~Attractive Altomare Chapter 12~

~Like The Waves Need The Wind~

Sato and Benihime had gotten dry, but now the young man was facing quite the dilemma, "Wah! I'm going to be late for the Exhibition!" He had just checked the time and it had been at least twenty minutes since the final slot in.

Latias looked around and saw one of the little boats used in the Tour De Altomare, 'Do you happen to have a water type on you?' She asked Sato who nodded.

"Actually, I do." He picked a Pokeball off his belt, turning it to Charmeleon who was enveloped in red light before being zapped into the ball. Sato then got another, unleashing the light from within as Lapras was revealed. Latias hadn't seen one this close up before and was impressed with the Pokemon's stature.

Gasping, she rushed up to it, 'Wow, you've got quite a team!' She said as Sato chuckled, turning away in embarrassment.

Sato tried to downplay the achievement by waving it off,"I just happened to catch her in Union Cave." He said as Benihime jumped on Lapras, ignoring his humble sentiment.

'And we don't even need the little boat!' She said into his mind while patting a spot on Lapras's shell, indicating for Sato to jump on and sit next to her.

He let out a sigh, 'Huh… For someone who just nearly drowned, she's pretty energetic.' She was still patting the spot, her cheeks puffed out in a bit of annoyance.

'Come on! We don't have all day! Right?!' She questioned him to which he nodded and hopped on his Lapras.

Sato pointed straight ahead shouting, "Alright Lapras! Let's go!" Lapras let out a cry and began swimming at high speed through the canals. She easily outpaced all the gondolas in the area.

Lowering her head as each bridge passed by, Lapras enjoyed being able to stretch out, "Thanks so much, Sato!" She said, but he merely petted her neck. Benihime scrunched her nose up at Sato.

'Hey! She thanked you!' She said into his head as Sato was struck with surprise by the sudden exclamation.

"Oh! Sorry Lapras… You're welcome?" Sato actually had another question now that he came to think of it, "By the way…" He wasn't sure how she'd take it, but he was committed to it now, "How come you can talk without opening your mouth, Benihime?" He asked her to which she moved back as if struck.

'OH! Erm… Hmmm…' She had closed off her thoughts in that moment, trying to think of an explanation that would make sense. Sato was still too interested in hearing what she had to say. What would Momma think or say here? That was a good question. A question she didn't have an answer to.

Latias struggled until a sudden idea struck gold, 'Because I'm psychic!' She said with so much enthusiasm that Sato was surprised by the outburst.

'Cute…' He thought as Benihime's golden eyes sparkled.

'T- Thanks!' She said, not sure how to take the compliment.

Sato's eyes widened, 'Wait, she can read my mind! Sheesh, think nice thoughts! Keep yourself under control!' He thought as Benihime giggled at the young trainer.

'You're really funny!' Benihime said, watching the buildings fly by. She thought it would be even more fun if Latios were here with them, 'I could tease him all day!' For Latias, it would be a blast.

Sato sat back, breathing a sigh of relief, "If everything works out, we should get to the exhibition on time." He looked over to Benihime and quickly remembered that he had something for her.

"Oh yeah!" Sato exclaimed, sifting through his pockets before finally producing an extra ticket, "They gave me an extra ticket and up until now, I didn't have anyone to give it to. Well, I can just erm… Pass it to you. I- If you want to join me for that." He said, slightly embarrassed as she looked at the shiny ticket and back to him.

Benihime's silence made Sato sweat just a bit, then he remembered she couldn't traditionally speak until he heard her angelic voice dance in his head once more, 'Are you asking me on a date?' She asked him.

Sato caught Lapras peeking at them as the speed at which they were moving began to rapidly slow down. He began to redden up considerably and turned away to look at the water below. Lapras seemed to smile upon them as Benihime grinned, sharper looking teeth making themselves known as they glinted in the sunlight.

