A/N

Well, Here is the Altoshipping story I always said I'd make. I've had this story planned out for a while, but, if I've overlooked something please tell me/throw a brick at my head.

Enjoy!

Updated on June 17, 2019, with the help of the awesome and magnificent Fwahm! They are a fantastic Beta, and I definitely, totally, irrevocably needed one.

The young dragoness silently glanced around the corner, forcing herself to take a deep breath as she scanned the street for any threats. After a moment, she sighed, satisfied with its safety, and flew into the empty street.

The situation was clearly getting out of hand. She took this moment to catch her breath, but it was a pointless endeavor. She didn't have the time, nor the patience, to wait that long. She needed to get out of the city, now. Once she managed to get to safety, trivial things such as comfort could take priority.

But, regardless of energy she needed to keep moving. Her pursuers wouldn't let her stay in a single place for long. Deep breaths. She needed to get a clear mind, if only to keep from making stupid mistakes. The Latias paused for a moment and quickly made a list of priorities.

First, hold on until her sister could find her. That was the big one. If- no, when she got out of this, her sister would figure out a better way to keep them safe. None of this wandering around and hoping no one sees us crap.

Second, find something to eat. She'd been neglecting that for the past day, and the two of them would need it.

Third, find out who the hell was the mole. She had the god's favor in hiding, and yet, they still found her.

The Latias scowled at the thought, before shaking her head. No, she didn't need to doubt her friends like that. At least, not yet. It was simply possible that someone got very, very lucky. Not them, obviously, but luck had never once had been in their favor. She couldn't see why she would expect it to be now.

She then took a moment to glance down to the small, precious cloth bundle she held in her left arm. Scratch that, luck had favored them once, and that one time was all they needed. She smiled lightly, and nudged the small cloth with her nose, her spirit lifting at the small squeak she got in return.

When her sister found out she had missed out on his hatching, she was going to be furious.

But, it happened, and now she was a mother. It was still an alien concept, even after nearly seven whole months, but she figured that, once she got some actual parenting in, she'd get used to it. But, before she could work on that thought, she'd have to get out the city.

She took one last deep breath and steeled herself, lightly squeezing the small bundle. With him in her arms, she needed no further incentive.

The Latias prepared to move again, but stopped. She knew it was stupid, but she wanted to see him again. The Latias gently lifted the cloth from his tiny face and found her child to still be asleep. She gently rubbed his cheek with a claw and gave a small smile.

'If only Lamina was here to see this.'

"Has anyone seen any Lati? Satellite confirmed the presence of our target in the city."

The Latias froze in place, still staring down at the small Lati she held in her arms as she felt her blood turn to ice. Unless they were looking for some other actively hunted Lati, they knew she was here. Which meant that they knew that her son was in the city.

She hesitated for a single second, before immediately ducking into a nearby alley, wrapping the sleeping Lati back in the cloth. She didn't know if they were using psychic types, and she didn't want to take the risk.

Then, she waited. The Latias considered using a quick mental search using Psychic, but decided against it. If there were any Psychic or dark types, she'd just be giving herself away. Instead, she'd have to use her good, old fashioned eyes.

And, after a short moment of waiting, three humans, clad in blue clothing and wearing heat goggles, strode into view. A Team Aqua kill team. She felt her irritation rise further. Those weren't her previous hunters, and worse, unlike the others, Aqua held no qualms with just killing any Lati they found. If they found her, they would kill both her and her progeny without the slightest hesitation. At least with Magma, they tried to capture their prey if possible, giving her leeway to move and dodge. She quietly eased back into the alley and growled internally.

She could figure out how Magma knew where she was. After all, they had been hunting her the past two days. But Aqua? They had almost no presence in Kanto. Even if they found out the same time as Magma, it'd take them at least a couple hours to get there. She'd been in this city for almost a half hour, at most.

"Why the boss wants this thing dead so much is beyond me. It's just an egg, right?"

She slowly backed away from the entrance of the alleyway, all the while scowling. Something didn't add up. But, she didn't have time to ponder on that. The two men were getting closer, and with those goggles, they would see her instantly, regardless of invisibility.

The other man shrugged, not bothering to look around. "Eggs hatch. Grow up into big things. With how desperate he is with getting it, it probably has something to do with Whirlwind. Why else would the boss send half the group to some city in the middle of Kanto to just wait a week? Whatever it is, mark my words, it'll be trouble."

