Welcome back! I hope you liked chapter 5.
I apologize for it taking so long. I'm going to try to avoid such a thing again.
As I've said previously, I aim to increase my chapter lengths gradually, and I think I'm doing fairly well with.
Anyways, on with the show!
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A Dinner, a Mess, and a Talk
Dinner was a lively affair, filled with giggles and laughter throughout the plaza. The City Square was full of people, Pokémon, and the tables and chairs to accommodate them. Red and white balloons were tied to lampposts, and the flower baskets kept watered by the occasional spray of water from water Pokémon. The sky was light with floating lamps, with the occasional Lampent and Chandelure flying around amongst them.
Truly, the town was utterly transformed at night. Something Mallow could appreciate... mostly.
Poking at her food, the grass-type trainer could only sigh. She had hoped this trip would be nothing but fun. And while her time on the mainland was a delight, especially with a plethora of grass types she's never seen, coming to Alto Mare was something she wished they could have skipped. Not that the city was ugly, not by any means, but because all of Ash's attention seemed to be focused on that Pokémon currently disguised as a girl.
A really attractive girl, she thought bitterly.
She sighed again. She hated being jealous. It was an emotion that just wasn't beneficial to anyone. But as she turned to look at Ash and Latias at the head of the table, she couldn't help but feel such emotion. Especially because Ash and Latias spent so much time together, alone. She only saw him when he came back to Lorenzo's house and got changed. And even after that, they all immediately left, not giving her a chance to be with him much.
It didn't help that the Legendary Pokémon had been staring at the object of both their affections while she was singing. Then Ash completely disappeared for a while, only to emerge from behind the stage, with Latias clinging to his side.
She sighed again. Why did we have to come to this infernal island?
Mallow immediately felt guilty. Ash had specifically asked to visit. She couldn't begrudge him that.
A speaker behind her interrupted her brooding.
"Welcome, once again! How is everybody tonight?"
Mallow turned As the plaza erupted in cheers. Clearly, everyone was excited and content.
The announcer was wearing a simple but sharp looking tuxedo. His hair was very blue, even more so than that James from Team Rocket. Although this man's hair was much shorter.
She listened as he continued. "Excellent, excellent. Thank you for joining us once more on this Valentine's Day with me and my sister, Ms. Amber!"
As the crowd cheered again, Mallow turned to glance over at Latias, only to stop and frown. Did she hear right? She leaned in close to Lillie, who was sitting to her right. "Did that man say "sister"?
The blonde looked at her curiously and nodded, before asking, "He did. Why do you ask, Mallow?"
Lana, who was sitting on the other side of Lillie, had leaned closer as well.
The green-haired girl replied with surprise clear in her voice. "Because if he's actually La- Amber's brother, then think! Who would that make him?"
The two other girls stared at her, mystified, before Lillie gasped quietly. "You mean that's...?"
Mallow nodded vigorously, taking a glance at the announcer as she did. Lana still wasn't comprehending, so Mallow lowered her voice to a low whisper. "Amber is actually Latias, right? And since that man says she's his sister, then that would make him...?"
Lana's eyes blinked once, before widening quickly. Her voice was a near shout as she exclaimed, "Lat-!"
As quick as lightning, Lillie clamped her hand over Lana's mouth, preventing her from shouting something that the pokémon in disguise probably wouldn't appreciate.
The water trainer looked slightly guilty as the three of them looked around, hoping no one heard her. Mallow felt someone was watching, but she couldn't see who it might be. Lillie let go of Lana, and the three of them turned their attention back to the stage...
... Only to find the announcer, Latios, was looking down at them, a slight upper twist on the corner of his mouth.
Mallow gulped and pressed herself back into her chair. Latios looked back across the crowd as he continued, leaving Mallow feeling highly embarrassed.
"Many years ago, this city was saved by our guardians from unspeakable misfortune and destruction. Many years ago, on this same day. A day that proved to us and the world that love for each other can conquer even the most impossible of tasks!"
At that, Mallow shot a glance at Ash, feeling a little flushed, only to see Latias was doing the same. Her stomach twisted at the look of obvious affection on her face, and she looked away, teeth gritting.
"Appropriately, my sister decided to mark the occasion with a special event three years ago, with her first performance."
She frowned at his words. Did Latias start before or after she met Ash? She put her hands on her face and rubbed her eyes. Why did things have to be so complicated?
