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

Zhang Heng's gaze sharpened, and he asked, "Is this a shimmering water duck?"

"The three starter Pokémon with unique water systems, exclusive to the Samba Kingdom?"

Zhang Leiyuan also blurted it out almost simultaneously, his face showing surprise.

Regardless of the generation, the starter Pokémon are strategic resources and extremely precious in any country. Duck is only found in the distant Samba country, so how could it appear in a secret realm deep in the East China Sea?

"Chirp~"

When the kind-hearted Bluebird saw the wounded, weak, and helpless Water Duck, it instantly recalled the days when it was still a Wren and struggled to survive in the wild.

Overwhelmed with compassion, it immediately flapped its wings, wanting to fly over and unleash the [Life Drop] skill.

“Wait, Tanabata.” Zhang Heng stopped it. “Healing techniques can only alleviate external injuries. Let me do a basic check first.”

He strode forward and carefully scooped up the almost unsteady, sparkling duck with one hand.

The instant his fingertips touched the cool feathers of the water-duck—

"Om..."

The water scroll that had been quietly wrapped around his wrist suddenly began to emit a soft, aquamarine glow!

Immediately afterwards, pure water energy flowed out from the hanging scroll and quickly condensed around Zhang Heng.

It turned out to be Psyduck, who always had his head in his hands and a blank expression!

However, this Psyduck, which is made of energy, seems to have a clearer look in its eyes than usual.

"quack?!"

Energy Psyduck holds its head and makes its signature, somewhat confused call.

Tilting its head, it curiously examined the unfamiliar Pokémon, also a duck, in Zhang Heng's hand with its big, beady eyes, as if trying to identify something.

Zhang Heng was also taken aback, not expecting the Water Scroll to react at this moment and even summon Psyduck.

Was it because it sensed its own kind, both being duck-type Water-type Pokémon? Or was it because this Duck's shiny physique was special? Questions flashed through his mind, but saving its life was more important right now.

Upon closer examination, it was discovered that the weakness and coma were mainly caused by prolonged starvation and internal and external injuries sustained from the attack.

Zhang Heng immediately took the appropriate measures, first feeding it some nutritional fluid, and then skillfully cleaning its wounds and applying ointment.

Zhang Leiyuan, watching from the side, suggested, "Xiao Heng, didn't you want to become a Water-type Trainer? This shiny starter Pokémon looks quite rare. Meeting it is fate, why not catch it?"

Zhang Heng kept working, shook his head with a wry smile, and said, "No, Dad. Right now, I just want to focus on training my existing partners."

He was telling the truth; the team needs quality over quantity.

Moreover, the final evolution of Duck, the magical Samba Dancer - Carnival Duck, is a Water/Fighting type, which completely overlaps with the combo-focused Urshifu type. In addition, Mega Swampert is more convincing when it comes to Water-type physical attackers.

Besides, he's been bound to the Fire type by that damned system, so Water-type Pokémon are no longer within his "business scope".

Of course, as a former gamer, I know the significance of encountering the three starter Pokémon with the "Road Flash" ability; not being able to catch them still leaves a slight pang of regret...

After a while, with Zhang Heng's treatment and the help of nutrient solution, the Shining Water Duck slowly woke up.

The first thing it did upon waking was, surprisingly, to subconsciously and somewhat vainly brush aside the tuft of white bangs on its forehead before opening its eyes in a daze.

"quack…"

The next second, it found itself surrounded by a group of powerful Pokémon and two humans!

"Gah! Gah gah gah!!!"

Startled, it sprang from the soft, warm wings of the bluebird, frantically squawking and jumping around as if crying out, "Please, please stop bullying me! I've already suffered enough!"

Zhang Heng frowned slightly at its reaction.

Alas, this is a Pokémon that has suffered all kinds of bullying and torment in the wild, and has developed a strong stress response.

This situation is very common in the dog-eat-dog world of the wild.

He sighed, expressing his understanding of Duck's situation, and simply placed some carefully prepared Water-type Pokémon like Power Cubes and Berries on the ground.

