Final chapter. Enjoy!
N returns the borrowed Pokemon to its Pokeball, thanking it for its help.
Taking in the normalcy of his surroundings, N wonders if coming here will turn out to be a waste of time.
He is standing at the entrance to Chargestone Cave, guided by two scraps of information; Bronius used to offer this place up as a rendezvous point, and Touya had bad reception…Perhaps due to the magnetic forces at work within the cave?
N wonders how he managed to convince Professor Juniper to agree to lend him a Pokemon. The idea sounds sketchy at best to even N…
But N is here, and this is now, and if there is the slightest chance that Touya is inside, N will pursue it to the ends of the earth.
N enters the cave, and a Joltik and a Klink take to following him. He converses with them, explains his situation. Neither have seen Touya's tent, but they scamper off, determined to find it for N.
Despite himself, N smiles. Maybe he will invite the helpful Pokemon to accompany him on a journey…He still does not know how he will occupy himself after he finds Touya and helps round up the remaining sages…
The Klink is back now, and it is buzzing eagerly. The Joltik appears as well, and the two Pokemon bound off. N follows, their excitement contagious.
The trio twists down a winding path, and N is stumbling, tripping over rocks, but he cannot slow down.
Is he chasing a ghost or Touya?
Klink stops suddenly, and beams at N, waiting for approval. A tent sits alone in the distance, and N squints, trying to tell if the tent is occupied or simply discarded. He thanks his new friends, who have already disappeared into the blue shadows of the cave.
N is nervous, N is calm, N is terrified at the thought of what he might not find, N is calm, N is more terrified at the thought of what he might find, calm, N is anxious, N is calm. As he walks shakeningly towards the tent, N is, above all, calm. Calm N, very calm N. The former king of Team Plasma does not lose his cool, he thinks.
But now he is in front of the tent, and this is much harder to believe. His eyes trace the zipper on the door, and he considers ripping it open, but does not. N fidgets, reluctant and eager, cowardly and brave, disbelieving and hopeful. The contradictory feelings cancel each other out and amount to zero, so he stands there, waiting, when the unthinkable happens.
The tent door opens from the inside, guided by what N is sure are the forces of destiny.
N is calm.
It is dark in there, and N can just barely make out a human figure.
N is calm.
A head appears first, its details shaded by a familiar-looking hat.
N is still calm.
The head slowly tilts upwards to meet N's eyes, and Touya is staring expressionlessly at N.
Not even N can convince himself that he is calm.
Touya steps completely out of the tent, standing right in front of N. Touya does not ask N how he found Touya, or what he is doing here, or even if N is fully recovered.
The glowing blue rocks around them are as mystifying and illuminating as dreams, casting dancing shadows on the scene.
Touya shows no shock at N showing up in front of his tent so suddenly, but Touya has hid his emotions in all of their encounters so far. N wishes, not for the first time, that Touya were capable of speaking his mind.
Touya is no longer staring at N, but seems to be waiting for N to say something. N is also lost, having never been particularly good at connecting with humans one-on-one.
The silence stretches, and N senses a disconnect, wondering how the gap between them could have grow so much.
Studying Touya's profile, N realizes coming here marks the beginning of his transition from black to white…Did they only have a bond when they were black and white, clearly on opposite sides?
N has not thought of this…
He knows Touya is constantly preoccupied with his enemies, but does this leave enough room for friends? A person can only take so much…
No, N will not think of this.
He has come here, he has visited Touya's hometown, he has invested too much into everything to abandon it so easily. On autopilot, N reverts back to the question that haunted him in the hospital.
"Why did you save me?"
Distant Pokemon calls echo off the walls, but they are drowned out by the silence radiating from Touya.
As always, N waits for Touya to speak.
Time passes, but a constant remains; Touya is silent, Touya is always silent. Right now, N finds this particular trait of Touya particularly uncharming.
Eventually Touya shrugs, brushing the question off. This irritates N, who continues.
"I don't know how you managed to get us out of there, but I do remember how hopeless it seemed. I was your enemy…You could've simply left me there. I was finished and a ruined man, and you didn't even owe me anything. You could've died trying to rescue me."
