The electric glow of Nimbasa City scattered neon colors against the clouds. The moon tucked away and all starlight faded. Fireflies gathered in the amusement park's dark corners. White walked among them, their green light ghastly against her light clothes.
She tugged on the lip of her cap. It was a weekday evening, so few people roamed the grounds. Still, he had promised…
A sigh escaped her as she collapsed onto a bench. Her stomach coiled into knots at the thought of him. As she waited longer, they wound tighter, tighter, tighter-
"You showed after all." There he was, hands clasped lightly behind his back, gray eyes scanning her.
She straightened, heart threatening to explode. She swallowed and prepared to spill the speech she'd gone through a thousand times in her mind.
He said, "How about a ride on the ferris wheel?"
Her thoughts fled. "I, um…"
"Excellent." He turned, long ponytail trailing him. The sparkle of the fireflies highlighted the natural green of his hair. White was mesmerized. N twisted, and the blue shine of the roller coaster lighting up his eyes. "Well? What are you waiting for?"
White released a breath and curled her fingers into fists. She set her hands on her hips and flashed a smile. "Right behind you!"
Fake it 'til you make it, right?
N led her into the car. "Beautiful machine, isn't it? You look at it and think, 'this shape is impossible!' Only careful calculations made by choice people keep it working. Those calculations keep people from dying every day. Did you know that, White?"
"No." The knots in her stomach multiplied.
N smiled. "Can I tell you a story?"
"Sure." She slid into the worn red seat as the car rose higher, higher. The lonely desert stretched over the land to meet the lights of Castelia dancing on the horizon. As they rose above the glow, N's eyes darkened.
"There were once two brothers who reigned over this land with a grand gray dragon. The two brothers gradually grew farther and farther apart, one pursuing his own ideals while the other sought the truth. The dragon, straining to help them both, was split in half; a black dragon followed the idealistic while a white dragon followed the truth-seeker.
"The dragon splitting created a power vacuum. The two brothers, both believing themselves to be right because their dragon followed them, warred against each other for rule of the kingdom. In the destruction, both brothers died and what little civilization existed was razed.
"So, White, who do you think was right?"
Her eyebrows raised. "Huh? Neither, obviously?"
"What do you mean 'neither?'" His cap cast a shadow over his face. "Truth, ideals, you have to believe in one."
She tilted her head. "Each individual has their own ideals and what they consider to be the truth. There's no right or wrong. One man's truth is another woman's lie, and one woman's ideal world is another man's hell on earth."
"A curious perspective," he muttered, frowning. "I feel this strange connection between us, White. It's nothing I can explain, but I feel the need to tell you the truth. You're a kind person, and your Pokémon profess only love for you. Yet the facts of my life remain the same. I believe that people and Pokémon should be separated permanently, each in their own worlds.
"This ideal of mine… is something that I will give anything for. Pokémon are my friends. That means they deserve what's best for them - even if it means I never see one again."
White's breath caught in her throat, and the world outside the car faded. "Wh-what? You're trying to get rid of Pokémon? W-why?"
N's smile was small as he stepped close to her. "Because good people like you are so rare."
He grasped White's hand between his. "I want you… to be my Hero. I want you to fight for your Truth. I want you…"
He leaned closer, and the warmth of his breath kissed her skin. "…to prove me wrong."
"N?" She whispered, and a tear traced down her cheek. "Why am I crying?"
The scene disappeared, leaving White standing in empty blackness. "Where- what-"
"Take her out," said a harsh voice.
Pink mist flooded the blackness followed by cold, pure arctic cold. White collapsed on the frozen cave floor. Memories filled her mind as her one tear multiplied. The man standing over her adjusted his lab coat and returned his Musharna to its Poké Ball. He sighed, saying, "Nothing again. Her dreams are full of fluff. We'll never find it this way."
A black-cloaked man stepped forward. "Keep searching."
The scientist adjusted his glasses. "Torture might work better at this rate."
White gasped and clutched at herself. "What are you doing to me? Where am I?"
"You see?" sighed the scientist. "The more we do this, the more her mind goes."
White clutched at her temples. "My mind? I…"
A BOOM brought White back to reality. The cloaked man had slammed his cane against the ice, cracking it. "I don't have time for this! Send her back in, Colress!"
"As you wish." He tossed out Musharna.
White screamed and ran but the pink mist followed. She slipped on the ice and fell face-first; the dream world consumed her.
