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Chapter 1 — Well-Deserved Vacations

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The shrill whistle of fireworks filled the air as countless rockets surged high into the sky, leaving behind streaks of smoke that vanished with the breeze. Moments later, booming echoes loudly resonated throughout the darkening evening sky as they blew up in colorful displays of bright lights and intricate patterns that resembled numerous popular Pokémon native to the Sinnoh region.

The roar of the fireworks died down, smothered by the resounding screams and whistles of an audience that numbered in the tens of thousands which cheered collectively across the large stadium. Its numerous lights flashed in dazzling patterns toward the center of the stadium’s Pokémon battlefield, where two people stood on an elegant podium for the upcoming awards ceremony.

One of them was an adult man with long grayish-blue hair that covered the left side of his face and went down slightly past his shoulders, a style reminiscent of the Sinnoh Legendary Darkrai. He wore a neat dark-red coat with beige clothes underneath.

At the man’s side stood a tall woman with stunning blonde hair that went all the way down to her knees. She wore an elegant black dress with a long black coat on top of it and donned four Lucario-like ornamental hairpins. She was none other than Cynthia, the reigning champion of the Sinnoh region.

Both powerful trainers contemplated the roaring crowds around them and the stunning firework show above the stadium with calm expressions on their faces.

On one of the many balconies halfway up the stands, a Pokémon trainer let out a saddened sigh as he watched the events unfolding at the podium. The trainer’s Pikachu, sitting on the youth’s shoulder, gently patted his friend’s head comfortingly. The trainer glanced at his faithful companion and showed him a soft smile while reaching up with a hand to scratch the Pokémon’s chin, eliciting a soft murmur in response.

Both looked on as a short elder with a prominent white beard and a bushy haircut barely tucked underneath a red Pokémon League cap walked toward the podium. The elder held a serene expression on his face as he made his way while holding a golden trophy with two wings on top that framed a luxurious Poké Ball.

“Ladies and gentlemen! Today we bring down the curtain on yet another exciting Sinnoh League! The Lily of the Valley Conference is officially over!” an MC’s voice boomed over the stadium’s loudspeakers. “We celebrate the remarkable effort of more than three hundred trainers who took part in this grueling tournament to decide who would be crowned this year’s league champion! In a tournament full of excitement and some of the best battles we’ve ever seen, we now have a winner! Let’s hear a round of applause for Tobias of Sinnoh!”

Thousands of people across the stands stood up and the sound of clapping echoed spectacularly across the stadium. Tobias smiled and raised one of his arms to wave triumphantly at the audience.

Once the diminutive elder that carried the trophy reached the podium, the MC spoke up again and said, “And now, let’s hear a few words from the President of the League Competition Committee, Mr. Charles Goodshow!”

Mr. Goodshow stepped up and approached a microphone that stood out at the appropriate height for him, just in front of Cynthia and Tobias.

Back on the balcony, Ash looked down at the scene with a troubled expression. “So close, yet so far,” he commented to no one in particular. He frowned slightly as Mr. Goodshow began the tournament’s closing speech.

“Cheer up, Ash,” Brock said optimistically, placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “You made it to the top four and it took the eventual winner of the whole thing to knock you out, with a pair of Legendary Pokémon, no less! You defeated Paul and brought your rivalry with him to a close, too.” He gently patted Ash’s shoulder. “I’d say you had a very successful tournament.”

“Totally!” Dawn said brightly in agreement. “Regardless of what happened, we’re very proud of you and the effort of your Pokémon. In our eyes, you’re all winners,” she added sweetly. Piplup let out a happy cry from his place in Dawn’s cradling arms, eagerly nodding his head in approval.

“Thanks, guys,” Ash replied appreciatively to his two traveling companions, admitting that he already felt much better. “You’re all awesome.” His expression hardened into a determined gaze and his hands balled into fists as he watched Mr. Goodshow reach out and hand Tobias the coveted champion’s trophy. ‘One day, that’ll be me.’