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Latios was feeling slightly amused. While he was nowhere near as good as Latias's ability to pick up emotions, he could sense the green-haired girl's feelings. He could pick up the jealousy and embarrassment, as well as her realizing who he was. Not too many people could figure that out so fast, or even at all. And unfortunately, he thought to himself, Ash probably wasn't one of them.
"And speaking of performances... We have one more activity for you tonight, right after dinner. One I'm sure my sister will simply adore."
He glanced down at Latias as he said that, wanting to laugh at the look of foreboding on her face. He managed to hold it in, however, and pressed on with the speech that was thankfully drawing to a close. "I am very pleased to announce, that after our meal here, you shall be provided with the opportunity..."
He looked at Latias again, and smiled a bit more, seeing here looking slightly nervous.
Spreading his arms dramatically, he finished. "... of a celebratory dance!"
The people and Pokémon populating the plaza were quiet for a moment, before standing up and clapping, cheering all the while. He allowed himself a moment of self-satisfaction at his ability to get a crowd excited, before looking down at his sister once more.
Latios practically snorted at her expression. Her face was heavily flushed, as though she knew what the dance was for. Whose, rather, dance this was for. For Latios had, indeed, pulled this off when he saw Ash had returned. Originally, he had planned to nap for a while. But once he remembered Latias' performance...
Well, then who was he to pass this opportunity by to embarrass his sister?
As he turned away to head off stage once more, he heard her voice in his head, sounding angry and mortified. I promise you, brother. I will dye your feathers the most hideous colors I can think of. It may not be tomorrow. It may not even be this month. But I will do it.
He chuckled, walking through the curtains as he replied, I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Oh, and Latias? Try not to kiss him again, especially on the lips. You two haven't even had an official dated yet.
He heard her squeal in his mind before feeling her withdrawal from the psychic connection.
Yes, he thought, Putting this surprise together was quite genius of me. Enjoy your dance with Ash, Latias.
He turned towards the crowd. "Go ahead and find your partners, if you have one, as the music will be starting shortly!"
With that, the disguised dragon walked off the stage and into the crowd. Latios knew his sister hated him right now, but she would never pass up a dance with Ash, nor would she ever give it up to someone else. He had to keep Mallow distracted for long enough so that Latias could be with Ash, as he knew well enough the green haired girl would try to disrupt their dance.
Once he was within twenty feet or so, he stopped.
And waited.
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Latias was sitting in her chair, seething but also blushing. She should have known Latios would do something like this. While her antics could probably be predictable, his came completely out of the blue, despite the exact that he wasn't even an "active" prankster. Perhaps that's what made him such a good one.
However, none of that mattered, as dinner was rapidly drawing to a close. And that meant the dance was drawing closer and closer.
She threw a shy glance at the dense boy she loved, smiling gently as he talked excitedly to Pikachu about something.
"Try not to kiss him again, especially on the lips. You haven't even had an official date yet."
As her cheeks burned at the thought of her brother's words, Latias contemplated them. Official date? What could he have meant by that? It would have been simple enough to just say date...
Unless...
Her eyes widened. Was her little adventure today with Ash considered a date? She hadn't meant for it to be one, although she most definitely hoped it felt like one to him. Ash would be leaving in a few days, that much she knew, and if she didn't step up her game she might not get to see Ash again for a long time. Not to mention that Mallow was serious competition for Ash. If she hesitated and didn't act now there was a very good chance that she might lose him tonight.
"I'll keep Mallow off of Ash while you try and have some alone time with him. How about that?"
Realizing it was Latios she let out another small squeak, she thought she closed that connection! But, looking over and seeing her brother start to head down the stairs, right now was the opportune moment. If he could distract Mallow, she could have Ash all to herself. And if she could do that… then maybe, maybe, she had a chance.
Suddenly, she saw the musicians walk up on stage. Latias tensed up, gripping the arms of her chair, hearing them squeak in protest. When had they finished?
Too late!
Quickly standing up she briskly walked the short distance over to Ash who was currently whispering something to Pikachu. Realizing that it was now or never she cleared her throat. "Ahem."
Ash turned around, having stopped his conversation with the electric mouse. "Oh, hey Tia, did you want something?"
She shuffled her feet, feigning interest in the ground. She cleared her throat again and blushed. "Er, do you want… Doyouwanttodancewithme?"
Ash gave her a confused and embarrassed look, before replying. "Uh, could you repeat that for me, please?"
