In the secret realm's grassnd area, as evening fell, Julian was lying on the grass, a gentle breeze was blowing across the grassnd. Some Hoppip floated gracefully through the sky, carried by the wind.

  The st of fresh grass, mingled with a hint of gas from the nearby Gastly, made Julian feel a bit lightheaded.

  Steelix stood upright, its mouth wide open fag northwest; apparently, Julian had told it this might help it feel fuller.

  (T/N: and that's why you stay away from weed everyone)

  Slowking stood on Steelix's head with arms folded, exuding a regal aura. Its wise gaze wasn't p the mysteries of the universe, but rather what it should cook for Julian tonight.

  Yes, some Huaiyang cuisine would be nice.

  (T/N: Huaiyang cuisihe cuisiends to have a slightly sweet side to it and is almost never spicy.)

  Growlithe was gleefully rag around the grassnd, herding a group of Mareep like a true sheepdog.

  Lucario was liftis—Lairon, who was fast asleep and didn't want to wake up.

  It was enjoying the gentle up-and-down motion.

  Melmetal, imitating Slowking's stahought it looked quite cool and was doing its best to appear more dignified.

  Gastly floated in and out of the nut-shaped spaces withial, as the breeze carried away some of its gas.

  The plump Dragonite ig the few flowers dotting the grassnd, sniffing them and thinking about making a flower for boss-Metagross. Surely, Metagross would be pleased.

  Meanwhile, Metagross, Dragonite's esteemed "boss," was lyio Julian, half-squinting as it also ihe faintly intoxig gas.

  Many Grass-type Pokémon inhabited this grassnd, most of them gentle by nature. Since Julian hadn't disturbed them, they left him in peace as well.

  Some mischievous Sunkerreated Steelix's body like a slide, gliding down from its head and floating back up, only to slide down again.

  It had been almost 20 days since he ehe secret realm, Julian took advantage of the pleasant grassnd enviroo let all his Pokémon out to rex.

  With a bde of foxtail grass in his mouth, he sighed in relief as Gastly finally drifted away, taking the heady gas with it.

  Then, a sudden gust picked up. Steelix's eyes lit up, sensing it could "eat" even more, and opes mouth a bit wider.

  A Hoppip was blown off course by the stronger wind, tumbling down from the sky and aiming straight for Julian's face.

  Panig, the falling Hoppip chirped, as if pleading with the friendly-looking human below to catch it.

  Seeing this, Julian quickly stood up, log his eyes on the falling Hoppip, and then leaped to meet it. Hoppip's face lit up in delight, preparing to nd safely in his arms.

  But Julian spun in mid-air and kicked, sending Hoppip flying like a ball, right into the ter nut of Melmetal's body.

  Hoppip: (⊙_⊙)

  "Meta!~"

  Juliaylishly, and his loyal Metagross was the first to praise.

  "With a kick like that, eveional soccer team would think this is sci-fi."

  Melmetal felt something lodged in its stomach. It reached in, pulled out the dizzy Hoppip, and quickly flung it away, actally hitting other Hoppip floating in the air.

  Hoppip: These Bas***ds—human or Pokémon—are all dogs.

  Growlithe: Well, I am a dog.

  That evening, a campfire crackled as Julian ehe Huaiyang dishes Slowking had prepared for him—three dishes and a soup. For someone like Julian, finishing it all was no challenge.

  The Pokémon were mung on Pokéblocks and other treats.

  Steelix noticed its appetite had grown; even after eating all that "wind," it still wasn't full, so it went for some more Pokéblocks.

  Metagross, with a flower on its head, quietly ate its dinner.

  Dragonite looked pleased with the it had made, even making a grass circlet for Julian, which Julian promptly pelmetal's head instead.

  Julian: This greeh suits Melmetal perfectly.

  Gastly, wearing a happy grin, devoured its Pokéblocks, sav their deliciousness. It also had a group of new friends around, something it hadn't experienced before—a meal with panions.

  In this pristine, unpolluted secret realm, the night sky was filled with stars and a bright moon, much more vivid thaside world.

  Julian leaned against Melmetal, whose liquid-metal body made for a surprisingly fortable rest. Every so often, Julian pointed out stars with his finger.

  Melmetal looked at him, curious.

  "See, if you ect those stars together, doesn't it look like someone?"

  Julian tirag patterns with his finger.

  "Mel!~"

  After a moment of ptioal seemed the shape and happily let out a cheer.

  "Right, that's Steelix."

  "And if you ect these stars, that's Metagross."

  "And over here, this cluster is like a ball—yep, that's Gastly."

  "And this hexagon here? That's your nut."

  Seeing itself represented made Melmetal even happier, and it nudged Julian to find stars for the rest of their friends.

  Slowking and Lucario were busy tidying up. ing the dishes was easy; oer Gun from Slowking, and they were spotless.

  That night, Julian didn't pitch a tent. Instead, he had Steelix curl into a circle; with its size, the circle was rge enough to fit four or five Julians fortably.

  But Julian still felt a bit cramped. Dragonite sprawled out on his left, taking up most of the space with its fat frame, and Growlithe snuggled up on his right.

  inally, Growlithe had wao sleep right on top of Julian, but he'd firmly said no. So with a slightly hurt expression, it settled on his right side instead.

  As a result, Julian had difficulty even turning over.

  Looking at Dragonite and Growlithe who were already asleep, Julian smiled helplessly.

  Being with his Pokémon was a f feeling; evears above seemed to shine a little brighter tonight.

  Gastly drifted through the air above them. As a Ghost-type, it didn't really need sleep; just a bit of rest could keep it energized for a whole day. In fact, it was even more active at night.

  The idea of a 9-9-7 work schedule wouldn't just be a dream with Gastly's stamina.

  Julian watched as Gastly floated out of his sight but he wasn't worried. With its absolute invisibility, if there was any trouble, Gastly could easily avoid it.

  It had survived the far more dangerous Shadowed Forest, starting life on hard mode. This beginner-level grassnd was no challe all.

  A sudden noise caught his attention.

  "Squeak, squeak.."

  Steelix was having a restless sleep, grinding its teeth.

  Julian chuckled, w if Steelix even realized it had hardly ah left to grind.