PMD: Fateful Saviors
Chapter 14: The Glacial Ordeal
Not too long later, the ground beneath us was blanketed in cold white snow and light flakes gradually fell from the sky in an eternal snowfall. Erdalla pulled a fluffy white fur cloak from her toolbox and put it around her while handing me a nice grey one. The chill wasn't too apparent yet, but I knew the moment we hit Mt Freeze, it would seriously get cold. I was glad that we had two Sunny Orbs tucked away for that occasion.
"Mmgh. Sometimes I wish I wasn't a Grass type" Howard grumbled as we trekked through the thin snowfield, slowly approaching the grove of pine trees up ahead "No matter where I go, it's hard for me to fight. Here in the snowfield, nearby Mt Blaze, anywhere a Flying type is… it's frustratingly limiting.
"You aren't the only one suffering here. All of us are being affected by the cold" Erdalla replied as she pulled her cloak closer onto her body "I've been in mostly simple environments for my whole life, so this sudden chill is new to me"
"Do seasons just not exist in Pokemon Square?" Howard asked curiously and Erdalla shook her head.
"Because of it's location, Pokemon Square rarely experiences seasons beyond spring and summer. It's quite tropical, seeing as it's right next to the Silver Trench and Grand Sea" The Pikachu replied "So I haven't seen the cold until now. What about you Zeplin?"
"BZZT! I LIVED IN THUNDERWAVE CAVE MY WHOLE LIFE. I DON'T KNOW SEASONS. BZZT!" The Magnemite replied "IN ANY CASE, I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU GUYS ARE TALKING ABOUT. I HARDLY FEEL ANYTHING. BZZT!"
"Because you're just a sentient magnet. Of course you don't feel hot or cold" I muttered before glancing to Howard, who looks stalwart as always, but was shivering slightly "You want a cloak Howard? I have an extra one in my bag"
"That would be nice. Thank you" The Breloom accepted and I handed him my spare blue one. The air between us still felt awkward. Everytime I looked at Howard, my neck ached where he slugged me back in Pokemon Square. I needed to clear it up now.
"By the way Howard, I'd like to ask…" I began "Did you join back with us by your own discretion or because Erina made you do it? Because I'd prefer to have teammates who actually believed in the cause"
"Forgive me Alfrin. I lost myself in the heat of the moment back in Pokemon Square" Howard apologized, tugging the cape closer to himself "After that incident, Erina dragged me home by the ear, giving me harsh scolding along the way about my actions. After thinking it over and seeing Gengar's assault at camp, I realized what he said couldn't be true"
"If it'll help you believe in me more, Moltres atop Mt Blaze confirmed I wasn't the source of the disasters" I said, gesturing to Erdalla "Erdalla can confirm it if you don't believe me"
"Does he speak the truth?" The Breloom asked Erdalla and she nodded.
"Had Alfrin not be the cause of the disasters, he wouldn't be walking alongside us now" The Pikachu replied "Moltres wouldn't have resurrected him and he could have very well incinerated the rest of us. It's because of Alfrin's innocence that we're still alive"
"I see… so a legendary itself confirmed your innocence" Howard said "If that's the case, why are we still trying to seek out this Ninetales? We could fly back to Pokemon Square and relay the news ourselves"
"Who would believe us? Unless the disasters suddenly stop, nobody is going to believe that I'm innocent" I stated "Even if Moltres accompanied us to confirm it, the problem still lingers. We need to find Ninetales to figure out how to stop the disasters"
"Fair. Still, I would have preferred to stay away from this chill…" Howard shivered in his cloak "But I'm all for stopping these disasters once and for all. One thing however: are we sure Ninetales is here in Mt Freeze?"
