Scarred

by fatescanner

His sister Latias murdered by Team Rocket and himself being horribly scarred, Latios swears to destroy Team Rocket and take revenge for his sister's death, but he knows he can't do it alone…

2. Calm before the Storm

It took a little while, but here's the second chapter! Enjoy!

Thanks go out to my friend ARCEUS-master for his help with this chapter. If you haven't already seen it, I highly suggest you check out his awesome fic "A New Chance at Life", which he is currently planning the sequel to. Thank you, my friend, for taking your time to help out a humble starting author like myself!

I'd also like to thank Ardtornismyname for his ideas on future chapters.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or any of its characters.

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

"Telepathy"

---

Chapter 2

Calm before the Storm

"Brothers and sisters are as close as hands and feet." – Vietnamese proverb

Earlier that same day…

The sun was shining down on the beautiful island city of Alto Mare. The Venetian-like city was a marvel to behold, with its many canals winding throughout the city on all sides. Gondoliers ferried passengers to and from their destinations via these waterways as it was the best way to get around the expansive city.

The city was a hive of activity, with people walking up and down the cobbled streets, admiring the sights and browsing the many shops and stalls that adorned the streets, each of them selling a wide variety of goods. There were also many restaurants and cafes around the city in which people ate and talked amongst themselves both inside and outside.

Most of the buildings in the city were made from a white stone, and had green shingles adorning the roofs. A lot of the buildings had balconies for when people needed some fresh air, or simply just to admire the view along the canals. Ivy creepers hung from a lot of these balconies, sometimes running down the walls all the way to the ground. There were numerous small gardens around the city with trees and flowers of many varieties growing in them. The buildings varied in size, getting bigger as you got to the center of town, which had the main plaza and the Alto Mare museum in it, an immense three-story building adorned with tall spires at the sides of the triangle shaped entrance, oval shaped open air windows on the second floor, and an ornate dome-shaped third floor with an interlocking triangle shaped design running along the sides with beautiful oval shaped windows in the middle, with smaller oval shaped windows above those and a cone shaped spire adorning it all. Inside, the museum truly was a work of art, its style reminiscent of that of old world cathedrals, with intricate designs lining the walls of the humongous main atrium, with tall support pillars along its sides. Light flowed in from windows placed along the top of the side walls, while tourists and their children milled around, looking at the different exhibits whilst admiring or just staring in awe at the sheer magnificence and beauty of the museum.

This museum told the history of Alto Mare and how the first Guardian had saved the city from imminent destruction by defeating an evil trainer bent on world domination with her two Pokémon, the Fossil Pokémon Aerodactyl and Kabutops, sacrificing his life in the process, but not before leaving the inhabitants with one last gift: a mystical jewel known as the Soul Dew, which contained the Guardian's spiritual essence within it. This jewel would ensure peace and prosperity for the city as long as it remained undisturbed, which was kind of a moot point as no one in the city knew where it was located, save for its guardians, Latios and Latias, the Legendary twin Eon Pokémon, said to be the descendants of the first Guardian of legend, and their caretakers, whose identity remained a mystery to the people of the city. No one could blame them for keeping their identities secret; they were charged with the care and wellbeing of two rare and powerful Pokémon, as well as keeping the location of the Soul Dew a secret. Such information could bring great harm to the city if it were to fall into the wrong hands.

One thing of note in the museum were the two fossils that lay in the center of the main atrium. One of them depicted a creature of apparent flying capability, judging by the narrow wing bones with a small prehensile claw apparent on the second joint of each wing that extended from the body, with ribs and a spine and what looked like a small dorsal plate on the back being apparent there. The tail bone was long and tapering, ending with a barb-like protrusion. The bones for the feet seemed rather short and stubby, although one look at the sharp and dangerous talons on the ends of each of the two-toed feet was enough to prove that they weren't just there for show. And finally, the skull was vaguely rectangular in shape, particularly the beak. Towards the back, the skull slightly curved upwards, where the empty eye sockets were located, as well as two small horn-like protrusions. The inside of the beak was lined with rows of sharp, serrated teeth not unlike those of a shark which could, by shaking the head quickly from side to side, could easily rip and tear through the flesh and bone of prey animals as easily as a hot knife through butter, clearly identifying the creature as a formidable predator of prehistoric times.

The other fossil depicted a creature that held a resemblance to ancient shellfish. The most distinguishing feature of the fossil were the two sickle-shaped claws, quite like those of a Scyther, that acted as the creature's main natural weapons, used for slicing and dicing prey. The claws were attached to a carapace made up of several bony plates on the front side, and six hard spikes on the backside, three on each side of the body which ran from the base of the neck to the beginning of the tail, which was rather short and pointed. The legs seemed to be longer than the majority of the body, ending with two-clawed feet. And finally, the head was roughly diamond-shaped and flat, with two narrow, empty eye sockets. This creature, which seemed to have evolved legs to adapt to a more terrestrial lifestyle, nevertheless could just as easily be at home in the sea should it chose, making it a predator to be feared on both land and sea.

These were the remains of the ancient Fossil Pokémon Aerodactyl and Kabutops, who, along with their evil power-hungry trainer, had nearly brought the city to its knees, were it not for the intervention of the first Guardian, who called upon the waters of the city to drown both Pokémon and their corrupt trainer, saving the city from a terrible fate, although at the cost of his own life.

The other thing of note in the museum was further inside, in a smaller, separate atrium. Surrounded on all sides by tall black metal pillars covered in strange designs sat an unusual looking machine of an extremely complex and strange design. But although its appearance may baffle onlookers and cause many an eyebrow to be raised, one could not help but repress a shudder when informed of its purpose and of the immense power it could command; of the immense destruction it could wrought if in the wrong hands.

This was the Defense Mechanism of Alto Mare, or DMA for short, as locals tended to call it. This machine was constructed many thousands of years ago, although the exact nature of its origin and construction remain unknown. Its sole purpose was in the protection and defense of Alto Mare from invading threats. The power it possessed allowed users to seal off portions of the city, bend the very water around the city and shape it according to the user's whim, and even bring that which has died back to life to aid in the defense of Alto Mare.

The problem was, should weak-minded people or those with evil in their hearts attempt to use the machine, chances were that the immense power of the machine to go mad with power and turn on the city, seeking to use the machine to accomplish their own ends.

Thus, the machine was supposed to be used strictly as a last resort, and only then by those who were trusted to be able to use the machine without being corrupted by its power.

Finally, in order to activate the machine, two things were required: The legendary Soul Dew, and one of the Eon Twins, Latios or Latias. To obtain these things, the Guardian's caretakers permission must be obtained, which is never easy, since the activation of the DMA results in the destruction of the Soul Dew, and seeing as the Soul Dew also helps maintain the city's water level, a new Soul Dew must be created in order to preserve the city, namely, using the soul of the sacrificed Eon Twin in its construction; a very high price, indeed.

Up until recently, the city had, thankfully, never had need of it. Until the whole fiasco with Team Rocket, that is.

Aside from the museum, there was one other major landmark of note in the city: the twin statues of the Guardians of Alto Mare, Latios and Latias. The statues were carved from stone, each of them sitting atop immensely high pillars. Rising almost sixty feet high in the air, the statues served as a testament to the city's belief in these Legendary Pokémon, and that they were always watching over the city, ready and willing to protect it should the need arise.

...

High above the city, Latios observed the hustle and bustle of the city below with interest. 'No matter how many times I see it, the sight of Alto Mare from the sky makes me feel blessed to live in such a beautiful and peaceful city' he thought to himself with a smile.

He was currently invisible, courtesy of his light-refracting down. However, had he been visible, his figure would've given off the clear impression of a streamlined draconic appearance. The feathers around his body were colored a light shade of blue, while the feathers surrounding his ears, neck, and the area surrounding his claws were a grayish-white in color. Along each side of his back were two wing-shaped appendages, not unlike those of a jet plane, and there were two ridge-like features along his rear side. On the underside of his body, in the center of his chest, there was a small triangle shaped-pattern whose bands were red in color, but was blue in the middle. His arms were rather small in comparison to the rest of his body, but each were armed with three sharp claws, making them effective natural weapons in combat. The outside of his forearms were colored in the same way as his body feathers, while the inside was lined with what looked like banded markings. His neck was long and slender, and his ears pointed upwards and slightly towards his back. Finally, his face was rather small and pointed. The top half of his face was mostly colored a light shade of blue, like his body feathers, but right in the middle of his forehead, in a shape resembling a teardrop, was an area that was colored in the same way as his neck and arm regions: a grayish-white. His eyes were narrow, with a blood-red colored iris and black pupils. A kind of fierce intenseness lurked behind those eyes; they were the kind that could freeze you with a glare and make you quiver in fear if you happened to be on his bad side.

But currently, anger was the furthest thing from Latios' mind. How could he be angry on a day like this, with the sun shining down as it was, pleasantly warming his feathers, the city below him looking the picture of beauty, with all the inhabitants enjoying the day, and the water looking cool and crystal-clear, the sun creating a lovely dappled shiny effect upon it? It was times like these that made him happy to be alive.

Satisfied with the view, Latios took a deep breath and tucked in his claws to his side and, by deactivating the levitating ability which kept him floating in the air, proceeded to drop straight down in a dizzyingly steep dive towards the ocean. He plummeted towards the ocean like a stone, the wind rushing in his ears and across his face, reveling in the feeling of sheer ecstasy that could only be brought about by dropping ten thousand feet, at speeds of over a hundred twenty miles per hour, which was amplified by the adrenalin coursing through his veins.

As he got closer to the rapidly-approaching ocean surface, he began to narrow his eyes in concentration in preparation for what he was about to do. When he was about fifty feet from crashing into the ocean, he activated his levitating ability again and began pulling out of the dive in a curving motion which caused a visible stir among the waves, the momentum from the long dive sending him shooting him back out towards the sky and out across the city.

As he shot across the sky, he couldn't resist letting loose an excited yell at what he had just done. He started executing barrel rolls in his excitement as the momentum carried him on for a while longer.

Finally, the momentum faded and he winded up floating about fifty feet above the city, a good deal of which he had passed over in his dive-fueled living cannon shot. He took in deep breaths, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart, while at the same time enjoying the euphoria he felt from such an exhilarating dive. 'No matter how many times I do that, I swear I'll never get tired of it' he thought giddily to himself. 'I wish Latias could've seen that.' he added wistfully.

His sister, Latias, was currently off somewhere else. Latios was alright with her wanting to go off alone, he knew that she knew how to take care of herself. Anyway, she wasn't one to enjoy the types of activities that Latios liked to do. She would much rather prefer to wander around the city, enjoying the day and the many things to see and do around the city, as well as pulling the occasional harmless prank every now and then.

Finally calmed down, Latios decided to continue with his daily patrol around the city. Although it wasn't so much a patrol as it was aimless wandering, he still felt it his duty to check around the city, making sure that all was well. It was, after all, his and his sister's duty to protect Alto Mare. Ever since the attack on the city perpetrated by those filthy Team Rocket spies, Annie and Oakley, Latios began taking this duty much more seriously than he had before. He would be damned if he ever let something like that happen again.

With this in mind, he slowly glided off along the canals of the city, zigzagging around corners, under and over archways and bridges, and across busy streets, always keeping an eye out for any suspicious activity as the day continued to wear on.

About three hours later, a little after three in the afternoon, Latios was casually flying down a deserted canal way when he suddenly had the strangest feeling he was being watched. He came to an abrupt stop and began looking suspiciously all around him, checking around in front of him, on the rooftops, and then checking over his shoulder to look behind him. He couldn't see anything; it looked like he was completely alone. But why did he still have that nagging feeling of being watched?

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, he was slammed into from above by a seemingly invisible object going at a tremendous speed. The force in which he was struck caused him to go flying down into the canal, hitting the water with a tremendous splash.

The shock at being taken by surprise caused him to drop his invisibility. He came up spluttering water, shaking his head to clear his senses and to get the water out of his feathers. He started looking around wildly, before turning to glare at the spot where the force had struck him, already knowing who the culprit was. "Alright, sister, I know you're there! Show yourself right now!" he shouted angrily.

Immediately he started to hear fits of laughter coming from the spot he was staring at. The next moment the air around the spot started to shimmer, and in a bright flash of light, his sister, Latias, revealed herself.

