Although Hiroshi had turned off the live broadcast shortly after the "assassination" of Rex Lapis, the damage was already done. The scene of the divine dragon falling from the sky had been witnessed by hundreds of thousands of viewers across Teyvat. For a time, the official website forum of the Pokémon Era became a battlefield of speculation, rumors, and sheer chaos.
The "Teyvat Cheers" comment sections were scrolling so fast they were practically a blur.
[LiyueLoyalist]: "It has to be the Qixing! They've been wanting to take over Liyue forever! Morax was the only one in their way!"
[RockGodFan]: "Wait, what about that 'Manager Hiroshi'? He has a giant black dragon! My cousin saw the dragon roar right before the emperor fell! He's a foreign god trying to take over!"
[MondstadtBreeze]: "Listen, Liyue people, our Manager wouldn't do that. He's too busy selling us super cute Popplio and Rufflet. Why would he kill a dragon when he can just sell one?"
[ConspiracyNut]: "Don't you see? The Qixing and Hiroshi are in a 'honeymoon period' for the Trainer Competition. They conspired to kill the old order to make way for the new! It's a coup!"
Inside the Northland Bank, Tartaglia (Childe) stared at his Poké-Phone, his face a mask of confusion and frustration. He scrolled through the forums, his fingers twitching.
"Why is everything going sideways?" Childe muttered, his voice echoing in the empty hall.
According to his "contract" with Zhongli and the plan of the Fatui, the Traveler, Lumine, was supposed to be the "tool man." She was supposed to go to Jueyun Karst, seek out the Adepti with a forged Sigil of Permission, and stir up enough trouble for the Fatui to release Osial, the Overlord of the Vortex. This would force the Geo Archon to reveal himself.
But the plot was crooked. Lumine was staying in the city because Hiroshi had essentially given her a "free pass." The forum was blaming Hiroshi. And worst of all, the public was more interested in whether the Trainer Competition would be canceled than the fact that their god was dead.
"I just wanted to win that 'Child of Time' badge," Childe whispered, looking at his Alolan Vulpix resting on the desk. "I wanted to show the world my 'Permafrost' team on a stage with millions watching... and now the Manager is the prime suspect!"
The Researcher in the Institute
Unable to sit still, Childe rushed to the Pokémon Research Institute in the Lisha outskirts. He expected to find a city in mourning or a Manager in hiding. Instead, he found Zhongli.
The former Geo Archon was wearing a crisp white researcher's coat over his exquisite, gold-trimmed robes. He was standing at a heavy stone laboratory table, surrounded by floating glass containers. Inside one of them was the Overlord Spiritomb that Lumine had recently discovered.
Zhongli was currently using a specialized tool to isolate and observe one of the 108 souls that made up the ghost Pokémon. He seemed completely mesmerized by the way the purple wisp flickered with erratic emotions.
"Old man!" Childe shouted, slamming the door. "Are you even listening? The city is in a riot! The Adepti are coming down from the mountains to kill Hiroshi because the forums say he's the assassin!"
Zhongli didn't even look up. He adjusted a lens on his desk, his voice calm and resonant. "Oh? Not as planned? It doesn't matter. Hiroshi will handle it."
Childe staggered back. "Handle it?! The 'Cloud Retainer' is probably ready to level Liyue Harbor with a single gust, and you're here counting ghosts?"
"Fascinating," Zhongli murmured, ignoring Childe's outburst. "Eighty-nine of the souls are currently dormant, yet the remaining nineteen are exhibiting a collective 'manic' state. The life science of these Pokémon is a masterpiece of creation. I suspect the Creator—or the 'System' as Hiroshi calls it—built them as a balance of karmic energy."
"I'm talking to a wall," Childe groaned, his shoulders sagging. "Zhongli, if the competition is postponed indefinitely, I'm going to have a breakdown. Do you know how much I spent training my Vulpix? I even bought high-grade Energy Cubes from Xiangling!"
Zhongli finally looked up, a small, knowing smile playing on his lips. "Are you afraid you won't get your trophy, Harbinger? Be calm. Hiroshi is already doing something. Just wait and see."
Childe let out a frustrated huff. He looked at the "God in a white coat" and felt a strange sense of envy. He had signed a contract to disrupt a nation, but now he just wanted to be a Champion Trainer. "If Liyue falls into chaos and I don't get my Pseudo-Legendary Egg for winning... I'm going to demand a refund on the Gnosis contract!"
Zhongli chuckled. "Liyue is no longer just a city of stone and contracts. It is now a city of Pokémon. Even without the 'Rock God,' the Qixing have their Pokémon Guard. Nearly every officer has a Hisuian Growlithe. Give them time, and they would be able to conquer Osial themselves. My retirement... it was perhaps overdue."
