Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, although I wish I did. That right belongs to Nintendo. At least I own this fanfic of mine.

A/N: Okay, I know I haven't updated for the last couple of days, and I'm so sorry for that. I kinda had a minor case of writer's block, and that happens to me from time to time.

A/N: I know I'm going too fast in the story, and I will do my best to slow down, like update every other day so others can get a chance at reading the story.

A/N: I also inserted a new poll, which is on my profile. Bear in mind you would have to read them, and choose. The most votes I get will be the winner, and that character will appear in a cliffhanger, followed by a chapter revolving around them (it will still be narrated by White and N). They will also be the last main character in the story. So the faster we vote, the faster I can insert this person into the story.

A/N: I appreciate the reviews/feedback I'd gotten, so it isn't too much to ask for more, right? I think that's it, so moving on to the next chapter.

N's PoV.

I stared at the windows, wondering what my purpose in life really was.

I'd left Unova in order to discover that purpose, but somehow I'd ended up back here. Sure, the Shadow Triad dragged me back by force on Ghetsis's orders. They had the nerve to throw me into a cell with the very reason I was running away from Unova.

Was it wrong to be irresistibly drawn to someone? White had me intrigued, fascinated and repulsed all at once. Half of me wanted nothing more than to stay with her. On the other hand, I had to keep on running from her, from Unova. Was this selfishness or cowardice?

As usual, I came up blank.

Thankfully, I didn't have to mull over this for long, because White had barged into the midst, gritting her teeth as usual.

She stared at me, her features softening. "Hi," she said with a strained voice.

Aware of my heart skipping several beats and not trusting myself to speak, I nodded.

"You seem mad," I observed, although I knew why.

I examined White from afar, bickering with Cheren. Whenever I've seen White with Cheren, I would always feel uncomfortable, because of how close they were.

When White had mentioned Cheren in passing back in the throne room, I felt saddened and rejected, plus angered and uncomfortable. I'd brushed that away so easily.

Then, White had reunited with Cheren and Bianca, White gravitating toward Cheren. That made me even more uncomfortable and irate. Keeping the malice out of my voice, I continued, "What did Cherry-?"

White looked pointedly at me. "Cheren," she corrected me, annoyed.

Pretending I was unconcerned, I flicked my hand. "Yeah, him," I said lightly. "So, what did he do?"

I was horrified at the burning curiosity behind those words, and did my best to reel the emotion in, so it wouldn't resurface when I spoke again.

White was deliberating whether to tell me or not, which made me upset. However, I wasn't going to be pushy, because why would I care anyway? Actually, I do care, I said to myself, but why?

"Will you ride with me?" I found myself pleading, "because Zekrom and Reshiram hate each other."

I knew that was true, but in truth, I wanted to spur Cheren's jealousy, because he obviously had feelings for White, and just knowing that made me upset. I knew I didn't have the life Bianca, White and Cheren had, thus making me socially awkward.

Except Cheren and me were of the same gender. That meant I knew how he felt about White, because why else would he try to make a move on her while I was around? I tried not to care, but I did. And I didn't like that at all.

White gave an endearing laugh. "No," she refused.

Instantly, I felt rejected. Don't let that control you, I told myself, reeling it in effortlessly.

My former nemesis rolled her eyes. "Cheren thinks you and I have something going on."

Excitedly, I straightened myself on Zekrom, flicking stray bangs of my hair away from my face, melting into my already-long hair. "I hope he wasn't thinking romantically," I told her, suppressing the hope I carried within.

White sighed, "He was."

I fiddled with the handcuffs, wondering if there was a way to get these off, because Bianca and Cheren had failed on their behalf, coming up with no key. It wasn't as if I had expected them to come through, because I had absolutely no trust in them, although respect was questionable.

I lost myself in those eyes, barely noticing White shaking her head, her choppy hair slapping against her cheeks. "I told him his glasses were on wrong."

I snapped myself of my reverie, a part of me purring with pleasure.

White inhaled and exhaled, ranting, "Besides, there's no chance." In order to emphasize her point, White tapped her heart and pointed at mine.

