On stinging knees, a young boy with pasty skin crawled through the jade green grass, parts of it singed in places by what he assumed to be pokémon. Trying to quell the slight unease that settled in the pit of his stomach as he thought of being singed, he scuttled towards the unsuspecting lillipup, squinting through the blades of grass that revealed a slightly blurred silhouette of the puppy pokémon. He was almost there, just lingering behind the tall grass, prepared to toss a Poké Ball. Stubby fingers entangled in his belt and he cursed quietly, trying to disentangle a Poké Ball to capture the naïve pokémon before him.

He barked out a laugh of triumph as he seized one, grinning toothily as he launched the ball. The lillipup dodged it with wide eyes, and it was only then that Alfred realised his mistake – he hadn't thrown an empty ball! He emitted a squawk of indignation, sputtering protests as if this was merely a test at school on which he could give it another go. His pichu emerged from the ball in a flash of light and spun around before beaming at Alfred.

"Piiichu!" it cried shrilly, elated to be free from its momentary prison.

"Nick!" he shouted suddenly, startling the lillipup who stared at him in shock before backing up slowly. "Quick, use Thunderbolt!"

Nick, his pichu, merely stood there and tilted its head curiously, appearing to be utterly baffled. "Chuuu…" it whined, looking almost as if it was reprimanding him.

"That's right… You don't know it yet, huh?" Alfred asked, shoulders drooping in disappointment before his eyes widened as the lillipup seemed to have had enough and made its get away. "Nick, use Tackle!"

By now, however, his targeted pokémon was too far away having vanished into the tall grass and shrubbery in an instant. Nick's ears fell flat and he gazed after it sadly before looking up at its master apologetically.

Whilst dejected and disappointed, it was more so in himself than in his pichu. With a forced smile, Alfred knelt beside Nick and rubbed his head fondly. "No worries, buddy," he murmured kindly, flashing a bright grin. "We can try again soon, okay?"

"Hopeless."

Caught off guard, Alfred let out a raucous noise of surprise and whirled around, only to fall backwards on his backside. He propped himself up on his elbows and looked up at the newcomer in fear, but when his pichu dashed in front of him to protect him, he masked his anxiety with a scowl that he hoped was threatening. Judging by the unimpressed stare on the other boy's face, he hadn't succeeded.

"The hell did you say?" he demanded angrily, already feeling fury bubble up inside of him. The first word the guy had said to him had been that, and now his eyebrows the size of caterpies were drawn together in the most ugly of frowns.

"Are you deaf as well as incapable?" the other boy muttered rudely, sneering and folding his arms tightly across his chest, which was when Alfred noticed how odd his clothes were. It was unusually intricate attire for someone from Unova, not to mention almost old-fashioned compared to the region's present trends of jeans, shirts and plain coats. The disagreeable kid was clad in a long shirt that was most likely some sort of tunic, although Alfred thought it looked more like some sort of dress, something like Cinderella's before she had been aided by the Fairy God Mother… Those thoughts were not helping. "I said you're hopeless, you prat."

Immediately, the image of fairies and pixie dust and magic in the air disappeared, and all that was left was this offensive boy with bedraggled hair, thick eyebrows, and acidic green eyes. He wasn't entirely sure what possessed him to notice the kid's eye colour though – he wasn't particularly interested in minute details about anyone. All he knew was that this kid was mean and annoying, so he heaved himself to his feet and clenched his fists. "Don't be so mean!" he shouted heatedly, feeling his eyes sting with tears that he found difficult to suppress whenever his emotions got the better of him. "Who are you to call me that anyway? Maybe I'm not a very good trainer yet, but someday I will be! But you're just a jerk, and there's no cure for that!"

Silence resumed after his sudden declaration fuelled only by a burst of adrenaline from his overflowing feelings. His heavy breathing echoed in the quietness, the sound of pokémon scurrying around in the background being the only noise that accompanied it. Finally, after a few prolonged moments that felt like an eternity to him, he opened his eyes and looked up at the other boy, glaring up between the gap of four inches and puffing his chest out, hoping to assume a more blusterous stance.

Those venomous green eyes glared back coldly at him, seemingly devoid of any emotion whatsoever. The trees swayed around them and flickers of sunlight illuminated the boy's pale face, and suddenly it really did feel like some sort of twisted fairytale story. Suddenly, the boy scoffed, breaking Alfred's trance, and rolled his eyes. "I bet you just started," he muttered, not responding to Alfred's insult as he scoured his bag before extracting a small box. He hesitated briefly before tossing it to Alfred, a light flush decorating his hollow cheeks. "That'll carry TMs and HMs. Teach your pokémon more and learn with it, or else you'll both remain utterly clueless."

