Took a bit longer than I expected, but I managed to complete it none the less. I originally planned on having this chapter be twice as long, but decided against it and simply stopped writing. Next chapter will immediately pick up where this chapter ends. From here on out the fluff increase, and hopefully the romance. As usual enjoy the read, and leave a review if you liked it, or got something to say.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.

Waking up, it took Ash a while to remember where he was. With there being only bed they had decided that a coin toss would be the solution to see who should get the bed. Thankfully he had taken his sleeping bag with him, as had Brock and May, but in the end neither he nor Brock would get the bed, having to sleep on the ground together with Pikachu. Sitting up, Ash looked around the room, noticing that everyone was still sleeping. Nudging his starter a few times, it only took him a few tries to get her to react. Trying to be as silent as possible, Ash walked over to where he puts his clothes and started dressing while Pikachu was watching. Trying to find his bag, which he had conveniently put behind his pillow, Ash picked it up and placed on his head. Throwing his jacket over his left shoulder, Ash gestured to Pikachu to follow him out of the room. He tried to be as silent as possible, hoping the door would open with minimal sound, which it did. Now standing on the floor, Ash could smell breakfast coming from below, again trying to be silent as he walked dow the stairs in order to not wake his friends which were still sleeping. Standing at the bottom of the stairs, Ash looked to his left, spotting the kitchen. Entering it, he saw Lorenzo sitting at the table with a newspaper in his hand, and Bianca walking around the kitchen and setting everything on the table, including jam, slices of toast, butter, ham. There were even scrambled eggs being prepared and coffee being cooked. "Good morning you two," Ash spoke up, catching their attention. Bianca smiled as she spotted him, Lorenzo giving him a friendly nod instead. Seeing that the table was set for six, Ash tilted his head a little. They were a total of five, so why was the table set for six? He was pretty sure that Pikachu wouldn't sit on a chair and eat at the table, so who would be joining them? "Are you having someone else over?"

"Yeah," Bianca responded, a sly smile on her face. She clearly had something in mind as she looked at him. Where as yesterday she only invited Latias because she wanted to spend more time with her. Now that Ash was here, completely different opportunities opened themselves for her to take. The biggest question how she should handle everything from now. She wanted to somehow surprise Latias, which meant that Ash had to know in the end. Just telling him and asking him to help her surprise Latias would be the option. "Latias is coming over for breakfast soon. I invited her yesterday, can you imagine how happy she will be to see that you are back?"

Bianca's words hit Ash like a truck. She had invited Latias over? The reason why he was here was to meet Latias, but like this? He was given the perfect chance, and instead he felt like running. "When is she coming?" Ash barely managed to get the words out, feeling his heart race at the thought of seeing Latias again, after so many years. Maybe just taking it on head on would be the best solution to his problem. He hoped that it was the best solution. He didn't want to embarrass himself in front of Latias. "When is she coming?"

Everything was going better than planned. If she could only surprise Latias somehow. Possibly she could surprise both of them. "In ten minutes or so she should be here. I'll get the others," Bianca replied, starting to head toward the second floor. Just as she set her foot on the first step the doorbell rang, which meant everything was going along perfectly. She had told Latias to come around this time, but Ash didn't need to know that. Now a quick lie and all was good. "Ash, that should be the mailman! Could you open the door?"

"Sure!" Ash called back, walking out of the kitchen to the door. He wasn't sure why Bianca hadn't asked Lorenzo to open the door. He wouldn't say no to such a simple favor, especially when it came from a friend. Putting his hand on knob, pulling the door, expecting to greet a mailman. He wasn't expecting someone completely different. He recognized her without any problems, even if she looked different from what he remembered. Her hair was longer, and somehow she had become even more beautiful than before. "Latias?"

