Chapter 106: Emergency Mission

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"Whooo~~~"

"Wahahaha~~~"

Liam looked on in exasperation at the person and Pokémon who had completely let loose. If it weren't for the fact that there was no one else around, he might have wanted to find a crack in the ice to crawl into—this was just too embarrassing.

"Hahaha! This is amazing! It's been so long since I had such a blast in such a cool place! This brings back so many memories!"

Lorelei shouted and laughed, then turned to Liam with a nostalgic expression.

Liam: "..."

Liam was speechless. He glanced around, yet no matter how he looked at it, this place didn't seem like it could be described as "cool"—it was downright freezing.

He seriously wondered what Lorelei's body was made of. Was she entirely composed of insulation material?

"Stop shouting already. If you keep this up, you're going to attract wolves... Oh, I mean, Dewgong and the others."

Liam glanced around warily. To be honest, the silence of this place felt a little unnatural. According to the residents at the docks, there should be plenty of Dewgong and Seel here.

Yet, even after Lorelei and Lapras had been making a racket for quite a while, not a single Dewgong or Seel had shown up to investigate.

This made Liam uneasy—something wasn't right here.

Hearing Liam's words, Lorelei finally stopped her antics, though she still looked excited. She turned back and said, "Attracting Dewgong would be great! I was just wondering why they haven't shown up yet. Didn't you say there were lots of Seel and Dewgong here? But I haven't even seen a single hair of one... You wouldn't be lying to me, would you?" Lorelei put her hands on her hips, pretending to be angry.

Liam ignored her and slowly stood up on Lapras' back, his sharp gaze sweeping across the area. He reached for his waist and released a PokéBall.

"Come out, Arcanine!"

"Arrooo!"

A flash of light burst forth, and Arcanine's powerful figure appeared on the glacier. The moment it emerged, it couldn't help but shiver, its paws constantly shifting on the ice.

It let out low growls, clearly uncomfortable in this freezing environment.

"Wow! Big doggy! Such a beautiful Arcanine! But too bad it's not an Ice-type... Otherwise, I'd definitely want to catch one too. It's just too gorgeous!"

The moment Arcanine appeared, Lorelei started hopping excitedly on Lapras' back, her eyes filled with regret.

Liam ignored her again and spoke to Arcanine.

"Arcanine, something's off about this place. Use your nose and see if you can find any other Pokémon nearby. If you do, lead us to them."

"Arrooo!"

Hearing this, Arcanine nodded. It first lifted its head to sniff the air before lowering it to the icy ground, taking in the scents.

Moments later, it barked toward Liam, then sprinted toward the deeper parts of the massive iceberg.

"Follow it!"

Seeing Arcanine had found something, Liam called out to Lorelei.

"Hmph, Lapras, hurry and follow them!"

"Lapras" let out a soft cry and swiftly glided over the ice. It moved like a snowmobile, quickly catching up to Arcanine, which was struggling to run in the icy terrain.

Clearly, Arcanine was not built for this kind of environment, and it couldn't run at full speed. Thus, the group continued in this manner—Arcanine leading the way, while Lapras carried Lorelei and Liam closely behind.

"Could something have happened here?"

After a while, Lorelei also sensed that something was wrong and turned back to ask Liam cautiously.

Liam shook his head, indicating he wasn't sure either. His eyes were fixed on the fractured ice canyon ahead, his expression serious.

As they were about to enter the canyon, a system notification suddenly rang out in Liam's mind.

[Ding!] 

[Emergency mission issued.]

[Emergency Mission: Spirit of the Ice and Snow]

[Mission Objective: Discover the true identity of the Pokemon dancing amidst the endless snow! Obtain a reference sample—blood, fur, or scales will suffice.]

[Mission Reward: 1000 Exchange Points, Mystery Gift Pack.]

[Note: There are no penalties for ignoring this mission. It will not affect the host in any way.]

An emergency mission—again?!

Liam's heart skipped a beat. The last emergency mission was still fresh in his mind—the terrifying power of the giant Dragonite still made him uneasy.

Now, another emergency mission had appeared. If this one was anything like the last, it meant there was another unknown entity of immense strength lurking here.

Liam hesitated. Should he retreat immediately and avoid taking unnecessary risks?

"Oooh! Oooooh!!"

Just as Liam was deep in thought, a pained howl echoed from within the canyon.

That sound... it was familiar. It reminded Liam of the Dewgong he had once encountered in Cerulean Gym.

Thinking back to what the dock residents had mentioned earlier, he was now certain—the agonized cries were coming from a Dewgong!

But what was happening to it in the canyon?

"That cry—it sounded like it was in real pain! Lapras, speed up! We need to check it out!"

Before Liam could say anything, Lorelei had already reacted, urging Lapras forward for a rescue.

Liam sighed slightly at her worried expression, scolding himself internally. Had the battle with the giant Dragonite shaken his courage so much? He was being outdone by a girl—how embarrassing.

"Arcanine! Speed up and check it out!"

"Arrooo!"

At Liam's command, Arcanine's body was suddenly enveloped in a red glow. Its speed surged as it dashed ahead, leaving Lapras far behind in the blink of an eye.

"So fast!"

Lorelei's mouth fell open in astonishment, marveling at Arcanine's burst of speed.

"Stay focused. Get your Pokémon ready. There's a high chance we're heading into a battle. If you feel like you can't handle it, retreat immediately."

Liam's tone was serious. Even he wasn't confident about the battle ahead, so he wanted to give Lorelei a warning in advance.

"A fight?! Haha! Lapras, did you hear that? We're about to battle! You better do your best—we can't let them underestimate us!"

Lapras let out an eager cry in response.

Liam glanced at Lorelei, who looked more excited than cautious, and decided not to say anything more. Instead, he touched the PokéBalls at his waist, feeling slightly more reassured.

"Arrooo!!"

Just as Lapras slid into the Ice Canyon, Arcanine's furious roar echoed from the distance. The icy ground reflected a flickering red glow—clearly, Arcanine had already engaged an opponent.

"Lapras! Go faster!"

Seeing that Arcanine was already in battle, Liam grew anxious and urged Lapras to hurry.

Lapras glanced at Liam but said nothing. It simply pushed harder, increasing its speed and sliding swiftly into the heart of the canyon—where the battle was taking place.

The moment they entered the canyon's center, Liam saw injured Seel and Dewgong scattered across the icy ground.

Only Arcanine and two powerful Dewgong remained standing, warily dodging attacks from above.

In the center of the canyon, a thick, swirling ice fog hovered in the air, concealing something within.

From within the fog, powerful Ice Beam attacks shot out, streaking toward Dewgong and Arcanine. Wherever the beams touched, sharp icicles erupted from the ground, rapidly limiting their ability to dodge.

Bit by bit, they were being cornered into a desperate situation.