Because his relationship with Mewtwo overlapped so much with Professor Oak's main field of study, Oak showed an almost fanatical enthusiasm—like a man who wouldn't rest until he got the answers he wanted.
This, understandably, gave Haru quite the headache.
It took him a good while, a lot of coaxing, and finally the classic "I promise I'll explain next time" before Haru managed to shake Oak off.
Fortunately, once Oak led him into the Grand Cathedral, his state seemed to return to normal, and he stopped pressing for the everyday details of Haru and Mewtwo's relationship.
Next, Oak summoned two locals. They briefly described the trouble currently plaguing Alto Mare.
"The Soul Dew has been stolen? And there was even a warning letter? What kind of nonsense is this supposed to be?"
Haru hesitated a little as he accepted a pink, heart-sealed envelope from Oak's hand.
Honestly, things were worse than he had expected, though not to the point of being beyond salvation.
At the very least, it was still better than his original assumption—that Alto Mare had already sunk beneath the sea.
"Other than this so-called warning letter, is there any other clue?"
With Mew perched on his shoulder, Haru turned the envelope over and over again, studying it carefully before shifting his gaze to the two locals standing near Oak: Lorenzo and his granddaughter, Bianca.
Alto Mare did have a Pokémon League outpost, but compared to other regions it was largely self-governing. The battling scene wasn't very lively.
Here, the most famous competition wasn't the Pokémon League at all, but the water chariot race. That made the League's presence feel almost negligible.
The true secrets of Alto Mare weren't in the League's hands anyway, but rather in the custody of certain old families.
Lorenzo and his granddaughter Bianca were one such family—the "keepers of secrets" tied to the Eon Pokémon.
They managed the Cathedral and had, for generations, maintained contact with Latios and Latias.
Bianca herself was close friends with the two.
Not only that, the Soul Dew that safeguarded Alto Mare was entrusted to their care as well, kept safe together with Latios and Latias.
Which meant Bianca's family was, without question, the most important among Altomare's old bloodlines.
And yet, not long ago, the Soul Dew they had guarded for generations vanished without a trace.
At the same time, a Latios—one that often visited Alto Mare—also disappeared.
The sudden blow left both Bianca and her grandfather bewildered, not knowing what to do.
The Soul Dew, after all, had been hidden in a secret garden no satellite could detect, a place known only to their family and the two Eon Pokémon.
So who could possibly have found the garden, stolen it, and vanished without a trace?
What's next—someone awakening some auto-loot system and just casually picking it up on their way past?
And if the Soul Dew was gone, what about Latios?
At first, Bianca and Lorenzo wondered if Latios had perhaps taken the Soul Dew away for some reason of his own.
But Latias's reaction told them otherwise.
She had been frantic, clearly shaken—not at all the reaction of someone whose brother had just stepped out for errands.
Then, yesterday, Bianca discovered a warning letter in the Cathedral, signed by someone calling themselves "Amon."
From the surveillance, the letter appeared the day before the Soul Dew was stolen.
But neither she nor Lorenzo had noticed at the time, so when the theft occurred, they were completely unprepared. By the time they found the letter, it was already too late.
All they could do was rage helplessly.
After realizing what had happened, Bianca immediately reported it to the local League branch and Officer Jenny.
Unfortunately, the League staff were conveniently "away on an official inspection trip" (read: vacation) and would need time to return.
Even then, they might not have the ability to handle an incident involving Legendary Pokémon. It wasn't the kind of case they were suited for.
As for Bianca and her grandfather themselves…
Well, to be frank, they didn't have much battle strength to speak of.
Even if they did catch the thief, they probably wouldn't stand a chance in a fight against the thief's Pokémon.
And so, their troubles eventually landed on Professor Oak's desk. They asked him to find a trainer who was powerful, righteous, generous, selfless, knowledgeable about Legendaries, and—oh yes—handsome.
Which, of course, led Oak to invite Haru.
Naturally, Haru was pretty sure those last few adjectives were Oak's personal additions.
Still, Bianca and Lorenzo never expected that their plea for help wouldn't just bring Oak, but also two celebrities:
One who had recently defeated Blue, and another who was none other than the Sinnoh Champion herself.
That gave them instant relief.
At Haru's question, the sharp-featured Miss Bianca thought deeply.
"Clues other than the letter… hmm."
"I didn't find anything else, but I think Latias might know something."
"The problem is, Latias can't speak human language. Communicating with her isn't easy."
Normally, Bianca would never reveal anything about Latios or Latias to outsiders. But now, she truly had no choice.
"That's not a problem. Just take me to her—I'll figure something out."
Haru waved it off casually.
He couldn't make a Pokémon speak human language, sure. But making a human understand Pokémon speech? That was easy.
After all, he had three portable "Poké-speech translators" walking right beside him.
If Latias knew the truth, then this wouldn't be hard.
"…"
Bianca and Lorenzo exchanged glances, then both nodded.
Things had reached this point; they might as well go along with Haru.
