Team Plasma

Chapter 8 - The speech in Castelia

The next day was sunny and warm, promising to be a perfect day for N to start out on Team Plasma's political campaign. In practice it was his father Ghetsis handling all the particulars; N was expected only to show up briefly, smile and wave and shake hands, while Ghetsis would be the voice of the movement, and N, who privately found the prophecy more as a burden than anything desirable, was content to leave the speeches to him.

A limousine, with the insignia of Team Plasma painted on its doors, awaited the young king outside; as he approached the veranda, his father turned towards him.

"Today begins your journey. You shall guide the world towards a better future," Ghetsis told his son.

Zorua gave a happy yap and giving a little leap from N's arms, raced over and bounded into the car.

This was N's first time off the mansion premises since he had been adopted. They took the scenic highway that ran around the region, and from the elevation at which the thoroughfare was they not only had a view of beautiful wild landscapes but of the grander expanse, stretching out infinitely towards the horizon, that was Unova.

There was serenity in the way the sun cast its rays across the trees, and in the sparkling rivers that ran through the routes. A flock of Altaria, with their cottony, cloud-like wings, flew past the highway at a distance; the way they soared created a natural camouflage with the sky, and it was challenging to see when one bird began and the other ended. Once or twice a Pokémon could be spotted lifting its head from the tall grass, too far away to determine what species they were.

All of this was a marvel to N, and as Zorua was happily pawing at the window, N spent half the voyage just gazing outside with fascination.

Ghetsis was occupied with reading some papers, so nothing was spoken until N finally broke the silence.

"The world is so...big," he remarked, still staring out the window.

"...and before long it will be mine," Ghetsis replied absentmindedly. He quickly realized what he had said and corrected, "...ours."

N didn't seem to notice, or care. "I know the prophecy says I'm supposed to become the ruler of this land, but I don't know how I'll be able to." He turned to Ghetsis. "I scarcely know enough about all the different people and Pokémon who must live in this place in order to rule well. The Unova region is vast, much more than I remembered it – and to think there are so many other regions out there as well..."

"You don't have to think about things very much. You'll have me and the other Sages to delegate most of the work to. Issues are clear-cut; it's the natural way of the planet," his father replied.

"Are they?" N asked.

Ghetsis didn't like the spark of curiosity that glinted in his eyes; it reminded him of Zorua, before it got into mischief. His painstaking plans would not be served by N taking it upon himself to find out what ailed the world.

"What's important is what the ancient prophecy says you're destined to do. When you take power, you're going to return the equality and peace between Pokémon and humans that was lost long ago."

"I guess then, once again, the entire world will be in harmony," N said.

The words brought back a memory that was far too painful. Hadn't those same words been said twenty years ago, one last night, under the falling snow...?

Ghetsis looked away, his voice quiet. "I'm sure it will, N."

If Unova's countryside was astonishing to N, it was nothing like Castelia City. Shining skyscrapers reached up to the clouds as towering modern monuments of mankind's industry, while people rushed about on the wide streets, each with their own problems and with scarcely enough time for a greeting.