"Headmaster!"
Silas called out in greeting.
The old man truly lived up to being a veteran ninja, his sensitivity to environmental changes and tolerance for the cold were both exceptional.
In the entire vast Ninja Academy, only he and Silas had noticed something was wrong in the middle of the night.
"Oh, it's you, Silas." The headmaster turned around with a warm smile.
But Silas sharply caught the trace of helplessness and regret hidden beneath that smile.
"Headmaster do you know what caused this sudden snowstorm?" he asked.
The old man paused for a moment, then gave a self-deprecating chuckle as he brushed snow off his clothes.
"Have I gotten so old that I can't even hide my emotions anymore? Unacceptable… truly unacceptable."
He sighed.
Silas stayed silent, watching. He knew the old man would explain.
Sure enough, the headmaster raised his hand and pointed toward a distant white mountain.
"Do you see that? The tallest peak in northern Johto."
Mt. Silver? Silas thought instinctively, then corrected himself.
No this was likely the so-called "Snow Mountain."
Aside from the power of Legendary Pokémon, he couldn't imagine anything else capable of turning a summer night into a world blanketed in snow.
"In the past, people joked about the Legendary birds," Silas thought,
"but in truth, as beings connected to Lugia, their power is far from weak."
Even if the trio on the Orange Islands were considered the strongest individuals, if the Articuno on this mountain had really lived for over 1,200 years, its strength would surely be terrifying.
The headmaster continued, gazing at the gradually brightening sky.
"Articuno's existence on this mountain has never been a myth. It's real. Many within the League know this, because over the past twelve hundred years, that Articuno has saved countless Trainers from being buried in avalanches."
Silas's thoughts stirred.
The headmaster glanced at him.
"You've guessed it, haven't you? I'm one of those reckless fools it saved."
"I was much younger back then and much weaker.
I went alone into the mountain chasing after a Sneasel, bringing only an Elite-level Muk with me.
Didn't find the Sneasel, but I did get caught in the aftermath of another battle.
Some idiot used Earthquake on a snow mountain."
His expression twisted with lingering anger.
"The avalanche came down instantly, right on top of me and Muk."
Even after all these years, he clearly still wanted to find that Trainer and throw them off the mountain.
Any competent Trainer should know moves like Earthquake are absolutely forbidden in places like caves, snowy mountains, or volcanoes.
Sure, the chance of disaster might be low…
but clearly, it happens.
"Easy, easy that guy probably didn't survive anyway," Silas quickly reassured him.
The old man took a deep breath.
"Yes unless you're a Champion-level Trainer, how many people can truly resist the power of nature?
Back then, I barely survived by finding a depression formed by ice and rock. Muk stretched its body to shield me, taking most of the impact.
Even so, by the time Articuno arrived we were both at our limits."
His voice trembled slightly.
"I will never forget the blue figure I saw before losing consciousness. That was the true God of Ice."
"A god…" Silas murmured.
That reminded him of a past conversation with Professor Oak.
He had once asked
"Why do people call Lugia the 'Guardian of the Seas' instead of Kyogre, even though both control the ocean?"
Professor Oak had smiled.
"Silas, sometimes a Legendary's title isn't based on its power but on its role."
Compared to Kyogre, which expands the seas and brings destruction, Lugia is the one that calms storms and protects people.
"The title 'Guardian of the Seas' isn't about ability, it's about responsibility."
From the perspective of ocean Pokémon, Kyogre might be the true ruler.
But for humans and land-dwelling Pokémon, Lugia is the one worthy of reverence.
Different perspectives, different truths.
Silas had then asked a rather naïve question:
"What about Groudon? Doesn't it destroy things too?"
Professor Oak had paused, then answered honestly:
"Yes. But it also creates land."
Groudon brings droughts. Kyogre brings floods.
Both can be disasters for humans.
Yet both have also saved people countless times.
If not for the fact that they fight every time they meet, people might even think they were cooperating.
Articuno was similar.
Its power wasn't as overwhelming as theirs but its nature was the same.
People might not know the Legendary birds of the Orange Islands, But in Johto, everyone knows.
There is an "Ice God" on the Snow Mountain that saves lives.
That's why the League never made a large-scale effort to capture Articuno.
Instead, they quietly chose to protect it.
"Look how beautiful," the headmaster suddenly said.
Silas looked up.
At some point, auroras had appeared in the sky.
Brilliant ribbons of color shimmered across the heavens, refracting through falling snow.
The world instantly became dazzling and dreamlike.
"Yeah it really is," Silas and his Pokémon murmured in unison.
In regions like Kanto, where snow was rare, such a sight was almost unheard of.
Combined with the legend of Articuno, it felt even more precious.
At the Foot of the Snow Mountain
A group of figures dressed in black uniforms marked with a bold R looked up at the sky.
