"That was pretty fun, huh?" Ash asked, as they arrived back at the Cerise Laboratory. "We got some great new Pokémon, and we got to help with science, too!"

"I'm not… entirely sure you can call that science," Goh replied, looking at the Pokéball with his Arctozolt inside it. "It's certainly something, though."

"Huh?" Ash asked. "Why wouldn't it be science?"

"Well, I'm not saying it's not science," Goh explained. "I'm just… not sure that it is science, either. It seemed like they were sort of guessing."

"Pika-kachuuu, chu," Pikachu volunteered.

"I have no idea what he just said," Chloe admitted. "Do either of you have an idea?"

Goh shook his head.

"He's excited about the new teammate!" Ash explained. "No matter where Dracovish came from, that's the important thing, right?"

"I guess that's a good point," Goh admitted. "You sure have a strong bond with your Pokémon, Ash. Is that why you don't have so many?"

"Uh… I guess a bit," Ash replied. "But it's not something you have to do. You can have a strong bond with some Pokémon and a weak bond with others, right? And that's okay so long as they're happy."

"I just hope Eevee is happy," Chloe said, then Eevee jumped up and gave her a hug that nearly knocked her over. "Oh! Well, thank you, Eevee!"

"Vee-ee-vee!" the Normal-type declared, hugging her.

"Oh, good!" Chloe's father said, opening the door to the lab. "Did it go well?"

"Yes!" Chloe agreed. "We watched some fossil Pokémon get revived, and then Ash and Goh got on really well with them, so they caught them!"

"That's always a good help," Professor Cerise smiled. "To the fossil Pokémon especially, I mean – to have a whole team to help them get used to their new environment. And how did you get on with Eevee?"

He glanced down slightly. "I see she's certainly getting on well with you."

"Yes," Chloe confirmed. "I… think it's working out just fine so far? But I don't want to assume."

"Vee!" Eevee said brightly.

"Well, I'm glad to hear it went well," Professor Cerise said. "Though – Ash, there's a visitor here to speak to you."

"Huh," Ash frowned. "I wonder what that's about…"

He touched the Pokéballs on his belt. "Lucario, Dragonite, you two had better be ready to back up Pikachu if this turns out to be a World Coronation Series battle!"

"It is not," Ash's Rotom Phone denied. "If it was, I would know."

Ash entered the lobby, then blinked. "Huh?"

"Ash!" the girl replied, with a smile. "At last!"

"At last?" Ash repeated, confused. "I wasn't gone that long, was I?"

"It's the first time in years you've slowed down long enough that I could know where you were!" the girl answered.

"Who's that, Ash?" Chloe asked, coming in the door behind him. "Someone you know?"

"I met her once in Alto Mare," Ash explained. "She's called… Bianca, I think? It's confusing because I met a different Bianca in Unova."

Bianca giggled. "Close! But, no, not quite right."

"Pika?" Pikachu asked, then giggled. "Pika-ka-chuu, Pikapi!"

Dragonite emerged from her Pokéball with a flash. "Niiite!"

"Hi!" Bianca waved to the Dragon-type, then dissolved in a flash of blue light.

Instead, Latias hovered there.

"...oh, right!" Ash realized. "I forgot that Latias and Latios could do that! The last time I saw a Latias, and the last two times I saw a Latios, they only went invisible. They didn't do that… though, I don't think you could talk, before, either."

"It took me a long time to learn!" Latias said, proudly. "Even after I met another Latias and another Latios to be guardians of Altomare, it took ages for Bianca to teach me to speak! But when Latias and Latios got back from helping you out with Hoopa, I knew I had to find you again."

Pikachu giggled. "Ka-chuuu!"

"All right, all right, it was hard," Latias said.

"...there's a Legendary Pokémon who went looking for you?" Goh asked. "...why couldn't that happen with me and Mew?"

"Goh!" Chloe chastised.

"Sorry," Goh replied. "But still!"

"Uh… I was in Alola for a while?" Ash asked.

