The big Chapter 10! Let's get started with our review responses for last chapter-
*Review Responses:*
- StrikerZ56: Thanks, and I'm not sure man. I think that it is commonly portrayed in writing as the loose equivalent of bestiality, though Pokemon are obviously intelligent enough to be considered more than animals so it kind of baffles me haha.
- Heartless demon wolf: No, it's ok haha. I can definitely relate to that thought process. Thanks, I think that those are aspects that should be seriously addressed in a story and can definitely help the plot as it develops. Thank you, I'll remember that :)
- ThatGalladeAcrossTheStreet: Yeah, I love being able to occasionally come out with 24-hour releases XD Thanks man, it was a part of the fic that I felt needed to be addressed and now I can move closer to the romance ;] Aw, a Christmas special would have been awesome! But I understand the challenges that would be involved in doing that, for now I'm just excited to see AEG progress haha.
- Guest (AKA Storylover Vodhr- Dux Ducis): Yeah, definitely. And now that it is addressed there are a number of ways to go about what happens now. I'm glad that you can see the importance in it. And no problem haha. It happens sometimes, it's no issue.
- Rosco Peeko Trane: Awesome, I'm so glad that I made your day XD Thank you for the compliment as well, and I'll definitely pace myself, without Black Latiosing it haha. Hope you like the update!
- TheGrunt22: Haha when I read your review and saw the Bible verse I flipped out a bit because it made me so happy XD I love that scripture. The last chapter was mostly for character development, as well as Ash/Latias coming to terms with their feelings (Which I hope I made obvious enough) And in this chapter you should see some references to chapter 9, as there are likely to be throughout the rest of the story as well. Thanks for the review!
- DraconianPhilosopher: Yeah, definitely :) us altoshippers need to stick together haha. Thanks a ton for the compliments, I try very hard to keep things smooth and well-written, and can only hope that it is portrayed that way to the readers. Glad to have your support, and thanks for reviewing!
- Hero in the shadows1: Firstly, cool username haha. Also, thanks for the compliment! I definitely will.
- Dragonsrule 18: I'm glad you like it! Thanks, I try for cute XD
*End Responses*
Alright guys, here's an extra-long chapter to celebrate this story's 10th chapter! Thank all of you for your support throughout the making of this story!
Enjoy!
**** I do NOT own Pokémon. Sorry to disappoint ;] ****
Chapter 10:
Latias slowly opened her stunning golden eyes to the sound of bird pokemon chirping as well as the slight breeze that carried through the trees surrounding her. Feeling the warm morning sunlight on her down, she softly smiled in contentment and rolled over so that she could feel the warmth on her underside as well. Having rested on the cool moss all night she gratefully basked in the sun's rays as reality took place of the wonderful dream she had been having about a certain raven-haired boy. Latias could tell that it was already nearing eight o'clock in Alto Mare, just by judging the position of the sun. This was rare given that the energetic dragoness was usually up at the crack of dawn to watch the city wake up. Morning was always her favorite time to be out anyway, as she could witness the start of a new day with endless possibilities in bloom. Her beautiful red and white face furrowed a bit as she wondered why she was only now awakening, when the events of the last evening returned to her.
'mm, Ash.' She said lovingly as she stretched and recalled her time spent with him yesterday. Then a new, more exciting thought crossed her mind- It was finally morning!
Her eyes flew open as she realized that she had been wasting time sleeping when she could have already been with her friends. Still, she couldn't really blame herself- After all she had been up late last night pondering her future with Ash, and didn't get a chance to sleep until far after what she was used to. But it was worth it to learn that she had a chance with her one and only love. What the young legendary didn't know, however, was that Ash had been up thinking about her as well.
Well I'd better get going, Latias thought as she rolled back over and levitated off of the branch, I don't want them to start anything without me!
With that as her motivation, Latias took off through the garden in the direction of Lorenzo's house, only pausing once to turn invisible before entering town. As she rocketed over canals and past storefronts she couldn't help but giggle as every time that she passed someone they would abruptly spin around due to the wind that traveled in her wake. Then, after staring off suspiciously for a moment, they would dismiss it as just the breeze and go back to their business. This was why Latias was so grateful for her ability to diffract light off of her feathers to make her almost completely invisible. Regardless of this ability, though, she still knew that Latios would have been against the thought of flying so close to the ground at such an intense speed. But on hurried occasions such as this she made an exception to her brother's protective wishes.
