The wind flows smoothly by my side as the mountains below speed past. The last time I had been here, I was on a mission to find the Salamence Prince. In hindsight, it was a futile effort, considering he'd been living with me all along. But this time my attempt is definitely worthwhile, for I know for sure that he has escaped into the wilderness.

It has been over a week since Latias took me in. She has taken care of me diligently, and has been very helpful in honing my psychic abilities. Sometimes she can be quite stern and lectures me for certain behaviours. I always obey, even if I may not agree, because I feel that she knows more than me. After all, she is a living legend.

Every day, she has stayed with me and taught me, whether it be fighting techniques or simply knowledge. She was always attentive to my state, and whenever I began to tire she would suggest resting for a while. So despite the rigorous routine, I never felt too stressed. Instead, I am always overjoyed at the fact that I could learn more about my psychic powers, with a legendary no less.

It came to me as a small surprise this morning when she said that she would be busy. I understood where she was coming from, of course. As a legendary, she must have more matters to attend to than spending time with this lowly Flygon. So I told her that I would go out flying for the morning, and that I would come back for lunch. She reminded me to not show off my powers to strangers, nor to return to the cliff. Indeed, I was thinking of these things, the former more than the latter, but her reminder made me dispel the notion completely.

It is as I flew toward the mountains that I came up with the idea of searching for Spire. My past quest of searching for the Salamence Prince was still something I could do. I was sure Latias would be against it, but she didn't mention it, so I thought maybe I could still try it without her reprimanding me. Though I failed in taking custody of the eggs, I still would rather the last child be raised by those at the cliff rather than Spire himself. If he wanted to raise them, it should at least have been under the guidance of others.

I feel a pang of regret. If I had not acted upon my motives, the aforementioned situation would have likely occurred naturally. But still I believe the attempt was worth it, for I would have raised them better, especially if Latias would be here to guide me. As nice as the thought is, however, there is something slightly off about it. The image of Latias raising a Gible somehow just doesn't fit.

Ah, of course, it's a Latias I'm thinking of. She has no time for mundane tasks of taking care of children: such tasks should be relegated to more earthly creatures. She is already taking care of me, and that is only because we share our psychic power in this psychic-less land.

A dragon of a familiar blue hide with red wings beneath me takes my notice. I descend towards it, and see that it is lazing on the side of a hill, basking in the morning sun. As I feel its mind, I know it is not Spire, because it is female. Of course, what would be the chances that the first Salamence I meet be him? Time to get into my old routine.

I land softly on the ground, prompting the Salamence to look up, and open my mouth to utter the familiar phrase. "Do you know of the Half-Blood Prince?"

"Oh, it's you," she answers casually. "You're the psychic, aren't you? It's been a while since people have seen you, you know."

I'm taken aback. How do I respond to this? She isn't thinking about the idea of the prince at all. And in hindsight, it's a rather pointless question to ask, since I already know who the prince is. My purpose now is to locate him.

"I just want to find the prince," I tell her simply. "Do you know where he is?"

"You've asked me that twice already, Flygon," she says with a grin. "Why'd you come from the west today? I remember you were from the east side."

She is getting a little too friendly and off-topic for my comfort, and since it is clear that she has no information, I turn around and prepare to take flight.

"Wait!" she shouts and crawls over. I turn to see her pawing at my tail, which I swing away swiftly. "Do you really have to leave every time like that? Is the prince all that matters to you?"

"What do you want?" I ask impatiently and step back.

She pauses for a moment. "I don't know, you've been in and out of Salamence territory for a while, and we get curious. What is it with your obsession with the prince? And how come you're psychic?"

Feeling her genuine interest, I almost want to answer, but stop myself. She is a stranger, Nova! I can't just blurt out all the sensitive information that I know. "That is none of your concern," I force myself to say flatly.

"…I see," she says after a brief pause. "I thought a psychic would be more empathetic." She looks away, almost as if she is upset. "I hope you're not this cold to your family and friends, if you have them."

Her sudden accusation hits too close to home, and I yell in return. "What right do you have to say that? You know nothing about me!"

