"Who's there?!"
As she shouted, Latias prepared to revert to her true form and shake off the hand holding her wrist.
But before she could act, a familiar voice reached her ears first.
"…Tias."
Elias spoke gently.
To see Latias again—his heart stirred with emotion too.
That familiar crimson hair… the soft scent of the sea that clung faintly to her… it all made him feel as though he'd been pulled back into the world of their second simulation.
And just as Elias' voice floated out from the darkness, Latias' movements froze completely.
Like someone had hit pause, her breath caught, and she stared blankly at the hand holding hers.
Is that Elias?
Latias wasn't sure. For a moment, she didn't dare use telepathy to confirm his identity.
She was afraid.
But she didn't have to. Elias had already reached out with a gentle pulse of psychic power.
A sensation she knew all too well—one that had been with her for over a decade—instantly flooded her senses, sweeping away the last of her doubts.
It really is Elias!
The confirmation filled her with an overwhelming desire to throw herself into his arms—to hug him tightly and feel him in hers.
But…
Just before her body could act on that impulse—
She stopped herself. Abruptly. Deliberately.
Instead of pouncing on him, she followed through with her earlier move and shook off his hand.
Elias blinked, bewildered by her sudden reaction.
He looked at her in confusion, wondering if maybe her telepathy had misread him somehow.
After all, he'd double-checked before reaching out—it had definitely been his own psychic signature.
And Mew wasn't interfering this time either. So why…?
Before he could ask, he saw right through her little scheme.
In the dim room, Latias glared at him in exaggerated offense and huffed:
"Who are you? How dare you pretend to be Elias!"
"Don't you know that when Elias sees me, the first thing he does is give me a warm, gentle hug with his whole cozy body?"
"You think you can fool me with a little psychic energy? Ha! Amateur."
She might as well have had her plan written on her face.
Elias gave a helpless smile. For Psychic-types, telepathy was practically a built-in ID check.
The only reason Latias was pretending otherwise… was clearly because she wanted a hug.
Of course, Elias wasn't dense enough to call her out on it.
If Tias wanted a hug, he'd give her one.
With that in mind, he gently opened his arms and pulled her into a soft embrace.
Her warm, fragrant body fit perfectly against his, and Elias couldn't help but relax into it.
Compared to Gardevoir's elegance and serenity, Latias was something else entirely—like hugging a high-powered little jet, full of life and energy. And oddly comforting.
In the darkness, Latias' cheeks flushed pink—but her expression was one of contentment.
That familiar embrace… it left no room for doubt.
This was Elias.
Still… just a hug wasn't enough.
She cleared her throat and added matter-of-factly:
"Hmm. That hug barely passes."
"But!"
"If it's really Elias, he'd follow the hug with a kiss for his mom. If there's no kiss, you must be fake. You're not fake… right?"
As she said that, she even sneakily swallowed a bit of saliva.
At least try to hide it…
Elias nearly lost it.
But if that's what she wanted, he wasn't about to deny her.
Suppressing his own quietly building anticipation, Elias leaned in slowly.
Latias' lips were soft—like a smooth, delicate jelly, with the faintest hint of the sea.
Honestly, Elias felt like he could kiss her forever and never get tired of it.
This… this is what being a Pokémon Breeder is really about!
He kept that thought firmly locked in his heart.
When they finally broke apart, Latias' breathing was noticeably heavier.
If it hadn't been so dark, her eyes—hazy and filled with lingering affection—would've been impossible to miss.
Gulp—
I really want to taste that again…
Latias bit her lip, but she knew now wasn't the time to indulge.
She had to take it further.
"…Okay. Now it's starting to feel like Elias."
"But… Mom still needs further confirmation."
Her tone was dead serious.
With that, she reluctantly slipped out of Elias' arms and reached up to her collar, fingers moving to unfasten the clasp.
Elias immediately caught on to what she was about to do—and hesitated.
Should he stop her?
…Or help her undo it?
This is so conflicted…
But before he had to decide, he realized he didn't need to.
Latias was struggling.
Despite the determined look on her face, she couldn't get the clasp undone.
Even worse, a soft blue glow began to shimmer over the button—clearly something was magically preventing it from opening.
"Elias, help me!"
"The clasp locked itself—I can't get it undone."
In the end, Latias had no choice but to turn to him for help.
But just as the words left her mouth—
Boom—!
The entire gym suddenly lit up.
A burst of dazzling white light scattered the darkness.
Both Elias and Latias squinted, caught off guard by the sudden brightness.
"What the—"
Latias muttered in annoyance.
But as her eyes began to adjust and focus, she froze.
Not far from her stood a Pokémon.
It was the shiny Gardevoir she'd beaten up earlier.
But unlike before, this Gardevoir's aura was now entirely different—graceful, regal, and emanating the true elegance of a Psychic queen.
Her delicate face was dark with stormy emotion, cold enough to send a chill down one's spine.
Nothing at all like the teary-eyed mess who had begged for mercy not long ago.
How is she up already?
Latias frowned.
She clearly remembered pounding her into a bruised heap…
Still, even with the confusion, her instincts kicked in.
Why would Gardevoir show up here, now?
To tattle to Elias, obviously.
Homewrecker!
Thinking this, Latias quickly slid over and clung tightly to Elias' arm, glaring daggers at Gardevoir.
"Elias is mine!" she declared possessively.
---
P.S. Don't be fooled by Gardevoir's combat strength. She's a broken "idealism-powered" character. Mew is actually very strong—stronger than most Pokémon out there.
...
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