Cynthia's Ho.
After bringing Zoroark and Lucario back to his own place, Elias made a special trip over to Cynthia's house.
Since it was close to Cogita's, he'd be able to head back easily in a bit.
"Zoroark tribe going berserk for no reason?" Cynthia repeated, frowning in surprise at Elias's account.
"Are you sure?"
She eyed Elias skeptically, half suspecting he'd been duped by those wild Zoroark.
Elias shook his head. "I don't think they were lying. I was keeping tabs on them with [Aura] the whole ti—I could feel it."
Seeing how certain Elias was, Cynthia fell into thought.
She wasn't convinced for good reason—Pokémon rarely go mad without a cause. There's usually so external influence, whether another Pokémon or an environntal factor.
But Hisui's Zoroark were masters of illusions. Plus, their part-Ghost typing should make them immune to most external effects from other Pokémon.
She genuinely couldn't understand what could have driven an entire tribe to rampage.
"Could it be so environntal factor?" Elias asked from the side.
That was his best guess too, which was why he'd co to consult Cynthia—having his own Zoroark made him even more concerned.
"I doubt it," Cynthia said after a mont's thought, shaking her head.
"What could possibly change in the depths of the Alabaster Icelands? The snow's been there for millennia without much of anything changing."
"And… if anything had, the Pearl Clan would have been the first to notice, wouldn't they?"
She laid out her reasoning.
Without industrial equipnt, a place like the Icelands was almost immune to environntal disturbance.
With both possibilities ruled out, Elias and Cynthia fell silent, lost in thought.
After a while, Cynthia thought of the only sowhat plausible explanation left. She looked at Elias, her expression serious.
"It could also be… that a powerful Pokémon made a move against the Zoroark tribe."
"For sothing to overwhelm their type advantages, it'd have to be incredibly strong."
As far-fetched as it sounded, it was still more reasonable than any supernatural explanation.
After all, in a place like the Icelands—even Regigigas could lie dormant inside a mountain. Having so other powerhouse Pokémon there wasn't impossible.
"It's possible," Elias admitted, agreeing with her.
But even so, his worry didn't lessen in the slightest.
If there's really a Pokémon targeting Zoroark… will mine be affected, too?
He reached out to pat his Zoroark beside him.
Sensing Elias's unease, Zoroark, who'd been completely nonchalant, imdiately put on a pitiful face and snuggled into his arms in mock fear.
Seeing this, Cynthia narrowed her eyes.
I knew this fox wasn't as clueless as she lets on!
Clearing her throat, she fixed Elias with a pointed look. "Yours should be fine. Not just because of her own strength, but also thanks to that slab she's always carrying around—there's probably no Pokémon out there who could touch her."
She nodded at the Ghost-type Plate Zoroark had set aside.
Elias thought that over. It did make sense—unless Arceus itself descended, the Plate really was the best safeguard for Zoroark.
"If you're still worried, you could always ask Regigigas for sothing that wards against psychic attacks," Cynthia added after a mont's thought. "I'm sure he has sothing."
"I'll ask him next ti I see him," Elias replied, finally relaxing a bit.
Cynthia's reasoning was solid—Zoroark's defenses were more than adequate. He really was just overthinking things.
"No need to be so scared," Elias said, moving Zoroark from his waist and trying to soothe her.
Her breath was so hot against his skin that he felt a jolt all over.
Thwarted in her attempt at sympathy, Zoroark shot Cynthia a fierce glare.
Ruined everything!
Naturally, Cynthia was unfazed.
What kind of Pokémon clings to its Trainer all day, anyway? She just didn't want this fox getting too comfortable.
"Elias, I think I may have found a way back in the ruins recently," Cynthia suddenly brightened, rembering sothing. "It's just a few fragnts, but… at least it's a lead."
She pulled out so bits of stone from the ruins, speaking with a hint of nervousness.
For so reason, whenever she discussed going ho with Elias, she always felt inexplicably anxious.
Was she afraid he wouldn't want to return with her?
Or worried he'd misunderstand and think she didn't want to stay?
Either way, Cynthia could feel her heart pounding in her chest.
Elias glanced at the fragnts between her long fingers. The writing was obscure and hard to decipher.
But having grown up with Cogita, he could roughly guess the aning.
Sothing about… killing sothing?
But they were only fragnts; he couldn't be sure what.
Kill Arceus? Elias frowned. That didn't seem right.
Still, Cynthia had finally found a clue.
"Well… I hope you find a way back soon," Elias said, smiling gently at her. "When the ti cos, I'd like to go with you to see for myself."
---
Night
Alabaster Icelands
On the frozen lake, shadows flickered beneath the surface.
Oddly, the shadows would leap from one patch of ice to another—nothing like any fish Pokémon.
Sploosh—
As ripples spread across the lake, Giratina's iconic crimson eyes appeared beneath the ice.
Staring at the now-empty Zoroark den, it simred with frustration and helplessness.
Another failed counterattack.
The human chosen by Arceus… was far too powerful.
Not only had he easily quashed the chaos it had engineered, preventing Zoroark from resenting humans—
He'd even brokered cooperation between the two great clans and that outsider force.
As expected of the one Arceus chose… he really is sothing.
Giratina couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy.
If Volo had half that skill, it would have returned to the real world long ago.
And whether it was due to its recent actions stirring up the "llama" or not—
Giratina could clearly sense that traveling between the Distortion World and the mortal realm had beco much harder.
It was as if a thick barrier had been placed between the two worlds, making it nearly impossible for it to cross under its own power.
This can't go on!
It was sure it would find a way to break the stalemate.
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