This is the worst headache I've ever had.

I bring my paw up to my forehead to massage a particularly painful spot. It gets a little better, and I manage to edge my eyes open. The sky is dark above the mountains, the moon casting a soft blue sheen onto the desert sand.

I sit up and stretch my limbs out of reflex, and notice the blood on them. Only then do I recall the events that had transpired. Father's rage, the battles, and then her tusk being…

Turning around, I get to my feet and swiftly leap into flight. Though my mind has dull pains, I know that I am not at risk of passing out anymore. My mind has had time to recover, and now there are more pressing matters.

It is not long before I arrive back at the scene of frozen time. It is easy to spot the Haxorus, with blood only on her body and none on the sand. I inspect the point at which her tusk severed, and can only spot floating blood coating the injury. A sense of relief washes over me as I realize that she is not dead.

But what now? It's not as if I can just leave her here and go about my business, or she'd be as good as dead. What did Fen say? She would need a blood transfusion from another Haxorus. I could try to get something arranged while she stays here, but how? Equipment advanced enough to perform that would be rare, and we don't even have another Haxorus to donate blood. Not here, at least.

The only way to keep her alive is to get her treatment from the outside world.

I have barely any knowledge of the outside world, and certainly wouldn't be able to arrange anything. The image of the mountains comes to mind, and I remember someone who definitely can definitely help me, with her magnitude of power and influence. She would even be able to teleport Rue directly to the outside world. This seems like by far the easiest solution, easier than going out to explore by myself, or asking Sylvia for advice.

The only question that remains is what Latias will ask of me in return.

This is Rue's life I'm negotiating for. I don't think there's anything that she will ask of me that I will be able to decline. At the very least, I don't think she can read my mind anymore, so I can try to bargain. Hopefully her demands won't get too ridiculous…

I shake my head to clear my thoughts. What are you thinking about, Nova? You still have to find her first! Her home was empty the last time you saw her. What will you do if she's not there? …

Instead of envisioning these hypothetical scenarios, I may as well head over.

Swiftly, I rise to the air. Within mere minutes, I am overlooking the lush ravine and the river that flows at its base. The entrance to the cave is from below a crevice on a turn of the river, which I locate rather easily before swooping down to enter. The cave appears as it was before, though I feel like I am stirring up dust with every step I take. When I turn the corner of the pillar, however, I find that the bed's sheets have changed. Now it has some pink flowery pattern instead of the red-blue one from before. If Latias visited, I think she would have visited me, or at least made her presence known. Or would she? Who knows…

That's not important. I need to find her as soon as possible. I reach over and attempt to turn on the desk light, only to find that it is unresponsive.

Even at daytime, it would be difficult to search through this cave without interior lights. No, this won't do. I leave the cave in search of something to breath fire on.

Returning to the cave with a self-made torch, I stabilize its end into the rock wall before rummaging through the desks. I remember the last time I did this, I found that picture of her and her brother, but it's no longer to be seen. In fact, most of it is empty, and though there are a few loose pieces of stationery, there is no clue of her whereabouts.

I turn around and find that the wood I stripped from a tree is quickly burning up. Is that not how you make torches? Do you need more fuel than the raw wood? I sigh. There is nothing left to search anyway, unless there could be something hiding in the bed…

The thought stimulates a memory as I turn my head to the bed. There was something strange the last time I came searching for her - a pink-blue orb. I dash over to the bed and give it a quick pat down before finding the same suspiciously heavy orb from before. Its texture is smooth yet it is firm when pressed upon. I bring it to my eyes for a closer inspection, and in that moment there I feel drawn in deeper, and my vision blurs.

My mind remains perfectly conscious, however, and I find myself floating among white mist. There is no ground, or even the feel of gravity. The mist is omnipresent but applies no physical sensation onto my skin.

Before I am able to ponder about what exactly has happened, I see a familiar red-white figure manifest. I try to call her name and reach out, but I make no sound, and don't even feel my mouth move. Do I even have a mouth in this realm?