Finally she approached the familiar stone house and beamed as she slowed to a stop on the doorstep. She then raised her claw, but before she could knock a sudden thought caused her to freeze. After her talk with Bianca last night Latias had realized something. While her friend had agreed that a human and pokemon relationship could work, she also said that humans generally belonged with humans and pokemon with pokemon. This had sparked an insecurity in the dragoness, and she wondered if Ash really liked her more in her human guise than her normal form as a dragon. After all, why wouldn't he? With her sharp claws and distracting wings, he certainly had to prefer her as a beautiful human girl. Latias then made up her mind and, in a flash of bright light, took on the form of her best friend.
There, that's better. She decided as she inspected her new form before knocking for real. After a few seconds the door opened to show Lorenzo, who immediately smiled at her.
"Ah, there you are! Come in, breakfast will be ready soon."
Latias nodded and walked inside, immediately taking notice of the delicious smell that came from the kitchen. Aside from that she could also see Bianca sitting at the table, sketching something or another on one of her artist's pads contently.
"Good morning Latias," The girl said as she paused from her drawing and smiled at her friend.
'Good morning!' Latias replied as she shot a closed-eyed smile back. 'Where are Ash, Brock, and Dawn?'
"Still upstairs, I believe." Lorenzo answered as he put on an apron and walked back into the kitchen. "Could you go and get them for me? Breakfast is just about done."
'Sure!' She answered as she turned and excitedly ran up the stairs. Once she reached the top she made a b-line for the guest room where she could hear two familiar voices talking.
"Come on Ash! You can't sleep the whole day, you know!"
"It's ok to let him rest for a while Dawn, he had a long night."
Latias walked into the room to see Brock and Dawn talking over an exhausted-looking Ash, who was snoring lightly with his favorite cap covering his face. Sitting on his chest was Pikachu, who was the first to see Latias and immediately greeted her.
"Pika pi!"
Latias giggled. 'Hello to you too, Pikachu!'
"Huh? Oh hey Latias!" Dawn said as she turned and smiled kindly, "Sorry, you can't play with Ash yet. I guess he stayed up past his bedtime last night, because he just won't wake up."
Even in his sleep Ash made a sarcastic grunt at the bedtime joke, prompting a giggle from Latias.
'Well Lorenzo said that breakfast is almost done, so if you two want you can go down and I'll wake Ash up.'
Brock and Dawn agreed and thanked her before heading out of the room. Once they were gone Latias turned her attention toward Ash, who still hadn't moved a muscle. First she tried taking his cap off to show his face, which didn't do much to wake the boy up but did make Latias happier at seeing his face wearing such tranquil expression. Then she looked around for a means to get him up.
Scanning the room, she found a pillow on one of the beds that might just do the trick. Picking it up, she took aim at Ash and threw it straight at the snoozing boy. However, to her disappointment there was hardly any reaction from Ash- in fact, to add insult to injury he even held the pillow in his sleep as if she had made him even more comfortable than before. Latias sighed.
'Where's a Pokeflute when you need one?' She joked, earning an amused nod from Pikachu. She then noticed that aside from the yellow mouse, there were none of the other pokemon in the room- which led her to believe that they were already off playing somewhere.
'I'm starting to see why Dawn was so serious about this,' Latias said as she turned her attention back to Ash, 'do you have any ideas Pikachu?'
"Pika!" The electric mouse replied as if he thought she would never ask. Dawn had refrained from using the electric approach due to Brock's protesting, but now that he had the clearance Pikcahu started to shoot sparks from his cheeks as he readied his method of waking his trainer up.
'Alright, but just a little shock.' Latias said, not keen on Ash getting electrocuted when they still had so much to do together.
Pikachu nodded in agreement before sending a small electric charge arching through the air toward Ash. As soon as the bolt made contact with the teen, his eyes opened wide as he shot up out of bed with a yelp.
"Ow, Pikachu!" Ash said as he rubbed the spot where he was hit gingerly.
'Thank you Pikachu!' Latias said with a smile, 'why don't you go play with the other pokemon now?'
Pikachu gave a happy 'chaa' in response before bounding out of the room to find his pokemon friends.
"Man, I've got to get a rubber sleeping bag…" Ash thought aloud as he watched his starter run around the corner. "… What do you think Lati- OOF!"
Latias suddenly plowed into Ash, giving him a tight hug as her head rested on his chest. Even if it had only been one night apart, she had missed him even more than usual (which is saying something) and had been waiting for this moment ever since the end of their last hug.
