A/N: After fighting through a tough battle against personal health issues and lack of muse, the final chapter of The Prince and I is here! It's taken me so long to write this chapter and it wasn't easy. Especially due to my lack of muse, I could barely get any words out. But after hours of making myself type, I was able to bring this conclusion to all of you! I hope you all enjoy!

The ground shook violently as Reshiram and Zekrom landed their massive clawed feet against the hard tiles of the battle field. The cheers and curses that had ceased at the sound of N's voice came back full force, so much that they rivaled the cries of the legends that stood regally before them. All I could hear was loudness. No coherency in the mess of sounds that weaved back and forth, banging against the walls only to be shot back in an ear piercing echo.

Would my pokemon hear my commands in the shroud of manic noise? Yes, they would. I would make sure of it. No matter how loud it got, I would screech if I had to. This battle was going to take place and it was necessary that I did my part for the plan that needed to unfold.

My eyes locked with N's. He knew what he had to do to make this work. It was his idea after all. I would think of this as almost a dance between partners of varying skills. N knew this dance well as he had time to practice. He was the lead and would make sure to guide us to the desired end without making things look forced. I was a skilled dancer in my own right, but the dance was unfamiliar to me. I would let him guide me through the steps I didn't know, but I didn't need to completely rely on him. I could improvise and I would if necessary. Our previous battle took skill, that's for certain, but to attain this particular outcome took an even greater skill. You needed to mirror your opponent in every way, know exactly what moves they would make even before they made them. You had to become your opponent with every movement, every command, and every motive. Every mistake they made needed to be your mistake to maintain that equilibrium. It was a defined formula that you and your opponent needed to follow.

But to make it seem natural was a completely different story.

N nodded, quickly flipping his gaze back and forth between me and to his side. A slight motion of his head told me to look down to where his gaze fell. His hand tucked at his side had his fingers facing toward me with three digging into the tip of his thumb. A more inconspicuous approach than the normal method so the few observant folk wouldn't see the meaning behind it. One by one, each of his fingers slipped back to his palm in a perfectly timed motion.

3.

2.

1.

"FUSION BOLT!"

"FUSION FLARE!"

Zekrom's blackened figure tore away into a mass of bright mangled sparks that lifted into the air above its target. With a sudden lurch, the brightness shot down toward Reshiram, blinding my sight with an intense blue. Reshiram was nearly lost in the wash of color until a ball of searing fire grew before it, engulfing the light in a tower of darker flames. But instead of falling back from the intense heat, Zekrom pressed through the fire, crying out as the flames scorched its face. Plunging forward, Zekrom ripped through the flames, ramming straight into Reshiram. Blue sparks melded with fire and the barrage of color sliced through pale skin. Reshiram's head flew back as its body was pushed by Zekrom's raw physical power. Its claws clung to the tile and its shriek rang throughout the room.

Many a grunt squeezed their palms against their ears for even the slightest sense of relief from the deafening combination of legendary cries and nails against tile. Once Reshiram had gotten its bearings, it shook its head vigorously, trying to rid itself of remnant ash from the fire. Zekrom was back in its original place, scorch marks almost hidden by the black of its body. Even so, Zekrom's pain was visible. Heavy breathing accompanied a limp of its arms. Just a single attack was able to do such damage to a legend even. Reshiram was no better with very obvious cuts against its white mane. Tufts of burnt fur gently fell to the ground, quickly disintegrating on impact while leaving black char behind.

Just the beginning of the fight and we were both nearly down one pokemon. I couldn't let this go by too quickly or else the infiltration team wouldn't have time to finish their mission. N made it clear he wasn't aware of them before so I needed to tread carefully here. He had his own agenda that he wanted me to follow and I would. However, I needed him to follow mine as well. If he wanted this to end in a certain way, we were going to take it slow. At the very least giving enough time that I thought would be enough for the team to secure Genesect. The problem was letting N know of my plans. I couldn't stop the match now that it had started. I would just have to stall for as long as I could.

I knew that stalling wasn't going to happen with Reshiram, though. It didn't have enough strength to dodge another attack from Zekrom. One last attack should do it to knock Zekrom out. N probably had the same idea for Reshiram. One more timed attack should settle it.

3.

2.

1.

"GIGA IMPACT!"

