"Garchomp!"
Off to the side, Garchomp excitedly waved its claws, seeing its trainer successfully recruit Lucario.
Elias's Lucario was incredibly powerful—much stronger than even Cynthia's own.
Unfortunately, he had always prioritized protecting Elias above all else.
Thus, whenever sparring with Cynthia, he never fought at full strength, always wary of sudden dangers.
But now, after Cynthia's clever persuasion, things would be different.
She could battle Lucario every day, and he certainly wouldn't hold back as much as before.
Seeing Garchomp's happiness, Cynthia's gloomy mood brightened a little.
Taking Lucario's Poké Ball carefully, Cynthia said gently:
"Don't worry, I'll help you grow even stronger!"
"So… please take good care of me from now on, Lucario."
Saying that, Cynthia offered her hand for a handshake.
Lucario paused briefly, then reached out and shook hands briefly with Cynthia.
"Mm, I'll rely on you."
---
[Together with Lucario and Garchomp, Cynthia stepped into the ruins.]
[Unsurprisingly, these ruins were completely different from any she had previously explored.]
Cynthia gazed in wonder at the surrounding stone walls.
These ruins were too perfectly preserved—as if freshly built—completely untouched by time.
To an archaeology enthusiast like her, it was like an enormous piece of art.
"You've accompanied me to so many ruins… I wish you could see such a treasure too."
A shadow flickered across Cynthia's expression at some thought.
But then she forcibly shook off her darker feelings and focused on deciphering the wall inscriptions.
The words carved into the wall were neatly enclosed within rectangular borders, clear and distinct.
Due to the clarity, she quickly understood their contents.
However, somewhat disappointingly, most inscriptions detailed famous figures across different eras.
These accounts were valuable, but still somewhat short of her expectations.
Moreover…
Many stories recorded here seemed familiar, and some even felt deeply ingrained in her memory.
Moving onward slowly, Cynthia finally reached the innermost chamber of the ruins.
It was considerably more spacious. Though many rectangular frames lined the walls, most were empty.
The only content present was engraved onto a large central stone slab.
Cynthia narrowed her eyes.
After reading it carefully, she realized it described the legendary hero who challenged Sinnoh's deity.
The ancestors of today's ten nobles were said to be descended from that hero's Pokémon companions.
It was clear now why so few people qualified to appear in this chamber.
After all, everyone recorded here was a legendary hero remembered for thousands of years.
Just as Cynthia prepared to explore further—
—a golden glow suddenly illuminated the stone wall she'd been reading moments ago.
Cynthia stepped back warily.
Once she confirmed there was no immediate danger, she cautiously approached again.
Within the golden glow, inscriptions seemed to shimmer on the wall.
But the intense brightness made them hard to read clearly.
Driven by curiosity, Cynthia leaned in closer.
Whoosh—
Suddenly, a powerful suction erupted from the glowing wall.
Before Cynthia could react, darkness swallowed her consciousness completely.
Beside her, Lucario and Garchomp suffered the same fate.
Even these two powerful Pokémon were helplessly pulled in alongside her.
Thud!
"Cough… cough cough…"
Cynthia felt her head collide painfully with something hard.
Holding her aching head, she coughed several times before slowly sitting up.
When her vision cleared, she froze in disbelief.
"I—I'm back?!"
Cynthia looked around incredulously.
She was back at the ruins she'd been exploring before getting sent to Hisui.
Then she quickly checked herself.
She was no longer in her younger form but had returned to her adult body.
Even her clothes were exactly as they had been, just dusty from the floor.
It felt as if she'd awoken from an incredibly long dream.
Now that she was awake, everything seemed utterly surreal.
Yet only Cynthia knew it wasn't a dream or hallucination.
She truly had visited Hisui and met Elias—this was undeniable.
The Lucario lying unconscious nearby was the strongest proof.
"What's going on?"
Cynthia slowly stood up, her mind reeling.
Suddenly, she caught sight of the stone wall nearby.
These were the inscriptions she'd been about to read before her sudden journey to Hisui.
She had barely glanced at them before blacking out.
Now, looking at them again, she realized why everything had seemed oddly familiar.
The ruins she'd explored in Hisui and the current ruins were the exact same location.
Only, they'd been so perfectly preserved back in Hisui, she'd never recognized them.
Then…
"Was this the wall that glowed golden just now?"
Realizing this, Cynthia hastily brushed off the dust, carefully reading the inscription again.
—[The great hero, accompanied by Zoroark, fought against the Disaster Beast from the world of darkness, defeating it at the cost of his own life.]
[Through his sacrifice, Hisui's flame was preserved.]
The brief inscription left Cynthia momentarily dazed.
She had no doubt who the great hero was.
If only…
If she'd found this ruin before her journey…
Perhaps things would have ended differently.
"There you are!"
"Champion Cynthia, where have you been these past two days?!"
An excited voice suddenly came from behind her.
Turning, she saw it was the Pokémon League's search-and-rescue team.
It appeared she'd been missing for days, causing quite the panic.
"Meowth be praised! Champion Cynthia, thank goodness we found you!"
A man who appeared to be the leader rushed forward, clearly relieved.
"My apologies for causing everyone trouble," Cynthia said softly, suppressing her emotions temporarily.
"No trouble at all! We're just glad you're safe."
The man waved hurriedly, then glanced at his communicator.
"Have you been in these ruins the entire time?"
"Not to misunderstand, Champion—we just need details for the report."
Hearing this, Cynthia paused for a moment.
A few seconds later, she replied softly:
"No. During this time… I also went to visit the home of someone special."
"You can report exactly that."
Having said that, she calmly recalled the two still-unconscious Pokémon into their Poké Balls.
Ignoring the incredulous stares around her, Cynthia walked quietly toward the exit.