A water-type trainer who specializes in dragon-type water.

The water spirit has departed, leaving behind a tranquil rainforest and a choice that urgently needs to be made.

Zhang Heng stood there, his brows furrowed, his heart far from calm.

An inexplicable sense of unease spread through him. From transmigrating to this world, binding with the system, the second targeted extraction of a fire-attribute target, to obtaining the Phoenix King's Feather...

Now, after being rescued by Suicune and taken to the secret realm, she was told that the feathers were the "tickets" for the trial.

This series of events is interconnected and flows so smoothly that it seems like a script that has been carefully arranged from the beginning.

He felt like a chess piece, being pushed by an invisible hand towards a predetermined position.

This feeling of being powerless and swept along by fate made him feel very uncomfortable and even resistant.

He longs to make his own way and choose based on his own will, rather than following some unseen "arrangement".

No one knows a son better than his father. Zhang Leiyuan keenly sensed the conflicted and depressed state of mind emanating from his son.

He stepped forward, not asking or urging directly, but speaking in a gentle and steady voice:

“Xiao Heng,” he patted his son’s shoulder, the force neither too light nor too heavy, but with a reassuring warmth.

"On the road of life, you will always encounter various crossroads. Some may seem like opportunities, while others may be full of thorns. But no matter what lies in front of you, remember that your heart is the true compass."

His gaze was deep as he looked at this magical, secluded place, and he continued slowly, "Do you want to see a wider world, accept challenges and become stronger? Or do you want to follow your own pace and steadily take each step in front of you? Whatever you choose, Dad will support you. Because this is your life, your choice. You are always free."

His father's words were like a gentle breeze, dispelling some of the gloom in Zhang Heng's heart.

He looked up and saw his father's face, which was still somewhat pale but full of trust and encouragement, and the knot in his heart eased a little.

Yes, he is free. Even if there are forces pulling the strings behind all this, the power of choice remains firmly in his own hands!

But the reality left him no time to hesitate. He looked at his father, his gaze gradually hardening: "Thank you, Dad. I understand. I have a plan."

He paused, his voice becoming steady: "We must avenge this. The enemy outside is very strong. In our current state, even if we wanted to leave, we probably wouldn't be able to break through their blockade. Besides..."

A cold hatred flashed in his eyes. "A blood debt must be repaid in blood! No matter what the trials ahead are, since they can make me stronger, I have a reason to go and try!"

“But before that,” Zhang Heng changed the subject, his tone becoming pragmatic, “we must first get our partners back to their best condition.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Leiyuan nodded with satisfaction and said no more. He knew that his son had made a decision after careful consideration.

Without hesitation, he reached into his waistband, took out all the remaining Poké Balls, and with a flick of his arm, threw them all into the air!

"Come out, guys! Focus on healing!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

A series of dense white lights flashed, like a string of stars illuminating the rainforest! Zhang Leiyuan's championship-winning team of Pokémon all made their appearance!

However, the scene before him made Zhang Heng's heart tighten.

The old dragon's once majestic whiskers drooped limply, and many of its beautiful feathers were charred and torn.

The pearl on the electric dragon's tail had dimmed, and burn marks from energy impacts were visible on many parts of its body.

Rotom's body shattered and became somewhat transparent, with chaotic electric light;

The giant electric seagull's wings were twisted, and its breath was weak;

The Alolan Raichu collapsed to the ground, falling into a near-death coma...

The scars on their bodies were shocking, silently telling the story of the fierce and cruel battle that had taken place.

at this time--

“Buzz........”

A strange humming sound, seemingly emanating from the secret realm itself, gently arose.

Zhang Heng keenly sensed that the extremely dense water-based energy around him seemed to have suddenly been given life and direction!

They surged in from all directions, as if guided by an invisible force, actively and frantically rushing towards the injured Pokémon!

Zhang Heng, who possesses the power to control water, can clearly "see" these pure energies seeping into the Pokémon's wounds like gentle blue streams, nourishing their parched bodies and repairing their damaged tissues.

