Summer and I had made it down a few levels when we were stopped by two women in the hallway. One had neat, straight pink hair with outgrown bangs. The other had yellow hair cut to her shoulder; unlike the other girl, she had bangs, and her hair was somewhat disorderly. They were both wearing identical strapless dresses, but the one with the pink hair had a sash going across hers. They both seemed very interested in conversing with us. "Excuse me," I snapped at them, "but what do you two want?"
"My name is Anthea," introduced the girl with the pink hair.
"And mine is Concordia," introduced the yellow-haired one. "You must be the one."
"And by that you mean 'the Chosen One'?"
"Not just that," Anthea told me. "You're the one who brought out all of the qualities we believed that N would never display again."
"Care to explain a bit more?" I asked the duo.
"Come with us," Concordia instructed. "We'll explain for a brief moment. You need to rest before you face your final test anyhow."
-x-
We sat down in a quiet little parlor not too far down the hallway. I sat down in a cushioned chair, and Zorua was napping on my lap as I pet her pelt. Summer was leaning against a wall. "So," Anthea noticed, "you befriended N's Zorua."
"She's such a sweetheart," I said.
"Indeed," Concordia confirmed. "It's all we had left of N's innocence before you came along. Ghetsis took away N's childhood long ago."
"How so?"
Anthea began to explain, "N lived much of his life in this castle, only to be comforted by this Zorua."
Concordia continued with, "N spent some time living on his own, but Ghetsis intervened. He wanted to turn N into a trainer-hating monster, so he would release mortally wounded Pokemon into the wild for him to pity. When he returned to Team Plasma and allowed us to crown him our king, he was a whole different person. He left his Zorua with the intention that he was protecting her from the harshness of the real world."
"We thought that Ghetsis had completely taken away the young boy we'd watch grow over the past seventeen years of his life," Anthea admitted. "But you proved that his youthful self is still in there somewhere. Only love can cure corruption."
"Wait, I never said anything about love," I told the two.
"Oh, please," Summer said disapprovingly. "You guys kissed that one time. I saw it. I was there. Don't deny it; you like him—I mean, 'like him' like him."
Okay, so she got me there with that one.
"Okay, so maybe I do kinda...sorta...have a crush on him," I confessed bashfully. "But what did you mean by 'the young boy' you two 'watched grow over the past seventeen years of his life,' Anthea?"
Anthea told me probably the most shocking thing since Pikachu: "Didn't you know? Ghetsis is N's adopted father."
"Uh, what?"
"Ghetsis adopted N back when he was a toddler. He needed a pawn that he could mold like clay into his own image. He needed to raise a child to be the perfect asset to his plan to take over Unova. And that was N. It's a sad thing to think that N, out of all people, never was loved by anyone. That's why it's amazing that he expresses feelings towards you. Your friendship alone was enough to change him—it was everything Ghetsis, let alone anyone, never showed towards him. We thank you for that."
"You're welcome, I suppose."
"It's time," Concordia announced, "for you to meet with fate, Cecilia."
-x-
I had finally made it. It was where I would discover if I really was meant to be the holder of the Dark Stone. It was where I would discover if my sister was really safe or not. It was where I would make my mark. It was where I would become a hero.
Summer, Zorua, and I were standing in front of a large, ornate door that was plated in gold. "This must be it," I stated after gulping nervously.
Zorua scurried back onto my head. "I'm ready," she announced.
Summer, on the other hand, wasn't quite ready. "I'm going to stay behind and keep watch out here. This is your battle, Cecilia, and not mine."
Out of nowhere, the Shadow Triad appeared. "Sage Ghetsis and Lord N await you inside," the three chimed in unison.
Alright, I thought as the Triad escorted me into the final fray. Here goes...well, either everything or nothing.