"I am Aether the Latias," she says, expressionless. "If you have urgent matters that you wish to contact me for, please use telepathy on this illusion. Otherwise, I wish you a good day."

The figure keeps staring blankly at me, expressionless. So it isn't really her, but a prerecorded message she left in the orb. Regardless, she has given me instructions I need.

Latias? It's me, Nova. I need your help.

There is no reaction from the Latias before me. I begin to feel a bit uncomfortable at its vacant stare, but am unable to move or look away. It appears that this medium is not one I can move around in, but merely something for a mind to exist in.

A sudden touch on my back jolts me out of the misty world and I find myself regaining control of my body. Turning my head up from the bed, I look behind me to find Latias before me. Her eyes are soft but distant, and she has the faintest smile on her face, almost as if she holds it there out of courtesy.

"Hello, Nova. It's been quite a while." Though I know this one is real, her words still sound empty.

"Yes, it has," I answer and push myself up into a sitting position. "…How have you been?"

"Fine enough. And you?"

"Not too well. I mean, I've been in far too many fights, and they aren't pleasant."

"That's what mortals do," she states simply. "So, what do you need my help for? I imagine you wouldn't call for me if it was something you could solve by yourself."

Latias betrays little emotion from her expression or words, but I can still sense curiosity in her eyes. "Yes. So, Rue the Haxorus, I'm sure you know her. She lost a lot of blood, and was going to bleed out before I teleported her to the Deadlands. She needs blood transfusion, or she'll die. I don't think there is anyone that can perform a blood transfusion here, so I came to ask you if it's possible to bring her to the outside world for treatment."

"I see. That seems like a reasonable request, and I should be able to help you with that. Can you bring me to her?"

I am surprised at how easily she agrees. "Of course I can. Should we go now?"

Latias nods. "I'll be behind you."

There are no words exchanged as we fly back out to the desert. Latias feels so different compared to before. And only now, in the silence, do I have time to process what I heard inside the orb. She introduced herself as Aether. Is that her name? I didn't know she had a name.

Once we arrive, Latias bends down to inspect Rue's body. "So she lost her tusk. Creatures who lose their tusk usually die very quickly." She puts a paw on Rue's neck. "Her hide is too thick for me to check if she has a pulse, but I wouldn't be able to anyway, since time doesn't pass for her." She looks back towards me. "How long did it take for you to teleport her here?"

"Maybe a minute or two," I answer, fidgeting my claws as Latias gives her diagnosis.

"The main issue is brain death over organ failure, since the wound is situated so close to her brain. But I'm not a doctor." She floats back upright. "I would have to inform a hospital to prepare Haxorus blood and be immediately ready to perform the transfusion. So, I would have to teleport back first."

"Wait, does this mean she'll be okay?"

Latias shrugs. "If your estimate is accurate, then probably. But I can't accurately estimate the status of someone frozen in time. Regardless, I'll act as if this case is salvageable. So I'll be teleporting her to a hospital outside of this island. Even if everything is successful, she'll likely have to stay under intensive care for a few days. Are you coming with her?"

"Yes! I mean, if I can. Is that all right?"

"Of course. You should come with me now, then. I'll teleport you to my apartment."

"Apartment?"

"My home in the human world. It's…" She pauses as she looks for the words. "It's a designated home in a very large house."

"Really. That's intriguing." I wonder what else lies in the human world. "Right now, though?"

"Unless you have a reason to delay Rue's operation," she answers with a neutral expression.

I don't know what to say. Latias still hasn't requested anything from me, despite offering the full extent of her help. I want to question it, but it's best to leave it unsaid lest she begins to demand something ridiculous.

"Get ready, then." She hovers closer and places her paws delicately on my sides.

I forget to close my eyes and see the scenery change suddenly from the desert to an empty, wooden room. Latias releases her grip on me and heads to the side of the room, flicking a few switches that illuminates the room from an artificial light on the ceiling.

