1. Nuvema Town

"My name is Ghetsis. I am here today representing Team Plasma. Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to talk to you about pokémon liberation."

I watched him in fascination. He spoke with an authority that could not be ignored and with a conviction that drew people. Whether they agreed with him or not, they could not turn away.

"Pokémon are creatures of unknown potential. They are creatures from which we humans can learn much. They are creatures whose greatness we should acknowledge, who should be freed from our oppression! "

The crowd mummered, but they were no longer as openly hostile. There were a few trainers in the back who clutched their pokéballs protectively and tried to make eye contact with Ghetsis. It was a challenge, to fight them and see how powerful they were.

The older folk listened and some shook their heads and walked away. Others touched their pokéballs self-consciously and looked angry and a little sad. Others watched us.

"What are you doing here, boy?" asked an old man as he limped away, leaning heavily on his stoutland. "Aren't you too old for this nonsense?"

"This is not nonsense," I replied. "This is the will of my Lord N, the king for whom Ghetsis speaks. We have no right to cage pokémon!"

"You carry pokémon at your side, boy!" snapped the old man. "These fancy words, they don't mean anything. In the end, you're no better than we are."

I flushed. It was true, after all. At my side, I carried the whirlipede and the liepard that Team Plasma had issued me. I did not like it, because it was contrary to what I had joined Team Plasma for, but I wanted to see Lord N's vision fulfilled and I would do whatever it took to accomplish that.

I started to tell the old man that, that these pokémon were just a temporary thing, but then I realized how many people were listening. Quite a few people were now paying attention to the old man. I looked to Ghetsis and to my horror found that he was looking back at me. His eye was narrowed and his brows drawn together. He was still speaking, but the set of his mouth was grim.

I turned away, chastened.

"Just like I thought," the old man grumbled.

I stared straight ahead, refusing to look at anyone. Ghetsis continued his speech, but I did not hear. I was caught in a web of should-haves. The grunts next to me snickered and I hurriedly quelled the burst of anger that resulted.

"Ghetsis is going to ream you for stealing his spotlight," Candace whispered.

"You should care more!" I hissed with feeling. "That man's stoutland could have been freed if I had the right words. Lord N would be..."

"Who said anything about Lord N?" grunted Wilhelm. "Shut up both of you. We aren't supposed to talk."

I was angry, but able to return my attention to Ghetsis. He continued as if there had been no interruption and he did not look at me, but at the crowd.

"We call pokémon our partners, but is that really true? Pokémon are subject to the selfish commands of trainers. They get pushed around as our 'partners' at work. You may think that pokémon and people need each other. Is that true, or is it just what we tell ourselves so we can justify enslaving these marvelous beings?" Ghetsis looked around slowly, seeming to meet the eye of everyone. "Can anyone say with confidence that there is no truth to what I'm saying?"

This was the best part, the one I liked he most. This is where the crowd quieted and you could separate those who listened from those who refused to hear. There was guilt on every face, if only for a moment. Who here had not forced their pokémon? We were raised to believe that it was the trainer's duty to make them strong, whatever it took, however necessary. The moment passed quickly, but Ghetsis always struck at the height of its strength.

"Tell me, what is our responsibility to these wonderful beings called pokémon?" he asked, always in a quiet voice that still carried to the corners of the crowd.

Everyone was still then, floored by the question. The answer would have been different at the start, but now they all felt it. The answer was in all their minds and Ghetsis had yet to even state it. I breathed slow, inspired anew.

"Let them go?" The little girl's voice was loud in the hush.

Ghetsis turned to her with a smile and a nod.

"Our world has always been led by our youth. They can see more clearly than we can. Yes, we must 'let them go.' Only when both sides are truly free, then, and only then, will people and pokémon be equals. Ladies and gentlemen, I end my words here today imploring you to consider the relationship between people and pokémon, and the correct way to proceed. We sincerely thank you for your attention."

