Pre-CHapter notes: Updated to be less garbage. Apologies for those hoping for a new chapter, I've just been face with the realization I'm really not all that good at this.

The room fell into an awkward silence as the door closed behind the trio, the only sounds coming from the occasional sips from cups. Not even the more conversational amongst them uttered a word, seeming to prefer concentrating on their drinks, except Sophocles, who tinkered with a device in his hand. What purpose it served, one could only guess.

Mallow tapped her foot on the ground, being mindful not to step on Steenee. Feeling someone stare at her, she turned until she noticed Lana attempting to get her attention. Furling her eyebrows, she watched as her friend twitched her head to her side, and so Mallow leaned forward and peeked past Lana's head. She winced at the sight of Lillie staring glumly out the window, knowing all too well what brought the girl into such a mood. Exchanging glances with Lana, Mallow cleared her throat before tentatively asking, "So, Lillie…How's the tea?"

Immediately, Mallow wanted to facepalm. Why did I have to ask it like that? I sound so stupid. She could see Lana and Sophocles cringe, while Kiawe's eyebrow raised, mouth dropping into an O. Their host glanced at her with an expression that she assumed to be one of amusement, however, this did nothing to make her feel less ridiculous. Lillie turned away from the window, looking confused as she responded, "…The tea…?" She sounded as though Mallow had gone mad, although her face was only that of polite bewilderment.

Again, this did nothing for Mallow's nerves.

Trying again, she pressed on more confidently, "You know…the tea. What uhh…what do you think of…Alto Mare tea compared to Alolan variants?" That was hardly better, she mentally chided herself as Lorenzo chuckled. "Just Johto tea, my dear," he replied, swirling his tea around. "We import many things from the mainland, such as timber, certain medicinal herbs that don't grow too well out here, and of course, the tea. Although this particular tea might be from Kanto," he added as an afterthought. "I'll have to ask Bianca when she returns; my tastebuds aren't what they used to be."

As the class nodded thoughtfully, Lillie drank from her cup before slowly setting it down. "Well," she began, no longer looking upset as she considered the question, "It doesn't taste as fruity as the tea Hobbes serves, but it's still sweet." Lorenzo smiled and nodded, "Ah, so likely from Kanto. Tea from Johto doesn't have as much sugar and tastes a little earthy. Plus, they don't add certain things to their varieties like Kanto. Or Galar, for that matter." He shuddered as he uttered that, looking haunted as he frowned. Lillie tilted her head as she stared at him, asking curiously, "Galar? What's that?"

Kukui sounded almost excited as he suddenly replied, "Galar is a region quite far from here, being decently up north from the region Kalos and…I think it's called Paldea? Anyway, regarding their tea, I haven't had the opportunity to try it." Lorenzo stared at him hard then, sounding very serious as he replied, "And I suggest you keep it that way, if you know what's good for you." Mallow jumped as Rotom unexpectedly butted in, "I must record this!" Rotom's screen turned from a face to some form of diagram with teacups as the machine whirred, "Johto and Kanto tea differs from Alolan tea by not being as fruity, and Kanto tea differs from Johto tea by being sweeter." Their host nodded in confirmation as Rotom stored the data before the Dex inquired further. "And Galar tea is different by….What are the differences between Galar tea and others?" Mallow watched as Lorenzo scowled and replied, "We don't talk about Galar here, machine, and we especially don't talk about that abomination they call a beverage."

Sophocles asked in a baffled tone, "Is it really that bad?"

"Worse," the older man replied, closing his eyes a moment before opening them again. "Why they would make something like that… it's horrendous."

Rotom hovered in the air, a circle turning round and round as the Dex struggled to record the data of tea with such a small description. Mallow was wondering what people in the Galar region added to their tea, but before she could gather the words to ask, Lorenzo cleared his throat and waved his hand.

