The next day.
Natsuhiko stepped out of Snow Peak City, approaching the location of the Divine Hall of Snow Peak.
Within the vicinity of Snow Peak City, besides the Divine Hall of Snow Peak, there is another well-known place.
That is Wisdom Lake, which is as famous as Lake Verity he had visited before.
Wisdom Lake also houses one of the "Lake Gods," representing "Wisdom," Uxie.
Natsuhiko planned to visit after he finished his current tasks, as there was no rush.
In one of the tasks he had chosen this time, he needed to capture a senior-level Abomasnow.
The area where Blizzard Monsters appear more frequently is the dense coniferous forest around the Divine Hall of Snow Peak.
Not long after leaving Snow Peak City, he arrived at the foot of a mountain.
Snow Peak Mountain.
The Divine Hall of Snow Peak sits atop this mountain.
Covered in snow throughout the year, it is called Snow Peak Mountain, and both Snow Peak City and the Divine Hall derive their names from it.
Although he had entered a dangerous wilderness area, signs of human activity were still more pronounced here than in the forests he had visited before.
Pokémon Hunters from the Hunter Guild were casually patrolling the vicinity of this area.
Whether they were watching the Divine Hall of Snow Peak or just because of the large number of wild Pokémon here, many Pokémon Hunters roamed this area.
Natsuhiko did not climb the mountain directly but walked around its base.
Through the dense coniferous forest, he could vaguely see the snow-covered Divine Hall of Snow Peak on the mountain.
As long as he could leave Yujira's psychic "anchor" in front of the Divine Hall of Snow Peak, he would have a way to sneak Meiyu in unnoticed.
However, since the target was right in front of him, he wasn't in a hurry. He quietly observed the surroundings and situation.
Soon.
He arrived at the backside of Snow Peak Mountain, in the valley formed by the mountain and another small hill.
The howling cold wind became even more biting in the valley, and the bone-piercing wind felt like being scraped by bone spurs, painfully cold.
Even Pokémon Hunters from the Hunter Guild were reluctant to come near such conditions.
It seemed like there used to be a sizable lake in the valley, covered with a thick layer of ice due to the temperature. Not to mention walking, even if a Snorlax jumped, it might not break through the ice.
But the presence of this lake resulted in sparse vegetation in the valley, allowing the cold wind to run rampant.
Braving such a wind, Natsuhiko arrived here.
His psychic power blocked the howling wind, yet his face was still flushed.
He glanced around.
Nodded silently.
Such a harsh environment might come in handy.
If even Pokémon Hunters were reluctant to venture close, one could imagine it was relatively safe.
"If I climbed the mountain from here..."
He looked up at Snow Peak Mountain, where the vegetation was still quite lush.
Natsuhiko decided to scout ahead.
"Yongji."
Suddenly, Yujira spoke, its spoon pointing to the junction of the coniferous forest and the frozen lake, where faint sounds of a battle seemed to be coming from.
Natsuhiko's eyes flickered.
He carefully stepped closer.
As the sounds became more distinct, he finally saw the source of the commotion.
Several wild Pokémon were engaged in battle.
In the conifer forest was a group of large Pokémon standing on two feet, covered in thick white fur, with especially dense fur on their backs and chests. Four green, pinecone-like spikes adorned their backs. Their short, sturdy arms and legs were deep green.
These were one of Natsuhiko's current task targets, the Abomasnow!
Grass and Ice-type Pokémon.
Fighting against them, on the frozen lake surface, was another group of large, white-furred Pokémon. However, compared to Abomasnow, their fur was much shorter because they had a thick layer of fat to withstand the cold.
Their fierce appearance was another hallmark, and they went by the name, Beartic!
Ice-type Pokémon.
A species that habitually resides in northern frigid environments, registered in the Unova Region, but they could be found in many frozen locales.
Beartic possessed strong swimming capabilities and could dive to catch prey when the lake had not frozen, making them physically formidable Pokémon.
Now, these two groups of Pokémon were locked in combat.
The reason for this collision was a fruit tree laden with snow growing on the lake's shore. Through the howling wind, amidst its lush leaves, could be seen fuller, azure-colored fruits hanging subtly in the air.
Tree Fruit, Papaya Fruit.
A fruit rich in Ice Energy, a favorite among Ice-type Pokémon.
Furthermore, Papaya Fruit could allow Pokémon consuming it to reduce damage from Ice-type Techniques by half for a short period.
Whether used directly or to create an Energy Block, they were quite valuable materials.
Both sides weren't particularly large, with four Abomasnow and six Beartic, yet they were evenly matched.
Because the leader Abomasnow faired well against the Beartic trio's barrage and even directed the others on how to handle the battle.
In contrast with their individual bravery, the Beartic benefitted from a remarkable level of teamwork.
Thus, for a while, both sides held a standoff.
"An elite-level wild Abomasnow." Natsuhiko squinted, gauging the strength of the Abomasnow leader.
Thanks to their optimal habitat and the rarity of any humans or Pokémon Hunters visiting the northern Snow Peak Mountain valley, they had a welcoming environment for growth. The emergence of an elite-level wild Abomasnow wasn't particularly surprising.
Additionally, consistent skirmishes sharpened their battle experience.
Besides the elite-level Abomasnow, the other three and all six Beartic were of senior level.
With this level of power, they were capable of warding off any occasional Pokémon Hunter.
A couple of ordinary Hunters congregating to target them might find themselves in trouble first.
"Truly an ideal environment for Ice-type Pokémon." Natsuhiko couldn't help but marvel.
Among these ten Pokémon, there was one elite-level and nine senior-level—facing them all simultaneously posed an immense challenge even for him.
Yet having witnessed this, he couldn't possibly ignore it.
Though the Hunter Guild assignments were largely symbolic for him, any advancement was welcome.
Besides, Natsuhiko was particularly intrigued by Hunter J's petrification gun.
In the original work, it was potent enough to petrify even the "Lake Gods."
Of course, such exaggerations didn't exist in the real world.
Nonetheless, against ordinary Pokémon and even humans, it surely had implications.
Particularly for these Abomasnow and Beartic—a shot wasn't necessary for each.
But it might be wasteful here; given its powerful effects, the petrification gun likely came with a steep price.
However, it could serve as a trump card at crucial moments.
Moreover, these Pokémon were a potential source of wealth.
Currently, Natsuhiko was struggling financially, very much so.
Snorlax was exacerbating his financial strain, necessitating quick earnings to provide for the yet-to-hatch Pokémon Egg.
However, he hesitated to act boldly.
If both groups shifted their hostility towards him, Natsuhiko might be forced to retreat hastily.
Natsuhiko didn't intend to spontaneously call upon Snorlax from the Pokeball to confront them.
Firstly, he had an agreement with Snorlax on the Energi Blocks needed to fight, and a trump card is there to overturn critical situations or face life-threatening circumstances.
Over-reliance wouldn't be prudent; tossing Snorlax out for any hard-to-solve situation would hinder Beedrill's growth.
Ultimately, he relied on Beedrill and the other Pokémon he carefully nurtured, while Snorlax remained a temporary survival tool.
Without adequate training, it couldn't accompany him, unless one day Natsuhiko fully managed to capture Snorlax.
As such, he needed to wait for the right moment.
Watching the conflict between Abomasnow and Beartic, examining the surroundings, Natsuhiko had a revelation.
There it was.