Chapter 10! And it's a long one! Whew! Haha. I actually like this chapter for some reason... don't really know why. So White's back in Aspertia for the Gym opening! You'll see a bunch of my headcanons when it comes to Gym Leaders in this chapter, so I hope you enjoy at least that!

And we also learn that apparently Samurotts like garlic toast. But that's beside the point. XD

Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 10: Anniversary

There was no doubt about it; I was going to be late. I silently reminded myself to reprimand Bianca for taking so long the next time I saw her. It wasn't every day your best friend was opening a Gym. I rounded the corner, still in a sprint. If I hurried I might get there in time to see Cheren give his speech. I felt a wave of guilt wash over me. Poor Cheren, he had gone out of his way to invite me and here I was, running insanely late. He probably thought I had forgotten or decided against coming back to Unova.

I growled to myself. I sure wasn't gaining any 'good friend points'.

I heaved a sigh of relief as I rounded another corner and saw the Gym in the distance, a large crowd gathered outside. I hadn't missed the entire thing if there were still people present for the opening. When I reached the mass of people I didn't stop for an instant, plowing into the crowd and hastily squeezing my way through. I heard people's objections and irritated sighs as I pushed and pulled my way through the crowd.

Finally I had made it to the front, popping out and nearly tripping up the steps to the gym. It was a beautiful building. It stood high and mighty, two large pillars on either side of the gray stone building with the insignias for the Pokémon League on them. Tied to each of them was a red ribbon, the one that Cheren would ultimately cut, signaling the official opening of the Gym.

My eyes scanned the front porch and finally found Cheren, who was now having a heated argument with Sukizo who was standing next to him.

"Just a little longer, I know she'll be here," I heard Cheren growl under his breath.

Sukizo straightened his glasses, sighing and muttering something back that made Cheren look even more furious.

I peeked into my bag at my X-transceiver to see it was nearly noon. I knew for a fact that Cheren would've wanted it all to be over by ten at the latest. Once again guilt coursed through my body.

I loudly cleared my throat, everyone around me looking at me with annoyance. Cheren was still arguing with Sukizo, his hands balled into fists. I cleared my throat again, a little louder, the people around me again making sounds of irritation at the odd sounds I was making. This time however I had caught Cheren's attention. His eye flicked into the crowd, searching for the noise and finally his gaze found mine. A gigantic smile stretched across his face as he turned away from Sukizo, nodding backwards toward his Gym. It was a silent communication but he had been asking loud and clear if I thought his Gym looked nice.

I nodded back, giving him a thumbs up and it looked like he could've burst with pride.

Sukizo looked from Cheren and then out to me, then back again before shaking his head. "You ready now?"

"Yeah," I heard Cheren breathe, his eyes breaking from mine as he looked back over his shoulder at Sukizo.

The head of the Pokémon League shook his head again, smiling to himself before holding up a hand, signaling the group of people to quiet down.

Sukizo had always been a rather chatty man whether he realized it or not. I knew that as the leader of the League he had certain responsibilities, some of which required him to read a script, however something told me he would usually embellish… a lot.

As Sukizo began yammering off different things from the book he was holding, the same book he had been reading out of when I had been being crowned in as Champion, I zoned out for a second, taking in the appearance of my old friend. Cheren had changed much more than what I had realized while talking to him on the X-transceiver. He was well dressed, a dress shirt and tie smoothed out to perfection and tucked into his pants like a pro. If you would've ever told me that the Cheren I had grown up with would've willingly worn a tie I would've fallen off of my chair laughing. He sure had grown up.

His short hair had grown out some, that one stubborn piece still sticking up on the top of his head. I remembered as a kid exactly how much Cheren hated that piece of hair. Try as he might it would never lay flat and it had bothered him to no end. Bianca and I had teased him about it, even going far enough as to chop the piece off as a prank, wondering if it would grow back a little more tame. But it hadn't, still sticking straight up in the air defiantly.