I wheeled around, digging my fingers into Zekrom's neck, bowing my head. "No chance," I agreed tonelessly, batting away the devastating blow White had delivered me.

Looking upward, I gazed at White, saying, "White, you're the only friend I have, so can you please ride with me?" Another lame move, I found myself thinking, dejected.

White raised her brows before lowering them.

Flashing a small yet guilty smile at me, White replied, "I'm sorry, but I have Reshiram."

I knew full well she was trying to remind me she had Reshiram. To be honest, I'd expected she would turn me down, albeit White seemed sorry for that. I felt rejected, which was not a good feeling.

White fished out Reshiram's Timer Ball, pushing the button. In a blink of an eye, it grew bigger. "We're complete opposites, you and me. I mean, I saved the world while you tried to destroy it -"

As if I needed to be reminded of that. I felt guilty enough as it is.

White must've seen the guilty expression I wore, because she amended, "No offense."

I bowed my head down, murmuring, "None taken."

In order to allow White see her blunt words made no impact on me, I patted Zekrom's head, thinking about why I was feeling this way. Did the cast mean nothing to her? I did that for her because I owed her for busting us out of that cell and because she snapped me out of my wrongful thinking of how people treated Pokemon.

"I seek the Truth while you pursue Idealism," she continued, obviously not seeing my reaction.

White twirled around, letting the Timer Ball fly straight and true from her hand. "GO RESHIRAM!"

As soon as the Timer Ball fell to the ground, Reshiram appeared.

Right when the Timer Ball flew back to White's hand, I heard Zekrom's chest rumbling before it released a hiss, followed by Reshiram. "OH, SHUT UP, YOU TWO!" White and I said in unison.

Inadvertently, I darted my eyes toward White's face, aglow with red.

I wasn't sure if mine was glowing, so I turned away, nervous.

It displeased me when White plowed on, "Reshiram chose me while Zekrom chose you, N."

I nodded weakly, bowing my head down again whilst trying to claw my way out of my episode of depression. She's telling me she's not my type, I realized.

"I think those are good enough reasons we're not compatible," White droned on, "because our Pokemon hate each other."

Sensing the tense moment erupting between us, I inclined my head, gazing at White. "You're absolutely right, White," I said unhappily.

She appeared not to take note of my sadness, because she swerved around, locking eyes with Platina, a hiss erupting from her mouth. Curious, I examined White's timeless face, seeing denial etched upon it.

I bowed my head down again just as White turned around, absentmindedly giving Reshiram a massage. Although Reshiram seemed to enjoy this pampering, it still gave Zekrom a hostile look, who returned the favor.

"Behave," White ordered, finishing her massage.

Reshiram had a dreamy expression on its face, apparently forgetting all about Zekrom.

White leaned against Reshiram, her face twisted with pain due to her broken hand. "Besides N . . . I'm not your type of girl." She smirked, bobbing her head up and down before facing Zekrom's counterpart, who was giving her an all-knowing stare, motioning toward me.

Zekrom motioned toward White, no signs of anger welling up inside it. Oh c'mon, she doesn't like me, I thought, understanding what Zekrom was trying to point out. For the first time, I was wondering whether Zekrom was a male, not genderless.

What was this? Did Zekrom put its hatred aside for Reshiram to pair me up with White? The idea was so absurd I wanted to give a shout of laughter, although I saw no humor in it.

White seemed unnerved as she climbed on to Zekrom, throwing me a brief glance. Then, she stared at Bianca, giving her a wink and thumbs-up. Uncomfortably, White gazed at Cheren, nodding. Finally, White and Platina eyed each other, a disapproving look planted upon White's face.

Smiling, White turned her head to eye the frosted windows, exclaiming, "We burst through those windows!" Little beams of sunlight poured into the library, dust particles barely visible to the naked eye. "We're finally getting out of here!"

Behind all of us, someone purred from below, "You're not going anywhere."

Looking down, I saw Gorm was awake, flanked by the Shadow Triad, one of them waving the key to my handcuffs. "Looking for this?" the Shadow Triad member waving the key said mockingly.

