Dead Body

In order to determine the reason why the Ice-type Pokémon left the Snow Peak of Mount Coronet, Cynthia selected several strong trainers from the young generation in Michina to accompany her on this mission.

Among them were Sheena, Kevin, and Chris.

Despite Chris's usual lack of discipline, he was actually one of the most outstanding trainers in Michina's younger generation. Sheena and Kevin were slightly inferior to him in terms of strength.

However, although Chris had awakened the Power of True Heart, his abilities were weak, making little difference whether he had it or not. He couldn't communicate with wild Pokémon as effortlessly as Sheena could.

His abilities only allowed him to communicate with his own Pokémon, achieving a deep understanding with them.

In fact, among the members of the temple with the Power of True Heart, aside from individuals with extraordinary talent like Sheena and Kevin, most were like Chris.

Especially someone like Sheena, whom the temple had not seen in the past century. Currently, within the temple, only Elder Sorin had reached the same level of talent as Sheena.

However, Elder Sorin was nearing ninety years old, and nobody knew how much longer he would live. After all, not every master level trainer could live as long as Mr. Kuni'o.

Pokémon could extend their lifespan by leveling up, but humans couldn't. When their time came, they would die.

Despite this, the starting point for ordinary members of the temple was much higher than that of regular individuals. Achieving a deep understanding with one's Pokémon, like what Sheena did, was not easy.

And this deep understanding was essential for a trainer to bring out the full potential of their Pokémon.

For instance, if a trainer's Pokémon reached the level of an Elite but they couldn't command it effectively, they couldn't be considered a true Elite level trainer. In fact, they might even hinder their own Pokémon.

In such a case, if the Pokémon had a good relationship with the trainer, it was one thing; but if their bond was average, the Pokémon would likely look down on their trainer, refuse to obey commands, and even potentially run away.

Such incidents had occurred before and were written in textbooks at trainer schools as historical lessons.

Pokémon were indeed loyal to their trainers, but that loyalty had its limits, especially when dealing with mature adult Pokémon.

This was why the Pokémon League had regulations prohibiting the sale of mature adult Pokémon from Pokémon Day Care.

In comparison, young Pokémon were easier to form emotional bonds with their trainers, making it easier to achieve mutual understanding.

In the world of excellent trainers, it was not uncommon for their relationship with their Pokémon to surpass their relationships with their human spouses.

Of course, marrying one's Pokémon was taking it to an extreme and was incredibly rare, and hardly anyone approved of it.

Different species, it went against ethics.

This time, Sheena had selected a total of ten people, including herself and Yuga, to accompany her on this journey to the Snow Peak of Mount Coronet.

When Chris learned that they were leaving Michina for an adventure on the mountain, he was so excited that he couldn't sleep that night. As a result, he had two dark circles under his eyes the next day, looking like a panda.

To facilitate Yuga and the others' journey on the snowy mountain, the temple elders provided each of them with a Mamoswine as a mount. They also prepared a lot of cold-resistant and warming supplies, which were divided into twelve spatial backpacks, one for each person.

The Pokémon world had the convenience of spatial backpacks for travel and adventures, although they were a bit pricey. However, that wasn't a concern for wealthy families like the temple.

Moreover, these Mamoswine had undergone special training and were excellent at walking in snowy terrain, with exceptional stamina.

Mount Coronet, being the highest and largest peak in the Coronet Highlands, wasn't entirely covered in snow. Its slopes and foothills were vast, dense forests and grasslands, inhabited by countless Pokémon.

The term "Snow Peak of Mount Coronet" referred to the area above the mountain's midsection, where it snowed year-round, with almost half the year dominated by snowstorms. It was a paradise for Ice-type Pokémon.

Michina was nestled in a valley at the foot of Mount Coronet. Except for the eastern side, all three other sides offered views of the mountain's towering peaks and snowy summits.

Because of this unique location and terrain, the climate here was spring-like all year round.

Yuga and the group set out early from Michina, heading west and soon entering the territory of Mount Coronet.

Among the twelve travelers, Cynthia was the most familiar with the conditions on Mount Coronet. She had often come here for training when she was still in Michina.

However, even after reaching the Elite level, she hadn't ventured deep into Mount Coronet. Inside, there were sometimes dangerous situations that even Elite level trainers couldn't handle, including natural disasters and hazardous Pokémon.

Of course, such occurrences were extremely rare, and if you encountered them, it was just considered bad luck.

Before reaching the snowy peak, the twelve travelers didn't ride the Mamoswine that the elders had prepared. Instead, they each rode their own Pokémon companions.

While Mamoswines were indeed suitable for riding in the snow, they were slow in forests and grasslands, even slower than a Magcargo.

They didn't want to waste too much time at the mountain's base, so they rode their Pokémon companions, sprinting towards the peak. Their flying Pokémon companions remained vigilant in the sky.

"Cynthia, how much farther to the snowy peak?"

When you set your sights on a mountain from a distance, it can be deceivingly close. But when you're actually on the path, it feels like an eternal journey.

This prompted Chris to get a bit impatient. His mount was a Fire-type Rapidash, excellent for short sprints but lacking in endurance for long-distance runs.

Cynthia responded with a smile, "Don't worry, Chris. We're making good progress. We'll reach the snowy peak in due time."