'Well? Are ya?!' Benihime teased the boy who continued to deny what he wanted even as she poked him incessantly. She couldn't wait to tell Latios that she was being asked out. He'd never live it down! She snickered while Sato had turned into his final evolution of beet red.

"It's not like that! I promise! Not a date! Just two… Friends? Having a good time!" Sato pushed the words out quickly enough as Benhime narrowed her eyes like earlier, making him move back slightly.

She was having just the most delightful time of her life. Is this what it was like to tease someone who obviously had a thing for her. Her Momma must have had such a good playing like this. Though, she had seen what her Momma had "actually" got up to. That was beyond teasing. She even blushed at the very idea, pushing it to the back of her mind. After all, this bit of affection could be just a fleeting thing. So, she would enjoy it if she could for as long as possible and the word "Friends" had made her shiver. She liked making new friends.

A nod and a smile later, Benihime graced his mind with her voice, 'I would love to go with you to the exhibition. On a date.' She said, unsure of just what her head had just went with. She meant to say, "On a date as friends.". Surely she did. Right?

Sato was sure he heard that. On a date? No stipulation? Just getting a date that easily? His beet red face was steaming. Lapras had slowed so rapidly that she barely caused a ripple in the clear waters that flowed underneath. The sun had risen to its highest point and Sato was still processing what had just happened. Latias looked slightly worried for the boy. Maybe he misheard her too. Now she was wondering if clarifying was a good idea.

'A- Are you alright?' She asked him, snapping Sato out of his current state of mind.

"Y- Y- Yeah! Of course!" Sato said, quickly trying to figure out just what to say when his mind settled on something, "So, we really are going on a date, right?" He asked her and with a little reluctance, Beni nodded.

"YEAH!" He shouted with jubiliance as every rower in the area turned to look at him, creating an awkward energy. Sato also realized that he must look even weirder when talking to himself. Benihime hadn't technically said anything, "Sorry everyone… I mean. Yeah." He turned to Lapras, who nodded in understanding and started to travel a bit quicker. Latias simply smiled, happy to have made someone else so happy as it were.

One of the rowers shook their head, "Kids these days…" He commented as the collective went back to doing their jobs.

~Elsewhere~

"So, we're getting the pieces together. Koro, do you think you can take on Ash Ketchum?" asked a mysterious figure bathed in shadows.

A tense atmosphere was born in this room. Koro, sat in the chair opposite of the man speaking. He seemed nervous, indicated by the sweat dripping off his brow. Having only just arrived after his run in with Sato. The man seemed off.

"He was tough, but manageable. I kept having my Pokemon charge him like an idiot. I could have won had Electivire kept his distance…" Koro trailed off, looking away from the man.

"You know, Koro…" The man slammed his desk with a fist causing Koro to flinch, "As your employer, I had hoped you'd managed to pull off something a bit more than that." He said with a gravelly growl.

"We don't have a lot of time to mess around." He shook his head, turning in his chair to face the window before continuing, "Ash doesn't have any defenses right now. My old mentor would like her revenge delivered soon for the end she was dealt. I can feel her righteous fury." He said with deadly seriousness.

Koro looked down, but the other man continued, "I also came here for another reason. Have you ever heard of the power of the DMA?" He asked Koro, but didn't get any answer out of him, "That's a fair response. Not many would have heard of it. Five years ago, it was used here. Many people were locked in their homes by the device." He picked up a remote, clicking it which caused a screen to pop on to the left.

"What I do know of this event, Koro…" He clicked another button, several low resolution pictures of strange architectural designs that were nowhere to be seen on the homes as of now, "Is that the machine's powers are something out of a story book. These patterns just appeared overnight to keep others locked down. Just astounding." He clicked once more and a video player popped up.

"Then we have 240p video evidence of two legendaries flying toward a disaster of some sorts." He said, the screen enhanced to make a barely legible looking two blobs of red and blue respectively, "This was the best video that a PokeNav could get at the time. So, it's understandable that it's all I have to hang on."

