Chapter 339: Zoroark: Am I Even Human?

[VIP Chat Group]

[Raihan]: No way?! There’s another one?!

[Leon]: So who exactly are the real Aurelia and Selene now?

[Volkner]: The problem isn’t even who’s real or fake anymore. The real question is: how many Aurelias and Selenes are on this island?! I’ve completely lost count. Can someone draw a relationship chart?

[Lucian]: Known information: Zoroark transformed into Selene and went looking for Aurelia. Then "Aurelia" started acting strangely and even told "Selene" to call her Big Brother. Meanwhile, the real Selene encountered another version of herself beside the fountain. Conclusion: there are currently at least two Selenes and one fake Aurelia on this island.

[Lisia]: Please, I’m begging you! Just let the real Aurelia show up already! If this keeps going, my CPU is going to burn out!

The video continued playing.

Eastern Cinnabar Island.

Lorelei and Aurelia were slowly walking along the shopping street.

"My, my. Getting the highest level of VIP service everywhere we go..."

Lorelei had bought yet another sea-salt lemon smoothie and was happily sipping away.

"Traveling with Aurelia really was the right choice."

Aurelia flipped through her Pokédex.

"Aunt Lorelei, we’ve already spent forty-two minutes wandering around this shopping street."

"According to the original plan, I should be challenging Cinnabar Gym with Gallade right now."

"Don’t be so rigid."

Lorelei took another sip of her smoothie.

"Cinnabar Gym Leader Blaine is probably soaking in a hot spring somewhere right now."

"So bringing you shopping is actually the fastest way to find him."

Aurelia fell silent for two seconds.

In the end, she gave up resisting.

"...Then let’s try to be quick."

"But Aurelia..."

Lorelei pointed ahead.

"I think you might need to deal with what’s in front of us first."

Aurelia followed the direction of her finger.

Beside the fountain in the plaza—Selene was standing face-to-face with another Selene.

And from the opposite end of the shopping street the Selene transformed from Zoroark was sprinting straight toward them.

The instant Zoroark saw the two Selenes beside the fountain it slammed on the brakes.

Its feet scraped across the stone pavement so hard that they left behind a smoking black skid mark.

Zoroark immediately reverted to its true form.

"B-Boss!"

"Run!"

"Something is seriously wrong with this place!"

"I just ran into a fake Young Miss Aurelia!"

"And that fake—"

Before it could finish Zoroark stumbled backward another two steps.

"W-Wait..."

"Why are there two Bosses too?!"

"Which one is real?!"

Selene walked forward.

"Calm down."

"I’m real."

Zoroark pointed a claw toward the other Selene.

"THEN WHAT IS THAT?!"

At that moment Aurelia and Lorelei also arrived.

Aurelia’s gaze immediately locked onto Selene.

"So..."

"What’s going on?"

Selene clasped her hands together.

"Ahem."

"Big Sis, let me explain."

"I swear this situation really wasn’t caused by me..."

Lorelei walked between the two groups and looked from one side to the other.

"All right, all right."

"There are too many people in the plaza."

"Whatever you sisters need to discuss, find somewhere quiet and sort it out there."

"Aunt Lorelei is right."

Aurelia nodded.

"This isn’t the place to talk."

She turned and started walking toward the western side of Cinnabar Island.

Selene waved toward Zoroark and the other Selene.

"Both of you, follow us."

"We’ll talk while we walk."

The group of five—assuming they could be counted as five people crossed the shopping district and eventually stopped at a secluded stretch of beach.

"All right."

"No one’s around here."

Lorelei sat down on a rock, crossed her legs, and assumed the perfect posture for watching drama unfold.

"So?"

"Who’s confessing first?"

Zoroark immediately raised a paw.

"I’ll go first."

"I’m fake."

"I know that already."

Aurelia pressed a hand to her forehead.

Then she turned toward the airheaded Selene.

"What about her?"

Selene also turned around.

"There’s no livestream here anymore."

"Can you tell us who you really are now?"

The airheaded Selene tilted her head.

Then she took two steps backward.

A faint pink mist of light emerged across the surface of her body.

When the glow faded—

A sleek Pokémon shaped almost like a small red jet appeared in her place.

Latias.

Lorelei straightened on the rock.

"Oh?"

"Latias?"

Aurelia frowned.

"Why did you transform into Selene?"

Latias scratched her head with one claw and spoke timidly.

"I..."

"I just thought Selene looked really pretty on TV."

"So I wanted to look just as pretty as her..."

Selene immediately covered her chest with both hands and stumbled three steps backward.

"Damn it!"

"I’ve been hit by my own cuteness again!"

"What kind of situation even is this?!"

Aurelia expressionlessly grabbed the back of Selene’s collar.

"Enough."

"Act normal."

"I wanted to come play with you."

Latias continued in a small voice.

"But my brother wouldn’t let me."

"He said I’m too troublesome and I’d cause problems for humans."

"So I told him that if he didn’t let me go, I wouldn’t eat for three days."

Selene raised an eyebrow.

"Did you really not eat?"

"I didn’t."

Latias blinked.

"I’ve tried going four days without eating before too."

"In the end, he secretly stuffed Berries into my mouth."

Selene gave her a thumbs-up.

"I see."

"Learned something new."

Aurelia instinctively glanced at Selene.

"What are you planning?"

Selene shrank back slightly.

"Big Sis, don’t misunderstand!"

"How could I possibly use hunger strikes?"

"At most, I’d use the strategy of ’dragging the other person into starving together with me.’"

A strange silence descended over everyone.

Then—

A pillar of water suddenly exploded upward from the ocean.

It raced toward them at incredible speed, like a blue battleship flying just above the surface.

By the time everyone could clearly see what it was—Latios was already hovering above the beach.

Latias’s whole body stiffened.

She instinctively hid behind Selene, leaving only half of herself sticking out.

"Little sister."

Latios spoke through telepathy.

"Come out."

Latias poked half her head out from behind Selene.

"No."

"Latias."

"Stop messing around."

Latios’s voice immediately deepened.

"Do you have any idea how dangerous it is out here?"

"What if bad people capture you?"

Latias peeked out from behind Selene again.

"But there aren’t any bad people here."

Zoroark dramatically smoothed its fur.

"Exactly, exactly."

"Every single one of us is an outstandingly good person."

Latios looked at it.

"You’re not even human."

Zoroark: "Thanks for the reminder. Still feels kind of insulting, though."

Selene pulled the lollipop from her mouth and planted herself in front of Latias with both hands on her hips.

"Big Brother, I think you’re the one who’s wrong here."

Latios tilted his head.

"How am I wrong?"

"Your little sister is already this old, and you’re still controlling everything she does."

"That’s called overprotectiveness!"

"It seriously interferes with the healthy physical and psychological development of adolescent Pokémon!"

"According to the Sun-Moon Group’s Employee Welfare Regulations, we will firmly defend the rights of any employee in this situation!"

"When did she become your employee?"

"Just now."

Selene pulled a business card from her pocket and shoved it backward into Latias’s claws.

"Here."

"Take this."

"This is your proof of employment."

"Starting today, you’re an official promotional Pokémon for the Sun-Moon Group."

Latias took the business card with both claws, her eyes sparkling.

"I have a job!"

Latios: "..."