Chapter 13-The Frozen North
Me: Ah-ah-AH-CHOOO! *Sniffles* Ugh, I HATE the cold!
No kidding on that point there because me + cold weather = no mix whatsoever except for winter sports. Mostly it gives me a small case of the sniffles and I seem to stay in one place when I run on ice.
But I have to put up with it while I'm here in the Frosty Forest, home of Articuno and the Ice Crystal. Personally, I prefer a warm tropical island on top of this place.
Well, either than the cold, I found a lot of different scarves, gummis, and TMs, which are these CD like items that holds new moves. I found two, Aerial Ace and Brick Break, taught them to myself, and threw away the used up TMs to save room in my Toolbox for more stuff since I don't have this move called Recycle that helps me restore them for another use. My instincts kicked in saying that a normal Riolu CAN'T learn Aerial Ace, but because of my speed, I was an exception to that rule.
I also found out something else here, the green Kecleon brother set up a small shop here! It's easy to tell because of the red mat he put down to keep his merchandise off of the snow.
Kecleon: Ah welcome!
Me: What the? What are you doing he-he-ahh-CHOO-here.
Kecleon: Arceus bless you, Sonic! And I'm here to help get the shop some extra profit! By the way, Kangaskhan asked me to give you something.
Me: Really? What is it?
He took out a blue and green striped knitted scarf from his bag of merchandise. A note was on it and here's what it said:
Dear Sonic,
I made this scarf out of the warmest Mareep wool just to keep you warm since you'll be going pretty far up north. I made it your fur and eye colour because I thought they looked good together! I asked Kecleon to deliver it since some of us knows he goes into mystery dungeons to help Rescue Teams with selling and buying items from them for the same price as at the shop so I had a feeling you'll meet up with him!
Good luck and keep warm!
Kanghaskhan
Me: Gee, thanks for delivering this!
Kecleon: No problem! So, is there anything on my mat that interests you?
As a matter of fact, there were a few things that I sold, mostly TMs and scarfs that I didn't need, and bought, mostly Apples, Oran Berries, Gummis, Max Elixers, and Reviver, Sleep, and Stun Seeds, so I can keep prepared and Kangaskhan's scarf was really warm. So warm that I stopped sneezing, thankfully!
I figured that here, ecause of all the snow and ice, I might meet up with a ton of Ice-type Pokémon here but boy was I proven wrong! With the exception of Piloswine, walking mounds of brown hair with tusks and a snout, and Snorunt, little black creatures that seem to have an orange hood all over its body and is always shivering, there were others, mostly Rock-types. There were Furret, light brown/dark brown stripped weasel-squirrel creatures, Azurill, round blue mice that bounce on their tails, Nosepass, rock-types with a big red nose and swings around like a compass, Ditto, weak pink blobs that can transform into any Pokémon on the floor, Mightyena, Poochyena's evolved form that don't run away, and Lairon, Aron's evolved form with spikier armor.
I was starting to feel a bit cold again as I reached the Kangashkan Rock when I thought I smelled soup! At the rock was a cloaked Pokémon that had some soup simmering over a fire. He looked a little bigger than me and first I felt like bolting but when he spoke, he seemed like a nice guy with a good sense of honor!
?: Hello there, young one. Would you like some warm soup before you go on your way?
Me: Sure thing!
He gave me a bowl of soup and I saw he had green hands like Gardevoir, but they seem stiffer and looked like he uses his arms for more self defense. We talked a bit as my body warmed up to his soup, which seemed to be made of different berries and it tasted so good!
?: Tell me, what is a Riolu doing so far up north?
Me: Well for one thing, I'm not really a Riolu.
?: Oh?
Me: I'm a hedgehog from another world. My name is Sonic!
?: Well it's nice to meet you, Sonic.
Me: Same here! Anyway, I came up here on a challenge from Ninetales. He told me to go off without my Rescue Team members, fight Moltres and Articuno, and restore the Element Crystals they're guarding. I've already restored the Lightning crystal when I did a rescue mission with my team a while back and did half the challenge not long ago.
?: I see. So you're the one chosen to save us.
Me: That's right!
?: But you don't seem too intimidated for what lies ahead. Why is that?
Me: I'm used to saving the world actually. I'm considered a hero where I'm from!
?: So you seem prepared. Well I must warn you of something.
Me: Articuno, right?
?: That's right. She might hold a grudge after being defeated if you cannot convince her the right way.
Me: Better remember to not insult her. Thanks for the warning and the soup! I feel warmed up and ready!
?: Anytime but I do feel that we'll see each other again very soon.
