As time went by, on the second day, the number of Poison-type Pokémon below had already exceeded 500,000. At the same time, including Julian and Freddie, there were now ten trainers who had arrived from various parts of the secret realm.
Anyone who could enter an Advanced secret realm was no ordinary person—being at the Elite-level was a given.
Among the eight other trainers, Julian didn’t recognize a single one, but fortunately, Freddie knew two of them.
He leaned in and whispered to Julian, “The one riding Charizard is ranked 68 on the Elite leaderboard, his strength is late Elite-level, and he’s from the Central South Province.”
“The one riding Fearow is from Imperial Capital, his strength is unknown.”
All eight trainers had their own flying mounts. When roaming outside, not having a flying Pokémon was incredibly inconvenient.
Just like now—the ground was already packed with Poison-type Pokémon. If you didn’t have a flying Pokémon, what would you do in this situation?
No matter what 'type' of trainer you were, having a flying Pokémon was essential.
Of course, raising one required a lot of resources, so only trainers who had reached a certain level of strength would choose to train one.
Those with insufficient strength would opt to rent one instead.
Julian didn't know these eight people, but they all recognized him.
It was hard not to recognize the iconic silver Metagross beside him.
A few of them visibly reacted upon seeing Julian, their expressions shifting ever so slightly. However, they concealed it well enough that others didn’t notice.
Still, Julian could sense two distinct waves of malice through his Aura.
Without drawing attention, he glanced at the two trainers—one was riding a Pelipper, and the other a Pidgeot.
It had to be said that Pidgeot was one of the most popular choices for a flying mount among trainers.
Pidgey were common, and Pidgeot were fast, looked cool, and they could even Mega Evolve, making them a solid choice for battle.
“Julian, do you want me to try recruiting those two?” Freddie asked.
He was referring to the two he recognized. But in truth, he only knew them by name and didn’t have much of a relationship with them.
“Do you think I have an endless supply of aptitude enhancing potions or something?”
Julian rolled his eyes, fully aware of what Freddie was getting at.
It was nothing more than using the potions to pull the two of them over to their side, and it might not even work. But even if it worked, Julian wouldn’t agree.
He was only teaming up with Freddie because of his relation to Frank. Otherwise, Julian would have preferred to act alone.
The ten trainers remained on guard against one another, keeping a distance of over hundred meters, no one spoke, each lost in their own thoughts.
After more than half an hour, someone finally broke the silence.
“I’m sure everyone here knows what’s causing the situation below.”
“Whether it’s a treasure or a Pokémon, we all want it.”
“But there’s only one of whatever it is, and there are ten of us. Not to mention, there’s no guarantee more people won’t show up later.”
The man seemed like he wanted to continue speaking, but another trainer impatiently interrupted, “Old Zane, just get to the point, stop beating around the bush. I’m a straightforward guy—I don’t understand all this roundabout talk.”
The speaker was a rugged-looking middle-aged man, clearly displeased.
The trainer named Zane chuckled at his words and said, “Since young Wald insists, I’ll be direct.”
“If anyone here chooses to withdraw, they’ll receive 5 billion. Of course, this money will be split among those who stay.”
A mocking voice scoffed, “You think five billion is enough to buy a Poison-type Ultimate treasure, a Poison-type Mythical Pokémon, or even a Poison-type Legendary Pokémon? That’s way too little.”
“Five billion is indeed not much, but let’s be real—there’s only one treasure. If it appears, we’ll inevitably fight for it. And once that happens, it’s either you die or I die.”
Zane's expression darkened slightly as he emphasized those last few words.
For a trainer to grow stronger, the most important thing—above all else—was resources.
In the early stages, pouring vast amounts of resources into a Pokémon was necessary for rapid strength growth. Later on, rare and powerful resources were needed to help the Pokémon break through their limits.
The importance of resources couldn’t be overstated.
And whenever precious resources appeared, bloodshed and death often followed.
This was especially true for civilian trainers. If they wanted to become strong, they had no choice but to fight for resources. Of course, this path also meant that either they or their Pokémon might not survive.
Zane’s words instantly silenced the trainer who had mocked him, while others fell into deep thought.
It was true—there was only one treasure, and they were all Elite-level trainers. If a fight broke out, even a stray attack might kill someone.
And who knew if some of them were already working together? There was no way to tell.
Once the fight started, it would turn into a chaotic free-for-all.
Elite trainers + chaotic battle + unrestricted combat—this combination meant that, at the very least, three or four of them would die.
If there were only two or three people involved, maybe they could take the risk.
But with ten people? There were too many variables to account for. A single mistake could be fatal.
“Think it over carefully,” Zane said.
Julian observed the old man and smirked. As expected, the older generation was much more cunning. With just a few words, he had already made some of them hesitate.
But that was good—fewer people meant less competition.
Julian decided to add fuel to the fire. “If anyone chooses to leave, I’ll personally add one Aptitude Enhancement Potion.”
If the offer of five billion had already made some hesitate—especially with the high likelihood of dying in the battle—then Julian’s words immediately made those on the fence make up their minds.
“Mr. Walker, are you serious?”
Everyone had heard about how potent the Walker family’s Aptitude Enhancement Potions were.
Julian said indifferently: “The Walker family never breaks their promise. Once you leave, just find my father—he’ll give it to you.”
Among the aristocratic families, the Walker family had a solid reputation, and in the eyes of common people, they were highly respected.
With Julian’s added incentive, four people quickly chose to withdraw.
“If any of you four go back on your word, as long as I’m alive, I’ll make sure you regret it,” Zane said coldly. “Julian, don’t you agree?”
Julian nodded: “Yeah, my grandfather hasn’t had much to do lately.”
In a secret realm, nothing was absolute, and no one could be fully trusted—especially strangers.
Who knew what these four were really thinking?
Were they truly backing out?
Or were they planning to lurk in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to take advantage of the situation?
The human heart was unpredictable, and both scenarios were possible. They couldn’t afford to let their guard down.
"Don't worry, I'm leaving now," one of the four said.
As soon as he stepped away, the remaining three also left.
Julian’s gaze lingered on one of them, among the two who had shown malice toward him, this man’s aura of malice had grown even stronger just before he left.
A faint smirk appeared on Julian’s lips, things were getting more and more interesting.
With four people gone, only six remained, and among them, Freddie was on Julian’s side, which meant the other four were his real opponents.
The atmosphere fell into silence once again, with only the Poison-type Pokémon below continuing to gather in greater numbers.
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