Odds Against Us Ch4

☆Odds Against Us☆



Part 4 - Strange Attraction


"Y-you!" I stammered, my blue eyes wide with surprise. It was the strange, mysterious man from a few days prior - N. Leaning against the side of the museum, his hat shading his eyes from my view, N watched me. I couldn't read his expression. Many emotions pulsed through me at the sight of him, including his parting words from the last time I saw him.

"I hope to cross paths with you again, Lotta."

Gulping, I look at him nervously, "What are you doing here?" Out of my peripheral vision, I saw the last of the Team Plasma goons vanish into Pinwheel forest. Dammit... N pushes himself off the the wall, and slowly makes his way to me. My feet seem rooted to the spot; if he'd been holding a knife, I still probably wouldn't have been able to move.  "I... Want to see things no one can see." He murmured as he got closer to me. Confused, I took a step back. "The ideals," he continued, "of Pokémon inside Poké Balls. The truths of how Trainers should be. And a future where Pokémon have become perfect..." His green eyes locked with mine. "Do you feel the same?"

The ideals of Pokémon... How Trainers should be... And a future where Pokémon are perfect? Maybe, but if thats what he's implying... I nod slowly, hesitantly. A small smile broke out on his face; and I thought my heart would stop. He has a beautiful smile... "I'm glad." He says, having closed the distance between us. I vaguely remember that I was supposed to be chasing after Team Plasma, and I tense. Why am I doing this? I have to go after those Plasma Grunts!! "N, it's nice to, um, see you again, but..." I glance at his face quickly, pointing a finger in the direction of Pinwheel Forest. Something switches off in his expression, and it goes back to being devoid. "I'm not going to let you leave yet." His whisper was almost inaudible. My heart pulsed; why do I feel this way around him?! He's just a guy.... An insanely attractive guy. His hand reaches into his pocket, pulling out a Poké Ball. "Lotta," he says, looking at the Ball, "I want to test a theory." Eyes glinting, he looks into my wide blue ones. "My friends and I would like to see if other Trainers can see our future. How about we start with you?"

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Our second battle began; the standard twenty feet apart commissioned. The first Pokémon N sent out was a Pidove, much like mine. I sent out Blitzle; "Let's do this." I murmured to my friend before sending him into the battlefield. Easily, Blitzle took down the Pidove with a Shock Wave. N looked deep in thought; as if he wasn't even paying attention to the battle. After he sent out a Tympole, I yelled, "Use Shock Wave again, Blitzle!"

A spark seemed to ignite in N's eyes. "Tympole, use Bubblebeam." The flow of bubbles didnt stop the wave of electricity, but passed right through it, catching Blitzle by surprise. My Pokémon skidded backwards, obviously heavily damaged by the attack. Of course, Tympole was hit as well, and it was immediately knocked-out. N frowned ever-so-slightly; returning his Pokémon, he grinned as he looked at me. "Just as I thought."

I blinked in confusion. Then, "Go, Timburr!" N's final Pokémon was sent out, and it twirled the heavy piece of lumber that it held. I yelled, "Quick Attack!" and my Blitzle charged; only to be hit with a Low Kick from Timburr. Blitzle fell -- and was defeated. "No.... Blitzle!" I almost ran into the field, but I stopped myself. "I'm sorry..."

I returned my friend to his Ball, then tossed the one I had been holding in my hand this whole time. "Oshawott! It's up to you!!"

"Osha!!" My first Pokémon took a fighting stance as he faced N; Oshawott remembered him, too. N smiled at Oshawott, then told his Timburr; "Use Bide."

I stiffened. If Oshawott attacked Timburr at all and it wasn't a KO hit, then Timburr would counter-attack with twice the damage delt. I couldn't do anything to progress the battle unless I took the risk.

We can do it. "Oshawott, use Razor Shell!" My Pokémon nodded quickly and pulled the seashell off of his chest. And in a quick fluid motion, sliced at Timburr. The Pokémon cried out and flew backwards, landing at N's feet. I saw him pale slightly; and immediately felt guilty. I'm sorry N... But this is a battle.

"Look, N, I'm sorry, but..." I stopped. Timburr was getting up.  "Oh... Arceus."

"BURRRRRRR!!!" A bright burst of red energy exploded out of the Timburr and hit my Oshawott straight on. My first Pokémon flew backwards, directly at me. "No! Oshawott!!" I cry out as he slams into my chest; I catch him as we stumble backwards. Tears prick at my eyes as I look down at him. "I'm so sorry..." I manage to whisper. He trembles in my arms, obviously in pain.

