Title: Miles of Gray, Part 1/?

Author: Risa

Pairing: N/Hilda

Rated: T

Disclaimer: Pokemon is not mine.

Word Count: 3,750

Summary: N finally decides to come home, but doesn't suspect that he could be walking into his own death by doing so.

A/N: My obligatory "after game" fic of doom. Heh, more like me using N's head as my playground for awhile. If all goes well it'll turn into this big adventure/romance type thing. Also, I wanted an excuse to include a lot of characters. Also still, this is my first Pokemon fic EVER. Hope that's not painfully obvious. . Apologies if I fuck canon up. Many thanks to abarero for looking this over this brainsplosion for me. 3

"So you'll choose to run away rather than make amends, after all we've been through?"

"No, you're the one who doesn't understand."

"You... coward."

N spent much of his time in the skies upon Zekrom, gliding over plains and forests and oceans. It was the vantage point worthy of an overseer, which he had originally strived to become. He would have overseen the broken bonds between humans and pokemon, so that all of his friends could be free and perfect. However, his resolve to fulfill his former destiny had failed. It failed because it was all a lie. A terrible lie that hurt more pokemon than the people he had been opposing. He was no hero to the Unova region, just a menace. He thought he would be doing them a favor upon leaving, but then he would remember her words, which never failed to shake him.

Thunder rumbled overhead, and Zekrom took that as their cue to descend. It would shelter N's body with its wing, and where N initially found the idea outrageous and unacceptable, Zekrom bid he take up the offer. The human body was far more vulnerable to the elements than that of a legendary pokemon. Even so N kept his master ball handy, and if Zekrom showed even an ounce of discomfort then it would be ordered back inside. The enormous black dragon let out a most unsatisfied grunt, but would let its young hero have his way if he insisted.

N huddled up to Zekrom in a meager attempt at sharing warmth. Its reptilian skin was cold and hard as stone. It was a cold-blooded pokemon, which only exerted heat when threatened, or in a hot environment. The two of them traveled together for four seasons, mostly avoiding inhabited areas in favor of caves and tall grass. N needed to know more. He spoke with wild pokemon in a variety of different regions to get a better understanding of their relationship with humans. He challenged random youngsters and lasses and ace trainers to hear the voices of their pokemon. He engaged in unofficial battles with gym leaders, having no intention of participating in any sort of Pokemon League, yet he still needed to know the true thoughts and feelings of their pokemon.

He felt like he had failed the world when he lost to Hilda and Reshiram, when in reality it was Team Plasma itself that had failed the world. Even so, N was not entirely convinced. He needed to meet more good trainers, outside of Hilda and her circle of friends, outside of Unova. He needed to hear more voices delighted to be with their trainers.

Many trainers he had encountered were astounded by the pokemon of his native land. One lass that had lost to him in battle adored Vanilluxe, commenting that it reminded her of ice cream. A youngster with the world's most adored Rattata asked if he could pet Krookodile. Given the amount of love Rattata had for his trainer in return N didn't see a problem with that, but he left that up to Krookodile to decide.

N's pokemon outmatched those of so many of the trainers he had encountered, and he always felt a pang of guilt. In his spare time a few years prior N had come up with his own variation of Full Restore medicines with the help of an audino, using raw ingredients that were in greater abundance and safer to use than those sold in shops. N always had many on hand and always made more, so he always offered to heal the pokemon of each trainer he battled, including those of the gym leaders. Especially those of the gym leaders, most of which were more than receptive to N's quirks.

"I had a premonition about this very meeting soon after sensing great energy from the Unova direction. Would you mind showing me what you have in that master ball of yours?" asked a gym leader named Morty, upon having Gengar meet a swift defeat by Zoroark. As incredible as that display of power was, Morty's key interest was in that of legendary pokemon. Sensing N's apprehension, he explained in great detail why he had chosen to set up his gym in Ecruteak City. Not only would he keep his eyes wide open for legendaries, Ho-Oh in particular, but if need be he would make a point to keep them out of the wrong hands. Morty's newly healed Gengar confirmed this, as well as expressed a great deal of enthusiasm to help. N was on the verge of tears when he released Zekrom from the master ball, deeming Morty a human worthy of witnessing such splendor. Each encounter with a gym leader helped heal his heart, but he held this one especially dear, as well as another.

