~Attractive Altomare Chapter 13~

~Precious Time;Unexpected Turn~

Legacy of Time: Enjoy.

Ash was doing stretches on the beach. Just another hour till the first match and he was readying himself for his opponent. Whoever that would be. It was going to be thirty minutes before he even saw their face or name. Pikachu was valiantly attempting his best efforts to stretch out. Jumping up and down, back and forth. Ash would grin at his little buddy, knowing that he would be on his team.

The matches were laid out as such, three on three's singles and the battle would be over when one trainer's Pokemon would faint. Simple enough. Ash grinned so eagerly, he thought his own face would freeze up just like that. It'd definitely give him a scary looking edge and freak out his opponents. Though, he'd probably end up maidenless if that happened. So, no way that would be acceptable.

'I should start with Pikachu. I know he can handle himself, it would also give me a chance to gauge my opponent.' He was being really intense. So intense that he'd forgotten that Latias was watching him do his stretches. She was watching his muscles, practically able to see every bead of sweat on him. It was intoxicating for her.

'Down Latias… Down Bad…' Bianca echoed in her head.

Bianca was practically watching herself pant in anticipation of something completely aside from Ash's current thought process. It wasn't as tough as the first time, but it certainly was weird to look at herself panting like a dog almost.

'Oh… Sorry…' Latias said, trying to get control of herself.

Ash had started doing pushups while Pikachu copied him. He didn't even realize that he was sinking in the sand, but that never stopped him before. He had his one other Pokemon that he'd gotten after visiting the Pokemon Center with Misty the other night. Sure, it hadn't been in preparation for a tournament, but they were able to get there rather quickly. He'd even gotten a Mega Stone from Professor Oak.

"Pika?!" Pikachu squeaked out as Ash realized that he wasn't even doing pushups as the sand was reaching to his face.

A muffled roar erupted from the sand as Ash dug himself out, "This battles going to surely keep me pumped!" He yelled, pure ecstatic energy making the world shift around him.

'He's a dummy…' Bianca thought as Latias agreed for once.

'He's our dummy.' Latias reiterated with a smile.

Just as this was going on, James and Meowth happened to be passing through. Thoroughly spent after enjoying the sun for the last few hours. They saw the Twerp announcing his battle mania to the world.

"Meowth, I think he's gone off his rocker." James said to which Meowth shook his head.

"Nyoawwhh…" Meowth yawned as he continued, "Probably just the same he's always been." He finished as Bianca looked at them curiously.

Bianca could swear that Meowth had spoken and that was intriguing, "Ummm… Excuse me, Sir?" She said to James who looked back in wonder.

"Erm, yes?" James asked as Meowth turned as well.

"Did your Meowth just speak? Like, actual english?" She looked at the scratchy cat who tilted his head.

"Sure I did. Impressed by my sheer knowledge and fortitude?" Meowth said, flexing his bony arms and tail wildly.

Bianca smiled, "That's cute." Then she turned to James while Meowth deflated a bit, "How did he learn to do that?" She asked him as Meowth sighed in indignation.

James replied and it was nothing that Bianca expected, "Well, actually it's a very personal story of his that involves love and just how far someone is willing to go to achieve it only to fail." James stopped as Bianca stared back at Meowth with a bit of unease as James continued, "In fact, it's in his latest autobiography titled, 'The Meowstacrat'' which you can purchase at Pawmazon." He said casually as Bianca frowned.

"That sounds strange… That company-" Bianca was interrupted by Meowth.

"Is owned by me and will be a major success one day. But the patent is also still under way…" He said casually as Bianca shook her head.

"No, I was going to say that the brand name was eerily similar to Parmesian, but that's just me thinking too hard..." She said as James looked down.

"Apologies… For making you think." Together, Bianca and Latias watched the duo walk off as Ash joined them, considerably more sweaty than they'd last seen him.

He looked in the direction they were looking toward only to see James and Meowth slowly walking away, "Oh… Did they give you any issue?" He asked Latias and Bianca who shook their heads.

"Just a headache. Well, that and wondering if I could get Latias to speak by putting a picture of you near a dictionary." Bianca said with a smirk as Latias pouted.

