Sonic and the Fallen King: 003: Attract

We camped in the forest right outside, and in the morning it was back on Reshiram's back. We weren't even in the air long. After a couple minutes,  we pulled up alongside a bridge, and N hopped onto the lower tier of it.

I joined him.

"This is the Tubeline Bridge." He raised his arm a little, motioning down the length of the metal bridge. The light filtered down to it in a grid pattern, like a giant window screen was over our heads. In front of us, there was a simple traintrack, the kind you usually see under a high There are no trains today… it is the perfect testing ground."

"You're sure about that?"

He nodded to Reshiram and recalled him into that ball. I flinched again. "I'm sure. This is a good place to see if you can even carry someone of my weight. We can worry about larger distances later." N walked over, standing close to me… too close for someone I didn't really know, but that came with the territory. "So how should I position myself?"

I blinked, frowning. "I think I'll have to do what they call a bridal carry." N stared at me, not blinking. The word seemed to mean nothing to him. "Uh, one hand under your knees, one hand under your back, your arms around my neck. It's something guys usually do to girls."

He blinked. "You seem hesitant. Is the bridal carry only done by romantic partners?"

"No… but it usually is." I shrugged. I didn't mean to make that big of a deal about it. "Here… just let me grab you."

He squatted down, and I did my best to get a hand under his knees, a hand behind his back. As he wrapped his arms around my neck, it felt… strange. A little too familiar. I had a dream about carrying someone, and I wasn't impressed with how it ended.

He must have felt me tense up, because he asked, "Are you all right, Sonic?"

"Fine. I expected you to be heavier."

Then I took off.

I think he expected me to stop at the other end of the bridge, because as I passed into the dimly-lit tunnel he asked me, "Sonic, where are you doing?"

I didn't answer, 'cause I didn't know.

It felt great to take off so fast. It sure wasn't my top speed: having someone who was maybe double my weight in my arms slowed me down. But it was nice to feel the wind at my face, the ground under my feet, the steady power in my legs as my feet hit the ground.

"This isn't a good idea!" N shouted, barely audible. "What if there is a train today?"

"You said there wouldn't be!"

"I didn't account for maintenance! Oh, If you see a path branching off, take it! That should take us into Nimbasa City."

I thought about that for a second as the wind rushed past. One city on a subway line. Specific.

"That's the hub, isn't it? Doesn't that make us more likely to get hit?"

"It makes us more able to get off the track before we see one moving! I don't know if you can get that far in a day, though!"

I rolled my eyes.

It took longer than I wanted, and it left me more winded than I was gonna let on, but eventually I noticed a change in the air and slowed enough to read the signs. Sure enough, they pointed to an emergency exit. I hopped off the track into the little tunnel, and made my way up the stairs. There was a door at the top of them, and N opened it.

Two of the weirdest looking guys I had ever seen were waiting for us.

One wore black and one wore white. That about summed it up. They had long coats with brown stripes. Weird looking guys.

"Mr. Harmonia," the one in black started, "I thought we agreed you would try to keep your friends from playing on the subway."

"Ingo, we needed a safe place to test his speed. It would draw too much attention from greedy trainers overland."

"I'll say!" offered the one in white. "That was faster than our fastest train, and one would assume your friend is faster without such heavy cargo. Amazing."

The twin in black shot his brother a glare.

"We're testing ways to get me to wherever new Team Plasma is operating without someone spotting Reshiram," N explained.

"As I suspected." The twin in black pulled out a packet of papers and handed them to N. "The schedule, including maintenance and tests. Quite a few militants have been taking the green and yellow lines lately."

"Thank you, Ingo, Emmet. And I trust my companion will stay a secret?"

I suddenly remembered I was there… and as I did, the guy in white locked eyes with me. "I've never met a Pokemon who wore shoes and gloves outside of the musical before." He smiled, but I felt like he was studying me. "I've battled many sandslash , and though that is the closest Pokemon to him, a sandlash he is not."

I weighed in my head. Sure, we were supposed to be a secret, but some guy I didn't know already knew me, and N seemed to trust these guys.

"I'm a hedgehog. There aren't any Pokemon where I'm from."

They were quiet for a moment, before the one in black commented, "Right. Just a Pokemon. Nothing out of the ordinary to see here, just an unusually fast Sandslash. Bravo on your training once again. If confronted by your former associates, I shall have to tell them you are still pushing wild Pokemon to limits trainers cannot hope to surpass." He winked.

His twin replied, "Quite right! At this rate you might be poised to reclaim your old title! This pokemon could outspeed most of your competition. I feel very excited."

N groaned. "I don't intend to pursue that."

"At the very least, you should consider going to Aspertia. The new teacher there is looking for fast Pokemon to demonstrate priority to his students." The white twin grinned. "Cheren's always been good to you, hasn't he?"

"The exit's that way," the black twin said, pointing. "You'll come out near the ferris wheel."

