Chapter 27:

N sadly scratched another mark on the wall to the back of the cell and looked to see the dozens of tally marks he'd already inscribed on it. His fingers gently slid down the many scratches and thought longingly of the warmth and gentle caress of the sun or the swaying trees and the calls of the Pokemon. N wondered what was happening in the Unova Region… and what was happening with Ivory. He hoped that neo Team Plasma hadn't hurt her or Bianca or Black, and that they weren't suffering like he was… or dead.

As days turned into weeks and weeks into months, hope of ever escaping this living Distortion World dwindled more and more by the second until it was nearly extinguished. That all he'd ever know was endless hours of experimentation and torture until at long last Dr. Colress and neo Team Plasma were finished using him. He sat there brooding for a while until he felt a sudden chill creep up his spine. N felt himself stiffen and he turned around quickly to see Katashi standing by his cell window.

N backed up against the wall and wordlessly shook his head as Katashi advanced on him and in usual fashion, roughly yanked on both his injured wrists causing him to involuntarily cry out in pain. Katashi forcefully pulled N to his feet and hissed, "Master wishes to speak with you."

'What!?' N thought in shock. After all this time in captivity, he hadn't so much as seen let alone spoken to his father. When he had first been taken, he'd had an entire argument planned out for him to rant to his father, but now after everything he'd endured, he was far from prepared for this confrontation. Before he could further react, Katashi teleported him out of his cell and into a room with dark carpet and metallic walls.

Katashi released him causing N to fall unceremoniously to the floor, and then Katashi teleported away as quickly as he had come. N hesitantly looked up and saw Ghetsis leaning casually against his desk with his hands resting lightly on the edges. Ghetsis no longer adorned the gaudy robes from last year nor the professional attire he had commonly worn whenever making public appearances. Instead, he wore a black robe with a high collared neck that seemed to make his tea green hair and glinting red monocle seem to stand out even more. N felt fear begin to stir inside him when he saw that his father was studying him with the same cold, evaluative look he gave all his enemies.

At the same time, N was overwhelmed by the rush of intense emotions he felt surging through his veins as he looked up at his father, a man who had lied to him for most of his life and had allowed him to be tortured and experimented on mercilessly. His rational mind told him that this might be his one opportunity to reason with him, but his body reacted to his emotions rather than logic. N scrambled to his feet and lunged at his father who quickly stood straight and grabbed his arms to stop his attack. "You son-of-a-Herdier," N screamed as he struggled against his father, but his body was too exhausted from his malnourishment and lack of sleep to even put up much of a fight. Ghetsis gripped his arms tightly and said nothing as N screamed every profanity and unkinglike thing he could possibly think of.

After struggling and screaming at Ghetsis in vain for several minutes, N finally stilled with a slight shudder to collect his breath and regain some of his lost energy. This gave Ghetsis the opportunity to say calmly, "Now N, what good will attacking me do when it will only incur the Shadow Triad's wrath? Besides, I didn't summon you to my office to fight with you. I'm here to help you."

'Help me!? Those were some of the first words he said to me all those years ago when I first came to Plasma mansion' N thought savagely. 'The lying bastard… lying… murderous… willing to torture…' N felt all the emotions pent up from last summer and all last year come at him in waves of pain, heartbreak, frustration, anger and loss. He felt as if the wall he had built for himself that kept out all the pain from his losses and betrayals had crumbled allowing a river of emotions to flood through him uncontrollably. N looked down in shame so his father couldn't see the tears streaming from his eyes.

Ghetsis released his grip on N's arms and to N's complete surprise, Ghetsis wrapped his arms around him and gently ruffled his short green hair just like he'd done when he was a child. N was equally surprised when he found himself returning the embrace and burying his head into his father's shoulder and continued breaking down completely. All the agony he'd felt tore through his interior to the surface where they now manifested themselves in sheer force and physical pain. It felt like it was the first time he was properly mourning the fate of the Kalos Pokemon and Trixie along with his own horrifying reality. When at long last N's sobs had begun to subside and the pain he felt became a dull aching throb, Ghetsis finally said softly, "Oh N, I wish you didn't have to go through any of this. However, you did bring this on yourself, didn't you?"

"Fathers don't torture their sons because they didn't live up to their expectations of helping them conquer the world," N said between his tears. "They do things like… like play ball with them, and… and… encourage them to do well in school."