In appearance, Latias pretty much had the same body shape as her brother. The main differences between them was that Latias' body feathers were colored a bright shade of red, and the feathers around her neck and arms were a purer color of white than her brother's. She had a slightly smaller build than her brother. The triangle pattern on her chest was colored blue, unlike her brother's, which was red. Her ears were less pointed than her brother's, and the pattern of white on her forehead was of a different shape. Finally, her eyes were wide and round, with an amber-colored iris and black pupils. Her eyes always seemed to sparkle with a kind of youthful, playful exuberance, quite different from her brother's serious and somewhat intimidating stare.

Currently she was rolling around in the air in fits of laughter while her brother stared angrily at her. "Oh ho ho, brother," she began while wiping a tear of laughter from her eye, "you should've seen the look on your face as you came sputtering up out of the water! You were all like "Who? What? Where? Why?"" she said while imitating her brother's voice and actions. "It was so priceless!" she finished before beginning to laugh again.

A vein of anger appeared on Latios' forehead as he continued to watch his sister's merriment over her successful prank on him. Suddenly, his anger faded, only to be replaced by a devilish smile and look.

"Ohh, Latias!" he began in a sing-song voice, "you do realize what this means, don't you?" he asked in a dangerous tone of voice while his body began to eagerly tense itself.

Latias immediately gave a small "Eek!" of playful panic and zoomed off down the way that Latios had just come, resuming her invisibility as she did so, while Latios took off like a shot after her, quickly drying his feathers with a quick burst of Psychic before resuming invisibility himself, yelling after his sister "Come back here, you little twerp!"

He proceeded to chase his sister for a while along the canals around the city, not prepared to lose her. Even though she was invisible, Latios was able to sense her and her movements with his Psychic abilities. He guessed the reason that she was able to sneak up on him like that was because he wasn't actively trying to sense her, and she had been able to sense this. He mentally scolded himself as he continued to chase Latias across the city, telling himself to be more on the lookout next time, if not for suspicious activity, than at least for a certain prank-loving sister.

As he followed Latias around a bend in a canal way, he got the sense that he was finally gaining on his sister. There wasn't much distance between them now, about twenty feet. Grinning in anticipation, he put on an extra burst of speed, calling out to his sister "Uh-oh, Latias! Getting tired, are we? Why don't you just give up and accept your punishment?"

From over her shoulder, he could hear his sister reply "Ha! You think you've caught me, dear brother? Think again!"

From some hidden reserve of strength, Latias managed to put on an extra burst of speed, lengthening the gap between the two siblings.

Latios gaped in amazement; how had she been able to do that? Quickly regaining his senses, he continued to chase her.

Their chase finally led them to an area that Latios immediately recognized; they were close to the entrance to the secret garden.

His thoughts were confirmed as he saw Latias round a distant corner. As he turned the corner himself, he saw that Latias had apparently disappeared from sight. There was just a nondescript brick wall in front of him, flanked by two buildings on either side. However, knowing better, Latios continued to fly straight at the wall. The wall offered no resistance as he passed through the illusion that hid the entrance to the secret garden to which he and Latias called home.

As he emerged on the other side, the sight of the secret garden greeted him, the mass of lush scenery never failing to impress him. There were humongous oak trees, various types of smaller trees and bushes, and all kinds of beautiful fragrant flowers planted all across the length of the picturesque garden. He was at the top of a walkway that extended all the way to the other end of the garden, at the top of two flights of steps that led to the main area of the garden. There were smaller walkways breaking off from the main one leading into different areas of the garden. There was a small pond apparent on his left side, with lily pads and water rushes lining it. The afternoon sunlight filtered through the canopy of tall oak trees, casting a beautiful dappled effect of shining light throughout the garden.

The garden was home to many other Pokémon besides him and his sister. Even now he could see and hear flocks of Pidgey and Murkrow flitting amongst the trees, calling amongst themselves, the Pidgey with small, sweet sounding chirps, the Murkrow with harsh sounding caws. Dragonfly-like Yanma were gliding in and around the pond region, and various small mammalian Pokémon could be espied frolicking about in the grasses along the garden.

After pausing a while to survey the scenery, Latios decided to get back to the task at hand. He was sure his sister was hiding somewhere around here, he just had to find her, and knowing his sister, that could be pretty hard in and of itself.

He looked around trees, in bushes, and behind boulders in his search for his sister. "Oh, Latias!" he called out in a loud voice, "I know you're here somewhere, and I will find you, even if it takes me all night! We all know how this'll end, so why don't you just come out now and save yourself the trouble of waiting. I promise to go easy on you!" However, after saying the last part, he gave a silent laugh in his head. 'Huh, yeah right!' he thought to himself.

The only response he got was the gentle rustling of leaves in the wind and the chirps and caws of the bird Pokémon.

Latios shook his head. "Alright, if that the way you want to play it, fine! We'll do this the hard way! But you'd better be ready, cause when I find you, you're in for it big time!"

He continued his search around the garden for a while, but couldn't find his sister in any of the spot he searched.

Finally, he decided to rest on the ground for a while and tried to think of good hiding spots that his sister would choose. He tried to imagine himself as Latias, and wondered what sort of hiding spot he would choose if he were in her situation.

He raised a claw to his lips in thought as he looked around the garden, his mind trying to come up with ideas for hiding spots. As his eyes traveled across the garden, he analyzed each potential hiding spot and how likely it was that his sister was hiding in one of them.

The trees? Not likely, seeing as they usually slept in them at night, so Latias probably would've assumed they'd be the first place her brother would look for her.

The bushes? Probably not, since a lot of them had thorns and prickers that was sure to cause any Pokémon considerable discomfort if they chose to hide in them.

The boulders? C'mon, you'd have to be pretty dumb to choose them as a hiding spot.

But what else was there? There were only so many places to hide in the garden, and he had searched most of them to no avail.

But then, all of a sudden, his mind had an amazing brainstorm. His eyes quickly shifted to rest directly on the garden's small pond. 'Of course! The pond!' he mentally exclaimed.

He quickly flew over to the pond's side and started casting an observing eye across its length. At first glance, nothing seemed out of the ordinary amongst it. The water was calm, owing to the fact that there were no apparent factors around to disturb its placidity. The lily pads, some of which had flowers on their tops, were lazily drifting around the pond as the breeze took them. And the water rushes, tall grasses with long spindly stalks with brown knobbly protrusions on their ends, were swaying gently in the breeze. However, on closer inspection, Latios found something that caught his eye, something that seemed out of place amongst the normal pond vegetation.

In the middle of the pond, amongst a cluster of lily pads, in what could easily be missed to all but the careful observer, was what looked like a small yellow protrusion sticking up out of the water. It was barely visible, due to the low height at which it stuck above the water, and the numerous lily pads surrounding it, serving as an effective camouflage. As Latios looked closer at it, he noticed there was a small hole carved into its middle. He slowly extended a claw over the strange object, and was surprised to feel a slight rush of air coming in and out of the object. Pulling his claw back, he marveled for a bit at his sister's ingenuity. Then, with a devilish smile on his lips, he extended his claw again and placed it directly on top of the hole, completely covering it.

Immediately he felt the air flow on his claw begin to get more frantic, as its user's air supply was suddenly cut off. Bubbles started to form on the surface as the creature below struggled to breathe. The reed began visibly trembling as whatever was down there started shaking from the lack of oxygen.

Suddenly, the water around the reed exploded as an air-starved Latias threw herself out of the pond, gasping for air.

However, as soon as she did, she was tackled to the ground by a blue blur called Latios. He held his still dripping sister to the ground with both claws on her back, effectively subduing her while still allowing her to continue to gasp for air.

He looked down at her, a triumphant smile plain on his features. "Now, are we going to apologize, or do I have to tickle it out of you?" he asked her smugly.

Having caught her breath by now, Latias gave a small smile and looked upward towards her brother. "Okay, brother, you win. I'm sorry for pranking you like that." she said in a sincere voice, knowing that she had been beaten.

However, Latios wasn't quite done. "And now that I've caught you, you will acknowledge me as your superior. So repeat after me: I acknowledge Latios to be my overall better in all things. He is smarter than me, faster than me, and much better-looking than me. He is the better Pokémon than me and one whom I'm proud to call my brother." he said.

Latias' eyes widened in shock and her mouth gaped openly. "WHAT! You've gotta be #%$ing kidding me!" she yelled.

Latios' eyes narrowed dangerously as he began sliding his claws closer to his sister's arms. "Do I look like I'm kidding, sis? Say it or else you'll be in for a tickling the likes of which you've never seen!"

Latias continued to stare in open shock at Latios, and from the look of dead seriousness on his face, realized that he was far from kidding. She gave a loud and frustrated sigh and looked down towards the ground before replying verbatim: "I acknowledge Latios to be my overall better in all things. He is smarter than me, faster than me, and much better-looking than me. He is the better Pokémon than me and one whom I'm proud to call my brother."

Satisfied, Latios took his claws off his sister, allowing her to rise. "There, was that so hard?" he said in a condescending voice.

However, he had seriously misjudged his sister's reaction. She turned on him and tackled him to the ground, pinning him with her claws. "Not really, seeing as now I'm gonna make you eat those words!" she yelled at him.

Latios gave a playful smile. "Oh, we'll see about that, dear sister." Suddenly, his eyes started glowing a bright shade of white as he unleashed a small Psychic attack that threw his sister off of him and onto the ground with a small "Oof!", although he took care not to hurt her.

He took off laughing across the garden, with his angry sister not far behind him, hurling all kinds of dire threats and some shockingly colorful insults.

Ah, the love shared between siblings. It almost brings a tear to one's eye, doesn't it?

...

After they were done playing, in which Latias finally got her brother to take back his remarks, they both apologized to each, deciding it had all been in good fun.

By now, it was a little after four in the afternoon, and having nothing better to do, Latias suggested that they go to visit Bianca, to which Latios agreed. They both resumed their invisibility and exited the garden the same way they had come in, with Latios following closely behind his sister.

The house in which Bianca and Lorenzo lived in was a small two-story building which was situated alongside one of the many canals that ran across the city. It was located not far from the secret garden, so Bianca and Lorenzo didn't have to walk across the whole city to visit their dragon friends. The same held true for the twins; it gave them a sense of security to know that their friends and caretakers were not far away, ready to help in times of trouble.

Latios and Latias flew into a nearby alley adjacent to the house, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and turned visible in small flashes of light before quickly assuming their human guises, Latias in the form of Bianca, a teenage girl in a green shirt and white mini-skirt, long black socks and pink tennis shoes, with long brown hair that had a style remarkably similar to Latias' wings, while Latios took the form of a boy in his late teens with rather long light blue hair, reddish-colored eyes, wearing an open long-sleeved blue jacket with a white shirt underneath, blue jeans, and black combat boots. Height-wise, Latios' form was slightly taller than Latias'.

Latias looked down at the boots her brother's form had on with disdain. "Why do you always wear those things?" she asked telepathically to him.

Latios put his hands in the pockets of his jacket and shrugged. "Because I think they look cool. Why do you always take the form of Bianca?" he retorted back with a grin.

Latias was taken aback by this; she adopted a sheepish look and rubbed the back of her head. "Ah. Touché." she answered.

Latios smiled and placed a hand on his sister's shoulder. "Come along, sister." he said with a chuckle. He just loved to contradict his sister.

They both exited the alley and proceeded across the street to the front door of Bianca and Lorenzo's house. Latios knocked on the door and they both waited for a few seconds before they heard the sound of footsteps coming to the door. The door opened to reveal a girl who was an exact carbon copy of Latias' form, the only difference being the white beret atop her head.

Latias smiled. "Hi, Bianca!" she greeted telepathically to her. Latios also smiled and nodded his head in greeting.

Bianca's face lit up as she recognized them. "Oh, hello you two! You have perfect timing; I was just about to come over to the garden to look for you. Come in, quickly! There's something on TV you'll be interested in seeing!" she said excitedly, inviting them in by hurriedly waving her hand.

Curious as to what was so important, the twins entered. Once they were inside and Bianca had closed the door, they immediately resumed their natural forms in a shimmer of light.

Bianca then ran down the main hallway of the house to the entrance of the living room. She turned around and beckoned for them to follow. "Come on! You've got to see this!" she said.

Latios and Latias looked at her with confusion, then they both looked at each other, each wondering what was so important to get Bianca so worked up. Latios then shrugged and followed Bianca, with Latias right behind him.

"What's this all about, Bianca? What's got you so excited?" Latios asked her as they followed her into the living room.