If Ash had been greatly surprised, Latias was outright shocked. She had dreamt of him, dreamt of him returning, watched his every Pokemon battle, talked with Bianca about how she felt and how she wished he would return. Never did she imagine that her biggest wish would come true. She couldn't contain a squeal coming out in her regular voice, quickly putting a hand over her mouth as she blushed. Last time they hadn't been able to communicate besides with more simple gestures and such. Unable to stop the urge, Latias leapt forward and wrapped her arms around Ash. She knew she shouldn't have done, but the childish glee she felt was too strong. She had learnt to control in the years the other Latis arrived. Seeing Ash had broken down all of that control, which ended up in her hugging him. She didn't know if she should simply enjoy the moment or actually say something. Saying something felt like the better option. 'You're back!' As she hugged Ash she felt another presence, simply ignoring it as she bathed in happiness. She knew that she should let him go, holding him like this though was overwhelming for her. Soon, she felt something poke her leg, and as she looked down she saw Pikachu grinning at her. The moment she let go, Pikachu jumped into her arms with a squeal of her own. Hugging the little yellow Pokemon light, Latias put her back down as Ash stepped aside to allow her entrance. 'What are you doing here? I'd thought you would be back home or off to another region again.'

"I wanted to visit you. Is that good enough of a reason for me being here?" Ash joked, giving her a quick hug again before they headed for the kitchen. If anything else had happened, he might have gotten annoyed at Bianca for setting him up like that. For this he didn't know if he should thank her or not. Right before they entered the kitchen, Ash noticed that he was holding Latias' hand. He definitely didn't remember taking it, so he must have done it unconsciously. Glancing at Latias, he got her attention, which triggered her looking down on their intertwined hands as well. A light blush graced her cheeks as she let go of Ash's hand, walking first into the kitchen. Following her, Ash saw that Brock and May were already there, having released Croagunk and Glaceon. He couldn't stop himself from wearing a big smile as he entered. "Good morning, guys."

Hearing someone enter, May took notice of the girl, probably being Bianca's friend, and Ash as they sat down next to each other."You seem awfully happy this morning. Care to tell what has your spirits so high?" May asked, her eyes darting between Ash and Bianca's friend. As she took a better look, she soon found out that Bianca's friend looked awfully like her, except the longer hair and somehow looking more radiant. Instead of waiting for Ash to answer, May moved her attention. "I'm May. You're Bianca's friend, right?"

Latias had completely forgotten. There were no problems with Ash or Brock, seeing as she knew, but she never had interacted with May before. If she was a friend of Ash there shouldn't be any problem, she hoped. 'I'm Latias,' Latias introduced herself, May being shocked at the revelation. Sure, psychic Pokemon were known to have the ability to communicate through telepathy, though you rarely experienced it first hand. Continuing to be stare upon by May, Latias wondered if something was wrong. 'Is everything alright?'

"Yeah, everything's alright, I was just a bit surprised," May quickly responded, putting on a smile. She hadn't expected Bianca's friend to be a Pokemon, and even less that she was a Latias. If going by how well Latias and Ash were getting along, she would guess that they knew each other from Ash's previous visit. Noticing that Ash and Brock had struck up a conversation about something, May took her chance to have a conversation with Latias while the others were busy. Then she remembered what Ash had told her of his last visit to Altomare, about the incident with Team Rocket. "I wanted to ask how exactly you met Ash, but then I remembered what he told me. This is probably a little late though, I'm still sorry for your loss, if it counts for anything. Let's talk about something happier instead."

'Maybe you can tell me something about you got to know Ash,' Latias asked, making sure that only May would hear her. No need for everyone else to listen in on their conversation. She remembered Misty travelling with Ash when they met, and knowing that he travelled all across the world, she was sure that May was one of his companions he met. 'Where're you from, May? Wait, I think I saw you during the Hoenn Grand Festival, which you won!'

That little fact caught May off guard, recovering quickly though as she was happy to hear that even Latias watched her match. Did that mean she also followed all of Ash's matches? That would be cute. May could only wonder Latias had followed more than just Ash's latest conference. "It wasn't anything special," Now she had to steer the conversation in the direction, while not making it too obvious. "Did you watch Ash's matches as well?"

While not having some of the problems that came a human voice, Latias still 'choked' as May asked away. 'Yeah, I did. I was sad seeing Ash lose though, with him being so close to winning it,' She remembered the feeling well, seeing Ash falter right at the end. But he bounced back, as usual, and had no problems beating her and Brock a few times. 'Will he compete in another conference?'

"He hasn't discussed any plans with me yet, I'm sure Brock knows something though," May said, pretty sure Brock knew what Ash had in mind next. A new thought popped up, one that made May think. What did a Pokemon like Latias spend her time with? Obviously she wasn't a trained Pokemon, and she couldn't spend every day with Bianca. "What do you do though to pass time? I know that Pokemon don't have jobs like we do, and you have to be doing something to pass time, right? Are you just flying around, or what?"

