"'Bittercold'," Light repeated. "Not exactly, but the name gives me the same feelings that the Glacier Palace gives me."
Mawile's face turned even more grave. "Then I believe I have an inkling as to what exactly is going on here. If what Light said is true, then that means…"
"Hey, the prisoners have escaped!"
Everyone looked back to see a beartic and a weavile finally noticed their escape. The weavile slashed at Ampharos with his claws, but Mawile was able to use her large head to intercept the attack before it hit. While the weavile was reeling from impacting hard metal, Mawile slammed into him with an Iron Head, sending the weavile back into the bars. The beartic attempted to strike at Mawile before she was able counterattack, but Lilac pushed him back slightly with a Psychic blast.
"Fennix, double rush," Light commanded quickly as he saw the opening Lilac created.
Fennix responded with naught but a nod before both Light and her rushed at the beartic using a combination of Volt Tackle and Flame Charge. The two attacks impacted with a hard crunch before the beartic was sent flying back a few feet. He was still left standing, however, and the weavile soon joined him.
"Mawile, let's block and everyone else attack," Light suggested quickly while the two opponents were approaching. Mawile nodded to confirm that she heard him.
Light chose to direct his attention to the weavile this time while Mawile focused on the beartic. The weavile attempted to use Night Slash, but Light dodged the first slash before using Iron Tail to send the second claw into the air. Meanwhile, Mawile didn't even give the beartic a chance to attack, instead using her large jaw to grab onto the beartic and hold it in place. While the weavile was nearly falling over, Light dodged out of the way just in time for Fennix to broil the weavile with a Flamethrower. Meanwhile, Ampharos and Lilac used a Dragon Pulse and Psychic respectively to take out the beartic that Mawile was holding.
With the two guards out, the crew came back together, Mawile speaking first. "We should get moving before more guards come. Talk of the Bittercold will have to come later."
Lilac sighed. "I hate to say it, but your right. As much as I'd like to know what we're up against, that won't matter if we get caught by more guards then we can handle."
With that acknowledged, the Pokémon all walked in the direction after Articuno and her guards.
Walking through the Glacier Palace was an odd experience for Light. Their trips normally took them through Mystery Dungeons, where they had to deal with random layouts and seemingly infinite enemies appearing at every turn. And, while the halls of the Glacier Palace certainly seemed mazelike at times, halls and rooms were laid out in logical patterns that made navigation slightly easier. Not only that, but it was very easy to hide in one of the rooms when one of the guards were patrolling, allowing them to stealth their way through the palace in a way that they wouldn't normally be able to do with wild Pokémon.
Of course, it wasn't perfect, and they had to get in a number of fights, but the group had very little to fear from Ice-types and were able to move on with very little injury.
"It's funny," Lilac mused after one such fight while Mawile and Ampharos hid the knocked-out Pokémon, a sandslash and a sneasel, in a nearby room that conveniently had some beds in it. "I never thought I'd feel like I'm exploring a Mystery Dungeon while not actually in one."
"It certainly is tiring," Fennix agreed. "You'd think these creeps would just leave us alone already. Like, none of them know we're prisoners anymore, we're just apparently 'suspicious outsiders' now."
Light thought of it for a few seconds, shivering as he did so due to the cold. "I wonder if it has something to do with whatever Articuno's doing. Something to do with Dark Matter and its minions. Maybe Articuno doesn't actually trust Dark Matter that much and has upped security just to be sure"
"Smart move, in that case." Lilac paused for a moment. "Speaking of which, Light. Do you remember anything else about what's been going on?"
Light thought for a moment before sighing and rubbing the back of his head. "We're going the right way, I remember that much. I also remember really being against going this way, but I was out voted. But nothing beyond this aside from the same feelings I mentioned before."
"In any case, we should keep moving." Mawile and Ampharos both returned from their work, Mawile being the one who spoke. "However, I think we should be extra careful from now on. I get the feeling that whatever is happening will happen soon."
"You sensed it too, didn't you?" Lilac asked. "It's getting colder in here. But the sunlight that's reflected around here has gotten brighter. If anything, it should be getting warmer, not colder."
