"Human… Take this feather with you."
Hearing Ninetales' voice, Guo Yi froze in astonishment.
Let him take the [Rainbow Wing]?
Wasn't that equivalent to giving up on her own child's life?
Then wouldn't all of Ninetales' thousand-year struggle be meaningless?
Seeing the confusion in Guo Yi's eyes, a bitter smile appeared on Ninetales' face.
"A thousand years have passed. I don't know how much longer I can accompany her."
"Perhaps… this is fate."
A millennium had passed.
Even Ninetales herself was unsure how much longer she could live.
Maybe it really was time to give up.
But despite her words—
Ninetales' eyes were still full of reluctance and sorrow.
After devoting her entire life, she had still failed to give her child even one chance to glimpse the beauty of the outside world.
"Bzzzt!"
Feeling Ninetales' emotions, Beedrill gently tapped Guo Yi's arm with its stinger.
[Trainer, is there really no way at all?]
In Beedrill's eyes, his trainer was someone who could achieve the impossible.
Just a simple promise from Guo Yi had allowed Beedrill's strength to skyrocket.
Even when facing a formidable opponent like Zapdos, Guo Yi had devised an unprecedented strategy, enabling Beedrill to achieve victory against all odds.
To Beedrill, as long as his trainer wished it, there was nothing he couldn't accomplish.
Feeling Beedrill's heartfelt plea—
Guo Yi fell silent as well.
In truth, it wasn't entirely hopeless.
Currently, he had two methods in mind.
The first was internal healing.
If Vulpix's body was weak, he could strengthen her directly.
The method itself sounded simple:
He could immediately accept another disciple, draw a Pokémon Template from the Vulpix line, and equip it onto the egg.
However, the difficulty was twofold—
Firstly, where would he find another disciple who met the system's stringent requirements right now?
Secondly, the template draw was completely random.
With nearly eight or nine hundred Pokémon species existing, the probability of drawing specifically Vulpix or Ninetales was around one in five hundred—practically negligible.
Moreover—
If this were a permanent Secret Realm, that might've been manageable. Guo Yi could wait patiently for the right template to appear, even abandoning the chance to mentor someone as gifted as Blue.
But this was a limited-time Secret Realm.
Once it vanished, whether Guo Yi could ever meet this Ninetales again was uncertain.
And as for moving the egg—
Looking at the egg's current fragile state, moving it was impossible.
Otherwise, Ninetales wouldn't have stayed motionless within this volcano for an entire millennium.
The other method was external healing.
Simply put—
He could use medicine to restore the egg externally.
When thinking of medicines powerful enough to heal Vulpix's current condition, only one item came to Guo Yi's mind:
[Sacred Ash].
[Sacred Ash: Completely revives fainted Pokémon and enhances their potential.]
[Materials required: Rainbow Wing]
[Mentor Points required: 50,000]
[Sacred Ash].
A medicine infused with Ho-Oh's divine power.
Much like specialized Pokéblocks for certain Pokémon, Guo Yi needed to provide materials for some medicinal creations.
Then, the system charged a processing fee.
But this processing fee was absolutely staggering!
A whole fifty thousand [Mentor Points]—where was Guo Yi supposed to find such an amount on short notice?
"Ah, damn!"
"If only I had enough Pokémon items right now."
"Then, perhaps there'd still be hope."
Guo Yi irritably punched his thigh, feeling a deep sense of frustration.
Indeed, money was something one only regretted not having enough of when truly needed!
Though he wasn't absolutely certain [Sacred Ash] could fully heal the egg, he knew at least its efficacy would far surpass simply igniting the [Rainbow Wing]'s life-giving flame.
After all—
One was just raw material; the other was refined medicine crafted through a powerful process.
The difference in their effects was obvious.
...
Listening to Guo Yi's muttered complaints, hope suddenly reignited in Ninetales' eyes.
"These Pokémon items you mentioned—what exactly are they?"
"I've gathered quite a few things over the years. Let me bring them for you."
Since Ninetales had no idea what exactly constituted a "Pokémon item" in Guo Yi's words, she simply brought out everything she'd collected over the past millennium.
When Guo Yi saw the small mountain of items piled before him, he stared at Ninetales in astonishment.
Good heavens!
This Ninetales is secretly a rich lady!
Guo Yi inwardly sighed in amazement and began inspecting the value of each item.
Given the Secret Realm's volcanic environment—
Most items Ninetales provided were related to Fire-type Pokémon.
[Charcoal], [Fire Stones], and even [Flame Orbs]—all present.
And their quality was rather high!
"Champion-Grade [Charcoal], Champion-Grade [Flame Orb], and even an Elite Four-Grade [Fire Stone]."
"These three are probably the most valuable among all these."
"Wait—this one is…!"
"A [Mega Stone]!"
