Calem awoke with a hand gently shaking him, but upon blinking his eyes several times, he witnessed several faces looking down upon him. Focusing on the concerned eyes of his rival, he noticed that Tierno, Shauna and Trevor were there as well, even Sycamore. But his memories were blurry…

"... what happened…?", his voice was slightly hoarse, but still, Serena's eyes softened once she heard his voice, seeing that he was alright.

"Team Flare is no more, their base has been destroyed… but…", all of a sudden, she shifted her eyes away from him, her voice filled with hesitation.

"We have managed to bring Serena to safety before the blast, but you were nowhere to be found. Serena didn't want to leave you behind, even after the base began to collapse underground. We feared that… that we were too late.", as he heard Sycamore speaking about what Serena could not, Calem barely lifted his left hand to look at it, and ever so slowly, the memories returned to him.

The being that protected and shielded him…

However, all of a sudden, Shauna interrupted the unbearable tension as she took Calem's hand into her own, intent to lift his spirits.

"All that matters is that you are alright, we were worried sick about you.", and still, just as Calem glanced back at Serena, he witnessed that she was still avoiding his gaze, her eyes shut in regret.

"What about the rest of Team Flare? Is it truly over now?", Trevor's uncertainty was evident as he looked at the Professor in the hopes that he could provide an absolute answer that would ultimately be able to put his worries aside.

Yet, Sycamore turned his head to look at the ruins in front of them once more.

"... yes, now that Lysandre has revealed everything and laid his plans out in the open, the remaining members of Team Flare will be arrested.", despite his answer, Trevor could see the way the professor was staring at the ruins, almost as if he were internally lost in thought. And he could barely make out the almost inaudible mutter that escaped Sycamore.

"... what have you done, old friend…"

Calem's mind was blank, and after a short moment, he found that he couldn't stay in the proximity of another person. After everything that happened, he simply wanted to be alone for a while…

Trying to get up from the ground, his friends stared at him with concern as he stood up, albeit he was still slightly unsteady.

"You should stay in the Pokemon Center and rest, after what you've been through, you should take it slowly.", Sycamore shifted his attention back towards him, regarding Calem for any sign of another possible injury or unsteadiness. Contemplating it, he relented in the end and gave a small nod before he glanced at his friends.

"You should go on on your travels to continue the journey, I will eventually catch up with you.", hearing this, they all looked at him with concern and uncertainty until Shauna eventually voiced their shared worries.

"We can all wait if you want, our journey is by far not as important-"

"No, I insist. I wouldn't want you to stay around this place longer than it has to be, even if you're only travelling to the next town instead, it would really take a lot of my concerns away.", trying his best to muster a small smile, Calem desperately hoped that they would relent, and in the end, he was grateful the moment they finally gave in and nodded, albeit their sheer concern never left their eyes.

But he simply wanted to be alone for now to organize his thoughts.

"No, I'll stay with you until you recover.", everyone stared at Serena the moment she suddenly raised her voice, and it was leaving no room for argument once her eyes met his own. Resisting the urge to sigh, Calem glanced away once it was clear that she wouldn't back down and simply moved away, making his way to the Pokemon Center, leaving the rest to watch him with even more concern.

But unbeknownst to them all, it was only Serena who knew what was truly going on within himself.

The night sky had long replaced the evening sun as Calem took a walk through the forest after several hours where he tried in vain to let sleep overcome him. And it didn't help him one bit that Serena was still here as well, they both hadn't simply forgotten about Lysandre's words.

But he didn't want to talk about it… about any of it.

The fresh air helped him to calm himself, and he could hear the sounds of Pokemon scattered all around him throughout the forest. Being lost in thought, he didn't pay any mind where he really went, but upon finding a clearing that was illuminated by the moonlight, he gratefully approached it and sat down upon a fallen log, heaving a small sigh.

Truth to be told, it simply wasn't any of her concerns. That he felt this way, it was his own problem, one that he had long learned to simply suppress and live with. That his rival wanted to stay behind to speak to him about it… he did appreciate it, but it was nonetheless not something that she should think about. All that he wanted was for everyone to continue their journey just like before, when they first started out.

The experiences that they have made, the memories they have created, they were worth more than anything. He knew that.

And yet… there was still Lysandre. And his words continued to haunt him. It was this that simply didn't allow him to find an ounce of sleep, and neither could he forget the image of the ruins of the former Team Flare base. He had sacrificed everything for the world he wanted to create, even if it meant to sacrifice the lives of countless people and Pokémon alike… and now, he had sacrificed himself for it.