Among them, the one who absorbs energy the most rapidly is the Combo-Style Martial Arts Bear Master!

As a fellow Water-type Pokémon, this energy seemed to be the perfect sustenance for it. Its broken arm was enveloped in a rich blue light, and the twisted angle was slowly returning to its original position at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, while its painful expression gradually eased.

Meanwhile, an even larger, almost massive, torrent of water energy surged in another direction!

Zhang Heng's gaze involuntarily followed, finally settling on the last Pokémon to appear, a Pokémon of enormous size—

That was the Thunder Drum, which had just been released after enduring the near-death experience of the Core Punisher to protect Zhang Leiyuan!

"That's... the Thunder Drum?!"

Although Zhang Heng was mentally prepared, knowing that his father was a trainer with legendary Pokémon, this was the first time he had ever seen his father's legendary Pokémon, especially since it was an Absurd Pokémon!

When Zhang Leiyuan saw his son call out Meng Leigu's name, a hint of surprise flashed across his face.

This was the first time he didn't have to explain the origin and name of this Pokémon to others.

But then, as if he had suddenly realized something, his gaze swept over the majestic, rippling water, and a knowing smile appeared on his face.

"Hahaha! It seems we father and son are quite destined for each other, each of us has caught a Paradox Pokémon!"

"Dad, do you know they are 'Paradox Pokémon'?" Zhang Heng caught the information in his father's words.

Zhang Leiyuan nodded thoughtfully: "To be precise, it was thanks to the in-depth research of ancient documents and strange phenomena by those old scholars of the Min family that we learned the general term for this type of Pokémon through communication with them."

He mentioned Amin's family, a renowned family in the field of archaeology.

Zhang Heng understood immediately. If the Min family, who were experts in archaeology, were aware of the existence of Paradoxical Pokémon, it would be reasonable.

"Back then, in order to compete for the championship, I searched the world for powerful Electric-type Pokémon, and even traveled overseas for a long time. In the end, I only managed to catch this Alolan Raichu."

Zhang Leiyuan pointed to the unconscious Lei Qiu on the ground, his tone tinged with a sense of nostalgia for the past.

Zhang Heng nodded. He knew about this experience of searching for a powerful electric partner. In his memory, he only saw his father during the Mid-Autumn Festival and Chinese New Year. His father was abroad the rest of the year.

“I had already tracked down Regigi Elech,” Zhang Leiyuan continued, with a hint of regret in his voice, “but I’ve ventured deep into a large electric field region abroad many times, yet I’ve never been able to find him.”

For any Electric-type Trainer, Reggie, also known as the Electric God Regi, is undoubtedly the ultimate partner they dream of, bar none!

Its unique ability, Electroclast, can boost Electric-type moves by 30%. Most terrifyingly, it has a base Speed ​​stat of 200, which is incredibly fast.

Moreover, with both attack stats at 100, it's a perfect dual-wielding Pokémon.

Aside from Ground-type Pokémon, any Pokémon would find it particularly troublesome to encounter.

"So, Dad, how did you finally subdue the Thunder Drum?" Zhang Heng asked curiously.

Zhang Leiyuan glanced at his son, his tone somewhat strange: "It's that 'Ghost City' you went to last time, the place where Goomei evolved into Goomeru Dragon. I passed through a spacetime wormhole there."

"What, didn't you also subdue the turbulent waters there?"

Zhang Heng's heart skipped a beat! He reacted instantly!

That's it! The City of Ghosts!

Last time, he went to the Ghost City with Amin and his father's Xicui Numei. It eventually evolved into Xicui Numei Lulu and repelled the masked man's attack. Amin also obtained Xicui Fire Beast that time.

The most mysterious thing about that area is that the shrubs create all sorts of spacetime wormholes there, and these spacetime wormholes are unusually active!