The last few words that he said were actually half mumbled so I didn't quite hear them too well so I just shrugged them off as I continued through what is now the Frosty Grotto. There were only two kinds of Pokémon in the remainder of the forest before I reached the clearing. They were Rhyhorn, rhinos with thick, dark grey, spiky armor, and Metang, floating saucer-like Pokémon with an arm on each side and white spikes on it's front, rear, and hands.
After about 4 floors, I made it to the clearing and before I could call out to Articuno, a bright light flashed around me reflecting off the ice, almost blinding me, and I heard her voice.
Articuno: Who are you? Are you responsible for the ice melting here?
Me: Ugh…No way! I'm here to challenge you to a fight so I can restore the Ice Crystal!
Articuno: Restore the crystal? Impossible!
Me: It's true!
Articuno: Silence! I accept your challenge!
The light faded when she cried out and as my eyesight went back to normal, she appeared in front of me, looking like a beautiful blue bird with a white breast and a long, shiny tail, with three shiny blue diamonds as a crown on her head. I decided to use the same tactics as I did with Zapdos and Moltres, which worked, and since she was an Ice-type, using Force Palm was no problem! Unfortunately, when ever she was awake or un-paralyzed, she used Agility to increase her speed and I had no place to hide from her Powder Snow! After a tiring fight, as well as a couple of Reviver Seeds and a Max Elixir, I managed to defeat her, but she still wouldn't give up as she spread her wings again!
Articuno: I will not accept defeat!
Me: Can you just listen to me for a few minutes! The reason for the ice melting in your forest, as well as any unusual blizzards and avalanches in other places, is that the Ice Crystal is loosing power and I'm the only one that can restore it!
Articuno: Enough! I won't listen to your words! Prepare yourself!
I braced myself for another attack but nothing came except a gasp from Articuno. I opened my eyes to see the same cloaked Pokémon from before, standing between the both of us!
?: Articuno, what Sonic says is true. Allow him passage to the Crystal.
Articuno: O-of course…Gallade.
He soon took off his cloak and I saw in front of me a Pokémon that could almost be called a male Gardevoir! His arms looked like they could be swords when he extends them at the elbows, his legs seemed to give him an extra edge of speed and footing, and he had this blue fin on his head!
Gallade: I'm sorry I did not show myself before, Sonic. I was waiting for the right moment.
Me: Heh-heh, no problem!
Articuno let out another cry and at the far end of the clearing, the snow seemed to blow around in a twister and the Ice Crystal appeared, in the same fading light blue light as the other crystals did, which caused her to apologize for not believing me before I walked up and placed my paws on it. Soon it glowed in the same bright light and I felt the cold winds of ice and snow while my real self cloaked me for a moment, and the before it all stopped and the crystal glowed a calm light blue just as it disappered the same way it appeared.
Unfortunately, I felt a bit drained at this point as I collasped, and Gallade caught me and wrapped me in his warm cloak.
Gallade: You fought hard and well. I shall accompany on your journey, but first, you need rest before we continue farther north to Mt. Freeze.
Having no energy to argue I soon fell asleep, thinking that it wouldn't be such a bad idea. Expecting to talk with the others at home, instead I saw them preparing for something with their first Pokémon partners, practicing battle skills with each other and Lucario. Maybe this had something to do with the bad feeling I had as I left Mt. Blaze and silently wished them good luck with whatever they were doing.
I soon woke up to the smell of berries cooking and I saw Gallade making the same soup as before, just as the sun was rising.
Me: Mmmm…that smells good.
Gallade: Good morning Sonic! Did you sleep well?
Me: Sure did! How do you get your soup pot here anyway?
Gallade: To be honest, I too am a Rescue Team leader. We call ourselves Team Honor since the three of us have a strong sense of honor and respect. I ask my fellow team mate, Staraptor to bring and pick up my things incase I had to do a mission alone.
Me: And helping me out is your mission?
Gallade: Correct.
Me: Huh, cool. Who's your other team member? Mine are Geodude, Shinx, and Scyther…although I have a feeling they might be evolved by now.
Gallade: Well that might be true. My third member is Linoone.
Me: Sounds like you got a pretty strong team!
Gallade: Yes I do, and we help each other against our weaknesses. For example, I am a Psychic- and Fighting-type Pokémon while Staraptor is a Normal- and Flying-type and whenever another Fighting-type tries to defeat Linoone, I use my Psychic attacks or my partner will use his Flying attacks to protect him.
Me: Just like Geodude used Mud Sport on me to weaken Zapdos' Electric power!
Gallade: Correct. It seems like you have a well trusted team yourself!