"Well good morning to you too," Ash joked as he hugged her back before the two parted and smiled at each other. He too had been excited to see her again today, his dreams having been prominently Latias-oriented after his talk with Brock. Ash's thoughts were shaken as he noticed an intoxicating aroma coming from somewhere in the house. "Woah, what is that?"
Latias giggled. 'Lorenzo is making breakfast, come on!'
And with that she took his hand and ran him out of the room just like she had the other day- except this time Ash was running just as fast as she was as food was involved. When the two had made it downstairs they saw that everyone else was already digging in to a large homemade breakfast consisting of eggs, toast, pancakes, fresh fruit, and orange juice.
"Ah good, Ash you're awake!" Lorenzo heartily greeted from the table, "You two can dig in, I made plenty to go around."
The starving duo quickly accepted and took seats next to each other, digging in with a passion that quickly made the aging man rethink his previous statement. After several minutes of quiet enjoyment of yet another fantastic homemade meal, Lorenzo spoke again.
"So how did everyone sleep?" He asked with a smile at all of his guests.
"Great!" Dawn answered instantaneously. The rest of the table, however, hesitated while Ash and Brock- as well as Latias and Bianca- Exchanged glances.
"Yeah, same for us." Brock answered, referring to himself as well as Ash.
"Awesome as always Grandpa," Bianca replied with a grin. Latias just smiled shyly at the oldest of the group, who luckily didn't ask her personally about her night.
"I'm glad to hear that!" He replied with a chuckle as he stood and pushed in his chair. "Though I'm sorry to say that I won't be joining you all on your tour today. I received a few orders this morning so I have some gondolas to build back at my workshop. However, I'm certain that you'll all enjoy your day without me! Besides, Bianca is to the point where she knows just about as much as I do. She'll take good care of you all."
Lorenzo winked at his granddaughter as he turned for the front door. "You know where to find me if you need me. See you all tonight!"
The group all thanked him for the breakfast as he waved and set off onto the streets outside. Once Lorenzo had left the group alone Dawn turned to Bianca, practically bouncing in her seat with excitement at a chance to properly tour the city.
"So where are we going to go first? Are we going to walk everywhere? Are there a lot of shops here? Ooh, do they have contests in Alto Mare? Because I would love to-"
"Woah Dawn," Bianca replied with her hands up, attempting to end the onslaught of questions. "I have everything figured out, but you'll have to wait and see for yourself."
Dawn sat back and pouted at the suspense as Brock was next to ask a question. "Actually, I wouldn't mind knowing how we're going to get around either." He really didn't want a repeat of before when he was stuck carrying Dawn's belongings everywhere.
Bianca giggled, "Follow me and I'll show you."
The girl then stood and led the group to the front door and opened it. Everyone's eyes were momentarily blinded by the midmorning light before they could see an extra-large gondola tied off in the canal directly in front of the house. Dawn audibly gasped at the sight.
"No way!" The coordinator squealed with glee.
"Yep, what better way to see Alto Mare than from the canals themselves?" Bianca giggled as she stepped out toward the docked vessel.
"That's amazing!" Dawn said as she ran over to see it up-close, "I can just tell that today is going to be perfect!"
The rest of the group also welcomed the form of transportation, though no one was quite as excited as Dawn. Ash and Brock had already toured some of the city by gondola the last time that they were here with Misty. Still, they liked the idea and made their way over to the wooden vessel with Latias close by.
"Can we go now?" Dawn asked excitedly as she turned to her friends.
"That sounds fine to me," Brock answered with a smile.
Ash and Latias both nodded in agreement, but Bianca had an inquisitive look on her face.
"What about your pokemon?" She asked, "There's only room for one or two of them on the gondola."
"Hm… Then I guess we'd better check with them huh?" Brock asked.
"Yeah, but where are they anyway?" Ash asked as he realized that he hadn't seen Pikachu since he was woken up.
'They're in the back yard playing.' Latias said telepathically with a smile, 'I can hear them.'
"Do you think that Pikachu and Piplup would want to come along?" Dawn asked Ash. But almost instantly her question was answered as a crash, followed by an uproar of mixed pokemon laughter, came from behind the house.
"Sounds like they're having plenty of fun to me," Brock said with a chuckle, "And I doubt that Pikachu or Piplup would want to leave their friends."
Bianca nodded before gracefully hopping into the canal from the street. "Then shall we get started?"
"One second," Ash answered as he turned back toward the house and shouted to his pokemon, "Hey Pikachu! We're going out for a bit, so you and Piplup are in charge, ok?"
