Chapter 263: Latios of Alto Mare

Chapter 263: Latios of Alto Mare

[Emma Damnson]: I originally came to challenge the Dragon-type Gym, but unexpectedly, Latios approached me on his own—

[Emma Damnson]: He asked where I found his sister, and now he's following me.

Hikaru took a deep breath.

If Latias really ran away from home, this was going to be a problem.

He walked over to Latias, who was focused on her drawing.

Today's artwork?

It was the Gym Leader Lily from the Pokémon Contest…

She was adding the final details when she noticed Hikaru watching her.

Latias quickly used Psychic to flip the paper over, hiding the image.

She looked at him with a wary expression.

"Sakura said you're not allowed to see this…"

Hikaru: "..."

What exactly did that girl say to her?!

Was she corrupting Latias?!

Hikaru sighed helplessly.

"Fine, I won't look."

He then changed his tone to a serious one.

"Latias, come here."

"Oh."

Latias flew over, assuming he was going to rub her face again.

She proactively leaned her cheek toward him.

Hikaru took a step back.

"No, no, that's not it."

"I wanted to ask—when you left Alto Mare, did you tell your brother?"

Latias froze.

Then, her expression became visibly flustered.

She hesitated and stammered, "I-I did…"

Hikaru facepalmed.

Come on.

Even without using his Aura and Evergreen Power, he could tell when someone was lying.

Latias was terrible at lying.

Her guilty expression basically screamed "I'm lying!"

Under Hikaru's sharp gaze, she lowered her head and mumbled.

"...No."

Hikaru let out a long sigh.

"I figured."

Then, he said, "Your brother is looking all over Alto Mare for you."

Latias' body shrank slightly.

She cautiously asked, "Hikaru… how do you know that?"

Hikaru held up his phone.

"See for yourself."

Latias, being familiar with human technology, quickly scanned the conversation.

After a moment, she returned the phone and looked up cautiously.

"I saw it…"

Hikaru reassured her.

"I'm not mad at you."

"But do you want to go back?"

Latias shook her head firmly.

She had no intention of leaving Hikaru's side.

Hikaru thought for a moment.

"If your brother finds out you're with me, will he try to take you back?"

Latias hesitated.

Then, she nodded.

"Got it."

Hikaru sent a quick message—

[Hikaru]: Don't tell him. Thanks.

[Emma Damnson]: Got it.

[Emma Damnson]: By the way, Latios tried using something called Dream Projection to contact Latias, but she never responded.

[Emma Damnson]: Now he's starting to panic.

[Emma Damnson]: Also… he caught your scent on me.

Hikaru: ...

Well, that was fast.

If Latios smelled him, then he definitely knew Latias was with Hikaru.

"Umm… I'm sorry…"

Hikaru turned back and saw Latias had shifted to her true form.

She looked extremely guilty.

Hikaru sighed.

"We should at least tell your brother you're safe."

"Okay…"

Latias nodded, then flew out onto the balcony.

One minute later—

She flew back inside.

Hikaru raised an eyebrow.

"Already done?"

"Yep! I just told him I'm alive."

Hikaru: "..."

Technically, that was all that was needed.

Still, he asked, "What did he say?"

"He said he's coming to find me…"

Hikaru: "Of course he is."

At least he had saved Latios' life once.

That should earn him some goodwill, right?

Hopefully, Latios wouldn't see this as kidnapping…

For now, he entered his training room to apply the "Mutual Learning" trait to Gardevoir.

---

Meanwhile, in Alto Mare…

Under the glow of the crescent moon, the tranquil waters of Alto Mare reflected the night sky.

A young man with blue hair, looking to be in his early 20s, stood along the canal railing.

In front of him was Emma Damnson.

This man was Latios—

Currently in his human disguise.

After failing to contact his sister through Dream Projection, he had one certainty—

Latias was alive.

That fact alone had put his heart at ease.

Now, he turned to Emma Damnson.

"Do you know where he is?"

Latios' calm yet powerful voice rang out.

Emma Damnson met his gaze, her expression steady but burning with excitement.

She nodded.

"Yes."

"And in a few months, you'll be able to meet him."

She was referring to the Youth Championship at the end of the year.

It was inevitable that Hikaru would attend.

Until then, she needed to stall Latios.

Emma smiled slightly.

"As a Pokémon, navigating the human world isn't easy, is it?"

Latios remained silent.

Emma continued,

"For now, why not travel with me?"

"I can help you find both him and your sister."

Latios hesitated.

His instinct told him this woman was calculating something.

But—

His sister wasn't in danger, and he had no leads.

So after a moment of thought, he nodded.

"Alright, human."

"For now, I will travel with you."

At those words, he shifted back into his true form and hovered beside her.

Emma took a deep breath, her excitement barely contained.

With one smooth motion, she tapped a Poké Ball against Latios.

A flash of red light—

And Latios entered the Poké Ball.

"Got it!"

For someone as composed as Emma Damnson, this was a rare moment of excitement.

Through her psychic abilities, she could sense the sheer power within this Latios.

Although currently restrained, his hidden potential was enormous—

At least Champion-level, possibly even beyond that.

However, she knew one thing:

Unlike other Pokémon, a Latios or Latias who had lived in the human world would be extremely difficult to keep.

And Latios had only agreed temporarily.

If she wanted to keep him, she had to ensure he felt a sense of belonging in the human world.

But…

She suddenly thought of something.

Latios and Hikaru's Latias were siblings.

And if both entered the Youth Championship…

Wouldn't they end up battling each other?!

---

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