The Ice Bird

The discovery of a corpse on the way heightened everyone's vigilance, and they decided not to waste any more time, continuing their journey towards the direction of the snow peak.

By evening, the group finally reached the edge of the snow peak, and beyond that lay a vast expanse of pure white snow.

From the halfway point up Mount Coronet, there were no dense forests, only sparse grasslands, and further up, it was the frozen snowfield.

Gazing at the white snow reflecting the twilight hues, Cynthia spoke to the group, "Let's rest here for the night and then set off to go up the mountain early tomorrow morning."

Everyone nodded in agreement, as traveling up the snowy mountain at night was not a wise choice.

Soon, the sky darkened, and the night on Mount Coronet was eerily quiet. Occasionally, they could hear the cries of Hoothoot or other nocturnal Pokémon, but it gave them a spooky feeling.

Due to its close to the snow peak, the temperature here was quite low. Everyone huddled in their tents, and those on night watch duty were Yuga's Gengar and Mismagius, Cynthia's Spiritomb and Glaceon.

Apart from Yuga and Cynthia, the others were feeling somewhat uneasy.

When they had set out, they were excited about their journey and the adventure it promised. They never expected to encounter a dead body so soon. This was far from the happy and carefree scenario they had imagined when setting out with their friends.

Restlessly, they tossed and turned, and it wasn't until well past midnight that the young boys and girls began to gradually fall asleep. Even Chris, who usually had a large heart, felt the weight of the situation.

In the early morning, as the sun just peeked over the horizon and most people were still asleep, someone noticed a commotion outside their tents.

Yuga quickly emerged from his tent and saw a large group of Pokémon rushing down from the snow peak. Pokémon were flying and running desperately down the mountainside.

Then came a deafening roar.

"It's an avalanche!"

Cynthia, who appeared by Yuga's side, had a grim expression.

Even though Yuga and the others were quite far from the avalanche, they could still see the snow tumbling down from the peak and feel the ground shaking from the avalanche's force.

Imagine if they had started their ascent earlier; could they have avoided such a massive avalanche? They might have been buried under tons of snow, and their fate would have been sealed.

Cynthia, in all her years, had never heard of such a large-scale avalanche on Mount Coronet's snow peak.

The avalanche lasted for nearly half a day before gradually subsiding, but the mountain was suddenly engulfed in a blizzard. Before long, Yuga and the others could no longer see what was happening on the mountain.

"This situation is really not good," Cynthia remarked, her expression filled with concern.

Yuga turned to Cynthia and said that they needed to investigate further up the mountain, but unfortunately, such a situation occurred, and even the weather was working against them.

At that moment, Sheena hurriedly approached, gasping for breath, and said to Sheena, "Cynthia, I just asked some Pokémon that escaped from the snow peak about the situation. They said the avalanche wasn't natural; it was caused by the anger of the Snow Peak's King."

"The Snow Peak's King?"

Yuga asked in confusion.

Sheena quickly explained, "Legend has it that there's a King at the summit of Snow Peak, who maintains order among the Pokémon within the entire Mount Coronet. However, everyone has only heard this legend, and no one has actually seen this Pokémon."

Yuga nodded, "I see. So, it seems that this Pokémon truly exists now. But why would it get angry for no apparent reason? Have there been similar incidents in the past?"

Sheena shook her head and said, "I've never heard of any."

They were neighbors with Michina and Mount Coronet; if such incidents had occurred before, they would have heard something about them.

"The root cause of all this might just lie with this King," Cynthia said after a moment of silence.

Yuga responded, "If that's the case, our journey might be more troublesome than we thought."

The Coronet Highlands was the largest gathering place for high level Pokémon in the Sinnoh region. If a Pokémon could rule at its highest peak, it couldn't be an ordinary one, perhaps even a Legendary Pokémon.

Cynthia thought for a moment and then said to Sheena, "Go and gather everyone."

Sheena nodded and quickly ran off.

Then, Cynthia turned to Yuga and said, "Now that you know the situation, the events on Snow Peak seem to be more complicated than we initially thought.

This was originally a matter for Michina, and I shouldn't have involved you. You can choose to stay behind and not go up the mountain with us. We'll understand."

Yuga was taken aback by Cynthia's words. He hadn't expected her to say something like this, and he couldn't help but smile wryly. "This girl is really straightforward. She's not trying to take advantage of the situation at all."

He shook his head and replied, "When you've accepted a task, you should see it through to the end. There's no reason to abandon it halfway, even if it becomes more challenging. While I may not be a saint, I don't go back on my word, especially in situations like this."

