#bw/bw2 rewrite

[antihibikase2]

“You know, big bro,”

Rouge leads the way, while Big Guy slithers around the walls, providing light wherever it goes.

“If this place gives you the creeps, you don’t have to come with me.”

Cheren rolls his eyes.

A year ago, yes, he would have been rattled to his core, fearing for his life and his heart if he were to find himself stepping foot into the castle that decided his fate.

But, a year later, after several encounters with ghosts- both metaphorical and literal,

“The only thing that scares me is the thought of this castle collapsing on us. Honestly, he was such a brute.”

Whether he was referring to Ghetsis or Hilbert, their respective dragons, Nate didn’t know.

Regardless, he shrugged.

“The league said something about having to eventually deal with the remains of this castle, didn’t they? Might as well rip the bandaid off now instead of letting it linger for too long.”

“Wha-?! Getting rid of this cool castle?! But, big bro, it could be a great site for tourists!”

Cheren glares at him.

“O-Or an amusement park?”

“Nathaniel.”

“Um, atrocities aside, of course-”

“Oh, Nate,”

He pulls on one of his sleeves, exposing his hand- one of the marks left by the legendary dragons rests on his palm, almost like stigmata.

He places his palm on the cold surface.

“Bianca told me something she learned about buildings- no matter what era they were made, or the materials used to build them,”

He could almost feel a pulse coming from behind the walls.

“They have eyes and ears- what happens here stays here. Plasma may be gone, but this had been their home- and for many,”

He bites his lip.

“This shall be their final resting place.”

He says it solemnly, paying his respects to those who have dedicated their lives to the construction of the castle, people and Pokemon alike- those that may have perished before its completion, those that perished as a result of accidents that no doubt happened during its construction.

But to Nate, Unovan league champion and hero of ideals,

Who was probably taught Hoennian tales and superstition

His face turns pale, the hairs on his skin standing up.

“Big bro! That’s scary! Ugh, you talk like mom sometimes!”

Cheren removes his palm from the wall, scoffing.

“Please. You act like you’ve never met a ghost before.”

[antihibikase-archive]

Do we think maybe a little [ breaking out of the narrative cycle ] would cause less despair

[mhizzberryart]

An age-old rivalry.

Really proud of this one! Stills under the cut! 🔥⚡

[parasolladyansy]

PKMN Black - Ansy

One more highlights post before going back to our regular schedule of Diamond x Pearl REWRITE (& please excuse the slight style changes through these lol, as I made some of these a year or two ago, while others I made leading up to posting DxP REWRITE on my Instagram parasol_lady_ansy).

As I said on Ansy’s timeline, BW was a very coming-of-age story for Ansy, maybe the most impactful for her character as a whole. It was her first official Pokémon journey, as her very first one through Kanto was cut short (see timeline), leaving her with PTSD. Enter Rain, her then-service Eevee (now Vaporeon!) - she was given to Ansy right before she moved to Unova to help adjust to life there.

She met all kinds of friends, enemies, rivals, & even a mysterious Champion from another region. This is when she first met Ingo & Emmet (they were about 19, brand new Subway Bosses, while she was 15). Skyla was about 16, & still working on her pilot license where she can fly industrial planes (like she does in BW2), but can fly small recreational aircraft like ultralights. Cynthia was also aged down to a teenager, though older than Ansy (looking forward to when she appears in DxP REWRITE 🖤)

The last fight against N, then Ghetsis, was a big turning point for her, as that was the first time since the incident in Kanto that she finally allowed herself to be angry, synching perfectly with the fiery white dragon Reshiram. She & they have a very deep bond, & while she didn’t catch them (Ansy befriends Legendaries instead of catching them), they would come when called wherever she was in Unova. 🪽

—

Other BW comics - Unovan Halloween /

[oneslimybastard]

Another underutilized aspect of N, Natural Harmonia Gropius himself, is that he's conceptualized as not just a Math Guy, but a Math Genius if we go by some interview trivia notated on Bulbapedia.

It clearly shows in the way he speaks since his (translated) dialogue (idk about the original japanese one) is full of hamfisted references to formulas and frustration expressed when the chaos of the world does not align with them — which to me is like, the core of his character, something that makes him both An Asshole to deal with but also a very intellectually curios and creative individual. It's just a brand of creativity not a lot of people can keep up with nor understand.

