Last Chapter:

"Well, whatever it was that Yveltal did, it certainly did not seem happy to see us. It was hunting me in particular, actually." I gave a tired, hollow laugh. "What did I do to anger something that powerful? I've done a lot of things, hell, me and Brock here have fought Arceus itself, but I've never been singled out like this. None of us have… I've spent years training in the art of Aura and battle, even going up against one of the most skill Aura Masters in history on an even footing, but nothing could have prepared me for this. It was sheer luck we managed to get out alive!" I said, before shaking my head. "It doesn't matter. Let's go back to the others, we need some rest."

"So, what now?"-normal speech (When a Pokémon talks to another Pokémon, this will be used as it is presumed they are speaking in their own language)

"I'm heading out."- telepathy

I love Pokémon.-thoughts and/or emphasis

Chapter 8: The Return

(Latios POV)

We've been moving for hours now… I thought tiredly, stretching outwards, cringing at the popping noise coming from my neck. Sitting in one position for hours will do terrible things to your spine, even as a dragon. Let's see… Lugia said we'd reach Pallet after, what, fifteen hours? Judging by what Brock's watch is saying, we've been on the run for about... eight hours. Seven more to go, joy. I thought irritably, turning to look at the other members of our little crew. Ash was talking idly with Brock and Misty, while my sister was chatting quietly with Bianca. Bianca… What is this feeling that runs through me whenever I look at her? I've been gone from the world a long time, but I still know my own emotions!

Sighing, I got up and floated over to the larger group. "So, at the risk of sounding redundant, what do we do now?" I telepathed curiously. "While we know where we need to go, we still don't know what we'll do once we're there. Do we talk to Professor Oak about finding shelter while we plan our next moves? I mean, I have to tell Arceus about this. If Yveltal is going on a rampage, they must be informed."

Ash sighed. "Unfortunately, we can't do much other than rest up. We don't know enough about what Yveltal's going to do, and drawing attention to ourselves will only get us in more trouble. I agree though, someone has to be notified." he said, frowning. "There's not much else that we can do at the moment, we barely got out of that mess in one piece. I'm surprised none of us were fatally wounded."

Misty smiled despite herself. "Well, it'll be nice to go back to Pallet though, right?" she asked, sounding excited at the prospect. "I'm sure your mom has been missing you, hasn't she?" she asked curiously.

Ash paled. "Oh man, she knows!" he said, eyes widening. "I told her what boat we were going to be on, she'll know something happened when word gets out! There were plenty of other people on it, I doubt that nobody managed to get word out, and I highly doubt that a distress call wasn't sent out. Mom's definitely going to flip!" he groaned.

If there was anything I knew about Mrs. Ketchum (which was very little; he'd only been not-dead for a few days, after all), it was that she was the epitome of a loving mother. Always encouraging Ash to go forward, always working to make him happy, and supporting him in whatever he did. I thought idly. Ash had described her as one of the nicest people he knew. I believe he also said she was, what was it, a "mama Ursaring"? She sounds dangerous. I shivered. Perhaps it'd be best if I didn't tell her I met her son by attacking him…

Turning my attention back to Ash, I saw him sitting in a fetal position on the floor, eyes wide as he murmured under his breath. "Um, it'll be fine? She's your mom, right? She'll let you explain…?" my mental voice trailed off uncertainly.

"This is Delia Ketchum we're talking about here." Misty deadpanned. "She's more likely to scold him, be concerned for him, and break his ribs in a hug. Not necessarily in that order."

Oh.

"Well, I suppose there's only one way to find out, right?" I telepathed uncertainly. This "reunion" is going to be interesting, that's for certain. I suppose I can't say anything; technically I'm supposed to be God's nephew or something, and we just got brutally attacked by my second cousin, or somewhere along those lines. What have I gotten myself into…? I sighed, turning and floating off to look for Brock.

After a few seconds, I saw him, sitting against one of Lugia's spines, closer to the Pokémon's neck. He grimaced as his arm was jostled by one of the Pokémon's movements. The painkillers hadn't been as effective as we'd thought, and he'd been unable to get any sleep for over thirty hours now. It was starting to take a toll on the man, he had dark circles under his eyes and his movements were sluggish and uncoordinated. I wish there was something I could do to help him, but I've no idea what. What's the point of being a being with godlike levels of untapped power if you can't do anything with it? I grumbled, floating over to him. "How're you holding up here?" I asked uncertainly. "Do you need me to get anything for you? I can get more medicine, or maybe something to take your mind off of it."

