Chapter 18: Sonata

And so marks the debut of another important recurring character.


Heather woke up early the next morning and found herself curled protectively around the orphan egg. Something warm rested against her back, and when she peeked over her shoulder, she found Brandyn asleep with one arm draped over her.

The Go-Getters had headed further inland to rest for the night safely. Each team member took turns staying up to keep an eye out for Shadow Pokémon. Naturally, Hiccup took the first shift, sitting awake for about an hour before rousing Astrid for her turn.

It was currently Ninjark's shift, though the Greninja looked half-asleep as he sat slumped against a rock wall.

Carefully Heather slid herself up to sitting and checked the egg. The white shell glistened in the growing light as she held the egg up to listen to it.

As soon as she lifted it, a series of squeaks came from inside the shell. Something squirmed inside, and the egg rocked a little.

Is it HATCHING?!

Heather knew she shouldn't be quite so alarmed. Hatching was, after all, what eggs were supposed to do. This one had to hatch at some point.

But she'd really thought they'd have a few more days first! How could they have possibly rescued an egg that close to hatching?!

"No!" Heather said firmly to the egg. "It is not time to hatch yet!"

The egg paused, then started rocking more vigorously.

"Stop that!" Heather said. She pulled the egg into a tight hug to stop it from moving.

The dragonet inside continued to squirm about.

"Stay," Heather ordered. "Stay in there!"

"That sounds like it's going well," Ninjark yawned from nearby, straightening himself against the rock wall.

"It's too soon!" Heather cried. "It can't possibly be time for this egg to hatch!"

"I don't think it agrees with you," observed the sympathetic Greninja.

The noise had started to awaken the rest of the team. An alerted Toothless took the back of Hiccup's shirt in his teeth and shook his rider awake. After letting out a surprised yell from the Night Fury's attempt to wake him, the team leader asked, "What is it? What's going on?"

"The Siren egg is hatching," Ninjark explained, now more awake than asleep. "Or trying to, anyway."

"It's too early!" insisted Heather. "We just got this egg, how can it be time for it to hatch now?!"

Snivels sat up, yawning, and gazed at the egg. "Maybe it thinks it's time to hatch because it's not in its nest anymore," he suggested. "I mean, the light is different, there's noises outside the shell, and it's being moved around a lot." He turned to Batwings and asked, "Is that a thing?"

The Siren spread his wings with an "I have no idea" expression.

"Dragonet," Heather said to the egg. "Baby Siren. This would be a very silly place and time to hatch. Don't do it!"

Tiny cracks spidered out along the top of the shell. Delighted with its success, the dragonet squirmed harder, its squeaks increasing in volume.

"I'm serious!" Heather yelped at it. "Stop hatching RIGHT NOW!"

The whole team was awake now, their eyes glued to the egg as the dragonet inside continued to fight its way to freedom. Hiccup took a single step forward to get a closer look for the big moment. However, he noticed something strange about his friends - they were edging farther away from the egg. Heather suddenly gave a yell and dropped the egg before scurrying away.

Only then did a memory click in the team leader's brain. "Hang on, aren't dragon eggs supposed to -"

BANG!

The egg burst open, the force of its hatching causing everyone to flinch and instinctively cover their faces, protecting themselves from the sudden blast of light and heat.

Tentatively, Hiccup looked up when he felt it was safe to do so, feeling the spike in his heartbeat gradually start to slow down. Around him, the Go-Getters were also recovering from the shock of the event and coming out of their protective poses.

"...explode," Hiccup finished in an unamused deadpan.

The answer he got didn't come from any of the creatures beside him. His eyes flew open in surprise when he heard a small chirp come from a pale, slimy blob that was sitting right where the egg had been just seconds ago. The dragonet unfurled its serpentine body and let out a yawn, its tiny wings flapping awkwardly in an attempt to steady itself on no legs.

Astrid was the one to speak first. "That's...a baby Siren?" she asked.

"It's kind of cute," said Snivels. "A little slimier than I expected, but cute."

He was right, it was very slimy. But what was even more unflattering was that its skin was a boring and unattractive shade of light grey.

"Their scales must grow in when they get older," Hiccup mused to himself.

Scrunching up her nose, his wife said with derision, "That has to be the ugliest thing I have ever seen in my life."

"You sure about that?" Blaze asked in response. She could think of quite a few Vikings, on Berk and elsewhere, that were horrible-looking enough to give her nightmares.

The Siren dragonet blinked its eyes, letting them adjust to the light. Several blurry figures were surrounding it, some of which were making unfamiliar noises. The dragonet let out a sneeze and stared innocently up at the nearest figure as if they were the answer to all of the questions currently running through its tiny brain.