Bianca smiled. "Oh, you'll see." she said smugly.

The living room was well furnished, with a wooden floor and a large rug with an intricate design in the middle of the room. On the rug were a large sofa, two comfy chairs, and a glass coffee table in the middle. Facing against the sofa was a medium sized TV set on a table.

Bianca sat down on the couch while Latios and Latias remained floating behind it.

"I was just flipping through the channels when I came across this. It's one of the preliminary matches for the Hoenn League Ever Grande Conference. Check out who's competing." Bianca said.

On the screen it showed what appeared to be a small stadium. Being as it was still the preliminaries, most of the stadium seats were empty. The field was made of dirt with a rectangular pattern encircling the majority of its length that was divided in the middle by a straight line with a circular pattern resembling a Poké Ball in the middle of the line.

The field was currently occupied by two battling Pokémon. One was a small yellow mouse with long ears with black tips, circular red cheeks that were sparking violently, small round black eyes which were currently narrowed in concentration, and a long tail in the shape of a lightning bolt. It had a look of utmost determination on its face.

The other was a rather taller brown colored Pokémon. Its face seemed to lack a mouth or nose; the only visible facial features were its eyes: there was an area of black surrounding their edges, while the eyes themselves were narrow, with a small vertical pupil, like those of a cat. Its arms were wrapped with what looked like bandages, and each of its hands possessed three digits. However, the most striking feature of this Pokémon were its legs, which were longer than the majority of its body and appeared to be very powerful; one kick from them could easily shatter boulders. Its feet were each tipped with three sharp, pointed claws. It had currently adopted a fighting stance, waiting for its opponent to make a move.

The mouse-like Pokémon was a Pikachu, an Electric-type Pokémon capable of producing immensely powerful electric attacks from the energy sacs located in its cheeks.

The other was a Hitmonlee, a Fighting-type Pokémon who specializes in fighting with its feet, able to learn a variety of kicking moves thanks to its incredibly powerful leg muscles.

On either side of the rectangle-shaped arena were two small boxes where each Pokémon's respective Trainer stood.

The Hitmonlee's trainer was a young man who looked like he was in his early twenties, and was wearing a red headband and sporting a flat-top hair style. He was dressed in a karate outfit with a black-colored belt around his waist.

The Pikachu's trainer was a young boy no older than thirteen or fourteen, wearing a red-colored cap that had a streak of black running down its middle, with the top half of a green Poké Ball design in the middle. His hair was jet-black, and was sticking out at the sides of his cap. His brown eyes shone with determination and a love for battling. He was wearing a blue hooded jacket with short black sleeves, gray athletic pants, and blue tennis shoes with black trim. He also had fingerless black training gloves on his hands.

Latias gave a startled gasp as she recognized the Pikachu's trainer. It was a face she often saw in her dreams at night and one that evoked a sense of longing in her heart whenever she thought of him. "Oh my God, Latios, it's Ash!" she exclaimed.

Latios was likewise startled; he and Latias had not seen or heard from Ash ever since the incident a year and four months ago, since they didn't know how to get in contact with him. Seeing him competing in the Ever Grande Conference was quite a shock. "You're right, Latias, it is him! Although he does look different from the last time we saw him." He had remembered Ash wearing a different set of clothes the last time they had met. 'He must've changed outfits when he decided to head to Hoenn.' he concluded to himself.

Latias nodded. "Yeah, at first I didn't recognize him because of the clothes, but there's no mistaking that face; it's Ash all right!"

Bianca turned around to look at them. "So, I imagine you two are pretty shocked, huh?" she said with a smile.

"Yeah, we are, seeing as we haven't seen Ash for more than a year. I'm shocked that he was able to get all of the Hoenn League badges and get to the Ever Grande Conference in that amount of time!" Latios communicated telepathically to Bianca.

"Although, since he's competing in the Hoenn championships now, I take it he lost in the Johto League competition." Latios telepathed sadly.

"How'd you come across this, Bianca?" Latios queried.

"Well, like I said, I was just surfing the channels when I came across the Hoenn League Championships. The match before this one had just ended and the announcer then said that the next battle was to be between Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and some dude from Dewford Town. I didn't catch his name because when I heard Ash was competing, I kinda zoned out. I was just about to come and try to find you guys when you showed up." Bianca explained.

Latios turned his attention to the two Pokémon battling. "So that must be his Pikachu battling." he deduced.

Latios remembered how he had met Ash and his Pikachu when he discovered them both in the secret garden with Latias. He had thought they were there to hurt her and had attacked Pikachu, dealing him a serious blow, and had it not been for the intervention of his sister and Lorenzo, probably would have killed them both. Not what you would call the friendliest of first meetings, but once Latias had informed him that Ash had saved her from a pair of nasty women intent on capturing her (who he later found out was Annie and Oakley), he immediately calmed down and apologized to both Ash and Pikachu for attacking them and also thanked them for saving his sister, and even though Ash couldn't understand him, since Latios did not know telepathy at that time, Ash was able to comprehend his meaning and forgave him for attacking them, and said it was nothing to save his sister, that he would have done it for anyone. Latios started taking an immediate liking to him after that; his kind and helpful spirit and his friendly and caring nature towards Pokémon contributed to this.

The subsequent events with Annie and Oakley proved to Latios just how far Ash was willing to go to help someone in trouble. When Latias arrived with Ash to stop Annie and Oakley in the museum, he had tried everything in his power to free Latios from the life-draining orb he was trapped in. Although it was eventually Latias who freed him using her psychic powers, it was clear that Ash had tried his best to save him, and that he would've done anything to save him.

After Latios had been freed and the DMA deactivated, it was clear that the DMA had taken most of Latios' energy out of him, leaving him close to death. Ash and Latias, along with Bianca and Lorenzo, who had also been in the museum, albeit incapacitated by Oakley's Ariados's spider web until that point, had hurriedly taken him to the local Pokémon Center. As it was still early in the morning, around two a.m., the Pokémon Center had thankfully been vacant of Trainers and their Pokémon. They fetched the Center's Nurse Joy, and after telling her of the situation that had just taken place, Latios was taken in for treatment.

It was agreed upon that the presence of a Legendary Pokémon in the Center could cause quite a commotion if the knowledge became public, so they took every precaution to make sure the presence of Latios in the Center remained a secret. Only those that knew him personally were allowed to see him, those being Latias, Bianca, Lorenzo, and Ash and his friends, Brock and Misty.

During Latios' recovery, all of the aforementioned people made a point to visit him whenever they could. Ash had decided to stay in Alto Mare for a few more days to make sure Latios fully recovered. This gesture proved to Latios just how much he loved and cared for all Pokémon. He had only just met Ash the previous day and thus only barely knew him, but here was Ash, who made it a point to stay in Alto Mare until Latios made a complete recovery. It greatly puzzled him, but at the same time touched his heart that someone he barely knew and had rashly attacked when they first met cared so much for his well-being, a Pokémon Ash had never seen before in his life.

On one of Ash's visits, Latios had asked his Pikachu this very question. "Why does he care so much about me, a Pokémon he only just met?" he had asked.

Instead of answering, Pikachu had told him the story of when he and Ash first met. Ash came from the small town of Pallet, located in the Kanto region. The year he had turned ten, he made it a point to receive his first Pokémon from Professor Oak (whose name sounded familiar to Latios. He thought he had heard it on some TV or radio station before, and from what he remembered, had made him out to be a top Pokémon researcher and quite famous in the scientific community for his discoveries on Pokémon and for the invention of the Pokédex, whatever that was.), and to travel around the region collecting the badges from eight different cities that he'd need to compete in the Kanto League championship. As Pikachu put it, "Ash plans on becoming the world's greatest Pokémon Master. He makes a point of telling that to anyone he meets, so you could say that it's his number one goal in life." he had said with a chuckle.

On the day he began his journey, according to Pikachu, he had overslept, and so by the time he had gotten to Professor Oak's laboratory, all of the starting Pokémon, which consisted of Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle, had all been taken by other aspiring Trainers. Ash, who was desperate to have a Pokémon, literally begged Professor Oak for one, and he had reluctantly given him Pikachu.

As Pikachu put it, "I had disliked Ash from the moment I saw him. What would you think, if the person who was to be your Trainer showed up on his first day late and wearing nothing but pajamas?"

Latios chuckled. "I probably wouldn't take him seriously." He answered.

Pikachu smiled. "Which were my thoughts exactly." he said.

Pikachu then explained how Ash had foolishly thrown a rock at a Spearow, hoping to weaken it. But this particular Spearow just happened to be the leader of a large flock of them, and to say it was angry would be a huge understatement.

The Spearow leader ordered his flock to attack Ash, but when he saw that Ash wasn't going down easily, he turned his attention to Pikachu, and although Pikachu put up a brave fight, he was eventually overcome by the many Spearows and brutally beaten.

But Ash had bravely fended off the Spearows attacking Pikachu, and carrying Pikachu in his arms, fled as fast as he could up Route 1.

After being forced to jump off a cliff into a river, they were both fished out of the river by Misty, whom Latios remembered meeting earlier, a red-haired girl with blue eyes, wearing a yellow shirt and blue short shorts, with a red handbag and cradling a small Togepi in her arms.

'Borrowing' Misty's bike, Ash had quickly fled with Pikachu in the bike's basket along the main road leading to Viridian City, as a storm began to brew. However, the flock of Spearow had caught up with them, and caused Ash and Pikachu to fall off the bike into the muddy dirt lining Route 1.

And then, in a moment that Pikachu would remember for the rest of his life, Ash had asked Pikachu to save himself by getting inside a Poké Ball, and in an act of selfless courage, stood defiantly against the Spearow flock, taunting them and saying to come and get him.

In that instance, Pikachu realized that by being willing to sacrifice his life for a Pokémon, Ash was truly a loving and caring Trainer, one that cared for all life in the world, and one who was definitely worthy of his love and respect.

At the same moment the Spearow charged, Pikachu felt a rush of adrenaline surge through him, and eager to protect his Trainer, raced over to him and over his shoulder, and when he was about to meet the Spearows, unleashed a Thunder attack of titanic proportions, amplified by the thunderstorm, completely defeating the Spearows in addition to charring a good portion of the forest around them.

But the attack had completely drained Pikachu's energy, and left him near death's door. So Ash carried Pikachu the rest of the way to Viridian City, where, with some help from the local Officer Jenny, Ash was able to get Pikachu to the Pokémon Center in time for Nurse Joy to save him.

"So to answer your question," Pikachu concluded, "I would say that's it's just in his nature to care about other people and Pokémon. He's shown it so many times since then that I've just come to expect it. It's the same with you and Latias; he wants to make sure you make a full recovery so he can see you up and about again, and so he can see your sister be happy again, knowing you've recovered. Does that make sense?" he asked.

Latios nodded. "Yes. I understand perfectly. You should count yourself lucky to have such a great Trainer." he said.

Pikachu gave a small chuckle. "Oh, believe me, I do. Although I admit he can be a bit of a goofball at times, not to mention being denser than lead, I love Ash and I'd do anything to protect him, just as he'd do anything to protect me or anyone else for that matter. I'm sure it's the same way with you and your sister." he stated.

Latios smiled. "Yep, you're right there. I'd do anything to keep my sister safe, but if you think Ash is a goofball, you should spend some time with my sister."

Pikachu gave a smug smirk. "Oh, you think your sister is bad? Well, let me tell you about the time Ash snuck into the Celadon City Gym…"

After Latios had recovered, he and Latias knew that Ash would leave as soon as possible, as he had mentioned that he was one badge away from having all the badges he'd need to compete in the Johto League championships, and he did not want to miss the deadline for Trainer registration.

On the day that Ash was to catch a boat back to the Johto mainland, he and Latias had caught up to him as he and his were about to embark. They were both in their human forms, Latios in his custom form, and Latias in the form of Bianca. They knew that Ash had already said his goodbyes to Bianca and Lorenzo earlier in the morning, but he and Latias had both wanted to see Ash off personally.

Ash had been surprised at first to see them, but this was immediately replaced by relief and gladness. "Hey, you guys! I didn't think I'd get a chance to say goodbye to you two. Thanks for coming!" he had said.

Latios came up to Ash and embraced him in a tight, crushing hug.

Ash laughed and patted Latios on the back in return. "Yeah, I'm gonna miss you too, Latios. You and your sister." he said amusedly.

