As the system's energy poured in—
The two stones in Ethan's hands began to glow.
Blinding light filled the cave, illuminating every corner.
At the same time—
Ethan could clearly feel the stones changing form.
Their weight grew lighter.
The heavy, solid sensation from before gradually disappeared.
[Ding! Congratulations! Obtained: Metagross Mega Stone & Tyranitar Mega Stone]
"…Huh?"
Ethan froze.
He already knew that Opportunity multipliers could upgrade rewards.
He had seen ordinary items turn into top-tier ones before.
But this—
This was the first time he had seen consumables transformed into permanent items.
Originally—
Those were just evolution stones.
Like a Dawn Stone and Dusk Stone, used to evolve specific Pokémon.
But they were consumables.
No matter how much energy they contained—
They would eventually be used up.
But Mega Stones?
That was completely different.
They were permanent items.
Reusable.
Evolution stones triggered permanent evolution.
Different stones could even lead to different forms.
For weaker Pokémon, they were extremely valuable—
They could compensate for lack of potential.
But Mega Stones—
Enabled temporary evolution.
During battle, they allowed Pokémon to break past their limits and unleash far greater power.
And for Ethan?
There was no question.
He preferred Mega Stones.
With the system—
He didn't need to worry about evolution at all.
But combat power?
That was always welcome.
"Not bad," Ethan smiled.
"I like these. Thanks."
He stored the Mega Stones and bid farewell to the Darmanitan before leaving.
Over the next day, Ethan and Aurore continued exploring the Duanbai Mountain Range.
But—
Aurore's "god-tier Pokémon" never appeared.
And Ethan didn't encounter any new Opportunities either.
With nothing more to gain—
They decided to leave.
BOOM!
A loud explosion suddenly echoed through the mountains.
Ethan paused, looking toward the source.
Judging by the sound—
Something big was happening.
Most likely—
A battle between powerful Pokémon.
At least Overlord-tier.
Possibly even Champion-tier.
"Let's go check it out," Ethan said immediately.
Curiosity was practically in his blood.
As they approached, they recalled all their Pokémon to avoid drawing attention.
Then—
Ethan froze.
"…That's Darmanitan."
Sure enough—
The same Darmanitan from yesterday was locked in battle.
And its opponent—
A massive Steelix.
Not just any Steelix—
A shiny Steelix.
Both were at Overlord Peak.
And fighting viciously.
"…Why are they fighting?" Ethan frowned.
Both Pokémon should have their own territories.
Even if Darmanitan liked excitement—
It wouldn't normally provoke something like this.
Especially not this brutally.
Steelix's attacks were clearly aimed to kill.
It was in a state of pure rage.
"Watch them," Ethan said to Aurore.
"Don't let it get out of hand."
"I'll check what happened."
Circling around the battlefield, Ethan followed the traces back to where the fight had started.
Soon—
He found it.
A large cave.
"…Steelix's den."
Inside—
Everything was clean and organized.
But something else caught his attention.
Footprints.
Human footprints.
More than one.
Ethan's expression darkened.
"…Don't tell me…"
Putting everything together—
The answer became obvious.
Steelix's child—
Had been stolen.
Darmanitan just happened to be nearby.
And got mistaken for the culprit.
That explained everything.
But what truly worried Ethan—
Was who took the child.
Poachers.
Ha'er City was the northernmost city of Donghuang.
Beyond it lay other alliances.
This kind of border region—
Was the perfect place for poachers.
They didn't care about consequences.
Only profit.
And a shiny Steelix?
That was prime target material.
"Come out—Metagross, Ice Lord!"
Ethan released his Pokémon immediately.
"Ice Lord—go stop those two."
"Metagross, we're heading north."
"If there are poachers…"
"We'll find them."
Ethan mounted Metagross and sped off.
Meanwhile—
The Ice Lord, the god-tier Mamoswine, arrived at the battlefield.
With a single move—
Everything froze.
Both Darmanitan and Steelix were instantly immobilized.
They didn't even have time to react.
Steelix struggled desperately.
Its body trembled as it forced itself to break free—
But at a heavy cost.
"Roooar—!"
It let out a furious, desperate cry.
Exhausted.
Still enraged.
Aurore watched, troubled.
"…Should we let it go?"
The Ice Lord shook his head.
"No."
"They'll just start fighting again."
Just then—
Steelix roared once more.
A cry that echoed across the entire mountain range.
Desperate.
Furious.
And filled with pain.
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