N

Art by Saitou Naoki

Checkmate

Natural "N" Harmonia ~~Gropius~~

Art by Ken Sugimori

[BIRTHRIGHT]

Natural Harmonia was born with a peculiar ability, the talent to speak with and understand Pokémon. He never got along well with the children his age, and his odd behavior made his family into social pariahs. His parents were eventually convinced that he would be better off living among Pokémon, and they left him in the care of a small community of wild Pokémon. They took him in as one of their own, and Natural spent his formative years with them.Though older now, Natural was still a child when a man named Ghetsis arrived, claiming to be his father. Natural could not recall his father's appearance, but knew that this man shared his hair color and decided to trust him. He left the forest with the man, and was brought to live with him in his castle. Ghetsis strictly controlled who came into contact with his son, only allowing the two girls he adopted and the Seven Sages to see him. However, Natural spent much time with Pokémon brought to him by Ghetsis. All of them had been abused and hurt by humans, and instilled the belief in the boy that Pokémon wish to be free of mankind.For several more years, Natural lived closely with his Pokémon friends, and was given a curated education by the Seven Sages, to hone his talents in math and science, while avoiding topics such as history and literature. He would become clever, but reliant on them and his father. Ghetsis had been building an organization in the prior years, one which he would lead while his son acted as a figurehead. Natural was crowned as the King of Team Plasma, and was tasked with becoming strong enough to topple Unova's power system. He took on the name N, and set off across the region.While travelling, N met a group of teenagers near his age from Nuvema town. He became fascinated with some of their bonds with their Pokémon, which were deeper than any he'd seen thus far despite the short time they had spent together. N would come to see some of them as rivals that could better his understanding of both his capabilities, and the ideology he opposed. One of those same teenagers would turn out to be his greatest opposition, his destined rival chosen by one of the twin Dragons of Unova. After taking over the Pokémon League by defeating the Elite Four and Champion, N prepared to lead Unova into his new future. But this dream was short lived, as he was just as quickly defeated by the other chosen one. Through this failure, he learned the truth of Ghetsis' ambitions. Team Plasma was never N's to lead, nor was it's goal pure. N was simply a front man for Ghetsis' scheme to take over Unova, and possibly the world, and rule it with an iron grip. The separation of people and Pokémon was just a means to an end in seizing power, as Team Plasma never intended to let go of their own enforcement capabilities. Ghetsis was ultimately defeated as well, and arrested by Unovan authorities. N said his farewell to his rival and friend, and left the region with his Pokémon companions.He spent two years in the Fiore Region, avoiding the International Police under a false name. When Ghetsis escaped prison and revived Team Plasma, N returned to ensure his defeat was finalized, this time. He gathered the Sages who were against Ghetsis' ideals and served their sentence peacefully, and lead them to assist in apprehending their former leader. He spent a little while longer in Unova, before leaving to travel the world once more.After some time and meeting many people along his journey, N was cleared of all wrongdoing by the International Police, and allowed to return to Unova peacefully.

Art by Ken Sugimori

[Portrayal]

[Headcanons and trivia about my portrayal of N.]• N was abandoned due to his ability to understand Pokémon, which made the superstitious people of his town scrutinize his family. [Based on dialogue with Concordia in Pokémon Black 2 and White 2]• The ability to understand Pokémon is a form of Aura sensitivity, using it to read the minds of Pokémon, and sense the intentions of less guarded humans. He cannot control or project Aura however, only being sensitive to it's presence and form. This power is also present in Anabel (Anime) and Yellow (Adventures). [Similarities to the powers of Aura in the Pokémon Animated Series]• Ghetsis is N's maternal Uncle, who took note of N's abilities and began his machinations to use him and create Team Plasma. Harmonia was not his original middle name, he took it on to convince N that he was his father. [Ghetsis' visual similarities to N]• N is neurodivergent, having a hyperfixation on mathematics and sensitivity to social situations. [Observations from Pokemon Black and White.]• For years, N struggled to pronounce Ghetsis' name, instead calling him G-Cis [Ghetsis' Japanese Name, G-Cis]• N did not entrust his dragon to Nate/Rosa, and instead kept it with him when leaving the region. He did consider releasing it, but the dragon insisted on staying with him.• The Zorua given to Nate/Rosa by Ex-Sage Rood is the offspring of N's Zoroark, that it had with another Pokémon during N's journey around Unova. He can instantly recognize it, and any of the Pokémon he released to the wild that were later captured by Nate/Rosa.• N hums the opening arpeggios to his theme (obviously slowed down) when working, as it's actually just a sequence of prime numbers. Similarly, when counting Mareep or other such activities, he counts to that prime number instead (will count from 1 to 541 instead of 1 to 100, etc).• N met Silver at some point during his travels, as he recognizes them. [Pokémon Masters dialogue.][Trigger Warning : Physical and Mental Abuse of Children]
• N's upbringing was caring under the guidance of Anthea and Concordia, but brutal at the hand of his adoptive father. Ghetsis not only exposed him to badly hurt Pokémon almost constantly, but would beat N if he ever spoke out of line, or was caught playing with his toys when assigned "work". It left N emotionally stunted and further disconnected from Humanity.
[End of Triggering Content]

[Friends]

N is not a traditional trainer, and doesn't keep Pokémon for extended periods of time. All of his team members up until the final battle at Castle Plasma were captured in local areas, and released after his work there was done. When he left Unova, only Reshiram/Zekrom and Zoroark stayed with him. The teams that N battles alongside in the Castle (both when he was King, and after returning to Unova) live their independently in the present day. They are each registered to a Pokeball to ensure they are not recaptured by passing trainers, though they are not kept inside of them. Any other Pokémon he fought alongside have returned to the wild, and were possibly found by Nate or Rosa.

Zekrom, the Deep Black Pokémon
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Reshiram, the Vast White Pokémon

N befriended one of the two legendary dragons of Unova. They worked together to try and free Pokémon from tyranny, and later left the region after the defeat of Team Plasma. Upon returning to Unova, they were fused with Kyurem, but later defused. When N left the region once more, they left with him.Zekrom's preferred moves are Bolt Strike, Dragon Claw, Zen Headbutt, and Stone Edge. It has an Adamant Nature, and the ability Teravolt.Reshiram's preferred moves are Blue Flare, Dragon Pulse, Extrasensory, and Earth Power. It has a Modest Nature, and the ability Turboblaze.

Zoroark, the Illusion fox Pokemon

Zoroark is N's childhood friend, whom he met as a Zorua. They have been inseparable for over two decades, the best of friends.Zoroark's preferred moves are Dark Pulse, Shadow Ball, U-turn, and Roar. He has a Hasty Nature, and the ability Illusion. Tends to go first in battle, and holds a Focus Sash.