Wait. They knew she would be here? How? She was so careful, and only her most trusted friends and sister knew where the meeting spot was. Maybe she had a few friends that would blab, but even then, none of them actually knew.

The only ones with that knowledge would be her sister and her two best friends, and her sister betraying her was as absurd as Rayquaza learning to dance sky Ballet and taking a harem of humans as his mates.

It had to be one of the two. She felt a massive pang of rage and betrayal, but before she could act on her anger, one of the two humans spoke.

"Too bad we gotta kill them all, ya know? They're just Pokemon," The first grunt grumbled.

The second man just looked over, and shrugged. "Yeah, but if we don't, Whirlwind will get them, and I know that I'd rather be boiled alive than have to go through that."

"Damn Whirlwind."

She couldn't help but agree with that. She looked at the pair of humans and contemplated killing them, right then and there, and making an avenue for her escape. But, before she could act on the thought, a cold chill ran through her. Where did the third go?

Almost immediately, as if to answer her unasked question, a noise came from behind her. She immediately turned and found a pair of glowing green eyepieces in the shadows of the alley.

"There ya are, dragon."

In hindsight, she went a little overboard in dealing with those three, and now she was feeling the consequences.

Psychic overcharge was a bitch.

The young dragoness shot her arm out and gripped a nearby street sign, using it as a pivot to shoot around the corner, ignoring the static jolts she felt in her arm. She then gave a quick glance behind her and watched as her pursuer, a large Houndoom, slipped on some rubble, quickly rolling end over end, before crashing into a building side. She gave an internal smirk and continued through the labyrinthine, recently ash-filled streets of the city, making a psychic pulse to try to spot any ambushes that lie in wait. Stealth was no longer a possibility. She was fighting for her, and more importantly, his, life, and a lack of vigilance would spell doom for the pair. She quickly shot past another street, and with another psychic pulse, found that three humans were fighting a different group, one with a penchant for hoods. Magma was in the city; Took them long enough.

She knew that it was stupid, but she actually felt relief. Magma might have been her previous pursuers, but they wanted her and her hatchling alive. Plus, they wouldn't just let Aqua take her out, either.

She looked into the sky and sighed. That also explained the billowing clouds of smoke and blood-red sky. They certainly knew how to use their namesake. The two groups probably began fighting the instant Aqua showed up, and she had already spent the past hour dodging hydro pumps, hyper fangs, aqua jets, and Hyper beams, unable to properly fight back due to the small bundle she carried. She was tiring, and she knew it.

She contemplated trying to make flight, but with Aqua, that never ended well. She could outrun helicopters and jets easily, but she lacked the pure speed to outrun their heavy caliber bullets, and even if she could avoid them, she didn't know that shielding technique. Her hatchling would be subject to the harsh winds and speeds if she tried to flee, and she knew better than to try and experiment and make it up. It was a massive risk, and frankly, there was better chance of her hiding in the sewers then escaping through the air as it was. They were hunting Lati, after all, and they knew it.

The Latias growled in frustration and darted around another corner, silently hiding in the alleyway for a second. She then quickly poured psychic energy into a makeshift illusion, and the female quickly turned invisible. A large Houndoom ran past, and she released a silent breath of relief. She was never as good as her sister when it came to illusions, but apparently she still passed the test when the time required it. She used this unexpected moment for a quick breather. She quickly gave a quick psychic pulse, and noted that there were no humans for the next few blocks, besides a pair in a nearby building, hiding. The only living thing were her, the hiding pair, and the Houndoom, who was now lost and wandering around confused.

She sighed happily and quickly unwrapped the small bundle. She gave a fond glance down and smiled lightly. Rest was still holding up well, and the small Lati was peacefully sleeping. She gave the tiny newborn a fond little caress with her claw and sighed. The first thing she was going to do when they got away was give this little one a bath. The little thing still had egg goo on him, and there was even a few bits of errant eggshell glued to its tiny chest. She gave the young hatchling a lick, wincing slightly at the taste of egg goo. It wasn't the best taste. Regardless, she gave one more fond lick to her hatchling's cheek and rewrapped him up. She gave another psychic pulse and quickly spotted that the Houndoom was returning.

