D is for Dream

He stood unmoving and helpless as he watched her get dragged away, her piercing screams filling the air. His father was next to him, watching the scene before them with a cruel smile, eyes glinting with malice.

As the Shadow Triad disappeared through the door, his father started laughing; laughter that filled the room, bouncing off the walls.

"What do you plan to do to Touko, Father?" he asked, a hint of sadness creeping into his voice. This was not going the way he had planned. He was hoping to defeat Touko and show her his ideals of a world where Pokémon were free from harm. Instead, Ghetsis had instructed for her to be locked up as letting her "roam free" would wreak havoc to Team Plasma's plans. Terror and dread had showed in Touko's eyes as the Shadow Triad pulled her away, which chilled him to the bone.

"Nothing you need to worry about, N," Ghetsis replied with a flick of his hand, dismissing the topic. "Come."

N followed his father out of the room and out into the grand hallway before turning into another room with a big window. Standing in front of the window, Ghetsis instructed N to watch.

Outside of the castle, on the ground and in the air, were Pokémon glaring angrily at the castle. There were five of them in total. To N, they appeared to be similar to the Pokémon he had just battled.

"Father, are those-!"

"Yes they are," Ghetsis replied as his lips curled up into a vindictive smile. "Tomorrow, you will address the public and instruct them to release all their Pokémon." His mind was already at work, planning and scheming. He was so very close to his goal and his senseless son had no idea of what he had in mind. Of course, he had already taken Zekrom from the dumb girl, keeping the legendary for himself.

A loud smack against the window drew both N's and Ghetsis's attention. An angry unfezant glared up at them as she flapped her wings, sending out blades of air. An array of bullets rebounded off the window, sailing through the air and crashing into the ground which shook and rumbled as a powerful Earthquake made contact. The castle quivered as an emboar repeatedly crashed into it with its flamed covered body. Thunder roared above as the result of a zebstrika's Thunderbolt. Water roused up from the ground as a stoutland used Surf.

N could sense the anger and infuriation radiating from Touko's Pokémon. They wanted to be back with their trainer, not out in the wilderness with her nowhere in sight. N was shocked to sense such intense feelings of loyalty. He knew Touko had a strong bonds with all her Pokémon and that they truly wanted to be with her and fight for her but seeing this surprised him.

"Unfe unfezant!" Unfezant cried, repeatedly using Air Slash on the window.

Ghetsis cackled and walked away, murmuring, "foolish Pokémon; they cannot break down the window or this castle. Soon they will be all mine."

N was left standing in the room, faced with seeing what he had done. It was his entire fault, wasn't it? His, that Touko's Pokémon had gotten released and she was locked up somewhere. He had only done what he thought was right, that Pokémon needed to be liberated to be happy but...

Touko's Pokémon looked far from happy. Their cries echoed anger, longing and worry. Looking directly out the window, N came face to face with Touko's Unfezant. She flapped her wings once and stared at him, boring her eyes into his.

"Bring Touko back to us. You're doing more harm than good. If you want Pokémon to be happy then bring our trainer back to us!"


N's eyes flew open and he gasped. The distress present in Unfezant's gaze was too much to handle. He could feel his heart pounding, still.

"Ar? Archeops."

Absentmindedly rubbing the top of Archeops' head, N reassured the first bird Pokémon that he was alright, that it was only a dream. A dream...

To him, it felt more like a nightmare. It was at his hands that caused those five Pokémon to feel such pain. Why was he dreaming about that now, of all times? The battle with Touko had passed and even though it wasn't that long ago, it was over. He had lost and Touko had prevented the liberation of Pokémon. Ghetsis had been taken away by the Champion. For the people of Unova, everything was back to normal. So why was his mind showing him what could've happened if he had won against Touko? It wasn't important anymore.

"Archeops, ar," Archeops stated before landing next to N, on Reshiram's shoulder.

N looked around and seeing nothing but endless water, decided that Archeops was right. It would take a few more hours before they were to spot Unova. He desperately needed rest and that dream hadn't help calm him.

"Archeops." I'll wake you up when we're near Unova.


"This is what happens to trainers that refuse to listen to Team Plasma," Ghetsis announced triumphantly as the screen started playing a video.

Every television program had been interrupted just so Team Plasma's announcement could be played. A week had passed since Touko lost to N and Team Plasma's plans for Pokémon liberation had been put in motion.

The screen showed Touko sprawled out on the floor, endless tears falling from her eyes. A Plasma grunt stood in front of her, holding her Pokéballs. She reached for them but the grunt always managed to dodge her attempts. The grunt teased her by placing the balls within her reach before backing up. When Touko cried out loud, the grunt kicked her and retreated.

Ghetsis's face replaced the video and proclaimed that Team Plasma will take the Pokémon of trainers by force if they did not cooperate. A solemn look appeared on his face and he bowed before the original scheduled program popped back up on the T.V.

N glanced out the window of his room and frowned. Ever since he had defeated Touko and the order for trainers to release their Pokémon was sent out, N saw countless Pokémon running around looking lost and scared.

