Hilona is very familiar with this area; it's evident she often brings Gabite here for endurance and combat training.
With her leading us, our goal became much clearer.
Continuing our approach to the mountain peak.
With the presence of Froslass, the falling snow is no longer a problem.
However, along the way, we still encounter quite a number of Ice-type Pokémon, including some highly aggressive ones.
But, thanks to Natsuhiko and Hilona's strengths being showcased, they didn't cause much trouble.
The only regret was that by teaming up with Hilona, Natsuhiko couldn't "bury" these defeated Pokémon, thus depriving Death God Coffin of some nourishment.
Even the smallest mosquito is still meat.
"Hmm—"
After continuing for some distance, Froslass sensed something and immediately alerted Natsuhiko.
"Are we close?"
"Yes." Hilona nodded, and upon nearing this area, her expression became slightly stern.
Seeing her like this, Natsuhiko also heightened his alertness.
If it makes Hilona so focused, it certainly isn't a simple place.
Whoosh—
Outside the shelter provided by Froslass, the wind and snow grew even stronger, clearly having the tendency to form a blizzard, and visibility sharply decreased, making it almost impossible to perceive changes in the surrounding environment.
At a glance, everything was covered in a vast expanse of whiteness.
The thick snow already covered all areas, and one step in, you wouldn't know how deep you might sink.
"Hmm!"
Froslass seemed to sense something again and immediately voiced a reminder.
Natsuhiko and Hilona simultaneously stopped in their tracks.
Squinting and scanning around.
"Yongji." Yujira pointed a finger.
In the swirling snow, a vague black shadow floated in the air, wobbling towards them.
Gradually, as the distance shortened, the appearance of the Pokémon finally came into view for Natsuhiko and Hilona.
"Vanilluxe?"
Appearing in sight was a creature resembling an ice cream sundae, covered in thick white snow, with two heads similar to Weezing's, with the right head having a nozzle that could spray icy air, its lower body ice-blue, somewhat akin to an ice cream cone handle, featuring three downward ice shards, with the central shard larger than the two side ones.
Vanilluxe is the evolved form of Vanillish, and both heads possess independent thinking. These Pokémon love to inhabit the frigid snow mountains and have a certain territorial awareness.
They also have a special ability to create snow clouds within their bodies from ingested water, which is not very useful in battles but definitely makes them experts at making shaved ice in daily life.
If an ice cream vendor possesses a Vanilluxe, their business would definitely be successful.
Unfortunately, due to their habitat, they rarely appear to the public, let alone get captured.
Upon seeing its appearance, Togetic and Eevee's eyes gleamed with excitement.
Togetic enjoys snacks and is most vulnerable to sweets, with ice cream being among its favorites.
The cool sweetness of ice cream is something Togetic couldn't forget after tasting it once.
Hilona's Eevee probably felt the same, seeing Vanilluxe likely conjures images of vanilla ice cream in its mind.
However, the situation wasn't as optimistic as they imagined.
Vanilluxe's two heads showing expressions: the left smiling playfully, while the right sternly looking at Natsuhiko, Hilona, and the other Pokémon with hostility.
If both Vanilluxe heads show angry expressions, then congratulations, at that time it will become truly terrifying.
Clearly, this Vanilluxe was standing on the edge of anger and peace.
"Be cautious, they're not easy to deal with." Hilona advised.
Hilona was not unfamiliar with Vanilluxe.
Though registered in the Unova Region, regardless of whether in mountainous regions like Celestial Crown Mountain or peaks like Silver Mountain, you can spot traces of them.
With the appearance of this Vanilluxe, the nearby wind and snow intensified, sparse ice crystal particles began to fall from above.
Hail!
Even Froslass couldn't control the hail.
"Is this a Vanilluxe with the traits Snowfall?" Natsuhiko nodded, "Fortunately, just one..."
Snowfall: Upon the Pokémon's appearance, the weather changes to hail and persists for some time.
It's part of the four major weather systems in the Pokemon Realm.
However, Vanilluxe's characteristics don't suit a hail team.
In the wild encountering a Vanilluxe with "Snowfall" trait might be okay, but facing a group...
Vanilluxe also has another trait, Frozen Body.
Frozen Body: In hail weather, it continuously restores its health.
This makes encountering a group troublesome.
Because unless you knock them out instantly, they quickly recover and rejoin the battle.
"Duo Ice!"
Suddenly, Vanilluxe's stern-faced head made a sound.
"Duo Ice!"
"Duo Ice!"
"Duo Ice!"
"..."
Before Natsuhiko could finish, voices started coming from near and far within the swirling snow.
Natsuhiko: "..."
Spoke too soon; he felt his trait was likely "jinxed mouth."
In the blurry snow, Vanilluxe and Vanillish gradually appeared into view.
Natsuhiko's expression turned solemn.
"Doublade."
A gentle call.
"Huh—"
Doublade immediately emerged from Natsuhiko's shadow, faced with the numerous Vanilluxes, its face filled with bitterness and helplessness.
They are surrounded...
Nonetheless, Steel Type Doublade has a type advantage over Ice-type Vanilluxe.
"Lucario."
On the other side, Hilona threw a Pokeball.
With a flash of red light, a handsome and bipedal blue-black Pokémon appeared by her side.
Compared to Doublade, the Fighting Type and Steel Type Lucario has a greater advantage against Vanilluxe.
"Mightyena....."
Every Pokémon enthusiast has their own favorite Pokémon; Mightyena may not be everyone's top choice, but it often ranks among the top three.
Its popularity is just that high.
"How should we proceed?" Hilona inquired.
Natsuhiko scanned around, with a smile slowly spreading across his lips, "One person takes one side."
"All right." Hilona didn't hesitate.
Collaborating with Hilona would be the most secure method, but since they hadn't worked together before, the coordination level was uncertain, so it would be more reliable for each to handle their side.
"Doublade, Togetic, Yujira." Natsuhiko called softly.
The three Pokémon immediately understood.
He didn't summon Beedrill.
Because it seemed unnecessary, and it was also a chance for the three little ones to adapt to battling without Beedrill.
The primary reason is that Natsuhiko wanted to try combining techniques that Doublade had been experimenting with but couldn't execute smoothly under Beedrill's pressure.
Using Yujira as the core, Togetic as control, Doublade had to manage both offense and defense.
To ensure safety, Natsuhiko kept Cherrim on his shoulder.
Although due to the weather, Cherrim had curled into a bud and couldn't activate the "Flower Ceremony" trait, its healing ability was its greatest asset.
"Doublade, Continuous Slash + Holy Sword!"