The sun hung high overhead, bearing down on a watery city. Its streets were rivers, with small, quaint bridges crossing over them near every corner. It was a beautiful, bountiful city. Under the sun's gaze, the water made the city look like it was glimmering from above. Yet, like most cities in the world during these times, there were very few people and Pokemon that actually inhabited it. And so, the city was quiet, accompanied only by the sound of gentle waves and slow rivers.
That gentle noise was interrupted by the sound of helicopter blades. A large, black chopper with a red 'R' insignia adorning it descended upon the silent city. It touched down on the city's outskirts. The door whirred open, and from it, six men in black suits emerged. They swiftly distanced themselves from the helicopter and lined up in threes. Then, something else emerged. A gargantuan, black hunk of metal in the vague shape of a human stepped out, its boots thudding on the ground. The helicopter rose slightly due to the absence of its weight.
"Mr. Harper," Came a voice from the suit's radio, "In this mission, your objective is the Soul Dew." The inside of his helmet lit up with an image of a sapphire-colored orb with a hazy white mass in its center. "Your cooperation on this mission and future missions will determine the possibility of facing Moltres. Disobedience will not be tolerated again."
There was a low, grumbling sigh from Harper before he replied, "Understood."
The voice said, "Then let us commence. The city of Alto-Mare holds ancient technology on a scale similar to what we have. Former Rocket agents Annie and Oakley rediscovered how to use it, but we won't be needing it."
"Then why mention it?" Asked the Burned Man.
They replied, "That technology can cast illusions. One of them is a hidden doorway that looks like an ordinary wall, but with your sensors and the optics of the agents accompanying you, you should have no issue finding it. That doorway will take you to a fountain where the Soul Dew is. Make sure to use the containment unit to keep it submerged within the fountain's water specifically at all times or it will expire before we can use it."
One of the Black Suits took out a sizable glass casing with three metal prongs on the interior's top and bottom. "Got it, sir," He replied through comms.
"Excellent," The voice responded. "Then, divide yourselves appropriately amidst the city. Though its population is low like most, it is confirmed to hold the Legendary Pokemon, Latias, somewhere within. Our past research shows it has the capability to change shape or outright become invisible. Should you come across it, do not engage. Follow it until you find the garden, then take the Soul Dew by any means necessary. We begin once the sun sets."
The Burned Man rolled his charred neck. "Understood," He said once more, marching ahead of the others. "Whatever is necessary for the sake of finding Moltres."
Secret Garden, Alto-Mare.
The garden was serene and peaceful. Leaves and vines dotted the gates, walls and bridges, gently swaying back and forth due to the breeze that found its way inside. There were two people within it, making their way toward the fountain near the garden's edge. One was an old, round man with a shiny head and a white beard. The other, a young girl who was taller than him. She had brown hair with two spiked ends reaching up diagonally, as well as a white beret.
"Hey, Latias!" Called the girl. "You here?"
There was no response, making her sigh. She turned to the older man and asked, "Say, Lorenzo, do you think she's even here? She doesn't come by often anymore, does she?"
The old man, Lorenzo, nodded confidently. "Not often, sure, but sometimes she'll come here around this time. I've got a feeling in my gut telling me she's somewhere around here." When he noticed the worried look on the girl's face, he wrapped an arm around her. "She'll be fine, Bianca. You weren't born yet, but Latias and Latios didn't come here for years after the deaths of their parents. Latias has only become stronger since then."
Bianca still seemed unsure. She looked around the garden, trying to spot any sign of her best friend. Nothing caught her eye. "Sure, but seeing your brother die...and then, seeing him alive, only to die again...I doubt I could handle that." Turning back to her grandfather, she asked, "Why do we have to give it to her here? We could easily get her to show up anywhere else in the city."
Chuckling, the old man walked past her toward the fountain. "This is the kind of gift that would be best appreciated here," He told her, taking out a wooden carving of Latios. "Her family's all in the Soul Dew, though I don't have to tell you that. She'd feel closer to him here than anywhere else." He placed the carving next to the fountain before turning back. "Just remember," Said Lorenzo, "If we see her before she finds it, don't mention it."
Sighing indignantly, Bianca replied, "Alright, gramps." And with that, the two went on their way, exiting through a false wall at the garden's end.
There was a pool of water at the garden's opposite end, behind the fountain. From it, a cloaked Latias emerged to watch them leave. Once they were gone, Latias became visible once more and floated around the fountain to see what Lorenzo had placed. When she saw the wooden carving of her brother, she recoiled.
Ever since the first death of her brother, Latias had steeled herself to become strong so that she could take up his mantle as guardian of Alto Mare. She decided she would shed no more tears for her brother then. But when she saw another Latios, captured by a trainer, she hardly believed her eyes at the time. As she promised herself, she shed no tears upon meeting him again. She felt only anger toward the trainer for capturing him before she could meet him again.
But when she saw how much that trainer loved her brother, along with the other Legends under his command, it became a bit harder to hate him. Then, the new Latios died again to save that trainer, just as her brother had done for her, and she found herself hating him again. She had much time to think since then, but being near Latios only caused her to remember and become angry again. But it was worth coming to the garden every once and a while, because remembering him and becoming angry was far better than forgetting him and going numb.
This life that she lived ever since the war's end seven months ago was hardly a life at all. Lorenzo and Bianca were always there for her, which was about the only thing keeping her from going insane. But seeing the city she loved so much devoid of the joy and life she'd known before Necrozma came and ruined the world weighed on her mind endlessly. She remembered the races between trainers and their Water-Type Pokemon, the people busily walking the roads, and the gondolas carrying people throughout the city.
Now, there was hardly a soul left in the city. She was lucky to see anyone at all. No one manned the gondolas anymore, driving poor Lorenzo out of his job. It was torturous to see. And in seven months, it hadn't gotten better. Not a single day went by that Ash didn't plague her mind. She wanted to go on adventures with him, have fun and save the world together. When Latias thought he had died during the war...well, she didn't want to even remember.
Lorenzo and Bianca would have approved. Along with Ash, they were her closest friends. The only thing that kept her from going was the Soul Dew. She was its guardian. The last remnants of her family was in there. Not to mention what would happen if it fell into the wrong hands. She couldn't risk that. Even if it meant living like this forever, she had to keep it safe.
There was a sudden stir; the sound of footsteps from the hall at the garden's end. When Latias heard it, she cloaked herself and dove back into the water, believing it to be Lorenzo and Bianca returning. While it was indeed two people, they weren't ones that she recognized. Two men in black, fancy-looking suits unveiled themselves from the shadows.
"Is this the place?" One of them asked, marveling at the garden.
The other replied, "Looks like a garden to me, and it was behind a fake wall. It's gotta be it." He stopped once he saw what lied at the garden's end, smirking. "And what do you know? There's the fountain."
How had they found this place? These men were definitely not anyone she had seen walking the streets of Alto-Mare before, so how in the world did they know there was a garden, let alone a fountain, here at all? She contemplated surfacing and forcing them out, suddenly feeling a wave of dread wash over her, but wasn't sure of their intentions.
When the two reached the fountain, one peered inside to try to find their objective. While he did that, the other one noticed the Latios carving at his feet. "The heck is this?" He asked, picking it up to get a closer look. "This is Latios, right? What's a wooden figurine of it doing here?"
"Who cares?" Replied the other. "Focus on the mission."
Shrugging, the Black Suit absentmindedly tossed the carving over his shoulder where it clattered onto the floor. He peered into the fountain and whistled at what he saw. "That's it, right?" He asked.
The other man nodded. "That's it, alright. The Soul Dew." He elbowed the other one and said, "Call home and tell 'em we found it while I try to get this thing out."
He nodded, turning away from the fountain and pressing the microphone of his earpiece to his mouth. He opened his mouth, then closed it, turning back to the other man. "Should we call in the big guy?"
"Harper?" Asked the Black Suit with a dry chuckle. "Nah. He tends to make a mess of things. If we're too loud, we might catch the attention of Lati-"
The two were suddenly enveloped in a red glow and thrown into a wall. From the water, Latias emerged, revealing itself to them. "Oh, hell!" Wheezed the Black Suit, the wind nearly completely knocked out of him. He pressed the mic to his mouth and screamed, "We found the Soul Dew and Latias! Send Harper! Send-"
They cried out in pain, trapped in Latias's Psychic grip once more. She sped toward them with all the haste of a rocket. Their eyes went wide before shutting tight, believing their life was at an end. A powerful wind hit them for a moment, but nothing more. When they opened their eyes once more, they found an enraged Latias staring back at them.
