Rustle, rustle...
The land of Hisui.
It was as though something had already foreseen what the future held.
A tall, slender figure set out from the sheer cliffs of Mount Coronet, racing toward a forest blanketed in snow throughout the year.
"Snea-sle!"
Sneasler was a Pokémon that evolved from Hisuian Sneasel, and it was completely different from Weavile. It was a Fighting- and Poison-type Pokémon.
Its body was covered in silvery-gray fur, while its exposed face and feet were purple. What appeared to be yellow gems adorned its forehead and chest.
A long feather extended from its head all the way to its waist, resembling a ponytail. Its front was black, while the back was red.
Its claws were long and exceptionally sharp. Sneasler lived in cold mountainous regions, preferring to act alone rather than form groups. It possessed physical abilities that surpassed those of other species, along with extraordinarily potent venom.
Places inaccessible to humans posed no challenge to Sneasler. With its agile body and sturdy claws, it could reach them with ease.
Only after it disappeared beyond the cliffs did a group of people dressed in white and pale pink arrive in a hurry.
"Leader, Sneasler... It was like Sneasler foresaw something. It's headed in that direction, crossing through the Coronet Highlands."
"If this continues, it'll enter territory controlled by the Diamond Clan. It might even end up fighting the Lord of the Hollow!"
"Don't worry... I'll take responsibility. I'll handle this myself!"
The Pearl Clan was a settlement that inhabited the Hisui region.
The names of its members were all connected to the concept of space.
Long ago, the Pearl Clan's ancestors gradually returned from distant lands across the sea. They claimed to be descendants of the Celestica people and sought to restore their ancestors' former glory in this land.
However, the Pearl Clan was not the only group that returned from across the ocean. Another settlement came with them, one that took the name of the Diamond Clan.
Many ancient peoples lived across the old land of Hisui, but none of them had ever witnessed a conflict as fierce as the one that erupted between the Pearl and Diamond Clans.
The names and histories of the almighty Sinnoh they worshiped were different, and their beliefs were fundamentally opposed. The two clans gradually became irreconcilable, resulting in repeated bloodshed and violent clashes.
This continued for several centuries.
After fighting until both sides had nearly exhausted themselves, the people of the two settlements had grown weary.
They therefore decided to appoint young people as their new leaders, hoping this would ease the conflict between their respective faiths.
"Hah... Hah..."
A golden-haired girl ran across the vast wilderness with all her strength.
She was the newly appointed leader of the Pearl Clan, Irida!
Her title was... the Strategic Leader!
In truth, the young girl had been chosen because she possessed the ability to play the complete melody of the Celestica Flute. Yet she frequently displayed insight and foresight far beyond her years, earning the affection and respect of her people.
Irida exhaled clouds of mist and repeatedly fanned herself with one hand. No matter how hard she tried, however, she could not catch up with the noble Pokémon ahead.
Eventually, she could only stop and watch helplessly as Sneasler crossed the mountains and disappeared among the distant white peaks.
"How could this happen? Sneasler has never had a warden to care for it, and it's never acknowledged anyone. Why would it suddenly abandon its habitat?"
"It's racing toward the far side of Mount Coronet. Beyond that place... beyond the Lord of the Hollow, past the vast mountain range granted to us by almighty Sinnoh... Could its destination be the Alabaster Forest?"
"That forest has no lord or lady, but many powerful Pokémon live there. They say some Pokémon were once persecuted and killed by ancient humans. Their resentful spirits refused to disperse, and they were reborn as some kind of terrifying creature."
A look of dejection and pain appeared on the blonde girl's face.
She clenched her fists and stared up at the snow-filled sky.
The weather should have been freezing, yet she felt stiflingly hot.
It was almost impossible to breathe.
"The sheer cliffs of the Coronet Highlands are absolutely impossible for a human to climb without first finding a path."
"It deliberately fled over the cliffs to escape our pursuit. Could Sneasler be rejecting me?"