That was the end. It was our cue to leave. We surrounded Ghetsis in our proper formation and left as neatly and abruptly as we came.

It was Ghetsis' way to avoid questions from large crowds. I did not understand. To leave while the crowd's interest was still up seemed strange to me. There were still people out there, many who would be receptive to N's message! To leave now, it was almost treacherous!

I mused over that on our trip back to the hotel and over dinner. I was no closer to an answer. Too many questions gripped me.

I left the others to their distractions. It was hard for me to connect with them. They were silly, shallow children who would only laugh if I tried to discuss things with them. It was frustrating. I joined Team Plasma to understand better what Lord N believed, but they gave us only the basic tenets. They were confusing too. It is wrong to own pokémon, but we only liberate them from wicked people. Team Plasma will steal every pokémon in the world, but that girl there, return her pokémon. The friendship between people and pokémon is touching, but we are selfish to own them! Lord N is King of Team Plasma, but Ghetsis makes all the decisions...

"I'm no closer to understanding anything!" I spat.

"What is it that you want to understand?" asked Ghetsis.

I stiffened. Ghetsis stood in the doorway, but he looked different. His odd, billowing robe was gone, replaced with a simple button-up and slacks. He had pulled his hair back into a ponytatail and he carried a tea tray in his hands. His eyepiece remained, and it looked odd beside the normality.

This was too strange and too sudden. Ghetsis could be fickle, or so I had heard. I was already in trouble with him because of my failure today. I would take no chances.

"Ghetsis," I said, dropping to one knee. It was overly formal and I flushed at the thought of reverencing anyone but N this way.

However, Ghetsis made an approving sound.

"Overdone, but I appreciate your fealty. You may rise," he said.

I did as he said, shivering at the masterful edge in his voice. He sounded regal and eerily like Lord N. It inspired more questions. N was young after all, who trained him to be a king?

"The others said you were here. That is well. I wanted to talk to you." He gestured to a table flanked by two armchairs. "Sit down."

I did as I was told. Ghetsis followed, setting the tray down on the table. He did not sit down and instead began to make tea.

"I prefer hondew leaf myself, with a little honey," he said amicably. "It soothes the throat and it wouldn't do for me to lose my voice. You don't mind?"

"Lor... Ghetsis, I apologize for my actions today," I said, barely catching the honorific in time.

Ghetsis did not even look at me, though his lips quirked slightly in acknowledgment of my strangled use of the title. I looked away in shame. My attention caught on Ghetsis' hands as he prepared the tea. It was hypnotic, the smooth and rythmatic way he moved.

"You encountered a small crisis today," Ghetsis said. "You were asked a question that you were not prepared for. Tell me, how do you think you responded?"

"Badly," I said bitterly. "I failed to defend the honor of my Lord N and jeopardized your speech. I failed in all ways."

"I disagree," Ghetsis said. He carefully shifted the hondew leaves into the strainer. "I believe that you did well."

"But I failed! I was unable to defend my position and I drew attention away from you! I could very well have made this whole venture a failure!"

Ghetsis made an amused noise, "You were an important person before you joined Team Plasma. No, don't protest," he said at my immediate negative. "It doesn't matter if you really were or not. It was how you perceived yourself, and reality is only our perception of it." He settled the strainer into the teapot and closed the lid. He flipped over a tiny hourglass. "Tell me what really bothers you about today."

"My failure," I said.

"Which one?" Ghetsis asked, finally settling into his chair.

He finally met my eyes and my nonanswer died on my lips. His gaze was soothing and centering. I dismissed my knee-jerk response and went with a different one.

"I am disappointed that I didn't sound like you," I said and was surprised at how right that sounded.

"Really?" Ghetsis sounded surprised and pleased, but I could not shake the feeling that he expected my answer. "How so?"

"He asked me why we carry pokémon when we preach pokémon liberation. He said we were no better than everyone else. I wanted to give a good answer, but nothing would come. I don't understand why we carry pokémon! I don't understand why there's a difference between us and everyone else. Why are we special, why do we get to enslave them? It doesn't make sense! It's wrong, it's so wrong!"