"So, a few things that are different in the human world," she says as she opens the door. "Firstly, don't leave this house until I get you a collar, or you may be captured by some human. Secondly, you must keep yourself hygienic. You'll need to take showers and use the bathroom. Lastly, don't call me Latias anymore, especially not outside. I go by the alias of a human woman named Alice in this city, so call me that."

She ends her lecture with a stern gaze that leaves me overwhelmed. "Uh, I'll try, but that's a lot to remember," I admit as I follow her out of the room.

"For now, just stay inside this apartment." She points to a small passageway leading to a door more ornate than others. "That one is the front door, so don't go through that. Don't fly out of the windows either, obviously. All the other doors are part of my apartment, so they're fine to access. Here, I'll show you all the rooms."

I am mostly silent as Latias shows me around her apartment. The room that we arrived in is intended to be a bedroom, but she uses it as a teleportation room. Then there is the living room which we exit into, which also serves as a kitchen and dining room. After that, there is another bedroom, in which I spot the familiar red and blue sheets.

"Go take a shower, first," she says as she leads me into the subsidiary bathroom of the guest room I am supposed to be staying in. "You pull this to adjust the amount of water, and slide it sideways to the side to adjust the temperature. Make sure you thoroughly clean yourself and then dry yourself with the towel. I'll get you bedsheets."

I don't manage to speak before she closes the door behind me. Not having anything better to do other than following her instructions, I step into the shower cubicle and tug on the lever and get a blast cool water in my face. I stand in it for a while, feeling unperturbed, as I have swam in waters far colder than this. As the liquid splashes on my goggles, I marvel at how clean it becomes, all the small blemishes eroding away. The dirt and grime flow to the floor and follow the water into the drain.

I try shoving the lever all the way to the left, and the water suddenly becomes boiling hot. I slam it down to shut off the flow of water, and take a moment to catch my breath. That actually hurt. Slowly, I pull the lever to a position such that the water at a warm temperature. Can the humans handle such a high temperature? Or is it for fire types? Charizard? Would they even take showers?

A while later, I dry myself with the towel and exit the room. The empty mattress has been fitted with dark blue blankets and a pillow. "La- I mean, Alice?" I call out. "I'm finished."

"Ah, took you long enough." She appears in the hallway. "It's still too early in the day to make arrangements with the hospital, so I can't do that yet. But I have other matters to attend to, so I have to go. There are some berries on the dining table if you're hungry. I'll be heading out, then."

"Why do you go by Alice?" I ask, unable to hold back my curiosity. "Isn't your name Aether?"

Her mouth staggers open for a split second before she straightens herself and frowns. "How did you know that?"

"Um, your illusion introduced itself as it. In your orb thing. What was that, anyway?"

"Oh… Right, right. That's just a recorded message in my soul dew." She sighs and purses her lips. "Aether isn't a human name, so I have to come up with a new one if I am to interact as a human."

"Why do you need to pretend you're a human?"

"You do realize that legendary Pokemon need to keep their identities hidden, right? Probably not. We can discuss later. I have an appointment."

"So… I'll just wait here?"

"You can just use my comp- Right, you don't know how." Latias scratches her head. "I'll turn on the television for you. I also have a few books. Actually, you should probably read the encyclopedia, it'll teach you a lot about the human world."

"Do I need to? Are you trying to make me stay here for longer?" I ask, uncertain of her motives.

"What? Why would I do that?" Her volume rises at my accusation as she turns away and picks up a small rectangular device. "You can just lie in bed if you don't want to. Anyways, I really have to go, so do whatever it is that pleases you."

Within moments, a large screen is illuminated in the living room, and while I am distracted by it, Latias dumps a few books on the couch. "All right, see you later," is all she says before she vanishes.

I pause and remain standing. Even though she seems different now, it is still hard to see Latias's actions as genuine and without ulterior motive. But she can't blame me for being suspicious, with what she had put me through. I could stand to be a bit more courteous, though.

I sit down on the couch and stare at the screen. There is a Lucario poised for battle, which makes me worry for a moment before remembering that this is an entirely different one from the one I know. The scene then suddenly switches to another angle, which shows him sending an aura sphere at a Feraligatr.