"DRAGON BREATH!"

A more toned down version of the first attack, but it would be enough. A dark beam shot out from Reshiram's mouth as Zekrom jumped forward for another physical attack. Purple beams hit Zekrom square in the chest, ripping away at its flesh. But just as before, Zekrom persisted, pushing with all its might until an opening appeared for it to send its final shock wave of pure energy rushing toward Reshiram. Both legends flew back, crashing hard against the thick pillars that held up the ceiling. A gasp escaped my lips at the sight of Reshiram breaking through the pillar. The legend of truth was falling face first onto the floor below the battle field. Chunks of the pillar rained down above it, smashing into its body with a loud thud. There was no getting up from that. Reshiram was down for the count.

At the moment I held my pokeball out to it, my peripheral vision caught sight of N mirroring my motion.

"Good work Zekrom, my friend. You have done well."

Zekrom was down, too. Too quickly had their battle gone by. Just two moves were able to knock them both out. If every one of our pokemon went down like this it would be over too quickly. But I knew the rest of his team well. I had a plan to stall, even if it meant taking a few members of his team down early. It all depended on what he decided to choose. Advantages meant quick defeats while disadvantages meant prolonging. I'd use that to make things seem more seamless and natural.

A low hiss came from Serperior as he appeared, his body coiled up defensively. From N's pokeball came the sound of rubbing metal. Steel to be precise. And a steel type it was, taking the shape of the grinding gears of his Klinklang. Perfect. No advantage from either side. I had a move to counter this setup, but I'd wait a little before using it.

N called for a Flash Cannon from Klinklang who proceeded to charge up a shining silver light above its mouth.

"Get ready."

Serperior nodded in agreement as he took the stance to leap when the time was right. When the blast came forward, Serperior sprung himself up over the beam, slithering midair across the battle field before landing right behind Klinklang.

N gritted his teeth. "Thunderbolt behind you!"

With no chance to move, Serperior shuddered against the showing sparks that stung his skin. Luckily, being a grass type, little harm was done. Even more lucky that no paralysis was present. Shaking off the remnant sparks, Serperior coiled back into his defensive position.

"Hyper Beam!"

No, this would go too quickly! If I wanted to make this realistic, I'd have to take advantage of the recharge time. Is that what he wanted?

"Protect!"

A green veil shrouded Serperior's body, causing the blast of energy to disperse in all directions. We were safe but not Klinklang. In this state it was vulnerable. The crowd would expect me to take advantage of this.

"Dragon Tail, Serperior!"

With no moves that would be effective against a steel type, that's the only option I had and the one I wanted to save for later. But it was the best I could do for the moment. We both still had five pokemon so that should allow for more time.

Carracosta came out in its place. Well N wasn't being subtle about this at all. For someone who was giving secret little messages from across the battle field, he didn't try to hide where he wanted the tide of battle to sway at all. I could always call for another Dragon Tail or switch, but that would look like either a stupid or conspired move on my part. A grass type move was expected and it would take at least two hits to take him out. At least it wouldn't be a one hit knock out.

"Leaf Blade!"

Serperior's tail glowed a bright green as he flew straight at Carracosta. A direct hit against his belly resulted in a loud, painful groan. But just as I was about to call for another Leaf Blade, Carracosta's jaw clamped over Serperior's upper tail in a Crunch. His neck clicked to the side, slowly gaining momentum as he swung his head around and around, Serperior helplessly being tugged along. Carracosta's mouth flew open, sending Serperior flying at another pillar. I cringed at the sound of his body smashing against the grooves.

"Serperior!" I cried, trying to assess the damage as he clung to pillar for dear life.

For a moment there was a slight hiss as his head hung low. But suddenly, Serperior's head snapped back up, his eyes burning with vengeance. Without even an order, Serperior pushed himself off the pillar, rushing right at Carracosta with a glowing tail. I had not time to call out his name before his tail rammed into Carracosta's face, sending him spiraling onto the ground. His shell continued to spin for a minute until he finally slowed down enough to see the wind completely knocked out of Carracosta.

Even as N thanked Carracosta for the battle, a small glint in his eye told me he was happy with how the battle was going. It was, however, short lived as a look of determination replaced all evidence of satisfaction. A chilling frost blanketed the stage as the ever grinning, happy-go-lucky Vanilluxe took his place in front of Serperior. N wanted his turn. I was sure of it.

