Elf: Start with small diamonds, then mutate into Diancie!

After recounting the details of the black aura he "saw" using his waveguide and Diancie's inexplicable sense of disgust, Su Hao asked, "Do you have any clues about this seemingly irrational berserk state?"

He had a bad feeling that this dark aura had a powerful origin.

Articuno shook its head: "This is the first time I've seen something like this. Could it be some kind of strange disease...?"

“I know what you’re worried about, but the black aura you mentioned might just be the culprit behind Krookodile’s berserk state, while dark matter is what causes Pokémon to gradually change after being exposed to it, resulting in more obvious changes.”

"The specifics still need further investigation. I'll stop here for now; someone's coming."

After saying that, Articuno fell silent.

"Meow!"

A few dozen seconds later, the next moment after the feline cry rang out, a bright yellow bolt of lightning ripped through the air, leaving behind a burnt smell. A square-faced man appeared in front of Su Hao riding a Pokémon.

The square-faced man spoke up, "You've really worked hard to hold on until now. Now, leave the rest to me..."

"well--!?"

The man turned his gaze to Su Hao and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

At the same time, another green figure jumped down from the nearby tree canopy.

Meow~?

................

"Thank you for your hard work... Xiao Su, you really surprised me."

Li Xiang's voice was incredibly complex, his eyes darting around, scanning Su Hao's entire body from time to time, as if trying to confirm something.

Su Hao scratched his head, his tone as incredulous as Li Xiang's: "I'm surprised too, boss, you're actually a special investigator..."

The person in front of him was none other than the cat cafe owner that Su Hao had met before, the one who definitely had a side business.

Li Xiang was dressed in a blue special investigator uniform, which, combined with his broad shoulders and upright posture, made him look very imposing.

Next to Li Xiang were two Pokémon that could be classified as felines: a Velkhana of the early Gym Leader level and Dark Tong Dawei... no, Magic Mask Meowth.

While stroking the X-Rayet cat, which had sprawled out like a cat pancake, Su Hao asked with unwavering curiosity, "Boss, how did you know this place was under attack?"

Li Xiang glanced at the Magic Masked Meow, who was staring at Xeno'jiiva and Su Hao with eager anticipation, and then calmly blocked her view before saying seriously, "I am a wild Pokémon that was relegated from the Spiral Realm and was inexplicably extremely aggressive, and was assigned to the wilderness cleanup area."

"Then, I received an emergency rescue mission from the League Trainer app several kilometers away and rushed over."

"And this professional-level late-stage Rogue Crocodile was actually taken down... Did you do it?"

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The Paradox of the Future - Iron Neck, Evil + Flight.

Chapter 235 The Source

"You're still a senior in high school, right?" Li Xiang kept scanning Su Hao.

"Or did someone else who was assigned the task take down the rogue crocodile?"

Li Xiang looked around, but saw no one else besides the passengers and driver in the now quiet bus.

"Task?"

Su Hao suddenly remembered that, apart from Li Xiang mentioning the word "mission" several times, his phone seemed to have made a similar notification sound before he got out of the car.

Thinking of this, Su Hao immediately took out his phone and opened it. The first thing he saw was a very conspicuous red dot lit up on the [League Trainer App].

He remembered that the official staff member who directly promoted him to elite-level trainer had asked him to download and register the app.

Once you open the app, the task requirements and target location navigation will pop up prominently.

After a quick glance, Su Hao was certain that the elite-level trainer Li Xiang was referring to was himself.

"If we're talking about elite-level trainers, it should be me," Su Hao said seriously, turning his phone screen towards Li Xiang.

"Ah...oh." Li Xiang was stunned for a moment, then he understood.

For the most outstanding senior high school students, obtaining an elite-level trainer certification should be no problem.

If this continues, it will just be like checking someone's household registration and having to explain everything again. But Su Hao can understand. After all, Li Xiang is an investigator, and it's normal for him to have his professional habits kick in sometimes.

He immediately changed the subject, saying, "This rogue crocodile just happened to be strong on the outside but weak on the inside, and it happened to be seriously injured. That's how I managed to hold it off until it was exhausted."

"Boss Li Xiang, I have a question I'd like to ask you." After saying that, Su Hao, like a scumbag, ignored Röntgen Cat's coquettish pleading and stood up.

"Okay, go ahead."

Li Xiang accepted Su Hao's explanation; as long as the person was saved, he didn't care what the truth was.

"Why was I automatically assigned this task...? It even has my exact location on it."

Su Hao didn't like being constantly tracked, as it felt like he was being monitored.

He even considered uninstalling the app, and he wasn't interested in the so-called "merit points" either; they were probably some kind of token.

"This...you don't know?" Li Xiang was stunned.

"I don't know. This app was asked to be downloaded a few days ago when I was getting certified as an elite trainer, and I haven't opened it since." Su Hao shook his head.

Li Xiang noticed that Su Hao was a little unhappy, and he said knowingly, "Well, this involves very complex rules. This location can only be activated by the intelligent system when an emergency occurs and the surrounding trainers need to be mobilized. No one else can access this private data."

"It's like the option to voluntarily accept emergency mission deployment; it's checked by default after downloading the app, but it's in a very prominent position on the homepage, so most people would turn it off."

At this point, Li Xiang pointed to Su Hao's phone screen, indicating that he should turn off the two options.

"I see, I understand now." Su Hao nodded and quickly closed the window.

