After all, the rarity of Frosmoth wasn't any less than that of Volcarona. It was still extremely difficult to encounter one.
Seeing Nathan, a human, appear at the mountaintop, Frosmoth was just as shocked.
It wasn't like it had never seen humans in this mystic realm before, but no human had ever made it to the summit!
Nathan was the only human Frosmoth had ever seen at the peak.
In the past, the furthest any human had managed was around 7,000 meters up this snow mountain.
But now, someone had actually reached the summit—Frosmoth was just as astonished as Nathan.
"Vol~"
Volcarona stood protectively in front of Nathan, its body tense. It could sense that the sudden appearance of this Pokémon meant trouble—the power radiating from it was immense.
It could even rival its own.
Just as Nathan was about to say something, he suddenly noticed that Frosmoth was holding some crystalline plant-like objects in its claws. However, their shapes were... quite odd.
Looking around at the bizarre plant sculptures nearby, Nathan was fairly certain that they were all made by Frosmoth.
He just couldn't understand—why were they so ugly?
"Volcarona, it's okay. I don't think it has any hostile intent."
Nathan placed his hand gently on Volcarona's back to reassure it.
With Nathan's calming touch, Volcarona gradually lowered its guard.
"Did you make all these plants?"
Nathan pointed at the strange ice-sculpted vegetation surrounding them.
Frosmoth nodded.
"Yes, I made all of them."
Frosmoth's voice appeared directly in Nathan's mind.
Though Frosmoth couldn't speak aloud, it could communicate telepathically—a rare trait among Pokémon.
"Why did you make them? I mean… they're kind of…"
Nathan was caught between laughter and helplessness.
To be honest, Frosmoth was truly beautiful—on par with his Volcarona.
But those "plants" it made were just… way too ugly.
"Are you talking about those plants? I've never seen what real plants look like."
Frosmoth's voice sounded slightly disappointed in Nathan's mind.
Hearing that, Nathan fell silent.
He could sense the deep longing in Frosmoth's tone.
It really wanted to see real plants. But unfortunately, in this mystic realm, real greenery was impossible.
Let alone on a mountain summit nearly 10,000 meters high.
When Nathan first entered the realm, there were some plants near the entrance. But they had long been buried under ice and snow. If this were the outside world, perhaps when the weather improved, a few green leaves might sprout.
But in this realm, that was impossible—the weather was fixed.
That meant no matter when, the realm was perpetually caught in a snowstorm.
The plants near the entrance had lasted surprisingly long without withering.
They might only sprout again once the realm merged with the outside world.
"You really want to see real plants?"
Nathan asked, feeling a pang of sympathy.
"Yes. I've lived on this mountaintop since I was born and have never seen green plants."
Frosmoth's eyes sparkled with hope.
When it was younger, it was too weak to leave the mountain. By the time it was strong enough, the area had already become a sealed mystic realm.
Even if it left the mountain, it still couldn't leave the realm.
Unless it was captured by a Trainer and brought outside.
A long, long time ago, Frosmoth had once dreamed of joining the strongest Trainer in the world.
But as time passed, that dream slowly changed.
Because forget being the strongest—Frosmoth couldn't even meet a single person up here.
Eventually, after countless years of waiting, it decided:
Whoever could reach the summit would become its Trainer.
That person was Nathan.
After hearing these words in his mind, Nathan was stunned.
That's it?
That counted as capturing Frosmoth?
To be honest, Nathan had run through countless strategies in his head.
But he never expected that he wouldn't even have to capture it—Frosmoth was simply willing to follow him.
Was this what people called being lucky?
Well, maybe only Nathan would think it was simple.
Anyone else would know it wasn't easy at all.
Climbing to the top of this snow mountain—no one had ever succeeded.
If not for Volcarona's help, Nathan himself wouldn't have made it.
And swapping Volcarona for another Pokémon? That would've been nearly impossible too.
How many Pokémon could protect a Trainer for hours, or even half a day, from violent blizzards?
And for something with no obvious reward at that?
If people knew that reaching the summit would let them capture a Frosmoth, perhaps someone would be willing to risk it.
But no one knew. So most people turned back once they reached a certain altitude.
You had to admit—Nathan was truly lucky this time.
Only a perfect combination of many factors led to such an unexpected outcome.
After placing Frosmoth into a Poké Ball, Nathan officially became its Trainer.
With Frosmoth now on his team, he no longer needed Volcarona to protect him on the way down.
After all, Volcarona really didn't like this kind of cold environment.
This also gave Nathan a chance to communicate more with Frosmoth.
"What do flowers look like?"
"They're colorful—very beautiful."
"What about trees? Are they different from the ones I made?"
"…"
As they descended the mountain, Frosmoth bombarded Nathan with questions like a curious child, speaking to him through telepathy.
Nathan answered each one patiently.
After capturing Frosmoth, Nathan also learned its current level.
Level 59. Just a couple levels away from Champion tier.
This was a huge surprise.
But it also left Nathan wondering—why was such a powerful Frosmoth still living at the mountain summit?
"I was born there. At first, I wasn't strong enough to leave. By the time I got stronger, it had already become a mystic realm."
That was Frosmoth's explanation.
All in all, Nathan really was incredibly lucky.
If Frosmoth had grown stronger a bit earlier, it might have already left—or become unreachable within the realm.
And since there were no plants in this realm, Frosmoth didn't want to leave the peak.
It just wanted to wait for a Trainer to come and take it away.
"Don't worry. Once we're out of here, I'll show you all the plants this world has to offer."
Knowing that Frosmoth had never seen a real plant and had developed a strong longing for them, Nathan was quick to promise.
Now that Frosmoth was his Pokémon, and it had dreams of its own, Nathan would definitely help fulfill them.
After descending the mountain, Nathan recalled Frosmoth into its ball.
It wasn't until he left the mystic realm that he released it again.
"Wow~ Are these plants?"
Frosmoth looked around in amazement, its eyes full of curiosity.
For so many years, it had only seen white snow and blue ice.
Red flowers and green grass—these were sights it had never imagined.
"Beautiful, right? Don't worry. From now on, I'll show you even more amazing plants."
Nathan smiled happily.
But while he and Frosmoth were chatting, several people nearby noticed him and quickly recognized him.
They pointed at him and began to whisper.
They were speaking in Valarian and didn't bother lowering their voices.
"Hey, isn't that the cowardly 'Champion' Nathan?"
"Tsk tsk, I wonder how devastated he'll be when he gets back."
"Stop it. If you keep going, I won't be able to hold in my laughter."
…
Hearing these words, Nathan's expression darkened, his brows furrowed.
He took out his phone and turned it on.
Since there was no signal in the mystic realm, he had turned it off.
The moment it powered on, Nathan saw over a hundred messages and missed calls.
Opening a few, he realized that nearly everyone he knew had tried to contact him.
Just a quick glance at the messages—and Nathan was furious!
He hadn't expected that while he was in the mystic realm, such a mess had unfolded outside!
First, the people from Valar Nation rigged things behind the scenes to target his country's contestants.
Then, the internet exploded with slander—directed at his country and himself.
Since he was in the secret realm, Nathan hadn't known anything about it.
The Valarians even spread rumors online calling Nathan a coward, mocking him in every way.
Frosmoth, who had been happily chatting with Nathan, suddenly sensed his shift in emotion.
Its mood instantly soured as well.
Now that Nathan was its Trainer, how could it tolerate anyone making him upset?
"What's wrong? Why are you angry?"
(End of Chapter)