Yin and Yang

By MedliSage

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Chapter one

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His trusted Zoroark finally fainted and was withdrawn by his friend into a Poké Ball. He had performed at his best, as he always had, and his trainer could not have asked for anything more.

The girl on the opposite side of the battle field withdrew her Samurott. The battle was won. The heavy wind of the area, drafting in from the now-broken walls, whipped the ponytails of both the trainers to the side as they stood in silence, their eyes locked.

Not a word was spoken before the sound of thunderous footsteps came from the castle, crashing towards them as they sped along the stone floor. Stopping not even for a second at the girl, they made their way straight towards the boy.

The man angrily shot one arm out from beneath his ornate robes, his cold stare fixated on the boy, at least a head shorter than he. "You... lost? Even still, are you not of the Harmonia name, the same as I? What a worthless son..."

The girl flinched at the words, even if they weren't directed at her. Son? He was... related to this man? To Ghetsis?

And yet his supposed son stood still and stoic, not taking his eyes off of his father as he spoke to him.

Ghetsis turned his attention to the girl. "Originally, the reason I gave N the dream he has is so that he could resurrect the legendary Pokémon for my sake. It would have granted me authority! Everyone would fear me and I could easily manipulate the people." He faced towards his son again. "You managed to do that, but... the two that are bound to these legendary Pokémon are destined to battle for their respective beliefs. And you wanted to confirm whether you were a true hero or not... But in the end you were defeated by a mere trainer. There's a limit to how foolish you can be!" He paused, his eyes gaining a coldness that the girl thought was impossible. "In other words, you are a distorted and imperfect human who was raised together with Pokémon..."

N's face did not falter in the slightest, but the girl fought back tears. How could he say something like that, to his own child?

Once more, Ghetsis looked back to the girl. "White! To think someone like you would be chosen by the legend was something I hadn't expected at all. But my goal is still the same! I will not falter! I will rule the world and its foolish human inhabitants that know nothing!

I will still have N continue to be the king of Team Plasma, but in order to do so... I must erase you, since you know the truth." He reached back into his robes, but froze as footsteps were heard coming up the stairs. The present party of three focused their attention to them.

"Such foolish ideas," said Alder as he and Cheren stepped up from the stairs.

Ghetsis scowled. "At any rate, even though they are called gods, they are nothing but Pokémon when it comes down to it." His eyes, filled with rage, locked into the girl's once more. "White! You are lacking in fear – come face me! I want to see your face filled with despair!"

N stepped forward, his eyes too focused on White – only to be stopped by his father. "White!" He called, his voice filled with concern and fear.

Ghetsis tossed a Poké Ball with his free hand, and yelled, "No matter what you do, you can't stop me!"

White, silently and without hesitation, tossed out the Poké Ball which contained her Braviary, faced against Ghetsis's Cofagrigus.

The battle was heated; the field was silent, the atmosphere heavy with the intensity of the conflict. Save for the occasional roar of the wind, the only sounds heard were the commands being shouted by the two trainers and the furious attacks of the Pokémon.

One by one, they were fainted and recalled, until the only two that remained were White's trusted Samurott and Ghetsis's Hydreigon. The two were at their limits.

"Samurott! Just one more well-placed shot! I believe in you! Use Ice Beam!"

"Hydreigon, don't let that weakling bring you down! You're not that weak...!"

The shot of ice pierced the air from Samurott to his opponent, landing a direct hit in its torso. The Pokémon cried out before it fell to the ground, unmoving. Without motion, Ghetsis returned it to its Poké Ball, his eyes on the ground, overcast by shadows.

Silence.

"What?" He said quietly. His head shot up, and his voice echoed throughout the room. "What is this? I'm a perfect man that managed to build up an organization like Team Plasma! I'm a perfect ruler that was supposed to change the world!"

Alder turned to face the young prince. "Well N, do you still believe Pokémon and humans should be separated?"

N turned away his eyes not meeting those of anyone else. Perhaps he was contemplating his response, but before he could say anything, Ghetsis looked to him and laughed. "Hahaha! I only raised you to get the legendary Pokémon since I couldn't become a hero myself, N! I guess one could call you a monster that doesn't have the heart of a human." His gaze went back to Alder. "Do you really think such a distorted person can understand what you're saying?"

