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If ever there was a place that embodied the culture and energy of Unova in its entirety, Nimbasa City was about as close as you could get to that place, or so its residents argued. From clubs to amusement parks to one of the most famous Gym Leaders in the region (for reasons beyond just her battling ability), Nimbasa had it all.
For three of the region’s resident Champion-Ranked Trainers, it was also a place filled with fond memories. For N and Hilda, it was the place where they rode Nimbasa’s famous Ferris Wheel together and where N revealed to Hilda that he was the king of Team Plasma. For Hilbert, it was the place where one of his best friends stood up to her father for the first time and began to forge her own path in life. For all three of them, it was also the place where they had all obtained their fourth Gym Badge during their journey towards the Pokémon League. It had been four years since then, but they could still remember all of those events as if they’d happened mere days ago. It was because of these memories that they all held the city near and dear to their hearts, perhaps even more than any of the other cities in the region that they had visited in their travels. As a result, it was the place they decided to meet up with each other when it was possible.
It was only their second meet-up in Nimbasa that proved to be just as memorable as the first time they’d all visited the city. As it had been the previous year, the three shared a group hug the second they all saw each other and talked about how much they wished they could spend more time together. Hilbert, jokingly, pointed out that they hadn’t all spent consistent time with each other, back when they were younger, and as such things weren’t all too different between them. While N and Hilda laughed at his joke, they knew his statement couldn’t be further from the truth. Things had changed. Life after the end of their respective journeys had gotten busier and busier, even moreso after Neo Team Plasma’s defeat.
N had reformed Team Plasma into a charity and activist group that campaigned to create a world that reflected his new ideals. Instead of wanting Pokémon liberated from humans, as he once did, N now wanted to create a world in which people and Pokémon lived in true harmony. A world in which Pokémon were not used to further the means of selfish humans. A world in which Pokémon were not made to suffer at the hands of those same humans. Perhaps, in some respects, it was even more unrealistic than the world he’d previously imagined, but that did not discourage him. N was the sort of person who refused to easily give up on his beliefs and dreams. Perhaps it was because of this that the effect Hilbert and Hilda had on him was so profound. They had shown him exactly where the flaws in his thinking lied and caused him to change his ideals. They had made him into the sort of person who still believed strongly in his ideals yet was just as willing to hear the perspectives of others as he was to share his own.
Hilbert had decided to journey all throughout the world, filling out the Pokédex and conducting research for Professor Juniper and her colleagues. While he had, at one point, considered pursuing being a Gym Leader or even becoming the acting Champion of the Unova region, his dreams had since changed. Meeting N had convinced him that he should encourage others to foster relationships between themselves and their Pokémon in the same way he’d fostered connections between himself and all the Pokémon he’d met and caught. Meeting up with N again, two years after they’d initially parted ways, only reinforced this dream. His dream was to now become a Pokémon Professor who focused on researching the bonds between Trainers and their Pokémon. He wanted, above all else, to teach a generation of trainers the importance of compassion for Pokémon and of treating them like the living creatures that they are. He wanted his research to show people in some concrete way that Pokémon were more than just tools for people to use in pursuing their goals. Beyond that, he hadn’t exactly decided on what he wanted to specialize in, but that didn’t worry him just yet. Hilbert was the sort of person who tried to worry about what he was dealing with in the moment and not whatever lied in the distant future.
Hilda had perhaps changed the least between the three of them. Whereas N and Hilbert had drastically altered their looks (the former wore a new asymmetrical outfit that looked reminiscent of his old one but had a greater emphasis on his role as a king, while the latter wore extremely messy hair and a lab coat), Hilda still wore the same outfits she’d always worn since the three had met each other. Her dream hadn’t changed much since she’d first left her home town, either. She still wanted, above all else, to become one of the strongest trainers in the world. At the rate she’d been going, she was quickly on her way to achieving her dream. She’d managed to become a Champion-Ranked Trainer in Sinnoh, Hoenn, Kalos, and Galar in the years since defeating N in Team Plasma’s castle. Memories of the end of her first journey kept her on the lookout for Ghetsis, should he ever return. That wasn’t something unique to her demeanor, but she was easily the most vigilant of the three when it came to N’s father. Both her unchanging appearance and unchanging dream reflected the sort of person she was: consistent in every way.
