Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.
Author Notes: Chapter 25, finished and ready for you guys to read! Have fun!
A couple of notes. First off, I want to give a huge thank you to Space Magikarp, who reviewed every single chapter of the ANC Series so far over the last couple of weeks. That was really awesome, so big thanks for that my friend! I loved reading through every single review that you gave me!
Also, I may or may not be changing my username sometime soon, when I finally settle on something new that I actually like. Just giving you all a heads-up!
Chapter 25 — Aftermath
"They did it. They… actually did it," Phaedra marveled in astonishment as she opened her eyes and let their once-alluring glow recede to leave behind her natural ruby-red irises, her extended senses pulling out of the water around her as she did so. She gazed thoughtfully into the distance, reviewing in her mind the events that she had just witnessed. "I'm impressed." She smiled briefly and turned to face the giant dragoness floating beside her, only to snort and narrow her eyes knowingly. "Don't say it."
Skailyn opened her eyes, their own glow also dimming away until it vanished completely as she also pulled her extended senses out of the wind surrounding her. She tilted her head and looked at the Lugia with a smug expression, the edges of her mouth curling into a slight smirk.
After a few tense seconds, Phaedra rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Don't you dare say it, Skai."
Skailyn's smirk sharpened. "Phae, I told you so."
Phaedra huffed. "Yeah, I saw that one coming." She sighed while momentarily extending her great wings to stretch them, and then folded them neatly at her sides once more. "Why am I not surprised?" she grumbled.
Skailyn chuckled in amusement, smoothly curling her body on itself into a comfy position that allowed her to rest her head on a protruding coil. "Well, you're the one that doubted my judgment of character. Like I said, trust the twins. Have faith in them," she responded, her rumbling voice not hiding the tone of proudness within it. "I don't know what they were fighting exactly, but I trusted their drive to persevere and not give up. And you should too. They're not helpless hatchlings."
Phaedra looked at the black Rayquaza's unflinching expression as if carefully gauging her. "Fine," she admitted at last. "I'm just protective, that's it." She frowned. "Still a bit reckless, don't you think?"
Skailyn shrugged and closed her eyes. "Reckless? No. A bit harsh? Perhaps."
"If something had gone wrong and they died before a lock failure bailed them out of it, or if they were incapable of winning even with the lock's failure, it'd definitely be on you for not stepping in when you had the chance," Phaedra argued.
"I don't doubt it would be on me, and I'd take full responsibility for it. I'm aware that one can never know what's going to happen once a conflict arises, as its outcome isn't always set in stone, but you can always make good predictions based on those involved." Skailyn opened her eyes and sharply locked them with the Lugia's. "I've had the privilege of seeing the twins with my own eyes, and in them, I don't see quitters or weaklings. I see two very strong and determined dragons who won't be put down by even the greatest hardships thrown their way," she explained in admiration.
Phaedra gazed into the Rayquaza's unflinching eyes and narrowed her own in return. "Well, even the strongest and most determined dragons can be overpowered and beaten." She smirked and stifled a throaty chuckle. "How often do you lose in a fight against their mom?" she teased.
Skailyn let out a gruff snort and shook her head in amusement. "Well, they're not fighting someone the caliber of their mom, now are they? You give their challengers way too much credit."
"Fair enough," Phaedra relented at last. "I'll let it slide since you're rather adamant about it, and ultimately I admit that you were right." She let out a soft hum and looked at Skailyn affectionately. "After all, it wouldn't be you if you weren't so adamant about something once you've made up your mind about it. You also sound rather cheerful despite the fact the twins could've died."
Skailyn nodded once. "I am happy, yes. For them. They overcame a powerful challenge all on their own, without any divine intervention other than themselves. They won. This victory is theirs and theirs alone." She smiled fondly. "I'm very proud of them, and I'm sure their parents will be as well."
Phaedra smiled as well. "I'm sure they will be. Will you be telling them about what happened?" she asked curiously.
"Later, yeah, I will," Skailyn replied. "They're very busy right now prepping everything and checking things out, and I bogged Latios down enough with my earlier request. So, it's better to leave them alone for now. After all, they'll be meeting their kids very soon."
"Oh yeah, I'm excited for that to happen," Phaedra commented eagerly. "Can't wait to see Latios again, too. I've missed him a lot."
"Soon, Phae. Soon." Skailyn slowly uncoiled and rose to her full height, lazily stretching her long and imposing body. "For now, we just have to wait and stand guard in case something that's really threatening comes by. In any case, it's just a few more days."
"Indeed," Phaedra mused while turning around, taking note that Ailith was gone and that Silver was nowhere to be seen. She shook her head in bemusement, a playful grin forming on her face. "Oh, Silver. Again?" Her eyes flashed slightly, causing the water directly under her feet to abruptly stop supporting her. Under her immense weight and colossal body, the water suddenly parted with a towering splash as she dove underneath the lake's surface.
Silver—who had been attempting to hide from her underwater—squeaked in surprise and darted away while laughing cheerfully, swimming toward one of the rivers that fed the lake in an attempt to escape his sister, who followed after him at a leisure pace that roughly matched the toddler's.
Ash breathlessly looked on ahead, his eyes wide and his expression incredulous. His mind raced a mile a minute as he did his best to piece together the series of events that he had just witnessed, trying to find any form of a coherent explanation for them.
All around the young trainer and those near him spread a vast and lovely blue sky that was mostly cloudless, only marred by the occasional billows of unpleasant grey smoke rising from the severe damage the two Devon towers had sustained during the battle against Team Aqua's forces. The sun above shone brightly, casting a rather pleasant warmth upon the area and reflecting vividly on the sparkling blue ocean that stretched as far as the eye could see from Rustboro City's coastline.
An eerie silence befell the large metropolis, with everything seemingly frozen still as if nothing had happened. It was calm as if a colossal explosion of apocalyptic proportions had not just threatened to wipe out the entire city just moments ago. The large and frightening crater that formed the scar upon the land that bore the physical evidence of the event had long been covered by the ocean's pristine waves.
Ash finally let out his breath, his pupils frozen in place as he gazed upon two of his best friends, none other than the eon duo, Latios and Latias. Two young Legendary Pokémon that he had met a few months ago on one of his usual adventures and that he had shared many fond memories, adventures, and moments with throughout that period. Ash recalled how when he had met them, the two had been severely underpowered and required constant training to give them any semblance of a competitive fighting level. Even then, they still often struggled at times when presented with serious challenges or formidable opposition due to their noticeable inexperience.
Even with all of that, what the twins had done just now was something that Ash couldn't quite digest yet in its entirety. Months of weakness and impotency had been left behind for good, as despite all of their struggles throughout their lives, they had done the impossible as stated even by a Pokémon as powerful as Steven Stone's Metagross.
They had saved Rustboro City.
They had saved its inhabitant's lives.
They had saved their friends' lives.
