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Vines of Deceit	By : Manifest Destiny Category: Pokemon > General Views: 14165 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. Pokemon is copy write by GameFreak, INC. and Nintendo. I make no money from this story, nor do I seek any.

Chapter List
- 2
- 3
- 4
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Chapter 3: The King in his Kingdom
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“Good! Keep it up Draya, here it comes!”
This is too fun!
Draya allowed herself the lapse in concentration as she nimbly leapt over the rodent that charged at her. Its fangs were laughably short; how could it hope to land a hit? She stood her ground as she watched it recover from its fall to the ground. Deciding on a plan of action, she feigned losing interest in the battle, turning away from the small rodent.
Angered at the show of arrogance, the wild Patrat charged at her from behind. It closed in, aiming to strike with its Tackle attack, but it lost sight of its target as the bipedal snake shot into the tall grass. Patrat stumbled and fell to the ground again, but quickly regained its footing, going on the defensive. From time to time it would catch a glimpse of its attacker in the grass, but it would disappear and just as quickly reappear in a completely different part of the field. The Patrat couldn’t keep up with the erratic movement and soon found itself dizzy trying to track the Snivy.
Tristan looked on in awe, genuinely impressed. “That’s enough, Draya. No need to drag it out, finish it!”
Aww… Fine. This one’s not putting up much of a fight anyway, she laughed to herself.
Revealing herself, she charged the Patrat head on, slamming into its chest. The Scout Pokémon tried to maintain consciousness, but its lungs burned from being forcefully emptied of air. The wild Patrat fell to the dirt one last time, defeated.
Tristan congratulated his Pokémon as she walked back to his side, “That was amazing, Draya. I couldn’t even follow you, you were so fast!”
You know it, she thought as she smiled up at him. She followed Tristan as he walked a ways away from the battle ground back to where his backpack was resting. Tristan had chosen a nice, shady tree a little bit off the main road.
Her trainer sat down and leaned his back against the tree. He stretched his arms and neck, groaning as his muscles ached from a lack of nutrients to sustain the large amount of stress they’d been subjected too. “Well, I’m hungry. Time for some food,” he said.
The noontime sun was almost perfectly above their heads, only rarely interrupted by the occasional intermittent cloud or two. Draya took in a deep breath of fresh air, stretching out in the sunlight on the soft grass. Her mind began to wander back earlier in the day. About an hour earlier, Tristan had finally received a call from one of his friends. It was “Cheren”, who seemed to catch Tristan off-guard with his call. During their conversation he insistently questioned Tristan’s sudden departure from Nuvema Town. Not being able to contain his excitement, Tristan revealed Draya to him and explained how he ended up with her.
Cheren's reaction to the whole situation was no more than hesitant skepticism—Draya could tell Tristan was disappointed in the reaction. The call ended with some plain words of encouragement, and that he and “Bianca” would wait for Tristan in “Striaton City”, which the other two had yet to arrive in.
Just seconds after he hung up with Cheren, Tristan’s other friend Bianca called him—evidently wanting to call him in private. Her reaction was far more ecstatic at his early departure, but her main reason for calling was asking about the situation of her father. Tristan explained how her father had come to his house the previous night, and how he was clearly set on bringing her home. Despite looking a bit broken up over the exchange, she thanked Tristan for letting her know, and for caring about her. Before hanging up, Tristan asked her to bring Cheren up to speed—he deliberately didn’t mention it to him, as he did not want to spread information that wasn’t his. Bianca said her goodbyes, and gave him a much warmer wish of luck in getting to Striaton City, hoping the three of them would be able to get their first “badge” together, whatever that was.
Draya looked back to her trainer, who had been occupied with making lunch. Though perhaps “making” was too generous of a word, since he only had prepackaged food on him. After he set out food for Draya, he checked the device he wore on his wrist, called a “XTransceiver”. He said they were making great time, showing her a digital map of how far they had already traveled. Where they were now was about three hours south of Accumula—not accounting distractions or holdups—and day was still young. He decided that he could settle for a light snack for now, and they would have a full lunch when he reached the town.
“I wonder if it’ll take us three whole days to get to Striaton,” Tristan said, pausing from eating his granola bar.
If we keep running like we are, Draya thought, I’m going to be too worn out to do anything… She relayed her message as best she could to Tristan, mimicking severe exhaustion.
Her human laughed, “We’re only going so fast now to stay ahead of Bianca’s father. I guess we can take it easy for the rest of the day.”
Good. I’m already getting tired. Battling is fun though; I never looked at fighting as a sport before.