He merely gaped at him after fumbling to catch the blue box, blinking in astonishment and bewilderment at the odd kid who had belittled him and then gave him something helpful. He wasn't sure what to think of him really, although the childish part of him wanted to persist in disliking him for being offensive towards him at all. "I don't want your help!" he blurted out before he could think, a bad trait that his family always scolded him for.

The taller boy snorted again, looking completely perplexed. "Believe me, it's not like I enjoy helping some no good brat either," he said flippantly, shrugging and averting his gaze, "but I can't just leave some child on his own without any knowledge of what to do… save for scavenge on floors for wild pokémon." He rolled his eyes and then scowled at Alfred in disapproval for the umpteenth time in a few minutes, then reached out and ruffled his hair roughly. "Don't stay down after defeat and don't be distraught if you can't live up to your idealistic expectations yet," he muttered, retracting his hand as Alfred swatted irritably at him. "Always get back up again. Even champions started off as rookies, so it's stupid to give up."

Alfred's agitated expression morphed into one of surprise after those words slipped past the boy's lips, and he blinked owlishly at him until the guy flushed and frowned, tugging down Alfred's hat to hide his eyes. "Hey!" he sputtered indignantly, trying to unravel his goggles from his earflaps. "Jerk!" he shouted angrily, but when he had finally freed himself, falling down again and huffing resentfully, the boy with green eyes had vanished. Pouting, he stared at the empty space before him as leaves cascaded from the trees, fluttering around in some sort of graceful dance. "Why is everything I'm interested in so damn evasive?" he asked, answered only be a breeze and his pichu's small sounds.

Moments later, he heaved himself back onto his feet, knees scraped and pride wounded… and he felt stronger.

Tugging on his goggles, he grinned impishly at the electric pokémon beside him. "C'mon, Nick," he said, "we've gotta go prove to that guy that we're awesome!"

x.

It was during a storm that they met once more. Alfred frowned up at the overcast sky and decided it would be for the best to take residence in a Poké Centre. He didn't particularly enjoy storms as he wasn't fond of keeping still and having to remain indoors for extended periods of time, but he also knew that the rain helped the earth and water pokémon revelled in it.

When he heard a loud slam, he was harshly pulled from his silent reverie, jerking away from the window and wandering out into the corridor, surprised to see a soaking wet boy in a thin shirt, a pokémon cradled in his jacket. He was speaking erratically to Nurse Joy, who looked concerned but tried to calm him.

"She'll be all right, Arthur," she assured him gently, carefully taking the shivering Litwick from the boy's protective grasp. "Our power is working, so we'll have her warmed up and back to full health in no time." She soothingly patted his shoulder and smiled. "Go ahead and rest, dear," she said before disappearing behind the counter, going to tend to the boy's Litwick.

Alfred gazed at the boy from the shadows for a prolonged moment, considering whether or not to check on him. He was quite awkward, but the boy seemed really down, and he hated sadness. Swallowing any of his negative thoughts, he marched up to the dripping wet boy and touched his shoulder. "Hey," he greeted, voice quieter than usual but more optimistic and light than even Nurse Joy's had been. "I know it sucks to worry about your pokémon… but he'll be all right." He squeezed the boy's shoulder and gripped the other one. "Hmm? Purrloin got your tongue?"

"She," the wet boy whispered tiredly, finally looking up, his dishevelled blond hair falling back to reveal eyes as green as ripe fruit and spring bloom… and strangely familiar thick eyebrows. "My litwick's a girl. Her name is Luna."

Alfred only stared at him for a long while, eyes widening as comprehension set in and the boy's gaunt face registered in his memory. He gasped in surprise and lurched back, letting go of his shoulders. "You're that jerk from before!" he cried, pointing an accusatory finger at the kid, who stared blankly at him.

"I don't know what you're on about," he muttered, but his vacant expression gave way to one of surprise when Alfred grasped his hands tightly and leaned close to him, making a prominent flush rise on his cheeks. "What are you—?"

"Back when I was a new trainer! You called me hopeless and then gave me a case for TMs and HMs," he clarified, eyes sparkling as he registered those eyes that he once thought of as poisonous. Now they seemed less venomous and more like spring…

"Ah… Brilliant. Could you let go of me now?" He didn't appear as pleased as Alfred, although his face was still dusted a light pink.

"What's your name?" Alfred demanded, squeezing his gloved-covered wrists and loosening his grip only slightly when the guy winced.

"Not that it's any of your business," he mumbled irritably, brows furrowed, "but I'm Arthur."

Alfred flashed a bright grin and declared his name before Arthur slumped against his shoulder, and he realised that it was the second time he had met Arthur, the second time he hadn't been seen at his true potential before him, and the first time he had got his name or half dragged, half carried him to bed.

x.