Alder began speaking once again to N, but his voice was like white noise on a blank background to White as her mind still fixated on Ghetsis's words. A monster? No heart? N? The same N that has challenged her along her journey, telling her of his ideals, the same N that must love Pokémon so, the same N whose room is that of an innocent child's, the same N whose light emerald eyes constantly shone with that strong emotion, that strong determination and strength, with such compassion and courage?

His voice, the one she knew so well, broke her out of her thoughts. Usually filled with confidence, it was now filled with uncertainty and distress. "But I'm not qualified to be a hero...! Even though I just fought you like I really understood anything about my beliefs... Why?"

Silence.

Or perhaps it wasn't silence, perhaps words were spoken. No, they were probably spoken, as Ghetsis was arrested and taken away by Alder and Cheren. But White would not know, as her stare fixated on N the entire time; his eyes lay on the ground, the visor of his cap covering them from view.

Together they stood, perhaps fifteen feet between the pair, just the two of them, for what felt like years.

Still motionless, he finally spoke, his soft voice breaking the silence. "There's something I want to tell you... it's about when we first met in Accumula town." He looked up, meeting her misty blue eyes. "What I heard your Pokémon say really shocked me... Because that Pokémon said it loved you and wanted to be with you..." He paused, his eyes drifting off to the side. "I couldn't understand it. That there were Pokémon in the world that loved humans. Because I had never met any Pokémon like that before... And the more I continued my journey, my beliefs started to falter. All I met were people and Pokémon putting their lives on the line for each other." His eyes returned to the ground. "So in order to make sure exactly what I was believing in, I wanted to fight you... To face each other like the heroes we both were chosen to be, that's what I wished for... But I who only understood Pokémon..." N shook his head. "No, I who didn't even understand Pokémon..." Finally, his eyes met with White's again. "There was no way I could beat you, who was blessed and surrounded with many Pokémon."

He paused, and White took one step forward. "N..." She began, having no idea what she was going to add to that thought.

But N spoke again. "Well, the champion had it in his heart to forgive someone like me... But, in the end I am the one that decides what I should do." He turned around, facing the opening in the wall that the legendary Pokémon had created when it flew in. He held up a Poké Ball, and the red light it emitted quickly took form into Reshiram.

N turned around to face White, who had taken two more steps towards him. She froze as their eyes locked again. He spoke after the brief pause, his voice sounding with its familiar courage and confidence; yet, it was not the same – perhaps it was faltering, perhaps it was not completely sure this time.

The fact is that it was faltering, it was unsure. He was always unsure when he met gazes with this girl, this girl who had a heart filled with a compassion and goodness far greater than N had ever imagined, let alone encountered – this girl, who, for whatever reason, made his heart feel as though it was jumping and caused that tingling, warm nervousness to awash his body. But like Reshiram and Zekrom themselves, they were opposites who could not be together; destined to forever counter the other. She was human and he was not, he was a monster as his father said, and she was a person with a beautiful heart. She was able to truly understand Pokémon and he was not – she had proven this for the final time, and now it was time for him to leave her forever – this girl who had made him realize the truth, this girl who had forever changed his life. "White! You said you had a dream... Fulfill that dream! Make your wonderful dream a reality. I believe you can do it if anyone!" He stepped back, one hand on Reshiram, watching as White took a step of equal distance forward. "Well then... Goodbye...!"

"N-No, N, please, wait," White manage to stammer as he swung one leg over the Pokémon.

He looked back at her, surprised. "Y... yes?" Her statement had caught him off guard. What could she possibly want?

The girl took two more steps forward. "W... where are you going to go?"

His eyes shifted away from her again. "I'm not too sure," he said slowly. "I want to continue to explore Unova. And then, I think... I'm going to go to other lands, to completely new places." N raised his head to face White again. "I want to see the world, and figure out the truth and what it is I really want to do." White opened her mouth as he paused, but he continued to speak. "Now that fa... now that Ghetsis is not here, now that Team Plasma is disbanded... I'm going to truly be on my own."

White took yet another step forward, the distance between the two shrinking to but five feet. "N..."

Before she could expand on the thought, he spoke again. "White... you showed me the truth. You showed me that I was wrong." This time it was he who took two steps forward, their eyes still locked, each looking into each others, searching, as if they would find answers in them. "And for that, I deeply thank you."

And then it was silent again, again for what felt like lifetimes.

