I'm sorry for the delay, this chapter gave me quite a lot of trouble =( I hope you guys will enjoy it though ^^

Disclaimer: Considering I'm low-key addicted to Pokémon-Go, I'd say Pokémon probably owns me, not vice-versa. Also, considering I've read the oneshot "The Truth will prevail" by maydei two times before finally finishing this chapter, I'd say this story is heavily inspired by it. Go read it if you haven't yet ^^

danielapmatute: Thank you for your review and your understanding ^^ I'm glad, you don't mind the slow, slow pacing of the story


Too little colours

Chapter 12

Three different shades of blue. And almost one of black.

.o.O.o.

The flick of a wrist. The flutter of a heart. One. Two. Three. Aaand….

"Gotcha!"

Cheerfully, Touko snatched the recently thrown Pokéball of the floor, throwing it up in the air once, testing its weight in her hand, and then catching it mid-air. Gracefully, she twirled around, to meet Cheren's gaze – and promptly slipped on the cave's wet floor.

Cheren sighed wistfully as his friend let out a bunch of curses, before offering her a hand to get up, an offer that was quickly refused by Touko. She huffed once, once she stood, glaring at the Pokéball in her hand and for a second, Cheren worried her foul mood from earlier this morning (it was raining after all) had returned. But then she was already smiling again and he simply shook his head.

Really, he shouldn't be surprised.

Triumphantly, Touko thrust the Pokéball into his face, waiting for him to respond. He just looked at her questioningly and she shook her head in fake exasperation and gleefully exclaiming:"Do you know what this is?!"

Cheren did, in fact, know what that was, owning plenty of Pokéballs himself, but he doubted that was the answer his friend was looking for. After contemplating for a few tense seconds, he decided to humor her and shook his head.

"I don't know. What is it?"

Cheren's voice dripped with nonchalant sarcasm, his eyes staring at her, waiting for Touko's answer. Knowing her, whatever it was was something ridiculous.

As expected, his friend pointedly ignored his tone and instead beamed:"This! This is the sign of my maturity! The sign that I'm growing already. Because this…"

Touko paused, a playful glint in her eyes and Cheren rolled his eyes. Well, everything was better than a sour Touko complaining about the weather and snapping at ones very existence (Why are you so loud while breathing, Cheren?!). This morning had started of terribly and hadn't gotten ebtter for quite some time.

"...because this is the first Pokémon I ever caught at the right time! It's the first time things are going according to plan! Isn't that just amazing?!"

Touko glanced at the Pokéball in her outstretched hand and her grin grew even wider.

Cheren simply shook his head and decided not to comment. He wasn't about to tell Touko that there really wasn't any reason to be such a stickler for her own rules (and really, since when did Touko care about rules?) and really, he had other things to worry about. For example, finding his own Roggenrola. They had already decided to trade Pokémon if Touko happened to catch a brave Roggenrola and while it wasn't completely out of the question, Cheren didn't feel like this one was the one he was looking for.

Wellspring Cave was, like all caves, filled to the brink with Pokémon, even more so than the usual routes traversed by trainers, but that didn't necessarily mean that those Pokémon were willing to attack one. The first one they had found had simply run away, the second one had been very adamant about not being caught (after unsuccessfully chucking the same Pokéball ten times at it, Cheren had gotten Touko to let it be) and the third one had scared Ollie enough to get away after Touko was too busy consoling her starter. This final one really only had appeared because it had tried to steal some food from Touko's bag.

It had almost gotten away with it too, but then Lil had suddenly alarmed the two trainer's to its presence and the battle was on.

It was also over fairly quickly, because Ollie had made quick work of the stone-typed Pokémon and Touko had whirled her Pokéball across the battlefield even faster. She had caught the Roggenrola after her second attempt and the moment the well-known click had resounded through the cave, the brunette had raced across the cave, miraculously not sliiping on one of the many, many, wet spots, and had scooped up the now inhabited ball.

It was the first time that Cheren had actually seen her smile today so he should probably thank the small Mantle Pokémon. It was raining and if there was one thing that Touko despised it was rain. He honestly was surprised she wasn't still made at him after what had happened this morning…

xxx

"Is...Is she always like this?", a tentative voice asked as a pair of green eyes observed the trainer in front of them. Cheren and the girl, Mia, were following Touko from a safe distance, which, however, still allowed them to hear her curse out loud whenever one of the many raindrops found their way underneath her umbrella.

"When it rains, yes. I don't know why exactly, but she really can't stand water..."

Mia glanced at the Tympole rolling though the rain next to her and gulped. Did...Did she not like Timmy then either? But the girl had seemed so nice just yesterday evening!

"Don't worry about it, Mia. She doesn't hate Water-type Pokémon. Her own starter is an Oshawott after all!"

Cheren smiled at her before staring ahead once more and watching his friend hiss at yet another puddles she had stepped into, momentarily stopping, before the "ding" of her VisoCaster grabbed her attention once more.

Touko really wasn't dressed the part though. Who even wore shorts in autumn?!

"By the way, thank you for letting me tag along, Mr. Hiogi! I wasn't feeling safe with all those weird people around and my parents almost didn't let me out of the house today because of them!"

"They let us stay yesterday. It was only polite to escort you to that lake that you like so much…"

The girl chuckled. Cheren chuckled. Tympole showed his joy by using Bubble beam.

Touko showed her deep hatred for every single living thing in the universe by glaring at all three of them.

xxx

Another sigh escaped Cheren's lips and he shivered, scanning the parts of the cave that he could make out. One may not need flash to travel through it, but the cave was dark nonetheless.

"And? Which nature does it have?", he asked, impatiently. He didn't like dark places and while he was able to suppress this rather irrational fear, he'd prefer to get out as soon as possible.

"Gee, Cheren, chill and wait. I'm having a moment here!", Touko pouted, but threw the Pokéball nonetheless, releasing the Pokémon back into the cave.

Excitedly she waited for the bright light to fade and when it did she squealed in delight.

Only to be completely ignored by the Roggenrola, which didn't even look at her before hightailing it towards her bag that had been discarded earlier and disappearing inside. Well, disappearing as much as it could, considering this specific specimen towered above its conspecifics by at least four inches. That could either mean it was already close to evolving – which would be strange considering the Roggenrola around here were usually around level 10 to 13 – or it was just really, really tall. That could be useful for what Cheren had planned for his Roggenrola, but somehow the trainer doubted this one had the right nature.

I mean, it could be brave. Maybe.

Maybe.

"Touko, your newest team member is currently busy scarfing down every single edible thing you're carrying in your bag, don't you think you should interfere?"

Touko's head snapped up and she stopped staring at the spot which her new Roggenrola had occupied a few seconds earlier and now stared at her moving bag.

"Uh..."

Touko shuffled closer to the bag, unsure what she was supposed to do, with Ollie closely following her, though she kept hiding behind her trainer's leg. So far, the brunette had gotten plenty of different reactions from freshly caught Pokémon – Ollie had started screaming, Lil had started to excitedly jump around her and Emblitz had scowled at her – but none of these reactions had ever included to just be...ignored.

One could think having been caught by a trainer would elicit a less careless reaction from a Pokémon, Cheren mused. After all, it was kind of a life changing event.

Carefully, Touko grabbed her bag, jostling it a bit in an attempt to get the Pokémon out and for a second it seemed to have worked – the bag stopped moving.

And then the Roggenrola seemingly unphased continued its exploration of Touko's bag.

The trainer frowned in response and shook the bag again, this time a bit more vehemently, displeased by the Pokémon's complete and utter lack of an adequate response.

This time, the Roggenrola paused for longer. And then, it jumped out, directly at Touko, with an earthshatteringly loud scream, successfully startling the trainer and her starter.

Rather ungracefully Touko let out a shriek and fell backwards into one of the many puddles in Wellspring Cave (Cheren inwardly groaned – he knew she'd complain about that at least for another hour or so), her arms stretched out behind her and Ollie jumped away from her. Once she had landed she stared at her newest team member in shock (and horror), her mouth hanging open and one hand instinctively reaching for where her bag used to hang.

For a few tense seconds nobody moved (although Cheren readied himself to call for Virdis, just in case Touko had to defend herself from a rabid Roggenrola) and then...the Roggenrola started cackling. Loud and unabashed and generally obnoxiously.

Cheren was positive he had never heard a Pokémon cackle ever before.

Another few tense seconds passed in which Ollie, Cheren and Touko all three stared at the Pokémon in surprise, until Touko's expression morphed from confusion into pissed off and she crossed her arms across the chest. Ollie followed suit and both tilted their heads away from the still cackling Roggenrola with a huff.

Not, that it stopped the Roggenrola from cackling. Instead, it cackled even louder and, to add shame to injury, fell backwards and rolled around on the floor.

That was, until it got hit by a stream of water that got shot straight from Ollie's mouth.

The Oshawott may be timid of nature, but, boy, did she easily get mad.

