Because of the overly modern clothes the two of them were wearing, the people coming and going in the village had already noticed them.
Those villagers in simple grass-woven outfits, all kinds of looks and temperaments, were gathering in small groups not far away, quietly pointing and whispering about Ash and Cynthia.
Their getup really was far too out of place in this ancient Hisui Region.
And precisely because of that, even if Ash and Cynthia wanted to ask these villagers something, the other side would probably just avoid them warily with guarded faces.
But that was fine—someone who could clear up their doubts had just arrived.
Cynthia gently lifted those eyes like golden glass, her gaze turning toward the wide-open door.
Two people walked out from inside.
The one in the lead looked like a man at first glance, but from the shapely figure you could tell she was a woman.
And following behind that woman was the first familiar face they'd seen since coming here—Professor Laventon.
"You're the ones who came from overseas, right?" the woman in the lead asked, her expression stern and her tone cold.
Cynthia nodded with a faint smile.
Ash, standing behind her, however, almost lost it a little. Even though he tried hard to rein it in, a slightly weird look still slipped onto his face.
Because… why did this woman's face look so much like Cyrus's?!
Could this be Cyrus's ancestor?!!
In truth, Cynthia's heart wasn't as calm as she appeared either.
She too had caught a shadow of that Cyrus in this woman's face, but now wasn't the time to show surprise.
Ash understood that as well, so right now he was practically using every ounce of willpower to keep his expression under control.
Facing the woman's question, Cynthia answered with a soft smile: "Yes, we came over from overseas to explore this bountiful land of Hisui."
The woman's eyes narrowed slightly, her gaze heavy as she looked at the two of them, as if she were trying to completely Detect them.
This excuse really did sound a bit like a one-size-fits-all line.
Add in those bizarre clothes on them, and no matter how you looked at it, there was a vague, inexplicable air of suspicion.
But Cynthia kept that smiling, carefree expression on her face the whole time, not giving away a single drop.
Ash simply hid behind Cynthia, not letting the woman see his expression clearly.
Like this, even though the woman had seen countless people, she still couldn't spot any obvious flaw on their faces for the moment.
Only after a long moment did she speak again.
"I've heard about you two. Aren't you… the ones who fell out of the time-space rift?"
"Time-space rift?"
A sharp light flashed through Cynthia's eyes, but she quickly put on a clueless, blank look like she knew nothing.
She raised a hand and pointed toward the distant Mount Coronet, at that massive crack like shattered glass.
"What is that thing, is it that?"
Just now, they still hadn't known what that rift actually was.
But just as Cynthia had predicted, the person who could answer their questions had come knocking of her own accord.
The other side suspected they'd fallen from that rift.
Which meant Professor Laventon had told this woman the whole story about the meteorite falling.
Looked at this way, that seemingly simple Professor Laventon didn't seem to be completely a ditzy sweetheart after all.
Rather, he'd already had his doubts in his heart, yet still chose to show them goodwill.
"That's right."
The woman spoke slowly, seemingly acknowledging Cynthia's guess.
"You don't need to dodge around it, because you're not the first people to fall from that rift."
"We already have someone in Team Galactic right now who fell from that rift."
"It's just that after he fell, he lost most of his memories."
"But he didn't forget his own name, and now he's living properly within Team Galactic."
Cynthia and Ash both felt their hearts jolt at those words.
Someone else had fallen from that time-space rift?
And even lost his memory?
Cynthia steadied herself and asked, "Excuse me, where is this person who fell, and would it be possible to take us to see him?"
As soon as she said that, she added quickly, as if worried the woman might misunderstand: "Ah, don't get the wrong idea. We really are Trainers from overseas, and we haven't lost our memories."
"We're just a little curious about the person who fell from the time-space rift, that's all."
The woman neither affirmed nor denied Cynthia's explanation.
Whether she believed Cynthia or not, she had no way to bring them to meet that person.
Because…
"That person isn't here right now; he's helping the Pearl Clan guard their grounds."
"He's currently a Warden of the Pearl Clan, standing watch over the Coronet Highlands."
"Warden?"
For Cynthia and Ash, this was yet another brand-new term.
If at the beginning, their goal in coming here had still been purely to find a way home…
Then now, they'd already started to feel a strong curiosity about this unfamiliar era.
The ancient world really was different.
So many things completely unlike the modern day—it made you itch to investigate everything.
Cynthia wanted to keep asking more.
But the woman abruptly cut the conversation off at this point.
"That's enough question-and-answer."
Her tone turned cold again.
"Now it's my turn to ask you something."
"From Professor Laventon, I've learned that you possess special talents when it comes to Pokemon."
"Now, in my capacity as the leader of Team Galactic, I'm formally asking you: are you willing to serve Team Galactic?"