AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 12 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue their journey through the Hoenn region. You may recall Kidd Summers from the eighth Pokémon movie: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew. But we don't know much about her before that. Let's say that she was with Team Rocket, but decided to help the heroes. And you may recall some of those outlaws like Sundance Kid, for instance. I decided to have Kidd's partner be Sundance, just to be traditional. You may also recall the baby Latios and Latas that hatched from eggs on Tristan and Hillary's visit to Alto Mare in the Johto region. So let's imagine that they've grown up and gotten much stronger. Plus, Mr. Briney from the games and anime makes an appearance in this chapter. I hope you enjoy, and please read and review responsibly at your leisure.
TEASER: Mr. Briney escorts Tristan and Hillary on their journey to Dewford Island, but they must protect a boy and a girl from two Team Rocket agents, Sundance and Kidd. Little does everyone know that the boy and girl aren't who they appear to be.
Chapter 12: THE JOURNEY TO DEWFORD ISLAND
(Music Cue: Lilycove City (full version))
As our heroes prepare to leave for Dewford Island for Tristan's second Hoenn region Gym Battle, they prepare to say their goodbyes to their cousins as well while they're waiting for Mr. Briney to come and pick them up.
"It's too bad you never had the chance to battle Roxanne yesterday, Wayne," said Tristan the next morning.
"Yeah, but I figured the crisis at Devon was more important, so why not?" replied Wayne. "Do me a favor and keep on working to reach the Hoenn League, all right? I don't want you going easy on me when we battle each other."
"It's a deal, Wayne," said Tristan as he and Wayne shook hands.
"I'm sure our paths will cross again somewhere," Hillary assured them.
Togepi trilled in agreement.
"Hillary, I must admit, it was a blast seeing you and Tristan again," smiled Lisa. "You two keep surprising me with new things."
"Yeah, and Pikachu's Iron Tail was powerful right from the start," put in Marc. "Wayne's gonna have his hands full at the Hoenn League."
"Oh yeah? I'll show you full!" Wayne felt insulted, and was just about to start a fight with Marc when Hillary pointed out.
"Look! Here comes a boat!"
Everyone looked out, and sure enough, there was a boat looking like a seagull arriving at Rustboro City's harbor.
"That must be Mr. Briney's boat!" said Tristan excitedly. "Which means..."
The boat docked at the harbor, and an elderly bald gentleman with a white beard and mustache stepped off. He had a Pokémon on his shoulder. "Ah, greetings, my young friends. I assume two of you must be Tristan and Hillary, correct?"
"Yes, sir, we are," answered Tristan and Hillary.
"And your name must be Mr. Briney, right?" added Hillary.
"That is right, my young friend," answered Mr. Briney. "The Devon Corporation president asked me himself if I was available to take you to Dewford Island today, and since I was on my way back from Slateport City anyway, I figured I couldn't say no. Besides, what's a retirement without time to sail, right? All aboard the S.S. Wingull!"
Tristan, Hillary, Pikachu, and Togepi were amazed with the name and eagerly got on board.
Mr. Briney started up the engine, and the boat started to depart.
"Bye, Wayne! Bye, Lisa! Bye, Marc!" called Tristan.
"Be safe on your journey!" added Hillary.
"We will!" replied Wayne. "Keep working hard, Tristan, okay?"
"I will!" said Tristan.
"Good luck in your contests, Hillary!" called Lisa.
"Thank you!" replied Hillary.
Pikachu and Togepi waved their goodbyes until the S.S. Wingull sailed out of sight.
(Music Cue: Surf B 1997-1998 (full version))
Everyone was enjoying the nice sea air as they sailed on to their destination.
"This is lovely, isn't it, Hillary?" said Tristan. "We get to see blue skies and blue sea as far as the eye can see."
"I agree," replied Hillary. "As long as nothing distracts us from getting to Dewford Island, what could possibly go wrong?"
"Ah, yes," put in Mr. Briney. "Such great words to live by, for as long as the sea is calm and happy, I'm calm and happy, too."
His Pokémon that was perched on his shoulder agreed.
Tristan then noticed the Pokémon on Mr. Briney's shoulder. "I think I know that Pokémon!"
