Disclaimer: I do not, and most likely never will, own Pokémon or anything to do with it. Now that that's out of the way, enjoy!

P.S. Does anyone know what's wrong with my fanfic page? Everything works fine, except when I try to edit my profile, it comes up: 'Internet Explorer is not responding' and then the page shuts down. I'm pretty sure it's not my computer, 'cause I've tried it on a different computer and the same thing happened, so I really don't know what to do…

Advice on computer fixing and story reviews most kindly appreciated!

Merry Christmas to all!

Xx

Chapter 7- Traitor

-N's POV-

Oh sure. Now you care if she's okay, you ignorant 'a-hole'.

White was violently banging at the rocks with her fists, tears of desperation streaking down her cheeks as she attempted to reach her 'friends' on the other side. She hadn't thought twice about breaking up our 'kiss' as soon as she'd heard those beasts' voices blaring from behind the rocks, even though they'd left her down here for hours on her own, and most likely hadn't even noticed she was gone.

"I'M FINE, GET MY POKEMON!" she screamed, hurrying up and down the rock wall in a crazy attempt to locate an escape route. "And help us out!"

Her statement was met by a series of confused muffles from the other side of the boulders, as the three attempted to piece together who could possibly be in here with her, though I knew if Black had half a brain cell, he might have already figured it out.

The one with the glasses, I think White had mentioned earlier that his name was 'Charlie' or something, spoke next. "…I-Is there someone in there with you?" he questioned, a tone of puzzlement in his voice.

White bit down on her lip and sheepishly rubbed her bare arms, rocking back and forth nervously on the heels of her boots. "Hehe… about that… look, I'll explain later, just get us out, please!"

She really thought they could help her, didn't she? She just couldn't see that they were nothing more than rookie trainers, incapable of ever understanding her marvel and talents, and she refused to believe that they were no good for her, either. Yet, she loved them anyways, because they were her friends… I would never be able to understand this… why would she bother staying with these, when she could be with me, someone who could give her the whole world and more? Again, I realised, it was because she loved them…

I was pulled out of my thoughts by the shrill bellowing of Black's coarse voice from behind the boulders. "How are we supposed to get you out of there?" he shouted, his voice cracking.

White glanced quickly around her a final time, before hanging her head in defeat. "I-I don't know…" she admitted, her words but a faint whisper against the others' frantic babbling.

It was then I realised I'd trapped her in here long enough; four hours I'd kept her cramped inside this tunnel, and though they had been some of the greatest hours of my life, I knew I'd taken this whole thing too far. Sighing under my breath, I buried my hand into my pocket and produced Zoroark's pokeball.

Casually, I cleared my throat, and placed my hand on White's shoulder. "Step aside." I ordered her calmly, flashing a small smile.

Her face took on a look of disorientation as I strode forward towards the wall and quickly stretched out the arm holding my trusty Pokémon. "Zoroark!" I yelled, as a beam of bright light bolted outwards from the small red and white ball. "Let's go!"

The giant black and red wolf landed with a thud on the uneven, rocky floor, and scraped its heavy claw against the ground. "Zoro!" it growled, a glint of mischief flickering within its penetrating crystal eyes.

"White?" I heard White's yellow-headed friend, whose name escaped me, call from behind the wall. "Who is that?"

White was speechless, her face a drained ashen shade as she stood gawking at the large Pokémon before me, her mouth hanging wide open. She met my gaze for a moment, her eyes filled with disbelief, and was about to open her mouth before I quickly interjected to issue my order to Zoroark.

"Rock Smash!" I instructed him as I pointed towards the boulders, a smirk slowly creeping across my face. I couldn't help it- White was cute when she was confused.

"GET BACK!" she screeched across to the others, as it finally dawned on her what exactly was happening.

In a split second, the giant wolf charged towards the wall of boulders and forcefully dug into it with its sharp claws, sending heavy clouds of dust rippling through the chamber. Fits of coughing could be heard from both sides as the dust slowly subsided, and shady figures began to appear on the other side.