'I actually used to do that, until some other Latis came,' Before Latias could elaborate on it, Bianca served the eggs and bacon. All the eyes were on the breakfast, now everything being served, and it was clearly not your normal breakfast you got when you went to work or were travelling. 'That looks delicious, Bianca. You didn't need to put that much work into it.'

Walking behind Latias, Bianca put her hands on Latias' shoulders and smiled at everyone around the table. "Of course I had to, especially with our special guest here," Giving Latias a quick squeeze, Bianca took her place on one of the short sides of table, opposite of her grandfather, with Ash and Latias to her right, and Brock and May to her left. Taking a few stripes of bacon, a slice of toast, and pouring herself some coffee, Bianca watched as different hands moved across the table, trying to choose what they wanted. Obviously Ash's plate was filled the most, and even Latias, who ate a lot, was put to shame in comparison to Ash. "Hey Latias, what do you think of visiting the garden today? It's a great day for it."

Latias hoped she hadn't heard Bianca correctly, with four pairs of eyes looking at her though she most likely hadn't heard her friend wrong. While she was sure nothing would happen if she brought them, seeing how none of the Latis reacted badly against Bianca, some even interacting with her. Her mind went back to the talk she had with the siblings. She really didn't want Lily bothering Ash. And then there was Zelgius. She could simply say that she was 'together' with Ash, a concept not really understood by Latis, but that would be a blatant lie, and not fair to Ash. For a Lati, you were either mates or you weren't. Dating didn't exist. Maybe she could simply show him that she was interested in Ash, interested in being more than just friends. Zelgius wouldn't be the only one to frown though about her showing such an interest in Ash. The minority of the Lati would support it, the only ones she knew would be supportive were the siblings. The rest would either not care, or be against it. She had to start somewhere though. 'Sure, why not?' Now she had to hope that she wouldn't regret the decision. She would actually love to show them the garden. Thankfully she had her private area, where most Lati never went. 'When are we leaving, Bianca?'

"As soon as possible, if you guys are okay with that," Bianca said, taking a sip of her coffee. The garden was always beautiful, but at this time of the year it was even more beautiful. Summer really did the garden well, and Latias loved spending her time. What better to improve that then spending time with Ash? She would eventually need to get away Brock and May from them, giving them some much needed alone time. They continued to eating their breakfast in silence, their Pokemon already finished. "Well, I'm done. You can finish at your own pace, and then you should get ready for our small trip to the garden."

Having also finished with breakfast, Ash stood up and put everything in the sink. Giving Pikachu a signal to follow him, Ash needed to get up to the room. Since Latias had appeared, a nagging presence had been in his mind, much to his annoyance. Hurrying up the stairs, he could hear Bianca in her room, which was at the other end of the hallway. Which meant that so long he didn't speak too loud, she shouldn't be able to hear the conversation he was about to have. "What was that all about?" Ash asked, holding the pokeball around his neck a little closer. There wasn't really a need for it, but it felt weird taking to someone when they simply hang around his neck. He loved Reshiram dearly, but for whatever reason, Latias' presence had annoyed her, and that annoyance had been transferred to him as well. At least he managed to avoid them letting feel his mood change. How he wished that he could release Reshiram so they could speak face to face, something which would have rather bad consequences for all of them, considering the size of the room. Waiting for a response, he got none. "What exactly did Latias do to get such a reaction from you? I never seen you react like before. I'm sure even Latias could feel your annoyance."

'Do you have a crush on her, little one~?' Reshiram asked, Ash reeling back in surprise at the question. He hadn't expected that, to say the least. Did he have a crush on Latias? Most likely, if going by what he felt when he saw her was any indication. And Reshiram surely picked up the emotions he was feeling rather easily. That still didn't explain the annoyance she was projecting onto him. 'That's cute! My hero has a crush on a Latias.'

"Why were you so annoyed then?" Ash could practically feel Reshiram's embarrassment at his words. For being a legendary of her caliber, Reshiram really didn't act like it when around him. Around other legendaries she probably went serious, but around him that wasn't needed. "No, please tell me you didn't feel that. Why would you be jealous of Latias?"

