The immediate area where Yu Tingyun and Zhang Hong had set off was no longer their concern, at least not for Xia Hunao and Yu Longdu, who were unaware of the full details. They had already created distance within the forest, and judging by the chaotic commotion, those involved were unlikely to have the leisure to pursue them.
Xia Hunao and Yu Longdu touched their heads, wiping away some sweat. "Alright, at least those two are safe. Let's get ready to rescue the others. It's highly unlikely everything will be fine if things are this bad."
Xia Hunao yawned as he spoke. Despite forcing himself to stay alert, it was important to remember that a person's spirit and their means of staying awake both have limits. Ever since the martial examination began, Xia Hunao had been intensely focused, even pushing himself to his limits. Although he had rested briefly, that was hardly enough.
"Alright, you should rest. This place isn't so dangerous that we all need to be extremely cautious. Go get some sleep. I'm worried you might die here halfway."
Xia Hunao gave a casual smile and then lay down on the spot, using his tracksuit to cover himself as he began to rest.
Time passes remarkably quickly when one is asleep. When you fall into a deep sleep and then wake up, you have no idea what time it is. Just like Xia Hunao, who closed his eyes under the starry sky in the secret realm, and upon opening them, found the sky still completely dark. Xia Hunao touched his head. "Hmm, what time is it? I'm so groggy..."
A young woman nearby saw Xia Hunao wake up and handed him a warm towel. "Awake? You slept for almost four hours. Dawn will break in a little while."
Xia Hunao nodded groggily and asked, "Where's A'du?"
"He went to pick up students. There was a student who activated a distress signal at the boundary of the examination area, so he rode his Charizard to bring them back."
Xia Hunao wiped his face haphazardly with the towel in his hands and then pointed to a shadow in the sky. "Is that A'du? I can't see clearly."
The staff member looked up. "Hmm? Yes, it should be him. Theoretically, there isn't another flying Pokémon that large in this secret realm. It's him, he's back."
Xia Hunao stood up and returned the pink tracksuit he was covered with to the girl beside him. "Thank you."
The girl took the clothes and was about to say "you're welcome" when she heard Xia Hunao ask, "Didn't he go to pick someone up? Why don't I see anyone?"
The girl turned and saw Xia Hunao squinting and staring intently at the shadow in the sky, as if he were scrutinizing a murder suspect. The girl also looked. The shadow in the sky was getting closer, and indeed, only one figure was visible on Charizard's back.
As Charizard flew closer, their unease grew. Had something gone wrong? Had there been an unforeseen incident that resulted in only Yu Longdu returning?
By the time Yu Longdu landed on Charizard, they could see clearly. Behind Yu Longdu, a very small girl was clinging to him tightly. Only after Yu Longdu had repeatedly assured her they had landed safely, and she opened her eyes to see they were indeed within the assembly point, did she release her grip and jump off Charizard, leaving the secret realm.
After the girl left, they saw Yu Longdu gritting his teeth and hissing in pain. Xia Hunao shook his head. "Are you alright? Dragon sickness? Can't be, there's no such symptom."
Yu Longdu lifted his clothes. "That girl earlier was afraid of heights. As soon as Charizard took off, she grabbed onto me. She didn't let go the whole way, and her grip just got tighter and tighter. Look, it's already bruised."
Xia Hunao patted his shoulder, his eyes filled with immense admiration. "Good brother, you're a true man."
Just as they were talking, Charizard suddenly became nervous, scanning its surroundings. Guagua also jumped out of its Poké Ball, warily guarding the area. Furthermore, a Gothitelle emerged from the Poké Ball at the waist of the girl beside them, joining Guagua in observing their surroundings.
Xia Hunao and the other two simultaneously realized something was wrong. "Everyone, prepare for battle."
As soon as he spoke, countless distress signals appeared within the assembly point. Xia Hunao glanced at Yu Longdu, who quickly jumped onto Charizard and headed towards the distress signals. The others also left the assembly point, rushing to the locations of the distress signals. Fortunately, there were many teachers and staff members resting in the assembly point. Most of them were deployed, barely managing to cope with the current situation. Xia Hunao thought for a moment and then approached the staff member managing the main control bracelet for information transmission. "Now, issue an announcement to suspend the martial examination. All students, regardless of their location or what they are doing, return to the assembly point immediately. Evacuate the secret realm under unified arrangements."
