Pure White Dreams / First of the Dreams & Destiny Trilogy

Updates Every 5-7 Days

Rating: K+ for occasional minor language

Disclaimer: Despite using characters, story, and some dialogue from this lovely source material, I can only express my admiration, rather than any ownership.

Previously: Since two years ago, Touko's dreams became small. All she wanted was the joy of Pokémon to help fill the hole in her heart. Now she finally has that chance. And with Snivy and her two best friends, Cheren and Bianca, she can finally step out of her small town down a path filled with memories...

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Chapter Two

Small Town Misadventures

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"One, two!"

All together, the trio from Nuvema Town stepped out onto Route 1, the first steps of their Pokémon journey taken while holding hands. Just like the day Cheren and Bianca stood beside Touko when she was being bullied out of playing softball by the boys on the playground.

Eight years later, they still stood together.

Bianca let go first, running ahead to the sign. "Look! Only ten miles to Accumula Town!"

"'Only ten,' huh?" Cheren repeated as he examined the sign as well.

Touko looked up at the sky. It was easy to see Cheren's point. She didn't know a lot about telling time without a digital clock telling her exactly what was what, but the sun was already looking pretty low. The day was going by fast.

"So, we'll get there tomorrow. No big deal!" Bianca replied in her brightest, carefree manner, waving off any of Cheren's minor concerns or frustrations.

The waving did not work very well though, as Cheren could only sigh in new exasperation.

"Come on, we'll just make what time we can today," Touko compromised, then walked past them to demonstrate her prodigious ability to walk and talk at the same time.

Bianca ran to catch up, taking Touko by the arm. She looked over her shoulder and stuck out her tongue at their friend. "See, Cheren? Touko thinks you're being silly!"

"I didn't say that."

But it didn't matter, because Cheren gracefully ignored the incorrect jab and walked beside them. It must have been the excitement of the day that kept Bianca and Cheren so peaceful and forgiving. Hopefully, the mood would last. They would have to spend a lot more time together, even more so than the constant invasion into each other's lives that already existed.

"Ohmigosh! You guys! Look! It's the lake!" Bianca ran ahead and disappeared into the trees.

Touko and Cheren followed behind, to take one last look at the only landmark around Nuvema Town. A not very important one at that, except to them.

"You know, it's not actually a lake," Cheren noted as they looked across the sparkling water.

"We didn't know that until we were ten though. No point in calling it something else now after all this time," Touko replied with a shrug. Then she smiled. "Might as well keep the name as tribute to the adventure."

"That was so reckless." Cheren grimaced at the memory.

"It was so much fun, though!" Bianca added in with a bright smile.

"In hindsight, maybe. If I recall, you were in tears at the time, Bianca."

"Tears of joy!" Bianca insisted with a nod, but even her upbeat manner couldn't repress a shudder at the memory.

"Our parents were so ticked," Touko recalled with a wincing smile. "If Unova allowed licenses at ten, we still would have had to wait until we were fifteen after that."

"Can't really blame them," Cheren said, wincing as well.

As the three stared out at the water, Touko could remember the incident all too well. A long, hot, and boring summer day when three children between the ages of nine and ten with too much time on their hands decided to break all of the rules.

Don't leave town without telling your parents. Never leave town without a proper Pokémon guard. Don't play trainer without permission to use your father's Pokémon.

Essentially, what they'd done was take Touko's dad's Braviary without permission so they could leave town and go to "the lake" by themselves. What followed, was a terrifying incident when Bianca had gotten caught up in a current and all three learned that just because you can't see the edge of the water thanks to some trees, doesn't mean you should assume there is an edge to the water.

Brav wouldn't listen to a single command from Touko to rescue Bianca, leading to a very sobering lesson about using someone else's Pokémon. Brav only listened to her before because her father had ordered him to.

Luckily, Touko's dad figured it out and caught up with them before things went too far. Her father and Brav staged a spectacular rescue, just like a hero on TV. It was that day, that Touko really decided that she wanted to be a trainer, rather than just a girl with Pokémon.

What followed was unpleasant and the experience itself had been terrifying, but somehow, it became a fond memory. An adventure on their own. A disaster, to be sure, but their first try for independence.

