Diantha and Steven didn't stay long. After chatting for a while, the two of them left.
Chen Shi didn't try to keep them.
The main issue was simple—there was no space.
With Cynthia staying over, Phoebe back again, and Florges occupying a room of her own, there truly weren't any spare rooms left in the house.
Just like that, three more days passed.
Chen Shi didn't go anywhere during those days. He stayed home, accompanying Jirachi whenever he could and occasionally taking it out for a stroll.
He also tried once more to trigger Bond Evolution with Dragapult.
Unfortunately, there was still no progress.
He even asked Mew if there was any way to speed up his control over that so-called "power of the heart."
Mew's answer?
It didn't know.
Humans who possessed that kind of power were extremely rare. It had only ever seen it once. There was nothing it could teach him.
However, Mew did offer one suggestion.
Use it more.
Not surface-level psychic power—but that hidden force beneath it.
Only by using that would he gradually gain control.
Chen Shi immediately turned around and walked away.
He dragged a lounge chair outside and went to sunbathe with Phoebe.
Use it more?
If he knew how to use that hidden power, would he be asking in the first place?
Useless advice.
Lying on the chair, Chen Shi let out a helpless sigh.
That so-called power of the heart was undeniably powerful.
The problem was—he didn't know how to access it.
It felt like knowing there was treasure behind a door, but the door was locked, and you didn't have the key.
All you could do was stare at the treasure.
"Still… when I met Rayquaza, it seemed like it knew something about this power."
"Maybe I should ask it next time?"
"Or… go to Sinnoh and look for those three mushrooms?"
He closed his eyes, pondering solutions.
At that moment, Phoebe suddenly spoke up.
"Chen Shi-ge, what exactly was the lead you mentioned before?"
"Is there anything I can help with?"
Chen Shi replied casually, "It's inside the Secret Realm in Sootopolis. I'll take you there."
He had already accepted reality.
There was no stopping these people.
Better to keep them close where he could keep an eye on them.
If something happened, at least he could respond.
"In the Secret Realm?" Phoebe blinked in surprise.
"That's convenient."
"Yeah. Very convenient."
Chen Shi's tone was flat.
"So you better behave when the time comes. This isn't a small matter."
"If you cause trouble, I'll beat you."
Phoebe pouted indignantly.
"You're underestimating me, Chen Shi-ge."
"After I went home, Grandpa and Grandma gave me tons of good stuff."
"I'm way stronger now!"
"My Dusknoir and Gengar are both mid–Quasi-Elite level now."
She shook her head smugly.
Chen Shi opened one eye, genuinely surprised.
"I knew about Dusknoir. It was already early Quasi-Elite."
"But Gengar? Wasn't it at Gym Peak?"
"What did you feed it? Growth hormone?"
"Heh. If we fight now, who wins isn't so obvious anymore."
Phoebe shot him a challenging look.
Back home, her grandparents had given her numerous rare resources to boost her strength.
Originally, they intended to focus heavily on Dusknoir due to its higher potential.
But Phoebe had other plans.
Chen Shi had given her a Key Stone and Gengarite.
So she decided to invest heavily in Gengar instead.
When she demonstrated Mega Evolution once, the two elders swallowed their objections and fully supported her.
Now she dared to challenge Chen Shi because she had already assessed the situation.
Among Chen Shi's Pokémon, only Dragapult had reached mid–Quasi-Elite.
The others hadn't improved significantly since the World Championships.
She wasn't without a chance.
Just imagining defeating Chen Shi made her excited.
She had already started planning how she'd bully him afterward.
Seeing her baring her teeth like this, Chen Shi raised a brow, amused.
The girl had inflated.
Now she dared to challenge him openly.
In this world, strength truly was the greatest confidence.
Still… the two elders of Mt. Pyre were terrifying.
To boost Phoebe this much in just a few days?
That foundation ran deep.
"Alright then, Chen Shi-ge, let's battle," Phoebe urged eagerly.
"No."
He rejected her instantly.
He had zero interest in battling her.
Wasn't sunbathing far more enjoyable?
Phoebe froze.
She hadn't expected him to refuse so cleanly.
"Come on! Just one match. I want to see my true strength."
"Go find your Cynthia-jie. She'd love to battle you. She's training in the backyard right now."
Phoebe stiffened.
Then stomped her foot in frustration and flopped back onto the chair.
She finally understood.
Chen Shi wasn't going to fight her.
No matter what she said.
She didn't truly want to test her strength.
She just wanted to defeat him once.
Otherwise, she might never get the chance.
But since he refused entirely, she had no leverage.
Chen Shi curled his lips and closed his eyes again.
It wasn't that he couldn't win.
He simply didn't want to.
He had never been battle-obsessed.
In his mind, taking a nap was far superior.
At least it was comfortable.
He truly couldn't understand battle maniacs.
Just as he was about to drift off—
a yellow figure suddenly flew toward him.
"Shi! I'm back!"
Chen Shi caught Jirachi with both hands and smiled.
"Weren't you playing with Togekiss? Why're you back?"
"Togekiss said she's going to train and told me to find Shi!"
Jirachi blinked innocently.
Chen Shi's expression turned subtle.
He had already told everyone—these few days were for accompanying Jirachi.
Training could be postponed.
If Charizard or Metagross claimed they were going to train instead of playing, he would believe it.
But Togekiss?
He knew her personality too well.
If there was a chance to slack off, she'd seize it without hesitation.
Train voluntarily?
That was the real miracle.
Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon -> patreon.com/lucarioTL