Chapter 20: A Burning Flame

When Carmen wasn't sleeping or talking with some of the other Pokemon, she was practically glued at Molly's hip. She still couldn't read, after all, and Molly had agreed to check social media for her so that she'd be kept in the loop.

When Richard managed to get back to Unova, things got even livelier. With Molly, Carmen was admittedly a little skeptical as to how someone as cheerful as Hilbert could be related to someone that was so scary...but meeting Richard did give her a little more clarity. He was basically a bigger version of Hilbert! He even had the same cheerful grin on his face that Hilbert used to have on his face. Before Jude-

Her thoughts were interrupted by loud shouting, and then Molly stormed out of the other room. She went into what Carmen assumed was the guest room (whatever that meant). Molly didn't close the door, so Carmen could see her bringing a pillow to her face and...was that a scream she heard? It was all muffled from the pillow.

Before Carmen could ask what happened, Richard came out of the same room that Molly was in. He hesitated before approaching Carmen and kneeling so that they were on eye level.

"So, uh..." Richard pursed his lips, as if wondering what words to use. "I got good news and bad news. Pick your poison?"

"Um..." Carmen looked around the room. "Poison?"

Richard placed his hands over his eyes with a soft sigh. "It's an expression, Carmen. Do you want to hear the good news first, or the bad?"

"Ohhh. Good news first!"

"Figured," Richard said with a nod. "Well. The good news is that Hilbert beat the League."

Carmen jumped in place and cheered, although the celebration was short-lived. After all, he knew that Richard had said there was bad news too. "And, um...what's the bad news?"

"That is...N..." As kind as N had been to her in Chargestone, Carmen couldn't help the sense of dread that came over her at the mention of his name. After all, he was in charge of Team Plasma.

Richard huffed, once again clearly looking for a way to explain things. "Come here, maybe it's better to show you rather than just tell you."

With that, Richard led Carmen into the other room. Within it were a few computers, and a Porygon-Z that she had met when Richard arrived. If the Porygon-Z had noticed their entrance, they didn't show it in their expression. They just seemed...lost in thought about something.

Richard gently tapped one of the computer screens, which showed...wait, was that Hilbert on that screen?! He reached the top of what looked like a staircase, and in front of him were some guys in weird robes. Like that Ghetsis guy wore in Opelucid. Did that mean...?

"Is that why Miz Hilbert's Mom went to scream into a pillow?" Carmen asked. Richard snorted with a shake of his head.

"Well...yes and no. That's just how Molly deals with stress," Richard explained. "I thought we'd get a better view of the castle once Hilbert reached the stairs, but I wasn't expecting these guys. I can't make out what they're saying, though."

From the way all of them took out PokeBalls (Hilbert included), it became pretty clear. Were they going to try to stop him from pursuing N?! No, they couldn't do that! That wasn't fair!

One of the Sages sent out a Liepard, which lunged at Hilbert straightaway...only to be blocked by an Excadrill. It didn't take long for Carmen to realize that the Excadrill wasn't Garfield - and really, that was only confirmed when she saw that Ground-type Gym Leader approaching! There were the rest of the Gym Leaders too - the ones she remembered, anyway. There were a few she didn't recognize, but that was fine.

It wasn't clear what anyone said in the video - there wasn't sound. But from what she could gather, Carmen was able to tell that the Gym Leaders were there to help Hilbert reach the castle! That was really nice of them!

Hilbert seemed to say something, and Drayden seemed to shout something in return as all the Gym Leaders and Sages released their Pokemon. After a moment's hesitation, Hilbert nodded and entered the castle.

As the fight between Sages and Gym Leaders broke out, Carmen tried to keep cool. She really, really didn't want to be separated from her friends. She wished she could do something more to help Hilbert, but everyone had said she had helped enough by telling the truth about Team Plasma.

Carmen was never a patient Maractus, and all this waiting was going to make it worse.

Since the Sages had tried to stop Hilbert from the start, he assumed that Team Plasma would pull out all the stops to keep him from reaching N.

Surprisingly, nobody else had challenged him to a battle. That wasn't going to stop Hilbert from keeping his guard up, nor would it stop him from going into every room he could find. He didn't know which one would be the throne room, and he didn't want to risk overlooking it and wasting even more time than he already had. Merlot floated alongside him as he searched too; four eyes were definitely better than two, especially when two of those eyes belonged to a Psychic type.

