Fun Fact: With all the edits from the past few weeks, we've made the 110k words mark, which means each chapter has an average length of 10k. This also means that I wrote 110k words and the two main characters have met twice so far. Talking about a slow burn I guess?

I'm not sure whether I should be proud of that milestone or not.

Anyway. Talking about changes, for an exact recounting of what I changed, you can have a look at the end note, so here's the main gist (so far – I've only done Chapters 1-5), but here are the important things: A new scene at the beginning of Chapter One that adds some foreshadowing (isn't necessary). Zorua has now a name, "Big Spot" and Bianca and Touko's plan of running away was altered slightly.

And, of course, I changed my spacing. I hope it's easier to read now and I'd love to get some feedback on it ^^

imaginair: Thank you for your feedback ^^ I hope I fixed it this chapter (I tried my best .). Amusingly, I started out writing "Anthea" and then just changed that for whatever reason to "Anathea" so thank you for calling me out for it! Other than that, I'm glad you enjoyed the conversation and while they won't be having anymore awkward conversation the next few chapters, I plan on making it up once Touko finally gets to her second badge ^^

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon! And I got inspired by maydei's amazing oneshot "The Truth Will Prevail", so make sure to read that one!


Too little colours to describe the world

Chapter 11

Two red VisoCasters

.o.O.o.

They didn't start their questioning the moment Touko came back home, much to the brunette's relief – it was way too late to deal with a grinning Bianca. But it was too late for the blonde to mock her friend with annoying implications and both, Bianca and Juliet, were deeply asleep by the point that Touko made her way back to the tents. At some point during the night Bianca had texted her, saying that they had already picked up her team and she didn't have to worry about that anymore and now could simply enjoy the rest of the night with her spontaneous date. Obviously, Touko had denied that it was a date, but judging from Bianca's response the blonde didn't believe her one bit. And Touko knew she was in for a questioning tomorrow.

She just hadn't anticipated to get thrown out of bed for it.

"Hrngh..." "Get up Touko! What happened? I need to know!" The blonde was basically jumping up and down in Touko's tent and an overexcited Lil was doing the same thing next to her (though Furball didn't quite understand why they were doing it – her trainers friends were weird!). The only difference between both of them was that Lil was allowed to be in her tent and Bianca definitely wasn't.

"Bianc, get out!", Touko murmured, pulling her covers over her head and startling Ollie in the process, who had been sleeping up to that point. Grumbling the Oshawott snuggled back into the warmth of the covers, not before shooting an angry glare at the sudden commotion. The only one who wasn't noticing any of this was Emblitz, who hadn't been called out of his Pokéball yesterday night. Touko had thought about it, but somehow she felt as if he'd try to burn a hole into her tent and try to make a run for it. It made her feel guilty, but she just couldn't risk it. She had planned on catching a Pansear in Pinwheel Forest for her third badge and getting her hands on one earlier had simply played into her cards. At least his frosty behavior would make it easier to let go of him. Like she planned to do with Lil. Touko gulped and ignored her inner voice telling Touko that Lil's removal from the team was overdue already.

"I can't get out until my curiosity has been quenched." Bianca's voice was a welcome distraction from Touko's future. "And now spill. I want to know everything. Did you talk? Did you kiss? Did you make..." "I swear to Arceus, Bianc, get the hell out of my tent!", Touko growled, trying her best to mask the blush creeping up on her skin. Mew, what had got into her friend?!

"Aww, come one! Don't be like that!", said friend responded, but then the blonde gave in and left her tent, Lil happily trailing after her. Touko fell back into her bed, holding her pillow in front of her, not willing to get dressed just yet. She wasn't in the mood for Bianca's antics right now – it was too early for that after all – but she knew that the moment she set foot out of her tent, she'd be cornered.

Not that anything had happened, of course! After all, she had simply established they were friends! But she had never been one to socialize with a lot of people and Touko knew that Bianca would jump at the opportunity to tease her about it.

Knowing her luck, she had probably already called her mum and told her everything about it.

Eventually, Touko put the pillow back where it belonged and grabbed some clothes out of her bag. Simple pants, a white T-Shirt and her favorite black vest. It was getting colder and Touko had felt rather cool for most of their, Bianca, Juliet and hers, impromptu swimming expedition yesterday, but she refused to acknowledge it. Summer was her favorite season and Touko was stubborn enough to believe that if she simply ignored the change of season, it would totally work out.

Five minutes later and Touko emerged, after having gone through the trouble of waking Ollie up. She played with the thought of letting Emblitz out of his ball too, but then decided against it. She didn't want to deal with the Pansear's foul mood this early in the morning and most importantly she most likely wouldn't have the energy to do so.

Bianca was merciless.

And, truth behold, the moment Touko crawled out of her tent, the blonde was on her. Juliet was sitting next to her, smirking and sipping coffee from a thermos.

This was going to be the end of her, wasn't it?

"Sooooo...How did it go? Did anything happen?" At first, Touko felt like blushing, before deciding that there was no reason to blush and instead simply shrugged. What was she afraid of? This was her friend and there was nothing to be embarrassed about!

"We, uh, we talked." Never mind, she was blushing again. Great. Amazing. Good job. At least Bianca didn't seem to notice. "Yes. I get that. What did you talk about?" "His favorite color?" Touko smiled awkwardly at the sight of Bianca's exasperated smile that followed her words. Juliet was not so subtle snickering and quickly took another sip once Touko glared at her.

