"Smooth Rock"
"Cheri Berry"
"Quick Claw"
Julian was deep within the secret realm, fully engrossed in his treasure hunt.
With the Dowsing Machine in hand, he ignored the smaller red dots that indicated ordinary items, focusing instead on larger, more promising signals.
By the end of the day, he'd collected over a dozen treasures, including more than a hundred berries, thanks to discovering a well-hidden Berry field.
The Berry field had been guarded by a pair of Advanced Ursaring, but they were no match for his Metagross, who took them down swiftly with Meteor Mash.
He hadn't encountered anyone else during the hunt. The intermediate secret realm was vast, spanning the size of three or four cities, and only a few Trainers ventured in. So there was a close to zero chance of encountering someone.
Julian dismounted Metagross at the edge of a lake. The Dowsing Machine pointed towards the water about a kilometer ahead, signaling treasure buried beneath the surface.
Without hesitation, Julian released Dragonair from its Poké Ball.
"Dragonair, take this," he said, handing it the Dowsing Machine. "Find the treasure hidden under the lake."
Dragonair nodded, gripping the machine in its mouth before diving gracefully into the lake. Julian stayed on shore, knowing that following Dragonair would only slow it down.
His Pokémon's strength was more than enough to handle any water-dwelling threats.
Above the lake, dozens of Butterfree danced in the air, engaged in a courtship ritual. Even with Julian nearby, they didn't pause their graceful display.
On the rocky shoreline, more than a dozen Slowpoke lay on their backs, lazily dipping their tails into the lake to fish for Shellder.
As one Slowpoke's expression shifted, it yanked its tail out of the water, revealing a Magikarp latched onto it instead of the Shellder it had hoped for.
Julian's curiosity got the better of him, and he scanned the nearby Pokémon with his probing eyes. Most of the Butterfree had ordinary potential, but one of the Slowpoke caught his attention, making him stop in his tracks.
Pokémon: Slowpoke (Water/Psychic)
Level: 20
Qualification: Cyan
Ability: Oblivious
Gender: Female
Moves: Tackle, Curse, Water Gun, Confusion, Yawn, Disable, Water Pulse
Disc Moves: none
Genetic Moves: Scald, Trick, Calm Mind, Psyshock
A Slowpoke with cyan-tier potential! This was exactly what Julian had been searching for.
His luck as a transmigrator had finally kicked in again. The first one was him becoming a descendant of Walker family and the other being the emergence of system this year.
Unlike the fantastical luck of other transmigrators who stumble upon a object and it turns out to be a legendary artifact or buying a pet that contains the blood of a divine beast, etc.
Julian's fortunes were more grounded—but finding this Slowpoke was a true stroke of good luck.
"Metagross, Bullet Punch!" Julian ordered with a grin.
Slowpoke was happily catching Shellder, but was KO'd by Metagross before he could react. Metagross knocked it out cold with a swift strike.
Slowpoke: ??_??
Julian tossed a Poké Ball, capturing the cyan-qualified Slowpoke with ease.
Not long after, Dragonair resurfaced, carrying three glowing turquoise Water Stones in its coiled tail.
A few unconscious water type Pokémon floated on the surface in the aftermath of Dragonair's treasure hunt.
Julian inspected the stones, admiring their flawless quality.
"Top-tier Water Stones... not bad," he muttered, placing them into his system's storage.
By this time, the sun had set, and Julian decided to make camp by the lake.
Although setting up camp near water was generally risky—since many Pokémon came to drink at night
The best place to camp was on a hillside, or where there are few trees to reduce the number of Pokémon attacks.
Those who choose to station near lakes were either inexperienced rookies, or they have enough confidence-Julian felt confident in his team's ability to protect him.
Taking the tent out of the system space, with Lucario's help, he set it up quickly.
"Metagross, go find some dry branches for a fire," Julian instructed.
The stars were starting to shimmer above the lake, their light reflecting off the water. Occasionally, a Pokémon would leap out of the lake, adding to the peaceful yet magical scene.
Secret realms have their own unique natural system, most of the secret realms were the same as the outside world, the sun and the moon alternated, and the seasons changed.
Very few special secret realms had long days or nights, or were always in a certain season, such as long summer or winter.
But such secret realms were all high-level secret realms, even top tier realms, without exception.
It wasn't long before Metagross returned, dragging an entire dead tree behind it.
Julian was speechless for a while, and glanced at Lucario next to him. The latter understood, with a few well-placed chops, Lucario reduced the tree into arm-thick logs.
Julian decided not to release his newly captured Slowpoke just yet. With his Shellder nearby, there was a risk that it could accidentally evolve into a Slowbro, and that wasn't something Julian wanted.
Once the fire was going, Julian set up a grill over it, placing a large steak on top. The rich aroma quickly spread, causing his Pokémon to gather eagerly.
"Don't worry, there's enough for all of you," Julian chuckled as he cut portions for each of them.
Even though Pokémon could eat human food, too much of it over time would affect their health and strength. Human food was equivalent to junk food for Pokémon.
Trainers, especially experienced ones, knew that it was best to limit human food and stick to specialized Pokémon meals. Long-term effects might not show immediately, but it could reduce their lifespan or weaken them over time.
Thankfully, the market had plenty of Pokémon-friendly restaurants where meals were prepared in a way that retained the delicious flavors without sacrificing the nutritional needs of Pokémon.
These spots were always popular with Trainers, who loved treating their Pokémon to special meals after a hard day's work.
As the moon climbed higher in the sky, Julian leaned back against Dragonair's soft, serpentine body, with Meltan resting in his arms. Lucario sat cross-legged to his left, meditating and practicing Calm Mind, while Metagross had already dozed off on his right.
Aron, now doubled in size thanks to the Totem soul, frolicked by the water, and Shellder spat bubbles lazily from the lake.
Everything was calm and peaceful, a rare moment of serenity in the life of a treasure hunter.
Slowpoke: New members don't have any rights, do they?
*****
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