After returning home, Chen Shi had originally planned to rest for a couple of days and enjoy himself properly.
After all, he'd been running nonstop for the World Championships—what was wrong with taking a short break?
It was a vacation he had earned.
He wasn't in a rush to write any papers either. The League deadline gave him half a month.
Plenty of time.
But after the incident at Mt. Pyre, a sense of urgency crept into his heart. In the end, he abandoned his original plan and decided to push out both the Mega Evolution paper and the Fairy-type paper as soon as possible.
So the moment he returned to his room, he sat down at the computer and started hammering away at the keyboard.
He'd written plenty of academic papers before—this was familiar territory by now.
Mega Evolution was something he understood inside and out. After a little over three hours, the draft was basically complete.
Still, Chen Shi didn't plan to publish it immediately.
He remembered his agreement with Steven and decided he'd notify him first tomorrow before releasing the paper.
Just as Chen Shi was about to keep going and start on the Fairy-type paper, Mew—lying lazily on the bed—yawned and waved a tiny paw.
"Mew~"
(Kid, hurry up and give me a massage.)
Chen Shi's fingers froze over the keyboard. Veins popped out on his forehead.
"Do you have nothing better to do all day?"
"Can't you go find something—anything—to occupy yourself instead of freeloading here?"
When it came to Mew, he truly had no solution.
He couldn't beat it.
If he annoyed it, it would mess with him.
And it acted like some kind of pampered lord—demanding massages at the slightest whim. If he refused, it threw a tantrum.
Mew floated up from the bed, hands on its hips, staring at him righteously.
"Mew~"
(Keeping an eye on you is the most important thing I can do.)
Chen Shi's eyelid twitched.
The meaning was obvious.
Mew was afraid he'd take the benefits and then refuse to help later—so it had decided to supervise him personally.
"Then why do I still have to feed you, house you, and give you massages while you 'keep an eye on me'?" Chen Shi shot back.
Mew scratched its head, looking slightly embarrassed—but quickly remembered something and glared at him again.
"Mew~"
(Didn't I help you create that secret realm?)
In Mew's mind, it clearly wasn't freeloading.
Injecting energy into the secret realm core might not have been a big deal, but relocating the entrance afterward had taken real effort.
How could that count as freeloading?
Unfortunately, Chen Shi wasn't buying it.
Injecting energy was something anyone could have done.
And if Mew hadn't acted recklessly, he wouldn't have needed to relocate the entrance at all.
"Then I guess I won't be giving you those three crates of ice cream," Chen Shi said calmly.
Mew panicked instantly, hands on hips, eyes wide.
"Mew!"
(How can you do that? We agreed on this from the start!)
"That's true," Chen Shi nodded. "But how do we account for all the energy blocks you've eaten since then?"
He spread his hands innocently.
Mew froze.
It scratched its head, paced back and forth, thought for a long time… and finally realized—
Damn it.
He kind of had a point.
The black-hearted cat finally snapped, huffing angrily.
"Mew!"
(Then what do you want?)
Chen Shi's lips curled into a smile.
"Do you know where Groudon and Kyogre are?"
Even though he'd already told Drake and had the League search for Team Magma and Team Aqua, he didn't have high expectations.
If underground organizations were that easy to track, they would've been wiped out long ago.
Since tracking people wasn't reliable, the alternative was obvious—
Find Groudon and Kyogre first.
Then wait.
Once Maxie and Archie had the orbs, they would inevitably go looking for them. All Chen Shi had to do was wait for them to show up.
The key question was simple:
Did Mew know where Groudon and Kyogre were sleeping?
Mew tilted its head in confusion.
"Mew~"
(Why are you looking for those two big idiots?)
"That's none of your concern," Chen Shi replied. "Just tell me where they are."
Mew thought carefully for a moment, then shook its head.
"Mew~"
(I don't know where they are. I only know that a thousand years ago, Rayquaza chased them into a secret realm.)
"A secret realm?" Chen Shi frowned, clearly dissatisfied.
Secret realms were rare—but Hoenn still had quite a few.
And there were plenty more undiscovered ones.
Who knew which realm Groudon and Kyogre were in?
"Is there a more precise location?"
"Do you know where that secret realm is?"
Chen Shi refused to give up.
Mew spread its hands helplessly and blinked.
"Mew~"
(I only know they were driven into a secret realm. That's all.)
"Mew~"
(Now that I've answered, can you start the massage?)
Mew spun happily in the air, looking at Chen Shi expectantly.
Chen Shi glanced at it, then pulled it into his arms and began massaging it—while his mind raced.
"Wait… a secret realm?"
Suddenly, Grandpa's words flashed through his mind. His eyes widened in disbelief.
Hadn't Grandpa just mentioned today that the League had discovered a new top-tier secret realm in Hoenn?
One that was half land and half ocean?
Combine that with what Mew just said—
that Groudon and Kyogre had been driven into a secret realm—
Everything lined up far too well.
"…Are you kidding me?" Chen Shi muttered darkly.
The League discovers the realm.
Immediately after, Maxie and Archie steal the orbs.
Was that really a coincidence?
Of course not.
They must have found something—very likely confirming that the newly discovered secret realm was where Groudon and Kyogre were sleeping.
That was why they chose this moment to act.
Chen Shi felt a headache coming on.
Looks like this secret realm…
He had no choice but to go.
And yet, just earlier, he'd declared with absolute confidence that he had no interest in entering any secret realm and only wanted to stay home.
Now he was completely changing his tune.
…This was seriously embarrassing.
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