A/N: Hi everybody! I had written this scenario a while back while I was editing the first draft of the story, and I decided to post it for fun. Not too much worldbuilding here. Enjoy!

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I wonder who it could be at this time of night, I thought to myself. I left Mason with the kids to put them to sleep while I checked on what had drawn so close to our hidden domain. As I approached the entrance to the Secret Garden, I sensed that one of the two presences was familiar, but the other was alien. While both exuded an air of humility, the stranger was much more demure than the other, which spoke of a firm confidence. I smiled, finally recognizing who the familiar presence was. A brief expenditure of psychic power later, the illusion concealing the lone entrance to the Garden dissolved, and I retained my smile upon seeing our visitors. Hi, Cynthia! What brings you here so late? You've always visited during the day time before.

The blonde woman returned my smile with a slight one of her own, along with a small curtsy. She was dressed in her usual fare—black blouse, slacks, and coat, though she seemed to have exchanged her high heels for flats. I didn't blame her, for the uneven, cobbled streets of Alto Mare would have been quite treacherous to navigate with them on in the dark. One of her grey eyes was covered by her incredibly long straw blonde hair, as usual. Taking her lead, the male human next to her bowed quite deeply. His fiery red hair stuck out in the dim light, and he was ever so slightly shorter than Cynthia. He wore a rather simple outfit—grey boots, indigo trousers, and a matching indigo long-sleeved shirt or vest, all three accented with orange. However, his collared cape, maroon on the inside and grey like his boots on the outside, set me on edge. My eyes narrowed, and I fixed him with a knowing glare.

The man's name was Lance, Champion of the Johto Region. The "Dragon Master."

"I told you that you shouldn't have worn that thing," Cynthia said to her companion, her voice soft, regal, and unperturbed. "I assured you that they'd recognize it, but you had to insist." Lance briefly sputtered in response, but did not answer her. The woman turned back to me. "I am well, Rahlia—no need to worry about me. I've still got a few weeks to spend here in this wonderful city until I have to return to Sinnoh. I never realized how...elegant this place was at night. I will ensure that I do not miss out on its beauty."

Cynthia cleared her throat, her smile vanishing. "As for why I'm here now, I received a visitor just a few hours ago to my villa on the south end. He simply would not let me be until I agreed to bring him here. I assume you recognize him?"

Yes, I said curtly. You're Lance. The man started a little. And no, your title doesn't nor will it ever mean anything in either my or my mate's presence.

"Cynthia, it's painfully clear I'm not welcome here," Lance said, his deep voice shaking a little. "I should just go—"

"No, Lance," Cynthia replied, her authoritative tone freezing her fellow Champion on the spot. She then looked me right in the eye while speaking to him. "I obliged your pestering for one reason only: So that you might learn from the mightiest Dragons that have ever existed." A smile flashed across her lips briefly, but faded so quickly it almost seemed like a trick of the moonlight. "You will learn your place in things, like it or not, right here, right now. May we enter?"

I considered her request briefly. While I had nothing against Cynthia, Lance was a different matter entirely. However, he had been nothing but respectful, even offering to leave on his own, and if Cynthia felt that we had something to teach the man, I would trust her. Of course you may. Please, enjoy yourselves—the Garden is a fantastic place to relax. I hovered off to the side, allowing the two to step forward and down the stairs into the garden. While Cynthia did so without pause, Lance remained in place. He looked at me briefly, then his hands reached towards his neck. I was surprised when he actually unclasped and discarded the cape he was wearing, leaving it at the entrance.

"Well, you said to relax, right?" he said confidently. His countenance, however, was apprehensive. "Seems like we'd all relax a bit more if I just left that behind while I'm here."

I nodded, and the smallest of smiles appeared on my muzzle. Thank you, I said. Hopefully we can give you what you need.

"I hope so too," Lance replied. "Let's catch up to Cynthia."

A moment later, I was by her side, with Lance catching up behind me. "Having a heart to heart already?" she asked while taking in the sights of the Garden at night. Nearly all of the local Pokémon were asleep, save for the occasional Hoothoot, Spinarak, or Noctowl.

"A warning would have been nice! Arceus, you're fast!"

A little at a time, I guess, I answered, tittering lightly at Lance's slight panting. The man was in shape, but I supposed he had never dealt with somemon as quick as us. Dragonite aren't as fast as the myths, say, huh? Laughing amid Lance's sputtering, I continued: Mason should have put the little ones to sleep by now.

"Mason?" Cynthia repeated. "I thought his name was Masius."

Sorry, I said, not thinking of the inconsistency I had just introduced. Masius is the more traditional Eon name he was given by my herd, Ocean's Majesty, and the one he uses in public. Only close friends or family are allowed to use his former name. As for me, old habits die hard, I guess, though I do count as family!

