Chapter 24:

Chilling wind swept through the dark pine trees that blanketed the Giant Chasm while thick fog curled around the bushy undergrowth and gnarled limbs of the blackened tree trunks. Dr. Colress' lab coat swept to the side as the wind blasted through the valley bringing a wave of icy frigidness that would have made most men shudder, but Colress instead sighed contentedly as he watched his breath curl around him in a white vapor. He glanced over at a group of Deerling huddled together and shaking violently in a desperate attempt to warm themselves from the brutally cold weather. Colress smiled slightly as he noticed that the vibrant orange fur of the Deerling had started to shift to the ugly brown of winter in response to the cold.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Dr. Colress asked glancing over to his colleagues who were all bundled in thick clothing and shivering slightly. "The idea that creatures of unknown origins and essence have the ability to create such an impact on the world we live in." Colress glanced down at his tablet where he was receiving a continual stream of information from the lab on the Plasma Frigate as well as the Unova news and said, "Kyurem's amplified glaciate spread across all the Unova Region has decreased the temperature to lower levels than Unova's coldest winter. Places like Lucanosa Town have reached as low as -58 degrees and already the Unova crops have felt the effect. A pity really since the Unova Region is already suffering from a drastic economic downturn and this will only further the crisis. The amount of power Kyurem's attack would have if focused on a single point-"

"Yes, yes it would be devastating," Zinzolin said sharply. "Now doctor, if you don't mind, please continue with your experiment since none of us want to stay outside in this ice box any longer than is necessary." Peter and Jackson said nothing, but they shot grateful looks at Zinzolin since both already had blue lips and were trying to stop shivering.

Colress sighed impatiently at being interrupted, but he merely nodded and turned on his recording device, "Experiment number 73, after studying the frequency waves naturally emitted from Specimen 14, I've worked on recalibrating the Pokemon control device so that it imitates those same waves. After studying the charts, redoing the math several times and after multiple failed attempts to mimic those frequencies on the device, I've finally been able to replicate the pattern. It has so far been a success on all the test subjects I've been working with, but I will now conduct a field test on the Pokemon in the location known as the Giant Chasm."

Colress activated the device and almost immediately all the noise of the Pidove cooing in the treetops or the Clefairy singing their eerie song ceased. Soon the coniferous forest was alive with the sounds of clomping feet and vegetation being mercilessly shoved out of the way. Trees groaned and some even bent slightly as massive Pokemon such as Haxorus, Piloswine, and Metagross emerged from the thick fog and into the meadow where the Plasma members stood. Colress' eyes lit up in delight as he saw entire clans of Pokemon standing dutifully along the edge of the meadow with their eyes focused on him. The Deerling which had before been nuzzling each other for warmth and comfort now stood solemnly apart from one another like a line of foot soldiers awaiting orders from their commander.

"The response time of the wild Pokemon has increased just like it did in the trial runs," Colress said excitedly, "And the sheer volume of Pokemon that responded has astronomically increased. My original device would have only been able to gather the Pokemon closest to this area and certainly not as many creatures as powerful as these ones here." Colress walked forward to where a Haxorus was standing silently in front of its pack of Fraxure and Axew before glancing over at a Hydreigon with two Zweilous flanking its side and a dozen or so Deinos standing behind them. "The previous device was able to only control powerful Pokemon such as Dragonite when it was specifically targeted onto one of them, but now, the device can control many of them as if it were nothing. It can control the extremely powerful," he then glanced over at several Absol staring at him along with a few Weaviles, "Along with the extremely intelligent."

"Now let's see what you're capable of," Colress said which caused the Haxorus to leap powerfully into the air causing the frosted ground beneath it to crack as it sent out a powerful dragon pulse to the tree across the meadow which blasted the top of it apart sending splinters of wood flying about in every direction and onto the Pokemon beneath them, but the Pokemon did not so much as flinch when flecks of wood and pine fell on top of them. "Hmm… it appears that the device is unable to amplify the power of the Pokemon at this frequency. Specimen 14 was able to do so not only with Kyurem but with regular Pokemon as well, but I believe that is because he is giving them his own energy. I still have been unable to recreate or even understand that energy since it still remains as much of a mystery as Kyurem's energy or the energy all Pokemon seem to naturally have."

