Pokémon: Breeding Simulator [150]

On the barren snowfield, Zorua stood frozen, dazed.

Her wide eyes stared in disbelief at the icy expanse before her. Her body trembled slightly.

Even though her thick fur should've been enough to protect her from the Alabaster Wastes' biting cold, she felt nothing but chill. The warmth had drained from her body entirely.

"E-Elias!"

She scrambled toward the snow-covered slope, her tiny paws digging frantically at the frozen surface.

The more she dug, the more she shook.

Just moments ago, Haxorus had stomped the ground with a brutal, self-destructive force—causing a cascade of snow to break loose in a miniature avalanche.

She and Elias had been mid-slope—well within the buried zone.

And yet...

Just as she'd opened her mouth to shout for him to run, he had grabbed her by the scruff and flung her away with psychic force.

Suspended in midair, she'd watched with her own eyes as the boy who saved her was buried in an avalanche of white.

The memory stabbed her in the chest—sharp and brutal, like a thousand needles piercing her heart.

He'll be fine. He'll be fine…

As she clawed at the snow, Zorua kept repeating the thought, over and over like a prayer.

She had never felt so helpless.

She'd just agreed to go home with him, to stay by his side—and now, because of a single twist of fate, that promise was buried all over again.

I'm nothing but a burden.

If I hadn't been there... maybe he could've escaped in time.

Maybe he wouldn't have been caught under all that snow.

Plop. Plop.

Great, heavy teardrops spilled from her eyes, soaking into the snow.

Her tiny body looked even more fragile before the towering mound the avalanche had left behind.

"No… no, no…"

She couldn't bear the thought—what if Elias didn't make it?

The one human she cared for most, the one who had embraced her, fought for her… if he'd fallen because of her—

It was a thought she couldn't breathe around.

Her snowy white paws scraped and dug, over and over again—but she couldn't even reach the frozen ground beneath.

At this rate, she could dig until nightfall and still get nowhere.

Despair, heartbreak, frustration, self-loathing—they all surged in her chest, swirling into chaos.

At some point, her fangs bit through her own lip, but she was too numb to feel the pain.

Only the taste of blood lingered on her tongue, metallic and bitter.

She licked her lips absentmindedly.

Right now, all she could think about was one thing—

Get Elias out.

But then—

When she blinked again, she froze.

She was taller now.

Or rather… she wasn't the same.

From a distance, she no longer looked like the little fox she had been.

She stood upright. Her form was lean, elegant, and sharp.

Claws gleamed at the ends of her outstretched paws, glinting with a chilling light—razor-sharp.

She curled her fingers slightly, and realization struck:

She had evolved.

Just like the few older kin she had once admired in her clan, she had crossed the threshold.

She had become Zoroark.

The moment she understood this, her heart surged.

Not simply because she was stronger now.

True, she'd once imagined using her evolved powers to create grand illusions for Elias—real ones, ones worthy of a real Zoroark.

But right now, she was just thankful she had the strength to save him.

With that thought, Zoroark let out a low cry.

She raised her paws—and between them, a whirling vortex of energy began to form.

[Night Daze].

A move she had just learned.

Her power surged. She could feel it now—more than ever before.

With a grunt, she hurled the swirling orb into the snowbank.

The snow exploded outward with the impact, wind and energy ripping apart the mound like a miniature cyclone.

Zoroark watched the site closely, heart pounding.

If Elias was down there…

If only he could see her now, he'd realize she was still the same as before—her heart unchanged, no cruel edge despite her evolution.

The mist began to clear.

Zoroark stepped forward cautiously—but Elias was nowhere in sight.

Her chest tightened.

How deep is he?

She hesitated. She couldn't throw another blast—what if she hit him?

She had no choice.

She crouched, ready to jump into the pit and dig by hand.

But then—

A cold, snow-dusted face buried itself into the thick fur at her neck.

Arms wrapped around her from behind.

Zoroark stiffened in shock.

And then came the voice—warm and familiar, right by her ear:

"Zoroark… you've grown up, huh?"

Back on solid ground, Elias leaned against the fluffy warmth of the big fox and let out a slow breath.

In the face of nature's fury, no amount of strength was ever enough.

After throwing Zorua to safety, all he'd had time for was a psychic barrier to hold off the snow.

Buried beneath the avalanche, even teleporting had been impossible.

If the snow hadn't been cleared in time, he might've suffocated.

But just when he'd been about to consider other options—everything had grown light again.

The snow had vanished.

Without thinking, he'd used a last burst of psychic energy to blink himself back to the surface.

And there, standing above the hollowed snowbank, had been a fox—

Large, worried, with tearstained eyes—and familiar.

Elias had to admit: for a moment, he hadn't recognized her.

He had a little white fox, yes—but she was nowhere near this big.

But then she'd made to leap into the hole to find him, and he'd known—no doubt.

Smiling, he nuzzled deeper into her thick fur.

It was unbelievably warm, thawing the numbness from his face.

He narrowed his eyes, a quiet pride blooming in his chest.

It felt like watching something he raised take flight.

Zoroark, meanwhile, was caught between joy and panic.

She peeked at the arms wrapped around her, bit her lip—then forcefully shook him off.

She couldn't stay.

She had made that decision as Zorua—how much more so now, as Zoroark?

Meeting Elias's puzzled and slightly indignant gaze, she bared her fangs and snapped:

"I'm a real calamity beast now. Stay away from me!"

Her voice—no longer childlike—rang with illusion magic, rich and magnetic.

It even sounded a little like Cogita's—smooth, deep, commanding.

Elias found himself enjoying the new voice.

But as for this ridiculous idea?

No. He wasn't letting it stand.

"Calamity beast?" he chuckled. "Really now?"

"O-of course!" Zoroark snarled back, flustered.

Elias stepped closer, inch by inch.

He wanted to see for himself—

Just what part of her was so 'fierce' after all.