"Who are you?" She demanded. "And what do want with the Soul Dew?"
One of the Black Suits hacked up a cough, breathing heavily to regain control over his lungs that he lost when he impacted the wall. He smirked up at her once he managed this, replying, "Wouldn't you like to know? Go on, kill us if you want. But one way or another, we're getting that Soul Dew."
Latias scowled at them. As her eyes went red, theirs went white, and they fell still. She let out a long sigh, saying, "That should keep them down for a few hours, but...what am I going to do with them?" Killing them was out of the question. That just wasn't how she did things. Maybe she could dump them off somewhere far away, like an island in the middle of the ocean or something.
But then she'd have to leave the Soul Dew unaccompanied. They definitely were talking to someone else, so there would be more to come.
Evidently, that was sooner than Latias could have ever predicted. The sound of rapid footsteps, fast approaching, caught her ear. As soon as the first legs dipped out from the shadows, Latias's eyes went red once more. When the four other Black Suits emerged and saw this, they raised their shields just in time. They were thrown to the wall like the others, but they simply bounced right back off due to their barriers.
"What in the world?" Said Latias in disbelief, eyeing their shields. "Where did those barriers come from?"
Though the four Black Suits took no damage, they were still held firmly in place by Latias. She decided to keep it that way until she could find a way past them. "Maybe if I…" The red glow in her eyes intensified, making the one around their shields do the same. There was a loud, creaking noise from the shields as they were strained, but they held firm.
Latias scowled in annoyance. "Which one of you is Harper?" She demanded. This earned sinister snickers from the Black Suits, annoying her. "What? What do you think is so funny?"
For a brief moment, she heard the high-pitched hiss of something hot. And then, she was cast aflame. A massive jet of fire flew from the dark hallway straight into her, sending her crashing into the wall at the garden's far end and releasing the Black Suits. She hissed in pain, coughing to get rid of the smoke in her lungs. When she opened her eyes to try to make sense of what had happened, they quickly became as wide as dinner plates.
She barely managed to dodge a massive, black fist before it smashed into the wall where her head once was. The wall splintered, partially collapsing from the blow. Latias paled, finding herself staring up at a faceless black hunk of metal. And though it appeared to have a screen instead of a face, Latias could feel that, somehow, it was staring at her.
The wall suddenly became extremely hot. She yelped, distancing herself from it, but by then, it was too late. It exploded outward in a fiery mass of stone and blistering dust. She was sent sprawling across the garden room floor before coming to a stop near the feet of the chuckling Black Suits. Painstakingly, she forced herself to open her eyes. The wall had completely been blown away, revealing the garden that had been hidden for so long to the outside world.
"That," Said one of the Black Suits, "Would be Harper."
The hunk of metal posing as a man turned around to face them. He looked down at the fountain with intrigue. From his perspective, all manner of scanners raced across his field of vision before locking onto something within it.
"The Soul Dew is here," Harper said, "In that fountain. Contain it and let's get out of here." He walked past the fountain toward the other exit. When he spotted the two downed Black Suits, he added, "And someone get those two back on their feet."
One of them asked, "What should we do with this one?" He kicked Latias's wing with his boot.
Uncaring, Harper replied, "It doesn't matter."
Shrugging, the Black Suit nearest to Latias took out a knife. Upon pressing a small button on its hilt, the knife lit red with heat. Plasmatic sparks ran up and down its length, making the nearby air smell of burning. "Guess I'll just put it down, then. Can't have it getting in the-"
He was cut off and knocked flat onto his backside when Latias suddenly lurched forward, speeding toward the fountain. Harper aimed the palm of his hand at her to blast her out of the air, but held himself back when the voice of his superior rang out.
"Don't fire! You'll destroy the Soul Dew at that angle!"
The Burned Man hastily retracted his arm, allowing the accumulated heat to seep out as steam through gaps that opened in his armor before fitting back into place like a puzzle. Jets of flame emerged from his back, propelling him forward as he sprinted after Latias like a mad bull. Still, his large, heavy body couldn't possibly keep up with Latias's jet-like speed. She reached down into the fountain, swiping up the Soul Dew before diving headfirst into the now-exposed river and masking herself amidst the water.
Coming to a swift stop, the Burned Man hunched over and scanned the visible water for any sign of her or the Soul Dew, but found nothing. "Search the city," He ordered. "Don't let Latias or the Soul Dew escape!"
The others saluted. As three of them turned and ran through the dark hall to follow his orders, one stayed behind, hunching over his unconscious comrades as he tried to get them to stir. While they did that, Harper leapt over the river to the next street and sped off, leaving a dark cloud of smoke in his path.
"You had better find the Soul Dew, Harper," Hissed his superior, "Because if you let it slip through your fingers, you will never be allowed to see Moltres again."
Before Harper could respond, the transmission ended. He balled his hands into fists angrily, and though he was silent, the flames that escaped the gaps in his fingers were a testament to the volume of his fury.
Bianca stared up at the night sky's endless stars, resting her head in her arms as she and her grandfather made their way back home. To her, they never got old, no matter how much she looked at them. It was a marvel how they never seemed to change, even as her little world was flipped upside down. Even once all this ended, they would stay the same, twinkling incandescently with their hypnotic glow. But then again...would it end at all?
"Do you think Latias will even like the gift?" She asked Lorenzo. "It might just bring up painful memories."
To that, Lorenzo gave a gruff chuckle. "You're focusing a bit too much on the 'painful' part, not enough on 'memories.'" He wrapped his arm around her and said, "Memories can be painful. I'm an old man with plenty of painful memories, but I wouldn't trade 'em for the world. Because forgetting, not knowing what you once loved and cared about, is even more painful."
Taking his arm off of her, the old man pointed toward a museum near Alto-Mare's center. "Before the recent incident, I still remember the other time the Defense Mechanism of Alto-Mare was used. It took the lives of Latios and Latias's parents, who were dear friends of mine." Despite speaking of this, a wide smile was still present on his face. "But I would never want to forget that it happened. They were the closest friends I'd ever known. If I forgot their last moments, the moment they shined the most, what kind of a friend would I be?"
Not knowing how to respond to that, Bianca stood in silence, staring at the museum. She looked up at the ocean, recalling the monstrous waves that threatened to swallow Alto-Mare, as well as the one who stopped it. "...Gramps, I-"
The two winced as a loud, resounding shockwave rang through the air.
"What happened?!" Cried Bianca, shielding her eyes from the wind.
When it died down, Lorenzo forced his eyes back open to see what had caused it, and paled when he found out. "No...that's from the garden!"
Bianca saw something moving toward them through the river, leaving small ripples as it went. A dishelveled Latias emerged, panting for air with a look of panic on her face.
"Latias!" Cried Bianca at the sight of her best friend. "What happened?! Are you alright?! What's going on with the garden?!"
Lorenzo, mouth agape, walked up to Latias, staring more at what was in her hands than at her. "Th-the Soul Dew," He said, alerting Bianca to its presence. When she looked down and saw it, she became as pale as him. Latias would never remove the Soul Dew without good reason. "Latias," He said, so shocked that his voice was almost like a whisper, "What happened? Please, tell us everything!"
Looking over her shoulder with worry, Latias lowered herself to the ground. "There's no time," She told them. "There are people after the Soul Dew. Strong people, and seven of them. But…one of them…" Her gaze was fixed upon the garden, as if she still stared into the faceless visor of the Burned Man. "There was one they called Harper. I don't know if it was a human or a Pokemon, but...it was an enormous hunk of black metal, spewing flames from all over its body. It destroyed one of the garden's walls!"
"So that's what caused that explosion," Mused Lorenzo. "What in the world are they thinking?! Are they trying to use the DMA again?!"
Latias shook her head, looking about in a panic. "I don't know, but we need to find a way to get them to leave. I can't go far without putting the Soul Dew back in the fountain."
"There you are."
The attention of the three were caught by a voice from a nearby rooftop. Staring down at them from it was a man in a black suit. He tapped on his earpiece and said, "Latias is found. Close in on my location."