“Come Route 2, we’ll probably meet some other trainers for battles. Their Pokémon will be tougher than the wild ones around here. Hopefully we’ll be able to rake in some cash with the way you’ve been battling. I don’t think I’ve even seen you take a hit yet.”
“Nope, I’m too fast,” Draya said with a smirk.
“Yeah,” Tristan took a drink of his water bottle. “That Patrat just couldn’t keep up. Hell, neither could I. And… you… were…”
“I was what?” She looked at him with a genuinely curious expression.
“D-Draya?” Tristan asked, looking like he was unsure of what was going on around him. He got up to his feet and looked around their shady resting spot, suddenly very suspicious of his surroundings. No one else could be seen nearby. After his strange search, he stood a few paces away from Draya and looked down at her with a hesitant expression on his face.
“What is it? You look like you just—” Draya clapped her small hands over her mouth in shock. “Oops…” Draya cautiously stood up and backed away from Tristan even further and sat down on the grass, facing away from him.
No, no, no, no, no, no! What did I do? How did I mess up like that? What is wrong with me?
Tristan waited a few more moments before finally speaking, clearly still shocked at what he was witnessing. “Draya? Did you just speak to me? With words?”
Unable to even look at him, she shook her head.
“I know you did,” he said. She could hear him take a few steps closer to her. “Just now, you spoke like a human.”
She shook her head again.
Tristan placed a hand on her back comfortingly, gently rubbing her green and yellow scales, “Draya… come on…”
After a moment of this, she relaxed and looked up at him. “Sorry…” she said out loud.
“For what?”
“Lying to you, obviously…”
“What’d you— You mean… You mean you’ve been able to talk this whole time?” asked Tristan.
She nodded. “Are you mad?”
Tristan sat down next to her, “No, just confused.”
“I’ll bet, huh?”
“So…” he sat down on the grass next to her. “How long have you…?”
“A while now. Years, I guess.”
“How though? Pokémon speaking English is well… it’s almost unheard of.”
“I’ve— Well, before I met you, I was living on my own. And from time to time I would sneak around where humans lived. I eventually picked it up, I guess.” Draya laughed a bit, “It’s funny though; I can’t really seem to stop. It’s easier for me to talk like this than how I used to.”
“Really?”
“Yep. Other Pokémon understand it just as easily, so it really doesn’t matter what language I use.” She leaned back against his body.
“Why didn’t you, you know, talk before? Why’d you hide it from me?”
“Idontlikehumans…”
“What?”
“I don’t really… like humans all that much. I mean, I like you, but you’re really the first one I’ve ever been close to.”
“Is that why you didn’t like my parents at first then?”
She nodded.
“Why don’t you like humans though?”
“My…” Draya paused. “My parents always told me that humans were bad. They said they were only interested in capturing us and restraining us. We always hid from humans. Always making sure none ever found our den, and never drawing attention to ourselves if we could help it.”
“What happened to them? You said you were alone before you met me,” Tristan sat upright to escape the sun’s glare breaking through the leaves of the tree.
“Well… I guess it’s my fault, really. I just sort of got curious one day, and wandered away from my family to see how humans lived, just once. I accidentally showed myself, and they chased me. I ran. But when I got back, I couldn’t find my family. I think… I think they hid themselves because I had humans following me. They couldn’t risk it. So I just ran. I ran until they stopped following me. And I hid.”
“I’m… sorry.”
“Don’t be,” she said. Draya hopped into Tristan’s lap and curled up. “It was my own stupid fault for going to look at humans.”
“So, what happened after that?” asked Tristan.
“For a while I was sad about it, and I guess I still am, but I got over it. I got better at hiding myself and started looking at more humans. I stole food sometimes, but a lot of the time I just watched. That’s when I picked up how to talk like them.”
“Is that how you found me?”
“Yes. I saw how lonely you were. I overheard your conversations about how your friends left you behind. I knew that kind of feeling, and knew how that hurt.” She closed her eyes. “I debated for a while on if I should show myself, but I eventually just thought: If he feels the same as I do, he can’t be too bad.”
“Well, I’m glad you did. Are you?” Tristan asked.
“I’m still talking to you, aren’t I? That should be enough to show that I trust you.”
“But why didn’t you talk to me before?”
“I guess I just… stayed in character, if that makes sense. I trusted you well enough, but I still didn’t feel comfortable talking.” Draya shifted her position in his lap. “I don’t like talking to humans. It’s just as you said: Pokémon don’t speak human. I’ll draw too much attention to myself. If humans notice me, they’ll try and catch me.” She turned over and looked up at him, “But you’re different. You let it be my choice.”
