turn back to her own quest and leave N to his. There was just…one last thing to give her pause. She felt her face heat up a bit as she looked over her shoulder.
N was already walking away, taking his cue from her; even though he didn't say goodbye back. It was surprising to meet someone even worse about that kind of thing than Touko.
She opened her mouth to call him back, but as he turned the corner, she decided to let it go. She wasn't even quite sure what she wanted to say.
Actually, that was a lie. She just wasn't sure how to say it.
The biggest problem was a little voice in the back of her head that sounded suspiciously like her mother. She could almost see the sly little smile Mrs. White got whenever she thought she discovered an embarrassing tidbit about her daughter.
As she stood alone on the street, Touko pouted—frowned—and let herself at least admit to the strangeness of it. She was a little too concerned about N for just another trainer. Although she was sure that no one who met N would say he was just another trainer. It sounded absurd the very first time she'd met him when he introduced himself.
It was just that the thing with Purrloin had her really worried. She knew logically, every trainer was different and N could talk to Pokémon, so he probably knew what he was doing. It was bad to judge other people's beliefs without reason. Something Touko's first-generation Unova-born mother had taught her well.
Touko let out a sigh as she leaned against the wall of a converted warehouse. See, I knew I didn't need this…
All her life, Touko only had two friends. Two friends and her family. It wasn't just because she was shy, they were really enough for her. She would bet everything in her bag that she was happier with just Bianca and Cheren than the girls that talked about their gigantic lists of Xtransceiver contacts.
But now she was realizing just how small and sheltered her world had been as a result.
Her small pool of experiences put her at a loss when it came to a lot of things. The stuff about legends certainly (though guiltily she realized that was some knowledge she had the chance to learn through her father), but even just saying, "I'm worried," seemed out of her reach.
Despite what she said to her mother, she knew what she wanted to say the most to N was that she thought they were friends already. It was the one thing she understood. But somehow she couldn't manage it.
It was kind of silly for neither of them to know it after their time together on route 3. Well, maybe N wouldn't recognize it, she didn't know if he had friends, but Touko knew that sort of natural consideration quite well.
The goodbye had been what screwed her mind all up (along with good dose or her own stubbornness), but now Touko smiled at the brief memories.
XWXWXWXWX
"So, you think Patrat wants to learn how to surf because he saw a ripped up comic page—or a 'paper with lots of pictures'—that featured another Pokémon—who you say sounds like Pikachu from the description, and is in fact electric-type—doing the same thing. With a surf board."
"You don't believe it, but Patrat said as much."
"No, I get that and I do believe. I'm just still getting used to having stuff like that told to me so seriously." Touko smiled at a memory. "It actually sounds exactly like something that would be in a comic. Especially one from around Kanto."
"Is it significant that it would be from Kanto? Aside from featuring an electric Pokémon from the region, rather than Blitzle or—"
"Ah!"
"Sorry, I know it is improbable for Blitzle to surf…"
"No, it's not that," Touko replied with a sheepish smile and gestured to her Xtransceiver. "It's just…my…I have a call from my…" She frowned.
Somehow really felt it would be better not answer a call from her mom while N was around. She didn't mind her friends hearing her mom say embarrassing things so much, they were used to it. But N could think even the most normal things were weird, who knows what sort of impact the infamous Mrs. White might leave…
"It's my mom. I'll be right back," Touko said before rushing off to a safe distance to answer the call; almost entirely out of sight from N.
"Hello?"
"Touko, that took far too long. I'll start thinking you're hiding things from me."
She frowned down at the screen. Of course her mother, full of secrets, would automatically assume the same of her. "I'm not," she answered almost honestly. I'm hiding you from other people. "What's up?"
"I haven't talked to my daughter since she was in the hospital, so naturally I thought I'd check in."
"Well, I'm fine, of course. I'm on Route 3 now and I should be in Nacrene City soon…if you let me go."
"Oh, that's lovely. I haven't been to Nacrene in so long. You have to go see the museum. I mean you literally have to. It's the gym as well."
"The gym? So first it's a restaurant, then—"
"Touko," N's voice came unexpectedly.
