Altomare was beautiful.

It was a city just at sea level, or… something, Ash wasn't clear on the exact details of where it was relative to sea level, because Latios had said something about it once but Ash couldn't remember the specifics. But it was full of canals, almost as many as streets, and people got around by boat half the time.

Also, the first day they were there, there was a special race for Water-type Pokémon. In fact, registration was still open when they arrived, and Ash and Misty hurried to get signed up.

"Who are you planning to use?" Misty asked, as they waited in the queue. "I hope it's not Suicune!"

"Well, she might not be available," Ash replied, glancing down at his belt. "Croconaw is, though, so I'm going to have him do it!"

"...did you just say Suicune?" someone repeated.

"Yeah, she's my only other Water type," Ash clarified. "Most of the time. What about you, Misty, you've only got one who isn't a Water type."

Misty frowned. "It's between Corsola and Wartortle," she said. "Gyarados is probably faster, but… he wouldn't fit between the buildings very well and if he tried a straight line run to the finish line there wouldn't be a lot of Altomare left."

"I guess so," Ash agreed. "What about Starmie?"

"Corsola and Wartortle are both faster," Misty replied. "It's because of Starmie's shape, it's not great for really high speed swimming – they have to go sideways…"

"… but, I mean, Suicune…" the person behind them said.

"Hi, Ash, Misty!" Keldeo said, waving. "Are you entering too?"

He indicated the Pokémon standing behind him, holding onto a handle with one arm and a skiff with the other. "This is Urshifu – I met him last week! He's been training me in fast moving fighting, because he says I sometimes overcommit, but we were passing through Altomare and it seemed like a bit of fun. How are you doing?"

"I've got all eight of my Johto badges!" Ash replied. "And it's nice to meet you, Urshifu."

The Fighting-type bowed.

"I heard that Zacian had joined your team," Keldeo added. "She's pretty good at teaching, right?"

"Yeah, she helped train me to use Secret Sword," Ash said. "It's really helpful to be able to train against illusions, at least for getting a move right."

"I know!" Keldeo enthused.

"…today's topic, conversations I never knew I'd experience," Misty said under her breath. "Really, though, I've only got myself to blame."

"So, who do we cheer for?" Eevee asked, sitting on the bridge over the start line.

Togetic shrugged. "I think you can cheer for who you want, but it's not a big question for me, because I'm cheering for Misty!"

"And I'm going to be cheering for Ash," Pikachu added. "You can pick who you want, Eevee, don't worry."

"I can't decide," Eevee said. "I wonder… can I cheer for both?"

"It's a pity I don't know what you three are saying," Brock admitted. "I… hmm, that might work, actually."

"What might?" Eevee asked, ears perking up as she looked up at her trainer. "Is there something you thought of that might mean you can understand us?"

"Heh, well, if that question was what I thought," Brock replied. "If Vulpix can learn Hypnosis, then maybe she can do the same sort of translation illusion that Lokoko does, without having to ask Ash or one of his team… we're not going to be travelling together forever, after all."

Eevee whined. "Aww… I hadn't thought about that, but you're right…"

"Hey, look!" Pikachu said, leaning out. "The count down's started!"

A statue twitched, three Natu opening their wings in sequence and then a Xatu finishing the countdown.

Almost immediately there was a tremendous fountain of water, one which hid their view of all the racers, and then out of the cloud of spray came the first few teams.

"Ash is already in third place!" Pikachu called, jumping, and promptly slipped off the edge.

"Bulbasaur-" Brock said, reaching for his Pokéball collection, but by the time Bulbasaur had come out Pikachu was too far gone to catch.

Then he landed on Ash's shoulder, because of course he did.

"...I think I'll cheer for Ash, since Pikachu went missing," Eevee decided, and turned her attention to the big TV screen. "Hey, that's a funny little Pokémon there that's pulling that lady."

She shaded her eyes, looking closer. "Is that lady wearing a purple fish costume?"

"Hey, Pikachu!" Ash said. "Decided to join me?"

"Decided, that's a good word," Pikachu replied. "Let's go with that."

Croconaw swerved them around a bend, and Ash leaned into the curve to make sure he didn't fall over.

"You're doing great!" he called. "I'd tell you what the next turn is but I'd get it wrong!"

"I think it's this way!" Croconaw said. "Ooh, I think the route's good for a Dragon Dance!"

He accelerated, sending out curling waves from either side, then Keldeo came racing up with water spraying from his hooves and pulled level with Ash.

"Hi Pikachu!" he said. "I didn't see you earlier!"

