Along with the Mewtwo Strikes Back movie, there was a short called Pikachu's Summer Vacation. The Pokédex translated Pokémon speech into English. I don't think there was much more like that in the main series, at least until the Rotom dex. Anyway, that's what Cara's referencing later on in this chapter.

And I built up a strike team for Cara, and she only ended up using a coupe of them. Oops.

Polaris-Ponyta, Mia-Alolan Marowak, Marin-Primarina, Lunick-Midnight Lycanroc, Twine-Fomantis, Zetty-Rotom Dex

Strike Team: Shira-Reshiram, Phantom-Darkrai, Link-Raichu, Eon-Espeon, Uber-Umbreon

Kuro-Zekrom

Chapter 13: Three Sides of a Coin

Kyurem's ice erupted in jagged spikes across the cavern wall. They were trying to seal us in here.

"Shira!" I shouted. She shot toward us, scooping up me and N. She rocketed out of the tunnel and out into the open air, depositing us in front of the startled sword Pokémon. Then she took off as Kyurem hurtled out of the cave. The two of them soared into the air and began blasting fire and electricity at each other.

"N!" I shouted. Far too loud, considering he was standing right next to me. "I have to help Shira. Can you coordinate with the Swords?" I nodded to Cobalion and the others. "Shira can drive Kyurem lower so they can attack him from the ground."

"I can get airborne," Keldeo offered.

"Great." I'd once seen him use jets of water from his hooves to launch himself into the air. "Be careful though. If you get knocked out of the air from that height, it would be bad."

Kyurem suddenly swerved toward us and shot bolt of electricity. We jumped out of the way, but I felt a tingle in my legs from the attack. Kyurem now had Zekrom's electric power, along with his original ice. Shira drove Kyurem away from us. I tried to stand, but pitched forward. One of my legs was prickling, and I could barely feel it. Paralysis. Luckily it only hit one leg.

"Change of plans," Virizion said. "You direct, I'll focus on keeping you safe." She knelt in front of me, offering me her back. I climbed on, hugging her neck since my numb leg couldn't grip very well. Beside me, Cobalion offered his back to N. Terrakion would back up Keldeo – the only one among them that could fly.

"Be careful," I said to them.

"Don't worry," Cobalion assured us. "We won't let Kyurem freeze us again."

N and Cobalion bolted in the opposite direction as Kyurem dove at us. Virizion dashed away, leaving N to guide the rest of the swords. Virizion carried me to the top of the ridge, where I would be closest to Shira. She was fighting admirably. But Kyurem was fighting with the combined powers of two legendary Pokémon. She needed help.

Bright flashes flared from the Plasma frigate. Was the rest of Team Plasma attacking us too? But no. Our friends had taken the ship. They were on the deck, their Pokémon firing attacks toward Kyurem.

I shouted at them to stop, but they were too far away. Kyurem dove toward me, apparently attracted by my shouting. But at the last moment, Kyurem swerved and headed toward the ship. Shira missed her opponent's shift in direction, and couldn't catch up to him in time. Kyurem aimed at the ship and fired. My friends dove for safety below deck as ice closed in around the entire ship.

"Please be okay," I gasped. I couldn't do anything for them now – we had to take down the enemy first. I sent out Phantom. He shot into the sky and sent out a volley of Dark Void, which Kyurem wheeled away from. Kyurem turned toward Phantom, and Shira seized the opportunity to crash into Kyurem's back. He bellowed and flared out bolts of electricity. Shira flinched and fell away. Phantom had moved forward and was preparing another attack. But Kyurem whirled around and blasted Phantom with ice, point-blank. Phantom was frozen solid in a tomb of ice. He plummeted out of the air.

I cried out, grabbing Eon's Pokéball. I sent out my Espeon, and he used his psychic powers just in time to catch Phantom and set him down gently. Kyurem had defeated Phantom so quickly. And I couldn't call Shira to thaw him, because it would put her at risk of attack. And if Phantom was beaten so easily, none of my other Pokémon stood a chance.

Something flew by. N's Braviary. And he was carrying something. Keldeo carefully balanced on the bird's back. I used telepathy to tell Shira what I'd seen. She nodded, trying to keep Kyurem busy so he wouldn't see the surprise attack ready to drop down from above.

"Eon," I whispered. "Keep an eye on him. Catch him if he falls."

My Espeon nodded. We still hadn't driven Kyurem low enough and long enough for the swords to attack. Maybe Keldeo could help with that.