Oh yes. Dark type.

The Houndoom slowly came around the corner, its face in the dirt. She stared at it for a moment, before realizing what it was doing. It was tracking her. She felt a pang of annoyance and anger. This one needed to be removed. She quickly pondered her options, before simply deciding to use her particular form of subtlety. She slowly hovered skyward, and careful to stay underneath the building's cover, used her Psychic to grab a nearby wall, and yanked. The Houndoom managed to give a quick yelp, before it was buried under several tons of building, and after the dust cleared, all there was left was a big pile of rubble.

She gave a satisfied nod, and ignored the pang of pity she felt for the canine. It was her or him, and she had someone to protect. All she could hope for was that the collapsing building killed it, rather than simply burying it alive.

She took one last moment to rest before leaving the rubble filled alleyway. The noise and rubble would attract unwanted attention, attention she did not need. She took one last look back towards her victim, before shaking her head and leaving. Now was not the time for regret. She gave a psychic pulse, and again spotted very few living things nearby, and she found herself questioning the lack of non-gang members. Was the city made of nothing but grunts? Where were the normal trainers, the ones who supposedly fought against these groups? Did they already evacuate? Or, did they already fall?

She felt irritation at the idea. Humans were needed to fight humans, if only because a human was never "just" a human. Alone, they were weak, if extremely sturdy. But, with their standard six trained Pokemon...

If there were none left in the city, she was truly in trouble. She couldn't fight hordes with a hatchling in claw.

However, regardless of her need of them, she still hoped that they merely evacuated rather then fell, seeing as the city was ablaze and there was almost no one left in the city beyond combatants. The fire was clearly Team Magma's doing; they were always efficient with destruction. She swung around another corner and continued down the street.

She looked at the burning buildings as she passed, and felt sadness well up. This was a beautiful city, a bastion of plant-life and filled with beautiful gardens. Now, it was a large tinderbox, slowly catching fire.

No. She needed to focus. She had someone she needed to protect, and feeling regret towards the burning city didn't help. She gave the small bundle a reassuring squeeze and smiled internally, her previous sadness disappearing. When they got out of the city, she was immediately going to find her hatchling a meal. She was getting hungry herself, and a nice Stantler would really-

Before she could finish the thought, an unsuspecting human stepped out from behind a corner, and the Lati, thoughts full of food, promptly bowled over her. She quickly shut down all energy to her wings through reflex and fell, quickly curling her body around the bundle she held in an attempt to protect her little one. She landed harshly onto her back, knocking the wind out of her as she slid several feet over gravel and broken brick, before immediately rising back up with a vicious snarl. She quickly grabbed the small bundle with her psychic energy and held him behind her, all while she took a stance. She got distracted, and now she had to fight again. Her claws immediately lit up with a Dragon Claw, and she looked over her opponent, completely ready to finish the fight before it began. This wouldn't be the first life she ended today, nor would it be the last.

The human slowly forced its way to its feet, and stood up. As the dragoness prepared to strike, she got a small glance at the human. She wasn't wearing any uniform, and, instead, was just a young girl, roughly around thirteen. She felt conflict bubble up in her gut, but she continued her glare nonetheless. Just because the human was young didn't make her less dangerous. She herself was a shining example of that. The young girl stared back, and, after a moment, spoke, slowly raising her hands in a gesture of surrender. "I'm not gonna hurt you..." she said softly. The young Lati blinked in bemusement. "Are you a Latias? I've only seen pictures..."

The Dragoness didn't cease her glare, but she did use try to use her psychic energy to feel her emotions. Sincerity, concern, a bit of determination and a protective streak. In addition, she noted, a desire to enforce justice. She definitely had the aura of a Pokemon trainer, and a quick glance to the youth's hips revealed a couple Pokeballs. So, she was at least armed. She smiled internally, and looked over the trainer. She was rather small, but she didn't waver under her eyes as she glanced over her. She was strong willed, too. Or incredibly dense and foolhardy. Just like her sister.

She nodded slightly in satisfaction, and instead spoke directly to her. "You, girl. What is your intention?!" she barked out. Emotions could be faked on the surface. Sometimes, your best option was to dig.