I chuckled at the memory. Cheren sure had changed. Standing on the front step of his Gym he was a far cry from the nerdy kid I grew up with. He had matured, finding a place in the world that would fit him perfectly.

As I reminisced about the past Sukizo continued on, covering everything from the rules that would be in play for the Gym to Cheren's history. I heard my name come up once or twice as Sukizo explained that Cheren had come from Nuvema town as one of the chosen children to receive a Pokedex and set off on a journey. He also mentioned about me, and that Cheren had traveled alongside the Unovian hero, helping at times to ward off Team Plasma.

The people in the crowd ooed and awed at that mention. I saw Cheren roll his eyes slightly, a smile playing on his lips. It annoyed him that he always seemed to be in my shadow, but he was slowly coming to terms with it, realizing that soon he would be known as Cheren the Gym Leader, not Cheren the boy that traveled with White.

"And now," Sukizo said, snapping his gigantic book closed, the sound staggeringly loud. "I declare the Aspertia City Gym to be open and ready for business!"

With that, Cheren reached over to a small table, grabbing the oversized scissors on its surface and opening them, positioning them over the large red ribbon.

Almost in a blur there were camera men in front of me, kneeling on the steps and snapping pictures of Cheren, smiling down at them with Sukizo behind him, his hand on Cheren's shoulder.

Cheren looked surprised at first, obviously not used to receiving so much attention. His eyes flickered to mine again, his eyebrows raising in yet another wordless question of what I thought. I gave him a wink and he grinned, looking back down at the cameras before snapping the scissors shut, the red ribbon slicing and falling to the sides.

There was heated applause and whistles from the crowd as they celebrated the opening of a Gym in their own town.

The camera men disappeared instantly after the ribbon was cut, flipping through the pictures they had taken and murmuring to themselves which newspaper companies and news stations they should sell them to. The crowd dispersed almost as quickly after Cheren called out that the Gym would be open for challengers starting the next day.

Pretty soon I found myself as the last person present, still standing near the first step to the Gym, smiling up at its owner.

"So, what'd you think?" Cheren asked, motioning for me to come inside as he walked toward the doors.

Sukizo took that as his cue to leave and gave me a nod as he jogged down the steps, bustling off down the street toward his waiting town car.

I jogged up the steps, "It was impressive, Cher. You've got a nice place here."

Cheren yanked open the large wooden door and beamed down at me as I sauntered past him. He was so proud of his Gym, and he wasn't trying to hide it.

The minute I entered the Gym I let out a laugh. It had Cheren written all over it. Small school desks were placed all around, complete with a teacher's desk and chalk board to boot. Bookshelves dotted the walls along with numerous informational posters. It gave off the feel of an old timey school house, almost like the one I had attended before I set off on my journey.

"What?" Cheren whined, closing the door with a slam as he hurried to my side, curious as to what was so funny.

I shook my head, "If you were a building, Cheren; this is exactly what you'd look like."

He gave me an exasperated look and huffed out a sigh of annoyance. "I think it looks just fine."

I chuckled and nodded. "It does."

"Want a tour?" Cheren's mood was immediately broken as yet another award winning smile made itself present on his face.

"Sure thing, Cher."

Cheren then proceeded to give me the grand tour. I had to admit, the more time I spent in the Gym, the more I liked it. There were several rooms inside of the Gym, all of which looked almost identical. The schoolhouse theme was prominent in every area of the Gym, all except for the backyard. Two dirt battlefields were out back, the spray-painted white sidelines still wet. It was obvious they were still finishing up the Gym. Buckets full of cleaning fluid and brooms were seen almost everywhere. Cheren had assured me that by tomorrow all of the cleaning supplies would be gone and that the battlefields would be ready for business.

I had marveled at every nook and cranny. I had been in my fair share of Gyms and yet I had never been inside a brand new one. It was spick and span and everything looked very sturdy and new.

After the tour was over, Cheren led me back inside and through a door on the left side of the Gym, one that I had missed the first time I had passed it. It led to the Gym Leader's living quarters.