Colress then turned to the two Whisperers and said, "Now for the final experiment." Peter glanced over at Kyoto who was standing faithfully next to him and nodded while Spade eagerly jumped off Jackson's shoulder for battle. Colress released his Beheeyem and immediately the Froakie and the Lucario shot off to fight it with Kyoto's fist beginning to glow a bright blue from the aura pulse she was generating while Spade brought out his water shuriken, but as they ran across the frosted grass, both of them stopped.

Kyoto turned to look at Peter and appeared to be saying something while the Froakie did the same with Jackson. "What are they saying?" Colress asked excitedly as he hurried across the glade to where the others were standing.

"Kyoto's telling me she thinks it would be unwise to attack you and would like to try a different approach," Peter said quietly. "Kyoto, you know this is just an experiment and that it's all just Dr. Colress' device. Nothing will happen if you attack his Beheeyem." The Lucario shifted her stance uncomfortably and Peter said, "She still doesn't like the idea of attacking the Beheeyem because she's worried… it'll upset you. She doesn't want me getting hurt by going against you in the case that you decide that you hate Team Plasma and would want revenge on us both."

"Spade is saying something along those lines too," Jackson said. "He told me that I should talk to you instead since he knows he can't win a fight against you."

Zinzolin smiled and said, "So, the device can make even Whisperer's partner Pokemon stop fighting. I congratulate you Dr. Colress, with your device alone, you can bring down the entirety of the Unova League."

"Yes," Colress said with a smile as he glanced around at the hundreds of Pokemon circling around them. "Yes, it can."

Wingulls and Pelipper screeched loudly as they floated along the air currents above the Humilau fishery where Black and Cheren were walking along the slick, icy board ways. Burly men dressed in thick winter jackets hurried away from the fishing boats carrying large barrels of dead Barboach, Remoraid and Magikarp and didn't so much as glance at the two trainers walking next to them. The strong stench of dead Pokemon and the salty tang of the salty air from the sea was almost enough to make Black gag, but he managed to keep a straight face as they walked by a row of butchers cleaning filleting the skin off the Pokemon and wrapping the meat up for local customers to buy.

Black cursed under his breath as he slipped on a patch of ice coating the dark wooden planks and growled, "What the Distortion World is happening to the Unova Region? It's freezing cold… everywhere. I even heard that places like the Desert Resort and Lentimas Town are reaching the negatives and that they've received their first snowfall ever. It's messed up."

"It certainly isn't natural," Cheren said as he studied a flock of young Wingull that had landed on the dock with their wings held out in odd angles due to the ice that had started to crystalize on their feathers. The Wingull cried out in pain as they pecked at the ice in an attempt to shatter it, but none of their moves seemed to have an effect on it. "Unova is one of the warmer Regions and the temperature has never gotten this low. I've heard reports from the League that not even using the move sunny day has been able to stop the oncoming frost."

"Hey dudes!" Black heard a man call from a nearby ship. Black looked up and saw an extremely tan man with dark blue hair slicked back standing on the edge of a fishing ship just docking next to the pier where they had walked to. The man jumped down from the ship and onto the planks in front of them. Black couldn't help but stare at the man's bare, chiseled chest and wonder how the man wasn't a walking Vanillish with how cold it was. "You're part of the League's neo Team Plasma investigation group, yeah?"

"Um… yes, and you must be Marlon the Gym Leader," Cheren said as he looked critically at Marlon's diver outfit and laid-back smile. "We contacted you a while ago asking for information regarding the hydro energy produced here and if there's been any neo Team Plasma sightings. You… um… didn't respond so we decided to come here to investigate personally. We looked for you in your gym, but your attendant said you're usually out with the fishermen fishing or diving."

"Oh yeah! Sorry 'bout that. I sometimes forget to check all those notifications from the League," Marlon explained with an easy smile. 'Explains why you weren't with the other Gym Leaders last summer when N attacked,' Black thought scathingly in his mind. He couldn't stand Marlon ever since he met him last winter when he was collecting the rest of the Gym Badges from the different cities. Marlon hadn't seemed to care that Team Plasma nearly stole all his Pokemon or that they were still at large and had said something stupid like the ocean accepting all different types of people. Marlon continued, "Anyway, there's no worries here! No one's seen any neo Team Plasma Frigate anywhere. All we've seen is a bunch of fish Pokemon! Sorry!"

