Sinnoh Region.
Sitting at her desk, Cynthia was idly flipping through documents she'd retrieved from ancient ruins.
But from her distracted gaze, it was clear she wasn't paying much attention.
"Haa..."
After a long moment, realizing she'd drifted off again, Cynthia lifted her head and gently massaged her temples.
Even though she'd been back home for two days, she still couldn't shake the surreal, fractured feeling.
Everything that had happened in the Hisui region lingered in her mind like a dream, constantly stirring her emotions into chaos.
Bzzt, bzzt—
Just then, the phone on her desk vibrated.
Someone had messaged her.
Cynthia wasn't inclined to respond.
In the past two days, she'd received countless messages—colleagues checking in from work, friends concerned about her. But without exception, she hadn't bothered replying.
Not even the courtesy of empty pleasantries felt necessary.
For now, all she wanted was peace and quiet at home, allowing her troubled heart time to heal.
Still, Cynthia picked up the phone almost automatically.
Seeing the sender's name—"Lance"—she paused.
Both Champions serving in the Pokémon League, she and Lance had a friendly yet competitive relationship.
But in her memory, he rarely reached out first.
Yet lately, he'd contacted her frequently for some unknown reason.
Just days earlier, before her journey to Hisui, Lance had messaged her seeking information about Team Galactic—though she'd ignored it, given the poor timing.
Now he was reaching out again.
Reluctant as she was, Cynthia felt she couldn't simply ignore him again.
After a moment, she responded with a single question mark.
Almost instantly, Lance replied—as if he'd been anxiously waiting for her response.
[Cynthia, a friend of mine was dragged into the Distortion World by Giratina.]
[Giratina is a legendary Pokémon from your Sinnoh region, so I wanted to ask if you have any relevant information.]
[If you do, please send it over—I'll personally make sure you're compensated fairly. Thank you.]
It was clear Lance was desperate; he'd skipped the usual formalities and gotten straight to the point.
Holding her phone, Cynthia's beautiful eyes grew distant.
It wasn't Lance's offer of compensation that caught her attention, but rather the mention of Giratina itself.
Giratina…
Seeing that name again filled Cynthia with nothing but bitter rage.
As a historian, she'd always maintained a neutral, objective view of legendary Pokémon.
But Giratina, the Renegade Pokémon, was the one legendary she'd love to destroy with her own hands.
If not for that vicious, cunning Pokémon, Elias would never have died.
At the same time, Cynthia remembered something equally important: Zoroark.
Lucario had returned home with her, but Elias's other Pokémon had been left behind in the Distortion World.
After hundreds of years, she wondered how that Pokémon had fared.
"I suppose it's about time to do something productive," Cynthia murmured, taking a deep breath.
She'd just realized she'd left many matters unattended.
Allowing herself to continue wallowing would only cause problems to pile up.
Resolved, Cynthia picked up her phone again, replying decisively:
[I'll compile the information on Giratina as soon as possible.]
[In exchange, I'd like a full account of your friend's encounter with Giratina.]
Sending the message, Cynthia slowly reached for the Poké Ball resting on her desk.
It was Lucario's ball.
Her gaze darkened slightly as she traced the hand-painted patterns on its surface.
Indeed, she still desperately wanted to exact revenge on Giratina.
Even if… it meant resorting to some unconventional methods.
---
Distortion World
"Gar...de...voir."
Inside the cabin, Gardevoir glared at the Zoroark seated across from her, teeth grinding in frustration.
After Elias had explained everything, Gardevoir finally understood.
The fox in front of her was the same as her, Latias, and Mew.
And the trainer Zoroark kept mentioning was, undoubtedly, Elias himself.
Gardevoir should have been used to this scenario by now—she'd certainly dealt with it enough times. She'd thought she'd built up at least some resistance.
But…
What really stung was realizing she'd personally brought Zoroark here.
She'd trusted the fox so completely at first, even believing she'd found a rare companion who could safely stay by her side.
But the reality was that this new rival was far more troublesome than Latias and Mew combined.
At least those two fools were weaker than her, hardly a threat even together.
And they weren't exactly bright, easy enough to fool with just a little effort.
But this newly-arrived Zoroark was different.
From their brief earlier encounter, Gardevoir had confirmed one worrying fact: she might not be able to defeat this Pokémon.
Moreover, Zoroark was clearly clever and calculating.
Gardevoir certainly didn't buy her "inability" to distinguish dreams from reality for one second.
"Elias, my head hurts."
Glancing at Gardevoir, Zoroark held her head with exaggerated distress, whining sweetly.
As expected, Elias's [Power of Viridian] promptly arrived, easing her discomfort.
"Feeling better now?" Elias asked gently.
Although Zoroark's expression didn't exactly convey genuine pain…
Well, there was no harm in releasing the soothing energy if she enjoyed it.
Yet seeing this interaction caused Gardevoir's delicate cheeks to redden with fury.
"Elias, my head hurts too!"
Puffing out her cheeks indignantly, Gardevoir declared.
She realized if she didn't act soon, her beautiful blue hair might turn permanently green from sheer jealousy.
Helplessly, Elias offered her some energy as well.
But instead of calming her down, seeing that emerald glow resting on her own head made Gardevoir even angrier for some inexplicable reason.
"Elias, we've been in the Distortion World long enough."
"We should find a way out soon."
Gardevoir stepped back, regaining composure as she addressed Elias with righteous dignity.
Originally, she'd hoped to spend a little more private time alone with Elias.
Unfortunately, Zoroark's appearance had spoiled everything.
Now it seemed smarter to leave immediately and call in reinforcements—like Mew and the others.
That'll even the odds, Gardevoir thought shrewdly.
She glared meaningfully at Zoroark, a clear warning in her eyes.
---
If you've enjoyed this chapter, consider supporting the translator's efforts—hard work deserves recognition, after all.
Patreon: patreon.com/wisetl
(Legal note: the Patreon exists purely for voluntary support—with the added benefit of reading ahead.)
Powerstone Rewards:
Every 100 Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter.
100 ps = 1 chp • 200 ps = 2 chp • 300 ps = 3 chp …and so on.
Your support ensures more chapters, delivered faster. Simple, effective, elegant.
—Weiss Schnee