It reminded me of a small apartment. The kitchen and the living room were one in the same, two bedrooms branching off from the main room, one for Cheren, and one for if he ever had a guest. It was small and cozy, and I figured it would be perfect for Cheren.

I plopped down on his couch and propped my feet on the glass coffee table as Cheren busied himself with making dinner. The tour had taken a surprisingly long time and we both had been so caught up in memories and plans for the future that we had completely forgotten about lunch.

"Feet. Down," Cheren hissed, not bothering to look my way as he pulled a pot out from one of the cupboards and began filling it with water.

I rolled my eyes and obliged, taking my feet off of the table and slipping off my shoes, tossing them onto the small doormat near the entrance to Cheren's quarters. He was always so anal when it came to things being clean. For heaven's sake my shoes hadn't even left a mark.

Cheren placed the pot on the stove, clicking on the heat before turning to me. "Alder had said that I might see you around here sometime, something about you needing to get a badge from me?"

I nodded, swiveling back on the couch and lying down, my feet hanging off one side and my head propped up on the arm rest on the other. "Yep, turns out I need the three new Gym Badges to be able to challenge Iris. I didn't figure you'd mind having another battle."

Cheren pursed his lips. "Aren't your Pokémon a little strong to be challenging a level one gym?" he asked, again busing himself with the meal, rummaging around in a drawer for some pasta.

Gyms around Unova were ranked by strength, and trainers went by the rankings to determine which order to face them in. It wasn't necessary for trainers to challenge them in order, but it was advised.

"Oh yeah, I guess you won't be using your Pokémon, will you? Which ones did the League assign to you?" I asked, my curiosity peaked.

Cheren shrugged. "They gave me a list to choose from. I chose a Patrat and a Lillipup," he said, pulling out a package of spaghetti noodles and ripping off the top with his teeth. "I'm kinda bummed I don't get to use my own, after all the hours we spent training together, but I can still use them in my free time."

I nodded. Cheren's Gym was a normal type Gym and the only normal type Pokémon Cheren had had on his team was his Unfeazant, that of which would be way too strong for a level one gym.

"I've actually gotten really close with the new Pokémon though, they're really sweet," Cheren commented, peeking into the pot before dumping in the pasta.

I gave another nod, "So I take it you'll create another team made up of all normal types?"

Cheren nodded, "Yeah, it's suggested that Gym Leaders train up more Pokémon of the same type just in case the ones they normally use get sick or something. I already caught a Minccino and I have my eyes set on this one Buneary that keeps stopping by here to play with Patrat."

I smiled at the thought. A lot of times Gym Leaders would train up other Pokémon of the same type and they would end up becoming too strong to be used in their Gym. I could definitely see that being the case for Cheren, and I wondered how many Pokémon he'd have to catch before he could use enough self-control to keep them at a low level.

"So where is your old Team?" I asked, peering over the back of the couch. I half expected to see his Samurott galloping down the hall any moment.

Cheren grinned, "They're still in their balls, but they're in my room. Turns out another perk of being a Gym Leader is that you can keep as many Pokémon as you want, as long as you never have more than six with you when you battle."

I raised an eyebrow. It seemed similar to the system the Elite Four and Alder had had in play. They each had around fifteen Pokémon that they would keep in an area behind the Pokémon League. They only usually had four with them when they battled, yet they had many options for which Pokémon those four could be.

"I'll go get them," Cheren said, wiping his hands off on a towel before stalking back down the hallway toward his bedroom. "But you never answered me," he called down the hallway as he disappeared inside his room. "Aren't your Pokémon a little strong to challenge my Gym?"

He reappeared in a moment, his arms full of pokeballs. He eyed the ceiling before shrugging and throwing them all into the air. All of the balls exploded in bursts of light, his Team plus a few materializing in an impressive amount of time. They all let out happy noises, obviously overjoyed that they were going to get some exercise.