But she doesn't back down, like I expected her to. "So I suppose someone of your calibre has no attention to spare for us commoners. Only the prince is worth your attention." Her voice is bitter now, but it only makes me feel more resentment too, and so I simply turn around and leap into the air, flying high and away. But as I think about her words, it only makes my mood worse.

Am I cold, really? Maybe to her I was, but we are strangers to each other. There is no obligation of me to tell her anything. But perhaps to her, after having seen me a few times, I was this enigmatic and powerful figure that she had initially grown fond of, despite not knowing me.

But what stings the most is her comment about my family and friends. I have been happy with Latias recently. For a random Salamence to bring these memories back in such a harsh way…

I give up on interacting with any others and simply observe them from afar to see if they have anything interesting on their minds. The vast majority are worrying about trivial daily activities such as hunting and battling, or thoughts about their mate or children. Sometimes there are individuals who worry about other things, such as the Garchomp's aggression on the eastern front, or the non-dragons' involvement in the royal court, but they are few and far in between. There is this Bagon who is wondering about the psychic Flygon, but his one is truly of pure wonder, almost as if I am a Legendary Pokémon. I can't help but feel happy at the thought. If only I were actually one.

The search is rather fruitless, perhaps because the overly friendly female Salamence made me too cautious to approach anyone else. I speed back towards the west and out of Salamence territory, returning to a more temperate region that is far from the dragons. The short excursion brought back quite a bit of stress, which I had been relieved from during my time with Latias. I want to discuss with her about what happened, but I'm a little afraid that she will scold me for interacting with Salamence. Ah, but she can read my mind anyway. I value her insight more.

She is absent from the cave when I return. A little tired from the high-speed flying, I lie down and rest on the comfortable bed. At this point, there is no hesitance or embarrassment from the fact that we share a bed. I do wonder, though, why she takes up the inside. As the more powerful mentor (and protector, even), I would think that she sleeps on the outside. Ah, why are you getting fussy with such minor details, Nova? I lie there and let myself relax. But as my mind turns to blank, I only begin to notice the details of the bed even more. The sheets have an intricate pattern of white with another colour: red on the inside, and blue on the outside. The red-white immediately puts an image of Latias in my mind, but the blue… where would the blue be from?

"You're back!" Latias' voice sounds behind me, and I turn my head around to see her levitating over. "I just got lunch. Let's eat!"

I give a nod and stand up, heading towards the main area where we dine.

"You seem a little stressed," she comments as she nears me. "What's wrong? Where did you go?"

I know that she will disapprove, but I feel compelled to tell her the truth anyway. "I went to the Salamence area. I tried to find Spire, because… because you didn't disallow me to do that," I confess and look down. "Sorry."

"There's no need to apologize," Latias answers swiftly with a comforting pat. "And I know why you wanted to find him." She places a paw on my side. "But you must understand that your attachment to this issue is unhealthy."

"But how?" I ask, looking back up to her. "At first it was a promise to the King. And now I just want to find Vie's child again, and bring him back to the cliff."

She sighs. "Take a seat, first," she motions to one of the small stools, and I obey. "It was just a few days ago when you still harboured much ill will towards the ones that remain at the cliff. Nothing about them has changed since then, but somehow your opinion has. Right?"

I give her a nod.

"You see, as individuals, our emotions can cloud our judgement. Normally, one would go through life experiencing these instinctive emotions, and let them decide their actions." She pauses for a moment, letting me digest her words. "But you, Nova, cannot be driven by instinct as most do. Someone of your power must exercise care in every action you take, every decision you make, for they have much more severe repercussions. So long as you are acting on impulse, I will discourage it."

I stare at the floor in silence as her words reverberate in my mind. She is right, again; my actions do matter more than most, and that is a good reason to have to control my impulses.

"Here, don't let me stop you from eating," she says as she hands me a piece of meat. I nod gratefully and take it to my mouth.

But thinking back to her words, I don't know if my actions are really based on impulse. "How am I being impulsive, exactly, in trying to find the Gible? I believe it is rational that Spire would not make a good parent."

"Ah, but your perspective is limited. Some believe there is an inherent right for parents to have their children, even if they are not the most competent. For instance, your very own father believes this. Unless you have the power to override other people – which you do not, for your father – you must take their thoughts into account. Perhaps you think you are doing them a favour, but they don't sense your good intentions. I have experienced this myself, too."