"Touko...", Bianca drawled, clearly displeased with the amount of information she had got so far. "We...Uh, his favorite color is white?" Touko silently cursed herself. Why did that sound more like a question than an answer? But it seemed to somewhat placate Bianca:"Ugh, how boring. At least it's better than black..." And then Bianca's unsettling inquisitive expression was back and Touko could feel herself visibly shrink.

"And, uh, we talked about other stuff too! Like, for example..." Touko paused. They had talked about plenty of things. About the fact that she didn't like water (it just tasted horrible! And rain was the worst!), how he agreed that summer was the best season out of all of them (He had said he liked seeing young Pokémon in their early childhood and that he hadn't known it was always so hot – which may make him change his mind), how he was amused by the fact that she didn't have a concept of personal space (he had told her rather bluntly - Touko had blushed and tried her best to mind this barrier, something he picked up on quickly, assuring her it was fine and he found it rather refreshing which lead to even more blushing) or how she found it interesting that he didn't know much about being a trainer (he had scoffed at that for some reason). They had talked about plenty of things, but she wasn't supposed to start. It had been just like when they had met up after their first battle and if Touko was honest, she may have developed a bit of a crush on him. Obviously because of Bianca and not because he was easy to talk to (though awkward at times) or because something about him intrigued her – if she hadn't become a trainer, she'd become an archaeologist, that's for sure!

But whatever was the case, Touko had clicked with him and she told Bianca as much. The blonde girl's eyes lit up and she started snickering a bit, but kept her teasing to a minimum. Juliet had by now disappeared to get herself another coffee (according to Bianca she had stayed up late to chat with someone) and Lil and Ollie were to busy talking to Emblitz. Touko had decided to let him out by now, because she just couldn't stand her guilty conscious any longer and she was positive that Bianca offered enough distraction for her to be able to ignore the deadly glares he sent her way. She felt bad for him, but he was just too much. She could deal with Ollie's shyness, but he seemed to outright hate her.

"Alright, so other than the fact that you're absolutely smitten with him..." "I'm not smitten with him!" "...and that he seems to like you too..." "That doesn't matter! Were friends!" "...he said you're pretty and a great person to talk to. Also, you're a dirty liar because he wasn't nearly as good looking as you made him out to be..." "Bianca!" "….is there anything else?"

Touko huffed and let herself fall back against the wall she was currently leaning on. Her friend was the worst. And, ouch, that had hurt and she shouldn't have done it. Anyway.

"First of all, it doesn't even matter if he's..." "Yeah, yeah, I know, because he's so nice. Anyway. Come on, you can't tell me that's all. You guys just talked and that's it? That's what you did for four hours?!" Touko blushed once she heard just how long they had talked. She hadn't thought it to be that long, but well...Bianca was right. That also explained why she had been so tired this morning (or rather, more tired than usual). "Well, I did ask him for his n..." Touko didn't get to finish her sentence once more, because Bianca had jumped up, startling Lil in the process. "You did what?!" For a moment, the blonde stared at her friend in disbelieve before she squealed for a solid ten seconds. "You...You what?! Girl, why didn't you tell me that directly? Why didn't you tell me yesterday, for that matter?!" "You were asleep!" "Details, details, don't mind the details...Anyway! What? When? How? Why only tell me now?!" Touko's words had apparently set a fire lose in Bianca's eyes as she mercilessly stared down at her best friend, refusing to let go of her arm.

"I, uh...", Touko started but then she realized that she was going to stammer again. Touko cursed herself and buried her face in her hands. Why was she so nervous? There was no reason to be nervous!

"I kinda forgot? It was right at the beginning of the conversation..." "The date, don't make it out to be anything else..." "You weren't even there! You don't even know him! Anyway, it just slipped my mind, I guess? It wasn't the most important thing..." "Oh, yeah, I forgot. You were too busy watching his gorgeous eyes light up whenever he talked about something he liked or how he can get so adorably flustered whenever he didn't get anything or how extremely interesting it was that he knew so much and yet so little...", Bianca trailed off, smirking at her best friend who decided that she should have got up earlier to get going before her best friend woke up. Just a small notice stating she was already on her way and then she wouldn't need to listen to her friend fulfilling her (self-bestowed) best friend duty.

"Arceus, are you guys still talking about that?" Juliet was back with a refilled and now steaming thermos in her hand, groaning as she looked at the two of them, before putting the thermos away and starting to tidy up her place. Touko cringed and Bianca snickered, before turning to her friend once more.

Had this torture no end?

"Anyway. So you asked him for his number..." "Wait, she did? That's new! Congrats, I guess?" "Did you guys already set up a date?"

At once, Touko's head snapped up and she stared at her friend. A – a - a what now?! "Arceus, Bianca! No! I...I asked him to be my "battle buddy" and that's why I needed his number..." "Coward!" "After all that's why he came over in the first place. To battle. So no, no date. I fact, I haven't even texted him yet." That made Bianca pause and the blonde stared at her for a moment, before (finally!) turning away and joining Juliet ind tidying up their place. "Then text him. Set up a battle." "What? I can't just..." Bianca simply laughed and half-turned to her, a genuine smile adorning her expression this time. "Come on Touko. You like him, which is great! In fact, I'm happy for you! He willingly gave you his number and even if he isn't interested in you – which I doubt – you can set up a battle with him and see were it leads. There's nothing to be afraid of, even if you're brain is currently telling you to be nervous. So let's tidy up this place and once we're done, you can text Mr. Nice Guy and then tell me every detail later!" Bianca turned back, leaving a stunned Touko in her wake.