Tristan smiled at her, “Well I wasn’t about to scare you off. You were my only chance.”
“Was another month really going to kill you though?” Draya asked. “I went through being alone for a lot longer than that.”
“Trust me,” he leaned back against the tree, “when you’re stuck waiting while your friends go on ahead without you, it feels like eternity.”
She sighed, “It felt that way to me at first— being separated from my family, every day seemed to drag on forever. I guess I just got used to it. That sounds pretty pathetic out loud, doesn’t it?” she asked.
“Well, I’ve heard that anyone can get used to anything, given enough time. You had to put up with it for a lot longer than I did. Plus you were free to move around wherever you wanted. You didn’t let the thought of being lonely shut you down like I did.” As he thought back on it, Tristan couldn’t help but feel embarrassed about how he handled his ordeal. It must have shown on his face, as Draya stood up on his lap and nudged his face with hers.
“Hey,” she said. “No being sad about what’s been and gone, okay? Nothing good comes from it. I learned that early on.”
Tristan smiled at her and pulled her into a hug, “Thanks for that… Let’s get going. We’ll hold off on the battles for the rest of the day if you want.”
“What are you talking about?” she asked. “That’s the best part!”
—————
“Excuse us, everyone?”
The voice carried through the lobby of the Accumula Town Pokémon Center, cutting conversations short and steering the attention towards whoever had made the announcement. The young man who heralded the patrons was garbed in what looked like the knights of old would wear into battle. The uniform was made up with bulky gauntlets and greaves, a shirt of chain mail armor under a white tunic with a hood seemed to be pulled from a few centuries ago, during the warring period. The red-haired man was with a young woman with brown hair, wearing identical clothing. She stood behind her companion respectfully as he addressed the people.
“If I could have your attention please,” the young knight said. “We are agents of Team Plasma. We would like to ask that you accompany us to the main plaza. There will be a public service announcement by our lord Ghetsis, in approximately five minutes. We would greatly appreciate your attendance. Thank you.” The young man bowed to the people, the woman bowing in turn.
The two turned and exited the Pokémon Center without another word. Once they left however, the Center erupted into a flurry of conversation once more. This time, Tristan could tell, the talk was aimed at the display just walked out the door.
“Did you see those two?” A man asked his friend.
“Where’d they get those getups?”
“Who’d they say they were again?” Another asked.
“Team Plasma. I’ve heard about them before.”
“You going to that thing?”
“Eh, why not?”
Tristan sat at his booth and watched people file out of the building; some alone, some in groups. He began taking another bite of his food as he felt Draya tapping his arm. Even before the two had reached the city limits, Draya had abstained from talking to him. She clearly felt the same sort of apprehension to most humans, despite trusting him as much as she did. That’s why when she spoke, Tristan looked up and noticed the entire lobby had emptied out into the streets.
“Hey,” she said. “I wanna go where they went.”
Tristan almost choked in surprise. He swallowed hard and coughed a bit before responding “Wh—What?”
“Those two who just came in looked interesting, and I want to see where they went. Not that group of people, I could do without them…”
“Oh… For a second there I thought you were getting over your fear of public speaking.”
“Shut up. I don’t like talking in front of humans.”
“You talk to me.”
“Only you.”
“You’re going to end up talking to other humans at some point,” said Tristan. “Like Cheren and Bianca, who we’re going to be spending a lot of time with here soon.”
“Not unless I have to,” she said flatly.
He sighed, beginning to clear his plate and piling his garbage onto the tray. “You know Draya, you don’t have to keep up the act anymore. You’re with me now.”
“But what if there are bad humans who want to… take me?”
“I’m your trainer. As important it is that you battle for me, I have to make sure you’re safe too. We’re partners, don’t ever forget that.” He stood up and held out his hand to his Snivy. “Now come on, let’s see what those Plasma guys are up to.”
She sat in her seat for a moment and stared at his hand. “I… I don’t have to worry…?” she mumbled.
“Draya? You alright?”
“What? Oh, yeah. Let’s go,” she said as she hopped onto his arm. She crawled up to his shoulder and climbed onto his head. “Hey, try and find a place that’s out of the way, okay?”
Tristan picked up his tray and deposited it on top of the trashcan after he emptied it of his garbage. Leaving the Pokémon Center, it wasn’t hard to find where the two members of Team Plasma had gone. The crowd that followed them from the Center weren’t the only ones to take an interest in the assembly.