With that, he sent a chilling smirk solely upon Latias, making her shiver. He jumped down from the roof and brandished his plasma knife. "Hand over the Soul Dew and we'll leave," He ordered. "If I have to take it from you, it'll be from your corpse."
Lorenzo and Bianca stepped in front of Latias to guard her, holding their arms wide. "You're not getting your hands on Latias or the Soul Dew!" Bianca declared.
"The Soul Dew isn't a weapon!" Cried Lorenzo. "We won't allow you to use it for such purposes!"
The Black Suit chuckled. He took a step forward onto thin air, slowly tilting forward before descending from the roof and landing cleanly on his feet. "We have no intention of using it as a weapon, nor do we care for the Defense Mechanism of Alto-Mare. It is merely a means to a greater end."
Their eyes went wide when they heard the name of their city's weapon. "H-how," Gasped Lorenzo, "Do you know about the defense mechanism?!" He paled upon seeing the crimson red 'R' imprinted on the man's suit over his heart. "Th-that symbol!" The old man cried, pointing at it. "It's the same one those girls wore when they stole the Soul Dew before!"
He glared at the Black Suit accusingly. "I knew it! You're from the same bunch as last time! Did you think you could fool me?! I'm not letting you set foot near the Soul Dew!"
The Black Suit held the knife close to him, pointing the edge outward. He stepped toward them brazenly and replied, "I'd reconsider that if I were you. We have no interests in any former Rocket operations, nor do I give a damn about an old, rusted machine! Hand it over if you care about your lives!"
"Not a chance!" Bianca shot back. She looked back at Latias over her shoulder. "Find somewhere to hide," She told her. When Latias's eyes widened at the prospect of leaving them to fend for themselves, Bianca shot her a confident smirk. "Don't worry about us," She told her, taking out a Pokeball. "We can handle ourselves just fine. Isn't that right, gramps?"
Lorenzo nodded, revealing a Pokeball of his own. "That's right. I haven't been guarding this city for as long as I have without something to back it up. If the Soul Dew falls into their hands, another tragedy will occur! We'll think of a way to get rid of them, but for now, don't let them catch you." He didn't dare break eye contact with the Black Suit for fear it'd be the last thing he'd do. "Go!" He ordered. "We'll catch up with you."
Though she had gripes with it, Latias couldn't deny that it was necessary. The rest would be coming soon too. By going, she could keep them away from her friends. "Alright," She told them with a nod, "I'll go. But don't you dare die!"
"Wouldn't dream of it," Said Bianca, turning back to face the Black Suit.
Latias sent one last glance at her friends before taking off and cloaking. Immediately, the Black Suit stopped paying attention to Bianca and Lorenzo. With the optics in his sunglasses, he was able to see right through her invisibility.
Tapping his comms earpiece, he said, "Latias is heading East of my location, seaward." After relaying that to his squad, he took off after her.
"Yanmega, use Sonicboom!" Ordered Bianca, tossing a Pokeball in the Black Suit's way. As it manifested from its Pokeball, the dragonfly Pokemon beat its wings, creating small scythes of wind in the air. The Black Suit brought up his shield, but he was still knocked back into the ground. As the dust settled, Bianca and Lorenzo witnessed the Black-Suited man's barrier. There wasn't a single scratch on his body.
The two marveled at the glittering shield. Especially Lorenzo, who, in spite of all his knowledge of technology, was at a loss when he saw it. "What in the world?" He wondered aloud. "That disc on his wrist...can it project Protect?"
"Something like that," Replied the Black Suit. Lowering the shield, the Black Suit pointed up at Yanmega with his other arm.
Lorenzo quickly threw out a Pokemon of his own to stop whatever it was that their enemy was about to do. "Azumarill, Aqua Jet!" He ordered.
A wire shot out from a small device with a hole in it on the Black Suit's wrist up at Yanmega, wrapping around its tail. He yanked down on the wire, pulling them toward one another and eliciting a cry of shock from the Pokemon, having underestimated the man's strength. Seeing the oncoming Azumarill, the Black Suit raised his shield and was knocked back, loosening the wire and freeing Yanmega.
He was sent skidding from the surprising force behind Azumarill's attack, but was able to remain on his feet until he came to a stop. "The hell was that?" He said aloud in response to Azumarill's surprising strength. "That type of Pokemon shouldn't have power like that. Are you putting that thing on Protein?"
Lorenzo and Azumarill scoffed. "Hardly," He said. "Azumarill's ability is Huge Power. It'll hit twice as hard as any other Pokemon of its kind."
Rolling his head in irritation, the Black Suit rose back to his full height and brandished his plasma knife once more. "That's an annoying ability. Maybe I'll change it to Guts by spilling that thing's all over the ground!"
Latias flew low through the city's watery streets, trying to remain as invisible as possible. They had already found her twice before, so it was clear that they were likely to do so again. But she was faster. As long as she kept moving, she was on the move, they couldn't catch her. That's what she thought at least.
Something thrice her size and blacker than night descended upon her. When it drove its fiery fist into the river, it let loose an explosion that turned the nearby water into steam. Latias was flung out of the water, crashing straight through the side of a large building and sprawling across the hard floor. Still, she held onto the Soul Dew as if it were her lifeline.
The sound of something heavy and metal banging against the floor made Latias's heart sink. She dared to open her eyes, and her fears were realized. At the room's end, Harper loomed over her. He would have been completely invisible in the darkness were it not for the flames that escaped from the gaps in his armor.
"Give me the Soul Dew," He ordered simply, marching toward her. Each step he took sounded like a hammer being brought down on iron.
Latias found the strength to move again, spurred on by notions of duty that rang in her mind, and of the instinctual, primal terror she felt looking at the faceless metal monster stomping her way. "N-never!" She swore, rising back into the air. "You'll never lay your hands on the Soul Dew, and you'll never take away my family!"
Her eyes glowed crimson, coating the Burned Man in an identical glow. He was launched back through the wall, but Latias was surprised by his sheer weight. She was hardly able to get him off the ground without focusing. Soon after, the raging metal came sprinting back, clad in a robe of fire.
Latias again tried to launch him away with Psychic, but before she could grab him, he held out his palm and let loose a torrent of heat. Her eyes went wide, and she was forced to prioritize stopping the fire from touching her rather than him. From the flames, the Burned Man emerged, driving his fist into her skull. To Latias, the entire world went white for a moment, but the instinct to hold onto the Soul Dew locked her arms and hands in place to shield it even as she was sent spiraling through the air.
She came to a sudden stop when her back impacted something metal. There was a loud rattling above her. Her body was trembling, shaking like a leaf. Her vision slowly came back to her in, at first, a series of nonsensical swirls of images she couldn't recognize. All she could see was some dark shape growing larger.
Then, she saw a massive hand reaching toward her.
Latias bolted to the side, aiming to flee through the roof, but a ball of concentrated fire raced past her, stopping her in her tracks. It detonated in front of her with a thunderous crash. Latias came flying out from the smoke, tumbling across the floor. The Burned Man hovered over her with his heated palm aimed down at her when she came to a stop at his feet.
"Surrender the Soul Dew," He ordered in his droning voice. "There is nowhere to run. It will die without the fountain's water."
As if she didn't know that. Latias's eyes shot wide, glaring at him with her crimson Psychic glow. "Then get out of my way and leave!"
The look in her eyes set Harper off, sensing an immediate danger. He held out his palm and fired, expecting her to try to use Psychic. However, the moment he released his flames, they were frozen in place. Realizing his mistake, Harper retracted his hand and leapt back. He brought up his massive arms and ducked his head behind them to brace for the inevitable impact.
Just as he thought, the flames he'd spewed had been pulled together by her, accumulating into a ball that gleamed like the sun. It was hard for Latias herself to keep her focus on it. Her eyes were shut tight to keep herself from becoming blind. Latias used Light Screen, curling it in an open half-sphere around the orb and opened toward the Burned Man. And then, she let it erupt.
Even Latias was blown back from the sheer force behind the explosion. In an instant, the Burned Man disappeared in a flash of white, swiftly followed by a cone-shaped stream of raging fire. The side of the museum was completely blown out, with much of the old structure collapsing from the heat. Still clutching the Soul Dew tightly, Latias rose back up from the ground, looking to the smoldering pile of smoke and melted rubble.
"What is your plan?"