'Do I have to tell you?' Ash nearly couldn't believe it. Reshiram was pleading of all things. But he wanted to know, even if he had a pretty good guess what her answer would be. Trying to convey that he wanted to know, he waited patiently. Not getting an answer for over a minute, Ash sat down on his sleeping bag, Pikachu lying down next to him, telling him to scratch her behind her ear. 'I'm jealous that she will take you away from me!'

"What," Ash was rendered speechless. One of the strongest Pokemon in the world was jealous of another legendary and afraid that they would hog all the time that they would spend with him. That was unheard of to Ash's knowledge. He was happy that she honest, seeing as that he was the hero of truth, she should tell the truth too. "But you don't need to worry, Reshi. No one can replace you in my mind, ever. How about all three of us and Pikachu spend some together in the garden, alone? Then me and Latias can catch up, and you two can get to know each other better."

'I can agree to that.' Reshiram said, accepting that her hero would know what's best.

It wasn't long after the short conversation he had with Reshiram that they left, Bianca walking at front with while the rest simply followed them. Pikachu was walking ahead of him together with Glaceon and Croagunk, talking about something he couldn't hear. He had wanted to talk to Latias, but that plan was crushed as Bianca had taken her by the hand and lead her to the front of their small group. He nearly missed whatever May said, thankfully still hearing her question. "I plan on taking a shot at becoming the Kanto Champion," Going by the expression on her face, May was surprised. Which he guessed he could understand. It was like saying that he would settle down for the next few years. "Does it seem that unreasonable that I would eventually try to take a shot at becoming a Champion?"

"Well, yeah, it does. You have been travelling since you have been a trainer, and suddenly you plan stopping? That's a shocker," May joked, laughing softly as they continued walking deeper into the city, and closer to the garden. The time she had spent with Ash and Brock in Hoenn this year had been incredible for her. The first time she travelled through Hoenn she had lacked any experience, and Ash wasn't the same back then. Now though, after all these years it was a completely different experience to her, travelling her home region again with her friends. "Don't you need to have won the regional conference to be able to do it though?"

"Normally yes," Brock spoke for Ash, rounding another corner, a wall appearing ahead of them. Bianca and Latias started to increase their pace, forcing them to also increase their pace. "What most don't know is that if you have enough accomplishments to your name, or the League thinks you're capable enough, you can still challenge the Elite Four."

May stopped in her tracks at Brock's explanation, quickly catching up again to not fall behind. "I did not know that," Ash had more accomplishments than most trainers ever could dream. Top 32 in the Indigo League, which no longer existed, Champion of the Orange League, top 16 in the Silver Conference, top 8 in the Evergrande Conference, first winner of the Kanto Battle Frontier, top 4 in the Lily of the Valley Conference, top 8 in the Vertress Conference and second place finish in the Evergrande Conference. And if what Brock had told her true, he had even stood toe-to-toe with a member of the Kanto Elite Four and Lance, the Kanto Champion. "So, you really plan on doing it? I hope they'll let us watch."

"Guys, are you coming?!" Bianca called, turning around, as she watched her three friends fall behind, and catch up. Smiling as they reached her and Latias, she gestured towards the wall. Ash simply stared at it, seemingly accepting the fact that he would have too walk through a wall. Brock, having had his fair share of weird experiences, didn't hesitate to follow Ash. With her two friends gone, May stared at the spot where they entered, shrugging her shoulders in surrender. Doing the same as everyone else, May walked through the wall, leaving only Bianca and Latias. "I think it's better you go first, making sure the others Latis don't crowd on them too much. I suppose you should have gone in before any of them."

Walking through the wall, Latias simply ignored the sensation that overcame one when passing through. Gracefully appearing on the other side, she glanced around the garden. No Latis had taken notice of them yet. Walking to the front of the group, Bianca appearing a second later, Latias started to focus. Tapping into her powers, Latias transformed back into her original form, a soft gasp coming from May. 'This is my home,' Having lived her entire life in the garden, Latias still admired its beauty every time. Turning around to face her friends, it was impossible to not notice that Ash had been staring at her. Even May hadn't been staring, and Latias thought she could see a light blush on Ash's cheeks. She could spot a few Latis further into the garden, and none had shown any interest in them yet. Slowly flying deeper into the garden, Latias made sure that everyone was following, and that Pikachu and the other Pokemon weren't running ahead. Now she just hoped that Zelgius wouldn't ruin her day, and her time she wanted to spend with Ash. 'Come, I'll show you my personal area of the garden.'

