Author's Note: Hello! This is my first ever published story! Before you read, you should probably be aware of a few facts:

This story was originally written about six months ago in White/Touko's perspective, but because it was terrible, I decided around 4 or 5 months ago to rewrite in N and Black's perspectives. (Cheren gets his own chapter too!) For the sakes of anyone reading, I will not be uploading the original (it really was that terrible!)

In the story, the player characters are referred to as Black and White, as opposed to Hilbert and Hilda or Touya and Touko, and are brother and sister. Just thought I'd clear that up…

I'm currently working on Chapter Thirteen, which means the story is a lot longer than this (52910 words at the mo.) I'll be updating a new chapter every Friday, granted my internet is working, I'm at home, etc.

I can honestly say the writing standard improves after a few chapters, so bear with me!

And lastly, I hope you enjoy this! I've worked really hard on this fic!

XX Amethyst

Chapter 1- Beautiful

The rays of the evening sun were beaming down lazily from the amber sky above me in the form of a stunning assortment of soft colours; lavish reds, lush oranges, vivid yellows, and also barely-visible stripes of light purples, all dancing on the pale blue canvas that was the autumn sky and blending softly in with the random wisps of clouds that floated about aimlessly. So beautiful, so breath-taking, I thought, sighing contently as I watched the clouds dance above my head. I'd never really seen the evening sky like this before, no glass between us, only space. But this sky was so different from the sky I'd seen from out the windows of the castle, I noticed. This sky was bright, beautiful, scenic. There were no murky, grey clouds in this sky: only beautiful, entrancing colours.

I had to focus. Father would be here soon, he couldn't see me goofing off. Blinking rapidly, I snapped back into my senses, averting my gaze away from the hypnotising sky above. Yes, I needed to prepare, I realised. This evening was important, for this evening we initiated phase one of our master plan. I smiled fiendishly, tugging the visor of my baseball cap over my eyes as I continued ambling down towards Accumula Town's square.

Children were kicking a ball about the narrow streets and laughing merrily as nearby shopkeepers began shutting up their stalls for the impending night. Above me, Pidove sang cheerily on the slated rooftops as exhausted people strolled through the narrow streets, dragging their feet and clutching their swanky briefcases as they made their way home from a tiring day of work.

The square was just up ahead now; I could see the crowd of people gathering. Father must have already begun, I figured, as I emerged from the passageway into the open green area. People everywhere were squabbling frantically, pushing past one another as they attempted to get a better view at the odd group of men standing on the grass blaring loudly on their golden trumpets. They must have looked so odd to them, I figured, with their shiny chain-mail uniforms, specially designed to resemble that of knights, their pointed metal caps and their cold, emotionless stares, but to me, they were merely my servants, normal sights I'd seen every day of my life.

There was silence throughout the crowd as an older man stepped forward from behind the knights, or grunts, as they were known. This man had lime green hair and was dressed in long, purple and gold robes patterned with elaborate designs. A metal visor covered his right eye, leaving his single crimson pupil beaming out at the crowd chillingly.I instantly remembered his stern instructions- "Find a spot in the crowd and listen. Do not, under any exceptions, interfere with me while I am speaking." Almost mechanically, I slipped quietly to the front of the mob as he opened his mouth to speak.

"I am Ghetsis, one of the Seven Sages of Team Plasma,"he began, a brazen glint flickering in his eye as he practised his renowned skill of manipulation through carefully choreographed speeches, a smirk slithering onto his face.

The crowd began muttering inaudibly among themselves. I groaned irritably under my breath. They should be listening intently- they had no idea how important this was.

"I have come here today to talk to you about pokémon liberation!" Father continued, strolling up and down along the green to eye the people in the crowd closely, who were now gasping aloud. He didn't react at all when his gaze crossed me, as if I was just another person in this crowd. But I wasn't just another person in the crowd, as he well knew. I was different. I was a king.

He carried on with his speech, the speech Team Plasma had spent hours devising, the one that thoroughly explained the concept of liberation of pokémon, the humiliation the creatures had endured under humans' control; forcing them to compete in cruel battles, ruining the perfect beings that they were. I could almost repeat the thing myself, I'd read it over so many times, but it was absolutely necessary it was perfect. We had to get the message of Pokémon liberation across; to inform the public, and also to attract more members… if we were going to free all Pokémon, we were going to need as much help as we could possibly get.

He finished the speech by declaring Team Plasma's goal- to free all Pokémon- then signalled for the grunts to lead him away. They crowded around him instantly before walking off through the street with him between them, protecting him from any harm that may occur from the outside.

I sighed as I watched them leave, and wondered if I would ever be like him. He was so intelligent, so fearless; a true king. That had been my first fear when I was coronated king- would I live up to his reputation? I shook my head after spending several moments contemplating, realising I couldn't waste time thinking about unimportant things- I had to focus on my mission.

People in the crowd were scuffling about anxiously, hurrying off home, most likely to spread the strange news to family members. Yes, this was good, everyone must know.