"It was nice meeting you guys!" I called after them.

And then out the door we went.We had to duck behind bushes and stay low, and I gathered at least some of that was because of N, not just me. We were staying so low that it surprised me when I heard him say, "This sure takes me back," and saw his bare hand point upward.

I looked up, and I saw a ferris wheel scratch at the sky. Or at least, that's how I think it looked to him. To me, it looked like a rickety old ferris wheel with huge windows on the cars.

"Sonic, ride it with me." He took my hand and started pulling me toward the gate.

It took everything I had not to cry out in surprise, and I stumbled over something in the path along the way.

He let go of me once we were inside the car, which was a relief, at least. The distant look on his face as he sat down across the car from me, not so much.

"N, what gives? What's up with the ferris wheel?"

He leaned up against the glass, looking out. "When I was trying to awaken Reshiram… my father's operatives were running from a very strong trainer, one I had talked to before. To help them get away, I asked her to ride this ferris wheel with me."

Oh boy. The girl again. This guy had it worse for her than Amy did for me, and everyone realized it but him.

"I don't get it, N. This girl beat you and crushed your dreams. You ran away from her… Why drag me on a ride that reminds you of her?"

He sighed, crossing his arms, making himself small. "That dream needed to be crushed."

I felt my nose wrinkling up. "I don't get it."

"Pokemon and humans being separate is the only way to ensure the safety of either…" He crossed his legs, but he pointed them toward me, which was a little weird. N's body language had been kinda confusing, but that was the point when I realized what a disconnect there was between body and mind. Didn't he realized he was  flirting with me? Or was he flirting with the ghost of that girl in my place?

"But…?" I asked, trying to keep the conversation going. I felt a little guilty, but I couldn't let him notice what he was doing. Every so often he reminded me of Eggman, of Knuckles, of Shadow… I couldn't let him remind me of Amy, too.

"But that's no way to live. Humans and Pokemon improve each other's lives. I was raised alongside Pokemon who had been abused, but many, perhaps even most Pokemon who live with humans want to be there. A world where Pokemon live free alongside humans is possible when truth and ideals mix. It can never be perfect.. but it can never be at all without both." He looked across the car at me, strange blue eyes staring into mine, and my heart sped up in my chest. "Sonic… You were right. A hero of truth can't build an ideal world alone. It took her opposition to break me free of my father's control… and it will take your influence to show me the things I would not think to do… that must be done."

I gulped. "Long as you dont' get all goo-goo eyes, I'm ok with that."

He blinked. "Goo-goo eyes?"

I sighed. "N, dude, you're in love with her. It's a little weird when you start comparing us."

He stared at me a moment. His mouth stayed closed, but I could see his jaw fall a little inside it.

"What?" I asked.

He blinked. "I had no intention of making you uncomfortable. I… I know some humans find that idea unpleasant, but it is so foreign to me I can't even understand being upset."

I slapped myself in the face. "No, no, that's not what I mean. It'd be worse if you were a girl. There's this girl who follows me around back home, but she doesn't care whether I want her or not, and anyone getting like that makes me want to run away."

He nodded, understanding. "So then the idea that I might be attracted to you only bothers you for reminding you of her."

"Yeah. Well, it would be a little uncomfortable anyway." I smiled, sheepish. "It's always uncomfortable when someone feels something you don't feel back."

That got a rare grimace out of him, and he turned his legs away from me. Wondered what I triggered. "Well, I can assure you… I'm not attracted to Pokemon. But perhaps you're right… about that trainer, and my feelings for her."

I felt like the walls were closing in on me. It had gotten too creepy, and the only thing I knew how to do when someone had the hots for me was to run away.

Except… except in that dream. The girl liked me, but she didn't push, she didn't pry… and I acted like I didn't notice…

"Sonic, are you all right?"

I jumped, blinking. Suddenly N was on the other side of the car, near the open door, his hand extended toward me..

"I'm fine. Just thinking about a girl I used to know." I didn't take his hand, but I got up and followed him out. As we snuck away, I looked back at the ferris wheel. It did was pretty tall. And I hadn't looked out, taken in the view… I was too busy dealing with him. Too busy dealing with the ghost of someone who wasn't even there. I fought a shudder. I'd get back to that ferris wheel and see it sometime, without N and the ghost of Hilda to distract me.

After we saved the Pokemon.

He lead me outside of town to a little clearing, and we made our beds in a little hidden grotto.

When N lay down, Reshiram curled up on the other side of him. I went to the other side of the dragon, walked a couple steps, and sprawled out there.

"It's supposed to be quite cold tonight, Sonic." N said.

Geuh.

"That's why I'm on this side of the big fire dragon, dude," I lied.

Reshiram gave me an odd look, but then closed his eyes. His, her… I don't even know.

I lay there for a long time, wondering how much I've been running from.