The sun dipped below the jagged peaks of the Mt. Tianheng range, painting the clouds in shades of bruised purple and fiery orange. Beneath this dramatic canopy, on a wide mountain path overlooking Liyue Harbor, a confrontation of historical proportions was taking place.
The air was heavy, thick with the ancient, suffocating pressure of the Adepti.
Three streaks of divine light had descended from the peaks of Jueyun Karst, piercing the mist. They did not arrive as humans, but in their true, majestic forms. Moon Carver, the golden-antlered stag; Mountain Shaper, the amber-hued elk; and Cloud Retainer, the elegant, white-and-azure crane whose reputation for mechanical genius was matched only by her legendary talkativeness.
They were met, however, not by a kneeling populace, but by the Liyue Qixing. Ningguang stood at the forefront, her golden dress shimmering in the twilight. Beside her were Keqing, Uncle Tian, and the half-adeptus Ganyu, who looked caught between her two worlds.
Moon Carver's voice boomed, vibrating the very stones of the mountain. "You dare intercept us? You, the Qixing, have overstepped your bounds. We received word of the Emperor's fall. Speak! Where are you hiding the Exuvia? And who is the architect of this regicide?"
Mountain Shaper let out a low, predatory rumble. "Is this a coup? Are you being treasonous and plotting to sweep away the old order with these... 'pocket monsters' you harbor?"
Cloud Retainer flapped her wings, creating a localized gale. "One is most displeased! According to the ancient contract, the Adepti are the guardians of Liyue! If the Emperor has been harmed, we shall take over the administration of the harbor ourselves and punish those responsible! We shall kick out all the Seven Stars who show such disrespect!"
The tension was a powder keg. One spark would turn Liyue's outskirts into a battlefield.
Keqing, never one to mince words, stepped forward. Her Luxio stood at her side, its blue sparks crackling. "The time of the Adepti has passed!" she declared, her voice ringing with absolute certainty. "As a member of the Qixing, I have accepted this truth. I suggest you immortals do the same! Liyue has entered a new era—an era governed by human contracts and the bonds of Pokémon!"
The Adepti fell silent for a heartbeat. Then, their collective fury surged.
"RUDE! INSOLENT!" Cloud Retainer shrieked. "ONE HAS NEVER HEARD SUCH BLASPHEMY!"
"Noisy, noisy, noisy..."
A calm, lazy voice drifted down from above. Everyone—Adepti and Qixing alike—looked up.
Hiroshi was floating in the air, leaning back as if resting on an invisible sofa. Beside him stood the massive, black-armored form of Zekrom. The great dragon's red eyes scanned the Adepti with a look of mild amusement.
"Manager," Zekrom's voice boomed, deep and resonant. "The mechanical crane is quite loud. Shall I discharge a bolt to dampen her spirits? Her elemental frequency is... irritating."
"Patience, Zekrom," Hiroshi said, yawning. "They just need a little time-out. They're stuck in the past, and my schedule doesn't have room for a civil war."
Hiroshi looked down at the Adepti. "Go make noise somewhere else. I have a tournament to run."
He gestured to the three figures floating behind him: Jirachi, the star-headed wishing beast; Meloetta, the songstress of the moon; and Cresselia, the goddess of dreams.
Three Legendary Pokémon. Two Tier-1 Gods and one Tier-3.
The "Pink Squad" of the Research Institute moved as one. As if their minds were a single entity, they channeled a massive torrent of Psychic energy. The sky turned a vibrant, glowing purple.
"Psychic Surge!" Hiroshi commanded softly.
A massive wave of spiritual power—solid as a physical wall—swept over the mountain.
"Ah?!"
"This power—!"
"ONE CANNOT RESIST—!"
Before the Adepti could even activate their divine arts, they were engulfed. In an instant, they weren't on the mountain anymore. They were "exiled"—teleported to a pocket dimension of Hiroshi's creation, a dark, silent starry void where they could argue with the constellations until they calmed down.
The Human Perspective
On the mountain path, silence returned, broken only by the chirping of crickets.
Keqing stared at the empty space where the gods had just stood. She looked up at Hiroshi, then at the trio of Mythical Pokémon. "Mr. Hiroshi... that was... efficient."
She paused, her sense of justice kicking in. "But please, have mercy! They are, after all, the protectors of Liyue's history. Please don't hurt them!"
Ningguang had already pulled out her Pokédex, calmly snapping a high-resolution photo of the Mythical Pokémon floating above them.
System Note: uploaded to the Group Chat.
"He showed mercy," Ningguang chuckled, looking at Hiroshi as he descended to the ground. "Banning them to a corner of space to reflect... it's better than a fight that would have leveled the Harbor."
Hiroshi shrugged, stretching his arms. "If we fought, it wouldn't end well for the scenery. I just gave them a room to cool off in. Now, you lot should return to Liyue. Arrange the security. Tomorrow, the first Pokémon Trainer Competition begins as scheduled!"
"Wait!" Ningguang called out as Hiroshi prepared to teleport. "I'm stopping by the Institute later to pick up my Beldum. I've officially registered for the tournament, you know."
