Pokextinction

by THE CREATOR and Hydra

The world is on the verge of collapse when a man who despises Pokemon with a burning passion and the ruthless rampaging Necrozma threaten world destruction. With tensions rising between every single Legendary Pokemon, even Arceus and Mew won't be able to stop the coming fire... And when all hope is lost, the world will turn to Ash.

54. Chapter 54: Fool's Tale

Rumors of odd Pokemon sightings near the Lake of Rage had been propagated between whispers throughout Johto. It was said that these Pokemon were unlike anything seen before, matching no known species. These rumors had only caught the attention of Mr. Star's intelligence department recently once strange energy readings appeared on their radar.

Atop the back of Tobias's Salamence, Ash's group was on their way to investigate the source of these readings, and to make sure they posed no threat to the denizens of Mahogany Town near the lake's southern end.

"From the intel Mr. Star gave us," Started Tobias as he read from his Secretary Bot, "Mahogany Town is still highly populated. Compared to standard towns and cities, that is."

Serena, who was laying down with her head near the base of Salamence's wing, perked up with interest. "Really?" She asked. "Why's that?"

Continuing to scan the digital text, Tobias read, "Mahogany Town's residents are mainly elders above the age of sixty. Huh. I guess there were a lot of old people that lived here before you-know-who showed up."

As he read further, something of interest caught his eye. "Woah, for real?" He asked aloud in response to the text, catching the attention of the others.

Even Latias, who was doing her best to ignore Tobias by standing near Salamence's tail, looked over her shoulder out of slight interest. After the Dahara incident not too long ago, Ash became concerned with Team Rocket knowing Latias was with him and asked her to assume a human form.

It was difficult to get her to concede. She reminded Ash that Bianca was the only human form she had ever taken. Ash had told her that Bianca specifically did not need to be the form, but Latias did not know who else it could be. Lorenzo was out of the question. Eventually, she settled on it being Bianca.

Though Ash, sensing her internal debate, assured her Bianca was not necessary and that Latias did not need to put herself through that, she eventually came to the mindset of this being like carrying on Bianca's memory. Though Ash knew she lied for his sake, he also knew continuing would make it worse and left it be. Now, Latias in Bianca's image stood as far away from Tobias as possible.

"What is it?" An intrigued Ash asked. It wasn't like the melancholy Tobias to get easily excited, so whatever he was reading must have been something else.

Closely scanning each letter, Tobias replied, "None other than Champion Lance and his apprentice Gym Leader Claire are supposedly taking up residence at Mahogany Town for unknown reasons."

Ash whistled in astonishment. "Champion Lance, huh? It's been a long time since I've seen him." He grinned in excitement. "Wonder if he's investigating the energy too?"

---

As Mahogany Town came into view, the group was alerted to a shrill, booming sound that echoed through the air. As Ash squinted to look ahead, he caught site of a Hyper Beam spiraling up from the lake in the distance. It curved into the air for a moment, then pittered out.

"What was that?" Exclaimed Serena.

Ash answered, "Looks like some kind of beam attack at the Lake. Let's go check it out."

Nodding, Tobias walked up to Salamence's head and said, "You heard the man." Nodding, the gargantuan Salamence snorted, then picked up the pace.

As they neared the Lake of Rage, it became clear that the Hyper Beam from earlier was far from the only attack that was launched. The first thing Ash and the others noticed as they peered over Salamance's side was the presence of a red Gyarados in the lake. It was firing attacks wildly at a first glance, but when Ash looked closer, he saw that it was actually chasing a Kingdra that darted across the water's surface with incredible speeds. Ash was astonished by that level of control and precision in a Gyarados to be able to follow the Kingdra.

"Could that mysterious energy be caused by this?" Serena suggested.

Ash crossed his arms. "Well, a battle between a Gym Leader and a Champion probably would fit that bill," He admitted, "But that doesn't explain the sightings of weird Pokemon."

"A red Gyarados fits that bill to me," Tobias added, patting the side of Salamence's head. "Salamence, take us down."

Claire cried out in surprise when a sweeping Dragon Pulse nicked Kingdra, though her partner Pokemon narrowly managed to keep it at that without taking the full brunt of the attack. "This one's ours!" She declared. "Kingdra, use-" She gasped all of a sudden when the loud beating of wings casted down a gust of wind upon her. When she looked up, her jaw fell agape. Flying down to greet her was quite possibly the most gargantuan Salamence she had ever laid eyes on.

It fell upon the lakeside's land with a thunderous crash that caught even the Gyarados's attention. Its riders leapt down from the dragon's back, Ash making sure to assist Serena in that regard.

"Yo!" Greeted Ash, giving a two-finger wave at the Gym Leader. "Hope we didn't interrupt."

The sound of wind catching upon cloth caught the group's attention. A stone-faced Lance approached the group with his Gyarados in tow from the lake. "Well, I'm afraid it's a bit too late for that one, Ash." He slowly marched up to Ash, leering down at him with a blank stare that would paralyze most trainers. Ash, however, was not most trainers. When Ash smirked up at him and offered his hand, the mighty Champion of Dragons did the same.

As he shook Ash's hand, Lance said, "It's been a long time since we've spoken face to face."

"Too long if you ask me," Replied Ash. "I'd challenge you to a match, but I'm afraid we're on business."

Without taking her eyes off of Salamence, Claire walked behind Ash and said, "Before that, can I, um...ask about this?"

Tobias made himself known to her, waving at her from her peripheral vision. "This one's mine," He told her with a smile, gently rubbing Salamence's scales and earning a satisfied rumble from the dragon's maw.

"It's such a large Salamence!" Marveled Claire. "How did you manage to get it to this size?"

And with that, Tobias's smile was gone. He turned around to look up at Salamence. "Well," He said, "It wasn't me. This poor old guy's had a rough life. We rescued him from a group of poachers who pumped him full of growth hormones and stat-increasing drugs. Before that, he was owned by Pokemon Hunter J believe it or not. I'm trying to give him a good life, but with our responsibilities, I'm afraid that a peaceful one has to wait."

Lance came over to him and exclaimed, "An excellent answer! When I saw the state of this Salamence up close, I wasn't exactly happy to say the least." He held out his hand toward the dragon, then looked to Tobias for permission, who nodded. The Dragon Master gently ran his hand over a bump on Salamence's hind leg and said, "Bumps like these are the result of injections. It deforms the muscles for the sake of bulk."

Pursing her lips, Claire solemnly said, "I did not know this. I suppose it just shows how inexperienced I still am."

"Don't beat yourself up over it," Lance told her. "It isn't often that people can capture a Dragon-Type and...ravage it like this. These must have been no mere poachers."

Tobias sighed sadly. "No, they were nothing special. It was poor Salamence here who was doomed from the start. Those poachers told me that Salamence was...broken by J or whoever had it before her. It obeys the will of whoever holds its Pokeball without question..." He rubbed Salamence underneath its chin, earning another pleased sigh from it. Tobias smiled when it closed its eyes at his touch. "...But I think I've managed to get through to him a bit. Still, I'm not going to be letting go of its Pokeball to test it any time soon."

Unbeknownst to all but Ash, Latias scoffed at Tobias for that.

Nodding in approval, Lance said, "After a lifetime of hardship, the slightest kindness surely feels heavenly to Salamence here. I think you will continue to get along well." He turned to Ash and asked, "So, why have you come here? Business on Mr. Star's behalf, or simply exploring?"

"The first option," Ash answered. "We're here because there have apparently been sightings of odd Pokemon and weird energy readings." He peered up at the red Gyarados. "Well, a shiny Gyarados owned by a Champion surely fits that description, but I don't think it's that simple."

Claire and Lance exchanged awkward glances. After a moment's pause, Lance said, "Look, Ash, we're not going to lie to you. I've got a feeling you would see right through it anyways. There are...things going on here that may match up to what you're looking for, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave it be with our assurance that we have it under control."

Put off by the odd request, Ash narrowed his eyes at the two. "Alright…" A small field of Aura emerged around his form, but he made sure they saw it. As he sensed them, he found that their intentions were pure, so he asked, "What are you guys doing here, by the way? Didn't you live in Blackthorn?"

While Lance merely closed his eyes, the mention of Blackthorn clearly caused pain to Claire. Ash felt something off with her, and even Lance despite how well he hid it, and felt awful. Taking in a deep breath, she started, "We did. But we had to leave it. Most residents of Blackthorn were powerful trainers. Even the elders, when Necrozma declared war, they..."

The guise Ash was trying to put on quickly fell apart. At the heart of Aura was supposed to be compassion, after all. He sighed, then replied, "Look, if it's that painful of a story, you don't have to share it with me. I can tell you guys had a good reason for withholding information from us. If you say you've got it under control, then I'll ask Mr. Star if we can leave it at that." Turning away, he fiddled with his Secretary Bot to initiate a call. " I'm sure a Champion and a Gym Leader overlooking the situation will be-"

Whatever Ash was about to say came to a swift halt when he heard Tobias yelp. All eyes shot to him. He was jumping around in place, frantically grabbing at his cloak. It almost looked like he was partaking in some kind of weird dance. "Poipole, no!" He cried frantically. Despite his best efforts, he was unable to stop the little beast from finding an exit point through his arm sleeve where it then proceeded to flutter out into the forest to the north.

