Pokémon: Breeding Simulator

No one—not even Elias—had expected those words to come from the little Zoroark's mouth.

Even if it really had been the clan leader's order, shouldn't she have tried to cover it up, at least for now?

Or… was there some other reason?

Beside Elias, Zoroark's face darkened the instant she heard the answer.

She couldn't understand it. She'd come here to clear her name, so why had things turned out like this…?

Besides, when had she ever given such an order?

That Zoroark is obviously lying!

Unconsciously, a wave of resentment radiated from Zoroark, thick enough that even Elias, standing close, felt it hard to breathe.

"Zoroark, calm down," he said quickly, reaching out to steady her before she lost control.

He slipped his arm around her slender, soft waist, quietly releasing a pulse of Verdant Aura.

A gentle green energy wrapped around Zoroark, dissolving some of the malice rising off her.

Feeling Elias's warmth and noticing his hand holding her close, Zoroark's mind finally began to clear.

She looked down at the caged clan member, who wouldn't even meet her gaze, and a bitter sting filled her eyes.

So, in the end, it really was my migration order that made the others resent me?

I've… messed everything up.

"It's better not to lie at a time like this," Elias said, narrowing his eyes as he turned to the Zoroark in the cage.

No one knew better than him—his own Zoroark could never have given such a command.

"I-I'm not lying," the little wild Zoroark protested, shrinking back, her voice small and pitiful.

The sound tugged at Elias's heart—but before he could react, the Zoroark in his arms had already gone red-eyed.

In a split second, she nearly tore free from him and lunged for the cage.

"Elias, even you can't force a Zoroark to change her testimony, can you?" a Galaxy Team delegate spoke up.

Elias glanced over. He recognized the speaker as one of Kamado's remaining followers.

Predictably, after last night's chaos, Kamado's scattered supporters were growing bolder again.

But more than that, the words seemed to ignite the crowd's suspicions.

The murmurs and whispers grew louder, and Zoroark's restraint finally snapped.

Or maybe…

She simply didn't want to restrain herself anymore.

Elias felt her arm slip from his grasp.

A dark, shadowy ball shot from her paw, streaking past the crowd—

BOOM—

A massive hole was blasted into the thick forest beyond the camp.

Zoroark stepped in front of Elias, shielding him with her body.

"This has nothing to do with Elias," she said coldly. "From now on, I and the rest of the Zoroark will stay far from any human settlements."

"The disaster beast is leaving. I hope… that means your human misfortunes end here, too."

Zoroark swept her gaze over the crowd, voice icy.

With that, she gave no one the chance to respond—she turned and began to gather her power.

Zoroark was leaving.

Elias saw her intention instantly.

But—

She was too fast. In the blink of an eye, she vanished, leaving only a lingering afterimage.

Without thinking, Elias instinctively used his psychic power to follow her.

All he'd ever wanted was to help Zoroark live better among humans.

Now that she was leaving, he had no patience left to deal with the rest of the humans either.

Back in the clearing, the onlookers exchanged glances.

All the blame, all the questions they'd meant to hurl—none of them dared speak.

Zoroark's last words had left them feeling unsettled, but… not a single person tried to pursue her.

Instead, every eye turned to the only Pokémon Elias had left behind—Lucario.

After some silent soul-searching, they all kept their mouths shut.

Even this Lucario was not someone they dared provoke.

Off to the side, Lucario watched the spot where Elias had vanished, a worried look in his eyes.

That fox is nothing but trouble… he grumbled inwardly, before turning and heading in the opposite direction.

Rather than chase after Elias, he figured the best thing he could do now was find Cynthia as soon as possible.

There was nothing he could do to stop what was happening on his own.

---

[After following Zoroark for a while, you finally found her stopped at the edge of a lake. Even out of breath from the chase, you didn't hesitate to teleport after her.]

"Zoroark, that's enough. Come home."

Elias frowned, holding out a hand in plea.

"It's just a bunch of rumors. We're not even living in the village anymore."

"Even if we never see them again, that's fine. Just come home."

When she didn't answer, he pressed on.

This wasn't meant as comfort—honestly, aside from a few friends like Irida, there wasn't much about the village he'd miss.

"I won't."

Zoroark's refusal came immediately, without even a pause.

"Why not?" Elias asked, brows furrowed.

"This time, I caused the problem. I need to fix it," Zoroark replied firmly.

"And after you've worked so hard for so many years… I'm not going to let all of it go to waste, not over something like this."

Elias could see the shine of unshed tears at the corners of her eyes.

A mix of hurt, anger, and worry churned in her chest.

Even now, after coming back, all she'd done was cause more trouble—just like when she was little. She hadn't grown at all.

"So what do you want to do?" Elias asked, uneasy.

He had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, in the very next moment, Zoroark declared, "I want to become the Almighty Sinnoh!"

"The new Almighty!"

"I don't agree," Elias shot back instantly.

He'd known all along—this silly fox could only be thinking of something reckless.

Trying to stop a meteor, without even thinking about her own strength or size?!

Seeing Elias's immediate refusal, Zoroark's lips pressed together, her expression hardening.

Elias was taken aback.

Is she… angry at me?

"This time, when you wake up, I'll make sure to give you a satisfactory answer."

"I promise."

Zoroark lowered her eyes, her voice calm and soft.

And then—suddenly—Elias felt his vision blur.

An illusion.

---

T/N: oughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh i hate herrrrrrr i hate her i hate her i hate her i hate her i hate her i hate her i hate her