The waves slowly receded.
The event didn't seem to cause a major disaster, but it still had a noticeable impact. The first floors of some buildings were flooded, soaking furniture and appliances in seawater. Many small boats had vanished, either swept into the city or pulled out to sea with the tide.
It was a significant loss of personal property, but thankfully, no one was injured in the tsunami. That was a blessing in the midst of the misfortune.
The commotion woke the city's residents from their sleep. They turned on their lights and peered from their balconies. They saw seawater flooding the canals and streets, reaching a height of about half a meter. But they were all clueless about what had just happened.
Perhaps when morning came, they would learn from the news that a great tsunami had struck in the dead of night, only to be stopped by something and dissipated.
On a high point in the city, watching everything return to calm, Misty sighed. "It's finally over..."
"Wait!" Brock suddenly remembered something and yelled, "What about those two thieves!?"
The sky was beginning to lighten. Before anyone was around, Lorenzo and Bianca took the weakened Latias and Latios, who couldn't change their form, back to the Secret Garden. Natsui and the others hurried back to the great cathedral.
But the place was long empty. Aside from scattered fossils and a broken device, Annie and Oakley were gone.
As for the tainted Soul Dew, it had crumbled into a pile of residue on the floor.
"Damn it!" Ash said, looking at the scene with anger. "They caused this whole mess, and in the end, they just got away!"
"It is a shame," Natsui agreed with a nod. "But it couldn't be helped. Our focus was on the tsunami. The slightest mistake would have meant disaster, so we didn't have the energy to watch them. I'm sure we'll meet them again someday. When we do, we'll bring them to justice."
Hearing them, Brock hesitated for a moment. "Earlier... I saw that the one called Oakley seemed to be suffering from the Soul Dew's backlash. She looked very unwell, like she was badly injured."
"Hmph," Misty lifted her head and snorted coldly. "They got what they deserved. Serves them right."
"Alright," Natsui interrupted before they could say more. "We can't stay here any longer. Let's get out of here too. If someone sees us here with all this, they might think we're the ones responsible. We'd never be able to explain it."
Leaving the cathedral, the group returned to the Secret Garden.
Seeing them return, Bianca prepared hot tea for everyone and brought out towels and some pastries.
"Come, dry yourselves off. After all that, you must be hungry and tired."
She was right. Since being woken up by Latias in the middle of the night, they hadn't had a single drop of water. If it weren't for the big meal they ate before bed, they would have been starving.
Now that they could relax, everyone felt their eyelids grow heavy, and their energy faded.
After some brief care, Latias and Latios had regained some of their strength. The two Pokémon were no longer in danger and were now nestled together, resting in a deep sleep.
Seeing this, Natsui felt a deep sense of relief.
He had changed the movie's ending. He had saved Latios's life and spared Latias the pain of losing her family.
After a quick bite to eat, the group didn't return to the Pokémon Center. They slept in their clothes in a small wooden house in the garden. Bianca found some blankets for them from somewhere. They were warm, and Natsui lost consciousness almost the instant he lay down.
He slept soundly.
When Natsui woke up again, he found that everyone else was already awake and gone from the room. He rubbed his groggy head and stepped out of the wooden house. He saw Ash and Pikachu playing with Latias and Latios.
"You're awake."
Erika, in the distance, was the first to spot him.
She was brushing his Jolteon's fur, while his Gengar shamelessly pestered her to scratch its back.
It seemed his Pokémon had completely accepted Erika as the lady of the house, showing no sense of being strangers.
He looked around and saw Misty and Brock helping Bianca cook. The atmosphere here was as relaxed and cheerful as ever, just like the first time they had come to the Secret Garden.
Natsui nodded to Erika and walked over to the pool where the Soul Dew had been placed. He looked at Lorenzo. "Without the Soul Dew, what will you do now?"
Lorenzo shook his head. "Even without the Soul Dew, having Latias and Latios is the best possible outcome. I believe they will continue to protect this place, and I will ensure the legend of the Soul Dew is passed on."
Speaking of Latias and Latios...
Natsui took out two Ultra Balls and handed them to Lorenzo.
"These are their Poké Balls. You should keep them here."
"Oh?" Lorenzo didn't take them right away. He looked at Natsui curiously. "Aren't you taking them with you?"
"Take them?" Natsui shook his head. "They belong here, and they love it here. Where would I take them? Besides, I don't lack for Legendary Pokémon. It's better to let them continue to live here, carefree."
Remembering the Suicune that had leaped past them earlier, Lorenzo knew Natsui wasn't bragging. With a legendary Pokémon like that by his side, he was indeed less driven to pursue other legendaries than an ordinary person.
But another question troubled him. Lorenzo asked, "Instead of giving them to me, why don't you release them completely?"
"Think of it as a kind of insurance," Natsui said with a small smile. "I'm sure there will be others like those two thieves who will target them in the future. Or ordinary people who stumble upon them might try to catch them. Since they are already in Poké Balls, it prevents them from being captured by someone with bad intentions."
"I see!" Lorenzo's eyes lit up with understanding. "I get it. Because of the nature of Poké Balls, no one else can use another one to capture them. Even if they are caught, they can be recalled with these!"
Natsui smiled and nodded. That was exactly what he meant.
Just then, Latias and Latios seemed to sense something. They left Ash and Pikachu and flew over, their eyes landing on the two Ultra Balls.
As they watched, Lorenzo took the two Poké Balls and placed them solemnly where the Soul Dew had once rested.
"In that case, let's put them here..." He looked at the two Ultra Balls side by side and said sincerely, "From now on, they will protect this Secret Garden in place of the Soul Dew."
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