In his memory, the last thing he could recall was the ice layer breaking apart, followed by the forceful surge of seawater blasting against his body like a high-pressure water cannon. Then, everything went black—he had lost consciousness.
"Vol!"
Seeing that Nathan had finally woken up, Volcarona and Frosmoth were both visibly overjoyed, fluttering excitedly around him, letting out cheerful cries.
"You two were the ones who saved me, weren't you?"
Looking at the two Pokémon beside him, Nathan asked.
Volcarona nodded, then both Volcarona and Frosmoth began to recount everything that had happened after he passed out.
After the seawater broke through the ice layer, it blasted Nathan high up into the air. Sensing that their Trainer was in danger, the two Pokémon rushed out of their Poké Balls without hesitation.
Although neither Volcarona nor Frosmoth were particularly large in size, when working together, they were still strong enough to lift Nathan and fly.
With their combined effort, they managed to carry Nathan across to the opposite side of the canyon. Once they were safely back on solid ground, the two Pokémon quickly found a safe spot and built a small igloo out of ice to shield them from the harsh environment.
From there, they focused on keeping him warm, waiting patiently for him to regain consciousness.
Interestingly enough, it was thanks to the seawater blasting Nathan across the chasm that he managed to skip a significant part of the treacherous journey. Otherwise, he had no idea how long it might have taken him to reach the other side.
From the system shop, Nathan purchased a few of the pokeblocks that Volcarona and Frosmoth particularly liked. When it came to rewarding those who had helped him, he had always been generous.
All things considered, now that the canyon was submerged in seawater, things would be a lot more convenient for him when he made the return trip.
---------------------
Stepping out of the igloo, the swirling snow in the air made Nathan shiver from the cold. After stretching a bit to get his blood flowing, he pulled out his compass and map. After confirming his direction, he continued moving forward.
But as he walked, he noticed that the snow had gradually risen above his knees. With snow this deep, walking was clearly not a viable option—it was too exhausting and far too slow.
This was the perfect situation to bring out his snowboard.
After strapping it on, Nathan's speed increased dramatically. Gliding through the snowy landscape, the surrounding scenery rushed past him in a blur.
Just as Nathan was moving swiftly, a sharp sound cut through the air.
Following the direction of the sound, he saw an icy spear hurtling straight at him.
Without any hesitation, Nathan dove sideways, letting the momentum of his body roll him away just in time to narrowly dodge the incoming icy spear.
"Frosmoth, come out!"
While rolling to avoid the attack, Nathan also released Frosmoth from its Poké Ball.
The ice spear embedded itself deep into the frozen ground, standing upright where it landed.
Scrambling back to his feet, Nathan looked toward the direction the attack had come from.
Focusing his gaze, he saw the culprit—it was a Mr. Rime.
The figure walking on ice is shaped like a gentleman in a tuxedo, the brim of its top hat resembled a flake of snow, its mouth was obscured by a thick, curled mustache, and the red orbs on its chest and buttons resembled the face of a Mime Jr.
Its hands, wearing white gloves, clutched a cane made entirely of ice. On its feet were what looked like tap shoes.
Although its appearance leaned towards the comical side, once Nathan caught sight of its level, his heart skipped a beat.
This Mr. Rime was a Champion-tier Pokémon, and it was Level 65!
The Mr. Rime seemed irritated that its attack had missed. Its feet stomped repeatedly on the icy ground, and its icy cane twirled restlessly in its gloved hands.
"Why are you attacking me?"
Activating his Viridian Power, Nathan questioned the Pokémon.
To be honest, he had no intention of picking fights with any Pokémon in this place. He could handle one, maybe two, but what if more showed up?
This place wasn't like the mystic realms he had visited before. In those, there might be a whole group of Pokémon, but usually only one or two would be high-level.
This was the far north—the Frostline Region. What if a group of Champion-tier Pokémon appeared here? Worse yet, what if there was even a Legendary lurking nearby? He wouldn't even have a place to run.
"Because you're an outsider!"