Brock sighed. "No…" he said quietly. "It'll be okay. It's only a few more hours, right? I can take this for a bit longer. For Ash's sake, if nothing else. I wasn't there to help him while he went to Cameran, I can at least be here to help him now." he said, determination filling his voice. My respect for the man shot up a few notches at that.

"You really care for him, don't you? Not many would endure something such as this for the sake of someone else." I telepathed, unable to keep a slight bit of awe from my voice. "I could imagine doing something like this for Latias, but even then I don't actually know if I could do it. Many people like to think they'd be able to do nearly anything for something important to them." I mused. "However, not many can actually muster up the strength to do so… and I am no exception. You have my respect, Brock Slate."

He looked surprised at my words. "Normally, I would never be willing to admit that I couldn't do something to protect my sister. But after the DMA Incident, well, it's rather humbling. All I can do now is thank Ash for saving me from my prison. And you as well, for being there by his side during his journeys." I admitted.

"I don't know about that… I mean, there was that whole stint he had in Unova, I wasn't there for that." he pointed out. "But… I suppose Ash is like a brother to me now. We've been traveling together for years, and he's probably my closest friend." he chuckled lightly. "Then again, I suppose that for him, that slot goes to Pikachu."

"Speaking of which, where is he? I didn't see him when we were escaping the boat… Is he alright?" I asked. I never even thought about him when we ran from Yveltal. Emotions were running high at that point, I suppose. I hope Ash was able to pick him up.

"Oh, he's fine." Brock pointed at the bags situated around one of Lugia's frontal spines. "You probably missed him when we were leaving because he was in Ash's bag when the storm hit. I can't say I'm surprised he didn't wake up from all the chaos, though; that mouse sleeps like a rock. He's somewhat like Ash, in that regard." he explained, shaking his head. "I'm sure you noticed before we left Altomare, how Ash would sleep in until ten in the morning, and wouldn't get up a minute earlier?"

I did notice that, actually. Whenever Ash fell asleep, he simply wouldn't get up until his body decided to. He must've spent at least twelve hours a day sleeping. I nodded.

"Yeah, Pikachu's just like that. Could sleep through a tornado, and I don't mean the move, either." he said lightly. "He'll probably be up here in a couple hours. I told Ash earlier, so he's waiting for him to wake up in order to explain what mess we've gotten ourselves into this time." he sighed, looking out into the ocean. We'd descended further, closer to the seafloor, and there weren't many Pokémon around this deep, but I could barely make out the forms of Shellder and occasional Clamperl as we raced by.

I sighed. "We've been going for a while now. Let's try and get some rest. Should I get you some more pain medicine? It might help." I telepathed tiredly. "You've been up for over a day without rest and I'm mentally exhausted. We need to get some sleep."

He sighed. "You're right. I can't do anything for anyone in this condition. More pain medicine would be risky, but… I can't get any rest like this. Bring me the bottle and I'll see how much more I can take without serious risk." He said tiredly.

Nodding, I floated over to where the bags were. Looking closely, I could see a small round form that could only be Pikachu, curled up in Ash's bag. Turning back to our medical bag, sifting through the meager supplies we'd managed to save from Yveltal's attack. It's a good thing Lugia's going to drop us off at Pallet, if something bad happened I don't know if we'd be able to help anyone who's injured. I thought tiredly. Bringing back the bottle of pain medicine to Brock, I floated off to go to sleep.

(LINE BREAK)-

I awoke to a prodding of my wings. I groaned sleepily as I opened my eyes, levitating off of Lugia's back. Looking around, I saw Brock, out like a light, as well as Ash and Bianca talking about something or other as we flew through the air, no sign of the bubble keeping air in as we moved about the skies.

Wait, skies?

"Come on blue-bottom, we're almost to Pallet!" the redhead to my left grumbled. She didn't look like she'd slept very well, though I decided against commenting on her disheveled appearance. My underside is white, though… I thought hazily, floating over to Ash.

"Latios, you're up!" Bianca smiled. "I was wondering if you'd ever get up, you were out like a rock! Even worse than Ash and Pikachu…" she sighed. Looking over, I saw the two, Pikachu clinging sleepily to Ash's shoulder, who didn't look too awake himself. "Lugia says we're about fifteen minutes out from Pallet, so I figured now would be a good time to get everyone ready, because all of you decided that it was naptime!"