Lost in his mind once more, Calem only barely noticed that the sounds of the Pokémon from before had seemingly stopped, and as he took a glance around himself, he found that it had become deathly still. Slowly standing up from the log, not even the wind seemed to be making any noise anymore as he shifted his eyes through the trees that surrounded him, an uneasy feeling beginning to dwell within him.

And suddenly, a scream echoed through the forest, piercing the silence with a terrible shudder that coursed through him.

But he recognized it…

Strong flaps indicated the approach of the being above him, and before long, it landed on the very same clearing where Calem currently stood, creating a small gust of wind. The memories returned in his mind, the motionless bodies on the ground, and the scream that echoed in his ears…

The moment its azure eyes met his own once more, his body froze in place, and he was once again reminded that these images did not simply originate from a nightmare. They had been real.

And he was looking into the eyes of death itself.

However, he couldn't even think of taking a step back once a voice suddenly vibrated within his mind, the same that still echoed in his mind whenever he would try to let sleep overcome him.

'I mean no harm.'

It was unlike anything he had ever heard before, and neither was it truly something that he could grasp, for it felt as if there was yet another presence within his own mind. But despite its words and the intent to calm him, something still felt different, something that he couldn't discern, almost as if an aura was surrounding the legendary being in front of him.

But true to its words, it didn't move a single bit from its place as it regarded him, and he felt as if its eyes could pierce him. Forcing any of his thoughts into the back of his mind, Calem took calm breaths, returning its gaze while steadying himself. Too many questions lingered in his mind, too many things that he couldn't understand.

Why did it leave him alive?

Why did it speak to him?

Why… why did it…

"It… it was you who shielded me… wasn't it?", rearing its head back ever so slightly, its eyes didn't leave him as the voice spoke within his mind once more.

'Perhaps. But it would be unjust to speak of my actions only, would it not?'

Only more questions added to his mind, and he couldn't understand what it meant.

"Why do you appear now…?", the uncertainty krept into his words, despite his best efforts. It was a dangerous question, one that may offend it, and it may very well cost him. But after everything that happened on that single day, he couldn't refrain from it. Regardless what may come out of it. Tilting its head, its voice rose ever so slightly in volume, but instead of anger, it was mere curiosity and wonder that was apparent.

'Why? I might ask you the same question.'

Not uttering a word in return, Calem's expression was enough to show his ever growing confusion and uncertainty, causing Yveltal to finally move in its place, settling down upon the ground with its wings curled together and its head placed down to rest upon them.

'I was confined. Those who held me and dared to drain me of my own energy… if given a chance, I would have exacted revenge that would exceed death. But I could not, I was forced to watch…'

Calem was silent, not daring to move an inch as he stared at the being in front of him intently, listening to every word.

'But I still observed, I watched, I waited… I knew not for how long, but for every moment, it fueled my wrath to end my captors. I could sense their fear… even those who held malice close to their hearts, they feared… nobody would dare to approach me…'

Without realizing it, Calem's breath hitched, images flaring in front of his mental eye. And it was then that its gaze focused upon him once more.

'And then there is you. You, who approached me nonetheless, who wished to free me, all in the knowledge that it may be your end… and I wonder…'

Its head rose from its wings and leaned forward, its eyes purely fixated upon him.

'... why…?'

But he held no answers. His mind was blank… but the way it gazed at him, almost as if it expected something, as if it knew something that he did not…

"I… I don't… know…", his voice was nothing more than a weak whisper, but they were clear to the Legendary nonetheless. But its head remained in place, not moving for a long while as it regarded him deeply, until it finally did place it back upon its wings to rest upon them once more.

'... do not feel trapped. Leave if you wish… it has been a pleasure.'

Its eyes still didn't leave him, and even as he slowly but surely took a step back and turned around, he never witnessed the way it inspected him for something. Probing him for something.

And as he took his first steps away, feeling its eyes still trained upon his back, he suddenly stopped in his way, his anxiety beginning to fade away once he finally made a choice. Turning around once more, his eyes met Yveltal's own once again before he carefully walked back to the log he had previously been sitting upon, all the while under the watchful gaze of the Death Pokémon. And the moment he slowly sat down again, its voice finally entered his mind again.

'So you choose to stay?'

Without doubting his choice anymore, and the desire to finally receive answers that he needed, he slowly nodded.

And if it could, Yveltal would have smirked.