Ash looked across the wasteland that after years finally showed signs of regrowth. He took some time to both let Latias take in her surroundings and to collect his thoughts. "It all happened before we met." he stated. "Brock, Misty, and I were trying to catch a bus that comes by once a month to take travelers around Mt. Quena since it's too dangerous any other way." Ash and Pikachu sighed in sync as they recollected the events. "Needless to say, we missed the bus. Being as naïve and stubborn as I was, I refused to wait a month for the next bus. We tried going around via riverboat, but Misty's Bug Pokémon phobia got the best of her. We were going to try climbing over, but Team Rocket interrupted and took Pikachu." Pikachu shivered at the memory. "They might have gotten away, but thrusters and balloons don't mix well with bad weather.
"Their balloon somehow caught onto the rope we were using to climb and we all crash landed on top of this mountain. It wasn't too long until Giovanni showed up with his crony's. We had no idea why they were there until I met him later." "Met who?" "Mewtwo." Latias had heard the name from Misty a few days earlier, but she had thought nothing of it considering the situation they'd been in. "What happened?" "A swarm of Bug Pokémon is what happened. They were angry they Team Rocket was polluting the river and they destroyed the factory he was making. It also gave us a chance to escape. We later found Mewtwo trapped by a couple of robots. He used the rest of his power to destroy the robots, but he was extremely weak afterwards." Ash noticed Latias was confused and glancing around. "What's wrong?" Latias looked at him, the confusion growing larger. "You said the Pokémon were angry for polluting the lake. What lake?" Ash chuckled at her confusion. "Let me finish my story and you'll find out." Latias nodded and let him continue.
"After the robots were destroyed, I slung him over my shoulder and headed for the cave. Inside was a reservoir of pure water that has amazing restorative properties." "Is that what Luna and Cullen are trying to recreate?" Ash nodded his head. "It'd be a great breakthrough for doctors, but it's difficult to do. They only have a limited supply to work with and they can't disturb the water or it'll become contaminated. That is if they could get to it." Latias, once again was confused by Ash's words. "Anyways, I threw Mewtwo into the reservoir to restore his powers. He then teleported the entire land mass that once sat upon Mt. Quena and moved it underground. He also erased the memory of Team Rocket and sent them packing." Latias' mind was working overtime to comprehend what she had just been told. She had never heard of a Pokémon powerful enough to move such a large amount of mass at once. Ash watched her and chuckled. "I want you to close your eyes and focus your mind. Focus it on the mountain and tell what you sense." Latias did as she was told. She was confused as to why, but soon discovered the reason. "The lake! It is down there!" Ash nodded. "That's our next destination on this tour."
[Author's Note: Haven't had much to do lately, so I've uploaded both Chapters 15 & 16 today! Enjoy!]