After being directly accused by the little fox's paw, Diancie felt her brain short-circuiting.
Clearly, this was their first meeting. And clearly, she had just spoken in defense of this fox!
On what grounds was she being slandered?!
Is this fox even worth keeping?!
Realizing what had just happened, Diancie widened her eyes and glared viciously at Fennekin.
"Are you sure?"
Her voice trembled with threatening intensity.
Yet…
In response to Diancie's threat, Fennekin merely shrank deeper into the corner of the bed, deliberately turning her head away—clearly refusing to acknowledge the angry little Pokémon at all.
Diancie clenched her teeth so hard they nearly cracked.
Nearby, Elias quietly laughed to himself.
Of course, he knew Diancie hadn't actually put those diamonds on the fox. After all, she'd been by his side the whole time and hadn't had a single chance to slip away unnoticed.
Considering how the fox found them, Elias guessed she must've been present during the battle with Yveltal.
"I've already treated your wounds. Would you like to leave now?"
Thinking a bit, Elias gently asked the fox.
Her injuries weren't too severe; aside from the petrification—which he had already treated—all she had left were a few swollen patches.
If she chose to leave now, it wouldn't be dangerous.
But still…
"To be safe, I'd recommend you stay a few days longer, at least until you're fully healed," Elias suggested.
But before Fennekin could react, Diancie instantly panicked.
She whipped her head toward Elias, opened her small mouth—and paused, clearly conflicted.
Right now, she felt exactly the same as Cogita did: she wanted this fox gone as soon as possible.
But after some thought, she couldn't find a valid reason to demand Elias immediately drive her away…
Frustrated, Diancie glanced at Cogita.
Cogita had already taken a seat, leisurely sipping her tea, not a trace of her earlier urgency visible—in fact, she looked utterly unconcerned.
Diancie's expression darkened.
She was certain Cogita was intentionally acting indifferent, confident Diancie herself would cause trouble and handle things for her.
Sly, scheming human!
As Diancie stewed in irritation, Fennekin's small face was also twisted in hesitation.
Should she leave now, or wait until her wounds healed?
Though wary, she acknowledged that these humans had saved her life, but anxiety lingered deep within her. After all, from a young age, she'd heard terrifying stories about humans.
If possible, she'd prefer leaving immediately.
However…
Glancing down at her paws, still wrapped tightly in bandages, Fennekin bit her lip uncertainly.
Her injuries from the escape weren't extremely severe, but they still hindered her movements. And now, having left her familiar forest and entered this unknown place, even finding food would prove challenging.
If she left right now, wouldn't she only encounter greater trouble?
At that moment, Diancie finally found the right words.
Reaching out, she gently tugged on Elias's sleeve and softly said,
"Elias, if Fennekin wants to leave, we should let her go!"
"This forest is very safe. If you're still worried, I could even ask the Carbinks from my kingdom to keep an eye on her."
Diancie proudly tapped her tiny chest as she made her proposal.
Her words sounded perfectly reasonable.
Diancie was convinced that a Pokémon as wary as this little fox, without being actively invited to stay, would absolutely run far away from humans at the first chance.
She'd said all this—surely the fox wouldn't shamelessly linger, would she?
Feeling satisfied, Diancie congratulated herself for her quick thinking.
I'm such a genius to think up such a flawless plan!
However…
As Diancie's voice faded, the nearby Fennekin suddenly paused.
This Pokémon didn't want her staying here.
Fennekin narrowed her eyes, immediately catching Diancie's true intentions.
She wasn't entirely clueless about such things. Some Pokémon had strong possessive tendencies toward their trainers; she'd heard such stories occasionally.
But in Fennekin's opinion, Diancie's worries were completely unnecessary!
She wasn't foolish enough to be easily charmed.
Certainly, this ghost had saved her, and she was truly grateful for that.
But she would repay him in other ways. There was no chance she'd just shamelessly stick around.
On this point, Fennekin was entirely confident.
But now, seeing Diancie clearly treating her like some simple-minded fool and using such obvious tactics to drive her away…
After giving it some thought, Fennekin lifted her small paw and waved gently toward Elias:
"Woo!" Then I'll stay for a few days!
She declared firmly, openly communicating her intentions.
Then, as soon as the words left her mouth, she cast a triumphant glance toward Diancie.
At that exact moment, Diancie's body froze completely, her mind going utterly blank.
Her plan…had failed?
Impossible!
She couldn't understand how, after saying all that, the little fox still chose to remain.
Seeing Diancie's shocked expression, Elias smiled helplessly.
He could clearly see Diancie's deliberate manipulation, just as he could tell the fox had intentionally chosen to stay to spite her.
Already, he foresaw the future battles between these two Pokémon stretching endlessly.
But since he'd already agreed, Elias certainly wouldn't go back on his word.
"Don't worry. Once you've healed completely, I'll let you leave. And during this time, you can come and go as you please," Elias said softly.
As he spoke, he subconsciously reached out and gently squeezed Fennekin's fluffy cheeks.
Her fur was even softer and fluffier than he'd imagined.
But unfortunately…
As soon as she realized what was happening, Fennekin gave him a fierce glare, clearly not intending to allow him to keep touching her.
"All right, rest well here for now. We'll be leaving first."
Elias withdrew his hand and added casually.
Spending a bit on food in exchange for luring such a cute Pokémon closer to him was more than worth it.
Seeing Elias had already made up his mind, Diancie puffed her cheeks unhappily but had no choice except to agree.
At least…
This fox clearly had a prideful personality—she probably wouldn't stay too long.
Once Fennekin recovered, she could easily find some other reason to chase her off.
Then Elias will still be all mine! Diancie secretly reassured herself.
At the same time, Cogita, who'd been quietly watching from behind, narrowed her eyes slightly, feeling a pang of disappointment.
As expected, foxes really were clever.
Diancie alone clearly hadn't been able to chase this one away.
But Cogita wasn't overly concerned either. It was merely one more Pokémon, after all.
And this fox had some pride—it obviously didn't plan on staying here indefinitely.
If so, there was no need to worry as before. A few days at most, and the fox would leave on its own.
As Cogita thought this, the corner of her lips curled faintly, and the worries on her face quickly vanished.
---
Cogita: We can drive her away later, right?
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