Touya kicks at a pebble, and N sees that N has not yet reached Touya, not yet cracked the barrier between the Touya the world demands and the Touya N saw at the castle. N picks up again, speaking earnestly.
"Look, I woke up in that hospital, and all I knew was that you saved me. Not knowing why drove me nuts, and no one would tell me anything about you or what happened to you. They discharged me, and I found out someone else had already paid my bills. I'm pretty sure it was you, and that was even more confusing. I roamed for awhile, met some new Pokemon. I think I could've been happy, but all I could think about was you and how you had bailed me out."
N pauses, wondering if he has said too much, but compulsively finishes what he started.
"It's just…It's just been messing with my head, okay? It's like I was given a second chance at life, but I don't understand the meaning and reason behind it. I searched for it, but I couldn't find it among my thoughts or around me, because it's in you. I needed you, I needed you to tell me why, so I visited your hometown, Professor Juniper, and even your mother."
Touya's eyebrows raise, but N isn't finished. "I tracked you down, I found you here, and now you won't answer my freaking question."
The truth flickers in Touya's eyes, and it has almost reached Touya's lips when doubt gobbles it back up. Eyes widening, N sees it, this short glimpse into the misty contents of Touya's puzzling thoughts.
The truth can both create and destroy, its power equal to that of the gods.
Touya will never explain why he saved N, simply because it is not in his nature. N understands now, and knows the role given to him in this new life requires him to forgive Touya his shortcomings.
Touya does not struggle, for he cannot be contained; this is a being forever doomed to move forward, to seek out new challenges. He does not actively run away from his feelings, but fears acknowledgement of them will slow him down.
N chides himself for loving such an impossible person; he might as well try to tie himself to the wind for the consistency and attention Touya is capable of giving.
Touya appears to be thinking along the same lines. He gives N his full attention, a rare treat.
N sighs. Deciding to fulfill his other task, N tells Touya everything he knows about the Seven Sages, detailing potential locations for each remaining sage.
As Touya struggles to remember everything, N knows that in Touya's eyes, N's part in the entire fiasco has been concluded. Touya alone will continue on, and Touya alone will bring the sages to justice. This leaves N alone.
N shifts uncomfortably.
"Do you remember? We battled here once…You won, of course, but before we battled, I asked you if you had a dream of your own."
The corners of Touya's mouth lean slightly downwards.
"I told you mine, but my dream has changed since then. Now, I intend to build connections with Pokemon, similar to the ones you have with your Pokemon, and change the world one Pokemon at a time. Furthermore, there are still forces out that who mistreat Pokemon, and they must be challenged…If we combine our powers, think of what we could accomplish. You don't have to decide right this minute, of course…It shouldn't take you more than three weeks to arrest the rest of the sages with the information I've given you. I'll be here, in this exact spot, in exactly one month. We can fight together, but if you aren't there, I'll understand."
That last part was a lie, but N wants Touya to know N will never hate Touya, no matter what happens.
N turns to leave, but Touya rummages dutifully through the bag hanging on his shoulder, making N stop. Touya carefully extracts a small circular object from his bag and holds it out to N.
N puts his hand over the offered Pokeball, and is shocked to hear the whispers of Touya's starter Pokemon echoing inside the Pokeball.
This is Touya's most beloved Pokemon, and the implied promise etches itself into N's heart as his fingers close tightly around the orb.
Though the pale blue shadows, the ghost of a smile bends Touya's mouth. He darts back into his tent immediately, zipping the door up behind him.
N sees now he will always be tied to the wind.
I originally intended to have the story include N and Touya meeting up in a month, but then I wrote this chapter and I really liked having it end here for some reason. I had fun with the tone of the story – it's a more reflectful than Predetermined, but definitely has way less action.
Now I'm having thoughts of writing their meeting and any events resulting from that meaning as a sequel, but who knows? I guess I'll wait to see how much interest this setup/story/idea/general train of thought generates and go from there.
With that being said, please let me know what you thought of the ending. Thank you for reading the story, it was fun to write. All reviews are appreciated and welcome.