Koro seemed to have gotten himself under control by this point, "Are you kidding me? You hired me for conspiracy theories about a Johto town in the middle of the ocean? Come on…" He trailed off as the man shook his head.

"No, I hired you to help me deal with Ash. Your career has been tanking, but your battling skill is on a different level." Koro felt insulted, but hung his head low choosing to let it be, "I believe that when the moment strikes. You'll-" The last part of that sentence was cut off from Koro's mind. He'd almost been in a trance since then.

That meeting was the first time Koro had met the guy and that happened four days ago. He still didn't know what the man looked like nor did he have any insurance to believe that his own ass would be covered. As he walked up the street, he also had a sinking feeling that he couldn't come up on his end of the bargain. What would happen then?

Luckily, he'd gotten back to where the tournament was being held on time. As he walked up, he saw the person he least expected to be there, 'ASH?!' He saw a target. A man he respected at the same time. Sure, he'd been full of bravado during their battle, but he was a fan of this guy. As he walked past, he heard a few words being exchanged between Ash and the receptionist.

"Yes, we have a spot that hasn't been taken up and Brock told me to explicitly give it to a Mr. Ash Ketchum." She said as Ash nodded eagerly.

"Then I'll do my best." Ash stated as she passed the forms to him.

Koro's eyes widened, 'He got in? All the entries were taken at this point! How?!' His thoughts raged as the idea of having to fight Ash was growing much closer than he could have predicted. He didn't want to do that. Dammit! The mountain known as Ash Ketchum joining this competition would be daunting on its own. They also had so many high tiered competitors in this event that it wasn't guaranteed he'd make it through them.

"Hey Koro!" Ash said, breaking him from the haze in his mind.

Koro wasn't sure what to say, so he blurted out the first thing that came to mind, "What do you want?!" He exclaimed as Ash backed up slightly.

"Just wanted to see if you were doing alright. I've watched a lot of your matches whenever I had down time." Ash said, explicitly trying to see if he could get the walls to break. He could see a deep bit of conflicting thoughts hanging onto Koro's psyche, "You've always been pretty impressive." Ash said, driving the point home.

Koro opened his mouth to retort, but stopped midway. Weighing his options. Ash had watched his matches? Nah, there's no way. Pushing the other thoughts out of his head, Koro intended to go down a direct route to push the other trainer further away from him.

"Tch! Sure you did… Name at least two of them." Koro smirked, he already knew which two Ash would bring up. His two most famous blunders which were on compilations on multiple different sites. They never chronicled the victories of certain trainers unless they were famous. He knew for sure that Ash would be like the rest of them.

Ash smiled, "I was looking around older forums for some of your biggest achievements. You know, ones that usually go under the radar." Ash said, making Koro wonder just how much Ash knew, "I know that during your start, you were living in the orange islands and made a name for yourself by doing that league first. A lot of the official tallies only come up once you get a real league." He finished as Koro was about to get angry only for Ash to grin, "But you were amazing in there. That finale with Drake really put a showcase of skill. I should know, I was the first to beat him and I was still a novice then." Koro stopped himself.

'That's not anything anyone's ever brought to my attention before. What's he playing at?' Koro's thoughts were scrambled at the idea of anyone actually bringing a time where he'd done so well.

"So, you only got one example? That's not impressive." Koro said impatiently to Ash.

Ash smirked, "Alright. I'll tell you the next one…" He trailed off as Koro was all ears right as Ash continued, "If you beat at least two of my Pokemon in a battle here. Make sure you get to me, okay?" Koro was caught off guard by that. Him beat Ash? At least two of his Pokemon? This was a test, right? Surely an impossible one, but it slightly intrigued him nonetheless.

Ash turned and walked away, lifting his right hand to wave, "I'll see you around, Koro." Ash said, leaving the stunned man to stand there wondering what just happened.