Latias took in a deep breath and let it out to calm her nerves. She couldn't panic, not now. "Do you want to dance with me?" Her voice was just above a whisper, but it was loud enough that Ash had heard her this time.
Ash wore a thoughtful look over his face, the dragoness felt like she was going to start shedding feathers out of her disguise. "Well sure."
A look of shock came over Latias' face. "R-really," she stuttered. She had expected him to ask what a dance was, to be perfectly honest.
"Sure! There is a slight problem however, I can't really dance," Ash explained. "There was this one time in Kalos but that was more me just being dragged around."
The dragoness nodded, she didn't really need to think about who else he was dancing with, right now it was him and her. "Don't worry, I can show you the ropes, just follow my lead."
The young trainer stood up, scratching Pikachu's ears one more time before turning back to her. "After you, Tia."
She lightly flushed, before taking his hand and gently guiding him away from the table, and into a fairly clear area by the canals. The moon, along with the lights hanging above, provided a faint illumination to their little dance floor. She stopped and slowly turned. She flicked her eyes over to where she sensed Latios was. Latias could see him talking to Mallow, and after a moment of what seemed to be hesitation, she nodded. He offered his hand, which she took, before they left in the opposite direction.
Latias breathed out a sigh of relief. That was them taken care of. Now, what about the…?
The musicians struck a few chords, and Latias almost flinched. It was time. Taking Ash's hands into her own and pulling him a little closer she began to do a simple dance move. It started out slow, much like the beginning of the song, but it was a little clumsy and awkward as the two of them couldn't seem to find their footing.
The disguised legendary let out a nervous chuckle in an attempt to diffuse the air of awkwardness between the two of them. She couldn't help the burning in her cheeks at their close proximity. Ash was faring a bit better, although she could see a slight red tinge on his face as well.
Bringing their dance to a small stop, Latias let them take a break for a second. They obviously weren't doing much at this rate, more shuffling their feet together in an attempt at dancing. Ash gave her a curious look wondering at what exactly she was doing. She waited for the beat of the song to come around again before starting back up.
They were able to find their footing quite effectively as they matched their movements to the tempo of the music. Looking over at Ash, Latias gave him a smile, she hadn't really expected it to work that well but taking a break from being a bunch of nervous pidgeys certainly helped out. He simply gave her a smile in return.
During their dance, they moved ever so slightly closer to one another until they were almost touching. The blush on both of their faces grew a little bit redder. "Ash," Latias started. "I-I have to tell you something."
"What is it Latias," Ash whispered so that no one around could hear him.
"I-." Latias gulped; as much as she had planned to do something like this, nothing could truly prepare her for what she was about to say. However, she could sense some kind of feeling coming off of Ash. She didn't know what it was, but it gave her the courage to continue. "Listen, I need to tell you that ever since I met you, I-"ff by a large boom that staggered everyone,including Ash and herself.
Thick smoke filled the plaza, making many cough. She looked around, trying to find the cause of the interruption. An evil, feminine laugh boomed out from…. the sky? The same laugh ceased, before speaking. "Prepare for trouble, we're back with a bang!"
A male voice responded, from the same general direction. "And make it double, plus the whole gang!"
The female and male traded off lines, although Latias was more concerned about who they were, and why they sounded like complete idiots.
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all people within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie," the female exclaimed. By now, the smoke had cleared, and a massive balloon was visible, along with a few figures below in the basket. One appeared to have long, red hair, possibly the female. The other had far shorter hair, going to perhaps his ears, blue in color. A Meowth was standing on the rim of the basket.
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now, or prepare for a fight!"
"Meowth, dats right!"
"Wobbuffet!"
Latias flinched. Team Rocket?
She hadn't expected them to come back here after their failure in capturing the souldew, but four years later here they were. Bad memories about that night still infected her mind, occasionally she would have nightmares about the night. Still, she wasn't sure if these buffoons were actually a part of Team Rocket or just being a bunch of posers.
The crowd didn't seem to care as just hearing the name of Team Rocket sent many into a panic. They all tried to rush out of the plaza at once, creating mass chaos. All of a sudden, a large retractable hand extended out from the bottom of the balloon, reaching for something on the ground. A blast of electricity arced around it, to no effect. The hand then retracted back up, a ball of yellow fur squirming in its grasp.
Latias blinked in confusion. "Is that… Pikachu?"
Ash growled beside her, clearly angry. "Yeah, and that's Team Rocket getting him! How did they know I was back at Johto?"
At that, she turned completely to face him. "You mean you've met these buffoons before?"
