Hidden in Plain Sight

Deep darkness morphs into vast light. Fluorescent lights sting the eyes as blurry apparitions take the form of familiar people, who stare back in shock.

"Drea, are you awake?"

A weak groan is let out in response.

"Shit, dude, I think she is...:"

Slowly Andrea is brought into consciousness. Her friends hover over her in a bare room. She shifts to find comfort on the stiff bed she lays on, like the kind they have in hospitals.

"What…"

Andrea holds her hands out; they are slightly paler than usual. Bianca runs out of the room.

"Andi!" Hilbert exclaims. "You're ok!"

Cheren's features relax as he lets out a sigh of relief.

"Y-Yeah, I guess…" She squints, ducking away from the bright ceiling lights. "I…Where's Kai? Bernie? Where am I?"

"You're in the Recovery Room at the Nacrene Gym," Cheren replies. "Kai and Bernie are in their poké balls on the table beside you."

Andrea looks to her right, and sure enough, two poké balls sit on the bedside table. "Nacrene...Recovery Room? Did I..."

Bianca walks back into the room with a tall woman.

"Thank goodness you're alright!" the woman breathes. "I was starting to get worried…"

Andrea's eyes widen as all of the missing pieces of her memory come flashing back with vibrant precision.

A museum with a hidden passage is something that should belong to fiction—and it is something that belonged to Andrea's early morning dreams. But that's exactly what the Nacrene gym is—a grand museum-library-gym hybrid with a secret passage underneath a bookcase that leads to the gym leader's lair.

Having defeated the gym's puzzle, the gym leader's niece shows Andrea a staircase hidden underneath a bookshelf. The blood leaves Andrea's face as the lines between dream and reality are blurred. Her heart pounds against her chest as she makes her way down the steps, legs shaking and stumbling. At the end of the staircase lies a luxurious office lined with bookshelves full of volumes of academic books. In front of the shelves stands a work desk, scattered with field notes and books. There is a vacant space in front of the woman sitting behind the messy desk, who looks up only when Andrea steps beyond the staircase and into the room.

It is the stranger Andrea battled in her dream.

"Hello! You must be here to challenge the gym."

"Yeah."

The woman chuckles, getting up from her seat and walking around to lean back on the front of her desk. She puts her hands in her apron pockets. "Don't be nervous, honey. I don't bite."

Andrea laughs, still a little uncomfortable from the uncanny similarities of reality to her dream.

"I'm Lenora, the director of the museum and the gym leader. And you are?"

"Andrea."

"Andrea. Well, honey, let me tell you that part of my job as museum director is to do research—lotsa it. Now, as a gym leader the kinda research I do is a lil' different. It's my job as leader to research the way you raised your pokémon through battle!"

Andrea nods solemnly.

Lenora chuckles again, shaking her head. "Strong and silent type, huh? That's alright. I'll get'cha outta that shell in no time," she says, pulling out a poké ball. "You ready?"

"Yeah!" Andrea shouts, determined to not let her anxiety get a hold of her.

"Now that's more like it! Let's go, Herdier!"

Andrea grabs a poké ball from her bag and throws it onto the vacant space that acts as a battlefield. "Come on out, Bernie!"

Oh no.

"I—I—I need—I have to go—"

"Oh no honey, you're staying right where you are," the tall woman—Lenora—interjects. "Your body isn't in any state to be running out and about."

Shameful tears burn Andrea's eyes as her friends stare at her with concern.

Hilbert steps forward, "Andi, don't—"

"Can I—talk to Bianca...alone?"

Bianca turns to the others, searching for approval.

"Of course," Lenora states. She is the first to walk out of the room. Cheren follows shortly after. Hilbert lingers, hurt by Andrea's offhanded rejection. After receiving a pleading look from their blonde friend, he begrudgingly walks out of the room; it takes all of his patience to not slam the door behind him.

Bianca gently sits at the edge of the bed Andrea is laying on.

"Bianca...did I really pass out after I lost?"

"That's what Lenora said…"

Andrea groans into her hands. "That's so embarrassing!"

Bianca's eyebrows furrow in concern. "No, it's—"

"Yes, Bianca, it is," Andrea retorts. "Normal people don't...fucking pass out just because they lost a battle!"