Ash let out a tear inducing laugh at Latias's expense and she would also give him a stronger pout, it wasn't super effective though. He grinned leaning in to hug Latias, "It's all in good fun, Lati- mmm." She kissed him instead. That was super effective. He leaned back, blushing, having not expected it. Pikachu hopped on Bianca's lap and was immediately hugged by her, rubbing his ears as he let out a satisfied sigh. This was a nice summer day. However, they were being watched by a certain group of three people. Those three people being Misty, Brock, and Lucy.

"We've all agreed to this, so…" Brock looked at Lucy and she nodded back to him.

"We can do this together." Lucy said, smiling and taking his hand.

Brock and Lucy approached the three as Brock broke the ice, "Hey there. How's the day going?" Brock asked. Ash, Bianca, and Latias looked at him strangely, he sounded stilted.

Ash wondered why he'd ask, "The day is going great. Uh… Do you have the brackets with you?" Ash asked him as Brock shook his head.

"No I don't, Ash. Me and Lucy were wondering if those two could come hang out with us." Brock pointed at Latias and Bianca before turning to Lucy who eagerly spoke up.

"Yes! I was wondering about the tourist sites. Maybe they could give me some insight?" Lucy asked as Bianca and Latias looked at each other before looking at Ash.

Ash, being on the receiving end of their gazes, wasn't sure what to do, "What?" He asked them as Latias looked at him more intensely. Latias had done that on instinct while Bianca had just copied Latias. This was strange.

Ash had an idea of what they wanted, "You both want me to say no? Right?" Bianca's eyes widened and she shook her head with a blush. Latias doubled down.

'It wouldn't be a bad idea.' Latias said as she dared to look at Brock and Lucy who were confused by Ash's words.

"Uh… Is something up, Ash?" Brock asked as Ash shook his head.

Ash didn't want to disappoint his friends, 'Maybe it might not be such a bad thing for you guys to show them a few places before the tournament.' Ash sent her as Latias balked.

'Oh… Okay. I just wanted to enjoy your company more.' Latias pointed out as Ash sighed.

'We'll still do that and everything, but Brock is a good friend of mine and Lucy is new here.' Ash said, which wasn't untrue. Brock may have been here before, but maybe Lucy hadn't.

'But I jus-' Latias said as Bianca interrupted her.

'It could be fun. Don't you want to hang out with more people?' Bianca asked her as Lucy gave Brock a weird look that said, "You really owe me for this." and he bowed in apology to her.

Latias sighed and looked to Ash once more, 'But this week might be the only chance we have to be together…' She said firmly to Ash who looked at her with a bit of concern.

Ash's eyes softened, 'Oh… I understand that feeling…' Latias's big golden eyes focusing on him was another weakness he'd found himself to have.

Shaking his head, Ash turned to Brock with a sigh, "Shouldn't you know this place already Brock?" Ash had a point, but Brock was trying to get this done for Misty. He had to pick away at it.

Brock cleared his throat, "I mean… It's not that easy Ash. I just wanna make sure that I get the cultural side of things and since Latias has probably been here longer than Bianca… Maybe having them both join us for a little bit would be… Beneficial?" He sounded like he just questioned it.

Lucy was confused, "Latias? Isn't that a legendary Pokemon?" She asked as Brock froze up.

He hadn't actually mentioned that to her. Brock looked to Ash for help, but he seemed even less sure now. Bianca smacked Brock on the back.

"Yeah, Latias's statue near the Museum. My sister and I-" She winked at Latias, "Worked on cleaning it up this last year." She turned to Lucy, "Brock is misremembering things." She said smoothly as Brock nodded quickly.

"Actually yeah, I meant to talk about the statue. Latios and Latias are sacred to this place. If they were here, they'd probably know exactly where to go." Brock said, trying to regain his footing.

For Lucy, it worked, "Oh! Right. That makes sense." She said as Bianca hopped up and beckoned to Latias.

"Let's go help them quickly. There's only an hour left till the tournament starts after all and I'm not missing it." Bianca said as Latias looked back at Ash who shrugged.

Latias turned to Ash once more, 'I guess we can go take them on a small tour.' Latias relented as Bianca jumped in.

Bianca smiled, "It won't take long. We'll show them around on a path that takes the least amount of time. We'll be back before you know it." Bianca finished as Latias squinted at her before finally relenting.