The Immortal in the City
While Childe was losing his mind, Hiroshi was walking through the streets of Liyue. Beside him, Zekrom was partially phased out, a towering shadow that made the air hum with ozone.
"Manager," Zekrom's voice boomed in Hiroshi's mind. "The humans look at you with fear. Their 'ideals' are shifting toward suspicion. Should I reveal the truth with a bolt of lightning?"
"No, Zekrom," Hiroshi replied, waving to a group of children who were hiding behind a fruit stall with their Rattata. "Silence is the best answer for now. We have bigger fish to fry. We need the Adepti to accept the new era."
They arrived at Yujing Terrace, near the spot where the dragon had fallen. In a quiet corner, away from the Millelith cordons, sat Grandma Ping (Madame Ping). She was at her usual table, but instead of her tea set, she was meticulously examining a Space-Time Backpack and a Poké Ball.
Hiroshi stood before the table. "Morax is dead," he said simply.
Grandma Ping pushed up her reading glasses and squinted at him. A faint smile touched her weathered face. "I know it wasn't you, youngster. These days, the more I study these 'human' creations, the more I am amazed. The technology you bring... it feels like it has accumulated over twenty thousand years of history."
She gestured to the Gengar that suddenly materialized from her shadow, sticking its tongue out at Hiroshi. "This child... the space inside its belly is as vast as an Adeptus's abode. It is truly magical."
Hiroshi was surprised. He had expected to have to plead his case, but Grandma Ping was as calm as a mountain lake.
"I have been studying Yanfei's Pokémon," she continued. "They are like antiques that have come to life. You, who bring the light of the Pokémon Era to Teyvat... you would never settle for a mere seat among the Seven. Your sights are set much higher."
She reached into a small, ornate porcelain pot on her table and handed it to Hiroshi. It was the Serenitea Pot (Dust Song Pot) he had commissioned her to make.
"The interior space is ready for you to transform," she said softly. "As an old lady, consider this my respect for the founder of this era. Thank you for bringing some 'flavor' back into Liyue."
Hiroshi accepted the pot, feeling its spatial resonance. Gift acquired: Serenitea Pot (Masterwork Grade). "Thank you, Grandma Ping. I'll make sure it becomes a paradise for the Pokémon."
The Guardian at the Inn
Hiroshi's next stop was Wangshu Inn. He teleported to the high wooden balcony where the wind whistled through the eaves.
Xiao was standing there, his arms crossed, staring toward Liyue Harbor. Beside him stood a Blissey (Happy Egg). The Pokémon was leaning against Xiao's leg, its small hands glowing with a soft, healing light as it sensed the intense karmic pain and grief in the Yaksha's heart.
"Morax... I cannot imagine Liyue without its emperor," Xiao whispered, his voice cracking.
Blissey let out a soft "Happi~" and gently stroked Xiao's hair, her "Soft-Boiled" energy soothing his frayed nerves.
Hiroshi stepped forward. "I trust you, Xiao. But the other Adepti—Cloud Retainer, Mountain Shaper—they won't be so easy to convince. They're probably halfway here to 'cleans' the city."
Xiao turned his cold, amber eyes toward Hiroshi. "I know you didn't do it. My Pokémon... this 'Happy Egg'... she would sense it if your heart were full of such malice. But the others... they are prideful."
"This is simple," Hiroshi smirked, looking at the distant mountains. "If they want to 'liberate' Liyue, they'll have to get through me first. I'll beat them into submission if I have to, and then I'll show them the truth."
Xiao looked at the Manager, then at his Blissey. "You are arrogant, Hiroshi. But you have the strength to back it up. If a war breaks out, the Trainer Competition will be the first casualty."
Hiroshi's expression turned serious. "That's why I'm here. I need to borrow something from Zhongli's 'corpse' later—the Immortal Ancestor Law (Exuvia). I'm going to use it as a mythical resource. I need to create a protector for Liyue that even the Adepti can't ignore."
Hiroshi looked at his Pokédex. He was eyeing that "Rock God" resource greedily. He knew Zhongli wouldn't mind—the old man was too busy playing scientist. Lumine was running around doing errands, but Hiroshi was the one doing the heavy lifting for the "Rule of Man."
"Zekrom," Hiroshi called out. "Let's go to the city gates. The Adepti should be arriving right about... now."
The sky over Liyue darkened once more. Three streaks of divine light—crane, deer, and amber—were descending from the peaks of Jueyun Karst. The air grew cold with the pressure of the immortals.
Hiroshi stood at the main gate, a Poké Ball in one hand and the Serenitea Pot in the other.
"Alright, you ancient birds and mountain-shapers," Hiroshi muttered, a confident grin on his face. "Let's see how you handle a Zekrom and a Trainer who just wants to keep his tournament schedule."