"Gym Leader Misty, long time no see."
Dian dipped his head with a faint smile. Latias held his left arm gently and gave a small nod without speaking. Her golden eyes were hard to meet.
Only then did Misty recognize him. He was a womaniz—no, a hopeless romantic—no, a fellow Gym Leader. Given his age and strength, he was her senior, too. She instinctively straightened the ends of her orange hair and the hem of her clothes, then bowed. "Gym Leader Yingyue, long time no see."
"But why are you here, Gym Leader Yingyue...?" Halfway through her question, Misty thought of something and stole a glance at the elegant, golden-eyed woman beside him, whose expression was cool and reserved.
It all clicked.
What else would a man and a woman do on a deserted plateau?
Misty was no clueless child. At her age, it was unusual not to have dated anyone.
She gave an awkward smile and fell quiet.
In a sense, the senior before her was a scandal in the Gym Leader world, a man who had made headlines all year.
He was certainly strong,
but his private life was a mess.
He was certainly good-looking,
but his private life was a mess.
He certainly...
In short, his private life was a mess.
Misty sneaked another glance at the woman. She had no memory of her at all; she looked nothing like any of the women Misty had seen with him before.
While she was silently judging him, Dian's voice reached her. "What brings you here, Gym Leader Misty?"
Dian really hadn't paid attention to Pokémon World entertainment news lately. He didn't make a living from it, after all.
Nor did he plan to introduce Latias beside him. There was no good way to do it.
An egg buddy?