Inside the Top-tier secret realm in Pannar, Julian rode atop Moltres, with Metagross by his side and Celebi above his head. It was a setup that maximized both style and safety.
Of course, there was no one around to witness his display at the moment.
He had rejected Omar's suggestion to enter the secret realm together, deciding instead to venture in alone.
As for safety, unless a First-class Legendary was involved, it would be extremely difficult for anything to hold him back.
Seeing Julian's firm stance, Omar had no choice but to agree.
Before Julian came to Pannar, they had already sent him detailed information about this Top-tier secret realm.
It included the terrain, resource distribution, Pokémon species, and area divisions.
Julian had memorized all the data at a glance, and Metagross had also copied the information.
If Metagross had a detailed map in its mind, it could instantly teleport Julian to any specific location within the allowed range of its teleportation ability.
Julian held the Dowsing Machine in his hand, wanting to see if the riot was caused by the birth of some rare treasure inside.
But with the Dowsing Machine’s limited range, it would take at least several days to fully explore the entire secret realm.
"Do you sense anything unusual?"
Julian asked Celebi above his head.
"The natural energy here feels violent," Celebi replied.
Julian hadn’t expected much from Celebi, but to his surprise, it actually gave an answer.
"What does that mean?" Julian asked, puzzled.
Celebi: "It means exactly what I said."
"Don’t you want fried chicken anymore?"
Celebi’s expression instantly turned serious: "Natural energy is usually calm and slow-moving, but here it feels like boiling water."
Now Julian understood what it meant.
"Do you know what's causing it?"
Celebi shook its head. It could only sense the turbulence of the natural energy but didn't know the specific cause. Even in its long life, this was the first time it had encountered such a situation.
"Why are their Auras so restless?"
Julian wondered aloud, looking at the Pokémon below.
Moltres constantly emitted its presence, so along the way no wild Pokémon dared to block them.
However, Julian's Aura senses detected that the Pokémon below were radiating thick waves of unease.
"Metagross, grab one," Julian said.
Metagross nodded, and the next second a Farfetch’d was caught and brought over.
"Far?!"
The duck looked at Julian in panic, not knowing why it had been suddenly brought here.
"I ask, you answer," Julian said.
Farfetch’d: "Why should I?"
"Meta~"
Metagross: "Want to die?"
Its claw was already pressed against Farfetch’d’s neck.
Farfetch’d nodded frantically.
Julian scolded, "Coward."
Farfetch'd: "You're right."
Julian: 凸 -.- 凸
"Why are you trying to escape the secret realm?"
Farfetch’d: "Because we want to go out, quack."
Julian's face darkened: "Why do you want to leave? Isn't it good to stay here?"
Farfetch'd: "It's not good, quack."
Julian took a deep breath.
"Why is it not good?"
Farfetch'd: "Not good is not good."
Julian: "Kill it. We're having duck tonight."
In Pannar, people didn't eat the meat of any Pokémon, not even those with regenerative abilities. So Farfetch’d—a highly delicious Pokémon—could still be found in large numbers in their secret realms and in the wild.
Unlike in some countries, where Farfetch’d was nearly eaten to extinction.
Farfetch'd: "Don't kill me, quack! I'm a good duck, quack!"
"Then tell me, why isn't it good here?"
Farfetch’d thought for a moment: "Because staying here feels uncomfortable, but it seems a bit better now."
That was basically the same as saying nothing.
As for why it felt better now, it was probably because the secret realm was in its stable phase, making it more comfortable. Once the stable phase ended, the discomfort would likely return.
Julian gave Metagross a look, and it tossed the Farfetch’d away.
"Catch me a Psychic-type," Julian said.
The reason for wanting a Psychic-type was that they generally had higher intelligence. Even weaker ones usually had intelligence comparable to humans.
About five minutes later, Metagross caught a Gothita. The little one was so terrified it burst into tears, afraid Metagross would eat it in one bite.
"I ask, you answer, or I’ll feed you to Metagross," Julian threatened.
Metagross cooperated by showing an expression like it loved eating children.
And then, Gothita’s eyes rolled back and it fainted from fear.
Julian glared at Metagross: "You scared it unconscious."
Metagross rolled its eyes, clearly saying: 'You’re the one who scared it, don’t blame me.'
After some effort, Julian finally managed to learn something from an Alakazam.
The reason the Pokémon inside the secret realm wanted to escape was because they sensed a crisis—a feeling that the secret realm was about to be destroyed. That was why they were trying to leave.
Otherwise, they naturally wouldn't want to leave the secret realm that had nurtured them and was rich in energy.
"Destruction of the secret realm?"
Julian muttered.
Secret realms didn't get destroyed; they simply disappeared. After disappearing, one would reappear at another time, in another place.
The higher the level of a secret realm, the longer it would exist.
When it came to Advanced-level secret realms or higher, it was basically very rare for them to disappear. Only Beginner- and Intermediate-level secret realms had a high chance of disappearing.
When a secret realm was about to disappear, it would eject all non-native creatures from within.
Disappearance was not the same as destruction.
In all the years since secret realms were discovered, apart from those destroyed by humans, no case of natural destruction had ever been recorded.
Now that Alakazam said this realm was on the verge of destruction, human-caused destruction could basically be ruled out. It was very likely natural destruction.
Natural destruction had a process; it was not instantaneous. During that process, more and more Pokémon would flee the realm.
Those that left the secret realm would find it extremely difficult to adapt. Moreover, if too many escaped at once, it could easily cause significant damage to nearby cities.
And a Top-tier secret realm contained at least over a billion Pokémon. If that many were to escape, Pannar, with its limited land, wouldn’t have enough space to accommodate them all.
In the end, in order to fight for living space, those Pokémon would have no choice but to invade human territory. At that point, war would be inevitably.
"Why is this secret realm being destroyed?"
Destruction must have a cause. Did secret realms have a lifespan?
Alakazam shook its head. It didn’t know why the secret realm was being destroyed, but its instincts told it that this realm had already reached the end of its path.
If it didn’t leave, it would vanish alongside the secret realm.
After letting Alakazam go, Julian turned to Celebi and was about to ask something but then stopped.
"Never mind."
His words instantly made Celebi furious. Who did he think he was looking down on?
*****
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