The girl jumped a little at the rough bark and carefully backed up a bit, nervousness evident in her eyes. She was unable to understand her shout, and her confusion showed that she knew she was asked a question. The young Latias frowned a bit. She didn't have time for charades, and neither did this girl, one way or another. The young girl awkwardly stared for a bit, before speaking again. "You... You're a Latias. Are you why Team Whirlwind showed up?"

The Latias felt her mind go blank as the words rang through her ears, setting her mind ablaze with dread. Team Whirlwind was here. Oh, Arceus, Team Whirlwind was here. The dragoness felt her heart stop. The girl had to be lying.

Now, the Latias couldn't use telepathy. She never bothered to learn the skill, unlike her sister, and she always saw the difficult skill as pointless, seeing as all it enabled her to do was speak to humans and Pokemon without making much noise. But now, she regretted that decision wholeheartedly and felt a massive pang of remorse. But, regardless of her regrets, she wasn't a psychic for nothing. She didn't have many options, so she would simply force her words into the girl's head. She quickly drew up some psychic power, and drilled the statement into the girl's mind, forcing her mind to understand it at a base level. "TELL ME THE TRUTH!"

The girl cried out in pain and quickly fell to her knees, holding her head desperately. "I am! I am!"

Latias growled in irritation and decided to simply rip the knowledge out of her head. She had precious little time, and every second she spent with this liar, the closer her pursuers were to her hatchling. She growled angrily; it was very difficult to rifle through a human's head at the best of times, and trying it under stress wasn't the easiest maneuver.

But, while her sister had her illusions and amazing control, she had sheer power and not an insignificant amount of skill. She'd make do. She quickly forced her mental probe into the girl's mind, and felt herself become awash with memories. She quickly searched through them, and after a short moment, found... nothing. She would've given a sigh of relief, but before she could, a single unread memory sat there, taunting her.

She engulfed it and...

Froze.

The girl told the truth. The young mother felt her psychic energy go haywire with the shock, and she forced it to disperse into the air instead of into a target. She barely managed to bring the small bundle back into her arms before her energy failed. She shook her head. Whirlwind was here.

The young girl slowly shook her head to clear the pain and slowly stood back up, giving a sideways glare to the Eon dragon. "Hey! That really..."

But, before she could finish her sentence, her anger died. The dragon looked terrified. The young girl felt a pang of pity, and after a moment, stepped forward a bit. While the dragon clearly wasn't nice, it still needed help, and it was clearly afraid. And, as her mother always said, a desperate Pokemon was a mean one, regardless of its nature before. She got slightly closer, and tried to give a comforting smile. "Don't worry, I'll protect you..."

The young Latias turned her head to the young human when she heard the words, and after a few seconds, actually laughed. She felt several shuddering breaths shake her frame, and she laughed. She laughed until she realized she wasn't laughing. She felt the warmth of her tears rolling down her cheeks, and found herself viciously wiping at them in anger. As quick as her sorrow appeared, her blistering rage replaced it. Damn them. Damn Whirlwind. She wouldn't let them take him, ever. Even...

An extreme, terrifying thought passed through her mind.

Even if she had to kill him herself. She would not let her little hatchling be taken... and by whirlwind! She growled in rage, and after a moment of contemplating, prepared a Shadow claw. It would be quickest, and he would hopefully feel nothing.

But, before she could do this, she turned around, looking straight into the eyes of the young girl, who had terror and confusion etched all over her face. She glared at the small bearer of bad news, but after a moment, a small spark of an idea wormed its way into her mind. Whirlwind was looking for her, a Latias. A mother that would never dream of leaving her child.

She could, no, would be bait. She thought about it for a moment; the plan was certainly desperate, but it was a plan, one that could lead to survival for her little Latios. She quickly glanced down to the small bundle behind her and felt a twinge of hope. There was a chance... but not for her. Heavens knew that there was no hope for her. She quickly deactivated her Shadow Claw and turned around, ignoring the sounds of what was most likely one of her many hunters getting close, and gently grabbed her child.

She drew it close, trying to memorize the experience. This was her last time to say goodbye. After her short embrace, she slowly unwrapped the blankets and found a pair of brown eyes staring back. 'Rest must have worn off...'

"What's that?" The girl asked curiously, unable to see what the bundle held. However, she did notice the reverence the dragon had for it.

