Abomasnow

The fairgrounds were busy, noisy, merry, and sticky. It was ninety-six degrees Fahrenheit and it should have felt more like a hundred and ten with the heat index where it was. But there was a breeze blowing through, either cold or warm depending on where one was. And, obstinately ignoring the heat advisory, the central part of the fairgrounds was snowing.

Fair goers came to the central walkway to escape the heat, but soon had to leave as it was too cool in that area to be wearing shorts and tank tops. Brave people who came to find out why it was snowing in the middle of August found an ice cream stand where the snow was managing to stick to the ground, at least for a few seconds. And at that ice cream stand, they found an Abomasnow.

It was highly unusual to find a mountain Pokemon in Kansas, so the stout, six foot high, furry Pokemon was gathering a lot of curious onlookers. He was quite friendly, smiling at all who passed by (and unwittingly showing off his large teeth) and patting the heads of kids who came up to him (his hands were often bigger than their heads). Even though his natural powers chilled the air noticeably for the humans, he was keeping under shade. Being out in the sun was too hot for him.

One mother walked by with her toddler. "Oh look, Mark, look at the nice, um..."

"Abomasnow," the ice cream vendor said kindly. "His name is Mr. Bumble."

She nodded in a way that showed that she had no idea what this Pokemon was, and didn't care so long as he stayed nice. "Yes, Abomasnow. Isn't he neat?"

Meaning well, he growled softly, "Howdy kid."

The toddler, who'd been staring at Mr. Bumble with wide eyes, burst into tears and clutched his mother's leg.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the mother said, although it wasn't clear who she was apologizing to. She picked her son up and moved on.

Mr. Bumble looked down sadly and scuffed the ground with his feet. "Aw, I scared another kid."

"It's okay, buddy," the ice cream vendor said. "People aren't too familiar with your kind around here. How about we change the music?" She held up a CD case. "I've got the Bellsprout Boogie."

The Abomasnow grinned. "Sure, play that!" Once the cheery music started, he started bopping his head to the rhythm.

"What kind of Pokemon is this guy?" a young teenager asked. A Zigzagoon was trying to hide behind his legs, keeping a wary eye on the larger Pokemon.

"An Abomasnow," the vendor repeated. "I picked him up in Tibet. They call him the Ice Monster there, or the Abominable Snowman. But really, it's an exaggeration. Mr. Bumble is very friendly."

"Howdy, little buddy," Bumble said to the Zigzagoon.

"Uh, howdy?" the Zigzagoon replied uncertainly.

"He's awesome," the teen said. "Do you want to battle?"

"Against him?"

The ice cream vendor shook her head. "Sorry, can't do that here."

"Why not? It's not against the fairground rules so long as we keep out of the main paths."

"Yeah, but he's making snow right now because he's in a good mood. If we go into battle, he starts making hail. I don't think the people around here would appreciate a hailstorm."

"Oh I see. So what are you doing with him out here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" the vendor asked, pointed at the sign above her head. "We're making and selling fresh ice cream. Would you like a pint?"

"Fresh?" the boy said skeptically. "Anybody can say it's fresh. You probably made it all yesterday."

She shook her head. "Nope, we're making it all today in small batches. It'll take a little bit, but we make the best ice cream anywhere. What do you like?"

He looked over the list. "Chocolate walnut sounds good."

"It's four dollars for a pint."

"That's a bit much."

"Super premium ice cream, made really fresh. It'd cost around five in stores due to taxes."

"Alright." He handed over the money.

She took the bills and put them in the register. "Good, then we begin with a cream base." She dipped a measuring cup into the mixture and poured it into a white container. "I remake this every hour because of the milk and eggs."

The teen leaned over the counter to watch. "Sure."

"Then chocolate sauce." She took a ladle and put a full scoop into the cream base. "And walnut oil, then the walnuts." After drizzling the oil from a black flask, she tossed in two handfuls of nuts. Then she took a lid with a spiked bar and screwed it on tight. As she gave it a quick shake, she added, "Now the key to great ice cream is to chill it as quickly as you can while keeping it agitated. Mr. Bumble, your turn." She tossed the container to her Abomasnow.

"Okey-dokey!" He caught the container, then began shaking it furiously. Using one of his Ice powers, he made the temperature in the container drop sharply. The air close to him grew colder too, making the teen shiver.

"You've got him trained to help you cook?" he asked.

"Just the cold items," the vendor said. "He can do other things, make no mistake, but he seems to enjoy this best."

After two minutes, Bumble tossed the container back. "That one's done."

The vendor spun the top off, then removed the inner lining. That went into a second paper container which she handed over to her customer. "There you are. And a spoon and napkin." She passed over the two items.

"Thanks." He took a taste of it, then looked at it in surprise. "Wow, that is really good."

"That's how we make it. Have a good day."

"Right, you too." The teen walked off with his Zigzagoon. The raccoon Pokemon glanced back to make sure the Abomasnow wasn't going to attack when their backs were turned, then trotted after his Trainer.

The ice cream vendor leaned on the counter. "Of course, we wouldn't be making much money if you weren't cooling the surrounding area down. It was nice of the organizers to give us that extra income."

Mr. Bumble looked out as another kid began crying. He sighed. "Now if only I wasn't scaring the kids off, it'd be a great day."

…

Abomasnow Pearl entry: It blankets wide areas in snow by whipping up blizzards. It is also known as 'The Ice Monster.'

This Pokemon was named for the famous Abominable Snowman in the classic Rudolph Christmas specials, of course.