Hello there and welcome to chapter 2! A big welcome to those of you who are new and haven't read the prequel to this story! I hope you're enjoying it! Lame forenote. I know. I need to think of somehting more interesting to say. XD

Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter 2: The Start of Something New

"Are you crazy?!"

The door to my room burst open without any warning to reveal a very upset Cheren.

I had excused myself from the ceremony only moments after I had given Unova my explanation and I had no idea what had happened after I had left. It had only been about five minutes, but already the Gym Leaders seemed to have been released.

I sighed and sat on the bed, leaning over to pull off my shoes, deciding not to dignify Cheren's question with an answer.

"White, you've worked too hard just to throw it away!" Cheren again yelled, walking toward me and grasping both of my shoulders, shaking me violently, almost as if he was trying to jolt my brain back into the right place.

"Ch-Cheren," I stuttered as Cheren continued shaking me, nausea starting to flare up in the pit of my stomach.

I put a hand on his chest and forcefully pushed him backwards, successfully breaking his death grip on my shoulders. I blinked a few times, clearing my vision before I stood up, my shoes dangling from my fingers.

I still hadn't answered Cheren in any way shape or form and I could tell it was aggravating him. I sighed, giving the heaving boy an almost tired look. Cheren was trembling slightly, his suit disheveled as he shook with anger. I didn't know how to answer him. I knew he was more mad at the fact that I had abandoned something that he wanted, more than the fact that I had abandoned something I wanted.

"Cheren you know it's what's right," I mumbled under my breath as I walked to my dresser, clumsily throwing my shoes inside.

"B-but still-"

"You know I'll come back after I've finished what Looker wants," I said, not allowing the raven haired boy to continue.

"Well, there might not exactly be a place to come back to."

A new voice joined our conversation as Alder pushed open the door slightly, slipping through and closing it behind him.

I blinked a few times, confused by his statement, "What do you mean?"

"Well, Iris actually has challenged me to a battle. And as you know, if she wins, she'll be the official Champion," Alder explained, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

I paused a moment. Iris wanted to challenge Alder? I had figured he would be put back into his place as Champion, he seemed to be home base for the League, but I had never thought one of the Gym Leaders would be pining for his title. I nodded to myself. Good for her, she was awfully talented.

Cheren noticed that I wasn't upset and rolled his eyes, "Come on White, you can't let someone take your spot."

I shrugged, "I can just battle her when I come back. Surely I'll be able to beat her again," I said, remembering the battle against Iris for my final badge. It hadn't been difficult in the least.

Cheren threw his arms up in exasperation, "White-"

I cut him off as I slipped into the bathroom and closed the door. I could still hear his muffled yelling, but it seemed as if he was yelling at Alder this time. I chuckled to myself, leaning over and pulling out my traveling clothes from the small cabinet in the corner. I always kept a change of clothes in the bathroom, just in case. I set the outfit on the counter and sighed. I hadn't worn these clothes in months. They had been my go-to outfit during my journey but I hadn't touched them since it was over.

Excitement prickled in my stomach. It would be another journey in a way. I would again be backpacking it across the region. It'd be fun.

I quickly slipped out of my dress and pulled on my white tank top and jean shorts. I carefully unbuckled the strap around my thigh that held my pokeballs and placed it on the counter as I pulled on my black vest and whipped my hair up into a ponytail. I looked at myself in the mirror. I was a spitting image of when I had first started out on my journey. I smiled and grabbed the belt holding my Pokémon before exiting the bathroom.

When I was out I realized Cheren was gone, but Alder was still present, lounging on the bed.

"Where'd Cheren go?" I asked, peering behind the door to make sure he wasn't hiding. He did that all the time as a kid, hiding behind doors just to scare me when I walked by. We were older now, but I had a feeling Cheren still had is ornery streak intact.

"He went to find Bianca."

I made a face, "Why?"

Alder put his arms behind his head and watched me intently as I pulled out my old bag, rummaging through the contents.

"I suggested it. I know Bianca understands as much as I do about why you are doing this."

I paused, looking back over my shoulder at the red haired man, "Bianca knows about N?"

Alder rolled his eyes, "Of course she does. She knows exactly how much you've been trying to contact him. She calls it her 'best friend senses'," Alder said, removing his hands from his head to make air quotes, to then put them back, "but I think it's just because she knows you well. Cheren should've recognized it, but he's too hard headed to notice anything but battling."

I smiled to myself and turned back to my bag. It was true, Cheren was rather oblivious at times. I paused for a moment, quickly whirling back around to Alder, "But N isn't the only reason I'm doing this," I said, sounding rather defensive.

