Huff… huff…
Having run the entire way, Glaceon's body rose and fell with heavy breaths.
Even so, she still twisted around, straining to point toward her own back.
"Buu, bui~"
Hearing Glaceon's cry, Elias became more certain of his guess.
—This letter really was meant for him.
With that in mind, Elias gently pulled the note from Glaceon's back.
He deftly opened the envelope and was greeted by Irida's graceful handwriting.
Only, this time…it seemed a little shaky, almost frantic.
And the content itself was just a single line:
[Bring Zoroark back to the clan—immediately!]
"Elias, what does it say?"
Curious, Zoroark leaned in, trying to sneak a peek at the letter.
Elias calmly folded the paper away.
"It's nothing. There's just some trouble in the clan—I need to go check on it."
Elias's voice was steady.
If Irida was this anxious, something serious must have happened.
And for her to tell him to bring Zoroark—it almost certainly involved her.
Putting those together, Elias could already guess at the cause.
But he wasn't planning to bring Zoroark with him.
With her temperament, if she overheard anything unpleasant over there, she'd definitely dwell on it.
He could handle things alone.
"I'm coming with you."
Zoroark quickly interjected as Elias headed for the door.
"It's late. You should rest."
"And this situation calls for aura abilities, so I'll take Lucario with me."
Elias waved at Lucario as he spoke.
Lucario shot a glance at Zoroark, but in the end, kept quiet.
He'd already used aura to read the letter's contents…
---
[At your urging, Zoroark reluctantly agreed to stay home and rest—though not without sulking.]
"Don't worry. I'll be back by morning."
Elias crouched down and promised Zoroark.
But she just glared at him, saying nothing, and burrowed herself under the covers.
Seeing this, Elias could only give her head a reassuring pat—through the blanket—before heading out with Lucario.
Click—
As the wooden door closed behind him, Zoroark immediately threw off the covers.
Staring in the direction Elias had left, she frowned.
He might be acting calm, but to someone who knew him as well as she did, his behavior was full of holes.
First of all, no matter what he did in the past, he always kept her by his side.
If he couldn't have her out in the open, he'd at least keep her in a Poké Ball.
And second…
The way he hid the contents of the letter was way too obvious.
She had every reason to suspect there was something in that letter she wasn't meant to know.
With that thought, Zoroark narrowed her eyes.
Elias rarely acted this way. Deep down, she couldn't shake a sense of foreboding.
---
[Bringing Lucario and Glaceon with you, you hurried through the night toward the clan. The situation really was as bad as you'd feared.]
[Before you'd even reached the settlement, you saw plenty of damaged buildings.]
[The facilities, many just recently built, had been battered—left in ruins.]
[Some were scorched, bearing the marks of fire.]
[On the way in, you passed injured people being carried from the wreckage. Some, upon seeing you, couldn't hide the fear in their eyes.]
[Your frown deepened with every step.]
[When you finally reached the center of the settlement, you found Irida waiting, along with the other clan leaders.]
[Each was surrounded by their own inner circle of advisors.]
"Elias."
Irida let out a small breath of relief when she saw him.
She waved, greeting him.
Beside her, Cyllene gave a slight bow in acknowledgment.
But compared to them, several other delegates drew sharper, quicker breaths the moment they saw him.
"What happened?" Elias asked, getting straight to the point.
"Mr. Elias, shouldn't you know better than anyone?"
A tense voice snapped back before he could finish.
"Where's Zoroark?"
Irida shot a fierce glare at the speaker, then turned to Elias.
"She's not with me. I only brought Lucario tonight," Elias replied, nodding toward Lucario at his side.
But after he spoke, the looks from those nearby grew noticeably complicated.
"Mr. Elias… you didn't have a fight with your Zoroark, did you?"
Someone asked in a tentative voice.
Clearly, with the exception of that earlier speaker, most people still held Elias in their usual respect.
Hearing the question, Elias finally felt his suspicions confirmed.
"The Zoroark clan attacked the settlement, didn't they?"
He drew a deep breath and spoke quietly.
Everyone around him nodded.
"Both clans and the Galaxy Team were attacked to varying degrees."
"The damage to infrastructure is extensive," Irida added in a low voice.
To be honest, even she had wondered if Elias and Zoroark had fallen out, prompting the latter to lead an attack in a fit of rage.
After all…
A single rogue Zoroark could be handled, but today, there'd been a whole pack.
And to strike all three groups at once—it showed clear coordination.
Elias glanced at Lucario.
The very thing he'd dreaded most had happened.
A coordinated Zoroark attack—something he'd never even considered.
It clearly wasn't his Zoroark's doing.
But…
He had no idea what the cause or objective was. And where was Tornadus?
Why hadn't it intervened or raised the alarm?
With its powers, it could have summoned a storm to alert them in an instant.
"Mr. Elias, it was your idea to let the Zoroark clan settle near the village and coexist with humans."
"That's why everyone agreed to what once seemed impossible."
"But now this has happened… How do you intend to handle it?"
A representative from the Diamond Clan pressed, voice grave.
"Let's talk inside."
"I'll take responsibility for this."
Rubbing his aching head, Elias forced himself to stay calm.
Until he knew what was going on, all he could do was keep the group steady.
Thankfully, with Irida and Cyllene's help, the situation was not entirely out of control.
Still…
Why would the Zoroark clan suddenly attack the settlements?
At the same time—
Zoroark had tracked them all the way to the edge of the Alabaster Icelands.
Staring out into the frozen night, she felt more uneasy than ever.