"Does anyone else have objections?"
With Akari conceding, Cyllene stood up, hands braced on the table, and addressed the other members present. Even she couldn't help the faint smile tugging at her lips.
She'd never felt quite so assertive as she did today.
Predictably, the other high-ranking members quickly waved their hands dismissively.
"No objections, none at all!"
"Akari's still young; she should stay safely in the village. Let's not worry about that Pokémon anymore!"
"Exactly…"
Their eager agreement echoed around the room.
They weren't fools—between a rising star and veteran trainers with proven strength, the choice was obvious.
Satisfied, Cyllene nodded contentedly, a feeling of unprecedented relief washing over her.
For once, a decision she'd made had passed without resistance.
...
By the time the meeting dispersed, it was already nearing dusk.
"Elias, are you planning to stay in Hisui permanently now?" Irida cautiously asked as they walked together.
She had known for a long time that Cynthia was also native to Hisui—except, Cynthia came from a Hisui several hundred years into the future, having traveled here by coincidence, much like Akari.
Now Cynthia had the means to return to her original era.
Irida felt a pang of regret at that, but she could understand. After all, Cynthia belonged to that distant future.
But yesterday, she learned that Elias had also started living in the future.
That revelation was completely unexpected, leaving Irida unsettled for the entire day. Finally, she decided she had to ask him clearly.
Had Elias come back to resume his life here as before?
Or was this simply a brief visit before returning to the future?
"Hm?" Elias blinked at her question, pausing briefly before replying honestly, "Staying permanently…probably not."
After all, aside from Irida and a few others, he wasn't particularly close to anyone else in Hisui.
Besides, the region's lack of infrastructure and conveniences paled in comparison to modern times. Even if he himself didn't mind, he knew Gardevoir and the others would struggle to adapt.
"I see…"
Hearing that, Irida lowered her head slightly, eyes dimming in disappointment.
It made sense—everyone had dreams of the future. Elias seemed genuinely content living there, too.
Returning to a primitive wilderness after experiencing such a comfortable life would surely feel unbearable.
Or perhaps…
She should simply feel grateful he'd specifically come back to visit her at all.
Unfortunately, she couldn't live for hundreds or thousands of years to meet him again in that future.
"Here, take this."
Pressing her lips together, Irida slipped the flute she always wore around her neck into Elias's hand.
Seeing this, Elias instinctively accepted the flute, then gave her a puzzled glance.
"When you return, play it occasionally," Irida said gently. "Who knows…maybe I'll hear its sound echoing through Hisui hundreds of years in the past."
Her tone was deliberately cheerful, yet her usual vibrancy was clearly missing.
Understanding dawned on Elias as he gripped the flute tightly, guessing what she was thinking.
He chuckled softly and reassured her:
"I may not live permanently in Hisui, but I'll definitely come back regularly—probably about as often as you used to visit me at Cogita's cabin."
"Besides… Don't you want to see the future yourself? To see what Hisui looks like several hundred years from now?"
As he spoke, Elias gestured toward Mew, who was enthusiastically darting about with a camera she'd found somewhere.
Ever since arriving, Mew had been tirelessly snapping photos. She'd even coaxed the retired clan leader into posing alongside her earlier.
Meanwhile, Irida stood frozen in shock. Carefully replaying Elias's words in her mind to confirm she'd heard correctly, she finally asked incredulously:
"Traveling through time…is that really something easy?"
In her imagination, such a feat required immense sacrifice and posed significant dangers, perhaps even costing one's life.
Yet Elias had made it sound as casual as borrowing a Magikarp from the neighboring clan.
Seeing her expression, Elias realized she'd misunderstood.
"Actually, it is easy," he clarified. "But there's a condition—you just have to befriend Dialga and Palkia first."
He said this so calmly, as though befriending legendary Pokémon were the simplest thing in the world.
Currently, Dialga and Palkia complied obediently with any of Elias's requests. Even if he traveled through time a hundred times a day, neither dragon would complain.
For him, it truly was simple.
Irida fell silent upon hearing this.
Her instincts told her that Elias's "easy" was a monumental feat most people couldn't achieve in a lifetime.
"Th-then…I want to see the modern era too!"
Remembering her earlier melancholy, Irida felt her cheeks heating up slightly from embarrassment. She cleared her throat softly and quickly made her request.
She'd heard Cynthia talk before about all sorts of incredible modern inventions: boxes called air-conditioners that blew cold air in summer, trains faster than a Wyrdeer, and even special places run by someone called Nurse Joy, who could instantly heal injured Pokémon.
She'd been curious about these things for a long time.
Although she still felt a bit anxious about the unknown, with Elias accompanying her, any lingering fear became insignificant.
She really wanted to see that future!
"Sure. Don't worry, I'll remember to bring you along next time," Elias agreed readily.
However, he still had a few things to handle in Hisui before returning to the modern era.
First and foremost was dealing with that troublesome Pokémon lurking nearby.
"Wait—you're going now?"
Irida glanced at the rapidly darkening sky, feeling somewhat uncertain. But as she looked at the Pokémon by Elias's side, she quietly retracted her earlier concern.
Right…it's probably that Pokémon who should be worried.
...
After bidding farewell to Irida and Cyllene and telling Cynthia to rest first, Elias finally set out with his Pokémon.
Though night had already fully descended, it hardly mattered to them.
The only consequence was—
"Mew!"
Mew clutched her camera, letting out a pitiful cry of distress.
With nightfall, her camera was useless. Any photos she took now would be nothing but noisy blurs of darkness.
---
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