Pokémon: Breeding Simulator [45]

"System, begin the simulation!"

After a brief moment of hesitation, Elias finally made his decision.

[Extracting Perks—]

[Language Expert (Blue): You can communicate with Pokémon.]

[Extremist (Purple): Your power scales with your level of extremism… but honestly, you might be too extreme.]

[Power of Viridian (Gold): A mystical ability that allows you to heal Pokémon and read their thoughts.]

[Perfect Pitching Technique (White): Your Poké Ball throws are unparalleled.]

[Incomplete Power of Ho-Oh (Purple): Any being you kill has a chance to follow you as a ghost.]

[Heroic Blessing (Purple): After your death, you can become a blessing that empowers a chosen individual—its effect scales with your renown.]

A flash of white light illuminated the interface, displaying six new perks.

Three purples and one gold—how could I possibly lose?

[Wow, host! Your luck is incredible this time!] Even the system sounded excited.

Elias's last simulation had reached an [S-rank] score with a random perk selection. Now, even the system couldn't imagine what this run would lead to.

"Yeah."

Elias responded softly, staring at the perks in contemplation.

The pitching technique and language expert were immediately ruled out—they wouldn't be particularly useful.

What really gave him pause was whether or not to pick the [Power of Viridian].

On the surface, it was an incredibly versatile ability—both offensively and defensively. As a Pokémon caretaker, it was practically a god-tier skill. And it was gold, the rarest tier among the six.

But…

Elias didn't need it.

He already had psychic abilities, which allowed him to communicate with Pokémon and perceive their emotions. The [Power of Viridian] was redundant.

So—

"I'll take [Extremist], [Incomplete Power of Ho-Oh], and [Heroic Blessing]."

He quickly made his decision and gave the system his command.

[Got it!]

For once, the system didn't question his choices.

Though, truthfully, it had no idea why he would pick those specific perks…

[Now, then—]

"Wait."

Elias cut the system off before it could finalize the selection.

He needed to be cautious.

His planned training method was very Pokémon-dependent. If he got unlucky with his starting partner, this whole run could be a disaster.

Ideally, he'd get something similar to Gardevoir.

So, after trading some stamina for increased luck, he immediately felt his body weaken slightly.

The most obvious sign?

He realized Gardevoir was squeezing him so tightly that he was actually having trouble breathing.

"Alright, let's continue."

Not wanting to risk Gardevoir waking up, Elias wasted no more time and started the simulation.

[Perks confirmed. Generating simulation environment…]

[Fated Pokémon selection complete—Dragon-type, Latias (Southern Island).]

The familiar mechanical voice echoed in his mind.

His vision blurred.

As the world around him twisted into an indistinct haze, his consciousness fully submerged into the simulated world.

...

At the same time, in the real world—

Elias's body began to dissolve into tiny, shimmering particles of light, slowly vanishing from the room.

Just before the last traces of him disappeared, however…

A powerful psychic force surged forth, attempting to lock the light within an invisible barrier.

But it was useless.

The light continued to scatter, slipping through the psychic walls with ease, leaving no trace behind.

Watching this eerily familiar sight, Gardevoir's breath hitched.

It stirred up some… unpleasant memories.

However, this time, she quickly calmed down.

Because she knew—

Elias didn't die. He escaped.

"…Why do you keep running?"

"You're really… not being obedient."

A shadow darkened Gardevoir's expression, her tone laced with unmistakable displeasure.

Still, she supposed it wasn't a true disappearance.

Gently, she picked up a small card left on his pillow, her eyes narrowing as she read its contents.

[Sorry, Gardevoir. I need to leave for a while, but I'll be back soon. —Elias]

The frown on her face softened—just a little.

But even so, she had already made up her mind.

Next time she caught him, she wouldn't let him have so much freedom.

Otherwise, if he ever used this method to sneak off and find some stray cat… she might not even know.

---

Unaware of the events unfolding in the real world, Elias had already begun his second simulation.

[Age 0: You were born in a seaside city in the western part of the Hoenn region—Slateport City.]

[Slateport City is a vibrant, growing metropolis. With its bustling seaport, convenient transportation, and thriving economy, it stands as one of Hoenn's most prosperous cities.]

[Unfortunately, you were abandoned in the outskirts of the city.]

Of course. Why am I not surprised?

Elias's expression twisted in frustration.

Including the real world, this was the third time in a row he had started as an orphan.

Wasn't the Pokémon world supposed to be full of kind, good-hearted people? Where were all these heartless parents coming from?

Suppressing his irritation, he turned his focus to his Fated Pokémon—Latias.

Latias—the legendary Eon Pokémon.

In terms of personality, appearance, and strength, she wouldn't lose to Gardevoir in any way.

But…

Dragon-type.

Which just so happened to be one of Gardevoir's type advantages.

Not to mention, Latias had two very problematic abilities—invisibility and human transformation.

Without specialized tools, it was nearly impossible to distinguish her from an ordinary person.

Which meant… even if he met her, he might not realize it.

There wasn't much he could do about that. He could only hope for good luck and rely on the inherent Pokémon affinity the simulation provided.

---

[Age 0: Your persistent cries eventually attracted the attention of a passing girl.]

[She had silky red hair and amber eyes. Upon discovering you, she appeared surprised.]

[Curiously, she picked you up and brought her small, delicate nose close to your face, seemingly trying to confirm some kind of difference between you and herself.]

[Upon sniffing the scent of milk on your skin, the girl stuck out her pink tongue and gave your cheek a lick—like tasting a milky candy.]

[After a long moment of consideration, she determined you were an abandoned child and excitedly flew into the sky, carrying you with her.]

Elias: ???

Wait a second.

He had just been picked up by… something seriously powerful.

If he wasn't mistaken…

This was his Fated Pokémon.

Latias.

---

T/N: M-M-Mommy Latias???