“You’re welcome, Ash. That’s what friends are for,” Brock replied with a soft smile. “You’re improving every year. I’m sure a league victory is close for you.”

“Yeah. We’ll just try again next year, in whichever region our journey takes us next to, and we’ll do our best to win as always, right buddy?” Ash said, glancing to the side at Pikachu. He smirked broadly when his partner gave him a confident grin and nod in response.

The fireworks display increased in intensity and the crowd cheered harder as Tobias proudly lifted the winner’s golden trophy. Cynthia, Tobias, and Mr. Goodshow turned around to look up at the stadium’s imposing torch, which burned brightly atop its shrine and contrasted stunningly against the background of the evening sky.

The flame billowed briefly and noticeably shrunk with every passing second. “And so, the Sinnoh League flame extinguishes at last until it’s lit up again for next year’s league!” the MC’s voice blared over the loudspeakers, with the final words coinciding almost perfectly with the fire disappearing completely and leaving the shrine in darkness.

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Ash smiled and looked up nostalgically at the entrance of the towering Sinnoh League stadium. The midday sun shone high into the sky, making the trainer slightly adjust his cap to better cover his face from the sun's rays. With the league officially ending the previous night, the vast majority of trainers and fans at the many hotels and villas across Lily of the Valley Island prepared for their departures and left the stadium grounds devoid of activity, something that Ash did since early morning as well.

“Well, this is goodbye to the Sinnoh region, Pikachu,” Ash commented calmly, idly reaching up to scratch the electric-type’s cheek. “It was an amazing journey, that’s all I have to say. We met so many new friends to add to our family. We had some of the best battles of our lives. We even settled our rivalry with Paul in a good manner. Best of all, we reached the top four of a league for the first time ever,” he recollected. Pikachu nodded along while pressing himself closer to Ash’s gloved hand, responding to him with an energetic cry and a fist pump.

“Hey, Ash!” a young and feminine voice called out from behind them.

“Oh, hey Dawn,” Ash responded warmly while turning around. He saw the young girl run up to him and stop at his side. He smiled and swore that Dawn’s presence already improved his melancholic mood.

Dawn glanced up at the stadium’s entrance for several seconds, much like how Ash did just a few moments ago. “Well, that’s all there is to it.”

“Yeah,” Ash agreed with a sigh. “Just wanted one last look before we left.”

Dawn smiled sweetly at him. “I can't believe the tournament is over. I know we’ve been traveling for a long time now, but it’s gone by so quickly.”

“I know right? It feels like we started our travels just yesterday,” Ash said. “Come on, Dawn. Let’s return to the pier and meet up with Brock. We’ve got a ferry to catch.” He turned around and walked away, not sparing any further glances at the magnificent stadium behind him.

Dawn gave the league complex one final look and then turned around to follow Ash. “Hey, our journey isn’t over just yet. If you think about it, our journey is just getting underway.” She laughed and grinned enthusiastically. “I’ll win the next Grand Festival I participate in!”

Ash nodded. “I hear you. Being a Pokémon master requires lots of hard work, and I better not slack off if I want to do better in whichever league I next participate in,” he replied. “Today I was in the top four, tomorrow I’m going to be runner-up or maybe even champion!” Ash paused awkwardly for a long moment. “Hopefully.”

Dawn looked up at the sky as she walked, a thoughtful expression on her features. “And I have a lot of work to do as well if I want to become a top coordinator. I can’t believe I reached second place at my first-ever Grand Festival. I lost to an amazing coordinator in Zoey. There’s no shame in that.”

Ash smirked and held his open palm to the coordinator at his side. “We’ll both reach the top one day. I just know it, Dawn,” he stated confidently.

Dawn returned the smirk and playfully high-fived him. “Yeah, we will!”

