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While Kairos was working on the follow-up content for the battle between the two legendary titans, at the same time, in the Sinnoh region, within a certain nameless small city...
The afternoon sunlight carried a warmth as it streamed into the cold stairwell of an apartment building.
It carved bright and dark patches on the concrete steps.
A black-haired young man walked with his head down, stepping on these patches of light one at a time, his pace somewhat slow, as if climbing each step required considerable effort.
In the stairwell, there was only the sound of his own footsteps and the faint, distant cries of Pokémon from outside the window.
"Oh my, Ethan! You're back?"
A gentle yet surprised female voice came from above, breaking the silence.
Ethan looked up to see Mrs. Matsumoto from next door standing in her doorway holding a black trash bag, her face wearing that same caring smile as always.
Her apron was still stained with some oil spots, as if she'd just finished working in the kitchen.
"Yeah, Mrs. Matsumoto." Ethan responded, his voice somewhat dry.
He tried to force out a smile in return for this kindness, but his mouth only twitched slightly before ultimately failing to produce one.
"Perfect timing, perfect timing!" Mrs. Matsumoto seemed not to notice his forced effort and greeted him enthusiastically, casually setting the trash bag by the door.
"I made a huge pot of spare ribs today, simmered over low heat for almost two hours until the meat just falls off the bone! You absolutely must come over for dinner tonight!
That girl Mika has been going on about it since she got home from school, saying it's been ages since she ate with Big Brother Ethan. She's been insisting I save you the biggest piece!"
The invitation, full of everyday warmth, felt like a warm current.
He could indeed smell the hot aroma of sauce and meat wafting from the crack of the Matsumoto family's half-closed door.
This scent made his empty stomach twitch slightly.
But another scene immediately surfaced in his mind. Once upon a time, his home had also been filled with such cooking aromas. His mother busy in the kitchen, his father smiling as he urged him to wash his hands and get ready to eat.
That scene was too warm, making the contrast with his current solitude painfully stark.
"Thank you, Mrs. Matsumoto, but..." Ethan avoided Mrs. Matsumoto's expectant gaze, his eyes falling on the stairway railing where a thin layer of dust had accumulated.
"I have... something important to do later and need to go out. I probably... won't make it."
He spoke vaguely, but the words "something important" came out with particular deliberateness.
The smile on Mrs. Matsumoto's face diminished slightly.
She carefully studied the young man's expression and tightly pressed lips, a flash of sympathy crossing her smiling eyes.
She sighed softly, wiping her hands on her apron, then descended a few steps toward Ethan, her voice becoming even gentler:
"Ethan, when I went to the community center today to submit some documents... I heard the staff there mention something."
She paused, as if choosing her words carefully. "They said you scheduled an appointment for this afternoon to... cancel your Trainer license?
Child, are you... really not going to reconsider this?"
Ethan's body stiffened imperceptibly.
Mrs. Matsumoto continued, her tone full of regret: "When your parents were still alive, every time they talked about you, the pride in their voices was impossible to hide.
Your father always said our Ethan was born to be a Trainer, that your understanding of and affinity with Pokémon was far better than his own in his youth!
Your mother often said that once you officially debuted, you'd definitely become an amazing Trainer, even better than both of them... We all believed that."
The three words "Trainer," normally commonplace, now stabbed sharply into the depths of Ethan's heart.
A sharp pain flashed through, causing his pupils to contract violently, his vision even blurring for an instant.
He suddenly lowered his head, practically burying his entire face in his collar, not daring to let Mrs. Matsumoto see the pain and struggle on his face right now.
Mrs. Matsumoto seemed to keenly catch the young man's emotional shift. She immediately stopped talking, a regretful expression appearing on her face as she quickly said:
"Oh my, look at me, can't help but run my mouth again, always bringing up things that make you sad... I don't mean anything by it, really. I just think... it's such a waste of your wonderful talent..."
She reached out her hand, wanting to pat Ethan's shoulder, but seeing the young man's tense body, her hand stopped mid-air and instead lightly patted her own forehead.
"Ethan, I know you're suffering inside." Her voice became even softer, full of understanding.
