"Welcome back, viewers, to yet another Johto TV update on the 10th Annual Ketchum Month Tournament! Well, it appears that all the police boats transporting the passengers of that cruise ship beset by the Genesect Army have safely arrived at the Alto Mare Harbor..."

Alto Mare
The Johto region

"Well, here we are, honey," Carla said as she helped Carrie off the police boat. "Alto Mare."

Nate and Hugh's jaws dropped open as they stepped off the boat. Never before had they seen such a beautiful and magnificent city. With all the maze-like canals that slithered around the city's interior, it appeared that the concrete ground that held all of the city's buildings appeared to be floating. The seaside weather also provided a tinge of greenery that decorated the buildings, and the air was filled with a slight salty smell, giving the atmosphere a very natural feeling.

"It's pretty, Mommy!" exclaimed Carrie, pointing at the buildings. "Can we go inside one of 'em?"

"Maybe later, honey," Carla replied. "First, we have to get to our hotel and set ourselves up there. It's been a long day. A very long day."

After gathering their luggage and thanking the officers for the ride, the two families strolled down one of the walkways, Cheren and Rosa following behind. Hank took a map from one of the tourist stands, using it to guide their group, while Nate also took a booklet, which he and Hugh read devotedly.

"Hey, look at this, Nate," said Hugh, pointing to a flashy advertisement of a Trainer being pulled across one of the city's canals by a Water-type Pokémon. "Tour de Alto Mare. That sounds fun. Says here that it's gonna take place tomorrow! Maybe we should sign up, Nate."

"Count me in!" Nate exclaimed.

Rosa suddenly scoffed. "Looks quite dangerous. You two might end up hurting yourselves."

"Hey, danger is my middle name, Rosa," replied Nate, smirking at her. She merely smirked back as she returned to admiring the scenery.

The group crossed a bridge, just as Nate spotted something in the booklet. He said, "Hey, it says here that the Eon Pokémon, Latios and Latias, reside in the city."

"Oh, really?" Rosa asked sarcastically, raising her arms and slightly resting her head back on her hands in a mock-lax position. Nate and Hugh glared at her flatly.

"It's actually supposed to be something important, Rosa," replied Hugh. "Latios and Latias are Legendary Pokémon. They're supposed to be very rare."

Rosa frowned nastily and crossed her arms. "Excuse me, I understand that. Do I look dumb to you? Although, I am pretty sure that they were native to Hoenn, though. And Alto Mare IS supposed to be a city belonging to the Johto region. This is obviously just a ploy to get more tourists-"

"Well, it says in here that Latios and Latias live here," Nate piped, showing Rosa the booklet and pointing at a certain paragraph. "Look, over here it says, 'Legend has it that the city of Alto Mare is guarded by the legendary Eon Pokémon duo, Latios and Latias, who are said to live peacefully within a secret garden located beyond human reach. One of their many responsibilities is to protect the Soul Dew, an orb containing absolute power that balances-"

"No, it says that there are legends that say Latios and Latios live in Alto Mare," interrupted Rosa suddenly. "It doesn't specifically say that they still live here."

"Good point..." Hugh replied, while Nate sighed disapprovingly. He didn't have any deep disrespect for Rosa, but he wondered why she was still sticking close to them. If she kept up this kind of attendance, this meant a month of having to deal with her explosive temper, competitive nature, and constant teasing.

"It's true, the legend."

Nate, Rosa, and Hugh looked at Cheren, who was looking back at them. The group walked into a narrow walkway; the shadows of the buildings cloaked them, giving a somewhat eerie feeling to the atmosphere. Nate stared at his former teacher in awe and wonder. The way Cheren had said it, he knew that he was right. But the ten-year-old never knew that his former teacher would know something such as that.

"You...You know that?" the ten-year-old asked incredulously. "How?"

"I've met them before," replied Cheren. He then added, quite suddenly, "Of sorts."

"You've met Latios and Latias?" asked Hugh. "What was it like, Cheren?"

"Where'd you meet Latios and Latias?" Nate asked. "I'd like to meet 'em myself! It'd be SO cool!"

Cheren chuckled shortly. "I believe Latios and Latias wouldn't want me to answer those questions now, do I? They want their presence to be kept a secret."

"You've seen them," said Nate.

"I guess they trust that I'll be able to keep their secret."

"But-"

"Maybe if you're lucky, Nate-" A strange gleam passed Cheren's eyes suddenly. "-maybe they'll let you see them too."

Nate blinked. "Okay..."

"But-" began Hugh.

