I had finally done it. I had defeated the "Elite 4" - four of the strongest trainers in the entire Unova region. And I only had my faithful Pokémon to thank for all of this.
After healing my Pokémon with the medicine that I had purchased from the market here at the League, I took a deep breath and pressed my palms against the cool marble of the glowing statue at the centre of the League area. I was in for a shock, because my action made the seemingly solid floor below me slide downwards, taking me along with it. The building, its walls and rooms – everything melted away as I tried to regain my sense of balance in the dark void.
I feel quite dazed and take an involuntary step back, only to bump right into Cheren.
"Oops – sorry!" I apologize, but Cheren does not even seem to hear me.
"And who might you be?" he asks, looking in front of him and narrowing his eyes.
I follow Cheren's steady gaze to understand what he was referring to. There, I see this tall person dressed in casual clothes and wearing a boyish grin on his thin face. His long spiky hair was of the exact shade as that of the tender leaves of the trees surrounding us. His face becomes more serious as he comes nearer.
"My name," he replies, "is N."
When the noise and movement around me ceased, I looked up cautiously to find this huge regal flight of stairs before me. Helped by eager feet, I quickly climbed up these stairs, knowing that Alder's room had to lie wherever these stairs led. And then, finally, I would get to challenge Alder, the Unova League Champion.
I could not have been more mistaken.
I arrived just in time to see Alder being defeated by none other than N. I was too far away to listen to their conversation clearly, but I could see that Alder was getting increasingly frustrated. His face was almost as red in anger as his hair, and he was fighting to keep in his temper. N, however, seemed to have no intension of letting his signature calmness desert him, and he was the first to see me.
"Hilda," he acknowledged my entrance, "You have come just in time to witness the historic rise of Team Plasma's castle. My castle. The embodiment of my dreams." Then, he snapped his fingers, and the unthinkable happened.
There are some things in this world, which cannot be described with words, and what happened next was one of them. You had to be there to know what it felt like. It is not every day that a giant mansion rises up from the ground where it had been concealed, to surround the Pokémon League building. Rocks and stones, both small and big, flew in all directions, and I was in the very centre of it all, without any armour or shield to protect me.
Nevertheless, I survived. In the end, that was what really mattered.
"May I see your tickets, please?" asked the woman behind the counter.
I placed on her desk the two ivory tinted slips that N had just bought for the two of us. After she had checked and stamped both of them, they were returned to me.
"Okay," said N's voice from behind, "Let's go in."
So we went in. I held onto the cold metal rod in front of me tightly as the Ferris wheel started its first rotation.
We could see all of Nimbasa from up here. Even the clouds seemed to be nearer. Just as I was beginning to take in the scenic view below us, N leant forward in his seat and whispered hesitantly:
"Hilda, I – I wish to tell you something."
"Yes?" I prompted him, still enraptured by the marvellous view outside.
"I – I am the King of Team Plasma." He said it simply, observing me with wary eyes.
That got my attention all right. I jerked my head up.
"Please tell me I've misheard you."
"You haven't. It's the truth, Hilda."
I just sat there limply. Words seemed too fragile a vehicle to convey the strong emotions I was feeling. This – this innocent looking boy sitting in front of me was the leader of those bunch of crooks I had been fighting ever since I began my journey here in Unova? I felt a huge wave of shock and disappointment crushing me down, and let the rest of the ride pass in uncomfortable silence.
After commanding all the trainers in Unova to release their Pokémon, N finally turned to me and told me to follow him inside the castle, where "all would be decided."
Not that I had a second option, really. I could see that N was serious in his plan. And somehow, I could also vaguely understand that I was to play a big part in what was to come.
The thought of it terrified me.
"Hello there, Samurott!" N smiled when I reluctantly let my tired Pokémon out. "Can you tell me some things about your, um - trainer?"
I stood in the near darkness, blinking in surprise at the scene unfolding before me. Could N really speak to my Pokémon? I know that he had mentioned it earlier, but I had not really believed him back then. I myself knew that Samurott liked and trusted me as his trainer, and could understand my chatter and commands, but it had never been the other way round! I mean, I could never understand Samurott's purrs!
Like N apparently could.
N finally looks up, his sky blue eyes shining in the twilight. "So you were born in Nuvema Town, and this was your first Pokémon, right? He seems to be quite close to you, actually, but he is a little tired right now…"
"Of course Samurott is tired!" I fire back, an incomprehensible sense of anger lurking within me. "Did you really expect him to be in top condition after fighting an extremely hectic gym battle for me? Now get out of my way so that I can take him to the Pokémon Centre!"
The castle was big. Too big. Enormous, in fact. I managed to get lost quickly enough in the similar looking corridors. Moreover, I would have probably stayed lost for a vast expanse of time had it not been for the two Goddesses who resided within the castle. One of them even offered to heal up my Pokémon for me, (I refused, though. I had already healed them up once recently.) while the other told me about N's untainted childhood and childish heart. I was a bit disbelieving at first, but a room in that very castle evaporated all my doubts in an instant.
N's room. The room N had spent most of his childhood in. The room portraying his childlike innocence. The room that changed all my ideas about the green haired boy forever. The room that made me see him in a completely new light. Somehow, suddenly, I felt like I understood him better. Understood his dreams better.
A/N: Yes, this is going to be a multichaptered madness. Please review. I would really appreciate some constructive criticism, and I will try to incorporate all the advice that I get in the coming chapters. I know my English is nowhere near perfection, but I will be thankful for all the help you all can give me. And don't worry, the other chapters will NOT be this confusing to follow!