The three Heroes of Unova had all grown up. They had all grown into better people than they’d been before. They now fought to make the world a better place and to make their dreams a reality. Of course, in pursuing their dreams and ideals, they had to sacrifice spending as much time together as they’d like. While there were times where their work would allow them to spend some time together, these moments were fleeting at best. Their visit to Nimbasa the previous year had provided the most substantial amount of quality time they’d been able to spend in quite some time. The best they’d managed before that had been a tearful reunion shortly after Unova had gained two new Champion-Ranked Trainers (filled with a bit of anger on the part of Hilbert and Hilda, who were annoyed at how quickly and completely N had disappeared).
After their initial meeting and greeting, the three followed their usual routine and sat at one of the many cafés within Nimbasa, drinking their preferred drinks and snacking on the quaint little dishes the café served.
“So, how’s life been for you two?” Hilbert began.
“Oh, same old, same old,” Hilda replied. “I just finished journeying through Galar and decided to take a break from adventuring just for a bit.”
“So that means you’ll be in Unova for the foreseeable future?” N said, his eyes lighting up a little bit.
“Seems that way to me,” Hilda replied nonchalantly. She always found it funny how easy he was to read. When they’d first met, he wasn’t particularly expressive, a reflection of how distant from other humans he’d been. But now, it was difficult for N to not display his emotions as clear as day on his face.
“Same here, actually,” Hilbert said. “There isn’t much I can do outside of Unova at this point, especially as an apprentice under Professor Juniper. So, I think I’ll join Bianca at the Unova Institute for Pocket Monster Research. I have to get my degree eventually, right?” He leaned back in his chair and grinned.
“Well, then, I guess we’ll be able to spend more time together like this,” N said.
“Yeah, we definitely should do that! Especially since the semester doesn’t start for a while,” Hilbert exclaimed. He then leaned back a bit and turned to N. “But in the meantime, what have you been doing? You seem pretty tired, dude.”
“Oh, well,” N started, seeming at a loss for words. Eventually, he found them, stating, “Same as usual, more or less. Reforming Team Plasma has both been extremely easy and extremely difficult, but it isn’t anything that I can’t handle.”
The two younger trainers exchanged a look, both noticing that there seemed to be something else bothering N.
“There is one new development, however,” he continued with a distant look in his eyes. “I have been offered a position as a Gym Leader by Iris. Drayden is retiring and she wants me to take his place.”
Hilda beamed. “That’s great! Can’t believe they finally convinced that stubborn old codger to give it up! What’d you say?”
“I haven’t responded just yet. I got the request through the mail, after all, even though Iris knows fully well I still live in the remnants of the old castle. She could always walk over and talk to me about it face-to-face. But I think she respects my privacy a bit too much to just waltz in like that.”
“You still living in that messed up old place?” Hilbert asked. “I thought they fixed up Victory Road.”
“They did, I walked down there just last week,” Hilda answered. “Looks really nice compared to how it used to.”
“I asked them to dig out a small tunnel for me to use in order to access the remains of the old castle. I just can’t leave my old home behind, I guess.”
“Does anyone else live with you?” Hilbert inquired.
“No humans, but Zorua is living with me once again,” he replied. As he did, N held up the Pokéball that had been clipped to his belt. “He’s been an invaluable partner as I rebuild Team Plasma. Playful little guy, too. Definitely doesn’t give me much time to rest or be moody. He’s also been a great source of ideas for my Gym, if I accept Iris’ offer.”
“So, you’ve decided to accept it, then?” Hilda asked.
“I’m not entirely sure, but I’m considering it. I wouldn’t even know where to start on the look of the place, let alone the team I’d use or how I’d hire Gym Trainers. I think I’d want to use parts of Team Plasma’s old castle. I am still arguably both Unova and Team Plasma’s sovereign, and I’d certainly want my Gym to reflect that. I think I’d also like to reflect the legends of Unova somewhere in the design, too. Zorua and I have been staying up as of late, trying to juggle our responsibilities and come up with more ideas for what we might do if I do choose to accept Iris’ offer.” N spaced out for a second, staring at the Pokéball in his hand. His thoughts wandered for a second. He felt like he had forgotten something important, but he couldn’t quite place his finger on what that thing was. When he regained focus, he said, “But enough about me, where do you think you’ll adventure next, Hilda?”