"Man, we were stupid," Cheren finally broke the silence. And all three burst out into laughter.

"That's why it was such a good learning experience," Touko offered as the alternative optimistic interpretation.

"Experience we should put to use on a real adventure!" Bianca decided enthusiastically. She turned back around and pointed down their path. "Onward, to Accumula Town!" She raced ahead.

"As far as we can get, anyway," Cheren added as he and Touko followed. Though, he said it much more mildly this time.

"Accumula Town, huh?" Touko pondered aloud. "Feels weird to start some great journey in a place that's so familiar."

"Of course the places at the beginning are familiar," Cheren answered with the adjustment of his glasses that often accompanied his being a know-it-all.

Ahead of them, Bianca slowed down until she walked beside them as well, then said softly, "I haven't been actually. Maybe driving through when we went on that family vacation once, but…"

Touko frowned as she looked at her friend. It looked like the person most responsible for Bianca knowing "nothing about the world" was Mr. Snow himself.

"Well, now you get to see it," Cheren said nonchalantly. "Of course, it's nothing to really get excited over, barely bigger than Nuvema…"

"Don't oversell it or anything, Cheren," Touko remarked.

Bianca giggled, easily back into her lighthearted mode and keeping up everyone's mood with her.

Despite Touko's fears, everyone remained happy and joking the entire day and right through their first night camping out on the side of the road. But as they were getting into the sleeping bags for the night, something occurred to Touko.

"Isn't it weird that we haven't met any Pokémon, yet?"

Cheren and Bianca looked to her at this new revelation.

"Hmm…" Bianca hummed thoughtfully. "Maybe our parents were always just liars about how many Pokémon were outside town to make sure we wouldn't wander off."

"We just need to go further into the wild grass tomorrow, is all," Cheren explained, rolling his eyes at Bianca's explanation.

Touko flopped down onto her pillow with a frown, unhappy with either explanation. She wanted to meet more Pokémon. It always felt like leaving Nuvema Town would mean entering the wilderness with Pokémon all over the place.

"You know, you need more Pokémon if you really want to be Champion, Cheren," Touko informed him sullenly. "You could show a little more concern."

"Or I could figure that with one Pokémon, I can increase my effort and results in training Tepig."

Touko sighed, giving into the argument. It was one she understood far too easily.

Well, if I can't meet any yet, I'll just enjoy what I have, Touko decided and she took out Snivy's Poké ball, releasing her companion.

Snivy stared at her as if to say, "It took you long enough," and crawled into her sleeping bag without an invitation, claiming a portion of her pillow for his own as well.

"That's so cute," Bianca observed with a giggle.

Touko, on the other hand, frowned down at her Pokémon, wondering exactly who was in charge. But as everyone else got into their sleeping bags and they put the fire out, Touko couldn't help but smile at her Pokémon already asleep. Her Pokémon. It still felt like a dream. She laid her head down on what room on the pillow was left to her and hoped that even after she fell asleep, she wouldn't wake up.

XWXWXWXWX

In the morning, Touko found that Snivy had somehow forced her completely off of her pillow and was using the entire thing as a bed. She couldn't even really figure out how this happened, because Snivy was too small to even need the whole thing. It was certainly a strain on her all-consuming love for her companion.

But because she was, in fact, consumed by love, she adjusted her revenge accordingly and grabbed the small Pokémon in a hug and bestowed a kiss on the top of his head to wake him up.

Now, thoroughly awakened, Snivy squirmed out of her grip and leveled a small frown at her, increasing the disdain in his eyes. But Touko only smiled and pat her companion on the head before getting up. Snivy stood up, with a flick of his tail to Touko for the insulting cutesiness he had endured so early in the morning and returned to his Poké ball to finish his morning's rest.

Touko just laughed at his theatrics, somehow already used to his alternately haughty and serious demeanor.

Bianca and Cheren woke up soon and after half an hour, they'd all eaten breakfast and broken down their makeshift camp, anxious to head out for the first full day of their journey.

"Well, let's move ahead to Accumula Town," Cheren said and started walking ahead.

"Wait. What about catching Pokémon?" Touko asked with a frown. "We didn't see any yesterday, so I thought today we were going to go looking. Don't forget about the Pokédex."

