Pokémon: Breeding Simulator [8]

[Age 8: Due to the previous incident, Officer Jenny reduced both the number and difficulty of the missions assigned to you. Thanks to this, you had more time to spend with Ralts and Sabrina.]

[Under your guidance, Ralts' strength increased rapidly—so much so that she could now hold her own against the Gym Leader's Pokémon.]

[At the same time, your own psychic powers remained within a stable threshold.]

[Although… every time you transferred psychic energy, Ralts would get so embarrassed that she'd avoid seeing you for a while.]

Not bad.

Elias had known from the start that relying too much on the system was unreliable. Good thing he had decisively chosen the [Shining Emblem] trait.

That was what had led him to his first shiny Pokémon—Ralts.

Even if it was just inside the simulator, she was still his Pokémon.

And that wasn't all.

The moment he met Ralts, he unlocked another achievement.

[Achievement unlocked: Fortune's Chosen. (Effect: You can exchange your stamina for luck—the more luck you obtain, the greater the physical toll.)]

It was a life-draining ability, sure, but there were plenty of situations where luck could be crucial. At least Elias thought it would have its uses.

After all, traits weren't limited to just reality—he could use them inside the simulator as well.

If he burned through an entire life's worth of stamina, who knew? Maybe he could even catch Arceus with a single Poké Ball.

---

[Age 9: On New Year's Eve, Ralts presented you with her evolution as a gift. Looking at the now much livelier Kirlia, you smiled gently.]

"Do I look good?" Kirlia asked nervously.

She had been capable of evolving a month ago, but she had held back, waiting for this day to surprise Elias.

"Hmm…" Elias put on a thoughtful expression, furrowing his brows just enough to make Kirlia anxious.

"Do I… not look good?"

Her face paled, and her voice trembled with uncertainty.

Seeing the tears welling up in her big, watery eyes, Elias quickly dropped the act. He crouched down and gently ran a hand through her silky blue hair.

"You look beautiful. No matter what form you take, you'll always look beautiful."

That was the truth. Whether it was because she was a shiny Pokémon or for some other reason, Kirlia's features were noticeably more refined than others of her kind. Even her figure seemed more delicate.

"Really?" Kirlia blinked, still doubtful.

"Really."

"Then… what if I evolve into Gallade?"

Elias: …

If she actually evolved into Gallade, that would be cause for panic.

After all, only male Kirlia could evolve into Gallade with a [Dawn Stone].

"Pfft—" Kirlia giggled mischievously, satisfied with his reaction.

"Come on, let's head back inside before Sabrina comes looking for us."

Even though Kirlia wasn't too happy about constantly competing with Sabrina for Elias's attention…

Since it was New Year's Eve, she decided to be generous and allow Sabrina to share Elias with her today.

[That night, you gifted both Kirlia and Sabrina a colorful flower wreath.]

[The flowers were specially selected from Floaroma Town and woven together using your psychic powers. Not only did they ward off negativity, but they also served as natural perfume.]

[Both of them seemed to love the gift—especially Kirlia, who immediately put hers around her neck. The wreath suited her perfectly.]

[That same year, Officer Jenny applied for an official police ID for you.]

[Interestingly, after reviewing your records, the Pokémon League unanimously decided to assign you to the newly forming Special Investigation Unit.]

[On your first day, you met a boy your age named Lance, a rising trainer from Johto who owned a powerful Dragonair.]

"Elias, I finally understand why the League put us in the same department."

Lance clicked his tongue in amazement as he watched his Dragonair battle to a draw against Elias's Haunter.

Until today, he had believed himself to be the strongest trainer of his generation—at least among those without type advantages.

But after meeting Elias, he realized…

Not only did this guy have a Haunter that was just as powerful as his Dragonair—

More importantly…

"Where did you catch that Kirlia? I need one."

Lance's gaze was filled with envy as he watched Kirlia delicately dab Elias's forehead with a handkerchief.

How come he didn't have such a gentle, caring Pokémon? And a shiny, no less!

"Sorry, but she's one of a kind." Elias smirked, clearly in a good mood.

"Kirlu~"

Hearing that, Kirlia proudly puffed out her chest, looking even more smug.

Lance ground his teeth.

One day… I'll catch a shiny Pokémon too! Preferably a Dragon-type!

---

[Age 10: Kirlia still blushed whenever you transferred psychic energy to her, but she no longer avoided you afterward. Sometimes, she even sought you out when she ran low.]

[However, she seemed to be burning through her psychic energy much faster lately, which made you suspicious.]

[That same year, with help from the Gym Leader, you evolved Haunter into Gengar through trade evolution. Seeing the process firsthand for the first time, you found it fascinating.]

[After testing, you confirmed that Gengar's stats had significantly improved.]

[Most notably, even the Gym Leader's Alakazam could no longer defeat him. This was a great boost to your overall team strength.]

Seeing his first fully evolved Pokémon standing before him, Elias felt a deep sense of accomplishment.

But…

"Where's Sabrina? I haven't seen her much lately."

Frowning, Elias thought back.

Sabrina used to hover around him constantly, yet lately, he'd only seen her two or three times a week at most.

His gut told him something was off.

[Your instincts weren't wrong. On the last day of the year, Sabrina's psychic powers spiraled out of control, destroying nearly half of the gym and turning numerous Pokémon and people into dolls.]

[After restoring everyone to normal, you immediately pursued her.]

Elias chased all the way to the outskirts of the city, but there was no sign of Sabrina.

As the sun dipped toward the horizon, he knew that the longer he delayed, the harder it would be to find her.

"Kirlia, can you sense where she is?"

Having failed to locate Sabrina through his own psychic search, Elias turned to the Pokémon in his arms for help.

"I'll try," Kirlia replied, closing her eyes to focus.

As an empathic Pokémon, she didn't just possess psychic abilities—she could also sense emotions.

That was precisely why Elias relied on her now.

"I found her."

After detecting a wave of fear and confusion, Kirlia's eyes snapped open.

She looked up at Elias, her expression serious.

---

T/N: ah, she's still gonna join Team Rocket