He nodded, an annoyed glare on his face. "I met them when I first set off on my journey, and they haven't left me alone since. Not even in Alola, where I'd hoped to leave them behind for once."
She was about to ask another question, but Ash ran off in the direction of the balloon. Latias stood there, frowning trying to think. Suddenly, a stroke of brilliance graced her mind.
Looking around to make sure no one was paying attention, she casually jumped into the canal, feeling the slightly cold water flow over her skin and through her hair. The canal glowed blue as she transformed, before shooting off to a far away section of water and out into the evening sky.
Team Rocket was too busy cackling over their prize, who was now in a jar. Somehow, he looked neither afraid nor confused. Merely… Annoyed?
Shaking her head, she let out a challenging cry, alerting just about everyone to her presence.
The crowd stared from down below in shock and awe at seeing their legendary guardian in the flesh while Team Rocket just looked confused. Latias saw them trying to put two and two together as she charged up a dragon breath. Were they really not going to react?
"Wait a second." But it was too late for the trio as she fired off the beam of draconic energy, slicing through the balloon and causing it to ignite. Quick as lightning, she darted forward and grasped the jar that held Pikachu, before retreating.
She was not a second too late as the balloon exploded and sent the goons flying off.
As they ascended, she heard them cry out, "Team Rocket's blasti-" They were cut off as a large shape jumped up from almost absolutely nowhere and catch the crooks in midair, before descending again. "We're off with a new blast!" They exclaimed off in the distance.
It was silent for a moment but suddenly the crowd erupted into cheers. Latias turned around with a nervous blush; she hadn't realized everyone had been watching.
Latias. She heard her brother call her name. After over fifty years of hiding and protecting Alto Mare from the shadows, you decide to ruin all of that to impress your boyfriend. Is it anger or annoyance?
I'm sorry! She hadn't really realized that a large chunk of Alto Mare just witnessed what she did. Although now that she thought about it… she found she didn't particularly care, either. As a matter of fact, she kind of relished the feeling. Like this, she no longer had to hide, no more not being herself.
However, she soon realized that she should probably go invisible quick. It was bad enough that everyone saw her, if Latios found a video of her she wasn't sure how'd he react. She quickly flew down and set the jar down and opened it, before letting her feathers reflect the light off around her, fading from view, and flying off behind a building.
Making sure nobody was nearby, she resumed her human form, and stepped out…
Where she was met by her brother in his human form. And he did not look pleased in the slightest.
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Ash stood there, mildly shocked. He certainly hadn't expected Team Rocket to show up and kidnap Pikachu, nor that Latias would dive into the canal and burst out to stop them. He most assuredly hadn't expected her to send them off with little to no effort. Scratching Pikachu's chin, he contemplated her actions.
"Ash!" someone exclaimed behind him. Turning, he saw his friends racing towards him. Mallow was in the lead, skidding to a halt before tripping and falling towards him.
He acted instinctively, catching her and keeping his balance. Why does it seem like everyone is tripping today? He thought, shaking his head.
As he straightened up, making sure Mallow was stable, he thought he saw a flash of what looked like victory in her eyes, before it vanished just as quickly as it appeared.
"Are you alright?" she asked, scanning the area as if looking for someone or something. "Where did Latias go?"
Ash shrugged his shoulders; all he had seen was her deposit Pikachu on the ground before flying off to who knows where. "Latias went off to fight Team Rocket and disappeared in front of me and everyone else."
Mallow nodded. "So, she just left you?" she asked innocently. The rest of Ash's friends began to realize where this was going.
"Well, she had to go off and fight Team Rocket, and plus she probably doesn't want everybody to figure out her disguise." The answer seemed simple enough to Ash, but then again, they didn't really know Latias.
"Then how come she isn't back yet? It shouldn't take her too long, especially if she's a legendary." Mallow responded.
"Uh, Mallow." Lillie tried to get her attention but she didn't listen.
"Maybe she's waiting until the coast is clear? " Ash didn't really know where Mallow was trying to go with this whole ordeal.
"I'm just trying to say that maybe she isn't the most… reliable." Mallow explained as Ash could see his other friends looking around the plaza nervously.
His gaze narrowed as he looked at Mallow; he knew an insult when he heard one. "Isn't reliable? Because she didn't come straight back here after saving Pikachu, when no one else did?" He snorted angrily. "Latias is plenty reliable, she also helped out greatly when we protected Alto Mare!"
