Elf: I have a secret realm of emerald green.

After school, Xia Shen went to her usual elf shop to buy food.

……

"Welcome..." The girl sat behind the cashier reading a book, casually greeting the customers who entered.

"Good afternoon," the guest replied politely.

Hearing the familiar voice, Zhou Keke looked up. "It's you. How's Little Fox doing lately?"

"Thanks to you, everything is fine." Xia Shen smiled politely. "Your dad went fishing again?"

"Yeah, he said that since I haven't gotten any assignments this semester, he's going to fish up a Mini Dragon for me as homework."

"Your dad's pretty funny," Xia Shen remarked, then said goodbye and went to buy things.

……

Xia Shen now has two Pokémon to raise. One of them, Gible, is a gluttonous Pokémon comparable to a small Snorlax, and the money he spends on food every day is not a small amount.

Although the Soothing Bell and the Sun Stone should be able to heal me, I still need to find a way to earn some more money for baby formula.

Seeing that Zoroya's transformation ability was becoming more and more stable, Xia Shen thought of another rich girl here, with tempting conditions.

Tens of thousands or fifty thousand is nothing, but from now on, I'll get a 40% discount on everything I buy... It would be a shame not to take advantage of this deal.

…………

"You bought so much today?" Zhou Keke asked in surprise as she watched Xia Shen put the items on the cashier one by one.

Xia Shen sighed, "Don't even mention it. We're raising two elves at home now, and another one is a glutton. My wallet is about to give out."

Zhou Keke chuckled, "If you can't hold on, don't force yourself. Just tell your sister! She can help you."

Xia Shen pretended to hesitate for a moment, then stammered, "Um, do the conditions from last time still stand?"

A flicker of joy crossed the girl's eyes, but she said with difficulty, "Well, logically speaking, we've already missed the most crucial three days..."

He coughed twice and added, "But since you're handsome, how about this, I'll name a number..."

The girl gritted her teeth, feigning heartache: "Ten thousand!"

"Thirty thousand, 30% off, or I'm leaving." Xia Shen said expressionlessly.

"Okay, okay, no problem." Zhou Keke didn't haggle any further and immediately agreed. "Wait a moment."

He then called over one of the shop's employees, "Xiao Wang, come and watch the shop. I have to go out for a bit."

The operation was so smooth and seamless that Xia Shen was stunned.

"Stop daydreaming, let's go! I haven't seen Zoroya up close yet." Zhou Keke patted Xia Shen and couldn't wait to set off.

"Where to?" Xia Shen was a little confused.

"Of course, I'll go to where I live!"

------

To meet the client's demands, Xia Shen called his mother to explain the situation and then set off with Zhou Keke.

Zhou Keke's shop wasn't far from where she lived; the two of them arrived in ten minutes carrying their things.

In the elevator, Xia Shen couldn't help but ask the girl next to him, "You're so unguarded with me? What if I have ulterior motives?"

The girl thought about his question seriously and replied, "I forgot to tell you, besides being a breeder, I'm also on the Zhejiang University team."

“If your starter Pokémon is Arceus, I might actually be worried.”

"But if you really let me see Arceus... you can do whatever you want."

“Arceus, my Arceus... hehehehehe…” Zhou Keke said, revealing a lovesick smile.

……

With a "ding," the elevator doors opened.

"Please come in. My house might be a little messy, but don't worry about it," Zhou Keke invited Xia Shen inside.

Upon entering, what catches the eye is a purple, plush humanoid creature that appears to be dressed in a maid outfit.

It folded its hands in front of it, tilted its head, and looked at Xia Shen and Zhou Keke with gentle eyes.

"Ai Guan Shi, go prepare an afternoon tea to entertain the guests," Zhou Keke instructed as she changed her shoes.

"You can wear these." Zhou Keke tossed over a pair of slightly oversized brown slippers. "My dad wore them occasionally when he came over, so you'll have to make do with them."

Since she was a guest, Xia Shen changed into slippers and followed her inside.

Zhou Keke's apartment has no girlish charm whatsoever; on the contrary, it's very... straight-male style.

There is no television in the living room; instead, there is a huge computer monitor next to it, along with a high-tech desktop computer.

Centered around this, several rows of bookshelves nearly reach the ceiling, mostly filled with large professional books.

"Come sit here." Zhou Keke invited Xia Shen to sit on the comfortable-looking leather sofa.

"Enough with the small talk, let me see Zoroya right now!" Zhou Keke's face was full of impatience.

"Wait a moment, let me talk to Zoroa first. As you know, Zoroa is rather timid."

…………

Three minutes later, Xia Shen carried Soroya back to the living room.

Zhou Keke stared intently at Zoroya, who had transformed into its normal form, in Xia Shen's arms.