~Bianca and Latias~

"-And that is why I'm a little anxious." Bianca said as Latias turned her own head to the side.

'Why would you be anxious about that? Don't you like him too?" Latias asked her sister who nodded.

"Yeah. I just can't be too obvious about that." Bianca said as Latias arched an eye.

'Really? You had sex with him not two days ago and you're saying that it can't be too obvious.' She said as Bianca blushed.

"Well, something was up. I was feeling all… Warm." She finished while Latias nodded in understanding.

'That was his aura. I remember feeling the same way the first day. Of course… I had been pent up, so…' Latias seemed to shrug it off, 'It felt good. Still feels good. No regrets.' She blushed thinking about the past few days.

Bianca sighed, looking at the rushing ocean waves as they plowed the shoreline, "Yeah, I guess Pokemon must have quite a libido." Latias giggled.

'Well, that is true. Have you ever met Ditto?' Latias questioned her sister who stuck her tongue out.

"Gross. Bleh! Really Sis?!" Bianca exclaimed to her mischievous draconic sister.

"I'm just saying that I've heard from lots of different Pokemon about Ditto… It sounded like some kind of wet dream in reality.' Latias returned while Bianca shoved the metaphorical thought to the side.

"Okay! Can we speak about something else?" Bianca asked as Latias shied away, "Latias?" She asked quietly as the usually talkative dragon tried to push her back.

'I know what you want to talk about… It's not about earlier is it?' Latias asked curiously.

Bianca shook her head, "No. More along the lines of what your plans are actually." She finished as Latias's eyes widened.

'Is it fair to not want to bring that up?' Latias asked her a little too insistently.

Frowning, Bianca fired back, "I'm just curious about what your plans are with Ash. I know he's a good guy, but are you going to travel with him?" Bianca's mind was trailing back to the note he'd left for her the morning before. How she'd held it, thinking of her potential future. What she might give herself to leave Altomare one day.

Latias was feeling deja vu, remembering how she and Ash had spoken about that the day before yesterday. As much love as she had for him. When the day came, would she leave for him? She tilted her head in wonder. Latias wasn't scared by the idea. Not like she was the day that Ash asked. It wasn't outside the realm of possibilities.

'Well, the idea isn't so far out from what I've been thinking about.' Latias admitted to her sister. Then her eyes widened and she put a hand to her mouth not unlike when someone said something they shouldn't have, 'Oh! But I don't want to leave everyone I've known here. Especially you, my little kids or Lorenzo!' She said quickly much to the amusement of her sister.

Bianca gave her a wistful smile, "I don't think I want to let you leave on your own either." She said as Latias pulled her into a tight hug. Bianca noted that her Sister was shaking.

Latias had begun to tear up, 'I- I- don't want to lose touch with anyone!' She said, beads of tears beginning to form as Bianca returned the gesture. Moving her left hand up to brush her hand through her sister's hair soothingly.

"It's fine… Just let it all out." Bianca said, holding her all the while.

Bianca sighed, "You know. I've been wanting to leave this place. I've never been anywhere but here." Her eyes lowered slightly, watching the ocean and seeing Pidgey's fly overhead, "I thought that if I went with Ash. Maybe…" Bianca wasn't sure whether to finish that sentence. Latias seemed to cling tighter to her at the thought.

'If I d- did leave… I'd love t- to have you come with…' Latias trailed off from within the mind of her Sister.

The scene was rather melancholic, a deep dark feeling that graced their stomachs. They held each other through the storm of emotions. It was tough, but even the sun can brave the deepest darkest worlds to meet them. A warmth was building, something had pushed away those deep feelings and brought the light in. Latias and Bianca both opened their eyes as the feeling spread throughout their body. Calmness had taken hold. But why?

"Hey…" They turned to see Ash. He blazed in a glory that threatened to blind them.

"I'm glad to see you both. The first round pairings are going to be up in a few hours." Ash said excitedly much to the two's sudden amusement.

