Chapter 21: Some Secrets Shouldn't Be Kept.
Professor Samuel Oak stared in astonishment at the sight before him. He had read about the Eon Duo in ancient texts, had studied their mythology, but never in his wildest dreams did he imagine he would witness such a spectacle firsthand. The red and blue forms of Latias and Latios lay tangled in the grass, a tableau of power and beauty that seemed to pulse with an energy that defied description. His heart raced with excitement, his mind buzzing with questions and theories.
Just a few minutes ago, he had been hunched over his computer, the glow of the screen casting a warm light over his lab. He had been lost in the intricate dance of numbers and symbols that made up the readouts of his latest invention—a device designed to bridge the language barrier between human and Pokémon. It was a pet project of his, something that he had worked on in his free time when he wasn't busy with the more pressing matters of his research.
The gleam from the window had been a mere curiosity at first, a fleck of light that danced and reflected in the monitors. But as he looked up, his eyes drawn from the screen like a moth to a flame, he saw the unmistakable shapes of two Eon Pokémon soaring through the sky, their forms a blur of color against the early morning light.
Oak had dropped his clipboard, the papers fluttering to the floor unnoticed. He had raced to the window, his heart hammering in his chest. The sight was like something out of a legend, a tale that had been passed down through the ages but never truly seen. And there they were, right outside his lab, as real as the computer screens that had been his world for so long.
He had thrown open the door and sprinted outside, his white lab coat flapping behind him like the wings of a Venomoth. His eyes had been glued to the sky, his breath coming in short, excited gasps. And when they had finally landed, gracefully touching down in the meadow that stretched out before his property, he had felt a strange mix of awe and a scientist's hunger for understanding.
"Good gracious!" he exclaimed, his voice crackling with the excitement of discovery. "I don't believe it. Eon Pokémon!" His words seemed to hang in the air, a declaration that resonated through the stillness of the early morning.
Ash's eyes locking onto the figure that emerged from the treeline. "Oak?" he murmured, his voice barely audible over the whisper of the wind. It couldn't be. This place, the familiar scent of the grass, the distant chirping of Pokémon waking from their slumber—it all pointed to one place. "Pikachu, were in Pallet Town, aren't we?"
"It looks that way," Pikachu squeaked, his voice a mix of excitement and uncertainty. His tiny body trembled with anticipation as he recognized the place of his own birth, the very spot where he had met Ash so many years ago. The memories flooded back—the cluttered lab, the warm embrace of his first Poké Ball, the moment when the world had opened up to him in a flash of light and the sound of a human voice calling his name.
Ash's heart skipped a beat as he processed the information. Pallet Town. His hometown. This was where he had started his journey, where he had first stepped out into the world with nothing but a Pikachu at his side. The sight of Professor Oak sent a wave of nostalgia crashing over him, along with a sudden realization of how far they had come.
He looked down at Latias, her eyes filled with a silent apology. She had brought him here without asking, back to the place where his human life he had left behind began. The weight of his transformation hit him like a ton of bricks. What would his mom think? What would everyone think? He had been avoiding this moment for so long, hoping that somehow, he could keep his new life as Latios a secret.
The thought of her pain was almost unbearable. He knew she would have searched for him, worried herself sick, hoping for his safe return. And here he was, not just alive but... changed. The guilt was a heavy burden to bear, one that weighed down his feathered form. He felt his heart drop, the gravity of his decision suddenly too much to handle.
"Latias," he whispered, his voice filled with a mix of wonder and fear. "What have you done?"
She looked up at him, her eyes filled with a sadness that seemed to mirror the clouds above them. "This is for the best, Ash," she said gently. "Your friends and family, they deserve to know what has become of you. To keep it a secret would only cause them more pain."
Ash took a deep breath, feeling the weight of her words settle on his shoulders. He knew she was right. Professor Oak had always been there for him, a mentor and a guide. He had to tell him the truth.
Oak took a tentative step forward, his eyes never leaving the duo. His heart was racing, a cacophony of emotions playing out across his face. He had studied Pokémon for decades, but this... this was beyond his wildest dreams. Two Legendary Pokémon, here, in the flesh, or rather, in the feathers.
Ash could feel his anxiety spiking. What would Professor Oak think of him now? Would he understand what had happened? Would he be afraid? The silence grew heavier with every passing second, the air thick with unspoken words and unanswered questions.
He looked down at Latias, her eyes filled with a quiet resolve that seemed to bolster his own. "You're right," he murmured. "We can't keep this hidden." He took a deep breath and pushed himself off the ground, his Latios form rising gracefully into the air. The warmth of the early morning sun bathed him in a soft light that seemed to highlight every feather.
Oak watched, his eyes wide with amazement, as Ash hovered before him. The air around them crackled with the energy of the moment, the very fabric of reality seeming to bend and shift.
"Incredible," he murmured, taking in the majesty of the Latios before him.
Ash swallowed hard, the weight of his new form pressing down on him. "Professor, it's me, Ash."
The words hung in the air, but there was no flicker of recognition in Professor Oak's eyes. Just awe. Ash knew it was a long shot, but he had to try. He had hoped that somehow, the bond he shared with the professor would allow him to bridge the gap between their worlds. But all Professor Oak could apparently hear was the name of the Pokémon he had become.
