(Author's Note) This chapter will have moments from a Sonic game with alterations to the story to add Jackson in it. It is an infamous game, and one I hope people will enjoy this version of the story better than the actual one.
Thanks to some issues that involved not going directly to Olivine City, Jackson and Leafeon took a different ship that would go to one island before heading to the next. It was to an island city called Alto Mare; far south of Olivine, but exactly east from where Cherrygrove City was on the map. They were on the ship for a couple hours, but they were eventually able to see the island city from a distance.
Jackson used his incredibly good sight to see far off to where it was, seeing some structures from far off. "So this is a water city." He analyzed, "A city built upon an island that basically sunk into the water, and where many of the streets had become canals to travel between. This'll be my second water city I have been to, after Soleanna."
"So you have been to another island like this?" Leafeon asked.
"Yeah. Way back when." Jackson replied, thinking of that time, "Boy, those were some crazy memories. Actually, it was through some crazy adventure there that I ended up traveling to another world, anyway."
"Oh? You mean the one that has that martial arts place you constantly talk about?" Leafeon asked, "Enlighten me on that story."
Jackson paused, thinking back to that time when he was a bit younger. "Well, we got a good ways to go, so I can tell you a bit of that story. About me and Sonic, a princess, and a moment I mostly died."
Leafeon blinked, before she gasped, "Wait, what?! You MOSTLY died?!" Jackson could only grin innocently from shocking her partner. It was a rather interesting moment during his life.
(Insert 'STAND UP' by Twill (full version))
Music Intro
(Traveling through shining golden tunnel of energy, leading out into space with many world, all of which different colors, with the central world being the Pokémon world. The logo 'Jackson in Johto' appears on screen, before the camera passes through the arch of the 'n' from 'in, going into the world, through the clouds, where the glowing shadow of Ho-Oh can be seen, to the sea, where the shadow of Lugia is flying beneath the waters, before reaching the shoreline, getting blinded by the sun.)
Yeah, stand up boys!
Come on, face forward
(Jackson stands up, with Quilava at his side, followed by Dewott, Weavile, and Scyther, all of which expressing their unique personalities to Jackson.)
The call enveloping you is your guide
Step towards tomorrow
(Dewott gets angry at Weavile for trying to act so cool, while Jackson rolls his eyes before he, Quilava and Scyther took off ahead, with Weavile following behind, ignoring Dewott, who panicked and ran to not be left behind.)
Yeah, stand up girls!
At the end of what's more than real
(Leafeon rises up with Lyanne as Jackson and the boys pass by. The two look to one another, before giggling at the sight of the boys, before looking to the sky.)
We'll grab a light that's been covered by thick clouds
(Camera goes up into the starry sky, where a ball of light was slowly falling down, with the image of Gardevoir inside, her eyes slowly opening up as she looked up.)
How we spend our days before isn't good enough
(Camera passes by still images of all the companions and gym leaders that he has met or will meet in the future, including Cypher at the end of the pictures, while Jackson, Lyanne, Leafeon, and the rest of his current team walked along the bottom of the screen.)
At full speed
We can blast through
Even the highest wall
(Team Rocket suddenly appears, with the four admins of Team Rocket standing together, with the images of their ace Pokémon at their side, and the satellite system right above them.)
Stand up for your dream!
(Jackson draws his sword, while Lyanne turns into her Latias form, and the rest of his team ready to fight together.)
Be enthusiastic at what you do, no matter what it is
(Jackson rushes forward as he slashes his blade against Team Rocket grunts, followed by a spin kick, sending them flying, while Leafeon leaps up and unleashes a forward somersault Leaf Blade, taking out their Pokémon.)
Push your way through to make an opening
(Weavile unleashes an Ice Punch as Dewott throws a Water Pulse at a different direction, followed by the pair unleashing simultaneous Night Slashes. Quilava leaps through their attack, going into a Flame Charge.)
No matter how far
The answer you're seeking is
Stand up for your dream!
(Scyther flies in, unleashing an X-Scissor, followed by a Vacuum Wave, before Latias flies above him, unleashing a Mist Ball, sending it ahead. The attacks all created an explosion that consumed the scene in smoke.)