Even Latias had stopped tearing up. Bianca felt a new wind blowing around her. She let go of Latias who stood up to stretch. Bianca was surprised when Ash sat down next to her. He looked into her brown eyes with his own matching iris.

"So, you're doing alright?" Ash asked her, but Latias bumped her head in.

'I am now!' She said plainly as Ash chuckled.

Bianca smiled, enjoying their company, "You've got some good timing, Ash. Thank-you…" Latias sat down eager to join Bianca and Ash.

Ash looked back and forth between them, "So, what were you both up to?" He asked nonchalantly. Latias looked to the side awkwardly while Bianca looked over the ocean.

Seeing that Latias wasn't going to say anything, Bianca decided to carry the conversation, "Just having a chat between sisters." She said, the wind making her hair blow to the side.

"Really?" Ash asked as Latias smiled.

'Yeah… It's-' But she stopped when Bianca shook her head. Latias got the message, but Ash frowned.

"So, I guess you'll both have something to say later, right? That's fine. I'm always up for new surprises. You journey as long as I have and maybe you'd both feel the same way." Ash said, hinting that perhaps he somehow had an idea of what the conversation might be. Bianca's eyes widened, but she wanted to stick to her guns for now. She wanted to gauge just what the feelings she had were. It wasn't love sick, her sis was more like that. She couldn't deny that Ash had an effect on her. Couldn't just be the aura.

Ash sighed, laying back in the sand and his head in his arms, "I kinda feel bad…" He said, staring at the clouds as they moved overhead.

Latias turned her head to the side, 'Why's that?' She asked him to which he turned to her.

"I may have taken Sato's spot in the tournament…" Ash trailed off as Bianca frowned.

"You mean that nice boy I spoke to earlier? Oh…" She grimaced thinking of how Ash had probably crushed his spirit, "You're going to have to apologize to him!" She said, flicking his nose lightly.

Ash grunted in pain, "Yeah. I got the message." He said, raising his hands to his nose while Latias giggled.

"What are we going to do with you?" Bianca asked as Ash chuckled.

"I can think of a few things… But… I think Latias is starting to really get into my head." Ash said as Latias smirked.

'Heh… Guess I have been a little overbearing. I'll make up for that at some point.' Latias practically sang into his head, leaning back into the sand as well. Bianca couldn't get past the two of them and joined them. The sun was drifting over the horizon and it was already one o'clock by this point.

Rushing to the door of the makeshift building was a heavily breathing Sato. Just behind him was Benihime who looked not nearly as worse for wear.

"Hahah… I got here!" Sato looked at the time and his heart sank to the floor. He slumped against the wall and slid down it. Benihime looked concerned at the boy.

'Are you okay?' She asked while watching him shake his head.

"Not really… I'm late for the final sign ups." Sato said, looking up to see the counter lady approaching the two.

"You must be, Sato. I'm sorry to say this, but another contestant managed to get here on time and you've been pushed out of the brackets." She said, watching the crestfallen boy sink further down.

Benihime frowned, a bit saddened by this. Sato had been so excited for this event. At least the little bit she heard about the thing.

'Could you ask her who got the spot?' Benihime asked him to which his eyes widened.

"Oh yeah! Who did get the spot?" He asked as the attendant pulled out the sign up sheet which looked like a typical notebook.

She looked over it flitting through the pages until stopping on the last one, "Yes, it was a Mr. Ash Ketchum." She flipped the book over and passed it to Sato. There it was, plain as day. Frowning, Sato gulped. He couldn't be mad at his idol. But he really wanted to impress Ash.

Sato shakily passed the book back. Looking even more down than the moment before, "Yes, I see…" He finished as Benihime watched with wide eyes.

The woman nodded, taking it back into her hands, "I apologize for any inconvenience." She bowed and left the trainer to stew in his own emotions. One step forward, but two steps back. He turned to Benihime and walked past her. What she saw was the tears budding in his eyes.