One of the rooms he burst into had more occupants than usual; a handful of Plasma Grunts, along with two strangely dressed women. Hilbert's entrance caught their attention instantly, and one of the women (the one with pink hair) immediately spoke up; "Hello, Hilbert. I am Anthea, and this is my sister Concordia. Please, take a moment to rest before you confront our lord N. I'm sure you and your Pokemon must be exhausted."

Hilbert had plenty of Full Restores and Ethers, and maybe he could duck into one of the emptier rooms if he really needed an hour or two to rest up. So, his first instinct was to say 'hell no' and continue his pursuit.

That's what Hilbert would have done, if Merlot hadn't floated closer to Anthea. The Musharna seemed eager to take her up on the offer. Between his finicky nature and the fact that he was a Psychic-type, surely Merlot would have done otherwise if he had picked up any malicious intent.

"Way to twist my arm, Merlot," Hilbert muttered as he approached the two. He still didn't entirely trust them, but he did trust Merlot's judgement. Just to be on the safe side, though, Hilbert let his whole team out of their PokeBalls. He figured that they should all take this opportunity to stretch their legs before the big battle.

The silence was tense, for the first ten minutes. Hilbert and his team stayed on the opposite side of the room from Anthea, Concordia and the few Grunts that occupied the room. Michelle in particular kept a very watchful eye on the Grunts; she even growled at one that got too close. As the Grunt recoiled, Anthea and Concordia just watched sadly.

"...I'm sorry," Anthea said to Michelle. "I know that mere apologies can never make up for what Team Plasma put you through, but they are all I have."

Michelle glared at the floor, as if trying to hide the fact that Anthea's words struck a chord. Hilbert reached up to pat the top of Michelle's head, saying nothing. He knew that Anthea's apologies wouldn't do anything to bring Jude back, but was it wrong that he found a little comfort in the words anyway?

Really, the only one who didn't seem affected by her words was Garfield. He just watched the scene a little awkwardly before speaking up, (So, uh...anyone wanna fill me in?)

Merlot hissed, (Garfield-)

(What?) Garfield demanded. (I'm still the new 'mon here. Compared to you guys, I know next to nothing about these Plasma schmucks. You and Shells filled me in about Zekrom, and I had a feeling that you lost a friend to them; Stache filled me in on that bit. That's all I know, though.)

(That's...)

That was when Concordia spoke up, "Shells and Stache...I don't suppose you mean Samurott and Stoutland?"

That caught Garfield's attention instantly, and he stared at Concordia with his jaw dropped. (What the fuck?! Did you just-?!)

(Welcome to dealing with Team Plasma,) Merlot said to Garfield. (The person we're going to confront - think of him as Zekrom's Trainer. He can understand us as well.)

Garfield seemed to be the only one who was shocked that Concordia could understand him; Hilbert was startled, but that wore off in a few seconds.

"She can understand them like N can. And I'm guessing you can too?" he asked of Anthea. When she nodded, Hilbert crossed his arms. "Is that why you two are here? With Team Plasma, I mean."

"Yes and no," Concordia admitted. "The main reason Ghetsis brought Anthea and me in was to take care of N. He didn't know that we could hear their voices as well...or at least, he gave no indication that he did."

"So..." Hilbert took a moment to think about what he wanted to say. There were a lot of questions he had in mind - questions that he would have asked N, if he had the chance. He doubted that N would be willing to answer them, but maybe these two would. But first, he wanted to know; "So, why help me? You know I'm going to confront him."

"It was our lord N's wish that you and your Pokmeon be properly rested for your battle," Anthea responded. "Although, we would have helped you without his order. Trainers battle to practice their skills and grow with their Pokemon, and while accidents can happen in a battle...those accidents are never intentional, and never overlooked. My lord N has come to realize this, deep down...but I fear that he won't allow himself to admit it."

"You see, N was separated from humans at an early age, and spent most of his childhood knowing nothing but Pokemon," Concordia added. "Pokemon that knew nothing but pain and mistreatment from bad people...Ghetsis made it so that only those poor Pokemon were brought to N. This is what caused N to pursue ideals; he thought only of those Pokemon he met. All he wanted was to create a world where they could finally find peace."

Hilbert was struck silent at this. Yeah, he grew up surrounded by Pokemon too...but not to the extent that N did. His mother and sister were always there (and so was his father, as scattered as his presence was due to his work) to balance that out. It was hard to imagine growing up knowing only Pokemon that were abused or hurting because of people, because none of the Pokemon he knew in his childhood were. Would he have done the same thing that N did, if their positions were swapped?

"...Why are you telling me all this?" he questioned. "Are you trying to stop me from confronting N? Is this because I haven't been able to wake Reshiram up yet?"

