The chaotic nature of the earlier battle had quickly been replaced by one of serenity and peace. Trip and Leo stood shivering on the edge of town, a shallow creek running to their left and a faint but weathered dirt path scarcely able to be seen through the overgrown shrubbery. The modest location was unusual in itself; Brycen had begged Trip to meet him specifically at this location to receive his badge, but the expected media horde was yet to join them. They had remained with the defeated Brycen whilst Trip and Leo hastily made their exit, to the stern advice of the Gym leader.

"What do you think Brycen is playing at, Leo? Saving face with the reporters, claiming I cheated him out of the badge?"

Trip's words were cynical, but they were spoken in a relatively joyous tone. The exhilaration had not yet disappeared from his momentous victory, and the pride he felt in his own performance was only exceeded by the pride he felt in Sawk's efforts. Taking down all three of Brycen's Pokémon, type advantage or not! With Sawk, nothing can stand in my way!

"I wouldn't be so sure, Trip," Leo replied. "I could see a shift in Brycen's eyes as the battle reached its conclusion. Something sparked within the man, I am sure of it."

"I concur, friend."

Leo and Trip turned to find Brycen shuffling out of the deep bush towards them, a smile on his face and shiny badge in his hand. Trip looked behind him, expecting to find cameras whirring and microphones at the ready to capture the moment, but none were forthcoming. Brycen seemed to sense his confusion and smiled sheepishly. "There's nobody else, Trip. Just we three. I told them that we would be conducting the ceremony on the other side of town…but this moment belongs to you, not to the rest of Unova. Here…your very own Freeze Badge."

Brycen held out the shiny object, and Trip reached out and plucked it tenderly. He rubbed his fingers over the cool, metallic surface and smiled, before carefully pinning the badge to his now famous tattered shirt. Brycen held out his hand to the young trainer, and he accepted the invitation, shaking it back firmly.

"Today, our battle together…it reminded me of why I became a Gym leader in the first place," Brycen said, bowing slightly. "Perhaps I juggled too many things at the same time, trying to be a Gym leader and a movie star…I became unfocused, and forgot what truly mattered to me most. I know that you won't make the same mistake I did. And it is why I have asked you to meet me here."

Brycen pointed down the tattered path to his right and smiled. "What you seek is down that path, Trip. It is a hidden passage through the mountains that is only known to the old merchants who used to cart their produce to the most isolated place in all of Unova. The Village of Dragons. It hasn't been used since Drayden shut down their trade with other Unova villages and towns after the incident with Team Plasma many years ago…but the path should be safe enough to travel on still."

The boy could barely contain himself, stepping towards the path to gain a better look through the trees into its dank depths. Brycen laughed, waving to the pair as he slowly began to walk away. "I met Drayden, years ago…I can do nothing but wish you luck on your quest. He was the most determined man that I have ever met in my life…but perhaps you could rival even him, Trip. Farewell!"

Just like that, Brycen had gone, disappearing once more into the foliage on the outskirts of town. Trip began to kick the loose branches out of the way to gain access to the path, but Brycen's farewell wasn't to be the only farewell of the day, as Leo's voice called out from behind him. "I am sad to say that this is where my journey ends, Trip."

Trip span, surprised at the sudden turn of events. Whilst he had never felt particularly close to Leo, who could be too cold and logical for even him on occasions, he had respected the power and fighting abilities of the man and always felt safe in his presence. How could he abandon me now, especially after Cilan did the same only a few days earlier?

"I am needed back in Castelia. I received a message from the lab – a major breakthrough has been made, and they believe there may be a way to communicate with the Pokémon from space in a matter of weeks with me there. This could change the very future of Pokémon training as we know it, my friend."

Trip snorted, trying not to sound impressed. "And you'd have me take on Drayden and the Village of Dragons by myself?"

"Who ever said anything about you travelling alone?"

Leo turned and pointed at a rustling bush on the edge of the clearing. As if by magic, Luke toppled over his feet and fell in front of the two trainers at the very moment Leo pointed. Zorua giggled from behind its trainer, leaping over his huddled form and dancing around happily. The boy sheepishly pulled himself to his feet and, turning his camera off, apologetically rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, Trip. I shouldn't have followed…it's just that I saw Brycen sneaking off when nobody else did, and I figured that he would be showing you the way to get to the Village!"

Normally, Trip would have thrust a Pokeball out and torn somebody to shreds for following him, but he couldn't help but be impressed by Luke's persistence and cleverness in following Brycen through the woods. Besides, you let Iris travel with you last time after following you…and how did that pan out? "You don't need to apologise, Luke. You gave us a place to stay when we needed it most. If you'd like to come with me to the Village of Dragons, you only need to…"

Trip hadn't even finished the sentence by the time Luke had jumped over, grabbed his hand and was shaking it excitedly. "Oh, that would be amazing! I can't even remember the last time anybody got live footage of the Village! Can you even imagine the stories that it must tell? Oh, thank you, Trip! Thank you!"

