Hello! Thanks for reading my story! It would be nice if you reviewed! Let me know what you think and if there is anything I can improve on! I do not own Pokémon or any of the characters.

"Talking"

'Thoughts'

"Telepathy"

Latias groans and then glares at Jackson. Ash looks confused and slightly offended at what the Latios just said. Ash looked at the Latios and tried to keep calm.

"Excuse me? What do you mean? My name is Ash Ketchum. Who are you?" Ash asks while Latias was glaring and gently holding Ash's hand. Jackson merely scoffs and moves closer to Ash.

"My name is Jackson. Latias and I are supposed to be mates. Jackson says in arrogant tone. Ash seems to reflexively grip Latias's claw tighter and glares at him.

"That's not true Jackson! You need to leave us alone! Ash is very important to me and I never want to be your mate! Ash is the one I was talking about earlier." Latias says in an angry tone as she angrily glares at the Latios.

"Him? He's the one? But he's human! That's..disgusting! You deserve better than a human!" Jackson says to her privately as he looks at Ash with disgust. Ash looks at Latias who was growling at him.

"I don't care! He's the one that I love! I am going to be his mate and that's the last time we discuss this!" The young dragoness says as she takes Ash and leads him towards the garden entrance.

"Latias, is everything okay?" Ash asks in a worried tone as they leave the garden. Ash gently squeezes her hand and she sighs as she transforms into her human form.

"I'm sorry Ash. I had hoped he wouldn't cause any problems. But I guess he did." She says in a sad tone as Ash lets go of her hand and gently hugs her.

"Hey, it's okay. If anything he seems like a jerk. I'm sorry you have to deal with him." Ash says while Latias smiles and was enjoying how warm he felt.

"Well, what do you want to do now?" Ash asks while Latias thinks.

"Well, we could try relaxing in the garden, but I don't know if Jackson will bother us again. We could go shopping if you want? It's almost time for lunch too." Latias says as she looks at Ash. Ash looks at Latias and frowns slightly as he thinks. After a while he starts walking towards the garden again.

"I still want to relax in the garden. No one will keep me from having fun!" Ash declares as he strikes a pose. Latias giggles and reverts back into her normal form. She suddenly takes Ash's hat and flies as fast as she can through the entrance. It takes Ash a moment to realize what just happened, before he indignantly cries out.

"Hey, get back here Latias! Give me back my hat!" Ash shouts as he ran through the entrance and looked around. The sneaky red and white dragoness had hidden amongst the shrubbery near the entrance. She had turned invisible and was slightly giggling as Ash ran past her. She watched as he called out and started looking around. A few times he had come close to finding her, but he walked past her.

'Darn that Latias! I'll get my hat back!' He thinks to himself as he starts looking harder. Latias decides to leave her hiding place and dashes by the young trainer. She had turned visible again as she passes by, to let Ash think he could catch her. He shouts at her and runs after the mischievous Pokémon. To Latias's surprise, he was actually managing to keep a close distance behind her. She risks a glance back and sticks her tongue out as Ash seems to get even more indignant.

"I'm going to catch you Latias!! No one takes my hat!!" The raven haired trainer shouts out and uses a burst of energy to catch her. The young dragoness decides to let him catch her as she slows down a bit. With a shout of victory, the young man catches her and pulls her down. She crashes to the ground with Ash on her and with Latias laying on her back. Ash takes his hat back proudly and cries out happily.

"Aha! I got you! That's another victory for Ash Ketchum!" He cries out in happiness as he raises his arm in victory. Latias meanwhile was trying not to squeal. Ash is laying on her chest, and he is really close to her face. She feels a small amount of courage and takes a deep breath.

'It's time to tell him.' She thinks as she blushes red.

"Um..Ash?" Latias says meekly. Ash calms down and he looks at her.

"Huh? Did you say something Latias?" Ash asks as he puts his hat back on. He could see that the young dragoness was extremely nervous, as she was playing with her claws and her heart was beating rapidly.

'Huh. Now that I'm able to see her closer, she really has gorgeous eyes. They are a beautiful shade of amber. Why am I noticing these things more recently? It's not a bad feeling..just weird.' Ash muses as he idly places his hand on her chest and feels her soft feathers and heartbeat. Latias grows even more embarrassed as she feels her cheeks burning with embarrassment. He was really close and she could even smell his scent. It was a nice scent and she felt herself grow even stronger in love with the young man.

