Chapter 29 Checkmate
Hil, Cheren, and Bianca had rushed after Brycen and found themselves in front of a thick swathe of trees surrounding a lake. A tower, crumbling and tilting perilously on its foundation, projected from the center of the body of water. Flanking them on either side, Professor Juniper and her father, Cedric, rapidly explained the situation. Brycen, on the other hand, had already rushed ahead, swimming through water Hil was certain was cold as ice. A frightening urgency hung in the air that kept his adrenaline pumping.
"This is Dragonspiral Tower," Cedric divulged, "and a large group of Team Plasma just broke inside of it!"
"We have reason to believe that the Dark Stone, what they need to revive one of the Ancient Dragons of Unova, is inside," Professor Juniper offered quickly. She hung her head and put her hands over her face. "I'm sorry I was so skeptical back at Chargestone Cave…"
"That's okay, Professor," Hil offered lamely and shrugged with a nervous smile. The anxiousness wafting off everyone felt like a gas in the air that was poisoning his lungs. He just wanted to wave it all away, make everyone feel better. He just wished he had a better way of fanning it away than lackluster humor. "I didn't really believe any of this either until teleporting ninjas started showing up, so…"
"I need to go in after them," Cheren announced. At Bianca and Hil's pointed stare, he flushed a pale pink and stumbled to correct himself. "We need to go after them…"
"I… don't think I'd be much help," Bianca admitted sadly. Cheren reached and squeezed her hand to reassure her. "I'm not much of a battler, and… I don't really like to watch pokémon get hurt… Professor Juniper?"
Both the professors jerked their head up at her call. In a brief, humorous reprieve, Cedric and Professor Juniper laughed at each other, and Bianca snorted in amusement, too. "Yes, Bianca?" Cedric finally said.
"May I stay with you two while they head inside…?"
"Of course!"
"Hil, are you with me?" Cheren asked as he turned a pair of hard, slate eyes on his friend. Hil took a deep breath and nodded. He didn't know what to expect from ascending this tower, but he knew he couldn't let Cheren do it alone. Almost selfishly, he enjoyed having Cheren desire his help. Hil had never been the one any of them ever turned to for help before. It was scary, in a way, but also thrilling… he lavished the attention. He hadn't realized how badly he'd hungered for it before then. Of course, he was a lot less thrilled about taking a dive in the freezing waters of Icirrus to reach the smoking hole in the tower's side, but as soon as he and Cheren reached it, Cheren released his Emboar and its blazing collar of flame warmed them up, drying their clothes for the most part.
Inside, Druddigon, Mienfoo, and Golett scattered at the sight of them. The tower rumbled unsteadily beneath their feet and water splashed from a hole in the tower's foundation. Noodle curled tightly around Hil's neck and nuzzled his collarbone. "Shh, it's okay, buddy," Hil whispered distractedly at him, rubbing his head. Cheren then brandished a can and sprayed it laboriously across himself and Hil. "Max Repel," he muttered at Hil's affronted look and wrinkled nose. "Will keep the wild pokémon from bothering us. They're clearly stressed out and might attack us as we ascend, otherwise."
There was a stairwell that spiraled all the way to the top of the tower, but floors occasionally intervened, and many were in ruins. In fact, the second floor was covered in broken, crumbled pillars, large and sturdy enough for the two friends to walk on. Cheren managed to pick out the correct path to the next segment of stairwell easily enough, but Hil was brought to a halt by a scrawny, but vicious Druddigon. Even with the Repel, it still seemed determined to battle Hil and Noodle. It seemed especially enamored with Noodle, flailing its heavy, scaly wings desperately in an attempt to rise high enough to bite at the Servine's tail. Offended at the attacks, Noodle finally slapped the creature across the face with a couple of vines.
"Hey, Cheren?" Hil shouted across the room from on top of a pillar. The Druddigon was nipping at the bottoms of his pants. "What do I do about this Druddigon?"
Cheren paused at the foot of the next segment of stairs and shook his head. "It looks freshly hatched, adult Druddigon can get to be as tall as you are. Don't mind it. It can't do any real harm. Come on!"