They had saved themselves.
Ash's eyes lingered on Latios for the longest time—making the dragon feel slightly uncomfortable—and then drifted down to gaze at Latias, who was still sobbing softly on his chest while tightly clutching the rim of his shirt with her claws. "I don't have any words for this," he uttered in disbelief, almost imperceptibly shaking his head as he did so.
"Normally I have something to say to all the crazy stuff we run into, but this time? Me neither," Pikachu mumbled, the shocked expression on his features signaling that he was just as stunned as his trainer. Pikachu looked between the two dragons and offered them an empathic smile. "I still have some trouble believing what I just saw myself. But you know what? Whatever. It happened and we're all okay. That's what matters. We're all alive."
"Yeah." Ash let out a fatigued exhale, wrapping his arms around Latias' neck and pressing against her head to comfort her. "It's okay, Latias. It's okay," he whispered compassionately.
Latios looked back toward the ocean as if replaying in his head what he had just done. "I don't know what happened either," he admitted with a weary half-smile while turning his attention back to his friends. "But like Pikachu said, what's done is done, I guess."
Ash grimaced, his expression one of concern. "What do we do now?" he asked in an unsure manner while stroking Latias' neck tenderly, finding it reassuring that her erratic breathing had slowed down and her sobs had grown quieter.
Pikachu glanced around, taking note of the imposing plumes of smoke still rising from the other Devon tower and the damage done to the tower they were on at the moment. "I say we go and check up on Brock and Bianca," the electric-type suggested. "Look at the ruckus we caused here while fighting Team Aqua. Remember that Brock went to fight them too, what if he ran into similar problems? We left Bianca at the Pokémon Center, what if something happened to it? I mean, odds are they should both be fine. But we should still check up on them. Plus, after that big explosion, they're most likely worried sick about us and would love to hear from us."
"Yeah, we better get going," Ash agreed with a sigh. He glanced down and lightly shook Latias to get her attention, and then frowned when he got no reply from her. "Huh. Hey, Latias, are you alright?" He shook her with a bit more force but found her to be completely immobile. "Latias?"
"She passed out from fatigue," Latios noted sadly. "Which, by the way, I also feel like I'm about to drop any moment now. I'm exhausted. Whatever we did back there took an enormous toll on us."
Ash reached into one of his pockets and took out Latias' Poké Ball, which Bianca had given to him earlier that day should the need to use it arise. "Latias, return," he said aloud. The device activated and recalled the dragoness back into the sphere with a red flash of light. "What about you, Latios?" he asked with concern. "Want to go back into your Poké Ball so you can rest?"
"Well, you still need transport. With both Pidgeot and Latias unconscious, I'm the last one left. I'll fly you to the school where Brock is. I think I have enough strength left. After that, yeah, I'd like to rest," Latios answered wearily.
Ash stood up from the floor. "Alright, sounds like a plan." He turned around to face Steven and Joseph with an embarrassed expression while scratching the back of his head. "Uh, don't ask. Seriously. I know nothing and have no answers and neither do my Pokémon. Uh, well, I'd really love to stick around, guys, but I want to check up on my friends. So, I have to go."
Steven gave the younger trainer a friendly smile. "It's alright, Ash. We understand. Your friends come first. Go." He glanced around, surveying the destruction both towers had sustained. "Being honest, dad and I should leave as well. The whole of Devon Corp. is most likely terrified and in dire need of our leadership."
Joseph gazed out toward the sea, his own stunned expression fading away as if his son's comments had shaken him back to reality. "Yes, that's true, Steven." He looked at Ash, flashing the boy a sincere and grateful smile. "Ash, thank you so much for everything that you've done for us today. We wouldn't have made it through without you." He then focused on Pikachu. "And thank you for saving me from that abduction attempt, and be sure to thank that Pidgeot as well from my part." He finally looked at Latios. "As for you…" He bowed slightly. "Thank you so much for saving the city I and countless others call their home, as well as all of our lives. Also, be sure to thank the Latias as well."
Ash, Pikachu, and Latios nodded in unison toward the elder. "You're welcome," they said collectively.
"My Pokémon say you're welcome," Ash translated, motioning to the two Pokémon with the backward wave of a hand.
"Please, don't leave Rustboro City just yet, Ash," Joseph pleaded. "Steven and I would love to thank you properly for your help and maybe discuss what happened more thoroughly, but we really don't have the time right now. Please, come by sometime later."
Ash blinked and tilted his head curiously, but nodded in acknowledgment nonetheless. "Alright, I'll be sure to come by before I leave the city."
"Thank you, I'll be on my way now," Joseph replied. He turned around and hastily walked to the rooftop's doorway, which led into the tower's interior.
"Mawile and Skarmory," Steven spoke up suddenly, turning to face the two powerful steel-types. "Go and stay with my dad at all times. Nothing gets close to him without your explicit approval," he ordered firmly.
Mawile took a deep death, closed her eyes, and exhaled while letting her body relax. A radiant rainbow glow spread across her body, which began to shrink as she ended her Mega Evolution. The glow coalesced around her waist and faded away to reveal a metallic belt holding a shining Mega Stone. Now at her usual diminutive size, Mawile flashed Ash and his Pokémon a grateful smile, waved at them with a hand, and then made her way over to Joseph's side.
Skarmory looked at Ash, Latios, and Pikachu in the eye, giving each of them a respectful bow in the process, and then wordlessly walked toward the elder's other side.
Joseph paused, glancing at his son over his shoulder. "Is that really necessary?"
"We still have no idea if everyone of Team Aqua is truly gone and defeated, as there could be a random grunt or two left hiding somewhere. Yeah, odds are it's over but better safe than sorry. It's merely a precaution," Steven replied. "I'll go back to the courtyard to check up on the rest of my team and the army of grunts they defeated, and then help out with the inevitable barrage of press and law enforcement we're bound to get at our front door any moment now."
"Alright," Joseph responded curtly. "Keep everything under control down there. I'll meet up with you once I've verified every employee is safe and that all safety protocols have been followed." The elder resumed his pace, with Steven's Mawile and Skarmory following him dutifully.
Steven walked to Metagross' side and swiftly climbed on top of them. "Once again, thank you, Ash," he said once he was safely seated on top of his Pokémon. "We'll be seeing you soon."
"You're welcome, and good luck with everything here," Ash replied. The young trainer walked over to Latios, who lowered himself to the floor to allow Ash to climb onto his back. "Take care, Steven!" Ash added with a friendly wave as the dragon levitated back up.
Steven returned the goodbye wave, after which both Latios and Metagross flew away to their respective paths. Metagross left the rooftop and dived, flying down the face of the skyscraper to head to the torn courtyard of the Devon building complex. Latios, meanwhile, quietly flew away and headed toward the Pokémon Trainer's School at a sluggish pace.
