Pokémon: Breeding Simulator [9]

With the aid of his psychic powers, Elias quickly arrived at the location Kirlia had mentioned.

Pushing aside the branches blocking his view, he spotted a small figure crouched near a bush in the distance.

A little girl sat with her arms wrapped around her knees, face buried between them. Her small body trembled slightly, as if she was crying.

Though the sky had darkened, Elias recognized her at a glance—it was Sabrina, who had lost control of her powers and fled.

Seeing that she was safe, he let out a sigh of relief and stepped forward to check on her.

However, the moment his foot moved, Sabrina suddenly lifted her head and swung her right hand—firing a burst of psychic energy straight at him.

Boom!

Kirlia's psychic power clashed with Sabrina's mid-air, creating a violent explosion.

The impact jolted Sabrina awake.

When she saw Elias standing there and realized what she had just done, a wave of dizziness hit her.

Up until now, her outbursts had only affected buildings or strangers.

But this time—

She had attacked Elias directly.

He's going to hate me now…

The thought alone filled her with despair, and tears welled up at the corners of her eyes.

A normal person, faced with a volatile psychic whose expressions were shifting erratically, would undoubtedly keep a safe distance.

But Elias had no such concerns.

After all, compared to his and Kirlia's abilities, Sabrina's power was barely worth mentioning.

So while Sabrina was lost in anxious thoughts, Elias had already crouched in front of her, reaching out to ruffle her silky hair.

"Lost control of your psychic powers?" he asked gently.

Feeling his hand on her head, Sabrina froze for a moment, then gave a muffled "Mmh" in response, her eyes turning red.

"Elias… am I turning into a monster, consumed by my own power?" she whispered, her voice trembling.

For months, she had felt her abilities growing more unstable—sometimes even leaking out involuntarily.

It terrified her.

Even worse…

Would Elias, upon discovering these changes, see her as a monster and push her away?

To prevent that, she had locked herself in her room, avoiding contact with anyone.

But in the end, today's complete loss of control had exposed everything.

Her gaze dimmed further, and she found herself unable to meet Elias's eyes.

Yet, to her surprise, instead of shock or fear, Elias's reaction was… expected.

"Sabrina, this is actually a normal stage of development for most psychics."

Seeing how tense she was, Elias couldn't help but chuckle.

"Huh…?"

She blinked, her mind going blank.

"Really?" she asked hesitantly, half-convinced he was just comforting her.

"Really. Nearly all psychics go through something like this."

Recalling what he had read in books, Elias patiently explained.

It was strange—despite the Gym Leader himself being a psychic, he never took the time to guide Sabrina properly.

Instead, he'd always hand her off to Elias with a knowing smile before going off to enjoy his tea.

And since Elias was an anomaly among psychics, Sabrina, despite her talent, lacked a solid foundation in psychic knowledge.

Sure enough, her next question was directed at him.

"Then… why has your power never gone out of control?"

"The answer is simple."

Elias lifted Kirlia up so she was at eye level with Sabrina.

"Because I have Kirlia."

"Every day, she drains my psychic energy down to a safe level, so I never reach a point where I lose control."

That was the truth.

Without Kirlia, given how fast his powers accumulated, any psychic outburst would be a catastrophe far beyond what Sabrina could cause.

"Kirlu~"

Kirlia, as if sensing the shift in the conversation, looked smugly at the defeated-looking Sabrina.

Fortunately, Sabrina was too overwhelmed to notice Kirlia's expression.

Instead, as she absorbed Elias's words, her tightly wound nerves finally began to relax.

"Thank you, Elias," she murmured—so softly and gently that it barely sounded like her.

Elias was stunned.

But before he could respond, Sabrina suddenly leaned forward—right in front of Kirlia's darkening expression.

"Sabrina?"

Elias quickly caught her, but as he steadied her, he realized—

She had fallen asleep.

That fast?

Elias frowned slightly, staring at her sleeping face.

Was she just exhausted… or was there something else at play?

"Let's head back to the city first," he decided.

They had found Sabrina, and it was best to return quickly so the Gym Leader wouldn't worry.

"Mm."

Kirlia nodded obediently.

However, in the dim light, Elias failed to notice the faint glow in her eyes—

As if she had just used a move.

[After returning to the city with Sabrina, the Gym Leader thanked you once again. You vaguely sensed that his gaze toward you was becoming more… intense. This made you uneasy.]

[When Sabrina woke up, you accompanied her to apologize to those affected by her outburst. You also promised to help her train her abilities moving forward.]

[Interestingly, ever since waking up, Sabrina's gaze toward Kirlia seemed filled with suppressed frustration. You found this odd.]

That night, after a long day, Elias was preparing to sleep when he suddenly felt something soft slide against his back.

"Kirlia?"

Grasping the small hands wrapped around his waist, Elias asked uncertainly.

"Mm," Kirlia murmured.

Hearing her voice, he let out a breath of relief.

For a moment there, he had been startled.

Especially considering how intense the Gym Leader's gaze had been earlier—

For a second, he had almost thought…

Ahem.

"Kirlia, there's no thunderstorm tonight. Why are you here?"

Pushing aside those odd thoughts, Elias asked curiously.

Normally, Kirlia only crawled into bed with him when it was raining or storming, since she was afraid of loud noises.

But today, the weather was perfectly calm.

For a long moment, the room was silent.

Just as Elias was about to assume she had fallen asleep, a soft voice spoke.

"Elias… if one day I get sick like Sabrina, will you help me the same way?"

…

Something about her tone made Elias shiver slightly.

Her voice was as gentle as always—

But her arms around him had tightened considerably.

Almost as if…

If his answer wasn't satisfactory, she wouldn't let go.

---

T/N: uh oh... anyways I always wonder why the person inside the simulator is so much more likeable than the actual MC sadge, that's why we need MC's that get affected by the simulator and gain character development!