"Ash..I have something I want to tell you." Latias says again, her voice a little firmer and louder. Ash seems to be thinking and she gently noses his face. Latias was doing her best not to blush over just how intimate of a position they were in, and she looks into his brown eyes. Finally, Ash focuses on Latias again and rubs his neck sheepishly.

"I'm sorry Tia, I wasn't paying attention. What were you saying?" He says in a embarrassed tone. Latias just sighs and takes another breath as she closes and opens her eyes to gather her courage.

"Ash. There is something I want to tell you. Something I've wanted to tell you for a long time." Latias says and she gently placed her claws on his cheeks. Ash was confused at her actions and looks at her claws before looking back at her.

"What is it , Latias?" Ash asks as he smiles. Latias felt like she could melt at his handsome smile. She slowly leans forward and Ash instinctively does the same.

"Ash, ever since I first met you, I could tell that you were different. You are strong, caring, protective of your family and friends, and you have the purest heart that I've ever known. At first I thought it was just because I was excited to have a great friend. But over the years I came to realize, that I-" Latias says before a loud voice interrupts her.

"What's going on?!" Jackson says as he moves closer to the two. Ash gets off of Latias and Latias moves near Ash. The Latios was glaring at the young trainer who was confused but slightly irritated by the constant interruptions.

"We were just talking. Though I don't think it's polite to keep interrupting." Ash says as he looks at Latias who was extremely angry. The Latios scoffs and moves closer to Latias.

"You are disgusting. To like a human is disgusting. You should be spending time with the rest of us. I've been waiting to spend time with you for so long! You need to start focusing on what's important!" Jackson says angrily as he points a claw at Ash.

"This boy isn't important!" Jackson says as he frowns and looks at Latias.

"Hey! I don't care when you insult me, but don't insult my friends! Latias is amazing! She is a great Pokémon! She's my best friend and I'm sure she'll spend time with you guys. But right now she is spending it with me. We haven't seen each other in a while and it shouldn't be a problem that we just want to have fun and spend time together!" Ash says angry now. He looks Jackson right in the face and frowns.

"I get you may have problems with me but leave Latias alone. She hasn't done anything wrong to you." Ash pulls the young dragoness in a hug while he pulls out a Pokeball. The Latios frowns and lets out a soft growl before he goes away.

'This isn't over human. Latias will be my mate.' Jackson thinks as he leaves.

"I'm sorry about that Latias. That guy really is a jerk. You aren't disgusting. You're sweet." Ash says as he smiles and hugs her once more before moving away.

"Thank you Ash. That really means a lot to me." Latias coos as she rubs her cheek against his.

"So, what were you wanting to tell me?" Ash asks as he starts walking towards the entrance. Latias sighs softly and follows.

"It wasn't important..It is almost lunch time though. We should probably go eat." Latias says as she follows close to Ash.

"Alright! Then we can go shopping afterwards. There were a few places that looked interesting." Ash says as they leave the garden and head towards lunch.

After lunch, Latias leads Ash to the bakery. She squeals as she sees her favorite treat and Ash just chuckles.

"Ash can we get one pleaseeee?" Latias gives her cutest expression. Ash just rubs his neck sheepishly and nods. He buys her two and another as a gift for her while she was looking at some other pastries. The two friends sit down and Latias happily eats her pastry slowly, enjoying each bit as she squeals again.

"It's so good! I love sitrus berries!" The disguised Pokémon moans as she eats the rest of her treat. Ash smiles at her happiness and finishes his pastry.

"You were right! It is good. I'm glad you enjoyed it." The young trainer says as he stands.

"So, where should we go next? I think there were some places that sell some interesting stuff near Bianca's house."

"That's a great place to shop! Let's go!" Latias says in a extremely excited tone and takes Ash's hand. She leads him to the shopping area where the rest of the group were. Latias takes Ash to a dress shop where she got the dress with Bianca. She tries on a few dresses and Ash gives his thoughts on them. After a while he gets her a few new dresses and a new set of clothes and leave.

