"The League has long been aware of this matter. In fact, even Lorelei herself stepped in… unfortunately, it still wasn't enough to stop Team Rocket from capturing that giant Articuno."
Professor Bill spoke with certainty. "So Yozora, don't hold back. After this incident, Team Rocket will inevitably conduct an internal purge."
Yozora nodded.
Since this had already alarmed the League and even Lorelei, Team Rocket's inner circle was bound to undergo a reshuffle.
His appearance at the Seafoam Islands would neither alter the grand scheme of things nor change the outcome.
Even if he was lucky enough to actually capture the Articuno chick, it was unlikely anyone would know.
After ending the call, Yozora returned to the Pokémon Center to collect his partners that had finished their maintenance, then pulled out his map for a closer look.
The Seafoam Islands lay in the northern seas of Kanto, two glacial islets connected as one frozen landmass.
"Pidgeot!" With a glance at the general direction, Yozora mounted his Pidgeot and immediately took to the skies.
Pidgeot's speed was astonishing—no slower, perhaps even faster, than an airplane.
In the original story, after Ash finished competing in the Ever Grande Conference of Hoenn, he continued his challenge at the Battle Frontier. At the very first Battle Factory, he fought Noland's Articuno, prompting him to call upon his Charizard from the Charicific Valley.
He made the call in the morning; by evening, Charizard had flown all the way from Charicific Valley.
Roughly half a day—that was all it took for Charizard to cross from Johto into Hoenn. Such speed could rival, if not surpass, most aircraft.
Of course, considering the timeline, by that point Ash's Charizard had already experienced countless battles, its level greatly elevated. Possessing such speed was entirely reasonable.
Yozora speculated that around that period—when it clashed with Articuno—Ash's Charizard had likely reached the level of an Elite Four member. As for that Articuno, at most it was also around Elite-tier.
Currently, Yozora's Pidgeot was mid-Commander tier. Though far from Elite-level, its speed was still incredible.
It could reach any corner of Kanto within a single day.
Since Changan City was in central Kanto, the northern seas were neither near nor impossibly far.
After roughly half a day of flight, Yozora successfully landed at the Seafoam Islands around three o'clock in the afternoon.
The Seafoam Islands consisted of two vast glaciers fused together. As soon as Yozora set foot on them, he was surrounded by endless ice and snow, the air bitterly cold.
Because of its harsh environment, few humans ever set foot here.
Yozora wandered about but found no other people—only a wealth of Pokémon. Slowpoke, Slowbro, Shellder, Cloyster…
There were even Smoochum and Jynx!
Outside the icy islands, Smoochum and Jynx were incredibly rare. Yet here, they were surprisingly common.
Still, Yozora showed little interest. Instead, he released his Aura, spreading it outward in all directions.
By now, his spiritual power had grown immensely, and correspondingly, his Aura had become just as formidable.
When unleashed at full force, his Aura enveloped the entire Seafoam Islands.
However, Aura did not allow him to literally "see" plants or Pokémon—it only let him perceive energy.
To him, the world appeared as clusters of energy, some weak, some strong.
The weak ones were likely just flora, barely worth noticing. Stronger signatures could mean humans, Pokémon, or even veins of minerals and fossils.
Through their positions, he could further deduce what they were. For instance, a powerful energy signature buried deep underground was unlikely to be human.
It could indeed be a Sandshrew, Sandslash, or Diglett—but here on this icy isle, such Pokémon hardly existed.
After a process of elimination, the answer could only be minerals or fossils.
So Yozora drew his Golden Shovel and dug three feet down. Before long, he unearthed two stones.
"Two… both are mid-grade Ice Stones." His heart skipped a beat.
Ore came in three qualities: inferior, mid-grade, and supreme.
Normally, a mid-grade ore was already considered rare, valued at over a million apiece.
Never had Yozora expected that a casual dig would yield two at once.
"This island is unbelievable. Remote, harsh, and desolate… and yet filled with untouched minerals."
Using the two Ice Stones in hand as reference, Yozora swept the island with his Aura once again. To his astonishment, the place was littered with mid-grade Ice Stones.
Inferior ones were actually rarer!
Why was that?
For the moment, Yozora couldn't explain.
Perhaps because no humans had mined them, the ores lay buried deep, absorbing the energy of heaven and earth day and night, gradually improving in quality?
The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. Treasures of the land were, after all, the crystallization of natural forces. With time, their grade could indeed ascend.
In less than half an hour, Yozora dug up fifty mid-grade Ice Stones and eight inferior ones.
On this island, the mid-grade stones far outnumbered the inferior.
Simply astounding.
"Hah, fifty mid-grade Ice Stones—that's fifty million! Add in my current savings and Beedrill's Mega Stone… that's more than enough!" Yozora's face brimmed with delight. The island's resources were so abundant, yet left unclaimed.
Of course…
It wasn't truly untouched. Humanity, throughout history, had certainly come here.
But for most people, digging produced little to no results.
Yozora, as an Aura Guardian, wasn't above using his gift for… mining. Perhaps a waste of his talents—but one he thoroughly enjoyed.
"Besides being remote and unmined, perhaps this abundance is also thanks to Articuno…" Yozora's thoughts flickered.
As a Legendary Pokémon species, Articuno—though perhaps not on par with the mightiest legendaries—was still extraordinary.
Its heart was pure, its lineage divine. With every breath, it could bless the land.
If it dwelled in one place long enough, that land would transform into a sacred ground, becoming rich in resources over time.
Continuing onward, Yozora soon found a massive cavern.
If his guess was right, this must be Articuno's nest.
"Huh? Where'd this brat come from? This is Team Rocket turf. If you don't wanna die, scram!"
Two Team Rocket members stood guard outside the cavern, clad in black uniforms, their aura fierce.
Their spiritual strength was palpable. They were clearly Team Rocket elites.
Along his journey, Yozora had noticed a trend: the stronger a Trainer, the more powerful their spirit and aura.
He himself was no exception. The stronger his Pokémon, the stronger his own spirit.
But unlike ordinary Trainers, as an Aura Guardian, he could channel his spirit into Aura.
…
…
(End of Chapter)