Chapter 253

Chapter 253: Chapter 253

Meanwhile, back on Mount Coronet, Mike had finally recovered enough to sit up.

He climbed out of the snow and looked around.

The sight that greeted him made him close his eyes in resignation.

Pokémon were lying everywhere.

The Jynx had collapsed across the snowy ground, with the little Smoochum scattered among them.

His own Pokémon weren’t doing much better.

Even the ones who had managed to remain conscious looked completely exhausted.

’Well...’

Mike sighed.

’That was a total party wipe.’

He went around collecting his companions, carefully picking Snivy, Hattrem, and Glameow up from the snow and placing them on the stone seat he’d been using earlier.

Then he went to retrieve Beedrill, who had somehow ended up stuck in the snow after falling out of the air.

Once he’d pulled Beedrill free, Mike began searching for his phone.

It took him a little while to locate the Rotom Phone, which was partially buried beneath the snow.

He dug it out and brushed off the frozen powder.

By the time he’d finished gathering everyone, Mike felt as though he’d just cleaned up the aftermath of a major battle.

"Snivy..."

Snivy lay weakly on the seat, looking up at him with exhausted eyes.

[Next time... could you please not let him sing again...?]

Mike nodded without the slightest hesitation.

"Don’t worry! There won’t BE a next time. I promise!"

Just then, a flash of red light appeared nearby.

Gengar popped out of his Poké Ball.

"Gar?"

He floated in the air and looked around.

Jynx and Smoochum were lying unconscious all across the canyon.

The other Pokémon were still struggling to recover.

Gengar scratched his enormous backside awkwardly before turning toward Mike with a sheepish grin.

"Hehehe..."

Mike stared at him.

"See all this?"

His voice was weak, and his heart was still pounding from the ordeal.

He pointed toward the unconscious Jynx and Smoochum.

"This is what you accomplished with your singing!"

Gengar’s grin immediately faded.

He lowered his head and brought his hands together in front of his chest, nervously tapping his index fingers against each other.

For once, the usually mischievous Ghost-type didn’t have anything to say.

Seeing him looking so pitiful, Mike couldn’t bring himself to stay angry.

He sighed.

"All right, listen. From now on, you’re not allowed to sing like that unless I give you permission. Understand?"

"Gengar..."

[kay...]

Gengar nodded obediently.

Mike was about to say something else when a line of text suddenly appeared in front of him.

{Perish Song.}

Mike blinked.

’Wait... What?’

He raised a hand and rubbed his eyes.

Then he looked at Gengar again.

The system’s Pokédex appeared in front of him.

{Pokémon: Gengar}

{...}

{Known Moves: ..., Perish Song}

{Description: By listening to Mike and the Jynx sing, Gengar independently learned a move capable of rendering opponents unconscious. What’s wrong with a Gengar who simply loves singing?}

Mike stared at the description.

"..."

He closed the Pokédex.

Then he slowly turned toward Gengar.

"Gengar... Did you seriously just learn Perish Song?"

Gengar looked at him.

Then his enormous mouth spread into a delighted grin.

"Gaaarr!"

Mike was stunned for a moment.

Then he reached out and grabbed Gengar’s cheeks.

"Well, would you look at that! You actually managed to learn Perish Song just by listening to us sing?!"

He couldn’t help feeling impressed.

After all, Perish Song wasn’t exactly an ordinary move.

The fact that Gengar had managed to learn it on his own was genuinely remarkable.

"You little genius!" Mike said with a laugh, tugging affectionately at his cheeks. "All right! You deserve a reward for that. I’ll make you something extra delicious for dinner tonight!"

Gengar’s eyes lit up.

"GAR!"

A special dinner?!

That was wonderful news!

Overjoyed by the praise, Gengar immediately reached for the slender bamboo switch he’d been using as a microphone.

He brought it toward his mouth.

Then he drew a deep breath.

The Jynx, who had only just managed to struggle back to their feet, saw what he was doing.

Their expressions changed instantly.

"JYNX?!"

They scattered in every direction!

Glameow’s fur stood on end.

Gengar had barely managed to make the first sound when a stream of silk shot across the air.

Thwip!

Beedrill’s String Shot wrapped around Gengar’s mouth, sealing it shut before another note could escape.

"Geng—MMMPH?!"

Mike turned toward Beedrill.

"Nice work, Beedrill!"

Then he stepped forward and gave Gengar a firm kick in the backside.

