After dinner, with two Ghost-types standing watch, everyone settled in to sleep.
The whole day — not just the Pokémon battles, but the whole chase through Beautifly Camp alone — had exhausted Auron Vale's group.
It wasn't long before everyone was out cold in their respective tents.
A quiet, peaceful night.
Thanks to the Golden Spray, no prairie Pokémon came to bother them. And since everyone had been fighting by day, no one was fool enough to try a night raid.
After all, anyone with half a brain in a place like this knew you needed someone — or some Pokémon — standing guard while you slept. The average ambush simply wouldn't succeed, so over time, people stopped wasting the effort.
Still — no one let their guard down. Guards were always posted.
"Mmm~ Haah!"
Auron Vale sat up on Snorlax's belly, rubbed his eyes, stretched, and let out a deeply satisfied groan.
"What time is it?"
Su Tingxi, still half-asleep beside him, forced one eye open.
"Seven."
"Mm."
Auron Vale checked his phone, and Su Tingxi immediately closed his eye again.
"Five more minutes."
Auron Vale didn't mind. He pocketed his phone and walked outside.
No signal in here — it was just good for telling the time.
"Morning, Crobat."
"Yiing~"
Crobat squinted at Auron Vale and waved a wing in greeting.
Around four in the morning, Crobat had taken over the night watch from Duskull, who had been on the previous shift.
First shift: Gengar — the one who stayed up latest.
Second shift: Duskull — the natural night owl.
Third shift: Crobat — the early riser.
Three Pokémon, perfectly matched to their own sleep schedules, rotating the night shifts — and everyone still had energy to spare come daylight.
Auron Vale looked around, scratching his head. "Seems like I'm still short a Water-type."
"Eh, I'll wait for Clauncher or Milotic to wake up."
No Water-type meant no washing up. Auron Vale sat where he was, taking in the view.
Though they called this place a Black Mystery Zone, the scenery was anything but dark.
Half the sun had crested the horizon, painting the green grassland in warm gold. Oddly, the Grass-type Pokémon — Budew and Cottonee — had gone quiet, lying on the ground bathed in golden light, basking contentedly in their breakfast.
Wait… what?
Auron Vale's head filled with question marks. Something about this scene felt off.
Before he could think too much about it, though, Simon Greaves came bursting out of the tent.
"That — that guy! He's gone!"
"Calm down, calm down. Who's gone?"
"Look."
Simon thrust a piece of paper into Auron Vale's hand.
"Xiaozé, bye-bye~ Let's meet again if fate wills it. If not, see you at school!"
Auron Vale recognized the handwriting immediately. Soren Li's farewell note.
"Fine, he left. So what?"
Simon blinked. He'd expected Auron Vale to panic at the sudden departure. Instead, just that flat, unbothered response.
"Did the others wake up?"
Simon shook his head. "Not yet."
"Alright, I'll go get them."
Auron Vale said, striding into the big tent with a perfectly satisfied smile.
A moment later, everyone sat slumped on the grass outside, glaring at Auron Vale with deep resentment.
Auron Vale, meanwhile, practically radiated joy.
"Eat up. What are you waiting for?"
"Waiting for the day we can beat you up."
Jace Rowan's face was dark as he glared at Auron Vale. God only knew what they'd just been through.
"Eat, eat! After that, we're heading to Ice Land. We still haven't found the zone exit yet."
Auron Vale said, and doubled down on shovelling food into his mouth.
Breakfast was finished quickly. The Pokémon wrapped up their meals too.
After a brief rest attook a short rest on the spot,recall some slower Pokemon,after leaving the faster Pokemon,then set off for the Frozen Land.
the Butterfree camp and tunnel are connected,but between the tunnel and Frozen Land is grassland.
it should be said,the main component of the Mystery Zone is grassland.
like the Butterfree camp,Goldixe Lake,there is also the Frozen Land,all formed a zone on the grassland.
in this area,because a certain species,because there are many Pokemon of a certain type,so they were named separately.
the grassland between the tunnel and Frozen Land was not large,soon Auron Vale and the others reached the edge of the Frozen Land.
little boss,cotton jacket, want one,super warm.
cut the crap,don't listen to him,little boss,keep warm,that would be the army coat!
