In the footage—
The screen shifts back to Ash and the gang. They have just disembarked and are heading into the streets to find a snack.
While passing through an alley, Pikachu gets thirsty and spots a water fountain. Without bothering Ash, he hops over for a quick drink.
However, the person using it finishes and turns the tap off! Pikachu is left staring pitifully at the last few dripping drops. Just then, a figure walks up and turns the tap back on for him.
Pikachu looks up to see an adorable girl with wine-red hair. Curiously, two tufts of her hair stand up on the sides, resembling Latias's ears!
Pikachu senses a strange aura from her but thinks nothing of it, chirping a "thank you" before drinking. Ash notices Pikachu is missing and runs back, catching the scene.
"Pikachu, did you make a new friend?" "Pika!" "Thank you for giving Pikachu some water!" Ash says with a grin.
The girl's expression shifts. She steps right up to Ash—so close their faces are less than two centimeters apart. Ash is visibly flustered. She begins to circle him, sniffing him like a curious Pokémon.
"Uh... do I know you?" Ash asks. The girl says nothing. After one final loop around him, she lightheartedly skips away, leaving a bewildered Ash in her wake.
[Cynthia: That's Latias, right?]
[Leon: The thermal scan Annie and Oakley used earlier matches this girl. I'd say it's a 90% certainty.]
[Steven: So, she approached Ash to confirm if he was the person who 'bumped' into her during the race earlier?]
[Alder: Or maybe Ash just has a unique 'Legendary Attraction'? Like a magnet for Mythicals... Hahaha, surely there's no such thing!]
Alder unintentionally speaks the truth of the world...
In the footage—
After Latias leaves, Pikachu continues his drink. Suddenly, his ears perk up. His expression turns dead serious. "Pika!!" With an urgent cry, Pikachu bolts in one direction. "Pikachu, wait!" Ash shuts the tap and sprints after him.
[Will: How did Pikachu know Latias was in danger?]
(Brandon): Iron Tail that shatters millennial ice, Volt Tackle that overpowers Latios, 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt that fries Tapu Koko, and even trading blows with Ho-Oh in a parallel world... Tell me, which part of him isn't a Legendary?]
[Karen: ...] She has no rebuttal. A regular Pikachu? No. This is the God of Thunder—Pikachu!
In the footage—
Latias is cornered on a bridge. Annie and Oakley's Espeon uses Psychic to pin her down, and Ariados fires a String Shot, binding her tightly.
The thieves are surprised—this "Legendary" is easier to catch than expected. She seems to have neither the vast psychic power of her type nor the raw strength of a Dragon. For a second, they wonder if they have the wrong girl.
"Pika!" "What are you doing!" Ash arrives and sees his "friend" being attacked. His sense of justice flares. "We're just checking her 'taste' in fashion~" Annie says dismissively.
Ash grabs the spider silk binding the girl. "Your taste is just plain rotten!" With a grunt, Ash rips the silk apart with his bare hands. The audience is stunned. That silk held a Legendary Pokémon, yet Ash tore it like wet paper. The man who punched Mewtwo's barrier is back.
"What a rude little brat," Oakley sneers. "Espeon, give him a lesson! Psybeam!" A beam of weirdly colored light shoots from Espeon's forehead, hitting Ash point-blank! To everyone's horror—and then confusion—Ash's body merely shudders for a split second. Then he stands firm. Effectiveness: Minimal.
The sisters are dumbfounded. That Psybeam should have knocked a human unconscious. Ash just looks annoyed, as if someone gave him a light shove. "Why did you attack me?! Fine, if that's how it is... Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" "Pika—CHUUU!!"
Golden lightning engulfs the sisters and Espeon. They are blasted and paralyzed; Annie even falls into the canal. "Let's go!" Ash grabs the girl's hand. (Note: Since Latias's human form is an illusion of refracted light, the hand Ash is holding is likely her actual claw/wing, which probably feels quite different from a human hand.)
[Wattson: See? That's a normal reaction to Thunderbolt! And Pikachu was clearly holding back!]
[Clemont: If Pikachu went all out, that boat would be charcoal.]
[Cynthia: Is no one going to mention Ash's behavior?]
[Lance: Oh, I noticed. Usually, Ash treats girls like background scenery, but he's being quite... proactive this time. Does he sense she's a Pokémon?]
In the footage—
Ash pulls the girl along as they weave through the maze-like streets of Alto Mare. He accidentally loops back to where Brock and Misty are waiting.
He turns to ask the girl if she's okay, but within five seconds of letting go of her hand, she has vanished.
Worried but unable to find her, the group heads to the city's main attraction: the Cathedral. Unknown to them, the thieves are now tracking Ash, hoping he will lead them back to their target.
Inside the Cathedral, they meet a guide named Lorenzo. He shows them the "Defense Mechanism of Alto Mare"—a massive device designed to protect the city, now just a tourist site.
Brock, looking at the beautiful architecture, sighs: "I just know I'll meet a beautiful older sister in this city!" "Keep dreaming..." Misty mutters.
Up on the balcony, Ash spots a girl packing up her painting supplies. It's her! The girl from the bridge! Ash tells Misty and Brock to wait at the Pokémon Center and bolts after her. As he chases her, a beautiful, romantic melody begins to play in the background.
[Leon: Ash is... really different this time!]
[Steven: Is the 'Dense Stone' finally cracking?! Ash is actually chasing a girl!]
[Cynthia: Heh, who knows... maybe the girl Latias transformed into is exactly Ash's type?]
Backyard of Oak Lab: Watching Cynthia's comment on the screen, Misty's heart tightens. Latias's human form is Ash's type? She starts to overthink, her grip on Togepi tightening slightly.
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