Magnolia froze, and Adrammalech looked like he wanted to try to charge through the Pokemon anyway, but before either of them could do anything, N stepped forward. "Halt!" he said to the Grunts. "Leave them be! That's an order!"

The Grunts exchanged confused glances. "Your Majesty, please," one of them said. "Let us handle this. You just enjoy your time with your Pokemon friends."

N clenched his fists. "Ghetsis has been lying to me, hasn't he," he said.

All of the Grunts looked like they'd been struck, and they looked at each other at a loss for words. "Uh—of course he hasn't!" one woman said. "Come on, don't be silly!"

"Your reaction says otherwise," N said. "Tell me, where is Ghetsis? I wish to speak to him."

"Your Majesty, don't trouble yourself about any of this," a man said. "You've got your own little safe place here with your Pokemon."

"I'm not a child!" N said, stepping toward them with a scowl. "And I won't be manipulated anymore! Tell me where Ghetsis is!"

The Grunts looked at each other and stammered wordlessly. "I… was not expecting this," one of them muttered.

"Should we tell the Sages?" another asked.

"Tell me! Now!" N shouted.

"He's in the throne room!" one of the Grunts yelped, and then they scrambled away.

Colress rubbed his chin. "How sad," he said. "Just like with their Pokemon, they've grown weak in their complacency. They're not used to anyone actually standing up to them."

"It's not just that…" N said, looking aside. "They're… afraid of me. Because I can talk to Pokemon." He looked down. "I overheard some of them talking once. They think that if they make me angry, I'll tell my friends to attack them." He grimaced. "One of them called me a freak without a human heart."

Magnolia frowned. Reaching over, she put a hand on the young man's shoulder. "That's garbage," she said. "You're not a freak, N. You're amazing. I think you're a living embodiment of what the relationship between people and Pokemon should be. Those things they said say more about them than about you."

He looked up at her through his messy green hair and smiled shyly. "Thanks," he said. "I never had anyone put it that way before."

"Again, you've just been fed far too much negative and none of the positive," Colress said. "Are you really going to talk to Ghetsis?"

"I have to," N said. "If you and your Pokemon are right—I can't let him keep doing what he's doing. It's not good for the Pokemon. It's not good for anyone."

"Would you let us come with you?" Colress asked. "If you can stop Ghetsis, I think that would greatly increase the chances of us getting back to our world safely. And we only have one Pokemon who can battle right now—and as you can see, someone told Ghetsis's lackeys about type matchups."

"Of course," N said. "The Grunts shouldn't give you any trouble if I'm with you."

"Why don't you take your Pokemon friends along, too?" Zossie asked. "They'd be a great help if we did need to battle."

"Oh…" N looked up as the Pidove from before decided to perch on his head. "These Pokemon don't battle," he said. "They aren't very strong. And for many of them… battling brings back bad memories."

"I understand," Magnolia said with a nod as she recalled Adrammalech. "Don't worry. I'm sure we can get through this by ourselves."

"What do you mean, you're sure?" Dulse asked. "It sounds like a risky proposition to me."

Magnolia scratched her chin. "Okay, I'm not sure sure," she said. "It's not like I can see the future. But—I have confidence in us, and I really believe that as long as we try our hardest and don't give up, everything will work out in the end!" She put her hands on her hips. "Because if you don't have hope, you don't have much."

Zossie smiled. "I like that idea," she said. "After all, we didn't give up hope when Necrozma stole the light from our world, and look what happened there!"

"They got it back eventually," Colress explained to a confused N.

"Who's Necrozma?" N asked.

"An incredible Pokemon," Zossie said, "with power like you wouldn't believe! You should meet our Pokemon Lunala and Solgaleo, too!"

"Are there other Pokemon out there as well?" N asked.

"There are whole other worlds for you to explore outside of this castle," Magnolia said. She smiled. "Now let's go set you and everybody else free."

N nodded. "I hope my father listens to me," he said as he led the others to another door that connected to a long corridor. "Before, I always assumed he had my best interests in mind… now, I'm not so sure I believe that anymore."

"It can be tough realizing that somebody's a jerk," Magnolia said. "I'm sorry. But you deserve so much better than that. And because you're working to make things better, someday you'll find the friends and family that were meant for you—both Pokemon and humans."

"Do you really think so?" N asked.

"I'm sure of it," Magnolia said. "Really sure this time."

They passed through the palace with little trouble—it seemed the Grunts really were afraid to confront N, and the king's orders to let them pass in peace confused the Grunts enough that Magnolia never had to resort to battle. She was fully expecting Colress himself to come after them at some point, but he never showed up, and Magnolia wondered why.

As they reached what seemed to be the inner sanctum of the vast palace, two young women approached them. "Your Majesty…" said the woman with pink hair. "What are you doing here? Word has spread all over the castle that you're protecting Colress's prisoners."

"I've come to talk to my father, Anthea," N said. "I've learned the truth about what's going on."

Magnolia was worried that these women were Trainers – or at least would try to stop them – but then the woman with long blonde hair in a braid reached out and hugged N like an older sister. "We're so proud of you," she said. "I just wish we would have had the courage to help you ourselves. We knew what was going on with Ghetsis… and yet we did nothing."

N drew back and squeezed her hand. "We've all been foolish," he said with a small smile. "So let's fix it, now."

The two women grinned and nodded fervently. "What can we do to help?" Anthea asked. "Concordia and I don't know how to battle with Pokemon, but…"

"Tell everyone about my father's lies," N said. "They should all know the truth. Ghetsis has deceived them all."

Concordia nudged the floor with her toe. "Your Majesty… not everyone here works for Ghetsis because they believe what he preaches," she said. "There are many here who were perfectly aware of his ambitions, and they followed him because they were after power as well."

N blinked. "I—what a terrible thing to do," he said. "How could people be so weak and selfish…"

"Because people are awfully stupid sometimes," Colress said. He adjusted his glasses. "But… they can also be strong and brave, and incredibly selfless. And even the worst of people can change, if they really want to. It's what makes humanity so incredible."

"And it's why we should never give up hope," Magnolia said. "I think if anybody can set Ghetsis straight, it's you, N."

"We will spread your word, Your Majesty," Anthea said. "I only hope many will choose to listen."

"We have to at least give them that choice," N said. "It's more than what they've been allowed lately." As the women turned to go, he said, "Oh—and you don't have to call me 'Your Majesty' anymore." He smiled. "We're friends—we're family. There's no need to be formal."

Concordia smiled back. "All right, then… N," she said. "Good luck!"

"They seem like nice girls," Magnolia said as the two rushed down the hall.

"They are," N said. "I feel bad for them—for everyone who Ghetsis misled and manipulated." He clenched his fists and turned to stare up at the large doors that likely separated them from the throne room. "All right. Let's finish this."

"Wait!" an unsettlingly familiar voice shouted from down the hall.

Magnolia tensed and turned around. Running toward them was this universe's Colress.