'Can we at least get ice cream?' Latias asked Bianca who sighed.

"Sure." Bianca gave in as Lucy and Brock looked on with confusion written all over their faces.

"That whole thing was you all staring at each other. For exactly 15 minutes with a few words spliced in here and there." Brock pointed out while turning to Ash.

Ash facepalmed, "Lianca is a psychic." Ash said simply as Lucy popped out several clouds in her head before a large one burst open to reveal a chibi Anabel lifting things with her mind.

She got an eager grin on her face, "That's a nice name. Anabel could do stuff like that too!" Lucy said as Brock thanked the heavens that explanation was also fine.

Ash pulled Latias up into a hug as she eagerly embraced him, 'I'll still be here when you get back." Latias continued giving him that sweet look as Ash sighed, "I'll make it up to you later, okay?" She nodded in understanding.

'Okay… I'll hold you to it.' She said as Ash watched her march over to Bianca and then point forward. Brock and Lucy waved at Ash, turning to follow the stalwart legend with her stunning accomplice. Leaving Ash very much alone. He turned back to the ocean, looking over the clear waters. He heard footsteps that were barely concealed by the sound of wind and sand. He already knew who it was.

"Misty? Did you want something?" He asked, still not turning around.

Misty gripped her bag with Togetic inside and set it down on the bench where Pikachu watched on in silence. Togetic popped out, eager to see the fireworks. If there was going to be any. Pikachu turned to his little buddy. Technically he was older, so it worked despite the height difference.

Pikachu spoke to him, "You think we should help Ash out here?" He asked as Togetic shook his head.

Togetic responded, "This has been coming for a while… It's up to them. It could go either way." He finished as Pikachu tilted his head over to watch this event in the making.

Misty stepped up to stand beside Ash, appreciating the view, "So, you knew?" She started as Ash smiled.

"Not too hard to guess. I figured we'd speak eventually and I also saw you standing there beside them for a brief moment. So, what's on your mind?" Ash asked, trying to stay casual, folding his arms behind his head.

Misty looked down, "Well…" A wave drowned her out as it crested forward. Splashing against the sand.

~Crescent Inlet~

All was well, that's what you would tell yourself when things are okay. A soft wind transforms into a nice breeze. Wild Pokemon watched the area, keeping it free of any distractions and it wasn't enough to shake a feeling of desperation. One of the two people currently enjoying the serenity couldn't keep herself together. Something was bothering her deeply.

Beni kept turning around, alerting Sato, "Are you okay?" He asked her to which she didn't respond immediately. She gripped his hand tightly all of a sudden much to his surprise.

'I'm not sure why, but something is making me feel off. I think someone is watching us.' Benihime echoed in his head as Sato looked around, but he didn't see anything off.

Sato found it a little hard to believe, "But nobody knows about this place except for you and your brother, Right?" He asked her as Benihime frowned.

She poked him on the head, 'You know about it…' Then she continued looking around, 'You don't believe me though?' She asked, loosening her grip on his hand a little.

Sato gulped, no way did he ever want to not believe her, "Ummm… No. If you say something is there, then there has to be someone out there." Sato wanted to choose his words wisely, "So, is there any particular direction that these feelings could be coming from?" Maybe he could send one of his Pokemon out to deal with it? She stood up, letting go of Sato and trying to focus.

Beni's mind reached out, but a force was preventing it from reaching farther than the edge of the clearing, "I can't see beyond this plac- Ngh!" She groaned as her head started to throb.

Sato frowned and moved to stand beside her, "Are you hurt?" He asked as she fell forward onto her knees which made Sato freak out, "Okay! You are! W- What's going on?!" He was tensed up, all of his emotions were running wild. Then he heard the worst thing he could have.

"I- I don't know!" Benihime shouted as a scream tore from her throat. Her head pounded as she looked up with one eye open, the woods looked darker and more shrouded to her than ever. Benihime couldn't feel much more beyond the pain. Giving up, she clenched her eyes, curling into a ball and worrying Sato to no end.

He grit his teeth as the weight of the situation began to sag his shoulders, "Benihime! W- We gotta go!" Sato said, hoping to be able to get her up, but she was in too much pain to move.

