Just sitting around and absorbing the world is a pleasant change from the stress of the last few days and hours. In the middle of our barren surroundings, nobody can bother us. It’s just Natural and me – and the two dragons. The rest of our Pokémon are resting in their Poké Balls. Our battle is over. We can move on. As soon as one of us can get up.

  Stretching my legs, I try to find a reasonably comfortable sitting position on the uneven sandstone beneath me while I fix my gaze on a black dot in the distance, which is getting bigger by the minute.

  “Do you think that’s the boy who came with you?”

  “You knew I was following you with Amethio?” Raising my brows, I cast a sideways glance at Natural. He nods vaguely, eyes focussed on the same black dot.

  “You’re from the same organisation and my father told me you’re part of a group in it. Are you friends?”

  My mouth opens, but I can’t find an answer. The relationship between Amethio and me is too unstable to be a friendship. On top, there are my feelings for him, which make me realise I don’t want to be associated with him in this way.

  “I suppose ... he’s more like my ... supervisor? Group leader?” I try to explain. “We’re on the same team and when something comes up, I tend to go with him most of the time. Unless he doesn’t want me there.”

  “Why wouldn’t he want you with him? I’m sure you’re a great help.”

  “He picked me up on Alola,” I tell Natural. “Or, rather, I snuck onto their ship and ... I told them about my ability to communicate with Legendary Pokémon, which led to me becoming part of the Explorers. Before that, I had very little to do with Pokémon, which also means that Amethio was watching me in my pitiful beginnings. I can’t blame him for seeing me as ... useless in some ways.”

  “But you’ve improved!” Raising his voice, Natural leans forward, making me look at him. “I watched your fight against that other one. Eevee against Umbreon. And I heard about how you did against Team Plasma. And then there’s your fight against my father!”

  “Which I lost pretty bad,” I add, my mouth twisted.

  “But you fought, and you did damage to Cofagrigus. Very few people who face it can do that, believe me. Half of Plasma and even the Sages have challenged Ghetsis before and never left so much as a scratch on Cofagrigus.”

  I shouldn’t feel flattered, knowing I lost despite everything. A single scratch is absolutely nothing compared to the fierce attacks and strategies I saw at that moment. Ghetsis outplayed me in many ways. It wouldn’t even be wrong to say my blow against Cofagrigus was a moment of luck.

  “Amethio would have won the fight for sure.”

  “You think so?” Natural sounds unsure. “Are his Pokémon that strong?”

  “Much stronger than mine. Besides, Amethio’s been training with them quite a lot lately, which means they must have got even better when I wasn’t looking.”

  “I’m sure you’ll manage that too!”

  “Maybe...” I can’t share Natural’s enthusiasm. Amethio and his team have a power I’m still far away from. I’ll need a lot more training before I can reach him, or even get close. It’s one thing I want to tackle as soon as I get the time and no longer feel like I’ve been devoured and digested by a Weepinbell.

  The next few minutes between us fall into silence once more. Calm in which we savour our surroundings and try not to think any longer than necessary about things that have already been answered. We wait, linger, until the black dot in the sky appears closer and I finally recognise Amethio.

  Corviknight carries him the last few metres over to us before it lands, and Amethio dismounts as if we have all the time in the world. The circumstances at the castle must have been resolved. He has probably cleaned up and then followed us.

  With firm steps, he moves in my direction, making my heart beat a little faster. Simultaneously, his attention focuses on Reshiram, then on Zekrom, whose appearance makes such an impression that Amethio temporarily stops. There is fascination in his gaze, fondness for a Pokémon that has chosen Natural.

  I can’t deny I’d like to see more interest in Reshiram so he can see I’ve somehow pulled this Pokémon on my side. But there’s no room for me or Reshiram between him and Zekrom. They stare each other down as if they’re exchanging words neither Natural nor I can hear.

  It takes a while for Zekrom to stretch its neck and snort. “This human century seems to overflow with dreams. A shame you don’t understand me, boy.”

  Amethio immediately glances in my direction. He knows Zekrom is talking to him and he doesn’t have to put his question into words to make me shrug. “All it says is that you have big dreams.”