"You do?" Hillary was surprised.
Tristan quickly scanned the Pokémon in his Pokédex.
"Wingull, the Seagull Pokémon. Wingull will fly through the sky as though surfing waves. It normally carries food and other valuable items, then hides them here and there."
The Wingull on Mr. Briney's shoulder seemed to be pleased with the information about it.
"So that's a Wingull," said Tristan. "That must've been the Pokémon I met when I was arriving in the Hoenn region."
"Ah, so you must've had an encounter with the Wingull before you set foot here," smiled Mr. Briney. "This is my good friend, Peeko."
Peeko gave a friendly greeting.
"Hello, Peeko, it's nice to meet you," said Hillary as she extended her hand out.
But Peeko turned away and hid its eyes in Mr. Briney's shirt sleeve.
"Oh, don't worry, Peeko's just a little bit shy," explained Mr. Briney. "My good friend, May, managed to befriend Peeko after feeding it some Pokémon food. Maybe you'd like to try feeding Peeko too."
"Okay. Hey, Tristan, may I borrow some of the Pokémon food in your backpack?"
"Sure thing," answered Tristan as he dug out some homemade Pokémon food and handed it to Hillary. "This should be a good start."
"Thanks, Tristan," said Hillary. "Here, Peeko, wanna try some of this?"
Peeko slowly turned around and looked at the Pokémon food. Then it flew into Hillary's hand and took a bite. It was instantly pleased.
This made Hillary smile.
Mr. Briney smiled, too. "Well, it looks like you made another new friend, Peeko."
Peeko gave a happy reply.
Suddenly, six dark blue fins appeared above the water's surface and surrounded the S.S. Wingull on all sides.
Pikachu pricked its ears up and alerted Tristan.
"What's up, Pikachu?" asked Tristan nervously.
Pikachu pointed out toward the water.
(Music Cue: The Fight! (as heard in "Pokémon Heroes Latios and Latias"))
An instant later, there was a tremendous splash, and six torpedo-shaped shark Pokémon made their appearance, swimming in circles as they went. They were mostly dark blue with white underbellies and had large fangs and red glowing eyes.
"Leaping Lotads!" cried Hillary. "What are they?"
"Sharpedo!" exclaimed Mr. Briney. "Where did they come from?!"
"We'd better check them out," Tristan said as he quickly scanned the Pokémon with his Pokédex.
"Sharpedo, the Brutal Pokémon. Sharpedo can shoot out a jet of water, allowing it to swim at 80 miles per hour. Due to their sharp fangs, they're highly feared and known as 'The Gangs of the Sea.'"
"'The Gangs of the Sea' sounds like a good name for them," remarked Tristan nervously.
"I've never had to swim through Sharpedo-infested waters before!" shivered Hillary. "They could be upset because we're in their territory."
"I remember going through this recently with Ash and his friends," put in Mr. Briney. "But something's amiss here. These Sharpedo aren't wild Pokémon, and they wouldn't be attacking us for no reason. So why did they come here of all places?"
It was then that a submarine emerged from the surface, and two mysterious figures emerged from it. One of them was a man with short brown hair while the other was a slender woman with long dark brown hair. They were both wearing uniforms with letter 'R's' on them.
"We'll be taking that Latios and Latias now," smirked the man.
"Who are you?!" demanded Tristan. "Hey, wait, you're Team Rocket!"
"That's right. The name is Sundance," replied the man. "And this is my partner, Kidd."
"We don't know anything about Latios or Latias, so why don't you just get lost?" retorted Hillary.
"You can spare us your lies," snorted Sundance. "Sharpedo, Headbutt!"
The six Sharpedo charged in and rammed the S.S. Wingull, rocking the boat and knocking everyone off their feet.
"We need to create a diversion so we can get outta here!" said Mr. Briney urgently.
"I can handle that," replied Tristan. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on the Sharpedo."
Pikachu leaped off of Tristan's shoulder and unleashed a powerful yellow bolt of electricity at the Sharpedo, scoring direct hits on them.
"Now's our chance!" said Hillary.
"Hold on tight!" agreed Mr. Briney as he revved up his engine, rowing away from the Sharpedo.
But no matter which way they turned, one Sharpedo was always blocking their path of escape.