Ash and Serena winced. They glanced over at Lance and Serena, finding their mouths agape. Claire cried, "You have-?!" She bit back her tongue and went silent, briefly glancing at Lance.

But no one among them was more shocked than Latias. Her eyes did not leave the little beast until it disappeared into the leaves. Her gaze snapped from it to Tobias, who was running after it while the beam from his Pokeball returned Salamence. "You…!" She seethed. "Just when I thought you couldn't get worse! You were harboring an Ultra Beast?!"

Lance, seeing Tobias following it, cried out, "Wait! Don't follow it!"

Both of their words fell on deaf ears. He crossed into the forest at breakneck speeds. Scowling, Lance looked to Ash and said, "We need to go after him. He'll get himself killed!"

"Killed?!" Cried Serena. "Why? What's out there?"

Returning their own Pokemon, Claire and Lance chased after Tobias. "There's no time to explain!" The Champion exclaimed over his shoulder. "Just follow us! We need to stop him!"

Ash and Serena nodded firmly. "Alright," Ash said, turning toward Latias. "Lat- er...Bianca, let's…"

But she was nowhere in sight. Ash only heard the rustling of leaves ahead to tell him what had happened. His heart sunk, and he quickly gave chase after the two.

---

Frantically, Tobias ran through the troves of trees in his path. He swatted and pushed away the various branches and leaves, vigorously scanning every twig in his path in search of Poipole. The ground underneath him gradually flattened out into something of a dry, pebble-coated path. However, he stopped upon finding that path split into three ahead of him.

"Tobias!"

He whipped around at the sound of his name. Trudging through the leaves as he did, the others caught up to him. A fuming Latias appeared as if she was going to berate him, but Lance spoke first.

"I understand," He began, "That this…Poipole of yours is important to you, but this forest houses something dangerous."

Tobias shot back, "I don't care! I'm not going to stop until I find it, even if I run into a little danger along the way! Poipole means everything to me!"

Put off by Tobias's hysterics, Lance replied, "I understand this, and I will help you find it, but-"

"Then let's go!" Impatiently, Tobias turned back toward the three-forked path ahead of him. He paced back and forth and muttered to himself incessantly. His eyes flicked back and forth between the paths as he tried to decide which one to take.

The noise attacked Latias's nerves. In an attempt to drown it out, she closed her eyes and tapped her finger on her crossed arms. Though, this only served to heighten her irritation.

Ash gently raised his hands, slowly letting his Aura seep into the air. "Okay," He said. "We're going. First of all, we should each take a path." He pointed toward the leftmost path. "Serena, Bianca and I can take that one. Lance and Claire can-"

Unable to stand Tobias's muttering any longer, Latias stormed up to him, grabbing him by his cloak. "Oh, would you be quiet already?!" She hissed. The eyes of everyone present widened. Especially his. "Honestly, getting this worked up over an Ultra Beast? I already knew you were the lowest of the low, but this is an entirely new level."

She pulled him down to her eye level, glowering right into his face as she asked, "How could you harbor an Ultra Beast?! They're the whole reason our world was nearly destroyed! How could you ally with one when they're why Latios died?!"

"Latios?!" Cried a shocked Lance, recognizing the name.

Tobias bared his teeth, visibly seething with rage. He grabbed Latias's arms and shoved her off of him. "Shut up!" He roared in a tone Ash and Serena didn't think he was capable of. "You don't know a damn thing!"

The others all froze in shock, allowing him the opportunity to turn and run into the rightmost path. Latias's borrowed face slowly curled away from shock and into one of fury. She hissed between her teeth, growling in irritation. Sensing this, Ash reached out to her, but she took off like a bullet after him.

"Latias, no!" He cried.

As Ash went to chase after her before she could do anything hasty, Lance grabbed ahold of his shoulder to stop him. "We don't have time for this," Urged the Champion. "I can't go into specifics, but I need you to trust me when I say that Poipole may be in grave danger. And so will we if we don't find it."

"We can take the center path," Offered Claire.

Humming to herself in thought, Serena eyed the right path. "You know," She said, "Those two were always awkward around each other. Maybe this is a chance for them to hash things out?"

Ash sighed in exasperation. "Their issues run way deeper than that. But at the very least, I doubt she'll kill him." He sent a final worried glance at the right path as he and Serena made their way to the left one. "Well, I hope she doesn't anyways…"

Even in human form, it didn't take long for the irate dragoness to catch up to Tobias. "Stop!" She ordered. Yet her words fell upon uncaring ears.

Tobias had resumed his frantic search. He eyed every branch and leaf as he passed. "Damn it!" He cursed. "Poipole, where are you?!"

Behind him, a fuming Latias shouted, "Just give it a rest! It's not worth going after. If it wants to get lost in a forest, let it! But you're not getting away so easily!"

Still, he ignored her cruel remarks. He had to bite his tongue to stop himself from lashing out at her, knowing it would only waste time he could spend trying to find Poipole.

When the route led to a small rising cliff, Tobias quickly went right, and Latias ran right after him. "Are you seriously just going to ignore me?" She asked irritably. "You owe me an explanation! That thing is part of the reason so many died! Pokemon, people, and…well, I don't need to tell you who else."

Unable to stand her nagging, Tobias barked back, "If you're not going to help, get lost! I'm better off without you and your damned questions!"

Latias immediately felt her blood boil. "You…!" Seething, she tapped into her draconic strength and closed the gap between them. Tobias gasped when she suddenly appeared in front of him and, with one arm, picked him up by his robe and shoved him to the ground.

The impact made Tobias cry out, though it was more out of shock than pain. He looked up to see Latias glaring utter death down at him. Though she assumed a human form, the look in her eyes hardly looked human. Her fingernails in her free hand elongated into Dragon Claw while the other hand held him in place.

When she breathed, it came in the form of hot steam that made Tobias wince. "I'm tired of your nonsense," She hissed.

Tobias glowered right back at her. "The feeling's mutual, now get off!" Unafraid of the Dragon Claw, Tobias grabbed at the wrist holding him down, but it remained firm no matter how hard he pulled. "What is wrong with you? Get off!"

"You're being pretty nonchalant about a Dragon Claw in your face." She commented, leering down at him in disdain. "You know, the Legends don't exactly like you."

Scoffing Tobias shot back, "They can feel however they want about me, but what does that have to do with anything? Are you actually threatening me?"

Continuing to merely exchange dirty looks, the two sat in silence until Latias eventually retracted her claws and replied, "No. You're lucky that you're Ash's friend. But I'm not letting you get up until I get my answers one way or another."

With her knees on his abdomen to keep him down, she pulled him up toward her face. "Why are you harboring an Ultra Beast? You know what they did to us and our world!"

"It's a baby!" He retorted. "What, do you expect me to just let it die for the crime of just being born as an Ultra Beast?" The grip he had on her arm tightened. His pale skin reddened as his blood continued to boil. "You're heartless! Poipole never hurt or killed anyone, but it should be abandoned anyways?"

Latias's glance went sideways. She humphed to herself, trying to come up with the words to reply to that. Tobias, however, beat her to the punch. "No," He said, "This isn't even why you're angry with me. It's because of Latios, right?!"

The mention of her brother's name made Latias snap.

Uncaring of the consequences, Tobias continued, "The Latios I knew would have never suggested something that cruel!"

Latias promptly retorted by shoving Tobias back into the dirt, earning a shocked cry from him. "You shut your mouth!" She roared into his face. "Latios wouldn't go around stealing anyone's brother either! He wouldn't send them to die!"

At that, Tobias hissed in anger, making a growl that almost didn't sound human. Once again, he screamed, "You don't understand a damn thing!" Grabbing tightly onto her arm, he flipped himself and her over before kicking into her gut to get her off of him.

The pitiful excuse for an attack hardly hurt Latias. Even for a human, Tobias was weak, thin and sullen. What it did succeed in doing was getting her to lose her grip, and covering both of them in dirt.

Latias slowly rose from the grimy ground, snarling as she wiped it off of her chin. She whipped back around, eager to plant Tobias back into the ground for his offense until she saw what he was doing. With Salamence's Pokeball in hand, he held his arms out at his sides, daring her to approach.

"Really?" She asked. "This is what it's come to?" Without waiting for a reply, she knelt down, returning to her full-fledged Pokemon form. The thin nails that her Dragon Claw manifested as in her human form paled in comparison to the veritable blades of draconic energy the same attack emerged into in her true body.

Tobias scoffed mirthfully. "Don't act like you didn't want this to happen the moment we met." Latias glared at him with the look of a raging killer. Tobias met this stare unfalteringly. "That look in your eyes…I knew you couldn't stand me. But whatever you're planning, I won't let it get in the way of finding Poipole."

"So you're going to fight me?" She asked with a laugh utterly coated in mirth.

"Unless you back off, I'll do what I have to."

Latias craned her head down, preparing to strike. "That's exactly what I'd expect from someone who steals away families."

"Kgh!" Hissed Tobias. Angrily, he jabbed a finger at himself and screamed, "They were my family too! I never cared if they were Legends or not! They were just as much of a family to me as any other! You don't have the right to be angry with me. I lost more in one day than you did in a lifetime!"