Black's face went slightly red as he angrily growled, "Have you even asked any of your men or the sailors about neo Team Plasma? You just found out what we wanted to know right now. There's no way you could investigate the hydro plants or even interrogate the Humilau citizens!"

Marlon shrugged and said, "I'm sure if someone saw something, they'd tell me. Anyway, gotta go! I caught some great water type Pokemon that I want to help train to use in my next Gym battle."

Black and Cheren gaped at Marlon as he leisurely walked away swinging a net full of pokeballs behind his back. Black angrily shouted, "Don't you care that the entirety of the Unova Region is going through an ice age or that it's on the brink of an invasion by neo Team Plasma!? We might have a lead into neo Team Plasma and you're going off fishing and training new Pokemon for a Gym battle! You're a Gym Leader for Arceus' sake. Act like one."

"Hey man," Marlon said with a sigh of annoyance as he turned back to look at them. "The people in Humilau City accept people of all walks of life and decide what they want instead of having society tell them what's right or wrong. If people here have seen neo Team Plasma and don't want to report it, that's okay since they're deciding what they want for the Unova Region. If they do report, that's great and I'll tell the League about it."

"Are you kidding me!?" Black roared. "People are terrified of neo Team Plasma and they're either bribed or threatened into silence. If you have an attitude like that, these people will never trust you to protect them when they tell you something about neo Team Plasma. Ghetsis could walk around Humilau City and anchor his Frigate right next to your ship and everyone would act okay with it since you apparently aren't worried about them."

Cheren nodded angrily and said, "This is completely unacceptable as a Gym Leader. The League is at war with neo Team Plasma and we can't afford to have any incompetent and lazy Gym Leaders that don't care about stopping them."

Marlon seemed unphased by the comment and said, "It's chill that you don't like me dude. I want to protect my citizens, but like I always say, 'The ocean accepts all rivers' and-"

"Even if the river is polluted and full of poison?" A voice asked from behind Marlon. Black glanced behind Marlon and felt his heart sink a little. It was another weirdo. First, he had to deal with a fish guy who didn't have a bone of responsibility or care, now there was this guy who was dressed like he was getting ready to go to a renaissance fair. The guy was dressed in a blue tunic, black pants and had a fancy blue hat. To top it all off, he had a black cape with silver fastenings. "Near the coast of the Hoenn Region several years ago, there was a huge oil spill along with several tons of trash being dumped into the ocean. The devastation was so great it is said to have upset the gods and caused a radical environmentalist group to go to extreme measures to protect the ocean from further harm. The ocean cannot accept everything in its waters, and the same goes for humanity. When one human wishes to harm another, they are a pollutant and toxin to the society and must be dealt with rather than ignored."

'The guy cosplaying as someone from the middle ages is making more sense than a freaking Gym Leader,' Black thought bitterly before saying, "Exactly. Neo Team Plasma is evil, and they need to be stopped. We need all the Unovans help to stop them including the Gym Leaders."

Marlon sighed and said, "Fine. I'll go ask around and see if anything's up." He readjusted his net on his back and turned from them and leisurely walked back to the main city.

Black glowered at the man walking away and shook his head, "Can you believe that guy?"

"I'd never act like that if I were a Gym Leader," Cheren said with his fists clenched tightly. They both glowered at the diminishing figure of the Gym Leader before Cheren looked over at the young man still standing in front of him. "Thanks for helping us make him see reason, sir."

The young man bowed ever so slightly and said, "It was my pleasure. You two must be Cheren Amari and Black Greystorm. My name's Riley. The Pokemon Masters mentioned that you'd be up north investigating neo Team Plasma. I happened to be looking into this area as well which was why I thought it'd be a good idea for us to join forces."

"You're with the Pokemon Masters?" Black asked skeptically. "They never mentioned a guy named Riley working with them. How do we know you're not lying to us?" Riley sighed impatiently and pulled out a pokeball with a purple coating. "Well… you have a master ball like all the other Pokemon Masters, but that just means your Pokemon are wild since it doesn't form an artificial bond. That doesn't make you one because you have- hey what the Distortion World are you doing?"

