Scyther staggered backward again as Vespiquen buzzed sharply.
Three Combee shot forward instantly.
"Combee!"
They slammed into Scyther from different angles, forcing the mantis Pokémon to slide across the dirt.
Lusamine watched carefully.
"The Vespiquen is commanding the swarm efficiently."
Ethan nodded once.
"Yeah."
Then he walked into the clearing.
Lusamine blinked.
"You are literally interrupting a territorial battle."
Ethan shrugged.
"It's unfair."
Scyther and Vespiquen both immediately turned toward him.
The pressure in the clearing changed instantly.
Vespiquen buzzed loudly in warning.
Scyther looked annoyed.
Probably because the weird dragon-aura human returned.
Ethan raised his hands slightly.
"I'm not here to steal the hive."
Sentret jumped down beside him.
"Sent!"
Vespiquen narrowed her eyes.
Then Ethan pointed toward the injured Scyther.
"You're winning already."
Scyther immediately looked offended by that statement.
Lusamine walked into the clearing beside Ethan gracefully.
Meanwhile her eyes quietly analyzed the Vespiquen.
Strong.
Healthy.
Actively commanding a swarm.
Rare.
High score potential.
'If I catch that Vespiquen…'
She hid the thought behind a polite smile.
Misdreavus floated beside her while watching the Combee swarm carefully.
Vespiquen buzzed again.
This time sharper.
The Combee immediately formed defensive positions around the nest.
Ethan sighed softly.
"Yeah, ok, fair reaction."
Then—
Scyther suddenly rushed Vespiquen again.
Its blades flashed forward in a desperate X-Scissor.
Vespiquen countered instantly with Attack Order.
The Combee swarm collided into Scyther mid-charge—
But this time Ethan moved.
"Sentret, Quick Attack."
Sentret vanished forward.
BAM.
One Combee got knocked away, breaking the formation.
Scyther's slash landed directly on Vespiquen's side.
Vespiquen buzzed angrily and flew upward.
Lusamine blinked.
"…You helped it."
Ethan looked confused.
"It's a two-on-one."
"There are three Combee."
"Exactly."
Scyther landed roughly but glanced toward Ethan briefly now.
Less fear.
More confusion.
Lusamine smiled faintly.
'He really would interfere just because he thinks the fight is unfair.'
Meanwhile Vespiquen's eyes locked onto Ethan now.
The queen Pokémon had officially decided he was a problem.
"Misdreavus," Lusamine spoke calmly.
"Misdreavus~"
"Confuse Ray."
Ghostly energy spiraled outward instantly.
It struck Vespiquen directly.
The queen bee faltered midair.
Ethan looked at her.
"You're joining?"
Lusamine looked completely composed.
"I want the Vespiquen."
At least she was honest.
Immediately afterward—
She threw a Park Ball.
Smooth motion.
Perfect timing.
The ball struck Vespiquen mid-confusion.
Click.
Shake.
Shake.
Shake.
The Combee panicked around it.
Shake.
Click.
Captured.
Lusamine smiled softly as she picked up the Park Ball.
"…Excellent."
Ethan stared for a second.
"…That was kind of terrifying."
"Thank you."
Meanwhile, without Vespiquen controlling the field anymore, the remaining Combee scattered.
Silence filled the clearing.
Then—
Scyther looked around slowly.
Then at Ethan.
Then at Lusamine.
Then immediately tried to limp away into the forest.
Ethan sighed.
"Oh no you don't."
Scyther froze.
Ethan crouched slightly this time instead of approaching aggressively.
"You're injured."
Scyther narrowed its eyes.
Still wary.
But no longer running immediately.
Sentret slowly walked forward carrying an Oran Berry from Ethan's bag.
Scyther stared at it suspiciously.
Ethan placed it on the ground.
"…Peace offering."
Scyther looked between Ethan and the berry for several long seconds.
Then slowly took it.
Lusamine watched quietly beside him.
'He's trying to earn its trust instead of just catching it.'
Honestly—
That was more interesting than the contest itself.
Ethan slowly pulled out a Park Ball.
The red-and-white ball reflected lightly under the forest sunlight.
He placed it gently on the ground in front of Scyther.
"Here."
Scyther watched him carefully.
Ethan smiled faintly.
"If you trust me…"
He tapped the button lightly.
"Press it."
Lusamine blinked.
"…You're letting it choose?"
Ethan shrugged.
"I'd rather catch a partner than force a capture."
Scyther stared at him silently.
The Bug type looked down at the Park Ball.
Then at Ethan.
