Swinub and Regice
Seth the Swinub had been content to rest in his Pokeball, but his Trainer had to call him out. Hoping it wasn't for a battle, the rotund mammal shook out its short brown fur and sniffed around. There were Pokemon scents, but they were old or distant. And there was a human smell, but just one, that of his Trainer. Good. He hadn't wanted to go with a battling Trainer and had tried to avoid the humans. Yet, this one had caught him.
"We're here," the man said, his voice brimming with excitement. "All my years of research into the old tales and then tracking down a helpful Pokemon, it's all come down to this moment of glory. Look, can you see it?"
Snorting, Seth continued snuffling around the ground. He couldn't see all that well, just movement and same degree of light to dark. But he could smell and this place smelled fascinating. It was a wild place where the earth was strong. Not only that, but it was cold. There was a light layer of recent snow, still tumbling from the sky. It lay on top of older layers of snow, maybe even ancient if he dug down deep enough. A glacier, or perhaps the top of a mountain? No, not the top of a mountain. He smelled plant life, the sort that would be closer to sea level.
Still, it seemed like his kind of place.
"This is known as Frigid Mountain," his Trainer told him. "Magnificent place, isn't it? It's certainly a small mountain, I admit, but just look at this. It's a glacier that lies so close to the tropics that it shouldn't be possible. And yet, here it is, a place that can have temperatures below freezing while, twenty miles away, it gets terribly hot in the late summer. And no one's been able to figure out why."
No one? That was somewhat interesting, but Seth was happier to find a cold place outside of his Pokeball at last. He caught the scent of something nice and began digging into the snowpack.
In the meantime, the human kept talking. "But I think it may be something more that just a geological mystery. I believe that somewhere in this frozen place is the famed Fountain of Youth. It is a spring of water that has such magnificent qualities that it can keep a person young, not just in looks, but in truth. Yes, all of my research has pointed to this location as the legendary spot.
"Centuries ago, there was a flourishing culture here where people were said to live youthful, never growing old, ill, or weak. There was still death, but the people of that culture lived far longer than any others surrounding it. And their secret was the Fountain of Youth. They had many enemies, of course, others who wished to know where the mystical water came from. So only certain people were allowed to go to the spring and retrieve the water for the benefit of all others. And they made elaborate riddles to disguise the location.
"And such riddles they left! I've spent over a decade trying to solve them, but this time, I've sure I've hit the right breakthrough! See, some of the riddles they left behind were false, red herrings to throw people like me off. Once I figured out the more consistent riddles, I put them together and did my best to find the location. And those riddles led me here, to this strangely frozen mountain."
Then he laughed. Seth picked up the item he had found out of his hole, then brought it over to his Trainer's feet. To get his attention, the Swinub bumped his nose against the man's leg. But he was captivated by his own story.
"It makes such sense, doesn't it? The culture was falling into decline and about to collapse in on itself. Their leaders were greedy then and didn't want anyone else to find their treasure. So what do they do? They freeze the whole mountain so no one can access it!" He laughed again, but stopped abruptly.
Seth nudged him again.
"Although, I haven't figured out how they managed to do that. The ancient people did manage to do things that we have yet to replicate. Still, I'm certain this is the place, and I've read that your sort of Pokemon can find springs forgotten about in frozen areas. So I've brought you here… hmm?"
Happy to finally get the man's attention, Seth nudged his find. He was quite proud of it.
The archeologist picked it up. "A mushroom, huh? I don't know much about them, but this one looks pretty big. But if such a large mushroom can grow here, there must be hot spots… which does mean a hot springs would be possible." He dropped the mushroom. "You have it, then."
Seth wasn't too pleased with his Trainer's lack of enthusiasm about the mushroom… but he did at least get to have a tasty treat. He munched the fungus away in a few bites, then went ahead and followed his Trainer into Frigid Mountain. So long as he kept finding tasty tidbits, he didn't mind searching for this Fountain of Whatever the man was after.
After a week in the frozen mountain, Seth felt fairly confident that he could live a whole lifetime here, an easy life. There wasn't much competition from other Ice Pokemon, as this place was much too south for most of them to reach. Because of that, any predators were unsure about if he was edible or not. And there were lots of things buried and preserved in the snow pack so that, even if he lost track of where the actual berry bushes and mushroom roots were, he could always find some more by snuffling around and digging.