The gentleman-like Pokémon responded coldly, then launched another attack.
Two chunks of ice formed in its hands and were immediately hurled toward Nathan and Frosmoth.
"Frosmoth, use Aurora Veil!"
The icy blocks fell against the Aurora Veil and were deflected, dropping harmlessly to the ground.
Seeing that its attacks weren't effective, the Mr. Rime began rapidly generating more ice blocks, hurling them repeatedly. The Aurora Veil rippled violently under the assault, as if it might shatter at any moment.
Realizing that this Pokémon held intense hostility toward him and that reasoning was futile, Nathan gave up trying to negotiate.
"Frosmoth, use Bug Buzz!"
Following his command, Frosmoth let out a high-pitched cry. The piercing soundwaves echoed through the canyon. The Mr. Rime clutched its head, clearly in pain.
"Arghhh! You outsiders really are the worst!"
Infuriated, the Mr. Rime dashed toward Frosmoth. The shoes on its feet gleamed as though coated in a fresh layer of ice.
It raised one foot and aimed a sharp kick at Frosmoth.
But Frosmoth swiftly gained altitude, fluttering high into the air. From above, its wings began to flap rapidly, releasing a cloud of Stun Spore.
Caught off guard, the Ice-type was enveloped in the spores and became paralyzed on the spot.
Seizing the moment, Frosmoth dove from the sky, unleashing its Giga Impact. The powerful attack sent the enemy Pokémon flying, crashing to the ground and skidding across the snow.
"Let's go. No need to waste time with it."
Nathan said, signaling Frosmoth as he turned and left.
Getting into a prolonged fight with a Pokémon out here was the worst idea. He had already defeated this one—there was no point in staying.
The Trainer and his Pokémon turned and disappeared into the snowy distance.
Not long after, the Mr. Rime staggered back to its feet. Seeing that the outsider had left, it stomped the ground in fury.
"Damn outsider… just you wait!"
Grumbling bitterly, it turned and limped away.
--------------------------
After Nathan and Frosmoth had traveled some distance, the snow began to fall harder, reducing visibility significantly.
Thinking it over, Nathan decided to find a place to rest before continuing.
Meanwhile, the very same Mr. Rime that Nathan had just fought was already out searching for him again.
The snow falling from the sky quickly buried the igloo that Frosmoth had constructed. From the outside, it blended seamlessly into the surrounding environment.
As the Ice-type passed by the spot where Nathan was hiding, it saw nothing and continued on.
Several hours later, Nathan dug a tunnel out of the snow and emerged from the igloo. Seeing the thick snow around him, he sighed and strapped on his snowboard again.
But once more, the same scene played out.
Just as Nathan picked up speed, a familiar sound of air being pierced rang out.
An Ice Spear was headed straight for him.
Without hesitation, Nathan rolled to the side, narrowly dodging the attack with a tumble.
"What the hell!? Not again!?"
He growled, clearly frustrated.
Was this never going to end? Why was he being ambushed again?
Looking up, he saw the same Mr. Rime from before launching yet another sneak attack.
Apparently, while Nathan had been resting, the Mr. Rime had already passed by, looking for him. Unable to find the "outsider," it had decided to give up. But just as it turned back, it spotted Nathan and immediately attacked again without hesitation.
"Are you serious!? I let you go yesterday, and here you are asking for another beating!?"
Nathan shouted in frustration.
Why didn't this Pokémon learn its lesson? It couldn't even win the fight—why keep picking one!?
"You're the one asking for it, outsider!"
The Mr. Rime glared at him angrily.
It had been humiliated by the outsider yesterday, and now it was even more furious that he had the audacity to bring it up again.
But this time, it had backup!
As soon as it finished speaking, two more identical Mr. Rime appeared, surrounding Nathan.
The only difference was that each of them carried a different ice cane—one shorter, one longer.
The one Nathan had fought yesterday stood in the middle.
Upon inspecting them, Nathan realized with a sinking feeling—these two newcomers were also Champion-tier Pokémon!
(End of Chapter)