Chapter 269: Frosty Breath, Frozen Forest

However, perhaps it was precisely because this flavor of cream was added that Shuang Nai Xian could arrive at an answer belonging solely to itself, rather than blindly "imitating" the works of other pastry chefs.

During this period, Shuang Nai Xian must have undergone many attempts and many experiments before finally presenting the finished product before Luo Mu.

Luo Mu had also heard more or less from Luxray and the Oranguru butler about how Shuang Nai Xian, while he was at work, had been a single Pokémon working hard in the kitchen.

Picking up his knife and fork, with the intention of giving serious feedback, Luo Mu cut a small piece of cake and placed it in his mouth to savor carefully.

The first sensation upon entering his mouth was just as he had experienced in the Kalos region: a chocolate crisp that must have required considerable effort to make, but the sensation in the next instant was completely different.

How should he describe it? This was a cream flavor unique to his own Shuang Nai Xian—

A texture as dense as clouds, paired with a rich, milky fragrance slightly salty like melting cheese; two tastes and textures that should not coexist had miraculously fused together.

Combined with the clear, sweet aroma and abundant juice brought by the high-quality Berries that Shuang Nai Xian had carefully selected from those specially stored in the warehouse.

It could only be said that, in a certain sense, Shuang Nai Xian's revised chocolate cream cake had reached the same level as the cakes from that dessert shop in the Kalos region.

After waiting for so many years, it had finally found the workplace environment it had been pursuing.

"Match Cloyster's rhythm, Ursaring, Ice Punch!"

Cloyster, moving with speed so bizarre it seemed eerie, opened its shell, shooting out several sharp ice pillars radiating a chilling cold like a machine gun, while Ursaring stepped nimbly forward with great strides, swinging fists frozen by frost flow toward its opponent.

But if one were to add Luo Mu's own selfish desires to the mix—

"Cloyster, Icicle Crash!"

"Ma Fu Fu~~"

So delicious—!

Watching this scene, Shuang Nai Xian felt as if its heart were filled with happiness; no one dislikes having their food acknowledged, and surrounded by such a sense of achievement and bliss, the scent emanating from Shuang Nai Xian's body grew increasingly rich.

Applin nodded frantically with sparkling eyes, eating the cake with a look of pure happiness, after which Applin let out a scream of joy.

Fortunately, after finishing his affectionate moment with Shuang Nai Xian, Luo Mu immediately noticed Applin's eager gaze; lifting a small piece of cake on his fork, he said helplessly, "You can only have this little bit to taste the flavor; if Serperior finds out I'm feeding you something other than honey milk and apples, it will definitely whip me with its Vine Whip."

In the corner of the room, Oranguru waved its fan, the corners of its mouth lifting slightly.

Applin, placed by Luo Mu next to the cake, also poked its head out out of curiosity, eyeing the cake greedily, but under Serperior's care, it knew it could not sneak food without permission, so it could only gaze longingly at the cake, hoping Luo Mu would notice its thoughts.

"Jiu Jiu Jiu—!"

This result not only made Peper look as though he had struck gold, but even Hearing Nimo was surprised by Cloyster's reliability.

Luo Mu's eyes lit up slightly; he directly lifted the delighted Shuang Nai Xian into his arms and spun around with it.

Having itself evolved while spinning, Shuang Nai Xian loved this, raising its small hands and emitting a cute laughter with a joyful expression.

May 23rd, inside Grandma Ju Zi Academy.

"One hundred points!!!"

Annihilape, their target, had both feet frozen solid by frost, making movement difficult.

As for the Jolteon nearby, it had long been taken out by Cloyster's dense barrage of Icicle Crash after using Shell Smash.

Mudan plopped down on the ground, hugging the Jolteon that had been healed by Comfey, and pouted as she complained, "This buff is way too much; an unbalanced game is a piece of trash!"

Annihilape swung its fists with all its might, barely managing to shatter the ice pillars, and could only watch helplessly as Ursaring's Ice Punch landed squarely on its face, knocking it unconscious.

Piper sighed and, under Ursaring's astonished gaze, stepped forward, smashing the ice freezing Annihilape with two punches, then took it to find Teacher Comfey for treatment.

Ursaring, who had originally intended to help melt the ice with Fire Punch: (=°Д°=)

That block of ice seems like something even Annihilape itself couldn't break, right?

Luo Mu, who had been observing their situation from the side, raised an eyebrow slightly, his gaze falling on Peper, who was hugging Cloyster in delight; this evolution truly seemed different, as Cloyster's Ice-type moves were far more biting and cold than those of ordinary Ice-type Pokémon.

It seemed that ruin might indeed have some connection to Regice.

Shellder, whose base strength was already not weak, soared in power after evolving; bolstered by its Ability and the move Shell Smash, it had completely become Peper's strongest spear, its comprehensive strength falling just slightly short of Ao Ao Jiaofu.

