It was one night during Belle's hospitalization that Whitney came to Black's quarters. "We're leaving, you know," she told him, her eyes on the floor, "so it's no use to get into quarrels with N now."

Black spun round. "What? Why? When?"

She didn't look up. "To deal with the situation in Sinnoh. To help their president. Soon." She said it in a low, lamenting tone. She knew she wouldn't be coming back from that journey.

It was another helping to the plate of things that Black had to handle. How was he supposed to stop this too? And why hadn't Poppy—the one person he wanted to protect, to trust, to confide in—told him about it?

Soon, Belle was finally well enough to leave the hospital on a day sagging from the weight of the overcast. Even the city buildings seemed to lean onto each other for support. Though Belle could walk, she was still rather weak from the cut and the blood loss.

"Let's go somewhere local," White suggested as they sat in the parlour of the Harmonia manor, the belly of the beast, an unusual backdrop to their schemes. She caught Black's eye, grinning, and he knew exactly what she was going to say. "Like the library!"

But Wally saw knowledge in White's bookish desires. "You know, they must have lots of records there. We can look for missing person's reports."

White nodded. "That's right; there are tons of old documents and records. Although it's often renovated, the library building is very old. In fact—" Nathan groaned, knowing she was about to begin rattling off, "—in the past, it was a battle fortress. A big part of it is still probably full of tricks and traps."

"Really? Wow," Belle breathed.

"Don't tell me she's really convincing you," Black moaned, but his reluctance had no effect.

"I'm sold on the idea." Wally rose.

As they left the parlour for the city library, Black caught N watching them. Despite what Whitney told him, he decided to keep that in the back of his mind.

Only minutes later, White shoved open the double doors and led them proudly into the CasteliaCity library, glowing as if she had built it herself. It was enormous; an endless cavern of shelves and balconies and tables and lanterns and an uncountable amount of books. All shapes, sizes, and bindings jutting out in perfect disarray. It smelled like old parchment and sounded of flipping pages and clattering covers. Archways led into side rooms, which held more books, and the main entryway had an open ceiling as to see through to the second story. It was like an entire city of books.

Of course, Black and White were accustomed to making trips here, but it was an entirely foreign land to Belle and Wally.

Belle whistled in approval. "I have heard about the NacreneCity library being the best in the kingdom, but this…this place is incredible."

White ran to the center of the entryway, looking up to the ceiling of the second floor, and spun around. Black smirked at how giggly she was, smiling with her sky eyes glinting and her long skirts swooshing around her. He supposed that even she could let loose every now and again. It was a pleasant change when she did.

She turned back to her friends. "Nacrene's library is different. It has even more books, if that's possible, and lots of records. More than two stories, even. But this place is the capital city's library. It may not be nearly as helpful as Nacrene would have been, but it was closer."

"You speak of it as if it's not the size of a castle," Wally muttered as they stepped inside, and the doors clanked shut.

They set up camp in one of the back rooms, at a table, and began pilfering various record books and boxes. The shelves were stacked with books that were no help. All they seemed to be were clumps of words, lined neatly, sitting side-by-side, watching the four detectives.

"So…clues," Black started in the voice he used when he was discussing mysteries such as his novel. He probably didn't even realize the shift from reality to mystery. "We've got that boat and captain that we can look for, as well as reports of missing children around the age that Belle would have been. Anything else?"

"The bracelet," White reminded him, for it had been so long since the thing was considered.

Black snapped his fingers. "That's it. Belle?" Belle took the silver chain bracelet off and laid it on the table. There were six simple, jingling charms; a silver cloud, a painted-blue raindrop, a copper lightning bolt, a painted-red rose, a boat, and an empty silver oval where something once was.

She pointed to the boat. "I got this in the life after I was found. Gold and Cheren sent it to me on my birthday one year."

They studied the other charms. "The storm symbols make sense;" Wally noted, "you're clearly from Unova. But your family must have been wealthy to afford all of this."

White shook her head. "They could have stolen. Or maybe these are all not precious metal, and something simpler. Belle's abandonment suggests that someone was in trouble or couldn't take care of her. Theoretically they could be wealthy, or they could not be."

"Interesting," Black added mildly, too focused on the clues before him. "The ones that I think will help us most are the rose and this empty one. There must have been something there before."

"And who knows what the rose could mean," White said.

"But really," Belle interjected, "shouldn't we be helping Wally too? I remember now, the first day I met Black and White, White told Black that she had found another mystery. Wally was your first one to sort out, wasn't he? Shouldn't he be first, then?"