His Trainer was being patient, but the Swinub could still smell the disappointment he had whenever another mushroom or berry was dug up. Seth also uncovered some stone and metal items that were really of no interest to him. Sometimes, humans liked that kind of thing. And while the archeologist had once said, "Well this alone covers the cost of our little trip," he still didn't seem that enthusiastic about it. What he was enthusiastic about was the Fountain of Youth and any sign from the ancient culture he studied.
Seth had to admit, the disappointment was getting to him. He was happy to be brought to this place, and allowed to do what he loved (digging stuff up) rather than what he dreaded (fighting against other Pokemon). The thing was, the Swinub had smelled something that could be the spring that his Trainer had spent years searching for. But he was uncertain about going down there.
It was down a passage near their main campsite, and probably wouldn't take that long to reach. Near there, Seth could smell a tantalizing source of water that did indeed have some mystical qualities. He wasn't sure if it would keep one young, but it smelled healthy and energizing. However, there was another scent accompanying the water and that one he didn't know if he should go near.
For with the hot springs that he smelled, he also smelled ice. And not ice like the snowpack all over Frigid Mountain. No, this was Ice, pure, simple, and powerful. It was an Ice power more powerful than he, more powerful than any other he had ever encountered. Perhaps a Pokemon? But then, it would be one that he had never heard of before. It was one that might even be a god. For that reason, he didn't want to go near it. He didn't want to accidentally anger an Ice Pokemon god.
But on smelling his Trainer's emotions, with a faith and confidence that was faltering, Seth felt bad about keeping away from that mystical hot spring. Perhaps the god could be kind and not punish them for disturbing it? Perhaps… perhaps not.
Hoping that there wouldn't be divine retribution, the Swinub decided to lead the archeologist down that passage today.
It was a curious place, Seth noticed. There was that incredible cold that came off the potential god, but there was also an incredible heat that came off the springs. Right now, the Ice was winning out. But there came a point where the ice became thin. He stopped, sparing a moment to make sure that his Trainer stopped too. Then Seth broke through the ice.
"Water?" the man said, kneeling down. He cautiously reached his fingertips in the pool below them and was surprised. He put his whole hand in the water. "This is warm water! But how…? It's covered in ice. I wonder how deep it goes and why it's frozen like this." He brought out a pair of bottles, one which he filled with the warm water and one which he scraped off some of the cold ice.
Then, the Ice stirred. Part of the wall came out and turned out to be a giant living block of ice, with several blue gemstones where its face should have been. Seth realized in alarm that it was an Ice Pokemon god, perhaps having lived since the days of that old culture his Trainer studied. Not wanting to offend it further, he scrunched down meekly and put his snout to the ground.
On the other hand, his Trainer was amazed. "Th-that Pokemon… what is it?"
Its body flashed for a moment, like a frozen lake catching the sun's rays just so. Then it spoke, "Do not fear, little cousin. I realize that you came here to please your human. But you, you should not have come here."
Seth sighed in relief. It was a good god. And if it said so, they should leave. He raised his snout to his Trainer.
His Trainer didn't get the message, somehow. "It… you spoke. Amazing! You should come back to the university; the others will be astounded by you."
"I must stay here," the god said. "It is a sacrifice, but it is for the safety of all. I must…"
Still, the archeologist didn't listen. He pulled a peculiar Pokeball out of the bag he carried everywhere. "This is just what this is good for," he murmured, then threw it at the god.
Seth was shocked. He was trying to capture a god? That was horribly disrespectful, especially after said god stated that it had to stay where it was. He expected the god Pokemon to break out of the ball. Months ago, he had broken out of twelve different Pokeballs trying to stay free. Surely the god could break free much easier.
But although the ball quivered and shook, nearly falling into the hole in the ice, its status light soon turned green. The archeologist had somehow captured a living god. How was that possible? Soon after Seth asked himself that, he added, what's the world coming to when the humans can capture gods?
Smiling, the Trainer picked up the strange ball. "This Masterball was a gift from Silph a couple years back," he stated, holding it like something precious.
