Chapter Thirteen – Premonition

Alder called his dreams outrageous… worthless.

N knew better than anyone that his dream of a world where Pokémon were free from their trainers was neither outrageous nor worthless. He saw how beautiful a world like that would be. And if the Champion, a man made weak by the loss of his partner, couldn't understand that, then he had no right being the Champion at all.

It didn't matter anymore. N was the Champion now.

Hilda would be back there with Alder conspiring now on how to stop the Team Plasma King. If anyone could stop him, it would be Hilda, and it was fate that would allow them to come face-to-face one final time. It would be ideals pit against truths, and one deserved to make it through more than the other. Hilda had been chosen just as N had, after all.

N asked the Shadow Triad to take care of her and bring her to the inner chambers when she prepared herself. He wanted a fair fight. It was only right.

Minutes passed of N waiting on his throne for Hilda. He leaned his cheek against his hand and sat patiently, knowing that she would inevitably come. Ghetsis, at the very end of the hall, paced back and forth, and N eyes twitched back and forth as he watched his father. The man was uneasy for some reason.

"Ah!" he finally exclaimed, ceasing movement altogether. "I hear footsteps outside. She must be here."

With that, Ghetsis vanished from the throne room, and N sat up a little straighter. The moment had come—this would all lead up to a final battle between Hilda and himself, and he was eager to see the result. Once Hilda passed through that archway into this throne room, the stage would be set. There would be no choice but to battle.

When had battling become so desirable?

Her tiny figured entered the room, dimly lit from the hall behind her. But as she stepped further into the room, she was bathed in light, and even from where N sat, he could see her awed expression.

"What I desire," N began, "is a world for Pokémon and Pokémon alone. I will separate Pokémon from people, so Pokémon can regain their original power."

He stood up from his throne and made his way down the carpeted path towards Hilda. She stood tall and still, and her awed expression hardened into something more serious. He tried to ignore the way his heart pounded with his every step, but it was easier said than done. When she gave him that look… no, it made no difference. It was just the excitement of this whole day.

He stopped in the middle of the carpeted path and pointed at the girl who would be his opponent. "It's time to settle this once and for all!" N called down to Hilda. "My determination is absolute! I will prove the value of my beliefs even if it means my Pokémon friends get hurt! Since you've come this far, I believe you are equally determined. If that's so, prove it to me! Show me the depth of your determination!"

And she was determined, all right. There was power in her steps; it was as if the whole floor shook as she walked, as if the force with which she curled her hands into fists made the world around them break apart. The furrow of her brow darkened her face even further, and it was no coincidence that N's heart beat harder.

He walked, too, though not as fiercely as she did. They met halfway at the platform at the end of the carpet. They faced each other, and Hilda raised a hand slowly towards him; he turned and stepped away before she could touch him.

"You came all this way to battle me… but Zekrom is not responding," he noted, and he could see her hand move towards her bag out of the corner of his eye. "You haven't yet been recognized as the hero, have you? How disappointing. I actually kind of liked you a little. Through our many battles, I got the feeling that you might be a trainer who truly cares for Pokémon." He faced her again and shook his head. "But I was kidding myself."

"A little?" Hilda questioned, taking her chance and reaching for him again. She grabbed the collar of his white shirt and let her wrist lean against his collarbone. He ignored how violently she was shaking. "Only a little? N… through our battles… I…" She hit her other hand against his chest and then stepped away from him altogether, letting her arms fall back to her sides. "I actually kind of liked you a lot."

"The idea of trainers getting to know each other through battles is ridiculous!" N countered, his voice the loudest and angriest that Hilda had ever heard it. There was just no way she could feel anything like that for him—no possible way. "You have two options: challenge me to a fight you can't win, or leave this place and watch the birth of a new world where Pokémon are free of people!" He raised an arm above his head. "Reshiram! Come to me!"

The whole building shook for a moment, and Hilda glanced around in a panic. Reshiram burst through the wall behind the throne, and debris soared through the air around them. Hilda covered her face, only opening her eyes and lowering her hand again as Reshiram landed behind N. Fire erupted around them, and it was as if the castle just crumbled from the sheer heat.

Hilda and N stood close to each other as pieces of the ceiling dropped around them and as the pillars went down, but it wasn't the destruction of the room that held their attention—the sheer size of the dragon had them both staring.

