No...! I failed to get this story done before New Year's!
Also, Happy New Year!
Chapter nine: Candice of Snowpoint City
Snowpoint City: next morning
Mars was sitting in a fine dining restaurant just in a large room across from the lobby. Inside the restaurant, a chandelier hung above on the ceiling, with Mars sitting at a white tablecloth-covered table with candlelight and some flowers. Mars had a window seat, where she could see the citizens of Snowpoint City start their day. For the Pokémon Trainer, she started off her day with a steaming cup of mocha while her Pokémon had healthy servings of breakfast. Mars, likewise, started to eat hers.
Check-out came at the marble-floored lobby after. A newly rejuvenated Mars stood at the desk to return her room key, and was still dressed in her black sleeveless dress over a dark red sweater and black sweatpants. Her all-purpose running shoes were on in place of her boots.
"Thanks for staying at our hotel," said the receptionist.
"By the way," Mars quickly interrupted, "is there another way to get back to inland Sinnoh without going through Route 217 and Mount Coronet? I really don't want to go that way again."
The receptionist pondered a moment before searching details on his computer. Mars patiently waited for the receptionist to finish before he said, "A ferry leaving for Sunyshore City will depart in two days from the port. Another ferry, bound for Canalave, will leave Snowpoint City four days from now."
Knowing that Sunyshore City was located in the far eastern corner of the Sinnoh region, as opposed to Canalave City located in the west (that is, west of Mount Coronet), Mars had to take the Canalave City-bound ferry. Besides, her home in Floaroma Town was in the west as well, and Canalave City was considerably closer to the town.
"Thank you," Mars said. "Er… if you don't mind, I'd like to extend my stay for four more nights, if that's alright."
"Not at all," the receptionist replied. "That will be an extra 52,000 Pokédollars, please."
Mars paid with her banking card again before she left the hotel to start her day. Looks like I'll be staying here for a few more days, after all, she thought.
The first thing on Mars' agenda was to go acquire her eighth Gym Badge (although numerically, this was supposed to be her seventh were it not for the cold climate).
Upon leaving the hotel, Mars was welcomed by the familiar coldness rushing over her legs, thighs, and fingers. As much as Mars had handled the cold journey superbly (then again, maybe not), she would never grow used to the cold, ever.
The Snowpoint City Gym was, like many other Pokémon Gyms, a stadium containing a severe technical course which all Pokémon Trainers must overcome in order to challenge the Gym Leader. For this Gym, Mars came face-to-face with a refrigerated stadium contained under an ice-themed roof. The floor was made of tiles and tiles of ice flooring that were nearly frictionless. Boulder after boulder of massive snowballs had to be pushed across the room falling and rising up slopes of ice, so as to clear a straight path.
Mars' only complaint was the inside was too cold.
"I'm surprised you even made it through all that so quickly," commented Gym Leader Candice, having the appearance of a young adult schoolgirl. "I've heard from fellow colleagues already about a particular Trainer has been plowing through every Gym in record time."
"But…" Mars raised an eyebrow, and knowing there was a catch somewhere.
"But seriously, I wasn't expecting the Trainer to be you, Mars," Candice said. "Since when were you allowed to roam free in Sinnoh?"
Candice now wished she hadn't said that the moment the words left her mouth. Was it even the best topic to bring up at a time like this? And especially when she met Mars personally for the first time? It was true Mars was part of Team Galactic and all, but now…
"I've been asked that like a hundred times," Mars duly answered, to Candice's relief. "A Pokémon Ranger helped me clear my criminal record via negotiation with the International Police. I've been living in Floaroma Town since."
Candice smiled. "That's nice to hear, and here you are, coming here to Snowpoint City by ferry."
"I walked here," was the defiant answer.
Candice couldn't help but laugh.
"Seriously?!" Candice threw her head back. "I'm surprised you're not wearing a coat right now, let alone a scarf. Aren't you cold?!"
"Granted, it's a little warmer in here than outside," Mars sniffled, and then sneezed. "Ah-choo! But you know… I don't like the cold in any way."
Candice reached for her first Poké Ball. "Then maybe a classic Pokémon battle should get your blood going."
Mars grinned and reached in her bag for the Poké Ball holding Purugly.
A Froslass emerged from Candice's Poké Ball, and Purugly burst out of Mars' where the two Pokémon landed on the field of battle.
Mars had no idea how strong Candice was, but Team Galactic experience told her that she would be more than prepared to face what was coming. Mars owe her recent victories to the hard training she endured with the ex-criminal organisation (of course, she could do without the criminal activity). Likewise, her Purugly had been through too many battles to consider Candice a real challenge. That is, Mars assumed Candice would be a simple challenger.
Nevertheless, it was a challenge, and it was already halfway through.
"Blizzard!" Candice directed.
Froslass flew into the air to whip up a blasting snowstorm in Purugly's direction. Purugly leapt over the blast but she still sustained some harm when she landed, and by then the blizzard had subsided.
I can't bring down Froslass with Normal-type moves, Mars thought, she's a Ghost-type! Bite would make the most sense, as Mars analysed possibilities and weaknesses. Only an elite Trainer could determine the basic stats of speed, offense, and defence by merely looking at the battle's progress. Sadly, Mars was not that kind of elite Trainer, so she would have to take each battle cautiously. Like this.
