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It was eleven o'clock at night.
Jacob was still in a drowsy haze when he suddenly heard a sound. He abruptly sat up and looked around, seeing a dim yellow desk lamp lit, and a figure sitting at the wooden table, writing something under the warm glow of the light.
"Sorry, did I disturb you?" The speaker's Mandarin was quite standard, not at all like that of a local, and his voice was very soft and considerate: "I have a student who wants to send a letter to his father. I'm writing it for him; it'll only take two or three minutes."
Jacob finally came to his senses. He looked at the man who was speaking. Jacob remembered Jayce saying that the person he was rooming with was the deputy leader of the Patrol Team. It seemed this person should be the deputy leader of the Patrol Team.
The deputy leader's face was weathered from years of outdoor work, his temples slightly gray, and his features aged with experience. He looked about forty years old and wore an old pair of black-rimmed glasses that had seen better days.
On his desk were several textbooks: Chinese, mathematics, from first to sixth grade, everything a teacher would need. Looking at his refined appearance, he seemed more like an educated teacher than the deputy leader of the Patrol Team.
One must know that the deputy leader of the Patrol Team also possesses Heavenly King-level strength, but Jacob couldn't sense it; he looked more like an ordinary scholarly person with no apparent power.
"You're new today, aren't you?" Antonio said uncertainly. He had heard from Roger that four young people were coming for a month of training today: "My name is Antonio."
"Deputy Leader Antonio," Jacob said respectfully, "My name is Jacob. Why are you returning so late?"
"I had to teach the students," Antonio said, a warm smile appearing on his face as he thought of his students: "After class, I had to escort all the students home safely, which took some time on the mountain paths."
"Deputy Leader Antonio, are you a teacher?" Although Jacob had guessed it earlier, he was still slightly surprised by the confirmation.
"Yes. This mountain lacks proper teachers, so I was temporarily pulled in to teach the children to read and write. I don't seek to educate and nurture great scholars, only to avoid misleading them," Antonio spoke in a refined manner, and his tone was quite humble and amiable.
"Teacher Antonio, your accent doesn't sound like a local's," Jacob asked with curiosity.
"I'm from the Capital," Antonio didn't hide it, admitting it openly: "I was transferred from the Capital to support the Patrol Team. Originally, I was supposed to return after two years here, but if I leave, there will be no one to be this teacher, so I've stayed here voluntarily."
Antonio's tone was quite calm, using the most simple words to describe what was truly a noble deed. Jacob greatly admired his willingness to give up the superior environment of the Capital and stay in Green Mountain Town.
After all, most people who come to support remote areas now do so with the purpose of improving their resumes, to make them look better, and return to the city as soon as their mandatory two years are up.
However, even that kind of resume building is quite commendable. Because many people are unwilling to leave the comfortable and superior environment of the city, not even willing to come for two years of service, which further highlights Antonio's remarkable character.
"I'll finish writing this letter soon and then turn off the light. Please bear with me," Antonio showed an apologetic smile and continued writing with focused concentration.
Jacob couldn't help but look at the words Antonio was writing. They were strong and powerful, combining both squareness and roundness in perfect calligraphy—clearly the work of a highly cultured person, unlike Jacob's own messy handwriting.
Soon, Antonio finished the letter, carefully folded it, turned off the light, and quietly went to sleep.
...
Two o'clock in the morning.
Jacob was still deep in his sleep when he was abruptly woken up.
"Jacob, gather up immediately. Quick, change your clothes, we're preparing to depart right now." The person was Jayce, the leader of the first team, wearing a thick coat and well-insulated gear, urgently calling Jacob to get up.
"Yes, sir." Although his mind hadn't fully woken up, Jacob's body had already begun to move automatically. Five minutes later, he had washed up quickly, wrapped himself in a thick coat, and walked out of the room.
The camp was extremely cold in the early morning hours, with the cold wind howling fiercely, making Jacob shiver despite his warm clothing. The ground was covered in thick frost, and even ice had formed on the exposed surfaces.
Jacob noticed that Amelia had also been called up from her sleep, already wrapped in thick clothes that made it impossible to distinguish between male and female in the dim lighting.
