Author's notes/replies

Haziq: my take is that she's staying away from the two clowns or off on vacation somewhere since we never see her in BW.

3697014: Agreed, it was strange how Mitsuru never discovered what Shido was doing when he himself knew nothing about the supernatural, but was spamming Akechi's powers like crazy. She would have interfered somehow and get caught in the crossfire. There's also how the Phantom Thieves' fame not drawing her attention too. Here, she's defiantly noticing the weirdness happening and sending in people to investigate.

Janson: gun form, eh?


A monitor blared to life, streaming a video call in the Gym's lobby. White placed her laptop on a nearby counter, the area they were in serving as a waiting room. Behind her were tall panels of glass, displaying an array of brightly colored roller coasters on the other side. People and pokemon were called in one by one according to a signup posted on a separate television screen, as those who arrived were stuck waiting for their turn.

"Hi sis, how ya doing? Are you eating enough? Did you find a nice hotel? Were you able to avoid that horrible storm?!" Black greeted no, demanded to know on the other side.

"Ugh, I'm holding on." White said grumpy, rubbing her bruise from the ferris wheel ride three days ago. He acted more like a parent than their own mother. Once the storm in Nimbasa was over, the incident became a huge sensation in the news and so came the worried brother act. She huffed, barely escaping the caged death trap, when next she awoke, she found herself back in her hotel and the Nimbasa Gym had to close for extra repairs from the storm. The wait was killing her on the inside and so was her sore arm. Thankfully, aside from the minor annoyance, she made it out fine.

She rolled her eyes to her Black's nagging.

"Yamask, ya!" Claudia hugged the camera, taking over the screen, of which made her brother jump.

"I-is that one of your new pokemon?" He paled, noticing the spirit's death mask. "It…it sure does resemble you…"

Noticing the new opportunity, White shoved Claudia closer to the screen with a mischievous grin, "We have something very important to tell you, Black. Meet our great great great great greattttt grandmother, Claudia!"

"Huh?..." He sat there dumbfounded, staring at the screen, switching between his sister and the Yamask. "You're pulling my leg sis…there's no way…" Then, he was in for another surprise, if Claudia's presence made him question reality, then the person to show up on screen made him wonder if he was stuck in a sick, twisted fever dream.

"I can confirm. I can hear the voices of pokemon." N popped on screen.

In the back of Black's dorm room, the lights flickered as someone clasped their mouth from letting out a sharp yelp from bumping into a light fixture.

"Ummm…who are you?" The male brunette sheepishly said, his palm practically sweating from seeing their target show up out of nowhere.

"Oh! I forgot to introduce you." White shifted the camera to the greenette fully, "Black, this is N, N this is my brother Black."

"Hello there, I'm happy to make your acquaintance." The man greeted, politely.

"So how did you two meet..?" It took all of the young interpol officer's will to not flip his table, and he held on for the sake of keeping his cover. Meanwhile, he swiped his phone under his desk, texting Minato furiously.

"Oh, we were stuck on a ferris wheel together for a while. When the storm hit our ride got stuck so we kinda met that way." His sister said, causing him to blink in confusion for a minute before recovering. "Hey! I know that look on your face!"

"Wha? Huh? What do you mean?"

White huffed, this was the face her brother made when he was deeply concerned for her will being. "And for your information, we are not dating!"

"What? No! Sis I wasn't thinking about that…" From the corner of his eye, he could see Blake ordering people around at their new situation. This was going to be another pain in the ass to deal with. He didn't expect his own family to get involved with Team Plasma, or know N's secret powers this fast. Depending on the greenette's actions, it could endanger his family.

White crossed her arms, "Really? Then what is it huh? I swear you worry too much." Then, another unexpected third voice joined their conversation, Minato joined the new clown show on display.

"You were passed out when park staff rescued you from the wheel. I can see why Black is worried." Minato put in a good for his friend who relaxed more on the other side. He also gave him a subtle nod, acknowledging he had received the texts.

Black sent an acknowledgement back, "Welp, I'm glad you're making new friends on your journey sis. I can see you guys are at the Gym too, so I'm rooting for you for your next badge." He recovered gracefully, changing the topic.

"We're fully prepared to tackle this Gym, so it shouldn't be too bad." She made sure her team was fully equipped to take on Elesa before they embarked on this next leg of the challenge. "That reminds me, after this, aren't you coming back for summer break? Wanna come watch me wreck Clay next?"

Black nodded, "Opps, I almost forgot. Yep, I've purchased tickets to come visit soon. Only for a week tho, I need to catch up on some makeup work I missed during the semester."

"Geez, you're so busy with school work. Mom's been missing you, you know? Can't you ask your headmaster for a longer break?"

