Chapter 182: Ideals vs. Truth (Membership Extra Chapter)
The video continued playing.
"You keep saying ’humanity.’"
Miori slowly spoke.
"Then where exactly do you place yourself?"
N looked at her without answering.
"You’ve placed yourself in the position of a judge."
Miori lowered her voice.
"You want all of humanity to admit its mistakes—but who gets to pass judgment on them? You? What gives you the right to judge humanity?"
N remained silent for a moment.
"I don’t have that right," he said. "But Pokémon do. I’m merely conveying their true voices to humanity."
He snapped his fingers.
One figure after another emerged from the darkness, all dressed in Team Plasma uniforms.
Team Plasma’s captains rapidly spread out around the circular platform, surrounding Miori in the center.
N extended a hand.
"Give me the Dark Stone, and I won’t make things difficult for you."
"And if I say no?"
Miori placed a hand on the Poké Balls at her waist.
"Then unfortunately..."
N’s voice remained perfectly calm.
"Attack."
Nothing happened.
The Team Plasma captains simply stood where they were, completely motionless.
N frowned.
Before he could ask what was going on, more than a dozen figures turned in perfect unison—
And bowed deeply toward the black-haired, blue-eyed girl.
"Young Miss."
More than a dozen voices echoed simultaneously throughout the hall.
The sudden display startled Miori so badly that she instinctively took half a step backward.
"Captain K?"
Uncertainty entered Miori’s voice.
"You... What is this?"
"Devon Corporation Special Operations Division, codename K. I was ordered to infiltrate Team Plasma."
Captain K removed his hat.
"The boss gave us explicit instructions. If you ever require assistance, every member of Devon Corporation is to follow your orders without question."
Miori rubbed her chin.
"Devon Corporation... You’re Uncle Steven’s people?"
"Yes."
Captain K straightened.
"Several months ago, the boss and the others raided Team Plasma’s experimental base in Hoenn. After that operation, many Team Plasma members were secretly replaced by our people."
"Of course, we only managed to rise this high because Team Plasma’s leadership was so lax."
Miori’s mouth slowly formed a tiny O.
Her mind rapidly replayed every interaction she had ever had with Captain K.
And here I thought my acting was amazing.
Turns out we were on the same side the entire time!
[VIP Chat Group]
[Steven]: Ohhh! I knew Captain K looked familiar! So he’s one of my people!
[Leon]: Steven is actually capable of planning something like this?
[Wallace]: Who says it had to be his idea? Couldn’t it have been mine or Asher’s?
[Steven]: We’re a team. Why bother arguing over whose idea it was?
[Lance]: Infiltrating Team Plasma from the inside... I genuinely never considered approaching them that way.
[Steven]: Lance, have we finally caught your interest? Want to join our group? I’ve already thought of a new name—the Hoenn F4. What do you think?
[Lance]: ...
[Clair]: Hey, hey, hey! My cousin isn’t even from Hoenn! Why would it be called the Hoenn F4?!
[Steven]: Because he’d be joining later. Naturally, the newcomer has to follow our lead.
[Lance]: I refuse.
[Steven]: You’re rejecting an opportunity this good? Fine! Don’t regret it later!
[Lance]: I won’t.
[Dawn]: Uh... why does it feel like the conversation went completely off track again?
[Wallace]: Standard Steven behavior.
[Skyla]: N in the video is honestly miserable. At this point, there probably aren’t many actual Team Plasma members left.
[Valerie]: Someone calculate the size of N’s psychological trauma right now.
The video continued playing.
Miori walked in front of the others and faced N.
"The tables have turned, N. Are you still going to stubbornly continue down this path?"
N raised his head and silently looked toward one of the stone statues.
"Wake up."
Miori took another step forward.
"How is what you’re doing now any different from what Ghetsis did? He used the power of Pokémon to rule the world. You’re using the suffering of Pokémon to pass judgment on humanity."
"Your methods may be different, but fundamentally, you’re doing the same thing—you’ve both placed yourselves high above everyone else."
"I don’t care what the world thinks of me."
N reached inside his clothes and took out a stone.
"When everyone else chooses silence, someone has to stand up and say—enough. You say I cannot represent Pokémon. But I will make the people who hurt them hear their voices, even if I have to force them to listen."
He raised the Light Stone.
A pillar of white light erupted toward the heavens.
Reshiram awakened.
The Dragon of Truth.
Its very existence was a blazing embodiment of truth—
It would not lie.
It would not compromise.
It would simply burn every falsehood to ash.
"Forcing someone can never create understanding. What truly changes a person’s heart has never been fear."
"It’s trust."
Miori took the Dark Stone from her backpack.
Dark-purple light erupted from every crack across its surface, forming an enormous field of radiance beneath the domed ceiling opposite Reshiram’s flames.
A black dragon emerged from the pillar of light.
Zekrom awakened.
"Zekrom."
Miori raised her head and looked at it, her voice exceptionally clear within the vast, empty hall.
"I don’t have some grand slogan about saving the world. But I believe there can be a better way for people and Pokémon to live together."
"If you also believe this path is worth following... Then come with me."
The two Legendary dragons faced one another from opposite sides of the great hall.
Just as they had in the ancient legends—
Ideals and truth collided once more.
...
TL: Thanks, SacredLoneWolf, for the membership!