After breaking off the hug, Latios handed Ash a piece of paper. Ash looked at it quizzically for a moment before opening it. It read:

Ash, good luck with getting your last badge and competing in the Johto League championship! My sister and I'll be rooting for you!

Thank you so much for your help in dealing with Annie and Oakley. If it hadn't been for you, my sister and I would not be alive right now. From the bottom of our hearts, my sister and I thank you.

And make sure to come and visit us again sometime. You'll always be welcome here as a friend of the family.

Latios

Ash looked up from reading it and smiled. "Thanks, Latios. I'll make sure to do my best in the Johto League! And I promise to never forget you guys or this city, I had a great time here. I'll try to come back someday." he said.

Then Latias came forward, and in a move that shocked Latios and Ash, as well as his friends, gave Ash a kiss on the cheek.

Latios stared aghast at his sister, while Ash just stood rooted to the spot, completely dumbfounded. Pikachu fell off of Ash's shoulder and started rolling around on the ground in laughter at seeing Ash's expression. Brock stared at the scene with a sort of pained longing, while with Misty Latios could've sworn he had seen, in addition to her shock, a trace of what looked like jealousy on her features.

After breaking off the kiss, Latias gave Ash one last tender look before suddenly turning and running away into the city. Latios looked after her, then at Ash, who was still just standing there with a blank look on his face. Latios waved a hand in front of Ash's face; no response. The poor boy's mind seemed to have gone completely into grid-lock. Meanwhile, Pikachu was still laughing his head off at Ash's condition down on the ground, while Ash's friends were trying to recover from the scene they had just witnessed. Shaking his head in embarrassment, Latios gave Ash and his friends one final wave goodbye before turning to go after his sister.

Although she wasn't willing to discuss it with him, as evidenced by any attempt by him to speak to her about it usually involved Latias blushing and quickly changing the subject, it was now clear to Latios that over the events that had taken place while Ash was in Alto Mare, from the time Latios had caught her trying to help Ash out during the Tour de Alto Mare, to their first meeting in the secret garden, to the events involving Annie and Oakley, and now this goodbye kiss, that Latias had apparently developed more than just feelings for Ash. It was love, pure and simple.

Ever since then, Latios had frequently caught his sister off alone somewhere, staring off into space with a dreamy look in her eye, a smile on her lips. When Latios approached or called out her name, however, she would quickly snap out of her daydream and look away, her cheeks turning a deep shade of red, and would fly away in a huff, muttering things like "stupid nosy brother" and "can't a girl have some privacy?"

He would sometimes catch her muttering things in her sleep, all revolving around a certain black-haired, cap wearing Trainer. Some of the things she said were so ridiculously dirty, that Latios had to strain from bursting out into laughter, lest he wake her, and proceeded to find another place to sleep for the night.

And lastly, he would sometimes find her, in human guise, out at the docks, staring longingly out across the water. He knew better than to disturb her, and had quickly flown on, shaking his head in amusement.

Even now, as they both watched the battle unfold onscreen, Latios could sense his sister watching with a trace of dreamy admiration as Ash ordered Pikachu to dodge a series of kicks from the opponent's Hitmonlee.

It was clear to Latios that any attempt at trying to talk Latias out of her love for Ash would be a useless gesture; her feelings towards him were just too strong to be talked out of. Latios just feared that his sister was just setting herself up for heartbreak, however. He understood his sister's feelings, of course, and respected her for them, but there remained the fact that Ash was a human and Latias a Pokémon, albeit a Legendary one, and that such a relationship would be frowned upon in many circles. And it remained to be seen if Ash possessed the same feelings towards Latias as she did for him. Judging from his reaction when she had kissed him, he probably didn't know what the hell had just happened and was struggling to comprehend its meaning. 'But then again, Pikachu did say he was denser than lead' Latios thought. 'Maybe as he gets older, he'll realize my sister's feelings for him.'

Onscreen, the Hitmonlee continued to thrust kicks towards Pikachu, who continued to dodge every one of them with lightning speed.

But now Pikachu was being backed into a corner against the stadium, driven by the relentless kicks.

But just when it seemed that Pikachu had nowhere to go, he quickly dodged by jumping sideways as Hitmonlee aimed a ferocious kick at the point that Pikachu had been in just a second ago.

The power behind the attack caused Hitmonlee's leg to drive into the stadium wall with considerable force, leaving an indentation of Hitmonlee's footprint with cracks lining the edges embedded in the wall.

However, striking such a hard object with such force seemed to have damaged Hitmonlee's leg, as evidenced by its slight limp and pained expression as it turned to face Pikachu.

"An amazing display of dodging from Ash's Pikachu! That impact with the wall seems to have put quite a strain on Gilbert's Hitmonlee's legs. Will it be able to recover?" the announcer for the battle commented.

"Come on, Pikachu! Beat that Hitmonlee!" Latias cheered.

Latios sweatdropped at his sister's antics. "Uh, you do know he can't hear you, right?"

Latias rolled her eyes. "So what? In the end, it's the thought that counts."

"Nice dodging, Pikachu! Now, let's finish this!" Ash shouted.

"We're not going down without a fight! Hitmonlee, use Mega Kick!" the Hitmonlee's Trainer, whom the announcer had identified as Gilbert, ordered.

Before Pikachu could make a move, Hitmonlee smashed into him with a powerful kick, sending them both charging through the air.

However, Ash quickly acted, seemingly sensing something. "Pikachu, quick! Use Iron Tail!"

Pikachu, hearing this, began hardening his tail until it gave off a metallic sheen before the two combatants struck the ground, sending up a huge dust cloud.

"The two Pokémon's impact with the ground has created a large dust cloud! Which combatant will come out on top?" the announcer narrated in an overly dramatic voice.

Both of the Trainers, as well as the two dragons and Bianca, waited with bated breath to see which Pokémon won the exchange.

Finally, the dust cleared, revealing Pikachu having smashed Hitmonlee over the head with his Iron Tail. It seemed that using Iron Tail helped cushion the impact against the ground, and while Hitmonlee had been blinded by the dust, Pikachu had jumped up and dealt Hitmonlee a knockout blow. The Hitmonlee gave one last pained grunt before collapsing to the ground, his eyes turned to swirls, indicating he had fainted.

The referee raised a flag towards Ash's side of the field. "Hitmonlee is unable to battle! The victory of this preliminary match goes to Ash Ketchum and Pikachu!" he called out.

Latios gave a dramatic claw-pump. "Yeah! Great job Ash!" he shouted in excitement, as onscreen Ash and Pikachu shared a celebratory hug.

"Yay! He won! He won!" Latias exclaimed while doing a very happy aerial dance around the room, although she took care not to knock anything over in her excitement.

"I've gotta admit, that was really impressive." said Bianca as onscreen the scene changed to the event announcers discussing the outcomes of the day's many preliminary battles.

Latios nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, I never fully realized how good of a Trainer he was until now." he said telepathically.

Latias had calmed down by now and decided to join in the conversation. "Yeah, did you notice that he had taught Pikachu Iron Tail? It must've taken him quite a while to master that move." she telepathed.

Latios gave a small chuckle. "If us learning Steel Wing were anything to go by, I'd say it would've taken him more than quite a while, sis." he communicated telepathically to his sister.

Latias grimaced as she recalled learning how to use Steel Wing. "Yeah, you're definitely right there, bro." she answered back.

She turned back to look at the screen, where the announcers were still commenting on the day's events. "So, what happens now?" she asked.

Bianca decided to answer, since Latios really didn't have a clue. "Well, if I remember correctly, the Hoenn League championships are divided into three rounds: the preliminary rounds, the qualifying rounds, and the final rounds. During the preliminaries, each Trainer is allowed one Pokémon to do battle with. The Trainer that wins moves on while the one that is defeated is eliminated. A Trainer must win three of these battles in a row in order to continue. In the qualifying rounds, Trainers take part in three two-on-two battles, in which two Pokémon participate fight together as a team to defeat the other one. A Trainer must be able to win at least two of the three battles in order to move on to the final rounds. In the final rounds, the final thirty-two Trainers take part in full six-on-six single battles, with the Trainer who knocks out each of their opponent's six Pokémon advancing while the loser is eliminated. During these battles, there is an added stipulation: the field on which the Pokémon battle is changed whenever three of one of the Trainers Pokémon is knocked out. The field can take the form of many different types of elements, such as Rock, Grass, Water, and Ice, and can really turn the tide of a battle if the field plays to your strong points, but it can also pose a major problem if the field holds your Pokémon at a disadvantage. The final rounds are divided up into the opening rounds, the quarterfinals, the semifinals, and finally, the championship match where the winner is crowned Hoenn League Champion." she explained.

Latias looked at her in amazement. "Wow, how do you know so much about the tournament, Bianca?" she asked her.

Bianca scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "Well, you may not have guessed this, but when I was younger, I originally dreamed of becoming a Pokémon Trainer myself." she said.

Latias looked taken aback by this. "You! A Pokémon Trainer? What made you want to become one?" she asked Bianca.

Bianca hummed in thought for a while before answering. "I guess it was mainly because I wanted to see what the world was like outside of Alto Mare. I wanted to see and draw the many sights around the world and also to meet new and interesting Pokémon that you don't normally see around Alto Mare."

"What made you change your mind, then?" Latios asked.

"I guess it was mainly Lorenzo's doing. He helped me to realize that I enjoyed drawing and painting much more than I enjoyed battling. Plus, I never really saw myself as much of a battler in the first place. I just didn't have that fire and determination needed to succeed in battles, like Ash has. And knowing I was going to be so far away from Alto Mare and you two was not something I could stand. I loved my home far too much to be away from it for too long, so going on a long Pokémon journey did not seem like something I would enjoy. So I decided to stay here and take up being an artist, and it is a decision I do not regret making." Bianca explained.

Latias came over and gave Bianca an affectionate nuzzle. "And I'm glad you decided to do that, Bianca. Latios and I care deeply for you. We would hate to see you be away for so long."

"But won't you eventually get bored with drawing the sights around Alto Mare? I mean, there are only so many times you can draw the same thing without it seeming repetitive. Don't you want to see what the world is like outside of Alto Mare?" Latios asked.

Bianca sighed. "I do admit the thought has crossed my mind. I still wish to see what the world is like outside this island. Maybe someday I'll take a short trip over to the Johto or Hoenn mainland, just to see what it's like over there. I heard that there are some spots over in Hoenn and Johto that are great for aspiring painters like myself to capture. But I don't know if Lorenzo would allow it, and plus, I'd hate to leave you guys behind." she said.

Latias felt bad for the predicament her best friend was in. Suddenly, her eyes lit up as an amazing idea came to her mind.

"Hey, Bianca, how about we all go to watch the Ever Grande Conference? It's a perfect way for you to find new things to paint, and plus, we'll be able to see Ash again. I'm sure he's had many adventures since he left here. It'd be great to catch up with him and also to watch him compete in the tournament, and Latios and I might be able to learn a thing or two from watching him." she telepathed eagerly.

Bianca looked interested at the prospect, but she still seemed worried. "I don't know, Latias. While I admit your idea does seem great, I'm not sure if Lorenzo'd allow it. And you didn't even ask you brother what he thinks." she said reproachfully.

Latios turned to her brother, a pleading look in her eye. "Come on, bro, can we go? It'll be fun, and we'll be able to see Ash again!"she asked him.

Although Latios was also interested in the prospect of going to see the Ever Grande Conference, he tried not to show it. He looked sternly at his sister. "You're forgetting one important thing, Latias, and that's who'll guard Alto Mare while we're away? Isn't it our duty to guard Alto Mare and the Soul Dew?"he asked her.

Latias scoffed at her brother. "Oh, come on Latios, where's your sense of adventure? The only major crisis we've ever had to deal with was when Annie and Oakley were in town, and anything before that was minor at best. I'm sure the Soul Dew and Alto Mare will be safe if we just leave for a week."

Latios, nonplussed, continued to stare seriously at her. Latias decided to pull her ultimate trump card that she knew her brother couldn't resist. She came closer and stared at Latios, her eyes round and teary, looking adorably innocent, and placing her claws together in a pleading manner: the 'sad-puppy-growlithe' face. "Pleeeeeaaaseee, Brother? Pleeeeaaaseee?" she asked in an adorably cute voice.

Latios gave a weary sigh. "Oh, all right, but ju-" he begun, but he never got a chance to finish since he was immediately tackled by an extremely happy Latias.

"Oh, thank you, brother, thankyouthankyouthankyou!" she said giddily while happily hugging her brother around the neck in a tight embrace.