"Sadly not this time, but I'll keep you updated, sis." Black then gestured, and made a few cryptic signals for Minato which translated to thanking him before hastily ending the call.

Once the video cut, N returned to waiting with his new found friends. Although for a moment he narrowed his eyes, the image of the boy on screen gave him slight deja vu. Almost like he had seen his face somewhere before, like they had met somewhere else.

"So I didn't expect to see you here." Minato said, coming back from the restroom. When White started the call, she was alone until the bluenette came back to N also hogging the counter space. That was when his blood ran cold and he inserted himself between the two with a panicked Black on the other side of the screen. Right now, the three sat waiting in the lobby as both Bianca and Cheren were called ahead for the challenge.

"I was surprised too. Nimbasa can be a small place." The King said to the Messiah, their reunion being no more awkward than the meeting Black just had.

"Wait, you two know each other?" White broke their silence, leaving both to sweat.

"We share a mutual friend." Minato blurted out, with N nodding along. Nope, nothing insane was going on in the background here. Plus, this wasn't even a lie, it was the honest truth.

"Do I know them?" She asked, tilting her head in curiosity.

"No…" Minato placed a heavy hand on N's shoulder, silently begging him not to blurt out Ryoji's name or things would get worse. To his relief, the greenette played along, nodding.

"Number three hundred! You're up!" A staff member called, interrupting their conversation with White hurrying over.

"I'm here! That's me." She showed her entrance pass before waving the two males goodbye, heading into the roller coaster maze. N took out a small box, popping a motion sickness pill. He then offered one to Minato who politely refused.

"That was a very dangerous situation." He voiced out loud what was both on their minds, the two relaxing simultaneously. N's Zorua conveniently clung to his leg, hiding itself away from the rest of the world.

"We could have had our cover blown."

"No kidding. I don't want to drag anymore people into this…"

"More people?" N raised an eyebrow, when Minato cleared his throat, "My group met Ryoji in the desert along with other members of Team Plasma." Nice save, what Minato actually meant was how he got dragged into Interpol, but he won't tell the greenette that for a while. It might scare him off if he didn't rely on it in an appropriate way. Just as he was to elaborate more, he noticed the man's curious expression, morphing to a serious frown.

"From what I know, I wasn't aware of the Relic Castle mission." The King said in concern. Even if it was to help rescue others, as the official ruler on paper, he would have been informed of such a big move by his organization. What was more, Ryoji had failed to mention anything important to him either, instead he received the news like the rest of the uninformed public through a live, news broadcast.

"Seems like they're keeping you in the dark again." Minato said matter of fact.

"Keeping a low profile and earning badges, I've been diligent in covering my tracks, yet it appears they've been treating me even colder lately." Subtly, N was aware that his standing in the castle was shifting, where he was slowly losing ground. And one day, they would send him off a cliff.

"Do you think it could be Ghetsis' doing?" The veteran asked. Since Ryoji was now working under the Grand Sage, this made him wonder if he was ordered to keep his mouth shut. Or perhaps, his old friend was being threatened in some way? Either way, this development unsettled him.

"Possibly. The other Sages could also be brewing something in the background too. Regardless, I must move with haste to obtain Zekrom before the situation decays any further." N gently removed Zorua for his leg, bringing it into his arms. "This little one's mother and my friends are all held in that castle, so I'm quite worried for them."

Minato understood how Ghetsis could potentially use the pokemon in the sanctuary as hostages against N. If he disobeyed, then there was no telling what could happen. In fact, this may be why the greenette was provided with such free reign within that secured space. It was both his home, yet also a beautifully crafted cage.

"How much time do you think they'll allow you before the ball drops?" The betrayal hurt, like a stab in the heart for N.

"Until the opening of the next Pokemon League…" So they had a time limit by the end of the year, the veteran thought. This not only involved discovering and awakening the legendary dragon, but also securing the full eight badges. A tight deadline and Minato understood why Ghetsis was applying this pressure, to rush N as much as possible. The old man was likely just as eager to get rid of him, as N was of arranging his coup, it was like they were playing directly into the enemy's hand. Although since the Messiah was just as in the dark as his the King, they would have to hold on for now.

"Just be careful. I have a feeling this may be a part of their plan somehow…"

"I know, and even if I'm playing into their hands, I have my own cards too."

Just then, Lizzy popped out of her pokeball with a sly grin, "Is that drama I hear? Master says we should lend all ears to such happenings to be rewarded with a savory substance called 'tea'." She wore her little blue hat, greeting the bewildered greenette and his own Zorua.

"Your master is quite…" N was at a loss for words, looking to Minato who shrugged.