Touko stiffened. She'd been so easily thwarted in her attempts to avoid embarrassment. She could already see her mother's inquisitive face slowly developing a smirk. With a resigned sigh, she turned away from the screen and looked at N behind her. "Yeah?"
It seemed he had rushed over to her quickly; he was actually breathing a little harder. For a moment, Touko kind of wished she'd seen that, because she didn't imagine N to be the athletic sort with all that math and stuff. He pointed over to the tall grass across the road as he said, "There's another herd. This one has a Zebstrika."
At that, Touko's entire demeanor changed. Her eyes widened and she stood up straighter, her breath caught in her chest.
Zebstrika…He went looking for her because he saw…and knew…
Touko's face flushed and she averted her eyes. "Th-thanks, I'll go see in a second. I'm just going to say goodbye to my mom."
He nodded and ran back.
Meanwhile, there was a delighted laugh from the Xtransceiver.
"Oho! Where did you meet a boy?"
"Mom…please don't…"
"Well, I can't help it. A new girl would be amazing on its own, but my daughter has certainly never been seen around a boy before." Her mother gave it some consideration and amended, "Well, besides Cheren, but he hardly counts at this point, really."
"He's just another trainer, Mom. We're both heading to Nacrene so we're traveling together."
"Together, hmm? I traveled together with your father…"
"Mom! Seriously!"
"Oh fine. No teasing about boys." Mrs. White gave in with a little sigh. But it was only about five seconds of silence before she smiled again. "So, what's your gender neutral friend's name?"
"I have to go. Zebstrika, you know? You know how much I love Zebstrika."
"Tch. Changing the subject, that's hardly fair."
"You would know," Touko replied with a roll of her eyes. "I'll talk to you later."
"Say hi to your friend for me!"
"Bye. I love you," Touko said and ended the call. She was sure to get in trouble for that later, but the "I love you" had to give her some credit. Plus, she only played it the same as her mother always did.
Touko looked over into the grass where she saw N leave. She could see the top of the manes of some of the Blitzle. But a Zebstrika! She really didn't expect to see one so soon. She put a hand over her heart, trying to figure out just what she was feeling.
There was a twinge of panic, of sadness and guilt. Overwhelming those feelings, she happily found that she was actually excited. Touko smiled widely. If she waited any longer she might miss out, so she ran into the grass across the road without further delay.
When she reached the small clearing her eyes lit up. There had to be at least a dozen Blitzle, but at the front of the herd stood a tall Zebstrika. N stood beside the tall Pokémon, petting it to keep it in place. He looked up, noticing her presence.
"Zebstrika agreed to wait for you after hearing how much you liked him," he explained to her.
Touko inched forward, suddenly uneasy. All of the wild Pokémon she'd met tended to attack right away. There were exceptions, now that N was with her. And of course N was there right now, but…
"Are you sure it's safe? He's a wild Pokémon after all…" She was more doubtful the closer she stepped. Zebstrika looked wonderful in pictures, but he looked quite intimidating so close up.
"Wild Pokémon are just Pokémon. They only want to know that you're not a threat. You were talking about Blitzle in herds, so you know. They won't consider you a threat."
The underlying implication that a herd of Blitzle could easily take her down didn't help much. But N was right. Pokémon were just Pokémon, no matter what. Touko gave a small, still-uncertain nod and walked the rest of the way to stand in front of the Zebstrika. Then stopped and stared at it, unsure of what to do next.
"Zebstrika gave permission, you can pet him."
"Eh!?" Touko looked up at N in disbelief. "But he's an electric-type Pokémon. Won't it hurt me?"
As N was petting Zebstrika himself without any problems, Touko immediately knew this was a stupid question. N, however, didn't point this out and answered nicely, "It won't. You said you studied Zebstrika, you should know…"
She did. So she knew that she would be fine. In theory anyway.
Touko reached out her hand and cautiously, gently, touched Zebstrika's neck. There was no shock. Zebstrika's electricity is stored in its mane, Touko remembered from one of her childhood books. She pet Zebstrika slowly, avoiding his mane at first until she relaxed.