"Another one? These things are everywhere!" exclaimed Tristan.
"You won't be getting away that easily," said Sundance. He angrily turned to his partner. "Don't just stand there, Kidd, do something!"
Kidd was hesitant to help Sundance in the attack. "Uh, right," she replied. She reluctantly tossed two Poké Balls.
A pair of mustelid Pokémon emerged from the white lights that shot out of them. They had pink tail feathers and a pink feather on their heads. They leaped onto the boat and surrounded Tristan and Hillary.
"Now what are those things?!" exclaimed Hillary.
"Look out, those are Sneasel!" replied Tristan as he scanned them with his Pokédex.
"Sneasel, the Sharp Claw Pokémon. Sneasel's paws conceal sharp claws, which can be extended and retracted instantly while attacking its enemies."
"We have to get them off the boat. Treecko, I choose you!" shouted Tristan as he threw his Poké Ball.
Treecko emerged from the white light that shot out of it and awaited Tristan's directions.
"Treecko, use Quick Attack on those Sneasel!" ordered Tristan.
Treecko sped toward the Sneasel as a white line streaked behind it. It scored direct hits on the Sneasel, who didn't seem interested in fighting back at all.
The Sneasel landed in the water, pretending to be defeated, though Tristan and Hillary didn't know this yet.
"Aargh!" growled Sundance. "Don't just float there, Sharpedo, get those kids!"
The six Sharpedo charged in and proceeded to attack again.
"Pikachu, give 'em another Thunderbolt attack," instructed Tristan.
Pikachu leaped into the air and unleashed another yellow bolt of electricity, scoring another direct hit on the Sharpedo.
This time, however, the Sharpedo were down for the count.
"All right, let's go," advised Tristan.
Wasting no time, Mr. Briney started up his boat, leaving the defeated Sneasel and Sharpedo behind.
(Music end)
Sundance was most annoyed, but Kidd seemed concerned.
"How could you let them get away?!" fumed Sundance. "You're as useless to me as a pool of tiny Magikarp!"
Kidd said nothing.
A few minutes later, as the sun began to set, Tristan, Hillary, Pikachu, Togepi, and Mr. Briney saw a deserted island in the distance.
"There's an island we can stop and rest for the night," said Mr. Briney. "It'll be too dark for us to see."
"You're right," agreed Hillary.
Tristan clenched his fists. He was looking forward to getting to Dewford Island. "You can always count on Team Rocket to mess things up as usual." Suddenly, Tristan's Silver Wing began to flash. He held it in his hands. "That's weird. My Silver Wing seems to be reacting to something."
(Music Cue: Imminent Danger (as heard in "Unfair Weather Friends"))
"Really?" Hillary was surprised. "Then that means that there's a Legendary Pokémon somewhere nearby. Full speed ahead, Mr. Briney!"
"Aye, aye!" replied Mr. Briney. "We shall set a course for that island." And he increased the speed of the S.S. Wingull.
Presently, Pikachu pointed to something out on the island and alerted Tristan and Hillary.
"What's up, Pikachu?" wondered Tristan.
Hillary saw what Pikachu saw and gasped in surprise. "Guys! Look over there!"
Sure enough, a boy and a girl had washed up on the beach unconscious.
"We've gotta stop and help them," said Tristan with urgency.
Mr. Briney nodded in agreement as the S.S. Wingull quickly sailed on toward the island.
When the ship reached shore, Tristan, Hillary, and Mr. Briney all rushed over to the boy and girl and checked their pulses.
"Looks like they're still breathing," whispered Hillary.
"I'll start making a campfire so they can get warmed up," suggested Tristan.
"Good idea," agreed Hillary as she and Mr. Briney helped carry the boy and girl away from the water's edge.
Not too long after, Tristan got a cheery campfire going and prepared to make a delicious meal. "This ought to help warm them up." He said to himself as he busily cooked a nice big bowl of stew for everyone to share.
"This sure smells good, Tristan," remarked Mr. Briney. "I've had food from my friend Brock just a few days ago. He'd be very proud of your cooking skills."
"Thanks, Mr. Briney," replied Tristan. "That means a lot, especially since Brock taught me how to cook in the first place."