As Guo Yi sorted through the items, a striking stone marked with black-and-red patterns immediately captured his attention.
[Blazikenite]
[Allows Blaziken to Mega Evolve when the trainer and Pokémon share a strong bond, using a Key Stone and Blazikenite.]
"As expected of a millennium's worth of treasures—even a [Mega Stone] showed up."
"It's a pity it's not [Beedrillite], and I don't even have a [Key Stone] yet."
Guo Yi shook his head slightly, feeling somewhat regretful.
Had this been Beedrill's [Mega Stone], once he found a [Key Stone], Beedrill's strength would see another dramatic rise.
That would make his strategic arsenal even richer—
Whether [Mega Evolution] or [Z-Moves], each would offer excellent tactical choices against powerful foes.
Nonetheless—
Though Guo Yi felt a pang of disappointment, this was still an incredible harvest.
Given the volcanic environment, it made sense to obtain a [Mega Stone] for a Fire-type Pokémon.
Finding [Beedrillite] here would've been inexplicable.
After organizing all these items—
Guo Yi roughly estimated their value.
If he exchanged them all via the system's marketplace, he would likely gain around 150,000 [Mentor Points].
Truly, a thousand years of collecting couldn't be underestimated!
If someday I face an enemy I absolutely can't defeat, perhaps I should just raid the treasury of some large organization.
Then, I'd easily have enough [Mentor Points] to summon Mewtwo again.
A somewhat wicked thought crossed Guo Yi's mind.
Ninetales alone, a single Pokémon, had amassed such immense wealth in a millennium.
Then those millennia-old organizations like Dragon Nation's ancient sects—how terrifying would their resources be?
Forget just once—
He could probably summon Mewtwo three or four times over!
Of course—
If Guo Yi actually did something like that, he'd better have an escape route ready.
After all—
No organization or country would ever tolerate such a dangerously unpredictable person existing in their territory.
...
After exchanging part of the Pokémon items for 50,000 [Mentor Points], Guo Yi took the [Rainbow Wing] and began crafting the [Sacred Ash].
According to the system's prompt, he was supposed to take the [Rainbow Wing] to a designated location within half an hour.
However, from his estimation—
If the opportunity required a [Rainbow Wing], it was likely related to saving a Pokémon's life. Anything the [Rainbow Wing] could do, the [Sacred Ash] could do just as well—probably better.
If the event absolutely required the original [Rainbow Wing], then Guo Yi was ready to accept the loss.
He would never prioritize his own benefit over the lives of Ninetales and her child.
As for the disciple with the Blue template—
Perhaps they simply weren't fated to meet.
...
Under the system's power, the [Rainbow Wing] in Guo Yi's hand suddenly ignited in mid-air.
This startling change shocked Ninetales.
Though she hadn't fully understood the [Rainbow Wing]'s true powers, there was one thing she was absolutely certain of—
Its incredible resistance to heat. Even when she unleashed her strongest flames upon it, it had remained completely unharmed.
Yet now, this human had made it ignite effortlessly with just his palm.
This made Ninetales deeply suspicious of Guo Yi's true identity.
Could this human be a legendary Pokémon in human form?!
She quickly shook her head, pushing the absurd thought aside.
Right now, it didn't matter whether Guo Yi was human or not—
What mattered was whether her child could truly be saved.
As the burning [Rainbow Wing] reached its final point, it suddenly burst forth with a brilliant, dazzling radiance.
Immediately afterward—
A delicate sachet appeared in Guo Yi's palm, and the [Rainbow Wing] disappeared without a trace.
As expected of the system!
It's even thoughtful enough to provide a sachet.
Opening the sachet, Guo Yi's face lit up with delight at seeing the full bag of ash inside.
The amount of [Sacred Ash] in the sachet was significantly more than what a single [Rainbow Wing] should normally yield. After all, the 50,000 [Mentor Points] weren't spent in vain.
The creation of the [Sacred Ash] had involved various rare berries and materials—even though he hadn't seen them during the process.
Without further hesitation, Guo Yi scooped out a small handful of [Sacred Ash] and sprinkled it onto the Pokémon Egg.
"Whether this works or not—it all depends on it now," he told Ninetales solemnly.
Ninetales stared intently at the Pokémon egg, sensing every subtle change.
The moment the [Sacred Ash] touched the egg, it transformed into small golden flames that seeped into the cracks of its shell.
As the flames penetrated, the egg's life force surged dramatically!
Seeing the [Sacred Ash] genuinely work, Ninetales instantly burst into tears of joy.
In this moment—
She was no longer a Master-Tier Pokémon with formidable strength...
She was simply a mother.
A mother who only wished for her child to be born safely and live a healthy life.
Soon—
Under the healing influence of the Sacred Ash, the egg's cracks completely vanished.