Even if my feeling show weakness
Your voice that I hear close by
(In the burning Ecruteak City, a serious Jackson raced along the path with Leafeon and Quilava at his side, towards the two towers, where a deranged Ho-Oh and Lugia were at, unleashing Aeroblast and Sacred Fire onto the city.)
Gives me courage and strength
I can go the distance
(Jackson leaps high, landing on Latias's back as they flew off, with the rest of the team leaping with him before encased in a stream of their signature colors, before the screen turn white, with a crystal blue Pokéball with a gold and silver sword crossing behind it the only thing remaining.)
Jackson looked up at the sky, thinking on the night when he and Sonic first encountered the princess of the city of water. "I was over eleven years old at the time. I was rather naive during those times, trying too hard to be the hero like Sonic, keeping away from my father's character as much as I could. We got word that our classic enemy, Dr. Eggman, who was going through a weight loss thing during those times, was seeking out the Chaos Emeralds and the power that dwelled within the princess of Soleanna, Elise. Fortunately, Sonic and I came to rescue her from his initial attempt at capturing her…only for Eggman to still catch her in the end."
"So I take it you went and stole back this princess from Eggman, correct?" Leafeon asked.
"Yep. Sonic let me take the lead in this rescue, and I went to saving Princess Elise from Eggman." Jackson explained, "We had to do that a lot, actually. Along with the Chaos Emeralds, time traveling, fighting robots and flaming monsters, alike. It was really crazy. We also met my 'soon to be friend' Silver, who at the time trying to kill me and Sonic, thinking we were triggers to this creature called 'Iblis'."
"What's an Iblis?" Leafeon asked.
"Some fiery monster demon. Apparently, it was one half of time eater creature called Solaris. However, it ended up getting sealed inside Princess Elise." Jackson explained, "One trigger to release Iblis was to make Elise cry, which would release the monster. Fortunately, me, Sonic, and our friends would constantly help her out, so she was well too protected to cry. Although...something else did trigger her tears."
"What do you mean?"
Jackson looked concerned as he looked to the city far off, "The other half of Solaris, Mephilis the Dark, had also awakened, taking the form of another comrade of mine, Shadow. He, too, tried to find a way to make Elise cry, and tricked Silver into trying to kill us. See, we developed a bond with the princess, who became fond of the two of us."
"Oh? So you're saying a princess fell in love with you." Leafeon said with interest, finding it fun to prod at Jackson's love life.
"I was just trying to help her and be a hero like Sonic. I didn't expect her to be interested in a kid like me during that time." he replied, looking up to the sky, "But because we formed a strong bond, Mephilis took advantage of that, and..."
He thought back to that day. After saving Elise from Eggman's exploding aircraft, they were just making their way back to Soleanna when Mephilis caught them off-guard by producing a Chaos Emerald that shined brightly enough to blind all three of them. He attempted to strike Sonic in the back with an energy blade. However, Jackson was somehow quick enough to notice and push his friend out of the way, attempting to block the attack with the sword he had back then, which broke from Mephilis' blade, stabbing him through the chest. This resulted in Jackson's near death, and made Elise cry for his sacrifice, freeing Ibilis, and caused it and Mephilis to merge together into Solaris.
"...I don't remember anything that took place when was mostly dead." Jackson continued, "But in order to fully heal me, they needed all seven Chaos Emeralds. Trouble was, Solaris had already begun eating all of time, so the dimension was warped from what it was doing. Fortunately, my friends were able to gather up the Chaos Emeralds, and through Princess Elise's prayers, she was able to awaken me. That was the first and only time I remember ever using the Chaos Emerald's powers."
"Remind me again; What are the Chaos Emeralds?" Leafeon asked.
"Seven miracle gems with unimaginable powers. They were able to create wishes and miracles beyond comprehension. Very few could actually harness its power. I didn't think I could, either. However, I think because I was reawakened through the Chaos Emerald's power that allowed me to harness them, taking on a super form, while I did so."
"A super form, huh? What was that like?" his partner Pokémon asked.
