Sylvia the Noivern spreads her arms wide as she glides down and disappears into a structure. I hover above for a moment, wanting to take a look at where we are heading. In the moonlight, there is a small clearing enclosed by wooden walls in a rectangular shape. As my feet touch the ground, the soft dirt makes way and sinks.

"This is my home." She turns around and gestures to the wall opposite of us, where I can spot a door and a small window. That wall is the only one that has any depth with a slanted roof, no doubt housing a room that she stays in. "Careful – don't step on my plants," she continues. It is only then I spot the rows of berry plants along the soil.

I walk along between two rows and stand beside her. "Did you plant this garden by yourself?" I ask as I scan over the wide variety of plants. Though there are no fruit on the vines, I can tell that they are in good condition.

"Of course. Berries are not only nutritious, but also useful in combat. Besides, it fosters a lovely atmosphere." She beams as she raises her arms. "You should see the flowers in full bloom! It's a beautiful sight." She suddenly stops herself and puts her paw over her mouth. "Sorry, I got carried away. Shall we head inside, then?"

"It's all right. Sure." In fact, I feel a little disappointed that she stopped her speech. It was the first look of genuine enthusiasm she has had on her face since the calm but theatrical display of battle.

The air is chilly so I don't hesitate in following her inside. As I feel the dirt replaced by wood beneath my feet, I note that the quaint room is more spacious than it looks from the outside. There are tables, chairs, shelves, and a small window that overlooks the garden. A small, electric-based lamp emits a glow from a desk in the corner, illuminating the room in a dim orange.

Closing the door behind me, I place the bag of wine down onto the wooden floor. "This is a nice room you have here."

"Thank you," she answers and sits down on a chair, keeping her arms down flat against her sides. "I built it myself."

I take the seat opposite to her and mimic her posture, even though it would be more natural to put my arms on the table. "Really? How did you manage to get all the wood and put it together?"

"You'd be surprised how sharp slashes of air can get once they are trained," Sylvia says with a chuckle and brings one of her arms onto the table, her wing covering the entire corner.

"It's just really impressive that you can build your own home like this," I say again, taking a good look around. The seams in the wood are barely notable and the walls are smoother than any other I've seen. I turn my head upwards and note that the room is very high, almost high as the wall. Above me are a various assortment of shelves and even what looks like another platform, though I cannot make it out clearly in the dim light.

"I had help from a few others, of course," she explains, bringing her paw next to her mouth to hide a small chuckle. "I'm not exactly an architect. My speciality is in defeating other Pokémon in a fair fight, which you can attest to."

I catch myself staring at her smile and move my gaze down a bit. "Right, about that – how did you come to be so strong?" I ask, remembering what we agreed on.

"Ah, the arrangement." There is touch of disappointment in her voice, and I look down, wondering if I've said the wrong thing. "…Maybe we should open some of the wine. After all, we've worked for hard it." Sylvia stands up and grabs a bottle of wine and places it on the table. She unsheathes a claw and sticks it into the cork before it comes off with a loud pop.

Before I can say anything, she grabs the bottle with both of her paws with difficulty, if they could even be called paws with the wings restricting their movement. She seems completely accustomed to it, though, and brings the bottle up to her mouth and takes a small gulp with a satisfied sigh. "It's been a while since I got to drink," she mutters and looks down to me. "Are you going to just sit there?"

"Oh, um… I've never drank anything alcoholic before," I explain as I fiddle my paws.

"Huh?" She sits back down onto her chair, making an effort to stretch her wings. "You mean to tell me that you were fighting without intention of drinking the prize? What a waste!"

I stare at the bottle, trying to think of an answer. "My friend seemed to want it really badly, and… I also wanted the opportunity to talk to you."

"The opportunity to talk? Not the opportunity to fight?" She pauses, as if thinking about something, and leans forward. "What about me piqued such interest from you, if I may ask?"

I focus my gaze even harder on the bottle of wine, wondering what I should say. Maybe it would be easier if I made myself drink some of this stuff.

