"So you're saying Gardevoir kidnapped Elias and wouldn't even let you follow?"
Lance asked uncertainly.
After scarfing down a full meal, Gengar had launched into an animated pantomime session, finally managing to get his point across.
It nodded vigorously, its face full of righteous indignation, letting out two disgruntled cries.
It had misjudged that Gardevoir big sister!
Getting rid of that dumb cat Mew was one thing, but how could she also cast out the hardworking, harmless purple blob like him?!
Even though Lance had more or less pieced together what Gengar meant, he still felt... unconvinced.
Pokémon kidnapping their own Trainer, then driving away their teammates? That wasn't just rare—it was basically unheard of.
Besides… if he remembered correctly…
Hadn't Elias messaged him just ten minutes ago bragging about the breakfast Gardevoir made for him?
If she was as terrifying as Gengar made her out to be, would Elias really be in the mood to send food pics?
Could this be a misunderstanding?
With that thought, Lance waved Gengar over. As the ghost-type gave him a puzzled look, Lance pulled up Elias's recent message.
The moment Gengar saw it, the once-lively purple blob dropped to its knees like it had been struck by lightning, looking utterly devastated.
Seeing how deeply Gengar was affected, Lance chuckled awkwardly and quickly helped him back up.
"Maybe it is just a misunderstanding?"
"Let's go check it out, talk it through in person if there's a problem."
After a bit of coaxing, Gengar finally picked itself back up, determination rekindled.
There's no way Elias would fall so hard for Gardevoir that he'd forget about me...
There has to be a misunderstanding!
Clenching his fists, Gengar fired himself up with renewed belief.
Seeing the purple blob full of fire again, Lance let out a quiet sigh of relief.
That said, while he had promised to head to Saffron City right away with Gengar to meet up with Sabrina—
He couldn't just drop everything at the League.
The paperwork he could catch up on later, but the bigger problem was...
Today, he was scheduled to receive a very important visitor from Hoenn.
Lance still didn't know their name—only that this person had been making waves on the front lines of the battle against organized crime.
Their group had even teamed up with the League several times, dealing heavy blows to major criminal syndicates in Hoenn and Sinnoh.
It was precisely because of those achievements that the Kanto League had invited them here, hoping they'd aid in suppressing both the Masked Legion and Team Rocket.
Trying to rearrange that sort of official visit at the last minute? Not a good look.
The guest was probably already on the plane by now.
"Gengar, how about this—we pick up the visitor first, then head to Saffron together."
Lance offered the idea after a moment's thought.
Gengar looked thoughtful too, and after asking for an estimate of the delay, it gave a nod of agreement.
Based on that photo earlier, Gardevoir did seem to be treating Elias pretty well. A few extra hours wouldn't kill them.
With that in mind, Gengar puffed up its cheeks, its coloring darkening just slightly.
---
After breakfast, Gardevoir gave Blue a few instructions for watching the house, then set off with Elias toward the high-speed rail station as planned.
Since they were short on time, there was no chance to deal with Mew—so Gardevoir had no choice but to let the dumb cat tag along.
"Mew!"
After yet another psychic toss sent Mew flying into the distance, Gardevoir gritted her teeth, suppressed anger flickering in her eyes.
From the moment they'd left the house, Mew had been trying every possible way to wedge herself between her and Elias—she just wouldn't quit!
And sure enough, the cat would probably float back in just a minute, lying in wait for another opening.
"Gaarrr..."
Gardevoir turned to Elias with a pitiful expression.
He could only let out a helpless chuckle.
Sure, Gardevoir was understandably frustrated, but Mew wasn't exactly something he could control either.
Where she wanted to float was, unfortunately, her own business.
When her attempts at acting cute failed, Gardevoir sighed softly and lowered her head in resignation.
Then, as if trying to secure her position, she clung more tightly to Elias's arm—no way was she giving Mew another chance to wedge herself in.
In contrast, Milotic—who was still quietly playing with that little black flute—seemed much more well-behaved.
Hooooo—
The soft notes rang out again, bringing with them a wave of mental calm.
Elias squinted slightly, but didn't stop her.
Since the last time he played the flute yielded no response from Tias, he had tried a few more times afterward. The results had been the same.
He didn't know why—but at least it confirmed that the flute currently had no real function.
Milotic, however, had taken an interest in it, so he simply let her keep playing.
Who knows? Maybe one of these times, the dragon will actually show up.
Once again, the song ended—nothing happened.
Milotic's pretty face darkened slightly, frustration growing.
Is that jet-plane dragon deaf or something?
She's been blowing into this thing until her lips are dry, and Latias hasn't even poked her head out once.
No wonder someone else took her place as "Mom."
With a huff, Milotic put the flute away, finally giving up.
Once they boarded the train, the trip turned dull.
Aside from watching a few Tauros bare their teeth at each other along the way, there wasn't much else to see.
Time passed quickly, and by sunset, the train arrived at Saffron City as scheduled.
Elias stared at the city he hadn't seen in years, a mix of emotions stirring in his chest.
Outside of Pallet Town, Saffron had been the first real city he'd explored in the Pokémon world.
Unlike the peaceful, slow-paced Pallet, Saffron pulsed with neon lights and a modern aesthetic—a blend of Pokémon culture and futuristic design.
"Meowth—long time no see."
Passing by a familiar shop, Elias spotted a Meowth he used to play with during his time in the simulation and called out instinctively.
"Meow?!"
The Meowth blinked in surprise at the sight of him.
But before it could rub its eyes and get a better look, Elias had already walked off.
Milotic followed behind, quietly observing Elias as he effortlessly navigated the streets.
And a thought slowly surfaced in her mind.
If I'm not mistaken, didn't Elias grow up in Alto Mare in the Hoenn region?
Why does he seem so familiar with this place?
A string of theories ran through her mind.
Meanwhile, Elias had arrived at the entrance to Saffron Gym.
Compared to a few years ago, the gym's front had clearly been renovated.
It looked far more grand and elegant now—but at the same time, colder, less welcoming.
Elias frowned.
He didn't quite care for this sterile style of decoration.
If memory serves... Sabrina didn't like this kind of cold, clinical aesthetic either, did she?
Still wondering, he slowly pushed the doors open.
---
...
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 come together. I'm just here putting a bow on it… or, well, shoving it in a backpack and calling it a day. Same thing.
If you had fun, you know what to do:
👉 [patreon.com/WiseTL]
Heads up—Patreon's 50% off for all tiers during May. So if you were on the fence? Now's the time.
And if you're the social type, there's a Discord too. Pretty decent spot to hang out—no battles required.
👉 [discord.gg/wisetl]
Alright. That's enough standing around. Go on—before you make it weird.
—Leaf