"And I did all those things didn't I," Ghetsis said smoothly. "I still remember when you were a child, you dressed up in my robes and said that one day you wanted to be just like me."

"I'd never want that anymore," N whispered. "You're a monster."

"Perhaps," Ghetsis replied, "But then again, most people don't have a vision for the future of Unova or a child with the power to level an entire Region."

N cried for a few moments more, but the sobs that had been racking his body subsided and he was left feeling raw and exposed. It was almost as if his emotions had scrubbed through all his defenses leaving him completely vulnerable. Yet he strangely felt better than he had in months. Finally, N fully came to his senses and realized to his mortification that he had his face buried into his father's robes and was clinging to him tightly as he had as a child. He quickly pulled away from his father's embrace and said, "Why are you doing any of this, Father? Is any of it really worth it?" N hesitated a moment before finally swallowing his pride and looking up at Ghetsis and pleading, "Please Father, stop this. All of it. The attack on Unova, my… my torture," N's body shook a little and he felt fresh tears begin to fall as Ghetsis' outline again became a blurred figure, "Let the Pokemon go free. They didn't do anything. Please father, I'm begging you. Stop."

Ghetsis studied N for a few moments and sighed before saying, "It seems you've still learned nothing over this past year. You still believe that Team Plasma or I will change what we're doing simply because you ask or demand it? All of us have given up everything for this goal, and though our methods have unfortunately become darker and less than ideal, all of us realize," Ghetsis then gently placed his hand on N's shoulder which caused N to look up into his father's red eye, "that sacrifices are necessary to achieve that goal."

N shook his head angrily and growled, "You're ruining the Unova Region and countless people's lives, and for what? Power? Influence? None of that is worth the lives you took to get there."

"Despite the economic downturn the Unova Region will inevitably face, the sacrifice is well worth it since it'll make the transition between the League government and the Plasma one smoother. The Unova Region will recover with time."

"But why destroy it in the first place?" N demanded. "I blindly followed you because I believed we were ultimately helping the Pokemon. I thought we'd create a world where Pokemon and people could live equally under the law, but you only planned on using them like tools just like the League does."

Ghetsis chuckled darkly, "Is that really all you can still see N? The only problem with the League is that they use Pokemon as weapons? I'd have thought you learned by now that Pokemon ultimately don't have a problem with being either captured or subjected to battle. Pokemon rights and liberation was only a front to gather more members and garner more funding for our objective of overthrowing the League once and for all."

"What is it that you hate so much about the League if it isn't the Pokemon fights?" N snapped growing angrier by the minute. "It isn't like Team Plasma is doing this for freedom by overturning the League's oligarchy and military system and constructing a republic. Your goal is to give absolute power to your new government or in other words, you."

Ghetsis sighed and said impatiently, "The entire premise of the League is having a bunch of trainers prove their merit and worth for leadership via battle, but because many of them ascended the ranks from endless years of looking after themselves and beating their opponents mercilessly, many of them are susceptible to corruption. Just look at the state the Kanto Region is in. Overrun by Team Rocket since dozens of their Gym Leaders and even their Elite Four members have allegiances with the crime syndicate. Their economic system is in ruins due to most of their honest citizens being incapable of competing with the underground black market that infests the area. The Johto League will most likely follow suit in the coming years despite their Champion, Gold, waging war on all Team Rocket activities.

"When I was younger, the Unova League was much like the Kanto League is today. Team Rocket was just a budding and growing organization, but all the young people along with several of the League members joined when they saw how profitable it was to be a member. Team Plasma was formed to stop not only Rocket activities, but create a better system where borders could be regulated more heavily, citizens wouldn't have access to Pokemon so that they could form crime syndicates, and we'd have a leader that inspired both hope and fear to keep the Unovans loyal to the new government."

N shook his head and said scathingly, "Keep them loyal? More like keep them in line and in fear. Besides, a monarchy will only work for so long since one corrupt king or queen is enough to destroy an entire Region. Just look at what the two kings did to the Unova Region."

Ghetsis smiled slightly and said, "Yes, your kind do have a tendency to wipe out entire civilizations when they disagree with each other, but that problem only exists when there's more than one royal around to lead. With your abilities to summon the very gods, Team Plasma's new government will not merely be a monarchy rather it'll be a theocracy. It'll establish peace while recreating the old order of the Celestas, but this time, the Harmonias will be at the head of it."

"So that's how you justify torture and murder?" N hissed. "Your own soul for a flowery future that most likely will never happen?"