"Unlike anything I've ever experienced." Jackson described, looking at his body, "My whole body glowed gold, and my hair was fluttering from the mere updraft of power. And I could feel so much energy within me. It was pretty overwhelming, but I didn't have time to adjust to it, and shared the power with Sonic, Shadow, and Silver. Together, the four of us defeated Solaris. However, it was thanks to all of that took place that even space got involved to mix with time, and I got warped to a completely different world. That was where I learned at Ryouzanpaku."
"Wow." Leafeon muttered, now that Jackson finished his story, "The more I think I know you, the more you surprise me with what you are capable of or what you have done. Tell me, can you still use those 'Chaos Emeralds' before?"
"Eh, I don't know. I haven't tried since then." Jackson answered, turning around, leaned his back on the railing of the ship, "By the time I was able to return to my home world, the whole ordeal was forgotten by everyone. They destroyed Solaris back when it was just a mere flame, therefore changing history, and everyone forgot it all."
"But, how do you still remember it?" Leafeon asked, confused, "If the past was altered, how could you retain your memories of it?"
"I'm not that smart! I can't figure out that!" Jackson argued, "I guessed maybe because I was warped outside the space of when time was altered, I somehow prevented my memories from being erased. I tried wrapping my brain around it before, and all I got was a headache as a result. Even Sonic and Tails were having a hard time figuring it out when I explained it."
He removed himself from the railing and saw the water city getting into a more detailed view, "Anyways, enough of that story. Time to see what Alto Mare has for us, and if there are any princesses here that need saving before we go to Olivine City." They made their way back inside, preparing themselves for when they land.
Some time later, Jackson had left the ship with all other passengers, and was looking around the city. It was a very similar to what he knew back in Soleanna, although there was far more greenery on top of the buildings than back then, probably designed for Pokémon. There were gondolas and other forms of boats along the canals within the street.
"This place certainly is beautiful." Leafeon admitted, "You can almost the city just blend with nature itself."
"I wonder what there is to do around here." Jackson muttered, looking at the information of the city on his tablet, including delicacies to try, as well as places to visit like the museum, and events to take part in. He then stopped at something, as he noticed there was an event taking place that day. "Check this out; There's apparently a race that's gonna take place today."
"Oh? What kind of race is it?" Leafeon asked.
"It's called the Tour de Alto Mare. It's a water chariot race." Jackson analyzed, seeing pictures of people on water platform devices, while they held a leash to Water-type Pokémon that swam ahead of them, "Apparently, there's a full race course throughout Alto Mare in which a trainer chooses a Water-type they own, and they race with them on this course. Seems pretty fun. Wonder if Dewott would like to try it out?"
He stopped as he pulled out a Pokéball and threw it up as he called out Dewott to the field. "Hey, what's goin' on?" Dewott asked.
"Dewott, there's this race that's gonna take place. You think you can handle such a task?" Jackson asked, showing him the picture of the race.
Dewott took a look at it, before looking up at Jackson and answering, "You kidding me? This looks pretty bizarre."
"But you're the only who can do it." Leafeon argued, "Weavile not able to do such a race."
"That's true..." Dewott admitted, before smirking as he stated, "Okay, then. Consider me intrigued!"
"Cool! Let's go find a spot where we sign up and do some practice with it." Jackson told Dewott, and they raced to where the tablet said the sign-up station was at, with Leafeon right behind them.
As they ran, they passed by a girl who was painting a picture of the city. She stopped as she noticed Jackson with his Pokémon pass by. Something within her triggered her curiosity about the boy. It felt like he wasn't normal, compared to most people that have come and gone from the city. She thought for a moment, before deciding to let her curiosity of the person get over her, and she began packing up her art supplies.
Far ahead, Jackson had filled out the registration form for the Tour de Alto Mare. He got into his swimsuit and a green tank top he owned for his race gear. He then was introduced to the floating platform he was supposed to stand on while riding in the race. He was given the harness for Dewott, fastening it onto him and attaching the leash to the back.
Leafeon stood on the side as Jackson stood on top of the platform, holding the leash as they were in a practice area. "Alright, Dewott, let's do some laps." He told his Discipline Pokémon.
