"Look, you talk to Celeste for me," I asked Delilah.
Delilah and Celeste began conversing in whatever strangely universal language Pokemon use. While they did that, I called over to August, "Sorry this is taking so long! Celeste's got a bit of stage fright."
"Take your time," she told me. "My Munna was the exact same way at first. Yours will adapt eventually."
Really now? I considered at the thought of August's Munna. I hadn't met her psychic-type Pokemon at that point, but I still wondered how the two had similar personalities at first. Could her Munna have been targeted by Team Plasma, too?
I focused my attention back on Delilah and Celeste, mainly Celeste. I thought about what N's reaction to this would be: "Don't force a Pokemon to battle. It's inhumane, like battling itself."
Then, it was almost as if his voice was literally in my head: "If Celeste doesn't want to battle, then don't make her. Please. For me."
I shook my head a few times, thinking, Get out, get out, get out!
Delilah and Celeste stopped talking to look at me shaking my head violently. August looked at me with a head tilted in confusion. Eventually, I screamed, "Get out!"
I snapped back in reality and looked at my Pokemon, then August. "Sorry," I told them, "there was a fly in my hair."
August stopped looking so confused and took my lie seriously, accepting it as if it were true. Delilah floated over to me and told me, "Okay, here's the lowdown: Celeste is nervous about battling after the whole Team Plasma thing. It's left an indelible mark on her mind, and that's why she's so nervous about battling." Her voice got progressively louder, just to piss me off with the words that were coming next. "Also, she said that before she found you and N at the Dreamyard..." Delilah's voice lowered. "...that Team Plasma was chasing her before hand, and the two grunts that were after her had their Pokemon attacking her. All of those attacks emotionally scarred her as well."
"Oh," I understood, "that makes sense."
August eyed me angrily for a second. She said to me, "Whoa, wait a minute. You and N went to the Dreamyard together? Is that why you were so late to come back that day? Because you were on a date with N? I thought that you had a legit excuse for that!"
"Well," I tried to convince her, "it's not that we were on a date. We were just...hanging out. Besides, I wouldn't have been late if it wasn't for Team Plasma picking on poor, little Celeste over here."
"Uh huh, and you suppose that I'm supposed to believe that?" she questioned. Then, sarcastically, she added, "It's not like you haven't lied to me before or anything."
I thought about all of the secrets that I kept from her, and all of the secrets that I still was keeping from her. "Look, I'm telling the truth about it! N left before Team Plasma came, and then Team Plasma popped out of nowhere and just randomly targeted Celeste."
"Look, I know that there's something that you're not telling me," she pointed out.
"About what exactly?"
"About this whole N thing. I don't want to travel with a liar, so until you decide to tell me the truth, then..." She choked on her last two words. "...good bye."
She called her Larvesta back to its Pokeball and put it back into her bag. After that, I could've sworn that I saw a tear trickle from her eye before she turned away from me.
It was terrible to see. For the first time, I saw how badly lies could hurt people.
Even when those lies were for her protection.
For the protection of my first Unovan friend.
I didn't want her to get involved in my mess of a story. As a friend, I didn't want her to get involved with Team Plasma, especially not with Ghetsis, who could pulverize her in a moment. I didn't want her to know about the Dark Stone affair, or the whole "Chosen One" thing because I was afraid that she could be hurt in the process.
For a moment, her voice echoed in her mind. It wasn't as loud and realistic as N's voice earlier, but my mind was reflecting on one thing that she said to me in particular: " Look, I know that there's something that you're not telling me...about this whole N thing."
I then considered, Is there a way that she possibly already knows, but wants me to admit to it first? Arceus, why can't this journey be normal?"
Once August was completely out of sight, I returned Celeste and Delilah back to their Pokeballs and called out Grace. I gave her a huge hug, which she accepted with open arms. I began crying hysterically telling her nothing. Eventually, a few tears trickled down Grace's face. I assumed that our psychic bond was still abnormally potent.
Eventually, we let go of each other and looked into each other's eyes. The sorrow in my heart was still there, and I felt that Grace understood how stressed and depressed I felt.
Before the two of us walked away from the battlefield, I cried out to the sky in agony, "Arceus, N, even if you hadn't told me, I would've ended up with pain regardless!"
Grace draped her elegant white arm around me, and together we walked off.
Even though I still had the solace of my Pokemon, I was on my own.
I was both alone and lonely.
