"Elias?"
Latias stirred from her sleep, calling out softly.
Her drowsy voice echoed through the room, but for several monts, she received no response.
Instantly, her sleepiness faded, and she sat up abruptly.
Finding the spot beside her empty, a strange, inexplicable fear gripped her.
"Elias!" She raised her voice and called again.
But once more, silence answered her.
She glanced outside. The sky was still pitch black, and the night wind howled, rattling the windows with a loud clang.
At this hour, where could Elias have gone?
Countless possibilities flashed through her mind in an instant.
Without wasting another second, she hurriedly put on her shoes and rushed toward the door.
Click—
As she pulled the door open, however, she was forced to stop.
—Because standing right outside was a team of well-equipped, disciplined security personnel blocking her way.
"Auntie."
As soon as Steven saw her step out, he quickly approached, his face slightly stiff from the cold night wind.
"Steven?"
Latias imdiately recognized him.
Her eyes lit up, and without hesitation, she asked,
"Have you seen Elias?"
Steven remained calm, unfazed by the question—he had already prepared countless excuses in anticipation of this mont.
"Elias was called away on an International Police mission."
"You should go back inside and rest, Auntie. No need to worry." His voice was steady and reassuring.
Hearing this, Latias let out a small breath of relief.
She suddenly recalled that Elias did ntion having a mission today—though this seed a little earlier than expected…
"Then why are you all standing here?" Now that she had cald down a little, she turned her attention to Steven's presence.
"Well… Elias was worried that while he was away, your safety might be at risk, so he asked to bring people here to stand guard."
Steven's explanation replaced Latias's lingering fear with warmth.
As expected, no matter what, Elias was always thinking about her.
"Alright then."
"I'll head back inside. Thank you for your trouble."
Even though Steven was Elias's friend, Latias hadn't forgotten his instructions—not to interact too much with other humans.
Besides, her brother had warned her never to let any human males—except Elias—get too close.
So, with her doubts resolved, Latias reached for the door, preparing to go back in.
However, just as she was halfway through, sothing seed to cross her mind. She suddenly turned back to Steven and asked,
"Between you and Elias, who's older?"
"…Huh?"
Steven was montarily stunned by the unexpected question but still managed to answer,
"E—Elias is older."
Hearing this, Latias tilted her head in thought before nodding and saying,
"Then you should call sister-in-law. Don't get it wrong next ti."
Bang—
As soon as she finished speaking, she shut the door once more, sending another gust of cold wind straight into Steven's face.
But Steven had no ti to care about that—his eyes widened in shock, his mind replaying Latias's words on a loop.
…Did she an what he thought she ant?
For a second, he had the urge to pull out his phone and call the authorities.
---
anwhile, at the site where Elias had just fought Hunter J—
The restless surface of the sea suddenly bubbled.
A mont later, a dark figure burst out from beneath the water.
"Cough… Cough, cough…"
J tore off her mask, coughing violently. Her pale face was flushed red from the exertion.
"Elias…"
She murmured his na, but instead of anger at being sent to the bottom of the sea, there was only growing admiration in her voice.
After this battle, she was certain—he was qualified to be her partner.
If they joined forces, she believed that even legendary Pokémon like Dialga could be theirs.
"Latias… Hurry up… Bring him to ."
J's voice carried a hint of excitent as she pulled out a red flute from within her clothing—
The Infinity Flute.
Elias had hidden this item well, rarely ever exposing it outside his clothing.
But unfortunately for him, J's tactical visor had already locked onto it.
As luck would have it, she had been researching Latios and Latias extensively, and among the many things she had learned was the flute's function.
To obtain it, she had gone to great lengths.
First, she had hypnotized a flock of Taillow, commanding them to tear at Elias's clothing and confirm the flute's location.
Then, risking serious injuries, she had ordered her Salance to use [Fire Fang] to burn through the necklace string—snatching the flute amidst the chaos.
Throughout the entire process, she had left no openings.
Even when Elias realized the flute was missing, he had no idea where he had lost it.
Thinking back, J felt imnsely pleased with herself.
Bringing the flute to her lips, she bit down lightly on the mouthpiece and blew.
Woooo—
A deep, ethereal lody resonated over the sea, instantly dispersing the lingering mist—as if welcoming its rightful master.
As the sound spread further, a sly smile crept onto J's lips.
She could hardly wait.
---
[After leaving the battlefield, you quickly flew to the island.]
[The situation was worse than you had imagined. Towering flas had consud dozens of massive trees, completely destroying the island's ecosystem and pathways.]
[But that alone wasn't the problem. A few [Frenzy Plant] moves from Grass-type Pokémon could fix the damage.]
[The real issue was that the raging fire had completely sealed off the route to the island's center.]
"Salance, can you fly over it?" Elias asked seriously.
Salance wanted to be strong—it wanted to nod and say yes, to not disappoint Elias.
But…
Gazing at the blazing inferno, it hesitated, then shook its head.
Its skin could withstand even [Overheat] or [Flathrower].
But an entire forest fire?
Even Entei might not be able to pass through unscathed.
Seeing this, Elias didn't insist. Instead, he signaled Salance to land.
"You focus on rescuing trapped Pokémon and people—especially Devon Corporation employees. Give them a hand."
He patted Salance's rough scales, issuing the order.
"Roar~ (What about you?)"
Salance gave him a worried look, unwilling to let its trainer take the risk.
Even if the one in need of rescue was that jet-plane Pokémon.
"I'll be fine, trust . Besides, Milotic is with , isn't it?" Elias reassured.
In truth, his plan was risky—but not impossible.
If he used [Teleport] and [Psychic] to move before the flas could reach him, then teleported again, in theory, he could get through.
The biggest challenge was the risk of losing his sense of direction amidst the fire and the burning debris interfering with his psychic abilities.
But with Milotic as a backup, Elias wasn't too worried.
---
T/N: ELIAS??? ARE U SERIOUS OH LORD JOBBING SYSTEM
...
Huh. You really stuck it out all the way to the end.
Didn't think you had the patience. Guess I was wrong.
WiseTL's the one who actually made all this co together. I'm just here putting a bow on it… or, well, shoving it in a backpack and calling it a day. Sa thing.
If you had fun, you know what to do:
👉 [patreon/WiseTL]
Heads up—Patreon's 50% off for all tiers during May. So if you were on the fence? Now's the ti.
And if you're the social type, there's a Discord too. Pretty decent spot to hang out—no battles required.
Alright. That's enough standing around. Go on—before you make it weird.
—Leaf
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