"I only kill and have others tortured when it serves a purpose," Ghetsis said softly. "Which brings me back to the reason I summoned you here. You see, the Shadow Triad have finally been able to locate your sister, Concordia."

N stiffened and whispered, "She doesn't have anything to do with this! She's just… worried about me. Leave her out of this."

Ghetsis sighed and said, "I'm afraid your dear sister has everything to do with this. She's already tried contacting you through your dreams, and if she's anything like her mother, the little wretch won't stop searching for you until she finds you. Especially since Concordia is nowhere near as reasonable as Anthea is."

"What do you mean by that?" N said as a cold, empty feeling began to well inside of him, the same as it had back on Thumb Pier near Castelia Sewers. "What did you do to Anthea?"

Ghetsis' smirk grew as his red eye glinted malevolently, and said, "Why, absolutely nothing. Anthea and I had a nice conversation about her unfortunate situation of being your effectual slave." Ghetsis then walked around his desk where he tapped something on his monitor and said, "In fact, you can watch the whole thing."

Ghetsis then brought up an image that filled the back monitors, and N saw Anthea standing there in her pajamas looking terrified. N silently listened to the conversation between his father and his sister and could only watch in shame as he saw Anthea's expression of grief and fatigue. Again, the same empty, hollow feeling filled his soul and seemed to be physically ripping his heart in half as he saw Anthea break down in tears when Ghetsis mentioned that N hadn't told her he loved her when they were reunited. N sank to his knees and placed a hand on his chest from the pain as the words his father used against him lashed painfully deep since every single word was true. It was painful to hear her disavow him, but he knew he deserved every word of it for abandoning them, for not even thinking about them, for losing faith in them.

When the recording ended, Ghetsis walked calmly over to where his son was kneeling on the floor with silent tears flooding down his cheeks and said lightly, "Fortunately for Anthea, she's no longer bound to you and no longer a threat to Team Plasma, which is why I allowed her to return home." Ghetsis fought back a smirk as he said, "Now, she has a boyfriend that watches over her dutifully every day. I'm sure she feels more peace than she ever has in years. Not that it should really matter to you N. I mean, you did leave them after being reunited."

"Shut up!" N shouted, "You're the one that told me they didn't love me! You're nothing but a liar, an egotistical maniac, and… and a… a monster!"

Ghetsis then knelt next to N, and wrapped his arm around him, and whispered, "Look up." N weakly raised his head and saw that he was staring into the monitor, but this time the display no longer showed Anthea, rather both him and Ghetsis together right now. N saw his emaciated figure huddled next to his father, his short tea green hair appearing lusterless and limp, heavy shadows beneath his dull blue eyes which were still reddened from crying, and a completely hopeless expression. Yet, he still looked like his father, especially now that he'd grown over the last year and lost a lot of his more boyish features. Ghetsis then said, "You claim that I'm a monster, but look at yourself and your own decisions. I may have lied and manipulated you, but in the end, you made your own choices. Aspertia City, Virbank City, Black City, Nacrene City, all the places you helped us invade are part of your responsibility as well. You found out the truth that your sisters still loved you when Concordia was finally able to make a psychic connection with you, but you still ignored her and didn't stop until Ivory came. When the League came to arrest you, you fled to escape the consequences of your actions and pursue your own goals. Even your return to the Unova Region and suicide attempt was a means of satiating your hero complex and adding to your arrogant belief that you and you alone can change things for the better." Ghetsis brought N closer to himself and whispered, "You see N, you and I are more alike than you could ever realize."

N shook his head, and hissed, "I'm nothing like you. I've made bad decisions, but that doesn't mean I'm anything like you."

"But look at all the things we share in common. When you ran away, instead of hiding away in the woods like Anthea and Concordia would have, you felt the drive to excel at something which is why you went to college. You'd never be satisfied with the bare minimum life has to offer; there's always a drive to prove yourself better than everyone else, to make a difference in the world around you. You call me a liar but let me ask you how many times you've lied to the people around you. How many times did you lie to Ivory when you were gathering the badges? How many times did you lie to evade capture? I'm sure you're thinking that the ends justify the means, and I'd agree, it's why I lie as well. With time, you'd start to realize just as I have that there are some people worth hurting if it'd fulfill a greater purpose and help the masses. Ultimately, you're just like me."