"N, NO!" White yelled.

Zekrom roared at me, asking me to forget about Gorm and the Shadow Triad.

In spite of myself, I jumped off Zekrom, my bushy hair fanning out behind me. When I landed on my feet, two of the Shadow Triad members materialized behind me, grasping me by the arms.

I fell into their trap hook, line and sinker.

Chapter 12: Free At Last

N's PoV.

Gorm shook his head. "Lord Ghetsis needs your assistance, King N," he told me, making me glower at him. "What happened to you, my liege? You used to be so naïve, innocent and gentle."

Behind me, I heard Zekrom growl in protest. "You're not getting hurt because of me," I told Zekrom. "I know you want to help, but I forbid interference."

Gorm sauntered over to Zekrom. "My, my, my," he breathed. "What a magnificent Pokemon, King N! It's so . . . loyal to someone like you." Zekrom growled at him threateningly, much to my glee.

"I'm not naïve, innocent and gentle," I informed Gorm bitterly. "Ghetsis made sure of that a while back . . . Why follow someone like him, Lord Gorm?" I couldn't trust Gorm, because he was always loyal to Ghetsis, who would abandon him in a blink of an eye in order to carry out his diabolical master plan.

Gorm chuckled. "Lord Ghetsis is an honorable man, someone who has the right idea of fixing our world, King N," he said. "Your mind was poisoned by White, Your Majesty!" He snapped his fingers, forcing the Shadow Triad to turn me around, allowing me to survey Bianca, Platina, Cheren and White, Platina and White outraged.

The Shadow Triad member brandishing the key gazed at Gorm. "Lord Gorm, Lord Ghetsis wants the White girl and King N."

Zekrom hissed at Gorm, who was unfazed. "You do not scare me, Pokemon of Idealism," he informed Zekrom. "A Pokemon of such amazing caliber should've chosen a worthier candidate, such as Lord Ghetsis."

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Zekrom lunging at Gorm, who evaded him easily. The Shadow Triad member brandishing the key reacted too late, for Zekrom knocked him aside into the bookshelves, forcing the member to fall unconscious, several books flying from the shelf, banging against his head, immersing his entire body.

"The key!" White cried.

"UNFEZANT!" Cheren yelled. "GRAB THE KEY!"

Unfezant zipped past me, a gust of wind emitting from his wings. The Shadow Triad member holding my right arm disappeared, materializing next to the descending key before Cheren screamed, "KNOCK HIM TO THE SIDE!"

Unfezant obeyed, sending the Shadow Triad member flying through the air. When he caught the key, Unfezant whirled around, cawing with triumph. He flapped his wings, the air rippling violently in his wake before he turned into a bullet, whizzing past Gorm, the Shadow Triad member holding me still and Zekrom.

"For heaven's sake, shut that bird up!" Gorm commanded the Shadow Triad.

"King N might escape, Lord Gorm!" the Shadow Triad member insisted.

"TELEPORT!" Gorm thundered, pointing at Unfezant. "JUST HOLD ON TO KING N OR I WILL -"

Platina appeared into our midst, looking unafraid. "Sending others to do your dirty work as usual, Gorm?" she told him coldly. "You haven't changed at all." The woman turned around, staring at me with a White-esque stare. "I will handle this, N," she assured me. "Recall Zekrom, because -"

Gorm bristled. "You are in no position to boss King N around, Berlitz," he growled. "So, stay out of this."

Platina stared at the Shadow Triad member, giving a seductive smile. "How much do they pay you for this sort of job?" Her voice was very flirtatious, although I sensed Platina had no qualms in knocking out the Shadow Triad member if they didn't comply.

"What are you doing?" I asked the Sinnoh native.

The Shadow Triad member blinked. "E-Excuse me?" he asked, flustered. "This isn't the time to talk about how much I get paid."

It was then I realized Platina was using her feminine charm and beauty in order to get what she wanted. Platina advanced toward the Shadow Triad member, arrogant. "I know," she said sweetly, batting her eyelashes. "It wasn't as if I cared anyway."

