This took me surprisingly long, but here it is, the fifth chapter ^^ I hope you enjoy it (also, it's essentially 12 pages of nothing but N + Touko, with the exception of the first page -please forgive me =[ )

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. In fact I don't even own Pokémon SwSh yet =(.

Also, this story was greatly inspired by "The Truth Will Prevail" by Maydei (now known as shame-archive-2k17), so be sure to check out the original ^^


Too little colours to describe the world

Chapter 5

Mixed colours are black - or white


Sirens. There were sirens everywhere. And voices. Loud, shaky, silent, horrible, pretty voices. They were everywhere and nowhere and just inside his head and outside, in the vast world that seemed to collapse and, and...

It was too loud. Too loud, too much, too silent, too confusing. It was scary and weird and horrible and it made him cry. Loudly.

The boy was shaking, sitting in his chair, in a calm and silent waiting room. There were flashes and lightening and shouting and screaming and one voice, time and time and time again telling him to stay hidden, to stay safe, don't go, just stay here, there is nothing you can do.

There hadn't been anything he could have done.

The boy was shaking.

There was nothing he could do.

There were people sitting around him. Probably. Maybe. He couldn't really see them. Only shadows and masks and lies and blurred faces.

The people said things. They screamed and shouted and whispered and murmured and tried to talk to him, somehow, but there was nothing but sirens filling his head. Loud, screeching sirens.

At some point they left him alone. No one knew what they were going to do with him. The boy didn't notice. He simply stared at nothing (or everything, if one could have read his mind). But they left. And they didn't come back. And then, he finally was alone.

The boy didn't notice the passage of time. There was another attempt made to comfort him, by an officer, but he couldn't hear him. The sirens shut out everything else.

The officer itself looked like a monster. It looked like so many faces, like people looming above him, like an animal, like a friend, like an enemy and, and, and...The boy almost lashed out at him. Almost. He almost tore his fingers across his face, like claws, like a hurt animal trying to escape its doom, written in stone.

But he didn't. Fear paralysed him. Made his thoughts freeze.

"We're sorry, but you need to calm down, you need to calm down, you need to calm down, there's nothing you could have done...need to calm down...down...nothing..." The boy panicked. They had to restrain him. His heart beat too fast, as he faced the officer once more, his face distorted. Where? Where?!

WHERE?!

Where were they?

.o.O.o.

The battle was...weird? Strange? Easy? Touko wasn't entirely sure what she should call it. It had been fun, that was for sure. A mom and her kids had even decided to watch and Cheren had volunteered to be the referee, for no other reason than wanting to get some more experience in that field – battles like these didn't really need a referee – and to make Touko feel a bit less disappointed in "wasting" her first battle on a total stranger. After all, she had wanted to fight him – regardless of ho she would have been beaten by him. The brunette didn't mind though. Said stranger looked intriguing enough to be more than just a "throw-away"- battle and she wasn't foolish enough to believe she stood an actual chance against Cheren. The way the other trainer had approached Cheren and her had already made it feel like more than just any other battle and whilst she was sad she didn't get to kick Cheren's butt (knowing something and fantasizing about it were two different things), the boy did put up quite a fight.

The most interesting part however wasn't the way he talked (and, honestly, behaved), no, it was the way he fought.

While Touko kept shouting out commands (unnecessary loudly and excitedly at that), really just confusing her starter at times, he just...stood there. He didn't show any excitement at all. All he did was focus on Ollie (something that didn't even seem to bother the Oshawott this time around) and other than that he sometimes shot glances at her, a certain determined expression in his eyes, that remembered Touko of something. During a few, rare moments he frowned, as if confused by something, but that seemed to be the entire range of emotions he was capable of.

Touko really wondered what exactly confused him, but he didn't say a single word. He didn't even tell his Pokémon what she was supposed to do. The Purrloin just did! Usually such behaviour was only seen with Veteran Trainers and this boy certainly wasn't. Although, his strategies seemed to be way better than hers. And so was their execution. Honestly, Touko had only won due to her Pokémon simply having more experience and overall being a bit stronger. Her PokéDex-Scanner had put the Purrloin somewhere between level 7 and 8 and Ollie was by now level 10. And it had access to a STAB-attack. The fight hadn't necessarily been fair. But really, the brunette was too satisfied with the result of having won her first trainer battle to complain about that. It was a One on One battle too. The stranger only had one Pokémon anyway, which was taken out by Ollie, and Touko didn't feel all too comfortable with using Lil.

She had given up trying to refer to her by her species name.

Once the battle was over Cheren pompously announced Touko as the winner, something that should cheer her up, but somehow...it didn't. Touko couldn't look away from the stranger that just stood there. Not sad or angry, just confused and almost broken.

Well. That was probably a bit exaggerated. But still.

Worst was he didn't move at all. It was only when Touko almost recalled her starter – Ollie had taken quite the beating after all (really, she shouldn't have gotten attacked all that much if Touko had been a better trainer) – that he moved. And started started behaving real weird. Although, there was a certain sense of childlike innocence to his complete oblivion to his weirdness that Touko couldn't help but admire.

