Chapter One

Dreams' Lost Luster

'Where am I?'

He sat cross-legged in what appeared to be some sort of grassland adorned with gorgeous flowers of every shape and color you could imagine. It was like looking at a rainbow made entirely of flowers. Without the shape mind you. It would look really weird if the flowers were arranged like that. Blue... Red... Yellow... Orange... Green... Purple... He looked at the beauty in awe. It was like utter perfection. Not a blade of grass was withered or too tall. Every flower was perfectly aligned to give an effect similar to a kaleidoscope. Ever changing with a simple turn, yet always the same source.

'It looks like something out of a picture book.' He glanced up in the sky. No smiley face on the sun. Not that he could tell, anyways. "Okay that was just stupid on my part." He blinked several times, as if it would help get rid of the spots from looking at the sun. He reached up to pull his hat down over his eyes a bit—

Only to find it gone.

'Bright, hot, and me without my hat. What a day.' He wiped the back of his hand on his forehead, trying to rid himself of the thin layer of sweat. 'If I don't find some shade, I'm gonna roast.'

The midday sun shone down from heaven soaking almost every inch of land visible with its golden touch. Almost... Far in the distance was a shadow.

'What is that?'

Across the beautiful field sat an old tree that appeared to be dead. Its many cracked somber branches arose high into the sky; with not one adorned with leaves. The limbs were so numerous, that no light could fall upon the trunk. And it wasn't really dead. Old, but not dead. You could tell it was old not just by the sun-bleached branches that towered high overhead. It wasn't the old scars that littered the bark, though the scars were proof of a very hard and dangerous life. It wasn't even the massive size of the trunk that grew to be nearly a meter thick.

It was the touch. Just placing a single hand on the surface of the living tower anyone would feel the knowledge and wisdom it withheld deep inside itself. How he knew such a thing having never touched it bothered him somewhat. But that wasn't what was on his mind at the moment.

'Where am I?'

He shrugged his shoulders as he began to stand. Looking down at where he had once sat, in a little area no bigger than his backside, was a small bare spot. Not one little sliver of grass or flower grew there. 'That's weird...'

'How long have I been sitting here? Guess that doesn't matter right now. Gotta get to that tree before I fry... That reminds me, I'm kinda hungry. And thirsty.'

After seeing no source of food or water around to satisfy him, besides the grass and flowers around him (and he sure as heck wasn't that hungry), he began to quickly make his way to the tree. With each step he took, the size of the tree grew. As the tree grew in size, his pace quickened. And as his pace quickened, the hotter he got. Sweat began to seep from his pores and run down his face as he continued to run to the shelter looming ahead.

'Geeze, this thing is huge! Why didn't I see it before?'

Despite gawking at the immensity of the tree before him, he found nothing at all strange about the current situation. Even the size of the giant timber was, truthfully, not a surprise. Before, he never knew he could gawk and not be surprised, but now he did.

When he finally reached the refuge he desired so much, he stopped just short of the division between the sun and the shade. Just a little further and the old branches would protect him from the harsh sunlight that was wrapping around him like a blanket.

But something was stopping him. No matter how hard he tried, he could not will his legs to move from that spot. He fiercely grabbed his left leg and tried to physically pick it up and move it, literally, by "hand". This only caused him to fall face-first into the ground. He closed his eyes and coughed hard as his face struck the hard floor and his mouth tasted the cool dry soil.

'Yuck! I may be hungry, but I'm not hungry enough to eat dirt. Wait a sec...'

He opened his eyes realizing that he was indeed halfway under the shade of the tree. Great. Now for the other half. He placed his hands directly under his chest, palms on the ground, and forcefully pushed himself to his knees. He tried crawling. Didn't work. He tried rolling. Didn't work either. Sadly, despite his best efforts, he couldn't get his lower half out of the sun. He sighed and rolled onto his back, placing his hands behind his head.

'Well I guess this is better than nothing.'

He smiled as he began to relax for the first time since he got here. Wherever "here" is.

"help..."

A voice... Calling out... for...

Comprehension of the word finally settled in his mind causing him to leap up from his resting spot and dash a short distance away from his shelter to find the source of the cry, his temporary paralysis forgotten. Turning his head from side to side, he scanned quickly for the sign of someone, anyone, who could tell him what was going on. "Helloooo? Is anyone there?" Something didn't seem right when he yelled.

His shout didn't even echo.

"Why do you search?" A voice from behind him spoke with a hint of sarcasm, startling him out of his wits. This voice was different. It was...

Right behind him...

He whirled around towards the source of the new voice. He was again facing the giant tree, but this time, the shadows were darker, almost black, and someone was under it. The person was so enveloped in the shadows, that it was impossible to see the face clearly. He was leaning against the large trunk, his head pointed down with his hat in his eyes. "Hey! Who are you and what's going on here?"

