J didn't exactly hate the Pokémon League, but she certainly didn't hold any fondness for it either.
If she had, she wouldn't have chosen to become a Pokémon hunter.
At the end of the day, she simply didn't believe the League could offer her what she truly wanted.
But just this once, she felt a hint of gratitude—because the League was incompetent enough.
Not long ago, she received an email.
It was about Elias.
The sender? Team Rocket, whom she had commissioned for the information.
That's right. Ever since Elias had piqued her interest, J had gone out of her way to offer a high bounty for details on him through Team Rocket's Kanto branch.
She despised Team Rocket's arrogance—the way they looked down on her, acting all high and mighty.
But she had to admit, compared to her own relatively new organization, Team Rocket had spent over a decade refining their intelligence network within the League.
It took them just one night to compile a complete report on Elias's background and send it over.
And within it, J found something she hadn't known before—
Elias was a newly recruited member of the International Police.
Not only that, his assigned mission was to infiltrate a poaching syndicate as an undercover agent.
For a brief moment, J marveled at her own luck.
If she hadn't randomly struck up a conversation with Elias on the street, she would have never thought to investigate someone seemingly unrelated to her.
And she certainly wouldn't have discovered that this promising future star of the poaching industry… was actually a League spy.
Beneath the shade of the parasol, J lazily forked a piece of cake while holding her phone in her other hand, reclining in her chair across from Elias.
A radiant smile lit up her elegant features as she chuckled softly.
"What's so funny?"
Elias glanced at her curiously. Aside from their first meeting, this was the first time he'd seen her smile so brightly.
"Oh, it's nothing."
J suppressed her amusement and waved him off dismissively.
With that, she casually locked her phone and placed it face-down on the table.
As she recalled the contents of the email, an unmistakable ease settled across her expression.
Her plans had changed.
Her original goal of simply recruiting Elias had been discarded.
After careful consideration, J had set her sights on a new objective—
She wanted Elias.
And she wanted Latias, too.
Not only would she make Latias willingly hand Elias over to her—
She would have Elias, in turn, bring Latias to her side.
It sounded difficult, sure. But that kind of challenge only made J all the more excited.
Besides, she already had the beginnings of a plan.
"J, which region are you originally from?"
As J was lost in thoughts of the future, Elias suddenly spoke up.
His gaze sharpened ever so slightly as he discreetly activated his psychic abilities, intent on catching even the subtlest shift in her expression.
Even after multiple conversations, Elias still didn't fully trust J's identity.
He had even used his clearance to search the International Police's internal database for information on her.
Unfortunately, what he found was too perfect—so perfect that it felt deliberately fabricated.
Having long lost faith in the League's investigative skills, Elias didn't take those records at face value.
Now, he could only hope to uncover inconsistencies through conversation.
If she was Hunter J, then he needed to eliminate her sooner rather than later.
But J had anticipated his suspicions from the start.
That was why she had spent an entire night memorizing the fake background she had fed to the League.
At his question, she smiled faintly.
"I grew up in a remote part of the Kanto region. That's why I'm so familiar with Berries."
Then, her lips curved playfully.
"Why so curious, Elias? Do you have some ulterior motive?"
As she spoke, she reached out—seemingly wanting to pinch his cheek.
But before she could make contact, Elias frowned and swiftly dodged.
J let out a small sigh of disappointment.
She had been expecting him to react like the Eevees she had captured before—frustrated, but not daring to resist.
Oh well…
If prey behaved before the hunt even began, that would only make things boring.
---
[After multiple attempts to probe J, you start to wonder if you're being overly cautious.]
[Her responses don't reveal any flaws.]
[They match the details in her official records perfectly—yet she adds minor variations, making them feel even more authentic.]
[You can't make up your mind.]
[But regardless of whether J is truly that infamous Pokémon hunter, her knowledge as a breeder has been invaluable to you.]
[Thanks to her expertise, Latios is no longer in constant pain. His lifespan hasn't been extended, but at the very least, he's finally comfortable.]
"Elias, thank you."
Latios hovered beside Elias, his voice filled with genuine gratitude.
His time left in this world hadn't changed.
But compared to dying in agony, being able to live out his final days in peace was already a blessing.
And Elias had made that possible.
"The two-month deadline is almost up."
"I'll make sure you keep living."
Elias barely registered Latios' thanks.
Because from the very beginning, his goal had never been to merely ease Latios' suffering.
If that was all he could accomplish, then his efforts would be far too cheap.
Hearing the conviction in his voice, Latios paused, then let out a helpless chuckle.
He knew better than anyone the state of his own body.
Unless Elias somehow convinced Xerneas or Celebi to intervene, there was no way he could be saved.
Anything short of that…
Latios didn't have much hope.
Still, he didn't voice his doubts. He simply took Elias's words as a kind-hearted attempt to comfort him.
---
[Seeing Latios' expression, you know he doesn't believe you.]
[But you don't bother explaining.]
[After all, the ability to turn the dead into souls sounds like something straight out of a novel.]
[You once tried hinting at it to Steven by saying, "I have a friend…"]
[His response? "Do you believe in his powers, or do you believe I'm Arceus?"]
[From that moment on, you never mentioned it again.]
One week remained before the two-month deadline.
That night, Latias pulled Elias onto the rooftop.
She had something unexpected to show him.
The pale moonlight pierced through the darkness, casting silver fragments of light across the tiles.
Latias' cheeks were suspiciously flushed as she fidgeted uncomfortably.
She didn't know how to bring this up.
"Tias?" Elias called to her, testing the waters.
The night air was cool, yet Latias' normally fair skin was burning red like an apple—
So much so that he started to wonder if she was running a fever.
As soon as he spoke, Latias stayed silent, stubbornly turning her head away.
"Mom—"
Just as Elias leaned in, about to ask again—
A warm, soft hand covered his lips.
"…Don't call me that anymore."
---
T/N: WOAH WOAH WOAHOHWO HAOHDFOAHJF
...
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]
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