"I'm only Lizzy's caretaker."

"Do not worry, for I have been taking care of my dear guest. Since you are his friend, I shall treat you with the same courtesy as per our rules laid down by my master." Lizzy chirped, her ghostly form intrigued N's Zorua, who hopped down to greet her.

"H-hello! I'm friends with N too! I-it's nice to meet you!" He squeaked shyly, blushing at her pretty white coat. He braved his fear of meeting Minato, shaking at the new girl.

"Another friend of my dear guest, since arriving here, I have met many different individuals. Hmm, are you perhaps the same species as I? Although we are quite dissimilar." Lizzy observed her modern counterpart, he curiously watched her back, heart beating out of his chest.

Minato heard the two Zorua squeak at each other, "What are they saying?"

"Lizzy and Zorua are intrigued by each other's presence. They are learning about one another." Aside from their general conversation, they also spoke about the place she came from, that being a strange blue room.

"Really? Does your master really exist between dreams and reality?" Zorua chirped, "What's it like living in a different plane of existence?" But soon their conversation grew bizarre, where the white Zorua started to go on a tangent about her family being a bunch of siblings, with the head being a long nosed man.

"Here, I'll even sing our national anthem. Velvet, oh velvet! My master has a long nose! Oh! But this is my master's master. My master has a normal nose."

Hearing the familiar melody of that song, Minato paled. While it was nostalgic to hear, this also meant Lizzy had spilled key information about the Velvet room. Looking at N's expression and in his increasingly bewildered passes at the bluenette, he could only sigh in defeat.

"If you have any questions about where Lizzy comes from…I can answer the rest."

"Knowing your capabilities, I'm not as shocked. I won't pry." Thankfully, N remained respectful and kept out of his secrets for now. Or perhaps it was his fear of what he might find that prevented him from digging further, with Minato being quite the powerhouse. Either way, they both watched Lizzy materialize a row of blue tarot cards from her illusions, ones that the veteran recognized belonged to Elizabeth.

"These may be only an illusion, however I have been taught to perform readings with them regardless. Since you appear to be unsettled by oncoming events, I can help you take a peek into the future for extra assurance." Lizzy presented the deck of blue cards to N, who was surprised at the fox's abilities. Not even his Zorua was able to conjure up such crisp illusions, yet here, she was floating around seventy two perfect cards.

"It can't hurt to see." Minato encouraged him. He once relied on a fortune teller during Tartarus raids and his fortunes have always been eerily accurate.

"What are these cards?"

"Tarot reveals all. Where my master resides, we use these tools to look into the future. However, the flow of time is always in flux so the cards may always shift."

"Y-you can do that, Lizzy?" N's Zorua said.

"Of course, all you have to do is have a question in mind and pick the cards."

"Alright, I'll give it a try." N closed his eyes, clearing his mind until he settled on one question, then selected the blue cards. Each card flipped over, until they were left with only five. Strangely, each time the white fox revealed another card, she grew more concerned.

King of swords reversed, seven of swords, lovers, fool reversed, and finally death.

Scanning the cards, he took in their imagery, unable to understand the text of their descriptions. Due to the pokemon world having their own unique language, N was left to piece together the card's meanings through their order and drawings. Meanwhile, Minato stared mellowly at the tarot, he was in no way an expert, but his intuition told him the reading had turned quite sour. However, before anyone could elaborate anymore, they were called for their Gym challenge, leaving the meaning of the tarot up in the air.


Elesa released her first pokemon, a tiny Emolga emerged, charging its cheeks and taunting its opponent. Likewise, Lizzy took centerstage on the other side of the arena.

"That's an interesting Zorua, I've never encountered one like it before." The Gym leader said, observing the ghost white fox, sporting a tiny blue hat.

"Lizzy is a mischievous one." Minato simply replied. He faced the blonde leader in a relaxed, nonchalance that caught her eye. Many trainers his age acted more like White or Cheren, in that they both exhibited different levels of nervousness, but here the bluenette appeared laser focused on his task.

"I see, then I will assess both of your skills here with my team, for the bolt badge." Elesa held her questions for now, her desire to maintain her professionalism overtook her personal curiosities. From the audience, White sat with Cheren, Bianca, and N who eagerly awaited the match.

"You wanna watch too, huh?" White said to their new friend, who had a Zorua bouncing up and down in his arms. It appeared to be cheering for Lizzy in its own cute way.

"My friend here simply wished to learn more about his kind." N smiled, already putting away his new badge. The battle between the electric leader and the King ended faster than anyone could have anticipated when he predicted the volt switch and countered Elesa each time she tried a new tactic.