"Well, this room exists for a reason," Bianca responds calmly, like a patient mother. "Maybe a lot more accidents happen than you think."

Andrea says nothing.

"Besides, you were probably nervous, and like, overwhelmed. I mean...isn't this just like the dream you had?"

Andrea exhales shakily. "Yeah."

"See, if I were you, I wouldn't have made it down the stairs!" Bianca giggles, and Andrea cannot help but smile in response. Her smile falls quickly, though, as the previous events flash through her mind.

"I don't know if I can ever show my face to Lenora again…it's just so embarrassing!"

"What?" Bianca exclaims. Her heart stops when tears well up in her friend's eyes. "You can't give up just because of this!"

"I mean—"

"Lenora seems sweet! I'm sure she'll understand, especially since I told her you used to get dizzy a lot."

"Ah, I forgot about that…" Andrea confesses. "I've been doing so well lately that—"

"I know," Bianca smiles, reaching her hand towards Andrea and laying it over her friend's thigh. "And I'm really proud of you for that."

Andrea blushes. "Thanks Bianca...I knew talking to you would help."

Bianca beams at her friend's confession. "I'm so happy to hear that!"

"I'm gonna start training with Kai and Bernie! Lenora's really tough, but I think with enough practice we can beat her."

"I know you can!" Bianca exclaims sincerely. "And if you need any help, I'm always here for you!"

Andrea sits up suddenly and leans forward to hug Bianca. She pushes down the dizziness that rushes through her head; Bianca's presence grounds her.

There is a sudden knock at the door, causing Andrea to instantly pull away. Bianca smiles apologetically and gets up to open the door. Hilbert is on the other side, nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

"Hey, sorry for getting mad earlier…" He professes. "I was just really worried about you and, uh…"

Heat travels to Andrea's face as she observes the way the boy's eyes glimmer with sincerity.

"...are you guys done talking?"

And just like that, the spell fades away, and Andrea finds herself looking at a rather plain boy. Something is severely wrong with me, she thinks. I must have landed on my head or something because—

"Drea?"

The brunette blinks in embarrassment, as if she had been caught red-handed for a terrible crime. "Oh, yeah, we're good. You guys can come in."

"So I have this great idea!" Hilbert exclaims as he practically bounces into the room. "Andi, we should start training together! It seems like Lenora's really tough and I wanna help you so that you're ready to challenge her again!"

"Yeah, that sounds really cool!" Andrea clears her throat. "So, like, all of us?"

"I was thinking just the two of us, ya know...so um like...it could be like...more focused, um, and—"

"Oh no, yeah, that sounds great," Andrea stammers.

A wide grin graces Hilbert's face. "Cool!"

Bianca, from behind Hilbert, raises her eyebrow at Andrea. Andrea rolls her eyes and is about to change the subject when Cheren and Lenora walk in.

"You're already looking scores better!" Lenora exclaims.

Andrea nods, unable to look Lenora in the eye. "Yeah, I feel tons better."

"Good! I'll let you go after a couple more hours of rest; I have some business to attend to," Lenora informs. "And you better not go and sneak off!"

Andrea pouts; how could Lenora possibly know that's what she was planning?

Lenora smiles. She is about to close the door behind her when she suddenly pops her head back into the room. "Oh, and Andrea?"

Andrea finally manages to look at her.

"I look forward to our next battle. You seem...different. Lots of potential."

The door closes, and Andrea cannot stop herself from smiling from the hope that had been thrust upon her.

"That's it, Bernie! You're doing great!"

"Come on, Watchog, we can't let them win so easily! Hang in there!"

"Fury swipe!"

With a quick succession of quick swipes, Watchog falls over and doesn't stand back up.

"Yes!" Andrea exclaims. She holds out her arms, which her pokémon happily jump into.

Hilbert rotely returns his Watchog to his poké ball.

"I think you're ready, Andi."

The girl's eyes sparkle with excitement. "Really?"

"Yeah dude!" Hilbert grins. "Lenora's tough; it took me and Cheren more than a couple tries to beat her, but I think you've got this!"

Andrea pouts. "Lenora is really tough...how did it take Bianca only two tries to beat her?"

"When Tepig evolved it learned Arm Thrust, which is super effective against normal type pokémon."

