A/n: this chapter was so hard to write, because I'm not back into Pokemon yet, and not too inspired to write about it... but this fic was asking so desperately for a New Year special that I decided I had to do it no matter what. Here it is. It's an even longer chapter than the last one. Hopefully, it makes up for the lack of updates during this whole year.
Pokemon Black n' White: Soul Link
Written by Aiyumi
Disclaimer: Pocket Monsters/Pokemon, as well as any other trademark that may be referenced in this fan fiction, are properties of their respective owners. I am just a fan and I do not have any relations to said people/companies.
Chapter 14: Towards a New Year
"See? It wasn't that bad, was it?" Curtis turned to his brother as they stood up to leave. "In general, pokemon like to battle. It's like this by nature. Of course, in the wild sometimes things are more serious, as some pokemon fight for territory and whatnot, and there are also the dangerous kind of fights, like when Team Plasma was causing trouble." He saw the boy make an angry face at the mention of Plasma. "But there are also battles like these. The Pokemon League and other competitions were created for both humans and pokemon to enjoy. There are rules in place to prevent putting the combatants' lives in danger. This way, they can concentrate more on their techniques and on enjoying the battle without the need to worry about getting seriously hurt. Trainers help the pokemon to improve their techniques, the pokemon benefit from that, they take part in the competition's fun, and everyone wins! Even the ones who lost the battle! Hahahahaha!" He just had to break the serious mood.
Their mother started to clap and added to the mood breakage. "Wow! My Curtis is talking like a teacher!"
Kenji said nothing. He didn't know what to make of it all. To him, pokemon battles meant war. Fight for territory. Fight for dominance. Not a ridiculous sport where people ordered pokemon around and made bets over which one would win. He hated when pokemon were mistreated and forced to fight. What was strange, though, was that it hadn't seemed like the pokemon in the League had acted forced. They had seemed determined to give their best, but not by fear of their trainers punishing them if they didn't do well or anything like that. They had really seemed to be enjoying the battle. It was strange. For the rest of the day, that thought kept nagging at him. Were battles really beneficial to pokemon like his brother had said? Or did those pokemon only find battles fun because they had been conditioned to obey trainers from the moment they were born, and were simply unaware of the danger they were in?
The following day, they had left the hotel and were heading to the airport when they ran into Cheren near the Pokemon Center. The trainer walked slowly with his hands inside his pockets, his head low, and a lost look in his eyes.
"Hey!" Curtis waved. Cheren stopped walking and slowly turned his head in their direction. "I wasn't expecting to run into you here."
"Uh... your name was... Curtis, wasn't it?"
"Oh, you remember!" Curtis seemed pleased. "These are my brother and my mother. We watched your match yesterday. It was a great battle!"
"Hi! I'm Marilene, " Their mother. Nice to meet you! I'm very glad to meet such a talented trainer like you in person!" She pulled Kenji by the hand and dragged him in front of Curtis. "I honestly hope one day Kenji will become a great trainer, just like you!" To which Kenji made a face and looked away.
"It was just by a stroke of bad luck that you didn't win," Curtis said. "You showed great ability. You proved that you know your pokemon's strengths and limits. Both you and your pokemon did great. Be sure to treat them. They really deserve it!"
"Yes, I will." Cheren nodded.
"Well, we'll be on our way now. Please send Touko my regards!" Curtis waved cheerfully, and they went their separate ways.
Even after one day since the match, Link and his family still talked about the battle over breakfast.
"I had never imagined that a Pokemon League match could be so intense." Link commented. "So many emotions... both trainers and pokemon really seemed to be greatly enjoying it!"
"Yes. I wonder what the pokemon felt. Um..." Angel shuffled nervously. "Link, I know you might not remember and might not be able to answer this, but... have you ever sent a pokemon into battle?"
"... Me? Hmm... I don't know."
"Oh." The Audino seemed a bit disappointed, but she still continued, nervously. "What about now? I mean... do you think you could... do you think we could...?"
Understanding crossed Link's eyes, and he was clearly surprised. "Do you mean to say you want to battle?"
"Huh, y-yes, that's what I meant."
"... Are you sure?" Link reluctantly asked.
"I'm sure. I want to know what it feels like to battle." The pokemon nodded firmly.
Link's parents had been paying attention to his words and the pokemon's reactions. They were equally taken aback.
"Hmm, that was surprising." Nathan voiced his opinion. "Normally, Audinos aren't much into battling."
"I-I understand." It was Link's turn to feel nervous. "I see what you mean. I'd also like to know how trainers feel when they guide their pokemon partners in battle... but it's like I already said. I don't remember if I've ever battled before. I don't know what I should do. What if you get hurt?"
"You could try challenging one of the wild pokemon outside the city, on Route 19. The pokemon there shouldn't be too tough." Emily suggested.
"Link, please..." the pokemon practically implored.
Link took a deep breath and looked like he was about to continue arguing, but he had to admit he also wanted to learn more about battles, and gave in. "... A-alright. Let's give it a try."
Angel's eyes lit up. "Thank you, Link!"
The whole family headed to Route 19. Link and Angel stepped forward while Nathan and Emily stayed back to watch. Now, to find a pokemon to battle. Link was wondering how to go about it when a Patrat - a male, Link could tell just by looking - poked his head out from the tall grass.
Angel approached the Patrat. "Um, hey, are you up for a battle?"
"Hmm?" The Patrat looked at her in annoyance. "Yeah. I'm bored, so why not?"
"Great!" Angel was obviously nervous, but she seemed glad nonetheless.
"Just know this. I'm not going to lose to some random Audino! Your kind isn't that fit for battling, after all!"
Angel gulped and looked at Link. He nodded and tried to assure her, even though he was equally nervous himself. "Alright, let's do this." Link tried his best to keep his voice steady. "Angel, Pound!"
Angel pounded the Patrat on the face. He staggered backwards but recovered quickly, then retaliated by tackling her and pushing her back a few feet. Despite the impact, Angel was pleasantly surprised that she didn't feel pain.
"Pound again!"
Angel used Pound and caused some damage. Her opponent used Tackle, and she brushed it off.
"Grr. But your kind is resilient." the Patrat had to admit.
The Pound VS. Tackle process kept repeating itself. Once... twice... Angel had taken much less damage than her opponent, but Link concluded that if the battle kept going that way, it would last a very long time. Link figured it was time to try something different. The problem was, what else could they do? Try to use something more powerful, or find a way to increase Angel's power... or both. An idea struck him, and suddenly he was absolutely sure about what to do. "Angel, Work Up!"
She did some warm up exercises and increased both her physical and special attacks.
"Now, use Return!" Link commanded.
The Patrat used leer and tried to soften Angel's defenses, but she was too excited about her first battle and wouldn't let some pathetic excuse for a malicious look deter her! She slammed full force into her opponent and sent him flying right into a tree.
The Patrat fell to the ground and went still for a few seconds. Both Link and Angel stared at him warily, until he started to laugh. "Hahahahaha!" He looked worse for wear, but he still stood up shakily and looked back at them. "I won't take back what I said. I refuse to lose to some random Audino!"
Angel was more confident now. But being the caring pokemon that she was, she couldn't help but be concerned for her opponent. "You still want to fight? You can't continue like this..."
