Paul and Myles hadn’t expected to encounter other people so soon in such a vast Secret Realm. They silently cursed their bad luck. Completely unprepared, they had been caught off guard by the Scizor and the Escavalier.

After just one encounter, one of their main Pokémon had lost its combat effectiveness, and the other was seriously injured. The difference in power between the two sides was glaringly obvious.

“Brother, we admit defeat. These Pokémon are yours. Please let us go,” Paul said, raising his hands in surrender. He had already recognized the gap in strength between them. He couldn’t get the four Treecko. The priority now was survival.

Deaths in Secret Realms were not uncommon.

Myles’ eyes were red with frustration as he watched their newfound wealth disappear. Four Treecko could fetch 100,000 Pokédollars each—that would have been 400,000 Pokédollars total. A small fortune, gone.

“You must leave the Secret Realm immediately through the exit in the sky,” Jacob said after looking at the two men, finally deciding to let them go. First, he wasn’t bloodthirsty, and second, these men posed no threat to him. He simply didn’t want to be seen killing anyone.

Paul and Myles looked at each other, their eyes betraying their reluctance. The Secret Realm was filled with treasures, and leaving empty-handed was bad enough without considering the medical costs they’d incur. However, they were outmatched and had no choice.

Under the threatening presence of Scizor and Escavalier, the two trainers had no option but to summon their Flying-type Pokémon and depart from the Secret Realm.

After watching them leave, Jacob finally had time to examine the two Treecko lying on the ground. The other two Treecko had long disappeared, likely slipping away during his conversation with Paul.

Only these two severely injured Treecko remained. Fortunately, Jacob had brought some medicine, which he quickly applied to the Treecko’s wounds.

He had just finished treating them when Scizor suddenly issued a warning. Not far away, at the forest’s edge, a dozen Treecko appeared, accompanied by four or five Grovyle and led by two Sceptile.

The dense group of Pokémon dazzled Jacob, and his eyes fixed on the two Sceptile at the front. One male and one female, they possessed gym leader-level and king-level qualifications respectively, with their combat power at gym leader level.

Several Grovyle had all reached lord level or above, with one even reaching overlord level.

The dozen or so Treecko were slightly less impressive—the lowest at elite level, averaging lord level—but one Treecko had reached king level!

[Treecko]

Gender: Male

Type: Grass

Qualification: King level

Ability: Overgrow

Moves: Fury Cutter, Leaf Storm, Grassy Terrain, Dragon Breath, Grass Whistle, Leech Seed, Magical Leaf, Synthesis, Worry Seed, Feint Attack, Pound, Leer, Absorb, Quick Attack, Mega Drain

This Treecko seemed to be Jacob’s mission target, which made him curious about the qualifications of the Bulbasaur in the Bulbasaur tribe. It should be at least king level, or the system wouldn’t allow him to catch it.

While Jacob was lost in thought, the lead Sceptile suddenly attacked. The leaf blade on its wrist burst with green energy as it slashed toward Jacob.

“Escavalier, use Megahorn!”

In the rush, Jacob could only command Escavalier to launch a head-on attack to interrupt Sceptile’s assault. The Bug-type move had an advantage against Grass-type moves like Leaf Blade. With both sides at gym leader level in combat power, Escavalier gained the upper hand with one attack.

“Wait!” Jacob quickly called out as the two sides clashed. “We have no ill intentions. I didn’t hurt these little ones—I was saving them. I just gave them medicine.”

Jacob clearly didn’t want to be misunderstood, so he quickly handed the two Treecko to the Sceptile. At this moment, the two Treecko that had disappeared earlier also appeared and explained to Sceptile that Jacob wasn’t their attacker but their savior.

After hearing the Treecko’s account, the lead Sceptile stopped and stood where he was, regarding Jacob with a cold, proud expression. It must be said that Sceptile is truly one of the most handsome Pokémon, ranking among the top three in appearance.

“Sceptile.”

The Sceptile made a low sound toward Jacob, seemingly expressing gratitude, though Jacob couldn’t understand and could only fill in the blanks with his imagination.

He’s probably thanking me, Jacob thought.

After Sceptile spoke at length, he prepared to leave and return to his tribe’s territory.

Seeing the Sceptile tribe about to depart, Jacob certainly wasn’t willing to accept this outcome. “Wait, Sceptile,” he quickly said. “I want to capture a Treecko as my companion.”

Jacob’s words made Sceptile stop and turn to look at him coldly, murderous intent evident in his face.

“I have no ill will toward you, and I won’t capture any Treecko by force,” Jacob explained. “But I hope you can give your offspring a chance to leave this Secret Realm with me and see the outside world. Moreover, your Secret Realm will soon merge with the real world, and by then many humans will discover your existence. Even if you’re strong, your children will inevitably be captured.” Jacob felt the deadly intent in Sceptile’s eyes and tried to persuade it by explaining the situation logically while appealing to its emotions.

“Sceptile.”

The Sceptile made a cold sound, which made Jacob scratch his head. The language barrier was indeed a challenge. It seemed it was time to capture a Psychic-type Pokémon to act as his translator, Jacob couldn’t help thinking.

So Jacob continued addressing the Sceptile before him: “Your homeland will be invaded by humans. You have only two options. One is to be captured and leave here, and the other is to be kept in captivity here. I believe neither outcome is what you want. So if any of you are willing to leave with me, I will definitely treat you as my partners.”

Jacob looked at the Sceptile seriously as he spoke. As he said, Pokémon discovered in Secret Realms faced only two fates, and even Jacob was powerless to change this reality.

“Sceptile.”

When the lead Sceptile heard Jacob’s words, his face filled with anger, and he stared at Jacob with murderous eyes.

Jacob could only continue: “Why not give me a chance? You fight with my Escavalier. If you win, I’ll leave immediately. If you lose, I hope you’ll allow me to capture a Treecko. Soon, stronger trainers will come with Pokémon much more powerful than Escavalier. They won’t reason with you—they’ll only use force to capture you.”

“Sceptile.” After hearing Jacob’s proposal, the Sceptile fixed his gaze on Escavalier, then roared at his companions.

The other Sceptile, Grovyle, and Treecko all moved away, leaving ample space for Sceptile and Escavalier.

The powerful Sceptile looked at Escavalier with fighting spirit, grass energy glowing at his wrist, ready to attack at any moment.

“You agree?”

“Sceptile.” The Sceptile nodded, then took the initiative and launched his attack!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep