Chapter 7: Revelations of Destiny

Frozen in absolute shock and bewilderment, Ash could only stare at Lance like a Stantler caught in headlights, praying that the Dragon Master wouldn't impale him on the end of a sword.

"Lance, stop." Will suddenly stepped forward, and laid his hand gently on Lance's arm. "Calm down… There's no need to threaten."

Latias gave an alarmed purr, and tried to nudge Lance away from Ash. Please… don't hurt him… she begged.

Lance's gold eyes flickered with something akin to confusion and anger all at once, and his voice, much to Ash, Tracey, and Pikachu's surprise, took the undertone of a snarl as he spoke. "I will not let him take you."

"Lance, I wasn't gonna take her anywhere," Ash put in. "Honest. It's just… I've met Latias before. On Altomare Island. We're friends."

He speaks the truth, Latias agreed. Let him be.

Lance exhaled slowly, and at last, the sword in his hands lowered for an instant. Ash, feeling a little better, took a step backwards towards Tracey, breathing a sigh of relief.

And with that simple movement, Lance pounced.

Pounced had to have been the word. The sword fell to the floor, and Lance leaped at Ash as if he meant to strangle the trainer.

"Pika-pi!" Pikachu cried, and tried to leap to defend his trainer. But everything was happening so fast. Ash instinctively closed his eyes, expecting a painful attack to soon follow.

Yet… there was no pain. Instead, just a gasp, and a thump. Like someone falling to their knees.

Curiously, Ash opened his eyes once more. Lance was on his hands and knees before him, breathing heavily. It almost looked like he was in pain. Latias was nuzzling his shoulder gently, as if trying to help him. Ash looked up at Will, and was startled to see his eyes glowing with a bright purple light.

"Have you regained control, Lance? Rayquaza isn't there anymore, is he?" Will asked sternly, as the light slowly ebbed from his eyes.

Ash could see Lance struggling for composure. "I-I'm fine. I'm fine. Rayquaza's gone. I'm fine," he repeated, as if he was trying to desperately believe that himself. "I'm sorry… I'm really sorry…"

Ash and Tracey both gave each confused looks. "Uh… what just happened?" Tracey asked hesitantly, almost afraid Lance would suddenly attack him too.

Lance gave Will a desperate stare, and Will sighed, reaching to help the Dragon Master to his feet.

"Maybe… you all should come with us. We can explain everything in Lance's office," Will said. "It's… complicated."

Ash held Pikachu in his arms, trying to calm down. After all that just happened, he wasn't sure if he really wanted to be in the same room with Lance until he was sure the Dragon Master wasn't going to go crazy again. But he wanted to trust that there was a good reason for all this. "All right… come on, Tracey," Ash said, trying to sound confident. They began to follow Lance, Will, Nalia, and Latias down the hall to Lance's office.


Alexander sighed, looking up into the blue skies of Kanto and trying to get his mind back on work again. He, Misty, and Brock were enjoying themselves at the Open House… more than he wanted to really admit. They had visited an interactive Pokémon meet-and-greet area where they got to meet several rare and powerful Pokémon being introduced to visitors. Then they had stopped by to listen to a presentation about Pokémon evolution and the various items in the world that were known to be able to evolve Pokémon. They had even demonstrated a live evolution, with two Pokémon Masters utilizing a new item to evolve one of their Magmar into a Pokémon called Magmortar, which truly stunned the crowd. A never-before-seen evolution! People were still talking about it even after the presentation was over. Even Alexander found himself impressed.

He had almost been able to forget that he was actually supposed to be working for Team Rocket at the moment. Seated at a picnic table, waiting for Misty to come back with lunch, he suddenly realized he missed having friends to spend time with.

It's been a really long time since I actually hung out with anyone for fun, he reflected, almost regrettably. Almost wish I didn't have to—

"Hey, Katsuo!" called Misty, interrupting him from his thoughts. He saw her approaching with two plates of food in hand from a nearby food stand. She placed a delicious looking plate of curry and rice in front of him. "I thought you'd like to try some local food since you're visiting Kanto!"