Taking advantage of his hesitation, Platina kicked him in the shin, bashing her head against his. Simultaneously, she ripped my arm free from the man's hand before he could take me down with him.

White stormed over, Bianca and Cheren following her. "Well, he's knocked out," White observed. "That means we can free N from these handcuffs. . ." White motioned over to Cheren, Unfezant flanking him.

"The key," Cheren voiced.

Unfezant descended, holding his talons open, the key nestled inside. Cheren plucked it from his talons, gripping the head of the key, treating it as if it were an explosive. "I'm not freeing him," Cheren told White.

"Me too," agreed Bianca.

White rolled her eyes at them. "I never asked you to," she reminded her friends. Sighing, White relieved Cheren of the key, closing her palm. "We were so close to freedom and -" Gazing at Platina, White said, "Mother, I would recall Reshiram."

Bianca made a T-formation with her hands. "Timeout!" she said. "Zekrom was supposed to be recalled, not Reshiram!" She stared at both White and I, suspicious. "Leave Reshiram be!"

Platina let go of my arm. "Recall Zekrom, N," she repeated calmly. "I know you don't understand, but for once, heed this warning of mine."

Gorm snorted. "I suppose I shouldn't pretend not to recognize you anyway, Platina," he admitted. "You're beautiful as always."

Platina gave a derisive snort. "Stop with the flirting," she demanded. "You're horrible at it. So, do you, Giallo, Bronius, Rood, Zinzolin and Ryoku still follow Ghetsis around like lost puppies because you have nothing else to do or what?"

There was something in those intimidating eyes that told me Platina had a plan. Sighing, I wheeled around, producing Zekrom's Ultra Ball. Staring into its eyes, I said, "GET BACK, ZEKROM!" When Zekrom disappeared, I swiped my arm in a complicated motion before slipping its Ultra Ball back into my pocket. Now that I had all of them together, I wondered whether I should release Dragonite or not.

White clapped her hand to her mouth. "Mother, do you know Gorm?" she said, repulsed.

Gorm dropped the pretense, a glint of offense in his eyes. "I'm not a lost puppy, you bitch," he snarled.

Pandemonium broke loose.

White's PoV.

"HOW DARE YOU?" I screamed, lunging at Gorm. Or I tried to, but my mom stopped me.

My mother's face twisted with rage.

Marching over to Gorm, she slapped him, fury in her eyes. Growling, she pushed him onto the ground, punching the balloon that was his stomach. "How dare you disrespect me in front of my daughter?" she said frostily, pressing her foot against Gorm's throat. "You're but a coward, hiding behind words, refraining from getting your hands dirty."

Gorm laughed. "I should've known White was your daughter," he said merrily. "Both of you have the Berlitz Fire, which was why your husband was drawn toward you." Looking at me and my mother, he continued, "If your mother releases me, I will tell you what your father looks like, White."

He grunted when my mother pushed her foot deeper into that meaty throat of his. "You would never keep your word," she said harshly. "If there is one thing I hate about you, negotiation's not possible because a fair price doesn't exist in your eyes."

"You're right, Berlitz," Gorm confirmed. "I can't let you escape with your daughter, her friends and His Majesty, though."

While my mother was torturing Gorm, I wheeled around, fiddling with the key with one hand. Every time I moved my broken hand, pain coursed through it, a hiss escaping my lips. "Hurry up, White," Bianca insisted. "Tornadus, Unfezant, Reshiram and Drifblim need -"

"CHEREN, HELP ME!" I yelled, staring into N's eyes. "BIANCA, SEE IF THE SHADOW TRIAD'S WAKING UP! MY MOTHER HAS EVERYTHING UNDER CONTROL WITH GORM!"

I wish she would squish him, I thought, grinding my teeth. Hurriedly, I clenched N's right wrist, seeing his eyes probe mine. "I've got this!" I insisted. "I've got this."

Seeing the keyhole, I inserted the key inside, twisting it around counterclockwise until I heard a click. A moment later, the handcuff split apart, N violently shaking it off. "Hey, lemme get the key out," I said hastily.