After a pause the answer came in the form of an affirmative "Pika pi!"
Ash smiled in confidence of Pikachu's leadership and turned back to his friends. "Ok, then let's go!"
The next few hours were spent with the group leisurely gliding through the canals of the Alto Mare, Bianca and Latias happily informing everyone on different things concerning the city. As Bianca was the guide and the one controlling the gondola, she sat at the front of the boat facing her friends. Brock and Dawn were in the first row of seats, Brock either sitting back contently as they moved along or ogling the girls that they passed by. Meanwhile Dawn had her head on a swivel as she took in the pristine scenery with undivided interest wile excitedly asking Bianca questions. That left Ash and Latias, who were both secretly just enjoying being in each other's company once again. The uncertainty that both had the night prior was seemingly eliminated, replaced by happiness as the two joked and made conversation near the back of the gondola.
The majority of the tour was pretty standard- though it definitely had its interesting points. One of which was when their gondola passed the museum and accompanying stone pillars with statues of the eon twins atop them. Dawn had pointed them out to everyone as she practically ran over Brock to get a better view of the landmarks.
"Look, it's Latias!" Dawn exclaimed, though she was careful not to mention Latios since it might trigger an event similar to last night's. The statues practically shone in the bright midday sun, casting off respective red and blue glares that formed two halo-like circles about the monuments.
"The glow that you see is a phenomenon that only happens for about an hour on sunny days here. Each statue was designed with subtle ruby and sapphire inlays, which makes them shine when the sun hits them at a certain angle." Bianca informed the group before she turned to the statues and also enjoyed the artistic appeal that they gave off. "I hoped that we could make it here in time to see it, and it looks like we made it just fine."
Dawn was staring in awe of the sight while Brock smiled at seeing another of the beautiful subtleties that lied about the island.
"Beautiful…" Ash said softly as he also observed the spectacle. Latias heard him and happily nuzzled her face against his neck, prompting a chuckle from Ash. Though it didn't go unnoticed by him that after she was done with her nuzzling she never moved back away- instead she stayed pressed up against him and rested her head on his shoulder. This left Ash with a blazing red face as Bianca saw the two in the back and winked at them.
Just as soon as the moment had started, it seemingly ended as the halos surrounding the statues grew weaker with the sun's shifting before disappearing entirely.
"Aw no!" Dawn suddenly cried out as she flopped back down onto her own spot and put her face in her hands in disbelief.
"It's alright Dawn, it'll happen again tomorrow." Bianca said with a smile.
"It's not that," Dawn answered with a downcast expression, "I was so distracted by it that I forgot to take a picture!"
The group shared a laugh before they were once again on their way. It wasn't long before the tour had concluded and the group settled down for a picnic in one of the city's parks. It was a pleasantly calm touch to the day, until Ash and Latias somehow got into a spontaneous food fight which would escalate into her taking off his cap and running off with it playfully. She didn't get very far, however, as she was still in her human form and Ash could now easily keep up. After all, he had become both faster and stronger since he left Alto Mare the first time.
As soon as the raven-haired boy reached her, he made to wrap his arms around her then retrieve the hat. However, just as he made the move to do so Latias turned a little two slowly, resulting in Ash accidentally plowing into her and the two falling to the ground. They landed onto the soft grass with Ash laying atop Latias , who was now wearing his cap. Ash looked down at her and chuckled sheepishly at his actions, but was confused to see Latias shyly smiling up at him with a heavy blush. That was when he realized that he was on top of her, his face just inches from hers. It was then that a whistle could be heard in the background aimed at the two, which caused Ash to scramble to his feet with a heavy blush before lending a hand to help Latias up as well.
"Sorry…" He apologized as Latias accepted his help before dusting herself off.
'It's ok.' Latias said with a giggle, though in reality it was way better than ok to her. Getting that close to Ash had her heart beating rapidly, and sent her mind into a mixture of romantic daydreams as she smiled into his warm chestnut eyes.
Ash smirked as he realized that he could take advantage of the distraction. Moving a little closer to Latias, he suddenly snatched the hat from her head before turning around and bolting.
'Oh no you don't!' Latias shouted after him as she took chase, 'Get back here Ash!'
The two chased each other around while laughing for several minutes while their friends watched the entertaining spectacle before them. But before long the group decided that it was time to head back to Lorenzo's for the evening. As they started making their way back to the gondola Ash wore a triumphant grin as his hat rested proudly on his head. Meanwhile Latias pouted cutely from beside him, claiming that he had cheated.