Light rubbed sides as he shivered some more. "Wait…you're right. And Articuno said…"
Ampharos nodded and continued for Light. "Dark Matter's minion promised to restore the cold to Articuno's realm. And if that is indeed what is happening, then it seems we are running out of time. Well, well, well, it seems we must forgo stealth and instead move faster."
"Let me be perfectly clear. You will be going no further."
Everyone looked down the corridor to see Articuno and two guards walking from the distance to meet him. A abomasnow and a mamoswine both followed behind her, the abomasnow's mere presence causing hail to start falling across the area. Articuno looked extremely indignant as she approached.
"I heard that you had escaped and saw that the key was stolen. I should have anticipated that you would do this. I can't say I blame your attempts to leave, but I can't let you go any farther. Dark Matter's minion has already started reversing the curse across my domain, and I can't let you stop his ritual."
"You don't understand," Mawile growled. She stood in a battle-ready stance, which made Light realize he should be ready for a fight as well. "The minion you brought to your palace won't save it. Rather, this place will become desolate soon because of him. You cannot trust Dark Matter."
"I have no choice. I must accept this help. And for that, I must take you out and return you to your cells." Articuno flapped her wings, a cold breath of air washing over the society. "For my kingdom, for the Pokémon that live in it, I must cast aside everything for their safety. No matter the cost."
Ampharos stepped forward. "As a leader, I can understand your feelings. However, I cannot agree with your means. In your desperation, you have blinded yourself to the truth. Therefore, we must move on from here to prove it to you."
The two guards of Articuno stepped back while Articuno stepped forward. She flew high into the air and began blowing a large blast of wind on the five Pokémon below. Light could feel the chilled air wash over him as the Gust attack hit him, that chill being worse than any damage he took from the attack.
"Articuno can take special attacks well, but not much for physical," Lilac telepathically warned while the Gust was going on. There was a sort of desperation in her mental voice "She's also slow, but that won't matter so long as she's in the air."
While she tried to contain herself as much as she could, Light understood where her desperation came from. He himself was feeling the same thing. They had never managed to defeat a Legendary Pokémon, let alone one as powerful as Articuno herself. And Light previously lost to Tapu Koko. The closest they came was beating Yvaltal, but both himself and Fennix were powered up by the Harmony Scarves and were fully evolved. They didn't have that boon anymore, so they would need to muster all their strength to win that fight.
"Mawile, launch!" Light commanded.
Light made a small hop into the air before he felt Mawile's cold metal head on his feet. It was naught but a second later when Light was flung in the direction of Articuno at blinding speeds. Light went for his most powerful attack first, surrounding himself with electricity as he slammed into Articuno and sent her in the ceiling. Both Light and Articuno fell, but Light was caught by Lilac's Psychic and brought slowly to the ground while Articuno slammed into the ground.
"L-lady Articuno," called one of her guards.
Articuno got back on her feet. "Stay back, you two. This is my battle to fight. And a small pikachu's Volt Tackle won't take me out."
"Yeah, well how about this?!" Fennix yelled before spewing forth a powerful Flamethrower.
Articuno answered by bringing her wings together before separating them slowly, a sphere of water being created as she spread her wings. She quickly launched that sphere at Fennix, dissipating the fire upon contact and hitting her before she could stop her attack and get out of the way. Fennix could only screech as the water blasted her and sent her away.
Seeing that, as Light finally reached the ground, he turned his attention towards her and away from Articuno, calling her name with an outstretched left arm. Therefore, he was only just able to hear the sound of metal clashing just next to his left ear. As Light faced the source of the sound, he saw Mawile directly in front of him, using Iron Head to block a Steel Wing Articuno had aimed at him.
"Focus, Light," Mawile grunted. "This is a Legendary Pokémon. We cannot hesitate at all."
Lilac nodded. "Give me your bag. I'll deal with it."