Once again nostalgia hit me like a brick wall. Cheren's team. The Pokémon he had trained his entire journey through. I sighed, my eyes softening. I really had missed Unova.

Samurott was the first to realize I was there and let out a happy bark, charging toward me and nuzzling his face into my cheek, his front legs jumping up onto the couch, one of them hitting me square in the stomach as he pranced with glee. I wheezed out a laugh as the air was sufficiently knocked out of me but smiled. The water type hadn't changed a bit.

"Hey now, don't hurt her," I heard Cheren grumble from the kitchen, now pulling out a loaf of bread and beginning to slice it with a dangerously long knife.

The rest of Cheren's team reacted the same way. Unfeazant, Simisear, Gigalith, Haxorus, and Liepard greeted me with vigor. I was quite honestly surprised that the Pokémon were all able to fit comfortably in such a small space, but somehow they made do, Gigalith and Haxorus having to duck their heads at times to keep from hitting the lamps on the ceiling.

I spied Cheren's new Pokémon after the others had finished their reunions. The Patrat, Lillipup, and Minccino all looked at me with curiosity, hesitantly peeking out from behind the side of the couch.

"Hi, guys," I whispered, sitting up and holding out my hand to them. All three of them slowly made their way over, holding onto each other for moral support. Lillipup was the first to make it to me, sniffing my hand hesitantly before letting out a playful bark, letting me know it approved.

"So I guess I'll be battling you guys soon," I said, giggling as Lillipup hopped up on my stomach and licked my hand playfully. Minccino seemed to believe that if Lillipup thought I was alright, she would too.

"Cinno!" she squealed, hopping up next to Lillipup and tickling my face with her silky smooth tail.

Patrat seemed skeptical still and hopped up on the coffee table, plopping down on its edge and staring at me intently, stroking its furry chin with one of its paws in concentration. I had never seen a Pokémon act so human before and had to work very hard to stifle a laugh.

"Again, White," I heard Cheren sigh. "Your Pokémon, they're too powerful to challenge my Gym; I don't want those little ones getting hurt."

I glanced over at Cheren who was meticulously brushing what smelled to be garlic butter onto the pieces of sliced bread, just barely able to view him over Samurott who was watching Cheren's actions intently, drooling at the mouth.

I smiled, "Nope. I actually only have Talace with me from my original team at the moment."

Cheren stopped his buttering immediately, turning to me with a jolt. "What? Why? You still have Zekrom right?"

I sighed, watching as Samurott took its trainer's sudden distraction as an opening to snatch a piece of bread. He pranced off to the corner after that, happily munching on the food.

"Well, Alder suggested, just like you are doing with these ones," I said, motioning to the Pokémon sitting on my stomach, chattering happily as they bounced up and down as my stomach moved when I talked. "He said I might want to train some new ones. So I sent all of them except Talace and Zekrom back to Professor Oak with the rest of my Pokémon. Then Oak wanted to study Zekrom, so… here we are."

Cheren paused, apparently mulling over what I had said before shrugging. "So I take it you'll be battling with some new Pokémon for your challenge against my Gym?" He turned back toward his bread, an eyebrow raising as he counted one less piece than before.

"Yep, actually, I bet Talace would like to chat with yours as well."

I reached down into my bag, careful to keep my stomach even so the two tiny Pokémon wouldn't fall off before bringing out the three pokeballs I had with me. "Come on out!" I called, throwing two of them into the air.

Talace materialized like a pro, even landing in his battle stance. He looked around himself before slouching. It was obvious he had thought he was finally going to have a battle, and he was excited. Eevee materialized next to him, her eyes going wide as she spied all the new Pokémon around her.

Talace let off a friendly roar when he spotted Samurott across the room. Our two starters had been the best of friends since I had started out on my journey. The only thing that would've made Talace happier was if Bianca's Serperior was also present.

