From Cynthia's perspective, Volo's plan really was quite decent.
If it had any real flaws, they were likely limited to just three:
His careless handling of the [Keystone].
His miscalculation of the Pokémon by Elias's side.
And now… his misplaced trust in her.
Fortunately, those three missteps were enough to unravel the entire thing.
After finishing the recording, Cynthia powered off the communicator and gave a dismissive wave.
"Alright, I should be heading back. Best of luck to you," she said to Volo.
Volo frowned. "What about the rest of the historical knowledge you promised to share?"
"Did I promise you that?" Cynthia blinked innocently.
Volo's expression darkened. He'd clearly been played.
But before he could speak, Cynthia added with a smile:
"Next time we meet, maybe I'll tell you more—"
"If there's a next time."
With a light laugh, she turned and walked off.
Her words made Volo freeze—then his expression shifted dramatically.
That wasn't a hint. That was a warning.
Something's gone wrong?
Volo wasn't worried about Cynthia repeating anything he'd told her. After all, without evidence, who would believe some random girl?
His thoughts immediately turned to the Pokémon he'd sent to deal with Elias.
Four Pokémon, and Garchomp's among them. There shouldn't be any problems…
With that, he turned to leave, making his way to the rendezvous point he'd set with Garchomp.
But right then—
A cloud of violet gas materialized in front of him without warning.
Sensing danger, Volo shut his eyes and jerked his head away.
But it was too late.
A blow, like being struck with a sledgehammer, slammed into his mind. His senses dulled instantly.
Before he could resist, everything went black.
Thud—
Volo collapsed to the ground—just as Elias approached, flanked by Lucario and Zoroark.
Behind them floated a very subdued and obedient Spiritomb.
It had only recently been captured by Volo and never really acknowledged him as its Trainer.
Now, after a single menacing grin from Zoroark, it had quietly surrendered.
"Alright. Whatever you did last night—do it again. Just use his body this time."
Elias pointed to Volo and gave the order coolly.
Spiritomb nodded rapidly, obedient as a Meowth in the tall grass.
Its Plate had been taken. It had no fight left in it.
And besides… it had plenty of resentment toward Volo, who'd subdued it with brute force.
This was payback. It wasn't about obedience—it was personal.
Under Spiritomb's control, Volo's limp body slowly rose to its feet.
...
Meanwhile, back at camp—
Irida sat in a wooden chair, one hand pressed to her forehead, visibly exhausted.
Around her, people had gathered in a tight circle.
Some of it was due to her status—but more than anything, they were here hoping she would identify Zoroark as the attacker.
It had taken her quite a while to piece her thoughts together.
And when she finally did… a series of question marks practically popped above her head.
Wait—what does getting attacked have to do with Elias's Zoroark?
"Hold on."
She waved her hand impatiently, cutting off the noisy chatter.
"Are you all confused? Zoroark didn't attack me."
Yes, she hated that fox—but she wasn't about to pin this on her out of nowhere.
"Wasn't Zoroark?" someone asked, surprised.
They were representatives from both clans, sent to hear her version of events.
As for who the culprit was—they'd already made up their minds.
In their view, there was only one Pokémon that could've pulled this off.
But now Irida was saying otherwise?
The things they'd prepared to say were suddenly stuck in their throats.
"If it wasn't Zoroark, then who was it?"
While everyone hesitated, the Pearl Clan Chief raised his brows, lips curving in a subtle smirk.
Then he spoke first.
"Well? If it wasn't Zoroark, who do you believe it was, Miss Irida?"
With the Chief taking the lead, the others quickly jumped in, nodding and echoing:
"Exactly. If it wasn't her, then who?"
It was obvious none of them believed her.
Irida groaned internally.
She knew it hadn't been Zoroark. That fox was practically glued to Elias, and clearly well-trained. There was no way she'd act on her own.
But the truth was… Irida didn't know who it was.
She hadn't even gotten a look—she'd been knocked out before she could turn around. She couldn't remember how she'd ended up there, or what happened in between.
Seeing Irida fumble for words, the Chief gave a slight nod to himself.
Just as Elias predicted.
Satisfied with the timing, he stepped forward again:
"Irida, I know your intentions are kind. But this isn't the time to let feelings cloud your judgment."
"If we don't drive out Zoroark now, Elias himself might be in danger someday."
That was all it took for the others' expressions to shift.
Right. Miss Irida was close with Elias. Of course she'd try to protect him.
With that realization, their confidence only grew.
"Miss Irida, we've lived in Hisui for decades. We know these Pokémon inside and out."
"Let me put it this way—when I was your age, I fought a Zoroark all night in the mountains!"
"The kind of illusion powers that attacked last night—there's no doubt it was her. I couldn't possibly mistake it."
One of the Pearl Clan elders thumped his chest confidently.
The others chimed in, all echoing the sentiment.
Irida glared daggers at the Chief.
If her head didn't feel like it was splitting open, she'd be the one throwing him out right now.
But the Chief didn't mind at all.
This was exactly what Elias had asked him to do.
The more convinced these people became, the harder the fall would be when the truth came out.
And once they knew they were wrong, no one would dare suspect Zoroark again.
Just as the group prepared to issue their final judgment—
Fwip—
The tent flap lifted abruptly.
"C-Chief… another one just went crazy. The way they acted—it was almost exactly like what happened to Miss Irida last night!"
The messenger was out of breath, but his words hit like a thunderclap.
The tent fell silent.
Showtime.
The Chief's eyes lit up with restrained excitement.
Still, he kept his expression calm as he nodded.
"I see."
Then he turned to the others.
"Maybe Zoroark snuck back in again. Why don't we go take a look?"
He smiled faintly as he asked.