But despite his victory in keep-away, Ash found himself missing playing with her in her natural form. The fact that she hadn't changed back confused Ash since there was nobody else in that part of the park. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen her in her dragon form all day, which was strange because Latias was almost always in it when there weren't strangers around.
She also disliked being in this form while they played- it was inconvenient during their chases and she would occasionally trip since she was more used to flying than running. Still, her new-found insecurities prevented her from changing back while Ash was around.
The next few days were spent in similar ways to this, with the group of friends happily exploring the island. Dawn continued to gush over all of the romantic aspects of the city, while Bianca taught her friends more of the island's secrets. Brock, true to character, had gawked at any girl that passed and would commonly flirt with them- though this would always result in Crogunk somehow freeing himself from his pokeball and subduing his trainer before the girl could respond. Meanwhile Ash and Latias continued to grow closer- the two appeared to be connected at the hip wherever they went, as neither had been this happy or content in a long time. Of course this prompted endless joking and hinting from Bianca, though Brock and Dawn seemed none-the-wiser. There was one oddity to their growing closeness, however- that being whenever the two were around Lorenzo. Any time that they would get too physically close or go out into the city together the aging man would fall deep into thought, sometimes disappearing to his room for hours.
Still, the group either shrugged off the strange behavior or didn't notice it as they, along with their pokemon, spent the next few days in true vacation fashion. However there was no changing Ash's mind when it came to pokemon battles. Vacation or not, whenever the opportunity presented itself Ash was quick to face off against any Alto Mare trainer or tourist with his Pikachu, Totodile, and Pidgeot on his side. Brock and Dawn would roll their eyes anytime that Ash found himself in a battle, Dawn at Ash's predictability and Brock because he constantly had to serve as referee. Latias, on the other hand, found the sport extremely interesting- especially how Ash did it. His calm confidence and ease at commanding his pokemon always amazed her, and the strength that the seasoned battler radiated was a rather intense contrast to his normally easygoing personality.
On the group's fifth day in Alto Mare, Bianca treated them to ice cream at Alto Mare's most famous malt shop. Since it was Bianca's treat, everyone ordered their favorite flavors and made their way over to a table. Brock had his Rocky Road, Dawn her blueberry, and Bianca a shop special called the Alto Mare Sunrise. While the three talked and enjoyed the treats over at their table, Ash and Latias were still waiting for their orders at the counter (Latias had asked for cherry, and Ash classic vanilla with every topping you could possibly imagine).
Suddenly two girls of about Dawn's age approached Ash from across the room and started a conversation. Immediately Latias was watching them closely from beside him as they giggled at everything that he said and complimented him on things such as his clothing. At one point they even went as far as to touch him, asking if he worked out while feeling his arms and chest. Needless to say, if looks could kill then Latias would have finished them both off ten times over by now. The disguised dragoness glared at the two girls with little to no restraint as they were practically marking Ash right in front of her. Her instincts were screaming for her to do something, but she stayed out of the conversation until they suddenly took it way too far.
"So Ash," One of the girls said as she leaned in close to him, "Do you have a girlfriend?"
"Uh… I um…" Ash stuttered as he was not at all used to this form of interaction- especially not from total strangers.
It was then that something bizarre happened. The ice cream cones that each girl held suddenly flew backwards out of the girls' hands and onto their owners in perfect synchronization, causing the two to squeal and flee from the restaurant in embarrassment and fear. Ash stared in the direction that they had run confusedly, while Latias wore the slightest of satisfied smiles at seeing them go. Across the room their friends had also been watching the whole ordeal with shock and interest. When the ice creams randomly turned on their owners, Brock and Dawn mirrored Ash's reaction. Bianca, however, couldn't help but smile to herself- because she could have sworn that right before the ice cream went rogue, she saw Latias' eyes grow a faint blue. On the way out of the shop Bianca pulled her friend aside to talk.
"So, did you do it?" Bianca asked quietly as they fell a few steps behind the rest of the group.
'Do what?' Latias asked coyly with a discrete wink at her friend. She knew that it probably wasn't the nicest thing to do, but how was she supposed to react? They were obviously trying to steal Ash, and she couldn't just let that happen. A far as Latias was concerned, Ash was hers. And she wished luck to any girl who would try to get between them.
The five friends stayed out for a while longer before stopping at a seafood restaurant, where Ash and Latias would have eaten them out of money had Bianca not known the owners well and received a discount. By the time that the group had made it back to Lorenzo's house it was easily getting dark out. They all spent some time together there before it was once again time to turn in. As had become somewhat of a routine, Ash walked Latias out to the porch to say goodnight. Like always they hugged for several moments, enjoying the warmth that radiated from each other- but tonight there was a little more in store for the two.