Samurott also barked out a recognition, sending a blast of water Talace's way. Without blinking Talace snorted out a moderately sized flame ball. The two weak attacks collided in the center of the room, fizzling into each other and producing a cloud of steam, a few water drops landing on Simisear who shivered in disgust.

"Hey! You're gonna get the carpet wet!" Cheren complained and I laughed, along with the two smaller Pokémon still enjoying the ride on my stomach.

Cheren looked toward me with an embarrassed look before turning back to his meal, furiously stirring some spaghetti sauce in an attempt to brush off the awkward moment.

"Who's in the third ball?" Cheren questioned without a glance in my direction.

I peered down at the only ball still holding a Pokémon I had and sighed. "It's a Snivy, Juniper gave it to me but apparently it has an attitude problem, or something like that."

"Mm, joy, it's another Thundurus," Cheren quipped, also associating a difficult personality with my rather stubborn legendary.

"I figure I'll let it out sometime soon, but not yet, I need to come up with a strategy for how to train it," I sighed, tossing the three pokeballs back into my bag.

Cheren switched off the stove, grabbing the pot of noodles and pouring them into a strainer. "When are you planning on challenging the Gym?" he asked, opening a cabinet and pulling out two plates.

I smiled, "Well, if it isn't too much to ask, I'd love to challenge you tomorrow morning. You wouldn't mind me being your first challenger would you?"

Cheren whirled around, a brilliant smile on his face. "Of course not! That'd actually be perfect!"

I chuckled as he happily turned back to his meal. Knowing Cheren, I had a feeling he'd be more than a little nervous tomorrow, staring up his first official day as a Gym Leader. No doubt that having his first challenger be someone had had battled more times than he could count would put him at ease a little more than battling a stranger.

"Although, if the past is any indicator you're going to kick my butt," he smiled, dumping the drained pasta into a bowl and clumsily balancing the entire meal as he staggered toward where I was sitting.

"Aw, don't be a sore loser, Cher," I joked, picking up the Minccino and Lillipup on my stomach and setting them on the floor.

Cheren stuck his tongue out at me before dishing out the meal. I swiveled my legs off of the couch and sat up, my stomach grumbling as I smelled the delicious looking food. Much to my surprise Patrat was still sitting on the coffee table, perched in the exact same position and still studying me intently. Cheren had to shoo him away or he most likely would've watched me like a hawk as I ate my dinner.

Cheren pulled over a chair, positioning it on the other side of the table before grabbing his bowl of pasta and chowing down on it like a hungry Beartic.

I picked up my bowl and began eating as well, watching as both Lillipup and Minccino settled down on the far end of the couch, falling asleep curled up next to one another. Our other Pokémon seemed to do the same, dozing off one by one as we silently ate our dinner, our mouths too full to talk. I realized after a moment the only Pokémon still awake was Eevee, who was eyeing Cheren with interest. She hopped up on the table a moment later, trotting toward him and plopping down, staring at him with the same amount of intensity that Patrat had been staring at me with.

Cheren paused his eating for a moment, stopping with noodles still hanging out of his mouth as he eyed Eevee. He slurped up the rest before questioning, "Wait, is this your Pokémon?"

I nodded. Apparently Cheren had been too intrigued with Talace and Samurott's steam display that he hadn't realized I had let out another Pokémon.

Cheren reached out, ruffling Eevee's fur and she squealed in enjoyment. "She's cute. Maybe I should find myself an Eevee."

I shrugged, "You'd never be able to evolve it though."

Cheren frowned at the thought, "Yeah I guess it's going to be a little harder than I thought to keep up an all normal type team."

I nodded, "I heard about a bunch of Castform on one of the routes though. They're pretty cute."

Cheren looked to me with interest. "I guess there really are a bunch of new Pokémon popping up aren't there?"

I nodded vigorously, silently wondering to myself which ones I would encounter throughout my mini journey.

Eevee nodded to herself, apparently only wishing to be recognized by Cheren, before hopping off of the table and stalking over to Talace, curling up in tiny ball next to him.

