Caleb mentally calculated how long he'd been gone and said, "We need to hurry. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can rest."
"Got it." Terrence nodded.
Mt. Coronet stood like a massive wall, dividing the Sinnoh region into two distinct halves.
The map didn't mark the quest target's location, meaning players would have to search the enormous mountain themselves.
"If it really is Articuno... your Dragonite won't stand a chance..." Terrence eyed Caleb worriedly.
If he remembered correctly, Dragonite had a quadruple weakness to Ice-type moves.
"I have other Pokémon," Caleb said.
"That Mimikyu? It's not even level 100, and it can't fly. It probably wouldn't even be able to touch Articuno."
Caleb shook his head and looked at Terrence, "No. I mean you."
Terrence's fur stood on end, "Don't joke around, bro! First of all, I'm not your Pokémon. Once this Instance ends, I'll turn back into a human. Second, I'm only level one right now. Any random Pokémon could one-shot me..."
Caleb said seriously, "I'm not joking. This is our only way to quickly defeat Articuno."
Terrence stared at him with a look that screamed 'I may not be human, but you're truly a dog' and reminded him, "Don't forget, I only know Ice Beam right now. Even if I hit Articuno, it'd barely scratch it."
Caleb was amused hearing that, "That's not what I meant. I want you to equip a Focus Sash, then use Sketch to copy Mimikyu's Destiny Bond–"
Before he could finish, Terrence caught on, "Wait... that could work?"
Caleb nodded, "I promise, just this once. After this, you can sleep in your Poké Ball all you want. I'll handle the main quest and exploring this world."
Terrence was instantly tempted by this bright future, "Really?"
"I never lie." Caleb nodded.
"Deal!" Terrence raised a paw for a high-five, "Whoever breaks this promise turns into a shiny female Machamp in the next Instance!"
Caleb: "..."
'That's a harsh punishment...'
But he had no intention of tricking Terrence anyway... because, in a way, 'Smeargle' was now his Pokémon. Any quests he completed and exploration progress he made would be shared with Smeargle.
It was clear that Terrence knew this too.
Taking this one risk meant he could laze around for the next three years and still complete the Instance. Of course, he wouldn't pass up such an opportunity.
Thus, the two reached an agreement...
Caleb found a sheltered spot, released Mimikyu, and had it use Destiny Bond once.
A moment later, Terrence wagged his paintbrush-like tail and silently snapped his fingers, "Done! Let's go wreck that Articuno!"
Caleb took out Dragonite's Poké Ball. The sudden cold made Dragonite shiver, rubbing its claws together pitifully.
Using the remote Pokémon interface, Caleb transferred Lucario's Focus Sash to Smeargle.
"Alright, let's go," Caleb said.
Terrence nodded as he prepared to return to his Poké Ball and wait until they arrived.
Caleb quickly stopped him, grinning, "Don't go back yet. Let's chat?"
Terrence's head tilted in confusion, "About what?"
Caleb patted Dragonite's back, "Get on first!"
Terrence climbed up suspiciously, followed by Caleb, who then slipped his freezing hands into Smeargle's warm fur.
Terrence: "!!!???"
Caleb cut him off before he could speak, "Hold on tight! Dragonite, let's go!" Then, to Terrence, he asked, "Did you look up any Sinnoh region info before coming here?"
Terrence's words died in his throat. He gave Caleb a skeptical look.
Caleb blinked innocently, 'I'm just a three-year-old. What bad intentions could a three-year-old possibly have?'
Terrence hesitated, then looked away, "Yeah."
Caleb pressed on, "Then do you know any notable locations near Snowpoint City worth exploring?"
Terrence: "Hmm... based on the games, the summit of Mt. Coronet leads to the Distortion World where Giratina resides. Other than that, there's Snowpoint Temple and Lake Acuity."
"...Snowpoint Temple's lowest level is where Regigigas sleeps, and Lake Acuity is Uxie's resting place."
Caleb replied casually, "Wow, you're so knowledgeable! I had no idea!"
Terrence: "..."
The blatant flattery made him feel like he'd been played.
As they spoke, Dragonite reached the mountainside.
According to the Old Man, the suspected Articuno was likely near the summit. But in this extreme cold, Dragonite's stamina was draining rapidly.
At this rate, even if they reached the top, it wouldn't have the energy to fight...
Dragonite's flight slowed, its antennae drooping as it panted heavily.
Caleb felt a pang of guilt and had Dragonite land, stroking its head soothingly before recalling it to rest.
Terrence: "Can I go back and rest now?"
Caleb turned and glanced at him with those big, dark, innocent eyes in silence.
Terrence: "..."
'Fine...' He couldn't just leave the kid here alone.
Even if the guy was technically an adult, right now he was a three-year-old. In terms of strength and stamina, he probably couldn't even match a Smeargle.
Terrence sighed and spread his paws, "Alright, what's the plan now?"
Caleb scanned their surroundings as he pulled out a few high-quality Poffins, "First, let's see if any kind souls can give us a ride."
This area was home to many Ice-type Pokémon. On the way here, Caleb had spotted several Snorunt and Swinub.
"There's no way there are other humans here. Who'd go out in this weather? Even if someone did, they'd probably be poachers..." Terrence said.
"I wasn't talking about humans." Caleb searched until his gaze landed on a Pokémon moving through the thick snow.
It was a massive 2.5-meter-tall Pokémon with huge tusks and dense brown fur.
'Well, well, well... Mamoswine, an old friend...' Caleb mused.
Terrence followed his gaze and became horrified when he noticed the Mamoswine, "No way. You don't mean that Mamoswine, do you? You know wild Pokémon are dangerous, right? They attack humans who trespass on their territory, dude!"
"That's where the Poffins come in," Caleb said, already walking toward the wild Mamoswine.
Terrence hurried after him, nervously eyeing the Mamoswine. As a Pokémon now, he could better sense other Pokémon's emotions.
Approaching a wild Pokémon like this was basically asking to get attacked.
Terrence swore that if Mamoswine showed even a hint of aggression, he'd scoop Caleb up and bolt...