Zacian's Egg Secured & Articuno's Thousand-Mile Pursuit!!
"Half a month already…"
Riding on Metagross' back, Ethan gazed at the polar night sky above Antarctica. The aurora shimmered across the untouched heavens—beautiful beyond words.
And yet—
He felt homesick.
Not for the house.
For the Pokémon waiting there.
Soon, Metagross brought him back to the northern gathering point.
"Brother Ethan! You're finally back!"
Li Yao practically exhaled in relief.
Beside him, Donovan Kovsky hurried over.
"My future son-in-law! You're not hurt, are you?!"
Ethan smiled lightly.
"I'm fine. Why the sudden concern?"
Li Yao didn't hide it.
"You heard about the two Heavenly Kings from the Sky Eagle Alliance?"
"They're dead. Disappeared in Antarctica. No bodies found."
"So when you didn't return for half a month…"
Ethan's expression flickered briefly before returning to calm.
"My condolences."
"Antarctica is dangerous. You two didn't run into trouble?"
The topic shifted smoothly.
Both men laughed, claiming good fortune.
Donovan even mocked the Sky Eagle Alliance's so-called "strongest young Heavenly King."
Li Yao clearly shared the sentiment.
Soon after—
A new Sky Eagle Heavenly King arrived to investigate.
Zorro Charles.
From one of the three great families.
Unlike the Morgans, the Charles family focused purely on trainer lineage rather than political maneuvering.
Still elite.
Still powerful.
Zorro's gaze lingered on Ethan.
He knew the original assassination plan.
Three Totem-tier Pokémon hired.
The Morgans leading.
Now they were dead.
And Ethan stood here refreshed and unscathed.
Zorro had lived in Antarctica before.
Even he would emerge exhausted after two weeks.
Yet Ethan looked like he'd been on vacation.
Suspicion rose.
Could Ethan have local legendary allies?
After all—
Victor Stone was globally known as the "Friend of Pokémon."
Zorro thought carefully.
But ultimately—
The Morgans' deaths benefited him politically.
He chose politeness.
"Are you Ethan?"
"Yes."
A brief exchange. Nothing more.
Tournament Results
With all Heavenly Kings gathered, the results were announced.
Many had obtained valuable items.
But truly rare treasures were scarce.
When Ethan presented a Top-Grade Never-Melt Ice, it overshadowed all other submissions.
He claimed first place.
No one argued.
And with that—
The Zacian Egg was officially awarded to him.
The promised one billion Sky Eagle dollars would arrive within a month.
Ethan barely cared about the money.
He cared about the egg in his arms.
System notification sounded:
[Golden Opportunity Acquired — Zacian Egg]
[×10,000 Critical]
[Nine-Color Opportunity]
A radiant nine-colored glow flickered across the egg.
It trembled slightly.
Signs of imminent hatching.
Across the field, two Heavenly Kings from the Johann Alliance froze.
For over a hundred years, scholars had deemed this egg lifeless.
A dead egg.
Now it reacted in Ethan's arms.
Regret flooded their faces.
They immediately contacted their alliance headquarters.
But by then—
Ethan was already gone.
Return to Kyoto
Two hours later—
Metagross landed in Kyoto.
Li Yao departed first.
"Say hello to Champion Victor for me!"
Soon, Ethan returned to his estate.
Before he even stepped inside—
Meloetta and Hatterene sensed him via psychic waves and rushed out.
"Brother Ethan! I missed you!"
Meloetta clung to his neck, cheek-to-cheek.
Hatterene, slightly jealous, hugged him from the other side.
Ethan laughed softly.
"I was gone for half a month. If I left for half a year, what would you do?"
"I'd go wherever you go!" Meloetta declared boldly.
One by one, Ethan released his Pokémon.
Skeledirge returned to his underground chamber.Entei settled comfortably in the living room.Volcarona flew straight to the garden—where he had already established a… social life.The Ice Lord received his newly designated ice-zone in the back of the estate.
Arctibax and Chien-Pao would live there comfortably.
Summer would never bother them.
Finally—
Ethan lay down on his bed.
Home.
Peace.
But then—
A terrifying wave of freezing air swept across the estate.
A furious voice echoed.
"Silver metal block!!"
"I know you're here!"
"Get out here right now!"
"How dare you touch my tail feathers?!"
Ethan shot upright.
That voice—
Articuno.
He blinked slowly.
"…Silver metal block?"
His eyes narrowed.
"…Metagross?"
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