"So why don't you tell me more about yourselves, hm? I'm curious as to whom Ash calls his friends," the man huffed from his chair, looking over them with a curious eye. Mallow noted everyone looking around, seemingly unsure who would speak up first. Screw it, she thought before clearing her throat. "Well, my name's Mallow. I help run a restaurant over in Alola with my dad, at least when I'm not in school." She chuckled nervously as she rested her hand on her partner's head. "This is Steenee, my Pokémon. She's a great help to us at the restaurant. I don't think we'd be where we are if it weren't for her," Mallow grinned as she said this, watching Steenee brighten up and twirl, releasing a pleasant aroma.

Lorenzo inhaled and nodded before chuckling. "Well, it is quite a pleasure to meet you, miss, and little Steenee. You both must be hard workers; I take it you will inherit your restaurant one day?"

Mallow nodded and smiled as she replied, "I very much hope so. Nothing could make me happier than making the most delicious dishes in Alola, with Steenee right there with me." The man smiled fondly as he responded, "That sounds like a wonderful goal to have. I'm sure you already make delicious meals. If I wasn't so old, I think I'd take a trip down to Alola and try that restaurant out for myself!" Mallow ducked her head, embarrassed. Before she could reassure him that it wasn't a problem, Lillie tilted her head to the side as she replied to the man, "I don't think you look that old at all, mister."

Lorenzo laughed at this as he set his cup down, eyes glinting in amusement. "I appreciate that my girl, but I promise I'm not the man I once was. Stress is a fast way to age prematurely, let me tell you." Professor Kukui leaned forward and spoke in a low voice. "Stress? Is there anything we can do to help, then? Perhaps-"

He was cut off as Lorenzo shook his head, shooting him a warm look as he shakily stood up. "I see that young Ash continues to surround himself with kind people. I'm glad he hasn't changed in that regard." Mallow looked down at Steenee as she rubbed the back of her neck. Then, glancing up again, she noticed Kiawe crossing his arms and looking around, pursing his lips. She had to repress a snort at the sight; if she had to guess, the fiery trainer was stopping himself from commenting. What's wrong, Kiawe? Mad that Ash is getting recognition? she thought as the teen drummed his fingers against his biceps.

She pushed her amusement aside as Lorenzo continued speaking from his kitchen. "I've seen youngsters like you and him…young folk that get involved with the wrong crowds. Sometimes it's accidental, sometimes not. You'd be amazed how many get pulled into gangs out of curiosity, only to find themselves neck-deep in all sorts of trouble. Of course, there's always the ones that are doing it for the money, mostly for selfish reasons. And some…." His voice gained a hard edge as he growled, "Some are cruel and ambitious, jumping at the chance to seize whatever power they think they can get their hands on, even if…." He shook his head and sighed before facing them with a small smile. "Well, never mind that. But it's quite nice to see outsiders with good hearts. Not to say the tourists we've had are bad people, mind you, but others…. Well, that's not for me to say, unfortunately."

Sophocles raised an eyebrow and put a finger under his chin. "So, is there someone we can ask? Ow!" He flinched as Kiawe jabbed him with an elbow, rubbing his side as he glared at the taller boy, who merely frowned at him disapprovingly. Sophocles exclaimed in a whiny tone, "What was that for, huh?" Kiawe hissed back heatedly, "Don't be rude! He just said it wasn't for him to say. That doesn't mean we-"

"Boys!" Kukui interrupted, making the two jump in their seats. "Please, let's not start that now. I don't think our host would think too kindly of Marowak leaving his Poké ball and wrecking the place over you two arguing."

That shut them both up, the two looking sheepish as they reluctantly nodded. Satisfied, Kukui turned to Lorenzo and bowed his head slightly as he sighed. "I apologize for my students, sir, I-"

The older gentleman shook his head as he waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, don't worry about it. I was rather expecting someone to ask questions. Teenagers are naturally curious, after all. How do you think we became familiar with Ash? Saw someone in need and butted in without being asked." The class collectively snorted, thinking that sounded exactly like their friend. Mallow shook her head as she remembered that same curiosity getting the trainer trampled by several Taurus. I still have no idea how he didn't get any broken bones from being stampeded, she pondered as she chewed her lip. She looked up as Lorenzo continued. "In doing so, he saved a close friend of the family."