"Didn’t I JUST tell you not to sing without my permission?! You literally agreed to it a moment ago!"

"Gengar..."

[Oh...]

Gengar tore the silk away from his mouth and nodded.

Mike wasn’t satisfied.

He pointed at the Ghost-type with an expression that suggested he was completely serious.

"Listen carefully, Gengar. If I ever catch you singing that song for other people without my permission again, I swear I’ll kick your backside so hard you won’t know what hit you!"

Gengar froze.

"GEN?!"

His eyes widened in horror.

He immediately covered his enormous backside with both hands and jumped backward, putting some distance between himself and Mike.

The look he gave his Trainer was full of suspicion.

Mike grinned menacingly.

"Scared now, aren’t you?"

Gengar nodded frantically.

He wasn’t taking any chances.

Seeing that Gengar had finally understood how serious he was, Mike relaxed.

More importantly, the Jynx appeared to have realized that the terrifying purple Pokémon wasn’t going to start singing again.

One by one, they cautiously gathered around.

Mike smiled reassuringly.

"All right, everyone. Gengar won’t be using Perish Song anymore, so you can go back to practicing."

The Jynx looked toward Gengar one last time.

When he made no attempt to sing, they finally relaxed.

They joined hands again and resumed practicing the song Mike had taught them.

Their clear, beautiful voices soon filled the canyon once more.

Gengar floated off to the side, wearing an enormous pout.

’Stupid Mike!’

He folded his arms.

’My singing sounds great too! He just won’t let me sing!’

The more Gengar thought about it, the more unfair the whole situation seemed.

’Everyone got so excited when they heard me sing that they all fell over! That’s how powerful my singing is!’

And yet Mike had forbidden him from performing.

’Hmph! Fine!’

Gengar turned his head away.

’I’m not playing with him anymore! I’ve decided! I’m going to ignore him for the WHOLE DAY!’

Meanwhile, Mike had returned to his stone seat.

He picked Glameow up, settled her comfortably in his lap, and covered her with a blanket.

Then he looked toward one of the Jynx who was resting nearby.

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Jynx?"

Mike pointed toward the narrow passage leading deeper into the mountain.

"Where does that passage go?"

The Jynx followed his gesture.

She thought for a moment, apparently trying to remember what lay beyond the passage.

"Jynx..."

[I think it leads farther into the mountains. We went to look once, but there wasn’t anything interesting. Just a really big open area.]

"Oh, really?"

Mike nodded thoughtfully.

He’d noticed the passage earlier, but he hadn’t had an opportunity to investigate it.

Now that the Jynx were practicing on their own, perhaps he could take a look.

Before making a decision, however, he called Rotom over to check the livestream.

The Rotom Phone floated toward him.

Mike opened the viewer statistics.

Then he fell silent.

"..."

Thanks to Gengar’s little performance, the livestream audience had practically vanished.

The viewer count was almost empty.

Mike looked at the screen for a moment before shaking his head.

"Well, there’s nobody watching anymore anyway. Guess I’ll just end the stream."

With that, he switched off the livestream.

He then turned back toward the Jynx.

"By the way, is there anything dangerous inside that passage?"

The Jynx thought about it for a while before shaking her head.

As far as she knew, there wasn’t anything particularly threatening beyond it.

"All right, then!"

Mike picked Glameow up and stood.

"You girls can keep practicing here. I’m going to take a look around."

The Jynx nodded and happily returned to their singing.

Mike turned toward his Pokémon.

Then he noticed Gengar.

The Ghost-type was sitting in the snow nearby, drawing circles on the ground with one finger.

He looked thoroughly miserable!

Mike sighed.

’Still sulking, huh?’

He thought about it for a moment before walking over.

"Hey, Gengar. I’m thinking about exploring that passage over there. Want to come with us?"

Gengar heard him.

He immediately turned his enormous backside toward Mike.

"Hmph!"

Mike almost laughed.

But instead of teasing him, he sighed dramatically.

"Ahhh, that’s a shame..."

Gengar’s ears practically perked up.

Mike continued in a deliberately disappointed voice.

"I was really hoping you’d come along and protect me. After all, I’m such a weak and helpless human, and Snivy and the others aren’t exactly comfortable in this freezing environment."

He glanced toward his Pokémon before adding, "I thought our brave eldest brother might be willing to look after his younger brothers and sisters."

Gengar remained facing away from him.

