Latios: "???"
Ben Gray: "???"
Before they arrived, they had imagined countless possible scenarios.
Latios had been determined that, no matter what happened, he had to reclaim the Soul Dew.
As for Ben Gray, he had been worried about both his granddaughter and whether the Soul Dew had already been corrupted by evil intentions.
Yet in the blink of an eye, they were told that everything they had feared had already been resolved.
The crystal-clear Soul Dew was returned to Latios.
Kanon, whose body had been restrained by Gardevoir's Confusion, had the ropes binding her removed. She hurried to Ben Gray's side, staring blankly at Latias, Latios, and Lin Feng.
Logically speaking...
This should have been the perfect ending.
Lin Feng was just about to reassure Latias that there was nothing left to worry about.
Unfortunately, the Phantom Thief sisters below clearly had no intention of letting things end so easily.
Using grappling hooks and cables, the two women swiftly leaped out through the museum window.
"Who dares lay a hand on our Soul Dew?!"
They landed gracefully on the museum rooftop, accompanied by their two Pokémon.
Pokémon: Ariados
Gender: Male
Ability: Insomnia
Type: Bug / Poison
Potential: Purple
Individual Values: ...
Strength: Level 51-53
Moves: Swords Dance, Poison Sting, String Shot, Bug Bite, Poison Jab, Scary Face, Shadow Ball, Shadow Sneak, Pin Missile, Psychic...
Pokémon: Espeon
Gender: Female
Ability: Synchronize
Potential: Red
Individual Values: ...
Strength: Level 55-56
Moves: Tackle, Take Down, Double-Edge, Quick Attack, Baby-Doll Eyes, Swift, Psybeam, Psychic, Future Sight...
As internationally renowned phantom thieves, the sisters possessed exceptionally powerful Pokémon.
Sanna and Rion landed atop the roof and immediately spotted Latios and Latias flying overhead.
Rion's eyes lit up.
"Latios! Latias! Perfect! I didn't expect both of you to come..."
Before she could finish—
"Latias, use Psychic!"
Lin Feng had no interest in arguing with them.
This was the perfect chance to test Latias' battle training.
"Lu...? Lu!"
Clearly, this was Latias' first real battle under Lin Feng's command.
She froze for a split second after hearing his Aura-guided instruction.
Then determination filled her eyes.
These bad people had stolen the Soul Dew...
And kidnapped Kanon!
She shot forward from Lin Feng's side and stopped before Espeon and Ariados.
White psychic light blazed from her eyes.
"Espeon, use Psychic!"
Seeing Latias descend from the sky, Sanna immediately ordered her Espeon to counter.
She still spoke confidently.
"Latios has never been especially strong with psychic power. As for you, Latias..."
She never got to finish the sentence.
The psychic clash was already over.
Pain instantly twisted across Espeon's face.
The next moment, under Latias' overwhelming Psychic, Espeon's body was hurled downward at incredible speed before crashing violently into the canal below.
"Espeon?!"
Sanna stared in disbelief.
"How is that possible?! Ariados, use Pin Missile!"
Though equally shocked, Rion reacted quickly and immediately gave a command.
"Latias, dodge it! Then use Dual Wingbeat!"
Espeon was no match for the current Latias.
Neither was Ariados.
In the blink of an eye, Latias streaked through the air like a bolt of lightning.
A brilliant glow enveloped her wings.
Before Ariados could react, the attack struck.
"Skreeee!"
A painful cry echoed through the air.
One hit.
That single strike was enough to knock Ariados completely unconscious.
"How... how can this be?!"
The sisters were utterly dumbfounded.
A thousand questions raced through their minds.
Latios, who wasn't considered particularly powerful, had relied on invisibility and superior speed just to escape them.
His younger sister, who should have been even weaker...
Why was she overwhelmingly stronger than both of their Pokémon?
Reality left them with only one answer.
Latias was now an opponent they simply couldn't defeat.
The sisters hurriedly reached for their Poké Balls, hoping to recall Ariados and Espeon.
But Lin Feng had no intention of giving them that chance.
Without their Pokémon protecting them, the sisters were nothing more than agile ordinary humans.
A wave of psychic power instantly froze them in place.
One by one, the Poké Balls on their bodies floated into the air before flying into Lin Feng's hands.
"Woo!"
After defeating Ariados, Latias happily flew back into the sky.
She looked down at the two defeated Pokémon below with a slightly dazed expression.
She...
Had actually beaten them.
Her brother had once told her he couldn't defeat these two Pokémon.
But now...
She had beaten the Pokémon that even her brother couldn't overcome.
She had recovered the Soul Dew.
She had rescued Kanon.
She had successfully protected Alto Mare.
Joy instantly overflowed from her heart.
She spun happily through the sky, almost dancing in midair, before flying back toward Lin Feng and Latios, eager to share her excitement with everyone.
But after she landed...
She realized something strange.
The newly rescued Kanon.
Grandpa Ben Gray.
Even her own brother, Latios.
All of them were staring at her as though she were some kind of monster.
Their bewildered expressions seemed to ask the same question.
"Are you really the Latias we know?"
"Woo?"
Latias turned toward Lin Feng.
Although his face remained hidden behind his mask, she heard the praise carried through his Aura.
"Well done, Latias."
"Woo..."
She quietly settled beside Lin Feng without another word.
She finally understood why everyone was looking at her like that.
She had changed too much.
And she knew exactly where that change had come from.
Everything was because of the training she had undergone at the ranch over the past two months.
Before today, Latias had never really understood why Gardevoir trained her so rigorously.
To her, training simply meant that delicious food would be waiting afterward.
But today, at the moment that mattered most, she finally understood its purpose.
Training had made her stronger.
Strong enough to protect Alto Mare.
Strong enough to protect her brother.
Strong enough to see the look of pure disbelief on Latios' face.
That realization filled her heart with warmth and confidence.
O(∩_∩)O
From now on...
Her brother would never have to worry about her again.
Because now...
She was finally strong enough to protect him.
------------------------------
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