Who… who is it?
Inside the fold of fabric, Zorua's eyes widened as she stared into the pitch black, stunned.
The pain she had braced for never came. Someone had saved her.
But…
Why would anyone still come to save me?
The only person who had ever cared—she had already driven him away with her own hands...
No—!
As her awareness cleared, Zorua suddenly caught the scent—faint but unmistakable.
Even without being able to see a thing, she knew it by heart.
That warm, slightly grassy scent belonged to Elias, and Elias alone.
Realizing this, the joy that had flickered to life from being rescued was quickly snuffed out.
If there was one person she didn't want to be here right now, it was him.
...
On the snow-covered battlefield…
Elias flexed his numb arms, hissing slightly from the sting.
Scizor's [Bullet Punch] had landed just under a meter from Zorua.
In that instant, he had no choice but to teleport in front of her, using both psychic power and his own arm to block the blow.
Fortunately, the Scizor hadn't been particularly strong. Elias took only minor damage.
"Looks like I really do need a stronger Pokémon," he muttered, frowning.
Zorua had immense potential, but she was still a juvenile.
As a psychic, he was far beyond the average human in ability, but when compared to high-level Pokémon, there was still a gap.
Especially now, with Haxorus, Electivire, and other fearsome Pokémon beginning to converge around them.
Elias held Zorua tighter, wariness flaring in his eyes.
His clash with Scizor had already drawn the attention of these rampaging Pokémon.
Getting out of here quietly was going to be difficult.
Just then, he felt a twitch against his chest—Zorua wriggling inside his coat.
He loosened the fabric.
Sure enough, a fluffy little fox head poked up through the collar.
Zorua's eyes lit up in brief surprise when she saw Elias.
But just as quickly, her expression turned cold and sharp.
"What are you doing here?" she snapped.
She didn't want to see him—not just because she'd already resolved to leave.
The real reason…
The weather had turned. The snow was getting heavier by the minute.
For humans, staying out in these conditions was practically suicide.
Was Elias an idiot? What was he thinking coming here?!
Twisting her body, she tried to squirm free—she needed to get him out of here.
But before she could get far, Elias gently pushed her back inside.
"Don't move," he said softly.
Zorua opened her mouth to retort—only for a deafening roar to cut her off, snapping her back to the present.
Right. This wasn't just a blizzard anymore.
These out-of-control Pokémon… they were the real danger.
Zorua froze, peeking up at Elias with wide, terrified eyes.
He had come into the danger zone—because of her.
Still, he could teleport. He'd be okay… right?
She could only hope.
As Zorua guessed, Elias was trying to use his psychic power to teleport them out.
But he quickly realized—
While entry into the distortion field was simple, exiting was another matter.
Within these unstable space-time zones, teleportation became highly unpredictable.
One wrong calculation, and he could end up taking Zorua somewhere even more dangerous.
"Don't move. When I run, hold on to me, tight."
As he whispered the warning, the surrounding Pokémon—who'd been seething with suppressed aggression—finally struck.
[Thunderbolt]. [Hydro Pump]. [Bullet Punch].
A flurry of attacks shot toward them all at once.
With no Pokémon of his own to defend with, Elias knew better than to take them head-on.
He twisted his body with precision, narrowly avoiding each incoming strike as he began moving toward the edge of the dome.
He had noticed earlier: these crazed Pokémon did not stray beyond the dome's boundary.
If he could just get past it with Zorua, they'd be safe.
Fortunately, their berserker rage made them reckless.
Elias was able to weave through the chaos, step by step.
Tucked against his chest, Zorua trembled violently.
But it wasn't the cold or fear for herself.
She was terrified—because every blast, every claw strike, passed just inches from Elias's body.
And she… couldn't do a thing to help him.
She bit down hard, heart aching with guilt and frustration.
She had underestimated how much Elias cared.
Even after the illusion she'd used to scare him off—even after everything—he still came for her.
Boom—!
Her thoughts were interrupted as another Scizor lunged toward them, gleaming claws raised high.
Elias didn't panic.
Dodging the blow, he focused his energy and launched a burst of psychic force.
"Chian—!"
The mental blast detonated like a grenade in the Scizor's mind.
Howling in agony, the Pokémon staggered back, then turned and fled, face twisted in fear.
Self-preservation—the most primal instinct.
The other Pokémon, slightly more lucid now, paused and hesitated.
If it had been just Zorua, they would've attacked without hesitation.
But now, after seeing Elias's strength… none of them wanted to be next.
Zorua peeked out, dazed.
Then, quietly, she lowered her head again, ears drooping.
Of course. Elias is amazing no matter what he does…
And me…? I'm not just disliked—I'm weak too.
Once, she had even dreamed of becoming strong enough to silence all the human clans—so no one would dare judge Elias for keeping her.
But that dream… felt impossibly far away.
"It's safe now. Be good and come home with me," Elias murmured beside her ear.
His breath was warm, his voice gentle—and Zorua's sensitive ears twitched involuntarily.
This time, she didn't resist.
She'd already caused more than enough trouble. If she had to leave… it could wait until they were safely out.
Even she didn't realize it—how thrilled she felt inside at those words.
But just as Elias stepped toward the edge of the dome—
A sudden roar rang out.
Haxorus—the leader of the pack—let loose a bone-rattling bellow.
Then, it raised one heavy foreleg and slammed it into the ground.
[Earthquake].
"BOOM—!"
The frozen plain trembled violently beneath the blow.
Elias was unharmed.
But Zorua, curled in his arms, froze.
Her face changed in an instant.
Even she knew what came next.
On the tundra, when the ground starts to shake that hard—
Nothing good ever follows.
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