And mad she was. She didn't hesitate for a second to chase the, now screaming, Roggenrola around the cave, shooting water beam after water beam at him, until Touko finally managed to call both Pokémon back into their Pokéballs. Heaving, she stood besides Cheren once more, staring angrily at the wet floor.

"Soooo...Impish nature?"

.o.O.o.

"My Lord?"

Slowly, Ghetsis approached his son, gazing out at the lake in front of them. They were still travelling together, until they reached Nacrene City that was.

There was not much time left to reprimand his son.

"Yes, father?"

"It has...come to my attention that you're spending an, may I say, unreasonable amount of time on your VisoCaster. It seems to me that your...texting habits are detrimental to your mission."

Ghetsis had been livid when he had learned that his son had not only met a specific trainer a second time, but had also taken it up on himself to text with her. If he hadn't been furiously worried before, he definitely was now and he had almost called for a council meeting just to discuss this...this travesty and to pull Natural back on the right path. However, the fond way his son looked at the messages and the godess' excited chatter made him reconsider. His son was the sages' Lord after all and if Natural as much as protested Ghetsis' order for him to cease all communication with this distraction, the other sages were sure to side with him. Even if they secretly agreed with him (he knew for sure that Zinzolin would), they'd never openly defy their King – not over something, in their eyes so trivial. Team Plasma needed to be unified and none of them would have the foresight to perceive the danger too much human contact could pose. Thus, a council meeting wasn't the way to go. Simply calling for Natural and forcing him to stop wasn't an option either – not yet at least. The goddess were sure to spread rumours and Ghetsis couldn't have his authority undermined. No, he had to be subtler than that. He had to carefully chip away at Natural's resolve until none was left.

It wouldn't take too long.

"You...You think so?"

His son looked at him in wonder, wearing a disgustingly innocent expression. He tried to subtly let his VisoCaster drop into his bag, but Ghetsis had already taken notice of it.

"You're spending more and more time texting this girl instead of fighting for your cause."

At this N frowned.

"But father…"

"Don't interrupt me, Na...my Lord, if I may be so bold to ask for such a favour."

Ghetsis was not blind to the eyes watching them.

"You're getting distracted, I'm sure you have noticed yourself. You spent four hours talking to her last Friday and while I do not know the exact extent of your text conversations, you, more often that not, are found looking at your VisoCaster."

"But father, I wasn't needed during that time!", N exclaimed confused.

His son's protest almost made Ghetsis sigh. Almost, that was. Ghetsis was too occupied trying to figure out how to circumnavigate Natural's protest. He wasn't wrong after all. They had, in fact, not done anything during that time. Natural had been free to do whatever he pleased and even his late return that night hadn't disrupted their plans for the next day.

They hadn't had any plans after all. Just travelling – they hadn't been able to get up too early due to Bronius' progressing age – and a planned speech for the afternoon in one of the farther off villages – due to Rood's insistence, the old man securely believed in the ideals Team Plasma fought for.

But Natural's way of spending his free time wasn't what had Ghetsis worried. Having Natural talk to other trainers may put holes in the carefully constructed facade he had learned about all his life and whilst Ghetsis didn't fear that his son might turn on him – you'd need more than simple words to undo years upon years of indoctrination – he was worried that those holes may make his son more...moderate. And they couldn't have that.

Not to mention what havoc a friend, one not chosen by Ghetsis, may wreck. No, this had to be stopped. Immediately, although he couldn't risk getting on too strong. The goddesses had insisted on Natural being allowed to make friends after all and the council had, mostly, agreed.

In short, Ghetsis wasn't sure how to proceed from here.

As it turned out, he wasn't the one having to take the next step anyway. Natural's VisoCaster (in such an affronting red!) rang and his son's attention was immediately captured – this girl had terrible timing. She barely messaged his son during the day, but now, of course, he got an answer.

If Ghetsis' senses didn't deceive him (and although he was old, he was sure he still had plenty of years ahead of him) his son even perked up and there was a happy sort of glint in his eyes that was so rarely seen.

By all that was worth something, was he really that starved for human attention? Hadn't he had his two sisters to keep him company?

Ghetsis knew, even before his son spoke up, that this was a lost battle for now.

"I appreciate your concern, father, I really do! However, I am convinced it would be beneficial for me to continue my, uh, texting habits. I'm learning a lot through all my interactions with her and, personally, I believe that I could even change her for the better…!"

That prospect alone made Natural's entire posture perk up in a way, that Ghetsis had tried to teach him for years. It had this innocent idealism to it that drew in the masses and it was pathetic to think that his son was only able to draw upon this inner power of his when he talked about one person.

"She told me about her friends and I'm positive I can do the same with them! That way I'll be able to learn more about human interaction and help them!"

Natural practically beamed at the idea, before glancing down at his VisoCaster again. A second passed and he cleared his throat.

"My apologies, father. I...got swept away. I will keep more to myself the next time, I assure you, this will not happen again."

He glanced down again. Ghetsis took the time in which Natural wasn't looking at him to scowl.

"Was there anything else, Sage Ghetsis?"

The use of his formal title and the expectant way Natural looked at him, made Ghetsis realize that he was being dismissed. N was dismissing him. Him!

Ghetsis barely concealed the scowl that once again threatened to overtake his expression and simply bowed.

"No..." He, too, cleared his throat. "My Lord."

Maybe making Natural King hadn't been such a good idea after all.

But whatever his son might think, they weren't done yet. He'd have his way eventually.

.o.O.o.

As it turned out, Rockstar was kind of a jerk. He kept escaping the confines of his Pokéball, trying his best to startle the two trainers and to annoy them to pieces.

It was exhausting.

The fact that Ollie was still miffed about having been pranked didn't help either. The Oshawott started screaming every time she saw the newest team member (it had gone so far that Touko had been forced to recall the Oshawott to go easy on everyone's ears) and even Lil was wary of the Roggenrola after he had pelted her with a rock.

Well, at least she wasn't openly hostile towards him. Ollie was, but then again, Ollie was openly hostile towards Emblitz too.

Maybe Touko should have a talk with her starter at some point. She knew the Oshawott was timid by nature, but that wasn't an excuse to antagonize her teammates.

She'd have that talk right after explaining to Rockstar why he wasn't allowed to jump into puddles just to get her trainer wet. Seriously, which Pokémon would put themselves into an uncomfortable situation just to piss of their trainer? Who did that?!

Well, at least Emblitz seemed to like him. It was...something. Both of them kept snickering on and about and if it weren't for the fact that Touko was thoroughly pissed off at this point, she may have secretly rejoiced at that. Emblitz needed a good friend and if he and Rockstar got along well, that would be beneficial for the team.

It didn't make the Roggenrola any less annoying though.

Another sigh escaped Touko's lips as she narrowly dodged Rockstar, who once again had decided to jump right into her path. Arceus, couldn't she just catch another Roggenrola and be done with it? Maybe one that wasn't impish by nature. Maybe brave. Sturdy. Quiet.

And Arceus, they still had to catch a Roggenrola for Cheren and a Woobat for herself! This was a disaster! It was getting close to nightfall already (well, no, but Touko could pretend it was) and she was growing hungry (and so was her team, if she went by Lil's not so occasional begging glances that were thrown her way) and why couldn't those dumb other Roggenrola just show up and let themselves be ca...

"How about we head out?"

Cheren's proposal caught Touko off-guard and her head snapped around, looking at him in bewilderment.

"What..?"

"It's getting cold – don't deny it – and I'm honestly not in the mood to look for my Roggenrola at the moment..." At that, Cheren glared at Rockstar who was currently trying to push Emblitz into one of the many puddles on the floor.

Their friendship would probably only be short-lived.

"And you're hardly paying any attention to finding the Woobat you're looking for. We might as well head out for a moment, reset, have an early dinner and then head back. Maybe even change into some warmer clothes..." At this, Cheren looked at her reproachfully, or, more precisely, at her choice of wardrobe.

Truly, the days of wearing shorts and t-shirts were slowly fading.

"We've still got the rest of the day, there's no reason to hurry."

At this, Touko cast him a doubtful look, before checking the time on her VisoCaster.

"I don't know, Cheren. It is getting rather late and we still have two Pokémon to catch..."

"We can always catch them tomorrow..."

"I have an appointment to get to! I have to be on my way tomorrow!"

"Or, you know, we just split up? It's not like you really need a Woobat anyway..."

At this, Touko looked away and mumbled something that sounded like "But they're so cute..!" but Cheren wasn't so sure.

It didn't matter anyway. Touko had no intentions of having a Woobat on her team for long and it wasn't going to be necessarily helpful either. The second gym was normal-typed and the third one bug-typed – there were plenty of flying-type Pokémon that wouldn't lose their advantage against those due to an unfortunate second typing.

"Getting an early dinner may calm Rockstar too and you know it will help our concentration as well. Lets just head out for half an hour and then we can continue. We both need a break."

