Traveling Together

Because the Ice-type Pokémon refused to communicate, the battle quickly escalated. Dozens of Glalie descended from the sky, each stronger than the ones Yuga had encountered before.

In addition to the Glalie, there were also many Sneasel and Weavile hidden in the ice and snow.

They were cunning, agile, and excellent at concealment. In the blurry moonlight, they resembled cold-blooded assassins, constantly ambushing trainers and Pokémon who were trying to fight them.

Chris and his Infernape were very active, and every flamethrower could take down a Glalie.

Sheena and Kevin also showed their strength. Her agile Lopunny excelled in fighting-type moves, and none of the Pokémon, be it Weavile, Sneasel, Glalie, or Snorunt, could get the upper hand against it.

Kevin's Luxray had a ferocious attack style. It opened an Electric Field, and whether it was the Thunder Fang used for tearing or the crazed Wild Charge for impact, everything was illuminated by its dazzling lightning, causing the Ice-type Pokémon it hit to convulse.

However, Yuga couldn't spot Cynthia in the crowd and wondered where she might be.

For Yuga, these Ice-type Pokémon weren't particularly strong individually, but their sheer numbers, combined with their ability to hide in the snowstorm, made it challenging to clear them all at once.

He thought for a moment, recalled his Absol into its Poké Ball, and released his Charizard, saying, "Charizard, try using Sunny Day to see if you can dispel this snow and hail."

Snow and hail were caused by the weather move Hail. To use Sunny Day to clear it, Charizard's control over its weather abilities would be tested.

Fire-type Pokémon and Flying-type Pokémon generally disliked hail weather, especially a dual-type like Charizard.

Charizard emerged somewhat discontentedly, snorted loudly, and the snow and ice that fell on it instantly turned into water vapor, then disappeared into the air.

It nodded at Yuga and then flew up into the sky, opening its mouth to release a bright orange-red Weather Ball.

The Weather Ball burst in the sky, instantly weakening the hail weather. Even the temperature rose a bit, but snow continued to fall from the sky.

Sensing the change in temperature, the Ice-type Pokémon in the battle became restless, launching more aggressive attacks. However, this didn't affect the overall battle situation.

The young trainers from the temple were all quite powerful. Although they lacked extensive battle experience, they held their ground well against these Ice-type Pokémon.

In the sky, Charizard was visibly angry, as it couldn't seize control of the weather. It was quite embarrassing.

Yuga, however, understood the situation. The opponent's strength should surpass Charizard's, as well as their ability to control the weather.

Of course, the possibility of multiple opponents couldn't be ruled out.

The enraged Charizard let out a loud roar to the sky, and its abdomen began to emit a dazzling orange-red light. It then spewed out a Weather Ball that was several times larger than before.

It utilized the power of a Red Gem!

The massive Weather Ball burst in the sky like fireworks. Streams of flames shot out, melting the ice and snow wherever they passed. Even the gloomy clouds gradually dissipated.

Once again, sunlight shone directly on the earth.

Following this, like a cannonball launched from the dispersing leaden clouds, a snowy-white figure fell from the sky and smashed a circular pit into the ground.

The fallen Pokémon was a Froslass, followed by a Togekiss. Both were Elite level Pokémon.

Froslass floated out of the pit, about to ascend, but Togekiss, which had fallen from the sky right behind it, smacked it back into the pit with a Shadow Ball.

"It's Cynthia's Togekiss!"

Someone shouted, and only then did Yuga recognize that it was indeed Cynthia's Pokémon. He looked up and saw Cynthia, with a Spiritomb floating beside her, slowly descending to the ground.

After Cynthia and Spiritomb appeared, a group of Delibird frantically flew down and gathered around Froslass.

This Froslass should be the one controlling the hail weather, Yuga thought. No wonder he hadn't seen Cynthia earlier; she must have gone to beat the mastermind!

That's why Charizard couldn't seize control of the weather with the Red Gem; there was not only the Elite level Froslass but also this large group of Delibird.

The Delibird, seeing Froslass injured by Togekiss, angrily used Icy Wind on Togekiss.

Although there were quite a few Delibird, none of them were above level forty. Togekiss sent a Heat Wave their way, dispersing the Icy Wind and causing the Delibird to squawk in pain.

Togekiss held back to avoid harming the Delibird excessively.

Froslass cared for her underlings. Seeing them injured by Togekiss, she immediately unleashed a blizzard, attempting to avenge her subordinates.

However, Togekiss was agile, and the accuracy of the blizzard wasn't as high as Ice Beam. Froslass's attack was in vain.

Unable to hit Togekiss, Froslass called her subordinate Delibird, and they screeched a few times. The Glalie also gathered around her.

Over a hundred Pokémon simultaneously used Ice Beam on Togekiss. Even though Togekiss was an Elite Pokémon, it couldn't withstand such an onslaught, especially with the presence of Froslass, who was also an Elite.