Concordia was silent for a moment.

"I would be lying if I said that never crossed my mind," she admitted. "I know there's no point in trying; you wouldn't have come this far only to turn back. The Light Stone's presence alone tells me this...but I simply want to see N safe and happy. His heart is a pure and innocent one. There's nothing more beautiful and terrifying than innocence."

That threw Hilbert for a loop. He had a feeling that N had nothing to do with Team Plasma's actions; that much was clear when he saved Carmen in Chargestone Cave, and when he didn't try to steal Dodger from him in Mistralton. So that part wasn't surprising. But how could something be beautiful and terrifying?

Looking back, Hilbert wouldn't be able to pinpoint why he felt so angry at that moment. Maybe it was because he now knew about N's childhood, maybe it was because he knew that Concordia was right concerning N's innocence...but N wasn't the one who was suddenly dragged into filling a role that he never wanted in the first place, was he?

"What about my innocence, though?!" Hilbert demanded. He stood up, and it was like he couldn't help the words that came next; it was like all the grief and pressure from the last few weeks just crashed down on him (even worse than when Matt died), and he couldn't stop himself from pouring his heart out if he tried. "It's not like I wanted to be involved in any of this! All I wanted when I started my journey was to go through Unova and have fun with my friends and Pokemon! At first I only confronted Team Plasma because I couldn't sit back and watch them make Pokemon suffer - they were kicking a defenseless Munna, for Mew's sake! Things only started to get personal for me when they tried to steal my Maractus, and by that point I was already in too deep!"

Hilbert wiped at his eyes, trying not to show that he was tearing up (but failing miserably). "I never planned on becoming this Hero of legend, and I never actually wanted to be a Champion! Maybe I could have wanted the title in the future, but I at least wanted to go about it at my own pace! But I don't have much of a choice now, do I?! Because isn't that the only way I can stop N from separating people and Pokemon?! That kind of separation hurts bad enough when I think about the Pokemon I've lost along the way; at least I can accept the fact that they're gone because of me, and that I'll never see any of them again no matter how much I want to. I don't want to even begin to think of how much it'll hurt when I know the only thing separating people from their Pokemon friends is someone that I failed to stop!"

Hilbert then returned his team to their PokeBalls. He had said far too much already, and to two perfect strangers to boot! He had to get out of here now, before they saw him break more than they already had.

"So, you're right," he concluded. "It's pointless trying to stop me, because I don't care how good N's intentions are! His good intentions don't magically erase the pain that Team Plasma caused me, caused my team, and caused Unova as a whole! I'm going to make sure he sees that, with or without Reshiram's help!"

With that, Hilbert stormed out of the room. Concordia got up to follow him, but Anthea put a hand on her shoulder.

"He's right," she said softly. "The road to the Distortion World is paved with good intentions. We are here to give peace and comfort to our lord N...but that doesn't erase how his actions affect others, no matter how much remorse he may have for them."

"But-"

"I think it's best if we leave Hilbert be," Anthea finished. "What must it be like to go through the kind of pain he has, and at his age...?"

It was probably a bad idea to run around while his vision was getting blurry, but Hilbert didn't care. He knew he was running up the stairs, but outside of that? Not a clue. If he ran past any member of the Shadow Triad, he didn't realize it or care.

Once he got into a room that was far away enough, he burst into it and gave himself a moment to mourn. Not just the friends that he lost along the way, but hearing about N's 'innocence' made him recognize the death of his own. He knew that being a Trainer had its fair share of dangers - his mother had drilled that fact into him with all her stories - and he knew that there were people in the world that were willing to exploit Pokemon for their own selfish gain. But simply hearing about these facts and actually experiencing them were two completely different things.

When he punched that Plasma Grunt back in the Dreamyard, Hilbert had no way of anticipating getting this involved. He couldn't have imagined that they would actually try to kill him in Dragonspiral Tower.

He wasn't sure how much time passed before Hilbert finally calmed down and got a better look at his surroundings. Honestly, part of him wished he hadn't.

On one hand, it was good that this definitely wasn't the throne room. That would have meant N (or even worse, Ghetsis) seeing him at his lowest, and he did not want that.

On the other hand, it was so different from the rest of the castle that it felt like stepping into an episode of The Midnight Sector.

Because it was the kind of bedroom that Hilbert would have killed for in his youth - cloud flooring, bright wallpapers, a basketball hoop, even the half-pipe right in the middle of the room! There were toys and books strewn about on the floor, and the train set seemed to still be in working condition. Hilbert picked up one of the books, wondering what this room could possibly be for. Were they holding a kid hostage or something?