"A clean hit!" a voice says as the aura sphere flies straight into the Feraligatr's face. "It's not looking good for Feraligatr. Robert still has another Pokemon, so even if his Feraligatr is taken down he still had a chance…"

The screen pans to a human standing on a podium, reaching for his belt. So that's how a human moves an arm. They're so much longer than the ones we dragons have. Does it not hurt to move it to that angle?

It doesn't take me long to realize that they are conducting a battle. The very type that Sylvia told me she participated in.

I lean forward and focus my attention on the screen. The Feraligatr falls unconscious as he is recalled into some strange red light. Out of another comes forward a Salamence, who engages the Lucario immediately. I am on the edge of my seat, expecting there to be a meteor attack, but there is none. Instead, after a quick physical brawl, the Salamence lets loose a flamethrower to finish off the Lucario and the voice announces a victory for Robert and his team.

The screen then pans to a few different humans seated somewhere else, who begin to analyze the game that was just played. Instead of their words, however, I find myself most focused on their physiology: how their eyes and lips move, how they wear different colored garments, and how they all assume the same seated position. Their faces look so similar - I wouldn't be able to tell them apart if their hair and clothing were the same.

There appears to be an intermission of sorts and I watch the segments intently before I realize they are just marketing human products which I don't even know, let alone want. I take this opportunity to flip through the books that Latias left on the couch. One coincidentally lands on a page explaining how televisions and other electronic devices work, and I gladly take the time to read through it.

I am a few pages in on reading about these fascinating tools before the announcer begins to them again. They begin to hype up the next matchup, on how it's a veteran against a newbie, among other things. I find myself disinterested in their grandiose presentation and continue reading the book, waiting for the match to begin, until a particular comment catches my attention.

"What do you think of the Noivern pickup?" one man on screen says "Last time Sally had a Dragonite on her team, it's surprising to see her replace it for a Noivern, which is widely regarded as a downgrade."

"The thing is, Noivern have far superior speed to other dragons," one woman answers. "For this matchup, where the enemy has a fairy and an ice type, speed is going to be absolutely crucial. Perhaps that's worth sacrificing the brute power that other dragons give you."

A grey haired man with glasses on the side holds up his finger. "Well, the stats certainly favor the Dragonite as a species. On competitive battles for the past ten years, Dragonite holds a sixty-two percent win rate, whereas Noivern only has forty-four percent, a number largely considered boosted due to the performance of one team. We take that team out, Noivern have an abysmal thirty-four percent win rate. In the past ten years of all league championships, Dragonite have been featured in eight of those teams, while Noivern have only been in two."

"And those two championships were both Kelsey's team in the Kalos Championships, if I recall correctly," the woman continues.

"Right, and what do you think Kelsey did that made the Noivern work, over these other, more powerful dragons?" the host poses a question for the panel.

"I believe she raised most of her Pokemon personally," the woman answers. "Of course, that would be putting in more effort than most other trainers, and also limiting your pool of potential Pokemon to bring, but that was definitely part of what made Sylvia such a powerhouse. Of course, she was just a talented trainer, too."

Wait, did I hear it right? Sylvia? I sit upright and hold my paws together tensely.

Instead, the host man goes on to build a segway in order to talk about the personal information of the trainers and their league standings, which disappoints me quite a lot. I wanted to hear more about Sylvia. I thought she was strong, but I didn't know that she was strong enough to be famous in the outside world. I go and search through the books to see if there is anything about her to read up on, but there is very little about competitive battling, and certainly nothing on Sylvia herself. The match begins shortly, and I put down the book to watch.

This one is much less interesting. The female trainer named Sally has three of her Pokemon beaten by the enemy Gengar, and when the Noivern finally shows up he tries to dodge an ice beam but fails and is instantly knocked out. Sylvia would have done so much better.

As I keep watching, I learn that this is nowhere near the level of the best championships. It is merely the 'group stage' of some mid-season tournament where trainers try to earn qualifying points, or something. No wonder that Salamence didn't even look stronger than Father.