Cheren set down his empty bowl with a clank and wiped his mouth, setting his elbows on his knees and leaning forward slightly. "White?"

This time I was the one to pause mid noodle slurp, "Wghat?" I nearly choked, sucking up the noodles and placing my bowl down. He had an eerily serious and sad look on his face.

Cheren looked away for a moment before turning his attention to me, his eyes trained on mine. "I just wanted an honest answer for how you're doing today."

My eyebrows shot up. "What? Why today?"

Cheren cocked his head to the side, "It's your one year anniversary."

I gave him an even more confused look, wracking my brain for the date. It took me a while, but finally I realized what he was referring to and my heart did a small jump.

"I mean, I didn't know how the one year mark since your battle with N would be affecting you. Are you doing alright?"

My heart went haywire, rapidly beating as I realized it had been a year. An entire year. It felt like I had only battled N yesterday, and yet it also felt like it had been a decade ago. I couldn't believe that I hadn't realized that today was the day I had taken down Team Plasma, and yet Cheren had.

I waved my hand in the air as if to clear it. "I'm doing fine, Cher. I mean, sure I miss him, but really, I'm doing fine."

Cheren eyed me carefully before nodding, his mouth turning down into a slight frown. "Alright, if you say so. I just want you to be happy."

I nodded, "Don't worry; nothing is making me happier than getting to go out on another journey."

He nodded, his frown curving upward. He did know exactly how much I loved traveling.

Cheren could sense I didn't exactly want to stay on the subject of N and quickly derailed our conversation, picking up our two empty bowls. "Alrighty then. So you'll challenge me tomorrow morning and then I guess you'll be off to… Virbank City?"

I nodded, "That's where Roxie's Gym is right?"

"Yep," Cheren answered, tossing the bowls into the sink and stretching. "By the way, you're welcome to stay here for the night if you'd like."

I chuckled, "I'll stay at the Pokémon Center. I don't exactly take kindly to being woken up as early as you get up. How do you even function on that much sleep?" I asked, standing up and stretching as well, reaching down and grabbing my bag, swinging it over my shoulder.

Cheren chuckled, "Not all of us sleep as much as Purrloins do, White."

I stuck my tongue out at him before walking toward the door, Cheren making it there before me and holding it open. I paused, going on a whim before reaching forward and pulling Cheren into a hug. "Listen, thanks for dinner, and congrats on your Gym."

I had hugged Cheren many times throughout the years and yet this one was different. It wasn't two friends playing around, it was two grownups, congratulating each other on finding a path for themselves. Cheren's arms snaked around me, squeezing a little tighter than I had expected.

"It's no problem. Thanks for coming back for my Gym's opening, it really meant a lot."

I smiled, pulling back from the hug to find Cheren's face oddly flushed as he struggled to find anywhere to look except directly at me. I chuckled to myself, letting go of Cheren and adjusting my bag. That little childhood crush he had apparently still hadn't worn off.

I looked back over my shoulder at my two sleeping Pokémon and gave a soft whistle. "Hey sleepy pants, you two ready to go?"

Talace was up in an instant, apparently again anticipating a battle as his arms shot out in front of him, a ferocious roar echoing out from his mouth. That sound officially woke up the rest of the Pokémon, Cheren's three littler ones squealing in terror and tearing off down the hallway, no doubt going to hide under Cheren's bed.

I laughed and held out my two pokeballs, calling back both Talace and Eevee before thanking Cheren again. He told me to wake up a little earlier so he could challenge more people than just me before the Gym would close for the day. I flicked him on the forehead and told him I'd try before leaving the Gym.

As I reached the bottom step I swiveled back and took another glance at the Gym. It was beautiful during the day but at night it looked magnificent. Lights on the outside gave a light glow onto the cobblestone paths of Aspertia City. Unova had really outdone themselves with Aspertia and I silently wondered if the other new cities would be just as gorgeous.

