The Mythical Egg Hatches — Meloetta Is Born!
Victor Stone was a little stunned.
He had always known just how powerful Victor Yuan was.
Especially that Metagross of his—when they last met, its strength had already reached Champion level.
But it had only been a little over a month.
And now he was being told that Metagross had broken through to Totem level?
That was… honestly a bit absurd.
Victor Stone himself had never personally trained a Totem-level Pokémon, but he knew plenty of Pokémon that had reached that realm.
The Dragon Lord Dragonite of Yunshan Dragon Valley.
The Ice Lord Mamoswine of the Polar Peaks.
These were all old acquaintances of his.
From conversations with beings like them, Victor Stone understood very clearly what Totem level represented.
It wasn't something you reached overnight.
Time.
Resources.
Accumulation.
Every Totem-level Pokémon he knew had lived close to a century at the very least.
Yet Victor Yuan's Metagross was barely over ten years old…
And it was already Totem level?
No matter how he thought about it, that was outrageously unreasonable.
But as the shock faded, Victor Stone couldn't help recalling Metagross's growth from its days as a Beldum. Its strength had always increased at an astonishing pace. And once his son officially became a trainer, that growth had surged even further.
A thought surfaced in his mind.
Could it be… that Yuan possesses some kind of special ability?
Victor Stone had encountered special ability holders before. Those people did indeed train Pokémon far faster than ordinary trainers. While his son's speed was bordering on ridiculous, viewed from that angle, it suddenly felt… plausible.
As for Gao Bing's earlier question about his "parenting secrets," Victor Stone had answered calmly that he hadn't really managed Yuan much—his son was simply capable.
That overly modest response earned him nothing but a laughing scolding from Gao Bing.
"Damn it, Stone—would it kill you not to show off for once?!"
After a few more casual words, and learning that Victor Stone was still on a mission, Gao Bing ended the call.
The steady beep… beep… beep… faded from his ear.
Victor Stone let out a slow breath and murmured,
"Looks like once this mission ends… I need to have a proper talk with Yuan."
A bright smile crept onto his face.
Seeing that expression, Donovan Kovalsky—one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Bear Alliance, currently on the same mission—laughed loudly.
"Hey, Victor!
What's got you so happy?
Your grin's about to stretch all the way to Siberia!"
Victor Stone chuckled. "Nothing much. My son's doing pretty well at school, that's all."
Donovan blinked in surprise. "Really? Victor?
That handsome kid of yours is already in college?"
"Haha! Man, when I first saw him, he was scared silly by my beard and cried his eyes out!"
"Oh right—my daughter just started college too.
How about we become in-laws, huh?
My girl's a real beauty!"
Victor Stone laughed lightly. "Let the kids decide that themselves."
Then his tone shifted.
"Comrade Donovan, we're about to enter the inner region of Gale Valley.
This time, let's be careful not to stir up that big fellow again."
Donovan raised an OK gesture. "Relax! You can trust me."
"Heh, though I hear the Flying Gems in Gale Valley are gorgeous.
I'll pick the biggest, prettiest one for my future son-in-law!"
Victor Stone rolled his eyes helplessly at his old friend's boundless nonsense. Still, he lowered his voice and said,
"Charizard, wings in. Prepare to pass through the wind tunnel."
"Roar—!"
Charizard tucked its wings tightly, riding the violent currents as it shot into Gale Valley.
"Ugh… finally back at the dorm."
"Living in tents for over a month nearly killed me."
After finishing dinner with Qin Yingying and the others, Ethan collapsed onto the sofa the moment he returned.
This wasn't an ordinary sofa. Geng Zhi had spent a fortune on it. Ethan didn't know the exact price—only that it could be summed up in two words: absurdly soft.
Lying on it felt like being wrapped up by a Flaaffy.
"Entei!"
The small Entei that returned with Ethan was extremely curious about the new environment, padding around the room and inspecting everything.
Having grown up in caves, the dormitory felt novel in every possible way.
Ethan didn't interrupt, letting the little guy explore freely.
Glancing around the spotless room, Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Didn't expect Geng Zhi to be this… neat."
"I've been gone a whole month, and the place is still spotless."
He looked toward the courtyard outside the balcony and casually tossed several Poké Balls.
One by one, his Pokémon appeared in the yard, clearly delighted to be home.
Ethan smiled and turned toward the massive Skeledirge.
"From today on, Skeledirge, the cabin Metagross used to live in is yours."
"And remember—no playing with fire indoors."
Skeledirge nodded immediately, understanding the instruction, then trotted off with its fiery little bird companion to inspect its new home.
Baxcalibur and Hydreigon remained in their original cabins, though both had grown noticeably larger over the past month. The cabins were starting to look a bit cramped.