Peper's overall combat power had finally caught up with the main group.

Since that was the case, that idea should roughly be put on the schedule now.

Thinking of this, Luo Mu clapped his hands, gathered the four students, and announced his upcoming arrangements to them.

"After working in isolation for so long, I assume you've all felt that battles have become homogenized due to being overly familiar with each other's tactics and Pokémon, correct?"

"Although Cloyster's appearance today gave you a long-lost sense of freshness, this freshness will vanish again in a few days; to put it bluntly, I think the time is ripe."

Letting his gaze sweep over the four of them, whose expressions had changed to varying degrees, Luo Mu continued:

"There is only one week left before we depart for Blueberry Academy; now, I will announce the final trial of this special training. Completing the trial signifies that you possess the capability to face the trials of the strong within Blueberry Academy."

Mudan and Peper unconsciously swallowed hard, fearing Luo Mu might suddenly blurt out that the final trial was to defeat him in a Double Battle.

Hearing Nimo and Piper wore determined expressions; no matter what challenge it was, they would definitely break through it with hard work!

Without beating around the bush, Luo Mu pointed at the four and stated directly: "The final trial remains based on your current groups: go and clear the Glaseado Gym for me."

Hearing Nimo & Piper: (〃'▽'〃)

We're challenging the sixth Gym directly? That's so challenging!

Peper & Mudan: (д；)

We're challenging the Glaseado Gym? For real?

Seeing the uneasy expressions on Mudan and Peper's faces, Luo Mu smiled slightly: "Compared to your former selves, you are now a world apart; rest assured, as long as you apply what you've learned during this period, you will definitely be able to reclaim the Glaseado Badge."

"A friendly reminder: the former Gym Leader of the Glaseado Gym is Teacher Tyme, who taught you quite a bit about Double Battles; currently, the gym is operated by her younger sister, Gym Leader Ryme, who specializes in Ghost-type Pokémon."

"Perhaps you can gather some intelligence on Gym Leader Ryme from Teacher Tyme; today's special training ends here, so go back and rest after lunch, as your Pokémon are tired too."

After Luo Mu left, Peper and Mudan exchanged glances; strangely, they felt that as long as they weren't fighting Luo Mu, challenging the Glaseado Gym wasn't such a big deal.

Perhaps, this was a compromise.

Today's special training was arranged by Luo Mu for the morning; since there was no need to stay at Grandma Ju Zi Academy after classes ended, Luo Mu boarded Dragonite to prepare to return home.

While above the farm, Luo Mu halted Dragonite, which was preparing to descend, and frowned slightly as he looked at the empty sky.

Because he had left early in the morning, he hadn't noticed it yet, but where were the Rookidee that usually dutifully guarded the farm's skies?

Given their intense craving for food, and hearing that Rookidee of the same species often fought over ten patrol spots, it should be impossible for them not to show up.

Or did it think its asking price was too low and decide to go on strike to demand higher wages?

That shouldn't be the case; there were absolutely no signs before, and just yesterday I even gave Skarmory Skarmory Sanmao a bath and applied medicine to its chest where it was losing feathers.

After a moment of thought, Luo Mu still patted Dragonite's back and said in a deep voice, "Let's go check out the forest where the Altaria live."

"Bo-wu~"

Dragonite nodded gently, then turned its body, whipped up a fierce wind, and flapped its wings to fly in the direction Luo Mu had indicated.

The forest where the Altaria lived was only about 10 kilometers from the farm; if one compared Dragonite to a supercar, it was like stepping on the accelerator and zooming "whoosh" through the sky, instantly revealing the outline of the forest and the lake beside it where Luo Mu and Penny had gone fishing.

"This situation isn't good."

Looking at the completely frozen lake, the thick layer of frost and snow covering everything, and even the few trees that had been frozen into blocks of ice, Luo Mu even spotted an Altaria frozen solid on a branch of one of those ice trees.

While the farm was still under a blazing sun, the sky here had accumulated a thick layer of snow clouds, and as the biting cold wind blew, frost and snow drifted down.

This was undoubtedly weather that defied anyone's common sense; the only existence capable of bringing such conditions during a season approaching midsummer was a Pokémon.

Moreover, its strength would most likely be formidable.

Although he didn't know how long it had taken the opponent to achieve this, any existence capable of freezing most of the forest and the entire lake must be very powerful.

"Bo-wu!"

The antennae on Dragonite's head wiggled; locking onto the north of the forest, it quickly cried out to alert Luo Mu and pointed in that direction.

It had detected extremely dense Ice-type energy in that direction and could even vaguely perceive signs of a battle taking place over there.

Luo Mu said in a deep voice, "Let's go take a look!"

Even though summer was approaching, the temperature here had already neared below zero; the biting cold wind, the frost and snow falling from the sky, and the intense cold current before them that resembled a frost dragon's breath.

