Lance and Steven were rather suspicious—had Elias somehow offended Arceus?
Otherwise, how could it be that every single time, he just happened to get attacked by extremely powerful Pokémon?
But…
With their previous experiences in mind, the two were a lot calmer now.
With the strength of the Pokémon by Elias's side...
Even something on the level of Dialga and Palkia probably wouldn't be able to harm him.
---
Elsewhere.
Diantha slowly put away the communicator in her hand, unconsciously pressing her lips together.
Her expression was filled with worry.
With Cynthia disappearing in Kalos, as the region's Champion she naturally had to take responsibility.
All the more so when the other was her friend—and this time had fallen into the space-time rift because she'd been helping her.
Thinking this, Diantha lifted her head, glancing up at the sky above Prism Tower.
Up there, the sky looked as if a slit had been torn open—unnervingly ominous.
It was clear that although Dialga and Palkia had left, the space-time rift up there hadn't completely healed.
If she treated that fissure as an entrance, and went in from there… she might be able to find Cynthia.
But at the same time—what exactly lay inside a space-time rift? Would entering rashly cause irreversible consequences?
Those were things she still had to weigh carefully.
With that thought, Diantha let out a quiet sigh.
She took out the communicator again, scrolled to the Pokémon League's internal contacts, and sent a message:
[First, put out an official report of this incident. Then notify all Gym Leaders to come to Lumiose City as soon as possible if they have the time.]
Once that was done, she lifted her long, slender fingers to rub at her temple.
She had already given all the orders she could give—now, all she could do was pray Cynthia was safe.
And besides… wasn't there also her boyfriend who had gone into the rift with her?
Cynthia was at least a Champion-level Trainer. Her boyfriend, on the other hand, was just an ordinary Trainer.
If something happened to him because of this—if he were injured, or worse—Diantha didn't even dare to imagine how devastated Cynthia would be.
...
"Just two days ago, the Kalos region suffered—"
"Champion Diantha has arrived in Lumiose City. Up next—"
"Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, everyone! I'm Kiku! A few days ago, something in-in-incredible happened in Kalos!"
Kalos, as the birthplace of [Mega Evolution] and a wealthy, highly developed region, was already one of the most watched regions in the world.
And now, it had been attacked by legendary Pokémon from Sinnoh.
Naturally, the news had shot to the top of the charts in almost no time.
Nearly every major television network in every region was rotating coverage of the attack.
Even though the overall damage wasn't that severe, that didn't stop the hosts from painting a vivid, thrilling picture of the danger at the time.
Among all this, the final footage—of the space-time dragons being forcibly driven back into the rift by a mysterious Trainer—was, of course, the most sought-after.
Everyone was speculating on who this "mysterious Trainer" might be.
---
Kanto Region — Quartz Conference.
"Gary, didn't Elias say he was going to Kalos?"
In the dining hall, Professor Oak asked while glancing at the news coverage on TV.
Gary, who had just finished his match and was still reviewing his own battle in his head, froze for a moment—then nodded blankly.
"Yeah… Grandpa, why are you asking?"
Just hearing Elias's name made a chill crawl down his back.
That earlier battle had already left him with a lasting shadow.
Now, just seeing an Eevee made his hands and feet go cold, sweat prickling all over.
"It's nothing, nothing."
Professor Oak's brows were furrowed as he kept watching the footage, answering absentmindedly.
Gary glanced at the TV, then tilted his head in thought.
And in that instant—it was like he suddenly understood what his grandfather was thinking.
"Grandpa… you don't think that Trainer was Elias, do you?"
Gary's eyes went wide, his tone incredulous.
But before the other could answer, he waved a hand and said himself:
"Haha, Grandpa—Elias is strong, but something like that is just impossible."
"Those were Sinnoh's top legendary Pokémon."
"Even a Champion wouldn't necessarily be a match for them—never mind Elias."
In his mind, his grandfather's idea was too far-fetched.
Elias was still human—no matter how strong, there was always a limit.
And besides, whether that "mysterious Trainer" who had intervened in the dragons' battle was even human was still up for debate.
The mainstream guess right now was that they, too, were a Pokémon.
After all—if such a powerful Trainer existed, surely they would have been found already.
"Mm…"
Professor Oak nodded slowly at Gary's words.
Maybe he really was overthinking it.
But… during the TV coverage, just for a moment, when the camera caught that fleeting shadow—he'd had the odd feeling it looked familiar.
Enough that he'd thought of Elias without meaning to.
"Well, if you call Elias tonight, you'll know, won't you?"
Seeing his grandfather still hesitating, Gary put down the pen and paper in his hand, looking relaxed.
It had been so many days—he figured it was time to try stepping out from Elias's shadow.
He believed that as long as he kept working steadily, he could beat Elias someday!
Lucario aside—at the very least, he had to beat that Eevee!
Clenching his fist, Gary thought with a surge of excitement.
As for what was happening in the present day, Elias—far away in Hisui—had no idea.
---
After returning to the settlement, he checked in with a few acquaintances.
At the moment, in the Pearl Clan, the only ones who wanted to return to the modern era with him were Guana and Irida.
The clan leader uncle, though curious, seemed to just want to live a comfortable, retired life, and actually declined Elias's invitation.
"Irida, I might go stay at my old place tonight."
Elias said as he played with Guana's Growlithe.
By "old place," he naturally meant the little house of Cogita who had once raised him.
Unlike a few hundred years later, the place was still kept up by Irida, who cleaned it from time to time—so it was perfectly livable.
Irida blinked in surprise, then nodded.
Although she would have liked to have Elias spend the night in the settlement with her, since he had his own plans, she wouldn't say anything.
After all—no matter what, he had been raised by Cogita since he was small.
With Cogita now missing, it was only natural he'd feel some longing.