I completely forgot to crosspost this chapter from AO3. I deeply apologize. In the meantime, please "enjoy" this utter trash.

"So, how long have you guys been talking?" Ash inquired as he sat on the swing, looking towards Latios and Latias. The twins glanced at each other thoughtfully as they settled onto the grass nearby while Bianca walked over to the tree supporting the swing and leaned against it, crossing her arms as she did.

"Well," Latios slowly began, telepathic voice sounding reserved as he replied. "It was about three years ago, give or take six months. We had heard about some Pokémon being able to talk, but we never had particularly believed it necessary. Until you showed up, that is."

Latias quietly giggled at the expression Ash made then, feeling warmth in her chest as the trainer stared at them with amazement, replying in a surprised tone, "Woah, really? You learned to talk because of me?"

Her brother blinked and responded with a short nod, "In a sense. It wasn't just because of you, but you were a large part of it. The inability to talk to Bianca or Lorenzo and warn them about those two thugs was also a factor. Had we been able to communicate, we could have prevented the whole situation entirely." His voice had taken a hard edge as he talked about the two women that had almost destroyed their home, while Latias merely shuddered, her feathers ruffling slightly.

Ash also looked displeased, muttering thoughtfully, "Annie and Oakley, wasn't it? What happened to them, by the way? I'm trying to remember, but…." He looked down at Pikachu in confusion, missing the looks shared between Latias, her brother, and Bianca. It seems like Mew's memory tampering worked as she said, Latias thought with a flicker of sadness.

Bianca bit her lip before carefully replying, "As far as we understand, they were arrested and taken back to the mainland to be placed in prison. Unfortunately, the police were not at liberty to go into detail beyond that, I'm afraid. Can't tell you how much of a nightmare it was for Granddad to explain what happened in as little detail as possible," she added with an irritated mumble.

Latios snorted in agreement, flicking a blade of grass from his chest as he responded, "And we're grateful to you for it, truly. We've had one scare in our lifetime, and I'd rather avoid another if I can help it."

At that, Latias heard Pikachu mutter, "Best not hang around Ash too long, then. Otherwise, you'll be getting into disasters every other week."

The twins slowly glanced at each other before turning back to Pikachu, Latios cautiously asking him, "What do you mean by that? 'Every other week?' That's not literal, is it?"

Ash cocked his head at the question, while Pikachu merely heaved a sigh and stared at Latios. "It can very much feel like it. One moment we're fending off angry Legendary Pokémon; the next, trying to stop Team Whatever from taking over the world. Honestly, the fact that these situations just happen to fall into our laps is more annoying than actually dealing with them. My trainer is a trouble magnet," the electric type finished with an affectionate glare at Ash, who crossed his arms and looked away.

Bianca glanced between Pikachu and his trainer before questioning the boy with a raised eyebrow, "You look as though you understand what he was saying. Did you learn to pick up Poke-speak during your travels or something?"

The trainer in question turned and grinned, scratching his cheek as he cheerfully replied, "Nope! We've just been traveling together so much that I've picked up on some of the stuff he says. Well, the simple stuff, at least. If I'm not mistaken, he said something about us getting into trouble a lot, and that it's my fault."

To say Latias was impressed would be an understatement; while it wasn't a one-to-one match, the fact that Ash gleaned that much from Pikachu was-

-exciting-

-amazing. Her head started as a tingle shot through her every nerve before vanishing. Latias started to frown, until Latios muttered in a reserved voice, "I see. While I'm impressed that you mostly understood Pikachu, it does concern me that you aren't denying what he said. Do you really get into such predicaments that often?"

Ash squinted as he concentrated, replying in an unsure voice, "Well, we do seem to get into a lotta sticky situations more than everyone else. One happened just before we left on vacation, as a matter of fact. One of the guys at the Aether Foundation went all crazy and used Nebby to summon an Ultra Beast that kidnapped Lillie's mom, so we all had to go to this big stone altar. Nebby turned into a big Pokémon named Solgaleo, and we traveled on Nebby's back to go into another Ultra Wormhole to rescue Lillie's mom from the Ultra Beast!" His voice got progressively louder, growing more and more excited as he spoke.