"Nah." The Patrat flicked his tail in a dismissive manner. "You're right. I can't continue the fight like this. But you didn't let me finish my speech! Like I was saying, I refuse to lose to some random Audino. But you're not just some random Audino. You're a strong Audino. I'm impressed. I may have lost, but it was a fun battle."
"Huh... thanks for the compliment." But Angel was still worried. "Will you be alright?"
"I'll be fine after a few Oran Berries. At least now I have an excuse to go and eat early, eheh." Despite his loss, the Patrat seemed in a much better mood than he had been before the battle. "Well, this battle killed my boredom for sure. If only my other days were more interesting, with more fun stuff like this..."
"Um, maybe you should get a trainer or something?" Angel suggested.
"Hmm..." The Patrat closed his eyes in thought. "Traveling to different places, meeting other pokemon... sounds much more interesting than staying here doing nothing all day... yeah, I'll think about it."
Link was very glad about the battle's results. That Patrat accepted the loss with pride, and proved to be very respectful. Link was sure that not all pokemon would be so, but they were lucky to run into an understanding opponent, which proved that understanding opponents actually existed, and that battling was not merely a brainless and violent activity. Battling was not simply a matter of pitting pokemon against each other, or of winning and losing. Even those who lost learned something valuable. Through battle, each party gained understanding of each other, and learned to respect each other. Maybe that was how the trainers and pokemon that battled in the League felt. Link was glad that he seemed to be able to uncover a bit of that mystery. He crouched down and smiled warmly at the Patrat. "You were a good opponent as well. You showed to accept your loss with pride. You have our respect. Thank you for the fun battle, and take care."
They turned around and left. Only after they had crossed the gate back to Aspertia City, Angel let her excitement show. "We did it. Link, we did it! We won our first battle!" She jumped in Link's direction.
Link caught her in his arms and hugged her lightly. "Yes," he whispered and nodded, then his mouth curved into a gentle smile. "I wish we could do this more often. Maybe I should consider traveling around Unova like the other trainers do. Some day in the future, who knows..."
Nathan and Emily were walking behind Link, holding hands and also with smiles on their faces. They stopped walking and tore their eyes from the boy for an instant. They traded a glance and nodded to each other, then resumed their walk back to Aspertia City.
Makoto listened as Touko began her flute practice. This song...! her eyes widened when she realized what song Touko was playing. She listened quietly until Touko had finished, then said, "It's the Farewell Song!"
"It's so beautiful, isn't it? Remember that friend I told you? The one I lost. I wish I could have played this song to him, to say goodbye..."
"Oh..." Makoto nodded in understanding.
Touko tried to put the gloomy thoughts aside. "I didn't know you knew this song, though."
Makoto would have recognized that song anywhere. After all, it was the last ever song she had played to Kyurem, when she had said goodbye to him. "I can play this song on the piano!"
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah, really."
"I want to hear it!"
Makoto suddenly had an idea. "Better yet, If we ever find a piano, let's play this song together!"
Touko nodded and smiled. "Alright! Then I'll practice even more, so it becomes as beautiful as we can make it."
When Cheren arrived back in Nuvema Town, he was so distracted mulling over the result of his battle that he completely forgot to prepare for one thing that was sure to come. When he snapped to attention, it was already too late.
"Woohoo! Cheren's back!" Bel was already mid-charge.
He desperately tried to sidestep her "attack," but he tripped and lost his balance. The "Bel Tackle" hit him square, and the almighty almost-Champion fell to his knees on the ground. "Aaah! Bel Blanco...! you..."
"Hahahaha! It's super effective!"
The not so familiar voice diverted his attention from the retort he had been preparing. Cheren glanced up and found himself face to face with a little girl. She looked like Touko from the time they had just met. Except, she was smiling at him, something rare for four year old Touko. It was Makoto, the mysterious figure that was said to be Touko's sister.
"It's been a long time, hasn't it?"
It had been... what? Six months? His memory about Makoto were too hazy. To him, it was still strange to think Touko had a sister. And for some reason, it didn't feel like they hadn't met in six months. "Is that so?"
Makoto didn't answer. Instead, she looked at Bel and asked, "Bel, can I hug him too?"
"Sure!" Bel didn't give Cheren a chance to object. She released him and stepped aside to give Makoto her space.
Makoto walked closer to him. Cheren was still on his knees, just at the right height for her to comfortably hug, and it was what she did. Cheren awkwardly hugged her back. But he suddenly felt a strong aura coming from her, and instinctively backed away. She fidgeted, seemingly startled by his reaction.
"Uh, we saw your battle on TV. It was amazing!" She tried to break the tension. "Your speech at the beginning was very touching, too. Touko cried when she heard it." That made Cheren's eyes widen. Touko was the person he had dedicated the battle to, even though he had been careful to not mention her name. Strange. It was as though Makoto had been aware that he had been talking about Touko... but then she added, "Well, everyone cried." Okay, probably just his imagination...
"Hi, welcome back, Cheren." Touko appeared from the direction of her house.
Cheren used that as an excuse to tear his gaze away from Makoto. He slowly stood up and turned towards Touko. Unlike Bel, Touko hugged him gently, something he was very grateful for.
"Good to see that you seem to be doing better, Touko."
"A bit. You don't seem that well, though."
"I'm tired." Obviously, that wasn't all, but he would leave it at that. "I'll head home now." Cheren turned away, excused himself, and practically ignored Bel's shout of, "Okay, see you later!"
When Cheren arrived near his house, he was flanked by his neighbors and his parents. They showered him with all sorts of compliments as though he were the new Champion. But he knew very well that he wasn't, and took all the compliments as just an exaggerated and useless attempt at flattering him. That day, Cheren refused to do anything, and locked himself into his room under the pretense that he needed rest.
The following morning, Cheren decided to go to Striaton City's trainer school. Maybe one of the teachers there could give him some tips and enlighten him on what he was missing. When he passed near Touko's house, Mrs. White was there cleaning the backyard.
"Good morning, Cheren. Heading out to somewhere?"
"Good morning, Mrs. White. I'm going to check something out at Striaton's trainer school."
"The trainer school? Oh, I have an idea! Why don't you take Makoto with you?"
"Huh...?" He looked at her in confusion.
"She got very excited after you came back. I'm sure she would enjoy spending some time with you. Besides, learning the basics about pokemon battles could do her some good, too. So, could you do it, please?"
"Um, y-yes..." He said reluctantly.
"Alright. Then wait here while I'll get her." Akemi hurried inside.
He sighed, wondering what he had gotten himself into. He had never been good with kids - not even when he was one -. Most children usually didn't come near him - not even when he was one -, and the few who did seemed to quickly dislike him. He hadn't interacted much with Makoto, but he guessed that she should be no different from other children. What if she cried for everything he said, and it was four year old Touko all over again? He didn't know what to do. He breathed deeply as he considered the possibilities. Maybe she had already disliked him, or wasn't interested in studying about pokemon and would refuse to come, or maybe...
"I hope you didn't have to wait much." Akemi came out of the house with Makoto trailing behind her.
"Hm." He was surprised that Akemi was able to talk the girl into it in such a short time.
"Morning, Cheren!" Makoto greeted him with a smile. Of course, her behavior didn't go unnoticed.
"Good morning..." He answered.
"Makoto, you have to be a good girl and do everything as Cheren says, okay?" Akemi said.
"Okay."
"Then, see you two later! Take care!" She entered the house and left them alone.
Cheren didn't move for a moment. All the times he had seen her, he had felt a strong energy from her. What if that happened again?