She stared at him for a second, giving him a look that said “I wish you wouldn’t stress yourself out so much and deprive yourself of so much sleep; you know what happens when you do that.” N nodded, understanding her mental message. When she knew she’d been understood, she said aloud, “I’m not sure yet, but I’m leaning towards either Kanto or Johto. I know there’s going to be some sort of celebration there next year, and it’ll be interesting to go through the only Pokémon League with sixteen Gym Leaders.”
“Wow, you think you’re ready to take them on already?” Hilbert exclaimed. “You think you’d be able to beat Blue or Red? I hear they’re insanely strong!”
“Oh, you bet. I’ve seen them both fight before, even fought alongside them. They definitely have earned their reputation, but it’s nothing the Hero of Truth can’t handle!” She pumped her fist in the air. “I’ll definitely need to train a bunch to get ready for taking them on, though. So there’s a part of me that’s debating checking out Paldea’s Pokémon League or challenging Unova’s for a second time to train even more. Though I could always try out the Pokémon World Tournament someday, if I didn’t want to go to another region.”
“Well, I’ll certainly be excited to see wherever your journey takes you next,” N said. He raised his cup of tea into the air. “To continued success and the furtherance of our dreams!”
“To success!” cried Hilbert, smirking at the way N worded his sentences.
“To dreams!” cried Hilda in return. They each finished off their respective drinks.
“Well, first order of business: do we go shopping through the town, visit some old friends, or go riding rides at the amusement park?” Hilbert asked the group, rubbing his hands together like someone planning a bit of mischief (which wouldn’t be all that odd of a thing for Hilbert to do).
“I say let’s ride the rides first; the lines won’t be too long at this time of the morning and we can start off our day with the coolest thing that we can do in this city,” Hilda proposed. N nodded in agreement.
“Sounds good to me!” Hilbert replied, standing up excitedly.
The three ran off towards Nimbasa’s amusement park, whose name none of them could ever remember. The city may have been memorable, but that didn’t stop them from never being able to recall the name of its most famous landmark (if you didn’t count Elesa).
They began, as they usually did, with the Ferris Wheel. Hilbert joked about how creepy N used to be back in the day, and Hilda joked in return about how dense Hilbert used to be (and still was). N and Hilda exchanged a knowing look then, remembering how both Cheren and Bianca had feelings for Hilbert at one point or another and how he had never suspected a thing. He just thought they were really, really, really close friends.
They then continued with a few other small rides like the merry-go-round and the swinging pirate ship, enjoying extremely buttery popcorn and stale cotton candy all the while. A good time was had by all. They were disappointed when they were unable to ride the rollercoaster which had been built in the time since they’d last visited, as it was closed for maintenance. There was always at least one ride at any amusement park that was always closed down, but they were all sad that the ride that was closed down this time happened to be the one they’d been looking forward to riding the most.
They left the park, satisfied with their time there, in spite of the slight disappointment regarding the rollercoaster, as the afternoon arrived. As they walked out the gates, Hilda recalled a couple of her more minor adventures. When she was in the midst of talking about a gym battle she’d had with a Leader who specialized in Electric Types, N remembered something.
“Oh, right, I nearly forgot!” he exclaimed with a snap of his fingers.
“What?” Hilda asked. “Did you want to get something from the gift shop?”
“Maybe, but that’s not what I remembered. Elesa invited us to lunch when I told her about our visit this year. Said she’d love to catch up with us a bit, though I suspect she also wants to try convincing me to become a Gym Leader, while she’s at it.”
“Well, if she doesn’t, I know two people who might be able to,” Hilbert snarked with a quick glance at Hilda.
“Right,” N replied. He wasn’t as amused at this statement as his friend was.
Elesa had given the three her permission to enter the Gym through one of the employee entrances at the back of the Gym during their previous visit, and it was that same entrance they used. N remembered he’d actually received permission to use this entrance before the other two had, for reasons entirely unrelated to their fame or friendship with Unova’s Gym Leaders. Reasons he wasn’t entirely ready to divulge to the other two trainers who walked down the hallway to Elesa’s office with him. Reasons that once again made his anxiety increase, but he still wasn’t entirely sure why. He let out a yawn, dismissing his thoughts for now.
