"Elias."
Ignoring Mew, who was still sprawled indignantly on the ground, Steven approached with a warm smile.
After all these years, he had never imagined he would see Elias again.
An unreal feeling washed over him.
He then noticed Zoroark clinging tightly to Elias's arm and hesitated, wondering if perhaps he should give his friend a long-overdue hug as well.
Seeing Steven's hesitant look and his half-raised arms, Elias deliberately took two cautious steps backward, giving a suspicious and wary look.
Steven's expression darkened instantly.
"I'm only interested in rocks," he clarified firmly through gritted teeth.
Yet despite his irritation, Steven found his nervousness quickly fading. He relaxed, a gentle smile returning as he spoke sincerely:
"It's been a long time. Welcome back."
For Steven, reuniting with his childhood friend was already the greatest news he could ask for.
"It really has," Elias replied softly, finally dropping his playful suspicion.
"Oh, that's right!"
Steven suddenly reached toward his waist, pulling out a Luxury Ball under Elias's curious gaze.
"I promised you something before you disappeared. If it stayed with me any longer, it might have evolved."
He handed the Poké Ball over.
Elias accepted it instinctively and released the Pokémon inside.
Pop—
White light flashed, revealing a small Beldum.
But unlike typical Beldum, this one had a gleaming, pristine-white body.
Clearly, it was another shiny Pokémon—like Gardevoir.
At the sight of this Pokémon, Elias remembered his past promise with Steven.
Undoubtedly, this Beldum had been split off from Steven's own Metagross.
"Thanks, Steven. It's a wonderful gift," Elias smiled, returning Beldum to its Poké Ball.
He noticed that although Steven had kept it safe, the Pokémon appeared entirely untrained, meaning Steven had truly just safeguarded it.
Meanwhile, Gardevoir had just begun approaching Elias when Mew hurriedly dragged her aside.
"Gar?" Gardevoir tilted her head in confusion at Mew's reddened face.
What does this stupid cat want now?
Latias also came over, looking similarly inquisitive.
"Mew?! (What's the deal with that fox?!)" Mew hissed through clenched teeth, pointing accusingly at Zoroark, who remained glued to Elias.
She'd never been this upset before.
At their very first meeting, Zoroark had dared toss her onto the ground, clearly disregarding her status as an ancestor of Pokémon.
And worst of all…
After quickly comparing their strengths, Mew discovered she likely wouldn't even win a fight against that fox.
Her only recourse now was to interrogate Gardevoir.
Gardevoir glanced aside evasively.
If not for her earlier involvement, Zoroark probably wouldn't have found Elias so quickly.
However…
"Can't even handle a single Zoroark—stupid cat."
With a disdainful snort, Gardevoir ignored Mew's sputtering outrage and calmly returned to Elias's side.
As long as she stayed silent, no one would ever know exactly what happened in the Distortion World.
Mew glared at her with tearful eyes, angry yet powerless to respond.
Not long after, League personnel finally arrived, marking a definitive end to the day's events.
Cyrus and most of Team Galactic's members were promptly arrested.
Thanks to the combined vigilance of multiple Champions, strict security ensured nothing would go wrong during transport.
Before Cyrus was loaded into the transport vehicle, Elias walked over, addressing him calmly.
"If your ancestor saw what you've become, she'd be extremely disappointed."
Thinking of Cyllene's ideals, Elias spoke with quiet certainty.
But Cyrus simply snorted coldly.
"My decisions were best for Team Galactic's future."
"Even if my ancestor heard of them, she would have supported me completely."
Cyrus straightened defiantly as he continued:
"Besides, in ancient times, my ancestor assisted the strongest trainer of that era against Giratina."
"I was simply retracing that path."
"Without interference from the League, I would have succeeded long ago!"
By the end of his speech, Cyrus's usually cold demeanor gave way to rare excitement.
Seeing this, Elias simply shook his head.
"Well, let's wait and see."
"We'll find out how your ancestor feels about you then."
With that, he turned back toward Zoroark and the others.
Behind him, Cyrus, brow furrowed deeply, was forcefully loaded into the vehicle.
...
"Hey Cynthia, mind telling me who this rumored person is?"
"Dragonite and I would love to have a little chat with him."
Lance approached Cynthia, a seemingly "friendly" smile on his face.
As her friend, he felt obligated to help Cynthia vent her frustrations.
More importantly… he wanted to vent some frustrations of his own.
"Hm?"
Cynthia blinked in surprise, quickly catching on to Lance's meaning.
Smiling slyly, she lifted a slender finger, pointing directly across the room.
"Right there," she said softly.
Following her direction, Lance's gaze fell upon Elias, comfortably seated on the sofa.
Zoroark, Gardevoir, Mew, and Latias surrounded him closely, with Pokémon like Gengar nearby.
Even Lucario, usually at Cynthia's side, seemed utterly content lounging near Elias.
The cozy, harmonious scene sank into Lance's consciousness.
Instantly, realization dawned on him.
No wonder…
Cynthia's mood had improved dramatically on the way back.
And the way she'd interacted with Elias had seemed far more intimate than before—
Even more intimate than Lance's own friendship with Elias.
"Gulp."
Lance swallowed hard, suddenly nervous.
"On second thought, Dragonite and I should probably stay out of this."
He waved dismissively, quickly retracting his earlier bravado.
He might have sparred with Elias in the past, but considering the increasingly "unfair" team Elias now commanded, such thoughts were hopelessly unrealistic.
...
Elias absentmindedly stroked the Pokémon curled around him, his thoughts drifting back to Hisui.
Maybe it's time I visit again.
At least to see Cogita, Irida, and everyone else.
He didn't want those important people to live their lives trapped in sorrow because of his abrupt departure from the simulation.
Moreover…
"Where's Mewtwo? I haven't seen her yet."
Elias turned curiously toward Mew, having just realized one Pokémon was noticeably absent.