During the second lesson's battles, while everyone showcased their unique skills like Immortals crossing the sea, there was no standout prodigy among the freshmen like Chu Xiaodie this time, which left Xia Huanao somewhat displeased.
Noticing the disappointment in Xia Huanao's eyes, Zheng Xiaoxiao chuckled and said, "You know, you're really not greedy. Are you hoping for a trainer like Chu Xiaodie in every class?"
Xia Huanao nodded. "Why, don't you want that too, Sister Xiaoxiao?"
Tong Ru playfully smacked Xia Huanao's head. "Don't you think about it? Extraordinary trainers aren't that easy to find. You want a Chu Xiaodie in every class; the probability is about the same as having a you in every school. Do you think that's possible?"
Although the analogy wasn't quite right, Xia Huanao seemed satisfied. "Indeed, there are very few trainers as outstanding as me."
"You!"
Xia Huanao suddenly thought of something, pulled out his Pokedex, and began searching. After a while, he handed the Pokedex to Chu Xiaodie. "Xiaodie, take a look at this Pokémon. Are you thinking of catching it?"
Chu Xiaodie looked down at the Pokedex screen. On it was a small, yellow-bodied, white-winged Pokémon. Chu Xiaodie asked, "Assistant Xia, what Pokémon is this?"
Xia Huanao replied, "This little guy is called Ribombee, it evolves from Cutiefly. You can press the up button."
Chu Xiaodie pressed the up button. "This little thing is Cutiefly? It really does look cute. Where can I catch one?"
Xia Huanao pondered. "It should be in the Bug-type Secret Zone. When we were researching and compiling data for the Pokedex, we didn't find any wild Cutiefly or Ribombee anywhere else."
Chu Xiaodie flipped through the Pokedex. "This is a Pokedex, right? That's great. It hasn't been released yet, has it? I heard production won't be sufficient until May."
"May? Then there's nothing I can do."
"Coach Xia, I have a favor to ask."
"What is it?"
Chu Xiaodie handed the Pokedex back to Xia Huanao. "Coach Xia, can you accompany me to the Bug-type Secret Zone tomorrow? Let's try to catch that Pokémon called Cutiefly."
Xia Huanao took the Pokedex back. "Cutiefly, huh? That's no problem. But why do you need me to go with you? You should be able to handle a beginner's Secret Zone alone. Besides, you have Flying-type Pokémon, so nothing will happen to you."
Chu Xiaodie poked her finger. "Well, I'm not sure if I'll have enough time. It's only tomorrow. It might be difficult to find a Cutiefly."
Xia Huanao thought for a moment. "Alright, I'll go with you then. But you'll have to train hard afterward."
"Yes, Coach Xia."
Xia Huanao put the Pokedex in his bag. There was another Pokémon with 'butterfly' in its name that he had considered for Chu Xiaodie, but Tapu Lele were quite difficult to find, and even if found, they would be too strong.
Xia Huanao finished his day's lessons and returned to his small room, starting to review the class schedules for the first-year students. "This schedule is so strange. They even have classes on Saturday. But thankfully, everyone rests on Sunday. This makes it easier for me to plan the school team's training schedule. I need to start a sign-up on the forum."
...
March 20th, Sunday.
Xia Huanao crawled out of bed with a pair of adorable dark circles under his eyes. "Damn it, I really couldn't sleep soundly."
Last night, he had intended to take a shower and go to bed. However, while showering, he heard banging on the wall from the next room. Xia Huanao's shower became increasingly uncomfortable, and he eventually gave up, knocked on the wall, and went back to bed. Not long after, he received a message from Tong Ru, saying they were celebrating that the school team had another promising talent.
Xia Huanao didn't believe a word of it. Zheng Xiaoxiao and her sister celebrated any good news like this. Xia Huanao even suspected they just found any excuse...
The noise they made was quite considerable, especially after Xia Huanao turned off the lights and tried to sleep. Xia Huanao seriously considered tearing down the wall to educate them on neighborly respect, but he ultimately decided against it.
Xia Huanao rubbed his eyes, then slung his bag over his shoulder and headed out the door to the school gate. At the gate, he saw Chu Xiaodie waiting for him. "Good morning, Xiaodie."
Chu Xiaodie turned around and was startled to see Xia Huanao. "Coach Xia, what happened to you?"
Xia Huanao waved his hand. "Don't ask. It's a long story filled with tears. Let's go to the Secret Zone."
There were no Bug-type Secret Zones near Liuling City. The closest one required taking public transportation north to Xian Shan City. Xian Shan City was truly a place blessed with both outstanding people and natural beauty, boasting all sorts of Secret Zones for all levels.
