We were flying on our way to Hoenn. Latios and Latias didn't seem tired at all despite having been flying for almost two days straight.
I was wearing my usual clothes rather than my Kalos defender suit. I had left it back with Professor Sycamore so he could get it fixed. Until then, my key stone was on my sash with my poke-balls.
I patted Latios's neck under me. "So, how much farther?" I asked.
He unfolded his arms to shrug and then folded them back.
Latias flew closer and I jumped over to her back to give Latios a break from carrying me.
I let Fennekin and Shinx out for some fresh air and they jumped onto my shoulders.
"Fen!" Fennekin said happily.
"Shinx!" Shinx said.
"Glad to see you two aren't getting too bored on this trip" I said. They both nodded.
I saw a boat down below us and pointed it out to Latias and Latios.
They both grinned and angled into a nose dive.
I grabbed Fennekin and Shinx to keep them from falling off my shoulders as Latios and Latias rocketed down towards the boat.
They turned up inches from the water and rocketed forward, sending a spray of droplets into the air as they passed the crowded ship. I heard people laughing and screaming happily as water hit them.
Then we rose back up and continued onward.
"That was fun!" I said happily. Fennekin and Shinx nodded in agreement.
We kept going for a few more minutes until Latios began to get excited.
He began to twist and turn in the air as he kept unfolding his arms and pointing ahead of us.
I looked where he was pointing and saw land on the horizon. We had made it!
I recalled my pokemon and gripped Latias's collar as her and her brother shot forward and began rocketing towards the region ahead of us. We touched down in a town that they called Littleroot. It was small but there was a large building in the center that I guessed was the research lab.
Latios and Latias turned into humans and sat down, finally showing signs of exhaustion.
"So I guess you guys do have some limits" I noted. They both nodded, exhausted."Well, come on, we still need to go see Professor Birch. Professor Sycamore sent a message ahead of us, telling him we'd be here." They both reluctantly got up, but then fell right back down. "Okay then, looks like I'm gonna have to help you two for a change." I hoisted Latias onto my back and let Latios lean against my shoulder for support. Then we started walking towards Professor Birch's lab.
As we walked in the automatic front door, we were greeted by several scientists who immediately tried to escort Latias and Latios to another room. Latios and Latias refused however and insisted on staying with me.
We were led to a room with several chairs and a large machine with a globe built into it. There was a large man standing across the room, looking out a window.
"Take a seat" he said seriously. We listened and sat quietly in the open chairs. Then he turned to face us. He had a short brown beard and an extremely intense expression on his face. "I know who you two are Brendan and May. Or should I say, Latios and Latias?"
"Okay, so you do know" Latios said. Him and his sister disappeared in a flash of light and transformed back into pokemon.
"Wow!" the man said, losing his serious tone "I never believed I would finally get to see you two in person!" He ran over to us and began examining Latios and Latias with a magnifying glass.
"So, I take it you're Professor Birch?" I asked.
"Yes" he answered, still preoccupied with Latios and Latias. After a few minutes, he began to calm down and he took a seat that faced us. Latios and Latias settled down on either side of my chair. "So, tell me everything about what happened back in Kalos" Professor Birch instructed. And with that, The whole story unfolded as I told him everything I knew about our current situation.
"...And I had to leave most of my pokemon behind, so I don't have anything powerful enough to battle with Team Flare if they decide to show up." I finished "So it's probably best if we keep me being from Kalos a secret."
"Okay then, I'm glad Sycamore was able to send one of his Kalos Defenders before things got any worse" Professor Birch said. "And as for the legendary pokemon, we're gonna have to get creative."
"Why's that?" I asked.
"Because in order to use their full power, they each need a special stone. The Red Orb, The Blue Orb, and a special meteorite."
"So we're gonna need to find the stones and the legendary pokemon?" I asked.
"That seems to be the case" he answered solemnly.
"Do you have any idea where they are?"
"I have a good idea of where the legendary pokemon and their special stones are. But one of them's going to be tricky."
"I guess that's a start."
"First is Kyogre, she lives in a sea cave at the bottom of the ocean between Sootopolis and Mossdeep. Then there's Groudon, he lives deep inside Mt. Chimney. And their stones are located at a place near the Sky Pillar."