Auron Vale and the others had just arrived here,saw several people selling cold-weather supplies outside the Frozen Land.
the two vendors selling outerwearsaw Auron Vale and the others,immediately started fighting over it.
one holding a down jacket,one holding an army coat,nobody yielded to anyone.
stove, want one?essential for overnight in the Frozen Land.
just as the two were fighting over it,an old man huddling his hands silently said.
Auron Vale's attention was instantly drawn,stove,nice stuff.
grandpa,coming one batch after another,why rush.
the old man shook his head slightly:I'm not selling you the same thing,none of your business.
the man buying the down jacket was left speechless,not to mention the old man,but stared at Serena and Lena.
little girl,one down jacket?both pretty and warm.
with these words,Serena and Lena were immediately tempted,looked at the army green coat and white down jacket,instantly made a decision.
eventually,after paying seventy Oran Berries,SerenaandLenabought two down jackets,the boys each put on an army coat.
which boy could refuse an army coat?
as for the stove,everyone decided it was unnecessary,not easy to carry,they had Fire-type Pokemon.
Centiskorch,Arcanine,body felt warm all over,not to mention two Charizard tails burning with flame.
after buying cold-weather supplies,everyone entered the Frozen Land area.
the Frozen Land lived up to its name,the entire ground was covered with thin ice,one wrong step and you would slip.
Charizard,Flamethrower!
just as everyone was carefully trying to get a feel for skating,two Mini Ice attacked Serena.
seven[Icicle Spear]in the air, directly[Flamethrower]melted away,afterwards[Flamethrower]the momentum did not let up, directly made the two Mini Ice dissipate.
Serena,go check what there is.
After a brief rest in place, they withdrew the slower Pokémon and kept the quicker ones before setting out toward Ice Land.
Beautifly Camp and the tunnel connected directly, but between the tunnel and Ice Land lay only grassland.
It was probably fair to say that grassland was the dominant feature of the whole Mystery Zone.
Areas like Beautifly Camp, Goldeen Lake, Ice Land — they were all patches that had formed on the grassland. Given that certain individual species, or entire populations, or particular types dominated in one area, each got its own name.
The stretch between the tunnel and Ice Land wasn't large. It wasn't long before Auron Vale's group reached the outer edge of Ice Land.
"Hey little boss, you want acotton jacket? Super toasty, I tell ya!"
"Don't listen to him, little boss — if you want warmth, it's gotta be the military coat!"
As soon as the two vendors at Ice Land's perimeter spotted Auron Vale's group, they lunged forward in competition.
One thrust a down jacket forward; the other shoved a military coat at them. Neither would yield.
"How about a heater? Essential for overnight stays in Ice Land."
As the two bickered, an old man hunched in the corner spoke up quietly, hands tucked into his sleeves.
Auron Vale's attention snapped to him. A heater — now that was useful.
"Hold your horses, old timer, take your turn."
The old man shook his head slightly. "I'm not even selling the same stuff as them. None of your business."
The down jacket man was stumped for a comeback, so he turned his attention to Tang Yunqin and Lena instead.
"Young lady, how about a down jacket? Pretty AND warm."
That did the trick. Tang Yunqin and Lena looked between the olive-green military coats and the white down jackets — and the decision was instant.
In the end, after handing over seventy Berries, Tang Yunqin and Lena each bought a down jacket. The boys each took a military coat.
What boy could say no to a military coat?
As for the heater — everyone agreed it wasn't worth the trouble. Bulky to carry, and besides, they had Fire-types. Torkoal, Arcanine — both ran warm. Not to mention both Charizard had flame permanently burning at the tips of their tails.
With cold-weather gear secured, the group stepped into Ice Land.
True to its name, Ice Land had a thin sheet of ice coating every inch of ground — one wrong step and you'd be slipping all over the place.
"Charizard, Flamethrower!"
Just as everyone was carefully testing the ice's slipperiness, two Smoochum suddenly attacked Tang Yunqin.
Seven Ice Shards in the air were melted clean by Flamethrower — which then drove forward without slowing, scattering both Smoochum into nothing.
"Tang Yunqin, go check what else is around."
———
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