The Illusion Forest was situated on the necessary route to Jubilife City, an ancient woodland perpetually shrouded in thin mist.
Shinji and Hikari stood at the forest entrance, looking up at the mysterious green ocean before them.
Towering ancient trees blotted out the sky, with sunlight filtering through the leaves and branches to form hazy pillars of light in the fog. The air was filled with the fresh scent of vegetation mixed with earth, and faintly, they could hear the cries of Pokémon in the distance.
"So this is the Illusion Forest..." Hikari said, holding Piplup, her azure eyes curiously surveying their surroundings. "It looks so mysterious."
Shinji's gaze swept over the depths of the forest, a sharp glint flashing imperceptibly in his dark purple eyes.
He remembered this forest's unique feature—it was home to a large number of Stantler, whose antlers could create incredible spaces, causing those who saw them to become lost in illusions.
Hence, this forest was named the "Illusion Forest."
"Be careful," Shinji proactively warned, which was rare for him. "The Stantler here use their antlers to create illusions. Don't get fooled."
"Illusions?" Hikari tilted her head, then revealed an excited smile. "That sounds so interesting! But I won't be fooled, no problem, no problem!"
Shinji glanced at her, said nothing more, and took the lead stepping into the forest.
The light within the woods was much dimmer than outside, with mist swirling around their feet and visibility low.
Shinji walked ahead, his steps steady, constantly alert to the movements around them.
Hikari followed closely by his side, her normally chattering voice now considerably subdued, clearly affected by the mysterious atmosphere and becoming more cautious.
After walking for about half an hour, a few brownish-yellow figures vaguely appeared among the trees ahead.
Shinji raised his hand, signaling Hikari to stop. The two hid behind a thick tree trunk to observe.
They were three Stantler, nibbling on berries, the forked antlers on their heads shimmering with a strange luster in the mist.
One of the Stantler seemed to sense something, suddenly raising its head, the light from its antlers abruptly intensifying.
Shinji immediately felt the scene before his eyes twist and distort; the surrounding trees seemed to come alive, moving and rotating. Startled, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, the illusion had vanished.
"Just now..." Hikari rubbed her eyes, somewhat confused. "Did the trees move?"
"It was the Stantler's illusion," Shinji said calmly. "Don't look at its antlers. Focus."
Hikari nodded, imitating Shinji by averting her gaze.
The two carefully skirted around those Stantler and continued deeper into the forest.
After walking for another quarter of an hour, Shinji stopped in a relatively open clearing within the woods.
The terrain here was flat, with a clear stream flowing not far away, surrounded by trees that were not too dense—an ideal camping spot.
"Here," Shinji said, putting down his backpack and starting to survey the surroundings.
"This place is really nice," Hikari also put down her backpack. Piplup jumped out of her arms, curiously peering around by the stream. "Are we going to stay here for a while?"
"Mn," Shinji replied, already taking out camping gear from his backpack. "I need to conduct special training here to improve my Pokémon's strength."
This was something Shinji had planned long ago. Training here would, firstly, utilize the environment and wild Pokémon to substantially enhance his team's strength.
Secondly, he wanted to try his luck to see if he could encounter the powerful Ursaring he had captured in the anime.
A Pokémon with such potential and potential would be a shame not to capture.
"Special training? Great, great!" Hikari's eyes lit up, immediately agreeing excitedly. "The Contest in Jubilife City is starting soon, so I can prepare well here! And..."
She clenched her fist, recalling her previous failed capture attempts. Though somewhat disheartened, she felt more motivated. "I also need to work hard to capture my first Pokémon!"
Seeing Hikari's full fighting spirit, Shinji gave an almost imperceptible nod. "As you wish."
The two were in perfect agreement and decided to stay temporarily in the Illusion Forest.
With the system shop at his disposal, Shinji had no worries about basic needs like food, shelter, and travel.
He exchanged for two tents, portable cooking utensils, and various ingredients.
Hikari watched Shinji pull out various items from his backpack like magic, her mouth agape in astonishment. "Shinji, is your backpack a bottomless bag? How can it hold so many things?"