"Wait!", he simply exclaimed before rushing over and kneeling down in front of Ollie who seemed to behave unexpectedly friendly instead of displaying her usual coyness.
Touko got somewhat...nervous? as she observed the boy doing...whatever he was doing. She tried to shake the feeling though and decided the situation got a bit too awkward. He just...sat there. Again, he didn't even talk to her starter.

"Uh, is everything ok?", she asked. Cautiously, she shifted her weight from one leg onto the other. What was he up too? He looked rather harmless, but still. She didn't want her starter to get hurt. However, her former opponent seemed to be as confused as she was, starring at the small Oshawott way to intensely. "Can I..." The boy interrupted her by whispering something she could not understand. She exchanged glances with Cheren. Maybe he knew…? No, he just shook his head. Touko's eyes fell back to teen sitting in front of her. "Wha..." "This doesn't make sense!" His head shot up and now he stared at her. Angrily. And confused. A good mix out of both emotions.

Again, Touko glanced at Cheren who had strolled closer and looked equally intrigued by the other trainer, still kneeling on the ground. "What...doesn't make sense?" It was a simple question, but it seemed to have quite the profound effect on him. It was like he just had realized something and...was he blushing? He got up, brushing of his clothes in the movement and now he directed his gaze at the other two players again (although he kept glancing at Ollie). He seemed to feel uncomfortable and...disappointed.

And scared.

N did indeed feel that way. What was he doing? He knew this was going to happen, he had told Anathea and Concordia so – he just didn't fit in with other humans. He knew their ways and yet, not even a week into this journey and he had already screwed up! But there was no helping it. And he couldn't be so rude as to simply ignore the question asked by the girl that had beaten him.

Something that wasn't supposed to happen in the first place.

"She likes you."

It was a simple statement. It wasn't supposed to offend her, in fact it was meant as a compliment (a Pokémon liking a human!) but judging from her reactions, she did feel insulted. Her somewhat happy expression disappeared immediately and she cast her eyes to the ground, fixating on the stone pavement.

Touko felt insulted. her feeling were hurt by the simple idea that it may appear to some people that her starter didn't like her. The suggestion made her stomach twist and she couldn't even get mad at the boy for pointing it out – she had just left Ollie all alone (of course, Cheren had been there, but still). She didn't even dare to look at Ollie and bit her lip, a gesture that seemed to greatly irritate the strange boy. He frowned and just stared at her and slowly, it started feeling uncomfortable.

"Well, well I...I sure hope she does...", Touko stuttered, a silent whisper beneath her breath. And then she added, slightly raising her head, with a more humorous tone:"I feed her after all!" She even managed to smile.

Cheren blew some air through his nose. Ollie's eyes lit up (was she going to get food? She really should have eaten more during breakfast!) and Touko smiled smugly at salvaging this conversation (why was she trying though?) The boy however simply kept frowning. In fact, he seemed to get even more irritated. Was this supposed to be a joke? Wasn't joking something reserved for friendlier relationships? Did they already view them as their friend? Well, getting a human friend was one of his missions and those two – or at least the girl – seemed to be alright.

Anyway.

"Food alone isn't a good basis for a Pokémon-Huaman-relationship. A the very least not for an equal and healthy one. It is much more about understanding each other and trying your best to conform to each other wishes, although, a Pokémon's viewpoint of things is, sadly, quite often ignored by their trainers and so called "owners". Especially the last part seemed to greatly agitate the young man and Touko let her head drop again, a gesture that made Ollie notice she might want to comfort her trainer. But then again...She had just forgotten her.

"I...I was trying to make a joke", Touko stuttered, while she nervously scratched her neck. And why was she feeling so nervous all of sudden?

The boy didn't seem to buy it. He had this unreadable expression on his face that greatly reminded her of Cheren. At least her childhood friend didn't like behave a closed book with a white cover at the moment.

"We...We should probably get to the PokéCenter", she added, trying to evade his piercing gaze. And trying to change the topic of conversation. Although, she couldn't shake the feeling that the reason for his behavior was confusion – for one reason or another – and curiosity. Why he was curious was a whole different question.

Her suggestion seemed to have broken this spell of confusion and wonder placed upon the stranger as he suddenly got up (startling Ollie in the process. Shell, apparently even he was weird!) and said something, yet again, really weird. "What?" Well, OK, it was a question. But still.

Cheren sighed and turned around, shaking his head in the process. Arceus, those two were the perfect match as rivals. Leave it to people like Touko to find the most strategic trainers that didn't have an ounce of understanding of what being a trainer meant. "You have to go to a PokéCenter. Man, you just had an all-out battle! Honestly, that one was more hard-fought than usual trainer battles, so we should really get your...Shiny marvel? To the PokéCenter. It needs some treatment", he berated the boy, thankful that Touko wasn't as naive when it came to taking care of her Pokémon.

Sometimes.

Touko's head turned to look at her friend as soon as those words had left his mouth. Normal trainer battles weren't like that? Then...what were they like?

