Secret realms have no time limits. Once you enter one, you can stay as long as you can endure it physically and mentally.
To exit a secret realm, each person receives a secret realm key upon entry. Pressing the switch on the key releases energy that connects the inside and outside, allowing you to leave.
Therefore, if Xia Huanao wanted to keep that rainbow-haired thug trapped in the secret realm forever, he first needed to deal with the secret realm key.
Xia Huanao quickly devised a plan. He approached Ponyta and said, "You all continue to live here. I need to leave now; after all, I came here for training."
Ponyta understood Xia Huanao's words, nudged his leg with its nose reluctantly, and then watched him depart.
Xia Huanao walked back in the direction indicated by the map. The grassland was vast and seemingly endless, which was not ideal for Xia Huanao's plan.
He entered the woods as the sky gradually darkened. Xia Huanao nodded; time in the secret realm synchronized with the outside world, and it would be completely dark soon. That would be when the real danger began.
The interior of the secret realm was different from the outside. There were no artificial light sources, and the moon hanging in the sky offered little help; one could barely see anything.
Xia Huanao fashioned some ropes from vines and climbed a tree. In the canopy, he instructed Rotom and then closed his eyes to rest. However, resting easily turns into deep sleep. Before long, Xia Huanao was fast asleep.
As the sky completely darkened, the entire secret realm fell into a deep stillness. Suddenly, a rustling sound emerged from not far away, slowly approaching the large tree where Xia Huanao was.
If Xia Huanao had been awake and could see, he would have noticed that the rainbow-haired thug he had dealt with earlier that day was nonchalantly approaching him.
The rainbow-haired thug muttered curses with a strong grinding of teeth as he neared the tree: "Damn kid, how dare you disrespect me and stop me from capturing Ponyta? This time, I'll see if you live or die."
As he reached the base of the tree where Xia Huanao was, a loud noise erupted from the canopy. The rainbow-haired thug was startled, and then a shadow descended from the tree, lifting the thug and hanging him upside down from the branches.
Xia Huanao couldn't clearly see if he had successfully hoisted the thug into the tree, but judging by the string of curses, there was no misunderstanding.
Xia Huanao turned on his flashlight and shone it upwards. Indeed, it was the rainbow-haired thug.
"I knew you'd come back for revenge. Revenge without delay is a good habit."
The thug in the tree struggled and cursed. Xia Huanao ignored him, found another tree nearby, and climbed up using vines to rest again. He considered the thug's barking curses as a substitute for insect chirping, a desperate measure to fill the silence.
A night passed…
The next morning, Xia Huanao stroked Rotom's head and they descended from the tree together. He looked at the rainbow-haired thug, still hanging from the tree, but instead of being tired, he seemed even more energetic and troublesome. "You're quite persistent. You'll stay here for now. Perhaps when I've had enough of this secret realm and decide to leave, I might remember you."
With that, Xia Huanao packed his belongings and prepared to depart. Just then, the vines holding the rainbow-haired thug snapped, and he plummeted from the tree. Dazed, the thug pulled a knife from his ankle and lunged directly at Xia Huanao.
Xia Huanao, his back to the thug while packing, was caught off guard and thrown to the ground. As the blade was about to pierce his body, Xia Huanao shouted, "Rotom, Thunder Wave!"
Rotom unleashed Thunder Wave, paralyzing the rainbow-haired thug. Xia Huanao seized the opportunity, snatched the knife, and pinned the thug down.
"This time, I must eliminate the root cause."
Just as Xia Huanao raised the knife to strike, a spatial distortion occurred nearby, and two figures appeared. "Stop! What are you doing!"
Xia Huanao held the knife at the thug's neck and turned to face them. He saw two staff members in Pokémon League uniforms staring at him sternly.
"Trouble. They never come when they're needed, but always show up at the most inconvenient times."
Seeing the League staff, Xia Huanao pouted and stood up, turning to leave. Then, someone spoke, "Halt! Who said you could go!"
"Do you two require anything further?" Xia Huanao asked indifferently, without looking back.
"We saw your intent to commit assault on the surveillance equipment, so we are here to arrest you."
"Is that so? Since you've been monitoring the surveillance, you should know that he was the one who intended to kill me first."
