Pokémon: Breeding Simulator [44]

Johto Region, Mahogany Town – A Two-Story Villa

A young man with black hair sat at the edge of a bed, the morning sunlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting uneven shadows across his face.

Beside him, a Shiny Gardevoir sat quietly, holding a small bowl of steaming rice porridge in one hand and a ceramic spoon in the other, bringing it toward his lips.

It was, without a doubt, a harmonious and warm scene.

Elias made no effort to resist. He opened his mouth and accepted the porridge from Gardevoir's spoon.

It had been a few days since she had taken him to this villa. At first, he had been upset, but as time went on, he found himself surprisingly comfortable with the arrangement.

Gardevoir was still the same Gardevoir. She hadn't done anything excessive to him.

Apart from forbidding him from leaving the villa, life here wasn't much different from before.

Seeing Elias eat, Gardevoir smiled in satisfaction.

She had always enjoyed two things—feeding Elias and being fed by him.

It was a habit she had developed since childhood.

Back when she was a Ralts, her body had been frail, and she often trained until her arms trembled, barely able to hold even a Pokéblock.

At those times, Elias would feed her himself.

Then, after she evolved into Gardevoir, she became enamored with the idea of feeding Elias, relishing the way Sabrina and Eevee would grind their teeth in frustration as they watched.

As for why those two didn't do it themselves?

Sabrina was too proud, and Eevee had no hands.

"Feed me."

With that thought in mind, Gardevoir extended the bowl of porridge toward Elias.

He took it without hesitation, skillfully scooping up a spoonful and bringing it to her lips.

"Mmh~" Gardevoir took the bite with satisfaction.

As she ate, she suddenly remembered the question she had asked Elias a few days ago.

"Elias, have you thought about what I said before?" she asked expectantly.

Hearing her bring up the topic again, Elias felt a headache coming on.

He might have found life here pleasant, but that didn't mean he agreed with Gardevoir's ideas.

In fact, he had spent the past few days trying to talk her out of her extreme plan—with little success.

Through their conversations, however, he had come to understand her reasoning.

She was afraid of losing him again.

She was also wary of Mew and the others vying for his attention.

And so, like a certain devil (Giratina), she wanted to manipulate the Twin Gods of Time and Space to create a world where she could be in complete control.

It wasn't a bad concept, in theory.

The problem was… her initial plan had been to have only the two of them live in that world.

Even after repeated persuasion, she had only agreed to let Silver, Blue, and Gengar join them.

To Elias, no matter how much he cared for Gardevoir, being trapped in such an isolated world would drive anyone mad over time.

And that was assuming the plan even worked.

More likely, it would simply put Gardevoir in grave danger.

"Gardevoir, Dialga and Palkia are Legendary Pokémon—controlling them is definitely not as simple as you think."

Elias finally voiced his stance.

As expected, Gardevoir's expression immediately darkened, a look of quiet disappointment flashing in her eyes.

She remained silent for a long moment.

Then, without warning, she got up, gently placed her palm over Elias's eyes, and brought her lips close to his face.

"I'll prove to you that this plan is feasible," she whispered.

This time, her voice lacked the affectionate tenderness from before.

Instead, it carried a firm, undeniable resolve.

It was clear that Elias's persuasion had failed.

He wasn't surprised. Gardevoir had always been incredibly stubborn.

She had been the same way when convincing him to give up on catching Celebi.

As a trainer and a responsible Pokémon caretaker, his duty was to guide her onto the right path.

Or… when the time came, to bear the consequences of her decisions.

Despite her firm stance, Gardevoir wasn't as confident as she appeared.

She rarely opposed Elias's words, and now that she had, she felt anxious—like a child caught doing something wrong.

But what she hadn't expected was that Elias didn't scold her.

Instead, he reached out and cupped her cheek.

"I understand."

As he spoke, he lightly pinched and pulled at her face with two fingers.

Was it just his imagination, or did her skin feel even softer than it had a few years ago?

Perhaps he got carried away, because in the next instant—

Chomp.

Gardevoir bit his finger.

---

Under the dim glow of the moon, Gardevoir held Elias in her arms, sleeping peacefully on the plush double bed.

In the darkness, Elias quietly opened his eyes.

Though he had stopped trying to change Gardevoir's mind during the day, that didn't mean he was doing nothing.

If she actually succeeded, he could be trapped in that empty world for who knows how long.

If she failed, he would have to deal with two vengeful deities—or worse, Giratina from the Distortion World.

"System, give me an idea."

For once, Elias actively sought the system's input.

[Simulate, of course! Just use your boundless love and compassion to win over another Pokémon, and the problem will be solved in no time.]

The system had no knowledge of how Elias had raised Gardevoir.

But as far as it was concerned, if he could raise one powerful Gardevoir, he could certainly raise another.

Elias hesitated.

He had already considered using the simulator.

But… to bring a simulated Pokémon into reality, he needed to achieve an [S-rank] score.

And after his experience with Gardevoir, he was terrified of creating an even bigger boss.

Not to mention, the mental and emotional strain of finishing a simulation was immense—something no movie or game could compare to.

He was worried about how it might affect his real-life self.

[If you're not comfortable, you can take your time, no rush.]

Sensing his hesitation, the system reassured him.

After all, its entire performance evaluation depended on Elias.

That initial [S-rank] rating had earned it quite the bragging rights among its peers.

If Elias messed up, it would be devastated.

"System, during the simulation, what happens to my real body?" Elias asked after some thought.

The last time, he had managed to finish in a single night due to a tragic early death.

But this time, things might not be so simple.

If Gardevoir woke up and found him unconscious, she would definitely do something drastic.

[I can put your real body into stasis. You'll vanish from this world temporarily.]

The system responded swiftly.

Elias nodded in understanding.

It wasn't much better than being unconscious, but at least Gardevoir's first instinct would be to look for him rather than assuming the worst.

As long as he returned in time, everything should be fine.

The only downside?

If (or when) she found him again, he'd likely be confined to the villa for good.

…Well, it wasn't like he had any better options.

"System, begin the simulation."

With that command, his consciousness faded into darkness.

---

T/N: if you can't beat the boss... make another one to beat the boss for you!