I decide to grab a few berries to eat before lying down on my bed and continue reading about human devices. Morning light begins to shine in through the window before the door sounds.

"Nova?" Latias calls for me. "I'm back!"

I rise up and greet her at the entrance. "Welcome back. How did your… appointments go?"

"It was easy. And good news, I've made arrangements with the hospital already. Oh, and I bought you something." She reaches into a bag and hands me a small, black belt. "They said that this one shouldn't irritate neck scales much."

"I'm supposed to put this on my neck?" I ask, unsure.

"Unless you'd rather risk get captured by a human," she says as she sits down on the couch. "If you're unlucky, you might be left in it for years before you can come out again."

I grimace. "That sounds unpleasant. Why are humans allowed to do that?"

"Most people don't do that for no reason, but better safe than sorry. I mean, if you want to stay in this apartment for the entire duration of that Haxorus's treatment, you don't have to wear it. But to visit her in the hospital, or to go anywhere else, you would have to go outside. People probably wouldn't throw any balls at you on the streets, but if you fly out into the wilderness, which you have a history of doing, you risk being captured."

"Okay okay, I'll keep that in mind," I say and put the collar on a table. "So, how have the arrangements been made? Do I need to do anything?"

"I've already paid the hospital. I just need to teleport the Haxorus over in an hour. They'll operate on her and give her the appropriate treatment, and inform us if her condition becomes stable. You probably won't be able to see her until tomorrow at the earliest, though." She yawns. "Anyways, I'm going to go take a nap. These books and TV programs are interesting enough, right?"

"The books are alright, but the battles aren't that interesting," I tell her and point to the television, which has a Swellow blow a Tropius out of the arena. It seems to be another one-sided matchup.

"Oh, you can change channels, you know? Like this." Latias grabs a small device and presses a button, and suddenly the screen changes entirely. "There are even ones dedicated for Pokemon watchers. Anyways, I need to sleep." She covers her mouth as she starts to yawn, before heading into her room and shutting the door.

I decide to shuffle through some channels to see if there's anything interesting. Eventually I find a documentary about the wildlife of some region named Hoenn which talks about Flygon, and I decide to watch it for a while. But soon I realize that I know far more about Flygon than them, and though it is still mildly interesting, I begin to watch it just to see how many things they can do wrong. Those antennae are not to be poked at.

Some strange, loud music sounds from Latias's room a while later and she emerges from it, feathers unkempt. "Are you going now?" I ask her.

She ruffles her feathers on her face as she steps towards the teleportation room. "Yeah. I'll be back very soon, so don't worry."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Just let me take care of everything," she says, a hint of annoyance in her voice. "I know what I'm doing."

"Okay, sorry…"

She heads into the teleportation room without any further talk. I begin to feel tense, wondering if the teleportation could go wrong, or somehow the doctors could mess up, but before my imagination gets too wild, the sound of Latias re-appearing distracts me.

I get on my feet and dash over to a disoriented Latias. "Did everything work out?"

"Yes, I got her to the hospital." She pries my arms off of her. "You really need to calm down. I told you that I know what I'm doing."

"But…" I begin, only for her to give me a glare. "S-sorry, I'm just worried."

"The doctors can't guarantee her survival, but the situation looks salvageable. They'll notify me when there is an update, and I'll let you know." She begins to yawn and stretches her neck. "For now, just let me lie down. You know how it is after long distance teleports."

"Okay, sorry. …And thank you."

She hums a non-committal response and heads into her room before shutting her door with a thud.

It feels so strange having her treating me like this. No longer does she tend to my every need or tolerate all my whims. Though the relationship feels more natural this way, some primal part of me wish she gave me more attention.

Where did my animosity for her go? I suppose it's hard to continue hating her if she's saving Rue's life. She also acts like a completely different person, too. Perhaps if she still doted on me, I would get bothered.

The biggest question is, if she doesn't value me much anymore, why would she go through all the trouble of humbling my request?

