Kenbosho

by EpikalStorms

In the game, you start out with Black. He's got no background story, and no idea of his life. He's introduced to his friends, and his own mother; his town, Nuvema. What if there was a reason for that? What of Black, Kuro, had... amnesia? This is Kuro, taken in by Heiko Shirosaki(Mom). He's got a few medical problems, but he WILL be the best Pokemon trainer Unova has ever seen.

2. Exodus

Chapter Two: Exodus

---

"How is Shirosaki-kun now, Heiko-san?" Bianca and Cheren asked immediately after she entered the room. That was always the first thing they said to her when they saw her these days, but she really didn't mind all too much. Whenever she heard the title "Shirosaki-kun," her heart would always take a dive and butterflies would flutter through her chest. That meant her son, he was her son. She finally had a child to take care of, to call her own. And the fact that he now shared Eiji's name with her only made it all the better, and Heiko somehow felt that Eiji, somewhere, approved wholeheartedly of this.

She'd named him Kuro—if not only because he wore nothing but black, but also because kids these days were being named after colors all over, and she didn't want her new son to feel left out when he was older and started traveling. Heiko stopped. Look that that, she thought. It's only been a week and I'm already troubling myself over when he'll grow up. Calm yourself, Heiko... Gosh, is this what being a mother is like? I'm going to get wrinkles a lot faster now... She sighed. "Yes, Cheren. Yes, Bianca—Kuro is doing well. Soon, he'll be able to come outside and play with you!"

The children brightened, apparently satisfied as they soon went back to their game. Cheren and Bianca were around the same age as Kuro was determined to be—which was twelve. Cheren being a newly turned thirteen-year-old, and Bianca being almost twelve as well. She was still eleven right now, but almost there. They thought Kuro would be a good way to even the ages out, since Cheren had always been slightly iffy about playing with a girl so much younger than him. He'd decided that Kuro was the answer, and once Kuro was their best friend as well, the ages wouldn't matter anymore—for some strange reason the adults just couldn't figure out.

Other than that, Cheren and Bianca just simply adored Kuro. Even with his silence and almost complete lack of physical show of emotion, he did seem to fit right in with the two. Now, every day Heiko saw him, Cheren looked more and more like a mature older brother—for Kuro, he'd told them when he was asked(though they thought he didn't need to be any more mature than he was right now, Josept wallowed in despair). Bianca retained her own carefree and untroubled nature, but her eyes gained a slight edge when they were talking about Kuro. Heiko decided either a slightly overbearing little sister in the future, or a small, blossoming crush. Knowing Bianca, it might even be a mixture of both—though she saw more of the sister every day than the signs of a crush.

Speaking of Bianca, her parents really loved Kuro to pieces. Clara almost tried to act like a second mother to him—emphasis on the "second," there—and Heiko almost, almost, felt slightly jealous. Josept coddled the boy, intent on making him as adorable as his daughter since he'd failed with Cheren, but also because—well, Kuro was pretty cute enough already, even with his lack of feeling.

Heiko turned away from the children and spoke with their parents for a while—about the latest news and town happenings, which inevitably led to Kuro in one way or another.

"So, how is Kuro holding up?" Inoue, who was the mother of Cheren, asked.

"He still not talking?" Micheal, her husband, added in.

Heiko rolled her eyes. "I've said it before, Mike. He's mute, he's not gonna be talking. Maybe a long time into the future we can perhaps look into it, but that's only if Kuro's willing to let us help, which I somehow doubt he will. Despite all the silence and ease at letting use near him to take care of him—he's pretty darn stubborn."

"He'd be talking now, if he wasn't." Josept muttered. Heiko sighed and it him upside the head. "Mute, Josept. It's not his fault."

"I know, I know."He threw up his hands, and Clara dragged him to the kitchen to help her make the children lunch. Heiko stood and said her goodbyes. She'd left Ravi and looking after Kuro since Ando had left for a trip to Opelucid, and she didn't want to leave that teen alone for long, no matter how much she unbelievably trusted him.

The young woman pushed back her dark, honey-colored bangs from her face as she stepped through her front door. She cast her gaze around the entryway before making her way toward the stairs. As she climbed them, Heiko could hear Ravi chatting up a storm, carefree and most likely oblivious to whether anyone was listening to him or not. That said, she held back a smile as she opened the door and stepped into the room she had set up for Kuro.

Admittedly, it wasn't much, but Kuro didn't seem to mind at all. The walls were painted a warm, light gray color, and the ceiling was white while the floor had black tiles. There was a white carpet that covered the half of the floor opposite fro the wall that the bed was against. The bed itself had white sheets and pillows and a solid black, nondescript comforter. Next to the bed was a dark gray side table with a lamp that you could find most likely at any house around Unova. It was white with a chain that you would pull for the light to turn on and off. Next to the lamp sat a regular black alarms clock with red numbers, and a glass of water.

Ravi was sitting in a chair next to the bed, his legs curled up under him. The teen was pretty short for his age, and his tanned skin really stood out in the scheme of the room. He was grinning, as always, and was staring over at the very large flat-screen TV Heiko had dragged into the room after discovering it in the attic—even though she'd found it in such a place, it looked very hi-tech and newly bought. She wondered how it had gotten up there. She'd set up the television on the opposite wall from the bed, and the white carpet was spread out right in front of it.