"Don't ask," Shinji replied curtly, his hands not stopping as he quickly set up the tents and arranged the temporary campsite.
By sunset, the campsite had taken shape.
A campfire was lit beside the tents. Shinji was preparing dinner, the stew simmering in the pot emitting an enticing aroma.
Hikari, meanwhile, took Piplup to wash up by the stream, her clear laughter echoing through the woods.
After dinner, the two sat by the campfire, formulating their upcoming training plans.
"Starting tomorrow, we wake up at six in the morning for warm-up exercises," Shinji's voice was especially clear in the night. "I'll take the Pokémon for a run on the hillside, returning for breakfast after about half an hour."
"Morning is physical training, focusing on strength, agility, and speed," Shinji continued. "I have the necessary equipment. Afternoon is skill training, with specific programs for each Pokémon."
He looked at Hikari. "You decide your own training plan, but don't disturb me."
"Got it!" Hikari puffed out her cheeks. "I won't disturb you. Piplup and I also need special training for the Contest!"
As the night deepened, various Pokémon cries came from the forest, distant and mysterious.
Shinji and Hikari each returned to their tents to rest, conserving their energy for the next day's training.
Early the next morning, as dawn was just breaking, Shinji had already gotten up. He quietly stepped out of the tent and took a deep breath of the forest's fresh morning air.
The thin mist had not yet fully dispersed, and the woods were filled with the damp scent of vegetation.
Shinji stretched his body, then took three Poké Balls from his waist and threw them.
Red light flashed, and Elekid, Chimchar, and Murkrow appeared simultaneously in the clearing.
"Warm-up. Hill run, there and back," Shinji commanded succinctly, taking the lead and running towards a gentle slope he had scouted the night before.
Elekid immediately followed, its arms rotating, creating a breeze as it ran. Chimchar nimbly scurried to Shinji's side, the flame on its rear swaying as it ran. Murkrow flapped its wings, flying low and circling above Shinji's head.
Half an hour later, Shinji returned to the campsite with the slightly panting Pokémon.
Hikari was also already up, preparing a simple breakfast. Seeing Shinji return, she waved with a smile. "Back already? Breakfast will be ready soon!"
Shinji nodded and began using a towel to wipe the sweat off the Pokémon.
Chimchar squinted its eyes comfortably, while Elekid excitedly rotated its arms, clearly enjoying this post-training relaxation.
After breakfast and a short break, the high-intensity training officially began.
The various training equipment Shinji exchanged from the system shop left Hikari dumbfounded—weighted sandbags, agility ladders, reaction training balls, strength trainers... everything was there.
"Wh-where did you get all this stuff from?" Hikari couldn't help but ask.
"Focus on your own training," Shinji replied without turning his head, beginning to assign training tasks to each Pokémon.
Elekid put on specially designed weighted wristbands and began strength training, needing to repeatedly lift heavy barbells to build upper body strength. Chimchar was tasked with quickly moving on the agility ladder to improve footwork and reaction speed. Murkrow's training was more unique—Shinji used branches and vines to build an obstacle flight course between trees, requiring Murkrow to fly through it at high speed without touching any obstacles.
Shinji himself also took off his jacket, revealing his toned upper body, and trained alongside the Pokémon.
He did push-ups and pull-ups, sweat sliding down his muscular lines.
Not a single Pokémon dared to Slack Off. They all knew that while Shinji's training was strict, every bit of progress earned his acknowledgment.
Watching Shinji and the Pokémon train so diligently, Hikari felt inspired.
She took Piplup to another side of the clearing and began researching their Contest performance.
"Piplup, this time we must design the most spectacular performance!" Hikari clenched her fist, her eyes sparkling. "Starting with variations of Peck..."
After lunch, the two each took a simple one-hour nap to recharge.
The afternoon training focused on skill refinement. Shinji formulated targeted training plans based on each Pokémon's characteristics.
Chimchar was required to repeatedly practice digging into the ground. Shinji hoped it could comprehend and learn the Dig technique during this process, which would be highly valuable for offense, evasion, or tactical changes.
Elekid's training was somewhat special. Shinji had it face a cluster of campfire embers, carefully sensing the energy and fluctuations of the flame.
