Ash walked out of the museum casually, hands in his hoodie pocket, with Vee and Pikachu walking beside him. They were slightly confused, but went along with it.
Behind them, Ash could hear Misty's scream, and he let out a little chuckle.
"The fools," he murmured. "They left me unattended for more than five seconds. You'd think they'd know better by now."
Pikachu gave an amused "Pika," like he agreed, while Vee flicked his tail and trotted a bit faster, eager to keep up.
Ash spotted the girl he had seen earlier in the distance. It wasn't hard to track her, after all, he could see Aura. That's also how he knew this wasn't Latias. Different Auras. This was Bianca… but not the same airheaded Bianca from Unova. This was the Bianca from Johto, completely different.
Ash walked casually. He wasn't going to run, especially because he could tell he was being watched. So he just followed. He even stopped to grab an ice cream, licking at it as he glanced over his shoulder out of the corner of his eye.
There, a small drone buzzing along.
Ash didn't change his expression. He just kept walking. Pikachu hopped up onto his shoulder to "share" the ice cream, but Ash quietly whispered something into his ear.
He saw where Bianca was heading and turned a corner. The drone followed.
Behind the controls of the drone were Annie and Oakley, watching intently from the monitor in their now-soggy speedboat base.
"He's following her," Oakley murmured.
"Perfect. If he's got a thing for dragon girls, we'll just let him lead us right to her," Annie said with a smirk, slurping the last of her latte through a soggy straw.
But when the drone rounded the corner Ash had taken, it was suddenly snagged out of the air by an [Electroweb] from Pikachu and yanked into the alley, where Ash was waiting.
As it got close, Ash handed his ice cream to Vee and grabbed the drone mid-air. He looked directly into the camera and shook his head.
"Wow. Kinda pathetic, you didn't even try to hide it. Welp, too bad, because you're not getting any more while I'm around."
With a little effort, he crushed the metal drone in his hand, then casually tossed it into the water like it was an empty tin can.
Back in the speedboat, the monitor went dark with a static pop.
Annie and Oakley stared blankly at the screen.
"…He crushed it," Oakley said flatly.
"He crushed it," Annie echoed, voice rising an octave. "That was a custom stealth drone! It had thermal sensors! It had night vision! It had fluffy soundproof hover fans!"
Oakley peeled a wet web off her sleeve and sighed. "I told you we should've upgraded the casing. Or at least disguised it as a Wingull."
"I swear," Annie growled, "if that boy ruins one more piece of tech I love-"
"Then what?" Oakley interrupted, raising an eyebrow. "You gonna flirt at him harder?"
"…Maybe," Annie muttered, crossing her arms. "Stupid handsome dragon-loving menace."
—
Back in the quiet streets of Alto Mare, Ash casually brushed his hands off and turned to Vee and Pikachu.
"Alright, boys. Drone's taken care of. No more peeping Rockets for now."
"Pika pika," Pikachu said smugly.
As soon as Vee heard "Rockets," he narrowed his eyes and let out a low growl. He still had bad memories.
Ash picked him up and rubbed his fur. "Relax, bud. As long as you're with me, no one's gonna touch a hair on your fur."
Vee gave a huff and a satisfied nod as he hopped onto Ash's shoulder. "Vee!"
Ash nodded, took back his ice cream, and took another bite before letting the two goobers finish it off. He kept walking after Bianca. He didn't run, she didn't know him, and it would be hard to explain he was following her for a reason… and not just being a creep.
As he kept walking, Ash saw Bianca rush around a corner, and he also sensed a familiar Aura nearby. When he reached the other side, he spotted Bianca looking around, checking to make sure no one was watching her. Then her eyes locked with his, and she visibly panicked.
"Um, hello. Can I help you? There isn't anything around here, you know," Bianca said nervously, clearly trying to get Ash to leave as soon as possible.
Ash smiled. "Yo, sorry. I just thought I recognized you from somewhere," he said casually.
"Uhh, w-well, I don't know you. Again, there's really nothing around here. I just come here to, uh…" She glanced around and noticed she still had her canvas in hand. "Paint! Yeah, I come here to paint. Because it's nice and quiet, you know?"
Ash didn't push. He smiled easily, keeping his posture relaxed. "Yeah? That makes sense. Quiet's hard to find in a place this busy."
Bianca blinked, caught off guard by his calm tone. "Y-yeah. Exactly."
"I didn't mean to spook you," Ash added, gently adjusting Pikachu on his shoulder. "Just figured I'd say hi. You looked familiar, and I've got a good memory for faces."
She hesitated, clutching her canvas tighter. "Well, I promise I'm not anyone important. Just a tourist. With a paintbrush. Definitely not secretly a dragon or anything like that." She gave a nervous little laugh that died fast.
Ash raised an eyebrow but kept smiling. "…Riiight. That's oddly specific, but okay."
Bianca internally panicked. 'Why did I say that? Why would I say that? Who says that?!'