Walking deeper and deeper into the garden, they soon found themselves staring at a massive tree. The soft sound of water could be heard as well, giving the place a serene feeling. Ash had felt the looks he and the others were getting by the many Latis inhabiting the garden. He would have to ask later where the other Latis all came from, especially the golden Latios. That one had been staring at them the entire time they were in his vision, and he hadn't exactly looked happy about seeing them be with Latias. As they closer to the tree, Ash saw a swing hanging from one of the many branches. The swing he and Latias had played on last time. "So you still got it, huh?" Taking hold of one of the ropes, Ash sat sown and took hold of other rope as well. "What are you waiting for? I could use some help here!"

A squeal of delight escaped Latias she rushed over to the swing, positioning herself behind Ash. Gripping the swing with her paws, she started pulling backwards before pushed the swing forwards. Repeating the motion a few times, Latias tightened her grip on the swing as she was laughing together with Ash. Nearly letting go of the swing in surprise at the additional weight on her back, Latias giggled as she heard Pikachu say something about how great it felt. She hadn't enjoyed herself this much in a long time. 'Isn't this great, Ash?'

"Should we leave them alone?" Brock asked, watching Ash, Latias and Pikachu having the time of their life on the swing. It was heartwarming to watch them, but it left everyone else somewhat outside. Looking to both his left and his right, Brock saw that May and Bianca were looking at trio on the swing. "Come one, let's leave them alone. They sure got some catching up to do, and we're not involved in that. How about we go and explore the city?"

Soon, Latias pulled the swing to a halt, and noticed that everyone was gone. 'Did you notice everyone leaving us here?'

"What? Well, I guess that we get to spend more time together, alone," Ash said, regretting that he said that. He couldn't have made it more obvious, could he? Touching the pokeball around his neck, Ash remembered something he had wanted to ask Latias. "Hey Latias, do you think I could release one of my Pokemon here? She hasn't been outside since a while."

A weird question, in Latias' mind, but one she wouldn't say no to. There was no reason after all, even if the way he asked was somewhat suspicious. Nodding, she watched as Ash removed the pokeball from around his neck. Looking around, Latias had been sure there had been someone else with them, not finding anyone though. Whatever that presence was, it hit her like a truck as Ash through the pokeball in the air, and it opened to release whoever it held inside. Standing before her, in all her glory, was Reshiram. Yes, she was a legendary, but she rarely attended to the meetings with the other legendaries, only interacting with those of her own kind, and the occasional visit from Ho-Oh. 'You're the one I have been noticing this entire time? I didn't know!' Latias closed her eyes and bowed as much as she could, hoping to not get on the bad side of the legendary.

A deep rumble echoed across the clearing, Reshiram unable to hold in her laughter. Opening her eyes, Latias could see that both Ash and Pikachu were grinning at.

'You have no need to worry about me, after all, you plan on staying with my hero for quite some time. I hope you hurry up though, I still want to see your offspring someday,' Managing to stop her laughing, Reshiram lowered herself so she was at the same height as the much smaller dragon. 'If you harm my hero in any way though, I won't be particularly forgiving.'

"That's enough, Reshiram," Ash spoke, his tone rather playful, the dragon going quiet all the same. Sitting down on the grass, he patted two spots next to him, wanting the two dragons to join him. Latias simply stopped floating to comply with Ash's request, Reshiram having a harder time to find a suitable way to sit or lay down. Mimicking her hero, she simply let herself fall, with her legs stretched out. It looked rather funny, Ash had to admit. "So, what do we do now, with everyone gone? We can't sit here the entire day and do nothing, can we?"

'Well we could,' Latias replied grinning, lazily lying next to Ash and Pikachu, Reshiram on the other side of Ash. About to make a suggestion, Latias' good mood was quickly thrown out of the window as she spotted something golden approaching them. Everything up till now had been great, so why couldn't it stay that way? She would even have endured the siblings, seeing as Ash would have gotten along perfectly with them, but dealing with him wasn't something she felt up to. 'Hey Reshiram, think you can get rid of that golden Latios for me?'

