Before the first cannon shot rang out, N was walking alone through the streets of Opelucid City.
At the same time, he was also thinking about how things had come to this.
Perhaps it was because he had recently been asking his adoptive father, Ghetsis, some difficult-to-answer questions, but his adoptive father's attitude towards him had clearly changed a lot recently.
But it was precisely because of this that N could clearly sense the guilt in the other's heart.
"Where did the Pokémon that were taken in by Team Plasma go afterwards?"
It was a question that would have been easy to answer even with a lie, yet his adoptive father refused to talk about it, and had recently been finding all sorts of excuses to send him away.
Things had come to this. If N still didn't know what was happening, then he was unworthy of being acknowledged by Zekrom and walking the Unova region as the Hero of Ideals.
Aiden's words were right. His adoptive father did indeed have another side that he didn't understand—or rather, a side he subconsciously avoided thinking about.
So, what should he do?
Now that Team Plasma was clearly staying in Opelucid City with ulterior motives, he naturally didn't want his adoptive father to truly do something heinous, but—
Did he really have to confront his only family member head-on?
N's heart was in a turmoil as he paced irritably down the street.
Soon, he heard a familiar roaring sound from above and subconsciously looked up.
That familiar airship had already appeared at a low altitude, accompanied by a terrifying power that sent a chill down his spine.
That was—
When he noticed the giant container at the stern of the airship, not only did N freeze on the spot, but even Zekrom, hidden in his pocket (as the Dark Stone), immediately reacted.
[That guy—this is bad!]
[N, it's dangerous. It's best not to confront it head-on!]
N nodded.
Of course, he could feel it. That aura was simply Zekrom's bane, and it sent a shiver of dread through him as well.
But why would that airship, built with Team Plasma's massive funds, bring such a dangerous Pokémon to Opelucid City?
Could it be?
N frowned, a bad feeling growing in his heart.
At the same time, the giant cannon connected to the container also began to change its direction, soon starting an indiscriminate attack on the buildings below.
A blue beam, covered in ice shards, fell from the sky. After smashing into the surrounding walls, it rapidly began to spread, quickly completely freezing and sealing several buildings.
"Ghetsis—what on earth is he doing!"
Looking at the crowds fleeing in all directions on the streets, and the Team Plasma members chasing after them, N immediately broke into a run.
As he thought, he still couldn't just stand by and watch!
Even if he was also a member of Team Plasma, he absolutely could not accept acts that harmed Pokémon and humans!
"Zekrom, lend me your power!"
As soon as the words left N's mouth, he was about to throw the Dark Stone in his hand.
However, just then—
"Hey! Kid, get out of the way of the great me!"
"Team—Rainbow Corporation will protect Opelucid City! There's no place for a brat like you to interfere here!"
A team of mysterious people in uniforms, who knows where they came from, quickly rushed past N, leaving these words in his ear.
"Come to think of it—we can actually say stuff like this?"
"Yeah, even I feel a little sick—"
"But since it's the Boss's arrangement, it doesn't matter how we feel!"
"The evil Team Plasma, we Rainbow Corporation will defeat you today!"
That group of uniformed people quickly weaved through the counter-flowing crowd and blocked the path of the Team Plasma members.
"You bastards, you dare call yourselves villains? Get out of my way!"
"What Team Plasma? After today, there will only be Rainbow Corporation in Unova!"
Watching the two groups immediately fall into a fierce battle, N suddenly fell silent.
Because as they passed by, his telepathic ability had also quietly activated.
That group, who seemed to be members of the "Rainbow Corporation," were by no means good people in N's eyes. In fact, even they themselves thought so.
However, when Team Plasma suddenly appeared and brought a great disaster to Opelucid City, they had stepped forward on their own initiative.
But putting aside all their past deeds, if one only looked at this very moment, they could absolutely be called "heroes."
At least, for the people of Opelucid City and the Unova region.
Is this—the complexity of humans?
N looked at the double R logo printed on their backs and suddenly understood why Aiden had told him to find the answer himself before.
It is precisely because human nature is complex that one cannot simply judge good and evil, nor condemn all of humanity for the actions of a few.
Perhaps there are indeed bad people among humanity, but the number of "heroes" like them, who are willing to step forward at a critical moment to protect more of the weak, is just as large!
"Zekrom, I've decided."
