Faced with Shulan's sorrowful lament, Summer felt a mix of sadness and curiosity. A blizzard lasting three months was extremely abnormal, likely caused by a powerful Pokémon, perhaps even a legendary one. He wondered about the location of the Frost Mountain mentioned by Shulan; it seemed to be another unknown place.
"We can't just sit here and wait for death. Forcing our way through is unwise, so what other options do we have?" Summer pondered, realizing that the best decision was to escape the raging blizzard first.
"Summer... I remember my father once said that there's a tunnel running through Glaseado Mountain, connecting many caves," Shulan suggested, trying to help.
"Hmm," Summer listened carefully. Indeed, deeper in the cave, he could hear faint sounds of wind, indicating another exit.
Rashly entering a complex network of caves was also dangerous, but they had to choose one of the two options.
"Alright, let's search for the tunnel through Frost Mountain," Summer said, then turned to Shulan, "Shulan, come with us."
"Is it really okay to bring me along? I'm just a burden..." Shulan looked down, clutching her ragged cloth. First her father, then her mother, and finally her sister—she blamed herself for their deaths.
"Shulan, I'm sure your family would want you to live, and their fate is still uncertain. Only by staying alive do you have a chance to see them again," Summer reassured her, patting her head. "Besides, without your information, we wouldn't know about the escape route. So don't call yourself a burden."
Shulan wept quietly and nodded vigorously. She wanted to live, remembering the promise she made to her sister.
"Good, that's the spirit," Summer smiled, then turned to the apple tree, placing his hand on its trunk. "Let's gather our survival supplies."
They wrapped apples in rags and gathered apple tree branches for firewood. Once prepared, the group ventured deeper into the cave.
As they moved forward, Shulan marveled at the abundant apple tree in the cave, wondering if she was in a life-threatening dream. She pinched her cheek—ouch! It hurt.
Tears of relief streamed down her face. It wasn't a dream. It was real.
The journey was tedious, and Summer saw no Pokémon along the way. Perhaps they were scared off by his Pokémon's aura.
After a long while, the dark cave changed. With Ogerpon's torch casting a faint light, Summer came upon a fork in the path. He looked at Hatterene and Ursaluna for guidance.
Their senses indicated the left path.
Trusting their judgment, Summer stepped into the left cave and noticed a thin layer of frost on the walls, similar to the frost near where Shulan had been lying.
As they continued, Summer found more frost, confirming his suspicion that someone or something was guiding them, indicating they were on the right path.
A thought crossed Summer's mind, but he decided to keep it to himself for now.
"Is that snow?"
After a long walk, they finally saw hope. Summer touched the snow wall blocking their path. It seemed to be a pile-up of collapsed snow at the cave's entrance.
"Is this the exit?" Summer signaled everyone to step back in case the snow collapsed into the cave. Suddenly, he heard faint voices—human voices!
"Hand over anything valuable, or turn to ash!"
"We have nothing valuable! You know how the blizzard is on Glaseado Mountain. If we hadn't lived lower down, we'd be buried by now!"
"Hmph, if you had time to flee, you had time to gather valuables. Be smart about this. The whole empire is in chaos from the disaster—do you think anyone will care about you?"
"Besides, with a blizzard like this, that tyrant king probably thinks you're dead already. Hahaha!"
"Alright, alright, take everything!"
"Not enough—food, water, women—it's not enough. Everything you have is mine now! Be honored to be my slaves!"
Boom! Ursaluna burst through the snow, scattering it. The arrogant man froze in fear, never having seen such a terrifying Pokémon.
The refugees didn't show joy, only terror. Now they believed they were doomed to be eaten by the bear.
"I have no doubt that you're an evil man," Summer said coldly, stepping out from the cave entrance, followed by Hatterene and Ogerpon.
Three fearsome Pokémon, not just one.
"Is your evil power based on your Houndoom?" Summer asked icily.
The man, terrified, thought he was doomed. If he had three Pokémon like Summer, he would pillage towns and decide others' fates at will.
Driven by a strong will to survive, the man shoved a youth aside and ran, scattering coins and fleeing with his Houndoom. He looked back to see Summer not chasing him and ran faster, shouting arrogantly:
"I won't die here, hahaha!"
Yelling in the snow is a bad idea, as it can cause avalanches. Sure enough, a cascade of snow buried the man and his Houndoom instantly.
The refugees cursed him silently, then feared what Summer would do to them.
The young man, pushed down earlier, nervously gathered the scattered coins and approached Summer, offering them respectfully: "Thank you for saving us. Please accept this token of gratitude."
Summer frowned, wondering what use he had for money. Did he look like a bad person?
"I don't need your money," he said.
The youth dropped the coins again, fearing for their lives. Would he take their lives instead?
"Don't worry, I won't hurt you," Summer assured them.
The refugees finally relaxed, some collapsing in relief.
"Now, tell me, what is this disaster?" Summer asked, needing information.
"I'll explain," the young man said nervously. "It all starts with the king of the empire."
(End of Chapter)