On the wall opposite from the door, a long window that reached from almost one corner to another sat above a desk that was only half as long as the window, but placed in the center just under it. It had another desk lamp, and a few books on science that Heiko had thought were interesting and had lent to Kuro to read, regretting that she had nothing else. Surprisingly, though, Kuro had accepted the books and had read through them in one night, not even stopping. They sat on the desk now, closed. Somehow, Heiko suspected that they wouldn't be opened again for a long time.

"And how are things in here?" She finally asked after growing tired of listening to Ravi ramble about the show being broadcasted. She felt a bit sorry for leaving Kuro here alone with him, but Kuro didn't even seem to have been listening. Or he had been, avidly. It was a bit hard to tell with the boy—but Heiko decided he hadn't. Ravi wasn't talking about anything interesting anyway.

The teen jerked around and grinned widely. "Ah! Heiko-chan~ Didn't see you there! How's your day been, gorgeous?" Kuro raised an eyebrow, but the movement was so minute that Heiko almost hadn't caught it. She smiled anyways, and rolled her eyes at the raven."Ravi, how many times have I told you to stop teasing me like that, huh? I'm older than you—and no, I won't marry you." She added as Ravi went to open his mouth.

He slunk down in his seat. "Aah, but it was worth a shot, ne? Shirosaki-chan really is the best!"

Heiko sighed in exasperation. "Out. Go on, you. Kuro needs to take his medication. Mind getting me the pills? They're on the counter, Oono-san."

The teen jumped to his feet , saluting. "Yes ma'am!" Kuro watched silently as he sped out of the room and down the stairs. Heiko let out another sigh, before looking at her newly adopted son. She walked over and sat at the edge of them bed, feeling only slightly awkward about getting close to him after a week. "How are you feeling today?" Kuro blinked his glittering violet eyes up at her curiously. She placed a hand on her chest in example. "Here?" She lifted her hand off of her torso and placed it on Kuro's own chest. "Is it feeling tight, hun?" She'd started calling him such names a few days ago. It made her happy, and Kuro really didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, it was like he didn't even notice "Right here, can you breath okay?"

Kuro looked down at her hand for a few seconds, watching it rise up and down with his chest, in sync with his breathing. Heiko felt that the breaths were irregular, and raised an eyebrow.

Kuro looked up and shook his head, eyes dimmed as always. Heiko let out a sigh and nodded. "Alright. Just as well, though. I was going to give you your pills anyway."

Kuro nodded just as Ravi came bouncing back into the room. "Here we are!" He sang, smiling. He handed out the pill bottle to Heiko, who nodded her thanks. "Ano... There are some cookies in the pantry, Oono-san. You know where, of course. I made them a few hours ago, help yourself."

Ravi's eyes gleamed. "Ah! Heiko-chan really is the best!"

Kuro and Heiko watched the teen exit the room just as quick as he'd entered, and both shook their heads, Kuro however slowly. Heiko turned back toward her son, and beamed at the thought. Her son, Kuro was her child, now. She couldn't help but think that Eiji would be proud.

"Alright, let's get this over with." She started, handing Kuro the glass of water. She selected two of the red and blue capsules—one half was red and the other blue—and made sure he swallowed them both before screwing the cap back onto the bottle. "I'll leave this up here." She decided, placing the bottle on the bedside table. "I know how forgetful you are of those pills, which won't be good if you decide to travel and become a Pokemon Trainer. Maybe if you have them near you you'll remember."

Kuro only stared at her, before nodding slowly. Heiko nodded back at him and looked over at the television. "101 Ways to Heat a Potato" was on the cooking channel. Heiko picked up the remote and switched it off, turning back to her son. "I'm assuming you don't care about baked vegetables?"

Kuro shook his head, a smile at his lips now. Heiko called that an accomplishment."Alright, then. I'll leave you to it. Maybe I'll find some more books for you to read, yeah?" He nodded. "Okay. Well, it's getting late, so I'm headed of to take a shower and then bed. Tomorrow we can start you on walking again, and Ando-san will be back in a few days." She hesitated slightly, before swooping down and planting a kiss on the boy's forehead. "Goodnight, son."

As she walked out of the room, Kuro stared after her with a strange, almost confused glint in his eyes.

(-Pokemon~

"And this is our Deerling—his name is Horst," Bianca cited proudly as she dragged Kuro by the hand, showing him her father's Pokemon. Cheren followed them close behind, hands shoved in his pockets and observing the black-clad younger boy extremely closing, as an overprotective older sibling would.

It was two weeks now after Kuro had been discovered on the shore. Heiko was well on her way to becoming a superb mother, and Ando was more or less a slightly awkward-in-acting father, give or take. Ravi seemed to be content in being the slightly annoying but well-meaning older brother that didn't really act at all like he was the elder—or a carefree uncle, however you saw it—and Josept and Clara did their best as unofficial godparents.