"Cheren, is something wrong?" She asked, and he realized he had been taking too much time staring into space.
"Uh, it's nothing." Cheren shook his head. He hesitantly approached her. "... Shall we go now?"
"Whenever you want."
He took her by the hand, and was relieved that nothing happened.
They walked in silence for a few minutes. Makoto decided to say something. "Um, you know? You're the first person that didn't say I look like Touko."
He gave her a brief glance. "Would you prefer if I had said that?"
"Huh? ... Hahahaha, no, Just something I noticed, that's all."
She had laughed, and Cheren didn't see what she could have found funny about his remark, but didn't ask. Instead, he continued to voice his opinion, "To me, you're quite different."
"Oh." She seemed a bit surprised. "Since when do you know Touko?"
"Since the time she moved to Unova. She was around your age."
"How was she like?" Before Cheren had a chance to answer, Makoto quickly added, "... I mean, not in appearance."
He sighed, not really in the mood to recall those moments again. "Well... she was quiet, insecure, and... cried a lot."
Makoto giggled. "Then, she didn't change much." That earned a surprised look from him.
"Um... yes, you could say that."
"It's nice that she had good people like you and Bel around."
He hesitated for a bit. "Actually, at first, we didn't get along. Touko and I, I mean."
"Really?" It was Makoto's turn to give him a surprised look. "I had thought you had always been friends. I'd have never guessed that you didn't get along in the beginning."
"No. She used to avoid me a lot. It had been pretty hard for me to get close to her."
Something flickered in Makoto's eyes, and she nodded. "I think I see what you mean," she said with sympathy.
Cheren's first impulse was to lash out and say that there was no way she could understand what he had gone through, that she didn't know what she was talking about. But the sadness on her face and her voice oddly seemed to indicate she had really understood, as though she had also experienced something similar at some point in her life.
They took the path with no tall grass and made their way to Striaton City mostly in silence. They entered the trainer school. Cheren mentally thanked Makoto for not having complained about anything so far, and could only hope she would behave and not disturb the class.
Cheren went to one of the classrooms. He asked for permission to watch the class, and the teacher had been more than happy to invite the amazing trainer from Nuvema town and his little sister into the classroom.
"Uh... no, she isn't my sister." Cheren embarrassedly corrected him. To think Touko had a sister was already weird, even though she and Makoto looked alike. But to say that Makoto was his sister... was stretching it too much.
"Oh, my bad. I had thought... never mind." The teacher gesticulated, also embarrassed. "Anyway, it's a honor to have you here, Cheren."
To Cheren's relief, Makoto stayed perfectly quiet during the class. However, nothing about the class went how he had anticipated. The students also seemed excited to have him there, and began asking him a lot of questions. Then, the teacher encouraged him to share his insights into some aspects of pokemon battles, and soon he found himself explaining about type match ups and how to cover weaknesses when forced into a type disadvantage. Basically, he ended up being the one giving the lecture. All students nodded and gaped in awe, but Cheren didn't feel it was fair. He had lost the decisive battle. He wasn't good enough. So, he thought those students wouldn't benefit from his tips. This is why, at the end, he emphasized that those were only some strategies based on details he had observed during his battles, and once the students got more experience, they should make their own observations and strategies.
Only at the end of the class period, Cheren finally had time to talk privately to the teacher. Well, not as "privately," since Makoto was with them and could hear everything, but still... Cheren finally did what he was there for and asked for some advice to solve his problem. However, the teacher's answer was very disappointing.
"I'm sorry, Cheren, but there's nothing I can do to help you," the teacher had said. "It's like you had said yourself when you were talking to the class. Once the trainer gets more experience, he must make his own observations and think up his own strategies. All I do is prepare students to make sure they'll get a head start on their journeys. You have already gone through your own journey, made your own observations, and devised solid strategies. You have much more experience with pokemon battles than any of us here. So, I'm afraid I have nothing more that I can teach you."
"I... understand." Cheren nodded, disappointed. "Thank you for your time."
The teacher shook his head. "I must be the one to thank you. It was great to have you here. And we're happy that you agreed to share your insights with everyone. Not all top trainers are willing to share their battle secrets, you know." Then, the teacher saw that Makoto hadn't been included in the conversation and decided to ask her something. "What about you... Makoto, was it? When you grow up, do you plan to become a trainer too?"
"Huh...?" She jumped, seemingly surprised to be included in the conversation. "I still don't know."
"Hmm." The teacher raised an eyebrow in amusement. He had probably expected to hear she say she wanted to become a great trainer like Cheren when she grew up. "Ha ha ha! Yes, yes, you still have time to decide. No need to rush. If you do decide to become a trainer, though, we'll be happy to have you here with us... oh, but you already have a very skilled trainer that can teach you anytime." He winked at Cheren. "Oh! And you're from Nuvema Town. It means that you have Professor Juniper, too... well, even so, if you feel like studying here, just know that this school will always be here for you."
"Uh... th-thanks," Makoto said with a shy smile.
"We'll be going now. Teacher, once again, thank you for your attention."
"Anytime." The teacher shook Cheren's hand. "Sorry that I couldn't be of help to you."
They stopped at the restaurant that also doubled as the city's gym.
"you and your pokemon did great. Be sure to treat them. They really deserve it!" Cheren recalled Curtis' words from when they met on the way out of the Pokemon League, and realized he still had done nothing to thank his pokemon for their hard work. Thus, he decided to get some special treats for his team.
"Hi! You're the pokemon from that amazing battle! I'm Makoto, Touko's sister. Nice to meet you!" Makoto introduced herself once the food was on the table and all pokemon were outside of their balls.
"Wow! So you're Touko's sister. Makes sense! For a moment, I had thought Touko had shrunk, hahahaha!" Were Liepard's words, which Cheren obviously couldn't understand, and even if he were able to, he wouldn't have heard because he had tuned everything out.
Cheren absentmindedly ate his food as he stared out into space. He only ate because his body needed it, but he definitely wasn't in the mood, and didn't even pay attention to the food's taste. He also didn't pay attention to Makoto or his pokemon, and didn't see the growing worry in the girl's face.
Once they arrived back in Nuvema Town, Cheren went to Professor Juniper's lab and let his pokemon out in the backyard so they could breathe some fresh air. There, he ran into Professor Cedric Juniper.
"Oh, here you are," The professor said. "I had come to see my daughter, and also because I had heard you were back. Congratulations on your match, Cheren. It was too bad that you didn't win, but the battle was great nonetheless."
"Thank you, Professor," Cheren answered, tired of hearing pointless congratulations and compliments.
"Are you going to challenge the League again next year?"
"I don't know..." Cheren sighed. The badges were valid only for that year's competition. If he were to participate on the following year, he would have to do everything all over again. "I could do it, but collecting badges and training take much time. And the League battles are only at the end of the year. If I fail again, it'll feel like one more year wasted."
"Don't say that." The professor spoke in a gentle tone. "Everything you do counts as more experience. And there's the possibility of you winning, too. Don't act like you're defeated even before the start of the match."
"Yes, but... maybe it'd be better if I did something else instead of insisting on this. I was thinking... maybe I could continue my studies to enter a good college and specialize in something... but for what? Everything I studied until now was part of my plans to become a trainer and challenge the League. If I rule this out, then I don't know what else to do."
"Hmm. If it's so important to you, then you should keep trying."
