Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
During these two days, Evelyn and the others were surprised to discover that all of their opponents turned out to be from Valar!
What's more, the opponent's Pokémon all had type advantages over theirs.
This had to be a setup! A complete fix!
There were nearly a thousand contestants in the Pacific Regional Tournament—how could this be just a coincidence?
When this happened during the matches, the domestic internet exploded. Netizens expressed overwhelming dissatisfaction and outrage.
…
"Whew~ I finally made it!"
Nathan let out a long breath as he looked up at the snow-covered mountain in front of him.
For the past two days, he had been traveling non-stop. Along the way, he hadn't encountered a single Pokémon.
That's right—within this secret realm, all the Pokémon had gathered around this towering snowy mountain.
According to information he'd read online, the mountain stood nearly 10,000 meters above sea level.
Unlike when he first arrived—when the snow barely reached his ankles—now, at the foot of the mountain, the snow was already up to his thighs.
Reports claimed that people had spotted Frosmoth halfway up the mountain.
"Frosmoth, oh Frosmoth… you better be somewhere on this mountain," Nathan murmured, staring up at the majestic peak.
As Nathan finally began climbing the mountain, he encountered his first Pokémon: a Vanillite.
Its small body and ice-cream-like head made it look irresistibly edible!
Fortunately, Vanillite had a gentle temperament. It showed no signs of hostility when it saw Nathan.
Nathan took out an pokeblock and held it out.
"Have you seen any Frosmoth around here?"
Thanks to the power of Viridian, Nathan was able to communicate with Pokémon.
"I don't know!" the Vanillite replied, unable to resist the lure of the pokeblock. It snatched it from his hand and ate it immediately.
Nathan sighed in disappointment.
As expected, if there really were Frosmoth around, a Pokémon like Vanillite probably wouldn't know.
Because of the terrain, Nathan didn't summon any of his Pokémon to fight. Not for any complicated reason—he simply feared triggering an avalanche that could bury him alive.
As for flying out of danger? That was just wishful thinking.
If a snowball fell from a height of 10,000 meters, how high and how far would he need to fly to escape it?
Even the Valarians who entered this secret realm only tried to lure the Pokémon from the mountain, or search for rare resources to train their Pokémon.
Nathan encountered over a dozen Vanillite in a row. Each time, he offered a pokeblock and asked the same question—only to get the same answer: "I don't know!"
Feeling disappointed, Nathan decided not to waste time at lower elevations. The preliminary matches would end soon, and he still needed to participate in the main tournament.
After speeding up his pace, it took him less than seven hours to climb to an altitude of over 2,000 meters.
The higher he climbed, the colder it got. His clothes could no longer keep him warm.
"Vol~"
Sensing Nathan's discomfort, Volcarona released a wave of heat from within its Pokéball. The warmth enveloped Nathan, keeping him safe from the cold.
"Haha, thanks a lot, Volcarona," he said gratefully.
With Volcarona's support, Nathan ate a bit of dry food and continued climbing.
The next time he encountered a Pokémon, it wasn't a Vanillite anymore—but a Vanillish.
To be honest, whether it was Vanillite, Vanillish, or their final form Vanilluxe, they all looked absolutely delicious!
If this were a desert, he might've actually licked one just to see if it was sweet.
As before, he offered an pokeblock and asked the same question—and got the same disappointing answer.
This time, Nathan didn't bother asking further. He just focused on climbing.
Eventually, even Vanilluxe began appearing, but Nathan ignored them too and pressed on.
By nightfall, he dug a large hole in the snow, laid out his sleeping bag, and prepared to rest.
It was incredibly hard to rest in such a place. Without Volcarona, he wouldn't have lasted this long.
"Sigh… If I had an Ice/Flying-type Pokémon, would I have to suffer like this?"
Lying in the sleeping bag, Nathan couldn't help but complain.
His Flygon could carry him through the air just fine elsewhere, but in these conditions? Impossible.
The snowstorm was constant in this mystic realm. The higher the altitude, the heavier the snowfall and the lower the visibility.
Only an Ice-type Flying Pokémon could manage aerial travel here.
Of course, if he had a Legendary Pokémon, then the environment wouldn't matter. But was that realistic?
…
With Volcarona shielding him from the storm, Nathan's ascent became much quicker.
Although Volcarona disliked the environment, it followed Nathan without complaint.
Before long, Nathan reached the summit of the snowy mountain.
Surprisingly, the summit was completely different from the rest of the mountain—as if it existed in an entirely separate world.
Below the summit, there had been relentless snow and fierce winds. But here? The wind stopped completely, and the snowflakes fell gently, almost like soft confetti.
It felt as if the summit was sealed inside a crystal ball.
Not only had the weather changed—the scenery had too.
From the base to the top, Nathan hadn't seen a single plant. Only snow and a few exposed rocks.
But here on the summit, the landscape was covered in plants.
Though all of them appeared to be made of ice—and had odd, alien shapes.
It looked like a bizarre frozen sculpture garden made of imitation crystal.
Nathan even saw an icy tree with no leaves—only blossoms.
Another had strange fruits growing out of the icy grass.
And this was just a small part of the summit.
Though the plants were all different, each was uniquely crafted, like artwork...
"Human!"
A surprised voice suddenly echoed in Nathan's mind.
At the same time, Volcarona turned sharply, staring intently in one direction.
Following Volcarona's gaze, Nathan turned as well—and froze in place.
It was Frosmoth!
He couldn't believe his eyes. Originally, he only came to the mountain on a whim—just to look.
But he had really found it.
(End of Chapter)