"Well if she's so great why don't you just-."
"Mallow!" Lillie cut her off. "Knock it off, now."
Ash and Mallow were flat out glaring at each other at this point, although he could strangely see hurt glimmer clearly in her eyes. Ash didn't understand her sudden dislike of the dragoness, they barely knew one another. Mallow suddenly tore her gaze away from Ash, unable to look him in the eyes. Lillie pulled Mallow aside and began to silently scold her, their voices just outside Ash's hearing range.
The glare on Ash's face disappeared, replaced with one of concern. "What was that all about?" Ash asked. He didn't understand where Mallow's sudden distaste for Latias came from, the two barely knew one another.
Sophocles walked up, slapped his back, and shook his head. "You really are denser than a pile of rocks Ash."
Ash frowned. What was that supposed to mean? Mallow went from being nice and caring to unconcerned and malicious in a second, he had every right to be confused about what was going on. And on top of that, all of that was directed towards one of his good friends that he hadn't seen in years just after she helped save Pikachu.
He massaged his head, tired and confused. He didn't know why Mallow was acting like this, but that was something that could be dealt with in the morning. Right now, he just needed to sleep. It seemed Professors Kukui and Burnet had the same mindset, as they were calling the class to them.
As he was plodding along, arms drooping, a sudden realization made him stop. Clearing his throat, he called out to Professor Kukui. "Uh, Professor? Where exactly are we going to sleep?"
Their teacher turned to look back at them, responding with a chuckle. "Don't worry too much about it. Lorenzo helped to make sure we got reservations at a nearby hotel earlier. Not too far from his house."
They all nodded, following the professors as they walked off. Ash turned his head to look around one more time, before following shortly after.
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Latias was floating close to the ground, looking cowed as Latios hovered close to her and glaring. They both knew she was going to be chewed out, and Latios had no sympathy. She exposed her presence, and her existence, to the whole plaza. He was aware it was only a matter of time before everyone within the city or even beyond would know about her. And he knew that they'd know he was present as well. Which is why as soon as he found her, he practically dragged her back to the garden.
The blue dragon looked down at her for a minute or so, watching her fidget. Then, he spoke.
"That was just about the stupidest thing you could have done. What in Arceus' name were you thinking?"
Before she could respond, he continued. "You weren't. At least, not about our secrecy. If it had been a couple people, it could have been dismissed. If it had been five, or even ten, it could have been dismissed. But you revealed yourself to a over a hundred people, if not more! And for what?" He dropped down to a near whisper. "To impress a boy who will be leaving soon, with no guarantee of return. Explain yourself."
Latias looked up, eyes starting go water. "I did it to save Pikachu! Didn't you see he was being taken?"
Latios narrowed his eyes. "I did. And I was within a second of freeing him without being noticed when you decided to play hero. I hope you realize you could have freed him with psychic? It's certainly a lot more subtle than what you pulled."
The red dragoness said nothing as she looked down, apparently too ashamed to look at her brother. Latios floated there for a minute, still glaring at her, before taking a deep breath." Just… Go to bed."
He flew off, leaving her sad and ashamed.
Latias didn't know what to do, she spoiled the biggest secret kept in all of Alto Mare. There were probably hundreds of different ways that she could have saved Pikachu without being noticed but she took the one where she was. Normally she had her secrecy as one of her top priorities, it was what she was taught almost ever since she was hatched.
She turned invisible and flew out of the garden. Maybe I just need to fly to clear my head. Were all the surrounding regions just going to believe the claims that the legendary guardians were real because now the city was saying it? Maybe. As she flew around, she could feel the excitement in the area, and she knew exactly what it was all about.
The dragoness hung her head low, what was the point of even staying hidden? She had already shown them enough for them to believe, why doesn't she just fly around, go shake peoples hands, tuck their kids into bed and go cook dinner for them.
She flew down into an alleyway that was a fair distance from most people and turned into her human form. I need to find Bianca, or Lorenzo… or Ash, they can help me see some silver lining to this whole situation. Stepping out into the street, she turned and faced a group of people.
"Yo, Ms. Amber, did you see what happened at this years festival?" The man leading the group alone showed the group's excitement.
Latias tried to put on her most convincing smile. "Uh, yes, I hope you enjoyed the show, along with the dance?"
The man shook his head excitedly." No not that, the legendary guardians appeared! Did you not see that or what?"