The staff member didn't hesitate and immediately began typing the message. Xia Hunao pointed to the girl who had been beside him earlier. "Miss, go and request reinforcements immediately, and inquire about the situation in other examination areas. I want to see if I'm just unlucky or if the entire Minglong Kingdom is in trouble."
The girl didn't waste any words. She walked over, took out a badge from her pocket, and said, "I am Alliance Investigator Meng Liuying. From now on, I will be in charge of this examination point's command. You go request reinforcements."
Xia Hunao hadn't expected to encounter something like this. The Alliance had sent a second person to be in charge here, and they were of a higher rank, overriding him. However, Xia Hunao couldn't disobey the order of an Alliance investigator, so he had to leave the secret realm first. Watching Xia Hunao's retreating back, Meng Liuying sighed. "I know what you're thinking, but young people like you are precisely who we must protect first."
After speaking, Meng Liuying shook her head with a self-deprecating laugh. "What am I saying? It's as if I'm very old."
Meng Liuying spoke as she walked to the side of the large screen, displaying the entire examination area. She began her command skillfully and calmly. Meanwhile, Xia Hunao, who had been escorted out and protected, immediately called Meng Tianya after leaving the secret realm. Meng Tianya answered instantly. "Hello, is everything alright on your end?"
Xia Hunao understood what Meng Tianya meant the moment he heard it. "Is this nationwide, or just at the examination point?"
"Nationwide. Most of the secret realms have gone berserk, so..."
"I understand. I'll head back then."
Saying this, Xia Hunao hung up without waiting for Meng Tianya's reply. Meng Tianya, listening to the dial tone on the other end, said, "I knew it. Well then, I'll leave that to you all."
After hanging up, Xia Hunao made a second call. Before long, he heard an annoyed voice on the other end. "Little Xia, do you know what time it is? Interrupting someone's beauty sleep is a very bad habit, you know?"
Upon hearing this complaint, Xia Hunao immediately said, "Teacher, something has happened. Please come to the examination point as soon as possible. We can discuss the specifics when you get here."
As he spoke, Xia Hunao grabbed a pen and paper from a nearby table and began writing furiously. He then handed the note to a nurse standing nearby. "Don't ask questions, just guard this spot. If a teacher comes looking for me later, give them this note."
After saying this, Xia Hunao turned and returned to the secret realm. Although the nurse had been instructed not to inquire or ask, she couldn't resist her curiosity and opened the note to take a look before closing it again. The main reason was that Xia Hunao's scribbles were too abstract. Even though the nurse was used to doctors' illegible handwriting, in terms of sheer incomprehensibility, Xia Hunao's note was far inferior.
When Xia Hunao returned to the secret realm, seven or eight people had already returned to the assembly point. Unsure of what had happened, they were all sitting there obediently. Xia Hunao breathed a sigh of relief, thinking it was good that things hadn't escalated. If the assembly point had descended into chaos, it would only become more chaotic as more people arrived.
Xia Hunao approached the individuals. "Everyone, don't worry. The reason we called you back in such a hurry is that we received news that some candidates used powerful, illicit means to capture Pokémon. To prevent you from being targeted, we brought you back."
Upon hearing Xia Hunao's explanation, everyone relaxed considerably. If that was the case, then calling everyone back wouldn't be strange. After all, Pokémon hunters had one characteristic: they were indiscriminate. They wanted any Pokémon. As for who they sold the Pokémon to, well, sometimes Pokémon traffickers were truly "all-powerful."
After calming down the returning candidates, Xia Hunao approached Meng Liuying and asked in a low voice, "How is it?"
"It's okay. So far, there haven't been any major problems. Also, why did you come back? Didn't I tell you to request reinforcements?"
Xia Hunao sighed. "It's nationwide. There are no reinforcements. Don't try to persuade me."
As they were speaking, Yu Longdu and Charizard descended from the sky, bringing back two people: one was a student who had pressed the distress button, and the other was Yin Cai, whom Xia Hunao knew well. As soon as Yin Cai landed, the seven or eight people who had returned earlier surrounded them. "You encountered Pokémon hunters, right?"
Although Yin Cai didn't know what was going on, he still replied, "Yes, if it weren't for the timely rescue, it would have been troublesome."
"Then why didn't you capture that hunter?"
Yin Cai reacted quickly. "Ah, that. Don't you know those hunters? They run incredibly fast. As soon as they saw Charizard, they used teleportation to escape."
Xia Hunao and Meng Liuying smiled knowingly at Yin Cai's nonsensical explanation. "At times like these, we need people like him who can remain calm and collected, and spin any tale they wish."