At this, Touko glanced sideways, stubbornly biting her lip. She knew Cheren was right, but that didn't mean she'd have to like it. Eventually, after watching Rockstar goad Emblitz into attacking him (undoubtedly to brag with his type-advantage) she huffed and agreed, crossing her arms in front of her.

She stalked towards the exit, passing Cheren and huffing another time. Just for good measure.

Cheren wisely decided to hold in the sigh he wanted to let out desperately.

And he had hoped her sour mood was gone for the day.

.o.O.o.

They reached the cave entrance fairly quickly. Even though they had wandered through the relative darkness for quite some time, they hadn't strayed too far from the exit, with Touko's reasoning being that "the deeper we go, the more puddles and my shoes are still wet from this morning!".

There was no way in the other world that she was going to get a second pair of socks damp too.

Cheren hadn't minded either, his reasoning being bad reception int the deeper parts of Wellspring Cave. While he usually wouldn't mind, there was a champion battle scheduled for today, against Cynthia, and there was no way he was going to miss that. The Sinnoh League didn't get that many challengers all too often and having one of them reach the champion was a treat to watch every single time.

Well, if you weren't the challenger's family. Cynthia decimated pretty much everyone.

Touko had already agreed to watch it with him and his data plan was better.

It was only when the two of them stepped outside the cave, that they realized the problem with their plan: It had rained. A lot. And everything was still dripping wet. It hadn't stopped raining when they had first entered the cave and they didn't exactly know when it had stopped either. And while it was still September and the weather could still be warm, today was no such day.

Having a picnic was out of the question. Maybe they'd be able to find a dry spot beneath the canopy of the forest..?

As it turned out, they didn't have to.

"Hey!"

The voice that called them was unfamiliar to both of them and they turned around, facing a young man not too far away, jogging up to them. He was wearing sneakers, brown pants that had seen better days and a once-white-now-more-grey t-shirt that looked slightly torn. His pockets were full with what Cheren deduced to be six Pokéballs and a Swoobat was trailing after him.

"Are you guys trainers?", the man called, coming closer. Cheren glanced at Touko who glanced back before shrugging and then leaned back, as if to put as much distance between them and the stranger as possible.

Everything about him practically screamed "experienced trainer!" (not yet old enough to count as a veteran but he was definitely more than just a student taking his one year break) and whilst that usually was a good sign – young trainers were quick to brag and thus it was easier to draw training secrets from than from actual veterans – it might as well be bad news. Being a trainer was a dream for many and just like acting and singing just as many failed to live off of that dream alone. There had been plenty cases of some idealistic fool who "just needed one more year" turning bad – which included robbing weaker trainers.

One could never be careful enough.

But one also didn't want to miss out on free advice.

"Uh...yes we are, why?"

Cheren eyed him suspiciously and the man laughed in response, coming to a halt in front of them.

"Sorry for my appearance. I've just been camping out around her the past few weeks and that's what you look like if you haven't been close to civilization in three weeks..."

He chuckled and apparently expected Touko and Cheren to do the same. But they didn't. Touko, because she was still mad at Cheren for being reasonable (and, you know, rain) and Cheren because he didn't fully trust the man in front of them.

Said man nervously rubbed his neck. Man, he knew why he hadn't followed through with that idea of becoming a teacher. Those kids were harsh, man! But he had come this far and backing out now would be weird too.

"So, uh, you know that girl, Mia? The one with the Tympole called Timmy?"

"Yes?"

"Great! She's basically like my younger sister. Y'know, the typical "not many people are around so everyone's like family"-business. Anyway, she called me today and waxed poetry about those nice two trainers that told her so much about being a trainer...not that she couldn't ask me, but I guess I'm not cool enough? Anyway, I was on my way here anyway – Actually Swoon back there is from here, wanted to check out if we can find his family. I, uhm, I'm getting off track, am I not? Anyway, I saw you two, thought of her and though "hey, those two match the description" and decided to say hi. I hope you guys don't mind? Oh, and my name is Leon, by the way!"

Leon smiled awkwardly at them, but Cheren felt himself relax nonetheless. The guy seemed nice enough and he really wanted that advice.

And knowing Touko, she wasn't going to say much. She hadn't like Mia either after all (to be fair, the girl had pestered her about how she could be a trainer and hate rain), so it was probably up to him to extend the conversation.

"Uh, no. We don't-We don't mind. So...Hi?"

Cheren smiled awkwardly too. Shifted from one foot onto the next. Wondered where his usual composure was.

Touko's arms were still crossed, but at least she relaxed a bit. Leon seemed to notice and a wide smile spread on his face.

"Great! You guys are looking for a dry patch of land, right? To rest a bit? I know just the place, it's a five minute walk from here. Was built for trainers, because, y'know, we have a lot of rainfall in this place. Might want to get used to it..."

He chuckled awkwardly.

Neither of them moved.

Surprisingly, it was Touko, who eventually broke the silence, letting out an annoyed huff before gesturing to the Swoobat still loyally floating behind its trainer.

"Did you catch that Swoobat in Wellspring cave?"

"Uh...yeah?"

"Do you know any cool tricks on how to lure them out How to make catching them easier?

For a second, Leon just stared at her (thus missing Cheren's exasperated sigh – he knew where this was going), before blinking once.

"Tricks…?"

"Yeah? Like...Like finding specific berries to lure them out, or building a trap or something like that!"

Touko looked at him expectantly. Leon simply blinked again, before his eyes lit up in realization and he asked, grinning wildly now:"You watched "Morning Star"?"

"Yep", Touko simply answered. It was enough to make Leon laugh though. No awkward chuckle, but some honest laughter and for a moment Cheren was wondering whether Touko had done that on purpose or if she just hadn't though her question trough.

"Frickin' "Morning Star"...Tell you what, girl, why don't you two invite me to a late lunch and I'll give you guys some advice on how to catch Pokémon?

.o.O.o.

Anthea and Concordia had been as much raised by Ghetsis as N had. He saw them as N's sisters and although they were almost seven years older than he was. They had been adopted at the age of fourteen and Ghetsis was as much a father to them as he was to their Lord.

That didn't stop them from disliking him though. Be it because Ghetsis didn't mind their opposition – they were not to gain any political power after all (he did seem to forget just how close to N they were) – or because he didn't view them as threat – he was still stuck in the last century after all – but Ghetsis had never been all too strict with them.

Maybe they were daddy dearests little princesses after all. Who knew.

Whatever the reasoning, Anthea and Concordia had been allowed to form their own opinion of things around them. Which meant they harboured a great dislike for the sage sometimes and great loyalty to their brother all the time. A dangerous mix when it came to Ghetsis trying to pull any power moves like he tried to right now.

Especially Anthea had trouble holding still while they were shamelessly eavesdropping on the conversation N was having with his father. After all, they were 24 now. If they had a normal life, they'd be in university. Meeting with their girl friends and gossiping over tea.

Or, that's what they've been told about university anyway.

Whatever the case, students were rebellious and free and Anthea and Concordia (especially Concordia) used that as an excuse to break various rules around the castle and/or party of delegates sent out to Unova.

It wasn't that they didn't trust Ghetsis. He may be strict and harsh, and sometimes a bit unreasonable, but he was also their father and the leader of the organisation that would change Unova for the better.

But sometime he forgot that N was almost 18 now and had been crowned King and that Ghetsis needed to stop sheltering the poor boy.

Like he was doing now. Well, trying to anyway.

"I appreciate your concern, father, I really do! However..."

Concordia had trouble not grinning like a maniac when she heard N actually arguing back. She was pretty sure N wasn't aware that his father wasn't just concerned, otherwise there was no way he'd talk to Ghetsis like that. But it was a beginning and it was great. Finally, finally!, Natural was spreading his wings and trying to break free. It was refreshing to see him do it, although Concordia had known, ever since he had started on this journey, that this day was going to come sooner or later.

Anthea, on the other hand, was seething.

Concordia was the goddess of freedom. And she the one of love. Not just romantic, platonic as well and while Anthea would never deny anyone's claim that she was indeed a hopeless romantic, she knew that giving N and that mysterious other trainer a shipping name already may be a bit too early. But she could see the way his eyes lit up everytime he received a text from her and she knew how glad he was to have another friend, other than Concordia and herself. Ghetsis had always been very picky when it came to allowing N contact to other people his age. And the one friend N had made, a teen volunteer whose mother had worked for the organisation, had, at some point, left the castle with his family and had never returned.

N had been heartbroken. It may explain why Concordia was a bit less enthusiastic when it came to this new development than Anthea. But Anthea was confident this would not be a repeat of that unfortunate situation. Concordia and Anthea weren't even sure whether they could really blame that boy. Maybe his parents had panicked upon seeing him grow closer to N. Who knew.

Anyway. They had to stop this before Ghetsis persuaded N to give up his newfound friendship.

"We have to do something"; Anthea murmured, carefully acting as if she had just arrived at the scene when Ghetsis passed them.