They passed several Gym Trainers who were on their breaks or were clocking out to swap places with other Gym Trainers. Many nodded in their direction, others stared, and some even ran up and asked for autographs. The latter reactions were mostly directed towards Hilda, who had a particularly dedicated fanbase that followed her adventures throughout the Pokémon World. Many of the stories of her adventures were published in famous magazines or widely circulated on the net through both social media platforms and various message boards. She even had a publication of her own where she’d publish journal entries she wrote during and about her adventures. Others would share their own experiences, of course, though they were seldom the trainers people wanted to hear from (she’d been able to get Ethan and Kris to each write an article, for instance). They always wanted to hear from Hilda the most, though there were some trainers who she’d received questions about (most notably Red and Blue). She hoped to one day get some of those trainers to write articles for her magazine, but she didn’t try to get her fans’ hopes up if she didn’t sincerely believe she could convince them to write an article.
Hilbert and N, of course, had a few fans of their own, which they certainly didn’t mind. Hilbert was more renowned by the scientific community and science nerds for his intelligence and research. N, on the other hand, had a greater variety of fans – for better or for worse – who admired his skill, his talent, and also just thought he looked nice. There was always the fact that he was technically Unova’s sovereign, even if he has no official power and didn’t care to exercise any powers he might have had, and that certainly attracted quite a few people, too. He had received more than a few letters in the mail professing undying love towards him. He hadn’t yet figured out a solid way of replying to them beyond turning them down but still expressing how much he believed the sender of the letter to be a wonderful person deserving of love. He simply didn’t care for that sort of thing, although he wasn’t opposed to the idea of a relationship sometime in the far future.
Elesa’s office stood out amongst the various doors in the back of the Gym due to how extravagantly the Gym’s owner had decorated it. Various bits of decoration littered the door, ranging from photos to crayon drawings to small pieces of merchandise, all of which featured the Gym’s Leader. A decorative sign that said “Elesa’s Office – Knock Before Entering” hung on a thumb tack in the middle of the door. N stifled another yawn as he recalled that it had once been decorated when he’d first visited.
Hilbert decided to knock on the door, the fact he’d had a crush on Elesa once (much like almost every resident of Unova) being the sole reason he was allowed to do so.
A muffled voice from behind the door said, “Come in.” The three entered and found Elesa standing before a mirror, applying makeup and in a new outfit they’d never seen her in before. She always made a point to change what outfit she wore during Gym Challenges, and it seemed they’d caught her during the time of year in which she had finally decided to try out a new one. She shot a quick glance at them before returning to her work.
“It’s wonderful to see you all again, though you’ll have to excuse me for not looking my best. You actually caught me at the perfect time, I’m trying out something new,” she said. After a few minutes, she finished her work and struck a flamboyant pose. “So, what do you think?”
“I think you’re taking some posing lessons from Burgh’s paintings,” Hilda said, stifling a giggle. She didn’t care about style or fashion too much, so long as she liked what she wore. She did find Burgh and Elesa’s fixation with art and style somewhat funny and entertaining enough that she had a greater understanding of the subjects than she’d have gained on her own. It did not change her stance on the matter, no matter how badly the two Gym Leaders tried to change it.
“It looks like a pleasant enough outfit,” N said. His fashion sense was bohemian at best and he seldom cared for what other people wore. The somewhat asymmetrical look his current outfit had was indicative of this, as was the look of the new Team Plasma uniforms. He had, at one point, debated asking Elesa to give her opinion on the new uniforms, but he had a distinct feeling that she would either choose a look that didn’t fit what he was going for or would try to convince him to accept Iris’ offer. Neither sounded particularly appealing to him in any respect.
Hilbert looked at the other two as if they were the aliens from one of Brycen and Nate’s recent films. “I think it looks wonderful, ma’am,” he said. “Very beautiful.” N and Hilda rolled their eyes.