Seeing this, Yuga quickly shouted to Charizard, "Charizard, help Togekiss!"

Charizard immediately understood. It was very close to Togekiss. With a flap of its wings, it reached Togekiss and used Heat Wave alongside Togekiss, shielding against the barrage of Ice Beams.

Fortunately, Heat Wave was an area-of-effect move; otherwise, it would have been impossible to withstand so many Ice Beams at once.

As the energy dissipated, Froslass attempted to command her subordinates for another wave of attack but was horrified to find herself immobilized.

Unknown to her, Spiritomb, who was by Cynthia's side, had stealthily crawled onto her back. Cynthia's Spiritomb had the power to turn invisible and phase through objects, which made it particularly adept at stealth.

Spiritomb was a strange Ghost-type Pokémon with only a small chunk of rock beneath it, lacking a physical body. It was said that Its energy form was a result of gathering souls, sealed in the rock due to wrongdoing.

In any case, in various legends, Spiritomb didn't have a positive image.

At this moment, Spiritomb's ghostly energy was wrapped around the delicate neck of Froslass, and it used Curse, Spite, Will-O-Wisp, Disable, and finally relentless persistence on Froslass in succession.

Even though Froslass and Spiritomb were both Ghost-type Pokémon, Froslass was frightened by Spiritomb's relentless assault, screaming in terror.

Spiritomb had no physical form, but Froslass's body was real.

No matter how Froslass twisted her graceful body, she couldn't escape Spiritomb's entanglement. Her subordinates wanted to help, but they didn't dare to approach.

In the end, Froslass was "killed" by Spiritomb.

As soon as Froslass fell, the remaining Ice-type Pokémon became disoriented and were quickly dealt with by everyone.

Just as the situation was resolved, an old man riding a chubby Staraptor appeared in front of everyone.

Seeing the defeated intruder Pokémon, he nodded in satisfaction and said, "Well done, everyone."

Seeing the chubby Staraptor, Yuga knew that this old man should be Elder Damu, as mentioned by Chris.

Sure enough, as soon as the old man appeared, Chris muttered to himself, "You dare to ride that fat bird, aren't you afraid of falling off, especially at your age?"

"Chris, what are you muttering about over there?"

Elder Damu gave Chris a dissatisfied glare.

"Nothing... nothing at all! I was just complimenting you and your bird!"

Chris had tried to take a shortcut yesterday and was chased by the chubby Staraptor for half of Michina! He didn't dare to argue with Elder Damu now.

"That's better!"

Elder Damu also knew that Chris never had anything good to say, but he didn't have time to argue with this kid right now.

"While the Pokémon issue has been resolved, the frozen crops in the fields need to be dealt with. You all stay here and work on that; I'll make a trip to the temple."

After saying this, he picked up the unconscious Froslass and turned to Cynthia, saying, "Cynthia, come with me."

Cynthia nodded and replied, "Understood."

However, just as they took a step, Elder Damu thought for a moment and said to Yuga, "Young man, why don't you come with us as well?"

Yuga nodded in agreement.

Elder Damu was going to the temple likely concerning the situation with these Pokémon, and Yuga was also a bit curious.

Seeing Yuga about to leave, Chris, who loved to join in on things, quickly shouted to Elder Damu, "Elder Damu, can I come along too?"

Elder Damu gave him a stern look and replied, "You stay here, don't go anywhere."

Yuga walked over to Cynthia and he heard she thanked him.

Yuga was puzzled and asked, "Thank you for what?"

Cynthia smiled and replied, "For that Froslass..."

It turned out that Cynthia had encountered some trouble when chasing after that Froslass.

Froslass had the ability Snow Cloak and, combined with being a Ghost-type Pokémon skilled at concealing itself, it was challenging for her and Togekiss to catch it in the snowstorm.

Additionally, Froslass could manipulate the Delibird's cries to distract them, making it nearly impossible to capture.

Fortunately, Yuga's Charizard had cleared the snow, allowing Cynthia to seize the opportunity and have Togekiss cooperate with Spiritomb to bring Froslass down in time. Otherwise, things wouldn't have been so easily resolved.

Yuga responded, "I see now. You don't need to thank me; I'm a guest here. If you encounter trouble while I'm around, lending a hand is only natural."

Cynthia nodded in agreement and didn't say more.

Elder Damu, holding the unconscious Froslass, climbed onto his chubby Staraptor. Yuga rode on his Charizard, and Cynthia rode on her Garchomp, following closely behind.

The chubby Staraptor wiggled its bald bottom, flapped its wings hesitantly, and then took off. Yuga followed, concerned that a single misstep might shake him off.

When they arrived at the temple, they entered the same grand hall as before. However, this time, there were no other Elders present; only Elder Sorin was seated quietly in the center of the hall.