"... Who knows? This is the farthest we'll be getting before having to backtrack home" Erdalla said forlornly as the grove of trees approached ever closer "Anyways, looks like we've arrived at Frosty Forest, our first icy mystery dungeon"
"If Zeplin's reaction to the cold is accurate, he should be essential in this dungeon" I glanced at the Magnemite "Howard is key to shattering the Ice types here too, but he needs to be mindful of taking any attacks"
"I can start fires with my Electric attacks, so I'm just as effective as Howard on the offensive" Erdalla stated "It's just you that has to be careful Alfrin. Your Water type attacks won't sting hard against foes made of frozen water"
"Yeah. I suppose now's a good time to practice my Rock type techniques" I nodded "If we're all ready, let's head in"
"Yes. Let us go"
Frosty Forest wasn't exactly what I expected out of a frozen forest. Initially, we encountered plenty of standard field-type Pokemon like Azurill and Furret, with stranger picks like Lairon and Nosepass mixed in. Occasionally, packs of Poochyena led by a Mightyena passed by, but didn't dare fight us in fear of Howard and his fists. So far, no Ice types.
"This should be a fairly short dungeon, given the size of this forest" Erdalla estimated "At least compared to Mt Blaze. This is probably Sinister Woods level of floors"
"So about 10 to 12 floors, give or take?" I asked.
"Yeah, roughly so" The Pikachu spotted a Lairon nearby attempting to use Rock Tomb over the group "Alfrin, now's your chance. Intercept the boulders!"
"Right!" I stepped in front of Erdalla and concentrated, trying to uplift frosty rocks from the ground as if I was controlling the earth. However, nothing happened "Come on… come on…"
The rocks from Rock Tomb formed and began to descend down onto us, but I just couldn't get it to work like I did back at camp. The pressure from being crushed was too much.
"Alfrin, move!" Erdalla commanded and she knocked me aside as she raised her hands to the air, generating a barrier of electricity that broke the boulders into pebbles. She then flung the electrical shield towards the surprised Lairon, knocking him out in one blow "Alright, fess up Alfrin. What happened there? Why couldn't you counter the Rock Tomb?"
"I-I don't know. I concentrated just like I did when I control the earth and…" I slumped "I'm sorry. I guess the pressure of the fight just got to me"
"Don't be so hard on him Erdalla. Learning moves outside of your element is a hard task in itself" Howard smiled lightly at the Pikachu "Have you tried such a thing before?"
"Erm… do Normal type moves count?"
"No. Anybody could use and learn those with minimal effort. Have you tried, as you said, manipulating elements within the same sphere as your own, but not entirely your own type? Like say, using a Fire type move since your electricity generates heat?" The Breloom pressed. Erdalla didn't reply, stunned into silence "As I thought. So you don't know how Alfrin feels right now trying to learn Rock type moves"
"Honestly, I thought it would be easy to do" Erdalla turned back to me "I'm sorry for that. I suppose it just needs practice, like all things. Why don't you try lifting these pebbles here then?"
"Alright" I relented and got as close as I could to the fallen pebbles, closing my eyes and making my senses concentrate on the rocks in front of me. Manipulating the earth came natural to me as a Mudkip, so why wasn't it the same for rocks? They exist in the same sphere of control, like Erdalla said. Perhaps I needed to lift my aura of control a little, to bloom it out of the underground stratum…
"BZZT! IT'S WORKING! BZZT!" Zeplin buzzed excitedly. I didn't see it, but I felt the small pebbles rise from the ground, controlled by my power. A Poochyena screeched nearby, attracted to our stationary position and I flung the rock over instantly, nailing the dog in one shot. Now if I could apply the same work to larger rocks in the heat of battle, it could become a real weapon.
"... We've stayed here too long. Let's continue moving" Erdalla broke me out of my concentration "Good progress, but we'll need more if we're going to take on Articuno. Continue practicing while we walk"
"Right, right" My eyes darted to the Poochyenas eyeing us from the snowdrift by the trees, watching for a moment of weakness. We needed to get to the next floor now. We broke into a run and the Poochyenas howled, summoning their pack to chase us down.
