The first thing Leo noticed was the silence.
Not true silence, of course. There was still the distant sound of wind moving through the trees, the occasional cry of a Pokémon somewhere beyond their immediate surroundings, and the faint rustling of grass beneath their feet. Compared to the battlefield they had just escaped from, however, it might as well have been absolute silence.
Leo stood completely still.
His eyes remained fixed on the empty space where the portal had been only seconds ago. The darkness had swallowed the battlefield, and now there was nothing left behind.
No portal. No Z. No Giratina. Nothing.
His hands slowly curled into fists.
"We left them."
Cynthia stood several feet away, breathing heavily from the sudden escape. She looked toward the spot Leo was staring at before finally answering.
"Yes."
Leo's expression tightened.
"Then why are we standing here?"
He took a step forward, but Claire immediately moved in front of him. Her expression was hard, and although she was clearly exhausted from everything that had happened, there was still enough strength in her stance to make it obvious she intended to stop him.
"Because going back isn't an option."
Leo's eyes shifted toward her.
"You don't know that."
"I know exactly that."
Claire's voice was sharper than usual, but Leo could sense something beneath the anger. Fear.
She had seen the battlefield just as clearly as he had, and she knew exactly what they had left behind.
Bertha finally walked forward, brushing some of the dirt from her clothing as Hippowdon lumbered alongside her. Gengar emerged from the darkness a moment later, its body flickering slightly as it surveyed the unfamiliar surroundings.
"Enough."
The single word carried surprising weight.
Leo looked toward her, but Bertha's usual amused expression was gone. Her face was unusually serious as she looked at the young boy standing in front of her.
"We're alive," she said. "That's what Z wanted."
Leo's jaw tightened.
"She told me to survive."
"Exactly."
Bertha stopped directly in front of him, forcing Leo to meet her eyes.
"Not to return. Not to avenge her. Not to throw your life away trying to prove something."
Leo stared at her for several seconds.
The anger inside him didn't disappear, but it slowly began to settle into something heavier. He looked down at his hands, watching the faint glow of the platinum chain-like markings beneath his skin.
His mind replayed the final moment again.
Z looking directly at him.
That calm expression softening.
Survive.
Leo slowly exhaled.
"I hate this."
Bertha's expression softened slightly.
"I know."
Leo looked back toward the empty air.
"But I understand."
Cynthia crossed her arms as she watched him. The controlled intensity she carried earlier was still there, although her expression had become noticeably more subdued since leaving the battlefield.
"Good."
Leo glanced toward her.
For a moment, he studied her without saying anything. Her emotions were still tightly contained, but that controlled ball of rage he had sensed before was burning hotter now.
Not toward him.
Toward the situation.
Toward the people they had been forced to leave behind.
Leo understood that feeling far too well.
Claire looked around the forest, apparently deciding that standing around mourning wasn't going to accomplish anything.
"Where exactly are we?"
That question finally broke the tension.
Everyone began looking around their surroundings.
They were standing within a dense forest filled with massive trees. Their trunks were thick enough that several people could have stood around them without touching, while strange gray mist drifted between the roots and occasionally became dense enough to obscure the ground.
Leo expanded his perception.
His expression changed slightly.
"This isn't the central Enclave."
Bertha raised an eyebrow.
"You can tell?"
"I can't feel the same concentration of Dragon energy."
Leo slowly turned his head, allowing his senses to spread farther through the forest.
"There are still Dragon signatures nearby, but they're scattered."
Cynthia's eyes narrowed.
"Could this be another territory?"
"Maybe."
Leo closed his eyes for a moment as he focused more deeply.
Then his expression shifted.
"There are other energies too."
Claire looked at him.
"What kind?"
Leo remained quiet for another moment as he identified the different signatures.
"Grass."
He paused before adding another.
"Water."
Bertha's expression became thoughtful.
"Interesting."
Cynthia glanced around the forest again.
"Are we safe?"
Leo didn't immediately answer.
That alone was enough to make Claire's expression tighten.
"Leo?"
"I'm not sure."
He looked toward the gray mist spreading between the trees.
"The portal wasn't a normal teleportation technique. Giratina opened it from the battlefield, but I don't think it was designed to send us to a specific location."
Bertha nodded slowly.
"That sounds about right."
Leo frowned.
"You're not worried?"
"Oh, I'm worried."
Bertha gave him a completely serious look before continuing.
"I'm simply old enough to know that panicking rarely improves a situation."
Leo stared at her.
Despite everything that had happened, the corner of his mouth twitched upward.