Heather tentatively reached out to pat the Siren's head, and the curious dragonet nipped at her fingers, its tiny fangs pricking the tips and leaving little spots of red.

"No, thank you, OW!" Heather said, grabbing the Siren from behind the head and lifting it up so they were eye to eye.

"Ow!" the dragonet mimicked eagerly. "Ow!" It stretched its neck towards the girl's black braid with a hungry look in its eyes.

"It is cute," Brandyn said, smiling.

"It's trying to eat me!" Heather pointed out. "Does anyone have any food?"

Batwings tossed her a small fish he, ahem, fished from the bag on Mocktalk's saddle. "Try this," he said.

Heather gave the fish to the dragonet and set it down on the rocks. The baby Siren stuck the fish in its mouth and chewed vigorously, giving Heather a worshipful look.

"Rrrrpt," the dragonet crooned. "Ow!"

"I think it likes you," Ninjark observed.

"Actually," said Snivels as he approached the dragonet. "It's an entirely natural occurrence. Dragon, Pokémon, basically any creature that hatches from an egg imprints on the first thing it sees after it's born, which is usually its parent."

Wide-eyed, Heather pointed at the Servine, then the dragonet, and finally herself. "You think, it thinks I'm its mother?"

"That would explain its behavior," Hiccup pointed out.

The dragonet chirped in such a manner that it sounded like it was agreeing with him.

"We'll all pitch in," Snivels said confidently. "The more of us taking care of her, the more she'll learn who to trust."

Astrid gave the Servine a skeptical look. "You're sure it's a girl?"

"Hofferson," said Snivels, choosing to ignore her recent change of surname for the time being. "I've had close encounters with Night Furies, Deadly Nadders, Gronckles, Hideous Zipplebacks, Monstrous Nightmares, Terrible Terrors, Red Deaths, Boneknappers, Grapple Grounders, Speed Stingers, Razorwhips, Scauldrons, Thunderdrums, Whispering Deaths, Typhoomerangs, Fireworms, Timberjacks, Changewings, Smothering Smokebreaths, Flightmares, Mudrakers, Tide Gliders, Deathly Galeslashes, Abomibumbles, Chimeragons, Screaming Deaths, Light Furies, and now Sirens." He pointed to the Siren dragonet and concluded with a confident smile, "I think, by now, I know a female dragon when I smell one."

There was no sense in trying to argue with that amount of logic.

"Dagin!" chirped the dragonet, the remnants of the fish slipping out of her mouth. "Dagin, dagin!"

"I think she's trying to say 'dragon'," said a smiling Brandyn.

Okay, so newborn Sirens weren't entirely fluent with their mimicry. The dragonet continued to chirp out garbled fragments of words she'd heard being spoken with childish glee as she finished eating the rest of her fish.

"She needs a name," Heather realized.

Everyone turned to look at Batwings. "Any suggestions?" Buddy asked.

"I only have one," the older Siren replied. "And I'm saving it for my own daughter."

"Which is?" Blaze pressed.

Batwings sat debating himself for a good, long moment before finally uttering, "Nightingale."

Snivels's eyes lit up unexpectedly. "Oh, like Clara Nightingale!" Two seconds later, the realization of what he'd just blurted out sunk in, and he covered his mouth with both hands.

Decade stared at him with wide eyes before she asked in a surprised voice, "You know Miraculous?"

Snivels uncovered his mouth and sighed. "Honestly, I fail to see the appeal of it. I mean, every episode is basically the same. 'I am Hawk Moth, blah, blah, blah, bring me their Miraculouses, blah, blah, blah, revenge will be mine, blah, blah'."

Adhesive laughed, "You really nailed him, Snivster!"

"Guys," said Ra with urgency in his voice.

Everyone turned to see the Solgaleo staring out in the direction of the rising sun.

"You see that?" he asked, referring to the sea.

The sun's reflection on the waves was far too dazzling, so Camazotz shielded her eyes with her wing. What she saw was puzzling, and definitely suspicious.

"Are those Water Pokémon?" she muttered.


The Sirens in Chiefslayer's clan hissed warningly as Team Go-Getters approached their bigwings fearlessly.

The dragonet had fallen asleep in Heather's arms, the trainer not caring about the slime that was soaking into her shirt. If this Siren needed her to be her mother, then that's what Heather was going to be, and without protest.

"Have you picked a name?" asked a curious Ninjark.

"What do you think of Sonata?" Heather said.

"A sonata is a kind of musical composition," Snivels added in his "I know something helpful" voice.

Smiling, Astrid gave Hiccup a playful nudge and asked, "What do you think, bigwings?"

