Cynthia walked beside Elias, scanning the members of the Galaxy Team—and couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath.
At a glance, she recognized several familiar faces.
First and foremost was Kamado at the center. If she wasn't mistaken, this man had to be the ancestor of Professor Rowan.
That towering frame was hard to miss.
But while the bloodline was there, based on the things Kamado had done so far… he clearly had far less sense than Professor Rowan ever did.
Standing a few paces behind him was a sharply dressed woman with light blue hair.
The moment Cynthia saw her, she froze—and nearly reached for a Poké Ball.
It was simple:
—She looked exactly like Cyrus, the future leader of the modern-day Galaxy Team.
There was no mistaking it. This woman was undoubtedly his ancestor.
Just thinking about that madman of a leader made Cynthia's fingers twitch.
Maybe it's better to just stop this problem at the source…
But the thought quickly gave her pause.
She'd already had to denounce her own ancestor not long ago—and nothing had changed for her personally.
So if she did take out someone else's ancestor… would it turn out the same?
...
In the plaza center.
"Gentlemen, my Galaxy Team is not some band of thugs," Kamado said, arms crossed and voice booming.
"After these past few days of battles, I'm sure you've come to see—joining us isn't a bad thing. If you surrender now, we'll treat you as our own."
He had led his team all the way from Galar, cutting through wilderness and hardship.
In his eyes, the Pearl and Diamond Clans were no different from the common folk he'd brought along—meant to obey and fall in line.
As long as they listened, everything would fall into place, and he would build a grand civilization here in Hisui.
But neither of the clan leaders had any intention of playing along.
The Pearl Clan Chief gritted his teeth, ready to retort—but paused when he saw a figure approaching the edge of the field.
A slow, provocative smile spread across his face.
"If the Pearl Clan must compromise… fine."
"But the battles you've seen these past few days haven't involved our real fighters."
"We've brought them here today. If your Galaxy Team can still win—then sure, we'll do whatever you ask."
He thumped his chest, voice bold and fearless.
It was a gamble—staking the pride of the entire Pearl Clan on this moment.
But he believed firmly in one thing: with Elias's Zoroark and Lucario, no opponent stood a chance.
And if even Elias lost—then compromise was already inevitable. There'd be nothing left to defend.
"Hah! Fine by me," Kamado laughed.
"If you can beat us, the Galaxy Team won't force the Pearl Clan to join."
He clearly wasn't worried.
The Diamond Clan's leader, however, looked visibly unsettled—but quickly spoke up.
"The Diamond Clan will also send one fighter. Our terms are the same."
As he finished, he pressed a hand to his chest, as if suppressing a tightness there.
The Pearl Clan had a secret weapon.
They… did not.
Right now, sticking close and keeping pace was their best shot.
While the talks went on, Elias stepped into the center of the plaza.
"Chief."
He greeted the Pearl Clan Chief quietly.
"Elias, perfect timing," the Chief said, unable to hide the grin on his face.
He'd been holding back for days—and now, the moment had finally arrived.
If not for protocol, he'd have already declared the battle over.
"This is the Pearl Clan's chosen fighter."
"Kamado, are you still planning to fight personally?"
He pointed at Elias, his tone carrying just a hint of challenge.
He was counting on Kamado to take the bait.
"…Fighter?"
Kamado blinked.
Then, scanning Elias from head to toe, his expression shifted from surprise to something stranger.
From the Pearl Chief's earlier confidence, he'd expected a grizzled veteran.
But this? This was it?
Kamado tugged on the Poké Ball containing his Golem, then looked Elias dead in the eye.
"I won't bully you. I'll just send out this one Pokémon."
"If you can win, the deal still stands."
As he spoke, Kamado gave his Golem a firm pat, clearly brimming with confidence.
Elias exchanged a glance with Cynthia, and the look in both their eyes was identical:
Did we just meet an idiot?
That Golem of Kamado's, at best, barely brushed the edge of Elite Four-tier strength.
To pit it against Lucario or Zoroark—both at Champion-level—was nothing short of suicide.
The battle hadn't even begun, and the outcome was already decided.
"Very well."
"The Pokémon I'll be using… is her."
As he finished speaking, Elias tossed a Poké Ball into the air.
Thwump—
With a sharp hiss of pressure, the ball popped open, and Zoroark landed gracefully on the field.
Kamado blinked, startled—not because he didn't recognize a Poké Ball.
Quite the opposite.
It was precisely because some of his people had been working on Poké Ball prototypes that he was so shaken.
Hisui—a land still primitive in so many ways—had already caught up?
Then why hadn't they used them before?
A sense of unease crept into Kamado's heart.
And when he finally got a good look at the Pokémon Elias had sent out, his expression darkened further.
That foxlike Pokémon… he'd never seen anything like it before arriving in Hisui.
But just last night, three or four of them had leapt out from the shadows and attacked their camp.
It had taken serious effort to drive them away.
The incident had been troubling enough already—and now he was seeing one again, in the hands of his opponent.
"Is the Pearl Clan seriously sending this kind of underhanded Pokémon into battle?"
Kamado scowled, thinking back to those illusions from the previous night.
His Golem was terrible at dealing with foes like that.
Elias gave him a sidelong glance.
He hadn't even used Lucario, who had a clean four-times type advantage over Golem.
If anything, this was him showing mercy.
And yet the man still didn't appreciate it.
Still, Elias had promised Zoroark she could battle—so he wasn't about to make a switch.
Besides, thanks to Kamado's last remark, Zoroark was already seething with fury.
"Zoroark—vent your anger."
With that, Elias gave the order.