After a mont of hesitation, Cynthia decided—not to reveal she was from the future.
Though Elias seed kind and trustworthy for now, she couldn't be sure how others in this era would react if they found out.
Especially after witnessing Elias take down Tornadus so effortlessly.
Cynthia wasn't even confident Garchomp could truly protect her if things went wrong.
But even before that, there was sothing else weighing more heavily on her mind.
"Um… is there sowhere nearby that's habitable for people?"
She leaned in slightly, asking in a cautious, quiet voice.
The Alabaster Icelands were clearly no place for the average person to survive, so her top priority was to find a place suitable for shelter—
—before she ended up starving to death on this barren, frozen land without ever figuring out how to get ho.
Hearing her question, Elias paused mid-stroke while petting Zoroark.
"You're not from Hisui?"
He asked curiously.
In truth, he'd already suspected as much during their earlier conversation.
After all, in the Hisui region, the only human settlents were the Diamond Clan and the Pearl Clan.
And as it happened, Elias was fairly familiar with both—and the people in them.
But Cynthia? He had no recollection of ever seeing her before.
Not to ntion, her clothes weren't just strange in style—they didn't even fit properly.
All signs pointed to one thing: Cynthia had arrived in the Alabaster Icelands in a rush.
Faced with Elias's question, Cynthia could only brace herself and nod.
All she could do now was pray that he wasn't the type to reject outsiders.
Fortunately, Elias just gave an understanding nod, which made her quietly breathe a sigh of relief.
"If you haven't found a place to stay yet, you can co back with for now."
After a brief mont of thought, Elias offered the suggestion.
Cynthia didn't look very old.
Even if she had a powerful Garchomp with her, Elias didn't think she'd survive long if he just left her out here on her own.
Since he'd already helped her once, he didn't mind extending a hand again.
The only thing he wasn't sure about… was whether Cogita would be okay with him bringing a stranger ho.
On the other side, Cynthia blinked in surprise.
Seeing that Elias wasn't joking, she felt a flicker of temptation.
Normally, as a region's Champion, her pride would never allow her to just follow so random person ho.
But right now... she didn't really have the luxury to be picky.
"Is… is that really okay?"
She asked hesitantly.
It felt like her personality had shifted a little since her body shrank.
"It should be fine, as long as it's just for a short stay."
As a ntal image of Cogita glaring daggers at Irida popped into his head, Elias felt a little uncertain.
But before Cynthia could say anything more, Zoroark suddenly reached out and held his arm.
"Cogita."
The white fox spoke in a low voice.
Then, without waiting for a response, Zoroark's form shimred and shifted—taking on Irida's appearance once again.
Elias blinked in surprise, then quickly realized what was happening—Cogita must've gotten worried about him and sent Zoroark to check on things.
He couldn't help letting out a faint sigh.
Sure enough, Zoroark still can't fully relax around .
Beside him, Cynthia's thanks caught in her throat.
She'd just watched Zoroark transform into a human right before her eyes—and the whole process had left her amazed.
From her brief interactions with the white fox, she'd already started forming a guess about its species.
—It's probably the ancient variant of Zoroark.
Now, after seeing the illusion firsthand, she felt even more certain.
With her curiosity sowhat satisfied, Cynthia's urgency to return ho eased—just a little.
Maybe while I'm here, I could study the Pokémon of ancient Sinnoh?
---
anwhile, high above the Alabaster Icelands, Cogita rode on Enamorus's back.
Gazing down at the endless white expanse below, she felt a wave of dizziness.
This kind of brutal weather… Is Elias really okay?
"Can you find where Tornadus is?"
Biting her lip, she asked Enamorus.
It was the first ti she'd ever felt such intense frustration toward one of the legendary Pokémon that controlled the forces of nature.
After years of living with Elias, after everything they'd gone through, she'd already co to see him as her only family.
If sothing happened to him… she didn't even want to imagine what her life would beco.
Below, Enamorus closed her eyes briefly in concentration.
Then she opened them again and pointed toward a nearby mountain.
Cogita understood imdiately—Tornadus was over there.
Enamorus picked up speed, gliding swiftly through the wind, and soon they reached a shattered, icy lake.
What greeted them was a battlefield.
The ice was smashed apart, the surrounding snow disturbed in chaotic swirls—it looked like a fierce battle had just taken place.
Snow, frozen soil, shards of stone… everything had been churned and thrown about.
Cogita could still make out several footprints that the blizzard hadn't fully buried.
In that instant, her heart nearly stopped.
Elias and Tornadus ca into direct contact—
—and that was just about the worst-case scenario she could imagine.
Humans, when caught near powerful Pokémon, were often as fragile as paper. One misstep could an instant, catastrophic injury.
Let alone Tornadus—who had clearly been in a berserk state.
"Enamorus, can you… can you tell where they went?"
Her face had gone pale, her voice trembling.
She deeply regretted not insisting that Elias catch a strong Pokémon to keep by his side sooner.
If only he'd had one with him, she thought, I wouldn't be this worried.
If sothing happened to him, at least he'd have so ans of protecting himself.
Next to her, Enamorus gave her a slightly strange look.
Because from what she'd sensed… it seed like Tornadus had lost that fight.
There had been a sudden drop in Tornadus's aura—a sharp, staggering weakening that only ca from taking serious damage.
In contrast, the other presences had remained steady and calm.
With that in mind, Enamorus summoned a gust of wind to lift Cogita and flew swiftly in the direction of the surviving auras.
Not long after, they arrived at the entrance to a cave.
The mont Cogita saw the flicker of warm firelight glowing from within, she felt an imnse sense of relief.
Elias made it out alive… That alone was enough for her.
But she didn't let herself get too optimistic.
To survive an encounter with a legendary Pokémon, Cogita figured, he must've taken so serious hits.
He was probably sitting inside right now—injured, alone… maybe even crying in the dark.
As his guardian, it was her job to go in and comfort him properly.
With that thought, Cogita stepped into the cave.
---
[patreon/WiseTL]
User Comments
0 comments from readers