Oh my gosh, yes! I finally finished chapter 4! I am so sorry to everyone that's been waiting so long for this chapter! I appreciate all the reviews, favorites, and alerts this story is getting! 8'D I'm sorry it took so long! I ran into my dreaded 'Chapter 4 writer's block'. On every story I write, without fail, as soon as I get to chapter 4, I immediately get writer's block that can last anywhere from 2 weeks to several months. It's a curse! *Sigh* Well I hope you all like this chapter! Just a warning, I finally allowed myself freedom with language, so watch out for a little coarse language in there! D: Sorry! I don't normally promote the usage of coarse language unless I think it's for the benefit of the story! Enjoy~
Chapter 4
Reaching the end of the final hallway, Touya stopped in front of a large wooden oak door. He panted for breath, hand partly outstretched towards the door. Zekrom's voice called to him once more, summoning him into the room beyond the door, but the dragon's voice was growing weaker, as if coming from a great distance although an unearthly roar rang out from behind the door.
It was the weakness in Zekrom's call that made the boy hesitate. His hand trembled in midair, a quivering spasm that spread up his arms until it wracked his shoulders. He knew what to expect beyond the door; two dragons of legend clashing for dominance, fueled by their trainers' ambitions and dreams. But while Zekrom's roar dimmed, Reshiram's howl grew stronger. It shook the boy with fear to think upon what this meant.
'Touya!' Zekrom called again, his cry becoming pleading as it flitted through his head, 'If you will not do this for me, then come for N! He needs you, Touya! He will need your strength in times to come. I can feel his will slipping. Come now, or he will be crushed!'
Zekrom's words sent another jolt of fear through the boy, but this time, it gave him strength. Forcing himself not to tremble, Touya pushed the door open and advanced into the throne room of N's castle. He ran less than a few feet into the room before what he saw stopped him cold in his tracks.
With a scream, Zekrom collapsed, Reshiram's ivory teeth wrenching from his neck as he fell. The dark dragon let out a mournful keen as he lay still, exhausted from his fight. His light counterpart backed away, howling in triumph. Zekrom slowly lifted his head from the floor, ruby eyes fixing on a spot concealed from Touya's view by a pillar of marble. But even without seeing him, Touya knew that's where N was standing.
'I can't continue,' Zekrom murmured in a wispy sigh, 'I haven't the strength to battle further. Reshiram has won.'
With another defeated keen, Zekrom allowed his head to fall to the floor again. The dragon was panting for breath, struggling to recover. The wound in his neck, though not immediately fatal, was sapping the last of his strength. If Zekrom did not recover soon, he would likely die from shock and fatigue. And from the weakness in his voice, Touya feared that the dragon might soon not have any strength left at all.
'No!' Touya screamed to Zekrom, 'Don't give up! Zekrom, you have to stay strong!'
'I'm sorry,' the dragon whispered, though Touya was no longer sure if Zekrom was talking to him or N, 'I'm sorry…'
Desperately, Touya ran forward and crouched by Zekrom's side. He stared at the dragon's face and neck, unaware of the tears that came unbidden to his eyes. Crying openly, he buried his face in Zekrom's neck.
"Please, Zekrom," Touya pleaded out loud, "Get up! Be strong!"
"Touya?" N said in surprise.
Slowly, Touya lifted his head to stare morosely at N. He quivered, expecting to find mournful defeat in the man's eyes, but N's face only expressed his surprise and concern for the teen. Purposefully N advanced towards Touya and Zekrom, kneeling down beside them and gathering Touya in his arms. Wrapped in N's comforting embrace, the boy was finally soothed.
"Touya, get away from him!" shrieked a furious voice from across the room.
Startled, Touya flinched in N's grip as he turned to face Touko. His sister stalked forwards until she stood in front of the pair, grabbing a fistful of Touya's jacket and yanking him out of N's arms. The boy gave a grunt of protest as he was pulled to his feet, one hand gripping feebly at Touko's in an attempt to pry himself loose. He stared into his sisters blazing furious blue eyes without looking away.
