Seeing the system prompt, Ethan looked again at the small dinosaur Pokémon in front of him and finally let out a breath.
"So the purple-tier opportunity is Tyrunt."
"That scared me—I thought it was Tyrantrum!"
Tyrunt, the Royal Heir Pokémon.
It was Tyrantrum's pre-evolved form.
Despite its small size, its combat power was terrifying—especially its jaws, which possessed astonishing bite force.
According to paleontology researchers, a Tyrunt could easily crush a car with a single bite.
Powerful as it was, the Tyrunt in front of him looked… adorable.
Big eyes.
Tiny forelimbs.
It had a strange but undeniable charm.
That said, Tyrunt wasn't paying much attention to Ethan.
Instead, it sniffed the air—
And then suddenly sprinted straight toward him.
Its target wasn't Ethan himself.
It was the beef inside Ethan's backpack.
"Ty—runt!"
Tyrunt clearly didn't know how to open the backpack, so it looked up at Ethan expectantly.
Though Tyrunt was once the apex ruler of the land in ancient times—
Right now, it looked anything but domineering.
Those big, pitiful eyes stared at Ethan, silently begging him to open the bag.
Ethan was momentarily speechless.
This is supposed to be a prehistoric overlord?
This level of begging was honestly worse than Eevee's.
Though stunned by the sheer cuteness, Ethan still opened the backpack and took out a slab of beef, handing it to Tyrunt.
The moment Tyrunt saw the meat, its eyes lit up.
It swallowed the beef in a single bite.
Watching the little guy—who had looked pitiful a second ago—suddenly reveal a ferocious expression while eating, Ethan felt utterly helpless.
Young, but already full of tricks.
No wonder adults lose to kids—this thing isn't even a year old.
Despite its ferocious eating posture, Tyrunt didn't go berserk.
Instead, it stayed close to Ethan, clearly hoping for more food.
While Ethan fed Tyrunt, Iris Jade looked at Tyrantrum and asked:
"Tyrantrum… is this your child?"
Tyrantrum nodded.
Iris laughed softly.
"It's been so long…"
"You're a mother now."
"But back when I first met you…"
"You were just like this little one."
Looking at Tyrunt beside Ethan, Iris recalled their first meeting.
Back then, Tyrantrum hadn't evolved yet.
She, too, had once been a Tyrunt.
Living alone in the back mountain, she had grown stronger step by step just to survive—
Eventually becoming the ruler of the entire region.
Despite roaming the back mountain freely, Tyrantrum clearly understood one thing:
She couldn't enter human territory.
That was why no one in the Jade family knew she existed.
Ethan was the only person besides Iris who knew Tyrantrum lived here.
"Come on, Tyrantrum."
"I'll feed you some beef too."
Seeing Ethan and Tyrunt interact so naturally, Iris grew interested and joined in.
For a while, it was just the two humans and two Pokémon—
Laughing, feeding, and playing together.
Unfortunately, they had only brought fifty kilograms of meat.
It didn't take long for Tyrantrum and Tyrunt to finish everything.
Fifty kilograms wasn't much for Pokémon like them—but it was enough for a satisfying meal.
And this wasn't ordinary beef.
It was a hybrid breed crossed with Tauros—expensive, tender, and rich in energy.
Over five hundred per kilo.
Fifty kilos meant over twenty-five thousand.
Not something an average household could afford.
Tyrantrum was perfectly content—she'd eaten this kind of meat many times before.
But Tyrunt?
This was the best food it had ever tasted.
The little guy clearly wasn't ready to part with it.
Seeing Tyrunt's greedy expression, Ethan's eyes flickered.
He knew—
This was the perfect moment.
"So… Tyrunt."
"Do you still want more meat?"
Tyrunt didn't understand the exact words—
But it got the meaning.
It nodded vigorously, eyes sparkling.
Ethan smiled.
"I don't have any on me right now."
"But down the mountain…"
Before Ethan could finish—
A low, hoarse roar suddenly erupted beside him.
"Graaah!"
Tyrantrum had seen right through him.
That roar was a clear warning:
Don't you dare trick my child.
Though Tyrantrum warned Ethan, Tyrunt didn't care at all.
The moment it heard there was more meat down the mountain, it jumped excitedly.
"Ty—runt!"
"Ty—runt runt!"
The expression on its face made one thing obvious—
It wanted to go with Ethan.
A textbook foodie, ready to abandon its own mother.
Tyrunt was excited.
Tyrantrum was not.
She shot her child a sharp glare—
Then gently but firmly grabbed Tyrunt by the back of the neck and carried it straight back into the cave.
"Graaah…"
Moments later, Tyrantrum stepped out again.
She stood tall, staring down at Ethan from above.
The warning was unmistakable.
If not for Iris's presence—
Ethan had no doubt she would've already attacked him.
Ethan sighed inwardly.
I just started the persuasion… and you interrupted my casting?
That's harsh.
Still, looking at Tyrantrum's resolute expression, Ethan knew she was serious.
"A purple-tier opportunity is great…"
"But with Tyrantrum guarding it like this, Tyrunt won't be coming with me."
"Forcing it with Metagross is out of the question."
"She's Iris's old friend—doing that would cross a line."
"…Forget it."
"I'll give up this opportunity."
"Let's just say today was a friendly visit."
With that decision made, Ethan and Iris said goodbye to Tyrantrum and began heading back.
Inside the cave.
Tyrunt quietly poked its head out, watching Ethan's retreating figure.
A hint of reluctance flickered in its eyes.
For a long time now, Tyrunt had wanted to leave this dull cave and see the world below.
But its mother never allowed it.
Now, a kind two-legged creature—
One who fed it delicious meat—
Had offered to take it away.
And its mother had refused.
The frustration built up.
Whether it was simple rebellion—
Or a genuine longing for freedom—
At the moment Tyrantrum turned her back—
Tyrunt used master-level stealth, perfectly slipping out of her line of sight.
Then—
With short legs pumping at full speed—
It chased after Ethan's departing trail.
Yes.
For the sake of beef.
And for the dream of freedom—
Tyrunt chose to run away.
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