So I think I set a record! A full month in student teaching and I've yet to be sick! Perhaps I've built up an immunity to it thanks to the daycare!

Irregardless, enjoy the next chapter, everyone!

Amy47101 does not own pokémon, only her OCs, Vale, Sara Knight/Blitz, and the Bennet family.

o.0.o.0.o

The Adventure Saga
The Truth Behind Us

o.0.o.0.o

Start Date: June 2nd, X017

Current Date: October 30th, X017

o.0.o.0.o

Dominic Burns already knew of the situation at hand before his assistant had walked through the door. So he stood, overlooking the operations of the international police, irritated with this outcome of events.

His son was a failure.

Against all odds, despite all the training and secrecy on what he was, the boy had ultimately failed. He had an absolute intolerance for failure, which is why only the greatest agents were hand-selected to work directly under his orders. He was, in a sense, the boss of the boss of the boss of the International Police. He was on top of all those who scrambled below him, so far above their heads that he wouldn't ever have to worry about getting entangled in violent crime. He gave the orders, and like Wooloo, those below them followed.

Sighing and rubbing his temple, Dominic turned back to his desk. If his parents hadn't been such religious icons, he would've just left Aia. But it was already bad enough to his mother and father that he went and gotten her pregnant in a drunken, one-night stand, so he had to "make it right" and get married to a woman that should have otherwise stayed out of his life.

But at least, he supposed, it didn't lead to him having to deal with the scandal of her defaming his name through some nonsense assault allegation. As if she already hasn't done that by giving his children such stupidly terrible names. He couldn't properly pronounce them for months after they were born, but Aia always glared at him like it was his fault for giving their children awful names. A part of him believed that it was to simply spite him. And heaven forbid he spelled their names wrong, that would get him a mouthful too.

Until, of course, he stood up. Aia had always gotten quiet then.

He swore, up until now, he always believed that the only useful thing that Aia had ever done for him was produce a strong, healthy boy for him to raise, but even then, he was a failure. Like mother, like son, he supposed, because the boy certainly didn't get those genes from him.

But his son failing was not something he had expected. He was pretty certain that the boy was at least aware of why he obtained custody of him over the girl. That girl was a shriveled, crying mess, just like her mother, always crying and whining about something or another. His son was quiet, but if he ever dared to open his mouth to complain, Dominic made sure to set him straight.

Dominic Burns had spent years of his life dedicated to unraveling and crushing the man who led the organization currently known as Team Plasma. He was an immediate danger to society, connected to kidnappings, terrorist attacks, exploitations, illegal experimentations… He was so knowledgeable about the organization that he knew that they were creating a person so strong and formidable that they only could be wired for complete destruction, controlled only by him and him alone.

A novel idea, Dominic Burns had thought upon receiving this piece of information. A part of him was almost jealous he hadn't thought of it first. He was aware that there was no one in the International Police, not even specialized, secret agents, that could counter something so destructive…

So he decided to counter fire with fire, and create his own little child wired for complete destruction.

After years of being away from his wife, having abandoned her long ago for being so utterly worthless, he used his sources to track her down. Turns out, she was barely living. According to his sources, the girl was so "crippled" with an "anxiety disorder" that Aia couldn't leave her. That, and due the gap where they were living together with him as the primary income and the lack of a degree, Aia was struggling to find work.

So he tracked her down and gave her a choice; give up the boy or the girl, or he would get them both by reporting this. She had the audacity to slam the door in his face, so he filed divorce proceedings. It was a stupidly long ordeal, but ultimately they settled on her remaining with the girl, while he got complete custody of the boy. She fought him tooth and nail on this, but she should have known by now that she would always loose against him.

And so, when and only at that one time, Aia simply ran out of money, she finally agreed to his divorce terms and gave up the boy. She tried to get him to pay child support for the girl, but he simply accused her of having an affair with another man, therefor he would be responsible. Since she was close to a male colleague at the time, the rumor was believable enough. She was to poor to pay for a paternity test, and since she wanted support, the burden of proof was on her to prove the girl was his. And even then, Aia at one point begged him for support, their daughter wouldn't be able to handle anything like that in her "current state of mind".

He refused, then delivered a lawsuit of harassment to her doorstep. He dropped the charges when she stopped begging for his money.

And then, he funneled funds into his secret little project. What better child to sign up for this specialized training than his own flesh and blood? True, some may question the… ethics of the project, but these children knew what they were getting into, they were specifically screened for such a task, and his son rose to the top. He was the cream of the crop, trained specifically to not just fight, but to crush this destructive human that Team Plasma, as they go by now, had created.

He sighed deeply. Now he'd have to track Aia down again in order to get custody of his daughter and see if he could twist her into a replacement for her brother...

"Mr. Burns, we have word on Agent Pitch Black..."

"I'm aware." Dominic spoke simply. He was already aware of what his assistant was going to report to him. "He compromised his mission. The enemy knows his name."

"What would you like me to do?"

"Do as you always do." Dominic didn't even turn to look at the woman. "Anyone who is on a secret mission and compromises themselves, compromises the entire international police force, making them therein useless. Fire him."

"Yes, sir."

As she walked away, Dominic took out the ransom letter he had received some time prior. Shaking his head in disappointment, he sat at his desk and turned towards the phone, dialing the number on the letter. He got an answering machine, but it didn't halt him.