N, too, listened to the boy attentively (he seemed to know more than the girl), but froze when hearing the word "it". He inwardly cringed (he had decided he liked the girl more of the duo), although he managed to get his perfect facade up again. Just to lose it seconds later when he remembered Shiny Marble. By the original dragon, how could he have forgotten?!

He ran back to his partner, sitting down next to her and apologizing a thousand times to her. Shiny Marble didn't seem to mind all that much. Ollie couldn't help but feel like she had seen this scene before. And Touko's eyes lit up.

She wasn't the only one.

She wasn't the only one!

The girl almost jumped into the air. Almost. But then she remembered that she was a mature trainer and considering the way the strange boy behaved, or rather had behaved until after her battle, made her realize she had to grow up.

It didn't change that she felt like they could become friends. After all, he seemed to be equally overwhelmed, well, not overwhelmed because Touko obviously wasn't overwhelmed, but...anyway.

"Sooo...Do you want to tag along? To get to the PokéCenter, I mean. We can wait for our Pokémon together!", Touko asked timidly, before taking out Ollie's PokéBall and recalled her starter.

It was a swift gesture. A normal one. There wasn't anything out of the extraordinary about , it seemed to irritate the boy once more.

"Why did you just recall her?" It wasn't so much of question as it really was more of an accusation and Touko felt guilty, for some reason. It were probably his eyes. And his somewhat commanding posture (she couldn't pinpoint what made her think that way though). "Uh..." Touko didn't really know. Why had she recalled Ollie? They always did that in the shows she watched but thinking that out loud sounded like a very, very stupid reason. Luckily, Cheren stepped in, deciding he didn't really like this stranger. Something of that boy clashed with him. The way he spoke. The way he reacted to everything. It reminded him a bit of Touko, so Cheren really wasn't all that surprised to see her act more friendly toward him. "To keep her starter save. That's why. Plus, you'll have to hand your Pokémon over while they're in their PokéBall anyway, so it doesn't really matter..." He ended the statement with a shrug before adding a slightly annoyed "We should probably get going by the way...".

The strange boy didn't seem to care about that at neither did Touko.

"You need to hand them in their PokéBalls?", the boy inquired, now starring at Shiny Marble. Both, Touko and Cheren, nodded.

Arceus, this was awkward.

The boy's gaze shifted away from the Purrloin. Then he looked at his empty hands before finally taking out a PokéBall from his bag and starring at that one. He seemed not to do anything for a solid minute (in truth he was apologizing to Shiny Marble for having to catch her) and then he threw the PokéBall at the Purrloin.

An action which surprised Touko and Cheren alike.

"Did...Did you just catch it?", the black-haired boy asked, looking at the boy sitting not too far away from them. Now it was up to N to scratch his neck. "Uh, ye..." "Why didn't y..." "She followed you without having been caught?! That's amazing!", Touko interrupted both of them, her eyes lightning up as she stepped forward a bit. That was...awesome!

"Uhh..." N didn't know how to behave. Ghetsis had told him not to tell anyone he could speak to Pokémon, as being to close with Pokémon made them wary of you. After all, they were merely toys and tools to humanity and they didn't like the idea of them being equal in anyway. A notion that was, sadly, deeply engraved into human nature. Yet, this girl seemed to be rather excited at the idea of not having to use a tool of slavery to get a Pokémon to obey your very orders (N cringed every time he remembered he had to be like that for a few years – really, he couldn't wait to finally beat the champion).

It was confusing. Although, not surprising, really. Thinking about it...No study was linear. There were always a few stray results that didn't match the bigger picture. The girl was simply a variable to be disregarded in the greater picture. A number so incredibly small it disappeared when rounding. And the boy seemed to match the data he had received by Ghetsis.

It was simple math really.

"I wish...Wow, it's...it's so cool!"

Although it was simple math, it still irritated him. N didn't like inexact data. It simply didn't look that nice. And it always made one question if there was an equation more befitting of the data.

Well, not this time.

The girl had stepped forward even more and was just a tad too close to him by now, which was confusing too. Usually, the humans he had met were rather aware of the importance of personal space. Meanwhile this girl seemed to fully disregard his, and her, need for it.

He should probably ask Anthea and Concordia about this.

The girl went on and on about how "great" and "cool" and "unbelievable" this was, all while her friend rolled his eyes and N was at a loss for words. What was he supposed to do know? He was used to admiration, but not...this kind of admiration. Anthea and Concordia had never taught him. Maybe because they hadn't seen the need for it, considering how this situation wasn't supposed to happen in the first place. But it did. And he was stuck in it.

He couldn't necessarily say he completely disliked it though.

It was only when the girl calmed down again and stretched out her hand, seemingly offering it to help him up (was that normal? For strangers to do that?) that he started paying attention to her words again (he hadn't even noticed his rude behavior until now – not listening was a show of disrespect and though the girl made him feel awkward he, in no way, meant to disrespect her). "Now you simply have to tag along! And you've got to tell me all about it, considering that Cheren..." Touko cheekily glanced at her friend who made a mean face in response. "...doesn't know a thing about it!" The girl now leaned over him, her hand still stretched out (maybe it was an offer of peace? But why would she need to do that?) and her eyes were sparkling with excitement.

