Beast Tamer: I Can See Evolution Paths

[High-end residential area in downtown NY City]

"Jump… jump, jump, jump! I'm almost through this level…" Don clutched his tablet, his eyes glued to the screen, his nerves tense and unrelenting.

Darn game had killed him eight times tonight already. But he had a feeling—this time, this level, he could definitely—

Ding-dong—

Suddenly, a message popped up.

Don's hand twitched, and the precise movement he was aiming for ended up being just a bit too forceful… and once again, Game Over.

Justin, who dressed just as sloppily as Don, leaned over with a sly grin. "Did your parents message you, telling you to go home?"

"Go back to get scolded?" Don scowled, hesitating as he hovered over the notification. "Besides… it might not be my parents."

Justin suddenly realized, "Oh! You did something shady, didn't you?"

"Eheheh." Justin waggled his eyebrows. "So, is it your future in-laws checking up on you?"

Don coughed twice and opened the app. When he saw the sender was June, his eyes widened in surprise.

Huh?

Why June?

Don's parents were both researchers—highly educated, highly intelligent, and also Beast Tamers. They firmly believed in "like father, like son." Even though they didn't spend much time with him, they were confident that Don, who had inherited their excellent genes, wouldn't turn out to be a disappointment.

But when Iris publicly thanked Asher for something...

The couple realized that they might have been wrong about their approach to education.

Acknowledging their mistake, they immediately made changes without delay.

Previously, Henry and Marie would spend half a month at a time in the lab without returning home. Now, they came back frequently, much to Don's misery.

When he wasn't dealing with school teachers, his two professor parents were at home giving him daily lessons. If he couldn't remember something after one explanation or failed to understand it after two, they'd tug on his ears and make sure he learned it.

And of course, there were constant comparisons to Asher.

"Look at Asher! What do you have compared to him? Jealous? Do you even have his talent?"

Even though Don had only met Asher once, it felt like Asher was omnipresent in his life.

Frustrated, Don ran away from home and moved in with his good-for-nothing buddy, Justin.

Every day was filled with eating, drinking, and gaming—a life of blissful irresponsibility.

But Don hadn't forgotten the one who made his life miserable: Asher!

No way could he let Asher have the last laugh when he was suffering like this!

Thinking about how Asher often hung out with June and Lin Weiwei, surrounded by that ambiguous atmosphere, Don had secretly taken photos of Asher and June together, as well as photos of June frequenting Forbidden Zones. After adding some carefully crafted captions, he sent them to June's mother this afternoon.

He thought June's parents would call or message him to ask for more details.

To prepare, Don had even rehearsed an exaggerated explanation, convinced it would ruin Asher's reputation in their eyes.

But unexpectedly, it was June herself who messaged him.

Don was baffled.

Still, he opened June's message and saw a photo radiating with pure joy.

For three seconds, Don was stunned by June's beauty. Then, his gaze shifted to the large fox embracing June from behind.

"This is…?" Don frowned, zooming in on the image to examine it carefully.

The more he looked, the stranger his expression became.

While his intellect wasn't on par with his parents', years of exposure to their research environment and an above-average IQ allowed him to quickly draw a conclusion: if this photo were real, then that beast was the Fire Fox's new evolved form.

Could it be his parents' research institute had made a breakthrough?

Don quickly checked the institute's official website. After confirming there was no new progress and that the evolution research on Fire Fox and Flame Dog remained at the "speculation and testing" stage, he made a swift judgment:

"It's fake! This photo is definitely fake!"

"This has to be Photoshopped."

Hearing this, Justin leaned over. "What's fake? What's Photoshopped?"

Then he saw the picture of June and the big fox.

"Holy crap!" Justin's eyes widened as he snatched the phone, staring at the Fox Queen in the photo with infatuation.

"This fox is so gorgeous and captivating. I declare, this is my new wife."

He put the phone down and slung an arm around Don's shoulder. "Buddy, you're my best bro, right? I'm even letting you crash at my place. Help me out—ask June where she got this pet beast. I want one too."

Price? Not an issue.

His new wife had to come home with him.

Don rolled his eyes and swatted Justin's hand off his shoulder. "Who's your bro?"

"Besides, it's not even clear if the photo's real. I'm telling you, it's fake," Don declared confidently.

Justin didn't buy it.

"Why's it fake just because you say so? Just because you've never seen it? Maybe June actually tamed a new pet beast in the Forbidden Zone."

For his "new wife," Justin was no longer fighting on the same side as Don.

Talking smack about June or Asher? Sure, he'd join in.

But badmouthing his new wife? Absolutely not.

Don: "…"

"Look at this fox—its fur color, its design, its appearance. Doesn't it look like a specially evolved Fire Fox?" Don tried reasoning with Justin. "The problem is, the known evolution path for Fire Fox only leads to Flame Fox, and Flame Fox doesn't look like this."

"I'm telling you, June definitely Photoshopped this to mess with me."

Justin: "Why can't it be a newly evolved form we don't know about?"

"No way! Absolutely impossible!" Don was fuming.

'What happened to brotherhood?'

'Now you're siding with June?'

"Why would June waste her time Photoshopping just for you? Do you think you're that important?" Justin shrugged. "You should know by now how little she cares about you."

"Besides," Justin continued, "didn't you say before that June and Asher hanging out was all for research? Maybe they really did discover a new evolution path for Fire Fox."

Don was so mad he was shaking, his grip on the phone trembling.

"Fine! I'll get proof right now!" Don immediately sent the photo to his father, Henry.

Justin might not believe him, but he'd have to believe his dad.

With his father's sharp eye and expertise, he'd easily spot that this photo was fake.

Forget about "new wife." He'd make sure Justin's dreams were shattered.

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