With the attitude of seeing things through to the end, Li Xiang explained all the functions of the app to Su Hao and also taught Su Hao how to submit and complete tasks step by step.

"After the review, the Alliance Merit Points will be sent to your account. Since you were the one who put in the most effort this time, I'll transfer my 30 points reward directly to you."

Li Xiang directly transferred 30 Alliance Merit Points to Su Hao's account.

Su Hao did not refuse. He was indeed curious about the merit points, as Li Xiang said that they could be used to buy many things that could not be bought on the market.

For example, all sorts of bizarre and unofficial access qualifications, tutorials, and even resources related to mythical beasts.

Items like Entei's Flame, Zapdos's Feather, Suicune's Hair, Zarude's Vines, and the Unmelting Ice created by Icicle are extremely expensive.

However, Su Hao guessed that these were all legendary beasts from the legendary beast clan, which were nominally legendary beasts but were actually only much stronger than ordinary Pokémon, and did not have any authority.

Even the scraps from these mythical beasts can fetch so much money... Su Hao even considered plucking and selling the Articuno's feathers.

Next, Su Hao stared wide-eyed as Li Xiang transformed from a lazy shop owner into a seemingly reliable Alliance civil servant.

They handle everything very skillfully and efficiently.

............

It's 7 p.m.

Li Xiang enjoyed a good time at the cat cafe. Before leaving, Su Hao asked curiously, "Krookodile, and the Pokémon that inexplicably went berserk in the Spiral Realm, what will the League do with them?"

He was somewhat worried that the Scyther chieftain he used to know might have turned into a rogue crocodile.

Li Xiang crossed his hands behind his back, tilted his head back, and after thinking for a moment, said, "Current intelligence indicates that these Pokémon will no longer go berserk after losing their ability to battle, but in order to prevent a relapse, they will be placed in a Pokémon treatment center for observation for a period of time. Once it is confirmed that there are no aftereffects, a suitable place will be found to release them back into the wild."

"However, the source of the berserk state has not yet been found, because these Pokémon were all rejected from the Spiral Rift. Therefore, most scholars tend to believe that there is an infection source within the Spiral Rift."

"Although there is no unusual activity in the Spiral Secret Realm at present, the key to the secret realm has become invalid. Until the alliance sends a powerful expert who can forcefully enter the secret realm, no one is allowed to approach the vicinity of the entrance to the secret realm."

"Near the entrance?" Su Hao asked, feigning confusion.

Why only seal off the area near the entrance and not other areas?

Li Xiang glanced at Su Hao strangely, wondering why he cared about this.

He replied, "Only when the spatial nodes near the entrance were relatively weak could a Champion-level Pokémon skilled in spatial manipulation forcefully open the passage."

Su Hao feigned curiosity and coaxed, "Then it's impossible to enter the secret realm from other places?"

Li Xiang wasn't wary of him, and he would answer even these obscure common sense questions.

When Li Xiang mentioned that the secret realm was sealed off, Su Hao knew something was wrong; this meant he wouldn't be able to get in.

Fortunately, Li Xiang seemed to know other methods.

"To give an example, if we take the spatial barrier of the Spiral Realm as an example, without any weak points in the space, it would require at least a Champion-level Pokémon that is skilled in spatial manipulation to force it open."

"After all, this secret realm used to be ranked very high, so the requirements for other weaker secret realms will be lower."

"Furthermore, if you possess the Key to the Secret Realm, you can open a spatial gate at any location within the Secret Realm."

At this point, Li Xiang couldn't help but chuckle to himself. With the old Secret Realm Key now invalid, and no new Secret Realm Key to be found, it was highly likely that a new one had been generated inside the Secret Realm.

"The Key to the Secret Realm... is it a key?"

Su Hao had a premonition that the white, transparent key in his mind was the key to the secret realm.

Su Hao had a lot of questions, and Li Xiang said with a helpless expression, "Rather than a key, it's more like a virtual key or token that only exists in the mind of the person who is bound to it."

"Only the holder can choose to open a passage at a specific location within the secret realm, either a one-time or permanent one."

"I understand." Su Hao nodded, indicating that he had figured it out.

Li Xiang frowned, keenly sensing that Su Hao seemed very interested in the secret realm, no, the Spiral Secret Realm. He sincerely advised, "The superpowered individuals in the alliance who are good at predicting the future have also said that the source of the infection is very likely in the secret realm. We must stay away from there."

Su Hao remained expressionless and obediently replied, "I will."

Let's explore the Spiral Secret Realm tonight!

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The Paradox of the Future - Ironthorn, Rock + Electric.

Chapter 236 Night Sneak Peek

After leaving Li Xiang's cat cafe, Su Hao, who was full of rebellious spirit, decided to go to the Spiral Secret Realm tonight to find out more.

Li Xiang is right. High school students like Su Hao should stay at home and wait for adults to handle things.

After a while, the powerful figures mobilized by the Divine Continent Alliance will arrive in Yang City and begin attempting to forcibly enter the Spiral Secret Realm.

But things will get more complicated then, and Su Hao has no idea what the source of the Pokémon's berserk state is; his only goal is to summon his Reshiram.

If the Alliance's powerful members arrive, the security will likely be even tighter. Assuming Su Hao doesn't reveal Articuno, and his father Su Xu is also in seclusion, it will probably be very difficult to get close to the vicinity of the Spiral Secret Realm.