Walking along the road parallel to the main plaza in the center of Accumula Town, he could see a few more agents leading groups of people down to the grassy field. A large stage had been prepared, lined with speakers to ensure that their message—whatever it was—would be heard by all. Tristan doubted anyone who had stayed in their homes would be able to ignore the noise.
Tristan noticed that two different members of Plasma were already on stage. They stood still, wearing blank expressions, staring into the slowly amassing crowd. They held two identical flags on poles. Tristan recognized the insignia; he had seen it on the two knights’ outfits. A white and black shield emblazoned with an intricate symbol that resembled a “P” over a backwards “Z”. Their coat of arms wove silently in the breeze. As groups of people were lead to the area by other members of Team Plasma, they would then take the stage, lining up next to one another.
Instead of taking a spot on the grass with the rest of the populace, Tristan walked up the slope that led to the raised section of town. Accumula Town was comprised of three main levels: the ground level, where the Center, main plaza, and most businesses found themselves; the lower level, which was home to restaurants and entertainment options; and the upper level, which had been utilized strictly for residential homes. Atop the raised area of town, one could see out to the sea which resided off Route 17 to the southwest; if one looked north, they would even be able to see Striaton City.
Tristan made his way to the small park area that overlooked the rest of the town. He had clear view of the stage, and after a few microphone checks, any worries of missing any of the speech were put at ease. He laid his belongings down on the grass in front of him and propped himself up with his arms. Draya stayed perched on top of his head.
“Oh, it looks like they’re starting.”
The Team Plasma members had all gathered on the stage; ten in total. In unison, they all snapped to attention, and separated into two squads of five. In between them now stood a man, whose choice of dress easily outclassed his subordinates. Robes dyed in contrasting purple and yellow, each side identical, but inverted. The patterns converged into the shape of two intimidating red eyes. The man’s pale green hair swooped over his scalp and fell around the strange garment that rested on his shoulders. The center of the castle-like collar was decorated with Team Plasma’s logo. Tristan didn’t notice until he stepped into the sunlight, but the man wore a peculiar red eye-piece. Tristan silently wondered if it was for a vision impairment, or the loss of the eye in question.
The man stepped up to the microphone and bowed slightly to the crowd before speaking.
“Greetings, citizens of Accumula Town. I am Ghetsis of Team Plasma. I am a spokesperson on behalf of our King. I have come here today to spread the message of Team Plasma, and to—if you so wish it—accept new members to our cause. But before I begin, I would like to thank you for your time today, and wish you all a safe return home.
“Now then,” the man called Ghetsis continued. “Today, I would like to share with you my— that is, Team Plasma’s goal. That goal, my friends, is the liberation of Pokémon.”
Instantly, the crowd exploded into talk and questions, Tristan nearly bolted to his feet right then. “What? Is he serious?”
“‘Liberation’?” Draya asked. “What’s he mean?”
Ghetsis’ voice boomed over the speakers once more, “Calm yourselves, my friends. I’m more than aware that such a goal can seem unpleasant, but is it so terrible?” He waited a moment as the crowd quieted down. “To us, Pokémon could be our friends, partners, and equals. But is that how they see it?” Ghetsis of Team Plasma looked down to the front row of the mass of spectators. “You sir, your Rufflet there, can you say that it is happy?”
Tristan couldn’t hear the man’s voice.
“Ah, but is that what you see? Or is that what you want to see? Is that what you’ve conditioned your Pokémon to believe?” He gestured out to the crowd with his left hand, “You must open your eyes, citizens! How long have we kept Pokémon under our control like this? Generations! To you, you see it as the norm, even the Pokémon do; they’ve grown used to the idea! But this isn’t how we’re supposed to live with them! Pokémon are our friends and companions, some even call them family, but not our slaves! Would you force your own brother or your best friend to fight for mere sport? Of course not! That is why you must release your Pokémon! Set them free! What you’re doing isn’t treating them as equals, you’re stripping them of their freedom!”
The crowd had fallen silent.
“That’s…” Tristan couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt at the man’s accusations. “That’s not how…”
“Humans and Pokémon have not yet earned each other’s trust,” Ghetsis said. “Only when we set them free and treat them as true equals will we finally reach a harmony with them.
“I am Ghetsis of Team Plasma. I hope that you all take my message to heart, and if you are so kind, lend your power to our cause if you see the truth in our ideals.”
