"Elias… You must—watch that girl closely!"
"Don't ever… fully trust her."
Even though Regigigas still spoke at his usual glacial pace, Elias could clearly hear the agitation in its voice.
It seemed he and Cynthia were right—Akari's connection to Arceus really did run deep.
"I know. I've been keeping an eye on her all these months," Elias replied to Regigigas.
Even for the sake of Zoroark and the others' safety, he would never simply let Akari go unsupervised.
Still…
"Do you have some kind of grudge against Arceus? You really don't seem to like it," Elias asked, curiosity getting the better of him.
Before, he hadn't known who Regigigas meant by "that llama…"
But after hearing Cynthia's descriptions of Arceus—and from Regigigas's own behavior—it was clear now that "the llama" was none other than the legendary creator itself: Arceus.
Naturally, he was curious what could have happened between the two.
As soon as Elias asked, Regigigas's massive form went stiff.
He could even see steam venting from its head, as if it were genuinely furious.
"My [Slow Start]… is all thanks to that blasted llama!"
Regigigas's booming voice echoed, finally giving Elias an answer.
And it gave Elias an even deeper sense of just how powerful Arceus really was.
After all, Regigigas was already immensely strong.
If not for [Slow Start], it might have been on par with that Giratina from before.
But even so, Arceus had managed to seal it here, a testament to its overwhelming might.
"Enough about that," Regigigas said after regaining some composure.
"Either way, you need to be careful—especially lately. Best not to go near Mount Coronet."
"That includes here, too. Don't come visit for the next couple years. Wouldn't want to attract Arceus's attention."
Despite its slow movements, Regigigas's mind was still sharp.
It quickly rattled off all the details Elias needed to be careful about.
"That's all… If you run into trouble… come find me…"
"Any of those three, I can handle. Just don't let…"
Regigigas sounded like it still wanted to say more.
But as if sensing something, the lights on its face flickered.
"That's it. Go on, get out of here."
"You're too conspicuous, staying here."
It was rare for Regigigas to actually hurry Elias along.
But just now, it had clearly sensed… something flash past the ruins outside.
And it didn't like the feeling one bit.
"All right, I understand," Elias said quietly.
But he kept turning over Regigigas's words in his mind.
That last part… hadn't Cogita said something similar?
He still hadn't quite figured out what it really meant.
"Zoroark, let's head back."
He gave Zoroark a pat.
Honestly, he was starting to regret bringing her with him.
After everything Regigigas had just said, she was visibly unsettled.
"Don't worry," he murmured, trying to reassure her as they walked.
"I'm nothing special—Arceus isn't going to pay attention to me."
"Mmm…"
---
[Not long after, almost as if to confirm Regigigas's warning—]
[The space-time rift over Mount Coronet grew even wider, plunging Hisui into a new wave of anxiety.]
"Elias, things are tense right now. You have to keep a close eye on those Zoroark," Irida said quietly across the table.
"I know, Chief… I mean, Miss Chief," Elias replied with a gentle smile.
That's right—just a month earlier, Irida had been elected as the new leader of the Pearl Clan.
Even though the previous chief had wanted Elias as his successor,
Elias was already stretched thin managing the Pearl Clan, smoothing things out between both clans and the Galaxy Team.
He just couldn't take on the chief's duties as well.
After being "persuaded" by Zoroark, Cynthia, and even Lucario's fists, the old chief had finally relented and called an open election.
Unsurprisingly, Irida won in a landslide and took over as chief.
The former chief himself had gone off to enjoy a well-earned retirement.
"Hey, stop calling me that!"
Irida's face turned a shade pinker at the new title.
She waved him off, then shot Elias a glare before continuing, a bit flustered,
"I'm not kidding around. This is important."
"With the space-time rift over Mount Coronet expanding again, and no clear explanation, people are starting to let their imaginations run wild."
Irida's expression hardened, and she pointed out the window.
"There are even rumors blaming the Zoroark—saying it's because you moved the whole pack here that disasters keep happening."
"If not for your reputation and Zoroark's good behavior, things would be much worse."
"So please, don't let anything go wrong."
Elias straightened his expression and nodded.
"Don't worry. I'll keep a much closer watch on the Zoroark."
In fact, it wasn't just the Pearl Clan—there were similar rumors among the Diamond Clan and the Galaxy Team.
But with no real explanation for the rift's growth, wild speculation was only natural.
It wasn't just the Zoroark getting blamed.
Some said it was all the fault of "that runaway" merchant, Volo.
There were all kinds of theories— but as long as nothing actually happened, it wouldn't get out of hand.
---
[That night, as usual, you worked until well after dark before finally heading home.]
[But something was off—the house was completely dark, not a single lamp lit, not even in Cogita's room.]
[This unusual silence made you frown, a sense of unease creeping over you.]
"Zoroark?"
"Cogita?"
Pushing open the door, Elias called out.
He swept the house with [Aura]—but found nothing amiss.
Just as he reached for the light—
Something cold and round tapped him gently on the head.
A Poké Ball.
He knew the sensation instantly.
But before he could react—
He felt the pull.
Just like a wild Pokémon, he was being drawn into the ball.
Elias: ?
---
T/N: HUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH??????????????