Her current outfit was a simple unzipped white vest which stood over a long-sleeved yellow shirt. The vest had black patterns in the shape of her gym badge lining it. Finishing the outfit was a pair of simple gray sneakers and a set of black slacks.
“Why thank you,” she responded, clearly noticing Hilbert’s slightly exaggerated reaction. She didn’t quite seem to mind it, likely because it was how nearly everyone reacted to her very presence. “I’m not entirely content with it yet, but I think a more casual look might be a fun way of mixing things up from my usually more extravagant style.” She sighed. “Still, my fans do expect a certain degree of, well, elegance, and I’m not sure if this is really elegant enough.” She clapped her hands together and leaned back into a swivel chair that sat behind a desk in the back of her office. “But that’s enough about me, how are you fashion disasters doing?”
The three sat down in three chairs on the opposite end of the desk. N sat in the chair on the left, Hilbert sat in the chair in the center, and Hilda in the chair on the right. Hilbert began talking, a bit too quickly and too enthusiastically, recounting the recent experiments he’d been conducting and the experiences he’d had during his studies. N let out a yawn as Hilbert began talking about his experiences with Professor Oak in the Johto region. Hilbert stopped talking and looked his way, as if N found his story boring. Which, he did to an extent, but that wasn’t the reason why he’d yawned.
“Oh, my apologies,” N said quickly. “I am a bit tired. My sleep schedule has been less consistent than I’d like it to be because of my work.”
“Well, of course you are, Mr. Activist,” Elesa said. She quickly turned to Hilbert before continuing. “Your studies do sound wonderful, dear, but my time is not infinite and I do want to know what your friends have been up to.” Hilbert nodded in response, his face slightly going red as he did so.
N tried to keep his own discussion quick and short, even if it was a bit verbose because of the way he spoke. This manner of speaking worked just fine for big speeches in front of large crowds or business dealings of any sort, but not so much for more personal matters.
He had barely mentioned Iris’ invitation when Elesa exclaimed, “Oh, of course, how could I have forgotten? Clearly you must want to discuss ideas for your new Gym, right?” N simply nodded, moreso to give a response than because his answer reflected how he actually felt. He felt dizzier and more distant as he did. Something was definitely off, and he wasn’t sure what. He had the distinct feeling of déjà vu, but he wasn’t sure why he felt that way.
“Well, there are certainly worse people to consult, you know!” Hilbert interjected.
“Hm, yes,” Elesa remarked. She shot him a stare that silenced what was likely to be a deep dive into the history of Elesa’s Gym’s design and her various outfits over the years. She always preferred to focus on the present and the future, never wanting to be reminded of the past. There was also the fact that something was clearly bothering N, a fact that she didn’t want to let sit or too long. One can’t focus well on the present or future if there are anxieties dwelling in those eras in one’s timeline, after all. “Something the matter, dear?” she asked N.
“Sorry, I’m not feeling great, do you mind if I?” N said, pointing to another couch which sat facing one of the mirrors.
“Not at all, my dear, take all the rest you need. I’m sure you can ask me all the questions your mind is brimming with after that.”
“Thanks,” N replied. He barely heard himself. He stood up and took a few steps towards the couch when he felt himself grow more distant. He felt his eyelids grow heavier. A moment passed. There was nothing but darkness in his eyes. He didn’t feel or perceive anything aside from it. He dismissed any worries his mind had, believing that he’d just fallen asleep on the couch and forgot actually falling asleep.
This train of thought was killed more quickly than a Charmander in a hurricane when he found himself laying on his side and saw three familiar faces peering down at him. He saw their mouths moving, but it took another second before he could hear the voices emanating from them. He blinked his eyes a few times as everything came into focus.
The expressions of concern on his friends’ faces said everything to him. They tried asking him if he was okay and what was wrong. Something was wrong, and he felt like an idiot for not realizing what that was much sooner. He tried to sit up but had a bit of difficulty in doing so. He was trying to think of an answer but Elesa answered in his stead.
“N, honey, it looks to me like you had a seizure,” she said. She gave him a look that seemed to ask if she could tell them what she knew. He shook his head as best as he could. She nodded in acknowledgement. His friends helped him to the couch, his movements still a bit shaky.
