When Jacob heard Zade's words, he realized this mission might be something out of the ordinary. He quickly pulled out his phone, sent a group message to everyone he knew, and then handed the phone over.
Even after handing it over, Jacob still had a satellite phone stored away in his system space — one he could use to contact others at any time.
June did the same. She called her family first, then handed over her own phone.
"Jacob, June... your missions this time are different from usual. You'll be acting separately, and neither of you is allowed to tell the other what your mission involves. June, come with me first — I'll brief you on your assignment. Jacob, please wait here for now."
Zade's unusually secretive manner made Jacob frown. This mission was clearly far more important than he had first assumed.
The level of secrecy surrounding a mission was usually a good measure of how serious it was. This much caution meant this was no ordinary assignment.
"Okay." June nodded, stood up, and followed Zade into the next room.
Left alone, Jacob sat quietly, waiting.
His curiosity about the mission only grew.
Half an hour later, Zade returned to the room — but June was nowhere in sight.
"June has already left to carry out her mission." Zade sat down across from Jacob, his expression serious. "Now I'll brief you on yours. But before I do, Jacob... I need to remind you of the confidentiality rules. This mission is extremely important, and it requires absolute discretion."
"If you're carrying any other electronic devices, hand them over now. Once we're inside the interdimensional space, we'll have Ghost-type Pokémon sweep the area for hidden communication devices. If anything turns up... you'll be held responsible."
"Don't worry, I've already turned everything in." Jacob nodded. His personal belongings were tucked safely away in his system space — somewhere the Pokémon Association would never be able to find.
"Good. Before I go any further, there's one thing I need to confirm first." Zade's eyes locked onto Jacob's, sharp as lightning. "Do you have a mysterious Pokémon with Champion-level strength in your possession?"
Here it comes.
Jacob took a slow breath. He'd always known his Iron Valiant couldn't stay hidden from the higher-ups of the Pokémon Association forever. This moment was bound to come eventually.
"Yes." Jacob didn't try to deny it. He simply nodded.
He had used Iron Valiant plenty of times in the past. Ordinary people might not have noticed, but a core division like Team Zero certainly would have.
"Good." Satisfied with the answer, Zade nodded and rose to his feet. "Jacob, I'll brief you on the mission now."
As he spoke, Zade produced two items.
A Ditto Mask... and a satellite phone.
"This Ditto Mask will conceal your identity, and this satellite phone is for communicating with us during the mission."
"Your mission is to investigate a man named Stone Iron."
...…
Stone Iron?
Jacob had never heard the name before. He looked up at Zade, brow furrowed.
"Here's everything we have on Stone Iron. Take a look." Zade handed over a file. "You'll receive the full mission details by phone later. You can leave whenever you're ready. Read through the materials first, and ask me anything you're unsure about."
"Okay." Jacob nodded and lowered his head to read.
Stone Iron, Vice President of the Dragon Sand Society, ranked third in command beneath only Whitney and Tomas.
Jacob's eyes narrowed sharply the moment he read that.
Investigate Stone Iron?
He pushed down the questions building in his mind and kept reading.
Stone Iron. Chinese. Forty-eight years old, originally from Ice City. Powerful. Most of his Pokémon were Gym Leader-level or Quasi-Heavenly-King-level. Whether he possessed any Heavenly-King-level Pokémon remained unconfirmed.
Jacob flipped through the rest of the file, most of which detailed Stone Iron's social and business connections.
"What exactly am I supposed to be investigating?" Jacob closed the file and handed it back to Zade.
"You're finished already?" Zade looked at him, mildly surprised. "This mission is more complicated than it looks. You're to investigate every piece of possible criminal evidence tied to Stone Iron, and gather whatever evidence you can against the Dragon Sand Society as a whole."
Jacob's heart skipped slightly at that. This mission... it sounded like it was really aimed at the Dragon Sand Society itself, with Stone Iron being just his own piece of a much larger picture.
He nodded slowly, thinking it over, then spoke. "Team Leader Zade... I have a question."
"Go ahead."
"What if, during the mission, I come across evidence involving... Tomas or Whitney as well?" Jacob said Whitney's name slightly wrong on purpose.
"That name's pronounced differently than it looks," Zade corrected him, then added with a faint smile, "But go ahead and try, if you find the chance. If you manage it, you'll get full credit for the discovery."
"You said it yourself, Team Leader." Jacob paused for a moment. "Oh, and one more thing — the file mentioned that 'Whitney' is just a nickname. Do we know her real identity?"
"How would I know that?" Zade said.
"Then how am I supposed to investigate her?" Jacob asked.
"You really want to go digging into Whitney and Tomas, don't you?" Zade's expression hardened. "You may have a powerful Pokémon to protect yourself, but don't let ambition get the better of you. Your mission is Stone Iron. If you happen to find anything useful on the side, report it through your phone to your superior."
"Understood." Jacob nodded. He'd already picked up more than a few useful details just from this conversation. "No further questions."
"Good. Put your mask on and head out. Your destination is Ice City."
"Team Leader... the G2 League starts in two weeks," Jacob reminded him.
"That's fine. You can return in time to compete," Zade said. "Besides, there's a good chance the mission will be finished by then anyway."
"Understood."
...…
The long-distance train.
Once his transformation was complete, Jacob boarded the snow train bound for Ice City.
He sat by the window, watching the frozen landscape roll past outside, brow furrowed as he turned this unusual mission over in his mind.
The Dragon Sand Society... Stone Iron.
His fingers tapped lightly against the table, his brow still tightly knit.
Investigating Stone Iron itself didn't worry Jacob much. What worried him far more was this mysterious "superior" he was supposed to report to by phone.
Just who could that superior possibly be, within Team Zero?
Most members of Team Zero were personally recommended by a Champion, effectively acting as their representatives. That meant even if an individual member wasn't especially powerful themselves, their standing within the organization was extremely high.
To serve as a superior over someone from Team Zero, a person would need to be at least one of the Four Heavenly Kings — and not just any of them, either. It would have to be someone on the level of the Chief or Second-in-Command among the Four Heavenly Kings. An ordinary Heavenly King wouldn't carry enough authority. More likely than not, it would have to be a Champion.
The thought sent a flicker of unease through Jacob's mind.
If the superior behind this mission truly was a Champion...
Then this mission couldn't possibly be about someone as minor as Stone Iron alone. It was almost certainly aimed at the entire Dragon Sand Society — and quite possibly, at Giovanni himself.