Summary: This takes place after Pokemon Heroes. One year after leaving Altomare, Ash returns to the city of water. Ash meets up with his friend, Bianca, and her grandfather, Lorenzo. Bianca explains to Ash how Latias wasn't able to transform back into a pokemon form from her borrowed human formed of Bianca for the last few months. In that time, Latias learned how to speak in human language and uses her newly acquired language to inform Ash about an evil plotting to take her and the soul orb away and use them to destroy the city. Oakley and Annie of team Rocket have been released from jail and have plans of revenge against the dragon pokemon. Latios returns in a mysterious way; refresh and renewed, to help in a fight for not only the city of Altomare, but for their lives as well.

Chapter 1: Return to Altomare/Prologue

One year after the encounter with the legendary dragons Latios and Latias, Ash Ketchum decides to pay his friends a visit on the aquatic land of Altomare. His hair style never changed, still the usual messy black top he had one year ago. He had on a shirt that said "Pokemon League Champion" in bright yellow and green with a rare green dragon below the text. He had grown taller and developed more of a muscular build in his days away from the Island of Water, due to the intense training he had done to become Champion of the Pokemon League.

He stared out the window of the Pokemon League private plane, a plane he has unlimited access to until another trainer takes his spot as League Champion. He watched as clouds floated by, some even crashing into the window and disappearing. He took a sip of his Soda Pop and sighed. He felt bad about leaving his friends May, Max, and Brock behind.

"Now approaching Altomare," The pilot said through the P.A. System. Ash felt a slight descend and held onto his bottle of Soda Pop before it tipped over.

Minutes later, after a smooth landing, Ash was traveling around the city of water roads. He watched as gondola after gondola passed him by and remembered the makers of those gondolas. He started walking toward a workshop of an old friend

He wanted a peaceful walk, but one by one, people walked up to him asking for autographs, pictures, and one even manage to run away with his hat. He managed to grab hold of the thief and stole his hat back. He replaced the hat atop his head and made a mad dash toward the gondola workshop. Many adoring fans chased after him. He ran into a shop with a sign that read "Lorenzo's Gondolas" and slammed the door, using his body to block the raging stampede of fans from getting to him.

He stood in the dark shop until everything outside has quiet down. He let out a sigh of relief and turned to open the door, but he felt a slight chill go down his spine. Only one thought crossed his mind.

'Someone is watching me.' He thought, too afraid of turning around. He turned his head slightly, glancing into the darkness. A pair of yellow eyes glared out at him. Ash stared at the eyes, unable to turn the doorknob and run away.

"What are you doing here, shoplifter?" A female voice yelled followed by a muffled growl from the yellow-eyed creature.

"Who's the shoplifter?" Ash asked, confused.

"You are!" The girl yelled. "You better leave or I'll have Latias attack you!"

"Latias," Ash said, silently, "You wouldn't attack me, would you?"

"La!" The pokemon shrieked, angrily.

"You better get out or else I'll have her attack!" The girl screamed.

"I guess I shouldn't have come back after all." He thought aloud. "Bianca and Latias don't even remember me." Letting out a sigh of defeat, he slowly walked out of the workshop and dragged his depressed self over to a bench in front of the Pokemon Center. Passer-Byers stared at him as they walked by. Ash expected those looking at him to ask for autographs or pictures. He sighed again.

'I'm stuck here for another week!' Ash thought, 'The plane already left to go back to Ever Grande to be re-fueled, so there isn't a way to head back.' He stared at the ground and watched as the people's feet walked by.

Back at the workshop, a girl with brown hair curled to go around her ears, sat in a now lit room, staring at the half complete gondola.

"That shoplifter sounded like Ash." She thought aloud.

Latias stared at the girl. She replayed the scene of her love one leaving her one year ago, but never thought of him coming back. She quickly transformed into a human, taking the form of the girl in front of her.

Bianca looked up and witnessed the transformation. She stood up and shook her head. "Latias, you aren't going anywhere." She commanded, "We don't know for sure if that was Ash that came earlier today. Even if it was, we can't risk you getting kidnapped again." She stared at her 'twin'. "Besides, if that WAS Ash, you would've been able to sense Pikachu. He IS Ash's best friend, after all."

Latias sat down in a seat across from Bianca. She let out a silent sigh and tried to transform back into her Pokemon form.

At the Pokemon Center, Ash sat gloomily next to the window. The moon had already taken the place of its counterpart, the sun, and lit up the night sky. He stared down at his cup of herbal tea and sighed. Many questions swam inside his head.

'What if Latias doesn't remember me? What if Latias found someone else to play with, to nuzzle with, and to love? What if Bianca and Lorenzo told Latias that I wouldn't be coming back and told her to move on? What would've happened if Latias did attack me? Would I be sitting in this center right now or would I be on a hospital bed hanging on to life? Do I even want to be alive?' He sighed and took a sip of his tea. Visions of him leaving Altomare a year ago replayed in his head. He tried to shake it off, but the pictures just kept on replying. 'I didn't want to leave, especially after that kiss. But I didn't want to miss out on the journey I left home to complete. I didn't want to miss out on challenging the Pokemon League and being the champion I am today.'

He stood up and walked up to the front counter. He flashed his Ever Grande champion badge and walked up to his reserved room at the top floor of the center. He plopped down on the twin-sized bed and stared at the ceiling. 'I should've brought Pikachu with me, but Gary insisted that I leave Pikachu with him so he can study a champion's Pokemon up close.' He shrugged, sighed and forced himself to fall asleep.