Suddenly, my Oshawott begins to glow. "O-Oshawott...?" I gasp, eyes wide. What's happening?! The light surrounding Oshawott grows brightly, almost blinding me. Turning my head away slightly, I close my eyes. But my arms suddenly sag under a heavier weight in my arms. "Eh?!" The light fades, and I turn my head back to look down at "Dewott!"  I exclaimed, eyes huge. "Y-you evolved!"

I was very conscious of N standing at the other end of the battlefield; but right now, all that matters was that Osha-- Er, I mean, Dewott, was okay. "How did you survive the hit? Why didn't you tell me you were going to evolve?! Darn you!" I bombarded my Pokémon with questions, but he just smiled at me until I got frustrated. Finally, I remembered the battle; "We aren't done yet." Dewott jumped out of my arms and into the field once more. Looking at N, I was startled by his expression. It was surprised. A small grin formed on my face as I yelled; "Let's finish it, Dewott! RAZOR SHELL!!"

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Hurriedly healing my Pokémon with Super Potions, I didn't notice when N walked up to me. "Right now, my friends aren't strong enough to save all Pokémon. Maybe," He looked thoughtfully up at the sky, "I can't solve the equation that will change the world..." Blinking, I let my arms fall down to my sides. Perplexed, I wondered; Solve the equation? Does he think life is like a MATH problem?

"So, I need power..."

I swear I literally did a sweat-drop. "Uh, I don't think that's the answer..." I voiced my opinion weakly, startled by what N said. He either ignored me or didn't hear me, as he continued, "Power enough to make anyone agree with me."

N looked down at me, his eyes the only thing daring to show me any emotion. "I'll expect to see you again really soon, Lotta."

And with those words, N began to walk away, but not before I heard him mutter to himself: "The power I need... Zekrom!" I watched him vanish into Pinwheel forest, and I realized something. Every second I sat there like a dumbstruck idiot was a moment Team Plasma was getting away. "HELL!!" I shouted, scrambling to my feet and running. "C'mon, Dewott!" I call over my shoulder, my Sea Otter Pokémon running on all fours after me. Careful not to slip on leaves, I plunged into the forest. Sunlight barely managed to creep through the thick canopy of branches and golden  tresses. I saw several different creatures scurrying around their natural habitat; but I didn't have time to watch them, like I normally would. Right now, I had to catch up with Team Plasma. Running down the paved path, I thought about where they could've gone during the time I wasted with N.

When I tripped. "Ouch!" I yelped, and landing on my hands and knees. Dewott came up to me, putting his small paw on my shoulder in concern. Looking at him, my brown hair brushing my cheek as I did so, I asked, "Do you know where they are?" Dewott blinked, and sniffed the air. And he took off. "Ah-- WAIT!" I scrambled up and after him, breathing heavily as I sprinted to keep sight of his blue fur. My Pokémon scurried up fallen logs and around tight corners. The fact that I managed to keep up with him is amazing alone.

The next corner I turned, I ran smack dab into a man. In silver-blue clothing. "YOU!" I growled, and the Team Plasma Grunt glared at me. "You were at the museum! D'ya want trouble, brat?" "No," I said, "I want the skull back, which you morons STOLE!" The Grunt reached into his robes for something, but suddenly; "GAAAHH!"

Web strings wrapped around the man; a Bug-type move! The Grunt, tied up, collapsed to the ground with a yelp. Turning, I saw another man with puffy pale ginger-brunette hair. His outfit was rather outrageous, I'll leave it at that, and he had a Whirlipede out, which was a rolled up gray-purple Bug Pokémon. Grinning at me, he did a thumbs up, "You okay? Sorry I didn't get here sooner -- but great job in giving chase!" When I looked at him in confusion, he introduced himself as Gym Leader Burgh, Bug-type master. Then, Burgh knelt down by the Grunt and began to interrogate him. I took that as my cue to keep going. After coming across several more Grunts but defeating them all, I finally ran into the last one. He held a skull in his hands, and I tackled him. Quite literally. We landed roughly on the ground, him hissing multi-colored swears at me, and I scrambled after the skull that tumbled out of his hands. It bounced and rolled, finally stopping at the feet of.... Colorful robes. I tensed, immediately looking up to see that it was an elderly man. He wore colorful robes, much like that Ghetsis had in Striaton City. Grabbing the skull quickly, I backed up. Dewott stood protectively beside me, fur bristling as he glared at the man. "Well... well," the man drawled, "It appears we have a meddling pest."