"Frost Breath!" N threw his arm to the side, lips tightly pursed after the call.

But he wouldn't get it so easily. Here was a last effort to buy time with Serperior. "Protect!"

Another shroud of green covered his body, keeping him safe from the chill. But Protect wouldn't necessarily work next turn. I wasn't going to try and push my luck. I knew what N wanted.

"Blizzard!"

A final hiss escaped Serperior as he fell limp onto the ground, bits of frost clinging to his worn out battered body.

"You were amazing, Serperior. Take a good rest." Serperior glowed red as he was pulled back into the safety of his pokeball. An eye for an eye. That's how N wanted to play. It was a fairly safe route to take but I was sure someone would notice eventually. But then again, one could pass it off as mere coincidence. It would be for the best to take out more of the opponent's side and then have a comeback at the end. If I remembered correctly, there was one member of his team that could pull this off. It would come out eventually, and I knew it had the potential to wipe out half of my team if I wasn't careful. But being careful in this case would need to lead to just that.

I lifted my next pokeball to my lips. "All yours, girl." With a swish of the arm, the pokeball went flying, out popping my powerhouse Excadrill. She'd take this little ice cream cone out in no time. But we'd take it a little slower.

"Excadrill, Hone Claws!" Excadrill's metal claws sharped, increasing in size. Just for added effect, Excadrill beckoned to Vanilluxe with her much more intimidating asset in a taunt. Vanilluxe, understandably, trembled in fear.

"Everything's alright, Vanilluxe." N patted his side in comfort. "We're fighting together! Blizzard!"

Vanilluxe nodded with newfound courage, sending forth a mighty wave of frost. Excadrill ran straight for him with no fear, lashing at the snow and ice that had threatened to freeze her. Claws sharp and glowing, Excadrill ripped into Vanilluxe with Metal Claw. Deeper and deeper her claws dug in and Vanilluxe wailed in response. The Blizzard subsided, bits of snow melting into carpet beside the field. Excadrill slowly lifted her claws out of Vanilluxe, making her way back to my side.

"Everything will be alright." N returned Vanilluxe to his pokeball, pecking it lightly with his lips before placing the ball to his side. That look of determination was returning. He wanted next round. We'd see about that.

When Archeops flapped his way onto the field, I knew what I wanted to do. Excadrill would get more action later, but for now it was time to swap out. Of course, N didn't look the least bit surprised as a familiar squawk came from my next partner.

Swanna flew overhead, circling Archeops cautiously. Even being so far up, I could see the despondency in her eyes as she caught sight of him.

"You have to fight him, girl. We have to fight all of them. Just one more time."

She'd known already, but I knew it would be hard on her. I was the one that convinced her to befriend him and now I was making her fight him just as before. They would be friends again after this. I would make certain of that. I wouldn't allow such heartbreak to continue once this was all over. And I was sure N felt the same way.

"Go!"

Swanna flapped toward the ceiling with Archeops following closely behind. N would try to take her down in this round, but I wasn't going to let him. But even if he managed to do so, I had a plan for that. But for now, I'd stick to this. If I could beat Archeops with Swanna, I could lure out Klinklang instead of Zoroark. Zoroark had no moves that were particularly good against her, so Klinklang would be the best choice. The outcome of this standoff would determine how I was going to end this. How N and I would end this once and for all.

"Stone Edge, Archeops!"

Rocks fired up toward Swanna, heading straight for her wings. With her natural grace, she pushed herself up into a backwards arc, finding herself neatly positioned behind Archeops.

"Water Pulse!"

With no time to react, a concentrated liquid orb splashed against Archeops' back, sending him hurdling to the ground. But just as he was about to smash face first into the tile, Archeops spread his wings out to and tilted his body upward. The awkward curve saved him by a hair as his feathers only grazed the tile.

But Swanna wouldn't let up, sending more Water Pulses at him from behind. Archeops moved back and forth, swiftly dodging each of the orbs which nearly ended up pelting the grunt spectators in the stands.

N seemed to be losing his patience with this match, calling for another Stone Edge even with Swanna trailing behind. Archeops complied and rocks fell back toward Swanna.