"WHITE!" Black's voice echoed, as she madly dashed from the chamber and was instantly caught by him in a tight embrace. "I was so freaking worried! Mom would have killed me if I lost you! What in Arceus' name happened to you!"

Thanking Zoroark quickly, I returned him to his pokeball, and casually strolled out from behind the shards of shattered rock, knowing all-hell was about to break loose as soon as I was seen.

It was then that, as White broke away from Black to dive towards her bag and check that her Pokémon were unharmed, Black's wearied eyes scanned absently across the remnants of the rock wall, widening instantly as they met with mine. His mouth falling open, he staggered back in shock, before his face began to burn a scorching crimson and he let out a low growl, his dark eyes narrowing to slits.

"YOU!" he bellowed loudly, charging quickly across the tunnel until he was right up next to me, glowering in sheer contempt as I cast my own teasing smirk back. White, Cheren and the yellow-headed one, their faces frozen as if apprehending the thunderous explosion to come, stood ingrained to their spots from a few feet away, with White clenching her shoulder-bag containing her precious Pokémon to her chest for dear life. "WHAT DID YOU DO!"

I chuckled under my breath, completely unaffected by his feeble attempt in threatening me. It was going to take a lot more than that to frighten the king of Team Plasma. Grunting in satisfaction having succeeded in annoying him, I tucked the visor of my cap over my eyes, and nonchalantly sank my hands into my pockets, not even humouring the fool's pointless outburst by making eye contact.

White pushed herself to her feet and took an unsteady step forward, her legs shaking having been lying on the rough cavern floor for so long. "It wasn't his fault…" she insisted, placing a reassuring hand on Black's shoulder, only for it to be aggressively shaken off a split second later.

"NOT HIS FAULT?" he screeched, pounding his foot against the ground violently. "HE KEPT YOU LOCKED IN THERE FOR ALMOST THE WHOLE NIGHT, AND YOU STICK UP FOR HIM!" White's face twisted into a scowl as she glared at her brother in distaste, and was about to open her mouth to respond when I interrupted her.

"I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience, my dear White, but I really must be going now…" I stated, flashing her a loving smile, one that I knew would only anger Black more, as I took several confident strides off past the crew of trainers and towards the tunnel I guessed lead to the surface of Chargestone Cave.

"I'M NOT FINISHED WITH YOU, YOU ASSHOLE!" Black bellowed furiously after me, but as usual, I passed no heed whatsoever on him. He was an annoying thorn-in-my-side, a consistent obstacle that stood in my way from getting what I wanted, that being White, as well as my future world where Pokémon lived separate lives from humans. I didn't want to spend another second in those three idiots' presences; I had much more important issues at hand.

Before I vanished behind the bend leading into the next tunnel, I turned to stare at White, who stood with a perplexed expression plastered on her face and her cheeks burning a strong, pink hue as she draped her bag over her shoulder. I hated having to leave her again, but knew it wouldn't be long until we crossed paths once more, and next time, I had a feeling, I'd finally win her over.

"I'll see you again soon, White…" I told her, rounding the bend and vanishing completely from their view.

As I strode further down the tunnel, navigating myself in the direction I calculated would lead me to the surface, I was filled with a surprising emotion, one that made my cheeks burn and my heart flutter. White loved me too, which meant she was now within arm's reach. Smirking, I hid my pink face under my cap. I realised now it wouldn't take long before she'd come around to my offer, and we'd be absolutely unstoppable. The whole of Unova would fall at our feet, and I'd finally accomplish my dream.

Everything would soon fall into place. You could bet on it.

-Black's POV-

"COME BACK HERE!" I screeched furiously at N's fading figure, as he disappeared from sight behind a stone wall in the distance, a sick, smug grin etched onto that perverted face of his. How I absolutely hated his guts- not only had he held my sister hostage for hours on end, but he'd had the nerve to completely blank me, as if I didn't exist! Remembering my previous plan to attack him as soon as I saw him, I attempted to give chase, only to be forcefully restrained by Cheren, who clamped my arms between his hands, an exasperated sigh escaping his lips.