Latios tried to struggle out of his sister's tight grip on his neck, but it was all in vain. "Gurgh…sister…get…off…can't…breathe…" he managed to gasp out between struggled breaths.

Hearing this, Latias quickly released Latios from her crushing hug, allowing him to suck in some much needed air, taking it in deep breaths.

Latios rubbed his neck where his sister had been squeezing it and glared at her. "Jeez, sister!" he said simply.

Latias didn't meet his eyes; she was keeping her eyes trained on a crack in the floorboards and shuffling her claws ashamedly. "Sorry, brother, I got carried away." she apologized in a small voice.

Latios rolled his eyes. "You think?" he said sarcastically. But as he continued to look at his sister, who was looking the picture of dejection, his anger at her quickly faded. He sighed and flew over to his sister, embracing her in a light, caring hug. "Apology accepted sis." he said soothingly.

Latias, in turn, hugged him back. "Thank you, brother." she said gratefully.

Over on the couch, Bianca 'awwwed' at the cute family scene. Even though she couldn't understand what they had said, she had gotten the gist of it all from their tone and body language. She also knew that no matter how many times Latias' behavior annoyed them or got them mad (and that counted especially true for Latios, since he had to deal with her behavior on a daily basis), they would always end up forgiving her. She was just one of those people (or Pokémon in her case) that you just couldn't stay mad at for long (another point that counted especially true in Latios' case, seeing as they were brother and sister, of course).

Looking over towards Bianca, Latios gave a small laugh at her reaction. Breaking off the embrace, Latios began to explain to her, "As I'm sure you've guessed, I've decided to go with you on this little trip, but as I was about to explain, bear in mind that I'm only doing this because it's what my sister wants, and so we can see Ash again and watch him compete in the tournament. And after the tournament is done, we will come straight back here. We will not be making detours to go traipsing across the whole of Hoenn, that can be done some other time. We are only going to watch the tournament and to see Ash compete, nothing more. And Latias and I must take care to never reveal our true forms in public. There's bound to be some enterprising Trainers out there who would just love the opportunity to battle and capture a Legendary Pokémon, like us. So we must be sure to remain invisible at all times or to use our alternate forms when we don't wish to be invisible. The only times in which we can show our natural forms visibly is when we're in a place that I deem to be safe, one that promises that we won't be bothered by stupid Trainers."

"Ash is a Trainer." said Latias, sounding slightly offended.

Latios sweatdropped. "Err, yes, but we all know that Ash is a Trainer that we can trust, and one that we can show our natural forms to and not worry about being captured by him." he amended.

"What about Lorenzo? What do you think he'll say? Plus, given his age, I don't think he'd be willing to make the trip." said Bianca.

"I'm sure that if we promise to look after each other and to be extremely careful not to reveal ourselves, he'll be willing to let us go this one time." said Latios.

"So once we get Lorenzo's permission, when will we be able to go?" Latias asked excitedly.

"Well, Bianca said that the preliminaries last for a few more days, and most of those matches turn out to be nothing special, so I was thinking that we wait for a while before leaving, that way we'll be able to get there when the qualifying rounds begin. That's when things'll start to get interesting." Latios explained.

"Are you really that confident that Ash'll make it to the qualifying rounds?" Latias asked skeptically.

Latios nodded. "I am. I don't what it is, but something tells me that the preliminaries, for Ash, will not be a problem in the slightest. Bear in mind that he's done this before, in both Kanto and Johto and now Hoenn, so yeah, I have the utmost confidence that Ash'll make it to the next round."

"Okay, brother, I'll take your word for it. You are the big expert on battling, after all. I just hope your intuition proves you right." said Latias.

"Don't worry, sis. I'm certain about this, Ash will move on to the next rounds." Latios said with a confident smile.

Suddenly, the screen on which the commentators were talking changed to a different screen. News music played and on the screen was a colorful backdrop with the logo of the region's media, Goldenrod Channel 4 News, displayed prominently in the middle.

"We interrupt this program to bring you a breaking Channel 4 news bulletin. Please stay tuned for further announcements." a male voice announced over the music.

All of the room's inhabitants turned to stare curiously at the screen, each of them wondering what could be so important.

The screen changed to that of a male reporter sitting at a news desk. Behind him was a traditional news backdrop.

"We apologize for the sudden change in programming to all of you who are watching, but we have just received a breaking news development from the Kanto region that must be addressed as soon as possible." the reporter began.

"We have received word from the Kanto region police that there has been a breakout from the region's female maximum security prison and that two prisoners have successfully escaped. No details have yet been released on the two fugitives, but we are told to expect these details shortly. We take you now live to the prison's press room where the warden is about to release a statement."

The scene changed to a view of a room with an empty podium set in the middle. There were seats with numerous reporters and photographers set in front of the podium, all awaiting the arrival of the warden. Presently the warden, who was a well-built man, dressed in a dark blue suit and tie combination and matching color pants, with dark-brown hair and a bushy moustache, entered the room from a door set behind and to the left of the podium and made his way over to it, with what appeared to be two manila folders in one of his hands. As soon as he entered, the room burst into a sea of noise and bright flashes as the reporters clamored to get their questions answered and the photographers tried to get the best shot possible. The warden reached the podium and stood behind it, placing the two folders on the podium's surface before raising his hands to ask for quiet. The reporters gradually settled down while the photographers continued to take shots, albeit with less frequency.

The warden took a few to collect his thoughts before he cleared his throat and began. "I have called this press conference here this evening because I have some information regarding the two fugitives that I wish to share with you and the families watching at home. Around five-thirty pm this evening, two of our inmates managed to subdue four of our prison guards and obtain their keys. They then proceeded to the roof, where they managed to escape via an overhanging telephone wire. It is my deepest regret to say that two of the officers were killed in the struggle. The other two have been diagnosed as being in critical condition over at the local hospital. I'd like to offer my sympathies the deceased officers' families. They bravely gave their lives in the line of duty in trying to apprehend these two dangerous individuals. They were both outstanding officers of the law that will sorely be missed by everyone who knew them. I also offer my prayers to the two officers in the hospital in hoping they'll be able to make a full recovery. But know that your actions will not be in vain; we will see to it that these two monsters that clearly have little to no regard for human life are brought to a swift and merciless justice."

Latias shook her head sadly. "Oh my, those poor officers…I can't imagine what their families are going through." she said sadly.

"Killing an officer of the law…anyone who does that deserves to be dealt with in the harshest manner possible." Latios muttered darkly.

Back onscreen, the warden opened the two folders that sat on the podium. "I will now display to the public photographs of the two escapees. If you should ever see these individual, I ask that you contact your local authorities immediately."

The warden then held up the two photographs for the cameras to see. They were typical booking photographs with each photo subject standing against a white backdrop, one shot with them facing the side, the other shot with them facing towards the camera. The one on the left depicted a woman in her early twenties with long blonde hair done into two large buns that stuck to her sides that vaguely resembled beehives. Almost half of the left side her face was hidden beneath a large bang that came down to about her mouth. She had narrow, piercing blue eyes and one side of her mouth was curved upward in a smug grin, as if she actually enjoyed being photographed like this. From what could be seen of her clothing, she was wearing what looked like a black leather tank top and some kind of silver ornament around her neck. She was also wearing some rather large blue-colored earrings. The booking placard on the side photo read:

Kanto County Woman's Correctional Facility

Team Rocket agent cdnm "Annie"

Hgt. 5'6"

Wgt. 136 lbs.

Pris. Num. 1268479

The other photo depicted a woman who looked slightly younger than her counterpart, with light blue, almost silver-colored hair that was styled in the back so that it appeared to curve upward, almost resembling wings. Her eyes were a dark brown in color, almost black, and seemed to radiate malice. Her mouth was set in a tight frown. She seemed to stare at the camera with a dark intensity; she was clearly the more dangerous of the two. She was also wearing a black leather tank top, and just visible near the top of her arms were two golden armbands. Her side photo placard read:

Kanto County Woman's Correctional Facility

Team Rocket agent cdnm "Oakley"

Hgt. 5'4"

Wgt. 124 lbs.

Pris. Num. 1853690

The sight of these photos generated immediate reactions among Bianca and the two draconic Legendaries.

Bianca jumped up out of her seat and held both hands to her mouth, a muffled sound that sounded like "Oh dear Arceus in heaven!" She then ran into the kitchen, probably to use the telephone to call Lorenzo and inform him.

Latias gave a small shriek and immediately began hugging her brother, her eyes wide and unbelieving. "Oh no, Latios, it's them!" she cried.

Latios was silent, he just stared open-mouthed at the screen, his eyes having a glazed look. 'No, it can't be! They can't be out! For the love of Arceus, anyone but them!'

The warden, obviously not hearing their cries, continued. "The fugitives go by the name Annie and Oakley. It is assumed that these names are only codenames, since they don't have any last names to speak of, and since we were unable to find any records matching their description with the names "Annie" and "Oakley" attached to them. What is known about them is that they are confirmed members of the global criminal organization known as Team Rocket. They operate mostly as spies, gathering information for the organization in general, as well as performing operations that required more discretion than others. They were captured a little more than a year ago in the island city of Alto Mare that rests between the Johto region to its west, and the Hoenn region to its east. The events leading to their capture are too many for me to go into detail here, but to get to the point, they managed to get themselves stuck inside some ancient machine which trapped them there until we were able to retrieve them. They were each sentenced to fifty years in prison with no possibility of parole and were expedited to the Kanto region, where they were planned to serve their sentence until their recent escape. I would like everyone watching this at home to ingrain these faces in their memory. Any sighting of these women should be reported directly to police, but do not, I repeat, do not make any attempt to subdue them yourself. These women, as shown in their senseless slaying of two innocent prison guards and in the critical wounding of two others, have shown themselves to be deadly proficient in unarmed combat, and by now have probably had enough time to obtain firearms, so once again, under no circumstances are you to approach these women, as they are likely to be armed and extremely dangerous."

...

Back in the garden, Latios' mind was still racing with the fact that the two humans that meant them the most harm, Annie and Oakley, had escaped from prison.

They had been sent home by Bianca after she had relayed the news to Lorenzo at his workshop, who in turn told her to send them both dragons home to the garden and to lock the doors to the house while he went and notified the Alto Mare police of the situation.

He was currently just flying aimlessly around the garden, while his sister played games with some of the other Pokémon in the garden.

His thoughts were filled with many different emotions: hatred towards the two for obvious reasons, shock that they had managed to pull off such a daring break-out, and most of all, fear that they might come back to finish the job they had started.

Latias, who noticed her brother's discomfort, had broken off from playing and now flew over to him.

"Hey, brother, what's wrong? Are you still thinking about Annie and Oakley?" she asked with worry on her face.

Latios nodded his head solemnly. "I just can't believe that they're out again, Latias." he said worriedly.

Latias nodded in agreement. "Yeah, me neither."

Latios looked up at the sky, which was currently a beautiful golden color thanks to the setting sun. "But I can't help but feel that we should've expected this. Given their reputation, it should've been obvious that they'd attempt to break out at some point or other." he said matter-of-factly.

Latias then asked the question that was at the forefront of both of their minds. "Do you think they'll come back?"

Latios' face grew deadly serious. "I don't know, sis. It's probably more likely that they'll probably go into hiding or something. But if they do come back, at least this time we'll be ready for them." he said.

"Do you think we'll be able to beat them by ourselves this time?" Latias asked.

Latios smiled at his sister. "What did you think all that training we did was for? Fun?" he asked amusedly.

Ever since the incident, he, and surprisingly, Latias, had taken it upon themselves to better train themselves in combat should they ever face another situation like the one with Annie and Oakley. Before the incident, they were largely inexperienced in battle; the most they could do was to turn invisible and tackle opponents at high speeds. Their relative inexperience was attributed to the fact that Alto Mare was a quiet and peaceful city, hardly the place one would expect to be dangerous, and so they didn't see the need to train themselves. The incident with Annie and Oakley caused them to change their perspective, however. They had allowed Annie and Oakley to steal the precious Soul Dew, which contained the soul of their father, without putting up much of a fight, and Latios was also captured in the process. They had both nearly lost their lives, Latios at the hands of Annie and Oakley, and Latias when she and Ash had nearly been drowned in a column of water summoned by the power-mad Oakley, who was in control of the DMA. Worst of all, they had failed in their roles as Guardians. They had proven themselves incapable of defending the city they loved; the city they had sworn to protect. If only they had been better trained, they could've stopped Annie and Oakley themselves before the incident got out of hand like it did. They had no intention of ever letting it happen again, and so, along with some help from Bianca and Lorenzo, the two dragons began their training.