"Someone like me somehow received enough support during the leadership selection to become the Pearl Clan's new leader. Yet this happened almost immediately after I took the position."
"Does the Lady of the Cliffs refuse to acknowledge me...?"
"What lies beyond those mountains? No, the most urgent matter right now is contacting the Diamond Clan... Sneasler's departure, or rather, the Lady of the Cliffs' departure, could lead to a serious and violent conflict between the Pearl and Diamond Clans!"
Sneasler was called the Lady of the Cliffs because it inhabited a mountainous area known as the Clamberclaw Cliffs.
However, as the ages changed, only five Pokémon still retained their titles as true nobles. The other five had continued coexisting with humans as ride Pokémon.
In other words, the ride Pokémon were... the weaker five nobles.
The males were called lords, while the females were called ladies.
Irida continued her pursuit.
She had no idea how much time passed. She slept in the forest, ate Berries, and drank spring water. Finally, near a cave, she and her Eevee fell into a deep sleep.
After following Sneasler's tracks for so long, she finally...
Not far from the Alabaster Forest, a violent bolt of golden lightning suddenly appeared in the sky!
Irida stared in astonishment and raised an arm to shield herself from the blinding light.
She narrowed her eyes as the wind around her accelerated, whipping at her hair and clothing.
The light was like an exploding bomb, dazzlingly bright against the night!
"What is that...? That tremendous bolt of lightning... It lit up the entire land!"
....
Golden lightning descended from the heavens with a thunderous roar, melting the accumulated snow.
Dressed in a traveler's clothes, Hikaru stepped onto this ancient yet familiar land.
[Carve forth a new name. In this instant, thou shalt be born into the world!]
"The so-called... traveler through space and time!"
Although Hisui and Sinnoh were fundamentally the same region, their maps and terrain differed significantly in many places.
"Like a butterfly spreading its wings, I'll fly onward with the gentle wind."
"Until the day you and I meet as promised, never to part again."
"Beyond the endlessly expanding dream, through this cold and heartless world."
Hikaru said, "Hmm. It seems the warrior spirits of the ten companions who once saved the land of Hisui have now awakened."
"Clad yourself in light. Get a fire power."
It matched perfectly.
"Still, I seem to have arrived a little early. A two-minute difference resulted in a time gap of more than two months?"
"Well, this is time travel. If I wanted, I could jump back to the very second after I departed. Only one minute would pass in the future, while I could remain in the past for years."
Hikaru looked around.
A pure-white snowfield covered a vast portion of the world. This was a landscape that no longer existed during the Sinnoh era.
Naturally, he had not arrived at Prelude Beach.
"The Alabaster Forest... It's supposedly located around the same place as Eterna Forest, but the climate and environment are completely different. Even in the Sinnoh era, no one could confirm where this forest had once stood. Now that I'm here, its position really does seem similar to Eterna's."
"Eterna Forest is a place where the flow of time has stopped. According to the rumors spread by Sinnoh's psychics, the forest contains a strange power. That's probably one of the reasons the ghosts of the Old Chateau are willing to remain there. I also used wood from Eterna to create a unique mask..."
"It was originally a Tera Mask made for Ogerpon."
"To me, Eterna City is also home."
Hikaru could determine the current point in time because information was displayed on his Arc Phone.
It was the same function described in the game as, "Through a mysterious power, you can now see your destination."
Mount Coronet was also visible in the distance, and a space-time rift had already appeared above its summit.
It was supposed to be Hisui's signature "unnatural phenomenon," yet Hikaru had already seen one during the Sinnoh era. Thinking about it that way gave him the peculiar feeling of, "What grand spectacle haven't I already witnessed?"
The problem was that this time, the being concealed behind the space-time rift was the true almighty Sinnoh.
Now this really was... the choice of Steins Gate.