"Right. Hold on tight!" Dewott answered, and began swimming as fast as he could, with Jackson holding on from behind as he was carried along, angling his body and the platform as they flew around the area. Between utilizing his Extreme Gear and learning to surf and snowboard back in the martial arts world, Jackson was easily able to adapt to what he had to do. As for Dewott, he was a natural swimmer, and his strength allowed him to carry Jackson with ease.
"You're a natural!" Leafeon called out as the two passed by her. As she watched, she felt someone come to her side. She looked up to see the brown-haired girl in the red top, looking at Jackson as he was flying across the water. 'Who is this one?' Leafeon asked, 'Is she...is she watching my trainer?'
Jackson tilted the floating platform as Dewott turned around, and they did a full 180 as they came back the other way. "Okay, are you feelin' comfortable with how we're doing this?" Jackson called out to Dewott.
"Heh! Who do you think you're talking to?" Dewott scoffed, "I'm the best Night Slash user around, and you are asking me to swim these waters while pulling you along? Child's play!"
The pair slowed to a halt as they stopped near Leafeon and the mysterious girl. "Looks like we're ready for the race." Jackson told Leafeon, before looking to the girl, "Oh? Made a friend, did you?"
"Yeah. She looked like she was watching you." Leafeon replied.
"Is that so?" Jackson asked, looking up at the girl, before closing his eyes and rubbing the back of his head, "I don't know if I was that interesting. It was only Dewott and mine's first time doing that, so…"
He opened up his eyes, and nearly slipped in surprise. The girl had leaned over the water as she was looking closer at his face. She didn't say anything as she looked at him, while Jackson, blushing, felt rather awkward. "Um… Do I remind you of someone or something?" He asked. The girl leaned back and shook her head, before turning around and running off, only to stop some paces away and wave goodbye to him, before taking off again, grabbing her art supplies she had on one side of the road.
"Well, that was weird." Dewott noted, "What was up with her?"
"Not sure, but she doesn't say much." Leafeon answered, looking to Jackson, "What's say you, Jackson?"
"Dunno…" he answered, "Something was off about her. Can't put my finger on it." He then heard a sound over the speakers, and looked up at the nearest one, before realizing, "Shoot! That's the sound the race is about to start! We'd better get to the starting line!" He climbed back onto the shore as Dewott hopped off, and the trio raced over to the racing line.
Some time later, a crowd was gathering as every contestant took their position at the starting line. Jackson was in the middle of the group, while Dewott was in the water in front of him, sizing up all the rival Pokémon he was racing against. Leafeon was right next to the bridge where the starting line was at.
Suddenly, there was a mic check before the announcer called out, "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome, one and all, to this years's water chariot festival! We have a large number of contestants, this year, so it's anyone's guess as to who will win this competition! Are you ready for the main event?" The crowd cheered in response to this question.
"Okay, Dewott. Let's focus and blade things up a notch!" Jackson called out to his partner.
"Oh, I am so ready!" Dewott answered.
"Trainers, when you hear the Xatu, that's the sign to start!" The announcer called out. From one side, there was a sort of totem stack, with three Natu stacked on top of a Xatu at the base. The three Natu spread their wings as they chirped one after another, before the Xatu spread his wings and called out.
"Now!" Jackson shouted, and Dewott took off with all the other competitors, starting the race. He found his position within the crowd as they all took off together, with Dewott finding areas to pass opponents.
"Better watch them!" Leafeon told herself, "Fortunately, I know the path they're taking!" She took off along the streets, just barely avoiding a couple people; one was a short old man, while the other was the girl that was watching Jackson before, only she wore a white beret and a green shirt. "Sorry!" Leafeon apologized, taking off.
"Who's Leafeon does that belong to?" the old man asked.
"I have no idea..." the girl replied, seeing her run.
Jackson found himself nearing the front of the pack, with two other opponents ahead of him, one using a black and blue shark, while the other had a blue-bodied anglerfish-like Pokémon. They were a Sharpedo and a Lanturn, respectively.
"Alright, Dewott! Let's see how fast you really are!" Jackson called out, "Don't worry about me, and just gun it!"
"Better remember what you said, so I don't get chastised!" Dewott answered, and he pushed himself harder as Jackson held on. He wasn't bothered, and merely used his skills for balance for the racing.