"No, no I didn't, I might have been backstage when they supposedly appeared." She was trying not to cry but was finding it hard. "You sure it was them? I mean, a lot of people claim it happens practically every week, maybe it was just an illusion or something. A well thought out trick." Maybe I can just convince them that it was an image, fixing all of this.
However, he shook his head defiantly. "You can tell that to me and everyone at the festival, that dragon breath was real and blew Team Rocket right out of the sky!"
The disguise dragoness ran right past them with tears in her eyes, ignoring they're startled shouts if she was okay. There had to be some way to fix this, some way to make it all go away. But, in her mind, she knew this wasn't true. What she had done was irreversible and would have lasting consequences.
She needed some sort of support or she felt like she was going to collapse in the street right then and there. After a minute of blindly running through Alto Mare's streets, she found it. She she sense an aura, a very familiar aura from that night, it was Ash.
Latias stopped and looked at where it was coming from. He was in a hotel near Bianca and Lorenzo's house, just a few blocks away. She walked in through the sliding glass door as if in a trance and walked past the receptionist's desk, ignoring her warm greeting. Climbing up the stairs she passed by several rooms until she came across one single, wooden door.
The guardian lifted up a hand to knock but she hesitated, would he really want to see her this late at night? Deciding that she wouldn't find out unless she tried, she knocked two small, almost pitiful, knocks on the door and waited. The short time that she waited was excruciating but finally, the door opened to reveal Ash.
"Latias?" He managed to yawn out as he rubbed his eyes. "What are you doing here."
She tried to avoid his gaze, feeling oppressed under it but failed. Looking into his eyes she didn't see the disappointment or anger that she saw from her brother, only curiosity. "Is it alright if I come in? I just… I need someone to talk to."
He nodded and held open the door to the room for her to walk through. Complying, she entered into the room with her arms close to her chest. She wanted to make herself appear as small as possible as if it would make everyone forget about her.
The room was small, only a single bed, a window with moonlight seeping through, a desk in the corner with a chair, a bathroom to the right, and a lamp on a nightstand. A lot of hotels in Alto Mare were designed without much entertainment due to space but also to encourage tourists to explore the city.
Latias sat down on the edge of the bed as Ash moved to turn on the lamp but she signaled for him not too, she found the cool moonlight comforting. The pokemon trainer sat down in the chair and moved over to face her. It was silent between the two of them, both of them content to sit there as neither broke the silence.
"Latias, what's wrong?
The words shocked her as she nearly jumped off the bed before realizing Ash had said them. Her heart was hammering in her chest as she shifted uncomfortably in the bed. "It's just that… I…" She couldn't form the words that she wanted, she didn't know how to tell him of the war currently going on within herself.
Ash rolled his chair closer to her and put a reassuring hand on her knee. "I want to help you Latias, I really do, but I don't know what's wrong with you. I need you to help me understand." Concern was plastered all over his face with those words.
"I-I m-messed up, Ash." Her voice was shaking, barely able to get out the words. "I messed up really bad."
Latias started physically shaking as Ash squeezed his hand a little tighter. "How did you mess up Latias?" He paused. "It was because you revealed yourself at the festival, wasn't it?"
The dragoness nodded, tears started to form on the corners of her vision. "We were supposed to stay hidden. That was the one thing behind protecting the Souldew, and I ruined it. Fifty years of silently protecting Alto Mare and I decided to do that."
"We were supposed to be stories, legends." She continued. "We weren't supposed to be considered real but now, that's changed. Now me and Latios are in danger of being discovered. We can't leave Alto Mare, it's our duty to protect it. We can't… "
Latias choked up on her words, when she was all of a sudden wrapped up in a hug. She let out a startled gasp as she hadn't even noticed that Ash had moved next to her.
"Shh.. It's okay," she heard him whisper soothingly in her ear. She brought him into a hug as well, squeezing him tight as she started sobbing into his shoulder. He rubbed a hand along her back as he held her crying form.
"I know that it's bad but this can't just be the end of it all already. Just because the job may have gotten a little more difficult or a little harder does not mean that it is impossible. You two can adapt, I know that you will." Ash hugged her a little tighter, causing her shaking to stop.
"T-thank you, thank you for everything." Latias wished they could have stayed like that forever. Sadly, she couldn't, as she had to get back to the garden.
Reluctantly, she released her hug. "I have to go now, Ash. Thank you for… well, everything."
He looked at her in the eyes, looking embarrassed but concerned. "You know… if Latios is giving you trouble… You could always… you know… stay here?" It seemed as if even the dense trainer was flustered by this.
