This was a commission for Johnnyd2 on deviantart. My whole heart wasn't into this one since this isn't what I normally do so it may not be that great. Tell me what you think but please no flames. Critiques are fine.
Melting Glacier
Hazy steam rose from the small pools of water that bubbled in gouges in the earth. The clear liquid emanated a heat that had the essence of a therapeutic bubble bath. The hot springs on One Island were empty today.
'Perfect,' an attractive red haired woman thought as she strolled up to the edge of the water. She had been hoping for this kind of solidarity since her intention was for her and her partners to relax and warm up after the intense training they had just undergone in conditions too cold, even for ice type Pokemon. The training had been that they had to swim past the islands and back to their original island without resting. But her and her Pokemon were more than capable to handle a challenge like that. After all, she was Lorelei, member of the Elite Four and greatest ice trainer in the Kanto region.
The memory of the swim made icy claws rake sharp, chilling pangs down her spine. She still was cold and hadn't completely recovered from the hypothermic conditions, although it had been hours ago that their training took place. That was the very reason that she jumped on a boat and traveled from her home on Four Island to get to One Island for its infamous Ember Mountain hot springs. Her Pokemon deserved a break; as did she, although her mind argued against the idea of a break since there was still much more to be done.
Fishing her Pokeballs out of her bag, she began sending out each of her Pokemon one at a time. First her Abomasnow appeared and instantly noticed the major difference in atmosphere and directed its eyes toward the hot springs. Most of their training was in either freezing cold or excruciating heat to build up resistance but the hot springs wasn't a usual training spot for them. She hugged the gentle giant, snuggling into its shaggy fur. It wrapped its bulky arms around her sheepishly in a gesture of returning the hug.
Next she sent out Dewgong. The cheerful Pokemon clapped its fins together and did a little flip. It glanced at the water in ecstatic excitement. Lorelei smiled widely and glomped it, wrapping her arms around its smooth neck. Dewgong retuned the affection by nuzzling her and covering her face in loving licks.
Next she sent out her brawny Beartic, who roared upon release, pausing to look at the hot springs in slight disdain. Although the hot springs were highly relaxing and didn't really affect any type of Pokemon negatively - except for rock and ground types - they were still a bit too hot for its liking.
Last but not least she sent out Lapras, the partner she had had ever since she was a little girl. She pulled the Pokemon into a loving embrace and Lapras returned the affection. When Lorelei pulled away, all of the Pokemon looked at her expectantly.
"Alright guys, to commemorate our success on the previous training I decided that we should have a break. How does relaxing in the hot spring for the day sound?" Lorelei suggested.
All of the Pokemon responded their affirmative cries, that is, except for Beartic, who agreed a bit more reluctantly with a lip curled over its teeth as it stared at the water.
"Then go on in," Lorelei enthused.
After these encouraging words were spoken, Dewgong leaped into the water, causing a large splash that cascaded the others on the shore. Rather than fretting over her wet hair and clothes, Lorelei simply laughed at her Pokemon's overenthusiastic actions. She was used to its antics; after all, she had known Dewgong almost as long as Lapras.
Lapras followed with equal enthusiasm, pulling itself into the water with its fins and voicing its content with a blissful cry as it floated. Abomasnow lumbered toward the water more cautiously, sticking one foot in, and then the other, before simply letting itself sink into it. It knew that if it acted as enthusiastic as the other two and leaped in the water, half of it would probably wash up onto the shore from its "cannon ball".
Lorelei glanced around at her surroundings, quickly surveying the area for any signs of movement. When she was convinced that they were truly alone, she put the towel she had brought down and removed all of her clothes. She relished in the feeling of the tepid air as it ran across her bare skin like warm fingers of mist. She took a moment to just stand there and take in the feeling and scent in its entirety.