"At least you aren't as bad as Misty is when it comes to shopping." Ash chuckles as Latias looks at him.

"What do you mean, Ash?" Latias asks. Ash was about to respond when he sees Misty and Bianca walking towards them. Latias smiles at them then spots Brock, who was carrying the girls bags.

"That's what I mean." Ash laughs as Latias nods in understanding.

"Ash! There you are. What are you guys doing?" Bianca says as Misty smiles weakly as she sees Latias holding Ash's hand.

"Not much, we just had lunch and I wanted to look around this place. I got Latias some new clothes too." The young trainer says as he shows the new clothes. Bianca giggles and looks at Latias.

"You really had fun with him didn't you Tia? I hope you behaved~." Bianca says as she moves closer to tease her best friend.

"Y-y-yes I did." The embarrassed dragoness says as she hides behind Ash. Ash just chuckles as Latias looks at Bianca.

"Well, there is something I need to talk to Ash about." Bianca says as she takes Ash a bit away to talk in private.

"What do you need to talk about Bianca?" Ash asks curiously as the young artist sighs.

"Well, every year grandpa takes us out to dinner at a special restaurant. Latias has wanted to spend it with you because she really cares about you. Grandpa does this because he wants to show that we are a family and that he cares for us. It'd be really nice if you got Latias something. To show her how much you care for her. He's taking us next week." Bianca says in a soft tone. Ash nods and thinks about this as the two head back to the rest of their friends.

"Alright guys, I think we should head back home. Ash still has some things to do with Latias." Bianca says while giving Latias a teasing smirk.

"Just don't do TOO much Tia~" Bianca giggles as she leaves with Brock and Misty. Latias just turns red and squeaks as she tries to hide her face in Ash's chest. Ash was completely confused and just scratches his head. Ash just rubs Latias's back and chuckles.

'Oh I need to talk to Brock tonight.' Ash thinks as he looks at Latias.

"So, are you ready to do some more shopping, milady?" Ash asks as he offers his hand. Latias laughs and takes his hand gently and squeezes it softly as she nods.

"Why yes, I am." The disguised dragoness says as she giggles and Ash leads her to a few more shops. As Ash was looking through one shop, he notices something that really looked beautiful. It was a Latias holding a ruby heart necklace, with matching ruby earrings. He doesn't seem to care about the price as he buys it and the shop clerk smiles.

"You must be buying it for you special lady friend. That's a great way to show you care a lot about her." The shop clerk says as Ash seems confused about the "special lady friend".

"Yeah. I'm getting this for my best friend. I want to show her just how much I care about her." Ash replies.

"I'm sure she will love it." The clerk says as he gives the necklace and earrings to Ash.

"Thank you." Ash says as he takes the gifts and goes to where Latias was looking at some other things.

"Are you ready to go, Lily?" Ash asks as he smiles at her.

"Yes I am. Thank you for taking me shopping! It was so much fun." Latias coos as she hugs him. Ash found that he was enjoying her hugs more and more. He hugs her back as he smiles.

"You're very welcome Latias. We should head back home though. I'm sure Lorenzo is making dinner and I'm hungry!" Ash declares as Latias just giggles at that. The two head back to Bianca's house as they talk about different things. As they arrive at the home, Latias smiles sadly.

"Ash, I'm sorry about Jackson. He can be a real jerk but he was right. I need to do some things tomorrow with the other Lati's so I may not get to see you until later." Latias says as Ash just nods and smiles.

"That's okay Latias. You have to help the others out. Misty wanted to spend some time with me as well. I haven't seen Brock or Misty in years either. We haven't gotten much time together so I'll spend tomorrow with them." Ash replies as they enter the house. Ash puts the pastry away and then heads to his room to talk to Brock. Latias heads over to where Bianca was and starts talking with her.

"So, how was your date with Ash Tia?~" Bianca asks as she gives a knowing look at the embarrassed dragoness.

"I-it wasn't a date!" Latias says as she looks at her best friend.

"Awww so you didn't tell him how you felt yet? Does that mean you didn't kiss him?" Bianca says as Latias frowns. Bianca sees this and places her hand on Latias's hand.