"What?" He'd forgotten about the ritual Sirens used when naming their dragonets. But it didn't take him very long to pick up on what his wife was referring to. "Oh, right! I think it's a nice name. It suits her."

Heather tickled the dragonet's slimy belly, making her let out a chirping laugh. "Sonata it is, then."

Sonata let out a happy croon before going right back to sleep.

Chiefslayer himself made his appearance right at that moment, perched on the lip of his family's rock wall. He took a moment to stretch his wings, and with a roar, he flew down toward Team Go-Getters' level. Other Sirens got out of his way when they saw him coming.

Batwings wasted no time shifting into his true form and relaying everything to the bigwings. "Shadow Pokémon are headed this way. We can't defeat them alone, but we need to stop them from taking over this island."

"You want us to help you?" Chiefslayer responded, in an 'are-you-serious' tone of voice.

"No," Batwings told him. "We NEED you to help us. And I have a feeling you also need us to help you. A lot of your kind died in battle on the shores, and this poor little dragonet just lost her parents." He gestured to Sonata with the wings that gave him his name. "I may not know a whole lot about these Shadow Pokémon, but I do know this - they will destroy us all unless we can work together to stop them. Listen to my friends. They want to save your clan as much as you do. How many human words do you know how to say?"

"Not many," Chiefslayer answered in the best human voice he could manage.

"Namay!" Sonata squawked suddenly. She then started squirming in excitement, and Heather scrambled to readjust her hold on her.

"Not many what?" asked a nervous Hiccup.

Batwings popped back into his humanoid form and answered, "The Sirens here don't know too many human words. We are a very secluded species, after all."

"But they can still understand us," Brandyn added. "All dragons are intelligent enough to understand human words, but Sirens are by far the only species that has evolved a way to speak them as well. In our universe, anyway."

Hiccup paused as an idea struck him. "I think I've got a plan, but we have to move fast. Now, where's Toothless?"

Almost as if in answer, the Night Fury came bounding right over. When he reached Hiccup, he pounced on him and started licking his face.

"Akkptthhppp!" Hiccup spluttered, trying to wriggle away. "Toothless! You know that doesn't wash out!"

Having had his fun, Toothless jumped away and let Hiccup wipe the saliva off of his face and hands (with little success).

"Now that that's settled..." said Snivels, stifling a laugh. "I don't know what you've got planned, Hiccup, but I'm behind you one-hundred-and-fifty percent! Just tell us what to do and we'll get it done!"

It really wasn't a surprise how quickly the Servine had volunteered to aid Hiccup in his plan.

What did surprise them, however, was the unearthly shriek that split the air from somewhere off in the distance.

"Father," Decade whispered under her breath.

Millennium was on his way.

Now aware of what they had to face, Chiefslayer leaned in and snarled, "What do you have in mind?"


It was only a few minutes to the island shores on foot. They stopped and crouched down behind an outcrop of rocks that marked the border between the beach and the Siren community.

"Let's get on our dragons and run the Shadow Pokémon out of here," said Hiccup. "We can't let them reach the Sirens."

"Let me talk to my father!" begged Decade. "I know he's still in there somewhere. If I can just figure out a way to reach him, I can stop this!"

Snake-eyes, who had been snoozing on top of one of the outcrops, woke up in response to all the noise. Letting out a yawn, the blind Siren slithered down between the rocks and disappeared from view.

"You can't go to him alone," Buddy said. "Maybe your father won't hurt you, but those other Shadow Pokémon will!"

Decade opened her mouth to protest, but found she had no comeback. Whether she liked it or not, she needed their help.

"FLORBLE!" Sonata squawked quite suddenly. "SADDAH POOKEEMOO!"

The suddenness of her shout made everyone around her jump about a foot into the air. Astrid recovered first and started wagging her finger at the dragonet. "Listen here. We are in the middle of a very important mission right now, and you are going to stay ABSOLUTELY SILENT until we're done, do you understand?"

"SMEEBO SMEEBO SMEEBO!" Sonata said in the exact same tone, waggling her wing at Astrid.

"She's only a baby," said Heather. "She doesn't know any better."

"Too bad!" snapped Astrid.

"BOO BAH!" Sonata shouted enthusiastically.

"Shhhhhhhhh!" Batwings tried, flapping his wings at her.

That didn't have the desired effect at all. Sonata's whole face scrunched up and she fell back into Heather's arms, giggling hysterically.

"So," said Blaze, "This is officially the worst idea we've ever had."

"She might be quieter if we stop talking," Ninjark suggested.

"I'm not sure," Snivels said. "I think she likes it when Astrid yells at her."