The pair continued their walk toward the port at a leisurely pace, chatting and summarizing the events of the entire year’s worth of adventures they shared in the Sinnoh region. As they reached the port, the two Pokémon trainers noticed Brock nearby and walked up to him.

“Finally,” Brock commented good-humoredly. “I was worried we’d miss the ship. Boarding ends in five minutes.”

“I just wanted one last look at the island, it wasn’t gonna take too long,” Ash replied defensively, crossing his arms.

Brock chuckled in amusement. “It’s fine, Ash.” He whirled around and walked over the ramp to board the ferry. “Come on, guys.”

Ash and Dawn followed the former gym leader and boarded the ferry along with him. It wasn’t as luxurious as other ferries they had traveled on before, but it was more than serviceable. The trio walked on the side deck of the ship, looking around curiously as they did so. Brock and Dawn chatted amongst themselves and disappeared into the ship’s interior. Ash sighed sadly and walked to the security railing. He idly glanced back to the island and waited in silence until the ship set sail and made it recede slowly into the distance.

“Something wrong, Ash?” Brock asked with slight concern as he walked back into the deck along with Dawn.

Ash turned around and leaned back against the deck’s railing. “Once we reach the seaport, we’ll be close to Twinleaf Town, right?”

“Yeah,” Dawn answered, not entirely sure what Ash hinted at.

Ash grimaced. “I realized when we boarded the ship that when we get there, it’ll be time to say goodbye. We all have to head to our respective homes. And, after that, I need to have some time to think about what’s next for me.”

Brock nodded slowly in understanding. “It’s not the end of the world, Ash. We’ve been through this before. Kanto, Johto, the battle frontier, and now, Sinnoh.”

“I know, I know,” Ash replied. “Doesn’t make it any easier, though.” He gave the pair a kind smile. “I’ll miss you guys a lot.”

Dawn returned the smile. “Let’s be positive about it. As we said earlier, our journeys are only just beginning. I’m sure this won’t be the last time we travel together.”

“Well, that may come sooner than you’d expect,” Brock spoke up suddenly, catching the attention of both younger trainers. “Indeed, our life journeys are just beginning. But, before it’s time to say our final goodbyes, I have a small surprise for the two of you.”

Dawn perked an eyebrow in interest. “Hmm?”

“What are you up to?” Ash asked curiously, giving Brock a suspicious look. Pikachu tilted his head, thoughtful.

“You’ll see. Oh, silly me. I forgot my things in the cabin, wait here,” Brock responded as he turned around and disappeared into the ship’s interior, making his way toward the group’s assigned cabin where he had put his backpack and belongings earlier. After a couple of minutes, he returned with a small envelope in his hands. He walked to a table on the ship’s deck and sat down. Ash and Dawn exchanged a questioning glance, followed suit, and sat down with him. “Over the last several weeks, I’ve been putting together a little surprise for both of you.”

“A surprise?” Ash repeated, wondering what sort of thing Brock planned. He knew that considering the former gym leader’s vast expertise in so many fields and places, it could be anything.

“Ooh, I’m really eager now!” Dawn gushed excitedly. “You’re the best, Brock!”

Brock nodded appreciatively. “Thank you. So, before we split up and head home, I arranged for us to have a small vacation. A last get-together to enjoy ourselves and have fun without the pressures of competition bogging us down.”

“That’s amazing!” Dawn exclaimed while clapping her hands together, eyes lighting up with glee. “I wouldn’t mind a vacation because the Sinnoh competitions were very stressful. A break before I tackle my next challenge sounds awesome.” She paused and hummed. “What about my mom? Does she know?”

“Yeah, I already spoke with Johanna. We’ll head to our destination, spend a couple of weeks there and, once we’re done, you’ll return to Sinnoh while Ash and I will continue onward to Kanto,” Brock elaborated.

Dawn tilted her head and placed a finger on her chin. “Head back to Sinnoh? So, where we’re going isn’t within Sinnoh?” she deducted.