Ethan made a mental note to renovate later.
As for the rest of his Pokémon, most still lived with him in the bedroom.
If anyone stood out, it was Gliscor.
Unlike the others, Gliscor showed zero interest in the room itself. Instead, it fixated on the metal clothes rack on the balcony—particularly the perfect hook for hanging upside down.
"Skrr—"
"You want to live there?" Ethan scratched his head, genuinely not expecting this preference.
To Gliscor, this was paradise.
Great visibility.
Shelter from wind and rain.
Far more comfortable than sleeping in the forest.
Seeing how satisfied it looked, Ethan laughed. "Alright, then."
"You can stay here for now.
I'll build you a proper hanging cabin in a few days."
Gliscor grinned happily in response.
Just as Ethan relaxed on the sofa with his Pokémon, the dorm door creaked open.
The small Entei instantly became alert.
It hadn't been this wary before—but after the incident with Sirius and his group, it had learned that not all humans were friendly.
So the moment the door opened, Entei stared toward the entrance, tense.
"Ahhh… I'm exhausted…"
"Altaria, do you think we can really become professional breeders?"
"This field is seriously brutal…"
Geng Zhi stumbled in, looking utterly drained.
Altaria chirped softly beside him, clearly offering encouragement.
"You're right," Geng Zhi sighed. "If I give up again, I honestly don't know what I'll do with my life."
"Still… I wonder how Ethan's doing.
He went to that exchange event and vanished for a month."
"Without him around, I don't even have anyone to talk to."
Just as he muttered to himself, a low growl sounded beside him.
"Entei."
Geng Zhi froze.
Only then did he notice the small, dog-like Pokémon standing at the doorway, staring at him warily.
Already exhausted—and never particularly brave to begin with—Geng Zhi's legs gave out. He collapsed onto the floor.
"Y-Yikes!"
Ethan hurried over. "Geng Zhi, are you alright?"
Seeing Ethan, Geng Zhi finally relaxed. "You're back!"
"Is that… your Pokémon?"
His gaze locked onto the small Entei. The more he looked, the more familiar it seemed—like something he'd seen in a book before.
Ethan smiled. "Yeah."
"Entei, this is my friend, Geng Zhi. Say hello."
Entei blinked, clearly surprised that this human wasn't hostile. After a brief pause, it softened its expression and gave a quiet, apologetic sound.
"Entei…"
Geng Zhi laughed awkwardly as he stood up. "It's fine, it's fine…"
Then his brain finally caught up.
"…Wait.
What did you just call it?"
"You said its name is Entei?!
As in—the one from the books?!"
Ethan nodded calmly. "Yeah. That Entei."
Geng Zhi sucked in a sharp breath.
He stared at Ethan in disbelief.
Just one trip—
And Ethan had somehow brought back a Legendary Pokémon.
And judging by its behavior, it actually listened to him.
At that moment, Geng Zhi felt extremely relieved about switching majors.
If he'd stayed in the same department as Ethan, the stress alone would've killed him.
They chatted for a while, catching up on everything that had happened recently. Geng Zhi complained endlessly about his workload.
"Ten hours of classes a day!
I've never studied this hard in my life!"
Despite his complaints, Ethan knew Geng Zhi had real talent as a breeder. For a transfer student, not ranking near the bottom already said enough.
Soon, the topic turned to the upcoming National Professional Pokémon Certification Exams, set to begin in about a month and a half.
Both professional trainers and breeders would be tested.
Geng Zhi hesitated, but clearly wanted to give the professional breeder exam a try.
Ethan considered his own schedule. With some free time before the professional trainer exam, he agreed—they would prepare together and take the exams side by side.
That night, Geng Zhi insisted on celebrating. Ethan ordered a few dishes from Sister Ning, and the evening passed comfortably.
Half a month later.
Early in the morning, Ethan was jolted awake by an urgent voice.
"Bree—!
Bree-bree!"
He opened his eyes to see Hatterene staring at him anxiously.
"What's wrong?" he asked groggily.
Instead of answering, Hatterene gently placed an egg into his arms.
It was the mysterious egg Ethan had obtained from Sheldon.
Because it still needed time before hatching—and Ethan had been busy training—he'd entrusted its care to Hatterene.
That morning, while cleaning it as usual, Hatterene sensed a sudden change in the energy inside.
A sign of imminent birth.
Ethan was still half-asleep when—
Crack.
A fissure appeared.
Then, emerging from the egg, was a small, humanoid Pokémon with flowing teal hair—musical notes adorning its locks.
Ethan's mind went completely blank.
Because this was no ordinary Pokémon.
It was the mythical Pokémon said to bring song to the world—
Meloetta.
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