Annie leant back against the window of the train, absentmindedly stroking Galvantula's fur as the landscape blurred by. They were finally on their way to Chargestone Cave. It was hard to believe that in just a few short hours, Galvantula would be back where it belonged. Annie was caught between relief and a gnawing sadness. She watched the trees rush past, her mind flicking idly through the happy memories she'd made with Galvantula.
The train slowed as they approached Nimbasa City, the electric skyline coming into view. Annie frowned and glanced at her ticket. There wasn't supposed to be a stop here. A chime rang, followed by the conductor's voice crackling over the intercom: "Attention, all passengers! Due to unforeseen circumstances, all trains are currently delayed. We ask that everyone please disembark. We apologize for the inconvenience."
A collective groan rippled through the carriage as people started gathering their things, muttering in annoyance. Annie sighed and glanced down at Galvantula, who was watching her with those big, nervous eyes. "Guess we're making a stop," she murmured, scooping up her bag and recalling Galvantula back into its Friend Ball.
Stepping onto the platform, she overheard two women chattering animatedly. "Did you hear? A bunch of guys are dancing on the tracks!" one of them said, giggling. "They're holding up all the trains! Apparently, all they're saying is 'Today we're dancing for no reason. Someday we'll disappear for no reason!'"
She stepped out of the station into the bustling, neon-lit streets of Nimbasa City. Last time she'd been here, she'd loved the colours and the carnival music that seemed to ring merrily around every street corner. But today, she wasn't in the mood for merriment. Annie trailed listlessly past parades of shops and arcades looking for somewhere that might provide a quiet cup of coffee.
Just as she thought she might have found exactly that, a small café on a tucked away side street, she heard raised voices coming from further down the road.
"Gramps! We know you run the daycare!"
Annie approached quietly. 'I'll just check that old man is okay, then I'll get my coffee.'
"How do we know? Because we're Team Plasma!"
Annie was close enough to see the three people clearly now. An old man and two grunts in knight costumes. Her blood ran cold. Last time she had meddled in Team Plasma's business, the unthinkable had almost happened. This was only two grunts, but if Gorm or another sage was nearby...
"We are taking Pokémon away from people. Since you work at the daycare, we figure you must have a lot of Pokémon! Hand 'em over!"
"What kind of nonsense is this?!" said the old man as the two grunts began to close in on him.
'Damn it, I can't just stand by and watch this happen!' Annie stepped forward, reaching for Ariados' ball. "Hey, leave him alone!"
"Oh! A strong-looking trainer! Please help me!" the old man implored. Annie nodded reassuringly to him, ignoring the guilt churning in her stomach. She was putting her own Pokémon in danger, just after saying she wouldn't. But she had also promised to take down Team Plasma. 'I've made too many promises I can't keep...'
"If you're going to get in our way, we'll take your Pokémon too!" The grunt, who Annie didn't recognise, sent out his Pokémon and Annie did the same.
"Ariados! X-Scissor!"
"Watchog, Hyper Fang!"
If there was one thing Annie appreciated about the Plasma grunts, it was how woeful they all were at battling. Perhaps Team Plasma's half-baked ideology wasn't conducive to creating strong trainers. Whatever the reason, these grunts were no exception. Ariados knocked their Pokémon out with little effort.
"This went downhill fast..." the grunts exchanged glances after their last Pokémon was knocked out and the unharmed Ariados hissed menacingly at them. "So, I think... we'd better... RUN!"
The two grunts turned on their heel and fled down the street. Annie had been about to turn to the old man to ask if he was okay, when Ariados streaked after the grunts.
"Ariados, wait!" Annie shouted, running after her.
They trampled through the streets of Nimbasa City, Ariados hot on the grunts trail, refusing to be recalled back into her ball.
'Why won't she listen to me?! We could be running towards a bigger group of them! She must be angry about Galvantula too... More than I realised. If we can catch them before they find reinforcements, maybe we can turn them over to the police.'
The two grunts flung themselves around a corner and through the arches of the amusement park, disappearing into a throng of tourists. Ariados and Annie followed, coming to a halt as they scanned the crowds.
To Annie's surprise, she couldn't see them, but instead found herself locking eyes with N. He stood in front of the Ferris wheel, looking alone and a little lost. Annie ran up to him, doubled over as she caught her breath.
"Have - you – seen – some – Team Plasma grunts – running through here?" Annie choked out. "Two of them, they were causing trouble, so we were chasing them..."
"Yes, they ran into the park. Come with me." N nodded and Annie couldn't believe her luck. She and Ariados followed N to the entrance of the Ferris wheel, where he bought two tickets at the booth.
"What... What are you doing?" Annie asked blankly.
"They're not here. Let's ride the Ferris wheel and see if we can spot them." he replied, his expression neutral.
Blindsided, Annie found herself nodding. It sounded like a rubbish idea, the more she thought about it. But N had already joined the small queue of people waiting for a car. She recalled Ariados, who finally relented, and stood meekly next to the boy.
"I love Ferris wheels. The circular motion... The mechanics... They're like collections of elegant formulas." he said, looking up at it. She followed his gaze, but it just looked like any old fairground ride to her.
'Did I just get tricked into going on a ride with him because he didn't want to go alone?'