Blaze perked up a little. "Really?" Her eyes glinted in amusement. "That would be a first."

"Asty!" cried the little dragonet as she reached her tiny wings toward Astrid. "Mrrble Asty!"

"Is that tiny eel trying to say my name?" asked the blonde in question, alarmed and most likely offended. "How did that happen?"

"She's a fast learner," Heather said proudly.

Seeing how quickly this whole thing was starting to head absolutely nowhere, Hiccup pushed himself to his feet and pulled himself onto Toothless's back. "I'll go scout ahead," he said to no one in particular. At his nudge, the Night Fury practically exploded into the air, disappearing into the rainclouds way up above them.

"Icca poof," Sonata said in an awestruck tone, staring at the spot where Hiccup had been.

"At least I'm not the only one with an embarrassing nickname," Astrid observed.

Heather, on the other hand, was more focused on the dragonet. "Aw, you are so smart," she cooed sweetly. "Who's a smart little girl? It's you! Yes it is!"

"Arceus almighty," said Astrid. "If my mother talked to me like that, I'd be -"

"Well-adjusted?" Blaze guessed, still with that amused glint in her eyes.

"As soft as a Swirlix," the blonde trainer finished, shooting at death glare at the Blaziken.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Snivels said. He smiled a little at the thought of a softer version of Astrid, one that wasn't as tough as nails unless she really needed to be.

But when she grabbed him by the yellow, V-shaped structure on his chest that extended behind his shoulders and pulled him in so close that all he could see were her eyes, flashing with anger, he squeaked, "Which is fine!"

"Can you say 'mama', little one?" Heather asked the dragonet in her arms, ignorant to all else around her. "Mama?"

"A-a," Sonata tried.

Heather laughed quietly. "Say 'mama'," she repeated slowly. "Ma-ma."

"Ma..." Sonata started, trailing off for a few seconds before finishing. "Ma!"

Batwings sat with his legs crossed, watching the exchange with a longing smile.

"She's a lot quieter now," Brandyn observed. "Maybe she just needed to get her excitement out."

Sonata looked up at him and tilted her head a little. "Ooh?" She wanted to ask who this stranger was that was getting up so close to her and her mommy, but she was only a dragonet who could mimic words she'd already heard before. She hadn't yet obtained a large enough vocabulary so she could ask who he was and what he was doing.

Out of nowhere, Snake-eyes slithered up to the group. "Noise," he uttered, blinking his sightless eyes. "Need sleep."

"Sorry," Brandyn offered.

"Sowwy," Sonata parroted.

Snake-eyes unexpectedly perked at the sound of the Siren dragonet's voice. He slithered to where he'd heard the sound and sniffed. "Daughter," he said, "Molpe...mate...Tunecarrier...dragonet?"

Batwings was the first to understand. "Sonata," he answered. "Is she your granddaughter?"

"Yes," said Snake-eyes, the last letter trailing off into a hiss.

Heather looked conflicted. If Snake-eyes was Sonata's grandfather, did that mean she'd have to stay on the island? What if the dragonet didn't understand that Heather wasn't really her mother? Would Snake-eyes even be able to raise Sonata on his own?

She was startled out of her thoughts by the sound of Night Fury claws clacking on rocks as Toothless landed.

"We've got company," said Hiccup. "Those Shadow Pokémon are closing in fast. We don't have any time to waste. Everyone mount up!"

Collectively, the remaining three trainers, the flightless Pokémon and Batwings swiftly pulled themselves onto dragon and monster-back. Toothless let out a roar and jumped into the air, Hiccup hanging on tightly so as not to be torn away from the saddle. The others followed suit, their mounts taking to the skies with powerful leaps and soaring out over the island. The Sirens on the rocks watched warily as the small group of heroes flew out to meet the invading Shadow Pokémon.

A shout of "Mocktalk, Mocktalk, oi oi oi!" rang over the rocks.

"Definitely better when the Qurupeco says it," said Snivels, smiling.

Up in the sky, the dragons split up from their usual formation and flew off in opposite directions. It was time to see if Hiccup's plan would work.


The first mistake had been bringing Sonata with them into the fight.

The second had been underestimating just how many Shadow Pokémon there were.

"Okay, whose idea was this?" Astrid shouted out. There was a Pidgeot, a Fearow and a Swellow chasing her and Stormfly through the skies, each Pokémon bearing the same angry red eyes and dark aura as the Tyranitar and Metagross from the other day.

"Blame your husband, not us!" yelled Decade. She had both a Gliscor and Togekiss on her tail - quite literally, in fact. Eternatus, apparently, were popular targets with the Shadow Pokémon.