Listening to Cheren, Hil did his best to ignore the Druddigon and encouraged Noodle to do the same. Still, it followed him the entirety of the tower, even when he and Cheren had to engage in battle against a few angry Team Plasma grunts. They had nearly reached the top when the floor underneath them quaked violently, throwing both friends to the floor. An ear-piercing roar sounded above. A Sage from Team Plasma used their momentary disorientation to sic a group of four grunts on Cheren. Beyond him, Brycen was actively wrestling alongside his entire team of pokémon. In fact, there were so many Team Plasma members and pokémon battling, that Hil found it difficult to pick apart what all was happening anymore…
Overwhelmed, he stumbled back, away from the chaos. Cheren managed to scream above the discord, "Hil! You've got to get to the top of the tower! See what's going on!"
"Yeah, well, not without you!" Hil called back determinedly. He clutched all five of his other Poké Balls. "Since these guys aren't playing by the rules, neither will I!" With that declaration, he lobbed all of them. "Sleepy, Yawn on as many grunts as you can, don't let up! Roadie, get some Confuse Rays off! Lucky, Sand-Attack! Crest, Scald! Prada, Flame Charge, split 'em up! Noodle, Vine Whip and Wrap 'em up!"
His team went to work, this time, their attacks aimed squarely on the humans in question rather than the pokémon at all. Cheren and Brycen, stunned by Hil's method of assistance, fell back from where they had been battling. Team Plasma's pokémon seemed confused as their trainers began to fall, dizzied or asleep, to their backs, or began to frantically rub at their eyes. A few howled in pain as Crest spat boiling water after them. And, of course, Noodle kept too many of them from fleeing further up or down the tower by snatching them by their torsos with his vines and throwing them back to the center of the room. Even the tiny Druddigon that had been chasing at Hil's feet did what it could to help, and that was to chase the Sage and snap its jaws after his cloak as it dragged along the ground. The Liepard, Golett, Watchog, and Krokorok the Team Plasma grunts had been using idly watched as their trainers were incapacitated.
He felt a swell of pride as Noodle paused in front of a group of the Team Plasma pokémon and trilled at them. They all responded in kind, offering their own happy mews, hums, and chitters. Oh, Hil wished he'd have remembered to take a video. He didn't think he'd ever see anything so funny ever again. The biggest, baddest team in all Unova, and he had them running from a Munna, Liepard, Watchog, Simipour, Zebstrika, Servine, and a wild, hatchling Druddigon, all while the pokémon they claimed to be saving watched in amusement.
"Shows what kinda trainers they are," Hil said cockily to Cheren and Brycen, grinning in amusement. "Their pokémon don't care at all that they're getting hurt…"
"Good thinking, Gym Challenger Hil, but recall your pokémon," Brycen ordered flatly. He and Cheren had already begun to recall theirs. "Before you get too carried away."
Disheartened by his lack of enthusiasm for Hil's ingenuity—seriously, they'd have never been able to beat all of those grunts any other way, especially not with Hil's help had he fought genuinely—he did as he was told anyway. Once he recalled everyone except Noodle, he leaned down and patted his shoulder. The Servine squeaked a goodbye to his new friends and then bolted back to Hil, reclaiming his place proudly on the boy's shoulders. Finally, they were able to ascend to the top of the tower…
What awaited them there was a sight Hil would never forget. It made the amusement he had felt seconds ago suddenly seem like a long-lost memory.
The inside of this tower smelled of moss and algae. The floor and walls were damp and faded a sickly eggshell color. The flooring wasn't sturdy and bent and groaned under his weight on occasion. Pillars that once helped support the sacred structure lay strewn about the highest platform of the tower like fallen dominoes, the ceiling above sagging without their support. Directly ahead of N, his father waited patiently with a deep, black orb in his left hand. He beckoned for his son to step forward. A line of Team Plasma footmen behind him chanted the all-too familiar line, "Long live Team Plasma," as he did. Hopeful feelings from several months ago flooded him once more. From when he walked the length of the Throne Room back at his castle and claimed the title of King for himself. When he promised to create a new world devoid of messy moral gray area.
After so much time waiting and training for this moment, N was finally ready to raise the Ancient Dragon of Unova, Zekrom, from its slumber. His entire life had built up to this moment. It couldn't and wouldn't go wrong. He stopped just short of Ghetsis and dipped his head slightly in respect for the man that had given him this opportunity. Ghetsis reached out with his shaking, weakened right hand. He ran the quivering fingertips across the brim of N's hat and then stroked his soft, long hair. It had never been cut in his entire life. Yet another symbol of his purity, N had been told. Ghetsis' arm flopped back to his side ungraciously from the exertion.