Alder smiled and rolled off the bed, "I know, I know, you're noble, blah blah blah."

I shot him a halfhearted glare before nodding to myself. My bag still had everything in it. Every potion, every healing medicine, and every odd and end I had picked up throughout my travels. I also still had my map, and I figured if I was to search the entire region that was a must have.

I snatched up my Pokeballs and began snapping them off of the belt. I placed five of them into my bag and left one out.

"Um, White?"

I stopped and turned to Alder. He had sounded hesitant. That wasn't something Alder ever sounded.

"Yeah?"

He sighed, "Listen, I think maybe you should leave your Pokémon here."

I could only imagine what my face looked like in that moment, "What?!" I spluttered.

"No, not all of them, I know you'll probably want to keep Talace," he said, motioning to the Pokeball I had left out, the one that held my large Emboar.

I still gave him a disbelieving look. Why on Earth did he think I'd want to leave them behind?

Alder scratched the back of his head, "Listen White, I know that since N left you've felt a little… off."

I shot him a glare. Were we really going to talk about how I had been acting these past few months?

"I think maybe it'd be good for you to kind of start anew, find some new Pokémon and set your mind to training them."

I looked at the ground. I hadn't really thought about training any new Pokémon. I had gotten so used to my team and Zekrom that the thought hadn't ever crossed my mind.

"I don't know Alder, I don't want them to be cooped up with dozens of other Pokémon," I said, picturing them with the rest of my Pokémon at Professor Oaks' facility. It was spacious, but I figured they would almost have withdrawal if they weren't allowed to battle.

Alder shook his head rapidly, "No, I can pull some strings and you could probably keep them here with our Pokémon."

He had really lost me with that one.

"The Elite Four and I keep our Pokémon in a separate facility. The Pokémon battle against each other on their own to keep in shape."

I made a face, "But you guys are always battling with your Pokémon, when are they ever not fighting with you?"

Alder shook his head with a smile, "That's the other reason I think you should keep them here. We all have more than six Pokémon, White. If they get tired we are still expected to battle opponents, so each of us have around ten that we rotate in and out. If you are going to become Champion you are going to need to have more than just your six… and Zekrom."

My eyes widened. I hadn't ever heard of such a thing, however it did make sense. The Elite Four and Champion battled opponent after opponent. It would be crazy to only have six, what if something went wrong with one of them and they needed to rest?

"So you'd keep them with your Pokémon? And take care of them? And they'd get to make friends and battle and stuff?"

I sounded a bit like an overprotective parent, but I didn't care. I wanted only the best for my team. They were amazing and I loved all of them more than life itself.

Alder nodded.

I contemplated for a few minutes, nothing but silence hanging in the air before I nodded, agreeing. I was wanting to become the Champion, so I needed to take the necessary steps toward living like one. And one of those steps was having more than just six Pokémon that were strong.

Alder gave me a smile and held out his hands.

I gently pulled out the five Pokeballs from my bag and held them close to my chest. Chandelure, Excadrill, Klinklang, Vanilluxe, and Sigilyph. They had been amazing partners. They had battled through every opponent, including N.

I sighed and reluctantly handed them over to Alder. He took them gently and gave me a reassuring smile, "I'll see to it that they only get the best of care," he said, giving me a wink.

I nodded with a smile. Maybe they would be happy getting a bit of a break from battling. Now that I only had one Pokémon, Talace, with me it meant I had five empty slots in my party. I blinked, well, probably four. I should definitely take Zekrom with me.

Alder almost seemed to read my mind, "He's been chomping at the bit for some action."

I grinned to myself. Zekrom, being a rather large Pokémon, didn't like to stay in his ball. So I had resorted to keeping him in a field behind the Pokémon League. We all took turns caring for him. It turned out the Elite Four and Alder were all quite excited to be taking care of a legendary dragon and sometimes I didn't get to see him for days on end because they would hog all the chores regarding Zekrom.

I felt my heart soften a bit. If Alder and the rest of them loved taking care of Zekrom so much, and were so good at it, surely they would do the same for my other Pokémon. My mind almost took a leap into the future for a moment. I would have other Pokémon that were just as strong as my original team. I would be unbeatable. I gave a devious grin as I dashed out the door, almost knocking into Alder in the process.

I had grabbed my bag and Talace's ball before I had skittered out of my room. I was ready for my newest adventure.

"I'll pack up all your stuff and send it to your mother!"

Alder's voice boomed down the hall as he called after me.

"Thanks!" I called back. Alder was great, almost like a father to me.

