October passed in a flash.
Lin Yu's days were full: training, studying theory, and preparing for midterms.
With his powerful mental power,
he took first place without breaking a sweat.
He also visited the Secret Realm from time to time.
A newly opened realm
was richest in resources during this early period.
While others had to pay a huge fee just to enter, Lin Yu had it easy.
Every trip, he left loaded with loot.
The realm also made the perfect battlefield.
Most wild Pokémon there were fierce, fought carefully, and struck to kill.
Under this pressure,
the combat experience of his two partners skyrocketed.
Charmeleon reached Level 24, and Kirlia Level 22.
Then there was the money.
Following the principle of "small amounts, many times," Lin Yu quietly sold the treasures he'd collected in batches.
He was now a multi-millionaire.
Many more treasures were stored in his system space, just in case.
"Did you hear? Someone saw a Riolu by the lake in the south of the Secret Realm!"
"Really? That's a super rare Pokémon!"
"It's true! I even have a photo, wanna see?"
"Whoa, it really is Riolu! I have to go check it out!"
The entry fee for the realm was 30,000 yuan — no small sum for the average Trainer.
Lin Yu, who was just about to enter, overheard this and almost leaned over to look.
"Beat it, kid, scram!"
But the group wouldn't let him near.
Not wanting to bother them, Lin Yu backed off — he'd already caught the important part.
Riolu.
From the quick glimpse in the photo, he'd seen a small blue silhouette.
It was blurry because of the distance,
but the shape really did look like Riolu.
Near the lake?
That could be dangerous.
But a Riolu… Lin Yu decided he had to go.
These days, he'd rolled a green Entry: Teleport Marker.
It was different from Kirlia's Teleport.
This Entry let him mark a spot in advance, then teleport back if in danger.
Only three uses, though.
Once used up, it turned into Entry Coins automatically.
Also, the mark only worked within 10 kilometers.
On a side note, he now had over 700 Entry Coins.
Just a little more to hit 1,000.
For Riolu!
Let's go!
With a safety net, Lin Yu had no shortage of courage.
He greeted the law enforcement officer on duty and stepped inside.
They'd seen each other so often lately, they were practically old friends.
The realm's teleport was still random —
meaning it wouldn't merge with the real world anytime soon.
But this time, he landed almost where he had his first visit.
Lin Yu knew the way by heart and quickly reached the lake, not even stopping for nearby treasures.
Riolu…
Charmeleon and Kirlia were already among the strongest in the realm.
No foolish wild Pokémon dared bother them.
"Fighting-type…"
Lin Yu made a batch of Fighting-type Energy Cubes on the spot, adding rosemary to attract Fighting-type Pokémon.
"We'll see if you can resist these cubes!"
He trusted his cooking 100%.
Even the little foodie Kirlia couldn't say no.
Sure enough, when Lin Yu pulled out the cubes, floating Kirlia drifted over —
took one sniff —
then flew away.
Not my type.
Thumbs down.
One thing worth mentioning:
ever since evolving, Kirlia had become much bolder.
The shy little girl was gone, replaced by a lively, playful young lady.
She stuck to him all day.
Sometimes she even snuck out of her Poké Ball at night and slept in his bed.
After a few useless scoldings, Lin Yu just let it be.
Mainly because hugging a life-sized Kirlia "plush" was really soft and comfortable.
Half an hour later.
Some Pokémon were lured over…
but…
Mankey, Caterpie, Weedle, and Venonat?
Fighting-type at first, then three bugs? What?
Another half hour passed.
A Magikarp stared dead-eyed at the cubes.
"Weird… is it really not Riolu?"
To Lin Yu, Riolu was exactly the kind of partner he wanted.
That proud aura, plus synergy with his Aura Power — it would be incredibly strong.
But he'd waited forever.
Water-types, Bug-types… still no Riolu.
"Fine, since I'm here, might as well feed you guys."
Helpless, he made Water-type Energy Cubes on the spot,
this time without rosemary.
Soon the lakeside was crowded:
Magikarp, Goldeen, Lotad, even a Totodile.
One of the Water-type starters!
Too bad it wasn't the Pokémon Lin Yu wanted.
That little guy was
really aggressive, chasing others away from the cubes.
Lin Yu had Charmeleon threaten it with a big fist — and it behaved immediately.
"Gua?"
"Oh, you too, Froakie?"
Lin Yu smiled and held out another Water-type Cube.
The Froakie in front of him had shiny, pale-blue skin and bright, sharp yellow eyes.
It wasn't shy at all. It grabbed the cube and ate it in one go.
Its eyes lit up more and more as it ate,
like it was tasting the finest food in the world.
Actually, every Pokémon there had the same look.
"Wait… hold on!"
Lin Yu finally realized what he was seeing and blurted:
"Froakie?!"
This was the exact Pokémon he'd been wanting!
So the Pokémon in the photo wasn't Riolu — it was just blurry enough to be mistaken for one!
The more he thought, the more it made sense.
"Gua?" Froakie looked at him confused.
It could almost understand this human.
"Froakie, do you want to come with me? Be my partner! I'll give you food like this every day!"
Lin Yu said excitedly, sending his goodwill through Aura.
But to Froakie, he probably looked like a total simp begging his crush:
Be with me and I'll give you everything!
"Gua~"
(No thanks.)
"Huh?"
Disappointment flashed across Lin Yu's face.
This Froakie had insane talent.
[Pokémon]: Froakie