Astrid's reply was cut off when her life partner in question flew by with Toothless, chasing a Scizor away with blasts of blue fire. However, the fleeing Pincer Pokémon circled back around and landed a Metal Claw right in the Night Fury's exposed belly.

"You think you're scary?" the former Hofferson growled at it, holding her trusty axe in the air. "Even a Fireworm is scarier than you!"

The Scizor ignored her, and closed in.

Acting on reflex, Astrid steered Stormfly straight up, away from the Pincer Pokémon. Unfortunately, this led them straight into the waiting beaks and talons of the three birds that were after them.

A glob of green goo splattered on the Swellow, and the Swallow Pokémon plummeted down toward the rocks, where the Sirens were waiting. Mocktalk and Batwings flew by triumphantly, and the Pidgeot gave chase.

It was only a matter of time before Astrid and Batwings found their mounts flying side-by-side with the Pidgeot and Fearow on their tails. The Siren's eyes lit up with a spark of genius, he leaned over a little and asked, "Are you familiar with Chicken?"

Misinterpreting his question, she shouted back, "I don't have any chicken!"

"No, the game," Batwings clarified. "Chicken."

"Oh!" Astrid understood. As they steered their mounts in opposite directions, she muttered to herself, "I like the way he thinks!"

Miraculously, neither the Pidgeot nor the Fearow had overheard the exchange. The two bird Pokémon each chose a victim to chase and started flying after them. Once Astrid and Batwings were certain they were far enough away, they each directed their mounts into a large U-turn, passing by their chasers, both of which immediately swerved around to follow. Both riders remained unfazed as they rapidly approached each other on their respective dragon and monster.

"Not yet," uttered Batwings. They were still a good distance away.

And that distance was rapidly decreasing. Five hundred feet.

Three hundred feet.

The Pidgeot and Fearow were closing in.

Two hundred feet.

"Not yet," the Siren said again.

One hundred feet.

The Pokémon were getting closer.

Fifty feet.

Twenty feet.

The Pokémon were right on top of them.

"NOW!" he bellowed.

Stormfly and Mocktalk dove out of the way, leaving the Pidgeot and Fearow to crash into each other in a tangle of feathers. The two riders laughed at their success.

But no matter how many Shadow Pokémon were knocked out, there were always more. Astrid saw a Venomoth plummet into the ocean water, only for a Noctowl and Dragonite to take its place.

There's too many of them, dang it! she thought, frustration replacing her triumph.

But then...the entire battle was suddenly interrupted by an echoing roar. Then came an entire series of roars, picking up from where the first one left off. It sounded like an entire army of dragons was approaching.

Of course, that was exactly what was happening.

Simultaneously, Team G-Getters and the Shadow Pokémon gaped at the sight of hundreds of Sirens lifting up off of the rocks below and into the sky overhead, with Chiefslayer and Snake-eyes flying at the front. The sound of their wings was like a thunderstorm, and definitely scarier than one!

Watching from afar, Millennium growled, "Send the rest."

Ira the Tyranitar let out a mighty roar as she and her Lapras mount charged through the water, followed by land, aquatic and flying Pokémon galore.

"This is it, guys," said Hiccup, noticing the approaching wave of Shadow Pokémon. "Now or never. Give it everything you've got!"

All of a sudden, Chiefslayer and Snake-eyes let out a duet of awesome shrieks and dove downwards at a steep angle, heading straight for the Shadow Pokémon. The entire clan joined in the chorus and followed their leaders into battle, screaming down at what must have been several dozen miles per hour!

Seeing a group of dragons of this size plunging straight at them with determination in their eyes and fire streaming from their jaws, was an indescribably incredible and terrifying sight. The Shadow Pokémon gaped in awe, never having seen such a huge coordinated attack in their lives. Then they quickly shook themselves out of it and resumed their charge.

There was instant chaos when both sides of the battle met. First into the fray were Hiccup and Chiefslayer, and it didn't take long for the rest of their combined forces to catch up.

Wisely, Heather steered Windshear away from the fight. Thank goodness she did, because Sonata had been squirming so much she'd nearly dropped the dragonet several times during the scuffle.

Decade pulled herself out of the battle, too. She scanned the area, looking for any sign of her father. He had to be around somewhere, he just had to!

And there he was.

He was charging into the fray, his core glowing with a blinding reddish light. Ra and Camazotz charged at him, but he effortlessly knocked them aside before they had the chance to launch an attack.

Hiccup and Toothless were dive-bombing a Rhydon when Millennium caught them. He wrapped the Night Fury and his rider tightly in his tendrils, lifting them both so he was looking them in the eyes.