"All right. I'll take you."
"Latias is in the secret garden behind the Cathedral's hidden walls. Come with me."
The so-called secret garden felt more like a small park to Haru.
At its center was a clear little fountain, though it had stopped flowing—probably because its "power system" had been shut off.
Around it were neatly trimmed flowerbeds and shrubs, peaceful enough to soothe the soul at a glance.
The setting sun bathed the garden in gold, softly illuminating Haru and his companions' faces.
And there, on a swing to the side, was a girl who looked exactly like Bianca, swaying with a troubled expression.
To any outsider, she might have seemed like Bianca's sister.
But Haru identified her true self at a glance.
"That's Latias, isn't it?"
Yes. This was no sister. This was the Eon Pokémon itself.
Latios and Latias could both disguise themselves as humans.
And Haru remembered clearly: the Alto Mare Latias often used Bianca's appearance when in human form.
"You… you actually recognized her?"
Bianca was stunned.
Latias often wandered Alto Mare in this disguise, and no one had ever seen through it.
Aside from being a little cold to the touch and unable to speak, the disguise was flawless.
"What's so strange about it?"
"Latias can manipulate light refraction to render herself invisible or appear as someone else."
"You already said she was in this garden, so if there's a girl here who looks exactly like you—who else could it be?"
Haru brushed it off with a wave of his hand.
"…"
But I never told you she had that ability, Bianca thought. She opened her mouth but chose not to say it aloud.
Cynthia, meanwhile, wore an expression that screamed, Just as I thought.
"Ha, I knew it."
At this point, she was starting to believe some of Liko's claims.
Maybe there really was no Legendary Pokémon in the world that Haru wasn't familiar with.
She had heard the names Latios and Latias, as had many, but beyond that? Almost no one knew their powers—not even professors who specialized in Pokémon research.
"All right, let's try talking to her."
"If Latias knows the truth, all the better. If not, we'll have to find another way."
The missing Latios and the Latias here were siblings—very close.
Which explained why Latias had been so distraught since his disappearance.
According to Bianca and Lorenzo, both were still "young," not yet fully grown into the full power of the Eon Pokémon.
That was their greatest worry.
Because it meant criminal organizations might see them as easier prey.
At that moment, the "girl" on the swing suddenly froze—she had noticed Haru and the others.
---
Meanwhile, in another part of Altomare…
The Water Chariot Race was the city's most famous event. Every year, it drew countless tourists and boosted the local economy.
Contestants would choose a swimming Pokémon as their partner. The Pokémon would tow their trainer through Alto Mare's canals, and whoever reached the finish line first was crowned champion.
The prize was a large crystal badge, engraved with Latios and Latias, guardians of the Water Capital.
Ash had originally intended to stick close to Professor Oak's "progress." But since Oak's so-called "Pokémon Dad" hadn't arrived yet, Ash decided to enter the race instead.
He didn't have many strong Water-types, but it didn't matter. It was about participating. Winning would be great, but losing wasn't the end of the world.
"Hey, Goh, are you entering too?"
The boy from Pallet Town, cap pulled low, turned to the new companion he had met here.
Since arriving in Alto Mare, Ash had run into some minor misadventures that led him to cross paths with this boy, Goh.
Though something about Goh gave him a bad feeling, Ash remained his usual warm, enthusiastic self.
But Goh only shook his head coolly.
"No. I came here to catch Latias and Latios, not waste my time on some boring race."
Ever since his brief encounter with Haru, something had changed in him.
He hadn't taken Haru's advice to stop treating Pokémon like collectibles.
Instead… he'd gone the other way.
Haru told him not to? All the more reason to do it. What was wrong with catching Pokémon?
Catch, catch hard! If one ball didn't work, throw ten.
Just keep chucking balls at their heads until one stuck.
And more than that—he had shifted his focus away from ordinary Pokémon. Now, his eyes were set on Legendaries. He wanted overwhelming power.
So, when his childhood friend Chloe mentioned the legend of Alto Mare's guardians during her vacation here, Goh came immediately.
Too bad—so far, he hadn't found the slightest clue about Latios or Latias. The locals treated them as little more than folklore, which left him sorely disappointed.
"Catch Latios and Latias? That… doesn't sound right," Ash said hesitantly.
"They're the guardians of this place…"
"So what? Guardians or not, they're still Pokémon. And if they're Pokémon, they can be caught.
"My goal is to catch them all—including Legendaries."
With that, Goh turned and walked into a side alley.
"I'm off. You go join your race or whatever."
He hadn't seen Chloe since arriving, and he'd heard she had visited the Cathedral earlier. Maybe she was back now. He'd look for her first.
Ash watched his figure retreat into the shadows and shook his head softly.
Then he turned and headed the other way.
Yes—he still planned to enter that race.
And when both boys had vanished from sight, two other figures emerged from the shadows of a hidden corner.
"Keheheheheheheh…"
The owner of the voices let out a shrill, eerie laugh that sent chills down the spine.