"N…" Hilda began, but she was distracted as her bag started to shake. She reached into it and came out with the Dark Stone, which trembled vigorously in her hand.

"Your Dark Stone is…" N shook his head. "I mean, Zekrom is…"

The stone continued to shake even as it began to glow, and it broke free of Hilda's grasp and floated above them.

It was as if a cyclone had entered the room. The stagnant air began to blow, whipping their hair around their heads and dragging their feet across the floor. "What's happening?" Hilda shouted to N, and then everything ceased like all of the wind had been absorbed into the stone.

But the eye of the storm passed, and the stone erupted.

A black form grew from the tiny stone, landing and spreading its wings. And, as a challenge to Reshiram, when the great dragon Zekrom opened its eyes, electricity burst from it, and more of the castle ceiling began to fall. Hilda crouched on the floor, covering her head, and N stepped away from the falling rubble.

When things were calm again, Hilda stood back up. "Wow…"

"Zekrom and Reshiram…" N introduced, standing near the girl again. "They were once one life. One Pokémon. Complete opposites, yet the same. Zekrom and Reshiram are Pokémon that appear before the hero they recognize." He laughed, touching the tip of his hat. "Ah… I see. You really are a hero, too. I'll tell you what that Pokémon is saying to you. 'I want to battle with you. Try to make me your friend and ally.' It plans to test you to see if you are really pursuing ideals. I, also, am curious to see how powerful you are. Now, catch Zekrom and make it your ally."

Most of N's encounters with Hilda had been in battle alone—this was the first time he was watching her meet a wild, untamed Pokémon, and he was curious to see how she would treat it.

But even though he knew how she would act, even though he knew he shouldn't be surprised, he watched in awe as she raised a hand to the dragon.

"Please trust me," she whispered to Zekrom.

Watching Hilda become the hero—watching her be tested by Zekrom and watching her succeed—made his heart ache a little. For the first time today, N wasn't so eager to battle her anymore. No matter how highly he spoke of himself, even he was aware that against Hilda he stood no chance. And watching Hilda cradle the Poké Ball that now contained Zekrom like it was the most delicate thing in the world, he knew how the events would transpire today.

The world moved in formulas. One led to the next, and the way things were going, N saw the end result.

"Hold on," N walked towards Hilda and put his hands on top of hers. She stared at him in surprise, but once the shock faded, she smiled gently at him. "Your Pokémon are hurt. There is no triumph to be gained in battling a weakened opponent." N healed her team, including her newest partner, before rejoining Reshiram. "Now, I will create the future I desire! I shall sweep you before me!"

N lost to Hilda over and over. The probability of him winning here was near zero, and still he spoke as if he would reign victorious. But not even Hilda questioned this. She just nodded and let Zekrom do the talking for her. And already N could hear its voice—Hilda asked it to please trust her… and it did. It already did…

Reshiram and Zekrom had always been opposites, not unlike Hilda and N. So, why, despite their differences, did it seem like they belonged together?

The first hit came from Zekrom. Reshiram withstood it, roaring back at the other Pokémon. But they didn't spit words of hatred at each other. It was a challenge…

"Do you really think you can stop us with that?" N demanded.

He realized now why he kept bragging; it egged Hilda on. The more he spoke about winning, about being unstoppable, the stronger she got. She used his strength to fuel hers, and that had always been the case. Maybe it was something in his subconscious telling him to push her even further, or maybe it was just coincidence.

No, there were no coincidences.

"N, listen to me. I met Anthea and Concordia. They told me that you know trainers don't battle to hurt Pokémon, but your opinions are tainted from the time you spent here," Hilda cried. Her voice was strained and desperate, and N's fingers curled into his palms. "And they said that Ghetsis only brought Pokémon that had been hurt to be with you. You know this, don't you?"

Well, he probably knew that deep down, too. Hilda would never hurt her Pokémon… but from the start, it was always Ghetsis who encouraged him.

But Hilda didn't represent the majority.

Even though he knew the end from the beginning, this all hurt too much.

N shook his head, pushing Hilda's words out of his mind. "Is the world going to choose you—and not me?" he yelled at her. His last Pokémon, his oldest friend, a Zoroark that had been his friend for years, was nearly finished.

