Chapter Three
Snowpoint City, Sinnoh-one week later
"Espeon!"
Sabrina wiped the sand out of her eyes, and glanced towards her Pokemon. The Espeon had her paws on the window glass, looking gleefully at the land outside.
"Ah, we've made it," Sabrina noted, following the Pokemon's gaze. She could see the dock up ahead, with the pristine snow-capped mountains in the backdrop.
Noting that the S.S. Aqua would be arriving in just a few minutes, she began to get her things ready. She was now wearing a pair of blue jeans and a green woolen sweater. Over the sweater she put on a deep purple overcoat that she had purchased in Celadon City just the day before.
"Espeon, you better get back into your poke ball," Sabrina said with a wink, as she laced up her boots. "I don't want you catching cold now." With that, she opened her poke ball, as the Espeon dematerialized into it.
Making sure that she had put everything back into her backpack, Sabrina left her room, and made way for the front of the ship. The moment she stepped out into the evening air, she could feel the cold air on her face. Definitely a lot different from what she was used to in Kanto, though nothing she couldn't handle. It was a lot warmer than some of the regions of Canada that she had been to.
Once on land, Sabrina made her way to the Pokemon Centre. Looking up, she watched as the snowflakes, seemingly dancing with the wind, fell to the ground. There was already about five centimetres of snow on the ground, so she was glad she had put her boots on ahead of time.
She also noticed the townsfolk, going about their daily business. It wasn't as bustly as Goldenrod, which was expected as Snowpoint was isolated from the rest of the country, what with the Coronet Range separating it from the closest town. But that of course meant there should be some more interesting company, as the majority of people making their way to the city were Pokemon Trainers, either looking to battle the local leader or to catch the next ship to the Battle Tower in the east.
Arriving at the Pokemon Centre, she realized she was right: the place was just buzzing with Pokemon Trainers. Glancing around the room, she could see people of all sorts: young, old, male, female, etc. And seeing as this was one of the hardest Gym cities to venture out to, she expected most of them to be quite skilled at battling.
But that was not why she was here. There were many talented battlers around, yes, but she was looking for one man in particular.
Walking up to the receptionist, she gave a slight smile. "Hi there," she said. "I was wondering if you could help me?"
"Do your Pokemon need some assistance?" the woman, who Sabrina assumed was named Joy, said.
"No, nothing like that," Sabrina told her. "I'm just looking for someone. His name is Will. He's a violet-haired man, and he often wears a mask. Have you seen him here recently?"
Joy remained silent for a moment, thinking. "I can't be sure," she admitted. "There are so many new faces in here everyday. I don't think I could pick out just one, sorry."
"You may not be able to," Sabrina said, feeling a little guilty about what she was about to do. "But I can...."
Though, before she could do anything more...."Sabrina! Is that really you?"
Sabrina's mouth went open and she turned around to see the one who had recognized her. She was certain that being so far away from home, no one would recognize her up here. Apparently she was wrong.
It was a young woman, probably a year or two younger than she was herself. She had deep brown eyes and long braided black hair. She had on a white blouse and a short tan skirt, with a cyan jacket wrapped around her waist. She was obviously a local, as no sane woman from the south could wear something like that in subfreezing temperatures.
Getting a better look at her face, the woman smiled. "Yes, it is you!" Quickly running over to her side, she made a slight bow of the head as she said "I'm Candice, Snowpoint City's Gym Leader. It is an honour to meet you, Sabrina of Saffron."
Sabrina had a blank stare on her face. She had never heard of this woman before, but it was obvious that the inverse was not as such. She decided to make the best of the situation.
"Oh, hey!" she said, doing her best to sound 'normal,' as she planted a big smile on her face. "Nice to meet you, Candice! How are things going for you up here?"
Candice's face turned a deeper shade of pink as she heard Sabrina's words, as she said "Things are great-especially now that you're here!" she said, laughing a little. "Hey, I just had a thought. Why don't you come over to my gym?"
"Thank you, really," Sabrina said. "But I'll have to decline. I'm looking for someone right now, and I really have to get on my way."
Candice looked a little disappointed, but it seemed as though she understood. Thank God she isn't Whitney, Sabrina said to herself, imagining the Goldenrod Gym leader sitting in a pile of tears after hearing a similar statement.
"What is so popular with Snowpoint with Pokemon League trainers these days?" Candice then asked. "You're the second I've seen in as many days. You know Will Itsuki, the Kanto Elite Four sweetie?"
Usually, she'd make a remark about him not being a sweetie, but she had other things on her mind. "He was here? Yesterday? What did he say? What did he do?"
Candice's head went to the side, as she looked Sabrina over. "Wow, you seem different all of a sudden. Is that why you're here, looking for your boyfriend?"
"No," Sabrina said, resisting the urge to throw up at the thought. "He has something with him that doesn't belong to him."
"You mean that plaque?" Candice said, now acting a little more serious with Sabrina. "He said he had discovered it recently, and he wanted to know if I knew anything about it."
"And do you?" Sabrina asked, both curious and worried about what her answer would be.
Candice nodded. "It's an old alphabet that used to be used a long time ago. Not to many know about it anymore, but I've seen some of the same characters in the Snowpoint Temple."
Snowpoint Temple! Sabrina repeated the name in her mind. If this Candice girl was telling the truth about Will and the plaque, then she was certain that he would have gone to the temple.
"Candice," Sabrina began. "I don't suppose you could tell me where this temple is?"
"Jeez, you sure you aren't his girl-."
Sabrina held up her hand, as she was getting a little angered now. "It'd be in your best interest if you not finish that sentence."
Candice shut up, as her cheeks grew a little redder. "Yeah, I can show you where it is," she said. And with that, the two Gym Leaders left the Pokemon Centre.
Stepping outside, Sabrina noticed that it had got even colder now that the sun had set. The only light appeared when the crescent moon showed itself from behind the snow clouds. As a result she noticed that there were not too many people outside anymore. Everyone was safe and sound in their beds, awaiting the dawn of the next day.
Candice, much to Sabrina's surprise, still had the jacket wrapped around her waist. And she didn't seem the least bit cold! She could hear the sounds of the girl's shoes crunching in the snow as she walked towards an conclave of trees. She then pointed into the distance. "It's straight out there," she said. "But I suggest you wait until morning before going there. It can get really-."
"I can't wait any longer," Sabrina told her, coming to stand beside her. "As you said, I'm already a day behind him. Who knows what he's gotten himself into."
Matching her gaze to Candice's, Sabrina scanned through the darkness with her eyes, looking for the temple.
Then, as the moon showed itself once again, she caught a glimpse of it. It was only for a second, but it was good enough.
Older than anything she had seen around home, and definitely older than anything she had encountered in Canada. It was dark grey, almost as if it were constructed entirely of earth and rock. There were four large pillars at the front, with a long staircase placed with two on each side. The whole thing was covered in a thin layer of frost, with a mountain of snow half-burying two of the pillars and half of the staircase.
And atop the temple, she noticed something else. It was only a split second, if that, but she was certain that she had seen a Pokemon there.
The Disaster Pokemon. It is said that that Pokemon is able to predict when natural disasters will occur, and that will make its rare appearance at such a time.
"Absol."