Alexander looked at the dish before him and smiled. "Tonkatsu… with curry?" he guessed, eliciting a grin from Misty as she sat down across from him and pulled Togepi out of her bag. "I don't think I've ever tried that before. Sounds great. Thank you, Misty. But you didn't really have to buy me lunch."

"Don't even worry about it," she insisted, feeding Togepi a piece of Pokémon chow. "We're here to have fun! Don't get caught up in who pays for what!"

The two began to dig into their lunches. Alexander was pleased to find that the katsu curry was as delicious as it looked. "Oh, by the way," he said, in between bites, "where did Brock go?"

Misty rolled her eyes. "He's over there," she sighed, pointing. Alexander followed her finger to see Brock several tables away, surrounded by a group of Nurse Joys, all having lunch together. He seemed to be in complete bliss. "I guess a whole bunch of Nurse Joys came to the Open House as a family reunion event, and of course Brock found them. We'll be lucky if we can drag him away."

"Well, like you said… we're here to have fun," Alexander teased. "So how are you enjoying the Open House?"

"I know it just started, but I'm having a great time!" Misty exclaimed. "Remember that Water Pokémon at the meet-and-greet? Swanna, they called it? I can't believe how cute it was! It's just unbelievable how many Pokémon there still are in the world that I haven't seen yet."

Alexander slowly raised an eyebrow. This could be an opening. "Oh, I know," he agreed. "I'm reminded that even though I've seen a lot of things in my travels, I haven't even scratched the surface. Why, I bet you've seen way more Pokémon than I have!"

"Haha, maybe!" Misty took a sip of her drink and thought about all the places she'd been able to visit since she chose to follow Ash on his Pokémon journey. "I guess now that I think about it, I've been all over Kanto, all over Johto… I've also been to the Orange Islands. Ash has dragged me all over and I've seen more Pokémon than I can even begin to remember!"

"Now you're just bragging, Misty," Alexander complained, with a teasing grin. "Next you'll be telling me you saw a Ho-Oh or swam with a Lugia."

Misty stuck her tongue out at him playfully before giving her Togepi some more food. The Egg Pokémon wiggled happily as it took a big bite of the delicious meal. "Maybe I have," she retorted.

"You have not," Alexander taunted. He wondered if he could push Misty into revealing more. "Where could you possibly see Legendary Pokémon?"

"Everywhere, it seems like." She paused to reflect on her previous adventures, thinking of the many occasions Ash had dragged his friends into another crazy adventure. That incident on Shamouti Island… the event with those Unown… when they met a Celebi… and then the recent trip to Altomare Island. "Ash is like a Legendary magnet!"

Though Alexander was anticipating her telling him more about the Legendary Pokémon she had seen, he hadn't expected a statement like that. "How so? I mean, why, is Ash super special or something?" he questioned, genuinely curious.

Misty paused, wondering if telling him would sound too crazy. But why should it? It really happened, and Legendary Pokémon really did exist even if most people never got to see them. "Well… do you remember that event maybe… two years back? When there was a severe weather event and Pokémon migrated to the Orange Islands?"

Alexander tried to remember. He was still living in Johto at the time, and while the region hadn't been terribly affected by that event (maybe it had rained non-stop for several days), he recalled seeing news reports at the time. "Yeah… I remember the news claimed there were sightings of a Lugia and the three Legendary birds, but… I can't really remember the details. I just know people were debating whether it really happened or not."

"Well, it did happen," said Misty proudly. "I was there. We were pretty much a part of that whole event. Ok, Ash in particular. He was chosen by Lugia to resolve everything."

This time, Alexander sat up straight. "Chosen by Lugia?" he repeated. "Now you have to tell me more. You're just kidding, right?"

Misty laughed at his surprise. She was eager to tell him about some of her accomplishments, instead of Katsuo being the one telling all the interesting stories! By the time she was done, he would really be impressed.

"It all started when we were traveling through the Orange Islands…"


"…That's how Latias and I know each other," concluded Ash, as he finished telling Lance, Will, and Nalia about his adventure on Altomare Island. "I'm sorry if I worried you, Lance. I understand if you were afraid I would capture her or something."

Lance, who was now seated in a chair behind his desk, shook his head sadly, sounding ashamed. "It is I who should be sorry, Ash," he said. "I got carried away, and for that, I could have seriously hurt you."