"How were you able to anticipate that trick of her's?" Cheren inquired, it was like the greenette knew the future from his counters. Not even he was able to fully predict when Elesa would switch and that created for a brutal battle where he was constantly on eggshells. Servine was taken by a surprise aerial ace when the opposing Zebstrika disappeared by a flash, leaving his grass type defenseless in the next moment.

"I simply listened to the voice of her pokemon."

"Listened? Can you make out different tones from their calls?" The bookworm questioned.

N shook his head, "No, I can understand their speech as I am communicating with you, now."

"He's not lying. N really can talk to pokemon." White added, causing both Cheren and Bianca's eyes to widen.

"Then can you tell what Oshawott is saying…?" Bianca held out her starter, the small otter comforted the blonde. She had failed the Gym challenge, but remained to support her friends.

"Osha, Osawott." The blue otter called, its tone gentle.

"He's saying it's alright to lose a battle sometimes, and he isn't hurt." N repeated back, feeling bad for the otter. It remained loyal to its trainer, giving her encouragement that things will be ok and that it'll work harder.

Upon hearing Oshawott's true voice, Bianca embraced her little friend. Audino, also showing acceptance at their loss, mellowing out from when its trainer had found it in the wild. It acted like a protective sibling to the other two. From the conversation between her two pokemon, the greenette began to see the stress on the girl's face, how worn she was at battling and it made him muse if she was more exhausted than her creature companions.

"Osha! Oshawott, osh!" Her starter declared, wanting to tackle the challenge again. Audino agreed, beating a paw against a rolled up fist like it was ready to smash in the face of anything that dared to approach its trainer.

"I'm sure you can win next time, Bianca. We've seen what Elesa's main bread and butter is so what's to say we can come up with a good counter?" White encouraged her, giving a confidant grin. She nodded politely, once again pushing down her own feelings for the sake of her friend's. N didn't speak, but he could tell there were thoughts that brewed under the surface, ones he was sure Cheren and White were unlikely to understand.

From his past, he acknowledged the pokemon that were hurt in battle, ones that didn't want to fight but forced to. However, now he understood there were those that sought the thrill of battle just as there are others who actively stay away from it. Lizzy was an example of a pokemon that took center stage as he saw Minato getting ready to make his first move. The Messiah had a steeled glint in his eyes, like he had fought hundreds of battles, where it felt more natural for him to be in constant conflict than without. Yet, there were opposites like Bianca where just like the pokemon that didn't want to fight, she unwillingly bottled up her own feelings for the sake of others.

"This will be a three on three battle. Let the match begin!" The referee announced to the arena, snapping everyone back to attention. For the next few minutes the group was about to witness the most bizarre battle in pokemon history.

"Lizzy, let's make this quick."

"Very well, I shall clean and wipe the floor with our opponent and secure my guest his victory." She bowed, politely with a gentle grin. The chill of Elizabeth's aura creeped down the spine of the opposing Emolga, but it refused to back down. N studied the little white fox, taken aback.

"Hah! We're not giving the win that easy!" The flying squirrel taunted.

Suddenly, Lizzy melted into the shadows, sneaking up on the squirrel at blinding speeds, the creature's eyes widening in alarm. Its body glowed a bright light before disappearing, electricity crackling around the battlefield as a Zebstrika appeared in its place, ready to trample on the ghost fox. The mighty zebra stomped, raising its back legs to deliver a swift kick when Lizzy morphed into a monstrous black blob with a wide, outstretched jaw, threatening to crunch down on the pokemon's backside.

"Shit!" Shouting in the freight of the colossal figure, Zebstrika quickly zapped out of the way of the bite, leaving the monster to reopen its mouth once more, with a flaming aura pulsating on the other end.

"What is that pokemon…?" Elesa whispered, shocked at the unusual mass about to burn her ace alive.

Abaddon, Minato noted, as the next second the zebra was engulfed in a flaming tower of fire, stranding it inside when Lizzy made the illusion true by coating herself in a bright burning jealousy, unleashing a stream of golden flames, torching the enemy then and there. When the flames dispersed, Zebstrika struggled to stand, feeling the pain of its body against its burnt skin. Stomping its hooves, it charged a barrage of electricity, letting its loose in a wild charge as it galloped at Lizzy who conjured a tarot card to block its vision just as it was about to make impact, giving her ample time to sneak away. Rushing under the belly of the zebra, she fought against the stinging electricity before raising her paw to deliver an upper cut with a shadow claw that sent the enemy twisting into the air, where she gave its astonished face a cold smile before the tendrils on her ghost form lit up in an ominous purple glow, catching it in a cold bind.

