Chapter 285: Rescue

"Teacher Frank"

Julian answered the call. He knew his teacher well—Frank rarely made calls unless it was something urgent. For casual matters, he'd usually just send a text.

"When will you return to the university?"

Frank's voice came through clearly, and Julian couldn't detect any unusual emotion in his tone.

"I'll be back soon," Julian replied.

"Good. Come straight to my office when you get here"

Frank instructed before abruptly hanging up.

Julian slipped his phone back into his pocket, losing interest in browsing the Mission Zone. Without wasting any time, he left the Trainers' Association and made his way out.

Riding on Dragonite, it took him just over ten minutes to arrive at Imperial University.

Frank's office was located in the teaching building adjacent to the Special Recruitment Class.

Knock, knock.

"Come in"

As an Elite Trainer himself, Frank had his own private office.

Julian stepped inside, and Frank greeted him with a slight smile. "Well done, kid. You've already made it to Elite Trainer status. Looks like that Dragon's Den helped you a lot."

Julian wasn't surprised that Frank already knew about his rank update. After Julian's profile was updated, the information became accessible to other Elite Trainers.

Unbeknownst to him, news of his promotion had already landed in the top five trending topics on the Hot Search leaderboard, with its popularity rapidly climbing. It wouldn't be long before it hit number one.

"The gains were decent."

Julian said with a nod, remaining calm despite Frank's praise.

"So, what's the reason you called me over, sir?" Julian asked.

Frank's expression turned serious as he began to explain. "Luis, Shen, and Dalton took on a mission recently. They've been out of contact for five days, and there's been no word from them."

For freshman's at Imperial University, the mission workload was usually light. Completing university-assigned tasks was enough, though students were free to take on additional missions if they wanted.

"What mission did they take?" Julian asked.

The three of them were competent trainers. Shen, while not as strong, had awakened her Heart's Eye ability. With the three of them working together, it was surprising—and troubling—that they had been unreachable for five days.

"It was an escort mission—to accompany a ten-person research team to the outer edge of the White Mountains."

"If it's just the outer edge, their strength should have been sufficient."

The White Mountains spanned several provinces in Drakoria and were home to a large population of wild Pokémon. The area was also one of the country's most notorious forbidden zones.

However, the "forbidden zone" primarily referred to its central regions. The outskirts and mid-range areas were far less dangerous.

That said, for trainers with insufficient strength, even the outskirts could be perilous.

"Exactly. I thought the same. But now, it's not just the three of them. Even the ten-person research team has lost contact."

Frank's face revealed a hint of frustration.

It wasn't that he was overly concerned about the fate of the research team—their survival meant little to him. What he cared about were Luis, Shen, and Dalton.

The students in the Special Recruitment Class had bright futures. If they could grow steadily, their chances of becoming Elite Trainers were practically guaranteed.

"What was the research team investigating?" Julian asked.

The trio's disappearance might have something to do with the research team's mission.

"The team was tasked with studying the Pokémon population density in the outskirts of the White Mountains. The guidebook for the area is being updated, so they sent the team to gather fresh data."

On the surface, it seemed like a straightforward mission. The research was confined to the outskirts, which were relatively safe. Yet, all thirteen people had vanished.

If the worst-case scenario was true, it was possible that none of them had survived.

"So, how should I go about finding them?" Julian asked.

The White Mountains spanned several provinces, and even the outskirts were vast. Searching blindly would be a near-impossible task.

"The leader of the research team was carrying a tracker, here, take this. As long as you're within fifty kilometers of the tracker, this device will pick up its signal."

Frank said, pulling out a palm-sized device. The screen was lit, but currently blank.

Julian nodded.

"Even if Luis and the others are dead, it's best to recover their bodies," Frank added, his tone heavy.

Luis and Dalton came from prominent families, and although Shen's family wasn't as influential, she was still a student of the Special Recruitment Class.

If something happened to them, Frank, as their homeroom teacher, would bear some responsibility.

Additionally, Luis and Shen were gifted with special abilities, making their losses even more significant.

Frank's meaning was clear; Find them, dead or alive.

If they were dead, it would ultimately be due to their own lack of strength. From the moment one became a professional trainer, danger and death were constant companions.

"Time is of the essence. You should leave immediately," Frank said.

He hadn't originally planned to involve Julian. However, upon learning that Julian had recently advanced to Elite Trainer status, Frank immediately changed his mind.

Asking someone else for help wouldn't be as reliable as asking one of his own students.

Moreover, Frank had great confidence in Julian's abilities.

Even before reaching Elite Trainer rank, Julian had been capable of defeating other Elites. Now that he had officially reached that level, he could likely overpower most ordinary Elites with ease.

After leaving Frank's office, Julian wasted no time. He hopped onto Dragonite and took off toward the White Mountains.

Shen was an old high school classmate, while Luis and Dalton both called him "Brother" with unwavering respect. The bonds they shared weren't ordinary.

Although Julian's face remained calm, his heart was heavy with worry for the three of them.

---

The White Mountains has five main entrances on the outskirts of the Imperial Capital.

According to the information Frank provided, the research team, along with Luis and his group, had entered through Entrance Five.

This entrance was located on the western edge of the city and was the most remote of the five.

Despite its isolated location, Entrance Five saw the largest number of trainers passing through daily.

This was because the area nearby housed seven to eight distinct Pokémon colonies, far more than the two or three typically found around the other entrances.

To ensure safety, each entrance was heavily fortified, with a mix of trainers, advanced weaponry, and military forces stationed there.

Over time, due to the thousands of people entering the White Mountains daily, a trading hub had naturally formed near the entrances.

Julian didn't linger. After about thirty minutes, he reached the western Entrance Five. Dragonite turned into a streak of light as it soared into the outskirts of the White Mountains.

This was Julian's first time venturing into a forbidden area.

Once inside, Dragonite instinctively slowed down.

The outskirts of the White Mountains were vast, and although Julian knew the research team and Luis's group had entered through Entrance Five, too much time had passed.

It had been over ten days since their last known location, and they could have gone in any direction.

There was even a possibility that they were no longer in the outer area.

Thus, while Julian had a tracker capable of detecting the research team's signal within a fifty-kilometer radius, outside of that range, the device was useless.

Adding to the challenge was the powerful magnetic field that blanketed the White Mountains, interfering with long-range tracking. Without that interference, the device could have pinpointed their location no matter how far away they were.

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