Stoutland And Furfrou

Yuga calmly observed the fast-moving shadows. They moved with such lightness that, even in the stillness of the night, they made no sound at all.

"Sneasel!"

The sudden cry gave Yuga the identity of the unknown visitors— a group of Sneasel.

This cry also served as a signal, and soon after, Yuga heard faint rustling sounds all around him. The hidden Sneasel began to reveal themselves from the snowbanks, closing in on the cave entrance where Yuga and his companions were.

With the barriers gone, Yuga finally got a clear look at the Sneasel. Their small bodies crouched low against the snowy ground, the bright moonlight starkly illuminating their black fur.

In contrast, Abomasnow's body blended perfectly with the white snow and moonlight, so much so that the Sneaseldid didn't notice it standing guard at the cave entrance.

"Sneasel!"

Another sharp, urgent cry rang out, signaling the Sneasel to attack. Like arrows, they darted toward the cave entrance, their feet making a scratching sound on the snow as they closed in.

"Abomasnow!!"

Just as they were about to leap into the cave, Abomasnow let out a furious roar, sweeping its massive arms in an arc. Every Sneasel near the entrance was sent flying, their sharp cries of pain echoing through the air.

The Ice-type Pokémon inside the cave were already light sleepers, and the Sneasel's screams instantly woke them up. Living as the underdogs in the Frost Cavern, this heightened alertness was a skill they had honed to survive.

They knew exactly what Pokémon was making those noises outside—it was the Sneasel, the local bullies.

These Sneasel were not originally from Frost Cavern. One day, they appeared and began using their numbers to steal food from the other Pokémon. Those who were weaker, with little means of self-defense, became their main targets.

Food was already scarce in the Frost Cavern and life had been tough for everyone. But since the Sneasel arrived, things had gotten even harder, and sometimes the other Pokémon would go a whole day without finding anything to eat.

The Ice-types in the cave huddled together in pairs, trembling with fear. They had no idea what was happening outside or why the Sneasel were shrieking in pain.

Sneasel are incredibly tenacious and cunning creatures. Once they lock onto a target, they will pursue it relentlessly, even if it takes days or nights. But the moment they sense their prey is beyond their ability to handle, they retreat without hesitation.

At first, the Sneasel were incredibly fierce, and after Abomasnow's attack, they all rushed forward, claws slashing, showing no signs of fear.

Abomasnow was a common sight in Frost Cavern, and the Sneasel, emboldened by their numbers, had attacked Abomasnow before.

Although Abomasnow preferred to live alone and had significant individual strength, even they had to avoid confrontations with the Sneasel, who thrived on ganging up against others.

The Sneasel had grown confident after successfully bullying Abomasnow multiple times, so even though Yuga's Abomasnow was much larger than usual, they charged with the same arrogance.

"Abomasnow! Abomasnow! Abomasnow!"

Furious at the Sneasel's audacity, Abomasnow used the Wood Hammer move, transforming its arms into giant hammers. Instantly, the night sky was lit up with a green glow.

"Sneasel!"

"Sneasel!"

"Sneasel!"

...

Screams echoed once again as the Sneasel were sent flying across the snow by the Wood Hammer. As soon as they scrambled to their feet, they shrieked and quickly distanced themselves from Abomasnow.

They had met their match today!

The Sneasel leader decisively issued a retreat signal.

Yuga noticed the Sneasel were about to flee, but he didn't stop them. After all, he only intended to stay here for one night, so there was no need to pursue them.

Although Yuga needed to capture Ice-type Pokémon to complete his system task, these Sneasel were neither skilled nor have good potential, with only a few of them possessing yellow potential, which didn't impress him.

However, amidst the chaos, Yuga did command Abomasnow to capture one of the yellow-potential Sneasel. He wanted to find out why the Sneasel had attacked.

He didn't recall ever being targeted by Sneasel before, and the small, impoverished Pokémon in the cave had no reason to be hunted. After all, Sneasel doesn't chase prey unless they're sure of a good reward.

Yuga pulled out a flashlight from his backpack and turned it on, the blinding beam shining directly on the captured Sneasel's face. The Sneasel quickly shielded its eyes with its claws, feeling like it was about to go blind.

What a demon!

Sneasel, by nature, feared and hated bright light.

