Wow, you're all so excited for the next chapter! Thanks, everyone! ^^ Well, I've been working really hard in Chapter 6 (and trying to avoid the mistake in Ch. 5), and here it is! ^^ It's actually longer than Ch. 5, so I hope you guys will have a big enough appetite. XD As promised, there's action in here, plus some very shippy moments! ^__^ The beginning might be a little slow, but it'll get more interesting later. =)
Chapter 6
“Thanks again for showing us your Sight Sharing abilities. We had a really great time,” Ash thanked Latios after the Pokemon returned back to the garden from his exhilarating flight.
“It was my pleasure, Ash,” Latios replied. But as soon as he finished speaking, however, he saw through the tall trees that the sky had by now taken an orange, yellow, and purple color. “It’s getting late. I’m terribly sorry for keeping you three here long. You must go on back before dark.”
Latias trilled sadly, unable to believe that the day was over. Latios gave her a comforting tap on the back. “I know, Sister, but they need to rest up and regain their energy. They must be tired,” he said. He then turned his head to Triko and asked her, “Do you mind telling us where you’ll be staying at so all of us can keep in contact with each other?”
Strangely, Triko felt uneasy upon hearing that. It seemed like she forgot to do something important... “Well, uh, you see… I… still haven’t found a place for us to stay at yet.”
“What?” Ash cried incredulously. “What about that Pokemon Center you guys took me to?”
Triko closed her eyes and shook her head. “Sorry, can’t. I was only able to get you there because it was an emergency. Now that you’re all right, only Pokemon trainers get to stay at the Center, and since you aren’t one anymore, we don’t have that luxury,” Triko said, glaring at Ash accusingly.
Ash couldn’t believe what Triko just did. “Are you blaming me? It wasn’t my fault that I didn’t get a hotel reservation after all this time, Triko!” Ash exclaimed, giving her another glare back.
Apparently, this caused Triko to burn up in rage. “Look, Ash! I was busy looking for you when you ditched us at the museum! What do you—”
“Calm down, you two!” Vrikesho quickly held out his wings to physically break up Triko’s and Ash’s arguing. “This isn’t getting us anywhere. We’ll just have to manage with the time we have left and find the nearest hotel from here,” he resolved.
Vrikesho’s reasonable plan only made Latias worry. They can’t find a hotel in time; there isn’t any around here. Only homes and a few shops… but after some quick thinking she thought up of a wonderful idea.
“You guys can stay here! Brother and I will take very good care of all of you while you stay, and then we’ll be able to play more!” Latias suggested excitedly, a gleam of light shining in her eyes.
Ash became really fond of the idea as he fixed his view on Latias’s beaming face. “That sounds great, Latias! Triko, can we stay here? Please?” he pleaded with his fists clenched in eagerness.
Ash’s friend was hesitant. “Well, I guess we could, but only if it’s alright with Latios.”
“You’re more than welcome to stay. I can’t be rude, leaving you out alone in the city at night,” the blue dragon affirmed.
Vrikesho smiled at the sibling’s kindness. “Thank you for your hospitality, Latias and Latios. We appreciate it tremendously.”
Latios nodded, “It really is no problem, but I’m afraid that I won’t be here long to keep you company. I must keep my position as guardian and go make my nightly rounds around Altomare.”
This particularly caught Triko’s attention. “Nightly rounds? So you actually confront criminals and the like?”
“And bring them to justice too, of course. Why?” Latios asked.
A smile slowly crept up to her face. “Eheh… I would like to come with you on your patrol of the city. I haven’t been able to battle for so long since I came to this world!” Triko said enthusiastically, pulling out her spear-ax in a warrior-like stance.
Never before did Latios ever think of a human participating in combat without receiving aid from a Pokemon! Then again, she is from a different world than their own, but eventually his brother instincts took over. “Are you sure you can handle it? It will get dangerous out there,” the blue dragon warned.
“Hey, don’t worry, Latios! Triko can handle it,” Ash stepped in. “She has lots of experience in fighting. She even helped me learn how to battle with my staff, so she’ll be a real big help to you!”
“And I’ll also be coming along with you, Latios. Triko and I are inseparable,” Vrikesho added positively.
Latios nodded reluctantly. “So the three of us are going? The more the merrier, I guess. Sister, I need you to stay here and protect our garden home and the Soul Dew,” he instructed Latias.
“Okay, Brother!” Latias raised one claw in a “thumbs-up”.
“Ash, do you want to come along?” Latios asked him.
The boy shook his head. “No thanks, you guys go on ahead. I’ll stay here and help out Latias,” Ash replied in a smile.