"You sure that you're fine?" Ash questioned worriedly after a couple minutes of flight, patting the dragon's neck sympathetically after noting that he was flying at an abnormally slow pace.
"I'll be fine," Latios answered wearily, his eyes half-lidded. "I just feel so tired right now."
"Well, don't you dare fall asleep in midair," Pikachu warned him playfully. "I hope you're aware that Ash and I can't fly."
Latios chuckled weakly. "Oh, I'd only drop you, Pikachu."
Pikachu rolled his eyes. "Obviously you would, silly dragon."
Ash laughed slightly at the pair's antics. "You'll be fine. You'll get a nice rest once we settle in for the day. Then we can talk with everyone else and see what's next."
Latios let out a sigh. "Yeah. Though, again, I have no explanation for what happened. I can give some input based on my perspective of the whole thing, but nothing beyond that." He looked down, his gaze looking for the street that led to the Pokémon Trainer's School. Once he had found it, the dragon dipped down and descended toward the street. "Well, here you go, Ash." The blue dragon stopped and lowered himself onto the ground, allowing his trainer to securely get off his back.
Once he had gotten off, Ash smiled while crouching down. He gave Latios' upper neck a friendly pet. "Whatever you did back there, thanks again for saving us all. We'll chat after you've gotten your well-deserved rest."
"Yeah, go to sleep. We'll talk later," Pikachu added with a goodbye wave. "And thanks, too."
Latios smiled back at them, letting out a soft rumble of appreciation. "You're welcome, guys." He leaned into Ash's arms for support, let out a peaceful exhale, and finally closed his eyes.
Ash held the dragon gently while reaching down to his belt. The young trainer unhooked Latios' Poké Ball from it and then held the device in front of him. "Latios, return." The sphere activated, shooting out a red beam of light that dematerialized the unconscious dragon back into its confines. "Take a good and long rest. It's more than deserved," he whispered to the Poké Ball.
"Well, that's that," Pikachu mumbled. "Let's go check up on our friends."
"Yeah," Ash replied, standing up while fastening Latios' Poké Ball back onto his belt. He turned around and began walking forward, taking note that he was already almost at the doorstep of the Pokémon Trainer's School. As he made his way over to the building, he solemnly took in his surroundings. The entire street that lined the front of the school was wrecked, the school's perimeter wall was heavily damaged, and numerous nearby buildings also showed considerable damage on their lower levels, signaling that an intense battle had taken place. "I hope Brock's alright. This place looks like a mess."
"He should be," Pikachu commented reassuringly, gently patting the back of Ash's head. "Remember that he's a strong trainer. He knows how to fend for himself." He paused and frowned. "I mean, even if Team Aqua largely uses water-types that would give him trouble, Brock knows what he's doing. There's no way those clowns beat him."
Ash let out a small gasp and picked up pace when he noticed the main gate of the Pokémon Trainer's School slowly opening. He stopped right in front of it just as Roxanne poked her head out to nervously survey the school's surroundings. "Roxanne!" Ash called out enthusiastically. "You're okay!"
Roxanne's eyes widened slightly as she stepped out of the school's boundaries. "Ash?" she asked incredulously. "What are you doing out here!?"
"Wait, did you just say Ash?" Brock's faint voice was heard calling from behind the wall. Seconds later, the trainer stepped out from the doorway and joined his fellow gym leader. "Ash!" he repeated loudly, running up to Ash to wrap his arms around him in a tight hug. "Thank goodness you're alright, I was worried sick about you!"
Ash laughed briefly while hugging his friend back. "Likewise! I'm really happy to see that you're alright as well."
Brock broke the hug, took a step back, and looked at Ash up and down. He let out a sigh of relief, noting that other than being rather dirty he seemed to be perfectly okay. "What was all that ruckus out there?" He paused and looked into Ash's reddish eyes with a serious expression. "Did you have anything to do with it?"
Ash froze, and then gulped nervously. He hadn't thought of how to explain this to his friends or everyone else beforehand. "Uh…"
Pikachu rolled his eyes, and lightly tapped the side of Ash's head to catch his attention. "You can tell them. We can trust Brock and Bianca, obviously." He glanced at his side, noting the presence of Roxanne nearby, and that the school's principal was just now emerging from the school's damaged gates. "But, for now, keep this between us. Don't tell anyone else until we've had time to actually process what happened and come up with a cohesive explanation."
"Yeah," Ash said slowly, turning his head to look gratefully at Pikachu. "Thanks, buddy." He focused his attention back on the former gym leader. "So, uh, let's check on Bianca, Brock. I think that's more urgent."
Brock frowned, looking at Ash oddly for a moment. He nodded slightly, understanding Ash's potential motives. He turned around to face his fellow colleague. "Hey, Roxanne! It was a pleasure helping and all, but I need to go and check on the rest of my friends. Sorry, but I'll be leaving now."
Roxanne gave him a weary smile. "Very well, Brock. That's fine because I'll be very busy in a bit. I need to make sure that all the students in the school are safely reunited with their families. Now that this is over, we're gonna have a lot of very worried parents at our doorstep real soon." She whirled around, motioning to the school's principal to follow her inside. Before she entered, she stopped and gazed back over her shoulder. "Thank you so much for helping out, Brock!"
Brock waved at her, flashing her a delighted smile. "It's no problem, Roxanne!"
Ash silently looked on as the pair disappeared into the building. He turned around and began to walk down the street. "Well, let's go to the Pokémon Center."
Brock followed after the young trainer, quickly skipping over to his side and then falling into a steady stride that matched Ash's pace. "Yeah, let's check on Bianca."
"So, what happened on your end? The school's exterior seemed pretty beat up, as did the entire street," Ash asked with a slight wince.
"Team Aqua attacked, much like we expected. They were clearly stalling, though, as they kept dragging the fight on as much as possible. It was clear this was just a diversion, exactly like Latios assumed. We eventually managed to fight them off with the help of the school's staff and police," Brock explained. "Despite the chaos and how beat up the place ended, everyone's safe. What about you, Ash?"
"Well, Latios was not wrong. The buildings turned out to be the main target of Team Aqua's attack. They literally brought a whole army over there, so we got into a really big fight," Ash answered. "Thankfully we had Steven, who's the former champion of Hoenn, on our side. He did most of the fighting, but we also had a lot on our plate at the rooftops."
Brock grimaced and looked at Ash in surprise. "Sounds like you guys had it rough. Are all of your Pokémon fine?" He focused on Ash's shoulder, where Pikachu was seated. "Pikachu seems fine, but he's evidently exhausted and has a few bruises here and there."
Ash sighed and looked up, thinking over each of his team members. "Yeah, my whole team's mostly okay. The one that took the worst hits was Pidgeot, but hopefully, it's nothing too serious. She should be fine after Nurse Joy gives her a checkup. What about your Pokémon, Brock?"