I find myself staring at her doorway blankly. Maybe I can ask her after she gets some sleep and stops being grumpy. For now, though, I can only distract myself by watching more television. I switch through a variety of channels, amazed at how much they have to offer. All these people working together to produce content for others all over the world to view. I wonder if things would be the same if technology was more advanced back home.

In the end, I gravitate towards the fictional films, or movies, as they call it. There is a film about some valiant Charizard adventuring alongside his human companion in some futuristic space-setting. Then there is another about some primitive humans fighting over the crown with Pokemon as only weapons to be used.

A sudden disruptive ringing catches my attention, and I turn my neck to realize it comes from Latias's room. There is a clicking sound before Latias speaks.

"Hello?" She answers in a slightly squeaky voice.

"What?" I answer, as I stand from the couch.

"Is this Alice?" a male voice asks. "We are calling to inform you about your Haxorus."

I nudge the door open, and watch Latias hold a device in front of her as she motions for me to be quiet. "Yes, this is Alice. Is my Haxorus well? How did the operation go?" Her voice is somehow modified, sounding more like the female humans I heard on the television.

I am hit with the realization that she is communicating with a man over the device. "She is in stable condition."

"That is great news! Thank you so much!" Latias puts on a cheery voice. I clutch my chest and let out a relieved sigh, before covering my mouth as I remember I am not meant to make noise.

"I'm glad to be the one to inform you of the news. However, she won't be able to entertain visitors until tomorrow. In addition, she would have to stay in the hospital for a while longer in order to monitor her condition, and we don't know how much internal damage was caused from the blood loss."

"That's completely understandable. When can I expect to pick her up, then?" Latias continues speaking to the device.

"We would have to monitor her recovery, but a good estimate would be around one week."

"All right, thank you. By the way, I may not be able to visit tomorrow, may I send my Flygon instead?"

"Huh? Well, as long as he or she has a good temperament, it should be no issue. Our hospital does entertain Pokemon visitors, but remember that all property and equipment damage would be billed to their trainer."

"Yes, I am fully aware. Is there anything else that I need to hear?"

"That is all. Once again, congratulations on the good news, and goodbye."

"Bye."

Latias presses a button and places the device down. "Well, there you have it. Rue's alive."

"That's great news! Thank you so much, Aether!" I say as I can't help but smile.

Latias flinches at her real name, and stares at me. "You shouldn't call me that after I told you not too. It's very disrespectful, especially to a Legendary Pokemon. There are others who would take grave offense."

"I'm sorry, I'm just… really thankful for your help with saving Rue," I admit. "And I wanted to thank the real you."

"That's very kind and all, but you're not to call me that again. Is that clear?" she declares with a serious stare.

I find myself unable to hold my gaze against hers and look to the wooden floor. Now that I know Rue is going to live, I can't keep my silence anymore. "Why? Why do you treat me so differently than before? Is it because I asked you for help?"

My hopes of her going back to her old self are dashed as she just shakes her head and continues speaking in the same, indifferent tone. "Would you rather me make more illusions to teach you lessons that you don't want to learn?"

Saying that provokes an unpleasant memory, and I don't answer immediately. But there is a hole in her logic, one that does not change anything now that Rue has been saved. "If you think I shouldn't get attached to these other Pokemon, then why did help me save Rue?" A wave of confidence surges through me as I remember her absurd lessons. "You could have just let her die to teach me about how their lives are transient. Wasn't that your goal? Then why did you let Rue live? You could have just let her die to make me miserable, just like you always have done."

I shut my mouth immediately after that line, and mentally scold myself for insulting the person that had just done me a favour that I could never repay. But my words still ring true, and so I look up to her, expecting a response.

"I… felt bad for what I did, so I wanted to repay you. That's in the past now." Latias shoves the blankets to the side and pulls her curtains open to reveal an evening sky. Her tone is slightly more conversational, and so I let her speak. "I won't try to teach you any more heavy handed lessons. You wouldn't see the transience of life, but just another reason to blame me. You will learn these things by your own experience. It's the only effective way."

