The New Normal - 18-2

The New Normal – 18-2 – Awakening

(N POV)

In just a span of a few weeks, his whole life had come apart. Just a few weeks ago, he was living in the comfort of his friends and family, in the safety of PLASMA’s headquarters. He would always have people to talk to, whether that be the other members of PLASMA or the Sages themselves, and even Ghetsis had been increasingly friendly with him – to the point where they almost felt like family.

Then the raid happened, and they were forced to be on the run. And then the trial happened, and PLASMA were turned into the most hated organisation in the world overnight.

The worst part was that the whole trial was a sham. He agreed with Ghetsis that the League had hosted it purely to make a mockery of their ideals.

But sadly enough, it had worked. The public was convinced, and he knew that the two of them were to be hunted on sight.

Originally, they had stayed incognito in a few of Unova’s less popular towns, but after the trial was broadcasted to the entire world, Ghetsis had deemed it too dangerous for them to even be around any people.

Therefore, they were forced on the run once more, to the point where he didn’t even know where they were anymore. They had been running away for so long that he legitimately couldn’t tell where in Unova they were. All he knew that he was somewhere in the countryside, and that no humans ever wandered here.

The worst part about all this wasn’t the living conditions – it was the isolation. Ghetsis might have been with him physically, but his father was no longer here in spirit. The growing friendliness and familial spirit that he had shared with his father before the raids took place had entirely disappeared, and now conversations with Ghetsis was almost impossible, as the man was now so absorbed within his own thoughts.

The trial must have broken something in Ghetsis.

He didn’t blame him. For his dream and the embodiment of his lifelong ambition – PLASMA – had been torn apart and destroyed. Their name was now anathema, and all of the hard work that they had put into this project was now truly gone. It was a completely irrecoverable loss.

Not only that, but when he had watched the trial since they still had Pokénet access, he was horrified to see just how the League had managed to break Rood so completely. The Sage that he saw as an honorary uncle had completely broken down into wreckful sobs on the stand while he tearfully confessed to crimes that the Leagues had falsely planted on them.  

To N, that had been a soul-crushing sight. Besides Ghetsis, Rood had always been the most passionate about PLASMA’s goals, and he was always optimistic about their success. He was the one who often went out of his way to check on not only N, but the other members of PLASMA as well. He was literally one of the kindest people that N knew – and he had been completely reduced to this… sobbing mess.

It hurt. It was like someone had managed to take a knife to his heart. He almost wanted to throw up watching it.

And Ghetsis reminded him that all of this pain and suffering was caused by the betrayal of a single man. A person that he once thought to be his first friend. The monster – Hilbert.

The bad news didn’t even end there though. While four of their Sages were now behind bars, the remaining two Sages – Giallo and Ryoku – were nowhere to be found. He had asked Ghetsis to try to reach out to them, but Ghetsis vetoed it, stating that it was too risky right now.

“There’s every chance that Giallo and Ryoku have already been taken into custody in secret. The Leagues just aren’t announcing it because they are trying to bait us out; for us to reach out to them so that they can swoop in and arrest us too.” Ghetsis explained with a growl, “I will not let them. So long as one member of PLASMA roams free, the ideals of our organization will never die. So long as I live on, our defeat is NOT set in stone.”

It was a painful but necessary calculation to make. But without the other Sages, and with them being completely cut off from any support from either the public or the other PLASMA members who still believed in them, all that was left of PLASMA was him and Ghetsis.

And the Dark Stone that he still had clutched in his arms.

It had vibrated more and more in recent times, which had been the only bright spark in these trying times – for both himself and Ghetsis. His father now only smiled whenever he talked about the movement of the Dark Stone, and even then it was a minute and almost miniscule thing, but at least it was something.

He ignored the thoughts in his mind about how Ghetsis seem to care more about the Dark Stone than he himself.

But if it were not for that and the occasional wild Pokémon that he got a chance to speak with, he felt like he would have gone insane a long time ago. And luckily, his talents had been put to great use here, as the nearby wild Pokémon always helped him with finding food and shelter.

