Pokémon: Master System.

Here's another picture of Teacher Long.

Chapter 137 Return to the Grass and Insect Realm

Two weeks later, time flew by.

With the help of Dragon Scales, Noctua became the third Pokémon after Dragapult and Grovyle to break through to the Lord level, and learned the Blow Away move, going further and further down the path of being annoying.

The forest lizard's strength has steadily increased, and it has learned two skills: slamming and shadow clones, bringing it close to the edge of evolution.

Charmeleon's progress is a bit slow; it remains at the peak of the elite level, stuck on the verge of breaking through to the lord level.

Ya Ya's strength increased rapidly, reaching the elite level as well, and she learned the terrifying face skill.

As for Doromesia, with the combined effects of the Punishment Pot and Dragon Scales, its theoretical strength surpasses that of the Forest Lizard, ranking first in Xia Yu's team, but its actual combat ability is quite poor.

…………

After the training session on Saturday morning, Xia Yu boarded a plane to Xishu Province, escorted by his uncle.

"Xiaoyu, thanks to you, this is a rare business trip for me," Uncle Lin Xueyang said jokingly to Xia Yu.

"Uncle, I'd like to trouble you to give me a ride." Xia Yu asked, "Should we take a car or a Flying-type Pokémon?"

"Let's get in the car." Lin Xueyang and Xia Yu had two main tasks for returning to Western Shu this time: one was to protect Xia Yu, and the other was to check on how business was at the Grass and Insect Secret Realm. The Grass and Insect Secret Realm had been open for a week, and business was said to be booming. The Pokémon Association of the Capital also sent Lin Xueyang to conduct research on the way.

When the two returned to Starlight City, it was already 7 p.m. The old man had already booked a hotel, and the whole family was waiting for Lin Xueyang and Xia Yu to have dinner outside.

"Dad, Mom, Brother, Sister-in-law..." When Xia Yu and his uncle entered the private room, it was already full of people, except for the two of them.

"You're back? Please sit down. You must be exhausted from the journey." Mom looked at Xia Yu, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, with a hint of heartache in her eyes. She then said to the waiter standing at the door, "The food can be served now, waiter."

"Come, Xueyang, sit here." The seat reserved for Lin Xueyang was naturally the head seat. Older father Xia Yong pulled Lin Xueyang to sit in the head seat: "You must be tired from your journey, Xueyang. Xiaoyu caused you trouble in the capital. We'll need you to guide the work in the secret realm tomorrow. Let me toast you."

"Brother-in-law, I wouldn't dare to offer guidance. I'm just here to learn from the success of the Grass and Insect Secret Realm and try to promote it to all secret realms across the country," Lin Xueyang said modestly.

"Xia Yong." Seeing her husband and younger brother talking about work as soon as they met, Mom said, "Let Xueyang and the others eat something first to fill their stomachs. It's already seven o'clock. We can talk about work later."

"Mine, mine." Xia Yong listened to his wife, or rather, most men from Sichuan and Chongqing were like that: "Let's eat first, let's eat."

Besides Xia Yu's family, his sister-in-law's family was also at the dinner table; there were no outsiders, just a simple family meal. Having not seen his older brother for a long time, Xia Yu noticed he had grown a beard and looked much more mature and composed.

"Hey bro, are you going for a mature, handsome look?" Xia Yu couldn't help but tease, then whispered.

“Men naturally become more mature and stable after they settle down and start a family.” Xia Luo said calmly, with a pretentious air, “You’ll understand when you’re older. You’re still young.”

Xia Yu couldn't stand his older brother's pretentious attitude and couldn't help but tease him, "Bro, what about your alternate Douyin account..."

"Ahem, eat more vegetables. You must miss your hometown food in Beijing, Xiaoyu." Xia Luo, who had been holding back at the dinner table for a long time, broke down in a second and lowered his voice: "I'm going to be a father now, so I naturally have to be more mature."

"Your sister-in-law is pregnant? Why didn't you tell me?" Xia Yu was shocked.

"Mom said it's only been a month, so we can't say anything yet. We need to wait at least three months for things to stabilize," Xia Luo replied.

…………

The atmosphere at the dinner table was very lively. Except for his sister-in-law Yu Mengyu, who couldn't drink due to special circumstances, almost everyone had a little to drink. Xia Yu was no exception, and he drank quite a lot. By the end, his head was throbbing and he felt dizzy.