The guy who had Sharpedo looked burly and rough and was aggressive as he saw Jackson coming beside him, and he called out his partner, "We ain't lettin' this guy get ahead of us!"
Sharpedo saw Dewott beside him, and veered itself to slam into him, which also caused the burly man to also be tilted towards Jackson. Dewott took the blow, feeling the pain as Sharpedo's Rough Skin did some damage to him. Jackson, meanwhile, tilted his floating platform to evade getting hit. However, Dewott getting damaged caused them to slow down, meaning they were behind the guy again, while the other, cool-looking individual with the wind-swept hair with his Lanturn, was still ahead. They were swerving and going through the canal course that was lit up with signs on bouys and security.
"Not cool!" Dewott shouted, pushing himself to catch up.
Meanwhile, Leafeon had taken the streets within to find the shortest path to another part of the route, before arriving at the canal again. She came to a halt, looking about, before seeing Jackson and his two opponents come around the corner, shooting past where Leafeon was at, splashing her with their wake. She felt herself get drenched by the attack, before she shook it off, and suddenly felt a presence right by her. She turned and was surprised. The same girl, back in her red shirt, was standing there, watching the three that passed by.
"Wait, didn't I just..." she muttered, recalling she just saw her a moment ago. The girl didn't reply, but bowed to her, before taking off down the street to follow the action. Leafeon paused, wondering how she ended up over here, before pursuing her. She saw the girl race around the corner and raced to catch up with her. By the time she reached the corner and looked, she noticed the girl had mysteriously vanished. "Wha-?" Leafeon started, looking about, "Where did she go?" She looked confused, not sure what just happened.
In the air above, something invisible was looking down at her, before turning around and taking off through the streets.
Back in the race, Jackson and Dewott were starting to back neck and neck with the burly man and his Sharpedo, joining the other guy and his Lanturn. Jackson became in the center of the pack, Dewott pushing himself to get ahead. Jackson was making sure to hold on, twisting his floating platform as they rounded corners tightly.
They were reaching another corner, which would leave the burly on the outside of the turn. He grinned as he came up with something, and Jackson could see it, quickly thinking of a plan to counter it.
They turned the corner, and as they did, the burly man took the turn even tighter than normal, prepared to slam into Jackson while they turned. Jackson used his leg muscles to push the floating platform into the water more. This caused the buoyancy of the platform to get recoiled and pushed up over the water, allowing Jackson to use his skills to carry it over burly man's leash he was holding onto, evading the attack that almost came at him. The burly man was shocked that he missed, and instead slammed his floating platform into the other guy, causing him to fall off into the water, and caused his Lanturn to stop and turn to its trainer. Jackson peeled on ahead, while the burly man was right behind him.
"Hell yeah! Nice maneuver!" Dewott shouted.
"I've dealt with people like him before. Now, let's keep the lead!" Jackson called out, and they push ahead.
After a couple minutes more, back at the starting line, Leafeon came back to where she was once again when she couldn't find the girl, and she stood back at the starting line, which had now become the finish line. "Too bad I didn't see that girl again. Just who was she?" she asked herself.
"This is really close!" the announcer called out, "But they are coming around the corner as we speak! And just barely in the lead is young rising trainer Jackson Alpphire of Ecruteak City. But our local rough and tumble sailor, Peyepo, is still on his tail, and is trying to catch up against him. With our last year winner out of the running, we might have our winner between these two!"
Jackson and Dewott saw that the burly man, Peyepo, and his Sharpedo was starting to get neck and neck with one another, and they were pushing their limits to reach the goal. Jackson crouched his body to lessen wind resistance, getting a bit of a lead on his opponent.
"Not yet you don't!" Peyepo called out, "Sharpedo, let's run them over!" Sharpedo's eyes glinted at Jackson's floating platform, and was twisting to ram him down.
Jackson looked to see he was gonna get hit, and used the same trick he did before, pushing his platform into the water further to make it bounce out of the water to barely avoid the fin of the Sharpedo as it got underneath. He tried to ram him again, jumping out of the water to prevent Jackson from evading again. He veered to one side, with Dewott still pushing himself to try and outrun them. They were almost to the finish line.