Latias ignored the young human and gently gave the small Latios a soft nuzzle and a softer smile, and pulled back to give a small lick. Tasted like soot and egg goo. 'Goodbye, little one. Mommy loves you more than anything. Grow up strong. Stay safe.'

She used Yawn, and watched peacefully for a scant few seconds as the small Pokemon fell back asleep. The dragoness then rewrapped the blankets, and giving the small Lati a small, warm hug, carefully placed the bundle into the human's arms. Before the human could react, shoved the girl in the opposite direction as the encroaching voices. "Keep him safe!" Was all she shouted, and immediately shot off back from where she came.

The young girl couldn't help but be extremely confused, but she could easily tell what the Latias wanted. It wanted her to run, and protect this warm little... thing. And so, she simply ran. She ran away from the first sounds of battle that reached her ears, with the sound of a Hyper beam and a large explosion. Even then, all that did was drove her to run faster.

Whatever happened, she knew one thing. she had to keep this small thing safe. That Latias ran off to fight who knows what to protect it; it had to be important.

But, after several minutes or so of running, the youth found herself stumbling, completely out of breath. She quickly tried to think of her options, and decided that she wouldn't be able to escape from a pursuer if they caught her like this. So, she quickly found herself an empty alley and ducked in. There, the girl took several gulping breaths, before quickly checking around the corner, making sure she wasn't spotted. She spotted nothing, and after a moment of listening, decided that she was alone and safe for the moment, before sitting down. She took several more deep breaths, before looking down at the bundle of blankets and cloth she held. It was certainly small, and abnormally warm. She contemplated poking it, before deciding to simply open it up.

"So... What's so important about you?" she pondered aloud.

The girl slowly unwrapped the blankets, careful not to break what might end up being some priceless relic, and once the cloth was free, quickly found the answer. In the bundle of blankets in her arms laid a very small, sleeping Latios. The girl stared for a moment, before realizing what this meant. The Latias was protecting her child. Which she entrusted to her. She felt dual pangs of panic and pride. She was trusted to protect something extremely precious. Something that the entire city was probably burning for. "Oh... So Whirlwind and all those guys are after you and your momma... aren't they?"

After a few more moments of staring at the tiny little dragon, the girl tore her eyes away and stood back up. She had a new resolve, and she swore that she would protect this small Pokemon with her life. She slowly and gently wrapped the hatchling with the blankets she held and gave the small bundle a light smile. "Your momma trusted me to protect you, so I'm gonna keep you safe. And, we'll get you to her after this, 'kay?" She didn't get a real answer, but the soft sigh the hatchling gave was easily enough for her.

She pondered for a second on where she should go, before quickly deciding to try the Pokemon Center. Usually, if her memory served her correctly, whenever something happened, most Pokemon trainers would meet up at the pokemon center, using it as a command center, or such. That would be the safest place.

'Plus,' she added mentally, 'It's close to the city limits, in case I have to run.'

She hugged the bundle closely, and after checking the street for opponents, quickly sprinted out of the alleyway and down the street. "If I remember right, it's just two blocks down on Boulder Street." she mumbled to herself as she ran down the road.

"Park Street, Electric Street... Ah! Boulder!"

She quickly went around the corner and froze in place. The entire Pokemon Center was ablaze, and the remains of the building were surrounded by fighting Team Whirlwind and Team Magma members. She couldn't help but stare blankly for a moment, in absolute shock. 'Why are they doing this?'

She would have remained there for another moment, but the small Latios in her arms shifted a bit, quickly reminding her of the situation. 'Right, like teacher said. Focus. Think about the burning city later.'

She quickly pondered her options, and decided to use her back-up plan. She quickly tried to turn and run towards the city exit, but before she could run, a voice shouted out, stopping her in her tracks. "Hey, you! Whatcha you got there?!"

She quickly turned and pulled the baby closer and watched in dread as a man dressed in a green uniform with a pair of goggles walked towards her, ignoring the battle around him. She backed up a few steps and quickly found herself against a wall. The man stopped a few feet away and stared at her for a moment with his goggles, watching in sick interest as they zoomed in and out. "Well, well, well! Look what we found ourselves. Just what we were looking for. Thanks, kid."

The girl couldn't help but feel panic. He already knew. She quickly froze, and felt dread ooze over her.

"I'm sure Lieutenant Horace will reward you handsomely."