She herself was blushing wildly, looking away from Ash and at the floor. "Wh-what?" She sputtered. Did he really just ask me to sleep with him? There was only one bed and two of them… alone… in one room. "Uh… I mean, sure!" She shook out those other thoughts out of her head.
Latias sat there unsure of what to do while Ash moved to lay down. "So… are you coming or not?" Ash asked as he laid there. He looked at her, seemingly both embarrassed and nervous.
She could slowly feel all the blood in her body move to her face as it turned it bright red. "Wh-what?!" She squeaked. She did not think he would ever make such a suggestion. Ash, however, seemed relatively unbothered by his somewhat intimate offer.
She wasn't stupid, however, and there was no way she would pass this opportunity by. Not in a million years. Fighting back her blush, she nodded weakly and laid down next to Ash. He threw the covers over her and hugged her, drawing her back to him tightly. "Goodnight, Latias," he whispered, before apparently falling asleep. She felt her heart flutter in her chest as she snuggled. Closer to him, gripping his hand in her own.
It was sometime before she could fight off the thoughts in her head and join him in dreamland.
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Kukui set the phone down on the dresser, grimacing. He had just woken up, when he had gotten a call from Alola regarding Ultra Beasts. It seemed as though there was another "visit" by the odd creatures, although hopefully this would turn out to be less disastrous than the Ultra Space incident.
Unfortunately, this meant their little trip here was to be cut very short. And this also meant Ash would have to say goodbye to his friends in the city. Latias would not be happy.
He himself wasn't happy, either. He never got a chance to study either of the dragons up close, last night being the only time he's actually seen one of them. He sighed, frustrated. Why of all times did we get called back?
As he got dressed, Kukui suddenly had a brain wave. Somewhat devious, but in the long run, would benefit not only the newly formed Ultra Guardians, but himself, as well. And, he smirked, finishing up, Ash.
And speaking of the trainer… It was time to wake them up. Especially Ash, as the boy was prone to sleeping in.
Stretching, the Professor screwed up the hair of his wife, still snoozing. Lightly jumping, she groggily turned, eyes looking bleary. Yawning, she looked at him questioningly. "Why so early? I thought you'd want to sleep in some more. We have all day, in fact."
Grimacing, Kukui shook his head as he headed towards the door. "Unfortunately, we don't. I got a call a little bit ago. Something came up that requires us to go back to Alola." At that, all signs of sleepiness vanished as she sat up quickly. "Go back to Alola? What kind of "something" is this exactly?"
Kukui opened it, and turned with a serious look on his face. "An Ultra Beast something, it seems," before closing the door behind him, leaving a surprised look on her face.
The Professor walked down the hall, knocking on the doors of his students to wake them up. He hated to do this, but this was high priority, and he had to make sure they got to Inland City in time for the plane ride home. Something that he still had to arrange. Hopefully, there was enough time. If not, then they would cross that bridge when they get to it. By the time he finished, everyone was out of their rooms, looking at him, still in their pajamas.
Wait… where's Ash? Shaking his head, Kukui sighed. "Could one of you please wake Ash up?
Lillie spoke up. "I'll do-." She was interrupted by another voice, belonging to Mallow. "No. I'll do it.i still need to apologize for last night."
Everyone coughed awkwardly into their fists, nodding. Kukui shrugged, reaching into his pocket. "In that case, just use this key and get him up." He pulled out the key card handing it to Mallow. She took it, and approached the door to Ash's room. Kukui turned and walked away, wringing his hands. He needed to get everyone out the door fast. But first, he needed to run over to Lorenzo's house and very profusely thank him for his hospitality and for helping him get reservations at the hotel on such short notice.
As he walked down stairs, he heard Ash's door open, Mallow saying, "Wake up, Ash. It's time-."
She stopped abruptly, also freezing Kukui on the spot. He turned, starting to feel concerned. What was wrong? Was Ash not in his room somehow? But where could he have..? Kukui started to walk back, before hearing a loud shriek.
Mallow yelled, "WHAT?! What is she doing in here?"
The professor stopped, confused. She? Who is "she"? A moment later, and he suddenly had a thought. "Ah," he muttered, "'she' is Latias." The adult side of him was hoping Ash and Latias never did anything inappropriate while in there. The logical side knew Ash was probably too dense to know how much Latias liked him, much less do anything of that sort with her. Although, he reflected, I wouldn't completely dismiss the possibility.