Light nodded before throwing his bag at Lilac and turning his attention towards Articuno. Articuno and Mawile were both still struggling, but Mawile's sturdy stance was started to crumble under the sheer might of a Legendary Pokémon. So Light quickly evened the odds by launching a Thunderpunch straight into Articuno's gut. The sudden blow caused Articuno to flinch, and that gave Mawile the chance to deflect her and push her back with Iron Head. With Articuno pushed back, Ampharos launched an Electro Ball at her. The three effective attacks were enough that Articuno became fatigued.
"Lady Articuno, let us join you, please!" the abomasnow called. "You are powerful, no doubt, but you are also outnumbered, and against opponents who can target your weaknesses. Please, let us help you."
"I…will not be…humiliated," Articuno grunted.
Articuno landed on the ground and closed her eyes. Suddenly, a sphere of energy surrounded her, and said sphere dissipated just as quickly. When she opened her eyes back up, her fatigue was gone, and she emanated an aura of strength.
"What in the world…" Light breathed.
"Roost," Ampharos answered. "A smart move to be sure. Our Electric moves won't be as effective for a while."
"Now, let's end this." Articuno spread her wings wide before sending another gust of wind at her opponents. Unlike the previous time she used Gust, though, this wind came with a torrent of snow that was almost blinding. As Light covered his face with his arms, he felt his body temperature drop and he was shivering. Snow coated his fur and it stuck.
"Th-that's blizzard! And it's hailing too! This is bad! L-Light, we need to endure!"
Light did as she asked and held on as long as he could, but he could feel his strength being sapped. He stayed strong, though, bracing himself through the duration of the attack. Eventually, though, the blowing snow dissipated and, while Light didn't feel any warmer because of it, he was able to glance around and take stock of the situation. However, his examination stopped when he simply looked to his left and saw the frozen figure of his Chief.
"C-crap," Light groaned.
"Light!"
Upon hearing Fennix's voice, and figuring that she recovered, a plan came into Light's mind. "Fennix, defrost! Espurr, you're on offence with me and Mawile."
Before Articuno could do anything while everyone was weak and scattered, Light rushed at her and sheathed his tail in silver. He jumped into the air and slashed his Iron Tail at Articuno's beak. She wreathed her wings in silver, though, and blocked Light's attack easily. And, since Light was still in the air, he was easily swatted back. Lilac also tried launching a Psybeam, but Articuno retaliated with Ice Beam. The two beams collided, but Articuno's easily overpowered Lilac's, and she needed to stop and dodge out of the way quickly before she got frozen.
Light rushed forward while Articuno was using Ice Beam, hoping to hit her with a Thunderpunch so she would stop her Ice Beam and allow Lilac to win the beam clash. But he was too late to stop the Ice Beam from overpowering the Psybeam. And Articuno was able to see his attack coming and sent another Ice Beam right in front of him, creating a wall of ice to block his progress. Mawile, having gotten close, broke the ice wall that blocked Light with Iron Head, and the two attempted to strike at Articuno with an Iron Head and Iron Tail respectively. Articuno once again used Steel Wing to block by using both her wings to cover her body. The three Steel attacks clanged against each other and, while Light and Mawile were able to hold their ground for a few seconds, Articuno soon pushed the two Pokémon back.
She's getting really good at blocking and keeping us from attacking her, Light thought as he tried to assess the situation for a new strategy. If I could just get a Brick Break off, I could push through, but her Ice Beam is so powerful and so fast. And she uses her own Steel Wing when I try Iron Tail. We need to do something else…something…
And, at that moment, Light realized something. Lilac! Use Charge Beam on my tail when I try hitting her with Iron Tail.
"…Oh, I see what you're getting at. On it!"
Articuno shot another Ice Beam at Light, but he managed to deflect it with an Iron Tail. His tail still wreathed in silver, Light rushed forward and jumped once again to attack Articuno with it. He saw Articuno's wings glow silver, her Steel Wing at the ready to block his attack. However, he also felt a sudden discharge of electricity hit his tail, electrifying it. The out of control electricity stung Light slightly, but he was able to keep it contained in his tail until it clashed with Articuno's wings. The electricity soon discharged from Light's tail into Articuno's body, her wings being the conduit. While Light was still flung back, Articuno's guard was dropped from the sudden pain.