"To those who lead Team Plasma," Dominic said, holding the letter and photo over his ash tray, then lighting his lighter and letting it burn. "Know that I have no son, especially one as worthless as he. So you should think of some more productive ways to attempt to manipulate me."

With that, he ended the call, turning away from the smoldering letter and photo in his ash tray, just as the face of Agent Pitch Black burned away to embers.

o.0.o.0.o

N was fiddling with his puzzle cube, a smile tugging at his lips as he anticipated meeting with Vale again. Last time he had seen her, he had to leave abruptly due to Team Plasma interrupting their time in the amusement park. Setting the cube aside, he fell back on the webbing in the cavern with his legs still dangling outside of it. As he did so, he pulled out the keychain he had purchased from the roller coaster stand.

It was the only thing that was small enough for him to keep on him, as well as keep hidden from other people. But even still, looking at the picture of Vale, screaming at the top of her lungs like a child with their intertwined hands in the air… Even just gripping it in his pocket made him recall that day, recall how happy they were together.

"You loooooove her."

N startled at Tessie's sudden intrusion, so much so that he dropped the keychain on his face. Inhaling sharply, he grappled to get the keychain so not to loose it in the cavern.

"Tessie!" he admonished, shooting up and holding the keychain to his chest. "Don't do that, you scared me!"

"Was I right or wrong?"

"About…?"

"That girl."

"Girl… Oh, you mean Vale."

"Yeah, do you loooooove her?"

"Tessie, didn't we discuss this?" N muttered, feeling his cheeks heat up.

"Well, I mean, if she's not your enemy, and she's more than a friend, then you must loooooove her, right?"

"Don't tease me, Tessie." N muttered, burying his face in his hands. Tessie began laughing histarically, crawling all through his hair and across his back, chanting how he loved Vale.

N felt his face getting redder by the moment.

Was it… love? He wasn't even really sure what love was, if he was going to be honest. He knew about it, he's read more than enough fairy tales in his lifetime, all of them involved romance of some sort. Simple things, where everything would be tied up in a nice bow with a kiss and a happily ever after. But beyond that? N didn't know about such a complex feeling as love. He knew he loved pokémon, and he loved ferris wheels, and he loved puzzles and games and riddles.

But to love a person? N wasn't sure if his feelings for people ever evolved past more than fond. He was fond of Anthea and Concordia and enjoyed their company, they were practically like sisters to him. He was fond of the Shadow Triad, even if they unsettled him at times. He was… Well, his father was an inspiration to him, a man who always seemed to have the answer to everything, who had so much faith in his ability to become a hero, a ruler, a King that Unova and the residents of Unova deserved.

But even then, there was always a distrust. His father always told him people were cruel, and pokémon backed up his claims. Even Vale, to an extent, scared him a little. But even still… He felt like he was really getting to know her now.

She always had that mask on, when they met up as children. Purely coincidental, sometimes accidental… they always met up, and she was hiding behind a mask…

But since they met face to face in Unova, it felt like they were children again! When they met up secretly, they met up without having to worry about expectations. He felt like he was really getting to know who Vale was… And she was kind, compassionate, maybe even gentle…

He could tell just by talking to her Joltik, to Mienfoo and all her pokémon that she was good.

But even still, he recalled the sorrowful cries of her previous team, crying for both themselves and their trainer…

His fingers brushed a worn down pokéball on his belt, one that he never dared to leave his side. Holding it between his thumb and forefinger, he stared at the ball.

He wished he had a chance to talk in-depth with them. Outside of Sammy, who didn't have much to say other than that he was given to Vale when they were both extremely young, N didn't really hear much about Vale from her previous team. And even then, Sammy's connection to Vale seemed… limited. To N, Vale seemed to cherish this Sandshrew, but it was almost like they hadn't properly formed a bond. Thinking about it now, though… Sammy didn't really say much at all.

Despite being what appeared to be at least a pokémon that was, by human standards, a "pre-teen", he spoke in broken sentences at about one or two words at a time. Additionally, he seemed incredibly confused whenever N called Vale by her name. More than once, N had caught Sammy, muttering to himself in his broken little language like a confused child. This pokémon also was… distant, scared, even.

He enlarged the ball, tossing it in the air to let Sammy out. Immediately upon just barely taking form in front of him, Sammy… Well, N wasn't sure how or why the Sandshrew learned this, but he had somehow picked up on an ability to force himself to return to his pokéball if in the presence of unfamiliar, uncomfortable, or unusual surroundings. This, unfortunately, also included people. It took N so long to finally ease Sammy out of hiding, and even then, he was quiet and distant, only really preferring to run around his childhood room, as far away from him as possible.

Enclosing his hands around the ball, almost like he was praying he rested his head against his fists.

What happened to you Sammy, to scare you like this? To… To prefer captivity?

He knew that he couldn't reach Sammy from the pokéball, and he was worried what that meant for him… To not prefer contact with anyone, not even he who understood his every word unless he felt safe and comfortable in his surroundings. And even then, he wouldn't utter a word, not a single word… In truth, he only got most of what knew about Sammy from Darmanitan, who seemed to have adopted the little ground type as her own. Unlike his Audino, who was a gentle pokémon, Darmanitan was fiercely protective of those around her while also displaying a boisterous yet rowdy love unto others. The kind of love that one didn't really have any choice but to accept.