"Ah," Black said, "but we'll need a plan to help Wally, and all good plans come with time and procrastination." White rolled her eyes.

"Besides," Wally added, "I'll be noting what we find." He gestured to the parchment and pens before him. "One thing I pride myself on is my abilities with a pen."

Belle reluctantly forfeited. Outside of the room—in another world, really, than the galaxy that the detective quartet had plunged into—a figured passed by the doorway, then backtracked, seeing who was inside. "Fancy meeting you here." The voice was a smiling one, but something was unnerving about that smile.

Black grit his teeth and turned to the doorway, where N was leaning. Perhaps his spindly legs cannot hold the weight provided by his head. "What are you doing here, hanging over us like a shadow?" he spat. Nobody else moved. They did not want a repeat of the amusement park.

"I'm here to use the library's most abundant resource; books," N explained in a voice dripping with false innocence. "What ever else would I be doing?"

"Then tell me," White countered, shifting in her seat to join the conversation, "what exactly are you reading about, N?"

"Rocks and minerals," he answered without hesitation. "There are no books on such topics at the manor, so how would I learn about them if not for the library?"

This was a dangerous game they could not win. Of course N would have his reasons all figured out. They grudgingly stopped the interrogation and he left with a smug smile etched onto his unsettling features.

They returned their attention to the bracelet. "I'll see if I can connect any of the charms to anything in particular," Wally suggested. "I'm sure there's a book about artifacts or jewelry somewhere." He took up his pen, parchment, and the bracelet and started off down a short corridor that probably led into more back rooms. That was where the records and data were really stored; old articles, reports, books dealing with that sort of research. It was the perfect place for them to search.

And the perfect place to execute a hastily-formed plan.

(For, in the words of Black, all great plans take time to form, and this was no great plan. This was a desperate measure.)

It took about a half hour for White to look up from a disintegrating record and remark, "Wally's been gone quite a long while, hasn't he?"

Black's eyebrows furrowed and he set some papers down. "You're right. Maybe he's gotten lost in thought or just plain lost."

"We should find him." White shoved herself up and went to peek down the tunnel Wally had disappeared down. But she realized her mistake too late; no sooner had she stepped past the bounds of the doorway and into the hall did the floor lower slightly below her and a stone wall covered the door behind her.

Inside the room, Black and Belle saw this and leapt up. "Someone's activated the traps!" Belle shrieked and ran to the stone wall, trying hopelessly to push it back.

"Damn it. It has to be N." Black clenched his fists, frustrated. "We have to help Prez."

Belle scuttled over to the doorway, where the room connected to the main library. Black stopped her. "It's no use. We cannot find her by going out here. We have to go through the other tunnel." He pointed at the corridor that was not blocked by stone.

"But…" Belle was hesitant. "Won't we get stuck too?"

Black nodded firmly. "Yes. We will."

They still walked to the hall and let the rock seal them in.

Now, during a crisis, there are usually three types of people: those who panic, those who look for a way out, and those who speculate why said crisis occurred. It just so happens that Belle, Black, and White each fit one of the three types.

Of course, Belle was claustrophobic.

All the energy she has suddenly makes sense, Black thought to himself witheringly. She can't bottle it up or she'll burst.

She hugged both of her arms against her, her eyes flashing wildly about like a hunted animal. Her injured leg left her slow and lame, but Black wouldn't even think about leaving her behind. She scoured the tunnels constantly for tricks, which actually helped a great deal. Black nearly fell into a deep, dark void that opened beneath them, and would have if not for Belle yanking him back at the last second.

Her alertness was only a side affect of the apprehension, though. She spent the whole time all but shaking, mumbling about ancient traps and conspiracy theories. The usually klutzy-yet-composed, bubbly Belle had been replaced by a fidgety, paranoid girl, who was still somehow able to make use of herself. It was quite an interesting trait. Black reminded himself to write her like this into his mystery novel when he returned home.

If he returned home.

Belle's nerves were contagious, and it didn't help that she kept moaning and praying to get out of the tunnels.

Black tried to remain focused on his role; finding White and Wally and getting the hell out of these tunnels. The former wasn't going too well.

But somehow, Black's sense of direction managed to get them to a library room with an exit into the main library. A stone club swung out at him just as he was nearly there, though, and narrowly avoided it (because of Belle's shouted warning, of course.)

Belle cheered and quite nearly began weeping when they reached the exit, but managed to gather herself up and pull herself together. She turned to Black with a great big grin, thanking him for getting them out, but he wore a grim expression.