Deciding that our work in this town was complete for the time being, I slowly I fixed my cap atop my head and began to make my way off towards the gate to Route 2. Father had instructed me to meet with him in Striaton City in an hour, so I had better get going as soon as possible if I wanted to squeeze in some time for a proper walk along the way. I was looking forward to seeing the wild Pokémon on Route 2, to talk to them and to hear their stories, inform them about the new world that was coming. A childish part of me also longed to continue staring at the sky some more, that beautiful sky, a dazzling collection of mesmerizing colours.

Just as I was about to head off towards the gate, I felt a sudden smack against my left leg. Glancing down, I was baffled to notice a tiny Oshawott sitting back on its behind, its fluffy head spinning following its sharp collision with my leg. The small blue and white otter blinked twice rapidly, then, shaking the dazed feeling away, beamed up at me contently.

'Hi! Hi! Hi!' it greeted me giddily, a smile stretching across its adorable, puffy face. 'Are you a nice trainer, too?'

I was baffled. Another nice trainer? But… Father said there were no nice trainers left in the world… only cruel ones that hurt their pokémon, ones that forced them to compete in horrendous battles, ones that abused their Pokémon and caused them hurt. Why would this Oshawott believe otherwise?

I was about to open my mouth to answer, when suddenly a swift, strange figure appeared before me, instantly diving down to embrace the Oshawott tightly. The teenaged girl had a genuine look of concern on her face, and began checking him all over and stroking him lovingly as he giggled and snuggled into her chest, totally unaffected by his previous impact with my leg.

But why? I thought that all trainers were horrible and cruel to their Pokémon? If that was so, then why was this girl treating him so kindly, with such love? He was smiling joyfully, bouncing up and down now. It didn't make sense- in an ideal world, pokemon and humans weren't supposed to intersect with one another, that's what I'd always been told, but... why did seeing these two together cause me to feel somewhat… soothed? Could they really care for one another?

"Is he ok?" I asked, glancing down at the pair.

The girl looked up, two stunning jewels of blue staring into me. "He's fine…" she uttered frankly, scampering to her feet and caressing Oshawott lovingly in her arms. The girl had long, silky chocolate-brown hair tied back in a ponytail, with a pink and white baseball cap sitting atop her head. She was dressed in a plain tank top and sleeveless black jacket along with a pair of scraggy denim shorts, and hanging from her arm was a pink shoulder bag. She gazed into me confusedly with the most amazing sky-blue eyes I'd ever seen, like pools of shimmering water, clear, pure, beautiful.

'I love you!' the Oshawott squeaked, rubbing into her. I gawked at him in disbelief, hoping my mouth wasn't hanging open. Father had always said humans and Pokémon didn't love each other- that they were separate beings, and they weren't meant to cross. If that was so, then why was this pair so caring with one another, so gentle, as if they belonged together?

"Oh…" I muttered suddenly. "You're Oshawott…"

The beautiful girl stopped and glanced quickly from her pokemon to me, a puzzled expression forming on her face. "Excuse me?" Her voice was soft, like a melody.

"He's saying… I… I don't understand…"

Her mouth fell open in disbelief as she attempted to wrap her brain around my words. "Are you okay? I think you should head home, you must have sun-stroke or something…"

"Please, allow me to speak with him. I just want to hear what he has to say." I pleaded. I had no idea what was coming over me, but I needed to hear more from this Pokémon…

The girl blinked, a little dazed, and stared at me like I was mad. Eventually, after pausing for several moments, she slowly placed Oshawott down on the stone floor. "Whatever floats your boat…" she mumbled half-heartedly as the creature took a few wobbly steps toward me and I stooped to place my hand out.

"Hi there little guy," I greeted him as he sniffed at my hand curiously, pausing for a moment to register my scent before concluding that I wasn't a threat.

'Hello! Hello! I like you!' he began, hopping up and down excitedly. 'You're nice, just like my trainer! She's the absolute BEST! I love, love, love her!'

I was dumbfounded. How could he possibly love her? She was just a trainer, just another one of those uncaring, selfish people who forced Pokémon to partake in cruel battles, removing them from their natural habitats into a world where their only purpose was to fight…

No, not this girl, I soon realised. This girl was different, I could sense it. This girl had something about her, a unique ability that made her special, something that caused Pokémon to trust her, to love her almost instantly. Yes, this girl was exceptional to most trainers, a diamond in the rough.

"I-I see…" I murmured. She was staring at me now, those sparkling cerulean eyes filled with such confusion. Oshawott continued babbling away, prattling about how they were the best of friends, how they were going on a big adventure and they were going to have so much fun.

After a few moments of listening to Oshawott, my ears picked up a rough voice abruptly bellowing from further down the street. Glancing up, I noticed a scruffy, brown-haired boy in a red baseball cap sprinting towards the other teen, a very irritated expression plastered over his features.

"White!" the boy in the red cap called out to the beautiful girl before me. She twisted at the sound of her name. White… It suited her perfectly; pure and serene, just like her. A beautiful name for a beautiful girl.

The teenager stopped a few feet behind her and stared at me, a perplexed expression on his face. Several awkward seconds later, he darted forward, edging between us to leer at me, his muddy brown eyes full of rage. His dark brown hair stuck out in tufts from beneath his hat, and he wore a blue zip-up cardigan as well as a pair of scruffy grey pants. He was undoubtedly a trainer, I figured by looking at him- one of the bad ones, for sure.