Looking at the Sneasel gripped effortlessly in Abomasnow's hand, Yuga thought the creature was far too skinny—probably didn't even have a decent amount of meat on it.

It seemed life wasn't easy for the Sneasel either, Yuga mused silently.

Sensing the danger, the captured Sneasel quickly spilled everything Yuga wanted to know.

It turned out that they had an informant.

When Yuga handed out Pokéblocks to the Ice-type Pokémon in the cave earlier, there was a Delibird among them. That Delibird was actually an informant for the Sneasel!

Yuga remembered the Delibird. When it left the cave earlier, he thought it simply didn't want to stay in the cave anymore. Little did he know that it was running off to inform the Sneasel.

Once the Sneasel learned that Yuga had plenty of food, they gathered in groups and came under the cover of night.

From the captured Sneasel, Yuga also learned about the origin of their group.

Originally, they were a tribe living on the Santalune Plateau, where they had their own territory with plenty of food. But one day, a group of Beartic appeared and drove them out. The Beartic were far stronger than the Sneasel tribe and ruthlessly took over their land. With nowhere else to go, the Sneasel were forced to leave the Santalune Plateau and found their way to Frost Cavern.

However, the environment in Frost Cavern was far harsher than the Santalune Plateau. After just a few days, the Sneasel were starving, so they began raiding other Pokémon for food.

Even though they went out to loot daily, there were too many of them, and there was still not enough food. That's why they had become so skinny.

Upon learning that the Sneasel came from the Santalune Plateau, Yuga had an idea. Didn't he need a guide? The Santalune Plateau was vast, and having a local guide could save him a lot of trouble.

Besides, he was quite interested in the Beartic tribe. Maybe one of his mission targets was among them.

As for the Beartic taking over the Sneasel's territory, that was none of his business. Such things happened every day in nature; it was survival of the fittest.

When Yuga asked the Sneasel to act as his guide, it agreed without hesitation, especially after Yuga promised that all its meals would be covered while it served as a guide.

Compared to having a full belly every day, nothing else mattered.

Seeing how cooperative the Sneasel was, Yuga immediately gave it a Pokéblocks as a reward for joining. The Sneasel eagerly tossed the Pokeblock into its mouth and let out a satisfied burp.

After eating its fill, the Sneasel's body gradually warmed up. It had been so long since it had a full meal, and the feeling of being full was simply wonderful.

The night passed in the blink of an eye.

As soon as the sun rose the next day, Yuga mounted Absol and set off for the Santalune Plateau, with Sneasel leading the way.

All of last night's wind and snow had vanished without a trace. The orange light of the morning sun bathed the snow-covered lands of Frost Cavern, creating a breathtaking visual spectacle.

With the snowstorm gone, the Pokémon who had been hiding indoors started coming out to forage. The Sneasel group from the previous night did not show up again, and the Sneasel was completely unconcerned that its companions hadn't come to rescue it.

In a wild Pokémon tribe, this sort of thing was normal. They wouldn't risk the safety of the whole group for one member.

It simply meant Yuga's strength was too overwhelming for them!

Without the hindrance of the snowstorm, Yuga's group made swift progress, and three hours later, they finally exited Frost Cavern and set foot on the land of the Santalune Plateau.

The Santalune Plateau stretched endlessly into the distance. In stark contrast to the snow-covered lands of Frost Cavern, this place presented a different scene. There was no howling wind, no endless snowfall, only vast stretches of yellowed grassland.

Only the distant mountains still bore a trace of white snow.

Seeing this landscape, Yuga couldn't help but marvel at the wonders of nature in the Pokémon world. Just below the plateau, Frost Cavern had recently experienced a blizzard, while the plateau above was peaceful and serene.

However, while the atmosphere here was calm, the temperature remained quite low. Yuga, feeling a bit uncomfortable, pulled his coat tighter around himself.

In contrast, Sneasel was completely at ease. Its good mood from the hearty breakfast had lasted all morning. As an Ice-type Pokémon, the plateau's temperature was perfect for it.

Across the vast plains of the plateau, Yuga saw herds of Swinub and Piloswine, slowly wandering and occasionally lowering their heads to graze. It was a scene not found elsewhere.