Riley had released a Lucario and a Hypno, the latter of which immediately used hypnosis on the two trainers. Before the two could drop to the ground Luke swiftly moved behind them and caught them. Riley breathed evenly and deeply as he first focused on accessing his aura abilities to see the calm friendly glow emanating from the two passed out figures before reaching down deeper and feeling the powerful, wild energy flowing into him and let it completely envelope him.

"It's your friendly neighborhood mind eraser, how may I help you?" Riley looked up and saw a seventeen-year-old with black hair and stormy blue eyes sitting on top of the beautiful glowing goddess Cresselia. "I think I'm going to start charging you for how often you need us to change people's memories."

Riley smirked slightly and thought, 'Well, you're in luck because today I don't need someone to forget something, the opposite really. I need you to tell these two humans about Celestas and who we are.'

"What exactly do you want me to say," Barrion asked. "Are you going the whole length of the Wailord and starting with, 'In the beginning there was Arceus,' or do you want the condensed, 'There are some people out there with some nifty powers,' kind of thing?"

'Keep it as short as possible. Let them know we're friendly, all the myths are true and that we're here working with the Pokemon Masters.'

"Okay, since you're too lazy to tell them yourself, one quick explanation coming right up," Barrion said with a slight smirk and before Riley could make a retort, they both disappeared in a flash of light. When they left, both Cheren and Black's heads snapped up and they stared at Riley in wonder.

"Y-you're a Celesta," Cheren whispered. "Th-they really exist. I mean… I knew about the myths and everything Concordia and Anthea told us… but… it didn't seem real… until now."

"And you're an… aura Guardian?" Black questioned. "Aura's like when you can see a person's life force… and you can trace it which is what you've been doing while you've been here in the Unova Region."

"I'm more like a Guardian that has aura abilities, but yes. That's right. I've been searching along the northern coast for a while now because that's where N Harmonia's aura seems to be the most often, but neo Team Plasma moves too often to find an exact location. I say we pool together our resources and work together. You have access to League files and authority to question random citizens outside of illegal methods, and I can talk to the local Pokemon and trace auras."

"If it'll take down neo Team Plasma, I'm in," Black said firmly as Cheren nodded.

N slowly opened his eyes to see golden sunlight filtering through his open window and down to his bedroom floor which had toys and train tracks scattered on it. N snuggled up underneath his warm blanket and relished in feeling the soft mattress beneath him and the fluffy pillow that he and Trixie were resting on top of. Even after being here for nearly a year, he still couldn't believe that he lived in such a wonderful place that gave him all the food he wanted and made sure he was always warm. N sometimes missed his home in Discordian Wood, especially Ivory, but there were so many nice people here that let him play with toys and introduced him to new Pokemon friends that he decided being here was better than being in the woods. Especially today.

N's eyes flew open in excitement as he ran to his window and saw the trees bursting with white blossoms and the immaculate lawn around the mansion was a vibrant green. The Pidove out nesting in the eaves on the roof were singing a greeting to the sun while their recently hatched children squeaked out hungrily asking for breakfast. It was a beautiful spring day, but more importantly, it was his birthday.

He quickly ran to the bathroom and cleaned himself up because his father always liked it when he dressed in nice clothes, took baths, and brushed his teeth. In Discordian Wood, he had always slept in the same clothes and would only wash off all the dirt on him in the summertime when he could jump into the river or when Concordia and Darian the Darmatian would heat up some snow for him during the long winter months. The water was always warm here and he always had clean clothes to wear so he never had to worry about being dirty.

When N had finished, he sprinted down the hallway and leapt onto the banister so that he could slide all the way down the sweeping marble staircase which got him a reprimand from one of the servants. The downside of living in such a beautiful place was that there were so many rules like not yelling or running or even touching things because he usually ended up breaking them. Even though they were very strict here, they were very nice to him and they taught him all sorts of things like how to do math and read big books. Concordia had tried to teach him when they were living in the woods as much as she could, but it was hard when all she could do was write out the words in the dirt. Sometimes Ivory would bring books for him to read, but she never went through the words and the meaning like Sage Rood did with him.