"How dare you?" Touko hissed at him through gritted teeth, "How dare you choose him over me? And how dare you steal him from me?"
"He did not 'steal' me," N stated coldly, rising to his feet to look down at Touko, "I was never yours for the taking. My heart was always meant to belong to Touya."
"Shut up!" Touko screamed.
Her eyes alight with fury, Touko released Touya and turned to N. She raised a hand and slapped N in the face, a loud peal echoing from the contact. N did not react, save to lift a hand to where a handprint was blooming in red upon his cheek. Finally the fury and hatred that filled the air around them was too much for Touya to bear. His long restrained resentment towards his sister broke free, whipping his mind into a raging storm.
"Don't touch him!" Touya shouted.
"Or what, little brother?" Touko spat contemptuously.
Seized by a fit of fury, Touya grabbed his sister's wrist and twisted sharply. She gave a startled yelp of surprise and pain as he thrust his face into hers. His chocolate brown eyes were dark with all the emotions of his childhood; his resentment for the attention Touko received, his pain from the many squabbles that resulted in physical violence between them, and his undying anguish for the loneliness that she inflicted upon him every day, for stealing his friends and for not so much as caring how she hurt him so.
"You know what, big sister?" he snarled, lips curling back to expose his teeth in a twisted smile that seethed with his fury, "You're a bitch, and I'm tired of living in your shadow all the time, so you can just go screw yourself and get the hell out of here!"
Touko stared at Touya, dumbfounded and mouth agape. Even N stared at him in shock. But as Touko gritted her teeth and clenched her fists to strike, an echoing sound of clapping caused them all to freeze. Stiffly, all three turned to stare warily as Ghetsis approached from a corridor of the opposite side of the throne room from which Touya had entered.
"Bravo, Touya," Ghetsis sneered, leering at the trio.
"What do you want?" Touko snapped impatiently, irritated that her assault had been stalled.
"A wise question," Ghetsis stated, his voice carrying a tone of dark amusement, "My goals are simple. To create a world where humans and Pokémon exist separately from each other… And to control that world!"
"What?" Touya stared at Ghetsis in surprise, not quite believing what he'd just heard.
"What did you think I wanted, boy?" Ghetsis snapped impatiently, "For such powerful creatures to roam free while humans live in chaos under a leader that could hardly pass as a human himself? No, I would never let that happen. Pokémon are tools; tools of infinite power that are here to be controlled. They exist to do our every bidding, but I didn't like that. If everyone has Pokémon, then we're all equals. So, I devised a plan to put myself in charge. It was the perfect plan; so simple that it could not have backfired. But it did."
Ghetsis took a pace towards them, lifting a hand to point directly at N. His red eyes glared with fury at the young man.
"You stupid boy!" Ghetsis cried in a fit of passionate rage, "Look what your ideals have cost me! You've lost! My plan is ruined! The world will never accept you for the true Hero of Unova! You've failed, N! You're useless to me now. Defective boy, you're useless to anyone! You're nothing but a warped child that knows only Pokémon. You're an imperfection upon the Harmonia name!"
While Ghetsis continued with the degrading rant, N stood silently over Zekrom's head. Though his cap shielded his eyes from sight, Touya could see the young man's shoulders trembling violently and hear his ragged breathing, as if he were fighting off tears. The pitiful sight filled Touya will a protective rage. Stealing himself, he stalked forward until he was nearly in Ghetsis's face, blocking the man's sight of N.
"Shut up," Touya growled in a low voice, clenched fists shaking at his side, "Don't you dare speak to N like that. I won't ever stand by and let you talk about my N like that ever again!"
Ghetsis looked momentarily taken aback, but he recovered quickly and glared in contempt at the boy standing before him.