"Mawile, now!" Light commanded.
Mawile needed no further prodding, using Iron Head to once again attack Articuno. This time, with her guard down, Articuno was unable to block the attack, allowing Mawile's attack to hit her in the stomach. The force of the attack sent Articuno back quite far before she crashed and scrapped across the floor.
"Lady Articuno!" the abomasnow called when he saw her fly away. He turned his attention back to Articuno's assailants, a malicious glare on his face. "That's it! I refuse to sit on the sidelines anymore!"
The mamoswine only nodded his agreement before charging at Light, his tusks poised to gore. The abomasnow also targeted Light with an Ice Punch. Light got ready to spring into action, however yellow fur suddenly blocked his vision before he was able to. And also, before he knew it, a green barrier surrounded him.
"Fennix?!" Light called.
"Chief is fine, if a little fatigued," Fennix grunted, her eyes closed in concentration to keep the barrier up despite the attacks assailing it.
Light smiled before closing his eyes and putting his paws together. He made a wish and healing light poured out from his paws to all his allies, helping them heal their wounds and gain energy. It may have just been him, but Light also could've sworn that his Wish made him just a tiny bit warmer.
"Once the barrier is down, hit the abomasnow with Flamethrower," Light commanded after he dissipated his Wish. "I'll knock the mamoswine back myself."
"Sounds like a plan!"
So Fennix's barrier disappeared and, once it did, she immediately shot a powerful Flamethrower at the abomasnow, wreathing the large Pokémon's entire body in flames. Light meanwhile hit the mamoswine in the tusks with his Iron Tail, sending the mammoth's charge off course and into a nearby wall. Two beams, one multicolored and the other purple, hit the mamoswine as well. The mamoswine was knocked out, while the abomasnow was barely hanging on from that last attack.
"I…thought I told you two…that I would handle it," Articuno grunted. Light turned his attention to her and saw that she was attempting to approach again. However, she couldn't fly, and her steps were slow and staggered.
"L-lady Articuno we…" Abomasnow started, but the pain he was in prevented him from finishing that sentence, as he soon fell and was only able to save himself from completely collapsing with one arm.
"For…this kingdom…I must be strong," Articuno grunted as she continued to step forward. "For…this kingdom…I will not fall. I…will give my life…to this kingdom…if need be."
Ampharos stepped in front of the rest of the group, his eyes meeting hers. "I understand how you feel. As a leader, I too would give everything I could so my friends could prosper. However, before you put your life on the line, ask yourself this: Is the cause you're fighting for truly worth dying for? Do you believe in this minion of Dark Matter that much? I for one, do not intend to take your life, nor do I imagine either of my allies. We merely want to stop you from making a terrible mistake."
"I…I…"
However, before Articuno could finish that statement, the entire palace of ice started shaking. Everyone lost their footing and fell to the ground because of the power of the tremors. Ice started cracking and breaking all around them, with a few icicles even falling to the ground, threatening to skewer everyone.
"W-w-w-what in the world?" Fennix groaned. "An e-earthquake?"
Mawile tried to remain standing, but she couldn't move. "N-no. I c-could be wrong, b-but I th-think the palace itself is m-moving."
"M-moving?" Lilac asked.
"Th-then I'd h-hate to say it, b-but we're…" Ampharos started, but he wasn't able to finish before the shaking stopped.
However, when the shaking stopped, a powerful cold wind suddenly blew through the area. Light felt the chill immediately, but more importantly, he felt his breath leave his mouth. Despite trying to breathe, it felt as if most of oxygen was sapped from the area. He struggled, absolutely struggled, his body screaming for him to catch any sort of breath, but he couldn't get nearly enough.
It wasn't just Light that was struggling as well. A quick glance around from his limited vantage point saw that Lilac, Abomasnow, and Articuno were all struggling to breathe, and the latter two were coughing. And he could hear Fennix try and take in large, heavy breathes, only to blow out very little.
"Wh-what…sort of curse…is this?" Articuno grunted.
"The Winds…of Despair," Mawile breathlessly answered. "Th-that means that…"
"This…is when the Bittercold…first came into being."