She didn't look at her father and neither did Concordia, though they did courtesy and nod in acknowledgment of the elder sage.

"I...agree. How about some extra lessons?"

.o.O.o.

Talking to Leon had been helpful.

After he had explained to Touko, in unnecessary detail, why shows such as "Morning star" may be entertaining but in no way truthful, that was. After something that felt like an hour of him monologueing about how he hated it that Mia watched those shows too, he finally decided that was enough to it and came to the juicy, juicy details. They didn't even have to press him for any information!

Leon told them about the best ways to lure in Pokémon, watched the Champion battle with the two of them, commenting and calling attention to the details that the they themselves had missed and he even pointed out that Lil was going to evolve soon, showing them all the signs one had to watch out for.

"In her case, her fur's getting darker, if you're lucky and she's really close you may see blue hairs outside the usual spot. It's pretty cool actually."

Touko hadn't really answered when the topic of Lil's evolution came up, shrugging and smiling unconvincingly, but by then the group was already packing and neither of the other two had paid her any attention. Not even Lil, who was busy playing with Ollie in a puddle, while Emblitz scowled at them and evaded any and all droplets of water.

Occasionally, the Lilpup wondered whether she should warn her trainer about Rockstar's attempts to provoke a battle from that weird Swoobat that chuckled eerily all the time.

Whatever. Rockstar was rude anyway. He deserved to get beaten into a pulp.

Once the trainers had packed up, they made their way back into the cave. Leon promised them to stay a while and supervise their first attempts before moving on.

"I've got to stay around the area anyway - wanted to explore the deeper parts. Full of strong Pokémon – you could swim there, but the water's real cold and also, y'know, strong Pokémon. No offense, but you guys aren't experienced enough yet to take them on. Anyway, I might as well stay with you guys before setting up camp later."

And that was how they found themselves back in Wellspring Cave, trying to catch their respective pokémon.

The first Pokémon to show off was a Roggenrola. Leon had told Touko to call for her Roggenrola to lure it in and it seemed to have worked.

Now they just needed to hope it was the right nature, too.

"Which nature was he looking for again?", Leon asked, while Cheren and the wild Roggenrola were battling it out in the background. He was leaning against the wall, completely ignorant to the wet stone, and had his arms crossed in front of his chest.

Touko watched Cheren and only glanced at him for a second, before answering.

"Brave. Do you think this one might already be right?"

"Impossible to say. Though, it does seem to be a bit reckless..."

Leon trailed off, resuming to watch the battle. Cheren was still making some rookie mistakes, but all in all he wasn't all too bad at battling. He didn't utilize his environment as much as he could, a sure sign that he had attended a trainer school and was used to normal battle fields. For a split second, Leon wondered how well Touko battled, but then she spoke up again.

"I hope we find his soon. I can't wait to finally get my own Woobat!"

Touko squealed the last part and grinned while looking at Ollie, who shot her a curious expression. Leon glanced at her again, taking in her posture. She reminded him off himself when he had first caught his Wooloolooloo. And judging from the way she carried herself, she'd probably get knocked down a notch just like he had been, back then.

"Are you sure you want to already catch another Pokémon?"

He glanced at Rockstar who was trying to sneak off towards Touko's bag, before looking at Emblitz who was scowling at the two of them.

"Uh, yes? Why?"

He looked at Ollie, who was busy scowling at Rockstar and at Lil, who seemed to be unsure whether she should approach Emblitz or not.

Yup, that brought back some memories.

"Y'know...usually, you shouldn't add too many Pokémon to your team in short succession. Never ends well. They need time to get used to you, you need time to get used to them and all that stuff. You sure you really want this Woobat?"

Touko nodded. Of course she wanted her Woobat. And really, how bad could it be?

"I'm sure it will be fine. Emblitz isn't as bad as he looks and Rockstar is just a bit annoying...Nothing to worry about, really!"

Touko looked back at Cheren, who threw yet another Pokéball at the Roggenrola. This time he didn't miss and the Pokémon was surrounded by glistening, white light.

"I mean, no offense, but trust me. You're better off getting in tune with your team as it is first before catching another Pokémon..."

"It's not like they'll stay that long! Lil won't stay on the team for much longer anyway and the Woobat will only be there for one gym..."

Leon eyed her, before shaking her head and giving Lil a wide smile.

"You'll use her for the second gym? Do you want to pitch her against Lenora's Herdier?"

Touko hesitated, before glancing at her feet. Then she shook her head.

"Uh...No. I – she won't stay on the team for the second gym. I...uh, I planned to use her against the first gym only..."

Leon frowned.

"But then...You know that you're just wasting time training her right...Oh! 'f course! You'll evolve her for the dex entry, won't you? Clever thinking! Well, congrats I guess, coz you won't have to wait for much longer anymore!", he beamed and Touko tried her best to smile back.

At least she didn't have to answer, because Cheren decided to show up in that moment, holding a Pokéball in front of him, looking disappointed.

"Wrong nature, but adamant is fine too. I'll try again later. Now we just have to catch that Woobat, right?"

Touko nodded enthusiastically and Leon followed, though he was still hesitating.

Pah, whatever. This would be a lesson well earned and its not like she'd be the first to make that particular mistake.

.o.O.o.

Catching the Woobat was, surprisingly, easy. And amusingly, it happened almost the same way as it had with Rockstar. Namely, by Touko abandoning her bag.

To defend the Woobat's actions, it tried to be sneaky. Flew past some rocks. Ducked into shadows. Waited until everyone's head was turned. But, well, the problem was that the bag wasn't hidden by shadows and realizing a wild Woobat was currently busy sniffing out your bag, trying to deduce just what exactly this thing was, really wasn't that hard.

Touko had called for Ollie (first she wanted to use Rockstar but then she remember – damn, Rockstar and decided against him) within twos seconds and after a short exchange of moves she already threw a Pokéball.

Touko missed.

Luckily, the Woobat didn't seem to care as she swiftly swooped down staring at it in wonder (not without warily watching Ollie from the corner of her eyes) and, ultimately, nudging it with its nose.

The short contact was enough to make the mechanism go off and the Woobat was caught without any further trouble.

It was probably too busy nudging the inside of its Pokéball, trying to figure out what it was. If it could do any nudging. Could Pokémon move within their balls? Were they shrunk? No, that wouldn't make any sense. Touko was sure they had talked about it in physics once, but she had never been that good with numbers.

Shaking her head, Touko scooped up yet another Pokéball and then turned around, smiling triumphantly at Cheren.

"Told you we didn't have to wait until tomorrow!", she proudly exclaimed, gleefully looking at the Pokéball in her hand before calling for the newest addition to her team.

Leon clapped his hands and Cheren smiled at her, before eyeing the Pokéball in a silent plea to call out the Woobat

"Good job, you two!"

Then, turning to Cheren, he asked:"Will you look for that second Roggenrola today or do you guys want to rest for the rest of the day?"

Cheren glanced at Touko who simply shrugged. She wouldn't mind walking around some more. It wasn't much warmer outside anyway and they might as well just be done with it today.

"We'll look around some more then. You never know what we might miss today..."

Leon nodded, then he looked behind him, scanning the cave for the exit.

"Well, I'll already leave to set up camp, if you guys don't mind? I want to get an early start tomorrow and my Seismitoad is really serious about getting food only on the right time, so…See you guys later? If you want to camp with me, that is..."

Both of them nodded. Leon smiled happily, before turning around and waving them over his shoulder.

"Well...text me once you're on your way, will you?"

And with that, he was gone.

.o.O.o.

They didn't find the Roggenrola Cheren was looking for that evening. They found five specimen, but he only managed to catch three and none of them matched the nature he wanted. He was busy internally debating whether he should just settle for one of the four he had caught already – an adamant one, a relaxed one, a hasty one and a quirky one – when, out of nowhere! - Touko pulled hi behind a boulder before hissing:"Did you see that guy, Cheren?!"

At this point, it is probably important to say that Cheren dearly loved Touko. Even after a few years of drifting apart, an inevitable process considering they had gone to different middle schools, he could positively say that she was one of his two best friends.

It didn't mean he could always stand her though. Because, as much as she was a great friend, she was just as stubborn and she held grudges for years.

Plus, she could be a bit selfish sometimes.

And today was a day like that.

They had been on their way outside – Cheren had messaged Leon not five minutes earlier – when Touko had frozen and starred at a weirdly dressed figure in the distance, before pulling him behind said boulder.

After realizing what happened and taking a second look at the ominous person, Cheren noticed that they were wearing a Team Plasma uniform.

Well, taking into consideration the detailed accounts of their previous encounter with the team, Cheren now had a good idea of what exactly was going on.

He didn't like it one bit.

"Uh, yes? That's a Team Plasma grunt?"

"Yes, yes, I know, but what is he doing here?!"

