"Ace, wake up! Wake up quickly! You can't fall asleep!"
Inside a mountain cave, Cynthia anxiously watched Ace, whose face was covered in blood, her eyes filled with guilt.
The time rewound to six hours earlier. A week had passed since they captured Miltank.
Ace and Cynthia's cooperation was growing smoother and smoother. Compared to climbing Mount Silver alone, two people were clearly much faster. Having Cynthia there meant Ace didn't have to worry about being attacked from behind and could fully concentrate on the enemies in front of him. This led to Ace and Cynthia climbing at an extremely fast pace. In just a week, they had already entered the snowy region of Mount Silver.
Reaching the summit was now only a matter of days.
After lunch, Ace wrapped his thick coat tighter around himself. Even with his strong physique, the extreme cold of the snowy region was a bit much for him.
"Ha."
Cynthia cupped her hands and blew warm air into them, then rubbed them together. "How about it? Should we continue? Fighting in this icy wilderness significantly reduces our and our Pokémon's reaction speeds. That Piloswine we just encountered almost overwhelmed our combined efforts."
"Let's continue."
Ace nodded. "The harsher the environment, the more it tests not just a Pokémon's strength, but also a trainer's composure. If such an environment forces us to retreat, then what if we encounter a Pokémon that can use Blizzard? Are you just not going to fight?"
Cynthia smiled. She had the same thought internally; there was no way she would back down because of something so minor.
"I'll make a call first, hope there's a signal."
Cynthia stood up and said to Ace, "I have to let my family know I'm safe every month."
Ace nodded in understanding. He glanced at the leftover broth in the pot, picked up the still-warm stew pot, and gulped down the broth.
Cynthia, meanwhile, took out her phone and walked to one side. After turning it on, a flood of missed calls and messages immediately popped up. Cynthia didn't care at all; she knew without thinking that they must be from her parents, their purpose naturally self-evident.
At the same time, the only fortunate thing was that Mount Silver actually had a signal!
"Good thing I turned it off, or they'd definitely nag me to death."
Cynthia felt a little lucky for her quick thinking. She then dialed a number, calling her grandmother first.
The phone rang for a long time, but no one answered. Just as Cynthia frowned slightly, the call was picked up on the other end.
"Hello."
A soft sound came through, and Cynthia's frown deepened. It was her grandmother's voice, but it was filled with exhaustion.
"Grandma, it's Cynthia. What happened? Why do you sound so tired?"
Cynthia quickly asked, and at the same time, a vague sense of unease rose in her heart. Her heart thumped wildly, and a slight feeling of oxygen deprivation hit her, making her a little dizzy.
"Cynthia, your parents are sick," her grandmother's voice told Cynthia. "It's a terrible virus that has spread throughout the Sinnoh region. All routes to Sinnoh are practically closed now, so don't come back for a while. Remember, absolutely do not come back for a while, understand?!"
Listening to her grandmother's voice, Cynthia's heart sank, and a sense of panic swept over her. Just as she wanted to ask for details, her grandmother on the other end hung up the phone.
"Hello! Hello! Hello! Grandma! Hello!"
Cynthia quickly redialed, but the call didn't connect again. Instead, a message said the other party had turned off their phone.
Unconvinced, Cynthia immediately called her parents, but clearly, their phones were also off. She tried calling her home again, but couldn't get through at all.
Now, Cynthia felt as if she had been abandoned, unable to get any information.
Meanwhile, far away in the Sinnoh region, Cynthia's grandmother turned off her phone and helplessly placed it on the laboratory table, covering her face with weary hands.
"Professor Rowan, please accept my condolences."
On a sofa not far away, a female Alliance staff member pulled out a few tissues, walked over, and handed them to Cynthia's grandmother.
"Crocodile tears."
Professor Rowan swung her hand, hitting the staff member's hand directly. She looked at the staff member in front of her with a hint of sadness, saying bitterly, "Can't they be spared?"
The few staff members remained silent, but looking at their expressions, Professor Rowan knew that her son and daughter-in-law were likely not coming back. Not only them, but also important members of the major traditional families in the Sinnoh region would not be returning.
As a professor, although she had sided with the Alliance, this credit could only be attributed to her and the somewhat unaware Cynthia. Her son and daughter-in-law, as conservative nobles, if they had recognized the situation as the Alliance gradually strengthened and expanded, she could have used her influence to protect them.
But they failed to recognize the situation and remained on the opposing side of the Alliance.
Therefore, they could only be "conscripted" by the Alliance to complete tasks that were almost impossible. If they completed the tasks, then all would be well; after this mission, these conservative nobles would basically be able to recognize the situation. Their property would be confiscated, and they would be reduced to commoners, basically unable to stir up any trouble.
If they failed to complete the tasks, then there would be no "then." At most, out of formality, they would be posthumously honored as martyrs, and that would be about it.
Professor Rowan not letting Cynthia return was actually to protect her. If such a young Cynthia knew everything, it would be false to say she wouldn't resent the Alliance.
But if it really came to that, would the Alliance spare her?
Clearly not!
So Professor Rowan could only yield. She had already almost lost her son and daughter-in-law; she didn't want to lose her granddaughter too! Using the Alliance's power, Professor Rowan had all Alliance transportation channels refuse Cynthia's return to Sinnoh. This was the only way she, as a grandmother, could protect Cynthia.
"I'm tired."
Professor Rowan said to the Alliance staff, "I am no longer suitable for research projects."
"Understood. We have already arranged personnel to take over your projects," a man wearing glasses stood up and said. "We have also arranged accommodation in Celestic Town. We are sure Professor Rowan will be satisfied."
Professor Rowan nodded, accepting these terms. She didn't blame the Alliance. Having lived this long, she had seen through everything.
When the cunning rabbit dies, the good hounds are cooked; when the soaring birds are gone, the good bows are put away. This was the unstoppable march of the times; the remnants of the old era were destined to be crushed.