As she scrambled for an excuse, anything to make him leave, they both heard the sound of footsteps tapping against stone.
Ash turned to look and saw a second girl who looked exactly like Bianca. This one was Latias, walking up with her hands behind her back, slowly circling him.
Bianca's eyes went wide in panic. It was bad enough that Latias was outside, but worse that she was transformed, in front of someone.
"I–er, w-what are you doing out here?" Bianca hissed.
Latias didn't say anything. She just gave Ash a curious once-over.
Ash looked between the two of them. "Wowww, I didn't know you had a twin," he said overdramatically.
"T-twin?" Bianca echoed, before perking up. "Yes! Twin! That's it. Yeah. Sorry, she doesn't talk much. Come on," she added quickly, walking up to Latias and taking her hand. "We should take you home."
Latias looked between Bianca and Ash again… and then got a mischievous little smirk. Without warning, she threw one arm around Bianca and the other around Ash.
"Wait, what are you-" Ash began.
Then she leapt toward what looked like a solid brick wall.
But they didn't crash into it. Instead, they phased through like it wasn't there at all. On the other side, they landed gently.
Pikachu and Vee blinked in surprise, then looked at each other and immediately sprinted after them through the illusion.
They emerged into what looked like a secret garden, lush with trees, flowers, and peaceful Pokémon lounging in the sun or fluttering between branches.
Bianca instantly pulled away from Latias, panicked. This place was supposed to be a secret. She rushed in front of Ash and quickly slapped her hands over his eyes.
"Uhh, sorry, nothing to see here! We must've just, uh, crashed into the wall and got a concussion! That's all!"
Ash blinked, despite her hands covering his eyes. "Pretty coordinated concussion, if you ask me."
"I–wha–look, maybe just forget this happened and go back to the museum or something?" she said, trying and failing to sound casual.
Latias giggled beside her, still holding onto Ash's arm, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
A moment later, Pikachu and Vee came bounding through the illusion wall. They both froze, staring at the lush hidden world.
Vee's fur bristled in alert confusion, while Pikachu tilted his head and sniffed the air cautiously before relaxing slightly.
Ash raised an eyebrow. Bianca's hands were still over his face. "Sooo… are you gonna let me see where I just got kidnapped to, or is this part of the concussion?"
"Oh! Right!" Bianca yanked her hands back, flustered. "Sorry! I just, this place is supposed to be a secret."
Bianca took a breath and pointed a finger at Ash. "You can't tell anyone about this, got it?"
Ash raised a hand. "Cross my heart. I've kept way weirder secrets."
"…Weirder than phasing through a wall into a hidden paradise?"
Ash shrugged. "Yeah, actually."
Latias giggled again from where she sat on a nearby swing, her eyes playful as she swayed back and forth.
Bianca shot her a look, then turned back to Ash with a heavy sigh. "Okay… this place is a sacred sanctuary. It's supposed to be a secret. She's not supposed to be bringing random boys here. Even if they are kinda cute."
Ash blinked. "Wait—what?"
Bianca immediately clamped a hand over her own mouth. "Forget I said that."
Latias floated up behind her, still disguised as Bianca, and gave Ash a teasing wink from over her shoulder.
Ash was just about to say something else when he felt it, a disturbance in the force. *Cough* I mean, with Aura.
Something was coming. Fast. Toward him.
And it was invisible… but Ash could see it.
He tilted his head to the left just in time as a sudden rush of air blew past him. Everyone else flinched from the blast of wind that followed.
When they looked up, Latios shimmered into visibility mid-air, his eyes locked on Ash with laser focus.
Ash raised his hands slowly, keeping calm despite the tension thickening around them. "Huh. A Latios trying to take my head off. Not on my bingo card today."
Latias scratched her cheek sheepishly, fluttering over and waving her hands to signal that Ash was a friend.
Bianca immediately stepped between them, waving her arms frantically. "Okay! Let's all just take a breath! Latios, this isn't an intruder! He's not here to hurt anyone!"
Latios didn't lower his guard. He hovered silently, gaze still fixed on Ash. Ash's eyes flicked toward one of Latios's wings, it was bandaged.
That was odd. He shouldn't be injured. Not yet. Not unless…
Ash studied him a second longer. These two were young, really young, especially for legendaries. Practically kids, all things considered.
He exhaled and nodded. "Listen, I get it. If some random guy showed up in my house with my little sister, I'd probably fly at his face too."
Latios narrowed his eyes, still unsure. Then Latias gently flew over and transformed back into her true form, gently placing a paw on her brother's shoulder.
"La…"
Ash blinked and raised a finger, about to say something. Bianca immediately grabbed his wrist and lowered his hand, gently nudging him to just watch.
Latios held his sister's gaze for a moment, then let out a low breath and floated back, still tense, but no longer aggressive. He drifted down to a patch of grass and settled there, keeping one eye on Ash the entire time.