"If I can't evade..." Jackson started, taking the ridge of the floating platform he was on as he pushed down on it again, before it bounced over the water, tilting it so the edge could hit Sharpedo on the side of his snout. "...Then counter force with force!" he finished, ricocheting off of the shark Pokémon, and pushed ahead. The platform swayed heavily as it hit the water again, with Jackson barely held on before he crossed the line. The platform flew out from underneath his feet, and he cascaded into the water.
"And the winner of the race is Jackson and his Dewott!" the announcer called out, with the audience cheering at how close of an end that was. Leafeon was pleased, mentally noting she didn't expect anything less from her trainer. Jackson came out of the water, gasping for air, but smiling at his close call victory.
"Aw, dang it all!" Peyepo called out, "How could we have lost?!" He sighed in frustration as Sharpedo looked to him, feeling guilty towards him.
The two then looked to Jackson and Dewott, the former saying, "You were just plain awesome out there, Dewott! I am proud of you!"
"Not as awesome as you were. You were totally dodgin' that guy's bashes all over!" Dewott commended, causing the pair to snicker at one another.
Peyepo looked to them for a moment, before sighing and patting his partner's head. "We did our best, Sharpedo. We'll win next year."
Jackson swam to the edge, where Leafeon was waiting to greet him, along with the rest of the crowd. He waved his hand to the crowd in response to their cheers, while Dewott looked joyful at the praise. Up in the sky, the invisible silhouette of an aerial being, looking down at Jackson with great curiosity, before flying away, deciding to come back to him later.
Sometime later, after an award ceremony, Jackson was back in his normal clothes, holding his glass trophy in both hands as he wandered the streets, looking at it curiously. Dewott was placed back in his ball to rest up from the race, while Leafeon walked beside him.
"It's very beautiful." Jackson noted, seeing the details in the artwork of the trophy, "It looks like a couple of birds or something in this piece. Though, I was never good at understanding art." He placed it back in his backpack carefully, before turning to Leafeon and asked, "So, what were you saying about a girl?"
"Like I said, I saw that girl that was eyeing you curiously before." Leafeon repeated to him, "First, I saw her just as I left the starting line, just walking past me, before I saw her again much further on, watching you as you pass by. I tried to follow her, but she vanished."
"That is weird." Jackson muttered, "Was she stalking me or something?"
"I don't know, but I know that when I passed her before to when I saw her again, her attire was different each time." Leafeon explained, she had a green shirt and a white at first, but then had that red shirt and no hat look we saw her before in."
"So, she had a quick-change, too?" Jackson understood, thinking on what his partner was talking about. This drew a lot of suspicions from Jackson, wondering what her deal was. Finally, he decided, "I think we should investigate this. I already had a weird feeling about that girl before, so I'm wondering if there is anything behind her. Better to ease my curiosity before I got a stalker on my tail..."
Jackson made his way into the narrow canal streets, the tall buildings reaching above him. There were only a few people in the streets, but none were paying attention to him. "Better get a higher view of the place. Let's see if we can't find this girl again." He told himself, and he ran up the wall of the building, going to the top. What he failed to notice was that the invisible being was floating in the sky above him, startled at his sudden parkour run, and just barely avoided him, its wing just barely brushing Jackson's head. However, the feeling wasn't hidden from Jackson.
The swordman felt something flow across his head as he ran up, wondering for a brief second what it was, since he didn't see anything. He slowed his ascent as in the next second, his mind's eye started to detect a presence right underneath him, though nothing was there. He then stopped and pushed off the building, before free-falling down to the canal. The invisible character was startled as it was right underneath him and failed to react in time as Jackson fell on top of it.
"What the?!" Jackson gasped, floating in midair as he was laid upon something. He could feel a sort of feathery warm texture, indicating that whatever he landed on, it was alive.
"Jackson?!" Leafeon gasped, watching the weird scenario before as her trainer was laying on his belly as he was swaying in the air by something, "How are you doing that?!"
"It's not me! I think there's something invisible here!" Jackson pointed out, before feeling the figure spin in air, throwing him off involuntarily. He fell to the street below, using his acrobatic skills to land on his feet. He then sensed the figure had lost control of itself in the air and nearly hit the water, had it not caught itself. However, it did spray the water, causing the two to look at the spot where the splash took place.