He walked back down the hall, curiosity getting the better of his urgency. Everyone was gathered around Ash's door, mouths open. Lana and Lillie were both looking flustered, the blonde more so. Kiawe and Sophocles were both looking impressed, although mostly surprised. The dark-skinned trainer muttered, "Huh. I didn't think he had in him." His wife was standing somewhat back, apparently giggling into her hand. Jogging, Kukui gently pushed his way through and peaked in. It was just as he thought.
Ash was still somehow asleep, although he was lightly stirring. The female clinging to him, however, was quite the opposite. Latias, for obvious reasons, was in her human form. The girl had her arms wrapped tightly around the sleeping trainer, her face completely flushed, with her eyes wide. She looked heavily embarrassed and guilty. "Uh… HI?"
Kukui bit back a smile, a laugh threatening to come loose. "Latias, could you get Ash up, please? It's something quite important." She nodded, and he continued. "Everyone else, get dressed, fast, and go down into the dining area with Extreme Speed." His students, minus Mallow, who was still staring into Ash's room with an angry look, were looking at him curiously. He didn't indulge them as he swiftly ran back down the hall. They were going to have to find out at breakfast, but for now, they just needed to get dressed and go down to the lobby.
Breakfast was a silent affair, the only conversations going on were the ones going on around them. A few of the other residents were shooting their table dirty looks, apparently having been woken up by Mallow's shriek.
The green haired girl was busy scowling at Latias, who had decided to join them, and Ash, who still looked embarrassed from all the attention he had gotten earlier. The poor boy didn't understand why, however, which thoroughly annoyed Sophocles and Kiawe. The raven haired trainer was, surprisingly, not shoveling food into his mouth like normal. This may be due to the fact that Latias was being very ladylike in her actions, somehow making Ash behave normally.
Kukui, coughed into his napkin, before setting it down taking a breath. "I'm sure you are all wondering why we had to wake up so early today." Everyone nodded, looking curious and excited.
Ash turned to Latias. "Did you have something planned for us?"
She merely shook her head, casually scooting closer to him. "No, actually. This is new to me as well. Although I'm sure whatever it is, we can do it together, if you'd like." She blushed severely, looking down and away from Ash.
Before the boy could respond, Kukui shook his head,feeling awkward and guilty about what came next." Yeah about that… I'm afraid that won't be possible."
At this point, the class' expressions of excitement faded slightly. He continued, "I got a call very early today from President Lusamine. It seems an Ultra Beast has popped up in Alola. I'm sure you can probably guess what this means."
The students looked shocked and disappointed, although Mallow had an almost unnoticeable smirk. Ash looked the most affected, looking glum. He glanced over at Latias with a sad sigh. The dragoness was looking between her not-very-secret crush and Kukui, starting to look nervous. Her voice was cautious as she responded, "What's everyone looking so disappointed about? Surely this… Ultra Beast won't be difficult for your law enforcement to take care of, right?"
At that, Ash shook his head, his voice sounding very down. "That's the thing, La-er, Tia. Law enforcement, Officer Jenny, doesn't take care of Ultra Beasts. We, the Ultra Guardians, do. Of course, this is kind of our first official mission, but it's one only we can do. And that means…" He took a breath, before letting it out." That means I… We… Have to go back to Alola. Today. "
Kukui shifted in his seat guiltily, watching Latias' mouth lightly part and she stared at Ash with shock and anguish, tears welling up in her honey-gold eyes, before slowly falling down. "... What?"
Author's Note: Man, I'm sure you all hate me for taking so long. I must say, writer's block is partially to blame. Another thing to blame is me not outlining before writing.
But! It's my longest chapter yet. 7306 words!
Which I hope makes up for it. I certainly hope this chapter lives up to expectations.
If there's any mistakes, I'll fix them don't worry.
And I'll be sure to continue to work on "A Diamond's Guardians", if you've read and enjoyed the prologue.
But my writer's block!
I couldn't live with my own lack of attempts at writing. And where did that bring me?
Back to Google Docs.
Also, ItsYeBoiGuzma is responsible for helping me out greatly, and without him, it would be who knows how long before I got past writer's block. He is now my co-author for this.
Thank him.
How did you like Team Rocket? The spat? The fluff?Anyway, I've rambled enough.
Make sure to Read and Review. And join my discord server, which can be found on this Twitter page: ADD_Mimikyu.
Cya for chapter 7, Back to Alola!
~Mimikyu