This was written on mobile, so if the formatting sucks, it's because I suck at formatting.Bet you thought I'd blame mobile FF. net, didn't you?
Anyways, I'm gonna be doing updates on here until I get either:
A) a Bluetooth keyboard
Or
B) a new computer.
Personally, I'd love a new computer.
But mobile it is for now.
On with the show!0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
A family talk and Alolan emergency
The entire group sat there in silence. Lorenzo had finished with his latest tale, and was now shifting uncomfortably under the shocked and disbelieving gazes cast upon him by the Alolan folks. He reflected their reactions were quite reasonable, given the sheer absurdity of it all. Even the Pokémon were wide-eyed, with the exception of a certain Pikachu.
A cough from Mallow broke the silence. The green-haired girl raised her hand hesitantly, looking a little dubious. "So... those girls we met... were actually Legendary Pokémon? And that Ash helped save this town three years ago?"
Lorenzo opened his mouth to confirm, when Kukui beat him to the punch. "Well, technically, Mew is classified as 'Mythical', but..." He trailed off. Mallow rolled her eyes slightly.
Lorenzo chuckled, before nodding. "I suppose you are a Professor for a reason. But in all essence, you are correct, my dear. Those girls are indeed Pokémon. Latias is, of course, the youngest. By quite a lot, in fact. Mew was there at the beginning of all Pokémon... Well, considering she's the mother of all Pokémon, I'd be a touch worried if Latias was the elder. Anyway, it seems when the Twins were hatched, Mew took it upon herself to be both mother and friend. For what reason, only she knows. But several times a week, she visits the twins and plays with them, occasionally teaching as well. Luckily for Latios and the city, she had been on her way here when the incident occurred."
The group fell silent once more. Lorenzo took note of their reactions. The little bluenette and blonde looked curious and a touch excited. The (strangely) shirtless dark-skin male had his arms crossed and was leaning his head back, a stern but thoughtful look on his face as he stared at the ceiling. The rather round boy had somehow pulled some sort of computer from somewhere and was furiously tapping away at the keys. Lorenzo honestly wasn't sure what to think of this, so he shifted his eyes over to Mallow. Her expression seemed slightly triumphant, which he thought was a little strange. Moving on, he finally looked at the professors. They seemed to be talking each other with their eyes, although he obviously couldn't figure out what they could be saying.
Suddenly, the blonde girl spoke up. "I can't believe we were next to such rare Pokémon and never knew it."
Professor Kukui looked away from his wife and towards Lillie. "I had guessed that Mew was something special, but Bian- er, Latias... I never saw that coming. I agree it's hard to believe, but I see no reason why we shouldn't."
There was a general murmur of agreement.
Looking at his watch, Lorenzo gave a pleased smile. "Ah, well it looks like Bianca, the real Bianca, should be coming home soon. Very soon, in fact."
As if on cue, the door handle turned, before the door opened wide. A female voice called out, "Gramps, I'm hom-"
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Bianca blinked and looked around at the room full of people. This was unexpected. Her grandfather smiled and beckoned her in. "Come in, come in. I was just telling our guests about…. Well, a few things, really."
Her right eye twitched. They had kept the twins, Mew, and the Garden secret for years. She really hoped he wasn't going senile and telling random folks about all that now. Although… She couldn't say she's ever seen them before. Their clothing was quite strange, too… AsAs was the dark-skinned boy's lack of shirt. They definitely were not native to Johto, then. It sometimes hit a little chilly, and the City of Water was no different.
Realizing she was letting the door hang wide open she quickly hurried in and closed it behind her. She threw a weary glance at everyone before introducing herself. "I'm Bianca. Pleasure to meet you all. Lorenzo is my grandfather."
Thr group nodded, before they introduced themselves one by one.
One if the adults started, and she noted that he had no shirt under his lab coat looking thing. Definitely foreign. "Hey there, Bianca. I'm Professor Kukui. I teach these students over at a school in Alola."
