"Did you resolve it?"
The moment Elias stepped back inside, Cogita, who was sipping tea in small, measured sips, suddenly asked.
Yet as she spoke, her gaze stayed fixed on the tea set by her hand, not even sparing Elias a glance.
"Not completely resolved," Elias replied after a slight pause. "But I have a lead now."
He wasn't sure if he was imagining things, but Cogita seemed to be in a bit of a mood.
Then again, it made sense. Due to certain special circumstances yesterday, he'd ended up staying overnight at Diantha's place. Cogita must be upset about that.
As Elias mulled this over, Cogita finally raised her eyes, giving him a faint, indifferent glance.
Her small lips parted, as if she were about to say something...
But after furrowing her brows briefly, Cogita swallowed back whatever she was about to say.
"Never mind. Go rest."
"Just remember not to throw yourself into danger," she finished lightly, waving a slender, pale hand, already returning to her usual lazy demeanor.
Though Elias was puzzled, he nodded obediently anyway.
She was just looking out for him, after all.
---
[The next few days brought a fleeting calm to your life.]
[Aside from browsing through the books you brought from Diantha's place, you began preparing training plans for Diancie and Fennekin.]
[With your assistance, both Pokémon gradually began to improve.]
[Notably, Fennekin was exceptionally diligent, completing every training task you assigned right on schedule.]
---
"Fwoo..."
As Elias sat scribbling away in his room, a soft, delicate cry suddenly sounded behind him.
"What's wrong, Fennekin?"
He asked without looking back, knowing instinctively the voice belonged to Fennekin.
"Fwoo..."
Another soft whimper.
But this time, Elias noticed—Fennekin's voice sounded unusually lethargic compared to her usual self.
Setting down his pen, he quickly turned around.
Sure enough, Fennekin lay listlessly on the ground, cheeks flushed red, as if desperately holding something back.
Worried, Elias quickly stepped forward, scooping her soft body gently into his arms.
The instant he touched her, Elias felt that she was even hotter than usual.
Could even a Fire-type Pokémon catch a fever?
He hesitated, considering using Telekinesis to examine her body.
However—
At that moment, Fennekin nudged his hand away gently with her small paw, clearly wanting him to release her.
"Fwoo—fwooo…" (I held back especially so you could watch.)
Fennekin called out again, and this time Elias understood clearly through the Power of Viridian.
Elias: ?
He carefully examined Fennekin, wondering exactly what she was holding back.
Then, just as this thought crossed his mind—
White light suddenly erupted from Fennekin's body, swiftly enveloping her and obscuring the color of her fur.
Elias's mouth dropped slightly open in surprise.
He understood now—Fennekin was evolving.
Since Diancie didn't evolve, he'd only ever read about Pokémon evolution in books.
This was his very first time witnessing it up close.
Meanwhile—Diancie, who'd been playing downstairs with Fennekin, noticed the other's sudden change in expression as she rushed upstairs, prompting her to follow.
As soon as she reached the doorway, she saw Fennekin glowing brightly.
Unlike Elias, she immediately realized what was happening—Fennekin was evolving.
They'd both been training for the past few days, and Fennekin had already been right at the threshold of evolution...
Thinking of something, Diancie bit her lip gently.
Fennekin still had the chance to show Elias her evolution, yet she herself would never get that opportunity.
Wait—Her Highness had mentioned once before that Diancie could briefly evolve.
And that the evolved form was incredibly beautiful.
But...
Diancie also remembered Her Highness saying clearly: for Diancie to Mega Evolve again, it required immense strength.
At the very least, she needed the ability to create giant diamonds.
Thinking about this, Diancie sighed softly.
Lately, it seemed everything she did revolved around giant diamonds...
After casting an envious glance toward Fennekin, Diancie quietly stepped into the room, careful not to disturb.
As the glow faded, Fennekin's form had drastically transformed.
Her previously petite figure now stretched upward significantly, changing from a quadruped stance to standing gracefully upright.
Even her fluffy tail had grown considerably fuller.
Pop—
When the white light finally disappeared, a charming fox with yellow-and-red fur and a twig in her hand appeared before Elias.
"Fwuu!"
Braixen twirled excitedly, spinning once right in front of Elias, her twig raised proudly.
She'd finally evolved!
Already near evolution before training began, the structured regimen had naturally brought her to this point.
"Fen... no—Braixen, congratulations."
Elias corrected himself immediately, smiling warmly.
He observed her curiously, savoring the novelty of witnessing evolution firsthand.
Braixen's fur had become significantly glossier, and her lively eyes now held an even more mischievous sparkle.
"Fwuu~!"
Braixen narrowed her eyes contentedly, bowing slightly in appreciation.
Yet Elias sensed something different about her after evolution—her every movement carried a distinct charm he hadn't felt before.
He couldn't quite pinpoint it, but she seemed to radiate exactly the sort of foxy allure he'd read about in certain stories.
Lost in these thoughts, Elias suddenly felt something firm pressed against his chin.
He reflexively turned his head, only to see Braixen's small face rapidly approaching.
She narrowed her eyes playfully—and bit him lightly on the cheek.
Caught completely off-guard by this sudden attack, Elias didn't even react immediately.
By the time he snapped out of his daze, Braixen had already jumped off the table and darted out the door.
Also frozen in shock was Diancie, standing nearby.
Her small mouth hung open slightly, eyes wide with disbelief.
That fox... That shameless fox!
Realizing exactly what Braixen had just done right in front of her, Diancie's face turned a furious shade of red.
Without another thought, she chased right after her.
"You sneaky fox! Get back here!"
Listening helplessly to the commotion downstairs, Elias wiped his damp cheek.
Braixen hadn't bitten hard at all, but the sensation was undeniably strange.
Suppressing the odd thoughts stirring within him, Elias forced his attention back to the papers on his desk.
---
T/N: furry