Unbroken Disguise

By the time that N had finished his explanation for the triplets, they had served dinner, and he was surprised to learn that they were actually pretty good at cooking. Or at least, the one who made the stew was. Salad wasn’t exactly complex, and the other had abstained, but the stew was better than he thought he could make himself.

The Shadow Triad hadn’t said much though, and with Dawn left out due to the language barrier, N’s throat was starting to get sore from having to carry the conversation.

The one sat before him nodded his head once N sat his spoon down. “Thank you for enlightening us, lord N. We will inform Ghetsis of the… change in plans as soon as possible.”

He stood up, and the others converged on him, like they were preparing to leave.

“Uh, N? Shouldn’ ya ask ‘em some questions of yer own?” Mimikyu suggested.

Ah. That was a good point. N had grown too used to Plasma members taking orders and then leaving his sight immediately. These Shadows were definitely more than typical grunts, and he needed to treat them differently…

“Wait a moment, if you would.”

N didn’t demand that they stay, but the trio paused, and turned to him once more. “Yes, lord N?”

“You got your answers, I would like some of my own.”

The trio said nothing for a moment, communicating silently once again. He wondered how they were doing that. Did they have a psychic hidden somewhere, bridging their thoughts together? Or maybe they just knew each other so well that words weren’t necessary to reach a consensus…

“Of course, lord N. What is it that you wish to know? We will be of service if we are able within the time available to us.”

“Well, first of all…you call yourselves the Shadow Triad, but that wasn’t a position that existed last I checked. Where exactly do you fall within Plasma?”

He assumed that they ranked above the average grunt, but below the Sages. Confirmation on that wouldn’t hurt though.

“We serve Ghetsis directly, and by extension, you. We were told that orders from the Sages were to be… of secondary concern.”

Secondary concern? It was the first he’d ever heard… well, anyone dare to say that about the Sages, but he supposed if the Shadow Triad were meant to serve Ghetsis and himself directly…

“Ya know, I was thinkin’ stuff a bit more pressin’,” Mimikyu chimed in. “Like, I dunno, how they found us?”

That was… a very good point. Something he should have considered earlier. He thought that all the nonsense he had gotten up to with Ash’s group would have forced him to work better under stressful conditions, but the shock of three strangers suddenly appearing in his camp, and then revealing themselves to work for his fa- Ghetsis had put him on the backfoot. How could they have found him?

He hadn’t checked in with any member of Plasma since… what would it have been, maybe a week or so before running into Mimikyu? And yet here they were, having somehow found him in the middle of a route in a region they were presumably unfamiliar with. Knowing that he was in Sinnoh would have been one thing, the League weren’t the only ones who had ears in lots of places and the situation in Elesa’s Gym hadn’t exactly been a quiet affair. Someone could have overheard him talking to Alder about going to Sinnoh and reported back to the Plasma intelligence sector.

But this specific spot on the route? You’d be lucky to run into someone on a route if you told them in advance that you would be there with how large they could be. Something wasn’t adding up.

“How did you find us?” He asked his new Shadows.

“Information about your last known locations was intercepted by Plasma.” Intercepted? Was the League really spying on him that heavily? Though maybe they meant his involvement in the Alamos disaster… “We were also informed that you have been seen consistently travelling with your… companion,” the Shadow on the left looked down toward Mimikyu, “and that made tracking you much easier.”

That got the attention of both him and Mimikyu. “What do you mean by that?” If it was truly so easy to track him down…

“Do not be… too alarmed,” one of the Shadows assured him. “The method we utilized is not available to most. One must be sufficiently trained in the ways of the Shadow to understand it at all, let alone put any sort of practical application to it.”

The Shadow’s shadow grew a smile and giggled, making N startle once again. A Ghost type?

Mimikyu groaned. “What’s with you guys and hidin’ away like that all the time? Sneakin’ up on me left ‘n’ right while I’m out ‘ere wearin’ a damn Pikachu costume…”

Whatever the Pokemon was, it didn’t respond to Mimikyu’s inquiry, the smile vanishing from sight.

“The number of known individuals who are capable of utilizing the Shadows within League territory… even if you were to be generous, you could count them on your fingers.”

Another Shadow continued the thought. “And those who are capable, are responsible for much. It is highly unlikely that they would consider wasting their resources on searching for someone as important as they believe you to be. The league seems to be… annoyed with you at most. They know not what is before them, the fools.”

That was… slightly reassuring, but it still meant that there were people to look out for. If this shadow stuff they were talking about was related to Ghost types, then that list probably included people like Shauntal and… wasn’t he told that the Gym Leader in Hearthome used Ghost types?

The very city he was heading to?

That might be troublesome…

“I apologize lord N, but we really must be going now. If we delay any longer, we will risk being tardy for our report to Ghetsis.”

“Worry not though, for any questions that remain shall still be answered.”

“Given the situation, we believe it likely that we will be tasked with monitoring you and reporting back occasionally. We will not always be nearby, but our presence is likely to become a cloak that you will adapt to with time.”