It took a few minutes before he felt he was able to speak coherently again. When he did, it still felt somewhat weird in a way he couldn’t entirely describe with where his mind was at that moment. “I have,” he began. He took a deep breath. He didn’t like talking about it. He didn’t want to talk about it. But he owed it to his friends at the very least.
“I have epilepsy,” he said. His friends’ looks of concern deepened, adopting the all-too familiar look of pity that people gave him the second they learned about his condition. His friends seemed to want to ask all sorts of questions that he didn’t entirely feel equipped to answer in his current mental state.
“I knew about it, before today,” Elesa said. Everyone looked at her. N nodded, giving her silent permission to tell them what she knew. She continued, “When N first came to Nimbasa, he entered through one of the side entrances without any sort of permission and directly asked me, in a rather bold move, if he could do a different sort of gym challenge. I’ll admit, I was upset at first, but after he explained his situation, I understood and allowed him to use one of my training arenas to challenge my gym trainers and, eventually, challenge me.”
“You’ll recall that, back then, Elesa’s gym was this rollercoaster filled with a lot of flashing and moving lights,” N interjected. Everyone turned to face him. He took a deep breath, feeling that he could talk and perceive everything better now, even if he still didn’t entirely feel his best. “At the time, I didn’t know what triggered my seizures, I just knew that I had them. I only had first exhibited them when I turned 18. Da-” He cleared his throat, not sure if he should attribute that title to the man in question. “I mean, Ghetsis didn’t allow me to get tested for specific triggers. I was only tested to see if I had it in the first place. I think that lack of testing only increased my distaste for the human world and humanity, with all of the overwhelming stimulatory input they provided. I feared the flashing lights her gym had back then. I very much appreciated her kindness and compassion, back then.” He smiled a weak, tired smile at her. “I still do, actually.”
She smiled back, a smile that Hilbert would have admired was he not so worried about his friend. “Why didn’t you say anything?” Hilbert exclaimed. “We could’ve stopped you from having one of these things, or at least not been so surprised and worried when you had one right in front of us!”
N shouldn’t have been surprised at his friend’s reaction, but he was. He knew his friends cared about him a great deal, but wasn’t prepared to see them so upset to learn about him having a disability. “Well, plain and simple, I was afraid” he said after a moment had passed. “I am, in part thanks to my father, afraid of my. . . condition. I fear having a seizure at all times, keeping a consistent routine of taking my medicine at the times at which it needs to be taken. I didn’t know what caused them, when we first met, and I still didn’t when we saw each other again two years ago. Now that I’ve taken more tests, at the encouragement of one of the trainers I met before I created the new Team Plasma, I have a more concrete idea of what it is that triggers a seizure in me. Of course, Ghetsis was worried immensely when he saw what had happened. It was the most worried I’d ever seen him.”
“Why would Ghetsis, of all people, be worried?” Hilda asked. She seemed angry at the very mention of his name. She wanted nothing more than to put a stop to him for good, and it was in this vein that she had trained so hard. “I mean, couldn’t he have just replaced you if he felt you were broken or dysfunctional?” She froze for a second, realizing that she’d seemed insensitive in trying to get inside the head of N’s father. “No offense.”
“None taken,” N replied. He let out a sigh. “But I think he did care, on some level, even if he claimed he didn’t. I think that was why I wasn’t viewed as disposable in his eyes. At the time, I felt touched. He was distant, but I always felt that he cared about me deeply, or at least that is how I felt back then.”
“But that makes no sense!” Hilda argued. “I mean, you must have seen that he was an evil, uncaring person at some point, right?”
“No, I don’t he could have, Hilda,” Hilbert said. “Remember how Bianca was, way back when? She thought her parents had her every best interest at heart and that she was in the wrong when she listened to me and Cheren. Nowadays she knows different and has sorted things out with her folks, but you couldn’t convince her that her parents were wrong about much of anything back then.”
“Right, that actually makes a bit of sense,” Hilda admitted. She seemed upset still, as if she was silently adding this latest bit of N’s trauma to her personal list of the sins Ghetsis would have to atone for.
