Dylan and his two companions arrived in Saffron City at dusk. According to the information from Dylan's informants, N had also arrived in Saffron City that afternoon.
"One suite, please."
The three of them checked into a hotel and booked a suite. It was already late, so they knew they'd need to rest for the night.
After resting in the room for a while, Dylan headed to the training ground in the hotel's backyard.
Though the world clearly separates daily life from trainers, high-end hotels like this one typically have training grounds and battle areas.
"Buui~"
"Pikachu"
"Meow~"
Dylan released his Pokémon. Meanwhile, a certain plump 'Clefairy' had already eaten its fill and was now sound asleep in his bag.
That's right—Dylan had brought his 'Clefairy' along on this trip as well.
"Eat as much as you can. Growing stronger requires good health," Dylan smiled, gently rubbing Pikachu's head while the nearby Eevees curiously watched each other.
"Oh right, Eevee," Dylan said as he picked up the Eevee wearing an Everstone.
"Bui~" The Eevee affectionately nuzzled Dylan's cheek, its voice sweet and soft, full of endearment.
"You clingy little fox," Dylan gently tapped Eevee's nose with a warm smile.
"Since you still want to evolve, take a look at these pictures. Which form do you want to evolve into?"
Dylan let his Rotom Pokédex hover in front of Eevee, displaying the different evolutions, excluding the Water, Fire, and Electric types.
"Bui…"
The other Eevee, watching from the side, seemed both envious and a little downcast. It was different from the others, unable to evolve no matter what.
"Don't worry. Even without evolving, I believe you're still the best Eevee," Dylan noticed and tenderly squeezed its cheeks.
The Eevee was momentarily stunned but then smiled adorably, its large eyes narrowing into crescent moons.
Meanwhile, the Eevee in Dylan's arms bit its paw, looking at the various evolution forms on the screen with a confused expression. Its little head was spinning.
"Bui!!" But when it saw one particular image of an Eevee evolution, it suddenly became excited, pointing at the picture and calling out to Dylan.
"Do you like this one?"
"Bui~!"
"Alright, then we'll evolve into this one," Dylan nodded with a smile.
"Buibui~"
Eevee happily snuggled into Dylan's chest, its long ears swaying back and forth.
"But if you want to evolve into this form, you'll need to learn a special move from our Eevee here," Dylan said, referring to the other Eevee.
"Bui~!"
"Good, very determined! Keep it up," Dylan smiled warmly.
And then…
"You've been watching for a while now. Are you not going to show yourself, mysterious sir?" Dylan turned, still holding Eevee, and looked in the direction behind him.
Footsteps echoed as a tall, slender, handsome young man with green hair slowly emerged from behind a tree. His dull eyes gazed at Dylan and his Pokémon.
Dylan raised an eyebrow, surprised at the coincidence. Or rather, it wasn't entirely coincidental—he had chosen this hotel knowing N would stay here as well.
Behind N stood five Pokémon: Zoroark, Archeops, Vanilluxe, Klinklang, and Carracosta.
"I didn't expect to see someone else letting their Pokémon out to stretch this late at night," Dylan said to N with a smile.
N remained silent, his gaze shifting toward the Pokémon. His previously dull eyes flickered with emotion.
"Your Pokémon… they all really like you," N said calmly.
"I treat my Pokémon as important friends. If they didn't like me, I wouldn't force them to," Dylan replied. "But sir, your words are interesting. You're quite special, aren't you?"
Dylan looked at N with curiosity.
"You're special as well," N replied without denial, his gaze fixed on Dylan. N had been special since childhood, but the man before him was equally unusual.
N could sense a comforting and familiar aura from Dylan, one that made him want to approach. But N quickly suppressed that feeling.
There was no doubt—this man was no ordinary person.
"That's true. I've been blessed by nature since birth, gifted with the ability to heal Pokémon," Dylan said as green light glowed from his fingertips, which he gently placed on Eevee's head. Eevee closed its eyes in contentment.
Seeing this, N's eyes rippled with emotion. This man… he was special like himself! It gave N a sense of kinship.
Because of his own special abilities, N had been treated as a monster and shunned by others, until Ghetsis took him in.
"But no matter how special someone is, this world is shared by both humans and Pokémon. Pokémon are humanity's greatest treasure, and humans can be the best friends of Pokémon. Both are integral parts of this world," Dylan said with a smile, playfully petting the Pikachu on his shoulder.
N fell silent at Dylan's words.
"What do you think? You're special like me," Dylan smiled, asking N.
N's dull eyes flickered again as he picked up a nearby Oddish that had quietly wandered by. Oddish didn't resist N; in fact, it leaned into him affectionately.
"I don't agree with what you said," N finally spoke.
"Not all Pokémon and humans are happy. In many places we can't see, people are hurting Pokémon."
"They're all suffering."
N gently stroked Oddish's leaves, his voice filled with sadness. That's just the kind of person he was.
Because he could feel Pokémon's emotions, he was acutely aware of the pain endured by those hurt, abused, or abandoned by humans.
"There are far too many people who treat Pokémon as mere tools, exploiting them, using their power to fulfill their desires."
N's tone remained calm, but his emotions were already starting to stir beneath the surface.
"You're right, but that's not the majority," Dylan shook his head.
While there are dark corners in the world, most people strive for goodness and light, a result of the Pokémon League's efforts.
"Yet these things are still happening, even now. Somewhere, there's probably someone discarding their Pokémon like an unwanted tool," N said, his eyes dim.
"And why? Simply in the pursuit of strength."
"So what we should do is change that minority as well, right?"
