Pokémon: Breeding Simulator

Crack—

The delicate teacup in Cogita's grip fractured audibly, spiderweb cracks appearing along its surface.

Seeing this, Cogita finally released her trembling hand, carelessly setting the damaged cup down on the table.

"It's about time to replace the tea set," she murmured softly, as if explaining away her reaction.

Yet no matter how she justified it, the strained smile she'd maintained finally faltered.

In truth, she had long anticipated the day Elias would eventually leave her.

After all, Elias was just an ordinary human—despite his seemingly impossible abilities.

Barring accidents, his lifespan would barely reach a hundred years at most.

Compared to hers, that time was painfully short.

When she'd first thought about it, she believed she could calmly face that day when it came.

After all, in her long existence, she'd grown accustomed to goodbyes.

It might be unsettling, but she'd assumed it wouldn't be overly painful.

Yet…

Now that Elias truly had left her, why was it so unbearably painful?

Cogita gently pressed a hand over her chest, brow furrowing deeply.

Both the aching in her heart and the sting behind her eyes told her one undeniable truth—

She wasn't nearly as composed as she imagined.

She missed Elias, missed the boy who had officially been under her care but who had really been looking after her all along.

Beside her, Enamorus saw Cogita's barely concealed sorrow, and its own mood grew subdued.

Though it hadn't been particularly close to Elias, it was obvious how deeply Cogita cared for him.

After some thought, Enamorus gestured gently:

"Cogita, why not adopt another human child?"

"Just like when you first found Elias."

If Cogita could fill the emptiness in her heart, perhaps the sadness would lessen.

"No."

Unexpectedly, Cogita immediately rejected the idea without hesitation.

Her voice was cold and sharp, a tone Enamorus rarely heard from her.

"Don't bring this up again."

Cogita added firmly.

Without waiting for Enamorus to respond, she slowly rose to her feet.

"It's time for me to leave here as well—to see other places."

"A place… untouched by humans."

This decision had formed over several days of reflection.

Staying here would only continually remind her of painful memories.

Elias's loss had utterly exhausted her tolerance for farewells.

Perhaps going out alone was the best way to move forward.

Enamorus nodded slowly, partly understanding.

Although it couldn't grasp why Cogita wouldn't adopt another child, it still understood her feelings.

After all, Cogita had originally chosen this secluded home precisely to avoid interacting with humans.

Only after finding Elias had she opened herself up again…

---

[Simulation complete. Calculating rewards now.]

In his hazy consciousness, Elias heard the mechanical voice of the system.

Slowly, he processed what it meant, his mind finally starting to awaken.

After a long moment:

"Ugh…"

With great effort, Elias opened his eyes, struggling upright from the ground.

Perhaps due to Arceus's interference this time, his mind felt unusually heavy and foggy.

Even now that the simulation had ended, the world around him was blurry.

Holding his head and sitting still for several moments, Elias waited until his dizziness faded before finally opening his eyes again.

"Where is this…?"

Glancing around at the unfamiliar surroundings, he paused briefly.

Then memories resurfaced—he and Gardevoir had traveled into the Distortion World.

This location must have been a safe spot chosen by Gardevoir.

Conveniently, Gardevoir seemed absent at the moment, nowhere in sight.

"That's fine…"

Elias sighed softly, holding his head.

He felt utterly drained. If Gardevoir saw him now, she'd only worry more.

Thankfully, beneath him lay a makeshift bed of soft leaves, providing at least some comfort.

Settling himself into a comfortable position, Elias began sorting through the memories of the simulation.

He remembered vividly from the moment Cogita first found him, his initial meeting with Zoroark, and the fateful encounter with Cynthia in the icy wastes…

All the way to his reluctant, painful farewell to Zoroark.

Each memory carried overwhelming realism, as if he'd truly lived in ancient Hisui for more than a decade.

Feelings of longing and loss rose deeply within him.

[Simulation progress: Complete. Overall Rating: S+ (World's Strongest Zoroark).]

[Special Achievement Unlocked: (Meeting Cynthia)]

The transparent system panel flashed in front of Elias's eyes.

He wasn't particularly surprised by the extremely high score.

After all, Zoroark had received numerous Plates directly from Arceus itself.

Even though, in hindsight, that Arceus might have only been an avatar, the Plates alone would have made Zoroark among the strongest in the world.

Indeed, a Zoroark capable of defeating Giratina sounded absurdly powerful.

[Disaster Beast? Calamity Pokémon? None of that matters. All I know is you are my proudest Pokémon.]

[Without question, you were Hisui's brightest star. Possessing three unique powers, your brief life was filled with remarkable achievements.]

[Creating Poké Balls, balancing factions, taming the Disaster Beast Clan—all these were merely small highlights on your record.]

[Because, compared to nurturing Sinnoh's newest great protector, all those other accomplishments were merely icing on the cake.]

[Rewards received: Spooky Plate ×1, Power of Viridian ×1, Zoroark's Gift ×1.]

[Special rewards: Origin Ball ×1, Cynthia's Medal ×1, Aura Power ×1.]

[Hidden reward: Extra Plate selection opportunity.]

Elias stared at the rapidly scrolling list of rewards, momentarily stunned.

Compared to his previous simulations, this one had yielded three different types of rewards.

The total haul was even greater than all previous rewards combined.

Aside from the inherent high rating, Elias strongly suspected Cynthia's unexpected appearance had played a major role.

Even now, he couldn't quite grasp how Cynthia had traveled several centuries into ancient Hisui.

Could it have something to do with him again?

Intuition told Elias this was likely connected to the system.

He'd have to ask about that later.

---

Giratina: Is your Zoroark even legal?

Elias: She's a gift from a friend—being strong is perfectly reasonable, right?