"Your meteor attack against Blight. Sorry, the Salamence. It's… It's a very rare attack," ends up being my justification.

"Indeed. But how would you know?" Sylvia's question is filled with curiosity. "You're just a wild Flygon, according to yourself. So you shouldn't have seen it before."

I wonder how to justify myself before she chugs more wine. I'm a bit taken aback at her forwardness, a far cry of the neatly presented Noivern on the battlefield. "You seem to like that wine a lot."

"Hey Nova, don't dodge the question," Sylvia continues, rubbing her mane with her paw. "You know about Draco Meteor. Seen it, even. A truly wild 'mon would have no idea about it."

I stare at her grin before what she says settles in. "Wait, are you saying that… you're not a wild Pokémon?"

Sylvia gives a hearty chuckle, and puts the wine bottle down. "No, I am not wild. I'm not trying to hide anything, like you are. How else did you think I managed to battle like that? It was all thanks to my trainer."

Sylvia lets the words out so nonchalantly that I am unsure how to react. I recall how, in the distant past, I looked up to humans with wonder and awe. Eventually, I grew up and had other things to worry about. After all, everyone I had met in my life knew as much about humans as I did.

"You… you're not joking, are you?"

"Are you saying I'm a liar?" Sylvia answers with a frown. "If that's the case, maybe I should stop there," she huffs and crosses her arms.

"Wait, no, I believe you," I justify quickly, as I intended no offense. "It's just that humans… I didn't even know for sure there were humans out there."

"Now that's beyond under-informed. Just how little do you island dwellers know?" She shakes her head and scratches her forehead. "Human society is functioning just fine outside the Evitern Nature Reserve. This place is awfully primitive compared to all the tools and technology available to me out there."

"Like lamps? And wine?" I ask, stealing a glance at the lamp to the side. "Also, we're at… what? A reserve?"

Sylvia chuckles again before she answers with her paws together on the table. "We're at a Nature Reserve. This island was deemed as one of the last havens for wild Pokémon by the International League, and so no humans came here even after the radioactive hazards stopped posing a threat. As for the technology, there are way more impressive things than that puny lamp!" She raises her wing towards the light enthusiastically. "I only brought it over because it's charge-able by Electric Pokémon. Back in Kalos, I even had a gift from my trainer, a tablet that I could search for information and watch videos on!" She pauses for a moment and looks to me for a frown. "You don't even know what a video is, do you?"

"I know, I know," I deflect the question, having heard the basics from Zeta. "But enough about that for now. What about your life? How did you end up with a trainer? Was he a good trainer? Where is he now?"

"Woah, woah." The Noivern extends one of her paws out as a gesture for me to slow down. "First of all, my trainer was a 'she'. And yes, I would call her a good trainer, given she led our team to victory in the Kalos championship twice."

"Kalos… championship?" Judging by the title and her smirk, it seems like no small accomplishment. "You mean to say you were the best Pokémon in Kalos twice?"

She sighs and shakes her head. "You really are a wild Pokémon, aren't you? It's not just me, it's my team that won. Trainer included. It happens annually, so I guess you could say we were the best team for two years. Though there's a lot of luck involved, if I have to say." Sylvia stretches her wings as she looks away, trying to think of the best way to describe it. "Actually, the team was different for the two times, Jasper got subbed for Hazel… Anyways!" Her sudden exclamation is accompanied with her leaping off of the bed and leaning over the table. "I've explained how I'm so strong. Now's your turn to tell me if you're really a Mew or not."

Her expectant gaze in my face completely disrupts my musings about her previous description. "I told you, I'm not a Mew," I decide to say first. "I'm just a Flygon. I don't know where my powers come from, they just… manifested."

"You're not telling me everything!" She wobbles as she leans across half the table, balanced precariously on her hind legs which she had somehow got up to the chair. "What about the meteor attack, then? How have you seen it before?"