“All right. You two will be staying here,” Latios agreed. The arrangements are working out quite well, surprisingly… but there still seems to be one thing that bothers me… he thought with concern. Suddenly, as if a light bulb had just clicked in his head, he became aware of the idea of Ash and Latias being alone together at night...
As the dragon went in a deep disconcerting thought, Triko and Vrikesho were already at the exit. “Come on, Latios! Let’s get going!” Triko called out to him.
“Don’t worry about us, Brother. We’ll be fine. Take care!” Latias reassured him as he flew off after his new patrol group, shrugging away the idea.
After the three disappeared through the passageway, Ash turned to Latias slowly. “So… Latias? What do you want to do now?” he asked.
Latias thought for a moment. “You know, I feel like playing tag again! How about it?”
Coincidentally, tag was just the thing Ash wanted to do as well! “Sure, let’s play that! Who’s it?”
The red dragon teasingly poked him on his shoulder. “You are!” she cried as she started to dart away from him.
“Hey! Latias, come back here!” Ash laughed as he ran after her.
A small scatter of crickets chirping ceaselessly filled every corner of an empty town square situated in the center of the island. The bright moon and the street lights brightened the place as Triko, Vrikesho, and Latios (in his human form) arrived there at nightfall.
“Hmmm, I think it would be better if we split up; we’ll cover more ground in less time that way,” Latios suggested.
“Yeah, we should do that,” Triko agreed, looking all over the place.
“Yes, but I must come with Triko. We work better as a team--and also because I need to make sure she doesn’t get herself into trouble again,” Vrikesho smiled.
Triko turned to her friend, arms crossed. “Vrikesho… You know full well that I can take care of myself,” she smiled back.
Latios chuckled. “It’s settled then. I’ll take the eastern part of Altomare while you two take the west. When we’re done patrolling, we’ll meet back at this spot. Do you know your way around the city?”
Triko thought for a second, looking down at the cobblestones. “Well, Vrikesho can fly above the city and pinpoint where we are from this square, so getting lost shouldn’t be a problem,” she explained.
“All right, then. I’ll see you later,” Latios said as he transformed back to his Pokemon self and disappeared through the dark streets.
After watching their blue Pokemon friend leave, Triko spoke up, “Finally, it’s time for us to battle!” She drew her weapon out gallantly. “But you know? I kinda want to go back to that garden and check up on Ash and Latias,” she said as she lowered her weapon to her side.
“Why? They’ll take care of that place and themselves. You don’t need to worry about them,” Vrikesho said, confused.
“No, it’s not that. Besides getting an opportunity to train, there’s another reason why I wanted us to come out here and leave those two there…” Triko said, giving that same sly smile from before.
A pause. “… You didn’t!” Vrikesho cried, finally making the connection. “I’m surprised I haven’t thought of that sooner!”
“Heheh. Come on, let’s get to work,” Triko chuckled cheerfully as they made their way westward.
Back at the secret garden, Ash and Latias had finally stopped chasing each other, being completely exhausted from running and flying all over the place. Nevertheless, it was one of the most fun they ever had.
The two decided to take a rest at the base of a large tree. Ash took off his staff strapped on his back, set it aside, and sat himself down on the ground with his back leaning against the grand tree. Latias had taken a spot just a few feet away from Ash’s left, planting her front body on the grass.
Today was filled with so many incredible things! I can’t possibly be able to forget such wonderful moments… especially the ones with Ash, Latias thought joyfully. I’m so glad we’re finally together again. He’s… the only human friend I ever had, since that day our human parents rescued us on the beach… She sighed. Even with my brother and some wild Pokemon visiting us, I can’t help but feel lonely, watching people going about their lives from a distance, never able to say a simple “Hi” to them at all…
“Latias, what’s wrong?” The red dragon looked up from her troubled thoughts, and met Ash’s concerned face in return.
“Oh, it’s nothing. I’m fine… now,” she replied quietly.
“… Latias…?” Ash felt something was wrong that was making his friend so silent. Hmm, was it because…? “Is it something that happened yesterday? You know, the two women who chased you before?” He gave an encouraging smile to her. “Well, you don’t need to worry about that anymore, Latias! I’ll be what they thought I was: your bodyguard. From now on, I’ll protect you from anything that’ll even think of hurting you. So don’t look so down, okay?”
Latias nodded in surprise, still speechless. What Ash mentioned wasn’t what she was contemplating about, though. But still, it was so kind of him to make such a caring offer to her, and it made her blush slightly. However, after thinking about yesterday’s events a little more in detail, she remembered another name the two ladies called him. It reminded her of something that she had always wondered since she met Ash face to face in the open circular rest place. “Ash… I’ve been wondering. I don’t mean to sound rude or intrusive at all, but… how did you get those scars on your face?”