"Give it up…" he grumbled, glaring daggers at me. I groaned in frustration and awkwardly shook myself free. N had only won on a fluke, as, had it not been for Cheren, I'd be kicking his ass right now…

"What happened to you?" Bianca all but yelled, her eyes horrified and wide as she stared at White, who was sheepishly scratching the back of her head.

"Well… I met him…" she began, nervously clearing her throat as her eyes darting frantically around the place, avoiding all eye contact with us. "…And then there was this tremor, and boulders fell… and then next I knew we were trapped in there and then some stuff happened…"

"I knew it was him I saw earlier!" I snarled, stomping my foot and leering into White as she fiddled with her thumbs. "I should never have let you go off on your own!"

She wasn't even listening to me, instead, sighing heavily and staring off into the distance, the faintest of smiles playing at her lips.

"…what kind of stuff happened in there, exactly…?" Bianca mumbled suspiciously, noticing the pink hue on White's face. White's eyes instantly widened, and the blush on her cheeks grew darker as she flailed her arms about dismissively.

White shrugged as she attempting to supress the tiny smile playing at her lips. "N-no kind of stuff… just, you know… talking…"

"You big fat liar!" Bianca cried excitedly, taking a step closer to her and staring intimidatingly at White, whose entire face was now a bright crimson. "Spill! I wanna know everything!"

White shook her head defiantly, but her eyes were a dead giveaway. She was hiding something, most definitely. "T-there's nothing!" she stammered, folding her arms defensively across her chest.

"WHITE!" I snapped. I was getting sick of this act of hers. If she was keeping something from us, she'd better, for her own sake, tell us what it was.

Finally giving in, she sighed deeply and began to flap her mouth open and shut, trying to think of what to say.

"Well… I-I…" she stuttered, avoiding eye contact completely. She bit nervously on her lip, and swayed slightly from side to side, like she always did when she was unsure about what to do. She fingered her pink and white baseball cap between her fingers and gulped loudly, opening her mouth for a final time. "I… um… might have… er… kissed him… I-I kissed N…"

All three of our mouths consecutively flung open as the words hung in the air. As her words slowly registered in my mind, rage began to seethe within me, and my blood boiled as I ground my teeth together. Of course that didn't happen. It couldn't have.

"W-what did you say?" I spat through gritted teeth, unable to comprehend. White stared across blankly at me, no sign of remorse in her sapphire eyes as she quickly gulped and took an unsteady step towards me.

"Black… let me explain, please. Black, just listen, okay? …Black? …Black?"

Wait… he-he'd kissed her? He, N Harmonia, unscrupulous villain and leader of Team Plasma, had kissed White, my kind-hearted little sister? No… that hadn't happened… it just hadn't…

My head spinning as well as throbbing with crippling pain, I swiftly turned and stormed off down the passageway, not casting so much as a glance back at the trio behind me. I needed air, or else I was just going to collapse right there and then.

"Black!" White cried from behind me. "Wait!"

But I didn't wait. I couldn't, because if I stopped I knew I'd lose the plot altogether. My feet were pounding so hard against the stone floor they were like tremors themselves, and I was grinding my teeth so violently I thought they'd turn to stubs.

You've failed… a voice in my head echoed, as the thought finally sunk in. You didn't protect her from him. I shook my head fiercely as a picture of the two of them seeped into my mind. N had an arm snaked around her waist and an evil grin was set onto his face as he kissed her vigorously, holding her so tight he was almost suffocating her. She was smiling, and wrapped her arms around his neck, laughing as he moved on to kiss her neck. I wanted to scream in agony- this was not my little sister.

