The mysterious tower

When Cochran followed his gaze, he saw Cynthia sleeping with Kaim as her pillow, while Kaim had fallen asleep after finishing what he was doing. The other harbor beasts were also sleeping in their own positions.

Cochran smiled at the sight of them, covered them with blankets, switched off the lights, and left the room.

"Sweet dreams."

Night fell.

Two days later.

After leaving their base in Sasobin Town and flying for some time, they arrived in Sekka City in the western Isshu Region.

"It really is a long way from Saba Town."

Iris climbed down from Salamence's back and stretched fully. Cynthia followed Alice down from Salamence's back.

"Sorry you had to find out."

Cynthia spoke as she stroked Iris's Salamence.

Alice, however, did not seem particularly bothered and answered cheerfully.

"N-no, not at all! I wanted to see Koji."

"Yes. You love your grandfather."

"Yeah. Thanks to Master Koji, I was able to come here."

Just then, Staraptor landed beside Salamence.

Kaim climbed down from Staraptor's back and removed his Goggles.

"That was fast."

"I fly often, so I know the wind direction here."

"You can read the flow of the wind?"

"Well, let's go. It looks like the little prince is already here."

Alice walked along happily. At the end of the path stood a tower whose summit disappeared behind the clouds.

"That's Dragonport Immortal Tower."

"Amazing. You can tell at a glance that it's a special place."

"The Dragonspiral Line is a spiral, so is the inside spiral-shaped too?"

"You'll find out when you get there."

"That's true."

The two followed Alice toward Dragonport Immortal Tower.

After leaving Sekka City and walking a short distance along a tree-lined road, a lake opened up before me, with a tower standing at its center.

The tower stood directly opposite a bridge pier, and a powerfully built man stood in front of the pier.

"Grandpa!"

When Alice raised her voice, the man turned around.

He was a man with a piercing gaze and a distinctive beard. Judging by his white hair and the wrinkles on his face, he was already well into middle age, but his physique and sharp eyes suggested an ambition untouched by age.

"Oh, Alice. You're here?"

"It's been since the last League!"

"You look well. These two are...?"

"That's right! Miss Cynthia and Miss Kaim! They want to see Dragonport Immortal Tower!"

"Really?"

The man, Shaka, stood before them and extended his hand.

"Alice owes me."

"I'm Cynthia. I'm a scholar from the Sinnoh Region."

Cynthia took Shaga's hand and shook it.

"I hear you're the Champion."

"It isn't my strength alone. It's the result of support from Pokémon and many other people."

"It isn't just your own strength. That's a good way to think. And you?"

Shaka turned to Kaim beside Cynthia.

"I'm Kaim. I'm Cynthia's assistant."

"I heard Alice was a Personal Trainer."

"Yes. A trainer at the Tobari Gym."

Shaka stroked his beard and looked at Kaim.

"...Hmm."

"Not yet."

"Heh, I see. We're all relatives of Kaim."

"Yes."

Kaim also shook hands with Shaka, who looked up at Dragonspiral Tower.

"You two want to enter Dragonport Immortal Tower."

"Yes. I won't be able to investigate it thoroughly, but as a scholar, I'd like to take a proper look."

"I see. Of course, this tower would appeal to both of you archaeologists. It isn't locked. You're welcome to look around."

"I'm sorry to ask, but is that really all right?"

However accomplished a Champion Cynthia was, she was still an outsider. She wondered whether it was wise to let her into the tower so readily, when it was part of the Isshu Region's historical heritage.

"It's fine. Scholars from other regions occasionally come to visit and research it, so it isn't unusual. Yet someone with the character to be a Champion has discovered some malice."

"I'm grateful for that, so if you tell me so, I'll take your word for it."

"Go ahead. Some parts inside crumble very easily now, though, so be careful."

"Thank you. Let's go, Kaim."

"Yeah."

The two headed toward Dragonport Immortal Tower.

Shaka folded his arms and watched them go.

"Alice, did you fight Miss Cynthia?"

"Yeah, but I won't do that until things are settled."

"How was it?"

"Very complicated. The Pokémon's movements and Mr. Shirona's instructions."

