"Keep running! Why'd you stop?"
The short, stocky poacher leapt down from Salamence's back, his voice dripping with villainous arrogance.
Latias was no weakling. Even with the advantage of a sneak attack, he had nearly lost her.
And according to all available data, Latias was rarely seen without her brother, Latios.
He wasn't Hunter J—he had no delusions about handling two legendary Pokémon at once.
That was why he had been on edge the entire chase, constantly on the lookout, fearing that Latios would suddenly swoop in and blast him out of the sky.
But, as luck would have it, something seemed wrong with this Latias.
Her brother wasn't anywhere nearby.
That alone had drastically lowered the difficulty of capturing her, so much so that he almost felt like this was some kind of gift from nature itself.
With that thought in mind, he waved his hand and ordered,
"Alakazam, grab her. We're leaving."
Years under Hunter J had drilled one rule into him—never run your mouth, and never celebrate too soon.
Until this Latias was exchanged for a mountain of cash, he wasn't about to let his guard down.
"Yong~"
At the command, Alakazam gently waved its spoons, releasing a surge of psychic energy toward Latias.
Watching the psychic force closing in on her, Latias weakly shifted her body, trying to move.
But pain shot through her.
A wave of despair washed over her.
In her current state, even if the poacher stood still and let her flee, she wouldn't be able to get far.
If this were an ordinary poacher, she might still have a chance to escape using her invisibility.
But given the high-end gear this one had, she had no doubt he was carrying thermal imaging equipment—a basic necessity for hunters like him.
"Latia…"
A faint, hopeless whimper escaped her lips.
As the psychic energy reached for her, countless thoughts flashed through her mind.
But in the end, only one remained—Elias.
She hadn't made his birthday cake yet…
She hadn't watched him grow up…
She hadn't even figured out why her heart pounded so strangely around him.
She didn't want to leave Elias.
Memories of their time together flickered through her mind, but the crushing force of [Psychic] never came.
She hesitantly opened her eyes a sliver—
And in that instant, she froze.
The figure standing in front of her was not a stranger.
No—he was someone so familiar that they had spent every day and night together.
The person she shared a bed with.
Elias.
He was breathing hard, as if he had just exhausted himself getting here.
Yet, Alakazam's overwhelming psychic power had been completely blocked, not even a wisp reaching Latias.
Latias opened her mouth, but no sound came out.
She just stared at him, wide-eyed, as if trying to burn this moment into her memory forever.
A warm sensation surged through her heart, and in that instant—
She finally understood why her heart had raced before.
---
On the other side, Elias caught his breath and locked eyes with the poacher.
His usually calm gaze was now bloodshot, brewing with a terrifying killing intent.
He didn't even dare to turn around to look at Latias—afraid that his current state might scare her.
As for Alakazam, who had just attempted to attack Latias—
The moment Elias appeared, it collapsed under an even greater psychic force.
Elias had never doubted the strength of his psychic abilities.
Sometimes, he even wondered—was he truly human? Or just another Pokémon in disguise?
"Who the hell are you?"
The sudden reversal made the poacher's face darken.
The boy looked young, but taking down Alakazam in a mere instant? That was enough to make him wary.
Sure, his real ace was Salamence, but still—
Elias had no interest in answering the question of a dead man.
Calming his breath, he pulled out a Poké Ball and released—
Milotic.
The elegant, serpentine Pokémon emerged into the clearing.
At first, she instinctively tried to coil around Elias in affection—
But as soon as she took in the situation, she froze.
"Miu~"
Sensing an impending battle, her shimmering scales bristled.
Straightening her long body, she looked down upon Salamence with regal disdain—
As if one command from Elias would unleash her full power.
"Milotic, [Surf]."
At Elias's order, Milotic let out a soft cry.
Beneath her, a towering wave—over ten meters high—rose up.
With the force of a crashing tsunami, the tidal wave surged toward Salamence.
The poacher's expression shifted, and he quickly shouted,
"Salamence, take to the air and use [Dragon Breath]!"
Despite its massive size, Salamence had the advantage of flight.
With a flap of its broad wings, it swiftly soared upward.
But—
At that very moment, Milotic leapt.
With a graceful yet explosive motion, she shot up, reaching the same height as Salamence.
Before it could react—
A massive surge of water enveloped her tail.
And then—
CRACK!
She slammed it down onto Salamence's head.
[Aqua Tail]
THUD!
A deep, sickening impact echoed through the forest.
The mighty dragon, which had just taken flight, was sent hurtling toward the ground even faster than it had ascended.
BOOM!
Its massive body crashed into the earth, sending tremors through the ground and kicking up a thick cloud of dust.
Before Salamence could even recover—
The tidal wave came crashing down.
WHAM!
Salamence was slammed against the ground again by the sheer force of the water.
"ROOOAAARR—!!"
A pained, agonized roar tore from Salamence's throat.
As a Dragon/Flying type, it shouldn't have been weak to Water-type moves.
But Milotic wasn't simply using raw power.
She was leveraging Salamence's own weight and massive body, using it against him—
Turning his greatest strength into his biggest weakness.
The poacher's face twisted with realization.
This kid wasn't just a powerful psychic.
His Pokémon were just as formidable—and cunning.
And unlike Hunter J, he wasn't nearly as strong.
Even capturing Latias had only been possible because of a lucky ambush.
Right now, fighting was no longer an option.
He had to negotiate.
This boy's goal was clearly Latias.
Maybe, just maybe, he could strike a deal.
---
T/N: nah its game over for you buddy, you attacked his mom
...
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 ✨