But, somewhere inside her, she felt a small speck of anger and defiance. Why should she give the small Pokemon up? Why did they want it so badly?

"N-no."

The man looked genuinely surprised. He didn't seem to consider the option that she would refuse. "What?"

And she found strength in that. She drew from that strength, and, pulling the small bundle close with one arm, reached down with her opposite and grasped a Pokeball. "No. I won't let you have him. Irama, Go!" She quickly threw out the ball, and it immediately released a Dratini. The small dragon blinked for a second, before quickly taking a defensive pose in front of her, immediately sensing the urgency of the situation upon spotting the surroundings. The man smiled at the sight of the small dragon, and nodded in mock approval. "A dragon trainer, huh? A little far from home, aren't we?"

The girl simply nodded in return and gave a cold glare in response. She had to protect her charge. She quickly thought about her options, and a thought crossed her mind. Seeing all the bodies of grunts and trainers that laid around, she figured that these trainers weren't playing exactly fair. So, neither would she. "Quick, use Dragon Rage on him!"

Dratini, to its credit, didn't hesitate. It quickly shot his attack at the green suited man, and the man screamed in pain as the hot green flames knocked him over. She quickly returned her Pokemon, gave the Pokeball a kiss and ran. She might be able to beat the one grunt, but all of his friends? Not a chance. The green man quickly recovered, and after putting out the flames on his sleeve, he turned and shouted to his comrades. She immediately ran like a Houndoom was on her tail and turned around a corner. She quickly found herself weaving through streets and alleys, with only the thought of protecting the small thing in her arms on her mind. Before she realized how far she made it, she found herself at the city exit, finding herself staring down several men, dressed in black suits emblazoned with a single red R.

She felt a pang of irritation at the blockade, but she recognized the uniforms. Team Rocket. A threat, but less of one compared to the three other teams. They, ironically, had a sense of honor. "Let me pass!"

Several of the men laughed at her command, and more than a few glared at her, and she quickly found herself in an intense stare off. The group of men and women stared at her, and she glared back at them. They were blocking her path, and she needed out of the city. After a short moment, a grunt moved forward, released an Ekans, and gave her a smirk. "Let's see how ya dance. Maybe, if you beat me, we'll let you go."

She moved her hand to her hip and reached for a Pokeball. But, before she could reach one, a strong hand grabbed her shoulder, and she felt a jolt as she glanced back. "There will be no need for that." She got a look at her captor, a suited man, and prepared to struggle, but... upon spying the man's cold eyes, she couldn't bring herself to.

She was quickly led to the center of the grunts and was pushed somewhat roughly down, forced to sit. "Listen, girl. I want you to sit here, shut up, and stay put. If you're good, I won't have you tied."

"Executive Giovanni! Her pursuers are here!"

The man simply nodded and gave her one last look. "Good. Finally, we can put an end to Team Whirlwind's irksome charade." The man calmly drew out a Pokeball and released a Meowth. "You know what to do."

The Meowth nodded, and it ran forward, immediately meeting the first grunt with a headbutt to the midsection. But, before it could get further, it was tackled by a Poochyena.

He turned towards a small group of grunts that stood around the girl and frowned. "She is not to be freed. Use any means necessary to keep her safe, understood? If there's even a hair missing, I will deal with you."

The group of grunts nodded, and the rest of Team Rocket rushed forward alongside the man in the suit and pushed the green clad grunts back. They quickly dispatched the first couple grunts, but before the battle turned completely in their favor, more reinforcements arrived. The battle was a stalemate after that, men on both sides fighting and falling; all the while, the youth felt her hope dwindle. She was trapped and the small child would be taken away. Maybe even killed. She felt a few tears well up, and clenched her fist.

She was a fail-

Before she could finish the thought, a loud explosion reached her ears as a Hyper Beam went wide and collided with a nearby helicopter. There was a sound of screeching metal, and it began spinning precariously as the tail burst into a gout of flames.

She jolted and watched desperately as the helicopter spun rapidly, and after a moment, realized that it was spinning towards them. She felt everything slow, and she had an epiphany. She quickly drew out a Pokeball and threw it down. "Irama, Flash!" The small Dratini immediately did so; the group of grunts shielded their eyes and she took her opportunity. She leapt up, barely managing to recall her Pokemon before sprinting in the direction of the city exit. She barely got sixty feet when she heard a deafening explosion and wrenching of metal and felt a solid push come from behind, almost knocking her off balance.