As I chew on the piece of meat, I think carefully of her words and find myself agreeing. But with her last line my attention moves from myself to her. "You've experienced it too? When?"

She pauses abruptly in her eating. "It's a rather complicated issue," she says. "I'll tell you later." I understand that she doesn't want to talk, and leave it at that.

We finish eating soon and she once more heads off, busy with something. I know to stay put this time, and instead fly around the surrounding terrain I had gotten familiar with over the past week. Some distance to the west, in the direction away from the dragon settlements, is a freshwater lake larger than that of the Shallows. Swimming has been a rather refreshing pastime – the cool water feels cleansing on my body, and I am actually able to see some other aquatic creatures around me. They have been rather few and far between in the sea, but here I see many different species I have never even heard of. Of course, I keep my distance as to not disturb the natural habitat.

When I first discovered this place, I had the urge to teleport back and bring Fly here. After all, he had absolutely nothing to do with all the drama that happened, and though I brought him to the sea quite a few times, it still must be frustrating to be confined in such a narrow stream. Yet when I sought Latias for advice, she advised me against it, for this would involve my father. Reluctantly, I agreed, but still I wonder about my half-brother and how he's faring.

I can only wonder what it will be like when he finally evolves. We will be able to fly together! Just thinking of the prospect makes my heart rise.

Nova! Latias's telepathy interrupts my swimming session. I'm done early. Do you mind if I teleport over?

Sure, I send back, and within a moment Latias appears before me. She has an expression of surprise and coughs violently before disappearing, and only with the rising bubbles do I realize that I forgot to warn her that I was underwater.

I zip up to the surface and see Latias coughing on the shore. "I'm so sorry, Latias! I forgot I was in water… I'm really, really sorry!"

"It's all right," she says between coughs. "Just… be careful next time," she says slowly, and I feel even guiltier, and simply sit beside her in silence.

I have to admit, though, it is this type of thing that makes Latias more approachable. Seeing her have a mortal aspect makes me worship her less and treat her as a friend more. For some of the past few nights, she had asked for hugs as well, and of course I would give her that, but it served to remind me that she, too, has these desires.

"Okay, I'm fine now," she says eventually with heavy breaths. "I didn't expect you to be swimming, that's all."

I just nod in silence.

"So," she continues, "I was thinking of something different to practice today. Instead of exercising your psychic powers, I want it to be physical attacks."

I am taken aback at the sudden suggestion, a far cry of what we have been doing before. "But I'm terrible with physical strength!"

Latias shakes her head. "I would say that you are above average amongst Flygon for even physical power. You did manage to utilize your claws in that fight for the eggs, did you not? And the method you attack with is more important than simple physical strength. Your manoeuvrability only augments the viability of physical attacks."

"Okay," I answer with a nod. "But aren't my psychic powers more important?"

"They are, but that doesn't mean you should neglect your other attributes. I'll be honest: Flygon are not naturally strong," she explains. "Other dragons, like Salamence, Garchomp, and Dragonite, are all more powerful. Your gift as a psychic helps to overcome this weakness significantly. But this doesn't mean they are useless: you still have talons, do you not? And your size is larger than that of most Pokémon, which means you can overpower them through simple bodily strength. Though your psychic power is sufficient for most battles, it never hurts to have more options."

I fiddle with my claws, not really happy at the prospect of needing to practice physical moves. Instead, my mind focuses on something else she said. "If those species are stronger than Flygon? What about Charizard? Or Haxorus?"

"Charizard have a weaker affinity to the iconic dragon attacks than the rest of you. But their fire is strong, and overall they are at a similar power level to Flygon. Haxorus have immense physical strength, and their tusks are lethal, but their inability to fly greatly hampers combat with the other dragons. Now, do you have any more questions? Or shall we start practicing?"

"I guess we can start," I answer, glad at her explanation, but still not really willing to fight. "I don't want to attack you, though…"

Her face lights up. "Ah, that you will not need to worry about. For now, I just want you to build up some strength in your limbs. Your stamina is already very good from your frequent flights: you just need raw power. And to build that, push against me." She raises her arms, leaving me slightly dumbfounded.