"There! I see it!" Jackson called out, before seeing the air shift slightly as the invisible figure flew off. "Oh, no you don't!" Jackson called out, activating his air shoes, and shot after the figure.
"Wait for me!" Leafeon shouted, darting after him with great speed.
Jackson kept up with the figure, seeing it turn the corner into a narrow street, and he leapt across the canal to pursue it. They kept up this chase for quite a while, the figure trying to outspeed Jackson in the streets, but Jackson was incredibly persistent.
"Can you slow down!" Jackson called out, "I'm only interested in who or what you are!"
The figure stopped in midair, and looked down at Jackson, who also came to a halt, seeing the shift in the air indicating where it was at. Leafeon came in a few seconds later, panting in exhaustion. "You don't have to worry." he assured it, "I'm just curious, that's all."
The being paused, wondering if it should make itself opaque again. Then, it turned behind it as it sensed something, and flew towards it, going around the corner.
"Hey! Come back!" Jackson called out, before running after the figure again. He rounded the corner and slammed hard into someone that was right there. He and the figure fell to their rears, aching slightly from their collision. Jackson was the first to regain himself, looking up to see who he hit. He was rather surprised, as it was the very girl he encountered before. She was in a green shirt and wore a white beret.
"Ow...!" the girl grimaced, wincing as she looked up at who hit him.
"Hey, it's you again!" Jackson recognized, "Why are you following me?!"
"I don't know what you're talking about." the girl responded, "YOU were the one who slammed into me."
"Okay, fair point." Jackson admitted as Leafeon rounded the corner to join him, "But my partner and I have encountered you before. What's your deal?"
"Deal? You're not making any sense!" the girl replied, getting to her feet as Jackson did the same, "I never met you before. Although..." she looked behind him to see his Leafeon, "...I think I know that Leafeon."
"It's true." Leafeon replied, "But now I'm even more confused as to why she doesn't know you, Jackson."
"Yeah. She was directly in my face the first time we met." Jackson agreed.
Just then, there was the sound of footsteps from behind the girl, and everyone turned to see, from the shadows, something that was rather startling to Jackson. It was the same exact girl again, only she was in the red shirt. "Wait, what?!" Jackson exclaimed.
"What are you doing here?!" the green-shirt girl asked, stunned to see her there, "And why are you looking like me again?"
Jackson looked to the two identical girls, before placing a fist into his open palm as he realized, "Oh, so you had an identical twin! Shoot, how did I not figure that out."
"This is the first time I ever encountered this outside of a Nurse Joy." Leafeon argued, looking to the pair of girls, as the green-shirt one looked worried, while the other smiled and looked rather pleasant.
"I apologize about that." Jackson apologized to the green-dressed girl, "I guess I was dealing with mistaken identity."
"N-No. It's okay." she replied, "I can see why you were confused."
"Let me start over." the swordsman told her, "I'm Jackson Alpphire, and this is my partner, Leafeon."
"A pleasure." she greeted.
"Well, my name is Bianca." the green-shirt girl introduced herself, "And this is, uh..." Before she could introduce her twin, she approached Jackson with curiosity again, who paused as he felt her gaze on her. Jackson felt a bit awkward, but then started to get a sense of something from the girl. Not wanting to touch her without her permission, he examined her face closely.
After a few seconds, Jackson asked, "You're...not human, are you?" The girl looked startled as she backed away from Jackson, while Bianca was surprised, but she got serious as she went in front of her, raising a hand to block her. "Now that I think about it, could you be that invisible character that I was following before?" he asked her.
"Jackson, how are you knowing this?" Leafeon asked.
"Call it a sixth sense." Jackson replied to her.
"Listen, I don't know who you are, but you better back off, if you know what's good for you." Bianca warned him sternly, "I won't let you endanger her."
"Hey, I'm not trying to endanger her." Jackson assured her, "I'm just curious about her. That's all."
"Keep your curiosity to yourself!" Bianca barked at him.