"Cara!" The telepathic message made me jump. It took me a second to identify who was speaking. Cobalion. "N has a theory. Ghetsis is controlling Kyurem somehow. He's watching from a distance. If Reshiram and Keldeo can distract Kyurem, N and I can sneak in and stop Ghetsis."

"We'll do what we can."

I relayed the plan to Shira. Ghetsis could see that Keldeo was planning a surprise attack. No doubt he would have Kyurem counter at the last second. Just like he'd done with Phantom. We had to slow Kyurem down just enough for Keldeo to get a hit in.

Shira began working her way closer to her opponent, flinching as Kyurem's electricity snapped at her. One attack hit and Shira faked a swoon. Kyurem seized the apparent lull to whirl toward Keldeo. But Shira launched forward, slamming into Kyurem's belly. Kyurem snorted in surprise, and Keldeo leapt from Braviary's back. His horn flashed into a gleaming sword and slashed down onto one of Kyurem's wings. The three legendary Pokémon fell in a long, tangled plummet to the ground. Keldeo leapt free and Eon caught him, lowering him gently. But Kyurem grabbed Shira and blasted her point-blank with Dragon Pulse. Eon barely managed to slow her as she slammed into the ground. Kyurem fell heavily, but slowly staggered to his feet. Shira lay still.

Kyurem shuffled around until he was facing me and Virizion. He aimed his wings, charging up a blast of ice.

Terrakion charged in and rammed his horns into Kyurem. He followed up with Stone Edge, hurling Kyurem off his feet. Keldeo leapt in with Sacred Sword. Kyurem snarled and began to crackle with electricity. Before Keldeo or Terrakion could get clear, Kyurem struck with a massive bolt of lightning. Virizion managed to leap out of the way, but Keldeo and Terrakion were too close to dodge. Gasping and wincing, they tried to stand. Static rippled across them, making their muscles freeze up.

"Hurry, N," I whispered. Even with all of us together, Kyurem had us on the run. Virizion darted back and forth, keeping herself a moving target. She unleashed an occasional Magical Leaf, though the attack had little affect. We couldn't risk getting hit – she would be weak to Kyurem's ice.

I spotted Ghetsis. He was standing not far from the chasm entrance. Cobalion leapt out of the bushes, nearly landing on him. Ghetsis stumbled back, alarmed. But Cobalion ran past him, coming to join me and Virizion. He deflected one of Kyurem's attacks. As Ghetsis was regaining his balance, N stepped out from behind the bushes and faced him. I couldn't hear them , and I couldn't watch very closely – I had to keep my balance as Virizion darted and dodged. But now Cobalion was here to back us up. Ssomething seemed strange about N. I couldn't put my finger on it – he wasn't moving the way N would. Then it hit me. N was an illusion, created by Zoroark. I glanced around and spotted the real N, crouched behind a rock.

The fake N suddenly lunged toward Ghetsis, as though to tackle him. Ghetsis took a step back, easily dodging. N leapt out and yanked the staff from Ghetsis. With one swift swing, he dashed it against the rocks and shattered it to pieces.

I could hear Ghetsis roar in outrage. At the same time. Kyurem threw his head back and let out a keening bellow. Now that the control on him was gone, there was nothing to force him on. He toppled to the ground in exhaustion.

Ghetsis turned on N. but Zoroark dropped the illusion and sprang, pinning Ghetsis to the ground.

Cobalion and Virizion stayed next to Keldeo and Terrakion. The four of them kept an eye on Kyurem. I hurried over to N and Ghetsis.

"Be careful, Zoroark," N said. "Don't hurt him."

Zoroark growled and bared his teeth, but did nothing more than sit on Ghetsis, keeping his arms pinned to the ground. N looked up and gave me a tired smile. Then he turned back to Ghetsis, and hesitated. "F-father. Won't you ever understand what people and Pokémon can accomplish when they work together?"

"Shut up!" Ghetsis spat. "Shut up, SHUT UP! There's nothing human about you. What kind of human can talk to Pokémon?"

"Actually," I said, "I know of several humans like that. They're some of the best people I know. They can see into two worlds."

Ghetsis was beyond any reason. While he continued his tirade, Zoroark helped us prop him against a tree. I used rope from my backpack to tie his hands together behind the trunk. And then because he still wouldn't shut up, I took N's arm and lead him away. N didn't need insults hurled at him after the battle we'd been through. We went to check on Shira. She groaned and opened one eye as we approached.