Her eyebrows shot up. Alola? Couldn't get more foreign than that. She gave a light bow of her head. "Pleasure to meet you, Professor."
The professor nodded, a quirky smile present. "Likewise."
The second adult got up from her seat and walked over to Bianca, before holding her hand out, displaying a bright smile. "I'm professor Burnet. I'm married to this guy," she said, gesturing with her other hand at Kukui, who snorted.
Bianca took her hand firmly, shaking it, before asking, "Do you teach at the school as well, Professor?"
Burnet giggled, replying, "Oh, no. I study at a research lab. And please, call me Burnet."
They released their handshake as the students got up.
After all the introductions, Bianca asked the question that had been on her mind ever since she walked through the door. "So what brings you all to Johto? Alto Mare, of all places."
Her grandad replied, sounding strangely pleased and excited. "Well, Bianca, there is one number missing from their group. Care to guess who might that be?"
She looked at him flatly. That could be just about anyone. Was it even a person she knew? Were they famous, or unknown to most people? For Arceus's sake, she didn't know anyone in Alola. Curse her grandfather's guessing games!
She responded with a dry tone. "The Alolan Champion?"
The whole group snorted. Professor Kukui adjusted his glass before replying. "Well, once the Pokémon League has been set up in Alola, I'm sure he will definitely become champion. But he still has some ways to go. Right now, we're just on break here in Johto. And at his request, we are here in Alto Mare. After all, he hasn't been here in three years." There was a mischievous twinkle in his eyes at that. Bianca still didn't know who he was referring to. This mystery guy had been here three years ago? The same here that….
Understanding dawned in her eyes as she looked between her granddad and Kukui. "Is that person… Ash?"
Almost everyone chuckled, the green-haired Mallow merely crossed her arms and looked glum. What was her problem?
A thought crossed her mind. Is that girl… jealous?
She looked from Kukui to Lorenzo and back again. "So if he's not here, then where is he?"
The professor chuckled. "A girl we met at the docks brought us here, then took Ash somewhere."
At that, one of her eyebrows raised. She could only think of one "person" who would do that. But she couldn't exactly reveal who that person was to them. That would be incredibly-
"Latias was her name, right?" The professor asked.
-stupid. Very stupid. She turned her faze, which was now a heavy scowl, towards her grandfather. Why would he reveal this secret to them so willingly? It didn't matter if they were Ash's friends. He should have had Latias or Latios inspect their minds before telling them about the twins. She opened her mouth to make her annoyance known, but the little round boy spoke first.
"So that's what happened to them. I thought we just lost them out there or something."
The taller male, Kiawe, snorted. "It should have been pretty obvious that they are doing. After all, the two haven't seen each other in years. I'm sure they are just getting some… alone time" He smirked.
Everyone else blushed heavily, either looking away, covering their face, or both. All except for Mallow, who looked furious and ready to blow up. The students and professors seemed to have some knowledge as to why she would react that way, for when they recovered, they seemed to glance at her occasionally.
Bianca, however, had no idea. Why would this girl be mad at the thought of Ash and Latias being alone…?
Ah.
This girl was jealous. She clearly liked Ash, a lot, and was now feeling incredibly threatened by a very old friend of his. For good reason. Bianca knew, everyone who had ever known the dragoness knew, that Latias was absolutely heartsick. And those that were there with them that fateful day knew the cause.
She grimaced to herself. It seemed as though that the two would clash while Ash was here. And while she was rooting for her sister-friend, Bianca knew Ash and friends would be heading back to Alola some time, leaving Latias alone and Mallow… without competition. Heavily regrettable, but there was no way Ash could possibly be content staying in a city where adventure was lacking. He was simply still too young for that. As for Latias, there was no way she could leave Alto Mare. While the city had somehow been freed from its curse despite the Soul Dew being placed under heavy cloaking measures, courtesy of Mew, the city itself was still ancient and important, and still in need of guardians….right? And if she left, then would Latios follow? Leaving them very vulnerable, as she didn't think Mew would be content sitting around with her "children" gone.
