"That fast?"
Watching Zoroark return to the tent with a pleased look on her face, Elias raised a surprised eyebrow.
After he and Cynthia had agreed to let Zoroark decide Volo's punishment, she'd dashed off in high spirits.
Knowing her, Elias had expected it to take a while.
But barely ten minutes had passed—and Cynthia had only just left—when she returned.
"I had to hurry before anyone saw me…" Zoroark muttered with a trace of regret.
Her reputation had only just begun to recover—she didn't want to cast another shadow over it so soon.
After all... if something went wrong, it would be Elias who ended up shouldering the trouble.
"No worries. We can come up with another punishment tomorrow and carry it out in the open."
Elias smiled and pinched her soft cheek. Zoroark was being unusually well-behaved.
And as for Volo—there was no way he was escaping.
Before Zoroark got back, Lucario had volunteered to stand guard over the cage. Cynthia had also sent Garchomp to keep watch.
Two Pokémon guarding one man—what more could Volo ask for?
Zoroark nodded lightly.
Although... she felt her punishment hadn't exactly been gentle either.
There had been a lot of Machoke, after all...
Then again, she kind of regretted not tossing in a few big Sneasel too.
Shaking her head, she snuggled into Elias's chest and pursed her lips in faint dissatisfaction.
"Oh, by the way," Elias added, "we're heading back tomorrow, so help me pack up later, okay?"
The clans had been here long enough—from the start of the tournament until now.
With Zoroark's situation resolved and the matches long over, the Pearl and Diamond Clans were both preparing to return to their territories.
Naturally, Elias would be heading back to Cogita's cabin too.
Zoroark gave a small, obedient nod, letting go of her regret.
Not like this is my last chance, she thought. I'll just add a few more Pokémon to Volo's punishment tomorrow...
Later that night, you and your Pokémon—Zoroark and Lucario—finished packing everything into your backpacks.
It was well past midnight when the three of you finally drifted into a deep sleep.
Hisui's night was tranquil. Peaceful.
But what no one noticed... was the shadow slipping through the wash basins scattered across the camp.
Fast. Restless. Searching.
In no time, the shadow reached a shallow puddle in front of Elias's tent.
Ripples shimmered across the surface.
And from the water's depths... a pair of faintly red eyes emerged.
Emotionless, unblinking, locked onto the tent before them.
This was its target.
But as the seconds ticked by, the shadow didn't act.
Its eyes narrowed, as if weighing something.
Then, as though it had confirmed what it needed, the shadow slowly faded back into the puddle.
The surface stilled—quiet and mirror-smooth—leaving no trace it had ever been there.
Elsewhere in the camp clearing…
Lucario and Garchomp sat on either side of the cage, doing their best to ignore the noise behind them.
No surprise—the sounds Volo was making were downright miserable.
Lucario clenched his fists in mounting irritation and cast a glare toward Elias's tent.
What kind of illusion did that fox cook up?
How can it make a grown man scream like that?
He was already regretting volunteering for guard duty.
Thankfully, Lucario could block out sound using [Aura]—it was taxing, but better than enduring that racket.
By comparison… Garchomp had it way worse.
Lucario gave her a pitying glance—she was hunched over, using her claws to cover her ears as best she could.
Rustle—
Suddenly, an icy shiver crept up Lucario's spine.
His ears twitched upright. His fur bristled.
Instantly alert, he swept the area with his [Aura] sense.
But even as his [Aura] washed over every inch of the campgrounds… he found nothing.
Frowning, Lucario scratched at his head.
What was that just now?
He was certain it hadn't been his imagination.
And yet the surroundings remained perfectly normal.
He glanced at Garchomp, who returned his look with a puzzled tilt of her head. She hadn't sensed anything unusual either.
Still cautious, Lucario reached for his bone staff.
He adjusted the [Evolution Stone] that hung from his chest.
Trust your instincts.
Just as he prepared to scan the area again, a sudden glow flared from the puddle beside his foot.
Lucario immediately looked down—into a pair of eyes brimming with bloodlust.
The sheer savagery in that gaze stunned him.
And at that exact moment, a thick beam of searing orange light erupted from the puddle.
It arced sharply—racing toward Volo's cage.
[Hyper Beam].
The heat hit Lucario like a slap. He snapped to action, gathering Aura into a massive sphere at the tip of his bone and hurling it straight at the puddle.
Simultaneously, Garchomp sprang into motion.
She saw the incoming beam and stomped hard, leaping to shield the cage before it struck.
"Rrrah!"
With a low snarl, she drew in a breath and fired off a [Hyper Beam] of her own.
Boom!
The twin beams collided with an earth-shaking blast.
Even the ground trembled.
For a moment, the two attacks clashed midair—neither gaining ground.
Meanwhile, Lucario's bone hovered above the puddle, his [Aura Sphere] holding steady—trying to cut the [Hyper Beam] off at its source.
It nearly worked.
But whatever was hiding in the puddle seemed to snap.
Right before Lucario could push through, the enemy's [Hyper Beam] surged—tripling in size in an instant.
Lucario's eyes widened. He yanked his bone free and leapt back multiple times.
Without the [Aura Sphere] to buffer it, the [Hyper Beam] roared forward once more—headed straight for Garchomp.
This time, there was no clash. No balance of power.
The beam struck her squarely.
It didn't even slow down—just barreled forward, shattering the iron cage behind her like paper.
Then it kept going.
The orange beam tore through the forest like a wildfire, boring a burning path through trees and earth alike before it finally—finally—came to a halt.
The air reeked of scorched earth. Heatwaves shimmered in the breeze, brushing past Lucario's face.
He swallowed hard and looked back at the puddle.
Still now. Peaceful.
Even the water had evaporated into steam.
Where the beam had passed, there was nothing left but a deep, charred trench.
And as for Volo...
He—and the cage—were gone without a trace.
---
T/N: GARTCHOMP??????????????????? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO