Hello there and welcome to my new story! This is actually a sequel to my story, 'A Force to Be Reckoned With', however it can be easily read on its own. At least I think so anyway. XD Plus this one will be purely Ferriswheelshipping!

Anyway, we left off at basically the end of the B/W games. N and White battled, White won, N left, White's bummed out. They still have feelings for each other, and White's about to become Champion. Woo. And Looker is going to give her an offer. Woop. Oh and the first part is like a little flash-foward thing.

Anyway, enough of me talking. I'm excited, Ferriswheelshipping, yay, and enjoy! :D

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I took a deep breath, trying to calm my ever fraying nerves. I was not a nervous person, and yet now, standing in front of those two large wooden doors I had just about melted into a puddle of nervousness. I had dreamed my entire journey through of becoming the Champion of the Unova region, and here I was awaiting the cue to walk into the large hall where I would be officially sworn in.

I took another deep breath, clenching my hands into fists to keep them from shaking, pinning them to my sides while trying not to wrinkle my dress.

"Nervous eh?"

I jumped slightly and turned to see Alder walking toward me, straightening the bowtie on his impeccably clean suit, his shoes clicking slightly on the tile floor.

"N-no," I stuttered, trying to brush off his comment.

He smiled and let a chuckle escape from under his breath. Alder could always see right through me.

"You've been in this same spot before. About a year ago now?" he asked, looking straight at the doors in front of us but peering down at me out of the corner of his eye.

I sighed, "About a year and a half actually."

I saw him nod, "Why so nervous then?"

I gritted my teeth. I had no idea why I was so nervous. I had been standing in this exact same spot, in this exact same dress back then. I was supposed to have become Champion, but something had stopped me. I closed my eyes, remembering. Oh how it had changed from back then.

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Chapter 1: A Fork in the Road

"So, what do ya think?"

Looker's question rang in my head. My vision was slightly blurry and I couldn't exactly get my mind kicked into gear. He just simply had to be kidding.

For the past half an hour Looker had explained in detail our situation. When I had beaten N and Ghetsis, N had left and Ghetsis had been taken into custody. He had been sitting in jail ever since, and that fact made me think that everything was over. With the two heads of Team Plasma either gone or behind bars the organization wouldn't be able to function. However Looker had a different idea.

There were seven Sages in Team Plasma. I was well aware of that fact, however Looker thought that maybe the organization might be able to pick itself back up if the other six weren't captured as well. He knew that I, as the hero, not only had the entire Unova region supporting my every move but also some experience when dealing with Team Plasma.

He wanted me to set off across the region in search of the other six Sages.

I had to tell him no. There was no way I could just up and abandon my soon to be championship. I had a duty and I wouldn't leave it. However some small spark inside me was pushing me to do it. Maybe the other Sages would have information on where N could have gone.

My gaze flicked over to my X-transceiver which was sitting on my desk. I had called N so many times I thought maybe I would have broken the device by now. He hadn't answered once. I knew he was off on his own, trying to find himself but I still wanted to know if he was alright. I wanted to be able to convince him to come back to Unova. And that was damn near impossible if I couldn't even speak to the boy.

My heart sank. N, the one I had feelings for had basically dropped off the face of the planet, and I had no leads or ideas on how to ever see him again. But maybe some former members of Team Plasma would know. Maybe the Sages would be able to point me in the direction of the one boy I really wanted present.

"Looker I-"

"I'll give you some time to think on it." Looker cut me off, shoving himself off of the edge of the bed and into a standing position.

I watched with a glazed expression as he briskly walked toward the door and disappeared without a single word. Alder, who had been standing at the door for the entirety of our conversation, gave the man a nod before glancing to me.

"What're you thinking?"

I swallowed and craned my neck a bit to look at Alder's face as he walked into my room and sat down on the bed in the exact spot Looker had been in.

"I kinda want to do it. Is that bad?" I asked.

Alder shook his head, "I had a feeling you'd say that. You want to finish what you started don't cha?"

I nodded slightly. It wasn't the main reason, but it was true. I had gone down a long road of trying to take down Team Plasma, so it was a bit of a personal goal to diminish it completely.