All in all, Kuro... well, he didn't exactly seem happy, but he never seemed at all unhappy, either, so they all just assumed that he was content and hoped they were correct. It was a bit difficult to tell, though, what with the boy's lack of emotions.

The young blond turned back to her friend. "Oh! And guess what! He has a Ponyota, too! Do you want to see it?" She asked excitedly. Heiko had given Kuro all the books she could find, be they science, history, or even geography—she really only had all her old schoolbooks dating back to the eighth grade and didn't think Kuro would understand most of them. Surprisingly, though it appeared that Kuro had some sort of eidetic memory—it was as if fate was trying to make up for stealing his old ones. Heiko didn't think it was a fair trade, as eidetic memory could be as much of a curse as a gift, she'd heard. In all facts, Kuro had read any book he could get his hands on—was still doing just that every night—and was well-versed in just about any of your common-day topics and some less known facts as well. Pokemon was one of those subjects. The boy gave Bianca a nod and she cheered, dragging him through the front door of her home, Cheren almost running after them.

Kuro said nothing; he only let the girl who had immediately latched onto him and called him best friends the very first moment she laid eyes on him man-handle him over the threshold. Once in the house, however, he let his eyes roam around and take in the scenes. Eventually, as he and Cheren waited back for Bianca to ask her father's permission, the mute amnesiac slouched down a little and hid the lower half of his face in his lavender scarf.

Cheren immediately caught onto his newly proclaimed little brother's behavior and hugged him—which would have been a miracle if it had been anyone other than Kuro, as Cheren wasn't one to touch or make such gestures to anyone but his own mother at rare times; in fact, Cheren had hugged Kuro more times in the past two weeks than he'd ever hugged anyone in his life. It went to say how seriously the older boy took his new, self-proclaimed position as big brother.

"Ne, Otouto," Cheren began hesitantly, and those violet eyes were on him instantly. He swallowed. "You like it here, right? In Nuvema, I mean—Nuvema Town..." He tilted his head, narrowing his navy eyes and set a calculated gaze on the raven haired boy, rectangular glasses flashing in the light. He'd been trying for ages to get Kuro to at least make a sound.

Kuro tilted his head back a little and glanced up at the sky, before looked over and nodding an affirmative. Cheren sighed and released him, grabbing the younger boy and leading him into the house.

"—never be able to! So please, please, please, can we?"Bianca was saying, hands clasped before her chest her father and mother stood before her. Clara appeared to be thoughtful, but Josept was all-but scowling.

"Bianca, how many times have I said it? No!" Josept expressed, sounding exasperated. He cast a look at his wife, only to meet a leveled stare. He gulped, then looked up to see Cheren and Kuro standing in the entrance. "Ah! Hiya, Kuro!" Josept crowed, lifting a hand and letting it fall onto the raven haired boy's head. Kuro looked up at the man and smiled softly, before tilting his head and pointing at the pokeballs that were resting on the table. Behind Josept's back, Clara and Bianca hid two identical smirks. Cheren held back a chuckle as Josept's eyes flew between Kuro's almost-pout, and the pokeballs—he started to sweat, slightly.

"Eum... What did you want, hm?" The man looked back over at the pokeballs and raised an eyebrow nervously. "What about them?"

Kuro blinked, then tilted his head in the other direction.

"... Well..." Josept looked back at his daughter, and Bianca instantly had her puppy-dog eyes out and glistening. His refusal fell through. "Fine! Alright! But nothing too dangerous! Use Musharna, or—or... Horst!" He exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air. The children cheered—or, Bianca cheered, Cheren smirked triumphantly, and Kuro only blinked, then smiled. Clara laughed behind her hand. "They've got you wrapped around their little fingers, hun."

Josept sighed as he watched his daughter grab the pokeball containing the family Deerling and the three children dashed out of the house."I know, I know..."

"This way, Kuro!" Bianca called as Cheren dragged the boy by his hand. The older boy looked back and smiled. "Yeah! All the more powerful Pokemon are in the tall grass, and the tall grass always grows on this side of the field! C'mon!"

Kuro gazed after them as he allowed Cheren to tug him along. He blinked slowly, and looked around. This was the first time he'd been to this part of Nuvema. It was right at the beginning of Route 1 and he could see the tall grasses sway in the invisible wind. When he looked to the left, he could see the stairs that led down to the shore of the small lagoon sort of space. This was where the ocean kind of came inland a little and formed a small lake. And, just like whenever Kuro saw the sea, he felt some sort of stabbing pain begin in his chest and flit across his heart and mind, swerving around in his head until his face was slightly pale and his breathing was irregular. He didn't like it. And he didn't know why it was there—he was fine around any other source of water, but the ocean...

As he let Cheren pull him along, Kuro took in a breath, surveying the water. The last time he'd been this close to the ocean was when Ando-sama had found him, and he didn't even remember that.

Cheren stopped, as if sensing something. He turned and saw the state Kuro was in, and silently began to berate himself. Everyone in Nuvema knew his adorable little brother was afraid of the ocean, and what did he and Bianca do? They took him closer to the ocean. Darn it, Cheren! Do something!

"Ehm, Bianca!" The blond girl turned around and raised an eyebrow at him. "maybe we should just stick to the tall grass closer to the Town?"