Tracey was surprised at Lance's words. "Lance, surely you weren't seriously trying to harm Ash?"

"I'm afraid that was a very real possibility…" the Dragon Master murmured, biting his lip in frustration.

"Please understand, Ash. Lance wouldn't willingly try to attack you. But… there is another being who doesn't know you, and is willing to harm you in order to protect Latias," Will interjected. "It's… going to sound strange, but as Dragon Master, Lance is what is known as a 'pureblood avatar' of Rayquaza. That is who tried to harm you."

Ash, Pikachu, and Tracey, predictably, responded with blank stares. The young psychic sighed and tried to explain it as simply as possible.

"There are many, many Legendaries that exist in this world, each of whom is tasked with performing certain duties to keep the world in balance and protect it from any threats. As part of their duties, a Legendary may decide a human partner is needed to help them, as well as bridge the gap between humans and Pokémon. These special humans are called 'Chosen.' Lance happens to be the chosen of Rayquaza, who is one of the more powerful Dragon Legendaries in this world."

"A Rayquaza…?" Tracey was suddenly reminded of the picture he had shown Ash, Brock, and Misty earlier, and the mysterious serpentine dragon depicted in it. Maybe Rayquaza was the Pokémon?

Will nodded. "Rayquaza is a dragon primarily featured in Hoenn mythology, but it is said their species dwells high in the atmosphere, so they survey the entire world. The Rayquaza that is bound to Lance is the eldest of all of them, so he is considered very powerful," he explained. "He selected Lance's clan in Blackthorn ages ago to be his pureblood avatars. The current Dragon Master is granted much power by Rayquaza, but in return is constantly bound to Rayquaza. His thoughts are often shared with Rayquaza, and there is little that Lance sees that Rayquaza doesn't see. He is able to speak to Lance at will, and at times can even… influence Lance's actions. Which… brings me to what happened earlier."

[Rayquaza is mean and sometimes imposes his feelings and actions on Lance!] Nalia piped up, sounding upset.

Ash jumped in surprise. "That Natu can talk?" he gasped.

"Nalia is a shiny Natu, as you can see by her coloration," explained Will. "And thanks to her parents, she has more enhanced psychic abilities than usual." By the sound of Tracey's scratching pencil, it was safe to assume that he, too, had noticed Nalia's special coloring.

Latias gave Lance a concerned look. From what Will was saying, it sounded like Rayquaza had been the one to attack Ash, not Lance. He merely used Lance as a vessel and poured his ferocity and protectiveness into his Dragon Master, compelling Lance to be aggressive.

I don't know if I can agree with that, she thought. If Lance is his chosen, Rayquaza should treat him like a partner. Will turned to give her a sad smile, and she realized he heard what she was thinking. Judging from his expression, he must have felt the exact same way.

"Nalia should take care what she says of Rayquaza," Will continued, shooting Nalia a scolding look, "but she is correct. Rayquaza, through Lance, thought Latias was in danger, and forcibly imposed his will on Lance. As a result, he was compelled to attack you."

Ash thought he understood what Will was trying to say. He looked at Lance, who looked incredibly exhausted and unhappy. "Hey… no harm done," Ash said, trying to reassure the Dragon Master. He knew Lance hadn't done it on purpose. "It's a good thing you stopped in time, right?"

"Actually, I didn't," muttered Lance, sounding ashamed. "Will had to use his psychic power to briefly interrupt my connection to Rayquaza. The mental jolt is… painful, but it did what it had to."

"You're a psychic, Will?" asked Tracey, looking up from his sketch for a moment.

Will smiled. "Who better to be Master of Psychic-types?" he asked, a touch of his theatrical persona coming through.

Latias floated over to Ash where he was sitting with Pikachu, and gave the little Electric Pokémon a nuzzle. With a happy cry, Pikachu snuggled her back, happy to see his friend once more. Ash smiled at the two before looking over at Lance again. "Does… Rayquaza do stuff like that a lot?" he asked, hesitantly. "Making you do things you wouldn't normally do, I mean."