"I remember sailing the seven seas and enjoying lots of gourmet meals," sighed Mr. Briney as he thought about his days as a young sailor. "I'd happily chow down on all the food I could get my utensils on."
(Music Cue: Sculptures of Latios and Latias (as heard in "Pokémon: Heroes: Latios and Latias"))
Presently, the boy and girl slowly opened their eyes.
"Look! The boy and girl are waking up!" whispered Hillary.
Tristan turned around and saw the two kids stirring and checking their surroundings. They slowly stood up and saw Tristan and Hillary and turned to smile at them. Neither said a word, but embraced them gently, trembling as they did so.
Tristan and Hillary were confused.
"Hey, do we know these kids?" wondered Tristan.
"We must if they came to hug us," replied Hillary. "But I've never seen them before."
"Everything's okay now," Tristan assured them. "Nothing's gonna hurt you."
But the boy and girl suddenly collapsed again.
"They must still be feeling weak," said Mr. Briney with concern. "Those kids must've had quite an ordeal before arriving here."
Peeko agreed worriedly.
Fortunately at that moment, the stew was ready, and Tristan carefully served everyone a nice, hot bowlful. He then gave each of them a spoon.
"This stew should warm you up in no time," said Hillary.
Pikachu and Togepi gave nods to the boy and girl, telling them to go ahead.
The boy and girl were confused about the spoons they had, but they slowly used them to taste the stew, and to everyone's delight, they enjoyed it.
Suddenly, Pikachu turned around as sparks crackled from its cheeks.
"What's up, Pikachu?" asked Tristan. Then he turned to see the woman with long dark brown hair facing them. "Back off, you! There's no way you're taking those kids away from us!"
"That's right!" added Hillary.
"Wait! Hold your hostilities," interrupted the woman. "I'm not here to attack you. I just came to help." She threw off her Team Rocket uniform and revealed that she wore a magenta and black leotard with a blue collar. "You see, I'm a famous celebrity."
Hillary gasped in surprise. "I know you! You're Kidd Summers!"
"Wait, THE Kidd Summers?!" exclaimed Tristan. "The world-famous record setter?"
Kidd shushed them. "I'm working undercover to stop Team Rocket, never realizing that some of these members came to the Hoenn region."
"I've read about you on several magazines," added Mr. Briney. "But what are you doing here?"
Quickly, Kidd made her way to the boy and girl. She saw that they had multiple wounds. "Looks like they got hurt in one of those ambushes. A good night's sleep, and they should be fine tomorrow. I just feel bad that I had to team up with Sundance and attack like that."
"Why did you?" wondered Tristan.
(Music Cue: Hope (full version))
Kidd gave a sigh. "It was the only way I could learn about Sundance and Team Rocket's method of catching Pokémon. But the only thing I don't understand is that why he was interested in that particular boy and girl in the first place. I've heard rumors that some of these people are actually Pokémon, but I've yet to confirm the rumors. My guess is that they're the Latios and Latias that Sundance is after."
"Latios and Latias?" repeated Tristan. "They sound familiar."
"Yeah, we met them in Alto Mare in the Johto region, just as they hatched from eggs!" added Hillary. "But I still don't understand what those two kids have to do with them."
Then Kidd saw Tristan's Silver Wing hanging around his neck. "Perhaps that object might give us some clues. Could I see that thing for a moment?"
"Well, I don't know if I should," said Tristan nervously.
"Don't worry, I'll give it back," Kidd assured him.
It was then that Tristan heard a mysterious voice from the Silver Wing, one that sounded familiar to him.
It's all right. Go ahead.
Tristan quickly looked around, but saw that no one else had spoken. Confused, he handed the Silver Wing over to Kidd, who carefully examined it.
"This is very rare, indeed," remarked Kidd. "I've heard rumors that these Silver Wings come from the legendary Pokémon Lugia."
"Yeah, Lugia gave this one to me as a gift," explained Tristan. "We protected each other from harm, and we've been good buddies ever since."
"But there's more," continued Kidd. "It's also been said that Silver Wings like this one have magic powers that not only protect its wearer and their friends from harm, but also help them befriend almost any legendary Pokémon he or she encounters. And they can also detect the presence of any legendary Pokémon nearby. These Silver Wings are extremely rare and very hard to come by."