"Today, Lord N, you prove you are the New Hero of Ideals," Ghetsis boomed. He clasped the Dark Stone into N's palm and then began to back away.
The stone was perfectly smooth and so black, it seemed to swallow all the light around it. In his grasp, it began to emanate a sickly blue that burned brighter by the second. A painful shock ripped through N's hands and caused him to yelp and drop the stone. It rocked back and forth in place for a second and then two pits appeared on the stone, and smoke poured from the new imperfections in its surface. Tendrils of blackness rose high to the tower's ceiling. N felt a tremor of fear as the smoke billowed and became so thick that the stone could no longer be seen. A horrible snarl cut through the stale air of the tower.
"Father, get back!" N shouted across the thick, dark fog. At a sudden chilled sensation, he glanced over his shoulder and was relieved to see all three of the Shadow Triad and Ghetsis standing just ahead of the footmen. He hardly had time to note that the footmen were staring in awe while Ghetsis and his Shadow Triad seemed unbothered by what was happening. Turning his attention back to the Dark Stone, a fiercer growl permeated the chamber, and the ground beneath them creaked and sank. As if sensing the structure's instability, N could just barely make out the creature ahead of him as it levitated from the ground, beating massive, angular wings against the air. They battered a few of the remaining pillars and part of the ceiling crumbled in. Sunlight beamed through the hole in the roof, a shaft of light illuminating the fog, and giving everyone their first real glimpse of the reanimated Zekrom.
Smoke still filled the chamber but began to leak through the roof. Through the haze, Zekrom glared back at the group of Team Plasma members with menacing, glowing red eyes. With every beat of its wings, wind blasted against N's body harshly, threatening to knock him to his knees. He dug his shoes into the ground as hard as he could and grabbed the visor of his hat to hold it in place. Zekrom's heavy body didn't seem like it should have been able to hover on his rectangular, leathery wings, especially due to the lack of feathers. Its tail was conical and sparked and flashed with neon blue energy. N was in sheer awe. He had no idea what to do next.
But he had to decide quickly. Zekrom abruptly stretched its fearsome jaws wide and let loose a roar that rattled the floors and walls. One of the few columns still standing shook violently and crashed to its side. Blindingly bright electricity arced from his tail and shot across the room. He was relieved when it fell silent. Too much longer and N worried his eardrums might have burst. He only barely understood what Zekrom had intended to convey by the ferocious snarl… Another 'pure' human… Pathetic! Here to claim my power as his own and use my hope against me! Nobody should have ever entered this tower! Leave!
Shaken by Zekrom's declaration, N held his hands up in surrender and sank to his knees, tears prickling at the corner of his eyes. Zekrom continued to growl even as it shut its jaws, fangs protruding from the muzzle. Frightful crimson eyes bored into N. "Zekrom, please!" N pleaded audibly, his hands trembling in midair, "please, give me a chance to speak to you… I can tell you are in pain… Let me understand…"
It's been eons since he walked Unova, and yet you smell of him somehow, Zekrom rumbled. It pitched forward in the air and bumped its muzzle against N's head. His hat was knocked to the floor. Baring its wicked fangs again, Zekrom added, He was like you. I can see you are pure of heart as he, idealistic as they come, but that made him malleable. It made me a tool. I believed in his ideals and fought to the end for him. Humans and pokémon suffered alike for his ego! With a vicious snap of its teeth that came far too close to N's nose for comfort, his blood ran cold as he swore the pokémon laughed. There is a reason what remained of Unova locked me away in this tower with no entrance.
N cowered then, cowered like he had never done so before. He had met plenty of pokémon burned by humans before and had always been able to heal them, but none had ever been as vicious or powerful as this. Beyond that, he had never expected this to be how the awakening played out… If Zekrom had awakened for him, then surely it recognized him as the Hero of Ideals? Why then, was it so angry…? He was the Hero… Lump rising in his throat, N frantically responded in his best imitation of Zekrom's growls, Please… I understand that you were hurt before by your previous friend… Humans often hurt pokémon… That's why I have sought you out, Zekrom… To solve the formula once and for all… to end the suffering of pokémon at the hands of humans… so that pokémon may live in peace. Thinking fast, he added, So that pokémon like you may live as you wish without having to lock yourselves away from humanity… What did humans do to you?
