"Ahh… I'm so full!"
After eating, Phoebe finally relaxed, lying flat on the ground in a starfish shape.
Chen Shi shot her an annoyed look. "Now can you tell me what exactly happened to you?"
"How did you end up like this?"
He genuinely couldn't understand it.
Wild Pokémon weren't exactly known for being reasonable.
If they decided to attack you, they would go all out—no hesitation, no mercy.
So why would they only rob her without seriously hurting her?
It just didn't make sense.
At the mention of it, Phoebe's temper flared instantly. She angrily pointed toward the forest.
"Chen Shi gege, you don't understand! When I was first teleported in, my luck was actually pretty good—I even found some decent stuff."
"But after I entered that forest, everything changed!"
"I don't know what was wrong with the Pokémon there. At first, they were scared when they saw me—but then suddenly they started attacking me!"
"They kept beating me up—but not too hard—just… beating me! And they even called other Pokémon over to join in!"
"And after they were done, they robbed me! They didn't even spare my Poké Balls!"
"In the end, I had no choice but to smash the Poké Balls myself. Only after they saw I had nothing left did they let me go!"
The more Chen Shi listened, the more something felt off.
And the more he listened…
…the more guilty he felt.
There was only one forest in this secret realm.
And that just happened to be the forest he had… robbed.
So Phoebe getting robbed—
was partially his fault?!
The reason those Pokémon were scared when they first saw her… could it be because they thought she was strong?
And then when they realized she wasn't…
they vented all their pent-up frustration from being robbed—onto her?
At that thought, Chen Shi nearly curled his toes hard enough to dig out a three-bedroom apartment on the spot.
He was beyond embarrassed.
How did something he did come back to bite Phoebe like this?
Looking at her miserable state, his guilt only grew stronger.
"…Phoebe, what are you planning to do next?"
Phoebe suddenly sat up, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked at him pitifully.
"Chen Shi gege… what do you mean by that?"
"…Are you abandoning me?"
Chen Shi's mouth twitched.
He had just asked casually, trying to find something to say to cover up his guilt.
But her reaction—
made it sound like he'd done something terrible.
"Alright, alright. Just stick with me from now on."
Only then did Phoebe relax, muttering softly, "If I don't follow you… where else can I even go?"
"I don't even have Poké Balls anymore… Xiao Ling and the others don't even have a home now…"
Chen Shi rubbed his forehead and took out six standard Poké Balls from his bag, tossing them to her.
"Here. Honestly, I don't know what to say about you."
Phoebe beamed. "Thank you, Chen Shi gege!"
She immediately recalled Dusknoir, Gengar, and the others into the Poké Balls one by one.
"By the way, have you run into anyone else since you came in?" Chen Shi asked.
"Nope, not a single person," Phoebe replied casually, releasing Dusknoir again and letting it slip back into her shadow.
Chen Shi nodded slightly, not surprised.
He himself had only encountered two people after wandering around for so long—and both had been in pretty miserable states.
Given Phoebe's situation… it wasn't strange she hadn't met anyone.
"Alright, since you're full, let's move."
Chen Shi brushed off the dust on his clothes, picked up Jirachi, and stood up. Then he gestured toward Metagross.
Metagross immediately understood, using its psychic power to lift Chen Shi onto its back before preparing to leave.
Phoebe froze.
"Wait! What about me?!"
Chen Shi glanced at her. "Doesn't your Dusknoir, Gengar, and Aegislash all fly?"
"Just have them carry you."
With that, he left without even turning back.
Want to hitch a ride on his Metagross?
Not happening.
Phoebe stomped her foot angrily, nearly cursing out loud.
But remembering her current situation—and that she still needed Chen Shi—she could only swallow her frustration.
With no other choice, she had Dusknoir carry her and hurried after him.
"Wait for me, Chen Shi gege!"
…
After Chen Shi left, Caitlin rested for a while before leaving the seaside as well.
Using her psychic powers, she lifted herself into the air, gazing at the barren land with a hint of confusion.
Earlier, she had been searching for land while stranded at sea.
Now that she had found it…
she didn't know what to do next.
Search for resources?
She didn't really lack any.
Train and challenge powerful Pokémon?
She had no interest in that either.
She hadn't even wanted to come to this stupid secret realm in the first place.
It was only because her butler had repeatedly insisted—saying that participating in this trial would greatly benefit her in the future, and that she might even find a way to suppress her psychic powers within the League.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have come at all.
"…Forget it. I'll just wander around."
Caitlin picked a random direction and set off aimlessly.
But just then—
three people blocked her path.
"Well, well… look what we have here—a genius little beauty~"
The burly man in the lead laughed loudly.
"Lord Tide, I heard the League invited a lot of talented youngsters this time. Most of them come from powerful backgrounds—they must be carrying plenty of good stuff. So how about…"
One of the men behind him, dressed in a Team Aqua uniform, spoke excitedly.
Another chimed in, "Yeah, Lord Tide! And not just that—I heard their Pokémon all have incredible potential. If we take them and use a few methods to tame them…"
"…Lord Tide might even go a step further."
Hearing his subordinates, Tide couldn't deny he was tempted.
But before he could respond, Caitlin spoke coldly:
"Who are you people? Why are you here?"
The three of them were clearly not part of the younger generation invited by the League.
She didn't know how they had entered this secret realm—but that was exactly why she hadn't attacked immediately.
She wanted answers first.
Tide grinned viciously.
"Who are we?"
"We're the kind of people you high-and-mighty, well-connected 'geniuses' look down on!"
Caitlin frowned slightly.
"…Are you insane?"
"Move aside. Or don't blame me for what happens next."
She didn't understand a word he was saying—and since he refused to explain, she had no interest in wasting more time.
It had nothing to do with her anyway.
But upon hearing her words, the three men burst into laughter.
"Did you hear that, Lord Tide? She says she won't go easy on us!"
"Heh… I wonder how exactly she plans to do that…"
Tide waved his hand, took out a Poké Ball, and looked at Caitlin with a cruel smile.
"Alright, little girl."
"Let me see just how 'not easy' you're going to be."
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