After a long time brooding, Giratina realized—if it wanted to break out of this stalemate, it still had to rely on the Zoroark.
Previously, it had enlisted their help collecting Plates, hoping only to regain the strength needed to challenge Arceus once more.
But now that the barrier between the Distortion World and the mortal realm had thickened, Giratina needed the Plates' power just to move freely between the two worlds.
The importance of both the Plates and the Zoroark had only grown.
Yet what left Giratina in utter despair was this—up to now, Zoroark still showed no intention of cooperating.
Every decision the fox made seemed to be run past that human, Elias.
This, without a doubt, made Giratina's plans infinitely more complicated.
The air around it grew heavier as Giratina brooded.
It was obvious—Zoroark must have her own goals, though Giratina had yet to uncover them.
So, if it wanted to move its plans forward, it would need to find something she cared about.
With that purpose in mind, Giratina's shadowy form slowly faded into the depths of the ice.
The frozen lake quivered, then settled back into silence.
---
[In the days that followed, Zoroark showed no signs of trouble—physically or mentally—finally putting your mind at ease.]
[Meanwhile, under your guidance, the Zoroark tribe relocated from the tundra and found a new place to settle.]
[At one point, the tribe's original leader displayed fierce resistance—]
[But after a show of force from Zoroark's claws, he quietly lowered his head.]
[And when they saw their new home—lush, safe, and filled with dens specially built by Machoke at your request—the last traces of discontent vanished completely.]
Elias and Cynthia stood at the center, surrounded by a whole tribe of Zoroark whose eyes gleamed with excitement.
There was no question—the plentiful food and mild climate here were a world apart from the depths of the Icelands.
Just being spared the threat of avalanches and the daily gamble for survival was enough to make every Zoroark willingly stay.
"How did you get them to agree to this?" Cynthia asked, unable to hide her fascination at the scene before her.
She found herself wondering—
Could it be that Zoroark's fur turned red and black in the future precisely because Elias changed their living environment?
After all, white fur is only an advantage in the snow.
"They were afraid to migrate before mostly because they feared human retaliation," Elias explained, smiling as he watched the Zoroark sprawled contentedly on the ground. "Once I promised them that wouldn't happen, convincing them was easy."
This spot wasn't far from the two main clans and the Jubilife settlement the Galaxy Team was building—it was a central hub.
In the past, if the Zoroark tribe lived here, it would have meant all-out war with humans.
But with Elias's guarantee, all three factions now knew the entire tribe was under his Zoroark's management.
And the tribe had sworn off attacking humans for good.
Thanks to the trust he'd built, aside from a few common folk with lingering fears, all the major powers approved.
After all, a world without Zoroark attacks was a better world for them.
Cynthia nodded, understanding.
To get all three sides to willingly accept these former "monsters"… that was something only Elias could pull off.
Still—
"Are you sure this is safe?" Cynthia pressed. "If there's ever another Zoroark attack, both you and the Zoroark will be in a lot of trouble."
She sounded worried.
There's always the risk of a few bad eggs in any tribe.
And with a species as fierce as Zoroark, it was even more likely.
"Don't worry," Elias replied, his plan ready. "Cogita's been racking her brain over where to keep Tornadus. I'll suggest this place to her—she'll agree."
"With Tornadus watching over things, nothing serious will happen."
Cogita didn't like keeping Pokémon cooped up with her, so she'd been looking for a place to house Tornadus separately.
And this new settlement was perfect.
Hearing this, Cynthia's frown eased at last.
It was true—a Legendary Pokémon living here would deter almost all trouble.
"And besides, Zoroark's done a great job teaching them."
Elias added, nodding toward his own Zoroark.
At the moment, she stood by the lakeshore, lecturing a few other Zoroark who listened intently.
Clearly, she'd taken Elias's warnings to heart and was busy laying down ground rules for the others.
When she saw Elias looking over, Zoroark stopped talking and bounded over.
"How's it going?" Elias asked at just the right moment.
"All explained!" Zoroark replied proudly, tossing her head.
Most of the tribe, thrilled with the new environment, were perfectly willing to listen to her. There were hardly any dissenters.
If there was one thing that annoyed her… it was that most of her fellow Zoroark seemed awfully interested in Elias.
Not just out of gratitude—but also because of the [Power of Viridian] he carried.
To these Zoroark, who'd spent their lives starved of kindness, Elias's presence felt inexplicably warm and inviting.
She'd emphasized, again and again, that no one but herself was allowed to approach Elias.
But judging from their looks, it was clear none of them were taking her warnings seriously.
All those eyes kept drifting Elias's way.
"Elias… you have to take me with you wherever you go, okay?" Zoroark declared, trying to quell her jealousy.
Cynthia nodded in rare agreement.
Elias could only manage an awkward smile in response. With a whole tribe of Zoroark eyeing him like that, the pressure was real.
---
[With Zoroark and Tornadus keeping watch, things with the tribe finally settled down.]
[Even though interaction between humans and Zoroark remained minimal, the peaceful coexistence was exactly what you'd hoped for.]
[Meanwhile, relations between the Galaxy Team and the two great clans steadily improved.]
[With advanced Poké Ball technology spreading, more and more Pokémon were being caught throughout the clans.]
[From every angle, it seemed your efforts had truly paid off.]
---
T/N: is this where things start going downhill