"Do you think there's a legendary Pokémon nearby, Kidd?" wondered Mr. Briney. "If Tristan and Hillary say that there is one, then we have to do everything in our power to protect it from harm."
"Right," agreed Kidd. "And that's why I'm investigating the appearance of these two kids on the beach. I have a sneaking suspicion that they might not be humans at all. They might be two legendary Pokémon."
"You really think so?" said Hillary.
Kidd handed the Silver Wing back to Tristan just as she promised. "Whatever you do, Tristan, please keep the Silver Wing with you at all times. It's powerless in the wrong hands, but when separated, its light can guide the owner right back to it under any circumstances. So promise me that you won't lose it."
Tristan promised.
Night fell sometime later, and everyone but Tristan had fallen fast asleep.
Tristan worked hard through the night to treat the boy and girl's injuries, switching their bandages every so often.
Hillary, who had been asleep slowly opened her eyes and saw Tristan hard at work. She slowly and quietly walked over. "How are the kids?" she whispered.
"I think they'll be okay," answered Tristan. "I still don't understand why they were so happy to see us."
The boy and the girl slowly opened their eyes and walked over. Then they began to glow in a bright light, which woke Mr. Briney and Kidd from a sound sleep.
Tristan and Hillary were instantly surprised at what they saw, for when the light stopped, the boy and girl had transformed into Pokémon with birdlike bodies taking after planes. The boy's body was mostly blue with a red triangle on its chest while the girl's was mostly red with a blue triangle on its chest.
"No way!" gasped Tristan and Hillary together.
Pikachu and Togepi were just as surprised.
"It is Latios and Latias!" whispered Tristan.
Sure enough, the two Pokémon nodded. But then they collapsed again, wincing in pain.
"They must still be injured," said Hillary worriedly.
Quickly, Tristan applied some medicine to their wounds and gently stroked them. "You're both gonna be just fine."
Pikachu agreed reassuringly.
Kidd and Mr. Briney quickly rushed over and were shocked to see Latios and Latias next to Tristan and Hillary.
"Are these...the legendary Pokémon that Team Rocket had been talking about?" asked Mr. Briney.
Kidd paused and whispered, "I knew it."
"So this must be the Latios and Latias that had fled here after getting attacked by Team Rocket," said Mr. Briney late that night.
"I'm afraid so," replied Kidd. "And Sundance will stop at nothing to capture them. And knowing him, he'll be back really soon."
"You know, Tristan," said Hillary, "something tells me we've seen this Latios and Latias before."
"We have? But how?"
"Well, remember when we paid a visit to Alto Mare a little while back?"
Tristan and Hillary thought back to the time when they took care of the two eggs in Alto Mare, and they had hatched into Latios and Latias, who loved their mother, but had also instantly taken a liking to them.
"Oh yeah! I remember now!" said Tristan. "It's obvious they've grown up. No wonder I didn't recognize them at first."
"But right now, we've gotta get to sleep," reminded Kidd. "We'll all need our rest if we want to take Sundance down tomorrow."
Everyone nodded as everyone headed back to their sleeping bags.
Tristan wanted to be close by just in case, so he and Pikachu got into theirs and fell asleep next to Latios and Latias.
Everyone slept soundly through the night until happy shrilling could be heard the next morning.
Tristan and Hillary woke up and saw Latios and Latias flying high, admiring the sunrise.
"Latios and Latias are feeling better," smiled Hillary.
"Yeah," agreed Tristan.
Mr. Briney and Kidd walked over.
"It was because of your efforts," said Kidd. "They wouldn't be back to full strength if it hadn't been for you."
Mr. Briney nodded in agreement.
They all came to the water's edge to admire the two Pokémon and the gorgeous sunrise when suddenly, a tremendous wave of water came up, revealing the group of Sharpedo that had ambushed them before.
(Music Cue: Ash Attacked! (as heard in "Pokémon: Heroes: Latios and Latias"))
"The Sharpedo again!" exclaimed Hillary.
"That could mean only one thing," added Mr. Briney.
It was then that they heard someone laughing profusely as a submarine surfaced right in front of them.
