When Elias first saw the Plate beneath Spiritomb, he thought he was seeing things.
But after a closer look, he realized with shock—what lay under Spiritomb really was one of the elemental Plates that Regigigas had tasked him with finding.
And from the look of it… it was Ghost-type.
Recalling Cynthia's earlier confusion about how Spiritomb had separated from its [Keystone], everything suddenly began to make sense.
So… did Volo give that Plate to Spiritomb?
Elias frowned, the thought crossing his mind.
If that was true, then Volo's reason for targeting him… was it also tied to the Plates?
Was there someone else out there collecting them besides him?
While Elias was still thinking, the opposing Garchomp and the three other Pokémon had already moved to surround him.
Garchomp, in particular, locked eyes with the Lucario at Elias's side, an intense battle-hunger flickering in his gaze.
Before setting out, Volo had told him to finish this quickly.
But now that he'd seen Lucario in person… he wanted to test its strength properly.
From the way it fought during the tournament, this Lucario was clearly no ordinary Pokémon.
A dangerous aura pulsed steadily from Garchomp's body.
But Elias didn't seem the least bit rattled.
Because—
Even if the other side had four Pokémon, he had more than just Lucario and Zoroark with him.
With that in mind, Elias casually flicked his wrist.
Three Poké Balls soared into the air in quick succession.
Boom—!
With three simultaneous flashes of white light, Tornadus, Enamorus, and Garchomp appeared one after another, landing heavily in the clearing.
The original four-vs-two had now become four-vs-five.
Garchomp's confident sneer froze.
His savage expression faltered slightly, and his pale-yellow eyes narrowed.
Volo never said they'd have four Pokémon…
"Come on now," Elias said coolly, psychically restraining Spiritomb's body before it could flee, "let me take a closer look at that Plate under you."
...
Meanwhile, back at the camp.
Volo stood in an open space, silently staring toward the forest.
Just like he'd planned, public opinion had shifted quickly.
As expected, Elias had been pushed to the edge of the camp—and even faster than he'd hoped.
Before he acted, Volo had heard rumors that Elias was on good terms with the Pearl Clan Chief.
He'd been worried the Chief might try to protect him.
But it turned out… even that Chief couldn't stand firm in the face of public pressure.
Which was exactly why everything had gone so smoothly.
Volo smirked faintly.
If he had one lingering concern, it was that the Plate—the very [Spooky Plate]—was currently with Spiritomb.
This morning, Spiritomb hadn't been able to find its [Keystone], which he'd hidden the day before.
With no better option, he had loaned the [Spooky Plate] to Spiritomb as a temporary vessel.
Still… it should be fine.
With Garchomp watching it—and Lucario and Arcanine going along too—there was little to worry about.
All three were his trump cards.
And with Spiritomb now powered by the Plate, it was no pushover either.
Elias's Pokémon might be strong—but they were still outnumbered.
Taking the Plate back from him shouldn't be hard.
Volo had planned meticulously. He had no intention of appearing in person.
That way, even if the operation failed, he could still regroup and try again.
With that in mind, he slowly straightened his posture.
Just to be safe, it was time to leave the camp.
According to his plan, he and Garchomp would regroup elsewhere.
But then—
Crack—
A sound from behind made him freeze.
He stiffened, eyes snapping toward the noise.
When he saw who it was, he blinked in surprise.
"Planning to run away now, are you?"
Cynthia stepped calmly into view, her eyes cold as blades.
Elias had already told her about Volo.
To her, this supposed "ancestor" of hers meant nothing.
They were separated by countless generations.
And right now… Elias was her friend.
Volo was just a stranger—or worse, an enemy.
But the moment he saw her, Volo felt a jolt of confusion.
She looked… too familiar.
Not just in appearance—but in her bearing, her aura, even the way she carried herself.
If she were a stranger, this level of resemblance would be impossible.
His brows furrowed.
Then, as if struck by a sudden realization, he looked sharply at her.
"You… you're a direct descendant of the ancient Sinnoh people too? Are you from my clan?"
Until now, he'd believed he was the only surviving descendant of the ancient Sinnoh people in Hisui.
But after seeing her… he couldn't shake the feeling that they shared the same blood.
Otherwise, there was no way she could look this much like him.
Cynthia's eyes narrowed slightly.
Ancient Sinnoh people. There it was—the first key piece of intel.
She had come here for exactly this reason: to probe Volo and see what kind of information she could draw out.
And now? She'd struck gold.
From the side, Volo noticed her unfazed reaction and grew even more convinced of his guess.
Recalling the way she'd spoken to him earlier, he let out a cold laugh.
"Me? Running from guilt?"
"You're a descendant of the Sinnoh people too—you must know that the so-called 'almighty Sinnoh' the two clans worship… is a fraud, right?"
"The real Sinnoh god… isn't something those two imposters can even compare to."
His voice grew more impassioned as he spoke.
But at the same time, he was studying Cynthia's face carefully.
Even if she really was from the same lineage, there were still differences between direct and distant branches.
If she didn't even know who the true god of Sinnoh was, then there was no point in talking further.
But Cynthia only nodded lightly.
From what she'd gathered, the two clans had likely mistaken Palkia and Dialga for the almighty Sinnoh.
If Volo meant someone beyond the rulers of time and space, then there could only be one answer—
"You mean Arceus?"
She blinked at him, voice calm.
Modern archaeology had come a long way. Of course she knew that Arceus was the true creator deity.
Not to mention, she was a history enthusiast herself.
When Volo heard the name fall so casually from her lips, he froze like he'd seen a ghost.
"How do you know that?" he blurted out.
His family's records had never once written down Arceus's name.
He had spent years—decades—deciphering scraps of ruined stonework, piecing together fragments to finally unearth that name.
It had been one of his proudest discoveries.
And now… that name had just rolled effortlessly off the tongue of a girl who looked years younger than him?
Noticing his reaction, Cynthia seemed to understand everything.
She gave him a side glance and scoffed.
"Isn't that common knowledge? Aren't you supposed to be a direct descendant of the ancient Sinnoh people?"
"Don't tell me… you didn't know?"
Volo: "?"
He stared at Cynthia, mouth slightly open, mind spinning.
Buzzing.
Absolutely buzzing.
---
T/N: YESSSS CYNTHIA U GO GIRL