“Well, you are both right, on some level. I did have my doubts, at one point or another, if he entirely loved me, and I certainly know better now, but I do have hope of some sort of reconciliation between us, if we were to see each other again someday.” N got a distant look in his eyes that everyone in the room knew all too well. It was the look he had whenever he was thinking about one of his dreams, about the ideal world he carried in his head at all times. A world which changed as he did, but a world he still wanted to make a reality regardless.
“I hope you’re able to reconcile with him, even if you don’t see him again.” suddenly reminding Hilbert and Hilda that they were not the only two people concerned about N. She put a hand on his shoulder. “But I think there’s a more pressing topic on my mind. Are you okay, honey?”
“Yes, I think I’m doing better now, thank you,” he replied. His smile still seemed a bit weak than how it might’ve been usually, but no one commented on this fact. “I think it scared me more than anything, if I’m honest.”
“Well, I’ll be sure to get you some water and let you tell them everything else.” She gave N a look that told him that if he didn’t say anything, she would.
“What is she talking about?”
“I talked with her last year, after you two had left, about my situation. She wanted to check up on me and catch up a bit, even though there wasn’t much to catch up on after our last visit to Nimbasa. The tests I took indicated that my seizures are likely caused by stress and a lack of sleep. In hindsight, it does make sense. The first few happened when I had stayed up late studying the legends of Unova. I remember how worried I was that I hadn’t memorized them well enough, or that there had been something that I had missed. Sadly, that is exactly what I’ve been exposed to almost constantly since I started leading Team Plasma again. I must have forgotten to take my medicine this morning in the rush to arrive here and meet up with both of you.” He let out another sigh. “It’s situations like this that cause me to hesitate in accepting Iris’ offer.”
“Because you could have a seizure in the middle of a Gym Challenge?” Hilda asked.
“Precisely.”
There was a silence which hung over the room for several minutes. No one wanted to break it, fearing that it might make everything worse. N averted his gaze from the others, feeling a deep sense of regret and embarrassment about his condition.
“I don’t entirely know what to say, aside from that I’m happy you told us,” Hilda eventually said. N looked up at her after her words registered in his mind.
“Yeah,” Hilbert agreed. “Maybe we could work on finding some solutions for you, in case something like this happens again.”
“You’d do that for me?” N said. Tears began to well up in his eyes, in part because of how tired he was, in part because of how upset he was at the fact he had a seizure, and in part because of how happy he was to be around friends as kind as his. He knew he shouldn’t have been surprised about the kindness they were ready to show him, but he most certainly was.
“Of course, we are your best friends after all!” Hilda exclaimed. She plopped down onto the couch and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. Hilbert sat down on N’s other side and set a hand on his other shoulder.
“I think Zorua would object to that statement,” N replied.
“Ooh, looks like we got a little competition, Hilda,” Hilbert replied with a mischievous grin on his face. “Might have to do something about that.”
“Oh, whatever do you have in mind, dear friend?” Hilda said, playfully imitating N’s manner of speech.
“Maybe we should help him, oh I don’t know, come up with a few ideas for what his Gym will look like? Elect someone else to lead the new Team Plasma so that he doesn’t look like a Crobat after a bad day?”
They all shared a much-needed bout of laughter. N smiled, his tears of joy beginning to roll down his face.
“Thank you. Both of you. For being my friends. You don’t know how much it means to me,” he said after their laughter had stopped.
“No problem!” Hilbert said nonchalantly. Hilda simply nodded and grinned.
Elesa returned with water and seemed to be happy to know they all knew about N’s condition and that they’d made plans to help him through it all. She did seem slightly disappointed that she wouldn’t be allowed to design the Gym herself, however.
The three decided to end off their trip with a commemorative photo. Hilda set up her Rotom Phone and the three struck a pose. They all promised to meet up at N’s Castle the following day and parted ways.
As N walked away from Nimbasa, he held out the Pokéball containing Zorua in his hands. He felt happy, knowing now that he had friends he could rely upon, both Pokémon and human. He still felt a bit paranoid and a bit anxious about his condition, but his fear didn’t feel as awful as it had been before. He knew, now, how much his friends cared about him, and he knew that they’d always be there to help him, no matter what might happen.
“Thank you, everyone,” he said to himself, more than anyone else. “I could never repay you for your kindness. But I am forever grateful for it.”
And he meant every word that he said.