Sylvia's direct question makes it impossible for me to repress that memory. The memory of that Flygon who was just an illusion. The thought makes me feel a small pang, as I look down. "Sorry, Sylvia. It's just… something difficult to think about."

"Then drink," she answers in a less boisterous tone as she reaches for the bottle and slides it toward my paw. "I've been watching you. You've had your elbows glued to your sides this entire time." Hearing her say that makes me move my arms up to the table, but she only sighs. "It makes things easier. Trust me, Nova."

I look up into her wistful eyes, and in that moment, I become conscious of the various things that Sylvia must feel as well. She also must have things as painful as mine that have been left unsaid. Otherwise, why would a world class battler be on this remote island?

"All right," I concede, and reach forward to grab the alcohol. Bringing the bottle up to my nose, I give it a sniff, and find the smell too pungent. But I know it is safe to drink, given Sylvia already has it in her stomach. Raising the bottom with my paw, I raise the bottle enough just to taste a sip. The pungency is unpleasant, but the sweetness is not unlike that of berries…

"You can't just take one sip! Come on, Nova." She makes a demonstrating motion with her arm. "You gotta raise it higher!"

I obey and raise the bottle high as the liquid pours into me. Before I know it, I've swallowed one large mouthful of wine, barely tasting it as it flows down my stomach with a disorienting surge of warmth. Alarmed at the new feeling, I put the bottle down and put my paw to my abdomen. "Ugh…"

"Don't worry, it's natural." Sylvia has walked around the table and puts her paw over mine. "You'll get used to it soon enough." I look up and feel the feeling course through my body as she pants softly. "Why don't you lie down for a bit? My bed is up there," she says and points to the platform above us.

Trying to keep my composure despite the fire in my stomach, I stand up before levitating myself upward. The top of the ledge comes into view, a small space with a desk and a large bed, the latter covered with a blanket that looks far more puffy than Fen's. I let myself relax and fall onto it, noting it's amazing softness compared to any other bed I've felt before.

I feel a weight beside me as I feel a wing slide against mine as Sylvia pats lightly on my back. "Sorry, I shouldn't have made you drink."

"Yeah, I think that's enough for today." I flip onto my side as the sensation remains in my stomach. "I'm not sure why anyone would want to drink this."

"It's not for the taste but for social purposes." Sylvia gazes down at my face as she sits at the edge of the bed, her expression softer than before. "It makes it easier to talk about things that people wouldn't otherwise say."

"I'll just tell you without drinking, then," I offer as I reach my paw down to my stomach, caressing it in an attempt to ease the feeling. The light fainter up here, making me feel a bit more drowsy.

"That's fair. So, how come you know about Draco Meteor if you're just a wildling?"

"I've seen it used before, of course."

"By whom?"

"By a Latias." With that revelation, I push myself upright, the burning sensation finally becoming bearable.

With a small jump, she brings her legs onto the bed properly, so that her tail is the only thing that hangs off the edge. "Now we're getting somewhere," she says with a giddy wag of her tail. "How did you meet a Latias out here? Are your psychic powers connected to her?"

"No! I don't think so?" I find myself unsure as I force myself to recall her motivations. "The few interactions I had with her seemed to indicate that she sought me out because I had these powers, and not the other way around." I pause, not wanting to think about her too much, and notice Sylvia's intent face as she sits facing me, tail swishing. "I-I mean, I really don't know. My friend did some research and he's pretty sure Latias can't grant psychic powers. You should know, right?"

"True," Sylvia answers. "But from what I know, if in battle I ever face a Flygon who can read my mind, that Flygon is either a Mew, Ditto, or Zoroark. And since you couldn't be any of the latter, you had to be a Mew. I still can't be sure you aren't a Mew, even now."

"But I-"

She raises her arm to silence me. "No, you don't need to explain it again. I'm just saying, either you're insistent on hiding your Mew identity, or there's something that is beyond my knowledge. Though if it were the first case, I doubt you would know so little of humans. So then-" Sylvia closes her eyes and puts her wing to her mouth.