Touko spat the words with a venom seldom heard from her and Cheren let out a sigh. God, why did Wobuff have to wander off in this direction? If they hadn't needed to get the Woobat back, they wouldn't be here now. In fact, they'd be outside, probably roasting marshmallows or something. It didn't really matter. As long as Cheren could rest his feet and could escape Touko's sour mood.

"Touko, you do know that Team Plasma is a highly respected Pokémon rights organization, that..."

"Bullshit!", she interrupted him and then ducked back behind the boulder to avoid being seen.

"They are a group of Pokémon abusers that use their ridiculous little organization as a front to do bad things! I bet they're up to no good again!"

Carefully, she glanced around the corner once more, before grabbing Cheren's wrist and dragging him along, clearly intent on following the grunt to wherever he was headed.

"Come on, Cheren! We've got to see what they're going to do!"

And then her eyes widened in recognition and her breath hitched and Cheren sighed, surrendering to his fate.

"That-That's the guys! From the dreamyard!", Touko whisper-shouted, her eyes now narrowing dangerously and Cheren wondered whether he still stood a chance at stopping her from doing whatever ridiculous thing she had planned.

He decided he probably wouldn't be able to do so. Touko's arms were surprisingly strong.

"The one that kicked Bianca's Munna?!"

For a second Touko faltered, her gaze avoiding his, before determination set in her eyes again and she marched on, keeping to the shadows and trying to not get too close.

She'd figure out what he was up to and she'd save the day, just like last time!

"No. Not that one. The other one. But that doesn't matter, because he was there and he let it happen and that's bad enough as it is! Now come on, we've got some Team Plasma butts to beat!"

"Wait, didn't that guy apologi..."

But it was too late. Touko was already following him through the cave and Cheren couldn't leave her all alone. He scrambled to get take out his VisoCaster sending of a quick text to Leon, explaining the situation to him.

What he did forget, however was to check for any answers.

|Stop right there. Mia's Tympole went missing and they probably stole it!

.o.O.o.

Cheren almost got lucky. Almost.

They had lost the Plasma guy at some point and while Touko had been fuming, at least she admitted that looking for him now would be pointless. But then they had heard a voice and Touko's head had snapped up and had insisted that it belonged to that Team Plasma guy. Without listening to Cheren's protest, she had dragged him up a small hill, from which they were now peering down from.

As it turned out, Touko had been wrong. The voice didn't belong to the Team Plasma guy, but instead to one of his friends, as there was a small gathering of three grunts taking place beneath them, a gathering Touko was glaring daggers at.

But the grunt they had seen first wasn't part of it.

"And now what?", Cheren hissed, slightly annoyed - Touko hated getting wet but now they were crouching on the floor? - but the brunette didn't hear him. Instead she focused on trying to listen in. Whatever these grunts were up to, it simply had to be terrible. And Touko was going to figure out what.

The three grunts were standing close to each other, two of them seemingly arguing. The third one was a bit farther apart – though not by much – and seemed to not really care about what was going on. Absentmindedly, he threw a Pokéball into the air and caught it again, the hint of a smile gracing his features. It was hard to make out what they were discussing, tough the name "Rood" fell more than once and usually made the other grunt shut up for a few moments.

Touko crawled closer, trying to get away from the constant dripping next to her ear. She accidentally stepped into a puddle once and for a second she froze – fearing she may have been spotted. But nothing of the likes happened. They hadn't heard her.

Touko let out a sigh and tried creeping even closer. There had to be something, anything...

And then she got her opening in form of a "ding".

Both, Cheren and Touko ducked into the shadows and starred at his VisoCaster hat had chimed yet again. They stared at it for a second, before Cheren opened the messenger app and read what it said.

|Cheren?

The moment he read the message that came before Cheren knew he had lost. He heard Touko's sharp intake of breath and could feel the flaring in her eyes.

She was not happy with this. Not at all.

"Touko…."

"Cheren, we've got to do something! We need to go, right now, and show just what exactly we do to Pokémon thieves!"

"Touko, don't! It's dangerous and you know it and Arceus knows what could..."

"Who cares, Cheren?! We have to!"

"Not everyone in this world cares as little about consequences as you do, Touko!"

That made Touko pause for a moment. But then, her eyes were reduced to angry slits and she hissed:"Look Cheren, you can either help me or not, I honestly don't care! But I am going to march down there right now and kick those guys' butts just like I did last time!"

And with that, she twirled around again, stomping away and leaving Cheren to slowly trail behind her.

He and his dumb hesitation. That wasn't going to get them anywhere and was unnecessary anyway. She had beat them before, so why shouldn't she be able to beat them again?

.o.O.o.

They didn't stand a chance. Just like Cheren had expected and he internally cursed Touko for roping him into this. If Leon was right and they had stolen Mia's Tympole…

He didn't want to think about it. For once, he decided to not contemplate the consequences.

Touko was a new trainer. It had been pure luck that last time she had encountered a grunt with relatively weak Pokémon. Those grunts however – they were a different story. The first grunt send a Patrat into battle and if Touko had been Cheren, she would have backed off by now. Its fur was already starting to grow some brown-red streaks and according to Leon that was an obvious sign for an impending evolution – but Touko either didn't notice or didn't care. Maybe she was too mad to do so. She may not have been friends with Mia and maybe she had been mostly annoyed by them and, just maybe, she had been really, really, glad when they had finally left. But those grunts had taken her Pokémon and Touko couldn't imagine the pain the girl was in right now.

Her Pokémon had been stole. They had to do something!

And thus, the battle was on.

Touko thought herself clever, waiting for the grunt opposite of her – a woman called Maria from what she had learned - to call for her Pokémon first when Touko had ran towards them, screaming bloody murder and it had even worked! The Patrat may have looked strong and it being a Patrat and knowing Ollie (who was already cowering behind a boulder, farther away), she wouldn't be able to use one of her Pokémon for this battle, but she had just recently caught a Roggenrola and it's stone typing would hold off any serious damage.

But Touko had miscalculated. After all, she had just caught Rockstar and while Rockstar, unlike Emblitz, was willing to obey her, he wasn't taking the fight serious at all. He didn't get all those frantic pictures his trainer was sending out and he didn't care either, because it seemed like whatever these other three humans were doing – it was a prank.

And pranks were fun.

He managed to land some half-hearted hits before being taken out by a well-placed "Crunch" and even though Touko had done her absolute best to make him dodge it – it wasn't enough.

Worried, Cheren glanced at her, fighting next to her one of the other grunts – a man named Arthur – and doing a considerably better job at it – hoping, wishing, for her to see reason. Maria even offered an out, scoffing and asking just what she thought she was doing and if she, maybe, might want to back down.

But Touko didn't want to. In fact, the question itself seemed to infuriate her even more so.

The next Pokémon she called for was Lil.

The last grunt smiled at that, an amused grin adorning her face.

Cheren shivered when he saw it. Shivered, and could only hope that Touko would see reason.

x

Furball liked her trainer and there wasn't much she wouldn't do for her. Trainer had given her the life she had always dreamed of - had made her stronger and had believed in her, even if she had messed up.

So when her trainer called on her and sent her into battle, Furball was ready for anything.

And a hard battle it was. The opponent's Patrat may have already been weakened, but it didn't make it any less of a strong opponent. Time and time again it attacked (though it was pretty repetitive and Furball didn't need long to figure out the pattern and to dodge most of them) and she replied with attacks until her muscles cried out with every move she made.

It was exhilarating. Furball relinquished in the feeling. And when her trainer made her dodge aside using Tackle, and the opposing Patrat knocked itself out by pouncing onto a boulder behind where Furball had just stood, she knew it had all been worth it.

She was exhausted but happy and would gladly be recalled now to rest.

But she wasn't recalled. Instead, their opponent called for yet another Pokémon and for a second, Furball thought her trainer would recall her anyway.

But she wasn't. Instead she stared at the well-rested eyes of a Watchog, its maw set in a dangerous snarl and its eyes taking on a hypnotic glow. For a second, Furball couldn't look away. Then she shook her head, stepping back, reminding herself to snap out of it. This was a Watchog. Its most dangerous weapons were its eyes. Don't look at them and you'll be safe.

But then Furball felt her muscles again and she knew this was not a fight she could win. Either her team did or...or...

When Furball looked at this next opponent another time, she knew. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she could feel it, this pulsating thought that had haunted her since a few days now.

She was ready. She was finally ready. Her trainer needed her and she knew she was strong enough and, most importantly, she knew she wanted this.

It was time. Now all she had to do was draw upon the power she felt was there and let herself fall.

And when white light engulfed her, Lil wondered just how much she'd change? Would she be a completely new Furball coming out of it? Or would she still be the same?

Oh Arceus, she couldn't wait to find out!

x

When the white light engulfed Lil, everybody, even the opponent's Watchog, took a step back, the sounds of the cave dimming in the background as stones floated upwards, pulled by powers no one really understood.

