DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything. All characters and the world of Pokémon belong to Nintendo. This work of Ash and Latias is of my own invention and is in no way related to the main story of Pokémon. I thank Nintendo for this amazing world! Without it, this story would never exist!
Sitting with his legs crossed and a pile of rocks near him, Ash, could be seen skipping rocks on the calm water of Pallet beach. Pikachu, as was the norm, was always beside Ash during his daily trips to the beach. Many of the locals thought he was simply enjoying his short break relaxing at the beach. However, there is always more than meets the eye and this is the story of what is going on beyond what the eye can see.
Pikachu calmly watched Ash throw yet another rock in the direction of the calm sea. This had been going on since the day Ash returned home after obtaining the title of Pokémon Master a few weeks prior. He was about to throw another one when he stopped mid-throw. Pikachu's ears twitched at this sudden halt and looked up at Ash with a quizzical expression. "Have you noticed?" Ash asked with guilty tone looking down at the electric mouse. Pikachu simply nodded. Ash sighed and put the rock down. "I'm sorry if I worried you or anyone else, but ever since we got back I feel like there is something I should do. It feels like a giant weight on my shoulders that I can't ignore." Ash said looking out at the orange glow of the sunset. "Pika Pikachu?" the electric mouse asked. "Yeah, I think I figured it out." Ash stated breaking out a smile. "You want to meet up with some old friends and go on a trip?" he asked cheerfully.
"Latias!" screamed Bianca. Latias jerked awake from her nap and fell out of the tree landing with a large thump. Latias got up and rubbed her head. "What is it Bianca? Is something wrong?" she asked telepathically. Bianca pointed at her and stated "You are what's wrong! Ever since Ash left, all you've done is sit up in that tree and pout! You need to cheer up! Lorenzo and I are worried about you!" Latias looked down at the ground in shame. "What am I supposed to do Bianca? It hurt seeing him leave right after the DMA incident. I was sure he was the one for me, but now it's been almost 4 years." A tear rolled down her cheek as she said this. Bianca took on an expression of sympathy and wiped away Latias's tear. "It may hurt, but that can't stop you from pushing aside your duty as the guardian. Now that Latios is gone, you need to spend more time protecting the city." She embraced Latias to further comfort her and said, "Don't worry too much about Ash. I'm sure he hasn't forgotten about you." Latias nodded in understanding. "Thanks Bianca, I feel a lot better and you are right, I need to spend more time guarding Altomare. I'll go and have a look around before lunch." Latias said turning to fly off. "Make sure nobody sees you!" Bianca yelled after her. After she left, Bianca pulled out a folded piece of paper from her back pocket and smiled. "Don't you worry, you'll find true happiness this time." She said staring at the paper. With that she turned on her heel and headed home.
[Author's Note: Bold represents telepathy, Italics represents a thought and Bold Italics.]
