Chapter 208: A Guilty Gardevoir and an Innocent Latias

Chapter 208: A Guilty Gardevoir and an Innocent Latias

It wasn't about liking or affection—

But for Emma, the information about Latias was simply too important to her.

After all—

She was the daughter of the current head of the Damnson Clan.

Just then, a soft yawn interrupted Damon's thoughts.

"Haah..."

An entire night without sleep, combined with the constant use of Aura for several hours...

Now that the Ghost Pokémon had dispersed, Hikaru's tension finally eased, and exhaustion hit him like a truck.

Emma raised an eyebrow.

"Are you tired? The Spirit Stones still need to be examined."

"Mhm."

Hikaru nodded a bit awkwardly.

Yeah, he knew that.

Each morning, the Spirit Stones needed to undergo an energy assessment.

Before long, Luke arrived, riding a Corvisquire.

"Apologies for the wait—please hand over your Spirit Stones."

The three challengers handed them over.

Hikaru took a quick glance at Luke's Pokémon.

[Pokémon: Corvisquire]

Ability: Keen Eye

Gender: Male

Talent: Master

Level: 36

Moves: Leer, Peck, Swagger, Taunt...

A Level 36 Corvisquire...

For someone this strong to willingly work as a gym receptionist...

That was pretty rare.

Luke pulled out an orange-yellow device and scanned each of their Spirit Stones.

Then, he smiled.

"Perfect! All three of you successfully passed the first night's challenge."

"I hope you continue to do well over the next two days."

Hikaru took his Spirit Stone back, thanked Luke, and exchanged a few words with the Damnson siblings before heading to his room with Latias.

Inside the Room.

Gardevoir was still asleep.

Judging by the subtle smile on her lips, she was clearly dreaming of something happy.

But Hikaru could hardly keep his eyes open anymore.

He yanked the blanket over himself and collapsed into bed—

And within seconds, he was out cold.

Meanwhile...

Latias blinked confusedly.

Did... Hikaru forget about her?

She watched as Gardevoir snuggled into Hikaru's arms in her sleep.

After thinking for a moment—

Latias shifted into her human form, quietly slid under the covers, and gently wrapped her arms around Hikaru's arm.

Of course, she had already checked the room's surveillance system.

The red light wasn't on—

Meaning the monitoring was currently off.

Outside...

As Hikaru disappeared into his room, Emma's gentle smile faded.

She frowned slightly.

Her previous expression had been too forced.

Even she could tell—

So Hikaru must have noticed as well.

"Damn it... This kid is harder to deal with than I expected."

His cautious and reserved attitude made him hard to approach.

But—

The information about Latias...

She needed it.

She absolutely needed it.

She turned to her younger cousin.

"Damon."

"Huh? Yeah, sis?"

Damon was still lost in thought, wondering how to survive the next night's challenge.

"What kind of girls... do men usually like?"

"...What?"

Damon thought he misheard.

"What did you say?"

Emma's tone remained completely calm and indifferent, as if she were merely discussing the weather.

"I asked—what kind of women do men like?"

Damon nearly had a brain aneurysm.

This was the first time in his life that Emma had ever asked something like this.

"W-Wait, what?! That depends on personal preference! Also—why are you asking me?!"

His mind was spinning.

Emma... is 20 years old.

Hikaru... is 16.

What the hell was going on here?!

Damon snuck a glance at his cousin.

Her long violet hair cascaded down to her waist, complementing her slender figure.

At 5'7", she carried herself with an air of cold elegance.

A textbook example of a "cool beauty."

Untouchable.

Like a rose blooming behind iron thorns—

Beautiful, but impossible to grasp.

But years ago, she wasn't like this.

Back then—

She used to stand in front of them, shielding them from the harsh discipline of the elders.

Somewhere along the way, she had become colder and more rational...

To the point where she seemed almost inhuman.

Emma narrowed her eyes slightly.

"So? Answer the question."

Damon instinctively felt nervous.

Under pressure, he just blurted out something random.

"Uhh... I guess guys like obedient girls?"

"Obedient?"

Emma seemed to consider this for a moment.

Damon immediately shut his mouth.

Oh god, what did I just do?!

"Never mind. I'll just ask him directly."

"...WHAT?!"

Back in Hikaru's Room.

Slowly, Hikaru's mind stirred awake.

The first thing he instinctively reached for was his phone—

But before he could grab it—

He noticed two pairs of eyes watching him.

One of them waved a white hand in front of his face.

He looked up.

One side—Gardevoir, looking guilty.

The other—Latias, staring at him innocently.

Gardevoir was sitting at the edge of the bed, holding her hand up as if she had been about to pinch his nose.

Latias, still in her human form, sat directly in front of him.

Her slender, pale hands rested on her lap.

When she saw him wake up, she tilted her head slightly—

And smiled sweetly.

For a moment—

Hikaru felt his heart skip a beat.

"Okay, that was way too cute."

Then Latias tried to crawl toward him.

Hikaru instantly stopped her by pressing a hand against her forehead.

"Wait, Latias."

She blinked in confusion.

"Hmm? What's wrong, Hikaru?"

Still in her human form, she sat up properly, hands folded neatly in her lap.

She tilted her head again, looking completely innocent.

"Could you... change into sweatpants or something?"

Hikaru pointed at her exposed white thighs beneath the short red skirt she had manifested.

It was... distracting.

Latias blinked, then smiled.

"Oh! Sure, give me a second."

Her skirt flashed with white light as she altered her outfit.

To avoid seeing anything "inappropriate," Hikaru immediately shut his eyes.

When the glow faded, he opened them again.

Now, Latias wore black sports pants instead of the short skirt.

On the side of her pants was a symbol resembling the one on her stomach in her Pokémon form.

"Better?" she asked.

Hikaru sighed in relief.

"Much better."

He glanced at the time.

3:32 PM.

He had slept for eight hours.

Feeling completely refreshed, he stretched and stood up.

"When did you guys wake up?"

Gardevoir instantly responded.

"Garde~" (Just a little while ago~)

She sounded suspiciously enthusiastic.

Meanwhile, Latias fidgeted slightly.

"I... I didn't really sleep."

A faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

Hikaru, still half-asleep, didn't notice.

"Alright, I'll take a shower—then let's call Mew over for another story time."

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