Dusk.
Lin Yu accompanied Ye Qingxue to her old orphanage,
to visit the newly arrived children there.
After spending the whole afternoon together,
a Swanna came to pick her up.
But this time, his heart felt different.
Provincial High School Tournament,
National High School Tournament,
even the future Pokémon Challenge Cup —
he was going to take first place in all of them!
This was Lin Yu now.
He had Charmeleon.
He had Ralts.
He already had what it took to become an Elite Trainer…
even a Champion.
The next day.
Lin Yu arrived at the Secret Realm early.
The abandoned city outskirts had been renovated.
Several law enforcement soldiers in black uniforms stood guard,
each with an Arcanine at their side.
A glance with Inspection Eye…
all of them were Elite-tier Arcanine.
A crowd had gathered around:
students in school uniforms,
and older, experienced-looking Trainers.
It seemed the first wave of explorers wasn't just students —
there were professional Trainers too.
Not too many, around sixty in total.
Lin Yu quickly found his school group.
"Junior! Over here!"
Senior Xue Nai's clear voice called out.
Lin Yu laughed awkwardly.
Looks like he was the last one again…
even though he'd left super early.
Luo Xing, broad and sturdy, glanced at him.
Once everyone was present, he checked their gear.
But when their eyes accidentally met,
Lin Yu saw fear in Qing Fei's expression.
Before anyone could chat much,
the soldier guarding the entrance spoke up.
"Open the gate!
Remember: you will spawn randomly at the edge of the realm.
The central lake has Gym‑level Gyarados.
Know your limits!"
One by one, they entered in orderly fashion.
Staring at the crimson gate ahead,
Lin Yu stepped forward.
A ripple like water spread outward.
One blink,
and the sky was completely different.
Entry into the Secret Realm was random at the edges,
but the exit was fixed.
Xue Nai had explained that to him yesterday.
He appeared in a rocky area,
scattered with loose stones.
Below lay a lush, untouched jungle.
This wasn't the tame, marked forest from training camp.
Weeds, vines, trees tens of meters tall,
Beedrill flying between branches,
Monkey, Mankey… everything was here.
Lin Yu immediately summoned Charmeleon and Ralts.
The ground suddenly shook beneath him.
He looked down.
The large "stone" he'd been standing on had moved.
It stared at him, furious.
Upon closer inspection — it wasn't a rock at all.
It was a Graveler,
fast asleep until Lin Yu had teleported right on top of it.
Its body curled into a round shape and began to glow.
Rollout: Curls up, strikes for 5 turns,
growing stronger with each hit.
Charmeleon and Ralts were right beside him,
but Graveler was under his feet.
Lin Yu instantly equipped Fairy Wings on himself.
And took flight.
Poor Graveler rolled around in circles,
completely missing him.
It squinted upward —
only to be met with a massive, flaming fist.
"Graa!"
In the end, Lin Yu only had Charmeleon scare it off.
After all, he'd been the one who woke it up first.
"C'mon, Charmeleon, Ralts!
Let's go find treasure!"
What do you do in a Secret Realm?
Find treasure, of course!
Especially Ho-Oh's Lost Feather —
it still made his heart race.
Imagine it:
Bone Spirit Cold Fire + Life Aura Flames.
Charizard unleashes a Dragon Breath…
one side golden,
one side eerie pale hellfire.
Just thinking about it made Lin Yu giddy.
"Charr!"
Charmeleon roared, equally eager.
It felt like it was just one trigger away —
one good battle —
and it would break through to a new level.
Elite stage!
Stronger than ever.
Besides, ever since entering the Secret Realm,
its energy had been boiling.
That was the advantage of a newly opened realm:
extremely dense energy.
Usually, bringing Pokémon to a fresh Secret Realm
was incredibly beneficial!
This breakthrough might just happen here.
"Waveguide lives within me!"
Lin Yu released his Aura Power,
energy rippling outward like a wave.
In an instant, the world around him appeared
in full 3D inside his mind.
Some distance away, near a tree stump,
one spot was bursting with concentrated energy.
About a dozen meters ahead.
Lin Yu changed direction and slashed his way toward it.
The short distance passed in a flash.
An old tree stump, covered in green moss,
with a small hole in the center
holding clear, glistening water.
His Sub‑Job Expert skill let Lin Yu recognize it instantly.
[Spring of the Forest]:
Restores PP rapidly when consumed.
Many PP recovery medicines were made from this exact treasure.
It wasn't that useful to him personally,
but it could sell for thousands.
Refined into medicine?
Ten times the price.
A great start!
Sure enough, Aura Power let him hunt treasure.
Most importantly, it mapped the entire area,
letting him avoid thorny paths.
Right now,
this whole Secret Realm felt like his personal playground.
Especially an untouched one like this —
treasures were everywhere,
if you had the eyes to see them.
And luckily, technology in this world was advanced.
Space backpacks had long been invented.
"Another Spring of the Forest! Score!"
"Water Essence? Nice!"
"Heart of Wood? No way!"
…
By midday, Lin Yu couldn't stop smiling.
The consumable treasures he'd collected
were already worth over a million.
A little processing,
and that would multiply several times over.
No wonder everyone craved Secret Realms.
No wonder professional Trainers lived for this.
Truth be told, only Lin Yu could treat a realm like his backyard.
Only he had Aura,
could scan the surroundings,
grab treasure,
and avoid wild Pokémon entirely.
No unnecessary fights.
"Let's rest, eat something!"
After tucking a Fairy Flower into his backpack,
Lin Yu had Charmeleon clear a wide spot.
Time for a meal.
[Food Supply Station — Gain buff: Flame Boost!]
With the buff active,
Lin Yu wasted no time pressing forward.
He explored nonstop…
until he reached a small stream.