"No!" N shouted as he wrenched away from his father and made a desperate attempt to escape through the office door, but Ghetsis had already gotten up and swiftly walked over to stand in front of the door.

"You can't deny the evidence that's plainly in front of you," Ghetsis said soothingly, his red eye sparkling with delight as he saw the emotional turmoil he had just started in his son. N continued to shake his head and silently mouth the word 'no' which only made Ghetsis chuckle. "Of course," Ghetsis said in a silky voice, "You could always prove me wrong."

N saw that Ghetsis had brought out his old void cube which he quickly solved and put each side in its proper place so that it clicked and opened up. Ghetsis presented N with the worn picture of their family, and said, "I would have never been able to let your mother go." N watched as he saw true remorse shadow Ghetsis' expression for a brief moment before he continued, "When she left with you all those years ago, I was sad and frankly, infuriated. She too was key to my plans, but more than that, I loved her. I never lied to you when I said she was the only woman I ever loved," Ghetsis sighed as he looked at the picture before folding it back into the void cube, "but because I refused to let her go, I ended up losing her completely."

Ghetsis then brought out another picture, but this time it was a picture of N when he was about three being held by a blonde teenager and her little pink haired sister. Anthea and Concordia. "I would never break a bond with Concordia and let her go free. Despite knowing that my actions were causing her suffering and putting her in danger, despite knowing that she wanted to move on with her life, despite not caring about her unless it was convenient for me, I still wouldn't let her go."

N shook his head and grabbed the picture despite the sharp pain he felt from his wrist as he did so. He clung to the picture and said, "You're wrong. I would let Concordia go in an instant if it meant she could be safe and happy."

Ghetsis smirked dangerously and whispered in almost a hiss, "Then prove it." Ghetsis then took on a more condescending tone as he said, "I mean, do you really think you could live up to the dogma of liberating the enslaved Pokemon like you can with your indentured sister? Concordia really is nothing more than a Lillipup tied to her estranged brother. The poor girl is so bogged down by rituals and traditions that she can't see there's a possibility for a better life without you in it."

"I'm not a selfish monster like you!" N shouted. "I love Concordia, and I won't have her risk her life for me when she could be free. I don't want her to be bonded to me! I never asked her to do any of that, and I'd break that bond now for her sake." In response to this, N felt his body violently shake and felt the same physical pain he'd felt before.

Ghetsis noticed this and said, "If you really mean it, you'll have to sever your connection with her completely. The part of you that's giving her your energy. Only by doing this will you set Concordia free."

Without a moment's hesitation, N focused on the energy welling inside him and the stream of power leaving from himself to Concordia. As he did so, he felt a rush of memories with her telling him stories about the Celestas, her giving him a portion of her food during the long winter months in Discordian Wood, and her worrying over him when he'd been away in the woods for so long. He felt the rush of love she had for him even in the face of being held captive by Team Plasma. That love for him still burned, even after all the hurt she'd felt from him leaving so suddenly.

"N," Concordia projected through the connection they had together. N focused on that, and as he did, he could have sworn he could really see her in his mind's eye. She looked just as she did in his dream, but this time slightly more blurred. Concordia could apparently see him as well, because her face lit up and she gently embraced him which oddly felt real and warm despite it all being in his mind. "N! I'm so happy to see you, there's so much I need to tell you!"

N turned away from her and said, "I'm so sorry for everything I put you through… I'm sorry for all the pain that I've caused you."

"N that's alright. I'll always love you," Concordia said while gently moving a strand of his green hair which felt so real, he could have sworn it happened in real life. "It isn't your fault that this is happening to you. It's Ghetsis who's doing this all to you."

"No Concordia, it is my fault," N said still looking away from her. "If I hadn't left, none of this would have happened." N finally gathered the courage to look at his sister who was watching him anxiously, "At least this can make up for it."

"N what do you mean?" Concordia asked with fear creeping into her voice.

"This is for your own good," N whispered. "I no longer need you to serve me, you're free now Concordia… liberated, I guess. You'll never have to think about me again… because I… I don't deserve it."

Concordia looked mortified and she screamed, "No! N you don't understand-" but N had already cut off their psychic link and with it effectively severed the line of energy flowing to Concordia.

N felt more nauseated, colder, and emptier than he'd ever felt before. With his conscious mind now back in Ghetsis' office, he collapsed onto the floor where he felt the painful rush of energy now pulsating uncomfortably inside of him. The last thing he saw before his vision faded into darkness was Ghetsis smiling triumphantly over him.