"Do you think any of them would know about N?" I asked, hope flickering across my face.

Alder gave me a half smile, "I don't know, White; they might."

I nodded to myself. After all it was probably my duty as a hero to defeat Team Plasma completely, even if I wouldn't get any information about N.

I had beaten N and proven myself to be right, and in the process I stopped them from taking all Pokémon away. Because of that fact the public loved me; I was basically now the most trusted trainer in the region. I was about to become the Champion as well, and that was always a person much beloved by their region as well.

"You do know you can't do both right?"

Alder's words snapped me out of my thoughts, "What?"

Alder sighed and pressed his fingers against his temples, "You can't be crowned in as Champion if you have other business to attend to."

I blinked, not understanding.

Alder sighed again before continuing, "As a Champion one of the vows you have to take is that you will always be available for the region, and for any challengers. Therefore you are required to have your sole purpose be battling opponents. If you have something else big, like this, to do, you can't meet that requirement."

Reality sunk in slowly. I couldn't become Champion if I accepted Looker's offer.

"But…" I trailed off, not knowing how exactly to protest. It was a reasonable rule.

"Listen," Alder started, standing up again, "You have two weeks until the ceremony. I suggest you think over it until then, that way you'll have time to think about what you really want."

I gave him a weak nod. Alder reached out and messily ruffled my hair before leaving the room, shutting the door behind him.

I once again glanced around my room. The Champion's room. It wasn't official yet but they had still let me move in. It was lavish and yet reasonable, it was perfect. Was I really ready to give all this up? Was I really ready to give up the Championship before I even had a chance to try it out? But then again was I willing to miss an opportunity not only to jail the other six Sages but to possibly learn about N's whereabouts?

I put my head in my hands. It seemed like a lose-lose situation.

I jumped slightly as I heard the door to my room open once again, Alder poking his head in.

"Oh I almost forgot to tell ya. We're having a board meeting, and apparently this is a big one."

My face contorted, "What's it about?"

Alder shrugged and held open the door so I could exit, "I don't know. Guess we'll just have to wait and see."

I nodded and shoved myself out of my chair, briskly walking past Alder and out into the hall.

Over the three months that I had been residing in the Champion's quarters I had been familiarized with what would be the new normal once I was officially sworn in. One of the big things I would have to do was be present in Pokémon League meetings. The Champion, Elite Four, Gym Leaders, and a few other people who kept things in order when it came to the League met frequently about various things. Most of them were talking about keeping everything clean, hiring more people to work in the Gyms and creating new obstacles for challengers to face. However none of the ones I had been present for so far had been considered, 'a big one' as Alder had said.

I took a left toward the meeting room, scuffing my feet on the maroon carpet, almost like a small child. I was almost upset that I was having to attend a meeting while I could be mulling over Looker's offer. It seemed a bit more important than talking about the status of Gyms, that of which I wasn't even a part of.

I took another left and shoved the large mahogany door in front of me open, revealing our meeting space. It was a rather desolate room but comfy nonetheless. A large table with chairs circling around it was the only piece of furniture in the room; and in all the chairs were sitting the rest of the members of the council.

Cilan, Chili, Cress, Lenora, Burgh, Elesa, Clay, Skyla, Brycen, Drayden, Iris, Grimsley, Shauntal, Caitlin, Marshal, and a few other men who led the League and created the rules.

I quickly slipped into an empty seat and Alder plopped into the one next to me. Lenora was on my left and elbowed me with a grin.

"This one will be fun."

I cocked an eyebrow and fidgeted in my chair as Sukizo, the head of the Pokémon League, stood from his chair and cleared his throat.

"We have some very important business to take care of today, and since it is at the end of a year I say this is probably the best time to address it."

The room was completely silent until he continued.

"The issue to address: three Gym Leaders wish to resign."

The room burst into conversation, almost everyone turning to the people next to them with shocked expressions, asking if it was true.

I elbowed Alder, "Did you know about this?"

He shook his head with wide eyes, "Hadn't heard a peep about it until now."