Brock shook his head. “It’s not. I originally wanted to have the vacation be in Sinnoh for convenience’s sake since we’re already here. When I tried to find a good place, I realized that since we just traveled through all of Sinnoh… Uh, well, let’s just say there weren’t any interesting spots left that we haven’t already visited.”

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Dawn giggled in amusement. “Well, I won’t argue with that.”

“Makes sense,” Ash added. “Traveling around a region on foot means you’ll see most of it eventually.”

“Yeah,” Brock agreed. “So, I looked at other regions I’m familiar with for possible vacation destinations, made a list, narrowed it down… and finally managed to find a good place we can vacation at that I don’t think any of us has been to.”

Dawn grinned excitedly, barely containing herself in her chair. “Where is it? Tell me already!”

Ash chuckled at her enthusiasm, but he knew he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t equally interested. Judging by the manner Pikachu leaned forward on his shoulder, Ash knew his buddy felt just as interested as he was.

“I’m getting there, patience,” Brock urged her with some amusement. “Anyway, other than stress relief, I organized this vacation as a congratulatory gift for both of you. You two should be very proud of yourselves. Top four for you, Ash. Runner-up for you, Dawn. That’s amazing considering you two just turned fifteen and eleven years old not too long ago. That’s almost unheard of given that many trainers don’t get any decent results until they’re almost adults.”

Ash scratched the back of his head, flattered. “Thanks a lot, Brock.”

Dawn blushed slightly. “Aw, why thank you. I still can’t believe I was basically the second-best coordinator in Sinnoh after just one year of training.”

Brock gave the young girl a sincere smile. “You’re a prodigy, Dawn. There’s no denying that. Keep up the hard work, don’t slack off, and you’ll be going places.” He fiddled with the envelope he had in his hands, opened it, and took out six pieces of paper from it. “So, when we get to Twinleaf, we’ll spend a day there to get ready. Then, we’ll be departing to Johto. These are our tickets.” He handed one out to Dawn and one to Ash, while keeping one for himself. “Don’t lose them.”

“Oh, our destination is in Johto? Neat. I’ve never been to Johto before,” Dawn commented as she examined the rather generic airplane ticket in her hands.

“Have you ever even left Sinnoh before?” Ash asked with a chuckle.

Dawn giggled and shook her head. “You got me there. I haven’t.”

Ash looked at the ticket in his hands while a rush of many fond memories from his Johto journeys immediately flooded his mind. Judging by Pikachu’s fixed gaze at the ticket, it was clear he too was in a similar trance. “Man, Johto does bring back so many memories… Hmm, this place we’re going to, did we miss it during our Johto adventures? It seems odd we haven’t been there already.”

“We missed it, yeah,” Brock confirmed. “I can’t remember why, honestly. May have been bad weather at the time or we just couldn’t fit it into our itinerary back then.” He paused for a moment. “Once we get to Johto, we’ll be heading there. It’s a lovely city built in the middle of the sea called Alto Mare. It’s one of the highest-rated holiday spots in all of Kanto and Johto. I’m sure that we’ll have a blast over there.” He handed Ash and Dawn another ticket, once again keeping one for himself. “That’s the Eon Ticket, our access to the city.”

“Whoa, this looks neat,” Dawn murmured while closely examining the ticket she received. It was a stylish card with a color gradient that went from red to blue and a golden frame around it, with two prominent black silhouettes. She turned it around, noting that the back featured the same gradient and had the travel information such as date, name, and assigned ship printed on it in fancy golden letters. “Pretty!”

Ash hummed and stared intently at the travel ticket. “Wait a minute, this Pokémon over here looks very familiar, Brock,” he said while pointing accusingly at one of the silhouettes on the ticket. Ash and Pikachu gave Brock a look.

“Yeah…” Brock scratched the back of his head and flushed slightly. “I’m very sorry about that, Ash,” he responded awkwardly. “You see, Alto Mare’s biggest fame comes from the fact the city is home to two Legendary Pokémon, Latias and Latios, who govern it.”