"Good morning Lord N," Taylor, another one of the Plasma members that worked at the mansion, said as she set a plate of steaming pancakes in front of him at the dining table. "I made your favorite, chocolate chip pancakes."

N eagerly ate the pancakes while Trixie ate a pile of Pokemon food Taylor had put on the table next to him. He looked across the empty table and frowned a little. He knew father had to work a lot and that he promised to come later this afternoon, but he had thought… he had thought that today his sisters would at least be here with him. He was turning ten today after all. That was a big year, double digits! N chewed slowly and felt like the pancakes no longer tasted as sweet or fluffy like they used to as he stared across at the empty chairs. Sometimes he wondered if he'd ever see his sisters again. They never came by to see him and they didn't even ask about him.

"Taylor, where are Anthea and Concordia?" N asked as he slowly stirred his pancake around in the sticky syrup.

"Lord Ghetsis gave them the day off so that they could have a fun day with you," Taylor said as she picked up Trixie's dish who had already finished eating. "I'm sure they'll come see you soon enough."

"Really!" N said excitedly, all his energy coming back as he jumped from his chair and raced out of the dining hall making Taylor remind him not to knock over chairs, but he wasn't listening. All he could think about was the fun that he and his sisters would have today as he ran outside the mansion into the clear air. Concordia didn't like to play as much, but he was sure she'd love the beautiful gardens that were filled with foreign Pokemon. Anthea would probably like to play with him, and he could show her all his new toys. All he had to do was wait for them. So he waited, and waited, and waited.

When the sun was high in the sky and the day had started to become hot, the French doors leading to the mansion finally opened and N excitedly ran towards it shouting, "Anthea! Concordia!" but it wasn't them. Instead, his father stood in front of him. N couldn't help but feel disappointed that it was his father and not his sisters, but those feelings quickly faded as his father knelt in front of him and ruffled his green hair.

"Happy birthday N," his father said and handed him a present which N quickly unwrapped to reveal a small cube. "It's a void cube, and if you can solve it, you'll find a present from both me… and your mother. I know how much you enjoy formulas and solving equations, so I figured you'd enjoy solving a puzzle."

"Thank you, father," N said as he started to spin the sides of the cube in place in an attempt to solve it. He looked up and said, "Have you seen Anthea and Concordia? I heard that you gave them the day off so that we could play together."

Ghetsis sighed and said, "When I gave them the day off, they wanted to go into town and see the city. They wished you a happy birthday, but they're both busy today."

N looked down at his new present and slowly moved the pieces into place and whispered as tears blurred his vision, "But… but… it's my… it's my birthday. I just… I just thought they'd want to be with me. I… miss them. They always said that we'd be together forever. Were they… were they… they… lying to me?"

"Oh N," Ghetsis said as he embraced N and felt the boy bury his head into his shoulder as he began to cry in earnest. "I know it's hard, but you have to understand where they're coming from. You and your sisters lost so much when Team Rocket attacked you and your mother. You lost your mothers that night and afterwards all of you had to endure so much hardship out in the woods. I worry that a part of them might… resent you because you're the reason they had to endure all that."

"But I… I didn't do anything!" N whispered as he looked up at his father with tears streaming down his face. "It was… it was those bad men. They were the ones who…" N choked on a sob as he went back to burying his head into Ghetsis' shoulder, "Concordia and Anthea they never… never acted like they were upset with me. They said we're… we're family… that they'd always watch over and protect me."

Ghetsis calmly rocked N back and forth and said soothingly, "I'm not blaming you for what happened N. However, people sometimes keep their emotions buried from the ones they love to save that person pain. Deep down, Concordia and Anthea love you, but there will always be a part of them that hates you for what happened that night."

N sobbed, "But… but… I… I thought they loved me. Do… do you hate me for what happened to mother as well?"

"Of course not N," Ghetsis said. "I wouldn't have spent those years looking for you if I didn't love you. Maybe one day Concordia and Anthea will come around, but you must understand that they need to move on with their lives and having you around might be a constant reminder of everything they lost." Ghetsis stood to his feet and gently lifted N's head so that he could look at his tear streaked face and continued, "I know it's hard, but you'll understand Anthea and Concordia's feelings with time. Besides, even if you don't have your sisters, you'll always have me and Team Plasma."

