Pokémon: Breeding Simulator [56]

"Who's there?"

Elias could no longer remain calm as he took in the scene before him.

Rampant psychic energy spread through the air, and the already shattered furniture exploded into even smaller fragments under the force of telekinesis.

But Elias had no time to care about any of that. Unnoticed by himself, his emotions had become dangerously extreme.

A violent aura radiated from him, and bloodshot veins crept across his eyes. A primal urge to tear everything apart surged within him.

Taking a deep breath, Elias barely managed to suppress his seething rage, closing his eyes and focusing his psychic abilities.

The day he first discovered the poachers, he had spread a portion of his psychic energy throughout the surrounding forest, using it as his "eyes" to monitor the area.

To maintain this surveillance, he had tirelessly replenished his energy every week.

He had done this painstaking work for an entire year.

It was exhausting and time-consuming, but the results were just as effective as he had hoped.

As Elias connected with the scattered fragments of his psychic energy, the entire forest came into focus within his perception.

Mountains, rivers, Pokémon.

Various images flickered through his mind, and even Elias felt a trace of exhaustion.

But he didn't let himself linger on any of it—not for a second.

He was searching for a presence so familiar that it was practically ingrained in his senses.

A presence that he breathed in every night, over and over again…

After an intense, high-speed search through vast stretches of the forest, Elias's perception was beginning to numb.

But then—

A familiar presence flashed through his awareness, fleeting but undeniable.

Tias!

Elias narrowed his eyes and instantly locked onto the source with his psychic abilities.

It was an area near the western edge of the forest, close to an isolated island.

Aside from Tias's presence, he also sensed several other energies—ones that filled him with disgust.

Greed. Amusement.

The sickening aura of those filthy rats.

Elias's breaths grew heavier.

People at school often described him as stubborn, but he preferred another word—extreme.

Having already sentenced the poachers to death in his mind, Elias pulled out a Poké Ball. With a slight shift of his figure, he vanished from the room.

---

At the same time, deep within the western part of the forest—

A Pokémon with a sleek red-and-white body weaved rapidly through the dense trees.

Her right arm curled slightly inward—a sign that she had suffered a serious injury not long ago.

Behind her, an Alakazam flickered in and out of sight as it relentlessly pursued her, occasionally launching shimmering [Psycho Cuts] to disrupt her escape.

From Alakazam's calm, almost indifferent gaze, it was clear that he had no doubt about his victory. He was merely toying with his prey, indulging in a cruel game of cat and mouse.

Above them, a Salamence soared through the air with its wings fully spread, flying at high speed.

"What an unexpected find. I never thought I'd run into a Latias here."

"If only Boss J were around—capturing it would be much easier."

A squat, goggled poacher stood atop the Salamence, clicking his tongue in amusement.

He was one of Hunter J's most trusted subordinates. Expanding their operations to the Hoenn region hadn't seemed all that promising to him at first.

After all, the biggest names in Hoenn were Kyogre and Groudon—and even a fool knew better than to mess with those two.

Hell, if they woke either of them up, even Hunter J herself might not make it out alive.

As for the other famous Pokémon in Hoenn? Most of them were well-hidden, nearly impossible to find.

With that in mind, he had been planning to put on a half-hearted effort and then slip back to Sinnoh.

But then—

A girl with fiery red hair appeared in his sight.

At first glance, she seemed to be nothing more than an ordinary, albeit strikingly beautiful, human girl. Nothing particularly noteworthy.

But when he put on his special vision goggles, everything changed.

She wasn't human at all.

She was a Pokémon in disguise.

With his extensive knowledge of the Pokédex, it didn't take him long to identify her.

A legendary Pokémon.

An Eon Pokémon—Latias.

The sheer luck of the discovery sent waves of excitement coursing through him.

To avoid scaring her off and to ensure a smooth capture, he had patiently waited until she returned home before launching a sudden attack.

Unfortunately, due to his own shortcomings, Latias had managed to escape into the forest, forcing him into this annoying chase.

"Tch. Salamence, [Dragon Breath]."

Clicking his tongue in irritation, the poacher coldly gave the order.

A searing burst of [Dragon Breath] erupted from Salamence's mouth, rippling violently through the air.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A series of explosions tore through the ground below.

Latias barely managed to dodge the incoming blast.

But even though she had escaped by a hair's breadth, exhaustion had long since set in.

And with it, a creeping sense of despair.

She had always listened to Elias's advice, staying inside the house like he had told her.

But today was different.

Today was Elias's birthday.

She wanted to make up for her past mistakes—to bake him a cake one more time.

After a whole year of practice, she believed she could finally do it right.

With that hope in her heart, she had slipped out in secret.

But she never expected—

That she would run straight into a poacher while buying ingredients.

Her attacker had ambushed her with underhanded tactics, landing a hit and leaving her injured.

"Elias…"

Latias murmured his name softly.

The exhaustion weighed on her. It was getting harder and harder to maintain her speed.

But she couldn't stop now. Stopping now meant death.

Her brother had told her just two days ago that he needed to leave for a while and warned her to be careful.

And Elias… he had probably just finished school by now. Even if he sensed something was wrong, there was no way he could reach her immediately.

Her only hope—the two people she depended on most—weren't here.

As Latias processed that terrible realization, her body wavered for just a fraction of a second.

And in that instant—

SHING!

A sharp sound cut through the air.

A [Psycho Cut] streaked toward her from behind.

She wasn't fast enough.

It struck her left wing, tearing through it with a searing, blinding pain.

Her body lurched, losing balance, and she crashed to the ground in a tumbling spiral.

"Ugh…!"

A small, pained whimper escaped her lips, unbidden.

A few glistening tears welled at the corners of her eyes.

But even worse than the pain—

Was the despair.

As she struggled to get up, the poacher and Alakazam had already closed in around her.

There was no escape.

---

...

If you're reading this, then you've wandered all the way to the end. I'm impressed. Stories are like wine—meant to be savored, not rushed. So if you took your time? Thank you.

Of course, the real thanks goes to WiseTL—the one who turned tangled words into something beautiful. I just got asked to wrap things up with a ribbon. Hopefully this counts!

If you enjoyed the journey and want to support the person who made it possible, you can find them here:

👉 [patreon.com/WiseTL]

Go on. Be generous. They've earned it.

Until next time—read well, rest often, and maybe come visit me at the Hostess of Fertility sometime.

– Syr ✨