But he was definitely listening.

"Well, if you don’t want to, I suppose there’s nothing we can do," Mike continued. "Beedrill’s the second oldest, after all. I’m sure he can protect the girls just fine."

"Snivy~"

Snivy immediately caught on.

She brought her hands together in front of her chest and put on a frightened expression.

[Oh nooo! I’m so scared! Big bro, won’t you protect me? Waaaah~!]

Mike glanced at her.

Snivy winked at him.

Gengar: "!!!"

Before Gengar could react, Beedrill stepped forward.

"Beedrill!"

[Leave it to me! A loyal knight never abandons those weaker than himself!]

Gengar: "Σ(?Д?;)"

NANIIIIIIIIII?!

That was supposed to be HIS job!

Gengar sprang to his feet so quickly that snow scattered around him.

Then he floated into the air and glared at Beedrill.

"GENGAR!"

[I’M THE BIG BRO HERE! YOU’RE NOT STEALING MY JOB!]

Without another word, he picked up his bamboo switch, slung it over his shoulder, and floated back toward Mike.

He stared at his Trainer with fierce determination.

Mike looked at him innocently.

"Oh? Does that mean our mighty Sir Gengar is willing to protect us weaklings after all?"

Gengar thumped his chest proudly.

"GENGAR!"

[LEAVE EVERYTHING TO ME!]

Then, without even waiting for Mike to respond, he turned around and floated toward the passage, taking the lead.

Mike watched him go.

A smile spread across his face.

’Heh. That was easy.’

Really, Gengar was ridiculously simple to cheer up.

As long as someone reminded him that he was the oldest and gave him an opportunity to act heroic, he’d forget whatever he’d been sulking about.

With Gengar happily leading the way, Mike decided to check his Viewership Points before following.

Yesterday’s livestream had attracted around a hundred thousand viewers.

Based on his estimated returns, that had earned him approximately 5,000 Viewership Points.

Combined with the educational video he’d released earlier, he’d earned around 6,000 points.

And that wasn’t counting today’s livestream.

Mike checked the latest statistics.

Because he hadn’t announced today’s broadcast in advance, and because the stream hadn’t lasted particularly long, it had only attracted around 80,000 viewers.

That still worked out to roughly 4,000 Viewership Points.

Adding everything together with the points he already had, Mike now possessed a little over 17,000 Viewership Points.

’Not bad at all!’

He began thinking about what he should purchase.

Gengar and Beedrill would probably appreciate another Toxic Orb to snack on.

Hattrem was also running low on the Clamperl pearls she’d been using to strengthen her psychic powers.

And Snivy’s Leaf Stone was nearly depleted.

’Looks like I’ll have to restock everything soon.’

Satisfied with his calculations, Mike closed the Viewership Points Shop, picked Glameow up again, and followed his Pokémon toward the passage.

...

The moment Mike stepped inside, a gust of cold air swept past him.

"Brrr!"

He immediately tightened his scarf, pulling it closer around his neck.

The passage ran through a narrow gap in the mountain itself.

With Gengar leading the way, Mike followed the winding route between the rocks until they eventually entered a natural stone cavern.

The interior was dark and rather unsettling.

Gengar looked around before reaching into his seemingly bottomless pocket and pulling out a headlamp.

He placed it on his head.

Click!

A soft beam of light illuminated the cavern.

"Gengar!"

Apparently satisfied with his equipment, Gengar continued forward.

Mike followed behind him.

The farther they traveled, however, the narrower the passage became.

At one point, even Gengar had to turn sideways to squeeze through the gap.

He carefully slipped between the rocks and continued scouting ahead.

A little while later, his voice echoed back through the passage.

"Gengar!"

[There’s light up ahead!]

Mike raised his head.

"All right! Go take a look, but be careful!"

Gengar nodded and floated toward the light.

Behind him, Snivy, Beedrill, and Hattrem maintained a protective formation around Mike.

The three Pokémon positioned themselves in a triangle, keeping him safely in the middle.

Rotom remained inside the phone and followed behind them, continuing to record footage of the exploration even though the livestream had ended.

A short while later, Gengar called out again.

"Gengar!"

Hearing him, Mike quickened his pace.

He carefully made his way through the last stretch of the passage.

Then he stepped outside.

And stopped.

"Whoa..."

A vast snowfield stretched out before him.

The surrounding landscape was filled with trees, their branches and trunks heavily covered in snow.