Then at Sentret.
Sentret gave an encouraging nod.
"Sent!"
Scyther slowly reached one blade forward.
Lusamine watched quietly now.
Curious.
Scyther tapped the button.
The Park Ball opened instantly.
Red light surrounded Scyther—
And pulled it inside.
The ball dropped into the grass.
Shake.
Shake.
Click.
Silence.
Then Ethan picked up the Park Ball slowly.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"…Welcome to the team."
The Park Ball shook once softly in his hand.
Lusamine stared at him for a moment.
Then laughed quietly again.
"That was the least normal capture I've ever seen."
Ethan looked at her.
"You captured a Vespiquen mid-war."
"That was tactical."
"This was emotional damage."
Misdreavus floated beside Lusamine giggling.
Meanwhile Sentret climbed onto Ethan's shoulder proudly.
"Sentret!"
Ethan nodded.
"Yeah, good job."
Then he looked down at the Scyther's Park Ball again.
Truthfully—
He didn't just want a strong Pokémon.
He liked the fact Scyther stayed and fought for something important.
Even while injured.
Even while losing.
Lusamine noticed the look in his eyes.
'He really gets attached fast.'
Then again—
Maybe that explained why wild Pokémon trusted him enough to choose him willingly.
Well.
Some of them.
The first Scyther clearly still thought Ethan was an eldritch dragon monster.
Ethan looked at Lusamine and pointed deeper into the forest.
"Alright, bye. I'm gonna look for more bugs."
Lusamine smiled lightly.
"Try not to scare them this time."
Ethan looked offended.
"The Scyther thing was one misunderstanding."
Sentret immediately looked away.
Lusamine laughed softly again.
"…Sure."
Then Ethan walked off deeper into the trees with Sentret on his shoulder.
Lusamine watched him disappear between the forest paths.
Misdreavus floated beside her curiously.
"Misdreavus?"
Lusamine rested a finger lightly against her lips.
'He's cute.'
Not just appearance.
Though admittedly—
Very cute.
But mostly because he was strange in a way rich people normally weren't.
No fake politeness.
No political talking.
No trying to impress her after hearing "Lawliet."
He just acted like… Ethan.
And somehow that made him more interesting.
Lusamine looked down at the Park Ball holding Vespiquen.
A small smile formed.
"Well then."
She adjusted her hat slightly.
"Let's win this."
"Misdreavus~!"
The two headed deeper into the forest to continue catching Bug Pokémon.
---
Meanwhile—
In another area of the National Park—
Bugsy stared at the Park Ball in his hand with complete disbelief.
"…Wow."
Bayleef looked equally shocked.
Bugsy swallowed slowly.
"That was one hard catch…"
He looked at the ball again carefully.
"I didn't even know there was one here."
The Park Ball shook once in his hand.
Bugsy grinned nervously.
Even Bayleef leaned closer curiously.
Truthfully—
Most Bug Catching Contest participants would have screamed if they saw what Bugsy had caught.
Bugsy thought quietly to himself:
'I don't think I need to catch anymore… hopefully.'
Then the Park Ball suddenly shook harder.
Bugsy froze.
"…Why did I say hopefully?"
Heracross lunged forward again.
Dark energy covered one arm as it swung Night Slash directly at Bronzor.
"Bronzor, MOVE!"
Bronzor barely floated upward in time.
The slash carved straight through a tree trunk behind it.
Lyra stared in horror.
"…That could have been us."
Heracross proudly flexed.
It absolutely knew it looked cool.
Lyra pointed accusingly.
"Stop being awesome for five seconds!"
Heracross responded by charging again.
"THAT IS THE OPPOSITE OF STOPPING!"
Bronzor fired Confusion desperately.
This time it worked better.
Heracross staggered sideways slightly.
Lyra's eyes widened.
"Wait…"
Her brain started connecting things.
"Bronzor! Keep using Confusion!"
Bronzor's eyes glowed blue.
Psychic waves slammed into Heracross repeatedly.
Heracross pushed through the first one.
Then the second.
But by the third—
Its movements slowed.
Lyra immediately pointed forward dramatically.
"Now use Tackle!"
Bronzor blinked.
"…Bron?"
Honestly?
That order sounded dumb.
"JUST TRUST ME!"
Bronzor sighed internally and charged forward.
BONK.
The tiny steel disc slammed directly into Heracross's forehead.
Silence.
Heracross stared at Bronzor.
Bronzor stared back.
Then—
Heracross slowly tipped over backward.
THUD.
Lyra blinked.
Bronzor blinked.