I gulped, my gaze snapping to every Gym Leader at the table. Who could it be? Gym Leaders and Elite Four members hardly ever resigned. They were almost like judges, sworn in for life. So it was a total shock that one would be leaving, and almost heart-attack inducing for three of them.

Sukizo cleared his throat and glared at everyone over his glasses, apparently peeved that he had been interrupted. After a few moments the room was quiet and he went on.

"The three leaving are…" There was a long pause and I swore I almost fell off my seat, "The Striation City triplets, Lenora, and Brycen."

The room once again was aflutter with conversation.

My head whipped to the left, looking at Lenora as she grinned at the people around her.

"Why?" I asked, loud enough to get her attention.

"You'll see," she said, nodding toward Sukizo, her puffy blue hair bouncing slightly.

Apparently almost everyone else in the room had been asking the same question because Sukizo continued, explaining the reason for each.

"Chili, Cilan, and Cress wish to focus more on the restaurant side of the gym, and have decided that it would be a good idea to separate battling and dining completely."

I leaned forward in my chair so I got a good look at the brothers. Cilan and Cress had small smiles on their faces, nodding at everyone to let them know it was true while Chili looked like he was so hyper he could run laps around the room any minute.

"Lenora has a similar reason. She wishes to focus on the museum aspect of her Gym more and separate battling completely as well."

Lenora nodded, "I figured it was about time."

I gulped, my heart almost aching a bit. I had gotten my gym badges from these people. It was a bit heartbreaking to see them leaving their positions when I figured they'd be there for years to come.

"And last but not least," Sukizo continued, "Brycen has decided to leave his Gym Leader position to help with the new construction of PokeStar Studios, and he will also be participating as an actor once it is open for Mr. Stu Deeoh."

I had to admit that one was the one that surprised me the most. Brycen was one of the quietest people I had ever met. Would he really make a good actor?

I figured it was good for him though. I did remember him mumbling something about liking to perform before we started our battle.

Unova was in the middle of trying to expand. We had our region pretty much packed with cities but to promote tourism we had decided to add a few more, and a few attractions, such as the new PokeStar Studios which would show movies starring actors from this wonderful region.

In the past Unova had always been quite sealed off, and still quite was. We had lots of Pokémon that only resided here and usually the only people in this region were from this region as well. The border security was still rather tight, requiring special passes to go in or out, but some of the higher ups had decided that it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to become a tourist destination.

People still weren't allowed to immigrate here, however we had gotten much more friendly. And in the process we had started to see more and more species of Pokémon pop up here and there in our region, and I had to admit that fact thrilled me to no end.

I looked across the table to Brycen and he nodded with his eyes closed, not saying a word.

"They have all been cleared to take leave after the next two weeks, however that means we have to find replacements, and rather quickly as well. It would probably be best to announce the new Gym Leaders on the same day the Champion is sworn in," Sukizo explained, nodding toward me at the end.

Sukizo leaned over, ruffling through his papers before he pulled out another one, "We recently conducted a survey of what people would like in a Gym, and we are going to definitely take into consideration what they have said, including the types of the new gyms."

I blinked a few times. I had thought that surely they would at least keep the types the same.

"We think it best," Sukizo started, nodding toward the other four men he sat next to, also heads of the Unovian Pokémon League, "That we have a Poison type gym, a Water type gym, and a Normal type gym be the replacements."

Chatter buzzed in the room for a moment before Sukizo continued.

"We have thought this out for long and hard and have decided that all three gyms will be located in three new cities. The Normal type gym will be in Aspertia City. The Poison gym in Virbank City, and the Water type gym in Humilau City."

Alder and I whispered a few words to each other. It was a big change, but we both had to admit that the committee had not only thought out everything well, but had a good strategy too.

"Alright, if no one objects," Sukizo trailed off, looking around to room to see if he had any protesters, and when he didn't he moved on, "Alright then. Tomorrow we will start our search for the new Gym Leaders. We will have our picks in two weeks. If any of you have any suggestions please let us know, if not, you are all dismissed."