Zorua, for once the calm and responsible one, transformed into a slightly taller version of Luke and smacked its human counterpart on the back of the head, indicating towards Leo, who seemed very interested in the impressive manoeuvre. Luke stepped back, smiling, allowing Trip to face Leo for one final time. "I can never thank you enough for helping me find Iris, Leo. I will never forget your generosity."

Leo smiled, popping open his Pokeball to allow Solosis to float over his shoulder. "I only hope that you find her safe and sound, my friend. You don't need to be Psychic type to know what this girl means to you."

Trip tried to hide his blushing cheeks, trying to find a way to combat the moment of awkwardness. A hard surface jutting from his backpack provided exactly what he needed. He slid the pack off his back, reaching into it to pull out the object. "Perhaps this can serve as some sort of payment, at least. I'd like you to have this."

"A Plume Fossil!" Leo exclaimed, running his hands over the smooth surface and plucking it from Trip's hands. "Wherever did you get it? These are very rare, you know!"

"Hawkes, Lenora's husband from the Nacrene City Gym, gave it to me shortly after I beat her in battle," Trip shared. "I don't really have any reason to hold on to it for now, but perhaps you may find some use for it?"

"I think that I might, Trip," Leo smiled mysteriously. Solosis began to glow a pale blue, as did Leo, who turned around and walked away, sharing one last mysterious insight as he faded into the distance. "After you visit the Village, you may want to check out Driftveil City. You may be surprised by what you find there…"

oOoOo

"Enter, Iris."

The booming voice could even clearly be heard through the closed door of Drayden's cabin. Iris, even in her current state, hesitated; she had never been invited into Drayden's cabin. Nobody had been for some time, ever since he had shifted his home after returning from battling Team Plasma and defeating Ghetsis. Once, he had lived down amongst the people, sharing their laughter, revelling in their customs and leading from the front. Now, he lived atop the largest hill, rarely venturing down for anything other than Gym challenges, which he was unable to refuse, though Iris was sure that he would if it had been possible. She had always wondered why he had remained a Gym leader despite his apparent hatred for the rest of Unova – but she had known better than to ever raise the question.

Slowly pushing the heavy door open, she entered. The cabin was dark and had a musty smell, as though it was very rarely opened up and ventilated. It took her eyes a minute to adjust before she saw Drayden, sitting behind a large wooden table, motioning for her to sit at the other end. She obliged silently, staring the man in the eyes. He leaned back, as though studying her carefully, but he did not speak. She was not going to be the first to do so. They sat together in silence, sitting uncomfortably, before the man slowly stood and turned his back on her.

"Tell me about your time away from the Village."

Iris looked up, but the leader's back remained turned. His expression sounded more curious than mad, but she could still not find it in her to respond to him. She merely looked back down at the table, running her fingernails through the small divets in the wood.

"Do you know why I still allow children of the Village to leave on their Laconrummen?"

No response. Her chest felt heavier as the man continued.

"What I want is for you to understand the world that I only came to understand from my experiences outside of the Village. You now see what I see of the world, Iris. A horrible place in which the selfishness of others can only bring us pain and suffering. Lance called himself a Dragon Master? He was nothing more than a petty criminal who would have had us tear down out walls and sacrifice all that we hold dear to satisfy the needs of the unworthy, the uncleansed."

Lance. Iris' heart fluttered at the very name of Arke's killer, but her head remained down. Drayden clearly took this as a sign to continue his speech.

"Now, it is more important than ever that we keep the Village strong. The only way that we can remain safe against the likes of Lance and Team Rocket is to ensure that as a community, we remain bonded together…that we have a safe and secure future planned, for generation to generation…"

No.

"Do you understand what I am demanding of you, Iris?"

Not that.

"It is time to enforce the pact that your mother made for you all of those years ago."

Anything but that.

Drayden finally turned, studying the slightly panicked look on the silent girl's face. He frowned at her less than enthused expression, before grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her to her feet. She did not have the energy in her to resist. "Your time has come, Iris. Say hello to your future."

With that, he unceremoniously dumped the girl onto her knees at the foot of the door, which slowly creaked open to reveal a third person. She ignored the throbbing pain in her knee as she stole a glance up, as though expecting somebody different, but she was to be bitterly disappointed. There was no mistaking this person, whom she had known for many years. He was pathetically propped up on a makeshift cane, one leg slightly shorter than the other, skin as white as snow and eyes with a slight tinge of red.

"Hi, Iris."

oOoOo

What does Drayden have in store for Iris that the girl is dreading so much? Find out next time as Trip storms the Village of Dragons to get his friend back!