"Our team has a total of twelve people, three per group. You two will temporarily be with me for this patrol," Jayce said to the two newcomers, then handed each of them a red flare: "Night is when Pokémon poachers are most active and rampant, and we usually patrol during these hours. This time, our patrol area is Dragon Ridge Mountain. Follow me closely and let's move out."
"This is your equipment, put it on immediately." Jayce threw a large canvas backpack to each of them, motioning for them to strap them on securely.
Jacob managed fine with the weight, but Amelia had to exert considerable effort to get the heavy pack positioned properly. And so, Jacob began his first journey of patrolling the dangerous mountains.
...
Capital.
After Kindler's identity as a member of the Dawn Society was exposed, he chose to flee in fear of prosecution, and this incident quickly caused a major uproar, implicating Maximus as well.
Many people began to criticize Maximus harshly, after all, Kindler was his eldest disciple, and they wouldn't believe he had no connection whatsoever, even if they were presented with overwhelming evidence.
At the same time, malicious rumors began to spread widely online, capitalizing on the public attention, fabricating claims that Maximus might have been involved in the Dragon-type Secret Realm attack, or even orchestrated it himself for personal gain.
For a time, there was much turmoil and controversy, as a Gym Leader in the Capital being revealed as a high-ranking member of the Dawn Society was a blatant slap in the face to the Pokémon Association's credibility.
Kindler's sudden disappearance also put immense pressure on the Pokémon Association, which began a comprehensive secret investigation to search for Kindler's whereabouts, but without any success.
But just today, Kindler's body was discovered in the Dragon-type Gym, in an extremely gruesome and disturbing state.
People's reactions to Kindler's death varied greatly, but only Lewis, whose investigation trail had suddenly gone cold, felt that things were not as simple as they appeared. After tracking the mysterious masked man that day, he traced the lead directly to Kindler, accidentally discovered Kindler's Dawn Society identity, and reported it to the authorities.
Although Kindler's death brought him a sense of justice being served, Lewis felt even more uneasy than before. His investigation had gone too smoothly, as if someone had deliberately laid out bait for him to follow.
Lewis shook his head, pushing these troubling thoughts aside. The clue trail leading to Kindler was now broken, leaving him temporarily without any clear direction to pursue.
Although he didn't want to believe the masked man's cryptic words, once a seed of doubt is planted in one's mind, it will slowly grow and sprout, eventually growing into a towering tree of suspicion.
The Long family? Was this entire matter truly related to the powerful Long family?
If it hadn't been for Nina that night, Stetson might not have drunk so much alcohol, might not have driven to the desolate wilderness, and might not have died in that tragic accident.
...
Dragon Ridge Mountain.
The wind and snow were intense and unforgiving; even though the three patrol members were dressed warmly, they could still feel the bitter chill penetrating their clothing.
"When patrolling, we should try not to use our Pokémon unless absolutely necessary, otherwise, it's easy to alert potential enemies to our presence. Even if we do use them, we should choose Pokémon with high stealth abilities, so they are not easily discovered," Jayce imparted his valuable experience to the two trainees.
As he was speaking, Jayce suddenly stopped in his tracks and then whispered urgently, "Be careful, hide immediately."
Jacob and Amelia immediately became tense, crouching low behind some rocks, their eyes fixed intently on the area ahead.
They saw a tall figure vaguely approaching from a distance: a Beartic. It had fresh bloodstains on its white fur and was letting out angry, pained roars, and behind it, a Kabutops was relentlessly giving chase with its sharp scythe-like arms gleaming.
"It seems you two are lucky; you encountered poachers on your very first patrol! Get ready for battle!" A fierce glint flashed in Jayce's experienced eyes. He gripped his Poké Ball firmly and released his partner Pokémon, Glalie: "Attack immediately! Fire the signal flare!"
Following Jayce's urgent command, Amelia also released her ace Pokémon, Frosmoth, and Jacob released his trusted Sceptile!
At the same time, Jacob fired a bright red signal flare high into the dark sky, instantly illuminating the night and alerting the other patrol teams to their location and the danger they had encountered!