"Goodnight Latias," Ash said with a smile as they parted, "I'll see you tomorrow, ok?"
Latias nodded, though she had a noticeable blush on her face and looked away from him shyly. Ash looked at her with a confused expression, and was about to ask her if she was alright when she did the last thing that he had expected.
Out of nowhere Latias turned back to him and placed her soft lips against his cheek, causing him to freeze in surprise as a blush spread over his face like wildfire. The moment stretched for both of them as Latias did what she had wanted to do ever since Ash had come back to Alto Mare. Before he could do anything in return, however, she had separated herself from him once again and, mirroring the first time that she had kissed him, paused to look at him with her big golden eyes before turning and running off into the night.
Ash absentmindedly brought a hand up to the spot that she had kissed him and rubbed it as he stared off into the dark after her. It was amazing to him that an action as simple as a kiss on the cheek could have such an effect on him. But this wasn't just any kiss, after all. It was from her.
Latias ran until she was sure she was out of Ash's sight before transforming back into her dragon form and letting out a soft sigh.
Goodnight Ash, She thought as she looked back in his direction. A smile formed on her red face as she then turned invisible and took to the skies. She could only hope that after that Ash would understand how much she really cared for him. It had come out of nowhere, yes, but it had been bottled inside of her for so long that she had no regrets. It was actually a lot like when she kissed him the first time that he was in Alto Mare- the realization made her giggle as she silently soared back to the Garden for the night.
Back at the house, Ash was thinking hard as he still stood where he had been when she had kissed him. He was closer to Latias now than ever before, but ever since he had recognized his true feelings for her the other night he had wanted to become even closer. And how could he not? She had made him happier than he could ever recall, and there was never a dull moment if she was around. Of course these had resulted in a lot of harmless flirting and nuzzling between the two over the last couple of days.
Ash mentally face palmed for not returning her affection after the kiss, but it just happened so fast… That was when he had an idea.
I… I want to do something for her. Ash decided, But what..?
After several seconds of meditating on the subject he suddenly had an idea. Ash grinned as he made up his mind and turned for the door. It would be tough, yes, and he only had a little time to pull it off… but now he was determined to show Latias how he felt. In his usual energetically impatient fashion, Ash ran inside the house and immediately tracked down Bianca to see if he could borrow some of her art supplies. He only had tonight to work and naturally wanted to get started right away, the feeling of Latias' lips on his cheeks still fresh in his mind.
Little did the two teens know that someone else had seen Latias' kiss- In the heat of the moment both failed to notice Lorenzo returning from his errands. Not wanting to interrupt their moment, he had hidden behind a nearby bush and observed the two curiously. It was then that his suspicions were confirmed as Latias suddenly kissed Ash on the cheek before hastily leaving the boy on the doorstep.
Lorenzo's brow furrowed in thought, Ash recovering from the event and going back inside.
It could be nothing… Lorenzo thought as he crossed his arms, Latias is naturally very affectionate, after all. But on the other hand…
He sighed before making his way toward the front door, a foreboding feeling in his heart as the possibilities and their respective consequences filled his mind.
Ash, however, was already busy at work on something that would hopefully show Latias how he felt about her. But even now he was confused at her recent actions. For example, he hadn't seen her natural form in days. And while he knew that it was still Latias regardless of how she looked, it bothered him… He missed her normal form.
Back at the Garden, Latias was settling down for the night. She smiled at imagining Ash doing the same back at Lorenzo's house, comforting thoughts of her love soothing her as she drifted off to sleep. Little did she know what Ash was really doing, and what emotional extremes awaited her in the days to come.
There it was! 5,000+ words, my longest chapter to date XD So things are picking up on the Ash/Latias front, and Lorenzo is acting... Strange... Huh. I guess we'll see how this all plays out! ;]
(Author's side note- Please don't flame me for calling the race the Alto Mare Water Cup in the earlier chapters. I know that it's called the Tour de Alto Mare, but it slipped my mind. Hey, one author can't do it all!)
Seeing as this is a pretty big checkpoint in the story, I would like to ask for reviews now more than ever. Getting your input on the previous 10 chapters will help immensely in my future writing, plus I just like to hear from you guys XD whether it be about this chapter, the story in general, or your thoughts, I would love to hear what you have to say!
Thanks!
-StartersoverLegends