From her amber eyes, unleashed a bitter malice, a petrifying violent aura that threatened to suck the life out of the zebra, as its burnt body was coated in a thin layer of ice when she slammed it into the earth, being consumed in a brillant purple light.

"One down!" The referee confirmed. Elesa sweat dropped, her heart raced. She was caught by surprise and couldn't make heads or tails of the moves that white Zorua had just used. The purple aura that emitted gave off clues that it was a ghost type, yet its illusions were truly on another level.

"I said I would fulfill the request of my dear guest, teehee."

Minato wondered what Elizebath had taught this creature, as she had made it as tough as she was. When it came to fighting, the avatars of power showed no mercy and spared no time to take down their foe, this included their guests. If people battled in the pokemon world for sport then, the persona users back home fought for their lives, which explained the difference in strategies.

"Very well, Emolga, you take the lead." The Gym leader sent out her next pick, deep in thought. The flying squirrel swooped in to catch Lizzy off guard, grabbing her as they now struggled in an air bottle. Unleashing a stream of electricity against the fox's face, she replied by sinking her teeth into the arm of the yellow creature. Yelping in pain, it dropped her, when she sent an array of icicles in its direction. However, Elesa commanded her pokemon to stay its course as those appeared to be just illusions.

"That was only a mere distraction." Lizzy perked up, summoning her tarot cards again when her enemy flew at her, recovering from its stupor, only to be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of blue cards headed its way. Sending a waterfall, with thousands of cards, they swirled around the confused Emolga, overwhelming its visual senses as it tried to pass through, only to find itself trapped in another maze of cards. Cards flying past at it, chasing it at the speed of sound, forcing it to brave through the confusion.

"What's this? Where am I flying?" It shouted, nervous, unable to find its trainer in the sea of blue.

"Teehee," was it all heard before a blade poked out of the velvet jungle, a woman with many arms swung swords at the pokemon, causing it to dodge back and forth, even though it was an illusion. The thought of being sliced on those realistic blades scared it, avoiding a left slice, dodging a right, before ultimately lighting up its cheeks in a volt switch. Preparing to depart and leave this hell for its teammate, Emolga lost concentration as a wave of purple blasted it into the ceiling of the arena. Body slamming into the light fixtures, eventually dropping down like a limp leaf, Elesa was down to her last pokemon as she held a pensive expression on how to deal with her challenger. Although she was human, her eyes scanned the field, appearing more robotic as she analyzed her situation.

Minato remained nonchalant, as everyone missed Kali appearing in that blue storm his attendant had conjured up. This Zorua was truly a part of the velvet family.

"That was…truly unique." Elesa mused out loud. In some ways, her reserved demeanor mimicked Aigis.

"Lizzy has many tricks up its sleeve." The bluenette shrugged. Oh the nightmare of Elizebath forming her own pokemon team, then unleashing them on this world of unsuspecting trainers would be a horrifying thought.

"I'm more intrigued by the many illusions your Zorua has created. Tell me, have you encountered such things in reality before?" Elesa asked, the giant with the loose jaw was nothing like she had ever seen.

"Maybe, maybe not. This world is a vast place. I happened upon Lizzy one day. The stuff it has seen may also be beyond my comprehension as well." Minato commanded the white fox to face its final obstacle between him and his next badge.

"Then if you ever find its true origins, please share them. I'm curious as well." Such battle experience could not be ignored, more was how intense it was. As an expert, Elesa couldn't help being both intrigued, yet wary of the creature. Still processing the astonishment of its abilities, she remained otherwise speechless.

"I will."

"Otherwise, I would like to see your other pokemon as well." The blonde was eager to test more of the veteran's skills. Perhaps this Zorua would be his ace. Immediately acknowledging her message, Minato recalled Lizzy and sent out Deino.

A few minutes later, the match ended just as quickly.

Elesa smiled, knowing she was beaten.


Another badge down, Minato placed the bolt badge in a small case. Once the Gym challenge concluded, everyone exited for Elesa to welcome the next batch of trainers. Taking in the clear blue skies and beaming sun under a balloon filled park, the sounds of rollercoasters mixed with excited chatter of people droned on in the background, as the Gym was situated in the heart of a busy amusement park.

White stretched her arms, "Those roller coasters back were so cramped!" Unfortunately for everyone involved, they had to take the long way back, because the normal exit was still under construction from the massive storm the other way.

"You can't expect perfection." Cheren simply stated, mirroring a similar displeasure to the rides.

"We should let our pokemon out for a while, it's been a long day." Bianca sent out her team, of which White and Minato followed suit.

"Pidove!" Cheren's partner peaked him in the head, causing him to yelp. N laughed, and so did the others.