As the class stared at him curiously, he chuckled with a shake of his head. "Ah, I guess I really am getting old. I take it he hasn't told you about that particular event?" He looked satisfied as everyone responded in the negative, squinting as he continued. "Well, I'm glad he kept that adventure to himself. I'll ask that you not question him about it. The less you know, the better off you are. Trust me on that. Oh, and please don't ask La-er, the ladies." Lorenzo frowned as he corrected himself, leaving Mallow squinting at him. What was he about to say? La…. Her train of thought derailed as Kiawe bared his teeth in a grin, standing up to exclaim, "You can count on us, sir! We'll ensure none of them will ever know we had this conversation we didn't have!"

Mallow screwed up her face as she stared at him, trying to unravel that mess of a statement. Sadly, she failed, and promptly decided to give up. The rest of her classmates were also staring at him oddly, while the two professors were smiling fondly, if not a touch confused about his phrasing. Finally, Lana wryly remarked with a raised eyebrow, "I can't tell if Ash or Sophocles is rubbing off on you more, Kiawe." Lille sighed in agreement and added, "I agree, that was…. Well, it doesn't matter. I do understand what you are trying to say, however, and I concur. I will also stay silent on the matter, sir; it's the least I can do after such wonderful hospitality."

Her promise was shortly followed by murmuring consent from the class, prompting Lorenzo to smile warmly. Then, nodding in thanks, he slowly hobbled back into the living room and sat down with a quiet wheeze. "While the irony of asking you to curb your inquiries is not lost on me, I do appreciate your silence on this."

Lillie raised her hand carefully, catching the older man's gaze. Chuckling, he nodded to her, saying, "No need for that here, young lady. You're free to talk as you like. So long as you aren't interrupting anyone, that is. Now, what can I do for you?"

She smiled slightly at his response, lowering her hand as she questioned, "Um, sir, if you don't mind me asking…." He waved his hand for her to continue, and she gathered her courage and pressed on, "It almost sounded as though you…as though you were about to say a name. Is there another girl…another person that we haven't met?" Lorenzo pursed his lips as though considering the question. The class waited with bated breath as they waited for a response while Lillie shrunk into her seat. Finally, Lorenzo coughed into his fist and tapped his foot on the ground before carefully replying, "Right, ah…. I do apologize for that, my dear. I daresay I've been distracted as of late, and it has been of considerable detriment to my conversing skills. That said, I ask that you leave it be, my dear. Another topic that isn't my place to discuss, I'm afraid."

While his tone was light, Mallow could pick up an undertone of insistence, which piqued her curiosity further. He sounded pretty serious about whatever it was he was hiding. Could La-whatever be the name of the girl at the docks?

Well, the pink-haired one, that is. We obviously already know Tia's name…although "Tia" sounds more like a nickname. Still, not easy to go from "La" to "Tia". But, wait...didn't the girl call Tia "Lati" or something? Should I ask him…? No, not worth it, I think. Besides, he pretty much told us to shut it.

As she internally monologued, Lorenzo clapped his hands together and exclaimed jovially, "Well, I suppose that's enough of that. I still haven't heard about the rest of you." Before anyone could speak up, Professor Kukui cleared his throat and stood, looking apologetically at the elder. "I need to clear my head for a few moments. Do you mind if…?"

Lorenzo looked startled before nodding. "Certainly, certainly. Take as much time as you need."

Kukui thanked him before turning to his wife and muttering, "I'll be back shortly. Do you mind keeping an eye on these guys for a moment, please?" Burnet smiled as she turned her head to glance around the class and responded with a wink, "You don't even have to ask, Professor. These kids are in safe hands!" She ignored Kiawe's dry remark of "We're at least seventeen" and shooed her husband out with her hands. Mallow watched as he walked out before turning to Lorenzo as he squinted thoughtfully, scratching his chin. "Now, eh…let's see, where were we?"

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Professor Kukui took a deep breath as he stepped out of the house, furrowing his eyebrows as he mulled over what was said…or rather, what was almost said.