"You think you can stop us?" he snarled. Poor Hiccup was only about the size of one of his claws. "You're only important because of that prophecy! Play the hero all you want, but you'll always be nothing but a shrimpy little worm!"

His core grew brighter, the energy was building up. No doubt it would soon be released upon his captives.

Then...

"STOP!" Decade cried.

Flinching back in surprise, Millennium looked up and saw his daughter hovering just ten feet away. The brightness of his core rapidly decreased, his Dynamax Cannon subsiding.

"...Decade?" he asked in a disbelieving voice.

"Don't do this, Father," she pleaded. "I know you're still in there somewhere. You have to fight it."

The Shadow Eternatus just stayed there hovering in place for a few long, agonizing minutes. Decade was right there, amidst all the fighting, willing to put herself in danger to stop him from following through with what Dark Matter wanted. He had been working so hard to keep her safe, and he wasn't going to betray that vow.

He released Toothless and Hiccup from his tendrils, leaving them free to fly away to safety.

"Fall back," he uttered, turning to fly away. He repeated in a louder voice, "Fall back!"

In spite of their confusion over what had brought this on, the Shadow Pokémon did as they were told. One by one, they retreated across the sea, following the Eternatus to who knows where.

"Thank you," Hiccup breathed.

Decade just gave him a curt nod.

Cries of triumph filled the skies as the Sirens flew back to the island, looking forward to the peace and quiet they would soon recover.

Unfortunately, it didn't last long.

For a battle was not won without casualties.

Snivels was the first to find Snake-eyes, lying weakly on the shore with his arthritic wings bent at unnatural angles. He and Verne quickly descended upon the wounded Siren, the Servine leaping off of his Noivern mount almost the moment the Sound Wave Pokémon's feet touched down.

The wings weren't Snake-eyes' only injury - based on how much he was wheezing, it was reasonable to believe that a hard impact from the fight had caused one of his lungs to collapse. He only had a few minutes at the most, which wasn't anywhere near enough time to get him to the closest healer.

Snivels cradled the elderly Siren's head in his hands. All he could manage to say was, "Can you get up?"

He knew the answer long before Snake-eyes said it. "No."

Somewhere nearby, Snivels could hear wingbeats and the sounds of dragons landing, followed by running footsteps as the Go-Getters ran to his aid.

Snake-eyes wheezed, "Sonata, daughter of Molpe...Molpe, daughter of Snake-eyes."

"I know," choked Snivels. "We'll take care of her, I promise." After a moment, he added, "You would have been an amazing grandfather."

That, it turned out, was the right thing to say. Snake-eyes's pained expression faded into relief, he wheezed out, "Thanks," the last letter trailing off into a hiss that soon fell silent. His body that was once contorted in pain released itself and it was in that moment he was truly gone.

Snivels smiled as a few tears escaped his eyes. He placed a hand gently on the Siren's forehead and muttered a meaningful prayer.

"May you find your place among the stars, under the watchful eyes of Arceus, where the pure and true of heart shall live for eternity and a day."

Then he rested the Siren's lifeless form on the shore, stroking the scaly head and half-heartedly scratching where the wings met the shoulders. Snake-eyes appeared to be at peace in spite of his painful end. All the weight tensing him up had released itself, along with his soul. If anywhere, he was most likely flying somewhere among the stars, with Molpe by his side.

"We should close his eyes," said Decade.

The Siren's eyes were still open, but they now had a glossed over look to them. Without waiting for a response, the young Eternatus reached down and gently slid the dragon's eyes shut with the tips of her claws.

"Now he could be sleeping," she muttered sadly.

There was a long moment of silence before Heather asked, "Do Sirens have funerals?"

"Not like Vikings do," sighed Batwings. "We don't have ships to sail off and set ablaze with flaming arrows. Not in my world, and definitely, for sure, not in this one. Most often, the body is left to be eaten by other creatures, sometimes even by our own kind."

"We could bury him," Blaze offered. "And leave a grave marker. That's how Pokémon honor their fallen."

It was no contest. A burial it would be.

The funeral itself was not big or fancy, they just dug a proportionately-sized hole where the shore met the inner land, placed Snake-eyes's body in it and then filled it up with sand and dirt. Snivels grabbed the flattest rock he could find, which was about the size of a book, and used a spearhead-shaped stone to carve a short, meaningful message on it.

Here lies Snake-eyes the Siren

A good leader

He laid the grave marker at the spot where he knew Snake-eyes's head was. The team stayed there for a long while before they went to mount up and head home.

Heather was the last to go. She knelt down beside the makeshift grave, Sonata still in her arms, and whispered, "I'll take good care of her."

And she intended to hold on to that promise.