"Good grief, they're chasing us now? Looks like desperate times call for desperate measures" Erdalla made a beeline to the stairs up ahead, using electricity to augment her speed. A Mightyena stepped into her way and snarled, but the Pikachu just smacked it in the face with Thunder Punch and continued moving, letting Howard finish it off with Mach Punch.
"Alfrin, seal the entrance with that rock over there!" Erdalla pointed to a frozen boulder reclining against a tree "The Poochyenas might try to follow us down the stairs!"
"Okay, I can do this…!" I focused on the rock with all my might, but a Poochyena managed to pounce onto me and sink it's fangs into my side with Thunder Fang, making me shriek.
"Damn!" Howard smashed the Poochyena off me and picked me up, blazing ahead towards the stairs. My side felt like it was on fire and I felt blood oozing down my leg and onto Howard's body. There was no way I could remotely focus now.
"We'll have to cover the entrance another way!" Erdalla gestured to Howard to toss me over to her and he did. I landed in Erdalla's arms and she quickly pushed me down to the next floor "Hurry up, you two!"
"BZZT! I CAN HOLD THEM OFF! BZZT!" Zeplin turned back to the Poochyena horde, which amounted to three packs now "COVER YOUR EARS. BZZT!"
Erdalla and Howard did as the Magnemite said and Zeplin unleashed an absolutely horrific sound with Metal Sound. I could hear it from a floor under and it sounded like metal scraping against each other in the worst way possible, fraying my already fragile mind. The Poochyena and Mightyena screeched in pain and covered their ears, running away in retreat.
"BZZT! THAT'LL SHOW THEM! BZZT!" Zeplin buzzed proudly as we unplugged our ears "TO THE NEXT FLOOR. BZZT!"
"Phew. Thanks for the save there Zeplin" Erdalla thanked the Magnemite as she took a Oran Berry from Howard for me to eat. The Pikachu held me in her arms, sweltered in my cloak to stop the bleeding the best she could. Turns out, the Poochyena's fangs cut deep into my internal organs and blood was flowing out fast. It took all my willpower to not black out.
"Here Alf, eat this" Erdalla fed me the Oran Berry gingerly and as the blueberry taste washed down my throat, warmth began spreading throughout my body as my wounds healed. I felt my injuries close up and the flow of blood stopped as Erdalla put me back on the ground. I felt wobbly, but able to walk still.
"Sorry for that everyone" I apologized, picking at my bloodstained, shredded cape "The Poochyena caught me off guard and I couldn't even seal the exit like I could of"
"That's hardly your fault Alfrin. The Poochyena pounced you" Erdalla shook her head "In any case, the threat's dealt with and over, so rest easy. There's still plenty of time before we hit Mt Freeze and find Articuno"
"Come to think of it, what floor are we on? I feel that we should be reaching a checkpoint soon or something" I said and Erdalla frowned, scratching her chin thoughtfully.
"I believe we're on floor number nine. If this is truly Sinister Woods, we should be near the end of the forest soon" The Pikachu pointed to her left "There's the stairs. Let's see if there's somewhere to take a break"
We descended down the stairs to the tenth floor, where a clearing laid for us to rest.
"Mm, it's been a while since we left camp. We should set up here for the time being, just to have some lunch and rest" Erdalla surmised "A nap wouldn't be bad either"
"Can anyone even sleep in these conditions…?" Howard asked, shivering "Because I don't think it's just me. It definitely got a lot colder"
On cue, a chilling wind blew through the area, freezing me right down to the bone. My shredded cape did little to protect me from the cold, but even if it was mended, I doubted it would of helped still. Erdalla was shivering just as hard as Howard was. Only Zeplin was unaffected naturally.
"I-if we set up a fire, we'll be warm. C-come along now…" Erdalla chattered and we moved towards the center of the clearing. The Pikachu drew some dry sticks out of her toolbox, laid them down in the snowdrift and thrust her hand into the air, calling down a lightning bolt to cast the sticks ablaze for a campfire. Warmth spread through my body, although that was interrupted by the cold snow under my feet.