"All right, all right, I fell off the bridge, let it go already," Pikachu grumbled.

They took another turn, this one through a wide open water-plaza which let them corner fast, and Keldeo began inching ahead of Ash.

"Keep it up, Croconaw!" Ash called.

Then Urshifu was alongside Ash, and looked him up and down.

"Tell me," he said, conversationally. "Do you prefer to strike with a powerful blow, or mislead the enemy before a series of rapid attacks?"

"It kind of depends on the enemy?" Ash replied. "But I tend to find either of them sort of makes the other easier!"

"A balanced answer," the Wushu Pokémon said. "Keldeo! Show me your Aqua Jet!"

"Don't let him get ahead of us, Croconaw!" Ash called.

Some way ahead, Misty held on tightly as Wartortle took them along a straight.

The Water-type was really moving, powering her around the course with what felt like a continuous Aqua Jet and steering with his ears and tail, and they were more than halfway around already.

Then another team pulled up next to them.

It's a fine day, isn't it?

Misty glanced over at the other racer, frowned for a moment, then blinked. "Wait, aren't you that Alolan Legendary? Tapu Fini?"

Impressive, the Guardian said. We are not well known outside Alola.

"I looked you up after the first Z move happened," Misty explained, stopped talking for a moment as they went around a bend, then resumed. "Plus, you're the Water type one. I think this is a sign I've got too used to being around Ash… wait, hold on."

She looked around. "This is a race, and I saw Keldeo in it, he's a Legendary as well… who's pulling you?"

Palkia, Tapu Fini declared. Yes, he doesn't fit.

Misty looked at the little shape pulling Tapu Fini along, compared it to her memory of how big Palkia should be, then remembered Palkia was the Legendary of Space and gave up trying to work out how that would make sense.

"I'm just waiting for a Darkrai to appear or something," she admitted, then focused. "Okay, Wartortle, let's try and lose them on the next bend!"

May the best racer win.

A long way away, Dastardly Darkrai and Victini were not in a race.

"You know…" Victini said, eventually. "One of us could have had Soak used on them."

Darkrai shrugged.

Just after they rounded the bend into the final straight, Ash tripped.

He lost the skiff, stumbled, and managed to run four steps along the water before he lost his grip on Croconaw's handle. Then he fell forwards, hitting the water with a splaaaash that left a long plume of spray.

"Ash, are you okay?" Keldeo asked, skidding to a halt, and Urshifu let go of his handle to go gliding across the finish line.

"I'm okay, yeah," Ash replied, treading water, and Croconaw swam back to give him some support. Pikachu came swimming up as well, jumped up onto Ash's head, and shook himself out. "Hey, let's get out of the way of the rest of the race!"

Croconaw immediately carried Ash over to the nearest steps, and Ash brushed the worst of the water off his clothes.

"I'm glad I left my backpack with Brock," he admitted. "Uh… any of you know a good way to dry clothes?"

Articuno came out of her Pokéball.

"Observe," she said, and swept her wing across. All the water followed it, forming a large globe which she poured back into the canal, then did a bow.

"That's really impressive!" Ash said. "Thanks!"

"My pleasure."

"Oh, hey, it looks like Misty won!" Ash added. "Hey, Pikachu, let's go and congratulate her!"

Half an hour or so later, Latias strolled along the canalside.

She whistled a jaunty tune, and even though her Bianca-disguise was just a rough representation she still felt happy enough to put a spring in her virtual step.

It had been a great day out so far, and she'd got to watch a really fun Tour de Altomare, and even though Ash had crashed out before the end one of his friends had won – so that was a good enough reason to be happy for the result, as well.

Pondering, Latias decided to get some lunch, and maybe then go and see Ash – she was sure he wouldn't mind.

Then a couple of women came out of an alleyway ahead of her, one sending out an Espeon and the other an Ariados.

"Latias," the first woman said, looking through a visor at her, then raised it and pointed. "Espeon, Ariados, get her!"

Latias dropped her disguise, and remembered everything she knew about fighting.

"Block!" she squeaked, raising both arms, and Ariados' String Shot hit an energy barrier instead of getting all over her.

Espeon's eyes glowed and his tail lashed, using Psychic, and Latias ducked away from the attack.

"Grab!" she said, zipping in close and taking hold of Espeon's tail, then threw him into the distance. "Launch!"

"What the hell?" the second woman demanded. "Annie, you said they'd never fought and they'd be easy targets!"

