Six hours before the Heiwa City Disaster Warning Center issued the disaster alert.
Minato and Eevee were practicing the Sand Attack move in the woods near Minami Town.
"Eevee!"
Eevee stared at the ground before her with a serious expression, concentrated, and swept her short, thin leg forward. In the next moment, a cloud of dust rose up, containing large amounts of sand and dirt that surged rapidly toward the area before Eevee.
DUANG...
The large rock Minato had brought over was struck squarely by the incoming Sand Attack. It shook slightly, then its surface was covered with a thick layer of sand.
"Excellent."
Minato wiped his sweat. He hadn't expected Eevee's efficiency in practicing Sand Attack to be so much higher than Quick Attack.
Over the past half month, although Eevee could use Quick Attack quite proficiently now, she used Sand Attack even more proficiently. One could say she could hit wherever she aimed.
Moreover, the visual effect of Sand Attack looked much stronger than when they were at the beach.
At first, Eevee's Sand Attack merely involved manipulating a small pile of fine sand and pushing it out. But now, as Minato saw, it had the feeling of a mini sandstorm sweeping in. This showed that Eevee's control over Ground-type energy was very good.
"Being able to comprehend Sand Attack from building sandcastles, Eevee definitely has talent in this area..."
Minato smiled. Eevee could now use both Quick Attack and Sand Attack proficiently. During special training, Eevee's basic qualities were also improving steadily every day. Then there was their hidden trump card—the Anticipation Ability. Although Eevee still hadn't mastered it well, she was much better than at the beginning.
Her strength, after three weeks of special training, could be said to have undergone earth-shaking changes. Eevee's temperament had also changed greatly.
If someone were told she had just been born a month ago, no one would believe it.
"Eevee, next we'll do Quick Attack training. Same rules as before: 800-meter distance, must return within 90 seconds, with no more than 5 mistakes."
Since it was an obstacle course, the actual distance exceeded 800 meters, but this was no longer a difficult challenge for Eevee, who could use Quick Attack proficiently.
"Eevee!!"
Seeing Eevee was ready, Minato took out his watch to time her. However, at that moment, he suddenly felt something wasn't right. At the same time, Eevee also tensed her body and looked around vigilantly.
"You also feel something's wrong, right?"
"Eevee." Eevee nodded.
The two of them almost simultaneously felt an inexplicable sense of oppression. After hesitating for a moment, Eevee moved. She gently shook the cream-colored fur around her neck, followed by her smooth brown fur. Her fluffy tail tapped the ground, her long ears swayed slightly, and she looked at the sky with worried eyes.
Compared to the depression Minato felt, the instinctive alarm brought by the Anticipation Ability made Eevee even more sensitive.
"Let's withdraw first."
Minato immediately thought to terminate the special training. As he tightened his clothes, Eevee quickly jumped onto his shoulder.
However, after Minato had only taken a few steps, the change had already occurred. An invisible tide of energy blew through, and the spatial structure of the Earth here seemed to be rewritten instantly, causing countless unstable dimensional channels to appear...
They were inevitably swept in.
"Damn it!"
"Eevee!!!"
These were the last thoughts of Minato and Eevee.
...
Eyes closed, eyes opened—the surroundings had become unfamiliar.
Minato's heart pounded, his face blank, completely unaware of what had happened.
Eevee also hugged Minato's neck tightly, frightened by the bizarre changes.
Both of them were nervous—one more than the other. Encountering this kind of thing, not fainting from fear, was already pretty good.
Purple, blue, cyan...
Three colors enveloped them, and their shades constantly shifted before Minato and Eevee's eyes. White cracks occasionally appeared on them, nearly blinding the two of them. Fortunately, this visual bombardment didn't last too long before their vision was completely covered by a white light.
"Damn it."
Minato and Eevee shuddered. When they opened their eyes again, they continued to doubt their lives.
"Did I transmigrate again?"
"Eevee?"
This should be a jungle...
Minato looked around, then suddenly seemed to think of something, instantly showing a bitter melon face.
He had somewhat guessed what was going on.
Special Zone!
They must have accidentally entered a Special Zone!
Since the large-scale integration of Special Zones with Earth nearly a century ago, the appearance of Special Zones has never stopped.
Every time a new Special Zone appeared, it would inevitably bring harm to the local ecology and towns.
It was precisely to guard against the dangers of Special Zones that the Trainer Association established branches in every region—to react in time when new Special Zones appeared.
