As Jacob walked through the forest, he contemplated the nature of this secret place.
Every Secret Realm typically possessed several attributes with concentrated energy. It was clear that grass-type energy saturated this realm in extraordinary abundance. Flowers and lush trees lined the path, bursting with vitality—distinctive characteristics of a grass-type Secret Realm. Jacob knew he would likely encounter numerous grass-type Pokémon here, their natural abilities typically exceeding those found in the outside world.
Beyond the abundant grass-type energy, bug-type energy also thrived in this realm. Jacob could observe this clearly through Scizor's reaction.
Being a bug-type Pokémon, Scizor was highly sensitive to bug-type energy. When Jacob summoned it, Scizor appeared extremely excited. This Secret Realm provided it with a comfortable, invigorating environment.
Apart from the grass and bug attributes, Jacob couldn't yet determine if other energy types existed in this realm. He would need to venture deeper to discover more.
As Jacob pondered these thoughts, a voice suddenly came from ahead, causing him to halt instantly and advance with caution.
"Paul, we're rich!" A young man with a flat head wearing a black shirt exclaimed excitedly to the bald man beside him. "So many rare Pokémon—this is going to be worth a fortune!"
Paul's fleshy face contorted into a smile that looked more grotesque than joyful, his eyes gleaming with greed. "Indeed, the Secret Realm is where people can get rich overnight. Myles, let's do it. Don't let anyone else find out. With this money, we can leave this place for good."
In front of Paul and Myles stood four Treecko. Clearly, a group of these Pokémon had made this Secret Realm their home.
"Ding, mission triggered: Grass Overlord."
"This Secret Realm is dominated by grass energy, with bug energy as a secondary force. Two major grass-type tribes inhabit the forest: the Sceptile tribe and the Venusaur tribe. These two tribes have battled repeatedly for territory, yet neither has established clear dominance. As the Secret Realm connects with the real world, the existing balance will be disrupted. Capture one Pokémon from either tribe before the Secret Realm is completely overrun, and train it to become a grass-type overlord."
"Quest requirements: Capture a Treecko or a Bulbasaur."
"Mission rewards:
Different rewards depending on the Pokémon captured; Clues to mysterious treasures."
"Failure penalty: Random reduction of one Pokémon's aptitude by one level."
Jacob was startled by this sudden mission, and the failure penalty alarmed him. If he failed, his Noibat's aptitude would drop to gym leader level—an unacceptable outcome. He had to complete this task no matter what. Jacob turned his attention to the four Treecko before him.
Overlord level, lord level, lord level, lord level.
The four Treecko possessed impressive aptitudes. Under the influence of the realm's grass energy, their natural abilities exceeded those of Pokémon outside. Three had lord-level aptitude, while one even reached overlord level. However, this still didn't meet Jacob's capture requirements. Despite their high aptitudes, the four Treecko only possessed rare-level combat power, making them relatively weak fighters.
At that moment, Paul and Myles each summoned their Pokémon. Paul called forth a Honchkrow with both dark and flying attributes, while Myles brought out a Sylveon with fairy attributes.
[Honchkrow] Gender: Male Attributes: Dark, Flying Aptitude: Lord level Combat power: Lord level Ability: Insomnia Moves: Wing Attack, Haze, Scary Face, Faint Attack, Sneak Attack, Gust, Peck, Shadow Ball, Pursuit, Taunt, Trick, Confuse Ray, Assurance
[Sylveon] Gender: Female Attribute: Fairy Aptitude: Lord level Combat power: Lord level Ability: Cute Charm Moves: Fire Fang, Thunder Fang, Tackle, Tail Whip, Charm, Bite, Lick, Headbutt, Roar, Taunt, Discharge, Play Nice, Heal Bell
Honchkrow's combat power was at lord level, as was Sylveon's. Such power would be considered impressive in a small city like Starlight City, but Jacob wasn't concerned. Among his three Pokémon, Scizor was at overlord level, while Charizard and Escavalier both possessed gym leader level combat power.
In Starlight City, these would be considered top-tier fighting forces, more than capable of handling Paul and Myles. Yet Jacob remained cautious—the Secret Realm would inevitably attract powerful trainers. When king-level masters arrived, his three Pokémon wouldn't be sufficient. He needed to complete the mission as quickly as possible.
"Scizor, Escavalier, prepare to attack," Jacob commanded quietly as he simultaneously summoned both Pokémon.
Having been raised under Jacob's care since they were young, these two Pokémon shared an excellent relationship with their trainer and never disobeyed his orders.
By now, Paul and Myles had already commanded their Pokémon to attack. Honchkrow and Sylveon flew toward the four Treecko, launching their assault.
Honchkrow used Wing Attack. The difference in combat power, combined with the flying-type move's effectiveness against grass-types, allowed it to defeat a Treecko with a single strike.
Meanwhile, Sylveon matched this performance by using Fire Fang, its flaming teeth instantly defeating another Treecko.
After just one exchange, two Treecko had been defeated.
"Honchkrow, continue pursuit!" Paul shouted.
"Sylveon, don't let them escape!" Myles called out.
As the trainers shouted their commands, Honchkrow and Sylveon charged after the remaining two Treecko. The trainers pulled out Poké Balls, throwing them at the two unconscious Treecko.
"Go! Scizor, use Bullet Punch on Sylveon! Escavalier, hit Honchkrow with First Impression!" Jacob commanded.
Scizor moved first. Silver steel energy coated its massive pincers as its red figure darted through the forest.
"Boom!"
Bullet Punch struck with incredible speed, giving Sylveon no time to react before taking a direct hit to its body.
In the games, Scizor's Bullet Punch is a priority move, so its power is only 40. However, being a Steel-type move, it receives a 1.5x Same-Type Attack Bonus. With the Technician ability, the power of low-power moves increases by another 1.5x. Additionally, Steel-type moves deal double damage to Fairy-type Pokémon like Sylveon.
Furthermore, Scizor's combat power was at overlord level, one tier above Sylveon's lord level—equivalent to a ten-level difference in the games. This attack should have been enough to instantly defeat Sylveon.
However, reality differs from games. While power bonuses, abilities like Technician, and type effectiveness all apply, power isn't fixed. Some Pokémon can even reduce type disadvantages through training.
For example, the Sandshrew that won a hundred consecutive battles in the anime had partially overcome its fear of water.
This Sylveon clearly possessed excellent physical endurance and resistance. Scizor's attack severely injured it but wasn't enough for an instant knockout.
Though surprised, Jacob remained unconcerned. While he hadn't defeated Sylveon with the first hit, another Bullet Punch would finish the job.
Meanwhile, Escavalier's First Impression proved equally powerful. With a base power of 90, it was enough to severely damage Honchkrow.
More importantly, Escavalier's combat power was at gym leader level, two tiers above Honchkrow. Despite having no type advantage, the massive gap in combat power allowed Escavalier to defeat Honchkrow with a single strike.
Just one exchange, and the difference in power was obvious!