~~Chapter 4~~

It was already midday, we were tired from running, and we reached the foot of a mountain.

The hissing sounds from earlier were becoming more and more resonant. It was as if the voices had followed us the entire time, which they did.

Then, Jan and Lian ran towards us, readying vines as ropes. They were almost going to tie us up, but stopped at the sight of Bunk.

"So, it looks like you have some new friends," Lian said, circling his vine rope about. "Now give us who we need," Jan ordered, threatening to whip us. Nik hid behind me, trying to be safe, but Jan and Lian almost grabbed him.

Just in time, Bunk threatened the two Servine twins with his fiery tail. The twins were displeased at the sight of it, but were determined to get Nik back.

"You're not getting him. He doesn't want to work with you," Mindy said, trying to sound brave. "Doesn't he?" Jan asked rhetorically as he grabbed Nik's right arm. Lian then grabbed his left. Nik struggled to break free, but failed. I then attacked both Servine twins with a single Air Cutter attack. They both fell on their slender bodies, letting go of Nik.

Nik ran to us, but it wasn't long before Jan and Lian grabbed him again, this time tying him up. Bunk then decided to deal with the both of them by showing his tail flame.

Then, as a Grass-type would instinctively do, the Servine twins cowered and ran in fear. Bunk then untied Nik. "Thank you so much," Nik said to Bunk, also a little terrified of his flaming tail.

We then proceeded to climb up the mountain, which seemed like the only way to find the treasure (after I had read Hendrick Sawyer's drawn map).

Our trek was perilous. Pebbles started hitting our faces, and dust was covering us. We met various Pokémon moving from place to place, but we had to focus on the task at hand.

We then rested near some hot springs on the mountain. It was refreshing, and we all (even Bunk) decided to sit there after all our adventuring. Mindy especially enjoyed it.

Then, after fifteen minutes of relaxation, we hiked again. We could barely see Terry flying past us as we almost climbed to the peak of the mountain.

When we did, we decided to look at the scenery around us. Trees, rivers, hills, and lots of other Pokémon everywhere. I then breathed in to take a sniff of the air. Everyone else then followed, however Bunk's flaming tail made them cough as they smelled as well.

We then went downhill. It was a very taxing task, as one of us (especially Mindy) could fall off. We then climbed down carefully (except me, as I flew down instead), and we soon made our way down, until we were blocked by a squadron of Bunnelby.

We stopped at the sight of them. The Bunnelby then looked at us. They readied their huge ears, possibly to attack us. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON OUR SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN?!" one of them vehemently demanded.

We decided to back away, but not before one of them approached us. It punched one of its ears on the ground just to demonstrate how powerful it was. Bunk then kicked it away, rolling it down the mountain. The other Bunnelby then went to us.

Bunk repeatedly punched and burned them, making sure none of them would hurt us. However, that only agitated them more, making them move faster and relentlessly. Mindy tried to counter them, only to get hit fatally by one of their ridiculously strong ears.

In retaliation, Bunk attacked them at a much quicker rate, knocking them down one by one. They eventually retreated, as about half of them barely survived Bunk's attacks. They then burrowed inside a hole the size of a Bunnelby.

We then went to check on Mindy. "Are you OK?" Nik asked her. She replied with a weak yes, which didn't sound so reassuring.

Lilly decided to hold Mindy as we went down the mountain. Grace almost slipped many times, but managed to make it due to Bunk's strength and reflexes.

We were almost at the foot of the mountain. Drops of snow started falling as we went down. Pokémon became a much more common sight. Gogoat started hopping about the mountain, and flocks of Starly flew around. Snowy ground was a few hundred more meters away.

Our feet were touching rock covered in snow. It was very cold, but Bunk kept us warm. We were getting eventually closer to the ground, and, as we did, we finally got to rest. That was, until we heard something from underneath.

Grace nearly fell as the vibrations became even more tangible. It was as if seismic activity was happening.

Quickly emerging below us was a Diggersby. His face was as unkempt as a normal Diggersby, but he was covered in cuts and had only one working eye.