"Yes father," N said softly as he took his father's hand and allowed himself to be led back inside the cool mansion. Even though Team Plasma and his father had become his new family, he still felt there was something special about Concordia and Anthea that could never be replaced. It wasn't just because they were his sisters. They were… more than family. N had felt as close to them as he was with Trixie, but now he knew they didn't feel the same way about him. Had they hated him all that time they were in the woods? They had argued quite a bit… maybe they had gotten angry with him because they secretly couldn't stand the sight of him.

As they walked inside, the mansion seemed to shift from its normal bright hues to a darker, murkier tone that mimicked what he saw all the time on the Frigate. It felt like the reality began to shift and N suddenly felt terrified as he pulled away from his father and saw that he was no longer a child but his normal teenage self. Ghetsis turned to him and said coldly, "Of course now you don't have anything. Nothing that is except a trail of destruction left by your stupidity and selfishness." Ghetsis then released his Cofagrigus who loomed menacingly in front of N.

N turned to run and as he did, he felt as if reality shifted even further with the mansion becoming one of the long metallic hallways of the Plasma Frigate. As he ran, he felt something cold and clammy snake around his ankle which sent him crashing to the floor. He glanced behind him and saw that the Cofagrigus had caught a hold of his foot and was now starting to reel him back into inky blackness where Ghetsis was while Dr. Colress stood to the side taking notes on everything that was happening. He heard a voice call out to him, "N, this is jus a nightmare. Please, we don't have much time. I know you're upset and confused by everything that happened and what is happening. I'm so sorry that I couldn't keep you from Ghetsis, but I'm trying to do everything in my power to help you. Please, just let me in."

Recognizing the voice, N said hesitantly, "C-Concordia?" He turned from the Cofagrigus and saw Concordia kneeling in front of him, reaching out for him. She looked much older than when he last remembered her. Her hair was done in up in a braid and she wore athletic looking slacks and a yellow shirt that looked like it was from a different era, but she was still definitely Concordia.

She held out her hands invitingly like she had done when he was a child whenever he would run up to her to hug. N felt his vision blur as she whispered, "It's okay. I'm here now. Tell me everything that you see, and we'll come and find you."

"I'm so sorry Concordia," N whispered as he looked down in shame. "I'm sorry for all the pain I've caused you. I don't deserve to have a sister like you. I'm sorry."

"N wait! Please listen, it's about-" but before she could say anything more, he felt himself pulling away from her psychically as he let his shame for the pain he'd caused her all his life engulf him. From even just existing to cruelly leaving her behind in the Unova Region, he'd always been a source of hurt for her. As he gave into these thoughts, the Cofagrigus' hold tightened around him and he suddenly felt himself being forcefully dragged backwards. He looked up and saw Concordia scream his name as she desperately lunged at him and attempted to grab his hands, but their fingertips missed by mere centimeters before he was pulled into the darkness, her brown eyes brimmed with tears being the last thing he saw before the blackness consumed him.

N jolted awake as he sat up wildly from where he had been curled on the floor and looked around at his surroundings in confusion. He felt his heart racing before he felt the dull hopelessness from seeing the eerie white walls, clear observation glass on the far side, and the one side room leading to the one private area that served as his bathroom. He glanced down at his black uniform with the Plasma insignia emblazoned on the front pocket like all the other neo Team Plasma members. His fingers ran along the cold metal of his shock collar and he saw that the group of scientists studying him and Kyurem were still outside. Nothing had changed. He was still a prisoner of neo Team Plasma and a lab Rattata. The last thing he fully remembered was directing all his energy towards Kyurem so that Dr. Colress' colleagues could study the effect it had on the Unova weather. He must have blacked out at some point and they had tossed him back in his cell to wait for him to recover.

N shook his head to clear his thoughts and his mind. He'd had strange dreams before. Last year he had vivid dreams of white castles, Kalosian villages and his sisters, but they had never been like this. Even his nightmares as a child hadn't felt so real as the dream he had just had. The memory from his birthday happened just like it had in the dream, and afterwards… it had surprisingly felt even more authentic than his own memory.