"Let's have some food. Some nice roasted berries and nuts would do us good" Howard drew the cape closer into himself as he sat down on a nearby log "A shame we can't hunt anything here for food"
"The only decent game here are the Furrets and Mightyenas and it seems neither are present in this checkpoint of the dungeon" Erdalla rubbed her hands together in an attempt to generate more warmth. I pressed against her side to share body heat and the Pikachu didn't mind. Zeplin simply stared into the flames, entranced before his eyes darted to the entrance to the next part of the dungeon.
"BZZT! HEY, I HAVEN'T SEEN YOU AROUND HERE. WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? BZZT!" Zeplin buzzed and we all turned to see an angelic looking Pokemon staring at us, analyzing our group carefully. It had snow covered white fur, sharp black claws and tail, but most interesting of all was it's deadly ebony horn by the side of it's head.
"Absol, the Disaster Pokemon…" Erdalla whispered "It only appears in times of an impending disaster…"
The Absol stared hard at us before uttering one word.
"Run"
And bounded away back into the dungeon where it came from. A foreboding warning for sure, but what disaster was-
"BZZT! E-EARTHQUAKE! THERE'S AN EARTHQUAKE! BZZT! BZZZZTT!" Zeplin flew around in a panic, running straight back into the dungeon. We had no choice but to follow as the quake grew stronger, sundering the earth behind us and tearing down entire rows of snow bound trees. We broke into the first floor of the second dungeon and continued running, far after the catastrophe behind us has stopped. Of all times to be hit by a disaster, why was it during break time?
"We must be close to the end of the dungeon now, seeing as we just cleared the checkpoint. Keep moving everyone!" Erdalla focused ahead, where Zeplin was still zipping around in a panic. Residual shock from the quake probably "Zeplin, calm down! The quake has stopped!"
"BZZt! BZZT! EARTHQUAKE… EARTHQUAKE! BZZZTTT!" The Magnemite seemed to be in a malfunctioned frenzy, bonking into trees and such. I suppose that's what happens when you're nearly hit by a super effective blow. One dose of the quake and Zeplin would of been instantly killed.
"Zeplin, come back! You're not safe here!" Erdalla shouted again before spotting a Rhyhorn moving in to strike the frazzled Magnemite "Zeplin, look out!"
"I got this!" I blasted a steady stream of water towards the Rhyhorn. The freezing chill in the air turned the Water Gun into Ice Beam, striking the Rhyhorn and freezing it solid. Why a Rhyhorn was hanging out in an icy forest, I had no idea, but at least the threat has passed "Zeplin, come on! It's alright now!"
"BZZZT! BZZT! QUAKE… QUAAKKKEE!" Zeplin was still going crazy. Erdalla growled in frustration and leaped, snatching the Magnemite out of the air "BZZZTTTT!"
"Oh, shut up Zeplin. All you need is a quick restart…" Erdalla pressed her hand onto the Magnemite's head and shot dozens of bolts of electricity straight into the magnet, making it buzz like crazy and it's eyes to go rolling.
"Stop it Erdalla! You're killing him!" Howard protested, but the Pikachu shook her head.
"I'm not. The shockwaves from the quake must have short-circuited his brain, so he just needs a little juice to restart" Erdalla replied as she let go of Zeplin, letting the Magnemite float back into the air and shake itself off.
"BZZT! UGH, WHERE AM I? BZZT!" Zeplin shook his body vigorously "ALL I REMEMBER WAS THE QUAKE AND THEN, I SORTA JUST BLACKED OUT. WHAT HAPPENED? BZZT!"
"Nothing. Just… nothing" Erdalla sighed before pressing forward, pulling an Apple from her toolbox to eat "I see the end of the forest up ahead. Come along"
We pushed through the last vestiges of the forest until we reached a large cliff overlooking a grand snowfield below. The view was absolutely dazzling.
