The New Heir of Cloud Mountain Dragon Valley — Tyrantrum!
The moment Articuno appeared above the estate, both Yanhuang and the Ice Lord froze.
They knew her.
What they didn't expect—
Was her showing up at Ethan's house barely half a day later.
Her fury was obvious.
Both of them turned to look at the "silver metal block."
Metagross.
Meanwhile, Metagross stood silently in the garden.
He clearly hadn't expected Articuno to chase him all the way here.
After all—
She was supposed to be the guardian deity of the underground ice world.
Why was she in Kyoto?
Under normal circumstances, Metagross would've fought back immediately.
But this time—
He knew he was in the wrong.
So instead, he lifted his gaze toward Ethan on the balcony.
A silent plea.
Help.
The Confrontation
Victor Stone, Anna Stone, and Ning Yunmei were on the balcony when Articuno arrived.
At first, Victor thought they were under attack.
Then he recognized the Legendary Pokémon.
And fell silent.
Even at Champion level, he could clearly sense—
This Articuno was beyond Totem Peak.
Challenging her?
Not happening.
"Ethan, what's going on?" Victor asked quietly.
Ethan floated upward with psychic power and approached Articuno.
"What happened?"
Articuno wasn't angry at Ethan.
Only at Metagross.
She immediately began her complaint.
Metagross had—
Touched her tail feathers.
And worse—
The psychic interference had loosened one of them.
For Articuno, whose beauty was a point of pride—
This was unforgivable.
Ethan slowly turned toward Metagross.
The steel titan lowered his head like a child awaiting punishment.
Ethan sighed.
"Articuno. Metagross is my partner. His mistake is my responsibility."
"What would calm you?"
He meant it.
Articuno's anger softened slightly.
She only wanted acknowledgment.
She wasn't here to escalate into war.
After all—
If it truly came to battle, she wasn't certain she could defeat that "silver metal block."
"Compensation isn't necessary," she said proudly.
"But I've left the underground ice world."
"I'll be staying here for a while."
"You provide lodging."
"And that metal block will serve me."
"When I say east, he doesn't go west."
Ethan blinked.
That's it?
He had prepared for heavy compensation.
Metagross clearly disliked the idea—
But he also knew this was a light penalty.
He reluctantly agreed.
Articuno's feathers visibly puffed with satisfaction.
Justice restored.
At that moment—
One of her long tail feathers drifted down.
She glanced at Ethan.
"I won't stay for free."
"Consider this rent."
She snorted at Metagross.
"Come. Show me my new territory."
And flew off.
Metagross followed like a disgruntled attendant.
Purple Opportunity
Ethan examined the fallen feather.
System notification:
[Purple Opportunity Detected — Articuno's Tail Feather]
After enhancement:
[Top-Grade Articuno Tail Feather]
Effect: Extreme temperature control.
Instantly lower surrounding air below −100°C.
Ethan stared at it.
"…Well. That's useful."
Just not for battle.
He returned to the balcony.
Anna's eyes sparkled.
"You made friends with Articuno?!"
Ethan explained briefly.
When he mentioned the feather—
Anna's expression changed instantly.
"Yunmei! The preservation problem!"
The company had been struggling to maintain optimal freshness for high-grade Pokémon cuisine.
Ethan handed over the feather.
"With this, you can maintain sub-zero preservation perfectly."
Anna hugged him tightly.
"You're amazing!"
Victor laughed from the side.
"If not for your Articuno friend, your mother would've gone bald from stress."
Crisis solved.
A Visit to Cloud Mountain Dragon Valley
Later, Ethan remembered something important.
Cloud Mountain Dragon Valley.
It had been nearly a month since he last visited.
Hydreigon's due date should be approaching.
With Metagross temporarily unavailable, Ethan rode Noivern instead.
He also brought Arctibax—after all, the Dragon Spirit Pool there was a massive boost for Dragon-types.
Half an hour later—
They arrived.
A thunderous roar echoed.
"RRAAAGH!!"
Tyrantrum charged forward at full speed and immediately pressed against Ethan affectionately.
Despite being nearly a father—
He still acted like a giant child.
"How've you been?" Ethan laughed.
Tyrantrum's expression turned dramatically wronged.
Cloud Mountain food was good—
But nowhere near Ethan's cooking.
A whole month without visits?
Unacceptable.
Ethan chuckled and rubbed his head.
"I brought snacks."
"But first—how's Hydreigon?"
Tyrantrum immediately motioned for Ethan to climb onto his back and began striding deep into the valley.
And then—
Ethan noticed something strange.
Every Dragon-type Pokémon they passed—
Knelt.
Not just weaker ones.
Even Heavenly King-tier.
Even Champion-tier.
They bowed.
Ethan blinked.
"…What's going on?"
After pressing Tyrantrum for answers—
He learned the truth.
A few days ago—
The Dragon Lord had officially designated Tyrantrum as the next heir of Cloud Mountain Dragon Valley.
Ethan stared blankly.
"I was gone one month…"
"And you became the future Dragon Valley ruler?!"
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