Slowly, steadily, N turned and put one hand on Reshiram. His eyes drifted to the ground, his voice quiet and filled with a sorrow even he could not mask. "I... I will miss you, White. Farewell."

Before he could move an inch, her voice shot through the air. "I would miss you too. So, please..."

N's head whipped around at the sound of her voice, which resounded with a sudden emotion. Her head was turned down, the visor of her hat covering her eyes.

Without warning, White looked quickly back up at him – their eyes staring into each other's again. "I want to explore the world and see new places, too. And... if we'd both miss each other, then... then let's go together."

Travel? With her, with White? No... there was no way. They were too different. She was emotional and compassionate and he was not – she grew up in a small town like a normal girl and he grew up... here, by himself. She truly understood Pokémon and he did not. She was a human and he was not. There was no possible way they could exist together beyond their destinies of battling each other. "White... You and I... are very different..." He said slowly, solemnly, not taking his eyes off hers. If only there was a way, if only there was a way for them not to have to part ways – she had shown him the truth, she had changed his life, and he didn't want to leave the cause of that, he didn't want to leave her, but they were too different, they couldn't be together – what compelled her to suggest this?

"Even if that's true," she replied instantly, "I, I think," she stammered, rare for her, "that even if we're different... I think we're both very alike, too." Though she continued to stare at him, trying to convey as much of her determination as she could silently, her heart was racing and her legs felt like jelly – how stupid she must seem, he obviously wanted to travel alone – and what could he be thinking, as he continued to stare back at her? Was he looking for words that wouldn't hurt her feelings, or was he seriously contemplating it? This boy, this boy who moved her so with his ideals and courage, who even without knowing it gave her strength, who had quickly become so important to her – he couldn't just leave like this. Their promise of this eventual battle, their promise of meeting had driven them to this point in their journey, so surely they could travel together as companions – he couldn't really want to leave just like that, right?

They bored into each other's eyes, searching for answers. Her eyes, filled with such a strong sense of longing and determination, and his eyes, filled with such a strong sense of longing and conflict.

The asphyxiating silence was long and heavy, covering all other senses of the atmosphere.

As if a repeat of their earlier battle, her misty blue eyes took him over and won, and he took one step forward towards her, his hand extended. The silence carried one for one more moment before he spoke. "Okay. Let's travel together."

Again, she moved her foot forward, this time linking them by placing her palm in his. Her smile seemed to radiate and light up the entire room, her blue eyes now looking as if they were oceans sparkling with dappled sunlight. "Okay."

A mysterious force made him return the smile, the same force which caused him to become uneasy when he looked at her sometimes – he had to figure out what that feeling was sometime.

Not letting go of her hand, N pulled himself onto Reshiram, gently helping White up as well. Forced to let go of her, he put both his hands on the legendary Pokémon and said, in his usual soft-spoken voice, "Put your arms around my waist. You can't fall."

He braced himself as he felt her warm arms slip around him. He never liked being touched, it always reminded him of what his fa... of what Ghetsis would do when he was angry, and so he normally flinched when touched by others, especially without warning. But no, not this time – her touch was warm and soft, gentle and kind, just like White herself.

"Where are we going?" White asked.

N looked up at the sky beyond the broken wall. "Well... where do you want to go?"

"Everywhere."

He could not help but smile at the simple response, turning his head around only to be met with her own look of happiness. It faded a bit as he pondered aloud, "White, where do you live?"

White blinked. "I live in Nuvema Town."

"I know you've seen it, but... can we go there? I want to see where you grew up," he said as his attention turned back to the sky.

She nodded once. "Sure. I haven't seen my mom in a while, anyway."

At her statement, he looked back at her again with a questioning expression. "You have a mother?"

White tilted her head to the side slightly. "Yeah, I have a mother."

There was a pause.

"Nuvema Town is south, correct?"

"Right."

Once more, N smiled at her before facing forward. "Okay. Let's go!"

Reshiram roared once before leaping off the broken debris of the throne room, soaring into the sky, the two bound by fate on its back.

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Chapter one end.

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A/N: So um, yeah. I dunno how many chapters. Probably three or so. I'm going to try as hard as I can throughout the fic to keep up the major theme of Black/White (light and dark and Yin/Yang and all that) since I really like the idea anyway and I feel like it would make the story seem more real and canonical too. Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Sorry if the end sucked, it's late. I'm going to bed now.

- Medli