"I'll defer to Masius, still, out of respect." Cynthia shot a glance over at Lance, whom, judging from his eyes widening, got the message instantly. "How are the twins doing, by the way?" she asked as we neared the central fountain.

Wonderfully. Much better than how I was raised at any rate. We've been working on honing their telepathic abilities for the past month or so, and they've learned so much. Now it's all about the finer points of control—regulating just what thoughts to communicate, over increasingly long distances, as well as communicating imagery and emotions. Once they've mastered that, we'll start on helping them speak to strangers, which adds a new layer of challenge.

"That's quite the structured education you have there," Cynthia commented. "Did you come up with that all on your own? You're quite young to be parents, if I recall correctly."

I laughed. Oh, I'd be a horrible liar if I said we took all the credit. No, most of that comes from my aunt Cushumi, and a little from Lady Reshiram. Cynthia nodded once, seemingly satisfied with the knowledge that we had consulted our elders on how to raise our children properly.

"Do you...er, there are four of you, right?" Lanced asked, and I nodded once. I did not make eye contact with him. "Do you take them flying with you?"

I looked at Lance as we rounded the fountain, approaching where we slept. Indeed we do. Showing them the world is the best way to teach them its wonders and its dangers. Mason in particular loves to spark their curiosity by asking questions like 'What's that berry, there?' or 'Who's that Pokémon?' They're always so eager to please the two of us, and he praises them even if they're not quite correct and guides them to the right answer, something I've learned encourages new learning instead of hindering it. I paused. We try not to get them involved when we hunt, though. They're a bit too young for that, I think.

"Definitely," Cynthia mused, chuckling a little.

I waited for Lance's reply, sensing some amount of awe and respect from him. "Wow," he finally said. "I never realized how...how..." He trailed off, a look of confusion on his face.

"You are getting there, Lance," Cynthia said, slowing her pace. "Let's see if the other half of this pair can make you see it."

Lia? A voice called out in my mind. Cynthia stopped, while Lance jumped. Cynthia? What are you doing here this late? I thought... From seemingly nothing, Mason appeared before us. I quickly hovered to his side and turned around, following his gaze. As I suspected, he was regarding Lance with a distrustful glare. I know you. The supposed Dragon 'Master,' Dragon 'Tamer.' My mate snorted with contempt. Why are you here, human? Come to see a rare Dragon type? Maybe you've captured an Eon, and intend to duel Rahlia or myself? Because I assure you, I'll—

Love, please. Lance has not come to battle! I interrupted before Mason' burgeoning rage ran wild. Cynthia brought him along so that he could learn...something, from us.

"I'm terribly sorry to have earned your ire, noble Latios," Lance offered, bowing deeply once again. "The way you spoke, just now...about my titles." A grimace split his face, and he shook his head. "I think I'm beginning to see now why Cynthia brought me here."

"Not yet, I don't think. There is yet more for you to hear," Cynthia said. "It's rather chilly, isn't it?"

The observation was sound, if a bit out of place. Chilling breezes would sometimes pass through the Garden at night—autumn was mere days away from getting into full swing. Not much we can do about that here in the Garden, unless we want to build a campfire, I replied.

I'll do it, Mason offered. Done it loads of times on Terrene. Just need to be picky about the wood... With that, he flew off.

Please, sit, I offered, then smiled mareepishly. Unless you don't want to get your coat dirty, Cynthia. I'd understand.

"Oh, what's a coat if it can't get a little dirty?" She laughed before settling on the well-kept grass and crossing her legs. "Masius' comment reminded me of something, something I haven't had the chance to ask. What was it like on Terrene? Nothing compared to today's peace, I take it?" Her eyes shot to her right, where Lance had taken a seat.

I caught her meaning instantly. Actually, it was pretty normal for the first few years, at least until my father took control of Arceus and threatened to wipe out all of existence. A somber laugh, closer to a snort, escaped me at the thought. They were both in better places. Mason and I attended school together, befriended humans and Pokémon alike. We battled for sport, Trainer and Pokémon, and it was always so exciting to put on a show for the humans of Terrene since Eons are so rare. Compound that with Pokémon themselves being a novelty, and we were quite the sensational duo!

But, other than that, once everyone got accustomed to me being around, I was treated like any other human...and that seemed to open the door for other Pokémon to be treated like humans, too.

Alright, I think I've got enough, came Mason's voice drifting into my head. A moment later, he reappeared, a good many sticks and discarded branches held in his psychic grip. He arranged them, two and three at a time, into a pyramidal shape. Then, to cap things off, he took in a deep breath. Feeling adventurous, I elected to join him—two gouts of blue fire erupted from our maws, and the searing Dragon Breath set the wood alight. It would have been interesting if the wood burned with a blue flame, but it quickly reverted to a more traditional yellow-orange, a characteristic of the wood itself being burned. That should work for a couple of hours at least.