The twin paused to think on what to do, before looking at Jackson. She could that he wasn't a bad person in the slightest. However, he clearly wasn't normal, himself. Finally, she decided on something as she tapped Bianca's shoulder, getting her attention. She nodded as in saying she was planning to show something. Bianca looked startled, before whispering, "Latias, no!" Jackson and Leafeon looked confused at what they were talking about.
The twin backed off, closed her eyes, and stiffened her body. Suddenly, her entire body turned into white particles, surprising the three. The lights rearranged, until they died down to see that the girl had transformed into a creature. She was a Pokémon. She looked like a cross between a bird and a dragon, red and white, with a blue triangle at her belly, yellow eyes, jet-like wings on its back, small fins underneath, a pair of hands with thin arms, and no feet.
Bianca looked startled at the reveal, like she didn't think she would reveal herself like this. Meanwhile, Jackson was as stunned as Leafeon was. "She's a Pokémon!" Leafeon gasped.
"No way!" Jackson stated, pulling out his Pokédex to examine her. "Latias. The Eon Pokémon. Latias is highly intelligent and capable of understanding human speech. It is covered with a glass-like down. The Pokémon enfolds its body with its down and refracts light to alter its appearance."
"Oh, so that's how she does it." Jackson understood.
"Why would you show yourself to him now?!" Bianca asked Latias, "He's a trainer! He would want to capture you!"
"I'm sorry." Latias assured her, "But...I don't think he's that bad. I think he's a nice person."
"I'm not gonna capture her." Jackson assured Bianca, "And I would like to consider myself a nice guy as she said."
Bianca looked to Jackson with concern, before Latias approached Jackson, saying, "I knew it! You know my language!"
"Right. I can actually understand Pokémon with my earpiece." he pointed to the inside of his ear, indicating his translator.
"Jackson is a genius, albeit childish." Leafeon explained, "But he is a very kind trainer."
"I could do without the 'childish' bit." Jackson retorted.
"Well, do you know anyone who is persistent and curious as you are?" the Verdant Pokémon asked, "I mean, you were hounding the poor girl down! Doesn't that make you the stalker around here?"
"Hey, don't say it like that!" Jackson argued with blush marks, "How was I supposed to know that she was a girl Pokémon when she was invisible?! Don't get me into trouble like that!"
At this, Latias giggled at their argument, seeing they were very close, before saying, "You two are close, aren't you? I can tell."
Bianca could see Latias laughing at them and decided to relax. "It seems like Latias is comfortable around you. She wouldn't be friends with just anyone. Sorry for the hostility."
"It's okay, but I am curious as to why you would be." Jackson responded.
"Jackson, Latias is a Legendary Pokémon." Leafeon explained.
"No kidding?" he asked.
"I am also this town's guardian." Latias explained, "It is my duty to protect this town from harm."
"Wow..." Jackson muttered, "So, you're basically this town's princess or something, huh?"
"I never heard it like that, but I guess you can say that." Latias answered, before circling behind him, "Come on! I wanna show you the place that is my home."
"Your home?" Jackson asked, before looking to Bianca, "I think Latias wants to show me where she lives in this town."
"Oh, I know where that is." Bianca answered, as Latias flew next to her, her body glowing in white particles before she reverted to Bianca's twin again, "Come on. We'll show you where it's at." With that, the two girls led Jackson and Leafeon to where Latias' home was at.
Meanwhile, up above, a small drone was floating there, looking down at the scene with a camera. On the back of the drone was a familiar red 'R'.
Several blocks away, a group of people was standing together, all females. They were dressed in black, with red Rs on their shirts. They were Team Rocket members. Coming up from behind was a woman in a white dress with a black on the collar, wrists, on the belly button part, and at the hem at the bottom. She had red hair that curled outward from behind, yellow earrings, a black belt around her waist, white boots, and she had painted nails.
"Ma'am, we have located where the Legendary Pokémon Latias is." one of the female grunts told her.
"Keep tabs on her. When she is vulnerable, we will go and capture her." the head answered, "It's a good thing we learned from two of our former agents about the Legendary Pokémon. It will be a terrific present for lord Giovanni whenever he returns. All hail Team Rocket!"
"All hail Team Rocket!" the grunts echoed, saluting with their fists to their hearts.