No matter what.


Back at the academy, Hiccup and the others were telling the team members who'd stayed behind the story of how they routed the invading Shadow Pokémon. They had an audience, too – Drageist and Splice had returned to retrieve Batwings and Mocktalk.

"Sounds like quite the adventure!" laughed the Giratina, whose act of leaving the Griseous Orb in the Distortion World had resulted in him changing into his Altered Forme. "Sadly, though, I'm afraid this is the time where you part."

Everyone collectively turned to look at Batwings.

"Honestly," the Siren spoke up, "I've been looking forward to going home. I can't even begin to imagine how worried my wife is."

Heather blushed and looked down bashfully.

"Wait," Snivels spoke up, "Will Batwings and Mocktalk remember any of this afterwards?"

"I have been thinking about it," said Batwings. "And I decided it would be the best if we didn't. If Mocktalk or I just spontaneously started rambling on about some adventure none of the other Monster Riders remember, they'd think we were going crazy."

Snivels ducked his head to hide his melancholy frown.

"Of course, you're welcome to cross over at any time," Adhesive said. "Whenever we have another Siren-related problem, we'll know who to call!"

"And we'll be happy to help," said Batwings.

"Happy to help!" parroted his Qurupeco Monstie. "Mocktalk always happy to help!"

Nodding, Snivels steeled himself before speaking. "It was nice having you two as our friends again. In case this is the last time we ever see each other, I wish you both the best of luck."

Batwings smiled gratefully at the Servine. "You too, Snivels. You too."

It wasn't until he and Mocktalk had already passed through the memory-erasing portal back to their home dimension that Drageist and Splice had summoned when Snivels realized he'd forgotten to ask them about Ratha and Rathi.

Those poor little Rathlings, he thought. There's no mention of them anywhere in Monsters of Berk. Still, I'm sure they're okay. But, just to be safe, I'll ask Drageist before he leaves.

Decade, meanwhile, was outside the academy, watching the sunset with a solemn expression. She didn't even bother to look back at Buddy as he approached her.

"I know you want to go out and find him," said the Silvally. "And I'm not going to try and stop you. Just remember that if you ever need help, we'll always be here for you, Decade."

After a long moment, she finally turned around and looked him in the eye. She smiled and said, "Call me Deca," before turning back and flying off into the sky.

Buddy sat down on his haunches and watched her leave, a smile stretching across his face, which was rapidly turning a shade of red. His smile and blush both faded when Decade finally vanished on the horizon.

The Go-Getters passed by behind him, leaving the academy to turn in for the night. Only Hiccup stopped to look at the Silvally, a look of concern etched on his face.

Feeling the team leader's gaze, Buddy looked at Hiccup over his shoulder and said, "Go ahead, I'll catch up." Then he faced the horizon again, his smile slowly returning.

He really does love her, Hiccup realized all of a sudden. If we ever meet her again, on another of our adventures, maybe he'll get the chance to tell her that.

"ICCA!" squealed a voice from up ahead. Sonata, of course. "Icca, Icca, Icca, IccaIccaIccaIccaIccaIccaIccaIccaIcca! IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICCAAAAAAAAA!"

It took him longer to catch up with the group than she would have liked, mostly because he had been startled by her first shout. Also, it took him a minute to figure out that the Siren dragonet was trying to say his name.

"Maybe we should have asked how long it takes for a Siren to figure out how to speak," he said, mostly to himself.

"I can answer that," said Drageist, who had yet to take his leave, unlike Splice, who had flown away almost the moment Batwings and Mocktalk stepped through the portal. "In your world, the art of mimicry can take quite a while for a Siren to master, a few months at the very least and a year at the very most. The Monsters of Berk Sirens, on the other hand, take about as much time to learn to speak as a normal human toddler." He then directed to the rest of the gang, "Any other questions before I go?"

"Just one," said Snivels. "Do you know how Ratha and Rathi are doing? I promise, I just want to know if they're okay."

The Altered Forme Giratina leaned his head down to the Servine's level. "They're both fine, Swift is taking very good care of them." With a wave of his wing, he opened a portal to the Distortion World. "Don't think for a minute that you'll never see them, or the Monster Riders, again. The future isn't set in stone, after all." With that, he left.

The following moment of quiet was ruined by Sonata's shout.

"Iccasty!" the Siren dragonet announced. She reached toward Hiccup and Astrid with her wings and repeated, "Iccasty!"

Both trainers raised an eyebrow at Adhesive.

"I swear, I did NOT teach her to do that!" the Poipole promised, holding his hands up in surrender.

"You are a fast learner," Heather said in her sweetest voice as she snuggled the baby Siren. "Such a smart little dragon! Yes, you are!"

