Pokémon: Breeding Simulator [31]
The next day, from early morning, Elias had been training with Gengar.
Thanks to the memories from the simulator, he quickly developed a strong rapport with his partner.
The only downside was that his psychic abilities weren't as powerful as they had been in the simulation, which meant some advanced tactics were still beyond his reach.
But when it came to crushing an average Gym Leader, he was more than capable.
By the time he returned to the lab and changed into fresh clothes, night had already fallen.
"Gengar, are you sure you don't want to come moon-gazing?"
Tonight was a rare full moon, and Elias wanted someone to enjoy it with.
"Sha-ha, sha-ha!"
Gengar waved its hand in refusal, its face full of reluctance.
Seeing this, Elias felt a bit helpless.
Seems like that experience in the simulator gave this chubby purple guy PTSD.
Now, just mentioning the words "full moon night" made Gengar tremble slightly, and Elias had no good solution for it.
"This time, I swear there are no Delibirds or Swinubs—just a hill next door." He made one last attempt.
To his surprise, Gengar first shrank back slightly upon hearing this but then hesitantly stepped up beside him.
"Sha-ha!"
Gengar waved its hand again, signaling him to hurry up.
Elias was puzzled, but when he used his psychic sense to read Gengar's thoughts, he couldn't help but laugh.
This chubby guy… He's actually just worried that more Delibirds might show up to ambush me, so he's tagging along.
With Gengar in tow, Elias quickly arrived at a hill near Pallet Town.
This spot had sparse trees and a high vantage point, making it an ideal place to watch the moon.
Under the round, glowing moon, Elias took out a special reward from the system—a gift from Gardevoir.
This so-called "gift" was actually the bracelet Gardevoir had once given him.
The dried blood on it had been cleaned away, leaving only the heart-shaped ornament, still stained with a deep crimson hue.
"System, you're surprisingly considerate in this regard." Elias rarely complimented it.
[Of course.]
The system, not entirely sure what it had done right, still accepted the praise with pride.
Settling into a comfortable spot, Elias leaned against Gengar and raised the crystalline bracelet toward the sky.
Moonlight filtered through the bracelet, casting a luminous glow on the engraved letter "G", making it look especially stunning.
Gengar allowed Elias to lean on it without its usual restlessness. This time, it remained completely still.
It knew—Elias was thinking about Gardevoir.
A quiet decision began to take shape in Gengar's mind.
I'll help Elias find Gardevoir.
---
Johto Region, Mahogany Gym Basement
"Gone, gone, gone—IT'S GONE!"
A loud crashing noise echoed through the basement as things were flung about in a frantic search.
Under the dim light, an unusual-colored Gardevoir panted heavily, her crimson eyes filled with rage.
Several cabinets hovered midair, doors flung open, and their contents suspended in the air by psychic force.
But no matter how much she searched, Gardevoir still couldn't find what she was looking for.
"Who?! Who took it?!"
It had been a long time since she had felt this furious.
Right now, she wanted nothing more than to shred the thief into pieces.
Because the thing she had lost wasn't just any ordinary item—it was the bracelet she had once given to Elias.
It was the last remaining connection between them.
This was her reverse scale.
Whoever dared to take it… would face her full wrath.
After confirming that the item was indeed missing, Gardevoir took a deep breath to steady herself and then ascended the stairs, returning to the main hall of the gym.
"Find out who stole my bracelet."
"If you see anyone wearing something similar—bring them to me. Immediately."
She issued her order to the masked figure kneeling before her.
"Yes."
---
In the following days, aside from experimenting with new flavors of Pokéblocks, Elias spent his time training with Gengar.
Life was relatively monotonous, but despite that, the system suddenly threw him a curveball.
[Host… I just realized something. When the simulation rating reaches S-rank, there seems to be a special reward.]
The system's voice rang in his mind.
Elias, who had been focused on devising Gengar's training regimen, paused for a moment. Hearing this, he grew interested.
"A special reward? What is it?"
Under Elias's expectant gaze, the system hesitated before reluctantly answering:
[I-It seems to be related to your destined Pokémon.]
"…Seems?"
A bad feeling crept into Elias's heart.
Sure enough, in the next second, the system's voice grew even stiffer:
[Uh… I, uh, accidentally uninstalled the manual… so I can't check the details.]
Elias: ...
---
The day to receive a starter Pokémon finally arrived.
...
Oak's Lab
"Elias, so? Did Grandpa find a suitable Pokémon for you?"
Gary Oak approached with a smug grin.
It wasn't that he wanted to mock Elias—he just wanted to prove his own keen judgment.
After all, half a month ago, he had confidently predicted that Elias's compatibility with Pokémon would be ridiculously low.
"I found one."
Elias casually took out a Poké Ball containing Gengar and waved it in front of Gary.
"A [Dusk Ball]?" Gary raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Looks like Grandpa really went to great lengths to get you this Pokémon." A trace of envy flickered across his face.
But it didn't take long for him to shake off the feeling and pull out his newly acquired Squirtle.
"So? Are we sticking to our agreement and battling?"
Gary was only asking out of courtesy—he didn't actually expect Elias to accept.
Given Elias's supposed "natural rejection" by Pokémon, it would be surprising if his Pokémon hadn't already run away, let alone battle.
However, to his utter disbelief, Elias simply smiled and nodded.
"Sure, how about the open area in the courtyard?"
Gary was stunned.
"You're serious?" He shot a questioning look at Elias before turning to Professor Oak. "Grandpa?"
He wasn't the type to bully others. If Elias was only agreeing out of obligation, Gary wouldn't feel right about it.
But to his shock, even Professor Oak was smiling as he nodded.
"Go on. I've already prepared the battlefield."
And so, with a dazed expression, Gary followed Elias and Professor Oak to the battle area.
"All right! This will be a 1v1 battle. Both trainers, send out your Pokémon!"
Professor Oak took it upon himself to referee—he was eager to see Gary's reaction.
Now that they were at the battlefield, Gary stopped overthinking things.
His eyes sharpened as he tossed his Poké Ball.
"Go, Squirtle!"
"Come on, Elias, let's see what your starter Pokémon is!"
Excited for his first official battle, Gary eagerly awaited the reveal.
Seeing his enthusiasm, Elias's smile widened.
He didn't hold back—he tossed his Poké Ball.
"Go, Gengar."
"Sha-ha!"
The massive purple specter materialized in the center of the battlefield, its wide, grinning mouth resembling the devil's sneer in Squirtle's terrified eyes.
The moment Gengar appeared, Gary's confident expression froze.
Meanwhile, Elias and Professor Oak's smiles grew even bigger.
"Gary, this is your first battle—you'd better give it your all," Professor Oak encouraged.
Gary: ...
Unsurprisingly, the battle ended with Squirtle being mercilessly toyed with.
From start to finish, the little turtle didn't even land a single hit on Gengar.
"This is cheating! What kind of starter Pokémon is this?!"
Gary pointed at Gengar in righteous indignation, feeling utterly deceived.
"As unbelievable as it seems, this is a Pokémon Elias captured on his own."
"I didn't help him at all. In fact, I only found out afterward."
Professor Oak's calm explanation made Gary go silent.
He glanced at Gengar and Elias, who were interacting like old friends, and chose to believe it.
And after believing it…
His psychological damage was even worse!
Wasn't he supposed to be a Trainer rejected by Pokémon?! What happened to that?!
---
T/N: AHAHAHA but also... heh I knew it, my clairvoyance is simply unparalleled im obv a grand caster candidate