Xia Huanao and Chu Xiaodie boarded the high-speed train. After several hours of bumpy travel, they arrived at the Bug-type Secret Zone in Xian Shan City.
"This is the Bug-type Secret Zone of Xian Shan City! It's so big, much larger than the entrance to the Secret Zone in Liuling City."
A staff member walked over. "Little sister, is this your first time here? Our Xian Shan City Secret Zone is a super-large Secret Zone, and all the entrances are located here, so the central entrance area is made exceptionally large."
"I see. So, from here, I can enter Secret Zones of different levels and attributes? That's amazing."
Xia Huanao was also seeing such a Secret Zone for the first time. Although he had inputted Secret Zone data while editing the Pokedex, he hadn't paid much attention to the specific environments of these Secret Zones.
Xia Huanao and Chu Xiaodie presented their Trainer Certificates and stepped into the Secret Zone. With a shift in space, they found themselves inside.
Xia Huanao observed the surrounding environment. Although it was a forest, the entire scene looked as if a fantasy mod had been added, appearing quite vibrant.
Xia Huanao reached out and touched a nearby tree. "This tree feels so soft. I feel like I've entered a Fairy-type Secret Zone, not a Bug-type one."
Chu Xiaodie crouched down and picked a colorful flower. "This flower is so beautiful. Is this really a Bug-type Secret Zone?"
As soon as she spoke, they heard a buzzing sound. They followed the sound and saw three Combees floating above them.
Chu Xiaodie waved her hand. "Hello, Combee!"
The Combee flapped its wings and descended, dancing before Chu Xiaodie. Chu Xiaodie reached out and touched the red triangle on the Combee's head. "Combee, do you know if there are any Ribombee around here? Could you take us to find them?"
The Combee tilted its body. Chu Xiaodie turned to Xia Huanao. "Coach Xia, can you show her a picture of Ribombee?"
Xia Huanao took out his Pokedex and found the page for Ribombee. "This one. Can you lead us to it?"
The Combee looked at the Ribombee's Pokedex entry for a moment, then flew off in the distance.
"Let's follow!"
While chasing the Combee that was leading them, Xia Huanao asked Chu Xiaodie, "Xiaodie, what was that just now? While I can gain the friendship of Pokémon to a certain extent, it takes time. You were so fast."
Chu Xiaodie smiled. "Well, I'm naturally affinity with various Bug-type Pokémon. While I can't fully understand them, I can understand what they're saying to some extent."
Xia Huanao gave Chu Xiaodie a thumbs-up. "If that's the case, can't you use Bug-type Pokémon as intermediaries to understand what all Pokémon are saying?"
Chu Xiaodie shook her head. "It's not that powerful, there's still some gap. Coach Xia, please keep this a secret for me."
Xia Huanao nodded. "Don't worry, I'll definitely keep it a secret."
The two continued to follow the Combee through the forest for a while longer, arriving at a small stream. The stream's color was also strange, half blue and half pink. The two colors blended together, not appearing odd but rather harmonizing with the surroundings.
Xia Huanao took out a Poké Ball. "Rotom, is this water drinkable?"
Rotom emerged from the Poké Ball and flew over the stream to examine it closely. "It should be drinkable, Rotom."
Xia Huanao, still uneasy, asked the system. "System, is the water here drinkable? Will it cause any trouble for me?"
The system replied, "Hold some up for me to see."
Xia Huanao bent down and scooped up a handful of water from the stream. "How is it, System? Any problems?"
After a quick chemical and physical analysis, the system concluded: the water is drinkable, and because the energy level of this Xian Shan City Secret Zone is quite high, drinking this water will have some special effects.
Although Xia Huanao wanted to boldly drink the water, he was unsure of what these special effects might be. If it were something like gaining weight or height, it would be acceptable. But what if it caused a genetic mutation and he grew green hair? That would be too absurd.
Meanwhile, Chu Xiaodie had already drunk the water. "This water is so sweet."
Seeing that Chu Xiaodie had already drunk the water, Xia Huanao cautiously licked a couple of mouthfuls of water from his hand, carefully blocking his face so Chu Xiaodie wouldn't notice.
He tasted the water on his lips. It was indeed very sweet. However, Xia Huanao could understand such a change. After all, this was a Secret Zone in Xian Shan City, a place already rich in legends and myths. Having such sweet water was not strange, especially since this was a Bug-type Secret Zone. No Bug-type Pokémon in the world could resist the temptation of sweet water. Even when applying honey to trees, Bug-type Pokémon tend to appear more frequently...
After Xia Huanao and Chu Xiaodie drank their fill, the Combee vibrated its wings again and flew further into the distance.