"Why do you always do that?" He questioned the bird, which the greenette translated to the creature trying to create a nest in his hair, annoying him more.

"My hair is not your nesting material!" He shouted, but the bird just kept going. Servine and Whirlipede stayed away from the flying type, knowing they stood no chance.

"Dove! Doveeee!"

"You have quite the lively set of friends." N mused, watching the scene unfold. White brought over a tray of food, as Bianca babysit the other pokemon in a corner they've picked out in the amusement park.

"A journey should be lively. Otherwise traveling wouldn't be fun."

"I suppose the other world Lizzy spoke of, was it just as tranquil there?" The King heard the attendant speak of a quiet blue room that connected to another place. A world that Minato had come from.

"Yes, and I miss it too."

Minato thought back to his own reality, one where his friends might be having similar stories unfold, a journey without him as they braved the world outside that hell tower.


Cheren drew on a mini whiteboard, curving out a battle strategy for Bianca. Poorly doodled drawings of an Audino and Oshawott faced off against an equally messy Emolga and Zebstrika.

"Currently, you are facing a two versus two battle, however due to Oshawott's pure water typing, you may have a harder time than usual." He lectured like a teacher, "Which is why I suggest catching a third member for your team, to have better coverage." Explaining the battle in detail, down to predicting Elesa's next moves, he was a talented strategist.

"But should I go for a ground type or a grass type? Both are resistant to electricity." Bianca said, raising her hand like a student in a full classroom.

"I'd be watchful of her aerial aces." White commented, snacking on a bag of chips among the grassy field. They were currently situated near a river with a raised drawbridge, where people gathered to see the different street performances. Apart from the entertainment, there was also a woman running a mobile bakery in the distance, as Minato attempted to slice a long baguette with the help of Honedge.

"My personal suggestion would be a ground type of any sort, however this current area doesn't appear to host any relevant mons with the specific typing in mind. Which means your only options are to look for an alternative."

"Anything is fine if it helps overcome the Gym challenge…" Bianca put up a happy front, but deep down she was hesitant. Battling didn't make her heart flutter as it did for her friends, yet she promised she would make it with everyone to the League. A borrowed dream, an excuse to see the outside world, where she could be free from her overprotective father.

"I'm glad you have the fire to tackle the challenge, although we should definitely search for a good partner for you first…" Cheren thought for a minute, Audino was a tank, and Oshawott was skilled at both defense and offense.

"May I comment on your session professor?"

Everyone turned, taken aback by the new voice, an older man with orange hair tied into a large ponytail interpreted the lesson. White and Cheren froze, with the latter in particular trying to maintain his cool.

"Oh, you want to join us, sir?" Bianca tilted her head in confusion, at why everyone was so shaken up.

"C-c-c-c-champion Alder?!"

"..."

White scrambled for a pen and paper from her bag, only to find a half dried marker, so she shoved her potato chip bag toward the man. "Please sign my chips! I mean, please gemme your autograph! Oh my god?! It's really you!"

"Bhaahahahahhaa!" The man laughed in a deep hearty tone, he loved this prank. "You youngsters are always so serious." He grabbed a marker from his own bag, "Here, I even drew a small pikachu on the side."

"Are you really the pokemon champion, sir?" Bianca approached, her friend practically jumping up and down at meeting the strongest trainer in Unova. She had to look over him twice to recognize his iconic form. It wasn't that she didn't know who he was, but rather it was such a surreal moment that it was hard to not pin this moment as a fleeting dream.

"Indeed. And since you know me, may I ask for your names, children?"

"I'm White! I'm gonna tackle the League one day!"

"Cheren, I share the same goal as my friend here."

"My name is Bianca, it's nice to meet you champion Alder." The blonde greeted politely, "We also have Minato, but he's bringing us lunch in a minute."

Alder mused for a moment, rubbing his chin in a thinker pose. "I see, and you are all trainers attempting the Unova League? The amount of badges you've already gathered is impressive."

White showed off her new bolt badge, "And once I get there, I'm gonna topple you and become champion myself!" She declared, shameless. Alder's grin widened, as if he was brought back to a different time, back to his youth where he had shared his dreams with a certain pokemon.

"Ah, and what will you do after you've won, young miss?" He was much more amused than offended at the outrageous comments by the current youth, compared to his peers.

He saw the brunette think for a minute, before being flabbergasted by her reply, "Then, I'll make Castelia cones the national dessert with free, unlimited servings!"

"Huh?"

"For years, children have suffered under the expensive tyrant that is overpriced cones! My first order as champion would be to create a buy up plan of all the privately owned Castelia companies and make them free to the public!"