What came next was a shock to N as I cried out an order. "Surf!"

Archeops' eyes widened in horror at the sight of a massive wave curling over the Stone Edge and engulfing it completely. Water ripped through the slits between his feathers, forcing his limp body back toward the bleachers where grunts scrambled to escape the cold rushing wave, but to no avail. Men and women stood soaked, hair flung back as water dripped from their sleeves onto the metals seats and marble flooring. Attentions drew to ringing out clothing, enough to distract them from the appalled expression of N.

His eyes scrunched up as they caught mine. It wasn't anger for the defeat of Archeops, I knew that. I opened my mouth slightly, almost letting the words slip from my tongue. But I couldn't let that happen and have everyone hear me try to reassure him. Even with their attentions away from the battle stage, I couldn't help but be paranoid about the possibility of an observant ear standing out in the crowd. So a look would have to do while their faces were torn away.

I pursed my lips as my eyelids drooped. My chin tilted down toward my neck, my gaze never leaving his. Please. We both want the same thing…

N's eyes seemed to soften a bit, though still maintaining some perplexity. Glancing at the ground, his fingers tapped against the two remaining pokeballs at his side. His index finger stopped over one of them. Giving it a slight push, he slipped it into his hand. His eyes returned to mine and with the tiniest of nods, not enough for the grunts to see from their seats, he tossed out his Klinklang. I knew it wasn't Zoroark under a cloak. N had to take this round. No silly tricks would be used in this battle.

"Thunderbolt!"

Singed white feathers drifted from the ceiling as the loud thud of Swanna's body fell to the ground.

"You did well, girl. Take a long rest."

With the eyes of the grunts back on the battle, I knew they would expect Excadrill as my next choice. I needed to take another round to get Zoroark to come out. N knew my team just as well as I knew his and I knew him well enough, especially with all the prep I was sure he had to do before this battle, to know that Zoroark had the means of taking down the rest of my team, including Excadrill. Of course, we both knew how this battle was going to end. I just had to plan my moves right if I wanted to finish this the right way.

Excadrill flexed her claws once she had appeared on the battle field. Round two for her, but this wouldn't take too long. But it was knowing that that worried me. Had the infiltration group secured Genesect already? And if not, would the rest of this battle be long enough to give them the time they needed? Sure, I had full confidence in their abilities, but who knew how many grunts there were on Ghetsis's side? He said half of Team Plasma, but there was no telling how many members were stationed in the castle. The amount that crowded the seats around us was staggering, but this was only a fraction of the Team. Many were still out there going head to head on the floors below us. Of course, I was sure many of Ghestis's group had their hands full dealing with N's side. My side…

I glanced from side to side at the bleachers. The same. They all looked the same… All of them cheered and cursed, but for who? A queen could tell. I couldn't tell…

But something wasn't right. Having looked over the crowd, something caught my attention. A Shadow Triad member that stood to the side of the right bleachers vanished from my sight in an instant. My eyes darted around the room for the others. Gone. A drop of sweat trickled down my cheek. Had they found out?

"Metal Sound!" My head snapped back at the sound of N's voice. Klinklang's gears spun rapidly, a piercing shriek blasting out toward Excadrill. By reflex, a word slipped out of my mouth.

"Earthquake!"

Excadrill jumped above the range of Klinklang's screeching, casting a shadow overhead. Before Klinklang could react, Excadrill's body crashed into ground. Bits and pieces of debris lifted from the ground, engulfing Klinklang. I knew it had no chance of withstanding that super effective hit. And as expected, before the cloud of dust settled, I could see a red light cut through. Just as the thick gray air began to disperse, Zoroark's snarling came into view. But as he bared his teeth, N stood calmly behind him. However, he was not calm by any means. He may have looked it, but behind that mask he was ready to strike.

"Focus Blast!" He wasted no time in shouting an order. I only caught a blink of orange. I would've missed the entire attack if it weren't for the aftermath gust savagely whipping my hair, temporarily obscuring my view. When I had pushed the thick locks out of the way, all I could see was Zoroark back at N's side. Excadrill was nowhere in sight. My breath caught in my throat as I turned around to see her sprawled on the floor with a circular impression over her stomach where the attack had hit her. Biting my lip, I rushed to her side and propped her head up, ghosting my hand over her stomach.

