1Latios, having fallen asleep once again, found himself back in a dream world. This time, the dream was more similar to those that he had had before meeting Latias, the more dark dreams about a strange city, and a strange man wielding magic. Latios now had a sky perspective of the city below that was called Altomare, though the city was nowhere near its original appearance. It looked as if the apocalypse had fallen upon the city of Altomare; the streets filled with debris, the buildings on fire, screams of the humans below. The air was filled with ashes and smoke, though Latios was unaffected by the air. An unreadable expression struck his face and remained as he circled the city. At last, he caught glimpse of a robed man, surrounded by a magic field. Soon after, Latios noticed the presence of two Pokemon. An Aerodactl rained terror from above, while a Kabutops sowed terror below. Latios, confused, did not know what to do. He panicked, until he heard one noise above the rest. The scream of Latias. A scream so mournful, so painful, Latios turned all of his attention to it.
"La...Latios!!"
Latias's scream came from within a large museum building. Latios flew down to the entrance. The building was burning, and large pieces were coming down every few minutes; no doubt the building would collapse soon. Latios found the entrance amongst the ruins of the museum, and entered. Latias's screams came periodically, and he followed her voice until it led him to a large dome-shape room, where Latias lay on the floor.
Latios awoke sweating. He was breathing heavily, and these noises had woken Latias from her sleep. She turned over and looked at him with wearied eyes.
"Are you okay, Latios?" she asked, head tilted.
Latios looked at her for a moment before answering, making sure that what he had just experienced was in fact a dream, and not a reality. "Yes...yes...I'm okay...bad dream...is all...that's it..." he stammered, lost in his thoughts.
Latias eyed his expression. "What was this one about?" she asked.
Latios's gaze fell to the ground as he answered. "You...dying." he sighed. "I just don't understand it...it's not the first time this dream has come along. It happened once before I met you."
Latias closed her eyes, as pain filled her body. "Why...do you have these dreams? Are they some sort of sign?" she asked.
Latios looked up into the sky of the garden, and followed the stream of moonlight that came through the canopy of the woods. "I don't know...and I sure hope they aren't some sort of sign. If they are, I am deeply worried."
Latias nodded as she approached him and let her head fall against his shoulder. "Is there anything we can do? To prepare? In case this happens?" she asked.
Latios recalled the happenings of the night before, and thought for a moment before answering her. "We need to learn how to use our powers, we need to practice them and build them.." he explained. "Pidgeot, if you can call him that, is a very powerful being. He knows...he knows what we're supposed to do...so we must go and look for him. Perhaps he can show us what to do."
Latias nodded. "Should we...go look for him?" she questioned.
Latios sighed wearily. "Yes, I suppose we should..." he answered.
The both of them lifted up into the air and exited the garden, in search for the strange man that had taught Latios the night before. Both of them had somewhat of an uneasy expression on their faces, and neither of them talked on their flight to the caves under the volcano. The island was beautiful, as it always had been, though both of them sensed a dire problem looming on the horizon. Neither of them knew to the full extent what it was, though they felt it. Latios and Latias flew over the forested area and approached the base of the volcano. The storm had subsided, leaving only damp air where there once had been pelting rain. The two Pokemon dropped down to the watery ground outside of one of the cave entrances, and both wondered if Pidgeot would still be there. They slowly approached the entrance. Water still dripped from the storm, and echoed throughout the caves. Nothing could be seen beyond the opening by the two Pokemon, however, so they were left wondering how they would navigate the twists and turns that awaited them in the cave. Latios looked around curiously before a plan revealed itself to him. If he could use his powers to illuminate the cave, they could navigate its interior with ease.
"Latias. Our powers." he said. "We can use them to light up the cave."
Latias gave a weary nod as she walked closer to Latios. Latios walked slowly into the cave, and his eyes illuminated, the color of the ocean. Light spread out through the caves. Latias watched in amazement, unaware that she too, harbored these powers.