N lowered his head, used his hand to flip the black and white baseball cap on his head to the back, revealing an incredibly determined gaze.
"Take me to Team Plasma's airship. Let's end all of this!"
[...]
[...]
The Dark Stone in his hand was silent for several seconds before finally transmitting a sigh from Zekrom.
"ROAR—!"
A terrifyingly powerful roar came from behind, instantly attracting the attention of everyone around.
A black figure flew into the sky and quickly disappeared from their sight.
***
Above Opelucid City.
"Just aim for the main buildings, but don't be too stingy with the firepower. Kyurem's power is still plentiful."
Colress held a clipboard, quickly recording the output power while commanding the Team Plasma members on the airship.
But soon, his right hand, holding the pen, suddenly stopped.
Colress quickly looked below, revealing an "as expected" expression.
"As expected of the Hero of Ideals chosen by that black dragon. He's really decided to go against his own adoptive father, has he?"
"But—for us, this might actually be a good thing."
"What do you say, Kyurem?"
His gaze fell upon the sleeping giant dragon in the container, a smile of exceptional calm on his face.
Soon, a roaring black shadow flashed by, then landed heavily on top of Team Plasma's airship.
"Colress, I'm here to stop you."
With a serious expression, N jumped off Zekrom and then scanned the surroundings with his peripheral vision.
There weren't many Team Plasma members on the airship; most of them were restricted to operating the various equipment, so his only opponent was Colress.
N didn't know much about this mysterious Pokémon scientist.
He only knew that Colress had sought them out on his own initiative and had used Team Plasma's massive funds to build the airship beneath his feet.
Think about it, why would a Pokémon protection organization need an airship?
And why would this gray scientist, who acts without any scruples and uses incredibly ruthless methods, seek out Team Plasma?
Perhaps, from the very beginning, he and Ghetsis chose to cooperate because they shared the same goal.
Although he wasn't yet clear on their objective, he had to stop him!
N was filled with determination at this moment.
Seeing this, Colress across from him couldn't help but applaud his sense of conviction.
"Wonderful, N."
"The you in front of me right now is very much like a hero!"
"However—"
"As expected, heroes are always so impulsive~"
After speaking, Colress shook his head and looked at the trembling Team Plasma members nearby.
"Have you gotten in touch with that old coot Ghetsis?"
"N-no!"
"The Shadow Triad masters have also been out of contact for a while—"
"What a bunch of useless trash."
Colress criticized them mercilessly, his expression turning quite ugly.
"Good thing I never believed that old thing's nonsense from the start."
"Since we can't count on our teammates, we'll just have to handle it ourselves."
After speaking, Colress adjusted his glasses.
"Change of plans. Release Kyurem."
"Since the material has delivered itself to us, we will immediately activate the final plan—use the power of science to forcibly fuse the two Pokémon!"
"Don't be so deluded!"
Seeing that Colress was completely ignoring them and still deploying instructions on his own, N hesitated no longer and immediately gave the order.
"Zekrom, use Thunderbolt!"
"ROAR—!"
The black dragon's turbine-like tail began to spin rapidly, soon crackling with megavolt-level electricity.
At the same time, it violently spewed a stream of electricity, aimed directly at Kyurem behind Colress!
However, just as the attack was about to reach its target—
The imagined scene of the voltage causing the container to explode did not appear. Instead, the energy blasted out by Zekrom vanished instantly.
CLANG—!
As if sensing a familiar energy, Kyurem inside the container suddenly opened its eyes. With just a look, it caused the glass shell that was restraining it to shatter completely.
Its strong jaw easily pushed aside the remaining debris. The bipedal, blue-gray dragon took a step forward, leaving a trail of frost on the airship's deck with every step.
"That is—"
N didn't recognize that dragon, but he could clearly sense how different it was.
The dangerous aura he had felt from below was, as he thought, because of it!
However—
N gritted his teeth, barely steadying his slender frame within the other's powerful aura.
A hero can't flee in the face of battle!
"Zekrom, Fusion Bolt!"
"ROAR—!"
Zekrom concentrated its power. Its mechanical-looking wings flapped forward, unleashing a gust of wind carrying terrifying electricity.
However—
After its attack struck Kyurem, not only did it cause any damage, but it was also rapidly absorbed into the other's body, making Kyurem's power even stronger.
