"Xiao Die! Xiao Da! Get out of your tents! Blaziken!"
Su Feng shouted instinctively, his mind racing. He couldn't reach them in time, but Blaziken might.
In a flash, Blaziken burst from his tent, assessed the situation, and lunged toward Xiao Da and Xiao Die's tents. By the time Xiao Die rubbed her sleepy eyes and peered outside, Blaziken was already at her tent's entrance.
"Blaziken, what's—"
Before Xiao Da could finish, the spatial rift surged. A blinding white light engulfed their tents—and Blaziken vanished.
"What's happening, Mr. Su?" Other trainees stumbled out of their tents, still in sleeping bags.
Su Feng ignored them. The rift was expanding rapidly. "Gengar! Get Cheng Meng out—now!"
His shadow streaked toward Cheng Meng's tent. To the others, he barked, "A mystery zone's forming! Evacuate immediately!"
The trainees snapped into action.
"What about the tents?" Li Na hesitated.
"Forget the tents! Go!" Su Feng hissed.
Meanwhile, Gengar dragged Cheng Meng out in her sleeping bag.
"Su Feng…?" She blinked groggily.
"Xiao Die and Xiao Da were pulled into the rift. Evacuate with the others and contact the Mystery Zone Bureau. I'll bring them back."
Cheng Meng's hands trembled, but she steadied herself. "Promise me."
"Blaziken's with them. They're safe." Su Feng slung his backpack on, recalling Growlithe and Alolan Vulpix. "I'll find them."
Without another word, he stepped into the distortion.
Sunlight stabbed Su Feng's eyes as he materialized. Time flowed differently here—a lesson learned from the Ghost Ship mystery zone.
"A forest… but which tier?" He scanned the towering trees. Mystery zones ranged from harmless groves to nightmares teeming with Legendaries.
Xiao Die had Blaziken's protection. Xiao Da's Snorlax and Miltank could handle most threats. But urgency gnawed at him.
He activated his livestream drone—Cheng Meng needed proof of progress.
[You're live at 2 AM?!]
[Grind never sleeps!]
[Wait—why's it daytime?]
[Mystery zone, obviously.]
"Correct." Su Feng summarized the crisis. "I'm tracking them now."
He released Growlithe. "Catch their scent."
Growlithe sniffed frantically… then whined. Nothing.
Su Feng's stomach dropped. If even Growlithe couldn't trace them, this zone was vast.