He Ignored You
Prompt: What would have happened if N had chosen the wrong person as Hero of Truth.
The first time Touya meets N, his heart is beating violently because the older boy calls out to him and heads towards him with an intense expression on his face.
"Hey, your pokemon just said-"
What followed... Well, Touya had to admit he wasn't really paying attention. Cheren and Touko had jumped in his defense while Blaze, his tepig, kept tugging at him squealing in delight at something or another like a little child desperate to tell their parents what he'd done in the day. Touya listened calmly, nodding his head and giving him gently caresses when looked at expectantly.
N broke through Cheren and Touko, and held Touya's wrist with surprising gentleness.
"Let me hear your pokemon's voice." If they guy hadn't been so solemn and serious, Touya might have thought he was being flirted with.
"Get away from my baby brother, you creep!" Touko screamed bringing out her pokeball, "If it's a battle you want, I'll fight you."
"TOUKO!" Touya barked, "You don't get to decide my battles."
"But Touya..." she looked stricken.
"We agreed, Touko."
The girl backed down, but didn't stop glaring at N. Touya, who hadn't heard the introductions (though he had tried) thanks to Blaze, turned to N. "I'm Touya and you are?"
"I am N. Touya, what do you think about pokeballs?" N asked as if this was key to knowing who Touya was as a person.
Touya thought about it for a second, "Pokeballs are... a lightweight transportation system to carry pokemon from one area to the next."
"I see. Are you completing the pokedex as well?" N asked.
Touya was getting more and more confused about where this conversation was going, "It's part of my contract with Professor Juniper, but I don't think I'm capable of caring for so many pokemon. I'll probably free most of them once I'm done."
"And the rest of them?"
"With me, I guess, if they want to." He answered, it seemed a little silly to answer but N seemed truly serious about each one of them.
"You would let them go, if they wanted to leave?" N asked hopefully.
Touya thought back to his mom in Nuvema, "Yes, because at some point or another, one must leave to find themselves even if that might mean they never come back."
N seemed to think a while of the answer before insisting, "Let me hear you pokemon's voice!"
Tepig flared aiming Embers at N, who as far as it was concerned was threatening its trainer. N brought out his Purrloin and the fight would ensue. Upon losing the fight, N would walk off as Touya fretted over Blaze's cuts even as Touko and Cheren congratulated him on his first trainer battle against someone other than them two.
Or that would have been their conversation had they actually talked. Instead, N hadn't even been able to address him when Touko had jumped in with her Oshawott and violently opposed N in every sense of the word.
Touya saw him leave. Touko was livid with barely contained frustration. "What a weirdo, saying pokemon are being enslaved. They're our friends, we wouldn't enslave them!"
'We wouldn't, Touko, but that doesn't mean there aren't other people who would.' Touya thought and knew from the way she looked at him that she knew this too.
He saw N talking to Touko from inside the museum and roamed the exhibit hall for a while, not wanting to walk in on the green headed boy's love confession. Or at least due to precedent he was willing to bet it was.
The Light Stone was pretty in the kind of way Touko would appreciate. Personally, he couldn't help think to himself that he understood why but it was such a subconscious acknowledgement he could feel it more than actually know it.
"Do you like it?" Mr. Hawes asked, he was Leonora's husband.
"Not as much as my sister might." A simple and sincere answer that was received warmly with a chuckle, "It looks a bit like jewelry now that I think about it. It's too shiny and smooth for a meteorite."
Touya couldn't help think that jewelry makers might agree. Mr, Hawes leant in and whispered, "You want to know what I think?"
Touya nodded.
"I think this might be an ancient pokeball. Maybe even Reshiram's pokeball!" He whispered animatedly, he finished with a louder voice "But we have no proof, so it's just speculation for now."
Touya thought it over and realized that it did look round like a pokeball so it wasn't that farfetched.
He checked his watch and realized a little belatedly he was going to be exiting Pinwheel Forest after dark if he didn't hurry.
The next time he sees N, he's enjoying the ferriswheel with his Audino, Pignite, Pansage and Darumaka. He's surprised to hear his sister screaming, he looks around frantically only to spot her in the following carriage with N. She opens the door suddenly and Touya throws open his own, "TOUKO!" He screams catching her attention.
"Quick, Pansage, use vine whip. Bring Touko over here." He orders and his sister is brought over safely. Her face red and yet she looked utterly shaken.
"What's wrong? What did he do?" He held her and tried to comfort her, his cuddle-hating sister actually burying her face in his shirt. His dislike for the jerk was steadily increasing by the minute.
"He's the King of Team Plasma." She explained upset.
