Xue Nai glanced at the clothes she was wearing, put two and two together, and blushed bright red.
Before Lin Yu could even explain,
she gently shook her head, letting him know it was all right.
She then had Frogadier and Vulpix absorb the primordial power from Articuno's feathers together.
What Lin Yu never expected
was that Frogadier would break through to Elite tier first, soaring to Level 30.
And what's more…
it had gained an extra sub-type.
Paired with its Protean ability,
the implications were enormous.
From now on, when facing Grass-type Pokémon,
Frogadier could simply use Ice-type moves
and shift its type to Ice,
completely nullifying the type disadvantage!
It was overpowered.
The primordial energy had even raised Frogadier's talent once more — all the way to Champion-tier!
That wasn't too surprising, though.
In the legends,
certain high-ranking Legendaries could even elevate lower Legendaries.
Like Ho-Oh,
who had blessed Suicune, Entei, and Raikou.
For ordinary Pokémon,
a feather shed by a Legendary was without a doubt a priceless treasure!
The absorption of the Ice Plumes lasted three full days.
And Frogadier wasn't the only one who changed.
The boost for Alolan Vulpix was just as massive!
Its level rose to 24, but the real gain was in its talent.
Its talent had jumped to… Champion-tier!
Being a fellow Ice-type had clearly given it an even greater boost.
Over in Shuimu City,
Articuno had burst out of the Secret Realm, blanketing the entire city in a blizzard.
Thankfully, it hadn't harmed any humans.
The snowstorm lasted three days.
Once Auntie Xue returned, she met with Articuno.
When she learned what had happened inside the Secret Realm,
she panicked.
She immediately begged Articuno to stop the snow and organized a search-and-rescue team.
But before the team could even enter the Secret Realm,
they saw the two of them walking out the entrance.
When Auntie Xue laid eyes on them,
all the words she wanted to say melted into just one phrase:
"You're safe!"
She filed a full report with the League.
The cause of Articuno's rampage
was easy to uncover.
Lin Yu also told the League about the "humans" he'd found frozen inside the Secret Realm.
Their identities were quickly confirmed —
the signature Crystal Syndicate Pokémon, Houndoom, and their ID badges gave them away.
Lin Yu sighed quietly.
The Crystal Syndicate…
Team Magma… the two organizations had always been bitter rivals.
They usually operated in other countries, so he never expected
to run into both of them within just a few months.
Shuimu City was small, but this incident enraged the entire Pokémon League of China.
They launched a nationwide crackdown,
sending shockwaves through the criminal underworld.
For a time, the national crime rate plummeted!
Almost no one had known Articuno was sleeping in that Secret Realm.
Thankfully, it hadn't taken any extreme action — it had only altered Shuimu's weather.
Then it vanished without a trace.
During the few days back home,
Charmeleon and Kirlia, spurred on by Frogadier's breakthrough,
both stepped into Gym-tier.
Their power skyrocketed.
Riolu had also risen to Level 13 from the Secret Realm training.
All in all, the haul had been incredible.
The high energy density of the Secret Realm had played a big part.
Normally,
Realms that hadn't fully merged with the human world
had denser energy based on their rank.
That was why higher-rank Realms had stronger Pokémon.
But after that adventure,
something had shifted between Lin Yu and Xue Nai —
a faint, sweet tension had grown between them.
Even Lin Yu couldn't deny it.
[Green Entry (Water Healing):
In water‑surrounded environments, Speed increases by 10%–30%. Exact boost depends on ambient energy density.]
This week's Entry was only green-rarity,
but its effect was solid!
[Pokémon: Frogadier]
[Ability: Protean, Torrent]
[Gender: Male]
[Talent: Champion-tier]
[Level: 30]
[Moves: Bubble, Water Pulse, Double Team, Aerial Ace, Dark Pulse, Grass Knot, Cut, Water Shuriken, Lightning Chidori, Swords Dance...]
[Equipped Entries: Shiny Skin (Fixed), Blood Drinker, Water Aura, Rasengan, Water Healing.]
Frogadier already had an extremely high Speed stat.
Adding another 10%–30%
made it faster than ever.
And their next destination was perfect — Water Metropolis!
Water Metropolis had appeared over a hundred years ago.
It had once been an SS‑Class Secret Realm.
Legends said travelers had seen Latios and Latias inside!
They were known as the Guardians of Water Metropolis, keeping the city's waters balanced.
After the Realm merged with the human world,
humans built it into a thriving water city!
Tourism boomed,
and it grew into a major metropolis.
Inside the Training House.
"Lightning Chidori!"
Lin Yu commanded firmly.
One of Frogadier's strongest moves now.
After reaching Champion-tier and condensing Ice energy in its body,
the move had evolved again.
With Frogadier's natural talent,
Lightning Chidori
now mixed Ice and Electric energy. On impact, it could freeze and paralyze the target!
It was absurdly strong.
In the few days after returning, Lin Yu trained in the Training House every day.
His goal: to let his three newly promoted Gym-tier Pokémon
fully master their new power.
The gap between Elite and Gym-tier was massive, after all.
The Chidori spread its wings over five meters wide and let out a piercing cry.
Thunder crackled inside it — it looked just like Zapdos!
A Level‑35 Snorlax dummy stood stiffly on the field below,
a red health bar floating above it.
Lin Yu had created it for just 3 Entry Coins.
BOOM!
Lightning Chidori slammed into the virtual Snorlax.
After a burst of crackling electricity, Snorlax's health bar was nearly wiped out — only a sliver remained!
Lin Yu nodded in satisfaction.
Snorlax had a massive 160 Base HP stat!
A height even most Legendaries couldn't reach.
And yet, it had almost been one‑shotted by Lightning Chidori.
That spoke volumes about the move's sheer power.
Lin Yu also watched Riolu demonstrate Kaioken!
When activated,
Riolu's entire body blazed with a faint red aura.
It looked incredible.
But it wasn't just for show —
the power boost was terrifying.
During downtime, Lin Yu took Riolu to the Gym for a sparring match.
A Level‑20 Mankey
got completely destroyed.
But the after-effect was severe.
Even with Lin Yu's recovery medicine,
Riolu took a full hour to bounce back.
The next day.
February 24th.
First day of school!
Lin Yu had to go to campus
to ask for an extended leave —
he needed to head to Water Metropolis for the Provincial Tournament!