"A pure blue Dragon Breath? From both of you? That's...unthinkable. Your draconic strength must be completely off the charts! None of the Dragon Pokémon I've raised over the years have ever come close to that level!" Lance exclaimed, his mouth hanging open.

It was necessary, Mason replied simply, completely unmoved by Lance's excitement. Most powerful Dragon type Pokémon sported a green Dragon Breath. Ours were weaker than that at first, starting as a ruby red flame, until more was demanded of us.

...until more was taken from us.

My mate then hovered over to me and gave me a loving nuzzle before settling on the grass as our human visitors did. I followed suit, tucking myself under Mason's right wing as I did so. I heard the tail end of Lia's talking when I was coming back with the wood, he said. We're talking about Terrene, right?

"Yeah," Lance confirmed, leaning forward. It seemed that, while he was loathe to admit it, he was rather cold. "Rahlia, is it?" I nodded. "Rahlia was just saying that the humans of Terrene treated her and other Pokémon no differently than humans themselves. That's…quite a bit different than how the humans of Sinjoh think."

Oh, I know—you don't have to mince words around me. It's one of the few things that divides the humans of Sinjoh and Terrene, even now. To illustrate my point, I shifted into a familiar illusion form. Standing an inch or two shorter than Lance, my auburn hair was picked up by an errant breeze, swept to my left. "I don't think I'll ever understand that about your kind," I said aloud, taking Lance by surprise, judging by how he flinched when I spoke. "We're just as intelligent as you, and yet a sizeable portion of you treat us as lesser, think of a romance with one of us an unforgiveable sin."

"I'd wager to say that if you presented yourself like that, I would have thought you were human!" Cynthia quipped, a good-natured smile on her face. Meanwhile, her eyes flicked toward her compatriot yet again. "The Alto Marian accent makes it all the more authentic. Did you have to train in order to speak?"

I nodded. "Mason was the one who taught me. As we went through the motions, I just remembered all the times I had eavesdropped on the humans here in the city…and, I guess I mimicked their accent rather than his. He seems to like it, though," I finished, giggling softly.

Mason seemed lost in thought for a moment, clearly seizing upon what I had said earlier. After shedding my illusion form and reading his mind, I ascertained that he was debating on whether or not to tell Lance about Zygarde's Failsafe. I'd tell him, yeah, I said privately to my life-mate. It'll make what you have to say more powerful. He then looked up and right into Lance's face.

This might come as a surprise to you, but I wasn't always a Latios. I was as human as they come, either here or back on Terrene. And…it was a complete shock, when, at seventeen years old, Pokémon came to our world. We were the only sapient life that existed, and then, just like that—a burst of psychic power made the flames swell and dance—we weren't. We humans, with all our prejudices, had more than just us to worry about. It didn't help that, not one month after they appeared, I met Rahlia.

"It…must have been quite the shock to hear an alien creature talk to you," Lance said, noticeably ignoring Mason's lead-in, seemingly accepting it as fact. Perhaps Cynthia had primed him beforeclaw?

Definitely, Mason replied, chuckling lightly. And then I kind of spilled my guts to her when she saw the turmoil in my heart. I just wanted a true friend at the time...it was kind of embarrassing.

I didn't think it was that bad, I supplied, trying to spare Mason a bit of self-deprecation. The concern was legitimate, as well as mutual.

Anyway, my mate continued after nodding, we quickly became friends, and before we knew it, bond-mates. Of course, another worry came soon afterwards. I really couldn't tell the difference between Rahlia, a Pokémon, and a human...at least, as far as intelligence goes. Would it therefore have been acceptable to love her in a romantic sense like I would another human?

"I assume Terrene's humans had differing views on whom you could love...prejudices, as you said," Cynthia commented. She had drawn her coat's collar close to her neck, the fuzzy material keeping her warm.

Mason nodded. That's right, though compared to their Sinjoh counterparts, they're actually much more open about it. I'll admit, that was part of my hiding my feelings for Lia. But most of it was because I thought that Lia could do better than to have me. A measly human instead of a Latios...why would she want me? That question tormented me for years.

I took that time to lick Mason's cheek, causing him to blush deeply. He didn't realize that I loved him all the same. It took Arceus accelerating Lord Zygarde's Failsafe as well as some pep talks from a mated Krookodile and Feraligatr, two friends of mine I had made, to get us to finally go all the way, I continued, a small blush of my own on my face. I'll never forget our first kiss.

Leave it to Lia's father to cut everything short after that, Mason quipped, irked somewhat. Hardly three weeks later, we were thrown into the thick of it when Lady Reshiram attacked. We tried to ignore it and move on with our lives, but it just wasn't in the cards from then on.

