Pokemon Retold: Hidden Grottos will include one-shots that span the entirety of the Pokemon Retold series. Naturally, since Black and Black 2 are the only ones complete right now and Ultra Sun is underway, you can expect for a while that these first ones will involve the Black/Black 2 crew and maybe some Ultra Sun ones, but eventually, they'll involve ones from all of them. Each chapter will have its own plot, warnings/notes, etc. In general, these one-shots are rated T, but a few have forced me to rate the entire story M. Each one-shot will have a small blurb of info at the beginning including the timeline (where it took place in the universe), the setting (what region/area it's in), Notes (sort of describes what content the one-shot has), Characters (what characters are involved), Prerequisite Reading (what Retold stories you'll need to have read to understand the one-shot).
These oneshots are designed to be read after their respective Pokemon Retold counterparts. If you haven't read them, these probably won't make sense... But you're of course still welcome to read anyway.
Some of these one-shots include themes of mental illness, addiction, racism, abuse, ableism, non-consensual acts, some violence, some death, and some references to sex/sex. While these are generally not the primary focus of the story, are not meant to shock or harm people, and there are tags warning you prior to reading the one-shot, these themes may understandably upset or offend some readers. If you are aware such topics disturb you, I recommend reconsidering reading these stories.
Also, if you have anything against LGBTQA+ topics or people, please stay very far away from me and my stories.
The Right Side of History
An Opelucid citizen that survived the Battle for Opelucid arrives at the Pokémon League, demanding to see N, or for them to explain to him why the former 'King' of Team Plasma is helping lead Unova. N learns of the event through Zeshi/his Zoroark.
Timeline: 6 months after the end of Black 2.
Setting: Unova
Notes: Fluff & mild angst, male/male romance (…sort of? It's very very fluffy and they aren't actually a thing yet. I am not sorry)
Characters: N, Hil, Nathan (Nate), Zeshi, Noodle
Prerequisite Reading: Black, Black 2
"You need to leave, sir. I'm sorry, but you can't see Consul N." Nathan felt like ripping all his hair out as he stood in the dusty plains in front of the Pokémon League, trying to calmly address the irate man ahead of him. It was about five in the evening, and although that wasn't late, it certainly felt too late to be dealing with this… Even so, with his annoyance at the disturbance, he knew he couldn't react but with so much vitriol. Uncomfortably, he recognized that this man's motivation was far from unreasonable, but even more than that, he was the new Champion of Unova. He supposed having his pokémon threateningly send a civilian away would definitely not look good, and he had never really seen the critical side of Hil or N. He wasn't too keen on figuring out what having them come down on him might feel like, considering the ferocity in which he had seen Hil fight Ghetsis, or N's fierceness during his speech addressing all Unova.
"And why the hell not?" the burly man with oily, slick hair hissed, fists shaking at his sides. A Fraxure at his side lowered its head and growled at Zeshi, a Zoroark now, directly next to Nathan. Still, the burly man ranted on. "Those bastards destroyed my home! They took everything from me! Now, you've got their old 'King' sitting up there! Was Iris off her meds when she did this?!"
Wincing, Nathan drew in a sharp breath as he caught the implication in the way the man's eyes watered and his voice tremored. He had already had a hunch that was why the man was so upset, but that convinced him of it. There hadn't been that many human casualties in the Battle for Opelucid, all things considered, but the effects were still rippling throughout Unova even months and months later. The frozen city had dethawed not long after the Frigate's destruction (and with the help of some Fire-types, which were finally able to make headway against the previously indestructible ice), and as those that were able and willing moved back in and life started to go back to some semblance of normal there, some of those aftershocks were still coming to a head.
Yet, Nathan didn't appreciate the way this man was projecting his anger onto N. Everyone across the country just about knew N's story at this point, and while it was true, not everyone believed his innocence entirely and quite a few were angry about his position of power, many had a hard time arguing that he was a poor leader for it. N had already encouraged sweeping changes that made the lives of people and pokémon alike better; for example, suggesting a way to standardize travel so less Flying-types were kept and used solely for transportation only, resulting in the adoption of a 'Ride' system he had apparently seen in a different region. Nathan felt N didn't deserve such unkind words even if just for his character alone, and Nathan knew how unfulfilling, how unsatisfying, it was to just offload one's anger onto others and use them as verbal punching bags. It was less a coping mechanism and more of a method of personal maintenance, requiring repeated, cruel diatribes in order to keep oneself happy, comparable to brushing one's teeth… with an old, frayed toothbrush and expired toothpaste.