But there was one factor present that would soon cause the professor to get suspicious once he noticed—Pikachu. If the professor was going to recognize anyone in this bizarre scenario, it was going to be him. The electric mouse was still standing beside them, his tiny body quivering with excitement, his eyes darting between his human friend who raised him and the legendary Pokémon his trainer had become. Professor Oak's gaze finally fell upon Pikachu, his smile growing wider as he recognized the little creature.
"Huh, a Pikachu?" Professor Oak questioned, his voice filled with wonder as he took a few steps closer to the trio. But then, his expression shifted, his eyes narrowing slightly as a glimmer of recognition dawned. "Wait. Pikachu?" He took another step, his voice rising in pitch as the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. "Is that you, Pikachu?"
Pikachu nodded eagerly, his tail wagging with excitement. Yes, Professor Oak always recognized the Pokémon he had raised. It was a bond that went beyond words, beyond the boundaries of their different forms of existence. The electric mouse had felt it since the moment he hatched from his egg, the warmth and love of his first trainer, his first friend.
Professor Oak's eyes searched the meadow, looking for the boy he had known for so long. "Where is Ash?" he asked, the excitement in his voice now tinged with a hint of concern.
Pikachu's ears drooped, and he looked at Ash with a mix of hope and fear. He knew the professor would be confused, but he had to try to communicate the unthinkable. He jumped up and pointed his tiny paw at Ash, his eyes pleading. "Pika-pika!" he squeaked urgently.
Professor Oak squinted, his mind racing. Something was off, something he couldn't quite put his finger on. He had seen Pikachu's reactions to many things over the years, but this was something entirely new. The way the little Pokémon looked at the Latios, the urgency in his voice—it was as if he was trying to tell him something. And then it hit him like a bolt of lightning—what if Ash was in trouble? What if he had encountered these legendary creatures and was now in some kind of danger?
With a jolt, he snapped out of his reverie. "Pikachu, where's Ash?" he demanded, his voice filled with a sudden urgency. The little Pokémon looked up at him, his expression unreadable. For a moment, it was as if the world held its breath, the only sound the rustle of the grass in the breeze.
Pikachu took a deep breath, his eyes never leaving Professor Oak's. He pointed at Latios once more, his voice a frantic mix of squeaks and chirps. "Pika, pika!" His tail flicked back and forth in agitation, his tiny body vibrating with the effort of trying to convey his message.
But even as Pikachu attempted to bridge the gap between them, Ash knew it was futile. The bond between Pikachu and Professor Oak was strong, but it wasn't enough to overcome the fundamental differences in their forms. Even to someone as intelligent as Professor Oak, the language barrier between human and Pokémon was insurmountable.
Professor Oak's eyes searched Pikachu's, looking for an answer, a sign of his beloved trainer's safety. But all he found was a frenzied series of squeaks and gestures that seemed to dance around the truth without quite landing on it. "What is it, Pikachu?" he asked, his voice filled with a growing sense of unease. "What are you trying to tell me?"
Latias, still laying on the ground, looked up at Ash, her expression a mix of compassion and understanding. She knew how hard this was for him, knew the fear of rejection that he was facing. But she also knew that the truth had to come out. It was a burden they couldn't bear alone anymore. With a gentle nudge of her muzzle to his claw, she encouraged him to speak up.
Ash took a deep breath, steeling himself for what was to come. He knew that Professor Oak was a man of science, a man who had dedicated his life to understanding the mysteries of the Pokémon world. Perhaps he would be the one person who could make sense of what had happened to him.
Professor Oak looked up at Latios, his gaze sharp and assessing. "Whatever adventure Ash is on now," he said, his voice steady and firm, "I suspect it has something to do with the two of you. Legendary Pokémon such as yourselves are not to be taken lightly."
Before Ash could speak, the professor turned to him and Latios. "If it's not too much to ask, I'd like you to come with me to my lab. I've been working on a device that might be able to bridge the gap between us. Perhaps it can help us understand each other better."
Surprised but nodding, Ash helped Latias into the air, her body light as a feather in his strong grip. He could feel her warmth, the beat of her heart matching his own. As they made their way to the lab, following Professor Oak, he couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and trepidation. This was it—the moment of truth.
"How did you know where I came from?" Ash finally asked, his voice a mix of curiosity and awe.
Latias blushed, her cheeks darkening slightly. "When we first met, I was drawn to you," she replied softly. "Your thoughts, your memories... they called out to me. I saw Pallet Town, the place where you and Pikachu's journey began."
Ash looked at her with a gentle smile, his heart swelling with affection. He nuzzled her gently with his snout, the touch sending a warm tingle through his body. "You didn't do anything wrong," he assured her. "Whenever you want to know anything about me, you just have to ask. I'm an open book."
Professor Oak watched them, his eyes narrowing slightly. He had studied Pokémon behavior extensively, but this was a dynamic he had never encountered before. The way they looked at each other, the gentle touch, the unspoken understanding—it was clear that the bond between them went deeper than friendship or companionship.
Latias looked at Ash with a tentative smile, her eyes searching his. "You're not mad?" she asked, her voice a soft whisper that seemed to carry on the wind.
Ash nuzzled her again, his eyes filled with warmth. "How could I be mad?" He chuckled. "You've given me more than I could ever ask for." He leaned in closer, his breath warm against her feathers. "You've allowed me to see that I can't carry this burden alone."