"That's good. If Nurse Joy is too busy, I'll help check her up instead," Brock offered. "As for my Pokémon, they're okay. They're all very tired but none took any serious injuries." He looked around him and let out a frown. The street was unnervingly silent, as not a single soul was out other than them. Countless shards of glass were scattered across multiple sections of the sidewalks, no doubt coming from broken windows on the surrounding buildings. Looking up, Brock could see a plume of dense smoke rising in the distance. "So…" Brock began awkwardly, unsure of how to word his next question. "That huge explosion, what happened exactly? I saw on the news that Team Aqua's gunship was preparing to fire a powerful cannon, but news broadcasts got cut off when it fired. Did Team Aqua really try to destroy Rustboro City?"
"Yeah, Team Aqua did try to destroy the city," Ash confirmed sadly, his stare downcast. "As for the explosion itself, well… it was supposed to blow up at the city's center. The reason it ended harmlessly exploding over the ocean instead was that Latios and Latias stopped it."
Brock stopped in his tracks and spun to face Ash with a stunned expression. "That thing was stopped by Latios and Latias!? How!?"
"I don't know!" Ash replied defensively, putting his arms up. "I'm honestly just as shocked and surprised as you are. Even from the buildings, I couldn't get a good look myself since they did that way out over the ocean. But they did it, somehow."
"Whoa," Brock marveled, resuming his stride. "So, it's Alto Mare all over again."
"Alto Mare? What do you—oh? I think I see what you mean," Ash said while putting a finger on his chin in thought, piecing together the clear parallels of Latios and Latias stopping the wave at Alto Mare and stopping the laser blast at Rustboro City. "Latios and Latias are unconscious right now, just like back then."
"Are they okay other than being knocked out? What about you? Last time this happened, both you and Latios almost died," Brock questioned sharply. "You sure that everything's fine?"
"They're fine, and I'm fine, yeah," Ash answered honestly. "Also, we're almost there," he added, noticing the nearby Pokémon Center. He picked up the pace, as did Brock.
The pair hurried up and noticed the Pokémon Center's main doors slowly opening. Two police officers stepped out, along with two large and intimidating Arcanine. One of the officers grabbed a radio attached to his vest and spoke something into it, while the other took note of Ash and Brock's approach. "Hold it," the officer said authoritatively while holding his palm up, with his Arcanine rearing back defensively and letting out a growl.
"I'm a foreign gym leader and he's a visiting trainer," Brock answered firmly. "We've come to the Pokémon Center to help out if we can, and have our Pokémon checked up."
The police officer looked at them for a few moments, noting that neither of them was wearing the attire of any known criminal organization, nor did they seem dangerous. "Very well." The officer stepped aside and joined his partner on the sidewalk.
Ash and Brock entered the Pokémon Center and stopped for a few moments when they saw how crowded and busy the place was. The center's atmosphere was heavy, with near-frantic activity going on at every corner. Nurse Joy was nowhere to be seen, but several Chansey and Blissey donning nurse outfits expertly directed the place's commotion. Along with the center's Pokémon staff, dozens of ordinary people from the city that volunteered to help out during the crisis tended to scores of injured Pokémon—most of whom Ash and Brock recognized as belonging to either law enforcement or Team Aqua—that were sprawled on temporary beds and mats dotting the entire lobby. Many of the volunteers were on their cellphones as they helped treat the injured Pokémon, no doubt checking on their loved ones, while a few others were in the process of picking up their belongings or hastily leaving.
"Well, I don't think it'll be easy to get our Pokémon treated," Ash commented with a frown. "This place looks packed and there are others that probably need the attention more than mine do."
Brock hummed thoughtfully while looking around. "You said that all your Pokémon were fine except for Pidgeot, right?"
"Yeah, she took a beating," Ash replied worriedly. "Latios and Latias should be fine, they're just knocked out. But it'll probably be a good idea to get them checked up anyway, along with Pikachu."
"I'll see if I can get some supplies and treat them myself, or at least get help from a Chansey. Let's start with Pidgeot, she needs it the most. Meanwhile, you go and check up on Bianca, how's that?" Brock proposed. "Come find me after so we can give treatment to the rest of your team."
Ash nodded in agreement. "Yeah, sounds good." He reached down toward his belt and retrieved Pidgeot's Poké Ball, and handed the device over to Brock.
"See you in a bit, Ash," Brock said as he walked toward a particularly authoritative-acting Blissey who he presumed was in charge of everything in Nurse Joy's absence.
Ash walked into the center's main hallway, making sure to peek into every room for a brief moment until he finally spotted Bianca tending to an injured Corphish inside one of them. "Hey, Bianca," Ash greeted as he sat down next to her.
"Ash!" Bianca shouted, slightly jumping in surprise. "You spooked me."
"Sorry about that," Ash apologized with a nervous laugh. "I didn't notice that you were so focused."
"Yeah, I was," Bianca affirmed, returning her attention to the Corphish she was treating.
Ash looked at it, wincing slightly in the process. The Corphish's hide was cracked in numerous spots and one of its pincers was completely cracked open, revealing the soft inner flesh. Thankfully it was asleep, clearly from sedatives. "Poor thing," Ash muttered sadly.
"You know, this little guy is most likely from Team Aqua," Pikachu spoke up sadly.
"Yeah," Ash agreed somberly. "Definitely Team Aqua. They had a lot of these and their evolved form. I doubt Rustboro City's police would use any."
"I mean, it's not guaranteed to be from Team Aqua," Bianca pointed out. "It could be from a local trainer who tried to fight off Team Aqua and help out. These Pokémon should be fairly common near coastlines, which the city is on. But, yeah, it's most likely from Team Aqua. Though, medical centers must treat all Pokémon, even those of bad guys."
"Sometimes, it's easy to forget because we're busy fighting them, but Pokémon are not all bad and some of these are probably just doing what their trainers ask for without taking sides," Ash noted sadly. "We probably left several Team Aqua Pokémon in similar condition back at Devon."
"We most likely did, but such is life," Pikachu said with a frown, his ears dropping.
Ash sighed, gently placing a hand on the Corphish's head while Bianca worked on applying medicine on some of the cracks on its shell. "So, how are you, Bianca? Are you alright?" he questioned.
"I am," Bianca answered with a smile. "I'm really happy to see that you're in one piece. Are you and your Pokémon okay, though? How are the twins? Have you met up with Brock?"
"We're all fine. Brock is fine too. As for the twins, they're exhausted and sleeping right now. Brock will have a look at them once he gets supplies, but they're pretty much okay," Ash answered.
Bianca nodded once. "So, that big ruckus, did they…" She stopped and left the sentence hanging, unsure of how to proceed while being surrounded by other people.
"They did," Ash answered quickly. "But we'll talk about that later. It's crowded here."