A quick look at the book's cover - no words, just a picture of what looked like Zekrom, Reshiram and the Twin Kings - immediately put that theory to rest. Was this book N's? Did that mean this was his room?

Concordia's words echoed in his mind at that point, and he kicked himself for it.

In an attempt to distract himself, Hilbert flipped through the book's pages. Maybe there was something in this book that he didn't know about; something that could help him understand why Reshiram hadn't awakened. He hadn't wanted to force them awake - he never had that in mind - but he'd be lying if he said that he didn't worry about the fact that they weren't awake yet. Would N even be willing to listen to him if he failed to awaken Reshiram?

Aside from the fact that some of these pages were clearly scribbled on, be it from crayon or from marker (how long did N have this book?), what he found wasn't very encouraging.

"It was due to the Twin King's selfish actions that Kyurem split its soul in half; creating two dragons where there had been one.

Reshiram - the Vast White dragon with blue eyes like bright flames - sided with Rainier the Truth Seeker and settled in the Relic Resort.

Zekrom - the Deep Black dragon with a booming voice like thunder - sided with Amias the Idealist and settled in Icirrus Tower.

From that point on, every time the brothers and dragons clashed, there was no clear winner. Either the dragons would tire each other out, or the brothers would first. Each battle was thus left unresolved, ending with the Twin Kings still alive but a thousand of their soldiers dead.

It would be years before one brother approached the other, and the two came to the realization that [this part, Hilbert couldn't make out - it looked like someone had written neat lines over it in black ink, rendering the words completely unreadable].

Having resolved their differences, the brothers effectively restored peace to Unova for the sake of [this part seemed to be scribbled over in black crayon. The only other part of the page that was untouched was what looked like a family tree for each Twin King: underneath Rainier's name were the names Sereno and Felix. Underneath Amias' name were the names Frederick and Amelia].

Ten years would pass before the conflict would start anew, with the sudden death of the King of Ideals. Not long after that, evidence had been found that the culprit was none other than Sereno, Rainier's first-born son.

Despite desperate claims [more black ink] Sereno was tried and then executed for the crime of King Amias' death. Historians believe that this is what threw Unova into the Second War of Truth and Ideals - with Rainier fighting for 'Truth,' and Amias' eldest son Frederick fighting for 'Ideals' in his father's place.

After five years of fighting, Rainer fell in battle, but not before he [covered with ink again, although it looked like whatever marker was used was starting to dry up. Most of the words were still illegible, but Hilbert could make out the words at the end of the sentence if he squinted - something about Sereno and a frame?] killed Frederick. Between [more black ink, fresher this time] and the fact that both of their chosen Heroes were now dead, Zekrom and Reshiram destroyed half of Unova in their rage before converting to their stone forms.

This marked the end of Rainier's lineage, despite rumors [more black ink. This time, the only word Hilbert could make out was the name 'Felix'].

When the dust settled, only Amias' youngest daughter remained. Unifying all of Unova, she placed the Dark Stone within Dragonspiral Tower and the Light Stone within the remains of what was once the Relic Resort, and sealed both to ensure that Reshiram and Zekrom would never be used for selfish gain again."

Below this paragraph was a drawing; one of a young boy that was clearly N, wearing a crown and with Zekrom by his side. On the other side of the page, there was Reshiram and what looked like Hilbert. Was this drawn onto the book recently? There were words written into it too; the green ink practically screamed that this was N's doing, and it was in surprisingly neat handwriting too; "Which will win? My ideals or his truth?"

Nothing more, except for a signature at the bottom of the page: "N. Harmonia."

Hilbert threw the book to the side, not caring what might have broken. While he never claimed to be book-smart like Whitlea or Cheren, he liked to think he was smart enough to imagine what the holes were in that story. Not that he had time to wonder about it (or why the name 'Harmonia' seemed so familiar) anyway. He had to get moving.

Now his worries about awakening Reshiram had doubled. Was he just being selfish this whole time? Is that why Reshiram never woke up...?

If that was true, what did that say about N? Zekrom woke up for him almost immediately, hadn't they? So by that logic, his goal really wasn't selfish in the slightest. So...was it selfish to want to protect everything he held dear to him? But he couldn't just ignore the truth of what was going on.

Wait. Hilbert picked up the book again, flipping the pages to that drawing. The little caption stood out this time.

Which will win...N's ideals, or my truth?