"White!" he repeated callously, not shifting his gaze away from me. "What the hell is this guy doing?"

I patted Oshawott on the head lovingly before rising to my feet, doing my best to ignore the idiot in front of me. "Your Oshawott really loves you. He told me," I said to White, who was picking him up from the ground and stroking his warm fur lovingly.

"Um…okay…" she half-laughed, eyeing me funny as her beloved pokemon nestled into her chest. "…You should really get some rest, man…"

"Then you can't hear it either, that's a shame…"

"Who the hell are you!" the boy shouted furiously, annoyed that he was being ignored. "You can't just go around and 'talk' with random peoples' Pokémon, ya freak!"

I didn't like this boy. He was unmistakably one of those cold-hearted, monster trainers who hideously mistreated their Pokémon, just like the ones Father had told me about…

"Calm down, Black, it's nothing…" White insisted, rolling her eyes and puffing out a tired breath. Black. What a cold, emotionless name…

"Nothing?" he mocked, wrinkling his nose at me. "White, this creep comes up to you, starts 'talking' with creatures that can't talk, and you think that's normal? Arceus, you're so dense!"

The nerve to call White dense, to call me a creep? This ignorant trainer was really in my bad books now, but before I could open my mouth to retaliate to his rude comments, the sound of panicked footsteps could be heard nearing us from the same direction these two trainers had come from.

"Would you guys stop running away from us?" a lean boy with blackish-blue hair and glasses groaned, stopping to rest his hands on his knees and pant. He was closely followed by a shorter girl with puffy blonde hair dressed in bright colours, whose face was covered in a rosy pink hue having sprinted here. Oh joy: more trainers.

The blonde girl glanced from Black to White and finally to me, cocking her head to the side when she realised she didn't recognise me. "Um…who's this guy?" she questioned, eyeing me up and down curiously. "Do we know him or somethin'? 'Cause I think I'd remember meeting a 6ft tall guy with bright-green hair…"

"My name is N." I began, trying to think of how I should introduce myself to this crowd. No- I shouldn't mention the fact that I was the king of Team Plasma, that could wait till later… "I'm a Pokémon trainer too, but I can't help but wonder… are Pokémon really happy like this? Trapped in pokeballs, just there to be used by humans?" Yes, that cover story would do, nothing too serious. I wasn't supposed to draw too much attention to myself.

The bespectacled boy rolled his eyes. "You're not seriously saying you agree with those lunatics from earlier?"

I didn't like him either. How could he say such things? Team Plasma was going to save all pokémon from the cruelty of humans, and here he was bad-mouthing us as if we were criminals. No, these trainers were bad news- White should definitely not be around them.

"I want to change the world for pokémon, because they're my friends," I explained. I caught the mixed expressions on each of their faces; the boy with the red cap had gritted teeth, the girl with blonde hair was chewing her lip and the boy with the glasses was scratching his head. No- they didn't understand the importance of liberating Pokémon, but White… yes, she was different, special. Although I'd known her less than five minutes, I could tell she would make a brilliant member of Team Plasma, if only she could see that these people were pulling her down, wasting her obvious talents. She was simply staring at me now, a puzzled look on her face.

"You agree, don't you White?" I asked her.

She stopped to gaze down at Oshawott, caringly stroking his soft fur. "Um… I-I don't really know…" she stuttered. "I guess it's bad that some people hurt their Pokémon, and stuff, but…"

"Don't listen to him, White, he's trying to twist your thoughts!" the brown-haired boy spat, glaring at me with dagger-eyes. This moron was really starting to annoy me now, but I couldn't waste time with worthless brutes like him- I had more important matters to deal with.

"Black, I was talking!" White snapped back at the other boy, only to be met by sheer ignorance from him, something that caused even more rage to seethe inside me.

"I really must be going now," I declared grumpily, pulling the visor of my cap over my eyes and heading off towards the gate to Route 2. I stopped a few steps away from the group and turned to stare at White. "I'm sure we'll meet again, White…"

With that I was gone, strolling off towards the gate in the distance. When I was sure I was out of their sight, I turned to glance back at them again. They were having some sort of conversation- Blondie was laughing at a ticked-off-looking White, while Grumpy looked on, a shocked expression on his face. Why were they laughing at her? I clenched my fists out of fury. Those monsters- they didn't deserve to even be in her presence!

What really annoyed me, however, was how close she seemed to be with Grumpy. He had stood between us before, as if to protect her. He wasn't her… mate, was he? The thought made my blood boil, and a strange, unknown feeling rise in my gut. Was this… jealously?

Shaking my head to disperse the thought, I began ambling off into Route 2, my head filled with curious thoughts. White deserved so much better than that group of so-called 'friends'. I knew that with the right persuasions, I just might manage get her to join us, and then she could be with people who would truly understand her, who would teach her how to use her talent to its full potential. Soon, she'd see that she was making a huge mistake by travelling with those people. I sighed. I just had to make her realise it…