Ash opened his eyes once his feet met the ground. He looked at his surroundings which wasn't much to look at. He was inside a small cave-like room that had a few pillars acting as support. ON one of the pillars he noticed were some cords running down it. Attached to the other end was a television that was showing areas outside of Mt. Quena. Before he could question why it was there, Mewtwo spoke up. "It assisted me in conducting surveillance many years ago. Now it sits here as a reminder of the past." Ash nodded having nothing to say to Mewtwo's statement. Mewtwo turned to Ash in a swift motion causing Latias to jump. "Now that we have some privacy, what is it you desire?"

Ash took a seat on a rock slab before starting. "First, I must ask you something. Are you familiar with the city Alto Mare?" Mewtwo closed his eyes for a few seconds in thought. "I may have heard the name when traveling. Many tourists visit for its beautiful structures and canals." "Do you know the story behind its name?" Mewtwo shook his head. "I never really bothered to look into it much." Ash cleared his throat. "A long time ago, an elderly couple were walking along the beach when they came upon two infants. One a boy and the other a little girl. The elderly couple took those children in as their own and raised them. One day, an evil trainer began wreaking havoc upon the town. The two children transformed into their true forms, Latias and Latios. They combined their powers and drowned the evil trainer and his Pokémon. Peace and water were both brought to the town. That was when it was named Alto Mare which means "High Sea". However, Latios couldn't handle the strain and died. In his place was a beautiful gem. It came to be known as the Soul Dew. The Soul Dew is kept in a location known only to a few and it keeps the water flowing. In the wrong hands it could cause great harm. Especially if used in the DMA." "DMA?" "Right, you don't know about it. The DMA or the Defense Mechanism of Alto Mare was a weapon created as a last resort. Luckily, they never had to use it." Ash then wrapped his arm around Latias. "You can probably guess what our relationship is like. It's the reason I'm here. Just a little after the Johto League, I went on vacation to Alto Mare. I met Latias there and became well acquainted with her brother Latios and their caretakers Lorenzo and Bianca. While there, two freelance thieves, Annie and Oakley, were hired by Team Rocket to capture Latias and Latios. They succeeded in capturing Latios while Latias narrowly escaped. They took the Soul Dew and made their way to the DMA. Using Latios as a power source, they resurrected the evil Pokémon from the legends and sent them out for Latias. Latias came to me for help and we ended up stopping them by removing Latios from the conduit, but the damage had been done. The water had receded and was on its way back as a giant wave. It would have destroyed the city, but Latias and Latios did just as their ancestors did. They combined their powers and destroyed the wave, but Latios died. He became the new Soul Dew. One that was free from corruption. With her brother gone, Latias is the only guardian left to protect the Alto Mare." Latias now had tears in her eyes as Ash retold the story. She had never truly accepted her brother's death. Mewtwo stared at Ash with hard eyes. "You want me to become the new guardian of Alto Mare." Ash stared right back at him with a greater intensity and nodded. Mewtwo let down his guise and smiled. "Ash, you have saved me twice in my lifetime and taught me great lessons. I can't express my thanks in words so I will accept your request." Ash and Latias both jumped at his statement. Latias looked to Ash with wide eyes. "Does this mean we can…" Ash nodded. "We can go to Pallet Town!" Latias began crying tears of joy. Ash embraced her and looked back to Mewtwo. "Thank you."

[Author's Note: Well, this winter storm has hit us pretty hard. So far we've had three days of school called off in a row! How is it for you guys? Anyways, enjoy Chapter 17!"