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Even though Roy tried his best to stay away from the center of the Blizzard, his fingers were still frozen by the icy winds.
Electivire had it much worse—he was caught almost directly in the heart of the devastating storm.
The Blizzard struck violently but dissipated relatively quickly.
When the snow and ice cleared, Abomasnow had already fled from his previous position.
Ninetales wanted to give chase immediately, but Roy stopped her.
"Don't go. That Blizzard just now was Abomasnow's last resort—he's reached his limit."
Ninetales tilted her head and stared at Roy with wide, unblinking eyes.
Her expression seemed to say: If he's already at his limit, why shouldn't we pursue him?
Roy was slightly taken aback. He had never seen Ninetales act so competitive before.
Realizing he couldn't quite communicate his reasoning to Ninetales, Roy decided to change the subject. He retrieved some energy cubes from his bag and handed them to Electivire, pretending not to understand her questioning look.
Electivire's injuries weren't too serious. After all, he had only been swept into the air by the Blizzard for a brief moment.
However, since Electivire couldn't fly, his most serious injuries came from falling and hitting the ground afterward.
After eating the energy cubes, Electivire felt considerably better. Following Roy's command, he returned to his Poké Ball to rest properly.
Ninetales stayed close to Roy, walking step by step beside him while looking around defensively.
Rustle... rustle...
The sudden sound of leaves colliding caught Ninetales' attention immediately, putting her on high alert.
Roy, however, wasn't surprised at all. His Aura powers had already informed him who was approaching.
Sure enough, the next moment revealed Lucario's canine form, his face filled with anxiety.
"I went to Kommo-o's territory, but I didn't find you there either."
"How did you end up here?"
Roy looked genuinely puzzled. In truth, he didn't know exactly where he was either.
Even though he had watched the anime and played the games before arriving in this world, he still found himself confused when faced with real terrain and geography.
What's more, Roy had been in a complete panic while being chased by Abomasnow.
Fortunately, Roy had managed to stay calm enough to choose the direction of the dense forest, which proved excellent at slowing down the massive Abomasnow.
Otherwise, Roy might very well have become a Pokémon Trainer who was trampled into a pulp by a Pokémon before he even had time to release his team.
That would have been an embarrassing way to go, he thought grimly.
Although in many cases, Pokémon Trainers who lost their lives encountered such unexpected and tragic situations.
But that didn't stop their deaths from becoming cautionary tales and after-dinner conversation for others.
Thinking about such a possibility, Roy couldn't help but feel incredibly fortunate.
Before Roy could respond to Lucario's questions and explain the situation, Ninetales on the side had already begun scolding Lucario furiously.
"How could you be so careless on watch?"
"You just left Roy alone in this dangerous place?"
"Don't you have a brain at all?"
"Don't bother explaining to me—go explain to Abomasnow if you think excuses will help!"
"Next time, you might as well just remove your head and kick it around like a ball!"
Lucario was scolded mercilessly by Ninetales, but this verbal assault didn't diminish Ninetales' unique charm in the slightest.
Ah, even when angry, Ninetales with her big-sister personality is still adorable, Roy couldn't help thinking.
Despite these thoughts, Roy wisely chose to mediate between them.
They couldn't keep arguing like this forever.
Well... it was more like Lucario passively enduring a one-sided scolding, really.
Lucario was naturally a very responsible Pokémon, and he had been blaming himself intensely ever since this incident occurred.
Meanwhile, Ninetales was rarely this furious, which was enough to demonstrate just how dangerous the situation had been.
If Abomasnow's stamina and energy hadn't been depleted from all his earlier efforts, Ninetales and Electivire together might not have been able to gain the upper hand against him.
Much less force Abomasnow to retreat entirely.
After Roy roughly explained everything he had experienced, Lucario became even more frightened and guilt-ridden.
Seeing that Roy was obviously speaking up for Lucario and trying to ease the tension, Ninetales flicked her tail dismissively, let out a haughty "hmph," and returned to her Poké Ball.
Roy felt slightly exasperated but also understood that Ninetales wasn't a vengeful Pokémon—she was just occasionally a bit proud and temperamental.
On the way back, Lucario stuck even closer to Roy than before, constantly looking left and right, his entire body radiating nervous tension.
"Don't be so nervous," Roy said gently.
"Abomasnow shouldn't come back to trouble us again. He needs considerable time to recuperate from his injuries."
Lucario simply nodded but remained tense, clearly not absorbing Roy's reassuring words.
Seeing this reaction, Roy didn't continue trying to comfort him. He understood this was psychological trauma, and Lucario would probably need time to heal slowly on his own.
During their journey back, Roy asked Lucario about their current location. The answer he received surprised him greatly.
"This area is near Melemele Sea."
"Over there is the extinct volcano."
Lucario pointed in a specific direction. He had circled around to this side and only found Roy and the others when he heard the sounds of battle.
Melemele Sea was already quite far from Kommo-o's territory.
"I didn't expect Abomasnow to be hiding somewhere on this island all along," Roy muttered.
"What bad luck."
Roy lamented that his fortune wasn't nearly as good as he'd hoped.
Lucario gave a small, sympathetic cry, trying to comfort Roy.
"But it seems like Abomasnow must have studied the island's geography beforehand," Roy mused thoughtfully.
"If I were Abomasnow, I would choose to hide near the extinct volcano. It's easy to defend and difficult to attack, plus it provides convenient escape routes."
Roy didn't know exactly how Abomasnow had traveled from other islands to this one so quietly.
But clearly, this wasn't the first time Abomasnow had visited this particular island.
It was very possible that Abomasnow had deliberately driven Roy toward the volcano's location during their chase.
If Roy had reached that area, he likely would have been taken hostage or killed in a desperate Lash Out.
Roy sighed deeply. Anyone who discovered they'd been targeted by an Elite-level Pokémon naturally couldn't maintain a good mood afterward.
"Haah..."
Soon, with Lucario leading the way, Roy noticed the scenery around him becoming increasingly familiar.
The trees that had been innocently knocked down during the earlier conflict were now neatly arranged to the side of the path.
The one who had organized them was none other than Kommo-o himself.
When Kommo-o spotted Roy and Lucario approaching, he looked somewhat surprised and hurried forward to inquire about the situation.
"Hiss..."
Are you alright?
Roy smiled warmly and caught Mimikyu, who suddenly appeared from the nearby bushes and threw himself into Roy's arms affectionately.
"I'm fine. I encountered Abomasnow, but he's fled now."
Kommo-o nodded seriously, indicating he would pay much closer attention to the situation across the island from now on.
A dangerous element had appeared on the island under his jurisdiction, and Kommo-o naturally felt responsible for tracking him down and dealing with the threat.