"Good idea," Bianca replied. "I'll work here for a few more hours while the rush ends, so use that time to get your Pokémon checked. Then we'll have to find a place to stay for the night. I doubt the Pokémon Center will have any space available."
Ash nodded. "I'll stick around until we get treated, then we'll look for a hotel or something. I'll go back with Brock and talk to him about that." He stood up and left the room, leaving Bianca to continue her volunteer work.
The faint sounds of ambient chatter resonated in the slumbering dragon's ears, sounding like hazy and distant whispers that he couldn't quite make out the contents of. Latios' face wrinkled in slight annoyance at the disturbance, with consciousness slowly returning to him. A pair of bright-red eyes gradually opened, only to abruptly blink shut in response to the yellow glare of light that greeted him.
"What?" Latios asked weakly, blinking several times to let his bleary eyes adjust to the brightness of the room he was in while trying to discern his immediate rather-blurry surroundings. "What's… going on?" he added warily, groaning loudly while raising his stiff neck off of the bed that he only now realized he was resting on top of.
"Hey, welcome back, sleepyhead," Bianca greeted him affectionately, standing up from the chair she had been sitting on to walk over and sit down on the blue dragon's bed. She smiled and placed her hand on the dragon's long and slender neck, stroking it soothingly while running her fingers through his very fine plumage. "It's alright, everything's fine," she cooed tenderly. "Are you okay, Latios?"
Latios let out a content rumble and closed his eyes for a brief moment. He shook his head a couple of times, trying to clear out the sensation of dizziness and faint headache that he was feeling at the moment, and finally opened his eyes again. "I… think I'm okay, yeah," Latios answered uneasily after a lengthy pause.
Bianca giggled slightly and shook her head in amusement. "Can't understand you, silly," she pointed out playfully. "You gotta use telepathy with me, remember?"
Latios paused and tilted his head, and then let out a soft noise of realization. "Oops, sorry. I forgot about that for a moment. I said I think I'm fine," he replied telepathically. Now that his eyes had adjusted properly, Latios glanced around and noted that he didn't quite recognize the rather elegant room he was currently in. He did, however, find it immensely reassuring that he immediately noticed all of his friends sitting around a large and elegant table nearby. The blue dragon let out a sigh of relief, as the room's friendly environment signaled to him that all hardships were truly over for now and that everyone was completely safe.
A large lump that was mostly covered by plain-white bedsheets on a bed next to Latios' bed shifted about, causing Bianca to look up at it. Much like her brother, Latias had been resting on her own bed, with her movements causing the bedsheets to slowly roll off her to reveal the dragoness' red and white down. A pair of beautiful amber eyes opened, with her head still resting comfortably on top of a pair of pillows. "Hey," Latias greeted them warmly, opting to use telepathy to allow all of her friends to understand her. "It's great to see you're finally up, Latios."
"Hey sis," Latios responded contently while craning his neck to face her and offer her a smile, feeling greatly relieved to see that she was alright.
Bianca reached with a single hand toward the dragon's upper neck, grabbed the rim of the blanket that was covering him, and slowly pulled it off to allow him better movement. "There we go."
"Thanks," Latios said gratefully while flashing Bianca an affectionate smile and raising his neck further, comfortably stretching it. He shifted his attention back toward his sister. "You awake for long?"
"I'm wondering that too," Bianca commented. "You could have said something earlier, Latias."
Latias giggled quietly. "Sorry about that. Anyway, no, I haven't been up for long. I figured that Latios would wake up soon after me, so I've just been on-and-off snoozing until he did," she answered, closing her eyes briefly to lazily stretch herself as well. She let out a short laugh, rubbing her head on the pillows. "Plus, I haven't quite mustered the willpower to leave this bed yet. It's comfy."
"Oh, gotcha," Latios acknowledged. "Weren't we in our Poké Balls, though? I honestly don't remember. Everything's a bit fuzzy."
"You were earlier," Ash answered. "But we decided to let you guys rest on the beds once we got here. We imagined it'd be more comfortable than the Poké Balls." Ash stood up from his chair, walked over to Latias' bed, and sat down on it next to her. "How are you feeling, Latias? We've been worried about you too." He gently reached toward her slender neck and rubbed it in a friendly and reassuring manner.
"I'm fine," Latias answered while letting out a soft purr and flashing the young trainer an amiable smile. "Well, I kinda feel like I got hit with a sack of bricks, but I'm fine overall."
"A really big sack of bricks," Latios joked half-heartedly, suppressing an awkward chuckle. "In the form of a big laser beam. It hurt."
Ash winced. "Yeah, that's basically what happened."
"So, it did. Well, as Ash said, we've been worried about the both of you," Brock noted while turning his chair so he was facing the two awakened dragons. "It's a big relief to hear you two are okay."
"Yep. We're alright, so no need to worry anymore," Latios affirmed. He let out a deep sigh, his eyes wandering all around to take note of his surroundings. "So, where are we?" he asked curiously.
"We're in a hotel room in Rustboro," Ash answered. "We haven't left the city yet."
Latios nodded slowly. "Okay. Though, don't we usually stay in Pokémon Centers?"
"Usually, yeah," Ash responded. "But all of the Pokémon Center's rooms are being used to house Pokémon patients, so we had to book a hotel for the time being."
"Okay, that makes sense." Latios glanced to a nearby window, noticing the faint rays of pale moonlight that shone on the glass and were immediately lost in the yellow hue of the room's lightbulbs. "It's late. So, we slept for several hours?" he wondered.
"Pretty much," Brock responded, and then let out a short laugh at the brief flash of shock on the dragon's face. "It's past midnight, you two have been asleep for over ten hours," he confirmed.
"Wow," Latios murmured, unsure of what to say in response.
Latias grimaced. "Well…"
"It's fine, we don't blame either of you for oversleeping," Bianca said reassuringly, her hand still softly stroking the blue dragon's neck. "After what happened, you two were bound to need a nap. We suspected it'd last longer, actually."
"Okay. So, uh, what happened after we fell asleep?" Latias asked curiously. "I don't remember anything after I returned to the tower. I just remember feeling heavy and emotional and then… nothing."
"Yeah, I'm curious about that myself," Latios commented, his expression growing expectant and his ears perking up attentively.
"You two didn't miss anything outstanding," Ash answered with a small shrug. "That airship attack was the last we saw of Team Aqua for the day." The trainer gave Latias' neck a reassuring pat. "After you fell asleep, Latios flew us off the Devon towers and then fell asleep himself. After that, I went to meet up with Brock, then we went to the Pokémon Center to meet up with Bianca. We stayed there to help out a bit, got everyone checked up once our turn came, and then looked for somewhere to stay for the night. We've just been here resting and passing time ever since. Rustboro City is still on lockdown so we can't do much else. Just dealing with the aftermath I guess," he explained.
"Well, we didn't miss that much then," Latias noted in relief. "By the way, how's Pidgeot doing?"