"Why do you help others?" It was apparent that this guy also heard the cry. The man in shadows lifted his head to look at him. Eyes of brown fire stared from the darkness, piercing him to his soul. "Why do you fight?" With each word of the last question, the man in the shadows took a step towards the invisible boundary between the darkness and the light, eyes never leaving him.

He couldn't speak. He couldn't think. Those eyes burned him more than the sun ever could.

"help..."

His eyes widened as he again heard the voice crying out in need. Crying was the only way to describe the voice. It sounded so helpless. So sad. So scared. So hurt. Forgetting the figure before him, he again searched the field with his eyes hoping that he would be able to see the source of the pleas for help.

He spoke again. This time with more force. "Why do you search?"

"Huh?"

"What could you possibly do to help?"

'This is starting to sound repetitive.' He tried to ignore the person behind him and continued to search, listening. But the stranger was relentless.

"What do you fight for?"

'Great.' He thought. 'This weirdo talks like a broken record.' He spoke in an annoyed tone, no longer afraid of the apparition. "You are really getting on my nerves pal." Was he really scared at one point?

"Help..." That voice again. It was all around him. Its echoes reverberated inside his mind, with its source still unknown. Wait... in his mind?

"How could one so small amount to something so great?"

'GEEZE! That guy just won't quit!'

His hands tightened into fists, and he whirled around to face the aggravating individual as his final ounce of patience was lost, "Will you knock it off? I'm trying to listen here!" Sadly, his voice fell on deaf ears.

"What is your destiny?" What a stupid question. He already knew what his destiny was. He was going to be the greatest Pokémon Master the world had ever known.

Who would ask such a stupid question like that?

As if the voice read his mind, it responded with kindness, "Not your dream... Your destiny." The figure stepped out into the light. It was Ash. Ash Ketchum. But...

Wasn't that his name?

"HELP!"

"Whaahh!" Ash bolted upright as he gasped at the intensity of the voice and grabbed his head. The pain deep in his mind slowly began to ebb as he sat there just trying to take normal breaths. He felt like he had run a marathon on his head instead of his feet, if that was even possible. When the pain finally dissipated, he slowly opened his eyes to take in his surroundings. Instead of a large field, a large room of chairs, desks, and sleeping trainers surrounded him. The smell of sterilized equipment and medicine gave him the indication of his whereabouts.

The Pokémon Center. Ash shook his head. "Man, what a weird dream."

The memories of the previous day came rolling into Ash's mind as he tried to collect his thoughts. Through the darkness, he could see the three silhouettes of his traveling companions lying in various positions around the lobby of the Pokémon Center. The furthest from him, sprawled out on three chairs, with his left side dangling near the floor, was his old buddy Brock. He appeared to be smiling.

"Oh Nurse Joyyyy...Jenny..." His grin began to grow larger. "I love you so much..."

Same old Brock. It should happen right about...

Suddenly, Brock's happy appearance began to slip, and a quite humorous panicky expression replaced it. "But I do love you too... And you... and you... Wait! I love all of you ... Don't leave meeeeee..." He reached towards the ceiling grasping at the air before rolling off the chairs and onto the floor with a comical thud. Ash shook his head to keep from laughing.

'Yup. Right on time. Every night in the Pokémon Center, the same thing. How does he sleep through that?'

Turning his attention to the next figure, whose small form easily fit on one chair, was Max. The young wiz kid, while holding his sister's first Pokémon, was curled up in a small ball and wrapped up in a dark green blanket, no doubt dreaming of the day he would finally battle with his own Pokémon as a powerful trainer. Ash smiled warmly at the young Poké-obsessed child. Deep down, that boy reminded him of himself at that age.

'Though he is a lot smarter than when I was seven.'

He snickered at the thought. Ok, so he was really stupid at that age, but look at what happened in 8 years. He had eventually matured into the strong young traveler that he is today with only a few immature moments...

'Heh. Who am I trying to kid? Max is probably smarter than I'll ever be. A little experience in battling and he'll go really far.'

He eventually found his sight falling on the unmoving form of May, the Coordinator. The bandana she always wore on her head was folded neatly under her chair with her brother's glasses atop. Her sandy colored hair cascaded across her chin and framed her face in a quite adorable fashion. How this girl could be so different from Misty would always be a mystery to him. Those two were like night and day. Misty, with her fiery temper, fear of all things bug-like, and her "I don't care what other people think of my looks" attitude. And May, with her mellow nature, extreme naivety, and bizarre fashion sense.

'I guess I'll never understand girls. Hope she's not still mad at me.'

A loud growl immediately took his attention away from his friends and to a much more pressing matter. Well, at least to him, that is. His stomach. Ash then stood up quietly, crept over to his hormone driven friend's bag, sat down, and proceeded to raid Brock's food supply.

"Um. Excuse me."