As subtle as it was to begin with, Lorenzo had made a blunder, although Kukui could not yet decide how big of an error it was. He could easily brush it aside, being no stranger to slips of the tongue. However, this was not taking into consideration the older gentleman's tone, something he didn't particularly like directed at his students…usually. Nevertheless, he was willing to let this slide, given it was a matter of keeping something secret, although what that could be remained to be seen. It might have been something revolving around the pink-haired girl, but if so…

"…Then why?" he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. Did the girl not want her name given away freely? A breeze made his coat flutter as he weighed the options before him. If Lorenzo was indeed referring to the currently unnamed girl, then it was possible this was a Masked Royal-type situation, in which case he could understand the secrecy. The girl could be a local celebrity, perhaps, and wore a disguise while doing…whatever it is that she does. She wore casual clothes when they met, giving nothing away regarding her specific talent. This meant she could be anything from a trainer to a performer. A coordinator, perhaps.

However, while doing his homework before the trip, he did not come across any mention of the sort. Alto Mare was very much an active and lively city and took every opportunity to celebrate anything remotely romantic, but they did not seem to see fit to list any person of interest.

So maybe she was a performer, just not a well-known one. Did she sing, perhaps? Or did she prefer dancing?

He sighed as he began to pace, starting to dislike the contradictions he was giving himself. He also did not know why he felt so driven to find the answers. Truthfully, this felt like a breach of privacy in a way. He wouldn't blame anyone for calling him paranoid; the girls and Lorenzo seemed safe enough, if not a bit eccentric, so it wasn't as though his class was in any danger-

"-I'd sterilize your entire bloodline, Ice-cream boy-"

Kukui abruptly stopped in his tracks, wondering how he could have forgotten such an exclamation. Or rather, a threat. No point in watering it down, He thought grimly as he cast a glance back at the house, feeling worry for his student bubble to the surface. Even disregarding that the threat was a strange one, Kukui couldn't fathom how she seemed to know Kiawe. They hadn't even introduced themselves to her, much less talked about their hobbies. And yet, she knew enough about the ice cream and the farm from which he obtained its ingredients.

Kukui draped a hand over his mouth as he stared at the sky, his mind going on overdrive. He didn't recall having met her before, nor had Kiawe if his lack of recognition was to be judged accurate. Of course, it was possible that through sheer luck, word of mouth had been passed about Kiawe's farm had been passed on all the way to Alto Mare, but he very much doubted this. It was simply too improbable. So who was she, and why did she know about Kiawe? Did she know about the rest of them, too? How much did she know about them? Did she spy on them without anyone noticing before disappearing again, as she did at the docks?

He snorted dryly as he recalled Sophocles' assertion that she was a Pokémon; perhaps that was worth looking into. Although what Pokémon she could be was a whole new question. Gardevoir, perhaps? The psychic abilities would certainly be enough to glean that sort of information. Plus, Gardevoir can learn the move Teleport, which covered the vanishing act. The only problem is that I don't know a Gardevoir alive capable of disguising themselves as a human, he thought with a tap of his foot.

Ditto, then? They can transform into any Pokémon or human they see. But that wouldn't work, either. Ditto can only use the moves of Pokémon they transform into, and humans can't learn Teleport. While that wouldn't be a problem when spying, she would have had to transform in front of us, which she didn't. So, back to square one.

Being struck by an idea, Kukui pulled out his phone and scrolled through the screens until he found what he was looking for. He tapped the Pokédex application before staring at the entries before him. He had no idea how to go about this, unless….

Adjusting his glasses, Kukui tapped the "Sort by" and read through the options before selecting "Abilities". He then scrolled down to the I's and nodded in satisfaction as he tapped "Illusion". The entries for Zorua and Zoroark were brought up, the only two amongst- wait, four? Tapping on Zoroark, he noticed a crude drawing of what looked like a Zoroark, only this one had long white hair with red ends. Scrunching his eyebrows, he peered at the peculiar variant; it was something he had never seen before, much less heard of. He selected the variant, only to find the word "Unconfirmed" in parenthesis beside the species name. Staring at the oddity, he made a mental note to bring it up to Burnet later. He backtracked out of the variant's entry and selected the one depicting the much more well-known Zoroark. He read the descriptions written by various professors, short entries submitted by his colleagues from their own studies on the illusive Pokémon. A few stuck out to him, particularly one recently written, as indicated by its date.