They were beautiful. Her eyes. Like deep oceans.

Was he supposed to take her hand just like that? Was she going to do something if he didn't? This was way to awkward. He almost hoped the other teenager would chime in again and berate them.

It was a weird situation. The boy didn't really do anything other than starring at her and Touko wasn't sure what she had done wrong. Maybe she had gotten too close to him? Probably that.

It was just now that Touko stared directly into his eyes, and, well they were gorgeous. Examining his features closer, Touko couldn't help but acknowledge it wasn't just his eyes. He was stunningly gorgeous and for a second she froze, before she quickly retracted her hand and pushed her cap into her face, effectively hiding her eyes (not the blush forming on her cheeks though).

"Uhm...So...Are you tagging along?" Touko turned sideways in an attempt to not let her burning cheeks be seen. Why was she...Alright. No. Touko knew full well why she was getting so nervous all of sudden. Good-looking, mysterious stranger? The start of her journey? Life really did imitate the arts at time.

N was confused by the girl's sudden change in behaviour, but seeing he didn't really have any other options (he had to get Shiny Marble to the PokéCenter and he wanted to study this specific specimen a bit further – plus he felt a certain amount of attraction to her). "O...k?", he murmured, slowly getting up, protectively clutching the Purrloin's PokéBall, mustering the girl. What was her name?

"Great!", she exclaimed in response (her voice was squeaking a bit). She turned back to him, her eyes sparkling again and an excited smile on her face. She even punched back her cap using two fingers."Then lets go!"

.o.O.o.

They went to the PokémonCenter together and the trip was filled with a rather awkward conversation. Cheren and Touko talked to each other the way they always did, of course. They were friends after all. Touko, however, tried, and failed, to desperately include N in the conversation. She had made him tag along after all. But he just seemed so distracted the whole time, as if he was already talking to someone else.

She regretted having asked him along. He clearly didn't want to be around them. But he seemed nice (although akward) and she wouldn't mind another rival in addition to Cheren and Bianca.

Once they arrived at the PokéCenter, Cheren took his leave. "Hey, Touko, you owe 100 PokèDollar if I get the second badge before you get the first one!" were his parting words, as he snatched one of the free drinks they gave out at every PokéCenter during the summer. When Touko wanted to protest, he simply added a teasing "Are you too afraid to lose?" and that was it. After that, N and Touko patiently waited for their turn to hand in their Pokémon. And, the boy actually started talking to her. He did it very fast and it were mainly questions he should already know the answers too, but, maybe he was nervous. Which in return, made Touko feel nervous too.

It was a viscous circle of nervousness.

At some point they sat down in one of the various booths scattered around the lobby. And then they started talking as in, having a conversation. And it was nice. Heck, it was great! He didn't seeem to care about any topic at all and he even listened attentively when she explained the plot of some silly show that had been too cringeworthy even for Bianca to him! And he himself loved to talk about the beauty of Pokémon, something Touko couldn't agree with any more!

Though, nothing lasts forver and eventually N asked why exactly she wanted to talk to him. After a short pause (her cheeks got a reddish tint so he concluded the question had embarrassed her), she responded sheepishly:"Well. You know...I'm not aaalll that good of a trainer and, you know...For example the whole Purrloin thing! How did you make her follow you without having to catch her first?" The red tint on her cheeks disappeared again and so did her embarrassment. This wasn't Cheren after all.

She didn't look into his eyes though (Anthea and Concordia had taught him that eye contact was important). Arceus no, she definitely wouldn't look into his eyes. Or his face for that matter.

"Huh?" "I mean, you're such an amazing battler!", she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling again at the prospect of learning something about the things she loved most. Raising Pokémon.

N raised an eyebrow, remembering the defeat he had just suffered at this girl's very hands. His scepticism (he had given up on upholding a facade. The girl didn't do that either, plus they were having a friendly and innocent conversation - it was probably the first friendly and innocent conversation he had ever had with someone else other than his sisters) must have been visible, as the girl hurried to add:"Really, the only reason I won is because of Ollie's level advantage. There's no...Hey, what is it?" He didn't answer her question, much to her surprise (was there anything secial about the golden cube?). If it was possible, he looked even more irritated than he did whenever she bit her lips. Which was a strange thing to say in the first place.

N couldn't help but feel annoyed. Not at the girl, at himself. He wasn't supposed to lose. If he lost to a normal trainer, how was he going to win against the Champion?! He had to get better, but...he couldn't risk hurting his friends. He had already put Shiny Marble into too much danger just now. Although he couldn't help but remember the black-haired teen's words from earlier. "Honestly, that one was more hard-fought than usual trainer battles...". What a strange thing to say. Ghetsis had taught him otherwise. He had told him all fights were harsh and brutal and sickening. Well, both trainers were still young. Obviously they wouldn't be used to the brutality of Pokémon battles just yet. They got indoctrinated into the system after all.

