The next morning, Draconis was sitting in his tent, going over various matters within the territory that Alfred had reported, when Anna's voice suddenly came from outside the door.
"Teacher!"
Draconis looked up and saw Anna running in, holding Zorua.
Her eyes were bright, and her expression was full of joy: "Teacher, my Zorua has learned a new move!"
"Oh?" Draconis was a little surprised.
"Zorua, quickly use that move to show Teacher!" Anna said eagerly.
Zorua nodded lightly, and the next second, its form rapidly changed.
Numerous illusions flickered continuously, and then, many "Pokémon" exactly like Zorua appeared in the tent.
Under Anna's command, dozens of Zorua uniformly raised their heads and looked at Draconis.
Draconis recognized the move at a glance.
"It's Double Team, isn't it?" He praised, "Not bad, it really is a very powerful move."
"Double Team?" Anna asked with a curious expression, "Is this move called Double Team?"
"That's right." Draconis nodded, "It seems you and Zorua have made great progress during this time! You haven't disappointed my expectations for you."
"Mm!" Anna's eyes sparkled, "Not only that, Zorua is also more proficient with its other moves!"
"It seems it's time to teach you the next lesson," Draconis said.
"What is it?"
Upon hearing this, Anna and Zorua immediately looked over with eyes full of anticipation.
"The characteristics of Pokémon." Draconis stood up, walked in front of Zorua, and slowly explained, "As far as I know, every Pokémon possesses different characteristics."
"This is the manifestation of their innate power. Let me use my Dratini as an example."
Draconis waved his hand, and Dratini flew over.
"Dratini's characteristic is Marvel Scale. Compared to other Pokémon, Dratini's dragon scales possess a magical power. When it is poisoned or paralyzed, the power within these scales will be triggered, making its scales even harder."
"Marvel Scale..." Anna felt as if a door to a new world was slowly opening. "Then is Zorua's characteristic also Marvel Scale?"
Draconis smiled and shook his head, "No, the characteristics of different Pokémon are not the same. Even Pokémon of the same species can have subtle differences in their characteristics."
"From my observation, your Zorua's characteristic is a power called [Illusion], and you have already seen that power."
"Eh? I've seen it?" Anna was stunned.
Draconis nodded, "That night when you and Zorua met, the illusion it created to scare away the Beartic to protect you was the power of [Illusion]."
"Zorua can use this power to create various illusions to confuse opponents. Sometimes, it can even change its appearance in the eyes of others, for example, transforming into a human."
"And this power can often be very useful at times, for example, when you encounter dangerous Pokémon that you cannot defeat, you can interfere with the opponent through illusions to escape."
"Such… such a powerful ability!" Anna's eyes widened.
Draconis smiled slightly, "Next, your task is to train Zorua's characteristic until it can use illusions to transform into a human."
"Once you master this power, the next step, I will begin to teach you the most important aspect of being a Trainer — command."
"Command?" Anna quickly responded, "Yes, Teacher!"
"Also, take this parchment back and read its contents carefully." Draconis handed Anna the parchment he had written earlier.
It recorded a detailed type effectiveness chart and the types of some Pokémon.
Anna reached out and took it, then promised, "We will definitely study hard!"
Draconis smiled and nodded, "In that case, go!"
Judging from Anna's performance these past few days, this child has a great talent for becoming a Trainer.
Watching Anna and Zorua's departing figures, Draconis murmured:
"Little Anna, you must grow up quickly!"
Zorua's ability to create illusions is simply perfect for a scout.
Speaking of scouts, Draconis couldn't help but think of Cleveland, Ryan, and Christina, whom he had sent out a few days ago.
"I wonder how they are doing with their mission..."
*
On a snow-covered mountain five kilometers away from the territory.
Christina wore a thick cashmere hat and knitted gloves. She gazed at the mountains, rivers, and lakes below, while trying her best to sketch the surrounding terrain.
Ryan and Cleveland stood guard nearby.
Several days had passed since they left the territory, and now their food was almost depleted, so it was time for them to return.
Along the way, they encountered many Pokémon, but with Cleveland's rich experience, they not only safely avoided attacks but also recorded the appearances and habitats of those Pokémon.
Of course, not all Pokémon attacked them.
For example, there was a Pokémon shaped like a pot, hiding under rocks, which would shrink its head and hands into its shell in fear upon seeing people.
And another bird Pokémon with fluffy, cotton-cloud-like wings that wasn't afraid of people.
Ryan even witnessed a large group of massive Mamoswine slowly lumbering past them.