A large blast of wind shot through the area and a small aircraft floated down into the crescent inlet. An individual stood on it, watching the scene below, "Stand aside, Sato." A man's voice was unmistakable, but even as Sato looked up, he couldn't see the man's face because of the mask he wore.

"Hey! Whatever you're doing, stop it!" Sato shouted, but the man merely moved his hand onto a dial to up the intensity of the waves while ignoring Sato's pleas.

Benihime grit her teeth as the sound continued to grow. She had heard a tiny amount of the conversation, but the man had known Sato already? Benihime was sure that Sato wasn't a bad guy, but… Maybe she was wrong. Still, he hadn't abandoned her and that meant something too. Especially considering how her head felt like splitting open at the seams.

The man was already tired and frustrated, he'd been waiting for days to find strange activity, but there didn't seem to be any in this town. Then while monitoring Koro, he just happens to see these two and all the strange events started to occur, "What you're guarding isn't what you think boy. I'll say it again. Stand aside and no harm will come your way." He was going to try a different approach, "I'm only here to get Latias!" He shouted as Sato froze up a little.

'Latias?' Sato questioned, trying to reach out with his mind, but Benihime didn't answer for once. Sato had to do something now and stop messing around. He didn't want to see her hurt anymore. Unclipping a Pokeball from his belt, he sent it flying revealing Scyther. Catching the ball as it sailed back to him, Sato stood in opposition to the man. He'd healed up his buddy and hoped Scyther was ready for another battle this soon.

"Really? Are you serious!?" The masked man asked in disbelief because he had already seen this Pokemon battle. It was a novice at best and couldn't handle that Octillery from earlier. He cracked his knuckles and gripped a ball from his own belt, one of three, "I got this technology from a friend a while back." He clicked it and a dark sphere got larger in his grip. Tossing it, A hail of black energy shot toward the ground and out of the ball. The imposing Pokemon grew from the harsh energy, revealing Corviknight only even more amped up. A harsh screeching sound echoed from its beak as it looked at the Scyther with deadly intent.

Benihime was struggling to her feet, but every time she'd stand. The sound would intensify almost like the man was toying with her. She tried reaching out to Sato, but would recoil from the sheer agony of the trial itself. Even Sight Sharing was still far beyond her grasp at this point. Her only possible recourse was to continue recoiling back into her mind, Benihime hobbled forward only to fall down.

The man tapped his control console feeling incredibly annoyed by just how long this was taking, "Any minute now and she'll reveal herself! Then you can stop this charade! Not that I'm giving you mercy." The man said to Sato, giving Corviknight the go ahead to tear apart his Scyther. The approach was swift, sand blasting into the air as Corvinight took Scyther with him high into the air. Scyther tried to slice at the bird, but it just couldn't cut the steel-like feathers covering Corviknight's body.

The speed of the Corviknight had been so fast that Sato only just now realized that Scyther had been taken up, "Scyther!" He shouted, but they were out of reach. As the sand began to hit the ground, Sato gripped two random Poke Balls, sending out Charmeleon and Sneasel, "Charmeleon! Guard Benihime! Sneasel, go get help!" He shouted as Charmeleon agreed, but Sneasel was shaking her head.

Sato facepalmed as the man spoke up, "Looks like she won't listen to you! Oh well." He looked up, seeing the satisfying sight of Corviknight rippling with intense speed toward the sand below. Slamming Scyther into the grit and angling itself up to fly toward Charmeleon next without needing to be told, "Flamethrower!" Sato shouted as Charmeleon obliged, sending a large gout of flame that Corviknight veered away from easily enough.

"Take out the Charmeleon with Aerial Ace!" The masked man shouted, swinging his hand out alongside the command as Corviknight broke the sound barrier to hit Charmeleon square on and sent him flying toward the ocean. Sato looked horrified as Sneasel began to take in the current situation with wide eyes.

'Maybe I should go get that help!' Sneasel thought, rushing off as Sato was doing the same toward Charmeleon. The masked man simply watched, shaking with unrestrained enjoyment of the current situation. To think that this was his start. Oh, it felt good, but not as good as killing that irksome Ash Ketchum would be.

"Don't let that Sneasel leave!" He shouted next, as Corviknight focused on the little dark speck of a Pokemon.

