Nine-Colored Fate · Ancestor of Raikou!!**
Northwest Province.
Shengtang City.
The largest and most prosperous city in all of Donghuang's northwest.
Once the capital of the most glorious dynasty in Donghuang history—the Tang Dynasty.
Although Falling Thunder Valley and Qin Family Village were remote, the straight-line distance to Shengtang City was only about 150 kilometers.
The real difficulty lay in the treacherous mountain roads.
For Metagross, however, distance meant nothing.
In less than fifteen minutes, Ethan arrived at Shengtang City's No.1 Pokémon Hospital.
Outside the hospital entrance stood a middle-aged man pacing back and forth.
If it were daytime, at least 70% of Shengtang City's residents would recognize him at a glance.
Zhang Qian.
Gym Leader of the national-level Sandstorm Gym.
He was here because he had received a call from Zuo Shenghui.
The message was simple but heavy—
Donghuang's newest Five-Star Professional Trainer, Ethan, was on his way.
And the reason…
A critically poisoned Pokémon.
Worse still, the incident involved foreign Pokémon Hunters attacking the Falling Thunder Valley restricted zone.
That alone elevated the matter to a national-security level.
Zhang Qian had immediately gotten out of bed, mounted his Flygon, and rushed to the hospital.
As Metagross descended, Zhang Qian saw Ethan at once.
"Uncle Zhang!" Ethan said quickly.
"Sorry—I can't talk right now. Where's the emergency room?"
Zhang Qian's gaze fell on Little Lei.
Half her body had turned purple.
His pupils shrank.
"I've prepared everything. Follow me!"
They rushed straight into the emergency ward.
Because Ethan had already explained the situation over the phone, the hospital had prepared Toxicroak-specific antivenom in advance.
Little Lei was pushed into surgery.
Only then did Ethan finally exhale.
"Don't worry, kid," Zhang Qian said.
"Doctor Wang is Shengtang's top toxin specialist."
"Toxicroak poison is vicious, but it's not unbeatable."
After a pause, his expression turned serious.
"Now tell me—what exactly happened in Falling Thunder Valley?"
Ethan explained everything he knew.
When Zhang Qian heard that the attackers were Pokémon Hunters from the Great Cold Alliance, his face darkened instantly.
"So it really is those bastards…"
"They never learn."
"Last time we caught their hunters, we warned them."
"And now they're at it again?"
He let out a cold snort.
"Do they really think Donghuang has gone soft?"
Zhang Qian was known within the alliance as a hardliner.
This time, with Ethan directly involved, he had more than enough justification to act.
After all—
Ethan had already been personally designated by Zuo Shenghui as
Donghuang Alliance's greatest treasure of this generation.
When Zhang Qian asked about Little Lei's background, Ethan hesitated briefly, then spoke honestly.
"She has a brother."
"Deep in Falling Thunder Valley."
"Totem-level… late-stage."
"The true king of that place."
Zhang Qian nearly choked.
Totem late-stage?!
There were fewer than twenty Totem Pokémon worldwide.
Donghuang officially had only two—
The Dragon Lord of Yunshan Dragon Valley,
and the Ice Sovereign of Polar Summit.
And now Ethan not only owned a Totem Metagross—
He was also on good terms with another Totem-level existence?!
Zhang Qian went silent.
At this point, he was starting to seriously question whether the Stone family bloodline came with some kind of passive Pokémon affinity aura.
Soon, Doctor Wang exited the operating room.
"The poison has been stabilized," he announced.
"She'll need one or two days of observation, but she's out of danger."
Ethan's shoulders finally relaxed.
Little Lei was wheeled out, still unconscious, accompanied by a Chansey.
The purple discoloration had already faded significantly.
She was recovering.
Ethan immediately sent a photo and message to Qin Yingying, reassuring her—and Little Lei's brother—that everything was fine.
Three days later.
Private recovery room, Shengtang No.1 Pokémon Hospital.
"Does it taste good?" Ethan asked with a laugh.
"Rui-gong~!"
Little Lei nodded vigorously while stuffing her face with food.
She had woken up two days ago—and ever since, she'd been eating like a black hole.
Six meals a day.
No signs of slowing down.
Doctors eventually discovered why—
Little Lei had six stomachs.
A prehistoric biological structure rarely seen in modern Pokémon.
An ancient lineage.
That revelation made Ethan quietly connect the dots.
Ancestor of Raikou…
Not a Pokémon of this era…
The theory sounded outrageous—
But in a world with time-traveling Pokémon, it wasn't impossible.
When Ethan mentioned returning to Falling Thunder Valley…
Little Lei instantly lost her appetite.
She wasn't scared of her brother.
She just didn't want to leave.
Good food.
Fun places.
And Ethan's Thunder Jewel, far better than the Lightning Forge Pool.
She liked this world.
Ethan chuckled.
"I promised your brother I'd bring you back safely."
"If I don't, he'll probably strike me down with divine lightning."
Little Lei understood.
She nodded—but still looked dejected.
Ethan paused.
Then asked softly—
"Do you want to see the world outside the valley?"
Her eyes lit up.
"Then… would you be willing to follow me?"
"I know your brother won't let you wander alone."
"But if you're with me—there might be a chance."
Little Lei didn't hesitate.
She leapt straight into Ethan's arms.
[Ding! Detected: Golden Fate – Ancestor of Raikou]
[Fate Critical Hit in Progress…]
[Ding! Ten-Thousandfold Multiplier Achieved]
[Ding! Congratulations! Obtained Nine-Colored Fate – Ancestor of Raikou]
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