"Special Zones are classified by size as: Extra-large, Large, Medium, Small, and Ultra-small..."
"Generally speaking, the smaller the Special Zone, the faster it integrates with Earth's space, and the more unstable space-time channels connecting the two different spaces surround it."
"Eevee and I entered the Special Zone so easily—this is most likely an Ultra-small Special Zone. The danger shouldn't be too great... right?"
Minato himself lacked confidence. He took out his phone; sure enough, due to the Special Zone, it didn't work. Even the watch he used for timing was completely ineffective. Just as the textbooks taught, electronic devices were all useless. This failure would continue until the Special Zone was completely integrated with Earth and the surrounding spatial magnetic field gradually stabilized.
"Eevee, let's just stay here and not move. We'll wait honestly for rescue," Minato said cautiously.
Every Trainer Association branch had devices to detect Special Zone fluctuations. The larger the scale of the Special Zone, the easier it was to detect the fluctuations.
Some large and extra-large Special Zones, because their fluctuations were obvious, could even be detected months before appearing, giving the Trainer Association ample time to react.
But Ultra-small Special Zones, Minato remembered, could only have their fluctuations detected approximately 6 hours after appearing. This was a bit of a trap, so the ones currently endangering ordinary people were generally Ultra-small Special Zones.
According to the Trainer Association's reminders, the correct thing for ordinary people who accidentally enter Special Zones to do is to find a safe place, not move, and wait for Professional Trainers to come to the rescue.
Although Minato was a Trainer, he didn't plan to run around courting death, because the Pokémon in Special Zones weren't very friendly.
Before and after the Special Zone made contact with Earth, perhaps due to some differences, the vast majority of Pokémon inhabiting the Special Zone would become extremely frenzied, highly aggressive, and destructive. Even some gentle-tempered Pokémon were no exception.
Academically, this condition was called Otherworld Syndrome, but students preferred to call it "failure to acclimatize."
This condition in Pokémon, besides artificial treatment, required a long time to ease before they could return to their original temperament.
"Stay calm, must stay calm." Thinking of this, Minato looked at Eevee. OH,h baby, we really are unlucky.
...
Lansat Berries should taste pretty good. Though Minato didn't eat any, he saw Eevee eating with great relish.
There were four Lansat Berries total on this tree. If these were taken out for auction, their value would be immeasurable—they would definitely be snapped up in a frenzy.
But Minato had no such plans. Because even if he brought them out, the ownership of the Lansat Berries wouldn't belong to him in the end.
One shouldn't be too greedy.
It would be better to...
"Delicious?"
Watching Eevee finish all four Lansat Berries in a few bites, leaving only the pits without a scrap of flesh remaining, Minato asked with a pained heart.
No waste was good.
...
A long time had passed since Eevee ate the Lansat Berries.
Minato estimated that at least six hours had passed since they entered the Special Zone, and he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
It shouldn't be long before someone comes to rescue them.
During this period, Minato and Eevee had carefully hidden under the tree without encountering any more Pokémon attacks.
But what depressed Minato was that after eating the Lansat Berries, Eevee showed no changes whatsoever.
Weren't these supposed to be mysterious fruit treasures containing the power of the sky?
Why did she just eat them like apples, enjoying the taste but nothing else...
"Perhaps it needs time to digest slowly."
Minato still remembered the description of Lansat Berries from the games—they activated when the Pokémon's HP dropped below 1/4 of its maximum, raising speed by one stage.
Perhaps Eevee also needed to experience battles to absorb theLanturnt Berry's nutrients.
"After we get out, we'll increase the special training intensity to see if we can trigger the Lansat Berry's effects," Minato said to Eevee. "We should be safe soon."
"Eevee..." Eevee was startled.
Though she was happy to escape danger soon, hearing about increased special training intensity made her unable to be happy.
And then...
Eevee suddenly widened her eyes. Just seconds after Minato said they would be safe soon, a long cry rang out.
Within Minato and Eevee's visible range, Pokémon hiding in the grass and leaves scattered in panic upon hearing the sound, as if some powerful predator had appeared.
Eevee and Minato looked at each other.
She seemed to have underestimated the degree of her Trainer's jinx.
Even with her Anticipation Ability being so powerful, it couldn't block Minato's bad luck aura.
"Accident... purely an accident..."
Minato waved his hands sheepishly, looking at the rapidly growing black dot in the distance. He grabbed Eevee and ran.
There was no mistake—that black dot was definitely heading in their direction.
As he ran, Minato showed a distressed expression, realizing the truth.