Nathan had learned it didn't look good on him, and it certainly didn't look good on this desperate, upset man ahead of him.
"Sir," Nathan sternly began again, stiffening his back and squaring his shoulders just slightly (though in his new, crisper attire, featuring a close-fitting black undershirt and likewise dark pants, with a simple, medium-blue windbreaker covering him, he could look quite intimidating if he stood tall enough), "you cannot speak to Consul N this way or threaten him. You're upset, and I get it, man, but… come with me, I'll pay for a Ride to get you home, and I'll try and talk to you some on the way there, see if that helps. Alright? I know you're just upset. I don't wanna get you in trouble. Let me help."
He was not thrilled about the prospect of riding anywhere with this sweaty, belligerent man, but Nathan needed to try to defuse the situation somehow. Zeshi huffed exasperatedly beside him and he wished he could have fallen suit. Then, in his mind, she all but laughed, I never would have been able to imagine you trying to calm down someone like some manager at a McDonald's dealing with a soccer mom. I thought you'd have just punched him by now. A smirk tried to pull at his lips and Nathan fought against it, wanting to cackle so badly at her remark, and wanting even more to ask her how she could have known about that stereotype as a pokémon… Did good ole' Rood like McD's? he thought to himself gleefully. Steadying his expression again, he reluctantly added in the back of his mind, …Don't tempt me. This guy's not far from pissing me off.
As if he could have read their minds, the man jabbed a finger at Nathan's chest (earning him yet another warning growl from Zeshi), and snapped, "I am not just some upset minivan mom you can send away with a coupon and a patronizing voice!"
"Right… I know," Nathan mumbled under his breath as he briefly looked down at Zeshi so he could fervently blink away his multiplying annoyance and disbelief. That would be too lucky, for me to be able to simply talk you out of here, wouldn't it, Mr. Man? Looking back up at this man who seemed intent on looking as much like a wounded, snarling animal as possible, Nathan stuffed his hands in his pockets and pursed his lips. Maybe I can show him why projection's not great… Grimly, and in a jarringly calm voice in comparison to the man's, he asked, "Sir, what do you want to happen if you were to speak to Consul N?"
"I… well… ask him what the hell he thinks he's doing up there, for one thing!" the man floundered for a response, flushing a little darker red in the face. Panting for breath, he huffed, "Ask him who he thinks he is or what makes him think he deserves that title, or—"
"And you don't think he's already considered those questions?" Nathan cut him off, still quietly, his arms crossing guardedly over his chest. At the man's Deerling-in-headlights stare, he licked his lips and nodded. "Look. I understand. People were hurt in Opelucid. Good people, good people with families, good people that had nothing to do with Team Plasma from Adam. Pokémon, too. Here's the thing: N didn't have anything to do with that attack. Not a soul except those aboard the Plasma Frigate knew it was going to happen. The 'captain,' of that ship, if you will, is the reason Consul N only has one eye and so much more." Raising his chin somewhat, Nathan shook his head slowly. "So, no matter what mean words you think you've got loaded for Consul N, I can assure you, he probably asks and says so much worse to himself on the daily. He was tricked into helping an organization that turned into a terrorist group hellbent on destroying the country and everyone in it," Nathan drew out the words in the final sentence for emphasis. "Do you really think he hasn't thought about this, agonized over it, even? That he thinks he's there because he deserves it? Consul N is there because Iris believed he could help Unova grow and heal, because Consul Hil and I believe the same."
"I…" the man stammered and trailed off, frustratedly fighting to find something else to say.
Nathan spoke before he got the chance. "More than that, does this make you feel better? To have trudged all the way here to the League, pissed off and tired, just to yell at someone else and make them feel bad? Does that make you feel good, to know you have power over another with your words and that you can hurt them? Would the people you lost in Opelucid be proud of this?"
Nathan knew he was being a little harsh, but that was the point. This lesson was too important to waste on subtlety, and he wasn't good at that, anyway. There was a reason he was considered the commander-in-chief, a battler, and typically did not engage with visitors unless they were challenging him. The only reason he was handling this one was that the man had, at first, ventured into the Pokémon League's Pokémon Center, shouting vague threats regarding Consul N to Nurse Joy. Naturally, threats against a Consul had required Nathan to handle the situation, and although he had been ready to have the man arrested at first out of caution and because such threats were technically highly illegal… as he had walked the man out of the Center to talk with him more, it had been painfully clear that the man had no intentions of actually harming Consul N or the Pokémon League, and Nathan had cursed his internal softness as he had balked at the idea of arresting such a suffering soul.