This wasn't fun. This wasn't remotely humorous to the legend. Latias scanned the area and then did the most unexpected thing. Grabbing Sato's hand and running out the door with him. Much to his own surprise, Sato complied, being taken wherever she happened to be going.

'I'm going to cheer him up!' She thought not even bothering to look at other people.

Benihime's look to Sato was a determined one. She looked stunning as they plowed through the beach side. Sato forgot that he was supposed to be crying and took in the looks from the people they passed by. They all smiled and waved at the pair. Maybe it was all going to be fine.

In the temporary tournament hall that was definitely kind of poorly made were a small group of people. Two of which had been friends for the long haul and one of which just happened to be that old friend's lover. Brock and Lucy were all touchy feely. It made Misty feel a bit out of place being near the two. She couldn't believe that Brock had managed to find happiness like this. Misty was actually quite happy for him regardless. Though, it made things painfully more obvious for herself.

'When will I find a person that will love me?' She asked herself, but that answer was still far off. Misty's feelings were there for a certain man she'd been around for a while, but she'd missed that opportunity to continue traveling with him. Ash was her conundrum, but even he seemed to have found someone to love in this amount of time. Brock finally broke the ice as it were.

"Hey Misty. You seem a bit off. Is something troubling you?" She looked up, seeing Lucy and Brock both looking a bit concerned.

Misty laughed it off, flitting her hand, "It's nothing. I'm just… I guess I'm not sure what to say. Everything that's happening here appears to be… Natural?" She was a bit more insecure than she'd felt in a while. Had she really missed this much?

Brock turned his head to the side, but Lucy entered the fray herself, "Are you having some kind of trouble? Maybe love troubles?" She asked the redhead who nodded slowly.

Brock perked up hearing that, "I think I might have an idea about who. You know, Black hair and brown eyes?" Misty looked a bit annoyed at this teasing as Brock got the message to stop beating around the bush, "Ash?" He questioned her as Misty huffed and shifted away.

"Yeah…" She trailed off as Lucy seemed a bit surprised.

"You mean him? I can feel that perhaps the two with green dresses have an affinity for him too." Lucy said as Brock chuckled.

He looked up, not that anyone could tell, "Yeah. That's Ash for you. He literally makes it look easy. I mean, I always had trouble before I met you. Now I can't imagine anything else." He smoothly talked to Lucy who leaned into him again.

"Well, what do I do? Just stay out of the way?" Misty asked him which made Brock cross his arms.

He frowned, "Honestly, that just seems like a bad idea. You could just tell him how you feel." Brock said honestly, but Misty sighed.

"That sounds so easy, but he's thickheaded. Ash wouldn't ever see me." Misty argued, taking a pointed look away as Brock scratched his chin before snapping his fist into his left hand.

"Well, it's been at least five years and I'd think he's probably matured a bit. What if you're underestimating him?" Brock asked the tomboyish mermaid who turned her head.

'That could be true… What if he's not blind to me? Is he waiting for me? Just to say something?' Misty still felt a bit unsure as Lucy spoke up again.

"You know, fortune favors the bold and if you didn't ask… You'd never know." Lucy said as Misty's eyes widened. Her bag opened up at that moment and Togetic popped out.

"Toge Toge!" He said excitedly, making Misty giggle a little.

Brock smirked, "I think we could help you out, Misty. Perhaps Lucy and I will try to get Bianca and Latias to hang with us for a bit? Then you two could speak unabated." Brock finished as Lucy nodded eagerly.

"Shouldn't be too difficult." Lucy added with confidence.

Misty didn't know what to say, "Well…" Lucy narrowed her eyes.

She stood up, walked over to Misty, "Don't tell me you're going to run away from this." Lucy said, crossing her arms as Misty shook her head quickly.

"I-" But Lucy grasped Misty's hands firmly in her own.

