[Ding! Opportunity Critical Hit Successful]
[Congratulations, Host has obtained a Premium Dragonfire Berry]
[Congratulations, Host has obtained a Premium Aguav Berry]
[Congratulations, Host has obtained a Premium Ground Gem]
As Metagross continued retrieving opportunities across Sea Cliff Island, the rewards began triggering critical upgrades one after another.
Listening to the nonstop system notifications ringing in his ears, Ethan's smile grew so wide it nearly split his face.
"Looks like assigning this task to Metagross was absolutely the right call!"
"When that guy gets back, I'm definitely giving him extra chicken legs!"
Ethan was genuinely satisfied with Metagross's execution.
After all—
who wouldn't love having a Pokémon that was this capable?
While Metagross worked tirelessly in the sky, Ethan knew it was time for him to get busy as well.
Although the system had provided precise coordinates, Sea Cliff Island was massive, and Ethan was currently deep within a forested area.
Even with an exact location, the Shiny Gligar was nowhere to be seen for now.
"Looks like opportunities that aren't simple items are much harder to find…"
"Well, the environment here isn't bad. Let's set up camp for now."
Unable to locate Gligar immediately, Ethan chose the oldest method known—
Waiting.
"Tinkatink, Swampert—you two help set up the tents."
"Tyrantrum… actually, Gabite—you patrol the area and check for strong Pokémon nearby."
"If you find any, let them know we're only staying temporarily and mean no harm."
The Pokémon quickly acknowledged his orders and got to work.
When Deino realized Ethan wasn't letting her patrol with Tyrantrum—and had sent her little brother instead—
She puffed out her cheeks in protest.
"Sa-la~"
Ethan laughed.
"Come on, Deino. You can't see—how would you patrol?"
"Your priority right now is getting stronger as fast as possible."
"What if you grow too slowly, can't pass on your bloodline to Tyrantrum, and he ends up changing his heart?"
"I'm keeping you here for your own good."
Deino froze.
Then—
She realized he… kind of had a point?!
The sulking instantly vanished.
"Sa-la~"
After expressing her gratitude, she trotted off to train on her own.
Watching her go, Ethan finally let out a breath of relief.
What he'd just said was, frankly, nonsense.
He simply didn't want Deino and Tyrantrum acting together—
Those two were way too affectionate.
Ethan seriously doubted they'd get any patrol work done at all.
As Deino began training, Crocalor noticed he hadn't been assigned any tasks.
Without waiting for instructions, he found an open area and started training on his own.
Seeing Crocalor's relentless effort, Ethan couldn't help but feel a twinge of heartache.
"Later, I'll see if Metagross brought back anything suitable for you."
Under Ethan's coordination, a small campsite was quickly completed.
Between the setup and the relaxed atmosphere, it felt less like survival training—
And more like a camping trip.
Just as Ethan was considering what to cook for lunch—
A furious roar suddenly echoed from nearby.
"Crooo—!"
The anger in Crocalor's voice was unmistakable.
"Something's wrong."
Ethan immediately abandoned thoughts of food and rushed toward the sound.
When he arrived, he saw Crocalor facing off against a Pokémon with a deep blue body, shaped like a scorpion.
"This is…"
"A Shiny Gligar?"
That's right.
The Pokémon Ethan had been searching for—
Was standing right in front of him.
Gligar, the Flyscorpion Pokémon.
Ground / Flying-type.
Though not large, its combat strength was formidable.
Those massive pincers were said to be able to snap steel with ease.
And Gligar could eventually evolve into the even more powerful Gliscor.
Ethan's eyes lit up with joy.
All that waiting paid off.
His "waiting for the rabbit" strategy might've looked stupid—
But it worked.
That said—
Crocalor's opponent clearly wasn't in a friendly mood.
Most Gligar were relatively amicable Pokémon.
But this one radiated hostility.
"Gli—!"
Its roar alone made its violent temperament obvious.
To prevent a direct clash, Ethan stepped forward together with Tinkatink.
"Hello, Gligar," Ethan said calmly.
"I'm Crocalor's Trainer. May I ask what happened here?"
Seeing Ethan arrive, Crocalor immediately acted like he'd found his savior.
He began gesturing wildly while explaining.