Latias scowled as the loud banging of Harper's footsteps rang out from the flames. He emerged from the smoke cloud with small sparks of electricity racing across his arms. The heat that radiated from him distorted the air to the point that Latias felt as if she were looking at him through a veil of ocean water.
He stared into her soul behind that empty visor of his, then asked, "Are you simply going to stall until it dies? Our men are within the vicinity and closing in. We know the fountain's location now. There is nowhere for you to run that would not also result in the Soul Dew's eventual death, which neither of us wants. Returning to the fountain would inevitably lead to your capture. So, I ask again: What is your plan?"
The dark look on Latias's face furled so much that Latias could almost feel her skin tear. She tried to think of a response. Where could she go? The ocean would grant her a guaranteed escape, but like the hunk of metal said, that would eventually kill the Soul Dew. She would need to return to the fountain eventually. Yet, his words were still true. That would essentially guarantee an ambush.
Perhaps she could draw them away and then swiftly return to dip it in the fountain and continue to run thereafter until they exhausted themselves, but...when she stared into the black visor of the menace before her, Latias wasn't sure if she could outlast them.
Latias did not know the answer. She couldn't form a reply to him, furthering her frustrations to the point she had to bite down on her lip to prevent herself from screaming. The Soul Dew was vulnerable, and soon, it would begin to expire. She couldn't run. Fighting would endanger it, but not fighting would too. It was all too much for her.
The Burned Man knelt down, dragging back his heel. "Exactly as I thought."
From his back, spewing flames propelled him forward at Latias like a bullet. Latias's eyes went wide. In an instant, Harper had closed the gap between them, pumping back his arm. With only a split second to react, she combatted this with a Dragon Claw attack against his incoming fist. The emerald green coating of draconic energy that surrounded her claw smashed against the steel of his armor with thunderous force.
Harper's arm sparked as his hand was penetrated by the Dragon Claw. Latias's heart skipped a beat when she saw this. The damage he sustained from the blast must have weakened the armor of his arms. For a moment, it seemed like she had a chance against the mechanical man. That moment swiftly passed when pieces of his upper arm opened, unveiling dozens of lights, followed by a high-pitched ringing as he took aim.
From each light, small streams of concentrated, searing fire burst outward at Latias, smothering her in their heat and sending her crashing into the wall at the room's far edge. She slumped down from it, falling flat on her face. Still, she glared at Harper defiantly as he marched toward her.
"You cannot win," His deep voice droned. "Drop the Soul Dew and flee, or die. Those are your only options."
A shaky Latias floated back up from the ground, huffing for air. "You keep saying that," She said between breaths, "But no matter how much I fight back, the idea that I'm not giving it to the likes of you never seems to get through. Are you just as dense as the metal you're wearing?"
Aiming his arm at her, Harper replied, "I offer it to save us both time and effort. I have other goals, and I believed that you valued your life. Clearly, I was wrong."
As much as Latias tried to stay defiant, she was definitely feeling the effects of their battle. Every inch of her body was aching. The Soul Dew, tucked away beneath her arm, continually pulsed like a beating heart. She wouldn't let that beat stop. And she certainly wouldn't let it fall into the hands of people like this.
But how? How could she stop this thing? It spoke and moved like a man, but it clearly wasn't. Its arms gleamed red with heat, and the knuckles of one of its hands had a hole in it, but it showed no sign of pain. It simply marched forward, thinking only of its goal. This wasn't a human. It wasn't even a living thing. It couldn't be! This thing was a machine. A sentient weapon of cold steel, wreathed in hot fire. If it felt pain, it did not show it. She certainly couldn't say the same.
But how could she beat a thinking weapon? Suddenly, an idea struck her.
"I can fight this weapon with…" Latias trailed off, slowly turning her gaze up toward the towering Defense Mechanism of Alto-Mare. "...Another weapon…"
There were footsteps from all sides suddenly. Four Black Suits came running in, aiming their weapons at her. Latias's eyes went red as she flew toward the roof, evading their attempted assault. From her mouth, swirls of mist converged into a ball, which she then launched down upon them. Her signature attack blew them away toward the walls, save for Harper, who stood his ground against the wind and shielded his face.
Latias soared down to the weapon; the weapon that killed her brother. The only solace she held in her mind was that this weapon, this time, could be used to save him. And she could control this weapon. Forcing away the myriad of thoughts racing in her mind, she placed the Soul Dew in a slot of the machine. When the DMA recognized it, thick bronze plates emerged to cover it.
She flew down to the activation platform, wincing when streams of electricity emerged from it to hold her in place. Several rings, seemingly defying gravity, rose up to spin a barrier around her. Latias focused on the control sphere on the machine ane. Ordinarily, someone else would need to be present to pilot it, but she could do it from where she was using Psychic.
When the mist faded, Harper and the Black Suits were alerted by the deafening sound of whirring metal. The Defense Mechanism had sprung to life in full force, twisting and spinning around the room rapidly.
"What the-?!" Came the voice of Harper's superior. "Why is the Defense Mechanism operating?! Destroy it at all costs except the Soul Dew! If it remains active, none of you will survive."
One of the Black Suits nodded, raising a firearm at the weapon. An odd, green wisp of light flew across his vision, making him recoil. "What the hell was that?!" He cried, trying to find the wisp. It appeared before him again, sailing straight into the ground. The moment it touched down, the light grew, manifesting into the shape of a Kabutops. There was a high-pitched, near deafening screech from behind that kept him from firing upon the Pokemon.
An utterly massive Aerodactyl towered over him, leering down at him with its empty, sickly green eyes. The Black Suit ducked just in time to avoid a swipe from the Kabutops. Its maw widening, the Aerodactyl let loose a Hyper Beam at him, which he scarcely avoided by rolling under it before it struck the ground.
"The hell did they come from?!" He yelled, backstepping to distance himself from the fossils. "I need backup! Kill these damn things!"
"On it," Came the voice of another Black Suit from his comms. A thick wire latched onto the back of the Aerodactly, followed by that Black Suit as the wire pulled him onto it. He brandished his plasma knife, but the beast's flailing and screeching as it tried to remove the man. Kabutops leapt up, aiming to cleave the man in two, but another wire attached to one of its scythes.
It looked down to its source, narrowly deflecting another Black Suit's plasma knife before it could pass through to its neck. Though able to protect itself, the Kabutops was knocked away from its target. It hissed at the Black Suit furiously and knelt down. As the Black Suit landed, the Kabutops became surrounded in a veil of raging water and shot forward with an Aqua Jet. He scarcely had the time to raise his shield before he was impacted, and the both of them were shot through the open wall.
When another Black Suit tried to give chase, suddenly, a wall of water rose in his path to stop him.
Immediately, he backed away and raised his shield. "Commander?" He asked into his earpiece. "What the hell is that?"
They replied, "Water. That's the power of the Defense Mechanism of Alto-Mare, and why the city itself is practically drowning. They use the ocean to their advantage. Don't bother trying to combat it. The DMA can be stopped by either killing Latias or at least forcing it off of the platform. Somewhere, on the weapon, is the Soul Dew. You could stop it by taking it out. If Latias is piloting it, its Psychic power likely could not be used to combat you."
The Black Suit took one look up at the machine and decided against going for the Soul Dew for now. The main tower spun so rapidly that his bones would probably shatter if he tried to grab hold of it. Not to mention all the branching, gyrating parts of it. So, Latias it was.
He glanced back at Harper and said, "Hey, big guy. Think you could take out those rings protecting Latia-"
The wall of water suddenly bore down upon him. Though his shield protected him from its full wrath, he could do nothing to prevent himself from being swept away by it. "The hell?!" He cried. "Harper, burn this-" And then he was dragged out of the building, disappearing into the city's rivers without another word.
All across the city, pillars of water began rising into the air, curling down and aiming at the museum. Their forms were spiraling and twisting into unrecognizable shapes. It almost looked like a colloquialism of twisting spines.
They bore down upon the museum, tearing it to pieces to get at the men inside. A jetstream burst out from one of the spines, almost piercing through the Black Suit atop Aerodactyl like a bullet. He managed to raise his shield just in time to stay the blow, but was knocked off of the ancient Pokemon. With the pest finally rid of, Aerodactyl focused its glare solely upon him, screeching with primal rage.
