“Congratulations.”
Elias offered his well wishes to Irida.
By now, he knew well enough why she’d been practicing so hard with the flute—it was to summon a Pokémon she could ride.
And it wasn’t just her. Many members of the Pearl Clan seemed to have this special skill.
After all, having a ride Pokémon made traveling far easier than relying on human legs alone.
It also helped them explore the vast, untamed Hisui region.
“Well? Want me to teach you?”
Irida beamed even brighter after Elias congratulated her.
Lifting her chin proudly, she offered the question with a glimmer of excitement.
Elias was good at practically everything—at least, when it came to commonly used skills, he could easily outclass her.
But now, finally, she’d found something he didn’t know how to do. Naturally, she wanted to savor the chance to be his teacher for once.
But, as expected, that golden moment never came.
Instead, Elias simply smiled.
Then, right in front of her, he waved toward the Wyrdeer not far off.
The same Wyrdeer that had been standing obediently at Irida’s side perked up instantly at Elias’s gesture, growing visibly excited.
Without waiting for a command from Irida, it trotted right up to Elias with friendly intent—going so far as to nuzzle his palm affectionately with its head.
“The Celestica Flute doesn’t do much for me,” Elias said as he gave the Wyrdeer a pat.
Irida, momentarily stunned, snapped back to her senses at his voice.
She vaguely remembered Elias once telling her that Pokémon really liked him.
At the time, she’d assumed it was just something people say. No matter how well-liked someone was, it couldn’t possibly be to the point of treating them like family.
But seeing it with her own eyes…
She realized her imagination had been woefully insufficient.
“Ugh…”
Irida puffed up her cheeks, feeling a bit deflated.
She’d thought she’d finally found her moment to shine, only to have it eclipsed even further.
Noticing her sulky, aggrieved expression, Elias couldn’t help but smirk faintly.
“Well, even if I don’t need the flute to summon a ride Pokémon, I am interested in learning how to play it.”
“If you’d like, you could teach me how to play.”
Wanting to ease her disappointment, Elias offered an alternative suggestion.
Sure enough, a spark lit up in Irida’s wide blue eyes.
“Okay! But you can’t go back on your word!”
She agreed at once, then added quickly as if just remembering something:
“Oh, right—you don’t have a flute yet, do you? I’ll make one and bring it to you!”
Now that she had a ride Pokémon, long-distance travel wasn’t a problem anymore.
She’d be able to visit Elias all the time.
—
[After some time spent playing with Irida, you went to find the chief to begin today’s training.]
[Just as agreed, Irida would ride her mount from the snowy Alabaster Icelands to the Crimson Mirelands from time to time to visit you.]
[Since the journey was long and Irida was still quite young, she was usually accompanied by a Pearl Clan woman named Palina.]
[Palina was young herself, probably around Cogita’s age, but she was gentle and attentive—always taking good care of both you and Irida.]
[However… Irida’s frequent visits began to really get on Cogita’s nerves.]
“No more letting her come next time.”
In the courtyard, Cogita took a sip of the floral tea Elias had brewed for her, face dark with displeasure.
That little girl Irida, every time she came, would cling to Elias for days.
And during those days, Elias was practically out of her sight the entire time.
This kind of nest-stealing, latecomer-upstaging behavior seriously rubbed her the wrong way.
And then there was the fact that Elias had to return to the Pearl Clan every two weeks.
All in all, if you did the math, Irida was spending more time with him than she, his guardian, was.
How was that fair?!
“I can’t exactly control what Irida does,” Elias said helplessly as he poured her another cup.
She had brought this up more than once already, but he still didn’t have a good solution.
He couldn’t seriously tell Irida to stop coming to see him, could he?
Cogita gave a cold huff in response.
Her silk-gloved hand reached out slowly, pinching Elias’s cheek between two fingers as she threatened:
“Don’t forget who raised you.”
“If you don’t figure something out, I will lock you up and raise you in secret.”
After all, the Hisui region was huge. She happened to know a few Pokémon with earth-manipulating abilities.
It wouldn’t be hard to dig a hole, bury Elias, and make sure no one ever found where he was.
“Yes, yes,” Elias muttered, resigned to her completely unreasonable logic.
The more time they spent together, the more intense Cogita’s attachment to him had become.
From being indifferent at first, to gradually accepting her responsibility toward him…
Now, she was showing signs of something akin to emotional dependence.
At this rate, Elias was starting to suspect she might even go back on their agreement and forbid him from returning to the Pearl Clan altogether.
Still…
Irida was visiting a bit too often lately.
Elias took a thoughtful sip of his tea, turning the situation over in his mind.
He couldn’t really blame Cogita for being on edge—Irida’s visits had indeed gotten a little strange.
Out of thirty days in a month, she was at his place nearly twenty of them.
Sometimes she’d leave one day, only to show up again the next morning.
He had been a little puzzled by it himself.
And the strangest part…
Sometimes, she wouldn’t even say a word. She’d just climb onto him and take a nap.
Once she was well-rested, she’d wave goodbye and leave in silence.
If someone didn’t know better, they’d think she couldn’t speak.
There were other oddities, too.
Now that Cogita had brought it up, Elias was beginning to feel that something was off.
Could something have happened back at the Pearl Clan that he didn’t know about?
Feeling a growing sense of doubt, Elias resolved to ask Irida directly the next time she visited.
“Oh, that’s right!”
Suddenly remembering something, Cogita clapped her hands, cutting through his thoughts.
“What is it?” Elias asked.
Instead of answering, Cogita gave a little hum of satisfaction.
She reached down into a basket at her feet and pulled out a spherical object—orange and white in color.
At the center was a wooden button-like piece, clearly handmade.
With a wicked glint in her eyes, she tapped it lightly against Elias’s cheek.
“Pop—”
The ball opened, revealing… an empty interior.
“What a shame,” Cogita tutted, clicking her tongue.
“So you really aren’t a Pokémon. I was hoping to catch you.”
Snapping the ball shut, she casually tossed it to Elias.
“What is this?” he asked, catching it mid-air.
“A Poké Ball prototype the Diamond Clan’s been working on. Supposedly it can capture Pokémon.”
“Though this one’s probably just a beta version—the success rate’s pitiful.”
Yawning, she turned and headed back toward the house.
“I’m going to bed. Be a dear and clean up the table, will you?”
—
T/N: freeeaaky, this Irida must be a Zoruiaaadfasfas
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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