"Ah…Well, good thing I bought that TM for Bernie to learn Rock Smash!"

Hilbert tilts his head to the side. "I'm surprised Kai hasn't evolved yet. Even Cheren's snivy has…"

Andrea looks at her oshawott with curiosity. He stares back unknowingly with beady black eyes.

"I'm sure it'll happen soon," Andrea shrugs. "Besides, he's pretty tough just the way he is! Right, Kai?"

Kai chirps proudly, puffing out his chest in response. Hilbert and Andrea chuckle in response.

"Speaking of Cheren, he hasn't dashed off to the next gym yet because he wants to battle you as soon as you get the Basic badge!"

"Shit," Andrea replies. "I guess I better win this time then, right?"

"Third time's the charm," Hilbert quips. "Besides, you're like, pretty amazing, so, uh...I'm sure it'll be no problem for you and...yeah…"

Before Andrea even has the chance to properly react, Hilbert is speaking again.

"Anyways, we should head back. It's getting late, and you need to get enough rest of you wanna beat Lenora tomorrow!"

Andrea smiles softly. "Yeah."

The two walk away from the outskirts of town near the forest, making their way to the pokémon center planted in the heart of the downtown streets.

"Hey."

"Yeah?"

"Thanks so much for helping me. And believing in me. It means a lot."

In one of his explosive moments of bravery, he wraps his arm around the girl and pulls her close to him.

"No problem, Andi."

Andrea exits the pokémon center, brimming with anticipation. She walks against the brisk morning air down the bustling streets of downtown Nacrene. Even early in the morning, the town is singing with creative energy—painters and poets stand on the streets as artists and crafters set up their wares and tables for the day. Andrea walks by quickly, resisting the urge to buy more accessories despite Kai and Bernie's curious glares. At one point, Bernie nearly jumps out of Andrea's grasp to investigate a woman selling a litter of Lillipup. While Andrea is distracted with trying to hold onto Bernie, Kai jumps off of her shoulder and runs towards a display of poffins. For a moment, Andrea wonders why anyone would want children; pokémon, sometimes, are difficult enough!

She picks him up and places him back onto her shoulder, what has become a familiar spot for the otter Pokémon. Finally, the museum is within sight.

"Ready guys?"

Her pokémon squeal in response. In fact, Kai is so ready that he jumps off of her shoulder again and runs ahead.

"Kai, wait!"

Andrea puts Bernie on her other shoulder, tells him to hang on tight as she runs after Kai. Kai dashes ahead, disappearing into a crowd in front of the museum. His human partner catches up soon after the crowd enters the museum. She is running so fast that she cannot stop herself when someone intervenes, blocking her path. She bumps into the person and falls backwards, onto her butt.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" Andrea snaps, trying to recover from the embarrassment of falling in front of a crowded street. Bernie climbs back onto Andrea's shoulder. Andrea avoids the stranger's critical gaze; her eyes are focused on a point beyond the stranger's feet, where Kai is hurriedly waddling back towards her.

"I—I, I—wait, Andrea?"

Andrea tears her eyes away from her approaching pokémon and looks up at the source of the familiar voice. Her mouth drops in surprise at the fast-talking man.

"N?"

He bends down and reaches his hand out to her. She rejects it, getting up on her own and dusting off her backside. N awkwardly retracts his hand. Kai joins his trainer's side, and Bernie stares curiously at the green haired teen.

"It's nice to see you again. You as well, Kai."

Kai chirps in response. N smiles warmly and shifts his gaze to the fire pokémon. "I don't believe we've met before."

"This is Bernie," Andrea offers.

Bernie remains silent.

"A bit quiet, eh? That's fine."

"What were you doing in the museum?"

N looks back at Andrea. "I was challenging the gym."

Andrea's head drops slightly to the side. "You're challenging the gyms?"

N nods.

"But why? I thought you didn't support that."

Looking off into the distance, N sighs and closes his eyes. "It's the only way…"

Andrea is about to push further when she realizes crowds of people are walking around them to get in and out of the museum.

"Um, do you wanna talk somewhere else?" Andrea asks. "Over some...uh, like, coffee, maybe?"

N's eyes widen. His shocked face softens into a grateful smile. "That would be nice."

