"What's the matter, Hilda?" my best guy friend, Cheren, asked me, a rare anxious tone in his voice. "You seem tense."

"It's nothing." I whispered. "I'm fine."

But that was a lie. He said he was going to be here and he wasn't. He lied to me. It made me feel sick.

"Can we go?" my girl best friend, Bianca, asked. She was looking nervously at the dark surroundings of the forest we were currently in.

"You can. I'll only be a minute." I looked at their worried faces. "I just want to look at something for a second. I'll be back in a second."

I didn't wait for their responses but simply started to walk deeper in the forest.

"Hilda, we shouldn't be here alone." My Pokemon best friend and starter Pokemon, Avani who was a Serperior at level one hundred.

"We'll be fine, Avani." I assured her. She looked at me disbelievingly but dropped it. She knew once I made my mind up, there'd be no backing down.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Hilda." Avani grumbled.

"Not in the slightest." I smirked teasingly.

A silence followed us and I waited quietly for something, anything, to happen. And it seems I got my wish.

"What have we here? An evil trainer who seems to be enslaving some Pokemon? We'll have to fix that won't we?" A grunt from Team Plasma sneered.

"You can try." I sneered right back.

"Battle on!" the grunt yelled. "Go, Liepard!"

My sneer became bigger. "That's all you got? Go, Charlotte!" I let out my Galvantula.

"Grrr." The grunt's eye twitched as he took in Charlotte's size. "Nevertheless, attack Liepard! Dark Pulse!"

The Liepard shot a ball of dark energy promptly at Charlotte.

"Dodge it, Charlotte!" Charlotte did as I told with quite a bit of grace. "Now Shockwave!"

Charlotte quickly did the attack, which landed full on the Liepard.

"No!" the grunt yelled. "You stupid Liepard! You were supposed to dodge that!"

I glared at the grunt, disgust full on my face. "Charlotte! Stringshot the grunt!"

"Wait, wha-" the grunt didn't have a chance to fight off the sticky web that Charlotte shot at him. "You can't do that! It's cheating!"

I ignored the grunt and approached the scared and hurt Liepard with the utmost gentleness. "Hey." I whispered, crouching down. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I promise. I just want to help you."

The Liepard growled slightly but approached me nonetheless. It sniffed my hand and licked it gently. I started to pet it gently, stroking it, until I spotted a mark.

I started to dig in my bag for a potion. The Liepard growled warningly again but I took out the potion slowly and let it examine it.

The Liepard seemed satisfied with this exchange and let me treat it. It purred after I was finished and rubbed against me.

"Would you like to come with me?" I asked it.

"Sure. You seem much nicer." It purred happily, rubbing against my hand.

I grabbed its pokeball from where the grunt had dropped it, causing him to burst out in profane language.

"Oh shut it." I snapped before returning the Liepard to its pokeball.

"Still trying to save them, Hilda?" a voice I would recognize anywhere sounded.

"N." I whispered, turning to face him.

"Supreme King N! This evil girl-" the grunt started but was promptly silenced by N.

"Hilda, will you walk with me?" N asked me.

"Of course." I blinked.

We left the struggling grunt in the dust and walked silently. I observed N quietly as we slowly plodded along.

"What's wrong, N? You look black." I asked, half-teasingly.

"Black?" he tilted his head in confusion.

"Sorry." I smiled apologetically. "I sometimes use colors to indicate moods. Black is tense."

"I see." He acknowledged my comment.

We were silent for a few more seconds until he broke it this time.

"Hilda, I have something to ask of you." He whispered.

"What is it, N?" I tilted my head, acknowledging I was listening.

"Do you think we are friends?" N asked in a rush.

'He doesn't beat around the bush, does he?' I asked in my head. "Of course we're friends, N. What made you think otherwise?" I asked lightly.

"Oh, nothing…" he trailed off uncomfortably.

"N." I stopped him and he looked at the ground. "What is it really?"

He sighed and took a deep breath before completely responding. "I have this feeling, I don't know what it is, but it makes my heart hurt." He rushed the words. "And it only hurts when I'm around you."

I froze before smiling slowly. "N, what you're feeling is love."

He looked at me in disbelief. "Love?" he scoffed.

"Yes, love." I sighed patiently.

He looked at me suspiciously for a moment before nodding his head in agreement. "You're right. Otherwise it wouldn't be around you."

I balked. "What?"

"Hilda, think about it. I only have it when I'm around you." N pointed out logically.

"Well I-" I broke off when he came closer.

"All you have to do is say you don't feel the same way and I'll leave." N looked at me with mournful eyes, eyes that looked so fragile, they looked as if the slightest touch would shatter him.

But that didn't matter. I loved him anyways,

"I love you." I whispered.

"Wait. You do?" he asked in disbelief.

I nodded.

He let out a beaming smile before yanking me into his arms and leading my mouth to his for a sweet, gentle kiss.

Black may be tense, but this is only pure love.