A/N: This is actually a commission I made for olihmajor on deviantart a while back. I'm open for fanfiction commissions at the moment, so if you have points come and commission me! XD
I've always gotten everything I want. Ever since I was just a child. My friends got to visit me every day. My treasure chest was always overflowing with the latest toys on the market. My plate was always the base of a mountain of delicious treats. My room was decorated at least five times until it was to my liking. My subjects adore me.
After all, I'm a king. I always get what I want.
Ghetsis makes sure of all of that. He made sure of it then and he makes sure of it now. He's always there for me when I need his advice on something. I don't think I could have a better adviser. He leads me down my path to the liberation of all pokemon. Together, we walk hand in hand. A productive team we make, if I say so myself.
Pokemon are our friends, I always say. They've been my friends since the day of my birth, never leaving my side. Not even once. I've found it easier to communicate with them than humans, which has come to be seen as rather odd by others, so I understand. I don't know why. Is it because their ears have been dulled by the harsh speech of human kind that they cannot hear the voices of my friends? Every day, I hear the voice of a friend calling for help. Crying. Why is it only me that can hear?
I have a problem with humans because of this. Ghetsis says I'm a human, but I beg to differ sometimes. From what I've come to understand, a human is a creature that dominates the planet as the supreme, reigning race at the top of the food chain. Their intelligence is quite high compared to most creatures, but their wisdom is disturbingly lacking. So how can I be a human when the only thing we have in common is the ability to walk on two feet?
Nevertheless, humans seem to intrigue me. One in particular, that is. One human that goes by the name of White. White is different from the rest of the humans I know. She has friends, like many humans, such as Cheren and Bianca. Cheren, whose lust for power gets to his head much too often, has a white heart, one whose light shines too brightly, blinding him with too many ideals. Bianca, who lives in her own little world of carefreeness, has a black heart, one whose darkness hides the truths of reality in its depths, plunging her into a blissfully oblivious state.
White is different from them, but the same. She is a perfect balance between black and white. Her heart is gray. Guided by the willingness to seek out the truth, she pursues her ideals. I've never found anyone as amazing as her. The beating of my heart pounds in my ears at the mere thought of her. Ghetsis says it's nothing, but sometimes I wonder.
I love learning about humans, as much as they may vex me. And since I always get what I want, Ghetsis orders a well planned out capturing of White and her friends so I may be able to study them more easily. White and her friends are eventually found and taken to the P2 Laboratory on Route 17 without much force (they were promised a meeting with me, which they'd apparently been wanting from what I heard, so they didn't put up a fight). Before they knew it, we slip their pokeballs right from under their noses. Subdued with anesthetics, each are quietly placed into separate rooms for individual observation.
I visit Cheren first every day. Each observation room is designed to the liking of the occupant. Cheren's room is filled to the brim with intellectual books, specially picked out by myself. His collection is limited to mathematical guides, pokemon history books, and uncontroversial novels. We wouldn't want him reading anything that would give him any funny ideas.
Cheren sits in a chair reading a book, his eyes glazed with apathy as he flips the page. He takes a glance at me, a glare adorning his features for a moment before returning to his book. He wasn't always like this. The first few weeks of confinement drove him to a state of slight insanity, bringing him to bang on the barrier wall between us in a blind rage. He calmed down afterward. All he does now is sit around reading his books. He finally realizes the futility of his efforts and has become more reasonable. I like him for it.
"What is it now?" he groans, flipping the page again.
I take a moment to observe his features for a moment as they are noticeably different. His skin has gone quite pale and there are dark circles under his eyes. The flesh of his hands and face are slowly being consumed. His cheek bones are more prominent than they were the first day he was here. Gray hairs have sprouted from his head.
One feature sticks out to me the most; a mangled piece of flesh that would've been called a wrist at one time. He presses his lips against the wound and sucks on the blood trailing from it. In all honesty, I'm not surprised.
'I wanted to be a doctor,' he said once, under the effects of an anesthetic that was used to calm him from one of his rage episodes. He probably wouldn't have been willing to tell me this under normal circumstances. A smart move he's made, but not smart at all. Blood does contain nutrients, but it doesn't help to drink it if it's your own.
This is his punishment, I remind myself of what Ghetsis once told me. This is his punishment for wanting power. For wanting to use pokemon for evil deeds. He is being punished for his sins.
"What is it?" he repeats, his voice more of a rasp than anything.
"Nothing," I reply softly, leaving the room behind without another word.
I never visit him again.
Bianca's room is next. It's a bright pink, and from what I remember, it's her favorite color. I do agree that it is a very lively color, but I believe it emphasizes her ignorance too much.
But a ghastly looking girl is out of place in such a brightly colored room. She lies asleep in her bed, only her head and an arm protruding from the hot pink blanket. She's as pale, if not paler than Cheren. In her sleep she has a staggered breath. Tear stains latch to her cheeks as she whimpers in her sleep.
"Daddy."
As I observed before her capture, Bianca never had a stable relationship with her father. The times I saw them together, they argued. Her father was a paranoid man, one who was able to see the ignorance his daughter so often displayed. I agreed with him. A child is not meant to leave the nest. Only the wise should be given the wings to fly from home.
So it was quite odd to see her crying out to him in her sleep like this. I never would find out her reason for this. Humans are strange creatures. Full of contradictions.
I leave the room to let her rest.