Then her fingers brushed along the fearsome looking mane. She quickly pulled her fingers back, but rather than a shock of pain, she felt a tingle through her arm that made her giggle. "It tickles," she said in between laughs.
She continued to pet the Zebstrika, getting used to the sensation somewhat when she brushed against his mane. It was amazing, even moreso than seeing what N had done with the Bouffalant the first day. She was petting a wild Pokémon.
Touko looked at N with a smile and found herself surprised to see that he was smiling back at her. Just a little, but it made her freeze up. Was that the first time she'd actually seen him smile? At the very least it was the first time she'd seen him smile so genuinely.
For a moment, while they looked at each other, Touko got the strange urge to tell him exactly what had happened to her father, the full meaning of Zebstrika. She felt like she could tell N and he wouldn't pity her like everyone else. He would just listen. Like before.
But that was silly. Touko averted her eyes quickly and went back to petting Zebstrika. She didn't even know N that well, it was unfair to make him listen to her burden.
The moment over, she pushed it aside and focused on the present; a smile grew on her face. She'd really met her dream Pokémon. Her heart swelled as the Zebstrika's eyes met hers and the wild Pokémon showed neither fear nor disdain for a weaker trainer like her. Thanks to N she was sure.
"I've never…this is…" She looked up at N, still in some disbelief over the situation.
The small smile he gave her in return struck another sudden whim in Touko. She had trouble getting the important things out sometimes, but this was one impulse of honesty she was going to follow through with.
"Thank you," she delivered the short statement with as much emotion as she had in her and a heartfelt smile. Then with a quick laugh, embarrassed at her sincerity, she looked back at the Pokémon before her.
N looked inquisitive, but didn't ask anything about it. She was just being polite, there was no need for him to question it. If he did, she'd already decided it would be bad to give that much away.
But she wouldn't forget it very soon.
Thank you…for giving me back Zebstrika.
XWXWXWXWX
Maybe she just wanted to help him, like he unknowingly helped her.
That was the latest reasoning for Touko's concern as she walked into the Nacrene City Museum. She'd gone through a whole list on her walk to and from the Poké Center. It still sounded exactly like friendship though, helping each other out. Touko was just still getting used to the idea.
Also, she could use some sort of distraction from her next task at the gym.
And as she stood in front of the museum's largest exhibit, she thought she might have found something better than her own internal debates.
The dragon skeleton.
The exhibit N had mentioned was pretty hard to miss; it stood at the center of the museum, imposingly looking down at anyone who entered the museum.
Or at least it would if it had eyes, Touko thought with a small frown.
Funny how she didn't even really notice it her first time walking into the building. It was pretty darn noticeable.
It was big. Very big.
Touko stepped closer, still keeping her eyes on the skeleton, though a line was forming between her brows the longer she looked.
Big wasn't all that significant.
It felt like she was missing something.
She was looking at an exhibit. This skeleton was a thing that was important enough to display in a museum. But she didn't feel anything different when she looked up at it. It was just a skeleton of a Pokémon. It was kind of sad that it was dead, but skimming the nearby plaque said it was old enough to be a fossil. So that sort of lessened the sadness.
Touko turned her head to the side, to try and look from a different angle. But nope, still nothing. A small sigh escaped her lips as she leaned forward against the railing.
Zebstrika, a fairly common Pokémon, had put her in awe. The first time she laid eyes on Lillipup had been such a thrill. This ancient Pokémon though…didn't even move.
Of course it was dead, so that couldn't be helped. She supposed that was the significance. People made a big fuss over rare Pokémon and what could be rarer than the Pokémon that was dead? Well, except the ones found in complete enough fossils to be reborn.
N didn't care about rarity of Pokémon though, so that theory was out for him. Maybe it was the fact that it was a Pokémon he couldn't understand. A mystery about Pokémon that was beyond even his grasp.
Then again, despite mentioning it, he hadn't seemed that interested in the skeleton in particular (her distractions were proving pointless again). What N did say was something about it reminding him of another Pokémon…that legendary…Reshiram…?
There was a vague sense of recollection at the name that Touko couldn't quite place. A memory or a dream…
A story…
"Once there was a dragon…"
"Aha! Interested in our dragon, I see!"
