"I can't do anything about it either."
"I already signed the servitude contract—my life isn't mine anymore."
Ethan shrugged, joking with a smile.
As for the fact that the special evolution methods of Pokémon had spread everywhere, he had no objections at all.
According to the natural logic of historical development, the special evolution methods of Pokémon would have been discovered sooner or later anyway.
Besides, with the constant exploration of the Secret Kingdoms—like what happened with the Slowking ruins—discovering special evolutions was inevitable.
Now that he had been the first to publish his research, it was as if he'd gotten the first bite of the cake. All that was left was to make the most of that advantage. He had no intention of "eating it all by himself."
After all, monopolizing something so big would be dangerous; sooner or later, someone would get jealous and try to take it away. It was better to use it as a bargaining chip and grow as fast as possible.
Besides, Ethan always believed that these special evolution methods were only the beginning. What truly mattered would come later—Mega Evolution!
"This guy..."
"Forget it, let's drop the subject."
"Let's focus on the exchange tournament instead."
After a bit of joking around, the five of them sat down to discuss preparations for the upcoming event.
This would be the first competition among all the universities of the League, so the schools were taking it very seriously.
"So, only the five of us will participate?"
"Exactly. Either the five of us go, or Patrick's team goes. This battle will decide everything," said Lucas Silver with a serious expression.
After a semester of training, everyone had improved a lot. Ethan, Lucas, and Marcus were already close to the Advanced level.
If things went well, by the end of the semester their strength would be enough to enter the university's Advanced Campus.
Of course, getting into the Advanced Campus wasn't their true goal—they wanted to become official members of the university's representative team.
For now, they were only part of the reserve team, not yet counted as official main team members. Only after reaching the Advanced level would they have the right to apply officially.
The main team was also divided into starters and substitutes, but the gap between the two wasn't too large; if a substitute stood out in an official match, they could immediately be promoted to the starting lineup.
And to get into the team, strength alone wasn't enough—they also needed achievements to prove themselves. If they won first place in this exchange tournament, their entry would be practically guaranteed.
"The next round of battles for the reserve team will be in three days. Let's use this time to polish our coordination. We have to win this one!" concluded Lucas.
On the training field, the five began releasing their Pokémon.
Ethan sent out Sandslash, Cacturne, Slowking, Meltan, Vibrava, and Charmander.
"Chaarrr!"
Upon coming out, the little Charmander looked around curiously, and when he spotted his trainer, he ran over to him excitedly.
Ethan smiled and picked him up. Looking at the rest of his Pokémon, he couldn't help thinking that as his team grew, he liked group battles less and less.
The reason was simple: when he was alone, he could release all his Pokémon, but when with others, he could only pick six. Every time he had to decide which ones to use, it frustrated him.
"So this is the Charmander with the temperature-control ability?"
Lucas and Marcus both stared at the little Pokémon with shining eyes.
And no wonder—after checking its information, both had felt a surge of envy.
In terms of potential, this Charmander ranked among the best of all starter Pokémon.
Unfortunately, Ethan had taken first place in the competition and chose it without hesitation, leaving them no chance at all.
It's worth mentioning that Lucas and Marcus had also made it into the top sixteen of the tournament to select starter Pokémon. Lucas chose Piplup, which would eventually evolve into a powerful Steel-type.
Marcus, on the other hand, had to settle for Totodile, since Charmander and Treecko had already been chosen by Ethan and Lucien.
As for Kyle Miller, he wasn't so lucky—he ranked twentieth and didn't earn the right to choose a starter, which was why he still looked at Ethan with a hint of resentment.
If his Scyther had evolved into Scizor earlier, maybe he would have made it into the top sixteen.
At that moment, Jasper Reid released his Bulbasaur, bringing the total number of starter Pokémon on the field to four. Only Kyle still didn't have one.
"Tch! You're all doing this on purpose, huh?"
"But don't get too full of yourselves."
"The Pokémon I got is nothing to scoff at."
Kyle rolled his eyes and threw his Poké Ball. A white light materialized into a small blue-violet Pokémon—Skorupi, a Bug and Poison type.
It was still a baby, and as soon as it appeared, it crawled affectionately up its trainer's arm, closing its eyes with a happy expression.
"Skorupi, huh? That's a really good Pokémon."
Ethan smiled as he petted Charmander. Training a Pokémon from a young age was always a special experience.
Although raising one from scratch was more work, the bond formed between the two became incomparably strong.
Moreover, Ethan had high expectations for the power sleeping within Charmander: that of Mega Charizard Y.
He knew that Mega Evolution required two fundamental conditions:
1. The trainer must possess a Key Stone, capable of resonating with the corresponding Mega Stone carried by the Pokémon.
2. There must exist a deep bond between the trainer and the Pokémon.
That's why Ethan planned to strengthen his connection with Charmander to the point of trying to awaken the energy of Mega Charizard Y that resided within him.
Even if it ended up just being an attempt, it would at least serve as preparation for Charizard's future Mega Evolution.
Besides, their bond itself was already a powerful force capable of protecting them both.
"Chaarrr~ Chaarrr~!"
Charmander happily enjoyed Ethan's pats, wagging his tail back and forth with joy.
"Eh?... What's that burning smell?"
"Ah, it's hot! Slowking, help me—quick!"
"..."
(End of Chapter)