They started by learning the skill of telepathy, a skill that would allow them to communicate freely between themselves or with Bianca or Lorenzo or any other human for that matter. Apart from the obvious benefit of being able to converse with their human friends without the need for a pen and paper, since telepathy was silent and could be transmitted selectively, be it to a single mind, a select group, or to everyone in the vicinity, it would allow them to transmit silent messages to each other or their friends without their opponent knowing it, allowing them to potentially get the drop on them.

They accomplished learning this skill by trying to force their thoughts into each other's minds by concentrating and willing their thoughts to be heard by each other. It took some time and effort, but eventually they were able to telepath to each other fully and without much effort. They then started to practice with Bianca and Lorenzo, trying to will their thoughts to be heard by them just like they had with each other, although trying to telepath to humans proved to be much more difficult than they had thought. Since Pokémon minds differed greatly from human minds, trying to bridge the gap between the two proved to be very difficult. Still, the two dragons kept at it, not wanting to fail, and finally, after a little more than three weeks of effort, they were able to competently transmit their thoughts to Bianca and Lorenzo; although it still took them a little effort to be heard, they were confident that their skill in telepathing to humans would continue to improve over time.

Next, they set to work on learning how to control their innate Psychic abilities. As Latios explained to his sister on the day after they had finished mastering telepathy, "The only situations in which we've been able to use our psychic powers is when we were in times of great stress and danger, such as when you and Ash were almost drowned in that living column of water and when you were trying to free me from the DMA. If we ever want to be able to use our psychic powers in a battle, we must first learn how to control and to focus our minds so that our psychic powers will start to visibly manifest themselves. And that is only the first step; once we are able to control our psychic abilities, we must be able to use them in such a way that they will be of use to us in a battle, in the form of the move known to humans as Psychic, which is the most basic form of attack that Pokémon of the Psychic type can learn."

"If it's so common, then how come we've never been able to learn it until now?" his sister had asked him with a confused look.

At this, Latios sweatdropped and rubbed the back of his head with a claw. "Uhh, well I guess it's because we never fully took the time to learn it, seeing as Alto Mare was usually a peaceful town, we probably didn't feel the need to use our psychic powers." he said with a small chuckle.

Latias smiled at her brother's embarrassment. "It's amazing how a near-death experience can change one's outlook on things, isn't it, bro?" she asked.

Latios chuckled at his sister's shrewd observation. "Indeed it is, sis. Indeed it is. Ok, to start, I've heard that the easiest way to focus one's mind is through the process of meditation, so each day we will meditate for one hour in the daytime and also for one hour at nighttime, until such time as we are able to make our psychic powers manifest outwardly. When that is accomplished, we must come up with some exercises that will allow us to strengthen our minds and in turn increase our Psychic attack's power." he explained.

When he was finished, Latias let out a loud groan. "So you're telling me that for two hours each day we're each going to be sitting around doing nothing? That sounds so boring!" she complained in annoyance.

Latios laughed at his sister's attitude. If there was one thing Latias was not good at, it was standing still. "I know it does, sis, but if we want to be able to use our psychic powers, it's our only option. Don't you want to become a stronger battler?" he asked.

Latias sighed. "Of course I do, bro, you know that." she answered. "I just wish it didn't have to sound so boring, that's all." she muttered quietly to herself, although Latios was clearly able to hear her.

Latios smiled and decided to pretend he hadn't heard her. "All right then, let's get started."

And so each day in the garden they meditated, an hour in the daytime and an hour at night. Latios, unlike his sister, enjoyed the time he spent meditating; he felt more in tune with himself and his surroundings when he was. Then, after a little more than a week, while he was in one of his meditative trace, he started to feel a strange sensation awaken within him that he had never felt before. To him it felt like he had opened a door in his mind that up until now had remained shut, and behind that door lay the secret to unlocking his true power, a secret he had inherited from his father and also from his father's ancestors. He was shocked to find that the key to his powers had been buried within his mind this whole time since the day he had hatched, and that all he had needed to do was to look within his mind for the answers. It was truly a life changing moment for him.

Immediately he broke out of his trance and rushed over to the spot where his sister was meditating in the garden and started shaking her. "Hey sis, come on, wake up!" he shouted in an excited tone.

Latias' eyes snapped open and she gave a small gasp of surprise; being startled from a meditative state is akin to being woken up from a deep sleep, and as such, it was safe to say that Latias was more than a little peeved. She glared at him, "What? What is it?" she said in a slightly angry tone.

Her anger at being woken did nothing to dampen Latios' excitement. "Sorry, sis, but I just had to come over to tell you this. You'll never believe it, sis, this is so awesome!" he said in a rush, barely able to contain his excitement.

Latias' anger quickly faded to be replaced by clear confusion and surprise at her brother's excited demeanor; usually it was her that got this excited. "Whoa, Latios, slow down. What are you trying to say?" she asked him.

Latios took a few deep breaths to calm himself a little before explaining. "Our power, sis! It's been with us the whole time, ever since we were born! Our parents must've passed on that knowledge to us while we were still in the egg; we just needed to know how to unlock it!"

"So you're saying that you're able to use your psychic abilities now?" Latias asked, herself getting excited now.

"I don't know. Let's find out!" Latios then started to look around for something to practice on. He eventually settled for a small boulder, about the size of a football. He then started to concentrate while staring intensely at the boulder, trying to call upon the power within him, which he knew was just begging to be let out.

All of a sudden his eyes started to glow a bright shade of white and the boulder he was focusing on started to lift a few feet off the ground, suspended in the air by a seemingly invisible force. Latias gasped in amazement at the sight. "Awesome, bro! You're doing it! You're really doing it!" she shouted excitedly at her brother.

However, it wasn't long before Latios started showing signs of weariness; he was gritting his teeth as he struggled to maintain his psychic grip on the boulder. Finally, it was too much, and Latios released his grip on the boulder with an audible gasp, his eyes returning to their normal shade of red as the boulder returned to the grass where it had been resting with a small thump.

Latios panted tiredly, the effort of suspending that boulder had been exhausting, but at the same time he felt exhilarated that he had been able to lift it for so long using just his mind! He was confident that as he continued to train his mind, he would be able to lift much larger and heavier things; this small boulder was only the beginning!

Latias flew over to him and gave him a hug. "That was awesome, bro! Not bad for your first try!" she said, her eyes shining with admiration for her brother's accomplishment.

Latios smiled at his sister. "Thanks, sis, but remember this is only the beginning. We've still got a lot of training to accomplish to get to the level we want to be at. Now the real training begins." he explained.

Latias nodded and adopted a determined look. "I know that, bro. Don't worry, I'm with you all the way! We made a promise to do this together, no matter how hard it gets, right?"

Latios nodded back. "Right." he said in affirmation.

Latias then adopted a sheepish look and rubbed the back of her neck with a claw. "Uh, just one thing, brother. Do you think you could teach me how to find this power you were talking about yourself? I don't think this meditation thingy is ever gonna work out for me."

The sound of Latios' laughter could be heard across the entire length of the secret garden.

...

Over the next year, the two dragons continued to improve their skills. In addition to basic exercises designed to increase their stamina and endurance, as well as continuing to strengthen their mental powers by lifting heavy objects using Psychic, they worked on learning some other offensive and defensive moves to help them in battle.

The first of these was the move known as Dragonbreath, which took the form of a stream of flames bristling with draconic energy.

To learn this move, they focused on taking deep breaths, and as they were exhaling, trying to call upon their innate draconic power. In a way, they went about learning it the same way they had learned Psychic.

The next move they focused on learning was Steel Wing, a move that struck opponents with wings hardened to steel-like properties.

It was Lorenzo who suggested that to learn this move, they must focus on strengthening their wing muscles, which they did by tying ropes fitted with medium-sized boulders on each of their wings and moving them up and down.

It was hard work, and none too enjoyable, but the twins beared it, since they figured knowing a variety of different type moves would help them in the long run. They each took turns doing this; one of them would be exercising, while the other acted as a spotter, offering encouragement when it was needed.

Next they worked on learning Protect, a useful defensive move that allowed the user to summon a barrier that was able to deflect any attack.

They learned this by attempting to use their psychic powers to create a barrier in front of them. To test the strength of their Protects to make sure they would hold up in a battle, one of them concentrated on maintaining their own barrier while the other attacked with a move of their choosing. The attacks were slightly toned down at first, of course. It was hardly fair to attack a weak barrier with a full powered Steel Wing. As their skill with the barriers improved, they likewise increased the power behind their attacks. Any damage taken from moves that broke through the Protect was forgiven; they each saw it as a sort of friendly sparring session between siblings, and it gave them a chance to practice the moves they had learned on a live target for once, in addition to learning a useful defensive move.

Finally, they worked on mastering their own specific special attacks, Luster Purge in Latios' case and Mist Ball in Latias'. This basically worked in the same way they had mastered Psychic, since Luster Purge and Mist Ball were essentially just super-charged Psychic attacks, manifested in different ways of course. Luster Purge manifested in the shape of a bright beam of light fired from Latios' mouth that, when making contact with an opponent, exploded in a violent burst of damaging bright light which also severely weakened the target's defense. Mist Ball, on the other hand, took the form of a large, red, swirling ball of mists that were super-charged with Latias' psychic energies that she formed between her claws and that, when thrown, could explode on contact with an opponent or at Latias' own discretion, the mists also serving to weaken an opponent's attack power. They had always instinctively known how to use these attacks; they just had to learn how to control them so they would be of use in battling.

In just over a year, they had brought their battle skills up to a considerable level better than they were before, at a rate that would impress even the most diligent Trainer and would put most trained Pokémon to shame. Although Latios was still by far the much more combat-ready one, he was certain that his sister would be able to pull her weight in a battle if need be. He just hoped it would be enough.

...

Later that night, almost at midnight, Latios was wakened when a chilly breeze blew across him, causing him to shiver. He was about to shrug it off and go back to sleep when he realized a startling fact: Latias wasn't sleeping anywhere near him!

Instantly awake, he immediately started using his Psychic senses to search in a wide area around the garden in search for his sister. He hoped nothing bad had happened to her! 'Get a hold of yourself, Latios.' he mentally told himself, 'she's probably fine; you're just overreacting.'

Finally, his senses picked her up not too far from where he was, so he immediately started to calm down. However, his fear was immediately replaced by worry and curiosity. What would Latias be doing up so late?

'Well, there's only one way to find out.' he told himself before flying off in the direction that he had sensed his sister at.

The night air was rather cool, and the moonlight shining down through the canopy of trees cast a soft glow around the garden. The garden was mostly silent, the only audible sounds being the occasional chilly breeze rustling through the trees or the chirping melodies of nocturnal crickets. Fireflies flitted around, occasionally emitting the bright flash of light that was characteristic of their species. Most, if not all of the Pokémon that usually occupied the garden had gone to sleep long ago, so as Latios continued to make his way across the garden, he couldn't help but feel slightly unnerved at the uncharacteristic silence, he was used to it being much more active than this, but at the same time, felt a sense of peace and tranquility wash over him at the sense of having no noisy distractions around; it made him feel much more at ease in his thoughts. At night, the garden was truly a much different place.

As he continued onward, he started to hear a slight creaking noise coming from up ahead. It was easily discernible in the still night air, it was slow and rhythmic, and the two sounds he heard were distinctly different. It could best be described as a small, drawn out creak sound followed by a similarly small and drawn out crank sound. Latios recognized that sound; it was the sound made by the old tree swing that Lorenzo had installed for Latias quite some time ago.

As he came within sight of the swing set, he saw Latias, in her natural form, swinging gently on the swing, her claws gripping the ropes that held the swing attached to the tree limb that supported it, her body in an upright position, a somber expression on her face as she stared at the ground. He had approached her from the back, but he was sure that she could sense his arrival, although she gave little to no indication of this. She merely continued to stare at the ground and swing gently back and forth.

"Hello, brother." she said to him, not raising her eyes to his as she said this.

"Uh, hi sis." he replied nervously to her, thinking that he walked in on some big private moment. "What are you doing up so late?" he asked in a mild scolding tone.

She continued to swing gently back and forth, still not raising her eyes. "Nothing. Just thinking, is all." she replied quietly.