"I admire your loyalty, boy," Ghetsis said dryly, his red eyes narrowed, "But it'll take more than a few empty words from a love-struck teenager to make me back down."
"I meant every word," Touya stated solemnly, taking a step back and reaching for a pokéball attached to his belt, "And I'll prove it, any way you want."
"Don't mock me, boy," Ghetsis spat, "You can't possibly compete with me in battle! I am perfection!"
With his eyes glazed to the point of hysteria, Ghetsis let out a cynical laugh that reverberated throughout the throne room. N flinched at the noise, cringing and letting out a whimper. All at once the large oaken doors in the wall opposite from N's throne burst open with a loud crash. In ran two people that Touya recognized instantly. The first man, a large, burly man with fiery red hair, was Alder, the Champion of the Unova Pokémon League. The second, a slim young man with raven black hair and wearing glasses, was Cheren, one of the few people that Touya could actually say was his friend. They were followed by the members of the Elite Four.
"Give it up, Ghetsis!" Alder barked out in a loud voice that boomed off the marble pillars, "By order of the Champion, you're under arrest for crimes against the Pokémon League and disrupting the peace of Unova!"
"We heard everything," Cheren added as he ran to Touko's side.
Upon reaching Ghetsis, Alder and the Elite Four surrounded the man and detained him. Ghetsis gave a blood-curdling scream of rage as he tried in vain to wrench himself free of the four sets of arms that dragged him away. Champion Alder watched them go, then walked over to the small band of Cheren, Touko, Touya, and N. During the arrest, the green-haired young man had fallen to his knees beside Zekrom, unable to watch as his father was taken away.
"It's over," Alder said simply, "Ghetsis will never terrorize Unova again. What I'd like to know is what you intend to do now, N."
At the Champion's words, N looked up. Touya felt his heart quiver at the forlorn look of emptiness in N's eyes as the young man slowly stood up to face the Champion.
"Can I have a moment to think about it?" N whispered in a toneless voice, his gaze falling to the marble floor.
"Of course," Alder replied, his eyes momentarily softened in sympathy as he turned away, "Come on, kids. Let's give N the chance to think in privacy."
Nodding acquiescence, the three teens began to move away at varying speeds. Touya hesitated, dragging his feet as he followed. N suddenly looked up and gave a small cry of distress, reaching out and grabbing Touya by the wrist. The boy turned back to stare at him questioningly.
"Stay," N whispered pleadingly, too quietly for the others to hear.
Stunned, Touya nodded. The others turned to see what was keeping him, but he waved them away. When at last the oaken doors closed behind the retreating Champion and teenagers, N sighed and turned towards his throne. He began to take slow steps towards the throne, and only then did Touya realize there was a giant hole in the wall behind the throne. He followed N with a slight frown on his face as they made their way towards the hole.
"It's over," N said dully, echoing Champion Alder's earlier words, "My dreams have come to nothing. Am I… really fit to be a hero? I don't know anymore."
"N…" Touya murmured pityingly, trying to think of something to comfort him, but N waved his hand for silence.
"So many things have happened since I first began my journey," N continued, "I met so many trainers and their Pokémon. At first, I scorned them, but as time passed, I began to see the bonds they shared with their Pokémon. I began to doubt my dream. Now… I know my dream wasn't meant to be."
"That's not true!" Touya blurted out, desperate to lighten his beloved's mood, "You can still make your dream a reality."
"Touya," N said, turning to stare at him with earnest eyes, "I've lost the fight. Who will listen to me now? Who would have listened to me in the beginning? I was wrong to want what I wanted. Back then, I only knew of Pokémon abuse, but now I know of the friendships that Pokémon and their trainers have. Friendship is important, is it not? I cannot break friendship. I cannot see my dream through. Now, I have nothing."
They stopped now, standing a few feet apart in front of the hole in the throne room wall. N lifted a hand to the torn bricks, leaning against them for support. Touya's heart quivered at how weak and vulnerable the young man looked. He wanted to reach out to him, to pull him close, wrap his arms around him, and never let go. But he couldn't help but sense that his life had just come to a crossroad, and now he'd have to choose which fork in the road to follow.