The girl continued on the road longer than she ever recalled running before; she ran until there was no buildings around her, until she could only see the smoking silhouette of the city known as Celadon, painted orange with the color of many burning fires. And, once she got to the crossroad for Viridian, she finally managed to burn through all of her adrenaline. She clumsily stumbled, and barely managed to catch herself. She barely managed to sit and looked back, and found herself three miles outside of the city. She simply sat there, panting desperately for a few minutes, before hearing a small noise from the bundle she held. She blinked in confusion, still panting, but after a moment, her curiosity outpaced her sheer exhaustion, and she decided to investigate.

She glanced down and gently pulled back the blankets, and after a moment of shifting cloth, found herself meeting the tiny, brown eyes of a small Latios. They stared at each other, and she felt... a connection. She then felt a fond smile form, and she gently rubbed the small dragon's cheek with her free hand. "So... What should I call you...?" The girl pondered as she continued to pet the small dragon's face. She eventually, however, pulled back her hand, and when she did, she found it to be covered in soot.

She couldn't help but frown lightly, and quickly decided to remedy her newest ward's hygiene problem, gently sitting down the small Lati beside her. She shuffled awkwardly for a moment, trying to free herself from her small backpack before finally managing to take it off, and placed it in front of her. She quickly opened it up, and after a bit of rummaging, pulled out a cloth and a bottle of water.

"Here we go..." she cooed lightly, "Let's get you all clean."

She quickly dampened the cloth and wiped the small Lati's face free of the charcoal from the city that made its way into the blankets, along with what seemed to be bits of egg. She wiped down the small Lati, and after several moments, found that her rag was now stained black. She stared at it for a moment, before a thought came to mind.

"I know. I think I'll call you... Ash."

Giovanni sat there, scowling at seemingly nothing in general as the rest of his men mopped up the rest of Team Whirlwind's resistance. There had been far too many casualties. Good men, lost, and even then, Whirlwind still managed to get away. Sure, he managed to essentially hamstring the organization if reports were correct. Several admins and leaders killed, dozens, if not hundreds of grunts dead, and tens of millions of dollars in equipment destroyed. But, they would heal. All he did was slow them down.

"Sir!"

The man almost jumped, and swore at his loss of attention. However, it took barely a half second for him to regain his balance, and he simply looked at the grunt, and nodded in acceptance. "Report."

The grunt blinked nervously and began his report. "Sir, we have confirmation that all eyes on the city have been blinded as of two hours previous. GPS, satellite, and almost all overhead aircraft have all been disabled. Also... the girl was confirmed escaping, and just to be sure, we checked and found that her body wasn't found at the crash site. Should we give chase?"

Giovanni shook his head in disapproval. She managed to get away, but the same couldn't be said about the men and women he placed to guard her. It seemed she had the sense to run, and the luck to make it out alive. "No. We don't have the manpower at the moment, and if what you've said is true, Whirlwind doesn't know that we don't have her anymore, much less that she isn't still in the city. Seeing as they don't have the Pokemon she was protecting, our mission was a success. Report that we have her over the public channel, and that we... exterminated the Latios."

The grunt raised an eyebrow skeptically, but quickly schooled his face back to an expression of cool indifference. "Will that... work, sir?"

The executive simply smiled, and shrugged. "Whirlwind will certainly be suspicious, but they're not in a position to be able to confirm that fact. Change some facts about her in the report. Age, hair color, I don't care. As long as the girl doesn't do something stupid, they won't even know that dragon still exists. And seeing as she's still alive, after what this city's been through, I doubt that she's that foolish."

And then, Giovanni frowned. "Once we've regrouped, and are able to make a search, we'll have ourselves a man hunt. And, perhaps, this time the prey will be an actual challenge."

A/N As you've probably seen, I've tried for a more... serious story this time around. No random off-the-wall comedy, no silly portrayals of characters. I also have to say this; the Latias that is Ash's mother is not the Latias from Pokemon Heroes. They are of no relation whatsoever. Just so it's clear.

Feel free to be overly critical to the point of absurdity. I can use criticism, regardless of how vague or undirected it may be. Heck, even flames can be used. So, feel free to rage if you want. I can take it, I promise.