"What exactly happened?"
Steven hurried toward Latias, urgently pressing her for details.
Elias's death had haunted Steven for years—a shadow he'd never been able to escape.
He'd always wondered if things would've turned out differently had he accompanied Elias to the island that night. Perhaps Elias would never have been caught in such danger, and the tragedy of him perishing alongside Hunter J would never have come to pass.
Unfortunately…
Such wishful thinking was meaningless. Elias couldn't be revived, and he would never get another chance to set things right.
Yet now, Steven never expected to hear Elias's name again—least of all from Latias herself.
Given how deeply Latias cared for Elias, she certainly wouldn't joke about this.
That left only one possibility—she was telling the truth.
Seeing Steven's anxious expression, Latias raised her head proudly.
"I found Elias again! I picked him up in Saffron City, Kanto."
Latias was utterly convinced that it was her intense longing alone that had allowed Elias to return. Gardevoir and the others had nothing to do with it.
Though Steven still didn't quite understand the full situation, he realized now wasn't the time for lengthy explanations. Skipping further questions, he instead asked for more specifics about their current mission.
When he learned they would be confronting Giratina, Steven showed brief surprise—but only briefly. Compared to Lance, he actually had plenty of experience with this sort of situation. Back in Hoenn, he'd once led Devon Corporation in an attempt to capture Rayquaza. Though ultimately unsuccessful, he'd gained valuable experience.
"I understand. Rest assured, I'll do everything I can to help rescue Elias," Steven promised Latias sincerely.
Finally given a chance to reunite with his old friend, Steven felt a surge of excitement.
Then he glanced around, taking in the array of capture devices. Seeming to recall something, he walked toward Cynthia.
"It's been a long time," Steven spoke first, breaking Cynthia from her daze.
Turning to face him, Cynthia stared in slight surprise.
"What are you doing here?" she asked curiously.
Champions typically stayed within their own regions and rarely met. It had already surprised her when Lance arrived, but now even Steven had shown up.
"The person trapped in the Distortion World is my closest friend. I'm here to help."
Quickly regaining his composure, Steven resumed his usual gentle demeanor.
Cynthia nodded slightly.
"To earn the friendship of two Champions simultaneously—he must be someone truly remarkable," she remarked approvingly.
In the past few days, she'd focused so intensely on avenging Elias that she'd forgotten someone else had been trapped in the Distortion World as well.
Steven smiled softly at her praise.
"He is indeed remarkable—and very kind. You might find him interesting when you meet him, Miss Cynthia."
Remembering Elias's powerful psychic abilities, Steven figured someone like Cynthia, who regularly explored ruins, might be intrigued.
But…
"When he comes back, Elias owes me help with finding rare stones first using his psychic abilities. If you'd like to borrow him for something, you might have to make an appointment in advance."
Steven joked lightly, clearly in good spirits.
"Psychic abilities…" Cynthia quietly repeated, focusing on the key point Steven mentioned.
His words brought back memories of someone else who had once used psychic and aura powers to assist her in exploring ancient ruins.
A faint sadness dimmed her beautiful eyes.
Noticing Cynthia's sudden melancholy, Steven quickly realized he'd said something wrong and hastily shifted the subject back to business.
"Oh, right—Miss Cynthia, since we're dealing with Giratina, it might be best to strengthen our preparations further."
"If you don't mind, I'd like to bring in some additional Devon Corporation personnel and equipment," he suggested, carefully observing their surroundings.
At his proposal, Cynthia frowned slightly.
New equipment was beneficial, of course, but she preferred not to involve outsiders. It would complicate her control over the situation.
She was about to politely decline, but suddenly froze, her words caught in her throat.
It struck her abruptly that she didn't recognize the personnel currently calibrating the devices nearby. Even worse—the devices, originally aimed toward the Spear Pillar, were now pointed directly at her.
"Garchomp, [Dragon Breath]!"
"Lucario, [Aura Sphere]!"
Cynthia's expression darkened instantly, and without hesitation, she ordered her Pokémon to attack. Her instincts screamed something was very wrong.
Just as she feared, the supposed workers reacted immediately, pressing activation buttons simultaneously.
Beams enhanced with [Origin Ore] energy shot from the barrels, colliding mid-air with Garchomp and Lucario's attacks, neutralizing them instantly.
BOOM!
The resulting explosion thundered through the air, kicking up a fierce shockwave that spread outward.
Lucario and Garchomp exchanged wary glances, realizing something had gone terribly wrong. Nearby, Lance, Mew, and Latias also turned sharply toward the explosion in confusion.
An unexpected battle breaking out at such a crucial moment was anything but good news.
"Who are you people?" Cynthia demanded sharply, glaring furiously toward the enemy.
Her chest heaved in anger. Months of careful planning were now being disrupted by these unknown intruders.
Her fury burned so fiercely that she wanted nothing more than to unleash all her Pokémon and wipe these saboteurs from existence.
With their cover blown, the infiltrators dropped their disguises. From the corner emerged a muscular man, face hidden beneath a mask and headscarf.
As he removed the coverings, a familiar face met Cynthia's gaze.
"Cyrus…"
She ground out the name bitterly.
This bulky man was none other than Cyrus, leader of Team Galactic and the criminal mastermind who'd caused her endless headaches. Even before her journey to Hisui, he'd already been obsessively targeting Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina.
And now, during her distracted state after returning home, they'd seized the opportunity to infiltrate.
Cynthia deeply regretted not dealing decisively with Cyrus's ancestor, that woman named Cyllene, back in Hisui before returning to her own time.
"Thank you, Champion, for preparing all these lovely devices for us."
Cyrus's stiff face twisted into a disturbing, forced smile as he spoke coldly to Cynthia.