"If I encounter some Pokémon along the way, sure, I'll catch them. But I want to make some good time today. Don't you guys?"

"Yeah…" Bianca agreed, "After all, I want to go shopping for more Poké Balls to catch my Pokémon!"

"Do you think you can catch more than four on just Route 1?" Cheren asked skeptically.

Bianca pouted. "Don't be mean."

"Well, it's not like I really want to catch that many on Route 1 either."

"Ah! But see! You said 'want'! If you wanted to, you could! But I just can't!"

"I don't think I meant that."

"'Think'?"

Touko felt a pout of her own coming on. What happened to the excitement from yesterday? "Do we really want to fight so early? We should be heading off to adventure in the morning sun and catching Pokémon and…that kind of stuff."

Bianca at least looked thoughtful about this; Cheren looked like he just wanted to go.

"I've got it! Touko, Cheren, I thought of something fun!" Bianca said suddenly, always the one coming up with ideas. "Why don't we see who can catch the most Pokémon? The person carrying the most Pokémon is the winner!"

It was like a burst of sunlight cleared the tense mood. That was Bianca, all right. "That's a great idea Bianca!"

"Huh. Actually that sounds interesting," Cheren replied much more soberly.

"Why do you sound so surprised? My ideas are usually fun," Bianca stated with a small nod of assurance for herself.

And destructive, Touko added silently. To Cheren's credit, even he let this easy shot slide.

"So, let's go!" Bianca cried as she ran off ahead of them.

"Don't just run off!" Cheren called after her as he ran onto the route as well.

As Touko stood alone she sighed, almost fondly, Competitive as always, and continued at her own leisurely pace.

Despite the fact that, as Cheren had told her multiple times, Pokémon would be waiting in the tall grass, after wandering around for an hour she still hadn't found anything. Despite winning her first two battles against her friends, it looked like she was about to be on the losing side.

She was just about to give up and walk straight through to Accumula Town, when she literally tripped over a Lillipup.

For a moment their eyes met and Touko broke out in a wide smile. Oh my gosh, my first wild Pokémon!

For Lillipup, however it was not love at first sight. He gave a fierce little growl, which was more cute than intimidating. Fortunately, Touko had spent enough time studying to know that with Pokémon, looks could be deceiving. She scrambled to her feet and pulled Snivy's Poké Ball, almost dropping it in her excitement.

"Alright, Snivy. I'm counting on you!" she told her first Pokémon when he was out of the Ball.

Seeing that he was about to step into battle, his cute-grudge was promptly put behind him and he smiled, ready to go.

She used the same tackle strategy (or lack of strategy) as she had with Cheren and Bianca, except she held back once she saw that Lillipup was getting sluggish. Then, with years of training as her school's Girl's Softball team pitcher, she hit the mark with her Poké Ball.

After a few seconds that felt like hours, the ball clicked and Touko had caught her first Pokémon. She threw her arms up in the air and jumped as high as she could.

"Oh my gosh!"

She picked it up from the grass and turned to Snivy, the only one around to enjoy the glory with her. "Snivy! Look what we did! It's my first…our first! The first Pokémon we caught!"

She picked up her grass Pokémon and twirled him around. And despite the permanent snide look in his eyes, she thought she saw a little smile at this display of affection. She set him down on the ground and gave him a long look. "You know what, partner? I think you'll be just fine out of your ball. I sure could use the company."

She gave a little nod, feeling quite pleased with herself; though Snivy didn't look too put out either. Probably. It was hard to tell.

"Know what else? We're going to catch another Pokémon and at least put up a good fight for the competition! Let's go!"

The new duo helped Touko catch a Patrat as well, giving her a trio to command. Ignoring the competition, three Pokémon was plenty for a brand new trainer to care of, so she met up with her friends at the end of the route.

Both of them had two, so she was the winner once again.

"Looks like three is my lucky number," she told them with a laugh. "Three victories, three Pokémon!"

"No one likes a bragger," Cheren informed her sourly.

"Oh, like you wouldn't do it in my place, spoilsport," Touko complained as she put away her Poké Balls. "Let's get to Accumula Town now."

"By the way, should your Snivy really be out and about like that right now?" Cheren asked with a frown.

