He saw the prison again.
He saw the carnage that it had reaped, played over and over. Again and again, he saw the Pokemon being taken over by those beasts. He saw the humans capturing him, capturing Latias, taking them hostage in the place that had been supposed to be their home. He saw her sister's death replay, over and over, the screams ingrained in his mind, as his sister gave up her life.
And then he awoke.
It was three in the morning, and the Latios was lying in bed in a pool of cold sweat.
He looked around, again and again, confirming that he was at Southern Island, the island that had, both before and after the brutal takeover by the humans, been the sole property of the Eon Duo. He looked at the carpeted ground, the bed, the nightlight: yes, he wasn't under control by the humans any longer. He was at home.
He lay in his bed, heaving a relieved sigh. I should have known that the nightmares weren't real, he thought. But it all seemed real. It seemed as real as when I had experienced it at that moment.
Sinking into the bed, he tried to fall asleep once again. But as he tossed and turned in the cold darkness, his mind was filled with those memories, the memories of carnage, of death. His worst memories, though not replayed like the dream had, were still in his mind, like a freshly carved scar.
He sighed. "Jie jie, ni zai na li?" Where are you, sister?
Shakily, he got up, a paw fumbling for the red button, ever so familiar to him. Finding it, he pressed it down with his palm, summoning the sleeping servant. Soon, the Scizor arrived, having just woken up from his slumber.
"Sir, you called."
"Yes, Cobalt. Another nightmare."
"Oh – I am sorry to hear that. Would you like some water, food…?"
"Not now. I want you to come with me for a moment."
"Where, sir?"
"Where no one has ever been allowed before."
The Scizor stood in stunned silence for a second or two, before speaking in a trembling voice, eyes wide with surprise and bewilderment. "Sir, you don't mean…"
"I think it's time for you to know. Come with me."
The two Pokemon stood before a massive room. Photos of the now-deceased Eon Pokemon plastered the walls of the room, with Latios's signature cursive writing scrawled over them, while the on the ground was a large carpet alternately lined with red and gold triangles, each of them containing a delta sign in the middle.
The room itself was symmetrical, as a pond, filled one side with a red and the other side with a blue liquid, encircled a small, golden elevated platform, with the colours intersecting each other in the middle, forming a purple boundary between them.
On the other side of the pond were two mats, each with a gilded picture of the two Eon Pokemon together, with them seemingly looking away from each other in tears. A single, purple orb was placed on the gold pedestal, with two words written on each of its sides, below a carved image of Latias: In Memoriam.
"This is it, Cobalt."
The Scizor looked in awe and wonderment around the room. "So this is what you've been hiding from everyone, huh?"
"And will continue to hide. Is that clear, Cobalt?" The Latios's voice became sterner, shooting a glance toward his servant.
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Now follow me. I know you won't understand what I say, but…just being there is enough."
Victor flew to the ground, landing on one of the prayer mats. He closed his eyes, pressing his forehead deep into the mat. Cobalt did the same, kneeling on the other prayer mat in a reverent position, both eyes closed.
"Jie jie."
It took all of Cobalt's self-control not to leap up into the air. I know that language. I know how to speak it. I know what it means.
Back when he belonged to a trainer, his trainer taught him the language. He said that it was essentially a dead language, formerly a native language of Hoenn but now replaced by the more ubiquitous English, and he was only teaching it to the Scizor for him to understand. And now, here was the leader of the nation, speaking this language. And he didn't even know I can understand him…? Perhaps he didn't want me to understand. But he did anyway. So he listened, keeping the same position as before.
And Latios spoke.
He spoke about the nightmares, the nightmares that had been haunting him for longer than even Scizor knew, the memories of the humans, and of…that day. That day, when Latios made the grave mistake, no one wanted to remember.
The Scizor remembered that day clearly. It was the first time he saw Latios vulnerable. He remembered Latios drinking one, then two, then three bottles that day, all so that he himself wouldn't remember it. But Scizor knew he couldn't bring it up: Latios had never intended to recall that incident; he had simply pretended it didn't happen. Which may be all the better for him.
The Latios continued speaking. His voice was rhythmical, and yet melodic at the same time. It was clear that he was immensely familiar with the language, that he had been a native speaker, or close to one. Every so often, he would pause and gaze toward the orb, before, again, lowering his head to the ground, forehead pressed against the carpet.
As he spoke, Victor seemed to become, gradually, calmer. His speech became more relaxed and gentler; even his body looked less tense than before. Cobalt could now see why his master often visited this place: it made him feel better, somehow or other. And he realized what an honour it was for him to be allowed here, the place where no one else has ever been allowed in.
He trusts me.
He trusts me a lot.
The Scizor trembled slightly, still kneeling on the ground. He recalled his past, a mere prisoner in one of Latios's camps, at the mercy at the Leader's every command. And in a way, he ruminated, it has not changed at all. And yet, it had changed. It had changed a lot as well; he was no longer a prisoner; he was no longer a servant. He was a friend, maybe even, above that, a member of Latios's family. But he could never know for sure what Latios thought about him; the Eon Pokemon has been one to share about his emotions. Cobalt had a sneaking suspicion, though, that he saw Cobalt as more than a servant…
Eventually, Victor finished his ritual. Flying up from the mat, he used a paw to gesture to the Scizor to get up.
"What time is it, Cobalt?"
"Now, sir?" The Scizor checked his watch. "Around five in the morning."
"Good. My morning brief should be soon. And Cobalt?"
"Yes?"
"Go and sleep. I'll make breakfast for myself later. I know you're tired."
"Yes, sir. Thank you." The Scizor, bowing deeply, swiftly left the prayer room, hovering an inch above the floor with both wings buzzing softly as he flew toward his room. Victor waited for his servant to leave, before gliding out of the room as well, flying through the hallways to the command room.
"Sir Latios? Can you hear me? This is Commander Aurum reporting in today."
"Yes, I can hear you, Commander. Give your report, please."
"Yes, sir." The silver coloured Metagross on the screen used a single claw to hold a file, pausing before reading from it.
"Two days ago, in order to investigate the situation of Shadow energy emanating from the Citadark Isle area, myself and another member of the army, Ziggy, travelled there to investigate the situation, and we found that two members of Mossdeep-Sootopolis province's government was attempting to infiltrate into the area."
The Latios nodded. "And what did you and Ziggy do after that?"
"We captured one of the two, a Sylveon. However, Ziggy insisted on taking the Salamence to safety, for some reason, even though he is considered an enemy alien. I feel that this truly speaks to where he puts his loyalties, so I would really like to urge you, Sir, to reconsider if he –"
The Latios glared into the screen. In a much colder tone, he said, "I put full trust in Sir Xavian. I hope that is clear to you."
Visibly, Aurum recoiled. "That is clear, Sir." His voice came much more timorously than before.
"Good. And where, if I may know, is Sylveon being held?"
"Mt Chimney, sir. I could give you the cell number if you'd like…?"
"That would not be necessary, Aurum. If that is everything, thank you very much."
"Sir, one final thing."
"Do speak." Victor was getting annoyed at the point, what with Aurum thinly veiling criticisms of Ziggy as well as being very rambling with his report.
"We found the source of the Shadow energy. It is an Absol. He is a semi, like the Sylveon is."