Alto Mare, Mysterious Garden.
Mew and Teddiursa rode on Zapdos, following a Pokemon that could transform into a human form, through a hidden passage to this tranquil garden deep within the city.
The fountain in the garden gurgled, and sunlight pouring through the dense canopy of trees cast a dreamlike, misty hue over the area.
Awed by this ethereal sight, the three Pokemon of the Heroic Expedition Team were completely taken aback.
Flying ahead, Latias squinted in delight, letting out a gentle, melodious cry.
"Woo~" (Beautiful, isn't it? This is my brother's and my secret base~)
"Ima!" Teddiursa nodded repeatedly, admiring the beauty of the place.
And at that moment, another mysterious Pokemon suddenly flew out from deep within the garden.
Mew and its companions immediately turned their gaze towards it.
Upon seeing the figure clearly, they froze in place.
Because that Pokemon looked so much like Latias!
Latios, who sensed a strange presence intruding into the Mysterious Garden, wore a cautious expression, but his vigilance vanished once he saw the Pokemon accompanying his sister.
Latias quickly introduced them to her brother: "Woo!" (Brother, this is the Heroic Expedition Team!)
Mew nodded immediately: "Miu!" (That's right! We are the Heroic Expedition Team, traveling the world, helping other Pokemon in need!)
Teddiursa followed up: "Ima Ima!" (That's right!)
The proud Zapdos lifted its head high: "Chirp!"
After their introductions, Latias turned back to introduce Mew and the others: "Woo!" (Heroic Expedition Team, this is my brother, his name is Latios!)
Latios, who had witnessed everything, looked curiously at these three unfamiliar Pokemon.
As the Guardian God of Alto Mare, he had never seen such Pokemon here before.
The way Pokemon interacted with each other was simple and straightforward.
After introducing themselves, Latias, as the younger sister, began to curiously ask what the Heroic Expedition Team was.
Thus, on this sunny morning, Mew and Teddiursa sat on the grass, happily recounting to Latias and Latios the good deeds the Heroic Expedition Team had done in the past.
They helped a massive Dragonite find its partner.
They helped a Ninetales fulfill its wish.
They met a confused Mewtwo.
They helped a Poliwag find its mother.
Latias's eyes sparkled with curiosity, undoubtedly fascinated by these tales.
Meanwhile, the more mature Latios also showed a look of amazement on his face.
He looked uncertainly at the three Pokemon in front of him and asked, "Woo?" (Heroic Expedition Team? Can you really accomplish these things with just Pokemon power?)
Upon hearing this, Mew blinked without saying a word.
Teddiursa spoke with determination in its eyes: "Ima, Ima Ima!" (The power of one Pokemon may be small, but as long as everyone works together, any difficulty can be overcome!)
Mew nodded happily: "Miu!" (That's right!)
Its azure eyes reflected the images of Latias and Latios, continuing: "Miu." (And, it's not just us! Naoki has been helping us all along!)
Latias and Latios showed curiosity.
"Woo?" (Naoki?)
Teddiursa nodded, believing that they had already become good friends with Latias and Latios, so it said:
"Ima Ima!" (Naoki is the best person in the world! He even planted a World Tree where many Pokemon can reside!)
Latias curiously asked: "Woo?" (World Tree? What is that?)
Teddiursa dramatically extended its arms: "Ima!" (It's a huge tree, big enough to house the Pokemon friends we meet on our journey!)
"Ima!" (Naoki said if we meet companions on our travels that we can't bear to part with, we can invite them to live on the World Tree, and that way, everyone can meet anytime!)
Latias listened with great interest: "Woo!" (Amazing! We're good friends now, right? Can my brother and I go there to play?)
Next to her, Mew also added cheerfully: "Miu~" (Of course~ But we still have to continue traveling, and we can't go back to the World Tree yet since it hasn't grown enough to house Pokemon.)
Latias turned to her brother with excitement, pleadingly: "Woo!" (Brother, when the World Tree grows, let's go there to play with Mew and the others!)
Latios: "..."
He earnestly told his sister: "Woo." (We cannot leave Alto Mare lightly.)
Because they are the guardians here, they must protect this island.
Upon hearing this, Latias looked disappointed.
Seeing this, Latios was silent for a moment before adding: "Woo." (However, when the time comes, you can go there to play with Mew and the others.)
Latias quickly asked: "Woo?" (What about you, brother?)
Latios: "Woo." (I must stay and protect the Soul Dew, to prevent it from being taken by villains.)
Understanding her brother's meaning, Latias let out a cheer, affectionately snuggling up to her brother.
Brother is the best!
Latios also affectionately licked his sister's forehead.
Then, Latias transformed back into the short-haired girl form she had been earlier.
She looked happily at Mew and Teddiursa and said to them: "Woo!" (This is your first time in Alto Mare, right? Let's go play! I'll take you to see this beautiful town!)
Mew and Teddiursa looked eager.
Zapdos was not interested in going out to play, as its appearance would always attract a crowd of bothersome humans.
So, before Teddiursa and Mew could speak, it made known its intention to stay here and wait for their return.
Mew and Teddiursa were already accustomed to Zapdos being this way, so they nodded and promised to bring it something delicious later.
Then they transformed into Pokemon of Latias and followed her through the tunnel connecting the Mysterious Garden to the outside, heading to the town to have fun.
To avoid drawing attention, this time Mew transformed into a small Pichu, standing on Latias's shoulder.
Meanwhile, Teddiursa was held in Latias's arms.
The three Pokemon, in this manner, happily wandered through the streets and alleys.
At this moment, the town was hosting the annual Pokemon Water Race, with participants from other places and the town's athletes racing intensely on Water Type Pokemon along the waterways.
Latias led Mew and Teddiursa into the crowd to watch.
They didn't notice a flying surveillance camera hovering above, closely following the human-shaped Latias.
"Found it." The female thief Li'an looked at the figure in the surveillance, her lips curving slightly: "The legendary infinite Pokemon, Latias."
The other female thief, Sanna, was full of excitement: "As expected! The temperature of Latias, transformed into a human, is much lower than that of a normal human. Wow, Li'an, we're going to make a fortune this time!"
"Hmph, even the legendary Pokemon are nothing special, no matter how great, they'll become part of my spoils as the number one thief in the thief world, Li'an."
The thief named Li'an put away the detector, boarded a speedboat, and said to her accomplice Sanna: "Prepare for action!"