White's room is my last visit of the day. She's my favorite and my least favorite to visit. That odd feeling I get in my heart when I think of her is pleasant to me, but she asks me the same questions every day in that agonized voice of hers.
"Can I see Cheren and Bianca today?" she moans weakly, slowly lifting her boney arm in my direction. She's just like the others. It rips my heart in two to see her like this.
'It's for the best,' Ghetsis always tells me, and I believe him. As reluctant as I am to believe sometimes, I make myself believe. I trust Ghetsis with my life. He's never failed me. Not once. So why would he fail me now?
"Not today," I reply, placing a hand against the barrier between us.
For some reason, I want to take her to visit them. Just to put a smile on her face once more. Come to think of it, I can't remember the last time I saw her smile.
"Why not?"
This is always the second thing she asks me. The same questions over and over. Every single day.
"It's for the best." My reply is the same as it's always been.
But why is it for the best? Why do I have to see her frown all the time? This is supposed to be an observation of the three of them, not something that makes White sad. I hate it when she's sad. I feel her pain.
"N?" White's tired voice calls to me, beckoning me to come closer.
Her heart is devoid of gray. That beautiful shade of gray that once occupied her heart. Gone.
I press my ear against the barrier, as close as I can get to her. I want to be in there with her. "Yes?"
She says nothing for a few minutes, but I stay standing against the barrier in my same position. I wait for what seems like hours for her.
Take your time. You have all the time in the world.
"I'm hungry," she says simple, rubbing her tiny stomach with fingers that look like they could break with the slightest snap. Her ribs are visible through her undershirt. The life is drained from her eyes as she rasps out words like they're her last.
Something seems to come over me. "I'll get someone to bring you something. Don't worry," I say without thinking before I rush out the door.
I find a grunt and order him to bring food to White's quarters as soon as possible. I realize I can't bare to see the obvious suffering in her eyes. I convince myself that any form of nutrition will make her happy. That's it. A big meal will bring joy back into her eyes. She'll have that fiery passion in her eyes once more. Her heart will be gray again. Bring her fruits. Bring her grains. Bring her drinks.
"Bring her all the food in the world!" Surely she'll smile again. Surely the balance of black and white will return to her.
I find Ghetsis making his way down the halls to the Plasma ship docked outside. He gives me a somewhat displeased look when I get in his way, but I need to talk to him. I feel helpless without his advice.
"Hungry," I blurt out. "White is hungry and sad. Food will make her feel better, right?"
When he raises an eyebrow, I continue. "Please. I know you said it's for the best, but White is sad. I don't like her this way. She's been miserable since the moment she got here. I don't like it at all."
I don't know what I'm saying. I sound like I've understood humans for years. How could I have known White was suffering? How? I'm not a human. As much as I've observed, I don't know what it's like to be a human.
Ghetsis sighs. "Be patient. It's for the best."
He said it again. But what does it mean?
"What's for the best? Please tell me!"
His back is now turned to me. All I can hear is my own hard breathing. I'm frozen in my position of confusion. Have I said something wrong?
Ghetsis hums to himself, continuing down the hall without a second glance at me. "You'll understand when you're older."
I stand, still frozen in place as his footsteps leave my hearing range. It's too hard to comprehend anything now. When I'm older? I have great wisdom like pokemon. I have wisdom. I know. I can hear what others can't hear. I understand their pain. I know them better than humans. I understand.
I understand because I'm not a human.
Cheren, Bianca, and White's rooms are empty the next day. I ask around about them, but no one seems to know anything about them. Ghetsis, back from his trip, tells me they've been moved to another remote location for more observation. When I ask where, he simply repeats that it's a remote location where no one can ever find them.
"You'll see them again one day," he says with an odd sort of knowing look on his face. "I'm sure of that."
I nod without question, taking a step outside the facility to feel the fresh autumn air. I'm a little sad that I wasn't able to say goodbye to them before they left, but I'm glad to hear from Ghetsis that I'll see them again.
It's hard to get the thought of them out of my mind as I walk around the building. I usually go out when I'm trying to get my mind off of something, but it's rather difficult and pretty much impossible to wipe those three from my thoughts.
I'm beginning to get anxious about meeting them again. It's weird not being around them anymore. I try to convince myself that it's just like old times when I went days, even months without seeing either of them. I'm put at ease for a moment.
I yelp, feeling my foot sink into the ground. Quickly, I pull my foot out from the ground. What a strange sight to see. I hadn't noticed it before, but before me lies a rectangular patch of dirt. It looks like it was recently dug up. For all I know, it's been here for days. I haven't been outside in a while, so I wouldn't know. Is someone planning on a garden or something? But it looks too small for a garden.
Something catches my eye. Towards one end of the patch is a single rock. What really stumps me is the fact that the number 3 is carved onto it. I'm utterly confused. I have no idea as to what it might be. As easy it is for me to solve an equation, this one has me at a loss. My intelligence must be failing me.
I shake my head vigorously from side to side. No. I'm just too preoccupied with the thought of White and her friends. That's what's distracting me. I take one last look at the patch then turn my attention to the ocean surrounding Route 17. I'll see them again one day. No need to fret about it. As far away as White may be, I know I'll meet up with her. That's guaranteed. I just need to be patient like Ghetsis says. If I do what he tells me to do, I'll get what I want in the end.
After all, I'm a king. And I always get what I want.