"You know I'm just teasing. What happened?" Bianca asks in a gentle tone as Latias sighs and sits on the couch as she rubs her arm.

"I was going to tell him..but then Jackson interrupted us. Why can't he just leave me be?" Latias says as she looks at Bianca. Bianca frowns and sits next to Latias.

"I don't know Tia. I think Jackson needs someone to show him how to be respectful. Don't worry, everything will be okay. Grandpa will be taking us to the restaurant you really love next week. You can tell Ash how you feel then, alright?" Bianca says as she pats her friends shoulder. Latias nods and smiles at that.

"Now, let's go help grandpa make a delicious dinner." Bianca says as the two head to the kitchen to help Lorenzo with dinner.

Ash enters his room and sees Brock and Misty chatting. He knocks gently on the door and Misty smiles as he enters.

"Hey Ash. I see you learned to how to knock on a door." Misty says giggling while Ash sheepishly rubs his neck. Misty gets some clothes and starts heading towards the door.

"I'm going to take a shower now guys. I'll be out when dinner is ready."

"Wait, Misty. I just wanted to say that Latias is going to be busy tomorrow. We can spend tomorrow together if you'd like." Ash says as the red head smiles warmly and hugs Ash.

"That sounds great Ash. We will need to talk as well." Misty says softly as she moves away and heads to take a shower.

"Hey Brock, can we talk?" Ash asks as he sits on his bed. Brock nods and sits by Ash as he smiles.

"Sure Ash. What's going on?"

"Well lately, I've been feeling a strange feeling. It's not really a bad one, as I really like the feeling. But I've never felt it before." Ash says as he scratches his head.

"Well, what do you feel like when you have the feeling?" Brock asks.

"Well, it started when I saw Latias again. At first it was just a small feeling of warmth in my chest. But as I spent more time with her, I've found myself noticing things that I've never noticed before. Like I noticed how beautiful she is, how she looks nice in a few dresses, how much I enjoy it when she giggles, and how warm she feels when she hugs me. I noticed that I've started getting more protective of her and that I want to spend as much time as possible with her. I mean, yeah I want to spend as much time as I can with my friends, but I want to spend a lot more time with her than I usually do. I really love when she smiles because it makes me feel very happy and I want to show her how much I care about her. I feel very warm now just thinking about her and I don't know what the feeling is." Ash explains as he sighs and rubs his arm.

After listening to Ash explain how he was feeling, Brock thinks over for a few minutes before he responds.

"Ash, do you like her?" He asks.

"Of course I do. She's my best friend." Ash replies.

"No I mean do you like her more than a friend?" Brock says.

"Um, I'm not sure what you mean Brock." Ash says confused. Brock just sighs and tries to think of a way to get Ash to understand.

"Alright, do you know what love is?" The Pokémon breeder asks. Ash nods in response.

"Yes, its what you feel when you really like something right?" The young man says.

"That's right. There are different kinds of love. There's the love you have of Pokémon, there's the love you have for your family, there's the love you have for your friends, and then there's the love you feel for someone special." Brock says as he looks at the raven haired trainer.

"Do you understand?" Brock asks. Ash nods and then looks at Brock.

"When you say the love for someone special, what do you mean?"

"Well Ash. When two people really like each other, like really like each other, that's what love is. You can say it's girlfriend and boyfriend. When two people have been a boyfriend and girlfriend for a while they can get married. That's what love is."

"Okay I can understand that, but what does that have to do with the weird feeling I'm feeling?" Ash asks still slightly confused. The Pokémon breeder sighs and looks at Ash.

"When people are in love they say they feel a warm feeling in their chest. They feel happy with the other person and want to spend as much time with them as they can. They really care about the other person and want to make them happy. They can be best friends as well. Does that sound familiar? Think about it." Brock says as Ash starts thinking about it. After a few minutes, Ash looks at Brock with surprise and understanding.

"Wait, are you saying I'm in love?" Ash asks with a slightly unsure tone. Ash had never thought he'd fall in love, or feel that way towards anyone, so it was surprising if he was in love with someone.

"Well, I can't say for sure. But think about what I've said and how you feel and you tell me." Brock says as Ash thinks more.

