Crimson Mirelands – Cogita's Courtyard
"Elias, I propose that from now on, you forbid Zoroark from approaching while you're training with [Aura]."
Lucario stood with his arms crossed, face expressionless as he spoke.
At this point, he was numb.
"Says who?"
"You wanna fight?"
Before Elias could even respond, Zoroark bristled instantly.
She shot to her feet, eyes flashing, glaring daggers at Lucario as if ready to pounce the moment he said another word.
Seeing this, Lucario actually let out a small laugh—part exasperation, part disbelief.
Aura is a power intrinsically tied to one's inner state.
Even Riolu, a species born with high affinity for [Aura], must spend years in focused meditation and relentless training—day in, day out—just to grasp its essence. Only then can they evolve and truly wield the strength of aura as Lucario does.
And that's exactly the problem.
With Zoroark around, Elias couldn't focus at all—let alone sense [Aura].
That damn fox was always draped over him, wagging her tail like she owned the place.
Sometimes, she even climbed onto his shoulders, nuzzling her head into his neck with shameless affection.
At this rate, Lucario was certain she'd start using illusions just to mess with the training.
How the hell was Elias supposed to master aura with a walking catastrophe like her hanging around?
Noticing Lucario's resentful, deadpan gaze, Elias gave a soft cough.
"Zoroark... Lucario does kind of have a point..."
"From now on, during training, you'll sit off to the side and just watch."
"No touching. No talking, either."
He pulled the big fox off his shoulder and gently set her beside him, trying his best to sound firm.
Honestly, even he had to admit—there was no way he could concentrate with her around.
Not that he had those kinds of thoughts or anything.
It was just... even lying still, her fur tickled like crazy. That alone was enough to make him lose focus.
"...Fine."
Hearing it from Elias himself, Zoroark lowered her head and pouted, giving a small, reluctant nod.
Then she turned to shoot Lucario a venomous glare.
Damn killjoy Pokémon!
---
[After being reined in, Zoroark's behavior improved significantly.]
[And in turn, your aura mastery surged ahead at a remarkable pace.]
[From first sensing the flow of aura, to perceiving fine details invisible to the naked eye—it took you only a week.]
[According to Lucario, your innate talent for aura has already surpassed that of most Riolu.]
Bzzz—
Elias dispelled the [Aura] around him and rubbed his temples, which were still throbbing slightly.
He hadn't mastered it completely yet—every use still left him a bit mentally drained.
But compared to the leap in his abilities over the past few days, that was a minor inconvenience.
If he kept up this pace, Elias estimated that by the time the battle tournament arrived, he'd be able to use [Aura] techniques in actual combat—strengthening his coordination with Lucario even further.
"Elias, Irida's here to see you."
While he was still lost in thought, Cogita had wandered into the courtyard at some point.
She had a book in one hand and a less-than-pleased look as she addressed him.
Fortunately, thanks to the daily visits from Cynthia lately, Irida now seemed relatively tolerable by comparison.
"Got it. I'll head out now."
Elias nodded and turned to change his clothes before heading to the open space at the front of the house.
...
Front Courtyard
Irida looked around like it was her first time visiting.
But she wasn't sightseeing.
She was searching—for a certain Pokémon she suspected might be here.
Ever since parting with Elias last time, she'd been turning over one question in her mind:
Who exactly was impersonating her that day, and went with him to the Alabaster Icelands?
From Elias's behavior, it was obvious he knew that "Irida" had been a fake.
And yet he hadn't exposed them. He hadn't even seemed afraid.
That odd reaction made her briefly wonder: Could it have been a cute ghost?
Had her dear friend Elias been possessed?
Setting aside that clearly ridiculous theory, she came to a more plausible conclusion:
Only one kind of creature had that kind of power.
A fearsome beast native to Hisui—Zoroark.
Irida had never seen one herself, but both her chieftain father and Elias had spoken of them before.
Now that she thought about it, their descriptions were wildly different.
To her father, Zoroark was vicious and cunning.
It used its bizarre illusion powers to replace members of a tribe, manipulating everyone into turning on each other in chaos and bloodshed.
But in Elias's telling, Zoroark was sensitive and paranoid, with fur that was soft and warm.
Sometimes she tried to pull clever tricks—but they always ended up clumsy and obvious. She even drooled in her sleep.
The details had been so vivid, it was like he'd lived with one.
Back then, Irida thought he was just making up stories to amuse her.
But now... she seriously suspected he might be hiding one.
Just as that thought crossed her mind, she heard the front door open.
Looking up, she saw Elias walking toward her with Lucario at his side.
"Morning, Irida!" Elias waved cheerfully.
"Morning." Irida nodded, her ice-blue eyes sweeping carefully over every part of him.
She didn't believe she wouldn't find even a single flaw.
"...Something wrong?"
Elias glanced around himself, puzzled.
He had a pretty good idea what she was looking for, though.
Irida was sharp. After the hint he gave last time, she should've figured it out.
The air between them thickened slightly.
Zoroark, as usual, was perched on Elias's shoulder, gaze cool and indifferent as she watched Irida's behavior.
She had no interest in humans—none except Elias.
Or rather... there wasn't anything but Elias that she found interesting in this world.
Irida's scrutiny seemed utterly pointless to her.
With illusion magic cloaking her, she was no more noticeable than the air around her.
Unless Irida physically touched her...
But clearly, that wasn't going to happen.
Smug at the thought, Zoroark narrowed her eyes slightly, a sense of pride welling in her chest.
Then—smack.
Her paw, resting on Elias's shoulder, was lightly tapped by a hand.
Startled, she looked up.
Irida was standing right in front of Elias. At some point, she had quietly stepped forward.
And that tap just now—it had been her doing.
"Forgot to disguise the unnatural fold in the fabric, didn't you, Zoroark?"
Irida smiled faintly as she addressed the fox.
So this was the one who'd been hiding at Elias's side, pretending to be her.
She'd finally found the imposter.
---
T/N: ....was Lucario a male or female...?