Ash just sat there silently, staring at the ground with a disturbed look on his face.
Latias immediately regretted asking that question. How could she be so cold and touch upon an incident that was so sensitive to him? She got up and tried to apologize to Ash sincerely, but he stopped her by raising his left hand. “It’s okay, Latias. I’m all right now, and it’s all that matters. These scars are nothing but a reminder of a distant memory,” Ash reassured her.
The Pokemon gradually floated back down and rested her head on the grass reluctantly, but Ash reached out his arm and patted her on the head, showing her that it wasn’t bothering him. Latias really is a great Pokemon, but whenever I’m around her, I get this weird feeling. Is it like I’m… drawn to her? No, that’s the word for it. It’s more like I want to be there for her, stay by her side for as long as possible… but I’m not really sure why. Ash tried to find an answer, but then all of a sudden a little girl’s voice boomed inside his head, “It’s love, dummy! Don’t you get it? Just look at Zidane and Garnet, and Squall and Rinoa; they want to be with each other to the very end. That is what love is, Ash! Argh!”
Ash chuckled softly to himself, remembering her irritated explanation clearly. Anyone can tell that it was Eiko speaking. She was always impatient with him, waiting for him to “take the first move,” or whatever that meant. She gave up on him, though, being too tired of having to explain so many things for him.
So this is what I’m feeling? If Eiko was right about wanting to be with someone to the very end, then maybe I’m—? He shook his head quickly in disbelief. No, it can’t be. I mean, we’re totally different; she’s a Pokemon, and I’m a human. It can’t happen , but Ash had trouble believing that himself. In fact, he didn’t even care about their differences at all anymore. His impulse to be there for Latias and protect her was much stronger than what any reasoning could do.
Ash closed his eyes and took a deep breath of cold, crisp night air. When he opened his eyes again after a moment, his gaze fell on his Pokemon friend. She was already asleep, curling herself in against the chilly evening. Without thinking, Ash quietly moved closer to her. He held her head tenderly and brought it closer to him gently, slowly placing it on his lap to make her more comfortable. The red dragon noticed the change in warmth, even as she was still asleep. And unaware of what she was doing, she nuzzled her head against Ash’s chest, making him blush furiously. He later put his left arm around her neck and his right hand on her forehead and looked up to the twinkling stars. He smiled as he stroked her affectionately.
“(Good night… Latias.)”
*~*~*
Not too far off from where the secret garden was were the cunning thieves Annie and Oakley making their way through the top of Altomare’s buildings. By moonlight, they jumped from rooftop to rooftop with skills and precision unsurpassed by most people—in their world, that is.
“You sure it’s this way, Oakley?” Annie asked skeptically.
“Of course it is! Stop asking!” Oakley replied, annoyed.
“Sorry, but I don’t want to waste this one chance to get the Soul Dew,” defended Annie. “Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Shouldn’t we try to catch both Latios and Latias while we’re at it anyway? We can get a fortune for a set of those rare Pokemon!” she suggested.
Her partner considered the idea grudgingly. “Well… all right, fine. We’ll catch them both, but if things don’t work out the way we planned, it’s your fault,” she gave in.
Annie smiled broadly. It wasn’t often that Oakley would listen to her plans, much less do them. Just then, however, the sight of the secret garden’s entrance caught her eye. It made her jump in excitement, literally. “I think this is it!” she exclaimed as she landed on the street below, with Oakley right behind.
“Shall we go in and say hello?” Oakley asked, having fun.
The other thief giggled as she faced the dark corner. “We’re guests after all.”
At that, both Annie and Oakley began walking through the hidden entrance, with Oakley lighting the dark path using a small flashlight. A cool breeze from ahead blew through the two’s hair as they made their way, assuring the thieves that they found what they were looking for. After a while of struggling through the narrow passageway, the two finally reached the end as the great garden loomed over them…
“Huh?”
Back at the base of the grand tree, Ash had sensed something, someone coming in the garden. He knew without a doubt that it was intruder; it couldn’t be his friends arriving back from their night patrol. He heard the tapping of high-heeled shoes approaching, and knew full well that it wasn’t Triko—she wouldn’t be caught dead wearing those. Ash lifted Latias’s head up from his lap and set her down on the grass, careful not to wake her up. He then stood up and put his back close against the tree, listening closely to pinpoint the intruder’s location.
Feeling cold again, Latias yawned and finally opened her eyes. She saw that it was still dark outside. Confused, the Pokemon looked around and saw Ash standing there, concentrating on searching for something with an alarmed expression on his face.