All of this was causing Skarmory Skarmory Sanmao's mental activity, already stagnant due to the environment, to become increasingly sluggish.

Blinking with all its might, its vision obscured by snowflakes barely allowing it to make out the surroundings, Skarmory Skarmory Sanmao looked at the ground in the distance, where numerous frozen Taillow and Swellow lay scattered, and even that rival which had clashed with it had not escaped that fate.

What a sorry state; they were supposed to be Fire-type Pokémon that countered Ice-types, after all.

As for its surroundings, there was no need to look to know that its clansmen had been completely wiped out; the defensive line they had held had clearly collapsed.

Skarmory Skarmory Sanmao felt its body gradually freezing; to avoid falling asleep, it struggled to keep its mind active, even starting to let its thoughts wander wildly.

When did things turn out like this?

About a month ago, the Swellow flock in the other half of this forest inexplicably began frequent conflicts with their Altaria flock, even though resources within this forest had previously been very abundant.

It seemed that from that time onward, the trees in the forest stopped bearing delicious berries, and other food sources became scarce as well.

After the Swellow flock could no longer find any food from the Altaria flock, the fighting stopped; the shortage of food forced both flocks to disregard each other's existence, focusing only on how to find food outside.

Then, they formed a rather wonderful connection with that farm; the berries each working Altaria brought back, combined with the food the clansmen found outside, were barely enough to stave off hunger and ensure the flock's survival.

Just when Skarmory Skarmory Sanmao thought life would continue like this, an anomaly occurred.

It was a Pokémon that looked very strange; its entire body was filled with a metallic luster, its eyes lacked the liveliness typical of their Altaria, and were full of a dull, sluggish feeling, just like those Slowpoke Skarmory Skarmory Sanmao occasionally saw at the forest's edge.

That strange Pokémon carried an ice-blue sphere with it; the frost flowing out from the sphere was like an ice dragon's breath, easily freezing the lake they usually drank from.

Such power, it had only ever seen at that human's farm.

Because of the threat posed by that strange Pokémon, this was the first time Skarmory Skarmory Sanmao had communicated with the Swellow flock, learning from them the origins of that strange Pokémon.

The opponent had been buried deep underground in this forest; when the Swellow flock, searching for food, tried digging holes to see if there were any plant seeds they could use to stave off hunger, they dug the opponent out.

At the same time, they discovered the reason why the trees were not producing berries—the sphere carried by that strange Pokémon had been constantly leaking cold air, affecting the trees throughout the entire forest.

After digging that fellow out, since the opponent hadn't moved, the Swellow and others hadn't paid it any mind, until this morning when, as if it had finished recharging, it began to move.

The strange Pokémon's power was too great; the Altaria flock and the Swellow flock could only choose to join forces to resist the enemy, and the result—was the current situation.

Even its consciousness felt as though it were about to freeze; for the first time, Skarmory Skarmory Sanmao regretted, wondering if the outcome would have been different had it gone to that farm first to call for reinforcements?

Anyone will do; can someone please come save us?

Skarmory Skarmory Sanmao prayed from the bottom of its heart; it didn't matter what happened to itself, but at the very least, the clansmen trapped in the ice had to escape this place.

A voice, not loud yet as clear as if heaven itself had heard Skarmory Skarmory Sanmao's prayer and sent a savior, rang out with extreme clarity in Skarmory Skarmory Sanmao's mind.

"Moltres, use Flamethrower."

Intense light and heat brought warmth to this extremely cold world, and brought hope as well.

Skarmory Skarmory Sanmao strained to lift its head and gaze at the sacred figure in the mid-air; as it flapped its wings, feathers burning with bright flames scattered brilliant sparks, and those red flames tinged with gold stirred its heart profoundly.

Merely by Moltres existing there, the ice and snow would melt away, as if bringing spring prematurely to this domain of snow.

Fearless of heaven and earth, Skarmory Skarmory Sanmao felt for the first time that the Moltres they used to tease was actually so handsome, filled with a charm that easily captivated it.

Above Moltres, Luo Mu, riding Dragonite, looked down at the Pokémon recklessly spewing frost currents, his expression full of astonishment.

The Pokémon before him looked very much like a Delibird, yet it was slightly different.

That body covered in metallic luster, and that spherical device spewing extremely cold frost currents, both indicated that its identity was not simple.

"Is it... Iron Bundle?"

Luo Mu's voice was filled with seriousness; Iron Bundle was a Paradox Pokémon from the future, so why would it appear in the wild forests near Artazon?

Flying all the way here, the entire forest could be described as utterly miserable; not only were the Altaria and Swellow frozen, but many innocent wild Pokémon had not escaped this misfortune either.

Luo Mu had even guessed whether the Disaster Pokémon, Chien-Pao, had broken its seal and escaped, never expecting that the true culprit behind everything was the Paradox Pokémon, Iron Bundle.

(End of Chapter)