The scraping of chairs was heard as we all stood up. I shakily pushed my chair out, standing up slowly. I had grown so close to all of these Gym Leaders, it almost seemed wrong to think of them leaving. They had even helped me defeat the Seven Sages when I had been in N's castle. They had my back; I always felt secure when they were there. What about the newcomers?

"Can you think of anyone to suggest?"

I heard Alder's voice from behind me as I began walking out of the meeting room. I turned back to him and slowly shook my head. I couldn't think of anyone.

"What about you?" I asked, beginning to walk toward my room once again, Alder slowly following.

"I was actually thinking of recommending Cheren."

I spluttered out a cough, "Really?"

His answer had definitely taken me by surprise. That was for sure.

Alder nodded, "Why, can you not see it?"

I contemplated for a moment. Cheren loved to battle almost as much as me; in all reality a position as a Gym Leader was probably a perfect fit for him.

I nodded, "Yeah I guess he would be pretty good at it."

Alder smiled, "That's what I thought."

I took a right and ended up at my room again, twisting the door knob to let myself in. My hand paused though and I turned back to Alder.

"So what do they exactly do to choose new Gym Leaders?"

Alder smiled, stuffing his hands in his pockets, "Well, they take all our suggestions and all of the trainers they had in mind and have a tournament; and in the end they pick whoever they think would fit best. Not only someone with battling ability but someone with drive and character."

I nodded.

"And, we have the fun job of watching the tournament," Alder said, giving a toothy grin. That was obviously his favorite part.

I smiled and nodded as well, turning back and pushing through the door and into my room. I had been, in the last hour, barraged with new information. I was tired.

I yawned and shut the door behind me, taking a running leap onto my bed and snuggling into the pillow. A midday nap didn't sound too bad.

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In the course of the next two weeks a lot happened. The tournament for the new Gym Leaders started the next day and I was able to watch the entire time. Alder, the Elite Four, the remaining Gym Leaders, and I were required to sit on the sidelines and watch the matches, taking notes on who we thought was the best.

I was a bit biased however. Cheren was definitely one of my top picks just because he was one of my best friends, so my vote for the Normal type Gym Leader was thrown out. As I watched Cheren battle the other contestants I realized exactly how much he had grown just since I had battled N.

He was completely calm while he fought, almost like he had everything a few moves ahead all planned out. And when the end of the week and the tournament rolled around Cheren still hadn't lost a single battle.

All of our votes were tallied and by the end of the week we officially had our new recruits.

Much to my excitement Cheren had been picked to head up the Aspertia City Gym. I had talked to him afterward and it looked like he could almost burst with pride. His ultimate goal had been to become Champion; but throughout our journey as I beat him time and time again he realized that if it was me he was up against, he wouldn't be getting that title. And so he had decided that a role as Gym Leader was perfect for him. It was official.

The recruit for the Poison type gym was a young girl named Roxie. Her personality was fierce and when I had shaken her hand I swore she almost pulled my arm off. She was apparently a member of a band in Virbank City as it was, and so she wouldn't have to move too awfully far in order to take up her new residence in the new Gym.

And the recruit for the Water type gym was a man by the name of Marlon. I had my eye on him throughout the entire tournament. He stuck out like a sore thumb. His battling skills were far above all the rest, and quite honestly I wondered if he would ever have to give out a Gym badge. He seemed a bit forgetful though, more focused on swimming and surfing than battling, but in the end when he had seemed excited to be picked, I knew he was a good choice.

One week down and one to go until I would be sworn in.

The second week was not very eventful for me anyway. The Pokémon League was busy setting up the three new Gyms as well as making sure that the signs marking the old Gyms to be official were taken down. The Elite Four's quarters were undergoing renovation as well. Apparently they had had a few incidents with Shantaul's odd way of summoning challengers and so they had decided to redo all of the Elite Four's battle rooms.

I had oddly been relieved that they had renovated their rooms. When I had challenged the Elite Four, I knew that I was thrown off every time by the way they got the challengers to their battle fields.

The second week seemed to almost scrape by. I had nothing to do but think about Looker's offer, and I was procrastinating with the best of them.