The melodious voice of the Pokémon Center nurse sang in Ash's ears as he chewed and swallowed the last of Brock's leftover rice balls. He turned his head slowly to look at the woman whose family resemblance was ridiculously similar. A young woman in a simple pink dress with a white apron stood before him. Her bright pink hair was looped on the sides of her head into two strange pigtails... If you could call them pigtails. Such were the hairstyles of the Joys. A small white hat with a red cross crowned her head as she spoke to him kindly. "You're Ash aren't you?"

Ash hesitated, "Uhhh... Yeah?" He felt like his mother had caught him with his hand in the cookie jar. "Um... Heh..." he placed his right hand on the back of his head and rubbed, clearly embarrassed. "It's not what it looks like..."

"You're not taking food out of your friend's bag without asking?" She asked with a hint of humor in her voice.

Urk.

Shaking her head, she smiled sweetly at his reaction, "I just came over here to inform you that your Pokémon are in excellent condition and have completely recovered." Ash sighed, relieved.

Nurse Joy took in the appearance of the young trainer. Despite his wild black hair, torn black shirt and blue jeans, and worn out shoes, he was special. Maybe it was his kind personality. Or perhaps it was his relationship with his Pokémon. She had never seen such happy Pokémon in her entire career.

'His mother must be very proud of him.'

"Nurse Joy..." Both Ash and Nurse Joy turned their heads at the same time to look at the source of the voice. "Never have I seen such beauty from a..." Brock rolled over, his face away from the two, and muffled his words with the chair he now slept under.

Ash tried to hold in his chuckle as he spoke, "Brock..." He shook his head and turned his attention back to the Pokémon nurse. "Can I have my Pokémon back?"

Nurse Joy nodded, "Of course." She turned around and began to walk towards the receptionist's desk. "Please follow me."

The city of Altomare. What was once one of the most beautiful cities in the world, was now a desolate island of ruins. Amidst the rubble, stood a tall man with dark brown hair that was slicked back with not one hair out of place. His eyes showed no compassion in regards to the now dead city. He continued to stare west, his hands folded across his orange business suit, with annoyance.

"Sir!" A young man in a black uniform branding a large red "R" on the chest spoke from behind him. " The Latios and Latias that we have captured are on the helicopters and awaiting your orders for transport." His leader didn't respond. "Sir?" This was strange. Never had he seen the boss so quiet. Usually, he was constantly criticizing everything his underlings did. The grunt took a few steps towards the ultimate Team Rocket member. "Uh... Mister Giovanni? Is everything alri..." His head suddenly snapped back from a powerful blow directly to the forehead, causing his vision to swim, and him to tumble to the ground. He clutched his head in agony as he let out a small groan. When his sight cleared, he looked up through his headache and saw his boss standing over him with a very calm look.

Giovanni bent down and grabbed the terrified grunt by his collar, yanked him high into the air, and slowly began to tighten his already strong grip. "Do not ever call me by my name again."

The young man's eyes widened in horror at the action as he felt his shirt tighten around his neck. He quickly brought his hands to his collar and pulled weakly at his boss's hand. Sadly, it was a vain attempt. Giovanni was just far too strong. He managed to sputter out a few words as he grew light-headed, his feet still dangling a meter off the ground. "I-I'm... Sorry sir... It... W-won't happen... A-again..."

Giovanni loosened his grip slightly, but still held the man off the ground at arm's length. At least the grunt could now breathe easier. "Be sure you remember." He brought the poor soul closer to his face. "Because if you don't, it will be the last word you will ever say."

The Team Rocket grunt nodded his head as best he could in his current position high in the air. "Y-y-y-y-yes-s s-sir!"

"Good." He then dropped the grunt unceremoniously onto the ground, his voice never loosing its silkiness and elegance, "Give pilots 3 and 5 the order to return to the base with the Pokémon." The young Team Rocket member scrambled to his feet, saluted quickly, and took off running towards the 5 helicopters that were awaiting their orders. Giovanni again turned his attention west, the events that transpired only a few short hours ago replaying in his mind like a broken record.

'Where did I go wrong?'His face contorted in what appeared to be mild frustration. Or constipation. However you wanted to look at it.

Everything was perfect! All precautions were taken! All of the guardians were defeated! How could one injured Latias slip through his defenses and take from him what he had desired for so long?

The sound of crunching glass and footsteps behind him roused him out of his thoughts, though he showed no sign of hearing the person behind him. He continued to stare at the night sky in the direction that his prize had fled.

"If you had backhanded him any harder, you could have killed him." The cocky feminine voice of his second in command filled his ears. He turned his head slightly to the left, glaring at her from his peripheral vision. A young woman, no older than 20, wearing the traditional black TR top with a white skirt that was slightly shorter than mid-thigh, white gloves that nearly reached her shoulders, and white boots that stopped an inch below her skirt, with each article having along the edge a small red stripe. Finishing her uniform was a small hat of red and white that was perched atop her shoulder-length curly blond hair. A small earpiece that was used for communication between Rockets could be seen sticking out of her right ear.

