The sun's reflection is broken into fragments by the turbulent surface of the ocean. The sound of waves lapping against the shore echoes in my mind, and the water that splashes onto me bring a chill to my body.

The sea is strange. The water tastes dreadfully salty, and the sand has a different texture. I'm mystified by how the tide pushes and pulls with such a mystifying strength, such that when I waded in I was pushed under by an unexpected wave.

Managing to stay afloat is easy enough, but I can't swim properly. My wings are always dragged along by some current, even if I try my hardest to fold them close.

A beam from the back of my throat creates a splash in the water, much like a pebble does. This doesn't come as easy to me as telekinesis of earth, but I can still manage to produce a solid beam whenever I want. The breath, however, gives an extremely unpleasant feel from something behind my throat. She says the pulse is more powerful than the breath in most situations, and told me not to worry about it. I asked her about starting fires, but she reiterated to me that the fire-starting breath was very different from a standard dragon breath.

We don't need to start a fire here, anyway. Although, it's colder than the forest I've been in, because we are far south, she says it's the summer season, which is naturally warmer. In any case, I do truly feel more resistant to cold after spending weeks in the snow-filled mountains.

I turn my head, looking back at the looming terrain in the distance – where we came from. The shapes are tiny in the distance, and it would probably take a few days to travel there. Though I'm sure that with my enhanced flying, I could get there in less than a day. We didn't come directly this way, however, so I can't be certain. We first arrived at a cliff side facing the sea, and simply followed along the shore to get to where we are now. She says the soil here isn't very fertile because of the salt concentration, but between the mountains and us still exists a dense forest that we haven't explored much. I simply wanted to stay near the beach.

Nothing else has given us any trouble. I surmise that the Salamence territory ends long before the mountains do. I haven't seen any dragons since we've come to the other side, and only glimpses of other Pokémon that hide.

"Nova!" I hear her voice. "I got lunch!" I feel elated and smile before standing up from the shallow water and running inland to dry ground.

She hands me a skinned piece. "Thank you," I say with genuine emotion, but she brushes it off again as nothing. I don't know how someone could do so much for me…

"So, are you ready to go out flying above the sea?" she asks cheerfully. "You can get really close to the water and feel the spray!"

"Sure." I've always been quite afraid of the water ever since I was a Trapinch. And it doesn't help that I have been pushed around by the currents here. But after calming down and thinking it through, I really don't have much to worry about. When flying, I can control my own position very easily. It should be the same with water.

She's happy that I agreed and smiles brightly. She's so beautiful when she does that.

After finishing the meal hastily, I take initiative and start the glide across the ocean surface, basking in the feel of sea wind flowing past my antennae, my wings, and my limbs. Maintaining my height just above the water is a simple task. I try and focus on what's below me, to skim the ocean's surface…

But I always find my gaze drifting back to the horizon of this endless sea that simply flows on, and on, and on. I wonder what's on the other side. And how long it will take if I were to cross it. It must be another world.

"Try this!" she shouts from somewhere behind me, interrupting my thoughts. I turn to look and see that she is leaving a trail of white foam by dragging her tail along the water. I need my tail to fly properly, so I'm slightly hesitant. But I don't want to disappoint her. So I take a deep breath, and tentatively lower my tail down.

The moment I feel it dip into the water is the moment I lose my balance, and immediately I crash into the surface. I make a point to stay calm, and keep my eyes and mouth closed. But as the water around me stills, I realise no water has entered my goggles, and open my eyes to look around me.

How did I come this far down? There are still ripples from the place I fell in, but it seems out of reach. I try and use my wings and limbs to pull myself upwards but it doesn't work. I glance downward for something to push myself with, but nothing is within reach. Out of curiosity, I blink carefully and try and see what exactly is on the sea floor. There are mostly grains of sand and some rocks, but farther along I see a strange spherical shaped thing. I want to see what exactly it is until I realise that I can't move at all. And I'm running out of breath.

Before panic settles in, though, I feel her hand clasping onto my arm. Turning my head upward in surprise, I see a worried face glancing at me. Before I get to gesture anything though, she manages to pull me upwards, giving me the momentum to reach the surface.

Instinctively I take as large of a breath as I can, though I tell myself to not worry. Then I feel stupid because I start sinking into the water again.