Elder Damu placed Froslass on the ground and respectfully bowed to Elder Sorin.

Elder Sorin nodded in response and then addressed Yuga and Cynthia, saying, "I'm aware of the situation outside. The older generation didn't intervene, hoping that you would gain some experience."

Cynthia also bowed and said, "The decision of the Elders was correct."

Elder Sorin chuckled and said, "As long as you don't blame us. By the way, let's take a look at why these Pokémon from the Mount Coronet Snow Peak came down."

Elder Damu nodded and brought Froslass over to Elder Sorin, saying, "This is the leader of those Pokémon."

Elder Sorin accepted Froslass from Elder Damu and released a Gardevoir. Gardevoir glanced at Froslass and then waved a Heal Pulse at her.

Froslass gradually woke up, still initially attempting to resist but was quickly silenced by Gardevoir's stern gaze.

Next, Yuga witnessed Elder Sorin closing his eyes, and at the same time, a powerful and distinct aura enveloped the surroundings. This aura immediately encompassed Froslass as well.

The sensation was similar to what he had felt when Sheena and the others used the Power of True Heart, but Elder Sorin's power was much more profound and substantial.

Through Froslass's vision, Elder Sorin saw a collision between a blue Pokémon and a black aircraft atop the summit of the snowy peak. This collision generated a massive storm, causing the Pokémon living on the peak to scramble for safety. The scene abruptly ended as Froslass fainted.

Elder Sorin opened his eyes, furrowing his brow, and said, "It seems something has happened at the Snow Peak. Cynthia, I'll need you to investigate."

The temple had coexisted with the Snow Peak of the Mount Coronet for generations, and although there had been conflicts in the past, they had formed an unspoken agreement of non-interference.

The incursion of Ice-type Pokémon this time was definitely not a coincidence. While they hadn't caused significant damage to Machina, they couldn't ignore it either.

Cynthia was currently the strongest member of the temple, second only to him. As the Elder, he had to stay and guard the temple, so he had no choice but to rely on Cynthia, the younger generation.

Cynthia responded, "I understand."

Elder Sorin added, "Select a few people to accompany you. We can't always keep them at arm's length."

Cynthia obediently nodded in agreement.

Elder Damu, who had been silent until now, spoke up, saying, "Could you please invite Mr. Shimizu to accompany Cynthia on this journey? If Cynthia encounters trouble, we hope that Mr. Shimizu can assist. On behalf of the temple, I request your help."

The Mount Coronet was the most perilous area of the Coronet Highlands, and if there were any significant issues there, Cynthia, leading a group of young trainers, might struggle to handle them. Hence, Elder Damu swallowed his pride and asked for Yuga's company.

Throughout generations, the temple had produced many successful trainers who awakened the Power of True Hearts, such as Elder Sorin.

However, ordinary individuals often struggled to compare favorably with their peers.

Cynthia was an exceptional case among exceptions, and Elder Damu, who hadn't awakened an the Power of True Heart himself, understood the tremendous effort required for a regular person to excel within the temple.

Thus, his concern for Cynthia, a member of the younger generation, was only natural.

From the expression Elder Sorin had just shown, it appeared that this journey to the Snow Peak might not be peaceful. According to Cynthia, Yuga was quite powerful, and his presence would enhance the safety of the group, including Cynthia and the young trainers, during their expedition.

Although Elder Damu would have liked to accompany them himself, it was clear that his abilities were likely inferior to those of Yuga.

Elder Sorin, upon hearing Elder Damu's request, nodded and said, "I wonder if young Shimizu would be willing to accompany Cynthia on this journey. Afterward, on behalf of the temple, I assure you there will be ample gratitude."

Elder Damu couldn't make promises on behalf of the temple, but Elder Sorin could.

Yuga hadn't expected the temple's elders to be so willing to request assistance, but he agreed with a nod.

Elder Sorin wanted to provide some additional information about the Snow Peak expedition, but he had seen limited and blurry details through Froslass's vision, so he decided to forego that and instead addressed the Frostlass beside him, saying, "The incident occurred at your Snow Peak, so you should join Cynthia on this journey. We will take good care of your subordinates and return them to you when you come back."

Inside Froslass's mind, she fumed silently, "Take good care? Isn't that just a nice way of saying they're keeping us as hostages?"

ButbShe dared not show her anger, though, and instead obediently nodded, knowing that the person before her was not to be trifled with.

When they left the temple, Elder Damu stayed behind to discuss matters with Elder Sorin, leaving Yuga and Cynthia to travel together. Following closely behind them was the pitiful-looking Frostlass.

Cynthia said, "I appreciate your help on this journey."

Yuga shook his head and replied, "It's no trouble at all. I've never been to the Snow Peak of the Mount Coronet, so I'll consider this an adventure. Besides, as Elder Sorin mentioned, there will be ample gratitude."