"... Maybe. But it's so hard... I prepared for it throughout all my life. I did the best I could, and I thought I was ready... but I wasn't. It was as though all my life... all this time... everything that I learned, everything that I did, meant nothing. I don't want to believe that I already hit the end of the line, but what could I learn to make a difference in one year that I couldn't in sixteen? Something tells me that I'm simply not good enough."
"Don't say that." The professor repeated. "Both of you were down to only one pokemon. You were pretty close. It was just a stroke of bad luck. Keep trying and you'll get there. Don't feel so down. The whole Nuvema Town is quite proud of you. Your head seems very clouded by the result of the battle, and you might not have many expectations about the future right now, but I'm sure you'll find something. You are intelligent and talented. No matter what you decide to do, you have great chances of success. So, don't give up. For now, just rest, give it some time, and think about it with a clear head."
The professor left, and Cheren stood were he was. "A stroke of bad luck... hmph." He gave a bitter chuckle. All his preparation, all of his studies, and in the end it came down to just luck? He hated to not have control of the situation. He hated to leave things up to luck. This was why he had studied so hard. But in the end, all of it was useless...
"Cheren." Makoto came from where she had been playing with Cheren's pokemon near the lab.
Cheren wasn't in the mood to answer, but as he caught the worry on her face, he feared that something bad might have happened. Mrs. White was trusting him to take good care of Makoto while they were out. If something happened to Makoto, it would be his fault. So, he looked at her. "What is it?"
"Your pokemon look troubled. Have you... have you talked to them after the battle?"
"Huh?" Cheren blinked. "I..." And he froze. Come to think of it, he hadn't really talked to them about the results of the battle. He had bought them special food at the restaurant, but he hadn't even told them that it had been a token of appreciation for their hard work.
"Maybe you should talk to them." Makoto seemed nervous. "You know, they might be thinking you're blaming them for losing... or that you're planning to release them because they weren't strong enough, or something like that."
Cheren gaped. That was absurd! He would never do anything like that! ... But Makoto was probably right. He wasn't the only one upset with defeat. His pokemon certainly were as well. His silence wasn't making things any better, either. Since he hadn't given them much attention after the battle, they were left in the dark and might be thinking all sorts of things. "Yes, you're right. I'll talk to them."
Cheren assembled his team and called everyone to talk. His pokemon gathered near him and waited for him to speak, with apprehensive looks on their faces.
"I..." Cheren took a deep breath. "I feel I should apologize to all of you. I don't blame you for our loss. If there's someone to blame, it's me. I'm not good enough. I failed as a trainer. I pushed you too hard for nothing. Even right now, I continue to fail you. I've been so out of it that I didn't even consider your side of the situation. It's obvious that all of you are affected by the loss as much as I am. Yet, I didn't so much as talk to you about it! I'm such a horrible trainer..."
The pokemon shook their heads, and they frantically chattered in pokemon language, as though they wanted to say they didn't blame him, in the same way he didn't blame them.
"To tell the truth, I don't know what to do now. I don't know where to go from here. What about you? ... What do you want to do?" Cheren felt the need to ask. "I don't intend to release you... unless it's what you would prefer. If I choose to continue competing in battles, I still would like to have you with me. But if you decide to get another trainer, a better trainer... I'll respect that decision."
All of them inched closer to him and chattered more. Cheren scrambled to catch Snivy who decided to jump into his arms. He lost his balance and fell to a sitting position on the ground. All his pokemon were instantly at his side. Only Ferrothorn was a bit farther, since his thorns didn't let him express affection through physical contact.
Makoto giggled. "They like you a lot, don't they?"
Cheren didn't need to understand pokemon language to decipher their answer. He felt much better now. It was as though a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. To think that the mere act of talking to his pokemon would have such an effect... Cheren was grateful that Makoto had reminded him to do that. Now that he was sure he had his team's full support, he was confident he would be able to decide what to do more easily. One of his rare smiles formed on his face, and he uttered in a near whisper, "Everyone, thank you."
Cheren awoke in a much better mood the following morning. After breakfast, he was strolling through town when he heard a gentle flute sound. This is... He thought as he quickened his pace towards the sound's direction. To his surprise, he found Touko seated on a bench and playing the Nuvema Town song on her blue flute, while Bel and Makoto listened beside her. He quietly joined the girls on the bench and listened intently.
"This song is so... Nuvema Town, isn't it?" Bel whispered to him.
Cheren nodded. He had to agree. There was simply no way to get a more accurate description with so few words.
The song ended, and the two girls clapped.
Bel smiled radiantly. "Wow, Touko. I didn't know you still remembered how to play! Actually, I'm surprised you still have this flute."
"I've been practicing these last few days. And of course I still have it. You gave it to me. It's special. I'd never throw it away."
Bel giggled. "I'm so happy to hear you play it again! I still remember the time we bought it. I had tried to play it, but nothing like music had come out! It sounded kind of like a train whistle!"
"Hahahahaha!" Makoto laughed.
"Oh!" Bel clasped her hands. "That was the day I had bought my toy piano, too! Makoto, I've heard that you like to play the piano. I still have the toy. Want to see it?"
"Sure!" Makoto nodded excitedly.
Then, I'll show you. Come on!" Bel stood up from the bench and beckoned Makoto to follow her.
Then, it was only Touko and Cheren.
"It's good that you seem happier." Cheren commented after a short moment of silence.
"I've been doing better ever since Makoto arrived. And it also makes me happy to see that you're in a good mood today, Cheren. You looked so down when you arrived back in town that I got worried."
"Sorry. I didn't want to worry you. But yes, I had been really out of it. I hadn't been seeing anything around me. Not even my own team. I felt so much better after I realized my mistake and finally talked to them... I keep wondering why I hadn't tried that before." Cheren heaved a sigh. "they still support me, despite everything. All of this made me think a lot. And I realized I hadn't been paying proper attention to some things that are probably obvious. For example, I had been so focused on battles that I didn't pay much attention to the non-battling aspects of raising a pokemon. I want to correct this. So... I intend to leave on another journey. Start from Route 1, all the way again. I want to revisit all places I visited this last journey, and look at everything from a different perspective, to try to find things I have missed."
"When are you planning to leave?" Touko asked.
"I'm not sure yet. This year is coming to an end. Probably sometime next year. But enough talking about myself. What about you, Touko? Have you decided what you want to do?"
"No. I don't know if I'll start another journey, or even if I still want to be a trainer. I'm not in the mood for battles lately, and there are other options that don't involve much hardcore battling, like becoming a pokemon coordinator, or maybe... I don't know." Touko shook her head and tried to come out of the dark mood. "But no matter what we end up doing, even if we get far apart, you'll still have my support."
"Thanks, Touko." Cheren nodded gratefully. "And you'll have mine."
"Thanks." Touko smiled and closed her eyes.
For a while, neither of them said anything. They were lost in their own thoughts, only enjoying the morning breeze.
"Back then, why had you stopped playing the flute?" Cheren suddenly spoke.
"Huh?" Touko was pulled back from her thoughts. She slowly turned her head in his direction, then answered, "Because I knew I'd never become good at playing it. For that, I'd need to practice, but... I couldn't."
"Why?" Cheren asked.
A few seconds passed, but Touko didn't say anything.
"Touko?"
She took a deep breath. "Because I didn't want to bother you."
"What?"