Truly, the thought of Latias leaving the city, and her, did not sit well with Bianca. It wasn't just a matter of safety, but loneliness as well. The Twins were her best friends, and while her grandfather was good company, he just didn't compare to someone she could sit down and talk or giggle with.
She sighed to herself. Why couldn't life just be simpler?
Lorenzo broke her out of her thoughts when he leaned forward and spoke. "I almost forgot. There's a little… event taking place later this evening. Latias herself is part of it. In fact, she's the main part in it."
Everyone turned and looked at him, intrigued. Lana asked what they had all probably been thinking. "Event? With Latias? What will she be doing?"
The old man sat back again, a small, satisfied smile on his face. "That will be for her to tell. Or, if I know her as well as I like to think, to perform."
The group of students and professors looked at each other, mystified. Bianca merely face-palmed and groaned. The event. How could I have forgotten?
She knew her friend had been working on something, something special. She didn't know what it was, exactly, seeing as Latias always preferred to work on her thing alone or with her "helpers".
But to have forgotten it was today…
Bianca worried about how well Latias would do, now that Ash was here. Hopefully, she wouldn't slip up. She never has before, but that boy…. No matter that he had been away for a long time, he still had an effect on Latias. And now that he was here, it would be a test for Latias. Preform perfectly like always, or succumb to her feelings?
Tonight would tell.
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Ash was mildly bored. After Latias had lifted him up, she had cuddled up to him, something he didn't really understand. After sometime, she seemed to have remembered something, as she shot towards the ground, Ash yelping, before gently setting him down. She gave a quick apology, before telling him that he should find something to do for a while, and then shooting off. He didn't get that dragoness sometimes.
Taking her words to heart, he looked around, trying to find something to do. He failed, miserably. There was genuinely nothing. He tried to find Latios, but the blue dragon was nowhere to be found. Not to mention Pikachu. He was ashamed to say it had taken him so long to realize his partner was missing. He was just having so much fun with Latias he never noticed.
Ash fidgeted with his Z-ring. Latias had still not come back yet.
He sat down with a huff. When he was. Here three years ago, he wasn't bored. Then again, he had Latias to play with. Her and her brother, that is. But. Now, it would seem as though she had abandoned him to the agony of boredom. A cruel fate indeed.
Suddenly, he sat up. The Soul Dew. How could he have missed it?
He got up and walked around, looking for the pedestal upon which it had rested, before Team Rocket stole it and nearly destroyed it.
He finally found it, mentally scolding himself for missing it the whole hour he was there. Walking forward, he gazed down into the shallow water, where his eyes rested upon the heart-sized jewel. Alto Mare was fortunate that Mew had the power to repair it, even after helping stop a gargantuan wave.
Ash reached forward to touch it, then stopped. He was hesitant on even feeling it, worried what would happen.
"It's okay, Ash. You can touch it."
The trainer nearly swallowed his tongue as he jumped violently, nearly falling into a nearby pool. Regaining his balance, he whipped around, looking for the speaker.
He immediately found it, in the form of… himself?
The figure looked exactly like him, down to the smallest detail. The only difference was the other him looked almost… emotionless, except for a small smile.
Ash didn't move. He was unsure why there was a clone of him standing before him. Or anywhere, really.
He broke the silence. "Uh… Who are you?"
"Ash" number two shook his head, seemingly disappointed. "Even after seeing my sister transform multiple times, you still haven't thought about who I could be? Tsk Tsk. And here I thought you might have grown a little less dense over the years."
Ash, the real Ash, blinked several times, dreadfully confused. Was he supposed to know this… person?
The fake him just rolled his eyes, before being showered in light. When it faded, a blue dragon was in his place. A very familiar dragon.
"Latios!" Ash exclaimed.
The dragon slapped his clawed arm to his face. "Now you realize. Who else would it have been?"