But then I feel her arm wrap around my chest with a strong tugging force that brings me close to her and keeps me above the water.

"I'm so sorry! It was too dangerous, I shouldn't have-"

"Stop apologising!" I blurt out before realising that came out badly. "I mean, it's not a big deal." I knew from the bottom of my heart that there wasn't any danger at all. She's here with me.

"Let's get back to shore first," she says and starts using her wings to push us backwards.

"Can you teach me how to swim?" I ask, feeling the water flow by our bodies.

"Of course. But it's not that easy… our bodies weren't designed for the water."

"I'll try my best."

After a while of relaxing in her arms, I feel my floating legs touch the sand. I immediately shift myself onto my own weight, not wanting to tire her.

As I turn around, I notice her wet face. It's quite comical, with the antennae dropping down and the little droplets clinging to her scales. It's a bit embarrassing because that must be what I look like now as well.

The first thing she does when she walks upwards is shake violently, getting rid of a lot of the water. She's still quite wet, which must feel quite cold. Probably less cold than staying in this water, though. I should get out.

Wading through the water is more difficult than I thought. A wave comes up from behind me and splashes into my back, sending a shiver down my spine. I clutch my body as I inch forward, until I see her offer her hand again, which I gladly pull on.

"Are you feeling all right?" she asks, and cleans some of the water from my back. "If you don't mind, just roll on the sand. They get rid of a lot of water!"

"Really?"

"Look!" She drops to the floor and rolls around. A layer of dry sand replaces the previously wet skin.

I place my arm down and see a small blanket of sand stick insistently to my arm. "Don't worry, it comes off easily," she says, appearing at my side and brushing the sand off, leaving a small patch of my skin, much drier.

"Come on!" she says again and drags me to the floor. I feel the sand cover my entire body, but I'm more focused on her to care.

Normally we'd keep travelling, but I have my mind on the strange structure below the ocean. I want to check it out. I know I'd be able to if I used telekinesis to part the water, but… she's here.

So, after some more tussling with sand and practicing the energy pulses, we do end up heading back into the water. Learning to stay aloft is easy; learning to swim is not much more difficult. But learning to dive is. I can manage to head down somewhat, but I always end up getting dragged away from the current and having to resurface. She says it's incredible progress for someone who didn't already know how to swim, but I'm still disappointed.

She cheers me up quickly, though, and goes off to hunt. I feel somewhat guilty about what I plan to do, but it's for the best.

That night, I keep a slight distance from her. My eyes stay open until I'm sure she is fast asleep.

Then I stand up, leap into the air, soaring back over the ocean. The moon's pale reflection glows brightly in the dark.

I begin to wonder. Why am I not telling her about this? Perhaps it's because she makes everything so easy. There's no sense of excitement if she comes along. Plus, she wouldn't want me to go. Who else would find interest in some strange relic of humans? It gives me a sense of nostalgia of a side that I seem to be losing touch with. And the memories don't hurt, unlike…

The familiar cool feel of the liquid surrounds me. I swim around at the surface, trying to locate the strange structure I found before. Since the sun has already gone down, it is very dark, but I still spot it when I look very carefully, since my eyes adjust to the darkness. I create a small ball of air at the surface by parting the water with my hands, and then maintain a large air bubble underneath against the buoyancy of the water.

I lower my head and find that it easily fits into the bubble. One of my arms is needed to maintain the bubble, but most of the thrust comes from the wings and legs, so it doesn't slow me down.

So I begin my descent into the water. The currents are still quite strong, but on top of my swimming movements I also feel an innate boost. Years of flying have made me subconsciously perfect the art of moving my own body. In actuality, I am simply using telekinesis on myself. It's slower in the water, of course, but I still travel steadily without expending much energy.

Upon closer inspection, the structure seems to be buried in sand. The exposed portion of it seems to be made of some human material that I can't name. There seems to be something inside of it, but I don't have an idea of how to get in.

It doesn't hurt to try. I use my free arm to cleanse the area of residue sand in large heaps. Slowly but surely, progress is made, I'm starting to become short of breath. The oxygen in my bubble must be running out. So I swim back to the surface to get some fresh air.