Cynthia didn't insist further and simply nodded, saying, "Thank you."

Before long, all ten young boys and girls had gathered around. Cynthia addressed them, saying, "The situation on Mount Coronet has changed. Originally, I had planned to take you up for some training, but as you saw with the avalanche, that plan is clearly not feasible anymore.

Later, Yuga and I will go up the mountain as originally planned, and the rest of you will stay here and wait for our return. If necessary, you can seek assistance from Michina."

"But is it safe for just the two of you to go up?"

Kevin expressed his concern, stating that they had all witnessed the avalanche, and if they encountered such a situation again, they would be helpless.

Cynthia replied, "With Yuga's and my abilities, we should be able to escape if we encounter a special situation. If we both can't handle it, sending more people won't make a difference."

After hearing Cynthia's words, Kevin fell silent. He realized that if Cynthia couldn't handle a situation, it would likely require the intervention of Elder Sorin, and their group of young trainers wouldn't be of much help.

Thinking this way, Kevin unconsciously clenched his fists.

The rest of the group shared similar feelings of inadequacy.

If something truly went wrong on Mount Coronet, it would likely have an effect for all of Michina. This wasn't just Cynthia's personal matter; it concerned the entire Temple clan.

Seeing the gloomy expressions on everyone's faces, Cynthia tried to comfort them, saying, "You are all still young. Work hard in the future, and you will be able to assist me."

Chris clenched his fists angrily and said, "If I find out who's causing trouble on Snow Peak, I won't let them off lightly!"

Half an hour later, the young boys and girls watched as Yuga and Cynthia, riding Mamoswine, disappeared into the snowy winds.

After the avalanche, heavy snowfall blanketed the entire Snow Peak, leaving only the howling wind and snow in sight. Yuga and Cynthia, dressed in thick clothing and protective goggles, moved forward.

Mamoswine proved to be an ideal Pokémon for riding in the snow, despite their seemingly bulky appearance. They moved steadily and surefooted.

Due to the heavy snowfall's impact, visibility was poor, and they couldn't see much ahead. At that moment, Yuga saw Cynthia ahead waving to him.

The wind and snow were too intense for them to have a conversation, and speaking at a distance would only waste their energy.

Yuga directed his Mamoswine to Cynthia, and as he approached, she had already dismounted from her Pokémon.

She crouched down and, with a pull, revealed a black object buried in the snow, pulling out a corpse.

Seeing this corpse, both Yuga and Cynthia's expressions changed. The clothing on the body was identical to the one they had encountered at the base of the mountain.

However, unlike the decomposed body they had seen earlier, this corpse was well-preserved, frozen stiff, with a look of terror on its face.

Cynthia tossed this body aside and soon pulled out another corpse from the snowdrift. It was in the same condition as the previous one.

These two individuals had likely been dead for a while but were frozen in the snow, preventing decomposition.

Yuga and Cynthia, their faces covered by scarves, couldn't see each other's expressions. Still, they could guess that the situation was far from pleasant.

The appearance of three bodies wearing identical clothing on Mount Coronet raised suspicions that the incidents on Snow Peak were somehow related to these individuals.

Ignoring the corpses, Cynthia pointed ahead, and Yuga nodded. They once again mounted their Mamoswine and continued their journey.

They walked for several hours, but there was no sign of the mountain's snowstorm weakening. However, they came across two more bodies similar to the ones they had found earlier.

In addition to these corpses, they also encountered some mechanical debris buried in the snow, appearing to be remnants of a damaged aircraft.

Gradually, Yuga and Cynthia noticed that these bodies and debris should have been deeply buried in the snow, but the avalanche had unearthed them, allowing them to discover them.

It became clear that these people had encountered something on the mountain, and they had all been killed. As for the one at the base of the mountain, they had likely managed to escape but succumbed to their injuries halfway down.

Thinking about the angered king mentioned by the escaping Pokémon, it all made sense. These people must have provoked that king.

However, there was one puzzling aspect. Based on the marks on the bodies, these individuals had been dead for some time, at least a week or more. Yet, the king was still angry and had even triggered the avalanche.

Was the king's temper really this extreme? It seemed unusual.

Regardless, the truth of the matter, its needed further investigation.

After walking for who knows how long, just as the two of them were preparing to find a place to rest, they came across a massive wreckage of an aircraft, surrounded by more bodies, including both humans and Pokémon.

Seeing so many dead, Yuga and Cynthia's expressions simultaneously changed.

What had happened? How had they managed to anger the king to this extent?

Most of the aircraft wreckage was buried in the snow, indicating that these events weren't recent. If the avalanche hadn't occurred, these remains and debris might have remained permanently buried beneath the snow.

