[Unexpectedly, in the afternoon, you received a call from Sabrina.]
"Elias, when are you coming back?"
Sabrina's voice carried a slight edge, as if she was gritting her teeth.
Elias had told her he was going on a business trip, but it had already been two months. Even if she were slow to catch on, she knew by now that sothing was off.
If not for the fact that Elias was still answering his phone, Sabrina might have suspected that Gardevoir had locked him away in so dark little room.
Hearing her question, Elias felt a headache coming on. With everything going on, he had completely forgotten to check in with her.
After a quick ntal calculation, he answered, "If nothing unexpected happens, I should be back next week."
Hearing his reassurance, Sabrina's expression finally softened, but her tone remained fierce.
"If you're late, don't bother coming back at all!"
---
[The brief call with Sabrina eased your mind a little. Now, you waited quietly for nightfall.]
[Minute by minute, ti passed. There were now less than three hours until midnight.]
"Ti for bed, Gardevoir."
Elias gently pulled Gardevoir into his arms, using the montum to lay her down on the bed.
"Hmm?" Gardevoir gave him a puzzled look. "But it's still early."
"Get so extra sleep tonight. I'll take you up the mountain tomorrow."
Elias's voice was calm, but his gaze held a certain unreadable depth.
By tomorrow, everything would be over. Once he captured Celebi, he could finally heal Gardevoir's body. After that, he'd have no reason to care about Team Rocket or the Masked Army anymore.
"Okay." Gardevoir nodded obediently, then nestled her face against Elias's neck.
She loved this kind of closeness, the warmth of his presence giving her a unique sense of security.
...
With Elias's comforting embrace, Gardevoir soon drifted into deep sleep.
Carefully prying her arms from around his waist, Elias tiptoed out of bed.
Once he was fully dressed, he summoned Gengar.
"Sha—"
Before Gengar could even let out an excited greeting, Elias clamped a hand over its mouth.
"Keep it down," he whispered.
The last thing he needed was for Gardevoir to wake up—there'd be no explaining that.
Gengar nodded, putting on its best trust , I'm reliable face.
Before leaving, Elias returned to the bedside. In the moonlight, he gently brushed aside Gardevoir's silky bangs.
Then, he pressed a feather-light kiss to her forehead.
"Good night, Gardevoir."
---
[An hour before midnight, you and Gengar set off toward the Ilex Forest.]
[According to records, there was a Celebi shrine hidden within the forest, and on the night of a full moon, Celebi would erge from it. This was the perfect chance to capture it.]
[So far, everything was going smoothly. Your only regret was that Eevee still hadn't made it back in ti.]
After a long trek, Elias finally arrived at the edge of the Ilex Forest.
Under the pale moonlight, the night-shrouded woods looked eerily desolate. A creeping chill emanated from within the dense trees.
Not that Elias minded—he was already carrying a certain item that constantly radiated cold.
"This bracelet Gardevoir gave … definitely more suited for sumr," he muttered, feeling the icy touch against his wrist.
His gaze shifted toward the forest ahead. During his last visit, he had already scouted the location of the shrine.
All he had to do now was get there.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, he chose a secluded path, one that would help him slip past any potential ambushes.
"Let's go, Gengar."
---
[You continue advancing toward the shrine.]
At the sa ti, deeper within the Ilex Forest…
A masked figure stood silently in a clearing, his tall fra blending into the shadows like a phantom.
Beside him, his fully recovered Delibird and Swinub waited in place.
But this ti, he had also released Lugia in advance.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Pryce let out a questioning hum.
"Is he coming alone this ti? Where's his Gardevoir?"
The bracelet he had tampered with had entered his sensory range, imdiately putting him on alert.
But to his surprise, it seed that only Elias himself had arrived—Gardevoir was nowhere to be seen.
A flood of thoughts raced through Pryce's mind.
After a mont, he waved a hand and instructed Lugia, "Guard the forest periter. No matter who tries to enter, stop them. No exceptions."
Lugia took off into the sky, flying toward the outskirts of the woods.
...
anwhile, Pryce's gaze locked onto Elias's position, a cold glint flashing beneath his mask.
At that mont, Elias had already ventured deep into the forest.
The towering oak trees ford an almost impenetrable canopy, blocking out all but the faintest slivers of moonlight.
The good news was that the dim environnt gave ghost-type Pokémon a natural advantage.
Gengar, for one, was absolutely thriving. It darted excitedly around Elias, eyes gleaming as it surveyed the surroundings.
But at the sa ti, Elias ca to an unsettling realization.
"Gengar, stay on high alert—we might have been discovered."
His expression darkened.
The reason he sensed sothing was off was because, just monts ago, his psychic probe into the surroundings had been forcibly cut off.
Wild Pokémon almost never did sothing like that. Which ant…
It was likely man-made.
And at this ti of night, in this forest, the only person with the sa goal as him…
Was the Masked Man.
Just as that thought crossed his mind—
Crack—crack—!
A crisp, chilling sound rang out in the distance.
The once-thriving trees around him began freezing over at an alarming rate, thick layers of ice rapidly encasing them.
Then, as if from nowhere, towering ice walls erupted from the ground, surrounding Elias on all sides.
In the blink of an eye, he was trapped in a confined space no larger than a basketball court.
Elias narrowed his eyes, silently watching as his surroundings changed.
He didn't act rashly.
Soon, the forest fell back into eerie silence.
Then, from the shadows, a tall figure cloaked in frost erged—standing directly opposite him.
"Well, well… we et again, ddleso investigator."
A rough, distorted voice ca from beneath the Masked Man's faceplate, carrying an unmistakable hint of excitent.
---
T/N: WAIT WAIT WAIT HE OWNS LUGIA? HE CONTROLS LUGIA???? WHATTTTTT its so over, rest in peace Elias...
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