But even then, he didn't really speak to any pokémon. He just… kept to himself, constantly scared, constantly anxious...

Why?

"Milord, we've retrieved her."

N startled at the sudden appearance of the Triad. Normally, they rarely surprised him, but he supposed he was so lost in his own thoughts that it wasn't terribly surprising as of now.

He hopped down from the cavern, heart pattering a little faster now, knowing Vale was here. As he turned fully to face the triad, however, his heart nearly stopped, eyes shooting wide as his mouth parted.

The three were kneeling before him, with Ichiro and Jiro forcing Vale's face into the dirt, one gripping her hair while the other held their specialized taser to the back of her neck. Her wrists were behind her back and lashed together, same as her ankles. As if picking up on his complete horror of the situation, Ichiro wrenched her bangs back so he could see her face. Tape stretched across her mouth, and the terror in her eyes quickly changed to confusion, then curiosity when they made eye contact. He, however was still horrified at this turn of events.

"What did you do?!" he exclaimed, the words flying from his mouth at rapid speed. "I told you to escort her, not-not kidnap her! This-This is entirely out of line, com-com-completely unn-n-necessary, it's-it's barbaric and cruel and-and-and-!"

N inhaled a deep breath of air, pressing his fingers to his temples as he struggled to regain composure. His father and the sages always admonished him for his rapid pace when he spoke. Due to that, as if his thoughts got ahead of his tongue, he would begin to stumble and stutter on words like he couldn't remember how to work his tongue properly. As he grew, he knew he still spoke slightly faster than average, but he had at least reigned the stutter in…

"She was resisting." Ichiro said simply.

"No, that's not- Jiro, p-p-put that away!" N ordered sharply. Jiro exhaled through his nose, and followed orders, tucking the taser away. "Get off- Get off of her! Now!"

The Shadow Triad scattered like leaves, Ichiro letting Vale's face drop back to the ground. She let out a grunt as N winced upon the impact. Rage bubbled up from deep within him, but only for a moment. Quelling it, he pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled a loud, annoyed sigh.

"Leave, just leave. Get out of here."

Without a word, the disappeared into the shadows, leaving N with a still captive Vale. When he glanced at her, she lifted her head, brows furrowed in confusion, her one eye demanding an explanation.

N ran a frustrated hand down his face. This was not how this was supposed to go at all...

"Dammit."

o.0.o.0.o

When Black deposited her against a random rock, Hilda immediately sprung up and tried to punch him in the face.

"You left her to die!" she shrieked as he immediately moved his head back as her fist flew just inches from his nose. "What the fuck, Black, you left her to die!"

"They weren't going to kill her." he knew if the Triad wanted to kill Vale, they certainly wouldn't have waited for them to take off, considering they literally tried to kill Hilda in the public eye. They wanted Vale alive, they were trying to subdue her to restrain her. Why? He wasn't sure why, probably so they could keep her quiet or drag her back to Ghetsis. It didn't really matter anymore, because now he has bigger problems at hand.

How did they get that name? Where did they hear it? No one knows that name, how did they find it out?!

You slipped, you moron. This is your fault.

It can't be, I did everything right! No one knows my name, no one, not even Hilda…!

You're soooooo screwed. Father's not going to be happy about this. How dare you make a mistake as big as this.

No, no, nonononononono…!

"Really, because she looked pretty fucking dead to-"

"Hilda, she's not dead!" Black suddenly shouted back. "Dammit, Hilda, can't you see everything is entirely compromised now? I-I-I-I-"

Calm down, you need to calm down!

Last time this happened, you ended up in the hospital. Did you see Hilda's face? She was really upset, you inconsiderate waste of life. Nice way to treat someone you 'love'.

I don't love her! I can't love her! I'm-

You're right, you're not good enough for her, you're not even good enough to be loved by your own family, you can't even be there for your sister. How dare you keep living! You do nothing but trouble others!

"Black, hey! Stop that! Stop it!"

He felt Hilda grip his hand, and when he pulled back, he saw a clump of his own hair in his fingers. He stared at it with wide eyes. Hilda looked at him with her mouth parted slightly, like she wanted to say something, but had no clue what to say. Black averted his gaze, bowing his head so he didn't have to look her in the eyes.

"Black, look at me."

He silently shook his head. Hilda still hadn't let go of his wrist. He turned his hand over and let the strands was a long, heavy silence, interrupted only by the sound of his police registered cell phone ring. He only knew one person who would call him on that phone, and it was never praise him, or even to give more work.

With trembling hands, he lifted his bag over his shoulder, set it down, and kneeled down to retrieve the phone. There was only one, singular contact in it. He already knew who was calling.

"Hello?" he answered the phone, leaning against a rock.

"Agent Pitch Black,"

A part of him crumbled when he heard the feminine voice. It wasn't even his father.

"Due to you compromising the security of the international police, we are hereby relieving you of your position. Any personal objects will be forwarded to your former address. As you are well aware, you must relinquish government property to the I.P., as well as your room and board, cellular and electronic devices, and any and all contacts to other agents. Your final paycheck will be deposited into your account by the end of the month."

Black listened to the woman drone on like she was a pre-recorded message. With each word, he felt like a fist was squeezing tight around his heart, and it was becoming harder and harder to breathe.

"Please… Please, I need to talk to my father."

"I cannot allow that."

