The Black Latios

DISCLAIMER

As always, Nothing of Pokemon belongs to me! Although I do have a few video games, a couple of tapes and a plushy.

A/N

Been feeling nostalgic so I decided to write a pokemon story to bring me back to my childhood days. This story is inspired by one of my favorite Pokemon movies and my childhood memories of it.

Summary: After losing in the Sinnoh league, Ash and his friends head back home, but make a stop in Altomare and visit some old friends. But it's a start of a new adventure as unexpected changes befall upon our young hero that could decide the fate of the world! Altoshipping!

A/N

Imagine there's no Tobias, I don't want him having a Latios. Or a Darkrai for that matter. It's cheap! And I couldn't stand it when I saw it with my younger cousins.

Rating T – Strong language, Suggestive but Non-Explicit Adult Themes, and Cartoon Violence

" " = talking

' ' = telepathy

thoughts

{action}

A/N

This story is inspired by

ARCEUS-master's magnificent story:

A New Chance at Life

I have received permission from the author to adapt some of his elements into my story, and ARCEUS-master is currently assisting me in some areas of my story. I extend my thanks!

Ash Ketchum, a fifteen year old rising Pokemon master, along with his friends, Brock and Dawn, head back to his home town of Pallet to take a well deserved rest. Ash had lost in the Sinnoh league only a few days earlier, and he was still quite upset with his latest defeat. He stared out blankly into the seemingly endless sea, just trying to stop himself about thinking about it.

They had come a very long way from Sinnoh, stopping at various scenic and photo-worthy spots along the way. Unlike the usual traveling they did, this one was saturated in luxury due to the fact that it was a cruise ship, not a passenger-liner that acted as their transport. Since the tickets were also on sale, they acted as an excuse for Ash to get his mind straight.

"Sigh...It's always like this. I get so close to just tasting the championship, only to fail," Ash said quietly to himself as he leaned on the polished wood railing of the boat. His buddy pikachu was residing on his shoulder, looking at his best friend with understanding. He understood just how disappointed Ash really was.

"Pika pi pika chu Pika (but we got top four this time!)" Pikachu said, trying to cheer up his trainer. "Pi pika pikapi Pi pika pikachu (cheer up Ash, we'll get em next year!)" Ash smiled as he rubbed his best friend's head in thanks. It was a good thing Pikachu always kept his head up and looked forward; it allowed Ash to do the same, but after doing it so many times in this situation, it got increasingly difficult to accomplish.

"Hey Ash!" a voice said from his right. Ash turned to his right to find Brock, his oldest traveling partner, greeting him.

"Hey Brock," Ash responded dejectedly. Brock remained quiet for a second as he leaned on the railings next to his friend. He let the sounds of the crashing waves pacify his presence for a second before making his move.

"Still upset huh?" He asked quietly. Ash just nodded a bit as he stared glumly out into the ocean. "Don't let it get you down, after all, you've accomplished so much already." Ash let out another sigh.

"But still... after all that effort and work and time...I feel like I failed them," Ash answered, just letting out his thoughts. Pikachu immediately and vehemently denied that, saying that Ash would never fail his pokemon.

"You should listen to Pikachu Ash. Do you think after what you did to help and train your pokemon, it would result in them looking down on you just because you didn't get the championship?" Brock asked incredulously, a sharp stare adorned on his face directed towards the young trainer.

"What have I done Brock?" Ash asked quietly, still depressed and upset, "I'm not the one taking Flamethrower attacks, Shadow Punches, Hyper Beams, or Body Slams..." He didn't want to voice it, but he felt like he was just a figurehead; a puppet whose strings were cut and limp, unable to assist his dearest friends when he needed to. Pikachu looked at him with sad eyes. He hated the fact that Ash believed he had done nothing to better his pokemon or even help them in anyway. He resisted the urge to Thundershock him at that moment, quite sure that it would make it worse.

"Do I have to really tell you Ash?" a feminine voice asked from his left. Dawn had walked in on the last statement that Ash had uttered and instantly got the gist of what he was going on about, despite her usual clueless nature. "Let's see here. Let's start with the most obvious cases. Chimchar, Gligar, Starly, Gibble." Ash grunted in semi-agreement, but jumped when his belt suddenly exploded in a burst of light.

His pokemon had been listening in to what Ash was going on about. Infernape, Buizel, Gliscor, Torterra, and Staraptor were looking at Ash, not with disappointment, but with pride and admiration. Pikachu quickly jumped down into the group to join them. They all had something to say, and they knew they could get to Ash, despite his tendency to have a thick head.

"You took in Chimchar when Paul abandoned him and abused him just for his power," Brock supplied. Ash began muttering about how 'any decent person would have done it', "Maybe. But only someone as dedicated as you would jump into a Blaze-crazy pokemon's rampage. That could have incinerated you on the spot by the way. Now look where he is." Infernape looked at Ash with gratitude and agreed with the smart breeder, giving a small punch to Ash's shoulder in confirmation.