"Yeah, I didn't want to bother you," she repeated. "I had been practicing a bit in the beginning, but..."
"Yes, I remember." He interrupted her. "Your playing had never bothered me."
"... It didn't?" Touko looked puzzled. "Y-you always complained whenever Bel played her toy piano, so I thought..."
"No. Bel's toy piano was a whole different story. It didn't sound even remotely like she was trying to play a musical instrument. It sounded like she was trying to make as much noise as possible. It was a totally unordered series of very loud and obnoxious bursts of noise, completely different from your playing. I rather liked to hear you practice. I was disappointed when I found out you had stopped playing, but if it was your decision, I had to respect it. I admit I was quite surprised today when I was walking around town and heard the sound of your flute. I had no idea that you still had it."
Touko shyly laughed at her stupidity. She had stopped playing the instrument because she had thought she had been bothering Cheren, when, in fact, he had actually enjoyed her playing. "Oh. I feel so stupid now..." She lowered her head, closed her eyes, and muttered to herself.
Cheren stood up and faced her. "Continue playing it."
"Huh?" Touko's eyes shot open and she raised her head.
"If you enjoy playing the flute, then you should continue. You have my support in this, as well."
"Uh, thanks." She nodded.
Cheren took a few steps, but turned behind and looked at her once again. "Ah, one more thing... while I was in the Pokemon League, I ran into a guy named Curtis."
"Curtis...?" The expression on Touko's face made it clear that she knew who Cheren was talking about.
"When he realized I was from Nuvema Town, he told me he had known you."
"Yeah. I met him at Accumula the other day. He helped me with flute practice, actually," Touko said with a smile.
"Oh. Is that so?" Cheren was surprised. "When we said our goodbyes, he sent you his regards."
"So he still remembers me. But to have run into Cheren... the world's such a small place..." Touko mused as Cheren turned again and walked away.
Days passed. December neared its end, and Christmas came.
"Link, Merry Christmas!" Emily appeared from her room's door, with a present box in her arms. She hopped energetically towards Link while Nathan slowly trailed behind her.
"Ah! You g-got me a p-present?" Link stuttered, very embarrassed. "This will sound stupid... but I had forgotten that this time of year there's a tradition of trading presents... It completely slipped my mind! So, I... I didn't get you anything. I'm sorry!" Link bowed in shame.
"Oh, don't worry!" His mother said good-naturedly. "You're here with us now, after all this time! This means that your father and I can actually give you a Christmas present this year. This opportunity alone is a great present to us!"
"I-if you say so..." Link flushed in embarrassment.
"Come on. Open it!" Emily pushed the box towards him.
Link carefully took his present and unwrapped it. He opened the box, and inside was... "A xtransceiver!"
"I hope you like the color," his mother said.
Link turned the small green device over and examined it. "Yes, I like it. Thank you!" But he didn't have time to turn it on and check it's functions, because he noticed something else was still in the box. It was an envelope. He put the xtransceiver aside for a moment and took the envelope. He opened it and stared at its content in awe. "I-is this... what I think it is...?"
Emily giggled. "And what do you think it is?"
"A... trainer card...?"
"Bingo!" His mother exclaimed.
Link didn't know what to say. "Then, this means..."
"Yes, exactly what you are thinking." Nathan chimed in. "When we saw how you and Angel had seemed so content when you had that battle on Route 19, we knew right away that both of you have a great potential. Then, on the way back, we heard you say you wanted to become a trainer and travel around Unova."
"Y-yes, I had said that." Link admitted. If he became a trainer, he would be able to experience those fulfilling emotions again, and continue uncovering the mysteries of pokemon battles, and also hopefully remember about his past. "Actually, I'd been thinking that if I travel around Unova and get to places I had visited in the past, I might remember something about myself."
His mother clasped her hands. "Then, it's with much pride that, we declare you... the newest pokemon trainer of Aspertia City!"
"That's right! And I'll be your starter!" Angel came out of a corner she had been hiding in.
Link looked at Angel, then back at his mother. "I-is it really okay? I mean, if I take Angel with me, you won't have anyone to keep you company."
"Yes, it's fine." Emily nodded reassuringly. "We've kept her locked in here for too long. It's about time she gets to enjoy life outside, don't you think?"
Nathan added, "As much as we'd like to always have both of you here with us, we don't have the right to deprive you of all there is to enjoy outside. Even if we get far apart, as long as you keep in touch, we'll be at ease."
Link smiled. "Ah, I see. So, this is why you gave me a xtransceiver?" His tone was playful.
His father chuckled. "You could say that."
"Oh, by the way, here's Angel's poke ball, if you ever need it." Emily handed him the ball. "I haven't used it ever since the Pokemon Center staff left her with me."
"Which reminds me. I still have another present for you." Nathan took a bundle out of his pocket and gave it to Link.
Link opened the second gift, which was revealed to be a set of seven poke balls of different colors.
"I got them years ago, as a souvenir from a customer from Johto." Nathan explained. "He told me that there's a man in Johto who makes poke balls out of apricorns. It's a wonder that I didn't end up selling these poke balls or giving them away. It's as though they had been waiting for you all this time, ha ha ha!"
Link laughed with him, with tears forming in his eyes. He pressed the bundle with the poke balls to his chest. "I'll make good use of them."
"So, Link, how do you like your presents?" His mother asked.
"I love them!" He bowed to his parents. "Mother, Father, thank you so much!"
The doorbell rang. Since Kenji was alone in the house, he had to go open the door.
"Hello Kenji. Merry Christmas." A pink haired girl greeted.
"Y-Yancy?" He stuttered, surprised. It was her. The person who caused that unique reaction on him. She was so smart, gentle and caring... Kenji couldn't understand how someone so good could have his crazy brother as her best friend. He finally recomposed himself after some seconds of staring. "Ah... sorry, Curtis isn't home. You came all this way..."
"It's okay. Actually, I came looking for you."
"... For me?" More surprise.
"Yeah. Um..." She was a bit hesitant. "Could you please do me a favor?"
"What is it?"
Yancy breathed deeply before continuing. "Um, the thing is... this little girl here needs some help."
Kenji was horrified to see the round object that Yancy produced from her bag. The poke ball fell to the ground, and released a white quadruped creature. It was an Absol, very small and very young at that. "What do you mean by this?"
"Well, you see... we found her injured and were taking care of her in the daycare. From what we understood, she was abandoned by her previous trainer because of Team Plasma." To which the pokemon nodded. "And she wants a new trainer really badly." More nods.
"And why did you come to me?" He asked, even though he already had a suspicion as to why.
"I heard that you'll become a trainer soon, so..."
His suspicions were confirmed. Of course, the "rumors" of him becoming a trainer had already reached her. Curse Curtis.
"You'll look after her, won't you?"
The Absol looked pleadingly at him, in an expression too cute for a dark type.
Kenji had known that Yancy worked with her sister at the daycare on Route 3, but he never expected her to come all the way to Nimbasa bringing him a pokemon. Maybe that idea was hers alone, maybe Curtis had asked her to do it. Either way, it was very hard to deny a request from her. Before he had a chance to answer, though, he heard his mother's voice from outside.
"I'm home!" She noticed their visitor. "Ah! Yancy! What a good surprise! Merry Christmas to you!"
"Oh, Merry Christmas!"
"Has Curtis given you a present yet?"
"No, not yet. We still haven't met today."
