Chapter Four – Darkness Falls

N, Cheren, and Rosa were all familiar with the person facing them, but it was N who knew him the best—and even then, it wasn't that well. The group calling themselves the Shadow Triad, of which this man was a member, was mysterious at best and obsessive at worst. As it went, Ghetsis had saved their lives—proof, at least to N, that the man had some humanity in him—and the Shadow Triad swore upon those same saved lives to serve him.

Their servitude went about as far as Ghetsis; N had some control over them when he was king of Team Plasma, though he suspected now that it was only because of Ghetsis that this was the case. When they appeared, which wasn't especially often, it was usually to do the bidding of some higher power, despite their own power being enough for them not to be followers.

N had used them several times to bring Hilda where he needed her to go, and he once appreciated their undying loyalty to Team Plasma. They treated him well, anyway, much like Concordia and Anthea. But, from what he understood, they had been particularly difficult for Rosa to handle during Team Plasma's resurfacing.

For the Shadow Triad to appear here of all places, though, didn't make much sense to N—or, at the very least, he didn't want it to make sense. Was it possible that Ghetsis had a connection to Hilda's disappearance after all? Despite N's protests, was Ghetsis the cause of this mess? And N had been so sure he understood his father…

No, he hadn't understood him the last time, either, or the time before that. N didn't actually have that much interaction with Ghetsis growing up in the castle. The others tended to him, and he would have rather spent time with the Pokémon, anyway. But the neglect that N suffered at Ghetsis's hands wasn't unimportant to him.

Still, forgiveness was a power—one that came easily to N. He was more than willing to forgive Ghetsis for everything. Even though the man had used N to achieve his own ends, he was still a human being. And though N saw time and time again through the Pokémon that came to him that humans were cruel and evil beings, he had to believe otherwise.

He had to… because of Hilda.

Was Hilda not proof that humans could be creatures that cared for and loved others? Was she not proof that humans could be beautiful creatures that respected all other creatures? She was the light in the darkness that made things that much brighter, and N recognized that and respected it. So, if she could show humanity, couldn't Ghetsis?

Even so, Rosa had a point in saying that Hilda disappeared before Ghetsis lost heart. But N wanted to believe that it was impossible.

To find the Shadow Triad here—or for one of them to find N, Cheren, and Rosa here—didn't bode well for N's argument. There was no such thing as a coincidence, which meant that the Shadow Triad was somehow connected to all of this. The probability of their involvement was high, much to N's chagrin.

"Greetings, my lord N." The man, whose mouth was covered with a black cloth—similar to the black clothes he wore—bowed to N. When he rose, he kept his eyes level and on N, making it clear that the other two were of no concern to him.

But that was not the case for the other two members of the Shadow Triad. Suddenly, N, Cheren, and Rosa were surrounded by the black-clad trio. One slouched behind Rosa, his sudden appearance such a shock to her that she stepped forward into N; the last of the three stood distantly from Cheren, but it was enough to make them all a bit antsy.

The first member that had appeared before them finally looked at Cheren and Rosa. "The gym leader of Aspertia Gym and the Champion. We know you well."

"Yeah, I know you, too," Rosa shot back, and there was movement behind the fabric covering the Shadow's mouth: a smile, perhaps. "I hope you're not planning on trying any funny business because I'm afraid that you're out-skilled. I, myself, have taken care of you more times than I feel like counting, so you best just tell us what we need to know."

"We were only curious of our lord N's well-being, nothing more." The Shadow Triad all stepped closer, but no one else backed down. Rosa put her hands on her hips, standing the tallest, and N couldn't help but recall how much she reminded him of Hilda. "Should he choose to return with us, we would—"

Cheren laughed. "Return?" he repeated incredulously. "Sorry, but 'Lord N' is with us. Now tell us what we need to know. Are you responsible for Hilda's disappearance?"

The Shadow Triad hummed in unison, and they circled to the right, each in front of someone different now. Cheren, though always confident, couldn't hide his discomfort, and even Rosa let her hands drop from her hips. The two glanced back and forth between the Shadows, but N kept his gaze on the one in front of him.

"Who's Hilda?" the three finally asked.

Chargestone Cave was particularly dry, which only helped maximize the magnetic properties of the metallic rocks within. N had only been here a couple of times, but he liked it—scientifically speaking, this cave was a rare gem. For the most part, caves were damp, but not this one. It made his hair stand on end, in a pleasant way, anyway. Electricity was a marvelous thing, especially when it appeared naturally.