"Well then, I guess I regret bringing up my little encounter," Cheren interrupted suddenly, still looking at Nate strangely. He began walking after Kelly, Carla, Hank, and Carrie. "I'll take no more questions from you two. Now, come on, we still have a lot of walking to do, places to be at."

Knowing that Cheren had spoken, the three Trainers followed suit. However, Nate couldn't shake off the feeling that Cheren was hiding something...

"I still think the whole Latios-and-Latias-living-in-Alto-Mare thing is a big phony," Rosa said suddenly, scoffing.

"You wish," Hugh replied, smirking. "I bet you Latios and Latias are gonna turn up somehow during our stay here!"

Rosa smirked back. "That is quite a dangerous bet there, Hugh. But I'm in. If Latios and Latias do not show up by the time we leave, I want you to say that I was right, as usual, and that I am awesome and fantastic and the best Trainer there is. Oh, and that Pokémon Contests rule!"

Hugh scowled in disgust; he disliked Pokémon Contests and thought that they were for girls and flamboyant boys. However, he wanted to beat Rosa at this game; the two were rivals as much as Rosa was rivals with Nate, if not even more aggressive. Hugh lowered his face slightly, his blue hair casting his eyes into shadow.

"Fine, then. But if Latios and Latias show up by the time we leave, then you have to admit that Pokémon Contests suck. Oh, and stop stalking Cheren for a month."

Nate blinked and rapidly shook his head repeatedly and emphatically; he didn't want his friend to incur Rosa's infamous wrath. However, the Trainer already knew that whenever Hugh shadowed his eyes, that meant his friend was dead serious.

Rosa's face turned red, and her eye twitched as she muttered through clenched teeth in response, "Fine."

Hugh's smirk widened, his teeth clenched. "Good. May the best man win." He turned around and walked away.

"Or woman," muttered Rosa as she stalked after Hugh.

Nate chuckled, half-nervously, half-humorously, as he followed Rosa and Hugh. He didn't notice the invisible Latias following him...

The Eon Hotel
At the Alto Mare Square

Nate silently stood on the balcony of his suite room, watching as the bright, magnificent sun made its descent, now halfway engulfed by the vast horizon. This colored the sky in a surreal hue of pinkish-red, and the sun itself was boasting its golden color in all of its glory. The ten-year-old then glanced down at the square; there were still a large number of townspeople and tourists. The fountain located at the dead center of the square continued to spout water with a tranquil drizzling sound.

"How are you doing, Nate?" a voice asked. Nate glanced to his right and saw Cheren standing on his own balcony.

"I'm doing fine, Cheren, thanks," replied Nate.

"No, you're not." Cheren's voice was stern. "It's your nature to never let go of something that has intrigued you so greatly."

Cheren was right. Nate was still having a nagging feeling that there was a good reason Red Genesect knew him.

"I just can't remember how I managed to meet such a unique Pokémon like Genesect before. I haven't even heard of it in the Unova Pokédex!"

"It is a type of Pokémon few people know about," explained Cheren. "It roamed the landscape of Unova during the region's early days before going extinct. But then, a Fossil of it was extracted by a team of scientists, and it was technologically reconstructed into those five Genesect, to become the most powerful Pokémon in existence. And unfortunately, the scientists' benefactors had malicious intentions for the Genesect Army. They eventually had enough of being used and went rampant."

"But I don't remember ever meeting Genesect."

"Well, whatever happened between you and them, it must have been important enough for the Genesect Army to refrain from attacking you. They generally don't trust humans, after the misuse they inflicted upon them. In fact, there's only one other person they ever trusted."

Nate's attention was piqued. "Who's that, Cheren?"

"Ash Ketchum."

"Oh." Nate smiled brightly; he knew he shouldn't have asked such a rhetorical question. It was quite natural for his hero to always be the only person to gain the trust of a volatile Pokémon. "Well, thanks for the info, Cheren. You've given me something to think about."

Cheren nodded. Then, he asked, "So, how're you and your mom doing?"

"Huh? Oh, well, we're doing great, as usual. Mom's being overprotective towards me as usual, especially after that fiasco aboard the cruise ship. I don't blame her. But sometimes, I just wish she could give me some space. I mean, on my Pokémon journey, it is mandatory for me to call her whenever I reach the next town, so then she can find out if I made the trip. And the calls last for hours on end. Like I said, I desire some space."

"Well, your mom has good reasons for keeping tabs on you," Cheren said sagely. "After all, you're the only one she's got now."

"Yeah..." Nate sighed sadly and stared at the sunset again.