Touko interpreted the boy's silence differently than what it actual was – a break for him to sort his thoughts – and desperately tried to make him fell better. He seemed to be genuinely nice and, well, she wouldn't mind spending more time with him.

Already she could feel her cheeks heat up again.

"Don't worry about it! It wasn't really a fair fight. After all, you just got Shiny marble and I've had Ollie for over a week already!" It was this that caught N's attention. Immediately he snapped back to reality, his gaze falling upon the girl sitting in front of her, who seemed to be rather confused by this reaction (had she insulted him somehow? She was just trying to be nice…) There was this weird sense of determination in his eyes.

"You've "had" her? In like, owning her?", her asked, his voice sounding somewhat colder that it had done before. The determination wasn't really burning either, it was more a cold stare, something that was greatly enhanced by his gray eyes. "Uh, yes..." Touko's head shifted to her side, at first confused. But then again, he did seem to really care about the way one treated Pokémon. She wondered if he had anything to do with that Team Plasma group… "Is anything wrong with that statement?", she finished her sentence all while looking at him curiously.

For a moment N halted. It was nice. She just seemed curious. She didn't seem to be freaked out. She didn't seem to be on the verge of leaving. There was just a pair of curious blue eyes and another human that wanted to have a conversation with him. It reminded him a bit of his sisters before he had been crowned. Though they slowly left their shell once more. But they weren't here and he was going to do his best to convince this girl of the wrong in her ways.

"I don't like this concept of "ownership". Don't you think Pokémon should be free beings? What gives us the right to govern their lifes?"
Touko hesitated. For a moment she looked at the second PokéBall dangling from her hips. Then she bit her lips (again, this irritated N greatly. Why...How could she?!), before responding:"I mean...It's just a way to say things...There's no real meaning behind it..." It wasn't a really convincing response, Touko knew that much, and the sudden sparkling of the boy's eyes confirmed this.

He leaned a bit closer, his eyes narrowing and asked annoyed:"Really? Tell me, how much do your Pokémon get to decide? Did "Ollie" ask you to let her fight because, from what I've gathered, she doesn't like doing it in the first place." Touko visibly shrunk. He...well, he had a point. But then again...She didn't make Ollie fight all the time. She had put off catching a Patrat just for her! And she had asked her starter before the battle had started! But somehow...The way he looked at her made her feel as if she simply wasn't allowed to object.

The other teen scoffed and fell back into the cushions.

That didn't mean he would stop telling the girl off though – this was the prefect chance for him to make her see reason. "And your other Pokémon!" Then he remembered Ghetsis words that one had to be liberal at first before going all the way. So he had to tone it down a bit. And tone down he did. By starting to monologue. He tried to emulate his father's way of speaking but failed, although he couldn't help but see a trainer in the booth next to theirs listen to him.

He had made two people listen to him! This alone warmed his heart. Maybe humanity wasn't lost after all.

Touko's stature started shrinking more and more the longer he went on (N felt bad for making her feel bad, but she had to get over it – she had to see the truth!). What he said sounded reasonable, sure, but...did she really treat...her...Pokémon that way? She...She hadn't ever noticed. She had…

No.

She sat back upright again.

He was wrong. And although the way he spoke and acted and looked made her feel somewhat insignificant, she wasn't going to let him take away the core belief which had raised her. Her father was a great trainer (although he had been a horrible dad) and her mother had been a great trainer and both their respective teams (or in her father's case his many teams) had adored them. And Touko knew Ollie didn't hate her.

"I asked her...", she blurted out, her voice barely audible. Oh. Yes. There was still that problem with her ability to discuss things properly. N, so caught up in his own monologue didn't even hear her words. He only noticed the movement of her lips. "What?" His voice sounded caught off guard. "I asked her", Touko repeated, her head snapping up and looking at him, a bit more determined than she had been before.

She knew this was right. She knew Ollie liked being part of a team. She might be bad at discussing things, but she wasn't going to let that stop her from taking a stand.
She wasn't going to be like Bianca's mother.

"You said Pokémon don't get to decide anything. But that's not true. I asked Ollie if she wanted to battle and she didn't seem to mind. If she hadn't wanted to...I mean, there were plenty of occasions when that happened..." Her eyes fell to her belt. She gulped. "And...And Lil...It's...It's complicated..." She looked sideways. Her arms were crossed defensively.

"Oh, really?" N raised an eyebrow. She sure was stubborn. But they way she acted made him feel like she didn't deny what he was saying. "I...She loves me. And, well..." It was a difficult thing to say. Very, very difficult. "And I love her too..."

A whisper. It was nothing but a whisper. N heard it though and the way he reacted...Touko would have described it as his "ears perking up" although that wasn't possible. There was just something almost Pokémon-like in his movement.

"Of course she loves you. She doesn't have much of choice now, does she?", he said,"If she doesn't love you, her life would become even more horrible than it already is..."
Touko's head shot up. Ok. There was no way he wasn't involved with those knight guys from before.

"That's not what I meant", she said,"I know she loves me. I just do. She...She could have run away! She could have rejected me the first time I ever let her out of her PokéBall, but she didn't! She...She..." For a second, Touko hesitated. And then, without thinking about it more than that one second had allowed her to do, she grabbed Lil's PokéBall and opened it.