The open area was far larger than he’d expected.

Mike turned around and looked back at the passage they’d just emerged from.

Then he raised his head toward the mountains towering overhead.

It was still Mount Coronet.

That much was obvious.

But he had absolutely no idea where they’d ended up.

’Are we somewhere deep inside the Mount Coronet mountain range?’

He asked Rotom to open the navigation system.

The map appeared on his phone.

After checking their position, Mike confirmed that they had indeed reached a remote area deep within the mountain range.

He looked ahead again.

Beyond the broad snowfield, enormous mountains continued rising toward the sky.

"Well, we’ve come this far..."

Mike pulled his scarf up over the lower half of his face.

It was even colder here than it had been in the canyon where the Jynx lived.

Still, he wasn’t about to turn around without exploring.

"Might as well take a look around while we’re here!"

With Glameow in his arms, he began walking toward the center of the snowfield.

It didn’t take long for him to notice signs that other Pokémon were living in the area.

Mike stopped beside a tree.

There were several marks carved into its trunk.

He reached out and carefully ran his fingers over them.

"Hmm..."

He then checked several nearby trees.

The same kinds of marks appeared on their trunks.

Even some of the surrounding rocks bore similar scratches.

Mike studied the markings for a while before coming to a conclusion.

"If I’m not mistaken, there should be a group of Weavile living somewhere around here."

That was an interesting discovery.

Weavile were powerful Pokémon, and their sharp claws could leave distinctive marks on trees and rocks throughout their territory.

If a group was living nearby, there was a good chance these scratches were evidence of their activity.

Gengar immediately reacted.

He put his bamboo switch back into his pocket, then sank into Mike’s shadow.

Hattrem also became more alert.

She spread her psychic power outward, carefully monitoring the surrounding area for anything that might approach.

Mike continued walking, paying close attention to the environment.

A short distance away, several large Pokémon were moving through the snow.

When he looked more closely, he realized that they were Mamoswine.

A group of the enormous Pokémon was foraging for food, accompanied by several smaller Swinub.

Mike watched them with growing interest.

Mamoswine were fascinating Pokémon.

According to the information he’d encountered before, Mamoswine had once been discovered buried deep underground.

Their awakening had caused quite a sensation among researchers.

After all, Mamoswine were Pokémon that had flourished during the Ice Age.

The fact that some had remained dormant beneath the earth for such an incredibly long time was remarkable.

As the group moved closer, Mike finally got a proper look at just how enormous the Mamoswine were.

He stopped walking.

His mouth slowly fell open.

’They’re HUGE!’

The massive Pokémon towered over him, their thick coats of brown fur making them look even larger.

Mike stared at one of them.

Then a rather ridiculous thought occurred to him.

’Wow... I bet hugging one of those would be REALLY warm!’

The longer he looked at the Mamoswine, the more tempting the idea became.

He took a step forward.

Unfortunately, he didn’t get very far.

A Vine Whip stretched across his path.

Mike turned his head.

Snivy was standing beside him, staring at him without moving.

"Snivy."

[One step from that Pokémon would be enough to flatten you.]

Mike looked back toward the Mamoswine.

Then he looked at Snivy.

"..."

In the end, he reluctantly watched the group continue on its way.

What a shame!

If he had a greater affinity with Ice-type Pokémon, maybe he’d have been able to get close enough to pet one.

He might even have been able to ride on its back!

The thought of sitting comfortably atop a huge, fluffy Mamoswine while traveling through the snow was certainly appealing.

Unfortunately, Snivy clearly had no intention of letting him test that idea.

Mike sighed and continued exploring.

He wasn’t in any particular hurry to take photographs.

For now, he was more interested in seeing what other Pokémon might be living in this secluded part of the mountain.

They hadn’t gone much farther when Hattrem suddenly stopped.

"Hattrem?"

She turned her head toward a particular area, looking rather puzzled.

Mike noticed immediately.

"What’s wrong, Hattrem?"

Hattrem pointed toward a section of the mountain nearby.

"Hattrem..."

[Something over there feels strange...]

Mike followed her gesture.

"Hmm? Strange how?"

Hattrem seemed to have difficulty explaining.

After a moment, she tried again.

"Hattrem..."

[My psychic power... Something over there is interfering with it.]

Mike’s expression became more serious.

He looked toward the area she was indicating.

It was close to the mountain itself, where several large rocks were scattered near the base of a slope.

