Chapter 109: The Pokémon Showdown

“Right, with you here, Cynthia, dealing with the Abomasnow won’t be a problem at all. So, when do we set off?” Yuka punched her palm with an expression of sudden realization. Zhao Fang watched this scene, his mouth twitching slightly. Was Yuka really a formidable historian? Somehow, Zhao Fang felt that this lady seemed a bit absent-minded.

“Of course, right now. The League has been urging me many times already. Those Galactic Team troublemakers are causing chaos again,” Cynthia replied, taking a sip of hot water, tucking the cup into her pocket to warm her hands.

Zhao Fang looked at Cynthia thoughtfully. Speaking of the Galactic Team, he recalled that before he traveled through time, he had watched a Pokémon direct. He remembered it mentioning a new game called Arceus, set in the ancient Sinnoh region, or rather, the Hisui region. The Galactic Team appeared there, but their exact role was unclear to him. And what exactly was going on with that Hisui region?

However, Zhao Fang kept these thoughts to himself. It wouldn’t make sense to grab Cynthia by the collar and blurt out that the Galactic Team was planning to cause trouble in the past. Time travel was no trivial matter. Aside from a few who could control legendary Pokémon or villains carrying out their purposes across timelines, most people simply couldn’t achieve such feats.

With that in mind, Zhao Fang remained silent and followed Cynthia and Yuka outside.

Mount Coronet was the tallest mountain in the Sinnoh region. High altitude meant low temperatures, and with the blizzard raging now, Zhao Fang felt awful. Fortunately, the Meryll sheep down jacket he had bought was very effective. Apart from his face feeling extremely cold, he was otherwise fine.

“Be careful. The place we’re heading to doesn’t have a main path. If you slip and fall, it’ll be a real problem,” Yuka warned from behind, eyeing Zhao Fang’s slight frame with concern.

“I’ll be careful, Sister Yuka,” Zhao Fang nodded. Both Cynthia and Yuka were older than him, so calling them “sister” felt natural.

“Hey, Zhao Fang, with this freezing weather, don’t you boys worry about getting frozen when you go to the bathroom?” Yuka’s curious voice rang out as they climbed the mountain path.

Zhao Fang was taken aback, nearly bumped into her. He hadn’t expected such a question.

“Uh... probably not?” Zhao Fang touched his nose, admitting he had never experienced such cold before. The city he came from rarely even saw snow in a decade.

“Yuka, stop teasing him. Look ahead—isn’t that the group of Abomasnow?” Cynthia glanced back at her friend helplessly. She knew Yuka all too well; she just liked to mess with clueless young boys.

If Cynthia didn’t stop Yuka soon, she probably would have driven them off in no time.

Yuka snorted but walked past Zhao Fang, following Cynthia’s pointing finger.

“Yeah, that’s definitely the Abomasnow... huh? What’s that over there?” Yuka nodded confidently, then opened her mouth wide in surprise.

Zhao Fang leaned in curiously. On the hillside ahead, two large groups cast shadows. One side was clearly Abomasnow, but the other figures were blurry.

“Ivysaur. They seem to be facing off,” Cynthia frowned. It was frustrating to encounter a wild Pokémon standoff right away.

In the wild, Pokémon followed the laws of the jungle—fighting for territory and food was normal. Sometimes, entire Pokémon groups were attacked by others. For example, bird Pokémon like Staraptor occasionally preyed on bug Pokémon like Caterpie.

Both Abomasnow and Ivysaur were powerful mountain Pokémon. If a battle broke out between them, triggering an avalanche wouldn’t be surprising.

Though Cynthia was strong, she still respected nature’s might. Legendary Pokémon were called “legendary” because of their supernatural powers.

“Is that the only path?” Cynthia asked, frowning. With two Pokémon groups in confrontation, leading the team through might spark a battle.

“There are other routes, but we’d have to fly or climb for quite a distance,” Yuka admitted reluctantly. For reaching the shrine, this path was the easiest; others were far more treacherous.

Zhao Fang looked at the Abomasnow. In this weather, making a flying Pokémon endure the cold was tough. Even Charizard wouldn’t want to fly now—who knew if the wind would slam it into a rock?

And climbing? Zhao Fang had seen it before; climbing in such harsh weather was like playing Russian roulette.

“Looks like we’ll have to wait a bit,” Cynthia sighed. If it were just the Abomasnow, she’d be ready to fight. But with the Ivysaur present, things were complicated. Two Pokémon groups might gang up on her. Even Garchomp, as strong as it was, would struggle if outnumbered and caught off guard in unfavorable conditions.

Moreover, if their fight triggered an avalanche on Mount Coronet, the League would have to come for disaster relief. To avoid causing trouble for the people and Pokémon below, Cynthia reluctantly abandoned the idea of unleashing all her Pokémon in battle.

“Let’s set up camp here. If they start fighting, this spot will be safest,” Yuka pointed to a rock wall behind them. Cynthia agreed and quickly pitched a makeshift tent beneath the ledge.

Inside the tent, the environment improved considerably. It was still cold, but at least the wind and snow were blocked.

Zhao Fang released his Snowdragon, thinking this icy weather would suit it better.

“Roar~” The Snowdragon emerged, happily letting out a call.

“That’s... a Snowdragon, right?” Cynthia looked at the Pokémon with curiosity. It was her first time seeing a living Snowdragon.

“Yes. I got two fossils from that mysterious tall tower before. This is the one I managed to revive,” Zhao Fang said with a smile, stroking the Snowdragon’s neck.

The Snowdragon happily nuzzled Zhao Fang’s face.