"Not… usually." Lance seemed to be distant for a moment, as if he was only just now considering the question. "I guess a lot more in recent days, though. I assume it is because he is so obsessed with protecting the Child of Legendaries…"

"Whoa, back up," Ash said. "The Child of Legendaries?"

Lance pointed at the Dragon/Psychic-type next to Ash. "The Child of the Legendaries… would be Latias, right there. That much we are certain of."

Ash stared at Latias in surprise. "Latias? Wait… Child of the Legendaries… Tracey, didn't you tell me about that?"

"You mean you know about this legend, Ash?" asked Lance.

"Tracey got some research from Professor Oak about it…"

Tracey stopped sketching and dug around in his backpack, pulling out the notes and the picture he had shown Ash, Misty, and Brock earlier in the day. He passed it to Lance, who eyed both papers and nodded. "So… Latias is the Pokémon who can help restore balance to the world?" he asked.

[That's right!] Nalia exclaimed. [All that we need now is the Chosen One of the humans, and it'll work!]

Ash had been looking at the picture again as Nalia was speaking. "Wait… Lance, is this Rayquaza?" he asked, pointing to the dragon in the carving that had had him stumped.

Lance's eyes gleamed slightly gold for an instant. "That's right, Ash. Although it might not seem like so, all Legendary Pokémon, no matter what region they call home, all interact and speak with one another. They oversee the entire world together. And if anything affects one of them… it could very well have a domino effect that harms all of them."

"The Legendary Pokémon have so much an effect on the world…" murmured Ash softly, looking at Latias. "Latias and Latios were the protectors of Altomare… And when that collector tried to capture Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, and Lugia, the whole world and its oceans were threatened…"

"You know about that, Ash?" asked Lance, surprised at how much the young trainer seemed to be aware of.

"Um… yeah. I helped Lugia to stop the Legendary Birds' fighting a few years ago."

Will and Lance both gaped at him. "You… you're Lugia's Chosen One? And you've met the Legendary Bird trio and Latias and Latios?" questioned Will.

Ash shrugged, a little embarrassed. "Mm-hm. I also… um… saw a Celebi and a Suicune, in Johto."

Now, even Tracey, Nalia, and Latias looked stunned. Lance and Will looked at one another again, and then back to Ash. "Are you serious?" Lance asked.

"Of course. Pikachu saw them too."

"Pika-pika!" affirmed Pikachu.

Lance was at a loss for words. No one saw this many Legendary Pokémon, not by mistake. There had to be a reason. "This… this changes everything…" he whispered, a new thought coming to him.

"Why? What does it change?" Ash questioned.

"Latias…" said Lance, turning to the Dragon/Psychic-type. "Did Rayquaza tell you anything about how to find the Chosen One of humans?"

Well… um… Latias was a little hesitant. I told him, deep down in my heart, that I felt Ash was the one I was destined to be bound to. That he could be… my chosen. And he told me that if I felt that way, perhaps… Ash was the Chosen One of humans. Since I'm the Child of Legendaries…

[Latias said that she feels bound to Ash, like he's her chosen. And Rayquaza told her that if she feels that way, perhaps he is the Chosen One of humans!] Nalia said, relaying Latias's thoughts for Lance, Ash, Tracey, and Pikachu.

"What? Me, the Chosen One?" Ash gasped. "I don't think so… I think you're making a mistake."

"That's what you said about that incident on Shimute Island," reminded Tracey. "It could be true…"

Lance nodded. "All the evidence seems to be pointing to you, Ash. Latias feels bound to you, and the impulses of Legendaries are not to be taken lightly. And, as it says in the legend, the Chosen One will have already set down bonds with the Legendaries of Kanto and Johto."

"But… but I can't be the Chosen One," stammered Ash. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

I don't know, either, Latias thought, nuzzling Ash kindly. But I'm sure we can figure it out together.

After a quick relay of Latias' thoughts by Nalia, Ash was only slightly reassured. Being the Chosen One sounded scary… even more scary than it had when he had had to help Lugia, because this time it wasn't clear what he was supposed to do. The more he thought about it, the more nervous he became. What if he messed up?

