Here's chapter 4: Back to normal?
White and N are settling into life at home :) Enjoy!
White stirred in her sleep and rolled over. Her eyes fluttered open as a beam of sun shined through the curtains and onto her cheek. "Morning already?" she mumbled softly. She loved mornings like this: she woke up feeling fully rested, the sun was shining, and her bed was as comfortable as it could possibly be. She curled up in a ball and pulled the covers up more.
"Wait…" she thought to herself, realizing that she didn't have some of these blankets when she fell asleep. She smiled. "Mom must have checked on me overnight."
She glanced over at the clock. It was 9:00 AM. She yawned and stretched, getting up. She grabbed her outfit for the day (consisting of a short black skirt with a purple cami and thigh high socks) a towel, and headed to the bathroom to take a shower.
After her refreshing shower, she got dressed and headed downstairs. "I smell pancakes!" She called as soon as she set foot downstairs. She ran to the kitchen, hoping she was right.
She saw N sitting at the 'island' with a plate in front of him. Mom was at the stove with a pan and a bowl of pancake batter, a small basket of pecha berries next to the batter. White's eyes widened.
"Pecha berry pancakes?!" she cried. Mom and N turned around. "Good morning!" Mom said cheerfully. "Happy Saturday!"
N smiled at White. "These pancakes are so good!" he said, patting the chair next to him. White sat down next to him and smiled. Her mom's pecha berry pancakes were her favorite breakfast food! Mom set down a plate of pancakes in front of White. "Thanks mom" she said, picking up her fork and digging in.
"You guys grab more if you want it, there's plenty here," her mom said. "And today's Saturday, so I'm going shopping. Do you want to come along?"
White sat up straight. "Yes!" she said delightedly.
"I was thinking that we could go grocery shopping at the Driftveil market, and then maybe stop at shopping mall nine. N needs a change in wardrobe," she said, referring to the fact that N was still wearing his underarmor shirt and khakis. N perked up, hearing his name.
"What?" he asked. "I didn't hear."
White swallowed the bite she had taken. "Mom said we're gonna go to shopping mall nine to buy you some new clothes." She said. "Can I get some new clothes too?" she added hopefully.
Mom clicked her tongue. "White, dear, you have tons of clothes already. N needs something different."
White sighed, knowing that it was true. "If we're going to the mall, you need to change into different clothes," she said to N.
N looked at his empty plate. "But I don't have any other clothes," he said.
"I'm sure Cheren will let you borrow something," White said, leading him outside.
The two arrived outside of Cheren's house. "Hope he's home…" White said, knocking on the door. A man with a tall imposing figure answered the door. N flinched, but White was calm. "Hello, is Cheren home?" she asked. The man's stern expression didn't change. "Cheren, your friend is here!" he called, walking back into the house.
Cheren came running down the stairs. "Who is it, dad? Oh, hi White! …N?!"
Cheren leaned over. "WHY is N here?!" he whispered urgently in her ear.
White smiled. "Don't worry, he's good. He's staying with me." Cheren eyed him warily. N waved at him, acting like his usual oblivious but cheerful self.
"I don't know…" Cheren said. White sighed. "You know Ghetsis, right?" she asked. Cheren nodded. "Well long story short, he was an abusive father to N. N left, realizing that Ghetsis was only using him. He's no longer part of team plasma. Lo and behold, he's here with me."
Cheren nodded, looking back at N who was crouched down, looking at the grass. "So what are you here for?" he asked.
White smiled. "We're taking him clothes shopping today. He needs an outfit to go to the mall in, but there aren't any clothes that would fit him at my place."
Cheren saw where this was going. "…And you want to borrow something from my closet so he can wear it to the mall," he finished.
"Exactly."
Cheren sighed, sounding defeated. "Come on in…"
"Come on, N," White said cheerfully. N stood up and followed White inside.
"Thank you Cheren, we really appreciate this." White said, following Cheren to his room. N followed them timidly. Cheren rolled his eyes and opened his bedroom door. Everyone walked in.
"Well, I can see that it's still as dark and depressing in here as ever… just like you," White said jokingly. Cheren shoved her lightly. "Shut up," he said, smiling. White shoved him back playfully. N stared down at the dark blue carpet. "They're acting so friendly. It's like they forgot about me," he worried.
