Ethan and Aurora exchanged a glance—
Then burst out laughing.
Geng Zhi stood there, completely confused.
"…What? What did I say wrong?"
Ethan patted his shoulder.
"I told you—he'd definitely ask that."
"Relax. When the time comes, Aurora will introduce you to someone."
Geng Zhi froze.
Betrayed.
By his own brother.
A Small Thanks
Then Geng Zhi suddenly turned serious.
"Actually… I should thank you."
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
"For what?"
"For exposing the gene experiment thing."
"Because of that, the Breeding Department is getting way more attention now."
"Even extra funding from above."
"By the time we graduate, it'll be way easier to find jobs."
Ethan nodded.
"That's how it should be."
"Breeding has always been important."
Back to Campus Life
After dinner—
They walked back.
Or more accurately—
Ethan and Aurora escorted Geng Zhi back.
Under his deeply resentful gaze.
Dog food delivered successfully.
A Peaceful Morning
The next day—
Ethan returned to school.
For the first time in a while—
Life felt…
Normal.
Relaxed.
He even got to sleep in.
Back in Class
"I'll go to class first," Aurora said.
"I'll find you after."
Ethan nodded and headed to his classroom.
…late.
Very late.
He arrived mid-lecture.
The teacher looked at him—
Then smiled.
"Well, well. Our hero Ethan is finally back."
"Let's give him a round of applause."
Ethan: "…"
"…Hello, everyone."
He quickly found a seat.
Trying to disappear.
Final Assignment Announced
At the end of class, the teacher dropped the real news:
"For fairness, every student will receive a newly hatched Pokémon."
"Your final grade will depend on how you train it."
"One month."
"Same starting line for everyone."
The classroom exploded with discussion.
The Distribution Hall
Ethan headed to the adoption center.
Huge.
Thousands of square meters.
"B-1 zone. Pick one yourself," the staff said.
The Charmander Batch
Inside—
Rows of identical Pokémon.
All:
Level 1Same statsSame potential
Perfect fairness.
Girls nearby were excitedly debating:
"This one is cuter!"
"No, that one is!"
Ethan looked once.
"…They're literally identical."
Quick Pick
"Whatever. This one."
He picked one casually.
No resistance.
No special reaction.
Even—
No system trigger.
"Fair enough."
A Cry for Help
Just as he turned to leave—
A commotion.
A girl was crying.
"I don't understand!"
"Why can everyone else catch theirs so easily?!"
"I even used a premium Poké Ball!"
"I still can't catch it!"
Her friends tried to comfort her.
Ethan paused.
Then—
Walked over.
"Here."
He handed her his Poké Ball.
"Take mine."
She looked up—
Tearful.
Stunned.
"…What about you?"
"I'll just catch another one."
"Which one is giving you trouble?"
The Problem Child
She pointed.
"That one!"
Ethan followed her finger.
And saw it.
Among identical Charmanders—
One stood out.
Same appearance.
Same stats.
But—
Different attitude.
Eyes sharp.
Expression defiant.
A little rebel.
Ethan's Curiosity
Ethan smiled slightly.
Interesting.
Same batch.
Same setup.
Yet—
Different personality.
"Alright…"
"Let's see what you've got."
Because sometimes—
The most troublesome ones…
Turn out to be the most special.
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