"But no matter what you ultimately decide to do, whether you keep going forward or take a different path, I support you.
Remember, you're not alone. We neighbors are all here. If anything comes up, you can come find me anytime.
Don't try to bear everything by yourself, okay? You're still just a child."
"Mm... I know. Thank you, Mrs. Matsumoto." Ethan's voice was very low, his throat feeling blocked as if something was stuck there.
He couldn't say anything more.
He was afraid that if he stayed even one more second, his forced composure would completely collapse.
So he hurriedly nodded, almost frantically pulling out his key, inserting it into the lock, and turning open his door.
"I'll... head inside now."
"Okay, okay, you go ahead." Mrs. Matsumoto quickly responded, her tone full of comfort.
"I'll keep a portion of the spare ribs in the pot for you, warming them on low heat! If you come back hungry tonight, come over anytime to eat. Don't be shy about it!"
"Click."
The door closed gently, completely shutting out the caring concern filled with the aroma of home cooking and the warmth of everyday life.
The room instantly fell into dead silence, forming a stark contrast with the vibrant world outside.
The afternoon sunlight streamed through the window, casting a few points of light on the floor, yet he still felt cold.
In the living room, a robust Charizard with orange-red scales covering its body was napping on an old mat in the center of the room.
The flame at the tip of its thick tail burned steadily, emitting soft crackling sounds.
Hearing the familiar sound of the door opening, it immediately raised its head alertly.
When those gentle amber eyes saw it was Ethan, it snorted out a breath through its nose and nodded slightly, as if this was its way of greeting.
"I'm home, Charizard." Ethan crouched down and picked up a cushion, which still faintly retained the scent of the Pokémon food his father used to favor.
Only in front of this final remaining member of the household could he drop all pretense and reveal a trace of genuine exhaustion and vulnerability.
Charizard. This was the Pokémon his father had left behind, proof that his parents had existed, and now his only family, his only bond.
He stayed still for a while, then stood up and walked to the cabinet in the corner of the living room.
On top of the cabinet sat two carefully polished black and white photographs side by side.
In the photos, a man and woman smiled brilliantly, their eyes bright and full of vitality.
Though approaching middle age, they still radiated youthful energy.
Those were his parents. Both had once been Gym Leader-level Trainers with some renown in this city.
Passionate, powerful, and always willing to help others.
Ethan skillfully picked up three thin incense sticks, lit them with a lighter, watched the smoke curl upward, then solemnly inserted them into the small ceramic incense burner before the photographs.
The faint scent of sandalwood spread through the air, carrying a mournful atmosphere.
"Dad, Mom," he addressed the photographs, as if reporting on recent events yet also murmuring to himself, his voice particularly clear in the empty room. "I... I've made my decision."
He paused, as if needing to prepare himself before saying what came next.
"Being a Trainer... forget it." His voice dropped lower.
"I don't want... I really don't want to repeat the path you walked.
Risking your lives to save people, for the sake of so-called 'responsibility'... and in the end, even you yourselves..."
He couldn't finish his sentence. He couldn't continue.
What surfaced in his mind was that chaotic afternoon from years ago, shrouded in despair.
A frenzied Pokémon stampede surged out from some secret territory around the city, sweeping across the entire town.
As volunteers, his parents charged without hesitation toward the most dangerous places to evacuate the crowds, to block the crazed Pokémon.
They succeeded, saving many people, including him as he cowered trembling in a basement.
But they themselves never came back.
All they left him was this empty house and his father's life-long partner, a gravely injured Charizard.
That pain of losing everything, and that terror and confusion of being left behind alone... Ethan never wanted to experience it a second time.
Once upon a time, he'd actually wanted to become a Trainer too. But that incident taught him that great power meant responsibility, and becoming a Trainer meant shouldering such responsibilities.
He was afraid. Afraid that one day he too would vanish like his parents, for the sake of others, leaving those who cared about him to bear the pain.
Though now it seemed there were no longer such people...
He silently gazed at his parents' frozen smiles in the photographs until the incense sticks had burned nearly a third of the way down, accumulating a length of white ash.
"Don't worry," he said, as if comforting his parents in the photo, yet also as if steeling his own heart.