So that was why he was particularly enthusiastic when Ghetsis said that he had something he wanted to speak with him about today once he had come back from his daily foraging session.

“You know I don’t like to push you like this, N, but you have to understand that the Dark Stone – the Legendary artifact I’ve entrusted to you – is the sole factor that could bring about the revitalization of PLASMA.” Ghetsis said as he sat down next to him.

“…But how?” N asked, “I know what it contains. But even if I successfully awaken a Legendary, PLASMA’s reputation is already tarnished beyond repair. We’ll never be able to bring people to our side. Not when the League has successfully converted them away from us.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, son.” Ghetsis replied, “Did you think I did all this to earn the love of the people? No, I am not as vain as that. PLASMA has always been for the happiness of Pokémon, not personal prestige. You’re right in that even with a Legendary on our side, we won’t be able to win back the people. But you’re wrong that their opinion matters. Not anymore.”

“As distasteful as this might sound to your pure heart – strength is all that matters in this world. If we are able to subjugate the corrupt League, then we can spend the rest of our future making sure that the public are free from their blindness.” Ghetsis said, “All that matters is if we win.”

“…But aren’t we going to cause them a lot of pain if we do it that way?” He asked carefully and uncertainly, “If we use force, then innocent Pokémon are going to get hurt too.”

“Yes, they will be.” Ghetsis agreed ruthlessly, but with an air of conviction, “But don’t you remember what I said before? Our goal is to achieve and grant true happiness for Pokémon. It is… regrettable, that a small portion of Pokémon need to be hurt for us to do this, but the ends will justify this. The few tears that will fall from our actions will simply be the price to pay for a better, happier world.”

“And don’t forget – if it wasn’t for the League and their corrupt actions, we would never have to go this far in the first place.” Ghetsis reminded firmly, “If they did not try to stop us at every turn, and did not try to fabricate evidence to use against us, more of the public would have been able to see the light and join us with our goals. We would have more support, and we wouldn’t have to resort to such despicable tactics to win.”

“So we had no choice but to do this.” N muttered. The Dark Stone shook a little bit more in his hands.

“Exactly. It is the League that forced our hand.” Ghetsis growled, “But if we give up now – then it’ll all be for nothing. All of the sacrifices that everyone has made, it’ll all be for naught. The League will have won, and true happiness for Pokémon will be gone forever.”

His hands tightened as the stone shook again, “…There really is no other way?” He asked softly, despite already knowing the answer.

“There isn’t.” Ghetsis shook his head, “We have been given no other option.”

Then Ghetsis crouched down and lowered himself so that he was now face-to-face with N, “PLASMA and its goals are all on your shoulders now. There is nothing more I can do in this position. I did all I could to develop PLASMA as a legitimate organization, but I was too merciful of a person to realise that the League would go to such lengths to destroy us. So it’s all on you now, N. My son. Our savior.”

“Awaken Zekrom. And show the world the beauty of your ideals.”

Yes. That was all he could do now. Even as everything fell apart around him, he had still been hesitating. Unsure about if PLASMA was really doing the right thing.

He still remembered what Hilbert had said to him once. About how there was a lingering darkness underneath the façade of PLASMA. How things were not as it seemed. He remembered agreeing with Hilbert back then, thinking that his friend might have had a point.

But then he was betrayed, and his whole world was turned upside down in an instant. Hilbert had played him like a puppet – siphoning him for information, and then leaving his discarded corpse by the side now that his use was over!

No. The traitor’s words were never real in the first place. There was no Truth to be found in the depths of PLASMA. He already knew the truth – that his ideals were the only thing that mattered. That the only thing he could do now was to set everything to rights by breaking the chains shackled around all Pokémon! To show them true freedom!

There was no time for doubts. Not anymore. Not when it was all down to him to bring happiness to all Pokémon!

This was the only way forwards.

