"Grass and Ice?" Raphi asked.

"It doesn't sound that cool." Glace shook her head. "How about 'Identical Footprints'?"

"No, too mediocre. Maybe 'Special Attack And The Best Defense'?"

"Not everybody would get the joke. 'The Pokémon That Evolved Through Rocks'?"

"It's… um-"

"Don't answer that!" The Ice Pokémon giggled. "We're never going to find a name for our team like this… Yet we could simply call ourselves 'The Jokers', if you know what I'm saying!"

Squinting his eyes, Raphi could not help but laugh hearty. Since he was distracted, his unanswered questions moved to the back of his mind and he enjoyed the time with his new friend rather than pondering about how and why he got here.

They just ate a few of Abomasnow's Oran Berries – which Raphi thought tasted a lot better as a Pokémon – and were now continuing on their way to Snowlake Village, still unaware of the mysterious figure following them in the shadows.

"I was wondering what your attacks consisted of, inasmuch you got to this world yesterday." Glace asked.

"Honestly, I never really thought of that. I suppose I will know them out of instinct once I enter a battle though."

They unexpectedly heard a scratchy voice coming from the trees above them: "Right on cue! You'll find out sooner than you think!"

"…Let's just pretend we never heard anything…" Raphi whispered anxiously with bated breath. "Isn't the weather nice today Glace? The drizzling rain is really pleasant too, don't you think?"

The figure apparently grew tired of hiding, because it suddenly jumped out of his cover in front of the team, blocking their path. It was a Weavile, a dark-ice-type. He stood upright, his sharp claws perfectly on display. Two pointed fangs poked out of the left corner of his mouth. The red crown on his head made him look even bigger. His red eyes were filled with persistence and the devious grin on his face indicated that he was up to no good. "I agree with you, the weather IS great today! It is perfect for hunting you!"

"No need to rush it, we come in peace!" Raphi tried to find a bloodless solution while Glace was standing next to him being totally confused.

"That's too bad, I don't!" The Weavile started laughing menacingly.

He realised it was pointless to reason with the Pokémon, so Leafeon used a more aggressive tone: "What do you want from us? We don't even know you! And, if you'd excuse us, we would like to continue on our journey!"

"Oh, so you don't remember me? I guess it kind of makes sense… Still, you're not getting past me Raphi!" Weavile took a step forward.

The Grass Pokémon was frightened and speechless. Not only did the aggressor recognise him, but he also seemed to possess knowledge of his past. He- he knows me? Does he have something to do with me coming to this world? Then who is he and what's his business with me?

His thoughts were immediately interrupted by Weavile's battle cry who quickly leaped forward.

This is it - my first battle as a Pokémon. And my first opponent already has the type advantage! Raphi realised it was too late for him to avoid the attack, so he braced himself for the impact.

Weavile's right claw froze, surrounded by a cold aura as he prepared himself to use Ice Punch. He struck out his arm as he jumped and then landed a brutal blow on Leafeon, causing him to fling backwards and smash into a tree. The brown bark split at the impact and stung the hurt Pokémon through his fur, causing to gasp for air. His vision turned red and blurry, but thanks to Leafeon's natural high defense, he managed to get up again after the super effective hit.

He shook his head to see more clearly and took a deep breath. Ouch, that was very painful! If I want to survive this fight, I'll need a good strategy quickly!

Glace watched the whole scenario in horror. She had no idea who that Pokémon was or what he wanted from her friend, but it was clear he was the enemy and had to be stopped!

"Well, that was easier than I thought. You aren't that strong after all… What a pity!" he said, taunting his foe, slowly strutting towards him to finish him off.

However, his triumph was short lived as Glace rammed into him, knocking him off his feet to the side. "Don't. You. DARE! Before you hurt him anymore, you'll first have to get past ME!" she shouted and formed a blue orb made out of water in front of her mouth, firing the Water Pulse at her opponent.

Now is my chance! Let's see… Still feeling a little numb, he examined the area carefully. The path to Snowlake Village was made of sand and led down the mountain. The rest of the ground was covered in grass, with the occasional spot of snow. Pine-trees dominated the landscape, grey stones from a past rock slide were scattered amidst them.

A few meters in front of him, his friend Glace and Weavile fought together, ignoring him for the moment. Weavile evaded most attacks with ease, but Glaceon kept her tail up and continued to pile on the pressure by alternating between Ice Beam, Water Pulse and Ice Fang. Eventually, she reached her physical limits and the steadiness of her assaults decreased.

I need to do something, but what? If I don't intervene, she'll be done for it! And I would never forgive myself if that would happen… I'm not strong enough to really damage him, and escaping on foot is no option since he is much faster than both of us! What to do…?! He gritted his teeth, desperately trying to come up with a solution. Wait, that's it!

"Why do you care that much for him? You don't even know him!" Amongst every sentence, he clawed the dug in Glaceon using Night Slash, which caused his claws to expand and glow in a scary purple colour. "Why didn't you walk away when you had the chance? Now I'll have to end you too!" He hauled off with his right hand to strike the final blow.

"Hey, paper shredder! I'm over here!"

When he turned his head, Raphi was already in the air. Weavile's eyes opened in surprise as a combination of Quick- and Sand Attack hit him across the face. The swirled sand got into his eyes, blinding him for the moment.

"Glace, are you okay? Do you think you're strong enough to freeze the path in front of us?!" he asked in a hurry and supported her stand with his shoulder.

She coughed and stuttered: "Yeah, I'm up to it. But... why-"

"Just do it, trust me!" he shouted and tackled the confused Weavile again who was still trying to get the sand out of his burning eyes.

She did as she was told: the track was now covered in a broad, thick layer of slippery ice. "Oh, I see where this is going!" She smiled as she caught on to his cunning plan.

"Ladies first!" Raphi waited for her to get onto the self-made slide and then followed immediately her. "Just keep using Ice Beam and we should be out of here in no time!"

The slant of the mountain allowed them to accelerate quickly, and in order to not fall off in the turns, they used their claws to steer.

"Don't think this fight is over!" Weavile grumbled as they turned around a corner und got out of sight. His eyes appeared in an even darker shade of red with his blood vessels being very visible from the pollution. "I'll get you for this Raphi!" He spat on the ground and jumped on Glaceon's slide, deftly following the duo.