What Tristan heard next, he wasn’t prepared for; applause. Cheers. Cries of joy. It wasn’t the whole crowd. It wasn’t even half of the people who had gathered, but it was a generous amount. Team Plasma would have new and willing members before the day was done.
“How? How can they believe what that guy said?”
Draya looked up at him, “Isn’t he telling the truth though?”
“No, Draya! Humans aren’t— We’re not stripping you of your freedom. He’s just looking at the world through one perspective!” He picked her up and set her on his shoulder, standing up. He looked down at the crowd as it dispersed back into the town. “That man— Ghetsis, is wrong.”
“Hey, it’s just talk though.”
“What?”
“All that man can do is talk and let people take the bait. What these ‘Plasma’ guys are doing is nothing but talking. He’s just giving the idea to people. It’s not like he’s forcing these people to give up their Pokémon, right?”
“Yeah, I guess.” Tristan looked down over the railing, watching the precession of Plasma members walk off stage for a moment. As he turned around to pick up his gear, he failed to notice that someone had walked up beside him. “Holy— Dammit dude, you scared the—”
Standing a few feet from Tristan was a young man, just only a few years older than him. He wore a loose white dress shirt over a black undershirt. He was wearing quite a few accessories; a gold void cube decorated in green symbols hung from a chain on his khaki pants. A black and white wristband on his right arm and three gold, square bangles on his left. A black core, crossed by blue and yellow disks hung on a necklace around his neck. His vibrant green hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail, trailing down his back. More green escaped from the edges of his black and white hat, flanking the sides of his face.
The man’s piercing green eyes stared at Tristan with a fiery intensity. He spoke quickly and in a tone that held equal parts anger and disbelief, “Tell me, how is it that your Pokémon’s voice is that of a human’s?”
“Wh-What?” Tristan backed up as the stranger took a few steps toward him.
“Your Pokémon. Just now, I heard its voice, but not the kind I was expecting. Its voice was that of a human’s.”
“What is with me today?” Draya berated herself quietly, and hid behind Tristan’s head, worried about what the man would do next.
“Is it true? Tell me? Does your Pokémon’s voice sing in the tone of a human’s?”
“Hey man, slow down. Who even are you?” Tristan put a hand behind Draya’s back to comfort her.
“My name is N. If I may,” he extended a hand toward Tristan. His expression quickly softened, showing Tristan a kind smile. “It appears I have been too forward, and startled your Pokémon. I apologize. When I heard your Pokémon’s voice, it was unlike those I’ve heard before. I am merely curious, I mean no harm to your Snivy. Please, let me hear your Pokémon’s voice again.”
Tristan took his hand, shaking it. “Well, nice to meet you… N? Just N?”
“Correct. It is the name my father gave me.”
“Well, my name’s Tristan. Tristan Blake. And this,” he nodded to Draya, who had just come out of hiding and stood alert on his shoulder, “is my Snivy, Draya.”
“You name your Pokémon?” N asked.
“Yeah. I think any trainer should. I went through a few before she agreed on one.”
“She agreed? So you asked her permission then?”
“Actually yeah. I even asked if she wanted to be my partner.”
The man called N stood confused for a moment. “Is that true? You agreed?” he addressed Draya.
She merely nodded.
“Please,” N pleaded. “Your voice is nothing to hide. Let me hear it.”
“Okay, okay, just stop being so weird…” Draya finally said.
“Wha—… Weird?” N asked.
“Yeah, you’re all ‘Let me hear your voice’ and ‘you gave her a name?’… Stop it.”
“Hey, be nice Draya,” said Tristan. “He was just asking.”
“Well he asked weirdly!”
“You two…” N started, “are an impossible variable.”
“Excuse me?” Tristan asked.
“How is it that a Pokémon’s voice has become that of a human’s?” N asked. “Such a thing is… so unnatural. The Pokémon that talk to me do so in their natural tongues.”
“Hey man, just because you haven’t seen it, doesn’t mean it’s impossible,” said Tristan.
N laughed. “Quite right. Nothing is impossible…” N walked to the railing and leaned forward on it. “The speech today. You were listening to it?”
“Yeah, were you?”
“I have heard their message before. I came here to see how the people would react to the change in the equation.” He smiled, “They did not disappoint.”
“Do you follow Team Plasma’s beliefs?” Tristan asked.
“I am not one of their followers, no.” N turned around and faced Tristan and Draya. “How would you describe what you saw today?”
“People following the person with the loudest opinion,” Draya said flatly.