He had to make his Ideals a reality. He had to. He MUST!

For what was his life for, if not for this?

He refused to allow his Ideals to die out just like that. He had to FIGHT! He would make the world of his dreams!

HE WOULD BE THE HERO THAT WOULD SAVE THE WORLD!

As his thoughts and resolve crystallized in his mind, the Dark Stone shook more and more violently in his hands, before he suddenly felt a sharp connection pierce through his brain.

The Dark Stone began to levitate in the air, spinning around ominously. A dark circle formed in the air around it, spinning alongside the Dark Stone.

Then from each of the ‘grooves’ on the Dark Stone, large tendrils of dark energy shot out of each of them as they began to drain away the surrounding energies, sucking them into the Dark Stone.

N instinctively took a step back with Ghetsis as every hair in his body stood on end. His instincts as a human being screamed at him to run, and yet that newfound connection that he had felt forced him to remain. His eyes remained fully locked onto the Dark Stone, unable to turn away as the stone sucked in more and more energy until it started to glow with an unsettling aura of purple.

The Dark Stone spun faster and faster, matching the growing intensity of its purple aura.

But then, as if the world had somehow abruptly paused for a brief moment, the Dark Stone suddenly disappeared from existence. It didn’t break apart, crumble, or even turn into dust. It simply vanished on the spot, as if it had been snapped out of reality.

And then it was back.

Except this time, instead of the Dark Stone, it was a nebulous orb of energy that looked like a blackened void. From within, a tiny figure could barely be seen, though it rapidly grew larger and larger as the mysterious energy continued to violently swirl around inside this void. The figure grew until it towered over them all.

His eyes widened into saucers, and his breath was caught in his throat as he recognized the being inside.

Its pure black form, its large and massive wings, its menacing red eyes – there was no mistaking what it was.

Zekrom had awakened, emerging into this world once more.

The newly revived Legendary of Ideals landed on the ground with a massive stomp, shaking the earth beneath it with its humongous frame. But even more threatening than its appearance was the rotating tail that radiated out with blue light.

Even though the skies were clear, the once grassy fields that surrounded them now surged with an overwhelming amount of electricity – to the point where it had managed to scorch everything around them. Not only that, but the ground itself somehow rapidly became electrocuted just from the sheer amount of electricity that Zekrom naturally exuded, to the point where Ghetsis was forced to retreat away before he was accidentally fried by all this electricity.

And his experiences with Pokémon told him that this was no normal electricity either. No, comparing this to your regular household electricity, or even the Electric moves used by even the most powerful of Electric type Pokémon, would be like comparing a Gravity to a real black hole.

They weren’t even in the same league as each other. He didn’t know how, but he knew instinctively that even a Ground type would not be able to be immune to such an attack.

It was such a casual display of its own power, as if to remind the world that this was a Legendary. Type matchups could not constrain them.

The world trembled at their appearance – forced to prostrate itself before their almighty power.

The only reason he knew he was fine because that new connection that he had with Zekrom told him that he was safe to be here. For anyone else, if they stood this close to Zekrom without it actively suppressing its own electricity, they would not be able to survive.

Admittedly, this newfound sensation of being bound to a Legendary Pokémon was… strange. He was not used to it, having another presence in his mind like this. But it wasn’t a painful sensation – it was almost like Zekrom had always been there with him.

As far as he remembered, the only person in recent times who would have experienced the same was John with Regigigas. Was this how he felt?

So, knowing that he was safe, he stepped up to the Legendary of Ideals as he ignored the crackling electricity zapping all around him.

“Zekrom. Do you know why you have awakened?” He asked.

Instead of responding, a single image flashed through his head, and he saw it. He saw the world of his dreams – a world where humans and Pokémon coexisted in perfect harmony with each other. Where bonds of pure friendship, not Pokéballs, formed the basis of their relationship.

Zekrom had showed him the ideals that he dreamed of.

And he smiled, knowing that he was finally about to make it into a reality.

