After that, Professor Oak turned his gaze toward Alakazam.
Alakazam immediately understood. Its eyes glinted faintly as it bent the spoon in its hand—and in the next instant, the two humans and the fox-like Pokémon vanished from the spot.
Chen Shi only felt his vision blur.
When the world came back into focus, he found himself standing inside an enormous, brightly lit chamber.
Almost immediately, his attention was drawn to an object in the corner.
It was a massive bird's nest, crudely stacked together from tree branches. Each branch was strangely clean and polished, yet the entire structure looked loose and unstable, as if it might collapse at any moment.
Chen Shi instinctively activated his system scan.
[Nest once inhabited by Ho-Oh]
Contains a trace of Sacred Fire origin. Capable of healing the vast majority of injuries. Fire-type Pokémon may gain insight into the mysteries of Sacred Fire.
"Gulp…"
This time, Chen Shi was genuinely tempted. He swallowed hard.
That unassuming bird's nest…
was actually a nest once inhabited by Ho-Oh, and it even contained a remnant of Sacred Fire.
Just from this single item alone, he could already tell how absurd the value of Vault No. 1 was.
Could it be that everything stored here came from Tier-One Legendary Pokémon?
As that thought crossed his mind, Chen Shi subconsciously turned his head.
On a stone pedestal nearby lay a silver feather, faintly radiating a soft glow.
He didn't even need to scan it.
—Lugia's Silver Wing.
"Good lord… this isn't a treasure vault, this is paradise," Chen Shi muttered in awe.
After seeing just two items, he couldn't help but sigh in amazement.
Professor Oak shot him a sideways glance and snorted.
"Don't even think about those. You can't take them."
Those words hit Chen Shi like a thunderbolt.
He stiffly turned his head, his voice shooting up an octave.
"I can't pick any of these?!"
"Mm. You can't," Professor Oak nodded calmly, then explained,
"These items were entrusted to the League by their original owners."
"If the League ever faces a crisis, these items can be used to summon their owners for assistance."
"So they're not ordinary resources—they're opportunities."
"Opportunities to request the aid of Legendary Pokémon."
"Which is why they'll never be given to you. Give up already. The items you can choose are over there."
As he spoke, Professor Oak pointed toward several other stone pedestals below.
Hearing this, Chen Shi clutched his chest, his expression pained.
His heart ached so badly he could barely breathe.
Damn it…
If you're not letting me take them, why show them to me at all?!
This was straight-up temptation—borderline criminal.
My Silver Wing… my Ho-Oh nest…
Seeing his miserable expression, Professor Oak urged impatiently,
"Enough already. Look at yourself—have some dignity."
"Are you choosing or not? If not, we're leaving."
"I'm choosing, I'm choosing!" Chen Shi panicked immediately.
He knew full well that something as significant as the Silver Wing was never going to end up in his hands anyway. His only option was to focus on the items he was allowed to take.
So he turned his attention to the other pedestals.
To be fair, the remaining items were still exceptional.
There were ordinary feathers from Ho-Oh and Lugia—valuable, yes, but nowhere near the Silver Wing or Ho-Oh's nest.
He also spotted a greenish scale. After scanning it, he learned it was a scale shed by Rayquaza, though only a common one.
These items were all superior to anything in Vault No. 2, but still fell short of the truly irreplaceable treasures.
Just as Chen Shi was hesitating over what to choose, his gaze suddenly landed on a diamond-shaped, transparent crystal.
Unfamiliar with it, he immediately scanned it.
[Low-tier Complete Secret Realm Core]
With sufficient energy input, it can be transformed into a small secret realm.
Chen Shi's eyes lit up instantly.
A complete Secret Realm Core—and one that could be restored into an actual secret realm?!
If he brought this back…
Wouldn't that mean he could create a small world right inside his family farm?
He could transplant berry trees, special plants—turn it into a true paradise hidden away from the world.
His grandparents would definitely be overjoyed.
"I want that one," Chen Shi said without hesitation, pointing straight at the core.
Professor Oak looked at the item he indicated, visibly surprised.
"Are you sure? You don't want to think it over a bit more?"
"No, Professor. That's the one I want," Chen Shi replied firmly, without the slightest wavering.
This item determined the future development of the farm. There was no way he would give it up.
As for legendary resources—aside from the Silver Wing or Ho-Oh's nest, there wasn't much he urgently needed right now.
At present, the Secret Realm Core was far more valuable to him.
After all, this was something that could be passed down through generations, unlike most consumable legendary resources.
Who wouldn't want a world of their own?
Seeing how resolute he was, Professor Oak didn't say anything more. He walked over, picked up the core, and handed it to Chen Shi.
"Since you've chosen this, you should already know how to use it, so I won't explain too much."
"But when you start injecting energy, be very careful."
"Whatever attribute you inject first will become the dominant energy within the secret realm."
"So choose wisely."
Chen Shi nodded in realization.
So that was how it worked.
Good thing Professor Oak reminded him—otherwise, he might've casually injected energy later and locked in an attribute by accident.
"Alright. Since everything's settled, it's time to head back," Professor Oak said.
"Alakazam, thank you."
"Zam~"
Alakazam nodded lightly, bent its spoon once more, and the two of them returned to the original location.
"Let's go. We'll head out first."
Professor Oak waved goodbye to Alakazam and started walking back the way they came.
Chen Shi followed without hesitation.
When they passed by Vault No. 3, they found it already empty—Cynthia and the others had clearly finished and left.
The two didn't stop and went straight back up to League Headquarters, where they soon rejoined Steven and the others by the private jet.
"Well? Old Chen, looks like you made a killing," Steven said with a grin as soon as he saw him.
After all, as the World Tournament Champion—and the contributor behind Mega Evolution—Chen Shi had gone into a much higher-level vault.
There was no way his gains were small.
"Not bad," Chen Shi replied after briefly counting the five items he'd taken.
"I'm pretty satisfied."
Just as they were about to keep chatting, Professor Oak cut in.
"Alright, you youngsters can talk all you want later."
"For now, let's get on the plane first. We'll talk once we're back in Silver Town."
...
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