Future heroes "C'mon May! Were going to be late!" Ash shouted, as May landed a stunning victory over the team Plusle and Minun, using her Marshtomp. "Whew, what a battle!" the challenger exclaimed and handed her the prize money. "This will come in handy on the cruise to Altomare." May said. A whistle blew in the distance. "Time to go! Come on Ash, we don't want to be left behind!" "But…I…ugh. I was trying to tell you! Lets go. I want to try their buffet line, I'm starving!" "We just ate two and a half hours ago. How could you possibly be hungry now?" "Anytime is meal time!" "Please, spare me. Coming Marshtomp?" "Mmaaaaaaarrrrrr!" Marshtomp called. "Marshtomp, return!" May shouted. A beam of red light sucked Marshtomp into his pokéball. Another whistle. "Hurry!" "TEN MINUTES TO CRUIZE DEPARTURE" A metallic voice droned from the Eltine speaker system. Eltine is a city 100 miles from Altomare Isle. "That's just enough time." May said, slightly relieved. Latias usually loved to walk around the city on a day like this, but she was not in the mood. This was unlike her, but Bianca was now in Altomare Medical Center because of a gondola accident. A speeding motorboat - a rare sight in Altomare, indeed - came flying around a corner in the canal and smashed through the old oak gondola like tissue paper. Lorenzo came into the secret garden. "Why, Latias, it's a beautiful day. What are you doing in the tree?" "Lai lai prrrr…" Latias trilled sadly. "Don't worry, Bianca will be out of the hospital in two days, give or take a day. I know, why don't we go out for some ice cream?" Latias's face brightened a little. "Lai?" "Yeah, my treat. Come on, we can visit Bianca on the way. "Lai lai laaaaiiiii!" Latias raced from the tree and started to change into Bianca form, but thought twice and changed into the form of that of a girl named Misty. "Oh, you didn't have to do that. I'll be fine." Latias changed into Bianca form again, and they headed off to the ice cream shop. Once there, they sat and Lorenzo paid the ice cream vendor. "How have you been these days? I'm sorry I spent so much time between the courthouse and the hospital. Have you been lonely?" Since Latias couldn't speak either human tongue or trill, she just nodded. "You miss Latios, don't you?" Latias sighed and nodded yes. It had been almost two years since her one and only brother, Latios, sacrificed himself to save the city of Altomare. His soul resides in a blue crystal ball in the center of the secret garden. It alone keeps the city full of water and life. "Lorenzo!" It was the lawyer from the time of the accident. Latias gasped and quickly turned into her normal self and refracted the light. It was a good thing that Latias had finished her ice cream cone, otherwise Benny would be suspicious. "They finally closed the case permanently. The perpetrator will be jailed for seven years without parole. The perpetrator by order of judge Terry will pay for the hospital bill." "Uh, thanks. Take care now." "You too." When Benny had walked out of earshot, Lorenzo said, "Thanks, Latias." Latias regained human form. Shall we go to the hospital?" Latias smiled and nodded. "Well, what are we waiting for?" "Pika! Pika pi!" Pikachu shouted joyously. Pokémon had to be boarded twelve or more hours in advance, besides pokéballs. "Hey, Pikachu! Did you miss me?" Ash asked. "Pika pikaa." Pikachu leapt onto Ash's shoulder, and they decided to go to the arcade. Meanwhile, May was sunbathing at the pool. "I can't see why girls like to bake in the hot sun when there is a perfectly good pool to swim in." "We don't bake, we tan. And it feels good, because sometimes we don't want to swim." May exclaimed. "Well, Pikachu and I are off to the bayside arcade. Guess what? I'm using your prize mone-…Ow! Just kidding, hey that hurt!" "Humph." May grunted. Two hours and one hundred poké later, Ash went for a swim in the cruizeline pool. May was slightly redder, but finally she was swimming and not baking/tanning. Then they both went to lunch. Latias roamed the streets of Altomare, observing the town around her. Had it really been two years? She missed Latios. Sure, she could still communicate through sight share, but only for short periods each day. I wish Ash would come back; I miss him, Latias thought. He's cute. And he was the closest thing to a true friend, Besides Bianca and Lorenzo, of course. She thought about Annie and Oakley, and a shiver went down her back. She also thought about team rocket, and she had to chuckle. They were ridiculous, but they were funny. It was nightfall, and she was going home to her tree, but as she flew transparently, a poster caught her eye. "Tour dé Altomare on June eleventh." It said. "Bring your best swimming pokémon and race with us!" in fine print it said "Pod rentals in the boathouse warehouse for early training." Of course! How could she forget that it was almost race time? This was her favorite part of the year besides the major holidays. And, it was the only time she revealed herself as Latias, and not human form. Plus, the small cruizeline was scheduled to arrive tomorrow at eight o'clock. During the night, she dreamed of Ash Ketchum, and of her brother Latios, and how they used to play together. She awoke to find the bark damp with tears, and a sickening loneliness in her heart. "Please, Ash, You've got to come back." She trilled. She got up and went over to the Soul Dew, and used sight share. She felt herself be encircled in gold light, and, her brother. "Something troubles you, Latias. Please, tell me what it is." "I miss Ash so much, and I miss you most of all. Is there any way for you to come back?" She trilled, though, the question was rhetorical. "I've told you, I have to guard the people and water of Altomare." "I know, but I miss you so much." She trilled. "Bye, brother." At eight o'clock, Ash and May departed for the Seaside Hotel and Suites. They were going to stay in one of the normal rooms, though May complained about not having a suite. "Now, where is this hotel?" May asked Ash. "Professor Oak said it should be near the boathouse warehouse." Ash said. "Should be just about one hundred feet from it, on the other side of Willie's Grill." "I'm eager to see the scenery, and go for a gondola ride." "Oh please, do we have to?" Ash wasn't one for romance or scenery or anything like that. "I'll be looking for a close friend when you do. Meet up at eleven forty-five for lunch at Willies?" "Sure." May agreed. Ash went about wandering the streets of Altomare, wondering if he'd ever find the right path to the secret garden. It had been two whole years – well, two years in two weeks – and he was just trying to keep up with her then. He remembered Wailord plaza, he was overlooking it when he saved her, than she had disappeared. Then…he couldn't remember. He would just have to look for her by walking around. He bought an ice cream at a local ice cream shop, and gave some to Pikachu. "Pika? Pika pi?" Pikachu asked. "What, do you want to play with some other pokémon around here?" "Pikachu." It agreed. "You can go play." "Pika pikachu. Pika pi!" "What's wrong now?" Pikachu pointed its paw to a small alley and insistently spoke. "Pika! Pika! Piiikaa!" "…Hey! It's…Bianca! Or…Latias? We'd better go!" Ash raced down the streets, huffing and puffing, until he finally was within ten feet of her. May was enjoying herself on the gondola ride tour, which lasted only two hours. In the middle of an intersection was a gaping hole and a sign that said "closed for repairs." "What happened there?" She asked the gondola tour guide. "A motorboat/gondola accident. I forget the one who was hospitalized." "Oh my! How bad was it?" "Nothing serious, just a misdemeanor." "Who was the patient?" "I forget her name. She had minor wounds, expected to be fully recovered tomorrow." "Well, that's good." When May got to the hotel (it was just as big as Professor Oak had said) she unpacked her backpack and signed in. There reservation was for three weeks, courtesy Professor Oak. Now all she had to do was meet Ash in an hour and ten minutes.