"Yeah, I suppose they're pretty cool."
Their turn came and Annie climbed into the pod with N, sitting across from him. As the car slowly ascended, she pressed her hands to the glass, looking for the two grunts in the crowds below.
"First, I must tell you... I am the king of Team Plasma."
'What?'
Annie turned slowly to face him, searching for a flicker of humour in his face. She found none. N looked back at her with that same neutral expression he always wore.
"N, I don't understand..." Annie spoke quietly. It hadn't been lost on her that he shared the same values as Team Plasma preached about. But N seemed so gentle, so kind... Nothing like the thugs that worked for Team Plasma.
"Ghetsis asked me to work with him to save the Pokémon." he replied, as if that explained anything.
"So, you've been with Team Plasma all this time?" asked Annie, remembering how she'd encouraged him to talk to Galvantula. Suddenly her trip felt tainted. What if he'd been lying when he said Galvantula wanted freedom? What if she'd just been playing right into N's hands? Into Ghetsis' hands?
N gave a small nod but remained silent. The silence hung over them as the Ferris wheel slowly revolved. When he eventually broke the silence, he was looking out of the window. Not for the grunts, Annie realised, that had been a lie.
"I wanted to apologise for what happened to Galvantula. Colress, the scientist who hurt it, is no longer with Team Plasma."
Annie gave a weak laugh. "Well, at least I got some good news today."
Silence settled again as N continued looking out of the window. He wasn't looking at the view, Annie noticed, but at the Ferris wheel itself. He was watching the steel beams as they passed outside.
"I wonder how many Pokémon exist in this world..." he said quietly.
Annie leaned her head back on the seat, not sure what to say. N wasn't just working for Team Plasma. He was the king... Whatever that meant. All the horrible things they did, stealing Pokémon, robbing museums... It was down to him. She couldn't make the pieces fit together. N was a little strange, sure. But she had really felt like she could trust him.
'Am I really that naive? That gullible? Even now, when I look at him, he looks like a kind person. How could this be?'
Annie was feeling claustrophobic by the time the ride came to an end and she wasted no time climbing out of the pod. No sooner had her feet hit solid ground, she saw the two grunts ambling around in front of the Ferris wheel. Her hand instinctively reached for her Friend Balls, but before she could make a move, one of the grunts spotted N.
"My Lord N!" the first grunt shouted, rushing over to him.
"You're safe, sire!" the second grunt added, their relief evident.
N's expression didn't change as he addressed them, his voice calm but firm. "There's no problem. You're part of the people we brought in to help us save the Pokémon. So, you're under my protection, as well. Go, quickly, and let my battle cover your retreat."
Annie blinked, feeling the disconnect between N's words and the reality in front of her. He was letting the grunts escape, of course he was. He'd never been on her side.
N turned to face her, his calm demeanour never wavering. "Now then, clown, do you follow my logic?"
Annie stared at him, crossing her arms. "Not really, no."
N let out a soft sigh, his eyes reflecting a deep sadness. "So, that's how it is... That's unfortunate. Ah. Then... The future I envision... Perhaps I can't beat you here and now, but I'll battle you anyway to buy time for these members of Team Plasma to flee."
Before Annie could protest further, N swiftly released a Poké Ball, and a small, scrappy-looking Scraggy appeared before her. Annie's eyes narrowed as she pulled out her own Friend Ball, releasing Crustle onto the field. There wasn't much time to think. The battle had already begun.
N's Scraggy moved quickly and Annie could see the same strange battling style she had witnessed before. Despite N's sharp tactics, Scraggy lacked the raw power needed to take down Crustle. N directed Scraggy with precise, silent motions, and the Pokémon responded with surprising grace. But even as it used every trick in its limited arsenal, Crustle's sturdy defences and powerful Rock Slide soon overwhelmed it. The battle was over in a matter of minutes.
N looked at his fainted Scraggy with a mix of sorrow and resignation. "The result was the same..." He turned his gaze back to Annie, his green eyes searching hers. "But you... Who are you?"
Annie let out a breath, still trying to make sense of everything. "I should be asking you the same question, King of Team Plasma."
N smiled faintly, though it didn't reach his eyes. "You're quite strong. But I have a future that I must change. And, for that future... I'll defeat the Champion and become unbeatable, unlike any other! I'll make all trainers free their Pokémon!" His voice rose passionately as he spoke. "Just try and stop me! If you want to be together with Pokémon, your only hope is to head for the Pokémon League and try and stop me there, if you dare! If your conviction is not strong enough, you will never be able to defeat me."
Without waiting for a response, N turned and walked away, following the two grunts who had scarpered during their battle. Annie stood frozen for a moment, her thoughts racing.
'The Pokémon League...' Annie had spent years avoiding it, telling herself she wasn't ready. But something about N's words lingered in her mind. The conviction in his voice, the desperation to change the world. If she did nothing, then it was people like N and Colress who would change the world, for better or worse. It was the people who were determined to achieve their goals that would trample over anyone who hesitated.
She glanced down at the Friend Ball in her hand, her heart pounding in her chest. It was time. Time to stop running. Time to face the challenge she'd been avoiding for so long. She was going to challenge the Pokémon League and stop Team Plasma once and for all.