"They haven't fought," Annie insisted. "Get Ariados to-"

"Night Shade!" the second woman called, and Latias winced as she took the attack.

"Forward attack!" she called, and used Zen Headbutt.

Ariados went flying into the distance as well, and landed on top of Espeon.

"Wow!" Latias said. "You really can learn things from video games!"

She flew up into the air, looking out for something, then zipped down. "Excuse me, Mr. Policeman? I was just attacked in the street!"

The policeman stared at her.

"...am I supposed to report it by phone?" she said, tilting her head slightly. "...oh, right, most humans don't speak Pokémon. Um… let's try charades?"

She began gesturing, then decided it'd be easier to just go and get one of the women who'd tried to attack her.

"See you guys!" Keldeo said, after finishing his portion of lunch – which was, in his case, salad. "I guess we'll meet again later, huh?"

"Probably!" Ash agreed. "I'll tell Zacian you said hi!"

"Thanks!" Keldeo said. "Come on, Urshifu!"

The ursine Fighting-type rose from his crouch and put a hand on Keldeo's haunch, and then Keldeo used Teleport.

"I hope he gets that fixed one of these days," Brock said, then shrugged. "Well, he seems happy!"

Ash finished off the last few bites of his bread. "So, what do you think we should do next?"

"Ideally not a race," Misty replied. "I know I won that one, but I think if we entered a street race then Dialga would show up or something."

"Sorry, no street races," Brock said. "There's supposed to be a nice museum here, though, we could do that?"

"After dessert, right?" Togetic asked. "They've got ice cream here!"

Ash relayed that, and both other trainers laughed.

"Ice cream is a good enough reason to delay, I think!" Misty said.

After duly delaying for ice cream, they were just getting up when a girl came up to the group.

"Hey, Ash," she said. "Nice of you to visit! How are you finding Altomare?"

"It's a lovely place," he replied, then frowned. "Uh… Latias, right? Unless it's Latios and that's a girl disguise because it'd make the disguise better."

"Ooh, I should try that in reverse," the girl said. "But you're right – hey, what about if I show you the Secret Garden?"

"Isn't the Secret Garden a secret?" Pikachu asked. "I've never heard of it before and I know that about it. It's in the name."

"It's where I live, silly," Latias told him. "And of course it's secret, but that doesn't mean I can't bring friends around. I assume."

"Yeah, it was so weird!" Latias explained, as they walked along one of Altomare's back streets. "These two people could see through my illusion, and, I mean, I guess the fact that we exist isn't exactly secret, but they tried to capture me!"

She shrugged. "But I told the police, which was kind of hard until I remembered to write things down. So now there isn't a problem any more."

"That's great," Ash said. "I guess people trying to capture Legendary Pokémon kind of happens occasionally, but they're not usually very good at it. Someone captured Zapdos down in the Orange Islands, but she was only in there for, uh, about ten minutes I think?"

"Someone tried to capture Latias?" Brock asked. "Like that person from Team Rocket who tried to capture Silver's mother?"

"You know, there's an interesting question here," Pikachu said. "How long have you been in Altomare, Latias?"

"Uh… about a hundred years?" Latias said. "I think it's about that."

"And it's never happened before?" Pikachu went on.

Latias shook her head.

"Because, it's never happened to Lugia and the Shamouti birds before," Pikachu said. "It's never happened to Silver's mom before. It's never happened to Latias before. And when it happened with Celebi before she travelled in time so that it was happening when you were going past. So… I think it's not that people capture Legendary Pokémon. I think it's more of your messed up relationship with probability, Ash."

"That does kind of make sense," Ash mused. "Still, at least nothing's really gone wrong so far – and I'd have been able to feel it, if it was, right? You know, during that time I was an Absol?"

"You were a what?" Latias squeaked. "Can humans do that?"

"Not without magic being involved," Ash replied. "Or I think so, because otherwise Professor Oak would have heard about it before."

He considered. "Actually, is what Ho-Oh does magic?"

While the friends considered that, Latias pointed. "Oh! The garden's through here, there's a little illusion… it's okay, just step through."

The Secret Garden was beautiful, but in a different way to Altomare. There was a serenity to the Garden, a feeling of peace, and it was somehow enhanced by how it was in the heart of a city.

"This is pretty amazing," Brock said, looking around. "I wonder how it looks from overhead."

"Oh, it just looks like more of Altomare," Latias replied, which Ash helpfully translated. "It's kind of like how we can make ourselves look like humans…"

As Latias remembered that she was still looking like a human and should probably stop, a barely-visible ripple in the air approached.

