Chapter 1: It's Called A Facade.

"Oshawott, use Tackle!"

Face flustered, the trainer stood across the beaten battleground. The sharply-dressed connoisseur watched, trying to keep his calm, professional composture despite his growing desperation.

The Pansage fell to the floor, making a muted thud as it hit the polished wood. Cilan smoothed his hair down whilst grinning sheepishly.

He reluctantly withdrew the tiny monkey-like Pokemon in a flash of red light.

"Wow...is it already over?" he questioned, mentally recounting the battle.

The trainer's smile inched across his face, leaking into his eyes.

Amongst the crowd, a girl watched on. Her face was frozen in a look of awe. Her eyes, a jade amongst a white ocean, almost sparkled, lost for a moment in the heat of the battle. Her eyes glazed over, she stared enthralled, almost in a trance.

The thud brought Bianca plummeting down to earth. Her wonder turned into momentary shock as she realised what had happened. He'd won. Hilbert had actually won.

Bianca couldn't quite believe it. She'd known her friend had been passionate about being a trainer but this... this came naturally. She glanced over at Cheren, her heart leaping a little when she laid eyes on his handsome face. She turned back to Hilbert, hiding away her desperate thoughts, as if Cheren could read her mind.

The two trainers crossed the battlefield and shook the other's hand warmly. Hilbert's uncontrollable grin matched Cilan's watery smile, laced with regret.

Hilbert was a brilliant trainer.

Bianca revisited the last words in her head as if they were foreign.

Watching on, she felt something almost pain within her. No, not a pain. A longing. A desperate, reaching longing as if there was someone inside her, trying to grasp out at something non-existent infront of her.

Hilbert's footsteps echoed in the hall, each sound imitated by the walls.

The pain spread across Bianca's frail body like an infection she couldn't fight.

Hilbert passed under the archway leading out into the corridor, confidence egding his gait.

Bianca stood up to go, unsteady on her own feet.

The faint lighting of the restaurant was a welcome contrast to the sharp floodlights of the battlefield. Cheren led the way to the entrance, where Hilbert was already waiting.

Bianca, trailing behind almost reluctantly, fought to control the thoughts that messed with her mind, hiding the tears they pushed forward. Fixing her green beret, she let Cheren open the door for her, smiling weakly at his chivalry.

The rain pattered down despite the sun. Striaton City was surrounded by a thick forest of pine trees, binding the small city in. A few tall buildings stood across from the gym, painted in a dull pewter.

Hilbert faced the three connoisseurs, seemingly too absorbed in his victory to notice his friends' arrival.

Cilan had regained his professionalism by now and was explaining the TM they gifted to the victorious trainer. The TM was Work Up and, as usual, was a move they showcased during the battle.

Extending a closed fist, Cilan, taking a small breath in, smiled at the trainer who'd beaten him. Steadily, he opened his fist, revealing a slim metal badge, painted in gold. Three coloured stones were planted in the metal, each the representative colour of the three Gym Leaders' chosen type.

Hilbert took the badge graciously and gave a small thankful smile to the brothers.

He turned around, almost catching Bianca off-guard. Luckily, she managed to paint a warm smile on her face just before he ran over to her and Cheren, trainers splashing in .

"Could we possibly see?" Cheren politely asked, clearly intruiged by the affair. Hilbert gently handed him the symbol of victory, a proud look in his eyes. The black-haired male, who held the badge carefully in the palm of his hand, allowed the light to glisten off the edges.

Almost as if he'd just remembered she was there, Cheren handed Bianca the badge. Taking it in her shaking hands, she stared at it for what seemed like ages. The cold metal felt foreign in her hand, as if it wasn't supposed to be there. For a moment, it didn't feel like it was her that was holding the badge, as if she was looking through eyes that weren't hers.

She felt a familiar feeling. The feeling she didn't want to feel again. The pain spread across her, getting faster and faster the more she stared at the shaped metal in her hand.

Hastily handing it back to Cheren, she nodded her silent congratulations at Hilbert, who had been looking at her expectantly.

"Right, we better be off then. I believe your next battle is at... ah! Nacrene City." Cheren remarked, pointing them both in the direction of a picturesque route.

Hilbert, ecstatic at the idea of continuing his journey, ran on without looking back. Cheren rolled his eyes at his friend's excitement. Just as he was about to jog along behind, he felt a soft hand touch his arm timidly.

"Bianca?"