N likes math because a lot of math is about clearly defined variables and their relationship to one another. If you come across an inconsistency that doesn't fit any prior definitions, you iron out a new definition and suddenly the field has expanded upon itself tenfold. It aligns with how his Very Autistic Brain functions, x + y = z, if I do x to y then z will happen. If z doesn't happen, then that just means I have to identify the hidden variables within the exchange and rewrite the formula to be more accurate.

Black and White's quality of writing is. Like pokémon often is. Questionable at best. The foundations are there but the execution is dumbed down and corny because it's still aimed at kids, BW in specific really cutting the theme of pokémon trainer ethics short in favor of just "dang u beat me in the pogiebattle guess ur right!". How-ev-er. In my head, and the reason why I still find the plot of those games compelling (aside for my unhinged thirst for goth man-milf Ghetsis) is that to me they're about local cult-raised autist Normal Henry Gropus bashing his head against the world over and over to desperately try and make the formulas make sense, to distill it into variables he can understand and predict on a consistent basis, and failing miserably at it. Because even if the world is Technically made up of a bunch of chemistry that you could, in theory, predict, there's just a lot of random noise in there from microscopic complexities that fuck everything up.

Pokémon are simpler creatures (discounting the eerily intelligent ones) who will be nice enough to behave like math problems most of the time. Humans rarely extend that grace, the more N studies them like a science project the more contradictory variables pop up. They have a million thoughts in their head he doesn't have access to, that brew into feelings he doesn't understand, which leads to actions he can't do a proper traceback through. Which is frustrating, devastatingly frustrating. At least at first.

Due to how BW2 pans out and my own yearning for thematic mirroring, whereas Ghetsis gives in to the Autistic Bitterness over all these NTs he doesn't fuckign understand, I like to think N develops a sort of joy in studying people like the impossibly complex math problems we are. Because he likes math, he likes figuring shit out, he likes buying a nightmare rubik's cube and charting the squares out on a nightmare variable graph (listen i am not a math guy. i respect the hustle but my skill level is too low to accurately attempt to simulate the process in writing. im sorry math guys) so he has a home-made flexible cheat code on how to solve any possible mix-up of it. It's fun for him, it stimulates his brain and he is so stupid good at it that he can only share that joy with like a stray alakazam or metagross because he's a bit of a tarzan just hanging out in the wilderness, he doesn't know any high end mathematicians he can casually geek out about combinatorial game theory with, and the normies just do not get it .

I think this math enjoying is kind of a big part of his ~Innocence~ as well, since there's a lot of childlike glee to being a Math Guy. It's the love of problem solving as a process rather than a means to an end, it's playful, but severely misunderstood to the point where people kinda might assume things about you if you are a math guy.

N's love of math helps him love the world but it also isolates him. He's a genius, but since he can't communicate it in a palatable way it'll get overlooked in favor of him just being a loomy weirdo on the street chatting up the local patrats.

If introduced to DnD though he'd spend so much time on forging ridiculously optimized multiclass builds, then migrate to digging through old obscure sci-fi ttrpgs from the 80s with hellishly complex systems just for the funsies of learning how the presented variables behave within a variety of frameworks, but then if you actually invited him to play with your group he'd look at you like you'd just called his mom a llama.

He's a neat guy to me, STEM guy who's also one of those animal rights activists who's a little too PETA-coded, I like him :)

[marchy-emmet]

An angsty Submas AU concept...?

... this is based around semi-realism and reality breaking, as well as possible Unova remakes, so bear with me.

[And I must warn you: This may need a huge CW for derealization / depersonalization. Read at your own risk.]

Ingo's character is... admittedly much more developed than Emmet's is -- which leads to the self awareness of Ingo as a character.

He begins in BW/BW2, as cheerful and normal as can be -- and then he is rewritten into Hisui as someone that's not quite the same but not quite different either. He's no longer subway boss Ingo -- he's warden Ingo.

BUT the likelihood is that in the next remake games, Ingo will be "rewritten" once again as a subway boss -- as if Hisui didn't even happen. He notices that Emmet simply speaks the same lines only when the protagonist triggers his dialogue -- so essentially, Emmet will not speak to Ingo, nor acknowledge that he has "returned" from Hisui.

This causes Ingo's awareness to break through the 4th wall essentially -- and a ton of strange occurrences hinting at Ingo's sentience begins within the remakes of Black and White.

He is confused, angry and afraid due to his back and forth toggle between a subway boss and a warden. To make things worse for him, Emmet's character hasn't developed enough for him to gain awareness -- so he's all alone with a brother he thought was real.

