Not only Diantha and Diancie—even Elias himself was a bit stunned at this point.
If he hadn't misunderstood, Fennekin had just captured herself with that Poké Ball, right?
And considering he'd been holding the Poké Ball at the time…
Didn't that technically mean he'd caught Fennekin himself?
Elias glanced down at the Poké Ball, thinking silently.
Not far away, Diantha finally recovered from her shock. Her expression gradually shifted from surprise to embarrassment, then rapidly to a crimson-cheeked fury.
She realized she'd been tricked by that sneaky little fox!
Pretending to play was all an act—stealing a Poké Ball from her had been its true purpose.
And to think she'd just considered Fennekin a sweet Pokémon without any ulterior motives since she wasn't even Elias's Pokémon yet. Well, great—now the fox had used a Poké Ball Diantha personally handed over and willingly thrown herself straight into Elias's arms!
Diantha clenched her teeth tightly, wishing she could snatch that Poké Ball back and toss it straight into the trash.
"Elias, why'd you accidentally capture Fennekin while playing around?"
"How about I destroy the Poké Ball for her?"
At the side, Diancie showed a rare moment of cleverness.
Realizing that sneaky fox had done exactly what she feared most, she didn't panic or make a fuss this time.
Instead, Diancie forced a strained smile, then bounced over to Elias, holding out her little hand to ask for the Poké Ball.
She had only one thought in her head right now—
As long as she crushed the Poké Ball, Fennekin's scheming would fall apart.
However…
Diancie clearly forgot Pokémon inside their Poké Balls could still see and hear the outside world.
Just as her words fell—
Pop!
The Poké Ball burst open, and Fennekin reappeared in mid-air.
With a nimble little kick against the ground, she gracefully snatched the Poké Ball from Elias's hand, wrapped all four paws tightly around it, and curled protectively into Elias's embrace.
Seeing this, Diancie's face darkened instantly.
"Hand it over!" she commanded angrily.
"Fen!" Fennekin remained unmoved.
"Hurry up… Ouch!"
Seeing Fennekin ignore her, Diancie reached forward to snatch the Poké Ball away.
But before she could even touch it, Fennekin sharply bit her hand—not hard enough to injure, but enough to make her gasp in pain.
"Elias…"
Diancie stretched out her little hand, looking toward Elias with an aggrieved expression.
With an amused sigh, Elias gently grasped Diancie's soft little hand and soothed her with his Power of Viridian.
Admittedly, the interactions between Diancie and Fennekin were amusing.
But it was clear to him now—Fennekin truly wanted to stay and be his captured Pokémon.
Remembering her confident attitude from just a few days ago, Elias couldn't help but smile helplessly.
"Are you sure about this?" Elias asked seriously, looking directly at Fennekin.
Although she could sometimes be headstrong, Fennekin was obedient most of the time—and definitely smarter than Diancie and the others.
If she was truly willing, Elias had no objections to capturing her.
But he still wanted to ask again, just to be certain.
After all, for Pokémon, choosing a trainer was a decision affecting their entire lives.
It meant restricted freedom and rigorous training.
But clearly, Fennekin had long since made up her mind.
Meeting Elias's gaze firmly, she nodded her head decisively.
"Fen!"
If she'd been afraid, she wouldn't have been so decisive about it.
The past few days spent with Elias had easily been the happiest, most comfortable days she'd ever experienced.
Sometimes, Fennekin even felt meeting Elias was compensation for being attacked by Yveltal.
Thinking that, Fennekin turned her head slightly and pulled out a small twig hidden beneath her fur.
"Fen—"
She called softly, offering the twig up to Elias.
Elias instinctively accepted the small twig, slightly puzzled at first.
But then… he remembered clearly that for Fennekin, this small twig carried special meaning.
It wasn't just a temporary power boost when eaten—it was her favorite item, something precious to her.
Even after evolving into Braixen or Delphox, a twig would always remain her closest companion.
The fact Fennekin willingly gave him her twig made her intention unmistakable.
"Thank you for the gift," Elias said gently, carefully placing the twig aside.
Then, he picked up the Poké Ball he'd used earlier to capture her.
"Well, since you've already made your decision—"
"I'll be counting on you from now on."
Meeting Fennekin's expectant gaze, Elias spoke warmly.
"Fen!"
Overjoyed, Fennekin immediately jumped into Elias's arms again—but regretted it the very moment she made contact.
As a Fire-type Pokémon, she had one minor yet problematic trait:
When excited, her body temperature would shoot up rapidly.
Back in the forest, countless trees had accidentally caught fire due to this very habit of hers.
Thus, just as Fennekin leaped forward, she instantly tried to withdraw, afraid of hurting Elias.
However…
To her astonishment, Elias seemed completely unaffected by her scorching heat.
Instead, his body felt pleasantly cool against her fur, causing her to narrow her eyes comfortably.
"Damn fox, don't push your luck!"
At that moment, Diancie—unable to tolerate it anymore—gritted her teeth and reached for Fennekin's scruff again.
She'd gotten smarter this time, carefully watching Fennekin's head to avoid getting bitten again.
But…
"Ouch!"
The moment Diancie touched Fennekin, she yelped once more.
She'd never imagined the fox's fur could be so blazing hot.
No, rather than hot, it felt more like burning—did that fox use Flamethrower on herself?
Noticing Diancie's reaction, Fennekin disdainfully rolled her eyes.
So dumb…
"Elias!"
Feeling thoroughly wronged, Diancie blinked her watery eyes and looked pitifully toward Elias again.
"Ahem, Elias—weren't you planning to look for a book?"
"If you don't hurry, it'll get late soon."
At that moment, Diantha stepped forward and interjected.
Of course, she'd have preferred if Elias delayed looking for books; then she'd have an excuse to make him stay overnight.
But…
Diantha gave Fennekin a cold sideways glance.
If she didn't step in now, that fox would probably cling to Elias the entire day.
Recalling how she'd been tricked, Diantha clenched her fists tightly.
She was definitely getting revenge sooner or later.
Being deceived by a mere fox was a complete humiliation for Diantha—an embarrassment to her ancestors!
---
Fennekin: Great at cooking, skilled at raising Pokémon, and completely unaffected by my heat. Where else would I find a trainer like him?
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