"You are very close to discovering a key component in the arsenal of great orators, but get control of yourself. You must always remain collected if you wish to keep a speech on track." The hour glass ran out then. Ghetsis reached for a small set of tongs and lifted the lid of the teapot. He gently pulled the strainer out of the water. "I have noticed your attention while I speak. You watch me constantly, and you experience every emotion. What is your goal?"

"My goal?" I asked, but it was a pensive question.

Ghetsis arranged the two tea cups with a strange ceremony. He lifted the teapot and filled the cups. He set the teapot down.

"Choose one," he said, indicating the two.

One cup was black and one was white. I selected the white one. Ghetsis took the black and stirred in a spoon of honey. I did the same and took a sip. The tea was surprisingly spicy with a bracing bitterness that was a little unpleasant, but the honey made it bearable. It left a dry taste in my mouth that melded well with the honey's lingering sweetness.

"They say the white dragon of legend appeared to a man seeking the truth," Ghetsis said thoughtfully. "That legend is relevant here today. You aren't like the others. They have no direction. They joined Team Plasma because of my pretty words and the pervasive discontentment that disillusions our youth. You have also been disillusioned, but in a way much different than those children outside. They joined Team Plasma looking for a better world, an ideal existence without war or strife," he said, swirling the black cup thoughtfully. "You honestly seek the truth."

"There's nothing special about that," I said, embarrassed at the attention. It was too close to home, but I could not help but be gratified by Ghetsis' instruction. This was what I had craved from the moment I joined Team Plasma.

"You're correct. There is nothing special about seeking the truth. Everyone looks for one or the other. What is special about your search is something else entirely," Ghetsis said, taking a sip of his tea.

"I don't understand," I said. I felt silly, as if the answer were right in front of me; however, I also felt giddy with excitement. I hung on every word, waiting for him to tell me what was missing.

"You don't just want to find the truth, you want to share it. You want others to believe and understand, just like you."

I nearly dropped the cup.

"Great God," I breathed. "That's it! That's exactly right!"

"What frustrates you is your inability to share that truth, thus your lust for my oratory skills," Ghetsis said with a sharp smile. He reached over and set a hand on my arm. "I see great potential in you. It is my nature to nurture a person's potential. You could become an asset to Team Plasma one day, perhaps even a sage."

"Lord Ghetsis, don't say such things!" I said, too euphoric to mind the honorifics.

"Now, remember your king," he protested, but without any true heart. He liked to be called that. "Finish your tea. It is late and we are due in Accumula Town by the afternoon. I am retiring for the night. "

"Wait, please! There's so much I want to know, so many questions that I want to ask!"

"I will answer them in due time, but not now and not tonight. You need time to process what you've learned," he said, standing.

I finished my tea and set the cup down. Ghetsis collected everything and arranged it in a way that satisfied him. He picked up the tea tray.

"I enjoyed myself tonight. Our talk was very enlightening. Understand, it is not my... ah, Team Plasma's intention to leave our members wayward and lost. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them. It is the duty of the Sages to teach more than N."

"Will you teach me to speak?" I asked desperately. "Can you teach me to speak like you do? Can you show me how to sway minds with my voice?"

"Is that what you want?" Ghetsis asked. His voice soft but his smile was sharp enough to draw blood.

"Yes, more than anything else in the world," I said.

"What's your name?" Ghetsis asked.

"Rex," I responded. How odd, I knew that he knew my name. He had never used it, but our group was composed of members that he had selected personally.

"Rex," Ghetsis looked pensive. "Is that so? What is in a name after all?" he muttered to himself. At my blank look, he composed his face back into the regal look that he always wore. "Well, Rex, we will see what tomorrow holds. For now, this is good night."

"Yes, Lord Ghetsis," I sighed.

The memory of his sharp smile stayed with me all night.