A white flash lit up their sitting area for a moment before it disappeared again and a small Lillipup appeared in front of them on the table. For a moment she blinked confused, before N started hearing her voice inside his head, excited and happy. "Yay, yay, playtime, training! Thank you trainer!" Lil didn't wait for anyone else to do anything and jumped right into her trainer's arms (trainer, she had wanted to do that since...like...forever!). She started rubbing her head against Touko's belly, while her voice kept echoing through N's thoughts and he couldn't help but...admire the Pokémon's loyalty. It was disgusting, really. That this girl confused such a strong emotion like "love" with a trait those Pokémon were born with. A trait they were bred with. Although he couldn't help but feel happy. She seemed to care about the Lillipup. She seemed to genuinely care. It was kind of a nice scene. Seeing both of them so...set free?

Whatever it was, it looked nice, but just because something looked nice it didn't mean it was something good. This Lillipup deserved to be as free as the trainer holding her.

The small Pokémon stopped moving when she felt Touko's arms holding her protectively and in such a...warm way. At first confusion filled Furball's eyes, but then...then she finally understood. "Hug? Hug! HUG!" She put her head against Touko's chest and let it rest there, snuggling into the girl's arms. "Love you, trainer. Love you. Love you."

Touko couldn't help but smile. Carefully she combed through her Lillipup's fur, enjoying the contact. For once, the thought of having to let her go at some point didn't cross her mind.

N kept his mouth shut about all the things he could have said right now. Although the girl had denied him any chance on responding, he felt like this debate was over. He couldn't deny this looked nice, but then again it would look so much nicer if the girl had been the Lillipup's mother instead of a stranger, ripping her from what she was used to. Also, she did keep the Lillipup in a ball most of the time. This wasn't the norm. As the Pokémon had said herself. "Training". That was her life, from now on until she was too old to fight her master's battles. It wasn't soft cuddles and warm thoughts. It was cold claws and piercing beaks.

It was terrible.

N really had to keep that in mind. He couldn't let a pair of pretty eyes and a soft conversation distract him from his mission.

His smile vanished and he couldn't bear to look at the girl anymore. This. This is exactly what Ghetsis had meant. This was one of the many facades humans put on as to not see their own depravity. It was this that N had to topple in order to built a new, better, and most importantly, equal world.

But no silence lasts forever and soon, they started talking again. Both did. He didn't just listen and neither did she. There wasn't a specific topic they talked about. She started off with asking about "his" Purrloin (he did not correct her this time). He was surprised at how little she knew about battling. She was surprised at how little he knew about the arena challenge (and at his lack of knowledge of any kind of show. Arceus, where had he lived?!) and it was just like before.

N found himself enjoying her company once more. Though, if he was honest, he hadn't minded her company during the discussion either - she had listened and she hadn't brushed him off - a behaviour that he had not expected at all. And, well, sometimes he felt himself become flustered for reasons unbeknownst to him.

It usually happened when he looked at her eyes. Or that one time when she told him excitedly about that one story where Ollie and she had tried to find some berries. See behaved almost childlike when talking about her adventures. It reminded him of someone, but he didn't quite know who.

"What's your name, by the way?" The question had popped up in Touko's head a while ago, but she had been too afraid to ask. "Hm?" "Your name. I never asked." Oh. That's right. He didn't know hers either..."N..." He was planning to tell her his full name, but then he stopped. Ghetsis had told him to be wary of other humans. Should he really tell this stran…"N? Just N? That's it?" The girl's question interrupted his thoughts and for a second he wanted to object, after all he was Natural Gropius Harmonia, future King of Unova, but then…He didn't mind just being N for the time being.

"Yeah. Just N."

It was a name reserved for the goddesses, but then again...He didn't want to appear too weird. For some reason. It would probably drive the girl off and he didn't want that. Of course only, because Anathea and Concordia had tasked him with getting to know some more humans.

"Oh, well. My name is..." "Miss Touko Lote, your Oshawott is ready." The girl sitting in front of him chuckled, as the announcement was blasted through the lobby. "Well, that's my name. But I better get going. It was nice meeting you, N!" She got up, after having shoved Lil out of her lap and stretched for a second before snatching her satchel.

N failed to hear the disappointment in her voice. He did see the small smile playing around her lips and figured it looked rather nice.

Just like her eyes.

"It was nice indeed", N responded. He, too, got up and then, out of reflex, extended a hand. It was the polite thing to do, Ghetsis had taught him. Plus, she had done the same just earlier.

For a second she regarded it confused before hesitatingly grabbing and shaking it. N couldn't help but notice the swiftness with which she let go of his hand again and the blush forming on her cheeks, just before she turned around and shoved her cap deeper into her face. "Well, then, see you!"
She didn't turn around anymore and simply waved one last time, before making her way to the counter.
She didn't even recall the Lillipup.
Although she was a trainer, he couldn't say he hadn't enjoyed her company. Surely, they'd meet again at some point.
Maybe he should have asked for her VisoCaster contact though, just in case.