The young trainer shuffled his feet, embarrassed. "Er…"
Latios huffed, "No matter." He inspected Ash, his gaze passing over him repeatedly.
He looked back into the boy's eyes. "You've grown."
Ash chuckled sheepishly. "Yeah…. I suppose I have." Of course, he had been traveling for quite some time. It was bound to happen eventually. Granted, he was nowhere near Kiawe's height, but that didn't really matter.
Latios remarked, "Your scent is different. Not too noticeable, but it seems… familiar. And there seems to be a very strange energy coming from you."
Ash didn't know what to say. It's not as though he had a Pokémon's level of smelling ability. And what was that about energy? Could Latios be sensing the Z-ring? Latias seemed to be oblivious to it.
The dragon shook his head abruptly. "Forgive me. Where are my manners?" He spoke in a more friendly way, his voice softer. "How are you, Ash? How have you been, these past few years?"
The boy immediately smiled, eager to reply. "It's been great! I've been to so many regions! I competed in as many leagues as I could." He pouted slightly. "Unfortunately, I haven't won any yet. But," he said, sounding excited again, "I did get super close few times. In Sinnoh, I was in the semi-finals. Got knocked out by a Darkrai and Latios. It's the farthest I've ever gotten in a league."
Latios blinked in surprise. "Another Latios, you say? How... intriguing."
Ash nodded, then continued. "I wish Alola had a league, though. Instead of gyms, they have these trial things. In the trials-"
He was interrupted when a voice called out. "Ash!" Then, "Pikapi!"
He turned, and saw a brown haired girl, with Pikachu carefully balanced on her beret. "Bianca! Pikachu!"
Behind him, Latios snorted and muttered, "At least she is recognized."
Ash quickly ran over, skidding to a stop in front of her. Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder, where he rubbed his cheek with Ash. "Chaaa!"
Ash grinned as he rubbed his partner's cheek. "There you are, buddy. I was bored without you here!"
Bianca crossed her arms. "Then maybe you have taken him with you! Instead, he was back at my house, sleeping with one of your friend's Pokémon."
He looked away, ashamed. "Sorry, Pikachu. I was pretty distracted."
The artist snorted. "Yeah, well, prepare to be more distracted. Latias has something coming up pretty soon. Within two hours, in fact."
Latios floated close to them both. Bianca smiled and said, "Hey, Latios."
The dragon nodded at her. "Greetings, Binca. How are you?"
Ash looked between the two of them. Binca?
Bianca narrowed her eyes and tapped her foot impatiently. "Quit calling me that!" There was a light blush on her face.
Latios's mouth twitched. "Certainly."
She rolled her eyes. "You always say that, and then continue to call me Binca!"
The dragon merely smiled, otherwise ignoring her. "Care to tell young Ash what exactly you are talking about in regards to my sister?"
Ash looked curiously at Bianca. What was Latias going to do? Did she have a job or something? Do people typically hire Pokémon? Then again, he reflected, if she did have a job, then she probably wouldn't reveal she's a Pokémon. A Legendary, too.
At Latios's question, she shook her head. "No. I think she would want him to find out then, and not now. I didn't tell his classmates, either. Wasn't sure if any of them would tell him behind my back. I don't know them, after all."
At that, he exclaimed indignantly, "Hey! They wouldn't go back on their word, they're trustworthy! Besides, none of have done that for me anyway. Well, Mallow has. But not the rest of them."
At the mention of the green-haired girl, Bianca raised an eyebrow. "And have you figured out why she might be the one to tell you?"
He scratched his head, thinking. "Uh… No? I mean, we're pretty good friends…."
Bianca closed her eyes and shook her head, muttering, "Poor Latias. You have your work cut out for you with him."
The draconic legendary looked at Bianca curiously. "What about this… Mallow?"
The artist merely shook her head. "I'll tell you later."
Latios nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer.
Ash, on the other hand, was still a touched miffed. He stroked Pikachu on his cheek, the mouse leaned into the touch.