"Fair."
Cynthia looked between them.
"Before we start wandering around, we need to establish exactly what we have."
Her gaze moved across the group.
"People first."
She silently counted everyone before looking around again.
"Leo. Claire. Bertha. Me."
Leo's eyes widened slightly.
"Princess."
A small movement came from behind him.
Four emerald vines slowly emerged over Princess's shoulders, each golden spear tip reflecting the dim light filtering through the trees.
"I was wondering when someone would remember me."
Leo blinked.
"You're okay?"
Princess crossed her arms.
"I was inside your soul space when the portal opened."
She glanced around the forest with a mildly annoyed expression.
"Obviously, I'm fine."
A familiar voice suddenly came from Leo's side.
"And I'm offended that you asked her first."
Leo turned his head.
Saphira floated beside him, her galaxy-like body shimmering faintly against the gray mist.
Leo stared at her for a second before sighing.
"You're impossible."
"I prefer charming."
Princess rolled her eyes.
"Both of you are annoying."
For the first time since leaving the battlefield, Leo genuinely smiled.
The moment was small, but it was enough to loosen some of the tension surrounding the group.
Unfortunately, it didn't last.
Leo's gaze shifted toward Kitsfrost.
The Legendary Pokémon was standing quietly a short distance away, her tails moving gently as she observed their surroundings. Unlike everyone else, she didn't seem particularly frightened or confused.
Instead, she appeared focused.
Leo noticed almost immediately.
"What is it?"
Kitsfrost's ears twitched.
She stared deeper into the forest, her eyes narrowing slightly as though she were listening to something that none of them could hear.
Then she slowly lowered her body.
Every muscle became tense.
"Kitsfrost?"
She didn't answer.
Instead, she continued staring into the mist.
A faint pulse of Fairy energy spread through the air.
Leo felt it.
His eyes widened slightly.
"This place..."
He looked around again, studying the trees and the strange mixture of energies surrounding them.
There was something familiar here.
Not Dragon.
Not exactly Fairy either.
Something closer to the strange harmony he had encountered before.
Kitsfrost's tails began glowing faintly.
Leo's expression became thoughtful.
Cynthia noticed his reaction.
"What do you mean?"
Leo didn't answer immediately. He reached down and touched the grass beneath his feet, allowing his senses to flow into the surrounding environment.
The grass felt alive.
Not simply biologically alive.
Connected.
There was a strange balance between the different energies in the area, almost as if the environment itself had been designed around their coexistence.
Leo slowly stood.
"I think the portal didn't just take us away from the battlefield."
Bertha's expression became more serious.
"What do you think it did?"
Leo looked into the fog.
"I think it brought us somewhere."
Nobody spoke for several seconds.
Then Claire frowned.
"Somewhere important?"
Leo's eyes narrowed.
"I don't know."
A distant sound suddenly echoed through the forest.
Everyone froze.
It wasn't a roar. It wasn't the sound of an attack, instead it sounded almost like laughter...
The noise came again, this time from somewhere much closer. Leo slowly raised one hand. "Everyone stay together."
Claire immediately shifted into a defensive stance. Cynthia summoned her Garchomp, while Bertha's Hippowdon planted its feet firmly into the earth.
Gengar disappeared into the shadows.
Princess's four vines rose behind her, their golden spear tips beginning to glow.
Kitsfrost stepped closer to Leo.
Saphira hovered above his shoulder, her eyes scanning the surrounding trees.
The forest seemed to grow quieter around them.
Then something moved within the gray mist.
A small silhouette slowly appeared between the trees.
It stopped several dozen feet away from the group.
Leo narrowed his eyes.
The creature tilted its head.
Then another silhouette appeared.
And another.
Within moments, dozens of eyes were watching them from between the trees.
Claire swallowed.
"Those aren't Dragon-types."
Leo continued staring into the darkness.
"No."
His expression became strangely calm as he studied the creatures surrounding them.
"They're watching us."
Bertha slowly tightened her grip around her cane.
"Well..."
A faint smile returned to her face.
"Looks like we found ourselves a new problem."
Leo's eyes gleamed beneath his shades.
He couldn't help it.
Despite everything that had happened, despite the uncertainty surrounding Z, and despite the enemies they had just escaped...
A small, almost feral grin appeared across his face.
"Good."
Cynthia looked at him.
Leo took one step forward, his platinum markings beginning to glow beneath his clothing.
"If we're going to survive..."
The creatures shifted within the mist, and Leo's grin widened slightly.
"...we might as well find out where we are."