Latias drooped slightly. "I don't know where Alola is," she replied. "And if I tried using a map to fly there, I might miss. I'm much better at following road signs."

"Pika-chuu," Pikachu said. "Chuu-ka-chu."

"Really?" Latias asked. "He gets lost too?"

"I'm not that bad," Ash defended himself. "But, yeah, it happens sometimes."

He scratched his head. "So, uh… is something up? It sounds like you've wanted to find me for ages, so I guess it's not urgent…"

"Of course there is!" Latias replied. "Ash, I want to join your team! I want to go with you wherever you go, because – because you're a great person. And you helped me out. And apparently you're kind of good at Pokémon training as well."

She touched her claws together. "And, um… also because I watched your Pokémon League battles in Sinnoh, and found out then that Legendary Pokémon being part of a trainer's team is an option..? Otherwise I'd have come with you back then."

"Huh," Ash said. "I guess that makes sense!"

Then Dragonite hugged Latias, and the psychic-type made a sort of startled squeak noise.

"And I guess Dragonite likes you, too!" Ash added. "So that's great!"

"All right, so, I know you've got to have more reason than that," Pikachu said, that afternoon. "So, what's up?"

Latias looked at Pikachu, then at where Lucario was doing his very best to kick Dracovish extremely hard and Dracovish was spending most of his time happily headbutting the kicks and not much caring about them.

"Why do I have to?" she asked.

"Ash might have forgotten, but I haven't," Pikachu replied. "So, come on. Was that a crush, or is it still a thing?"

"Going to come right out with it, huh?" Latias said. "Well… it's kind of both?"

She shook her head. "Ash was… amazing. And he still is. As a Pokémon trainer, he's only gotten better, I've been watching that. As a person, well, he's still saving the day, right?"

"We helped save Galar just two weeks ago!" Dragonite said. "So yes!"

"All right, I'll give you that," Pikachu decided. "So, yes, Ash is an amazing person. We all know that. But that's not the answer to my question."

Latias looked off into the distance, at where Ash was explaining to Dragovish how to use Water Gun to physically push someone away.

"I kind of feel sorry for Lucario today," Pikachu added. "But, come on. So?"

"So… what does it mean?" Latias asked. "I like him. I still like him. I want to go wherever he does, and help him achieve his dreams."

She waved her clawed hand. "And, yes, I'd like him to think the same way about me. But is that a crush? Or is it a close friendship? Or something else."

That question seemed to deeply perplex Dragonite, who frowned and began scratching her head.

"You did kiss him," Pikachu pointed out. "Normally that's something that people put meaning on, right?"

"Well… yes," Latias agreed. "But, I'm not going to tell him that… it feels like it would make it so awkward, if he didn't feel-"

"Okay, no," Pikachu interrupted. "Don't make a rule like that. Not with my trainer."

He shook his head firmly. "If you're not sure, that's fine. Wait. See how it works out. If you don't know what you think, that's okay. If you don't work up the courage to say so… I'm not going to judge you. But I've known Ash since I saw him in a pair of pyjamas on his first day as a Pokémon trainer, so listen carefully."

Pikachu put his hands on his hips. "Ash. Is. A. Doofus."

"...bit harsh, isn't it?" Farfetch'd asked, from where he was lounging with his head on his leek.

"No, seriously, in this context it applies," Pikachu responded. "Take it from me, a certified Ash expert. Doofus is the word."

He pointed at Latias. "Don't ever wait for him to be the one to approach you about this. Don't give him subtle signals. If you actually want to ask if this is serious, tell him, and let him think about it. Otherwise he's just going to be vaguely confused about it… and if it doesn't work out okay, who cares? At worst it's going to be a bit embarrassing, but Ash isn't going to let that affect anything."

"I guess that makes sense," Latias admitted.

"Got it!" Dragonite said. "It's a crush if you hug someone too hard!"

"...actually, that kind of works," Pikachu admitted. "Doesn't that mean you have a crush on everyone, though?"

"I've got a big heart!" Dragonite announced proudly.

AN:

I decided that I wanted to write some Journeys content with Latias.