"She's alright, according to Brock," Ash responded. "She just needs a good rest and she'll be as good as new."
Latias smiled. "That's good to hear."
"That's good indeed." Latios frowned. "Anyway, uh, I'm curious. Do all of you know exactly what happened? And with that I mean, exactly what happened?" he asked, looking between Brock and Bianca nervously. He paused again. "Uh, does the city know what happened?" he added uneasily.
Latias' ears perked up as well. "I'm very curious about that too."
Brock nodded slowly, clasping his hands together and then resting his chin on top of them. "Well, Ash told Bianca and me what happened in summary." He glanced at the room's TV, which was currently off. "As for the city, not really as far as we know. At least, all news coverage we've seen of the events so far have been unable to accurately explain what happened. But it did cause a big ruckus. It's been on TV nonstop."
"That's unsurprising," Latias said with a frown. "An evil organization attacked the city, and then almost destroyed it in a massive explosion. That's bound to cause a lot of panic and alarm around the globe."
"Definitely," Bianca agreed. "There are some videos of it taken by some news crews that stuck around and some bystanders that show what happened to some degree. Ash told us that you two were the source of it all. Thankfully, between the blast, the red wall, all the light shows you two were causing, and the sheer distance involved for most people, neither of you are discernible within the chaos."
"Which is good," Pikachu commented, looking up from the table where he had been eating his favorite Pokéfood out of a bowl. "The last thing I want is people crowding us nonstop because of what happened. That'd be annoying to deal with. We had to put up enough with it back at the Silver Conference."
"It would be, buddy, it would be," Ash agreed, a hint of both nostalgia and annoyance in his voice. "I wonder if I have to speak up or something? I honestly don't know what to do or say about this."
"We'll decide what to do later," Brock suggested. "Don't pressure yourself, Ash. We have to sort things out among us first, and then you have to sort it out with Steven Stone. Then we'll see what we say or do."
"That works, I guess," Ash muttered nervously.
"Good idea if you ask me," Bianca agreed as well. "Anyway, I'm still very surprised about this whole affair and what you two did in response to it. It's simply astounding," she admired, looking between both dragons with a twinkle of awe in her eyes.
Latias sighed, looking downward in an anxious manner. "I'm not sure if I'd use the word astounding to begin with, really," she murmured weakly. "I don't know how to feel."
Ash gently stroked the dragoness' neck with his hand in a reassuring way. "It's alright, Latias. You don't have to feel bad or ashamed over it."
"That's understandable, Latias," Bianca said softly, giving the dragoness a considerate look. "I can't imagine how difficult to process all of this is for you."
Ash looked between Latios and Latias, eyeing the two dragons curiously. "May I ask, what happened exactly, if you two are willing to talk about it?"
Latios and Latias looked at each other, gazing into the other's eyes as if silently asking for permission to open up, and waiting for the other to make the first move. Latias broke eye contact first and looked to the side, causing Latios to frown. Uncertainly, Latias gave the tiniest of nods.
Latios hummed while deep in thought. Finally, the blue dragon let out a faint moan and raised his head, slowly looking at each of his friends one by one. "Like I told Ash back at the towers, I honestly don't know what happened, how we did that, or why we did that. But, now that we've rested and can look back to it, I guess we could try to talk about it and give an explanation. Don't expect much, though."
"We're all ears," Bianca encouraged softly.
"Wouldn't it be technically all minds? They're talking to us telepathically," Pikachu pointed out.
After Latios had translated the comment, Bianca glared at the electric-type. "Pikachu," she reprimanded sharply.
"Fine, fine, no time for witty comments," Pikachu grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.
Bianca rolled her eyes and reassuringly stroked Latios' neck. "Anyway. You two don't have to pressure yourselves into speaking. Talk at your own rhythm and only what you're comfortable sharing with us. Regardless of what you say, we love and trust you to the end."
Ash nodded in agreement, gently stroking Latias' neck comfortingly. "Yeah. Whatever happened and no matter how freaky it was, we care about both of you all the same and we'd never think any differently of you two."
"Yeah, most definitely," Brock agreed with a smile. "If you two are uncomfortable over it, we can drop it and just move on. We understand if you two want to keep some degree of privacy on this matter."
Latias let out a soft noise and gave them a touched smile, and then gently pressed herself against the soft strokes of Ash's hand. "Thank you, guys. We appreciate it. We really do. It's not that we're uncomfortable talking about what happened. It's just—" She paused and let out a soft snort, fumbling for a moment to find the correct word she was looking for. "Complicated," she finished hesitantly.
"Oh, no, it's fine, we can talk about it," Latios added quickly. "In fact, it'll probably do us good to get it out of our chests," he added, grunting uneasily. "We just need to find our words. Remember, we're almost as clueless as you guys are. And, this is weighing heavily on us."
"Yeah, I can imagine." Pikachu hopped off the table and made his way over to the bed where Ash and Latias were, and hopped onto it to sit next to his trainer. "Ash and I had a front row to everything and we have no idea what happened," he noted. "And I doubt describing flashy lights would explain much, either."
Latios frowned, his expression thoughtful as he went over everything in his head several times to try and piece together a coherent explanation. He stayed silent, and once he had made up his mind and made sure he had everyone's attention, he began to speak. "Well, to be frank about it, we almost died. There's no other way to put it. When we tried to fight off the laser beam from that gunship, even if we were both hopeful and confident at first that we'd successfully stop it and be the big damn heroes like back at Alto Mare… we were no match for it. We lost. I could—" He choked and cringed noticeably. "I could feel my feathers burning right off my skin. It was like a flash of searing pain that spread through my body, and then it was gone and I felt nothing, presumably because my skin was burned off along with my nerves." Latios looked down dejectedly, a nauseated look forming on his face. "I'm sorry for being graphic, it's what I felt."
Ash, Bianca, Brock, and Pikachu grimaced while looking at each other uneasily, but remained silent to allow the dragons to vent and further elaborate.
Latias sniffed and let out a crestfallen whine. She slowly levitated off the bed, drawing the others' attention toward her. "I felt it all as well, and it was horrible. We were just an instant away from dying had whatever happened that saved us not happened." She hiccupped as a single tear fell from her eye and rolled down her cheek. She levitated toward Latios' bed and then laid down on top of him, wrapped her arms tightly around him, and pressed her face against his neck. "I don't want to ever have to say goodbye to you like that ever again," she croaked sorrowfully, her telepathy breaking down mid-sentence and coming out a bit distorted.
Latios flinched and closed his eyes. He let out a saddened whimper and nuzzled her back. "I—I don't… I'm sorry…" The dragon drew in a sharp breath and opened his rapidly-moistening eyes as the memories of having to say his final goodbyes to a dying Latias crashed down on him. "I don't want to have to say goodbye to you too," he murmured faintly.
