"Th-this…" The tour guide, who had just been shrieking like a startled Diglett, now stood dumbfounded as she stared at the hidden door before her. She looked completely bewildered—she had no idea such a door even existed.
Edward glanced at Zoroark, noticing that something was off about her expression. His heart began to beat faster. He didn't know exactly what he was anticipating, but he was certain—something important was about to happen.
"This place is…"
Zoroark stepped into the hidden chamber ahead. Edward followed close behind. A minute later, the guide finally snapped out of her daze and quickly contacted her superiors. Soon, a group of professional archaeologists arrived at the scene.
Edward entered the secret chamber.
After countless years of being sealed, the room was thick with a strange smell. Dust swirled through the air under the glow of their lights, like tiny ghosts whispering ancient stories.
The chamber wasn't large—on the contrary, it was quite small. Inside were some strange-looking items, and dried bloodstains could still be seen on the stone floor.
"Ahhh! Please don't touch anything!"
The guide's sharp cry made Edward's ears ache. He stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Zoroark.
She, however, seemed lost in thought, walking absentmindedly toward one spot—then suddenly plopped down.
"Miss, you... you…"
The guide was about to stop her, but hesitated. She couldn't bring herself to intervene. After all, Zoroark was the one who had discovered this hidden door—none of them had noticed anything unusual before she pointed it out.
"Let her be, Mary. Let her do what she needs to."
Two elderly men with white beards stepped into the room, eyes gleaming as they watched Zoroark. Upon hearing their words, the guide named Mary nodded and moved to stand beside them.
Edward kept his eyes on Zoroark.
He watched her reach down to pick up two iron shackles from the floor… then calmly slid her hands into them.
In an instant, a simple confinement device locked into place around her wrists.
Edward's pupils contracted.
"Liam! Look—there's a notebook here!"
One of the elderly men called out in surprise. Edward turned to look and saw a dust-covered notebook, its design surprisingly modern.
"Quick! Bring the scanner!"
Liam shouted. A group of assistants rushed over and carefully began photographing the notebook.
Meanwhile, Zoroark remained motionless. She just sat there, staring blankly at the shackles now binding her hands. No one could tell what she was thinking.
Edward moved closer.
The notebook's writing was in a strange language…
But then, to his astonishment—he realized he could read it.
…
[A Diary… Unsure of the Date]
[I locked myself in this place. I'm scared—scared that I'm no longer myself.]
[I dream, again and again, of becoming a bloodthirsty Pokémon… slaughtering everyone in the village.]
[Am I a Pokémon?]
[My memories are fading more and more. I can't remember who I was, what my name is, or where I came from.]
[ only know this: The Calamity must be contained.]
…
"The Calamity?! I never imagined this chamber was used to imprison the Calamity!"
Liam exclaimed in shock. But soon, all eyes in the room turned to Zoroark.
The room wasn't large, and the only confinement area… was where she now sat.
"Why is the writing in the League's official standard script?"
Another elder furrowed his brow. If they hadn't tested the notebook with modern scanners and confirmed that it indeed dated back to the Hisui era, they would've thought this was just some kind of prank.
And the most perplexing thing—why did this girl know about all of this?
"Miss, would you be willing to stay for further—"
One of the elders approached Zoroark eagerly. He didn't care about her appearance. What intrigued him was how she knew about this place—this chamber that even they didn't know existed.
"Apologies. Shizuka does not consent to being studied."
Edward stepped in front of her protectively.
"But if we could study this site properly, it would be a huge breakthrough in the history of Sinnoh!"
The elder's tone grew more agitated. He even pulled out his League-issued ID, trying to justify himself.
"I said: No research."
Edward's voice now carried a note of irritation.
The old man hesitated, then sighed and stepped aside.
He knew exactly who Edward was—a bearer of the League's Medal of Valor, the man who had just saved Sinnoh from a major crisis. If he didn't want this Pokémon to be studied, then no one in Sinnoh would dare go against his will.
"The Calamity… what exactly is it?"
Edward looked back at Zoroark. Her expression remained vacant. No response.
"The Calamity… was something we discovered while researching this facility."
Though still a bit annoyed, the elder began explaining seriously.
"According to our data, the Calamity is a legend—a vengeful specter who slaughtered an entire village, leaving no survivors. In hidden corners of the ruins, we found fragments of writing that said things like:
'The Calamity is here!'
'It has returned for vengeance!'
'Don't kill me!'"
Liam added gravely:
"Based on our findings, it's likely that everyone in this ancient settlement died at the hands of the Calamity."
Edward's heart stirred.
He remembered something Zoroark had once told him—a girl who was pushed off a cliff, who turned into a Zoroark and began her path of revenge.
A vengeful specter… the Calamity…
Could it be… Shizuka?
He had only ever told Shizuka the stories of Cinderella, of the Lotus Lantern…
Edward clenched his fists.
Could it be that Shizuka didn't die in the explosion, but was instead thrown into the space-time turbulence, sent back to the ancient Hisui region?
There, she suffered countless trials, was pushed off a cliff, and became a Zoroark?
Then… why didn't Zoroark remember?
Ah. That's it.
Edward recalled the line in the notebook—written in the official Pokémon League script:
[My memories are fading more and more.]
His breath quickened.
Everything… everything now made sense.
Because Shizuka's memories had faded over time, she forgot her past—forgot who she was—and eventually came to believe she was just an ordinary Pokémon, living all the way to the present day.
"Can we translate the earlier entries now?!"
Edward asked urgently.
Liam exchanged glances with the other elder, then nodded.
(End of Chapter)