Chapter 440:
Distortion World.
Latias followed behind Giratina, while Kaede and Gardevoir settled on its back.
Latias was anxious, but no matter how urgent, even via the Distortion World, it would take about five minutes to reach Alto Mare from here.
Gardevoir remained silent, staying quietly by his side.
Kaede, meanwhile, was pondering what he had seen in the Sight Sharing projection.
This seemed different from the script, didn't it?
In the script, Ash chased after Latias, who was disguised as 'Bianca,' leading them to the underground garden, where the rogue sisters saw them, triggering the subsequent events. But here, the sisters hadn't captured the brother, Latios.
Latios hadn't told his sister to flee; instead, he'd called for her help.
According to the explanation from Latios and Latias during the Sight Sharing link, the sisters had approached Latios first. However, their Pokémon hadn't achieved an overwhelming victory in the battle against him. Uninterested, Latios had simply left.
But when he returned later, he found the Soul Dew gone and 'Bianca' captured.
Only Bianca's grandfather remained, telling him the Soul Dew had been taken and that the rogue sisters still needed the power of either Latios or Latias to control Alto Mare.
As he pondered, Giratina came to a halt, opening a portal between the Distortion World and the real world, adding a question.
[Does thou require mine assistance?]
"No, no, it's fine. If we need your help, we'll call for you later. I'll bring you some wine when we get back~"
Kaede offered a quick reassurance.
Time was tight, so he didn't elaborate further to Giratina. He simply had Latias carry them out through the portal.
Two rogues, though world-renowned, weren't enough for Kaede to call upon Giratina.
Heck, he doubted they could even handle Latias in her current state. After all, Gardevoir had been training her for over two months.
Kaede glanced at Latias beneath him.
[Pokémon: Latias]
[Gender: Female]
[Ability: Levitate]
[Type: Dragon, Psychic]
[Aptitude: Gold]
[Individual Values: …]
[Level: 57-58]
[Moves: Charm, Psych Up, Helping Hand, Recover, Confusion, Tailwind, Dragon Breath, Dragon Pulse, Dream Eater, Dragon Dance, Psyshock, Zen Headbutt…]
In the original story, the brother and sister together couldn't defeat the sisters' Pokémon. But now, Latios alone could hold his own against them both, let alone Latias.
"Let's go, Latias!"
...
For Latios, using Sight Sharing to call his sister back was an act of desperation.
In the past, he would never have considered such an idea. But after that day, his sister had apparently found a 'job' somewhere far away, requiring daily commutes.
Initially, he was against it.
However, he couldn't dissuade her. Later, Latios discovered that this job his sister found was actually quite good. Not only did she bring back delicious food every day, but eating it also accelerated their growth at an astonishing rate.
His sister, who used to be slower in flight and weaker in strength, always preferring to play, had now surpassed him by a significant margin in both power and speed. It was hard to believe this change happened in just two months.
During this time, in her spare moments, Latios would ask about her work whenever she returned.
She told him she spent her days making a kind of food for Pokémon called Energy Cubes.
Then, another Pokémon would teach her how to learn moves, control them better, and become stronger.
She also learned to make various delicious things. In short, life felt much more fulfilling, without the old boredom of just idly floating around the streets of Alto Mare.
Hearing this, Latios's initial resistance faded, replaced by support. He even encouraged her to study hard there, to become stronger, so they could better protect Alto Mare in the future.
He just hadn't expected this need to arise so soon.
Now, Latios couldn't help but worry again. Would his sister also be unable to defeat those two humans?
*'Mmm...'*
*'If she brought the human who teaches her for help, it should be possible.'*
Latios, guarding the underground garden, couldn't help but think this.
The importance of the Soul Dew to their kind, Latias and Latios, was undeniable. If the Soul Dew was stolen and Alto Mare destroyed during their watch, neither of them would know what to do.
*'I hope she brings him.'*
The moment this thought surfaced in Latios's mind, a long, urgent cry echoed through the underground garden. Latios instinctively looked toward the source, and his entire body shuddered at the sight.
By the pool in the garden, a graceful figure shot out of the water first. It was his sister; he recognized her immediately.
What made him tremble was the water's surface. The once-clear water had transformed into something like a shattered mirror, overlaid with a dark purple vortex. From within it, a head with glowing crimson eyes emerged.
Though it disappeared back beneath the surface in a flash, Latios was sure he hadn't imagined it.
The fierce head bore crown-like yellow markings. The cold, domineering look in its eyes was unlike anything he'd ever seen. And the sheer size of that head was even larger than his own body!
What kind of Pokémon was that?
Before Latios could process this, his sister Latias was already by his side.
"Ooh?"
It was then that Latios noticed the human and an unfamiliar Pokémon on his sister's back.
Was this the human for whom his sister worked?
Dressed in a white robe, wearing a mask?
"Latias! Latias!"
Latias looked at Latios, then up at Kaede on her back, chattering urgently.
"Alright, alright. Let's go. First, take me to see where the Soul Dew was kept, okay?"