Arthur's battles were truly a thing to behold. He was no coordinator, evidently, but there was some sort of beauty in his pokémon and their moves that made everything seem somewhat magical. He currently had his deerling out, its spring coat matching Arthur's mesmerising green eyes that reminded Alfred of forests and adventures full of beautiful flowers and winding roads and shade beneath sunshine. He watched as Arthur's lips moved, features pointed and strict but with some sort of gentle elegance that was admittedly difficult to notice, voice low but soft.

"Avery, use Nature Power!" he bellowed, powerful voice echoing in the gym, and the deerling's dark eyes sparkled as it charged up, and then let out a blinding light as sharp leaves cascaded upon the foe, slicing through it and weakening it significantly. It screeched in pain before obeying Skyla's orders and swooping down to strike Avery with an Air Slash. "Dodge it quickly, Avery!" Arthur ordered, and the deerling pranced swiftly to the side at the last moment, allowing the gym leader's unfezant to collide with the ground. Smoke erupted around it, debris flying everywhere, before revealing a passed out unfezant.

The woman's cerulean eyes widened before a bright grin formed on her lips. "Great battle, Arthur!" she exclaimed happily, seemingly unaffected after her loss. Digging through her pockets, a dazzling badge emerged that she presented to Arthur. "Congratulations! You've earned the Jet Badge."

And whilst Alfred was always slightly envious of the finesse of Arthur's battles, he always felt warmth settle within him whenever he received one of his rare smiles.

That was the tenth smile he had received from Arthur in the past couple of months and the seventeenth he had spied. Sometimes, when Arthur thought that he was sleeping, he whispered stories to their pokémon and then smiled as he bid them and Alfred goodnight. Whenever he saw Arthur's smile, he felt as if his hope had been renewed, and he was glad that he had accompanied Arthur after their frequent endeavours that lead them to one another dozens of times, although it was only after the third inopportune reunion that he decided he'd travel with Arthur.

Arthur had protested and frowned and tried to lose him, but Alfred noticed that he always slowed down after walking briskly so that they could walk together and that he hid a smile after Alfred told him, "You're not gonna get rid of me that easily. We're friends now!"

Alfred thought that that was the first time Arthur had seen a glimpse of his inner hero; Arthur had believed that Alfred was going to accomplish amazing feats when he had met the scrawny boy near Nuvema town all those months ago.

x.

They've always stumbled their way through life and have forced themselves to get back up again, but after they had found each other they had slowly begun to trust the other more and more. They had odd ways of showing their feelings – playing pranks or nagging or arguing over things not worth fussing about – but they had a silent mutual understanding. When they made their way through caves, Arthur ensured that each of their pokémon who knew flash used it to illuminate the place, and he grasped Alfred's hand and didn't let go until they saw daylight again. When it rained and Arthur's mood suddenly became melancholy and reserved, Alfred didn't push it and merely tugged him into a loose embrace in a silent way of saying You don't have to spill your secrets, but I'm here for you to lean on.

Alfred was terrible at taking a loss in his stride. He usually dwelled on it for days on end and sometimes forced himself and his pokémon to train more than was necessary, but Arthur always stepped in and told him to snap out of it and take a look at how tired his pokémon were and how he wasn't going to be able to beat the champion if he couldn't even look after himself. They fought and got angry and upset and then slept beside one another under the stars every night. They never apologised for their words, but they didn't need to; when they lay together stargazing and their eyes drifted towards one another as if they gravitated that way, they understood.

It was several months down the line that they finally managed to tear down their walls and build a rickety little bridge. They had both defeated Icirrus city's Bryson and were clad in thick coats, sitting together in the snow before a lake of ice, watching pokémon swim beneath it and some slip across it and stagger into the snow.

And then Alfred had suddenly started talking, spoke of his family, how he had a wonderful mother who had always been there and taken care of him and his brother. "Brother?" Arthur had asked, looking intrigued, and then Alfred said how he was a lot like him but a lot different too, that he had travelled to Sinnoh recently and wrote Alfred every few weeks. He said how his father had been a ranger until he was injured after a rock fall, saved only by his pokémon who stayed beside him awaiting rescuers. He told Arthur about his friend from Black City who had empty eyes but a big heart and had taught him about the world of pokémon.

Arthur listened patiently, freezing but willing, and then just smiled at Alfred when he had finished, a small half smile that seemed begrudging but honest, and said softly: "I… I'm proud of you, Alfred," and Alfred had blushed and embraced him tightly and sent them rolling in the snow.

x.

