Work Text:
For as long as he could remember Certainty had been at the very core of N’s being. He had been raised with opinions given to him as truths. Pokemon were oppressed when they were stuck by people’s sides, forced to do their bidding with no true autonomy. The world would be better if such a self-imposed bond was shattered for good. Of course, N himself wasn’t a hypocrite. He could speak to Pokemon himself! He knew his friends enjoyed being by his side! He would never want them hurt or force them through such trivial things as gym battles or put them on display in some sort of competition for his own gain. It was different for him.
A difference that made him deserving of the title of King, or at least that was what the Sages had assured him of.
Part of him had been so deeply excited as Team Plasma began to push forward their beliefs, creating doubt within the minds of those that had spent so much time with Pokemon forced by their sides. Speeches were given and Pokemon… liberated (never stolen) to prove their dedication to their cause. Even if some members had to carry trapped Pokemon by their side - a necessary evil for their own protection. But N himself was never the one giving speeches or demonstrations. He had been told it was far too dangerous for that! So instead he watched from the sidelines; watched the effects of his mantra despite not being the one to deliver it.
He had embraced this Certainty to its fullest extent until he met them. The trainer with pure determination in their eyes, set on proving themself to the world. N had been certain that he show to them the foolish nature of their ways but instead… instead that had worked in pure harmony with their Pokémon and defeated him. Stranger still, their Pokémon seemed happy with them as if there were nowhere they’d prefer to be. He would be lying if he said it didn’t disturb it.
Pokémon that wanted to remain with their trainers.
It felt like a joke. Some cruel impossibility waved in his face to test the strength of his views. Was this simply a trial? Something to prove how unwavering his beliefs were and how worthy he was to be a hero with one of Unova’s legendary dragons by his side. That had to be it. Just the forces of the world itself demanding he prove himself worthy of Zekrom’s companionship. With the dragon by his side, he would be a true king and liberator as he freed the Pokémon of Unova from their restraints.
But there were two dragons. Zekrom was one side of the coin and Reshiram was the other. If there were another pure enough of heart then the white dragon would be free once more. But that was impossible. In a world so cruel and hateful, how could any be as pure as heart as N was? For a moment, his mind flickered back to the trainer. The joy their Pokémon felt. The compassion accompanying the aggression of battle. It was foolish to think that the world wouldn’t corrupt them as it did all else. Yet all thoughts of Reshiram brought him back to that same trainer.
N found himself more invested in the trainer’s journey that he expected. They opposed Team Plasma at every given opportunity, fighting back against the liberation of Pokémon to return them to their captors without a moment questioning their own morals. Unknowingly, they had presented themself as the perfect rival to Team Plasma’s king. A perfect match to Reshiram and wasn’t that exciting?! A heart as passionate as his. A valued ally if he could ever convince them to change their views.
A moment of anxiety came when he revealed his true nature to the trainer. N had known the truth was inevitable and it was better to reveal it himself than have them stumble upon it. In all honesty, he expected outrage or anger or something just as foul for them. What N hadn’t expected was a half smile and the continuation of pleasant conversation as if they were almost… friends despite their divide on the world. He dared not admit it out loud but it was nice to think he could have a friend - as foolish as it was.
As N grew stronger so did the trainer. They seemed to charge through gym after gym with Pokémon practically proud to be by their side. A passionate so fierce within them that it perfectly reflected his own. That was what left him all the more disappointed when Reshiram did not rise for them as Zekrom did for him. Had… Had he misjudged them? Mistaken the strength of their heart? If anything, it just assured him of his own views. It pushed back against the doubt the trainer had planted in his mind so long ago. A dragon had risen for him and his dreams for liberation, but not one for them and their determination to maintain order
So Team Plasma rose as the Elite Four and Champion were no match for the bond N shared with his Pokémon. He was so close to his idealised future that he could practically taste it. But that taste was quick to turn sour. Ghetsis had not raised N to be his son but to be his puppet. Reshiram had answered the trainer’s call, marking them as the second hero as they stood ready to face him despite the odds.
His true rival.
His true rival who beat him as if it were easy and left the depths of N’s world spiralling. Because he’d been wrong. He had been disillusioned on his beliefs and that terrified him. The Certainty he had carried so closely had been filled with so many falsities used to thread Ghetsis’s marionette strings through him. Yet… Zekrom did not leave him. The dragon did not see N as any less worthy and that was the only piece of reassurance he could truly cling to.
Unable to face the world that differed from the rose-tinted one he’d expected, N left upon Zekrom with little idea as to his destination and one single clear thought. He hoped to see his friend again one day.