And so this leads to Ingo begging the player to help him out of this confusing identity blur when they visit the singles lines. He smacks his fists against the player's "screen", tears in his eyes, and his text box is faster than usual. It's now that the player can infer this isn't normal for a Pokemon game -- and that Ingo has truly gained awareness, and is suffering the distortion of living in multiple realities.

TLDR; The strange chain of rewrites in his character causes him to gain self awareness and essentially break the game's event triggers.

[I was cookin'... I was a-cookin', and now I'mma cookin' what the dialogue may look like. SO... you will inevitably see this concept return soon. VERY Ingo-centric AU, as Emmet won't be playing much of a role in it due to his lack of awareness.

And I'm very aware that this AU is very strange, but I am an oddball of a human, so it fits-]

[pokemon-blightblur]

🧶 Quick Guide to Blight / Blur

What is Pokemon Blight/Blur?

Blight/Blur is a rewrite of Pokemon BW and BW2 written by @antihibikase; Blight refers to BW (White, Upright), and Blur refers to BW2 (Black, Reversed). Blight/Blur and its arcs are named after the major and minor Arcana.

The story focuses specifically on Blur (BW2), as the events of Blight are explored through a series of flashbacks.

Where can I read Blight/Blur?

Currently, you can read the ongoing fic at ao3 or on tumblr.

ao3 : Pokemon Blight / Blur - Hero of Static

tumblr : bw2 arc

There are no differences between versions outside of spacing. The tumblr version is posted on my writing blog, @antihibikase2.

What is Blight/Blur about?

Blight/Blur follows the events of BW/BW2 with some changes- both protagonists are present, and Team Plasma's goal stretches beyond the supposed liberation of Pokemon and the eventual subjugation of the region.

There's larger emphasis on the legends; specifically, the dragon, the heroes, and the party that accompanied the heroes- as well as how these characters from the past affect the ones in the present.

Additionally, while characters from other generations/regions are specified, and may appear as major characters, Blight/Blur specifically only focuses on Unova's cast.

Currently, a masterpost is in the works; but you can find most of the things about the verse either in @antihibikase-archive (under the tag BW/BW2 Rewrite - Blur / Blight) or @antihibikase (under the tag blight/blur).

Are there any content warnings?

The main ones are death and religion- Blight/Blur has many religious themes (particularly catholicism) and symbolisms.

Additionally, certain drabbles written under the story's tags in my writing blog dabble into surreal imagery and dissociation.

Is everything in your main and/or writing blog canon to Blight/Blur?

Not necessarily! Some of them were written before Blight/Blur was changed/established, some of them are just dabbling in ideas that aren't part of canon, etc.

Additionally,

💌 I accept asks, inquiries, comments and the like, in both here and in my main!

🎨 All art in this blog is made by either @mhizzberryart or me!

[antihibikase2]

Art by @mhizzberryart.

Head cocked to the side, face pressed on his palm, an arrogant smirk with one leg crossed over the other- the perfect recipe for a photoshoot.

The shutters of the cameras were as dazzling as the city lights of Castelia- but they were far too bright, too blinding for a trainer of the dark like him.

(At least, that was what he was supposed to say in the script Shauntal had written for him.)

Regardless, he plays his part, as do the rest of the league- until he spots a familiar head of hair in the crowd, poorly attempting to catch a glance.

His instincts flare up- and now, he was no longer Elite Four Grimsley, the prodigal gambler and dark type specialist.

As he stands from his carefully curated throne of cards and makes his way to the crowd, parting them with just his presence alone, he morphs into something different.

"Giima!"

Now, he was Gavino- or Giima, the older brother of Cielo- or, as he would like to be called, Cheren.

Giima called him something else though- as most big brothers did with their little siblings.

"Cheri," He checks the crowd- far too big than expected. "Cheri, what are you doing here, this is dangerous-"

"Dangerous? It's a controlled crowd, Giima," Cheren huffs. "And my end of the photoshoot ended early."

"It did?"

"Yes, and it was mostly with Nate anyway- student and teacher, champion and gym leader,"

He crosses his arms, lips turning into a pout.

"..I was hoping we could get lunch together."

"Oh! That's-"

"Grimsley, take two!"

He glances back in annoyance- but when he turns to Cheren, there is nothing but a smile on his face, fond and loving.

"..I'll wrap this up real quick first, kid. Then I'll treat you to something, yeah?"

Cheren beams. "Okay. I would like that."

"I spoil you too much, don't I?"

