...
So, picture this: a tiny, kinda busted-up, dark room that's basically a little "cage." A weak light is just barely peekin' through a small window.
The "toys" on the floor? Man, they were so messed up, you could barely call 'em toys.
This green-haired kid, N, is just chillin' on the floor, usin' the light to stack some blocks with his Pokémon pals.
And who are his pals?
First up, a Lilipup! But this poor dude is missin' an ear and an eye. And his body's got some serious battle scars. Dude probably got into more brawls than a Machoke at a wrestling match.
It wasn't just Lilipup, though. There was also a Purrloin with a broken tail and a Pidove with a busted wing.
These Pokémon...
They were all his besties.
N patiently listened, over and over, as they spilled all the tea about their old owners and the sad stories they went through.
His face was streaked with tears, but he was stubborn, man. He wouldn't cry. He just hugged 'em gently and used his soft voice to comfort his three Pokémon buddies.
These were the Pokémon he considered his true friends and partners.
But precisely because of all this sad stuff, a little seed of hate started growing in his young heart.
Hate for humans, for Trainers, for Trainers who just flat-out ignored what Pokémon wanted. Basically, he was done with the whole "Pokémon are just tools" vibe.
Creak—
The old wooden door slowly swung open.
Soft light poured in through the doorway.
A middle-aged dude, rockin' a black robe, some special fuchsia glasses on his right eye, and a gentle smile, walked into the room. His blue cane, with a fancy logo, made a sharp click-clack sound on the rough floor. The three Pokémon heard it and immediately tucked themselves behind N, lookin' all scared. Like, "Nope, not today, Satan."
"Father."
N saw the smile on the guy's face, and finally, the tears he was holding back just started flowing.
The man's name? Ghetsis. N's dad.
"N." Ghetsis squatted down, put his hand gently on N's head, and a deep voice rumbled. "You're our future, our hope. You gotta learn to be strong and turn all your pain and reluctance into motivation. Only you can free all Pokémon from humans. You'll be the new hero! Build a new kingdom and a new order!"
N just stared blankly at Ghetsis. In that dim light, he knew Ghetsis's words were a heavy weight on his shoulders. He quietly wiped away his tears, nodding solemnly to Ghetsis.
"Mm-hm!"
Seeing N's reaction, Ghetsis's smile got even wider. Probably thinking, "Nailed it!"
N turned to comfort the scared Pokémon; he didn't notice Ghetsis behind him. Ghetsis's eyes did a complete flip. Those gentle eyes that were just looking at N? They turned cold. Like, arctic cold.
It was like he wasn't looking at his own kid, but some kind of monster he'd crafted.
Back to the Present...
N sat on the sofa, memories flashing through his mind from Team Plasma Castle when he was a kid: everything he aimed for, everything he went through, and everything he was told.
Humans are selfish.
They force Pokémon into battles and ignore what they want, making them do stuff they totally don't wanna do.
To humans, Pokémon are just tools, or at best, glorified pets. Basically, a living Pokédex entry.
But why?
N couldn't help but ask himself.
Why was the guy outside the window...
Even through thick glass, even from a distance, he felt this joy he'd never felt before from them.
Natsu, Eevee, and Vulpix showing up was like someone just injected a rainbow into his black-and-white world.
He couldn't help but zoom in his focus on the guy outside.
This feeling towards Pokémon? N was experiencing it for the first time since he left Team Plasma's castle.
Hold up, so there are Trainers that Pokémon actually like that much? Mind blown!
Natsu outside the window saw the surprise in N's eyes, paused for a moment, then kept walking towards the ice cream cart with his two little buddies.
N inside the building unconsciously stood up and followed Natsu's outline from the window.
Under the sun,
Natsu shared ice cream with Eevee and Vulpix.
He watched Eevee and Vulpix playfully smear ice cream on Natsu's face. Classic move, those little rascals!
He also saw their affection as they licked ice cream together.
At this moment, they were bathed in sunlight, and he was stuck in the shadows of the building, a sharp contrast.
It was like the outside world got a full color upgrade because of them, but inside the building, it was still stuck in a black-and-white movie.
For some reason,
N's heart felt an urge he'd never experienced before.
He wanted to go out, he wanted to ask Natsu, he wanted to ask Eevee and Vulpix how they really felt.
However,
Just as he lifted his foot, about to head for the door, three shadows suddenly popped up behind him.
One of them said super respectfully, "My King, the Seven Sages have all arrived."
The Seven Sages, including his main man, his dad, Ghetsis.
N opened his mouth.
In the end, he still couldn't say what he really wanted. Talk about a real internal struggle, rough life for a king.
He was the hope, he was the future, he was the king of all Team Plasma members with big dreams, and he was the hero for all Pokémon fed up with human BS.
He couldn't be selfish; every move he made, even just being there, was for the liberation of Pokémon.
This was his whole purpose.
After a bunch of self-talk and convincing himself, N pulled his hat down, blocking his view of the laughing Natsu and his two Pokémon. The world in his eyes seemed to go black and white again.
He followed the three shadows, heading deeper into the building.
Even when he stepped into the elevator, his eyes never lifted.
Just as the elevator door was about to close, his eyes, no longer avoiding, lifted and locked onto Natsu's. Natsu was holding his hat, head up, looking directly into N's eyes. Talk about a dramatic movie moment!
Standing in the elevator and feeling Natsu's gaze, N was stunned. He had no clue what Natsu's last look meant.
It seemed like a bit of sympathy, a bit of friendliness, and a bit of pity?
Why pity?
N was confused, but the elevator quickly shot up to the top floor.
Below the huge floor-to-ceiling window, next to an arc-shaped table, seven people in different colored robes were already chilling.
They were dressed differently and looked different, but when they saw him coming, they all stood up and respectfully chanted, "My King."
N was surrounded by them; he sat on a throne that was clearly way more fancy than the Sages' seats. He was the king, so he didn't have to get his hands dirty—that's what his dad said.
And his father, Ghetsis, along with the other six Sages, would handle all the heavy lifting.
And what did he need to do?
Just quietly be the king. Easy peasy, right?
Wait for the right time to save Pokémon, save the world.
"The main agenda for this meeting is to talk about the Hunter's Guild. From what I hear, the Hunter's Guild's head honcho in the Unova Region just kicked the bucket not long ago. That's our golden opportunity. The Hunter's Guild's actions totally go against what we believe in."
Ghetsis looked at N on the throne.
N nodded without hesitation.
He knew about the Hunter's Guild. In N's eyes, they were seriously a bunch of absolute jerks.
And to get his approval, the eyes of the Team Plasma guards in the hall were practically sparkling with excitement.
...
...
...
"N?" Natsu looked at the building towering in Opelucid City; Team Plasma's logo was super obvious.
To be able to make an underground army seem so fair and respectable... even Team Rocket couldn't pull that off, could they? They were too busy blasting off again.
To regular folks, Team Plasma was like a religious group preachin' about Pokémon and humans being equals.
They had the "truth."
Even though their ideas weren't for everyone, they still got a lot of followers, and these supporters were all people who shouted about humans and Pokémon living in peace.
It was precisely because of this "truth" that neither the Hunter's Guild nor the Alliance could just bust in without solid proof.
Natsu gently rubbed his chin.
"I just got a feeling, with all this chaos in the Hunter's Guild, Team Plasma is definitely gonna start dropping some of their big plans and moves."
...
(End of this chapter)