'I can't believe that the feeling I've been feeling is love. But who do I love? What do I do if I am in love with someone?' The young trainer thinks as he looks to Brock.

"Brock, I think I am in love. But, who am I in love with? How do I know?" Ash asks. Brock smiles and chuckles softly.

"Well, who do you feel that way with? When do you feel warm and happy with?" Brock asks the young man as Ash thinks a bit more.

"Well, I'm happy when I'm with any of my friends. But I haven't felt this way until recently. I started feeling the warmth when I met Latias again.." Ash pauses as he looks at Brock.

"Wait, am I in love with Latias?!" He exclaims as Brock smiles and nods.

"I'd say so. The feeling you're having is love Ash. You feel it when you're with Latias right?" Brock says and Ash nods.

"Well then you are in love with her."

"Is that..okay though? I mean she's a Pokémon. It seems weird to love a Pokémon like that." Ash says as Brock nods.

"While some places don't accept it, I know Kanto does. There are others who love Pokemon as well so it's not bad Ash. Love is just that way." Brock says as Ash nods and relaxes.

"What do I do now that I know that I love Latias?" Ash asks as Brock thinks for a few moments before he replies.

"Well Ash, that's your choice. What people do when they are in love is tell the other person how they feel and then take them out on dates. A date can be anything from talking to each other to going out to eat dinner. But spending time with the one you love is what you do when you are in love with someone."

"Okay I can do that. But..how do I know how Latias feels? When I tell her how I feel, isn it possible she won't be in love with me?" Ash says in a slightly worried tone. Brock gently pats the young trainers leg.

"That is possible. But even if she doesn't feel the same way, I'm sure you two will still be best friends. It's better to let her know how you feel so that you can know how she feels. Do you understand?" Brock asks. Ash nods and smiles as he hugs his friend.

"Thanks Brock. That really helped me understand what the feeling was. So if she loves me back, do I take her on dates?" Ash asks.

"Yeah you do. You show her how much you care for her. Spend as much time with her as you can." Brock replies.

"Thanks Brock. Okay. When should I tell her how I feel?" Ash says as he rubs his arm. Brock just chuckles at how dense the young man was.

"Well, that's your decision Ash. But you should know when you should tell her. It will feel right. Do you understand?"

"Yeah I do. Thanks a lot Brock." Ash says happily.

"No problem Ash. I'm here to help." Brock says as the two stand.

"I don't know about you, but I'm hungry." Ash says sheepishly as he rubs his neck. Brock just laughs at this and pats Ash on his back.

"I am too Ash."

"Hey guys, grandpa wanted me to let you know that dinner was ready!" Bianca says from the doorway. The two nod and head to eat.

"You really know how to make a great dinner Lorenzo." Brock compliments as he sighs contently. Ash nods and pets Pikachu.

"That was really good! You're a great cook!" Ash says and yawns. Bianca and Latias help clean the dishes while Lorenzo smiles.

"Thank you guys for the compliments. I do what I can."

"I don't know about the rest of you guys but I'm getting tired." Ash says as the others nod.

"As soon as we finish cleaning I'm going to bed." Bianca says while Brock and Misty both stand.

"I think we are going to bed now. Goodnight guys." Brock says as Misty says goodnight as well and they head to bed. Lorenzo helps the girls finish the dishes and Bianca and Lorenzo both head to their rooms. Ash moves closer to Latias and smiles a bit.

"Hey Latias." He says.

"Hi Ash. Thanks for a great day." Latias says shyly as she hugs him. Ash hugs her back and rubs her back briefly.

"You're welcome Latias. I'm so happy that I get to spend time with you. I really missed you." The young trainer says softly as Latias blushes and looks at him.

"I really missed you too. Thank you for coming back." She responds in a quiet tone as she takes his hand and squeezes gently.

"I promise that I'll spend as much time with you as I can and that we will have a great time, okay?" He says as Latias smiles.

"That sounds great Ash. Goodnight." She says as she heads to bed.

"Goodnight Latias" Ash says as he smiles and heads to his room.

'I will show you just how much I care for you Latias. Sleep well my beautiful Latias.' Ash thinks as he goes to bed.

I'm so happy to finally be writing some romance! I hope it's not too soon, but I do want to do more romance soon. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please read and review!