They had nowhere to go and weren't used to be free. They no longer had the instincts of a wild Pokémon and didn't know what to do.

A stab of pain would always flow through him every time he watched the liberated Pokémon. From what he knew as a child, humans only hurt Pokémon. The Pokémon that he had been in contact with carried many bruises and gashes, a result of being mistreated and abandoned by trainers.

A knock at the door broke N's train of thought and he looked at the door but not before something outside caught his attention. A lone ducklett was perched on the windowsill, holding its right wing up.

He ignored the knocking and walked over to the window, carefully opening it. Whispering soothingly to the ducklett, he slowly reached a hand forward, not wanting to scare it. The ducklett looked at N, as if analyzing him before hopping onto his arm.

"My lord N, Sage Ghetsis has left a message for you and wishes that, oh!"

N glanced over from the ducklett to the door and motioned for Concordia to close it. Running his hand along the top of the ducklett's right wing, he could feel the bones underneath. Everything about it seemed to be fine.

"Ducklett duck," the water bird Pokémon stated, flapping his wings once, showing N that he was fine. "Duck."

The ducklett flapped his wings again and flew out the window, heading to the south, leaving N feeling confused.

"Is something wrong, my lord N?" Concordia asked, watching him stare out the window.

"It's fine. What does my father want?" N replied smoothly.

"He wanted to know if you had time to visit Touko before she gets transported. The Shadow Triad was unable to locate Zekrom on her after taking her other Pokémon and Sage Ghetsis says he must get Zekrom before they move her."

"Alright, tell my father I'll go visit Touko," N replied before walking out of the room.

xxx

"I don't care what you do to me; I'll never give you Zekrom!" Touko shouted without as so much glancing at the person that entered the cell. She sat in the corner, facing the wall and with her back to the door. "Just leave me here to die!"

His heart throbbed hearing her say such words with venom lacing her tone. "I'd never let you die, Touko," N stated softly, pain etched into the lines of his face.

Ever since his first encounter with Touko, he had thought differently of her than all the other trainers. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that her Pokémon were willingly putting themselves in danger to protect her and they wanted to be with her on their own freewill although that fact could be true for many trainers, he was intrigued by her.

It was because of her that he found out how twisted Ghetsis really was. Even though Touko had lost in their battle, she had almost persuaded N to give up on his plan, to create a new one that didn't involve trainers releasing their Pokémon. Touko was so close to getting N to change his mind when Ghetsis revealed his plan to be the sole person to have Pokémon. There wasn't much N could do on his own and now he was still Ghetsis' puppet while Touko remained locked up, like a prisoner.

Her whole body froze and she let out a gasp at the sound of his voice. N walked closer to her, letting the door behind him swing shut as a Plasma grunt stood outside as guard.

"W-why are you here?" Touko exclaimed. He could see tears forming in her bright blue eyes as she stared at him but he didn't answer. If he told her Ghetsis had sent him then surely she would hate him.

"I asked you why you're here!" she repeated, her voice louder than before. N flinched; he wasn't used to her being so loud. Whenever he was with her before, the two of them would talk and her voice was always soft, as if she was trying to comfort him.

He didn't know how to reply as he couldn't tell her the truth. "I came to visit..."

Touko scoffed and rolled her eyes, her hands curling into fists at her side. "Oh you're so generous, my lord N, coming down to this small cell to visit me. I'm sure you have better things to do," she spat.

N didn't know how to react; he had never seen Touko like this before. "What happened to you, Touko?" he whispered.

Her light blue eyes narrowed and she glared at him. "You have your father to thank for this. If it weren't for him then I wouldn't even be here! I'd be back home with my friends and my Pokémon!"

He opened his mouth to say something but no words came out, leaving his jaw hanging.

"You try being locked up without any access to the outside world. You try not being able to defend yourself as you're being assaulted and your Pokémon forcefully taken away. You try watching as your Pokémon are released into the wild and not being able to do anything about it. They weren't just Pokémon to me; they were my travelling companions, my best friends! Now they're all gone." She turned on him, eyes blazing. "I'll never tell you where Zekrom is. Kill me if you must but I'm taking this secret to the grave."

N could only stare at her as she went back to the corner of the cell, crouching down. To say he was shocked would be an understatement. He had never, in his right mind, imagined Touko was capable of saying such harsh words. He couldn't blame her for feeling this way though. If his friends were forcefully taken away from him he would feel the same but he couldn't figure out why she was lashing out at him.

"I could never kill you Touko. I'd never let anyone kill you," N replied, sadness creeping into his voice. How could she think that he would hurt her? If he had known she was to be beaten in order for the Plasma grunts to retrieve her Pokémon he would've objected and protected her, but he hadn't known. Was it his fault that she was suffering?

"Just leave me alone." She still had her back to him but he could faintly see her shoulders shaking, as if her body was being racked by endless sobs. It pained him to see her like that.


A wingtip poked N gently in the shoulder and he opened his eyes, blinking them to get used to the dim lighting. The sun was starting to set, casting its rays all across the darkening sky.

Beneath him, N could feel the vast white Pokémon shifting, squirming as if uncomfortable.

