Kyoto, Jade Family Breeding Park.
Though located on the outskirts of the city, the park spanned well over a thousand acres.
It was also the largest Pokémon breeding park in the northern Donghuang Alliance.
Just from the name alone, one could tell—it was a Jade family enterprise.
And that Jade was the same Jade as Anna Stone's maiden family.
That's right.
This Jade Family Breeding Park was, quite literally, a family business.
"Ethan, my boy! Long time no see!"
"Did you miss your grandpa?"
The moment Ethan stepped out of the car, a voice hit him so hard that goosebumps broke out all over his body.
Following the sound, he saw a white-haired elderly man walking toward him with open arms, smiling from ear to ear.
The old man's name was Harold Jade, the current head of the Jade Family Breeding Park.
At the same time, he was also Ethan's maternal grandfather.
A lively, energetic old man through and through.
"Grandpa… I'm already eighteen and done with the entrance exam."
"Can you please stop calling me like that?"
Ethan genuinely liked his grandfather.
But he truly couldn't stand being called with such an embarrassingly affectionate nickname every single time they met.
He was a 185-centimeter-tall, handsome, sunny young man now.
Yet under his grandpa's calling, he always felt like some kid who hadn't even been weaned yet.
Ethan knew it was a term of endearment.
It was just… a bit too much for him now.
"Eighteen? So what?"
"As long as Grandpa's still around, you'll always be my kid."
Harold Jade showed zero intention of changing how he addressed him.
Ethan immediately realized resistance was futile and silently accepted his fate.
After all… that was his grandpa.
"Dad, why are you here today?"
"And where's my brother?"
Anna Stone looked surprised when she saw her father greeting them personally.
"Marcus went to negotiate business."
"We're preparing to bring in a batch of Pokémon from the Skyhawk Alliance."
"You know how those suppliers are—always cutting corners."
"So I sent him over to keep an eye on things."
Harold Jade replied casually.
Hearing this, Anna nodded in understanding.
"And besides," Harold continued with a grin,
"today's the day my grandson officially adopts his Pokémon."
"How could I, as his grandfather, not be here?"
Ethan silently thought—
Honestly… you not being here would also be fine.
"Oh right, Ethan."
"Do you still remember your cousin?"
"My cousin?"
Ethan froze for a moment.
Then, an image surfaced in his mind—
A short-haired beauty with fair skin, a confident figure, and a bright smile.
Iris Jade.
"Iris?"
"Of course I remember her."
Iris Jade was the only daughter of Marcus Jade, Ethan's maternal uncle.
She was two years older than Ethan and had entered Donghuang Academy two years ago.
The Jade family had always done well within the Donghuang Alliance.
But when it came to Trainer combat, they had never produced any real standouts.
At best, their ancestors had produced only a professional Trainer.
In the current era—where elites were everywhere and professional Trainers were commonplace—that wasn't particularly impressive.
Over time, the Jade family had come to terms with it.
Most family members focused their efforts on Pokémon breeding and research.
But Iris Jade was an exception.
When she entered Donghuang Academy, she didn't choose the Breeding Department like the rest of the family.
Instead—
She chose the Battle Department.
At first, the entire family thought she'd lost her mind.
But a year later, reality slapped them all in the face.
In just one year, Iris became a professional Trainer, directly matching the best record in Jade family history.
Sure, professional Trainers weren't rare anymore.
But achieving that level in one year?
That was exceptionally uncommon—even at Donghuang Academy, a place full of prodigies.
What's more, Ethan had heard that Victor Stone had once battled Iris personally.
His evaluation was extremely high.
He had given her just four words—
"Elite Four potential."
That alone left a deep impression on Ethan.
Not to mention… when they were younger, this well-endowed cousin had often played with him.
Certain childhood memories had left very deep impressions.
After Iris went off to university, though, they rarely saw each other.
The last time they met had been a year ago.
Now that he knew she was here too, Ethan couldn't help feeling excited.
"Haha! Looks like my grandson's memory is still sharp!"
"That's right—little Iris."
"She's also here today to adopt a Pokémon."
Harold Jade laughed.
"Dad, isn't Iris already a professional Trainer?"
"Why is she adopting another Pokémon?"
Anna asked, puzzled.
"Her Serperior has hit a bottleneck."
"Breaking through in the short term is difficult."
"So she's preparing to select her second main partner."
At this point, Harold's smile widened.
"That girl works incredibly hard."
"Who knows—maybe Victor's words will come true."
"Our Jade family might really produce an Elite Four."
There was no hiding the pride in his voice.
"Alright, enough standing around chatting."
"The most important thing today is still Ethan picking his Pokémon."
Ethan: So you do remember why we're here…
Inside the breeding park, in a lounge area.
A short-haired woman with delicate features sat inside, checking her phone while jotting notes into a notebook beside her.
Next to her sat a cup of cappuccino—long since gone cold.
"Iris, look who's here."
Harold Jade chuckled as he spoke.
Hearing that, Iris looked up and finally noticed the group at the door.
"Aunt Anna!"
She immediately put everything down and rushed over, giving Anna Stone a big hug.
"Iris, it's been so long."
"You've gotten even prettier."
Anna said warmly.
"Iris, long time no see."
Ethan greeted her proactively.
Iris froze for a moment at the sound of his voice.
Only then did she notice the tall, handsome young man standing beside Anna.
"Ethan…?"
"It's really been a while."
"You've changed way too much!"
"I didn't even recognize you at first."
"I guess I can't call you 'little Ethan' anymore—should I call you 'big Ethan' now?"
A year ago, Ethan had only been around 170 cm tall, even a bit shorter than Iris.
Now, he stood nearly half a head taller than her.
No wonder she was surprised.
"Heh, I just grew a little."
Ethan smiled modestly.
Though hearing "big Ethan" still felt… strange.
"Alright, you two can catch up later."
"Let's take care of the important business first."
"There are plenty of people here today to adopt Pokémon."
"If you're late and all the good ones get picked, don't blame me."
Harold Jade teased.
At the mention of adopting Pokémon, Iris's expression immediately turned serious.
She cared deeply about this matter.
The reason she'd been taking notes earlier was precisely to prepare for this selection.
After all—
This would be her second main partner.
She couldn't afford to be careless.
Under Harold's lead, the group headed toward the adoption hall.
Outside, seven or eight people were already waiting.
They were about Ethan's age—recent graduates, just like him.
None of them were ordinary either.
Though they couldn't compare to Ethan or Iris, they were still elite heirs from Kyoto's major families.
And just as Ethan arrived—
A familiar system notification rang in his ear.
[Ding! Purple-tier opportunity detected!]
[Host, intercept immediately!]
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