.o.O.o.

"How have you been on this rather pleasant day?" Bianca's voice was way too loud for it being this late in the evening. "How do you manage to have this much energy this late?", Touko asked, falling onto her bed. Immediately Lil started using Odor Sleuth on her face and Touko had to shove the curious Pokémon away. She had wanted to recall her, but the Lillipup's eyes had stopped her right in her tracks.

"I don't know...But, I tell you, I saw the strangest Pokémon today! Do you know how on..."It was a fun story that involved Bianca trying to get into the old, abandoned factory in Striaton City because of something that appeared to be a Munna. She had found a way through the bushes though, so she had to keep guessing. "I really need one of those, they're just prefect!", the blonde exclaimed. Her face seemed to light up at the idea itself and Touko smiled in response to her friend's happiness. She was glad she was faring this well. "By the way, how did the battle with Cheren go? Did you beat him?" "What? Oh. No. I didn't battle him in the first place. I fought some other guy. He's called N. Came up to us after some strange speech given by a total hipster and challenged me.""Really? that's a pity..." "Not really. He was pretty nice. Well, not just nice. He was nicer than nice. We talked a bit and it was really fun!", Touko responded, not realizing what she just had done.

And then, suddenly, Bianca's expression started shouting "mischief!".

This was going to be fun.

"Was he good looking though?" Immediately, blood rushed to Touko's cheeks. "What kind of question is that?!", she called out, sitting up in the process, not daring to face her friend anymore.

Her eyes would be giving her away immediately.

"I don't know. You were the one who said "He was nicer than nice" And that it wasn't a pity you got to battle him...Aaaaand I'd love to see a real-life trainer romance un..." Touko could hear Bianca's grin. She didn't even need to look at her picture in the VisoCaster. "Arceus, Bianca! It was just a comment..." "You didn't answer my question!" Touko fell back onto her bed. Whatever. Fighting Bianca at this point didn't make any sense anyway. At least Lil seemed to care about her distress, as the Pokémon walked up to her and lay down next to her, loyal eyes starring into Touko's.

"I don't know. I guess...But he's a great battler, really! He...was amazing! He managed to catch a Pokémon without actually catching it! Can you believe that?! And he was...so clever with everything! You should have been there! And, yeah he was pretty nice too. As I said, we talked for a bit before I picked up Ollie again..." Bianca's grin widened and her expression became even more mischievous. "I asked for his looks. Not for what makes you attracted to him!" "That's totally not what's hap..." "It would be just like "Star-crossed"!" Touko rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. Ollie came over too and looked at Bianca, wondering what that weird girl was doing to her trainer. How was Fireball doing, she wondered?

"According to that, he'd be the leader of an evil team and I'd have to fight him. You have to do me one better...", Touko finally responded once she remembered the plot of that show. It had aired roughly two years ago and really, she had watched too many that were similar. Ever since Red had taken down Team Rocket people just loved a good Romeo and Juliet romance.

"Yes, but at the end he decides to follow his love for you and helps you fight the tyranny! So it's suuuuuper romantic! I could totally see you two together...", Bianca said.
"You've never even met him before!" But Bianca had already stopped listening. She apparently fell back down onto her bed too, judging from the pictures Touko got from the other side.

Blood rushed to Touko's cheeks and she...kind of smiled. Of course, that was totally not connected to Bianca's assumption.

Sadly, Touko's best friend was rather attentive. "You're smiling!" "What? No, I...I did not! You're just...Oh, go and starve in the wilderness!"

Touko's cheeks now heated up uncontrollably. Why...Ugh, she didn't…

"It's going to be just like "Lost in..." "I'm going to hang up now." Arceus, Bianca's cackling would haunt her for the rest of the night.

And maybe a pair of gray eyes.

.o.O.o.

"How was your day, Lord N?" They, Concordia, Anthea and N, were sitting in a restaurant, dining. Ghetsis hadn't been able to join him as he had needed to attend a meeting with the other six sages. N didn't mind. Eating with his father could be...exhausting at times.

Although it was also highly educational.

"It was nice. I met some people." He frowned for a second, before he continued. He didn't know why, but he felt unusual shy when thinking about talking about the girl. And he didn't feel shy. Except if he talked to Ghetsis, of course, but Ghetsis was his father after all. "There was this one trainer with a pair of rather unusual behaving Pokémon. An Oshawott and Lillipup. They...they seemed to genuinely care for her..." Anthea looked up from her plate, a smile playing around her lips. he hadn't seen her smile like that in ages. "Her?" "Yes. I...Ghetsis told me about the manipulation of a Pokémon's emotions and will that plays such an essential part in a trainer's job and I know as a fact that this trainer was new and her Pokémon have not yet had the chance to fully realize what they are forced into and which pain they'll have to endure..." N paused again. Partially to take a breath (he was starting to talk too quickly again) and partially to just feel bad.

While he had been with that trainer he had almost forgotten just what it was like for them. By the dragons, her Lillipup had even said it!

"It's just...It was so hard to believe..."