The Diggersby pumped himself up and readied his fist-like ears. He was ready to take us on, while we barely knew what was going on. As he swung his ear, we quickly dodged. I quickly launched an Air Cutter attack on him, barely harming him. He then pushed me back with his ear, aiming for Lilly and Grace.

Lilly then bravely executed a Petal Dance attack on the Diggersby, damaging him greatly. Grace then bit him with her back mouth.

The Diggersby did not give up. He flung Lilly and Grace away, focusing on the rest of us: me, Bunk, Nik, and Mindy. Nik then used Leaf Tornado on the Diggersby, damaging him some more.

Then, Bunk grabbed an opportunity. He socked the Diggersby in the face, dizzying him. He then shook Nik and Bunk off with great force, leaving only me and Mindy. Trying to protect her, I repeatedly smacked him with my stick, with little effect.

He was about to smash me with his ear. Then, Mindy, trying to be useful, did a finishing blow on the Diggersby by flailing her large tail at him. The Diggersby then fell with a mighty thud.

We all retained our senses after a few minutes, and decided to walk through the snowy forest.

The forest was more lively than the last one, inhabiting lots of energetic Pokémon. Wild Snorunt gathered around to create a tent, a Vigoroth was punching a tree, and a herd of Mareep grazed on the cold grass.

We were amazed by all these Pokémon just doing what they would instinctively do. "This is amazing," Grace commented as she stared at the nearby herd of Stantler. In fact, Grace was hypnotized and neared the Stantler. "Grace!" I yelled. I then ran towards her, trying not to get hypnotized as well. Fortunately, I scared the Stantler away.

We then heard hissing sounds again. At the very sound of that, we moved fast. Thankfully, the sound grew faint and finally stopped. We were right at the edge of the ocean.

Mindy admired the view. Amidst all the cold and snow, the ocean was as sparkly as usual. With that, I decided to jump in (leaving my knapsack on the ground). "This might be cold, but it's quite relaxing," I said, gleefully paddling as I floated without a care.

Everyone else except Bunk decided to join me. "Julius is right," Lilly said. Mindy decided to ride on me as I floated, as she was not a very avid swimmer. Bunk then envied us because we were able to get in the water without getting harmed.

Nik then decided to swim around everywhere. He was fast. He then decided to play a bit with Mindy.

We enjoyed ourselves, until a very familiar face flew down.

Terry was panting on a small ice floe floating above the water. "It appears as if you are having a good time," he said as he walked around the ice floe, trying to catch his breath.

"We were, until you came," I said, with a little angry expression on my face. "Who's that?" Bunk asked. "Allow me to introduce myself," Terry said. Everyone was quiet. "I am Terry Sawyer. You might remember my father, Hendrick Sawyer," he continued. My friends then clamored as they began to comment about Terry's father.

"He was a very famous adventurer, and I decide to follow his footprints," he went on. "By the way, you five haven't introduced me to you. Care if I ask?"

"Very well. I'll go first," Nik suggested as he stepped on the ice floe. "I am Prince Nik, planned monarch of all of Divor. My mother and brothers force me to rule, but I refuse to take advantage of it." Bunk then went to introduce himself, as he found it interesting not only to familiarize him with my mortal enemy, but also with my other friends.

"I'm Boonkum Krugel," Bunk said. We giggled. "But call me Bunk, as I find it...less easy to laugh at."

Mindy then did the same. "H-Hello," Mindy greeted Terry, stuttering a little (as she is afraid of some avian Pokémon and she usually gets shy). "I-I'm Mindy Wess," she continued, quivering all the more. "I'm B-Bunk's personal s-student..."

Before she could continue, Grace went to introduce herself. "Hello-" she tried to say, until she heard her stomach rumble.

"My dear, you must be hungry," Terry implied. Thankfully, Grace was a skilled cook, so she could prepare food in a matter of seconds. She (with the help of Bunk) made a warm soup for all of us to enjoy.

We were then served the food on handmade wooden bowls. Terry then finished his meal. "My, I do believe it is time for my departure. Farewell!" he said as he soared up into the sky, still searching for the treasure. "I wish I could fly like that," I muttered.

Lilly decided to swim instead of eat because she "didn't feel like it". She dove a little in the water, which turned out to be a big mistake.