Ash leaned into the table and threw Brock a teasing look. “Yeah, let’s go on a vacation to that one place literally ruled by the Pokémon that knocked me out of the Sinnoh league and ended my dreams here.”

Brock laughed out loud, unsurprised. “Ash, I planned this ahead of time. There’s no way I could’ve ever predicted Tobias would use a Latios of all Pokémon to eliminate you. Seriously, what are the chances that’d happen!?”

Ash chuckled and admitted to himself that the situation appeared rather amusing. “Well, I guess you didn’t see that one coming. But you’re right. I’ll give you that.”

“I totally didn’t,” Brock responded. “But, as soon as Tobias released Latios, I knew the irony of my planned vacation wouldn’t be missed.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Ash said with a dismissive wave, while Dawn and Pikachu couldn’t help but giggle at the exchange.

Brock slowly stood up from the table. “Anyway, now that the plans are set, let’s go and get something to eat.”

Ash grinned. “I like that idea.”

“Of course you do,” Dawn chirped playfully, much to Ash’s embarrassment.

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A couple of days later…

Ash let out a relaxed sigh as the fresh and salty sea breeze blew past him. He raised a hand to his head to keep his beloved cap secure in place and relished in the cool sensation it brought from the warm noon sun rays. He saw a vast landscape of bright blue water with no end in sight in front of the tourist ferry. “So, how long before we reach Alto Mare?” he asked curiously as he glanced over his shoulder.

“The boat journey takes about an hour, Ash. We’ll be there pretty soon,” Brock answered, leaning back against his seat. “According to what I’ve read, Alto Mare is only a couple dozen miles beyond the coast.”

Dawn perked up upon hearing that. She gazed at the horizon ahead with interest to see if she caught any glimpses of the famed city yet. “I’m eager! From the way you’ve been describing this place, it sounds wonderful.”

“I’ve read that it is! It has raving reviews as a vacation spot. So, I hope that we’ll have a great time over there,” Brock replied excitedly.

“Yeah, we haven’t taken a good break in a while,” Ash mused idly while looking to the side, watching the waves the boat created as it sped forward with slight interest along with Pikachu. Occasionally, they noticed water-type Pokémon swimming along the boat’s waves, causing both to follow them with their eyes until they disappeared beneath the blue surface. As the minutes went by and the boat neared their destination, Ash suddenly jumped from a slight fright due to Dawn letting out an excited shout beside him.

“Hey! Look!” Dawn exclaimed happily while pointing ahead. Ash and Brock looked at what she pointed to and stood up to walk to the ferry’s bow when numerous objects became visible in the distance. The boat approached the city at a steady pace, causing more objects to appear over the horizon while allowing them to identify the already-visible ones as buildings that seemed to sprout magically from the ocean.

“Whoa… It’s even better to look at it with my own eyes rather than its promo material,” Brock commented in awe. “Such an amazing and unique city… I wonder how many pretty girls I’ll meet over there!” he gushed while clasping his hands together.

Dawn lightheartedly elbowed him. “Don’t make me call Croagunk out.”

Brock winced. “Please don’t.” He froze in horror when he felt one of his Poké Balls rumble ever so slightly.

“Thought so,” Dawn replied, snickering.

As the two bantered, Ash leaned in as much as he could to get a better view of the rapidly-approaching city. “So, that’s Alto Mare…” he muttered breathlessly. The ferry gradually turned to the side and went around the front of Alto Mare in a wide loop to head to one of the harbors while letting the boat’s occupants get a clear view of the city as they passed by.

The ferry’s PA system abruptly let out a loud chime. “Attention passengers. Attention passengers. We welcome you to the Johto region’s autonomous territory of Alto Mare, a proud city of dreams built right in the middle of the seas, where water and land intertwine in a delicate balance!” the loudspeakers blared out.