Due to the extensive snow coverage, apart from the bodies and aircraft wreckage, there were few visible traces at the scene, and clues were virtually non-existent.

Yuga attempted to find anything that could identify the group they had found, but their search turned up empty. However, it was clear that this group of people was not upstanding individuals; otherwise, they wouldn't have needlessly provoked the king of Snow Peak.

The legend of the Snow Peak king had been around for a long time, and no one else had come to provoke him. This individual not only provoked the king but also lost their lives in the process, causing trouble for Machina.

Unable to find any clues, Yuga and Cynthia decided to rest as originally planned. After traveling through the blizzard for most of the day, they were tired, and their Mamoswine were showing signs of fatigue.

Fortunately, there was a large cave nearby, an excellent shelter from the storm.

However, when Yuga and Cynthia entered the cave, they discovered several small Swinub and a few Snorunt still hiding there, they likely hadn't managed to escape when the avalanche occurred.

These timid Pokémon shivered in the corner and dared not make a sound when they saw Yuga and Cynthia enter.

Yuga took out a pot from his spatial backpack, boiled some water, and prepared a pot of soup. They had a hearty meal, which helped dispel the cold from their bodies.

The Froslass, on the other hand, was released to roam freely. Thanks to her, they hadn't lost their way in the blizzard, and she had guided them to the cave.

Having lived on Snow Peak year-round, the Froslass was familiar with the surroundings and had found the cave for them.

From the Froslass, Yuga and Cynthia learned that almost two weeks ago, there had been a massive battle on the snowy mountain. During that time, the king had also become angry. They were caught in the crossfire during that battle, prompting them to leave Snow Peak.

However, the disturbance caused by that battle was not as significant as the recent avalanche, and fewer Pokémon had left Snow Peak at that time.

The opposing side in that battle had been the aircraft, which was now reduced to wreckage.

With so many Pokémon leaving Snow Peak due to the avalanche, it could become a disaster for Machina if they all flocked nearby.

A large number of ice-type Pokémon staying in Machina for an extended period would bring a harsh winter to the usually warm and spring-like Machina.

Yuga and Cynthia hadn't rested for long after finishing their meal when they saw the Froslass hurriedly float in. She informed Yuga that there were many Pokémon outside, seemingly searching for something.

"Do you recognize those Pokémon?" Yuga asked the Froslass.

The Froslass nodded and told Yuga that they were Pokémon who used to reside at the pinnacle of Snow Peak, the ones who guarded the king. Now, all of them had come down from the peak.

Cynthia chimed in, "It seems like their king must have lost something important."

Yuga nodded in agreement. Not only did it seem like something important was lost, but it must have been exceptionally crucial for the king to become so enraged.

"I'll go out and check the situation," Yuga said as he got up to leave.

Cynthia nodded and said, "I'll go with you."

As they reached the cave's entrance, they saw a Jynx walking by casually. This Jynx had a relatively high level.

After the Jynx left, they saw several other powerful ice-type Pokémon passing by near the cave, including the Abomasnow, Mamoswine, and Glaceon.

One Glaceon even entered the cave to inspect it, but by that time, Yuga and Cynthia had already left. It wasn't that they were afraid of these Pokémon; it was just that their sheer number would make handling them difficult, and this environment was favorable to ice-type Pokémon.

However, the Glaceon learned about Yuga and Cynthia's presence from the Swinub and Snorunt hiding in the snow. The ice-type Pokémon searching the area started to become restless.

Seeing this, Cynthia, who was hiding in the snowdrifts, said to Yuga, "Are they looking for humans?" They were close enough to hear each other's voices through the blizzard.

Yuga nodded, thinking it was a possibility. But if there were others besides them here, were they companions of the deceased?

It had been nearly two weeks since the bodies were found. Why hadn't these people left yet? Did they want to provoke the Snow Peak king again? Were they risking their lives?

Just when Yuga and Cynthia were filled with questions, a clear bird cry suddenly echoed in the sky. In the blink of an eye, a blue giant bird appeared overhead.

Articuno!

The two of them looked up, stunned, almost exclaiming in shock. Could this be the legendary king of Snow Peak?

The Froslass, who had been hiding near Yuga and Cynthia thanks to her Snow Veil ability, had disappeared the moment Articuno appeared. Escaping in a blizzard like this was effortless for her.

Articuno was highly perceptive.

As they raised their heads, Articuno lowered its head, and their eyes met.

Cynthia and Yuga's hearts skipped a beat. They realized that they had been discovered.