Since I had declined the Championship I would be expected to move out so either Alder or Iris, now, would be able to move in. I was pumped to get going though, and Alder had picked up on that, volunteering to pack up for me.

I ran down the hallway, slinging my bag over my shoulder and stuffing my hand inside until I found the thin rope I was looking for. I pulled it out, a necklace, and shakily put it around my neck, clasping it in the back. It had a small four-pronged claw on the front, just the size of a minimized Pokeball and I snapped Talace's into the slot. It fit perfectly still. I smiled, my nearest and dearest Pokémon now close to my heart.

I slowed as I turned a corner and shoved through the double doors and out into the fresh air. I took a deep breath of the crystal clear air. It seemed like I hadn't been outside in years.

My heart stopped for a moment, a look of panic on my face as my hand again slipped into my bag. Had I forgotten it?

I breathed a sigh of relief as I felt N's necklace beneath my fingers. That was one trinket I wasn't going to forget. I took my X-transceiver off of my wrist and slipped it into my bag as well. Just like old times.

I looked to my right, then my left and decided that the east route would be the quickest. I took only one look back at the wooden doors that lead into the Champion's quarters and smiled. I'd be back soon. I took a left and jogged around the building, passing all of the Elite Four's room's doors as well before I reached the back of the building and grinned. It was peaceful, green grass stretching out as far as the eye could see. Colorful flowers here and there, dotting the landscape, but what I was looking for was something that was more brute than beauty.

I put my fingers to my mouth and whistled as loud as I could. It didn't take long for me to hear the sound I was waiting for. Loud booms echoed out in the clearing, shaking the ground slightly as my eyes scanned the line of trees for the first sight of him.

I saw the first spot of black almost dead ahead of me and smiled as I spotted my larger than life Pokémon as he pushed his way out of the trees and into plain sight. His gaze swept across the land and when he spotted me, I could tell.

Almost like a puppy he came running toward me, tongue lolling out as he ran. Zekrom was a big and rather intimidating Pokémon. One of the rarest you could find as well, but he was as tame as a Caterpie once you got to know him.

His shadow engulfed me before he had reached me and for a moment I was afraid he wouldn't stop in time. But with a cloud of dust and a few rocks flying here and there as he skidded to a stop I thanked Arceus that he had.

He let out a growl and leaned over, smacking his gigantic head straight into me. It was his way of hugging people but it sure would knock the air out of you every time. I let out an 'oof' and stumbled back a few feet, patting his head as he grinned, his razor sharp teeth glinting as spit dripped down and onto my arms. I pulled back first, wiping the slobber off of my hands before addressing the dragon in front of me.

"Alder said you're itching for some action eh?" I asked, rubbing the top of his head.

He let out a low growl and nodded slightly, his gigantic red eyes looking at me intently. He sensed I had something in store for him.

"Well, I'm off on a little journey, and I sure could use a big intimidating Pokémon like you."

He let out a loud roar and I squinted my eyes as his breath created a wind tunnel around my face, my hair whipping backwards. He was obviously happy.

"It's not like you're excited or anything," I said with a chuckle as he pranced in place, his generator of a tail wagging back and forth slightly. The sight was almost something to behold. Zekrom in battle looked like he was a ferocious beast that wouldn't hesitate to rip your head off, but when he was out of battle, he acted like a tiny Axew.

"Alrighty then," I said, "You think you can fly me wherever I need to go?" I asked.

Another bark of a roar sounded from his mouth. A resounding yes.

"Okay then," I said, "Let's go see if Looker has any information."

Zekrom immediately hunkered down and stretched out an arm so I could climb aboard. I quickly jogged up his outstretched limb, so large in fact I never had to worry about balance, and plopped down on his back. He straightened up and I tightened my legs so I wouldn't fall off as his wings shot out to the sides, quivering slightly with anticipation. I really hadn't exercised him enough if he was this excited just to go flying.

"Castelia City please!" I called, throwing one arm into the air.

Zekrom let out one large roar, almost as if saying, 'Aye-aye Captain' before he flapped his wings, successfully launching us into the air and one step further toward my new mission, and maybe toward finding N as well.

So there it is, I hope you enjoyed it! I do have just a couple of real quick things to say.

A-N won't be appearing for a while, BUT, in future chapters, actually starting in chapter 4, I'm going to have little bits in 3rd person to explain what N's doing and how he's feeling and all that good stuff. So that should be fun. :D

B- Thank you so so so much for all of the reviews/favs/follows they made my day! I did a little happy dance every time I got one. Tee hee. So yes, just thank you for those, they are amazing!

C- I thought I had three things to say, but apparently not. Hah. So have a great weekend!