Chapter 44: The Water City Statue and Heading to the Sea
"Wuhu~"
After awakening the power of Aura, Victor's physique had gradually reached the level of a super rookie. Even the inertia and impact force from Sharpedo swimming rapidly in the water posed no challenge to him.
Sharpedo's "driving skills" were exceptional. Even at high speeds, it could expertly avoid ships or Water-type Pokémon blocking their path.
Thus, one person and one Pokémon raced across the waterways of SeawindCove City, reaching their destination—the statue of Latios and Latias in the city center—in just half the estimated time.
The statue was exquisitely carved to depict the legendary Eon Pokémon, Latios and Latias, with an uncanny accuracy that matched the images victor had in his mind.
Beside the statue stood a monument, recounting the legend of Latios and Latias.
Both the statues and the story inscribed on the stone tablet were exactly as victor remembered. While these tales might be fascinating to others, victor's primary purpose in coming here was simply to take some pictures.
Watching the crowds snapping selfies in front of the two statues, victor suddenly had an idea.
"Why not give it a try? There shouldn't be any issue, right?" he murmured to himself.
He extended his Aura powers, letting the invisible blue energy—which ordinary people couldn't perceive—slowly envelop the monument. After a while, there was no response.
He continued to extend his Aura in an attempt to connect with the two Eon Pokémon statues.
This time, he didn't hold back, directly controlling a large amount of Aura to envelop the statue of Latias. However, there was still no response.
After withdrawing the Aura from the statue of Latias, he tried again, but the outcome remained the same—no reaction.
After pondering for a moment, victor decided to cover both statues and the monument simultaneously with his Aura.
The moment his Aura touched all three, time around victor came to an abrupt halt.
"Huh?"
The vibrant, colorful world in front of victor suddenly turned monochrome. As he glanced around, he came to a shocking realization: time itself had stopped.
Everything around him was frozen in place. The hands of a fashionable girl and a cool guy, who had been taking selfies moments ago, were suspended mid-air. Even the water from a nearby fountain hung motionless.
Walking around to inspect the frozen scene, Su Hao felt a mix of embarrassment and regret. He realized he had been reckless in his actions.
As he struggled with what to do next, two distinct voices suddenly echoed in his mind—one mature and male, the other equally mature but female.
[Oh?]
[Ah, a human with the power of Aura.]
The first voice was calm and steady, while the second carried a curious tone.
"Are you… Latios and Latias?" victor hesitantly voiced his guess.
[Yes, I am Latios,] the male voice confirmed, sounding mature and composed.
[And I'm Latias~] The female voice, though adult and refined, had a teasing lilt to it.
"Latios, Latias, I sincerely apologize for disturbing you. I didn't mean any harm."
Realizing the immense power of these legendary Pokémon, victor knew that showing respect was the wisest course of action. These Latios and Latias were clearly different from those he had known, a fact evident from their distinct voices.
[Haha, brother, he's actually apologizing!] Latias' tone sounded playful.
[Latias, be serious,] Latios chided gently.
[Alright, alright. Human, what's your name?]
When Latias asked for his name, victor quickly replied, "My name is victor."
Without further ado, Latios' voice resonated.
"Me?" victor asked, bewildered. "What can I possibly do to help you mythical beings?"
[Let me explain!] Latias' cheerful voice chimed in.
[Here's the situation: a while ago, my brother and I went on a long journey.]
[While we were away, the island where the Heart Drops were stored was invaded.]
[The Heart Drops are hidden in the rifts of a separate dimension. It's impossible to retrieve them without a power equal to or greater than ours.]
[Yet, somehow, the Heart Drops were stolen in the dead of night.]
[When we returned, the Pokémon we protect said they hadn't sensed any intruders.]
[Desperate, we used our power to search for the thief.]
[But the thief seemed to have vanished into thin air. We couldn't locate them anywhere.]
[Eventually, an ominous force erupted near a reef close to the island.]
[We recognized this energy immediately. When the Heart Drops are touched by someone with evil intentions, they turn black, shatter, and unleash a tsunami.]
[We rushed to the scene and discovered a group of humans intending to use the corrupted Heart Drops to destroy SeawindCove City.]
[After stopping them and calming the ocean's fury, we focused all our energy on purifying the tainted Heart Drops.]
[During this time, news reached us from the island that many baby Pokémon had gone missing, including one under our care.]
[The Heart Drops are formed from the souls of our deceased kind, so it is vital that we purify them and cannot leave this task.]
[Through our psychic powers, we probed the minds of the humans we captured. It turns out there are two groups involved: one responsible for stealing the Heart Drops and targeting SeawindCove City, and another kidnapping rare baby Pokémon to sell for profit.]
[We've dispatched Pokémon from the island to search the seas, but at that moment, your aura energy touched our statue.]
[These statues were built by the descendants of a benefactor who once took care of us. We've always kept a watchful eye on them.]
[Victor, we ask for your help in finding the kidnapped baby Pokémon.]
After Latias finished explaining the lengthy backstory, she finally made the request.
"I'm willing to help, but why do you trust me so easily?" Victor asked. "Aren't I the same species as those who stole the Heart Drops and kidnapped the Pokémon?"
[It's because of your Aura energy,] Latios replied.
[A person's Aura reflects their true nature. We trust the energy you emit,] Latias added.
Victor was surprised by the simplicity of their reasoning.
[That's all we can say. victor, what is your answer?]
Taking a deep breath, victor answered, "I'd be happy to help."
[Then head to the sea. We've left a mark for you. The Pokémon we've dispatched will follow your commands when they see it.]
As Latios and Latias' voices faded, the monochrome world around Victor was filled with vibrant colors again, bringing life back to the scene.
Wasting no time, victor summoned his Sharpedo and sped out of the city toward the open sea.