The thousand years of history stretching from the Sinjoh Ruins to Michina and then to Hisui were all about to be "confiscated."
Hikaru walked through the forest, speaking to himself as he considered where to go next.
Perhaps he could stay with the Pearl Clan?
That was right. Not Jubilife Village, but the seemingly conservative Pearl Clan that would nevertheless take the initiative to rescue outsiders, including mysterious people who fell from the sky.
Because of Hikaru's wish, Ingo could no longer appear in this era's history. That meant the Pearl Clan was missing one of its wardens, and Pokémon battles would not be popularized through him.
Considering that the Pearl Clan's people might also be easier to reason with than the residents of Jubilife Village...
Especially since Hikaru knew how to play the Celestica Flute. Blending in with them should not be a problem.
Ingo had once admitted that when he first fell into Hisui and found himself in danger, the Pearl Clan rescued him. Because he possessed a talent for taming Pokémon, they gradually accepted him and eventually appointed him as a warden.
Of course, the Pearl Clan also had its stubborn members. One example was Calaba, the warden who cared for Ursaluna. Still, that old woman was reportedly already ninety-nine years old...
When someone lived to that age, there were always certain things they could no longer accept. Their values had long since become firmly established.
If anything, the truly astonishing part was that she later managed to accept the beliefs of Akari and Arezu.
"Still, the Alabaster Icelands where the Pearl Clan lives are far too cold. Supplies are scarce there. The Diamond Clan's territory has a more humid climate, but it rains frequently... Jubilife Village has the most comfortable climate of the three."
"People who came from distant lands in search of a new home free from conflict gathered together. Some came from Galar, others from Alola, Johto, Kanto, and Hoenn..."
"The settlement they created was named Jubilife Village."
"Those who do not work do not eat. That is Jubilife Village's rule. Every villager has a job. Among them are 'experts' from all over the world, but even these experts are remarkably helpless when confronted by Pokémon. They can't compare to the powerful people of the future, much less the champions of more ancient eras."
As the saying went, "The people of the future are terrifyingly strong," but "the experts of the past were no pushovers either."
Only those people trapped in the awkward middle stage of recent history were neither one thing nor the other.
Kamado was skilled in sumo and was probably a knight from Galar. Beni, the old man who ran the village's dining hall, was a ninja who came from the same region as him.
The others were somewhat different. It seemed the Galaxy Team had investigated many places and recruited people who had similarly lost their homes.
One example was Cyllene, Cyrus's ancestor.
Her homeland was said to be the Hoenn region. According to the Security Corps, she had once been a famous master of the "hard sword" there.
Yet even a master swordswoman was somehow afraid of bugs...
During the story, a Wurmple frightened her, even though Wurmple was practically one of Hoenn's representative Pokémon.
"Maybe Cyllene fled Hoenn because she was afraid of the hordes of Wurmple back home... Uh, actually, that does sound pretty terrifying."
"And her supposed swordsmanship was never shown at all... In Pokémon: Hisuian Snow, she was completely helpless against a rampaging Garchomp..."
"At this point, Jubilife Village was probably founded only about two years ago, and they're desperately short on manpower. The belief that humans and Pokémon cannot coexist is widely circulated throughout the village, and most people still accept it."
"The organization known as the Survey Corps doesn't even exist in Jubilife Village yet."
"Their first survey was proposed by a young doctor, and it is only just beginning."
"A young man from the Diamond Clan is still working hard to play his flute, trying to establish a bond with the noble Pokémon in his care. Meanwhile, a young woman from the Pearl Clan won the competition to become clan leader because of her talent for playing the flute."
"The professor from Galar hasn't arrived yet. Hisui's first partner Pokémon haven't been brought here 'for the purpose of studying the region's ecology and climate.' Even Volo and several members of the Ginkgo Guild, including Rye, a collateral descendant of Sir Aaron, should only just have disembarked and arrived here."