He should have thought of it earlier. How could such a rare Berry tree have no Pokémon guarding it?
Other Pokémon didn't dare approach, which meant this was the territory of a top predator.
Only he and Eevee were foolish enough to treat this as a safe place and even steal the rare Berries that had been carefully cultivated here.
If nothing unexpected happened, this should be the most dangerous place in the entire Special Zone.
However, as the most dangerous place, it had allowed Minato and Eevee to pass several hours in peace.
"The most dangerous place is the safest place—I believed it, but why couldn't it have returned later?"
Minato and Eevee ran frantically. Perhaps because Minato was running too slowly, Eevee jumped off his shoulder and ran with all her might, instantly sprinting ahead of Minato.
"Wait for me!"
"Eevee!"
Minato felt he was such a miserable Trainer.
At this moment, the cry sounded again—that mournful sound was truly heart-wrenching to hear, making listeners shed tears. One could imagine how much grievance the sound's owner had suffered.
After hearing this sound, Eevee ran even faster. She sensed an enormous crisis.
Minato also gritted his teeth, trying his best to keep up with Eevee. But the Pokémon they had provoked... was a Pidgeot.
On the Lansat Berry tree, a gigantic bird nearly two meters in size flapped its broad wings. In an extremely short time, it ascended into the sky, its sharp eyes locking onto Minato and Eevee, who were fleeing below.
Pidgeot possessed excellent flying capabilities with highly developed pectoral muscles and powerful wings capable of whipping up strong winds strong enough to snap trees. Most importantly, it hada superlative vision that could spot prey from kilometers away in the sky...
One could say that even a fighter jet might not necessarily defeat a Pidgeot.
Instantly, Minato and Eevee appeared insignificant.
"Damn damn damn damn damn, it's coming."
In the blink of an eye, the Pidgeot arrived above Minato and Eevee. Looking at the terrifying shadow, Minato and Eevee swallowed hard together.
It was impossible to outrun this guy...
"Eevee, prepare for battle!"
"Eevee!"
Eevee stared nervously at the Pidgeot in the sky, blocking in front of Minato. This opponent was more powerful than any Pokémon she had encountered before.
At this moment, Eevee's body was already issuing frantic warnings, wanting her to give up resisting. Minato looked at the trembling Eevee, but before he could devise a suitable tactic, the Pidgeot flapped its wings and whipped up terrifyingly strong winds.
This was the first time Minato had experienced such powerful winds at close range. Under this gale, Eevee's four legs couldn't stabilize at all, and the next moment her claws carved deep grooves into the ground.
"What to do..."
Watching the Pidgeot dive down along with the strong winds, Minato felt fear rise in his heart. Though Eevee had prepared for battle, she had no idea how to deal with an airborne enemy.
They were doomed...
Minato quickly took out his Poké Ball, preparing to recall Eevee at the critical moment to help her escape, but at this critical juncture, a cold beam suddenly swept across. Around the beam, large amounts of cold air spread frantically, instantly lowering the temperature here. The Pidgeot was also forced by this sudden change to stop its attack, while its bloodshot eyes locked onto another enemy.
That was a Cloyster.
"What happened!"
Minato and Eevee hadn't reacted yet when another wave of heat hit their faces. They saw a Trainer riding a Charizard flash by, grabbing Minato and Eevee and pulling them onto the Charizard's back, then rapidly ascending.
"Hey, Sho, I'm taking the people away first. You handle this Pidgeot."
"Kid, being able to survive in a Special Zone without a single injury—not bad. But how exactly did you provoke that Pidgeot?"
Only then did Minato notice that, besides the Charizard Trainer, there was another Trainer not far from the Cloyster.
The Trainer Association's rescue had arrived.
Life's ups and downs were truly this exciting.
Hugging Eevee tightly, Minato breathed heavily: "Mister, your timing was perfect. Thank you so much."
"Eevee..." Eevee also nodded with lingering fear.
The outside world was too dangerous. Baby wanted to go home.
"Mister?"
Yosuke's face darkened, and the hand supporting Minato suddenly released, nearly causing Minato, who was unfamiliar with riding Pokémon, to fall from the high altitude, scaring him half to death.
"I'm only forty years old. Is calling me 'mister' making me sound too old?"
"I misspoke... Brother..."
"You're Minato, right? You should thank Dr. Hiro at the Pokémon Center. If he hadn't judged that you might have accidentally entered a Special Zone, our rescue wouldn't have been this timely."