Soroya felt a little uneasy under Zhou Keke's gaze, and turned to him pitifully for help.

Xia Shen coughed twice, feeling helpless, before the girl snapped out of her daze. "Ah, sorry for being so rude. I just get like this when I see an elf I've never seen before. May I touch it?"

Xia Shen had tested Zoroia's transformation ability and found that Zoroia in her normal form was particularly stable, so she did not refuse Zhou Keke's contact.

"Don't move too much. If you hurt her, I won't be responsible if she uses her supernatural powers on you."

Zhou Keke quickly agreed and carefully and slowly approached the little fox in Xia Shen's arms, afraid that she would scare it away if she made too big a move.

Soroya, who was originally shy, was even more nervous than the older sister when she saw her, and her tense body relaxed.

"Mmm..." The girl who touched Zoroa let out a happy whimper.

Looking at Zhou Keke's infatuated state, Xia Shen was speechless. "Don't forget your assignment..."

The girl said nonchalantly, "This is part of the plan too."

After saying that, his slender hands rhythmically massaged Zoroa's body, and the little fox made a "purring" sound, squinting his eyes in enjoyment.

Zhou Keke explained, "The sensitive spots of the fox Pokémon are these: head, neck, and tail. You can try it after training in the future. Although it can't heal injuries, it's still very useful for relieving fatigue."

Xia Shen nodded in understanding and observed her technique.

After demonstrating the massage techniques, Zhou Keke and Xia Shen explained some general breeding techniques for fox Pokémon.

As they were chatting, the waiter came over carrying a cake and black tea.

Xia Shen suggested, "We haven't had any water since we got back, let's eat something first."

Zhou Keke was engrossed in petting the little fox and declined his invitation.

Xia Shen took out a Poké Ball, recalled Zoroa, and smiled smugly at her: "This isn't up to you."

Zhou Keke pouted, then, seeing the deluxe ball in Xia Shen's hand, said sarcastically, "Oh, using a deluxe ball, complaining to me about not being able to afford to raise a Pokémon, huh?"

"Luxury balls? My giblets can eat two a week!" Xia Shen complained about the little shark's appetite.

"You even have Gibles?" Zhou Keke looked at Xia Shen with surprise and delight. What a treasure boy!

"Come out, Gible." Xia Shen didn't waste any words, giving his sponsor face by releasing the Gible that had been cooped up inside the ball for a long time.

"Aww~" (?`???'?)

Compared to the shy Zoroa, Gible greeted Zhou Keke very outgoingly.

"What a healthy giblet!" Zhou Keke, driven by her nurturing spirit, praised it in a unique way.

"And why does it feel so much bigger than a regular giblet..." Zhou Keke muttered to herself, circling around the giblet.

"Huh?" Gible tilted its head, looking at Xia Shen with confusion.

Xia Shen could only say helplessly, "It's nothing. This person is just a bit strange, but he doesn't mean any harm."

Zhou Keke became more and more excited as she looked, staring at Xia Shen with her big, bright eyes, "Xia Shen, look..."

“Sure, but it’ll cost extra!” Xia Shen smiled.

## Chapter Twenty-One: The Battle for the Title of Emperor Yan

Therefore, Zhou Ke was able to purchase her own products at a 50% discount and pay 20,000 yuan in legal tender in exchange for the qualification to jointly cultivate Gibles.

The agreement was that every weekend after this semester, Xia Shen would bring the two little ones to Zhou Keke's house for a medical check-up and to help with some simple research.

Xia Shen made a fortune, the Gibles received more professional training, and Zhou Keke also achieved her goal.

This is a win-win-win situation!

Little Shark stayed at Zhou Keke's house for dinner and showed off his amazing appetite without any hesitation.

Perhaps because the food prepared by Ai Guan Shi was so delicious, Xia Shen even felt that the giblets ate more.

He also met Zhou Keke's other Pokémon, a cool Gardevoir and a clingy Sylveon.

After dinner, Xia Shen said goodbye to Zhou Keke and her elves, and took her usual walk home.

……

For the next few days, Xia Shen repeated the same thing—

[Exploring hidden realms, going to school, learning moves, training with Gible, battling] This kind of mundane yet fulfilling life.

Until Teacher Ye announced some news to everyone before school ended on Friday.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"I'm sure everyone has been following the [Emperor Yan Title Battle] that was recently held in Zhijiang. Tomorrow will be the day to decide the [Emperor Yan] title."

"Yan Yu, an outstanding graduate of our school and the youngest professional 9-dan in China, has made it to the finals. The school specially organized students from the Pokémon Battle Department to watch the match."

"It's both to cheer on our senior and to let everyone experience what high-level Pokémon battles are like up close. If you're interested, you can sign up now."