There were a few moments of silence, broken only by Pikachu face palming. Latias and Latios stared at Ash, who was grinning at what should have been a horrifying experience. One that had occurred very recently, at that. Bianca then asked what had been on both twins' minds; "…What the hell is an Ultra Beast?"

The trainer laughed awkwardly. "Oh, well, an Ultra Beast-"

"-is not something to be trifled with, me thinks," a voice cut off, making everyone jump. There was a rustling of leaves above Ash's head before a shape jumped down and landed on the ground gracefully. The figure brushed leaves off herself before turning and facing the twins with a grin as she spread her arms and exclaimed, "I'm back!"

"Hey, you're the girl from the docks," Ash blurted as he pointed at her as the twins flinched. Latias watched as Mew chewed on something before blowing a pink bubble, grinning as it popped.

"What's up? Talking about cool stuff without me, eh? What have I said about that, Tia? Tio?" Mew chided them, squatting down next to Latios' head and giving him a gentle shove.

He stared at her, unimpressed, and gave a slight growl. "Knock it off, you pest, don't you have things to do? Like, away from here?"

Mew giggled and shook her head, blowing another bubble. "Nope!" The bubble burst as she took a glance around, nodding once she noticed Bianca. "Hey, brat. Tell Tia here not to knock people into the water. It's a real pain having to rearrange their minds, ya know. Can't always be there to cover her tracks."

Latias ducked her head in embarrassment as everyone looked her way. "Sorry about that…." She mumbled, tapping her claws together. A chuckle brought her gaze to Ash, the trainer grinning. "Oh yeah, I kinda forgot about that."

"So did I," she replied, before noticing Latios' silence. She glanced over, only to immediately regret it upon seeing the sheer exasperation on his face…

"Really, sister? I hope you didn't do that while invisible, people might-"

"Yeah, I know, I know. 'People might start asking questions', or whatever…" Latias groaned out. Heaving a breath, she shook her head. "And no, I didn't do it while invisible. I was in my disguise with her," she jerked her head at Mew before continuing, "when I noticed…." She trailed off, embarrassed, sparing Ash another glance before trailing a claw through the glass.

"I see," Latios muttered, turning to stare at the trainer with unreadable eyes.

Ash, oblivious, waved at him, making Mew and Bianca snort. This caught his attention, and he turned to face the disguised feline. "Oh yeah, who are you, by the way? And how'd you just… vanish like that?" Ash questioned Mew with interest.

Before she could reply, Latios groaned and slammed a paw to his face, shaking his head. "Seriously? Do you just go around like a clown, performing magic acts in front of anyone that suits your interest?"

Mew grinned at him as she blew another bubble. "No, but that's an excellent idea. How much money do you think I could get from people by doing that? Probably a lot, I bet. Humans are easily entertained."

The blue dragon slammed his paw on the ground in annoyance. "Not the point! We're trying to keep a low profile here, and you're off doing everything in your power to test fate! Now, how many people saw you disappear?!"

Latias winced at his tone, noticing Bianca grimace as she shook her head. Mew drummed her fingers against her knees, shaking her head as she reached forward and gently cupped Latios' cheek, sounding pouty as she replied, "Now, that isn't nice of you, Tio, you know I'm too careful to let anyone slip by. It was that kind of care that saved your life, wasn't it?"

"Barely," Latios grumbled, jerking away from her hand.

"Ha! But I still did it, grump. And to answer your question, probably like… ten. But it's fine," Mew interjected at the looks of alarm. "I looked into their minds and removed the memory from anyone that saw. I'm special like that," she finished, blowing another bubble.

Ash's eyes widened as he stared at her. "You can do that?! That's amazing!"

The disguised feline laughed and gestured to him as she faced Latios. "You should be more like him! He actually knows how to compliment a lady, and unlike you, doesn't hole himself up in one place for decades at a time."

"I literally have no choice-"

"And to answer your question," she continued, popping a bubble in Ash's direction, "You've met me before. A few times, in fact." She grinned at him expectantly as he gained a contemplative look, ignoring the surprised looks from the Alto Mare natives. Pikachu cocked his head and approached her, sniffing curiously. "That so…." The electric type looked up at Mew in confusion, prompting her to glance down at him with a grin. "Missed you, too, little brat. I'd offer to battle you, but really, I don't want to."