"Does it hurt really badly?" Excadrill smiled weakly, shaking her head but I knew she didn't want to make me worry. She knew what we were fighting for and trusted me with this battle. Even if I hadn't been able to tell my pokemon what the new plan was for the outcome of this battle, they trusted the decisions I would make.

Trusted me… Someone who couldn't see. A queen could see. A queen could be trusted.

"I owe you all everything." As soon as Excadrill was safe in her pokeball, I turned back to N whose face had hardened. He visibly swallowed as one tooth dug into the skin of his lower lip. I could barely see his fist slightly tightening.

I'm sorry, too…

My penultimate pokemon would be Cofagrigus. If everything was done right, I'd be able to get one clean hit on Zoroark. It was a risky move to use, especially considering the planned outcome, but I trusted N to work with it. His pokemon knew his plan beforehand so Zoroark could work with this as well, as long as it was done properly. And as long as my own pokemon held up, we could make everything seem as natural as possible.

"Night Slash!" Zoroark flew forward at Cofagrigus, his claws sparkling with a dark mist. Nails dug through Cofagrigus's side and he winced, but his focus did not fade. Perfect.

"Toxic!"

Zoroark's eyes widened as thick purple bubbles burst around him, splashing an almost black ooze over his fur. He began to gag, swiftly back up as he held his side. The skin above his nose glowed a very noticeable violet. The clock was ticking.

"Another Night Slash, Zoroark!" In a panic, Zoroark rushed at Cofagrigus once more and slashed right through his defenses. Cofagrigus was a rather bulky pokemon, but Zoroark's brute strength was enough to knock him out cold. Zoroark was trained well, I could tell.

"Thank you. I couldn't have done it without you." Tucking Cofagrigus's pokeball back into my side with the others, I reached for my last pokemon. He could take more than one Night Slash, but would it be enough to hold out until the Toxic could whittle away at Zoroark's health? I prayed to Arceus that he would.

Musharna appeared over Zoroark, circling him overhead as he awaited my directions.

"Night Slash, Zoroark!"

"Up, Musharna!" Musharna flew up toward the ceiling as Zoroark jumped after him, barely missing by a hair. Safe for now.

N gritted his teeth, his eyes frantically darting back and forth between the two. "Now!" With the force of the Night Slash, Zoroark curved his arm toward one of the pillars. His feet landed harshly against the grooves, but with a quick turn of the heel he pushed himself off at rocket speed toward Musharna, hitting him square in the face.

"Musharna!" His body crashed into the ground in front of me as Zoroark landed in front of him, still clinging to his stomach with accompanying gags. Musharna lifted his head to look up at Zoroark who had fallen to one knee. Just a little bit more.

I looked at N who nodded slightly toward his hand like before. It was going to end now. His fingers slipped back into his palm.

3.

2.

1.

"Signal Beam!"

"Night Slash!"

Musharna opened his mouth as wide as he could, forming intertwining beams of light. Just as they began to shoot out, Zoroark's claws slashed through them into his inner cheek. Musharna skidded across the floor, stopping at the edge of the battle field. Before I could assess his condition, a muffled gag caught me followed by a hard thud against the marble flooring. Zoroark was down. My eyes darted over to Musharna. Eyes shut. Slowly breathing. But he wouldn't be getting up.

Silence filled the room. Not a single clap or cry could be heard. I didn't expect any anyway. I mean, what was there to clap for? Who would they clap for? How could anyone clap when it ended like this?

Hero of Truth, you shall speak the truth. Who has come to fight alongside you with your pokemon?

Nobody, of course.

So you know who will win this battle, correct?

…Nobody, of course.

The grunts looked around at each other in confusion. Whispers arose. I could figure what they were thinking. Once he seemed to come back to reality, he stepped over to Zoroark's side, petting his stomach with the ghost of a smile gracing his lips. I took that as a queue to go to Musharna, quickly making my way over to lift him up a little.

"Musha…" Musharna tiredly looked up at me.

"You did wonderfully, Musharna. You were perfect. All of you." I held my pokeball belt up to my lips, kissing them before I whispered to them. "I'll tell you everything later. But for now, just rest. I love you all."