"Black, what's going on?" Hilda cut into his conversation, clearly confused, but not at all

"You need to let me talk to my father! Please… Please, I can still complete the mission!"

"Your begging is immature, Agent Pitch Black. You have been terminated."

"Don't hang up!" he practically screamed into the phone. "Please, let me talk to my father!"

"This phone will be disconnected once I hang up. Do not contact us again. Goodbye, Agent Pitch Black."

"Wai-"

He didn't even get to finish the word when he heard the click of the phone hanging up. He sat in wide-eyed silence, shaking intensely as he listened to the dial tone, before that, too, went silent. But he didn't move, staring straight ahead, mouth parted in shock.

"Black?"

Faintly, he heard Hilda's voice.

"Black, say something." her voice hinged on frantic. "Come on, you're freaking me out."

The phone slipped from his hand, falling to the ground. Terminated. He was… terminated. Tossed away, thrown out, useless… An absolutely useless, useless, useless child…

"Black? Black, what are you doing?"

What was even the point anymore?

That's right, what is the point? Now you can't even live up to the minimum expectations that your father has for you.

"Oh my fucking Arceus!"

Hilda's shriek cleft the air just as his foot hit air, stepping off one of the bridges that lacked a proper guard rail.

o.0.o.0.o

"I'm so sorry, Vale, I only wanted them to bring you here, not… not this. Never this." N tentatively picked at the tape that covered her mouth, trying to ease it up as gently as possible.

"Maybe just rip it off Veve?"

The tentative suggestion had come from Jolt the Joltik, the small little guy huddled against Vale. N could tell by the little bits of tape and rope around his mouth that he had tried to discreetly help his trainer, but due to his size, he hadn't made much progress.

"I don't want to hurt her…"

"Yeah, but you're gonna just keep making her feel pain if you keep tuggin' at her face like that." Tessie spoke simply. N winced at the thought. Bracing a hand on Vale's shoulder, he gripped the teeny little edge he pulled up and closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry!" he muttered, then ripped it off like a band-aid. Vale let out a shout that made him cringe, inhaling immediately afterwards.

"It's fine." Vale muttered. Scrambling behind her, he began to pick at the knots around her wrists, only to find a ton of random... dead knots, as well as tape wrapped around them. "Do you have a knife or something to use? Those three are smarter than to just tie one little knot. We'll be here all day if we try to get me loose by picking at each individual one."

"I, um, g-give me a minute, I don't have knife, per say, but, um…" N reached for a pokéball, letting out his Zorua. "Zoura, get Vale free, please?"

"I thought you were a king, not a knight in shining armor." Zorua snickered as he used Fury Swipes on the ropes. N felt his face heat up again as Vale brought her hands in front of her, circling her wrists to bring back circulation. Zoura went to work on freeing her legs.

"If they had more time, and didn't think Hilda or Black would try to interfere, they probably would have done more." she commented offhandedly.

"M-More?" N echoed.

"Probably. I'm sure I could've gotten out of ten dead knots and tape around them… If they hadn't decided to literally tape my thumbs to my palms, or crushed their foot against my damn wrists while threatening to taser me. That's where things get stupidly, annoyingly difficult." Vale sounded rather annoyed at this, not even slightly disturbed or scared. "I… thought they were going to kill me, though. And I know they have the capability to do so. So when they didn't right away, I thought they were going to…"

She trailed off, falling silent. N could tell there was something unsettling curdling up in her memories.

"I'm really sorry." N said reaching out and grabbing her hand. Vale snapped her gaze up to him, eyebrows having gone up in surprise. "All I wanted was to talk to you. They were only supposed to escort you from the entrance to here, safely. I never would have ordered them to do any of this, not ever. "

"That's why I didn't initially go with them." Vale said quietly, averting her gaze. "Because I didn't believe that you would've sent them. I thought it was a trick or a lie…"

"… They're my personal guards, however, they tend to only follow my orders by proxy… Really, they're entirely loyal to my father, but they'll listen to me. However, they jump to such extremes at a moments notice…"

"Why didn't you come yourself?"

"… For the same reason I wanted to bring you here." he muttered, standing up and pulling her up with him. "Vale, do you know why the gym challenge exists?"

"What a strange question." Vale mused. "Well, I'm not to sure. I always figured it was something to do with the pursuit of fame and fortune, but I'm assuming you meed in a historical aspect, N?"

"Yes. You see, Vale, the reason for the challenge is different among regions. For instance, in Kanto and Johto, it was considered a trial of worthiness, so to speak, to bring honor to the family name by reaching the top. However, in a region like, say, Kalos, it was seen as a more romantic sort of tradition, where lovers would prove their importance to each other by becoming the best trainer in the region. In Sinnoh, it was seen as a sport among nobility, then there are regions like Hoenn, that only recently established a league, and Alola, that still lacks a proper league and retains their traditional island challenge. In Galar, their league is considered the pinnacle of the region, so much so that only a select few trainers get to participate in the tournament, almost akin to how nobility would endorse knights to fight for them."

"And Unova, N?"

"Unova, considering that it gained independence from Galar centuries ago, held similar beliefs about the league… But it goes farther back, Vale, back when Unova wasn't conquered by Galarian immigrants, before Unova was even this lands name. I'm talking about the time of the twin heroes, Vale. You see, back then, the strongest trainer was considered the King of Unova, thus why the twin heroes were adored, because they were backed by the legendary dragon pokémon… until they began to argue, and the pokémon split, and then the twin kings became the separated kings of Unova."

