Chapter 28
Latias shot down the corridors faster than a Sharpedo with Speed Boost. She should be there in about a minute. She would have been there already, but if she had gone her fastest, she would have had to stop every few seconds to pick up Pikachu and Skye. Latias really hoped she wasn't too late…
"Latias!"
A flash of blue made Latias skid to a halt, causing Pikachu and Skye to fly off her back.
"I know we're in a hurry, but could you please not go so fast?" asked Pikachu.
"Yeah, my paws are getting numb," said Skye.
"Sorry," said Latias, "I just-"
"I just found out that Ash had his memory wiped and stuck in a DMA replica," Latios interrupted. "We need to help him. Now."
"Memory wiped?" said Pikachu, "Like, he's turned evil?"
"Not exactly," said Latios, "but he doesn't remember anything. He didn't remember me at all."
Do not panic, Latias. She told herself, Ash will be okay. Latios and Pikachu will figure out how to get his memories back. There are more important things to worry about. Speaking of which… "Did you say DMA?"
Latios nodded. "I'm just as worried as you are, but we don't have time to waste."
"Come on, Skye, let's get distracting," Pikachu winked at Latias.
Here goes nothing, Latias thought, I just hope- But she couldn't complete that sentence. Not yet.
~~~
Nigel watched as the newest form of the Dark Ball fell into his hands. This was it, the perfect means to put even more power into a Pokémon. Not that he hadn't already, but the current Dark Ball didn't seem to be working on Latius. Not to mention, Ash had freed Ho-oh from its Dark Ball, causing the Dark Ball to lose all of its power. If he wanted to capture legendaries effectively, he needed something better, and that something was sitting right in the palm of his hand. Nigel shut down the machine as he exited the control chamber. Who better to test the ball out on than Latius himself?
About time, Ash thought as the annoying rings finally fell to the ground. He didn't mind his energy being drained, except it made him hungry. Really hungry. Nigel was getting out of the machine, so Ash flew over to him. "Is it dinner time yet?"
Instead of handing Ash a plate of food, however, Nigel held out a black and purple ball. "Just press this and you'll have all the food you want."
Something about the ball made Ash uneasy, but food was food. He hesitated. How could food be in something so small? "Are you sure?" he frowned at the little ball. The ball glimmered in an I'm-totally-not-food sort of way.
Nigel sighed. "Yes. Just push the button."
Well, the cold cement walls weren't edible, and that stupid machine wasn't either. Ash reached his claw closer, closer…
"Ow!" Ash jerked away as a chunk of rock hit him on the head, followed by a loud explosion. Half of the previously smooth wall was now in hundreds of tiny pieces.
~~~
This was the weirdest day of Ash's life. From losing his memory, being put in an annoying machine, getting a telepathic message from someone he didn't remember, remembering that someone, and finally getting dragged along by… something.
After traveling for some time, the two 'somethings' finally stopped and turned visible, revealing two Pokémon very similar to him, but with red and blue feathers instead of orange. One of them looked very familiar.
"Latios?" said Ash, recognizing the blue eon from his memory.
"That's right," replied Latios, "now, Ash, I know you might not remember much, but we need to get you out of here before Nigel finds us."
"Why are we hiding from Nigel?" asked Ash. "He's a bit weird, but he seems okay." Ash noticed both eons flinch. Did I say something wrong?
"He's worse than you think," said Latios, "you've just got to trust me on this one. I need you to follow Latias."
"Latias?" Ash was sure he knew that name.
"Do- do you remember me?" asked Latias.
He didn't, but as he looked into Latias' soft amber eyes, radiating kindness and compassion, Ash remembered. How could he have forgotten?
Flashback
"Latias?" Ash looked up as Latias flew into his room at the Pokémon Center.
"Oh," said Latias, "um, hi?"
"Come on," Ash smiled. He knew that expression. "I know you want to tell me something."
"Well," Latias fiddled with her claws. "It's just- I really never got to thank you,"
"What for?"
Latias giggled. "What for? For saving my life and my brother's life! Without you, those crooks would probably still be controlling the DMA, if we weren't both dead by now,"
"It was nothing." Even now, Ash felt like he could have done more. Was there a way he could have prevented the Soul Dew from being stolen in the first place? "I was happy to help."
Latias flew up to him. "You know, you're the nicest, kindest human I've ever met, but sometimes, you're a complete dummy."
Ash laughed; a certain electric mouse would one hundred percent agree. "I know, Pikachu tells me that a lot,"
"What you did meant a lot to me and Latios," she continued, "a lot more than nothing." Latias nuzzled his cheek.
"I know," said Ash, "and… there is something I've been meaning to ask you,"
"What is it?"
"Are you okay with me being your trainer and everything?" Ash gently stroked Latias' feathers, and she hummed in contentment. "I know you agreed because Regigigas asked you to, but do you really like it?"
"What kind of question is that?" asked Latias, "Traveling with you has been the most fun I've had in my life! Even if we never went to Regigias, I would have gone with you anyway."
"Really?"
"Really," said Latias, "Now, my turn to ask a question. Do you like having my brother and me around?"
"Of course," Ash didn't hesitate a beat. "I've met lots of legendaries, but I've never really gotten to know any of them. When you took me to your garden, that was the first time I actually got to play and hang out with a legendary Pokémon. And you know what?"
"What?"
"It was one of the greatest moments of my life. Thank you for that."
Latias blushed slightly. "You're welcome, Ash."
Flashback End
"Latias, I-" Ash hesitated, running his claw along the stone wall. "How?"
Latias' eyes widened. "You remember me? Really?"
"I do," said Ash, "But-"
"We'll tell you everything later," Latias promised. "Right now, you're going to have to trust us. Nigel is bad, Ash, very bad. He wants to use your powers to destroy the world."
Nigel, bad? Either Latios and Latias were lying to him, or Nigel had lied to him. Flickers of memories danced in his head, like pieces of a puzzle that refused to come together. Ash sighed. "Alright, I'll go with you."
~~~
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