N and Andrea sit at a table on a patio outside of a small café. Their pokémon sit a few feet away, waiting with anticipation for their food to be served. At first, N's pokémon kept to themselves, and Bernie and Kai are left to quietly and curiously observe them. After a couple of minutes, though, Kai reaches out to N's pokémon, and soon they are all chattering excitedly with each other. N seems to be listening to the ongoing conversation with intense curiosity.

"So what's up? How have you been?"

N turns to her, eyes wide, as if he is not asked the question often. So he casts his eyes downwards and keeps his answer simple: "I'm...alright. How about you?"

Andrea, on the other hand, already has a list of things she wants to tell him, to talk about, to reveal. "Things have been kind of crazy lately! I've saved pokémon from Team Plasma twice now!"

"What? Saved? What do you—"

"Yeah! The first time I stopped them from kicking a munna, and the second time I stopped them from stealing a little girl's pokémon."

"Woah, wait, what? Team Plasma...did those things?"

"Yeah. It seems so, like, not right, you know?" Andrea asks. "It's weird. They're weird."

"W-Well," he shifts uncomfortably in his seat, "um, I should probably let you know that—"

"Oh, and when I was saving the munna from being kicked, a musharna created a two hallucinations of Team Plasma's boss!"

N stiffens. "Really?"

"Yeah! That guy with the weird glass piece in front of his eye."

"Oh, um—"

"Oh! His name was Ghetsis, or something. And he was as scary as he is in person. And tall. That musharna did a really good job creating..."

N, realizing Andrea will not stop interrupting him, stops talking, and instead chooses to merely listen to her wild story.

Andrea, on a roll, continues to ramble on about her second run-in with Team Plasma. N only nods throughout the entirety of the take. She sighs, disappointed by this, and sinks into her seat. "Gosh, they're really taking forever on our drinks…"

N says nothing, only shifting in his seat to peer into the crowded café.

"So why are you on a pokémon journey?" Andrea continues, bored of the silence. "Aren't you kind of...old to be on your first journey?

"Old?"

"Well, yeah," Andrea replies definitively. "You're older than me and I'm already fifteen."

"Huh. I figured you were a little younger. You're pretty childish but sometimes you say things that are pretty insightful."

"Childish?!"

"Yes," N affirms, unblinkingly, oblivious to the offence Andrea takes to his statement. "Anyways, fifteen is not very old, you know…"

"Coming from an old man like you it's not!"

"I'm only seventeen…"

"Besides, most trainers in Unova begin their journeys when they're fourteen—and that requires a lot of responsibility!" Andrea grins victoriously. "So I think people my age are, like, already adults."

N cups his chin in thought. "I see…Well, to answer your initial question, I embarked on my journey so late because I received a special education until I was deemed ready."

"Woah," Andrea replies. "Most kids just have to complete, like, ten-ish years of school before they leave home."

"Interesting."

"What was your school like?"

"Well…" N begins, fiddling with his planetary necklace. "I didn't really go to a school...I was taught by instructors alongside my sisters."

"You have sisters?

"Yes. They're a couple years older than me, though."

"Oh ok...so you were home-schooled?" Andrea confirms. "What's your favorite subject?"

"Ah!" N beams, and for the first time Andrea sees what happiness looks like on the young man. "That's definitely a tie between Advanced Calculus, Advanced Abstract Algebra, and Advanced Real and Complex Analysis!"

Andrea freezes. "O-oh, I've never heard of those…" What kind of home-schooling did this guy have?

"Is that so?" N questions. "Well, I actually like any kind of math, but these subjects were especially exciting because…"

And suddenly he is unraveling, letting go of all self-imposed restraint, and rambling about mathematics, of all things. Despite his knowledge, it is clear to Andrea that he's not trying to show off, unlike a certain brainiac she knows. His icy blue eyes twinkle as if he were a child again, and it's the most entrancing thing to watch despite Andrea not understanding a word he's saying.

"Oh wow, that's so...advanced," she stutters, simultaneously intimidated by his intelligence and and in awe of it.

"Do you enjoy math?" N asks hopefully.

Andrea chuckles. "No."

"Oh," N's smile falls. "That's a shame. It's such an interesting topic. What subjects do you enjoy?"

"W-well, P.E. was fun…"

"P.E.?"

Andrea's mouth drops in bemused shock. "Don't tell me you've never taken it!"