"See, that's what I mean about being a spoilsport," Touko answered breezily and continued on her way.

"I was reading something…this Professor from…Johto, I think? Well, he said it's a good thing to walk around with your Pokémon," Bianca added as she trotted along beside them. "It builds your relationship!"

Even Cheren couldn't argue with a professor. His silence spoke volumes and Touko sent a little smirk his way.

The three walked together, joking their way through town until they came to the Poké Center where Professor Juniper was waiting. She was going to show them all through the Poké Center, which Touko thought sounded boring, but was too polite (or shy) to say as much. Cheren wasn't so polite and left because he "already saw everything when I was ten."

Of course, that wasn't before the professor made Touko put Snivy away before going inside so Cheren could give her an "I told you so" look in retaliation for her smirk. When he left, Professor Juniper just laughed good-naturedly and brought the girls on the tour. There must have been some adult secret, because just like her mom, Professor Juniper seemed able to laugh off anything.

Naturally, Bianca was thrilled over everything and Touko did have to admit she learned some new things. The PC was going to be incredibly useful. Though she still had her problems with Pokémon storage. If she did complete the Pokédex, how often would she see all those Pokémon? There were so many in Unova alone! She'd have to work out some sort of rotation schedule or else she'd miss everyone too much. Already, she felt it would be too sad to be separated from either Lillipup or Patrat. Not to mention Snivy.

After they healed their Pokémon and picked up some items, they headed back outside while Juniper told them about someone named Fennel they should be on the look out for. Touko privately wondered if she'd get to find out if all researchers were a bit quirky, or if it was just the professor.

The professor headed back to Nuvema Town while Bianca ran back into the Poké Center because she "forgot to pick up some super-super important items" leaving Touko on her own again. She thought about calling her mom, to check in like she promised, but it had only been a day.

Plus there seemed to be a growing crowd in the plaza across the street…

Funny, it was empty when we went inside. We weren't that long, were we?

She made her way to the front of the crowd and found Cheren. With Tepig. Normally she would take the opportunity to gloat, but she was more curious about the crowd. "What's going on?"

"I was wondering that myself." He frowned and gestured to a group of men and women in what resembled, perhaps a medieval knight's uniform (or at least drawings she'd seen in children's books).

A man walked to the front of the group, wearing a long robe. When he spoke, it was with a deep, powerful, reverberating voice; like it was made for giving speeches.

"My name is Ghetsis. I am here representing Team Plasma."

At that there were several murmurs in the crowd, "What's Team Plasma?"

Cheren and Touko just exchanged looks of uncertainty.

"Today ladies and gentlemen, I would like to talk to you about Pokémon liberation!"

If the announcement of the unfamiliar team caused a stir, this was like setting off fireworks in the plaza. Everyone was looking at each other in confusion. Touko felt a deep uneasiness rising in her stomach and chest.

"I'm sure most of you believe that we humans and Pokémon are partners that have come to live together because we want and need each other. However…is that really the truth? Have you ever considered that perhaps we humans…only assume this is the truth?"

She reached inside her pocket and gripped Snivy's Poké Ball in her hand.

"Pokémon are subject to the selfish commands of Trainers…They get pushed around when they are our 'partners' at work…"

The use of the word, "partner" felt like an icicle in her chest and she took Snivy's ball out of her pocket, holding it to her chest. They were partners. Hadn't Snivy smiled at her? She couldn't have just seen that because she wanted to, right?

"Can anyone say with confidence that there is no truth in what I'm saying?"

The crowd seemed uncertain, only a few disagreeing, others seeming uncertain, the majority were like Touko, left silent.

The man, Ghetsis walked toward her side of the crowd and stood before her. She looked in his one visible eye and felt such a bitter chill coming from him. Suddenly, Touko found a rare strength, like what had seized her the prior morning when she stood in Bianca's house.

"No! It's wrong!" she shouted, clear as day.

Suddenly, the crowd went silent and that cold eye was upon her. Despite his seemingly reasonable words and good-intentioned message, something was wrong about the man. She stiffened, but refused to turn away, a defiant look in her eyes.