"It is approximately 7:15 A.M. right now in Kanto. The sun should be coming up shortly, so we need to get to Pallet now before we are seen. I am not an easy Pokémon to miss, you know." Lugia telepathed, his mental voice as calm as ever, as though he were discussing the weather. I suppose that he is, in a way…

"Of course, thank you Lugia, your assistance is greatly appreciated." Ash said thankfully. "Once we're in Pallet there shouldn't be any major issues; the people there know me well and they know what I've gotten up to in the past. The Professor may be a bit, enthusiastic, though … I doubt he'll be up this early in the morning. Tracey probably is, but you've met him before." he said lightly.

"Of course, the one with the green hair and the sketchbook. He was quite skilled at his art, if I remember correctly." Lugia remarked. "Yes, I don't see any issues with coming into town immediately. We're getting close now."

Exhaling tiredly, I floated over to where Latias was sitting by the bags, rummaging through them and presumably looking for something. "Sister!" I called. She looked up, smiling happily. "Can you wake up Brock for me? I have to carry the bags for when we get to Pallet. Be careful with his arm, please."

"Sure thing!" she chirped. "You know, you and Bianca really do work well together." she said, grinning evilly. "While you were all busy being asleep she sat by you and stroked your neck. I didn't think you let people groom you, Brother… Have you been hiding things from me again?" she pouted.

My face must've been as red as her feathers, because she burst into laughter. S-she was grooming me? I never let anyone groom me, even when I'm asleep! And yet… somehow I'm not upset. With Bianca, anyway. Latias, on the other hand… "Sister…" I growled, trying to look as angry as possible. It seemed to be working, because she let out a soft "eep" before floating off towards Brock just a little faster than normal. I laughed at her retreating back, before going over to pick up the bags. That was mean, and she's going to get me back later. It was also totally worth it. I thought, smirking.

A short while later, Pallet Town finally came into view. It was a quaint place, with a pleasant feel to it. There weren't many buildings, and small river ran directly through the village. It gave the town a very open atmosphere. Grassy fields made up most of the landscape, a mixture of crops filling the area closer to the town. On a nearby hill stood a larger building with a windmill spinning lazily in the soft breeze. There was a large fenced in area behind it, with what looked like a dozen distinct "biomes". Maybe some kind of laboratory? Could belong to this Professor guy that Ash mentioned. I wondered idly.

As we approached, the sun finally rose up through the trees, painting the sky and fields with a spectacular glow. The river was sparkling beautifully in the center of town, and for just a moment, it was as though the world had suddenly turned a brilliant orange hue. "Wow…" I gasped. There was no need for telepathy to translate this; everyone else was frozen in awe of the wondrous sight. One could hear Pidgey's calls off in the distance, and in that one moment, the world was at peace.

As we gazed off towards the east, Lugia began to circle the town before descending off towards the large area behind the hill. Unfortunately, there wasn't really a better place to land, especially without inadvertently calling attention to ourselves. As we descended towards the the building, a young man with unusual green hair and a red hairband stepped out, his eyes wide at Lugia's massive form blotting out the sun.

Finally, we touched down. Levitating off with as many bags as I could carry without hooking them on my wings (I do have some pride, after all) I floated off to the side to allow for Latias to get off, pulling Ash all the way as he tried to thank Lugia for his assistance, with little success. Bianca, meanwhile (I really need to talk to her later about what Latias told me…) was more interested in the scenery around us. It did make for an idyllic view, I supposed. She definitely has her inner artist out to play right now. I mused.

Brock and Misty carefully slid off of Lugia's wing with the rest of our bags. Brock went over to him, presumably to thank him for his help, while Misty exhaled tiredly and sat down next to the bags. I smirked. "Not much of a morning riser, are we?" I telepathed, mental voice brimming with smugness.

"Shut up, you. After that mess with the boat last night, how can I not be tired, huh?" she made a crude gesture in my direction. One of the many disadvantages to not having hands, I suppose.

