Ethan was the same.
He had put in 90% effort training his Pokémon—
Building bonds, putting in time—
And found his final 10% opportunity—
The system.
"Really?! Idol, can I follow you? I want to become your disciple!"
"No."
Ethan rejected him instantly.
What kind of joke was that?
Let someone like this follow him around?
He'd go insane within a month.
Even a monkey would get tired of constant chatter—
Let alone him.
"I can pay tuition! Ten million a month!"
That sentence stunned everyone nearby.
Ethan?
Not so much.
But the others?
They were shocked.
Ten million a month…
For apprenticeship?
Who was this guy?
"Still no."
Ethan didn't even hesitate.
To ordinary people—
That kind of money was irresistible.
But to Ethan—
It wasn't worth the headache.
"Name your price! I can pay anything—just let me follow you!"
The young man was getting anxious.
For him—
Money usually solved everything.
This was the first time he'd been rejected.
"It's not about money," Ethan said.
"Also… what's your name?"
"I'm Wang. Wang Cong!"
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
"Wang… don't tell me…"
"Wanxiao Pokémon Marts… that's your family?"
That was one of the biggest retail chains in the Donghuang Alliance—
Hundreds of stores.
Each worth hundreds of millions.
"Yep! That's ours!"
Wang Cong nodded proudly.
"Idol, if you ever go there, just mention my name—I'll make everything free for you!"
Ethan almost laughed.
"…Let's skip the free stuff."
"But I didn't expect to run into you out here."
Neither did anyone else.
The young master of Wanxiao—
Here?
In the wilderness?
That was about as rare as seeing god-tier Pokémon fighting.
And with Wang Cong around—
There was no such thing as silence.
From the moment he showed up—
His mouth never stopped.
Two hours.
Nonstop talking.
"...It's getting late," Ethan finally said.
"Maybe we should rest?"
Two hours.
Not a single pause.
Not even to drink water.
How was that even possible?
"Oh! Right, idol, you should rest!"
Wang Cong finally got the hint.
Thankfully—
He left.
The moment Ethan got into his tent—
The world fell silent.
Peace.
Finally.
"Let's sleep early," Ethan said.
"We leave before dawn."
He had only one goal now—
Avoid Wang Cong.
The next morning—
Before sunrise—
They quietly packed up.
Carefully.
Silently.
So they wouldn't wake him.
"Go, go, go!"
Once they were far enough—
Ethan immediately sped up.
Thankfully—
The Hala Volcano Cluster was massive.
Otherwise—
He might've changed locations entirely.
As sunlight pushed away the night—
The volcano region came alive.
The most common Pokémon?
Cyndaquil.
Occasionally—
You could also see Quilava.
These Pokémon were calm.
They didn't run from humans.
Instead—
They approached curiously.
"Looks like that Typhlosion is protecting them well," Ethan said, crouching down to play with a Cyndaquil.
"In the wild, Pokémon usually aren't this trusting," Aurore nodded.
"Either they're naturally bold…"
"Or they're protected by something strong."
Like spoiled kids under strong guardians—
Fearless.
Of course—
Unlike actual kids—
These Pokémon were still adorable.
"…Now I'm even more curious," Ethan said.
"What kind of Typhlosion can protect a whole group like this?"
Aurore smirked.
"You could always try provoking it."
"With your strength, it'll definitely show up."
Ethan shook his head immediately.
Yeah… no.
That kind of thing—
Would get you hated by every Pokémon in the area.
Suddenly—
BOOM!!
A massive explosion echoed.
The ground trembled.
The two exchanged a glance.
"…Don't tell me someone actually provoked them," Ethan muttered.
This level of impact—
At least Totem-tier power.
And at full force.
Without hesitation—
They mounted their Pokémon and rushed toward the source.
But Ethan's expression grew serious.
This—
Was a volcano region.
A battle at this level—
Could trigger an eruption.
And if that happened—
Countless Pokémon would die.
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