Kenji's mother threw her arms to the side in exasperation. "He left very early in the morning. What is he thinking? Couldn't he have stayed home at least on Christmas day!? He'd better have a very good reason for that, like getting you a good present! Oh well, you could wait here for a bit. Maybe he'll come back soon."
Yancy laughed awkwardly at the woman's antics. "I can't stay. I have to go back to the daycare. By the way, I came to bring Kenji's starter."
"That cutie there?" The woman pointed at the Absol.
"Yeah."
"Oh, thank you! You came all the way from Striaton City. That's really nice of you. I hope Kenji begins to like pokemon soon!"
"Yeah, me too. Well, that's all. I need to be going." Yancy looked at the pokemon. "Bye Sol, I hope you like the new company." The pokemon cooed sadly, and made Yancy approach and pat her. "You'll get a trainer, just like you wanted. A new home, a new friend. It's a great Christmas present, right?" The pokemon cooed again. "You'll be fine. Just be good, okay?" Then she turned to the soon to be trainer. "Kenji, I'm counting on you! And once again, Merry Christmas!" She walked away, and left a question spoken in pokemon language unanswered.
From the moment the Absol heard that Kenji didn't like pokemon, she looked very disheartened. She slowly walked towards her poke ball that was still on the ground and went inside on her own.
Kenji seemed paralyzed for a moment, aghast that the pokemon would choose to enter the ball on her own. After a while, he retrieved the poke ball and went to his room. He sat on his bed and stared at nothing in particular for several minutes. He sighed, tired of doing nothing, and took the poke ball. He glared at the round object as if it were cursed, but in the end he threw it to the ground, and released the pokemon within it. "Hey."
The Absol raised her head and looked at him shyly.
"Since it looks like you'll be stuck here with me, we'll have to get to know each other. I heard Yancy address you as 'Sol.' Do you like that nickname?"
The pokemon nodded, more at ease. Her new trainer had been rather friendly towards her until now. He wasn't acting like someone who disliked pokemon.
"If you prefer to be called by your pokemon species..." Kenji suggested, but the pokemon shook her head. "Alright. Then, Sol it is. You probably know this already, but everyone calls me Kenji. My mother decided to name me this because it was the name of an actor she liked. Very silly..." He chuckled bitterly. "I live in this house with my mother and my older brother. They're forcing me to become a pokemon trainer. I refused, but they're adamant about it. Both of them are completely crazy and don't make sense most of the time. I can't stand living here with them anymore. It looks like I have no choice and will be forced into a journey. So, I was thinking that it might be my chance to finally leave this house. Also, there's someone I want to look for. Someone I haven't seen for a long time. This is another reason for me to leave. But what about you? Yancy asked me to look after you. You're still too young to be on your own, and I don't want to leave you here with those crazy people, but..."
Sol's eyes lit up, and she began to jump and utter supportive words in pokemon language.
"You want to come with me?" Kenji smiled sadly at her. "But it's full of trainers out there. Trainers send pokemon into battles and only make them suffer. I don't want to send you into battle. I don't want you to suffer."
His words made it clear. Kenji didn't dislike pokemon. Rather, he disliked trainers. Even so, Sol still chattered excitedly, as though saying she wanted to come with him and help him find his old friend.
"Alright. I'll take you with me. I'll try to avoid battles as much as possible."
Then, his mother knocked on the door. "Kenji! The neighbors are here. Come and greet them! I told them you got your starter pokemon, and they want to see her!"
Kenji threw Sol an apologetic look and grumbled, "Here we go again..."
Touko, Makoto and Cheren were seated on the same bench Touko had played the flute the other day. They were waiting for Bel, who had said she would bring Makoto's Christmas present and took off. Makoto was wearing her new white T-shirt she had just gotten from Cheren.
"Thanks again, Cheren. I love this T-shirt!"
"It's the third time you thank me already." He complained, but the usual annoyance wasn't present in his voice. "I'm very glad that you like this T-shirt so much, though. When Bel found out what I had bought for you, she had rolled her eyes and complained that I should have gotten you a toy or something instead."
Makoto laughed.
"Speak of the devil!" Touko pointed at the direction Bel had just appeared from.
Bel came running with a box in her arms. She halted in front of them and panted. "I'm... back! Makoto, here's your present!"
"Oooooh! Bel...!" Makoto exclaimed once she had opened her present. "But this is... your toy piano...!"
"No, it's yours now." Bel corrected. "You'll make much better use of it than me. You can even get music out of it!"
"Oh, thanks!" Makoto left the toy piano on the bench, then gave Bel a tight hug.
"How about you play some music to us?" Bel suggested.
"Okay!" Makoto took the little piano from the bench and began playing a song. However, she suddenly stopped. "Ah! It has too few keys. It doesn't have the notes I need!"
"Hmm." Cheren raised an eyebrow curiously. "I had no idea that this toy was even capable of producing music. Whenever it was in Bel's hands, the noise that came from it was pure chaos."
"Hey, I resent that," Bel said, but in a way that seemed like she didn't resent it at all.
Makoto chuckled. "It's just like a normal piano. Only, it has fewer keys. Much, much fewer keys..."
"I have an idea!" Bel's eyes lit up with excitement. "We'll go to the new year festival on Accumula this year, right, Touko?"
"Yeah, we will."
"They have a real piano there. How about we ask the pianists there to let Makoto play it?"
"It's actually a good idea." Cheren agreed.
"Yay!" And Bel was really happy that Cheren had agreed with her for once.
On New Year's eve, Touko, Cheren and Bel's families went to Accumula Town for the festival. They were walking on the streets just as night fell.
"Touko, remember that time when we were kids, and you got lost here?" Bel asked. "Everyone looked for you like crazy."
"Yeah, I was really scared." Despite what she had just said, Touko smiled with the recollection. "Cheren was the one who found me. It was only after this that we really became friends."
"Hmm..." Makoto hummed in interest.
"Touko was around your age that time." Bel told Makoto. "She got separated from us and got lost. Cheren ran away from his parents just to look for her, and he found her."
"We were quite surprised when they told us what had happened," Touko's mother said. "It turned out that he didn't get lost because he had already known how to read, and found his way back by reading the signposts!"
"Yeah, Isn't it amazing?" Bel grinned. "... though his parents got angry that he had run away from them and grounded him later..."
"They punished him by forbidding him to study for one week..." Touko tried to keep herself from laughing.
"Hahahahahaha!" Unlike Touko, Makoto didn't even try to suppress her laugh.
"Yes, I remember." Cheren made an annoyed face. "My father had said he'd ground me because I had been reckless. But I hadn't been reckless. I had everything planned!"
"Cheren." Said father put a hand on his shoulder. "We feel we need to apologize to you."
"Huh...?"
Cheren's mother added, "We realize we had been too harsh towards you. The thing is, we're first time parents. We'd never had any experience dealing with kids before."
His father spoke again. "You weren't exactly the easiest kid to deal with, either, so we always got worried that you'd do something dangerous or that something bad might happen to you. As time went on, we learned to trust you more. We're sorry for the many frustrations we probably have caused you. And we want you to know this. You're our pride and joy, and you have our support."
"U-um..." Cheren's face turned red in embarrassment. "O-okay, I u-understand, but... you didn't need to say all of this in front of everyone..."
"Why not? I'm sure everyone here agrees with us." His mother said playfully.
Everyone else laughed while Cheren wanted to bury his head into the ground.