Once Musharna's pokeball was back on my belt, I walked over to N who was just now returning Zoroark back to his own pokeball. He slowly stood up, turning around to look at me. He didn't smile at me but relief sparkled brightly in his eyes. I wanted to feel that same relief, for me, for N, for Team Plasma, for Genesect, for my friends, for little Chris. But one thing tugged relentlessly at me, too hard for me to ignore.

N had closed the distance between us, his shoes knocking against mine. My gaze fell to the ground. Small, salty droplets flicked against the tile. Not a moment later than the first drop slid from my face that I was pulled into a hug. With a chin digging into my hair, a pair of lips pressed against the top of my head. Hot breaths rhythmically brushed over my scalp. Back and forth, the inhale and exhale of breaths overtook all sounds in the room. Everything else became white noise.

I could feel my own lips tighten into a frown. That's all it was to me. Even now, their voices so easily turned to white noise without me trying to tune them out. As much as I didn't want it to be that way, I knew why it was like that.

"I'm not a queen," I rasped out against N's shirt.

N hummed soothingly. "Only a queen could understand the meaning behind the words of a king." He tightened his hold around me. "The outcome was perfect. Thank you."

"I couldn't tell who was on my side, or yours, or Ghetsis's…"

"Is that what you're worried about?" His fingers glided back and forth over my shoulders. "You knew what you were fighting for, didn't you?"

I nodded slowly against his chest, but something about his words bothered me. "Did you?"

I could imagine the befuddled look he must have had at the moment when he gave a very audible "Huh?"

"Little Chris told me you didn't believe in having a tie." Pulling away slightly, I lifted my head up to him. "But this was the outcome you wanted all along right? What side are you on?"

N's lip twitched into a small smile before retracting back into a more solemn expression. "I'm not a good father." He sighed softly. "I told him something I shouldn't have because of something father said to me."

He must have been referring to those times he'd met with Ghetsis.

"Children never lie. They hear what we tell them and it sticks with them." His face hardened as he stared straight into my eyes. "And I knew he would take to heart what I told him. If anyone were to ask him what he believed, they would know what side I stood on. But I couldn't let them know what I really wanted, so I…"

So he lied to make sure his enemies would think he was playing into their hands. In reality, he wanted a tie, but for what purpose? To show Ghetsis that he wouldn't play by his rules in the end? But then how would he be able to free Genesect in that situation?

"You can tell him the truth when we go pick him up. You said we would go together."

N blinked before nodding. "Yes, I will. He needs to know the truth." His eyes suddenly flipped over to the entrance of the room. His feet shifted a little toward it like he wanted to leave. Probably to get to Genesect before the Shadow Triad could. Had he seen them leave, too?

"Your, report…ah."

What?

I turned my head to the entrance to see not only one of the grunts but a familiar face by his side. Had…they been caught? No. There was no resistance that I could see. They stood side by side as if they were allies.

"Whitey!" Bianca's grin lit up the room. Just with a simple smile, I could feel the anxiety washing away into relief. They had gotten to Genesect in time.

"Your Highness, we have secured the subject as per your request. The Shadow Triad has been taken into custody as well."

Wait, what?

Cheers suddenly erupted from the bleachers as a good half of the grunts stood up from their seats. The other half, what I assumed to be Ghetsis's followers, sat silently as they stared in disbelief at the fall of his plans. I could see them now. My side and N's side was visible in the crowd. But to pinpoint them earlier would have been impossible had they not brought attention to themselves. Only with the words of N's messenger could I see the ones truly loyal to him.

Or was it us? The messenger said something about securing the subject.

The grunt glanced over at Bianca then back to N. "We had some help, your Highness."

N's eyes widened in shock, but his surprise couldn't have been nearly as close as my own. He looked back down at me, a very apparent glint of happiness in his eyes. "You-!"

N had the same idea I had. He must've had a team infiltrate the Meta in the confusion to release Genesect just like our group had planned. Then the others must have been helping N's group relocate Genesect as well, along with taking the Shadow Triad down.

Bianca's grin didn't falter. "I told everyone I would find out what happened after your battle."

Had she thought I'd won? How could I tell her we'd gotten the same outcome as before? What would happen after that?

"It was a tie again," I said simply.

Both Bianca and the grunt were visibly stunned. But what came out of Bianca's mouth moments later left me even more stunned than her.