I grinned. "Legendary Pokémon here, sleep is for the weak!" I crowed in her mind. Never mind the fact that I was passed out for half the trip… Technicalities, right? Turning away from her muttered complaints I looked over to where Ash and Latias were talking to the green haired one, probably this Tracey guy, my sister having shifted into Bianca and making emphatic gestures, presumably trying to compliment Ash's story. Judging from what she was doing, they were at the part right after I'd been resurrected from the Soul Dew. Deciding to leave the explanations to them, I floated over to discuss matters with Lugia.

"Thank you again for saving us from Yveltal, Lugia. There was no way we'd have made it otherwise." Brock was saying, his broken arm limp at his side. We need to get that looked at. I thought grimly.

"It was no trouble, Brock Slate. It was a stroke of luck that I'd been passing through the area, else who knows what could have happened." Lugia said, mental voice solemn. "I am glad to have been able to help the Chosen One once again. I fear as to what this may mean, however…" he mused.

"Brock." I called. "You should go and get your arm splinted. That building is a laboratory, right? There should be supplies there you can use. I need to speak with Lugia about the matter of Yveltal." I said, mental voice becoming more serious as I brought my more serious persona as a Legendary to bear.

Nodding, the spiky-haired man walked off to get Bianca so they could deal with the break on his arm. I turned back to Lugia. "So what now, then?" I asked grimly. "If Yveltal is stirring again, then there's something much more dangerous going on here. Especially considering that it had been able to nullify your weather abilities. I presume you will inform Lord Arceus of these events?"

"Of course. There is a chance that they will call a council meeting together in order to deal with this threat, of course." he said calmly. "You and Latias may need to leave your friends behind for a short while. There is also the issue of the Soul Dew…" he trailed off, unsure.

"The Dew will be fine, I put up an energy barrier around it; anything that isn't an Eon won't be able to touch it without getting severely burned. Machines will simply cease functioning, as well." I said, not quite able to keep all of the pride out of my voice. Me and Latias had learned a lot in the years after the DMA incident, though my learning was somewhat restricted by my lack of being, well, alive. Thankfully, that didn't affect my knowledge and learning too badly. The memories are a bit hazy, though…

"That's good to hear, the last thing we need right now with this Yveltal problem is someone using your power for nefarious purposes." Lugia said, a small degree of relief in his voice. "It might actually be for the better that you two aren't in Altomare, as even with the Dew, it still requires… an external source of power." he spoke apologetically. I looked down, unable to keep the tremors down my spine hidden from his keen eyesight. Even after being locked away in a gem for… five years? I can still remember that attack as clear as day… I thought, shuddering again.

I looked up when Lugia began to speak again. "Nevertheless, what has happened has happened. I am glad to see you are in good health, Latios." he said warmly. "Now, I think it is time for me to go. I have my own duties to look after, of course. Not all of us can shirk them simply by being away from their home city." He complained lightly.

I laughed. "It's not really shirking, though, now is it? I'm actively protecting the DMA by being far away from it, right?" He grumbled slightly before lifting off, banking left and flying over us again before disappearing beyond the tree line with a departing cry. I turned back to the sound of Bianca's voice, calling me over to talk with them. I smiled. Even when things seem to be at their worst, there's always a ray of light, shining down like a beacon of hope in the void. I thought contentedly. Wow. When did I become this philosophical?

ThatGallade: I know. You all thought I was dead. I'm sorry, okay? That's all I can really say. I can try to explain how I've not been in much of a Pokémon mood lately (didn't even buy ORAS, though they came out last year), or how life's been busy with school and other things, or how I've had writer's block, but those are all just excuses. I was lazy and didn't feel like writing, that's all it is.

However, I'm not done with this yet! Updates may be sporadic and there might be a long delay between them, but this story isn't dead! Almost 3300 words this chapter, and finally we're done with the New Moon struggle! The next major block will be heading out of Pallet, because that's going to be weird to write. I've got a plan, though, and that probably won't be for a few chapters. Our heroes need downtime, after the last mess.

I've already got some of chapter 9 in the works, so hopefully I can get it out before things really do get busy in July; there will be a week when I simply won't be able to work, outside of maybe some pen-and-paper stuff. I'm saying this ahead of time because I want you all to know that there may be a delay (again), but I want to have chapter 9 out before that happens. Having a good idea and some work down ahead of time helps a bit with that, as well.

Due to a publishing issue, I had to use the copy-and-paste method in order to get this on the Doc Manager. If something didn't go through correctly, please review about it or PM me.