The two staff members walked over and helped the rainbow-haired thug up. "We did not see this trainer, named Wang Bada, intending to harm you. We only saw you brandishing a knife with intent to commit murder. Please come with us to cooperate with the investigation."
Xia Huanao sneered, "Is that so? You are truly dedicated to your duty."
He then picked up his phone, which had fallen to the ground. "Perhaps you don't know, but Rotom has been possessing this phone and recording since last night. It only detached when it used Thunder Wave. What do you think will happen if I release the entire video?"
The two staff members' faces contorted with rage. "Then don't blame us."
With those words, they released their Pokémon and attacked Xia Huanao.
"Quick, run! These two Pokémon are around level forty. You're no match for them right now."
Xia Huanao grabbed his luggage and fled, pulling out his secret realm key as he ran and pressing the switch, disappearing through the secret realm gate.
...
Back in reality, Xia Huanao hastily registered his departure from the secret realm at the front desk and boarded a bus.
On the bus, Xia Huanao's dissatisfaction remained unabated. He fiddled with the two Poké Balls at his waist but could find no solution.
The video he mentioned was merely a bluff. The previous night, he had only instructed Rotom to act as a lookout, not to record anything. He had hoped to make the two men hesitant, but instead, they had resorted to trying to silence him.
The bus departed from the secret realm area, winding through the city before reaching the Six Mausoleum branch of the Pokémon League. Xia Huanao disembarked, shook his head at the building, and then boarded another bus back to Six Spirits University.
Xia Huanao had learned about the workings of the Pokémon League in Minglong Country from Yu Longdu. The middle-aged man he had met that day was in charge of overall security matters at the Minglong Country headquarters. If not for Xia Huanao's accidental entanglement with Lixing Country, he would never have met such a high-ranking official. After giving his instructions, that official had returned to headquarters, leaving the Six Mausoleum branch to its own devices.
Back at Six Spirits University, Xia Huanao sat on his bed, contemplating how to deal with the upcoming situation. The ideal scenario would be for everyone to pretend the incident never happened.
Xia Huanao absolutely could not make the first move; he had no evidence and no guarantee of victory. Even if he had evidence, what then? If the honorary researcher exposed the matter, the entire Minglong Country Pokémon League's reputation would be ruined. League staff colluding to murder a researcher? That would be sensational news worldwide. Even if Xia Huanao won in the end and the entire Six Mausoleum branch was purged, what would be the point? All Pokémon League branches in Minglong Country would ostracize Xia Huanao; that was the nature of personal connections in Minglong Country.
As for the two staff members, they were in an even more precarious position. It wasn't easy to target a researcher who held evidence. By the time they "destroyed" Xia Huanao's evidence and the League arbitration committee intervened, it would be long past. It would be impossible to prevent the netizens of Minglong Country from suspecting corruption.
Therefore, both sides had no choice but to let the matter drop. As expected, within the Six Mausoleum branch, the branch chief was berating the two staff members and Wang Bada: "You three fools! He is Minglong Country's youngest honorary researcher, and rumored to have close ties with Elder Zheng. What kind of guts did you have to threaten him? If not for the sake of... Forget it. I'll find a way to smooth this over. You three get out."
After Wang Bada and the other two left the office, the branch chief sat in his chair. "It seems I can only stabilize him for now and then find a way to destroy the evidence..."
Meanwhile, Xia Huanao looked at the Minglong Country Secret Realm Distribution Map hanging on the wall. "I absolutely cannot go to the secret realms in Six Mausoleum City. They might still try to trip me up, and it would be troublesome if I encountered those three again. In that case, I'll have to go to other major regions in Minglong Country. I refuse to believe they can chase me all over the world."
With that thought, Xia Huanao chose Snow Sky City. Firstly, it was far from Six Mausoleum City, making it difficult to play dirty tricks. Secondly, it was home to many Rock and Ground-type Pokémon secret realms, where Froakie could essentially dominate.
With that in mind, Xia Huanao opened his suitcase, packed his belongings haphazardly, and headed for the airport. As he left Six Spirits University, he brushed past a fashionable urban woman at the entrance.
After Xia Huanao had gone some distance, the urban woman made a phone call. "Hello, I saw him. He was carrying a suitcase and left, looking like he was going on a long trip."
As she spoke, the urban woman turned and followed Xia Huanao. "Yes, I understand. I will keep an eye on his movements. Please don't worry, boss."