"Concordia! Concordia!" Grace cried as she watched her friend drop her fighting stick to the dirt floor of the arena before collapsing entirely. The Gardevoir ran over to the fallen figure and shook her shoulder several times while shouting her name. When she couldn't elicit any response from Concordia, Grace swiftly cradled her in her arms and teleported away from the training area and into the halls of a white castle with ornate tapestry and paintings decorating the walls. Grace carried Concordia down a hall to pearly white doors and barged inside without even bothering to knock.

Inside were several humans and Pokemon all gathered around a map of what appeared to be the Unova Region. They all looked up when she entered, but Grace's eyes were only focused on the middle-aged man with wavy blond hair and gray-blue eyes. He certainly stood out from the other Celestas since his outfit was the most luxurious of them all. "Your Majesty," Grace said as she was stepping towards him, "Concordia… she… she…"

Grace didn't have to continue as the king stepped towards them and immediately a golden aura seemed to encompass him as he laid his hand on Concordia's clammy forehead. He focused as much energy on her as she could before Concordia's eyes flew open and she coughed uncontrollably, and her body visibly shook. She looked up into the king's eyes and whispered, "Your Majesty, it-" again she coughed violently into her hand, and when she withdrew it, she saw that it was stained red from blood. "My bond it-" again violent coughing.

"Her condition is much worse than the other one," a Slowking who had hurriedly walked over to her said. "Even with your energy helping sustain her, she's still… dying…"

"Her bond with the boy was much stronger than Anthea's," King Jonathon said softly as he took Concordia's limp figure into his own arms. "Mine must feel foreign to her… and it certainly isn't enough." He looked up at Grace who was anxiously watching Concordia's pale complexion become increasingly contorted and sweaty from pain. "Get Barrion in here right away."

A young woman with platinum blonde hair also stepped out from the group of Celestas and she too began pulsating golden energy. "Hold on Concordia," she whispered as she took hold of Concordia's hand.

Concordia shuddered again and coughed, "It wasn't his… fault… your Majesty, Lady Ava… he… he… he thought he was protecting me." Concordia looked up into the older man's blue eyes and whispered, "Please… I know he didn't mean to hurt me…" she had another coughing bought, "Please when you see him, tell him I love him, and that this wasn't his fault."

"You'll be able to tell him that in person," Lady Ava insisted. Grace teleported back into the room with a boy with spiky black hair who took one look at the situation before he too began to glow and also took a hold of her other hand.

"When… Anthea wakes up… tell her… I love her… and I'm sorry… I'm sorry… that I couldn't stop any of this," Concordia whispered tears streaming down her face.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," the king said gently. "You served to the best of your ability, and for that we thank you."

Barrion's eyes widened when he heard this, and he shook his head and angrily said, "Stop talking like this. She isn't dead! Concordia stop acting like this is your last will and testament. You're going to make it."

Concordia smiled a little, and whispered, "Thank you all… thank you… for showing me… that I have a place where I belong… a family…"

The Celestas all bowed their heads slightly as they heard Concordia's last ragged breaths and the king felt her body go limp in his arms. "May Mesprit, Azelf, and Uxie guide your spirit to the Hall of Origin to dwell eternally with Arceus," King Jonathon said quietly.

The only one that didn't bow his head was Barrion who was shaking his head angrily, "No! She can't just die like this," He pent up his energy, and in his rage, Barrion sent out a blast of energy which toppled over several chairs and even the Celestas while bursting the windows open.

"Barrion control yourself," the king said sharply. He took a deep breath and said, "Riley now knows exactly where this Team Plasma is, we'll finally be able to attack them on our grounds."

"It will not be that simple, your Majesty," A voice called from the corner. The entire royal counsel turned to the lone Xatu who was standing and staring fixatedly at a blank wall. "Now that the future where all the bonds have been broken, the possible futures now only include death. At best only thousands will die, worse millions, and worst either Team Plasma will begin a reign of tyranny using the power of the Celestas," the Xatu's head then cocked to the side, the first real sign of life, "Or all of Unova will be covered in ice."

A/N: If you guys hate Ghetsis, please raise your hand through reviews! I almost didn't have Concordia dying even though I had planned it because I was like, I've got so much death already, but um… yeah. Poor N. He has PTSD and mental breakdowns from just his time at Team Plasma, imagine what he'll be like when he finds out about Concordia.