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Mayura was interrupted from what was frankly a very nice nap in her PokeBall by a bright flash of light that indicated she was being let out. The fox-like Pokemon shook her fur out and grumbled before yawning, showing off a line of sharp teeth. Touko was sitting on the edge of the bed in front of her, they were in the inn room at the Pokemon Center. Mayura eyed the girl warily, as she had been since Chargestone. Touko sighed.
“Mayura, we need to talk.”
Mayura had known N for quite a while. The littlest sister of his own Zoroark, she had been the runt of the litter. While everyone else evolved, she had stayed in rooms in the castle, being taken care of and treated for illness as her sickly constitution made her fall ill quite often. It hadn’t been fair! Her big brother got to travel everywhere with their friend N, why couldn’t she? She’d been getting stronger, she could keep up! That was why she had been so happy when N asked her to be friends with Lysandra, the girl with long ebony hair and eyes like sapphires. Now she could finally show everyone that she could help too! She could be strong! She had loved Lysandra straight off, always eager to prove herself, often tumbling head over puffy tail to get ahead. And she could tell, Lysandra loved her too! She’d even given her a name, one that was strong and beautiful as the Zorua was. Together, they were gonna help N achieve his dream!
Only it didn’t happen that way. In Chargestone, everything had been revealed to be a lie. Lysandra wasn’t who she said she was at all. She was a Trainer called Touko, she actually had other Pokemon, she had infiltrated Team Plasma to find out its secrets, to find out what N was doing. She’d lied to everyone, she’d lied to N and Mayura. She wanted to stop Team Plasma, she wanted to stop N.
Mayura had spent the past day feeling so torn. She’d spent the hours in her PokeBall thinking quietly about everything, unsure of what to do and how to feel. She wanted to be angry. N was her friend, and she knew he’d cared deeply for Touko, or rather, who he thought Touko had been. But she was sure Touko had cared about him too, and she certainly cared about Mayura, right? She’d seen the way that Samurott and Zebstrika had nuzzled up to her, telling her how desperately they’d missed her. They weren’t lying.
And that was where Mayura and her human had left off, and now they stood facing each other in the room lit by two small lamps. It wasn’t much light, and Mayura’s eyes glowed in compensation. Touko was silent for several moments, evidently trying to think of what to say.
“Mayura, I know you must be feeling confused, and upset even. I’m not who I said I was and-”
“Upset?” Mayura growled. Touko jumped.
“Wh- you can talk-?”
“It’s my Illusion Ability. You’re just hearing what I say in the human tongue.”
“O--Oh.”
“Upset? You lied. You lied to me, to N, to everyone in Team Plasma! I genuinely thought you wanted to help N free Pokemon from selfish people. Only to find out you’re actually working against him? That you infiltrated his followers to gain his trust, solely to use the knowledge you gained against him?! That is horrid, it’s insidious.”
She prowled forward and Touko stiffened against an urge to shrink back. She broke eye contact and looked away.
“I don’t want your apologies, so don’t try. I just want to know why.”
Touko swallowed. “I had thought it was the only option at the time. For whatever reason, N seemed adamant that I was to be the one to oppose him. I never wanted to be. I just wanted to have a journey with my friends and meet tons of Pokemon. But he insisted that this was my destiny or whatever the fuck! I never asked for this!!”
She had stood up to face the Zoroark defiantly, despite the latter slightly outmatching her in height. She continued. “I know what I did was wrong, it was deceitful and when I started I wanted nothing more than to bring the whole of Team Plasma down no matter what! I thought I had to! N wanted to separate ALL Pokemon from people, even the ones that were happy! Even mine, even after he said they were happy with me! It made me angry, alright?! I didn’t understand and I didn’t want to understand!”
“Do not act like you are so much better than him!” Mayura snarled. “You know nothing of what he’s seen, all the Pokemon he met who were hurt beyond saving by people! You couldn’t possibly understand!”
“You’re right! I couldn’t!” Touko shouted back, her eyes beginning to water. “I still don’t understand him! But I want to! I want to understand, if he would just...TALK TO ME!”
Pokemon and human stood very close to each other now, so close each could feel the other’s breath on their face.
“And so what are you going to do, now? Keep me with you to protect your secrets?”