That sure was a rather sudden change in her attitude, but then again, it wasn't. Bianca was known for that habit of hers after all. And the blonde probably knew that there was no way Touko would text him if she kept teasing her about it.

So, with shaking hands, Touko pulled herself together and then took out her VisoCaster. There was no reason to wait, right?

|Hi. I'm Touko, the girl from yesterday? Are you still up for a battle?"

She smiled. There. Done. Wasn't that hard. And then, just because she could and because she could hear her heart beat faster, she added a (hopefully) flirty "We're battle buddies after all, right?" to the message.

Now all she had to do was wait.

.o.O.o.

"How is your journey progressing so far, my Lord?" The faint cackling of a fire had been the only sound filling the room so far and N was glad his sisters had decided to talk to him. He wasn't the best at starting small talk (or was he? It seemed to have worked yesterday) and his sisters still tended to behave strangely around him. While they had come out of their shell recently, they still refused to drop some of the more annoying mannerism. Like, for example, addressing him as "My Lord" at any given chance.

"Pleasantly, Concordia. I enjoy being able to roam the Routes freely. In fact, I did not expect I'd enjoy it this much." A serene smile was plastered on his face and Anthea and Concordia exchanged conspiring glances. Something had happened and they knew it. N had arrived at the hotel later than expected, which had sent Ghetsis in a frenzy. The sage had not liked the fact that N had been away for so long, claiming that he was already losing his carefully taught manners – and that repeated tardiness was an affront that was not easily forgiven. Normally N would have been down for the rest of the evening, the sisters knew how much he cared for the sage's opinion. They knew that he wanted to make him proud, ever since he had gotten used to being a prince, ever since he had realized Ghetsis could help him fulfill his dream. But yesterday, he had behaved different. He had been disappointed, of course, but his apology had seemed somewhat off and didn't sound like he regretted being late at all. And then he had excused himself to his room rather quickly, suspiciously glancing at his VisoCaster time and time again. Paired that with an almost goofy smile (N knew how to mask his face – most of the time) and the two goddesses knew something was up. And now it was time to uncover what exactly was going on.

"I'm glad you seem so enthusiastic about this experience, my Lord. May I ask whether anything of importance has happened?", Concordia asked hesitantly. And then, Anathea asked, a bit more mischievously:"Specifically yesterday?" N was about to speak up, when he saw it.

Anthea smirked. She was smirking. Usually this would have intimidated (scratch that, terrified him) because Anthea smirking never meant anything good, but he hadn't seen her smirk like that in ages and N didn't mind being questioned if it meant she went back to being normal. Thus, instead of fearing his fate, he answered honestly, smiling serenely. "I met and old...acquaintances of mine. Though, I think as of now I'd have to refer to us as "battle buddies"." "Battle buddies?" Concordia shot him a questioning glance. N disliked battling and if one trainer alone had made him change his mind, they would have to intervene.

"I was, at first, confused too, as I'm not entirely sure what being a "battle buddy" entails, however I have battled her once before and I remembered her Pokémon were rather intriguing. I figured that battling her again would be a great way to gain some more insight. Furthermore the girl in question herself seems to possess a wide knowledge of human society and I felt like spending more time with her…" He would have said "Getting to know her better" but didn't say it out loud, wary of any conclusion Anthea's mind would surely jump to. "...would greatly benefit my journey and me." N gave both of them a polite smile and grabbed for his book once more. They had been studying the recent development in Kalos' politics, a rather pleasant topic. He was distracted by Anthea's smirk though, as it grew wider once more, and it seemed to him as if she wanted to say something, but then he heard some commotion beneath the table and she winced.

Had Concordia just kicked her?

"My Lord, I do not aim to admonish you, however you mustn't forget the aim of your glorious journey. I fear this trainer may be a distraction, as too much exposure to one specific human may lead to unwanted side effects..." N knew as much. Ghetsis had told him plenty of times that he should be wary around other humans that were not part of Team Plasma's inner cycle, but he felt as if he could trust Touko. She seemed nice and honest. She was as much a victim of the system as the Pokémon were.

"Of course, Concordia. This will not distract me. She will simply help me understand humans better and her Pokémon seem to have a very different insight to what it means being a trainer's Pokémon – one that I cannot help but find intriguing. There's not much else to it."

N also refused to tell them that he greatly enjoyed her company. Anthea may not tease him anymore, but her expression were horrendous enough.

"We will simply meet up at some point and I will treasure those experiences as what they are: A new way to discover the world. In addition, I feel like I could possibly convince her to join our cause!" The last thought made him smile widely. That'd be amazing. If he managed to do that...but then, wouldn't she treat him like all the other grunt's? The idea itself made him drop his smile again. However, he didn't get long to ponder that thought though. "May I ask...", Anthea inquired, shooting her sister a swift death glare:"...as to how exactly you will contact her again?"

He had to have asked her for her number. There was no other way. Or, well, maybe she had asked him. But whatever the case, that was amazing news and also information she would file away for later, backhanded teasing. He may be their King now, but he was also a teenage boy and she, as his older sister, had her duties.

And just when N wanted to respond, his VisoCaster chirped. Confused he looked at it, before apologetically smiling at his sisters and moving to remove the object from the table. It was impolite to be on the phone while having a conversation with someone else and he had no intention of being so. However, Anthea simply smiled again and said:"Do not worry, my Lord. Our lessons can wait. Your…correspondence cannot." N blinked for a few moments before thanking her silently and picking up the VisoCaster, starring at the screen. It displayed the first part of a message that had been sent to him and he couldn't stop his heart from beating faster and grinning widely, as he opened up the messenger application.