Cheren's newest statement of wisdom had reminded him of something he seldom wanted to muse on: when he was four years old, his father, also a Pokémon Trainer, died in a destructive flash flood while he was at Lentimas Town. His mother was emotionally devastated by the news, and Nate, who barely knew his father because of his occasional visits, even felt a little grief from the tragedy. The absence of a paternal figure in his life became one of the major contributing factors to his idolization of Ash Ketchum. After all, to him, Ash was everything he envisioned in a father: courageous, golden-hearted, selfless, the whole package. A great role model.

Cheren noticed Nate's change in mood and said, "I'm sorry if I brought back terrible memories-"

"It's okay, Cheren," interrupted Nate, looking back at his teacher. "I'm fine."

The teacher smiled slightly and nodded. "Good."

Cheren walked back into his suite, leaving Nate alone on his balcony. After a few minutes of staring at the sunset, he decided to head back into his own suite as well.

Lying down on his bed, Nate stared at the ceiling, delving deep into the realm of his thoughts. His father had now returned to the forefront of his mind. He could barely remember him now. The blond hair, green eyes, and kind smile were fabricated with some difficulty. Nate then remembered all of the visits his father made. They were quite short, since he had to get back to his Pokémon journey, and there were only about five or six visits in total. There was only one he could remember quite clearly: his father had given him the sports visor he wore on his first day as a Pokémon Trainer, when Nate was three...

Nate removed his sports visor and looked at it. He could remember his father's words from that eventful day.

"Here, son. Consider this an early birthday present."

"What is it, Daddy?"

"The visor I wore when I first became a Pokémon Trainer. One day, you will become a Trainer yourself. I want you to have this when that day comes upon you."

"It's cool, Daddy! I LOVE it! Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome, son. Remember this, you will become the best Pokémon Trainer there ever was, and I will be so proud of you."

"Hey, maybe when I become a Pokémon Trainer, I can find you, and we can have a battle!"

"Is that a challenge I hear?"

"Yes, Daddy! I challenge you to a Pokémon battle when I become a Trainer!"

"Challenge accepted."

Nate sighed as he placed his visor on the nearby table. He was now a Pokémon Trainer, and his father was dead. He would never have that battle now...

He glanced at his mother, who was sleeping in the bed beside his. After a lot of hot debating and a great deal of embarrassment in front of Hugh and Rosa, Nate had begrudgingly agreed to allow her to sleep in the same room as his. She had persistently insisted on watching him at all times after his encounter with Red Genesect.

"Mom?" he asked, unsure if she was awake or not. To his relief, Kelly turned over on her other side, her eyes fluttering open, a yawn escaping her mouth.

"Y-Yes, honey?"

"Can we talk?"

Kelly yawned briefly. "Sure. What do you wanna talk about, honey?"

"Dad."

Kelly's eyes widened, and she sat up on her bed, fully awake. "What about him?" she asked worriedly.

"Do you think he was still itching to have that battle with me when he...you know..."

"What battle?" asked Kelly, an eyebrow raised.

"You know, the battle I promised to have with Dad when I became a Trainer. Do you think he was looking forward to having that battle with me when..."

Kelly understood. "Knowing your dad, he would've kept praying to Arceus that that day would come tomorrow. Your dad's never let you down, would he?"

Nate didn't respond.

The following night

As Nate and Kelly slept on their beds, they failed to register even in the slightest that Latias was watching them the entire night...

Her golden eyes gleamed for a split-second, and a quiet coo escaped her mouth as she observed the sleeping Nate...

"Now, onto another topic, and a morbid one at that, unfortunately! It looks like the weather conditions have gotten even worse. Snowstorms are being reported throughout the Johto region, and several people have been snowed inside their homes and businesses. Meanwhile, a severe rainstorm has formed around Alto Mare, the pit-stop for travelers headed to the Johto region for the Ketchum Month Tournament. Ship routes are still in service, but people are being warned to take extra precautionary measures.

"That shall do for this hour's update! Continue to stay tuned on Johto TV for updates on the widely-anticipated Ketchum Tournament!"

The following day
The Safeguard Restaurant

"Hey, the Ketchum Month Tournament is hosting a Pokémon Contest as a side-event!" Rosa exclaimed as she devotedly read a Contest-themed magazine. She sat at a table with Nate, Hugh, and Carrie; the adults were all sitting at another table, still ordering their food.

"Oh, hooray," Hugh replied sarcastically as he devoured a couple of noodles from his soup.

Rosa shot him a nasty glare. Then, she smirked with triumph and coolly began sucking at a lollipop. "Oh, you keep badmouthing Contests all you want, Hugh-boy, but I haven't seen hide nor hair of Latios or Latias anywhere. Unless they're actually hanging around somewhere here right now, hm, let's see..." She began surveying the restaurant. "Nope, no Legendary Pokémon here. I think it's best if you admitted defeat already and say that Contests rule, to spare yourself of any trouble."