"You did the same with Staraptor," Dawn added in, remembering the young stages of the bird in front of her. Staraptor cawed with agreement as it made a one-winged salute to the trainer in front of him. Ash was finding it hard to stay in his melancholy state now. "Teaching him Aerial Ace was due to your efforts and encouragement. You never give up on your friends."

"Buizel you helped learn Ice Punch, training with him the entire time. You taught him how to work in a team too, and how to be strong," Brock answered back, feeding off of Dawn's input, "Gliscor you helped get over his fears, despite it even hurting yourself in the process." Both respective pokemon gestured that they truly appreciated all Ash had done for them through thick and thin.

"Gibble-" Dawn said, as Piplup began to look around frantically with fear of falling meteors. He was not there at the moment, and the little blue pokemon calmed."-and Draco Meteor. Torterra and Energy Ball. Pikachu..well that's self explanatory." They were all examples of how everything, really everything, Ash ever did was for his own pokemon and friends. Ash looked around him, surrounded by supportive and loving friends, and nodded, small tears collecting in his eyes.

"Thanks guys," Ash answered with resolve. He needed to cheer up and look forward to his next adventure. Plus, it was breakfast, and if there was one thing Ash wouldn't do, it was being upset at the cruise's breakfast buffet.

"Sigh, it's so lonely," a girl with a green shirt, and white shorts thought to herself as she stared out to never ending sea. She found herself doing it often now, just remembering. Suddenly, a girl who looked exactly like her walked up to her. The only difference between the two was the fact that the second girl happened to be wearing a white beret.

"Latias. Are you still starring out there?" Bianca asked as she sat down next to her friend, a yellow sketchpad in her hands.

'I miss him,' Latias telepathically said as she looked out forlornly out into restless waters that surrounded her home.

"Miss who hmm? Latios or Ash?" Bianca questioned with a sly smile as she nudged her friend. Latias blushed a dark shade of red upon the mentioning of her secret crush. But she knew that in her heart, it would never work out between them, and that's what saddened her the most. Unbidden tears began to flow down her face as she remembered those that she loved that were gone. Bianca, feeling sad for her best friend, frowned and hugged her, trying to soothe the ache that Latias felt.

"Shhh, it's okay to miss those who are gone," Bianca assured; she too missed them, Latios more than Ash however. "Let's head back to the garden. I don't want people to see two of me." She said the last part with a chuckle as she stood up. Latias wiped her tears away as she too stood up and resumed her pokemon form, turning invisible right after.

'Thanks Bianca,' she thought to her, and Bianca smiled back. Suddenly, Bianca took off.

"Race ya!" she yelled as she ran towards the garden. Latias smiled before taking off after her friend, not catching sight of the approaching ship on the horizon.

"Excuse me laddies and gentlemen and pokemon. We will be making a three day stop in Altomare to refuel and resupply. Please enjoy your stay here and be back to board the next trip to Vermillion City," a voice over the intercom said.

"Awesome! We're back in Altomare!" Ash said as he stepped off of the boat. He remembered everything that happened there: The DMA, Latias, Latios, those two Team Rocket spies, the giant wave, Lorenzo, Bianca and others.

"Wow! Altomare! It's so beautiful!" Dawn said as she spun around to take a look. He partner Piplup looked around too, happy to be surrounded by water.

"AND SO MANY BEAUTIFUL LADIES!" Brock yelled as he rushed to the town square. He spotted one extremely cute blond and immediately went up to her.

"Oh my dear sweet jewel of Altomare! It must be fate that brought us together over these many miles! I'm sure you feel the connection between us!" He said as he held her hand and stood on on one knee. Then a light flashed as Croagunk came out of his pokeball and poison-jabbed his side. "I...sure...can't...feel...the...connection...to...my...legs..." Brock said as he went down; Croagunk dragging him away from the unfortunate lady. Ash and Dawn sweatdropped as they watched, shaking their heads hopelessly.

"Lets go check up on Latias, Bianca and Lorenzo!" Ash said as he sprinted off to find his friends with Pikachu in tow. Brock had finally recovered as he stood up and returned Croagunk, muttering about 'how fate seemed to separate him from every beautiful girl in the world.'

"Hold up Ash!" Dawn said as she tried to keep up. "You're gonna get lost again!" But it was too late, Ash was nowhere to be seen, disappearing among the ever moving crowd.

"Don't worry about him, I'm sure he will be fine. He has been here before anyway," Brock said as he caught up to Dawn.

"He's been here before?" Dawn asked with wonder. Brock nodded as he decided to fill her in on the story of Ash, Latias, Latios and Altomare.

Ash ran left and right, around corners and under arches trying to navigate his way through the city. After a while, he decided that he was truly lost.

"Man! You would think that being here a second time, I would know the place by now," Ash said as he looked around, not recognizing any landmarks.

"Pi pika pi pi pikachu. (You could get lost in a single roomed house.)" Pikachu said with a snicker.

"Hey! I'm not that bad!" Ash said in indignation, "Alright, maybe I am but so what!" Pikachu rolled his eyes as he hopped off of Ash's shoulder's. He felt thirsty and decided to go and find that water pump he was so fond of. It wasn't that hard for the electric mouse pokemon as he lead Ash to the familiar contraption.

