15. Conquering Treecko

"You lost," Jacob looked at Sceptile with a bright smile on his face. "Sceptile, although your strength is impressive, almost matching Escavalier's, you don't have a trainer to command you, which is why you lost. An excellent trainer makes Pokémon stronger and more well-rounded."

"Sceptile."

The injured Sceptile maintained its proud demeanor, still appearing uncomfortable with the outcome, but honored its promise. It called out to Jacob, then communicated with the Treecko behind it, gesturing for them to come forward.

"You agree to let me capture a Treecko?" Jacob's smile widened. A proud Pokémon like Sceptile truly keeps its word.

"Sceptile." Sceptile nodded firmly.

Jacob naturally chose the king-level Treecko without hesitation—the one he'd been hoping for. His face lit up with excitement: "I want this one."

The Treecko that Jacob pointed to maintained a composed expression. It raised its head proudly and gazed at Jacob with the same dignity as its parent.

This was the first time Jacob and the Treecko looked into each other's eyes.

Meanwhile, Sceptile looked in the direction Jacob indicated and saw the Treecko he had chosen—Sceptile's favorite offspring. It turned and continued communicating with the Treecko. After a brief exchange, the Treecko walked up to Jacob.

Observing this scene, even without understanding their language, Jacob comprehended the meaning. He took out a Poké Ball from his bag and gently tapped it against the Treecko's head. "I hope we'll grow stronger together, Treecko."

"Treecko," the Pokémon responded.

After capturing Treecko, Jacob was in excellent spirits. Feeling he'd gotten an incredible deal, he left most of his Dragon energy blocks and medicines for the Sceptile clan, keeping only a small portion for emergencies. This gesture immediately won the favor of the Sceptile clan.

...

"Ding!"

"[Grass Overlord] Mission completed!"

"This Secret Realm is dominated by grass energy, followed by bug energy. Two major grass-type tribes inhabit the forest: the Sceptile tribe and the Venusaur tribe. The two tribes have fought for territory many times, but neither has emerged as the definitive victor. As the Secret Realm connects to the real world, the balance of power will soon be disrupted. Please capture one of the Pokémon before the Secret Realm is completely overtaken, and train it to become a grass-type overlord."

"Quest requirements: Capture a Treecko or Bulbasaur (Treecko has been captured)."

"Mission rewards: 1. Different rewards depending on the Pokémon captured; 2. Clues to mysterious treasures."

"Failure penalty: Randomly reduce a Pokémon's aptitude by one level."

"Rewards are being distributed."

"Ding!"

"Congratulations on receiving the mission rewards: 1. Qualification improvement (you may choose to improve the qualifications of Noibat or Treecko, only one Pokémon can be improved, please choose carefully); 2. Sceptilite (must visit the Sceptile tribe territory to obtain); 3. Z-Crystal clues."

"Ding."

"Clue to the Grassium Z: There is a location in the Secret Realm with the most concentrated grass energy called the Ancient Tree of Life. It is the core of the entire Secret Realm. A Grass-type Z-Crystal is preserved within the Ancient Tree of Life."

...

The generous rewards made Jacob smile happily. The system had finally given him something valuable. Although only the first of the three rewards was directly added to his account, the other two rewards were precious treasures that Jacob could acquire when the opportunity arose.

The Sceptilite especially filled Jacob with joy. If he could obtain this Mega Stone, his Treecko's potential would reach entirely new heights. Its future would be limitless, and it would definitely become one of Jacob's main Pokémon.

As for the Z-Crystal, Jacob didn't hold much hope. If nothing unexpected happened, Dante would likely be pursuing the Grass-type Z-Crystal. With Dante's strength, no one without king-level strength could defeat him.

It's just that their limited knowledge made them overlook the far more valuable Mega Stone. Jacob looked forward to the day when Mega Evolution would be publicly announced. He wondered how they would feel knowing they had missed a Mega Stone.

...

After capturing Treecko, Jacob's mind raced with possibilities, especially after learning about the Sceptilite in the Sceptile clan's territory. He became even more eager to acquire it.

Just as Jacob was contemplating how to ask Sceptile for the Mega Stone, Sceptile suddenly turned and walked toward its territory. It looked back at Jacob, beckoning for him to follow.

This thrilled Jacob, and he hurriedly complied, releasing Treecko from its Poké Ball to allow it more time with its family.

...

The territory of the Sceptile clan was a towering jungle, not far from the Secret Realm's core—the Ancient Tree of Life. This explained why the Sceptile tribe preferred building nests in the forest's tallest trees. The closer to the Ancient Tree of Life, the larger the surrounding trees grew. Their nests were located in the tallest nearby trees.

Following Sceptile into a tree hollow, Jacob immediately began searching, trying to locate the Sceptilite. However, to his disappointment, there was no trace of the Mega Stone in the tree house.

"Sceptile!"

At that moment, another female Sceptile entered through the tree hollow entrance, holding a gleaming stone in her hand.

The Sceptilite!

When Jacob spotted the shimmering stone, he instantly became excited, his eyes widening.

The female Sceptile approached Jacob and presented the Mega Stone to him. She pointed at the items Jacob had given them, then gestured toward Treecko, as if explaining that this Mega Stone was a token of gratitude for the energy blocks and medicine he had provided, and expressing hope that Jacob would take good care of their child.

Sometimes you search desperately and find nothing, while other times treasures simply fall into your lap!

Jacob hadn't expected the Sceptile clan to offer the Sceptilite of their own accord. As he'd observed, most wild Pokémon are relatively straightforward and kind, especially wild Starter Pokémon, who tend to be more trusting and grateful toward humans.

Trading some Dragon energy blocks and medicine for a Mega Stone was an incredible bargain.

"Thank you, Sceptile." Jacob was filled with emotion as he reached out to touch the Treecko he had just captured. In that moment, he resolved to train Treecko into the strongest Pokémon possible. "Don't worry, I'll take excellent care of Treecko and help it become the strongest it can be."

"Sceptile."

Hearing Jacob's words, Sceptile displayed pride. It reached out to touch its child, eyes full of reluctance. Sceptile recognized that this offspring was the most promising among all its children. After battling with Escavalier, it had also realized that Pokémon trained by humans develop more comprehensively than wild Pokémon.

If Treecko followed Jacob, its future would be brighter than if it remained in the wild.

"Treecko."

The young Treecko bumped fists with Sceptile like a warrior, as if promising that it would one day become stronger than its parent.

"Ding, do you want to upgrade Treecko's qualifications?"

"Yes."

"Treecko's aptitude has been upgraded from king level to champion level."

Jacob witnessed this exchange and silently chose to use the opportunity to improve Treecko's qualifications. Treecko's status was enhanced from king level to champion level, now just one step away from master level.