Latias felt her blood run cold. One moment, Tobias was staring into the murderous glare of Latias, and the next moment, he was on his back again. To his shock, he couldn't even gasp. His body was covered head to toe in a red light. Though he tried to release the Pokeball, his arm would not move.

"You have no idea what you're talking about!" She roared at him. "You're the one who doesn't know a damn thing! You have no idea how much I've lost!"

Unsure of what even she was going to do, Latias closed in on Tobias. A white flash from his hand momentarily blinded her, and she felt something rapidly push her back. The sound of snapping trees filled the air. When Latias regained her vision, she was shocked to find the gargantuan Salamence standing between her and Tobias. With a mighty flap of its wings, the dragon knocked the trees away to give itself space.

Her mouth agape, Latias could only stammer. "H-how? I had you frozen with Psychic!"

Tobias grunted as he painstakingly pushed himself back up, brushing off the dirt that clung to his robe and scarf. "It wasn't me." He smiled up at Salamence, who dared not take his eye off Latias. "He got out on his own to protect me, didn't you?" Salamence only replied with a low rumble.

"But how is that possible?" Cried Latias. "I thought that…"

Raising a brow at her, Tobias asked, "Did you not know? Any Pokemon can come out of their Pokeball whenever they choose." He stepped out from behind Salamence, and when the large dragon shifted his front foot to guard him, Tobias gently rubbed his rough scales and walked out to face Latias anyways. "Latias...did you think that I kept my Pokemon against their will?"

Latias hesitated for a moment, but replied, "Didn't you?"

It was a response even she did not fully think through until she had already spoken. Tobias pinched the brow of his nose. "They," He started, "Were my family, Latias! Why don't you get that?! They were free to roam whenever they felt like it!" Pointing at Latias, he added, "You had to have seen Latios at the Hall just before Necrozma arrived, didn't you?"

"I…"

"That's proof, isn't it?! I gave them the freedom to go wherever they wanted, and they chose to stay with me!" Latias found his gaze more and more difficult to face. Tobias, however, was far from satisfied with her silence. "Did you think Ash trapped his Pokemon? Serena too?"

Latias had no answer for that. The two simply stood in silence as Tobias awaited a response from her. Had the wind not been blowing, it would have deafened them. Uneasily, Tobias began to look around the forest, realizing how much time he had wasted with this. Eventually, he scoffed and returned Salamence to finally break the silence. Without bothering to give her a second glance, he turned around and began walking.

"Wait."

It took a lot of strength for Tobias to keep his composure. He closed his eyes, taking in a short breath of the cold forest air before facing Latias once again. She was in her human form, holding the front of her shirt's collar tightly as she met his glare. It was no longer as dark as his own, which inevitably made him sigh and drop it.

"What?" He snapped.

She brazenly approached him even when he clearly held onto Salamence's Pokeball. "This...Poipole," She started, "Is it like family to you too?"

"Absolutely," Tobias replied without hesitation.

Shakily, she nodded at him, then said, "I'll help you find it. With my Psychic powers, I can sense everything in the area. But...I want to ask some things from you along the way."

Tobias's first instinct was to deny her and shout at her to get out of his sight, but he couldn't deny the value of her powers. What truly mattered was Poipole's wellbeing. Nothing more. Certainly not a grudge.

"...Fine," He conceded. He turned his back to her and began walking. "Ask away."

Taking in a deep breath, Latias followed after him. As Tobias walked, he ripped off a leaf from a hanging branch, earning a questioning look from Latias. When he brought it up to his mouth, Latias was taken aback by a high-pitched whistling tune.

What the song exactly was quickly became difficult for Latias to put into words. The best way she could explain it was that the breeze itself was…singing. Concentrating on anything but the song was even more difficult. All she knew was that it was perhaps the most beautiful song she had ever heard.

When Tobias ended the song, he took a breath that snapped Latias out of her stupor. Only when she was brought back to reality did Latias realize just how much the song had enamored her. She felt lighter too, no longer burdened by the weight of her frustrations.

Slowly, she made her way up to Tobias's side, peering up at his face curiously. "What was…?" Latias was surprised by how pathetic her voice came out as. She could hardly muster up even a whisper after his performance.

Tobias raised his head, taking in a long, deep breath. "It's called Oracion," He told her as he began to walk forward. "My sister taught it to me when we were kids. I played it so you wouldn't kill me once Salamence was back in his ball."

Pouting, Latias muttered. "I wouldn't have done that." Trailing after him to regain a spot by his side, she added, "But you never mentioned a sister before."

"It never came up," He replied with a shrug, "But now that I think about it…" Thoughtfully, he peered up at the swaying leaves overhead. Between them, he could see a darkening sky. It reminded him of Darkrai. "…She does factor into things."

Latias tilted her head. "I assume that has something to do with your story. If it has anything to do with how you met Latios, I wanna hear it."

It took a moment for Tobias to reply, although he did take in a deep breath of air. Latias thought he was going to deny her until he replied, "I guess I owe you that much if you're his sister. I don't suppose you've heard of a place called Alamos Town, have you?"

He glanced over to see her answer, to which she shook her head. Nodding, Tobias continued. "Figures. It's really high up on a Plateau in Sinnoh. Anyways, that's where I grew up. There was a Pokemon there that guarded it. You know it as Darkrai."

"Darkrai?" Repeated Latias. "What was Darkrai of all Pokemon doing there?"

Tobias shrugged. "My sister knew the story better than I did. Her name's Alice. She was always very close to Darkrai." He held up the leaf between his fingers. "I remember my sister always being followed by a shadow whenever she played Oracion. When we were kids, I was always creeped out by that song because of Darkrai, so we were never close."

A sudden gust of wind to the leaf from his grasp. "This," He said, "Led me to start traveling. I thought Darkrai was nothing but trouble, so I wanted to stay as far from Alamos as possible. I never had any Pokemon for a long time, but I traveled anyway to get away every once in a while."

"Until…?" Urged Latias, growing a bit impatient.

Sighing, Tobias obliged. "Until I came back one day to drop some stuff off and everyone was talking about some shared nightmare."

"Was it Darkrai?"

Tobias shook his head, then suddenly stopped. "Well," He started, putting a hand to his chin, "Yeah, but it's not that simple. I visited Alice and she told me some wild story. Palkia apparently took the entire town hostage to hide from Dialga."

He gave a small chuckle at the bewildered look on Latias's face hearing him say that so casually. "I had the same reaction. The Legendary Pokemon of time and space, both battling in our town? It was hard to believe, but everyone I asked gave a similar account. I felt terrible for not being there to help, especially when I heard that Darkrai nearly died protecting the town."

Suddenly, he knelt forward and snickered, pinching his nose. Latias looked at him with worry. "That time seems so long ago now. I was so naive. Even though I had no right to, I found Darkrai and asked him to be my partner Pokemon. At the time, I thought that, if I could become a trainer, I could help to stop something like that from happening again. I was such an idiot."

Even as he called himself that, Latias noticed his was wearing a smile from ear to ear beneath his blackened, weary eyes. "Even I didn't expect Darkrai to agree, but he wanted to get stronger too, and for the same reason I did. Before we left, Alice…" That smile vanished in an instant.

He shook his head, then said, "Nevermind. This next part will be more interesting to you anyways. Darkrai and I fought against the wild Pokemon nearby, but they stood no chance. No ordinary Pokemon did. Then, we met yet another Legend."

"I assume that's Latios?" Asked Latias.

Rubbing the back of his hair, Tobias replied, "It was actually Cresselia. Darkrai and her seemed to have been rivals for a long time, so they were drawn together. But yes, after that, the three of us encountered Latios."

"Funny," Remarked Latias. "I always thought that Latios had been your first capture."

A wry, if weak, grin managed to crawl back up Tobias's face. "Latios would have been way too fast for me if it wasn't for Darkrai. We found him drinking at a lake near the northern border of Johto, near Sinnoh. Thanks to Darkrai's type advantage, we managed to defeat and capture him."

Were it not for the lingering effects of Oracion, Latias would have exploded at him. But their arguing had tired her, and the song soothed her nerves. She could only let out a long, weary sigh.

"Tobias," She started, "Can I interrupt your story with mine for a moment?"

Though the question earned an odd look from Tobias, he obliged. "Of course."

Latias's glimmering eyes glazed over slightly as she recalled the carefree, bygone days where she and her brother could swim through the endless rivers of her old home. "The Latios you knew and the Latios I knew were very different. He…was my brother. People from Team Rocket invaded our home. Though Ash tried to stop them, my brother ultimately had to sacrifice himself to stop them."

She looked up with blank eyes to see, in contrast, Tobias's face slowly contorting. "When Arceus returned to the world, he noticed this and created a new Latios to accompany me."

"He…?!" Was all Tobias managed to get out in response to that.

"Arceus has changed a lot since then," Remarked Latias, "And I believe he meant well at the time. He even sent Latios down from Mount Coronet to travel back to me, but…"

Realizing where she was going, Tobias put a hand to his head and groaned. "…I got to him first." Fleeting feelings of a sentiment Tobias thought he lost seven months ago rose back up with a vengeance, making him well up. "Latias," He said, hissing in air, "I never…"

Unwilling to hear it, Latias shook her head. "Please stop. I only told you that to connect some dots in my head. You can continue."