Ghetsis immediately rushed over to him, worry evident on his face.

“N? What’s wrong?” He sounded concerned, “Did it respond to you?”

“It did.” He replied, “It… it showed me our dream. The dream of our shared utopia. A manifestation of our very ideals.”

Ghetsis smiled widely, shooting him a smile that was full of teeth, “Excellent. I’m very glad to hear that. And does it obey you?”

“…I think so.” He said as he turned back to Zekrom, “Zekrom, electrocute that tree!”

A burst of bright blue light exploded out from Zekrom’s tail as it began to rapidly spin up until a bolt of pure blue shot out from it – creating a spear of electric destruction that sheared right through an entire row of trees like lightning through paper. The trees didn’t even offer any kind of resistance as they were completely and utterly eradicated by Zekrom’s lightning.

They literally crumbled to ash upon impact. A lesser Pokémon would be knocked out in one hit from that.

And he knew that Zekrom wasn’t even trying. This was just his most basic attack, and it was already this destructive.

He looked at this vision of destruction with awe, marvelling at the power that he now held in his hands. Though he had never been a Pokémon trainer, he can see why many people got so addicted to having control of such powerful Pokémon.

But he would never let that be him. He knew that Zekrom’s power was only a means to an end. They needed the Legendary of Ideals for their ideals. But he was no tyrant. He wouldn’t use Zekrom’s power for what he saw as evil – and the Legendary likely knew that too, or it would have abandoned him on the spot.

In the corner of his eye, he could see Ghetsis with a feral smile on his face as he stared gleefully at the sheer destructive power that Zekrom’s possessed.

“That was magnificent.” Ghetsis smiled, but it was not a kind one, “How powerful would you say that attack was? Can Zekrom fire off attacks stronger than that?”

“Much stronger.” He confirmed.

“Excellent. If we have that level of power on our side, then PLASMA will be able to accomplish our goals after all.” Ghetsis said as he patted N on the shoulder, “…Great job, N. Please know that I do regret having to ask you to do this, but this is your chance to prove that you have what it takes to shoulder this burden on behalf of the greater good. We finally have the strength necessary to see our plans through, and you’ll be at the forefront of that.”

Ghetsis spread out his arms wide, “Rejoice, N. With Zekrom here, your ideals will finally become a reality. Now go – and create utopia!”

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(John’s POV)

I felt a familiar sensation in my head – the pulsing of a connection that I knew all too well. It was like the gentle pull, a calm call to action. 

Regigigas was calling for me.

It was what I had feared, but partially expected. For there was only one reason why Regigigas would be calling out to me – we had another Legendary on the horizon.

So it seemed that PLASMA succeeded after all. I guess some things just couldn’t be stopped.

Not everything could go our way.

But despite knowing the fearsome battle to come, a sense of calm filled my bones as I leaned onto that feeling of strength that Regigigas naturally exuded, and I let out a breath as I got myself ready for another Legendary fight.

I needed to make a few calls, but after that, it was time to take down another Legendary.

Let’s go, Regigigas. Once more into the fray.

A.N. Not everything can go John’s way sadly. Even with the dismantling of PLASMA, the Dark Stone being in N’s hands always meant that this was only going to end in one way – with a battle between Legendaries.

I debated on whether to give this more setup, but after really thinking it over and doing some rough drafts, I ended up deciding that ‘more setup’ would just mean stretching things out too long, and I didn’t want to delay this fight any longer. PLASMA has been burnt to the ground – their reputation in complete tatters, and now their only way forward is through tyranny.

I hope you enjoyed Zekrom’s awakening scene. I especially wanted to emphasise how important Looker (as Hilbert)’s betrayal was to N’s mindset. And how his betrayal inadvertently caused N to be even more susceptible to Ghetsis’ manipulations. It is supposed to be tragic – N is, and still remains, a good person, or at least he still thinks he’s doing the right thing. If not, Zekrom would not have awakened. But now that Zekrom is here, then now a battle is inevitable.