Pokemon: 13; Deaths: 4; Badges: 5

Ch: 25

A few days have passed since then.

...A few days...since the battle that took the life of their youngest and most innocent companion...

The other pokemon had somewhat managed to move on, but not entirely. They couldn't help but still feel that empty feeling within their ragtag family; that something was missing and that feeling was right.

Menos, the baby Minun that you couldn't help but love no matter what, was gone...And no matter how much they wished it,...there was no bringing him back...

However, despite having continued on with their journey after a few days in Mauville to try and pull themselves together again, Aya still felt like a part of her had died with Menos that day. She had currently made it across to the other side of the water where Route 118 continued and the other half of Hoenn resided when she was suddenly grabbed at attention, causing her to flinch slightly at the sudden contact. When she glanced up towards the one that had suddenly grabbed her shoulder as she had been returning her Linoone after having been swam across the water, she was paled a bit more than she had been the last few days at the sight of who it was. Biting her bottom lip nervously, she had been about to release Vash to let him back out once again like he usually was, but the one before her pulled his hand away from her and lifted both hands in front of him as a faint sign of peace. "Wh-What do you want Steven...?"

"There's no need for violence here, Aya. I actually come in peace right now." Steven then took note of how pale and seemingly broken the younger girl was and his steel blue eyes softened a fraction. He still thought of this girl as a threat and danger to all of Hoenn and those that resided in the region, but at this very moment, he couldn't help but notice how fragile she suddenly looked. Had her father been the cause or...was it something else...? "I know we haven't exactly gotten along and believe me when I say I have my reasons for it, but...right now...Did something happen? You look...like you'd been heartbroken recently..."

At the question, a sudden shattered look appeared onto her features before Aya quickly closed her eyes and tilted her head down and to the side; whimpering softly as she did so. "...My Menos...An old man and...h-his Hariyama...Th-They killed my baby Minun...I-I understand that in battles a-and out in the wild, p-pokemon are at risk, but...h-how could...a-a trainer show no mercy at all t-towards a...a baby pokemon...?"

Eyes softening a bit more as he listened to the broken tone in her voice while she spoke, Steven didn't see the threat of the entire Hoenn Region at the moment. Instead, he saw a young girl, who loved her pokemon dearly and had, apparently, just lost an extremely precious one to her heart...Deciding to take pity on the girl just this once, he lifted a hand and rested it gently onto her shoulder once again; this time in a comforting manner. "While most trainers, even most of those within the League, are detached from the pokemon they command, there are some, like you and myself, that have a bond formed with pokemon that enables us to communicate and understand them...This ability is both a wonderful gift...and also a painful curse. It's a wonderful and blissful feeling to have such bonds with your pokemon, but...at the same time, it gives the risk of being terribly hurt emotionally when you lose one of those pokemon...I know that feeling all too well, Aya, but you have the rest of your team still...They're still with you now and that is what truly matters at the moment..."

As he watched Aya hesitantly raise her head to look up at him, Steven had been about to say something more when he heard a sudden cry echoing around them. "Hm? What is that?" Glancing around, both trainers finally halted their gazes near the water as Latias appeared before them. "What?...Is that Latias?!" When the pink and white dragon released another distressed cry, her golden eyes shined with worry.

~Please...Please help me. My brother; he needs help. He's in danger.~

Narrowing his eyes slightly towards this, Steven turned his gaze towards Aya sharply. "Aya, I need you to come with me. Latias obviously didn't appear to seek help solely from myself. She sought us both out and I'd like to understand why that is." When he saw Aya hesitate for a moment, but then finally nod her head lightly, Steven brought his gaze back onto Latias and leaped up onto her back as Aya climbed on behind him; both holding on tight as Latias quickly took to the skies with yet another cry.

As they arrived onto Southern Island, the two trainers climbed off of Latias' back and thanked her before glancing further into the island.

"...I don't know what this is that I'm feeling, but...I can feel that it's something rather unsettling...Almost as is it's some sort of illusion that someone had placed up..." Shaking his head, Steven drifted his attention onto the younger girl. "Aya, lets head deeper in. I think we'll find our answers there."

Aya bit her bottom lip as she felt that same unease that Steven spoke up, but finally nodded her head as she hesitantly headed further in with the older man. As they arrived at the entrance to a lightly sparsed set of woods, Aya suddenly froze as her eyes widened at the voice that echoed around her.

*Those who memories fade seek to carve them in their hearts...*

"Aya? What's wrong? Why did you stop so suddenly?"

Snapping out of it, Aya quickly shot a glance up at Steven and the look of confusion told her instantly that he hadn't heard that voice just now. Shaking her head towards his questions, she hurried in through the lightly wooded area of the island with Steven following closely behind. As they arrived on the other side where the woods ended, Aya slowly came to a faint walk as she soon halted before a dragon similar to Latias, but larger as well as blue and grey instead of pink and white. His eyes were also a bright magenta rather than gold.

"So this is Latios...He's magnificent..."