N shuddered slightly and thought about what Ivory had told him about them being his Guardians. It seemed strange to think of Concordia and Anthea as being the ones meant to protect him according to Celesta mythology. He didn't understand why a bond would happen between someone like him and humans… it just seemed strange. 'Especially because they could easily get hurt,' N thought as he envisioned Anthea nearly being blasted by a Dragonite. He sadly looked around his cold, secure cell and the scientists outside his cage and thought, 'I doubt there's anything they could do to get me out of this situation anyway.'

He'd lost track of how long he'd been trapped in the Frigate, but since every day was filled with torturous experiments, minimum food and water and little to no sleep, it felt more like one continuous day in the Distortion World. Not to mention all the other torture he and his Pokemon had been subjected to whenever he tried to defy neo Team Plasma in any way.

"Quite the dream you were having just now," N heard Dr. Colress say from behind the glass. N vaguely looked in the scientist's direction to see the familiar yellow eyes and blue cowlick of hair wrapping around his head before N stubbornly folded his arms and glowered at the wall to the side of him. "It's the first time you haven't been sedated for when you sleep and the brain frequencies your collar picked up on indicated you were using the same telepathic waves you use when speaking to Kyurem. Who were you talking to?"

N gave all his strength to defiantly raise his head and glower at the scientist saying, "No one, sir. Your readings were off."

Dr. Colress tutted slightly as N screamed out in pain from the sudden shock sent from his collar. "Now, now Specimen 14. Your collar records all your vital signs which obviously shows your heart rate. Whenever a person lies, their heart rate naturally increases just as yours did just now. Normally I'd say you lying to me would earn you an automatic visit from the Shadow Triad," N looked at the scientist in horror and shook his head before Dr. Colress continued, "But I'm in a generous mood today since I had a successful field experiment. I'll give you one last chance before I hand you over to the Shadow Triad, who did you talk to?"

N hesitated for a moment before saying, "It was just a dream. It didn't mean anything really, but… it felt like I was… talking to my sister… Concordia. She was just worried about me."

"Hmm… your sister of sorts or your Guardian as the myths say," Dr. Colress asked as he busily jotted down notes on his touchscreen. "I'll need you to tell me all the details of your dream."

N looked down at the ground as he considered all the ways he could get out of telling Dr. Colress exactly what had happened. He had the impression that Concordia wanted to keep it a secret just like he had kept her psychic abilities and Anthea's healing abilities a secret from Ivory when they were kids. He could try lying again… but the consequences would be dire for himself and his Pokemon just like they had been when he tried to escape once more and contact the League after overhearing how Dr. Colress planned on modifying his device again with N's data. He remembered how furious the Shadow Triad had been when they found him, and they had decided N needed more… 'physical' demonstrations of pain which resulted in a water boarding session… and, N sadly brushed over his now two broken wrists, insurance that he wouldn't be able to do something like that again. The screams poor Jasper had made… oh Arceus… and Kai. Kai was gone. Arceus help him, but even as he thought this, N couldn't help but agree with what his father had said to him when he was about fourteen. Arceus really didn't care what his creations did or how much they suffered.

N was too exhausted physically and emotionally to try fighting neo Team Plasma anymore. Let alone on one strange dream that he had. N swallowed the guilt he felt at giving into Team Plasm as he explained everything that had happened, when he finished, Dr. Colress smiled, "See, that wasn't so hard Specimen 14. Now if only you could swallow your pride even more and admit you're wrong and begin to help with Team Plasma's operations, you would have your name back and wouldn't have to suffer so much." With that the scientist turned and left N feeling emptier and hollower than he ever had in his life.

When Colress had left the lab N was in, he quickly pulled out his phone and made a phone call. He only had to wait a few seconds before he said, "You were right. The boy accessed his powers without him even realizing it when his Guardian spoke with him. It was a sudden change in energy that drastically pulled on the boy's energy… I'm not sure… his dreams were more in the form of a memory and he didn't mention any Legendary Pokemon or strangers… of course… like I said, the procedure can't be complete with the bond." Colress paused and his lips twitched up in a slight smile. "Of course I'll be ready, Lord Ghetsis."

A/N: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone! This isn't a very happy chapter, but whatever!