"Boss, looks like the target has returned," said a sharp-looking young man.
"Hurry up," the squad leader ordered.
"Teams One and Two have already completed their tasks. We're the last group.
The boss is about to begin the plan to rule the world, we're a crucial part of it!"
He raised his hand passionately.
"All for Team Rocket and Boss Giovanni!"
"All for Team Rocket and Boss Giovanni!"
The group echoed in hushed voices.
Soon, the group of Team Rocket members disappeared into the blizzard without a trace.
"By the way…" Silas quickly snapped out of the beautiful scenery, "Headmaster, you still haven't told me what caused this snowfall in August."
The headmaster kept his head raised, staring at the sky.
"Do you know how Legendary Pokémon reproduce?"
Silas shook his head.
From what he remembered in his previous life's anime, Legendary Pokémon could indeed have offspring, but how they did so was completely unknown.
There were no research papers, no data nothing for scholars to study.
But the headmaster, as a veteran Trainer, seemed to know something.
"Currently, it's believed that Legendary Pokémon cannot reproduce with each other," the headmaster said, lowering his gaze to Silas.
"But they can produce offspring."
"Two methods."
Seeing Silas's confusion, he continued:
Method One: Energy Condensation
"A Legendary Pokémon can expend immense energy and cost to condense its power into an Egg.
The Pokémon inside is essentially its juvenile form.
However, the price is steep, the parent's strength will decline drastically for a long period, sometimes even to the point where it cannot defeat pseudo-Champion-level Pokémon. During this time, it requires protection from followers or its domain."
He paused.
"Of course, very few Legendaries do this. Their lifespans are incredibly long, so there's no urgency.
Usually only those with nothing better to do attempt it."
Silas nodded in understanding.
This was likely a natural limitation placed on the world—otherwise, if Legendary Pokémon multiplied freely, the balance of the world would collapse.
Method Two: Life Succession
"And the second method?" Silas asked.
The headmaster sighed and looked up again.
"The second is using one's life and power to welcome the next generation."
Silas's expression shifted.
"A Legendary Pokémon nearing the end of its lifespan will pour everything into creating a successor.
The offspring grows extremely quickly,
but the cost is the predecessor's early death."
Silas exhaled slowly.
So it was a one-for-one exchange.
From a balance standpoint, it made sense… but the cost was even greater.
The headmaster looked toward the distant mountain.
"That 'Ice God' has lived for several thousand years. It merely migrated here about a thousand years ago.
In recent decades, the northern Johto climate has become increasingly unstable, frequent blizzards appearing out of nowhere."
He paused.
"That's the sign.
It's preparing to pass on its legacy using the second method."
Silas quickly pieced it together.
"So it's using overwhelming power to warn and deter anyone with bad intentions protecting its successor during its vulnerable period?"
The headmaster nodded.
"Even though it lives alone, it has many powerful followers on the mountain. Safety isn't really the issue.
This is simply a parent's instinct."
Silas added another possibility:
"Or maybe the one causing these storms is already the new Articuno."
The headmaster gave a noncommittal response.
"Perhaps."
But deep down, he knew the Articuno he once encountered was still the same one.
And he hoped everyone else believed otherwise.
That way, the next generation would remain completely safe.
"I just hope I can see it one more time before I die," the headmaster murmured.
Back then, both he and his Muk had lost consciousness.
He had never had the chance to properly thank it.
Dawn Breaks
"Wow! Snow!"
Excited voices of students came from the dormitory as the sky gradually brightened and the sun rose.
The headmaster straightened his posture.
"Training under extreme weather is also a ninja's fundamental lesson. Today's exercise will be Dance of Ice and Fire."
"Ariados!"
He called out.
"Shoo—!"
In the next instant, a black-and-red figure swung across the academy like Spider-Man.
A giant spider Pokémon landed before them.
Silas raised an eyebrow.
Ariados and only pseudo-Elite level?
Not that it was weak, but it didn't quite match the image of such a knowledgeable master.
"Ariados is very strong," the headmaster said with a smile, seeing through his thoughts.
Silas nodded.
"In certain terrain, its mobility just now would give it a huge advantage."
Still, in his opinion raw power was more straightforward.
Against his Blaziken, even with terrain advantage, he was confident Ariados wouldn't last long.
"You shouldn't underestimate the way of the ninja."
A voice rang out.
Silas turned.
It was Janine, dressed in her pink ninja outfit, appearing in a puff of smoke.
"We don't need specific terrain."
"What do you mean?" Silas asked.
"It means—"
Another voice interrupted.
"As ninjas, they don't rely on terrain they create it."
All three looked up.
A burly man stood atop the academy building, surrounded by a faint blue aura.
Beside him perched a Braviary.
"Long time no see, kid," he grinned.
"I'm not late, am I, Silas?"
..
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