Aurore's Typhlosion—
Was unbelievably calm.
Almost too calm.
If it hadn't just acted—
No one would've guessed it was god-tier.
"That's not the problem," Ethan said, frowning at the Poké Ball in Aurore's hand.
"The issue is how to wake Xiao Huo up."
"We can't have you babysitting a ticking bomb forever."
If this madness was temporary—
Fine.
But if it wasn't?
Keeping a permanently unstable Pokémon?
That was dangerous.
"Don't rush," Victor said.
"I've already sent people to investigate."
"There were plenty of trainers there. Someone must've seen something."
Ethan nodded.
"Let's hope we find the cause."
After everything—
They had no mood left to search for opportunities.
And with Xiao Huo unstable—
They couldn't return to the city either.
So they moved to a remote area.
Waiting.
Victor left—
Promising to return with information.
Less than an hour later—
The Poké Ball shook.
Xiao Huo woke up.
It forced itself out—
And immediately—
SMACK.
Aurore's Typhlosion slapped it back into unconsciousness.
Clean.
Efficient.
This time—
Ethan didn't rush to recall it.
Instead—
He crouched down.
Observing closely.
Two solid hits.
Full strength.
Even a boulder would've shattered.
Yet—
Xiao Huo endured.
More importantly—
"…It's recovering fast," Ethan muttered.
The swelling on its head—
Was already going down.
"Is that normal?" he asked.
Typhlosion shook its head.
"No."
Ethan narrowed his eyes.
"Then look at this."
Even without treatment—
The recovery was abnormal.
Far beyond most Pokémon.
Aurore stared for a moment.
"…This looks like…"
"…It took something."
Ethan's eyes lit up.
"Exactly."
This wasn't natural.
Loss of reason.
Heightened aggression.
Enhanced recovery.
It resembled—
A drug effect.
"…We might know what happened."
"But we need confirmation."
Soon—
Victor returned.
With someone.
Ethan's expression instantly darkened.
"…Why him?"
"Idol! We meet again!"
Wang Cong waved enthusiastically.
Victor cleared his throat.
"He witnessed everything."
"I brought him to avoid misinformation."
"…Fine," Ethan sighed.
"Talk."
"Details only. No nonsense."
Wang Cong straightened.
"Well… after I failed to catch up to you—"
Ethan's expression changed.
"…Skip that part."
"Right!"
"I went exploring, found a cave full of eggs."
"I wanted to take one…"
"But that Typhlosion chased me out."
"I camped nearby."
"At night—"
"I saw several people enter the cave."
"They stayed a few minutes."
"Then came out."
"And right after that…"
"The Pokémon went berserk."
Silence.
Everything—
Lined up.
"Did you see what they looked like?" Ethan asked.
Wang Cong shook his head.
"But…"
"I picked this up."
He took out—
A small glass bottle.
Inside—
A drop of green liquid.
Ethan took it.
Opened it.
And sniffed.
The scent—
Was strange.
Sweet.
Like flowers.
Or food.
Attractive—
Yet indescribable.
"…Where did you find this?"
"While running," Wang Cong said.
"I followed those guys and found it on the ground."
Ethan's expression turned serious.
This—
Could be the key.
But—
There was uncertainty.
Was it really theirs?
"…We should test it," Victor suggested.
Ethan immediately shook his head.
"Too risky."
"There's only one drop left."
"If this is the cause—"
"And we waste it—"
"We lose our only clue."
Victor nodded.
"…Then I'll take it to researchers."
"That's our best option."
"Do it fast," Ethan said.
"We don't know what it's doing to Xiao Huo."
Even with a lead—
The situation was far from resolved.
And the culprits—
Were long gone.
At this point—
Even a cripple could've escaped miles away.
Let alone trained criminals.
Ethan looked at the bottle—
Deep in thought.
This wasn't over.
Not even close.
To read advanced Chapters, head over to p@treon:
patreon.com/kakashiTL