"What does it say after that?" Edward asked urgently, as though a bolt of lightning had flashed through his mind. His tone was filled with anxious anticipation. Cynthia didn't notice the urgency, and upon hearing his question, casually flipped through the book to help him check.
"After that... it says something like, the prince went around with the beautiful shoe, trying it on others. The wicked stepmother and stepsisters tried to squeeze into the shoe…" Cynthia read aloud.
Edward felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. He was now certain—this book, unearthed from the Hisui era, was telling the exact story of "Cinderella," a classic fairytale from his previous life.
The status of Cinderella as a timeless childhood tale needed no elaboration. But in the Pokémon world, Cinderella didn't exist. Edward had considered introducing such stories to this world before, but since he wasn't short on money, he never went through with it.
But now, here it was—a book from a time unimaginably far removed from his own, buried in the ruins of the Hisui era, containing the Cinderella story. The thought made his scalp tingle.
Why? How could this be possible? Edward simply couldn't wrap his head around it.
"Could there have been another transmigrator in the Hisui era?" he wondered aloud. After all, he was sure that the tale of Cinderella didn't originate in this world. If it now existed in such an ancient period, there were only two possibilities:
One, the person who originally compiled the story of Cinderella actually came from the Hisui era and somehow transmitted it to the world of his previous life. But this possibility was almost non-existent.
Cinderella was widely known in his previous life, but the story had been adapted many times. The French author Charles Perrault added the fairy godmother, pumpkin carriage, and glass slippers. The Brothers Grimm version, which was even more complete and popular, further refined the tale.
From Cynthia's summary, Edward could tell that this version matched the Grimm Brothers' telling.
So unless the Brothers Grimm themselves were transmigrators, it didn't make sense.
That left only the second possibility: someone who knew the story of Cinderella had transmigrated to the Hisui era and written it down. That was far more likely.
"But I didn't transmigrate to the Hisui era," Edward muttered to himself, puzzled. He had no memory of doing so, let alone writing a book there.
Which meant—someone else must have.
He suddenly turned his gaze toward Zoroark, who had been acting unusually quiet and serious since arriving at the ruins. The usually mischievous Pokémon was oddly solemn now—something Edward wasn't used to at all.
"Shizuka, do you remember this place?" Edward asked, a strange hypothesis forming in his mind.
Zoroark's name was Shizuka. And long ago, when Edward was a child, he had shared fairytales with a little white-haired girl—Cinderella, Snow White, and Lotus Lantern among them.
That girl had been his childhood playmate. She had long, snowy-white hair and delicate, adorable features.
Her name... was also Shizuka.
"?" Cynthia suddenly whipped her head around, staring at Edward in surprise. Had she just heard him say Shizuka? The same name as that high-ranking Galactic executive?
"I… It feels familiar, but I also don't really know," Zoroark muttered, visibly distressed, tugging at her hair in frustration.
Cynthia glanced at Zoroark, her guard easing slightly. Having identical names wasn't unusual in the Pokémon world—there had even been an actor once named Professor Oak.
Edward frowned at Zoroark. Maybe it was her, maybe it wasn't. After all, he had seen photos of Shizuka before—a white-haired, beautiful young girl. Zoroark, however, didn't have white hair, and their facial features weren't quite the same.
But if it wasn't her… then why had Cinderella appeared in such an ancient era?
Edward felt like he was standing in the middle of a thick fog—he could vaguely see the outlines of countless trees beyond, but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't make out what lay inside.
"Do you have any more pictures?" Edward asked Cynthia, hoping she might've captured other clues—perhaps something like a secret code hidden in the pages.
"There are a few more. The rest are still being photographed," Cynthia replied with a nod. She also gave Edward a brief summary of what else was written in the book.
As she spoke, Edward's expression grew even more tangled.
From Cynthia's awkward pronunciation, he could tell right away—the next story was Lotus Lantern.
That was a story Edward had shared with the white-haired little girl long ago.
And now, here it was again, in the ruins of the Hisui era.
Everything… everything pointed to one conclusion—Shizuka had traveled to the Hisui era.
But—
Edward scratched his head in frustration. He didn't recall any plotline like this in the Pokémon: Legends Arceus game. While Arceus was technically a side story, it had since been incorporated into the official canon—images of Professor Laventon could even be seen in the Naranja/Uva Academy in Scarlet and Violet.
So what had happened?
Edward cast a complicated look at the confused Zoroark beside him. If his guess was correct…
"…It's really strange, though," Cynthia said, voice filled with excitement. "I didn't expect the people of the Hisui era to be capable of writing such excellent stories. And they're so unique! This could provide incredible insights into the ancient history of our world!"
Edward's mouth twitched.
Wait, seriously?
You're treating Cinderella and Lotus Lantern as historical records?!
If someone in the past unearthed a copy of Journey to the West, would everyone run off to find the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit and beg the Dragon King for a weapon?
Edward didn't know whether to laugh or cry. But honestly, he had no way to explain this situation. Even if he told them he knew the stories, how was he supposed to explain how?
He'd done his research—stories like Cinderella didn't exist in this world. If they showed up now, it meant he was the origin, even if it was accidental.
So, he really couldn't explain.
Watching Cynthia excitedly geek out, Edward took a deep breath.
Let's just hope that in the future, the Sinnoh League doesn't start looking for Erlang Shen or the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. They're not going to find them. And don't expect to find a magic lotus lamp either.
Because if they did, the one who'd be most terrified… would be Edward.
"Sigh… What a mess." Edward pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on.
How exactly was he supposed to deal with all of this?
(End of Chapter)
" The Lotus Lantern ", also known as " Splitting the Mountain to Save Mother ", is one of the ancient Chinese myths and legends , and there are many different versions of drama and rap texts.