The utterly vacant look she was giving Tobias pained him. He did not know what else he could do for her other than placate her. "…All right. With, um…with Latios's help, getting from place to place was fast and easy. Though, I did end up falling more times than I care to count before I figured out how to keep my balance. To train, I figured I'd enter the Sinnoh League and collect Gym Badges since that was what everyone else seemed to be doing."

He managed a half glance at Latias to ask, "You've heard of the Gyms, right?"

Latias nodded. "Ash has occasionally mentioned them. They were competitions of sort, right?"

"Something like that," Answered Tobias, turning to face the road ahead. The faint orange light behind them was beginning to dwindle, overtaken by the dusk ahead. "I only used Darkrai for those as a personal challenge, though I did make sure to rotate my team for passing Trainers. To my surprise, just about everyone was a pushover. No one, not even the Gym Leaders, managed to defeat even one of my Pokemon."

Tobias took a moment before continuing, waiting to see what Latias's response to that would be. But there was nothing. Not even an expectant glance when he fell silent. There was only the awkward sounds of a passing breeze and the crunch of the ground beneath them.

Sighing, he said, "I admit, the early stages of my trainer days were rushed. In only a month, I conquered every Gym in Sinnoh. So, I was forced to wait for the League Tournament." He casted a glance skyward. "While we were waiting, we decided to go explore what the world had to offer. I found Heatran before long, and when we visited other Regions, Meloetta and Volcanion followed soon after."

Memory lane was not a path Tobias thought he would be traveling down any time soon. Talking of his old team brought back what he had suppressed for so long, and though his mind was tired and hazy, he began to grin, his emotions a rollercoaster. But he didn't care. Each word he spoke brought forth another memory, and through them, those days of old were brought back.

"In the months waiting for the Sinnoh League to open, there was no shortage of adventures my team had." Latias noticed that his movements were gradually becoming more excited as he retold his tales. "We fought trainers stronger than Gym Leaders. One kid had an amazing Sandshrew that packed a punch. It even evolved during our battle, but Darkrai and I still managed to beat his team. But battles were far from the end of it. We explored caves, climbed mountains, flew through cities. Each day was something new. Before I knew it, the Sinnoh League had begun."

He grinned excitedly at Latias, even when her only response was still her vacant stare. "That's where I met Ash." And suddenly, her interest visibly peaked. "My fight against him was the first time Darkrai had ever lost a battle. Not only that, but he managed to defeat Latios as well. I won in the end, but he was still incredible even back then. Once I had won the tournament, I gained the right to challenge the Champion for their title."

"The Champion?" Inquired Latias. "Like that Lance guy?"

Tobias answered with a nod. "Yeah. Each Region has their own Champion. They're the strongest Trainer a Region has. If you beat one in a formal match, you take their title. But being Champion also comes with a lot of responsibilities."

Flatly, Latias asked, "Responsibilities you didn't want?"

"You got me." The cold air began to sting at Tobias's wettening eyes, though he didn't seem to mind. He hardly even noticed it amidst his joy as he retold his tale. "I challenged Champion Cynthia in private and was astounded by her power. My overconfidence led to Darkrai taking his second loss at the hands of her Garchomp, but in the end, my team triumphed by a hair."

Before his eyes, Tobias could picture that night with clarity as clear as water. As he looked ahead, he could still see the faces of his team as they cheered for their victory, and said, "On that night, we were taught a valuable lesson. Cynthia was far more experienced than us. We only managed to scrape out a win with power and luck. We still had so much to learn."

Unwittingly, Tobias found himself reaching out for them, the ghosts of his long gone friends, still wearing a smile. "We had never before laughed as much as we did after that. Never cried as much either. It was the happiest day of our lives."

"Our journeys continued to other Regions after that, fighting incredible battles and seeing everything the world had to offer. We felt like we were on top of the world."

He brought his hand back up to his face, laughing into it quietly. Latias looked at him with worry, wondering if revisiting those memories had begun to drive him mad.

"We had also visited the ruins of Michina Town," Tobias explained, "And heard a tale of some kind of Chosen One that would befriend the Legends. Though I was never the kind to believe that stuff, I thought that if it was true, that person would have to be me."

Slowly, his hand dragged down across the skin of his face before dropping to his side, dangling loosely. His ear to ear grin had faded, leaving only a ghost of a smile as he stared into blank space ahead of them.

His head tilted toward her so slightly that it almost seemed not to move at all. "…But you and I both know where that went. I lost everything because I was cocky. Then, a certain someone showed the world who the real Chosen One was. I…was such an idiot."

"For catching the Legends?" Asked Latias carelessly.

Tobias flinched. "…Yes."

The answer surprised Latias. She had asked the question as more of a jab at his unwillingness to speak directly about his foolishness in the war. "Yes? Didn't you say those were the happiest days of your life?"

Nodding shakily, he replied, "I did. But those moments were not worth their lives. I realize that now. Necrozma showed me that I had no business trying to stand among the Legends. If I wasn't a fool, maybe they would have been trained by their fellow Legends. Maybe that training would have saved them…" He weakly balled his hand into a trembling fist. "…Until the real Chosen One did what I couldn't."

Latias stared at him blankly as he spoke. Patiently, she waited until he was done before facing ahead and promptly replying, "Yes, I agree."

Choking up, Tobias bowed his head and made a weak, breathy moan. "Latias," He whimpered, "I know this means nothing, but I am sorry for taking Latios from you. For robbing you of the chance to be with your brother again. It would have been better for him. For everyone."

"Yes," Droned Latias, "You're right."

Tobias suddenly stopped in his tracks. He was trembling like a leaf, and it wasn't because of the cold winds of the approaching night. Slowly, he turned and began trudging toward the nearest tree. Latias stopped as well. Pathetically, he slammed the edge of his fist into the tree, only managing to make his hand ache in the process. Hissing in air with every breath, he hung his head, pressing it into the tree.

"From your story," Came the voice of Latias from behind, "It seemed like Latios was very happy when he was with you." She waited for a visible response from him, and when there wasn't one, continued. "I'll never forget how I felt when I saw Latios again in the Hall just before the war. I'll never forget how much worse I felt when Arceus told me that he was meant for me, but got caught along the way."

Tobias heard the sounds of her feet crunching along the grass as she approached. "But during the war," Started Latias, "Latios didn't care about me one bit." Her hand twitched. "The only thing he cared about was keeping you safe until the very end."

As she came near, she gradually raised her arm, hovering her hand above his shoulder. "Latios…" Gently, she lowered it. He shuddered upon feeling her touch. "…Really must have loved you. And after hearing your story, it's becoming a bit harder to keep hating you."

Tobias dared a glance with his wet eyes down at her. Her stone expression had finally broken, and she smirked up at him with a small, wry grin. "Just a bit. There's just one last thing that's bugging me."

It took Tobias some time to regain himself. He wiped at his eyes to dry them. And with a raspy, tired voice, he simply asked, "What?"

Latias gave a slight tug to his robe, urging him to follow as she walked back toward the path. When he followed, she looked ahead. "I still want to know about that Ultra Beast. I know that you loved Latios and the others you had, so why would you take care of something whose master killed them?"

Tobias cleared his aching throat with a raspy cough into his robe. "You answered it yourself," He told her. "It was their master that did it. I can't speak for anyone else in the war, but I know that Poipole never hurt anyone. It wouldn't be right for me to blame it."

"...How did you find it?"

"In the war," He answered. "I found the poor thing huddled behind some rocks. I had just...burned a bunch of Ultra Beasts to a crisp. It was no wonder it was terrified. Just looking at it, I could tell it was more than just a beast. I couldn't kill it or leave it to die."

Latias asked, "What about after the war?"

Tobias took in a long, deep breath of air. "After the war…" He repeated those words, mentally preparing himself to return to that time. "I thought that I had nothing after the war. I had sent my team, my family, to their deaths. And my sister, she...when Darkrai and I left Alamos Town, she made us promise to keep each other safe. Only one of us held up that promise. I-I couldn't face her. How could I?"

The prospect of something like that made Latias think. "You know," She said, "It would probably be for the best to go change that now. I can't speak for you, but at this point, I don't need to tell you how much I cared for my brother. If I were your sister, I would at least want to know if you were alright."

Shaking his head, Tobias replied, "She probably thinks that I'm dead by now and moved on. Showing up now, especially without Darkrai, would only open up old wounds. I couldn't face her back then. I can't do it now." Again, he shook his head. "I was so ashamed. I had failed both of my families. Once the strongest trainer in the world, reduced to a nobody with nothing. I admit...if I hadn't had Poipole by my side...I would have done something drastic."

Latias could not remain stone-faced when she heard that. "What…?"

"Don't worry about it," Tobias told her with a weak smile. "I haven't thought that way in a long time. Poipole saved me just as much as I saved it. The little guy was always so energetic and funny that it wouldn't let me feel sorry for myself for long." He chuckled aloud. "It took a while, but eventually, I decided I'd keep living for Poipole's sake."

He glanced down at her knowingly, then asked, "Who else is crazy enough to take care of an Ultra Beast? Not many others would let it live."

Latias glanced away from him.

Taking out Salamence's Pokeball, Tobias added, "This one as well. I don't have the luxury of living for myself anymore. I live for them because who else will?"

