After chatting a bit more with Professor Oak, Elias ended the call.
Seeing this, Cynthia approached him curiously.
"You?" she asked incredulously. "A rookie trainer?"
After Elias's brief explanation, Cynthia eyed him skeptically from head to toe.
Rather than Elias, she'd sooner believe Professor Oak himself was the rookie trainer.
"Well, in terms of timing, I really am a rookie," Elias replied with a faint smile. "But a rookie doesn't necessarily mean a beginner."
Hearing this, Cynthia fell into thoughtful silence.
Indeed, Elias was right.
But that trainer named Gary… he was definitely in trouble.
Setting aside their Pokémon, just their skill in battle tactics alone wasn't even in the same league.
...
Over the following days, Elias, his Pokémon, and Cynthia found plenty of interesting entertainment near League headquarters.
Without interruptions, they spent several carefree days exploring and having fun.
Before they knew it, it was already the day before the Indigo Conference.
"Let's go; we can take the helicopter directly there," Lance said, pointing toward the rooftop of the building.
While Elias had spent the past few days relaxing, Lance had endured consecutive days of overtime, finally clearing the paperwork piled up during his absence. When he finished, he felt nearly delirious.
Once they reached the roof, the helicopter Lance arranged came into view. However, from the outside, it looked almost identical to Team Rocket's, differing only in logo.
"Lance, don't tell me you bought this from Team Rocket?" Elias asked curiously upon entering, noticing the strikingly familiar interior.
Lance's mouth twitched slightly.
Considering Team Rocket's broad business ventures, Elias's assumption wasn't impossible.
The flight this time was even shorter than before, given they were both within the Kanto region. By afternoon, they had arrived over the Indigo Conference venue.
"Lance, I heard you finally found someone for your exhibition match?"
Just after stepping off the helicopter, a clear, cool female voice drifted over.
Turning toward the voice, Elias saw a tall, red-haired woman wearing glasses.
Lorelei.
Instantly, Elias recognized her.
"Lorelei?" Lance asked, surprised. "I didn't expect you'd actually come."
Lorelei was Kanto's Ice-type Elite Four member and usually stationed near the Sevii Islands, a hotspot for Team Rocket activity, keeping her perpetually busy.
After Lance had messaged about finding an opponent, he hadn't expected her to come all the way here.
"I'm quite curious to see exactly what kind of trainer you found outside us Elite Four," Lorelei said calmly, adjusting her glasses. As she spoke, her gaze drifted toward Elias.
Before she could get a good look, however, Gardevoir and Zoroark stepped protectively between them.
A brief flicker of surprise passed through Lorelei's eyes.
A shiny Gardevoir was rare enough, but that fox-like Pokémon beside it… she had never even seen it before.
Moreover, this trainer appeared younger than both herself and Lance. Just where had Lance found someone like this?
Guessing Lorelei's confusion, Lance's lips curled slightly as he introduced, "This is Elias. We used to work together in the Pokémon G-Men division."
Elias smoothly nodded, greeting politely, "Hello, Lorelei-san."
Hearing Lance's introduction, Lorelei nodded thoughtfully. If she remembered correctly, Lance's former partner had reportedly died in an accident… hadn't he?
Pushing aside her doubts for now, Lorelei smiled gently, waving at Elias.
"Hello. I'm Lorelei of the Elite Four. I'm looking forward to seeing your match tomorrow."
Lorelei's appearance seemed to be merely an unexpected interlude.
Afterwards, Elias took his Pokémon to their accommodations provided by the League. As evening approached, Elias and Cynthia agreed to meet for dinner.
As for Lance, he had other matters to handle, and so couldn't join them.
"Is that… Mew?"
Upon meeting up, Cynthia stared curiously at the Eevee held in Elias's arms.
"Yes," Elias gently stroked the Eevee's soft fur. To avoid attracting attention, he'd instructed Mew to transform into Eevee, and Latias into her human form.
Mewtwo was the only one unable to disguise herself and had to remain at the hotel.
Even so, Elias's shiny Gardevoir and Hisuian Zoroark, Pokémon not native to this era, still drew considerable attention. Cynthia, as Sinnoh's Champion, also quickly caught the attention of passersby.
"Elias, look over there," Cynthia suddenly whispered, tapping his shoulder. "Isn't that Professor Oak?"
Elias glanced over. It really was Professor Oak, along with Gary, Ash—whom Elias hadn't seen in a long time—and Ash's mother, Delia.
"Garde? (Should we greet them?)" Gardevoir asked gently from beside him.
"Yes, let's say hello," Elias responded warmly, patting Gardevoir's head.
As Elias approached, the group seemed to notice him. Gary, in particular, lit up excitedly when seeing Elias.
"Elias!" Gary immediately shouted, pushing forward eagerly. "Battle me right now!"
Ever since his crushing defeat at the hands of Elias's Gengar, Gary had been haunted by the loss. Naturally, he couldn't wait for a rematch to reclaim his dignity.
"Easy there," Elias sighed, pushing back the hand clutching Gary's Pokéball. "No need to rush."
If they battled immediately, Gary's mental state might shatter completely. Affecting his performance in the upcoming tournament would be problematic.
Although Elias was admittedly tempted, he suppressed the urge for now.
"It's been a long time, everyone," Elias greeted politely once close enough.
"Oh, Elias!"
"You're here for the tournament too?"
Having lived in Pallet Town for several years, both Ash and Delia easily recognized Elias.
While greeting, Elias discreetly used psychic energy to examine the Pikachu on Ash's shoulder.
After a brief inspection, he determined this Pikachu wasn't much different from any ordinary yellow electric mouse. Its talent was above average, certainly, but still within normal Pokémon limits—not even close to the strength needed to clash with Legendary Pokémon.
This was reasonable; after all, this was reality.
Under normal circumstances, such absurd things simply wouldn't occur.
"Elias, your Gardevoir…" Professor Oak, having finished greeting, immediately noticed the Pokémon by Elias's side.
Upon seeing the Gardevoir with its striking blue coloration, even he couldn't help but stare in astonishment.
---
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