"Um, okay." It sounds like a strange task, but I obey, raising my hands to match hers, and begin pushing forward.

She shifts backwards ever so slightly, but it requires me a great amount of strength. "That's it. Continue pushing!"

I can tell that she is using her psychic power to make herself harder to move, because Latias doesn't look that heavy. Though I find this task quite boring and tiring, I voice no complaints. If Latias deemed it an important skill, I will do as I am told.

It's not too long before I am panting, and Latias calls for a break before lecturing more about the power of dragons. For instance, though Flygon and Garchomp can fly, they have weaker air-power compared to that of Charizard, Salamence, and Dragonite. Then, she hunts some more food for dinner, and then makes me push her some more after. It feels like an awkward position, but if the alternative is to get into a physical brawl with her, I'd much rather be doing this. She does note, to my delight, that one position is not sufficient, and later makes me carry some heavy rocks, which though is still tiring, feels much more natural.

By sundown, my arms are quite sore, and I lay down onto the bed early. Latias is at a table, reading a book in some artificial light, which she does quite often. She told me that it is the humans' way of studying and learning. She even recommended me a book about different Pokémon types and how to battle accordingly, and though the topic is interesting, I haven't really had the patience to read it.

My gaze turns back to the bed beneath me. Though long since having been used to the colouration of the sheets, it still very much stands out. Latias's red-white matches the red-white sheets which she sleeps upon. But the blue-white side does not fit me at all, since a Flygon is primarily green. It must have been meant for someone else…

Suddenly, my mind clicks. Of course! Latias is the female counterpart of Latios, who looks blue and white. This side of the bed must have been meant for a Latios.

But where is he?

My gaze turns to Latias. She is still focused on the book. Though she can read my mind, I find that she rarely does it, like her being unaware of my mental state right now. But the more I stare at her the more I want to ask her of Latios, the image of the pair etched into my mind.

"Hey, Latias?" I call hesitantly.

"What is it?" she raises her head from the book nonchalantly.

I take a deep breath. "I was just wondering… if you're a Latias… where is your Latios?"

She stares at me for a few more seconds in silence, before placing her book down. With a wave of her arm, the light turns off. "They are just the male counterpart of my species, Nova," she says as she levitates over and onto her side of the bed, facing away. "There is no such thing as my Latios."

Her voice is noticeably of a different tone from her usual. It is something more cold, more distant. I feel like she may be hiding something, but that only makes me more curious. "But then, why is this side of the bed coloured blue? A Latios had lived on this bed before, right?"

She lies still, continuing to face the wall. I begin to wonder if she heard me before she answers, "He's been gone for a long time."

Her voice is barely a whisper, and there's a tone of sadness in her voice I haven't heard from her before. I begin to feel guilty for pressuring her. "I know that as a legendary, you might not want to show emotion. But it's okay," I say and put my arm around her, at which she flinches. "If you want to tell me, I'll be here for you, Latias. Just like you have been for me."

She doesn't answer, but takes hold of my arm and holds it tight against her chest. She is even trembling slightly. But she has no more words about it, and with understanding, I keep my silence.

And so I lie there, with Latias grasping my arm tightly, wondering about this Latios. But other than the fact that they are a pair, I know nothing else. What was their relationship with each other? Friends? Siblings? Mates? I would assume the last possibility, given that they slept on the same bed… but I've slept with Phendrene, too, and if anything our relationship is closer to that of siblings.

After a while, I hear Latias's breathing calm down and her grip loosen, indicating that she had fallen asleep. Most days I am tired enough to not care, but today, after her little emotional display, I feel more awake and alert. Latias is really just another living creature. I would have never imagined her to have this side on the first day I met her, but I was wrong. Of course Legendary Pokémon have emotions, too.

Feeling restless, I slowly remove my arm from her and stand up carefully before teleporting myself outside. This is the first time that I am sure that I am without Latias's surveillance since my wayside trip to the desert more than a week ago. And so, perhaps driven by memory, I begin flying there.

Why am I feeling restless, I wonder? With the revelation, I begin to feel a strange sense of relaxation. Prior to this, I had Latias on a firm and irremovable pedestal. I felt compelled to listen to her for everything and follow her orders unquestionably. Now that I realize she is really just another living creature like the rest of us, it somehow gives me a freedom to do things she hadn't let me before.