Ancient scythe clashed with modern steel as Kabutops fended off the two remaining Black Suits. They raced around it, occasionally darting in to deal whatever damage they could before backstepping and retreating behind their shields. Kabutops was quickly becoming overwhelmed. That was, until one of them made the mistake of leaping over the river to gain some distance. The water underneath suddenly lurched up like a predator once its prey was within reach. He scarcely had the time to scream before he was dragged under.
"What the-?!" Cried the other, shortly before the river jumped up to try to swallow him as well. He managed to bring up his shield before it caught him, leading him to the same fate as his comrade. Kabutops knelt down, sprinting after them and leaping into the river to finish off its predators turned prey.
What was left of the museum was smothered in a layer of searing steam. Hails of the watery spines fell upon Harper with all the rapidity of rainfall, but his white-hot flames were able to keep them at bay. Dozens of openings revealed themselves along his armor. Every segmented portion was another port from which his fire could loose itself to combat the armor's wearer.
"You are losing too much heat," The commander told him, "And Latias has no shortage of water. It is time to change strategies, and weapons for that matter."
Harper replied, "I don't believe Ryder would be of much help against water."
"That is not what I meant," They replied. "When your armor was forged, we had your origins as a Black Suit in mind alongside your flames. Your typical utility is as similar as your weight allowed. I am unsealing them now."
The head of the armored man perked up. "Is that right?"
He looked down to his hand, remembering the feeling of his arm even though the sensation was long dead for him. When he raised his arm, a thick, prismatic barrier manifested around him. The segments of his armor ceased fire, letting loose droves of steam that quickly filled the barrier. With nothing left to combat them, the spines of water crashed onto Harper Yet, not even the full, combined force of the rivers of Alto-Mare could break it.
"That should hold for now. Given the size of your armor in comparison to the wrist devices used by your peers, we were able to make this barrier far more durable."
Harper replied with a low, rumbling groan. "Why," He asked, "Did you withhold this information from me until now?"
His commander simply replied, "To keep you in line. Take care to never defy my orders."
"Noted. Then, sir, what is our plan from here?"
"The Soul Dew won't last much longer outside of the fountain water while it's in that machine," They explained. "Latias must realize this. Sit still within your shield and recover your strength. Your shield will last until then. The other Black Suits should be returning soon, and one of them has fountain water in the containment unit. If Latias does not give up the Soul Dew, it won't last long enough if she were to retreat to the fountain. Retrieve it at all costs."
Harper tried looking through the shield. The raging water obscured his vision, but with his sensors, he could see Latias floating within the control platform just ahead of her. "How long will it be until she realizes?"
In a room that was nearly pitch black, a man leaned back in his chair and took out a thick cigar.
"...Watch."
Latias suddenly ceased movement. There was a sudden pull she felt around her heart, accompanied by a crushing dread that washed over her. The pillars of water fell still for a moment, briefly freezing midair before the effect of gravity overtook them. They rained down upon Alto-Mare with thunderous force. Latias's gaze was drawn to the Soul Dew. She could feel it crying out in pain. It was dying.
The DMA's movement slowly crawled to a halt. When it stopped, the rings around Latias fell still as well before falling back into place. Aerodactyl, spewing Dragon Breath over the shield of the Black Suit it faced in an attempt to break it, suddenly lurched over as if struck by an unseen force. It looked to the moon and wailed, filling the air with the most horrid, pitiable noise the Black Suit ever heard. The fossil fell forward, bursting into a green fog upon impact.
Without the rings to support Latias, she nearly fell to the ground, managing to catch herself just before touching it. Her eyes were still locked upon the container for the Soul Dew. Her eyes glowed to life, prying open the bronze plates. And when she saw the state of the Soul Dew, her breath caught in her throat.
Its color was darkening. She'd seen it in a worse state, but the fact that it had come so close yet again, and by her hands, made her sick. Weakly, she reached for it with Psychic and pulled it toward her. A loud hiss from her side rapidly approached all of a sudden. She lurched up, narrowly evading a concentrated ball of flame and hastily taking the Soul Dew back into her grasp.
The sound of footsteps filled the room. Four of the Black Suits entered what was left of the museum, making the total five. One of them tossed the detached scythe of Kabutops on the ground, leaning his head sideways to allow a green wisp to fly past before embedding itself into the floor once more. While four of them pointed their weapons at her, one held some kind of metal cylinder filled with water. When Latias took a closer look at it, she noticed that it was fountain water.
One of them pointed at the Soul Dew, asking, "Hey, is it just me or is that thing starting to dim?"
"It's fading," Harper said, stepping beside him. "It cannot survive without fountain water. The Defense Mechanism only served to drain it further. If it darkens any more, it may be too late to save it."
Albeit unwillingly, a small gasp escaped Latias. Though she had no idea how these people knew these things, they were right. Memories of the Soul Dew, darkened and drained until it was dim and red flashed across her vision as she looked at its greying form. Back then, it was too late for her to save the Soul Dew. It was too far gone.
The voice of the Black Suit holding the container snapped her out of her trance. "In that state, you won't make it back to the fountain time. In a few minutes, it'll be too late to save the Soul Dew. The only way it survives is if you hand it over."
Latias scoffed. Clearly, they underestimated her speed. They were all gathered here except one, and she could take one alone if needed. But the moment she tried to turn tail and prove them wrong, she was forced into stillness by a pain in her side.
Harper moved toward her the moment she moved, but the nearest Black Suit held up his arm to stop him. "Take it easy," He told him. "I'll handle this." He stepped forward, then cleared his throat, motioning to the water-filled capsule. "Latias!" He shouted up to her. She whipped around with gleaming eyes, preparing to counter anything they threw at her. The Black Suit merely directed her attention back to the Soul Dew.
"You know we're telling the truth," He said. "If you try to escape, you'll doom yourself and that thing. Our goals have nothing to do with this place besides the Soul Dew. We've been telling you from the beginning: hand it over and we'll leave. If you die, won't you just end up inside it anyways?"
She recoiled at that. "H-how do you know that?! If you really don't care about anything but the Soul Dew, why do you know so much about Alto-Mare?! How did you find the garden to begin with?!"
The Black Suit raised his finger. "Tick tock, Latias. Neither of us has time for questions. I'd give that thing in your hands a few minutes at best. If you don't give it to us, here and now, it will die. Do you really want that?"
Latias's brow furled, straining every inch of her mind as she tried desperately to come up with a snarky answer to that. But, seeing the Soul Dew's fading light right before her eyes, holding it so close in her hands, her will to fight was waning. They were right that it was dying, but if she pushed herself through this pain, she knew she could get back to the fountain in time. Her mind made up, Latias whipped around and made a break for it.
"The fountain is destroyed!"
And then, she froze again for a moment. She turned to the men below fast enough to nearly make her dizzy. "Wh...what…?"
Smirking, the Black Suit pointed at the container in his comrade's hand. "That right there is the last of the fountain water. The rest? Spilled into the rivers. Figured I'd pay you back for throwing me into that wall, y'know?"
"You…!" Her eyes flared red for a brief moment, making a bright flash of light that died out as soon as it came.
Harper pointed a glowing hand up at her. "Reconsider doing anything foolish, Latias."
The Black Suit told her snidely, "If you went to see it yourself, by the time you came back, it'd already be too late." Then, he stepped aside and motioned toward the container, inviting her to it.
Latias's first thought was to rip it out of the man's hand and fly away with it, but seeing Harper aiming at her made her think twice about it. If she took it, he would no doubt fire upon her. And if the carrier was damaged and the water spilled, there may be nothing left to sustain the Soul Dew.
She couldn't escape. That much was becoming increasingly clear. At least, not with the Soul Dew. There would be nowhere to escape to. The Soul Dew was dying, and she couldn't protect it for much longer. When that realization struck her, a sickening thought crossed her mind. She could destroy the Soul Dew.
Shaking her head, Latias immediately dismissed that thought. There was no way she would do that. She was its guardian; a guardian in a family of guardians. The souls of her family were held within the Soul Dew. Even now, she could feel their hearts beating as one within it. And, she could feel their pain when used as a weapon.
If these people got their hands on the Soul Dew, she didn't know what would happen, but she knew it would be nothing good if they were going to such lengths to get at it. Would it be better to let them survive in the hands of an enemy...or to prevent that from happening, no matter the cost? How could she know? Her head was swirling again, and with every second that passed, she knew it was the Soul Dew's life ticking away.