Putting it that way, something clicked. N was fighting for his own ideals, which might explain why Zekrom chose him. N said it himself, his ideal world was one where people and Pokemon were separated from each other.

But what about Hilbert? Was it enough that he was fighting because he knew the truth about what was going on...he needed to realize what his 'truth' was? What did that even mean?!

Did he even have time to think about it now?!

"Hilbert, we have to keep moving." Hilbert jumped; he was so wrapped up in what he was thinking that he hadn't noticed that Merlot had broken out of his PokeBall. He nodded, putting the book down and walking out of the room. The Musharna glanced behind him, as if making sure Hilbert hadn't stayed behind.

Now that Hilbert thought about it, Merlot always did that, didn't he - look out for Hilbert when he couldn't do it for himself. From Dragonspiral Tower to the aftermath of Matt's death, Merlot was always helping him out. Hilbert knew that his team was what got him here, but that seemed to go double when it came to Merlot.

While Hilbert didn't exactly have time to think about what his 'truth' could be, he had a feeling that thinking about his relationship with his Pokemon - not just Merlot, but his entire team - was as good a start as any.

"Go, holder of the Light Stone!" Ghetsis had proclaimed before walking away. "See whether you are worthy of the title Hero of Truth!"

The words felt like a taunt; Hilbert remembered their conversation in Tubeline Bridge. Ghetsis had said something about how Reshiram hadn't been awakened yet back then, hadn't he? He said something similar back then, too. At least this time he didn't bring up his mom. Maybe he knew about her involvement with facing them this time. After everything with the Shadow Triad, that wouldn't have surprised Hilbert in the slightest.

The words stung back then, but it was different this time. He couldn't place his finger on how - maybe it was the acceptance that maybe Reshiram probably wouldn't awaken after all. It wasn't like Hilbert knew how to do that - he didn't know anything about the legend before all of this started.

Time was never on his side; a hard pill to swallow, but one he had to.

Before anything else, there was something he had to do.

Merlot was still out of his PokeBall, so Hilbert only had to open five PokeBalls. The five of them - Michelle, Roger, Dodger, Belle and Garfield - seemed confused at the sudden arrival. In a complete contrast, Merlot seemed as calm as ever. Maybe he knew what Hilbert was going to do.

"Hey, uh..." Hilbert swallowed. "Behind that door's the throne room...where N and Zekrom are gonna be. Reshiram isn't awake...and honestly, I don't think they will be. I don't have an excuse for that. I just..."

He took a deep breath, and then two before continuing, "I'm sorry. For getting you involved in all of this. The time I spent with you guys, I wouldn't trade that for the world. But there's an actual freakin' legendary behind that door. I know we're not completely unprepared for that...but if there's one thing I've learned, it's that anything can happen. I definitely didn't expect any of this when I set off from Nuvema, and I don't know what to expect when we step into that room."

Hilbert scratched the back of his head before saying, "My point is...I love you guys. I really do. I didn't want to just barge in there without making that clear. So, uh...if any of you aren't sure about doing this with me, that's fine. I can go in on my own and-"

Michelle immediately responded to that. Hilbert couldn't make out any of what she was saying, but he knew her well enough. He could tell that she was outraged at the mere implication that she would sit back and let Hilbert do this by himself. The rest of the team wasn't as outraged, but one by one they nodded and seemed to side with Michelle. Even Garfield - after what he could only assume was some kind of snarky quip (if Michelle's response was any indication - she turned and practically snarled at him), the Excadrill even walked up to Hilbert and held up a paw. Hilbert was careful to give him a fist-bump this time; his claws made it a little awkward to try giving him an actual handshake.

Merlot bumped against Hilbert's arm with an amused chuckle. "I'm not going to repeat what Michelle and Garfield said exactly...but as you can probably guess, you're stuck with us," he teased. "We love you too, Hilbert. We wouldn't be here in the first place if we didn't."

Hilbert nodded, wiping at his eyes. Shit, he was crying all over the place today. This time, though...it seemed okay to do that.

After another deep breath, he nodded. "Alright...let's do this."

Hilbert didn't return his team to their PokeBalls. There wasn't a point in doing that if he was just going to take them out of their PokeBalls again within a half hour. Besides, it seemed right - walking in with his team by his side.

It seemed like the throne room was set up with a battlefield - there were clear markings indicating where each of them would stand (just like a Gym battlefield). Surrounding the battlefield seemed to be water, which was a bit confusing. What was the point of that? There seemed to be a long hallway extending from the other side of the field, and sitting on the throne was N.