"Thanks, Shira. You were amazing." I pulled out a hyper potion and sprayed it on her. She raised her head, still looking unsteady. Then she half-crawled to where Kyurem was lying unconscious. She touched her nose to Kyurem's.

Purple light flared around Kyurem, condensing above his body. It formed into the Dark Stone. And when the light faded, Kyurem was back in his original state. I reached out and took the Dark Stone before it hit the ground. I held it carefully in one hand and stepped toward Kyurem. I hesitated, then placed a hand on his forehead. One eye opened. I sprang back, still jumpy after the battle.

Kyurem sighed, deep and weary. "Thank you. I'll rest for now." He closed his eye and faded into a deep sleep.

I rubbed around his yellow horn, my fingers numb from the cold skin. N came up next to me and also placed his hand on Kyurem's head. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "For what my father did."

"It's over now," I looked at the Dark Stone in my hand. I thought about what Zekrom had told me earlier about fighting for both truth and ideals. Hold onto truth, but fight to make ideals a reality. I continued, almost talking to myself. "Even if we can't stop all of the darkness, we still do what we can to fix what's in front of us. Making things better one step at a time."

I turned to hand Zekrom's stone back to N. Before it was out of my hand, it began to glow. The Dark Stone rose into the air, reforming into Zekrom. He appeared and slumped to the ground, exhausted from his ordeal.

N rushed to his side, speaking softly. I stepped back to give them space. Shira crawled over to where Phantom was frozen in a chunk of ice, and she began to thaw him with her flames. With Kyurem freed from Ghetsis's control, the ice was beginning to thaw on its own. When she finished with Phantom, she went to start thawing out the ship where our friends were trapped.

I went over to where the Swords of Justice were. Keldeo and Terrakion were still unconscious. I gave them each a revive. Once I'd thanked them for their help, they went to keep an eye on the captive Ghetsis. He shouted at them, but every time he made a noise, Keldeo squirted water in his face. Eventually Ghetsis fell silent.

Shira made a hole in the ice around the ship, and our friends climbed out onto the deck. They were all okay. Then Shira returned to where Zekrom and Kyurem were sleeping. She curled up between them. These three dragons had once been the same being. They were together again for the first time in ages. I felt a faint shiver at the thought.

As they drifted off to sleep, N joined me. "They look so peaceful together."

"It's nice for them to be together. At least for now."

N nodded, silent.

The police arrived and took Ghetsis into custody. Then they started to round up the people in the Frigate. N watched, solemn. He had once been the leader of Team Plasma, after all. Some of those prisoners had started out as his people. The Swords of Justice slipped away when the valley started to fill with more people. N and I managed to catch them before they disappeared, so we could say goodbye. When we got back, we found that Kyurem had vanished as well. I wished I could have spoken to him more, but he'd been through enough today. We helped with some of the clean-up, and finally the police turned us loose. I said goodbye to Roxie, Grimsley, Shauntal, and Benga. I wished I could have hung out with them a little more, but as gym leaders and Elite Four, they couldn't leave the scene yet.

I waited for N, who was speaking to the Team Plasma members that had helped our mission. Then he came and joined me. The two of us started walking out of the Giant Chasm.

"Thank you, Cara. For helping me again."

"I'm glad it worked out. Hey N, do you want to come to Alola? Just for a little while. You could meet Lily – the Pokémon who brought me here. Maybe even Twilight could come. He doesn't really get to meet any other humans, so he'd be excited." Even as I made the offer, I had difficulty imagining N on a tropical island.

He stopped walking, apparently giving my offer deep consideration. "You know what? That sounds nice. I need a … distraction."

I called out to Lily, asking her if she'd do a quick shuttle for us. She was always willing, though I felt guilty asking such a special Pokémon to be my transport. A minute later, two figures flickered into view: Lily and Twilight. Twilight crashed into me with his usual hug.

"What happened?" He asked. "There was a big battle!"

I didn't ask how he knew. They were psychic types, and often picked up on the intense emotions I had. "There was a battle. I'll tell you all about it. But I'd like you to meet a friend of mine. This is N. He also talks to Pokémon."

Lily nodded her head in greeting. Twilight grinned. "I remember you!"

N smiled back. "I remember you too. On that video call. It's nice to meet you in person."

Twilight floated over, examining him. "Your hair looks like a Shaymin."

I burst out laughing. "We just need to tuck some flowers behind his ears. They'll be easy to find on Alola."

N chuckled. He didn't mind being teased by Pokémon. "Well, I'd love to see Alola. Thank you."