Touko turned sharply to the source of the loud voice.
There stood an ordinary-looking man wearing a pair of glasses. He was a little short, though still taller than Touko, and she Touko felt a little silly for that short moment of fright…which stubbornly persisted as she looked at the stranger warily.
"Let me introduce myself," he said in the same enthusiastic tone that had startled her so much at first. "My name is Hawes; I'm the assistant director of this museum."
So, he worked at the museum. That made sense, Touko decided observing his suit, amongst the casual tourist wear of others in the museum. It made her less wary, but once instincts kicked in, it was hard to turn them off. Even moreso if someone was already disinclined to say much…
"Sorry, did I startle you?"
It was too easy to see through her. At least the embarrassment was enough to motivate her into a small squeak, "It's fine…"
"Good, I'm glad to hear it," he said cheerfully (he didn't notice that she hadn't said, "no") and immediately turned to the dragon skeleton. "You seemed so interested in our exhibit that I got excited. It's the pride of the museum, this skeleton."
Touko wasn't interested at all, which was exactly the problem. Instead of letting that conundrum out in the open though, she mumbled, "I see."
"There's a theory that it had an accident while it was flying around the world, and so it became a fossil. Well, there are a few more steps in there, but you get the idea." He turned back to Touko. "But this is just one of our exhibits! Come, let me show you!"
At this point, all Touko wanted to do was get to the gym, but the assistant-director was already off at another glass case. So, Touko followed behind, too polite to voice her lack of interest now. She'd already (weakly) committed to the part, so she might as well play it out.
Throughout the tour, Hawes explained the significance of each exhibit and Touko remained distracted. She kept looking back at the dragon skeleton, which could be seen from every corner of the museum. She wondered what it had to do with Reshiram and why that name sounded so familiar! She knew it had something to do with a legend, something about Unova's founding from what N said, but she hadn't heard the tale since she was a very young child. After that she'd become much more interested in the Pokémon around her rather than fantasies.
When Touko did tune into the lectures, all she really learned was that there were a lot of rocks in the world; some from space, some that used to be living, but essentially all of the just rocks and not very interesting.
Until the one exhibit they almost walked right by. Hawes still discussing the last one and didn't even seem to notice, but Touko stopped immediately. Out of habit, she assumed at first. But as she walked closer to the exhibit, she saw that there was no real information written on the placard. Inside the glass case was just a spherical black rock.
Perhaps it was the mystery, but Touko actually found herself a little interested in this rock of unknown origin.
"Lost you for a minute there," Hawes said, reappearing behind Touko. She vaguely wondered how long he had gone on talking to himself before he'd noticed she was gone.
"What is this exhibit?" she asked without removing her gaze from the stone.
"Oh, this? It's an ordinary old stone. It was found near the desert, but other than the fact that it's old, it doesn't seem to have any value…We only display it because it's rather pretty to look at."
Touko dealt with the plummeting expectations with a weak little laugh. Honestly, at least she got the purpose of all the other rocks this was just a rock from the…
Suddenly, Touko stood up straight. "The desert?"
"Of course!" Hawes replied, full back to enthusiastic after the lackluster review of the round rock. "A great majority of our exhibits come from the desert. It is home to perhaps the oldest parts of Unova, so it only makes sense. A case could be made for Dragonspiral tower, but since there's not getting in there it remains a mystery. For now, the ruins in the desert are Unova's greatest archeological resource…"
At this point, Touko had to tune out her tourguide again to cope. She would have to figure out some way out of this before he started on…
"…such an unusual Pokémon, too. Yamask and—"
"Ah!" Touko called out abruptly, deciding on expediency over politeness. After receiving a startled look from the director, it occurred to her to try and come up with an explanation. "I…I just remembered I have to meet my friends for lunch and…I have to go to the gym first, you know?" she rattled out as fast as she could, her voice quieting into almost a whisper.
"That's right, you must be a trainer," Hawes replied, immediately going with the flow. "Right up the stairs. You'll get directions from the library."
Touko muttered her thanks and ran for the stairs, cursing with each step how easy it ended up being. She could have just done that from the beginning.
