Having grasped the reality of their situation, Owen and Eevee began to survey their surroundings.
Beneath their feet was thick, succulent grass reaching up to their shins. Within their line of sight, they could see a few tall trees scattered about, while further in the distance, the forest appeared to grow much denser.
"I have a feeling nowhere is truly safe here. It seems like..."
Owen swallowed hard. In the next second...
Rustle, rustle...Rustle, rustle...
Suddenly, the sound of movement in the tall grass reached their ears. Eevee glanced at Owen. Talk about a jinx.
Owen's face darkened. Whatever he feared most seemed to happen. Could they really be this unlucky? Only a few minutes had passed, and they were already being targeted by a Pokémon? How were they supposed to stay put and wait for rescue now?
Owen and Eevee held their breath, trying to remain as still as possible to confuse the predator's judgment, but they had underestimated the creature's sense of smell.
"A Rattata..."
Before long, a mouse-like Pokémon with a light purple body scurried out. Aside from its color, its most defining features were its two large incisors.
"Scared the life out of me. Eevee, take it down!"
"Vee!" Eevee shifted into a battle stance.
"Hiss!!"
The Rattata's triangular eyes had red irises shot through with bloodvessels. Cream-colored whiskers twitched as it bared its teeth, staring at Eevee with a malevolent glare.
"It's just a Rattata... small fry. Don't be afraid, Eevee. It's time to put your special training into practice. Uh—"
Before Owen could finish his pep talk, the Rattata lunged. Its limbs exploded with power, closing the distance in a blink using Quick Attack.
A straight line? Who are you looking down on?
"Use Sand Attack!" Owen commanded quickly.
Such a predictable, straight-line Quick Attack was something even Eevee didn't use anymore—it was too easy to read. Eevee swung her front paws with force, and a swirling cloud of dust instantly obscured the Rattata's vision.
"Keep moving!"
Owen tried his best to remain calm. This was his first time commanding a real battle; as a rookie, it would be a lie to say he wasn't nervous. Fortunately, Eevee was incredibly reliable and understood Owen's intent perfectly.
Compared to the Rattata's, Eevee's Quick Attack was faster and far more agile. Circling the dust cloud, Eevee became a blur of motion, her eyes—and Owen's—locked onto the center...
"Now!"
As the Rattata burst out of the dust, Eevee used her momentum to slam into it head-on. With a dull thud, the Rattata was sent tumbling backward, rolling across the ground for a considerable distance before losing consciousness.
Victory.
Eevee wore a look of pure pride. But before she could enjoy it, both her and Owen's expressions shifted again. The commotion was too loud—more Pokémon were coming, and not just one or two.
"Run!"
A single Rattata isn't a threat because of its strength, but because of its tenacious vitality and terrifying reproduction rate.
In terms of hazard level, they often surpass much stronger Pokémon. Just like on Earth, rats are pests, and the Trainer Association's control over wild Rattata has never wavered.
"There's likely a whole swarm of them nearby."
Realizing this, Owen and Eevee quickly escaped the tall grass and ran toward an open clearing near a large tree. However, when a Spearow took flight from the branches above, Owen's face turned even darker, and he quickly changed direction.
Spearow are the perennial villains of the Pokémon world; they weren't about to provoke them. Owen remembered how Ash accidentally hit one with a rock and ended up being chased by hundreds. Little Eevee wasn't a Pikachu—she couldn't take on a hundred at once.
It wasn't that they didn't want to find a safe place to hide, but they realized the area was crawling with Pokémon. Thanks to "Extra-Dimensional Syndrome," these creatures attacked on sight like they were crazed.
Luckily, the Pokémon weren't particularly strong. Owen felt a surge of relief—the disaster level of this Secret Realm definitely wasn't high.
After dealing with a Sandshrew, they changed course again because a Diglett had locked onto Eevee. Owen finally understood what it meant to have "enemies on all sides."
While the individual battles weren't intense, if they were surrounded by a large pack, they would be finished.
They had to find a spot with fewer Pokémon. Owen was now incredibly grateful for training Eevee's Anticipation ability; her alertness had already saved them from several ambushes.
He was also proud of himself—his daily workouts were paying off. At least he wasn't running out of breath while being chased.
"100 push-ups! 100 sit-ups! 100 squats! And a 10km run! Every day!" he thought jokingly.
After running for what felt like forever, they finally found a tree where no Pokémon seemed to be active. When they looked up, their expressions turned to shock. Was this a Berry tree?
"Is that a Pokéberry?"
Looking closer, Owen saw several green fruits hanging from the branches.
"They look unripe... what a shame." "Wait... that shape... why does it look so familiar?"
Owen racked his brain. A moment later, he shouted with joy.
A Salac Berry!
It was one of the top-tier Berries in existence—known as a legendary treasure! Ancient legends said that the Salac Berry hid the power of the sky within it, capable of boosting a Pokémon's Speed in a pinch.
These trees were incredibly rare; only a handful had been discovered in Secret Realms worldwide, and every single one was protected as a national treasure.
Staring at the swaying fruit, Owen's eyes virtually glowed green.
"Eevee, go pick them. We aren't unlucky... we just hit the jackpot!"
The Salac Berry must have tasted good. Owen didn't eat any, but he watched Eevee devour them with relish.
There were four Salac Berries on the tree. If auctioned off, their value would be astronomical. But Owen had no intention of doing that.
If he brought them out, the ownership rights wouldn't remain with him anyway. Better to...
"Delicious?"
Owen asked, feeling a slight phantom pain in his wallet as he watched Eevee finish all four, leaving nothing but the pits. At least they didn't go to waste.
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