  He looks up at Zekrom once more before lowering his eyelids and finally turning away. The Pokémon looks after him, then turns its attention to Natural and me. “There is a heart beating in this boy’s chest that could one day avoid great disaster. He is a worthy trainer and friend of the Pokémon, who still has much to learn.”

  Neither Natural nor I pass on Zekrom’s words. Without a second thought, we exchange meaningless glances, which simultaneously bring everything between us into unity. Movements that don’t escape the dragon’s notice, so it snorts again and averts its gaze. “If the time ever comes, I will join him. Until then, I will show my current hero the world.”

  “The problem has been settled?”

  Before either of us can respond to Zekrom’s words, Amethio’s enquiry interjects, and as Natural lowers his head, I try to tune out the Pokémon. Then I nod slowly, unable to make a sound. In these seconds, all I can do is look into Amethio’s violet gaze, scrutinise him and wonder what has happened. The questions forming in the back of my mind seem void. Still, I force myself to break the silence.

  “What happened after I left?”

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  “My opponents put up a ... tough fight.” His mouth slightly twisted, Amethio clenches his hands into fists. “Ceruledge would have had a hard time against them if one champ hadn’t suddenly turned up.”

  “Alder?” Natural asks.

  Amethio, meanwhile, nods. “He and some policemen stormed the castle and took charge of the situation.”

  “Then I should ... take my chance.” Sluggishly, Natural pushes to his feet, a little as if he doesn’t want to go. But his journey is within his grasp and it isn’t unthinkable that he will be punished for his actions if the police get hold of him. Who knows what Ghetsis will tell them?

  “If you catch a break, write me. I believe you can ... look up the address of the headquarters.” In fact, I have no idea, so I look at Amethio. He returns my gaze briefly before turning to Natural.

  But he doesn’t get a chance to reveal the most important information before Natural raises his hand. “Would you give me your number? If it’s available ... I’d get a Rotom Phone. Then we can stay in touch.”

  He doesn’t have to ask me twice to get me to dig the Rotom out of my pocket and hold it under Natural’s nose. He stares down at the display for a moment and actually memorises the number before smiling at me and taking two steps back. “Thank you. For everything. I hope to know a lot more about the world the next time we meet.”

  In the next blink, he bridges the distance to Zekrom and climbs onto the Pokémon’s back, which pushes itself off the ground with force and leaves us behind as if everything has already been said. But there are still worries on my tongue; concerns I would like to share with him. However, I’ve done all I can do and Natural’s journey is no longer in my hands. All is safe – for now – and I don’t want to dwell on something I can’t control. This is where Natural’s journey begins – far away from Ghetsis’ influence.

  Yet I watch him for a while as his figure diminishes on the horizon. It’s as if he’s fleeing, while conveying the image of a fresh-faced adventurer whose only task is to get to know this region; closely followed by the world, which has so much more to offer than just Unova.

  “I just hope they lock Ghetsis up for the next twenty years.”

  “That probably won’t happen.” Unnoticed, Amethio shifts next to me, one hand on his hip. “The Elite Four informed the police and arrested the sages, but there was no sign of Ghetsis anywhere. At least Alder was sure he wasn’t there. If the authorities act quickly enough, one of Plasma’s team members might reveal where the other hideouts are.”

  “What would make them betray their comrades?” Arms crossed loosely in front of my chest, I can’t imagine they would betray each other. They were all fighting for the same goal. A setback like this is hard, but it shouldn’t be enough to put Plasma in its place.

  “Most people back down for their freedom. The prosecutor will offer one or more members a deal. Information for a pardon,” Amethio explains bluntly. The way he says it, it doesn’t seem to be anything new, and I know too little about the law to argue. “Most Plasma members will only be charged with theft. At worst, they’ll go to prison for a year. At best, maybe seven.”

  That’s less than I would have expected. I don’t know how many Pokémon they’ve stolen, but they’ll certainly have hurt others in the process. Some people will probably never see their partners again. On top, they have – more or less – attacked the League and I’m sure if I did my bit, there would be more cases to prosecute Plasma for.

  However, that would also push the Explorers into the spotlight and I think that’s what everyone here is trying to avoid. That’s probably why Amethio came to us as quickly as possible. He doesn’t want to face the authorities any more than those he fought against. Likely because of Gibeon. We’ve already disappointed him enough. Letting the police snoop around is the last thing we should provoke.