What would Latios do? She kept asking that question to herself over and over again in her mind, but could never come up with an answer that satisfied her. What would he do? Latias knew exactly what he would do. Latios would sooner die than allow the Soul Dew to fall into the hands of monsters. That's exactly why he…
Looking down to the Soul Dew, Latias found herself entranced by its dimming glow. Within it, she saw endless stars like the night sky. Each one of those stars were her ancestors. Her family. One of them was Latios. What would happen to those stars if they were snuffed out? Did they know what was happening? Did they know the situation? Surely they had to. She felt their cry of pain. They had to know.
One of the stars grew brighter. It grew bigger and bluer until none of the other stars could be seen. It was Latios. Latias could feel it. Latios was staring back at her from within the Soul Dew, and...he was nodding. Latias brandished her claw, setting it aglow with Dragon Claw. Below, the faces of the Black Suits dropped, and they reached for their weapons, shouting for her to stop.
Among their cries, Latias heard two that could not belong to them. One was deep and gruff, sounding like a dusty wheeze. The other was shrill, sounding much younger. Latias became still, her claw stopping just before it could be driven through the Soul Dew. She dared a look down, and her eyes went wide with horror when her fears were confirmed.
A sixth Black Suit walked into the room, shoving Lorenzo and Bianca onto the ground and pointing a weapon at their heads. They were bound by rope so tightly that Latias could see their arms turning red. Trickles of blood slid from their arms to the floor steadily.
"You better take your dirty claw away from that while we still need it," The sixth Black Suit hissed, bringing his plasma knife close to Bianca's face, "Or your friends here will be the ones paying the price."
The look of horror on their faces was more than Latias could bear. "I…"
Lorenzo's head perked up when he heard Latis's voice. "Latias! You're alright!" Then, he saw the dimming Soul Dew in her hands. For a moment, he paled, his eyes going wide. But then, his tensed muscles relaxed and he let out a breathy sigh. "...So," He said. "It's come to that, has it? Latias, you must-"
The Black Suit behind them stepped forward, stomping on the back of his head to silence him. "Keep your mouth shut if you want to keep breathing, old man."
From underneath the man's foot, Lorenzo managed to chuckle between wheezes of pain. "Old man's right. Do whatever you want to me. I've lived a satisfying life. Knowing I put a stop to you lot'd give my old soul an easy rest."
The Black Suit knelt down and slowly turned his gaze to Bianca. "That right? What about her?"
Seeing Bianca, normally as headstrong as could be with wide eyes and a face full of fear was enough to immediately shut down Lorenzo's bravado. "N-no!" He cried. "Don't you hurt her!"
"That's not up to us," Coyly replied the Black Suit. He put a hand underneath Lorenzo's chin and directed his attention back to Latias. "It's up to Latias. Think you could do us both a favor and get her to hand the Soul Dew over to us? It seems quite fragile right now. If things got dirty, well...neither of us wants it to break."
He pressed his foot down harder, making a sickening crack. Lorenzo groaned as he felt his nose bend against the hard floor.
"Isn't that right, Latias?"
"Enough!" Cried Latias, focusing everyone in the room back upon her. In her hand, she held the Soul Dew out. It pained her. Extending her trembling arm out toward them was possibly the most painful thing she'd ever done. It was the choice between one family and another. But she had to weigh the living against the dead, and so, she chose the living.
Her head hung low, and her broken spirit even lower. Even as every fiber of her being rejected it, she said, "I'll give you what you want...just don't hurt them anymore."
Smirking, the Black Suit rose back up and stepped back, extending his arms out to his sides. "There we go," He said over the labored breaths of Lorenzo. "Finally, we're getting somewhere."
Slowly, Latias descended to meet them. They kept their aim squarely on her in case she tried anything, save for the Black Suit behind Lorenzo and Bianca, who focused on them. The sicking smirk on his face let her know that her friends were dead if she tried anything.
Bianca forced her head up and cried, "Stop, Latias!" Latias froze in place. Bianca fought desperately for air as panic overtook her. She could practically feel one of the Black Suits focusing their aim on her as she spoke. "Don't give it to them!" She yelled in spite of her fear. "These people...they used the machine already! I saw it! You can't give them the Soul Dew! You can't let them...destroy Alto-Mare!"
Stinging tears welled up in Latias's eyes. She didn't know where to begin in order to respond to that. How could she break that kind of news to her?
The nearest Black Suit drove the edge of his gun across the back of her head, eliciting a pained cry from her. "You keep your mouth shut!" He roared, flicking his gun to rid it of the small red stain it had accumulated. Pointing up to Latias, he shouted, "You! Hand it over now! If the Soul Dew dies, so do these two!"
With a shaky nod, Latias hastily floated to the ground. She neared the Black Suit with the container, but another one took it out of her hands before she could get too close. With one hand, he dropped the Soul Dew into the small cell where it floated gently to three prongs on the bottom that held it still, and with the other, he aimed his weapon at her.
The Burned Man wasted no time turning around making his way out of the museum when the Soul Dew was secured. "We got the Soul Dew," He told their commander. "Returning to base."
Latias backed away, flying higher into the air. "Alright," She said, "You got what you wanted. Now let them go and leave."
"Hey, big guy," The Black Suit aiming at her said, keeping his eyes rooted on Latias, "What should we do?"
Without bothering to look back, he replied, "Move out. We're not wasting any more time here than we've already have. Let it keep its friends. All that matters is that we've achieved our goal."
Suddenly, their commander pitched in. "Belay that order. Latias is weakened. Retrieve it as well if you can. Another Legend under our control could be useful."
Harper suddenly came to a stop. His hands balled up into fists so tightly that the sound of grinding metal was audible. The others backed away, making room for the Burned Man and his fury. He whipped around and marched up to Lorenzo, hoisting him up by his ropes and eliciting a pained cry from him as the tightness dug into his skin.
"Lorenzo!" Cried Latias and Bianca.
Pointing his other hand at the girl, Harper said, "The deal has been altered. Surrender yourself to us or they die. You do not have the luxury of time to choose."
A wide-eyed Latias couldn't begin to form a response. "Wh-what?!"
Harper tossed Lorenzo to the ground and fired. He didn't even have the time to scream. In a red flash, he was gone. What was left of him was nothing more than a large, black stain on the ground.
Bianca stared at it for a brief moment, her breath becoming more and more ragged until she let out a guttural wail. Latias gave a similar response. The man that raised them both, alongside one another, had been tossed into the wind like trash. He was gone.
"You idiot!" Shouted the commander. "Don't you dare kill that girl! Latias is much faster than you. If it flees, you won't be able to catch it!"
A rising growl of unbridled frustration rang out from the armored man. "Surrender yourself immediately or she'll meet the same fate as the old man! Now!"
In that moment, Latias did not even think. After seeing what had happened to Lorenzo, she acted instinctively, and only nodded as swiftly as she was able for fear that any semblance of hesitation would lead to the same fate for her sister.
"No!"
Latias winced at the sound of her sister's voice. It sounded so coarse that she almost didn't recognize it. Fearful tears dotted her normally dry eyes. "Don't let them take you!" She cried. "You...can't let them win!"
The heavy, metallic stomps of Harper signaled his approach. Bianca's head bowed on its own instinctively, as if her body was accepting the fate beside her. Her vision reddened as his hand, hanging overhead like a guillotine, became lit.
Mustering the last of her waning will, Bianca cried out to Latias. "Run away from here! There has to be something you can do! These people...they can't win! Th-they…" The ever intensifying reddening of her vision made her voice weaken in strength. She could feel the burning heat above her. The same heat that had just scoured her grandfather.
Latias was stunned into stillness, completely unsure of what to do. Unbeknownst to her, the Black Suits were closing in. With the last of her willpower, Bianca mustered as much strength as she could and shouted, "Go now, Latias! Find Ash!"
Her voice snapped Latias out of her trance. Unconsciously, she began floating toward the open roof.
"Stop it before it gets away!" Shouted one of the Black Suits. Some aimed their weapons at her, while others tried chasing after her with their wires. All at once, a red flash descended upon them. Their eyes widening, they abandoned pursuit to raise their shields before being blown away. The Burned Man raised his own shield, protecting Bianca only due to her proximity.