Inhaling, the refreshing scent of crisp, clean water filled her nostrils. Her mouth watered. To her, there was nothing better than the scent, feeling, and taste of water; both frozen and melted. She reached her hands up to the back of her head and fingered through her scarlet locks until they brushed her hair tie. When removing and depositing it with the rest of her clothes, her hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall of flames. Opening her eyes from their contented closed state, she made her way over to the water and gracefully melted into the pool. Right as the liquid enveloped her body, it calmed every fiber of her being, both internal and external. All thoughts of "what else she had to do" had been banished from her mind. She never wanted to leave these heavenly waters.
Almost instantly, she noticed that Beartic wasn't in the water with them but rather loitering on the shoreline.
"Why don't you join us Beartic?" Lorelei beckoned with her hand toward the group who was either splashing or relaxing.
Beartic grunted and took a stubborn step backwards, that look of disdain becoming a plaster on its face.
"The water is really relaxing. We can go back to training later but first enjoy this break while it lasts. It's not everyday that we travel to One Island," Lorelei said.
Beartic seemed convinced by these words but still acted reluctant as it plodded over to join the others. As its body sunk into the water, only its head visible, Lorelei couldn't help but laugh at how instantly its scowl melted away and transformed into a smile and a pleasant groan.
The group let the waters take them and soothe their muscles and skin, which had continued to ache from the frost bitten cold that had burned like a Charizard's flame in the previous frigid waters they had to swim. The water made all of the aches and pains go away.
After a while of relaxing, Lorelei spoke up, finding that her sinuses and throat had cleared up completely. "I hope that you all enjoy this break. You deserve it," she said with a proud smile growing on her lips and twinkling in her eyes. "We made it through that challenge and not only strengthened our bodies and willpower," she looked at each of her Pokemon, her partners who she had been through thick and thin with, who she loved with all of her heart, "we strengthened our friendship. We didn't complete that challenge alone, we did it as a team. I couldn't have done it without you all. Thank you," tears of pride and love began to fill her eyes and sparkled like sapphire orbs as she finished her speech.
Her Pokemon mirrored her expression of pride and love, though Beartic's was more masked. They agreed in their respectful cries and trod closer to her. Dewgong dived under and resurfaced with a splash in front of her. It began covering her face with excited and affectionate licks like a swimming Growlithe. Lorelei laughed as the tickling tongue rasped her face, neck and chest.
Lapras nuzzled her before joining in on the licking, only making her laugh harder.
When Abomasnow made its way over, the other two Pokemon backed off.
Lorelei smirked playfully. "Are you going to lick me too?" She joked.
It responded by scooping her up into a suffocating yet loving hug.
She laughed. "I can't breathe dear," she informed it in a strained voice, resulting in it letting her go instantly.
Beartic simply gave her a respectful nod from afar, looking a bit unsure about joining in. Beartic had been with Lorelei and her team the shortest amount of time since it just recently joined. As a result, it wasn't nearly as close to her as the others but had begun to really bond with her.
Lorelei noticed Beartic's unease. Resting her eyes on the anxious bear she gestured with a hand for it to join the rest of them. Even with this reassuring motion, Beartic still hesitated for a moment. Before it could comply, an earsplitting screech shattered the tranquil air, bringing with it a suffocating steamy heat wave.
The Pokemon lightly whined in protest against the sudden heat that threatened to push them past their levels of endurance. Lorelei gritted her teeth and shielded her face with her arm as flecks of embers scattered in the air. Upon investigating the source of the fire, Lorelei spotted a bird encased in flames soaring through the sky, barely grazing the airspace above the peak of Mt. Ember.
"It's Moltres," Lorelei gasped as she stared at the raging bird. Moltres was known to appear on two islands. One was Mt. Ember and the other was an island called Fire Island, which neighbored three other islands in the Orange Archipelago region. But after the world-threatening conflict had occurred in Orange Islands, Moltres had been hanging around Fire Island more to ensure that it be there in case the conflict were to arise again. Lorelei hadn't seen Moltres so agitated since that conflict.
Shudders of unease trembled through her partners' bodies as the powerful fire type – their natural weakness – raged about and spat fire dangerously close to them.