"So…?"

"So what I'm saying," N turned to her, hopping up on the ledge of the once Galvantula nest with arms outstretched and a bright smile. "I'm going to become the new King of Unova by beating the Champion! The old documentation still stands, as when Unova declared itself a democracy, it never outright denied or cancelled the original tradition of the strongest trainer, the Champion, being King of Unova. And not only that, but I will have the backing of the legendary Pokémon of Ideals and Thunder! People only seem to think that it was nothing more than a myth or legend, but it's real, Vale… The documentation is real and can still stand..."

Heart pounding, he brought his arms back down and grabbed both of her hands.

"Vale, that's what I wanted to share with you. I need to show you something important, if you're willing to see it."

"Uh…"

N cocked his head as Vale furrowed her brow. Squeezing her hands a bit, N was confused.

"I'm sorry, it just is a lot to take in." Vale said slowly, as if she were choosing her words carefully.

"I know, but I promise that this is going to work. Come see the key to this plan? Please, Vale?"

Vale was quiet, then, squeezed his hands back.

"Lead the way, N."

Smiling brightly, N pulled her towards the entrance of the cavern, hopping up with ease. She hesitated on the stones, staring at the intricate webbing that stretched across the cavern, her gaze slowly drifting down. N had already stepped on the webbing, but Vale was gripping his hand tightly.

"Is this safe?" she asked, tentatively kicking a pebble through the threads. They were dead silent as they waited for the pebble to hit the ground. As this happened, Vale held up some fingers on her other hand. One. Two. Three. Fou-

Halfway through N's thought process, faintly, ever so faintly, they heard the sounds of the pebble echoing, then echoing again.

"Three and a half seconds before the sound reached back to us." Vale muttered. "N…"

"I'm aware of the physics." N said, meeting her gaze. "That would mean that the only thing between us and about, hypothetically, a… one hundred foot drop?"

"The stone bounced, N. There's something down there too, that could possibly cause more damage if we fall because we would also be bouncing."

"I know, but I promise that Galvantula wouldn't make a nest for their eggs if it was unsafe. This can withstand our weight."

"Yeah, but there's a huge difference between Galvantula weight and a human's weight." Vale said, glancing around, eyes lingering uncertainly on the webbing under his feet.

"I promise it's fine." N bounced a little bit to prove his point.

"Don't do that." Vale ordered sharply. "I don't know if this is safe…"

"Vale," N held out his hand, eyes pleading. "Come on. Don't you trust me?"

"It's not a matter of trust between you and I. It's a matter of trusting that webbing made by a pokémon to withstand that species weight will hold an arguably larger set of humans."

Vale didn't meet his gaze, remaining silent as she stared at the webbing on the floor. N's brow furrowed in a pout, and he stepped back a bit, bouncing more to get Vale's attention.

"I promise this is as sturdy as can be. Galvantula tend to lay tons and tons of eggs at once, so these webs need to hold their weight."

"N, stop that!" Vale exclaimed.

"I promise this is strong enough to hold us!"

"But even still, I don't think we're supposed to be jumping on it!" Vale's words came out as sharp as a knife, causing him to pause. She got up onto the ledge, taking a tentative step. N found himself smiling.

"Come on, Vale! This is a lot of fun, if you really wanna think about it!"

With that, he stepped back with a playful bounce, only for his heart to leapt to his throat. His entire foot went through the webbing, followed by the quick unraveling of the area around it. His body suddenly dropped, limbs flailing as he tried to find footing or something solid to hold onto.

However, before he could fall through fully, something shot across the cavern in a movement so quick he almost mistook it for a pokémon. He felt a familiar cold hand grab ahold of his, and suddenly he was stumbling forward, being dragged back onto more semi-solid ground.

"V-Vale…" he muttered as she stared at the spot where he almost fell through.

"As I was saying," Vale said, not releasing his wrist, and not meeting his gaze, either. "It's foolish to just jump into a situation recklessly like this."

"I… I was helping the Galvantula get out of here." N murmured. "I never would have thought there was a place that would fall through like that…"

"It's like with people. If an area is unfit, pokémon will move. The Galvantula probably didn't like something about that area, so they just left it to rot until your foot went right through it." she finally looked up at him, eyes furrowed, annoyed. "I wanted to wait and test the areas before recklessly bumbling through here. At least try to minimize our chances of death."

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine." Vale shook her head with a sigh, releasing his wrist. "No need to apologize."

"Are you mad?"

"No." Vale glanced at him, a small, relieved expression on her face. "You're safe, right? That's all that matters."

N felt his cheeks heat up a little. Vale usually always had such a serious expression on her face, so blank that it was hard to get a read on her. Even when he met her in the past, her expressions were always so… sad. Something like relief, joy, excitement… He never saw that on her face before. A part of him liked to selfishly humor that she only really dropped her guard that much around him.

He smiled a small little smile.

"Ooooh, you should thank her with a kiss!" Tessie suddenly exclaimed. "Just like in those stories you were telling Tessie about! Doesn't the princess always reward her prince or knight with a kiss? Granted you're a king and she's… well, I'm not sure, King, but Tessie does suppose she could be a really pretty knight!"