Latias looked at him with reddened eyes. "That's the second time this year," she lamented, tears freely rolling down her cheeks. "I can't do this again. Never again."
Latios hiccupped, well aware that a few months ago she had been forced to do just that at Alto Mare when he had been reduced to a fading spirit. "I know! And I'm sorry… I shouldn't allow this to happen! I'm supposed to protect you and, I'm—"
Bianca sighed, her expression downcast as she gave the dragon a sad smile, and gently interrupted him by caressing the side of his head. "It's alright, Latios. It's alright."
"Thanks, it's just…" Latios began as a tear made its way down his cheek, his telepathic voice sounding rather erratic from his upset state of mind. "I should—"
"As I said, it's alright," Bianca reassured him sympathetically. She gently pulled both dragons' heads onto her lap. She grabbed the rim of her shirt and softly used it to wipe the tears off their cheeks. Once she was done, she wrapped one arm around Latios' neck and the other around Latias' neck, and hugged both of them close to her chest. "What you two went through was rough. We understand if you're upset."
Latias sniffed and pressed her head against Latios' head while also cuddling closer to Bianca's hug. "It was," she whispered telepathically. "Those last few instants where we thought we'd die felt awful. We felt so defeated, so hopeless. Like utter failures. Everything was going dark, and I had to use my dying breaths to send a last goodbye to Latios. I just wanted him to know that, before I, I… that I—" She abruptly stopped as her telepathy completely broke down, leaving her unable to say anything else. She let out a sharp wail and buried her head into Bianca's chest, while her claws tightly clutched Latios' feathers.
Latios trembled and looked down impotently, as if looking away in shame and shrinking away from Latias and reality. A heavy sob tore through him, as every single one of Latias' last words to him rang profoundly on his mind. He wanted to respond to her, but found himself speechless and unable to express anything to her. He let out a whimper of frustration, angered and grief-stricken at his own inability to reassure his sister or himself.
Pikachu looked at the pair sadly. It pained him to see his friends like that, but he knew it'd be best to let them get it out of their system at their own pace. He glanced at Ash with a frown, as uncomfortable memories of Ash's own near-death experiences at New Island and Alto Mare resurfaced for him.
Ash reached down to rub Pikachu's head, offering the electric-type an understanding look. "I know, buddy. I know what you're thinking."
Pikachu sighed. "Yeah."
Bianca gently stroked both of the dragons' long necks, letting the two cry their emotions out. "It's fine, it's all alright, both of you," she cooed tenderly. She reached down and gently wiped the excess tears off their cheeks with her shirt.
Latios pressed his head into Bianca's chest, taking deep breaths to calm down while wiping his tears off on her shirt. He stayed like that for a while, steading his breathing until he finally pulled back and raised his neck to allow him to nuzzle Bianca's cheek with his own. "Thank you, we needed that. I'm sorry for… losing it."
"It's okay, Latios," Bianca replied, pressing her hand against the dragon's cheek to hold him closer to her. "We're all here to support each other, and you don't have to always be the one that's worrying about everyone. You need support, too."
Latios closed his eyes and nodded slowly. He gave Bianca an affectionate lick on her cheek and then pulled back while opening his eyes to give her a caring look. "I know. Thank you so much."
Bianca giggled slightly. She gazed down and smiled compassionately at Latias, who had just finished wiping her tears away. "And you too, Latias. We're always here for you as well."
Latias sighed and levitated away, focusing on her brother with a saddened expression. "Just don't go, okay? I can't bear having to say goodbye a third time."
"Same, I couldn't bear going through the first time at all, Latias. I'm sorry it happened," Latios replied with a crestfallen frown. His expression hardened as he locked eyes with his sister. "But, we're always gonna look after each other, right?"
"Yep, we will," Latias answered, a glimmer of determination shining in her moist eyes. She reached down and nuzzled Bianca affectionately. "Thanks for your support, Bianca. We… we're not in the best headspace right now. It was a rough ordeal."
Bianca gently caressed the red dragoness' neck, eliciting a soft coo from her. "I know. I can't fathom how horrible what you two went through must've been."
"We're all here for both of you," Pikachu commented amiably, giving the two dragons a thumb's up.
"We're a family," Ash agreed with a grin. "And families stick together through good and bad."
"We are! Also, hold on a moment." Brock stood up from his chair and disappeared into the hotel room's small kitchen.
"Thank you, everyone," Latias replied delightedly, her telepathic voice sounding a lot steadier now. She levitated back to her bed and laid down on it, resting her head on Ash's lap and cuddling against him.
Ash wrapped an arm around her protectively, while gently stroking her neck with his free hand. "You two did great, and thanks for saving us all for a second time. We wouldn't be here without you."
"And thank you all for looking after us while we were asleep and recovering," Latias replied gratefully. "You all also do a great job at it."
Latios groaned quietly, his expression becoming doubtful. "Speaking of a second time, we were just getting there in our explanation." He glanced to the side, noticing that Brock was coming over with two large metallic bowls in his hands.
"Here you go, guys. I made this juice for whenever you two woke up. It's full of berries and herbs that will give you some energy back and help with any leftover pain or annoyances you may have. Plus, I figured you two might be thirsty after that long nap." Brock handed one to Ash, then walked over and handed the other one to Bianca. "Drink up."
"Thanks, Brock. That's kind of you!" Latias exclaimed appreciatively, reaching down to drink from the bowl that Ash was holding for her.
"Likewise, Brock," Latios said as Bianca lifted the bowl to his head so he could take a drink as well. "I was thirsty, and this tastes really good!" he added, his eyes lighting up. "Hey, you never disappoint when you cook stuff."
Brock chuckled in bemusement as he returned to his spot on the table. "Telepathy is practical at times. You can talk while drinking. That never gets old. Anyway, you're both welcome."
"It is practical. Anyway, as I was saying before we got interrupted by our outburst, well, we almost died. And, the thing is, what saved us from the near-death experience felt exactly like Alto Mare," Latios explained as he drank down a hefty portion of his juice.
Bianca raised an eyebrow while taking the bowl away once the dragon had finished drinking, placing it on top of a drawer next to the bed for the time being. "Like Alto Mare? How so?"
"Funny enough, Ash and I compared this to Alto Mare when we met up earlier today," Brock commented. "The parallels are very clear."
"That's with good reason," Latios noted with a half-smile, taking a deep breath to gather his thoughts. "So, just like Alto Mare, Latias and I charged down a massive threat that was about to destroy the whole city, and we barely managed to stop it." Latios paused and frowned, nervously glancing away as if not being entirely comfortable with what he had to say next. "Back at Alto Mare, I nearly died because I was weakened from powering up the DMA, and I took the bulk of the power drain to stop the tidal wave to spare Latias from any danger or pain. I would have died had Ash and Latias not saved me in the end. This time, however, both Latias and I were near death."