Bianca frowned. "What? But why? All the cooler Pokemon are over in the darker grass, over here—everyone knows that!"

Cheren rolled his eyes and nodded his head toward Kuro, who was pressed up against his side, as far from the water as he could be, and was glancing at the ocean with wary purple eyes. Bianca's pink lips formed an "o".

The cheery blond girl bounded forward and caught Kuro in a tight hug, and Cheren instantly formed a small scowl. "It's okay, Kuro-kun! Me and Cheren will protect you from the ocean! It can't hurt you when we're over here anyway!"

Cheren let out a huff. "It's "Cheren and I," Bianca—and I really don't think we should go that far, hey!" As he'd spoken, Bianca had dragged Kuro over to the tall grass and the two children had disappeared into together. Cheren groaned and followed after as quickly as he could and began to look for them. "Ano... Bianca! Kuro! Otouto! Imouto! Where did you go?" Because as much as he'd tried to venomously deny it, Bianca had become the closet thing to a little sister he had.

The raven-haired pre-teen shook his head and turned around in a circle. Where could they be?

As Cheren was searching for the two, Bianca and Kuro were crouched behind a patch of dark grass together, silently observing a wandering Victini that was in the process of searching a mound of berries.

Kuro had his usual emotionless mask on, but Bianca was thunderstruck."Daddy says Victini are pretty powerful—and Ando-san says they are too. Cheren says Victini are Psychic and Fire type Pokemon, and Ando-san says they're Victory Pokemon and can only be found in Liberty garden... I wonder what this one's doing all the way out here..." She looked over at Kuro with wide eyes.

Kuro only tilted his head, and reached into her coat pocket. "Hey, what are y—" He threw something at the Victini, and there was an undignified squawk and a flash of white light. Bianca blinked and narrowed her eyes, before they flew open and her face morphed into a gob smacked expression once the light diminished. "Oi! How did you do that? You caught it without even weakening it first—you didn't even battle it!" By now the girl was forehead-to-forehead with the semi-emotionless boy and her eyes were shining with stars, in a way that almost disturbed him.

"Eto—Kuro! Bianca!" Cheren's voice sounded in their ears, now."Where are you?!" He sounded slightly scared. Bianca froze. "Oh no! We left Cheren all alone!" Kuro decided not to point out that she'd been the one to drag him, and let her grab his wrist once again. "C'mon!"

Cheren was almost afraid now. Neither Bianco nor Kuro had answered any of his calls, and he was beginning to wonder if something had happened to them. He could understand why Kuro wouldn't since the boy was mute, but Bianca should at least be able to call back, right? After all, they couldn't have gone that far, right? Cheren twirled around again and shouted their names. Had they been hurt?

Eventually he was about to give up and go find some adults to help, but there was a rustling sounds and out came Bianca form the tall grass, who was dragging Kuro along behind her. Kuro just looked incredibly bored, but Bianca beamed at him excitedly. "Cheren! Sorry we left you all along—but you won't believe what Kuro did!"

Cheren frowned at her, almost angry. "Bianca! How could you just run off like that!? I was getting worried about you two! Please, can we all stick together next time? One of us could have gotten lost!"He scolded her. Bianca had the decency to look at least a little sheepish at his words, but then she perked up again. "Right, okay. We'll all stay together no matter what. But Cheren! Listen!"and the girl told him what had transpired while he was separated form them. While she spoke, Kuro let out a breath and closed his eyes shut tightly. He sat down on a small boulder. When he opened his eyes again, Cheren was staring at him in awe. "Really?" He asked. "You caught a Victini!?" At Kuro hesitant nod, Cheren narrowed his eyes at Bianca. "Are you sure it was a Victini? Maybe it just looked like it?" But even he doubted his own words. Not many Pokemon looked too alike in the sense that you could mistake one for another—but it did happen...

Bianca shook her head. "Nope! I know it was Victini! Cuz I listen to you sometimes when you rant and stuff—" Here, she ignored Cheren's glare. "—and I remembered that! It's Victini! Here, look!"

She brought out a Pokemon and pressed the button before Cheren could stop her, and the white light flashed soon with a disgruntled Victini in it's place.

Cheren sucked in a breath. "Yeah.. Wow, that's definitely a legendary Pokemon, Victini! How on earth is it all the way over here? I mean, this is Nuvema Town!"

Bianca shrugged. "I don't know. What I do know, though, is that Kuro-kun owns Victini now! Wow, Kuro-kun, you're going to be a real powerful trainer one day, if you keep this up!" She told the obsidian haired twelve year old.

Kuro only smiled, his eyes straying to the ocean. Cheren caught sight some something flashing in those violet orbs, but he couldn't name it. "C'mon," the pre-teen eventually sighed. "It's getting late, and we have to get Deerling back to Mr. Josept."

(-Pokemon~

"Come on, Ro-chan, Can you at least eat a little?" Heiko let out a sigh."Look I cut up some watermelon—I know that's your favorite... please? It'll make me feel better."