It was Sundance, the person that had attacked Tristan, Hillary, and Mr. Briney before.
"Sundance," grunted Kidd.
"Ah, Kidd," smiled Sundance. "I knew you'd betray me all along. Now hand Latios and Latias over to me or else."
"No!" replied Kidd defiantly. "Tristan and Hillary worked so hard to treat their injuries, and you won't take them."
"Well, if you feel that way, then I'm afraid those little kiddies over there will pay the price. Sharpedo!"
Tristan, Hillary, Pikachu, and Togepi gasped as the Sharpedo surrounded them on all sides.
"Tristan and Hillary are in trouble!" exclaimed Mr. Briney.
"Get them!" ordered Sundance.
The Sharpedo furiously charged toward Tristan and Hillary, who braced themselves for the inevitable and shut their eyes.
A cloud of dust, sand, and water formed where Tristan and Hillary were, but everyone was surprised to see two familiar silhouettes swoop in and rise up high and fast into the air.
"Rats! I missed!" grunted Sundance.
(Music Cue: Going to Latios! (full version))
Tristan and Hillary opened their eyes and saw that they were riding on Latios while Pikachu and Togepi rode on Latias.
"Wow, thanks a lot, Latios!" said Hillary.
"Yeah, you too, Latias!" added Tristan.
Pikachu and Togepi thanked the two Eon Pokémon as well.
Latios and Latias smiled as they continued flying high and fast.
"I've got an idea," said Tristan. "Hey, guys, do you think you can carry us in that direction?"
Latios and Latias gave hard nods.
"What do you have in mind, Tristan?" wondered Hillary.
"Just wait and see," replied Tristan as he gave a wink. "All right, guys, let's go!"
Latios and Latios shrilled excitedly and started flying off into the distance at remarkable speed.
"Don't just float there, you nimrods, go after them!" barked Sundance as he hurried back into his submarine.
The Sharpedo heard the order and swam after Latios and Latias.
"Mr. Briney, let's hurry and follow them," advised Kidd.
"Good idea," agreed Mr. Briney as he and Kidd hurried back onto the S.S. Wingull and sailed after them.
Latios and Latias were flying as fast as they could go with Tristan, Hillary, and their Pokémon holding on as tightly as they could.
Presently, Pikachu pointed out and alerted them.
"Look, isn't that...?" asked Hillary.
"Yep, that has to be Dewford Island," replied Tristan.
"I get it," said Hillary excitedly. "You're wanting to get Officer Jenny's attention so she can arrest Sundance, right?"
"You got it," smiled Tristan.
It didn't look like they had to wait long, for just then, a group of familiar and nasty fins emerged from the surface behind them and jumped upward.
"Here come the Sharpedo!" shouted Hillary.
"All right then, time for emergency measures!" replied Tristan.
Latios and Latias, knowing what Tristan was thinking, climbed higher and faster to avoid the Sharpedo's fangs, but then turned around and went into a nearly vertical dive.
"Whoa! We're gonna hit the water hard!" cried Hillary as she, Tristan, and their Pokémon hung on for dear life.
Mr. Briney and Kidd saw what was going on a short distance away.
"Look out! They're gonna crash!" exclaimed Kidd.
But at the last second, they flew upside down, turned around, and flew right side up again.
"Boy, that was a close one!" sighed Hillary. "You sure know how to take things to the extreme. Look out! Here they come again!"
Sure enough, the Sharpedo launched themselves into another attack and headed straight for Latios and Latias.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt 'em now!" ordered Tristan.
Pikachu leaped off of Latias and unleashed a powerful yellow bolt of electricity at the oncoming Sharpedo, easily defeating them in one jolt.
The Sharpedo lay defeated in a heap on the water's surface.
Sundance was most annoyed. "Aaaaargh!" he fumed. "All right then, then I'll just capture you all myself! Full speed ahead!" And he hopped into his submarine and sailed it full speed toward Latios and Latias in an effort to capture them.
But Sundance reckoned without Latios and Latias' reserves of power, for Latios opened his mouth as white sparkles formed in front of him, forming into a pink ball of energy. He then unleashed a pink beam from the charged up energy.
