Chapter 241

Chapter 241: Chapter 241

"Hattrem?"

Hattrem stood beside Mike’s bed, staring at the enormous lump beneath the blankets.

She reached out with her little hands and gave him several gentle pushes, but Mike showed absolutely no sign of waking up.

Confused, she turned toward Snivy, who was resting comfortably in a hammock nearby.

Snivy glanced at the suspiciously motionless bundle on the bed and seemed to understand the situation immediately.

She extended two Vine Whips, caught the upper corners of Mike’s blanket, and yanked it away with one powerful motion.

At precisely the same moment, Gengar threw open the bedroom window.

Freezing mountain air rushed into the room, carrying a flurry of snowflakes along with it.

Mike, who was wearing nothing more than his thin pajamas, felt as though someone had suddenly dropped him into an icy lake. He practically launched himself out of bed.

"IT’S FREEZING!"

"MEOW!"

Glameow, who had been sleeping beside him, was equally outraged by the sudden invasion of cold air.

"WHO OPENED THE WINDOW?!" Mike demanded, staring toward the source of the freezing wind.

"ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!"

Snivy ignored his complaints.

She hopped down from her hammock, retrieved his clothes from a nearby chair, and carried them over to the bed.

"Snivy."

[Get dressed.]

By the time Mike finished glaring at the window, Gengar had already closed it again.

Mike rubbed his thoroughly disheveled hair and sighed helplessly.

"It’s this cold outside. What’s wrong with sleeping in a little longer?"

"Hattrem?"

[A little longer?]

Hattrem used her psychic power to lift his phone from the bedside table and floated it over to him.

Mike took one look at the screen.

Twelve o’clock.

Noon.

He stared at the time for several seconds before scratching his head.

"That’s weird. I don’t feel like I’ve slept that long..."

He glanced toward Snivy and the others, then lowered his voice hopefully.

"Hey, how about we forget about filming today? We could take a day off and go another time."

Snivy smiled.

It was a perfectly pleasant smile, but for some reason, Mike felt a chill that had absolutely nothing to do with the weather.

He promptly accepted the clothes she was holding.

"Actually, never mind. We’re going. Right now!"

Snivy nodded in satisfaction and headed into the bathroom to prepare his toiletries.

While Mike was washing up, she glanced toward Gengar and gave him an approving look.

Gengar immediately puffed out his chest with pride.

If there was one thing he could always be counted on for, it was helping someone play a prank on Mike.

There was no way he would ever miss an opportunity like that.

Once Mike had finished getting ready, he returned to the bedroom and found Glameow still curled up in bed, showing no interest whatsoever in leaving the warmth of the blankets.

He scooped her up and carried her into the bathroom.

"Come on. Time to wash your face."

Glameow immediately began batting at his hands as he gently wiped her face with a damp towel.

"Meow~"

Her voice was so sweet and pitiful that anyone unfamiliar with her would probably have surrendered on the spot.

Unfortunately for Glameow, Mike had developed a considerable resistance to that particular tactic.

"Request denied."

He finished washing her face, checked that she was properly clean and hadn’t somehow managed to hide away any little snacks, then finally put her down.

Glameow jumped onto the sink and stared at him for a few seconds.

Apparently deciding that further resistance was pointless, she hopped down and left the bathroom without another word.

Mike put his toiletries away, leaving them in the bathroom rather than packing everything up again.

He had already told Nurse Joy the previous evening that he might return to the Pokémon Center over the next few days, so there was no reason to carry all his belongings around the mountain.

When he finally stepped out of the bathroom, he discovered that Glameow had already made herself comfortable inside her carrier.

Snivy had thoughtfully lined the bottom with a blanket, and Glameow was now stretched out on the soft fabric, yawning lazily as though she’d been waiting for someone to carry her around all morning.

Mike stared at her.

"You certainly know how to make yourself comfortable."

Glameow didn’t appear remotely bothered by his tone.

With another helpless sigh, Mike picked up the carrier, slung it over his shoulder, and headed downstairs with Gengar and the others.

After a simple lunch, he said goodbye to Nurse Joy and set out toward Froslass’s cave.

...

The journey through the snow was considerably livelier than it had been the previous day.

Ever since Gengar had first tied Rotom to the end of his thin bamboo staff, he’d developed a habit of using the unfortunate Pokémon as an improvised weapon.

Whenever he felt like it, Gengar would attach Rotom to his staff and swing them around like a morning star, occasionally sending the device crashing through nearby bushes and low-hanging branches.

The strange thing was that Rotom had gradually begun enjoying it.

What had initially been an unwilling participation in Gengar’s nonsense had somehow evolved into a shared hobby, and Rotom was now well on the way to becoming an official member of Gengar and Beedrill’s little troublemaking group.

Mike watched Gengar enthusiastically swinging Rotom around like a flail and sighed.