Not precious, Seth thought, huffing. Sacrilegious.
But the human was absorbed in his own thoughts and story again. "I had done a project for them and got this. I hadn't decided what I was going to use it for; some people use them to capture elusive shiny Pokemon. But this Pokemon, unlike any other I've seen… and one that can speak! That's what this was made for."
Then an earthquake struck, causing fragments of ice to fall off the ceiling and crash to the ground. Seth squealed and sniffed around for safety. What he sensed alarmed him further. The power of the earth was growing… but so was the power of fire.
"Whoa…" the archeologist said, scooping Seth up. He hated that, being taken off the ground. "I don't recall any seismic predictions for this area." Then the brief quake was over. "But we've got a sample of the water, I know where it is… and I have this magnificent Pokemon to show my colleagues. Have to figure out what it is." He glanced at the Masterball. "Regice… well, let's go pack up camp and leave. This could be our lucky break!" He whistled as he left the tunnel.
Seth felt horrible, and afraid.
Several miles away from the mountain, the archeologist had stopped his Jeep to make a phone call. Seth was sitting by one of the tires, sniffing about nervously. The ground had become unstable due to the growing power of fire. And it was losing out to the fire fast. Something bad was happening and he wanted to go, get somewhere safe or at least very far away from here.
But his Trainer was busy being proud of his discovery and capture. "Yes, it does talk," he said to the person on the other end of the conversation. "Here, I can let it out to talk to you." He brought out the Masterball and released Regice.
The large crystalline Pokemon looked around at the woods they were in. Seth noted that the ground under its feet began to take on the scent of frost and winter, such power over cold it had. Then, Regice stated, "You should not have taken me from that place."
"It's fine… huh?" Seth couldn't see all that well, but he could tell that his Trainer had turned around. "What's with all that smoke?"
"Steam," Regice corrected.
Then there was a massive explosion that, for a moment, blanked out all else. Seth panicked as the shock waves pulsed through his body; he feared that they were not far enough away to be out of danger. But then the Ice god brought up some kind of shield, a dome of air that was more frigid than anything Seth had smelled before.
"Stay where you are," the god ordered sternly. "Although it would have been better if you had listened to me before. The shield will freeze you to death in an instant if you touch it; even my little cousin could not withstand it."
"But..." the Trainer started to say, but then was drowned out by a massive rush of deadly hot and poisonous air that swept by them. But it could not pass the cold shield. The human spoke louder, "a volcano? I didn't know Frigid Mountain was a volcano."
"It is, and I've been the only thing keeping it from erupting the past several centuries. I kept it so cold that it could not budge. Once I was removed, the lava heated back up and melted my ice, causing a fast eruption."
"Oh." The archeologist was crestfallen, struck with guilt and shame.
Feeling that they were safe under Regice's power, Seth crept over to his Trainer and nudged his foot. He wouldn't have found the god if the Swinub had led him to it, after all. He hadn't smelled the danger of a volcano underneath the overwhelming Ice power of Regice. All he'd been trying to do was cheer the human up.
But some strain of pride still struggled to come forth in the Trainer. "So you are a valuable Pokemon," he said.
Regice didn't seem too impressed. "If you think so. Any Pokemon can be valuable if you care enough to give value to it. Like your friend the Swinub there. He was content with the little treasures he found, but to make you happy, he sought out what you were looking for. But it wasn't what you thought it was."
Of in the distance, the volcano rumbled, causing another earthquake. It likely wasn't going to settle down any time soon, but perhaps the god would know when it was safe for them to move. The archeologist dropped down to sit on the ground, still overwhelmed by the mistake he'd made. Trying to make him feel better, Seth climbed into the man's lap. At least he could keep him company.
...
Swinub Platinum entry: It has a very sensitive nose. It can locate mushrooms, berries, and even hot springs buried under ice.
Sapphire entry: Regice cloaks itself with frigid air of negative 328 degrees F. Things will freeze solid just by going near this Pokemon. Its icy body is so cold, it will not melt even if it is immersed in magma.
Technically the volcano shouldn't heat back up and explode so quickly... ah, the magic of fiction! If you're curious, -459.67 F is absolute zero.