"Battle?" Ash questioned as he glanced her over, albeit with a disappointed face. Latias pushed aside a pang as Mew cheerily continued. "Mhm. Battle. Been a while since I've cut loose…. But I think I've digressed enough, yeah?"

The trainer nodded as he brought his gaze to Mew's face, narrowing his eyes in thought. "Hm…. You don't look familiar…. But you still know who I am…." He cocked his head and scratched it with a finger, confusion clouding his face.

As he sat there thinking, Latias turned to Mew with a frown, feeling annoyance swell up inside of her. "You never told me you've met him before, much less multiple times. When was this?"

Her friend glanced over with piercing blue eyes, replying with a dispassionate voice, "Ooh, let's see…four, five years ago? That was the last time I saw him anyway. Or at least, when he saw me."

In an instant, Latias was in front of Mew with clenched teeth. "Five years?"

"Mmm, yeah, around that, yes," the pink-haired menace replied nonchalantly. While Latias floated there, speechless in her anger, a shocked chirp emanated from Pikachu. "You've got to be kidding me! There's no way you're-"

"That's right," Mew exclaimed as she abruptly plopped herself on the grass, hair splayed out in a fan. "You're a quick thinker, for a Pokemon that isn't a psychic. Then again, between you and your trainer, you've always been the one with the brains," she finished with a snigger, ignoring Latias' small growl at the insult.

Ash's confused face immediately turned into a frown. "Hey, that's not fair! I have plenty of brains!"

"Have you tried using them?" Mew quipped back with a grin, making Latias' feathers ruffle in rising annoyance. Before anyone could reply, Mew suddenly sat up, looking at Ash with an impish face. "Seriously, though. Do you even know why Latias is so happy to see you?"

Latias felt an uncomfortable jolt in her stomach at the question as it hung in the air, slowly turning to face Ash uncertainly. The feeling turned to nervousness as her stomach clenched, making her question why she suddenly wished to be anywhere but here.

He does at least have some idea, right? I know he's a little dense but-

"Well, she's my friend, and I was gone for a while," Ash admitted with a thoughtful look. He turned to Pikachu with a smile. "Right, buddy?"

Latias could only hear the mouse's muttering of "idiot" as she stared down at the grass.

She's my friend.

The trainer and his buddy started jabbing at each other, while Latios and Bianca looked on in bemusement. Despite the conversation getting loud at times, however, all she could hear were those three words.

She's my friend.

She really should have seen this coming. He was in Alto Mare so briefly back then, and had spent a hefty amount of that time with Bianca and Lorenzo before he had to leave. She had but the smallest window to express her affection to him, and she had done so with Bianca's form. Does he think that she's the one who kissed him? What if he likes her more than me?

Her eyes flicked over to her friend, oblivious to her inner turmoil. Did I underestimate her as competition? Is she more of a threat than that Lillie girl?

She was not blind to Biancas's own feelings; every time she brushed against her thoughts, emotions were also there, as easy to see as leaves on a tree. She could see the artist's own affection for the trainer, along with a sense of confusion. But despite that, she had never attempted to make a move on the trainer while he was here, nor even told Latias about what she was feeling. So, Latias never mentioned what she discovered.

But what had been such a small concern was rapidly becoming more and more threatening. What would Bianca do if Ash started seeing her as she sees him?

Vaguely, she was aware of Mew's eyes flicking over to her, face unreadable.

Her feelings of doubt and anxiety turned back to those of annoyance and anger. And her. She never mentioned to me that she had seen him after he left here. Although should I really be surprised?

Mew was not someone who told anyone everything. Rather, she played coy, and only gave out information if it were serious, or she found it to be whimsical.

Which means she didn't think it serious enough to tell Latias about her encounter with Ash. How long was she going to withhold that information?

When are the people closest to me going to start being honest?

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Standing proudly in the ocean sat the gargantuan building of the Aether Foundation.

Despite being so far out to sea, it was still visible to the four islands of Alola, so large was its stature. Such size allowed its workers to care for Pokémon in massive enclosures that may as well have been routes themselves, without the dangers of living in the wild.