Touya could guess what he wanted and still he grew angry. How dare he try to pressure his sister into anything!
As they got off, Touya's blood boiled. Touko wanted to leave, but Touya stood his ground until N left his carriage.
N stood before them, looking solemnly as though he had been disappointed.
"I don't care who you are or what you do, if you pressure my sister into anything I will put you down permanently." N looked startled, but didn't have much the chance to answer as two Team Plasma grunts came from behind him.
He looked to fight Touya and/or Touko, but he was cut off from making choices. "We won't follow them, but may Arceus help you if you try to start a fight with me when I'm in this mood."
N stared at them, before nodding and backing down. Before leaving, he announced his intention to waken Zekrom and transform the world to Team Plasma's ideals.
Touya didn't see N despite having been at Dragonspiral Tower. He had been forced to return from Opelucid City to the tower to find that N had effectively awoken Zekrom. This guy was really starting to bother him.
It wasn't until he had defeated the Elite Four that he met N again, only to discover that N had defeated Alder. Touko appeared behind him and they both watched bewildered as Team Plasma's castle burst from under the League. Slowly, they went through all the rooms talking to the grunts as Touko filled him in on her many different run-ins with Team Plasma.
The situation made him understand the situation a bit better but still, he couldn't allow N to separate people and pokemon forever, or allow Ghetsis to take over the world by taking all of the most powerful pokemon for himself (apparently the real mastermind; again, seriously? This sounded like a soap opera).
Touya threw himself into the fight, defending Touko who by this point was likely overstressing herself to be the Light Hero of Legend. Nothing would reach her as long as he was capable of fighting. Emboar was roaring menacing as he beat off the sages and grunts that tried to get in the way, Galvantula zapped those that got too close paralyzing those that she could, and Unfezant took down enemies like nobody's business. With just these three he was prepared for any battle. Touko urged Reshiram to come out and fight him, but the Light Stone didn't react.
"Use your own pokemon!" Touya urged her, not taking his eyes off his own battles which were rapidly coming to an end.
"But what about the legend?!" She snapped back.
"A Hero is a person who fights for what is right regardless of the odds because it is the right thing to do. A Hero will fight to protect those that he loves and that which is right. A Hero will not back down just because it looks hard. If you won't fight, I will."
The Light Stone burst into action, freeing Reshiram from its inside.
"It can't be! You? You were the other Hero of Legend?" N exclaimed.
"I'm no Hero." Touya replied, "I'm a kid that wants to take care of his sister, hang out with his friends and love his pokemon to the last days of my life. I'm a kid, who has no idea what he wants in his life. What I do want, however is to stop Team Plasma from messing with what is important to me."
"How can you be so selfish?" N whispered.
"There is no way I can care about the world but what I can do is care about MY whole world." Touya gave a Full Restore to Emboar, Galvantula and Unfezant before sending out his starter. "Emboar, Take Down!"
Emboar beat Reshiram to half his life. Two Flamethrowers later, Touya brought out his Ultraball. Touko stopped him, "Here use this." She gave him the Masterball.
Reshiram was his.
N walked up to him, dumbfounded and stupid. It was the first time they were face to face. Touya stuck out his hand, "My name is Touya from Nuvema Town. I'm Touko's younger brother. Nice to meet you."
N grasped his hand and shook, "I am N, King of Team Plasma. Likewise."
The handshake ended and Touya remarked, "If you weren't too busy ignoring me, you would be aware I already know that."
"I apologize. It wasn't my intention to do so." He took a breath and stared at Touya straight on, "Tell me, do you agree with your sister on her position regarding pokemon and human relations?"
"Hell no. As far as pokemon rights go, Touko is in the far right. You, as far as I understand, are on the far left. On the other hand, I am center right in the issue. I'm sure Touko has had the conversation with you over how pokemon are dangerous creature and through an enhanced sense of loyalty they feel when being caught by a trainer that they agree to work for the progress of mankind. Touko's standpoint and that of most rational human beings is that people and pokemon live in a cosmic balance and it is everyone's duty to try and maintain that balance by understanding that which is around us. Barring that, there are trainers who simply cannot understand or empathize with pokemon, thus mistreating them to which everyone at some point or another is likely to fall into that category at some point in their lives. That's your stand point. My own is that everyone makes their own choices and is held accountable for their actions. NO ONE has the right to make those choices or decisions for anyone else, and that is what makes life interesting. I will protect their right to make that choice."
N's face remained carefully blank, "Even if they make the wrong choices?"
"Even so."
"Even if they harm others?"
"Even so."
"Even if you don't agree with them?"
"Even so."
"…Even mine?"