"It doesn't have to be a choice between you and me! We can face the world together!" she screamed back, her eyes squeezed shut in pain—in heartache. "Emboar… end this…"

Zoroark went down with a last attack from Hilda's Emboar. As it hit the floor, N felt as though someone had punched him in the gut. Knowing this might come didn't mean that he was any more prepared for it. The world chose Hilda—there was no "together". She was the victor, and he was the loser.

"Everything's ruined." His voice squeaked as he spoke now, and he held a hand against his throat. "The truth I held… the dreams Pokémon shared…" He paused and lowered the hand from his throat. "Reshiram and I were beaten. Your ideals… your feelings… they were stronger than mine, it seems."

"Nothing is ruined, N, and my feelings weren't stronger than yours—they were equal. I've been trying to tell you all along that we could do this together," Hilda explained, and N's gaze shot to hers. "I asked you to come with me and see, but you didn't. That was your choice. But you would've seen sooner that I am no more right than you. It's together that we learn."

His heart still beat… his chest still rose and fell with every breath… he was still here.

And Hilda…

Together?

"Zekrom and Reshiram… each of them choosing a different hero… is that even possible? Two hearts living at the same time—one that pursues ideals and one that pursues truth. Could… could they both be right?" he muttered, more to himself than to her. "I don't know. It's not by rejecting different ideas, but by accepting different ideas that the world creates a chemical reaction. This is truly the formula for changing the world."

Hilda grinned. "You've got it!"

"After all of that," a third voice interrupted, "do you think you're still worthy of sharing the name Harmonia with me? You good-for-nothing boy!"

And the grin was gone as quickly as it came.

Ghetsis's face had contorted like a snake rearing his ugly head at critical mass. He stood beside Hilda, and she side-stepped away from him, shooting a panicked look towards N. From what Concordia said, Ghetsis was the manipulator of everything here—he was the one who gave all of those broken Pokémon to N.

"To start with, I spurred N into pursuing the truth. The reason we reawakened the legendary Pokémon now was to givemy Team Plasma more power! Power to control the fearful masses! That at least was well done," Ghetsis explained, not without some sarcasm at the end.

He stepped away from Hilda and moved towards N next. Hilda, who always thought they looked surprisingly alike, now noticed how different the two were. N, tiny and innocent, did not cower from his father, but he didn't hold the same brooding demeanor as Ghetsis. The older man towered above his son, clearly controlling more anger than N could ever even have.

"After saying you had to put your beliefs on the line and battle to see which one chosen by the legendary Pokémon was the true hero… you lost to an ordinary trainer! There is such a thing as being too stupid! Add it up, and you are nothing more than a warped, defective boy who knows nothing but Pokémon…"

"Hey!" Hilda shouted. She could barely fathom the cruel words coming out of Ghetsis. "Shut your mouth! N isn't defective! He's a good person!"

N couldn't speak back to his father—he never had been able to. But Hilda… was she standing up for him? If Hilda wasn't there, N would have accepted Ghetsis's words—he would have believed himself to be warped and defective. But if Hilda didn't think so, then who was right?

"Hilda! I never would have thought the legendary Pokémon would choose a trainer like you! It caught me completely off guard." Ghetsis smiled at her, and it was enough to make her skin crawl. "This doesn't change my goal. My plans have not been disturbed. In order to rule this world utterly, in order to manipulate the hearts of people who know nothing, I will have N be the king of Team Plasma. But, for that to work, you—since you know the truth—you must be eliminated!"

Eliminated? But… N didn't want this…

The sound of footsteps approaching distracted all three in the throne room, however. "Cheren, Alder!" Hilda cried, and the two stood beside her. "You heard that?"

"Rule the world?" Cheren questioned. Now that three people knew the truth, what was Ghetsis to do now? Kill them all? "Wasn't Team Plasma's goal to liberate Pokémon?"

Ghetsis cackled, and Hilda's eyes flickered towards N. He shook his head at her. The poor boy didn't know anything about this, did he?

"That was just a convenient lie that I needed to create Team Plasma. Use your head." Ghetsis laughed again, the sound surprisingly demeaning. "What's to be gained from letting go of useful things like Pokémon? Certainly, manipulating Pokémon helps people expand their possibilities. That much, I can agree with. So it naturally follows that only I should be able to use Pokémon!"