"Hilbert," N greeted, a small smile on his face as he watched Hilbert and his team file in. It seemed he hadn't expected to see his Pokemon as well. "So you're finally here. It's time to settle this. My determination is absolute; I will separate Pokemon from people, so that Pokemon will be happy and not have to live their lives in fear!"

"You came all this way to battle me, which proves that you are just as determined. Despite that, it doesn't seem like Reshiram has responded to you," N observed as he stood. As he walked closer to the battlefield, he continued, "That is…disappointing, but I suppose it can't be helped. So you have two options; you either stand down and watch the dawn of a new world, or you face our full might and suffer humiliating defeat."

"How about this?" Hilbert challenged. "My team and I fight you, and we win. Because it's like you said; I'm determined too, and we've come too far to just leave. Also, I've realized that I don't need Reshiram like you need Zekrom."

From N's reaction, it was like Hilbert had slapped him. "What? Do you even realize what you're saying?

"Think about it!" Hilbert responded, extending his arms as if indicating that his Pokemon were right there. "This is the team I had with me when I faced the Elite Four. Reshiram wasn't awake then either, and that didn't stop me from clearing the League! I didn't even have room for them in my party anyway. Even if Reshiram woke up right now, I still wouldn't have room! I would have to bench someone at that moment. How is that fair to the team that helped me get this far?!"

N was silent, as if not wanting to admit that Hilbert had a point.

"I'm not going to deny that there are people that would hurt Pokemon out there. That's why I'm here; because you need to realize that Team Plasma is part of the problem-"

"Shut up!" N shouted. That took Hilbert aback a little; for all of his acting like a king, he hadn't expected N to have a childish response to that. That was a pretty sharp denial from someone claiming to be the king of Team Plasma. "How dare you accuse Team Plasma of hurting Pokemon! If you really loved your Pokemon, you wouldn't risk getting them killed in battle! It's ridiculous to think that you can strengthen your bond with Pokemon and other trainers through something so barbaric!"

"You shut up!" Hilbert shot back. Merlot nudged his arm in an attempt to keep him from flying off the handle. It worked; Hilbert seemed to snap out of it, and he gave his Musharna a grateful glance. He took a breath before continuing, "Look. I'm not going to deny that there's a risk of losing a friend in battle. I'd be the biggest jackass in the world if I did that. That's why I'm not going to turn back now. I don't care if Reshiram isn't awake yet; we won't let you inflict that same pain on Unova!"

Michelle nodded in response, and each of Hilbert's team showed their support. N seemed in disbelief for a moment, before he finally composed himself.

"So, you choose to fight a battle you can't win," he said. "Have it your way. Once I'm through, you'll have no choice but to watch as the birth of my new world takes place!"

With that, N raised a hand to the air. "Zekrom! Come to me!"

After a few moments of silence, Zekrom burst in through the wall behind the throne. As they took their place on the battlefield, they created a show of summoning electricity. Garfield immediately got into a battling stance in front of Hilbert - he didn't do anything just yet, but he stood there and moved to make sure that he got the brunt of the electricity Zekrom exuded. Was he trying to protect Hilbert and the others from the stray bolts?

When Zekrom was done, the water surrounding the platform had all but evaporated into a few small puddles. The show of power made Hilbert gulp, but he wasn't going to back down. Not now.

"Was that supposed to scare me?" he questioned. "Because that won't affect me again. I'll say this as many times as I need to to get it through your thick head; maybe you do need Zekrom's power to realize your dream, but I don't need Reshiram's help to prove you wrong!"

Almost immediately, Hilbert felt something pulsating coming from...his bag?! His Pokemon seemed to feel it too, including Garfield. All of them glanced at Hilbert's bag with surprised expressions, as if wondering what just happened.

N seemed to be the only one who knew what happened, and he was floored. "The Light Stone-?! Reshiram is-!"

"What-?!" Hilbert opened the bag, and it was just like N said; the Light Stone floated right out of it. It stopped midair in the center of the battlefield, and ribbons of light wrapped around the stone as it started to spin in place. The stone's form faded away, and was replaced by that of a sleeping dragon.

In an explosion of light and flame, the dragon opened their eyes and spread their wings. With a mighty roar, fire surrounded the area. Hilbert made sure to get in front of Dodger and shielded his face; it didn't cross his mind to return her to her PokeBall, so hopefully he could shield her from the flames. It was only when he didn't feel flames that he opened his eyes; Merlot and Belle had gotten in front of him to absorb what flames Reshiram summoned.

