In the middle of the night, Elias stirred in his sleep, a strange tickling sensation creeping along the side of his neck.
Half-asleep, he opened his eyes—and upon seeing the sight before him, his expression turned helpless.
The source of the sensation was none other than Zorua's fluffy tail.
But unlike last time, when only her tail had slipped out from the blanket, this time she'd completely reverted to her true form while fast asleep.
Under the moonlight, a small fox Pokémon—pure white, with a few blood-red streaks running through the ends of her fur—was curled peacefully atop the bedding.
From her throat came the occasional soft hum of someone deep in sleep, making her look utterly adorable.
Elias leaned in to get a closer look, curiosity sparkling in his eyes.
Until now, he'd only seen her true form from afar using his psychic ability. This was his first time seeing her so close.
Rubbing his palms together, Elias carefully extended a finger and brushed it against the floating tips of Zorua's fur.
The texture surprised him—so soft it felt like he was touching something somewhere between air and mist.
After toying with it for a bit and satisfying his curiosity, Elias quietly pulled the blanket up over her, tucking her in completely so no part of her was left exposed.
If he didn't, she'd probably panic again in the morning, worrying that she'd given herself away.
And this—this was what Elias found exasperating.
From the way Zorua normally acted, she clearly feared revealing her true identity in front of him.
But when they actually spent time together, she'd inevitably let her guard down and do something that gave herself away.
If he hadn't always pretended not to notice, she would've blown her cover a dozen times over by now.
Still…
If it were someone else, Zorua probably wouldn't have let herself get this close at all, would she?
---
[After tucking in Zorua, you soon drifted back to sleep.]
[By the time you woke again, the morning sun had just begun to rise, casting its light across the wild expanse of Hisui.]
[As usual, you opened the window to breathe in the fresh, earthy morning air.]
[Stretching lazily, you only then remembered—there was still someone else in your room.]
Worried about cold air getting in, Elias quickly shut the window again.
Then he turned to check the bedding where Zorua had been sleeping—only to find the blanket tossed aside, the bed completely empty.
Elias: Huh?
Where did she go?
Before he could figure it out, urgent knocking suddenly erupted from the door, followed by Cogita's furious voice:
"Elias! Why did Irida just come out of your room?!"
"Open the door! You'd better have a good explanation!"
Her voice came through gritted teeth.
Startled, Elias turned toward the door—and sure enough, "Irida" was standing there, back pressed tightly against the wooden frame, arms spread wide, her expression full of panic.
Putting the pieces together, Elias quickly understood what had happened.
Zorua must've tried to sneak out, only to be spotted by an early-rising Cogita—leading to a very awkward misunderstanding.
Just my luck... why'd she wake up so early today, of all days? Isn't she usually a late sleeper?
Meanwhile, Zorua's heart was pounding wildly against her ribs.
Actually, ever since she'd opened her eyes that morning, it had been racing non-stop.
It had been terrifying enough to wake up and find herself curled up in her true form beside Elias.
And just as she was trying to tiptoe out the door, still shaken... Cogita had caught her red-handed.
Disaster on top of disaster. Zorua felt like she was about to cry.
Then she noticed Elias walking toward her.
Instantly, her nerves hit their peak.
Did he see me while I was asleep?
But then…
Standing before her, Elias just gave a familiar, helpless smile and said, "Come on, let's go explain things to Cogita."
As he spoke, he reached out a hand, as if intending to pat her head.
Zorua ducked away quickly, but let out a silent sigh of relief.
Looks like he didn't see anything.
---
[Thanks to your calm intervention, Cogita managed to cool off—though just barely.]
[Even so, the way she looked at "Irida" was anything but friendly.]
"This kind of thing is not allowed to happen again. Do you hear me?"
Seated with arms crossed, Cogita's expression was icy.
It was only because she'd gotten up early that she'd caught this "Irida" sneaking out of Elias's room.
She didn't even want to think about how many times this might've happened before.
Just the thought of it made her chest tighten.
She'd raised Elias herself, after all… she hadn't even hugged him that much. And this "Irida"—how dare she?!
Seeing Cogita's fury, Elias could only smile apologetically and nod.
As he soothed her temper, he snuck a sideways glance at Irida's deeply aggrieved face—and couldn't help but feel a little amused.
Poor Irida. Taking the fall like this. She's probably going to think twice about sneaking over next time.
---
[After breakfast, you and Zorua left Cogita's cottage riding atop a Wyrdeer.]
[Along the way, Zorua kept her big, glistening eyes fixed on the scenery around her, taking it all in.]
[It was probably the first time she'd wandered the wilderness so casually, without the tension of survival weighing on her.]
[Worried she might get hungry, you even used your psychic powers to gather berries along the way to keep her fed.]
[By early afternoon, you reached the outer edge of the Alabaster Wastes.]
"Elias… and Irida?"
A Pearl Clan patrol member spotted them and blinked in surprise as he greeted them.
If he remembered correctly, hadn't Irida still been at the settlement earlier that morning?
"Good afternoon," Elias replied with a casual wave. "Irida and I are heading into the heart of the Alabaster Wastes for a bit. Don't let us disturb you."
Zorua's disguise was flawless—he had no concerns about being found out.
"Oh, right, sure," the patrol member nodded with sudden understanding.
Then, as if recalling something, his expression darkened slightly.
"There've been blizzards in the inner Wastes lately—some odd phenomena too. You two be careful."
"Got it. Thanks."
Elias nodded, undeterred.
A regular snowstorm wasn't enough to slow him down.
---
[After bidding the Pearl Clan patrol farewell, you continued onward—Zorua clinging nervously behind you.]
[Along the way, you noticed that many of the wild Pokémon seemed unusually restless, their energy levels running high.]
[Whatever was agitating them, it wasn't just the weather. Something else was in play.]
"When we get deeper in, stay close to me. Don't let the wind carry you off."
Elias's voice was steady as he looked back and gave Zorua a warning.
Zorua nodded quickly.
As she reached out to lightly grip the hem of his coat, her eyes flicked to the Poké Ball fastened at his hip.
She'd been with Elias long enough to understand what those strange spheres were for.
And strangely enough… she found herself wanting to go inside.