"Tessie, no!" he exclaimed, face going scarlet. "Stop saying things like that!"

"Kiss?" Jolt suddenly scurried onto Vale's head. "You're gonna kiss Veve?"

"No, I'm-"

"Why not? You hate Veve?"

"No!"

"Then you love her!" Jolt proclaimed.

"That's what Tessie's been saying this whole time!" Tessie exclaimed. "You agree?"

"I mean, I think it's obvious."

"Okay, so how does Vale feel? Does she love him?"

"Maybe? I'm not sure, I know she really likes N! She told me once that she thought he was 'adorable'. I'm not sure what she meant, but that's a compliment, right?"

"Definitely. They need to kiss."

"Okay, so why won't they kiss?"

"They're chatty." Vale observed. N was glad it was a little dark right now, because he was sure his face was redder than a tomato berry right now. "You can understand them, right? What are they talking about?"

"N-N-N-N-Nothing imp-p-portant!" his head was so jumbled and flustered that his stutter re-appeared again. Inhaling deeply, he continued. "Vale, can I, uh…"

"Hm?"

Vale glanced at him, and N faltered slightly, then adjusted his hand so that they were holding hands rather than she was gripping his wrist.

"Better if we stick together so what happened doesn't happen again."

"This is true." Vale said after a moment of consideration, gripping his hand a little tighter, perhaps to reassure him? "Well then, N, we're both here, what are you trying to show me?"

"Right!" N nodded once, leading her deeper into the cavern. "Remember, I was talking about becoming King of Unova? Well, there's a difference between becoming a King and saying you're a king. I want to… I need to become the King so I can lead Unova to a better path, to an ideal world for all of us… Pokémon, humans… And you too, Vale."

Vale didn't say anything, simply listening.

"But in order for me to accomplish that, I needed the item that my ancestors had stolen from them. It had been in and out of the Harmonia line, until it ultimately disappeared from relevance… But I knew since I was just a little kid that it was here. It was calling for me, I knew it was, deep in my heart."

Finally, they got across the webbing, standing almost shoulder to shoulder on a small ledge that had an almost shrine-like indent on the wall. N was quiet, staring at the stone perched perfectly on top of a small pile of stones. As he took a step forward, Vale hestitated on the webbing, holding onto his hand.

"N…" she trailed off, brow furrowed.

"Ooooh…" Jolt suddenly crawled across Vale's arm and onto N's, scrambling down his leg and across to the stone. "What's this, Tessie? It's sparky!"

"Told you, King!" Tessie crawled next to Jolt, grinning up at him. "Sparky black stone, just like you wanted! Jolt, this is the sparky black stone! It's been helping us Joltiks out for a super long time!"

"Oh wow! Veve, do you see it? See? See? See?"

"This is what I wanted to show you, Vale." N said, smiling at her.

"Is it safe?" Vale asked, her eyes drifted from his face to the stone behind him. "I'm not… something just seems off right now, N."

N glanced at the stone.

"Vale, behind me right now is Zekrom, contained within the Dark Stone as decreed a millennia ago. You are probably sensing that… But I promise, Zekrom won't hurt you. I promise you that nothing bad will happen. I'll keep that from happening."

"Role switch!" Tessie suddenly sang. "Say, when are you two gonna decide who's the knight and who's the princess? 'Cause first you save her and then she saves you and now you're declaring you're going to keep her safe…"

"Tessie!" N whisper shouted, cheeks heating up. "Please?"

"What is she saying?" Vale suddenly asked. "Is she teasing you, N?"

"Not entirely…" N sighed.

"So the Dark Stone…" Vale trailed off. "I believe I remember someone saying that Zekrom is one of the major legends in Unova…"

"Yes." N nodded, tugging her closer to the stone. "Vale, can I say something?"

"No need to ask, I would never stop you."

"All right, then." N took a deep breath and continued. "Vale, I'm sure you've figured out by now that I'm not like most humans. Because, for as long as I can remember… I've been able to understand pokémon. But there's more to it than just that. More than just being able to hear their voices, to understand what they tell me…"

"And that would be what, exactly?"

"It's a little hard to describe…" N trailed off, gaze lingering on the stone. "Vale, for as long as I could remember, I've had abilities. Those abilities are to be able to see an ideal world… The ideal of everything."

"The ideal of everything." Vale mused. "What does that mean, exactly?"

"When I fall asleep, I see… visions. Visions of the future. Visions of an ideal world for myself… and for everyone. My visions change depending on the circumstances, but I believe they can lead me down the path of what is right for this world. Not just for me, but for the pokémon… Basically, my visions can direct me down the best path to the best ending. I know what the future should be, Vale. And also… With people and pokémon… I can see the perfection within them as well."

He paused for a moment, trying to think about how to explain it.

"It's like… every being has an ideal version of themselves, a little spark that tells me the best parts about them. For instance, looking at Jolt…" N paused, staring at the little pokémon, still scurrying around with Tessie. "I can tell that, despite being small, he can use that to his advantage. His size makes him harder to hit, and despite that, he packs a ginormous punch when fighting. But even still, he'll tire easily… Yet he is a great companion and friend, perhaps more of a cheerleader than a fighter. Irregardless, his enthusiasm and passion for his team more than makes up for his lack of stamina."