Ash nodded along slowly as he looked on at the city, taking note of many of the distinct features he noticed and the fact that, despite its highly unusual location, Alto Mare appeared surprisingly big and spanned over a vast area.

The city lacked any exceptionally-tall buildings except for a few notable or important ones that jutted out imposingly above the rest. Most of its buildings looked impeccable, designed with a classical and antique style of architecture reminiscent of the old ages that complimented the city’s unique appearance perfectly.

As the ferry sailed across the coastline of Alto Mare, it let the occupants see the numerous waterways that led into the city and formed the backbone of its complex infrastructure of canals that served as its main streets and roads. Gondolas and boats—both traditional and modern designs alike—carried locals and tourists while gracefully making their way through them, passing under ornate bridges and past colorful buildings that reflected the history and culture of the city.

“They weren’t joking when they said this place used canals instead of roads,” Ash commented, clearly impressed. Pikachu let out a soft noise of approval and nodded.

“Not at all,” Brock agreed with a short laugh. “It has walkways and bicycle paths but, from what I know, it doesn’t have any vehicle roads nor does it allow cars. Canals are gonna be a common sight here as they’re the primary means of transportation in the city.”

The ferry made a sharp turn toward the city and entered a large harbor with numerous docks lined up on its interior. “Attention passengers. Attention passengers. Please prepare to disembark,” the captain’s voice resounded over the loudspeakers. Minutes later, the ferry docked and a ramp lowered to allow the occupants to exit.

Ash, Dawn, and Brock patiently waited for their turn to disembark and observed the numerous ships coming and going as well as the myriad of people arriving, leaving, or working at the busy harbor. They looked inland and noticed that an ornamented fence funneled all visitors from the tourist dock to a side entry from the main harbor area. The port had many smaller stations and buildings with a similar antique motif as the rest of the city, with a large port authority building prominently rising at the center.

Once Ash’s group disembarked in an orderly manner, they made their way to the dock’s entryway. As they walked by, they saw the flag that proudly waved from a large pole at the top of the main port building. Two stripes, one red and one blue, split the white flag diagonally. Two distinct draconic silhouettes on each side faced their respective stripes and mirrored their colors. They couldn’t quite make out the designs just yet due to the distance. However, they all had a good idea as to who each silhouette represented.

When Ash’s group reached the end of the dock, they came across two gracefully-decorated stone pillars that flanked the entrance, with a statue on top of them and an elegant marble plaque on their front, each pillar ending up roughly a bit taller than an average adult human.

“Huh, interesting.” Ash first focused on the two finely-crafted statues of the pair of Legendary Pokémon at their top. The stone on one of them gleamed with a touch of red dye and the other featured a distinct blue tint, the latter of which he recognized as Latios from his experience in the Lily of the Valley Conference. The other one looked stunningly similar, with some slight differences, which he assumed was Latias. “Well, you weren’t kidding, Brock,” Ash commented as he went up to the red statue on the right. “This place really does like Latias and Latios.”

“It does,” Brock replied. “They’re very important to this city.” As he examined them, his eyes focused on the pillar and the plaque underneath the statues. “Huh, it says something here,” he added, pointing to it.

“Dearest visitor, welcome to Alto Mare, a city where reality and fantasy blend seamlessly. I offer you my greetings and wish you a wonderful stay in our beautiful realm—Latias,” Ash read aloud. After he finished reading, he glanced up at the elegant red statue above the inscription. “So, this is Latias after all.”

“Hey, this other one also has something written on it,” Dawn spoke up, pointing to the plaque on the pillar to their left. “I’m delighted to give you my welcome to Alto Mare, where timeless elegance hides behind every corner. With regards given, I hope all visitors have a pleasant and fulfilling stay—Latios,” she read aloud.

“Huh, so it’s like Latias and Latios themselves are welcoming us to the city?” Ash questioned with an awestruck expression on his face. “That’s a cool detail.” On his shoulder, Pikachu nodded in agreement.

