Chapter 230: The Beedrill of the Secret Realm

Chapter 230: The Beedrill of the Secret Realm

Upon hearing this, Rochin nodded.

He didn't think Hikaru was lying to him.

Legendary Pokémon were, by their very nature, beings of myth and legend.

Even though Hikaru was extremely talented, at the end of the day, he was still a fellow student—his peer.

The fact that he even knew this much was already impressive.

Rochin gestured, "Let's leave. It's probably really late outside now."

Though the Secret Realm still appeared to be in daylight, they had spent several hours inside.

By now, the outside world was likely deep into the night—or even the early hours of the morning.

Originally, he had just planned to check things out, but so much had happened.

His family was probably worried sick by now.

Hikaru nodded.

Everyone had their own destiny to follow.

He wouldn't force himself into Rochin's affairs just because Marshadow was following him.

His only real involvement in this was inadvertently leading Marshadow to him.

---

The two of them walked toward the Secret Realm's exit.

Stepping through—

In a blink, the scenery shifted.

The vast night sky of southern China spread above them, filled with countless twinkling stars, painting an almost ethereal image.

The two enforcement officers at the entrance were still on duty.

Upon seeing Hikaru and Rochin emerge, they nodded slightly, acknowledging their return.

The Secret Realm near Mizuki City was currently the most popular one in the area.

It was close to the city, had ranger teams to ensure safety, and was rich in resources.

With a low entrance fee, it was no surprise that so many trainers wanted to explore it.

However, recently—

The number of explorers had declined.

Rumors were spreading that the Secret Realm's treasures were becoming scarcer, and the Pokémon inside were growing increasingly aggressive.

One of the officers thought to himself, Maybe we should report this…

Perhaps the city should start limiting the number of daily visitors… or even close the Secret Realm temporarily to allow it to recover.

---

After leaving, Rochin waved goodbye before disappearing into the darkness.

Hikaru glanced at his phone screen.

2:00 AM.

Damn… That kid's gonna get scolded when he gets home.

Hikaru shook his head, then greeted the enforcement officers again before hopping onto Latias.

The two soared into the night, heading toward the city.

---

Even though Mizuki City wasn't large, it had everything it needed.

Even at 2 AM, there were still hotels with lights on.

Finding a room, Hikaru showered, then opened his weekly skill menu.

He tapped to redeem his weekly skill.

A flash of blue light.

Another Blue Skill.

Hikaru smiled in satisfaction.

A Blue Skill every week was not bad at all.

And this time—

It was a familiar one.

[Blue Skill: Skill Duplication]

(Allows the user to duplicate any previously obtained skill. If the original skill is below Blue grade, the duplicate will automatically be upgraded to Blue!)

Another duplication skill!

Paired with [Wish Fulfillment], the effects would be even stronger.

Some high-tier skills were difficult to obtain through Wish Fulfillment alone.

But with Skill Duplication, Hikaru could first wish for a lower-tier version, then upgrade it to Blue.

It made things so much easier.

He looked through his existing skill collection.

For now, there wasn't anything he needed to upgrade, so he set the skill aside for later.

---

That night—

A strange atmosphere loomed over the Chenghua District Secret Realm.

A lone officer, stationed at the entrance, exhaled into his hands for warmth.

"Damn… This place always feels so eerie at night."

The surrounding abandoned buildings hadn't been renovated yet, leaving the area looking like a ghost town.

"Woof!"

His Growlithe nudged him, reassuring him not to be scared.

"You've been guarding this place for nearly a year. You're still scared?"

His partner scoffed.

"What, you think some Ghost Pokémon is gonna show up?"

"Cough…"

The first officer glanced at his watch.

It was almost time for the shift change.

Thinking about how he'd soon be home, cuddled up with his wife and kids, he couldn't wait.

But inside the Secret Realm—

Something was changing.

---

Inside the Secret Realm

Near the central lake, on its left bank,

There was once a lush field of flowers, filled with the fragrant scent of nectar.

Now—

The once-vibrant flower fields had thinned dramatically.

These flowers, known as Hundred-Spirit Blooms, were a C-rank secret treasure, used by Beedrill to produce honey.

Now, as dusk fell,

The forest trees were lined with clusters of Kakuna, hanging motionless from the branches.

Above them—

A swarm of Beedrill hovered, their wings humming through the air.

Their numbers reached nearly a hundred, ranging from ordinary-tier to gym-tier.

And at the very center—

A massive Beedrill stood out, noticeably larger than the rest.

They circled around the Kakuna, their compound eyes gleaming with anger.

Beedrill were naturally aggressive Pokémon.

And recently—

Humans had been stealing their Hundred-Spirit Blooms.

Even worse, they trampled the flowers carelessly, destroying them without a second thought.

This enraged the Beedrill.

The strongest gym-tier Beedrill had already sent scouts to track the source of the humans.

And today—

The scouts had returned with an answer.

Their red eyes swept across the swarm, then issued a command:

"Rest well tonight."

"Tomorrow… those thieves will pay."

---

The Next Morning

Hikaru woke up at 9 AM, stretched lazily, and checked his phone.

A message from Miss Qin reminded him that his speech was scheduled for 2 PM.

He quickly replied, confirming his attendance.

While brushing his teeth, he released all of his Pokémon.

Then, he reached into his spatial backpack, pulling out various energy cubes for his Pokémon and a simple breakfast for himself.

After a quick scan with Aura Vision, confirming there were no hidden cameras, he activated the mark left by Mew.

Might as well claim his daily skill points while getting ready.

A few moments later—

"Meow~ Hey, everyone!"

A pink figure appeared, floating in midair.

Mew happily greeted the team, earning enthusiastic responses from the Pokémon.

Then, it hovered close to Hikaru, big eyes blinking expectantly.

Last time, Hikaru left the story unfinished…

It was not happy about that.

Mew wanted the rest of the story—NOW.

Seeing the anticipation in its eyes—

And the not-so-subtle pressure from the other Pokémon—

Hikaru chuckled awkwardly.

"Alright, alright… I'll continue the story now."

The Pokémon leaned in, eager to listen.

His brain kicked into high gear—

Time to improvise a good story…

---

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