I shoved my hands into my pockets and trudged toward the Pokémon Center, my thoughts beginning to wander. Had it really been a year since I had challenged N? Had it really been a year since Zekrom had recognized me as hero? How could I have forgotten such an important date?

I mulled over the questions as I entered the Pokémon Center, barely even speaking to Nurse Joy before receiving a room key and shuffling back toward the room I had been given.

Was my brain trying to save me some heartbreak by forgetting the date? I had to admit for some odd reason the thought made my heart sink. It had been an entire year and I hadn't heard from N. An entire year. For all I knew he could've died and I still would be here, wishing and waiting for a phone call from him.

As I opened my Pokémon Center room door I had a realization. I hadn't called N in almost a week. My eyes went wide. How did I expect him to get in contact with me if I stopped staying in contact with him?

I shut the door quickly, going through the motions of getting ready for bed as my mind was still focused on my one year anniversary since the day I had become one of the most respected trainers in the region.

I plopped down in a chair once I was finished, fishing around in my bag and grabbing a few items. My X-transceiver for starters. I needed to call N, maybe he'd actually pick up this time. I also pulled out N's necklace and the ring he had given me.

I stared at the two items, my heart aching. N had given me the small silver ring on my birthday two years ago. I hadn't known him for long, and yet we felt like we had known each other forever. Looking back on it now I figured that feeling was due to the fact that we both were heroes. He took my undying love for fire type Pokémon and somehow managed to create a tiny ring with living breathing fire inside of it. Still to this day it flickered on, the flame still just as bright as the first day I had received it.

N had given me his necklace the moment before he left for good. He had told me he'd be back one day, and I believed him then, heck, I still did. That necklace was the one thing that gave me hope. It showed that N was still out there, somewhere, and that one day, if I believed and stayed true to my hope, he'd come back. All I had to do, all I could do, was wait.

0=0=0=0=0=0

Hey N, sorry I haven't called in a while, but for all I know you're glad I haven't been bombarding you with messages.

Turns out today is the one year mark since our battle. It doesn't feel like it's been that long does it? It sure doesn't to me. I know I've been really busy the entire year, but I don't know about you. I assume you're out there, studying people and Pokémon; if so you probably have your hands full too.

I hope you're finding some answers to the questions you have. I hope you're starting to see things my way. I know once you start to see things in a different light you'll be happier.

I hope you and all of your Pokémon are doing alright. I know Zekrom's getting a little down without being able to play around with Reshiram; I hope Resh's feeling the same, those two are brothers after all.

I'll be going for my what… ninth badge tomorrow? Hah, I never thought I'd be saying that.

I hope you're doing well, and I hope you'll call me back sometime. It's been a year, N, I'm getting worried. For all I know you're being bombarded by Beedrill, but I guess that's not likely. Have you ever met a Pokémon that hasn't liked you? I bet you haven't. Well, aside from when you first met Talace, but he seems to be over that.

Well I guess that's it. I miss you, and I really wish you'd call back sometime, even if it's just to let me know you're still alive. ….. G'night N…. Love you.

So there it is! I hope you liked it! That little part at the end is something I'm going to start doing when I don't have a bit from N's pov in a chapter. I'll just stick what White says in one of her voicemails to N at either the beginning or the end, just to keep that side of the story moving. I hope that made sense...

I'm also very excited to start the B/W 2 plot, this'll be so much fun! And yes, there were a couple of Checkmateshipping hints, just because I'm a sucker for that little pairing. But don't worry, White will always end up with N. Always.

Oh also, I don't know if I ever mentioned this or not (excuse my terrible memory) but I actually a few months ago created another fanfiction account. I don't know if any of you watch anime, but I'll be writing for anime on it. If you're interested there's a link at the top of my profile.

Anyway, enough shameless self promotion.

Thank you so much for the reviews last chapter! I loved them so much! Who knows, if you leave more maybe I'll level up and learn a new move! - That was probably the lamest thing I have ever said right there... *slinks off*

Anyway, I hope you have a great weekend! :D