"Stories say those who tried to catch Zoroark were trapped in an illusion and punished."

"Well, that would certainly back up her willingness to threaten Kiawe," he muttered as he pondered the entry. Of course, it didn't explain how she'd accomplish the task, but it wouldn't be out of the question to assume it would be an excruciating process.

Kukui winced at the thought before reconsidering the Zoroark theory. He quickly scrolled down to the move pool, nodding slowly as he confirmed something he should have known right off the bat. Zoroark could not learn Teleport, nor could its pre-evolved form, Zorua. Sighing, he backed out of its entry and each menu until he was looking at the entire Dex again. Biting his lower lip, he selected "Sort by" and tapped "Move set". He quickly found and inputted "Teleport" and began to look through the remaining entries.

His eye twitched as he sighed once more. Each Pokémon seemed to be a more unlikely match than the next, a headache forming as he scrolled down. A Magneton? Seriously? Shaking his head, Kukui couldn't help but feel at a loss. Out of all the Pokémon on the list, Zoroark seemed to be the only logical option. It was certainly possible she cast some form of illusion to make herself invisible and look like she Teleported, but this somehow didn't click as he had hoped. Something is missing, or I'm not taking everything into consideration. Or both. He concentrated on recalling her mannerisms, how her sky-blue eyes flashed as they narrowed-

Kukui paused as her appearance flashed to the forefront of his mind; long pink hair, sky-blue eyes…why did that seem so familiar? He thumped his head as the description swirled around his head, feeling as though the answer was just out of reach. Pink hair, blue eyes, teleporting, probably psychic abilities on top of it-

Out of nowhere, a sense of dread crept up his body, making him freeze. His hand tightened around his phone as the hair stood up on the back of his neck, and he instinctively checked his surroundings.

No one there….

Despite the odd feeling of danger, there was no one around the area, save for a lone Skiploom peering at him from a nearby balcony. Blinking at the odd sight, Kukui did his best to push down his unease and gave the Pokémon a weak smile before looking back down at his phone.

It didn't feel like a coincidence that the anxiety came on during his ponderings of the strange girl, as illogical as it sounded, which only begged the question of why.

If thinking about the strange girl caused that, then it's no wonder Lorenzo seemed so adamant about not talking about her, he thought with a small tinge of humor.

"Actually, it was more for the two other girls, wasn't it," he pondered, torn between the possibilities. "Then again, it might just be about her after all, in which case…I'm back at square one."

It was truly a brain-scratcher, and he hadn't even begun to think about Tia and what kind of Pokémon she might be, if at all. On top of that, there really weren't any solid indications of her identity, other than-

"See you in a few hours, Lati, and don't forget to get ready for tonight."

The train of thought almost derailed as he turned and faced the direction his student and old friends had gone.

"Lati…"

The name, if it was one, seemed to strike a chord within him, luckily one that wasn't like the dread from before. Kukui took off his glasses, pulling out a cleaning wipe from inside a pocket, feeling a tinge of annoyance as a brochure was pulled along with it and fell to the ground. How would one get "Tia" from "Lati"? Was "Lati" short for something, too? He would have expected something like "Tiana", or "Kristia". Not particularly common names, but both might have fit.

Something like "Lati", however? Doesn't really fit too well, me thinks.

Reaching down, he picked up the brochure and dispassionately stared at the cover, stuffing his phone back in his pocket as he muttered, "Lati…. Lati, Lati…. Why does that sound so familiar? It feels like I know that from somewhere. Lati, Lati…."

He flipped the front open, only half reading the brochure as he tried to jog his memory. "Welcome to Alto Mare!" was printed in large, friendly letters before making way for various descriptions and photographs of what one could expect during their visit. Whoever wrote this didn't seem very enthusiastic about the job, I'll say.

"Tia, Lati. Lati, Tia…" Kukui trailed off as the name tickled at his brain, narrowing his eyes in concentration. "Lati, Tia. Lati…ia? Latia?"

