With both Gardevoir and Latias having gotten the results they were satisfied with, the tense atmosphere in the gym finally eased a little.
Latias peeked out from behind Elias, eyeing Gardevoir with a mix of curiosity and suspicion.
"You're clearly that strong. So why did you act like you were begging for mercy when you stopped me earlier?"
Just thinking about how pitiful that shiny Gardevoir had looked not long ago, Latias couldn't help but wonder if the other had some strange kink.
After all, no normal Pokémon hides their strength that much — no one goes asking for a beating for no reason.
If she really has some kind of weird fetish, I'll have to be extra careful...
Wouldn't want her corrupting my Elias.
At Latias's question, a few question marks practically popped over Gardevoir's head.
She didn't quite follow what Latias was talking about.
But when she caught the look in the other's eyes — as if she were some kind of pervert — she knew it wasn't a joke.
Her brow twitched in irritation.
"Gaaarde? (What are you talking about?)"
"Garde, garde? (Have we met before?)"
Gardevoir held back her impatience and asked. Something told her this wasn't going anywhere good.
Latias, seeing Gardevoir playing dumb, didn't waste words.
She pulled out her phone, unlocked it, and flipped open her photo album — revealing a recent picture of a tearful "Gardevoir" looking pitifully adorable.
She had originally taken the photo as blackmail material — something to keep Gardevoir from ever daring to fight over Elias with her again.
But now? It looked like this little treasure might come in handy sooner than expected.
Smug, she flipped the phone around and held it up to Gardevoir's face.
"Look! You gonna tell me that's not you?"
Latias was brimming with confidence.
If it were a normal Gardevoir, maybe there'd be room for doubt — same species and all. But this one? Tall, shapely, and shiny. No way anyone would believe she wasn't the one in the picture.
Checkmate.
And yet, when Gardevoir saw the photo Latias was so proudly brandishing, her furrowed brows relaxed.
A short snort of laughter escaped her, cold and amused.
So that's what this is about...
From the photo alone — the ridiculous cowardly vibes practically radiating from that fake "Gardevoir" — she didn't even have to guess who the culprit was.
After all, there was only one dumb cat with the ability to turn into other Pokémon.
Not wanting Latias to stay in the dark, Gardevoir pulled out her own phone, flipped through her album, and found the image she needed.
"Gaaarde! (Here — see if this looks familiar.)"
Latias hesitantly accepted the phone Gardevoir handed her.
On the screen was a small, pink cat.
It was floating in midair, eyes curved in a mischievous smile, tiny paws covering its mouth — clearly trying (and failing) to stifle a giggle.
It wasn't the Gardevoir she expected… but the second Latias laid eyes on it, she was struck by a strange sense of déjà vu.
She cautiously placed both phones side by side.
The moment the photos lined up — despite being two completely different Pokémon — a bizarre similarity became impossible to ignore.
"Gaaarde. (Got it now? That Gardevoir was this dumb cat in disguise.)"
Gardevoir offered a timely explanation.
Latias, who had been puzzled just seconds ago, suddenly had everything click into place.
She stared at the two photos, stunned, her brow creasing in disbelief.
If what Gardevoir said was true, then…
The thieving cat I thought there was only one of... is actually two!?
That was not good news.
As Latias stood frozen in realization, Gardevoir's lips curled into a quiet sneer.
She already had a good idea of what Mew was playing at.
For now, she was willing to let the red jet plane off the hook. But that dumb cat? That one needed a lesson.
Off to the side, Elias, who had been quietly observing the entire exchange, made the sign of a cross in his heart for Mew.
Hope you survive the night, buddy...
Beep-beep—
Just then, Elias's phone buzzed.
When he glanced at the screen, he saw that Lance had arrived at their agreed meeting spot.
He had planned to meet up with Lance today for a chat, and they had set a location ahead of time.
It was only after learning that Latias would be arriving soon that he made a last-minute change in plans.
But now that the reunion had happened, it was time to follow through with the original meetup.
He still had some matters about Gardevoir and Latias he needed Lance's help with.
With that in mind, Elias spoke up.
"Lance just messaged — wants to grab lunch. You two want to come along?"
"We can go shopping after."
Worried that his two Pokémon might get bored, Elias sweetened the deal with a tempting offer.
Sure enough, Gardevoir's eyes lit up instantly. She agreed without a moment's hesitation.
As for Latias, having just reunited with Elias, she didn't want to be apart from him at all. Without even thinking, she gave a firm nod too.
As expected, Elias got the answers he hoped for. After tidying up the mess in the gym, he got ready to head out.
The only ones coming with him were Gardevoir and Latias.
Naoko seemed to be busy today — she'd rushed out first thing in the morning, so there was no need to call her.
Latios had vanished after sending a message earlier — no need to worry about him either.
Elias figured he was probably avoiding a confrontation with Latias.
As for Mew...
Well, let's just say that one's fate was sealed.
Once he was sure he had everything, Elias headed out with Gardevoir and Latias by his side.
They soon arrived at the restaurant Lance had picked.
The moment Elias stepped inside, as expected, every head in the place turned toward him.
It was hard not to notice — Latias in human form was already eye-catching enough with her bright, pretty looks.
Add in the elegant, shiny Gardevoir standing beside her, and the whole scene was enough to make every trainer in the room green with envy.
Under the twisted gazes of jealous male trainers, Elias quickly spotted Lance at his table.
As expected, the man looked incredibly bored — even idly spinning his spoon between his fingers.
Elias wasn't surprised.
In such a cramped restaurant, Lance wouldn't be able to release his beloved Dragonite.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
Fighting a grin, Elias led Gardevoir and Tias to the opposite seat and sat down.
"It's fine, no big—"
The moment he saw Elias, Lance's face brightened.
Finally!
But when his eyes fell on the two Pokémon flanking Elias, his expression stiffened.
Damn it. I wanna let out my Dragonite too!
---
...
"GACHA!!"
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