Sneasel had heard the order as she began to move even faster toward the edge of the clearing, but the sand was slowing her down considerably and right as the edge was within reach, Corviknight would skid through the sand creating deep trenches in it only to stand before her, "Shadow Ball!" Sneasel was hit point blank by the blast and was swallowed up in the attack. An explosion of black energy absolutely demolished her, sending Sneasel crashing through the sandy ground.

Sato was running toward Charmeleon who was doing his damndest to keep his tail out of the water. The Pokemon's vision was blurry at best from the incredibly strong attack he had suffered only a moment ago. When he saw a blur approaching Charmeleon panicked, lashing out and slashing Sato's shirt. It ripped down the side as blood was drawn. Sato couldn't believe it as he fell forward into the water with a splash.

Charmeleon brought his claws near his eyes and once the blurred effect stabilized, he saw blood. Not just any blood, his trainer's. Corviknight turned as Charmeleon let out a desperate roar of agony. It then proceeded to charge toward the shoreline, seeing nothing but red. The giant metal bird covered black metallic feathers shot toward Charmeleon who finally made it past all the water, unleashing a larger gout of blue flames at the pokemon. This time, Corviknight didn't dodge it.

Covered in fire, it broke the flames apart. A quick strike on the Charmeleon and it was over. The fire lizard hit the sand while Corviknight let out an ear splitting caterwaul, claiming it's victory. The masked man clapped as he lowered his machine to the ground, stepping off of it. Entertained by the boy's Charmeleon for only a few moments as his boots hit the sand and he approached the struggling Benihime, "You could have just given up, but it's fine." Benihime looked up, throwing a psychic attack at him, but he brushed off the weak move. The sound was growing louder as he got closer.

"Don't bother continuing a futile effort. This signal messes with the psychic type's brain waves. You don't have enough strength to resist me anymore." As the signal grew stronger and stronger, Benihime's form reverted back to the familiar jet shaped Pokemon, "See? You should've done that sooner. If you had, I might've given your little crush a break." He pulled out another one of those black poke balls.

"I think you should take a rest and serve someone else for once. Heheh…" He clicked it against her head not too unlike how Sato had done earlier to Octillery and then she couldn't feel any more pain. Looking over at Sato, the man decided that perhaps it would be easier to leave the kid to die knowing that it was his own Pokemon that orchestrated his demise. It was very poetic in a sense. He hopped aboard his craft and proceeded to fly off to initiate more of his plans.

It was eerily silent on the crescent beach. It would be for a while.

~Ash and Misty~

Togetic and Pikachu were more confused by what was happening here. They had assumed Misty had gotten Ash alone so that she could do something more, but nothing was coming of it. The two Pokemon would chatter back and forth, trying to gauge if the two would try anything. Yet, nothing had happened. Not even a kiss.

"So, that's what this is all about?" Ash asked, folding his arms across his chest.

Misty clenched her fist, trying to figure this all out, "Yeah. I wanted to speak with you about us. I know that you seem to be with Latias and maybe even Bianca…" She shifted slightly, turning away from Ash, "I guess I really am late to the punch." She said as Ash pondered how he would respond.

Twisting his cap, Ash found his words, "Hmm… You don't have to be late, you know?" Ash asked as Misty looked over at him in disbelief when another wave crashed into the shore, but he continued, "I've been all over the place. I've seen many different cultures, legends, and some of the strangest things of all time." Ash said, trying to pick and choose what he needed to say.

Ash grinned, "I'm not even really done with my adventures… There's always more to do. Being a champion just allots you a few more privileges I guess." Ash was taking advantage of all the things he was being sent. So many people seemed to really want to work with him and he was all for it.

Misty was in awe of that neverending optimism, he really had held her interest after all these years. Still, as much as she admired him. Could she really get in the way of Latias or Bianca? Just wouldn't feel right to try and step up after denying herself that ability for all these years. Because she had that opportunity and wasted it.

Even though Brock had done this for her. Did she really have any right to keep this going? Just what did all this mean?

"Ash… What are you saying?" She asked, trying to gauge what he was going for here.

Ash smirked, giving her a thumbs up, "I'm saying that you might not be alone in this."

Misty clenched her hands, "No! Ash, what does all that stuff about continuing an adventure and being a champion have to do with us talking right now?" She questioned him as Ash scratched his chin.