[Pokémon Egg]
[Species: Vulpix]
[Potential: Master-Tier]
[Status: About to hatch]
Guo Yi exhaled deeply upon seeing the egg's improved condition.
Then, smiling gently at Ninetales, he said:
"Thankfully, I didn't let you down."
"Vulpix has been completely healed. She'll hatch safely soon."
Ninetales repeatedly nodded in excitement.
Even without Guo Yi's explanation, she could clearly sense the lively energy within the egg now.
"Alright, Ninetales."
"Your matters here are settled."
"I still have urgent business, so I need to go first."
Guo Yi checked the time, noting he had very little left before the opportunity's deadline.
Whether he succeeded in recruiting the Blue disciple or not, he wouldn't miss out on trying.
"Awooo—"
Hearing Guo Yi preparing to leave, reluctance filled Ninetales' gaze.
For a thousand years...
She had severely limited her social interactions for her child's sake.
Guo Yi was probably the person she'd talked to longest—and, moreover, he'd saved her child.
She truly couldn't bear to part with him.
"Can you stay at least until my child hatches?" Ninetales pleaded pitifully.
For a moment—
Looking at Ninetales' pleading expression, Guo Yi strangely felt as if he was some heartless scumbag abandoning his partner.
He smiled bitterly.
"Sorry, Ninetales, but it really is urgent."
"There might be someone else out there needing the [Sacred Ash] to save their life."
Seeing his refusal, Ninetales' gaze dimmed in disappointment.
But the next second, she seemed to think of something and raised her head again, hope rekindling as she eagerly asked:
"Then, can you take me with you?"
Having stayed inside this volcano for nearly a thousand years, Ninetales had long dreamed of seeing the outside world. Yet she'd delayed it repeatedly because of her child.
But now—
Not only was her child safe, but she'd met a kind-hearted human like Guo Yi.
So why shouldn't she just follow him outside?
The human world was something she deeply yearned to experience.
"Eh?"
"You want to come with me?"
Guo Yi was momentarily stunned.
He hadn't anticipated Ninetales would make such a request.
Afraid of rejection, Ninetales hurriedly added:
"If you take me along, all these Pokémon items will be yours."
Good heavens!
This wasn't just a request—it came with a sizable dowry too.
How could Guo Yi refuse such an incredible offer?
Besides—
Could any man truly refuse the request of a thousand-year-old fox spirit?
Was a fox-spirit Pokémon really any less appealing than a Gardevoir?
"In that case—welcome to my team!"
Guo Yi solemnly took out a Pokéball, holding it out toward Ninetales.
Ninetales' face lit up joyfully.
She was familiar enough with Pokéballs; in the past, humans had tried capturing her countless times with these objects.
They'd all failed miserably.
She stepped forward without hesitation, gently touching the Pokéball's button with her nose.
With a flash of red light, Ninetales disappeared into the Pokéball—
Without any struggle at all, she became Guo Yi's Pokémon.
"Let's go, Beedrill!"
After safely stowing away the Vulpix Egg and the valuable Pokémon items, Guo Yi called Beedrill to depart.
Of course—
Of the numerous items, Guo Yi kept only the highest quality ones for himself. The rest he converted into [Mentor Points] via the marketplace.
For the first time, Guo Yi's [Mentor Points] broke past the 100,000 mark.
100,000 [Mentor Points]—
Whether used to summon Mewtwo as an ultimate trump card, or exchanged for powerful items to enhance himself and his disciples, it was undoubtedly an incredible fortune.
Guo Yi summoned Zapdos again, swiftly flying toward the location specified by the opportunity.
Meanwhile...
Outside the Secret Realm, the firefighting rescue team encountered serious trouble of their own.
---
As Captain He Yongsen was leading his team's retreat, several Salandit suddenly blocked their escape path.
Just like their name implied—
These Pokémon closely resembled cunning thieves and robbers.
Their heads were practically identical to black hoods worn by criminals, and the fiery patterns flowing down their bodies resembled slow-moving magma, adding a sinister air to their appearance.
"We're in trouble—it's Salandit."
"Considering their numbers, a Salazzle must be hiding nearby," He Yongsen muttered gravely.
He wouldn't normally worry about ordinary Fire-type Pokémon—
But Salandit possessed an additional attribute that made them particularly dangerous here:
Poison.
In this environment, becoming poisoned and unconscious was a death sentence.
He Yongsen concluded a Salazzle's presence nearby based on the fact that Salandit rarely appeared in groups unless commanded by one.
Within a colony, a Salazzle's status was akin to a queen ant.
No Salandit dared defy her orders.
To maintain dominance, a Salazzle would even kill all female Salandit to prevent rivals from emerging.
Analyzing the dire situation, He Yongsen quickly turned and instructed his comrades:
"All of you withdraw immediately! I'll hold them off!"