"If it wasn't for the extreme cold, I'd love to live here" Erdalla commented as we overlooked the view on the ridge "But the chill is exactly what's keeping our pursuers at bay, so I suppose I can't be mad at it"
"Yeah. I doubt there's any Pokemon in the world who can find us here, save for Alakazam and his team" I agreed "And if what they desire is true, then they won't see us here for a long time"
"All the more time to find Ninetales" Erdalla continued "And if not, we can at least hide out here until this whole thing blows over"
"Can't say I agree, given my own typing" Howard said, deadpanning "Now are we going to stand here overlooking the ridge or continue moving? We're liable to freeze anytime soon and we need to get to Mt Freeze before dusk"
"Right, right. Thanks for reminding us Howard" Erdalla nodded "There should be a way to descend the ridge, so let's-"
"Stop. Nobody is going past here to Mt Freeze" A female voice rang from nowhere.
"Who's there? Show yourself!" Erdalla cried.
"Nobody is getting past Frosty Forest, much less those who will destroy the world" The voice intoned "If you persist in your resistance, you'll be defeated by me!"
"And who are you? You can't be Articuno. Articuno resides on Mt Freeze!" Howard called and the voice laughed softly.
"Who said us birds can't leave our domains? I tried to ward you away from here with the winter chill, but I suppose you can't be stopped without force" The voice continued "The earthquake… destroyed many Pokemon's homes and lives. I will avenge those slain by your doing!"
"That wasn't us! Moltres himself said that-" I protested, but was cut off.
"Enough! I am the princess of ice, Articuno. By my power, you will be stopped!" A brilliant white flash bathed the area and when it faded, Articuno spread her wings in all her glory in front of us. Snowdust danced off the feathers and a chill even worse than before blew through the area "Let us begin!"
Articuno began by firing a hailstorm of icicles down onto us, but Erdalla shattered a Sunny Orb fast, casting an infernal sun over the sky to melt Articuno's attacks into water, letting me redirect them back at her.
"Futile" Articuno darted away from the countered water blasts with ease "You think you're the only ones who can change the weather? Hail!"
Instantly, grey clouds pushed the searing sun away and small ice pebbles began falling from the sky, peppering the ground around us. It was seriously hard to approach Articuno without getting a piece of ice smashed onto our faces.
"Blizzard!" Articuno roared and icy tornadoes encased all of us, trapping us in a cyclone of freezing wind. Howard was the first to be blown back, tumbling down the hill with permafrost etched onto his body. His eyes were bloodshot and his face shown great visible pain. We needed to strike back at Articuno before one of us died and quickly.
"Zeplin, Metal Sound!" I called and the Magnemite nodded through the Blizzard storm, emitting a horrific soundwave that made Articuno stutter backwards, clutching her ears in pain. The storm faded and we were able to find an opening to attack Articuno. Erdalla slammed two electrically-charged fists into Articuno's underbelly while I pulled a collection of Geo Pebbles I found inside the dungeon. If I could just manipulate them quickly enough…
"Not so fast!" Articuno flapped her wings in a great gale, blowing the Geo Pebbles out of my hand and pushing back all of us. Poor Howard got flung even further down the hill "Air Slash!"
An instantly lethal blade of wind sliced in front of Erdalla, sending her flying over the edge of the cliff. She held onto the cliff edge at the last second, holding on for dear life.
"Erdalla!" I cried, but the Pikachu simply tossed me a Hunger Seed when I ran over to her.
"Don't worry about me! Focus on the fight!" Erdalla shouted and she thrust her free hand towards Articuno, who was dealing with Zeplin and his Metal Sounds "Thunder Wave!"
A wave of paralyzing lightning caught Articuno by surprise and temporarily immobilized her, but she shook it off quickly and continued to fight Zeplin. I couldn't rescue Erdalla or else Zeplin would be overwhelmed. But if I left to aid Zeplin, Erdalla could fall…
"Howard, help Erdalla up! I'm helping Zeplin!" I yelled to the Breloom as he pulled himself up and onto the hill. He was covered in gashes and scraps from rolling down the steep hill, but he nodded in understanding and rushed to Erdalla's aid. Zeplin dodged an Ice Beam from Articuno and countered back with Thunderbolt, but the attack did next to nothing to the glacial bird and she was quickly tiring him out.
