Elias was walking alongside the Pearl Clan Chief, heading back toward the main tent.
The path was crowded—no surprise, considering the uproar "Irida" had caused last night. Anyone who wasn't awake by now would have to be deaf.
Murmured discussions buzzed all around them, but neither Elias nor Lucario paid them any mind.
However, Elias did notice sothing troubling: Zoroark's eyes were growing redder by the minute. Her claws shimred faintly with glints of sharp light, flickering in and out of sight.
She looked like she was on the verge of snapping.
Knowing her temperant, Elias's expression shifted.
Before she could lose control, he quietly pulled out her Poké Ball and returned her inside.
For the first ti, Elias found himself grateful he'd invented the Poké Ball in this era.
If Zoroark had gone berserk right here and now, things would've been far ssier.
Not long after putting Zoroark away, Elias arrived at the tent with the Chief.
Once there, he carefully set Irida down before taking a seat himself.
"What happened?"
The Chief's voice was low and grave as he gestured at Irida. His expression was unreadable—but clearly displeased.
Elias paused, then answered:
"Soone's trying to target Zoroark—or maybe even —and ca up with this thod to do it."
As he spoke, his gaze narrowed slightly.
Volo.
He'd seen him earlier on the way here, blending into the crowd, wearing an expression of distant thought. There hadn't been a single tell on his face.
But Lucario had confird it.
The Garchomp at Volo's side gave off the exact sa [Aura] as the one who had dumped Irida outside the camp last night.
That left no doubt. Volo was the culprit.
On the other side of the tent, the Chief—who knew Elias fairly well—froze for a mont.
For Elias to say this much ant he'd already locked in on soone.
Realizing that, the Chief exhaled slightly and asked:
"Do you need my help?"
"If it's soone from the Diamond Clan, I can talk to their leader for you. He wouldn't cover for them—not over sothing like this."
"No need." Elias shook his head.
"Just follow standard procedure and list as a suspect. Leave the rest to ."
Volo was thorough. Without Lucario's [Aura] detection, he wouldn't have left any trace behind.
Without solid evidence, pinning the cri on him now would be impossible.
Which was why—
Elias preferred to wait. To see what Volo's real goal was—and hit back, hard, when the ti ca.
---
[After finalizing a simple plan with the Chief, you left the tent.]
[According to that plan, you've now been officially expelled from the settlent.]
[Back at your own tent, you packed a few things, then headed out with Lucario.]
[Worth noting: there's an extra Poké Ball now among your belongings—Cynthia left her Garchomp with you, just in case things went sideways.]
Before departing, Elias released Zoroark from her Poké Ball.
She looked completely dejected—far more so than usual. Her expression was full of grievance, ears drooping low.
She wanted to be angry… but didn't dare.
It was the first ti Elias had ever forced her back into her ball—and it had been because of those damned humans.
Her opinion of the two clans had dropped straight into the negative.
"Zoroark, try to behave, okay?"
"Once we catch Spiritomb, the misunderstanding will clear up. Those rumors are only temporary."
Elias crouched down and comforted her gently.
Zoroark didn't respond right away.
She hung her head, deep in thought.
After a long silence…
"I understand," she murmured at last.
Elias let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Her nature was volatile—he'd been worried she'd spiral down a darker path.
"Let's go. Ti to catch a Spiritomb."
He patted her head and stood up.
As he turned away, Zoroark ran her tongue lightly across one of her sharp canines.
She wanted to try… a different thod.
---
[You left the tent. As expected, the Chief had already made the announcent.]
"You've been exiled?"
Just as Elias reached the camp entrance, Cogita walked up to him.
She furrowed her brows and asked in a languid tone.
"Temporarily. I still have to catch the real culprit, don't I?" Elias replied.
Cogita nodded thoughtfully.
Then her gaze drifted down his body—eyes flickering—arms crossed, voice casual:
"Hand over the little fox. I'll keep her for now. In exchange… I'll tell you where to find the real culprit."
There was a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Elias blinked in surprise.
He hadn't expected Cogita to be following the Spiritomb incident so closely—let alone be able to point him to its origin.
But her offer, as tempting as it sounded, was useless to him now.
He wasn't about to trade Zoroark away for a lead he didn't need.
Seeing that her bait had no effect, Cogita seed to catch on.
"You already knew soone was framing Zoroark?"
"You planned this?"
She took two steps back without thinking.
She certainly didn't rember raising Elias to be this clever.
She honestly couldn't even co up with the right word to describe this—this strategy of letting everyone fall for the trick, only to make them choke on their guilt later.
"…Fine. If you've got your own plan, I won't interfere."
With a sigh, Cogita waved dismissively.
Then she casually tossed two Poké Balls toward him.
"Tornadus and Enamorus—borrow them for now. Just in case you can't handle the culprit."
And with that, she turned and walked away.
---
[After accepting Cogita's aid, you continued out into the forest beyond the camp.]
"Elias, soone's watching us."
Lucario's ears twitched as he gave the quiet warning.
Elias nodded without changing expression.
He led his two Pokémon deeper into the trees.
If Volo's target really was him… then he'd show up soon enough.
Sure enough, after walking a while, the terrain gradually shifted—dense, chaotic undergrowth replacing clear paths.
Fwip—!
A sudden gust of wind—a projectile sliced through the air.
Lucario reacted instantly, leaping aside to avoid the attack.
Elias and Zoroark both turned sharply toward the sound.
The attacker… was another Lucario, whose thrown bone club had just missed its mark.
Beside it stood a Garchomp, an Arcanine, and—the one who had fled not long ago—Spiritomb.
There was no doubt now.
These were Volo's Pokémon.
"Raargh—!"
Garchomp let out a guttural roar. The pressure from its breath sent waves rippling across the forest floor.
Volo had ordered them to retrieve the Plate. And far from being reluctant, Garchomp looked eager.
He'd been itching for a fight with this Lucario for a while now.
As Garchomp's tail lashed side to side, Elias narrowed his eyes.
His attention fixed on the ground beneath Spiritomb.
That's… a Plate?
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