"Are you all right?" I lean forward, unsure if I should let her a hand.

She maintains the position for a few more seconds before taking a deep breath. "Yeah, I'm fine," she says, her body swaying a bit. "I just haven't had alcohol in a while."

"Maybe you should lie down too, then? It helped for me," I suggest, gesturing to the pillows at the head of the bed.

"Yeah. It's been a long day, too." She crawls up to the pillows and lays her head down on one. "You can come lie down, too," she gestures with a wing to the pillow beside her.

Though I am not particularly tired, the sentiment of lying beside Sylvia is rather agreeable, and so I oblige and lie on my side. "Thank you. You're too nice."

"I did ask you to come over – the least I can do is to be a good host," she says with a smile. "Well then, Nova… Aren't you going to ask more about me?"

"Of course! How did you meet your trainer? What was she like? And why did you come here if you were such a prestigious battler in the human lands?" I ask, these questions having gnawed at the back of my mind for a while.

Even though Sylvia requested the questions, she does not answer them immediately. For a moment I ponder if I asked something wrong, before she begins, eyes fixated on the ceiling.

"My trainer was the daughter of a rich family. She took interest in battling since she was young and her family had the resources to support her. On top of that, she was a competent and intelligent individual, so it's no surprise that she did win the title twice. I cannot remember the first time I saw her, because she was the one who hatched my egg and raised me from a Noibat." Sylvia closes her eyes and tucks in her arms, and takes a deep breath. "I did not know my parents. The egg had been traded around too many times for her to trace back."

"I'm sorry," comes out of my mouth before I know it.

Sylvia simply shakes her head and continues. "My trainer was already rather accomplished when I hatched, so I was trained from a very young age to be able to battle professionally. I didn't complain too much, because I had a very good life out of that. My trainer was caring and catered to all our needs." She opens her eyes and gazes to me, her eyes betraying the first hint of vulnerability. "Can you believe it? If I asked for a specific meal, she'd cook it for me. The champion herself would cook for me! Ha!" She gives a loud, almost forced laughter as she moves an arm over her eyes. "We even got our own rooms and own belongings, instead of being cooped up in Poké Balls the whole time. That, I think, was one of the reasons all of us were willing to fight so hard for her to win the championship. And we did. Twice, even. Happy times. …"

Sylvia does not continue nor move her wing off of her face, and just breathes steadily. I wonder if she, like me, is having trouble recalling the events that broke that happy period apart.

I move my head closer. "You don't have to tell me if it's painful," I tell her in a quiet voice.

"She contracted a terminal illness," Sylvia responds, as she drags her arm off her face, looking into me with a small grimace. "I remember the day where my team and I, we had just won for the second time. We were in high spirits and celebrating, saying that we would win again a third time. But then she came over and told us that she was going to die in a few months, and…"

I finally realize why she had been covering her face as a small tear trickles out of her eye and rolls down her cheek. Sylvia turns her head towards me, and meets my gaze. For a few seconds, I am unsure what to do, before she rolls over and leans into me, her face against my neck. I instinctively wrap my arms around her tightly in an attempt to comfort her, feeling a warm and wet sensation on my neck.

"She told us we could go wherever we wanted," Sylvia's muffled voice sounds from below. "We could be given as gifts to other trainers to continue battling, or remain in her household as a pet to her family, or be sent to the breeder's as a proud sire or dam… but I chose to be released into the wild." She raises her head to look at me, and her tears waning to a more… comfortable gaze. "And that is how a professionally trained Noivern ended up here, in the arms of a wild Flygon."

Sylvia leans her face back into my neck, as we bask in the mutual warmth from each other in this cold season. For the most part, we stay still, though she reaches one arm over me to reciprocate the hug in some form, her wing covering my waist.