Cheren butted in, last minute, "That's the dumbest excuse for becoming champion you've come up with till now! Tell him the real one!"

"It is the real one, you egghead!"

"Really now, what about the speech you gave on the playground to protect the unfortunate?" He spoke back to a time where the girl and her family were struggling. After the death of her father, they lost half their income, so certain kids in school would bully them. Soon, they were lumped in with Cheren and a few other weaker children, which caused White to get into multiple brawls to defend them from the older kids.

She blushed, making her blow up more, "W-well what about your motives, genius! Yours is just as embarrassing as mine!"

"And what purpose would that be, young man?" Alder asked.

"...I called her stupid once, so I'm only tagging along to prove my point!" Refusing to make eye contact, he also became red, taking interest in a stray brush instead. Hearing the two bicker, Alder burst out in laughter, making the entire situation worse.

"See White? Cheren does care." Bianca tried to comfort her friend, when the champion shifted his attention toward the last person in their group.

"But what about you, Bianca? What is your reason for tackling the League? Surely you share a similar resolve to your friends."

"Ohhh ummm…" The blonde wrecked her heart for an answer, but under the intense gaze of the pokemon champion, it was hard for her to lie. The aura he emitted spoke of immense wisdom which could see through the front of the youth. As Bianca struggled to express her dream into words, both White and Cheren were beginning to question their friend.

"Is something wrong, Bianca?" Cheren pried.

"Maybe we should take a break first. Bianca"

"I…I…" She was tense, she wanted to be a part of the group. She loved being around her friends and they also enjoyed the journey, so she shouldn't disappoint them. Her father always refused to let her go out on her own, and White and Cheren always had big dreams that she supported, so this was the right choice right?

"You can tell us the truth, Bianca." Minato stuck the final nail in the coffin, emerging out of the blue.

For a minute, her heart beat against her ribcage, as her blood pressure rose. She didn't want to admit it to her friends, but here, she had to face the truth: she was different from the others.

"Actually…I'm not really interested in entering the League sir."

Minato encouraged her, thanking N for the tip before he left Nimbasa. Both Cheren and White had a mix of surprise that soon shifted to guilt.

"B-bbut I'm happy just traveling with everyone." Her eyes drooped, "I love papa, although I also wanted to see the world too. I was afraid of admitting this, because I thought it would make it awkward and…I'm not as good of a trainer as everyone else…" She gave the best sunny smile she could, despite the tears down her eyes.

She was a kind person, N said. Bianca, like the pokemon he's met that sought out the more peaceful side of the world, didn't want to battle.

"I just…I just wanted to come along, and experience what everyone was experiencing, you know…?" She wiped the warm water streaming down her face, as she cried, letting out her bottled up frustration.

"You did well speaking your truth…" The Messiah comforted.


"We're sorry that we made you doubt us Bianca." White hugged her friend. "You don't have to force yourself to battle if you don't want to…"

"We'll be more careful from now on…" Cheren added.

Minato and Alder watched everyone from a distance. The bluenette then turned to Alder, who gave him an equally fired up gaze.

"I didn't expect the last of your group to be so intense. You appear more like a veteran than a kid, kid." This was the first time Alder has locked eyes with someone more fierce than he was. In fact, the boy before him, donned the aura of an experienced soldier, the intensity radiating surpassing that of numerous high level champions.

"I'm only a young trainer tackling the League with his friends, sir." Minato said matter of factly, making Alder chuckle.

"Then I look forward to your challenge, Minato was it? I don't usually make bets but I have a feeling you are more than meets the eye."

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"Bhahaha, I'm certain now! Anyone with your aura will flip the League upside down." Alder observed him, noticing the boy's eye soften, "But what is this look? Are you planning to lose on purpose?"

"Maybe so." Minato nodded, looking at his friends. He doesn't need to be champion, because that was White and Cheren's dreams, not his.


Another day passed, when the bridge to Driftveil was lowered for people to pass through. When the previous storm hit, it managed to damage the electricals that operated the bridge so there was a significant amount of public backlog.

"We've waited for far too long."

"Let's go, Clay's probably fully booked by now."

Among the crowd, trainers exchanged complaints among one another, already battle starved for several days. One man was sprinting across the bridge, when another rode his pokemon to cross even faster.

"It's days like this where I wish we had a large flying type." White crossed with her group, falling behind the rest of the battle crazed masses.

"Not going to charge in with the rest?" Cheren taunted.

"I'm not gonna get crushed in that stampede, but maybe you should go ask Clay to save us a spot." She stuck out her tongue at the boy who argued back with another smart retort. Bianca chuckled at their usual banter, as Minato followed right behind. Instead of enjoying the marvelous scenery of a shining red bridge, he occupied himself by checking updates on his police phone.