"Look, Ash," Lance interrupted, understanding how overwhelmed Ash was feeling. "I know how difficult it sounds. I felt the exact same way at your age, when I was called upon to become the Dragon Master. But I soon realized I didn't have to face my destiny alone. I had friends to support me, like Will. You, too, have many friends to help you if things get rough."

Tracey nodded. "That's right, Ash. You have our help, too," he said.

"Thanks, guys. I guess I'm just overthinking it," Ash replied, feeling a little better. "Maybe it's not so bad after all. I guess I could be the Chosen One."

But little did Ash realize that being the Chosen One would be a much more difficult task than he could have imagined…


By the time Misty had finished her stories about Lugia and the Legendary Birds, that one time they rescued Celebi and Suicune helped purify the forest, and the most recent adventure on Altomare Island with Latios and Latias… Alexander found himself completely lost for words. His lunch lay half-finished; he had forgotten all about his appetite halfway through the story.

She has to be joking with me. This Ash kid isn't just a Legendary magnet… he very well could be chosen by the Legendaries themselves! he thought. Having lived in Johto for many years, he was no stranger to the myths and tales of the region, and knew about the relationships these powerful Pokémon could share with certain humans. You don't just randomly meet Legendary Pokémon and help save the world…

Suddenly, Alexander knew he had another plan. What better way to give Giovanni the keys to Latias, Latios, and perhaps a truckload of other Legendary Pokémon… then to give him Ash? It was unfortunate that Alexander hadn't been able to spend the day with Ash and gain his trust, the way he had with Misty and Brock, but he could make it work.

I hope this doesn't make me cursed in the eyes of the Legendaries, he thought wryly, but once Giovanni hears about this, he'll be delighted. Now I just have to figure out where Ash is and how to—

"If you don't believe me, then look!"

Alexander looked up just in time to see Misty pull a beautiful glass disk out from a case she had removed from her bag. A ribbon was tied to the top, and the disk itself was decorated with intricate colors and textures. In the center were two silhouettes, shaped vaguely like two Pokémon. Togepi giggled and tried to grab the ribbon as it billowed softly in the wind.

"This is the prize I got for winning first place in the Tour de Altomare," Misty explained. "It was a Water Pokémon race. You can see Latias and Latios on it. Proof I was there when that… whole event happened."

"The two Team Rocket agents disrupting the island… yes, I remember." Alexander believed Misty, even without the prize as proof. He didn't think she was lying, and after all, who would make up a tale like that? "So… I'm sorry, I don't know if I understand the last part you said. You thought Latias kissed Ash goodbye? A Pokémon kissed him?"

Misty blushed. It did sound strange when he put it that way. "No, remember I said that Latias took the form of her human friend as a disguise," she reminded. "So she was in human form at the time. I guess it could have been Bianca, but… Latias never spoke in human form, and the girl who kissed Ash goodbye never said a word. They definitely had a connection."

"Oh, right. You're not jealous, are you?" Alexander teased. He mentally filed that information about Latias and her human disguise away for later reference.

"Haha, no way. I mean… I really like Ash, but… he's just my friend."

"Hm." Alexander leaned forward and rested his head in his hand, staring playfully at Misty. "Do you have a boyfriend, Misty? Any crushes?"

The question was unexpected. "Uh… no, not really. I mean, I like cute boys when I see them, but nothing super serious right now," she replied quickly, embarrassed.

He chuckled. "Not even me?"

Misty's face turned red, but she frowned. "I just met you," she pointed out.

The mercenary grinned at the response. "Smart girl," he cooed. "Don't give your heart to just anyone. Hide it like a treasure, and only give it to someone who will treat it like a treasure."

"You really are a flirt, aren't you?"

"Thought you'd notice earlier." Alexander sat up straight again and smiled at her. But this time, Misty was struck by how… different it looked this time. It almost seemed… apologetic. Guilty. "I don't want to hurt your feelings, though. I won't flirt with you if you don't want me to," he said, staring straight at her.

The sudden frankness made her embarrassed, and she looked down at her hands. Togepi was there to cuddle and tug on her, forcing her to smile. "No, it's ok. Don't feel bad," she said, laughing again. "We're here to have fun, remember?"

Alexander nodded, but the smile on his face was gone. "Fun. Right."

You'd hate me if only you knew.