"Thanks, Nova. I really needed that." She pulls away and I let go of her, a bit unwillingly. She gives a loud sigh and flips back onto her back. "It's not all that black and white, though. I loved her as my trainer, but I also hated that she deprived me of a normal childhood. I was just another Noibat egg that was bred for battling. I wanted to know my parents." Her voice is more bitter than sad at this point, as she raised a fist up onto the air. "That's also why I didn't like going to the breeders. Many of my teammates loved this form of… respite, but I didn't want to continue this cycle. I didn't want bring another Noibat into this world that would live a childhood just like mine."

"That's very admirable of you," I say, seeing her determined expression.

Sylvia tilts her head over. "Sorry, sorry, I have just been rambling on about myself." She frowns and scratches her mane with a shake of her head. "What about your life, Nova?"

"I'm afraid it's not too interesting other than the psychic part," I admit as I begin. "I was born in the desert and was raised to believe that Salamence were evil. One did kill my mother, but later I ventured out and found out my father was a Salamence. The one who fought you, remember?"

"Oh, him! He was… alarmingly powerful, actually," Sylvia admits with a giggle. "But continue."

"Yeah, I hated him for a long time for abandoning us, but things are better between us now." I think back to the argument I had with my father, but I don't feel like I hate him for it. It's the sort of argument you have with a family member.

"Most other dragons live in a habitat with their own species, but I've found myself sticking to my friends," I continue. "In fact, there was a time where the Flygon tried to execute my father for being a Salamence. We rescued him, of course." I take a look at Sylvia, only to find her listening intently. "Oh, um, that's pretty much it. It's nothing interesting."

"If you say so," she says, having an amused look on her face. "So, what are your plans for the future? Finding out why you're psychic?"

"I wouldn't know where to start. Latias and I didn't part on good terms and I don't really care to ask her. For now, I just want to keep my friends and our children safe."

"Children?" Sylvia pushes herself up, her wings stiff. "I didn't know you had children."

"Oh, sorry, they're biologically my friend's," I explain with haste. "I just call them 'our children' because we take care of them together."

"And by 'we', do you mean all those other dragons I fought?" she asks, lying back down.

"Not the Garchomp, but the Haxorus, yes. Also the Charizard with us? Maybe you didn't notice her in the crowd."

She shakes her head with a chuckle. "Oh, it was plenty easy to notice her grabbing onto your arm the whole time. If I didn't know any better I would think she is your mate," Sylvia says. "…She isn't, right?"

"Of course not. She has always been a bit clingy since she was a Charmander, so I'm used to it."

"Are you suuure?" Sylvia shows a devilish grin, the type that I've long since gotten tired of whenever someone brought up the topic of Phendrene and me. "If a female latches onto a male like that, she is-"

"She was like that when I was a Trapinch and she was a Charmander," I interrupt her with a huff. "Why do you care so much, anyway?"

Sylvia stares at me for a bit, before sighing loudly. "Sorry, I just think… It must be nice having family like that. I got along with a few of my teammates, but others could be obnoxious or aloof. It's not as if I had a say in who to hang out with for my entire life," Sylvia huffs and crosses her arms. "That's why I chose to come out here, to lead a life free of human influence. And to be able to do whatever I want. Like plant a garden of berries, or to visit a festival, or to bring a Flygon home to chat." She starts laughing, in a rambunctious and relaxed way. "Ah, it really is nice to be able to do whatever you want. But it's a lot better when I have someone to share it with."

"Yeah," I agree, gazing up to the ceiling and thinking back to Rue and Phendrene with a smile. "I don't what I would do without my friends."

Sylvia stops in her laughter and looks towards me before rolling over to face the wall. "…I'm happy for you." Despite her words, I can feel a sense of envy in her.

"Hey, you could come and meet them!" I suggest in an attempt to cheer her up. "I'm sure they would love to know about you."

"Yeah, maybe."

She's trying to make herself sound agreeable, but I can tell there's still something amiss. "You said you wanted people to share your life with, right?"

"And he's right here, isn't he?" Sylvia rolls back over and all of a sudden her snout is in my face. "Say, Nova… I caught you staring at me a lot earlier this evening," she says with a tempting look. "Could it be that… you see something more in this Noivern?"