"A new trainer I see…perhaps then, with time," he dismissed her, though what seemed like a kind smile, felt much more like a snarl to her. He turned to the rest of the crowd. "Now ladies and gentlemen, Pokémon are different from humans. They are living beings that contain unknown potential. They are living beings from whom we humans have much to learn. Tell me, what is our responsibility toward these wonderful beings called Pokémon?"

The murmurings began again, but this time Touko remained silent, only glaring at the man.

"That's right! We must liberate the Pokémon! Then, and only then, will humans and Pokémon truly be equals." He allowed this bold statement to sink in before continuing, "Everyone, I end my words here today by imploring you to consider the relationship between people and Pokémon…and the correct way to proceed."

With a final nod of deference to the crowd, he closed out his speech, "We sincerely appreciate the attention." Then he left with the rest of "Team Plasma" in formation around him, their organization reminding Touko eerily of a full-blown military.

Before he turned the corner, she could have sworn that he glanced back with the same cold eye and this time, she wasn't able to appear unnerved.

Once he was gone, everyone in the crowd began talking excitedly before dispersing, choosing to ignore the question than face it on such a nice day.

"What do you think?" She turned anxiously to Cheren once they were alone.

"I think that was really unlike you."

"That's not what I'm talking about." She released Snivy from his Pokéball and crouched down so she was at the same level as her Pokémon. "I can't imagine not having Snivy with me already. He is my partner…"

Snivy let out a few noises, which Touko couldn't really figure, but she hoped it meant he was happy. She gave him a small smile.

Cheren seemed unsure of what to say for once, looking at his own Tepig on the ground.

Seeing Cheren's gaze, Snivy turned to Tepig and the two Pokémon involved themselves in some sort of conversation the trainers couldn't hope to follow. But there was a lot of nodding and therefore probably agreement involved.

Touko smiled at the newly created bond between the Pokémon, friends just like her and Cheren. Snivy turned to look up at Touko, and this time she knew for sure that he was smiling at her.

"Your Pokémon…" An unfamiliar voice began, a quick mumble, "Just now, it was saying…"

Touko looked up to see who had spoken. A stranger, a boy perhaps older than her? She couldn't really tell much about, except, perhaps it was just her position on the ground, but he looked almost menacingly tall. Or maybe it was just because of the green hair, like that Ghetsis guy. Everything about that man gave her the creeps at the moment.

As he approached she picked up Snivy in her arms and stood up so she wouldn't feel so small. It didn't really help. She scooted next to Cheren for support instead, practically hiding behind him.

"Slow down. You talk too fast," Cheren said. "What's this about Pokémon…talking? That's an odd thing to say."

It was a very odd thing to say. Though Touko already felt that the boy (young man?) before her was a very odd person.

"Yes, they're talking," he answered, speaking just as quickly as before. He paused for a moment as the realization took hold. "Oh. Then you two can't hear it, either…How sad."

Cheren's frown just deepened at that, he looked itching to point out the lack of logic in what the man was saying: Pokémon didn't talk. At least not in a way people could understand.

As for Touko, she felt like she was being pitied somehow, which didn't exactly sit well with her either.

"My name is N," the green-haired boy informed them.

Once again, Cheren looked ready to say something quite rude if Touko read his expression right ("That's not a real name" seemed most likely), so Touko elbowed him in the stomach. Despite the action, she remained silent and looked to Cheren to cover for her.

Regardless of the injury he just received from his friend, Cheren recognized Touko's usual stranger-induced shyness and spoke for the both of them, politely lest he get another elbow to the stomach. "My name is Cheren, and this is Touko. We were asked to complete the Pokédex and we just left on our journey. My main goal is to become the Champion though."

"The Pokédex, eh?"

Touko raised her eyebrows. He'd actually heard of it? Was she just constantly out of the loop?

"So…you're going to confine many, many Pokémon in Poké Balls for that, then. I'm a trainer, too, but I can't help wondering…Are Pokémon really happy that way?" He was still speaking quickly, but Touko could keep up, because it sounded a lot like what she'd just been hearing. And that sudden fire in her returned.

The fact that she felt her own twinge over the Pokédex and storing her Pokémon was ignored for the moment. She loved Pokémon; she wouldn't allow anyone to insinuate that she didn't put them first.