He said as gently as possible, "Little one, it's good that you're awake. Eat something to regain your strength."

Runshui Duck looked at the food on the ground with suspicion, then at Zhang Heng's seemingly harmless gaze.

“Tweet…”

"Gurgle..."

Hearing the Swampert's deep, comforting voice and the Altaria's gentle chirping, its tense nerves finally began to relax.

After much hesitation, hunger ultimately triumphed over fear.

It plopped down on the ground and began to wolf down its food. As it ate, large tears streamed down its face like broken pearls.

It fell down with a "plop, plop," and was swallowed along with its food. It had never experienced such kindness in the wild.

At that moment, if Zhang Heng had paid attention, he would have noticed that the water scroll on his wrist flickered very faintly once more.

Psyduck shook its head, a complex emotion flickering in its eyes—concern mixed with a hint of...warning?

But all of this happened too quickly and too subtly to be noticed.

The incident involving the ducks in the water did not cause much of a stir for Zhang Heng, who had just experienced the brutality of the icy sea battlefield, witnessed the tragic deaths of his family, and was burdened with the deep hatred of his father's killer, as well as for Zhang Leiyuan, who was already used to all kinds of storms.

That's just how the world is; there are brutal battles, but also occasional moments of warmth.

The father and son exchanged a glance and nodded in tacit agreement.

Our companions' injuries have stabilized; it's time to venture deeper into the secret realm.

Zhang Leiyuan returned all Pokémon except for the Totem Charizard and Rotom to their Poké Balls, allowing them to continue recovering in an environment with healing spray.

Rotom quietly slipped back into the shadows, taking on the role of security guard.

"Charizard, the aerial patrol and reconnaissance missions are now yours," Zhang Leiyuan ordered.

"Roar!"

The dominant Charizard let out a powerful roar, vibrated its wings forcefully, and soared into the air.

It began to hover high in the sky, its sharp gaze sweeping over the rainforest and the ancient tower in the distance, eliminating potential threats to trainers on the ground and guiding them in the right direction.

Zhang Heng understood that his father was taking this opportunity to teach him the essentials of wilderness exploration and team coordination.

He immediately ordered, "Altair, Charizard, take off and assist the alpha Charizard in maintaining vigilance and communication."

"Chirp~"

The bluebird responded gently, flapping its wings to follow.

Zhang Heng's Charizard seemed to still hold a grudge, snorting twice at the back of the aerial overlord Charizard with dissatisfaction, but still obeyed the command, flapping its wings and chasing after it.

Afterwards, Zhang Heng also recalled the relatively slow-moving Duraludon and the legless Kingdra, which had difficulty traversing complex forest terrain, into their Poké Balls.

Let the three Water-type Pokémon, Ripple, Urshifu, and Swampert, lead the way.

They are more perceptive and move more freely in this energy-rich aquatic environment.

Although Swampert is not as strong as the second-tier legendary Pokémon, it has a natural sensory antenna, making it an excellent expert in wilderness exploration.

After the father and son finished preparing, they began to head towards the ancient tower that was faintly visible in the distance.

The trees here are not very tall, there are many open spaces in the forest, and the ground is damp depressions and streams.

Along the way, you can see many water-type Pokémon, such as the swimming ring weasel that swims freely and quickly through the stream, the Poliwag that looks blank and blows bubbles in the shallow puddles, and even occasionally you can see one or two brightly colored spiders hanging under the branches.

Flying-type Pokémon were also present in the air. Flocks of gulls swept over the treetops, proud chicks strolled in the forest clearing, and one or two beaks could even be seen in the distance carrying Magikarp back to their nests.

This hidden realm is teeming with life.

Just as Zhang Heng and his son were disappearing into the depths of the dense rainforest.

Behind them, the glistening, water-soaked duck, having just enjoyed a hearty meal and wiped away its tears, hesitated, looked around, and finally, as if having made up its mind, waddled along quietly and followed...