The clock rewinds to six hours before the Fairview Disaster Warning Center issued the alert.
Owen and Eevee were near the dense woods, practicing the move Sand Attack.
"Vee!"
With a serious expression, Eevee stared at the ground. Concentrating hard, she swiped her short, thin leg forward. In the next instant, a gust of dust swirled up, carrying a massive amount of grit and sand that lunged violently toward the space in front of her.
THUD...
A large rock Owen had moved there was hit dead-on. It wobbled slightly, its surface instantly buried under a thick layer of sand.
"Excellent."
Owen wiped his brow. He hadn't expected Eevee's efficiency in practicing Sand Attack to be even higher than her progress with Quick Attack.
After half a month, while her Quick Attack was proficient, her Sand Attack was mastered to the point of pinpoint accuracy. Furthermore, the visual effect was much stronger than back at the beach.
Initially, she could only push a small pile of fine sand; now, it looked more like a miniature sandstorm—a testament to her growing control over Ground-type energy.
"Maybe building all those sandcastles gave her a natural talent for this..." Owen smiled.
Through three weeks of special training, Eevee's basic attributes had improved daily. Along with their hidden trump card—the Anticipation ability—her strength had undergone a complete transformation.
Her temperament had shifted as well; if someone were told she was only a month old, no one would believe it.
"Eevee, next up: Quick Attack drill. Standard rules: 800-meter course, return within 90 seconds, no more than five errors."
Because it was an obstacle course, the actual distance covered was well over 800 meters, but it was no longer a daunting challenge for her.
"Vee!!"
Just as Eevee got into position and Owen reached for his watch, a strange sensation washed over him. Simultaneously, Eevee's body tensed, and she looked around warily.
"You feel it too, don't you?" Owen whispered.
"Vee," Eevee nodded.
They both felt a sudden, inexplicable pressure. Eevee shifted, the cream-colored tuft of fur around her neck fluttering as her fluffy tail tapped the ground. Her long ears twitched as she looked toward the sky with a worried gaze.
Compared to Owen's general feeling of oppression, the instinctual alarm from her Anticipation ability made Eevee far more sensitive.
"Let's get out of here."
Owen decided to terminate the session immediately. As he tugged at his jacket, Eevee leaped onto his shoulder.
But before he could take more than a few steps, the change occurred. An invisible tide of energy swept through, and the very spatial structure of the area seemed to be rewritten, tearing open countless interdimensional rifts...
Without warning, they were pulled inside.
"Oh, come on!""VEEEEE!" That was the last thought Owen and Eevee shared before the world vanished.
A Strange New World
Owen opened his eyes, his heart hammering against his ribs. He was utterly dazed. Eevee was clinging tightly to his neck, terrified by the eerie transition.
Purples, blues, and teals swirled around them, shifting in intensity, while white cracks flickered across the void, nearly blinding them.
Fortunately, the visual bombardment didn't last long before a flash of pure white light enveloped their vision.
When they opened their eyes again, they began to question reality.
"Did I... transmigrate again?" "Vee?"
They were in a jungle. Owen looked around, and a look of bitterness slowly spread across his face as he realized what had happened.
A Secret Realm. They had accidentally entered a Secret Realm!
Since these realms began merging with Earth nearly a century ago, their appearances have never ceased.
Each new entry inevitably brought hazards to local ecosystems and towns. This was exactly why the Trainer Association maintained branches in every region—to react the moment a rift opened.
"Secret Realms are categorized by size: Ultra-Large, Large, Medium, Small, and Ultra-Miniature..." Owen recalled his textbooks.
"Generally, the smaller the realm, the faster it merges, and the more unstable temporal rifts there are around it.
Since we fell in so easily, this is likely an Ultra-Miniature realm. The danger shouldn't be too high... hopefully."
He pulled out his phone. As expected, it was dead. Even his stopwatch had failed. Just as he'd been taught, electronic devices were useless due to the magnetic interference that lasts until the realm fully stabilizes with Earth's space.
"Eevee, let's just stay put. We'll wait for rescue," Owen said cautiously.
Every Trainer Association branch has devices to detect spatial fluctuations. Larger realms are easier to spot—some Large or Medium ones can be detected months or even years in advance.
However, Ultra-Miniature realms often aren't detected until roughly six hours after they appear.
This was the danger. According to Association guidelines, civilians who stumble into a realm should find a safe spot and wait for Professional Trainers.
Owen was a Trainer, but he wasn't about to go looking for trouble. Pokémon within a newly appearing realm are rarely friendly.
Due to the spatial transition, most resident Pokémon become highly aggressive and destructive—a condition academics call "Extra-Dimensional Syndrome," though students just call it "Extreme Homesickness." Without human intervention, it takes a long time for them to calm down.
"Stay calm. We have to stay calm." Owen looked at Eevee. "My dear, we are really out of luck today."
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