"I'm going to help Bianca," Cheren told me.

I wheeled around, boring my eyes into Cheren's, his eyeglasses flashing. "Cheren, are you . . .?" Words completely escaped me during this crucial moment. Cheren stared listlessly at me before swerving around, ambling off with his back straight. "DON'T WALK OFF!"

There was a click from behind me, forcing me to wheel around.

N tossed the key away, flicking the handcuff off his wrist. "He doesn't approve of me," he noted, guilt thick in his voice. "Maybe I should stay here and . . ."

I stared at him in disbelief. "Cheren's a great guy," I said. "Anyways, why worry about his opinion of you, N? I mean, you've done so much to help me, such as helping me jump off that cliff, promise not to harm me, took care of me when it came to my hand and helped me with my Pokedex." Just thinking of N leaving me left a hole in my heart, which felt way worse than my broken hand. "I want you around," I pleaded. "You're a friend of mine and I owe you in so many ways."

N stared at me. "You don't owe me anything."

"You owe Lord Ghetsis something." One of the Shadow Triad members appeared, brandishing a bottle of chloroform. "I really don't want to knock you out a second time, King N."

N narrowed his eyes, his hair seemingly crackling with electricity. "Leave her out of this," he ordered. "She doesn't need to be involved in this scheme of Ghetsis's. By the way, we both know you would resort to force." N lunged at the Shadow Triad member, who disappeared into thin air.

The man appeared behind me, embracing me by the waist. "Your hand's broken," he observed. "This makes matters better and easier." I stared at N, who collided against the bookshelf, a torrent of books raining down from the shelves, engulfing his body.

To my astonishment, N clung onto consciousness, although he was haggard and battered. Panting, he rose to his feet, clutching the stitch in his chest. "If you hit a girl, you're no better than Gorm," N snapped. "Of course, I already knew that." He made for his pocket, fishing out a Poke Ball. "Let her go or I'll return the favor," he threatened, tossing the Poke Ball up and down.

"You're different, King N," the Shadow Triad member said, amused. "You're darker, crueler, heartless and ruthless."

"Let her go!" N snapped, lacing his fingers across the Poke Ball. "You knock her out with that chloroform, that would be the last thing you would ever do!" The atmosphere around the teenager darkened, intensifying tenfold.

"That sounds a little dark for you." The Shadow Triad member laced his fingers around the bottle, unscrewing the lid. "She'll be unconscious before you throw that Poke Ball at me -"

Closing my eyes, I punched the Shadow Triad member in the jaw. "You won't knock me out," I promised, seeing the chloroform bottle sail through the air.

My mother came to my side a moment later, relieved to see me unharmed. "Gorm has a bad mouth, but he's knocked out for now." Looking around, she asked, "Where's Cheren and Bianca? N?"

"N should be behind me," I informed my mother, before seeing her face darken. "NO!" Wheeling around, I faced an unconscious N, the bottle of chloroform propped against his nose. The Shadow Triad member deceived both of us, I thought. "N!" I cried, rushing over to him.

I fell down to my knees, cupping his chin. Even though I knew he was unconscious, it felt as if he were gone. "Please, wake up," I whispered, slapping his face gently with my unbroken hand. "WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO?" I yelled, withdrawing my hand from his face, pounding the floor with my curled broken fist, ignoring the throbbing.

Bianca came to my side, squeezing my shoulder. "You're going to take him, silly," she said cheerily. "Cheren, your mom and I will help carry him." Behind both of us, Cheren snorted. "Get a grip on yourself, Cheren Kurosaki! Now, who's the hypocrite?"

Cheren folded his arms. "We have no time," he insisted. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to board Unfezant. You, Ms. Berlitz and White can carry the idiot while I get prepared."

Bianca gritted her teeth. "Show some compassion," she reproached Cheren.

"YOU TWO, STOP IT!" my mom cut in. "Bianca, hurry up and get on Tornadus. We need to leave this place, and find refuge. The four of them won't be unconscious for long."