N knew the story of what happened between the original Twin Heroes of Unova and subsequently, their dragons. He just wanted to hear Zekrom's side of the story, straight from the Blitzle's mouth, as opposed to the version diluted by humanity over the course of thousands of years. Zekrom tilted its head and the jagged projection from the anterior of its skull bobbed from the force of the movement. The very end of it lit up in that spectacular, shocking blue. You can understand me. Even better than he did. How is that possible?
I was raised by pokémon after my parents abandoned me to die in Unova's forests, N answered, telepathically this time. Zekrom's growls were difficult on his throat and he did not want the members of Team Plasma behind him hearing what he had to say. This was a private matter between him and this upset creature. Ghetsis never did like it when he talked about what pokémon had to say, anyway… His father was being eerily silent, he thought fleetingly. Humans have not changed since you last were awake, Zekrom. Humans still use pokémon as tools for their gain. I have seen it in my friends again and again. The human in the cloak behind me took me in when I was still little and constantly brought me abused pokémon to heal… I have seen so much suffering…
But you are a human, Zekrom snorted. It raised its left arm and vaguely pointed at N. You are human even if you speak my language. You may be empathetic, and you may have the pure heart of an idealist, but you are still human. What makes you convinced you are so different from the same humans that beat their pokémon into submission? My old friend never laid a hand on me and yet I feel the scars all the same. One doesn't need to hit to cause harm.
I have nothing to gain from this, N begged. He didn't like the uncertainty flaring in his chest again; it was the same, uncomfortable feeling that his confrontation with Hil outside of Mistralton's gym had given him. It felt like he had eaten something unpleasant and knew he was going to be sick. I just… want my friends to be happy. I just want pokémon and people both to be happy and on equal footing with one another. I don't want to hurt anybody… I just want to prove to some friends that this world I wish to create for pokémon is the right one in one final stand…
I understand now. You are asking me to join you to battle with Reshiram. Zekrom lowered its face even further so that its eyes were level with N's. The gusts from its powerful wings destabilized him and N instinctively grabbed the pokémon's neck to keep balance. Realizing his mistake, N went to frantically apologize, but Zekrom merely shook its massive head and seemed to almost… purr? The sound was soothing and Zekrom vibrated pleasantly under his touch. The electricity dancing across its enormous tail died down. Your touch… I can see that you truly believe you are doing what is right. You have so much hope for this world… I do not like to battle Reshiram. We were once one. I miss Reshiram like a friend I've never had. I hope we can convince your friends that a world where pokémon are no longer tools is the ideal choice, without a battle that drags endlessly as my old friend's did… I want Reshiram and I to be one again. I want to bring Unova peace… to apologize for the destruction I once brought…
I promise, my friend, I will not force you to battle endlessly. Just a single battle against my friend and Reshiram to test which future is the right way forward for Unova, N assured Zekrom. Whoever comes out on top… that's the future that's right for Unova. I'm sure of it. And… I hope you and Reshiram, and I and the New Hero of Truths can be friends as well…
Once again, N had touched the heart of a pokémon that had suffered at the hands of a human. In that tender moment, N could truly take in Zekrom's form. Its voice, although N could only hear it in his own head, sounded deep and rich. The Ancient Dragon's body was rigid and smooth to the touch; the texture reminded him of marble or smooth brass. Angular, intricate patterns were carved in its skin. N couldn't help but to trace a finger across one such line. Unfortunately, he didn't have long to bond with Zekrom before he was interrupted.
"Lord N, we have company," he heard Marlon bark uneasily from the line of footmen behind him.
"N! Is that…?" Hil.
"We're too late…" Cheren.
N, a hand still pressed to Zekrom's neck, turned to face them. Ghetsis and the other members of Team Plasma had moved aside to allow them entry. Ghetsis had a twisted, lopsided grin, and watched the Hero and his friend enter almost hungrily. Zekrom raised its head to look down at the newcomers with intense scrutiny. Fierce, unaltered determination coursed through N now. Doubts were forgotten as he spotted his chosen adversary, the New Hero of Truths, and he raised his chin haughtily.