  “That means we should return to headquarters,” I conclude. Amethio confirms it with a nod, so I turn to Reshiram.

  “You don’t even have to think about me disappearing into a ball.” With its head held high, it looks as if it has made the acquaintance of a sandstorm tornado. “If you don’t need me any longer, I’ll go back to sleep.”

  “Do you mind if I ... keep you anyway? Drag you around with me? For safety’s sake?”

  “So I can save your ass if you put yourself in danger again?” Reshiram’s gasp equals soundless laughter. “Sure, you’re welcome to take me with you on your travels. And I’ll be watching you should a Snubbull bite you into pieces. I won’t pull any of my hair out to help you.”

  “You’re a diva.”

  “And you’re an irresponsible human girl who put all her hopes on one card without a backup plan.”

  “Reality is harsh.” Pursing my lips, I narrow my eyes to slits. “You just can’t hide in your rock forever.”

  “Reality? Open your eyes! You were dreaming when you thought I would accept you as a heroine!”

  “I never thought that. There was only some hope you have something like ... kindness to help someone in need.’

  “What would you stupid thing have done if I hadn’t appeared?” Sighing, Reshiram lowers its head.

  “At least then I would have been sure not even a stupid dragon could save Unova.”

  Reshiram’s reply is a guttural growl before shaking its head. Then, in the next breath, flames flicker gently over its body. They seem to play with its fur, spread out, engulf its entire body, and when it appears like a metre-high pillar of fire, it forms into a ball. It loses its shape and turns back into a hand-sized stone, which bursts out of the flames and falls into the sand at my feet.

  I wait a moment, then crouch down and carefully place a finger on the surface. Contrary to the heat it had previously radiated, the smooth surface is surprisingly cool. At least Reshiram doesn’t hate me enough to want to burn a hole into my palm.

  As soon as I place the stone in my skirt pocket and whirl around to Amethio, who looks at me as if I’m worryingly conversing with myself, he nods to Corviknight. It’s time to get out of here, report back, and brush our presence under the carpet.

  As Corviknight lifts us into the air and heads the short distance to Castelia City, I feel my fatigue getting the better of me. It’s not right and I should probably back off, considering my heart is jumping up and down far too obviously at the thought of being allowed to be so close to Amethio, but my head weighs heavily. I can’t help but rest it on Amethio’s shoulder and hope he doesn’t feel the pounding in my chest.

  Meanwhile, I breathe in his scent and dare to lower my eyelids. In these seconds, everything that has happened seems only half as overwhelming. These circumstances here feel almost homely, so I bury my fingers in the sides of his shirt. Part of me wants to believe that I would be content if everything stayed exactly the same – or that I would feel much better if our flight lasted a little longer than ten minutes. But my time so close to his side is limited and as I think about Lilie’s words, about the fact I feel more for him than I would like, Coro comes back to my mind.

  The way he stared off into the distance and the way he’s been wooing Unfezant, only to be rejected – it’s probably why he’s distracted and depressed. He hasn’t given up yet. In his mind, this Pokémon is probably everything, and he’d give a lot more if he had the chance.

  I should add more opportunities for him – chances to woo this Unfezant. It doesn’t seem like we’re going to get a new assignment soon, which allows free time I can use to catch up with Fennel. I would also like to meet with Juniper to clarify our last encounter and clear up any confusion.

  There are a few issues I need to deal with. I still need to send Lillie the Dream Mist and try to get in touch with Alder. After the few words he’s thrown at me, I’m sure I can find out more. Perhaps he is the answer to most of my questions.

  A long, drawn-out sigh escapes my lips. The longer I think about my point of view, the more it piles up. I don’t want to rack my brains here and now, so I bury my face in Amethio’s shoulder and hug him tighter to me.

  And as so often, he taps me on the arm to make me realise I will crush him if I don’t let go. It seems to become a game between us that makes me smile.

  I like him.

  Him and his way of praising me. The silence between us, where peace prevails. His fixed behaviour, in which I don’t find a place. His stubbornness and, above all, the seconds when he admits things and gives in.

  I really like him.

  Much more than I should.