When the red glare faded, Harper and the Black Suits were left at a loss. "The hell was that?" One exclaimed.
"Future Sight," Explained the commander. "That must have been what that flash was earlier. I should have seen this coming." As Harper slowly turned to look down at Bianca, who was now burying her face in her hands, the commander added, "I did not expect Latias to actually abandon its friend. Though, I shouldn't be surprised. This is the way Pokemon are at heart."
One Black Suit asked, "Should we give chase?"
"No," Replied the commander. "The Soul Dew is enough. While it was still in Latias's hands, we may have had a chance at catching her. But, even injured, it is faster than what you are equipped to deal with. We will have opportunities in the future."
He nodded. "And the girl?"
Latias soared across the starless night sky aimlessly. Stinging tears clouded her vision to the point she could no longer see, though she no longer cared either. She no longer cared about anything. Her sobs were smothered by the sound of her rapid flight, but she herself could not escape their sound. Their feeling. Their burning, pounding, tearing at her mind.
And then she felt something so awful that her sorrows were swept aside in an instant, drowned by a raging flood of entirely new devastation. The life of Bianca was snuffed out. For a brief moment, Latias felt an anguish without end. It was the most painful thing she'd ever known. Far greater than any physical ailment, or even the beatings and burns she sustained from the metal monster of a man, the death of her sister, whom she was raised alongside, was too great of a pain for her to comprehend.
It started as a pressure in her chest that felt like she was being crushed from the inside by an unbearable weight. Then, a burning in her throat, followed by ringing in her ears. It was all too much to bear. In the wake of her emotions going wild, Latias's mind shut down.
Slowly, she descended to the ground over a dense forest. Her expression became blank, and tears dried. She stared off, far, far into nothingness. Thoughts turned to emptiness, as did emotions. There was only one thought that continued on in her mind as the rest faded: The last mission given to her by Bianca before Latias had left her for dead.
Find Ash.
That was the one thought that kept Latias from losing herself. It was the one thought that kept her tethered to the world around her, preventing her from becoming a husk of grief.
New Goldenrod City. That's where he would be.
Then, her vision flashed black, unable to take any more of the world.
Authors Note
Creator- Getting into the mindset to write a crushing depression was a bit tough. Not on me, mind you. It's just difficult finding the wording sometimes. But oh, was it worth it. By the end, Latias wasn't even thinking. She was just taking orders. Heartbreaking stuff, eh? Good. Sorry the break was so long. I was spending time with extended family. Just trying to see my grandma while she still remembers me.
Hydra- I hope you all had a great spring break! Now we're back to it again and what better way to start it off with a return of oh my goodness another legendary! That never happens anymore!
SilverWolf1130- Damn. Reshiram's going down a dark path. Like everyone else.
Also, it's Latias, I'm sure. Haven't seen her since the war.
Creator- Ding, ding, ding. Guess we made it too obvious. Normally, one wound wouldn't be enough to drive someone like Reshiram, who has seen hundreds of wars, to the deep end. However, humanity had never been able to harm her before without the aid of Zekrom, and vice versa. The pride of the Legends affects them far more than even they think. It's something not even they realize. Though some of them maintain an aura of composure and tranquility, it is only because they are not challenged. As a being's power rises, so too does their pride. And their pride becomes more fragile for it. When that pride is challenged, or even broken, it comes spilling to the ground. This is one of many reasons that Aura fears itself.
Hydra- My goodness you were right again. You sir are getting really good at this. Now out of curiosity I wanted to ask. With all the information you have right now do you have any thoughts or theories on how this story might end? Would you believe me if I said we don't have any plan and we just make things up chapter by chapter? Thanks for the review!
G- Good chapter, was really interesting, yet sad and depressing see the state of Pangoro, as he lost one arm, now he could lost his spirit of battle and general interest for pokemon battles, after all lost a limb for a fighter could be a serious issue, especially if you are a close quarter fighter like a fighting type pokemon, because this kind of injuries certainly could makes you unfit to still fights with your normal style, and even a liability. For that reason, if a police or a soldier ended with a injury of this level, normally ended discharged earlier from the service, as they cannot operates and fights as they used to, much like Pangoro, whom now could be considering a premature retirement from the pokemon battles and pokemon shows. I hope that at least Serena can thinks in something that Pangoro can do it if he wouldn't be an active pokemon anymore, to tries to lifts his mood, to considers that his self-esteem is in the floor right now.
As other point, i feels pity by Arceus, because he now feels himself powerless for the current situation, not only for lost his original power, but also for see the trust issues between his children and even toward the chosen one, as Arceus tries to hides the true situation of the Legendary pokemon, like that he resurrected Palkia and Groudon, making that he must be keeping this secret and even considered some particular legendaries pokemon like untrustworthy for this secret. And regarding to the irony that the Alpha pokemon was praying for some help, technically he could prays to Aura for support.
And talking about issues with the legendary pokemon, was sad to see the level of problems of the remaining legendary pokemon, because i though that only Lugia was the only unstable and unpredictable legendary pokemon, but now we could see other two unstable and prone to violence Legendary pokemon; Keldeo and Reshiram. In the case of Keldeo, he showed harbored a notable grudge against Arceus and Mew for blames them for the death of his family, as he thinks that Arceus could helps more during the conflict and Mew as a selfish, indifferent and insensitive pokemon that cowardly refused to participates in the conflict with the excuse of the tree, adding that her naive behavior only get worse this negative opinion. Nevertheless, his behavior is logical, as Keldeo lost his family in a brutal and cruel way, adding that he felt that Arceus and Mew betrayed him since certain way, adding all the atrocities caused against his brethen in hands of Necrozma, Nova Branch and Team rocket, Keldeo ended pushed to the limit, to the point of adopted a more pragmatic and pessimistic mindset in that is bad shows mercy to the enemies. I hope that Ash can act like a old brother figure to him, to eases his traumas.
And talking about traumas, looks like Reshiram also became another prone to violence pokemon, as Zekrom even was shocked for the level of rage that his sister was capable, as Reshiram even mocked that Zekrom gone soft, but the truth is that Reshiram ended adopting a pragmatic attitude in that since her perspetive, if you shows mercy, the enemy wouldn't shares the same courtesy, to the point of became more ruthless to fights. My guess for this behavior is that Reshiram is victim of a severe case of PTSD, as perhaps her near death experience during the assault of the Nova Branch island, that caused that the neck of Reshiram was mangled and she was bleeding to death, without count that she suffered an unbearable pain, had as consequence that she changed her perspective of the people, meaning that now Reshiram could frown upon the humans, much like Lugia, making her more ruthless and merciless toward them. And i guess that don't helps that she be the pokemon of Truth, as her traumas, combined with her mindset, only created a pragmatic behavior about that is bad to shows mercy toward the enemy, because as she don't represents the ideals as her brother, Reshiram is incapable to accepts some idealistic vision like Zekrom, leaving Reshiram with a harsh and pragmatic mindset about the world.
As other point, for some reason the attitude that Reshiram showed when fighted against the Team rocket and her words about be merciless against them, reminded me to the motto of the Cobra kai dojo of Karate kid franchise: "the enemy don't deserves mercy".
To finishes, regarding to the Team rocket, was surprising to see the implications that apparently Pierce and several team rocket grunts were keep in the dark about the fate of the Nova Branch, as apparently they planned to seizes their assets without some deal, making that Ash and his friends suspects that the Team rocket were planning to betrays the Nova Branch. Well, this certainly leaves several doubts and questions about both organizations, though that to considers the mindsets of each organization, i wouldn't suprised that exists some clashes between their plans, as the Team rocket wants to uses the pokemon to their plans to control the world, while the Nova Branch plan to takes over the world purely through technology and human skills, to considers that they frown upon the pokemon themselves for their human supremacist mindset, meaning that perhaps this mindsets between the team rocket and nova branch could causes some conflicts and disagrees, despite to be part of the same organization. Nevertheless, we couldn't be sure if the suspects of Ash about the plans of the team rocket of betrays nova branch are true, or this finding could implies that the nova branch isn't still finished, and perhaps we could see them regrouped and would return to the battle field again.
Keep the good job.
Perhaps this could be a little out of place, but i found funny and ironic see that Reshiram, a dragon with angel-like appearance, ended becoming a very violent pokemon that shows no mercy toward her enemies, while that Zekrom, a dragon with demon-like appearance, is the reasonable and merciful pokemon, to the point of critic the attitude of his counterpart.