It had been a while before Arthur revealed much about himself, however. He had tried to—numerous times—but whenever he attempted to articulate some sort of iteration of his life, he just felt nauseated thinking about telling someone everything about himself. Once Alfred had gotten frustrated with him, felt betrayed by how Arthur was still keeping secrets, and Arthur just screamed insults at him because the idiot couldn't seem to understand that he was trying.

And then it had all become too much and he revealed things, things that he wanted to keep in his head forever and never let anyone know of, let everything pour out of him like a never-ending waterfall. He couldn't remember his parents, but he didn't feel bad about it because he had never been attached to them; he had been raised by his older brothers who had enjoyed using their pokémon to rough him up a bit, who occasionally sent him stumbling into the wild to get attacked, but always arrived in time so he wouldn't be too hurt although he couldn't help but resent them anyway. He told Alfred that his only friend was a twat who had left Arthur behind at home to travel with his other friends and how he always pushed people away before they could leave—

Alfred held him. Strong arms—larger than they had been on that gangly little boy years ago—enveloped him into a tight embrace as he finally opened up and let Alfred see his unrestrained emotions, the pent up anger and forgotten sadness and resonating loneliness.

"I'll always be your friend, Artie," he promised, burying his face into Arthur's hair when he had finally regained some composure. "You taught me to stand back up again, so I'm gonna help you carry on too. You won't be lonely again, y' hear?"

"You're an idiot," Arthur had whispered, but he was smiling. He was happy, happier than he could ever remember being, and they smiled at each other, content, warm, until Alfred's pichu and Arthur's deerling emerged from their poké balls and barrelled them over. They laughed and grinned until it hurt, knowing that they'd overcome all their hardships together, they'd make their way through the winding roads of life even with the adversities they had to rise above.

x.

"I don't—" Alfred began, sighing in frustration and running a hand through his golden-blond hair, Nick's poké ball clutched tight in his hand, and he could feel it buzzing with power, now a powerful pikachu ready to take on anything, with Wright the braviary in a great ball on his belt ready for action too. "I don't know if I'm ready for this."

Immediately, he received a smack upside the head. "Don't spout that nonsense," Arthur said, frowning sternly at his friend. He yanked the concealing goggles off of Alfred's face to reveal uncertain blue eyes, and softened slightly. "You're the most dedicated person I've ever known. You're—" He cut himself off, flushing darkly and looking away for a moment. "You're… rather brilliant, Alfred." Damn it, that wasn't what he wanted to say. He exhaled in self-loathing and aggravation before quirking a small smirk. "Show them that you're the new champion, Alfred." He squeezed the boy's shoulder, and then leaned up to whisper in his ear: "I believe in you."

Alfred stared at him in shock before blushing and stuttering nonsensical things, and then composed himself, swallowing thickly before nodding once, determined gaze going to stare at the door leading to the first of the elite four. "Then I know I can do it," he said, eyes glinting as a small smirk came to his own face. "I'll emerge as the best, Arthur." He turned back to his friend, resolve unwavering but gentleness and fondness reappearing as he gazed into proverbial green eyes. "You'll be here, right?"

"Moron," Arthur said, grinning crookedly as he tugged Alfred's goggles down, leaving the boy flailing and whining. "I'll always be with you."

x.

Axis Powers Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya.

Pokétalia. Yep. Um. I'm sorry that it's so terribly lacking, but it wasn't meant to be detailed… It was intended to be a oneshot that depicted them growing up and growing closer over time, but now it just seems like a half-arsed thing one could concoct in a few minutes. I NEED A FULL RESTORE FOR MY CONFIDENCE PLEASE… but I have no base stats for it.

Sorry it gets so dramatic in places. I need to tone down on that… Still, despite everything, I hope it was readable and you liked it at least a little bit. c:

Pichu was named Nick as a reference to the narrator of The Great Gatsby, who described himself as an honest man. Alfred's pokémon are supposed to reflect him – Pichu's name is a reference to a man who is true to himself, and the fact that he's an electric type reflects Alfred's exuberance and tendency to be optimistic and perhaps idealistic. His braviary, Wright, is also a reference to a certain pair of famous men. It is relevant to braviary's type. :P Moreover, braviary, as my friend commented, was such an Alfred-esque pokémon. It just fits his character so well.

I cut once scene from this where in Arthur gave Alfred a lecture about how ghost pokémon were often misunderstood; they were judged based upon tales concocted by people years ago, and people based their opinions of mostly fictitious fables. It was supposed to be a bit of an insight to Arthur's character and how he didn't have many friends. =u=; Then again, Alfred's never had many friends either, but he feels lucky since he was raised by his mum who's a pokémon breeder, hence why he had a pichu.

The title is from one of the Pokémon opening songs~

Thank you for reading. :)