"I still have to go back and find Wally and Prez," he explained.

She shook her head in dismay. "Your sense of duty is greater than your fear. I cannot say the same about myself."

"Don't feel rotten, Belle. Just stay. Calm yourself. Everything will be fine."

He left her in the library room and charged through the tunnels by himself.

White had been following the dim corridor, lit only by the occasional lantern, for what seemed like ages. She was nearly certain she had made a wrong turn at a crossroad somewhere, because her pursuit of Wally had so far been for naught. Or perhaps he had gotten lost as well. But any room she passed was empty but for records or shelves or tables or misplaced books.

Soon, the steady stream of library rooms was gone as well. The tunnels couldn't have extended for too far, or too low below ground—a few times she had felt the ground on a slight decline—though she was still hopelessly astray. I must have left the library behind, she realized, for now I am caught in this maze.

Being lost didn't faze her for too long, though. She was searching for poor Wally, but also the controls to the traps. Every now and then she would narrowly miss some stone flying at her after she'd stepped on a trigger, or jumped out of the way just as spikes replaced the ground beneath her feet. Someone was responsible for catching her in the maze, and she needed to know who.

As she finally realized she was going on an incline now, she heard a voice calling her name.

She spun, and Black nearly collided head-on with her. He laughed with hysterical relief and clutched both her arms. "Prez! Thank the heavens you're alright. We've found an exit." He began leading her towards it.

"Have you found anything else?" White asked, thankful yet straight to the point. "Have you found Wally, or the control rooms?"

He shook his head. "I just want to get us all out of here safe."

But when they reached the exit, where Belle waited, Wally was there too. He must have made his way back himself. White was so excited that she nearly knocked him over with a hug.

Wally, however, looked pale and nervous, like he'd just discovered something horrible that would endanger them all. And in a way, he had.

He brandished Belle's bracelet and an old, weathered book. "I found this," he explained, "while I was in the library rooms. I didn't even know the traps were on until I tried to make my way back and found the wall was rock. Thankfully, I made it here, but not before I got to this." He opened the book on the table to one of the final pages. "If this were in any conspicuous place in the library, these pages would have been torn out, for it is a book on famous artifacts. Particularly royal ones."

The page he opened to glared up at them distinctly. They all recognized Belle's bracelet on it, with some scribbled writing they could hardly make out.

"I don't know why I didn't recognize it before," Wally said, "but I do now." He pointed to where the now-blank charm was. "What fell out of this part was actually a stone. Dendritic agate, the stone of Unova royals. I know because I used to have one. Now most of them are lost or destroyed along with the bluebird azurite-cuprite stones of Sinnoh. Still, it says right here in the book, who this bracelet belonged to. It belonged to my sister, Princess Bianca Haeres of Unova." He glanced up at Belle. "And if it is yours, then you are her."

There was a moment of stunned silence. Belle felt all of their eyes on her. Nobody spoke, as if they were holding their breath, waiting for her to.

"You think…that I'm…" she couldn't finish. She couldn't breathe.

She wanted to know where she came from, to maybe see if she could find her real family. It didn't matter to her before if she found them or not—she actually wasn't expecting to discover who she was. It didn't matter if there was nobody around for her or not.

But there was. There was Wally, with those same green eyes as her. Just two years older. And there was an entire kingdom in ruins, one that had taken the form of a messy democracy. There were people she lost, people she was supposed to take care of, all at once. All at once, she was the former princess.

Finally, Wally spoke. "I always believed my sister was dead, just like my parents, but I never saw a body. I was sure I'd seen blood in her old quarters, and strands of her blonde hair that had been ripped out. But maybe someone managed to save her and set her on course to a monarchy. It's very possible."

Belle stared hard at the bracelet, which had been returned to her, and the picture in the book. They matched exactly, excluding the extra charm she'd gotten. She felt so many things—relief, anxiety, success, danger—and though she was reluctant, she toyed with the idea of being the princess.

"Wally," she began. "If this is true—if I am Bianca Haeres—then the two of us, having lived…we might just be able to bring the monarchy back about." All of their eyes widened in shock. Belle waved her hands. "Obviously not anytime soon. But if we're going to put a stop to Poppy and the corrupt democracy, we'll need all of the assets we can get. Wally and I can bring hope to the people for a new age…and we don't even have to rule as monarchs. We don't have to rule at all. As long as we turn this—this dictatorship into a proper democracy, we will have succeeded." The words came flowing out, like now that she recognized her royal blood, she could say important things. She realized too late that she might have offended Black by calling his father a dictator, but he nodded in agreement with her.

