Music in media: We All Need A Hero from the "Death Note" Musical

13 January, Thursday, 11 p.m. | Winter

N was an antidote to Rae's woes. He listened intently to her as she told him about her encounters with the effects of the music perversion thus far and how her journey led her to Nimbasa City, the most populous city in Unova. The red capsule they sat in, across from each other, rose in the clockwise direction, allowing them a purview of the heart of leisure and entertainment. A serene glow enveloped the city below them, unperturbed by the crowd. Lights danced alongside inflatable tubes, the roar of sports reached a peak, and joy permeated the folks. Nimbasa City was, simply put, paradise.

That included the boy who now smiled at her after she finished her recount. N swept his fringe to the right and put on a black and white cap with a black peak. "But you enjoyed it."

Rae returned the smile.

"You're a fantastic Trainer, Rae," N told her as Chilchil snatched his cap and put it on. He didn't seem to mind. Instead, he laughed. His was a pure, ringing laugh, like a series of peals, so clear, so natural, so sincere. Rae was convinced N was a being of light.

"And you?" Rae cocked her head sideways. "What about your Pokémon? Why were you alone?"

N lit up. "I do not own any Pokémon. I think it's cruel to put them in Poké Balls, and it appears you and I think the same. I have given them freedom to roam as they please.

"But why do you claim I was alone? I wasn't alone, Rae. Would you believe me if I told you that? Or does it sound too unhinged?"

"I don't know... You were by yourself."

N clicked his tongue and dangled one leg over the other. "It may seem like it... We are never truly alone. I exist because you exist, and vice versa. That itself is proof. That is the art of interbeing."

Rae stared at him with bleary eyes and petted her three Pokémon. N's cap was transferred to Tabutabu. "I don't understand."

"You eventually will. And when the time comes, you'll be like me. I released my Zorua. No, wasn't mine in the first place. I did that anyway, after coming close to the Truth."

Rae leaned forward in her seat and asked him what he meant by that. He explained that Unova worshipped Truth and Ideals as separate beings, Reshiram and Zekrom, respectively. These two Pokémon had returned to their Light and Dark Stone forms to roost at the peak of Dragonspiral Tower a year ago, kept out of the public eye. Kyurem remained in the Giant Chasm. N told her in the past two years he had been in contact with both Truth and Ideals, Yin and Yang, and the experience changed him drastically.

"I've come to this place every week ever since." The tallest building in Nimbasa passed N's shoulder as he spoke. "It's a symbolic place, this city. And this Ferris Wheel is the answer to the equations I've been occupied with."

"I don't want to be rude, N, but how long is this ride? I have to look for Icosa."

"Your friend is in no danger."

The Ferris Wheel jerked to the stop. Rae blinked and surveyed her surroundings. They were now situated at the top of the Ferris Wheel, overlooking the whole of Nimbasa City. The Battle Subway, the Stadium and Arena, the Gym and all the other fashionable places that made Nimbasa Nimbasa shone in the night. Rae could not hide her excitement, leaking out of her as drool. None of the places she had been to thus far in her life could compare to this. Looking down on the city proved to be refreshing, and they were far from the crowd, which meant less suffocation.

N told her he once took the Ferris Wheel with a Unovan Hero, then asked her if she thought heroes were important. She supposed they were. Superhero flicks were commonplace. N, however, meant the everyday hero, the essence of the average person or Pokémon.

The night sky was like a sparkling sapphire. They gazed upon it and sat in contemplative silence. Tabutabu popped N's hat on Rae's head and she giggled when Chilchil reached his paws out to catch the stars, only to hit the glass again and again. Noko-Noko simply watched on.

"Why do you like Normal-types?"

Rae directed her attention back to N. "I just like how balanced they are. And they have only one weakness! But they are also some of the most adorable."

N nodded. "Do you ever see yourself as a hero, Rae?"

Again with a difficult question. If she were honest with herself, yes, because she was the protagonist of her life. She felt empowered as a result to do something, to help others. Still, being a protagonist didn't mean being a hero. What does it mean to be a hero anyway? Courage? Initiative? Selflessness?