Hiroshi stopped, glancing back with a smirk. "The Tianquan herself is entering? Don't cry if you lose in the first round."
"There is no rule saying I cannot participate," Ningguang replied, her eyes sparkling with ambition. "I am, after all, a favored one of the God of Rock. My strategy will be as solid as stone."
The View from the Research Institute
Back at the Pokémon Research Institute, Zhongli and Venti were watching the "exile" of the Adepti through a crystal ball monitor.
Zhongli's face twitched as he saw his old friends—Moon Carver, Mountain Shaper, and the talkative Cloud Retainer—get punted into a psychic void.
"Really... how rude," Zhongli murmured, though there was a hint of a smile on his face. "But the resonance of spiritual power between those three Mythical Pokémon... I suspect even the principles of the 'Sky Island' would tremble at such a display."
Venti giggled, taking a sip of his wine. "Hey, at least they'll have peace and quiet! Cloud Retainer can finally talk to someone who won't interrupt—the silence of the abyss!"
The Digital Eve of Battle
As night fell over Teyvat, the Elf Era official forum was in a state of absolute frenzy. The "Assassination Livestream" had been cut short, but Ningguang's photo of the Legendary Pokémon was currently the most-shared image in history.
[Group Chat: Customer VIPs]
Lumine (Traveler): "Ningguang, thanks for the photo! I'm saving this as my wallpaper. Those Mythical Pokémon are so cool!"
Dainsleif: "The fluctuation of power that just penetrated the sky... was that the cooperation of those three? Incredible."
Venti: "My assessment? SCARY! Don't make the Manager angry, kids!"
Tartaglia (Childe): "Finally! The competition is here! My Alolan Vulpix is going to be famous! I've been training her in the sub-zero temperatures of the Northland Bank's vault!"
Hu Tao: "Hahaha! Childe, you're just a warm-up! I have a full team now! My Garchomp will sweep your little fox back to Snezhnaya! Go to the auditorium early so you can watch me take the trophy!"
Jean: [Image: Knights of Favonius at Liyue Gate]. "The Knights have arrived via the Dvalin Special Express. Liyue, thank you for the hospitality."
Ningguang: "Welcome, Jean. A luxurious reception has been prepared at the Liuli Pavilion."
Beidou: "The Alcor has just docked! We're back from the sea! Time to show these landlubbers what the Southern Cross can do!"
Yoimiya: "I'm still on the ship with Sister Beidou! I've been looking at the registration numbers. Over 600,000 people in the first rule set?! The auditions are going to take months!"
Paimon: "But the second set—Unrestricted Combat—has less than a thousand! All the big names are there! The elimination rounds start tomorrow morning!"
The Messenger's Secret
Hiroshi, sitting in his office, saw Yoimiya's message. He thought about her mission to Inazuma. It had been a week since she started her journey of "preaching" the Pokémon Era to the Land of Eternity.
He decided to send her a private message.
Hiroshi: "Yoimiya, how's the progress with the ten eggs I gave you?"
Yoimiya: "Manager! It's going great! I found a few 'brave souls' among the crew and some Inazuman merchants who were passing through. They're so excited! One of them even says his egg is glowing!"
Hiroshi: "Good. Remember, those ten are the seeds. When you hit Narukami Island, you'll be the only one with a Pokédex and a Rotom. Use it wisely. If the Shogunate tries to seize your partners, don't forget the 'gift' I gave you."
Yoimiya: "You mean the Ursaluna? He's so big and scary, but he's actually a big softie! He's been helping the sailors lift heavy crates. I'll make sure he shows the Shogunate what 'Eternity' really looks like!"
Hiroshi smiled. He looked out the window at the gleaming lights of Liyue Harbor. The city was a powder keg of excitement. The death of a god had been overshadowed by the birth of a new dream.
"Zekrom," Hiroshi called out.
The dragon stepped forward, its armor clinking. "Yes, Manager?"
"Tomorrow morning, at the opening ceremony... I want you to give them a display of Fusion Bolt. Let them know that even if the Rock God is gone, Liyue is protected by something much more... 'electric'."
Zekrom let out a low rumble that sounded like a chuckle. "As you wish, Manager. The truth of the new era shall be written in lightning."
Hiroshi leaned back in his chair, his eyes reflecting the blue glow of his dragon's tail. The first Grand Tournament was about to begin. The fate of Teyvat was no longer in the hands of the Archons. It was in the hands of the Trainers.
"Liyue, Mondstadt... show me your ideals," he whispered.
Trainer Statistics (Eve of Tournament):
Total Registered (Rule Set 1): 642,901.
Total Registered (Rule Set 2): 984.
Prize Pool: 100,000,000 Mora + Mythical Items.
Lumine's Current Team:
Partner Cap Pikachu (Electric) - Lv. 25
Quilladin (Grass) - Lv. 22
Spiritomb (Ghost/Dark) - Lv. 26
Feebas (Water) - Lv. 15 (Holding Prism Scale)
Hu Tao's Current Team:
Garchomp (Dragon/Ground) - Lv. 32
Exeggutor (Alolan) (Grass/Dragon) - Lv. 28
Litwick (Ghost/Fire) - Lv. 18