My eyes are drawn to the view that she just exposed by opening the curtains. We are high up, higher than I thought we were. The sky is the same as I am used to, tinted a blaze of orange as the sun nears its leave. However, below it is a complex weave of buildings and roads, some more sophisticated than others. On the ground, I spot humans and Pokemon alike. Some of them are walking along the pavement, some sat on benches, and others playing. It is such a cosy yet foreign sight.

"Everyone you see here will be dead in a century," Latias continues as she looks over the city beside me. "For a infant like yourself, they seem just like you, and you don't know why you should treat them any differently." She turns to face me, her red-white face shone a tint of orange. "I believed that too, when I was your age."

I don't know what to say as her expression changes to one of reminiscing. A faint smile appears on her face before she continues.

"On my fifteenth birthday, my brother called me over for a talk. He told me that I needed to stop seeing my friends, and would force me if I wouldn't listen. Oh, how I hated him. I cried, begged, lied, threatened, and told him that it was my life and that he knew nothing what it meant to have friends." She barely stifles back a few chuckles. "Finally, he gave in and told me he would let me do as I please. Oh, the sense of victory I felt, I still remember it to this day. I went to my friends, who were happy to have their hatchling Latias friend back, and we went on to live happily ever after, or so we proclaimed." Latias looks back to me and stares into my eyes. "I believe you can guess how this story ends."

"They all died," I answer softly.

"And that is the end of the story." She turns to head out of her room. "So, what do you want for dinner? There's a lot more to choose from, this time."

Latias drops the subject as quickly as it comes, and it troubles me too much to bring up again. She goes back to a more friendly demeanor, too, perhaps because she was no longer sleep deprived. However, she is still notably less intimate than before, and merely educates me on the details of this world like a teacher. It brings back memories of when I was a Trapinch and listened to the Flygon teachers beside Vie and Hale…

The device she had used was a cellphone, which could be used to contact people remotely in order to converse with them. Most of these gadgets were exclusive to humans however, including the right to purchase a home in the very building we are in. She bypassed those restrictions by apparently by posing as a human, though she didn't get into much detail. It is amusing to hear at first, but the more I thought about it, the less enthused I was to discover that we Pokemon had barely any rights in the human world.

"You can visit the Haxorus next morning," she says while we eat some long starchy ropes called noodles. "I'll give you the directions. Just make sure to not bother any humans or other Pokemon - since you are not familiar with standard social etiquette here, I advise you just don't talk to anyone except to the Haxorus. Understood?"

I give her a nod.

"Good. I'll teleport the two of you back to the island as soon as she can get out of the hospital."

I begin to fall drowsy soon after sunset, and retire to my bed. Despite having been introduced to life in the human world, all I can think about is Latias's story. It is the first time in a long while where I am sleeping alone, but it doesn't feel unnatural. In fact, everything that has happened in the past few days feels like a long dream. Sylvia's welcome, Phendrene's tears, Spirit's horror, Father's rage… what will they be in a century? Nothing. And where would I be?

I turn and shove my face against the soft pillow. Is Latias trying to manipulate me again? Her expression looked genuine, but I can never tell after everything she put me through. After all, I couldn't tell with that illusion. How lost I was.

Then again, Latias did not pressure me further, and even voluntarily brought up the prospect of bringing me back to the island with Rue. It is as if she accepted that I would never abandon these people, just like she didn't abandon her friends back when she was young.

Of course. As if I would leave Rue to die just because of this. Even if I am to be heartbroken and devastated a hundred years later, I would never abandon Phendrene. Or my brother, if he were still here…

I shift in bed as I remember the plans Father and I had for him. How we argued on how to raise him, both of us believing we knew the best for that Dragonair's future. And yet…

Enough moping. I turn my mind to the prospect of seeing Rue again, alive and well. What would she say when we meet? Then she would ask how all this happened, and I'm not sure I would be able to tell her of the Deadlands, or Latias's involvement, at least until we have privacy. What would come after that? She would probably realize that she has no tusk, and-

Oh. Rue has one less tusk now.

I hope she'll be okay.