Even though Emily and Nathan had always heard good things about Accumula Town's New Year festival, they had never been in the mood to check it out. But now that they had met their long time missing son, they felt their family was finally complete again, and a new spark of life ignited in them. This was why, this year, they had the motivation to go to Accumula Town on New Year's Eve.
Link and Angel walked side by side, while his parents walked a bit behind them. Link had a pensive expression as he looked at his surroundings. It was odd. The moment he entered the town, a pang of nostalgia hit him. He felt as though he had been in that town before. "Ah!" He suddenly startled and jumped backwards when someone bumped into him. It was a girl around his age. Despite the fact that she had been the one to bump into him, He felt he should apologize. Since he had been distracted, it was his fault, too. He would apologize and resume his walk, but he found himself unable to tear his gaze away from her. Something about her looked familiar. He felt like he should have known her from somewhere, but he couldn't remember. What if she were one of his friends from before the accident? If she were, would she recognize him? And what would her reaction be once she found out he didn't remember her? Link held his breath and waited expectantly.
Touko held Makoto's hand to avoid getting separated like what had happened to her years ago. Touko took her time and looked at the colorful decorations on the walls and the stands while the rest of the group went on ahead. Distracted, she failed to hear a surprised gasp from Makoto, and ended up bumping into someone.
Makoto was equally stunned at the teenager before them. He had a special characteristic that set him apart from other people. Whenever heroes were chosen, they were marked with a kind of special energy called the "Hero Factor." The dragons' souls reacted to it, and made it possible for them to recognize the heroes. When Makoto saw the teenager walking towards them, she felt it. That feeling was unmistakable. He was the other hero. Wait. So, when Mew had said she had to perform Soul Link on someone special, did she mean...?! Makoto thought as her heartbeats began to accelerate. It was hard to believe, but it was true. Each second that passed, she was more sure of that. Yes, it had to be him. There was no other explanation. He could only be... N...?
Then, Touko bumped into him. Both jumped as if they had hit an electric barrier, and looked paralyzed for a short while. Now, the two heroes were face to face, staring dumbfounded at each other.
Touko intended to say a quick apology and turn away, but something made her stop. She had bumped into a teenager around her age. Something about him seemed oddly familiar. Maybe it was the tone of green of his hair, maybe it was his eyes... curiosity got the better of her and she was unable to look away from him. Touko realized it was rude to keep staring, and decided to say something. Apologizing again was probably the better idea, but instead, what tumbled out of her mouth was, "H-have we met before?"
"Huh?" He seemed stunned. "A-actually, I'd been hoping y-you could answer that." He put a hand on his forehead as though he was trying to remember something. "If you can't... never mind."
What he had said sounded strange to Makoto. Didn't he recognize Touko?
They were about to resume walking and go their separate ways when the rest of Touko's group finally noticed she hadn't been following them, and came back to see what was going on.
"Aah!" The teenage boy snapped to attention when he saw Cheren in the middle of the group. He approached the trainer. "Y-you're Cheren, right? Cheren from Nuvema Town?"
"Y-yes." Cheren was a bit taken aback as though he hadn't expected to be addressed.
"Oh, it's Cheren! The trainer from the Champion match on TV!" A woman came from behind, followed by a man.
The teenager continued. "We saw your battle on television. It was quite inspiring!"
"Um..." Cheren was clearly embarrassed.
"Yes, it was!" The woman agreed. "Your battle was so inspiring that our son decided to become a pokemon trainer! Even our Audino began wanting to battle!" She clicked her fingers. "Oh, my bad. I forgot to introduce ourselves. I'm Emily. This is my husband Nathan," she pointed at the man behind her. "And this is our son Link!" She indicated the teenager.
"And this is Angel, our Audino friend." Link pointed at the pokemon at his side, who bounced in place and cheerfully greeted them in pokemon language.
"Nice to meet you all..." Cheren said awkwardly.
Since no one seemed to be willing to introduce themselves, Bel took it upon herself to introduce everyone. "Hi, I'm Bel! This is my friend Touko, and this is her sister Makoto."
"Hi!" Makoto waved, unable to contain her excitement about seeing N alive again, even though he had a different name and a different appearance now, and didn't seem to remember them.
Bel proceeded to introduce her and her friends' parents as well. Then, she grinned. "Looks like Cheren has some nice fans already!"
"Honestly, we hadn't expected to run into him like this," Nathan said. "But again, he is from Nuvema Town, which is a short ways away..."
"We're all from Nuvema Town!" Bel said. "What about you? Where are you from?"
"Aspertia City," Link answered.
"Oh, it's a bit far, isn't it?" Touko said. "We've never been around those parts."
"A bit." Emily admitted. "This is one reason why we'd never come to this town's festival before. But this year, we finally got the motivation."
"We come to this festival almost every year. It's pretty nice!" Bel said.
Touko's father looked at his xtransceiver. "It's about dinner time. How about we go eat at a restaurant? We can talk more there."
Everyone agreed and walked together to a restaurant.
Emily and Nathan narrated their story about how they found Link after he had gone missing for sixteen years, and everyone was touched. They continued talking after dinner, and hours flew by.
After they left the restaurant, the families kept walking together, until they found the piano that would provide live music to the environment near midnight. It had been set on a sidewalk and was waiting for the pianist. They asked for the sound staff's permission, and Makoto was allowed to play the piano for a while. As she played, people began gathering around their group. Some talked animatedly, while others allowed themselves to relax to the new background music.
Touko glanced at Link, who had been listening to Makoto's playing with a distant look on his face. His Audino was at his side, also listening intently, and with a distant look comparable to his. That nostalgic feeling still nagged at Touko. She hadn't talked to Link much, but now that she knew about his situation, she felt the need to say something. She timidly approached him.
"Uh, so... you lost your memory?" It was more a statement rather than a question. Touko looked at Link sympathetically. "It must be really hard to deal with something like that..."
Link slowly turned to face her. "Yes. I'm still very confused. I have absolutely no idea which kind of person I had been in the past, or what I had been doing during all these sixteen years. It's just a huge gap in my mind." However, instead of becoming sad, he gave a nostalgic smile. "And this is why I was unable to answer when you had asked whether we had met before. When i saw you, I thought you were familiar. I wondered if we were supposed to have known each other."
"Hm, I don't know. But I thought you were familiar too. Maybe we had seen each other somewhere."
"Maybe." Link closed his eyes in thought for a bit. "Touko, do you have an Oshawott with you, by any chance?"
"An... Oshawott? No, I don't."
"Ah." Link seemed a bit disappointed. "I have the vague memory of a girl about your stature holding an Oshawott, but..."
Then, Touko remembered one detail. "Oh, but my first pokemon was an Oshawott. He's now a Dewott, though. And I think I've seen you somewhere, too. So, the girl you remember might have been me. We may have seen each other at some point when I was beginning my journey."
"Yes, maybe." Link's eyes lit up, and he nodded.
"Speaking of journeys... your mother said you want to become a pokemon trainer and go on a journey. Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Yes," he answered without a second thought.
"Aren't you scared? ... I mean, you don't remember anything about yourself, and you'll have to handle everything on your own out there."
Instead of being put off, he seemed determined. "Actually, this is the point."
"Huh?"