"Um…"

"Ok," Andrea starts, excited to educate her intelligent acquaintance. "P.E. stands for physical education."

"Oh, so like physics and quantum mechanics? I enjoyed those subjects as well!"

"No!" Andrea laughs. "It's about exercising. So, like, you'd spend class time playing sports or running around the field…and there's no homework or studying!"

"Oh. I see." He chuckles nervously as he wonders about the intellectual benefits such a class would offer. "Did you play basketball in that class?"

"Oh hell yeah!" Andrea grins. "It's my favorite sport!"

"Me too!" N mirrors her excitement. "But I also like to skateboard."

"Really? That's fucking awesome!"

N flinches at the swear word. Andrea cannot hold back a chuckle.

"Sorry. Anyways, I tried it out when I was younger but I ended up breaking my arm…" She cackles at the memory. "So to me, people who can skateboard are super talented!"

N sheepishly smiles, face turning pink at Andrea's subtle compliment.

"I could watch people do tricks with their skateboards all day…" Andrea ponders. Suddenly, her eyes brighten up. "Oh! That reminds me! What's your favorite TV show?"

"I don't watch television often...but I like the pokémon planet channel."

"Oh cool," she says, noting that she shouldn't have expected anything different. "Lately my friends and I have been watching a reality TV show called The Sweethearts of Hearthome."

"Reality TV?"

"Yeah so like...it's about the daily lives of contest stars."

"So…" N squints, deep in thought. "You just watch them doing their daily errands?

"It's much more than that!" Andrea retorts defensively. "There's always drama in their lives...and they're always fighting each other about really small things so it's funny."

"You don't think that's kind of mind numbing and silly?"

"Hey!" Andrea nearly yells. "Don't call something dumb before you haven't watched it!"

"You're getting awfully defensive when I'm just expressing my opinion," he replies with what appears to be an unshakable coolness.

"Whatever!" Her face darkens, flushed with embarrassment. "Is there anything else you like to do for fun other than just watch pokémon walk around all day?!"

"I'd much rather learn about the natural behaviors of the mysterious creatures that have blessed our lives with their existence than watch a show about people who doll them up for human consumption!"

"Oh come on!" Andrea groans; the conversation was going so well, too!

"And yes, I do have other hobbies that I thoroughly enjoy."

"Like what?"

There is a long pause, like N is racking his brain.

Does he not have any other interests? Andrea wonders as she waits impatiently for N to speak.

"I like to talk to pokémon," N finally states. "Actually anything to do with pokémon I enjoy—except battling of course! I enjoy reading theory and novels about Pokémon...I like being with pokémon…"

"Do you enjoy anything unrelated to pokémon?" Andrea asks, playful smirk stretching across her cheeks.

"Of course I do! But I really love pokémon."

Andrea laughs, an airy and candescent thing. The sound floats towards N, quickening his heartbeat for some inexplicable reason, and suddenly he finds it harder to look at this girl that glows with laughter. Her laughter fades, slowly, and N is left unable to speak. He decides to look at her, again, and for the first time, notices the color of her eyes: they're blue, like the carpet of his childhood room. He finds this feature odd for someone with dark skin and hair, but he is nonetheless mesmerized by it. The two stew in each other's silence, looking into each other's eyes as if trying to search for something hidden in plain sight. Andrea is the first to break out of the spell. She clears her throat and raises her eyebrows expectantly.

"W-What?" N, genuinely confused, is barely able to hide a vulnerable voice. He breaks eye contact and, opting to look at a less intimate point, his gaze flits between Andrea's nose and chin.

She smiles. "What else do you like to do?"

"If you're really that curious," he manages to continue, voice growing stable, "I enjoy advanced calculus and other math related subjects...and basketball and skateboarding...But I also enjoy playing the violin and piano!"

Andrea leans forward. "Oh, that's awesome! So you like music?"

"Well, of course; who doesn't?"

"Right," Andrea inwardly cringes at her question. "What kind of music do you like?"

"Hmm...Mostly classical, I suppose. Jazz is nice too."

Andrea rests her head in her hand and looks at N. "Cool…" Her smile widens as she leans further into her palm. The rest of her features relax as if she were stuck in a lovely daydream.