"And…" Latias took in a small breath before looking back up at him. "…Why did you come to help Ash?"

Tobias slipped the Pokeball back into his coat. "I was stuck here in the Johto Region. Rumor spread around about Goldenrod City's comeback so I came to see it for myself. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw what it had become." Sheepishly, he rubbed his head. "It…gave me a bit of hope admittedly. I wanted to see what I could do to help, and before long, who else did I see walking in my direction but Ash and a few of his friends? It felt like destiny. I offered to help however I could, and so, here I am."

Latias mulled over his words. "Hope…" Unaware that she had muttered that aloud, her eyes briefly caught the stare of Tobias before she looked away and coughed into her hand. "So," She started in an attempt to shift his focus away, "That's how it went, hm?"

"Yup," Answered Tobias. "How about you? You only came here recently, right? Ash only mentioned to me that something happened between you and Team Rocket."

Peering at the rocky ground beneath her feet, Latias muttered, "Oh, something happened, alright." She could feel Tobias's expectant gaze without even looking at him. Mulling over the idea of telling him, Latias glanced to her left at a small river that had appeared as they walked. Staring back at her was the stolen face of Bianca, her human sister.

Sighing, Latias closed her eyes and turned away from it, unable to stand looking at that face. She figured that Tobias had been far more open than he needed to be. It was only right for her to return the favor.

She opened her dull eyes gradually. "Team Rocket," Latias began, "Recently decided to pay my old home, Alto-Mare, a visit. There was an old man who used to take care of Latios and I. They killed him."

Tobias's eyes widened in horror. Latias turned her body toward him, raising her arms. "The body you see me in belonged to his granddaughter. She was…my best friend. I'd even call her a sister. They…got her too. I barely managed to escape thanks to their sacrifice."

Suddenly feeling very sick, Tobias recalled what he had said to Latias earlier about her not knowing his pain. He swallowed hard, mentally cursing at himself for saying that.

"Oh, Latias," He moaned sorrowfully, "I'm so sorry. I-I had no idea, I-"

Latias gently closed his mouth with Psychic. "Please stop. It isn't your fault, and I know whose it is. I fully intend to repay the favor in time."

Tobias looked down at her with pity. The way she spoke about that tragedy with such dull unenthusiasm, that lack of passion, ate away at him. He had known that same dull feeling, that unending sensation of what he could only describe as 'blank.' It was like a sea of grey threatening to pull him down into its depths with every breath he had taken back then.

Before he could mention it, Latias asked, "You remember that man in armor in Dahara City, right?"

"Launcher?"

Latias nodded. "Yeah. Well, he's not the only one like that. There's this other one almost three times his size and shoots flames out of his suit. That's the one."

"It's hard to believe people can be so monstrous," Mulled Tobias. "Well, if the chance arises, I'll gladly offer my help to take him down. I wasn't able to get that kind of closure, so I would be glad to help you get yours."

Latias was surprised by the offer. So surprised, in fact, that the proposal had managed to put a hint of a grin onto her face. "Well, I suppose I'll need all the help I can get."

Tobias suddenly barked out with laughter. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean? I thought we had settled things between us." He dusted off his glove on his robe, then offered his hand to Latias. "Say, how about we just start over? No more grudges. No more arguing. From now on, we've got each other's backs."

She stared at his hand blankly for an uncomfortable amount of time. Tobias's smile faltered, worried she was going to deny him until she swiped up his hand with her own. He yelped as her draconian strength nearly crushed his hand.

Flashing a toothy grin at him, Latias replied, "I can work with that."

"G-great!" Stammered Tobias. He could feel and hear parts of his hand popping in her grasp. But that wasn't all that he heard.

The two perked up when they heard excited chittering in the air from their far left up ahead. "That's Poipole!" Tobias exclaimed. He suddenly whipped around and dashed toward the source of the noise. Latias followed suit, and the two leapt over the small river before dashing into the leaves.

Before long, they came across a clearing with a thick row of short bushes in between them. It grew in a perfect ring around its edge. The two winced when they heard sharp whispering from their side. Further left, Ash and the others knelt behind the bushes and waved at them. Evidently, Tobias and Latias's argument had given the others ample time to get ahead.

"You two look terrible!" Exclaimed a concerned Serena as loudly as a whisper could be. "What happened?"

As the two knelt down by the others, Latias went to reply, but Tobias beat her to the punch. "We ran into some trouble along the way, but it's nothing to worry about."

Ash gave him a look, easily able to see right through the lie, but let it pass. "Well, you showed up at a good time. You might want to sit down for this." Pointing out into the field, Ash directed Latias and Tobias's attention to something that made their eyes go wide. Fluttering about, the little imp danced amidst the wind, chittering to itself.

"Poi-!"

Latias's hand shot over his mouth. "Are you crazy?!" She hissed. "What, are you trying to attract their attention.

Tobias gave her a weird look. What did she mean? He had seen only Poipole. Yet, when he looked again, his tiny little imp was far from alone. The opening in the forest had blotted out the sky with leaves from bright brown trees that seemed to twist on itself endlessly. Amidst those trees, dozens of the beasts crawled over the ground and skittered through the air.

Muscle-bound red creatures that looked like Bug-Type Pokemon were carrying stacks of lumber and large sacks over their shoulders. Beside them, thin, white, feminine looking beasts that also seemed to share some relation to Bug Types spurred them on. It shocked Latias to see them laughing. Above, small white creatures that Latias almost mistook as paper being blown in the wind shocked her further by, seemingly with only the twitch of their arms, diced parts of the twisted trees into perfect rectangular logs that fell into the waiting arms of the red beasts.

Yet Tobias noticed almost none of this. When he spotted his Poipole again, he was shocked to find more of them. They chittered happily, dancing and playing in the wind. Most of the other Poipole were much larger than his, but they played with one another without a care in the world. All of them orbited a much larger creature. It looked as if a Beedrill had been fused with a Noivern.

"Well," Muttered a smiling Tobias as he watched his little friend, "Poipole seems like it's having fun."

Suddenly, the tiniest Poipole stopped chattering with the others as it noticed Tobias. A wide smile emerged on its little face, suddenly chittering with even more excitement. It made a dash for his friend excitedly, ushering in terror for the group. The larger creature, noticing this, attempted to call the little Poipole with a set of low, rapid rumbling noises. Upon spotting exactly what Poipole was flying towards, it reared its head and let out a harrowing buzzing noise.

Its cry caused the other Poipole orbiting it to flee further into the forest. The other beasts whipped around at the noise, letting the stacks of lumber they carried clatter to the ground as all eyes focused upon Tobias and the others.

"No!" Exclaimed Lance. "We need to get out of here, now!"

Before Tobias could even mutter out a response, the purple winged beast closed the distance between them and aimed its stinger squarely at his head. To his horror, he could only watch as the stinger's interior began to glow. Ash raised his arm to prepare to summon a barrier, alerting the beast to the presence of the others. It let out a screech of rage so potent that Ash and the others could feel it reverberating throughout their bodies.

However, it seemed as if a barrier was unnecessary. Poipole leapt in front of Tobias, fervently chirping at the larger beast in spite of the difference in their size. Whatever it was saying seemed to shock the winged beast enough to make it lower its stinger.

Tentatively, Lance stepped out of the bushes, earning a chorus of cries and chirps from the beasts behind the winged one. "Naganadel," Addressed Lance to the purple beast. It reacted to the name, shifting its gaze over to him fully. "Please calm down. We do not mean to bring either you or this one-" He gently mentioned to Poipole. "-Any harm."

Claire nodded in affirmation. "The same goes to you all. I assure you, we won't stay long."

Tobias chuckled as Poipole twirled around his finger. He wondered with worry about what to do with it after what he had seen. Would he just...take Poipole from its family? How would this Naganadel creature react? It was clearly protective of it.

"Naganadel," He spoke, earning its attention. Poipole left his finger, returning to twirling around Naganadel. The large creature cooed gently in response to the young one's energetic chittering. Chuckling, Tobias said, "I've been looking after the little guy for a while. I hope that's alright with you."

It responded to him with low chattering, though it came far more gently than before. Tobias wasn't sure if it could even understand him, but he at least wanted to make an effort. Poipole could, so it wasn't out of the question, and it at least seemed to recognize the name Lance addressed it as.

As Claire worked to quell the excitement of the beasts, Ash approached Lance. "They seem to recognize you," He noted.

Lance nodded. "I suppose there's no use hiding anything." He sent a sideways glance at Ash, not daring to face away from the beasts. "We've known about each other for a while now, but rarely interacted for long. They're not our enemies anymore, but we shouldn't linger and risk changing that."

The two turned fully toward the beasts upon hearing a commotion from them. They parted into two groups, making way for something else.

"Now, now," Something spoke, "Let's all calm down, shall we?" It was another beast, but it spoke their language. Ash stared in bewilderment as what looked like a faceless, humanoid set of coiled black wires walked to the front of the group. "Ah," It said, noticing Lance, "It's you. Was the previous supply of lumber insufficient?"

Lance shook his head. "No. The last set was more than enough. It'll keep us going for another month or so. We're here for something else."