It turns out that Father traveled to the spacetime where the Thunder Drum is through a wormhole there!

He immediately tried to smooth things over, saying, "Ah...yes! Yes, I also encountered the rippling water there by chance."

He was vague, glossing over the existence of the system. After all, the matter was too bizarre and difficult to explain.

Zhang Leiyuan seemed not to delve into the matter, skipping over the topic, and continued, "However, there are currently three known trainers who have captured this paradoxical Pokémon: my son and I, and the current Southwest Champion."

"Even the Stone Champion has Paradox Pokémon?!"

This news shocked Zhang Heng, because this champion was also a very legendary figure.

Before his father Zhang Leiyuan rose to prominence, Shi Guanjun from the Southwest region was known as one of the two heroes of China, along with Duan Guanjun from North China. They were true pillars of the nation and bulwarks of the empire, and enjoyed extremely high prestige!

What makes him most remarkable is that he is not a Pokémon specializing in a single or dual type, but rather proficient in all three types: Rock, Ground, and Steel!

In this world, attribute combinations are a huge science; you can't just piece things together randomly. A key reason for this is that different types of Pokémon require different resources.

If you only train Pokémon of a single type, it will be easier to obtain resources, and the Pokémon in your team can share resources.

If all six Pokémon in your team are of different types, then training resources will be extremely expensive, and collecting them will be very difficult.

However, thanks to the abundant mineral resources and geographical advantages of the Southwest region, as well as the many commonalities among these three attributes, Shi Guanjun has managed to create an incredibly powerful composite attribute champion team!

The Magneto family, one of China's renowned "electromagnetic armies," relies on the support of the Southwest region for both its breeding and supply.

"What kind of paradoxical Pokémon does the Stone Champion possess? Do you know?" Zhang Heng asked impatiently.

Zhang Leiyuan shook his head: "I don't know the specifics, the intelligence is very tightly controlled. It seems to be related to the legendary Gopaluweng? After all, he has never encountered an opponent who requires him to use this ultimate trump card. His divine beast, like mine, has always been one of China's top-level secrets."

At this point, Zhang Leiyuan's tone became somewhat somber. His first time guarding the sea area as the champion with the Thunder Drum had ended in a near-total annihilation, with his team only reviving thanks to his son's sacrifice of the sacred artifact. This was undoubtedly a heavy blow.

Zhang Heng keenly sensed his father's emotions and comforted him, saying, "Dad, don't you always tell me that only those who persevere can become heroes? One setback doesn't mean anything."

"You little brat! Now it's your turn to lecture your old man with my words?" Zhang Leiyuan laughed and scolded his son, but a heavy flick on Zhang Heng's head dispelled his gloom.

"Ouch! Oh no..." Zhang Heng cried out in pain, and the curse he almost blurted out was swallowed back down under his father's glaring gaze.

"Alright, you rascal," Zhang Leiyuan said seriously, putting away his joke, "Stop joking around and hurry up to give our comrades a thorough treatment and examination!"

"Yes!" The father and son smiled at each other, and the previous heavy atmosphere was swept away.

The next moment, the two top trainers immediately transformed into the most professional and meticulous "doctors".

They took out various high-grade wound medicines, antidotes, recovery agents, and professional bandaging tools.

Zhang Heng carefully immobilized the fractured arm of the Combo Style Martial Arts Master Xiong, tightly wrapping it with splints and bandages.

Zhang Leiyuan skillfully cleaned, disinfected, and sutured the wounds of the unconscious Alola Rechu and Giant Electric Petal.

Nourished by this secret realm filled with unique and healing water energy, their work proceeded exceptionally smoothly.

The Pokémon's wounds healed at a visible speed, and their breathing became increasingly steady and powerful.

Warm, moist air enveloped the father and son, and the pure energy, like a mother's hand, gently soothed all their wounds.

In this sacred land protected by the North Wind God, hope and strength are quietly reviving, silently accumulating resources for the unknown journey ahead.