Ash started to laugh as Misty blushed awkwardly, 'I really picked some weird guy to love, huh?' She thought, trying to avoid his gaze.

Ash grinned, "You don't get it? Well, alright." He crossed his arms and decided to explain himself, "I've traveled far and wide to become what I consider a Pokemon Master. I still haven't done that yet." Ash finished as Misty's eyes focused on him again, "I want to keep going a while and this is one stop on the journey. I am quite infatuated with Latias." His grin became less pronounced.

"Then I kinda ended up liking Bianca too. It wasn't planned. Now I feel like… Huh… It's not like my heart can't be big enough for both of them, right?" He asked Misty who seemed to understand what this could be about, "I've known you for a long time too. I'm no clown, I figured I could probably learn to juggle though. Not to mention that Latias would probably be okay with it." Ash finished, doing an exaggerated miming of a clown.

Misty started giggling of her own accord, "That's not endearing, what a weird analogy, but it does sound exactly like a thing you would say." She said as Ash shrugged.

"It was mostly on the spot." He admitted, "But I wanted to communicate how I felt. I thought it was the best way to go." Ash said as he added, "My whole deal right now is that I don't know if Latias wants to leave Altomare. Of course I'd never make her leave if she didn't want to and that applies to Bianca too." Ash said, trying to think of anything else he'd like to add.

Misty opened her mouth, but Ash finally figured that out too, "Once I'm done traveling, I'd still come back for both of them if it didn't work out. Altomare is a nice place and I wouldn't mind living here." Ash said as Misty arched an eye, "But I really hope they decide to come with me and maybe if you want… We could travel all together." Ash said, not sure if those words were correct objectively, but hoping he got his point across.

Misty was flabbergasted to say the least. He'd really put a lot of thought into the future. Like he already had an idea of what would work out and how he would go about it. She was also impressed. It made her know what she wanted to say just as much. Another wave would crash as it brought down the sandy walls holding her heart.

She struggled just a bit to say it and it had weighed Misty down for so wearily long, "I- I love you, Ash. I have for a while. E- Even when you kept going and left me behind." She said, wavering slightly, thinking about how similar it must've been for Latias and Bianca, "I just couldn't stop thinking about us. All the times we shared and traveled. I remember wanting to say it all the way back when I saved your life…" The memories of the incident with Lugia had been a torturous one for her. Trying to desperately hope and pray that his eyes would open one more time. She was making up for that time. Right here and right now.

Ash's mouth gaped in surprise, 'Even back then… How was I so dense?' Would he even be here now had she confessed back then? Likely not. Would he have stayed by her side through thick and thin? Absolutely with no questions asked.

Misty gazed at him as she continued, walking toward him, "I don't know how much more I can take." She closed the gap, hugging him close, "I want to hear if you have anything to say." Misty said, looking up as she felt his arm tighten around her, holding onto her as they stood on the beach.

Ash looked down into her eyes and couldn't deny that there was indeed a spark there, 'I'm damn near hopeless, aren't I?' He thought, gulping in apprehension.

But as another wave crashed against the shore, he leaned down. Closing what little distance there was and kissed her.

Pikachu perked up, "That's my trainer!" He shouted, high fiving Togetic who was equally happy for Misty. In fact, Togetic was digging through Misty's bag as he began to glow before Pikachu's eyes. The bag popped off Togetic's head as he revealed a Shiny Stone being held in his arms. The electric mouse was stunned and even tears began to fill his eyes as Togetic's form began to shift.

'I'm even smaller now…' Pikachu sighed in resignation as the glow caught Misty and Ash's attention, making them part to look as Togetic became Togekiss in that moment.

It let out a happy chirping sound and flew around the beachside really quickly. It ended up right next to both Ash and Misty. Floating around them almost like it was congratulating the two. Ash chuckled at Togekiss's antics and looked back at Misty who seemed to be over the moon herself.

~Latias Tours~

In Altomare, we have our group traveling through the inner city. Latias had led the charge describing several places and speaking through their minds.

'I love how we can just speak through our minds.' Lucy said as Brock nodded.

'It makes things simple enough. Not to mention how awesome it would be to have this ability when you were in trouble.' Brock echoed through everyone's minds.

For Brock, this was a simple ability to learn because he had been around Ash so long that perhaps it just rubbed off on him. Meeting pseudo god's would do that to people.

