Chapter 255: Are You Two Best Friends Now?
"It's me! Sceptile! Will!"
Will kicked his short little legs.
"Regi?"
Beep beep beep.
The lights on Regice's face flashed rapidly. It was trying to determine if Will was telling the truth.
To it, this was incredible. It didn't know there were things in this world that could allow someone to resurrect, or even reincarnate.
"Never mind that for now. Since you woke up, have you seen or heard anything about Meowscarada? She's gone."
Will wriggled out of Regice's hands. He ran up its arm and perched on its head. He couldn't jump down to the ground right now. The snow was at least a meter deep; if he jumped, he'd disappear without a trace.
"Regi."
Regice shook its body gently.
"Oh... want me to tell you what happened after we left the snowy mountain?"
Will looked up the mountain, then withdrew his gaze.
The small mountain, having just experienced an avalanche, was a vast expanse of white.
But with Lucario there, Lorelei would definitely be safe. The best thing for him to do now was stay put and wait for Lucario to find him using Aura.
"...Regi."
Regice sat down with a thud.
Perfect. It would use Will's story to judge if he really was who he claimed to be.
Will told the story bit by bit.
He recounted everything until the final parting with Meowscarada in the Dragonite territory. Lorelei and Lucario still hadn't appeared.
"Regi." (Long time no see.)
That was what Regice said.
After hearing the story, it confirmed Will's identity. Although it was unbelievable, it didn't dwell on it. It was just happy to see Will again.
"Mhm. But for you, it hasn't been that long, right? You probably just woke up?"
Regice didn't speak. It had woken up thirty or forty years ago and had wandered the Sinnoh region looking for news of Will and Meowscarada.
But sadly, it found nothing.
Furthermore, humans kept challenging it, trying to stuff it into a tiny ball. That annoyed Regice to no end.
In the end, it returned to hide in this desolate, harsh little snowy mountain. It believed that as long as Will and Meowscarada were alive, they would come back here.
But there was no need to tell Will all that.
"Maybe Meowscarada came to see you while you were sleeping."
"Regi."
Regice's lights flickered. That was indeed possible. If so, it was a pity. It had missed Meowscarada because it was asleep.
BOOM!
Suddenly, a massive fireball erupted from a small peak near Mt. Coronet, hurtling toward them.
"Holy crap! Is that Heatran?!"
Will's eyes bulged. He stared at the incoming fireball, almost tearing his eyelids.
Heatran was a Gym Leader-level threat over a hundred years ago. Even if it had slept through most of that time, its level wouldn't be lower than before.
With his current strength, Will couldn't stop Heatran. And he didn't know what level Regice was at now.
Will could only hope Lucario found them fast.
"Regi."
Regice waved its arm, telling Will not to worry.
"Oh? What, are you so strong now that you're not afraid of him?"
Will raised an eyebrow, surprised. Given Regice's type disadvantage, it would be hard to beat Heatran consistently without being four or five levels higher.
"Regi."
As soon as Regice finished speaking...
THUD!
Heatran crashed into the ground.
Scalding steam washed over them, and the thick snow around them melted into water at a visible rate, soaking into the earth.
"Tran."
Heatran walked over slowly, its voice steady.
This put a confused look in Will's eyes. Heatran didn't seem to be here for a fight; it was asking about Regice's situation.
"Regi."
Regice shook its body, then took the little penguin from its head into its hands.
"Regi (Look, it's Will)."
"Tran tran?!"
Heatran's eyes went wide, and two of its four legs gave out, causing it to faceplant into the slush.
"...?"
Will frowned. What was wrong with this Heatran? It heard his name and collapsed from fear? It seemed those two slaps back in the day had left a deep psychological shadow on Heatran.
"Regi."
Regice stepped forward and placed Will on top of Heatran's head.
Will: ?
Heatran: ?
Will and Heatran were both baffled by Regice's move.
"Are you two best friends now?"
Will looked down at the big guy beneath him. Honestly, sitting on Heatran's head was much more comfortable than sitting on Regice's. Heatran was like a giant heater, warming his little butt nicely.
"Tran."
Heatran shook its head uncomfortably.
"Regi."
Regice waved its arms.