After descending a second time, I soon spot a strange cylindrical tube. Swimming around it for careful examination, I realise it's actually open from the bottom. I dive inside and swim upwards through the tunnel, until I am suddenly greeted with air.

It seems that this is a dock of some sort. In some extremely faint lights, I can see tubs of presumably oxygen, tubes, and flippers. They must be what humans use to dive. So this place is actually a structure specifically designed for underwater. I'm surprised it hasn't been flooded. How many years has it been since we've seen humans in Evitern?

Grasping onto the ledge, I pull myself up. The floor is smooth and refined, a stark contrast from the nature. I try and roll around on the metal but it doesn't absorb much water at all. Despite the wetness making me physically uncomfortable, my curiosity keeps me going. Why does this place even have energy? I walk along the corridor and keep my attention on the small lights lined up along the wall.

The mild claustrophobia is alleviated instantly when I reach a large circular room with a brighter light at the top. There are displays of all sorts lined across the walls of the room, and many different buttons. But unlike the lights, they all seem to be powered off.

If I want to find out what this place is for, I'll have to turn it on. Scouring the walls carefully, I find a very large lever. Immediately, I pull it, and hear a multitude of strange windy sounds as the screens begin to light up one by one.

I sit back against the wall to patiently wait. I haven't been thinking much lately. I just simply do what I feel like I should. Like the series of events that led me here. I just felt like exploring this place, and I did. I just felt like pulling the lever, and I did. I idealised living in the wild like this, feeling free from all worries… but am I really still alive?

I close my eyes as memories resurface. Of carrying the Charmeleon through the air. Of a Fraxure holding me in her arms. Of a Trapinch flinging pebbles at me. Only when you leave the ones you take for granted, do you start to miss them.

But I had to. They knew I was a psychic. I couldn't just…

Enough.

I stand up and glance at the plethora of lights. Many of them have certain prompts about some settings or dates or something, that I dare not touch. But some simply show a grid full of numbers. Even if I didn't manage to study much after I left Lyrl, I know they're some sort of data.

Before I'm able to carefully read the labels, however, there's a sudden buzzing noise, and suddenly some red and blue spheres materialise in front of me, surprising enough to make me retreat and sit at the edge of the room.

An eerily familiar feeling creeps into me.

"Oh hello there! Thanks for turning on the power of this place! How are you?"

The memory of the tone was lost somewhere in the back of my mind. But it resurfaces once more. I know who it is. "Porygon…"

"Z! Flygon to you, too! You know, I worked a long time for some power plant in the desert that the Flygon occupied! I have to say, it is a surprise to see a Flygon in an underwater marine database collection centre. And you seemed to have dived in. You recognise my species as well. Impressive!"

"It's me," I murmur.

"It's you? What do you…" The sphere that represents his face closes in on me. I look away. "Nova?"

"Yes."

It all comes back to me. I remember its loneliness the time when I found it under Lyrl by accident, when I tried to find Hale down there. And I had promised to return to it. Then, Mum told me that we had to leave…

…

A flood of memories come back to me. The world that I had left behind… I miss it.

"Seems like you must have an affinity with stumbling upon technology, then," he says, in a much calmer tone.

"I guess."

"I thought you'd come back to see me, after our first meeting. Your response seemed to indicate so. Was I too boring?"

"No! …I was forced leave Lyrl."

"I see. You must have a knack for leaving people, then. But I suppose you can make your decisions. A lot must have changed to make you-"

"Wait." I look upwards, feeling insulted. "What do you mean I have a knack for leaving people?"

"They're at the Shallows. Phendrene, Vie, and Hale, right? I still remember from your mind. Oh, And some Salamence, a Haxorus… I supposed you left your mother, too? Or is she here with you?"

"She's dead," I spit, purposefully trying to sound harsh. "Don't talk about her. But what do you know about the others?"

"…They seem very worried that you're gone, Nova. I sensed them when I went to the Shallows through the network. Like this one, it wasn't strong enough to let me get too far from my power source, but I could still see and hear them. I didn't approach them, because-"

"How can they be worried? I'm a psychic."

"You WHAT?" His hologram shakes in surprise. "You're psychic? But… you're a Flygon!"

"Yes, well, see this?" I casually lift some cables up into the air and drop them back down.