From Crocalor's account, Ethan quickly understood the situation.
Crocalor had been training peacefully—
When Gligar suddenly swooped down from a tree and swung its pincers at him.
Thankfully, Crocalor had been fully focused and dodged in time.
Otherwise, Ethan might've been looking at a Crocalor with two fire orbs on his head.
Crocalor was usually mild-mannered and had never clashed with other Pokémon.
Coupled with the deep impact mark on the ground nearby, Ethan was confident Crocalor wasn't lying.
He turned to Gligar.
Waiting for an explanation.
"Gli! Gli-gli!!"
Despite only being mid Advanced-tier, Gligar showed no fear—even with Ethan and an Elite late-stage Tinkatink present.
From its angry explanation, Ethan finally understood.
This forest area was Gligar's territory.
It had merely been driving off an intruder.
In the wild, territory was sacred—
It meant food, safety, survival.
Ethan knew they were in the wrong.
Still, something didn't add up.
Gligar typically lived on cliffs and rocky walls.
They were also social Pokémon, rarely living alone.
Yet Gligar sightings here were scarce.
This Shiny Gligar clearly had its own story—
But Ethan didn't pry.
Instead, he bowed his head slightly.
"Forcibly setting up camp in your territory was our mistake."
"We didn't intend any offense."
"We won't stay long."
"To make up for it—how about this?"
Ethan took out nearly ten kilograms of premium beef, originally meant as Tyrantrum's rations.
Seeing the meat, Gligar fell silent.
As a lone Pokémon of limited strength, hunting something this large was nearly impossible.
After a moment's hesitation—
He agreed.
"Gli."
But only granted three days.
Hooking the meat with his tail stinger, Gligar flew back to his tree.
Ethan remained calm.
Unlike Trainers who relied on force, he preferred building trust.
A bond formed through violence always left cracks.
Cracks that could never truly be repaired.
Turning to Crocalor, Ethan patted his back.
"Alright, don't be mad."
"We were at fault."
"But you handled it well."
"So—how about Ning-style honey-glazed barbecue for lunch?"
Crocalor's favorite.
Fresh off the flames, sizzling hot.
Ethan had prepared extensively—
even bringing a refrigerated storage ball for ingredients.
This was training in name only—
In practice, it was a picnic.
Crocalor's eyes instantly sparkled.
"Crooo~!"
Training mattered.
But eating well mattered too.
He eagerly followed Ethan back to camp, even helping gather firewood.
Up on a tree branch, Gligar chewed on the beef while watching the lively campsite.
For some reason—
It didn't taste as good as before.
"Gli…"
Memories surfaced.
Of his childhood.
Of warmth.
Of family.
Because he was different—
His kind had rejected him.
The anger was just armor.
He wasn't violent by nature.
He simply wanted companionship.
And sometimes—
Even Pokémon broke down.
Tears shimmered in Gligar's eyes.
"Tin~"
A soft voice reached him.
He looked up.
Tinkatink was standing beside him.
Startled, Gligar hurriedly wiped his tears.
"Gli!"
He returned to his fierce facade.
But Tinkatink wasn't afraid.
She sensed no malice.
And quietly—
She placed a piece of barbecue on the branch.
Then waved.
And vanished back into camp.
From afar, Ethan smiled.
"Gligar, consider that an apology."
Gligar stared at the meat.
Then at the happy Pokémon below.
Slowly—
His hostility softened.
He took a bite.
And froze.
The flavor exploded.
Rich. Layered. Warm.
His world shook.
How could food taste like this?!
Ethan knew—
This Gligar wasn't difficult.
Just lonely.
But bonds took time.
So he returned to grilling.
As laughter filled the camp—
Metagross descended from the sky.
"Meta—!!"
Everyone rushed to welcome him.
"Welcome back!"
Ethan handed him barbecue.
Metagross happily devoured it, returning the storage ball afterward.
"Well done, Metagross."
"Meta!"
Then Metagross took over the grill himself.
Watching this, Ethan smiled—
And turned to Deino.
"Catch this."
Deino blinked.
Instinctively sensing something precious—
She swallowed the Supreme Dark Gem whole.
Her power surged violently.
Light burst forth.
At last—
Deino began to evolve.
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