"System?"
Hearing the voice echo beside his ear, Ethan was genuinely surprised.
Though he was momentarily stunned, as the system finished binding, a complete set of information about Metagross appeared before his eyes.
[Pokémon: Metagross]
[Level: 59 (Apex Peak)]
(Growth Stages: Juvenile, Normal, Outstanding, Elite, Commander, Apex, Elite Four, Champion, Totem, Divine)
[Type: Steel / Psychic]
[Ability: Clear Body]
[Moves: Hammer Arm, Bullet Punch, Meteor Mash, Iron Defense, Calm Mind, Magnet Rise, Gravity, Gyro Ball, Earthquake, Ice Punch, Stone Edge]
[Potential: Champion]
The information wasn't extensive, but it was undeniably luxurious.
Especially Metagross's potential.
Champion-tier!
This meant that as long as Metagross developed normally—without relying on any forbidden treasures or miracle-altering artifacts—it could naturally advance into the Champion tier on its own.
And Champion-tier Pokémon were no joke.
The Donghuang Alliance was one of the three strongest Pokémon Leagues in the world, yet across the entire region, there were only twelve Champion-tier Pokémon in total.
To be honest, if this data were seen by Ethan's father—
Ethan suspected that even Victor Stone might shamelessly ask to borrow Metagross for a while.
After all, even the Champion himself only possessed four Champion-tier Pokémon.
"Metagross, looks like you've been hiding your true strength all along."
Ethan laughed as he looked at Metagross.
"Meta!"
Metagross let out a simple, honest grin.
That slightly smug little look clearly said—
I'm actually really strong.
Just as Ethan and Metagross were joking around, the system notification that had fallen silent suddenly rang out again.
[Ding! Opportunity Critical Strike System bound successfully]
[Red-tier Opportunity: Metagross captured — Success]
[Calculating Critical Strike Multiplier…]
[Ding! Congratulations, host has triggered a Ten-Thousandfold Critical Strike!]
[Red-tier Opportunity ×10,000…]
[Congratulations! Host has obtained Nine-Color Opportunity: Metagross captured]
"Nine-color opportunity?"
"What kind of thing is that?"
Before Ethan could figure it out—
A burst of nine-colored light suddenly erupted from Metagross's body.
The glow came quickly, and disappeared just as fast.
But once the light faded, Ethan immediately noticed something strange.
Metagross's already massive frame had grown even larger.
More importantly—
The aura it gave off had become noticeably more terrifying.
Ethan hadn't yet realized the seriousness of the situation.
But when Metagross's status panel appeared again, his jaw dropped.
[Pokémon: Metagross]
[Level: 69 (Elite Four Peak)]
[Type: Steel / Psychic]
[Ability: Clear Body]
[Moves: Hammer Arm, Bullet Punch, Meteor Mash, Iron Defense, Calm Mind, Magnet Rise, Gravity, Gyro Ball, Earthquake, Ice Punch, Stone Edge, Steel Beam, Hyper Beam]
[Potential: Divine]
Yes.
In the span of a single second, Metagross's strength had jumped straight from Apex Peak to Elite Four Peak.
Even more absurd—
Its potential had risen from Champion-tier to the legendary Divine-tier.
Divine-tier potential.
That level was reserved exclusively for legendary Pokémon across the entire planet.
How could Ethan not be shocked?
"Metagross, how do you feel right now?"
Metagross blinked.
It activated its psychic power and used Magnet Rise, lifting itself smoothly into the air.
Its four massive steel limbs waved casually before it descended back to the ground and looked at Ethan.
"Meta!"
Feels a lot stronger.
Other than that… nothing special.
That was what Metagross was trying to convey.
"Looks like this insane power boost didn't come with any side effects."
Ethan fell into thought.
"And having an Elite Four–peak Metagross is nothing but good news for me."
"With you around, I won't need to be so cautious when traveling."
"Even dangerous places won't be a problem anymore."
Since Metagross itself felt perfectly fine, Ethan had no reason to reject it.
Honestly—what Trainer would ever complain about their Pokémon becoming stronger?
And an Elite Four–peak Metagross like this wasn't comparable to ordinary Pokémon at the same level.
If it went all out, it might even be able to clash head-on with a Champion-tier Pokémon.
While other students were stressing over finding a Pokémon with high potential after graduation—
Ethan had directly secured an Elite Four–peak Pokémon.
That was the equivalent of skipping decades of hard work.
And as long as Ethan continued training seriously, becoming one of the Donghuang Alliance's Elite Four in the future was practically guaranteed.
"Ethan!"
"We're heading to Kyoto now."
From inside the villa, his mother's voice rang out.
"I'm coming!"
Ethan answered immediately.
He narrowed his eyes and smiled at Metagross.
"Let's go, Metagross."
"Our journey officially begins!"
"Meta!"
Metagross let out an excited cry.
Since Ethan was currently in the backyard, there was still a fair distance to the front courtyard.
Just as Ethan was about to walk over—
Metagross clearly had no intention of letting its Trainer tire himself out.
Its psychic power flared.
The next moment, Ethan felt his body lift gently into the air before settling securely atop Metagross's broad head.
"Metagross… what are you doing?"
Ethan was momentarily confused.
But then Metagross gave a cheeky grin.
Magnet Rise activated.
Metagross took off, carrying Ethan straight toward the front courtyard.
A walk that would've taken over a minute—
Was completed in less than five seconds.
Looking at the business vehicle parked ahead, and then at the simply dressed yet elegant middle-aged woman standing beside it, Ethan smiled warmly.
"Mom!"
That woman was none other than Ethan's mother—Anna Stone.
Hearing his voice, Anna Stone froze for a moment.
Only then did she notice Ethan sitting atop Metagross.
Though she rarely visited the backyard due to work, she couldn't help muttering,
"Did this Metagross get bigger again?"
"And… it feels a lot stronger, too."
As she examined Metagross, Ethan grinned.
"Mom, let me introduce you."
"My partner—Metagross."
"Meta!"
Metagross responded proudly.
"Ethan, looks like the two of you finally made it official."
Anna Stone laughed, clearly delighted.
Everyone in the estate knew about the bond between Ethan and Metagross.
In practice, Metagross had always been his Pokémon.
But neither of them had ever made it official.
Now that the relationship was out in the open, Anna couldn't resist teasing him.
"Mom, the way you say that makes it sound like Metagross and I were having some secret affair."
Ethan rolled his eyes helplessly.
"Haha, alright, I'll stop."
As she spoke, Anna took out six Poké Balls from her handbag.
They resembled Cherish Balls, except the red accents were replaced with dazzling gold trim.
The golden pattern formed a stylized emblem at the top of each ball.
"Here. These are custom Cherish Balls I had made just for you."
Cherish Balls were extremely expensive Poké Balls.
Under normal circumstances, only major corporations or powerful professional Trainers could commission them from Poké Ball manufacturers.
They weren't something money alone could buy.
As the Champion's son, Ethan lived modestly—but commissioning a set of custom Poké Balls was hardly an issue.
"Thanks, Mom."
Ethan accepted them gratefully.
He picked up one Poké Ball and held it in front of Metagross.
"Come on in, Metagross."
Metagross smiled and tapped the Poké Ball gently with its head.
In the next instant, it transformed into a beam of red light and entered the ball.
From that moment on—
Metagross became Ethan's officially registered Pokémon.
Seeing this, Anna Stone said,
"Ethan, it's getting late."
"We should get going."
"If we leave too late and you can't pick a good Pokémon, don't blame me later."
To read advanced Chapters, head over to p@treon:
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