“(Ash, what’s going on?)” Latias asked in a concerned but shaky whisper. It was evident that she was scared.
Hearing her, the boy turned his head and saw that she was awake. “(Latias!)” He kneeled down and faced her. “(There’s someone breaking in here. Just stay behind this tree so they won’t see us, okay? I’ll try to drive them out of here,)” he explained as Latias nodded worriedly.
“Hmm, where are those guardian Pokemon? I thought they were playing with that strange group,” Annie thought out loud.
Oakley turned off her flashlight and put on her tech sunglasses. She observed all around the garden through them--and found Ash and Latias’s body heat easily behind a tree. “Well, I think they’re sleeping right now,” she played around.
Annie had her sunglasses on, too, and picked up on what her partner was doing. “No, I think that they’re still playing,” she smirked. “They must want to play hide-and-seek with us, Oakley.” She took out her PokeBall. “Too bad for them, though, ‘cause I see ‘em… There! Espeon, Swift!!” she commanded as she threw her PokeBall.
The Espeon flew out from it in a white light, ran towards the tree, and spat out a flurry of sharp yellow stars right at Ash and Latias. Ash by quick instinct picked up his staff from the ground with his right hand, pulled Latias behind him with his left arm, and deflected Espeon’s Swift attack by spinning his weapon fast in front of him. The stars rebounded from it and hit the attacking Pokemon directly in the face. The Espeon was flung backwards in pain, but as it stood back up, ready for more, Annie called it to stop.
“Now now, Espeon, no need to get excited right now. We need to negotiate with these two first,” Annie declared as the thieves and Oakley’s Ariados approached the two.
Seeing who the intruders were made Ash infuriated. It was those women who attacked Latias before! “You two! What do you want?!” he yelled at them, still keeping Latias behind him and holding his staff threateningly.
The thieves, on the other hand, weren’t as surprised or intimidated to see Ash. “Oh, it’s Scar-boy! Haha, I knew you’d be around to protect your sweet little Latias. But, you can always give up your bodyguard job and hand her over to us. It’ll be much easier that way for everyone, and we won’t hurt a single feather on her,” Oakley explained.
“Never!!” Ash swung his staff through the air in anger, shocking Latias as she floated behind him. She never saw him this angry, and seeing that it was all for her protection made her pure white cheeks pink…
Annie put a hand to the side of her waist and smirked. “He’s getting all feisty now, isn’t he? Well, I guess we have no choice but to take Latias by force, then! Espeon, Psychic!”
“Ariados, Night Shade!” Oakley ordered next. The two Pokemon promptly followed their trainers’ commands and aimed their attacks at the dragon Pokemon. But immediately Ash thrust his left arm in front of him and cast a large protective pink sphere—Shell.
As his magic blocked off the red and black beams, Ash cried out, “Go, Latias! I’ll hold them off while you escape! Hurry!”
Latias, however, refused to go and leave Ash alone to fight the Pokemon by himself. She nudged her head sadly on his shoulder to show that she wasn’t going anywhere without him. Feeling her concern, Ash turned to her and smiled calmly, “Don’t worry about me, Latias. Just go. I can’t hold this barrier much longer, anyway. You better get out of here.” Indeed, Ash’s left arm was shaking and struggling to keep the Shell magic working. Latias nodded at Ash and used her feathers to refract the moonlight, causing her to become invisible as she flew away.
After waiting for a few moments to make sure Latias was already gone, Ash finally shot the pink barrier forward at Espeon and Ariados, knocking both of them to the ground as it dissipated. Ash then leaped high over the two Pokemon—and prepared to land his staff at Annie and Oakley! However, the thieves narrowly missed his downward strike by cart wheeling out of the way.
“Hasn’t anyone told you that you shouldn’t hit a girl?!” Oakley scolded Ash.
Ash responded angrily, “You’re one to talk! You tried to harm Latias!” He gave another swing of his staff at Oakley, who barely dodged it again by jumping out of the way.
“Latias is a Pokemon, silly. She’s not human like us, so she can take a hit,” Annie declared as she joined Oakley’s side.
Ash was now furious. That insensitive statement made him go right over the edge. “Latias is more human than you two will ever be!!” he yelled at them. Ash gave all his might into another strike at the thieves, and this time his attack connected. His staff struck right across Annie and Oakley’s bewildered faces, which caused them to fall to their hands in a pain they never felt before.
“… Heheh… you’re quite a tough bodyguard, Scar-boy, but strength isn’t everything in this case…” Oakley chuckled as she struggled to get up.
