"Mudkip, we won!"
Seeing Alolan Vulpix lose its ability to battle, Ethan knew the victor was clear.
Hearing this, the highly competitive Mudkip immediately began cheering excitedly.
"Mu~kip! Mu… mu~kip!"
That said, Vulpix's Tackle earlier really had packed a punch.
Mudkip managed to endure it, but even now its scalp still tingled, its head feeling a little dazed.
Still—victory was victory.
Mudkip was happy.
After all, the reason it chose to follow Ethan in the first place was to one day defeat opponents across the world.
What did a bit of injury matter?
As long as it won, that was enough!
While Ethan and Mudkip celebrated, Iris Jade stared at her unconscious Vulpix, still somewhat stunned.
In that battle, she had planned everything carefully.
Every command had been optimal.
But no matter how much she calculated—
She never could have predicted that Ethan's Mudkip knew the extremely rare move Counter.
That move was normally mastered by Fighting-type Pokémon.
She had never even heard of a Mudkip being able to use it.
"Looks like Uncle Victor was right after all…"
"Know yourself and know your opponent, and you'll never lose a battle."
"My battle planning is solid now."
"But my understanding of Pokémon move pools…"
"I'm still lacking."
Iris's combat instincts were excellent.
Her flaw lay in incomplete knowledge.
If she had known Mudkip could use Counter, she never would have ordered Vulpix to attack head-on.
But regrets after the fact were meaningless.
She accepted the loss calmly.
"Congratulations, Ethan."
"I didn't expect your very first battle to be this impressive."
Hearing her praise, Ethan scratched his head and smiled.
"That was thanks to you holding back."
"And honestly, I didn't do much—the real credit goes to this little guy."
"Right, Mudkip?"
Mudkip proudly lifted its chin—
Then rubbed affectionately against Ethan's pant leg.
As if to say: I did great, but the boss's commands were even better.
Seeing how close Ethan and Mudkip had already become despite just forming their partnership, Iris felt a hint of envy—but also approval.
"Looks like you two really get along."
"You're starting to look like a true ace duo already."
At that moment, the Poké Ball at Ethan's waist shook slightly.
Metagross was expressing its dissatisfaction.
In its eyes, it was clearly the real ace partner.
Ethan couldn't help but smile wryly.
Even after growing that big, Metagross was still jealous of Mudkip.
But that only showed how much it trusted him.
Otherwise, why would it even bother competing for attention?
While Ethan and Iris talked, laughter rang out from the spectator area.
"Hahaha! Anna, what did I tell you?"
"Ethan really is a child full of surprises, isn't he?"
Harold Jade laughed heartily.
Anna Stone didn't respond immediately.
Her gaze was fixed on Ethan on the battlefield.
She had watched the entire match.
Though Anna herself wasn't a particularly strong Trainer, she had spent years beside Victor Stone.
She had seen hundreds—if not thousands—of high-level battles.
What surprised her most wasn't Ethan's victory.
It was that throughout the fight, even while at a disadvantage, Ethan had never panicked.
And at the critical moment, he had issued the best possible command.
That was something she hadn't expected.
"Could it be…"
"That Ethan inherited Victor's battle talent?"
Anna wasn't sure.
But a small smile still appeared on her face.
Because she knew—her son truly had potential as a Trainer.
And for a mother, nothing was more gratifying than seeing her child shine.
If there hadn't been people around, she might have already cheered out loud.
"Ethan, to defeat Iris like that…"
"You've really been hiding your strength."
Harold Jade walked over, his face filled with delight.
"I just got lucky."
Ethan replied modestly.
And it was precisely that humility that made Harold like him even more.
What elder didn't appreciate a talented yet grounded junior?
Damn it… why couldn't my own son give me a grandson like this?
Though Ethan didn't carry the Jade surname, Harold liked him more the longer he looked.
With that thought, he quietly took out a gemstone from his pocket.
"Ethan, this battle was my suggestion."
"You won, so you deserve a reward."
"I don't have anything particularly valuable on me."
"But if you don't mind, take this Water Gem as a gift."
As he spoke, Harold handed over a crystal-clear blue Water Gem.
The moment it appeared, Mudkip's eyes lit up.
It was obvious—this item would be immensely beneficial to it.
[Ding! Congratulations, host has obtained Blue-Tier Opportunity: Water Gem]
[Calculating opportunity critical strike…]
[Ding! Fivefold critical strike triggered]
[Congratulations! Host has obtained Blue-Tier Opportunity: Top-Grade Water Gem]
As the system prompt faded, Ethan saw a faint blue glow flash across the Water Gem in his hand.
The glow vanished almost instantly.
Because the gem itself was blue, no one else noticed anything unusual.
But Ethan could clearly feel it—
The energy inside the Water Gem had become far purer.
Ordinary Water Gems weren't secret treasures.
They were more like natural supplements, providing limited energy to Water-type Pokémon.
But under the system's enhancement, this one had become top-grade.
Still not a true treasure—
But vastly superior to any normal Water Gem.
"Mudkip."
"This is your reward."
"You earned it yourself."
Seeing Mudkip staring eagerly at the gem, Ethan crouched down and handed it over.
Mudkip's face immediately lit up.
"Mu~kip!"
After expressing its thanks, it didn't hesitate at all—
It swallowed the Water Gem in one gulp.
Though it looked like a gem, it was actually condensed Water-type energy.
It melted instantly upon entry, rich and potent.
"Mu~kip!"
Pure Water-type energy surged through Mudkip's body, cleansing and reinforcing it.
In that moment, everyone present could clearly feel—
Mudkip's aura was rapidly rising.
"Looks like that Water Gem boosted it a lot."
Harold Jade said with a narrowed smile.
But before he could say anything else—
A brilliant light suddenly burst forth from Mudkip's small body.
Seeing that radiant glow, Harold's smile froze.
"This…"
"That's the light of evolution?!"
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