Latias opened her mouth and charged up a teal blue ball of energy and unleashed it.
Both attacks were fired at the submarine and hit at the same instant, causing it to explode, much to everyone's surprise.
The explosion brought results, however, for the bruised and burnt Sundance crawled out of the remnants of his submarine and groaned.
"Wow! That was awesome!" said Tristan. "I never knew you were this strong!"
"Nor did I," added Hillary. "You were both just great!"
(Music Cue: Opening Selection B 2002-2005 (full version))
Both Latios and Latias shrilled in triumph as they and their friends celebrated their victory.
Mr. Briney and Kidd were most impressed.
"What were those two attacks?" wondered Mr. Briney.
"Those were Latios and Latias' signature attacks," answered Kidd. "Latios just used Luster Purge while Latias used Mist Ball. That only goes to show you that the world of Pokémon is full of surprises."
Mr. Briney nodded in agreement.
"I saw everything that happened," said Officer Jenny an hour later. "This man has been on the ten most-wanted list for quite some time. I salute all your hard work." And she happily gave one.
"Thank you, Officer Jenny," everyone replied together.
Officer Jenny got into the patrol car and drove off.
"Wow, talk about exciting!" said Tristan. "We've just gotta find out more about Latios and Latias." And with that, he looked up Latias while Hillary checked out Latios.
"Latios, the Eon Pokémon. Latios will open its heart only to Trainers with compassionate spirits, and can understand human speech. Latios can fly faster than a jet plane by tucking in its wings.
"Latias, the Eon Pokémon. Like Latios, Latias can understand human speech and can fly faster than a jet plane. It is covered in a glass like down and refracts light to change its appearance at will."
"It also says that all Latios are male and all Latias are female," added Hillary. "That'll be easy to remember."
Latios and Latias flew all around Tristan, Hillary, Pikachu, and Togepi in great delight.
"I think you two have made really good friends with Latios and Latias," smiled Kidd. "You're all gonna get along just fine."
Tristan and Hillary could see that Kidd was right, for Tristan's Silver Wing gave a flash, indicating that they had indeed befriended them.
"And not only that, we all made it to Dewford Island safe and sound," added Mr. Briney.
It was then that Latios and Latias flew in circles high and fast above Tristan and Hillary.
"What's up with Latios and Latias?" wondered Hillary.
"Feels like they're about to leave," replied Kidd. "But they're confident that they can count on you in any situation."
"And we can count on them, too," added Tristan. "Right, guys?"
Latios and Latias smiled and nodded in agreement. Then they began to fly off into the sunset.
"Bye, Latios! Bye, Latias!" called Tristan.
"Safe travels!" called Hillary. "We'll see you soon, okay?"
Pikachu and Togepi waved their goodbyes as well.
Latios and Latias gave happy replies as they flew out of sight.
"Tristan, can I ask you a favor?" said Mr. Briney.
"Sure, what is it?"
"I know this is a tall order, but could you deliver this letter to Steven for me? Mr. Stone at the Devon Corporation asked me to give this to Steven, but I figured that since you were going to be on Dewford Island for a bit, I figured it would be in safer hands with the both of you. I hope this won't be too much trouble."
"No, this won't be any trouble." And Tristan accepted the letter and put it safely in his backpack.
"I knew I could count on you. I have to help get Kidd over to her destination."
Kidd came over to Tristan and Hillary. "You two were a really big help today. I know I could count on you two to take Sundance down and protect Latios and Latias at the same time."
"We were just glad we could do it," smiled Hillary.
A few minutes later, Tristan and Hillary saw Mr. Briney take off on the S.S. Wingull with Kidd happily sailing along with him. "Goodbye! Take care!" they called. "Thanks for the ride, Mr. Briney!"
"You're very welcome, kids! replied Mr. Briney. "Be safe on your journey!"
"And take good care of each other!" added Kidd.
"We will!" said Tristan and Hillary together.
Pikachu and Togepi said their goodbyes as everyone waved, and they did so until the S.S. Wingull sailed from sight.
After a day and a half of restoring Latios and Latias to good health and protecting them in the process, our heroes have made it to Dewford Island. What adventures await them there? Stay tuned as the journey continues!
TO BE CONTINUED...