PEST?! My face flushing with anger, I glared daggers at him. Normally, I wouldn't have hesitated to battle him, but... Something about him told me that he wasn't one to mess with at the moment. He continued, almost as if he was bored, "I, Asura, of the Seven Sages, don't intend to tolerate weak, little nuisances." Suddenly, Burgh and Lenora crashed in from behind me. They stood beside me, and Lenora said, "Whatever y'all intend to do with this skull, we ain't gonna let it happen."

Asura seemed to weigh his options as he gazed at us. Finally; "It does not matter what you do with the skull. We have no use for it." Several Grunts emerged out of no where, and they quickly departed. We watched them leave, and I was itching to go after them and smack them all upside the head. Burgh and Lenora remained for a bit longer, discussing how, apparently, Team Plasma has been getting bolder and bolder with their attacks. I listened in, petting Dewott comfortingly as I did so.

Looking up at the clusters upon clusters of leaves, I wondered: What in the world is Team Plasma after...?

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"You know, I was thinking of giving you guys nicknames."

The next day, after lunch, I was walking through Pinwheel Forest after having done a ton of training with my Pokémon. Dewott was still out, walking beside me. He looked at me curiously, tilting his head. "De?" he asked, blinking. I nodded. "Yeah. I was thinking about how you guys are really special to me," I grin, looking at all the other Pokémon going about in the forest, "And how if I gave you nicknames, it would strengthen our bonds." My Pokémon shrugged slightly. I laughed; "Don't be like that! I'll think of something really cute!"

I swear he rolled his eyes.

I neared the entrance to SkyArrow bridge. Going into the small walkway, I tapped my chin. "Hm... What would be a good name for you...?" I wondered aloud.

"WOTT!"

"That's not very creative." I reply, looking down at him. But Dewott wasn't talking about nicknames. He was staring directly ahead of us, out on the platform just before the bridge. I followed his gaze; and my heart stopped.

"N..." I breathe, halting in my tracks. He was leaning against the railing, looking out at the clear blue water. His green hair waved behind him, due to the slight breeze outside. Foolishly, I ducked behind a bench in the building. Why am I hiding?! UGH! Sneaking a peek at N once more, I turned a bright red when I saw him staring right back at me. I've been caught! Letting out a sigh, I stood and walked out onto the platform. I'm not afraid of him.

We made eye contact. But why does he have to be so attractive?!

Heisitantly, I walk over to him and lean against the rail as well. Feeling his eyes on me, I cleared my throat and muttered, "Fancy seeing you here." No response. I allow myself a glance at him, and mentally wince. He was still watching me. Dewott hugs my leg, looking up at N with a frown.

"Strange, how we keep encountering each other."

So he speaks. Turning my head, I respond, "The first few times, you sought me out. This is just a coincidence." The corner of his mouth twitches. After a moment, he states, "You hid from me."

He didn't sugar coat it; and I'm glad. It was embarrassing, knowing that one, I hid like a scared Purrlion, and two, that I was caught. But, wanting to keep what little dignity I had left, I lied, "I-I dropped something." "I don't believe that." was his immediate reply. Was I that bad of a liar? Huffing, I half-snapped, "Okay, okay. So I ducked down behind a bench. I wasn't expecting to see you." A quiet chuckle escaped the man beside me, and I resisted the urge to slug him. "Are you going to Castelia City?" I asked him quietly after a moment. The large city I had mentioned loomed across the water, it's large buildings towering high into the sky. The SkyArrow bridge connected it to this part of the region, making one of the longest and grandest bridges in Unova. N nodded his head, looking out at the water again. The silence was killing me. "Uh... I was thinking about giving names to my Pokémon...." I begin, but N gives me a hard, steely look. "Why?"

Almost flinching away at his tone, I answer, "I want to become closer to them," not wanting him to interrupt with something pro-liberation, I plow on, "because I feel that if I give them names, it'll feel like we're more than just partners. And I want to be friends with my Pokémon..." The long silence that followed almost murdered me. N simply stared at me; the faintest hint of surprise was flashing in those beautiful green orbs. I pushed myself away from the railing, intent on going onto the bridge. "Come on, Dewott." I mumble, not sure how to feel about this situation. My water Pokémon follows quickly, glancing back at N.

I felt fabric brush against my arm as N fell in step beside me. We all walked for several minutes in awkward silence. Finally, it was N that broke the quiet; "What have you come up with?" Confused, I looked at him -- then I remembered the nicknames. "Well, uh... For Blitzle, I was thinking 'Sparker'.... Audino would be 'Periwinkle', since it's a really pretty color... Pansear would be 'Scorch', since he has great Fire attacks... And that's all I've got so far. I was just thinking about Dewott's when..." I trailed off, blushing slightly. "Of course, I'm going to ask my Pokémon what they think of the nicknames before giving it to them, 'cause if they don't like it, then it kind of defeats the purpose." N bobbed his head, looking intrigued. I can't believe I was discussing this with an almost complete stranger.

