Bone-Pattern Skeledirge Steps into Totem Tier — Setting Sail for the Southwestern Bug Valley!**
As Mega Lucario shed all enhanced states and reverted to its original form, its body finally gave out.
At that exact moment, Ethan appeared beside him.
He caught Lucario before it could collapse.
Lucario was massive now—
Over 2.3 meters tall, built like a steel giant, weighing more than 150 kilograms.
Compared to him, Ethan looked slim.
Yet—
Ethan supported Lucario with ease.
Not because Ethan possessed monstrous physical strength—
But because his psychic power had long since reached the level where lifting heavy objects was effortless.
To ordinary people, this went completely unnoticed.
But to Zhao Yu, who was also a psychic—
The moment Ethan's power leaked out, she froze.
What she sensed wasn't just psychic energy.
It was quality.
Pure, terrifying, overwhelmingly refined psychic power—
On par with a Totem-tier Pokémon.
Zhao Yu had always suspected Ethan might be a psychic.
But she never imagined it would be this outrageous.
Her own master, Wang Yuan, a wanderer who had trained for decades, only possessed Overlord-tier psychic strength.
And yet—
Ethan was only nineteen.
For the first time in her life, Zhao Yu's worldview cracked.
Not far away, Xie Di looked at his fallen Incineroar and exhaled deeply.
He had expected defeat.
But not this thoroughly.
As a reigning Elite Four member, he hadn't managed to defeat even one Pokémon from the challenger.
Frankly—
That stung.
Yet when he looked at Ethan again, his expression softened.
"New talents rise with every generation…
Each commands their era."
"My time is over."
"Clinging to this seat any longer would be embarrassing."
With that, Xie Di felt oddly relieved.
As Ethan returned Lucario to its Poké Ball to rest, Xie Di looked down at a pristine white stone in his hand—
Smooth, flawless, faintly glowing.
"Ethan, congratulations on becoming the new Elite Four of the Donghuang League."
"I don't have much wealth to my name anymore."
"But if you don't mind—take this."
He placed the stone into Ethan's palm.
"This is a Radiant Stone."
"A recently discovered artifact from the Xiawei Region of the Divine Eagle Alliance."
"With this—and the matching Z-Crystal—you can use the same kind of Z-Move my Incineroar just performed."
As he spoke, Xie Di produced a crimson, diamond-shaped crystal.
"I only managed to get two Z-Crystals."
"You can't use Incineroar's exclusive one."
"So take this Fire Z instead."
He stuffed it directly into Ethan's hand.
Ethan stared at the two items, momentarily stunned.
He didn't fully understand them yet—
But there was no denying his curiosity.
That Z-Move's power had clearly exceeded what even a peak Elite Four Pokémon should manage.
Seeing Ethan hesitate, Zuo Shenghui spoke up.
"Ethan, accept it."
"It'll benefit you in the long run."
"You're the future face of the Donghuang League."
"If you're not strong enough, we lose face."
With everyone urging him on, Ethan finally nodded and thanked Xie Di, accepting both items.
The moment he did—
The system chimed.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host has obtained Red Opportunity – Radiant Stone]
[Opportunity Multiplier Triggered…]
[Ding! Ten-thousandfold multiplier applied]
[Ding! Obtained Nine-Color Opportunity – Radiant Godstone]
Ethan froze.
A ten-thousandfold multiplier?!
Suppressing his shock, he immediately checked the item's details.
What he read left him speechless.
The Radiant Godstone was a sacred artifact blessed by the God of Radiance itself.
It contained the purest Z-Energy in the world.
Ordinarily, Z-Moves required both a Radiant Stone and a Z-Crystal.
But the Radiant Godstone—
Could activate Z-Moves independently.
No crystal required.
Even more terrifying—
It allowed the user to perform exclusive Z-Moves of other species.
As long as Ethan willed it.
That was absurd.
Originally, Ethan had assumed Z-Moves would require a long journey like Mega Stones.
But now—
The system had completely rewritten that path.
He then glanced at the Fire Z.
"Looks like this one's redundant now…"
Radiant Stone was the lock.
Z-Crystal was the key.
Now that the lock no longer needed a key—
The Fire Z seemed pointless.
Then—
[Ding! Congratulations, Host has obtained Purple Opportunity – Fire Z]
[Opportunity Multiplier Triggered…]
[Ding! Hundredfold multiplier applied]
[Ding! Obtained Golden Opportunity – Fireball Crystal]
The Fire Z glowed gold.
Its energy liquefied, surging violently.
This was no longer a decorative item—
But a top-tier Fire-type treasure, comparable to elemental Plates.
Ethan's heart raced.
He had three Fire-types:
Bone-Pattern SkeledirgeEntei, who grew up with himYanhuang, his ancient mentor
He loved them all.
If favoritism existed, it was Entei.
The playful cub had grown calm and dignified with age, often lying quietly beside Ethan after training, warming him through winter nights.
Their bond needed no words.
Yet—
After long consideration—
Ethan chose Bone-Pattern Skeledirge.
Not because of favoritism.
But because Skeledirge stood apart from the rest of the team—
Calm, distant, misunderstood.
This was also why Ethan convened a team meeting.
To establish:
UnityResource priorityTrust
Rare resources would go first to those who joined earlier.
In front of everyone, Ethan handed the Fireball Crystal to Bone-Pattern Skeledirge.
Skeledirge was stunned.
He hadn't expected it.
And when he realized Ethan truly acknowledged him—
The massive Pokémon nearly broke down in tears.
After swearing not to disappoint Ethan, he consumed the crystal.
The effect was immediate.
Power surged violently.
Bone-Pattern Skeledirge broke through—
From Elite Four Peak
Straight into Totem-tier (Early Stage).
Ethan's fourth Totem Pokémon.
Soon after—
Ethan left Kyoto.
Not for the academy.
But in response to Sun Lin's invitation—
Setting out for the Southwestern Bug Valley.
A Golden Opportunity awaited him there.
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