"Long time no see."
Lorelei stroked Articuno's feathers, looking very happy to be reunited with Articuno.
Terrance stood quietly behind her, trying to guess the relationship between Lorelei and Articuno.
After a while, seemingly finished communicating with Articuno, Lorelei turned around and said to Terrance, "It's actually my teacher."
"Teacher?" Terrance was taken aback.
"In my second year as a Trainer, I came to the Seafoam Islands for special training to prepare for the Indigo Plateau Conference. I accidentally fell into this place, and it was Articuno who saved me. Not only that, it also taught me many techniques for using Ice-type moves." Lorelei smiled slightly as she spoke.
"So, Master Lorelei, the reason you came this time is…" Terrance asked in confusion.
"Although Articuno hasn't been found by anyone for now, the news has already gotten out. Sooner or later, this place will be exposed." Lorelei looked at Articuno again and said, "I plan to take it away from here, to another place where I can look after it."
As Lorelei finished speaking, Articuno nuzzled her affectionately, showing great closeness to Lorelei.
"I see," Terrance nodded. "Is there anything I can help with?"
Lorelei answered straightforwardly, "Of course, I'm counting on you."
"…" Terrance.
Following Master Lorelei's gaze, Terrance finally noticed the giant block of ice behind Articuno. A faint halo lingered around the massive ice block, and within, icy energy continuously flowed. Strangely, the ice block emitted no chill at all, as if all the cold energy was tightly locked inside.
"Never-Melt Ice?" Terrance exclaimed in surprise.
The next moment, he looked again in disbelief. The size of this Never-Melt Ice was way too large. It was nearly a hundred times bigger than all the Never-Melt Ice he had ever collected!
"Is this the Thousand-Year-old Never-Melt Ice?" Terrance asked hurriedly.
"No," Lorelei shook her head, "That's just a rumor. The Never-Melt Ice by Articuno's side here is at least ten thousand years old, a relic from the Ice Age."
"As for the other Never-Melt Ice in the Seafoam Islands, the oldest ones are only a few hundred years old at most."
Ten thousand years… Ice Age Never-Melt Ice…
Terrance's eyes went wide as he said, "So, this Never-Melt Ice could have formed even before Mamoswine existed. Ten thousand years… 'Treasure' isn't even enough to describe it."
"It's not as exaggerated as you think," Lorelei chuckled. "Actually, being older isn't necessarily better. The energy inside this block of Never-Melt Ice has already been greatly depleted."
"Even though Never-Melt Ice is said to block out all heat, there's no way it can do that a hundred percent," Lorelei explained. "It's just that the rate at which it loses energy is so slow it's almost negligible. After ten thousand years, any Never-Melt Ice should have already melted away."
After hearing Master Lorelei's explanation, Terrance somewhat understood but suddenly felt something was off: "If Never-Melt Ice still releases energy, doesn't that mean the older it is, the lower its quality? But how can this block of Never-Melt Ice still remain in this state?"
"Actually, this block of Never-Melt Ice is rather special. The formation of Never-Melt Ice depends on the surrounding environment. Thousands of years ago, the Seafoam Islands were still a vast ice continent, and the environment here allowed this Never-Melt Ice to maintain its state. Even as it released energy, the energy absorbed exceeded what was lost... However, in the past century, the ice continent has become just two small islands, and this block of Never-Melt Ice has finally reached the end of its lifespan. Due to outside influences, the energy it stores now isn't nearly as massive as you'd imagine."
"The reason there are so many Ice-type Pokémon on the Seafoam Islands is mainly because, for the past few hundred years, this block of Never-Melt Ice has been continuously releasing Ice-type energy, making this place suitable for Ice-type Pokémon to live."
Realization dawned on Terrance, but he was still a little confused: "But how can I help?"
Lorelei requested, "I'd like to use the power of that light pillar you unleashed on Prison Island to destroy this block of Never-Melt Ice."
"What?!" Terrance frowned. "Why destroy the Never-Melt Ice?"
The conditions for forming Never-Melt Ice are difficult, and once the ice structure is broken, its Ice-type energy quickly dissipates.
"Remember what I told you before? Thousands of years ago, the Seafoam Islands were once an ice continent. Because this place produced so much Never-Melt Ice and Ice-type Pokémon were rampant, the ice continent eventually became what is now the Seafoam Islands," Lorelei explained slowly.
"This situation will keep happening. In a few more decades, I'm afraid these beautiful Seafoam Islands will be completely submerged by the sea… But if we shatter this massive block of Never-Melt Ice, it will accelerate the fusion of Ice-type energy and help the Seafoam Islands last a little longer."
Looking at Articuno, Lorelei smiled, "That was the agreement I made with Articuno back then. After all, neither of us wants to see this paradise for Ice and Water-type Pokémon disappear so soon."
"That reason…" Terrance hesitated for a moment, then gave a wry smile. In his view, the Seafoam Islands weren't nearly as valuable as this block of Never-Melt Ice. Master Lorelei wanted to sacrifice the Never-Melt Ice to save the Seafoam Islands; he found it hard to understand.
"All right, I'll help you."
Though he couldn't quite understand it, Terrance was still willing to lend a hand. When an Elite Four personally asked for help, refusing would be pretty ungracious.
"I'm glad you're willing to help. With just my own Pokémon, destroying this Never-Melt Ice would be really difficult," Lorelei said with a smile. Whether it was a Water-type move or an Ice-type move, they couldn't do much damage to Never-Melt Ice, especially this tough, ten-thousand-year-old Never-Melt Ice. Lorelei had considered asking other Top Trainers for help, but back then Articuno still lived here, so it wasn't the right time. Now, since she'd decided to take Articuno away and the Never-Melt Ice's existence was fully exposed, Lorelei finally made up her mind to exchange the Never-Melt Ice for the Seafoam Islands' future.
Slowly walking up to the Never-Melt Ice, Lorelei reached out and quietly touched it, feeling a little sad.
To Lorelei, she had deep feelings for both the Seafoam Islands and this Never-Melt Ice. But compared to her personal feelings, she and Articuno both hoped the Seafoam Islands could last a bit longer, preserving this paradise for Ice-type Pokémon.
"Master Lorelei…" Looking at her, Terrance fell silent. Master Lorelei didn't choose to take the Never-Melt Ice for herself, but to let it merge with the Seafoam Islands. He hadn't understood this before, but now, seeing her and Articuno's genuine feelings, Terrance suddenly got it.
After a while, Lorelei came back and smiled, "Thank you, little fairy. But we still don't know if it's actually possible to destroy the Never-Melt Ice. It would be quite the joke if you fail."
"Little fairy?" Terrance's face darkened. What kind of nickname was that…
"Don't worry, I have plenty of confidence in the power of my finishing move."
"That's good to hear." Lorelei glanced at Ninetales, hesitated a bit, and said, "The moment the Never-Melt Ice is destroyed, it will release a powerful surge of Ice-type energy. If we succeed, both of us will need to withdraw quickly to avoid getting hurt. But… you can let your Ninetales stay for a bit."
"Huh?" Terrance was surprised.
"Bathing in the first burst of Ice-type energy from the Never-Melt Ice can strengthen a Pokémon's affinity for that energy. My Pokémon are no longer suitable for that, but your Ninetales still seems to be in its growth stage, why not let it try?"
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