It was then that Claire stepped up, apparently faithful enough in the wire beast to face away from the other beasts. "This is Xurkitree," She explained. "He leads the Ultra Beasts. We came in contact with them a few months ago, but Xurkitree stopped them from attacking us."

Xurkitree bowed the odd, spiky white thing at its top. Ash took it as a nod. "We are only here to try to live peacefully. It was Necrozma who set us along this path of war." He raised an arm toward the beasts behind him. "For aeons, Necrozma bred the beasts for battle, so you will have to excuse their aggression. I've been doing my best to teach them about things besides fighting, but it's something I've been having to reteach myself."

Latias, who had decided to stay in the bushes, pursed her lips tightly.

"To prove that they were no threat," Started Claire again, "Xurkitree agreed to help harvest resources using the beasts in exchange for keeping them a secret. Frankly, it was an offer we couldn't turn down. Lance and I have to constantly train to make sure Team Rocket stays off our backs and that used to leave us little time to help out around Mahogany Town."

Nodding, Lance added, "Mahogany is filled mostly with people too old or too young to work. Mahogany has no airways, so we had to wait for imports from Ecruteak, which were also in turn from New Goldenrod. We were struggling before we met the beasts."

"Do the Mahogany town people know?" Asked Serena. "How do the beasts deliver to them?"

Lance answered, "They don't. They deliver what we need to the south side of the Lake of Rage. Then I have my Dragonite deliver it to the down."

"The people think it comes from us," Claire added. "Frankly, it's safer for everyone that way."

Xurkitree seemed to slowly bounce up and down on its wiry legs, twisting its limbs in a jarring fashion. "Indeed. But that reminds me. If not for supplies, what brings you here?"

To that, Lance nodded over at Poipole, who was still joyfully flying in circles around Tobias and Naganadel. "That little beast, who that man next to it calls Poipole, ran away from him. It probably sensed you all and wanted to find something familiar to it."

The wiry beast shuffled over next to Naganadel. It peered down at the excitable little imp and chuckled joyously. "Well, would you look at that! I hadn't expected to see a new face among the Ultra Beasts. Perhaps there may be more survivors after all."

"I wouldn't get your hopes up," Intervened Lance. "Many people still hate the Ultra Beasts because of the war. On top of that, there's an organization out there that would jump at the chance to catch and study or kill them." Glancing at Tobias, he said, "I imagine the number of people who would willingly take in an Ultra Beast are very few. This man is a special exception. You would only be endangering your kind by looking for more."

Xurkitree sighed in resignation. "I know, I know," He replied, nodding along as he spoke, "But it still won't be good for my sleep knowing others might be out there that I can't help. Still, I'm not going to risk what I already have."

Lance replied, "That's smart of you."

Turning his attention back to Poipole, Xurkitree asked, "But what of this one. Surely, we will be taking the young one in if the outside is so dangerous, right?"

Tobias's smile fell clean off of his face.

"That is not up to me to decide," Answered Lance.

Ash and Serena stayed silent, though they could not hide their pitied expressions from Tobias. The cloaked man looked down to hide a scowl from Poipole. Slowly, he brought his hands up toward Poipole and clasped his hands around it. The young beast eagerly embraced the touch, happily nuzzling its head into Tobias's hands.

Looking up, Tobias met Naganadel's gaze with the deepest frown that had ever found itself upon his face. He made sure to hold Poipole tightly enough that it couldn't turn around to see it, though not enough to hurt it. He brought up his leg, making Serena worry that he was about to run off. Ash, however, knew his intent had shut his eyes with a sigh.

Tobias took a step toward Naganadel without breaking eye contact with it. Between their gazes, there was a wordless understanding. With trembling arms, Tobias offered Naganadel the little imp in his hand. Letting go sent a brand new wave of shaking all throughout his body. His only solace was that Poipole was no longer in his hands to feel that trembling.

Poipole's joyful cheering ceased when Tobias suddenly turned tail and ran back into the forest, earning a gasp from Serena.

"Tobias!" She called. "What are you-?"

Before she could give chase, Ash grabbed her arm and shook his head. This was a feeling he had come to know many times. It never got any easier, but sometimes, goodbyes were simply meant to be.

Realizing that Tobias was getting further away, Poipole tried to fly after him. It could not break from Naganadel's powerful grasp no matter how much it squirmed. Beginning to panic, it cried out for Tobias. Yet, Tobias kept getting farther away, clearing the bushes before long.

"What are you doing?!" Latias demanded as he passed her. "Tobias, get back here!"

Poipole's panicked chitters soon clearly devolved into mournful wails, reaching out to where it had last seen its friend. Naganadel turned it away from the clearing's edge to face the deep forest of the beasts. The beasts parted again when it approached them. Slowly, it floated into the dark, carrying away the noise of Poipole's crying with it.

Tobias continued running. To where, he did not know. He did not care. All he wanted was to get away. The cries of Poipole rang in his ears without end. He covered his ears, forcing all of the strength in his arms against them, to no avail.

He gasped for air, his breath as ragged as could be. Yet no matter how much air he took in, he only continued to breathe harder. He passed trees, stones, and all other manner of plants in his way as he aimlessly ran in a vain attempt to escape it all. Then, something hit him in the back making him tumble to the dirt.

"G-get off me!" He screeched weakly, continuing his rapid, endless plight for air. "Get off!"

He was flipped into his back, and when he used that to try to kick off his attacker, his legs were pushed down. They then grabbed his hands, forcing him up against the base of a large oak tree. He screamed and wailed and thrashed, but they overpowered him completely, keeping his limbs completely bound before long.

"Tobias!"

Tobias gasped at the call of his name, and suddenly, he could see again. His attacker was none other than Latias, though instead of a dagger-filled glare and a Dragon Claw, he was met with a worried expression staring down at him.

"Hey, hey, take it easy," She cooed, gently moving her hands, clasped around his, toward his upper chest. "Come on, calm down with those breaths. The air isn't going anywhere. Besides, you can't run forever."

Slowly but surely, Tobias's gasping for air slowed down into long, exhausted deep breaths. Yet this calmness, before long, brought forth the full sum of Tobias's grief down upon him, and he collapsed into his own lap.

Though nonplussed about having to be the one to stay with him, Latias only voiced her opinions on the matter with a sigh before propping up against the tree next to him. She only waited, continuing to hold his hand as he wrung out his emotions in a full, wordless force.

Dark had finally settled by the time he had exhausted himself fully. The air was filled only with a chilly autumn breeze and the chirping of the few remaining Bug-Type Pokemon that inhabited the forest.

Tobias let out his final sigh at last. "I'm…sorry," He whispered.

Latias stayed silent a moment longer, unsure what to ask first and if she should even ask it in the first place. Curiosity overtook her better judgement before long and she asked, "What happened back there?"

His first response was to take in a long, deep breath, then puffed it out, watching the frigid air take form. "…I…had to let it go," He said simply.

"You had to?"

Tobias paused, then nodded. "Lance was right. It's dangerous out here and it's only going to get worse. We almost lost that last battle in Dahara. If it wasn't for Ash…I don't want to know what they would have done to Poipole."

Sighing, Latias resisted the urge to verbally note how much trouble he had given everyone about Poipole only to now give it up. "Alright," She said, "If that's what you think is best."

Realizing she was still holding his hand, her face wrinkled slightly and she pulled away. Tobias did not react to it. "So anyways," Started Latias, attempting to change the heavy subject, "What's next? For you, I mean. Are you still going to travel with us, or…?"

Tobias leaned back, plopping the back of his head against the tree. "I…don't know."

"Well," Latias started, getting to her feet and extending a hand down to him, "Maybe it's time that you went and paid a visit to that sister of yours."

With a heavy, defeated sigh, Tobias took her hand and struggled back to his feet. He took out Salamence's Pokeball, looking into his reflection on its top. "Maybe you're right. I can't…run forever."

Latias frowned at him when he turned his back to her. She perked up when he spoke again.

"Oh, and Latias?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for keeping me from doing something stupid."

She chuckled. "Well, maybe don't thank me on that one yet."

---

It was decided that the group would spend the night at Mahogany. They were one member short. Suddenly and without warning, Tobias decided to pay his sister a visit. This left Latias alone to carry on the news.

Without his Salamence, it would be difficult to travel for long distances. Luckily, Lance managed to get them a hotel room rather easily, even if the "hotel" was just a log cabin at the town's edge.

Serena awoke with a shiver. Cold air carried by a breeze stung her eyes. Wiping them, she groggily raised her head to find the window open. Quickly shutting it, she exhaled in exasperation before turning to the bed again, only to find hers absent of Ash and Latias's empty as well.

"Huh. Maybe they went out to train by the lake?" As she wondered this aloud, her eyes narrowed upon spotting Pikachu still sleeping underneath her blanket. Ash's Pokeball belt was still propped up on a desk too. "Or…maybe not. Well, there's still Aura, I guess."

Shrugging, she decided to figure it out on her own. The room was now too chilly for her to get any decent sleep anyways. Quickly gathering up her things, she pushed open the door, shivering at the blast of cold, and began to make her way toward the lake.

Something that put Serena off as she approached the Lake of Rage was how quiet it was. If they were battling, there should have been a lot of noise. The prospect that they could be flying with Latias's Pokemon form made her grumble and internally wonder if coming out here was worth it.