Bianca smiled, 'Some people take a while to learn things like this. I'm glad it comes so easy to you both.' Brock and Lucy took the compliment in stride.

Latias was impressed by their ability and was starting to have fun herself, 'I'm just glad to be able to share this with other people.' Latias knew that her fun loving self would show up, given enough time even though she'd rather spend more time with Ash.

She'd have to let bygones be just that. Turning to point the group in another direction that they followed eagerly. Lianca would wave her arms, describing the statues while other people would look at them in confusion. Lucy stepped up to an ice cream booth they had just found and offered to pay for the cone much to Lianca's endearment. Several children were playing frisbee in the square where the water pump resided. Time was passing by as the fun romp around the city continued and pretty soon they'd realize.

Bianca, looking at her phone, would point it out, "It's almost time. I guess we should probably start heading back." She said as Latias eagerly agreed.

Brock was gripping his backpack tightly, 'I hope we bought enough time.' He thought to himself as Latias looked at him with curiosity.

Lucy gave a nod toward Bianca as she finished up her ice cream, "That sounds like a wonderful idea. Thanks for taking us on this tour." Bianca grinned.

"Our town's splendor really has no comparison." Bianca turned to Latias who nodded with a smile of her own, "Besides, you two were a joy to be around." She finished as Brock sighed.

"Glad we weren't a bore. I'd say that by the time we get back, the first round will be getting started." Again, he hoped that this much time would get everything out in the open. He wouldn't have any idea just how right he'd end up being.

~Latios and Lorenzo~

Latios was having a dream, a desolate one. He felt an irrational anger followed by a subdued ache. Something was going horribly wrong right now, but he had no idea just what it was. Outside this dreary place, Lorenzo watched Latios's ears twitch.

"Something must be getting to him, but what exactly?" Lorenzo tried petting him to soothe this, but then he felt the light pelt on the dragon beginning to bristle.

Lorenzo sighed, 'Maybe I should just wake him up?' But even as the older man shook the blue jet, it didn't wake him. He just continued to struggle.

Latios's eyes shot open, but they glowed white as Lorenzo was caught up in the unconscious Sight Sharing happening right now. Lorenzo saw an unrelenting black void, but nothing else. Then a copy of Latios materialized from inky darkness.

"You are worthless… The worst sister that any brother could ever hope to have." He said as Lorenzo's eyes widened.

'What is happening? Latios?!" He questioned, but of course an image could never reply to the old man.

From the other side, Latias was experiencing this. A beginning to her torturous existence. She was crying as visions continued to torment her. Dark electric sparks shot up Latias's sides and different people or Pokemon would visit her only to degrade her.

"You torment me on a daily basis for your sick pleasure. I've always hated you." Latios said, making sure to give a vile look of contempt. Latias shifted backward as pain broke her sight sharing. Latios saw glimpses of a familiar inlet and a horrible scene, but it ended abruptly. Latios woke up immediately, breathing heavily as panic set in.

Lorenzo wasn't sure what was going on, but he at the very least knew that everything he had seen was actually happening. Latios flew up, trying to gauge where that sight share had come from. He only remembered a void. No backgrounds that looked familiar. Latios cursed himself for daring to rest when he should've been watching over her.

"Latios, do you have any idea what that was about?" Lorenzo asked as Latios struggled to think, squinting his eyes and still coming up with nothing.

He let out a saddened coo, feeling a new amount of stress he hadn't before. Latios hated doing this, but he needed to go undercover. Thus, his body began to shapeshift. He took on a slender form with blue hair that spiked up and red eyes. His skin was a lighter tone with a slight tan. Latios had finally decided to bust out his human form. His clothing resembled that of what you might imagine a male Bianca. Except with blue jeans and a pair of sneakers. His gaze was cold as he walked past Lorenzo.

The older man rubbed his mustache, "Well, this is a new one… Where are you going?" He asked as Latios shifted his gaze to him.

'To find my sister.' He then left Lorenzo as he teleported toward the south side of the garden. Leaving the safety of the Secret Garden to do some investigation.

~End of Chapter~

Legacy of Time: Hey there! Fancy seeing all of you down here! Well, while you are. Please take the time to review and tell me your thoughts! I'd love to hear them! Until next time!