Times changed constantly, and familiar faces passed away one by one. Regice and Heatran gradually realized they were both beings unaffected by time, and they lived close to each other. So, they put aside their past grudge and became friends, helping each other out.
"That's good. That way, you won't be too lonely."
Will nodded with a smile. He was happy to see Regice make a new friend.
"Regi? (What about you, Will? With Meowscarada gone, are you lonely?)"
Regice looked at Will and reached out to take him back.
"Lonely? No, I guess not. I have other partners by my side now. I'm just a little worried about her, wondering if she's living well."
Will scratched his head and looked into the distance.
He could already sense Lucario's Aura.
In this life, he also had partners willing to risk their lives to find him. So loneliness... that was an emotion he hadn't felt in a long time.
"Regi?"
"Yeah, those are my partners. The girl is named Lorelei, and the dog is Lucario."
"Regi."
Regice's lights flashed, and it put Will on the ground.
"Piplup!"
"Rargh!"
Lorelei and Lucario arrived, looking warily at the two giants beside Will. If it were the old days, Lorelei would have charged right in.
"Don't worry, they're my friends."
"Rargh?"
Lucario paused, looking closely at Regice and Heatran.
The Auras of these two big guys were incredibly strong. He didn't know their exact strength, but he was certain they weren't weaker than him.
Suddenly, he remembered what Will had said on the ship. He understood immediately. These were the friends Will had made during his time as a Sceptile.
"?! Piplup, when did you make such amazing friends? I've never seen Pokémon like these before!"
Hearing Will's words, Lorelei immediately dropped her guard and ran over. She scooped Will up, checking him left and right to make sure he wasn't hurt, before turning her gaze to the two giants.
The red one on the left was like a furnace, the heat making Lorelei squint.
The blue one on the right was like an ice pillar, the cold making Lorelei's teeth chatter.
This was truly a unique experience.
"Mhm, just met them. They saved me from the avalanche."
"Ah?! Thank you for saving Piplup! He's my most important friend! Thank you!"
Hearing this, Lorelei immediately bowed to Regice and Heatran.
Beep beep beep.
Regice's face lights flashed as it looked down at the tiny Lorelei and Will. Then, it turned and headed up the snowy mountain. Heatran glanced at them, then followed Regice.
"Are you leaving?"
Will watched Regice's retreating back. He wanted to talk more.
"...Regi."
Regice's lights flashed, and it pointed into the distance.
The Snowpoint City Rescue Team, attracted by the avalanche, was approaching fast. It was better if too many humans didn't discover their existence.
Besides, the avalanche had been too sudden. There were still many Pokémon on this small mountain, likely buried under the snow.
Regice had to go save them.
Because a certain Pokémon had once told it: [Sometimes, helping someone doesn't need a reason. I don't want that kindness to end with me.]
"Regice, we'll meet again."
"Regi~ (Of course. When you need me, we will meet again~)"
The giant ice pillar and its friend disappeared into the falling snow.
Even though it was a short meeting, seeing that they were living well was enough.
"Hey~ Are you okay~"
The Snowpoint Rescue Team arrived. Will and the others were escorted back to the Snowpoint Pokémon Center to rest.
The next day.
Lorelei challenged the Snowpoint Gym.
The current Gym Leader specialized in Ground-types.
Lorelei sent out Cloyster, Snorunt, and Seel.
Whether against Water or Ice, Ground-types were heavily countered. So Lorelei earned the Icicle Badge with almost no effort.
Will also noted that Snorunt's level had reached Lv. 38, which wasn't low. By the time of the Sinnoh Conference, it should be Lv. 40+. It wouldn't be a burden in the group stage, definitely stronger than Seel and Slowpoke.
And this Snorunt was female. If possible, he hoped Lorelei would evolve it into the trickier Froslass, rather than the jack-of-all-trades Glalie.
But that was her decision to make, so Will didn't say anything.
On the day Will and his team left Snowpoint City, ice crystals fell from the sky over the entire pure white tundra.
Like fairies drunk on wine, crushing white clouds into dust.
Will stood on Lorelei's head, waving at the distant snowy mountain.
"Piplup, you're so fat."
"Your mom fed me."
"...What were those two Pokémon? I never heard of them at the Academy."
"Regice, Heatran. Two Pokémon who will be legendary in the future."
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