Cheren opened up his closet. "Now N, how tall are you?" N looked up. "I'm 5'10", why?"
Cheren pulled out a pair of skinny jeans. "Try these," he said. "I think they'll be long enough."
N nervously smoothed his pant leg and looked back at White. Cheren nodded understandingly. "White, do you think you could give us guys a little privacy? N needs to change."
White nodded and walked out into the hall.
A few minutes later, Cheren popped his head out of the door. "Come in, White. I think he likes the outfit."
White cautiously walked in, a little nervous about what she would see. She gasped.
N was wearing dark blue skinny jeans with a white V-neck t shirt on top. He was also wearing a tight black and gray striped cardigan that was buttoned in front. Around his neck was… a scarf?
"No way…" White whispered.
"What do you think?" Cheren asked, obviously proud of his handiwork.
"N…" White began, having a hard time finding the right words. "You look great," she admitted.
N smiled. "I look REALLY great!" he exclaimed. "Thank you Cheren!" he said, giving him a quick hug. Cheren stood there stiffly. "You're welcome," he said, sounding weirded out.
"Come on, N, mom is probably waiting," White said, taking his hand and leading him out. Cheren grabbed the other arm. "Wait!" he said. "This baseball cap? It has to go," he continued, pulling the hat off of N's head.
N gasped and reached for the hat, but to no avail. Cheren had pulled it out of his reach. N looked crestfallen.
"I think you'd look better with this," Cheren said, putting a gray fedora on his head.
N looked in the mirror and made a face. White chuckled. "N, you look adorable!" She squealed.
N blew upward, moving his bangs. "I wanna wear my own hat," he whined, taking off the fedora.
Cheren sighed and reluctantly handed back the ball cap. N hugged it comically and placed it back on his head. "Let's go shopping!" he exclaimed, taking White's hand and leading her out.
"Thanks Cheren!" White called hurriedly as N practically dragged her out of the room.
Cheren sweatdropped.
"Oh N, honey, you look fantastic!" Mom exclaimed, seeing the two heroes return from Cheren's.
N blushed. "Thanks," he said. "Cheren's got a lot of nice clothes, so it wasn't hard to pick something that looked good."
White paused for a moment. "Wait, I thought Cheren picked out the outfit for you," she said.
N looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "Well, we kinda collaborated. He picked the jeans, I picked the shirt and cardigan, and he decided the outfit needed a scarf."
White was shocked. "I didn't know you were so fashionable, N," she joked, nudging his side. He laughed.
Mom grabbed her house keys and her purse. "Alright, how do you guys wanna get there? We could either fly on Cora or take the subway."
"Who's Cora?" N asked.
"Cora's a salamence. Mom and her go way back," White said. "And no offense, mom, but I don't think we'll all fit on her back."
N perked up. "May I talk to Cora?" he asked.
Mom shot White a questioning look, but White made a 'go on,' motion with her hands.
They all went outside to the front of the house. She pulled out a faded pokeball and pressed the button in the center. The blinding flash disappeared and a large dragon Pokémon stood in front of them, small stars gleaming off of its bright green scales.
It roared and stared down N. N didn't flinch one bit.
"N… please don't provoke her," White's mom warned. "She's sweet when you get to know her, but she's a bit of a hothead, especially around strangers."
N walked up to her and held out his hand in a silent request to pet her.
"Go on," a female voice encouraged. "I know you have good intentions."
N smiled and ran his hand over the smooth scales of her neck. "You're beautiful," he whispered. "I've never met a salamence before."
Cora gave N what appeared to be a smile. "Thank you, that's very flattering."
"Where are you from?" N asked.
"I am from a faraway place called Hoenn."
"What's it like in Hoenn?"
"It's beautiful and tropical."
"Tropical?"
"Yes, it's warm all year round, and the trees are different. There is a lot more ocean there too."
"That sounds lovely. I'd love to visit there sometime."
The conversation went on and on. White's mom looked at her daughter, her mouth wide open in shock. "Is this really happening?" she asked in disbelief.
"Yup."
"But he just described Hoenn without ever going there… how does he know what it's like?!"
"Cora told him."
"You're kidding, right?"