N shifts uncomfortably in his seat. He adjusts his baseball cap and looks away. No one has ever looked at him in such a way before, with such a gaze full of longing and curiosity, and he is not sure what to make of it.

"Um…"

"Hey!" A familiar voice exclaims. "It's that girl who totally owned you and what's-his-face!"

Andrea snaps out of her reverie and is suddenly faced with the urge to slap herself. She turns around in search of the voice that interrupted her trance and spots a waiter carrying their order with two other waiters curiously trailing behind him.

"It's about damn time…" she mutters, and then her eyes widen in shocked recognition. "Wait, Chili?! And—"

"My dumb brothers, yup!" The fiery redhead exclaims. Cress and Cilan glare at him with exasperation. Andrea's face turns as red as a Cheri berry as soon as she makes eye contact with Cilan. He seems relatively unaffected, waving at her with a casual smile.

"And don't criticize us! You can't rush perfection!" Chili retorts defensively.

Andrea ignores him. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Every Sunday in the spring, the café has a special where me and my brothers come and make the coffee and tea," Cilan explains as Chili sets down their drinks and pastries. He then goes and sets down the food for their pokémon, who all but attack the food with vigor.

It's already been two weeks since we got here?! Andrea wonders. Time flies...

"What's your name again?" Chili asks the green-haired teen sitting across from Andrea.

"N."

"Oh, right. Can't believe I forgot that."

"Indeed. You two were some of our most memorable challenges as of late," Cress adds.

Andrea stares at him in shock. For someone who seems so reserved, it is jarring for one of the few things he says to be so complimentary. "Wow, uh, thanks!"

N takes a sip of his earl grey tea, sets it down, and sighs. "I don't want to be remembered for battling. I want...Well, if I must be remembered for something, I would want to be remembered for being a friend to pokémon. And for inevitably saving them."

"Er...right," Chili says. "That's what he meant. Anyways, we're gonna go and leave you two lovebirds alone."

Once again, Andrea's face reddens. "That's not—"

"Really? It sure looks like it," Chili smirks mischievously.

"Chili…" Cilan scolds.

"Ok, have fun you two!"

With that, the three brothers gracefully walk back into the café.

"What did he mean by that?"

"By what?" Andrea asks, taking a sip of her coffee.

"'Lovebirds.'"

Andrea nearly chokes on her coffee.

"I know what it means, but—"

"Have you tried this coffee?" Andrea asks, voice raising a pitch. "It's lovely."

N's face scrunches up. His whole body tenses, shoulders moving up to his ears as if defending his body from an intolerable noise. "I don't...I don't like coffee. Too bitter."

"And tea isn't?"

"Not to me," N counters defensively.

Andrea shrugs, content to have changed the subject. "Fair enough."

N, longing for an escape, looks over to their pokémon, who are so invested in their meals that they only occasionally make conversational noises. He relaxes as he is absorbed into the pokémon's conversation. Andrea curiously follows his gaze, making a note of the new members of his team. A pidove, A timburr, a tympole, and...

"Oh!" Where is Purrloin?"

N's casual smile morphs into a tight line. He looks down at his tea. "She's gone."

Andrea's face pales. Her heart sinks. "Oh, N, I'm—"

"I released her."

"Oh." Andrea blinks, processing the information. The new information doesn't do much to seal the pit in her stomach. She squints her eyes. "Wait, why?"

N sighs. "I already explained this to your friend, Cheren."

Andrea nearly drops the coffee cup. "You—You talked to...to Cheren?"

"We ran into each other on Route 3," N explains. "I suppose he hasn't told you about it."

"Nope," Andrea bitterly notes.

"Well," N continues, "I released the purrloin traveling with me because she wasn't mine to keep. She doesn't deserve to be trapped for forever. That would be a horrid existence for a creature meant to roam freely."

"But what about her friendship?" Andrea questions.

"Hm. That's a good point. I do have a friend back home who I have not released. It depends on how the pokémon feels, I suppose."

"I don't think I could ever release Kai or Bernie," Andrea replies, looking at her pokémon fondly.

"That's your selfishness getting in the way."

"What?"

N sighs, so full of exasperation that he closes his eyes and leans back in his chair. "I didn't mean to insult you. Humans take things so personally."