"Bite!"
Purugly leapt at Froslass with a menacing fanged mouth and performed a single, clean, attack. Despite the crimes of Team Galactic, Mars had to credit the former crime organisation for teaching her the art of battling. The tension in the air was such that it could have boiled over.
And speaking of boiling, Mars' blood ran hot.
"…and as an accolade for winning this heated battle, here's the Icicle Badge."
Mars, grinning, received the badge Candice placed into the former's hand and put the badge into the remaining empty slot in her badge case. It, like most of her other badges, was shiny and cold to the touch.
"You had seven badges already?!" Candice raised her eyebrows at Mars' complete badge collection. "I'm surprised. Traditionally, Pokémon Trainers would go to Volkner's Gym last. They say he's more challenging than I am, and Trainers usually challenge me before him…"
"Yeah, well…" Mars closed her badge case, "that's pretty much half the reason I went there before coming here. The other half is because… I hate the cold."
Candice smirked at Mars. "So how long are you going to stay here? Not for long, I'm guessing."
"As much as I hate to say it," Mars said as she began taking her steps to the Gym door, before turning around, "I have to catch a ferry in four days, so I'm stuck here in this cold place for four days. Four days! Honestly."
Candice's eyes brightened. "Then how about I show you around the city?"
Within the next four days, Mars followed Candice around every key landmark of Snowpoint City. They crossed bridges stretching over frozen rivers and flowing rivers alike. Snow fell lightly on the city as they visited château hotels, museums, restaurants, retail shops, and a chocolatier.
Even at the port, Mars saw ships unloading colossal containers of goods on and off the docks. Why there were even intelligently designed office buildings in the city and some overlooking the port! Because of these sights, Mars came to realise Snowpoint City was a lot bigger than she thought.
"You can probably tell, this port is the pretty much the lifeline of all of Snowpoint City. It's the main area for trade and is the city's leading centre of commerce. Goods for the grocery stores, for example, hotel supplies, maintenance supplies for the city, etcetera, all come through the port first. The business in the port is so hectic that there're like ten thousand workers in the offices alone."
"But don't get me wrong," Candice quickly added. "We get hundreds to thousands of visitors to Snowpoint City arriving at the port as well. There's a ferry service accessible through there."
Mars, sensitive to the cold, already felt her fingers freeze up already. Although it wasn't snowing at all in the city, the natural cold was always too much for Mars to handle. Besides, she wasn't wearing her jacket, and she left her scarf at home.
"A coffee break, I suppose," Candice sighed.
"Hey, I'm not used to the cold like you are," Mars complained. "At least cut me some slack?"
They made their way toward a nearby café to grab a hot drink and a light snack. Mocha and a cream cheese bagel for Candice, coffee and yogurt for Mars. As they enjoyed their break Mars took time to look at her surroundings: a street laden with snow was the main road of this area, multi-storey restaurants stacked high in a single building, and a movie theatre.
It was a wonder how this city could prosper for a place way too cold, but Mars guessed Candice's Gym must have played a part in attracting visitors.
Lastly, they went to visit a residential bloc in the northern suburb of the city, where evergreen trees covered in frost and white crystals were more abundant than that of the stretch of Snowpoint City.
"At least half the community, particularly those with families, live in private houses here, unlike the apartments in the city," Candice explained. "At least, that's what I think."
"Come to think of it, how does Snowpoint City manage to keep so much power for its use?" Mars asked. "It's a real wonder how."
Candice paused to think.
"Uh… good question," she replied. "I think that our main source of energy comes from a hydrogen plant at the edge of the city. Apart from that, we run on generators."
Mars nodded, and then a sign caught her eye.
"What's that?"
Candice glimpsed back for a brief moment, and said, "Oh, Snowpoint Temple? You definitely wouldn't be interested in that…"
Truth be told, Candice was right. It wasn't interesting, and mainly because a local civilian stood there blocking the entrance. Judging from the looks of her, she wasn't going to let anyone in.
"She's always so strict on visitors who want to visit the temple," Candice said. "She only accepts 'the chosen'."
"What's actually in there?" Mars was curious already.
Candice slightly grinned. "The say a legendary Pokémon who moved mountains sleeps deep within. From what I gather, there are three legendary Pokémon who must work together to awaken it, anyway. That lady over there stands day and night stopping almost anyway from going through."
The Snowpoint Temple looked like an ideal temple with stone columns upholding the entrance and a stone roof fragilely kept above the entrance. For the civilian guarding the entrance just outside, she was just standing there unmoved.
"I kind of feel sorry for her," Mars muttered.
"Fortunately, she lives at the closest house from here in the restaurant bloc," Candice said. "If nothing else, Snowpoint City pays her to do it. I myself have clearance to go in, but that's another story for another time."
The thought of being paid to stand around seemed too ridiculous to comprehend. Sure, being paid to stand around seemed good, but to permanently stand around in cold conditions like these was hard to handle. After ten minutes, Mars and Candice turned around to head back to the city.
One more chapter...