Definitely familiar. His eyes were then drawn to a picture on the next page, a rough photo of the pillars that stood guard over the city. Trailing his eyes to their tops, he focused on one pillar in particular, bringing the brochure closer to his face as he made out the statue that stood atop the structure.

"Lati…Latia…."

He dropped the brochure, his hands frozen in place as it finally clicked. "Latias…."

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The feelings of prickles were really starting to get under Latias' feathers, and she had no idea what was causing it.

The trio had departed from the house a few minutes prior, and she had been enjoying the sight of Ash and Pikachu looking around at her city. The dragoness was practically itching to give them an aerial view, but that would mean leaving her best friend behind on the ground, and she wasn't that mean. She settled for hovering alongside Ash and grasping his hand with her claws once more, and that was when she had felt it…. That strange, uncomfortable prickling sensation that worked itself down from her snout to her tail fins, and then right back up again. Tearing her gaze from the boy beside her, she looked around to see if anyone was watching them, but…there was no one. At least, no one was staring at them, or her for that matter. The few that looked their way merely smiled and waved, to which she responded with a weak wave and a strained smile. She tensed up as she stopped in her tracks, letting Ash's hand fall out of her grip as she tried to identify the source.

Then just as suddenly as it appeared, the prickling vanished. Wait, it…stopped, she thought with a frown, before she realized that wasn't quite accurate. No, not stopped. It merely…dialed back. This did little to ease her, although at least-

"Hey, why'd you stop?" Bianca's voice made her twitch in surprise, and she turned to see her friend and Ash staring at her with furrowed eyebrows, while Pikachu had his head cocked to this side, one ear pressed flat against his head. Latias gave one last glance around them once before shrugging and floating to their side. "Sorry, I just…. Well, I'm not sure. I thought I felt something, but it was probably just nothing…I hope."

Bianca leaned in closer as she whispered, "You don't think we're being followed, do you?"

Latias hesitated, before replying in the negative. "No, it doesn't feel like it. It's more- uh, how do I explain? It doesn't feel hostile, just weird."

Her friend relaxed as she straightened up, before taking off her beret and quickly thrusting it at Ash as she muttered, "Hold this, please." Although startled, the trainer nonetheless complied, looking nonplussed as Bianca raked her fingers through her hair. They both watched as she brushed loose strands behind her ear and gave her head a light shake, before reaching out and snagging her beret away from Ash.

She hummed as she placed it on her head and carefully adjusted it, exclaiming with a small smile, "Much better!" Ash suddenly let out a snicker, before clutching his sides in hysterical laughter. Pikachu hung onto his trainer's clothes and grumbled at his shaking perch. Latias bit her lip nervously as she glanced at Bianca, already guessing at how she would react and preparing to step in to prevent Ash from catching Bianca's shoe with his face.

However, to her surprise, she wasn't temperamental in the slightest. Rather, she flinched as though struck, a look akin to a mixture of confusion and hurt flashing over her face. It was gone as quickly as it appeared, being replaced with narrowed eyes as she snapped, "Something funny, Mister?"

Latias frowned at her friend, filing away the uncharacteristically toned-down reaction before turning to Ash as he gradually recovered, shaking his head as he stood up straight. "Kind of…. I was just reminded of something a friend of mine did, back in Sinnoh." She saw Pikachu's eyes fly open, before covering his mouth and snickering. Latias cocked her head at that, then looked to Bianca as she stared at Ash, sounding unimpressed as she replied, "And? What of it?"

Ash brushed a finger under his nose, looking unperturbed at her tone. "Dawn did that a few times, where she'd mess with her hair, only for it to look exactly the same, heheh. She got mad when I pointed it out, which was weird."

Her friend bristled and muttered, "Yeah, so weird," before puffing out her cheeks as she turned and marched away. Ash and Latias watched before he looked at her, appearing confused. "What's the big deal? It does look the same."

She laughed softly as Pikachu facepalmed, muttering an irritable "Idiot" under his breath. She grasped his wrist and dragged him after Bianca as she stomped toward the direction of the Garden, ignoring his confused protests.

