For HC Bingo. Prompt is "Cages".

"Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked him for the third time that day. N dug his hands into his pockets and took a deep breath.

"I won't be able to sleep at night unless I do," he said. "I'd never wanted to return to that place, but every time I think of the ones left behind after it all fell apart..." He shook his head. "I should have set them free a long time ago."

He glanced towards her, gentle green eyes filled with concern.

"You're not nervous, are you? I can't imagine that place holds very good memories for you, either." Hilda tensed slightly.

"I was more upset about what happened after the battle," she said, a bit angrily. N had barely reacted to his father's ravings, but it made her blood boil to remember what Ghetsis had said. Nothing but a freak without a human heart! Her biggest regret was that she hadn't punched his face for that comment. "I swear, if I ever run into that monster again-!"

"Hilda." His hand went from his pocket to her shoulder in less than a second. "I wish you wouldn't let it get to you so much. It was you, after all, who told me he was wrong." Hilda sighed, reaching up to place her hand over his.

"I know...but it just makes me so angry, I hate it when anyone I care about is treated so badly."

"Because you have such a kind heart," N said. "That's why Zekrom allowed you to capture him." Hilda smiled.

"And the same goes for you and Reshiram," she said, tilting her head upwards to kiss him softly. He returned the kiss, toying with the loose strands of her hair.

"Have I told you lately how glad I am I decided to come back?" he said. "I've really missed you."

"I missed you, too. But I always had a feeling we'd meet again," Hilda said. Just then, she felt N's hand tense against her shoulder.

"Well...here we are."

They approached the castle. Amazingly, about half of it was still standing after all this time, though it was nowhere near as magnificent or intimidating as it had once been. The architecture was crumbling away, and the door handles had lost their shine. N let go of her shoulder and gave the handle a tug, the door opened easily.

"Are you ready?" Hilda asked nervously. N only nodded, taking a firm hold of her hand and leading her inside. They hurried past several rooms (N pointedly avoided looking in the direction of his old room, she noticed) and up several flights of stairs until they found the place they were looking for.

"This is it," N said. "This is where all the Pokemon formerly owned by Team Plasma's grunts were left." They walked in, and almost immediately Hilda wished they hadn't.

The entire room was lined with cages. Cages too small and cramped for half the Pokemon that were stuffed into them; she couldn't tell if they had food or water, all she could see were miserable Pokemon, all she could hear were their cries of despair.

"No..."

She glanced over at N. He looked like he was going to be sick; his face was as white as a sheet and his hands were clenched into fists, fingernails digging into his palms so hard she was amazed they hadn't drawn blood.

"N?" She reached out to touch him. "N, it's-"

He pulled away from her and approached a cage. She followed him and when she saw the Patrat inside wasn't moving she felt like she was going to be sick. A long, slow survey of the rest revealed more than half these Pokemon to be just as still.

"No," she whispered. "This can't be."

N stood before the last cage, his breathing hard and ragged as he fought to keep his composure.

"N," she said softly.

"Monsters," he hissed, "all of them. Every. Single. One." He stroked a barely-alive Sandile through the bars of the cage. "This. This is what Team Plasma did. All of these innocent creatures, locked away, kept alive only to serve a single purpose and then tossed aside without a care." His reaction was too calm, too controlled, and that scared her.

"I know," Hilda whispered, gently placing a hand on his arm. "I know, N, but-"

"Do you?" He cut her off, wrenching free of her grasp, still fighting not to break down completely. "All those years, believing Team Plasma truly understood my vision...thinking all humans were monsters who didn't understand Pokemon..." He squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head. "These Pokemon were the ones to pay for our sins. With their lives."

"N, it's-"

"It's not okay!" He slammed his fist on the table again, tears of rage glistening in his eyes, and Hilda jumped at the sudden change in his tone. "Don't try to put a brighter face on this! Half of these Pokemon are dead because of Team Plasma, they never had a chance...!" He fell to his knees and slumped over, his head resting against the table's edge. "Why? They never did anything to deserve this...they never truly hurt anyone. They were only following the orders of the masters who lied to them..."

He couldn't even seem to cry, which was somehow more heartbreaking than the sight of his tears would have been. Hilda closed her eyes, fighting back tears of her own. He's like these Pokemon. Kept locked away from humans all his life, lied to and used by Ghetsis...

Slowly, she knelt down beside N and pulled him into her embrace. He slumped against her, still trembling with rage and she just sat there, rubbing his back and stroking his hair until he began to calm down.

"I feel like I failed them," he said at length. "If I'd taken them with me when I left, they'd be free now. Maybe even happy..."

"You can still free the ones who lived," Hilda said. "I have plenty of Pokeballs in my bag, we can-"

"Would you get into a stranger's Pokeball after being locked in a cage?" N asked, and Hilda realized he had a point.

"I guess we'll have to ask my Pokemon to help us transport them, then," she said. "Let's let them out of those tight spaces."

The room was quite full after letting all the Pokemon out, but they seemed a bit happier for it. N lifted a shivering Watchog into his arms and cradled her, whispering soothing words into her ears. It was amazing, Hilda thought, how quickly his own rage seemed to fade when a Pokemon needed comfort. She didn't doubt that he was still angry, but he seemed to realize that it wouldn't help these Pokemon get better.

"I'm sorry you had to see me lose it like that," N said. "I-I've never felt this angry before, to be honest I was a bit frightened of myself..."

"Are you talking to me, or her?" Hilda asked, gesturing towards Watchog.

"Both, actually." N smiled a little. "Thank you, Hilda...if you hadn't been here, I...I don't know what I would have done." Hilda smiled softly and stroked his cheek.

"I'm always here for you, N," she whispered. "Always...you'll never have to suffer through anything like this alone." She pressed a kiss to his forehead, then each of his cheeks. N leaned his head against her shoulder with a sigh.

"I still wish I could have done something for them..."

"We'll save their friends," Hilda said. "I think that's what they would have wanted." N's smile brightened, and Watchog squeaked softly in gratitude.

Eventually, they made it out of the castle, fifteen survivors in tow. N gave one last glance over his shoulder at the castle, his former cage, then turned to Hilda with a determined smile.

"We're free," he whispered. "We're finally free. All of us."

In the distance, Hilda heard a faint crash. Maybe it was the onset of a storm, maybe a ground-type using Bulldoze nearby.

Or perhaps it was a cage, crumbling into dust, never to trap another living soul again.