After a short pause, Nathan sighed, sternly repeating himself, "So, again, I ask you. Can I pay for a Ride to get you back to Opelucid, and we can chat on the way? If you leave here still shouting threats about Consul N, I will have to arrest you. I'm already going to have to report this, and you'll probably not be allowed near the Pokémon League without an escort in the future, but it doesn't have to be any worse than that, man. I want to help you. Let me help you. We're all just… here to help." Please say yes. Please say yes. For the love of Arceus, just say yes and don't be a moron. I'm here, spelling it out for you, why being so miserable will help nobody.
At last, tears streamed down the man's face and he dropped his head to his hands. "I'm sorry," he whimpered. "Y-yes… that sounds fine…"
Relieved, Nathan awkwardly shifted and nodded. "C'mon. Let's go."
It had been the dead of night when Hil woke to an intense pressure on his right shoulder. Grimacing as he slowly came to, he rolled his shoulder to try to buck the cause, and as his eyes adjusted to the dimness of the bedroom, he realized Noodle was curled up on top of him. Groaning in frustration, Hil uncomfortably wrestled his left arm from beneath himself and pushed weakly at the Serperior. "Noodle, get off," he grunted, "you're crushin' me, dude…"
With a careful look at him with those burgundy eyes, Noodle slowly slithered off Hil's shoulder. Gritting his teeth against the throbbing ache that nested in his shoulder, Hil yawned and sat up. Rubbing his eyes, he saw Noodle jerk his head to gesture to the other twin bed on the other side of the room—N's bed. The azure covers were tossed to the floor in a heap and he was nowhere to be seen in the room. Alarmed, Hil jumped to his feet and slipped on a pair of sandals haphazardly laying near his bedside table, snatching his Xtransceiver up as well. The shared house had been carved into part of the Pokémon League and acted as their joint home, and although N had expressed some anxiety at the idea of living there, he had seemed to adjust after a couple months.
Still, it was worrying to find his bed empty, as Hil had never quite woken up to find N gone before. The bathroom connected to the room was empty, too, so he knew it wasn't like he had just gotten up to use that. The door was ajar and the inside of the room dark. Heading out the front door to try to find N, Hil dialed his number on the Xtransceiver, Noodle hot on his heels the entire time. He jerked his head up when he heard an Xtransceiver ringing ahead, beyond the line of guards that stood steadfast just outside of their home (which was nestled before the champion's quarters, in a newly-constructed building just next to the long, golden stairwell that would lead anyone who beat the Elite Four to the Champion of Unova). The guards gave Hil a curious look, then their attention was snapped back to N, seated against the golden stairs ahead.
Hil thought to ask the guards why they hadn't said or done anything, but he decided against it in favor of simply jogging over to N. He still wore a bandage wrapped around his head, even still regularly changing the fabric, even though doctors had told him he had healed fine and could remove the covering. In his grogginess, Hil temporarily forgot he was approaching from N's blind side. So, when his thumping footsteps got closer to him, N scrambled to his feet and jerked his head sharply left to try to give his right eye a clear view of who was approaching him. Immediately apologetic, Hil paused and raised his hands in a show of harmlessness. "S-sorry," he meekly mumbled.
Still clearly breathing heavily, N swallowed hard and said nothing, just sitting back down. Hil moved so that he was to the right of N and cautiously took a seat beside him, straining his eyes to read N's body language in the darkness. Checking his Xtransceiver (and ending the call to N he had started), he realized it was two in the morning. Frowning, he tucked the device back into his pocket, and fidgeted his hands as he furtively glanced to N. "Hey… is something wrong…?" Hil asked, already feeling stupid, because it was quite obvious something was wrong based on the tension in N's form, or even the fact he was there and not in bed at all. Bluntness, however, got one nowhere with N… and Hil didn't like the idea of using bluntness on N, anyway.
"I couldn't sleep," N whispered as he looked up at the starry sky overhead. Noodle slithered up to rest his head in N's lap, and he didn't react other than to move a hand to slowly stroke the pokémon's forehead. "Zoroark told me something earlier… that Zeshi told her…"
"Yeah?" Hil pressed softly.