"Yes. It's been more than ten years since she became the Sinnoh Region's Champion. She was about your age then, and she's kept defending her title ever since. Everything she's built up is beyond imagining."

"Yes."

"Good."

With a gentle smile, Shaka stroked Alice's head.

"What about Kaim?"

"Mr. Kaim is strong too, as strong as a Gym Leader."

"I saw something like hesitation in that young man."

"Yes, but Mr. Kaim can overcome it!"

There was no basis for that claim. Still, Shaga found Iris's words somewhat convincing, so he fell silent and watched the two enter Dragonspiral Tower.

The interior of Dragonport Immortal Tower was somewhat dilapidated.

Still, as long as they kept moving forward, there was no problem getting through. The footing was fairly good, showing that Shaka had maintained it well.

"It's almost empty inside, isn't it?"

Cynthia spoke as she walked along the path.

The lake lay beneath the walkway they were following. Looking closely, they could even spot some wild Pokémon.

"Sound resonates well too. There might be a spiral level inside this cylindrical tower."

"Compared with the ruins I've seen so far, this would have been quite difficult to build. Like the Abyssal Ruins, I wonder whether ancient technology was involved."

"I wonder if there's any connection to the Abyssal Ruins."

"The existence of a 'king' at the Abyssal Ruins, and a 'Hero' at Dragonport Immortal Tower. The existence of the Hero is widely known even in the Isshu Region."

"I don't know why there are so few kings, but it's easy to understand why there are so many heroes."

"Why is that?"

"Whether the legendary Pokémon Zekrom and Reshiram were involved."

"That makes sense. I don't even know whether the Abyssal Ruins and Dragonport Immortal Tower were built in the same era."

The age of Dragonport Immortal Tower was known to some extent, but the age of the Underwater Ruins remained unclear. They would therefore have to wait for the investigation of the Underwater Ruins to progress before determining whether the two were connected.

"Let's go. There's plenty to see here, but we still have a long way to go."

"Yeah."

The group continued onward and reached a spacious hall.

Pillars lined the hall, most of them already broken. Their remains lay beside their bases, and Cynthia concluded that this was the damaged area Shaka had mentioned.

"It's like Spear Pillar."

"A little, isn't it?"

"So there really is no connection."

As I entered the hall and tried to walk around, I sensed a presence.

When I looked in that direction, I saw a figure atop the remains of a pillar. The figure glanced at them and stood.

"Hi. It's good to see you again."

"You...!"

The figure who stood up was the mysterious young man who had spoken with Kaim on the beach in Narrow Wave Town a few days earlier.

"It's good to see you again."

The young man, N, spoke with a strange smile.

N, a green-haired young man, spoke with a gentle smile.

"It's good to see you again."

"Why are you...?"

I hadn't told the young man I was coming to Dragonport Immortal Tower. Besides, Shaga managed this place, and without his permission, you shouldn't have been able to enter.

Yet the young man remained calm. Completely at ease, as though he were in his own home.

"My friend told me that if I came here, I'd be able to see you."

"?"

"I want to talk to you. This time, properly, as your friend."

"I don't understand."

Kaim leaned his head toward the young man, who continued speaking at his own pace.

"Kaim, he is...?"

"This is the guy we talked to on the beach in Narrow Wave Town before. Didn't I tell you he was strange?"

"Yes."

I wasn't upset, but from the conversation just now, I had a strong impression that he was proceeding at his own pace.

"I don't know. Shall we take a look inside Dragonport Immortal Tower together?"

"Why?"

"We're friends. Isn't it strange that we've become friends?"

"I don't mind whether you're with us or not. You don't look like a bad person."

Since Little Black hadn't warned him, the young man probably meant no harm. Kaim himself knew that, and it was clear that the young man valued Pokémon above all else.

However, before befriending the young man, Kaim needed to know something.

"If you want to be friends with me, start with your name."

"Oh, right. I knew your name, so I forgot."

"Huh?"

Kaim didn't consider himself a young man. Yet N said he knew his name.

"Little Black told me."

"Little Black? Why would you tell a stranger your name?"

When I turned my gaze toward Little Black at my feet, Little Black turned away.

"Damn. No way. What's your name?"

