Eroking
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Chapter 244: Actually Found a Secret Realm
🕑 Added 2025-10-06 12:07:50 +0000 UTCChapter 244: Actually Found a Secret Realm
"Basalt, you're studying so hard all by yourself in Centralis City. You have to take good care of yourself. If the opportunity arises, it's okay for you to find a girlfriend. Your father and I wouldn't be opposed."
Before he left, Basalt's Mom held his hand, her eyes full of concern.
"Mom, I'm only a freshman. This is the time to work hard and improve myself. How can I get distracted by dating?" Basalt said righteously, his face serious.
Master Martel's advice was still ringing in his ears, and he took it to heart.
"Basalt, you..."
Basalt's Mom panicked, her fingers trembling slightly.
Her son was almost twenty. When he was in high school, the thought of him dating made her nervous. But now that he didn't want to date, she was even more nervous. Besides, her son was so outstanding, and she'd heard that outstanding boys sometimes...
Waving goodbye to his parents, Basalt hopped on Bronzong. With a flick of Reverse Gravity and a slow burn from its propulsion, it shot into the sky and disappeared over the horizon.
"Bronzong, we've got plenty of time, so you don't need to go full speed. I was thinking, maybe you could set up your magnetic field while we fly and sense if there are any secret realms nearby."
High in the sky, Basalt, riding on top of Bronzong, grinned. "If we're lucky, we might find something big."
He was still dreaming of striking it rich.
After reading through the information Agent Zhou had sent him, Basalt now understood just how special his Bronzong was.
Ordinary Pokémon that could manipulate magnetic fields could only open spatial gates at specific, known locations—they had to find the spatial weak point first.
But the problem was, ordinary Pokémon couldn't perceive the distribution and flow of a spatial magnetic field. Only a Pokémon with an extremely deep understanding of magnetism could do that.
Whether it was because of its development of Reverse Gravity or something else, Bronzong happened to be able to roughly distinguish the distribution and flow of a spatial magnetic field.
This was an insanely broken ability.
In other words, an ordinary Pokémon would have to stumble upon a weak point by chance, confirm a secret realm was there, and then try to enter.
But Bronzong could identify the flow of the magnetic field and determine if a secret realm was nearby from a distance.
These were two completely different levels of ability.
"If I want to sense the magnetic field flow carefully, I have to concentrate completely. My flight speed will be very slow," Bronzong said, a little hesitant.
"No problem!" Basalt waved his hand dismissively. "I'm not asking you to scan the whole way. Any secret realms in densely populated villages or towns would have been discovered long ago. We'll only do a detailed scan when we're passing through remote, uninhabited mountains."
"Don't feel too much pressure, Bronzong. Discovering a secret realm is a long shot. Coming back empty-handed is the norm. I just want to try my luck."
"Alright, I understand."
Bronzong nodded. Following Basalt's navigation, they passed over Lakeside, Ram-Rock Mountain, and Southward Screen, but found nothing. The magnetic field distribution in these places was more or less the same, with no clear target.
"The Dragon's Rise Wilderness Area is next. According to the map, it's all mountains and ridges in there, and a lot of wild Pokémon live inside. We've already searched several places and found nothing, and this area is huge. I'm starting to feel too lazy to bother."
Basalt fiddled with his Pokédex's navigation app, feeling discouraged.
Discovering and developing a pristine secret realm would be amazing, but the hard work required to find one was immense, like finding a needle in a haystack.
Of course, with Bronzong's ability, it was better than a needle in a haystack—more like a needle in a large lake. The difficulty was lower, but still incredibly high.
But before Basalt even reached Dragon's Rise, a giant bird of prey flew towards them from the distance, with a person riding on its back.
"Pidge-ot!"
It was a bird of prey that looked very similar to a Pidgeotto, but its body was much larger, its wingspan wider, and its talons shorter, like an eagle's. Its feathers were mostly brown, with a cream-colored underside and face. It had a long, flowing crest of red and yellow feathers. Its sharp eyes and broad wings gave it the air of a king.
It was Pidgey's final form—Pidgeot.
On its back, a sturdy, bearded man scanned Basalt and called out a warning, "Hey, kid! The Dragon's Rise Wilderness Area is just ahead. There are a lot of wild Pokémon in there. Only Advanced-rank trainers and above are allowed to enter. So, please turn back."
It was clear this man was a ranger for the wilderness area. His Pidgeot had spotted Basalt and Bronzong from a great distance, which is why he had come to warn them.
"Huh? Advanced-rank trainers are allowed to enter?"
Basalt's eyebrow shot up. He took out his Pokédex. "Sir, I'm already an Advanced-rank trainer."
"What? You're an Advanced-rank trainer?"
The ranger was stunned. He looked at Basalt's face. This kid looks about the same age as my own son. He's already an Advanced-rank trainer? For real?
But when the ranger saw the name on Basalt's Pokédex, he believed him.
"You're Basalt? The Rookie King of Centralis Province, Basalt?"
The ranger's attitude did a complete 180-degree turn. "You have no idea, my son is a huge fan of yours! Um... could I trouble you for a photo with me?" he asked excitedly.