"We were," Latias murmured sadly, her face solemn. "When we collided with that energy beam, we lost. It overpowered us instantly, and tore through our psychic energy like it was wet paper. Like Latios described, we could feel the beam burning off our feathers and flesh as we were being pushed back, we could feel ourselves dying. We even said what we thought would be our final goodbyes to each other. And then…" Latias paused, taking a moment to look into each of her friends' eyes one by one. "It happened."
Pikachu tilted his head. "It happened? What happened?" he questioned curiously.
"Yeah, what?" Ash asked, scratching his head in confusion. "That's vague."
"Is this that 'whatever happened that saved us' thing you two mentioned earlier?" Brock asked.
"It is. It's something… something I can't really describe," Latios explained, his telepathic voice shaky as if he was doubting his own words. "You see, the parallels of today with what happened at Alto Mare aren't just about us saving a city and nearly dying in the process. It's also how we succeeded in saving the city. When the wave was approaching Alto Mare and we were desperately charging against it to try and stop it from destroying the city and killing everyone, we felt as if… something happened inside us. When that something happened, we found the strength to stop the wave. Strength we didn't know we had, a strength we've never felt before, it was suddenly there."
"This time, it happened again right as we were losing to the beam and dying." Latias' telepathic voice turned dead serious. "Only much, much worse and on a far bigger scale."
Brock hummed thoughtfully, putting his hands together and resting his head on them. "Can either of you try to describe what that something felt like?"
"Like… something breaking inside of us," Latios said slowly, his eyes widening in realization as he felt that he had finally found the perfect description for it. "Think of it as if something deep inside us, something that isn't physical and is more like spiritual or magical, broke inside of us. Like a rip that's splitting your soul down the middle, but painless. If anything, it felt liberating, it felt amazing. It made me feel good. And, after that, we suddenly felt powerful. We felt strong. We felt like we could do anything, and so, we stopped the wave and stopped the beam. It happened both times."
"Yeah. Back at Alto Mare, it felt like a small tear. But, earlier today? It felt like a gigantic fissure," Latias said. "It came out of nowhere, and when it happened, we unleashed everything we had on Team Aqua's ship. Everything that you all saw."
"I see," Brock whispered, pausing for several moments to think over what the two dragons said. "Sadly, I have no real way of making any sense of it. I've never heard of anything remotely similar."
Ash hummed, idly stroking Latias' neck as he did so. "That also fits the scale of what we saw. Back at Alto Mare, they just made a large sphere of light that brought down the wave. What happened today makes that seem like nothing in comparison. So, basically, if I understand this right… You two felt like something inside of you broke, and then after that, you gained the power to beat the wave and beam?"
Latios nodded. "Precisely! But I don't know anything else beyond that. I don't know what's breaking in the first place, or why it's breaking, either. I don't even know what this power is or where it comes from. I can't explain further than that."
Latias let out a deep exhale, causing everyone to turn to glance at her. "I think I have some clues as to why it happened," she spoke up telepathically. "I also don't know what it is, but I think I know why."
"You do?" Bianca asked curiously. "What is it, then?"
"Well, you guys remember that I'm an empath? That means I have the power to sense the emotions of others near me, something Latios doesn't have. Well, this power allowed me to do something today that I couldn't back at Alto Mare." Latias looked at Latios, giving him a sad smile. "It allowed me to sense your emotions while we were charging toward the beam."
Latios tilted his head, giving her a confused look. "Well, what useful information would that give you?"
"A lot, actually," Latias responded instantly. "It allowed me to sense your hope just as we departed the tower, your determination as we were flying towards the beam, and finally, your anguish and distress at our imminent deaths. Am I correct?"
Latios nodded slowly. "Thinking back to it, I can say that's mostly accurate, yeah."
"My emotions mostly mirrored yours throughout the whole ordeal. Now, setting aside the fact that I had to feel my brother's emotions just as he was dying—" Latias winced noticeably, "it was precisely at that moment, during that height of distress, of impotency, of frustration, that the ripping happened within us. And I can safely say it was just like that at Alto Mare, too. Both times we were in deep distress from our imminent deaths and the deaths of everyone around us. I don't know how to quantify it, but it seems there's a threshold in which that distress triggers that breaking sensation that gives us the strength to fight off the dangers we're facing."
"I see," Latios murmured, deep in thought. "So, whatever broke inside of us that gave us the power to fight off these life-threatening dangers was triggered by our distress at our inability to beat them in the first place?"
"Exactly," Latias confirmed.
"That makes sense," Brock commented. "Distress can be a powerful motivator when one's life is in danger. Just, you two took it to the extreme."
"Yeah," Latios agreed. "So, there you have it. Something broke inside of us, then… whatever we did, we did it because of it. Now, where does it come from, or what that power is? Don't even ask. I have no clue."
"So, that massive red shield that protected Rustboro City from the explosion? Or those gigantic energy blasts fired at Team Aqua's airship? It all comes from that ripping?" Ash asked, glancing at each dragon whenever he pointed out their respective actions.
Latios let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah, those exactly. I have no idea where they came from, but it just came naturally to me while I was in that powerful state. Like instinctual, as if I had known them my whole life. It was really weird."
"Regardless, I honestly still can't believe we did that. I mean, stopping the wave was one thing. But what we did today was insane. I made a shield powerful enough to withstand an explosion the size of a city!" Latias gasped, shocked by her own words. "How!?"
"I don't know, Latias. Sometimes I wonder, just… what are we? Why can we do all of this?" Latios asked pensively, gazing up at the roof as if he was awaiting an answer from the heavens.
Latias snorted and rolled her eyes, which then began to glow in a soft shade of blue light. She telekinetically grabbed one of the pillows on her bed and threw it at Latios, who let out a surprised squeak when it hit him right on the face. "We are Legendaries, dummy. We literally screamed that dramatically to the four winds earlier today when we beat Team Aqua's ship."
Latios laughed nervously. "Yeah, we did. Good point."
Latias grinned teasingly, prompting Latios to freeze in horror. "I was totally following your lead, by the way. Because screaming something so dramatically is definitely on you."
Latios wheezed and blushed in embarrassment. "It most definitely is not!"
Latias' grin widened. "Yes, it is!"
Ash laughed. "Typical."
"Gotta side with Latias on that one," Pikachu commented with a smirk, much to Latios' annoyance.
Bianca giggled and shook her head in amusement. "Great to see you two are back to being yourselves."
Latias gave her friends a warm smile. "Maybe we just needed to get this off our chests. I feel so much better now that we've vented. Thank you so much to all of you for everything."
"Indeed. We couldn't have asked for better friends," Latios said appreciatively, echoing his sister's sentiments.
Chapter 25 End
Author Notes: And that concludes the chapter! I hope you all had fun reading it! Remember, I have a DISCORD SERVER with over 120 members at the moment, if you want to join our community of fanfiction enthusiasts, head over there! The link is on my profile!
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