"That's not fair!" Touko disagreed loudly, stepping forward to stand apart from Cheren. "People are suddenly acting like everyone just throws Pokémon into Poké Balls. I love my Pokémon and I have a pretty good idea about what they feel too. Because Snivy smiled at me! No one can tell me that doesn't mean anything."

The sudden outburst clearly came as a surprise to Cheren, who had never heard her say more than a few words to strangers unless forced into it and always in the softest voice.

The actual person she was speaking to, however, looked quite unperturbed. N walked toward her. "Well, Touko, is it? Let me hear your Pokémon's voice again!"

She just furrowed her brow in confusion. It took until he pulled out a Poké Ball that she realized this was a challenge for a battle. She swallowed and stepped back, setting Snivy on the ground. "Fine, my partner and I will accept that challenge."

He sent out a Purrloin, another local Pokémon that Touko felt lucky she knew quite easily. A dark-type Pokémon. If her memory and lessons were right, there wouldn't be anything nasty waiting for her Snivy. Just a battle based on skill and power.

"Snivy, let's try out what we learned today. Use vine whip!" But the Purrloin was too fast and got its scratch in first.

It was tense, trading blows back and forth. This time, when Purrloin used growl, it did have Touko worried about the battle. This guy knows what he's doing, she thought, brow knit in determination, But this is my third battle and since three is my lucky number today, I will win this fight.

"Straight-forward," she murmured to herself. Then louder to Snivy, "Keep using vine whip, don't stop!"

Once she set aside her uncertainties, the battle turned entirely in her favor. At some point in the battle, after a growl from Purrloin, Snivy got particularly worked up with a disdainful growl of his own, and started throwing everything into each attack. Eventually, it was with a particularly harsh tackle that the Purrloin fell.

Touko ran forward and picked up Snivy, but once she stood up straight, she froze, unable to celebrate the victory. The look on N's face was quite different from either Cheren or Bianca when they lost. They had taken it in stride, Bianca had even been excited. But N looked hurt, somehow.

"I never expected to hear Pokémon say such things," she just barely heard her opponent say. He sounded so confused and he was speaking softer than before, as if she wasn't really meant to hear it. She felt a little embarrassed that she had, it felt like it was an intrusion, and she looked away.

However, he seemed to pick himself up quickly and began rambling on again, "As long as Pokémon are confined in Poké Balls…Pokémon will never become perfect beings."

"Perfect—?" she started in confusion, but he continued right through.

"I have to change the world for Pokémon, because they're my friends," he said with a certain finality. Then he turned and disappeared further into the town, leaving no shortage of confusion behind him.

For a moment, Touko wanted to follow after him, unable to get the expression after he lost out of her head. She wanted to find out why, what were the things that this strange trainer was saying?

But common sense reigned and she stood by Cheren in silence.

"Huh…strange guy," Cheren commented nonchalantly.

"Isn't that a bit of an understatement?" Touko mumbled, still sporting a confused frown.

"Who is it that's always telling me to be nice? Anyway, I'm not going to worry about it. Trainers and Pokémon help each other out. Like you said, we really are partners. So, don't you worry about it either."

"I'm not worried…just angry," Touko insisted, hugging Snivy to her chest. "That someone would want to take away a friend…it's just as bad as taking away you or Bianca really."

Cheren smiled slightly at that. Then, almost instantly, he looked uncomfortable and said, "Listen, I'm going on ahead."

"Eh?"

"I want to battle the gym leader in the next town—Striaton City. You should too. Aim to battle gym leader after gym leader. The best way for a trainer to become stronger is to challenge the gyms in each area."

"Cheren…" What was she supposed to say? Don't go, like a needy child and halt Cheren on his path to his own dream? Instead, she gave a small little nod, not trusting herself to voice anything without showing her disappointment.

Satisfied with that response, Cheren turned around and started to walk off. "Good luck," he said without turning around, "And don't worry too much."

Then he was gone.

Bianca wasn't around either.

What was the point of being on this adventure together if they weren't together? She'd thought they were going to stick with each other, maybe not every step of the way, but at least at the beginning.

Was she the only one who thought that way?

