“Does it look good?”
Holding up the mask, Irida beamed as she asked.
“It does.”
Elias nodded in approval, then reached for a mask himself.
It had a pleasing texture—cool and smooth to the touch.
The base was white, accented with bold, vivid strokes of crimson. Its coloration looked quite a bit like Zoroark’s.
Not that he meant to wear it himself.
Still holding the fox mask, Elias turned toward Lucario.
Under Lucario’s wary gaze, he suddenly slipped it on over his face.
In an instant, Lucario was wearing a mask. Strangely enough, it fit surprisingly well—almost as if he really were a fox.
“You don’t have to take it off, Lucario. Honestly, it looks pretty good on you.”
Elias stifled a laugh as he spoke, watching Lucario’s increasingly dark expression.
Naturally, Lucario didn’t buy that for a second.
Off to the side, Zoroark let out a derisive snort.
What a cheap imitation. A real fox? That title belonged to her, Zoroark thought smugly.
After purchasing the masks and wandering the camp a while longer, Elias prepared to return to his tent and rest.
Tonight had gone well. Zoroark should finally feel a little more at ease.
After all, during their walk through camp, most people from both clans, though a little tense at first, reacted more with curiosity than fear when they saw her.
Several Pokémon owners even bought identical fox masks and playfully strapped them onto their own Pokémon.
Just as Elias had hoped.
The fame from his tournament win, paired with Zoroark’s striking appearance, had swayed the majority to accept this so-called legendary beast.
Of course, there was another key reason—Zoroark, in her current state, didn’t look the part of a fearsome monster at all.
Thinking that, Elias cast a helpless glance at her.
The whole time they’d been walking, Zoroark had been stopping at nearly every food stall they passed—clearly overwhelmed by the novelty of it all.
By now, both her cheeks were puffed full from snacks, her expression totally content. Not a trace of menace on her anywhere.
“Elias… do you think we can shop like this again sometime?”
Still munching, Zoroark looked up at him, eyes brimming with anticipation.
She was beginning to realize that human markets were kind of… fun.
Especially when Elias was there with her.
“Of course.”
He reached out and gently ruffled her head.
Zoroark’s bright expression told him everything he needed to know—his earlier efforts and plans had all been worth it.
“Elias. Got a moment?”
Just as they were heading back toward the tent, Cynthia’s voice called out from behind.
“I do. What’s wrong?”
Her expression was unusually serious. Elias furrowed his brow slightly, sensing something was off.
“Garchomp found something outside the camp a little while ago. I think… you should come take a look.”
Cynthia didn’t waste words.
Earlier, Elias had asked her to help keep an eye on the camp’s safety. She’d taken Garchomp and swept the perimeter a few times.
She hadn’t expected to actually find something—and yet, here they were.
Elias nodded without hesitation.
He’d asked for her help in the first place—of course he’d go check it out.
With Lucario and Zoroark in tow, he followed Cynthia toward the outer edge of the encampment.
Unlike the well-lit interior, the perimeter at night was almost pitch black, visibility poor at best.
Thankfully, Lucario was using [Aura Sphere] to illuminate their path. The soft light barely made their surroundings visible, but it was enough.
“Here. This is the spot.”
Cynthia stopped walking.
Just then, Garchomp emerged from the shadows, having clearly been standing guard here for some time.
Elias’s sharp eyes quickly noticed something behind Garchomp.
“What’s that?”
He stepped closer, curiosity piqued.
Behind Garchomp lay a stone, carved with strange patterns—its surface contorted into what looked like a grieving face.
Elias’s gut twisted. Something about the stone felt… wrong.
Beside him, both Lucario and Zoroark visibly bristled.
Their heightened senses made their discomfort clear—they hated this thing.
“It’s a [Keystone],” Cynthia said in a calm but somber voice. “The kind Spiritomb uses as its home.”
Without waiting for Elias to ask, she continued:
“Spiritomb is a Pokémon composed entirely of spirits—its type is Ghost and Dark.”
“Unlike Zoroark, who’s only feared due to misunderstanding, Spiritomb… it’s malevolent by nature.”
“Until it’s captured, it’s extremely dangerous. It can even manipulate human behavior for short periods.”
Cynthia’s explanation was thorough.
Back before she ever came to Hisui, she’d already caught a Spiritomb herself.
Because of that, she knew exactly how dangerous they could be.
Elias listened intently, eyes locked on the Keystone.
“Its body… is inside this thing?”
He looked up at her.
“That’s what makes this so troubling.”
Her expression grew even more serious.
“Spiritomb is supposed to be bound to its [Keystone]. The two are inseparable.”
“There’s even an old legend—Spiritomb committed so many vile deeds it had to be sealed inside the stone by humans.”
“But I’ve checked this [Keystone] top to bottom… and there’s no Spiritomb inside.”
She still couldn’t fully believe it herself.
Even the Ghost-type experts she knew—masters of spiritual manipulation—could only temporarily coax a Spiritomb out of its Keystone.
And yet this one… had been gone for over an hour since she found it.
She couldn’t begin to imagine how that was possible.
Elias fell silent, deep in thought.
A creature like Spiritomb—one that absolutely shouldn’t exist in this region—had appeared near their camp.
There was no way this was just coincidence.
Especially not on the same day Zoroark had made her first public appearance.
It was all too suspicious.
And for some reason, an image popped unbidden into Elias’s mind: Volo from the Ginkgo Guild.
Everything about him reeked of ulterior motives.
Even the Pokémon at his side didn’t seem like ones a merchant would—or could—tame.
Elias pushed the thought aside for now and took a deep breath, then turned to Cynthia.
“Thanks. You really saved us this time.”
If she hadn’t been here, he wouldn’t have even recognized the Keystone for what it was.
“No problem,” Cynthia waved a hand dismissively. “Just join me on a few more ruin expeditions and we’ll call it even.”
Truthfully, she was excited too—this was her first time seeing a Spiritomb separated from its [Keystone].
As Elias mulled over how best to deal with the crisis on the horizon, he suddenly felt a light tap on his arm.
Turning, he found Zoroark standing with her head down, expression tangled with worry.
“Elias, I… I think…”
“I think I want to leave for a while. Is that okay?”
—
This is a fan translation of 养老婆见多了，第一次见养boss的 by 是阴哦. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!
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