He jumped as the artist spoke again. "Anyway, if you brought anything decent to wear, then wear it."
Ash nodded. He did bring some nice clothes, at the direction of Professor Kukui. Of course, he had to go out and get some while in the shopping district, but they were relatively cheap, and nothing extremely fancy.
Bianca turned and stepped forward, before glancing back. "Be ready within the next hour and fifteen minutes."
With that, she turned and walked away.
Latias breathed deeply, a little nervous. No, quite a bit nervous. While it was common for her to feel some butterflies beforehand, she hadn't counted on Ash arriving today. Or at all. If he had come just yesterday, she might have pulled herself together better. But she only had remembered her event while gazing down at the City with Ash, and seeing the center plaza. Fortunately, she had plenty of time to figure out any last minute details and get ready. Makeup, dress, hair, and a slight face alteration was all she needed. Now she needed to do as well as she had previously.
For tonight, she and her "helpers" were about to deliver something she had been working on for the past three years. It didn't escape her that she finished not a day before Ash's arrival. Either Arceus was teasing her in a very extreme way, or the goddess was helping her.
She hoped it was the latter. She didn't need yet another legendary teasing her and her feelings for the raven-haired trainer. It was bad enough her brother, Mew, and others from different regions did it. She didn't want the Mother doing so as well, for how could she react?
She jumped as her assistant, who had no idea who or what she really was, came and tapped her on the shoulder. "Ms Amber? You're on in a minute."
She quickly composed herself. It's OK. Just any other time doing this. It's just that Ash- no. Just focus.
She could hear the crowd murmuring and shuffling their feet. Occasionally, she could also hear the cry if a young child.
Then, the voice that she had been waiting to hear.
"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen and Pokémon alike, both old and new! That'd be you tourists out there!"
The crowd chuckled at the announcer's comment. He continued, while Latias stood back and waited.
"I've been told this is something we haven't seen before, so this should be exciting, folks!"
Everyone clapped and cheered.
"So Without further ado, please welcome Alto Mare's own… Ms Amber!"
The crowd roared as she stepped out onto the stage from behind the curtains. Putting on a bright smile, she waved at everyone as she stepped up to the simple stand that was in place.
The announcer walked behind the curtain as she stood there. The crowd hushed as her "helpers" started the instrumentals. She looked around discreetly, trying and failing to find Ash. She gazed straight ahead when her time had nearly here. Next few measures…. Big breath…. And…
"There is a brightnessIt's like the sunshineThat comes down among the treesAnd kisses the ground…"The city is like a mazeWe all never flyWe feel the loneliness.There is waterIt's so beautifulThey keep running towards a dreamReaching to be free."
This was, of course, about Alto Mare. That much was clear to everyone. The crowd loved it, it seemed, as their grins gave it away. But this song was… Not just about what was visible to the average person.
"If you are afraid of despairPlease come to my precious worldThe secret garden's here.We can fly awayAnd we can talk heart to heartLet's get to paradise with invisible wingsSomeday our dreams will come trueSo we can find the wayYes, we can stay together nowBecause there is hope for everyoneThe secret garden's waiting for you."
As the musicians behind her continued on, she swept her gaze across the crowd, gaging their reactions-
There! She felt a blush spread across her face as her eyes met Ash's. He looked very handsome in his simple tuxedo. He also looked to be dumbfounded, looking at her with his mouth open. Pikachu, who was in his shoulder like always, seemed to be equally stunned. The mouse was also wearing a suit, fitted to his size.
She gave him a warm smile, keeping her gaze locked with his, as she continued.
"There are so many flowersIt's so lovelyThey stay in your heartYes, forever moreYou are my special friendPlease come to my precious worldThe secret garden's here."
Ah,"special friend." Something her subconscious must have planted in her head while she was writing this.
"We can fly awayAnd we can talk heart to heartLet's get to paradise with invisible wingsSomeday our dreams will come trueSo we can find the wayYes, we can stay together nowBecause there is hope for everyoneThe secret garden's waiting for you"
She looked away from Ash as she finished with one last verse.
