Striaton City was a place of markets and shops. Of people filled with laughter as they went about their daily tasks. A ring of brightly colored autumns trees that danced in the wind surrounded the tall buildings of the city, and the land was warm under a sparkling sun and cloudless sky. N could not have asked for a more perfect day, which was only made better by a beautiful Luna next to him. If only she had not exposed the fact she was a trainer, even if it was to save his life against scolipede. If only the police had not captured Ghetsis. No doubt they had thrown in him in jail like a common criminal. If only.

Luna looked at him and smiled. She held out her hand, and N glanced at it reluctantly. She is a trainer. She captured Pokemon and abused them, the same as all the others. The wind brought the sweet, fruity smell of her perfume to his nose.

A chance. Maybe, for now, he could force himself to forget the path she had chosen. She was still Luna.

He took her hand in his, feeling her soft fingers. Together, they started down the city sidewalk. A cacophony of bustling chatter filled N's ears as they went, passing by a countless amount of people. N had his hat pulled low to shadow his face, and his hair stuffed under it. No one was like to recognize him.

"Do you remember when we first met?" Luna said through a smirk. "You walked into the store with such a confused look when the owner asked you what you wanted."

She giggled at the blush that bloomed on his cheeks. "Yes, I remember. I… have not had much contact with the outside world."

"Well." She hugged his arm. "It's a good thing, too; otherwise, you wouldn't have ordered the same thing I was eating. Maybe it was fate."

"Perhaps," he laughed. "Though, I don't think my father saw it that way when we met in Vertress City."

They turned a corner and came upon a large market square filled with the smells of an array of foods for sale. Luna turned to him and frowned.

"Why do you let him control you so much, N?" She asked. "You're your own man. Can't you let yourself be free?"

He shook his head. "He is my father, Luna. I cannot simply leave him; and he always knows what is best for both myself and Team Plasma. I must go back to him. If you will help me."

She poked him in the ribs. "Of course I'm going to, but he knows what's best for you? Come on."

He wrapped his arms around her waist, grinning. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," she said, snuggling against him. Her warmth was like nothing he had ever felt before. "That I think you know what's best without needing anyone to tell you."

She kissed him on the cheek. The fact that she was a trainer vanished from his mind. She seemed to him more radiant than the sun, and he never wanted to let go of her, not even if she was the most powerful trainer in the world.

"If only you didn't have to hide your face in public," she said.

"It is what I have chosen, Luna. Pokemon must be free, and in the pursuit of that, I have become a criminal. Remember, I…"

She put a finger to his lips to quiet him, then wriggled out of his grasp.

"What are you doing?" He asked, pouting.

She began to pull him along. "Come on; there's something I want to show you."

"Ah. How unusual."

She grinned.

She led him further into the city, weaving through the streets and crowds of people. At one point, Luna brightened like a small child at the sight of an ice cream stand. Since N could not risk having the people recognize him, she ran to the stall and bought something for them both. N thanked her profusely when she returned, but sweet treats were not what she wanted to show him.

After almost an hour of walking and chatting, which felt like no more than five minutes to N, they came to a winding dirt path that pointed away from the city. Birdlike Pokemon chirped around them as they started up the trail, flanked on either side by flourishing trees of vibrant color.

N turned to Luna, meaning to ask where she intended to take him when she took an entire bite out of her ice cream. N stared in horror; she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Luna… I may not be the most worldly individual," he said, "but I am sure you were not supposed to bite that."

"Why not?" She asked, clearly amused with him.

N started at his ice cream. Biting it? Surely that would give immeasurable amounts of brain freeze.

Luna laughed and patted him on the arm.

Ahead of them, a two-story building painted a light-green, rose into view. A white fence surrounded it on both sides, and N thought he could hear the laughter of small children. By the time they arrived, Luna had finished biting her ice cream, and N licking his.

"What is this place, Luna?" He asked.

"This," she said, "is the Trainers School. I think they've just about started recess."

He frowned. "Luna…"

"Trust me, N," she said. "I wouldn't bring you anywhere I thought you wouldn't like."

They stepped up to the front of the building. Luna smiled at him reassuringly, but he still felt hesitant as she opened the door and led him through. A golden bell jingled about their heads.

He stepped into a white-walled classroom with two hallways exiting to the right and left. An older woman peeked her head out from one of them, then laid her eyes on Luna and gasped.

"Hi, Granny!" Luna exclaimed. They ran to one another and hugged, so tight N wondered how either could breathe. Perhaps they couldn't, but neither seemed to notice or care.