When he turns away to continue the photoshoot, the mask slips back on almost seamlessly- but as Cheren watches from the back, eyes shining with a hint of admiration, the crown atop his head felt a little less heavy.

[antihibikase-archive]

Save me gay people in my verse

[mhizzberryart]

The gang's all here! ...except for two more of the main cast 👀

From @antihibikase's Pokemon BW/BW2 rewrite! I also drew the antagonists here!

[parasolladyansy]

Ansy PKMN Timeline

When I started posting Diamond x Pearl REWRITE on my instagram, I did quite a bit of set up for new readers, including a full timeline for both Ansy & Ikrit. The mister & I (the players behind these characters) have been playing Pokémon since very beginning (though I had a very long break between Blue & Black), & now we play Pokémon together! 🩵

Ansy was born in Kanto, had a very coming-of-age story in Unova (following an attempt at a journey that didn’t end well), & considers the latter her home region. It’s where Ikrit & she live to this day when they’re not running around other regions (maybe in Nuvema Town, moving from Undella in favor of a little town still near the ocean but more affordable & quiet). She isn’t the strongest battler, but she’s definitely gotten better since Ikrit started training with her. Strange things seem to happen around her though…

Her design is often inspired by the female PC, though she’s often holding an umbrella as her trainer class is usually Parasol Lady (she likes rain teams, mostly Water PKMN). 🌧️ Exceptions are in Blue (Lass) & Sword (Gardener).

PS: So I got confused with which Legendary you got in BW & BW2, so while I just played Black when I realized that’s the one with Reshiram lol, I just rewrote White 2 - I didn’t realize the Reshiram you help in the game was N’s Reshiram, so I pretended it was Ansy’s Reshiram instead (as my hc is that players more befriend Legendaries than catch them like in the anime). 😅

PPS: the time skip between BW & BW2 is officially 3 years, but since I didn’t really want to jump from 10 (when I played Blue) to 22 (when I played Black), I made it about 9 years.

[pnk-spiderr]

thinking of doing a little mini-rewrite of the pokespe bw & bw2 arc. i love the story and characters sm already so its nothing huge- it’s more rewriting small things like white’s involvement in the bw finale, and just adding a little more narrative cohesion to the story overall. if you want to ask me about it you can ig? idk

[notzilon]

muftiday replied to your post: I’ve been working my way through Ultra Moon and...

im pretty sure the game implies the pokemon are frozen alive?? thats how i always interpreted it, like being forced to forever be between life and death staring at this mad woman who obsesses over you, and i always imagined the pc was a place like its implied a pokeball is? if a pokeball has a comfortable environment for a pokemon to chill in the pc should too, and they have the company of the other pokemon right? especially with the poke pelago

I suppose at that point the ethics depend on if the frozen pokemon are conscious or not - if they are lucid, then it’s absolutely a hellish experience. If the crystal prisons function on modified pokeball technology where the pokemon are just on display but unable to move then yeah, it’s pretty horrific. From what I remember, her pikachu had closed eyed/seemed to be peaceful to me? But that doesn’t really mean anything. We frankly don’t know enough about them so interpretations depend on what side of Lusamine Discourse you fall on.

In terms of if pokeballs/PCs are a place - I think prior to SM it was only addressed in the anime/manga? All of Ash’s pokemon are kept on Oak’s ranch, and in the manga pokeballs are less a “place” as much as an easy way to transport your pets. In the games I believe the official line is that capturing a pokemon in a pokeball converts the animal into data that can be reconstituted at will, and the process of capture actively brainwashes/rewrites the pokemon’s behavior patterns to be obedient to their master. Which sounds really fucked up, but it’s just instant domestication. That’s why pokemon are loyal/follow your orders as soon as you catch them. I think SM was the first situation where your pokemon actually lived somewhere in-game? Prior to the Pelago, they’re just stored as data, which is why Lusamine makes a big deal out of trainers keeping collections, etc. I think it comes down to what you consider “canon” out of the games/anime/manga. (Note: my memory is garbage and I may have missed something in the other games, especially bc I pretty much skipped BW/BW2.)

[antihibikase2]

He cradled him in his arms just as he did the day he was born. A small bundle, wrapped in the softest of fleece- it made no difference now, he thinks, as he brings him close to himself in an effort to warm him, fingers running through the fur of his cardigan.

His eyes were shut tight as they were back then. It was all too similar, the anticipation that came with waiting for them to open. Big bright eyes would have greeted him before, full of wonder and innocence. Now, if they were to open at all, even with the slightest tinge of life- it would be a miracle.