When Reshiram's display of power was finished, Hilbert rushed over to see if Merlot had gotten hurt. Belle had Flash Fire so he knew she could take a few flames, but Merlot didn't have that luxury.

As Hilbert looked over his Musharna, N said, "Reshiram and Zekrom were once one life...one Pokemon. Opposites, and yet they are the same. They appear before those that they deem worthy of the title Hero...I see. You really are a Hero too. I'm glad for that."

For what it was worth, N did seem genuinely happy to see Reshiram awakened. So did Zekrom - Hilbert hadn't noticed that they had moved closer to N to shield him from Reshiram's fire. They seemed a lot more at ease to see their sibling.

"I'll tell you what Reshiram says," N offered. "It's the least I can-"

Reshiram glanced behind them to regard N. ("Thank you for the offer, Hero of Ideals. However, I am more than capable of speaking for myself. Also, I wish to speak with Hilbert in private. What I am about to ask of him does not concern you.")

N seemed surprised at the declaration, but he nodded and moved towards the throne to give them space. Reshiram turned towards Hilbert and closed their eyes. ("Hilbert. That I am awake now does indicate your potential as a Hero of Truth. That cannot be denied. However, there is one thing I would ask of you before I am certain in my decision.")

"Wait...so you're awake now, but you're still not certain about me?"

("Like the Hero of Ideals said, I am the opposite of Zekrom,") Reshiram responded. ("Zekrom acts first and asks questions later, where I prefer to take my time and learn as much as possible before making my decisions. This is simply how I am.")

"Right..." Hilbert felt like he should have expected something like that. If Zekrom and Reshiram really were opposites, that would apply to their natures too, right? But he couldn't help wondering how long this was going to take. He didn't exactly have a lot of time to divulge his life story, did he?

As if sensing Hilbert's unease, Reshiram assured him, ("My time as the Light Stone has made me aware of a few things already, so I promise this will be brief.")

Hilbert nodded. "Alright. What is it?"

("It regards what you said to those two women earlier. How you would make the Hero of Ideals see the error of his ways...and I quote, with or without Reshiram's help. What I wish to know is, did you truly mean that?")

Hilbert opened his mouth to answer, but then closed it. That...

"Honestly, that was something I said in the heat of the moment," he admitted. "I was angry. It felt like they were trying to protect his innocence while not giving a damn about my own. Not that they had a reason to care about me, but it was like it never occurred to them that N and Team Plasma put me and my team through so much crap. I mean...they killed a dear friend of ours. That really...I'm only realizing now that it messed me up, big time. Like, that's gonna stay with me. And we're not the only ones they've hurt!"

Reshiram nodded, seeming to encourage Hilbert to continue. So he did, "And besides...up until now, the Light Stone didn't change much since I got it. I even switched my team around a little so I could be prepared to face Zekrom. Although, now that I think about it...?"

Hilbert let his words trail off. There was a warm kindness to Reshiram's words as they said, ("Don't rush.")

Another moment passed before Hilbert said, "It makes sense. Like...you...know what happened with Cobalion, right?"

Reshiram nodded, after which Hilbert continued, "When he suddenly dropped in, I couldn't bring myself to move, or even make a sound. I was so scared that I couldn't bring myself to so much as twitch. Roger and Michelle confronted him on their own, and to protect me! Everything they did was of their own will. I just...something clicked, seeing that. If they could take on a legendary by themselves..."

He paused. "That feeling only grew as my team fought Virizion and Terrakion, and the Elite Four on top of that. They're the ones that helped me get to where I am right now. N might have had Zekrom's help with beating the League, but I can't say the same for you. You were sleeping in my bag while they did most of the work! They've given me reason to trust them, but you just haven't."

Reshiram snorted as they responded, ("So, you would trust your companion's power over mine? I warn you; Zekrom has always been hasty and sentimental. I cannot guarantee that my absence in this battle will cause theirs. Despite knowing this, you would still renounce my power?")

Hilbert's answer was immediate; "Absolutely."

The dragon stared at Hilbert for a long moment, as if assessing the truth behind his words.

It felt like an eternity had passed before Reshiram smiled.

N couldn't hear a word of Hilbert's conversation with Reshiram. Which was just fine by him; Reshiram themself asked for this bit of privacy, and who was N to refuse? While Zekrom may be his patron, that didn't mean he was going to disrespect Reshiram's wishes. That wouldn't be very becoming of a Champion-King.

Zekrom watched the scene with interest, as if wondering what Hilbert and Reshiram were going to do. Perhaps they had a better idea of what Reshiram was asking, given their history.