"Woah, now that's new." Porygon closes in. "Mind telling me what happened?"

"…You don't mind?" I ask, confused.

"Why would I? I read your mind, remember?" it tilts its head in curiosity.

"Right. Well, they still do." I slump backwards.

"They don't! I saw them. They're so-"

"Stop it!" I shout. "Stop talking about them. I…"

"What happened?" Porygon-Z asks with curiosity. "Did your mother's death split-"

"It's nothing about that! I… I…" The face of the Flygon that has cared for me for months resurfaces into my mind. …

"So you found a mate. I see." The lack of emotion in his tone feels mocking.

"She's not my mate! And how do you know?" My eyes widen at a realisation. "Stop reading my mind!" I swing my arm at his hologram.

"Oh! Sorry, I thought you didn't mind-"

"I do now!" My Trapinch self was so stupid and idiotic. Who in the world would give all their emotions and inner thoughts to someone else? "What did you get from that?"

"Just your surface thoughts. But that's irrelevant. I know the love for one's mate can be overwhelming, but-"

"What do you know? You're a robot," I spit.

"Yes, but that only means I am impartial to these affairs. I still have great knowledge about how your kind will act in various situations, and the status you living beings grant the concept love. Your emotions at that moment certainly indicated infatuation with that female. …But if your claim is true, she's not your mate, why would you even stay with her? Do you love her?"

"I…" my voice drifts. Do I love her?

I haven't been thinking. Normally I'd have come to a conclusion by my thoughts, and I'd have known what to do. I haven't since I ran away. I didn't even know why I was running away. The feeling of being outcast by Lyrl? But why'd I leave my friends, then? Because I was psychic? And I thought they would hate me? Did that warrant leaving them for months? Without even telling them?

My breathing is starting to become heavier and more erratic. This is who I was. A Nova that was reflective and kept on questioning himself. Not one that does things before he thinks them through. It was like… I was in a trance.

"So, do you really love her?" Porygon-Z's voice sounds again. "Or do you love your friends? The ones you've been with your whole life?"

A strange feeling wells up within me. Vie, Hale, Phendrene, Rue, Spire… and then there's my half-brother and even my father. I miss them so much.

"What happened to you?" he suddenly asks. "I didn't think you would be one to run off and leave your friends. Something must have changed you."

"I… I don't know. But… you're right. I want to see them and hear them and…"

I can feel tears well up in my eyes, but I blink them away. Crying won't do anything.

"Well, aren't you a psychic?" Porygon suggests. "You can just teleport back! I'll meet you at the Shallows."

His cheerful tone doesn't fit my feelings at all. "You say it as if it's easy. I've never teleported before."

"Oh, I can help. I definitely have an article on this somewhere. Hold on." He does some bizarre shaking movements. "All right! You just need to concentrate on something you're very familiar with. Preferably a location, as teleporting to people requires more advanced psychic prowess. Distance is a minor issue, but only if you teleport multiple times. What else… Just concentrate on being at the Shallows," he suggests.

"But…" She'd be worried if I suddenly disappear. She has done nothing wrong. Everything is my fault. But I can't bear to live like this anymore.

I'm sorry.

"Okay." I push myself up from my sitting position. "I will try."

"Just close your eyes and think of a familiar setting. Imagine you are there."

So I do. The peaceful image of the Shallows' lake comes into mind. The rocks at the edge of it, and the deep abyss down under where the water must come from…

Suddenly there's a strange tugging sensation. I open my eyes in alarm but I don't see anything. My mind is a bit fuzzy and I suddenly feel an arid air surrounding me, which is immediately followed by a splash of water. It's a lot warmer than the sea.

My vision clears and I see can see a rocky wall that surrounds me. Looking above, I must have dropped into this place, because there are lots of ripples. Amongst which is a frantically swimming Dratini.

I did it. I teleported.

I swim upwards to the surface and grasp on to the rocky ledge to catch a breath. The sight of the nighttime desert greets me. The excitement wells up within me as I climb up.

"Hey!" The Dratini calls from behind me. "I was sleeping! Why'd you jump in?"

"Sorry!" I turn back and kneel down. "I, uh… didn't mean to. I kind of fell in by accident."

