Chapter 171: A Sudden Tremor
Snover and Snorunt left. They really didn't dare to stay with a Regice, afraid it might roll over in its sleep and freeze them solid.
Will and Meowscarada, however, remained. To entertain his two new guests, Regice had even used its power to build a large igloo. An igloo is a peculiar structure. Its ice walls can block the cold wind and reflect the body heat of those inside, thereby raising the internal temperature. On this high, frozen tundra, when the outside temperature dropped to -50 degrees, the temperature inside the igloo was around -20.
Perhaps it was because the igloo had isolated Regice's natural aura, but a wind began to pick up outside. The falling ice crystals began to drift, and the temperature gradually dropped. But inside, it was airtight. If Regice had better control of its power, the temperature inside might have been another 10 or 15 degrees warmer.
Inside the igloo.
"Regi?" Regice sat on the hard ice floor and waved its hands.
"It's great. This is fine," Will said, shaking his head. It was just a temporary shelter; it didn't need to be beautiful.
"Meow!" But Meowscarada didn't think so. She was amazed by Regice's power and had it make several ice sculptures for the room.
"Regi~" Regice was very happy. Its power could finally be of some use.
"Alright, that's enough playing, Meowscarada. We still have to go to Snowpoint City to get some supplies," Will said, looking at the two of them with a helpless expression.
"Meow~" she replied.
"Regi?"
"The ice is too hard for us, and it's pretty cold in here. We need to go to a human city to get some warm things. We'll probably be back in a day or two," Will explained.
"Regi," Regice nodded, its mood sinking a little. It had just made two friends, and on the very first day, they were already leaving.
"Don't be so sad. We're not going to live in a human city. We'll be back as soon as we get what we need," Will comforted it.
They didn't have any human friends in Snowpoint City, so they wouldn't be able to find a place to stay. And even if they lived under a bridge, they would probably attract a crowd. So, for them, the experience of living in a human city was often worse than living in the wild. It was just that the wild environment in this northern region was too harsh. There was almost nowhere to live. If Regice hadn't built them this igloo, they might have had to find a hidden spot in Snowpoint to spend the night.
"Regi," Regice's eyes flashed.
"Oh, right. This bag... I'll leave it here for now. Remember to watch it for me, okay? It's very important," Will said, putting his backpack on the ground.
"Regi," Regice bobbed its body. I will protect the bag!
"Alright, we're off then. You wait here, don't run around. And when you're practicing, do it by the door so you don't break the igloo," Will said, giving it a few more instructions. Regice's mental age was not very high; he was a little worried.
"Regi~"
After Will and Meowscarada left, Regice stood at the entrance of the igloo, waving its arms. It looked just like a child who had been left at home. When they had disappeared into the snowstorm, it returned to the igloo and looked around. Although it was empty, just like its old cave, the feeling was different now. The ice sculptures and the small bag made it feel less lonely. And the fact that Will had entrusted the bag to its care... for the first time, it understood what it felt like to be trusted.
"Regi," Regice clenched its fists and walked back outside. It plopped down, blocking the entrance with its huge body.
...
Half a day passed. The sky, which hadn't been very bright to begin with, was now completely dark. Strange noises echoed from the distant snowfield. Regice looked in that direction, a little uneasy and scared, but it stayed put, not moving. It forced its attention away and focused on practicing controlling the cold air on its body.
The night passed quietly. Regice hadn't slept at all, but it didn't feel tired in the slightest. What made it sad was that it hadn't found the trick to controlling its power at all.
It looked in the direction Will and Meowscarada had gone. The snowfield was empty. Their footprints had already been covered. Regice touched its head and stood there in a daze for the rest of the afternoon.
RUMBLE.
Suddenly, the earth shook violently. Regice came to its senses and stood up quickly. It looked around, but everything was the same. No creatures were approaching. Was it my imagination?
...
Snowpoint City.
Located at the northernmost tip of the Sinnoh region, this city is perpetually covered in ice and snow. The houses, the surrounding forests, everything was covered in a thick layer of white.
It had taken Will and Meowscarada a full day to get here. They had traveled at full speed, only stopping to gather some herbs and berries to trade.
"Did you feel that?" Will asked, turning to Meowscarada.
"Meow," she nodded.
That sudden tremor had startled her. It felt like the whole world had shifted for a moment.
"Looks like it was a big earthquake," Will said, looking around. Many of the people on the street had grabbed onto their Pokémon or a lamppost.
"Meow?"
"I don't know. Something special must have happened."
Will stood in place for a few seconds. The trembling didn't return. This earthquake was clearly not normal. There had been no warning. Clearly, the human technological equipment hadn't detected any signs of it. This could perhaps be explained by the fact that the technology of this era wasn't very advanced. But the Pokémon... that couldn't be explained. Many of them could sense natural disasters in advance. But even he and Meowscarada hadn't felt anything. The earthquake had come too suddenly. And it had only shaken once.
"Meow?" Meowscarada tilted her head, wondering if Regice had caused it. After all, it could get so big and affect the weather over such a large area.
"No. Regice's level isn't high enough. It doesn't have that kind of strength," Will shook his head.
"Meow?"
"Don't worry about the earthquake. Let the humans investigate. We'll get what we need and leave," Will said with a wave of his hand, not paying it much mind.
"Meow," Meowscarada nodded.
After they had taken a few steps, she suddenly turned her head and looked at a high mountain to the south. She twitched her nose, as if she had smelled something strange. And the clouds above that mountain... had they turned gray?
"What's wrong?" Will asked, seeing her stop. He turned and looked in the direction she was staring. "That's Mt. Coronet. Around that peak, it's basically all dormant volcanoes."
"...Meow," Meowscarada stared at the mountain for a few more seconds, then shook her head.
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