’Great. As if I didn’t already have enough troublemakers.’

Then again, Rotom had never exactly been easy to manage.

Even before joining the team, the little menace had possessed an extraordinary ability to talk without stopping.

Still, Mike had to admit that the atmosphere within the group had become noticeably livelier since Rotom arrived.

Before that, Beedrill had been the quiet, aloof type who could travel for hours without saying a word.

Snivy was gentle and affectionate, but she generally preferred listening to Mike rather than starting conversations herself, and she was usually happy to go along with whatever he suggested.

Hattrem spent most of her time clinging to Mike and affectionately claiming that he belonged to her, while Glameow was so spectacularly tsundere that getting her to openly admit what she wanted was practically a challenge in itself.

That had left Gengar as Mike’s main conversational partner during their travels.

Rotom’s arrival had changed everything.

Through the sheer power of that endlessly running mouth, Rotom had somehow managed to irritate every single Pokémon on the team.

The resulting arguments, complaints, and ridiculous antics had made their journeys far more entertaining.

Mike glanced toward Rotom again, still unable to understand how a Pokémon could talk so much that Snivy ended up hanging them from a tree almost every day.

Even he and Gengar only received that particular punishment occasionally.

What kind of achievement was that?

With Gengar and Rotom continuing their nonsense along the way, the group eventually arrived outside Froslass’s cave.

Froslass appeared almost immediately, having apparently sensed Mike’s approach.

Snorunt followed close behind her, although the little Pokémon quickly retreated when they noticed Mike’s companions.

Snorunt remembered Mike.

He was the human who had helped rescue them yesterday, and they were grateful for that.

But they also remembered Gengar and Beedrill.

Especially Gengar.

The moment Snorunt spotted that enormous purple ghost, they hurried behind Froslass and peeked out at him with unmistakable fear.

Mike noticed the reaction and turned toward Gengar.

"Hey, what did you do to Snorunt yesterday? Why are they so scared of you?"

Gengar scratched his head and seriously considered the question.

After thinking for a while, he shook his head.

"Gar?"

[I dunno. I barely even talked to Snorunt. Maybe I’m so handsome that my good looks scared them?]

Mike fell silent.

So did Beedrill, Snivy, and Hattrem.

Apparently deciding that such an extraordinary claim required scientific verification, Rotom emerged from the phone.

"According to probability theory, the likelihood of that explanation being correct is approximately..."

Gengar immediately turned toward Rotom, his eyes shining with anticipation.

"Zero point zero one percent, roto."

Gengar grabbed the Rotom Phone and forcibly shut it down.

(.?ˇ_ˇ?.)

Then he dragged Rotom away to give the little loudmouth a personal demonstration of his big-brotherly affection.

Snorunt watched Gengar begin treating Rotom like a ball.

They looked down at their own body, noticing their short little arms and legs, and a horrifying possibility occurred to them.

’Wait...’

’Is he going to kick me around like a ball too?!’

’But... I’m triangular!’

Snorunt’s eyes widened in alarm.

Mike noticed that Snorunt kept staring toward Gengar, so he curiously opened the Pokédex interface to see what was going on.

{Snorunt}

{...}

{Description: After being rescued by Gengar yesterday, Snorunt witnessed him roasting Beedrill, the very Pokémon who had helped save them, over a campfire. Believing Gengar might also roast and eat them, Snorunt developed an intense fear of him.}

{After witnessing Gengar treating Rotom like a ball and burying them in the snow, Snorunt is now afraid of being kicked around and buried as well.}

Mike stared at the description.

Then he covered his face with one hand.

He couldn’t bring himself to look at Froslass, whose expression practically demanded an explanation for why her rescued Snorunt was now terrified of one of their supposed saviors.

Instead, Mike turned toward Gengar.

The purple ghost and Beedrill were currently piling snow over Rotom, apparently determined to bury the device completely.

What made the situation even more ridiculous was that Rotom was grinning throughout the entire process and seemed to be enjoying every second of it.

’That... doesn’t count as bullying, right?’

Mike wasn’t entirely sure anymore.

He crouched down to speak to Snorunt.

"Don’t worry. They’re just playing."

Snorunt looked up at him in confusion.

’Playing?’

"Yeah," Mike assured them with what he hoped was a convincing smile. "It’s just a... particularly exciting way to play. They enjoy that sort of thing."

From inside her carrier, Glameow raised her head and stared at Mike.

She seemed genuinely impressed by his ability to deliver such an absurd explanation with a completely straight face.

Mike ignored her.

"Besides, if Gengar and Beedrill really wanted to hurt you, they wouldn’t have rescued you yesterday, would they?"

Snorunt considered that argument with their not-particularly-complicated little brain.

After a moment, their eyes brightened.

’Oh! That’s true!’

They looked back toward Mike with obvious anticipation.

Mike hesitated.