"That's surprisingly accurate." Vale spoke softly. N was trying to gauge her reaction. He never told anyone the extent of his abilities because his father had told him that, while he was exceptional, people would hurt him because of his abilities. They would hunt him down and use him, or they would want to lock him away because they thought he was crazy… freakish.

And frankly? He believed him. How could he not, considering the pokémon his father brought forward, sobbing from the abuse they had suffered from humans?

"Vale, when I was a little, my father brought all sorts of pokémon to me. Pokémon that people had hurt and abused, almost killed… They were so broken and sad… That was when I decided I needed to build a utopia for them. A paradise where no one will ever hurt them ever again. That was the world I dreamed of, Vale. A place where pokémon wouldn't have to suffer under humans anymore."

"… Is that not still your dream, N?"

"It is." N admitted, staring at the stone. "But some things… they've changed, to say the least. Vale, people have hurt you too, haven't they?"

At that, Vale's entire form tensed, lips in a thin line.

"Am I right?" he asked, turning and placing both hands on her shoulders, trying to look her in the eye. Her gaze, however, was solidly on Tessie and Jolt, not wavering in the slightest. "I am right, aren't I? I knew it…"

Vale closed her eyes as he reached up, pushing aside the hair that covered her scarred eye. He could barely see it in the dim light, but it was there, bold and defined against her skin. She kept her eyes shut.

"I knew it on the day I first saw you. Do you remember? Because I remember… You were so small and thin, and your entire face was… was red… Like those pokémon, you were so broken that day too… It was the first time… the very first time I ever felt sorry for another human. But all the same, it instilled in me this… this disdain. What kind of person would hurt someone like that, Vale? Who did this to you? What would make someone want to hurt another person? Why?"

Vale didn't say anything, but she ducked her head down, out of his hand. Her hair drifted back over her face. She kept her head down.

"Vale, I want to save pokémon from the people who imprison them. But I've also realized that… that I want to save you, too."

"N, I…"

"Please, listen to me. I'm going to make this country, this world a place this is safe for every pokémon, for people like myself with strange abilities… And for you. I'm going to be King of Unova," he grabbed her shoulders again, ducking down to meet her eyes. "And I want you next to me when that happens, every step of the way."

Vale's gaze was on the ground, but he could feel the slight trembling under his hands.

"Don't you want a world, Vale, where you and Sammy can be safe? Where you never have to go through that fear ever again? To know that the next tomorrow is going to be brighter and brighter with each passing day?"

"Of course I want that." Vale finally spoke. Despite appearing as cool-headed and controlled, there was a warble in her voice, like she was on the verge of crying. "Everyone wants to live peacefully, but I…"

She trailed off, hands at her side.

"All right… I'll make that for you, then. I will build a world that is safe for everyone." N breathed out, smiling to himself as he gripped both her hands tightly. "I promised that to those pokémon, to my friends… And I'll promise that to you, as well."

A deep voice, almost familiar, rumbling in his mind.

Heed my call, hero of ideals, he who seeks the ideal world…

N felt something shift, like a static in the air. Vale seemed to sense it to, because she seemed to grip his hands tighter, almost out of instinct.

"Do you feel it too, Vale?" he asked, smile growing on his face, almost giddy with excitement.

"I sense… something." Vale shifted slightly. "A change in the air here."

"It's because there is change on the horizon as well, Vale." N smiled, holding his free hand over the stone and letting out a deep breath. "In a world the burns in fire, and hope is out of sight…"

As if responding to his words, the stone before them crackled to life with blue electricity, casting a chilling light over the cavern.

"N…?" Vale's voice was concerned, staring at the light show as lightening began to crackle across the walls from the stone, shooting between his palm and the stone, as if responding to him. "N, is… at… safe?

"I will rise above all… for I know my ideals are right!"

With that, the stone almost exploded with energy, radiating off the walls of the cavern.

"N?" Vale's words echoed in his ears, pounding against his head. "Wh… a… N?!"

Suddenly, N felt the world blur in and out, trying to get control of what was going on. Vale's voice drifted out of his ears, the entire environment blurring out of his vision.

o.0.o.0.o

When he came too, he felt like he was underwater, floating through the air. Life slowly began to come back to his body, bit by bit. First in his toes and fingers, slowly traveling up until he could open his eyes.

He was on a… plane. He wasn't really sure what it was, to be honest, because there was thick, black fog surrounding him, but there was nothing above him and nothing below him. Just a plain, black plane that stretched as far as the eye could see.

He continued drifting down, blinking sleepily until he hit solid ground. As soon as he hit the ground, his body burst to life, and he shot up in almost a panic, head whipping around as he sat up.

"… Vale?" he asked tentatively. "Tessie? Jolt?"

No answer. Nervously, he stood up. The floor seemed solid, but was like glass. Invisible and the only thing keeping him from sinking into the darkness below him. The glass pulsed with blue electricity under his feet, indicating that this wasn't entirely normal.

Nervously, he ran his hands through his hair to see if Tessie was hiding there, but he was completely alone. There was no one, only him… alone. Fear clawed at his chest for a moment. Did he upset Zekrom? Where was everyone?

"Perhaps the question you should be asking, Hero of Ideals, if where you are, rather than where they are?"

N lifted his gaze, and saw a man in pitch black armor with glowing red eyes boring into him. Blue lightening crackled around his form, but he didn't break eye contact. Hauntingly, he didn't even blink. The tension didn't ease a bit in N's body, as he knew that there was more to this figure than met the eye.