"Ah ha ha! Now begone!" Articuno's wings burst into flame from Hidden Power Fire and she swooped down, slashing Zeplin into a steaming heap down the hill. I couldn't go down to see if he was alright because I was literally the only one left to fight.
"So… you're Alfrin. You're a scrawny Pokemon to cause such havoc, but I suppose you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover" Articuno's wings gleamed with ice, indicating an attack was coming "Are you ready to end this?"
"Yes. I'm ready to end you" I growled with primal fury. This fiend ignored our pleas and hurt my teammates. I wasn't going down without a fight. I rushed towards Articuno, pulling the second Sunny Orb we had from my toolbox. I shattered it just as Articuno fired her attack, turning the Ice Beam into a water attack for my to fire back. Articuno dodged and threw an Air Slash, but not before I slammed her with a Hunger Seed to the face.
"Aaaagghh! W-what…? What is this?!" Articuno cried as she fell to the ground, utterly helpless. She couldn't fly or even fight back. Just watch as I approached her with silent fury, my gaze stone cold.
"This… is… over" I intoned and I stomped my foot onto the ground, causing the Geo Pebbles flown away earlier to shake. Then suddenly grew in size to the size of standard boulders and flew over my head, awaiting my command "Ancient… POWER!"
The boulders repeatingly pounded Articuno into submission, making her shriek in agony.
"AAAAGGHHH! MAKE IT STOP!" The glacial bird screamed before she slumped into unconsciousness, reducing herself into a simple shard of ice. I recalled my boulders to the ground before approaching the icicle, which was barely melting in the heat of the sun above us.
"Alfrin!" Howard ran toward me, looking frantic and on the verge of panic "I'm… I'm so sorry!"
"What? What is it Howard?" I asked worriedly "Where's Erdalla?"
"Erdalla, she… she got hit by Articuno's Air Slash and…"
"And? And what? Just say it Howard!"
"And she fell off the cliff"
"WHAT?!" I pushed the injured Breloom aside and ran to where Erdalla used to be by the cliffside. As he said, the Pikachu was gone and all that remained was a torn piece of her cloak left on the rock after Articuno's attack.
"Articuno you…! Where… where's Erdalla…?" I searched all over the place for any more clues of the Pikachu, but there was barely a trace. Just as Howard said, she fell off the cliff and probably didn't survive "Articuno, I'll… I'll break you into a million pieces! GIVE ME BACK ERDALLA!"
I stormed over to where Articuno's icicle form used to sit, but it was missing. I roared in anger and agony before breaking down crying. If I didn't know Erdalla's feelings when I first died, then I knew it now. She was my anchor when I came to this world, my mentor and my partner. She couldn't have simply died just like that.
"BZZT! ALFRIN, LET'S… LET'S CONTINUE ON. WE CAN'T FIND ERDALLA FROM WHERE WE ARE. WE HAVE TO MOVE ON, FOR HER SAKE. BZZT!" Zeplin said, but I swatted him away.
"No! We're searching for her, first and foremost. There has to be some way of getting down this ridge to where-"
"Alfrin, no. You're going crazy now. You have to accept what happens in life. Erdalla couldn't have survived a fall like that. It's too-"
"No, shut up. SHUT UP!" I yelled back at the Breloom, stunning him. I ran back to the ridge where the Pikachu fell "Something in my toolbox could help here. A move or item or whatever. I just need to get down this cliff!"
Suddenly, I heard the sharp cry of Articuno from behind me and saw the accursed bird fly from under the cliff, looking renewed as if I didn't pound her into dust before.
"YOU!" I summoned my boulders to surround Articuno in an orbital spiral. For once, she actually looked scared "How dare you show your face to me again! Leave or die!"