"You fool!" Alder shouted. "That's a ridiculous idea!"

Hilda's head was spinning. Ghetsis wanted to rule the world… he used N—innocent, pure-hearted N—to convince everyone to release their Pokémon… just so he could be the only one to control their power? He was insane! Absolutely insane! And poor N had been the one to suffer from all of it.

She couldn't take her eyes off him, but neither could he look away from her.

"You can say whatever you want," Ghetsis continued. "A Pokémon, even if it's revered as a deity, is still just a Pokémon. Hilda, so what if it chose you? That doesn't mean you're a threat. Come on!" She finally looked away from N, just to stare into the eyes of the only defective one here. "Now you'll face me in battle! I can't wait to see the look on your face when you've lost all hope!"

"Hilda!" N shouted. He didn't want this. He couldn't let Hilda get hurt—it was all his fault…

Ghetsis held out a hand. "I won't allow anyone to stop me! No matter who does what!" he screamed, his voice breaking with every word.

"I'll be fine. Just…" Hilda patted her Emboar, who had already been weakened by N's Zoroark, and sighed. "Let me do this."

N was used to being terrified about what might happen to a Pokémon during a battle, but never before had he been scared to think that a human might suffer at the hands of another trainer. But he had no choice but to trust Hilda—if he wanted her trust, he would have to trust her, too. If anything happened to her, though…

If anything happened to her…

She would be fine. She could handle herself—and she did. Ghetsis, though strong, could not compare his strength to hers. Where N and Hilda had beliefs that were equally as strong, Hilda's outshone Ghetsis's evil plot. The fate of the world was on the line—no, herown fate was on the line—and she wouldn't give up.

As his Pokémon fainted one-by-one, the rage in Ghetsis's eyes grew more demented. Hilda would never admit it, but it scared her. Still, she fought on, and she would fight on until she won.

But just because she won didn't mean it was over…

"My calculations… no! My careful schemes! The world should be mine!" Ghetsis screeched.

"Give up!" Hilda cried back.

Ghetsis grabbed tendrils of his hair, and his small audience stared at him with wide eyes. "What? I created Team Plasma with my own hands! I'm absolutely perfect! I am perfection! I am the perfect ruler of a perfect new world!"

He had gone mad… absolutely mad…

"Now, N… do you still think Pokémon and people should be separated?" Alder called.

N was confused… he didn't want his father to win because he didn't want Hilda to get hurt. But… was it still wrong to believe that Pokémon and people needed to live apart? He grew up thinking like that. He spent years upon years of his life believing that separation was necessary. And the only reason he thought that way was because Ghetsis conditioned him to believe it? Because his father wanted to take over the world?

His head hurt…

Ghetsis, seeing the pain cross N's face, laughed again. "Since I couldn't become the hero and obtain the legendary Pokémon myself… I prepared someone for that purpose—N! He's nothing more than a freak without a human heart. Do you think you're going to get through to a warped person like that?"

"You—" Hilda started forward, but Cheren grabbed her wrist.

"Alder, it's a waste of valuable time listening to him ramble on," her friend said, dropping Hilda's wrist and stepping in front of her. Alder had moved forward, too, and Hilda glanced between them. "He is the one without a human heart!"

Hilda's eyes had begun to water, but she wiped them dry with the back of her hand. "Cheren…"

"You're right. He's truly pitiful," Alder agreed. "N… I'm sure you have much to think about. I know you were not pursuing ideals because of Ghetsis's manipulation, but because your heart was truly inspired." N's head shot up, and he stared at the former Champion. "That is why you were able to meet the legendary Pokémon!"

"But… I have no right to be the hero!"

"Is that so?" Alder smiled at the young man. "What you and the legendary Pokémon are going to do from now on… that's important, wouldn't you say?"

N shook his head. This only confused him more… why was Alder showing him such kindness? They had been enemies only minutes ago! N used force to take away his Champion title! So, why did Alder treat him this way now?

"Acting like you understand… up till now, we've been fighting each other over our beliefs! Yet, despite that… why?" N's voice was soft, but so was Alder's smile.

"N, even if we don't understand each other, that's not a reason to reject each other. There are two sides to any argument," he explained. "Is there one point of view that has all the answers? Give it some thought."

