Starfruit Berries, paired with Enigma Berries, Sitrus Berries… combined, they could be used to craft Pokéblocks.
Once successfully made, these Pokéblocks, when eaten by a Pokémon, carried a sixty percent chance of raising its aptitude by one grade. Eating the berries raw, however, had no such effect.
Auron rummaged through the pile of treasures for a while longer. Unfortunately, he didn't find a second rare berry.
That left him troubled.
"What now? The success rate for crafting this kind of Pokéblock isn't even that high…"
He shook his head with a bitter sigh.
"Forget it, forget it. Having even one is already lucky. No point overthinking it—better focus on gathering the rest of these valuables."
Forcing himself to stop fretting, he turned back to sorting through the items, distinguishing between Pokémon-held items and ordinary junk.
The baby Zigzagoon was still hugging its Pokéblock, munching away happily. Now and then, it glanced curiously at Auron—the strange intruder—without any clue what he was muttering about.
"Mm… just an ordinary rock. Still, looks nice enough. I'll take it."
"Oh? A Big Nugget! If this is all real gold, I've struck it rich!"
He hefted a golden sphere the size of two clenched fists. The sheer weight of it sent a thrill rushing through him.
Who wouldn't get excited holding a lump of gold that size?
Beaming, he slid the Big Nugget into his bag and kept digging.
"Charcoal? Nice, nice—I'll take that too."
"Huh? Is this a fossil? Do they even have fossil revival tech nowadays?"
He lifted a fragment shaped vaguely like a jawbone.
"Doesn't matter. Better safe than sorry—into the bag it goes."
"What's this… a Mysterious Crystal? Gorgeous. Mine."
Operating with the shameless logic of a bandit, Auron stuffed everything even remotely useful into his pack.
After rummaging for a while longer, he finally straightened up and clapped the dust from his hands.
"Alright, that's probably all the real treasures."
Glancing back, he saw the baby Zigzagoon sprawled on its back, belly round and full, fast asleep beside the half-eaten Pokéblock.
Quiet as a whisper, Auron slipped out of the hollow. Once he had put some distance between himself and the den, he whistled.
"Fweee fwee"
Out in the distance, Gengar was sprinting at full tilt, arms raised high as he carried Zigzagoon overhead like a trophy. At the sound of the whistle, he immediately dropped his captive onto the ground. Without so much as a glance at the furious Linoone chasing behind, he dove into the nearest shadow and vanished.
The poor Zigzagoon had been through quite an ordeal. Each time it began to stir awake, Gengar had promptly lulled it back to sleep with another Hypnosis before dashing off again.
Round and round they'd gone, Gengar dragging the Linoone on a wild chase.
Now, as Zigzagoon slowly came to, the Linoone swept it into a tight embrace, relief flooding her features.
Back at Auron's side, Gengar smacked his palm against his Trainer's in a triumphant high-five.
"Perfect execution! Here, your reward—a box of Pokéblocks."
Auron pulled a box from his bag and handed it over. Gengar accepted it gleefully, then shoved the entire thing straight into his belly.
Auron blinked at the sight, marveling again at that strange, extra-dimensional stomach of his. Truly, nothing seemed too big for it.
Chuckling, he patted Gengar on the head, then hugged his bulging backpack to his chest. With a spring in his step, he set off toward the nearest volcano he had spotted earlier.
Grinning, he thought, The forums never lied to me. Sure enough, if you find a Pokémon with the Pickup ability, their home is overflowing with loot.
Meanwhile, back at the den, Linoone and Zigzagoon returned to find the baby fast asleep on the ground, belly swollen. Panic seized Linoone, who rushed over to check its condition.
Zigzagoon, however, noticed the uneaten portion of the Pokéblock nearby. Curious, he took a small bite. His eyes widened instantly in delight.
By then, the baby stirred awake under Linoone's anxious nudge. Looking up at his mother, he chirped excitedly, pointing at the Pokéblock in his father's paws and squeaking insistently.
