Pokemon: Skybound Chapter 529 529: 529. The Secret Garden and Latios

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The group continued to follow the red-haired girl. Strangely, she seed to be guiding them waiting at every crossroads until they caught up, then hurrying off again.

In the chase, their group beca stretched out. Kai and Erika ended up at the back.

With no one nearby, Erika leaned close and whispered: "Don't you think this girl isn't the sa one we saw earlier?"

Kai blinked. "What makes you say that?"

"At first it was just a hunch," Erika admitted. "But then I noticed small differences in her expressions… and most of all, her hat and what she was carrying."

"Her hat… and the sketchboard?" Kai murmured, rembering. The girl they saw in the church had worn a white hat and carried her drawing tools. The girl ahead of them now had neither.

He had overlooked that detail but Erika hadn't.

"You're right," Kai said quietly. Seeing that Ash and the others were far ahead, he lowered his voice further. "The truth is, the one we're following now… she's actually Latias in disguise."

Erika's eyes widened, then softened with understanding. "That explains everything. I thought it was strange you'd be chasing after a girl just because Ash was. You don't do that without a reason."

She didn't press him further. By now she was used to Kai having sudden insights, and she trusted him enough not to question it.

Kai sighed. "If it weren't for this, I'd never waste ti on a wild goose chase. But rember those two thieves from before? Their target was Latias. They may be watching us even now."

He was right. High above, unnoticed by the group, a small spider-shaped surveillance drone clung to a rooftop. Its cara transmitted everything back to the thieves.

anwhile, Latias led them through winding streets until they reached a vine-covered corridor. Without hesitation, she darted forward and passed straight through what looked like a solid stone wall.

For a mont, the surface shimred with rainbow light, like a hidden barrier, then it was gone.

Ash skidded to a halt before the wall, unsure. The others caught up, looking equally nervous, until Kai stepped forward.

"Co on," he said firmly. "The answers we're looking for are beyond this wall."

He pressed a hand to the surface. It felt thin, like a mbrane, not stone. Without hesitation, he pushed through and vanished.

The others exchanged uneasy looks, then, one by one, followed.

Darkness flickered for only a second. When they erged, they stood in a vast circular garden hidden behind the barrier. High stone walls encircled the space, and a glass do overhead let sunlight pour down, illuminating lush greenery below.

The place was breathtaking. Trees, flowers, and vines filled the air with color and fragrance. Small Pokémon darted between the bushes; flocks of Butterfree floated gracefully above.

"It's like a hidden paradise," Misty whispered.

At the garden's heart stood the girl Latias in disguise. This ti she didn't run. Smiling, she moved toward a wide pond and sat upon a swing nearby, kicking her legs playfully to set it swaying.

The group approached, unsure what to say. But before they could speak, a sudden gust of wind swept over the water.

With a crash of spray, sothing burst from the pond an invisible force cutting through the air! The space around it warped, giving away the outline of a large, fast-moving Pokémon.

It streaked past them, scattering water, then wheeled back for another charge.

Pikachu leapt forward, cheeks sparking. As the only Pokémon at Ash's side aside from Misty's Togepi and Kai's silent Gengar he took the role of protector without hesitation.

"Pika!"

Electricity crackled and lashed out toward the attacker only to be smashed aside as the invisible Pokémon ramd Pikachu, sending him tumbling.

Ash gasped. "Pikachu!"

The creature turned its attention on them again, ready to strike until Latias threw herself between them.

At once, the Pokémon halted. Its outline shimred, then faded away, revealing its true form.

The group stared in awe.

It was sleek and streamlined, about two ters long. Its front half was white, its back sky-blue.

Jet-like wings sprouted from its sides, while fins extended from its limbs. It looked part bird, part dragon, part aquatic creature yet entirely unlike anything they had seen before.

They didn't need to be told who it was.

"Latios…" Kai breathed.

Ash and the others instantly recognized it as the sa figure immortalized in the twin statues at the harbor.

And now, here it was before them in the flesh.

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