At the name, Aya brought her attention to Steven for only a second before bringing her gaze back onto the dragon before her once more. "...Latios...?" When she softly spoke his name, the dragon's gaze shifted and locked solely with her's, causing the teen to gasp softly. She could no longer hear Steven attempting to describe his thoughts on just how brilliant the pokemon looked. Instead, it was like Latios had pulled her in and everything else around them melted away.

~'...It's you...I have been waiting for you for so long...'~

The voice that entered her head caused her to gasp as the pokemon before her didn't speak allowed, but spoke to her within her mind instead.

Before he could speak further on the subject, Latios' eyes suddenly narrowed and her jerked his head and gaze to look behind the girl. ~'Be careful. There is danger, Aya!'~

"Huh?" Turning around just as Steven did at the sound of footsteps closing in behind them, Aya tensed up instantly at the sight of the clothes the two people were wearing. "...T-Team Magma...?"

"I see now. Latios sensed you were coming and that is why he called on us for help..."

The small woman of the two stared blankly at the two before her as she continued to hold a stoic and unsettling air about herself. "...Who are you...?"

No sooner had she said this, that the male Grunt with her recognized Aya and his eyes widened as he took a slight step back. "Wh-What? This is bad...M-Mistress Courtney! The girl over there is Aya. I-It's our Leader, Maxie's niece. I-I keep hearing that she's been getting in our way lately though, due to still having no memory of us or her destiny. I-I don't know who the well-dressed man with her is though, but I feel like...I've seen him somewhere before..."

"Hmm?...Is that so...? Well, it matters not...who they are...For the time being...you had best get out of my way..." Courtney then lifted a gloved hand as she lazily pointed towards Latios. "That pokemon behind you...It's Mega Stone...That is all we want...No more...no less...That's what we of Team Magma seek...Now give it to me...unless you wish to be destroyed..."

Aya casted a glance behind herself towards Latios once more and as she met his gaze, she nodded her head faintly before bringing her attention back onto the two Magmas before her. "No...I won't let you take Latios or his Mega Stone...They're both important..."

"Well said Aya. I don't know what they had planned for Latios nor his Mega Stone, but I, for one, refuse to let it happen." Steven then grabbed a pokeball from his belt and narrowed his steel blue eyes towards Courtney and the Grunt with her. "I'll fight beside you, Aya in defense for Latios' sake."

At this, Courtney's blank gazed twitched just barely and a faint sadistic smirk formed onto the corner of her lips as she grabbed her own pokeball just as the Grunt with her did. "...Bad choice...Time for you to be deleted..." With those words stated, Koffing and a Camerupt were released onto their side of the field while Aya and Steven had released Whippa and Metang respectively.

Narrowing her eyes in determination, Aya linked up with her recently evolved Vibrava. "Whippa...Protect Latios at all costs..."

~Roger that, Aya! Will do!~ Narrowing her eyes as well from behind her protective green lens', Whippa's wings began to rapidly flap as she sent vibrations into the ground; unleashing Earthquake. Unfortunately, while Koffing had managed to avoid it with his Levitate ability, Metang had not been so lucky as he was hit with the move just as Camerupt had been.

Narrowing his eyes towards his, he shot a look towards Aya. "Aya, focus! My Metang doesn't have Levitate!" He then shook his head as he knew that he shouldn't be getting angry with the girl. After all, her pokemon most likely didn't know Earth Power anymore if she had resorted to using Earthquake instead in the hopes that she would take the pokemon down in a single hit. "Metang, use Zen Headbutt!"

Shaking off the disorientation of the Earthquake, Metang nodded lightly in understanding and began to glow before he rushed in quickly and smashed into the Koffing; killing the pokemon before he could get the chance to attack. However, as he did, Camerupt had taken her chance at this and slammed her hook into the ground as she unleashed Earth Power on him. Clenching his eyes tightly shut against the tremors, Metang cried out in pain with his metallic tone, but luckily Steven called him back just before the attack could kill him.

"My apologies Aya, but you're on your own now with this."

Nodding her head lightly towards this, Aya studied the Camerupt's condition before drifting her gaze back onto Whippa with their link still connected. As she sent her commands into her pokemon's mind, she watched carefully as Whippa repeated her earlier action as she unleashed yet another powerful Earthquake; the Quick Claw hanging around her neck like a necklace activating and making her even faster than she already was.

Watching as her Camerupt went down at the ground under her hooves upturning and skewering her through the stomach, her lavender gaze became hooded as she licked her lips at the sight. Upon returning her pokemon, she drifted her hooded gaze towards Steven for a moment as she spoke. "As anticipated...You lost...However..." She then tilted her head slightly as she lazily brought her gaze to land onto Aya. "You...You were something unanticipated...Target lock...completed...Commencing...experiment...You. Forever. Hehe..." Courtney's eyes became even more hooded to the point of nearly mere slits as a sadistic grin formed onto her features; one even bigger than the previous one. It was a sight that she knew unnerved both trainers before her if their expressions had anything to show for it. She then brought her gaze back onto the Grunt before her and turned around as she left. "Returning home."