"Okay. Are you Nova? I think you are. Where did you go? Everyone is looking for you!" His tone doesn't seem worried at all. Just full of a child's naivety.

"Yes, I'm Nova. I'm back now. Now I have to go find Father. I'll come back tomorrow to tell you, okay?" I smile.

"All right! Good night!"

This wasn't as hard as I thought. I'm back. I'm actually back. Everything will be fine.

I take flight immediately towards the caverns. In fact, I can see a smoke rising up into the air. As I loop around the sky to descend upon the cluster of rocks, I can see that there is still someone lying at the fire. A Haxorus.

"Rue!" I shout and land in front of the fire.

Her face seems bored. "I told you, I'm not in the mood for battling."

"I'm not in the mood for battling, either!" I shout cheerily. "It's me!" I walk over to her and look down.

"What? It's you, big deal. I don't want to talk either, Hale. Why are you wet? Forget that, just leave me alone."

"I'm hurt that you can't recognise me," I say with a grin.

She turns her head to me. "What are you…" she stares at me for a few seconds, and pushes herself up. "…Nova?"

I offer a hand to her. "Hello."

She grasps onto my hand, and attempts to pull herself up but instead pulls me down with her.

"You're weak. That's Nova all right."

"Hey, don't be so mean," I say, pushing myself off of her. "So how have you guys been?"

"Terrible." She sits up and glares at me. "So you are Nova. That useless idiot Flygon. Who is apparently psychic."

"That's me," I answer, smiling at the typical Rue comments.

What I do not expect is her suddenly throwing her fist in my face, and I get thrown off and backward into the sand. Reflexively I hover and land, but my face still burns.

"What was that for!" I ask before I see the anger in her eyes, and lower myself onto the floor.

"Hah, you know what that was for!" She stands upright, still slightly taller than me. "Do you have any idea how worried I was? You just disappear for three months like that – and now you can just come back and talk as if nothing had happened? Where the fuck were you?"

"Don't talk to me like that!" I stare back at her and use telekinesis to push her back in the sand. "What do you know? You're not the one that had to be in the spotlight of all the Flygon and have them all think you betrayed them." I'm suddenly breathing very heavily, not wanting to talk to this Haxorus. "Where are the others?"

"Why should I tell you?" she says back. "Unless you're going to torture me with your psychic powers until I say so?"

"What?! I wouldn't do that!" I shout back. "So you all really think I'm a freak, huh? I should have stayed with her."

"…Her?" She repeats. Instantly, I realise my mistake. I shouldn't have said that. "Oh. So you've found a mate. Huh. Why am I not surprised."

"She's not my mate! She just hunted for me."

The Haxorus crosses her arms. "Yeah, well, what did you leave for? The free food? Because we provide that, you know."

"You… you all think I'm a freak." I clutch my face, still hurting somewhat, and turn away.

She forcefully grabs onto my arm to turn me around. "I only think so because you ran away in the first place. Who in their right mind would do that?"

"Fine. I wasn't in my right mind," I say and shake her arm off. "I'm going to find the others."

But I turn around, amidst the empty desert at night, I see a worried Charizard and her tail fire, standing with her arms reaching out tentatively.

"Nova?" The voice is familiar, but also different. If it were by sight alone, perhaps I wouldn't have recognized her, but…

"Phendrene…?"

She suddenly runs forward and crashes into me, pushing me violently onto the floor. Everything suddenly gets a lot warmer. Then I feel her arms grasp around me and her head pressed against my chest.

I gaze at her trembling wings and feel her arms wrapped tightly around me. I'm at a loss for words. "I… uh… you… evolved?"

"She evolved to find you, idiot," the Haxorus says from behind me. "She's been flying out to the mountains every day."

I stare at the Charizard in disbelief. Her touch, which I was so used to, now feels surreal after being gone for so long.

"So, why don't you tell her what you've been up to, when she was out trying to find you?"

I don't pay much attention to Rue with a Charizard on top of me. "You even listening?" the Haxorus says to me, but I ignore her purposefully. But then she takes a deep breath and shouts at the top of her lungs, "HEY EVERYONE! NOVA'S BACK!"

"Stop it!" I manage to say before realising it's useless. What was that for? I hate being the centre of attention. Especially with a crying Charizard on top of me.

