A Sarcastic White Elephant Brat—and Hatterene Makes Her Move!!**
The White Elephant Alliance, located in South Asia, had always styled itself as a land of "Eastern mysticism."
Its overall development wasn't particularly impressive, but this time—with newly promoted Five-Star Trainers from all major alliances gathering here—the White Elephant Alliance pulled out all the stops in hospitality.
At the international airport of the White Elephant Alliance's capital—
After landing, Ethan noticed that his father didn't head for the hotel.
Instead, Victor led him straight into the VIP lounge.
Ethan blinked, confused.
"Dad, what are we waiting for here?"
"Aren't we supposed to check in first?"
Victor smiled calmly.
"Don't rush."
"Your Uncle Donovan Kovsky messaged me."
"He'll be arriving in about fifteen minutes."
Ethan nodded in understanding.
Since they were waiting, he grabbed some fruit from the lounge and casually shared it with Noibat.
Despite looking like a bat, Noibat wasn't interested in meat at all—
he loved fruit.
And South Asia, with its year-round warmth, was practically a fruit paradise.
These VIP lounge offerings were top-tier.
Noibat ate happily—
one piece in his mouth, another clutched in his wings—
even with his belly visibly round, he showed no signs of stopping.
Ethan laughed.
"Slow down. No one's stealing your food."
Noibat grinned back and continued munching enthusiastically.
Not long after, Victor spoke again.
"Ethan, Donovan's here."
Ethan looked up.
Outside the lounge stood a massive, broad-shouldered man—Donovan Kovsky.
Beside him were two women.
One had black hair and a mature air, around her mid-thirties, with features closer to Central Asia than Slavic Europe.
The other, however—
A girl.
Snow-white long hair.
Fair skin.
Simple clothes, yet she carried herself like a Western fairy-tale princess.
No exaggeration—
she would be considered a beauty anywhere.
"Old Zhou! You're early as always!"
"And my good son-in-law—long time no see!"
Donovan's booming voice nearly made Ethan choke on his fruit.
Son-in-law?!
Before Ethan could protest—
The silver-haired girl puffed her cheeks and shot Donovan an annoyed glare.
"Dad! What nonsense are you spouting?!"
She spoke fluent Donghuang language.
Ethan froze.
…Dad?
He looked at the petite girl, then at Donovan's mountain-like frame.
His brain buzzed.
This… is a father and daughter??
They looked nothing alike.
At all.
If there was one similarity—
it was their flawless Donghuang pronunciation.
"Hello, Uncle Zhou."
"My name is Aurora."
"Please ignore my dad's nonsense."
"Just treat me like a normal friend."
Her tone was relaxed and confident.
Ethan instantly felt the tension ease.
"Nice to meet you, Aurora."
Introductions followed.
The other woman was Ravfat, this year's newly promoted Five-Star Trainer from the Polar Alliance—
a powerhouse despite her calm appearance.
Donovan even joked that if Ethan met her in the exchange tournament, he should "go easy."
After all—
Even someone as strong as Ravfat couldn't compare to a trainer who had beaten a Donghuang Elite Four member head-on.
Aurora, meanwhile, quietly observed Ethan.
She'd heard her father rave about him countless times—
even suggesting she "lock onto him early" as a future powerhouse.
At first, she'd found it annoying.
But curiosity won out.
She'd searched online—
yet outside Donghuang platforms, Ethan was practically invisible.
No photos.
No interviews.
Barely any information.
Which made it weird.
A newly promoted Five-Star Trainer should be headline news.
But Donghuang seemed to be deliberately hiding him.
And that only made Aurora more curious.
Now that she finally met him—
He looked… ordinary.
Too ordinary.
Was this really Donghuang's new Five-Star prodigy?
Aurora frowned slightly.
Then Ethan spoke calmly.
"Aurora, you've been staring at me for a while."
"Is there something on my face?"
She didn't shy away at all.
Instead, she blinked her bright blue eyes.
"Are you really a Five-Star Trainer?"
"You don't look special."
Ethan smiled.
"Isn't being ordinary a good thing?"
"Five-Star is just a title."
"With or without it, I'm still just a person."
His tone was gentle.
Grounded.
In Donghuang culture, that was humility.
But for alliances with shorter histories—
Strength was meant to be shown.
Aurora crossed her arms.
"Hmph. I don't care."
"If my dad says you're strong, then battle me."
"I refuse to believe someone my age deserves that much praise."
Ethan didn't refuse.
In fact—
he welcomed it.
Since passing the Five-Star assessment, he hadn't battled seriously.
A warm-up sounded perfect.
Rajastan Grand Hotel – Battle Arena
"Froslass—Icy Wind!"
Aurora wasted no time.
Froslass released a freezing gale straight toward Noibat.
Type disadvantage.
Perfect opening.
But—
Noibat didn't panic.
He rode the wind instead—
gliding lazily while still eating fruit.
The ice crystals missed him entirely.
Aurora's eyes widened.
Then—
"Ice Beam!"
A piercing beam of frost shot forward.
Ethan finally spoke.
"Noibat—Defog."
Noibat flapped his tiny wings.
An absurdly powerful gust erupted.
The Ice Beam shattered mid-air.
The backlash sent Froslass tumbling across the arena.
Silence.
Aurora stared.
She understood instantly—
Ethan hadn't even tried.
She recalled Froslass and bowed slightly.
"I lost."
Ethan smiled.
"You handled it well."
"But Froslass's energy control needs work."
"Otherwise, that Ice Beam wouldn't have broken."
Aurora nodded seriously.
Then—
A mocking voice interrupted.
"So arrogant for winning one match."
A dark-skinned local youth sneered.
"Donghuang brat, you really think you're something?"
He glanced at Aurora.
"Miss, don't listen to him."
"I can teach you real battling."
Before Ethan responded—
A chilling psychic pressure descended.
Hatterene appeared silently beside the man.
Her ribbon-like feelers sharpened into a glowing psychic blade—
resting gently against his throat.
She smiled sweetly.
"Hatterene~?"
If you're so knowledgeable…
Why don't you teach me instead?
The White Elephant youth went pale.
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