A Snorunt with Psychic Powers?
Hayato was a little surprised. He double-checked Snorunt's information, and sure enough, in its move list was Confusion.
Normally, Snorunt couldn't learn Psychic-type moves on its own. The only way would be through a Technical Machine.
But in this world, there were no TMs. If a Pokémon wanted to learn new moves, it needed a stroke of fortune, special training, and no small amount of innate talent.
Still, that wasn't Hayato's concern.
Once Brendan was safe, the investigators in the camp let out a sigh of relief and returned to studying the Pokémon inhabiting this frozen tundra.
That afternoon, the Snorunt—having received timely treatment—finally woke up.
The moment it opened its eyes, it spotted Brendan and immediately let out a delighted cry.
Brendan stroked its head with relief."You're awake, huh?"
"Snor! Snor!" The little Pokémon bounced happily in place.
"That's great!" Brendan's face broke into a smile.
So… was it time to capture it?
Hayato watched quietly from the side.
But Brendan made another choice.
Snorunt tilted its head upward, looking at him.
Brendan reached out, gently patting its head. His voice was soft."Since you're fine now… hurry back to your family."
"Snor…"
Snorunt hesitated, as though it wanted to say something more. But at that moment, a commotion broke out outside.
"Not good! A Pokémon broke into the camp!"
"It's a Froslass! Wait, why would one appear here?!"
Brendan shot to his feet, frowning as he looked toward the noise."What's going on?"
Before Hayato could reply, Snorunt reacted first, as if sensing something. It turned and rushed outside.
Hayato and Brendan followed close behind.
They stepped into the open just in time to see a Pokémon with no legs, its body flowing like a kimono, facing off against the camp researchers.
A Froslass.
Froslass—an Ice-type Pokémon, often found in snowy mountains.
According to folklore, they were said to be dangerous creatures.
Some tales told of Froslass roaming blizzards, seeking out unsuspecting travelers, freezing them solid, and keeping them as prey. Others went so far as to claim that they would secretly show off the frozen corpses of their victims.
The rescued Snorunt cried out sharply in Froslass's direction.
The Ghost-type's attention snapped immediately toward the voice.
"Snor! Snor!"
Snorunt dashed up to it, waving its tiny round arms, explaining something as fast as it could.
Soon, Froslass's gaze softened. No longer menacing, it turned gentle.
"Snor…" Seeing that, Snorunt breathed a sigh of relief.
Even the slowest of the onlooking researchers now realized what had happened—
Froslass had mistaken them for kidnappers, believing they'd taken Snorunt away. That was why it attacked the camp.
Now that the misunderstanding was cleared, Froslass looked around apologetically before turning away, ready to leave with Snorunt.
But Snorunt didn't move.
Froslass paused, calling back to it in a curious, chiming cry.
"Snor…"
Snorunt turned, staring blankly at Brendan.
Encouragement filled his eyes. He was truly happy that Snorunt had found its family."Go on."
"Snor…" Still, Snorunt hesitated.
At that moment, one of the researchers said softly,"This Snorunt seems awfully attached to Brendan."
Hayato glanced at him.
Brendan's expression wavered with reluctance, but he still didn't make the decision.
After all, he hadn't even received his starter Pokémon yet. He wasn't officially a trainer on a journey.
He didn't believe he was ready to take care of Snorunt.
The sight reminded Hayato of that scene from the anime—when Max parted ways with the Ralts he had rescued.
"Snor…" Snorunt's eyes shimmered with sorrow, on the verge of tears.
Hayato: "…"
Part of him wanted to remind Brendan: sometimes, there was no need to cling to the age-ten rule about receiving a starter. He could easily take Snorunt to Professor Birch's lab and let him care for it until Brendan was ready.
That way, there'd be no painful goodbyes.
But before he could say anything, Brendan finally made his decision.
He called out with all his strength:"Don't be sad, little one! When I'm old enough to start my journey, I promise I'll come back here and take you with me!"
"Snor!!"
Snorunt nodded furiously, then followed behind Froslass, turning back every few steps until it finally disappeared from the camp.
Hayato: "…"
Forget it. That was Brendan's story with Snorunt. It was better to leave the choice to him.
After all, the promise to travel together… the moment it was fulfilled, when trainer and Pokémon reunited—that was what made it truly meaningful.
Still, it was hard not to think of Ash's poor Pidgeot…
Snorunt's situation had been resolved perfectly.
Brendan's injuries soon healed as well.
The three-person expedition team set out again, continuing deeper into the icy wilderness.
Dr. Lund was busy and had forgotten to warn Brendan and Tory about the dangers ahead.
As the oldest among them, Hayato felt it was his responsibility to remind these two hot-blooded kids.
Before they departed, he gathered them both and said seriously:
"In the wild, not every Pokémon is friendly toward humans. So I hope in the next stretch of this expedition, you won't be reckless like Brendan was that day."
"As a trainer, you must learn to rely on the strength of your Pokémon partners."
"For example—Brendan, you could've called out Altaria to help that day. But instead, you rushed forward alone. And we all saw the result."
"Likewise, if you come across a Pokémon in need of help, you can let your own Pokémon carry it back for treatment."
"If it's too big to move, then return to camp and get an adult. There are always many ways to solve the same problem. That's when you need to think before you act."
"Understand?"
"I understand." Tory nodded obediently.
"…Yes." Brendan looked a little embarrassed as he recalled his actions.
"Good. As long as you remember." Hayato smiled. "Now, off you go."
"See you later, Big Brother Hayato!" both kids chorused.
Watching their retreating figures, Hayato finally exhaled in relief.
Then he turned toward the endless expanse of white.
This time, he planned to push deeper into the tundra—maybe even track down the Alolan Vulpix the researchers had mentioned.
Unfolding the paper satellite map of the icefield, Hayato's eyes lit up as he spotted the location marked in the upper left corner.
That was exactly where Alolan Vulpix had been sighted.
After fixing his bearings, he packed away the map and set off.
Ah, little fluffy Vulpix of the snow…Your trainer is ready to meet you!
(End of Chapter)