"Are you…?"

"Yes." the man stood taller, not even walking towards him. Rather, he glided across the plane, not even landing when he was in front of N. "I am Zekrom, the harbinger of lightening, the one who admires the ideals of humanity."

"Zekrom…" N breathed out in awe. "You… can appear human?"

"Appear human?" Zekrom scoffed. "This is the only form I can manage on this plane of existence. My actual form cannot be unleashed, as it is trapped within this confounded stone. And even if I could, from what I've gathered, I'm in some sort of cave? My sheer size would cause this place to crumble around me.

"This place is… where, exactly?"

"What do you mean 'where'? Where you not listening? We are in the Dark Stone."

"In the dark stone…" N murmured, looking around at the dark, desolate, frightening plane. his heart panged with sympathy, crossing an arm over his chest and squeezing another arm. "What a terrible place to be trapped."

"That is true." Zekrom glanced around disdainfully. "I am the god of ideals, and yet here I am. In a less than ideal entrapment."

Zekrom breathed through his nose, a low grumbling escaping from his chest.

"I long to be free of the stone, you long to create an ideal world. I can tell, you are descended from the Original Hero. Your name is Harmonia… Correct?"

"Yes!" N nodded enthusiastically. "Zekrom, my name is Natural Harmonia."

"Natural Harmonia…" Zekrom trailed off, staring at him. "Hmm…"

"Is something wrong?"

"No." Zekrom shook his head. "No, but even still…"

Grumbling, Zekrom crossed his arms.

"Perhaps a millennia in this stone has effected me. Natural Harmonia…" he mused on his name, shaking his head. "Irregardless… Being descended from that line means you innately know that you are not like others, but it takes someone particularly special to seek me out. Why are you here?"

"Zekrom… I want to build an ideal world. A world where everyone… humans and pokémon alike, can be happy. But to do that, humans need to set pokémon free… They need to stop lording power over them and learn how to coexist together, freely. But by myself, alone… I cannot do it…" N held out his hand to Zekrom, gaze unwavering and heart set on what must be done. "I need your help. I need you to help me show the world the power of a hero, how our influence can change the world for the better. In return, I'm going to vow to you to free you from this and return you to your original, powerful form. Zekrom, let me be the next hero, just like the one's you have sided with all those times before, let me show you what I am capable of... If you will have me, Zekrom."

"… You remind me of Akeel. How many years has it been since I have met a hero from his bloodline…? To long. Far to long." Zekrom said simply. Lowering himself to the ground, his feet causing the same pulsing under his feet to go across the plane. Zekrom held out his hand. "Free me from this prison, Natural, and we shall walk the path to the ideal world together."

"Of course!"

"Then we shall bind the contract. Repeat the mantra."

"Yes, of course." N gripped Zekrom's hand, feeling electricity crackling through his palm. Excitement hinging on euphoria, he spoke.

In a world that burns with fire, and hope is out of sight,
I will rise above all, because I know my ideals are right!

The words he spoke appeared as runes, surrounding the pair and encircling them. Zekrom's eyes widened, almost in an inhuman manner, eyes searing red. His grip on N's hand tightened, almost threatening to break his hand. N winced as he felt the runes encircle his wrist, scorching into his arm. When Zekrom released his hand, N almost yanked his hand back, staring at the runes that were seared all around his wrist, the red glow still prominent.

"Natural Harmonia, you have been marked as the tenth Hero of Ideals, destined to fight for a world that you have seen as ideal, a utopia for which humanity will thrive, even if this world is only in a dream." Zekrom spoke simply. "Now go, and prepare for the battle ahead."

o.0.o.0.o

Hilda(16): Eevee(m), Dewott(m), Lilligant(f), Zebrstrika(f), Victini(m), Braviery(f)
Bianca(16): Herdier(f), Pignite(m), Litwik(f), Simisage(m), Munna(f)
Cheren(16): Liepard(f), Servine(f), Boldore(m), Panpour(f)
Black Burns(?)(18): Minccino(f), Archeops(m), Simisear(f), Siesmitoad(m), Ferrothorn(f), Keldeo(m)

Sara(19): Risu(Emolga, f), Ransu(Escavalier, m), Yume(Musharna, m), Sumairu(Druddigon, f), Tatakai(Braviery, m)
Vale(18): Audino(f), Joltik(m), Cottenee(m), Mienfoo(f), Gothitelle(f), Swanna(f)

o.0.o.0.o

And thus a new chapter. Apologies for not updating for so long, I've been student teaching and it's been crazy!

I've really been itching to write some NxVale, but idk how to go about it, necessarily sometimes. A part of that stems from the fact that neither of them really grasp what "love" like that is, yet they can still feel it… I guess it boils down to Vale trying to detangle N from Ghetsis's strings without lighting those strings on fire. Like, because the way I see it, if she just reveals all to him, N will go into such a strong denial it would shatter any progress she's made with him so far… Meanwhile, N is taking her increasing interest as a means of her "reforming" and he wants to prove that to Ghetsis.

Ultimately, it will both come to a head. I've been having fun just experimenting with the two this chapter.

Also, quite a bit about Black this chapter. I'm not going to call this the "reveal all" chapter, since that will be coming soon. I kinda consider this Black's breaking point… As well as the official beginning of his "redemption".

Amy47101 signing off! ^.^