I had also called N more times than I could count, but again he hadn't once answered.

I was still on the fence about it all. I wanted to make sure all six Sages were in jail, but then again I wondered if they would do anything even if they weren't captured. Would they really have the brains to get Team Plasma on its feet again? It seemed Ghetsis and N were the only ones who even had a vision for that organization in the first place.

But then again it was better to be safe than sorry. I couldn't imagine the chaos if Team Plasma was able to pick itself up and start stealing Pokémon again. I had no idea how the public would react.

So I found myself two weeks later, on the day I would be sworn in, without a clue as to which offer to accept. Looker's, or the Championship?

I heard a knock at my door.

"Come in."

It creaked open and Skyla poked her head in, one hand covering her eyes, "You dressed?"

I chuckled and stood up, smoothing out the wrinkles in my black and white dress, "Yeah, I'm ready."

"Good!" she exclaimed, pulling down her hand and looking me up and down, "You look beautiful White! Ready to become Champion?"

I flinched slightly, "U-uh, yeah."

Skyla gave me a warm smile. I presumed she just thought I was nervous.

I was a bit nervous, but I was more skeptical about whether or not to accept the Championship. I felt like I had the weight of the world on my shoulders.

She held out her hand and yanked me into the hallway once I had taken it.

"Hey, there she is! Looking good."

I glanced to my right to see Elesa, looking as stunning as usual, with a glass of champagne in her hand, nodding at my appearance.

"Good luck!" she called after me as Skyla went dashing down the hallway, my hand still in hers as I was dragged after her, trying not to trip.

"Wait, why are we in such a hurry?" I squeaked as we turned a corner and I nearly ran into the wall.

"You're late! You're supposed to make your appearance in five minutes! The whole region's watching you know! It wouldn't be nice to make them wait!"

I gulped as she yanked me around another corner and began to slow. This ceremony was shown live on every TV in the region. There were millions of people watching me. What would happen if I decided not to go through with it?

"Good luck," Skyla almost whispered as she officially halted, let go of my hand, and slipped through the two gigantic doors in front of me.

I craned my neck to see the top of them. These were the doors that would open into the large hall where I would become the Champion of Unova. I gulped, trying to stop my hands from shaking. No pressure.

"No need to be nervous."

Alder's voice rang out from behind me as he sauntered up to my right. He would be my escort into the room. The former Champion ushering in the new.

"Easy for you to say," I mumbled under my breath.

He chuckled in a way only Alder could, "So have you thought about what Looker said any further?"

I gulped, "Yeah."

"And…" Alder said, leaning forward slightly.

"I still don't' know," I almost whispered.

Alder sighed, "I had a feeling you wouldn't. Listen, there is a part of the ceremony where Sukizo will ask you if you have any other business to attend to or if you can give your full attention to the League; I suggest that that would be the best time to make up your mind."

I nodded, "It's not like I'm cutting it close or anything," I said, sarcasm lacing through my voice.

Alder let out a booming laugh and held out his arm, "Ready?"

I sighed and slipped my arm into his, "As ready as I'll ever be."

As soon as the words had left my mouth the mammoth doors in front of us jolted into life and creaked open.

I had to squint slightly as light hit my face and Alder slowly began to walk into the hallway. It was huge, bigger than any room I had seen before.

A large white carpet stretched out in front of us, taking a sharp right hand turn in the middle and leading to a platform where Sukizo was standing, a book almost bigger than him in his grasp. Standing on either side of Sukizo were the Gym Leaders, old and new, and the Elite Four, all dressed in either suits or gowns. Except Marlon that is, who was still in something that looked like a wetsuit as he grinned around the room, almost like a kid in a candy shop.

The new Gym Leaders had already been officially sworn in, and all that was left was me.

It all in all wouldn't have been such a stressful situation if those were the only people in the room. However on the left hand side, the side that would be behind me as I took the vows, was a crowd that rivaled in size even the biggest I had seen. They were all impeccably dressed as they sat in chairs, leaning forward and letting out 'oohs' and 'aahs' as I entered the room. There were a few people kneeling on the floor in front of them with cameras, all flashing almost continuously as I walked in. And in every corner were stands with TV cameras perched on them, watching me intently as I walked forward on the carpet.