She looked down at Snivy. Then she thought of N. "Friends. That's what he said…that Pokémon were his friends. I guess it's only natural for him to consider abandoning them, then."

Immediately, she realized how immature this sounded, but with no one around to hear it, she didn't particularly care for the moment. "Come on, let's get you healed. Then we can go find Bianca so she can properly leave us behind too. We'll be slowpokes and stay the night."

XWXWXWXWX

After she spent the afternoon roaming the town, Touko came to the conclusion that Bianca had left as well, confirmed by an Xtransceiver call a while later ("Sorry, Touko! I didn't even realize you weren't here too!").

The town was thoroughly explored (it was just a town, but it sure was bigger than home), but without much reward. The people seemed just as friendly as at home, but she was too shy to really talk to anyone except a couple of very friendly kids who had been very impressed when she threw their wayward ball back to them, getting it right in the kid's glove without any effort required on his part.

But it was getting dark, so she popped back into the Poké Center. She looked at the mart; she should get a few more potions and Poké Balls, but who knows what would be necessary later on? Plus she needed to find a place to spend the night…

Poké Centers were supposed to be useful; she could do this. She walked up to someone at the counter. "Excuse me?" she asked in a small voice. "Since it's getting dark, I was looking for a place to stay."

"Oh yes. Accumula Town is quite small, but we do have a couple of beds for trainers upstairs. We don't have as much space, so we have to use the corridor every so often to get to the storage closets, but we'll do our best not to disturb you," the nurse answered with the most pleasant smile.

Touko tried to hide the horror from her face, at the prospect of having people be able to see her sleeping. "Th-thank you. I'll be back then," she mumbled and scurried outside to better think things over.

She walked to the park across the street and slumped into the nearest bench. "Maybe we should just go on ahead like Cheren and Bianca. Even if it's dark."

After looking at Snivy's frozen stare, she sighed and set him down on her lap. "Yeah, Mom would kill me."

She sat for a long time, just looking up at the stars in the darkening sky.

It was her first night by herself and already she could feel the weight of a journey taken on her own. She could be honest with herself now that she was alone.

She was scared.

Adventure was all well and good in theory, but all Touko ever really wanted was a Pokémon of her own. Beyond that she hadn't given anything much thought. Being a trainer was such a vague goal if she really thought about it. You battled people, but to what end?

She didn't like to admit it, but that man's speech did get to her. It was easier to just dream at home. Now she was out in the world and people were claiming that the very thing she'd dreamed of her entire life was wrong somehow. Amongst all the other struggles that were still ahead, there was this new weight on her mind that she couldn't just brush off.

It was enough to make her think that she wasn't ready. Why else would she have wasted the day in a town she'd visited about fifty times before?

The world was a scary place. If people weren't even safe at home, what would happen to her…?

"Stop it," she muttered to herself when she felt the tears stinging at her eyes. She pressed her hands to her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm down and escape the downward spiral.

She'd been so excited about getting a Pokémon that she'd been able to hide her anxiety from everyone. Even herself.

When she felt ready, she lowered her hands and took a deep breath. Snivy was looking at her with concern, the second emotion she could feel certain about her Pokémon displaying and she smiled at him to let him know she was all right. She received a smile in return.

That was enough to give her courage. It was enough to make it worth it.

She stood up and walked straight on into the Poké Center and gladly accepted their kind offer of a bed.

When she saw the room—more of a hallway, really—she realized it wasn't that bad. A little dark, a little lonely, but better than frightening herself half to death on the route in the middle of the night. There were no other options, because she wouldn't be going home until she accomplished what she wanted.

Whatever that was.

Touko sat on her bed, changed into pajamas and brushing her hair when she remembered that she was supposed to call her mother. She put her things away, and took out her Xtransceiver.

"Oh, finally. It was getting late, so I wondered if you were ever going to arrive," her mother said from the other side of the screen.

"Sorry, I'm just about to go to bed now," Touko replied, only a little sorry. Considering what her mother put her through the day before, she could squirm a little.

"Oh? So, you figured out about the Poké Centers? I was afraid you'd be too shy to ask anyone and you wouldn't figure it out. I was going to call you in a few minutes."

"Your faith in me is really reassuring."

"Mothers are supposed to fret. Don't take it too personally."