"Over my dead body, Rosie," spat Hugh.

Rosa's face turned beet-red. "WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!"

Nate and Carrie looked at each other and giggled. Meanwhile, the door opened, and a group of seven people walked into the restaurant.

"Oh my, you guys are gonna love this place!" the woman leading the group, who had flowing light-brown hair and ocean-blue eyes, with a green bandanna sporting a white Poké Ball symbol wrapped around her head, exclaimed. "The booklet says that this is one of the best restaurants in the Johto region, and that the ramen-noodle soup they offer is FANTASTIC! I managed to get us all reservations last night!"

"Knowing May, she only came the moment she read the noodle soup part," joked a man with curly dark-brown hair and wearing circular glasses.

"Khoury!" scolded a woman with bright-brown hair and eyes, who wore a large white cap. She roughly nudged the man with her elbow. "You should be very thankful May brought us here. This restaurant looks quite promising! Thank you, May."

"You're welcome," May replied, smiling as she approached a waiter. "Hi, reservations for May Maple."

"Ah yes, Ms. Maple, right this way!" exclaimed the waiter.

Upon hearing the name of May Maple, Rosa's attention was caught in an instant; her head jerked upward like an alert Buneary. She glanced at the group of seven.

"Could...Could it be?..." she asked.

"What, Rosa?" asked Nate. "What is it?"

Rosa watched as the waiter escorted May and the rest of the group to their table.

"Here you go, Ms. Maple," said the waiter.

"Thank you very much," May replied.

Rosa gasped and leaped up from her chair, nearly tipping it over. "OH MY ARCEUS, IT IS HER!" she screamed, catching the attention of everyone in the restaurant.

"Who?" Nate asked.

"MS. MAPLE, MS. MAPLE, OVER HERE!" squealed Rosa as she dashed her way to May, immediately grabbing her hands and shaking them rapidly. "OH MY ARCEUS, IT IS SUCH AN HONOR TO MEET YOU IN PERSON, MS. MAPLE! THE NAME'S ROSA ANDERSON, AND I'M A COORDINATOR MYSELF! I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAN!"

"Oh, please, Rosa, just call me May!" May exclaimed, blushing with embarrassment. "And it's nice to meet you-"

"I can't believe it!" interrupted Rosa as she danced with joy. "In all my life, I never DREAMED that I'd be meeting my greatest role model, May Maple, Princess of Hoenn! Oh my Arceus, I think I'm gonna faint with joy..." She then blinked and looked around, having just noticed all of the eyes focused on her. The ten-year-old immediately blushed and sweat-dropped. "Sorry, sorry! Keep enjoying your meals, everyone! I sincerely apologize for the disturbance! Heh heh heh..."

"Okay, Ms. Fangirl," said Hugh as he and Nate approached a rigid Rosa and escorted her back to her table, "I think you've done enough damage for one day-"

"Hold on."

The three Trainers looked back at May's table. Cheren had approached the group, a smile on his face.

"It's good to see you all again," he said in greeting.

"Likewise, Cheren!" exclaimed a blue-haired woman holding a Prinplup.

"I assume they're your friends, Cheren?" asked May.

"Some of my former pupils. They're traveling with their families to Ketchum City to participate in the upcoming Ketchum Month Tournament, and I'm accompanying them to the city. I'm assuming that you have the same destination as well, is that correct?"

"You betcha," replied a pale-skinned man with silver hair and a Plusle and a Minum perched on his shoulders.

"Excellent. Hey, why don't our groups sit together? Since we're all headed the same way, maybe you all should get acquainted with my friends."

"I don't know-" May said.

"Don't worry, I ordered reservations too, and I think I have a pass to redirect them."

"YES, LET'S DO IT!" squealed Rosa excitedly. She then blushed and chuckled nervously again.

Indeed, Cheren managed to get both groups to sit alongside each other, and after a few minutes passed, Nate's group had become acquainted with May's group. The blunette woman holding the Prinplup was Dawn Berlitz, the brown-haired woman with the large white hat was Lyra Silver, the curly-haired man with the glasses was Khoury Evans, and the silver-haired man with the Plusle and the Minum was Tory Lund.

Also in May's group was a woman named Hilda White, who had dark-brown hair and blue eyes who wore a white-and-red cap with a red Poké Ball symbol. There also was a man sporting light-brown hair who wore a red, white, and black cap with a black Poké Ball symbol, who was named Hilbert, Hilda's twin brother, only younger by just a couple of minutes. As he came to know his newfound friends, Nate couldn't help but feel that Hilda was always staring at him for some reason...