I heard Bianca sniffle before she stomped the floor, marching away angrily.

I stared at N, tears awash on my face. "He was really going after you," I realized.

Remembering he had a Poke Ball, I searched the sea of books for a sign, hoping it didn't contain a Pokemon. "This Poke Ball is empty," I heard my mother say. "Why is it here, though?"

Gluing my eyes to N's face again, I told my mother what had happened between the Shadow Triad member, N and I. All the while, I felt as if all of this was my fault. If I weren't the damsel-in-distress, unlike my mother, then N would still be conscious and we would've fled this castle long ago.

Gently, I slid my hands under N's wiry frame, flinching a little. "Honey, let me help." I ended up staring at my mother, the Pokemon Champion of Sinnoh. She has some serious explaining to do, I thought grimly.

"Okay," I said, allowing my mother to take hold of N as well. "I couldn't lift him by myself anyway." My mother scanned my face, her countenance unreadable. "What?" I was so worried about N, I had the nerve to snap at my mother.

Her eyes flashed. "Young lady, please don't snap at me." When I raised my eyebrows, she continued, "I hate the disrespect, and I know how angry you are at me. But believe me, your father and I have been watching out for you."

As we swayed N back and forth like a hammock, I hissed, "Then, tell me . . . who's my father? I only have so many memories of him, Mother. He abandoned me, so he's not protecting me!" My voice was on the edge of cracking, thinking of the unknown man I resented so much, wondering how my mother could possibly make excuses for the man who had also left her.

I mean, why wouldn't he leave her? She was a liar. My mother never told me she was in hiding under a different name. If there was only one person she was thinking about at the time, it sure wasn't me. It was her! "Right now, don't talk to me," I warned her.

We parked in front of Reshiram, my mother mad and hurt. "What happened to your hand?" she pressed me, gesturing towards my wrapped hand.

"I punched N in the face out of anger," I said shortly. "I thank you for helping me, but I just can't stand knowing you've lied to me."

My mother's eyes flashed. "You don't understand," she insisted. "I'm not going to force you to stop being angry with me, because I would feel the same way if I were you. Now, I'm not going to look after this boy you're crushing on. . . . White, I'm your mother. You do like him!"

Reshiram crouched down, allowing me to plop the Hero of Idealism onto its back without growling at N or Zekrom for once. "Well, Gorm must've given you a concussion or something," I told her. "I am not crushing on N, Mother."

My mother folded her arms. As I pounced atop Reshiram, she took one last look at me, murmuring about how much I acted like my father before walking off, her hair flying behind her. "I really would like to know who my father is," I called after her.

As I examined N's face, I smiled. "You do have a heart," I said aloud.

I grasped hold of N's waist, my hand throbbing. "You're heavier than you look, but maybe it's because of your knapsack." When the crown of his head was under my chin, I brushed some of the choppy locks away from his forehead. "Thanks," I whispered into his ear.

Seeing my mother climb onto Drifblim and swinging both of her legs around her, I sighed. I glanced at Bianca, who was staring at Tornadus with apprehension. Cheren was ruffling Unfezant's glossy feathers, smirking. "Where to next, Ms. Berlitz?" Bianca and Cheren asked my mother.

My mother gazed at all of us. "Follow my lead," she stated. "DRIFBLIM, FLY!" She wrapped her arms around Drifblim, who raised herself high in the air.

"UNFEZANT, USE FLY!" Cheren roared, clinging onto his Pokemon's feathers.

Staring at Tornadus and Reshiram, I bellowed, "TORNADUS AND RESHIRAM, FLY LIKE THE WIND!" Tornadus zoomed up so quickly, Bianca let loose a scream.

I felt Reshiram flap its majestic yet ancient wings slowly, as if testing them. It kicked off the ground, my hair ruffling. This feels excellent, I thought dreamily, ignoring the breaking of glass caused by Unfezant, Tornadus, Drifblim and Reshiram.