“Farewell for now, lord N. Expect us soon.”

They suddenly vanished from sight. He was a bit glad for it, because not being able to tell which of them was saying what was starting to drive him slightly mad.

A moment later, Mimikyu muttered “They’re gone. An’ so is the weird feelin’...”

N wasn’t sure what to make of the situation, now that it was seemingly over. It sounded like he was getting…handlers. Part of him was glad that he would have some connection to Plasma while abroad, but another part of him worried that it meant Ghetsis didn’t trust him on his own.

He knew that he was not yet fit to be King. He had not yet used the Stone. But that day was not that far off, so surely more trust should be placed in his abilities…

…just as surely as Dawn was currently glaring at him, demanding an explanation without words.

“So… Do you want to explain the ninjas?”

Or perhaps with words.

N sighed and quickly tried to spin up a believable lie. He liked Dawn. Trusted her, to a degree.

But she didn’t need to know about Plasma.

Or maybe… not yet.

Travelling through the caves of Mount Coronet had been awful, and Dawn was really glad that she had asked N if they could travel to Hearthome together. Coming out the other end to see super steep cliffs and valleys that ran down into rushing waters on route 208 hadn’t been great, either, but at least at that point she could see Hearthome in the distance and was able to reassure herself that it wasn’t that much further. There was no need to worry.

Her leg was aching, and she winced every time she took a step with it, the bandages digging into her skin. She would need to get them changed at the Pokemon Center when she got into the city… at least N was nice enough to let her lean on him for the last portion of the journey.

Her thoughts around N were jumbled.

He and Mimikyu scared her a bit, even after she’d had all this time to grow used to them. There was just something about the duo that was so… intense, in a way she didn’t really understand.

But he was also really nice, both to her and her Pokemon. He’d taken the time to help her sort out her issues with Pachirisu. She’d seen him smiling at her contests, even though he hated battles. He didn’t treat her like some stupid kid. He was helping her get to Hearthome, even after he told Ash and Brock that he was leaving…

And now there was some weird stuff going on with his family?

She’d been shaking like a leaf when three strangers suddenly appeared in their camp, looking like they belonged to some… some group of bad guys or something! She thought she remembered something about ninjas being Gym Leaders in Kanto on some TV show, but… maybe there were good ninjas and bad ninjas?

Except these ninjas had to be good ninjas too, didn’t they? Because they knew N, and he explained that his dad had sent them… But he didn’t seem to know them… What if they had just lied? She didn’t like to assume that people she didn’t know would lie, but she’d run into all sorts of… what was the word…. unsavory people lately!

They hadn’t done anything bad to them, the ninjas had even cooked their dinner for them, as weird as that was… but they still scared her.

Having to sit through that conversation without understanding it had been terrible! She had picked up a few words in Unovan from being around N for so long, but it wasn’t nearly enough to get more than a few words here and there.

She thought they were talking about Mimikyu quite a bit, and she got a few other names out of it like Ghetsis, though why would N use his dad’s name instead of calling him dad?

N had explained the whole thing by saying his dad was worried about him, and wanted him to come home, but… something about it felt off to Dawn.

She didn’t think that N had lied to her, but… maybe he hadn’t given her the whole truth.

But then again, did he owe her the truth at all? They were just going to Hearthome together, and they’d be arriving soon. And then they’d go down separate paths.

They might run into each other and have awkward conversations now and then, like how her mom would run into other old people she knew at the grocery store sometimes, but it wouldn’t be the same as what they’d had between them until now.

Before she knew what was happening, she and N had stepped into the gate that marked the border between route 208 and Hearthome City.

She paused, forcing N to pause too with how she was using him for support. She forced herself to stand on her own, to bite back the hiss of pain she wanted to let out, to look confident, like she was about to perform at a contest. She let her hand rest on Piplup’s Pokeball for comfort.

“I… guess this is it, then,” she awkwardly mumbled.

They’d already said their goodbyes. That had been what the picnic in Alamos was for. This had just been… a little something more.

“Kyu.”

N smiled softly down at her. “I guess it is.”

She didn’t want to be alone.

But she would go crazy if she stayed with the friends she’d had until now.

“Will you… the contest isn’t for a little while, if I have the dates right, and I don’t know what your plans are after this…”

N hummed. “I don’t know.”

“Mimi?”

“Not really,” he answered a question she didn’t know. “But I guess… we’ll see how things play out. If I’m still in Hearthome, maybe I’ll come see you perform.”

Dawn smiled back. “I… I would like that.”

“Good luck Dawn. And if you ever need a bit of help, or just some advice…” his smile faltered. “Well, I’m still trying to figure out the communication thing, actually, but once I figure that out, I’ll find a way to get ahold of you.”

“Mi-kyu…” Even if she didn’t get the words, she could tell that was sarcastic.