Most heroes she saw on television were of the rational sort. Rae was more sensitive, more emotional. She perceived herself as a mixed bag.

"We all need a hero in our lives. Sometimes, we step up to be that hero." N took his cap from her and fitted it to his head. "You might just be Unova's new hero."

The capsule began its descent and they observed their surroundings. N's words settled in her heart. Just as the capsule touched down, she glimpsed a tuft of green hair moving towards the Rondez-View Ferris Wheel.

"Before you go," added N, "I want you to have this."

He placed a Shiny Stone in her palm and motioned to Chilchil. She understood him.

They stepped out of the capsule to meet a seething Icosa. The degree of anger was blistering as though he was  the offspring of the Volcarona from earlier, the heat emanating from him making him so untouchable, not in the least because he was sticky with sweat or trying to grind his teeth into gunpowder. He pulled Rae to his side despite her confused cries. Her Pokémon watched her, uncertain of what to do.

"Do not step near my friend again. I won't forgive you for what you've done," said Icosa, with a searing gaze.

N returned calmly, "I don't know you."

"Then remember me. It's Icosa Kalomiris."

Before Rae could probe into their relationship, Icosa brought her to the Pokémon Centre to reconvene with the group, ignoring her shrill cries to let go because he held on to her too tightly, ignoring her Pokémon's lostness in the suddenly surging crowd. He did let go eventually, but only when he decided she was safe. He opened the door to a guest room with a key card and handed it to her. Then, he plopped her down on the bed and sat next to her with gentle eyes.

Rae placed her bag on the floor. "You're scaring me."

"I'm sorry. It's just... He and I aren't on friendly terms."

"He seems kind." Rae nodded at Noko-Noko who led Chilchil and Tabutabu into the room. "You both have green hair. Are you cousins?"

"Tch." Icosa sucked in a breath. "No way! Rivals morelike. Our families were, at least. Besides, he is a dangerous man. I daresay he's returned as the King of Team Plasma."

Rae bit her lip. "The King..."

"He probably told you his name's N. Did he say it's actually Natural Harmonia Gropius?" Icosa crossed his arms and sighed. "You need to be less trusting towards every single person you meet. Take whatever they do and say at face value, and you're doomed."

Harmonia. Rae froze at the word. She was certain Icosa had said it. Jack, the Harlequin from the Castelia City Gym, told her the murders and the spilling of tragedy and truth were all "for Harmonia". Could someone like N be capable of commanding such atrocities? No, there had to be a scheme involved. Perhaps he wasn't aware of it. Or was it more cult-like? People who stood by his values from two years ago and radicalised themselves?

Liberation's nothing radical, right?

"You look pale," Icosa told her.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Why are you so interested in Team Plasma? You've been reading that same book over and over again, quoting Shauntal and all that. And you don't like them!"

Icosa yawned. "Because they taint the legacy of the King. No, not the King of Team Plasma. Something bigger. The King of Unova... or whatever it was called long ago."

Rae's eyes widened. She never once deemed Icosa to be a person so conscious and protective of Unova's history. Perhaps it was time to see him in a new light where the dust didn't fly.

Icosa got off the bed and wished her sweet dreams, leaving her to her maelstrom of thoughts. She was caught in the eye, and he, slinking away to the peripherals, the door closing with a click, didn't understand her confusion or realise he was a part of it. She didn't articulate it either.

Rae lay on her side and adjusted her pillow a little lower.

"A hero, huh?"

Jack's cackle rang in her ears. "Every human is messed up, girl. Especially the righteous ones... like you."

His Scyther's scythe pressed to her throat. Her hand flew to the spot. Nothing, save for a burning sensation.

"I can never be someone like that."

Remembering her circumstances, the people and Pokémon she was surrounded by, Rae shed a few tears.

"Why did I think growing up and becoming independent was a good idea? I'm such a fool... I wish Kyo or Kaspar could be here. I should never have come here alone."

Because if what N said was true, then what was this gaping hole in her heart? What was this feeling, a moonbeam crashing onto her through the window, a shadow half-emerging from her still figure, if not her being alone?