[Ti passed in the blink of an eye.]
[Lately, you had been making frequent trips to the island to treat Latios.]
[Thanks to the specially crafted dicine and energy cubes you prepared, Latios had regained basic mobility.]
[On the surface, his condition seed to be improving. But only you knew that it was all an illusion.]
[Perhaps sensing your troubled mood, Steven had specifically invited you to a battle.]
[Since Latios's condition wouldn't improve simply by experinting with dicine behind closed doors, and because you needed a ntal reset, you eventually accepted Steven's request.]
"Latias, I'm heading out for a bit. I'll be back around dusk."
Before leaving, Elias made sure to inform Latias as usual.
Hearing this, Latias, who had been engrossed in studying recipes, paused for a mont.
"…I see. Be careful on the way." Her voice was calm.
But if one were observant enough, they would notice that her fingers, gripping the edge of her book, had turned slightly pale—proof that her emotions were far from steady.
Hidden behind the book, her amber eyes held an unreadable expression.
Elias was hiding sothing from her. That was the conclusion Latias had reached.
In fact, he had been leaving early and returning late almost every day recently, sotis not coming back until after nightfall.
Given that he had just beco an International Police officer, it was reasonable to assu he was busy.
But…
What confird her suspicion wasn't just his frequent absences—it was his subtle reaction when she asked what he had been up to.
He had unconsciously glanced to the left.
Like most mothers, Latias knew her "child" very well.
From years of observation, she had discovered a pattern: Elias only glanced to the right when telling the truth. When he looked left—he was lying.
With that in mind, Latias shifted her gaze to the door, which had just closed behind him.
A whirlwind of thoughts filled her mind.
In the end, she sighed irritably.
She could only hope… whatever Elias was hiding was a well-intentioned lie.
---
[After leaving ho, you quickly arrived at the agreed-upon location.]
[Perhaps to help you unwind, Steven wasted no ti—he issued the battle challenge the mont you t.]
[Having been exhausted all week, you didn't hesitate to accept. Your mind had been in turmoil lately, and you had long been craving an intense battle to vent your frustrations.]
[Soon, you and Steven began your battle in the nearby battle arena.]
[However, neither of you noticed that shortly after the match began, a silver-haired girl had taken a seat in the audience.]
"tagross, use [teor Mash]!" Steven commanded, swinging his arm forward.
A deep chanical hum resonated from tagross's body, and a faint golden glow enveloped its massive fist.
Like a shooting star streaking across the sky—
Whoosh!
Fueled by magnetic force, the normally heavy tagross accelerated at an alarming speed, rocketing toward Salance.
Its fist sliced through the air with a piercing sound.
Yet, despite the oncoming attack, Salance showed no sign of panic.
It simply turned its head slightly, locking eyes with Elias.
At that mont, understanding flashed between them.
Salance let out a low, confident growl.
Their seamless communication did not go unnoticed by Steven.
He frowned.
Elias, as a psychic, had one particularly troubleso advantage—
He didn't need to speak to give orders.
Through telepathy, he could issue commands instantly, making his Pokémon's reactions seamless.
This ability made it incredibly difficult for opponents to predict his next move.
"tagross, after [teor Mash], ascend imdiately!"
Steven issued his follow-up command at the perfect mont, just before tagross's attack landed.
He believed that, in such a short window, not even Elias would have ti to adjust his strategy.
However…
As soon as his words left his mouth, he saw it—
A smirk tugged at the corners of Elias's lips.
A bad feeling struck Steven's gut.
Sure enough—
The next second, tagross's [teor Mash] connected—
But it didn't hit anything solid.
A powerful shockwave rippled through the air, yet Salance's body wavered like a mirage before vanishing entirely.
A [Substitute].
Realizing he had fallen into a trap, Steven imdiately tried to pull tagross back—
But it was too late.
From behind tagross, Salance suddenly reappeared.
Its tail glowed with a bright green sheen—
And then—
WHAM!
A devastating [Dragon Tail] slamd down from above.
The sheer force sent tagross crashing into the battlefield, leaving a web of cracks in the ground.
"taaaa…!"
Even a steel-bodied tagross couldn't suppress a pained cry from the impact.
Before it could recover, Salance had already launched its next attack—
A roaring inferno erupted from its mouth, forming a powerful [Fire Blast].
BOOM!
The explosion echoed across the battlefield.
Dust and debris filled the air.
Steven, covered in soot, let out a bitter sigh.
There was no need to wait for the smoke to clear—he already knew the outco.
His tagross had lost.
With Salance's sheer power and tagross's double weakness to Fire, it was inevitable.
As the smoke dissipated under Salance's beating wings, the unconscious tagross ca into view.
"You did well, tagross."
Steven recalled his Pokémon, then turned to Elias with a helpless smile.
"I suddenly regret challenging you."
Fighting Elias was always a one-sided beating—Steven couldn't help but feel unfairly treated.
What baffled him most was that in the past, he had been able to put up a decent fight.
Now?
He barely stood a chance.
"Don't sulk. I'll go rock hunting with you later," Elias teased, feeling much more relaxed after the battle.
Steven wasn't weak—he had just faced the wrong opponent.
Just as they were about to leave and grab so dessert, a round of applause suddenly echoed from behind them.
Both Elias and Steven turned toward the source of the sound—
In the once-empty spectator seats, a silver-haired woman now sat casually, her hands clapping together.
It was her who had been applauding.
"A brilliant battle," she remarked.
"Especially that Salance—its training is exceptional."
Her voice carried admiration, and a fiery gleam flickered in her striking eyes.
Clearly, as a fellow Salance enthusiast, this match had struck a chord with her.
---
...
If you're reading this, then you've wandered all the way to the end. I'm impressed. Stories are like wine—ant to be savored, not rushed. So if you took your ti? Thank you.
Of course, the real thanks goes to WiseTL—the one who turned tangled words into sothing beautiful. I just got asked to wrap things up with a ribbon. Hopefully this counts!
If you enjoyed the journey and want to support the person who made it possible, you can find them here:
👉 [patreon/WiseTL]
Go on. Be generous. They've earned it.
Until next ti—read well, rest often, and maybe co visit at the Hostess of Fertility soti.
– Syr ✨
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