"You thirsty buddy?" Ash asked and Pikachu responded with a 'chaa'. Ash smiled as he turned on the pump, his memories of the place filling his head. He remembered how he had first seen Latias in her human disguise here.

Meanwhile up in the sky, Latias, invisible at the time, was making her usual rounds checking up on the city. Nothing seemed to be out-of-place today.

Then she heard a voice.

"You thirsty buddy?" a very familiar voice asked. She turned and her breath caught in her throat. There he was, Ash her hero, and her secret love. Latias stared at him. He wore very different clothing, was definitely taller, and looked a bit more mature than last time. Her heart swelled, and she couldn't help it as she barreled towards him in extreme happiness.

Ash felt himself being lifted off the ground for a second and then on the ground as he felt soft feathers being rubbed against his cheek. Then the unknown force revealed itself.

"Latias! Hey," Ash said as he hugged the pokemon. Latias blushed a pretty shade of pink as she cooed in delight.

"Pika Pikachu (Hey! It's good to see you again!)" Pikachu said as he walked up to the eon dragon.

'Hi Pikachu' Latias psychically said.

"It's good to see you again Latias," Ash said as he stood up and dusted himself off. Latias took her time to admire the human. He had definitely become more toned and muscular than last time, but his smile and eyes were as beautiful as ever. Latias blushed again as she thought of these things.

"It's been so long huh? How are you?" Ash asked as he adjusted his hat.

'Fine, nothing too big has popped up in Altomare since you left,' she responded. Ash was surprised to here Latias' voice inside of his head, but she explained that she had learned to use telepathy in his long absence.

"How's Bianca and Lorenzo holding up?" Ash continued as he talked to the eon dragon.

'Ask them yourself,' Latias psychically responded as she smiled and picked up the young trainer. She had grown stronger over the years, being the only one left to guard Altomare, so picking up Ash wasn't much of a challenge anymore. (1)

"Ack! Latias!" Ash said as he noticed that he was quickly leaving the ground. Pikachu had caught a ride too on Latias' back, and they were off. If a person had looked up, they would have seen a floating kid hung under a Pikachu which appeared to be surfing on the air.

They landed softly in the secret garden. Not much had changed. The swing, the fountain, and the peace was still there. Latias flew around in circles happily as she cooed in delight after revealing herself.

Four voices greeted him.

"Well well well, it's about time," Bianca said as she came up to Ash. Behind her was Lorenzo, Brock and Dawn. "We've been waiting awhile."

"Yeah well um...I kinda got lost," Ash said mareepishly as he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"I told you to wait Ash," Dawn said as she rolled her eyes, but a smile adorned her face.

"You just couldn't wait to see Latias now could you Ash?" Brock said as he nudge the young trainer. Ash blushed at the insinuation.

"No! I just got lost, and Latias found me is all!" Ash retorted. Latias cooed and nuzzled his face affectionately. Ash blushed again, and everyone laughed at the young boy's embarrassment.

They had a small picnic in the cool of the day, under the trees of the secret garden. Right in front of them about a hundred yards away, was the fountain that held the new Soul Dew. Brock had decided to cook up some food for everyone, and it was delicious as usual. Ash ravenously ate, and his other pokemon were eating as well. They were chowing down on Brock's pokefood with a vigor that matched Ash's almost. After all, Brock's pokefood was considered a delicacy among those who ate his food. They met the legendary eon dragon with respect and played a bit with her after they were done eating.

"So what brings you back to Altomare Ash?" Lorenzo asked the young trainer. He told them that the boat was refueling for a couple of days before heading back to the Kanto region. They nodded in understanding, not having any more important questions. Once again, Ash was pulled up in the air by Latias who wanted to play with Ash. Ash complied with the active legendary as Latias chased him around the garden.

"I haven't seen her this happy in a long time," Lorenzo said as he watched to two.

"Yeah, ever since...Latios passed on..." Bianca said as she eyed her friend with sympathy, "she's been sad. It's great that she's actually happy again." Lorenzo nodded as he watched the duo.

Finally, Ash tired out and sat down on the edge of the fountain. Latias giggled as she flew around in circles again to display her delight. He smiled and turned to see the Soul Dew in front of him. Latias noticed the object that Ash had spotted and flew down over to him.

"You miss him don't you?" Ash asked quietly as he stared at the purple-blue orb that held the soul of Latios. Latias said yes as she looked down on the orb that had a part of her brother in it.

Ash didn't know why, but he felt like it was calling to him. It felt like it wanted him to pick it up. So he did. He reached into the cool fountain waters and placed both of his hands around the Soul Dew. Then suddenly, the scenery melted around him, fading into a dark blue. He looked up and saw the face of...Latios.

(1) Let's just say that those other Latias and Latios that arrived at the end of the movie didn't exist.

Well there's the first part! This is my first pokemon fanfic, so tell me how I did.

Thanks for reading! And Please review!