'Permanently? Reshiram asked, Latias quickly shaking her head. Humming a little, Reshiram watched the golden Latios that Latias meant approaching them. It was clear what he wanted, not even trying to hide his intentions with the way he had been staring at Latias the moment he approached them. He stopped in his tracks as he noticed her though, an awed expression on his face, much like Latias had the moment she saw her. Resuming his approach, he stopped once he had reached them, bowing his head in respect for her. 'And who might you be?'

Hesitating as he noticed that she hadn't directly spoken, instead using telepathy, Zelgius spotted a human sitting next to them, saying something to a Pikachu sitting next to him.

'I'm Zelgius, one of the many Latis living here in Alto Mare. I came here wanting to speak with our Queen,' He explained, focusing on his telepathy. He could clearly feel her annoyance, which most likely came from that she didn't bother concealing her emotions the least. 'I can leave if you don't want me here right now and come back at a later time.'

Nodding, Reshiram kept an eye on the golden Latios as he retreated back, most likely going somewhere else in the garden. 'Why didn't you tell me that you were a queen?' It sounded like that was the most important thing currently for Reshiram, looking at Latias with utmost interest. 'And who exactly was that? He certainly didn't bother hiding his intentions.'

'You can say that again. I just want to forget that he even appeared,' Latias replied, banishing the thoughts of the golden Latios from her mind. Trying to focus on something else, Latias saw that Ash was thinking about something. Following his gaze, she could see that he was looking in the direction where Zelgius had disappeared. Wanting to say something, Latias stayed quiet as she continued watching Ash stare in that direction.

"What exactly did he want from you, Latias?" It was a question he hadn't want to ask, but he had not been particularly comfortable in the presence of the golden Latios. The way he had looked at Latias had riled him up more than it should have. Even Latias hadn't looked very happy at seeing him, so there was clearly something going on. "Has he done anything to you?"

'No, not really. He's one of the many Latios living here, being one of the strongest among his kind. Seeing how I am the strongest Latias here he has taken it on himself to try and court me,' Latias explained, a smile tugging at her lips. 'Did you see how he looked at you? I thought he was going to explode at any moment. I nearly wish that he had done that.'

"Hey Latias, have you ever thought about leaving Alto Mare for a longer period of time?" Ash's heart started beating faster as he spoke, having a hard time asking. He had faced more life threatening situations than he could count, and simply asking his crush a simple question like that was too hard for him? He couldn't believe himself. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to. There's enough time to decide what you really want."

'I don't need any time to think about what I want!' Latias shouted, dashing forward to envelop Ash in a hug. Even Ash could feel the happiness radiating from Latias, her grip on him increasing in strength. Smiling, Ash hugged her back, but with less force behind it. 'This is what I've been waiting for all these years! This has been my biggest dream since we met!

Reshiram playfully nudged Latias with her leg, earning a small giggle from the younger dragon. 'This will be great, all of us travelling together! Isn't that great, little one~?' Reshiram asked, continuing to nudge Latias. Ash nodded, trying to push Reshiram's leg away as her attention shifted to him. They continued like that for another minute or so, until Pikachu interrupted them. 'Are you saying we should explore the city too? I haven't been among humans for a very, very long time. I was never a big form of transforming into a human.'

That was a fact Ash had never known about. "You can transform into a human? Can every legendary do that, and why did you never do that?" Ash wondered, Reshiram's words being the only explanation he got. He supposed that he wouldn't like to be transformed into a Pokemon for a longer period either, so he could see where Reshiram was coming from at least. "Is that uncomfortable to transform into a human for a longer period?"

'It depends. I tend to think that, where as Latias seeming has no problems with it. Also, no, most legendaries can't transform into humans. I can do it, as can Zekrom. Kyurem should also be able to do it. Latis can do that too, if they are proficient enough at using their psychic powers. Arceus can transform into anything really, Rayquaza can do it too. Else only with the help of Arceus is it possible to transform into a human.' Reshiram explained, three pair of ears listening to her words. Focusing her powers, Reshiram imagined how she wanted to look like, and started the transformation process. Deciding to join her, soon both dragons were glowing white as they transformed into their human forms. Looking at both, Ash had a hard time taking his eyes off Latias. Reshiram wasn't slacking, but something drew his focus to Latias. 'It looks like he only has eyes for you, Latias.'

