"Ralts, that's very rude!"
"Elias just got here!"
Diantha frowned slightly, finding a plausible-sounding excuse as she tried to pull Ralts off Elias.
However…
Even as her scruff was being grabbed, Ralts attempted one last bit of resistance.
As a Pokémon highly sensitive to emotions, Ralts could clearly sense that Diantha wasn't exactly telling the truth.
Diantha was definitely angry, but not for the reason she'd claimed.
Sadly, Ralts's tiny body wasn't nearly strong enough to resist Diantha's tug.
Before her little hands could even get a proper grip, Diantha had already pulled her off Elias and placed her firmly back on the floor.
"La-lu!"
Ralts puffed out her cheeks indignantly, issuing a tiny protest toward Diantha—though her minor grievance was naturally ignored completely.
"Elias, let's head inside first."
"I've prepared some chilled berry juice!"
Diantha smiled warmly, enthusiastically inviting Elias inside.
"Sure..."
Elias nodded in reply.
As he spoke, he couldn't help but let his eyes wander over Diantha's house.
He had to admit, this villa was exquisitely designed.
Unlike Cogita's cottage, which had a casual harmony, this place felt more like an elegant work of art.
It wasn't about deciding which was better—they were both beautiful, each comfortable in its own distinct style.
Noticing Elias's apparent interest in her house, Diantha's eyes instantly brightened.
This was a good sign!
She'd been slightly worried he might feel bored visiting her place.
Although he'd mentioned coming just to check some books, Diantha hoped Elias would grow to love it here.
Maybe even...move in someday.
At that thought, Diantha subconsciously licked her lips, a blush faintly appearing on her cheeks.
---
[After following Diantha indoors, you become increasingly aware of how much effort was put into building this home.]
[The paintings hanging on the walls alone include works you've only previously encountered in books.]
[In human society, these artworks are certainly worth a fortune.]
[As you walk, Diantha introduces each piece to you.]
---
Swallowing quietly, Diantha discovered for the first time that these paintings weren't entirely useless after all.
Normally, she was only interested in Pokémon and films, hardly paying attention to the piles of art her family had collected.
But today, she finally had a slight change of heart.
At least they gave her something interesting to talk about.
Not long after, Diantha led Elias to a place she'd carefully prepared in advance.
It wasn't the sitting room, nor the library.
Instead, she'd arranged the afternoon's activities directly in her own bedroom.
"The library is right next door, Elias. If you want to read, you can grab a book later."
Diantha tried to keep her voice calm as she spoke.
As she did so, she subtly glanced over at Elias.
To her disappointment, Elias—as a Ghost—and Diancie—as a Pokémon—didn't seem to understand much about human social customs.
Naturally, neither of them understood that bedrooms were typically reserved for intimate company—especially a girl's bedroom.
"Hmm?"
After she sat down, Diantha suddenly felt a small paw gently nudging the top of her foot.
Looking down, she saw the Fennekin who'd previously been curled up comfortably in Elias's arms.
The little fox tilted her head slightly, gazing innocently upward at Diantha with big, harmless eyes.
"What's wrong?"
Diantha squatted down, asking softly.
Toward this Fennekin, her hostility wasn't particularly strong.
She'd already learned that, unlike Diancie, this one was just temporarily staying with Elias.
Once her wounds healed, she'd naturally leave.
Elias hadn't even given her a Poké Ball yet, meaning there was no real threat—at least in Diantha's eyes.
Now seeing Fennekin behave so sweetly, Diantha's expression softened further.
Sure enough, Diancie was just an exception…
"Fen-fen~"
Fennekin let out two playful cries, then pointed with her tiny paw at the Poké Balls clipped at Diantha's waist.
"You want this?"
Diantha blinked in surprise, somewhat suspicious as she regarded Fennekin.
"Fen!"
Fennekin nodded vigorously.
Immediately after, she mimicked the playful gesture of a cat-like Pokémon batting at a yarn ball.
The little fox rolled onto her back, pawing excitedly at the air.
Seeing Fennekin's behavior, Diantha slowly exhaled in relief.
Oh... she just wanted a ball to play with…
In fact, it wasn't just feline Pokémon—smaller Pokémon like Eevee and Vulpix often had similar playful tendencies.
Though she'd never raised a Fennekin before, Diantha figured they were probably similar.
Thinking this, she gently unclipped one of the Poké Balls from her waist.
"Be careful not to press the white button," Diantha cautioned.
She wasn't particularly worried that Fennekin might accidentally capture herself.
After all, it was just a basic red-and-white ball, and Fennekin was clearly lively and healthy.
Even if accidentally captured, she'd easily escape on her own power.
"Fen!"
Seeing this, Fennekin's eyes lit up excitedly as she quickly knocked the Poké Ball onto the floor.
Diantha couldn't help but smile warmly.
Yes, this was how Pokémon normally behaved!
And being so gentle and kind was surely a good way to earn bonus points with Elias, right?
Thinking this, she glanced happily toward Elias—
However...
She froze abruptly when she saw that Fennekin had rolled the Poké Ball right over to Elias's feet.
"Is something wrong, Fennekin?"
Having watched the whole scene, Elias naturally reached out to softly pat her head when she approached.
"Fen…"
Fennekin tapped the Poké Ball lightly, motioning Elias to pick it up.
Her actions puzzled Elias somewhat.
And he wasn't alone—Diantha, Diancie, and even Ralts, who sat quietly off to the side, had no idea what Fennekin was planning.
But Diantha's instincts suddenly screamed that she should immediately grab that Poké Ball back.
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
Elias had picked it up in his hands.
Just as he was about to question further, Fennekin's eyes suddenly flashed cunningly.
With lightning speed, she pushed off the floor with her tiny hind legs, leaping into the air—and deliberately bumped her head straight into the Poké Ball's button.
Thunk—
With a dull sound, Fennekin vanished into the Poké Ball.
Click!
The ball shook gently just once before immediately signaling a successful capture.
The Pokémon inside hadn't even put up the slightest struggle.
Diancie and Diantha stared wide-eyed, utterly stunned by what they'd just witnessed.
Even long after Fennekin disappeared inside the Poké Ball, neither could recover their senses.
---
T/N: FENNEKIN CAPTURED!!
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
discord.gg/wisetl
patreon.com/wisetl