"I want to find out more about myself. I want to travel to different locations, and hopefully revisit places I've already been to, like this town. The moment I set foot in this town, I had the impression that I had been here before. It's as though some important memory is about to surface, but when I'm about to grasp it, it escapes me... maybe if I keep visiting other places I'd been to, I might remember something." He smiled. "I also want to understand more about the bonds between trainer and pokemon. I hope to become a good trainer."
Touko looked at him in admiration. "I'm sure you'll be a good trainer. You seem to be a kind person. A journey can be pretty rough, but I can tell that you're very brave..." unlike me, she added as a thought. Touko silently wished fate would be kind to him on his journey. She didn't want anyone to have to endure something like what she had gone through. "I wish you the best of luck on your journey."
"Thank you. I'll do my best."
Touko smiled. Link was a nice person, and very strong-willed, too. Despite everything he was going through, he still faced his future with determination. Touko was curious to see how he would fare on his journey. She had an idea. She debated over it for a moment, but soon came to a decision. After N had left her without even giving her the chance to tell him she considered him as a friend, she didn't want to leave things unsaid again. "Link, it was nice talking to you. I'd like to talk more sometime. How about we trade xtransceiver numbers? This way we can keep in touch."
"That'd be nice." He smiled and took his xtransceiver from his pocket.
Just after they had traded numbers, they realized Makoto had stopped playing the piano.
"Attention, please!" A man from the sound staff spoke into a microphone, and the crowd silenced. "I have some unfortunate news. It's almost midnight, but our pianist isn't here yet. In fact, we've just gotten a call saying he's sick and can't make it here today. Because of this, it's with sadness that we announce we won't have the customary special song to welcome the New Year."
Murmurs followed, until a woman raised her hand. The man from the staff approached her and listened to what she had to say, then returned to the microphone.
He cleared his throat to get the crowd's attention again. "I've just gotten a suggestion, and really like it. I say we could have the girl keep playing the piano to us!"
"Who? M-Me?" Makoto fidgeted, still in front of the piano.
"Yes, you. Who's with me?!"
People seemed to be discussing the idea among themselves. The sounds of chatter built up slowly, until cheers began to erupt from the crowd. More supportive cheers joined in, and signaled their agreement. Makoto's playing might not be the best, but it had its charm and was good enough to provide a nice atmosphere. Apparently, most of the people there didn't really care whether the player was a professional. As long as they were having fun, it was fine.
"Then, it's settled!" The staff member declared, then walked over to Makoto. "Would you do us this favor?"
"If everyone's okay with it, then I'll gladly do it."
"Oh, thank you. Do you have any special music you'd like to play to welcome the new year?" He handed her the microphone.
Makoto grinned. "Yes, I just happen to have the perfect one! ... but if I may, I'd like to request my sister's help. She plays the flute."
"No problem!" The man was surprised by her politeness. "If she agrees, of course."
Touko's face was red as a tomato. What was Makoto thinking, making her become the center of attention like that!?
"You play the flute? I'd like to hear it." Link's words took her by surprise.
Makoto hopped over towards them. "Touko, let's do this! Our special song. It's the perfect time to play it!"
"B-but Makoto..."
Makoto whispered in her hear. "Just think about playing to your friend, just how you had wanted. Wherever he is, I'm sure he's watching over you and will listen."
Makoto's words caused a smile to creep onto Touko's face. "There's really no way out of this, is there?" Touko muttered to herself as she searched for her flute among her things. She stood up shakily and tried to calm herself down. Then, she felt a gentle paw on her leg and saw Link's Audino saying something.
"She wishes you good luck," Link said.
"Thanks." Touko patted the Audino on the head before following a beaming Makoto to the piano's location.
"Don't worry, Touko. I'm here with you." Makoto assured her while they took their positions. A gentle, warm aura seemed to flow around Makoto, and Touko felt her nervousness slowly dissipate. "Just give me the signal. Play it at your own pace, and I'll follow. I'm ready whenever you are."
Touko took a few deep breaths, then signaled to Makoto that she was about to begin. Four slight nods later, they began playing the Farewell Song, perfectly in sync. Surprised murmurs from the crowd indicated that many people recognized the song immediately. Indeed, it was the perfect song to say farewell to the year that was ending, and welcome the new one that was about to come.
Makoto thought about how it was good to have N with them again, and despite not being aware that Link was him, Touko seemed happier after having met him. And of course, Makoto couldn't help but think about Kyurem, since that song was the last one she had played to him. The human-incarnated Reshiram smiled, and wished that this song, played by both the current Hero of Truth and her, would be able to reach him somehow. Makoto poured all her feelings into her performance and played, to Touko and N and their loved ones and Kyurem and everyone else.
Touko thought about N as she played her blue instrument. In her music, she tried to pass the message that she considered him a precious friend despite what had happened, that she was okay, and that from now on, she would try her best to leave the past behind and move on.
Link couldn't describe the feelings that the music was evoking in him. The song was relaxing and sad, but gentle and comforting at the same time, with even some uplifting snippets thrown in, and brought a mixture of contrasting emotions he hadn't imagined could happen at once. When the song came to its climax, resolve settled onto his face. this journey would be a new beginning for him. He hadn't really answered Touko's question when she had asked if he was scared of going on a journey, but of course he was. Even so, despite all his doubts, he would embrace his future with determination, and would try to gather the bits and pieces of his memories, one step at a time.
Cheren listened intently to the music, and chose to ignore the annoying fact that Bel was hugging him from behind and her head was resting on his shoulder. He had always thought that the Farewell Song was too sad for his liking, and gave the impression of something good that would end forever, something that would never be the same again, someone that would never return. But there was something different about this version. Even though it indicated the end of something, it also seemed to indicate hope that better things were about to come. Rather than just a "goodbye," It was the end of a cycle, followed by the beginning of another, with hope for better days. For the first time, Cheren thought that this song was encouraging rather than sad, thanks to Touko and Makoto's version, which sounded way different than usual... or was his way of interpreting it that had changed? Either way, he was determined to leave this year behind, learn from his past failures, and try to become a better trainer, a better person, a better friend. Hopefully, those improvements would lead him to a better future.
Just as the song ended and resolve had settled into everyone's hearts, the clock indicated midnight, and multiple colors exploded in the sky as the fireworks set off.
The adults wasted no time, and were already hugging each other and trading New Year greetings.
Makoto walked away from the piano and hugged Touko tightly. Both "sisters" had contented smiles on their faces. They had done their best when they played that song, and everyone's mostly positive reactions to it gave them a nice feeling of accomplishment.
Link was crying. That song had moved him greatly. It had given him comfort, as well as hope and encouragement. He was unable to look away from Touko, and when she let go of Makoto and looked in his direction, he smiled.
Bel already seemed to have forgotten the song and was gaping in awe at the fireworks. She was still holding Cheren, even more tightly than before. Despite this, the almost Champion gave no signs of protest. Instead, he had a serene expression and an unusually huge smile on his face.
And thus, a new year began, with the promise of new hopes and adventures.
A/n: whew! What a long chapter...
Touko and N/Link finally met. Now with the start of a new year, we can finally advance to the BW2-ish arc.
As for differences, here, Yancy doesn't have a brother, and has an older sister instead of a younger one, and she works at the pokemon daycare (for now).
Moves:
* Audino learns Pound at level 1, Work Up via TM. * Patrat learns Tackle at level 1, and Leer at level 3.
Everyone, Merry Christmas (or whichever holiday you celebrate), Happy New Year, and see you next chapter... whenever it might come :D !