She had texted him. He had been unsure what to do yesterday, to nervous to message her himself but not wanting to not do so either. Then he had felt as if texting her the same day may seem weird to her (wasn't there like this three day rule or so?) and had opted to wait for her to make a move. He disliked being passive, but her felt that he hadn't had any other choice and it didn't matter in the end, because she had messaged him and, by the twindragons, why was he so nervous?!

And then she sent a second message.

"We're battle buddies after all."

If anything, his heart started beating faster. She still said they were "battle buddies" Did that mean, they were friends? He'd love to be friends with her! Though, he did have to ask her about the exact responsibilities that this title entailed, as her weird terminology...

Anthea and Concordia exchanged worried glances once more. Their Lord war starring at the screen, as if he had completely forgotten their presence, and he had done so for at least a minute by now. He was smiling too! Widely!

"My Lord, may I ask what has put you in such a good mood?" Immediately, N slammed his VisoCaster around, successfully hiding the screen, a faint blush creeping up on his cheeks. "No-No-Nothing!", he stammered, which in itself was a rare occurrence. Ghetsis had taught him better than to stammer. But they were his sisters and in no place to admonish him.

Plus, they didn't really mind either.

What Anthea did mind was the fact that N had quite evidently gotten someone else's number (probably the one from that girl he had talked about plenty of times by now) and that he didn't want to tell him.

The smile she shot him was innocent, but her eyes betrayed that notion. "Well, my Lord, then I advise you to text this person called "nothing" back. After all, she does seem to put you in quite the...good mood, now doesn't she?"

This whole journey seemed to be an even better idea all of sudden.

.o.O.o.

They were watching their trainers intently as they tried, more or less focused, to clean up last night's camp. There were a lot of giggles, though, as Lil noted, they seemed to be less mischievous and less focused on that other human that Soft Wave still recognized from a battle they had had a while ago. Maybe because they had to actually do something now.

The girls were having fun nonetheless. And so were their teams. Furball had taken up the spot next to Fireball, while Soft Wave was happily chattering away with the new girl's two Purrlain's. And Roasted Chestnut...Well, Roasted Chestnut had gone from glowering at his trainer (how dare he!) to interrogating Mune.

Lil didn't get it. How a Pokémon like him could be dispositioned to be "impish" was beyond her. Though, he was behaving rather serious at the time being. So maybe he was just trying to go against his own nature. Not that she had never done that before. Everyone had a bad day sometimes after all! But that didn't matter. What did matter was the fact that he was harassing poor Red Clouds and she couldn't have that (she knew how it felt getting harassed by him, which was also the reason she refused to let him sit on her back any longer).

So, excusing herself to Fireball, who smiled at her happily, Furball made her way over to the two, ears perked up as to catch every single last thing they were saying.

"But why?" "I like her. That's why. She cared for me." "But they're humans! They took you away from your family! They would trade you away without batting an eye! They don't care!" "She did." "Why do you believe that? How do you know?" Lil's ears twitched. Stupid Roasted Chestnut. Trainer had been nothing but nice to him! How dare he reject their team!

"She asked. She asked and I joined her because she's nice and it was time for me to go anyway. I'm sorry if you miss your family, Ro, I'm really sorry..." "Don't call me that!" "...but I'm sure with time you'll learn to like this new life. Humans are nice. Well, most of them anyway."

Roasted Chestnust didn't seem to like that answer. But hey, at least he left Red Clouds alone this time.

.o.O.o.

"I'm sorry."

Huh? Touko flinched, once the faintly familiar voice made it to her ears. Sorry? Who was sorry? Was she standing in the way, had she perhaps…

The brunette girl whirled around to smile apologetically at the man standing in front of her until she realized just who exactly that man was. And then she flinched back again, pressing her lips together and pointing an accusing finger at him. "You! What do you want?!", she hissed, successfully grabbing Bianca's and Juliet's attention (as well as the attention of some other trainers that were on their way to continue their journey).

The man in question flinched back too, before casting his eyes to the ground and fidgeting with the fabric of his shirt. It was loose and a far cry from the uniform she had last seen him in and if it hadn't been for that disgustingly innocent sounding voice, she wouldn't have recognized him.

His hair wasn't even red! But he was here, looking guilty and shooting glances at Bianca time and time again, as if he was about to ask something.

He never did though. Instead, he looked back up at her, trying his best not to avert his gaze. Arceus, teenage girls could look murderous.

"I...I wanted to apologize. Uh, for well, everything. Including creeping up on you like that, but, well….I wasn't sure how else I'd do it..." The man in front of her shot Touko a sheepish smile, before diverting his eyes once more to Bianca. Her lips were pressed together and Juliet seemed to feel uncomfortable. Well, Touko would feel uncomfortable too if it weren't for the fact that she was angry the moment she realized just who exactly was talking to her. She huffed and crossed her arms in front of her, deciding to glare at him even more intensely than she already did. She didn't care that he came to apologize. What kind of bullshit was that? Did he seriously think he could just do stuff like that and then come creeping back because he had got caught?!

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have done anything to begin with!", she hissed, feeling her friend's gaze upon her:"I bet it's fun to tell people that you care about Pokémon but then you pull stuff like that! I bet..." "Touko, let it go." Bianca had stepped closer. She smiled at the man (was that pity?!), before turning to her best friend and smiling calmingly.

Except that Touko had no intention of being calmed down.