"Black, stop!" I heard White yell, her footsteps to be heard in the distance, lightly stomping off the floor as she dashed towards me. I quickened my pace, as pure, seething anger set in. He'd kissed her. He'd trapped her in that cave, and took advantage of her when she was tired and weak. He'd used her as his own personal toy, and all because I wasn't there to protect her, because I'd been too lazy to care what would happen to her. I didn't deserve to call myself her older brother.

Ten minutes of utter silence kicked in then, as the four of us, well, me charging forwards and the other three slagging nervously behind, made our way through the baffling maze that was Chargestone Cave.

"Black, please just let me explain!" White suddenly called from several paces behind me, sprinting forwards until she was almost level with me. I ignored her, instead focusing on the direction I was going in. Had the exit been closer to the eastern part of the cave or the we-

"Black!"

"There's nothing to explain!" I snapped furiously, the thundering sound of my footsteps echoing against the walls. Couldn't she just shut up, for once? Didn't she realise she'd caused enough damage already?

I turned into the next tunnel, which I'd presumed led to the exit, only to be met by a sharp dead-end. Cursing loudly and ripping a few clumps of hair out in frustration, I turned and quickly recalculated my route, being careful not to make eye contact with White, who was waving her arms in a bid to catch my attention, or Bianca and Cheren, for that matter, who were both staring at the ground, unsure of what to do. I began striding down the tunnel, trying to figure out which way was which. If I headed up to the end of this passage-way, then turned right-

"Listen to me!" White pleaded, stomping her foot furiously against the floor.

"Why should I!" I screeched violently, snapping under the pressure and stopping to glare at her. "I told you a million times to stay away from him, and what do you do?" White's face was twisted into a scowl, though her eyes were occupied by faint tear-clouds. "What do you do? You freaking run off with him the second my back is turned!"

She shook her head violently, a single tear carving a river down her cheek. "Please, Black, understand that I didn't kiss him to hurt you! I think I lo-"

"DON'T SAY IT!" I screamed, clasping my hands over my ears. "DON'T YOU DARE SAY IT! YOU'RE SUCH A STUPID SLUT, WHITE!"

I stampeded forward, rounding the next corner into a passage-way I now recognised as being close to the exit. The others lagged behind me as I eventually passed through that tunnel and entered into the next and final one, where I was greeted by the saving light of the exit in the distance.

We were so nearly there, almost back to the comforts of sanity without having to blow this thing up further, when of course, Bianca casually cleared her throat from behind me. "…Well, I, for one, think this thing with White and N is romantic..."

Oh, that did it. In a blinding rage, I turned on my heels and stared at her with flaming eyes, causing her to flinch backwards in surprise.

"SHUT UP!" I shrieked, the crippling pain in the side of my head bursting into what felt like flames inside my mind. "All of you, just shut the hell up! I'm sick of every single one of you!"

Bianca and Cheren both instantly retreated back several steps in shock, leaving White rooted to her spot to face me. Her face was a mixture of many emotions blended together; prominent pain, sorrow, fear… but zero remorse. She wasn't even sorry for betraying us.

I clenched my fists into balls and felt my body shake with rage as I stared her coldly in the eyes. "…I tried to protect you, White, you know that?" I spat, feeling my stomach churn in discomfort inside me. "…I've really tried to keep you safe, ever since you were a kid… but this… I just can't cope with this… so you know what? I'm not going to! I give up! I GIVE UP!" Not bothering to wait and see her reaction, I swiftly twisted and began to sprint towards the light in the distance.

"I DON'T NEED YOU TO PROTECT ME!" she screeched at the top of her lungs, but I really was past the point of caring what she thought. I stopped listening to her screams, I ignored her when she pounded her foot against the floor, and I didn't bat an eyelid when she collapsed on the floor in a flood of tears. If she was so eager to mess up her life, she could go ahead. She could run off and marry her wonderful Prince Charming and live happily ever after while destroying the world I thought she loved. She could do whatever the hell she wanted, because, frankly, I just didn't give a freaking Rattata's ass anymore.

Day-um, White! You got yo-self in a bitch-fight!