"How do you feel, Cheren?" N asked quietly. "How do you like the powerful pokémon that has recognized me as the New Hero of Ideals? The one who will help me pave the way for a new world where pokémon are respected?"
"It's amazing…" Cheren said breathlessly. Hil looked at him in alarm, and then back to the beast that now hovered menacingly at N's side.
"N," Hil pleaded through dry lips, "please… It doesn't have to be like this…"
Ghetsis, standing nearby, snorted at Hil's begging. "Who even is this one?" he asked wryly. "From my understanding, N, you only chose one Hero."
"Yes," N said in agreement. "The one with the Servine is Hil. He is not the Hero I seek. His friend there, Cheren, is."
The beastly black pokémon behind N cracked its jaws open slightly and a cruel hiss sounded. Noodle cowered against Hil's neck and sank as deep into the hood of his jacket as he could. Hil, reeling, shook his head rapidly. He no longer cared that N didn't see him as the Hero. Now, he simply wanted N to understand… Hil felt like he was the only one there that had even an inkling of what N was going through. Ghetsis, practically licking his lips greedily to his left, was clearly abusing N's nature for some personal gain, but N, who had been living nothing but that lie for most of his life, wasn't willing to see it. Hil felt like he was back in his home, listening to two people argue, unable to say a word to change the course of fate… drowning in silence… Except he knew this time, he didn't have to. Here, he had a voice, and even if others would try to silence him, he would be heard. He would keep trying to be heard.
"Cheren, the New Hero of Truths," N bellowed, "you must awaken the other Ancient Dragon of Unova, Reshiram, and face me at the Pokémon League! Zekrom and I are friends, and we will beat Gym Leader Drayden of Opelucid City, and then we will ascend to Champion! Then there will be no more battles that hurt pokémon so!"
Zekrom rumbled in agreement once more.
"Find the other Dragon…? N, where do I find it? How do I do that?" Cheren was pleading for answers.
"N, this is exactly what Ghetsis wants you to do!" Hil shouted above everyone else. All eyes were on him as he went on. "Can't you see? Remember! Who founded Team Plasma? Him or you?"
"Shut it!" N snapped at Hil. If looks could kill, Hil was sure he would have dropped dead right then. He had never seen such a fierce look of hatred from N before. It stopped him in his tracks, breaking whatever train of thought he might have had. In that moment, Hil realized with a pang of fright, N looked an awfully lot like a younger, lither version of his adoptive father. "You have no place in this," N growled.
More than ever, Hil just wanted to shake N and make him see sense, but silenced by him, Hil instead turned a spiteful glare to Ghetsis. "I hope you're happy," Hil hissed at him.
"Actually, I am," Ghetsis answered with a sly glint of amusement in his single visible eye. "I am extremely pleased with N's progress."
"I'll beat Gym Leader Drayden, I'll find the other Dragon, and I will face you at the Pokémon League!" Cheren hollered back at N, all but ignoring Hil's contributions to the conversation. "If it's a battle you want, it's a battle you'll have!"
Seemingly satisfied by that information, N dipped his head and a soft smile returned to his face. The tension in his form faded. Zekrom leaned down and N was able to bounce up and sit comfortably across its shoulders, his legs dangling in front of its chest. It might have been cute if the beast wasn't so fearsome. "Find the Light Stone, New Hero of Truths! Let it be a battle that Unova will not soon forget!"
Zekrom roared painfully loud again, and then shot upward, bursting free of Dragonspiral Tower through a pre-existing hole in the ceiling. Hil stared at the gap in the ceiling dazedly. Was he too late? Now that N had the Dragon-type pokémon he had spoken of back at the Ferris wheel, even if Cheren somehow beat him, would N be too far gone to be saved? Would he shatter like glass upon learning the reality behind the belief he had fought tooth and nail for? Would he be willing to listen to reason then? Hil wanted to believe more than anything that he could still save N… But what would it take? How far would he have to go? This never-ending hallway only stretched longer and longer, and the light at the end only ever seemed to fade…
A squeak, a hobble, and a click. Hil jerked his head down to see Ghetsis step in front of them. "Thank you both for witnessing Zekrom recognize N as the New Hero of Ideals," he mused. "Now, I'm afraid I must take my leave." The Team Plasma grunts nearby moved to his side and one of the members of the Shadow Triad appeared next to them. Hil briefly met his eyes. They were too dark for him to make out their color, and they looked so… defeated. Bland. Empty. Although the Shadow Triad seemed to follow every order of Ghetsis' to the letter, Hil couldn't shake the thought they, too, were used by Ghetsis. In fact, he was certain nearly every person in Team Plasma was fooled by him to some degree. Guiltily, he hoped he hadn't hurt any of the grunts downstairs too badly… They, like N, were likely just… brainwashed… After locking eyes for a second, the Shadow Triad member was gone, along with the horde of Team Plasma behind him.