“Seems that way.” Brock hummed thoughtfully, leaning forward to closely examine the plaque. He frowned while reaching up to run his hand over the letters of the inscription. He slowly felt his way through each letter, his expression becoming more flabbergasted with every passing moment. “These aren’t made by tools. They’re claw marks.”

“What, claws?” Dawn asked, taken aback. “You can’t be serious.”

“Yeah,” Brock answered with an incredulous nod. “I mean it.”

“So, that means this… The Pokémon actually wrote this? Or was it just done by local artists trying to replicate claws?” Ash wondered with intrigue, looking closely to inspect the writing along with Brock.

“Honestly, I don’t know,” Brock responded, walking to Latios’ pillar to eye the inscription on it for a few moments. “These do look like claw marks, and both styles are also distinctly different. The letters on Latios’ message look sharper and more linear, while the ones on Latias’ are rounder and softer. It’s almost as if they reflect their personality. Hmm, I wonder…” Brock noticed, among the people walking nearby, a young man wearing a blue uniform with the emblem of Alto Mare on his sleeve and chest. “Oh, excuse me!” he called out while raising his hand.

The man stopped and glanced at him briefly. He then made his way over to them. “Hello, welcome to Alto Mare,” the man greeted them curtly. “I’m an assistant of the harbormaster, how may I help you?”

“Are these inscriptions… you know?” Ash began to speak while pointing to the statues and plaques, not entirely sure how to formulate his question.

The assistant smiled warmly, already knowing exactly what went through the young trainer’s mind. “Oh, they’re real. These are indeed carved by our guardian gods, Latios and Latias, themselves. They’re an expression of their goodwill to all tourists and wishing them a pleasant stay in our city,” he answered with a hint of admiration in his voice. “Some popular souvenirs you can find in shops are postcards and little statues that replicate the moment they carved this.”

“Thank you,” Dawn and Ash responded at the same time.

The assistant, seeing that they no longer needed him, gave them a polite nod and left to resume his duties.

Brock held his chin with a hand in thought. “Impressive… So, this was done by their claws after all.”

“Yeah, it’s awesome. You know, now I hope we get to meet them,” Ash said hopefully. “That would be great, I think.” He walked past the pillars, with Brock and Dawn following him.

Dawn nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, they seem like a really friendly pair of Pokémon. I hope we have a chance to meet them, too.”

“Though, if they take part in running this city as it’s told, they’re probably busy. I wouldn’t get my hopes up,” Brock pointed out.

“Well, considering our very long track record whenever we visit places with ties to Legendary Pokémon… I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if we met them, and then a catastrophe happens while we’re here, and then we’ll be forced to help Latias and Latios deal with it,” Ash commented with a roll of his eyes.

Pikachu groaned and held his head between his paws. He slapped the back of Ash’s head with his tail and gave him a pointed look while voicing his disapproval.

“Hey, it’s true!” Ash protested while rubbing the back of his head.

Brock playfully smacked the young trainer in the shoulder, almost causing Pikachu to lose his balance and fall off. “Ash! Do. Not. Jinx. It.”

Dawn laughed heartily. “Yeah! I’d love to have a vacation that’s peaceful for once and not have Legendary Pokémon fighting all around us like in Alamos Town or Michina Town.”

Ash chuckled. “Well, me too! I was just commenting… Let’s hope not.”

“Yeah, no need to worry, right?” Dawn said expectantly.

Brock frowned. “Don’t say that specific phrase, Dawn.”

“Fine, I won’t. Anyway, where to now, Brock?” Dawn asked while looking around.

“Well, first we go to the Pokémon Center to check in for a place to stay. Then, we’re going to have you two registered,” Brock replied. “We arrived at just the perfect time, as I planned.”

“Get us registered? Registered for what exactly?” Ash questioned, with Pikachu looking at the former gym leader with equal attention.

Brock smirked. “Something called the Tour de Alto Mare.”

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Chapter End

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