A rare look of embarrassment appeared on the rugged, bearded man's face.
"Of course," Basalt said, scratching his head. He guessed this made him an idol, recognized even by his fans' parents.
Guiding his Pidgeot closer, Basalt took a photo with the ranger, both of them making peace signs. Basalt even gave him an extra autograph, which made the ranger ecstatic.
But before he left, the ranger didn't forget his duty. "Basalt, even though you're an Advanced-rank trainer and qualified to enter the wilderness, you must remember to register with the staff at the entrance before you go in. You can't just wander in."
"Sorry, my mistake."
Basalt scratched his head, not bothering to explain. He had actually been about to skip the Dragon's Rise area, but the ranger's words had reminded him of that rule. It was one of those technicalities that rarely came up on exams, so he hadn't paid it much mind.
Unfortunately for him, the ranger didn't know that. Thrilled to have a photo and autograph, he enthusiastically escorted Basalt to the entrance, first treating him to a cup of tea, and then quickly registering him.
Now inside the wilderness area, Basalt watched the ranger's retreating back, his mouth twitching.
I didn't even want to come here!
"Oh well, since I'm here, I might as well have a look. This is my first time in a real wilderness area, I think."
Basalt scratched his cheek.
A "Safari Zone" and a "Wilderness Area," though similar in name, were quite different. A Safari Zone was a place where the League raised certain Pokémon in a semi-wild state, often containing rare species. Only trainers with permission could enter to catch them.
A Wilderness Area, on the other hand, was inhabited entirely by truly wild Pokémon, most of them aggressive. It was governed by the law of the jungle.
After entering Dragon's Rise, Basalt spotted many Pokémon along the way. But without exception, they all ran away the moment they saw him, with no intention of getting close.
A few powerful Advanced-rank Pokémon did try to pick a fight, but their strength was a bit lacking and they were easily driven off by Excadrill.
He spent half the day exploring a small part of Dragon's Rise, continuously scanning for magnetic fields, but found nothing.
Just as he was about to give up, Bronzong's eyes suddenly snapped open. "The magnetic field here seems a bit abnormal. The further north we go, the weaker it gets."
"Does that mean... there's a secret realm to the north?"
Basalt was overjoyed. It's funny how things work out when you're not even trying.
"I can't be 100% certain there's a secret realm, only that there's a possibility," Bronzong corrected.
Basalt rubbed his hands together impatiently. "Then let's hurry over there!"
Following the direction of the magnetic field, Bronzong soon found the weakest point. It was on a cliff face, about five meters above the ground, in a very tricky spot. An ordinary person or Pokémon would never be able to reach it.
If Bronzong hadn't been able to read the magnetic field, who would have ever stumbled upon this?
"But this is good. It means I've found a hidden gem."
Basalt's lips curled up. He was truly happy to have found a secret realm.
"Broonz~"
In mid-air, Super Bell began to configure the magnetic field, trying to sense and resonate with the spatial gate.
Vmmmm!
As Bronzong's psychic power continued to pour out, the magnetic field configuration neared completion, and a spatial gate suddenly appeared.
"Success!"
Basalt was overjoyed.
Of course, just finding a secret realm didn't mean he could enter it. If the realm's level was too high, it would be very dangerous.
But with Bronzong's current strength, the most it could open was the gate to a Micro-secret realm, which wasn't a problem.
A Micro-secret realm could, at most, support Pokémon at the Advanced-rank.
Basalt wasn't scared of that.
"Let's go. We're going in."
Basalt released Excadrill and Lileep, and then, enveloped in Bronzong's telekinesis, they all stepped through the spatial gate.
The world spun. When Basalt's vision cleared, he and his three Pokémon were in a dry, desolate area. The ground was dotted with sparse yellow shrubs and weeds.
"Shrew~"
Suddenly, a yellow mouse-like Pokémon drilled out of the dirt not far from Basalt, looking at him curiously.
"It's a Sandshrew."
Basalt recognized the Pokémon but didn't pay it much mind. The dry, slightly hot environment, with a temperature of around 25 or 26 degrees Celsius, fit a Sandshrew's habitat perfectly. At the same time, Sandshrew weren't very strong or threatening, so he wasn't afraid.
But in the next second, Basalt's expression changed.
"Shrew~ Shrew~ Shrew~"
Following the first Sandshrew, four or five more poked their heads out of the ground, and then a dozen more.
Thirty seconds later, the number of Sandshrew had reached over a hundred, and it was still rising.
"What the—did I just walk into a Sandshrew nest?"
Basalt's mouth twitched.
A single Sandshrew, he wasn't afraid of. A small group, he wasn't worried.
But when the number exceeded a hundred, that was a different story. After all, enough ants can kill an elephant, let alone this small body of his.
"Shrew~ Shrew~ Shrew~"
As their numbers grew, Basalt noticed the Sandshrew were no longer timid or afraid. They were getting bolder, approaching him in groups and slowly forming an encirclement.
"Everyone, prepare for battle!"
Basalt realized the danger.