Andrea scoffs, sitting back and crossing her arms. And to think we were making progress...

"I'm not implying you should release your pokémon. In fact, Kai and Bernie really seem to love you. It would break my heart to see you separated from them."

Andrea's frown softens.

"But I have a destiny to fulfill, a future to create."

"Why?"

N looks at Andrea in confusion.

Andrea clears her throat. "Why do you have to do it?"

"I—I—" he falters, momentarily, but it is long enough for Andrea to notice. "For the pokémon."

"But there are many pokémon that are happy with their trainers!" Andrea argues. "You said it yourself; you'd be sad if me and Kai and Bernie were separated."

"Yes, but—"

Andrea suddenly remembers her conversation with her mother's former co-worker, Ms. Greene. "I think the legends from Sinnoh say that pokémon battle with us because they want to be friends with us. And protect us. So, like, if that's the way things have been since the beginning of time, wouldn't pokémon be sad if we changed?"

N's eyes widen. His mouth drops open, very slightly, as if he has lost control of his facial features. "I...never anticipated foreign legends in my formula…"

"Formula?"

"Our universe is made of complex formulas—time itself is a particularly elegant one. If I want to change the world, create a future for pokémon, I must have a flawless formula to enact. And you!" N exclaims emphatically. "You're already ruining it!"

Andrea starts, once again shocked by N's passion. She cannot even bring herself to ask him what his formula is; she is so overwhelmed by his righteous frustration she is stuck in a rare state of being rendered completely speechless.

N lets out a composed breath. "What is it about you that flusters me so? Never in my life have I met someone who can rival my ideals, whose relationship with pokémon can confuse me the way you do...Could it be? Are you…?"

Andrea holds her breath, eagerly awaiting N to finish his thoughts.

He shakes his head. "No. It can't be. But still, I would like to test you."

"Huh?"

"Will you battle me again?"

She wants to say Well, why didn't you just say that in the first place, but she keeps her sassiness in check. It should be obvious to her by now that N is not like everyone else when it comes to social interaction.

Nonetheless, Andrea's brain is scrambled—if she confuses N, he outright mystifies her, warps what should be a brightly filtered world into an infrared image. He speaks of the evil of battles, yet wishes to engage in one with her. Despite all his talk of grand formulas, he doesn't make any logical sense; still, there is something about him that draws her like a moth to the flame.

"Yeah, sure." She grins, and looks towards her pokémon, who are laying on the ground with full bellies. She giggles. "Maybe we should wait for their food to settle."

N smiles, but on the inside, he is once again perplexed by the girl sitting across from him and her motherly nature towards these fantastic creatures.

From within the café, the three gym leader brothers watch N and Andrea battle on the street in front of the café.

"Now that's a pair!" Chili exclaims.

"Like two sides of a coin," Cress adds.

Cilan remains silent. Chili smirks. "Jealous?"

Cilan shakes his head. "Just...thinking."

"About?"

Andrea exclaims a command, thrusting her arm forward and beaming confidently.

"That."

"Huh?" Chili asks mockingly.

"...Nevermind."

Both trainers are down to one pokémon. Andrea is objectively stronger than N, but he has more pokémon; it is a tough battle for both of them.

N's heart sinks as Bernie delivers the final blow with a move meant to crush rocks. N shivers at the thought of such a force hitting the pokémon who are helping him. For a moment he hates Andrea for hurting their pokémon; he wants to be strong, to look at her with disgust and tell her that what she's doing is cruel. But then he sees the way her eyes glisten like the sun shining on the ocean's surface, and then she smiles at him, and suddenly all of his fervor melts away. Confusion quickly replaces it, overriding his senses with the urge to shove himself back into a state of clarity. He longs to ask her, again, what is it about you, but a critical voice in his head stops him, tells him that he's being foolish, that infatuation is the enemy of logic.

"I cannot determine the future yet…" he says instead, and that is the truth; Andrea has thrown off his perception, cast a spell over him. He thinks carefully about what to say next. "The world is still waiting, in hibernation, for a hero to enact a just future…"

Andrea and her pokémon stare at N in wonder. "A hero?" She questions.

He moves towards her until they are almost touching. Andrea's breath hitches at the closeness.

"Yes. Only a hero worthy of the Legendary Dragon's respect can have the power to save pokémon."