White chuckled. "Nope. Mom, he's the real deal. N talks to Pokémon and they understand him. He understands them. I think it's amazing," she said, staring at him in admiration.
Mom looked at the ground, baffled by this.
"Cora, do you think you could fly us all to Driftveil city? I know it's kinda far," She asked, interrupting N's conversation with her Pokémon.
Cora looked between the three of them, a worried look coming over her face. "There are a lot of you to carry…" she said hesitantly. "But I'm strong! I will never let you down!"
N laughed at Cora's remark. "Cora, if it's too much, we won't force you."
Cora stood up tall, looking determined. "I hope for your sake that that wasn't an insult. Now there's no way around it… I'm definitely flying you there!"
N turned back to White and her mom. "Cora insists on flying us there," he said. He leaned back to listen to Cora, and cringed upon hearing it.
White looked at him, confused. "Did she say something else?"
N looked away, rubbing his neck nervously. "No, not really. She was just taunting me," he said, hiding the blush creeping over his face.
Everyone climbed onto Cora's back, and they all flew off.
N felt really cramped on Cora's back. He made the horrible decision of sitting in the middle, between White and her mom. White ended up holding onto his waist tightly, which he didn't mind at all, but he was stuck in the unfortunate situation of having White's mom's hair blowing into his face the entire time.
He sighed in relief when the three of them finally arrived in Driftveil. He was eager to get off of Cora's back, and he was even more eager to look around the market. Cora landed and held her wing down so that everyone could get off.
"Thank you," N said gratefully.
Cora bowed her head as she was returned to her pokeball.
White groaned and tried to smooth her hair back to normal. The wind didn't treat it very kindly. N played with his cardigan sleeve while mom pulled her hair back in an effort to fix it. "Where to first?" N asked, not even bothering to contain his excitement.
White's mom adjusted her purse on her shoulder. "Well, I need to buy groceries of course, so we're stopping by the market," she said, pointing to a large building with partially open sides.
The three of them began to walk toward the market when White's mom gasped and suddenly stopped N and White. A motorcycle roared by at blinding speeds, not even caring about the pedestrians.
"The nerve!" White's mom cried, obviously a little shaken. White and N stared at her with wide eyes. "Wow mom, thanks," White said shakily. "I didn't even see him coming."
"We would have been flattened!" N cried, his heart racing.
White's mom put her arms down and sighed. "Watch out for idiots. They're everywhere."
While mom was off gathering groceries, White and N decided to explore the market. Sure, it was a childish thing to go and abandon mom like that, but N wanted to look around some more. White was happy to oblige.
They inspected a display of the 'item of the day:" freshly baked bluk berry pie. Much to their delight, there was a person giving out samples. They scarfed down the small fractions of pie they were given and laughed at how purple their mouths had become afterward. The next person giving out samples had small cups of moomoo milk for them to try. They clinked their paper cups together and giggled.
"N is so fun…" White thought to herself. "And to think that I wasn't so sure about him at first."
N looked at White with a bright grin on his face.
"Handsome too…"
White's eyes widened as she realized what she just thought to herself. She shook her head in disbelief, trying to shake the thought away.
White's mom approached them, her arms full of brown bags of groceries. "Are you two done being little kids?" she joked. White and N both shot her a toothy grin, exposing their purple mouths.
"Of course…" she said dryly. "I'm going home on Cora with the groceries. I guess I didn't think this all the way through. You two have Pokémon that can fly right?"
White nodded, pulling out two pokeballs. "I have archeops and reshiram. N has zekrom too. That's plenty."
They went outside of the market building and mom sent out Cora. She handed them a thin stack of paper money. "This is all I can offer you guys to go shopping with. Make sure N gets one or two good outfits. Three if there's a sale."
She strapped the bags of groceries to Cora's back and climbed on. "I'll see you guys at home! Be safe! I love you!" She shouted as Cora took off.
White grinned deviously at the money her mom gave her. She fanned it out and began to count it when suddenly there was another motorcycle roar. The money was snatched out of her hands as two motorcycles sped by. "Hey!" White cried.
There was a loud noise of rubber on concrete as the two motorcycles came to a screeching halt. "Hey, look," the skinny biker guy taunted. "Money."
He clearly couldn't think of anything more clever to say.