It had almost been an entire year since shed adopted Kuro. And things had finally settled down a few months before. Of course, Kuro still had small-scale attacks every once in a while, like just before now, but he was surrounded by people who cared about him, and who would help him.

The violet-eyes boy reluctantly accepted the bowl filled with small cubes of watermelon, even though Heiko knew he really didn't feel like eating—of course, his mouth had just been full of blood, she wouldn't have wanted to eat either. But she knew that Kuro needed something in his stomach. He hadn't eaten anything the day before, when the attack had occurred.

"You really need to remember to take your pills when your chest starts to hurt, un?" She scolded, and Kuro dipped is head bashfully. He still wouldn't speak, no matter what anyone would do, so they all eventually just let him be in that regard. "I worry a lot when this happens, you know?"

Kuro nodded and, just to settle her fears it seemed, he popped on square of watermelon into his mouth and chewed it with a small smile. Heiko laughed and tousled his hair. "Alright, then. I've got some errands to run, so I'll be back soon, okay?" Kuro nodded. "Ravi is watching TV in the living room if you need anything, and Ando-san is next door helping Josept fix the roof."

Kuro nodded again, and watched as she left his room, silently. That's what happened—everyone was more quiet when they were around Kuro—it was almost instinctual. When you were around Kuro Shirosaki, you just felt the need to do things quieter, whisper if you had to, lower your voice, muffle your footsteps, anything—because the fact that he was mute was so glaringly obvious that you couldn't ignore it, and Kuro—everyone loved Kuro. Maybe if they were more like him he'd pay more attention to them, was the subconscious thought on all their minds, even if they would never notice it, never think such things on their own.

He hated it.

Well, not hated. Hate was much too strong of a word. Kuro Shirosaki didn't necessarily hate anything—he just really disliked some things. He didn't like the fact that people felt the need to be silent when they were around him. He liked it when his friends and family and others surrounded him and were happy and made noise—and he liked it when he could just sit with them all contently, listening to their excited chatter and enjoy the things that made them them.

Sure, he liked it when it was quiet, because sometimes the noise would make his head hurt, but the silence, the glances—those made his chest hurt, and that was probably the only thing that Kuro hated. The ache in his chest when certain things happened, or when he was in certain places, like the ocean—though he'd gotten over his fear of the sea a while ago, he still felt a little wary—or when people said certain phrases that would make him feel a little off—but he didn't know what that feeling, what that pain was called, and he didn't think he could tell anybody. Kuro would take a headache from the rowdy noise of his friends over that pain in his chest any day of the rest of eternity.

Kuro blinked, and took a bite of his watermelon, before swallowing thickly and setting the bowl on the bedside table. He glanced at it and let out a sigh. It wasn't even half empty yet—Heiko, his adoptive mother(sometimes he almost had to remind himself of that), would most likely be slightly disappointed that he hadn't eaten any more.

He snuggled down into the blankets on his bed and closed his eyes, hoping that the headache would go away, and praying that the chest pain wouldn't come to replace it.

His Victini was silent as he was—it had never even made a noise since it had properly met him, save for the few sounds of comfort when he needed them—and curled up into a ball at his side.

(-Pokemon~

Only a couple of months later, and Kuro was thirteen. It had been an anonymous decision that Kuro Shirosaki's birthday would fall on the date he'd been found on the beach by Ando Kuwabara. Cheren and Bianca were especially excited, since that was also the day that Nuvema Town's own Pokemon Scientist, Professor Juniper, was going to give them their starter Pokemon.

Despite the small fact that Kuro already had a Victini, whose name was Vultri, Juniper was sending him the Pokemon anyway. Vultri was more of a companion than a Pokemon partner—if Kuro had an attack and no one was around, Vultri would escape it's own pokeball and go find help. It said a lot about Vultri and Kuro's relationship that Vultri didn't use it's tricks to escape the pokeball and return the the wild, despite having that chance ever since it's capture. Vultri was extremely protective of Kuro, and no one would have it any other way, specially Vultri itself.

"C'mon, Kuro-kun!" Bianca sang as she dashed into his home. "Where's the box? Is it on the table? Nope!" She turned to him. "Where's the Pokemon Professor Juniper gave you?" She giggled madly and bounced up and down until a pale hand landed on her shoulder and tethered her to the ground. Kuro smiled and Cheren nodded back, a smile that was in equality to a grin on his own face. "Calm down imouto." He told her, before turning back to Kuro. "So? Where are they?" He watch Kuro tilt his head, before the younger boy turned around and started up the stairs without a word—obviously. They followed without hesitation.

Vultri was curled up on the desk when they walked into Kuro's room, right next to a medium-sized boy that sat next to a small stack of books, that Kuro hadn't picked up in months after reading them the first time, due to his eidetic memory.

Bianca began to squeal when she saw the box and rushed over to it, pausing before he had even touched the lid and looking back at the two boys, who stood back and were watching her, uncertainly. "Um... Actually, I think Kuro-kun should go first—after all, it's his house, ne?"

Cheren tilted his head for a moment, before nodding. "Yeah, that seems about right." he turned to his pseudo brother and smiled. "Well? Are you going to open it or not?"