"Hmph," Touko muttered noncommittally.

Not getting the proper reaction, Touko's mother gained a certain look of determination before switching gears into overly dramatic worry. "See…right now, I'm imagining my poor little angel getting mauled by Beartic."

"It's spring," Touko replied flatly. "And Beartic aren't anywhere near this part of Unova."

"You never know. I've heard of Ursaring that can swim right through a river or climb up a tree in order to get in their daily maulings. Beartic are certainly capable of that."

"Wait…Ursa-what?"

"It's a Pokémon that lives outside of Unova, dear. What do they teach you in school these days?"

Touko ignored the ridiculous implied notion that she or anyone else would ever be able to identify all of the Pokémon in the world; they were discovering new ones all the time. Instead, she asked the much more useful, "What does that have to do with Beartic?"

"They look close enough," Mrs. White replied with a little shrug, ruining her well-acted part of a distressed mother with her nonchalance. She returned to it just the same. "Oh my. Now I'm worrying about an Ursaring mauling, too…"

"I'm sure, I'm fine."

"I'm sure you are too, with good old Smugleaf to watch you—"

"Who?"

"Your Snivy. Professor Juniper told me which Pokémon you chose, though really you should have been the one to say something."

"'It never came up,'" she quoted her mother with a smirk. "But Smugleaf, eh?"

"Don't change the subject. Like I said, I'm sure you're fine, but be careful about strangers."

The word "strangers" brought the earlier events back into her mind. Ghetsis, Team Plasma, and then that strange trainer N. All of her fears following after.

"Hey, Mom, today…"

"Yes?"

Touko frowned. She'd already felt enough like a child as it was, what would it really do to go crying to her mother?

"Never mind. I'll tell you later since I'm getting tired."

"…Well alright then. Be sure to call me from the gym in Striaton."

"I will, Mom. Good night."

"Good night, dear." With that the feed cut off and Touko had to stem off another rush of sadness as her mother's face disappeared.

She didn't want to feel or sound like a baby, but suddenly, this adventure felt pretty lonely. Her friends had run off ahead. Her mom was all the way back in Nuvema Town. All she had was her Pokémon. That should have been enough, but with those Team Plasma people running around, wanting to take them away, the comfort was diminished by the worry that it wouldn't last.

She also had an empty room filled with strangers lurking below, working through the night…which really was much more a point in the favor of loneliness. She almost regretted not sleeping outside.

Touko looked down at Snivy who was staring up at her. "Do you want to go in your Poké Ball for the night?"

Rather than answer, Snivy climbed on the bed and made himself quite comfortable on the pillow.

"Honestly. Where am I supposed to sleep? There are other beds, you know."

But Snivy was already asleep, or perhaps thoroughly ignoring her. Either way didn't matter too much. Touko smiled and laid her head down on the tiny corner of pillow left to her.

"Good night, Smugleaf."

Author's Note on Touko: Characterization for a character that never speaks at all—save for a few yes/no options which you choose—is difficult, because it does not really exist in canon. So, how to make a protagonist that fits in canon without entirely making it up? I don't even know if I accomplished it really. But I like her well enough.

I took a few fanon ideas, like Touko being a tomboy. Official art has her looking quite happy, so she's a reasonably joyful girl. Adaptations seem to go for somewhat the idiot hero thing, so while not making her stupid, I'm also not going to have her be a brain. She gets a competitive will to win from the general Shounen Manga tone these adaptations have. Plus, her love of Pokemon and cooperation, which is in every Pokemon adaptation ever.

Then I made her a little shy so there would be something from the game in there, because she never talks. It's difficult to imagine her being too outgoing because of that. I could have just made her the silent type, but she looks so energetic in her official art, that I can't really imagine that either. It's a difficult compromise. Basically, she's shy, but her emotions usually get the better of her.

So, that's where I started, but as this is a story, hopefully we'll see some character development as well. Tell me so if I fail in this regard.

Now, as for her name…I actually don't have a problem with the name Hilda. I think it grows on you if you actually use it; you gradually forget about the sorta Viking-lady connotation. But even as it grew on me, I decided to use Touko for couple reasons that were already mildly hinted at in the prologue.