"Especially yours. A person's rights end where the other's begins. If you want to protect pokemon, then do so where people can recognize it for what it is and make them realize that your opinion has merit. Only then, you can push your ideal forth and make it a reality." Touya finished with resounding conviction.
N glared full out, "How is that any different than what I have been doing already?"
Touya finally calmed, his eyes softening and his expression falling into one of pity, "That's the thing. You can't force anyone to accept your ideals. There is someone in Team Plasma corrupt enough to pull strings to consolidate power. That someone has been organizing, planning, moving people like peons to be in position where those like you, who truly wish to create a safe place for pokemon away from human reach, can do nothing but weep."
N was beginning to panic, "How do you know all this?"
"My Lord," Ghetsis began, "there is no time. You have the Hero of Truth before you; pave the way to pokemon salvation."
N nodded, shaking his head to remove doubt before bringing out Zekrom.
Touya released a sigh before snapping into motion, throwing his pokeball. A male Jellicent sent forth an Ice Beam that sent Zekrom crying through the room.
The dark dragon flew back and prepared his famous electric attack, Jellicent braced itself but it was still greatly affected by the electricity. Touya recalled his pokemon and brought out Unfezant who performed a brilliantly executed Brave Bird, which lowered Zekrom's health brilliantly, but she too was injured badly by Zekrom.
Recalling her, Touya brought out Reshiram. The two dragons howled at each other, circling and snapping jaws at the other. A quickly timed Fusion Burst knocked out Zekrom.
Reshiram stood before its opponent, cawing in victory.
"Will you cut that out!" Touya's voice pierced the room quieting Reshiram. He walked towards his new pokemon without care that the dragon he owned was quite capable in squashing him by mistake.
"I know that you must be elated after so long to finally 1-up Zekrom, but no one likes to be humiliated like that. It was a good battle and he was a good opponent, treat him like one." Touya chastised softly before looking through his stuff for potions.
N rushed to Zekrom's side. He was much quicker than Touya at pulling out his potions, so the other boy left him to it and began cooing over Reshiram.
Ghetsis began a rant that only N and perhaps everyone except Touya were paying attention to. He had kind expected the frustrated madman mastermind rant so he partially ignored it until he heard 'stupid boy', he was honestly going to ignore it because it was normal for the defeated to call the victorious names, but Ghetsis wasn't calling Touya anything. Ghetsis was insulting N.
Touya reluctantly stopped cuddling with Reshiram. Cheren stepped up and healed his pokemon. Touya thanked his support and Touko's well-wishes. Brushing off their concern and warnings about his anger, he brought out his pokemon and had to pray throughout the whole battle that his pokemon didn't get poisoned, especially against Cofagarius.
If course, victory drained most of his anger. Most of it. "Now, Reshiram, this opponent you can mock. He doesn't deserve to be called a trainer."
The police appeared surrounding a hollering Ghetsis, once more Touya ignored the raving madman in favor for the guys in uniform.
"You can call me Looker. I'm from the International Police. We've been on Team Plasma's case for a while now, but just now we have the necessary evidence to put them away. Thank you for all your help."
They took Ghetsis away.
N stood in the back of the room. Zekrom had been healed and placed in his pokeball. The police had apparently heard Ghetsis' speech about having used N, so they had left him alone.
Touya walked up to him, "Hey."
N gave him a glance before turning to look at Touko, who was talking to Cheren a few meters back. "I cannot help but wonder what would have happened had I known you were the other Hero. Perhaps I would have realized earlier that my truth had been distorted by the greed of those around me. I suppose it doesn't matter now, what has been done." He took a deep breath, looking around the destroyed room. "I want to go find the truth, how people and pokemon really think. It seems that even now I have yet to understand fully this world."
"Hold your horses, Pokelover-boy." Touya interrupted, "How exactly do you think you can come to understand people and pokemon through observational skills alone? I'll have you know that everything we see is interpreted through personal experiences and as such you would have to have someone on an entirely different wavelength give you their perspective so that you can compare and come to your own conclusions from that." he paused briefly, "That and I'm taking you to therapy, Arceus knows what Ghetsis taught you probably isn't moral, or partially is, while other things aren't. If you want to fit in with society, which trust me is a necessity at times; you need to work on fixing those quirks."
"Therapy?" N blinked confused.
"Yup. I don't personally know a psychologist but I'm pretty sure Burgh must know someone. Let's ask him." Touya placed his hand on the small of N's back, gently guiding him towards the others.
N still look very confused and hesitant, so Touya tried to comfort him. "Don't worry you won't be going alone, I'm making Touko go as well." He frowned a bit at the next thought, "I'll probably be forced to attend anyway."
The End