"You could have told me you were bringing people around," Latios said, skidding to a halt and decloaking.

"Hey, one of them's Ash," Latias replied, shimmering with blue light as she returned to her natural appearance as well. "So it's got to be all right!"

She raised a paw. "Oh! I should have told you about when I had to go and get the police to help when I got attacked, too, does that count?"

"This place is a lot easier to put things in than where my mom or dad live," Silver said, lying on one of the Secret Garden's hills and luxuriating in the sunlight. "It's just… easier to have a book or something here without it getting wet."

"Well, it does rain," Latias squeaked. "So there's that. But yeah, Bianca keeps her easel in a little shed over there, and I've been thinking about whether we could install a TV or something so we don't have to keep borrowing Ash's one…"

She shrugged her wings. "It's a weird thing… oh, yeah, I just remembered something."

Latias took off, and Silver watched her fly off with mild puzzlement before shrugging and going back to sunbathing.

"What do you think, Vulpix?" Ash asked. "Lokoko learned how to use Hypnosis to speak human, but what I was wondering is if you could get it so your Hypnosis is translating what Pokémon say… I'm sure Lokoko and Mew would be able to help."

"It sounds like it might be nice, but it'd be a lot of effort, too," Vulpix mused. "I'd have to hope Brock would be very impressed."

"I'm sure Brock would be impressed," Ash assured her. "Right, Brock?"

"Of course!" Brock agreed. "I don't really know how hard learning Pokémon moves is, so I don't know how difficult it would be for her, but I'd assume it was very hard."

"Plus, it would mean Brock would have you out all the time," Pikachu said. "But you couldn't necessarily be expected to walk that far, so he might have to carry you."

"Now that is the kind of thinking I like," Vulpix said, giggling.

"I wonder if that's something Togetic could learn as well?" Misty wondered.

"I don't know if Extrasensory works that way, mama," Togetic said. "I can do my best, though."

"I think… you said Extrasensory, there, right?" Misty asked. "I recognized that word, at least."

Togetic nodded, and fluttered down to sit next to Misty before holding onto her arm with a contented sigh.

"Hey, Ash?" Latias asked, hovering next to him and touching her claws together. "Do you mind coming over this way a bit?"

"What?" Ash replied, then stood up. "Sure, is something wrong?"

Latias waited until Ash had taken a step, then went into a fighting stance with her fists up. "You entered the long grass near where I live! That means we have to battle!"

"It kind of doesn't," Pikachu said. "We get through places without Pokémon battling us all the time."

Latias looked so disappointed that Vulpix started giggling.

"But I wanted a battle," the Dragon-type said.

"Well, I guess that would be okay – right, Pikachu?" Ash said. "Or were you thinking of someone else?"

"Pikachu's fine!" Latias agreed, and the Electric-type jumped down from Ash's shoulder.

"Thundershock!" Ash began, and Pikachu fired an Electric-attack.

Latias took a hit on the wing, and promptly fell to the floor.

"Are you all right?" Ash asked, crouching down to have a look, as Pikachu tilted his head in confusion.

"I didn't use an attack that was that powerful," he muttered to himself.

After a few seconds, Latias got back up.

"...isn't this the bit where a Pokémon gets captured?" she asked. "I know that if a Pokémon challenges a trainer to a battle and loses then they might get captured… am I missing something?"

"Okay, so… can I make sure I've got this straight?" Latios requested. "Earlier today, as you've told me, you were ambushed in the street by a couple of trainers who wanted to capture you."

"Right!" Latias agreed. "It was scary, but I used everything I'd learned from playing fighting games! Then I told the police, and the policeman found that they didn't have any Pokéballs so they definitely weren't planning to capture me in the normal way."

"Yes, I got that much," her brother agreed. "What I don't understand is why, after a hundred years in Altomare, you now want to let yourself be actually caught in the normal way."

"Because it's Ash, and he's trustworthy?" Latias suggested. "Also, because it's Ash, and he's a good friend, and also, because it's Ash and that way when I'm in the outside world it's with other Pokémon who can keep me safe."

She paused. "And because it's Ash. Just to be clear on that, in case I hadn't said it."

Latios frowned. "You know we need to be available to keep the Soul Dew safe."

"Actually, what I know is that one of us should probably be here to keep the Soul Dew safe," Latias corrected. "And last I checked, there's more than one of us."

She floated there, considering. "Besides. I'm a Legendary Pokémon, and a Dragon-type, and I use illusions. Combined there's only, like, six or seven of Ash's Pokémon who don't fit any of those categories."

