Secrets Without Shame (A Pokémon Fanfiction)

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"Hurry up, Zorua!" N called to his pokemon as he walked quickly through the city streets.

His partner, Zorua, panted loudly and tried to keep up with N as he increased his speed. But for once, N wasn't paying attention to his friend. He was supposed to reach Castelia City by midnight, and it was six in the evening. After the fiasco with the failed attempt to steal the Dragonite skull, N did not want to make his father anymore angry.

From what Gorm had informed the rest of the sages and N, the mission would have succeeded if four trainers had not intervened. Two of the trainers he had met on several occasions. They were two siblings who had recently started their journey. The other two trainers were White and one of her traveling companions who goes by the name of Sky Blue. A great fury began to burn inside him like a fire at the thought of the lunatic.

That little punk thinks he can be with my sister! N thought furiously as he ran through a puddle and accidentally splashed water over Zorua.

"Hey!" Zorua yelped, coughing and spluttering as he stopped to shake the muddy water out of his fur.

"Zorua!" N gasped, snapping out of his thoughts and stopping in his tracks.

"What's wrong N?" The little fox-like pokemon asked as he stopped shaking and looked up at N with concern. "You're never this distracted!"

"I'm fine, Zorua," N assured him, kneeling down in front of his friend. "I'm ok, I really am."

But Zorua wasn't entirely reassured. He kept looking at N in an almost pitiful way.

"Natural, you've been like this ever since you saw Whitn- I mean White for the first time in years. Please tell me, I wanna help!"

N sighed and put his hand on top of the Dark Type's head.

"I'm sorry, but there isn't anything you can do. Now, we really should get moving. Who knows who Father assigned as our escorts."

With that, N picked Zorua up off the ground and onto his shoulder before he began to walk through the darkening streets of Nacrene City. His foster father kept assigning serious and strict grunts to protect and escort N from city to city. N kept requesting that at least one of his only human friends be assigned to escort him, but Father and most of the other Seven Sages kept flatly refusing. They kept saying that N was King of Team Plasma, and that with that title came responsibility. He was also told that as king, he was also the symbol and representative of Team Plasma, and he couldn't mess around or else he would damage the organization's image.

"So where are we meeting the escorts again?" Zorua asked as they pasted the Nacrene Museum.

"Father said they would be in front of the Cafe Warehouse," N answered, pointing up ahead. "We should be close- ah, there it is!"

N could see a cafe down the road. He was surprised to see a group of people in front of it. There must be a street performer performing in front of the cafe. But a street performer... was it even possible? Could it really be them?

"OI!"

N yelped in surprise and leapt back. He had not noticed that a Patrat was standing in front of him and accidentally stepped on his paw. The Patrat was cursing and hopping on what appeared to be a metal paw while he clutched at his real one.

"Sylvester!" N said panicky, hating himself for being so careless as he picked up the Patrat. "I'm so sorry, I was just-"

"There's no need to apologize," Sylvester said flatly, shaking the rain and mud out of his own pelt. "But next time, try stepping on the metal one instead of my good one, I'm on my last leg here!"