"So, you guys are all going to Ketchum City as well?" asked Rosa, but she directed the question towards May.

"Yeah," Dawn replied. "There's a Pokémon Contest being held there as well, and May and I thought we participate in it."

"You say you're a Coordinator yourself, Rosa?" May asked.

Rosa nodded before reaching into her purse and pulling out a box, revealing three Ribbons. "These are the Ribbons I have so far. Impressive, huh?"

"Yeah, impressive! It must've taken a lot of work to earn those Ribbons!"

Rosa blushed, bursting in excitement at having been praised by her role model. "Thanks," she said as she put away the box. "Yeah, it was hard. But I managed to get through in the end. To make things easier for me, Pokémon Contests aren't at all that prominent of an event in Unova, so there's not much competition anyway."

"But competition always makes things fun! I have a number of rivals who always know how to spice things up. How about you, Rosa? You have any rivals?"

"Yeah, lots!" Rosa smiled widely.

Nate, having overheard Rosa, glared at her curiously. He couldn't help but feel that she was lying in order to impress May. However, he decided not to listen to the two Coordinators' conversation anymore and redirected his attention back to Kelly and Cheren's conversation with Hilda and Hilbert.

"So, how are you guys?" asked Cheren.

"We've been doing good," Hilbert replied. "Ten years of traveling around the world, competing in Pokémon Leagues, watching my sister in Pokémon Contests, it really does a number on you, though. We saw a lot, though. How about you, Cheren? How's that Trainer's School of yours doing?"

"Well, as long as my pupils become the greatest Trainers, Coordinators, Breeders, Doctors, or Connoisseurs in existence, then you can call it fine."

"And so far, it's done well, Cheren," remarked Nate, smiling and nudging his teacher's shoulder. "Right?"

"Yeah, right."

"So, Nate," said Hilda, "how many Badges do you have?"

"Five. Here, let me show you..." He reached into his bag and produced the tiny box containing his Badges, opening it up and showing his badges to Hilda. "There they are, the tokens of my accomplishment! Just three more and I'll be finally going to the Unova League!" Nate clenched his fist and held it high in the air in determination.

"You've got spirit, Nate. Cheren was right about you..."

Nate looked at Hilda curiously, then at Cheren. "What? You've been telling her about me, Cheren?"

"I keep mentioning you to her every time we reconnect," Cheren replied, staring at Hilda with an unknown expression. "You're...an exceptional student to me."

"Oh." Nate blinked, shocked by the fact that Cheren had outwardly praised him, something that wasn't a part of his nature. "Th-Thanks..."

"Oh, don't be shocked, honey," said Kelly, looking at her son. "It's obvious that Cheren thinks you're one of his best students, enough to talk about to a friend of his! It should be something that you should be proud of at the very least, Nate!"

"Yeah, I guess..."

"So, Nate, can you show me your Pokémon?" asked Hilda.

Nate's attention was piqued even more. "Excuse me, what?"

"Can you show me the Pokémon you have, Nate? I'd like to see what you've got!"

"O-Okay..."

Outside the Safeguard Restaurant

"Come on out, everyone!" Nate cried as he threw his six Poké Balls into the air, summoning Pignite, Krokorok, Cryogonal, Yamask, Mandibuzz, and Gigalith, all of whom let out cries of triumph as they all looked at Hilda, who stared back, greatly impressed.

"Quite impressive," she replied. The brunette then snapped her fingers. "Okay, let's settle this." She pulled out a Poké Ball. "How about we have a battle?"

"A...what?" Nate couldn't believe what he was hearing; first this strange woman seemed to show some interest towards him, and now, she challenges him!

"Come on, Nate! I'm itching to have a little warm-up for the Pokémon Contest at Ketchum City, and maybe you should have a little warm-up for the tournament!"

"Well...I guess I need to train as much as I can." Nate smiled and made a fist. "Let's do it!"

"This should be interesting..." thought Slate as he watched Nate and Hilda.

A/N: So, why is Hilda so interested in Nate, and what kind of connection could Nate possibly have with the Genesect Army that he doesn't know about? This, and many more revelations will be revealed in following chapters, so STAY TUNED!

...I sound a LOT like that narrator! :D

I'd like to thank the following for reviewing (cannot answer reviews right now):

iheartphinabella05

Guest reviewer

Alpha B. A. 7

Ky111

woodland5 (guest reviewer)

BlueLightningXD

random girlz

HP-DG-SB-HA-RR-KB-NT-TD-LL-AJ

Sandgem

Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!