To finishes, if Reshiram adopted a pragmatic and harsh mindset, as result of the combination of her traumas and truths, i thinks that she should be known now as the Pokemon of Pragmatism.
PS. Regarding to your theory British Vulture, i like it, as to considers that this war is corrupting the legendaries pokemon to turn them more violent and pragmatics, like Lugia and Reshiram, i wouldn't surprises that this could ended causing some inner conflict to long term, that could ended creating some pseudo faction of Legendaries pokemon, because maybe the action of Lugia to killed Lee than arrest him, could ended being like the beginning of some possible future inner conflict between the remaining legendary pokemon, that could ended in a possible schism if the pragmatic legendary pokemon get fed up with Arceus's authority and they considers to works by themselves. If this occurs, i hope that Ash and Aura can helps to fixes this conflict.
Creator- Pangoro is truly unfortunate. It seems like it's been especially hard on him since he used his arms so frequently in battle. Retirement may happen, but there's also the possibility of growth. I wonder how Hydreigon's been holding up in comparison?
The dilemma of Arceus, and of leadership in general, is that no matter what you do, your choices will never be right. In times passed, Arceus did not care. He was the leader, and all else but Mew were followers. That was the way of things. Now that he's matured, he tries so hard to be a good and fair leader, but lacks the strength and willpower to do so. He's just so tired. Ironically, some Legends tend to trust Ash more due to what he's done for them in the past, both personally and for the world overall. Yet, Ash knows far less than Arceus. He's weaker, far younger, and after the war, has less confidence in himself than he used to.
Yeah, Team Rocket was kept in the dark about it. Haha. That's what happened. For sure.
Hydra- I love how you spotted the irony of the two dragon legends' appearances. I specifically had that detail in my mind the entire time when I was plotting out what would happen with them two and it's nice to see someone noticed. I like how you're able to catch the little things we think nobody would notice, now the question is what do you think is the entire underlying theme for this story, if there is one heehee. Lets just hope that Reshiram see's the errors of her ways before she becomes just like Lugia. She hasn't killed anyone in cold blood like Lugia….. yet.
Hall Gowrt- Thought I had a future plot point with that John thing.
Thanks, sometimes I delete a review after thinking about my words for a long time, wondering if the author wouldn't care.
But you guys do, so here it is again!
Pangoro without a arm, makes me think of FMA and if there could be prosthetics for Pokemon,
Keldeo was hot-headed as ever but his strength doesn't let him fall...
Truth V Ideal, always interesting
Ash gives Goku vibesa bit). I gs, am rambling my view on the plot points of this episode now, hehe.
So, for your question Hydra... I liked Zero a lot... Pokemon wise, Giratina I believe... so much going on there
Overall, most of the characters are very well written!
Been two months, what's the other group upto?
Serena's New Pokemon: Tropiusrandom thought, for type variety and flying never see it get used much in any fic)
Thanks Again
Creator- Glad to hear you liked Zero. A prosthetic for Pangoro might be interesting, but then again, he might break it with his 're unfortunately wrong about Tropius, though that is a cool Pokemon. Considering how rare Tropius is, I'm not even sure if there are any left in the world. I'll give you a hint. Her new Pokemon is related to how Serena grew up. Thanks again for your reviews.
Hydra- I'm still shocked with how much time being passed all in the story and in real life, how much people still say Zero is their favorite. It really helps me to realize how much of an effect one character can have on a reader overall even if they haven't been seen in so long. You won't be disappointed with Giratina especially considering next c- well I think I said too much just ignore that last part.
British-Vulture- Reshiram is becoming somewhat sadistic and unforgiving? Almost like she's seeing the truth through the way she wants to? Almost as if 'thinking ceases, the truth is lost'? I'm sorry, I wanted to through a reference to Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance in there. But, I'm fucking worried about Reshiram now. It seems Zekrom is trying to be a help somewhat, but he isn't wording it right. And whatever the fuck those ice shards are gonna be used for, it isn't gonna be good. Also, fuck Pierce. Overconfidence like his is pretty much stupid and suicidal, especially with his 'join team rocket' spiel.
Prediction Time!: After that short break, we are back with another episode of me making predictions, and Creator and Hydra coming up with ways to make them incorrect in a believable way! Do not argue, I know that is what you are planning. Anyway, so. Current predictions are that it seems that Marshadow and/or Giovanni are pulling some stuff that we haven't seen, hence this group of rocketeers not knowing about the Nova Branch's fall, and the possibility of an internal coup or purge. It could be that the two are working together, or Marshadow or Giovanni are trying to consolidate their own power/groups.
Reshiram and Lugia are probably going to end up starting a pseudo-faction among the Legends. We've already got two, seeing as we have Arceus and Giratina, though that hasn't boiled over yet. Current hypothesis is that this pseudo-faction is one of the likes of the Legends who can't get passed revenge.
Final prediction of the day. I do think that the original Rocket Trio will soon make an appearance in some way. They've been gone a while. Unless I missed something, in which case, shit.
Final thing before I end this with the usual. If you plan to use Galar and English slang, here's a tiny bit of a guide, I'll add more in future reviews, as I'm British myself. (English slang/actual meaning). Puff/homosexual slur. Nutter/madman. Bog roll/toilet roll. Wanker/asshole. C*nt/more harsh way of saying asshole. Bobby/either penis or policeman.
You have no idea how much I cringed making that quick little bit. I'll add more in future reviews, as said before.
Loved the chapter lads, keep up the good work.
Creator- "Thinking ceases, the truth is lost." Reshiram played college ball, y'know.
Making them incorrect? I have no idea what you're talking about. It's not as if we have an entire multi-thousand word timeline detailing the entire story's events or anything. Pssssh. Interesting theory on Team Rocket. Mewtwo and Giovanni have history together, so Giovanni might want Marshadow's power since Mewtwo is under its control.
Galarian slang? Ain't got an inkling what y'talking bout, bruv.
Hydra- Hmm quite an interesting theory you got there. Let's see if it comes to fruition! Also did you not know the Team Rocket trio is dead? They got killed off screen by some spooky force calling itself Morpeko. They didn't share their food so they became food…..
Iloveffn- where tf is hoopa. um where is hoopa. bruh. I was re reading and was like come on. Hoopa is easily one of the most powerful legendaries. Y is he not in any of the meetings. I mean hoopa can use a ring to send necrozma to like a different dimension and trap it there. So what happened to hoopa. Did necrozma go after it first?
Creator- Hoopa? At this time of year, at this time of day, in this part of Johto, localized entirely within New Goldenrod City? ...You'll find it in Chapter 17. I understand if you didn't catch it considering how long that one was.
Hydra- haha quite interesting you bring up Hoopa. You see she… I wanna… maybe….. excuse me for one second. Runs into the kitchen and jumps out the window.
Guest- Regarding to Hoopa, i thinks that he ended losing his rings during the battle against Necrozma, i mean, Necrozma destroyed this rings, leaving Hoopa depowered and weakened, much like the current condition of Arceus.
Creator- It lost at least one of its rings against Necrozma, as well as its Unbound Form and all of that form's rings. The normal form still has one or two.
Hydra- Actually believe it or not we portray Hoopa as a female in this story mainly because its base form sounds more feminine and that's the form we see much more often in the fic and the anime.
Anonymous- I feel sorry for Ultra Necrozma or whoever gave up his life for Ultra Space.
Creator- You mean the being that created Ultra Space? Yeah, what happened was truly tragic. Imagine caring so deeply for your creations that you destroy your consciousness and turn your body into objects of power to ensure their prosperity, only for something to steal that power for itself to destroy most of your creations and enslave the rest. Not to mention who currently holds the remnants of that power.
Hydra- Ah yes one of the original 13 beings created by Aura that sacrificed itself to turn into the Necrozma crystals. It must be quite a tragedy to have the one thing you created to make life be used to take it all away.
Creator- Next time, we'll see a certain trio we haven't seen for a long time again. As well as the Renegade himself. See you next time.
Hydra- And that's all he wrote! For this one at least. Thanks for reading guys! I look forward to hearing all your theories in the reviews for this one. Team Rocket now have their hands on the Soul Dew, but what could its purpose be used for if they don't want it for the DMA find out… eventually!