"This is what we'll have to do," he settled. "We'll have to make a plan, and gather a force, and find a way to overthrow my father and his fraudulent system. No, scratch that, we'll need many plans…"

They brought the book out into the main library room, where the light was better, and set it down, still on the same page. However, it was mostly ignored. Black was rattling off about all the plans he could come up with, all the good and the bad.

Too soon a disastrous distraction in the form of N came sidling past. Black's face contorted with fury. "I knew you were here for some sick reason, but I didn't think you'd go as far as trapping us in those tunnels."

N looked over his shoulder, his usual smarmy smile replaced by a bored look, as if this were all very trivial and tiring. "I do not know what you're talking about, but I was in the section of science books this entire time reading about minerals. The librarians are witnesses. I may be keeping an eye on you, but I also have my own purposes. I was studying monoclinic forms. How else would I know that the dark colouring of vivianite's prismatic crystals is caused by exposure to light? Or that malachite and azurite form in the oxidized regions of copper deposits? Or that sylvanite is opaque with a metallic luster? Or that realgar gives off a strong smell of garlic when heated? Honestly, Black, you're barking up the wrong tree. If I were you, I would investigate other suspects."

Black furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

N shrugged. "I'm not guilty of anything you say I am. You might be surprised about the people closest to you, and how much they keep from you." He slinked away, waving his hand once without turning round.

"What the hell's he mean by that?" Black asked nobody in particular, but he knew. He knew N meant Poppy. Just how much was she keeping from him? Belle tried to help by giving more conspiracy theories.

But White and Wally hadn't been listening to N or Black at all, having a conversation of their own in hushed tones.

White had been studying the picture of the bracelet. Narrowing her eyebrows in skepticism, she licked her forefinger and wiped at the drawing. The ink smudged.

She scooted close to Wally. "You are quite the actor. And, similarly, a divine artist."

His eyes widened. He spoke quietly. "How did you know?"

"I guessed. If it wasn't N that trapped us, it had to have been someone else. Ergo, you." She crossed her arms. "I was a bit suspicious as to why you had disappeared and suddenly reappear. But…why did you do it, Wally?"

"I needed time," he explained. "I didn't know the traps would be so dangerous, and I needed time to draw in the bracelet. I realized that if we weren't going to find Belle's identity—and, really, there were such slim chances—I figured she could be my sister. She could bring hope to people affected by the horrors of these times."

White scoffed. "How noble of you. Trapping us for that. I don't think you're wrong, though. This could be useful. I won't sell you out," she assured him.

By the time they noticed, Black and Belle had already left. Wally tried to smile after his unnerving debate with White. "They must have gone home already. I'm sure Black is going to go investigate further at the manor and Belle is worn out from this entire trip. I think I'll head home as well. Would you like me to walk with you?" He only said it to be polite. He was still worried she might change her mind and expose what he'd done.

Thankfully, she shook her head, and outside, they went their separate ways, leaving the book Wally had found closed on a table.

Black and Belle had not, in fact, gone home.

They strode together under the cloudy sky but didn't make it much farther than the library. They were still on the plush, dark grass when Belle stopped him. She seemed to have certainty etched on her face, like she was mustering the courage to say something.

"Do you really think that I could be the princess?" she asked. It wasn't an important question and she still looked on the edge. It was not what she had truly wanted to say.

"I'm sure you can. But…" Black sized Belle up, with her short blonde hair and her watery, glimmering eyes. He sighed. He'd been meaning to say something to her as well, and so he did. "I'm sorry, Belle. I'm so sorry."

"What is there to be sorry for?"

"Everything," he replied. "You came here looking for answers to who you are. And when I got involved, I messed everything up. It's amazing that we found out who you were, but it came at such a cost. Prez was hurt because of me. Wally's identity became known because he's close to me. And your family was basically killed by mine, along with other democrats. If the monarchy stayed put, you'd be a princess with parents and a castle and a life here. But everything and everyone that surrounds me is a hurricane; it only brings destruction. This is my entire fault."

Belle rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him suddenly. He was too off-guard to react, but Belle pulled him close to and held him tightly. "Do not say that, Black, even if you think it is true. I am glad to have met you."

Black managed to lift his arms up enough to coil them around her, grateful for someone holding him up. "Thank you, Belle. Great skies, I don't know what I would do without you and the others."

Belle stared up at him with inquisitive eyes and asked a question that made his heart stop. "Black, who do you love?" She dropped his grasp but did not step back.

