An eerie silence filled the air following Darkrai's boastful remark.
After a prolonged moment, even Darkrai itself began to sense the awkwardness in the atmosphere.
Staring at Elias and the Pokémon surrounding him—none of whom had reacted in the slightest—Darkrai couldn't help but furrow its brow.
This human…does he seriously believe he can defeat me?
A sneer formed inwardly, and Darkrai almost laughed aloud at the absurdity of the idea.
Humans were truly naive.
Even ignoring its overwhelming type advantage, Darkrai was still a legendary Pokémon. Ordinary Pokémon couldn't even hope to match its strength.
Unless this human was precisely the kind of monstrous trainer with three unique abilities described by Regigigas, he wouldn't stand a chance.
And besides…
As if such a human could actually exist!
If one did, Darkrai would love nothing more than to see him.
As it chuckled derisively to itself, Darkrai suddenly felt a chilling presence from behind, as if shrouded in shadow.
Sensing the disturbance, it narrowed its eyes, guessing a foolish Pokémon had dared to sneak up on it.
"Who's there?"
Darkrai turned its head slowly, fully expecting to see a Ghost-type Pokémon behind it.
But when it finally glimpsed the figure clearly, its gaze met a pair of blood-red eyes framed by a sinister golden-plated mask.
Darkrai: ?!
...
A few moments later...
Darkrai lay limply on the ground, eyes vacant.
Elias calmly approached with Gardevoir and the others trailing leisurely behind.
Indeed, as it had predicted, neither Gardevoir nor Zoroark needed to lift a finger.
Giratina alone had thoroughly subdued the Nightmare Pokémon.
Seeing Elias's figure approaching, clarity finally returned to Darkrai's gaze, though disbelief quickly filled its expression.
Even among legendary Pokémon, Giratina, the ruler of the Distortion World, stood at the absolute pinnacle. Darkrai might never have met Giratina personally before, but it had certainly heard enough stories to recognize it instantly.
Yet it couldn't fathom why a Pokémon of such power would obediently follow a human's command.
Stopping in front of the fallen Darkrai, Elias looked down at it thoughtfully, then asked slowly:
"You're the one who's been attacking the Galaxy Team lately?"
When Elias first saw it was Darkrai, he'd felt puzzled. By nature, Darkrai wasn't known to initiate hostility toward humans. After all, it didn't need to physically harm people to induce nightmares.
Hearing Elias's question, Darkrai regained some composure.
Its gaze flicked briefly toward Gardevoir beside Elias, then to Zoroark lurking nearby. Finally, it recalled Giratina, who might still be hidden somewhere.
In such a situation, escaping was clearly impossible.
Sighing inwardly, Darkrai reluctantly gathered its thoughts and explained everything to Elias, though it glossed over Regigigas's name. After all, offending that giant would be no wiser than angering Giratina.
Listening to Darkrai's account, Elias's expression grew increasingly strange.
Beside him, Lucario, who had overheard everything, also wore a grim expression. Darkrai's plight brought back unpleasant memories of his own.
Elias quickly pieced together the situation: after his "death," Regigigas must have been forced to seek a new human partner. The selection criteria, however…
…Seemed suspiciously tailored to match Elias himself.
"As if anyone could meet those criteria," Lucario muttered darkly, shaking his head in sympathy for Darkrai.
Those absurd requirements were clearly made up on a whim by a reclusive Regigigas. Having traveled extensively through both ancient Hisui and modern regions, Lucario had never met another person who fulfilled all three of those ridiculous conditions.
Without Elias's timely return, Darkrai could search Hisui forever without success.
"How about this?" Elias suppressed a smile, addressing the defeated and disheartened Darkrai. "Tomorrow, I'll accompany you to meet that giant, and you can tell it you've found the perfect candidate."
"Of course," Elias quickly added, "only if you promise not to harass the Galaxy Team anymore."
Hearing this, Darkrai paused for just a heartbeat before its eyes gradually lit up.
It wasn't because it believed Elias actually met those impossible requirements—rather, Giratina's presence had given it newfound confidence.
Regigigas might be powerful, and certainly beyond Darkrai's own ability to handle. But compared to Giratina, Regigigas likely held little advantage.
After all, last time they'd met, that slow-moving giant had only managed to trap Darkrai because it had meticulously prepared an ambush.
Darkrai still had some reservations—mostly uncertainty regarding why Elias would seek out Regigigas—but ultimately it nodded decisively, accepting Elias's terms.
Watching Darkrai's reaction, Elias felt a surge of anticipation.
Strictly speaking, he wasn't even deceiving Regigigas.
After all, those ridiculous requirements were essentially based on Elias himself. It wasn't unreasonable for the original to turn up, was it?
He couldn't help but wonder what sort of expression Regigigas would make upon seeing him again.
...
That night, Elias returned to Jubilife Village with Darkrai in tow.
Cyllene had already arranged a room for Elias, so they settled in without delay. The room was spacious enough for Gardevoir and the others to comfortably fit as well—a fact that delighted the ever-unlucky Mew to no end.
Darkrai, however, was settled elsewhere. It simply didn't feel right to have the Nightmare Pokémon hovering around the bedroom.
"Mew, time to rest," Elias gently reminded Mew, who was still fiddling excitedly with her camera.
He couldn't quite understand her enthusiasm, considering the camera was nearly as big as her own body.
"Mew~ (Just a minute!)" she chirped back with a dismissive wave.
Already, she was eagerly anticipating tomorrow's meeting with Regigigas, intending to take countless photos of the legendary Pokémon.
Watching silently from behind, Gardevoir glanced discreetly at the camera's display, then turned away with a knowing smile.
Only one bar of battery left…excellent.
Given that foolish kitten's habit of leaving the camera powered on overnight, by morning it would surely be dead.