'What could have Moltres so angry? It was such a calm day today,' Lorelei mused. Another blast of fire enveloped the shore of the hot springs and upon studying Moltres's attacks and flight direction; she found that the attacks were directed toward them. She highly doubted that Moltres had bad aim, but rather that it was trying to scare them off or just giving them a warning. 'But what did we do wrong?'
"Oh my," a trembling old voice rasped. "Moltres is going about raging again."
Lorelei directed her eyes to an old man who had just appeared in the hot springs clearing. "Why is Moltres so angry?"
"I don't really know Miss. But it'd be best if y'all get out of here as soon as possible. That Moltres ain't joking." The old man eyed her with meticulous eyes through his coke-bottle classes. He leaped back awkwardly as a burst of flame showered uncomfortably close to him. "Argh, ain't joking I tell you; ain't joking!" He danced on one foot and then the other, hopping around like a Hoothoot, which really fit his appearance with those large eyes and glasses.
Lorelei was about to leave the water but stopped herself mentally as she remembered her current naked state; she thanked God that the water wasn't exactly clear so the old man wouldn't see her and get any wrong ideas in his derogatory mind. "Actually, I am Lorelei of the Elite Four and I would like to investigate the motive behind Moltres's odd behavior."
The old man ran his thin wrinkled fingers through his equally thin silver strands of hair. Lorelei briefly wondered if the sun had bounced light off of the old man's patch of bald pink flesh on his head and blinded Moltres, thus causing its reason for agitation; but she dismissed the thought almost as instantly as it came. She bit back the smirk that threatened to overtake her features at this ridiculous thought.
"If that's what you want to do then go ahead," the man finally responded.
"That's what we will do," Lorelei said and waited for him to leave but found that he was actually waiting for her to leave. "Erm, could I get a little bit of privacy please?" She requested, embarrassed.
The old man blinked at her in confusion. "Why do you need privacy?" he pried. "Unless," his eyes lit up in realization before narrowing into that judging scowl again, "you are wearing clothes aren't you?"
Lorelei was thankful that the hot springs had already made her face red so that the old man couldn't see the blush reflected on her cheeks. "O-of course," she lied, mentally slapping herself for going into a normally public place naked.
"Then what's the problem?" The man asked and regarded her suspiciously with a large eye cocked her way.
She bit her lip, trying to come up with a way to make him to leave. "My bathing suit is very revealing."
His face piped up in slight interest and what Lorelei could detect as perversion. "Oh, that's fine with me." He said.
The heat from the springs combined with the unbearable heat of embarrassment threatened to catch her face on fire. "Please go! I'll figure out what's wrong with Moltres but please give me some privacy!" She yelled in a voice that strained to keep its composure.
"Fine," the man huffed indignantly and lumbered away muttering things under his breath such as, "young whippersnapper has no respect."
After he had finally disappeared from sight, Lorelei gestured to her Lapras for it to come closer. "Lapras, could you please bring my clothes and the towel to the shore?" She asked.
As Lapras complied, Lorelei turned to Abomasnow. "Could you please come out of the water with me and act as both a lookout and a cover-up for me as I get dressed?" Abomasnow nodded and the two wadded to the shore.
Abomasnow got out first, taking a moment to shake the water out of its coat, resulting in it becoming a large shaggy heap with fur draping over its eyes. Lorelei exited after it and used its large body as a cover as she got dressed in record time.
"I don't trust that old man not to come back to try and get a peek. I know I'm supposed to respect my elders but he is creeping me out." She muttered.
After finishing getting dressed and the other Pokemon came out of the water, Moltres gave them all a warning blast before circling back toward the peak.
"Let's go everyone," Lorelei said and started toward their destination. She took one last longing look back at the inviting hot springs. 'So much for getting the day off…'
As the group ascended up the mountains, which proved difficult for every member of the group, Moltres would occasionally appear and warn them off, becoming more and more violent the closer they got to the peak. Lorelei would have returned her Pokemon to their Pokeballs but they insisted on staying out and making the climb with her. She decided that this could be considered another training exercise but she also was personally glad for the help.