N laughed again, even harder this time, “No, little one. That,” he spread his arms out wide, “was the sight of the world beginning to change. A great deal of the equation has changed today. And soon,” he closed his eyes, “the truth will burn across the skies and change the world.”
“The truth?” Tristan asked.
“Yes. I wish to see this world change, and become true to itself. The change is coming, and all of the corruption, deceit, and hardships with which this world is plagued will be seared away.” He leaned forward, standing upright. “Tristan, what of you? What’s your take on Plasma and their goals?”
“They’re going too far with it, I think.”
“How so?”
“They say that humans and Pokémon can only live in harmony if we’re separate. But that isn’t true. I know it isn’t.”
“Is that your truth?” N asked.
“Maybe I’m just an idealist,” said Tristan, “but I believe there’s good in this world. I know there are bad examples all around us, but the good in the world isn’t automatically invalidated because of it. Team Plasma only sets its propaganda on the negative.”
“And you focus on the positive then?”
“Of course.”
“So,” N held his arms out to his sides. “The world stays the same, and the world changes. Which do you see happening?”
Tristan thought for a long moment, contemplating the things he had witnessed and what else was to come. “Change.”
“I see, so you agree with—”
“I agree with you that there is change coming, but not the kind Plasma is advocating. Their idea of ‘change’ is too absolute. They think that because there’s any bad in the world at all, then we have to completely separate ourselves from Pokémon.” He looked N in the eyes. “A true change would be to spread the word of improving how people treat Pokémon, not pushing them away.”
“Do you really think people can have it both ways? Sometimes,” N continued, “humans are too selfish to give up something they hold dear, even if they are causing harm.”
“I do.”
N began laughing again. “Oh you truly are an impossible variable.” N turned around and began walking away. “I intend to see the world change from the top.” He stopped and faced Tristan again, “And to get to the top, one must need support. Tristan Blake, the ‘impossible variable’, the one with the unshakable ideals… Can I count on you to make sure the world changes for the better?”
Tristan smiled, “If it’s change that will put the world spinning in the right direction, I think I can stand behind that kind of movement. I’ll see you at the top, N.”
“Well, then we can be friends, perhaps even brothers…” N seemed to drift off into thought for a moment. “Tristan! What is your dream?”
“Hey, yeah,” Draya said. “Your mom said you were going on this journey to work toward your dream, but you’ve never told me.”
“I didn’t? I could’ve sworn I did.”
“Nope.”
“Well?” N asked.
“My dream,” Tristan said. “Is to defeat Alder and become this region’s Champion!”
“I see,” said N. “You and I will certainly meet at the top one day.”
“Looks like it.”
“Let me test your conviction then,” N said with a grin.
“What?”
“You and I are the same. Our beliefs may be different, but their end is the same. Change. This is my vision for change,” N reached behind his back and produced a plain Poké Ball. He expanded it and released a small, dark purple feline with a sickle-like tail. It sat in place in front of N, idly waiting on an instruction. N then tapped the button on the Poké Ball, and a blue beam of light enveloped the Pokémon.
“Hey! What’re you—?”
“Showing you that I do not lack in conviction. I truly believe in my dream. Look.” N said.
The Purrloin stood up on its legs and shook itself, ridding itself of the sensation it had just went through. N then knelt down to the Devious cat, extending his hand toward it. Purrloin began affectionately rubbing his hand and leapt up onto N’s shoulder.
“Do you see, Tristan?” N asked. “We humans can live in harmony with Pokémon without the need to confine them. That is what I believe.” He let his Purrloin off his shoulder, and let it wander off on its own. “Pokémon are our friends. We don’t imprison our friends.”
“But your Pokémon—”
“Is still my friend without needing to be tethered to me.” He sighed. “I see by your expression that you still do not see the light of my truth. One day, I think you will. That is also what I believe.” For the final time, N turned around. “Farewell Tristan Blake and Draya. Despite being impossible, you two are… hopeful.” N casually waved back at them as he walked off and down to the main level of the town.
Tristan stood in the park for a few minutes, contemplating everything that had just happened: Team Plasma’s speech, the public’s reaction, meeting N and his display a few seconds ago. The world is changing, huh? Tristan looked over the ledge and down to the town, wondering if N was still around, but he wasn’t anywhere to be seen.
“What is it?” Draya asked.
Tristan sighed and began walking down to the main level of the town. He caught a glimpse of the Pokémon N had just released, finally deciding to himself. “I’ll definitely make sure the world changes in the right way. I just wanted him to know that.”
—————
To Be Continued…
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Vines of Deceit