"We can fly awayAnd we can talk heart to heartLet's get to paradise with invisible wingsSomeday our dreams will come trueSo we can find the wayYes, we can stay together nowBecause there is hope for everyoneThe secret garden's waiting for you."
She gave a silent breath of relief. The song was over.
As the instruments slowly faded, the crowd roared with approval. It had been a bit of a risk to talk about a "secret garden", but she doubted anyone would make the assumption it was real. After all, to them, this was just a song.
Waving her hands, she slowly turned and walked backstage. Her part was done. She turned as her announcer approached, a small smile on his face.
"As great as ever, sister. I'm sure Ash loved it as well."
She blushed at his remark, before replying, "Thank you brother, again. But quit teasing me!"
Latios shook his head, smirking. He adjusted his tie, before looking back up. "Time to announce dinner. See you then, sis." And with that, he walked onto the stage.
She listened as he directed them to another part of the plaza, where tables had been set up.
Suddenly, someone burst into the "room", startling her and making her jump. Latias turned and saw Ash, grinning as he jogged up to her before stopping abruptly in front of her. His bow tie was crooked, probably from running and jumping around. He sounded breathless as he exclaimed, "That was amazing! You didn't mention you could sing! You sounded great!" Pikachu appeared to share his sentiments, letting out a loud "pika!"
Latias looked away, bashful. She was sporting a very prominent blush on her face as she tried to control her emotions. "Thank you, Ash," she replied softly. "That means a lot, coming from you."
If he was going to reply, he didn't do so quick enough, as the professor barged in a second later. "Ash! We're supposed to meet at the-"
He finally noticed her sitting there. He gave a quick grin. "That was great! Good job out there!"
She bowed her head courteously. "Thank you, Professor."
He turned back to Ash. "I was going to tell you we had to go to the dinner… but I suppose your girlfriend can walk you there. See you then!"
At that, he quickly vanished out the room, leaving a mortified and paralyzed Latias, a laughing Pikachu, and a confused Ash.
The dense trainer turned to her and asked, "Why does he say you're my girlfriend?"
Her eye twitched. Arceus help me.
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I am back, my readers! Your savior is here!I have finally tackled chapter 5. 4 thousand words written tonight! How many has my keyboard "autocorrected"? Who knows! For I am Lazyman, the God of being too lazy to check my fic over.
Which is incredibly stupid I know. But, I got it done. I'll release the chapter, then fix what needs to be fixed later. Because I'm awful like that.
I'm 99% sure I did not create any plot holes with this chapter.
95%.
Anyways, hoped you liked this long awaited chapter, and by long awaited, I mean me waiting for the right words to flow through.That song was actually inspired by what I read from one of Arcy's friends regarding his fic.
I chose to adopt it.
And speaking of songs:
Song: Secret Garden
Artist: MADOKALyrics: 渡辺なつみNatsumi Watanabe
Composer: 宮崎慎二Shinji Miyazaki
Arrangement: 宮崎慎二Shinji Miyazaki
That song was not written by me, and I claim no rights over it. Pokémon does.
There, I believe that's the copyright thing out of the way.
I believe this is my longest chapter to date. Neat!
PLEASE CHECK MY PROFILE FOR DISCORD LINK.
I'VE HAD A FEW PEOPLE PM AND ASK WHERE IT IS.
Also, please use it if you can. Fanfic mobile is quite unforgiving when it comes to replying to anyone. I have to use the desktop site to reply to PMs, and that's tedious.
Anyways, please, please read and review. You don't know how much it means to me when I see a new review on it.
Like, a review review.
Rr!
~Totem_Mimikyu
Ps: special thanks to those that held out hope for this story being updated.
Pss: very special thanks and kudos to those that take the time and review, giving me tips and things they noticed that I didn't. I'm looking at you, ITSYEBOIGUZMA