"Brother!"
The moment Latias saw the island engulfed in flames, she could no longer remain calm. Without hesitation, she prepared to rush toward it.
But just as she was about to take off, J suddenly grabbed her.
"Let go of me!"
Latias glared at J, her expression fierce—if J didn't release her immediately, she looked ready to attack.
"Calm down first. Elias has already gone to the island," J said, trying to pacify her.
However, upon hearing this, Latias's anxiety only intensified. Her body twisted violently in an attempt to break free.
"If you don't let go, I'll make you!"
"Take me with you."
J seized the moment to state her real intention.
"Take you?" Latias tilted her head in confusion.
"That's right. I have no way of getting through the fire to reach the island's center."
"If I did, I wouldn't have needed to call you here."
J's words carried a firm conviction, as if she were declaring her own authority. It made Latias's head throb with irritation.
Although J's explanation wasn't entirely truthful, one thing was indeed correct—
—She had no way of passing through the flames. Otherwise, she would have already gone in herself.
Latias frowned.
"You'd just be a burden. Why should I take you?"
"What if Elias is injured or too exhausted to move? Do you have healing items?"
J's patience was running thin.
Aside from Salamence, this was the first time she had ever tried so hard to reason with a Pokémon.
After some thought, Latias, though still reluctant, eventually agreed.
Using her psychic powers, she lifted J into the air and sped toward the island.
When they arrived, they were met with a blazing inferno, sealing off all paths forward.
Latias assessed the situation. With her current abilities, no move she knew could effectively suppress the fire.
Realizing Elias had already rushed in ahead of her, her face paled slightly.
"Hurry up," J urged.
"Mm."
Nodding lightly, Latias, just like Elias earlier, used [Teleport] to weave through the sea of flames.
---
Elias had no time to joke with Latios, who was trying to keep the mood light.
Because Latios's body had reached a critical point—his current liveliness was nothing more than the final flicker before total collapse.
He seemed fine, even cracking jokes, but after examining him closely, Elias was sure—Latios could drop dead at any moment.
"You were supposed to send me off, weren't you?"
"How about now? This fire is the perfect way to erase all traces."
Understanding his own condition, Latios made the suggestion with a carefree smile.
He had already given up hope. If there was anything he regretted, it was that his death would likely be impossible to hide from Latias.
After all, the island had just been engulfed in flames, and then he happened to vanish without a trace.
Anyone would find that suspicious.
"This fire really came at the worst time," Latios muttered gloomily.
Elias, however, found the request frustrating.
It wasn't that he didn't want to help Latios transition into his soul form—
But in the process of navigating through the fire, he had already exhausted a great deal of his psychic energy.
To complete the transformation would require even more, and after that…
He wasn't even sure if he'd have enough strength left to escape.
"You'll have to hold on a bit longer. We'll talk about this after we get out," Elias finally decided.
He reached out and gently secured Latios, preparing to teleport them away.
"Miu~"
Milotic, who had been frowning at the oppressive heat, let out a sharp cry, signaling that she was ready.
Latios found it strange—considering his condition, where he died hardly mattered.
But in the end, he didn't argue and silently agreed to Elias's plan.
"…Alright, let's go."
---
"Cough… cough…"
"Are you okay?"
After landing in a clearing where the fire was less intense, Latias turned to J, who was covering her mouth and coughing uncontrollably.
Even though she didn't like her, her natural kindness made her ask.
"I'm fine."
J shook her head slightly, feigning weakness.
Then, she reached into her bag and began taking out various items.
"These are healing supplies. You should take them to Elias first. I overestimated myself earlier."
She held out the medicine toward Latias.
Latias blinked in surprise—she hadn't expected J to let her go ahead first.
"…What about you?" she asked hesitantly.
"I have my own Pokémon. I can get to a safe place."
J shook her head.
Hearing this, Latias's hostility toward her softened—though, when it came to Elias, she still wasn't willing to back down.
"Alright then. I'll go find Elias first."
"Take care of yourself."
Taking the medicine in her arms, Latias gave J a small nod before turning and flying toward the center of the fire once more.
For some reason, an ominous feeling gnawed at her heart.
After Latias had left, J slowly rose to her feet, her flushed complexion returning to its usual calm.
Watching Latias disappear into the flames, she let out a quiet sigh of relief.
This had been the most tedious, exhausting job she had ever taken on.
---
While Latias was making her way toward the island's core, Elias had finally managed to clear a small safe zone.
He rubbed his temples, his head throbbing from overusing his psychic powers.
Not long ago, while they were making their way through the fire, Latios had suddenly collapsed.
Considering his injuries and the amount of carbon dioxide he had inhaled, it wasn't surprising.
But it made their already difficult situation even worse.
Right now, the only Pokémon Elias had with him was Milotic—who, unfortunately, lacked any Psychic-type abilities.
That meant everything—from scouting ahead to protecting Latios—had to be done by Elias alone.
For most people, this would be a death sentence.
"Miu~"
Milotic let out a sorrowful whimper, clearly blaming herself.
For the first time, she felt jealous of Latias's psychic abilities.
"It's alright."
Elias gently stroked her sleek scales and reassured her,
"I've already mapped out the route. Just charge straight ahead when I say so."
"Watch out for burning debris falling from above."
That's right—Elias had made his decision.
He would turn Latios into a soul form here.
Even though it would leave him weakened, he believed—
Milotic would carry them the rest of the way to safety.
---
T/N: ...GRAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
...
Huh. You really stuck it out all the way to the end.
Didn't think you had the patience. Guess I was wrong.
WiseTL's the one who actually made all this come together. I'm just here putting a bow on it… or, well, shoving it in a backpack and calling it a day. Same thing.
If you had fun, you know what to do:
👉 [patreon.com/WiseTL]
Heads up—Patreon's 50% off for all tiers during May. So if you were on the fence? Now's the time.
And if you're the social type, there's a Discord too. Pretty decent spot to hang out—no battles required.
👉 [discord.gg/wisetl]
Alright. That's enough standing around. Go on—before you make it weird.
—Leaf