"…Did we just win?"
Heracross groaned weakly from the ground.
Lyra immediately pulled out a Park Ball.
"Oh my god we actually won."
She threw it.
The ball struck Heracross and opened.
Red light pulled the Bug type inside.
Shake.
Shake.
Lyra clasped her hands together nervously.
Shake.
Click.
Silence.
Then Lyra screamed loud enough for nearby trainers to hear.
"I CAUGHT A HERACROSS!"
Several nearby Bug Pokémon fled the area instantly.
Bronzor floated proudly beside her.
Lyra grabbed Bronzor and hugged it tightly.
"We're amazing!"
Bronzor looked very pleased with itself now.
Meanwhile inside the Park Ball—
Heracross probably still wasn't fully sure how it lost to a flying metal pancake using Tackle.
"So you didn't need help".
Lyra immediately froze.
Bronzor floated beside her proudly while the Park Ball containing Heracross rested tightly in her hands.
The boy stood a few feet away with his hands in his jacket pockets, snow-pale eyes calmly observing the clearing.
Red hair.
Sharp gaze.
And stitched onto his black coat—
The Mahogany Gym symbol.
Lyra blinked.
"…Uh."
The boy glanced toward the broken tree trunk Heracross had sliced earlier.
Then at Bronzor.
Then finally at Lyra again.
"You beat a Heracross using Confusion spam and Tackle."
His tone stayed completely flat.
Lyra pointed at herself immediately.
"In my defense, I was improvising."
Bronzor bobbed slightly.
Honestly?
It still thought the plan sounded stupid.
The boy walked closer slowly.
No dramatic aura.
No fake intimidation.
But something about him felt… sharp.
Like a knife sitting quietly on a table.
Crobat descended from above and landed behind him silently.
Lyra nearly jumped.
"YOU HAD A CROBAT THIS WHOLE TIME?!"
The boy blinked once.
"…Yes."
Lyra pointed accusingly.
"That's like… emotionally intimidating."
Crobat screeched softly, mildly offended.
The boy looked at the Heracross Park Ball.
"It fought well."
Lyra looked down at it and smiled a little.
"Yeah."
Then she paused.
Wait.
She squinted at him suspiciously.
"…Were you watching the whole battle?"
A small pause.
"Mostly."
Lyra's face immediately turned red.
"Oh my god."
That meant he saw:
the panic,
the screaming,
the "STOP BEING AWESOME,"
and the Tackle strategy.
Wonderful.
The boy tilted his head slightly.
"You yell a lot."
"I WAS UNDER STRESS."
"That was stress?"
Lyra pointed at the destroyed tree.
"THAT WAS A MURDER BUG."
Heracross's Park Ball shook proudly.
The boy looked at the ball.
Then unexpectedly—
The corner of his mouth twitched slightly upward.
Not quite a smile.
But close.
Lyra stared.
'…Oh.'
'He actually can make expressions.'
Bronzor floated slightly closer to Lyra protectively.
The boy noticed immediately.
"Your Bronzor is cautious."
Lyra blinked.
"Oh. Uh… yeah."
He nodded once.
"Smart."
Crobat suddenly sniffed the air.
Its eyes narrowed slightly toward the deeper forest.
The boy noticed instantly.
"What is it?"
Crobat gave a low screech.
The boy's expression sharpened immediately.
Without another word, he turned toward the trees.
Lyra blinked.
"Uh… where are you going?"
He paused slightly.
Then answered without turning around.
"Something strong entered the area."
Lyra stared.
Bronzor stared.
Then from somewhere deeper in the forest—
A distant scream echoed out.
"WHY ARE THERE TWO OF THEM?!"
Ethan.
The red-haired boy closed his eyes briefly.
"...I regret asking."
Lyra immediately pointed dramatically.
"Oh, that's my friend."
A pause.
"He's weird."
The boy silently believed her instantly.
After a while the Competition
And everyone came back with their catch
Not many catch much.
Some low-level bug Pokèmon.
Ethan scanned the area, the monitor screen, the tracking, and the bug on the screen.
'Advanced'.
Was his only word as he shows his Scyther
The Judge looked at it. "It's a Strong Scyther, but Injury's well deduct your points".
Ethan sighed; he didn't explain that it wasn't his fault.
Lusamin then shows hee Scyther and Vespiquen.
The Guy looked at it as he spoke. "Two high-level capture Mrs Lawliet, it seems we have a first place winee".
Lyra shows hee Heracross and they say it was strong and that's all.
But when Bugsy shows his Pokèmon every heart stops.