"Legendary Dragon?" Images of fairy tales flash through Andrea's mind—she thinks of the black and white dragons from the picture book her dad once read to her every night. She imagines the two princes, engaged in battle, sweating with zeal as truth and ideals clashed. And for some reason, she thinks of Eindowak Town, and the royal family living there; after all, they are said to somehow be connected to the Twin Heroes. "No offense, but you're crazy."

"Perhaps I am," N concedes. "But that is not going to stop me from trying to befriend the legendary pokémon. It's my turn to become the Hero of Ideals—and you and I will be friends."

Andrea remains silent for a moment, perplexed by what he is pursuing. "I still don't understand how all that works...and I still think you're a little crazy, but…maybe you don't need a Legendary Dragon for us to be friends?"

N blinks in shock. "W-What?"

Andrea smiles. "Do you have a cross-transciever?"

"I do, actually. It took me a while to convince my father to get me one, but he eventually gave in."

Andrea laughs. "Same! Er, except it was my mom…" N catches a frown momentarily cross the girls face, but she continues speaking before he can think about it for too long. "Anyways, we should exchange numbers so we can keep in touch."

"That's what friends do...right?"

Andrea nods.

"Are we...friends?"

"Sure! I mean, uh, if you want, obviously..."

N smiles, and offers his cross-transciever for Andrea to type her number in, and he does the same for her.

"Cool!" Andrea exclaims. Part of her is wary for having given her contact information to such an odd person, but another part of her is floating in excitement, like something she had lost had just been found.

"I'll be on my way now," N says.

"Oh, ok," Andrea responds, slightly crestfallen to say goodbye once again. There is still so much she wants to learn about him, and still so much that, for some otherworldly reason, she longs to tell him. "Well, see you soon..."

"I get the feeling you will. Until we meet again, Andrea."

She watches him walk away until he disappears beyond the confines of the small city. Once again, she is left to brew in her conflicting feelings; N always leaves her in a state of deep rumination that pervades her consciousness.

Feeling eyes on her, she turns to the window of café. Shamelessly watching her are the Striaton Gym Leaders. Cress and Cilan quickly turn away upon discovery and go about their tasks at the café. Chili, however, lingers for a moment, smirking knowingly at Andrea. She flips him off, saccharine smile planted across her face, before turning around and making her way towards the pokémon Center to heal her pokémon.

Andrea enters the gym with a newfound confidence and Kai and Bernie securely planted on each shoulder. She is about to make her way to the secret passageway leading to Lenora's battle room when she is stopped by the glimmer of something out of the corner of her eye. She turns, and in the corner of the museum she spots a new display. A pure white stone lays powerfully in a glass case. Gray grooves swoop about the spherical stone as if in search of a true pattern. Light reflects off of its surface like a pearl glimmering in the moonlight. Andrea's hand hovers over the glass pensively.

"Ah, I see you've noticed our newest exhibit."

Andrea jumps at the sound of the voice, instantly retracting her hand. Beside her stands a spectacled man. She suddenly remembers him as the man who gave her and her friends a tour of the museum when they first visited.

"You've been here before, correct?"

"Yeah. You're Lenora's husband, right?"

"Y-yes. Dr. Hawes. Anyway, if you're curious about that stone, I'm afraid there's not much to tell you," he confesses.

"Really?" Andrea asks.

"Unfortunately it's just a plain old stone we found in the desert. Nonetheless, it is a relic, and it is quite beautiful to look at, so here it is…"

Andrea continues to stare at the blazingly pure stone in awe.

"Well, if you need me, I'll be wandering around. Take care."

But Andrea didn't come here for the museum; she came here for the gym challenge. So she made her way towards the library in the back of the museum, and greets Lenora's niece, who opens the secret passageway for her. Andrea takes a deep breath and traveled down the stairs and into Lenora's private battlefield-office. This makes Andrea wonder, for the first time since challenging Lenora, if it is a good idea to have an office and a battlefield so close to each other.

Lenora looks up from her work. "Hi Andrea. Ready for another battle?"

"Yeah!"

"Alrighty then," Lenora says, getting up from her desk and moving to her side of the battlefield. "No holding back, alright?"

Andrea grins, feeling the presence of the white stone tugging at her heart.

"I never do."