In the front row of the crowd I spotted my mother, Bianca, and Professor Juniper, however I couldn't recognize anyone else in the crowd.

I felt a tug from Alder and realized I had almost missed my stop. I turned to my right and took a few more steps until I was only a few feet away from Sukizo, standing on a step below him. Alder whispered a 'good luck' in my ear before he left my side and stood in the line of the Gym Leaders and Elite Four Members.

The entire room quieted and I swore I would faint. I could feel the cold sweat breaking out on my forehead. What if I let these people down? They wanted to see the new Champion, what if I surprised everyone and turned down the opportunity?

As Sukizo began his speech my mind was far away from that crowded hall of people. It was trying desperately to come up with an answer. I wanted to be the Champion more than anything in the world. However there was one person that I wanted more than the Championship. N. And he was gone, the only chance I even possibly had at seeing him again is if I took up Looker's offer and asked the Sages about him. Even then it wasn't a guarantee that I would find anything out.

I had an internal battle as Sukizo continued, explaining everything from the history of Unova to my duties as a Champion. I shifted my weight, feeling the garter that held my Pokeballs wrapped securely around my thigh. What would they think if I turned this down? My Pokémon had worked just as hard as I had to make this a reality, would they think any less of me? Would they be disappointed?

Sukizo's voice pulled me back to reality.

"Now, White. Do you promise to give all your attention to the Championship, and take it as your number one priority?"

There was the question. The one that Alder had said would be the moment when I would be able to back out if needed. I gulped. Time almost seemed to move in slow motion.

I looked down the line of Gym Leaders, all of them on their toes, leaning forward, waiting for me to accept. I pictured all the people sitting in their homes as they watched the ceremony looked the same. Waiting to hear my promise so they could celebrate their new Champion.

"Can you promise that White?"

Sukizo looked a bit confused as he looked down at me, presumably wondering why I hadn't made any move to answer him.

I saw something move out of the corner of my eye and looked to my left to see Looker. He was in one of the farthest seats and was on the edge of it, giving me a look that let me know he knew that this would be my ultimate answer.

I looked back to Sukizo, my heart pounding, and blurted out what I knew was right.

"No, I can't promise that."

You could've heard feather hit the floor in that moment. The jaws of all the people in front of me nearly hitting the floor, especially Cheren's. Alder didn't really look surprised however.

"W-what do you have to attend to that would surpass this?" Sukizo stuttered, his glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose.

"U-uh," I said, knowing I would have to create a speech to get my feelings across. I turned around to face the crowd and the TV cameras and took a deep breath.

"The other day I was approached by Looker, the head of the Unovian police department, because he had a concern. And I, as a hero, have decided that my priorities should be protecting Unova before becoming Champion."

It was still silent; I knew they wanted a detailed explanation.

I took another deep breath, "I have taken down two of the figureheads of Team Plasma, however there are a few more men that need to be captured in order to insure complete safety. Once I have done that, and ensured peace, I would be happy to become Champion. However I see this as being more important."

I bit my tongue. That was part of it, the other part was because of N. It was a rather selfish aspect so I decided not to share it with them.

It was still quiet and I closed my eyes. They were upset. I had probably just ticked off the entire Unova region. But the sound I heard next surprised me. Applause.

My eyes snapped open and I took in the sight around me. Everyone was clapping, standing up and some even whistling. They weren't upset.

I smiled, feeling my eyes begin to well up with tears. They did see me as their hero. Whether I was Champion or not they supported my decision.

I was more pumped than ever in that moment. It was my duty to make sure this region wouldn't be terrorized by Team Plasma any further, and I would see to it that I fulfilled that duty. I would go above and beyond to protect this region that I loved so much. And maybe in the end I would get a small reward. Maybe, just maybe, my meeting with N wasn't as far away as I thought.

So there's the first chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! I'd love to hear what you thought of it since it is just the first bit. Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

I hope you have a great weekend!