Icicle Mountain 3

Mario and the Ice Climbers rushed down the icy mountain tunnels, following the yammering cries of Captain Toad. They came to an opening where the walls were ablaze. An orange dragon flew about, Toad grasped in his mouth. Mario passed between hot sweats and shivers as he walked by the ice blocks frozen into the ground. He did a double take. There was a young man trapped inside one of the ice blocks, ever so slowly tapping his finger on the surface. Mario turned to the sound of a roar. Charizard had dropped Toad on the ground as he stared at the Ice Climbers. Nana trembled, hiding behind Popo's back. Mario fired a fire ball at the dragon. It was super not effective.

Charizard turned towards him as he stomped through the snow, roaring and unleashing a blaze of fire from his mouth. Mario turned to run—too late. "Hot-hot-hot-hot-hot-hot-hargh!" he yelled as the fire burned his backside, smoke coming off him as he ran around frantically in a circle.

Charizard turned around, stomping back towards the Ice Climbers. He let out another blaze of fire from his mouth. Popo stood in place as he watched the flames rush towards him. Nana jumped over him, grabbing his hand as she did, throwing him over herself. The fire continued passed them, setting more of the inside walls of the mountain on fire. The Ice Climbers worked together, smashing small bits of ice with their hammers at Charizard. Charizard choked as the blistering ice shattered over his face.

Captain Toad noticed the man frozen in a block of ice. He rummaged through his backpack, pulling out a pickaxe power-up and cracking open the layer of ice. The man shivered as he tried to yell. "Ch-Ch-Charizard!" Charizard turned to towards the Pokémon Trainer. He jolted in pain as the ice smashed off his face. "Pl-please! Stop attacking him."

The Ice Climbers stopped their onslaught. "This monster is yours?" Popo asked.

"He's not a monster," The Pokémon Trainer said. "He's a Pokémon." Charizard pulled in beside him, and he stroked it on the head. "Speaking of Pokémon, where did my other three go?"

"Are these them?" Captain Toad brushed away the snow that was covering three blocks of ice.

"Squirtle! Ivysaur! Pichu! Let's get you all out of there."

"Wait-a minute," Mario said, still feeling the sting in his backside. "How do we know they aren't-a gonna attack us like your Pokémon?"

"Yeah," Popo said. "Your Pokémon is melting the mountain."

"It's not Charizard's fault," the Pokémon Trainer said. "We were trapped here by a rider in black. Charizard only set the inside of the mountain on fire because he was trying to break us out of the blocks of ice we were frozen in. Please, you've got to help get my friends out before they freeze for good."

Mario looked at Toad and nodded. Toad used a pickaxe power-up to break out the other creatures whilst Mario put out the fires on the inside walls of the mountain using F.L.U.D.D.. Squirtle and Ivysaur were very friendly, nodding at Captain Toad with thanks.

"Who's this little guy?" Captain Toad said, smiling as he reached a hand out to pet Pichu. Pichu growled, and Toad flinched back.

"Oops, I should have warned you about him," Pokémon Trainer said. "He's feistier than he looks."

"You said-a you were trapped here," Mario said. "Why?"

The Pokémon Trainer shrugged. "We were walking through a forest. The Next thing I know, the rider in black jumped out in front of us and vortexed us here."

Mario rubbed his chin. "Hmm. It seems-a like the both of us were brought all the way out here for a reason. Perhaps-a we need to go to the top of the mountain to see our surroundings."

Nana bounced up and down. "We know a shortcut," Popo said. "We can get you to the top in no time." Mario nodded. The Pokémon Trainer summoned his creatures back into their Poké Balls. The group followed the Ice Climbers back to the outside of the mountain and up towards the summit.