The two Pokemon walked down into the room with the pictures to find Pidgeot. The "man", as he could be called, still lay on the slab which he hd been laying on after Latios had attacked him. He was resting, eyes closed, recovering from his injuries. Upon noticing Latios and Latias, the man jumped to his feet, nearly tumbled, then caught his balance again. He stood, waiting for the two Pokemon to begin speaking.
"Err...Pidgeot?" Latios asked, uncertained of why the man remained silent.
"Yes?" he smiled, almost knowing what Latios was about to say.
"I...well...we need your help with something. You see, I keep having this dream. In it, there's this city. And this man...and Latias...and.." Latios was interrupted by the man.
"I know of your dreams, young one. They are of your future. Now...what is it you need?" the smile returned to the man's face once more.
Latios sighed. "We need...training...in the powers that we have." he admitted.
The man clasped his hands and smiled. "You've finally come to terms with that need, for that I must commend you. I ask, however, do you understand why I did not remove the force-field for you to return to her?"
Latios recalled the incident for a moment. It had resulted in fighting, since Latios had been determined to return to latias. "Yes...yes..." he replied. "I understand. You were trying to teach me something. I am sorry for attacking you." his view shifted slightly to the side, catching glimpse of one of the pictures on the cave walls.
The man, this time, let out a short but reassuring laugh. "Think nothing of it my friend. You did, after all, find a way to remove the force-field by attacking its creator. Indeed something that will help you later on." he walked across the room to a small elevated platform. "Now then, training, you say?"
Latios and Latias both looked over to each other, then nodded, and the man continued.
"Well then, I suggest we start with defensive maneuvers. However, I wish to test you, first." he said, pointing to Latias.
She looked nervous. Latios took note of this and moved over to her and gave her a reassuring nuzzle to the cheek. She smiled and moved forward to the man.
"Wh...what should I do?" she asked.
"Attack me with all of your force." he said plainly.
Latias took a deep breath, and, similar to what Latios had done earlier, she charged at the man in a tackle. He successfully blocked her tackle, and Latias was sent tumbling across the room, into a wall. Slight rock fragments fell onto her. Latias got back on her feet, and this time, went airborne, and attempted to tackle the man once more. Again, failure. Latios could hardly bear to watch her be hurt like this, but he knew that Pidgeot was trying to train the both of them. Latios looked over to Latias, whom was again thrown against a wall. This time, she had slight trouble getting to her feet, and Latios flew over to assist her.
The man dropped his hands to his sides, and began to spoke. "Your attack was similar to that of Latios. You two have immense power, though it lay un-channeled. Something that must be changed if you are to face the dangers to come." he explained.
"Then what must...we do?" Latias asked.
There was no answer from the man. However, he began walking to a small corner in the cave. He picked up the orb that was the Soul Dew, and walked over to Latias, and handed it to her. With eyes full of wonder, she took the Soul Dew gently from the man. It glowed a deep blue, and, as it had done for Latios, released its energy to her.
"You see. Or more precisely, feel." the man explained. "This is the power of your ancestors. A power that you possess. A power that you can use."
The man continued to explain the power that Latias harbored. He instructed her to practice and hone her powers, and Latios did as well. Outside however, things were changing. The man knew quite well what was going on, and had intended on keeping the two legendary Pokemon within the confines of the caves, both to keep them safe, and to keep them, unaware of the happenings outside until they were ready to behold it. Southern Island, in all its beauty, was disappearing. Over the horizon, smoke rose, tainting the sky a disgusting orange color, and ash, carried by the winds, clouded the skies around Southern Island. Something was happening beyond the island, something terrible. In the city of Altomare, the dreams that had come to the two Pokemon were coming true. The evil human, stood in front of the ruined museum while two of his Pokemon, Kabutops and Aerodactl, reined terror upon the inhabitants and the foundation of the city itself. The robed man had also sent Pokemon to Southern Island to wreck similar terror.
Short chapter, yes. I've decided to keep it short, as it is setting the stage for the final chapter coming up. Thanks for reading.