"You wouldn't happen to mind telling me what's in these medicines, would you?" asked a gym leader named Brock, who insisted that if anyone could "cook" it, it was him. The Onix that Brock used in battle showed a great deal of respect and love for his trainer. N was happy to disclose the information, because he knew that it would be in good hands. Not only was Onix sincere, but N was starting to develop a skill for perception of human character himself. He was just grateful that he had the foresight to never tell Ghetsis, or any of the Seven Sages about his medicine. They may have used his idea for their own profit and tainted the medicines with cheap, or impure ingredients, which just wasn't necessary.

"... " N had met his one defeat in the Kanto region by a trainer called Red, whose pokemon had seen more battles than grains of sand in the vast desert of Unova. The most shocking thing about this was that these were among the happiest pokemon N had ever seen. Their strength was brilliant, and was earned through hard work and experience. They were proud to have been raised above and beyond their potential. N felt that he could finally start to grasp what it was about battles that appealed to people.

Battles appealed to pokemon as well.

They truly did. There was a difference between training and abuse. Good, honest battles weren't about asking pokemon to inflict pain upon one another, but about helping them to grow in strength and raise to their potential. Battles didn't just make people feel worthwhile, but pokemon as well. Especially pokemon.

He asked his own friends if that was how they truly felt when they battled. They expressed feeling alive and strong and free to prove their worth. They respected those powerful enough to catch them and oversee their growth.

This was why Hilda and Reshiram won. She would become as powerful as Red in no time with her resolve, if not more so.

He thought and dreamed of her constantly. Though more than anything her parting words reverberated through him like a whismur's uproar. She asked N to join her on her dream, but he had already decided to flee Unova in the confusion so not to be a bother to the people any longer. Even now he didn't regret his decision. Everything he had learned was valuable, and he even made some new friends along the way. Human friends, too. He wanted to tell her all about it, but he wondered if she was still upset. It bothered him that his final memory of her were rosy cheeks run with tears, clenched fists, and anger.

They were both right. He needed to get away and learn about the world; however, he owed it to the people of Unova to own up to his mistakes and make amends. No longer would he be a coward. No longer would he hide from the inevitable.

As he thought this beams of sunlight started to crack through the gray clouds above. Zekrom had kept him dry during the short-lived storm, with not an ounce of discomfort to share. In fact, Zekrom seemed to be feeling refreshed. Perhaps being a half-lightning type made stormy weather appealing to it. Lately Zekrom had seemed restless, and all too eager to return to Unova as N was.

Before their departure, N pulled out a pocket knife from his few belongings and severed his ponytail from the base of his hair band. It was here that he bid farewell to his old self, who had spent far too long blinded, hiding rather, from the truth. He would rewrite his life based on all that he had learned on his journey. The first chapter would involve a reunion with Hilda, to whom he owed his everything. She was the first person to make him question the role he was thrown into. Her pokemon were the first he had seen that were truly happy to be along side a trainer. He was grateful for her resolve. Separating her from her pokemon would have been a tragedy.

So he and Zekrom took off, and in less than a day's time N was able to spot the western mountains of the Unova region. He was certain that, if he and Zekrom landed on Route 7 by the cover of night, they would go unnoticed. He would have to disguise himself and head for Nuvema Town by foot. He would stick out like a sore thumb riding an enormous black dragon, and who knew what kind of panic that would stir? Mistralton City was relatively isolated, and had to rely on the usage of devices called airplanes to deliver cargo. Long ago they had used pokemon to do so, but since airplanes took over pokemon were not made to work as hard, so N himself hadn't exactly paid special attention to the place. Hopefully the shorter hair was enough of a disguise until he could put together a better one.

However, he would have no such luck remaining unnoticed. Once the sun began to sink beneath the horizon, they were officially on (well, above) the territory of Unova. He heard the voice of a female call out to him. It was a very friendly voice, no doubt, but N could feel his insides run cold the moment he had heard it. There was no denying who he was as long as Zekrom was in plain sight.

So N did the only thing he could think to do. He told Zekrom to stop. If he fled, there would be rumors. If he negotiated then he could perhaps slip by. It was his only chance.

"And here I thought we'd have a race," said the woman upon a beautiful unfezant, her long, magenta hair billowing in the breeze. "How disappointing."

"You're Skyla, the gym leader of Mistralton City," said N. Only one such as she would presume to engage in a race between a legendary dragon and an unfezant. "I don't suppose pretending you haven't seen me is in order."

