Night fell.
On the quiet island,
a furious roar suddenly exploded into the air, sending flocks of Flying Pokémon scattering.
"WHAT THE HELL?! Who stole all my treasure?!"
The returning pirates and their captain were seething, swearing up a storm.
These weren't even stolen goods — they were treasures the pirates had gathered themselves.
The enraged captain turned his glare to the bound hostages.
"Who came here while we were gone?!"
The prisoners exchanged looks and stayed silent.
From their reaction,
the captain knew they'd seen something.
"Talk, and I'll let you go free."
Still, no one spoke.
Before leaving, Lin Yu had warned them it was a tiny island.
The captain's promise was empty.
Besides, the pirates wouldn't dare kill them.
If anyone died, they'd face the full wrath of the Pokémon League!
Fuming, the captain shouted at his crew:
"All of you, pair up and search the island! NOW!"
"Yes, sir!"
The pirates hastily set down their loot and fanned out.
But Lin Yu was hiding underwater, beneath the ship, using his [People of Water] Entry.
Who would ever think to look there?
"Alright, Dira."
Dira, holding the water back with Psychic, gave Lin Yu a quiet OK sign.
Then she teleported above deck and deliberately made a small noise.
"There!"
The captain's eyes lit up. The thief was still here!
Couldn't stay hidden forever!
"Thief! Stop right there!"
The captain charged after the shadow with his Golbat hot on his heels.
Meanwhile, Lin Yu summoned Gardevoir
and had her Teleport him back inside the ship.
He dragged all the Sand Gems onto the deck and stored them in his System Space.
Then he had Gardevoir Teleport him around the island, picking off the scattered pirates one by one.
Most of the pirates' Pokémon were only Gym-tier.
To Lin Yu, they were nothing but cannon fodder.
The gap in strength was enormous.
He didn't even need Charizard.
Frogadier and Gardevoir worked together, taking them down in just a few moves.
And then came a wonderful surprise.
Frogadier evolved into Greninja!
"Gekkouga!"
[Pokémon: Greninja]
[Ability: Protean + Torrent]
[Gender: Male]
[Talent: Champion-tier]
[Level: 37]
[Moves: Bubble, Water Pulse, Double Team, Aerial Ace, Dark Pulse, Grass Knot, Cut, Water Shuriken, Thunderbolt, Swords Dance…]
[Equipped Entries: Shiny Skin (Fixed), Bloodthirst, Aura of Water, Rasengan (Fixed), Water Healing, Ocean's Protection.]
After Charizard's evolution, Frogadier had finally evolved too!
Lin Yu's heart leaped with joy.
Truly, battles were the best catalyst for evolution!
Its sleek black body, deep blue eyes, sharp gaze…
this Greninja was a true ninja now!
By the time the pirate captain realized what was happening, most of his crew had gone silent.
A cold dread washed over him.
Many of his men had Golbat,
which could detect surroundings using sound waves.
Hardly any Pokémon could sneak past them.
Yet they'd all been taken down quietly.
That meant…
a Psychic-type Pokémon!
"DAMN IT!"
He raced back to the ship.
The Sand Gems were gone.
The hostages were gone.
He'd lost everything.
The captain roared in helpless fury, then fled the island in disgrace.
Deep in the island's forest,
Lin Yu had left the rescued hostages here.
"I chased the pirates away and called the League for help. Here's your Pokémon back."
"Thank you so much!"
The girl, around Lin Yu's age, cried tears of joy as she hugged her Pokémon again, wiping her eyes on his sleeve.
"I left food for you too. Good luck from here~"
With that, Lin Yu had Gardevoir lift him into the air.
He was heading for the Secret Realm on this island.
He still remembered what the pirates had talked about.
A Tyranitar inside?
Guided by his Aura Power, he followed the pirates' tracks and quickly found the Realm entrance.
Beside several large trees hung a rippling, watery portal.
Having explored many Secret Realms, Lin Yu recognized it at once.
He checked the quality of the Sand Gems he'd taken.
Perfect.
They were ideal for Ground and Rock-type Pokémon. Made into Energy Cubes,
they could reach A‑rank or even S‑rank power!
They'd also work perfectly for Ground-type Special Attack Energy Cubes.
Either way, they were priceless.
And the guidance from the Precious Pokémon Entry led straight inside!
It had to be Tyranitar.
To be safe, Lin Yu called out all his Pokémon.
"Rooaar?!" (You evolved too?)
The newly appeared Charizard saw Greninja's new form, nodded in approval, and its eyes lit up with battle spirit.
The two were constant sparring partners.
"No fighting yet. We've got exploring to do."
As an Advanced Professional Trainer, Lin Yu could now own up to six Pokémon.
The moment they stepped inside, the world shifted.
One second they were in a forest;
the next, they stood amid mountains.
Endless hills stretched out, covered in blowing sand.
A massive sandstorm raged across the land.
Gardevoir quickly cast Protect.
"Thanks, Gardevoir."
"What's with the sandstorm right when we enter?"
"BANGIRU!"
A earth-shaking roar thundered through the storm.
Lin Yu squinted into the center of the sand.
There stood a colossal Tyranitar, roaring in rage.
[Pokémon: Tyranitar]
[Ability: Sand Stream]
[Gender: Female]
[Talent: Champion-tier]
[Level: 58]
[Moves: Tackle, Fire Fang, Leer, Rock Throw, Thunder Fang, Dark Pulse, Bite, Crunch, Earthquake, Stone Edge, Hyper Beam…]
A Master-tier Tyranitar!
Before Lin Yu could react, the Tyranitar spotted him.
It charged straight toward him, fuming.
"Huh?!"
Lin Yu had no idea what he'd done, but his Aura could feel it —
this Tyranitar was furious.
"ROAR!!"
Charizard let out a mighty cry, soaring into the sky and unleashing a torrent of fire.
It wouldn't let the beast reach Lin Yu.
Greninja flipped its hands, its body flickering as dozens of copies appeared, rushing forward to intercept.
Lin Yu's gaze hardened. He reached for the Key Stone on his wrist.