Seeing that Delphox had no intention of backing down, Elias gritted his teeth—but there was nothing he could do about her.
After all these years, he'd raised her to Champion-level strength. In a straight fight, he couldn't beat her.
Besides…
With Delphox wearing such a pitiful expression, he genuinely couldn't bring himself to get rough with her.
Noticing Elias's power gradually weakening, Delphox secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
If Elias had truly hardened his heart, insisting she return home, she couldn't really attack him.
She probably would've ended up back home anyway.
And Elias was clearly heading into danger.
What kind of Trainer ran straight into trouble alone, refusing to bring along their Pokémon?
Thinking this, Delphox felt slightly annoyed.
She'd put in so much effort for so long, training diligently every day without fail.
She wasn't like Diantha's Gardevoir, striving for Pokémon League glory.
She simply wanted to protect her Trainer—and repay him for saving her life.
Yet, had she not been smart enough to figure things out, she might not even have known her Trainer was walking into danger.
"Hmph…"
Delphox snorted softly, puffing her cheeks in dissatisfaction.
She even wished Elias didn't have so many abilities.
If he didn't have psychic powers or the Power of Viridian, he'd definitely bring her along no matter what he did.
Across from her—
Elias knew Delphox so well he could roughly guess what she was thinking.
It truly was something he'd overlooked…
Delphox pushed herself so hard solely to protect him.
He'd realized this clearly the second time they faced Yveltal, when she'd immediately drawn its attention.
His determination to send her back began to waver slightly.
Noticing this, Delphox quietly edged closer.
A thin mist filled her beautiful fox-like eyes, giving her an almost pleading look.
Even as a Ghost Form, Elias clearly felt, for the first time, the gentle warmth radiating from her.
"Alright, alright. You can come with me."
Seeing she wouldn't budge, Elias finally gave in with resignation.
If they delayed any longer, they truly wouldn't have enough time.
Besides—whose fault was it he'd overlooked Delphox sneaking after him?
"Wuu!"
Once Elias finally agreed, Delphox's eyes curved happily.
Her fluffy body hugged him tightly. Despite the fearsome heat hidden beneath her fur, Elias only sensed a pleasant warmth.
All Elias could do was reach out and gently stroke her fur.
No matter who you were, seeing your Pokémon care this deeply was enough to make you both happy and proud.
...
[Since you agreed to let Delphox stay, she naturally accompanies you for the rest of the journey.]
[Compared to her assertiveness earlier, the fox has softened considerably now.]
[Yet, her watery eyes still frequently glance your way, as if afraid you might disappear again.]
[Because of Delphox's intervention, your arrival ends up later than planned.]
[By the time you reach Team Flare's base in Shalour City, it's already nearing evening.]
...
Since Elias lived close to Shalour City, and Lysandre regularly met him there, the base was built on a fairly large scale.
Following Elias's suggestion, they eventually used an arcade as a cover.
Normally, the arcade operated as a legitimate business, while they'd excavated the underground area beneath as Team Flare's hidden base.
When Elias arrived, the arcade still bustled with customers.
Standing by the entrance was a round man dressed entirely in red.
"Mr. Elias! Over here, over here!"
The eyes behind his red sunglasses brightened immediately upon seeing Elias, and he waved enthusiastically.
Xerosic.
Elias recognized him.
He was a core member of Team Flare and one of their top scientists.
Apart from himself and Lysandre, Xerosic was essentially Team Flare's third-in-command.
Right now, even the sunglasses couldn't hide the excitement in this third-in-command's eyes.
As Elias approached, Xerosic felt his entire body tremble.
Mr. Elias—his boss's trusted partner—had immense prestige within Team Flare.
Not only had Elias practically designed the organization's structure and staffing himself…
For researchers like Xerosic, even Elias's occasional insights and guidance were enough to spark major breakthroughs.
Scientists like Xerosic practically wanted to place Elias on a pedestal and worship him whenever possible.
"Mr. Elias, the boss is too conspicuous. It wouldn't be appropriate for him to appear here in person."
"So, I came to meet you instead."
Xerosic quickly regained his composure and leaned in, smiling warmly.
Elias nodded slightly, though his expression was somewhat peculiar.
Lysandre's massive red mane was indeed far too conspicuous for the streets.
Not to mention his public identity as a well-known businessman—he was easy to recognize.
But…
Xerosic himself wasn't exactly subtle either.
In Elias's opinion, the two were basically the same.
"Next time, have Malva come pick me up."
He wasn't sure there would even be a next time, but still, he said it.
Now that he thought about it, Malva—who was currently pursuing an Elite Four position—was the only remotely normal member of Team Flare.
As for the others…
Elias thought they'd probably succeed as a performance group if they debuted.
As soon as they stepped inside the arcade, they were assaulted by a wave of noise.
But for Elias, all it took was psychokinesis to block his ears.
Conveniently, this also blocked out Xerosic's incessant chatter.
The two headed straight for the arcade's rear area, moving with practiced familiarity.
A hidden door awaited them there. Once through it, an elevator would take them down to the underground base.
However…
Just as they were approaching the door—
A pale arm suddenly blocked Elias's path.
"Hey, big bro, wanna challenge the Gym?"
With a bright, lively smile, Korrina smoothly skated up in front of Elias and asked.
At this distance, if she'd rolled any further, she might've crashed straight into his arms.
Because Elias's ears were currently blocked, he couldn't hear Korrina clearly.
But seeing who it was, he didn't need to guess—she was undoubtedly asking him once again whether he'd challenge the Gym.
A headache instantly started throbbing in Elias's temples.
Korrina.
Ever since he'd helped the girl once at a café a few years ago, she'd attached herself to him.
Initially, she'd only approached him occasionally, appearing as though she was waiting for something.
But later, every time they met, her first question was always whether he wanted to challenge the Gym.
That's when Elias learned that Korrina's grandfather was the current Gym Leader in Shalour City.
---
Delphox: Stealth stat upgraded!