"A man arrived at the Pokémon League earlier today threatening me…" N mumbled, looking down at his feet. "He had lost his entire family in the aftermath of the Plasma Frigate's attack on Opelucid City… and he, like many others, wonders how on Earth I could be here, in a leading position, after acting as… 'King'… of Team Plasma in the past…"
Feeling a surge of anger that made his fingertips feel like they were on fire—oh, Hil knew what N was talking about and had been furious when Nathan had come back and told him about that—he nodded slowly. Just a good thing Nathan was here to take care of it, Hil thought bitterly to himself, because I don't know if I'd have so easily been able to keep my cool… He did feel a little guilty about feeling that way, as Hil understood the man had lost so much of his family, but Hil still found it difficult to forgive it entirely. He had lost his father, Amber might as well have been gone given how he refused to speak to her, and yet, he didn't go around threatening others. Almost rolling his eyes, he thought, If I handled Dad's death the same way, I'd have threatened so many people by now. Amber, Alder, the entire Elite Four… Shaking away the thoughts, Hil tersely muttered, "Yeah… Nathan told me about that…"
"I'll never stop being the King of Team Plasma." N had said it with such a note of finality as he ran his hands down Noodle's back, leaning an elbow against a knee of his as he raised it. "They're right… I was the King of Team Plasma. I… I mean well, but…" He shook his head, and with a tone full of contempt that surprised Hil, he spat, "Some of the worst things are done with the best of intentions. Even before finding out I was actually related to Ghetsis, I always noticed how I looked like him, and there was a time…" N's voice wavered dangerously, "There was a time I even wanted to be like him! Now, I match him, like some kind of twisted reflection in a pond, and I find out we're related by blood…" N slowly trailed into a choking voice full of emotion, one that indicated the tears he wanted to shed, "How differently can the solution to a formula be when so many of the same variables are plugged in?"
"N… N, no," Hil crooned in a cracking voice, scooting a little closer to him. Adamantly shaking his head, "No. You are not Ghetsis. You will never be Ghetsis."
Hil's heart broke at N's pained response. "How can you know?" N asked desperately, turning his head away from Hil pointedly. "How? I don't want to be a… a… monster… but I doubt he woke up one day and decided he wanted to be one, either… I was always so lost in what I hoped the world would be before that I couldn't see reality, what if I still can't see reality? What if—"
Hil cut his passionate, fearful rant off by wrapping an arm around him and pulling him close. Although N's back went stiff as a board at first, he soon relaxed as Hil spoke, conviction steeling his words as he repeated, "N. You are not Ghetsis. You will never be Ghetsis. You're not a monster. You aren't lost." Rubbing N's shoulder reassuringly, Hil swallowed hard against a stormy feeling taking refuge in his chest. As much as this was making him tremble with sympathy for N, as much as he just wanted to hug N and tell him it was okay until he no longer was so fearful, a much more fierce, almost violent sensation had rippled down his spine.
The burning, protective desire didn't fade, but Hil found it wasn't a discomforting sensation to have as he tried to soothe N, to talk him down. Shaking his head, Hil insisted, "You're not lost, N. You know what reality is… There's Noodle, there," Hil softly murmured, lightly grasping N's right hand with his free one and moving it so his palm lay flat against Noodle's head. The Serperior trilled happily, and then Hil drew N's hand away again, clutching it tightly in his own. "I'm right here, and…" Hil trailed off as he pressed it to N's chest, over his own heart. N nervously looked down, then at Hil, with so much fearful tension. Motivated to keep going by N's apprehension, he kept talking. "You are right here. Where you are meant to be. You love pokémon. You're working to help people and pokémon live better lives in Unova despite Ghetsis. Despite him, N, not for him, not in his image, despite him," Hil explained gently.