“No,” was the answer, so short and immediate Mayura balked. “N once said that many Trainers may be kind, but they don’t listen hard enough to their Pokemon and end up ignoring their wishes. And that in itself was cruel, to deny Pokemon their voices. And I feel that if I’m going to begin to understand N and his thoughts, his feelings, and if I’m going to be a better Trainer, I need to start doing that. Mayura, you’re my Pokemon, and I love you as much as I love the rest of my team. But I’m not going to make you stay if you don’t want to. If you want, you could leave and go back to N. I won’t stop you.”
Mayura didn’t bother keeping the shock off her face. “I could tell him. I could tell him the truth, tell him everything. Who you were, that he was fooled by you.”
“I know.”
“That could ruin everything you tried to achieve by disguising yourself. It’d all be for nothing.”
“I know.”
“You’d really, really let me go if I wanted?”
“Yes, I swear. I already asked my other Pokemon, they all wanted to stay. You’re the only one I haven’t asked yet. Where do you want to go?”
Mayura hesitated. She hadn’t expected to be asked that question. Touko sat back down on the bed. Her hair, wavy and curly and brunette, rustled around her shoulders.
“I also feel I should at least try to tell you my point of view. I’m not trying to convince you, but I want to tell you why I did what I did. I do agree there are Pokemon out there that are hurt by people. It’s cruel and it’s wrong and I cannot forgive anyone who does something like that. But I also know that there are countless Pokemon who get along with people, I’ve seen it with my own eyes, again and again. I believe Pokemon and people need each other. We make each other stronger. Pokemon battles help us understand each other better! When I’m in battle, I can feel the bond between me and my team. They want to do their best for me, and I want to do my best for them. I don’t want that to be taken away, N’s way of thinking is too extreme, it’s too broad. Yeah, Pokemon wouldn’t be hurt by people anymore, but they’d be hurt nonetheless to be separated from the Trainers they love so much. I can’t bear the thought, it breaks my heart.”
Mayura sat back on her haunches, her eyes softening.
“You’re thinking about the people, but the Pokemon too. That’s why you want to stop Team Plasma.”
“I want to find a different solution. But it’s not just that. Ghetsis.” Touko’s hand clenched. “I don’t trust him. I know that’s a pathetic excuse when I don’t even have any hard proof, but there’s something about him that just sets me on edge. He has ulterior motives, I just know he does. I know N trusts him, but I just can’t believe he has N’s best interests at heart. He’s planning something else. And I’m scared of what it is.”
“...Touko, do you care about N?”
The girl gave a half-hearted shrug. “As much as you can care about someone who seems so determined to make you his enemy, yeah.”
“But you saved him in Driftveil. And in the cave. You talked to him when he was feeling conflicted. Isn’t that something friends do?”
The Zoroark gently nudged her muzzle against Touko, who laughed softly.
“Yeah, it is. So yeah, I guess I do care about him. I just...I dunno, I want him to see that what he’s trying to do isn’t right. Sometimes, friends have to do that for each other. We’re not friends but, I think I’d like to be.”
“And you consider me a friend, too?”
Touko nodded and threw her arms around the Zoroark, burying her fingers in her mane. “Of course! Whatever you choose to do, I’m still your friend.”
“I...I think I want to stay. You’re a good human, Touko. I always wanted to help someone, become stronger, and see the world. I suppose you’re the Trainer I want to do that with. I still don’t feel Team Plasma is entirely in the wrong, but I ought to see your side of things, too.”
“T-Thank you Mayura...that makes me so happy to hear.”
“Though we may have to be sneaky about all this. If I’m seen with you around Team Plasma, they will connect the dots, no doubt.” She grinned widely.
“But us Dark-types are used to being sneaky.”
Her form rippled, and suddenly a girl with long black hair stood in front of Touko. Then a small Cottonee, then a person in a Team Plasma uniform, then an exact replica of Takeshi.
“I do want you to promise something, though,” Mayura said as the illusion dispersed. “I do consider you a friend, but N is also my friend, and his Zoroark is my brother. I will not tolerate anything hurting him. I will accompany you on your journey, I may even fight him if I decide it’s necessary, but if you hurt him without a good reason, I will tell him what you did. Do you understand?”
“I understand,” Touko nodded. “And I promise.”
Mayura settled on the bed next to Touko, curling up much like a Purrloin would. Touko started to gently stroke the Zoroark’s fur, feeling the thrum of a purr that started in Mayura’s throat.
For the time-being, everything was okay. Touko hoped it would last just a little longer.