Another stream of flames hurtled toward them, this time powered by more force and rage. "Dewgong, counter that with a Hydro Pump!"
The water neutralized the fire without the attack reaching Moltres, just what Lorelei had been hoping for; her Pokemon were well trained. They continued on their hike up the mountain.
"We're almost to the peak," Lorelei said.
Just as they took the first step on the slanted slab of rock, a Fire Blast, more powerful than the rest, hurtled between them, grazing them with heat.
"Mol!" Moltres screeched at them and blazed its body fire in an intimidating way. It clearly was not happy.
Lorelei's specialty was ice Pokemon and fire is their natural enemy. 'This is going to be difficult… But I'm Lorelei, a member of the Elite Four. My Pokemon and I have faced challenges like this before. We can handle this.' She took a cautious step toward the fuming legend. "Moltres, why are you so angry? We mean you no harm," she attempted to reason with it but it only cawed at her with more ferocity. "We want to help you. Just please, tell me what's wrong."
Before Moltres could respond, another cry sounded behind it. It spun around and flew off after the approaching invader with a malicious yell.
Following Moltres with her eyes, she found the true source of the problem. "Articuno," she breathed. On any other day she would be completely entranced by the bird, feeling like a fan meeting their favorite celebrity face to face. She still relished the sight of this magnificent ice Pokemon that she had wanted to meet for a long time but it didn't bring the air of tranquility as Articuno were told to bring. It was instead almost as malicious as Moltres and looking as if it was about to attack. Moltres, on the other hand, had its back facing the island with a determined look on its face, looking as if it were protecting something valuable and wouldn't give it up without a fight.
'It's a border skirmish,' Lorelei realized. 'Articuno must have been invading Moltres's territory and so Moltres is getting protective. That would make sense as to why it tried to chase us off. It wants to protect its territory.' She just hoped that she could stop this fight before it even started. She had a way of communicating with ice type Pokemon but she had never tried reasoning with a legendary before. "Stop," she cried, walking farther toward the edge. "I think I can solve this!"
Articuno looked at her curiously while Moltres still kept up its protective stance.
"Articuno, isn't Mt. Ember a bit hot for you? You are an ice type after all," Lorelei said. Articuno didn't respond, but just continued its curious stare. "I know you must get tired of the same island while Moltres owns two but there are plenty of other islands without having to invade Moltres's. Why not go to the Seafoam Islands in Kanto? They are a lot colder. I bet you would love it." She smiled.
Curiosity lead Articuno to come closer, which made Moltres retaliate with a fire attack directed at its chest. When the fire connected, a full brawl began between the two titans.
"No! Please stop, this can be settled without battling," Lorelei pleaded to deaf ears.
Articuno shot Ice Beams at Moltres, that didn't do nearly as much damage as the Fire Blasts did to Articuno. Articuno dodged one of the fire attacks and it continued on a crash course toward Lorelei, who didn't have enough time to leap out of the way.
A white streak flashed in front of her and the next thing she knew, the white body had become a shield against the attack. She gasped as she realized who exactly had shielded her.
"Beartic!"
The bear Pokemon grunted with effort as it took the blunt force of the attack. After the battering flames had simmered out, Beartic collapsed in fatigue.
"No, Beartic!" Lorelei cried and knelt in front of her partner, checking the damage. It wasn't seriously hurt but the fire attack was so powerful that it dealt a lot of damage. The other Pokemon crowded around the fallen Pokemon, crying in similar worried tones. "Beartic… You saved me," Lorelei whispered, her heart trembling with love and guilt, her eyes burning as tears began to prick them. "Thank you." She pulled it into a gentle and loving hug full of gratitude. Whether Beartic thought so or not, they were all a family, and families stick together, through thick and thin. They supported each other and made one another strong. They were a unity of oneness and no one could defeat that bond. Although Beartic was the newest member of the family, Lorelei still loved it all the same.
Lorelei was suddenly aware of shadows cast over them and looked up to see Articuno and Moltres standing over them, looking as if they felt guilty. She decided this was as good a time as any to talk to them and for them to respond sensibly.