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"Woah," Ash muttered as he looked around at the Garden with his mouth wide open, taking in the greenery and aroma of the plant life. He heard the chittering of small Pokémon as they raced through the brush and up trees, and the cries of Swellow as they flew overhead.

As he took a few steps further into the Garden, a few of the Pokémon turned to look his way, and he noticed a couple of them were Pokémon he had never seen before. The trainer immediately rushed forward and peered closer, startling much of the Pokémon. Fortunately for him, the unknown Pokemon didn't become hostile, and seemed to be every bit as curious as he was and held their ground.

Excitement filled his chest as he took in their appearances. The one closest to him was a short, pink figure that appeared to be wearing a large hat, wiggling its tiny arms at him as he inspected it. The other unidentified Pokémon hung from a tree, looking like a ball of string with legs, waving the front limbs as if in a warning. Ash took a few steps back while gushing, "Wow, I've never seen Pokémon like you before! Where are you from?"

Behind him, Latias giggled as he heard what sounded like a face-palm from Bianca as she muttered, "Unless you're some kind of telepath and didn't tell m- us, you won't be able to understand anything they're saying, you know." He looked over his shoulder at her and grinned, replying with a shrug, "Yeah, but it's always nice to ask them. Plus, I've been through a lot of regions, but none of them have these guys. I think."

Latias' form sparkled and vanished, revealing her natural sleek shape as she came up to his side and tilted her head as she looked at him with soft eyes, "These two actually came from a trainer from far away, who was trying to find a good home for them. He said something about leaving them alone with a Ditto for too long…."

Bianca snickered as she walked up to his other side, placing a hand on her hip as she smiled at the two of them. "Yeah, that was…interesting, to say the least. But as Latias said, they hatched from eggs right here in the Garden. The trainer gave them away for a very reasonable price. He said the only reason why he wasn't giving them to us for free was so he had extra money to take care of his current Pokémon. That was no issue to me or Granddad, given our business, so we adopted the eggs and took care of them until they hatched."

"That one there is what he called 'Tarountula'," she said as she pointed at the legged ball of string, the now identified Tarountula giving one last warning with its legs before pulling itself up its line of silk and vanishing into the tree. Ash smiled as he waved back at it, "Bye, Tarountula! I hope you've been having lots of fun in the Garden!" Pikachu did the same, giving the departing arachnid a single wave of his tail. Bianca merely shook her head, muttering under her breath, "Boys…. Anyway," she uttered in a louder tone, ignoring his indignant look as she gestured to the pink Pokémon as it spun around under their gazes. "This one here is Hattrem. She's cute right now, but her trainer warned us about one of her evolution stages. Said she would get very…uh, 'temperamental', was the word he used."

Ash nodded as an image of Charizard flashed in his mind, shivering at the memories of the many flamethrowers he received from the stubborn fire type. "Yeah, I've had a couple of Pokémon like that…." Pikachu rubbed his head in embarrassment, looking away as Latias glanced at the yellow mouse. He smiled as he rubbed his cheek with a thumb. "One of them was my Charizard. He wasn't very friendly when he evolved from a Charmander and refused to listen to me for the longest while. I lost a higher spot in the Indigo League because he took a nap in the middle of a match…."

Bianca and Latias shot him looks of sympathy, which changed to surprised expressions as he smiled. "Of course, that was my fault, really. I didn't do much to earn his respect; he thought I was a weak trainer, and I guess he wasn't wrong. It took a lot of time and patience for him to finally respect me enough to listen."

The two girls were staring at him with rapt attention as he talked, while the Hattrem shuffled her feet under his thoughtful gaze. She blinked as he continued his ramblings, "I guess the point I'm trying to make is that not every Pokémon is going to turn out how you want it to the first time. If Hattrem does give you issues after evolving, you will probably have to prove yourself to her."

Bianca snorted as she replied, "Fantastic. I'm not a Pokémon trainer, you know. I wouldn't know the first thing about getting a Pokémon to be obedient. Why do you think Latias is the way she is?" Latias' feathers puffed up as she glared half-heartedly at her friend. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean? I'm perfectly capable of being obedient!"

