Thud—
Lucario let go and dropped the figure he'd been carrying, landing her with a solid, muffled thump on the floor.
Now that she was closer, Elias could get a much clearer look at the person on the ground.
He hadn't been mistaken—it was a girl with jet-black hair.
The sight gave Elias a headache.
Had Zoroark and Lucario just kidnapped some girl from one of the clans? From the look of things, it even seemed like Lucario had insisted on bringing her back, while Zoroark was visibly reluctant.
Could it be… she was Lucario's type?
Elias found his mind wandering in a strange direction.
Pokémon and humans… he mused, I guess there's nothing wrong with that, but coming from Lucario, it just feels a little weird.
He turned a questioning look on Lucario, hoping for some kind of explanation.
Meeting Elias's gaze, Lucario answered in his usual flat tone:
"Found her. Near Mount Coronet."
His voice was calm and unruffled, showing none of the odd motives Elias had imagined.
"Zoroark wanted to leave her behind. I insisted we bring her back."
He gestured at Zoroark, clarifying the situation.
At that, Elias nodded, finally understanding.
With Lucario's explanation, everything made sense.
He gave Zoroark a helpless look and ruffled her furry head.
"You can't just leave someone by the roadside because she's a girl."
He didn't even have to guess what Zoroark was thinking.
Sure enough, Zoroark's face twisted in a look of wounded indignation.
Seeing this, Elias tried to reassure her:
"We'll send her back after she recovers, don't worry."
After all, most people in Hisui were from the two great clans, with the Galaxy Team being a recent addition. It would be easy enough to confirm the girl's identity.
Whatever Zoroark was worried about, it probably wouldn't happen.
"But what about Cynthia…" Zoroark muttered quietly, pressing her lips together.
"Cynthia's a special case," Elias said, coughing lightly.
Cynthia came from the future—she wasn't part of any of Hisui's factions.
Something like that probably only happened once in several centuries. There's no way this was the same kind of thing… right?
With that, Elias turned his attention back to the girl on the floor.
And then his expression froze.
It was only now, with a closer look, that he noticed—the girl's clothes didn't really match anything from Hisui.
Instead of the usual heavy cloth or thickly padded garments, hers were light, smooth, and short-sleeved.
The style reminded Elias of what Cynthia had been wearing when they first met in the snow.
The only difference was that Cynthia's clothes had been way too large for her, clearly borrowed and ill-fitting. The girl's outfit, on the other hand, fit her perfectly.
Zoroark, seeing Elias fall silent, turned her head away with a huff.
If it were just a normal human female, I'd be fine with bringing her home. But this one? She looks like nothing but trouble. She's just like that Cynthia… cut from the same cloth.
"No going with Cynthia to explore ruins for a while," Zoroark demanded, blinking her eyes.
Elias could only nod in helpless agreement.
It felt a little unfair to Cynthia, but…
If this girl really was also from the future, she could be a huge help to Cynthia.
---
[With that promise to Zoroark, you managed to bring the girl inside.]
[After checking her over, you found she'd simply passed out—no injuries at all. It was just like when you first found Cynthia, making your suspicion even stronger.]
[The next morning, you woke up as usual with Zoroark in your arms.]
[You'd set the girl up on a soft mat outside your room—the only spot Zoroark would agree to.]
"She awake yet, Lucario?" Elias asked as he stepped out and saw Lucario returning from his morning meditation.
Lucario shook his head.
"Seems like she woke up, but I didn't pay attention."
He'd only sensed the girl stirring through [Aura], but hadn't checked personally.
Elias nodded and decided to see for himself.
Click—
He gently pushed open the wooden door. The moment it swung open, a sharp whistle cut through the air.
Thwack—
"Ow!"
Instinctively, Elias flicked the incoming stick aside with [Aura], sending it bouncing harmlessly away.
A pained yelp followed. He turned and saw the girl from last night sitting on the floor, clutching her forehead, a thick wooden branch clutched in her hand.
Was she… trying to attack me? Elias wondered, more amused than alarmed.
What surprised him even more was that, after being struck on the head by a stick that thick, the girl's forehead was only slightly red.
Most Pokémon would be out cold after a hit like that.
"Wh—Where am I?"
"Who are you? Why did you bring me here?" the girl stammered, wary and on edge as she shrank back.
Yesterday, she'd been at home—then, suddenly, everything went black.
When she came to, she was here, in a wooden cabin nestled deep in the forest.
The scenery was nice, but in the modern world, houses like this were rare.
Other than for something shady, what reason could anyone have to live out here?
Almost reflexively, she suspected she'd been kidnapped.
And seeing how effortlessly Elias deflected her attack only made her more convinced.
He must be some seasoned, dangerous criminal!
If not for the fact that he had a pretty decent face, she'd probably be planning her escape already.
"My name is Elias," he explained calmly.
"You passed out near Mount Coronet. My Pokémon found you and brought you back. Do you remember what happened?"
He pointed to Lucario beside him.
"Brought back… by a Pokémon?" the girl repeated, eyeing Lucario and then glancing back at Elias.
Realizing he wasn't lying, her expression grew a bit anxious.
Why had she suddenly fainted? She had no idea.
And besides…
Wasn't I just at home?
How did I end up at Mount Coronet?
"Can you… can you tell me where I am?" she asked softly, looking at Elias for answers.
---
T/N: it is the protag!