This was a savage, blood-soaked land.
Amid it stood a ruin-like structure of broken walls and shattered stone. The entire ruin covered only about a thousand square meters. Perhaps because it had been abandoned for far too long, most of the buildings were now completely wrapped in thick, overgrown vegetation.
"Crack!!"
At that moment, from within a half-collapsed building, a head slowly emerged from the darkness. It belonged to a black-haired youth of seventeen or eighteen. His features were cold and sharp, and a vigilant glint shone in his eyes.
"Li—!!!"
Suddenly, a piercing eagle's cry rang out across the sky. The black-haired youth was startled and immediately withdrew his head.
Just as he pulled back, an enormous black shadow swept across the ruins like a raging gale.
It was a gigantic bird of prey with a wingspan of nearly six meters. Its brownish feathers gleamed with a steel-like luster under the sunlight, and atop its head stood a long crest feather.
This fierce bird was none other than Pidgeot from the Pokémon world.
"Tch, how stingy. I only took one of its eggs—was it really necessary to chase me this hard?"
After Pidgeot flew far away, the youth cautiously stuck his head out again and muttered a few complaints.
Complaining aside, he still opened the backpack on his back. Inside were three eggs, each about the size of a soccer ball.
The surfaces of the three eggs were covered with different patterns.
"This Shinx Egg is worth nurturing properly. It'll be a powerful partner in the future," the youth murmured as he picked up the egg marked with lightning-like patterns.
After all, this Shinx Egg had been stolen from a Boss Luxray. Its potential was beyond question.
As for the remaining two eggs, one was a Pidgey Egg, and the other a Pichu Egg.
The Pidgey Egg was meant to be sold for money—being a Pokémon Trainer was an expensive profession.
The youth gently stroked the Shinx Egg, smiled in satisfaction, and carefully placed it back into his backpack.
After packing everything away, he slung the backpack over his shoulders. Then, he took out a Great Ball from his waist and tossed it into the air. The ball opened midair.
"Whoosh!"
In the next instant, a dazzling red beam shot out like lightning from the Great Ball.
In the blink of an eye, that red light materialized into a massive, imposing black-and-blue bird Pokémon.
Its broad, powerful wings spread nearly six meters wide, like dark clouds blotting out the sky. Its razor-sharp talons gleamed coldly, as though they could tear through steel with ease. Its beak was sharp as a blade, radiating an aura that sent chills down one's spine.
"Gah!!!"
The moment it appeared, the bird threw back its head and let out a thunderous cry. The sound echoed through the heavens, reverberating across the land, its momentum in no way inferior to Pidgeot's earlier call.
At the same time, an invisible pressure spread outward from its body, causing the surrounding air to tremble and filling one with awe.
"Corviknight, stop shouting. Do you want to lure that stupid bird back here?"
The youth caught the rebounding Great Ball and clipped it back onto his waist, glaring at Corviknight with irritation.
That's right—this mighty bird was Corviknight.
Corviknight looked as if it were clad in a full suit of armor. In appearance, it resembled a black raven whose feathers had been completely steel-hardened. When it spread its enormous wings and cut across the sky, its body gleamed brilliantly under the sunlight—like the legendary "iridescent black."
Its eyes were filled with an oppressive intensity. The camouflage-like markings around them were nearly gone, leaving only the faint outline of its pupils visible. The only part of its body that still looked slightly fluffy was the feathers on its chest.
Those blood-red eyes exuded overwhelming pressure.
This was the youth's starter Pokémon—Corviknight, already at the Elite Tier.
And this youth was named Kael, a transmigrator.
As for how he transmigrated, even Kael himself had no idea. He went to sleep one night and woke up in this absurd world.
Why absurd? Because through years of understanding, Kael discovered that while this world had Pokémon, it also had the bizarre—things like ghosts and supernatural entities.
Moreover, this was a world where films and television realities had fused together.
Over the years, Kael had encountered quite a few characters straight out of movies and TV dramas.
For example, one of his cousins was actually a character from a show called Just Right Time. And his good friend Aria was the female lead from A Love for Separation.
Of course, none of that was the most important part.
What truly mattered was that this world contained countless Secret Realms. Within them existed all kinds of Pokémon, as well as rare heavenly materials and earthly treasures.
According to what Kael had learned from history books, the appearance of Secret Realms dated all the way back to the Qin Dynasty. Historical records even claimed that Qin Shi Huang had obtained a black Rayquaza, which allowed him to unify the six states.
From that point on, the world began to revolve around Pokémon, giving rise to various professions. Still, the mainstream occupation remained Pokémon Trainer.
The rest were auxiliary roles, such as Pokémon Breeders, Pokémon Doctors, and so on.
Additionally, many Secret Realms contained ruined relics with advanced technology—things like spatial backpacks. The backpack Kael was using right now was one such item.
Otherwise, there was no way it could hold three Pokémon Eggs.
Most importantly, becoming a Pokémon Trainer was no simple task. First, you needed a starter Pokémon.
This starter Pokémon couldn't just be caught casually or bought. It had to be summoned by yourself. Yes—personally summoned. That was one of the world's ironclad rules.
The starter Pokémon was of paramount importance.
As long as you successfully summoned your first Pokémon, every time that Pokémon advanced in rank, it would in turn strengthen the Trainer—enhancing physical power and speed far beyond normal limits.
Only then could a Trainer have a higher survival rate within Secret Realms.
Without a strong physique, how could you possibly keep up with Pokémon battles? Did you really think Pokémon battles were child's play?
Without sufficient physical strength, even the shockwaves from a battle could cost you half your life.
Every year, countless Trainers died inside Secret Realms.
This was a necessary condition.
Of course, even if someone failed to summon a starter Pokémon, ordinary people could still raise Pokémon. After all, Pokémon had already become part of everyday life, and many people kept cute Pokémon as pets.
Naturally, these were usually Pokémon with very poor potential.
Those with good potential typically cost several million—far beyond what ordinary families could afford.
"Whooo—"
Kael crouched low atop Corviknight's back, one hand gripping its steel-like feathers as the fierce wind roared past him.
"Corviknight, once we sell this haul, you'll be able to break through to the Gym Tier," Kael said, gazing at the vast blue sky.
"Gah-gah-gah!"
Corviknight let out an excited cry, its speed increasing even further.
Half an hour later, a glowing light gate appeared in front of Kael—that was the exit of the Secret Realm.
"The time's finally up," Kael muttered.
"Corviknight, let's go home."
"Whoosh!"
Corviknight carried Kael straight through the light gate.
(Beginner Tier, Intermediate Tier, Advanced Tier, Elite Tier, Gym Tier, Pseudo–Champion Tier, Champion Tier, Pseudo–Grand Champion Tier, Grand Champion Tier, Venerable Tier, Third-Tier Deity, Second-Tier Deity, First-Tier Deity, Super Divine Beast, King Divine Beast, Legendary Divine Beast?)