Dylan nodded. He didn't deny N's words. Even in the anime, Ash encountered an abandoned Charmander shortly after starting his journey, a clear example of this reality.
But to Dylan, it wasn't surprising. Humans are complex beings with a mix of emotions, and even in a Pokémon world mostly filled with kindness, the debate over whether people are inherently good or evil remains unresolved.
The Pokémon League has been working hard to guide people toward treating Pokémon with kindness, but unfortunately, some cruelty still lingers.
"There's no need to change them, nor can we change them," N shook his head.
He had his own ideals. Change? Changing those who are already consumed by greed and darkness? No, N had accepted that wasn't possible.
"As long as humans and Pokémon are separated, the source of all problems will be completely resolved."
N spoke calmly. This was his ideal—he wanted to create a world where Pokémon could truly be free and happy.
"You're wrong," Dylan raised an eyebrow.
"Humans and Pokémon cannot be separated. It's precisely because they have each other that such beautiful bonds can form."
"But these bonds aren't necessarily good for Pokémon," N countered without hesitation. While the word "bond" sounds beautiful, N didn't believe it was truly beneficial for Pokémon.
"Our views differ," Dylan gave up on discussing this topic with N.
Originally, he wanted to understand N's thoughts better and perhaps sway his current obsessive ideals.
After all, N was an outstanding person who genuinely loved Pokémon. However, it was clear that mere words wouldn't make N abandon his current beliefs.
N's ideas had taken root since his childhood, and the phenomena he spoke of did indeed exist.
"I will prove that I'm right."
N's eyes shone as he looked at Dylan. He acknowledged that there were indeed many humans who treated Pokémon as family, living happily together.
But from N's perspective, that wasn't the norm. Pokémon's happiness was their own, not something shared with humans.
"With all due respect, your ideas are completely unrealistic," Dylan responded bluntly.
To separate Pokémon and humans as distinctly as black and white—how could that ever be achieved? Based on what?
Just because of Zekrom (Reshiram)? What a joke. The Black and White Dragons were indeed powerful, but they weren't invincible.
Not to mention, in certain scenarios, even a skilled trainer like Lance from the manga wouldn't fear taking on the likes of these legendary dragons. Though the odds may not be in his favor, he'd still have a fighting chance.
If it were the Ice Dragon Kyurem, then perhaps there might be a chance to overturn the Unova League, but changing the world would still be impossible.
Who knew the full extent of the Pokémon League's hidden strength? The number of Champions across various regions was no small figure.
"Yes, this ideal is difficult, which is why I'm striving for it."
N's eyes gradually dimmed. The path to his ideals was destined to be filled with obstacles, but N was prepared. No matter what difficulties lay ahead, he would overcome them with his friends!
"If you continue to hold these beliefs, we may become enemies in the future," Dylan said directly, looking at N's vacant eyes.
"Enemies…?"
N's gaze grew slightly complex as he looked at the man before him, who was as special as he was. Once again, he fell into silence.
This was, after all, the first time he'd spoken his innermost thoughts to anyone other than his father.
"I am N, N Harmonia," N said after a long pause.
"Dylan, I'm the Gym Leader of Rota," Dylan extended his hand to N.
N hesitated for a moment but slowly reached out to shake Dylan's hand. He wasn't fond of physical contact with others.
"Your Pokémon are all strong, I can sense that they really like you," Dylan glanced at N's Zoroark and other Pokémon.
"Thank you, they are my dearest friends," N's lips subconsciously curled into a faint smile.
"I'd love to spar with you sometime, though I hope our next meeting won't be when we're forced to battle," Dylan said with a smile.
N: "…"
'Not when we're forced to battle?'
N's indifferent expression turned somewhat complicated. Watching Dylan's back as he walked back to the hotel, N couldn't help but purse his lips.
Yes, there was no guarantee of that, because he was the king of Team Plasma, and he had to fight for them, even if it wasn't his wish.
"Dylan…" N murmured.
"N, that person isn't ordinary. He carries a different kind of weight," a deep voice resonated telepathically in N's ears.
"Is that so? He's special like me," N responded calmly.
"But no one can stop our ideals, right? You'll help me, won't you, Zekrom?"
"Yes, N, I will do everything in my power for your ideals," the deep voice replied again.
"The White Dragon is stirring. I can feel it."
"The true White Dragon?" N fell silent. At Dragonspiral Tower, he had awakened Zekrom with his strong ideals.
But ideals and truth are opposites—this was a battle of destiny and beliefs.
Now that the Black Dragon, Zekrom, had awakened, it was only a matter of time before Reshiram also awakened, and the hero of truth would appear.
"Will it be you?" N suddenly thought of Dylan, the 'friend' with different beliefs.
Meanwhile, as Dylan entered the hotel, a 'Clefairy' poked its head out of his bag.
"Dylan, that person seemed strange," a clear and melodious telepathic voice sounded in Dylan's ear.
"What do you mean?"
"The dragon aura around him is way too strong, not something a human should have, and it feels a lot like that big Black Dragon."
Clefairy chewed on its paw, having been roused from its sleep by the intense dragon aura.
"Zekrom?"
"Yes, that big Black Dragon."
"It's not surprising," Dylan responded calmly, reflecting as he entered the elevator.
Indeed, N had awakened Zekrom. In that case, Reshiram should still be without a master.
He thought about trying to awaken the White Dragon himself. If it came to ideals, he didn't think he stood a chance, but as for truth… Dylan felt he might have a shot.
No problem—he would take a leave of absence soon to visit Dragonspiral Tower in Unova.
The Black Dragon was cool, but the White Dragon was beautiful!
(End of Chapter)