Kuro blinked and raised an eyebrow pointedly, which was almost like a roll of the eyes for him, and Cheren smirked. He raised his own eyebrow, and Kuro shook his head, going over to the box and taking off the lid. Three pokeballs sat inside, waiting. Wasting no time, as was his way(sometimes), Kuro reached in and grabbed the closest one, which turned out to contain a Snivy, which he found out by looking closely into the red side of the ball. He shrugged and looked back up.

Cheren nodded. "Grass type, then. You should balance it out with a water type and gather a few fighting types, since you already have a fire type, which is good. I guess Bianca should go next, then." He motioned for the girl to go ahead.

Bianca tried to be polite and refuse to turn, but her impatient excitement got a hold of her and he rushed over to the box, looking between the two pokeballs, undecided. Kuro and Cheren smiled—or smirked—knowingly at each other.

"I... guess I'll go with Oshawott, then..." the girl nodded and reached down the grab the ball, and smiling as she felt the Pokemon inside shift contently. "Alright Cheren. I guess you get Tepig—you don't mind, do you?" She asked quickly, worried her friend and older brother-type figure would be angry at her.

Cheren rolled his eyes and pushed his glasses up a bit since they had began to slip forward. "No, Bia-chan, I don't. I know Tepig's weaknesses and strengths anyway, and I'll be able to utilize them to my advantage in a battle. He's a strong Pokemon, in the least, just as strong as Oshawott or Snivy if you know how to use him." He picked up the last pokeball and tapped the top in apology. "No offense, little guy." The Tepig glared up at him and huffed, rolling his beady little eyes. A moment later, the Pokemon nodded in acceptance, and Cheren smiled. Kuro tilted his head as Cheren looked up at them.

"Let's be the strongest Pokemon trainers in Unova." He told them, suddenly, looking determined. Bianca blinked, before brightening."Yeah! We'll be the best! Whaddya say, Kuro-kun? I bet you'll be the strongest of us three, but we'll all be at the top, right?" She smiled, and Kuro nodded, smiling slightly.

"Great!"The girl cheered, before her eyes widened and she looked back at the violet-eyes boy. "Burt first, Kuro-kun—let's have a Pokemon battle!"

Kuro blinked, taken slightly aback, but Cheren spoke before he could reply in any way. "Where, here?"The older boy sounded skeptical. "You can't fight a Pokemon battle inside, silly imouto. Pokemon battles are sometimes highly destructive. You don't want to put Kuro-kun's room into ruin, do you?"

Bianca blanched. "No! I wouldn't ever! But really," she rolled her eyes ,"it can't be that bad, and you just said sometimes, so we should be fine in here, right?"

Kuro raised an eyebrow, and the blond girl blushed slightly. Cheren sighed. "Who knows more about this stuff than you, imouto?"

"...You." Bianca grumbled.

"That's right," Cheren pushed his glasses up his nose, as they were sliding down again. "And who had done extensive reading on this very subject and had a clearer idea of what could happen?"

Bianca rolled her eyes. "You."She paused for a second, tilting her head, and continued. "And Kuro-kun..."

Cheren blinked, then nodded. "Yes, correct. So, who should you really listen to on this?"

"You,"Bianca huffed. "And Kuro-kun."

"So we should take this outside."

Bianca looked at Kuro, who nodded.

"Fine..."she sighed, Then she perked back up and skipped out of the room.

Cheren and Kuro exchanged glances before following after her.

(-Pokemon~

"Oshawott, use Focus Energy!" Bianca called. They were now in Kuro's front yard. This was going too fast—Kuro was just so amazing at Pokemon battles, even better than Cheren might be, even though she hadn't tested that theory. Maybe if she bid her time right, she could get in an attack and—

Kuro sent his Snivy a look. Wordlessly, the Snivy somehow managed to translate the words into a command, just as Vultri had learned to do only days after Kuro had caught it. Snivy dashed forward and used Vine Whip and effectively defeated her Oshawott, which fainted and was returned to it's pokeball. Bianca sat in the grass, a little bummed out that she'd lost, while Kuro and Cheren stared at her silently. She looked up, Snivy looked a little smug that he'd won, but she knew that all Snivy, and their evolutions, appeared like that. This Snivy almost looked a little apologetic that he'd won."It's okay, Kuro-kun is a strong Pokemon Trainer." She told the Snivy, who nodded, apparently happy. "I'll win, pone day," she smiled at her friend, who nodded back with a smile, "Kuro-kun."

"But!"She jumped back up, hugging Oshawott's pokeball to her chest. "From this battle, I now know what to name my Oshawott! He's a boy, and I know just what to call him," She smiled down at her Pokemon Partner, who was just waking up. Oshawott lifted it's paws to the inside of the ball and peered up at her. "I'm going to nickname him Ekitai."

"...Liquid?" Cheren raised an eyebrow. "How... creative." Bianca stuck her tongue out at him—the Oshawott seemed happy with his nickname anyway. "So, what are you guys going to name your Pokemon?" She asked.