Dreadful silence stretched on for some time before Cheren interrupted it. "C'mon, Hil, let's go back down and tell the professors what just happened."
Hil swallowed against a sandpaper tongue. "Yeah… okay."
Pressure on his ankle made him look down and he noticed the small Druddigon was back, nipping at it. Chuckling sadly, Hil leaned down and picked it up. He was thankful for the sleeves of his hoodie. Even as worn as they were, they protected his arms from the sharp, red and blue scales of the Druddigon. Noodle hissed unceremoniously at it, and the Druddigon returned the favor, nipping and snapping fangs after the Servine. Hil idly played with the Druddigon during the entire descent from the tower. It was insanely creepy to not see a single Team Plasma grunt on their way down, and he appreciated having something cute to take his mind off things… No wonder Team Plasma had been so good at remaining undetected. The Shadow Triad seemed to have almost limitless power, and the fact there were three of them meant they could get plenty done, fast.
After another unpleasant dip in the cold lake around the tower, Hil and Cheren gathered close to Cheren's Emboar for warmth. Professor Juniper, Cedric, Brycen, Bianca, and now Alder had been waiting anxiously for them back on the shore. Aloof to the conversation as Cheren caught everyone up to speed on what had transpired in Dragonspiral Tower, Hil teased the Druddigon some more, and smiled a little as Noodle seemed to warm up to it. He begrudgingly waved a vine in front of the small creature's face and shrieked in surprised joy as it swatted hooked claws after it.
"I admit, it bothers me to be taking orders from Team Plasma," Hil caught Alder saying when he finally decided to tune back into the conversation. "But I don't think we really have a choice… Cheren, I'm really sorry you got caught up in all this."
"It's okay," Cheren reassured him with a sincere smile. "It's… not exactly what I planned by journey through Unova to be like. But I suppose that's why they call it an adventure, isn't it?"
That earned him a few laughs. Hil normally would have joined in, but he wasn't feeling too giggly.
"Anyway," Alder sighed, "if we're lookin' for the other stone… The only place I can imagine it might be is the Relic Castle on Route Four. Maybe the museum might know something, too…" He turned to Professor Juniper and Cedric. "Can you two head to Nacrene City and call us if you learn anything from Gym Leader Lenora?"
"Sure, can do," Cedric and Professor Juniper answered in cheerful unison. They bantered a little afterward. Hil didn't pay that much attention. He envied their relationship, if he were honest, based on just the few short interactions he'd seen them have.
Alder glanced between Hil and his two friends then. He took a deep breath. "Bianca, Cheren, Hil, you three ready to head for Relic Castle? We're gonna Fly there."
Hil cuddled the young Druddigon in his arms a little closer. As Alder figured out who would Fly who where, Hil decided to catch the Druddigon. His Pokédex was quick to inform him it was a female that couldn't have been more than a few weeks old. Thinking in terms of human names as he tried to come up with a nickname for her for some reason, he settled on the name 'Shay,' for no reason other than it sounded nice. Of course, that brought his team members up to seven, but as long as he didn't challenge any official League matches while he had seven pokémon on his person, he knew he was fine.
After that, he was set up on Cheren's Unfezant while he and Bianca rode on hers, and Alder straddled the thorax of his Volcarona. Hil was not looking forward to the sandstorms of Route Four again… nor was he happy to be riding a Flying-type for the first time. Although Cheren's Unfezant was well-trained, he hated the heights, and expected to have his eyes shut the entire time while Cheren directed the pokémon, exasperatedly, nearby. Despite his reservations, off to Relic Castle they went.