An evolution was always special. The energy set free by one took away everyone's breath, daring them to speak up, leaving them to watch in awe as something life-changing, and almost magical, took place.

It was the same for Touko.

At first.

She stared at Lil – at Her? - feeling the power surrounding her, a smile threatening to split her face. Lil was evolving! And then..!

Lil was evolving.

Touko's smile froze.

Lil was evolving. And she wasn't supposed to. Not yet, anyway! Not yet! She-She hadn't allowed her to evolve! She hadn't...Lil had never asked! This was too early! She...She had to stop this! Had to snap Lil out of it! She wasn't ready yet, she wasn't ready yet and Lil had to snap out of it! She-She had to!

And without hesitation, without really realizing what she was doing, Touko shouted:"NO!" across the battlefield, loud enough to cause an echo.

Immediately, everyone's head snapped around, starring at her, her hands balled to fists and horror written on her face. And not a moment later the white light was snapped out and Lil was back, looking at her, startled.

And dare she say disappointed?

x

Lil had never known what an evolution felt like. Of course not – she had never evolved after all. But even though countless other Pokémon had told tales of their evolution, tales she and her siblings had listened to time and time again, she had never fully grasped what it would be like. And now that she did it, she was terrified, yet elevated.

Almost as if she were going into a battle.

She could feel her body growing longer, felt her hair growing thicker and somehow knew that from now on she wouldn't have trouble carrying both, Emblitz and Ollie on her back. She felt her paws lift of the ground as the powerful forces lifted her into the air and for a second she was reminded of how Blind Eye had changed after coming out of his evolution and she hoped she wouldn't change, because she really liked being Furball, being "Lil", but at the same time she knew that trainer would be proud and that her evolution would sway this battle in their favor.

And then she heard the voice.

"NO!"

It was trainer's voice. It sounded desperate, so desperate, and Lil jumped, wanting to protect her, wanting to do her best and the moment she moved, her paws hit the ground again and all those changes she thought she had felt were gone and the white light stopped blinding her vision.

But when she turned around, ready to attack whoever was threatening trainer, all she saw was a girl standing there, hands balled to fists and fiery determination in her eyes.

(Though it morphed into terror not a second later.)

And Lil understood. Understood and couldn't help but feel betrayed.

x

Silence engulfed the battle field. Everyone stared at Lil, who had reverted back, still being the Lillipup everybody knew and loved.

And Lil...Lil stared at her trainer, in wonder, confusion – and disappointment. Her ears were drooping and she cowered on the floor, not being able to truly meet Touko's eyes.

And neither could Touko.

She felt terrible. But-But she had panicked and-and Lil wasn't even ready yet anyway! She wasn't ready yet!

Maria was of different opinion.

"You...You...How could you?!", she hissed, stepping closer and automatically, Touko backed away, her eyes fluttering to Lil from time to time, until she couldn't take the Lillipup's broken expression anymore. Silently, she recalled the Pokémon, her eyes not daring to meet anyone else's.

Arceus, what had she done?!

Emblitz scowled at her, though his eyes were trained on the trainers in front of them and Ollie was clinging to her leg – but even she looked at her trainer in confusion.

Why would she stop Furball from evolving? Wasn't...wasn't evolving something good?

"I-I-I don't know!", Touko stuttered, her eyes trained on the ball in her hand. She...She shouldn't have done it, should she? She-She…

No one moved. No one said anything. But then, the expression on Maria's face morphed from anger to pity and she stared at Ollie and Emblitz and Wobuff.

Cheren shuddered, his eyes growing wide when he realized what was going on.

His breath almost left him.

"Touko", he hissed, watching the Team Plasma grunt. Watched her grab a Pokéball, one that didn't look inhabited.

"Touko, recall your Pokémon. Now."

But Touko didn't. It was only when the ball was thrown – in a practiced arch across the make-shift battlefield - and Cheren hysterically shouted:"TOUKO, NOW!" that she sprung into action.

At once, her eyes grew wider and she started panicking. She made a grab for the two Pokéballs watching in horror as the other Pokéball came closer and closer as if time was almost coming to a standstill.

"Return! Emblitz! Ollie!"

The red light engulfed them, taking them to safety and leaving nothing of their presence behind. Not a second later the ball that had been thrown had landed at the spot where Emblitz had stood.

Touko gasped, her face drained from all color. They-They had…

Touko didn't get to finish her thought, didn't get to realize what it meant.

She had forgotten about Wobuff. And Wobuff had always been of curious nature.

The moment the white light engulfed the Woobat, Touko heard nothing but white noise. She didn't register the quickly fading steps of the Team Plasma members once the Woobat had been caught and they decided to run, she didn't feel Cheren, who was shaking her arm, desperately trying to get her to respond. She was frozen to her place and it was only when her cheek started stinging (had-had Cheren slapped her?) that she showed any signs of life.

Slowly, her head snapped up, looking at the now empty space in front of her, clutching the ball in her hand. Slowly, she reached for the others, counting them, feeling the warmth of them. Surely, once she reached Wobuff's Pokéball, it would be just as warm and calming and lived in.

It wasn't.

She looked at it. Held it up. Called for the Woobat.

Nothing.

"...o..ko..?"

This-This couldn't be. They...no. No way. This was Unova, not-not Kanto! There was no evil Team Rocket that took your Pokémon! This...This…

"Tou...n...yo…ear me?!"

Someone was shaking her arm, Touko could feel it. She turned her head again, looking at Cheren, disbelieve written in her eyes.

She didn't really see him. Her vision was blurred. The white noise kept her from thinking straight.

"They-They took her...They...She's gone. Gone!"

She was shaking now. She knew she was.

At least the white noise got less.

"Don't...rry. Just...ait on...eon."

Touko shook her head. Then she took a step forwards. And another.

"Touko. D...n't. Don't."

Touko didn't pay Cheren any attention and when he grabbed her arm, she shrugged him off, almost hissing at the contact.

They were gone. They had taken her Woobat. She clenched her fists and live came back to her. They...they took her. She had to do something. She...She had to!

"Touko! Touko! WAIT! Wait for Leon!"

But Touko didn't listen, panic gripping her heart. Frantically she ran after the men, her legs carrying her faster than ever before, hoping that they'd be able to catch up.

And eventually, they did.

"She's not yours!", she screamed at them, once she was close enough.

"She's not yours! GIVE HER BACK!"

The three grunts stopped in their tracks. Touko let herself have a moment of reprieve, putting her hands on her knees, breathing shallowly. Her gasps tuned out everything else and for a second, it almost felt as if she wasn't getting any air at all.

"She...She's mine! Mine! Gi-Give her back!"

The last grunt, that hadn't battled either of them, smirked and when Touko caught her eye, she shivered. But she didn't get to look at her for long.

"It's a free Pokémon!", Maria hissed, shaking her head as she glared daggers at Touko. The girl could see the Pokéball Wobuff was in and it made her fingers twitch in anger. How-How could they!

"Ollie", she hissed and grabbed for the first Pokéball she had ever possessed. It pulsed with live, thought it felt somewhat cool. The moment her fingers closed in on it, she threw it forward, freeing the Pokémon inside who shot forward with a cry.

The Team Plasma grunts chuckled in amusement and Arthur shook his head.

"Seems like you have yet to learn your lesson, trainer. I wonder how easy it will be to free your Pokémon once we've defeated you..."

"Pah! As if! I already beat half your team and once Cheren shows up, I will..."

"Golurk, do your thing."

Touko didn't get to finish her sentence. Instead of listening, the third grunt had stepped forward, eyes coldly calculating. The Pokémon that materialized behind her screamed, making the cave walls shake. It towered above the group, it's gaze trained on Touko, who stubbornly raised her chin.

Ollie didn't though. The moment the Oshawott saw the Golurk it shrieked and ran, seeking shelter behind her trainers legs.

But Touko wasn't going to let it go that easily. It may be a Golurk. It may be strong and powerful, but she wouldn't let that get between her and her Woobat. She wasn't going to let them just steal her…

"Ollie", she murmured, moving to stand besides the shivering Oshawott,"It's time for you to show those dirtbags how to properly battle!"

"It will be a pleasure to free those Pokémon from you, girl. They deserve a trainer that cares about them more deeply than you ever could."

"Ollie, use…!

"Gigant, bo..."

"RECALL YOUR OSHAWOTT, TOUKO. DO IT NOW!"

.o.O.o.

When Leon didn't get an answer to his text, he panicked. Mia's parents had called him earlier, telling him about a crying Mia who wasn't able to form full sentences. All she had to show them was an empty Pokéball and a vague description of what had happened.

Leon didn't need long to understand just what had happened.

At first he was confused. Team Plasma was well known and people didn't view them as evil – in fact, they were seen as a highly respected organization. They had vanished from the limelight for some time, but now they had resurfaced, not even two months ago, and people were once again listening to them. They may be a bit intense sometimes and, of course, there were rumors, but there were always rumors.