"Luna," the woman said after a prolonged moment, releasing her. N stood awkwardly by the door, shifting on his feet. "It's so good to see you! So good! You're well, yes? Oh, how long will you be staying?"

"I'm fine, Granny, I'm fine," Luna laughed. "Here: let me introduce you to someone."

"Ooh, who is this handsome young man?"

Their attention turned to N. His breath caught in his throat, and he tried to use his eyes to plead with Luna. What if this woman knew who he was?

"This is Daniel," Luna said. "My boyfriend."

He blinked.

The woman came to him and took his hand, shaking it in both of hers. "Look how handsome! I'm Stella, but you can just call me Granny. Everyone does."

He smiled, blushing at her comment. "Ah… It is great to meet you, Granny. My name is Daniel, as Luna mentioned."

"Where are the kids, Granny?" Luna asked.

She released his hands and waved them through one of the two hallways. "Oh! Come, come. They are all out back enjoying a bit of rest from classes."

Luna skipped after Granny, ushering N to follow. He came beside her and whispered into her ear. "How do you know this woman?"

"I used to go to this school," Luna explained. "Granny is the teacher here."

"Ah," N said, falling into place at her side. Granny led them through the school, and eventually out into the backyard, encircled by the white fence.

N let the two go out before him, then found himself frozen in the doorway. There were children everywhere, innocent smiles plastered on their faces, but it was more than that. They did not play only with one another but also with Pokemon. Zoruas and lillipups, blitzles, and cubchoos. Dancing, jumping. Laughing. N could not believe his eyes. It was not what he had done, what he had seen, as a child - the Pokemon N had observed as he aged had all been abused or killed by people.

Many of the children screamed with excitement when they saw Luna. The way they hugged her, N thought she must have come to the school regularly.

"Why do you look so shocked, Daniel?" Granny asked at his side.

"Forgive me. I have never seen Pokemon so happy," he said. "It is… not what I imagined."

"Maybe that is the reason dear Luna brought you here."

N shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't know what you mean."

"I know who you are, N."

He stumbled back. He looked to the fence. That is why this place is enclosed. To keep me in. Can I jump-

Granny laughed and laid a hand on his arm. "Don't worry, don't worry. Luna has told me all about you and what a good person you are. She didn't want you to be angry with her, so she called me beforehand and told me to pretend I didn't know who you were. She should know by know how awful I am at keeping up a facade."

N breathed, unknitting the tension in his shoulders. He looked at Luna, rolling in the grass with the children and Pokemon, uncaring if her clothes became stained with dirt.

"I believe," Granny continued, "that Luna wished to show you that people and Pokemon live in a state of harmony, where both are happy. This applies to more than with children, N dear. The bond between Pokemon and trainer is one of growth."

"That cannot be true. As a child, I saw many Pokemon abused and tortured by people. I could never forgive that."

Granny sighed, and N could see a deep sadness in her eyes. "A terrible exception, but a reality nonetheless. Some of us humans are animals, but that does not mean we all are, dear N. Just as not all Pokemon are friendly. Do you believe the Pokemon are truly better off in the wild where they must eat or be eaten by another," she flicked her head toward Luna and the children. "Or in places like this one, where they are happy and are given food and shelter by us. They may occasionally injure one another in battle, but they are taken care of, and it is far worse in the wild."

Luna noticed him staring and waved him over. Granny nudged him on.

"Go on, dear," she said. "You've had enough of my babbling. Why don't you go experience it for yourself?"

"You do not see," N whispered. His heart clenched in his chest.

"What do you mean, dear?"

"You can't be right. What I am seeing cannot be real. If… if it is…" He swallowed hard. "That would mean I took a life for nothing."

"Oh, sweet N." Granny gave his arm a comforting squeeze. "What you did was wrong, yes. I think you know that, but you can be forgiven."

Tears welled in his eyes. His words came out choked. "Can I? Can I really?"

"Luna already has forgiven you. You must take responsibility for what you've done and understand why you made the mistake that you did. Only then might you forgive yourself."

She nudged him on again. Luna sat waiting while the children gave him curious looks. Perhaps they would not recognize him for who he was. Maybe he could… let loose. Luna has already forgiven you. Now it is time to acknowledge your mistake, then forgive yourself.

He jogged toward them. In the back of his mind, his father's capture was still there, but it seemed as though a distant memory. It was not as though he didn't want to save his father, but as he joined Luna, he left all that he had been feeling in the doorway.

For once, if only for a moment, he lived his life without a care.