It also allowed for the study of Ultra Space and its occupants outside the watchful eyes of the public. The danger of such beings was large enough that it demanded everyone part of the project remain serious and professional at all times. Anyone acting else was intolerable, and would face the possibility of a reprimand from the top of the Aether food chain.

"Wiiiickke! Why did my baby girl have to travel so far away?" The serious and professional Lusamine bemoaned behind her desk. Wicke, her second in command, merely sweat dropped and smiled and what she hoped was a comforting way.

"Er, I'm sure she's fine, President. Lillie's in the very capable hands of her teacher and Professor Burnet, along with her classmates. She has also become a capable trainer in her own right. She can only grow from here."

Lusamine moaned pitifully at her from behind her long blonde hair. "Yes, but she's out on an island so far from the mainland where anything could go wrong!"

Wicke stifled a sigh. "Indeed. I'm sure she would be much safer here, on a manufactured island so far out at sea where anything can go wrong."

The remark earned her a stink-eye as the president sat up in her chair, propping her arms up on her desk and resting her head over her hands. "Oh, hush. Once you have a child of your own, you'll understand."

"What makes you think I'll have the chance to have kids?" Wicke replied with a bemused look, which prompted an expression of disbelief from her boss.

"You're kidding, right? Have you not noticed how some of the employees look at you? Or try not to?" The blonde replied in amusement.

"Ye-yes, but I hardly have the time for-"

"Oh, please," Lusamine dismissed Wicke's stammering with a flick of her fingers. "We both know I'd give you as much time as you needed. You've certainly built up the vacation many times over, you workaholic."

"S-speak for yourself, President, when's the last time you've had a day off?"

As Lusamine opened her mouth to reply, an alarm sounded from the room, blaring a single ane note that made the two women jump. As the women recovered, a hologram appeared over the president's desk, displaying various readings. Wicke almost launched herself behind the desk to get a better view, only for her eyebrows to scrunch together.

"This…isn't an Ultra Wormhole," Wicke muttered in disbelief. The president shook her head as she leaned forward. "No, it isn't. Do we know what it even is?"

Wicke pulled reached over and brought up another display, before bringing up her arm and using her other hand to rapidly type something. "Well, from what I can tell, it's somewhat similar to an Ultra Wormhole. "

A second screen of readings opened up, showing the data from the last incursion and confirming Wicke's statement. "I cannot tell exactly what it is, but it's almost as if-"

"We'll worry about what it is after we get a better view of it, Wicke. Location first, then investigation, then the science," Lusamine interrupted. She swiped the old data away, only to frown.

"Poni island?"

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In the canyons of Poni Island, a visible tremor emanated from a spot just above the ground. A small blue tear etched itself Into the air, only to widen into a hole large enough for-

A shape fell out of it, whimpering as it hit the ground, cradling an arm. The figure looked around, only to start choking and scrabbling at her throat.

The movements startled the Pokémon in the area, leaving them to look on in confusion as the figure fell unconscious. Some of the onlookers exchanged glances before approaching cautiously.

A large thump made them jump, before another thump sounded. The older Pokémon raised their hackles, before stepping away from the fallen form and disappearing into the canyon walls. The younger ones took their cue to leave as the thumps got louder and closer, the only sign of them being the gleaming eyes in the dark.

The thumps grew louder and louder, before stopping altogether as the source arrived at the scene, looking down at the being. The Totem Kommo-o narrowed its eyes at the human, observing her as she took unsteady breaths.

Seeing she wasn't a threat, the Totem Pokémon reached down and carefully picked up the human, hardly feeling her hair as it brushed against its thick scales. Kommo-o snorted, before beginning its trek through the canyons, carrying its cargo away from the eyes and mouths of curious Pokémon.

Author's Note: Chapter 5 is currently being worked on. I give it about a week at most before I post it. I apologize for taking so long with it, I've been busy with 'You're My Inspiration' that this fic completely slipped from my mind. When it eventually slipped back into my mind and I decided to read a bit of it, I cringed so hard that I forgot it existed again.

That being said, moving forward (after chapter 5 at least), I'm hoping the difference in quality will be good enough to be of notice. In the meantime, please leave a review of the worst chapter I've ever uploaded.