"What? No! He..." "Touko!" This time, Bianca's voice came out harsher and she put a hand on the brunette's shoulder. The grunt glanced at her thankfully, while still keeping his remorseful demeanor. Touko glowered at him. Juliet shifted once more, glancing at the bracelet she was wearing.

"Let it go." Bianca didn't like the grunt. But she believed him. He seemed to be truly sorry for what he had done and while it didn't excuse his behavior earlier, it was nice. He didn't have to search them out to apologize. He couldhave just moved on but he hadn't.

That alone was enough for the blonde. And in addition, it wasn't like he had done anything to them.

"He shouldn't be apologizing to us in the first place anyway" Bianca now added, not giving her friend the chance to bite out another comment. It was best to stop Touko before she even started sometimes. And she really wanted this man to get a chance to move on. So, without much of a warning, she called out Mune, looking proudly at the silhouette that was recognizable in the bright, white light. The moment it disappeared, the Munna floated to Bianca, to hide in her arms, glaring at the man in front of her, who simply stared at her back in shock.

"You...you caught it?!", he whispered, eyes wide, lips pursed. They...how...How could they?! "Of course she did", Touko answered, not giving Bianca a time to explain any further. She was mad. How dare he pretend he was all innocent and sorry after the shit he had pulled just two days ago?! How dare he come here and pretend Bianca was in the wrong for catching a Pokémon that had wanted to join her team? Was he envious because the Munna hadn't joined him? Well, excuse Pokémon for choosing actually nice people as their partners instead of these pathetic excuses that called themselves Pokémon activists! "Why wouldn't she? And why would you of all people be interested in it? It's not like you cared about that particular Pokémon...", she then added, glaring daggers at him. His guilty expression disappeared at once and Touko wasn't surprised at all. Nice charade he had had going there. She had almost believed it.

"You know...never mind", he then hissed, glaring at Bianca who clutched the Pokéball closer to her chest, afraid that he might take it away. "Of course she caught it. I just came here to apologize anyway..." And with that, he turned and stalked away, fuming.

Of course they had caught the Munna. They were trainers. And that Munna was a rare Pokémon and had been in a weakened state. Of course they had caught it. After all, it was just yet another easy price to own.

.o.O.o.

The three girls had left the camping site together, after Touko had cooled down from her anger and Bianca had lectured her friend about common courtesy, but they knew they'd have to split up soon. Touko was planning to make a trip to a cave not too far away – roughly two days by foot – while Bianca and Juliet had decided to travel to Nacrene City together as fast as possible. Which meant that at one fateful crossroad, their little group had to break up.

"Are you sure you have to go there? I bet you can catch plenty of cool Pokémon on the route too! And I really enjoyed spending some time with my bestie!" Bianca's voice was hopeful, but Touko simply shook her head. As compelling as it sounded, Touko planned to stick to her plan as much as possible. So far, her team was right. Somehow. She had planned to catch a Pansear later on anyway (to beat the third badge – fire was a great weapon to have against annoying bugs), so having Emblitz on her team wasn't that much of a divergence of her original plan. And as long as she managed to let go of Lil before challenging the second badge, she was good to go. To keep it that way, however, meant she had to travel to Wellspring Cave to catch a Roggenrola (for that sweet, sweet normal move resistance) and a Woobat. She wouldn't be able to use it all that much yet, with it being part psychic and Lenora's team most certainly having access to some dark-type moves, but she found that particular Pokémon cute. And, having a flying type for later wasn't that bad of a choice. Especially not once she set her eyes on the third badge.

"Don't worry, Bianc!", Touko responded cheerfully. She would have given her a hug if it weren't for the fact that Ollie was still carried in Touko's arms and the Oshawott was very particular about not getting squeezed too hard.

Touko wondered why.

"And it seems as if you've already replaced me anyway", she mused additionally, glancing at Juliet, who was standing a bit farther away, shyly peeking at her. Ever since they had met that Team Plasma member again she had distanced herself from Touko and the brunette couldn't guess why. Maybe her outburst had been to bad, but she hadn't even shouted!

Anyway, it didn't matter. They'd meet up in Nacrene City again – as they had promised each other – and until then it should all be smoothed over again.

"Nah, nothing could ever replace you, my dearest friend!" Bianca gave her a quick hug, before glancing back at a now impatiently waiting Juliet. "But its nice to have someone by my side. You know, just in case dad catches up to me once more..." Touko cocked an eyebrow. Her dad? Had he caught up with her? Bianca hadn't said anything…

"I, uh, I kind of just ran the moment I saw him. I..." Bianca smiled sheepishly, twirling one of her blonde strands between her fingers. "I saw him at the gym. And, uh, that's also why I didn't want to challenge it. I mean, I'm kind of scared, I guess? To lose and to not be able to keep up with you and Cheren, but, you know, I'm also afraid I might run into him. He has stopped calling by now, but I know that he's still looking for me…" Bianca glued her eyes to the floor, not wanting to face Touko. Her friend was probably of the opinion to just charge in headfirst and telling her dad how ridiculous he was being, but Bianca didn't want to. Not yet, that was. Maybe in a month or so, maybe once she had mentally prepared to tell him that she was 16 and that there was no reason to treat her like a porcelain doll. But not yet. "Anyway..." Bianca coughed before Touko could respond and back was her ever so happy smile, though it was tainted by a somewhat sad glint in her eyes. "'Tis time to say goodbye. Oh, and you might want to call Cheren. I've heard he's around and wanted to visit Wellspring Cave too. Didn't he want a Roggenrola for his team too?"

.o.O.o.

