Suppose, if possible, that x+y is divisible by 2n+1. Note that 2n+1 and 2n2−1 are relatively prime, as (2n−1)(2n+1)−2(2n2−1)=1. Hence 2n+1 is coprime to gcd(x,y), so x/gcd(x,y) and y/gcd(x,y) are coprime divisors of 2n2−1 whose sum is divisible by 2n+1.
To reach a contradiction, we may and will therefore assume x coprime to y. Then 2n2−1 is divisible by xy, say, 2n2−1=kxy; write x+y=ℓ(2n+1). Express n from this latter and plug it into the former to get kxy=21(ℓx+y−1)2−1; alternatively, but equivalently, 2kℓ2xy=(x+y−ℓ)2−2ℓ2.
Fix k and ℓ to regard the above equality as an equation in positive integers x and y. By assumption, it has at least one solution. Consider one such with a minimal x+y. Without loss of generality, assume x≥y.
Rewrite the equation as a quadratic in x, x2+2(y−ℓ−kℓ2y)x+(y−ℓ)2−2ℓ2=0, and consider the other root x′. Then x+x′=2(kℓ2y−y+ℓ) and xx′=(y−ℓ)2−2ℓ2. The former shows that x′ is also integer. The latter implies x′<0: Clearly, x′=0, as (y−ℓ)2=2ℓ2 cannot hold in integers; and if x′>0, then x′y≤xx′=(y−ℓ)2−2ℓ2=y2−ℓ(2y+ℓ)<y2, so x′<y, whence x′+y<2y≤x+y, contradicting the minimality of x+y.
Thus, (y−ℓ)2<2ℓ2 and x divides 2ℓ2−(y−ℓ)2, so x≤2ℓ2. On the other hand, as x′ is negative, x>x+x′=2((kℓ2−1)y+ℓ)≥2(ℓ2+ℓ−1)≥2ℓ2. This is a contradiction, so the sum x+y is not divisible by 2n+1, as required.