Was it possible Zekrom knew about Reshiram that N had been oblivious to? No, that couldn't be the case; N had read all the books Ghetsis gave him backwards and forwards. There wasn't anything about the story that he didn't already know, right?

He snapped out of his musings when a burst of flames caught his eye. He looked up to see Reshiram disappear in a burst of red light. And there stood Hilbert with an Ultra Ball in his left hand. The Trainer made sure N saw it before it blinked out of existence, indicating that it had been sent to the Storage System.

"Hey, N!" Hilbert called. "Sorry, but it doesn't look like Reshiram is going to be making it to today's battle. They have somewhere else to be."

Then he noticed that none of the Pokemon by Hilbert's side had left. Between that sight and what Hilbert had said, the implication sank in instantly. "Are you...are you saying that-? What about-?! Why would-?! You couldn't have-!"

"Oh, but I did," Hilbert responded. "I said it right before they woke up, didn't I? I don't need Reshiram's power, and I never did. My party's more than enough to kick you and Zekrom to the curb. So, hope you don't mind that it'll just be us!"

N couldn't say anything. No words came to mind. All of this buildup was for a clash between Heroes; between Zekrom and Reshiram. Even with the bonds he forged with his current party, how could Hilbert just toss Reshiram aside like this?!

"And besides," Hilbert continued, moving his left hand so that the back was visible. What N saw rooted him to the spot; there was a blue mark that hadn't been there before. Like the one Zekrom placed on his right hand, when they...?!

"What was that you and Ghetsis said? First Hero in two millennia?" Hilbert questioned with a cheeky grin. "I gotta admit, I always did think that had a really nice ring to it!"

Not only did Hilbert seem more determined than ever, but so did his team. They all looked ready to go to war, seemingly empowered by Reshiram's approval. Excadrill (Garfield, right?) took the stage first, ready to rumble.

N was shocked, but also worried. Without Reshiram here...would Zekrom be willing to fight? If they weren't, that would only put N at a disadvantage - there would be five Pokemon against Hilbert's six! But he couldn't force Zekrom to...

The dragon seemed to realize this as well, they contemplated the situation before glancing at N.

("N, don't worry,") Zekrom assured him. ("It wouldn't surprise me if Reshiram chose Hilbert because he refused to add them to his party. They have always been relaxed and logical - and sometimes their logic is a mystery even to myself. In fact, they probably warned Hilbert that their absence in this battle would not guarantee mine.")

"But-" N said. "I don't want to force you into-"

("N, you're not forcing me if I'm offering,") Zekrom responded. ("Besides, how is this any different from you facing the former Champion? He didn't have Reshiram by his side either.")

"That's-" N knew that Zekrom had a point. He had made an effort to not utilize Zekrom's power against the Elite Four, but Alder had forced him into a corner. The fight he put up was admirable, and N found himself admitting that Zekrom was what turned the tables.

Still, N had to admit to himself that he really wanted to see Zekrom and Reshiram clash. Just like in the legends. He wanted to be proven right, and seeing two equal forces clash seemed the best way to do that.

But he couldn't force Hilbert or Reshiram to change their minds. Something about that stung.

"Fine. If you're sure…thank you," N finally condeded. Zekrom nodded and took their place on the battlefield, ready for the first command. Excadrill's ground typing would render Fusion Bolt useless, but there would other moves they could use.

"Hilbert! Despite their absence, Reshiram has chosen you as their Hero," N announced. "So we will not hold back. I will prevail and create the future that I dream of!"

Even if Zekrom was defeated, N still had the rest of his team. They…they could do this.

A king needed to be certain in their words and actions…so there was no room for nerves.

Reshiram was sent to the PC.

Relaxed natured, highly curious.

Author's Notes: Midnight Sector = Twilight Zone.

Also, the worldbuilding surrounding the Twin Kings. I honestly had the bare bones of it with that chapter that had both Zekrom and Reshiram's POVs, but then I thought more about it. I needed to find a way to give more context somehow, so I figured Hilbert finding a book in N's Room was the perfect way to do that.

And honestly, Hilbert rejecting Reshiram's help was what I planned on from the start. The only way they would've been in his team was if I had lost a member to the Elite Four, and since I didn't…

Speaking of! I had a chat with a longtime friend (months ago, on Discord) about how the whole 'Ideals and Truth' deal with the Tao Trio could be seen as a 'heart vs head' allegory, and I realized upon putting this chapter up on Ao3 that it really influenced how I wrote Zekrom and Reshiram. Cheers, kudos, and credit for that concept goes to my friend!