Bianca was right. Cheren was on his way to Wellspring cave and he even offered to wait up a day so they could travel there the last part of the journey together. Although they were behind – Touko had traveled for almost a month now and should be close to Nacrene City by now instead of planning another two day long trip. Cheren had said his school board had apologized for keeping him from leaving, though this would get him extra credit. So it was worth it. He just hoped he'd still be able to beat the eight gym. To this, Touko had responded that all he had to worry about was not getting the badge before she did. Cheren happily accepted that challenge. And thus, a few hours later, they found themselves meet up at yet another crossroad, Cheren neatly having his arms folded and checking something on his VisoCaster. Touko noticed that she should probably do the same, to see if N had texted her back, but the moment Cheren noticed her his VisoCaster disappeared and he smiled at her smugly, coming closer.

"Surprised to see you're still showing your face after that embarrassing defeat you've suffered at my hands...", he teased, though there was no malice behind his words. Touko simply snorted and shook her head. Jerk. But then she smiled fondly at him, knowing full well that this was most likely to end in yet another battle. One she wouldn't mind at all, though maybe later, once they had traversed a bit farther and set up camp.

The two of them made their way through the route, taking the more difficult path. It was a first taste of what Route 8 or Chargestone cave would be like and Touko knew she needed to get more experience when it came to traveling in harsh terrain. Cheren and Touko happily chatted away, Touko's Pokémon trailing behind them, except for Roasted Chestnut. He refused to walk and Lil refused to carry him any longer.

"So, I've heard I was replaced by a certain green-haired trainer?" It was the first time Cheren talked about this specific topic and at first Touko was caught by his sudden question – she hadn't told him anything – before recalling that he had been texting someone and knowing Cheren, that someone was most certainly Bianca. Which made a comeback much easier. "Aww, are you jealous Cheren? But don't worry, you've got Bianca after all! This is just my assurance I won't end up as the third wheel!" Once the words were spoken, Cheren all but transformed into his childhood nickname, cherry boy, if going by his blushing was any indication. Then he sputtered an undignified "Wh-What are you talking about?!" before falling silent once more.

It was hilarious. He'd have to tell her eventually, if the show he had put on when they had talked about Julian was any indication. But until then, Touko would lean back and enjoy. And concentrate on her journey:"Other than training, are you planning to do anything else?" "Yeah. Catching that Roggenrolla you're looking for. Oh, and of course working towards that evolution for Verde, though that may still take some time. But I really need some extra fire power before taking on Lenora. Are you going to catch a Fighting type outside Pinwheel Forest?" "Yup. You?" "Same. Talking about catching and training – there's a small settlement not far from here. We can camp in the area. I prefer to stay close to humans instead of camping out in the middle of nowhere and the closest PokéCenter isn't en route." Touko liked that proposal very much. She tended to keep close to humans as well and a settlement meant that they might just be able to get invite to dinner.

Some people liked taking in poor, starved trainers after all.

.o.O.o.

They made it to the settlement on time. Well, not that they had to be there at a specific time, but Cheren had hoped to get to train before going to sleep and Touko had wanted a rematch. One Cheren was willing to offer and after clearing out a small space, the battle was on and over surprisingly quickly.

Cheren had surrendered once he noticed he wasn't going to win this one and he didn't want to put his partner in unnecessary danger.

"Good job, Lil!", Touko exclaimed, ruffling the Lillipup's fur on top of her head. The normal type Pokémon happily yipped, not quite being able to believe they had managed to defeat that stupid Purrloin. Cheren and Touko had settled to have the exact same battle as they had before. Lil against Fuscus. It had been fairer, Lil had trained and this time had got to use her new move, plus Cheren seemed to be unsure as to what he should do with all this nature surrounding him.

It had been a fun battle and Cheren had promised her a milkshake once they arrived in Nacrene City, an offer Touko promised him she wouldn't forget. After the battle one of their onlookers – a mother and her daughter – had offered them some food in exchange for letting her daughter play with their Pokémon. At first they had been reluctant. Cheren, because he didn't necessarily want his starter to be treated like a toy (Fuscus and Lil were out of the question after all) and Touko, because, well...There was no way she could let Roasted Chestnut close to the girl and Ollie was timid. But then again, she had carried her starter all the way here. So she might as well suck it up.

And thus, the two of them found themselves in a cozy living room, happily chatting to the parents while their youngest daughter played with Ollie. The Oshawott had panicked at first, but was easily placated with some sweet berries and now that Lil was feeling better, she joined in on the fun too.

"Usually she'd play with her sister's Pokémon, but she's out and about at the moment. She'll probably come back later tonight. She has always dreamed of camping outside, but she's not quite old enough yet, so she just keeps pushing her curfew..." Cheren snickered at the father's comment, glancing smugly at Touko who huffed in response. That girl had the right idea, if anyone were to ask Touko.

"Anyway, what are you to doing out here? On your way to Wellspring Cave, I assume? You're both young trainers, though that idea of yours earlier wasn't half bad...", the mother chimed in, looking at Touko expectantly. The brunette felt her cheeks heat up in response and she chuckled modestly. Cheren shook his head, but agreed with the mother. "I didn't expect someone like you...", he gestured at her over dramatically,"...would be able to come up with a plan like that. Did you practice it beforehand?" Touko smiled proudly at the compliment and the story of how she had come up with it, a tale she was sure to tell everyone who came even close to the topic because, Arceus, she was just that proud!, was quickly told. Though the reactions she got weren't the one she had hoped for. Instead of more praise, both parents frowned in concern, glancing at each other, before the father commented:"I've seen some of those guys loiter around not far from here. Lets just hope it was a single occasion and not something they make a habit out of. They are rather popular after all…". Cheren had frowned too, but for different reason. "Didn't you want to switch Lil out after getting the first badge?"

