My Pokémon Story of Seasons

Chapter 222 Adventure and Rewards

Not long after Tong Hua and the others ventured deeper into the quicksand, they saw no one else appear, nor did they see their teacher arrive.

A few of the smarter students had already vaguely guessed what was going on.

"Could it be that beneath this quicksand—"

Meanwhile, in the control center at the very center of the top of the entire training hall.

Several teachers are monitoring the students' every move through hidden cameras throughout the venue to ensure their safety.

"There are a few promising students among this year's students."

Who knows, he might become the rising star of our evil organization, the School Corps!

A male teacher dressed in a green uniform, looking like a Boy Scout, was seen staring at the monitor screen, acting out his chuunibyou (middle school syndrome).

"Professor Jiabusi, that's enough—"

A female teacher dressed similarly to him was speechless and could only pinch his ear hard to bring him back to his senses.

"What evil organization? Isn't it just the two of us?"

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Qing'an, let go!"

These two are instructors at the ranger school who specialize in teaching students hunting techniques.

He is also the highest-ranking person in charge of the training center.

"However, this year's students do seem to be performing much better than last year."

Teacher Qing'an released her grip and carefully observed each screen.

"The hidden level you created by misappropriating funds was discovered by them so quickly."

Mr. Jia Busi straightened his disheveled collar with displeasure and pointed it out to Qing Andao.

"It wasn't unauthorized misappropriation; I told you that, okay?"

"That's called acting first and informing later!"

Qing An reached out to grab Jia Busi's soft earlobe again, but the latter squatted down to avoid it.

"And even if I'm discovered, it's no big deal. There's absolutely no way this hidden level of the desert underground ruins will be conquered so quickly!"

Jacobs proudly adjusted his collar and hat; the mechanism of this ruin was one he had meticulously designed.

Even he, the designer, had to use some cheating methods to barely pass the test.

If these students don't get "killed on first meeting", then Jabbus will disband the "school group" from now on!

"Don't make promises you can't keep."

Teacher Qing'an raised an eyebrow at her work partner who was acting up again, then turned to look back at the scene of Tong Hua and Mu Mu's group.

Despite being an underground space, it appears very bright under the illumination of various luminescent plants.

And there was even a slight breeze blowing from deep within, but even so, it was still very hot.

"Meow-hah————"

The pickpocket cat was lying on Tong Hua's shoulder, completely warmed up.

This was probably the most pathetic moment in the history of this top female leader of the stray cat community in Feiyun City.

"Just hang in there a little longer, it'll be over soon."

Tong Hua fanned the pickpocket cat with heartache, while having the pink Celebi hidden in the shadows treat the pickpocket cat.

Riolu and Forest Lizard led the way, and with their Aura Detection, the mechanisms in the ruins posed little threat.

The only challenge is probably the terrain of the ruins themselves.

Like a huge underground labyrinth, it is intricate and complex.

"Ooh."

Even Riolu and Forest Lizard, who had always dealt with incredible dungeons, had never encountered a dungeon of such vast size in their entire expedition career.

With their extensive experience, the two swiftly navigated the maze, yet still felt the road ahead was long and arduous.

"Ooh."

As Leo walked along the road, he memorized the map of the maze in his mind. The entire maze was like a pyramid, not only large in area but also with several layers, making it a completely three-dimensional maze.

"Kuku—this is more complicated than any maze we've ever seen." The forest lizard followed Riolu, marking the rock walls with its leaf blades to avoid getting lost.

Seeing Tong Hua and the others trapped in his meticulously designed maze, Jia Busi in the control room couldn't help but feel smug.

"See! I told you my maze wasn't so easy to solve!" Jacob excitedly pointed to the surveillance footage. "This is a three-dimensional maze I designed based on the structure of ancient castles in the Unova region!"

Teacher Qing'an sighed helplessly, but had to admit that her partner was indeed very talented in some strange things.

"If they haven't come out in fifteen minutes, then—"

Before she could finish speaking, Tong Hua in the surveillance footage suddenly stopped.

He closed his eyes, and the Mumu and the other Pokémon beside him also stopped.

"What is he doing?" Jia Busi asked, leaning closer to the screen in confusion.

A moment later, Tong Hua opened her eyes, a confident smile playing on her lips.

"I see—come with me."

Then, as if by magic, Tong Hua led everyone forward in the right direction.

It turned out that Tong Hua had spent some time concentrating on finding the only correct way out in the map of "environmental perception" in her mind.

Led by Tong Hua, the group moved quickly through the maze as if they were already familiar with the route.

They climbed vines and crawled through hidden passages, without triggering any traps, and every step they took was precise.

"This is impossible!" Jacobs in the control room stared in disbelief. "How could they be so lucky?"

Has he figured out the maze's layout?

Teacher Qing'an stared thoughtfully at the screen: "Perhaps it's not luck, but some other special ability they possess."

Just like bats have echolocation and magnetic field perception abilities, enabling them to orient themselves in complex cave terrain—

'

While they were talking, Tong Hua had already led the team to the core area of ​​the maze.

Just as Riolu had guessed, the entire maze was structured as a prismatic octahedron made up of two pyramids, and they were currently at the very center of this maze ruin.

An ancient altar stood silently before the crowd, and the mural in front of the altar depicted a Pokémon as dazzling as the sun.

Its name is Volcano, and in ancient legends of many regions, it is regarded as the embodiment of the "sun".

Legend has it that it is born from a cocoon burning with flames and appears in the cold winter to help people and Pokémon suffering from the cold.

Of course, this site itself has nothing to do with Volcarona. It was simply a copy created by the designer Jacob when he was plagiarizing—borrowing from the ancient castles of the Unova region.

On the altar, there is also a stone that emits heat and makes people feel warm.

"Huh?" "What's this?"

Tong Hua and Leo stepped forward, picked up the stone and took a look.

It turns out to be an evolution stone, and judging from its appearance, it should be a light stone.

"It seems this is the reward for the first person to clear the level, and also the reward for the mission." Tong Hua nodded slightly and put away the Light Stone.

"So, we've completed the mission?" Mu Mu was a little incredulous, because he had only been following Tong Hua and felt like he hadn't experienced anything at all, and it was over just like that?

"That's right, the mission is complete." Tong Hua nodded with a smile and pointed to the mural behind the altar, where there was a hidden door that would be hard to spot if you didn't look closely.

In the control room, Mr. Jacobs slumped in his chair, his face filled with disbelief: "They actually—they really cleared it on their first try? My school team—"

Teacher Qing'an couldn't help but chuckle: "You should graduate from that kind of thing as soon as possible."

"But there's no need to be discouraged," she said, pointing to other surveillance footage. "Look, Mr. Jacobs, another student has entered your maze."

As Qing'an said, students began to enter the underground space through the quicksand. But unlike Tong Hua and his group, these students quickly lost their way in the complex maze.

Seeing this, Jia Bu Si remained silent for a moment, then reverted to his over-the-top, delusional self, jumping up from his chair: "That's right! My maze isn't so easy to conquer! That group just now must have been lucky!"

He excitedly pointed to the students wandering around in the maze on the surveillance screen: "Look, Qing'an! They're all trapped! Our school team is invincible!"

Ha ha ha ha!"

Looking at the man who was making a scene again, Qing An sighed silently. He couldn't even empathize with himself from a moment ago.

"I should have known better than to coax him—"