His skin, once pink and cheeks flushed red like apples- now it was deathly pale, almost undistinguishable from the Light Stone clasped into his hands. There was no movement from his chest or a breath of air from his lips; he was completely still, like one of the dolls he was given as a child.

At eleven years old, Grimsley had held his newborn sibling for the first time, snarking at his father for the choice of name- now, at twenty seven, he found himself muttering that name like a prayer, as if he hadn't turned his back to the gods a long time ago.

"Please, please, Cheren- Cheri, Cielo-"

He brings his head close to his chest, lips brushing against his forehead.

Knelt in the entrance of the Giant Chasm, atop a stone pedestal surrounded by ice, it was no different from when Grimsley had carried his sibling by himself in the lonely winter his mother had died, begging for his father to come back.

Except, he knew this time there would be nothing to wait for.

"Kuya's here, please, wake up."

[tierra-paldeana]

// btw my N blog is @/armxnia !!

HOWEVER, bear in mind i've not roleplayed there in a long time, and the blog needs a severe overhaul in a lot of senses (themes, pages rewriting, etc)一 that and if i ever want to go back to rping as him, a replay of BW + BW2 is due LOL i'm not v sure if i'll go back to him in a while tho cause rika takes all my time and it's the muse i have more... well, muse for, but we'll see-

// once again thinking that N and rika would be very good friends... sorry if i sound like a broken record, since they're both muses of mine that share various similarities it's impossible i don't think of them LOL

[antihibikase2]

He does not remember the life he has led before- nor does he think it is a life worth remembering.

In the darkness, all he could see were angry glares, faces contorted into ones of disgust or fear. The words that leave their lips are just as degrading, labeling him a creature of the night- surely, not one of the creations of "Old Sinnoh".

With his dying breath, he howls to the moon-a curse of his own, to the god above.

Arceus,

Creatures such as he, leading such cursed existences- what purpose did they serve, other than to be hated?

Why have you forsaken me?

He snarls; a shadowy figure manifests across him, face obscured by their parasol- the only thing he sees is the pendant she wears, shaped like a tear.

A dying dream, he thinks.

Even as their laughter rings in his ears, clear as a bell.

"Oh my, a Zoroark?"

…

He bites and claws the hand that feeds; but the hand does not strike back, merely curling into a fist, claws digging into their skin- and relaxing, offering an open palm to the beast.

"You and I are more alike than you think, dearest Zoroark,"

The smiling woman must be insane, he thinks.

But, seeing how her shadow stretches into something incoherent, a void that threatens to swallow him whole- he supposes she might be right; even if he himself was a mere Pokemon, and she herself was-

"Not one of His creations."

"How ironic, coming from you- you were persecuted for the same thing, were you not?"

He flinches.

"Oh, you silly little thing. Such abilities are not beyond the power of Giratina- of course I know what you are thinking about."

Her black dress drags on the blood stained grass, withering as the fabric brushes against the blades. Each step she takes, a trail of death follows; he could smell it.

"Poor creature. You have done so much good for the world- to be exiled from your pack because you chose to live with humans; and to be killed by the same humans you protected,"

She speaks of his pain as if it were her own- as if she understood.

"And to die cursing Arceus- I was the same."

Illuminated by the moon, her bronze eyes shine into a deep red.

"That is why I am here."

He has heard of tales of witches before- cursed humans who dabbled with life and death, often disguising themselves as healers among the land.

In particular, the rumors concern those of the Celestica bloodline; supposed fanatics of Arceus, who lived amongst themselves, secluded from the rest of human society.

In a way, they really were similar, weren't they?

"So, you know about the Celestica? Then surely, you must know,"

His ghastly white fur, written in books as a sign of bad omen- and her blonde hair, whispered among townsfolk as a curse.

"The suffering of my people- my ancestors and our descendants, just like you Zoroark."

She crouches to his level, lowering her parasol.

She holds the pendant up to him.

"I have given you a second chance at life, just as Giratina had with me- and just as Giratina is serving Arceus through me, you shall do the same."

That pleasant smile is nothing short of sinister, scarier than any other Zoroark's.

"Come with me- unless you want to be hunted again."

And really- he would have been a fool to refuse.

As his paw reaches out to shake her gloved hand, curled around the pendant, he finds himself asking,

"Who are you?"

Her red eye flickers back to brown.

"Please call me Lady Cogita."