The Lillipup's eyes perked up at the mention of her name (she didn't like the way the name her trainer had apparently given her sounded, but the feelings connected to it were nice, so she guessed she didn't mind), but then decided that it was far more comfortable to pay attention to the gentle hands of the girl whose lap she had currently occupied.

"I...uh..." Touko wasn't sure how she was going to respond and she timidly glanced at the Lillipup behind her. Cheren was right. She had wanted to give her up and she still fully planned to do so – but not yet. Not just yet. Maybe in a week. Maybe in two, because she just… "You know, you don't have to replace her, right? Stoutland is a pretty solid Pokémon and you can never go wrong with a normal type." Cheren smiled at her, trying to make her feel better, but he failed. Touko knew she didn't have to replace Lil. But Touko also knew that she really, really wanted her dream team. One that didn't include a Stoutland.

"Anyway, you'll have to decide sooner or later. It won't do you any good if you're unsure whether to keep her on the team." "Don't worry, Cherry boy. I'll keep her until she evolves into a Herdier. Professor Juniper will probably have more use with one of those."

.o.O.o.

Roasted Chestnut was starring at the other Pokémon that were running around happily. They were having fun. Roasted Chestnut could see that. And he wanted to join in, he knew as much too. But he stopped himself in his tracks before his traitorous feet could drag him to were all the action was taking place.

Roasted Chestnut didn't want to be having fun. He shouldn't be having fun with these new creatures. He shouldn't be enjoying the comfortable atmosphere that seemed to settle over that human and her so called teammates. After all, he had had all of that before he had been ripped away from his real friends. It didn't matter that he couldn't deny he could have all of it again. It didn't matter that he enjoyed the time they trained or the sparring they did or the meals with Soft Wave (not Furball though). While the Oshawott was still a bit shy around him, they got along fairly well if they didn't talk about being a team.

Roasted Chestnut had had more fun than he had expected during their time at the lake, he knew that too. Up to the point where he had tried to sneak away and had quickly been recalled, that was. He didn't know how much time he had spent caught in his confinement again – one never knew – but it couldn't have been too long. They had still been at that lake and they had spent some more time there, although his trainer was now suspiciously eyeing him at all times. Roasted Chestnut didn't even know why. It wasn't like he had tried to run away. He didn't know where he was and having to spent time with a human was still a better option to being completely lost and not knowing anyone.

But Lil had showed him the cold shoulder ever since, even refusing to let him ride on her back like he usually did, and his trainer had been more wary about him being allowed outside.

And her mistrust hurt him. For whatever reason. Definitely not because he started to like the girl. Or because he simply loved those amazing sour bars she sneaked him sometimes. Because, after all, those bars reminded him of thee berries he had always eaten at home and the friends he had shared them with and the fun they had all had whenever they visited one of the many, many ponds. And Roasted Chestnut simply refused to give up those memories of company that he had never wanted in the first place.

.o.O.o.

Ghetsis was livid. Absolutely livid.

A girl. A human girl. Natural was talking to a trainer. Not that he minded - a single trainer could never deter his son of his righteous goal, but this wasn't just a trainer – he knew the girl. And they had talked for four hours!

Ghetsis was more than just livid. He had sent Retienne after N to make sure he stayed save. To make sure he didn't stray from his mission. And now he had to hear that he had not only waster four hours, four hours!, of his journey to talk to some flimsy girl, but that Retienne had been so incompetent that she hadn't even noticed the action happening! This was...This was a catastrophe!

And he knew exactly who he had to talk to about this.

.o.O.o.

"Who. Is. This. Girl?!"
The moment the door slammed open, Retienne froze, her eyes fixating on the fuming sage that had just entered. Ghetsis looked livid and she had a good idea as to why that was the case. After all he had sent her after N to make sure nothing happened to him and their Lord talking to the same girl a second time – for four hours at that – could definitely be seen as danger.

"Who is she?! And why do I only hear about her now?!"", The sage all but hissed, pacing in front of the ninja. But as much as his person intimidated others, it didn't have an effect on her or her brothers. They were above such human emotions.

"I was not aware that they had exchanged contact information", the ninja responded calmly, though she tried to quiver a bit and make her voice sound unsure. Ghetsis was mad and he had every right to be so (they couldn't have a random trainer seduce their Lord after all) and not showing him the respect that he deserved would only make this situation worse.

"And why did you not know?! I ordered you to shadow him and report back to me, not to take a nice stroll through Unova!", the sage hissed and Retienne almost flinched back. Then she lowered her head, bowing in submission. While her Lords words were harsh, they were right. "I beg your forgiveness, my Lord." She knew better than to offer unwanted excuses. "Why? How could this happen?!" "I was aware of the meeting, however I did not want to pry to far and refused to overhear their conversation." Retienne fell silent once more, waiting for Ghetsis to cast his judgment. She knew the problem wasn't that N had talked to the girl. It was much more the state she had left him in (blissful happiness was probably the best way to describe it) and the fact that whatever the conversation had been about, it hadn't been for the cause they were fighting for.

Ghetsis' judgment came later than she expected. His face expressed several different emotions and it was clear that he was debating with himself, before he locked eyes with the ninja once more and huffed. Then his expression calmed and he turned around, his nails digging into the wrist he was holding. "It happened. I will talk to Natural – make him see reason. I assume I should thank you or not overstepping your boundaries, however I assure you, my son won't mind being overheard. There's nothing he has to hide. From now on I want you to stay close and make sure that you stop any girl shenanigans in the making. Understood?" "Understood."

