By the lakeside of Death Island.
An elegant blonde man floated in the air, lazily flipping through a book while his Abra ditated beside him.
"Leader Nakata, Starhunt has requested that we search for Kongjian's whereabouts," a woman with rose-red hair said, bowing respectfully.
"Starhunt's request? Why should I listen to him?" Nakata said without looking up from his book. "We are competitors. Why would I help a rival secure the top spot? Besides, my goal isn't Rank 1."
"But Leader, if we don't act, we might lose our chance to qualify for promotion!" Milis urged.
"Milis, I have seen the future," Nakata said, his voice ethereal. "A silhouette of a giant dragon will soon appear in the night sky. This trial is about to beco irrelevant. According to my intel, the first-place winner is sent to the League as a deep-cover mole—a thankless, suicidal job. With Lady Athena backing us, we have all the resources we need. Why fight to the death for a cursed prize?"
He closed his book. "Send word: we refuse. And no one in our squad is to clash with Starhunt. That is an order."
Near the Snowy Peaks.
Unaware that the major leaders were avoiding him, Feng Che trudged through the rising snow. The temperature plumted, and the forest was encased in a thick layer of frost. He wore a heavy coat woven from Flaaffy wool he'd traded from Alakazam and used his psychic power to form a thin thermal barrier.
He kept the Jirachi Statue active; its presence accelerated his psychic cultivation as he moved. Linoone and Rookidee shivered beside him. He refused to recall them—they needed to build resistance to Ice-type moves.
After two weeks of intense training and supplents, Rookidee had finally hit Green (Outstanding) potential, and Linoone was transitioning into a deep yellow.
As he climbed higher, the world turned into a white void. Above, he saw Cryogonal drifting in the wind and Vanilluxe playfully freezing each other. A swarm of Frosmoth—ghostly white moths with translucent wings—fluttered past, their freezing scales falling like glittery dust.
Wait, Feng Che thought, watching Ditto-Arbok slide over the ice. Arbok is a cold-blooded reptile. Why is Ditto so comfortable in the snow? Back at the treehouse, it was shivering. Sothing is changing in its genetic stability.
Suddenly, Ditto lunged into a snowbank. It erged a mont later with a crystalline fruit in its mouth.
"A Snow Lotus Fruit! Good nose, Ditto!" This was a pri ingredient for Ice-Resistance potions.
Feng Che reached a secluded ledge. He found a small cave entrance hidden by a heavy snowdrift, emitting a faint trail of steam. Inside, he gasped.
The cave was filled with Ice Lotuses—glowing, crystalline flowers. In the center sat a massive lotus, easily a thousand years old.
"Where are the guardians?" Feng Che wondered. Usually, such treasures are heavily guarded.
He harvested the seeds and cores with surgical precision, leaving the plants alive to regrow. As he moved deeper into the cavern, he found the reason for the silence.
Encased in a block of eternal ice was an Alolan Ninetales. It was majestic, with nine flowing tails and icy blue eyes that stared eternally toward a nest. In that nest sat a single Pokémon Egg, resting on a bed of Never-lt Ice.
Feng Che felt a surge of Gym Leader-tier pressure emanating from the ice.
"I see... she chose to freeze herself in her final monts to protect her child. The local Pokémon think the Queen is still alive and guarding the cave."
Feng Che bowed to the frozen mother. "I'll take the egg. I promise to raise it well and bring it back to see you one day."
A faint glimr seed to spark in the Ninetales' frozen eyes. Feng Che wrapped the egg in Flaaffy wool and stowed the Never-lt Ice. "We'll stay here for a few days. The hot spring will keep us warm while we train."
Nightfall.
Lance and Dragonite erged from the hidden treehouse.
"Dragonite, can you control your reaction speed now?" Lance asked.
The dragon nodded. It felt twice as fast, twice as sharp. It flapped its wings, intended to take a light leap—
WHOOSH!
The dragon broke the sound barrier instantly, launching into the clouds before it could even blink. It flailed in the air, trying to steer its newfound montum.
High above, a Rocket patrol helicopter pilot suddenly felt a violent impact. The dragon had accidentally clipped the tail rotor. The helicopter spiraled down, exploding into a fireball in the forest below.
"That clumsy oaf..." Lance facepald. "Well, so much for a stealthy exit."
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