That train of thought swiftly came to a halt when she ended up hearing voices after all. She hastened to a slight jog, recognizing Ash's voice specifically along the way. When she approached the forest's edge, she stopped upon seeing Ash with Latias.

They weren't fighting or even in any sort of stance. They were just standing by the lake together and talking about something. Curiosity got the better of Serena. For all she knew, they were talking about some secret topic about the Legends. She knelt down, gradually creeping up behind a small, thin tree as near as she could get to them.

Ash's Aura flickered in his eyes slightly in response to her presence, but he kept his gaze firmly on the lake.

Serena leaned in, eager to overhear some secrets regarding the Legends. However, what Latias said next had nothing to do with that, and it shook Serena to her core far more than any topic of the Legends could.

"You probably already know this by now," Started Latias, "But I love you. I've been wanting to say it ever since you left Alto-Mare."

She did not even look at him as she admitted this. Neither of the two shared red faces or embarrassed smiles. Their skin was pale from a coldness that did not come from the wind.

Ash chuckled weakly. "So that was you back then on that pier."

There was an awkward, albeit brief, silence between the two before Latias asked, "Did you know? About my feelings, not the…"

"Yeah." He replied with a nod. "I knew."

"...How long?"

Ash said, "It was only recently. About when you woke up in Mr. Star's lab." Once more, he chuckled, shaking his head. Latias did not. "The old me would have been too stupid to catch on, but…" He waved his finger, allowing his Aura to emerge from its tip as a small flame. "...Because of this, it's difficult to not know everything that's around me. Including their feelings. I didn't bring it up because of what was going on at the time. I didn't really know how to approach you about it later either."

Serena did not know what to make of this. She was so stunned by Latias's confession that she didn't know what to think. However, a shared laugh between the two put a frown firmly upon her face. Still, she did not dare to make a move. Not yet, at least.

After another moment of silence, Latias asked, "So what do you think about that?"

Ash took in a deep breath. "…I'm sorry. I already have someone like that in Serena. I could never hurt her like that."

Serena suddenly felt a wave of relief. She quickly placed her hands to her mouth to mask a sigh.

A shaky breath came from Latias. "I…think I knew that already," She admitted, bringing her hands up to grasp her arms to keep them from trembling. "When I first saw her…I suspected as much. But…it still hurts to have those suspicions confirmed."

Yet again, the ever-present dilemma Ash faced reared its ugly head yet again. Even with all the power he had and all the gifts bestowed unto him, he couldn't make everyone happy. He couldn't save everyone or fix their problems despite everything he had going for him.

"I'm sorry."

That was the only thing he could offer her.

Latias merely stayed silent.

Serena stayed as still as a rock, worried that the slightest twitch would give her away.

"…What will you do?" Ash asked her.

Latias brought her hands outward, peering down into the reflection of her stolen face as she attempted to come to a conclusion about that question herself. Yet her head remained fuzzy, hardly even able to concentrate on seeing what was in front of her. Eventually, her hands fell again, and she could only shake her head.

"What can I do? This is all I have left." Latias tried to look at Ash, only to find facing him too painful. With a shaky breath, she continued. "I doubted that my feelings would be reciprocated from the beginning. Even if this can't work, I know you'll be there for me in other ways. Besides…"

Her gaze became sharp when her mind turned toward an armored man bathed in hellish flames. "…I still have at least one thing to live for."

Ash could sense from the sudden swirl of negative emotions in her that whatever this 'one thing' was wasn't good. Even though he knew that, as an Aura Guardian and so much more, it was his responsibility to curb such a thing, he did not have the heart to take that away from her after turning her down.

"…Alright," He replied simply. "I'm going to head back. Are you coming with?"

Latias shook her head.

Ash merely nodded silently. As he turned to leave, his eyes fixated upon a tree to his right. Momentarily, he turned back around to whisper something to Latias, then went on his way. As he passed Serena, she was sure that he had spotted her for a moment, but he ended up continuing to walk until he was out of sight.

"Come out, Serena."

At the mention of her name, Serena stifled a shocked yelp. The tree at her back became coated in a red glow before being bent aside, leaving Serena exposed. Feeling a sudden chill, Serena slowly turned to find the cold stare of a red-eyed Latias glowering back at her.

Serena gulped as she stood up and approached Latias. "H-how did you know I was here?"

Latias turned to face the lake again and urged Serena to do the same. "Ash ratted you out," She admitted with a sigh. "You're really lucky. It seems that I was too late."

"I'm sorry." It was all Serena could think to say. Much like Latias, she was struggling to get her own thoughts together after what she had overheard. The cold wasn't helping by any means.

Shaking her head, Latias replied, "Don't be. You aren't sorry. You could never be sorry about being with Ash." Tilting her head at Serena with her same cold stare, she added, "I know you aren't, because I wouldn't be either. It's okay."

Though she found it difficult to keep her eyes focused on Latias's, Serena did not shrink away. "…You're right. I don't think I could trade it for the world."

To Latias's shock, Serena extended a hand to her. "But I don't want something like this to get between us. I still want to be friends if that's alright with you."

Latias gave a bitter grin and chuckled. She took Serena's hand into her own, handling it with greater care than she afforded Tobias. "I suppose I could make that work. These days, I'm low on friends, so I can't afford to lose any more."

The two shared a laugh at that. As she stared at the bright face of Serena, Latias could feel her antipathy for the girl slowly melt away, although the lingering sentiment would take time for her to shake off. Serena seemed innocent, and innocence was difficult to come by these days. Besides, if she could get along with Tobias, then surely a girl like Serena would be no trouble.

---

Johto Region, Team Rocket facility.

Idly, two men in shining black armor stood in silence amidst a large aircraft hangar. All around them, scientists and workers busily carried papers, boxes and tools to and fro. One of the armored man, Launcher, stood on a pedestal as men in lab coats operating machines busily stitched his armor back together. The other man, Heavy, was being prepared to be lifted into one of the aircrafts.

Their comms systems blipped in response to an incoming message. "Heavy and Launcher," Came the voice of Ryder, "Our satellites have detected the presence of two dangerous targets. One is the unnamed Electric-Type Pokemon that has been giving us trouble. The other is Genesect. It appears to have emerged unharmed from its previous appearance in spite of eyewitness survivors claiming the opposite."

"Where are they?" Boomed Heavy.

On their visors, images of the targets appeared. "The Electric-Type," Started Ryder as the image of their target grew, "Is en route to New Goldenrod City. Evidently, one of our lower ranked agents told it that the city had the highest concentration of humans."

Next, an image of Genesect overlapped it. It was difficult to see, coming out as hardly more than a shadowed blur. Ryder said, "Genesect is approaching the same location from the north for unknown reasons. It is known that it successfully destroyed the base where we were created, and given what the others of its kind could do, likely took in any useful data from that location."

Heavy asked, "What value does data from there give it? It is where we were created, but there have been plenty of upgrades since then."

"Your are precisely correct, Heavy," Commended Ryder, "Which is why these targets have been deemed a low priority."

Hearing that, Launcher could no longer remain silent. "Low priority? Why are we being sent after low priority targets?"

"Compared to what is to come, those two are nothing. Master's plans are moving faster than anticipated, and he is currently on a trip to ensure another asset that will hasten things even more."

An irate Launcher replied, "That does not explain why we are being deemed suitable for something low priority."

"As it stands," Ryder began, "You are simply what is available. Master has begun to prefer his new piloted weapons over us. Those are being prepared for the days to come. Auto and I are being prepared for another mission."

Heavy commented, "So the day has finally come where we are to be replaced."

Ryder replied, "You are getting on in years, Heavy. Surely, you of all people, at your age, realized this was coming. However, just because your usefulness is not what it once was does not mean you have no use at all. I expect this mission to be completed."

With a mirthful scoff, Launcher replied, "You realize that you are next. Even though he favors you, no one cares much for that Weavile you still drag around. Least of all him."

"I will live and die as master orders," Hissed Ryder, "And you will do the same. Master has grown tired of failure. At this stage, it cannot be permitted. If you have grown so obsolete that you cannot carry out an order, then your lives are forfeit. Harper has already replaced you two and Pyro all in one."

---

Author's Note

Pokextinction Fact of the Day: We here at the office of Pokextinction development do not subscribe to the idea of harems in stories. There will be none of that with Serena and Latias. Serena is more than enough. Not to mention the implications of a relationship between a Pokemon and a human, regardless of that Pokémon's transforming abilities.

The Creator- I've been holding out on Tobias's backstory for a while. I had plans to include him in Arc 2 since before his appearance in Arc 1. Since we were rolling with the whole "Only one Legendary each" besides Genesect, I needed to come up with stories regarding why Tobias had Latios and Darkrai. Latias was explained back in Arc 1 and now I'm explaining Darkrai. Also, just imagine giving your own infant son away to keep them safe. That's how Tobias felt about giving away Poipole.

Hydra- Alas Tobias has finally made up with Latias. Hmm that sorta rhymes, cool. Well I'm glad we finally got this one done. It took quite a while because there was so much dialogue and not any fighting. Goodness that can always be a pain in the butt. But here we are and hopefully it paid off.

SilverWolf1130- Welp, the family meeting went about as well as we thought. Gira isn't forgiving anything.