Bianca had so many things she wanted to say. So many things she wanted to tell him. Her brain screamed at her to say something, reach out to someone but she knew she couldn't worry him. Not while he was in this mirthful state.

"Do you mind if I wait behind and meet you later? I... promised someone I'd meet them." she fibbed, forming the lie reluctantly. She stared at Cheren. Could he see she was lying? She'd never had to lie before, let alone to the smartest, most analytical person she'd ever met.

Cheren stared back at her for a moment, taking in Bianca's honest blue eyes.

"Sure!" he responded awkwardly. "We'll meet you in Nacrene. Call me when you're in town."

And with that, he walked away.

Bianca felt empty. That was the short way to put it. Why had she pushed Cheren away like that? It felt like someone had stabbed her through the heart and not taken the knife out.

Not wanting to stay in the public eye any longer, she ran into the trees that bordered the city. The pine branches seemed to reach down to her as she passed under, into the shadowy forest. The trunks surrounded her like bars in a jail cell. What gaps there were in the dense foliage were barely big enough for her to squeeze through.

She ran and ran, desperate to get away from the town that haunted her ambitions. Frail twigs snapped and damp leaves muted her footsteps. Her heart was banging against her ribcage, as if it was trying to get out, making a sick symphony as it was accompanied by her heavy, rapid breathing.

Her legs ached as she came to a halt in a small clearing. Edged by trees, the clearing provided no protection from the onslaught of rain as it pooled at her feet.

Bianca fell to her knees and cried.

Mud covered her damp clothes, turning them an odd shade of dun. Her beret had fallen to the ground, leaving her head unprotected.

Bianca didn't notice.

Her father was right, she wasn't a trainer; she never would be. Pulling a small Pokéball out of her bag, she stared at it hopelessly. She didn't understand. What made her different? Why her? A thought she regretted as soon as it came out forced its way to the top of her mind, taking up her thoughts.

What happens now?

Barely hidden on the outskirts of the clearing, the man looked on, curious. A long cape covered his frame, blowing subtly in the wind.
Like a hawk stalking its prey, he observed the girl in the clearing with an odd intrest. She was clearly going through some sort of trauma, a death maybe? No, he corrected himself, even better. She was staring at her Pokeball.

A failed trainer.

The man smiled to himself. This was going to be easier than he had imagined. He stalked to the other side of the clearing until he was facing her. As her head was bowed, she didn't notice him at first.
Excellent.

Bianca caught sight of the shadow in the trees. As she began to realise he'd been watching her, she hastily picked herself up and drew herself to her full height. As if that mattered.

The man was a giant, towering over her as he stepped out of the shadows.
"Pleasant weather, isn't it?" he asked, with a kindness unsettling the now seemingly tiny girl. She recognised his voice from somewhere but she couldn't quite place it. "You look confused. What's your name?" he pushed, one red eye boring into Bianca.

"Why should I tell you?" she challenged, meeting his gaze through tear-stained eyes. It was hard to look confident and composed when you'd just had a breakdown.

"You are scared. It is reasonable. You have every right to be. But you needn't be scared Bianca."
The arrow hit home. How did he know her name? How much did he know?

"I sympathise with you Bianca." he continued, despite shock flashing momentarily on her face. "I really do. Do you not see what a society we live in? Non-trainers are cast out and are given menial office jobs or the like."
He drew his gaze back down to Bianca.
"I do apologise. I forgot to introduce myself. I am Ghetsis. I believe we met in Accumula Town."

The pin dropped in Bianca's mind. Yes, he gave the speech about Pokemon freedom. That's where she had recognised him from.

He smiled at her, a smile that almost seemed fake. But no, she shouldn't think that. He was just trying to help her.

Right?

It was going brilliantly. The girl was blinded by her need for someone to support her. The easiest way to get to someone was to give them what they needed. This was almost too easy.

"Bianca, where are your friends? I thought you were with someone when you turned up at Accumula." he questioned strategically. He knew the answer but he asked the girl anyway, using her name to gain the trust he needed.

Bianca looked at the man, who had now crouched down to her level. Her eyes welled up again. "They left without me." she responded, tears flowing freely again.

"Now why would they do that?" the lie formed easily, as if it was rehearsed.
Rather than responding, the girl looked away and began to sob again at the pain of remembering her friends.

After a moment of faked consideration, Ghetsis spoke: "Come with me Bianca."

Bianca looked up at him, her jade eyes full of hope.

And nodded a silent yes.