"WOW!" I said, seeing the horizon painted pink, orange-red and dark purple. I eyed the sliver of blue, obviously the ocean. I remembered the first time I was in Castelia City, seeing the sun sink into the horizon, its colorless rays casting shadows dancing over the waters, dying the air deep orange. "THIS VIEW IS AMAZING!" I yelled, seeing the castle towers stretch into the sky, barren of Team Plasma guards, which meant they were all inside.

I held on tighter to N, feeling the cold wind caressing my face, injecting into my very skin. I shuddered inadvertently, although I instantly regained composure. Cheren was above me, flying in front of my path. Before I could yell at him, Cheren ascended into the sky, Bianca appearing a moment later.

I heard her making noise, vaguely wondering whether or not she was laughing, crying or both. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" I laughed, feeling the wind ripple my already-windswept hair, almost blowing my hat off. Fortunately, I saved it from being blown away, eyeing it with amusement.

Yeah, I know I was acting like an idiot. But when you've been imprisoned and you're free after so long, you should live a little. The towers, although wicked-looking, seemed so beautiful to me in the glow of the sunset. As we zipped out of the maze of towers, Reshiram flapped its wings, outstretching them a little.

My mother appeared into the midst, eyeing me carefully. "We have to fly lower," she suggested. "If the lookout guards notice Pokemon flying, then they would either assume we're attacking or you've escaped. I think Ghetsis already knows we're gone, though," she added bitterly.

Before I could say anything, she and Drifblim rocketed downward, followed by Bianca, Tornadus, Cheren and Unfezant. "Reshiram, descend," I ordered, pressing N closer to my chest.

Reshiram did as I commanded, darting down to where the other Pokemon were flying. In spite of myself, I started laughing again, rejoicing in my freedom. If N were awake, he would've done the same thing.

We ended passing through a forest, evading branches. Every now and then, we dove in and out of the canopied sea, leaves attaching themselves to all of us. I chuckled when Cheren sported a crown of leaves, the boy flicking them away several moments later. "It looks better that way," I lied, smiling.

Tearing my eyes off him, I inclined my head, feeling nothing but serenity and peace. Ghetsis may find us soon or later, but right now, we had a full schedule ahead of us.

"WATER!" Bianca shrieked. "STEER -" Tornadus swooped down, leaving Bianca to scream in terror. "WHITE, I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

A shimmering blue lake, as far and wide as the eye could see, materialized into being. Since Reshiram was level with the water, I was frightened about falling down and drowning.

Reshiram extended its wings, its clawed feet skimming the calm lake, creating grooves in its wake. Every now and then, Reshiram went up and down, the talons breaking through the liquid, sending droplets flying everywhere. "Are you fine with this?" I couldn't help asking Reshiram.

The Pokemon nodded, seeming to enjoy this very much. As I felt the wind whip my face, rustling through my long hair, I threw my head back and began roaring with laughter. "FREE AT LAST!" I boomed.

I suddenly had a nagging feeling tug at the corners of my mind.

I was insane.

I wanted to do this, though.

Cautiously, I checked to see if Bianca, my mother and Cheren were staring at me.

To my relief, they seemed focused on the journey.

My mother knew the destination.

Staring down at an unconscious N, I absently brushed my fingers against his face.

"I'm so gonna regret this," I said to myself.

Positioning N's face closer to mine, I sighed contently.

I waited for one second.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Now or never, I thought, my face feeling as if it were on fire.

"Thank you," I sighed, pressing my lips against N's cheek for a moment, my cheeks flaming with color.

It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

My gesture done, I took my mouth off his cheek, absently brushing my fingers against my lips.

N suddenly moved, making me freeze.

I was so going to regret this.

A/N: "Free At Last" is finished! Read and Review! A reminder to all of you: I won't update daily, because I want to give you all a chance to catch up. Another reminder: A poll is up, with two choices giving a story on how Platina met White's father. Choose which one is the best, okay?

This chapter has been edited for grammatical errors and to slightly recharacterize the characters of Platina Berlitz and White Snow. Also, it is being remastered without change of plot in order to prepare for the sequel, which is on its way soon.

Edited On: 11/01/15