"I'm N."

"I see. You already know, but I should still introduce myself. I'm Kaim. This is Cynthia."

"Cynthia. It's nice to meet you, N."

I was about to be left behind, but thanks to Kaim introducing Cynthia, that didn't happen.

Cynthia studied the young man, N. There was something mysterious about him, but also something sacred. It seemed difficult to read his thoughts from his expression, yet at the same time, his nature seemed honest.

"Kaim and Cynthia. Yes, those sound nice. Thank you."

"Mm. Nice to meet you, N."

Once they finally knew one another's names, Cynthia interjected.

"Well, N. May I ask you something?"

Cynthia's manner was somewhat serious. Naturally so. Kaim had relaxed a little after talking with him, but this was Cynthia's first time meeting him.

Moreover, since he was already in Dragonport Immortal Tower, where no one should have been able to enter, she concluded that there must be some reason.

"All right. If it's something I can answer."

"Who are you?"

Cynthia raised a question that cut straight to the heart of the matter.

As long as Shaka remained in control, infiltrating the Dragonspiral Tower should have been impossible. Flying Pokémon might have seemed capable of reaching the top and entering from there, but fierce winds battered the tower's upper levels, making them inaccessible to ordinary Pokémon. Iris's Mandibuzz might have managed it, but that would have required a Pokémon of comparable strength. That was the only possibility.

Clearly, N was no ordinary person.

"Yes. Let's have a proper talk."

N jumped down from the pillar and landed in front of them.

He raised his head and began to speak.

"I was once the king of an organization called Team Plasma."

"Team Plasma? I'm pretty sure they were involved in the last Pokémon League."

"That's right. The organization that attempted to attack the Pokémon League and liberate Pokémon from humans."

"Come to think of it, Caitlin told me something along those lines."

This League had ended with Iris taking the championship, but the previous League had faced an unprecedented crisis: the tournament itself had nearly been hijacked.

Before the finals could take place, Team Plasma had launched an attack, and its king had defeated the Elite Four, including Caitlin.

A boy had confronted the king, stopping his attempt to liberate the Pokémon whose cause he championed from humans. The two had heard that this boy had been chosen by a legendary Pokémon. He had defeated not only the king but also the mastermind manipulating him, bringing the incident to an end.

The king had disappeared, while the mastermind had plotted his escape and was now scheming behind the scenes.

"You were the king?"

"...Yes."

Judging by N's demeanor, he did not seem to be lying.

"I see."

"Do you still think Pokémon should be liberated from humans?"

"I don't know. But I do know there's more than one way to think. Everyone has their own way of thinking. Some Pokémon try to do that, too, and I'm traveling because I want to see the world with my own eyes."

N had been brainwashed from childhood by his parent, Ghetsis. His thinking had therefore been steeped in Ghetsis's worldview, but after confronting the boy who had stopped him, he had broken free of it. Now he was traveling through Unova to decide how he wanted to live.

Breaking free of his past self and choosing his future path-that was exactly what Kaim needed now.

"...I see."

With that, Kaim walked away.

N felt somewhat disappointed, believing Kaim had given up on him because of the terrible mistake he had made in the past. I did make a mistake. I knew revealing my true identity would earn me ridicule. Even so, he was shocked. He had thought he could become good friends with Kaim.

"Do you despise me?"

"Don't do that."

Yet Kaim's words came as a surprise.

"Huh?"

"Unless you're saying you did it out of contempt for people, you genuinely thought you were doing it for Pokémon, right?"

"...Yes."

"Then there's no reason to despise you."

"You're..."

"Let's go. We don't have much time."

N stood stunned as Kaim quickly walked away and began investigating in his own way. Cynthia stood beside N.

"Was that reaction unexpected?"

"Yes. He seems to really enjoy being with Pokémon, so I thought he would reject the act of freeing Pokémon from their Trainers."

"Yes. Kaim certainly likes Pokémon and has a great deal of love for them, and they respond to that love. But Kaim doesn't think he's right about everything. Everyone has their own circumstances and position. It depends on your situation. When your position changes, the way you see things changes, and so do your values. That's why there's nothing in this world that says things absolutely have to be done a certain way."