Latios raised an eyebrow in confusion. "About what?" he asked.

Latias didn't reply; she just continued swinging back and forth.

After a few moments, Latios finally realized what was on his sister's mind; he was surprised at himself for not immediately recognizing it. His face grew soft and he spoke in a gentle tone to his sister "Thinking about him, huh?"

Latias made no reply; but Latios noticed her give the tiniest of nods. She then began to speak, her face attaining a wistful air as she did. "It was here that I first revealed myself to him, Latios. It was here that I showed my true form to him for the first time. He was the first human that I ever revealed my true form to other than Bianca or Lorenzo. Do you remember that?" she said tonelessly.

Latios chuckled at the memory. "Heh, yeah, as I remember it, Ash nearly broke his jaw when he fell flat on his face off the swing, he was so shocked." he said.

Latias gave the tiniest of smiles at her brother's words. "Yeah, he was shocked, all right. But you know something Latios? For some reason, after he fell off the swing onto his face, my first thought wasn't to laugh at his misfortune, like I'd normally do with you or anyone else." This remark prompted an angry glare from said brother. "Instead, I actually felt worried about his condition. I was worried that he might've been really hurt or something, and that my revealing myself to him caused this to happen to him made me feel horrible inside. But I was so happy when he said that he wasn't hurt and that he didn't blame me for it; I was so relieved when he said that." she reminisced happily.

They both fell into silence for a few minutes then, neither of them saying a word. The wind rustled in the trees, the crickets continued their nighttime symphony, and the fireflies continued to flash intermittently in the darkness. Finally, Latios decided to ask the question that he had been wanting to ask his sister for the past year, that up until now, she had been unwilling to discuss, but now seemed like she was willing to.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked gently.

Immediately Latias ceased rocking back and forth on the swing, her face worried.

"It's okay, Latias. I promise I won't be mad with you, you can trust in me as your brother. I've never once thought ill of your feelings for Ash, never once in the past year and four months have I ever voiced any disapproval regarding it. I just feel that by discussing your feelings for him with me will allow you to gain new perspective on the subject and also allow you to release any pent-up emotions you might be having; it'll definitely be better to discuss it now than when we go to visit him in a few days, and it'll probably do you a world of good just to get it off your chest." he quickly pointed out to her, with the utmost sincerity.

Latias continued to maintain a worried look, but Latios could tell that her inside, her thoughts were conflicting, one side of them wanting to talk to him, the other side not wanting to. However, after a few moments, the former side seemed to win out, as she took a deep breath and slowly let it out before saying "All right, brother. I see your point. No sense in keeping it contained forever. What would you like to know?"

"When did you first realize you were in love with him?" he asked.

She talked in a small, controlled voice as she answered. "I guess it was when he saved me from Annie and Oakley. When I was being chased by them, I was literally terrified. I was afraid of what they might do to me and what plans they had for me. I thought I was done for when that Ariados trapped me in its Spider Web. But then, out of nowhere, this boy and his Pikachu appear, frees me without a second thought, attacks and defeats those thugs and their Pokémon, and then helps me to escape. At the moment, I couldn't understand why a human would do such a thing, to risk life and limb to save someone he barely knew, but then after a while, after he had helped me escape, that thought didn't puzzle me anymore. Instead, I felt my heart go out to this mysterious young boy whom I barely knew, and it awakened a feeling inside me that I had never felt before. I did not know it at the time, but now I realize it was love all along. I felt myself wanting to see him again, wanting to see that kind and caring face one more time, to introduce myself to him, to thank him for saving my life."

"What about during the Tour de Alto Mare? Did you love him then?" Latios asked.

"No, not then. At that time, I just thought of him as another Trainer, who was in need of a big save, lest he break his back against the wall. So I helped him out that time, and I'm glad I did so, otherwise he wouldn't have been around to save me from Annie and Oakley. Although, at that time, I did make him out to be kind of cute-looking; I guess that helped to influence my subsequent actions: helping him get back in the race by dragging his water racer by the handle, I just couldn't stand to see such a cute face look so sad. I guess you were sort of in the right by dragging me and him off like that, I should've known better." she answered.

"As I said then, cheaters never win, but I guess I can forgive you for acting like that, you did it with the best intentions at heart, after all." Latios said.

His sister gave a small smile. "Thanks, brother." she said.

"So, did the fact that you were a Pokémon and Ash a human ever occur to you? How do you expect him to have the same feelings for you as you do for him? Do you honestly think that you could get him to love you back, being what you are?" he proceeded to ask her in a more serious tone.

Latias' face started to well up as he asked these questions. She tried to make an effort to hide it by turning her face away from him, but it was of little use. She couldn't restrain her small sobs, or the tears that ran down her feathers as she did so.

Latios, seeing this, quickly flew over to her and embraced her in a light, comforting hug. "Oh, I'm sorry, sis. I didn't mean to sound so insensitive. But these questions must've occurred to you by now, so you must've known they were coming." he said gently.

Sensing his sister to be under control now, he broke off from the embrace and flew back a few feet, allowing Latias to get her bearings. She sniffled gently a few times and wiped the tears from her eyes with a claw before continuing.

"I know, Latios, I know. It's just that, being confronted by them now, I find myself at a loss for words as to how to answer them." she said sadly.

"Am I aware that he's a human and I'm a Pokémon? Of course I'm aware of that; I'm constantly reminded of it every time I think of him or every time I see my own reflection! I actually started hating myself for being what I was, at the thought that I would never truly be able to be with him, that he would never be able to love me, just because I was a Pokémon!" she said angrily.

"But you can take the form of a human! That must give you some comfort!" Latios pointed out to her.

"Even if it did, it still would not erase the fact of what I really was! I would never be able to fool myself into believing I could actually pass as a human. It would just be some elaborate farce, one that is destined to fail eventually. I could never bring myself to do that, Latios. Pretending to be something you're not never works out well for you or anyone else involved. It's just not proper. If I want Ash to love me, then I want him to love me as I am now, in my true form, rather than as a cheap cardboard imitation of what a human should be like!" she explained irately.

"I understand your feeling there, sis. Better to have someone love you for who you truly are or not at all." Latios said in agreement. His sister smiled at him again before continuing.

"As for whether or not he holds the same feelings for me as I do for him now, I can't say for sure, Latios. After all, he's only thirteen years old right now, while we're over a century old. Most humans, at that age, have little or no conception of what love is, either that, or they're just starting to experience them." she continued to explain.

"And you think Ash is one of those humans?" Latios asked. He then put a picture in his sisters' mind of Ash's reaction to her kissing him on the day they left. It was another one of his special abilities; he was able to show other people or Pokémon memories of what he had already seen by transmitting them directly into their minds.

Latias laughed at the memory her brother showed her. "Yeah, definitely. I sure took him by surprise, didn't I?"

"You took all of us by surprise, sis. Not just Ash." Latios answered with a chuckle.

Latias gave a small sigh. "I guess I can't blame him though, for reacting like that. But I just couldn't let him go without giving him something to remember me by."

"Well, I don't think you have to worry there, sis. You definitely gave him something to remember you by, no doubt about that!" Latios laughed.

Latias gave an annoyed glance over at her brother, who was still laughing. "Are you quite finished?"

Latios quickly composed himself, although slight giggles continued to escape past his lips. "Yep. I'm finished." he said with a smile. Latias just rolled her eyes at him.

"But still, in the brief time you knew him, did you get the impression that he might've had feelings for you?" Latios asked, having gotten his composure under control.

"I don't know, brother. There's a part of me that thinks that he might have feelings for me, the way he saved me from Annie and Oakley, the time we spent playing in the garden, the way he held me in his arms and comforted me when I went to him after you had been captured, it made me feel that he actually did have feelings for me, although he probably wouldn't have understood those feelings at the time, again, given how young he is. But still, I sensed it all the same, somewhere deep in the reaches of his heart, a tiny inkling of what his true feelings for me were." Latias answered back.

"Well, sis, if you say you sensed it, it must be true. After all, you know how to read a human's true feelings and emotions better than any other Pokémon, at least to my knowledge. So if you sensed that he did harbor some feelings for you somewhere deep in his heart, despite how small they seemed at the time, that doesn't erase the fact that they were there, sis, and you sensed them! How much more proof do you need regarding his feelings towards you, given all that?" Latios asked her.

Latias was quiet for a few moments, taking in what her brother had just said, turning it over in her mind. Finally she spoke again, and now it seemed as if she had become more confident in speaking. "I suppose some of what you say is true, brother, and I thank you for pointing it out to me. But still, it's been over a year since I last saw him. Who's to say that the feelings he supposedly has for me haven't vanished since then? Do you think he'd even remember me, given how long it's been?" she posed to him.

Latios scoffed at the question. "Are you kidding? Of course he'd remember you, sis! You're a Legendary Pokémon! Any human would not easily forget their encounter with such a Pokémon, no matter how much time passes. I'm sure with Ash that holds doubly true. He shared a dramatic experience with the two of us while he was here, saving both our lives, saving the city from untold destruction, and defeating those wretched thugs Annie and Oakley. All during that time, we developed a bond with him that we had never had before with any other human besides Bianca and Lorenzo. Ever since the incident, I started to think of him as a sort of second brother to me, one whom I'm eternally grateful to for saving your life and mine, as well as that of our beloved city, and also being someone who I could place my complete trust in. And of course, you developed your own personal bond with him over the course of his stay in Alto Mare, although with you it turned out to be more than just friendship. Do you actually think he could forget us, given those events we shared together?" Latios asked his sister incredulously.

Latias smiled. "Heh, I guess not." she said. "But what about the feelings I sensed in him? Do you think they might've vanished by now?" she then asked.

Latios shrugged his shoulders. "To be honest, sis, I don't know. You'll just have to find out for yourself when we go to visit him at the Ever Grande Conference. Then you'll be able to find out if the feelings you sensed in him have either grown, remained as they are, or as you fear, have vanished entirely. I'm not as good a judge at human emotions as you are, so again, this is something you'll have to figure out for yourself." he said.

Latias nodded solemnly and proceeded to remain quiet for a few moments, turning over what her brother had just said in her mind. Eventually, she spoke up again, with a look of surprise on her face. "You said we're still going to the Ever Grande Conference? But what about Annie and Oakley? Shouldn't we be worried about whether they'll come back here or not? You said it yourself that they'll come back." she asked worriedly.

Latios shook his head as he explained to his sister. "No, sister, I said they might come back. I didn't say it was a given. Odds are, those two thugs will be captured again in the coming days. They can't possibly continue to run for long with the entire Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn regions keeping a look out for them and wanted posters for them posted on every street corner and store. They'll be back behind bars in no time, you'll see."

For a moment, Latias didn't appear convinced. She still looked uneasily at the ground, her amber eyes clearly worried, her mouth set in a deep frown. But then she seemed to shrug the uneasiness off, and turned to look at her brother and nodded. "All right, brother. I guess you're right." she said.

Latios smiled at her. "That a girl!" he said encouragingly. "Don't worry about it, it'll be fine. Besides, how dumb do you think they'd be to want to take both of us on at the same time, now that we're more experienced?"

"Yeah, we'd kick their butts in a second!" his sister shouted enthusiastically.

"I'm sure we will, sis." Latios responded, amused by his sister's enthusiasm. Suddenly he was taken by a large yawn that made him realize how tired he still was. "Hey, sis, it's really late. What do you say we go back to bed now? We can discuss this more in the morning." he asked her.

Latias herself seemed pretty tired now, so she was glad when Latios suggested. "All right, bro. Good idea." Having said this, she released her grip on the swing and flew over to Latios, and together they started to head back to the spot that they usually slept in.

"Hey, brother?" Latias said as they slowly continued on their way.

"Yeah, sis?"

"You're not mad or anything, are you? You know, about my feelings for Ash?"