With that, and with a final smile in N's direction, Alder stepped forward and grabbed one of Ghetsis's arms. Cheren took the other, and together, Alder and Cheren pulled Ghetsis from the throne room. The true leader—the true mastermind of all that was wrong in this world—struggled, but they managed to take him away.

And that left Hilda alone again with N.

He was the first one to move, and he walked towards her and faced her. She couldn't imagine the inner turmoil he had to be facing right now—and she couldn't forgive Ghetsis for what he had said about N. It was impossible to fathom how a father could raise his son as a tool. The mere thought brought tears to her eyes again.

She loved N. She couldn't understand why Ghetsis didn't.

"I want to talk to you about something," N said.

Hilda nodded, stepping towards him but not touching him like she wanted to. She knew that he was confused enough as it was. "Okay."

He gestured for her to follow him, and they walked side-by-side up towards the throne at the head of the room. But halfway to the throne, N stopped, and Hilda turned to face him. He stayed facing forward, though, staring at the hole behind where the gilded chair had once been.

"It's about when I first met you in Accumula Town. I was shocked when I heard what your Pokémon was saying." N turned to face her now, his expression serious. "I was shocked because that Pokémon said it liked you. It said it wanted to be with you."

When he started walking along the carpeted path again, Hilda didn't say anything—she simply followed until he stopped once again.

"I couldn't understand it," he continued. "I couldn't believe there were Pokémon that liked people. Because, up until that moment, I'd never known a Pokémon like that. The longer my journey continued, the more unsure I became. All I kept meeting were Pokémon and people who communicated with one another and helped one another. That was why I needed to confirm my beliefs by battling with you. I wanted to confront you hero-to-hero. I needed that more than anything."

He walked again, but this time, Hilda only took a couple of steps forward. He moved up onto the platform, so he stood a foot or so above her, and the sudden distance bothered her. For some reason, that distance made her think that this was the closest they'd ever get again. She didn't want that.

"There's no way a person like me, someone who understands only Pokémon—no, actually… I didn't understand them, either." He laughed, though there was no humor in it. "No way could I measure up to you, when you had met so many Pokémon and were surrounded by friends…"

"N, what…"

Hilda stepped up on the platform, too, but N turned his back on her and walked to the hole in the wall. It was a straight shot down—there was nothing out there but air.

"The Champion has forgiven me, and… what I should do now is something I'll have to decide for myself."

"N…" Hilda said again.

He didn't respond to her, but instead let his Reshiram out into that crisp, clear air. It was tired, but it had regained enough energy in that Poké Ball to fly. The strength of its wings was enough to blow into the room, and Hilda and N's hair fluttered in the breeze.

N turned back to face her, and he smiled—she felt like she hadn't seen a real smile from him in so long, but it didn't make her feel good. It tugged at her heartstrings.

"Hilda."

"Don't leave," she pleaded.

But he ignored her, even as the first tear trickled down her cheek. "You said you have a dream… that dream… make it come true! Wonderful dreams and ideals give you the power to change the world! If anyone can, it's you, Hilda!"

"N." The tears fell steadily down Hilda's face now. "I wish you happiness. I hope you find a dream, too."

"Well, then…" N held up a hand—just held it up but didn't wave it. "Farewell!"

He turned and jumped, landing on Reshiram's back. The way things were, he had to leave. If he wanted to find a new dream—if he wanted to understand what he had done, then it was the only choice. He was sure, anyway, that he would see Hilda again. He would come back someday and find her again.

In the time being, she could always take care of herself.

He couldn't look back—if he did, he'd see Hilda standing at the edge of that room, staring out at him, and he didn't want to be pulled back in.

She had been right, of course. It wasn't just "a little". That was why this hurt so much, even though he knew he was making the right choice.

But if anything happened to her… he wasn't sure he could have a dream at all.

Author's Note: Because this chapter was ALL flashback and pretty much all dialogue from the game—which all comes from the longest scene in the game—it's a super long chapter that took super long to write (because I had to go and rewatch ALL of those cutscenes again). And yet this is the fastest update I've had, like, the whole time writing this story.

Anyway, I want to thank everyone who took the time to read my note on my profile and for being so understanding! Thanks! :)