Xia Yu drank so much, it's all Xia Luo's fault. Xia Luo was probably afraid Xia Yu would reveal his little secret, so he kept urging Xia Yu to drink. To others, this just looked like the two brothers had a good relationship, being so close even after not seeing each other for a long time.

Xia Yu, on the other hand, had no words to express his suffering. This was called having a good relationship; his older brother wished he could poison him to make him mute.

Xia Yu heard a lot of news at the dinner table, the most important of which was about the Grass Insect Secret Realm.

The Grass and Insect Paradise has been open for a week and business is booming.

Because some Grass/Insect type Pokémon are more accessible to the average player, the Grass/Insect Realm is specifically divided into six areas.

First, there are ordinary Grass-type areas; second, ordinary Insect-type areas; third, advanced Grass-type areas; fourth, advanced Insect-type areas; fifth, forbidden areas; and sixth, tourist areas.

Two of the regular areas are located on the outer edge of the secret realm, where Bug and Grass-type energy is relatively weak, and are open to ordinary trainers.

The fee for the two regular areas is 100,000 yuan per year for each area. That is to say, it costs a total of 200,000 yuan to freely enter the two regular areas. After paying, you can go to the two areas to train and raise Pokémon. However, the quota cannot be transferred or traded, and it does not include the business of hatching Pokémon eggs.

At the same time, each person can only bring a maximum of three Pokémon into the park. The price is acceptable for ordinary people and families if they grit their teeth. In addition, the park also thoughtfully offers installment payment options. Moreover, ordinary members who sign up for the park on the first day enjoy a 8% discount. On the first day of its opening, the park's revenue reached several hundred million just from this one service.

Of course, this wicked suggestion was made by Xia Yu. As a useless 21st-century youth who had been poisoned by various game companies and merchants in his previous life, he now used this method in this world exactly as it was. It was time for them to feel the fear from capitalists.

At Xia Yu's suggestion, the higher-ups at Grass and Insect Secret Realm have decided to promote the idea that grass-based energy can prolong life and improve health in the tourist area. They will also launch advertising campaigns and build the only five-star hotel in Starlight City, as well as a large-scale tourist base and a family-friendly amusement park.

Xia Yu's goal is to fully open up the secret realm and transform it into a comprehensive place integrating tourism, leisure, and training. After all, women, children, and the elderly are the easiest to earn money from. As for men's money, let's not even mention it.

Having discussed the ordinary areas, let's move on to the advanced areas. These advanced areas are naturally the core areas built to cater to wealthy and powerful elites. Therefore, they are not only luxuriously decorated, but also located within the inner circle of the secret realm, rich in grass and insect-type energy. They are spacious, quiet, and have dedicated access routes.

Similarly, the premium area still uses a membership system. Unlike the regular membership, it offers four types of memberships: Gold, Platinum, Diamond, and Black Card. There is no annual fee; instead, it uses a pre-paid method.

Gold members need to deposit 100 million yuan into their card and have a total annual spending of no less than 100 million yuan.

Platinum members need to deposit 200 million into their card and spend no less than 200 million annually in the Secret Realm.

The Diamond Membership Card is an application-based card with real-name registration. Not only does it not require pre-deposit on the card, but it also allows overdrafts up to 200 million.

The final Black Card members are even more special. Only Black Card members can enter the forbidden areas of the Grass and Insect Secret Realm. Only 10 membership slots were opened for the first time, and they will not be issued to the public after that. To become a new Black Card member, one can only be introduced and guaranteed by an existing member.

Gold and platinum membership cards are obviously designed to make money.

Diamond and black card memberships are reserved for the truly powerful and wealthy, because people in this class care more about their image than money.

Chapter 138 Reencounter with Zhao Ruohan

The next morning, when Xia Yu woke up, he felt dizzy and had a splitting headache. He seriously doubted whether his alcohol tolerance was too low. He couldn't outdrink Teacher Long, he couldn't outdrink his older brother, and it seemed like even the dogs on the street could drink more than him.

Xia Yu shook his head, his heart filled with resentment towards Xia Luo. Xia Luo had been too ruthless yesterday, forcing him to drink one glass after another until Xia Yu blacked out and even forgot how to get home.

All I did was mention your alternate Douyin account. Why are you being so petty?

Rubbing his head, Xia Yu got up, took a shower to clear his head, then ate breakfast and went to the Grass Insect Secret Realm with his uncle.

Xia Yu rushed back from the capital this time specifically to visit the Grass and Insect Secret Realm.