"Something more? I, um…" I panic and try and find words, but barely manage to formulate them. "I just haven't – never seen someone as strong or graceful as you before, so… Sorry, I-"

"Shh, Nova." She puts one claw to my mouth. "It's all right. I like you too." With those words, a tension I didn't know existed in my heart shatters. Sylvia leans her head in, and before I know it, my snout has pressed against hers.

Her tongue laps on my chin, and I feel it going up to my mouth before I grab her arm. "Sylvia, what are you doing?" I ask, only to realize how abrupt I've been. "Sorry, I-"

"Oh, this is what humans do when they like each other," she whispers, pulling her head back a little. "They put their mouths against each other. It's called kissing."

"Kissing…" I barely have time to react before Sylvia closes her eyes and leans in once more, and I open my mouth to accommodate. Her tongue pushes into the edge of my maw, a strange but warm sensation. I have no idea what to do with my tongue so I reach around her with my arm and hold her close, the heat of her body soothing my anxious heart.

With our arms securing ourselves against each other, I feel more confident and try to push my tongue forward. There is surprisingly little resistance as I feel it going past hers and reach the edge of her maw. Before I can evaluate if it's nice or weird, I feel her tail tug on and curl around mine, and so I respond and curl my tip around hers.

I lose track of what is happening as I simply bask in the feeling of being embraced, and 'kissed'. I try to think of what came over me earlier this evening, whether it was just the meteor or something else that attracted my attention, but quickly I find that I don't care. Reaching around a bit more tightly, I just feel a sense of excitement and giddiness that she reciprocates my affection, and that's all that matters.

I have no idea how much time has passed before she pulls her head away, though with the rest of her body kept entangled with mine. Her half-shut eyes are focused intently on my face. "That wasn't bad for your first time," she says with a grin, before she dives her head into my neck once more.

"Um…" I worry that I will ruin the mood, so I hesitate to speak. "You're very beautiful."

"You silly Flygon," she calls me as she smacks me lightly with her free wing. "You think I don't know?"

"What does this mean, then? Are we-"

"Shh." She silences me as she grips on tighter. "Just hold me for a bit longer. Please."

I oblige and close my eyes, gripping the Noivern tight against my chest. I briefly wonder if I would be as happy holding that Flygon illusion in my chest, but in an instant I chase the thought away and decide that this real Noivern is infinitely better. Her breath warms one patch of my scales as I feel a sense of peace course through me.

But the question still remains. It is clear that we like each other in a romantic way, but what does this mean for us? I'm not ready to… do that thing with someone I've only known for a few hours.

It is a while before she speaks. "So, what do you think?" she asks, face still buried in my neck. "What are we?"

"I'm not… certain," I answer, trying to pick my words carefully. "Maybe we should get to know each other better."

"I think we know each other well enough already," she says as she twists in my arms, aligning her back against my chest as she snuggles backwards. "But I agree, I wouldn't mind giving it a bit more time before we call ourselves mates."

Mates. My heart jumps at the word, and I remember the last time I thought I had a mate. How did it come to this, and so suddenly?

I find that the answer does not interest me. I give her mane a scratch and she gives a relaxed sigh, and that is enough to make me smile.

"Your friends will worry about you, right?" she asks.

"Yeah. I should probably head back to tell them I'm all right," I say, though not really wanting to do so.

"No, would you please stay? It gets awfully cold this time of year." Sylvia stretches her head, pushing round ears pushing into my chin.

"Of course," I answer, glad I have an excuse spend more time. "I'll stay with you tonight."

"Let's move under the blankets, then."

"Okay."

…

"Hurry up!" Flossie shouts at us from ahead, her green fur glinting in the moonlight. "You guys are so slow! Why is only Siri keeping up? I didn't know Growlithe were faster than you two!"

I gaze up to her Electrike legs, and shake my head. "You're way too fast. I'm used to it, but give Briar and Prince some time!"