"What do you mean?" he asked, knowing full well what she meant but not having an answer.

"I'd like to know if you love somebody," she repeated brazenly, even though she could probably feel Black's heart racing. He wondered if she was fearless or just reckless. "Usually, I run straight into things without thinking. But if I'm to be who I really am, I need to be more calculating. Especially with my heart. And if I'm to follow the feelings that I'm having, I'd like to know if it would be worth anything."

Black was on the spot. He wanted to take a step backwards, but he had to face this properly, or it would not be fair to Belle. He had admired her before, and he had always enjoyed her company, her mystery. But he had never suspected that she might feel something towards him.

As for others, there was White. Had she fancied him as well? He didn't know. He had never even considered it.

As he thought about it, he realized he really had not considered love with any girl he knew. Certainly, he always expected to fall in love one day, but he had been so preoccupied with the rest of his life that it hadn't occurred to him that he could fall in love today.

And there was always Poppy and his other makeshift cousins, a patchwork of people he wanted to protect, but he wasn't sure what to label that as.

He had his answer. "Belle, I don't believe I've truly loved before," he admitted. "I don't know how I missed it, but with the world rushing around me, I was bound to be blind to something. It happened to be love. I haven't considered you fairly, nor Prez, nor anyone else."

Belle nodded. "Well, then, thank you for your honesty. You may want to consider being that forthcoming with White, for she holds the same feelings as I. Anyone can tell by the way she watches you." Finally she stepped back. "And I do believe that you will find love eventually. Even if it not with us." She did a mock-salute, smiled bravely, and scuttled away.

Black decided he owed it to her to tell White.

Black knew something was wrong the moment he found White sitting alone on the bench.

Her head was bowed, bangs covering her eyes, oblivious to anything happening in the city around. Her hands were clasped so tight her knuckles were white. She said nothing when he stood before her.

"So you spied," he guessed after a few seconds of silence.

"I didn't mean to," she mumbled. What a contrast this was from how cheerful she was when they first entered the library so long ago.

Black rolled his eyes and plopped down beside her, feeling particularly awful. "How could you not mean to eavesdrop?"

"I didn't mean to lose my heart so terribly," she corrected, raising her head finally. The clouds began crying along with her, a dismal harmony to her heartbreak. Petrichor was filling the air fast, a usually calming smell that now suffocated Black.

"I don't know what to say other than that I am sorry."

"Well, you've been saying that an awful lot to me, but it's never been your fault, has it?" she countered. "I got myself into this. I followed my heart where I knew it was not wanted. I'm so foolish."

"I'm not sure what you want me to say." Black decided he deeply disliked dealing with emotions, especially twice in one day. He was at a loss for words. Nothing seemed worth saying. Dealing with White was so much messier than with Belle, surprisingly.

"And I'm not sure what you want me to do!" White snapped. "Do you want me to just get over this and be normal again? I cannot even fathom such a thing."

This was not what he wanted her to have to do at all. "Yes, well I feel like a special brand of ass right now, and I don't need you making it worse."

"You feel like an ass?" she spluttered. "You feel like a fool?"

"Yes, I do!" He hated this. He hated arguing with her, out here in the cold and rain. He hated arguing with her at all. "I do, because I've hurt you without doing anything, and it's making you act strangely. You're not acting like yourself, Prez."

She leapt up, incredulous. "How would you act if you were in my position? Tell me, how would you?"

He shoved a hand through his damp hair. "I don't know, okay? I don't. I don' I don't know what you're supposed to do, and I don't know what I'm supposed to do, and I don't know anything!"

"You're right. You don't." White's face contorted in rage and despair, and she ran from him, sobbing into the storm.

Thunder cackled high above, mocking his misfortune. Black wished then that he could be anywhere else. Anywhere but the kingdom of storms.

The kingdom that crumbled until all that was left was a crooked democracy.

A/N: So...um...N likes rocks...

Hey hey! I'm back, dandelions! With a chapter that is finally a decent length. School is SO CLOSE to being done for me (& I'm done with finals! Woot!) and therefore, I will have a lot more time to dedicate to this story, which is awesome, especially because Part III is going to be just basically chaos and plot twists and whatnot XD yay

But I'm having a bit of trouble with placement...next chapter might be a bit awkward in format and stuffs. It'll be up soon, 'cos I've got a plan for it! Waha!

AND BELLE LITERALLY ASKED THE BIG QUESTION XD

So, more plot twists next time because, guess what?! Next chapter is the last one in Part II!

Rant over! Thank you all for reading!

-Sylvianite ;P

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or anything else