"Phendrene… I'm sorry…"

She doesn't snivel as much, but still holds me extremely tightly.

"Nova?" I hear Blight's voice. "You're back! What happened?"

"Yeah, Nova, what happened?" Rue repeats in a snarky tone.

"I just-"

"Wait, Nova?" Hale. "We thought you might have…" He trails off.

On top of the crying Charizard, everyone calling me is making me frustrated. I look up into the sky and focus on the space there.

The tugging sensation is back and suddenly I materialise in the air, above all of them. This time, I have the foresight to levitate myself. "Stop calling me. It makes me uncomfortable."

"Did you just teleport?" Rue asks in disbelief. I ignore her.

But seeing Phendrene lying on the floor, in a mess and grasping onto nothing, I feel guilty instantly, and glide down next to them. "I'm back, okay? And I'm safe. I'm sorry for making everyone worry. What else do you want?" I direct at the Haxorus, who still doesn't seem impressed.

"You don't sound remotely apologetic," she states flatly.

"Rue, cut it out. Something must have happened," Hale defends me.

"Yeah, as if I'd just leave-" I'm cut off by a Charizard arm reaching onto mine and dragging me back onto the floor. "Phendrene!"

She whines something incomprehensible and pulls me closer.

"Look at you, a powerful Charizard attached to a weak Flygon," Rue sneers. "He left you for another female, and you still want him?"

"Another female?" Blight questions, his tone suddenly with a dash of… I don't want to think about it. "Nova, is that true?"

"No! I mean, there was one, but she just hunted for me; we're not the way Rue is making us sound like. We were just friends."

"Better friends than us, clearly," the Haxorus adds again.

"Nova, it's all right." Hale tries to reassure me. "We understand if you found a mate. What matters now is that you're safe. Vie would be- where is she?"

"No no no!" I sit up, leaving an arm in Phendrene's grasp. "She wasn't my mate! I only knew her for like a month!"

"Well, if you really say so," Hale says. "I'm glad that you're safe, though. If anyone here doesn't deserve to get hurt, it would be you."

"Thanks a lot," I say, but it doesn't sound genuine because I'm preoccupied with the Charizard's pull. "Phendrene, I'm not going anywhere, can you just let go?"

She shakes her head before putting it back against my arm.

"But where were you all this time?" Blight asks before I can say anything. "Did anyone hurt you?"

"I completely fine. Can you ask me everything next morning? I'm tired from all the teleporting."

"Oh… Okay. Do you want to sleep in a cave?" he asks.

"I'd like to go to mine."

"Yours?"

"My mother's. Which is mine."

"Phendrene took-"

"She's coming with me," I interrupt the Salamence, and eye the grumpy Haxorus. "Rue, I'm not in a good mood. If you bother me any more I'll bury you in the sand," I warn her as she was staring at me out of the corner of her eye. She doesn't respond, which is good, because I feel like I might have actually done it if she pushed me. "Phendrene, get up," I say finally. "I need to sleep."

"Are you hungry?" Blight asks. "I could go catch some-"

"I'm fine, thank you," I respond quickly, trying not to think of the other Flygon that fed me for months. "Just give me some time to rest."

"Where's Vie?" Hale asks. "Can you help me go find her? Spire, too, for that matter."

It's clear he's not talking to me so I simply ignore the comment and try to walk away. After dragging Phendrene along for a few seconds, she finally stands up, but refuses to let go, and I lead her along. Though, when I look back, I realise she's just as tall as me now. This is going to take some time to get used to.

"Look, I'm sorry for making you worried. But I'm fine. Stop fretting over me," I say to her as I walk into the familiar cave from long ago.

"But Nova…"

"No buts. I can handle myself. If I can stop that crazy Haxorus, what can't I do?" I look back to her and smile. "Did you really evolve for me, though?"

"Don't leave again," she murmurs, and holds me closer. "I can't…"

"It's all right, I won't, okay?" I say as I sit down inside the cave, lit up slightly by her tail. "You really can let go now." She is gripping my arm firmly.

"No." As if in a gesture of defiance, she shifts her tail so that it intertwines around mine.

"Fine, but I actually need to sleep."

"Okay."

"Are you going to sleep, too?"