“What do you mean?” Ash demanded.
Both the thieves had finally recovered from Ash’s attack and stood up strong. “It’s cleverness that stands out. We’re not here just for Latias and Latios, you know. Our Pokemon are looking for something else,” Annie said menacingly.
Ash was confused. What else were they looking for besides the guardians of Altomare…? He thought hurriedly… and then it finally hit him: The Soul Dew. Ash instantly ran towards the jewel’s altar to his left, but Annie and Oakley blocked him off in time. “You’re not gonna leave us, Scar-boy. Our Pokemon will get the Soul Dew; no need to do it yourself. You’ll stay right here!” Oakley commanded as she took out a compressed net of elastic plasma…
Meanwhile, Latias had made her way towards the large water fountain at the base of the altar. There was a hidden underwater tunnel there that led out to the streets of the city, and then she’ll be able to search for her brother, Triko, and Vrikesho and get help.
Before she dived in the water, however, she caught Espeon and Ariados out of the corner of her eye. They seemed to be scurrying over to the Soul Dew’s resting place! Latias turned sharply away from the water’s surface and quickly flew directly at the two Pokemon. The moment Ariados was about to grab the blue sphere with its forearm, Latias gave it a tackle on its side. The spider Pokemon rolled and landed on its back as it moved its legs wildly, trying to balance itself right up again. On the other hand, Espeon just stood still and closed its eyes, concentrating on the invisible Pokemon’s movements by reading the varying air currents with its large ears and forked tail. As Latias prepared another tackle, this time at Espeon, the Sun Pokemon opened its red eyes and aimed a Psybeam at the Eon Pokemon. It scored a direct hit that made the now visible dragon fall to the hard stone floor.
“Latias!!”
Ash had yelled out her name the moment he saw her hit the floor. He tried to make a run for her, but Oakley acted more quickly. “Looks like you couldn’t protect her! How pitiful,” the silver-blue haired woman ridiculed Ash. “Now she’s ours!” She then threw her ball of plasma that expanded wide like a web in the air. As soon as Latias pushed herself back up, she was instantly wrapped around with the contraption! The black balls on the net then sent out a spark of red electricity that made Latias cringe and cry in extreme pain.
Ash couldn’t take any more of this. His friend was suffering, and he had to save her now! He lifted his left hand up in the air and cast another spell. Orange-yellow light engulfed him as Annie and Oakley watched in astonishment. An image of a yellow clock appeared in front of him with its hands starting to speed up. Once the clock disappeared, Ash dashed towards the criminals with unbelievable speed.
“He’s moving twice as fast!” Annie managed to exclaim before she was struck and knocked hard against a tree. Oakley faced the same situation after her as well. Unfortunately, while Ash was busy fighting with Annie and Oakley, their Pokemon continued on their mission. The Ariados crawled up the steps to the Soul Dew and used its jaws to grab it while Espeon stood watch. Consequently, the jewel wouldn’t budge as the spider pulled on it, but only by anchoring its legs on the altar’s frame did Oakley’s Pokemon managed to pry it out.
Their mission complete, the Espeon took out its held item and activated it. It was a Smoke Ball that could emit black smog and enable the holder to escape without trouble. The thick smoke rapidly traveled to where the three humans were, interrupting Ash’s battle.
“Time to get out of here!” Oakley was glad to say. She didn’t want to deal with Ash and his freaky powers anymore.
“Ta-ta, Scar-boy!” Annie called out. All four of the intruders then navigated through the smoke with ease, leaving Ash there to cough from the pollution. When the smog finally disappeared, there was no trace of them anywhere. Ash’s Haste spell had also worn off by then, and so he returned back to his normal speed.
“Latias!” Ash cried out, still keeping her safety first in his mind. He ran up the stone stairs and found Latias lying there beyond, unmoving and unconscious. “No…Latias…” he whispered. When he came up to her, he fell down on his knees and immediately ripped off the plasma net still entangling her. After he freed her from all of her bindings, Ash held Latias close to him. She was filled with burns from the net’s electricity, and her breathing was slow and weak. I have to get someone to help her… Ash thought worriedly. Or she’ll… No! That’s not going to happen! I’ll have to get someone for her quick! Ash then shifted his position to Latias’s side, put her head and arms over his shoulders, and carefully carried her on his back.
“Please, Latias, hold on…” Ash begged his friend. “I’ll get help for you, I promise. Just don’t leave me…” He staggered onward to the garden’s exit, desperately clutching on to Latias as he made his relentless search.
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*Sniff* So sweet of Ash… Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! ^^
They added some nice local flavor to the film.