E is for Embrace

She never expected herself to finish Looker's task so fast. It hadn't even been a month yet! In truth, it wasn't a hard assignment, it just involved her travelling around Unova (again) and looking for the Sages. Sage Giallo had to be the hardest one to find as he was in a peculiar location and in a place she had never travelled to before. It didn't help that she had to climb up a waterfall.

Now, all the Sages, minus Ghetsis, were back in the custody of the International Police and the people of Unova could rest easy (but it wasn't like it affected them either way). With that job done, she found herself bored and unoccupied. There was nothing left in Unova that thrilled her.

All of her friends had found something to do. Bianca was working with Professor Juniper and Cheren was training under Marshal. Even Touya had found something to do with his time! He had decided to take on the trainers in the Battle Subway; his goal was to defeat the Subway bosses. She was the only one unsure of what to do with her life.

Touko sat on a bench outside the Nimbasa Amusement Park. It wasn't by choice that she was here, this city just happened to be the one closest to White Forest, the last place in Unova that she hadn't visited before.

Her thoughts drifted back to N. She couldn't help it! After apprehending the last Sage, Looker had told her that they, whoever they were, had spotted a person like N with a dragon Pokémon. After hearing that, Touko had gotten Unfezant to fly all over Unova, in hopes of seeing him, but she had found nothing. The little sliver of hope that Looker had given her when he said that slowly shrivelled up and died.

She had told herself, forced herself, to stop thinking about him, that it wasn't doing her any good. It had worked, for a few days, before she encountered a Sage and they would start talking about Team Plasma, causing her to think about N all over again.

Wherever N was, she just hoped he was happy, or at least at peace with himself and that he finally managed to figure out what he wanted to do with his life. If only I could figure out what to do with my life...

Touko thought about taking out her Pokémon to talk to them. There was nowhere in Unova she hadn't been to and she didn't feel like travelling to another region. Even though befriending new Pokémon and meeting other trainers held a certain thrill for people, her passion for battling seemed to have dwindled down.

At times like these, she couldn't help but hate herself. Her emotions would become erratic and unpredictable while her brain processed her thoughts at about ten thousand per second. It was as if she was a machine left covered in rust, nothing was functioning the way they should.

Before, when she didn't know any better, she often wished for a friend that could comfort her in her time of need, such as now. She wanted someone to talk to her, to soothe her worries and to tell her everything would be okay. Of course, no one in her life would ever fit that role. Bianca would most likely never understand her problems in the first place and Cheren would probably tell her to get over N. She couldn't blame him for feeling that way though; she knew he had never liked the green haired teen. Touya would attempt to cheer her up by battling but battling would only remind her of the past, which would lead back to N.

Telling her mother was out of the question. Even though Touko and her mother were close, she didn't feel right telling her about her feelings especially those for N. Everyone back in Nuvema Town had assumed she and Cheren would eventually get together. Where that idea came from, she didn't want to know.

On her journey, she had learned that that it wasn't possible to always have a friend at her side. Asides from her Pokémon, there will never be someone by her side at all times. Sure, if she were to call Bianca or Cheren on their Xtransceiver, they'd probably find her to comfort her or try to on the phone, but it wasn't the same.

N had managed to change all that. He always managed to make her feel better, to cheer her up. Even after he told her he was the king of Team Plasma, she still smiled whenever she saw him and got a chance to talk.

He would always lend her an ear and even when he didn't have any advice to offer her, she would always feel calmer afterward. No matter how much her Pokémon comforted her, they could never give her the same sense of peace that he did.

Looking into the horizon, Touko watched the setting sun and the different streaks of colour lighting the sky, signalling the end of another day. Already night was approaching and she had wasted another day. Fingering her Pokéballs, she unhooked Pansage's ball and called him out.

"Pansage pan," the grass monkey mumbled as he was released from his Pokéball, groggy from sleep. He looked around and noticed Touko staring at him, her eyes glazed over. "Pansage."

"Sorry for waking you, Pansage. I-I was getting a bit lonely," she replied with a sigh, her bottom lip jutting out in a frown.

"Pansage sage!" he stated, climbing up onto the bench and sitting beside his trainer. Like the last time Pansage saw Touko sad, he wrapped his arms around her and leaned against her side.

She patted his head and thanked him. Pansage smiled, playfully head butting Touko in the ribs. The two of them sat and watched as the sun sank lower and lower into the horizon, making way for the moon.

xxx

"Pansage," he whispered, poking Touko lightly in the shoulder. When she didn't move, he decided she must've fallen asleep. He was still at her side and his leaf was serving as a makeshift pillow for her. Even though spring was drawing near, the night was still chilly. Whenever a breeze swept passed them, Pansage could feel Touko shivering against him.

He knew she kept a blanket inside her bag but it was on the other side of her and if he moved then surely she would wake up. He didn't want Touko to wake up as he knew it would take her a day and a night before she would be able to fall asleep again.

Looking around his surroundings, Pansage saw Nimbasa City differently. Everything was bathed in darkness except for the few patches of light emitted from the street lamps. The noisy streets were now quiet as everything was closed and everyone asleep.

Another gust of wind blew past and Touko shivered slightly. Frowning, Pansage searched the area with his eyes, hoping to find something he could use to keep her warm. Even if he did find something, there was no way he'd be able to reach it without moving.

"Sage," he mumbled, disheartened that he couldn't find anything to keep her warm.

On the other side of Touko, all her Pokéballs, except for Pansage's, were still hooked onto her pants. One of them shook and a bright light flashed in the air, startling Pansage.

The proud Pokémon stretched her wings and flapped them once to get them moving again. Noticing her trainer sleeping against Pansage, she smiled and held in a laugh.