Understanding, Zigzagoon offered the Pokéblock to Linoone, urging her to try it.
Her expression softened. Smiling tenderly, she broke the remaining block neatly in two, sharing it with her mate.
The pair ate their halves happily.
Then, to their astonishment, Zigzagoon's body was suddenly enveloped in a soft, white evolutionary light.
Linoone gasped, eyes shining with joy, as her partner transformed before her very eyes.
Moments later, the glow faded, and a second Linoone stood proudly where Zigzagoon had been. Overcome with happiness, the two Linoone pressed close, embracing each other tightly.
Out in the forest, Auron remained blissfully unaware. He had no idea that the half-finished Pokéblock he had left behind had inadvertently triggered Zigzagoon's evolution.
At that moment, he was crouched in a thicket, spying on a small bird pecking at berries on the ground.
Pokémon: Starly
Gender: Male
Type: Normal / Flying
Ability: Keen Eye (its accuracy cannot be lowered by opponents in any way; ignores opposing evasiveness boosts)
Aptitude: Blue grade
Moveset: Peck, Growl, Echoed Voice, Rock Smash, Supersonic, Pluck, Roost, Fury Attack, Screech
Egg Moves: Mimic, Boomburst, Tailwind
Auron frowned in disappointment.
"Too bad. Not a Pickup ability."
With that, he gave up his cover and continued on toward his target destination.
Meanwhile, Jace Rowan was in dire straits.
After climbing out of the water and changing into dry clothes, he had scouted the terrain with the help of his Noivern.
His conclusion matched Auron's: the exit was likely inside or behind the volcano. So he, too, set off in that direction.
But he had barely begun when Noivern suddenly pounced, pinning him flat to the ground and holding him motionless.
A shadow streaked across the sky above.
A Staraptor flew past at incredible speed, and hot on its tail were two Charizards.
The Charizards spat Flamethrowers one after another, jets of fire lashing toward their quarry.
The Staraptor dodged with nimble grace, laughing maniacally as it taunted them.
Within moments, all three Pokémon had thundered past overhead.
Only then did Noivern rise, swiping a claw across his brow as if to wipe away sweat that wasn't there. He turned to Jace with grave seriousness: those three were powerful—far beyond what he could handle. They had been lucky to avoid notice.
Jace's expression hardened. He'd been warned by Auron that Secret Realms weren't safe, and he'd studied enough to know the risks.
But still… he hadn't expected to encounter three Pokémon strong enough to rattle even his father's Noivern within minutes of entering.
His confidence gone, Jace moved cautiously, sticking close to Noivern as they reached the volcano.
There was no path up its slopes. The only option was for Noivern to carry him into the cave entrance above.
Inside, magma churned at the volcano's heart, a blazing sea of molten rock. Fortunately, the surrounding ledges provided enough space to stand and move about.
Jace quickly donned a heat-resistant suit from his pack and dismounted onto solid ground.
He and Auron had come thoroughly prepared this time—not just with everyday clothing, but also heavy coats, thermal suits, diving gear, and more. According to the supplier, as long as you had the money, they could sell you equipment to handle any environment a Secret Realm might throw at you.
There weren't any spacesuits in the shop, but there wouldn't be vacuum environments inside a Secret Realm anyway.
Clad in his insulated suit, Jace crept forward cautiously. He searched for a long while without encountering a single wild Pokémon.
"This must be the territory of something powerful," he thought. "But… seems like it's not here right now."
With no guardian in sight, his courage slowly grew. Venturing deeper, he eventually found himself standing before a gateway radiating a soft, milky-white glow.
The exit of the Secret Realm.
Jace hesitated.
Before entering, Auron had told him: If we get separated and you find the exit, don't wait. Just go straight out.
But Jace felt unwilling. They'd barely been here any time at all. He hadn't found a single treasure, hadn't explored properly, hadn't gained anything. Leaving now would feel like such a waste.
For a moment, he almost regretted stumbling upon the exit so soon.
After wavering, he finally made his decision…
(To be continued)