"Wait... do you want to play with them too?"

Snorunt nodded enthusiastically.

Mike stared.

For a moment, he seriously considered pretending that he hadn’t noticed.

"Personally, I think you’d be better off not joining them."

Snorunt’s delighted expression immediately collapsed.

Seeing how disappointed they were, Mike closed his eyes and wrestled with his conscience.

After several seconds, he opened them again, looking as though he’d just made an incredibly important decision.

"Well... if Froslass doesn’t mind, I suppose you can go."

Snorunt immediately turned toward Froslass.

Froslass looked past them at Gengar and the others, who were now playing some strange game in the snow that involved throwing things at one another.

She hesitated.

Then she remembered what had happened the previous day.

When she had threatened Mike, Gengar and his companions had immediately placed themselves between him and danger.

Even when confronted by a powerful Pokémon like Froslass, none of them had shown the slightest intention of retreating.

Their loyalty to their Trainer was beyond question.

Remembering the beating she’d received from them made Froslass’s body ache all over again, but it also reassured her that they probably wouldn’t deliberately harm Snorunt.

After thinking it over, she finally nodded.

Snorunt immediately brightened and hurried toward Gengar’s group, excitedly asking whether they could join the game.

Gengar, Beedrill, and Rotom exchanged glances.

Then all three simultaneously broke into enormous, suspiciously cheerful smiles.

Gengar grabbed Snorunt and immediately took off running.

"Gar—!"

[We’re going to play!]

Mike watched them disappear into the snowy trees, one corner of his eye twitching.

He opened his mouth, intending to call them back, but the protest somehow transformed into something considerably weaker before it left his lips.

"Be careful! And don’t go too far!"

"Gar—!"

Gengar’s cheerful reply drifted back through the trees.

Mike could only hope for the best.

...

With the children and troublemakers occupied elsewhere, Mike finally turned his attention toward Froslass.

He lifted the camera hanging around his neck.

"So, would you mind helping me with some filming?"

Froslass nodded without hesitation.

"Fross—"

[I already promised you I would help, and I won’t go back on my word. Besides, Gengar and the others are keeping Snorunt entertained. Consider it another way of thanking you.]

Mike blinked before breaking into a wide smile.

"Thanks! In that case, you don’t need to pay any attention to me. Just go about your day exactly as you normally would, and I’ll follow along with the camera."

Froslass looked puzzled.

Mike noticed and continued explaining.

"Just pretend I’m not here."

"Fross?"

"What I want to capture is your everyday life with Snorunt. I want people to see what you normally do, how you spend your time, and what life is really like for Pokémon living on Mount Coronet."

He adjusted his camera.

"So there’s no need to perform for me or do anything special. Just behave the way you normally would."

Froslass still didn’t quite understand why a human would find her ordinary daily routine worth recording.

There wasn’t anything particularly exciting about it, as far as she was concerned.

But since Mike had specifically requested it, she saw no reason to refuse.

And so, for the rest of the day, wherever Froslass went, she had a human photographer and several Pokémon following close behind.

Mike kept his camera ready, quietly observing and recording her activities while trying not to interfere.

...

By the time evening arrived, the day’s filming had come to an end.

Mike said goodbye to Froslass, and she took Snorunt back into their cave.

The little Pokémon was in a remarkably good mood, bouncing along with an enormous smile that hadn’t faded since returning from their afternoon with Gengar and the others.

Froslass watched them curiously.

She had been wondering all day what those three had done to make Snorunt so happy.

Naturally, she decided to ask.

Snorunt enthusiastically began demonstrating what they had learned.

First, they positioned themselves in front of Froslass and indicated that she should pick them up with her powers.

Then they pointed toward the nearby stone wall.

Froslass looked at them.

Snorunt looked back expectantly.

They wanted her to launch them straight into the wall.

As hard as possible.

Froslass slowly clenched her fists.

"FROSS!!!"

[MIKE!!!]

Outside the cave, a blizzard immediately erupted across the mountainside.

Mike had been making his way back toward the Pokémon Center when Froslass’s furious cry suddenly echoed through the snow.

Gengar froze.

He exchanged one quick glance with Beedrill before immediately grabbing Mike and taking off at full speed.

Beedrill joined him without hesitation, and together the two practically dragged Mike away from the cave.

Behind them, Froslass burst out into the open and stared after Mike’s retreating figure, her entire body trembling with rage.

’I let you take Snorunt out to play, and you used them as a sandbag?!’

’You even launched them around like a cannonball?!’

’JUST YOU WAIT!’

’SEE IF YOU STILL DARE TO COME BACK TOMORROW!’

The more Froslass thought about Snorunt’s delighted expression while demonstrating their new favorite game, the angrier she became!

And as her anger grew, so did the blizzard.

Within moments, the snowstorm was raging more violently than ever.

’I’M SO MAD!!!’