N wanted to hide, disappear forever, never to show his face again. He was so ashamed of himself. After everything Ghetsis had done for him, raising him into adulthood, he repaid his father by running away into the forest, leaving him worried and fretful. And what for? Luna was excellent company, but if it meant facing Ghetsis' disappointment, then the times he spent with her were not worth it. They weren't.

He wished his thoughts did not sound like he was trying to convince himself.

N slunk behind Ghetsis as they strolled together through the bustling city roads. They had finished another speech, and a small but curious crowd had gathered around them when they had done so. People were starting to recognize them, and more importantly, listen when they spoke. But, while it did make him feel extremely happy that they were making progress, his father had become more protective over him than he ever had been before. When N had wanted to explore the rest of the city, Ghetsis had agreed, but only if he went with him. Even though his father was only looking out for N's well-being, he couldn't help but think that he might never experience anything like the time in Accumula Town again. Where he had met Luna.

Ghetsis turned a corner. N followed. His father scowled when a child danced by them, waving a pink balloon and giggling, but they soon resumed their walk. N tried to focus on the great sights to see, as was his original intention. The buildings, the people, and the blossoming trees that lined the paved streets. As they walked, however, his thoughts continued to slip into thinking of Luna. He speculated on which hotel she might have been staying in, or whether she, too, like all the others, enjoyed watching Pokemon injure themselves in the name of entertainment. She didn't seem like that kind of person, but why else would she have come? Most of all, he wondered if he would ever see her again, or, if, because of how he treated her before they departed, she didn't want to be around him anymore.

The thought made his chest feel heavy, like a cumbersome weight settling atop it.

His father's voice pulled him from his reflection. The city sounds flooded in afterward as a hum of background noise.

"About this… Luna business," he said, casting a sideways look at N. The lines creasing his face told him that his father still wasn't happy. "I-"

"I'm sorry, father!" N blurted out. "I meant to apologize, and it was wrong of me not to, and also to leave you behind such as I did. I am sorry, father."

"Do not interrupt me, my son. You should know this by now."

N's breath caught in his throat, shoulders slumping. "Yes, father."

"As I was saying," Ghetsis continued, scanning the city around him with eyes like a braviary's. "An instance like that shows me, while you are the herald that will free the Pokemon, as a person, you are still vastly immature. It is, therefore, my duty to continue to guard you and watch over you so that you don't come to harm from people like this Luna character. The world is an evil place, my son. You would do well never to forget that."

N nodded hurriedly. "Of course, father. You are right."

They continued. N worked to banish the thoughts of Luna from his mind, but each time he did so, an image of her pretty features crept back into his thoughts like a slow plague. He shook his head, trying to clear it. He didn't want to think of her. He did not want to. She was as evil as the rest of them. Her smiling face and cheery attitude were a facade. That was all they were.

A flicker of movement near the tree-line caught his eye, followed by the sound of snapping twigs. He turned, and so did Ghetsis, peering past buildings. N expected to see a startled Pokemon run out, accidentally stumbling into the city while fleeing from a predator, but, instead, a man with wispy red-hair was the one to step out. Dirt stained his formal attire, and Pokeballs hung at his waist. He brushed bits of soil and tiny leaves from his shoulders, placed his hands in his pockets, and walked forward with a confident stride.

N immediately recognized him as one of the participants in the tournament. He released the pressure in his jaw, realizing that he had been grinding his teeth.

"Father," N said, keeping his eyes on the trainer. The man was too absorbed in thought to notice N and his father. "May I go speak to this man? He is a trainer participating in the tournament, as I'm sure you've noticed, but I wish to see if I can change his mind about battling with Pokemon. Convincing a trainer would be a great step for me, father."

Ghetsis hesitated, then nodded. "Very well, my son. I will be watching."

N grinned. "Thank you, father." He left Ghetsis at the street corner, but he could feel his father's eyes on his back. N would show him what he was capable of, that he could be the son his father wanted and not someone who traipsed off to look at flowers.

N stepped in front of the man: King, he remembered his name was. He waited until they were close to one another, then opened his mouth to speak, expecting King to stop. He did not. The red-haired man walked around him as if he were no more than a telephone pole at the sidewalk.

N started, his cheeks staining a deep red. He circled King, stepping in front of him once more and clearing his throat.

"Hello," he greeted. This time, the trainer did stop and yawned as he looked at N, talking through a clenched fist. "Did you want to talk to me? I was wondering why you were standing there like a tree or something."

N pursed his lips. "Yes, I did want to speak with you."

"Alright. Well, listen, make it quick," King pinched one section of his clothes. "I need to get this washed."

"I was… wondering," N began, glancing over his shoulder, toward where Ghetsis stood watching. He shifted, standing straighter, and addressed King with more confidence. "You are a trainer. I have seen you participating in the tournament. But how can you? How can you willingly subject beautiful Pokemon like your zorua to torture? I try to understand, but I find myself unable to. Don't you see the pain that you are causing them?"

King scrunched his eyebrows, smirking. "What?"

"I am serious!" N exclaimed. "How can you not see?"

King chuckled, and then did so again, then again, louder each time until he doubled over, clutching his abdomen as his shoulders shook with laughter. The sound rang in N's ears. He clenched his fists, feeling his face burn hotter, even as King wiped his eyes, and his laughter quieted.

"Oh, man," he said, one last chuckle escaping him. "That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my entire life, and I've met some pretty dumb people. You are serious, aren't you? Wow. I didn't think I'd be hearing that one today, that's for sure."

N glared at him.

"Listen," King said, shaking his head. "Pokemon are tools, not humans, so we don't treat them the same way. They're a means to an end."

N balked. He could not believe what he was hearing. There were people that thought this way. They considered Pokemon nothing more than playthings to be tortured and abused. Bile rose in his throat, and his stomach churned as if he'd eaten a bad meal. Sharp, red pain pulsed through his hand, where his fingernails dug into his palm.

"Someone like you will never win the tournament!" N shouted. "Pokemon are our friends, not… not tools!"

King shrugged. "Yeah, alright. You can think whatever helps you sleep at night; it doesn't make a difference to me. And, seriously, calm down. You're getting all worked up over some philosophy. Stop trying to force it on others, then, if you're going to act like that when people don't agree with you."

N opened his mouth, struggling for the rights words to say, but all that escaped was empty air. He stomped away, desperately trying to save himself from further embarrassment.

Lately, shame followed him wherever he went, like a stray lillipup nipping at his heels. Why did nothing work? What was he doing wrong? All he knew for certain was that King would not win the tournament. Not someone like that. Not someone who believed what he did.

It was with slumped shoulders that he came back to Ghetsis. He didn't look up at his father, but he knew; he could feel the disappointment radiating off him in waves.

They walked back to their hotel in silence. I must be better. I must be.