They hadn't felt it before while staying in the royal capital, but now, having experienced all this firsthand, both Ryan and Christina felt a sense that this world was so beautiful, so grand, and these Pokémon were so captivating, making them want to explore it in detail.
"His Highness Draconis's mission is successfully completed!" Ryan muttered with some regret, "It's a pity I didn't encounter any Pokémon willing to follow me..."
Christina couldn't help but laugh, "Ryan is so crude, what Pokémon would like you?"
The three of them had experienced many things together on this journey, developing a deep bond, and they occasionally joked with each other.
Ryan clenched his fist, "Nonsense! I'm not crude, okay?"
Christina chuckled.
Cleveland stood by, holding his sword, his tall and strong body like a wall.
Suddenly, his ears caught a strange sound.
Accompanied by a rumbling roar, it sounded as if some behemoth was approaching.
Cleveland immediately became alert: "Danger!"
No sooner had he spoken than a massive figure burst through the bushes in front of them and appeared before the three.
It was a Pokémon over two meters tall, with a huge body, like a monster.
Upon seeing the three, it furiously pounded its chest with its fists, letting out an angry roar.
"Roar!"
The next second, its massive body lunged towards Cleveland, who was at the front.
Pounce!
Cleveland immediately used his sword to block, but the Pokémon's strength was far greater than he had imagined, directly knocking him, person and sword, flying.
"Cleveland!" Ryan immediately drew his sword and stepped forward, shouting, "Christina, hide!"
However, before he finished speaking, an extremely terrifying power erupted from the Pokémon's body.
"Rumble!"
The ground roared, as if it was about to split open the next second.
Before Ryan could see what happened, a huge force surged from beneath his feet, blasting him away.
"Ryan!"
Looking at the enraged Pokémon, Christina's face was filled with fear. She put away her paper and pen and rushed forward, wanting to check on Ryan's condition.
As the Pokémon was about to charge, at the critical moment, Cleveland stood in front of it with his sword.
Immense power erupted from his body. Years of war experience made him realize the extraordinary nature of this Pokémon.
They were definitely no match for it!
But it was already too late to escape, Cleveland quickly made a decision.
"Take Ryan and leave, you two go back to the territory first!"
Christina helped Ryan up, her face full of anxiety, "What about you?"
"I'll distract it! You two leave quickly!"
Christina's face was full of hesitation.
Cleveland roared, "Go take the map to His Highness Draconis, hurry! Otherwise, none of us will make it out alive!"
Upon hearing this, tears welled up in Christina's eyes. She took one last look at Cleveland, gritted her teeth, and, supporting Ryan, began to retreat along the path they had come from.
Seeing the two leave, Cleveland finally breathed a sigh of relief, and the next second, he was sent flying by a huge force, his body tumbling down the snow mountain.
His consciousness suddenly vanished, and Cleveland completely fainted.
Cleveland had a dream.
He dreamt of his younger self, when he joined the army, and before he left, the girl he liked gently told him, "Come back alive."
But when the war ended, everything had changed beyond recognition.
His parents passed away, and the girl he liked married someone else.
Cleveland, who had lost everything, took one last look at that girl, then resolutely returned to the army, until the day he received a new order.
— To follow His Highness Draconis to the fiefdom.
In a trance, Cleveland seemed to hear that phrase again, "Come back alive."
That was... His Highness Draconis.
Cleveland suddenly opened his eyes.
He quickly looked around, assessing his current situation.
This was a snow-covered hillside.
It seemed he had rolled down from the snow mountain and ended up here.
"Not dead." Cleveland tried to move his limbs, but a sharp pain shot through his right arm.
This made him let out a muffled groan.
A broken bone.
Fortunately, this injury was nothing to him.
Cleveland struggled to his feet, trying to find his way back to camp in the vast snowy mountains.
However, after walking for a long time, until he was exhausted, he saw the same hillside where he had initially fallen.
He had lost his way.
Cleveland's face was grim.
Time passed minute by minute, and snowflakes began to fall. He no longer knew how long he had been in the snow mountain.
His strength gradually faded, no food, no water, cold... so cold... Cliff hid behind a rock sheltered from the wind.
His body temperature was slowly dropping, and his consciousness was gradually becoming blurry.
Die... Was he going to die here?
In a daze, Cleveland suddenly saw an extremely beautiful creature flying towards him.
It was a large bird with beautiful blue feathers and a pair of beautiful ice-crystal wings.
It had a crown on its head made of three dark blue rhomboid feathers, and its tail, flowing gracefully like a colorful banner, swayed gently, looking so sacred, so elegant.
The snowflakes falling around suddenly stilled, as if frozen in mid-air.
Cleveland opened his eyes and met the gaze of those red eyes.