Oliver walked over to Jiang Shuyun and the others.
"Captain, when did you enter the secret realm?" someone asked curiously.
Faced with his teammates' questions, Oliver scratched his head and replied,
"I arrived a bit late. You'd already gone in by the time I reached the entrance—but luckily, I still made it."
No one doubted his explanation.
"By the way," Oliver asked, "did you get a wooden token?"
Jiang Shuyun excitedly pulled the qualification token from her pocket and showed it to Oliver, clearly waiting for praise.
Oliver nodded as expected.
"Nice work. I was worried you might not find one. Since you already have it, then mine isn't needed anymore."
As he spoke, Oliver took out the wooden token he had kept aside earlier and casually tossed it down toward the still-chaotic crowd below.
Fatty Guo Shengfu suddenly stammered,
"C-Captain… are you the one they were talking about? The person who found seven—no, eight wooden tokens?"
"Just good luck," Oliver replied calmly.
Hearing that tone, Jiang Shuyun's earlier sense of pride instantly deflated.
The four of them had searched tirelessly for hours just to get one token, while Oliver alone had collected eight—and he called it good luck?
If that was luck, why didn't anyone else have it?
Oliver didn't bother with the ongoing scramble anymore. He led the team straight toward the secret realm exit.
A few contestants tried to step forward to stop them—
but the moment they recognized the mysterious figure among the group, they immediately backed down.
Who could stop him?
Who would even dare?
As a result, the five of them passed through the area without the slightest obstruction. Even the people crowding the exit subconsciously made way for them.
There was no telling how long that chaotic fight would continue, and Oliver had no intention of waiting.
Outside the Secret Realm
The coaches from the participating schools were gathered together, chatting nervously.
Even after years of leading teams, none of them had ever encountered an elimination format like this. No matter how calm they looked on the surface, everyone was worried.
If something happened to a student inside the secret realm—even with signed waivers—angry parents could still bring trouble to the school.
"How long do you think this secret realm competition will last?"
"Hard to say. It's only a small secret realm, so it should finish within a day."
"I saw several high-level Pokémon entering earlier. Looks like the competition this year is intense."
The coach from Rongcheng No. 2 High laughed and said loudly,
"Old Liu, want to guess which of our schools' teams comes out first?"
Because both schools were consistently strong and frequently made the top sixteen, the two coaches knew each other well.
That said, rivalry was rivalry—neither was willing to admit defeat.
Old Liu snorted, clearly uninterested in playing along.
If Oliver were present, he would've confidently said his own team would come out first.
But right now, his heart was full of unease.
The No. 2 High coach smiled smugly.
"Our school produced a real talent this year. We might even take the championship."
At that moment, the pale-blue light of the secret realm passage began to ripple.
Someone was coming out.
No one reacted much.
Such ripples had already appeared more than ten times—all of them eliminated contestants rescued by investigators.
And it was far too early for a successful team to return.
A foot stepped out of the vortex.
Then a round, smiling face appeared.
It was a chubby boy.
"Which team is that? Why does he look so happy after being eliminated?"
"No idea. Probably a team that didn't expect much in the first place."
Suddenly, the loud voice of the No. 2 High coach rang out again.
"Old Liu, doesn't that look like one of your students from No. 1 High?"
All eyes instantly turned to Old Liu.
Old Liu froze.
He recognized Guo Shengfu immediately.
But in his mind, even if his team had been unlucky, they shouldn't have needed rescue—why were they coming out so early?
Then one by one, more figures emerged.
Qi Jun.
Liu Lixuan.
Jiang Shuyun.
They were all from his team.
Old Liu felt as if lightning had struck him.
With this year's lineup—even without Oliver—they should have ranked near the top among all teams.
How could they have been eliminated in the first round?
Just as he was struggling to accept reality, the secret realm passage rippled again.
The final figure stepped out.
Oliver.
The moment Old Liu saw him, the lifeless look in his eyes burst back into vibrant color.
Even with his face partially covered, Old Liu recognized him instantly.
When did that brat go in?!
They came out at the same time—
yet the presence or absence of Oliver meant two completely different outcomes.
That was absolute trust.
As long as Oliver was there, nothing was impossible.
Sure enough, the entire team walked straight toward the registration desk.
In front of countless stunned coaches, they calmly placed a wooden token on the table.
"They actually passed the elimination round!"
"And they came out this early? Didn't anyone block them at the exit?"
Amid the astonished gazes, Old Liu rushed forward and pulled Oliver into a huge hug.
"I thought you weren't coming at all!"
Oliver laughed.
"How could I skip it? We already agreed—we're taking the championship together."
Old Liu burst out laughing.
This was face-saving on an entirely new level.
That evening, under Old Liu's lead, the whole team went out for a celebratory dinner to mark their successful advancement—and the fact that they were the first team to qualify.
The organizers scheduled the group stage for the day after next, giving all teams a full day to rest and allowing injured Pokémon time to recover.
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