Well, at least by that point, she'd had enough distraction. She let herself have a quick laugh at her own expense.
Finally, she stood at the top of the stairs, the gym just ahead, but Touko couldn't help but take one last look at the museum behind her. Even from this height, the dragon skeleton stood tall.
What did N want with a Pokémon from an old legend? Perhaps every Trainer dreamed about having a Pokémon like that every once in a while, but he seemed so determined.
Touko took a deep breath in and out. This was silly; she'd already decided to figure it out later, so she'd figure it out later. What could she do now but focus on the battle and keep her promise about Castelia City?
She gripped her first Poké Ball. She'd planned it ages ago; she'd use Lillipup first, try things out with a normal Pokémon. Then Panpour, who had gotten quite strong. Snivy was her ace if the others couldn't handle things on their own. If she had to go any further then that she didn't know what would happen. Patrat might be able to save the battle, but Purrloin…
She'd just have to stop such a situation from happening. After all, she was still an undefeated trainer. It wasn't like she was bad at what she did. She had that confirmed today.
"I can do this," she whispered to herself one last encouragement and walked through the door.
XWXWXWXWX
"Snivy! One last time, use leaf tornado to knock him out!"
The battle took out both Lillipup and Panpour, both of whom had berries to survive a couple of particularly hard blows. Snivy was on his last legs. It had taken every last bit of energy from Touko's three strongest Pokémon against just two of Lenora's. Two normal-type Pokémon, the most common and clearly taken for granted.
Touko understood that warning her mother gave about aprons very quickly after she spotted the one the archeologist sported in the first round of the fight.
But in the end, Touko won just in time.
"Well, I'm getting a lot of good trainers around these days! Two days and three trainers who all put up an excellent fight," Lenora congratulated her after the loss of Watchog, her final Pokémon.
Touko's smile was uneasy as she stepped onto the field to take care of Snivy. Lenora took to the loss like Chili had in Striaton, looking more excited about it than anything. But Touko wasn't going to let the praise get to her head; she had a good idea of who the better one was. If they'd been fighting with the same amount of Pokémon, it would have been Touko's loss.
Just the same, she mumbled, "Thanks."
Lenora met her and Snivy in the middle of the Gym. "Now honestly, I can tell when you trainers are being too modest. I don't praise unnecessarily, you know, and I don't hold back," she chastised, causing Touko to look down with a red face.
She hadn't meant to imply anything like that!
"Truly, your fighting style is so enchanting. It is charming. You are a Pokémon trainer worthy of receiving this Basic Badge!"
When Touko was handed the badge, she smiled more easily and replied again more earnestly, "Thank you very much."
Lenora gave a nod of approval, satisfied for the moment.
For the first time since she walked down the stairs, Touko took a good look at her surroundings. When she entered, she was too focused, adrenaline pumping to see anything but her next opponent. Now she saw that their battle arena really looked a lot more like a study.
Likewise, she looked at Lenora anew, seeing the museum director rather than just the gym leader. She wondered what kind of knowledge an archeologist might have about ancient legends. At least more than the average person on the street, right?
Before Touko figured out how to word the question, Lenora had caught onto her confusion. "Well, for a winner you sure look a little lost," she said with a kindly smile. "Anything I can do?"
The invitation relieved some of Touko's tension. She wouldn't feel so silly if the question was misplaced. Though it was slowly occurring to Touko, that as something she thought she'd heard once, it might actually be common knowledge. She kind of wished she hadn't thought of that, but plowed ahead anyway, "Some mentioned a name of a Pokémon that I'm not that familiar with. Sort of…from a legend, I think. I think I may have heard it before, but I can't really remember and…"
Lenora was being very polite about it, but it was clear that she was rambling. Touko swallowed and decided to get to the point, "Its name was —"
Unfortunately, the sound of the door slamming open and the clatter of someone running down the stairs drowned out what Touko was saying.
"Dear!" the assistant director, Hawes (who clearly had a closer relationship with the director than Touko realized) called out. "Dear! Come quickly! Team Plasma is threatening to steal some bones!"