Poor Palkia. So young and he's already had such a difficult life…

Hopefully, Dr. Mengele gets what he deserves. Twisted bastard. just like the two people he's based on.

The Creator- Poor Palkia indeed. I'm afraid things won't get any better from here. The good doctor knows how to treat a patient. Muhahaha.

Hydra- Yes your predictions were quite right about Giratina he doesn't forget or forgive easily which is understandable considering all that he went through. Makes you wonder what the Hall of Origins would be like if he forgave Arceus and Mew and rejoined their "family". So now that I've asked what your favorite character is, who's your least favorite so far?

Leafy boi- That ben guy is really awful ò-ó HE WAS GONNA STAB PALKIA IN THE EYE! and using the legend of death to further make false claims.. creative but oh so bad, and now young palkia is being tortured and some kinna legend based weapon? Thats intriguing owo but.. gira really shoved it all back in mews face, and shattering the happy memory from ages past as a testament to his grudge? Good touch - and man.. unless mew literally sacrifices herself to save gira leafy hella doubts hed ever forgive her and even then itd be a pretty doubtful scene for him. And DAMN rainbow dear is op af with words xD not only appeased dialga but GIRA ALSO WAS CALMED AND OPENED UP TO HER!? go dear owo

The Creator- To be fair, he did stab Palkia in the eye. It's just that Palkia is so armored that the knife broke. Thank you for noticing that little touch with Giratina by the way.

Hydra- You know I have recently actually really started to like Xerneas. I never put much focus on her as a character, she was always kinda meant to be just another one of the side legends who would do interesting things occasionally but not very often. However I have taken a new approach to her and you guys may take notice of it later on…

G- Good chapter, was very interesting to see Arceus, Xerneas, Dialga and Mew discussed about the disapparition of Palkia, to the point of be forced to talk and ask for support to Giratina, despite to the obvious bad blood between Arceus and Mew with Giratina. And unsurprisingly, Giratina took the chance to rub in the faces of Arceus and Mew their mistakes and previous choices, adding that he even voiced his dislike for the very idea of return Palkia back to Arceus, to mentioned that they planned to mold Palkia like a "puppet", to the point of showed his very negative opinion in his parents.

Yet, i was impressed for how Xerneas ended being the voice of the reason in this heated arguments, starting for convinced the reluctance Dialga to accept Giratina's support, and i was more impressed when she managed to difused partially the arguments of Giratina toward Arceus and Mew, to the point of even persuaded him to still support in finds Palkia and makes sure that he is fine. Well, i guess that Xerneas could end being considered like a kind of Maternal figure for the remaining legendaries, to considers her wise words, patience and kindess to finds the goodness in anyone, even in the full hatred heart Giratina.

And talking about maternal figure, regarding to the notes of Hydra, about Mew, being honest, i thinks that Mew still need to crosses a very long road to could makes ammends for her previous actions, as while in previous chapters, she barely learned about her previous mistakes and this helped to open her eyes to begin to changes, Mew still need learned every detail, of each grave mistake that she commited as mother of the legendary pokemon, after all, the first step to fixes and ammends some mistake, is recognizes it. But fortunately, Giratina "helped" her to see completely all her flaws and graves mistakes to pointed how she didn't anything to help Giratina when Arceus punished him, adding that she showed a notable insensitive attitude toward the well being of the other legendary pokemon, to the point of makes some immature and innapropiated commentaries to the grief of some legendary that suffered drastic loses during the wars against Necrozma, like Lugia and Keldeo, adding that as Giratina mentioned, Mew wasn't above to break some sacred rules, like brings humans to the Tree of the Beginning, showing how much irresponsible was her, without count that Mew used to always likes to play in any circunstance, regardless the severity, making that Giratina could pointed each flaw in her, making that Mew finally could see how much she failed to her sons in many aspects.

Nevertheless, as i already said, this was the first step; recognized your mistakes, as Mew need first to learn about the severity of all her actions, to could understand completely the damaged caused by her previous decisions, allowing to Mew see the grief of her sons, and how much suffering they should to dealed. But i still thinks that Mew had a important character development, since learned how much insensitive was her, as now Mew start to behaves more mature and serious, than her previous past self that was immature, insensitive and even indifferent. And now with the scolding of Giratina, Mew certainly knows that she needs a lot work to make up her remaining sons, well at least i guess that Dialga and Xerneas can accepts the change of Mew, besides Arceus, and Mew will only needs to interacts with the rest of the legendary pokemon. Though that she still needs extra work with some particulars, like Lugia, Keldeo and of course, Giratina.

Returning to the story, so the poor Palkia is being manipulated by the Doctor death, to convinces him to joins to the dark side and help them to destroy Arceus once and for all. Well, at least the young Palkia was smart enough to noted the respect that Yvetal showed him, making him doubted about the honesty of Doctor death, to the point of refused to cooperated with him, at least willing. Well i hope that someone can rescue Palkia on time, as i feel a lot pity by him, as Palkia is only a child that end kidnapped by cruel men that only see him like a weapon.

As note; to considers the mannerism of Doctor death, i cannot help in imagines him similar to the General Deathshead, the main antagonist of Wolfenstein New Order, in the sense of be very brillaint scientists, yet they don't have qualms in ignore the ethic and dissects their prisoners for their twisted experiments, like Deathshead did with the companions of the main protagonist in Wolfenstein, just like Doctor death's intentions to tries to dissects and removes the pearl of Palkia.

To finishes, to considers that the Nova branch were planning to attack the Hall of Origins with the support of Palkia, i wonder if they could considers as other plan to attack the Tree of Beginning, as they have to Mewtwo, a legendary pokemon that also shared a connection with the Tree, giving the Nova Branch the perfect way to seiges this place. Adding that to considers the importance of this Tree for the pokemon in the world, destroy it could be a notable objective to the Nova branch, to crippled the Pokemon force notably. Adding that this situation also could allows Mew to get some kind of redemption, to could finally participates in the battles against the villains of the story, than still be hidden from the action, adding that even she could also feels the kind of hardships that her sons should dealed, since Necrozma, until this battles against Team rocket and Nova branch.

Keep the good job.

Also, regarding about Doctor death, besides to makes me thinks in the General Deathshead, he also reminds me to the professor Hojo from Final Fantasy 7, as Dr death showed be a sadic scientist that is capable to do anything for accomplishes his experiments, showing a complete disgard for the ethic and moral.

Adding that just like Hojo, death treats his prisoners basically like ginea pigs, and even both scientists are twisted enough to talks their prisoners like if they were his pets, using an apparent friendly demeanor, to hides their true twisted nature, like if Hojo and death tried to manipulated and decieves their prisoners, showing a cruel behavior to plays with their prisoners to talks them like a friend, to could study the reaction of their prisoners, and even see if they can convinces them to cooperates more willing.

Even, Hojo and death had the nerve of talked negatively from the relatives of their prisoners, like Hojo did it with Aerith, to expressed his disappoiting in Ifalna, Aerith's biological mother, whom escaped together with Aerith from Shinra, than cooperated with them, causing her death during the escape, adding that also Hojo talked sadically about how he dissected the corpse of her mother Ifalna, while he showed a glee and a happiness as a scientist that found a notable discovering, like if Hojo wanted to breaks psychologically Aerith to makes her more cooperative to leads Shinra to the Promise land. Much like Dr death, whom talked negatively from Palkia's family, to antagonized Arceus and Mew, to put Palkia against them, and played with his fears and insecurities, to tries to manipulates Palkia to makes that he leads Nova branch to the Hall of Origin.

Yet, Aerith and Palkia refused to give in and cooperates with the mad scientists, at least willing, forcing them to takes more drastic methods, like considers forces Aerith to be pregnant from some patner, to have Cetra offsrpings that help Shinra to finds the Promised land in the future. And in the case of Palkia, be dissected to extract his spatial powers.

Well, i just hope that Palkia, like Aerith in Final Fantasy 7, can be rescued just in time, before the Doctor death can harms him gruesomely, or worse…

The Creator- Your titanic reviews! I love them! It's so ironic that Giratina's hatred and fear of Arceus and Mew led to him driving away Palkia for his own safety, only for Palkia to end up in the worst place possible.

Although Xerneas plays the role of a mother better than her own mom, she's younger than Giratina and Dialga. Kind of ironic that she plays the part better than someone so primordial.

The doctor was based not so loosely on Josef Mengele, the German Angel of Death. I imagine Hojo and many other evil scientist characters share this inspiration.

Hydra- I wonder how an attack on the Hall of Origins would even go. I mean don't you think any forces they sent in would be completely annihilated considering it's Arceus's dimension. However I'm not sure if Arceus would kill any of them considering he's trying to change, can't say the same for the other legends though. One interesting question I wanna hear your thoughts on is do you think Lugia is too far gone? Considering how beastly and more feral like he's becoming do you think he can regain who he once was?

The Creator- Next chapter, we will see exactly where that last scene will lead us. What new tricks does her upgraded form have? How ferocious will she be? Will she play nice with this Electric Pokemon, or will it only get in her way?

Hydra- And that ends it all for now folks! Poipole has finally been reunited with its family, but that also begs the question how many ultra beasts survived the war and how many are still out there? Hopefully Tobias can find the strength to make peace with himself and his family. Have a great day guys!