"Are you alright, Reshiram? If you're tired we can find a place to stop and continue tomorrow."

"I'm fine my lord. It's just..."

"What is it, Reshiram?"

"You have been moaning in your sleep. Also, you have been calling out her name a few too many times. Whenever that happens, I can feel your arm across my back, reaching for my mane as if you're trying to keep something from leaving."

"I apologize for that," N said sincerely. The Pokémon didn't say anything back, waiting for N to continue. Instead, silence filled the air and N let his thoughts drift off as Reshiram continued flying.

He started to wonder where all those dreams about Touko had come from. A week or two had past (N had lost track of the days) since he had been defeated by her. Peace had come to Unova and Ghetsis was in jail. Everything was for the better now, so why was he dreaming of what could've been if he had won?

If his dreams truly showed what would've happened if he had won then N was glad he had lost. Seeing the tortured looks in the "freed" Pokémon's eyes sent shivers down his body and hurt straight through his heart. It pained him to know they were hurting so much and it was him that caused it.

An image of Touko from his dream flashed through his mind. His breath caught in his throat and his heartbeat increased. The look on her face haunted him now, the sorrow, the anger, the longing.

"My lord, are you alright?"

"...I'm fine, Reshiram. Are you positive you can keep this up? If you're tired we can stop and take a rest."

"Yes, Unova is not that far from here. I will be in good health, my lord. You should get some rest," Reshiram stated, glancing back to catch a glimpse at N.


"N, don't leave! Alder has forgiven you, I'm sure the rest of Unova will feel the same. Please!" Touko pleaded, watching the green haired teen walking nearer and nearer toward the hole in the wall where Reshiram was waiting.

"I need to leave, Touko. I need to realize my own dreams. All this time I've been used by my father to help him achieve what he wanted. I was manipulated and now I don't know what I want anymore. I now know Pokémon are happy with their trainers, that the majority of trainers are kind to their Pokémon. I'm sorry Touko but I must go. We'll see each other again someday, surely," N replied as he backed away from her.

N faced the dark night and closed his eyes, letting his emotions wash over him. He felt conflicted on the inside. A part of him wanted to immediately climb aboard Reshiram and fly away while another part of him wanted to stay behind, to be with Touko. He didn't know where these feelings came from.

The hallway behind him was covered with a majestic red carpet and it muffled Touko's footsteps. She stayed quiet and before he knew what was happening, he found her arms wrapped around his waist, her head pressed up against his back. "Please don't leave," she begged. Her voice was muffled by his clothing, filling her plea with anguish and sadness.

His hands reached down to hers and he released them from his waist. Clutching her hands in his, N turned around and looked her in the face. Tears streaked her face and continued flowing from her bright blue eyes. "Don't go," she whispered.


"Archeops, ar!" N felt something poking him and cracked open his eyelids to see Archeops perched on Reshiram, next to him. "We're here, lord N."

Getting up from his position on Reshiram, N dismounted and headed up the familiar bridge. A pang of nostalgia hit him as he remembered walking up the bridge as a child, often accompanied by Concordia or Anthea.

Archeops flew next to his head, keeping a watchful eye on N at all times. Reshiram was content lying on the grass behind the Castle since N didn't believe in keeping Pokémon in Pokéballs.

Once he was inside the Castle, N wandered from room to room, checking them over. Ever since he had left, nothing had changed. Everything remained untouched and unmoved, as if once he left and Ghetsis was arrested, the entire Castle was frozen.

Eventually N ended up in that room, the room where he had lost to Touko, the room that he last dreamt of and the room where he last saw Touko. His dream came rushing back to him and he stared at the hole in the wall. It was still there.

"Do you plan to stand in this room for the rest of the day? If you are then I'm going to find Reshiram. I'm getting tired," Archeops mumbled before flying out of the room through the hole, and out into the area behind the Castle.

As Archeops left, N walked out of the room and into his old playroom. Everything he had as a child were still in their respective places. For now, this was good enough. Even though he had fallen asleep three times on the way back to Unova, he still felt exhausted and he was reluctant to go search for a better sleeping spot.


Her eyes were downcast as she fiddled with the hem of her dress, a shy smile on her face. He stood in front of her and grabbed her hands, placing a kiss on each one. Her face erupted into a blush and she looked away.

Soft melodic music flowed through the air as the pianist and the violinist continued playing. The other instruments waited their turn join in. Taking her hand in his, he directed her to the dance floor. Putting one hand on her waist and holding the other up, he led her in a slow waltz.

They looked blissfully happy, there together, dancing. Eventually her head came to rest on his shoulder as they simply swayed to the music.

With the last note echoing through the room, he placed a kiss on her lips. She returned the kiss and the two looked at each other, smiling. "I love you."

A/N: In case you can't tell, the end scene is a dream. Two bad dreams and two happy dreams, not bad, right? ;)

If any character seemed OOC please tell me and I'll attempt to fix it and please tell me if there are contradicting details in this.

I hope you liked this and all comments/reviews will be welcomed. On a side note, please don't expect all my other oneshots to be this long.

Happy Leafing~!