At the words "Team Plasma" Touko immediately forgot about Reshiram, anger at the gang of hypocritical Pokémon thieves overtaking everything. If her troubles in Striaton weren't enough, she now had her failure to add onto the grude. She promised Bianca to help her find that little girl's Pokémon and had been frustratingly inept at following through thus far. She clenched her hands into fists at the reminder now.
"What? What's going on?" Lenora asked in a panic, meeting Hawes midway in the gym.
"Team Plasma's gimmick is saving Pokémon," Touko explained, anger once again making her forget herself. "But what does stealing bones have to do with 'saving Pokémon'?"
Lenora looked back at Touko. "I don't know, but you better come too, Touko. My Pokémon are all still out for the moment. This timing couldn't be worse." She hurried up the stairs, leaving her husband and Touko behind.
Or better, Touko couldn't help but think. She called Snivy into his Poké Ball and ran up the stairs after Lenora.
She ran as fast as she could, ignoring questions from trainers in the library above, but by the time she reached the museum, the confrontation was already taking place down below. There must have been more than a dozen Team Plasma members in the museum, surrounding the skeleton at the center.
"Now you wait!" Lenora commanded. "Enough fooling around!"
Touko ran down the steps to stand by Lenora, a hand on a Poké Ball. Snivy, Lillipup, and Panpour were all in no condition to battle, but she still had Patrat and Purrloin. Even so, against so many, she was hesitant to try anything.
"So, you've come Gym Leader," a redhead at the front said. "We, Team Plasma, claim this museum's dragon skull in the name of Pokémon liberation!"
"What kind of rubbish is that?" Touko interjected, her voice scornful. "You're getting farther from the target every time I see you."
The speaker seemed confused by Touko's outburst for a moment until he received a nudge from the girl next to him and continued on, "To show you we're serious, we'll steal it right before your eyes!"
Touko frowned; previously, when she talked back it was addressed. It was as if this guy was following some script. Almost exactly like that, in fact…
"Well, then, here's our smoke screen!" the speaker announced and several pods were thrown onto the ground.
Touko started, "If we can't see, you're not—" but the smoke was too much and she had to cover her mouth to keep from coughing. For a moment, she was filled with panic, remembering her previous ordeal, but it was just ordinary smoke to conceal, not destroy.
Actually, that remained to be seen considering their declaration.
Many voices called out, "Plasma!" followed by the sound of scurrying footsteps.
When the smoke cleared…both the skull and Team Plasma were gone.
Author's Request: At this point the schedule is well and truly dead. I'm not the sort to go on about my personal life, but suffice to say there has been stuff. Not serious stuff, but multiple piles of stuff. My priorities in dealing with this stuff has knocked this fanfic down to (almost) the bottom of the pile. Then there was BW2, so there was a good chunk of time negotiating that around my stuff and fully ignoring this.
But I'm back. With considerations to my stuff though, I'd like to make a small request if anyone is willing to help. I don't feel confident in my brain capacity to catch important writing problems. If anyone wants to offer to beta, I would be ecstatic. I just want an outside opinion to give me a basic green light or red light on any major mistakes. Basically, I want to be stopped if a chapter as a whole is a failure. I don't want someone to take time to pick at everything, because we're all so short on time these days. It would just put my mind at ease right away instead of the long wait before the first review.
So, PM me if you're interested! Thanks!
Author's Note on FerrisWheelShipping: I have noticed that apparently I have this inclination to write N and Touko as some kind of sitcom duo. I feel like this was my true motivation in the whole route 3 stuff. To make Touko more familiar with N so she can just be exasperated by him instead of the more logical response of, "Seriously, who are you and what is your deal?"
I feel like the reason FerrisWheelShipping gets some grief from the outside is because it's so often refitted into a premade couple. Now, you can't really mess up Touko/Hilda, but N! Fanfic!N is so often doing things that I don't even think N would even understand. I like N being the way he is, which is why I am always on edge about his characterization (I do think I make him more friendly than he should be often). Also, the math stuff…why…
I guess what I want to say is that mainly what I enjoy about FerrisWheelShipping (aside from the thematic stuff) is the extreme potential for awkward. Hence…everything I do really.
What I wrote makes more sense in my head, but there you (kind of) have it.