"GORB!" squealed Sonata. "Mama!"

"Admit it, guys," said Snivels. "She's cute."

Astrid just shrugged, neither agreeing nor denying it. "If you like that sort of thing," she answered.

"And you don't?" Blaze asked in an offensive tone.

Flicking her bangs away, she responded hesitantly, "It's just not my thing. I'm an old-fashioned 'take it down with an axe and then lop its head off' kind of girl, not a 'stay at home and sew clothes for the kids' kind of girl."

Adhesive had to bite his tongue to stop himself from laughing. If only she knew!

"But you'd be great at teaching them to swing an axe," Hiccup jested, a laugh present in his voice.

"Snotlout's kids would never know what hit them," Astrid went along with the joke.

The couple had a good laugh at that.

Hiccup then took her hand in his, to which she reacted with a look of surprise.

"I think we'd make amazing parents," he murmured to her.

What happened next was unfortunately lost to Adhesive, as he had to fly away to a more secluded area where he wouldn't be tempted to start blurting out secrets about the future.


Heather watched with an adoring smile as Sonata snuggled into her cozy little bed. The dragonet's eyes slowly drooped shut, she was obviously tired from all the day's happenings.

"Goodnight, sweet song," whispered Heather.

"Nite," Sonata crooned softly in response before she started snoring lightly.

Brandyn made his presence known to his girlfriend by uttering, "So cute," in awe.

She jumped a little, but she wasn't too surprised he was there. "Y-you're talking about Sonata, right?"

Dazzlingly, his smile widened, and he pulled her in toward him for a hug. When he spoke, she could feel his warm breath against her neck. "I was. But you're cute, too, in case you were wondering." He turned to kiss her cheek, prompting her to turn a brilliant shade of scarlet. "I always enjoy being with you, Heather."

"Me too," Heather replied, hugging him back. "It's only been a few weeks, but..."

Brandyn pulled away from her, but still lingered close enough so that he didn't have to let go of her. His shining blue eyes, aside from being more stunning than ever, blinked questioningly at her.

"But..." he prompted.

For a moment, Heather just stared, captivated by his eyes.

Is this how Hiccup feels when he looks at Astrid?

Heeding her boyfriend's earlier request, Heather continued, a bit uncertainly, "Well...um, we only just met a little over a month ago, but I feel like I've known you forever. It's just that...I feel better around you. Like, I can be myself without the fear of being judged. I only first noticed it when you offered your friendship, but now that I'm with you...I can't imagine being without you. You know?"

Wow, that had to have been the most incoherent speech she had ever given. But there was something about this boy, and the way he made her pulse race...

"Of course I know," Brandyn told her with yet another soft smile. He pulled himself closer until their noses were touching. "I've felt the same way. And I think I know why."

Pausing to consider this, Heather soon realized that she knew why as well. She had known all along, but never had the courage to utter the words, not even to herself.

Until now.

Two voices blended together in that moment. "I love you."

And then, their noses weren't the only parts of their bodies that were making contact.


Meanwhile

When the door opened, Heather expected Scarath. So it was to her joyous surprise when she turned and saw Batwings entering the room. The female Siren leapt to her feet and rushed in to hug her husband, burying her head into his shoulder and inhaling his scent to assure herself that this was real.

"Where have you been?" she sighed, turning to kiss his cheek.

"Out flying," he crooned in her ear. "Lost track of time, and apparently my surroundings. I'll take both shifts tomorrow."

The happy couple separated from their embrace and Batwings started for the fireplace where their egg was incubating.

"She really missed her daddy," Heather said with a teasing croon.

"Really?" asked Batwings, raising an eyebrow. "And how do you know that?"

His wife giggled and said, "Mother's intuition."

Shaking his head in amusement, the male Siren leaned in a little further to whisper to the egg, "Can't wait to meet you, Nightingale."

Oh, like Clara Nightingale!

Batwings's head shot up and he looked around the room. "Did you hear something?" he asked.

"No," said a worried Heather. "Why? What's wrong?"

The father-to-be started, then looked thoughtful. He could have sworn he'd remembered hearing that somewhere before...

"Nothing," he decided. "I just got a really weird sense of déjà vu."


Love has many forms. Sometimes, you don't know that you feel it at first.

But once you realize that you have it, hold onto it and never let go. Because that feeling is the greatest power of all.


The idea is that Batwings (and the other Monster Riders) still remembers his encounters with Team Go-Getters, albeit dimly.

Also, Snivels does not hate Miraculous. He just finds it infantile compared to everything he's experienced.

Happy tenth anniversary of HTTYD!