"Love is not something to be hesitant about. You need to be direct. I was shy before and was lucky that Brock just happened to be around." She turned back seeing Brock do his best to wink in her direction. At least she thought he was. Lucy blushed knowing that Misty could end up having the same kind of relationship. Possibly.

Misty felt more emblazoned than ever as Lucy held her hands. The energy to do anything seemed to pulse deep inside her. For lack of better words, she felt true determination and grit. Misty even looked different as she stood up to meet Lucy. Brock watched in awe and a slight twinge of fear.

'Being the wingman for once is probably going to get me hurt.' He also looked away from the display of power to see that the sign ups had concluded. He saw Ash's name and smiled, 'Glad I told her ahead of time. Still, I feel bad for that Sato kid.' He shook his head, putting the paper away.

'No time to dwell on that though. I've got a friend who just needs a good nudge.' Brock nodded to Misty, "So, are you ready to give this a shot?" He asked as Misty nodded and Lucy smiled warmly.

Just outside about two miles away, a wave crashed on the shore of a small crescent on the north western side of Altomare. This spot had wild Pokemon roaming far and wide, but not many people came out here. It was for this reason that two certain legends made it a play spot. A secret hideaway just for them. They even occasionally trained up the wild Pokemon to make them more fierce than usual.

It was beneficial to both sides, but in this case. Benihime and Sato found themselves in this sparkling, beautiful spot. Sato looked around in astonishment completely overlooking his sadness from earlier. Smiling, he turned to Benihime.

Sato couldn't help himself, "What is this place? I don't think I've ever seen it advertised…" He saw her grin and trudge forward.

'Yeah, my brother and I found this place a long while back. It's one of my most cherished memories growing up.' She said, the images playing in her mind as the waves danced toward the shore. Latias and Latios had practically made this a fort of sorts. Mama would always come get them before it got too late.

"You've got a brother? Will I meet him at some point?" He asked as Benihime seemed to look unsure.

'There's always a chance you might. Though, he might not take kindly to you.' She returned as Sato chuckled nervously.

"He's overprotective then… I guess I'll do my best to impress him." He said with a renewed vigor.

Her gaze softened at that, turning to see a small rock formation that had jutted just above the water. Benihime smiled, walking up the formation and moving toward the very top of it. Due to erosion, it seemed to be perfectly chiseled out to be flat rather than pointed. Sato saw as she sat down on the edge and motioned to him.

'Come on up! You'll like it.' Benihime patted the spot next to her. Sato blushed a bit, but decided to go with the flow and do as she said. He walked up the slope and joined her, sitting just as another wave slapped up against the rock. Sato had expected for the rock to be hot or warm at the very least, but it was cool. He turned to see Benihime's eyes glowing blue for just a millisecond. It caught him off guard, but he calmed down quickly enough.

'Never really seen too many psychics before. I mean, some trainers claim to be in sync with their Pokemon… Maybe it's the same thing.' He thought to himself, but Benihime answered him. Sato should have expected that.

'It's not hard to believe that humans might develop those kinds of abilities. I've had them all my life.' She wasn't technically lying about anything. Latias had a human form and could use psychic abilities. That was fair game.

A larger wave cascaded toward the duo that blasted up the rock, soaking them both in ocean water. Benihime shrieked, laughing as Sato couldn't help but join her, laughing as he enjoyed her company. Looking down, they noticed an Octillery was stuck to the side of the rocks below and it seemed to notice them as well. It quickly grew bewildered at the sight of them, shuffling toward them with vigor and an angered look.

Sato grimaced and quickly grabbed his poke ball off his clip, throwing it, "Let's go, Scyther!" Scyther erupted from the ball, lifting off toward the Octillery who shot an Octazooka that slammed into the top of the rock. The resulting shaking threw Benihime off balance, but her hand was grasped tightly by Sato who pulled her onto her feet. He made sure she was closer to him before letting go.