"What about Rayquaza?"
"That's the tricky one. Not only do we not have the meteorite he needs, but we also don't have a viable means of reaching him."
"Why?"
"Because he spends almost all of his time just outside our world's atmosphere."
"You mean he's..." I trailed off.
"In space." Professor Birch confirmed. I had been sitting on the edge of my seat, but now, I fell back into it. I was dumbstruck.
"How can we find him in space? I doubt you have any kind of spaceship that could follow him." I said.
"That's true, we can't possibly catch him in zero atmosphere, but..." he trailed off now.
"But what?"
"But...if we could get him down to the surface, then we might have a fighting chance."
"A fighting chance? What do you mean, 'a fighting chance'? And while we're on the subject, how do we get them to cooperate?"
"You have to prove yourself to them in battle."
"You mean I have to try and beat those things without Charizard?!" I exclaimed.
"No, you don't have to beat them, just prove to them that you're worth listening to."
Latios and Latias turned into humans and finally spoke up.
"We'll be able to help too" they said simultaneously.
Fennekin and Shinx materialized on my shoulders. They both rubbed against my cheeks.
"I guess it's settled then," I said "we just have to get strong enough to battle them while we're on our way to find them."
"Excellent!" Professor Birch said happily. "That's the spirit we need in these situations!"
"So where do we go first?" Latias asked.
"Kyogre seems like the easiest one to reach right now. You and Latios should be able to take Clayton to the sea floor once I loan him some scuba gear."
"So," I said "should we fly or walk to the beach before hitting the water?"
"I recommend walking, you need all the experience with your pokemon that you can get" Professor Birch answered.
"Understood" I replied.
"I'll walk you three to the edge of town. But past that, you're gonna be on your own for the most part."
After that, I decided to take a minute to contact Lisa, the gatekeeper of the Charicific Valley. I asked Professor Birch where there was a PC I could use and he showed me one in a nearby room. I turned on the PC and put in the code that Professor Sycamore had given me before I left. The screen flickered and I could here the call ringing. Then, a woman with green hair and a red shirt appeared on the screen. There was a Charizard wearing a bow behind her.
"Hello, are you Clayton?" she asked.
"Yeah, and are you Lisa?" I asked.
"Yes, I am. and this is Charla." She gestured to the Charizard behind her. "We watch over the Charicific Valley. So, I assume you're calling about your Charizard?"
"Yeah, can I see him?" I asked.
"Sure, I'll send Charla to get him." She turned around and said something to Charla who then walked off the screen. I heard a door open and shut as she disappeared from view.
"So how has he been doing since he arrived?"
"A little shaky, but he has a lot of potential."
"What do you mean, 'shaky'?"
"He's not quite as strong as most of the other Charizards here. But he's definitely getting stronger already. Soon, he'll be able to start the real training."
"And how about Mew?"
"She turned into a Charmander after they arrived. She's trying to blend in without risking a battle with one of our Charizards."
I started to say something, but I stopped short when I heard a door open in the background. Charizard walked onscreen with a Charmander on his shoulder. The Charmander had a bow, so I assumed it was Mew.
"Hey buddy!" I said happily.
Charizard grinned and waved. As he did, I noticed that he was covered in scratches and scorch marks.
"Training's hard, isn't it?" He nodded and slouched a little. Mew-Charmander patted him on the neck.
I heard a roar somewhere in the background and Charizard's expression became intense. He waved goodbye and then ran offscreen. Lisa reappeared and started talking again.
"Yeah, he just got challenged again."
"So he's going back to work?"
"Pretty much." We stopped as I heard something explode behind Lisa. She turned and looked out what I assumed was the door to her house. "Oh for the love of Arceus, not again! Sorry Clayton, gotta go. Their battle is getting too close to my house again!" The screen went black and I stood up.
Fennekin materialized on my shoulder.
"Fen?" he asked.
"No, I'm sure Charizard's fine. Trust me, if anyone can handle Charicific valley, it's him." We stood there for a few minutes as I scratched the back of his ear. Then we left to go join Latios, Latias, and Professor Birch outside.
And so ends Chapter 1. Basically, setting up the plot. I have big ideas for what's gonna happen, so keep on reading!