.o.O.o.

Touko had planned to call her mother. She wanted to tell her about meeting up with Cheren again and how generally amazing everything was right now, but once she had picked up her VisoCaster she had noticed that N had texted her back. She had almost forgot!

|I hope you don't mind my late response, battle buddy..."

Touko hadn't been sure whether he was mocking her or just being strange again, but couldn't really think about it, as she felt herself become nervous once more before continuing to read the message.

|...however I was occupied this morning and did not want the prying eyes of my company to intrude onto our conversation. Their input (I apologize for telling anyone else – I am unsure whether this was supposed to be a secret pact) however prompts me to take you up on your offer of another battle sooner rather than later. If you are willing that is.

Sincerely

N

Touko snorted at his message. The way he phrased things sounded ridiculous and the fact that he had signed a simple text message added to the humor of the entire letter he had composed. She chuckled, before texting back.

|You do realize that you don't have to sound formal, right?

She wondered whether he was looking at his phone right now, but he seemingly did, as she got an answer not a minute later.

|May I inquire as to what you mean by that, battle buddy?

Sincerely

N

|This is supposed to be like a real conversation, you know?
|Youre supposde to talk like you always do

|*supposed
|No weird words or singing your message

|Argh, *signing – stupid autocorrect

No frowned at the messages he got back. It didn't seem like Touko was putting a lot of effort into them and he wasn't sure whether he should fell offended at that. But if she tried to insult him, then surely she would do it more visibly. He didn't take Touko for being backhanded.

|I'm not supposed to sign my name?

|No

|Oh. My sincerest apologies in that case.

|You have never texted with someone before?

The was he texted her sparked her curiosity. It felt like he never had, which would be yet another surprise and curious detail. Though, Touko had to admit, it would fit him prefectly.

|I have. Though those people were my sisters and they wouldn't, much to my chagrin, dare to ever tell me such things. I'm, in all honesty, not supposed to text with other people after all.

|Youre not? Why tho?

|It is related to my family. I hope to not inconvenience you with my "texting" habits.

|Don't worry about it

|Talking about a battle thought I'm more than willing

|When are you available?

And then they started discussing dates. N wasn't going to stop by Wellspring Cave but had insisted on meeting before reaching Nacrene City – he didn't have much time once he was there, apparently, as his family had some plans he had to attend. He had offered to wait up for her and Touko had, after reassuring herself three times that it was really ok with him, taken him up on that offer.

She had just texted him which place they should meet at. There was a PokéCenter two days travel from Nacrene City and Touko knew they had some nice places for battling there. Mainly at beaches and the brunette was convinced that she had to train with some more environments. To get more experience before she got to the gyms that expected trainers to know how to utilize the environment. It started with the fifth gym and one couldn't start to early, now could they?

For some reason, Touko's heart had decided to start beating faster and now an additional blush crept on her face as she awaited his answer impatiently. Her finger were tapping against the screen of her VisoCaster and she shoved her cap into her face, unused to the new feeling spreading in her chest and really, though her entire buddy. It was a weird sense of anticipation, one that felt different from all the other rushes of new that she had felt in her life before.

|That sounds great! See you in three days then, battle buddy!

Touko decided she liked the feeling.


This chapter is still too long, especially because this is all just set-up for next chapter. And a wrap up from last chapter, but I don't count that as actual plot. So, uh, sorry? I'm also sorry for changing so much about the way certain parts in Unova look, but sometimes it makes sense for me to do it and the Route's need to be longer than in the games anyway. Other than that, I have for once not much to say ^^ I hope you enjoyed the chapter, down below are the details of what I changed and, at then end, some information on what might happen next chapter ^^

Please leave a review if you enjoyed this chapter and even more so if you didn't!

.-.-.

Changes made (so far):

- I added a scene at the beginning of chapter One (it's not all that important but it does do some foreshadowing, so you might want to read it). Other than that, chapter One has pretty much stayed the same. I shortened the first Touko scene (the former first scene) a bit and added some small cosmetic changes here and there. Nothing major. The most important one is probably Ghetsis interaction with N, which doesn't change much.

- Chapter Two: Mostly cosmetic changes so it reads nicer than it does before. However! Zorua got a name. I realized that Zorua needs a name, because all the other Pokémon have their own Pokémon name. The name is "Big Spot", though it is also stated that Zorua prefers to be called Zorua. This is also roughly the time I realized that Ollie isn't a necessarily consistent character, so I made her a bit more like in the second chapter. I also cleaned up some minor plotholes, like Touko stating that Bianca's doorbell doesn't work and then ringing it twice..? Yeah. Me and consistency don't get along well.

- Chapter Three: I changed something about Touko's and Bianca's plan. Now Touko goes and retrieves Bianca's bag from the house before trading the Pokémon from the lab. Otherwise it wouldn't make a lot of sense for her to wait until Bianca and her dad left town.

- Chapter Four: Cosmetics. Nothing else. Oh, and I realized I used "kilogram" instead of lbs. So, I changed that too.

- Chapter Five: Cosmetics.

.-.-.-

And now, for all that are still here, here's some info for next time (it should be a short chapter but I know myself by now, so it probably won't be short after all)

- It's time for some more Plasma action...

- He hissed. He actually hissed. Apparently, he didn't like them.

- She's close, you know?