“Latios… sir, may I ask you a question?”
The ride on the high-speed rail was dragging on, so Lance decided to strike up a conversation with the Dragon-type Pokémon that had been making him envious all this time.
“What is it?”
Latios shot him a wary glance.
When Elias was still around, he had once taught Latios the full arsenal of human pick-up lines.
Combined with the intense look Lance had given him just now, Latios couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy.
Lance noticed Latios’s reaction too, though he didn’t think much of it—just assumed the Pokémon was naturally cautious.
After taking a moment to gather his thoughts, Lance asked:
“Latios, you’re a Pokémon, right?”
“As a Pokémon, isn’t it nice to live freely in this world? Why would you go out of your way to fight criminal organizations?”
It was a question that had been on Lance’s mind for the whole trip.
He had never seen a Pokémon willingly take the initiative to combat crime—let alone go as far as forming an organization and working with the League.
That went completely against a Pokémon’s nature—their instinctual desire for freedom. And this was a legendary Pokémon, no less.
There had to be more to the story. Lance didn’t buy it otherwise.
Latios seemed momentarily stunned, clearly not expecting that kind of question.
Then, the caution on his face slowly faded, replaced by a look of quiet remembrance and sorrow.
“There are many reasons… but the biggest one is that a member of my family was once killed by poachers.”
Latios’s voice was low and somber, drawing the attention of both Gengar and Lance.
“Family?”
Lance recalled the details he knew about Latios, and suddenly, it clicked.
Just as he opened his mouth to offer condolences—
Latios, seemingly reading Lance’s mind, shook his head.
“Not Latias. My sister’s still alive and well.”
“The family I’m referring to… was a human raised by my sister since he was little. A human I would’ve willingly given my sister to, if he’d asked.”
“If not for him, Latias and I might not even be alive in this world right now.”
As he said this, a gentle warmth filled Latios’s expression. It was the kind of sincerity no one could doubt.
And perhaps because of that sincerity, Lance felt deeply shaken.
To form such a profound bond with a legendary Pokémon—that was even harder than cozying up to a rich, beautiful sugar mama.
Let alone being considered family by one.
Of everyone Lance knew, only one person had ever pulled that off—his friend who treated Pokémon like wives: Elias.
“If that’s the case, then I understand now.”
“I’m sorry for bringing up a painful memory.” Lance bowed slightly, his tone apologetic.
He’d felt the same way when Elias had gotten into trouble, so he could empathize with Latios’s thirst for vengeance against the criminals.
After all, Pokémon… are such emotionally driven beings.
“It’s fine.”
Latios shook his head lightly, his impression of Lance improving quite a bit.
Though his mind was now wandering elsewhere.
After all these years, he sometimes couldn’t help but wonder—wouldn’t it make more sense if Latias and Elias weren’t like a mother and son… but something else entirely?
Considering his sister’s temperament, she had none of the qualities a mother was supposed to have.
And honestly, if Elias were the one who “took her away,” he could probably accept that. Barely.
Unfortunately…
That was all just wishful thinking. Elias was never coming back.
“Shanai”
—
At the dining table, Gardevoir dabbed her mouth with a napkin and let out a satisfied hum.
Although her plan to return to Johto that same evening had been foiled by Elias’s persuasion—
Getting to enjoy Elias’s cooking firsthand wasn’t a bad consolation.
The only downside—there were far too many eyesores around.
Gardevoir cast a cold gaze around the table.
The dumb cat, the sea snake, and Sabrina.
More and more people and Pokémon were coveting Elias.
While none of them were particularly threatening, the sheer number was enough to set off internal alarms.
Should she revive her old plan?
The thought flitted through Gardevoir’s mind.
But then she shook her head.
Forget it. Elias wouldn’t like that.
Besides, these pests were just annoying, not dangerous. They didn’t pose a real threat to her place in Elias’s heart. No need to risk doing something that would make him hate her.
After some serious reflection, Gardevoir had come to understand that Elias was the type who responded better to gentleness than force.
That much was clear from how much he liked sleeping curled up on her belly!
So really, using charm and affection to deal with Elias had proven far more effective.
Just as she was thinking this, Sabrina suddenly spoke up.
“Elias, it looks like Lance is almost at Saffron City.”
She looked at her phone, brows slightly furrowed.
“Lance?” Elias blinked in surprise.
“What’s he doing here?”
If he remembered correctly, wasn’t Lance aiming for the championship? How did he have time to drop by Saffron?
Could it be that the Team Rocket base in Saffron had been exposed?
Elias pondered the possibility.
But Sabrina’s expression only grew more awkward at his question.
She looked up at Elias, hesitated a moment, then said:
“According to the message… he said he’s here to discuss how to rescue you.”
“Oh, and Gengar’s with him too.”
Elias: ?
Stepping off the high-speed rail, Lance took a deep breath of fresh air, his face lighting up with contentment.
“Let’s go. Sabrina said she’s already here to pick us—ugh!”
He cut himself off mid-sentence.
—
“Sha-ha!”
Gengar raised a hand in excited agreement.
Even now, he remained absolutely convinced that the photo Elias had sent was taken under duress, surely coerced by the oppressive power of Lady Gardevoir.
No doubt about it—Elias was waiting for him to come save him!
Gengar pounded a confident fist into his palm.
Compared to the excited Gengar, Latios was much quieter.
But a dangerous smile had already tugged at his lips.
Just a moment ago, he’d heard the call of the Infinity Flute again.
The sound was bitter and despairing, like nails scraping across a chalkboard—so harsh that Latios nearly lost control on the spot.
Which only confirmed his suspicions.
There was no way this was the real Infinity Flute—it had to be a fake.
The real one would never sound that terrible.
But more importantly—this time, the sound was close. Very close.
It had to be somewhere near the train station.
“So I’ve finally caught you, huh?”
Latios sneered coldly.
—
This is a fan translation of 养老婆见多了，第一次见养boss的 by 是阴哦. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!
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