…

The Zoroark of Kalos were different creatures- still feared and fabled, but their furs were dyed a deep black; and he noticed very quickly that they were not as prideful as Hisuian Zoroark.

Though he morphed into a smaller creature to avoid suspicion, trotting alongside Lady Cogita, the Zoroark that roamed the forest avoided them at all costs- as if they could see the dark auras granted to them by Giratina.

"We're here."

Parting through the leaves, he is welcomed into a village bathed in sunlight, hidden deep in a forest south of Snowbelle.

A Gallde that guards the entrance glares down at his smaller form, seeing through his disguise.

But, Lady Cogita places a soothing hand on its shoulder.

"As far as anyone is concerned, darling,"

She gestures to her smaller companion.

"This is an Eevee. No?"

His tail flicks, silver fur shimmering.

A convincing disguise to most- but an unsettling presence to very few.

He supposed that psychic types, as well as fellow Zoroark, could see through it with ease.

She could not understand what the Gallade says- but the Zoroark does, and bites back his tongue when the sentry of the village mutters something under its breath.

"He takes his duty very seriously." She simply says.

He rolls his eyes at that- and follows her as she leads him to the village, greeted by many others, donned in robes of white.

They look up at her with proud smiles, welcoming her return warmly and offering to throw a feast to celebrate her arrival. A loving display of community, something he had seen quite often in his home region- especially towards explorers who braved through Hisui's wilderness and returned home to their families.

They seemed to be unaware of her shadow, or her alliance with Giratina; but the red flowers do not seem to die in her wake as they did with those of Hisui.

"The flowers of eternity are blooming beautifully- that is enough celebration for me," She tells the village elder. "I am happy; surely, this was a blessing brought to us by Arceus."

The mention of Arceus makes him wince, something that does not escape Lady Cogita's gaze.

He scoffs- and she lightly nudges him with her foot to scold him.

"Truly. You were correct, miss Cogita- his birth was a gift from Arceus Himself."

"Of course- he is an angel sent to us, a little dove."

A little bird; funny, he himself used to hunt for those.

When he pokes his nose up at her, she simply smiles at him, and leads him deep into the village.

He takes it that she's some sort of authority around these parts; wild Pokemon feared her for her aura, while humans respected her for her knowledge, possibly unaware of her deal with the devil- or the beast that accompanied her.

He does not understand why she chose to bring him to life, other than for her own amusement.

But, as she leads him into a house bathed in sunlight, surrounded by Pokemon- he sees why.

"Acro, darling,"

A small child lifts their head from the book they were buried in, red petals on their blonde hair.

"I'm home- I have a surprise for you."

...

"There once was a time where humans feared Zoroark,"

N says, tone laced in sadness.

"Even until now, such a reputation follows them. They are frightening creatures, yes- but I do not think they deserve to be shunned."

Two of the shadows stay still- one assigned to the false king, the other assigned to the pair of goddesses.

The other shadow, with his golden eyes and red tips, white hair messier than the other two's- was assigned to the heirloom.

"What do you think, Doctor Colress?"

The doctor.

"I wonder if it is us who chose to shun them- or it was those creatures who chose to live separately from humans. Surely, they could make their own choices-"

He speaks just like his mother had, wise and direct,

"-and perhaps, they were correct in doing so. Humans are much more unpredictable; those who desire to kill hide their claws. If anything, it is Zoroark who fear them- and humans merely used that against them."

But scared.

Lady Cogita was never scared.

N takes his answer into account, smiles,

"You understand Pokemon very well, Doctor,"

And reaches out to pat his shoulder, in a show of comraderie.

From the corner of his eye, he sees the doctor flinch- but he balls his fists to his side, golden eyes flickering uncomfortably between his shadow and his doll, who remained in the corner of the room.

"You're a valuable asset to Team Plasma; it makes me relieved that you're part of our operations. Not all humans can unconditionally understand Pokemon like we can."

He means it with no malice- his aura says so.

But the doctor does not take his words as they are.

Those who desire to kill hide their claws, as he said- something he applied to all he would come into contact with, wary like a Zoroark.

The doctor pats N's hand with his own- and slides it off of him.

"Do not compare me to the likes of you," was what he wanted to spit out.

But, he says something else.

"If you excuse me, my king, I have work to attend to."

He glances at his shadow once more.

"Tres. Carry my materials to the laboratory."

Their eyes meet- and the pendant under his clothes beats like the heart he once had.

"To follow my dove to the edges of the world, in darkness and in light-"

He bows, one hand on his chest.

"That is your purpose."