"So then, are you willing to leave with Meltan?"
Ethan narrowed his eyes; he had clearly understood Metagross's thoughts. But no matter what, he first had to "sweet-talk" this Metagross and secure it.
After hearing Ethan's words, Metagross looked at Meltan once again, and there was still a trace of hesitation on its face.
"Metagross, how about we make a deal?"
"A deal that can make you much stronger..."
Ethan narrowed his eyes once more and used his old trick again.
When it came to becoming stronger, there was no Pokémon that could resist.
Kingdra, Magmar, and Gengar... Ethan had tried it many times before, and it had always worked.
Here, with Metagross, it was naturally applicable as well.
Just as he had expected, after Ethan laid out the terms of the deal, the hesitant Metagross finally nodded and agreed.
"Phew, successful trick."
A joyful expression appeared on Ethan's face.
The strength of this Metagross was truly enormous; if he could capture it, the power of his team would increase considerably.
...
"Hello, is this where Pokémon captures are registered?"
At the exit of the Steel Secret Kingdom, Ethan asked the staff member guarding the area.
"That's right, it's here." The worker nodded calmly.
Every year, far too many trainers came to the Steel Secret Kingdom to capture Pokémon; there was nothing left that could surprise him.
"Perfect, then please help me complete the registration."
Ethan smiled faintly and handed over Metagross's Poké Ball.
"Before confirming whether you can take the Pokémon, we must first verify the Pokémon's own willingness."
The worker took the Poké Ball and, in front of Ethan, released the Pokémon inside.
"Damn, it's a Metagross!"
Seeing the figure that appeared, the worker was startled.
He rubbed his eyes hard and finally confirmed that the released Pokémon was indeed a Metagross.
That made him completely lose his composure. Although it was no longer a secret that there were Metagross in the Steel Secret Kingdom, no one had managed to capture one until now. He never imagined that, on an apparently peaceful day, someone would actually succeed!
"Yes, this is the Metagross I captured in a cave within the Secret Kingdom. Thanks to my extraordinary personal charisma, this Metagross has already agreed to leave with me."
Ethan nodded at the astonished worker, chuckled softly, and looked at Metagross.
Upon hearing Ethan's words, Metagross immediately rolled its eyes, turned its head, and stopped looking at him.
Seeing this, Ethan did not change his expression and looked back at the worker.
"Sorry, I need to report this to my superiors."
The worker's eyes widened slightly; this matter was clearly no longer something he could handle.
Therefore, he immediately contacted the person in charge. Through the communicator, Ethan clearly heard a "What the hell?!"
Ethan did not have to wait long. The person in charge arrived swiftly, flying on a Skarmory.
"Are you the one who wants to take this Metagross away?"
After circling around Metagross, the person in charge asked.
"Is there a problem?"
"I've already obtained this Metagross's recognition. According to the rules, I can take it with me."
A displeased expression appeared on Ethan's face. Did they not want to let him take Metagross?
"Don't misunderstand. According to the rules, you can indeed take Metagross. Moreover, this is the tax that must be paid for Metagross. You can take a look."
As he spoke, the person in charge took out a tax form and handed it to Ethan. On it were recorded the corresponding taxes for all Pokémon in the Steel Secret Kingdom, including Metagross.
However, upon seeing the amount of Metagross's tax, Ethan's face darkened instantly. Wasn't this price far too high?!
"Look, if you want to take Metagross, then you have to pay the tax."
The worker seemed to have anticipated Ethan's reaction and shrugged.
As a pseudo-legendary Pokémon, Metagross was extremely valuable to any organization. Naturally, they had prepared corresponding measures to prevent loopholes from being exploited.
The recognition of the Pokémon itself was one part, but the tax also served, to a certain extent, to prevent someone from actually taking Metagross away.
"Well, it's expensive, that's for sure. But give me some time, and I should be able to gather it."
Ethan rubbed his chin as he spoke. Although he didn't have much cash on hand, he did possess quite a lot of points from the Pokémon Researchers' Guild; by exchanging them, there would be no major problem.
Upon hearing this, the person in charge's smile froze slightly. He looked Ethan up and down; the Metagross tax was already extremely demanding, but if Ethan could truly pay it, there was nothing they could do.
"Then stay here and continue living here for a while longer. The next time I come, if you're still willing to follow me, I'll come and take you."
Upon hearing Ethan's words, Metagross nodded and looked at Meltan with obvious reluctance.
...
Half a month later, Ethan left the Steel Secret Kingdom.
"Zzzt!"
Beside him, Meltan flew about happily.
This trip to the Secret Kingdom had been an enormous gain for him.
Aside from that Meltan nut, they had also stayed inside the Secret Kingdom for half a month.
The Steel Secret Kingdom was filled with steel-type energy; in itself, it was a sacred place for training Pokémon of that type.
"Riou!"
Meltan was happy, but Riolu, curled up in Ethan's arms, was not quite as pleased.
Although steel-type energy was abundant there, Riolu still hadn't learned a single steel-type move.
"Don't rush it. When you evolve into Lucario, I'll bring you back again."
Ethan smiled faintly and patted Riolu's head to comfort it.
Speaking of which, the reason Ethan was leaving the Steel Secret Kingdom now was naturally because the Coral City fishing tournament was about to begin.
As for that Secret Kingdom at the bottom of Coral City's lake, Ethan was very interested.
The entire Secret Kingdom was completely filled with seawater, and the entrance environment was located on the seabed. To this day, humans had not managed to enter that mysterious Secret Kingdom.
In the early explorations, none of the Pokémon hunters who entered came out alive; only some Pokémon capable of adapting to underwater life survived and managed to bring back some information.
An unknown Secret Kingdom, unknown Pokémon.
All of this attracted countless fishing enthusiasts, who would swarm there every time the Water Secret Kingdom opened.
"I wonder what Pokémon will appear in this fishing tournament. I've heard that once, when the Secret Kingdom opened, a Lapras appeared. I don't know if that's true."
Ethan pondered silently. Thinking of Lapras, he couldn't help but feel anticipation; if he managed to capture one, he could happily travel across the water.
(End of chapter)