"I'm going to call my Tepig Moesashi, which means "ember," He'll be the spark that starts the fire that will signify my rise to being a great Pokemon Trainer." Cheren replied, and his Tepig, which was out of it's pokeball and lounging in his lap, seemed to swell with pride at it's new name. "Kuro?" He turned to his proclaimed little brother. Kuro came over and fell to the ground next to him, pulling his knees to his chest. His outfit had changed a little over the year since they'd met him. He now wore black cargo pants, and a black wrap-around tunic that had gray trim and the Pokemon symbol on the left chest. His Trainer hat was black as well, with another gray Pokemon symbol on the front, and his feet were covered in black combat boots with gray laces and heel. He slipped a hand into one of the pockets of his pants and pulled out a small notepad and reached up to take the navy blue mechanical pencil that he always had tucked behind his right ear. Cheren leaned over to read what he wrote, and watched the letters form in Kuro's neat, beautiful handwriting. Bianca bounced up and read over the boys' shoulders. "Kizoku? Well," She looked down at the Snivy that perched on Kuro's shoulder. "He sure looks like a noble." The Snivy appeared to stand straighter. "Guess he likes it."

Kuro nodded and looked over at Cheren. His expression seemed to ask the older boy "Now what?"

Cheren sat up, stowing Moesashi back in his pokeball. "Let's make it a game." he told them. Bianca and Kuro tilted their heads. "A game?" The blond girl asked. "Make what a game?"

"Well,"he started, "We've already got instructions from Professor Juniper, and she's given us those Pokedex—now all we got to do is start our journey and challenge the gym leaders, making our way to the Pokemon League to beat the Elite Four, and eventually the champion—if we really do wanna be the best of the best, like we said." He looked them both in the eyes. "Since we've finally got Bianca's dad to let her become a Pokemon trainer—that took me and her years in trying, Kuro. I bet it was my cute little otouto's adorable face that really got him to agree—" Kuro thought it had more to do with the man's wife, Clara, than anything, but he decided not to mention anything."All we got to do is go over to Route 1 and start catching Pokemon, Then we'll level them up until we think we're strong enough to challenge the first gym leader when we get to the next city over."

"Wow, you've really planned this all out." Bianca told him, slightly awed. Kuro smiled. "So, I getcha—but what "game" are you talking about?"

"Well, lets all meet up at the beginning of Route 1 tomorrow morning, and spend today catching Pokemon. Then, we'll compare and whoever has the most Pokemon caught tomorrow when we meet, wins the game!"

Bianca tilted her head to the side and grinned. "Yeah, that sounds fun! You up for it, Kuro-kun?"

Kuro blinked, and thought the idea over for a few seconds before agreeing."Great! Let's start now, yeah?" She asked.

"Sounds good. I'll see you both tomorrow morning. "Cheren said. "Ano, otouto?" Kuro turned back to look at him. "Can you ask your mother to pack us three breakfast, lunch, and dinner for tomorrow? Shirosaki-san's food is the best, and that would be a great way to have our first day as Pokemon Trainers."

"Oh, yeah! Please, Kuro-kun?" Bianca pleaded—though they all knew it wasn't needed, as Kuro had already began to nod. "Yay! Thanks!"She cried, hugging him. Then she released him and leaped away, running for her house. "See you two tomorrow!"

"And you, Kuro-kun!" Cheren nodded, before walking off towards his own home, most likely to get some empty pokeballs. Kuro gazed after his two closest friends before disappearing back into his own home.

He wondered who would win this "game" tomorrow.

(-Pokemon~

Kuro hugged his mother one last time before tightening his scarf around his neck. Heiko was getting a little teary-eyed now, so he had decided it was time to go. He leaned down to grab the handle of the backpack Heiko had filled with food(she'd gotten a little into cooking, at last, after she'd taken him in—you could say that the whole of Nuvema Town had been grateful for that simple fact) and smiled as he straightened back up.

"Oh, Ro-chan," Heiko sniffed. "I can't believe you're leaving already!" She wiped at her eyes again and kept her hands up, on either side of her face and pressing over her mouth and she smiled.

Kuro nodded, strapping the backpack onto his back before bringing his hands forward to tell her, Don't worry. It's not like I won't come back again. I promise to visit frequently. Kuro, Heiko, and many of the others in Nuvema Town had learned sign language together so Kuro could speak with them.

Heiko nodded. "I-I know, but.. You've only been here for just a few years! And they passed by so fast!" She lurched forward and wrapped her arms around him. Kuro looked behind her and saw Ando leaning against the door frame that lead into the living room. He had a small smile on his face—like a master finally seeing his apprentice off. That was what it was, in a way. After all, Ando had taught Kuro everything he knew about Pokemon Battles. Kuro sent the young man a thankful smile and signed behind Heiko back and she clung to him—I'll see you again soon, right?

Ando's smile widened, if only slightly, and he sent the short pre-teen a nod.

Kuro felt almost relieved. At least Ando with be with them on some parts of their journeys—plural, as he had a feeling that he, Cheren, and Bianca would split up sooner or later, even if they didn't realize. Good. I'm glad. Thank you for everything you've done and will do.

Ando watched Heiko sniffle into Kuro's shoulder for a bit, before signing back. Please do not forget anything I've taught you, hai?

