Terrence jumped onto Dragonite's back and turned to say, "Then we're off!"
Caleb gave an affirmative hum, but before he could speak, he saw the Articuno that had been circling in the sky suddenly dive straight toward them.
They'd been spotted...
The blizzard around them instantly intensified. Under the extreme weather conditions, Dragonite couldn't accurately lock onto Articuno's figure within the snow.
But the most urgent matter now was to dodge Articuno's Blizzard.
Caleb frowned and shouted, "Fly up! Dodge it, quick!"
Dragonite didn't move immediately. Instead, it glanced worriedly at Caleb on the ground.
It was standing in a direct line with Caleb... if it moved away, that Blizzard would inevitably hit him. And that was the last thing Dragonite wanted.
Seeing this, Caleb instantly understood Dragonite's concern. He took a deep breath and threw himself flat into the snow, burying himself deep within the thick white powder.
Seeing the terrifying Blizzard approaching, Terrence wrapped his arms around Dragonite's neck and screamed frantically, "Dodge it already, big bro!"
"Wuu Wuuu!" (Stop yelling!)
Dragonite snapped at him before suddenly accelerating like an arrow loosed from a bow and shot straight up into the sky in the last two seconds before the Blizzard struck, bringing them level with Articuno.
The violent Blizzard raged across the ground. The ice cold wind and snow buried Caleb in an instant, leaving only a small rounded mound of snow behind.
The Snorunt, which hadn't left yet, covered its mouth with its small round hands in shock. It cautiously took a few steps forward and poked the little snow mound.
The next second, a fluffy little head popped out. Snorunt was so startled, it fell onto its backside.
Caleb emerged from the snow and shouted to the sky, "I'm fine! Keep fighting!"
Only then did Dragonite finally relax, turning its serious gaze toward the Articuno flapping its blue wings opposite them.
As a Pokémon now, Terrence could feel Articuno's overwhelming pressure with perfect clarity. Suppressing his fear, he spoke in a trembling voice, "Big bro, get closer! I'm gonna use Destiny Bond!"
"Wuuu!" Dragonite furrowed its brow and swooped toward Articuno.
After six Dragon Dances, Dragonite's speed had reached a terrifying level. Even this immensely powerful Articuno couldn't match its speed.
"Screeee!"
Articuno's gaze was cold as it let out a sharp cry from its razor-sharp beak.
It flapped its wings, and freezing snowflakes materialized out of thin air, slicing toward Dragonite.
"Flamethrower!" Caleb, who had been closely watching the battle above, gave the command at the perfect moment.
Facing the blade-like flurry of ice, Dragonite gathered an intensely hot crimson flame in its mouth.
Flamethrower vs. Powder Snow...
Two completely different moves clashed in midair, the ice and fire canceled each other out. Thick plumes of white steam rose between them, obscuring Articuno's vision.
Seeing this, Caleb immediately shouted to Smeargle, "Terrence!"
"Got it, got it!" Terrence pushed himself up from Dragonite's back.
Dragonite shot through the steam and closed the distance to Articuno in an instant.
"I hope it doesn't hurt for too long..." Terrence took a deep breath, muttered to himself, then suddenly leaped, tracing a graceful arc through the sky before landing right on Articuno, wrapping his paws tightly around its head.
Destiny Bond, activated...
A pale purple orb swiftly sank into Articuno's body. The next second, Articuno snapped out of its daze, its feathers bristling with shock and fury.
*Squelch!*
Terrence clung desperately to Articuno, then opened his mouth and bit down on its neck, sucking hard like a vampire.
Caleb who was watching on the ground and Dragonite nearby were both stunned.
Humiliated beyond belief, Articuno flew into a rage and activated Sheer Cold.
A dazzling light erupted from Articuno's body, forming a white orb that enveloped Smeargle.
- Sheer Cold: An Ice-type move with a one-hit KO effect...
Against a Level 1 Smeargle at point-blank range, the move's usual low accuracy was irrelevant... it hit without fail.
At the same time, Destiny Bond's effect triggered.
As the brilliant light in the sky faded, Articuno's heavily wounded body plummeted like a broken kite.
Caleb was the first to snap out of his daze and shouted to Dragonite, "Finish it off with Fire Punch!"
"Wuuu!"
Before Articuno could recover, Dragonite dove down from midair and struck Articuno, depleting the last of its HP and causing its body to dissolve into shimmering stardust.
"Pfft!"
Terrence yanked his head out of the snow, spitting out mouthfuls of snow as he lay there, gasping like a fish out of water.
Caleb walked over, placed a hand on the Smeargle's arm, and used the Viridian Power to heal him.
As his health gradually returned, Terrence opened his eyes, looked at Caleb, and bragged, "Haha, so? That was a pretty cool move I used back there, right?"
Caleb: "If you're talking about you biting Articuno's neck, then no, it wasn't cool."
Terrence: "..."
"Alright." Caleb withdrew his healing aura and stood up, looking at the sky.
With Articuno gone, the blizzard that had plagued Snowpoint City for half a month finally ceased. The dark clouds dispersed, and warm sunlight once again bathed the land.
Terrence got up, dusted the snow off his tail, and nudged Caleb with his elbow, "You're keeping your word from earlier, right?"
Caleb generously took out a Poké Ball, "Of course. Want to go in now?"
Terrence thought for a moment, glanced at the sun, and shook his head, "Nah, not yet. I wanna sunbathe a bit first."
Caleb shrugged, "It's almost noon. We should head back."
"So... have you figured out how to explain things to those kids?" Terrence asked.
Caleb pondered for a second, "How about we say we ran into a Pokémon in need and went to help it?"
"And then got caught in a blizzard on the way back, so we took shelter in a cave all morning?" Terrence instantly matched his train of thought...