Panicking slightly towards his superior suddenly walking off and leaving him behind, the male quickly stumbled in a run after her. "M-Mistress Courtney! Wait for me, please!"

Watching the two leave, Steven sighed softly in relief that they were gone before directing his attention back onto Aya once more. "Despite the move you had your Vibrava use in that battle, causing my Metang to be put in danger, you did remarkably well in protecting Latios from those two criminals..." Turning to give his attention onto Latios, he offered him a kind smile. "You are safe now Latios as well as your Mega Stone so you can rest easy now."

Latios released a soft, rumbled cry towards the two before shaking his head and speaking up. ~Yes, we are safe, thanks to you, but I cannot rest easy...Not here where I do not belong.~

"What do you mean 'where you do not belong'? Latios, this is your home, is it not? The island where you and your sister, Latias has lived for years?" Steven was confused by this, but as he watched the dragon close his eyes and shake his head before directing his opening gaze directly onto Aya, it slowly began to dawn on him towards what he had meant. "You...You have been waiting for Aya, haven't you?"

~Yes...I have waited for her to come here for years; since she was but a child. From the moment she was born, I sensed that it had become my duty to protect and help Aya. However, I could not simply leave here with my Mega Stone and go to her, myself. Aya had to prove herself and come find me...Those humans appearing as a threat only aided in what was bound to happen eventually and for that, I am actually grateful for their threat on mine and my Mega Stone's safety...~ Floating slowly closer to Aya after all of this was said, he lowered his head towards her own and finally closed his bright magenta eyes once more as he nuzzled her cheek with his muzzle. It was easy to see that he was relieved that Aya was here and that he could finally be at her side just as he was meant to. ~I am Azul...I am so relieved to finally be at your side now, Aya.~

(Latios/Azul, Gender: Male, Nature/Characteristic: Gentle/Likes to thrash about, Place: Southern Island)

Watching this interaction with a bit of hesitance, Steven wasn't entirely sure what to really make of it. After all, yes, Aya was a teen that possessed the gift of forming bonds with pokemon and she had just aided him in protecting Latios and his Mega Stone from Team Magma, but...that still didn't change the fact that the girl before him was dangerous. A lot could still happen between now and if Team Magma somehow succeeds in finding where Groudon slumbers. She could regain all of her memories back and decide to fulfill what she was destined to do just as her ancestors wished for her to...

Sighing softly to himself, he shook his head to clear his mind for a second as he stared at the two. "Well, seeing as Latios wishes to accompany you on your journies, Aya, that also means you'll acquire his Mega Stone. With him hold that stone and with the use of a Mega Ring, you'll be able to use Mega Evolution; hm?" It was only then that Steven actually noticed something off and hesitated with handing her the Mega Bracelet. Instead, his hand fell back down to his side as he stared at her left pilot's glove. "That...You already have a Mega Item?"

Blinking slightly as Latios pulled away a bit and both glanced up at Steven curiously before tilting their gazes down towards Aya's glove. "Hm?...Oh...Yeah...I don't remember where I got it, but...this Mega Glove's been with me for a long time...I haven't used any of the Stones with me though since...I don't have pokemon they correspond to...Ah...Actually,...I do have one, but...I haven't given it to him yet...I'm not...ready to..." Aya then shifted through one of the pockets on her pack where she kept the Mega Stones she found and pulled out small white sphere with swirls of bright ruby and deep black within it.

It was the Blazikenite.

To be honest, Steven was surprised that Aya already possessed that Mega Stone, but he was even more surprised that she had yet to have even used it when she had possessed that Mega Glove all this time...Was she nervous about using Mega Evolution...? "...Where did you get that Stone...?"

"I don't...know...Or rather, I don't remember...All I know is that when I woke up from my week long coma,...this Mega Stone was in my hand...The doctors say that...I was brought in holding the sphere and that I...refused to let it go even in my unconscious state and...that when they tried to take it,...I would thrash about...That even with me being temporarily lost to the waking world,...I was still somehow aware of what was happening..." Staring down at the stone in her palm, Aya knitted her brows in confusion as she spoke of what she was told during her time being brought into the hospital and the moment she finally woke up. "...I may not remember hardly anything at all still, but...I feel like...this Mega Stone was...very important to me..."

"I see...Well, anyways, it has been quite the day...Let us head back. Latias is waiting for us to return back to the mainland..." With that said, Steven headed off with Aya and Latios following after him after a moment's pause.

To be continued.

Little Tsu: Ok, so Latios is now with me. As I stated earlier, Latios doesn't really count in the rule of no using legendaries even though I stated that you CAN capture 'em still. However, I won' be usin' Latios in battle. Instead, he's only gonna be in the party up till a certain part in the game/story and then he's gonna be boxed, though I will be usin' him ta fly around once I get the flute ta call on him ta fly.