Nowadays, we're just...trying to make up for lost time, I said wistfully. Even if we're in no rush. Back on Terrene, Lady Xerneas told me the consequences of what Arceus had done to Mason, to the both of us. We don't intend for His mistake to control us forever.

I'd love for us to one day be like Lia's aunt and uncle, Mason said, and I nodded in agreement.

"Reshiram of Unova...Xerneas and Zygarde of Kalos?" Lance questioned, and I nodded once, unsure of his meaning. "Why do you address them with titles of respect? As Lord and Ladies?"

Because they are our Elders? I replied. The answer was quite obvious to me, at any rate. Without any of them, we wouldn't be here today. None of us would be.

"But you're obviously the strongest Dragons in the world. The strongest Pokémon, even! You two defeated Arceus, the Original One! He who existed before time began! Surely the pecking order has changed? Surely it is you that they should respect?" Lance pressed.

I was utterly bewildered by his claims. There was no way he could possibly believe...

"Lance, what do you believe it means to be the strongest?" Cynthia asked honestly, without any hint of animosity or impatience.

"You're looking at them, Cynthia," Lance replied without hesitation. "To be able to defend what you love, to rise to protect the innocent, and overcome all that stand before you? That is true strength. I strive to be like these two every day I train with my own Pokémon."

"What comes after the battle, then?" Cynthia continued. Lance was dumbstruck. Instantly, I felt something click in Mason's mind. He and I finally realized completely why he was brought to us by the Sinnoh Champion. "Is your notion of strength valuable in finding true love? In raising a family? In creating a world where people and Pokémon live in harmony?"

She paused for a moment. "Do you not see Masius and Rahlia in any way other than being the strongest Dragons? Do you not see them as two life-mates, who love each other unconditionally? As two parents, who have their own struggles with raising their children, but know that they are far from alone in making them healthy and happy? As two living, thinking beings that not only battle for us, alongside us, but belong alongside us?"

"I...I don't know," Lance said, doubt filling his voice. "What are you saying, Cynthia?"

"These wonderful Pokémon are mighty, yes. We can learn so much about the art of battling from either of them. But they know they are not the strongest. So why do you not?" Another pregnant pause lingered in the chilled air. "How about this: why do you believe they regarded you with such contempt?"

"Because...I am no Dragon Master," the Johto Champion said. A long pause followed. Lance's brow was furrowed, and his face was cast in a somber light by the gentle orange flames of the fire. "I am what they hate most…." He buried his face in his callused hands. "My Pokémon...my friends..."

"Lance," Cynthia said softly. "To be a true Champion of a region is to set an example. To show its people what to believe in, what to strive for, who to look up to. You bear a heavy burden on your shoulders, as you represent both Johto and Kanto. You have only been Champion for three years—"

"And the people do not respect me," Lance interrupted, lifting his head up. His voice was full of loathing. "They see me as the Elite Four member I was before, just a stepping stone. Just a strong Trainer. I thought...I thought that being the strongest was the only thing."

There's always someone or somemon out there that knows more about something than you do, Mason said. That's how I've lived my life, and it's kept me humble. It's never wrong to admit you don't know something. Our elders are always there to help us, and they're always so happy when they do.

If it were all about battling, about power, I continued, the world would be very different. For instance, you saw a pure blue Dragon Breath from each of us, a sign of unfathomable strength and power. I sighed deeply. That moment was certainly not what I had planned that night. What I saw...was a testament to how much we were molded against our will into tools of war. We were the very opposite of either of our species—the most peaceful Dragon types there are. We are still paying the price for that.

"I-I didn't mean to remind you of that—"

I held up a paw, silencing the man. It's alright. I know you didn't mean it. But being the strongest...there's so much more to me, to Mason, to all Pokémon. All my life, even on Terrene, I've known that Pokémon can touch people's and other Pokémon's hearts in so many different ways, and vice versa. It's easy for me to pick up those emotions, being a Latias, but I think it's important for everyone and everymon to keep that in mind when they consider the relationship between people and Pokémon. Maybe…you picked up on that, a little, during our conversation?

"I understand now," Lance said, leaning back from the fire. A gentle smile was on his face. "Pokémon and people—"

"Lance." Cynthia interrupted, and the man quickly closed his mouth, glancing at her. She chuckled a little, which caused him to quirk a brow. "This isn't a test. You don't need to repeat what you've learned." Even in the dark, I could see Lance's face flush red, and I tittered lightly in response. "What's more, this is more than what you can articulate in a few short sentences. Just be sure to encapsulate it in your actions as Champion, and become a true paragon for the people of Johto and Kanto to look up to."

"I will. Thank you, Cynthia. Thank you, Rahlia and Masius...for not putting up airs around me."