Of course, I'm not returning to the cliff. That is one emotional wound that I still need more time to recover from. Every time I think of my father, my mind recoils in disgust at how he would fight his very own son and use my kindness as leverage to come back into the fight. The Haxorus, too, brings a condescending image where she admonishes me like I'm some sort of irrational child. Even Phendrene's clinginess is somewhat unpleasant. Once again, the only person I have no negative opinions of is my brother. I hope he's doing well without my trips to the sea.

An air current distracts me from my thoughts and brings me back into reality. What should I do? Something that Latias didn't let me? I certainly cannot show off my powers to anyone, nor try to search for Spire. Not at this hour. As I speed ahead toward the desert, my mind turns to something that I've not thought about for a while. The Deadlands.

I remember my conversation with her about it. My intuition tells me that Latias knows something about it, but she steered the conversation away. Though she had been vague and deflected various topics, such as regarding her Latios, this one did not seem personal and I can't see why she would be retentive about it. And of course, that only makes me more curious.

The moon shines dimly down from above. The night view of the desert really is something special. The normally drab yellow mass of sand has a light blue hue, and the cool wind soothes me as it breezes past my body. I look back towards the hills. Yes, this is where I crossed into the desert that morning, so I must be en route to the Deadlands. Thinking of the ominous name, a shiver runs down my spine, but I dismiss the paranoia – Latias said I was safe from it, didn't she? She wouldn't lie to me about that. So with a burning curiosity, I speed ahead into the desert.

Being alone after spending so much time with Latias, however, makes me feel particularly self-conscious. This was like something else I've experienced before – the night when I left her. My heart feels a painful sting, but I keep myself composed. This is completely different. I'm not particularly missing the people back at the cliff, so I won't teleport back impulsively. Latias can contact me telepathically anyway. I'm just curious about the Deadlands.

It takes a while for me to realize that I should not trace the same path, since I had found nothing the first time through. Veering off to the right, I hope someone may appear to enlighten me of the situation. It's a while before I find a Skarmory in the distance.

I've known of these silver birds for a long time, but have never found one. Mum once warned me that they are among the most resistant prey, and thus not really worth the effort. Perhaps it will react aversely to me, but I still should try making contact with it, especially considering it's the first living thing I've saw in the Deadlands thus far.

But when I approach it from below, I sense something is amiss. It is airborne, but its wings are not moving. As I finally rise up in front of it, I realize it is floating in a stationary point. And it doesn't react to me at all, nor can I sense an active mind.

I place a paw warily on its body, and can still feel warmth beneath the steel armour. It's still alive! But its eyes don't show any sign of struggle or distress. It is almost as if it is flying normally… except for the fact that it is frozen in time.

A jolt of realization runs through me. Once upon a time there was a situation where everyone else was frozen in time, too, and I was the only one free to move around. I thought it affected the whole world, but no, apparently it only affects a certain region. Did she cause this one, too?

Turning around and searching the area frantically, I manage to find more creatures. Further north, a Gliscor, moving his wings very, very slowly. Further south, a Flygon clutching a slash wound at her waist, seemingly escaping from something. I estimate the direction she came from and as I get closer, I begin seeing still frames of many, many more dragons, even those of different species. A Salamence breathing a flame at a Dragonite, who leaps to the side. A Charizard holding another seemingly dead one in her arms, at a loss of what to do. A Garchomp swatting his tail against a blue bird with white fluffy wings, which I recall to be Altaria, even if I had never seen them before. The Altaria has her head stretched up, almost as if she is singing. There is a violent confrontation, with injured and dead dragons all around… But the scene is a still frame of a single point in time.

She caused this. It has to be her. That's why Latias didn't want to tell me, because it would bring back unwanted memories. This piece of land and those who were unfortunate to be here when she froze it, are preserved from who knows which century. If the elder is to be believed, the Flygon I knew as Silex is actually from an era long ago.