"You got that right. King of an organization bent on stealing and releasing pokemon. Rather, enslaving them to build a fortress beneath the Pokemon League. You've got a bounty on your head the size of a wailord. Team Plasma's still the talk of the region.

"None of that really matters, though," she said with a chortle. His complexion snapped from pale to dumbfounded in an instant. "I was right there, you dope. Unfezant and I showed those no good sages what's what with our acrobatics. Then Hilda returned and told us all what happened. She urged all of us to keep an eye out for you, in case you returned someday."

"I see." N had to smile at that. Regardless of which fate laid before him now, it warmed his heart to know that Hilda was thinking of him. He felt incredibly foolish at first, choosing this part of Unova to enter, though if what Skyla said was true he would have been caught no matter what. A number of those encounters could have been less friendly than this one, he reasoned. "Do you intend to place me under arrest?"

"Get real, mastermind. There's only one trainer in Unova powerful enough to take down Zekrom. Speaking of which, may I?"

She held out her hand to N, and where he was confused at first he could sense the exhaustion in the voice of Unfezant. He didn't hesitate to pull her on board afterward. She recalled her unfezant at once, trusting N not to try anything dirty. Hilda had assured her that, although N was at war with himself, he was by no means a loose canon the way Ghetsis was. Not to mention passing up an opportunity to hitch a ride on a legendary pokemon, particularly an airborne one, was just plain out of the question.

"Woooooow! Wow wow wow, how cool!"

"Eheh." As much as he appreciated how distracted from the issue Skyla seemed to be at the moment, N couldn't help but feel his patience wane a bit. Apparently the entire region saw him as a criminal. That was to be expected. What he didn't expect was to get an earful about the power of wings, the capabilities, the inspiration, all caused by one dragon flapping in place. She kindly asked Zekrom to glide, but it took orders only from N, who reluctantly gave the OK. Once her awe over the smoothness of the ride dwindled N asked her, "if you do not intend to arrest me then what do you intend to do?"

"Deliver you," she said, as though what she meant by that were the most obvious thing in the world. N noticed that twilight had come and gone, and darkness had begun to envelop the sky. "It kills me to do this, but playtime's over. Ask Zekrom to make its decent now. Route 7 should be deserted enough.

"Please do as she says, my friend." Zekrom groaned and descended rapidly. Skyla howled with glee as N clutched his pokemon for dear life. Any faster and the two of them would be flung overboard, though Zekrom seemed to sense that this nose dive toward Route 7 was exactly what Skyla wanted.

When they landed she hopped down from the legendary beast positively glowing with delight. She urged its face toward hers and stroked it, thanking it for an unforgettable experience.

N recalled his dear friend back into its master ball at once and smiled. Zekrom took a real shine to her, but it needed its rest now.

"Where exactly do you intend to deliver me?"

"I think you know," said Skyla, grinning as mischievously as ever. "You can spend the night at my place, but be prepared to get up before the first pidove crows. Unfezant will take you where you need to go."

"You would entrust your friend to me, even after everything that I've done?" N hoped that he didn't come across as ungrateful, but it struck him as strange that Skyla was so willing to put her trust in a criminal. Granted N knew for himself that he would never cause any intentional harm to a pokemon outside of battle. Unfezant would be safe in his hands. However, how could she trust him not to steal it? Was this all just a trap?

"More like I trust Unfezant to peck out your eyeballs if you try anything funny."

N gulped. Not that he could picture a pokemon actually doing that, but she seemed awfully confident that whatever she had in mind would go according to plan. He supposed he was stuck being at her mercy for now. Zekrom really took to her, so he supposed he ought to as well.

Sleep abandoned him as quickly as it came. Though his travels admittedly left him exhausted to the bone, she began to appear in his dreams. Hilda had her back to him, and she was walking away. No matter how loud he cried out to her, and no matter how fast he ran to catch up, she was too far out of reach. The snivy on her shoulder swung its tail back and forth like a pendulum, and he could even hear ticking. That turned out to be an old clock in the guest bedroom. N's entire body had uncomfortable coat of sweat, and no matter how much he tossed and turned, how much he concentrated on his breathing, or how many cottonee he counted, there was no falling back asleep.

He was the one that walked away. She tried to catch him. She tried to make him turn around.