I turn to watch the Eevee and Chimchar rush up to us, both of them out of breath. "Come on," Prince the Chimchar complains, one arm on his leg. "You guys all have two more legs than me."

"Yeah," Briar pants and ruffles his brown fur. "Not everyone is as fast as you. And Siri, aren't you supposed to be watching your brother?"

"What can happen to him if he's in the den alone?" I answer, skipping ahead to Flossie. "And plus, shouldn't you be watching kits as well?"

"The same as you," the Eevee answers. "I want to come to the adults' meetings too! And they are three pups back home, I'm sure they-"

"Shh!" Flossie hisses back from the top of the hill. "They're over there," she whispers with a paw over the peak.

I crawl up and peek over the hilltop with Flossie. At the foot of the hill is a campfire, surrounded by a lot of adults. Mama is easy to spot as the Arcanine near the centre. My friends' mothers are also there, along with quite a few other creatures.

"Who's that Vaporeon?" Briar whispers to us, having finally caught up.

I look down and notice the blue creature with fins, who is listening intently to Aunt Doreen, the Ampharos. "Mama mentioned that we had a new neighbour, but I've never seen this one before. Briar, your brother chose to be a Jolteon, right?"

"Yeah. I was thinking of being one too."

"Will you two shut up?" Flossie hisses quietly. Briar and I exchange a look as we turn our attention back to the adults' meeting.

"... still no news from Will, after his mission to assassinate the psychic Flygon," the Ampharos announces, and there is a dreadful silence. The three of us look to Prince, but the Chimchar only stares down blankly.

"I'm sure your papa will be fine," I try to comfort him.

"Yeah!" Flossie says. "He'll come back as a hero and prove-"

"What are you kids doing here!" Flossie's mother is suddenly right in front of us. "Hyacinth, isn't Briar supposed to be home looking at the kits? Tali, what about Siri? Isn't it the same for her?"

"Siri is here?" I retreat back over the corner before Mama leaps over and grabs me by the scruff in an instant. "How dare you run out here alone? A Flygon or Charizard could swoop you up in an instant!"

I want to say something about the Flygon I met, but I know she would have none of it. Flossie and Briar have both been caught by their mothers, too. "I'll bring Prince back," the Espeon says to the other mothers, and they nod in agreement.

"Hold on for a second. Doreen, apologies," the Vaporeon says with a nod to the Ampharos. "Could you bring that Eevee here for a moment?"

"We're not involving the kids in this," Doreen the Ampharos answers, her arms crossed. "I don't care how much more you know, but-"

"You're welcome to try stop me." The Vaporeon stares at Doreen as everyone else looks at the pair. The Ampharos has a scowl on her face as she turns her head aside, and the Vaporeon smiles before turning toward us.

"Briar, was it? Nice to meet you. I'm Hazelnut the Vaporeon." He looks up to Hyacinth. "Let him join the meeting for tonight. Send the others home."

"What do you want with my son?" the Espeon asks.

"I will tell you, after those two send their daughters home," the Vaporeon answers with a swing of his tail. "Now, Tali, Grace, do you want to get going?"

I want to ask for a chance to stay, but I know Mama will have none of it, and in a moment I feel her leaping across the ground as I hang helplessly from her mouth. Within moments, we are back at the den entrance, and the others are nowhere to be seen.

"Now, Siri, I don't care about your Flygon stories. You're grounded if I catch you wandering one more time."

I just stare at the floor. "Okay, Mama…"

"Good girl." And with that, she dashes into the distance, leaving me in this den with my smelly brother…

I look up to the night sky, wondering if a dragon will fly across. Ever since we moved here, I never saw Nova anymore. He was a nice Flygon. He played with me and told me stories. I miss him.

Mama disappears over a hill, and suddenly I realize that when I grow up, I will be able to run as fast as her. And then I will be able to find him. If I do Mama, Flossie, and all the others can see that he's really a nice dragon. If they see him, then maybe they won't have to kill all the dragons anymore. And we will able to all play together, happily ever after.