"I wonder how many Pokémon exist in the world..." N's voice is soft as sunlight when he trails off, staring outside into the blackness of Nimbasa City's skyline. It's nice, Touya thinks, watching this enigmatic figure, this exalted daydreamer who thought himself a king and all of his frivolous dreams, lose himself to calmer and gentler daydreams beneath the twinkling stars.

(Maybe in another world, Touya lost his words for a moment and their Ferris Wheel sped up; N got out, Touya did too, and he let N take over his heart like water fills a drowning man's lungs.)

There's an emptiness behind his eyes though, an unblinking and overwhelmed emptiness that Touya can see in those grey depths. Something is strange about N's eyes, he feels it, and before he can even stop himself, Touya smiles at the other boy and speaks.

"I wonder the same thing," he begins, "I don't think we'll be able to discover them all. The world's a big place."

It's a long while before N finally looks at Touya, and Touya spends the whole time watching the other boy, his smile hopeful and expectant. When N meets his gaze, that emptiness seems to become colder, shoots a jolt of nervousness down Touya's spine and makes him feel a little uneasy.

He imagines this is how N felt, watching the night sky surrounding them, this overwhelming suffocation. For some reason, he wonders how much of the world N has seen, wonders if he's ever allowed himself let go and breathe deeply.

"What do you mean?" N's tone is cold, regards Touya as if his words were ludicrous.

"I really love Pokémon," Touya begins, his smile brightening with the subtle grace of twilight, "and I want the best world possible for them too. I think I'd do anything for a world like that."

N narrows his eyes but stays quiet.

"That's why I think Team Plasma's going about things the wrong way. Pokémon and humans help each other-"

"I refuse to accept that!"

"...to become their best selves."

The Ferris Wheel lingers at the top, and the two remain quiet for a long while, watching each other. N's gaze is cold and confused, while Touya feels as though he could tremble from the anticipated rejection.

It's Touya who finally breaks the silence, his voice quiet but cheerful.

"Come with me, N."

N looks at him as if he were a mad man.

"Absolutely not, Touya."

"Come with me," Touya urges, leaning forward, brown eyes flickering with excitement and mirth. The longer N stares, the more he feels himself being drawn in and invited.

He feels like he's drowning.

"I want to show you that you're right," Touya continues, his smile brightening, the subtle movements of his hands tightening in his lap and his glances out the window of their gondola beginning to liven with the animato of his tone. "I want to show you that the world you're fighting for really exists right in front of you."

"Didn't you hear me?" N looks positively affronted, and it shows in his knit brows and the breathless, confused way he chokes on air for a moment. "I said there was no way I would do such a thing! The world I long for doesn't exist, Touya!"

Touya only shakes his head, not giving N a chance to snatch up anymore of his sad and confusing rhetoric that usually segued into a one-sided battle. The lost and overwhelmed expression he saw before when N was gazing at the stars and trying to take Nimbasa city in all at once as quickly as he could returns, and it makes Touya feel a little forlorn somehow.

"It does exist, N. It's right in front of you, right now."

Touya extends a hand, offers a palm for N. His sincerity is a fever-like warmth that radiates from his very being, and it makes N feel even more sick. He stares at the offered extremity for a long moment before his gaze flickers between Touya's hand and his small, unassuming smile.

"Come with me, N. What do you say? It could be-"

"I can't! Not right now!" N clenches his fists to prevent himself from taking Touya's hand, his gaze hardening once again as he squares his jaw. "I cannot leave my subjects so easily, Touya! I will not abandon my mission. I will not abandon the Pokémon to go on some adventure!"

"You're not abandoning anyone, N. The world's a more perfect place than you think. I want to show that to you."

The Ferris Wheel begins to turn its final corner and slow to a stop. Neither boy feels as if the conversation is concluded, and a heavy silence hangs in the air. It's only made more awkward by the jolt of their gondola coming to a stop.

Touya is the first to rise, watching N watch the floor with a pained and angered expression. For a moment, Touya regrets ignting the war N was certainly fighting with himself. However, he still wouldn't give up, and tries his best to give another small smile devoid of fear or vulnerability.

"N."

N looks up at Touya with an embittered, almost resentful expression.

"I won't give up. I'll do anything to protect this world. Our world."

N says nothing, and the two of them get off the Ferris Wheel and step outside. The autumn night is crisp and refreshing, but somehow the coolness stings N's lungs.

"Come back here at dawn," N says before drawing a Pokeball from his belt. "You will have your answer then."

N's servants come scrambling for him with panicked expressions and outstretched hands. Touya commits it to his heart, dawn, and the two of them battle.

Touya wins.