"STOP!" A new voice shouted as it arrived on the scene, bounding up the hill onto the cliff. It shot it's own Ice Beam towards my boulders, breaking them apart into pebbles that scattered onto the ground.
"F-Fiona?! What are you doing here?" Articuno asked in shock.
"These Pokemon are innocent! They aren't the world destroyers you believe they are!" The Absol cried valiantly "The earthquake in Frosty Forest wasn't their doing!"
"Disasters have been happening everywhere they go. What am I to believe from you?" Articuno countered.
"You must know by now that I can sense disasters. It was a simple coincidence that an earthquake happened just as they were passing by" Fiona argued "All over the world now, disasters are happening. Not just the places Alfrin has visited. No, the true source of the disasters is something else"
"D-do you speak truly?"
"Of course. You know I would never lie to you" Fiona replied "Now please let them pass. As to continue their quest to prevent the disasters"
Articuno frowned, thinking. For a few seconds, she said nothing.
"... Fine. I'll let them pass" Articuno spread her great wings "But only because you vouched for them, Fiona. If the truth comes to light that Alfrin is the one responsible for all of us, I WILL end all of you. Farewell!"
And with that, Articuno flew away into the snowy skies, all before I could even ask her about Erdalla.
"So are you the Absol that warned us of the earthquake earlier?" Howard asked Fiona. The Absol turned to the rest of us, analyzing us carefully again.
"Yes. Allow me to introduce myself" Fiona replied "I am Fiona, a lone Absol of this region and a forewarner of disasters. Pleasure to meet you"
"... A pleasure" I said without enthusiasum "We're Team Lazulian of Pokemon Square. I'm Alfrin, the co-leader. This is Howard and that's Zeplin"
"Hello"
"BZZT! HOWDY. BZZT!"
"Co-leader, are you? Where's the leade-"
"Don't. Ask" I growled before moving to the opposite side of the cliff where Erdalla fell. A path opened up to go down the cliff after Articuno flew away "Let's go to Mt Freeze. Ninetales awaits"
"What happened to looking for Erdalla?" Howard asked.
"Didn't you just say that I should accept that she died and move on? We're not looking for her" I snapped "Now come. It's hopeless to go searching for a body that has fallen off a cliff"
"... Very well. Right behind you" Howard fell in line behind me, looking guilty. Zeplin and Fiona joined in as well, smartly staying silent. I grit my teeth in primal anger and frustration. None of this would have happened if Gengar didn't spread his lies in Pokemon Square. I wouldn't have suffered for weeks straight and lost Erdalla. If I saw the slimy bastard now, I wouldn't even know how to contain my rage. For the first time, I felt Erdalla's sheer anger over Gengar and I understood it immediately. He took something very dear away from he and he was going to pay for it.
In blood.
Our team:
- Alfrin, Mudkip - Scarred Co-leader
Level 30
Moves: Water Pulse, Ice Beam, Mud Shot and Ancient Power
- Howard, Breloom - Chilled Bodyguard
Level 31
Moves: Mach Punch, Bullet Seed, Spore and Absorb
- Zeplin, Magnemite - Mechanical Companion
Level 28
Moves: Thunderbolt, Metal Sound, Thunder Shock and Sonic Boom
- Fiona, Absol - Forewarner of Calamity
Level 29
Moves: Ice Beam, Faint Attack, Slash and Swords Dance
Phew what a chapter. I actually forgot you fight Articuno at the end of Frosty Forest, so this ended up being more exciting than I initially thought it would be. And with the Articuno battle comes a new ally: Fiona the Absol. Like Zeplin, Absol is a forced recruitment in the main story, so that's why she's here. I would prefer to not have another Absol character in the story after Ezra in Explorers of Light and Shadow (even though I adore Absol to death), but I don't want to mess around with canon too much. Coming up next is Mt Freeze, where the remnants of Team Lazulian hope to find Ninetales and finally bring their quest to an end. If you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out, favorite and follow. If you want to leave constructive criticism or praise, leave a review. Until next time!