As there, coming out of the park Ball was a Larvesta
Silence.
Complete silence.
The officials stared at the tiny Pokémon in Bugsy's arms as if reality itself had personally offended them.
The fluffy white larva blinked sleepily.
"Lar… vesta."
One judge slowly adjusted his glasses.
Then adjusted them again.
"…Excuse me?"
Bugsy laughed nervously.
"Yeah, I had that reaction too."
Bayleef looked deeply concerned beside him.
The entire contestant hall started erupting into whispers.
"Is that—"
"No way."
"Those aren't native to Johto!"
"Why is there a pseudo-legendary bug here?!"
Whitney looked like her soul left her body.
"BUGSY WHAT DID YOU DO?!"
Bugsy immediately defended himself.
"I DON'T KNOW IT JUST APPEARED!"
Lyra pointed dramatically.
"THAT IS NOT A NORMAL CONTEST CATCH!"
Meanwhile Ethan stared directly at Larvesta.
Then toward Bugsy.
Then back toward Larvesta.
"...Advanced."
Lusamine quietly covered her mouth to hide a smile.
Even she looked impressed now.
The judges hurriedly gathered together in panic.
One older official whispered frantically:
"Check the rulebook."
Another whispered back:
"I AM CHECKING THE RULEBOOK."
A third looked horrified.
"There is no Larvesta section."
Meanwhile Larvesta happily climbed onto Bugsy's head.
Bugsy froze.
"...Please don't set me on fire."
Tiny embers flickered around Larvesta fluff.
Bugsy looked like he was one emotional shock away from ascension.
The head judge finally walked back slowly.
He looked at Bugsy.
Then at Larvesta.
Then back at Bugsy again.
"...Contestant."
Bugsy swallowed.
"Y-Yes?"
The judge took a deep breath.
"Where."
A pause.
"Did you find this?"
Bugsy pointed vaguely toward the forest.
"...Near a tree?"
The officials looked like that answer caused physical pain.
Ethan crossed his arms thoughtfully.
"So that's why the bug population in that area felt strange."
Lusamine glanced at him.
"You noticed?"
"There were fewer aggressive Bug types near the northern ridge."
Sabrina nodded from nearby.
"A higher predator presence."
Whitney held her head.
"WHY ARE YOU ALL TALKING LIKE DOCUMENTARY NARRATORS."
The red-haired boy from earlier stood near the back silently watching Larvesta.
Crobat narrowed its eyes slightly.
Even Silver looked mildly surprised.
Which for him—
Was basically emotional devastation.
The head judge finally cleared his throat loudly.
"After reevaluation of all captured Pokémon…"
He looked toward Lusamine first.
"Contestant Lusamine Lawliet captured both a high-level Scyther and Vespiquen with excellent condition scores."
Lusamine smiled gracefully.
Then the judge looked toward Ethan.
"Contestant Ethan Harmonia captured a veteran Scyther with exceptional battle evaluation… however injury deductions lower the final score."
Ethan sighed.
"Yeah, fair."
Then—
The judge turned slowly toward Bugsy.
Everyone waited.
The old man removed his glasses dramatically.
"...First place goes to Bugsy Azalea."
The room exploded.
Whitney pointed violently.
"OF COURSE THE BUG GYM KID FOUND THE MYTHICAL FIRE MOTH."
"It's not mythical—"
"YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN."
Bugsy looked completely overwhelmed.
"I JUST WANTED A SCYTHER."
Larvesta chirped proudly from his head.
"LARVESTA!"
The head judge handed Bugsy the winner's prize case with shaky hands.
Inside—
The evolution stones gleamed under the lights.
Bugsy stared at them.
Then immediately walked toward Ethan.
Ethan blinked.
"...Why are you walking toward me like that?"
Bugsy held out the Dusk Stone.
"You wanted this more than me."
The room quieted slightly.
Ethan looked genuinely surprised.
"Bugsy."
Bugsy rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"I caught Larvesta accidentally."
He looked down at the tiny fire bug on his head.
"And honestly... I think I already got my prize."
Larvesta happily rubbed against his hair.
Ethan stared at the Dusk Stone for a moment.
Then smiled softly.
"...Thanks."
He accepted it carefully.
Back near the wall, Silver watched the exchange silently.
No greed.
No arguing.
No fighting over rewards.
Just trust.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"...Weird people."
Crobat screeched softly beside him.
Meanwhile Lusamine watched Ethan hold the Dusk Stone carefully.
And for some reason—
That small smile on his face interested her more than winning second place did.
To be continue
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