Hattrem’s psychic abilities had improved considerably lately.

If even she was noticing some kind of interference, then there might be something unusual hidden nearby.

Mike hesitated for a moment.

Then he decided to investigate.

"All right. Let’s take a look."

He carefully approached the rocks.

But before he could get very close, a wary cry came from behind one of them.

"Berg..."

Mike stopped immediately.

He didn’t want to frighten whatever Pokémon was hiding there.

Hattrem glanced around curiously, still trying to determine what was interfering with her psychic powers.

Snivy, meanwhile, had already taken action.

One of her vines quietly extended toward the rocks.

A moment later, it slipped behind them and gently pulled a small Pokémon out into view.

Mike blinked.

The Pokémon looked almost like a living block of ice.

It had four short limbs, and its eyes were a distinctive combination of purple and yellow.

"Bergmite?!"

Mike stared at the little Pokémon.

’Wait a minute...’

’There’s a Bergmite living in Sinnoh?!’

That wasn’t something he’d expected to find.

Bergmite were generally associated with colder environments in other regions, so discovering one deep within Mount Coronet immediately caught his attention.

’What’s going on here?’

Before he could examine the Pokémon more closely, Beedrill suddenly called out.

"Beedrill!"

Mike looked up.

Beedrill was pointing one of his sharp lances toward another part of the rocky slope.

[There’s something over there.]

Mike followed his gaze.

He couldn’t see anything unusual from where he was standing.

Still, Beedrill’s senses were sharp, and Mike trusted his judgment.

"All right. Go take a look."

Beedrill nodded and flew toward the area.

Mike remained where he was, waiting for him to return.

A little while later, Beedrill came flying back.

"Beedrill..."

[It’s a Pokémon fossil...]

"A fossil?"

Mike frowned.

That was unexpected.

"Take me there. I want to see it."

Beedrill immediately turned around and began leading the way.

Before following, Snivy used her vines to gently soothe the wary Bergmite.

Under her careful attention, the little Pokémon gradually relaxed and fell asleep.

She then carried it along with her vines as she followed Mike up the slope.

With some effort, Mike used the surrounding rocks to climb farther up the mountainside.

Eventually, he reached the spot Beedrill had discovered.

And when he saw what was waiting there, he fell silent.

"..."

Embedded in the rock was the fossilized remains of an enormous Pokémon.

The body had become so thoroughly integrated with the surrounding stone that it was difficult to distinguish where the Pokémon ended and the mountain began.

However, certain features were still recognizable.

Following the outlines preserved in the rock, Mike could make out four limbs that appeared to be covered in stone.

And beneath the Pokémon’s jaw...

There was an enormous blade of ice resembling a piece of armor.

Or rather, what remained of one.

The blade had been damaged over time, with numerous cracks and missing sections along its edge.

Mike stared at the fossil, slowly recognizing the creature’s distinctive appearance.

’This is...’

’An Avalugg?’

More specifically, it was a Hisuian Avalugg.

The Pokémon must have died here a very long time ago, eventually becoming part of the surrounding rock.

Mike continued examining the remains.

Although...

’Would this even count as a fossil?’

He wasn’t entirely sure.

To investigate further, he opened the system’s Pokédex and directed it toward the remains.

Nothing happened.

There was no response at all.

That meant the Hisuian Avalugg no longer possessed even the faintest trace of life.

Mike looked at the fossil for another moment.

Then he slowly turned around.

Snivy was standing nearby, still carrying the sleeping Bergmite in her vines.

Mike’s gaze shifted between the little Pokémon and the ancient remains embedded in the mountain.

A question began forming in his mind.

’Wait...’

’Could this Bergmite be descended from that Hisuian Avalugg?’

The possibility wasn’t entirely unreasonable.

If the Bergmite living in this secluded part of Mount Coronet had inherited its ancestry from the ancient Pokémon whose remains lay here, then perhaps...

Mike looked at the little Bergmite more carefully.

’Would it still carry the bloodline of a Hisuian Avalugg?’

And if that were true...

His heart began beating a little faster.

’Could this Bergmite eventually evolve into...’

’...a Hisuian Avalugg?!’

The possibility was too intriguing to ignore.

Without wasting another moment, Mike opened the system’s Pokédex again.

This time, he directed it toward the sleeping Bergmite.

A new entry appeared.

{Pokémon: Bergmite}

{...}