"Pansage pan?" What are doing out of your Pokéball?

"Unfe fezant." I could ask you the same thing.

"Pan pansage," the grass monkey stated, pointing toward his leaf. Touko wanted some company earlier then she fell asleep.

Unfezant glanced at the two of them before climbing up onto the bench. Perching on top, she draped her wings over Touko's shoulders in an effort to keep her warm. "Fezant," she instructed before closing her eyes. Get some sleep, monkey.

xxx

A low moaning sound startled the two sleeping Pokémon and they woke up, ears pricked and eyes alert. When they saw and heard nothing out of the ordinary, they turned their attention to their sleeping trainer. Touko moaned again and her mouth parted, calling N's name in a soft whisper full of longing.

"Pan pansage pan," he wondered. I think she's having a bad dream.

"Unfezant unfe," she retorted, rolling her eyes. Oh, I thought she's having a good dream. That's why she sounds like she's in pain.

"Please...no...N..." Touko murmured with her eyes screwed shut.

The grass monkey and the proud Pokémon turned their eyes on their trainer and sighed. This was probably the umpteenth time that Touko was calling out for N while asleep and there was nothing they could do to soothe her. They were just glad that she never remembered her dreams, or else Touko would feel even more depressed.

"I need you...I don't know anymore...my dream..." Touko whispered to the silent night. Pansage gently rubbed his trainer's arm and Unfezant rested her head on Touko's.

xxx

The darkness around them had alleviated a bit as night gave way to dawn. Sometime during the night, both Pansage and Unfezant had fallen asleep next to their trainer and Touko had stopped calling out in her sleep.

All was quiet, except for the occasional rustling of movement and the echoes of footsteps in the distance. The sound became louder and louder, piercing the silence as the person it belonged to walked nearer to Touko.

When he stood before her, he watched the outline of her chest rise and fall with each breath. Reaching out a hand, he resisted the urge to touch her and backed away. Pansage let out a laugh and smiled, turning a bit to the side but continued to sleep. He let out a breath of air that he didn't know he was holding in and sighed.

He knew he shouldn't have come, but it had taken all of his self discipline to not have looked for Touko earlier. Allowing himself to see her now was his present to himself and he couldn't take it anymore.

Ever since he came back to Unova, he had longed to see her again and to speak to her but he never found the courage. Even now, he was hiding in the shadows, letting himself see her while she was asleep so there was no chance of her seeing him. He couldn't face her, not yet.

His eyes went back to Touko's sleeping form and he smiled. She looked so peaceful for once, the tension in her shoulders that had been present during their last battle was gone and she looked relaxed.

She stirred and he froze, afraid of her waking up. When all was still again, he approached her once more, wanting to touch her.

"I love...you...N," Touko murmured, a wistful smile forming on her lips.

He paused and the corners of his lips turned up in a sad smile. Somehow he wasn't surprised to hear those words from her. Taking another step toward her, he kneeled so he was face to face with her sleeping figure.

Running his fingers through her hair, he let the loose strands slip through his fingers. Pushing the tresses that blocked her eyes behind her ears, he watched her sleep. Her chest rose with every inhale and sank with every exhale.

Her mouth parted and she called his name again. Her voice was soft and seemed to float on the air; he had to strain to hear her.

His chest ached when she spoke his name and he closed his eyes, letting his memories wash over him. He also remembered the dreams that had plagued him while he was sleeping on Reshiram's back. Those were, for the most part, anything but pleasant.

Noticing the darkness ebbing away and the sky filling with colour, he stood up and backed away, albeit reluctantly. Looking at Touko one more time, he fought the urge to go back to her side. Something inside of him was telling him to stay away from her, that he brought her enough pain already while another part was arguing against that, that he needed her by his side.

As his emotions clashed with one another, he walked back to Touko's side. Staring down at her, she looked peaceful and happy, but he could feel a lot of negative feelings within her.

The sky brightened even more as morning drew nearer and nearer. He bent down so his head was only inches from hers, even though Touko's face was at an angle. Acting on impulse, he placed his lips over hers for a brief kiss before backing away and walking back to where he had come from, flying away afterwards.

xxx

The bright sunshine shone down on Touko's face and she reluctantly opened her eyes, shielding them from the light. Looking around, she noticed that she was in Nimbasa... or to be more precise, on a bench outside the amusement park.

Feeling something soft and warm beneath her head, she turned and saw Pansage sleeping next to her and Unfezant above her, with her wings covering her shoulder.

Instead of shaking them off and waking them up, like what she would usually do, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of having her two dearest Pokémon with her in such a way.

As her thoughts drifted off, she thought back to last night. She could've sworn a person like N was here and...

Running a hand over her lips, she frowned and forced herself to remember. Someone like N had been here, with her, and they had kissed her... or was it all a dream?

Either way, she felt energized and happy, for once. New hope blossomed in her and she couldn't wait to leave Nimbasa and to go back to Nuvema, where she would plan out what she would be doing next. Somehow, she knew she was going to find N sooner or later, and she couldn't wait until that day.

A/N: Apologies if this oneshot doesn't exactly fit embrace, I was running out of ideas D: At first, N wasn't even supposed to be in this oneshot at all. It was going to be Touko bonding with her Pokémon, but I couldn't figure out how to end it so I threw N in. You guys don't mind right?

I mostly focused on Pansage and Unfezant because they're my favourite Unova Pokémon and I think they're awesome. Also, I thought that the other Pokémon that she had on her (alluded to in Challenge) would be too big to fit on the bench.

Anyone want to take a guess as to what F would be? ;)

Happy Leafing~!