"Let's start a fire, make preparations, and rest here for a while. Anything that needs repairs can be repaired. Anything that needs crafting can be crafted... And anything that needs to eat should eat first."
....
A long time later, the mask of a Baneful Fox gradually emerged from the forest.
It belonged to a Hisuian Zoroark with purple hair and a deathly pale body. Its coloring was completely different from that of an ordinary Hisuian Zoroark.
Having made its home in the Alabaster Forest, it acted like the guardian of this woodland.
Long ago, a Zorua had been killed here by humans.
Its mother, a Zoroark, had come looking for her child. The sight of the corpse drove her mad, filling her with terrifying resentment and hatred.
The lingering spirit of the murdered Zorua transformed its intense hatred of both humans and Pokémon into power, which rose like smoke from its head.
Influenced by the land, its soul, and those powerful emotions, it was reborn with a Ghost-type form.
Its body changed from black to white. Its hair became long and flowing, stained the color of blood.
Recently, intense space-time distortions had begun appearing near the Alabaster Forest.
Purple-black domes resembling curtains of light that isolated entire sections of the world emerged alongside lightning and bolts of black electricity, transporting powerful Pokémon into the area.
The forest's weaker Pokémon fled continuously, while those strong enough to remain became frightened and restless, causing them to rampage.
More and more injured Pokémon appeared, plunging the entire forest into chaos.
Some Pokémon's eyes had even begun turning crimson. As this phenomenon grew increasingly common, the purple Zoroark gradually found itself unable to cope.
The shiny Hisuian Zoroark clenched its claws around a Medicinal Leek.
Ever since it became the leader of this territory, the older members of its family, the other white Zoroark, had all left.
That was proof it had reached adulthood and could now stand on its own. It was also because the others needed to travel somewhere more suitable for them to inhabit.
The reason it remained was that it was waiting for someone.
It could not speak the language of humans.
It had once become friends with a human, but later, its "parents" took it away. It never saw another human after that, not until it evolved into its current form.
The teachings of its family had eventually molded it into the very thing it had never wanted to become as a child.
Ever since the day they were separated, it had never again seen...
Dragging its exhausted, scar-covered body through the snow, it stared toward the place where the golden lightning had struck the forest.
It assumed another of those creatures with crimson eyes had appeared.
If it could not restore peace to the forest, humans would never come here to harvest lumber again. Then it would never have another chance to reunite with its friend.
It had waited and waited, for more years than it could remember.
It watched unfamiliar faces enter the forest and eventually leave.
Even so, it continued to wait...
But when it crossed the forest and ignited its illusory ghostly flames, the "enemy" it discovered was...
["A human?"]
A human had appeared where the golden lightning struck?
No, was that creature truly human?
A powerful presence radiated from him, completely different from every human it had encountered before.
Deep purple flames surged around him. Like illusions, they formed all manner of strange and sinister phantoms.
The Zoroark tried to drive the intruder away, or at least frighten Hikaru into retreating with the illusion of its flames.
The long fur of a Hisuian Zoroark writhed as though alive, releasing malicious energy. It could not only show its target terrifying illusions, but also inflict damage upon them both internally and externally.
It was said those illusions took on an appearance filled with hatred for everything in the world. They were so terrifying that anyone who witnessed them could lose their grip on sanity...
Yet even after the purple flames had "blazed" for a long while, Hikaru remained unmoved.
The masked "Baneful Fox," the master of this territory, found his complete lack of reaction both baffling and unbelievable.
"So this is the Forest of Fireflies' Light."
Hikaru continued, "But this is nothing more than a trick created through illusions. Something like this won't work on me."
"And yes, I'm human. Humans come in many varieties, just like Pokémon. Besides, humans and Pokémon are said to share the same origins. There's a lot involved in that subject, though. I couldn't explain it clearly in just a few words."
"I can understand the language of Pokémon, and my aura also plays a part. By sensing your aura, I can understand your emotions and thoughts. It's an extremely useful power."