Shaking his head, Ash looked in a completely different direction, trying to remove the blush from his face. "Shall we go?" Holding out his arms, Pikachu quickly climbed up his arm, taking her usual position. Receiving nods from dragon-turned-humans, Ash walked back the way they come, many of the Latis following them with their eyes. Soon they were back at the wall, walking through it. Ash still didn't like it. "Any ideas where we should go, Latias?"

Still somewhat caught up on Reshiram's words, it took Latias a weak shove from the bigger legendary, to respond. 'Well, there's a large park not far from here where we could go. It's a beautiful place, even though sometimes some trainers will battle there, with there being more than enough space for them to battle without being in the way of others,' Latias suggested to her two, or three, companions. With no one complaining, she started to lead them in the direction of the park. 'Then there's a place that Bianca showed where we maybe could eat lunch, once we're hungry.'

"I will happily take you up on that offer." Ash joked, a weak growl already coming from his stomach, prompting laughs from everyone else as well. Soon they found themselves laughing about different things as they continued their trip to the park.

"You were right when you said that this park was beautiful," Ash said, sitting on one of the many benches throughout the park, his hands behind his head as Pikachu was lying in his lap and Latias and Reshiram were sitting on one side each. They had explored the park, being big to warrant an exploration, and soon found themselves exhausted. Multiple trainers had been battling throughout the park, and Ash had even been challenged, but had declined everyone, either because he didn't know if any of the trainers were on his level or because he simply preferred spending time with them. "How about we eventually have a battle Latias, either together against one of my other Pokemon or against each other?"

'Battle?' Latias asked surprised, her mouth open as she looked at Ash. She had never thought about it. If she planned on travelling with Ash, wouldn't being his Pokemon be the best solution? And that meant she would have to be capable of battling, beyond the little training she had done with some of the other Latis. 'I'm not that great of a battler.'

'You're worrying to much,' Reshiram spoke, smiling at Latias. She had known how to battle from the start, never having a need to learn it. Most Pokemon didn't know how to battle, besides relying on their instincts. But that could only take one so far. And, she had eventually adapted to be able to be used by Ash in a battle, should the need ever arise. Reaching around her hero, Reshiram gave the younger dragon a pat on the back. 'I was born with the knowledge of how to battle, but I eventually trained with Ash to get a feel for how a battle between two trainers would go. It's quite different from what I knew.'

"It will be great! And with you not having the same sort of experiences as Reshiram, it will be a lot easier to teach you everything," Ash continued, wrapping an arm around Latias. Able to stop himself from blushing, Ash noticed that Latias wasn't as lucky and was now wearing a dark red blush on her cheeks. He really shouldn't be this bold, but if he wanted it to be more than a crush, he had to make it clear to her. "Do you think we could have a battle back in the garden, or would be other Latis disapprove of it? Because, we can't really have it here."

'If I really wanted to, the others really couldn't say something, unless the overwhelming majority were against it,' Latias replied, finally managing to push back her blush, and enjoy being held by Ash. Just as she gotten rid of her blush, Ash pulled her into him, making her squeak, a high pitched noise coming out of her mouth, clearly not belonging to a human. Reshiram laughed through her telepathy, not wanting to try her luck and hope that her normal voice gave a passable laugh. 'What're you laughing about?'

'When are you two going to confess?' Reshiram joked, laughing together with Pikachu, while the other two didn't share their humor. They eventually went quiet, while Latias still blushed in Ash's embrace. 'Girl, he's being as obvious as he can be right now, and you're not doing anything about it? He's giving you the best chance you could ever imagine!'

'What if he doesn't feel like that?!' Latias asked back, knowing Ash hadn't heard the last part. For all she knew, he could be doing everything without any sort of meaning behind it, so acting on it without being complete sure was a bad idea. If she did make a move, and she was wrong, she would most likely die of embarrassment. 'Not gonna happen!'

"What are you two talking about? It's not nice to leave someone out of the conversation," Ash interrupted chuckling, Latias trying her best to turn away from him. Even though he couldn't hear the conversation, he knew that they had been talking to each other. They wouldn't have been that quiet for such a long time without having a conversation of their own. They hadn't included in the conversation for a reason, so he wouldn't bother prying and find out what they said. As he was about to say something, a loud growl came from his stomach, much to his chagrin. "Does the offer for lunch still stand, Latias?"