Ash and Pikachu looked between them as the two girls started to go back and forth, lightly digging at each other.

"You, obedient? Please, Latias, you could be a rock type with your kind of stubbornness."

"That's ridiculous! You've got a lot of nerve calling me stubborn when the only one more difficult than my grump of a brother is you!"

Bianca scoffed as she tapped her foot on the ground. "Bold words, coming from an under-sized airplane." She playfully jabbed a finger in Latias' chest, right above the blue triangle. "Don't forget that it was you that ignored Latios when he told you not to bring anyone outside of myself and Granddad!"

Ash coughed into his fist at that, catching Latias' eyes as she glanced at him before looking away just as quickly.

"That's-! You can't-!" Latias stammered as she looked between Bianca and Ash before pouting, "I wasn't like I was trying to ignore that rule. It was completely impulsive." A bark of laughter was Bianca's response to this as Ash shifted in place, casually whistling to himself. Ignoring this, Bianca kept up the pressure. "'Impulsive', uh-huh. Remind me to use that next time I forget to turn on my brain."

Latias frowned, looking genuinely offended as she cried out, "Hey, that was mean! It's not like you have a problem with Ash, unlike last time! You tried to get Latios to attack him!"

The trainer awkwardly laughed, remembering that incident like it was yesterday. He waved his hands as he tried to reassure Bianca, "That was an accident. It's fine, I promise!" As he set a hand on her shoulder, Bianca whipped her head around to look at the point of contact. She slightly jerked away, cheeks flushing as she met his eyes. Right as Ash started to wonder if he crossed a line, the flustered girl clenched her fists before growling and ripping an Oran berry from a low-hanging branch.

Latias' eyes widened with realization as she warned, "Don't you dare-!" Bianca ignored her, and Ash could only watch as she curled her arm back before whipping it back forward, launching the fruit with remarkable speed. The dragoness immediately threw up a shield in an attempt to halt the projectile in its tracks.

Fortunately, she was swift enough with her Protect to stop the back half of the berry.

Unfortunately, she had materialized the shield through the berry, resulting in its bisection, and could do nothing as the front half tumbled and splattered against her scarlet chest.

The four of them froze in place as the two halves fell to the ground, revealing a large circle of juices that stained her feathers violet. Latias looked down as the juices dripped through her feathers and cried indignantly, "What was that for?!" Bianca crossed her arms and shot back, "You've got a lot of nerve complaining, ya know. How many times have you pelted Latios with berries?"

A voice echoed in Ash's head, responding to her question in an annoyed tone, "More times than I care to count."

He turned and saw a blue and white Pokémon fly between the trees before coming to a stop in front of them, giving Ash a long stare. He gave Latios a grin and spread his arms as he shouted, "Latios! It's been a while! It's me, Ash!" The dragon shook his head, shooting Latias a glance before replying, "Yes, I can see that. Yes, hello to you as well, Pikachu." Latios greeted the mouse as his partner squeaked out a greeting. The boy ignored this however as his mouth opened and closed, before exclaiming in a shocked tone, "Wait, you can talk now!"

The Pokémon gave him a strange look, answering in a baffled tone, "…Yes? You think I'd let my brat of a sister learn to communicate with humans before I did?" Ash stared at him before opening and closing his mouth rapidly.

There was a moment of silence before Bianca slammed her hands to her face, and Pikachu fell face-first to the ground below, not showing any signs of wanting to get up. Ash saw both dragons give him incredulous looks, and he laughed in embarrassment as Bianca dropped her hands to her side and turned away.

Latios took a deep breath before speaking once more, "Well, that being said…. How about we find you a spot somewhere so we can catch up?" His sister brightened up and turned to Ash with sparkling eyes. "That sounds great! And I think I know just the place…."

Author's notes: As I said previously, as I was editing Champion's Reunion, I came to the conclusion that I kinda suck at this writing thing, which put me off my groove. That being said, I'm still moving forward, until all my enem- I mean, all my chapters are written.