White mentioned Black taking a week off, this left the veteran to wonder if there were any updates on Interpol's side. After his display moment during the storm, Blake had remained strangely quiet, leaving Minato in the dark. With this in mind, he shot his childhood friend a text before putting his phone away.

Reaching the other side of the bridge, they looked for another hotel. Due to the previous charge of trainers from Nimbasa, they had to wait in line. People and pokemon queued up to the reservation line, waiting to be checked in.

"I didn't expect the wait would be this long, should we try another place?" White saw the line stretch, practically wrapping around the building, "Will there be enough rooms by the time we speak to the staff?" Defeated, they waited for at least another hour before asking if they could hear the news.

"I'm checking for other places in the city right now, many of the ones near the Gym are already full."

"What about ones further away?"

"Hold on, I'll see if there are any." Cheren typed away on his laptop. The flood from Nimbasa was the Pokemon League's allure, drawing in thousands of trainers from around the world, all ready to prove their worth. Among the crowd, there were people sporting badges from multiple regions, to beginners who just arrived in the city. Competition was fierce, with some even holding small battles as they waited for their place in line.

Just when they were about to leave, White bumped into someone.

"Ouch, sorry." She said, backing away when her eyes widened in surprise.

"Whoops, didn't see you there, sis." Black emerged from the hotel lobby, dressed in his iconic blue jacket and red hat combo.

"B-black?!"

"I did say I was gonna take a week off."

She rushed in, hugging him, "You can't just show up out of nowhere! I haven't seen you in two years!"

"Welll….I wanted it to be a surprise! I missed you too sis. And everyone else too!"

Black smiled, exchanging pleasant banter Bianca and Cheren. They were glad to be reunited with their old friend after such a long time and just as Minato was about to greet his colleague, his X-transciver rong. Stopping to check, he received a text that made his blood run cold.


Bitter frost dug into the thin coats of the Team Plasma grunts as they froze in the cold storage. Huddling for warmth together in that tiny ice box, they held onto their spoils as Clay's employees combed the facility up and down. Shivering, freezing, the slow claw of frostbite gradually creeped in on their exhausted forms. Their mission was a complete failure. If it weren't for a trainer that attacked and tipped off the local Gym leader, then they would have liberated this bag full of pokemon. Now that Clay was on their tail, he would be ruthless in their pursuit.

"How long do we have to keep hiding here?" One freezing member said, his snot turning into icicles, as his body temperature dropped to dangerous levels.

"Until backup arrives I'm afraid…" Their captain muttered through the winter onslaught.

"I can't believe we were beaten back this badly…" Another whispered between hushed breaths.

"Are the pokeballs at least secure…?"

"Yes sir…but we might get taken out before we get them back…"

Black, or rather he was known as knight captain Hilbert, endured the freezing temperatures of the cold storage. If this had been a normal mission, he would have gladly allowed his comrades to turn themselves in, however, there was one big problem: the enemy they were fighting was himself, or rather whoever that person is, had his face. Clutching his broken rib, he held in the urge to scream at the damage his evil twin had caused, and he was sure that person was also the one that tipped off Clay's forces.

There was no telling what this person would do if they stepped into the light. During his undercover mission the previous night, he was attacked by him, where the demon attempted to kill on sight with a pokemon similar to his own. From their mad dash, he was the last to hide in the cool storage, where he witnessed his other self drag away the bleeding body of one of his knights. Clay would be the least of their worries, and the officer wasn't sure if this twin would attempt to harm the Gym leader too if he involved himself too much, so his only option was to wait for help and hide.\

Shaking, sucking in the chilly air into his lungs, he texted Blake for help but nothing would go through. Next, he reached out to HQ with a similar reaction. Desperate, he dug out his old X-transceiver, sending a final prayer for help to his childhood friend.

To Minato:

Help Min, I'm dying.


Author's notes: Exclusive art on Ao3 and content warning.

Chapter 14 marks the ending of the first half of the fanfic, which is mostly clean and family friendly. Second half will involve darker themes seen in Persona 3 and the rest of the persona series, so any readers who are concerned about graphic violence and character deaths, you have been warned.

N knows he's involved in a losing power struggle and he will have to plan drastically for the future soon as Ghetsis's plans are more or so set in motion. Minato lies in wait to see what the big bad's next plans are.

White meets Shadow Black who is very trigger happy from his description of what he did to the real one.

Lizzy's tarot reading is indeed a foreshadowing.

I know I mentioned in a pervious post about what happened to Krookodile but that's been pushed back. It'll show back up eventually.

The Gym leader's discussion from before will also be brought in soon.