Elias's indifferent stance made the Pearl Clan Chief feel a tightness in his chest, but after a moment of reflection, he couldn't find a point to argue back on.
After all, Elias spent most of his time living in Cogita's cabin. He only came to stay in the village on rare, fixed occasions.
And even then...
The only reason he showed up at all was because the Chief had shamelessly negotiated it with Cogita years ago.
Otherwise, even those brief visits might've disappeared altogether.
Thinking about it that way, the attitudes of the two major clans really didn't carry much weight for Elias.
The only inconvenience might be in his usual shopping and foraging—those could become more troublesome.
With that thought, the Chief sighed.
"What about Miss Cogita, then? Did she agree to you keeping a Pokémon like that in the house?"
He pointed at Zoroark, clinging to a last sliver of hope.
"Cogita?"
At the question, Elias thought back.
Ever since he'd brought Zoroark home, Cogita hadn't exactly given him a green light—but she hadn't said anything against it, either.
More like… she just ignored it.
So… that probably counts as agreement, right?
Seeing Elias hesitate, the Chief's eyes lit up with renewed vigor.
He felt he'd found an opening.
"See? Since Cogita hasn't explicitly agreed, you still need to consider the rumors this could stir up."
"What if you end up kicked out? You and your Zoroark could always come live with the Pearl Clan, couldn't you?"
"I mean, you wouldn't want your fox to end up freezing or starving out in the wild, right?"
The Chief clapped his hands together, speaking to Elias with barely contained excitement.
His enthusiasm startled Zoroark, who reflexively pressed closer into Elias's chest.
To be fair, the Chief's words did carry some weight.
But before his voice had even faded, another voice rang out from outside the tent.
"I agree."
"If Elias wants to raise his own Pokémon, of course I support that."
Cogita stepped inside with a radiant smile.
The Chief's face darkened immediately, but Cogita ignored him. She walked right up to Elias—or more precisely, to Zoroark—and raised three fingers.
"But on the condition that this little fox follows three small rules."
Hearing that, Zoroark narrowed her eyes warily.
Her instincts were telling her this couldn't be good.
---
[Due to Cogita's unexpected entry, your conversation with the Chief is naturally interrupted.]
[At the same time, Cogita's words bring the Chief's carefully laid plan to an abrupt end.]
[What's more, Zoroark is visibly ruffled—because, unsurprisingly, Cogitai's rules are all aimed squarely at her.]
"No sleeping in the same bed? No following Elias around all day?"
"There's no way I'm following those stupid rules!"
Now out walking, Zoroark was fuming—finally giving voice to the outrage she hadn't dared to express earlier.
Elias walked beside her, arms full with the prize from the recent tournament, looking just as helpless.
Cogita's demands had all struck right at Zoroark's weak spots—clearly well thought out in advance.
Just as he was about to say something to comfort her, a familiar silhouette caught his eye in the distance.
"Volo?"
Elias squinted, recognizing the blond-haired figure—clearly not Cynthia, but the merchant from earlier.
He looked like he'd just returned from the wilds, his clothes dirty and a little tattered.
A quick aura check confirmed it—his coat had multiple tears, like he'd been attacked.
"Let's go around," Zoroark suggested coolly.
She clearly didn't care for Volo one bit.
Elias nodded slightly, though his mind was still turning… What was Volo doing out here at this time?
Even as a merchant, there was no reason to be out conducting business when both major clans had turned out to watch the tournament.
With Zoroark's warning in mind, Elias mentally flagged Volo as someone to watch closely.
On the other side—
After a full day of running around, Volo had no idea he'd already been marked as suspicious.
Back in his tent, he guzzled down water, his face alight with excitement.
Today had gone according to plan—he'd attempted to capture a Zoroark.
That's right. His scheme wasn't all that complicated: stir up public fear, pressure the clans to force Zoroark out of the settlement.
Then Elias would have no choice but to leave too—making it easier to strike.
Unfortunately… Zoroark turned out to be even rarer than he'd anticipated.
He'd searched high and low all day, combing through every possible habitat—and still hadn't found a single one.
It made him seriously question where Elias had managed to snatch his.
Not even when he'd trekked across mountains for that Gible egg had he felt this hopeless.
Still, it wasn't all bad. He had a backup plan.
Spiritomb.
This Pokémon had a lot in common with Zoroark.
Both specialized in mental attacks. Both were born of grudge and spirit.
The main difference? Spiritomb didn't have Zoroark's seductive allure.
Its grotesque form screamed ominous energy—and unlike Zoroark, whose aggression came from survival instincts, Spiritomb was malevolent for its own sake.
It thrived on evil.
If he hadn't failed to capture a Zoroark—and didn't genuinely need Spiritomb's abilities—Volo wouldn't have touched it with a ten-foot pole.
Capturing it had taken everything he had.
But in the end, after defeating it in battle and applying just enough threat and persuasion, he managed to barely subdue it.
"If only I had a Poké Ball…"
Thinking of the one Elias carried, Volo felt a wave of envy.
If he had one too, today's capture would've been much easier.
It would've also let him bring Spiritomb directly into camp, instead of leaving it to hide with Garchomp on the outskirts.
"Whew…"
He exhaled, regaining focus.
To him, as long as he could get the two Plates, all of this would be worth it.
Because—
His true ambition… was to capture the one said to have created everything:
The Great Sinnoh.
---
Night.
Elias wandered through the camp with Zoroark at his side. Irida followed close behind.
Even if he didn't care much about the clans' opinions, he was still happy to see Zoroark being accepted.
"Look, Elias—fox masks!"
Irida tugged at his sleeve, picking up a mask and slipping it onto her face.
The camp was full of little vendors and stalls. The all-white fox mask in her hands was one of their offerings.
---
ps: Couldn't find a fluffy fox, so had to settle for a soul-crunching Spiritomb instead. Gotta admit—they're kind of similar.