Standing nearby, Sylvain and Elio also understood the underlying meaning of those words. A bittersweet atmosphere of impending separation suddenly filled the air...
By the time Officer Jenny finished taking the photos, Caleb turned around to find everyone looking visibly upset. He blinked, unsure of what had happened.
"That's all for now. I need to get back to the station. There's still work waiting for me. I'll let you know as soon as there's any news." Officer Jenny said, packing up her camera.
Recently, Snowpoint City had experienced a string of Pokémon theft cases. The perpetrator's methods were so skillful, that many Trainers didn't even realize their Pokémon had been stolen until much later.
"Alright, be careful on your way back..." Isa said.
Officer Jenny nodded and left the orphanage.
Just then, the Random Event panel popped up again:
[Random Event: "Codename J" has been activated!]
[Players currently in Snowpoint City may accept this task via this panel. Upon completion, rewards include:
- Escape Rope: A wondrous item from the Pokémon games. A sturdy, long rope that allows for instant teleportation to a safe location. Can be used to escape caves, mazes, or large buildings...
Caleb paused. Over the past few days, numerous random events had been popping up around Snowpoint City.
Most were simple tasks like 'Rescue the Mamoswine trapped in an ice crevice' or 'Bring food to the Snorunt', with rewards consisting of inconsequential Berries and healing items.
Caleb had skipped most of them, only bothering with a small task called 'Help the lost Smoochum find its mother'...
The reward had been a large shimmering pearl. Apparently, it was quite valuable in shops. But he hadn't sold it. He thought it looked nice enough to display by his bed in the Infinite World or let Dragonite play with.
This Instance was special... Rewards from random events could be taken back to the Infinite World. Figuring the Escape Rope might come in handy later, Caleb accepted the task.
Immediately, the details appeared before him:
[Random Task: "Codename J" accepted!]
[Proceed to Snowpoint City immediately to investigate the recent Pokémon theft cases!]
[The first player to help a victim recover their stolen Pokémon will receive the reward! Only one reward available... first come, first served!]
[Time remaining: 47 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds...]
[Failure if time expires.]
Caleb glanced at the wall clock. It was 4:30 PM, and dinner was still an hour and a half away. There was no way he could sneak out now. He wouldn't have enough time.
So he resigned himself to staying at the orphanage, playing in the snow with the three kids for nearly an hour.
Winter nights were long. Even before 6 PM, darkness had already fallen.
After dinner, Caleb returned to his room, closed the door, and pretended to sleep, only to pull out Dragonite's Poké Ball and prepared to head to Snowpoint City for the quest.
Terrence, who was curled up in his dog bed, cracked an eye open at the noise and questioned, "Another quest?"
"Yeah." Caleb released Mimikyu, Lucario, and Dragonite, feeding them the food Gardevoir had prepared earlier.
Terrence sat up and stretched, "Mind if I tag along? It feels like I haven't left this place in two weeks."
Caleb considered it. Terrence might actually be useful for this quest, so he nodded, "Sure. Did you accept the task too?"
Terrence shook his head honestly, "Nah. Escape Ropes aren't Mega Stones... I don't need 'em. I'll just come along to help."
"Fine." Caleb waited for Dragonite and the others to finish eating, then opened the window and climbed onto Dragonite's back.
The snow-covered ground reflected the cold moonlight, illuminating the surroundings so brightly, that the night seemed almost like day.
Dragonite lifted its head, gazing at the crescent moon with clear eyes.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Caleb suddenly remembered he still had Dragonite's exclusive Instance waiting. He planned to take Dragonite there for a proper break after this Scenario.
In the last Stranded Island Survival Instance, Dragonite had carried the entire team and collapsed into exhausted sleep the moment they got home, which was something that had pained Caleb to see.
He rested his head against Dragonite's, wrapping his arms around its neck to shield its face from the biting wind.
"Wuu~"
As if responding to Caleb's gesture, Dragonite cooed softly, puffing out its already round cheeks to make them even chubbier.
Watching from the side, Terrence felt a pang of envy. He wished he could share that kind of bond with his Pokémon. But now that he was a Smeargle, his own Pokémon not only didn't recognize him, they'd attack him on sight.
Even though a Pokémon's body was far sturdier than a human's, getting hit point-blank by a Flamethrower was not a pleasant experience...
Soon, Dragonite arrived above Snowpoint City.
The city's architecture had a distinctly European flair, with almost no high-rises. It consisted of rows of two-story cottages that had their roofs blanketed in snow, giving the whole place a storybook charm.
Dragonite landed behind a small green building. Terrence hopped onto the soft snow, leaving behind tiny paw prints shaped like plum blossoms.
"So… what's the plan? Where do we start investigating?" he asked.
Caleb was about to answer, when his gaze caught on a huddled shadow near a dumpster in the alley. His train of thought derailed.
Terrence noticed and followed his line of sight...
It was a brown quadrupedal Pokémon with a head shaped like a shield. It lay curled up in the corner, badly injured and half-buried in snow, as if it had been there for a long time.
"Why is there a Shieldon here?" Terrence stepped closer, puzzled.
Hearing the noise, the Shieldon immediately opened its eyes, staring warily at the human child and two Pokémon before it.
Recognizing its fear, Terrence raised his hands placatingly, "Hey, relax. We're not here to hurt you."
"Let's treat its injuries first." Caleb crouched, carefully digging the weakened Shieldon out of the snow before using the Viridian Power to heal it...