Just as Zoroark, carrying her mounting anxiety, was about to hurry straight to the clan—
Suddenly—
A fleeting flash of white in the distance caught her attention.
Is that… a Zoroark?
Even in the dead of night, standing out on the frozen tundra, Zoroark could still recognize one of her own kind at a glance.
But aside from herself, why would there be other Zoroark out here?
She remembered giving strict orders: no one from the clan was to roam outside lately. She’d even asked Tornadus to keep watch, just in case.
Confusion prickled in Zoroark’s chest, but beneath it surged a much stronger, uneasy feeling.
Paired with the way Elias had acted tonight, the sudden appearance of another Zoroark could only mean trouble.
With this thought, she broke into a run, heading straight for where she’d seen that flash of white.
After only a few steps, she spotted them again.
Not just one—there were seven or eight Zoroark loosely trailing behind as well.
As she drew closer, some of the Zoroark seemed to notice her approaching.
But when they saw it was their own clan leader—
Instead of coming forward to greet her, they spun around and bolted away as fast as they could.
“Stop!” Zoroark called, her breath catching, voice sharp.
But the shout had no effect at all.
She narrowed her eyes, unsettled.
Something’s definitely wrong with them…
Normally, no matter what, these Zoroark would always obey her commands.
Well—except when it came to resisting the temptation of Elias. On that point, even her orders weren’t very effective.
But outright disobedience like this? Almost unheard of.
It went against the very instincts of a pack Pokémon.
After all, only by following their leader’s command could Pokémon survive the dangers of the wild.
So, for them to ignore her like this… the only word for it was “unnatural.”
Gritting her teeth, Zoroark pushed herself to speed up.
She had to figure out what was going on.
If she just let these Zoroark go, and they caused trouble for Elias—that would be the worst possible outcome.
Thankfully—
The difference in strength showed. She was rapidly closing the distance between her and the fleeing clan members.
She’d catch up soon.
But just then—
A flaming arrow whistled straight toward her.
Zoroark reflexively swept a paw in front of her face, batting the arrow aside with ease.
But when she looked up, her whole body froze.
She’d reached the Pearl Clan’s territory.
The Zoroark were headed straight for it.
And now, the people of the Pearl Clan, disheveled and ash-stained, saw her—and without a moment’s hesitation, sounded the emergency horn.
The mournful sound cut across half the night sky.
Clearly, the Pearl Clan saw her as an enemy now.
She dodged another couple of arrows as she pressed forward, locking her eyes on the Zoroark ahead.
But they didn’t stop. They didn’t even try to change direction.
They just charged headlong toward the heart of the Pearl Clan settlement…
This is bad.
That was Zoroark’s first, inescapable thought.
—
[After you promised substantial supplies for reconstruction, the representatives of the clans finally relaxed a little.]
[To you, it was no big deal—just some ores and minerals. Regigigas could easily provide more.]
[What really troubled you was the cause behind the Zoroark clan’s rampage. You still had no clue.]
[Even if the leaders were appeased, the common folk would definitely harbor resentment.]
[If ugly rumors reached Zoroark’s ears, she’d start overthinking everything, no doubt.]
“C-Chief!”
Just as the discussion was winding down, the door was flung open.
A panicked guard burst in.
“What is it?” Irida frowned, her voice tight.
“T-The Zoroark—they’re attacking again!”
Even the guard’s voice was trembling.
Seven or eight Zoroark acting in concert—the damage they could do was far beyond what the clan could handle.
“They’re back again?!”
The news made everyone in the room flinch, not just the Pearl Clan.
The Diamond Clan and Galaxy Team delegates turned pale as well.
Their camps had been hit around the same time as the Pearl Clan’s during the first attack.
If another attack was happening now, their own settlements probably weren’t much safer.
“W-We’ll take our leave for now.”
The delegates bowed hastily, making their excuses.
“Mr. Elias, I’ll have to excuse myself too,” Cyllene said, helpless.
Her village had just been attacked, and here she was, sitting in a meeting. Strictly speaking, she was already derelict in her duty.
Now that another attack was underway, she couldn’t afford to stay any longer.
Elias nodded, letting her go without another word.
“Lucario, go see what’s happening.”
He flexed his hand, issuing the command.
Back-to-back attacks—no matter how you looked at it, something was seriously wrong.
Lucario nodded and disappeared in a blur.
—
[Because Lucario responded quickly, the second attack didn’t cause too much damage.]
[Still, there were too many Zoroark, and Lucario had to stay alert to protect you.]
[In the end, only one Zoroark was captured.]
[It was much smaller than the others—probably left behind as a decoy.]
[Amid the chaos, you also managed to catch your own Zoroark.]
“Didn’t I tell you to stay home and get some sleep?” Elias’s voice was unusually stern.
Of course, he understood her intentions.
But after tonight, rumors would only spread faster that it was his Zoroark who led the attack.
A lot of people had seen her already.
Everyone knew she was the leader of the clan.
“Elias… I’m sorry…” Zoroark’s answer was listless, almost a whisper.
She realized now—she’d probably been set up.
Those Zoroark had clearly done this on purpose.
But—
She still didn’t know if the riot had been caused by something else, or if it was because she’d ordered the clan to move.
If it was the latter, her breath caught painfully in her chest.
Elias had warned her about this very thing.
—
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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