Paragon

Hisui Incursion [4]

PARAGON

Hisui Incursion Arc [4]

Chapter 56 : Alpha Pokémon

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To his credit, Kamado didn't flinch. However, a look of utter disbelief overtook Cyllene's face, and she recoiled. Ash had to stop himself from looking amused. He may have reacted the same way if he'd been in her shoes.

"The future..." Kamado rumbled.

Cyllene glanced over at him with a look of half incredulity, half scorn, as if bothered that Kamado seemed to be seriously considering the possibility. Nonetheless, she stayed quiet, deferring to her leader in this situation.

However, her reaction was telling. Her surprise meant this was her first time hearing it. Which meant Riley and Sabrina had both lied. Ash's blood ran slightly cold, but he kept his composure.

"Riley told me that you three had attempted a Guardian ritual gone wrong," Kamado said. "Sabrina said she couldn't remember anything just before falling from that hole." He grunted and shook his head. "And you say you're from the future. Three different stories. And yet, I sense that you are the one being truthful."

"Leader!" Cyllene said. "This is ridiculous! That couldn't possibly—"

"Couldn't it?" Kamado interrupted. "We know next to nothing about that rift. Who's to say it is not a gateway to other times? Think of their clothes. They looked like foreign nobility in that garb. Not to mention those metal rings around Miss Natsume's wrists."

Cyllene scowled but held her tongue.

"I'm the one telling the truth," Ash said. "I'm sorry. The other two must have said those things because they didn't want to rock the boat. It's like you said. We had no time to come up with a cover story. But we're not here to deceive you or hurt you in any way."

"Then why are you here?" Cyllene snapped. "Out with the truth. What reason would Guardians from the future have for meddling in our primitive affairs?" She crossed her leg.

Ash pursed his lips. Although Kamado looked on the confrontation neutrally, Cyllene leaned forward in challenge."

"One thing first," Ash said. "We're not all Guardians. Just Riley is a Guardian. Sabrina and I are just trainers."

Cyllene's eyes twitched but she let him continue.

"As for why we came to the past...I wish I knew. I don't know exactly what Riley said, but part of that is true. We didn't mean to come to the past."

"What was the ritual you attempted?" Kamado asked, his voice like iron dragged across stone. It was impossible to discern where he stood on the matter.

"There was no ritual. We used a Guardian artifact called a Time Flower which allows one to see into a memory of the past. We didn't know what memory the Time Flower contained, but before we knew it, we were falling out of the sky."

Despite his candor, Ash had no intention of mentioning Sir Aaron or the Plates. Sir Aaron was supposed to already be dead, so dropping his name would only cause confusion. Also Ash wasn't sure what his involvement in the recent Great War would mean for the Hisuians' attitude toward them. And then there was the concern about creating a potential time paradox if these people were to somehow learn that Sir Aaron was still alive. Ash wasn't sure on the specifics, but he'd seen enough movies as a kid to know the basics, and as fantastical as it sounded, he certainly wanted to touch base again with Riley before divulging too much about the future, even if they asked.