Compared to Frost Cavern, the density of Pokémon here was significantly higher. Every so often, they would encounter a large group of Pokémon, with Swinub and Piloswine being the most common. In addition, Diglett, Dugtrio, Bunnelby, and Diggersby were also frequently seen on the Santalune Plateau.

Yuga had hoped to capture a few, but unfortunately, he hadn't come across any suitable candidates. Most of the Pokémon were of red and orange potential, and even the yellow potential ones were rare to find.

Yuga speculated that the environment here was too barren to nurture many outstanding Pokémon.

According to Ogata's friend, the tomb where they found Aegislash was in the northwest of the Santalune Plateau. To the east of the tomb, there was a lake, and to the north, a snow-covered mountain.

After listening to Yuga's description, Sneasel, being a native, quickly identified the likely destination and led Yuga towards the place it suspected. There was only one area that matched Yuga's description in Sneasel's knowledge.

After walking for more than three hours and stopping for lunch, Yuga finally saw a vast lake in the distance.

The blue lake looked like a pearl embedded in the Santalune Plateau, connected by a ribbon-like river flowing down from the snow-covered mountain.

That lake and river seemed to be the source of life on the Santalune Plateau. From afar, Yuga could see large groups of Pokémon gathered by the lake and along the riverbank to drink: Swinub, Piloswine, Smoochum, Delibird… In the lake, he even spotted a few Seel, Dewgong, and a small number of Spheal poking their heads out of the water.

Although he hadn't seen any Pokémon he wanted to capture, Yuga was preparing to urge Absol towards the base of the mountain to search for the tomb when something caught his eye—a Stoutland and a Furfrou, accompanied by two small Furfrou, two Lillipup, and one Herdier, slowly making their way to the river to drink.

What stood out was that both the leading Stoutland and the Furfrou had green potential, while the other Furfrou, Lillipup, and Herdier had all yellow potential.

These Pokémon had significantly better potential compared to the other Pokémon in the area.

It seemed that to adapt to the environment of the Santalune Plateau, the three Furfrou had exceptionally lush fur, quite unlike the pets pampered by city ladies. Their long coats nearly rivaled that of the Stoutland.

Lillipup, Herdier, and Stoutland, were Pokémon naturally suited for extremely cold environments, with their thick coats evolving to adapt to frigid conditions.

The fur of the Furfrou was just as thick as that of the Stoutland, which showed how lush and dense it was.

Although Yuga hadn't encountered his target Pokémon, he instantly decided to capture this family.

The yellow-potential Furfrou, Lillipup, and Herdier could be treated with rejuvenation potions back home. Even though there was a chance of failure, it couldn't all fail, right?

The leading Stoutland and Furfrou had fairly high levels, almost at the pseudo-Elite Four level, so Yuga didn't act rashly. If he startled the other Pokémon drinking by the river and got surrounded, it would be too risky.

After the family finished drinking, Yuga followed them from a distance.

Once the family left the riverbank, they found a cluster of short plants covered with unknown fruit. After feasting on the fruit, the family continued on their way.

After they left, Yuga approached the plants, picked up a fallen fruit, and took a bite. His face immediately twisted in discomfort.

"Yuck, yuck, yuck! It's way too sour!" Yuga quickly spat it out.

While it's true some Pokémon have a preference for sour flavors, this fruit's sourness was extreme. The slight sweetness was completely overpowered by the sourness. It was impressive that the Stoutland family could even eat it.

This also highlighted just how scarce food was on the Santalune Plateau. Pokémon like Swinub and Piloswine, which could eat almost anything, were fine because there was plenty of grass around. But for Pokémon like Stoutland and Furfrou that didn't eat grass, life was probably much harder.

Once the Stoutland family was completely away from the river, Yuga decided to make his move.

However, Stoutland and Furfrou both had highly sensitive noses. As soon as Yuga shortened the distance between them, they detected Yuga and Absol's presence. Of course, Absol's imposing size didn't help much either.

Seeing that Yuga was about to capture the Stoutland family, Sneasel was extremely envious. After having eaten the Pokéblocks Yuga gave it, it couldn't imagine life without Yuga now!

"How lucky! I wish I had a permanent meal ticket… no, I mean, a trainer to take care of me!" Sneasel thought to itself, silently envying the situation.