Concordia and Anthea exchanged a glance before Concordia leaned forward, smiling understandingly and said:"My Lord, if I may inquire, how much time did your highness have talking to them? Perhaps this is a simple misunderstanding due to a lack of information, my lord?" N considered this for a few moments, before nodding. A nod soon substituted by another frown. "I talked to their trainer a lot though. Her name is Touko. And she seemed to care too. She wasn't perfect and the way she talked and acted made her out to be a rather unpleasant trainer, but she seemed to care."

She had asked the Oshawott for permission. after all. Also, N couldn't bring himself to dislike her. She seemed nice.

"In this case, my lord, I believe the problem to be solved. I'd say. Your highness merely had not enough time to talk to the Pokémon. You must not worry, my lord. Most humans simply don't realize what they are doing is wrong. That's why we, that's why you have to show them." Concordia's voice sounded strangely determined.

It reminded him a bit of the girl.

"Talking about conversations. Did the one with the girl lead anywhere, my lord? Did your highness learn something new? You mustn't forget, this mission is about you getting to know your future subjects..." N simply nodded, before realizing his sisters were, if he had to put it Anthea's way, "out for details" and that a simply nod would not be enough.

"Yes, it did. I learned a lot about, especially, humans my age interact with each other and just what this life as a trainer looks like." Concordia and Anthea both listened attentively. "She told me about the gym challenge and how she prepared for it – it involved a lot of educational TV-shows apparently – and I got to know the average level of knowledge a starting trainer has."

And then, he came to his conclusion. A very specific conclusion at that.

"In fact, I thought about asking for her contact informat..."

"You did what?", Anthea interrupted him, her face draining. By...Sure, she had picked up him changing his manner of speaking ever so slightly when talking about her but...by….

N looked up, confused. This was...weird. By now he had gotten used to them behaving somewhat distant and Anthea's sudden burst of life felt weird to him now. he tried to not let it irritate him.

"She seemed to be rather knowledgable about various subcultures so I thought exchanging contacts might be helpful with my quest. In addition talking to her was...fun. One could say I thought we might be able to become friends." "Lord N...", Concordia opened her mouth, just to close it again. Anthea, having calmed herself, took over. After all, this was her field of expertise.

Friends. Yeah, sure. Friends. His blush was evident to that.

"My Lord, my apologies for my sudden outburst...""It really doesn't matter in fact I like it more if..." "...however...You see, in our society asking for somebody's contacts usually hints at a romantic interest in said person. Therefore..."

"Oh, I know."

N seemed to be rather unaffected by his sister's statement, oblivious to the implication. For a second Anthea just stared at him stuffing another piece of salad into his mouth, before closing her mouth. To N this topic was over. To his sisters on the other hand… "Lord N…" He looked up, confused. Both of them had put their forks aside. He swallowed and put his cutlery aside as well, looking from one woman to another. "Did I..." "If...there is anything...you know...", Anthea said. She stopped more often than usual, unsure how she was going to phrase this.

It was now that it dawned on N what she was getting at.

He could feel the blood rushing to his cheeks.

"What?! No! No, not at all! I...She was just someone I could take to easily and who seemed to be a rather normal human and knowledgeable and not a cruel enslaver and...And therefore she would be a perfect fit for me to learn more and interact with other humans and to expand my knowledge of her world and if this is a problem I will cut any "ties" I have with her immediately, of course!" His heart started beating faster as his voice sped up and once he was finished, he glued his eyes to his plate. He even stabbed at another piece of salad.

Again, Anthea and Concordia exchanged glances. It took them some time to digest just what N had just said. Sure, she was nice, and sure, she looked pretty and sure, her smile was...well, beautiful, but he'd never...Twindragons, no, he'd never… "My Lord, if that were the case, we would simply beg you to tell us, as such involvement is rather interesting to us. You can pursue a romantic partner in which..." "There's nothing!" His voice was at least an octave higher. Anthea couldn't help but feel amused by his antics.
Why was he so embarrassed all of sudden? Falling in love was perfectly natural and, by the dragon, he hadn't.

The red shade of his cheeks darkened.

She was nice. That was all. Maybe they could become friends.

Hopefully.

"There is nothing. Absolutely nothing."

She had a pretty smile though.


AN: So, I figured out N's Purrloin is, in fact, male, but I'm too lazy to change it, so meh.

I really hope the way the two interact came out the way I wanted, with a mix between wonder/curiosity but also a lot of awkwardness (and both of them crushing, because, you know, this story has to get somewhere after all).

Also, I start to like Cheren the way he's portrayed in this chapter ^^

Also, also, I'm proud it came out so much shorter than the other ones, I might cut some content from them and put them somewhere else, because they feel just a taaaad too long.

Also, also, also, thank you for the new favourite and thank you to everyone who's still reading this ^^ I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Any review is welcome, as they always end up making my day.
Until next time ^^

PS: While procrastinating I stumbled upon a great video calling people out for too long "speech tags" and that you should just always default to "say/said". So, I'm trying to do exactly that (in fact, I tried to do it in this very chapter) and would love to get some feedback on it ^^