"Cacnea, where did you find this Shuckle?"
Ethan Black took a deep breath, his expression serious, as he asked Cacnea.
"Cac, cac, cac!"
Cacnea quickly pointed to the ground beneath its feet, indicating that it had discovered it by accident while using Ingrain.
"I see... The Pokédex mentions that Shuckle has a very docile temperament and usually hides under rocks to avoid attacks."
"Looks like this Shuckle was left behind because of that, and by accident it wasn't collected by the Breeding Center staff... that's why we found it here."
"Otherwise, under normal circumstances, the Breeding Center would never be so generous as to give away such a valuable Pokémon."
"After all, a Shuckle that can constantly produce nutritious juice is like a golden goose... How could they just hand it over so easily?"
"However, since this Shuckle appeared inside the Catching Zone, that means it's a valid Bug-type Pokémon to choose."
"When I make it into the top 10, I'll simply pick it as my prize. I want to see how the Breeding Center reacts. According to the rules, I have every right to take it."
Ethan Black's eyes shone brightly, and in the end showed clear determination. Then he gave the order for Cacnea to attack Shuckle.
After Shuckle was defeated by the move Magical Leaf, Ethan Black threw the Poké Ball without hesitation and successfully caught it.
"Now that it's in my hands, it won't be so easy for them to take it away."
"The next step is to keep catching Pokémon here. If I can secure first place, I want to see what excuses the Breeding Center comes up with."
He carefully stored Shuckle's Poké Ball in his inner pocket—the safest place—clenched his fist, and along with Cacnea entered "full sweep" mode.
...
At five in the afternoon, the Bug-Catching Contest officially ended.
One by one, the participants returned. Though many were in a mess, with torn clothes and covered in dirt, the smiles on their faces made it clear they had reaped good rewards.
As soon as they returned, the staff began inspecting the Pokémon they had caught to start tallying points.
Since there were over a hundred participants, this process took nearly an hour, during which results gradually began to be announced.
Upon seeing their results, some jumped with joy, while others sighed in frustration. A true display of all human emotions.
"Participant Ethan Black, the Pokémon captured are..."
"Wait, Shuckle! Why is there a Shuckle among these Pokémon!?"
As Ethan Black's points were being checked, a staff member let out a cry of surprise and looked at him in disbelief.
"Shuckle is also a Bug-type Pokémon. Is it really that strange that I caught one?"
Hearing the staff's reaction, Ethan Black thought: I knew it. Then, indifferently, he responded.
"This..."
The staff member was speechless.
As Ethan Black said, Shuckle was indeed a Bug-type Pokémon. There was nothing irregular about it.
But the staff knew very well that rare Pokémon like Scyther, Heracross, or Shuckle should already have been removed from the Catching Zone. They weren't supposed to be there!
"What?! Was there really a Shuckle in the Catching Zone? This guy hit the jackpot!"
"Seriously! I thought there were only Caterpie and Weedle in the Catching Zone. I never imagined something that rare would show up!"
The other participants, drawn by the commotion, began murmuring in surprise.
Ethan Black smiled broadly and said: "Of course there are Shuckle in the Catching Zone. There are also Scyther and Heracross. But they're very rare. If you're not very lucky, it's almost impossible to find them."
"After all..."
"The tournament's scoreboards list Shuckle, Scyther, and Heracross, which proves they do exist in the Park."
"It's just that finding them is like winning a jackpot. And this time... I got lucky."
He spoke loudly on purpose, making the staff exchange stiff looks. One of them ran off, apparently to call for reinforcements.
"What did you say? Someone caught a Shuckle in the Catching Zone?"
In the monitoring room, several higher-ups exclaimed upon receiving the report.
"Can someone tell me what the Park's capture team was doing?!"
The superiors were furious. Every Shuckle was like a golden goose!
"It must have hidden deep underground. That's why it wasn't detected..."
The head of the capture team was sweating cold as he answered nervously.
"Now's not the time to assign blame, but to decide what to do."
"What to do? Are we really going to give that Shuckle away!?"
"But it was caught inside the Catching Zone... and the trainer who caught it will probably be the champion of the tournament."
Everyone argued heatedly in the room. Clearly, they were unwilling to lose that Shuckle.
"Gentlemen... that Ethan Black is my teammate."
"He's also a member of the University Team of Ironvale City's Pokémon University this year."
"And he's also Professor Harris's assistant. Both the dean and the leaders think very highly of him. I believe the best course is to follow procedure fairly."
At that moment, Kyle Miller, who had been silently listening, spoke.
Everyone's expressions changed instantly. Clearly, the weight of Ironvale City's Pokémon University mattered greatly to them.
"It's decided."
"Although a Shuckle is valuable, the Park's reputation is even more important."
An elder in the group finally spoke, and everyone fell silent. After a few shifting expressions, they all nodded reluctantly.
Just as the elder had said: as precious as a Shuckle was, it wasn't worth more than their prestige.
(End of chapter)