His voice rose slightly, attempting to sound casual.
"Even if I'm not a Trainer, I can find another way forward.
I heard... I heard the newly opened Pokémon Day Care on the west side of town is hiring assistants to help care for Pokémon eggs and baby Pokémon.
Maybe... that kind of peaceful life would be nice too."
At least that way, there'd be no more risk of loss, no more despair of watching important people leave while being powerless to help.
He took a deep breath, as if trying to press the sandalwood scent filling the room and heavy memories into the deepest recesses of his heart, then resolutely turned around and patted the Charizard quietly accompanying him.
"Let's go, old friend. Come with me to the community center. Once the paperwork's done... we'll live a simple, peaceful life from now on."
Before leaving, he picked up a small cloth pouch from the table, took a deep breath, and opened it, revealing the two items inside.
A glass ball-like stone with a spiral structure inside, and a radiant, rainbow-colored round stone.
These two items had suddenly come into his possession today, obtained because he'd played a game.
The game claimed it could let him experience a Trainer's life.
Although he'd lost confidence and hope about becoming a Trainer in reality, when he saw this game, he thought that perhaps it could at least let him experience it virtually. That would be something.
What he hadn't expected was that just last night he'd downloaded the game and completed the tutorial, and this morning upon waking, he'd received a mysterious gift.
This game had actually distributed a reward to the real world, calling it a lucky player selection reward. Namely, these two stones before him.
According to the prompt that appeared before his eyes, these seemed to be a "Mega Stone" and a "Key Stone"?
Ethan didn't know what these things were for.
After his brief surprise, he went online and learned that this game called Emerald could actually distribute rewards to players in the real world, and the rewards were all powerful items that could enhance Pokémon strength.
After learning this news, he couldn't help but laugh self-mockingly.
What a shame. He'd already decided not to become a Trainer.
These two items... he'd see later if he could find a channel to sell them, give them to people who could actually use them.
At this moment, he took out that somewhat worn red and white Poké Ball and gently pressed the button in the center.
A red light shot out, enveloping Charizard. Charizard let out a low roar, seeming somewhat puzzled, but still returned to the ball.
Ethan gripped the Poké Ball tightly, as if clutching a past that was about to be forcibly severed.
He walked toward the door, grasped the cold metal doorknob, took a deep breath, and forcefully turned it open.
Walking out of the apartment building, the afternoon sunlight was somewhat blinding.
At this hour, the street was bustling with pedestrians. Everything seemed so normal, so peaceful, completely different from the turbulent waves in his heart.
He walked quickly along the sidewalk with his head down, wanting only to reach the community center as soon as possible and end all of this quickly.
Just then, a burst of cheerful laughter and commotion reached his ears.
He reflexively looked up and saw in the small park at the street corner not far away, several teenagers around his age gathered together.
By their sides were several lively Pokémon: a Magnemite floating around, a curious Bulbasaur looking about, and a Pidgey circling in the air.
They seemed to be excitedly discussing battle strategies, their faces radiating anticipation for the future and undisguised excitement.
"My goal is to become a Dragon-type master like Mr. Lance!"
"Pfft, yours is clearly a Pidgey, a Flying-type, okay? Besides, Dragon-types are too hard to train! I still think Water-type Pokémon are the coolest!"
"You've got some nerve saying that! Your Pokémon is Electric-type!"
"Stop arguing. I'm saying, we're starting our journey next month. Aren't you guys excited?"
"Obviously! Of course we are! I've been waiting forever!"
These words made Ethan unconsciously stop in his tracks.
Once upon a time, he too had been like them, harboring dreams of becoming a powerful Trainer, envisioning future adventures together with his parents.
His fingers unconsciously rubbed against the other empty Poké Ball in his pocket.
But soon, he shook his head slightly, preparing to leave.
Yet just then, he suddenly felt as though the sky above his head had darkened.
He reflexively looked up.
However, the next moment, when he made out the scene before his eyes, a flash of fear suddenly crossed the depths of his gaze!
What was that?!!
---
Cliff-Kun is here, what what did ethan see find out on the next exciting episode of Drag- Pokémon Dev!!
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~ Push the story forward with your Power Stones