"Just as I expected!"
Colress, who was standing to the side, spoke excitedly, as if overjoyed that his research results had been proven.
"Kyurem is precisely the abandoned shell of the Original Dragon. Therefore, the powers of the black and white dragons share the same origin as it and are fundamentally incapable of harming it!"
"In other words—"
"In Unova, it is an invincible existence!"
"Now, show your power and reclaim your former self, Kyurem!"
"ROAR—!" Following Colress's impassioned words, Kyurem slowly looked towards Zekrom. With just one glance, it made the other feel as if it were facing a great enemy.
Its paw took another step forward. Its wings, made of frost, suddenly pressed forward, simultaneously firing two beams of red light!
"Zekrom, dodge quickly!"
N gave the command immediately, but Zekrom suddenly froze on the spot, showing no reaction to Kyurem's attack.
"It's useless. This is a suppression on the level of bloodline."
Colress's face was flushed as he satisfactorily watched the red light fired by Kyurem shoot directly into Zekrom's wings, causing it to immediately cry out in pain.
After hitting the target, the energy did not dissipate. Instead, under Kyurem's continuous output, it grew thicker, soon condensing into a rope-like force that pulled Zekrom towards it with all its might.
"Zekrom!"
Watching the legendary black dragon, surprisingly powerless to resist, be so easily restrained by the other, N suddenly began to panic.
No wonder Zekrom had told me to avoid a direct confrontation with it!
But if that's the case, then why didn't it—
Halfway through his thought, N suddenly realized.
That's right.
Just as I am the Hero of Ideals acknowledged by it, Zekrom naturally holds the same ideals.
That's why it knew this would happen, but still chose to believe in my ideals—
But in the end, can we really do nothing on our own?
N looked up at Zekrom, who was struggling in pain, and for the first time, he realized how powerless he was.
He couldn't even fight alongside it.
If, at this moment, I had a trustworthy Pokémon of my own—
So that's why... Is that the reason Ghetsis has been promoting his views all along?
N was burning with anxiety. He even wanted to stop Kyurem with his own physical body, but was blocked by the approaching Colress.
"There is nothing more for you to do here, 'Hero of Ideals' Lord N."
Colress's expression returned to calm, but his eyes were filled with the fire of desire.
"Next, before that 'Hero of Truth' who has yet to show himself appears, please allow me to introduce to you—" He gave an elegant bow, then pointed to an unimpressive-looking small device behind Kyurem and gently pressed the red button in his hand.
"Rejoice! The legendary Original Dragon of Unova is about to reappear in the world!"
"Even without the DNA Splicers, it can be done with the power of human science alone!"
"This... is the miracle known as science!!!"
"ROAR—!"
Kyurem let out another roar, and the device behind it fired a white beam of light.
After being hit by the white beam, Zekrom, which had been struggling with all its might, suddenly lost its strength and quickly dissipated into particles of light.
Only the Dark Stone, restrained by the red energy, was left, about to be pulled into Kyurem's body.
"Although I've only obtained half of the power, however—"
"This is still a rare opportunity for data collection."
Colress pushed up his glasses, his expression already one of absolute confidence.
As far as he knew, the black dragon choosing N had happened more than half a year ago.
As for the white dragon, it seemed only a few days had passed since its Light Stone was taken.
A "Hero of Truth" who has yet to grow is not worth worrying about at all.
Watching the Dark Stone about to merge with Kyurem, Colress couldn't help but reveal a confident smile.
However, the next moment—
"Marsha—!"
A ghostly figure suddenly flashed out from the shadow beneath Kyurem's feet. With lightning speed, it kicked out, sending the Dark Stone flying and temporarily freeing it from control.
???
Colress's expression instantly changed from clear to dark, and he soon looked up with a gloomy face.
A giant dragon, pure white, with a blue flame burning fiercely on its tail, swiftly shot past. A blurry human figure could be vaguely seen on its back.
"So, the Hero of Truth has already arrived as well?"
"That's convenient. It saves me the trouble of taking Team Plasma's trash to go look for him."
Just as Colress "finished his taunt," the figure riding Reshiram above the airship suddenly leaped down.
He then landed heavily on the deck, causing the wooden structure to creak.
"I'm late."
After landing steadily, Aiden first looked at the stunned N behind him and spoke with a smile.
"Are you hurt?"
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