In the capital, where every inch of land is worth its weight in gold,
Lin Yu now lived in a spacious mansion of hundreds of square meters.
He only needed one bed to sleep on, but this luxurious treatment still left him reeling a little.
Rich girl… heh, heh…
Totally worth it.
Lying on the bed, staring at the pure-white ceiling, Lin Yu sighed to himself.
"Luxury and wealth really do rot the soul!"
No wonder so many people, once they earned their first fortune with Pokémon, chose to settle down peacefully.
Compared to the dangers of the Secret Realms,
staying safe and comfortable was far more enjoyable.
But Lin Yu was different!
He was the man who vowed to take Charizard all the way to the World Pokémon Championships!
Knock, knock.
A soft knock came at the door.
Ye Qingxue walked in.
"Ta-da!"
The girl had just bathed, wearing soft white cotton pajamas. She climbed right onto the bed.
"What are you doing here so late?"
Helpless, Lin Yu sat up and faced her.
Her flowing hair, still damp from washing, was silky smooth and carried a fresh, clean scent.
It smelled wonderful.
"Big brother, I want to hear more about your travels. They sound so fun!"
Ye Qingxue giggled, tucked her snow-white feet under the covers, and nudged his toes. He grabbed her foot and tickled the sole until she behaved.
Her upbringing had been nothing like Lin Yu's.
Every step of her Pokémon journey and Secret Realm exploration had been carefully planned by her family.
Even when she ventured into Secret Realms, they were only the ones near the capital —
ones where the Ye family had already spoken to the wild Pokémon in advance,
so they would never harm her.
And she always had Gengar by her side.
Danger was practically non-existent.
Even catching Pokémon had been arranged: the family would negotiate with the realm's dominant Pokémon,
and when Ye Qingxue arrived, she could simply take in their offspring.
That was why Ye Qingxue was endlessly curious about Lin Yu's adventures.
"Which part do you want to hear about?"
"I heard you caught Latias! Tell me about that, tell me about that!"
"It was pretty interesting. Come on out, Latias."
Lin Yu called forth the Eon Pokémon.
"Wow, so beautiful~"
Staring at Latias's sleek, streamlined body, Ye Qingxue gasped in amazement.
As the most talented Dragon-Tamer of her generation in the Ye family, she had seen and could choose from countless Pokémon.
But she had never laid eyes on a Mythical Pokémon like Latias.
"Lin Yu?"
A light, clear voice came from Latias, who looked confused as Ye Qingxue hugged her excitedly.
"She can talk too! Her scales feel just like Dragonair's — this is amazing~"
"It's a funny story, actually. Latias is the guardian of the Eon Islands. When I first met her…"
Lin Yu recalled how Latias had been watching him by the riverbank back then.
He just hadn't realized she liked taking human form.
"Mmm~"
Latias blushed a little at the mention.
It was indeed an embarrassing memory for her.
"I heard you can turn into a human too! Is that true?"
Their conversation lasted until ten o'clock, with Lin Yu doing most of the talking.
He told her everything, from when Froakie first joined him to how Larvitar came along on his journey.
By then, Lin Yu told her it was time to go back.
"Can't we just sleep together? We used to when we were little!" the girl whined.
Lin Yu pushed her out without hesitation.
Childhood was one thing. This was another.
They weren't even adults yet.
Well, they hadn't been back then either…
Early the next morning.
Early June.
Even the qualifier stage of the National High School Trainer Tournament had a grand opening ceremony.
Dragonite, Metagross, Garchomp, Gyarados…
Many powerful Pokémon with intimidating auras soared through the sky,
deterring anyone who might try to cause trouble.
At the same time,
thousands of Rotom-infused phones flew out from the Pokémon League Center of China,
spreading to every corner of the capital.
Every qualifier participant had to wear a Poké Ball sticker on their clothes during the event
to prove they were registered contestants.
When they wanted to battle, they could use the "National Tournament" app on their phones to find the nearest Rotom referee,
with matches streamed live on the popular short-video platform Duyin.
During battles, Metagross would calculate battle performance
and assign ranking points.
As for battle venues…
Anywhere in the capital could be a battlefield!
This added restrictions for Trainers and their Pokémon.
If battling in a public square,
Trainers had to make sure
not to damage public property.
Otherwise…
even winning would result in point deductions.
This was a huge test of a Pokémon's energy control.
It also banned moves like Earthquake that would drastically alter the terrain.
"Ready, Larvitar? Lucario!"
Lin Yu fully intended to use the qualifiers to train the two of them!
Larvitar had now reached Level 27.
It needed to keep gathering energy so it could evolve into Pupitar and break free of its shell,
becoming a true desert tyrant!
Lucario was Level 32.
After refreshing the Entry Shop over these days, Lucario's Evolution Key Stone had appeared.
Lin Yu couldn't wait to test Mega Evolution combined with World King Fist!
The leap in power was beyond his wildest imagination.
He even felt it could go toe-to-toe with Mega Charizard.
"Larvi!" (I'm totally ready!)
The future desert tyrant thumped its chest, looking arrogant and unyielding.
Lucario, by contrast, was calm and composed.
"Lucario!"
"Let's go!"
Stepping out of the room,
Lin Yu could already feel the commotion.
A pair of Trainers were battling in the nearby park.
Lin Yu squeezed in for a look.
One was an Ice-type Glalie, the other an Electric-type Ampharos —
Level 32 and Level 36 respectively, close enough in strength for an exciting match.
The two were locked in an energy clash.
Brilliant electricity collided with Ice Beam.
"Dazzling Gleam!"
Bright light burst from Ampharos, catching Glalie off guard and leaving it temporarily blinded.
"Fire Punch!"
Against an Ice-type Glalie, Fire-type moves were naturally super effective.
Raging flames blazed around Ampharos's fist.
It struck the blinded Glalie hard,
accompanied by crackling arcs of electricity —
the mark of Ampharos's Ability: Static.
Static: Contact with the Pokémon may paralyze the foe.
"Who's next?!"
Ampharos's Trainer shouted arrogantly.
"I will! I will!"
Lin Yu raised his hand from the crowd of onlookers!
But when the young Trainer with Ampharos saw Lin Yu, his face paled as if he'd seen something terrifying.
A champion like you crashing our little qualifier bouts? What's the point?!