"I'll stay with you."

I close my eyes and find it easy to relax, with Phendrene snuggling in next to me. I can't believe I was on the beach minutes ago. Now I'm back with the Charmeleon… I mean, Charizard warmth.

It does feel a lot better than the chill, admittedly. It can never be too warm.

Even though I enjoy her company, I have to admit that she's acting too clingy. It was fine before; she was still a child. But she's an adult now. Even if we have been through so much…

My memories flash back to the time Mum died. How she was there with me, and how we cried and cried and cried. And then came all the time in the forest, when she barely talked to anyone else. And finally, meeting her father and how I became their only confidant. She must have been devastated when I left.

How foolish I have been this whole time. Assuming my lifelong friends would hate me simply because I have psychic powers. I should have stayed. At least I'm back now.

But in my dreams, I am back in the snowy mountains, flying without a care in the world. Then I drift downwards and onto the beach. Suddenly, she reappears in front of me.

Why did you leave?

"I just wanted to see them!" I try and explain, but she has already gone. I try and catch up, flying as fast as I can, but she is always ahead of me, completely elusive. But just as I'm about to catch up to her, she flies behind a hill and is gone.

"Aya!" I shout, but instantly realise I'm only lying in my cave and staring into the ceiling.

"What's that?" Phendrene asks.

"Nothing," I answer quickly. "Phendrene, let go of me."

"Why? …" She has a look of sadness in her face.

"I'll be back really soon. I promise. Okay?" I shift into an upright position. "I need to check on something. Don't worry. I promise I'll be back."

"No…"

"Phendrene!" I try and tug my arm away but she's holding on it too strongly. "I'm sorry for leaving for so long, but I'm not your mother! You need to stop nagging me and be able to live by yourself."

I can't believe I just said that. Am I not the one that has to rely on other people for food?

"But…"

"You know what, forget it. I can teleport with you holding onto me, anyway." I close my eyes and concentrate on image of the sea.

"Don't!" she says quickly and wraps her other arm around my body. I ignore her grip and keep myself focused on the peaceful ocean, extending beyond the horizon…

And suddenly, the air becomes more humid, and there is air below me. I levitate myself instinctively to avoid crashing into anything.

But a splash below me tells me that someone else hasn't. I glance down immediately and see Phendrene struggling in the water.

With a swift swoop I dive down beneath the surface, get a firm grasp of her arm and tug her up. She's quite heavy, but I still manage to pull and hold her above the water with telekinesis.

Oh. So I can hold people again.

Now's not the time for mulling over that. I'll test it later. Instead, I quickly move Phendrene towards the beach and drop her on the sand.

She's shivering, and her tail is out, but that's expected. She's also looking at me with pleading eyes. What is she pleading for? I don't feel very guilty. Isn't it her fault that she insistently held onto me? I didn't even try and bring her with me.

"Stay here. I need to look for someone." With that, I take to the air with my wings, scouring the beach for any indication of that Flygon.

The beach simply stretches on without a single sign of her. It's just sand, rock, and water. I fly inland towards the forest. "Aya!" I shout into the air, but the wind carries it away without any response. "Please! Where are you?"

I need to find the place where we were yesterday. Closing my eyes to focus, I teleport back in the underwater marine research centre. Running back towards the dock, I dive down and resurface outside easily, heading towards the part of the beach where we ate together yesterday.

Two vague Flygon shapes are left in the sand.

…

For the first time in forever, I open up my connected consciousness, in a desperate attempt to find any trace of her. With it, many minds of smaller Pokémon appear, scattered inside the forest, but nothing like her…

I never could sense her mind, anyway. She must still be around. "Aya!" I shout again, and fly back into the sky. "I'm here!" I fly inland, into the forest, and back, out to the sea, but there's nothing, nothing…

She's gone.

When I regain control of my thoughts, I'm sitting on the beach, letting the waves lap softly against my lower body. Just like yesterday. I stare off into the horizon, where the sun is already high up into the sky, its brightness dissonant with my emotions.

Why did I act so rash in leaving? I could have spoken to Aya, maybe even brought her along with me. Not maybe. I knew she would have agreed. I should have never hidden my psychic powers. She would have accepted me for who I was, I know she would. But now, I've left her, just like how I had left the rest of them months ago. She doesn't deserve me.

