Chapter 168: Ice Crystals in the Sky
Will and Meowscarada didn't stay long in Eterna City before leaving. They would continue to head north. Celestia, on the other hand, would be staying for a while longer; there were still many things she wanted to research there.
Traveling north, Will and Meowscarada entered the snowfields within a week. In the Hisui of a thousand years ago, this place was called the Alabaster Icelands. It was an endless expanse of white, with no end in sight.
"Snowpoint City is in the far north. It probably developed from the Snowpoint Temple of a thousand years ago," Will said, looking up at the gray sky, where pure white snowflakes were still falling from the dark clouds.
"Meow..." Meowscarada twitched her ears, shaking off the accumulated snow.
"Should we find a place to rest first? There's a mountain ahead. We can see if there are any caves," Will said, looking into the distance. A mountain in a snowy landscape like this was bound to have some caves, whether dug by Pokémon or by past travelers.
"Meow," Meowscarada nodded. She was feeling a little cold.
They found a cave almost as soon as they reached the rock face. It was small, not looking like it was dug by humans, but it was just big enough for the two of them to squeeze inside.
"The cave is a bit small. Wait a minute, I'll expand it," Will said, having Meowscarada wait to the side. He then used [Dig] to expand the cave to three or four times its original size, mainly by deepening it so that the innermost part was a good six or seven meters from the entrance.
"Meow?" After he finished, Meowscarada came over and looked at his hands. The tips of his claws were a little red.
"It's nothing. The dirt here is frozen solid," Will said, shaking his head. It didn't hurt; it was just a little cold.
Pat, pat.
Light footsteps came from outside the cave.
"Meow?"
"Did we just move into a Pokémon's nest?" Will asked, scratching his head in embarrassment.
The owner of the footsteps soon revealed itself. It was a Snover.
"A Snover," Will said with a smile. Snover are kind and interesting Pokémon, best summarized as simple-hearted, good-natured, and loving to join in on the fun. They weren't rare; you had a high chance of meeting them on snowy mountains.
"Snover?" The Snover tilted its head when it saw Will and Meowscarada. It wasn't scared at all and walked right up to them, then it hugged Will, nuzzling its cheek against him.
This was a unique, if baffling, trait of the Snover species. They are just very interested in any creature they haven't seen before.
"Meow?" Meowscarada was completely confused by this and gave the Snover a poke. The Snover then switched targets and tried to hug her.
"Meow," she held up a paw and pushed it away. The Snover's body was ice-cold. She was already cold enough; she didn't want to cuddle with it.
"Is this your home?" Will asked, rubbing the Snover's belly. It felt hard and rough, like the trunk of a palm tree.
"Snover," the Snover shook its head. It said it had just noticed their footprints and had come over to investigate.
"I see. Do you live here alone?" Will couldn't help but smile. That was just like a Snover. If they see footprints in the snow, they can't help but follow them to see what's going on, like a little stalker.
"Snover, snover," it shook its head again, then turned to look behind it.
Will and Meowscarada also looked outside the cave, but there was nothing there. The Snover scratched its head, walked out, and then dragged a smaller creature back in with it. The newcomer looked like a rice dumpling, only its wrapping was a yellow, cone-shaped cloak instead of green leaves.
"A Snorunt. Is this your little friend?" Will asked, raising an eyebrow.
Snorunt also have a good reputation. According to legend, a family that a Snorunt visits will be blessed with many descendants and prosperity. This wasn't just a rumor. Many of the wealthy people in the cold northern regions of Sinnoh had memories of playing with Snorunt when they were poor as children.
"Snover," the Snover nodded, putting an arm around its friend.
"Sno..." The Snorunt seemed to be a timid little girl, hiding behind the Snover.
"Hey, your cries are the same," Will noticed. Snover and Snorunt both made the same sound, just with a different tone and pitch.
"Meow~" Meowscarada reached out and poked the Snorunt's cloak. This startled the Snorunt so much that its eyes rolled back, and it fainted on the spot.
"Meow?!" Meowscarada was shocked. She had never met such a timid Pokémon before.
"...Huh," Will was also surprised. Most Snorunt are lively and outgoing. And because of their species' traits, they can happily bounce around even in temperatures of -100 degrees Celsius. It should be difficult for a "Timid" nature to develop under such conditions. This Snorunt was quite unique.
"Snover," the Snover waved its arms, telling them not to worry. It skillfully scooped up a handful of snow, rubbed it on the Snorunt's face, and three seconds later, the Snorunt stood back up, immediately hiding behind its friend again.
"Meow..." Meowscarada sighed in relief. She had thought she had scared the little one to death.
"Snover?"
"We were about to have a meal and rest. Would you two like to join us?" Will offered with a grin, pulling his backpack over. A couple of days ago in Eterna City, he had had Celestia help him patch up the bag.
Will took out a few ready-to-eat cans and gave one to each of the other three Pokémon. The food inside wasn't the kibble-like mixture from the anime, but carefully designed biscuits of various shapes, mixed with dried fruit.
"Sno-ver~" The Snover took a bite and immediately began to chow down, not forgetting to stuff a biscuit into the Snorunt's mouth. The Snorunt, only after tasting it, dared to come out and eat, taking small, timid bites.
After they had eaten together, the Snorunt wasn't as afraid of them as before, but it still sat quietly in the corner, not speaking.
"Snover?!" Suddenly, the Snover and Snorunt both turned to look outside the cave. Will and Meowscarada followed their gaze.
The weather had changed.
"Hail? No, ice crystals?" Will walked to the mouth of the cave, frowning as he looked up.
What was falling from the sky was no longer snowflakes, but glittering ice crystals that seemed to glow with a faint light. This weather was incredibly strange. In his many lives, Will had never seen anything like it.
"Have you ever seen weather like this before?"
"Snover," the Snover and Snorunt both shook their heads.
Then it seems... something special is happening, Will thought.
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