Pokémon: Breeding Simulator [153]

"Liar."

Elias glared at Lucario, expressionless, voice flat with accusation.

He looked so trustworthy... and he pulls this?

Lucario gave a dry cough, face tinged with a faint blush.

He hadn't meant to deceive him—really. But he'd been worried Elias wouldn't agree to come otherwise.

And if he didn't come... well, Lucario was screwed.

Ever since Regigigas had roped him into manual labor, he rarely got a chance to leave the ruins. If Elias didn't show up, who knew how much longer he'd be stuck?

Still, he leaned in and muttered under his breath:

"Don't worry. Regigigas just wants to make a deal with you."

"If you're not interested, you can refuse. Nothing bad will happen."

This time, Lucario wasn't lying.

As a Pokémon who could wield the power of aura, he had his own principles. If he hadn't been absolutely sure Regigigas meant no harm, he wouldn't have brought Elias here—not even if it meant being trapped in this ruin forever.

Seeing that Lucario seemed genuinely sincere for once, Elias sighed and waved him off.

"Yeah, I got it."

He patted the Zoroark clinging protectively to his side, reassuring her, then turned toward the massive Pokémon seated in the distance.

"Hey, big guy—you wanted to see me?"

He called out.

"Re...gi..."

The earth-shaking voice thundered through the cavern once again.

Elias winced, pressing a hand to his forehead. The only thing that message left him with was ringing ears—he couldn't make out a word.

Yeah... not every Pokémon is like Zoroark or Lucario. Not all of them have a way to talk to humans.

Fortunately...

He had his own solution.

Closing his eyes, Elias steadied his thoughts and reached inward, drawing on a different kind of power.

A soft green glow spread across his skin, coalescing into a faint, ribbon-like thread that drifted gently toward Regigigas.

The ancient titan didn't resist.

In fact, upon seeing Elias's action, the red lights glowing in its body pulsed with what looked like excitement.

Off to the side, Lucario froze.

He'd been just about to offer to translate, but now he could only stare, stunned.

That green glow—it felt comforting. Familiar. The kind of warmth that would disarm him completely, even in the wild.

Which was unthinkable.

What kind of person has that kind of power... and is still alive?

How hasn't some wild Pokémon eaten him by now?

Lucario glanced at Zoroark, eyes complicated.

Suddenly... I get it.

Maybe that fox isn't so unhinged after all.

On the other end of the ribbon of light, the moment it touched Regigigas, a deep voice echoed directly in Elias's mind.

"You don't belong to this land."

Elias paused. Then blinked. That voice—it was Regigigas?

But the words...

He frowned.

I don't belong here?

But Cogita found me on this very tundra, didn't she?

Still, he didn't argue right away. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and asked calmly:

"I've lived in Hisui since I was a child. What makes you so sure I'm not from here?"

There was something deeply enigmatic about this Pokémon.

Elias didn't doubt it had a reason for saying what it did.

But after his question, a long silence followed.

He furrowed his brow.

"You still there?"

He checked the green ribbon's connection—still intact.

Eventually, that ponderous voice returned.

"[Slow Start]. Wait a moment."

"…Damn alpaca."

Though the voice was grainy and rough, Elias could still make it out clearly.

He had no idea what '[Slow Start]' was supposed to mean, but it definitely fit with the Pokémon's giant, sluggish frame.

As for that bit about a "alpaca"... he had no clue.

After a long pause, Regigigas finally spoke again.

"Your power doesn't come from this land."

"It is a power that could only be born in a place far, far from this continent."

So said the ancient titan.

Though it had spent countless years sealed away in this place, its memories remained intact.

And if it remembered correctly, the power Elias carried—this "[Power of Viridian]"—only ever emerged from the Viridian Forest.

Which meant...

From Kanto.

Of course, that wasn't especially important to Regigigas. It only brought it up to build trust—to increase the chance that Elias would cooperate.

Taking a deep breath, the ancient Pokémon shared everything it knew.

In turn, Elias asked questions, and Regigigas answered patiently.

As a Pokémon that had lived through untold eras, its knowledge ran unimaginably deep.

By the end of their exchange, Elias had gained more than just clarity about the mysterious energy within him.

He even found answers to several questions that Cogita herself had long struggled with.

But at the same time, he grew increasingly curious about the colossal being in front of him.

As Regigigas stirred, moving a little more easily now, Elias asked:

"You're telling me all this... so what do you want from me?"

There was no way this mountain-shattering Pokémon was just here to hand out lectures.

As expected, when his question dropped, Regigigas fell silent again.

From its many glowing holes, ripples of multicolored light flickered outward.

It was... thinking.

Elias didn't press it. He simply reached out to soothe the tense Zoroark beside him, waiting calmly.

In fact, after their conversation, he wasn't nervous at all.

Because if Regigigas had wanted to harm him, even Zoroark and Lucario together wouldn't have been enough to stop it.

It wouldn't have bothered answering his questions.

At length, perhaps sensing Elias's patience, Regigigas seemed to come to a decision.

"Do you have a wish?"

"What?"

Elias blinked.

"If you have a wish, I can help make it real."

"In return, I need your help with something."

"Don't worry—there's almost nothing in this world I can't do. Your human desires... are child's play to me."

"Power, wealth, status—whatever you want, it's yours."

As it spoke, the titan's mechanical-sounding voice gained a subtle trace of pride.

It truly believed that no one could resist the allure of having their deepest wish fulfilled.

After all, that was the weakness of all living beings.

Only creatures like itself, with a body of stone and no heart to tempt, could overcome such desires.

That was something a certain llama would never understand.

Clearly, Regigigas was confident in its offer.