"The weather's gotten so awful."
By the window, Zoroark gazed at the cloud-choked sky, a vague irritation weighing on her chest.
Recently, the space-time rift atop Mount Coronet had widened even further.
All across the Hisui region, distortions in space and time were happening far more frequently than before.
All these strange phenomena—there was no doubt that something major was about to happen.
And for reasons no one quite understood, large numbers of Ghost-type Pokémon had begun appearing around both major clans and the Galaxy Team's outposts.
Rumors, once again, were spreading like wildfire.
"Elias, maybe we should have the clan move somewhere else for a while?"
After a moment's thought, Zoroark finally voiced her suggestion to Elias beside her.
With so many strange happenings lately, she was honestly starting to consider having Elias catch all the Zoroark himself.
At least that way...
At least, she thought, they could make sure none of the clan would go running off at such a critical time.
Elias was flipping through the latest research report Laventon had handed him.
When he caught the true meaning behind Zoroark's words, he paused mid-page.
He looked up.
Seeing her just as worried as he was, Elias quietly swallowed the words of comfort he'd prepared.
"The others probably wouldn't agree to it, would they?"
Elias's tone was unusually serious.
Zoroark's concerns weren't unfounded; he'd thought about this, too.
But getting the others to agree to relocate now—he just couldn't see it happening.
Zoroark narrowed her eyes a little.
If she could, she'd honestly use force to make it happen.
But from the look on Elias's face... it was clear he didn't approve of that approach.
Besides, moving now might only make things even more unstable.
"I'll try to think of something else," she murmured, ears drooping a little.
For now… things still seemed relatively under control.
---
[For several days, Zoroark seemed listless.]
[It worried you, too.]
[But one day, after returning from a patrol of the clan, she brought back something you didn't expect.]
"Elias, look—I found a piece of a ruin!"
Zoroark placed her find on the table.
Of course, she wasn't Cynthia—ordinary relics didn't interest her much.
But this one was different...
Under her careful observation, the material of this fragment seemed almost identical to the one Laventon had shown them previously.
And the missing corner from before? It looked like a near-perfect match for what she'd found.
Zoroark was clearly excited.
Elias picked up the fragment, studying it closely.
After reading the inscription, whatever words of comfort he'd prepared for Zoroark simply vanished.
Because, astonishingly, the text really did reference [Origin Ore].
"Where did you find this?" Elias asked, turning to Zoroark.
"By the lake. It was buried under the mud—water washed part of it out," she replied.
"Is it real?"
Zoroark's tail flicked, eyes bright with anticipation.
"I can't say for certain, but… the inscription really is about [Origin Ore]," Elias answered, looking troubled.
Something this important, buried by a lake?
Cynthia would probably lose her mind if she heard.
And honestly... the whole thing felt a little too convenient.
Almost as if it had been staged.
But considering the times, who would bother to fake something so worthless?
And only a handful of people even knew about [Origin Ore] to begin with, so the fragment was probably genuine.
"Cynthia's been up at Mount Coronet the past few days, keeping an eye on the rift."
"Let's have her check it out when she's back, all right?"
Just to be safe, Elias offered.
But Zoroark only agreed halfheartedly.
"Can't we… just take it to Professor Laventon first?"
She asked tentatively, her wide, watery eyes making Elias feel weak at the knees.
Knowing how anxious Zoroark was, Elias finally gave a helpless nod.
It wouldn't hurt to take it to Laventon first.
If it turned out to be fake, they'd only waste a couple days' research, nothing more.
It wasn't likely to cause any serious problems.
Seeing Elias agree, Zoroark brightened at once, pouncing into his arms with a happy little whine.
"Elias, you're the best."
That was Zoroark's highest praise.
Lucario, watching the whole scene unfold with cold eyes, didn't say a word.
He didn't know much about ruins, but he still felt Elias was making a bad call.
But, as Elias had said, it wasn't likely to cause any real trouble.
After a long moment's thought, he swallowed his objections and only gripped his bone club a little tighter.
As long as he was here, nothing would go wrong.
---
[Just as agreed, you delivered the relic to Professor Laventon the next day.]
[After examining the piece, he found it matched up almost perfectly with the original fragment.]
[So… it was most likely the real deal.]
[And according to Laventon, now that the inscription was complete, it might only be a few more days before the first prototype was ready.]
"Zoroark's luck has finally turned," Elias remarked on the way home.
Truth be told, her luck had never been great.
Back when she was still a little Zorua, she'd even get hit on the head by falling berries while walking under trees.
But this time, things really had changed.
"My luck's always been good," Zoroark muttered.
After all, she'd met Elias when she was young—that was a kind of luck no other Pokémon could claim...
It was why she'd never really complained about her own fortunes.
---
[Maybe it was the promise of an Origin Ball soon that gave Zoroark a newfound confidence.]
[After thinking it over, she decided the Zoroark clan should move first.]
[Though most of the others grumbled about the order, she was firm.]
"A week to get ready?"
After hearing Zoroark's plan, Elias nodded.
If she'd made up her mind, he wouldn't argue.
After all, Zoroark was the true leader of her clan.
Seeing Elias's approval, Zoroark smiled to herself.
This time, she was determined to show Elias she could help, too!
"I've picked the spot already—it's right on the Cobalt Coastlands."
Zoroark announced, clearly proud of her decision.
The scenery was nice, and it was far enough from human settlements to serve as a safe temporary home.
She was about to say more when the front door was suddenly flung open.
A blue figure darted into the house.
Glaceon.
Elias recognized the Pokémon—and judging by the ornaments, it belonged to Irida.
The poor thing was panting heavily, as if it had run the whole way here.
"What is it, Glaceon?"
Elias walked over and knelt down, curiosity in his voice.
As he gently stroked Glaceon's back, he noticed something stuck near her shoulder…
A letter, sealed in place.
---
T/N: i am changing the powerstone system why? idk fuck you
Every 100 Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter.
100ps = 1 chp
200ps = 2 chp
300ps = 3 chp
etc.