AZ peeked out of his room, checking for guards. When he saw none, he looked over his shoulder at the small Pokemon that was floating nearby.

"It's clear, Floette. Come on."

He lifts the hood of his cloak over his head and leaves his chambers, Floette following closely behind him. AZ knew that he would never hear the end of it from his advisors if they knew that he sneaks out of the castle at night, especially in a time of war, but he couldn't care less.

AZ and Floette carefully tread the halls, being weary and avoiding the guards that patrolled. Eventually, the duo managed to sneak out of the castle successfully and soon found themselves walking through the city, on their way to the forest nearby. AZ makes sure to keep his hood up as to not risk being recognized by the few people who were still roaming about the city this late at night.

Most didn't care about the mysterious cloaked figure and his Floette wandering about the city, but a few did give questioning looks before shrugging them off. When AZ and Floette reached the forest, coming to the clearing filled with foreign flowers deep in it, they finally stopped and AZ lowered his hood. It was a spot that his mother would take him to long ago, when he was just a boy.

AZ glances at Floette, his expression softening as he reaches out and gently traces his finger alongside his small cheek.

"They're thinking about sending you to the front lines, Floette. I'm going to do my best to keep that from happening....I can't lose you too."

Floette lets out a solemn 'Kyuuu' in response, leaning into his touch. The two stay like this for a good minute, soaking up the moment together. Suddenly, the sound of rustling grass breaks the duo out of their bubble and both of them immediately turn towards the noise.