I land onto the ground, but usually soft sand feels strangely unrelenting. Is it my duty to revert this, like I had done with the last? These Pokémon aren't related to me, but does that mean I can leave them here? How would these dragons feel in the wake? To them, not an instance has passed, and surely they will continue this bloody fight. And when it is done, they'll find that the outside world has long since changed, their friends and family having disappeared. Do I have the right? Would it be better to leave them here?

I feel doubt building up within myself. Latias was right. The fact that I have the power to change things of this magnitude gives me grave responsibility. Here I am, in charge of the fates of who knows how many stuck in this dead land.

I perk up at the thought. I need to investigate more, to see just how many there are trapped here. Returning to Gliscor, I find him still flapping his wings slowly. From that, I realize that time hasn't stopped, but has merely slowed down, with its effect more concentrated at the centre. Returning to the fight and spiralling out gradually, I encounter more frozen dragons and other creatures native to the desert. Flygon, the species whose criterion satisfies both, is undoubtedly more common, though I never recognize them.

That is, until I get far out enough, and there is one with particularly light skin, his wings moving extremely slowly like the Gliscor. I almost think it is an illusion before I speed to in front of him and see that it really is Hale. I never heard from him after his sudden violence, and I hoped it was that he found other Flygon in the desert and settled down. Little did I know that he flew into this place and became trapped, too. As I fly in front of him, and gaze at his contorted, grief-stricken face, I realize that he must be still mourning over Vie. But he is lucky; he only spent months in here. The others? Centuries have passed for them.

And now, Hale's fate is mine to command, too. My mixed feelings for him only make this burden weigh heavier on my shoulders, and I feel as if I am about to collapse on the spot.

Oh Latias, what should I do?

Nova? What's wrong? Where are you?

My heart skips a beat and I realize I had actually called out to her. Sorry, Latias… I went to investigate the Deadlands, and I…

A period of silence follows before the red-white dragon materializes in front of me yet again. "I had the feeling you would try to figure it out, but I didn't think you would do it tonight."

"I-I'm sorry," I say and lean into her.

"There's no need to apologize," she answers calmly, her tone returning to that of a mature and caring veteran, as if her prior emotional episode had never existed. "I hope you can see why I didn't tell you about it now. The Flygon whom you know as Silex did indeed cause this more than hundreds of years ago."

I stay silent as she confirms my suspicions. Taking a look over to Hale, I find his eyes has somehow moved toward me, but his body has not had the time to react. The slow motion of him is almost comical, but I can't bring myself to laugh at it. "But Latias… I have the power to fix this. You know, right? When Silex did it to my friends?"

"Nova." She holds me firmly and stares at me straight in the eye. "Just because you can fix this doesn't mean you need to. Look at him. He's in a place where he'll never bother Vie's children. Shouldn't you be happy?"

Latias's words take me by surprise. No matter how much animosity I had with Hale, I would never wish this fate upon him. "No, how could I? If anything, I'm going to rescue him. I have to."

I close my eyes and begin to focus, but she pulls me out of it with a jerk. "Nova! You're being impulsive again! You can't act on emotion like this. You have to think through the repercussions. It was easy when your friends were only frozen for a few minutes, but now? How will these people react? The ones at the centre will continue to fight and kill each other, and afterwards the survivors will find that they're in a foreign world. Are you sure it's for the best?"

"Then what should I do? Leave Hale here until he finally ventures out a million years later?" I lash back, before I feel regret for doing so. I just shouted at Latias. And she's only trying to help me.

If Latias feels offended, she doesn't show it. "Take some time to think it through; one day won't make a difference. Come, let us go back to sleep." She offers a hand. Feeling emotionally weak, I take her hand, and feel myself back in the cave.

"Lie down and go to sleep. I will help you through this. Everything will be okay in the morning." She leads me onto the bed and pulls me into a comforting embrace. I try and hold myself close to her and take solace in her care. But no, I can't sleep at all. My mind is buzzing with the newfound situation as I wonder about all the revelations.

Oh, Silex… I thought I'd never see a trace of you again, but here I am, witnessing your handiwork from centuries ago. And here I was, just thinking you were some old Flygon. It turns out that you just have a much longer lifespan than the rest of us. But why? Is it because… you're psychic?

A shiver runs down my spine as I pull in closer to Latias. If Silex can live for centuries…

What about me?