Kuro shook his head slightly, careful not to disrupt his mother.

Then I'm sure I'll see you very soon. Ando grinned a bit—and Kuro felt accomplished. He loved it when he could make Ando smile. He just wished the man, or his mother, would gather up the guts to finally confess their feelings to each other. He knew they would be happier together than right beside one another but separated. He somehow knew that that was painful. He wondered if that lingering feeling was something left over from the life he'd lived before. He smiled back at Ando and their silent conversation was broken when Heiko released him from the hug. Kuro quickly hugged her back and waved, before walking out the door.

"Come back soon, do you hear?" Heiko shouted after him, and Kuro almost grinned, waving again over his shoulder.

It took him a few minutes to make it to the small intersection, where the stairs that led down to the sea lagoon were on the left, and the tall grass was on your right. Route 1 welcomed you as you stepped forward—but he didn't step forward yet. He looked in his bag to confirm the presence of his Patrat, Purrlion, and Lillipup, which he'd caught yesterday, before joining Cheren and Bianca; who he saw a few feet ahead of him. They were speaking in low tones. Bianca looked up quickly and caught sight of him.

"Kuro-kun!" She waved excitedly. "Come over here! How many Pokemon did you catch?"

Kuro reached into his bag and brought out the three pokeballs, and both Cheren and Bianca groaned.

"Darn. You won!" Cheren exclaimed. "Both of us only caught two since we parted yesterday."

"Yeah," Bianca told him, sounded a little put out, but she brightened quickly enough. "I got one Purrlion and a Patrat. Cheren's got a Patrat and a Lillipup."

"I'm a bit happy about that," The raven-haired boy admitted. "I've heard that the Lillipup's final evolution is pretty strong. I guess that the Patrat is the easiest to catch, since we all have one."

"Either that, or we're all really awesome Pokemon Trainers," Bianca cheered, and Kuro smiled at her, tilting his head.

"Bianca wants us to travel to the first gym together—"

"I wanted us to do the whole journey together, all the way to the Pokemon league!" Bianca pouted, glaring at Cheren, and Kuro almost chuckled.

Cheren shook his head. "I don't think that's going to happen. After all, we won't get stronger if we grow to rely on each other. We could meet up in some places, or call using the transceivers, but other than that? I think I'm good. I want to get strong on my own, not with help."

Don't be like that. Kuro signed to him, and Cheren's eyes immediately zeroed in on the hand movement and translated them into words, like he'd trained himself and Bianca to do when Kuro wanted to tell them something. Sometimes you need help, ne? The best thing to do is acknowledge that fact, and accept the help when it comes.

Cheren sighed. "Right, I know..." He looked at Kuro for a moment, then frowned. "I guess one of us should go with you, though. I mean, what if you need help? What if you have an attack? What if you need to talk to someone but they don't know Sign language?" The boy was now clearly panicking, even if just a little. Kuro laid a hand on Cheren's shoulder and sent him a look. Cheren froze. "Ah, right. You can take care of yourself... But—you always forget about your pills! I need to be there to remind you! Or Bianca!"

"Oh, he'll be fine, Cheren-nii!" Bianca waved her hand dismissively. "I'm sure he'll find someone for that. Kuro-nii's just like that. Everyone loved Kuro-kun, they gravitate to him—he's like a cuddle magnet. How can you deny a cute face like that?" Kuro blushed, and Cheren grinned. "Yeah, you're right. I was worrying for nothing. But," she leveled a serious look at Kuro, "you best take a pill now, at least, in case you forget later. And then take one whenever your chest feels tight or starts to hurt—isn't that what Dr. Haruto said?"

Kuro nodded, taking out his medication and popping one pill into his mouth, swallowing it dry. Both Cheren and Bianca shuddered. "I don't know how you can do that," the blond girl told him. "I always have to drink mine, swallow it with water."

"Me too," Cheren agreed. "It feels weird without water."

"Hey, that reminds me, did your mom pack us some food?" Bianca bounced forward. Kuro tilted his head for a moment, before shoving the backpack on his shoulder over at her. She grabbed it with obvious delight. "Yay!"

Soon, each pre-teen was ful and ready for adventure. The three stood side by side and looked out over Route 1. Bianca looked over at her friends. "I know this is kinda cliché, but can you please just in... indul... um—"

"Indulge in you?" Cheren smiled.

She grinned. "Yeah."

Kuro looked over at her, and the two boys nodded. "Okay," the girl told them. "One, two, three—!"

As one, they all brought one foot forward and stepped onto Route one, officially beginning the first leg of their journey to becoming the strongest Pokemon Trainers Unova Region has ever seen.

(-Pokemon~

For you, Choco. I'm sorry this took so darn long T^T I didn't predict my sister coming over and spending every minute of the week with me. We did stuff... Like, living. Doing stuff, indulging in actual Life—the horror~!

By the way, please go onto DeviantART ad check out the pictures that Choco-Bunni and I have collaborated on! They're all for Kenbosho—fanart, if you will—and they're amazing!

Anyway, here you all are. I hope I didn't do too terribly on it~!

Please Read it and Review! I wanna know if I should actually continue!

With love,

Scylar X.