Latios stopped in his tracks as Latias asked this question, forcing her to do the same. He looked at her with a mixture of incredulity and amusement. "What? Of course not! My sister being in love with someone? Why would I be mad about something like that! Sure, Ash is a human, but I'm not making a big deal out of it! If anything, I respect that you hold such a deep affection for him, and to me, there would be no greater joy than to see you happily sharing your life with the one you love, and let me just say that you could not have picked a better person to do so with than Ash." he said. His face then took on a more worried tone as he continued. "If anything, I'm worried about how you might react if it turns out that Ash doesn't hold the same feelings for you as you do for him, or if he does, does not want to admit them in public. You must understand, Latias, that a relationship between a human and a Pokémon is highly unusual and is generally frowned upon in the human community. I've heard stories of Trainers who've had their licenses taken away from them and also had their entire reputation destroyed for engaging in what the human community terms "Poképhilia". They are labeled as outcasts from society, and are shunned mercilessly whenever they appear in public. People who they once thought of as their friends and even sometimes their family renounce ever having known them or having anything to do with them. So, Latias, if it turns out that Ash doesn't want to take that risk, even if it does turn out he has feelings for you, I want you to promise me that you won't try to force the issue on him. In the end, it's his decision to make, and I want you to respect that choice, whatever it may be."

Latias was silent for a moment, contemplating her brother's words. Finally, she nodded and said "Okay, brother. I understand what you're saying. I promise to not force the issue on him."

"Cross your heart and hope to die?" Latios asked airily.

Latias made the gesture traditional to this question, by crossing a claw over her chest. "Yep!"

"Stick a needle in your eye?" Latios asked again, this time saying it a little faster.

"Yep!"

"Jab a dagger in your thigh?" again, faster.

"Yep!" (even though they didn't technically have thighs to speak of…)

"Eat a Miltank pie?" Latios asked with a wicked grin.

Latias recoiled in horror. "Ew, brother, that's gross!"

Latios laughed openly at his sister's reaction. "Just kidding, just kidding!" he said, holding up his claws in placatement.

Latias rolled her eyes. "Oh, brother…"

They then continued on their way back. Suddenly Latias realized something. "So wait, you said that you're actually supporting me in all this? It doesn't bother you in any way?" she asked incredulously.

Latios turned to her with a tender look on his face. "Of course not, Latias." he said gently. "What kind of a brother would I be if I didn't show support or respect for my sister in all things, including love? Who am I to judge you on what your heart truly wants?"

At this he placed a claw gently on her shoulder and looked into her eyes, with every ounce of his love for her apparent in both his face and in his words, "If this is the path you wish to follow, sister, know that I will support you through it the whole way, no matter what the outcome, for better or for worse. You are my sister, Latias, and I love you with all my heart."

Latias' face shown with emotion at her brother's tender words. Tears appeared in her eyes and she threw her arms around Latios in a loving hug. "Oh, brother, thank you, thank you! I love you too!"

Latios smiled and returned the loving gesture. In that moment, with Latios comforting an emotional Latias, and Latias in turn being grateful for her brother's selfless support, one could truly appreciate the value of family.

...

The next few days passed uneventfully, with Latios and Latias continuing their daily patrols around the city, occasionally interspersed with a playful game of tag or hide-and-go-seek to pass the time, eagerly awaiting the day they would leave to head to the Ever Grande Conference. In the evenings, they would usually go to visit Bianca and Lorenzo at their house to discuss the day's events over dinner before heading back to the garden to rest.

All during this time, Latios could not help but feel a sense of foreboding; ever since he saw on the news that those dastardly Team Rocket agents, Annie and Oakley, the ones that had nearly killed him, his sister, and Ash, whom Latios considered to be a friend of the family and akin to a second brother, and had put the city in such grave peril, had broken out of prison and were now at large again, he found himself constantly worrying about his and his sister's safety. "What if they do come back?" he asked himself. "Will I be able to defend Latias and the Soul Dew, this time without Ash's help? Will all the training we did be enough to stop them?" He did know one thing, however, and it was something he looked forward to doing with an almost bloodthirsty eagerness: If those two bitches so much as dared to bring harm to him and his sister, or to their friends, or to their beloved city, he swore he would make them regret the day they were born. There would be no mercy coming from his this time around.

...

The day started off just like most of the days in Alto Mare usually did: sunny, hot, and humid. However, as the day progressed into the early evening, a large squall which had formed a ways off the coast in the earlier hours began making its way towards Alto Mare. The normally orange and rosy glow that sunset brings was marred by the dark storm cloud which were massed offshore, still a few hours away.

Latios and Latias, not wanting to get caught up in the storm, decided to end their visit with Bianca and Lorenzo a little earlier that night, and both of them flew back to the garden, where they whiled away the hours playing games, until around 8:30 p.m., when they decided to settle in for an early night. They took the precaution of sleeping far away from any of the trees, as this storm looked to be exceedingly nasty. They took shelter in a gazebo that Lorenzo had built many years ago, and curling up against each other for warmth, both fell quickly asleep.

...

On the water just outside the city, a medium-sized jet boat sat idly, the waves that were being blown up by the coming storm causing it to gently rise and fall. The occupants consisted of a half dozen Team Rocket grunts, all clad in the traditional outfit of Team Rocket, an all-black uniform emblazoned with a crimson colored R in the middle with a black colored beret on their heads. Each of them carried 1 or 2 Poké Balls on their belts. Their faces were set in a look of grim determination, the attitude all Team Rocket members adopted when about to undertake a mission. They sat solemnly in the seats at the back of the boat, each of them suppressing the urge to vomit over the side as the boat continued to rise and fall with the waves, which were getting stronger as the storm front moved closer, the dark clouds providing a sharp contrast to the setting sun.

At the head of the boat were Annie and Oakley, clad in their usual attire which differentiated them from the grunts. Oakley was sitting in the driver's seat while Annie was standing on the port side of the boat, staring out at city through a pair of binoculars.

"There it is." Annie said lowering her binoculars. "Brings back good memories, don't it, Oakley?" she said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

Oakley scoffed. "Yeah, of us getting our asses handed to us by some punk-ass Trainer and his Pikachu and a couple inexperienced psychic dragons, in turn landing us in prison? Yeah, how could I forget?" she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I think it's time for some payback, don't you?" Annie said grinning while removing from a holster at her side a nickel-plated forty-four magnum revolver, bringing it up to eye level and opening the fully loaded six-round chamber for one last check. Satisfied, she gave the chamber wheel a spin before snapping it back into place with a quick flick of the wrist before putting it back the shoulder holster. 'Honestly, I don't see why we're not allowed to carry side arms more often. The last time I checked, bad guys and guns went hand in hand together, so why can't we have them all the time? It'd sure make things a hell of a lot easier.' Annie thought to herself. 'Not to mention the fact that I feel like such a badass while wearing one.' she smugly added as an afterthought.

"You're definitely right there, my dear sister." Oakley said before grabbing a nine millimeter semi-automatic pistol and its twelve-round magazine off the hood of the boat's dashboard. She gently inserted the magazine into the pistol's grip before slamming it up to lock it into place and pulling back on the slide action, chambering the first round in the barrel. She looked down the sights of the pistol for a moment before placing it in her own shoulder holster. "And this time, there'll be no idiot Trainers around to interfere." she said with an evil grin on her face.

"I trust there will no more incidents like last time? I do not want to have to pull your ass out of the fire again because of your own stupidity. Are we clear on that, sister?" Annie asked.

Oakley sighed in exasperation. "Yes, Annie." she said wearily. There was no one in the world Oakley cared for more than Annie, but there were times where she could be a world-class bitch. It had been this way ever since they were kids growing up in the city of Goldenrod.

"Do you think this storm front that's coming in threatens to pose a problem to the mission?" Annie asked as she cast a worried look at the dark storm clouds which were almost upon them.

"Not particularly, no." Oakley answered as she too turned to look at the foreboding storm clouds. "In this case, it may actually benefit us. Most of, if not all of the city's population will be indoors on a night like this, allowing us to move through the streets with little to no incident; navigating along the rooftops would be a bad bet in this instance, I think, since the rain will make the rooftops slick, easy to lose your footing on. The rain may also serve to help mask our movements; it should be easy to remain undetected by the authorities, should there be any patrolling on a night like this. And finally, the falling rain basically makes the Lati twins' power of invisibility useless; the rain falling on their invisible forms would be a dead giveaway. Although I do admit that the getaway will prove rather difficult, I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." she explained to her sister.

"Do you really think that Latios and Latias will be more of a problem this time around?" Annie asked.

"Arceus knows they've had plenty of time to prepare for it; I imagine their battle skills have improved considerably since the last time we saw them. But still, that's why we brought back-up this time." Oakley said while gesturing to the Grunts sitting in the back of the boat, most of them looking extremely unwell at this point; one of them finally lost it and turned around, vomiting over the side of the boat. Despite their discomfort, all of them knew better than to complain, as it would most likely result in a swift punishment from their commanders, thus, they kept quiet, knowing they'd soon be on dry land again making their discomfort easier to bear.

"I still can't help but get a bad feeling about this, Oakley. They are Legendary Pokémon, after all, and I don't think that this time we can expect any mercy from them should we somehow lose." Annie said while worriedly folding her arms across her chest.

"Oh, come on, Annie, stop worrying." Oakley chided her sister "You seem to be forgetting the fact that we hold the advantage over them, in both numbers and experience. If we were able to do it once, we'll be able to do it again." she explained to Annie in an encouraging tone.

Annie was silent for a few moments before letting out a weary sigh. "Alright, Oakley, I suppose you're right. I'm with you all the way." she said. 'I just hope you know what you're getting us into, sister. Messing around with Legendary Pokémon is a sure way to get yourself killed.' she thought to herself.

Oakley smiled. "Thanks Annie. Don't worry; I'll make sure we'll both come out of this alright."

She then got up out of her seat and went back to face the Grunts. Their eyes turned to look at her as she started to speak in an authoritative voice. "All right, I assume we're all clear on everyone's purpose here?" All of the Grunts wordlessly nodded their heads, not trusting to open their mouths. Oakley then continued "Good. Now listen up, cause I'm only going to say this once. You are all here to assist in the subduing and capturing of the Legendary twin Pokémon, Latios and Latias. Once we dock, we will all proceed through the city to Latios and Latias' known location: a secret garden protected by illusions to mask its location and entrances. Agents Annie and I have been to this garden before, and so we know exactly where it is located. You will follow our lead as we make our way through the city, avoiding any unnecessary attention along the way, until we arrive at the entrance to the garden. Once we enter, we should do our best to take the two by surprise. However, failing that, we will engage the two in battle, with each of you using your chosen Pokémon. Just to be clear, Latios and Latias are Legendary Pokémon of Dragon and Psychic typing. They are extremely intelligent and will attempt to confuse you by turning invisible, and as such should be approached in battle with extreme caution. However, the coming storm may serve to help us; the rain will clearly outline their invisible forms, so should they turn invisible, do not panic, and keep a sharp eye out for any irregularities in the rain fall, and have your Pokémon attack that spot. Once they have been sufficiently weakened, Agents Annie and I will use the specialized capture nets provided us to subdue the twins for transport back to this boat. Once we have them aboard, we will proceed back to the dock in Kanto we departed from, where a truck will be waiting to transport us and the Legendaries back to Team Rocket headquarters, where you will all receive your debriefing. Are there any questions?"

She was greeted with nothing but the sound of the wind and the rolling waves and the creaking of the boat's hull.

Oakley nodded. "Good. Make sure to follow our orders and we'll all get out of this fine." She then turned around and headed back to her seat at the boat's steering wheel, turning the key in the ignition bringing the boat out of its idle state with a roar of the boat's motor and placing her hands on the steering wheel. She gave one last look at Annie. "Are you ready?" she asked.

Annie took her seat before answering "Yes. Let's do this." while staring straight ahead, her face adopting a determined look.

Oakley nodded and pushed the handle up on the throttle, causing the vessel to roar forward, leaving a trail of spray and small waves in its wake. Oakley turned the wheel, setting the boat on a course for Alto Mare. The high speed that the boat was going caused both her and Annie's hair to blow back in the wind. The Grunts in the back turned their heads to look at their destination, making sure to hold onto their hats, lest the wind blow them off their heads into the sea. As the boat glided along the sea towards Alto Mare, the first few drops of rain began to fall, signaling the arrival of the storm. The rainfall was gradual at first, before turning into a veritable downpour. The inhabitants of the boat were soaked within minutes, but they ignored it and continued on. Forks of lightning started to light up the sky and thunder crashed in the lightning's wake as the boat continued to head towards its destination.

---

Well, I hope you all liked my portrayal of Latios and Latias! Whoo, that chapter turned out longer than I expected!

Stay tuned for the next chapter in which Team Rocket executes their deadly play and Latios' life is changed forever.

Odds are that the next time you see this fic updated, it'll have an M rating, so it won't be visible by default. Bear that in mind if you plan to continue reading this story.

And let me know what you think in a review!