Ethan was speechless.
this dog's become a total simp. can't keep him like this—maybe I should toss him out tomorrow!
Abra didn't pin Houndour for long before the pup broke free.
Houndour bunched to launch at Abra's face, but Ethan snapped the ball up and recalled him.
"You're fed. Rest. I've got this."
Houndour finally stopped thrashing. The ball went quiet, and Ethan set it on the nightstand.
Maybe the angle blocked its view—Houndour wriggled inside until the window faced Ethan and Abra, "watching" them through the lens.
That nose was sure: Ethan was about to "cheat" again.
"Then why pick me as your trainer?" Ethan asked, genuinely confused.
Abra was silent a beat, then sent the thought straight into his head.
"I don't care how strong a human's mind is. However strong you get, can you ever be stronger than the Alakazam line?"
Ethan: …
After a mental faceplant, he started rummaging around the room like he was looking for something.
"You're not looking for a knife, are you?"
"Yep. Seen it? Been craving some game. A yellow fox would do."
"tsk tsk—look at you, ugly with jealousy. Jealousy's making you dizzy. Jealousy's rotting your brain."
What had this Abra been through to end up this mouthy?
Ethan snapped. He grabbed it by the scruff.
"You want to live or not?"
"Don't be like that. Let go—I'm sleeping. You're going to wake me up."
"You're my trainer now. We'll be together. You can't abuse me."
Ethan snorted. Oh, now I'm "trainer"? Didn't sound so respectful two seconds ago. Backstab build, maxed.
"Talk or else. Why are you following me?"
He didn't buy the "chosen one" fantasy where Pokémon just fall at your feet.
"I'll talk—let go first or I really will wake up. I'm still a kid; I need 18 hours or I get weird."
Ethan released him. He knew Abra's sleep schedule wasn't a joke.
Abra settled and finally gave the reason.
"I'm following you to get stronger. You've heard the rumor I've grasped a bit of Mega Alakazam's sight (seeing an opponent from 'life to death'). It's not as wild as they say—just refined foresight."
"I saw my chance to reach Mega Alakazam on you."
"Also, there's something off about you. Your aura's… odd. Following you smells like profit."
Mega Alakazam, huh?
His read wasn't wrong. With enough Ancient Energy, Ethan could trigger any compatible Mega line.
But wasn't that just a matter of finding a Mega Stone and a Key Stone, plus bond?
"Isn't it just Mega Stone + Key Stone + trust? That shouldn't be hard, right?" Ethan asked.
"Right, so I went to Imperial Province First Trainer High, let myself 'get caught,' then cozied up to the Psychic Department for intel on Mega Alakazam stones."
"Then I overheard something nasty. More than half the Psychic-line Mega Stones in this world are locked down by an organization—"
"Wait!"
The farther Abra went, the worse Ethan felt. He cut him off.
"You're not going to say your parents were taken by that org and you need me to train you to save them, are you?"
Silence. Ethan's stomach dipped.
After a long beat, Abra grumbled:
"Have you read too many novels?"
"Also, I've never met my parents. If you figure out who they are, tell them not to look for me. Human society is fun. Way too fun."
Ethan's eye twitched. Maybe having a fully chatty mon wasn't a blessing.
"Fine. Good it's not that. You can stop there. I only needed to know: even top forces struggle to get Mega Alakazam stones."
In his experience, any monopoly like that—unless it's official—was bad news. The less he knew, the better.
"Forget that. What's this 'strange aura' you said I have?"
Abra refused to let it go.
"How can I not say? I'm sure I picked right. You absolutely have a way to get me a Mega stone."
"Spit it out."
This time Ethan struck first—karate-chopped the top of Abra's head.
"I don't. Don't put that on me."
"No—"
Ethan shot him a warning look.
"…Fine. I won't say. I don't know what's weird about you. I'm not mad. I can only say: when I first saw you, I thought you were a Pokémon."
"Okay, stop talking to me. I'm tired."
He severed the link, tucked his chin down, and promptly fell asleep on Ethan's bed.
A Pokémon?
How would I be a Pokémon? Ridiculous. Hospital reports say very human.
Did he mean this mark?
Ethan puzzled over it, then conceded Abra wasn't stonewalling; he really didn't know. Ethan was different, sure—talented, too sharp for his age—but not that different.
He recalled Abra, stared at the ball a long moment, then set it beside Houndour's on the nightstand.
So… that's how he "caught" Abra.
This was getting interesting. Time to grind. Everyone wanted to get stronger—especially Abra, who was obsessed with Mega evolution.
—
Back at the Rock Gym, Regis had watched thirty-six battle videos; his eyes felt like sand. He pushed through, split them into two folders—"Ethan" and "Lana"—zipped them, and sent them to Uncle Yan.
"The more I watch, the more I think I lowballed them. Ethan's got real chops—he's taught Houndour a lot of premium moves."
"That said, you can't ignore the bloodline—'Steppe Wolf King' stock is stellar. With any other mon, you wouldn't see learning speed like this."
"And Lana—her commanding is crisp, and her lines are creative. Dark as a major is exactly Uncle Yan's flavor."
"Times changed. The future's ours. Don't you dare turn geniuses like this into middling drudges."
—
On the bus next morning, Ethan briefed Lana on yesterday's haul.
"So if you trust me, let me pick. I'll snag you the best one."
"Brother Sheng, this chance exists because you pushed for me. Please choose. Get me a good Litten or Froakie."
She was unhesitating—handed the choice to Ethan, utterly trusting.
He nodded. With his plug-in, he wouldn't miss.
"Oh—one note," he added. "Since you're majoring Dark, think about team typing now—and plan your late-game evolutions."
"Super evolution, right?" Lana said. "The two I have, and likely the third, can't Mega. That'll hurt at higher tiers. My ideas: if possible, grab Tyranitar or Gyarados. If not, pivot to Weavile or Dusknoir. We'll see."
He let it lie—she had a plan. When Ancient Energy overflowed, he could hunt a fitting Mega stone for her—but he couldn't pick her Pokémon for her.
Watching the green ridgelines scroll past the window, Ethan mapped the summer: he needed Ancient Energy—a lot.
Two known sources:
Relics touched by legendaries (like that Sizzlipede egg)—rich in Ancient Energy and sometimes birthing items like the Sun Seed. Jackpot—but once-in-a-century stuff.
Ancient objects: pendants, old coins, fossils (looking at you, the stash Regis hid somewhere at home). Each trickles, but volume and availability make up for it.
He opened his banking app. After ten Lum Berries and ten days of Abra rations, he was down nearly 10k. Balance: just over 1.1 million. How many ancient pieces was that?
Or… "zero-cost" ventures—like slipping into a tomb to absorb the energy and walk out?
Maybe the Tachibana clan knows how to dig. Is this how the "Underground Workers" start?
Back home, he bragged about the eighteen-win streak and introduced Abra to his parents. Tears glittered—pride, and worry that wouldn't wipe clean.
He didn't pile on. They were tough; talk of money would crack the facade. But he couldn't let them carry it forever. He took out the card Regis had given him and said the state had rewarded him for service.
When they saw the real balance—1M+—the haunted smiles softened.
Door closed, Ethan sighed. He'd been theatrically childish, but it had to be done.
He slapped his cheeks, reset his face, and opened [Exchange].
Full belly, free time. Time to spend big and load up for the climb.