"Hey now, I wasn't trying to be cryptic or anything… You just never asked…"
Rock scooted further into the couch, trying to dodge Su Bai's razor-sharp stare with an exaggerated look of innocence.
"If you ask, I'll answer—honest!"
Then, without shame, he raised his cup high.
"Miss Meloetta, may I have a refill, please?"
Meloetta tilted her head curiously, then daintily lifted a finger. A stream of steaming hot tea poured elegantly from the teapot into his cup.
"As for the Rock family… most of what the outside world believes is completely wrong."
Rock spoke casually, as if revealing a deep family secret was no more serious than chatting about the weather.
"The truth is, unless absolutely necessary, every generation's Rock avoids contracting Death Beasts."
"You already know how Contract Trainers are influenced by the beasts they bond with."
"If we—as the spiritual totem of all Contract Trainers—were also corrupted, then the entire profession would be doomed."
"I honestly don't know how the original Rock resisted the Death Beast's aura, but… I certainly can't."
"So unless a new Rock is found, or the current one is too old to lead, no matter how powerful our innate mental strength may be, we won't form a contract."
"It's also why our family stays out of the Guild's internal affairs."
"That way, when a real crisis comes, we can rally all Contract Trainers to the frontlines—without bias or political entanglement."
As Rock spoke, the full weight of the Locke family's role became clear to Su Bai.
They weren't just leaders. They were the last moral line for all Contract Trainers.
No matter how twisted some Trainers became, when the heir of the Rock family—still of sound mind and body—raised the banner, they would lay down their lives for humanity.
No wonder Rock refused to bond with a Death Beast.
That kind of burden… wasn't just strength. It was responsibility.
Su Bai felt a subtle shift in his perception.
Before, back when he had no power of his own, he'd yearned for strength more than anything.
If he'd awakened as a Contract Trainer back then, he probably would've signed a pact with a Death Beast—without hesitation.
Not because he wanted to be evil, but because in this chaotic world, power meant survival.
Without it, he would have been nothing more than a caged bird—safe but powerless.
And now, Rock—who had awakened as a Contract Trainer long ago—had voluntarily chosen restraint for the sake of the bigger picture.
Even if it was because of his family's legacy, that kind of self-control was still worthy of respect.
"Meloetta," Su Bai snapped his fingers lightly, "bring out a new pot of tea."
"Melo~ Melo~!"
Meloetta answered sweetly and danced away to fetch a fresh pot from the cabinet—one Su Bai had personally prepared.
Rock blinked, glancing between Su Bai's fancy teapot and the cheap one in front of him.
He raised his cup, sniffed, and finally noticed the bitter astringency of the tea he'd been sipping.
"Wait a second… Your tea and mine aren't even the same?"
He felt completely betrayed.
"Anyway," Rock said, savoring the smooth new tea, "I didn't come to Haicheng with any ill intentions."
"Honestly, I should be thanking you. If not for this situation, I'd still be stuck in Kyoto."
As he spoke, he leaned back with the relaxed posture of someone on vacation.
As the heir to the Rock family, Locke was heavily protected. Every step he took was monitored.
To most people, getting involved in a messy political situation like this—facing Lu Liangpeng and Haicheng's resistance—would be a nightmare.
But to Rock?
It was the perfect excuse to get out of Kyoto for a bit and stretch his legs.
Of course, if this hadn't been a Contract Trainer issue, he probably wouldn't have been able to leave at all.
But with the rise of Pokémon Trainers challenging the established order, who better than the spiritual symbol of all Contract Trainers to "handle the situation"?
It made for great PR.
"So now that you're here," Su Bai asked, arching a brow, "you've seen the city, seen the Pokémon… What's next?"
The way Rock acted—too young, too carefree—left Su Bai skeptical.
There had to be more.
How had a Contract Trainer with no contracted beast traveled from Kyoto all the way to Haicheng?
Teleportation?
For a family like the Rocks, that was plausible.
But someone of his status traveling without a single bodyguard? That didn't feel right.
Still, Su Bai didn't really care, so long as Locke wasn't here to pick a fight.
"Well…" Rock swirled his cup of tea and gave a lazy smile.
"I heard there's a young man here in Haicheng who awakened as a Contract Trainer… but hasn't signed with a Death Beast yet."
Su Bai narrowed his eyes.
"You mean Xiaofei? Yeah, that's true."
Zhou Xiaofei's awakening wasn't public knowledge, but it wasn't exactly classified either.
For the Locke family, tracking down such information was likely trivial.
Still, Su Bai's tone hardened.
"But if you came here for Xiaofei, you wasted your trip."
"I'm not letting him become a Contract Trainer."
From the Rock family's standpoint, more Trainers meant more influence.
And with Zhou Xiaofei's talent and the support of the Pokémon Center, he would be a prized asset.
But if that was Rock's goal, Su Bai wouldn't budge an inch.
"Melo Melo!"
"That's right!" Diancie chirped in agreement, arms crossed indignantly.
"Xiaofei is a Trainer, not a Contract Trainer!"
She and Diancie had long since adopted Xiaofei as one of their own. Hearing Rock bring him up made them instantly defensive.
"Whoa, whoa! Misunderstanding!"
Rock waved his hands frantically, looking utterly wronged.
"Even I didn't bond with a Death Beast! Why would I try to push Xiaofei into it?"
"What I really wanted to ask about… is this rumor I heard—that Xiaofei accidentally awakened something called… the Power of Bonds?"
Su Bai's expression shifted slightly.
"You know about that too?"
He hadn't exactly gone around advertising Xiaofei's unique ability.
Only a handful of people in the Haicheng City Lord's mansion even knew the details.
"Sorry," Rock said with a sheepish grin, "I didn't mean to overstep."
"But… every city's leadership has a few people loyal to higher powers. It's an unspoken rule."
Then, in a more serious tone, he leaned forward.
"But Su Bai… if this Power of Bonds can be replicated, it might be the solution Contract Trainers have been waiting for."
"With it, they could resist the emotional decay from Death Beasts. They wouldn't be corrupted anymore."
"I know it's hard to believe, but… Contract Trainers aren't inherently bad people."
Su Bai watched Rock carefully.
He wasn't lying.
And deep down, Su Bai knew it was true.
Back when he'd fought Li Jian, a Contract Trainer who'd once tried to kill him, something about the man's actions had felt… strange.
At the time, Su Bai hadn't understood it.
But looking back now, he could sense that Li Jian had still clung to some shred of humanity—buried under layers of madness and instinct.
The corruption wasn't their choice.
It was the cost of the power they'd been given.
Su Bai tapped his finger rhythmically on the table, lost in thought.
Finally, he let out a long sigh.
"I don't know… whether the Power of Bonds can be awakened by every Contract Trainer."