He sat on one of the stagnant rocks, a Joltik rubbing its face against his foot. There had been news that Hilda was in the area, and he wanted to see her again. Of course, there was no telling when she might appear here, but Ghetsis's helpers had set up a Galvantula nest in front of the cave; once that was removed, he'd know she was here.

It wasn't of his own free will that he was here, though. Ghetsis was the one who wanted to find out more about Hilda. N was just along for the ride.

N dropped a hand near the Joltik, and it climbed into his palm. "Want to join me for a little while?" he asked it, and the Pokémon stared up at him with its four eyes. Its voice spoke loud and clear, and N smiled. "Thanks. You'll be a great help to me."

Surely once he found Hilda, the two would battle again. It would be the fourth time—after their first meeting in Accumula, they had battled twice more in Nacrene and Nimbasa respectively. Of course, now that she knew he was the king of Team Plasma, she was more than eager to fight for her own beliefs.

N stood at the sound of movement outside the cave. He squinted as light poured through where the Galvantula nest once was, and a figure walked through into the mouth of the cave.

Hilda barely walked three feet before two Shadows surrounded her. N asked for their help, too, even though they swore their allegiance mostly to Ghetsis. But they were nothing if not loyal; he'd give them that.

"… Come."

They pushed her forward to N, but she glanced between the two Shadows in a panic before even setting her gaze on N.

"My lord N, we brought the one you wanted."

He turned towards Hilda and smiled, but it was not a pleasant look that Hilda gave him in that moment. "What the heck was that, N?" she demanded, walking closer to him and pointing a finger against his chest. He liked how informally she spoke to him now. It made him think that they were somehow closer.

"Ah, yes." N continued to smile at her, not that she appreciated it. "That was the Shadow Triad, just now. Ghetsis enlisted them in Team Plasma. Apparently, they were the ones who prepared the Galvantula nest at the cave entrance."

He turned, staring at the magnetized rock not too far from where they stood. He could see the static electricity bounce off the floor around it, the little sparks making the ground hot around it. The ground was warm enough where they stood, too, but the soles of his sneakers stopped the tingle of the static.

"Chargestone Cave…" N reached a hand out towards the rock, and a spark jumped between his hand and the stone. It didn't hurt badly. "I like this place. Formulas express electricity and its connection to Pokémon… If people did not exist, this would be an ideal place." He paused and turned back to face Hilda, who listened despite his rambling. "You have been chosen, you know. Does it surprise you I said that?"

Hilda grinned, standing with one hand on her hip and the other around the strap of her bag. "Chosen? Well, sure, I guess so."

N nodded. "Of course. Such news should be a surprise." He glanced down, where the Joltik he befriended was circling around his feet. "I told Ghetsis about you and your friends. After I did, he apparently used the Shadow Triad to find out about you. Cheren is pursuing the ideal of strength. Poor Bianca has faced the sad truth that not everyone can become stronger." Hilda's grip tightened uncomfortably around her strap. "And you are not swayed either way—more of a neutral presence. Which is apparently a good thing."

Maybe he shouldn't have told her that Ghetsis was looking into things, but he thought she had a right to know where she stood. Being neutral and average, that wasn't something to be ashamed of, and clearly she wasn't. It was more that the Shadow Triad's observations of her friends made her feel badly.

"That's not…" Hilda didn't finish her sentence.

"Team Plasma will be waiting for you ahead. Ghetsis wants to see what kind of Pokémon trainer you really are."

N walked away with the Joltik clung to his leg, and the hum of his footsteps on the ground served as a proper distraction from his beating heart. That was unusual. Maybe it was the increase of electrical forces here that stimulated his heart rate, but that would have occurred long before now. His face only began to burn when Hilda walked into the cave.

The Shadow Triad was waiting not too far into the cave for him. "Guide her to Team Plasma," N ordered and continued forward.

And that they did. N waited towards the entrance for Hilda, but the Shadow Triad was her guide and observer. They were to report back to Ghetsis at the end of today, too. N didn't particularly like it—he felt as though he could tell Ghetsis enough about her—but he didn't dare talk back to his father, even if N was the rightful king.

It didn't matter. The Shadow Triad would never know more about Hilda than N did—he'd make sure of that.

The breeze at the foot of the mountains had become stronger now that the sun had set. There was still an orange hue on the horizon, but it was too dark to discern one mountain from the next. Even the Shadow Triad blended into the background, though their white hair was a definite contrast—a little disturbingly so, in Cheren's opinion—that blew wildly in the wind.

