Corviknight dove sharply toward the ground. At the same time, Summer pulled out a Poké Ball—against Garchomp, he had a better matchup.
The pink-haired girl sat frozen in the snow, her hands pressing against the icy ground. The cold bit into her skin, but the terror from the roaring Garchomp was far worse.
Her partner, Machoke, had gone down in a single hit, lying motionless in the snow.
Why was I so reckless?
Her elders had warned her about the dangerous Pokémon inhabiting this area, yet she had ignored them and come alone.
"Go, Milotic!"
A serpentine beauty appeared between her and Garchomp, its elegant form shimmering under the snowy sunlight. The moment it arrived, its majestic presence dominated the battlefield—like a queen of the frozen tundra.
The girl's breath hitched. She had never seen a Pokémon so beautiful before.
Garchomp, sensing Milotic's immense aura, snapped its jaws shut. It instinctively felt the difference in power—but as a leader of its territory, it refused to back down. Especially with a trembling little Gible behind it, looking up at its protector.
Corviknight landed with a heavy thud, and Summer quickly took command.
"Milotic, Ice Beam!"
The freezing ray shot forth effortlessly—this frigid environment only made it stronger.
The attack struck Garchomp's chest directly, and icy crystals rapidly spread across its scales. Even though Garchomp had adapted to the tundra, the chilling pain was unbearable.
It let out a roar of agony, ice creeping up its body as it struggled to remain standing.
"…Just one hit?"
The girl looked at the mysterious young man atop the steel bird. The word "strong" surfaced in her mind.
The large backpack on his back caught her attention. Could he be from the Ginkgo Guild?
But Summer wasn't focused on Garchomp anymore. He noticed the trembling Gible behind it.
"…I see now."
"Milotic, use Life Dew to heal it."
Milotic hesitated for a second but then obeyed. Droplets of shimmering life energy floated toward Garchomp's chest, sinking into its frozen scales.
The ice melted away, and the pain faded. Instead, Garchomp felt a surge of vitality—its body felt lighter than before.
"…What?"
Garchomp was completely baffled.
This human attacked it… then healed it?
What kind of nonsense was this?!
Summer hopped down from Corviknight's back and turned to the girl still sitting in the snow.
She had short pink hair and a white bandage on her nose. The dark bags under her eyes made her exhaustion obvious, and the tears at the corner of her eyes had already frozen.
Her outfit confirmed it—she was from the Pearl Clan.
Summer nodded and calmly asked, "Were you trying to attack that Gible just now?"
"I…"
The girl was caught off guard.
She thought about what she had just done. Had she really intended to harm the little Gible?
After a pause, she let out a small, guilty "...Yeah."
Summer sighed. "You went after its child. Of course, it wasn't going to let you go."
Then, he gestured toward her fainted Machoke and turned to Garchomp.
"But you also attacked her partner, didn't you?" His voice carried a steady authority. "That means we're even now. Or do you still want to fight?"
"Grrr…"
Milotic let out a soft warning growl, making Garchomp hesitate.
After a long stare-down, Garchomp let out a low grunt and turned away. It gently picked up the Gible by its back fin, then slowly walked off into the distance.
"…Thank you."
The girl's voice was small but sincere.
"Thank you for saving me… and Machoke."
Summer nodded in acknowledgment and returned Milotic to its Poké Ball. No need to keep it in this freezing cold.
He then pulled out a potion and helped the girl to her feet.
"My name's Summer. I'm a traveler. What's yours?"
"…Tauri."
She hesitated, then accepted the potion. "I-I thought you were with the Ginkgo Guild…"
Summer chuckled. "That obvious, huh?"
Tauri nodded slightly, then ran over to her Machoke, carefully spraying the potion over its injuries.
Machoke stirred, slowly opening its eyes.
Tears welled up in Tauri's eyes. She threw her arms around her Pokémon, hugging it tightly.
Seeing her genuine relief, Summer felt she wasn't a bad person.
"All better now?" he asked, arms crossed. "Then, mind telling me why you wanted that Gible's scales?"
Tauri flinched.
"I… I heard from my grandmother that Gible's scales can restore energy to a fatigued body."
Summer studied the heavy dark circles under her eyes.
"…Are you sick?"
"No," she shook her head. "It's… the nightmares."
"Nightmares?" Summer's brows furrowed.
She clenched her fists.
"For over a month, everyone in the village has been suffering from the same terrible nightmares. No one can get a good night's rest. We're all so tired all the time."
"Some have even suggested leaving the village… but nobody wants to. And we can't figure out what's causing it."
She bit her chapped lip, frustration evident.
"…Especially my grandmother." Her voice wavered. "She's already… so weak. If this keeps up, she…"
Summer let out a slow breath.
A whole village suffering from nightmares for over a month?
That was not normal.
"…This might be the work of Darkrai."
Tauri's eyes widened. "D-Darkrai?"
Summer nodded.
Darkrai was known for trapping humans and Pokémon in never-ending nightmares. However, it typically only acted on nights of the new moon—which meant someone might be controlling it.
Tauri grabbed his sleeve, desperate.
"Do you know how to stop it? Please—anything! My grandmother is barely holding on!"
Summer silently reached into his bag.
He was lucky.
He had brought the Lunar Feather.
Had he not, his only other option would have been catching a Cresselia on the spot.
"…Take me to your village."
Tauri gasped. "Y-You can help?!"
Summer nodded. "I have a way to stop the nightmares."
Her eyes sparkled with hope—a look of pure relief.
She had been taught not to trust outsiders, but she didn't hesitate.
Summer had saved her life. He had healed her Machoke. He had even considered the feelings of a wild Garchomp and its child.
There was no way he was a bad person.
"Then… please, follow me!"
But Summer shook his head. "We need to get there fast."
He pointed to Corviknight beside him.
"Get on."
"If you want to save your grandmother—we fly."
Inside a wooden house, the village chief anxiously tapped her fingers on the table.
Across from her, a young man wearing a hat sighed.
"Areezu," he said. "I've searched the Galaxy Team's Pokédex thoroughly, but… there's no record of a Pokémon with this kind of ability."
Areezu scowled.
"Damn it… If this keeps up, I'll have no choice but to order an evacuation."
The young man hesitated.
"…There is one thing," he said slowly.
Areezu's blue eyes snapped up. "What?"
"The Pokédex has a few missing pages—sections that were deliberately erased."
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"And among those erased records…"
"…Was the Pokémon sealed inside Snowpoint Temple."
Areezu's face darkened.
"…That's no coincidence."
(End of Chapter)