But when he finally got Cheren's text, he felt cold shivers running down his back and he knew that something was wrong.

And then he saw Touko and Ollie and almost lost his mind, because what was she doing, that was a Golurk and she was sending her Oshawott into battle!

But then he arrived at her side and she stared at him wide-eyed and he knew he had to keep a level-head. He didn't know how strong his opponent was. The other two grunts shouldn't be too much of a problem – apparently Cheren and Touko had been able to fight back against them - but the last one practically screamed danger.

"Touko, I told you to recall your Pokémon. Do it! This is not your fight!", he hissed, but she still hesitated.

"But-but they took..."

"It is not your fight! Your Oshawott is scared, so recall it!"

Unwillingly, Touko finally gave in and recalled the still shaking Oshawott and Leon turned away from her, scrutinizing his opponents.

"You took Mia's Tympole", he stated, making his voice sound flat. The fire in his eyes should warning enough.

The Team Plasma grunt simply shrugged and it infuriated him even more.

"So what? We saw her, made "her Tympole" cry. She didn't deserve it anyway."

"That wasn't for you to decide", Leon hissed, before pointing at them. Immediately, his Swoobat rushed forward, protectively flapping its wing in front of them. Then he looked up at the Golurk and re-considered. A Ground/Ghost type against his Flying/Psychic type wasn't a bet he should made.

He felt for another Pokéball in his pockets and decided to settle for his Seismitoad.

He didn't know how strong they were, so better safe than sorry and while that Golurk may not know any ghost-typed moves, he wasn't going to risk it. He wasn't going to blow his chances. After all, he stood a chance. He had eight badges, had almost beaten Marshall once. He could defeat this guy.

He just had to concentrate.

"It was for us to decide. We protect Pokémon from abuse and that girl was abusing it. You weren't there – so I'll excuse your ignorance. However, looking at you...I doubt you're all that innocent yourself...", the grunt explained and with the flick of her hand, her Golurk stepped forward, it's steps booming, making Touko flinched back.

The other two grunts got ready too and although Touko knew Leon had told her to stay out of it, she couldn't help but grab Emblitz's Pokéball, just in case.

"You'd battle me three on one?", Leon bit out, letting his gaze drift to his trouser pockets.

He could call for another Pokémon – double and even triple battles were a thing, after all. Heck, he had once met a guy in Driftveil City specialized on triple battles. But those needed training. Taking charge of more than one Pokémon could be taxing and he didn't know whether splitting his concentration would do him any good in this battle.

The other two grunts called for their Pokémon – the Watchog and a Venipede – and the moment they touched the ground, Emblitz was called for too.

And then, out of nowhere, they were joined by a Liepard.

.o.O.o.

The battle was fierce. Fighting two on three always was. Touko had done her best to take out Maria, but Emblitz had been unwilling and at some point Leon had hissed at her and ordered her to recall her Pokémon. She hadn't done it, but she had kept out of the battle and had to helplessly watch Leon take one the other grunts.

Assisted by none other than the grunt Cheren and Touko had been following in the first place.

When the Liepard had materialized out of nowhere, the tension had not been dissolved, but it had been halted long enough for the grunt – Kim, apparently - to join their side, glaring daggers at Maria, Arthur and the other one.

What followed next, left Touko utterly confused. Kim and the third one – Anastacia – had hissed at each other, throwing back and forth barely discernible threats until Anastacia had seemingly grown tired of it and had simply attacked.

And Kim had responded.

While Leon had eventually taken offer battling Anastacia, Kim had fended off the other two grunts and ultimately, even Anastacia's Golurk was defeated, finally letting Touko breathe freely again.

She had never seen a battle this intense.

And then it was over and eventually, Maria handed over the stolen Pokémon (after Leon threatened her, that was), throwing the two Pokéballs as far away as possible, before letting Anastacia's Elgyem teleport them to safety.

And then Touko finally had her Woobat back. She had snatched the ball from Kim's hand, glaring at him, and refused to let go of it anymore.

Silence engulfed the cave, once the three grunts had teleported away, leaving the trainers to stare at where Maria, Arthur and Anastacia had stood mere moments before, each of them lost in thought. Touko was clutching Wobuff's Pokéball, as if unable to believe that she was truly back, Cheren worriedly watched his friend, Leon was busy ensuring that Timmy's Pokéball was secured safely and Kim...Kim stood there, staring after the other three, biting his lip, anger and disappointment raging in his eyes.

It was Leon, who broke the silence.

"Hey, thanks man. For helping us out, I mean."

He gave Kim a bright smile and the grunt backed away, though he smiled back. Cheren stepped forward, opening his mouth, but was silenced the moment Kim spoke up.

"I helped you guys because this is not what Team Plasma stand for."

"Huh?"

The grunt looked at Cheren, a small smile playing around his lips, some tension leaving his shoulders.

"You were going to ask my why I helped you out. It's because Team Plasma aren't a bunch of petty thieves. Stealing that Tympole wasn't a mission given to anyone."

Then, Kim's expression faltered and he looked more stern, more tense than even before.

"The girl might not have deserved that Tympole, but stealing it was."

Cheren half-expected Touko to surge forward at that statement, demanding an answer as to what he meant, but nothing came. She didn't even scoff. Worried, he half-turned to look at her and almost gasped. Touko's face still hadn't gained any color and the blood that had rushed to her face earlier was gone by now. She looked terrible and her eyes were still transfixed on the Pokéball she was clutching in her hands.

Cheren wondered, whether a Pokémon could feel how strongly someone was holding on to it. Could they? Did they feel reassured?

Whatever. It didn't matter anyway.

"You...think she deserved it?"

Leon frowned when he asked, starring at the grunt, his hands sliding into his trouser pockets, undoubtedly readying himself for yet another fight.

But the grunt made no move to attack them, instead he stared (glared?) at Touko and shook his head.

She still didn't react.

"She hurt the Tympole. Of course I don't think she should have her own Pokémon."

"Come one, man. She's seven, for crying out loud!", Leon responded heatedly. Mia was his cousin and family and he loved her with all his heart. He knew how much Timmy meant to her.

"She hurt her Pokémon. That is inexcusable."

"Don't tell me you didn't make any mistakes when you first started out!"

"I did. Of course I did. And it's why I shouldn't have been allowed to own my own Pokémon. If you can't take full responsibility of them, you shouldn't be in charge of them."

They fell silent once more. Cheren crossed his arms in front of his chest, Leon stared off into the distance and Touko still wasn't paying attention to what was happening around her.

Leon scoffed. Stepped back. Glanced at his Seismitoad and a smile took over again.

"Well, whatever. Thanks for helping out, I really appreciated it..."

Leon chuckled awkwardly and rubbed his neck, before nodding to his Swoobat, still loyally by his side.

"My name's Leon by the way. He's called Cheren and that..."

"I know who she is", the grunt interrupted them and stared at Touko again. She looked up, just this once and then grimaced.

Leon ignored their tense interaction. He wasn't going to let this argument ruin the moment.

"Wanna come with us, on our way out? Not sure whether you have to make camp today and..."

But, apparently, that was the wrong thing to say. Kim's expression changed from tensely content to one of horror and then disgust.

"I have no intentions of traveling with you", he spat, before turning away. Touko's eyes flared up at that, but she still couldn't find the words to respond.

"You are trainers. I may have helped you out this once, but we are not friends. You're just a bunch of people to blind to see the other side and accept things."

Again, Kim stared at Touko, but this time she didn't even notice. Leon frowned.

"Hey, mate, no hard feelings, but you're a trainer too. There's no difference here whatsoever..."

"Yes, there is!", the grunt snapped, stepping away even farther from the group as if trying to put a wall between them.

"You are forcing you're Pokémon to do your very bidding completely oblivious to their feelings, wants and needs..."

At that, he glared at Touko, again, scowling when he noticed Emblitz, now almost hugging Touko's legs. It hadn't escaped him how unwilling the Pansear had been during the battle and he couldn't believe that a human could be so selfish. She had probably bought the poor Pokémon too. Getting ripped away from their home was bad enough, but then getting shuffled around like an object made things even worse for them.

It was disgusting, really. It was why Team Plasma existed. Because of little brats like her.

She hadn't even tried to accept his apology and clearly, they had simply been out to catch a Muna for themselves.

"...meanwhile, my team is made up solely by Pokémon chosen by our King himself. None of them were forced. All of them chose this fate for themselves. That's the difference. That's what make me better than you!"

He basically spat the "you" at them, before stepping even further away, as if disgusted by their mere presence.

Meanwhile, Leon and Cheren exchanged confused glances. "King"? Team Plasma had a king? That was...unsettling? According to the news they had a leader and a council of similarly powerful members, but not once had they mentioned a "king". But...earlier, they had talked about "their Lord" too, so...it seemed to be an actual thing?

"Anyway..."

Kim cleared his throat, not looking at them directly and if Cheren had caught his expression correctly, he might even look remorseful.

