Akari's mind was a mess.
From what the young man in front of her had described, she knew now that she'd left the Sinnoh she remembered behind and ended up in a place she'd never even heard of—Hisui.
And looking around, this place… was straight out of some legend about primitive cultures.
Every part of the house felt so backward.
There wasn't a single modern convenience, not even a few appliances to be seen.
She couldn't tell if it was just this Elias's personal aesthetic, or if the whole region's technology was at this level.
In short, she had no idea what to do next…
The only bit of good news was that Elias at least seemed friendly enough.
He didn't seem inclined to harm her, or do anything untoward.
"Th-thank you for telling me all this,"
Akari murmured, pressing a hand to her head as she thanked Elias.
Elias narrowed his eyes, carefully watching her expression.
So far, it looked like his hunch had been right—this girl wasn't from Hisui, either.
Or rather… just like Cynthia, she came from another time.
But unlike Cynthia, who'd managed to stay pretty calm, the girl before him was clearly overwhelmed.
"Um, so…"
"C-could you let me go now?"
"If I can make it home, I'll come back to thank you properly."
After some thought, Akari finally asked.
Even though Elias seemed trustworthy, she couldn't help feeling wary.
And her priority now was to figure out where she was and how to get home.
Elias nodded, not trying to stop her.
The only way for her to realize just how different this world was from her own was to let her see it herself.
Just like with Cynthia, back then.
Seeing how unconcerned Elias looked, Akari finally breathed a sigh of relief and even felt a bit grateful.
She tiptoed over to the wooden door, gave Elias a quick wave, and was just about to leave—
When Lucario, who'd been silent this whole time, quietly said to Elias,
"Cogita's in the courtyard."
Cogita?
Elias froze for a split second, then his expression changed.
If this girl walked out now, wouldn't she run right into Cogita?
He dropped his casual air and quickly tried to call after her.
But… it was already too late.
Click—
Akari pushed open the door.
---
Cogita was tending her flowers.
Elias had been so tired lately, she'd kindly decided not to make him help with the chores—
she wanted him to have a proper rest for once.
She was just feeling pleased with herself for being so considerate, when—
Click—
The sound of a door opening from upstairs caught her attention.
Had Elias woken up? Or maybe Lucario had finished his meditation?
With these thoughts, Cogita looked up toward the second floor—
And saw a girl with sleek, black hair standing there. The girl's clothes were light and summery, and she was staring back at Cogita with huge, startled eyes.
Cogita: …?
She blinked, rubbed her eyes in disbelief, and when she saw she hadn't imagined it, her expression grew dark.
---
[After a long, awkward explanation to Cogita, Elias stumbled back inside, exhausted.]
By then, Zoroark was already up, watching him with narrowed eyes.
Clearly, she was quite pleased with herself.
"You've done similar things before, haven't you?"
Elias gave Zoroark a little flick on the head, jogging her memory.
Back when she was just a Zorua, she'd disguised herself as Irida and gotten caught by Cogita, too.
Watching Elias and Zoroark banter, Akari—who had been tense and uneasy—couldn't help but smile a little.
She finally understood her own situation.
She'd traveled back to ancient times—something she'd never dreamed was possible.
Thinking back, she did seem to recall, during the time she was unconscious, catching a glimpse of a creature made entirely of light.
It had spoken at length, though she'd barely understood a word.
Something about having her use her own will to fix something…
She couldn't remember much now.
But after that, the glowing being had tossed her into some kind of portal.
Maybe… that was how she ended up in Hisui?
Somehow, she found herself recounting the whole story to Elias.
She didn't know why, but she just had the sense that he was used to dealing with these kinds of situations.
After hearing Akari's story, Elias was genuinely surprised.
A being made of light?
From the description, it was almost certainly a Pokémon.
And there were very few Pokémon with that kind of power.
The only one that came to mind… was the legendary creator itself—Arceus.
"Did it give you anything?" he asked, looking at Akari.
She checked herself over, but found nothing unusual.
Instead, it was Lucario who, as if just remembering, produced a strange-looking object and handed it to Elias.
"This was next to her when we found her. I argued with Zoroark about it and forgot to bring it in. I only went back for it this morning."
Elias took the item from Lucario and examined it closely.
It looked a lot like the communicator Cynthia carried, but this one was entirely white, encircled by a band of golden rings.
"A communicator?"
He handed it to Akari, asking her.
Akari, who had been inspecting the now-transformed device, jumped at the question.
"How did you know?! Wait—don't tell me you're also…"
Her eyes shone with excitement.
She couldn't help hoping Elias might be someone from her own time, too.
But as she looked at him expectantly, Elias just shook his head.
"You'll understand soon enough."
He'd already messaged Cynthia, asking her to come over as soon as possible.
That thought brought a subtle smile to his lips.
He looked at Akari and said,
"Mind if I borrow your communicator for a bit?"
Akari, momentarily disappointed, blinked.
"S-sure."
But… what for?
She was a little baffled; in Hisui, a communicator was basically no better than a brick.