"Latiaaa~"
Amidst the raging flames, Latias clutched the medicine in one hand while using the other to wipe the dust off her face—only to end up smearing dirt all over, making her look like a little soot-covered kitten.
But she had no time to care about that now.
After receiving the medicine from J, her supposed ally had even helpfully pointed her in Elias's direction.
She had thought that, with such clear guidance, finding him would be a simple task.
Only after setting out did she realize how wrong she was.
The fire had completely transformed the landscape. Fallen trees lay scattered everywhere, forming obstacles that blocked her path.
Even with the aid of her psychic powers, her progress was painfully slow.
"Please, let this be the right way this time."
Having found yet another possible route, Latias silently prayed.
But just as she finished her prayer and was about to move forward—
A sudden burst of familiar psychic energy flickered past.
It lasted only for a split second, vanishing almost instantly.
But that was more than enough for Latias to recognize who it belonged to.
"Elias!"
Her golden eyes lit up, and without a second thought, she darted after the energy trail.
As she pursued him, she sent out waves of psychic power, trying to make Elias aware of her presence.
But something was wrong.
Even though her energy had clearly reached Elias, he continued rushing toward the island's perimeter—without even the slightest reaction.
As if… he couldn't see her at all.
"Elias!"
Latias puffed up her cheeks in frustration, this time embedding a hint of worry into her psychic call.
If Elias were okay, he would never just ignore her like this.
For him to completely disregard her like this—he must have been injured or was dealing with some kind of external force that prevented him from responding.
That thought made her press forward even harder, pushing herself to fly even faster.
Thanks to her natural speed advantage, she quickly closed the distance between herself and "Elias."
At the same time, she noticed something odd—his speed had noticeably decreased.
"Is that sea serpent running out of energy?"
Suspecting this might be the case, Latias adjusted her altitude, ascending slightly higher.
Then—
She dove.
Using her psychic power to fine-tune her movements, she lined up her trajectory—
And then—
Boom!
A muffled crash echoed through the air as Latias rammed straight into Milotic, intercepting her.
They had now reached the outskirts of the forest, where the fire was weaker.
If she was going to treat Elias's wounds, this was the best place to do it.
"Uuu~"
Rubbing her now-bruised forehead, Latias let out a soft whimper, eyes watering slightly.
But as soon as she lifted her head, eager to throw herself into Elias's arms—
She froze.
Because while she had indeed stopped Milotic—
The most important person was missing.
Elias… wasn't there.
"Where's Elias?!"
Panic struck her like a lightning bolt.
It was only now that she noticed—Milotic's body was wrapped in a slowly dissipating psychic aura.
Elias had never been here to begin with.
Just as she was about to question Milotic—
Her vision blurred.
It was as if she were looking at the world through a rippling water surface.
Then—
Her field of view shifted.
It was as if… she was looking at things from an entirely new perspective.
It only took her a moment to realize—
This was her and her brother's shared vision ability.
Knowing her brother was still alive, she let out a tiny breath of relief.
But the unease in her heart remained.
"If Brother is okay… then he must know where Elias is."
Focusing intently, Latias widened her large, watery eyes, praying that Elias was with her brother—that both of them were safe.
Seconds ticked by.
The vision finally stabilized.
And then—
Latias went rigid.
It felt as if something deep inside her suddenly shattered.
Her breath hitched, coming in short, uneven gasps.
Because in the shared vision, there were no images of Elias.
There was only one short sentence, scrawled into the dirt—
[Elias is in the northwest part of the forest. Get to him. Don't let him do anything reckless!]
Latias knew her brother well.
For him to send such an urgent message—
That meant Elias was in imminent danger.
At that moment, she felt as though an invisible hand had clamped around her heart, squeezing it tight.
Without hesitation, she launched herself into the air—
Shooting toward the northwest like an arrow let loose from a bowstring.
As she flew, her mind was in turmoil.
The unknown was always the most terrifying thing.
Her brother hadn't specified what Elias was about to do, which left her imagination to run wild.
"Elias, you idiot! If you dare do anything dangerous, I swear I won't forgive you!"
---
Meanwhile—
Having finally relayed his message, Latios struggled to rise again.
The more he tried, the more hopeless it felt.
But just as he was about to give up—
A surge of energy suddenly flooded his body.
In an instant, he felt light.
He could fly again!
But instead of joy—
A terrible realization struck him.
All of his power right now came from Elias.
If his strength had returned…
That only meant that Elias had become even weaker.
Gritting his teeth, Latios immediately took off, heading in Elias's direction.
He knew that, in his current state, he wouldn't be able to help much.
So instead—
He once again activated shared vision, mapping out the route for Latias to follow.
---
[Your actions have thrown both Latios and Latias into panic.]
[Perhaps you're the first person to ever make Latios so desperate to urge his sister forward.]
[But at the same time—your battle with J has reached its climax.]
[You have to admit—there's a reason she rose to the top of the poaching world in just a few years.]
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of clashing blades rang through the open space.
J had regained her composure.
She had realized that, in Elias's weakened state, he couldn't kill her.
Even though she had been forced into the dirt—her body in complete disarray, a blade hovering just inches from her throat—
She knew he didn't have the strength to finish her off.
"Elias, you can't kill me."
She gritted her teeth, pushing back against his psychic blade, keeping it from slicing into her neck.
At the same time—
Her Ariados was already on its way.
As soon as her Pokémon arrived—
Elias, in his exhausted state, would be hers.
A slow, confident smirk curled at her lips.
"Elias… if you don't want to be brainwashed by Alakazam over and over again…"
"Then be a good boy and accept my offer."
"This fight was over before it even began."
She couldn't see any way for him to turn the tables.
Latios? Already eliminated by his own hands.
Latias? Completely turned against him.
Milotic and Salamence? Too far away to help.
This battle was already hers.
---
T/N: damn... be brainwashed by Alakazam over and over...
...
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