The moment the words left her lips, Cynthia's heart was pounding like a drum.
She'd made up her mind.
After spending some time with Elias, she'd come to believe he wasn't one of those ultra-parochial Hisui natives. He didn't seem bound by strange superstitions either.
So… surely he wouldn't burn her at the stake as some sort of offering if he found out the truth.
Of course—
There was another, deeper reason.
She still hadn't given up hope. She needed to try one last time.
What if Elias… was like her? What if he came from the future too?
Hearing Cynthia's question, Elias blinked, momentarily caught off guard. He looked her up and down, eyes narrowing thoughtfully.
When she instinctively stepped back, nervous under his scrutiny, he finally cleared his throat and asked:
"You been hanging around with the Diamond Clan?"
"You start worshipping their almighty Sinnoh too?"
It was the most logical explanation he could come up with, given the strange question.
Like the Pearl Clan, the Diamond Clan also had their version of the almighty Sinnoh.
The only difference was, while the Pearl Clan's Sinnoh governed space, the Diamond Clan's ruled over time.
Because of that, the two clans had more than a few ideological clashes.
Sometimes the disagreements stayed verbal… but more often than not, fists did the talking.
Still, Elias had always wondered—since both clans had written records and oral traditions about Sinnoh…
Could it be that both stories were true?
Maybe there really were two of them?
Just then, Cynthia realized from Elias's face that he'd misunderstood.
She tugged gently at his sleeve, face unusually serious, and leaned in closer.
"I mean it," she said.
Even under the murderous glare Zoroark was shooting her from nearby, she stood her ground, refusing to let go.
Seeing the look in her eyes, Elias finally wiped the smirk from his face and grew serious too.
"You hear some kind of rumor?"
He kept his voice even.
Cynthia hesitated, her gaze flickering.
Then, after a brief internal struggle, she said softly:
"What if I told you… I came here from the future? Would you believe me?"
Her voice was so small it could barely be heard, like a kitten's mewl. Her fingers, still gripping his coat, had gone pale from how tightly she held on.
She was clearly terrified.
At this close range, Elias heard every word loud and clear.
And strangely… he didn't feel all that surprised.
Or rather—a part of him felt like this wasn't anything unusual.
As if… it was something he himself did regularly.
That's weird…
He shook the strange thought away and focused on what Cynthia had actually said.
From the future?
He hadn't thought much of it before, but now that she'd come out and said it…
He couldn't help recalling all the inconsistencies he'd noticed about her.
Like that beautifully-crafted Poké Ball.
He'd borrowed it once to take a look—the one she used for her Garchomp.
At a glance, it looked similar to the prototype he'd made. But the materials, the detailing, the overall craftsmanship—it was on another level.
Clearly, it came from a place with an advanced and well-established production process.
He'd assumed her homeland was just more technologically advanced than Hisui.
But if she really came from the future… that would explain a lot.
So it's really possible to travel through time?
Elias glanced instinctively at Zoroark standing beside him.
He wondered if there was a version of the future where people didn't carry old superstitions or prejudices against Pokémon like Zoroark.
While Elias was working through his thoughts, Cynthia was a nervous wreck.
Staring at his face, her heart hammered in her chest.
As a Champion, she hadn't felt this nervous in years.
Even regular battles rarely stirred this kind of anxiety in her.
But despite the tension, she didn't look away. She didn't run.
She kept her gaze locked on Elias, silently waiting for his answer.
Finally, he looked back at her.
"You believe me?" she asked.
Her voice was soft but steady. Her eyes studied his expression closely.
"Yeah. I do."
Elias nodded calmly.
Cynthia exhaled, a long breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
Just as she'd hoped—he hadn't panicked. He hadn't called her crazy.
That was more than enough.
After all, it wasn't easy to find someone in Hisui willing to explore ruins and delve into mysteries with her. She didn't want to lose that.
Still, part of her felt… disappointed.
Elias's reaction, his face—there was no trace of recognition. No flicker of shared understanding.
He was definitely native to Hisui.
If he'd also come from the future, no matter how composed he was, his reaction couldn't possibly have been this neutral…
"You want to know how I got here?"
She asked the question almost as a sigh.
She'd been holding it in for so long. If she didn't talk to someone soon, she felt like she might explode.
Elias gave a small nod.
"If you're willing… I'd also love to hear more about the future."
He was genuinely curious. Had humanity's views on Pokémon changed?
Had the world grown?
Back at Elias's tent, Cynthia shared everything—how she had ended up in Hisui, what she'd experienced, and what the world looked like in her time.
She described the future's basic shape: how humans and Pokémon had grown close, how misunderstanding and discrimination toward certain species had lessened over time.
That, more than anything, was what Elias cared about.
The tone of society had become more open. There were even cases of humans marrying Pokémon.
Some people had even chosen to become Pokémon themselves—as a Pokémon's Pokémon.
That part? That was Zoroark's favorite detail.
Seeing Elias deep in thought, Cynthia couldn't help but smile.
Life in Hisui hadn't been bad, exactly. The ruins here were plentiful, and she'd had more archaeological opportunities than ever before.
But still…
The loneliness never went away.
Especially at night, lying alone in her little wooden hut. No electricity. No tech. Just her and Garchomp for company.
And while Garchomp was her partner, a constant source of strength and comfort—he still couldn't speak to her in human language.
But now, having spoken to Elias—she felt a weight lift from her chest.
Finally, someone else knew her secret.
She didn't have to keep faking normalcy all the time, didn't have to worry about acting suspicious.
As for whether Elias would help her find a way back… she didn't expect it.
Time and space—those were dangerous forces, even to her.
And this was Hisui. For all she knew, meddling in time here might mean crossing paths with those two mythical Pokémon said to rule over it all…
It was better if Elias stayed clear.
Just as she was thinking that, she suddenly noticed—
Elias and Zoroark were both staring at her.
And their eyes were sparkling.