“Stop it,” N frowned at his friend. At their friend? She hadn’t actually interacted with Mimikyu directly that much, had she…

She shook her head. “No need to worry. I’m sure you’ll figure something out. You know where to find me when you do. Goodbye, N, Mimikyu.”

She turned and walked away, hobbling on her injured leg into the busy streets of Hearthome City.

Despite the thousands of people around her, and the Pokeballs at her side…

She felt alone.

N gave Dawn a moment to find her way, and then walked out of the gate and into Hearthome himself. She was out of sight.

He felt a bit melancholic.

“Welp. We’re alone again. Fer now. ‘Til those Shadows show up again, anyway. Ya got a plan? Or are we jus’ wingin’ it?”

“My plan ended at getting some time away from all the craziness for a while.”

“Yer not big on this whole plannin’ thing, are ya?”

N sighed. “Do you have a plan, then? We’re in Sinnoh for your plan, remember…” He started to blindly walk the streets, not getting too close to any pedestrians that might take interest in a man talking to his foreign Pokemon.

“Well…” N wondered if Mimikyu would finally explain what his deal had been at Alamos. It had been a few days now, and he’d revealed nothing so far. “Hmmm…. Maybe Lucas…”

No luck on that front.

Wait a minute.

“Lucas? As in, the boy who found your notebook in Jubilife? Now that I think about it, you’ve mentioned him once or twice since then as well…” And that was after N had been told that Mimikyu was probably mistaken about the boy’s identity. So much for that.

“Calm down, I’m jus’ thinkin’ aloud, is all,” Mimikyu waved off his concerns. “Migh’ be nothin’, but he also migh’ be worth investigatin’ a bit if we ‘appen ta run into ‘im… Not a pressin’ concern or anythin’.”

Not a pressing concern, and yet this was the third or fourth time the seemingly innocuous boy had been brought to his attention. There was definitely something else there.

But Mimikyu had only just returned to his somewhat talkative normalcy, and N didn’t want his now only friend to quiet down again.

“If you say so… but if that’s not a pressing concern, then what should we do in the meantime? I don’t see any reason to rush out of Hearthome since we just got here, but I’m not really sure what to do here beyond…”

He thought it over. Staying for Dawn’s contest was a possibility, but he didn’t want to commit to that. There was also the Ghost Gym to consider. He didn’t know much else about Hearthome though…

“Beyond Fantina?” Mimikyu suggested. Had that been the Gym Leader’s name? He couldn’t quite recall. “She migh’ be able ta help with our ghostly issues, but what the Shadows were sayin’ probably includes ‘er, so I dunno if that’s a meetin’ we wanna rush into. Contest ain’ for a bit longer yet… What else is in Hearthome… oh! We could go to that fancy park they ‘ave!”

“Fancy park?” N probed, having no clue what his friend was on about.

“Yeah it’s uh… Pal Park? No, that ain’ right, that’s the one down by… what was it… somethin’ square, maybe? I don’ remember, but it’s on the north end of the city!”

If Mimikyu couldn’t remember the name of this park, N wasn’t sure that it could be all that special, but it wasn’t like they had much else to do… or at least much else that didn’t make him a bit nervous, so N started heading north.

Who knows, maybe it really would be interesting.

It took them a minute to find their destination, having started on the other side of the city. Hearthome wasn’t quite at the level of Jubilife, but N wouldn’t be surprised to find out that it was one of the largest cities within League territory. The buildings were rather plain, at least by the standards he had seen from the rest of Sinnoh so far, and there was a serious lack of color. It was like being in Oreburgh again, but without the excuse of dust from the mines and plethora of smoke stacks making all the color fade.

He supposed not all cities could be eye-catching, though, and it’s not like the city being drab made it any harder to find Amity Square.

It seemed Mimikyu had gotten at least part of the name right.

As they approached the gate into the park, decorated with a large sign featuring a stylized Psyduck, Drifloon, and… he wasn’t sure what that last Pokemon was. Something orange with a rather large head. He thought about asking Mimikyu, but something else caught his attention first.

What were the odds that they would run into Lucas now of all times? Sure, they seemed to be following the same general path since they’d run into each other for a third time now, but still…

“Is that who I think it is?” His little fairy friend asked.

“Lucas! Wait a moment!” N called out to the boy.

There was no doubting it when Lucas turned toward them, recognition flashing across his face.

Remembering how communication with him had gone the last time, N pulled out Mimikyu’s notebook.

“It’s been a while since we last saw you. Are you going into Amity Square as well?”

Lucas nodded, grinning up at him with a Pokeball in his hand, and a few more hanging on his belt.

“I wonder what sorta team he ‘as…” Mimikyu mumbled as N approached the boy.

“Would you care to join us then?”

Lucas nodded once more, leading the way into the gate.

N wasn’t sure how a boy who had to be Dawn’s age could help them, but if Mimikyu thought there was a chance…

Well, it wouldn’t hurt to investigate a bit. Walking through a park together wasn’t a commitment to travel with him, after all.