'Of course it does,' Latias responded, quickly standing up. Taking that as a sign that they were leaving, Ash told Pikachu to sit on his shoulder as he stood up, followed by Reshiram. Heading for the nearest exit, Ash tried to figured out where they were going. 'It's a wonderful place that Bianca showed me, and it's not very far from here.'

"I hope my expectations are well placed then," Ash said, once again walking between the two dragons, unable to stop himself from sneaking glances at Latias as they walked at a leisurely pace. He wondered what others were doing in the meantime, after they had simply left them alone. Looking around as they walked, Ash tried to get some sense of direction, so if he should go on his own hopefully could find back. They fell in a comfortable silence, Latias leading the way as they soon found themselves at the water and one of the major streets in Alto Mare. With it already being quite late, and lunch time nearing, the street was bustling with people, going about a multitude of things. Many were probably tourists, like they were, except Latias, while many also most likely were inhabitants of the city, enjoying the free time they got on a weekend. Thankfully it wasn't afternoon yet, were most people were likely to appear and enjoy the day walking along the street and its many shops. Only a few minutes later and they were standing outside a nice looking restaurant, only being half filled with lunchtime being a little later. Which meant that they wouldn't need to wait or try to find a table in the overcrowded restaurant. "Come on, let's get inside. Should I do the talking?"

'That would be nice. Last time I was here, Bianca introduced me as a mute relative,' Latias explained, Ash nodding, She knew that she also was speaking for Reshiram. Neither of them could really speak, and in her case she couldn't read either. Maybe she could ask Ash or Bianca to teach her, seeing that it was a rather useful skill. 'What're you waiting for?'

Heading in first, Ash was greeted by a variety of smells, coming from the many dishes being prepared and eaten by the customers that were there. Approaching the counter, the man behind it looked up from whatever he was doing and gave them a big smile. "Welcome!" Gesturing towards the somewhat empty restaurant, Ash took it as a signal that they could pick any empty table they wanted. Taking a seat at the table, his two companions soon joined him as the man from before approached them. Holding three menus, he handed them one each, before taking out a small notebook and a pen. "Do you want something to drink?"

"Water for all of us," Ash didn't bother waiting for a response from the others, keeping it simple. The man nodded, not having needed to write anything down as returned behind the counter again. Looking through the menu, Ash eyes widened. There were a lot of different things to choose from. "This place is great, Latias. Decided what any of you want yet?"

'It's rather rude to simply speak for us without asking first,' Reshiram complained. completely ignoring Ash's question. Attention back on the menu, she browsed through it, having a hard time on deciding what to order. Glancing at Latias, she saw that the younger dragon simply was looking at the menu, her eyes not moving, and not having looked past the first page a single time. 'I think Latias might need some help. Can you help her?'

"Huh?" Trying to understand what Reshiram meant, Ash didn't need long to see what she meant. It was adorable actually how Latias tried to read it, even though it was blatantly obvious that she couldn't. "Hey, do you need a hand in choosing, Latias?"

Her cheeks flared up, slowly nodding as she moved her chair closer to Ash's, while Ash did the same. Starting to explain what everything was, Latias was shortly after to pick one of the many dishes. 'Thanks for the help, Ash,' A radiant smile graced her lips, Ash lighting up at her words. 'I'll take the caesar salad. What about you?'

Waving over the man from before, Ash waited for him to get to there table, Reshiram telling him what she wanted in the meantime. "For me it will be spaghetti bolognese, while my two friends both will take the caesar salad," Writing down their orders, the man once again went behind the counter, this time though entering the kitchen. "So, unless we plan on finding the others and spend time with them, we need something do. Got any ideas?"

I'm just itching to jump forward in their relationship, but that would kinda ruin everything, wouldn't it? As usual, I hope you enjoyed it. If you did or simply want to say something, good or bad, leave a review. They're much appreciated. Next chapter will be out in at latest two weeks, hopefully earlier. Except there to be even more awkward moments between Ash and Latias, more teasing from Reshiram, and a lot of blushing. Until next time!