Shuddering with anxiety, N suddenly moved both of his hands so that he was grabbing at Hil in any way he could, needily wrapping his right arm around Hil's shoulders and clasping his left to Hil's left. A streak of tears escaped him, and he just tiredly leaned his head against Hil's shoulder. "He owned so much of me for so long," N whimpered, "and I thought… thought that little room in his castle was normal… That all humans lived like that… I wasn't blind to how much I hated it, to how badly I missed outside… The floor was painted like a day's sky… Hil, he had them paint the floors so that it looked like the sky… There was a time, when I was far younger, where I wondered to myself if I just remembered the world outside wrong, and the sky was actually the ground!" N almost wailed, shaking Hil slightly in a frustrated moment. "I… I thought that was chalked up to human cruelty, too… At least until I started to travel, and I saw more…" N dug his fingers in hard enough to hurt, but Hil found that he… didn't mind, so much, and then his heart bled as N sobbed, "He named that castle after me. He named my own prison after me, as if I had any control over it. Even when I was finally able to free roam it in the last six months or so, it was never mine…"
"Nobody owns you here, N," Hil whispered with conviction, instinctively pressing his chin gingerly to the top of N's head. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he recognized it as a loving gesture, one that he had only ever used with Church before, but he also distantly recognized this was far different from any time he had ever spent with Church; in fact, the idea of calling it romantic almost felt insulting, as if this moment were on a plane above that, more meaningful. In that moment, he felt that fierceness in his chest flare up and he almost felt as if he had been placed on that very Earth for this. Unlike so many days in denial in Church's home, never once did he think about wanting to flee, finding himself only determined to stay where he was more than ever. "Nobody owns you. Nobody ever owned you. People don't own other people…" And I'll do whatever I can to help you see that. No matter what… I'm just… so sorry that you need anyone to remind you of this stuff…
As if in agreement, Noodle nudged N's leg.
"I don't want to go back in that room," N whimpered, weakly pointing with his left hand back at their home, which looked uncharacteristically small from where they were seated on the stairs. "I… I know, like you said, I'm not… owned…" N's voice faltered as he said that, as if it were physically painful to utter that word. "I just… can't be in that room anymore tonight…"
"Then we won't," Hil said simply, rubbing N's arm again comfortingly. "Don't have to go in there if you don't want, N."
There was a long stretch of silence where they just remained like that, and Hil's emotions kept spiraling between that painfully fierce desire to protect, heart-aching sympathy for learning even more about what N had endured at Ghetsis' hand, and a softer, tingling sensation that made him feel so resolute in a way he never had before. When N yawned and still hadn't said anything, Hil gingerly asked, "Is there somewhere you would rather be?" I can leave Nathan a message and alert the rest of the League. As long as you keep your contact on you, it's fine for you to leave, N…
"I… can leave?" N asked in a ghostly whisper, slowly raising his head from Hil's shoulder. Moving so that he could, Hil felt another pang of hurt at the genuine shock in N's tone, at the horrible disconnect occurring in the other's mind. Despite Hil spelling out for him how he wasn't owned, it had apparently been so ingrained in him to believe he was that he hadn't realized he was 'allowed' to leave… That there was nobody holding him prisoner in the Pokémon League. "I mean… I can just go, like that?"
I suppose training out the thought that there's always someone above him is going to be hard, Hil thought sadly to himself. I had… no idea he thought that he was stuck here… We've been here for months… Oh, N… Although the plan had always been to eventually travel to other regions to learn more of them, Hil and N hadn't had such a chance yet; instead, they had remained in Unova the last six months to try to find their footing in their new, experimental roles. Yet, if part of that included traveling some to put N's mind at ease… "Yeah, of course," Hil answered, trying to sound a little more upbeat as he grinned kindly at the other. "Like I said. Nobody owns you, or me, even. You could go anywhere you wanted. What are they gonna do? Not like they have anything to worry about as long as you keep your Xtransceiver on you and the Dark Stone." Winking, Hil added in a snicker, "Who needs bodyguards when you have the god of lightning and ideals at your side?"
A hopeful, uncertain smile graced N's lips and he sheepishly looked down. "Do… you think we could leave, then…? Go somewhere?" He paused. "I… don't want to go alone, though…"
We. Hil felt that protective anger dissipate in his chest and take wing into something lighter, something that fluttered and sent a warm sensation from head to toe. "I'd love to go somewhere with you, N. Where to?"
"I… don't know," N admitted quietly. "S-sorry…"
"I don't mind a little wandering," Hil encouragingly pushed, not wanting N to feel guilty for that. He knew how awful it felt to feel one was somewhere they didn't belong…
"Okay…" N whispered. "Then… ah, let's get some things and… go, then?"
"Sounds great to me."
I woke up out of a dead sleep at 1:30am and could. Not. Stop. Writing this.
