The small, uninhabited island—never large to begin with—had been nearly ruined by the collision between Latios and Garchomp. The shattered rocks covering its surface had been ground into fragments, leaving the island looking utterly devastated. Seawater surged inward from all sides, flooding the land and shrinking the island's size even further.
Upon hearing Logan's command, Garchomp reined in its violent emotions. It slowly drifted back to Logan's side and settled firmly on the ground. Baring its fangs at Latios in the sky, it released a silent, threatening growl.
Logan patted Garchomp's body in encouragement. From the brief exchange earlier, he had already evaluated the combat strength of both Latios and Garchomp. At this stage, Garchomp was capable of seizing initiative—and even holding the advantage—when facing a Legendary Pokémon like Latios.
Latios stared at Logan with uncertainty.
"…Were you testing my strength?"
"Of course," Logan replied lightly.
"You wouldn't seriously think that battle was you testing my ability as a Trainer, would you?"
He chuckled softly.
"In fact, it was precisely the opposite. I was testing you—your abilities and value as a Legendary Pokémon. Not every Legendary is suitable for battle. The road we're about to walk is difficult and riddled with thorns. If your strength had proven insufficient, I would have regretted wasting my time here."
His words were undeniably arrogant.
From the very beginning, Logan had pursued Legendary Pokémon whose power had already been proven by history—existences like Rayquaza. Although Latios and Latias were Legendary Pokémon, they had never been recorded as figures who overturned heaven and earth. From the start, Logan had harbored doubts about them.
Legendary Pokémon were not invincible.
Logan had always known this.
They were more like cheats—existences that bypassed the process of growth and jumped straight to the result. They offered shortcuts, drastically shortening the time needed to achieve power. But Legendary Pokémon that lacked combat value were not worth the immense effort required to seek them out.
Latios fell silent.
Though he felt somewhat speechless, he did not refute Logan's assessment. Even if he was a Pokémon inclined toward support rather than offense, Latios would not make excuses for himself.
Without his sister.
Without allies.
Latios acknowledged that he was not as strong as Garchomp.
If this had truly become a fight to the death, he would likely have been completely suppressed.
"So," Logan asked calmly,
"what do you think now?"
Latios descended and hovered beside Logan, with Latias floating on the other side.
"I'm very satisfied," Logan said with a smile.
"You may not excel in solo combat, but our battles were never meant to be knightly duels. On a complex battlefield, you and Latias can bring about tremendous change for my team."
He looked directly at Latios.
"So—do you agree to follow me?"
Latios closed his eyes.
"Latias has already chosen to follow you. As her brother, I have no other choice. I acknowledge your strength."
He paused, then continued solemnly:
"I am willing to become your Pokémon.
To save this world.
To fight—for you."
"Brother~~"
Latias spun joyfully around him, celebrating his decision with unrestrained happiness.
"Excellent."
Logan's lips curved into a satisfied smile.
"Then we shouldn't delay. I'll briefly explain my plan. Latios, Latias—you'll need to cooperate."
Without hesitation, Logan laid out his thoughts, objectives, methods, and intended process in full.
Unlike humans, once a Pokémon chose to become someone's Pokémon, it offered absolute loyalty. Pokémon possessed no inherent sense of good or evil—only obedience to their Trainer's will.
From the moment Latios and Latias accepted Logan, even if he had ordered the destruction of Alto Mare, they would have carried it out without hesitation.
The only difference lay in emotional bonds.
Logan shared genuine feelings with Latias, but his bond with Latios was not yet deep. However, bonds and trust could be cultivated through time and shared experiences.
With ordinary Pokémon, Logan could issue only broad commands—the details requiring constant guidance. But Latios and Latias possessed exceptionally high intelligence and near-human reasoning. Many details needed no immediate instruction; as long as Logan explained them in advance, they could understand and execute them perfectly.
Logan sat cross-legged on the island's reef, explaining everything without omission. Latios and Latias floated beside him, nodding occasionally to show comprehension.
...
Night fell over Alto Mare.
Stars blanketed the sky, their reflections shimmering upon the canal waters. Most residential areas had sunk into darkness, while only a few streets still carried the raucous revelry of tourists determined to enjoy a sleepless night.
In front of Alto Mare's City Hall plaza, candles flickered beside the stone statues of Latios and Latias. The dim firelight cast them into shadow, as though shrouded in mist—adding to their majesty and mystery.
The City Hall itself was ancient. Though not large, it had once served as the royal palace of the small nation of Alto Mare. Now, aside from a modest government office, it functioned mainly as a museum housing numerous historical artifacts.
A patrol team moved through the plaza with flashlights. Two security guards stood chatting idly on the steps.
"The bar district looks lively tonight," one of them remarked, glancing toward the glowing lights in the distance. Even here, fragments of noise drifted over.
"It's peak tourist season. It's always like this," the other replied.
"When the off-season comes, that place quiets down fast."
"Man, I'm jealous of those people traveling," the first guard sighed.
"We're stuck here patrolling while they're out having fun."
"We're still young," the other laughed.
"Work a few years, save some money, take leave—we'll get our chance."
"Maybe," the first muttered.
"But sometimes I feel like this job's pointless. What's there to guard here? Those museum antiques aren't even valuable. Nobody would steal them even if they could."
"That's not true," the second guard countered.
"We've caught plenty of petty thieves sneaking in at night."
As he spoke, he scanned the surroundings.
The weather was clear, and the plaza lights provided ample visibility. The entire square lay exposed before them.
Then—he noticed something wrong.
A figure was walking slowly toward them from the statues of Latios and Latias.
The person was cloaked entirely in black, wearing a massive hooded raincloak. The hood concealed their face and limbs, making them look less like a person and more like a grim reaper crawling up from the abyss.
At first glance, the guard shuddered.
It felt as though he wasn't looking at a human at all—but into a frozen abyss, cold creeping straight up his spine.
Duty forced him back to his senses.
He slapped his companion's arm, snapped on his flashlight, and shouted:
"Hey! Who's over there? The plaza is closed at night!"
The beam cut through the darkness.
Both guards sucked in sharp breaths.
Because beneath the hood—
There was no face.
Only endless, pitch-black emptiness.
The figure moved like a living specter, as if nothing existed beneath that strange cloak at all.
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