Seeing her brother now looked conflicted, Latias used her Last Resort. "Also, Mew said she can totally sort it out so we have the same Pokéball and switch off. She does that kind of thing all the time."

Latios folded his arms. "I've heard enough. My decision is final."

"So… you both know Zen Headbutt, and Latias knows Reflect while Latios knows Psywave," Ash said, writing that down. "What about Agility?"

"...we're both quite fast?" Latios suggested.

"If you don't know the move, then you could get even faster," Ash pointed out. "What about… hmm, Mew, any ideas?"

"Yep!" Mew agreed. "Ever heard of Mist Ball and Luster Purge? They're technically special moves but you should both learn both of them!"

"Why?" Latias asked.

Mew seemed baffled by the question. "Why not?"

While Articuno tried to demonstrate the merits of Extrasensory to the Eon Duo – interrupted occasionally by Mew flitting over with a new suggestion for a move to learn, or Phanpy rolling off to catch the GS Ball when they knocked it away – Zygarde got up, and stretched.

Then they padded over to the Soul Dew.

"Interesting," they declared. "A focus of psychic energy, condensed into a single point… and used as a monitor and control for local conditions."

The Order Pokémon sniffed it, then raised their green paw to touch the jewel. It pulsed gently, and Zygarde contemplated before nodding.

"Yes," they said. "This is a good idea."

A dozen thin beams of green light converged on Zygarde from all over the city.

"Hey, what's going on?" Latios protested, abandoning his latest attempt to do Reflect properly. "Don't mess with that, it's fragile!"

He shot over to Zygarde and the Soul Dew. "Who said you could mess with that?"

"I did," Zygarde replied, clearly. "Do not worry. My speciality is in preventing ecosystem disruption."

They lifted their paw, leaving behind a Cell, and the Soul Dew flashed once.

Latias came hurrying up to see what was going on, and Ash arrived not long after.

"Connection complete," Zygarde added.

The Zygarde Cell flashed, and then a translucent Latios appeared in front of them.

"...this is an extremely odd feeling," the illusion squeaked. "I was – I can still feel Altomare, but now I can…"

He stopped, and looked at first Latias, then Latios.

"My children," he said. "I… am sorry I have not been there for you."

"As I suspected," Zygarde said proudly. "The Dew contained a soul imprint linked to Altomare as a whole. This city is your body and you are maintaining the canals with Life Dew and the Garden's illusion with your own innate illusion abilities, correct?"

Latios had gone completely still.

"...Dad?" he asked, in a brittle voice. "How…?"

"It was an easy enough fix," Zygarde said.

Ash tapped the Ground-type on the shoulder.

"I think we should leave them to it for a bit," he explained. "They'll thank you once they've properly realized what's just happened."

One day turned into two, and slipped into four.

Bianca visited the Secret Garden, and Latias introduced her and Ash to one another – not technically for the first time, because she'd taken part in the race that formed part of the Orange League, but since the Eon twins had just spent the whole day making snowmon instead of finishing the race Ash had never actually had the chance to say hello.

She was surprised to properly meet the person who Latias and Latios kept visiting, surprised again to hear that one of them would be leaving Altomare even temporarily, outright astonished when an emotional Latios introduced her to the ghostly half-there image of their father, and when Mew had popped out of Ash's backpack to say hi she'd visibly given up on astonishment and decided instead to get some good painting done.

Then her grandfather Lorenzo took them to visit the museum, which was nice. There was a giant weapons system which could use the Soul Dew and one of the twins to help protect Altomare, though it was a little unclear what it could be used to protect Altomare from.

"Maybe it's there to protect Altomare from Kyogre?" Pikachu suggested. "Or Groudon? It's kind of a mix between land and water, after all."

"Huh, maybe," Ash mused. "Though… if you could ever get the two of them to work together, Altomare is the kind of place they'd make if they were cooperating. It's got a mix of land and sea."

He stepped back a bit, looking at the miniature model of Altomare they'd gone past. "And if you lifted Altomare up a bit, then maybe the Soul Dew could be taken out without putting the city in danger. Not much, just a bit…"

Ash, Brock, Misty, and their Pokémon friends considered how likely it was that that would work.

"Probably best not to risk it," Marshadow summarized. "I'm a Ghost and I feel nervous about the idea."

"Maybe it's better to just put a TV somewhere that the Soul Dew can see," Ash agreed.

AN:

Zygarde is good at solving problems.

Also, Ash solved this movie's main plot when he was about nine.