"What do you think Dewott would want to be called?" N asked me, glancing at the Sea Otter Pokémon on my other side. I paused, thinking carefully before I answered; "Well, that's what I was talking to him about before we got to the bridge."

"I thought you couldn't hear Pokémon."

Looking up at his face, I saw the same disappointment that was there when he first found that out of me. My heart beat quickened as I replied, "I can't hear the words... But... I've got a vague idea of what my friends are telling me." My hand rests on my heart unconsciously. "You're different." N says blankly. I snort, laughing, "Gee, thanks." He doesn't laugh along with me; instead, he continues, "Most humans don't understand their Pokémon at all." We keep walking -- we're about a quarter of the way.

After about a few minutes, I came to a realization. I was talking to a guy a met almost two days ago and didn't know anything about him except his name. That bothered me. So... I decided to attempt to break the ice. "What was your first Pokémon?" I asked curiously, glancing him out of the corner of my eye. He answered after a moment, "Most likely... Zorua." I blink. I haven't heard of that Pokémon before. I asked for a description; Zorua is apparently a small black and red fox-like Pokémon. After that, we began the question game.

"N, what's your favorite food?"

"... Cake."

"What kind of music do you listen to?"

"I don't listen to music."

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"What's your favorite season?"

".... Spring."

"Same here! What--"

"You ask a lot of questions."

That when on for the next fifteen minutes - me asking him a random question and him giving me a short answer. Before we knew it, we were at Castelia City, and the sun had started to set. "Wow! It's already sunset!" I exclaimed, looking at the colorful sky. N didn't respond. Seeing a bright neon sign flash on, I smiled, "How about we grab something to eat? You've gotta be hungry by now." N opened his mouth to disagree, but his stomach rumbled before he could say a word. Giggling, I said, "That sounded like a Snorlax!!" His face tinted red, and he looked away. Taking his arm, I tugged him towards the restaurant. "Come on, N! I can hear music coming out of it!" He practically dug his heels into the ground. I managed to get us both in there, though. We found a corner table, and a song began to play. Taking my hat off and setting it beside my bag, I exclaimed, "Oh wow! They have the best songs here!" I turned to N, "Let's go dance while we wait for our food!"

In the dark light, N sat down and shook his head. "I do not dance." Rolling my eyes, I grabbed for his hand. "Come on, N--"

SMACK

My hand recoiled; N had slapped it away like it was poisonous. He looked just as shocked as I felt. The music pulsed as I stared at him. Several minutes seemed to pass as we avoided eye contact. N propped his elbows on the tables and put his face in his hands. Maybe this was a bad idea... I can't help but think that. Two songs finish before I excuse myself and go onto the crowded dance floor. And I give way. Dewott had been returned to his Poké Ball shortly upon entering the restaurant, and I felt very alone. But as I swayed to the beat, I ignored my surrounds and let the music flow through me. The songs changed without me noticing; it was all one blur of sound to me. Then one voice snapped me back to reality.

"What are you doing?"

It was N. He had come up onto the dance floor and searched for me. I looked at him and answered: "Dancing." He still looked perplexed. Trying to forget the sting of the slap from earlier, I explained, "It's... A form of expression. You know, like art. But with your body." Still nothing. "Here. Let me teach you..." I slowly took his hands in mine. They were soft and larger than mind. Luckily it was dark, so I couldn't see his face. I swayed from side to side, moving my arms to the opposite side the rest of my body went. N mimicked my moves clumsily at first, uncomfortable with the several bodies around us and how close we had to be. But soon, it was as if it clicked inside him, and he was improvising as the tempo changed. He let go of one of my hands and spun me, snapping me back.

The colorful lights seemed to add to the effect, as if we were a whirlwind. My skin glistened with sweat as we moved to the rhythm. Colors laminated our faces at different points; sometimes from the side, sometimes from behind. Either way, it made the whole experience that less forgettable.

The crowd seemed to flow away from us as people began to watch us dance. Our moves looked as if they were choreographed ahead of time, for we never made a mistake -- it was if we were one person. The music reached it's peak, and N spun me into his arms. My back was against his chest; we breathed heavily as we looked at each other.

Frankly, it was the applause that woke us up from our dream-like waltz. N started, eyes wide as he looked around, and became aware of how close we were at this point. Immediately, N backed away and vanished into the crowd. I stumbled, as I had been leaning against him, and ran after him. What just happened?! My thoughts raced in an indistinguishable jumble; and my heart was beating at a mile a minute. Getting back to our table, I saw that our food had arrived.