As they continued their journey towards the Snow Peak of Mount Coronet, the team maintained their alertness, with each step bringing them closer to their destination.

Of course, this was a common issue among most Fire-type Pokémon.

Chris specialized in Fire-type Pokémon, and neither he nor his Pokémon were known for their patience.

Hearing Chris's words, Cynthia glanced at the time and then at her own mount, a Luxray, and turned to address everyone, saying:

"It's about noon now, and it'll still take us some time to reach the snowy peak. Let's take a break and have lunch."

Although Luxray, an Electric-type, had decent endurance, it wasn't as physically enduring as Rapidash. Plus, most people in the group were riding Luxray.

Seeing that everyone's Luxray were starting to pant, Cynthia had to call for a rest.

The only one here who didn't seem tired was Yuga's Absol.

The Seed of Unknown endowed Absol with extraordinary strength and endurance. Trying to tire it out through running was an incredibly difficult task.

Upon hearing they could rest, the group cheered and found a relatively secluded spot to have lunch.

However, Cynthia didn't let her guard down. Her Togekiss continued to hover in the air, keeping watch, and Yuga's Vivillon didn't withdraw either.

In addition to that, Cynthia had her Lucario, outside to check the surroundings. Lucario's aura-sensing powers made it suitable for this task.

As Cynthia ate her lunch, she continued to educate the others, feeling they were becoming too complacent.

In dangerous forests, it was crucial to remain vigilant during breaks. You couldn't recall all your Pokémon; otherwise, an unexpected encounter with a hostile Pokémon might cost you your life.

Initially, the others didn't pay much attention to Cynthia's words. However, the events that followed soon had them all white-faced with fear.

During their lunch break, as they were halfway through their meal, Lucario quickly returned, and it shouted towards Cynthia.

Although Cynthia didn't have the ability to communicate directly with her Pokémon, she was very familiar with Lucario, which she had been living with day in and day out. She immediately understood that something was wrong and quickly got up to follow Lucario.

Yuga quickly packed up his belongings and said to the others, "Let's go over there and see what's happening."

Seeing Cynthia's serious expression, the others knew that something was wrong. They hastily put away their lunch and followed Yuga and Cynthia.

Led by Lucario, they arrived at the entrance of a cave. The cave wasn't deep, and it didn't take them long to reach the end. When they saw what was inside, except for Yuga and Cynthia, everyone else who had eaten lunch felt nauseated.

Seeing this group of young boys and girls turning pale and vomiting, Yuga shook his head. They were clearly a bunch of inexperienced kids.

Inside the cave was a decaying, foul-smelling corpse. Judging by the appearance, it was a male wearing a black uniform, slumped against the cave wall. It seemed like he hadn't died before entering the cave.

During his time in Arus for over two years, Yuga had seen far too many dead bodies. It was an era where human lives were considered cheap, so even though the corpse looked gruesome, he didn't have any strong reactions.

"It looks like he froze to death," Sheena commented after examining the body and finding a Poké Ball.

Cynthia had planned of becoming the League Champion, so she had been involved in League affairs for quite some time. A scene like this didn't faze her.

"Seems like he was a Trainer as well."

Yuga nodded without further comment. He wasn't as skilled at post-mortem examinations as Cynthia, and he couldn't determine the cause of death from a partially decomposed body.

Seeing Yuga remain silent, Sheena turned to the others and said, "See that? This is what happens when you're careless in the wilderness!"

The rookies were shivering and trembling at a distance from the corpse, nodding in agreement with the experienced trainers.

They had grown up in Machina and had never experienced anything like this, let alone seen a dead body, especially one in such a gruesome state.

After delivering her warning to the rookies, Cynthia looked at the damaged Poké Ball in her hand. It was covered in cracks, so she pressed the switch to see if it would still open.

Bang! A heavy thud echoed through the cave.

The Poké Ball released a Probopass, but it was also a lifeless body. Moreover, this corpse was covered in white ice crystals, confirming Cynthia's earlier assertion that the cause of death was freezing.

Probopass's body, composed of rocks and magnets, hadn't decomposed, so it didn't look as gruesome as the previous corpse.

"That corpse had decomposed, but the ice crystals on this Probopass's body haven't melted..." Cynthia murmured as she examined one of the ice crystals on Probopass's body.

"The ice crystals on this Probopass's body were likely caused by Ice-type skills. The one who did this might not be an ordinary Pokémon. It might be a good idea to summon Froslass and ask her," Yuga suggested after inspecting Probopass's body.

Cynthia nodded in agreement and took out a Poké Ball, releasing Froslass.

Since Froslass didn't tolerate high temperatures, Cynthia had kept it in a Poké Ball. She planned to let it out when they reached the snow peak.

Once Froslass was out, Cynthia asked, "Have you seen this human before?"

Froslass shook its head, indicating it hadn't seen this particular human. However, it had seen humans with similar attire on the snow peak.

Upon hearing Froslass's response, Yuga and Cynthia fell silent. A group of people wearing the same clothes likely meant they were part of an organization.

Could the unexpected events on Snow Peak be related to these people? The possibility seemed significant.

If there was a connection, and now there were casualties involved, this situation became much more serious.

They hadn't found any identity-related items on the corpse, so they were currently in the dark.