Through aura and his special abilities, Hikaru immediately discovered the scar-covered Hisuian Zoroark hiding in the shadows and observing him.
This shiny Hisuian Zoroark was, of course, the same one that had appeared in Pokémon: Hisuian Snow!
"You're Alec's friend, aren't you? It's nice to meet you."
["Ever since you arrived, that strange, discordant feeling has refused to leave me. So that was the reason... You can understand my cries and even comprehend what I'm trying to say!"]
["Are you really human? You must be a Zoroark too! And how do you know my friend's name?"]
["...I've never seen a human like you before!"]
"Your friend is named Alec, correct?" Hikaru asked. "When he was a child, the Medicinal Leek you brought him saved his life. Because of that, he resolved to become a Pokémon doctor."
"He will accomplish something remarkable. He will become a pioneer and a bridge that helps establish a relationship between this region's humans and Pokémon."
"Three years ago, his father, Anvin, moved here from the Johto region. At the time, Alec had also left Johto and traveled elsewhere to practice and improve his medical skills as a Pokémon doctor. Back then, the humans here had not yet founded Jubilife Village."
"However, members of the Ginkgo Guild had already been operating here for a long time. You've often seen people carrying large backpacks who dress somewhat like me, haven't you?"
"Now that the village has been founded, more and more people will come to Hisui. The region will become livelier, and commerce will naturally flourish. Many Ginkgo Guild merchants will travel here by ship."
"But after this region's destruction, it became extremely primitive. It is markedly different from distant lands."
Pokémon: Hisuian Snow.
[This is a tale from a distant age when humans and Pokémon still rarely lived together in harmony.]
[While aboard a ship bound for the Hisui region, Alec recalls the first time his father brought him to this land.]
["Humans and Pokémon cannot coexist."]
[That was what Alec's father taught him when he was young.]
[Then, deep within a forest buried beneath heavy snow, Alec encountered a Pokémon in its Hisuian form: Zorua.]
[Is it truly impossible for humans and Pokémon to coexist?]
"Hmm. That age really isn't so distant."
"It's a strange idea, don't you think? Do you know anything about the regions beyond Hisui?"
"In distant lands, some humans and Pokémon have already coexisted for more than three thousand years, although there are still many places where Pokémon are called magical beasts..."
"Across the sea lies another land. An ancient king there changed what people called magical beasts and named them Pokémon. He was probably the first person in history to call your kind by that name."
"In the Kalos region, Gogoat and humans have lived together for more than five thousand years. In the Paldea region, it is said that Cyclizar were already human companions ten thousand years ago."
"Alola, Oblivia, Almia, and Fiore three thousand years ago. Hoenn and Johto one thousand years ago. The war-torn age four hundred years ago..."
"The reason humans and Pokémon are hostile toward one another in Hisui is that this region was once destroyed. Its history has already been lost."
Whoosh...
The fire burned steadily.
Zoroark watched as Hikaru set a large pot over the flames and stirred its bubbling contents.
He added a pile of vegetables, some thin and delicate-looking strands of something, and several glittering leaves.
The Hisuian Zoroark stared at it.
["What in the world is that...? It smells incredible!"]
"That's all thanks to the Herba Mystica," Hikaru explained. "And when it comes to winter, few things are better than noodles. Soft yet pleasantly chewy noodles, some 'meat' naturally shed by a certain Pokémon, radiant vegetables, Berries, and a carefully seasoned broth..."
"Mix everything together, then take a sip of the hot soup. On a cold, sunless, snowy day, it'll warm both your body and your spirit."
"Yo, partner! Let's go eat some ramen!"
"Would you like to try a bowl? Later, I'm thinking of opening an Ichiraku Ramen shop here. Maybe I'll become a sculptor and sell a few Buddha statues too... Uh, I'm joking. It's only an idea."
"After all, it's still far too early for that."
(End of Chapter)
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