Domino.

"It doesn't matter." He looked back to the night sky, unfolded his arms, and began to adjust his brown tie. "He could easily be replaced." Quickly, he turned and faced the woman before him. "I trust that you have better news than your friend did."

His eyes glared darkly at her, causing a slight shiver down her spine, though she hid it well behind her cold, and arrogant attitude. "Yes sir, I do. We've determined that the rouge Latias has entered the Hoenn region and have sent what remains of Team 3 to locate and retrieve it. We also have a bit of a prob..."

"Who is the Leader of Team 3?"

"Cassidy and Butch, sir."

Giovanni closed his eyes and sighed as he rubbed his forehead in frustration. "Those incompetent fools." He could feel the beginning ailments of a headache coming on. How much worse could this morning get? "Have all the witnesses on the island been eliminated?"

Domino hesitated, "No sir, but..."

Quickly he opened his eyes, brought his right hand to his side, and began slowly to approach her menacingly, "No?" His hands were balled into fists, but his arms were relaxed. Each step he took was with the elegance of a Suicune. "My orders were to leave no witnesses, were they not?" His voice grew louder as he spoke again. "The primary objective of this mission has already failed due to your incompetence, and now you blatantly ignore my orders?" He was now standing a mere six inches from her, with his large form towering over hers. "You had better have a good excuse for this."

She stood there rooted to the ground by his terrifying gaze. They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul. If that were true, then his soul was as black and malicious as they came, and she was in trouble if he didn't hear a satisfying answer. She needed to choose her words carefully.

Despite the great fear that she held for her boss, Domino remained calm on the outside. "We don't need to kill everyone here." She turned on her heel and pointed nonchalantly toward the ocean. " We could just let the tidal wave kill them."

Giovanni's eyesight did not follow the direction that her hand pointed. He knew that the ocean was as calm as ever. "I am not a fool. There is no tidal wave." He glared at her, his patience reaching its limit.

She smirked at his response. Typical Giovanni. Always aware of his immediate surroundings... most of the time. "Not now, but there will be one soon."

His eyes never wavered as he spoke with a mocking tone. "And how would you know this information?"

"Annie and Oakley... and one of the witnesses."

This got his attention. All anger drained from his face and surprise flooded in its place, "Who is this survivor, and how do they know this?" He knew that only two people on Altomare actually had more knowledge about Latias and Latios than the mere legend that was once told to children to lull them to sleep.

Domino again turned around, this time to face her boss. "He is a gondola designer. We haven't yet gotten his name, but he claims to have witnessed the power of the tidal wave first-hand during Annie and Oakley's first attempt in trying to obtain the Soul Dew."

Giovanni's expression had once again become suspicious. "Are you trying to tell me that the Soul Dew created a giant tidal wave with the power to destroy the city, yet left it untouched?" The edges of his mouth began to curl down into a scowl as he leaned down and brought his face level with hers; his hands behind his back. "And how do you suppose that the city survived the last wave?"

Domino grew exceedingly uncomfortable with Giovanni's face so close to hers, causing her to lean back away from him in an attempt to get some breathing space. Taking a step back she replied quickly trying to hide her discomfort. "He claimed that the Soul Dew prevented the water from destroying the city, but he wouldn't give us any more details despite our... persuasion. He did tell us that since the Soul Dew is no longer in Altomare, the water will destroy this place very soon." Before Giovanni could respond, she continued, "Team 4 has already confirmed that the water is quickly receding and will return with a great deal of destructive force."

Giovanni growled as he turned to his left and began walking towards the landing site, with Domino following close behind, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I tried to sir, but you kept interrupting me."

He resisted the urge to twist the neck of his personal agent to an unnatural angle. "How much time do we have?"

"Approximately 30 minutes. Maybe less."

Cursing at his luck, Giovanni quickened his pace to a run as he began to formulate a plan for the current situation. "009. Inform all units to begin emergency evacuation. If anyone is not on board their assigned helicopter in 15 minutes, they will be left behind."

"Yes Sir!" Domino placed her right hand on her ear and, while running, began giving out orders. "Attention all Rockets. Emergency Evacuation! I repeat, Emergency Evacuation! All Rockets return to your assigned transport in 15 minutes or you will be left! I repeat, all Rockets return to your assigned transport in15 minutes or you will be left!"

As they ran by one of the deep roads of moving water, a question came to Giovanni's mind, "Where is the gondola designer now?"

"He's being held at the landing site."

"Good. Inform the guards to escort him to my personal helicopter." He began to smile as they neared the landing site. "I have a few questions I would like to ask him before he dies."