Latias lit up, beaming with excitement. She zipped over to Ash and poked his shoulder playfully. "Laaa~!"
Bianca groaned, rubbing her forehead. "Great. She brings a stranger here, her brother nearly lasers him, and now it's all giggles and cuddles."
"I mean, in my defense, I was kidnapped through a wall," Ash offered.
"You were not kidnapped!" Bianca said, exasperated.
"You said I had a concussion," Ash grinned.
"That was panic talking!" she huffed, throwing her arms up.
Before Bianca could spiral further into flustered damage control, a calm chuckle interrupted them.
"Well… this sure seems like a strange turn of events."
Ash turned and spotted Lorenzo walking up, smiling warmly as he took in the scene.
"So this is where you ended up," he said to Ash. "I must say, your friends were going crazy looking for you after you left that note."
"Oh hey, it's you," Ash said with a wave. "You know about this place too?"
"Yep," Lorenzo said with a nod. "I'm actually the one who tended this garden long before Bianca here was even born. Speaking of which—" he gave Bianca a knowing look—"I see you two have met."
Bianca groaned into her hands. "Grandpa…"
Lorenzo chuckled and walked over to Latios, gently rubbing his head. "You see, Alto Mare is a hotspot for almost all the Latios and Latias in the world. Since they need a place to hide, that's where this sanctuary comes in, it's hidden away from everyone else."
Ash nodded as Pikachu and Vee, while still wary, started to calm down. They kept a watchful eye on Latios.
"Okay, so that explains these two. Where are they from?" Ash asked.
"Actually, Latios and Latias were born here," Bianca said, peeking into the conversation.
Lorenzo nodded. "It's a long story, and I don't want to get into the specifics for... reasons. But their father once came to Alto Mare and protected our town, gave his life for it, and for his children. In the end, he became this."
He gestured for Ash to follow him over to the fountain. Nestled in its center was a glowing crystal orb.
"This is the Soul Dew. It's one of the sacred items that protects Alto Mare. It must never fall into the wrong hands."
"Our ancestors created a device that used the power of the Eon Siblings to draw out the mysterious energy in the Soul Dew to defend this island," Lorenzo continued. "You probably saw that device in the museum earlier today."
Suddenly, Lorenzo looked at Ash seriously. "Ash, I really do believe in you. But you must promise, no one can know what you saw here today. Not a soul."
"I promise," Ash said, nodding solemnly. He turned to glance back. "So the Soul Dew's important," he said. "And I'm guessing if someone steals it, bad things happen?"
"Very bad," Lorenzo confirmed. "It keeps the Defense Mechanism of Alto Mare dormant. If someone with evil intent removes it, the system activates. And... let's just say Alto Mare isn't exactly earthquake-proof."
"I see." Ash crossed his arms. "Then I should probably tell you something. I helped Latias earlier today, two people were chasing her. They tried to grab her. I seriously doubt they just wanted to hang out."
Bianca's eyes widened. Even Latias stopped mid-hover, her playful energy evaporating.
"They what?" Bianca asked, voice tight with worry.
Ash nodded. "Two women. Called themselves Annie and Oakley. One had an Espeon, the other an Ariados. They attacked Latias while she was still in her 'human' form. So either you've got some stalkers who like kidnapping girls... or—"
"Someone knows Latias can turn into me..." Bianca finished, pale.
"Yeah. You should be careful. But… why are you surprised? I figured you already knew, considering Latios's wing was injured."
"No… that was someone else," Lorenzo said grimly. "Thankfully, they don't know about this place. We made sure of that. And they don't know about Latias. But even then, they still managed to hurt Latios…"
"Hm… I see…" Ash frowned. Was it just those two? Or someone else entirely? He decided not to think about it for now, he was already planning to handle it. "Alright, well… you said my friends were looking for me. I should probably get back before they actually murder me."
"Oh? Already leaving?" Lorenzo asked, as Latias looked visibly disappointed that their time had ended so soon.
"Yeah," Ash said, stretching. "If I don't go, Misty's gonna hit me. And I really don't wanna break my no-hit run. But since I like you guys…"
Ash walked over to Latios and stopped in front of him.
"I'll leave you with a parting gift."
He raised his hand over Latios's bandaged wing. A soft blue glow began to emanate from his hand. Latios instinctively flinched, ready to move, but the light felt… good. Soothing. Despite his head telling him to move, he stayed still.
After a moment, Ash lowered his hand and turned around with a small wave. "Let's see each other again soon. I'll be in town for a few more days. Let's do lunch sometime."
Then he turned and casually walked toward the illusion wall. Without a pause, he passed through it, Pikachu and Vee close behind.
The four behind him blinked in surprise. They turned to look at Latios, who slowly stretched his wing.
The bandages slipped off, fluttering to the grass below.
Latios flapped the wing once… then again. No pain. Full movement.
"…How did he…?" Bianca whispered. "He just… heal it…"
Latias floated to the wall Ash had disappeared through and gave a quiet, grateful smile.