N clenched his fists. "Give us back our money! It doesn't belong to you!"
The skinny guy scoffed at the remark. "Obviously. That's why we took it."
The biker with the more muscular build stood up off his bike and held his arm out to silence his friend. "Hush. We don't need to be TOO mean," he said. "I'm a heartbreaker…. The name… Charles. This is my buddy Zeke."
"Yo," Zeke said.
Charles shook his head. "Sorry about taking your money kiddies, but we're a little… short on the funds, ya know?" he said, rubbing his fingers together in the universal sign that meant money.
White frowned. "Give it back!" she insisted.
"Make me," Zeke said, clutching the money in his fist.
N held his head in frustration. "I'm sorry White," he apologized. "It's my fault for needing clothes."
Charles and Zeke stopped their idiotic cheering and looked at each other. "We can't just take money from someone who needs it too," Charles admitted. "We'll give ya a chance to win it back!"
White raised an eyebrow. "How…?" She questioned.
Zeke laughed. "Me and my buddy Charles against you and your boyfriend! Double battle."
N and White looked at each other and nodded. This would be too easy.
"Two Pokémon each sound ok?" White asked, sounding pumped.
The two goons snickered and did what appeared to be a secret handshake of sorts. "You got it," Charles agreed, pulling out a pokeball. "Go Zebstrika!"
Zeke laughed and sent out a pawniard.
N looked at White, who seemed confident. "Go, Chandelure!" she cried.
N grabbed a pokeball and tossed it.
"Is that his carracosta?" White cried in disbelief, seeing that there was a Zebstrika on the field. "I hope he knows what he's doing…" she worried, noting the type disadvantage.
N grinned at her.
"He's up to something…."
"Use focus blast on pawniard!" N cried. His Pokémon reared back and sent a ball of energy toward Zeke's Pokémon. Pawniard widened its eyes and narrowly dodged the focus blast.
"That's an odd move for a carracosta to know…" White muttered under her breath. She remembered back to her battle with N, and she paused. "…Because it's NOT a carracosta!" she exclaimed a little too loudly. N heard her and winked, confirming her suspicions.
Charles cracked his knuckles. "Let's get this battle going, guys!" he shouted. "Zebstrika, use wild charge on carracosta!"
N didn't flinch. "Dodge it!" he cried. His Pokémon tried to dodge, but Zebstrika was too fast. It charged into N's Pokémon and knocked it down.
Carracosta cried out and transformed into a zoroark. It shakily got up and growled at Zebstrika.
"Whoa, a zoroark?" Charles exclaimed.
"Yup! Now, flamethrower!" N commanded.
Zoroark grinned wickedly and let loose a powerful stream of flames in pawniard's direction. It danced around in the intense heat, desperately trying to dodge. It was no use. It fainted on the spot.
Zeke took a step back in shock and returned it to its pokeball.
"Chandelure, shadow ball!" White called, not missing a beat.
Chandelure held its arms together as it conjured up a dark purple ball of energy. It shot it at Zebstrika and there was a small explosion upon impact.
Charles watched anxiously as the cloud of smoke faded. Zebstrika was down.
He swore under his breath and called it back. "Krokorok, go!" He cried, sending out his second Pokémon.
Zeke threw his second pokeball and a tiny petilil appeared.
Charles looked at Zeke. "Dude, whatcha doing?!" he asked, sounding appalled.
Zeke shrugged. "This is my only other Pokémon," he reasoned.
"Real macho," White said, her voice heavily laden with sarcasm. Both heroes burst out in laughter, much to the annoyance of the bikers.
"Are we gonna battle, or are we just gonna sit around talking?" Charles taunted.
N sighed with boredom. "Zoroark, use focus blast on krokorok."
"Chandelure, flamethrower on petilil."
Both opponent Pokémon fainted immediately. Charles and Zeke knew when they were beaten.
They handed back the money, ashamed. "Thanks for the easy win!" White called after them.
N cupped his hands around his mouth. "Yeah, we kicked your butts!" he shouted as they sped off on their bikes. White giggled loudly at his uncharacteristic gesture.
"Come on, let's get you some clothes," she said, pulling out reshiram's pokeball.
White's mom has a shiny salamence! Cool, huh? Thanks for reading! Please review if you can