Lily offered an arm to N and I, and she teleported. We blinked in surprise. It was night in Alola. Maybe an hour or two past dark. Freaking time differences. That of course explained why I was so tired. We were on the same deserted beach where we'd brought Twilight to play earlier.

"Ooh!" Twilight exclaimed, pointing out to the dark water. It was lit up by Finneon glowing beneath the surface. He splashed into the ocean, swimming toward the fish. I discarded my backpack and followed in my clothes. N hesitated, then took off his shirt and jumped in after us. Lily decided to be the life guard, floating overhead.

When we finished swimming with the Finneon, Twilight started a water fight. Considering his growing psychic powers, he had the advantage. By the end, even N was laughing. Lily managed to avoid getting wet only by using her psychic powers. Then we had a sandcastle contest, by the light of the Finneon. This time Lily won. Also by using her psychic powers.

Twilight started to nod off. He claimed he wasn't sleepy, but we all sat together on the sand, which was still a little bit warm. Twilight sat on my lap, trying to listen as we talked.

"Man, I wish I'd brought Zetty with me," I said. "He stayed with Ben and Hari. They're working on a way to track those wormholes I told you about. Professor Kukui and Ben developed a new shell for Rotom. A sort of computer information center." I wasn't sure if N still disliked Pokédexes, so I avoided using the term "Rotom dex." "It's not designed for combat. But the best part is that it gives Rotom a voice. Hari and I could speak to him, but he's so happy that he can talk to everyone now."

"They designed a speaking Rotom shell? That's amazing!"

"I know, right! I wonder if they'll be able to apply something like this to other Pokémon too. But even if they can't, anyone with this new Rotom shell would have Rotom as a translator for Pokémon speech."

"It's an impressive step," Lily said. "That communication will help solve a lot of problems."

I nodded. "The oldest version of the Pokédex had a sort of translator. A prototype. I guess it ended up being too unreliable. Ben's been thinking about working on a project like that. I think he's always a bit jealous that Hari and I can speak to Pokémon, when he can't."

"I wish Pokémon speech was something you could teach to other people," N agreed. "I suppose it's too complicated for a computer, since each species has its own dialect."

Twilight had finally drifted off to sleep.

"He's a special little guy," N whispered.

"You said it."

Lily reached over to pat Twilight's head. "We're all so proud of him."

I felt my head bob a bit. I was exhausted too.

N noticed. "I suppose I better get going."

"Now?" I asked. "Are you sure you don't want to stay longer?"

"Yes. I have work to do." He hesitated. Something about his expression caught my attention. I carefully passed the sleeping Twilight over to Lily. Then I followed N down the beach. After a minute, N said, "I wondered if you could do something for me."

I nodded. N let out a deep sigh, then pulled out a Pokéball. It held Kuro, the Zekrom. I tilted my head, questioning.

"I was wondering if you could look after Zekrom for me."

"What?" I exclaimed.

"He awakened for you. When he unfused from Kyurem, it was your hands that woke him from the Dark Stone. You believe in truth, but you fight for ideals."

"So what? He's your partner!"

"And he always will be." N paused, thinking out his words. "I want people to understand that they don't have to tie Pokémon to them. It's fine if they do – you taught me that some Pokémon want to be with their trainers. But I also have to practice what I preach. To let Pokémon move on when it's time. And I think it's time that the dragons of Truth and Ideals are together. You saw them. They belong with each other."

"What about Zekrom? What did he say? Don't you remember the Purrloin you released? She was so upset that you let her go that she joined my team to track you down."

N laughed. "Do you still have her?"

I nodded.

"I'm glad she's got a good home. But yes, I spoke to Zekrom. He's okay with it."

I fell silent. It wasn't that I didn't want Zekrom with us. I did. But I was afraid that without Zekrom, N might not have a friend that was always there for him. If he was always changing his team, he wouldn't get those deep bonds. But then again, he was leading Team Plasma again. The good side of Team Plasma. Maybe that would help him to repair his connection to humanity. And he clearly had things he was trying to work out. "Zekrom will stay with us for now. But you'd better come back if you need him. He'll be glad to help you."

"I will." N held out the Pokéball. "Thank you."

My hand caught Kuro's Pokéball, and I thought I could feel a faint crackle of the dragon's electricity through the surface. I pulled out Shira's Pokéball and held the two together. The two would be together. I shivered, amazed at the thought.

N walked down the beach. He bowed to Lily and said something I couldn't hear. Lily tucked Twilight onto the sand, and stood. N raised a hand in farewell, and Lily teleported him away.