"You've all seen the rift in space-time at the summit of Mount Coronet, haven't you?"
With all the Zoroark gathered before him, Elias pointed to the distant sky as he spoke.
The Zoroark nodded in unison.
Living in the wild, they were more sensitive to changes in their environment than most.
That space-time rift—of course, they'd been watching it, too.
Scanning their faces, Elias nodded, satisfied.
"Lately, the rift's been expanding. It's not just you—humans in the settlements are on edge as well."
"That's why you all need to be especially careful now. Don't do anything that would frighten the humans, understand?"
Elias spoke patiently to the Zoroark, then gestured toward the direction of the Alabaster Icelands.
"After all… you don't want to go back there, do you?"
At his words, all the Zoroark's ears perked up in alarm.
Quite a few of them even shot wary glances at the more mischievous members of their group.
The warning couldn't have been clearer.
Leaving their current home, or leaving Elias's side—neither was something the Zoroark could accept.
Elias didn't need to say more; they'd keep a close watch on one another.
---
[After reminding the Zoroark, you sought out the Tornadus that also lived here.]
[Once you explained the situation and received its promise, you prepared to leave.]
[But just as you were about to go, the Zoroark gathered around you in an oddly orderly fashion—as if they'd planned it out in advance.]
"Elias, the rift in space-time seems really scary…"
"Yeah, I bet it's dangerous for Zoroark, too."
"This place doesn't feel very safe anymore…"
The Zoroark's big, watery eyes all turned to Elias, each one chiming in.
Standing off to the side, Elias's own Zoroark watched her kin with a steadily darkening glare.
She could already guess what they'd say next.
"Elias, maybe you could catch us and take us with you, just for now?"
"When the rift stabilizes, we promise we'll come right back."
Sure enough, their true motive was laid bare with those words.
---
[In the end, thanks to your Zoroark's intimidating presence, not a single new member joined the household at Cogita's cabin.]
[Still, seeing how calm the Zoroark were, you breathed a sigh of relief.]
[With Tornadus also helping keep watch, you'd done everything possible to secure the place.]
[Meanwhile, the situation in both the Pearl Clan and the Galaxy Team was growing steadily more stable.]
[With Irida's help, rumors about the Zoroark had nearly vanished from the clan.]
[And within the Galaxy Team, Kamado's remaining followers had been thoroughly suppressed, stripped of all former influence.]
[After nearly a year of hard work, you were finally seeing results.]
"What do you think? Jubilife Village is coming along nicely, isn't it?"
Walking along the narrow path, Cyllene smiled as she addressed Elias.
"Mhm. It really is."
Elias glanced around, approving.
Thanks to the Galaxy Team's travels, Jubilife Village's buildings had all developed unique styles, with orderly, well-planned districts.
It wasn't fully built yet, but even in its current state, the place already looked busier than the Pearl Clan's settlement.
The thought crossed Elias's mind, Maybe I should help the Pearl Clan redesign their village sometime.
If he left it to Irida, he was sure it'd just get even more chaotic than before.
As he mused, a mouth full of sharp teeth suddenly nipped the side of his neck.
"Hiss—!"
A jolt ran through Elias's body. Turning his head, he found himself gazing into his Zoroark's big eyes.
Only, right now, those eyes were tinged with annoyance.
"Thinking about the Pearl Clan again?"
She fixed him with a pointed look.
Elias immediately understood her meaning.
She clearly wanted him to take a break for once.
"That can wait for the future. Don't worry."
He stroked her soft head, reassuring.
After all this work, he really did owe himself some rest.
---
[Following Cyllene, you headed into the Galaxy Team's headquarters and arrived at the laboratory where Professor Laventon usually worked.]
[Before entering, just as you'd done last time, you carefully set up a few Aura barriers—to prevent anyone from eavesdropping.]
[Inside, only Laventon was present, his expression unusually serious.]
"Commander, Elias."
Seeing Elias and Cyllene, Laventon set down what he was holding and waved in greeting.
"Professor Laventon, is the experiment not going well?"
Glancing at the table's equipment, Elias asked.
Laventon scratched his head. "It's not that it's not going well… It's just—some team members brought back a fragment of a ruin that mentions [Origin Ore]."
"But the inscription on the fragment is incomplete, and now I'm stuck trying to piece together the missing information."
He pointed to the stone shards on the table.
"If we could just complete it, we might actually be able to use [Origin Ore] to make Poké Balls."
After his explanation, Elias understood Laventon's frustration.
So close to success—anyone would feel agitated.
His Zoroark, too, puffed out her cheeks upon hearing this, clearly just as anxious.
Seeing this, Elias led Zoroark over to the fragments.
He carefully noted down everything inscribed on them, then said to Laventon,
"My friends and I explore ruins all the time. Maybe we'll find the missing piece."
"If we do, I'll bring it to you."
With Elias's promise, Laventon visibly relaxed.
Nearby, Zoroark watched their exchange, then turned and memorized the fragment's markings for herself.
…Even though she couldn't actually read any of the ancient writing.
---
[After checking on Laventon's progress, you politely declined Cyllene's invitation to stay.]
[You planned to head back to the Crimson Mirelands with Zoroark before dark.]
"Elias, if I get any ruin fragments from Cynthia, can I bring them to Professor Laventon next time?"
Walking along, Zoroark asked.
"You can—but you'll need Cynthia's permission first," Elias replied gently.
He understood exactly how Zoroark felt.
Sure enough, seeing him agree, Zoroark's face lit up with obvious delight.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Elias stopped in his tracks.
Just now, he'd felt a cold, sinister aura brush past nearby.
But when he looked again, there was nothing.
"Elias, what's wrong?"
Zoroark, too caught up in her excitement, hadn't noticed anything amiss.
"It's nothing."
In the end, Elias just shook his head.
It wasn't until Elias and Zoroark had left the area that—
From a droplet of water clinging to a leaf, a pair of crimson eyes slowly emerged.
Giratina had discovered… a little secret.