"I have to go. I have duties to attend and, well...Goodbye?"

He looked up and smiled awkwardly and then the tension finally broke – if just for a moment - and Leon simply laughed.

"Yeah dude, goodbye. Thanks for helping again! That Golurk was a sight to behold and I don't think I could have won without you!"

Leon laughed again and waved, a gesture tentatively mirrored by the grunt, who then took off, calling for his own Elgyem and teleporting away.

Leon shook his head, before turning to Cheren, his smile freezing on his lips. Cheren was still starring at Touko, worriedly playing with the rim of his glasses. He couldn't help it. Touko's face just looked so...blank?

Touko's face never looked blank. It was an expression he often adopted, but not her. She always wore her feelings on her sleeve.

In a way, she was doing it again.

The moment Cheren stepped closer to her, Touko yanked her head up, starring at him with eyes too big and her breathing speeding up unnaturally and she stepped in front of Emblitz, shielding him from his sight, biting her lip and narrowing her eyes.

A second later and she relaxed again, dropping her gaze, the hint of a blush forming on her cheeks.

The color stood out painfully against her too white face.

"Oh, uhm, sorry. I-I got startled...I should probably recall him...", she murmured, fishing for the right Pokéball.

She didn't look at Cheren and the sound of the Pansear being recalled was the only thing piercing the silence that had settled around them. Usually, there would always be the chatter of Touko's team to break any awkward silences – a bunch of Pokémon hissing at each other, chattering or simply stepping into puddles.

Now that it was gone, Cheren almost missed the sound.

"Rockstar, no!"

Touko's voice broke through the silence and Cheren shuddered at the sharp edge in it. He wasn't used to hear it from her, not when it came to Pokémon. And seemingly neither was Rockstar. The Roggenrola looked at her in surprise, unsure what to do next.

"You have to stay in your Pokéball, understood?", she murmured, her voice shaking. "You...You just have to, alright? It's important."

Without another word, Touko recalled the Roggenrola, before turning to Cheren and Leon once more.

"Lets go", she said, her voice sounding hollow.

And Cheren's "I told you so" died on his lips.

.o.O.o.

"My Lord?"

"Yes, father?"

N perked up when Ghetsis approached him. It was a rare occurrence for his father to visit him this often and N found it strangely pleasing he found himself at the sage's center of attention so often.

"I have come to discuss your acquaintance with that trainer, my Lord."

N frowned. Hadn't they already done that..?

"And I come bearing...bad news. May I speak freely, my Lord?"

N nodded, unsure what his father was getting at. Had he forgotten about something? But no...He hadn't even messaged her that much lately. Yesterday night she had seemed strangel closed off and N hadn't dared to pry.

Were battle buddies allowed to pry? He didn't know.

"Of course, father. What happened?"

A benevolent smile graced the sage's lips and N didn't like it one bit. He didn't want his father to think that bringing bad news related to his battle buddy was something good. But he let it slip, because such feelings were petty and time wasting.

"Yesterday, a troop of our men were attacked by her and tow...associate. They had just recently freed a Tympole from the clutches of an abusive trainer. She demanded they return the tortured Pokémon and upon refusal, she attacked. As I was informed, this was not the first incident in which she has actively fought against Team Plasma. One of our men got attacked by her a few days prior, during a mission in the Dreamyard – a mission you yourself ordered him on, I have to add..."

Ghetsis let his voice trail off and looked at Natural expectantly. He expected his son to be horrified, but the expression on Natural's face was far from it.

He looked proud. His son had the audacity to look proud.

"I am well aware of the first accident, father. She told me herself. According to her, one of the grunts mishandled a Muna and she stepped in to save it. While I am sure our grunts would never do that, I doubt that she would lie to me. I assume it is a simple misunderstanding. However, it just shows how much she cares! She may be a trainer, but her attempt to help a wild Pokémon is honourable and shows, even though she has been blinded by the system she is growing up in, that she still deeply cares about Pokémon! That is why I firmly believe that she would make a great addition to our team! And, I am sure that this incident, too, is a simple misunderstanding. Who knows what kind of rumours she has heard and..."

N almost stuttered, but caught himself. A king did not stutter.

"...her opinion of Team Plasma...is not the...best."

N didn't look at this father when he admitted that much, knowing that he'd wince the moment he looked into the sage's eyes. So, instead he opted for quickly adding a reassuring "However I am sure I will be able to change this, with time." to assure his father that nothing was wrong. He'd show Touko the wrongness of her ways and then, instead of being battle buddies, they could be friends instead!

The plan was foolproof.

When N glanced at his father, it almost looked like he was bristling with anger. When the sage inhaled, undoubtedly to bring forth another argument, he almost let out a sigh. There was nothing his father could say to change his opinion. He was honoured that his father worried so much, but befriending, and changing, Touko was for the best. She'd make a great addit...

"She stopped a Lillipup's evolution. On purpose."

N froze immediately.

There was nothing worse than stopping a Pokémon from evolving.

Evolution to a Pokémon meant so much more than it did to humans. To humans it meant gaining strength. Maybe a new type for their team. Maybe a new, cooler look.

But it was so much more than that.

It meant growing up. It meant being an adult. It meant growing as yourself and it meant that a Pokémon was ready. N knew countless Pokémon that had refused to evolve, because they hadn't felt ready. He knew Pokémon that felt like they weren't strong enough, others that just didn't feel like it – like Zorua for example. In fact, N had once known a Frillish who had never wanted to evolve simply because it didn't like the way it would end up looking.

A Pokémon evolved when it was ready and forcing one to do so, by using extra items or the likes, was unnatural and N hated it.

But stopping a Pokémon from evolving was arguably even worse. Just like if you chose to evolve a Pokémon prematurely, it took away their choice. It took away something that was inherently theirs and made it their trainers. Humans had no right to do so – they didn't undergo the changes a Pokémon went through. They weren't the ones that were torn for days, months, years on end whether they should or shouldn't let that feeling inside of them take over.

Stopping a Pokémon's evolution meant you told them they weren't ready – even if they did (and a Pokémon did feel ready when it evolved – otherwise they wouldn't let themselves go over the edge). It made them feel disappointed in themselves, made them think they weren't worthy – they weren't good enough yet.

And N just couldn't believe that Touko would ever, ever!, do something like that.

"Father, are you sure..."

"I know what I have seen, Natural."

N froze again. His thoughts were racing. She-she wouldn't? Right?

She-Touko...She had seemed so nice. But then again...The first time he had met her she had forgotten about Soft Wave. And then, the second time, she hadn't took her Pokémon and instead had kept them confined to their balls and she had been willing to battle him, without hesitation, without even wondering whether her team wanted to or not and he knew about Roasted Chestnut and all the tell-tale signs she should have seen, that the Pansear did not want to be part of her team…

But Soft Wave had liked her! And she had been worried! And she had sprung into action just to defend a Pokémon she didn't even know, against better judgment, going up against someone who could have been dangerous!

Ghetsis watched his son. Knew of the battle that was going on inside his head.

And now, for the final push...

"Remember what I told you, my Lord. This world is deceitful and manipulative. Do not let their pretty little lies distract you from the truth. You are the one hero. We count on your ability to see through it all. To have a vision, untainted by the worlds pretty pictures. Please. Do not disappoint us. We need you."

With that, Ghetsis left, a small, unseen smile gracing his lips.

N sat in silence, his thoughts a battlefield.

His VisoCaster dinged. Shaking, N stretched out his hand to grab it.

|Are you still on for that battle tomorrow?


A.N: No foreshadowing whatsoever has taken place in this chapter. Any such claims are dirty lies spread by heretics that shouldn't be trusted.

This has been a public service announcement.

On a different note, my apologies for taking this long (let's just ignore I ever gave an estimate of three weeks). This chapter was kind of troubling for me and this is actually the fourth draft. I really hope I'll be able to get back on schedule, but seeing as I regularly jinx myself I can't promise =/

Btw, I have no idea why I decided to give Touko a Woobat. But it was in my notes and I didn't want to change it, so now, in this fic's canon, Touko doesn't know either, but is to stubborn to change it now

Other than that, I hope you enjoyed the chapter nonetheless ^^ The next one should be a tad shorter (if it isn't, it should (technically speaking) be a lot more N-centric) than the usual 10k average and will hopefully surprise you guys =) Or maybe not. We'll see.

I'm not entirely sure how predictable I am.

Other than that, I don't have much to say, so have a rather pleasant day/night and read you next time!

PS: I made some canon chances this chapter, that are rather important the first one being that in the game you do, indeed, have to walk around to encounter Pokémon, but I find that unrealistic in the sense that you'll probably scare them off. Therefore, the change in this fic. Also, a Pokémon's nature can change here. I'm all for character development for Pokémon and I want to be able to mirror that. And last but not least, Elgyem can only learn teleport starting from gen eight – usually I use the gen five movesets, but I allowed myself this small change to fit the grunt's team.