I'm not dead again I swear. My faithful laptop that I've had since 2013 finally died on me back in February [due to my own fault probably, won't deny] so I've pretty much taken over my boyfriend's PC but had a hard time getting things set up to continue writing. Anyway, hope you all enjoy!


After Sora told Mia about the news about Riku and Kairi, he started switching between being happy and relieved that they were okay to being worried and feeling guilty over the whole situation. Mia wasn't sure what to say as he switched between the moods.

Because of that, she was partially glad when she received a call from Jasper and Rip. Although that feeling went away when she saw the serious look on their faces.

"Hey, what's the matter you guys?" she asked.

"Hey Mia," Rip said. "Um, where are you guys right now?"

"Well, we're on our way towards Runefall right now. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, great! That means you should be close by!" Rip's face broke into a grin, replacing the previous look of worry. "Hey, if we send some Dragonite to pick you guys up, think you can help us with our current mission?"

"Uh, I guess we can," Mia said, scratching the back of her head. "But what do you need our help with exactly?"

"Well, it started as a simple Pokémon rescue mission but the Pokémon we were sent to rescue have some unidentified Eggs with them that they seem keen on protecting. Think you can come to examine them to make sure they're healthy while we wait to see what Ranger Union wants us to do?"

Mia glanced at Sora who merely shrugged. She sighed before nodding, "Yeah, I think we can do that."

"Perfect! Thanks a bunch, Mia!" Rip smiled. "Just hang tight. We'll send the Dragonite over right now, it shouldn't take them long to find you guys."

"Uh, o-ok then."

"Later taters! See you soon!" Rip grinned, flashing them a peace sign before hanging up.

Sora scratched his head in confusion as he looked to Mia.

"Um, okay? That was...kind of random," he said.

Mia let out a long sigh as she ran her hands through her hair.

"Honestly, this isn't exactly the first time that Rip has called asking for my help when it comes to some of their missions." Mia shrugged with a small smirk tugging at the edge of her mouth. "At this point some of the other Rangers back at Ranger Union joke and call me one of their 'honorary Rangers' with how much I end up helping."

Sora made a face.

"Isn't that...not allowed or something? I mean, are Rangers even allowed to ask civilians for help on missions? I know Greiger mentioned helping the police because he's Elite Four but...does the same count for Gym Leaders?"

Mia opened her mouth to respond but when no answer came to her mind, she closed it and merely cleared her throat instead.

"Let's just...wait for the Dragonite to come find us and see what happens," she stuttered.

Thankfully the two didn't have to wait for very long. About fifteen minutes went by before the two heard the Dragonites' cry out right before they landed on the ground next to them.

"Dragonite—the Dragon Pokémon. Dragonite is capable of circling the globe in just sixteen hours. It is a kindhearted Pokémon that leads lost and foundering ships in a storm to the safety of land."

Sora pocketed his Pokédex as the Dragonite gave them both a brief bow. Mia returned it with an uncertain, "Um, nice to meet you? So did Jasper and Rip send you for us?"

The two Dragon-type nodded and then presented their saddled backs to the two teens.

"Uh, guess we just climb on," Sora shrugged, looking at Mia.

"I...guess. It seems a bit rude to just climb on but...okay."

Hesitantly, the teens climbed onto the saddles of each Dragonite and got situated. The moment they said they were ready, in unison the Dragonite spread their wings and launched themselves into the air. Mia let out an involuntary yelp as she struggled to keep her grip on the saddle to avoid being thrown off when they did. She had traveled via the Rangers' Dragonite Bus service before but she was still never prepared for it. If she had the choice, she would have easily let Hawkeye carry her using Fly. Ever since learning that move (and growing from a three-foot-two to a whole five-foot-seven in order to even be able to carry her), she relied on him to carry her anywhere on the rare occasion she needed to go somewhere in a hurry. Even without a riding harness, Mia was comfortable enough using him for emergency transportation (especially since riding harnesses were expensive as hell to buy for a Pokémon like Hawkeye).

Once the Dragonite leveled out into a steady glide, Mia relaxed her death grip on the harness and let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. She glanced at the ground below, watching it pass by in a multi-colored blur before looking away before she got nauseous from the sight. Curious to see how Sora was holding up, she turned towards him, only to see the brunet looking completely relaxed.

"Are you always this at ease when it comes to flying?" Mia asked, having to shout a bit over the wind.

Sora turned to her and flashed her a knowing smile.

"Yeah, well, let's just say I've got plenty of experience flying around," he said.

"Of course you have," she muttered. "Arceus knows the stuff you've done."

"So, any ideas on what kind of Pokémon Rip and Jasper were sent to rescue?"

Mia shrugged. "Who knows. They could be anything from your common Oddish to a rare Pokémon like a Shamin. We won't find out until we see for ourselves."

Sora mirrored her shrug with, "Fair enough."


Not long after that, the Dragonite started to descend towards an approaching thick forest. Out of reflex, Mia re-tightened her grip on the harness when the Dragonite suddenly broke into a dive, causing her ears to pop from the sudden decrease in elevation. The second the Dragonites' landed gracefully on the ground, the two teens jumped off their backs. They thanked the Dragon-type for the ride with a bow which the two Pokémon returned before taking off. Not long after they did, Jasper came running up to meet them.