I'm tired of all the strife I'm causing. Wouldn't it better if I never existed?

Ah, stop with the self-hate, Nova. Get back to the desert. You'll figure out a way to find her again.

But before I prepare teleport, I remember something. I brought a Charizard here with me.

"Phendrene!" I feel like an idiot, calling out names at nothing. I fly high up into the sky and glance along the beach. At least this time, I do find a speck of red in the distance.

She is lying on the sand with her eyes closed and her tail flame out. "Phendrene, latch on, I need to teleport you back." She doesn't respond. "Phendrene?" I place a hand on her body and it's somewhat cold.

I freeze. How could I not have realised this? I just dropped a Charizard into the water. Charizard, a creature of fire. Into water.

I can feel her still breathing very weakly. What should I do now? No one at the Shallows knows anything! Blight doesn't know how to heal a Charizard! There's no Silex, no Fen, no…

Wait. Fen.

I lie down next to Phendrene and hold her close, and focus on the image of the cliff. And suddenly yet again, my surroundings change and I'm outside Fen's door, lying over Phendrene's body.

My head starts to hurt, but I ignore it. "Fen!" I shout, and push the door open with my side. The familiar room full of human ornaments comes back into vision, but I turn my attention to Fen's figure, a larger Charizard than his daughter, coming out of his study.

"Oh hello, Nova. You're back. How-"

"Phendrene. She got dropped into water. She's outside. I can't carry her."

Upon hearing my short and breathless sentences, he goes silent and runs out immediately. When he carries her back into the room, I notice him staring at his daughter's face.

"She evolved."

"Yeah."

He seems taken aback at the comment. "We just need to keep her warm. There's not much else."

"Okay, then keep her warm. I need to tell the others; I'll be back."

He seems confused. "Are they not with you? What happened?"

"Later. Focus on helping Phendrene." I run out of the door and put my back against the cliff, lest he sees me. Then I close my eyes again and focus on the Shallows.

I wonder why I'm still hiding my psychic powers from people. It's probably because I would need to do too much explaining. That must be it.

My head in acute pain as I levitate myself down to the sand. Maybe I shouldn't have teleported so much. But that doesn't matter. I can't find Aya, and I just got Phendrene sick. I don't need a Haxorus screaming at me again.

But it is my fault. It is all my fault. Aya fed me and taught me for months and I just left her like that. Phendrene was so worried about me and I dropped her into water and left her to freeze on the beach. Why do I have to be the one cursed with this power? Why didn't it find someone more responsible, someone that wouldn't hurt others?

"Nova!" I hear a familiar voice. "Sorry I wasn't here yesterday! I was teaching Spire how to hunt, so he would- Are you okay?"

I turn my head and see the light-skinned Flygon next to me. "I feel horrible, Vie." Then I simply lose balance and wrap my arms around her, closing my eyes. She seems surprised for a moment before she returns the hug.

"It's okay. You're fine now." Her reassurance makes me feel a lot better.

But suddenly there's a loud voice from someone else that ruins it completely. "Hey, you!" Spire shouts. "Don't think that just because you've been missing for so long, I'll welcome you back. If you even try to read my mind again…"

Oh, right. That's another reason why I don't want people to know I am psychic.

"Spire! Let him be," Vie scolds him.

"He's tried to read my mind," Spire snarls.

"Enough," I say, and stand up, away from Vie's support. "I've only been reading your mind because you've clearly been keeping a huge secret from all of us. How dare you blame me for that?" I'm breathing faster again.

Vie places her hand on me. "Nova, calm-"

"I'm not calm. I'm simply using my powers to look out for my friends and you think you're in the right?" I glare at Spire. "What if that secret endangers all of us? Who do you think you are?! Just a random Salamence! And you won't even tell us about how exactly your parents died. Why should I trust you? And to think that you want to threaten me! Do you know what I can do to you if you want to insult me? You know nothing of what I've been through! …"

I'm just standing there, glaring at this idiotic Salamence, who has shrunk backwards at my words.

Then I sigh in relief as an overwhelming sense of dizziness envelops me. I feel my vision drifting out of focus and then I'm lying with my face in the soft sand. …It's warm and smells like home.