"Please, stop this border skirmish. There are other islands for you Articuno. Try the Seafoam Islands in Kanto," she repeated herself, hoping the words would stick this time.
Articuno stared at her for a moment more before turning tail and flying off, regaining its tranquil composure as its invasion ceased. Lorelei had no idea if it had actually understood her and was going to the Seafoam Islands or not but she still made a mental note to visit there and see if she could officially meet Articuno later.
Moltres lingered in the sky a moment more to ensure that Articuno had really gone before descending back onto the peak. Amazement and gratitude sparkled in its eyes as it looked down at Lorelei.
"We hope that you will allow us to relax in the hot springs," Lorelei said, humbling herself before the legendary. "We don't mean to intrude in your territory."
Moltres simply nodded, letting out a soft cry of thanks.
With one last smile at Moltres, Lorelei and her Pokemon made their way back down the mountain.
When they reached the steam laden clearing of the hot springs, Lorelei felt like just leaping in and never leaving. Providing nothing else was to happen, she would finally get to relax with her Pokemon. Her eyes darted around the clearing, seeking out any signs of the creepy old man. When her search for him ended in a negative, she stripped her clothes off as quickly as she had put them on earlier and leaped into the water like a professional swimmer.
Her Pokemon followed as eagerly as she had. Abomasnow leaped in, remembering too late that its heavy weight would cause a tidal wave. All of those in the water were carried in the wave as it rose up and crashed back down. Lorelei burst into a fit of laughter after recovering from her momentary shock. "Abomasnow, I had no idea you could use Surf."
The giant sheepishly shuffled in the water, attempting to submerge itself from embarrassment.
Beartic lumbered into the water, sighing in content as the calming waters soothed its battle wound and gave it some its strength back.
"Thank you so much again Beartic. I will get you to the nearest Pokemon Center once we leave the hot springs, I promise."
Beartic glanced at her with hesitant unease again before beginning to wade toward her. When in front of her, it leaned down and gave her a crushing bear hug. It licked her like the other Pokemon had but was still unsure. Lorelei was glad that Beartic was finally starting to feel like part of the family.
After Beartic had finished showing its repressed affection, all of the Pokemon went back to relaxing in the hot springs. The water wrapped Lorelei's body like a soft liquid blanket, hugging every curve and soothing her from the inside out. 'We really need to relax here more often,' she told herself.
A screech filled the air again and made Lorelei groan inwardly. "What now? Are we not meant to have a break?" The screech had come from none other than Moltres but to the relief of Lorelei, it didn't look angry.
Moltres landed on the shore and regarded the group with a curious gaze.
"Greetings Moltres," Lorelei said.
Moltres looked at the hot springs longingly and then up at Lorelei and then back to the hot springs.
"You're welcome to join us," Lorelei said. "You do live here after all."
Moltres was glad to oblige as it descended into the pool, heating it to a warmer temperature. The ice Pokemon protested a little at the hotter temperature change but Lorelei didn't mind it.
Moltres swam up to Lorelei, towering over her; it leaned down to her level.
Lorelei winced, expecting the excruciating heat of the fire Pokemon's flames and was surprised when she didn't feel anything. Even when it nuzzled her with its cheek to show its thanks, the fire near enough to catch her hair on fire, it still didn't burn. 'That means it's trusted me. How in the world did I get a legendary to trust me?'
After the quick display of gratitude, Moltres drifted off with the rest of the Pokemon, relaxing in the waters.
Sure, Lorelei had an Elite Leader's exam tomorrow and the season for trainers flooding in to get to challenge the champion was near, but none of that mattered to Lorelei at the moment. That day had been highly important. Not only did her and her Pokemon get some much needed rest (and encounter a creepy old man that could still be watching them from the bushes for all they knew – but Lorelei preferred to forget about that) but they also helped Moltres in its border skirmish, got Beartic to feel more at home with the group and even received the trust of a legendary.
"Just wait until everyone at home hears this."