Does the World Tree Secret Realm exist?
It does. But in this world, it's only regarded as a mountain shaped like a towering giant tree for now.
So it's been sleeping.
I must go see it someday.
But for now…
The opening ceremony of the third-year tournament came to an end,
and it was time for the final of the second-year league!
Standing in front of Lin Yu was a boy wearing a brown windbreaker and a red baseball cap.
His name was Han Feng, a bright and cheerful teenager.
He stood tall and proud before Lin Yu,
his voice brimming with arrogance: "Let's have an exhilarating Pokémon battle!"
Yet it still stirred the fighting spirit in Lin Yu's heart.
Battles between Pokémon were supposed to be pure and unadulterated.
Especially when facing an opponent stronger than yourself.
[Pokémon: Butterfree]
[Ability: Compound Eyes]
[Gender: Male]
[Talent: Gym-tier]
[Level: 21]
[Moves: Tackle, Synthesis, String Shot, Stun Spore, Poison Powder, Sleep Powder, Gust, Thunder Wave…]
[Pokémon: Machop]
[Ability: Guts]
[Gender: Male]
[Talent: Gym-tier]
[Level: 23]
[Moves: Brick Break, Chop, Low Kick, Bulk Up, Karate Chop]
"You're strong. To be honest, if you had one more year, I'd definitely be no match for you!"
Han Feng said with a touch of emotion.
"You never know—maybe I already am."
Lin Yu replied with a gentle smile, his words showing no sign of backing down.
In his heart, though, he thought:
No wonder Senior Xue Nai said he was arrogant.
"Great! That's the kind of confidence I like!"
Han Feng was stunned for a moment, then filled with fighting spirit.
Two teenagers, like two needles pointing at each other—neither willing to admit defeat.
Machop locked eyes with Charmeleon, while Ralts stared down the Butterfree flying in the sky.
"Battle begin!"
The only thing Lin Yu worried about in this final was Ralts. No accessories were allowed in the final round.
That meant Ralts was only at Level 14 now, with very few moves at its disposal.
"Machop, use Bulk Up!"
"Butterfree, strike first—Thunder Wave!"
As a fanatical Pokémon lover, Han Feng never underestimated any opponent.
The over-one-meter-tall Machop immediately struck a pose on the field, its body glistening with sweat.
Meanwhile, the Butterfree in the sky quickly gathered electricity to form a Thunder Wave.
"Ralts, dodge!"
"Charmeleon, interrupt it! Fire Punch!"
Lin Yu's commands were quick—hardly had he finished speaking,
Charmeleon charged forward, blazing flames gathering around its fist.
Charmeleon was fast, but the moment it got close to Machop, the latter activated Bulk Up.
[Bulk Up]: Tense all muscles with full strength to boost Attack and Defense.
At that moment, Fire Punch slammed hard into Machop's body.
Boom!
Burn marks instantly appeared on Machop's body. From that one punch, a small section of its pectoral muscle caved in.
[Food Supply Station]: Unmatched strength—50% boost to Attack. Remaining time: 28 minutes.
This was the second time Lin Yu had used this Entry's power,
and it gave him a huge surprise.
"Mach!"
Machop stared at the punch in disbelief, its expression contorted with pain and anger.
On the other side, the Thunder Wave凝聚ed quickly, completely engulfing Ralts and causing it to dissipate like an energy body—
only to reappear high in the sky.
Substitute.
Once again, it had saved the day.
Lin Yu's instruction to Ralts was simple: keep Butterfree in check.
This Butterfree had an incredibly diverse movepool.
He'd heard it was Han Feng's very first Pokémon.
"Low Kick!"
It wasn't so much that Han Feng reacted quickly, but that Machop itself was fast—evident from its bulging muscles.
This was an excellent Machop.
The kick landed squarely on Charmeleon's leg.
[Low Kick]: Knock the opponent to the ground. The heavier the opponent, the greater the damage.
After landing the kick, however, Machop didn't pursue further. Instead, it rubbed the area where Fire Punch had hit, struggling to recover.
Is this really a Fire-type Pokémon?
How can its fist feel harder than mine?
"Butterfree, Thunder Wave again! Follow up with Sleep Powder and Gust!"
Crackling electricity gathered once more, but this time, the target was Charmeleon.
"Flamethrower Whirlpool!"
Lin Yu refused to fall behind, and at the same time, sent a telepathic command to Ralts to use Confusion.
A ring of fire erupted, incinerating the oncoming Thunder Wave completely.
At the same moment, a ball of Confusion struck Butterfree.
Butterfree endured the pain, sprinkling scales from its wings while flapping them vigorously.
"Dodge!"
The Gust's target was clear: it was only meant to spread the powder. So Ralts dodged it easily.
Han Feng's expression turned grave.
It was only then that he finally realized—
this boy in front of him really had the strength to stand against him.
He'd actually intended for the Sleep Powder to be dodged; his plan was to spread it all over the battlefield.
True, Machop would also be affected by the Sleep Powder, but he trusted its willpower.
Furthermore, his Viridian Power was already quietly flowing.
With his advantage growing, how could he lose?
"Ralts, fly higher!"
Ralts's figure flickered, vanishing from its spot and reappearing abruptly in the sky.
Teleport.
Thanks to equipping [Combat Drain], Ralts had learned Teleport at that very moment.
Lin Yu smiled softly.
Spreading Sleep Powder all over the battlefield—did he really think that would stop Charmeleon from burning it away?
Little did he know, Charmeleon was immune to all negative status effects.
"Machop, Karate Chop!"
Having recovered, Machop's fist glowed with a bright white light as it slammed down at Charmeleon.
"Charmeleon, Fire Punch!"
The two figures collided violently—white light and flames clashing like streaks of light.
It had to be said: as a Fighting-type Pokémon, Machop executed its moves—Karate Chop, Chop, Brick Break—with incredible mastery.
In contrast, Charmeleon only knew Fire Punch and Flame Kick.
Right from the start, Charmeleon fell behind in skill.
But it held the upper hand in raw power.
Seeing this, Lin Yu quickly moved [Combat Drain] to Charmeleon.
As time passed, Charmeleon—who had been taking occasional punches—
gradually evened the odds with Machop. Thanks to its superior strength, it even started to press Machop back,
and even learned Karate Chop and Chop in the process.
"No! Machop, dodge! Butterfree, forget about Ralts—Poison Powder, plus Thunder Wave!"
A hint of panic appeared in Han Feng's eyes. He decided to take down Charmeleon first.
This Charmeleon's willpower was actually this strong!
Purple powder spread toward Charmeleon again with the Gust,
accompanied by a Thunder Wave nearly five to six meters in diameter. After unleashing these moves, Butterfree looked sluggish and exhausted.
"Yes! This is exactly what I've been waiting for!" A flash of brilliance appeared in Lin Yu's eyes.
He switched Entries once more.