Pokémon: Master System

Having suffered a setback, Marshall and the others dared not follow Xia Yu any longer and could only return dejectedly, slinking away into the valley.

Marshall rode his Dragonite with a thoughtful expression on his face. Although he was in a very sorry state, deeper questions were taking root in his mind.

Why doesn't Xia Yu enter the valley to join the other Chinese champions, but instead keeps circling around the valley's perimeter and acting alone... Could there really be some treasure outside the valley?

Marshall felt increasingly uneasy. Although he dared not openly follow Xia Yu, other ideas began to sprout in his mind.

Thinking of this, Marshall took out his secret communicator and secretly sent a message.

Professional tasks should be left to professionals. A Dragon-type trainer like him is not suited to do such sneaky and stalking things.

…………

"Should we stay here any longer?" At the same time, on the outskirts of the valley, Wu Muyang asked Jiang Yu and Gao Yanxin beside him.

Wearing Team Rocket's iconic robe and a Flame mask, Wu Muyang felt slightly uneasy. This was his first time working on a mission with these seniors as a member of Team Rocket.

“We don’t need to go in,” Jiang Yu said after thinking for a moment. At the same time, he smiled, patted Wu Muyang on the shoulder, and comforted him, “You don’t need to be too nervous. Our Team Rocket missions are usually quite easy. Unless the boss gives us orders, we can just watch from outside and not join in the fun.”

Looking at the nervous Wu Muyang, Jiang Yu thought of his younger self. Sometimes, choices are far more important than hard work. Back then, he wisely chose to abandon the darkness and follow his boss, successfully making it on the right path.

If he continued to stay at Tianyu Group, he might not even be qualified to enter this secret realm.

"The boss sent a message." Just then, the secret realm communicator in Jiang Yu's hand vibrated slightly. The smile on his face immediately disappeared, and he looked at the message sent by Xia Yu with a serious expression.

“We don’t need to wait anymore.” After quickly glancing at the message, Jiang Yu read it again carefully to make sure he didn’t misread it. Then, he smiled and said to Wu Muyang, “The boss just sent a message saying we can leave and don’t need to stay here. He’s enough on his own.”

"Okay," Wu Muyang nodded in response.

“We are free to move around now…” Jiang Yu said, then turned his gaze to the two people beside him: “Lao Gao, Mu Yang, I studied the map of the secret realm carefully last night and found a place marked that may have a high-potential Pokémon. Let’s go and take a look together, and try to catch a high-potential Pokémon for you two.”

"Okay." Gao Yanxin nodded and replied, "Let's go take a look."

"Let's go, Muyang." Jiang Yu patted Wu Muyang on the shoulder and said in a senior's tone, "Don't feel any pressure this time you enter the secret realm. With so many of us here, we can handle everything. Your primary task is to catch Pokémon and improve your strength. This is a rare opportunity..."

"You're lucky. Your master is our boss. Under normal circumstances, someone like you wouldn't even qualify to enter this secret realm. At least one of the Four Heavenly Kings would be qualified to compete... So, Mu Yang, seize this opportunity!"

"Hoo." Wu Muyang also took a deep breath and nodded vigorously.

After his experience in the World Tree Secret Realm, he adjusted his mindset and recognized his shortcomings.

He may not be very strong right now, but he has the advantage of being young, only in his twenties, and has a long and promising future ahead of him, so there's no need to rush.

Most of the Pokémon he has are already at their peak potential, and now he faces the same choice that most trainers must make.

That means retraining high-potential Pokémon and starting from scratch!

"Let's go, let's set off!"

…………

Meanwhile, inside the mountain tunnel.

The four-person group from China ventured deeper into the cave. The dry air, carrying sand and dust, assaulted their senses. Underfoot was soft rock and sand, and each step kicked up fine dust.

The rock face was cracked due to drought, and the only source of light came from a few faint rays of sunlight shining through the cracks in the rock above, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the air.

"Ahem, put on your masks. There's too much dust in the air; inhaling too much can harm your health," Mi Ye reminded everyone. They always carried necessities like masks with them.

Hearing Mi Ye's words, everyone took out masks and put them on to protect themselves from the dust flying in the air as they continued to move forward in the dim light.

"Woo!"

The leader, Biligion, suddenly stopped and let out a clear, ethereal shout.

The faces of the Chinese people turned solemn as they looked up ahead. They seemed to have caught a strange scent, a fiery and wild aura emanating from ahead.

"Be careful." Mi Ye's voice rang out: "Vilijion, what have you discovered?"

"There's a very strong Pokémon ahead..." Virizion's voice slowly rang out. It raised its head, staring intently at the cave entrance ahead, its ethereal voice ringing out.

Everyone stopped, took a deep breath, and looked ahead.

"boom!"

The sudden burst of firelight made everyone tense. They looked up sharply and saw a giant canine Pokémon lying on the sand in the most open part of the cave, surrounded by sand that flickered with strange firelight, like a fireplace.

Its orange fur seemed to glow in the dim light, like a faint flame, more dazzling than the surrounding dust, and its black stripes gave it a mysterious and powerful feel.

Its orange ears twitched slightly, and it slowly raised its head, gazing at the people of China!

"Wind Speed ​​Dog!"

All eyes will be drawn to the Arcanine, and a hint of surprise will flash in their eyes.

"Woo!"

Arcanine let out a soft whimper, its eyes gleaming with a dazzling light, like rubies tempered in lava, burning brightly in the dim cave.

Only then did Arcanine slowly stand up, its movements imposing and powerful. Seeing Arcanine stand up, everyone couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

What a huge wind-powered dog!

The Arcanine before me was as majestic as a lion bathed in flames. Its massive, upright body generated a small heat wave, blowing the sand and gravel across the ground and sending it gliding away like golden water.

Arcanine stood there calmly, the heat emanating from its body distorting the air and creating a dry, warm sensation.

It did not growl, but calmly gazed at the people before it, yet it was as majestic as the sun. The dust that was originally swirling in the cave seemed to stagnate in its aura.

…………