Despite her unease, Hunter J was confident in this operation.
Her client had been reliable for years. They'd done many deals and collected several rare Dragon-types. The client would never leak information—it would land him in jail too.
With her own tight security, a remote target (the summit of Glaseado Mountain, rarely visited except by the odd climber), and a lucrative commission, Hunter J felt sure of success.
Even if something went wrong, she trusted her elite gear and knew she could abandon her men and escape on Salamence if needed.
With that in mind, Hunter J raised her hand and ordered, "Continue. Once we enter the area, activate the ship's cloaking device so Paldea's sensors can't detect us!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"And keep an eye out for human activity on Glaseado Mountain. There's a blizzard warning, and climbers are discouraged from going up. If you see any unidentified people, we abort immediately!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
…
Late at night, as they neared the summit, snow began to fall.
Beautiful white snowflakes drifted down—a stunning scene to most, but to Lucas's group it was deadly. At high altitude, the snow and wind could kill anyone without proper protection.
Without enough cold-weather gear, the body's temperature would be sapped away, numbness and unconsciousness setting in—a terrifying ordeal.
Luckily, Tront's experience saved them. Before mounting the Corviknight, he fitted them with anti-slip saddles and made sure they were all bundled up.
It was still cold, but not enough to seriously affect them.
The Corviknight were strong enough to fly the group to the summit, even in this weather. Lucas could have used Dragonite, but it would have tired it out before the coming battle with Hunter J.
Thanks to the Corviknight, they arrived at Glaseado Mountain in top condition.
"Thank you all. Go back to your flock and rest," Tront said warmly to the Pokémon—his love for them evident.
Waving goodbye, Lucas looked back. In fact, the Corviknight had dropped them some distance from the actual summit. Tront explained that the top was empty, with only a wooden sign—staying there would make it obvious to Hunter J that something was wrong, risking her retreat and ruining their ambush.
So they needed to find a hidden spot below the summit.
Tront tightened his coat. "Let's go. The snow's getting heavier. We need shelter—camping out here isn't an option. We'll have to find a cave."
Anabel nodded, about to say something when Lucas interrupted. "Leave searching for a cave to me. Luxray."
At Lucas's call, the Poké Ball opened and Luxray appeared in the snow.
Even in the dark storm, Luxray's keen eyes could see everything.
With a prompt from Lucas, Luxray feigned sniffing the snow, leading the group to a tall pine tree.
"Luxray~!"
Luxray looked at Tront and pointed to some tracks under the tree.
Tront examined them. "Pokémon tracks… looks like Snover's."
"If that's the case, we might be able to use the Capture Styler to borrow their cave and wait out the blizzard."
They followed the tracks, occasionally driving off wild Pokémon with Luxray's swift Thunderbolt. Anabel was impressed—she considered herself a capable Trainer as an International Police officer, but even she couldn't so easily chase away the tough wild Pokémon living near the mountaintop.
Such harsh conditions bred powerful wild Pokémon, not easily handled by non-elite Trainers.
Yet Luxray repelled them with ease—this was the strength of a Champion-level Trainer.
They were lucky. Before the tracks were covered by snow, Luxray and Lucas guided them to their destination—a hidden cave, small but big enough for three people and their gear.
The only surprise was that there was a Snover inside, but no Abomasnow parents.
The Snover looked unwell, clearly malnourished—a sign it had been hungry for a long time.
Snover was scared of the intruders, its bright green eyes full of regret for leaving tracks.
It remembered that after its failed foraging trip, it had forgotten to hide its trail due to hunger.
Still, Lucas's group didn't seem too threatening.
The exception was Luxray. Even just sitting there, Luxray's aura terrified Snover like a top predator.
Lucas noticed Snover's discomfort and, after confirming there was no Abomasnow nearby, signaled Luxray to retreat, easing Snover's nerves.
While Tront and Anabel, ready to use the Capture Styler to calm Snover, watched in confusion, Lucas took out a Pokéblock and used his tried-and-true technique—
Food Therapy!