"Will you guys…do what you did before?"

Making a deal just like we had before? Would it work out this time or would things take a turn for the worse? The result of our last battle was years of both happiness and sadness alike. But we did pull through like we had now. We could make a new deal that would break our ties from Ghetsis. And just maybe…

"Is that alright with you, N?" Things would be better this time around. We would have problems, I was sure of that, but I wanted to prove that I could do better than I had all these years.

N smiled brightly. "If that's what my queen wants."

I shook my head. "I'm not a queen." I let my gaze wander over the crowd of grunts who bit their lips in anticipation for what I had to say. "I won't be your queen any longer. This team should no longer be ruled by a monarchy. I failed to be that queen that Team Plasma needed." My hand slipped around N's. "Instead, I want to be a leader. I want to start over."

My eyes fell onto N as I waited for his answer. He seemed to be thinking about how to respond before nodding to himself. He turned to the bleachers where the grunts sat silently. "I would gladly reform Team Plasma into a new organization run by true leaders. I won't stand as a king any longer. That title was left to me by Ghetsis, who we will no longer associate ourselves with. My friends, I will give you all the choice to stay and help us rebuild Team Plasma or leave if you so desire. If you so desire to leave, I will make sure to it that you are all given the proper recommendations for your future employers to review."

He was being so generous, even to the enemy. He truly was a king. A true leader now.

N's grip on my hand tightened. "As long as you stand by my side in this reform, I will agree to do all of this."

Thank you, N. "Yes!"

N patted Zekrom's side as he prepared to mount it behind me. We'd be going to pick little Chris up today from Mom's house.

I sighed. "Who gets to break it to little Chris that he's no longer going to be the prince of Team Plasma?"

A grin crept up on N's face. "He'll always be a prince. No need to tell him that he isn't one." He pushed himself up, slipping his leg over Zekrom's back. His chest fit snugly against my back. "I'll let him know, don't worry. But you know the team will still treat him like royalty even with the changes."

"Yeah, I know." I'd have to give everyone an explanation, too. My friends from Nimbasa would probably be shocked the most out of everyone. Austin especially would be speechless, considering he'd been quite the fan of N's. One thing was for sure though, he'd still be a fan since all we were really doing was changing our titles. Of course, just that change in title would mean quite a change in culture for Team Plasma. I'd have to get used to living a life closer to how I did before I became the princess of Team Plasma. Sure, Mildred and Shirley would continue helping me out when I needed them, but the majority of the time would have me taking care of my own needs. Independence and hard work were just the basis of a real leader.

"Ready?" N slid his arms around my waist as he tucked his chin into my shoulder. His lips found the corner of my mouth and I turned to meet him for a full kiss. I was feeling happy. After such a long, hard fight against Ghetsis's manipulation, I was free to feel happy again.

"Yeah!" So many things would happen after this week. My son, my mom, and my friends were waiting for me. And in just a few short months, Black and Bianca would be getting married. Everyone would be there and it made me ecstatic. I couldn't wait. I was happy.

After all that I'd gone through, I was able to do what I hadn't done in such a long time.

I smiled.

A/N: I want to thank everyone who has supported me throughout the writing of The Prince and I. You guys were great with feedback and I loved reading every review. Hopefully this chapter was worth the wait. I kinda felt like I rushed it at the end but I just hope it's to your liking.

Special shout outs go to nellchan0013 for giving me the prompt for this challenge fic that evolved from something so simple into this 32 chapter story!

I'll also dedicate this chapter to my good buddies at ReachAroundGames on Youtube. They're a bunch of crazy guys who make let's plays. They mention me often in their vids so I urge you guys to go support them! I'll be leaving a link to their channel on my profile page.

The last shout out goes to VisualJae, the creator of Pokemon Academy Life. It's a visual novel that tells the story of all of your favorite Pokemon characters in a school setting! This ambitious project is sure to have plenty of romance and drama for all of your favorite Pokemon pairings! I'll leave a link to his forum on my profile as well, so go and support him!

Speaking of forums, I'll be creating that Q&A forum and posting a link to that on my profile page along with the other links. Hope to hear from you all!

Once again, thank you all for supporting me and I hope to bring you all more fics in the future!