When Elias heard the system's response, his whole body went slightly numb.
A Pokémon from the Reverse World… Who else could that be, besides that shadow dragon who'd rather not be named?
Among Sinnoh's three legendaries, the one he least wanted to meet was Giratina.
Not only was it short-tempered and unpredictable, but its endurance was ridiculous.
Even Gardevoir might not be able to land a meaningful hit on it.
Letting out a quiet sigh, Elias could only hope it would show up later—or better yet, not at all.
"…So, what's the compensation gift you mentioned?"
Elias didn't seem overly bothered by the situation.
After all, the system being unreliable wasn't exactly news. The fact that it remembered to prepare a gift this time was already a minor miracle.
Still, Elias was curious. What kind of gift could a system even give?
The system gave a smug little chuckle and flicked her fingers, summoning a floating digital screen in front of him.
[First gift: buff upgrade. I've boosted your existing permanent buff by one level. In the simulation world, Pokémon will now find you even more appealing!]
Elias blinked in surprise.
The system actually did something useful?
That was a pretty decent reward.
In the simulated world, affinity with Pokémon mattered a lot—if not for that, Latias wouldn't have picked up baby-him back then.
But…
"What about the real world?"
He was worried that increasing affinity in simulations might lead to a drop in his real-world charm.
That would pretty much doom him to a life without Pokémon companionship.
[No worries. The upgrade only affects the simulation—it won't impact your real-world stats.]
Thankfully, the system hadn't tried to screw him over—this time.
Seeing that Elias nodded in approval, the system slowly produced the second gift.
[Now, this one's something special—I went out of my way to apply for it.]
[It's connected to your next simulation, but... it's a surprise. Just wait a couple of days, you'll see~]
As she spoke, the system wore a "you'll understand when it happens" expression.
Elias eyed her warily.
In his experience, the system's "surprises" usually turned out to be shocks.
Sensing his skepticism, the system puffed up her cheeks.
[This time it's really a surprise! I even stayed up late writing the application!]
She sounded aggrieved—like she'd poured her heart and soul into it.
Honestly, if it weren't for Elias pulling off two exceptional simulations in a row, the request probably wouldn't have gone through at all.
With that kind of effort behind it, how bad could it be, right?
"…Fine."
Seeing how confident she looked, Elias reluctantly nodded.
But just as he was finishing his mental chat with the system, he suddenly felt his wrist yanked forward.
Stumbling a few steps, Elias looked up and found Gardevoir standing protectively in front of him, her expression grim.
Latias and Mew were also braced for battle, energy rising around them.
"Gardevoir? What's wrong?"
Elias asked, puzzled.
He focused and reached out with his own psychic senses.
Though his telepathy wasn't very strong yet, he could sense something strange out over the ocean.
Unlike the usually restless, choppy sea, the entire surface was now smooth as glass—eerily still.
As if to confirm his suspicion, Gardevoir's voice rang out, full of tension:
"Garde…(There's a powerful Pokémon hiding nearby.)"
"Garde Garde!(Elias, stay behind me!)"
She even added a firm reminder at the end.
At the same time, her grip on Elias's hand tightened—as if to keep him tethered to her, no matter what.
Meanwhile, far away in the lab, Mewtwo also sensed something was off.
Her earlier excitement faded instantly.
"Elias, what's happening out there?"
"…Should I come out and help you?"
There was a note of unease in her voice.
Strictly speaking, Mewtwo had never actually been in a real Pokémon battle before. Now, sensing a powerful, hostile presence near Elias, she couldn't help but panic a little.
"It's fine. Stay in the tank and rest."
Elias replied gently.
But even as he said it, he was fully alert.
For something to trigger Gardevoir's defenses, and to rise from that mirror-like ocean surface…
Given those two conditions, unless Kyogre had come swimming over from Hoenn, there was only one other possibility.
Giratina—the Renegade Dragon.
"Gardevoir. [Teleport]—now."
Standing close behind her, Elias gave the command softly.
He had no intention of engaging Giratina.
Unlike the games, reality didn't come with conveniently unbreakable Poké Balls.
Battling something like that—whether you won or lost—was a bad deal either way. A guaranteed net loss.
Gardevoir clearly understood this as well.
She nodded slightly, then quietly focused her psychic energy to warp them out of danger.
However—
Before she could cast [Teleport], a dark shadow suddenly rippled across the surface of the sea.
"Mew!"
"Latias!"
Both Pokémon flared with alarm at the same instant.
Before the shadow could spread further, Latias inhaled sharply and unleashed a [Dragon Pulse].
Mew followed immediately with a massive [Blizzard], the force of which shook the air.
Though they usually bickered constantly, their teamwork now was flawless.
To them, the goal was simple: buy enough time for Gardevoir to get Elias out.
But just as their combined attacks were about to strike the water's surface, a massive figure burst from the sea.
The twin attacks collided against its body with explosive force—
—but the creature didn't even slow down.
Its trajectory never wavered.
From the moment it broke the surface, its target had been clear—it was coming straight for Elias.
As it charged, a dark, shield-like aura surged around it, boosting its speed even further.
Even at a distance, Elias could already feel the oppressive wind pressure closing in.
"Gardevoir—[Psychic]!"
Realizing they couldn't escape, Elias gave a new command instantly.
Based on what he knew of Giratina, that approach—vanishing into the air—could only mean one thing:
[Shadow Sneak].
As if to confirm his suspicion—
—the instant the words left his mouth, Giratina's massive form vanished into thin air.
Half a second later, a violent, feral energy exploded behind him.
"Gengar, [Protect]!"
But Elias was ready.
He released his chubby purple ghost from its Poké Ball and calmly issued the order.
At the same time, Gardevoir's [Psychic] had already locked onto Giratina's location.
And just like that—
Two immense forces clashed at the heart of the battlefield.
Wave after wave of energy rippled out in steady, deafening bursts.
---
T/N: uh oh time to simulate to get out