"Hey Jasper we're here," Mia announced. "So where are these Eggs you need help with?"

"Follow me and I'll show you," he said, motioning with his hand.

While they walked, Mia glanced around and could spot various Pokémon peeking around the trees to look back at them. Judging from their expressions and Aura, she could easily see how wary they were of them. She frowned, wondering if some of them were scared of humans or even possibly been abused in the past. It was a scary thought and an even more terrifying reality by how common it was...

Jasper stopped and pointed towards a large pond that was just up ahead. Mia and Sora looked, seeing two Pokémon that were hovering next to three different Pokémon Eggs. Mia's jaw dropped when she recognized the two Pokémon instantly. Both Pokémon had bird-like bodies though, if Mia focused enough, looked to more resemble planes actually. One was primarily blue with a slightly bulkier body while the second was smaller, leaner, and primarily red. The sight of them made the teenage girl wonder if she was still dreaming.

"No way," Mia blinked. "Are those...are those two really—?"

"Really the legendary eon duo Latios and Latias?" Jasper interrupted. He nodded. "They are. Ranger Union got wind of some poachers who managed to get their filthy hands on them. We were ordered to rescue them before they could be sold or worse, especially since they're still young. But when we found them, they refused to leave those three Eggs so we were forced to take them along too."

Mia directed her attention away from the two legendaries towards the Eggs that Jasper was pointing to. All three were larger than any Pokémon Egg that she had encountered before. One was white that had flame patterns trailing up from the bottom while the second was silvery blue and looked more like an ice crystal than an Egg. The last one was yellow with jagged electrical patterns printed all over it.

"Never seen those kinds of Eggs before," Mia frowned, taking a few steps forward. The two Eon Pokémon instantly moved in front of them, blocking her.

"Protective I see," she mumbled. Mia just smiled though. "Hi there. My name's Mia. If it's okay with you two, can I see those Eggs? I learned how to look after Eggs from my aunt. I just want to see if they're healthy or not. I can help if you'll let me."

The Latias looked at the Latios with big pleading eyes. He returned it with a firm glare. The three teens just stood by while the two went through a silent battle of wills.

A few tense moments later, the battle ended when the Latios backed off. Latias smiled and then prompted Mia forward. Returning the smile, Mia cautiously then got on her knees and took a closer look at the Eggs, trying her best to continue to showcase that she meant no harm to the Pokémon or the Eggs. She examined the three Eggs as closely as possible, trying to find any signs of bad health or damage. For a brief moment she panicked when she thought she spotted a crack on the ice-like Egg, but let out a huge sigh of relief when she noticed it was simply a trick of the light.

"So?" Sora asked warily while walking over to her.

"They seem to be in good condition," she answered. "Pretty healthy too. That's also good." Mia smiled at the two Eon Pokémon. "You two did a good job of looking after them."

The Latias clapped happily while the Latios just glanced away. Jasper let out a sigh of relief and scratched the back of his head.

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about that," he said. "Although once Rip gets back with the food, we can discuss just what to do about them."

The two teens nodded.


It didn't take long for Rip to return with some food. While they ate, the two Rangers informed Sora and Mia of the difficulties of their mission in retrieving the eon duo. Things that not only included trying to keep the Eggs safe while they were fighting off the poachers and releasing all the other captured Pokémon but also struggling to keep the two legendaries secret during their escape.

"Thank Arceus for Psychic-types," Rip sighed, flopping back to lay flat on the ground. "Bless them and their abilities to create illusions."

Mia rolled her eyes at her friend's antics but still gave a small smile.

"Well, that's certainly one way to avoid trouble," she said. "But anyway, do you have any ideas or instructions on where to take the eon duo to safety?"

"Our orders right now are to escort them to a specialized Pokémon reserve," Jasper said as he balled up the plastic wrap from his sandwich. "After that, the elite Breeders are supposed to take over their care."

"And the Eggs?"

At this, Rip started snickering in a way that made Mia get suspicious.

"Weeeeeeell," she said, grinning and she propped herself up by her elbows. "As luck would have it, we haven't exactly informed them of the Eggs just yet. So we don't really have any orders on what to do with them. Which means if we entrusted the care of them to someone we know and trust, and even the Ranger Union knows and trusts, I don't think there's much of a problem there."

"So basically...you were planning on just handing the Eggs over to me and Sora. Namely me," Mia sighed.

Rip confirmed this with a wink, thumbs up, and click of her tongue. This just resulted in the blonde letting out another sigh as she placed her face in her hands.

"Only you would do something so unprofessional."

"For the record, I suggested we take the Eggs to the reserve along with the Latias and Latios," Jasper laughed.

"Do you think the two of them would even let you hand them off to us?" Sora asked. "Even how protective they are I mean."

