You Want to Compete With Me for Mewtwo?
It was obvious.
Mewtwo did not trust humans.
Not even a little.
Even after Ethan drove off the hunters and healed its wounds, the psychic Pokémon still hovered at a distance, eyes cold and guarded.
Trust wasn't built in a day.
Especially not for a Pokémon that had clearly been betrayed.
Divine Eagle Headquarters
Meanwhile—
The trainers who retreated wasted no time reporting upward.
When the news reached the top, the reaction was unexpected.
Not panic.
Excitement.
"So," said Terang slowly, fingers steepled,
"Ethan Stone has entered our territory."
"And taken Mewtwo."
His lips curved faintly.
"Good."
"If he's already here…"
"Then let's not allow him to leave."
The Divine Eagle Alliance was not a place people came and went from freely.
Terang understood one thing clearly—
Ethan was dangerous.
He had investigated him long ago.
Son of a Champion-level trainerBecame a trainer at eighteenCleared four-star professional certification in record timeWon the Heavenly King preliminaries with crushing dominanceDefeated Northern Alliance's Elite Four member
In one year.
Five-tier leap.
Terang did not believe the "one year" story.
No one improves like that without years of hidden training.
Ethan was a threat.
But also—
An opportunity.
The three great families constantly schemed against one another.
If Ethan clashed with them—
Whether Ethan won or lost—
Terang benefited.
If both sides were crippled?
Even better.
"Call the three families."
The Three Families Arrive
Morgan.
Taylor.
Smith.
Representatives seated around the conference table.
Without Antarctica, Augustus Morgan would've been here.
But he hadn't returned.
His younger brother, Owen Morgan, spoke first—face dark.
"This is about Ethan, isn't it?"
Terang nodded gravely.
"He's here."
"And he has taken Mewtwo."
A slap of the table.
"Mewtwo cannot leave Divine Eagle territory."
"And neither can Ethan."
"If he grows freely, in a few years he'll be our greatest enemy."
Silence fell.
They all knew Mewtwo's importance.
They had all invested in the project.
Terang's eyes sharpened.
"If we move…"
"We move together."
Back in Inner Val Range
Ethan stood beneath the forest canopy, studying Mewtwo thoughtfully.
He wasn't in a hurry to leave.
An old Donghuang saying echoed in his mind:
To untie a bell, you must find the one who tied it.
If Divine Eagle had broken Mewtwo—
Divine Eagle would be the key to fixing it.
The hundred-million bounty?
Irrelevant.
He would never work for them.
Not in this life.
Not in the next.
He glanced at Mewtwo again.
"Where did you escape from?"
"What did they do to you?"
No response.
Still.
He kept speaking anyway.
Even one-sided conversation was progress.
He liked this Pokémon.
Powerful.
Elegant.
Battle IQ at the very top.
Holding off five Totem-tier and dozens of Champion-tier simultaneously—
That wasn't normal.
That was genius-tier combat awareness.
Then—
Voices cut through the forest.
"Found it!"
"The rare one's here!"
Ethan turned.
A new squad of trainers emerged from the undergrowth.
They clearly hadn't recognized him.
"Kid," one of them said arrogantly,
"Leave the Pokémon and get lost."
They spread out, attempting to box Mewtwo in.
Greed shone in their eyes.
One hundred million was enough to cloud judgment.
Ethan laughed softly.
"You're telling me to leave it?"
He had dismissed Metagross earlier to ease Mewtwo's tension.
Now—
Without a Divine-tier presence at his side—
These people mistook him for prey.
Interesting.
He cracked his knuckles.
"Looks like I'll have to reintroduce myself."
Behind him—
Mewtwo's eyes flickered.
For the first time—
There was curiosity instead of hostility.
Because this human—
Did not step aside.
And did not flinch.
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