"Hilda," Rosa repeated coolly, managing to pull herself back together before Cheren could. "Surely if you remember us, you remember her."

"Ghetsis made you find information about her, and I had you find her for me a few times," N offered.

A harmonious "Ah!" erupted from them, though it was clear that their memory had no fault. Whatever game they were playing, they intended on playing it by their own rules. N questioned whether their appearance here was of their own accord or by someone else's orders. The way the Shadow Triad was acting, he couldn't expect the latter.

"Hilda, yes, I remember her," one of the Shadows admitted, and they circled around the small group yet again. The one speaking was in front of Rosa now, and N watched as Rosa slowly slid a hand down to her bag. "Ghetsis had us tail her once before, years and years ago back when he still had his heart. She was the chosen one, was she not? But she really wasn't anything special at all, just a normal girl."

"Two or three years ago?" Cheren asked.

But the Shadow shook his head. "No, this was longer ago than that, back when our lord N was still the Plasma King."

Rosa grabbed a Poké Ball and clicked the center button, and an Umbreon growled when its feet hit the grass. "I'm sorry, but I think we're better off defeating these three than letting them go free, whether they have anything to do with Hilda's disappearance or not."

The Shadow Triad each moved back, but they moved so quickly that it was as if their feet didn't even touch the ground. N knew that they had mysterious abilities—they were hard to recognize, and one could forget they were there after even a moment. They materialized and vanished like wind, but it was unclear if it was a trick of the eyes or a true ability.

Three Bisharps entered the scene, their movements hostile as N sent out a Ninetales—one that he befriended not long ago—and Cheren sent out his Stoutland.

The battle was not a long one. Despite Rosa's Umbreon not having a type advantage, it was so overpowered that the type matchups didn't matter at all. It scooted around the field, taking down its opponent first and then moving on to help the next ally.

"Use Toxic!" Rosa shouted, and Umbreon spat at the Bisharp fighting the Ninetales. With a blast of fire from the Ninetales, and the poison it not suffered from, the Bisharp fell like the last, with only one enemy remaining.

Three-against-one, the last Bisharp didn't stand much of a chance, and there was some quiet snickering as the last Shadow returned his Bisharp. N and Cheren brought their Pokémon back, leaving Rosa's Umbreon alone on the field.

Rosa glowered at the Shadow Triad, but it wasn't long before they spread out again and circled around the three one more time. The radius was large—Cheren, N, and Rosa were spread out across the field now, but the Shadows stood fairly close to each of them. The Umbreon's growling would not cease.

"Lord N, it is our desire to bring you back with us." The Shadow in front of N held out his hand towards the green-haired boy. "Come."

"We need to know where Hilda is," N countered, knowing full well that he might have to make a bargain to get Hilda back, if it came down to it. It was the only reason that he didn't adamantly deny them, and out of the corner of his eye, he could see Cheren staring at him. "Do you have anything to do with her disappearance?"

The Shadows glanced at each other, and then the one in front of N raised his arms with a shrug. "Hmm." The small shift in the cloth covering the Shadow's mouth indicated a smile. "I don't remember."

"Don't—" Cheren's expression was murderous as he turned towards that Shadow, but Rosa recognized that façade well. "You—what have you done with her? Where is she?" His voice strained as he begged for answers, and he reached a hand towards the glasses that weren't there. Cheren wasn't the type to lose his temper, so pain led to heartbreak instead.

"Ah, but do you remember this?" the Shadow behind Cheren asked, though the question was directed only at the other Shadow Triad members. "We once set our sights on the gym leaders. The Striaton leaders were no challenge. You remember? We gave up on the other gym leaders because so many chose to retire on their own. But here's one right now, and he was an opponent of Lord Ghetsis's plans once, too."

Cheren spun around, glancing between the three Shadows, each of whom had gotten closer in seconds. He barely had time to reach for a Poké Ball again before the Shadow Triad ran at him. Rosa shouted for them to stop, and N called for Reshiram—but it was too late. They pinned Cheren, and the fabric over their mouths flickered again.

"We beg your pardon, Lord N," one of the Shadows said, and they were gone like the night, disappearing into the darkness around them.

Author's Note: Um, so sorry, I hate battle scenes so much. Forgive the crappiness that is that battle. Obviously I'm more of a… narrative writer than action writer. I clearly am trying to make my life difficult—first the third-person POV, now the battles… Silly me.

Poor Cheren. Didn't even know what hit him.