Because the Forest Lizard is now close to the edge of evolution and could evolve at any time, and because it has been cultivating in the Dragon-type Secret Realm for a long time, its Dragon-type energy is already rich enough, but its Grass-type energy is relatively lacking.

The abundant grass-type energy within the Grass and Insect Secret Realm perfectly compensates for the Forest Lizard's weakness. That's why Xia Yu rushed back to Starlight City in order to allow the Forest Lizard to evolve perfectly.

Although the back-and-forth travel was exhausting, Xia Yu felt that everything he did was worthwhile as long as he could help the forest lizard evolve perfectly.

Xia Yu looks forward to stepping onto the stage of the High School Cup with the Forest Lizard.

…………

"Your dad and brother have an incredible alcohol tolerance," Uncle Lin Xueyang remarked, still feeling lingering fear when he woke up today.

As a guest who had come from afar, Lin Xueyang was naturally the main target of everyone's attacks at the dinner table. To be honest, under the onslaught of everyone, the younger uncle didn't last as long as Xia Yu and was quickly drunk to the point of passing out, forgetting everything that happened afterward.

"They both really enjoy drinking; they're quite adept at socializing all the time," Xia Yu explained.

"And what about you?" the uncle asked Xia Yu. "Your alcohol tolerance must be pretty good too."

"I'm no match for them."

"Really? When we get back to the capital, I'll test your drinking capacity, and while I'm at it, I'll invite your master along. Hmm... let's wait for Dragon King to return," Lin Xueyang said.

Speaking of Long Fan, Xia Yu hadn't seen Long Tianwang for a long time. Ever since Long Tianwang went on a mission, there had been no news of him, and it seemed that his Aluminum Steel Dragon was also stranded.

…………

As the two were talking, they arrived at the advanced area of ​​the secret realm. At this moment, thirty young people were standing in the training ground of the advanced area. Old Man Xia Yong was supervising the training of these young people. They were the first training class of the Grass Insect Secret Realm.

Although the training program at the Grass and Insect Secret Realm started three months later than other training programs and the training period was shortened to only three months, it still attracted many people to sign up.

As the instructor of the first training class, Xia Yong, the old man, put in a lot of effort to train these young people, with the aim of helping them achieve good results in the University Cup and make the Grass and Insect Secret Realm a well-known brand.

As Xia Yu and Lin Xueyang passed by the upscale area, they glanced at the group of young people and discovered that many of them were Xia Yu's classmates.

"Isn't this Xia Yu?"

"It really is! Wasn't he training in the Dragon Realm in the capital? Why is he back?"

"If you ask me, he must have been kicked out because he couldn't keep up with the training schedule."

…………

The crowd was abuzz with gossip, their suspicions and jealousy fueling Xia Yu's sudden return.

There are always some people who, seeing Xia Yu suddenly become famous, a celebrity in China, making a lot of money, and living a better and better life, are twisted by their competitive and jealous mentality, filling them with malice towards Xia Yu. Just a few months ago, they were all studying at the same school, but Xia Yu has suddenly created such a huge gap between them, how can they accept this?

Xia Yu was naturally unaware of these people's sinister intentions, and even if he had, he wouldn't have cared or bothered with them.

When Xia Yu passed by the high-end area, he immediately spotted Zhao Ruohan in the crowd. Even in the simplest of outfits, she was always the most eye-catching one.

At that moment, she was focused on training her Pokémon, her gaze fleeting over Xia Yu. Beside Zhao Ruohan, a short-haired girl gently nudged her with her elbow.

"Ruohan, look, Xia Yu is back." The short-haired girl's voice was somewhat androgynous, like a tomboy, as she teased Zhao Ruohan: "You know, Master Xia values ​​you so much, could it be that he wants you to marry Xia Yu? If you ask me, Xia Yu is actually quite good, handsome and talented."

"You're overthinking it," Zhao Ruohan replied calmly.

She knew, of course, why Xia Yong valued her so much—because she had signed a lifetime contract with the Xia family.

Originally, she only signed a 20-year contract with the Xia family, but after she expressed her desire to become a trainer and participate in this year's High School Cup, Xia Yong agreed to her request, but on the condition that she sign a lifetime contract.

Although, as the short-haired girl said, Xia Yong did value her highly, the two were not related, so Xia Yong would not provide her with a starter Pokémon for free, nor would he spend money and effort to train her into an excellent trainer.

After all, all investments are meant to yield returns.

Xia Yong is willing to pay the money, but the key question is what kind of return Zhao Ruohan can bring him.