Shinji's goal was for Elekid to master Fire Punch, to unexpectedly strike opponents resistant to Electric-type moves.
As for Murkrow, Shinji took it through the Illusion Forest to find wild Pokémon for battles.
On one hand, this was to enhance Murkrow's combat experience and level; on the other, he was also searching for traces of that Ursaring.
The forest was home to a wide variety of wild Pokémon—Shroomish, Nuzleaf, Slakoth... Murkrow gradually honed its battle skills through fights with them.
Shinji's commands were concise and precise, often catching the opponent's subtlest openings.
However, after a round of searching, there was no sign of Ursaring. Shinji was not discouraged—this was only the first day; he had plenty of time.
Meanwhile, Hikari was not idle either. She focused on researching Contest performances with Piplup.
"Piplup, let's try combining Bubble Beam and Peck to make the moves more spectacular!" she said, gesturing as she spoke. "First, shoot Bubble Beam, then use the foam as cover to quickly launch a Peck attack!"
"Pip!" Piplup nodded, earnestly practicing according to Hikari's instructions.
At first, the trajectory of the Bubble Beam and the timing of the Peck attack never synced well—either the foam dissipated too early or the attack was half a beat too slow.
But Hikari did not get discouraged, patiently adjusting her instructions again and again. Piplup also worked very hard, continuously trying to improve.
As night fell, the woods gradually quieted down, with only the sound of insect cries and the evening breeze rustling the leaves.
After dinner, Shinji did not let the Pokémon rest. Instead, he took Elekid and Chimchar to the clearing.
"This time, fight on your own, relying on instinct and intuition," Shinji said, standing to the side with his arms crossed. "I'll observe, but I won't command."
Elekid and Chimchar looked at each other, battle intent burning in their eyes.
They both knew this was the moment to test the results of a day's training.
The battle began. Elekid took the initiative, launching a Thunder Punch straight at Chimchar. Chimchar nimbly dodged to the side and countered with a Flamethrower. The two Pokémon clashed fiercely in the clearing, their moves colliding and bursting with flashes of light.
Shinji carefully observed their every move, occasionally commenting. "Elekid, too slow." "Chimchar, too lax."
Though his words carried pressure, the Pokémon could sense the underlying meaning.
The battle lasted about twenty minutes, ending with Chimchar running out of stamina. Both Pokémon were panting heavily, but their eyes were filled with a sense of growth gained through real combat.
After training, Shinji took out Special Recovery Potions exchanged from the system shop, carefully applying them to each Pokémon, then massaging them with professional technique to help the potion absorb.
Chimchar purred in comfort, while Elekid closed its eyes, enjoying this rare moment of relaxation.
"You're really good to them," Hikari said softly, watching from the side.
Shinji's hands paused for a moment, but he did not respond, though his eyes softened briefly.
Then Hikari also went to her tent nearby, began wiping Piplup's body, and softly discussed today's training insights with it.
"Piplup, our coordination improved a little bit again today! Let's keep it up tomorrow; we'll definitely be in our best form for the Contest!"
As the night deepened, the forest fell silent.
Even breathing sounds came from the tents. The Pokémon had all returned to their Poké Balls to rest. Only the campfire continued to crackle, illuminating this temporary campsite.
Days passed like this, with the thin mist of the Illusion Forest witnessing the efforts and growth of the two humans and their many Pokémon.
Although Shinji still hadn't found his target Ursaring, his Pokémon's strength was steadily improving.
Chimchar's Dig was becoming more and more proficient, just one step away from fully mastering it. Elekid could now faintly sense the energy of fire, its fists occasionally glowing with a faint light. Murkrow's level and combat experience had also increased significantly.
Hikari and Piplup's progress was equally noticeable. Their coordination in Contest moves was becoming more seamless, with the transition between Bubble Beam and Peck smooth and natural, highly spectacular.
Besides this, Hikari also successfully captured a Buneary, taking her first step.
Shinji had also used the system to check that Buneary's potential. It was 'good,' not a burden. He just didn't know if it was the same one from the anime.