"I cannot stay here," N finally spoke up, looking sadly into Touya's eyes, "Even if the Champion and all of Unova forgive me for the crimes I committed as the King of Team Plasma. I know nothing anymore. Perhaps my father is right; I am a defective person. I can't stay in Unova until I discover my real purpose."
"What?" Touya exclaimed in shocked disbelief, "You can't stay? What do you mean? Are you leaving?"
Before Touya's stunned mind could fully grasp the very idea of such a thing, he felt himself being swept up into N's arms. The young man held him close, gently pressing a kiss to his forehead. The tenderness in the gesture brought Touya to tears, and he clung to N's shirt, sobbing inconsolably. N hummed soothingly under his breath, stroking Touya's hair, but even he choked back a sob.
"I'm sorry," N mumbled repeatedly, "I'm sorry. I promise, when I prove that I am the man you deserve, I will return to claim you as mine. Have faith in me."
Gently prying Touya's fingers from his shirt, N broke their embrace and stepped back until he stood precariously at the edge of the hole. Touya tried to force himself to move, but he was frozen to the spot by a sudden wave of denial. 'This can't be happening,' he told himself repeatedly, 'It can't be, it just can't!' But it was, and denial alone could not have erased what he witnessed next.
Moving in slow motion, N took a step back, but there was no solid ground behind him. He leaned back, bright sunlight engulfing him as gravity took hold. A gentle smile graced his face as he stared softly at the horror-stricken boy.
"Farewell, my love!" N called before he was lost.
A roar erupted behind Touya, and he was shoved backwards as Zekrom tore past, launching himself out of the hole. Temporary paralysis broken, Touya ran forward, grabbing hold of the edge of the crumbled wall as he leaned out. He saw the great dragon pound his wings, rising skywards with N perched on his back. Heart beating frantically, Touya turned and raced across the throne room, bursting into the hallway that led to his and N's room. He ran into the room, hastily snatching up his backpack and gear, along with the pokéball of his faithful Unfezant, which he'd left on the nightstand to avoid calling upon his recovering friend. But now, he had no choice.
Running as fast as he could back to the throne room, Touya halted at the edge and threw Unfezant's pokéball into the air. It released the bird in a bright beam of red light. Unfezant gave a trill and spread its wings, testing the injured wing with a few experimental flaps.
"Unfezant, listen, this is important," Touya explained urgently, "I need to follow N and Zekrom. Can you fly me?"
Unfezant gave a trill that years of companionship and friendship translated into an agreement. Touya grinned in relief at the flying-type Pokémon before climbing onto Unfezant's back. At that moment, the doors on the opposite wall opened, and Touko peaked in.
"Has N made up hi- Hey! What are you doing?" Touko called, running forward.
"I'm going after N!" Touya called out as Unfezant lifted him into the air.
"What?" Touko exclaimed, echoing Touya's earlier response to N's similar words, "You can't go! What about your friends? What about mom and me?"
'What friends?' Touya thought bitterly, but he kept the retort to himself as he called out, "I've got to bring him back! Stay with mom for me. I'm going to bring him back with me as soon as I can! Keep your Xtransceiver on! I'll be in touch."
With that, Touya and Unfezant took off through the hole. The sunlight was blinding at first, and when Touya's eyes finally adjusted to the light, he saw that Zekrom was already a small speck on the distant northern horizon. But that didn't deter him as he set out in pursuit. No matter how long it took, hours, days, weeks, months, or even years, Touya would follow N until they could be together again, forever.
Hope you guys realize that that could have been the best cliffhanger ending to a story I've ever written! But it's not, I have way too much planned for this story to end it now! 8D Please review! It encourages me to write more, promise! I'll try to be a little quicker with getting chapter 5 done this time. ;)