Mia looked up and over at the legendaries. Right now they were eating themselves with both her and Sora's Pokémon around them. She noticed however that Latios kept glancing over at the three Eggs that were nestled in the shade of one of the trees. As they ate, he also made sure none of their Pokémon got too close as well. Because of that, she could definitely understand what Sora meant. If they did try to separate the Eggs from the duo, she could only imagine what kind of resistance they would get. She hated to think of what possible outcome would come from that course of action at the moment.

The more she thought about it, the more she wondered if there was a possibility of convincing them of parting with the Eggs.

Guess we'll think of something, Mia thought as she bit her lip. If we even can think of something.

Mia let out a long sigh as she rested her head on closed fists.

"Do you guys at least have some kind of time limit in escorting the duo?" she asked. "Because Sora's right, it's probably going to be an issue trying to get them to relinquish the Eggs."

"Not necessarily no," Jasper shrugged.

"Well, that's something to work with at least."

Rip sat up straight and leaned towards Sora with a sly smirk on her face.

"So, changing the subject here, any leads on returning to your world Mister Otherworlder? Seeing as it's been awhile since we've seen you."

Sora blinked before chuckling and pushing Rip back.

"Actually, I was able to find out my family and friends back home are doing okay," he smiled. "All thanks to the help of an Unown we ran into not too long ago."

Jasper looked at him in shock. "No joke? Well, that's gotta be good news at least."

Sora nodded and then recounted the whole encounter with the Unown and what he learned thanks to its help. He also opened up about his little mood swings, swapping between positive and negative and whatnot. Mia also added the joke that she felt like she was running a marathon trying to keep up with his changing emotions. Sora rolled his eyes at her joke but stuck his tongue out in jest anyway.

The four just continued chatting away while the Pokémon continued relaxing and playing. As they did however, Latias came over to join them much to their shock. Even more so when she showed a great interest in both Rip and Mia.

"Is there some—eep!"

If Mia wasn't so shocked to see Latias suddenly transform herself into a mixture of both Rip and Mia, she would have been embarrassed by her impressive impression of a mouse with that squeak.

Latias, who now had Rip's body and hair color, Mia's face and current hairstyle (twin buns), but interestingly enough had Sora's blue eyes, was happily running around the four of them in a big circle with her arms out imitating an airplane.

"Uh, wow," Jasper blinked. "I knew the Union said that Latias had the ability to refract light to change her appearance but...still…"

Rip abruptly stood up, her chin in a pistol grin as she narrowed her eyes at Latias. She scrutinized the Eon Pokémon before a goofy grin spread on her face.

"You know, I think we look awesome blended together," she snickered, turning towards Mia.

The blonde merely sighed.

"Why does that sound so weird coming from you?"

"Well, to add to the weirdness then, I think blue eyes are also a good look on you," Jasper snickered.

"Oh, you are so not helping," Mia huffed while crossing her arms. She soon smiled at the sight of Rip and Latias both mirroring each other, both of them blowing raspberries at each other with crossed eyes. "At least someone's having fun."

"And they aren't the only ones," Sora smirked, pointing towards Latios and the other Pokémon.

Mia looked to see Latios giving Prim and Blu a ride on his back, flying in circles while zipping around all the others. The two small Pokémon were laughing in pure joy while Latios had a smile on his face.

She soon frowned when she glanced up at the setting sun. Jasper must have had the same line of thinking as she did when he suggested they start setting up camp for the night. He also agreed in wondering what to do about what best to do with the Eggs during the night so Latias and Latios could also get some rest.

"I guess we can just take turns watching over the Eggs during the night," Mia shrugged. "Seems like the easiest and makes the most sense."

Sora volunteered to take the first watch so that everyone else could get some rest. No one objected as they all started to get ready for the night. All of the Pokémon, including Latias who still appeared as her Mia/Rip fusion, assisted while Latios even directed Sora over towards the Eggs. What surprised the brunet even more so was when Latios handed him the flame-decorated Egg with a small smile.

It didn't take long for everyone to get settled and Sora sat with the one Egg in his lap and the other two Eggs on either side of him. Despite the idea of giving Latias and Latios not having to worry about the Eggs, Latios got comfy on the ground next to him as well, facing towards them. Sora noticed that Latias came to rest between Mia and her Pokémon.

Sora rested his back against the tree, keeping the flame-decorated Egg close as he watched the sun continue to sink below the horizon. As time went on, a sudden wave of exhaustion washed over him that made him frown. He blinked hard and shook his head to try and stave it off but it did little to help. His body betrayed him as it relaxed though he was still able to keep a tight hold on the Egg before he finally succumbed to sleep. Though his dreams didn't stay pleasant for long.


Jasper and Ripley are back! And they're also helping to move the plot along lol. And props to anyone who can guess exactly WHICH Eggs Latias and Latios have with them ;) Anyway, until next time!


Current teams:

Sora

Azurite - Lucario

Nicolai - Salamence

Davilla - Purrlion - Shiny

Primrose - Happiny

Forrest - Turtwig

Avis - Spearow

Mia

Neptune - Gyarados

Crimson - Charizard - Shiny

Aquajaws - Feraligatr

Blu - Squirtle

Hawkeye - Staraptor

Menace - Gengar