The very first person who arrived had originally planned to wake whoever was inside the tent and ask what happened.
But before he could even speak—
He saw Metagross staring at him like a guard dog.
So instead…
Out of curiosity, he chose to wait.
And then more people arrived.
And more.
Until, by the time Ethan stepped out of the tent—
There were already twenty people gathered outside.
Some had recognized Metagross and suspected the person inside might be Ethan—
But no one dared to confirm it.
"You guys really waited here just for this?" Ethan asked after hearing their explanation.
Even he hadn't expected this.
They actually waited for him to wake up—
Well, until they couldn't wait anymore and started shouting.
"Brother Ethan, we're just curious—what did that meteor look like?"
"Yeah! Let us take a look!"
"Don't worry—we won't steal it!"
Now that they had confirmed it was really Ethan, their excitement only grew.
"Why are you all so sure I'm the one who took the meteor?" Ethan asked.
He didn't mind showing it.
Aurore had already made her wish anyway.
And even if they did try to take it—
They wouldn't get past Metagross.
Still, he was curious.
"Well…" one of them explained,
"We all came from different directions. At the crater, there was only one set of human footprints—and one set of Pokémon tracks."
"And that Pokémon track? Definitely a Darmanitan."
"And you're the only one who camped here last night, so…"
Ethan's heart skipped a beat.
Darmanitan?
Wasn't that exactly his Red Opportunity?
"So what you're saying is…" Ethan said slowly,
"after I took the meteor, that Darmanitan showed up?"
"And we might've just… missed each other?"
Everyone nodded.
"That's probably what happened."
Ethan fell silent.
Then—
Regret hit him like a truck.
A Red Opportunity—
Right at his doorstep.
And he missed it.
Just because he didn't wait.
If he had known—
He would've stayed there until the end of time.
"…Wait."
Ethan suddenly froze.
Didn't they just say—
That Darmanitan loved excitement?
A grin slowly spread across his face.
He looked at the group in front of him.
A very suspicious grin.
The crowd immediately felt a chill down their spines.
Something about that look…
Combined with the wilderness setting…
Was terrifying.
"Y-you don't have to show us if you don't want to!"
"Yeah, we're leaving! We're leaving!"
They turned to run—
Only to find Metagross already blocking their path.
Panic escalated instantly.
"Hey now," Ethan said with a smile.
"You've already come all this way. How can I not let you see it?"
"Not only will I let you look…"
"I'll let you play with it."
"How about that?"
"…Just help me with a small favor first."
Ten minutes later—
Chaos.
Absolute chaos.
"Put it down! Blastoise, use Water Gun!"
"Not a chance! Venusaur, Vine Whip!"
"That's mine! Gengar, Hypnosis!"
A full-on battle broke out in the Duanbai Mountain Range.
And all the participants—
Were the same group from earlier.
At first, they thought Ethan wanted them to do something dangerous.
But after he explained—
They realized he just wanted to attract Darmanitan.
Instant relief.
That was manageable.
Way better than… whatever they had imagined earlier.
So—
They started a massive free-for-all.
Over twenty trainers battling at once—
The noise was enormous.
Not even much weaker than the meteor impact itself.
Ethan stood at a distance, watching with satisfaction.
"…Not bad," he muttered.
"They've got some lungs."
Aurore tilted her head.
"Why are you so set on finding that Darmanitan?"
"Do you want to catch it?"
From what she knew—
Darmanitan wasn't particularly rare.
At least, compared to Ethan's current team—
It was nothing special.
So why go through all this trouble?
Ethan shrugged casually.
"Not really."
"I just have a feeling…"
"If it loves excitement this much, it probably has something good on it."
"Ah… I see."
Aurore nodded, not suspecting anything.
They waited.
And waited.
Still no sign of Darmanitan.
Instead—
Most of the nearby wild Pokémon had already been scared off by the chaos.
Ethan frowned slightly.
If this didn't work—
He might have to step in personally.
Maybe a stronger disturbance would do the trick.
"Should I join too?" Aurore asked.
"They've been going at it for over twenty minutes already."
Ethan was just about to agree—
When suddenly—
His eyes sharpened.
"…No need."
"It's here."
A figure darted rapidly through the treetops.
Jumping from branch to branch—
Heading straight toward them.
And there it was.
A Darmanitan.
It even passed right by Ethan and Aurore—
Glancing at them briefly—
As if to say:
"Oh? You guys here for the show too?"
Ethan smiled.
Finally.
Darmanitan turned its attention to the chaotic battlefield.
Its eyes locked onto the "treasure" everyone was fighting over—
A simple stone.
And instantly—
Its curiosity was piqued.
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