He continued to walk away. As far as Hilda was concerned, he was probably walking farther still, no longer even a speck on the horizon. Had he hurt her? The image of her tear-strewn eyes never left his mind. Of course he had hurt her. Pain was a universal language that N was very fluent in. Though he regretted nothing, he hoped that she would find it in her heart to forgive him.

The rest of the night for N was a very restless off and on sleep. Before he knew it Hilda was peering down at him. He jerked wide awake only to find that the face hovering above his was actually Skyla's. He hoped that the disappointment he felt wasn't visible.

"Time wash your face and get a move on. The sun's gonna be up soon."

He did as he was told, then met Skyla and Unfezant on the outskirts of Mistralton City. The sky was still speckled with stars, though was melting into blue. Soon this city would be bustling with people, and N would be long gone.

"You know what to do, Unfezant. Nimbasa and back. Try not to go too fast, now."

Unfezant cooed and continued to nuzzle her head in her master's hand until she bent down so that N could climb aboard. It was unusual for this particular species of pokemon to be large enough for a grown person to ride upon its back, though N managed on his knees. Skyla had honestly expected him to travel safely upon a bare-backed unfezant all the way to Nimbasa City. The chances of him falling at some point were great, though he supposed that, if her intentions were good, Unfezant would catch him before he could hit the ground.

Before N could confirm that they had taken off into the sky, and N was clutching her feathers for dear life. Perhaps she would hold her own in a race against Zekrom. Once she had stopped ascending and started to glide forward he could ease into the ride a little bit. It wasn't anywhere near as comfortable as flying upon the back of Zekrom, and he found himself apologizing for the damage he had caused to her plumage. She cooed dismissively, reasoning that Skyla would just preen her and give her extra feed later.

They hadn't run into any incident worth mentioning along the way, and only made one pit stop. Flying for two was tiresome, though Unfezant proved to have a remarkable amount of endurance. It feasted on bugs and drank lots of water, and N helped himself to two handfuls of water, munched on a single apple and called it a meal, not wanting to waste anymore time. The second time back up in the air was less terrifying than the first, though N did find himself missing the vast expanse of Zekrom's back once more. Not having leg room did a number on his knees, though for the sake of remaining unnoticed he pressed on.

The pair of them reached Nimbasa City well into the afternoon, and N bid his new friend farewell. Unfezant pressed her head against his cheek once, then took off toward the west, bound for Mistralton City.

The cheerful splendor of this city had certainly dulled since he had last laid eyes upon it. For one he hardly saw any people around, and the ones he did happen to pass seemed eager to get home.

N reached the foot of the old ferris wheel, currently out of commission and under repair. A chill from the air filled his blood with ice, and he could smell a promise of rain in the air. Unfezant had chosen an awfully curious spot in Nimbasa to drop him off. This was the second time he stood before this magnificent machine. He felt bold enough to pour his heart out to Hilda on this very ferris wheel. She was practically a stranger at the time, but he felt that her knowing his identity would be beneficial somehow. He felt the need to make her a part of his dream, and she had been receptive. Their viewpoints were completely different, but that never fazed her. She was content to see him as just another rival that served to bring her closer to the top.

Somehow, he had become part of her dream instead.

From his left he could hear the sound of running shoes slapping against the pavement, and panting followed. He didn't have to turn to know who it was, though he felt it was appropriate to face his fate. She had waited long enough.

"You... " she managed to sputter out, but she was just too short of breath to say anything more. She clutched her knees and took a few moments to regain her strength. Her brow was dripping and her cheeks were rosy as the petals of a lilligant. She was taller, her hair was longer, and she was just as pretty as ever. He wondered if it would be all right to touch her shoulder. Some girls liked that, but others got mad.

"I'm home," said N, though the look that she gave him was nothing short of shocked. Perhaps even horrified. He stopped smiling then. Whatever she was, she was anything but glad to see him. That much was certain.

"You're in big trouble if anyone recognizes you," said Hilda, taking him by the hand. "Come with me. Don't say anything."

N complied, swallowing a lump in his throat that he didn't even know was forming.

TBC

A/N 2: Fair warning. I have one boyfriend, two jobs, and four classes. My life is where time goes to die, so I apologize in advance if updates are sporadic. Reviews will definitely help in keeping fic updates on my radar, though. Knowing I have an audience both helps and pleases me. :D