Early the next morning, deep in the back mountain behind the Jade estate.
"Iris, where exactly are we going?"
"We've walked this far already…"
"And why are we carrying so much stuff?"
With a massive backpack slung over his shoulders, Ethan trudged along the mountain trail.
He was already panting heavily.
Very clearly—he was exhausted.
By rough estimation, he had already walked two to three kilometers through rugged terrain.
"Iris, your cousin's stamina is pretty bad!"
"This little bit of distance and you're already dying?"
Hearing Ethan's complaints, Iris Jade laughed teasingly.
That said, she wasn't in much better shape herself.
Sweat dotted her forehead, and exhaustion was obvious on her face.
"I'm human, not some superhero from Skyhawk Alliance movies, alright?"
"And I'm definitely not one of those anime rookies from the Sakura Alliance who can lift two hundred kilos barehanded!"
"You made me carry thirty kilos of meat and hike cross-country for three kilometers!"
"Even special forces would collapse from this!"
Ethan's physical condition was actually quite good.
Growing up, he had always eaten well and trained daily under his mother's supervision.
But no matter how good your condition was—this kind of ordeal was brutal.
Honestly, if the system hadn't told him that following Iris would lead to a purple-tier opportunity, he would've quit long ago.
"Alright, alright, let's take a short break."
"Here—have some water."
Seeing how tired Ethan was, Iris smiled and handed him a bottle.
She wasn't annoyed by his complaints.
In fact, this whole trip was partially a test.
Now that Ethan was preparing to become a Trainer, his physical conditioning couldn't be lacking.
Donghuang Academy sent students on field missions all the time.
If his body couldn't keep up, he'd suffer later.
Thankfully, after observing him, Iris admitted that Ethan's physical condition was quite solid.
Taking a few gulps of water and catching his breath, Ethan finally felt alive again.
But looking at the backpack full of meat beside him, confusion crept in.
"Iris… who exactly are we visiting?"
"Why are we carrying this much beef?"
Hearing the question, Iris's expression softened, and a familiar figure appeared in her mind.
She smiled.
"An old friend."
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
"An old friend… who lives in the mountains?"
"Wait—don't tell me it's a Pokémon?"
Iris nodded.
"Yes."
"She's the ruler of this region."
"When I was little, I got lost in the back mountain while playing."
"She saved me… and even escorted me home."
She didn't hide anything from Ethan and calmly shared her childhood secret.
"That's actually the reason I became a Trainer."
"She inspired me."
"I've always wanted to grow strong enough to stand beside her."
"To show our strength together to the Donghuang Alliance."
"My strength isn't enough yet."
"But I'm not discouraged."
"Because I know—one day, I'll be strong enough to become her partner."
Listening to Iris speak, Ethan felt like she had become a completely different person.
The Iris he remembered was independent, confident, and self-assured.
But now he realized—
Even someone as strong as her had a soft, vulnerable side.
This time, Ethan didn't joke or complain.
He stood up, hoisted the backpack again, and said seriously,
"Let's go, Iris."
"If we're visiting an old friend, we shouldn't keep her waiting."
"If we're late, we might miss her."
Seeing Ethan take the initiative, Iris was genuinely surprised.
"Don't look at me like that."
"I'm not suddenly full of energy."
"I just don't want you making a wasted trip today."
"And honestly…"
"I'm also curious."
"Exactly which Pokémon managed to make the Jade family's princess miss her day and night?"
At those words, Iris puffed her cheeks and shot Ethan a light glare.
She knew he was teasing her—
But strangely enough, she didn't feel annoyed at all.
Instead, she felt… comfortable.
They resumed their journey.
Under Iris's lead, Ethan walked another kilometer through the mountain trails.
At last, they arrived at the entrance of a mountain cave.
"Alright, Ethan."
"We're here."
"You can put the backpack down now."
The moment she said that, Ethan dropped down onto the ground without hesitation.
He took two big gulps of water before finally feeling human again.
Iris was tired too—but the thought of seeing her old friend wiped most of that fatigue away.
She didn't enter the cave.
Instead, she stood before the pitch-black opening and called out:
"Tyrantrum, are you there?"
"I came to see you."
Hearing that name, Ethan froze.
"Tyrantrum?"
Wasn't that Pokémon supposed to be extinct?
Tyrantrum was a Pokémon from over two hundred million years ago.
In prehistoric times, it was a true land apex predator—
the ruler at the very top of the food chain.
But for unknown reasons, Tyrantrum had gone extinct.
Ethan only knew of it from books mentioning that the Alliance had excavated Tyrantrum fossils.
Yet now—
His cousin was calling its name.
Could it be…
That Tyrantrum never actually went extinct?
As confusion surged, Ethan stared at the cave.
Then—
A pair of crimson eyes slowly emerged from the darkness.
Boom. Boom.
Each step shook the ground beneath their feet.
And the oppressive aura pouring out of the cave made Ethan's heart pound.
"So strong…"
"This thing is almost on par with Metagross before its upgrade."
Then—
A massive, dragon-like Pokémon stepped into the light.
Nearly three meters tall, its body radiated raw power.
Dark red scales.
A white mane around its neck.
And those signature short forelimbs.
Ethan recognized it instantly.
It really was—
Tyrantrum, the Pokémon said to have gone extinct.
Tyrantrum looked fierce and brutal.
Yet when it saw Iris, its expression visibly softened.
It lowered its massive head and gently nudged her, clearly showing affection.
Watching the interaction between his cousin and the Tyrantrum, Ethan fell silent.
So this is her old friend…
Is this the purple-tier opportunity the system mentioned?
If it is… how am I supposed to take it?
Even though Ethan's current strength could overwhelm Tyrantrum—
This Pokémon was Iris's savior.
Her benefactor.
Taking it would be no different from betraying her.
Intercepting Mudkip before had been easy.
He didn't know Leon Farr, and there was no emotional bond involved.
But this was different.
The bond between Iris and Tyrantrum was deep and genuine.
Ethan couldn't bring himself to interfere.
"…Forget it."
"If this is the purple opportunity, I'll let it go."
"Consider it doing Iris a favor."
Just as Ethan made that decision—
Movement came from deeper within the cave.
A small dinosaur-like Pokémon cautiously peeked its head out, curiously observing the outside world.
The moment Ethan saw it—
The system notification finally sounded.
[Ding! Purple-tier opportunity triggered]
[Objective: Persuade Tyrantrum and take the baby Tyrunt]
To read advanced Chapters, head over to p@treon:
patreon.com/kakashiTL