Me: I sure do!
After a long, warm meal of his soup, the two of us went up further north where the weather got colder as we got closer to Mt. Freeze and Ninetales. Now I'm REALLY hoping for a tropical island destination for the next mission after this trip!
Mt. Freeze was a bigger mountain to climb than even Mt. Blaze, and the Pokémon here was a bit more trouble to the Power Poits, or PP, of mine and Gallade's moves! There was Pineco, moving pinecones that explode, Swablu, birds with cottony wings, and Shelgon, white bumpy shells with legs and yellow eyes peeking through the middle, on the first few floors. The next set of floors had Seel, white seals with a horn on its head and its tounge sticking out, Pupitar, blue, spiky coccoons, Vigoroth, Slakoth's evolved form that is more hyper with long claws, white fur, and a move called Encore that lets me only use one technique for a short period of time, Zangoose, white mongeese with red markings and long claws, and Chimecho, light blue windcimes with a yellow top and a red-tipped tail. The last bunch of florrs only had Slaking, Slakoth's last form that was brown and seem to pause every other turn, and Seviper, black snakes with purple and yellow parkings, long red fangs, and a sword-like tail that gives off poison. We rested at the Kangaskhan Rock before continuing up the peak that had 4 floors of only Glalies, Snorunt's evolution form that were round white Ice-type Pokémon with black spots and horns on top and light blue eyes which raised it's evasiveness with Double Team and has a weaker Powder Snow than Articuno.
I was feeling really cold at this point when we got closer Ninetales' home and Gallade decided to warn me of something at that point.
Gallade: Sonic, there is something I have to tell you about Ninetales.
Me: W-what i-is i-it, G-Gallade.
Gallade: There is a legend that says if you grab one of his nine tails, he will put a thousand-year curse on you.
Me: S-SAY W-WHAT?
Gallade: It did happen a long time ago. Did you happen to meet Gengar, the leader of what was Team Meanies and now is called Team PsyShadow?
Me: S-sure d-did. H-he t-told m-me o-of t-this ch-challenge.
Gallade: He was once a human, not the one who saved us before, that decided to grab a tail for fun and his Gardevoir shielded him from the curse, sacrificing herself.
I stood there, shivering and silent, until he gave me his cloak again to stay warmer and continued the story.
Gallade: He abandoned her and soon changed into what he is now and started Team Meanies, still running away from his mistake, until he met the human that saved us and helped him mend his ways and get Gardevoir back, even though she has no recollections of the events before and is a valued member to his newly changed Team PsyShadow.
Me: Gee…sounds like he had it messed up for him for a while until he made it up with whoever gave back his Gardevoir to him.
?: Correct.
I jumped at the new voice and saw it came from Ninetales himself!
Ninetales: Thank you for accepting my challenge. Gengar actually was watching you for me until you defeated Articuno and restored her crystal so I had a way of knowing if you did accept my challenge.
Me: Really? I had no idea.
Gallade: I did, but the night before he told me to not say a word until Ninetales did.
Ninetales: Now then, are you ready to restore the Water Crystal, Sonic?
Me: Can a Glalie use Powder Snow? I sure am!
Ninetales: Good answer!
He spread out his tales and a powerful energy caused the ice behind him to turn to water, swirl up, and leave the crystal in its place, in the same weakened state as the others. I walked up and touched it, feeling the graceful flowing water, stopping the tsunamis, floods, and rainstorms in some areas, having my true form cloak myself for a bit and restoring its deep blue glow before it disappeared and I fell to my knees, exhausted and proud that I completed the challenge.
Ninetales and Gallade walked up to me, smiling at the fact of my victory over the many battles and hardships to get me to this point.
Gallade: Well done! I never met a young one with such strength and courage as you!
Me: *Panting* Thanks…Gallade.
Ninetales said nothing, but curled up, laying down and wrapped his tails around me. At first I didn't want to grab a tail, worried about the curse, until he spoke to me gently.
Ninetales: Don't worry Sonic, the curse will only activate if you grab a tail and I didn't expect it, not when I offer one to you to keep warm.
I did grab one at that point and felt nothing, except my own sleepiness as I drifted off to another dream, not knowing that this one will cause a special, cool change to me as a Pokémon.
Author's Notes: And here's chapter 13! Now Chapter 14 is a WIP at the moment so when it's done, I'll post it up!
And yes I used a Gallade as the Pokemon to take Absol's role in this chapter. Longer notes are on my DA account.
Enjoy and review!
Pokemon is (c) Pokemon Company/Game Freak/Nintendo
Sonic and related are (c) SEGA/Sonic Team