Sato smiled at her before turning back to see Scyther going for a Slash attack. Octillery folded its head in causing the afterimage of the powerful slash to cut an incoming wave clean in half. Scyther, not being able to stop, was careening ever forward and hit in the back with a freezing Aurora Beam from the aggressor much to Sato's surprise. With his wings frozen, Scyther hit the water with a large splash.

"Scyther!" He yelled in worry as Benihime struck back this time with a Psychic attack. Octillery had fired three Octazookas in succession, but they stopped midair. The force reverberating in them seemed to create a whistling noise, but the trajectory of the shots were in reverse. Octillery was shocked as they exploded in his face all at once.

With the distraction made, Sato leapt from the rock into the water to go get Scyther who was still floating but just barely. Making wide strokes, Sato cleared the water. Benihime watched just enough to make sure that Sato was firmly focused on saving Scyther. She then walked to the edge of the rock, Psychic aura at full blast. Hair levitating in the air as Octillery felt a crushing sensation. Then he was slammed into the rock, crumbling bits of it broke off from the harsh attack.

Making it to Scyther, Sato grabbed him. Doing his best to avoid the razors that were just precariously close to his left arm and proceeded to valiantly get back to shore. What he saw astonished him as his feet found purchase on the sand below and he saw Benihime sitting on the edge of the rock. Octillery was completely out of the battle by this point. Scyther turned to him weakly uttering, "Scy…" But Sato smiled at him.

"It's alright, you did your best. I'm proud to have you on my team." Sato didn't want to admit his own faults. Perhaps if he were a better trainer, Scyther could have done what he needed to do. However, his Pokemon looked relieved. Needless to say, Sato would use a Full Heal and then send him back to the Poke Ball for a little rest. He couldn't blame Scyther, he'd only just caught him a few weeks before coming here too.

He smiled wearily before looking over to see Benihime approaching him. Her eyes glowed blue and Sato saw a ball being levitated from his bag.

'Shouldn't you catch him?' She asked him, raising her left eye in curiosity.

Sato took a second to think about that before shifting over to see the fainted Pokemon, "I can… But I already have a water type." He said, but the temptation was still there. He sighed, grabbing the ball out of the air and looking at Benihime.

"I'll go ahead and do that then since you seem curious." He walked through the sand, ending up back in the water vaguely aware of just how soaked he was already and eventually stood over the octopus Pokemon. He smiled before dropping his hand and clicking the ball to the top of Octillery's head. A flash of red light engulfed the Pokemon before the ball accepted him inside. It shook in Sato's hand, but three stars would pop declaring a successful capture.

"And that's how we do it!" He exclaimed as Benihime clapped for him from the shore.

Once everything had settled down, the two ended up back where they started. With their legs hanging over the edge of the rock, the two talked excitedly about the events of this day. As the hour would pass, several more Pokemon would watch them from the brush at the edge of the clearing.

'You know, I'm glad to share this with you.' She said as for the first time, Benihime heard his mind's eye.

'Thanks… I really needed this…' Sato thought directly to her.

Progress? Benihime smirked, 'About time you started using your head.' She said, making Sato chuckle a bit.

'Yeah… Heh… It's cool to be able to speak without actually making a sound!" Sato said and thought at the same time.

'Apparently difficult to keep your thoughts and words separate, huh?' She asked him to which Sato blushed in embarrassment.

He spoke up, "Well, a little…" She giggled at his expense and it was definitely infectious so much so that he joined in. Their voices melded together as the waves crashed against the two hadn't realized it, but they were now sitting closer than earlier. Their hands touched and they would both blush intensely. They didn't immediately separate, but rather decided to enjoy this closeness.

However, unbeknownst to them. A little glare coming from the bushes had caught all of this on camera.

~End of Chapter~

Legacy of Time: If you enjoyed, please leave a review! Because Fanfiction is broken, I'd love to see your awesome thoughts on this story thus far. Also, if you're wondering where Bayleef is, she's in a PokeBall. That's all. :D See you all later and enjoy your thanksgiving!