And N was gone.

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The next morning, I awoke to find a note beside my pillow. Opening it, I found it was scribbled out, almost as if the writer was in a hurry. It only contained two syllables: 'Thank you'. My heart jumped to my throat, and finally, I managed to choke out, "Oh, N..."



I licked my ice cream cone slowly, eyelids lowered. My Pokémon were watching me with concern and confusion. Dewott sat beside me on the bench, munching on his Poffin. We were relaxing for today, and I thought I'd treat my team to some Poffins and ice cream. Lazily, I took out my egg and held it in the crook of my arm. It was a beautiful day out, warm and sunny. I planned on exploring some more, finding the Gym, and possibly challenging it tomorrow. I had decided on the nicknames, and my Pokémon seemed to like them enough. For Dewott, it was 'Otter', and for Pidove, it's 'Flap'. The rest of them was the names I had listed to...

I let out a sigh.

"Yo.... Check that out, dude." "Yeah, man... She's smokin'...." Three young men had been passing by when they spotted me. At first, I looked around. Then I realized they were looking at me. "Not now..." I growled low, so only my Pokémon heard. The three walked over to me, leering. Not wanting to acknowlage them, I began packing up, calmly asking Periwinkle to hold my ice cream for me. Returning everyone but Periwinkle and Otter, I started to stand and walk away. Having taken my ice cream back from my Audino, I casually went back to eating it. One of the guys stepped in front of me, blocking my path.

"You really like that ice cream cone, huh, babe?"

I narrowed my eyes at him, and nodded.

"How 'bout you have a taste of mine?"

SPLAT!! I shoved the ice cream into his face roughly, and he stumbled. "Grow up, you sick pervert! I'm fifteen!" I snarled at him, turning to go. A rough hand grabbed my wrist, and one of the other guys spat, "You learn some respect!" Wrenching my hand free, I yelled, "You leave me alone!" The guy shoved me, hard, to the ground. Immediately, Periwinkle and Otter were in front of me, snarling and bristling. The men glared at my Pokémon, and one aimed a kick at Otter; "You little--!!!"

"NO!" I rushed and barely caught his foot before it hit my Dewott. "QUICK! WATER GUN!" The guy was blasted away and slammed into a conveniently placed park tree. He moaned and slumped to the ground. The other two rounded on me. I tensed. Then,

"Just what are you gentlemen doing?"

A boy stood just behind me; I craned my head to see him. He had messy brown hair that was underneath a red and white hat, warm brown eyes and a blue jacket on. The thugs glared at the boy and the one closest to me snapped, "Get lost, kid!"

A small smile appeared on the stranger's face. "That wouldn't be a wise choice for me." A Poké Ball expanded in his hands. "How about I kick you butt instead?"

Sweat beads formed on the guys' foreheads, and they began to retreat. "Whatever, man! You better hope you don't run into us in a dark alley!" And with that, they were gone. My hero moved towards me, offering a hand. "You okay?" he asked kindly, blinking his soft eyes at me. I nod, taking his hand and getting to my feet. Thanking him, I return my Pokémon to their containers. "Sorry that I caused you trouble," I mutter, looking away. I hated being portrayed as a damsel in distress. The boy waved his hand, grinning, "No problem. Those guys looked like major A-holes." I roll my eyes. "I'm Lotta, and still, thanks." "I'm Touya. Pleased to meet you."

And thus, we began talking. I discovered that Touya was also on a Pokémon journey, and he only had a few more badges to go. I also learned that Touya also had an angry passion for Team Plasma.

"Those jerks?! I hate their guts! I want to smack their leader, Ghetsis, until he can't tell up from down!!" He smacks his fist against his palm. "I've been trying to figure out what it is they've been doing; mainly it's just stealing Pokémon, but... I know they're up to something!" I nod in silent agreement. After telling Touya about my own encounters with them, he snorts, "See? Total jerk-offs. Liberation? They're just thieves."

And speak of the devil, and it appears. Someone came running at us, wearing familiar attire. The person shoved between us, carrying a pink-purple object. What the--?! Then I heard a heart-broken shriek; "MUNNA! NO!! COME BACK!!" Bianca ran up, almost out of breath, and spotted me. "L-Lotta!" she sobbed, tears pouring down her face. Wrapping an arm around her, I ask, "What happened? Why are you crying?!" "T... Team..."

"Team what?"

And to my horror, my friend cried out in anguish: "Team Plasma stole my Pokémon!!"