The tuft of curls on Vulpix's head felt very soft to the touch, like a fluffy cloud. Its little head was only about a circle larger than the palm of Lucas's hand.
The strangest part was that whenever Lucas stroked the curl atop Vulpix's head, his palm would feel a faint chill.
Lucas remembered that was an Alolan Vulpix's trait—the ability to produce tiny ice grains from the curls on its head and tails. Very magical.
Seeing how much Vulpix enjoyed his petting, Lucas's right hand grew bolder and slid down, caressing its petite, adorable body—
The sensation was just as unusual. Smooth, silky fur should come with a warm body temperature, yet Vulpix's body felt pleasantly cool to the touch. Lucas was already imagining how comfortable it would be to hug a Vulpix on a blazing summer day.
Vulpix shivered, feeling like something was a little off somewhere, but the Poké Puffs in Lucas's left hand were far too tempting. It chose to ignore that odd feeling.
At the moment, Vulpix's mind was full of: What is this delicious thing? This is the first time I've eaten something so tasty!
Eat eat eat eat!
Lucas stopped petting and watched Vulpix eat faster and faster. He had thought it was a graceful little princess, but it dropped the act surprisingly quickly.
Chuckling, Lucas said, "Eat slowly, don't choke. No one's going to steal it."
"Mimi~"
Mimikyu also came over to softly advise Vulpix. As long as Lucas was nearby, other Pokémon could notice it; naturally Vulpix heard Mimikyu's voice as well.
Realizing Mimikyu meant no harm, Vulpix's rejection eased a lot, and it slowed down its eating.
At the same time, Vulpix felt a bit embarrassed. It was truly starving; otherwise, it wouldn't have forgotten the manners its elders taught it.
Once Vulpix was finally full and had drunk some of the water Lucas carried, Lucas pieced together, with the help of master mime-actor/interpreter Mimikyu, why Vulpix appeared here.
First of all, this burrow was definitely not a Vulpix clan's nest. Whether judging by Vulpix hiding in the hay and going hungry, or the deep claw marks on the surrounding ice walls, all the clues pointed to owners with sharp claws—Ice-type Pokémon.
Vulpix had probably fallen into the burrow some time ago, or it wouldn't be this hungry. The burrow's owners had not returned during this period—likely out foraging. Given how starved Vulpix was, Lucas figured there was a decent chance the owners would return today.
When that happened, a Vulpix trespassing in their territory might be in danger.
Fed and watered, and apparently deciding Lucas was a trustworthy human, Vulpix finally relaxed its tense nerves. Its dewy big eyes drooped with drowsiness as it yawned softly, curled up, and dozed off in Lucas's arms.
In that moment, Lucas felt he had reached the peak of his life. Gazing at the super-cute Vulpix, he felt healed through and through.
Unfortunately, the good times didn't last.
About half an hour after Vulpix fell asleep, Mimikyu looked up toward the burrow entrance. It had keenly detected rustling from the outside world beyond the opening.
Mimikyu reported the situation to Lucas. Lucas stood up from the haystack, freed a hand to brush debris off his pants, and said gravely, "The owners of the burrow are probably back."
"Vulpix~"
Vulpix woke up from Lucas's movement, letting out a soft, sticky-sweet cry, half acting spoiled, half confused about what was happening.
In the next instant, with a clear sliding sound echoing through the burrow, two figures dropped to the ground one after another. Sensing strange scents and uninvited guests, they immediately let out angry warning cries.
"Sha-sha!!"
The inexperienced Vulpix was frightened on the spot. Its fur bristled slightly, and it timidly burrowed into Lucas's arms like an ostrich.
Lucas, however, kept his cool and assessed the owners of the burrow, the corners of his lips lifting. "So it's you two."
They were two Pokémon resembling pangolins/armadillos meets porcupines.
Most of their skin and scales were light blue, with white on their bellies and muzzles. Their feet had two sharp toes, their claws oversized and hooked.
Most striking were the dense, huge, sharp spines on their backs, covered in ice. Perhaps because those icy spines made up a big part of their weight, their not-so-tall bodies landed with a heavy thump.
They were—Sandslash (Alolan Form).
Type: Ice + Steel. Quadruple weak to Fire and Fighting.
Lucas thought, Is today an Alolan-form showcase or what? Just met Vulpix, and now Alolan Sandslash too.
The two Sandslash seemed to be mates, with a clear size difference. The larger one shielded the smaller one behind it, warily watching the intruders who had broken into their den.
Lucas didn't hesitate and directly crouched down. In the wild, this is an effective way to lower a wild Pokémon's vigilance and aggression.
I mean, if you're a toughened wild Pokémon and you see a creature even taller than you, your first reaction isn't exactly "go up for head pats," right?
Not every Pokémon is a sweet, naive darling like Vulpix.
Next, Lucas took out a few Yache Berries he'd specifically brought, ripened by an Applin. For the Sandslash, familiar food they'd likely eaten before should more easily lower their hostility.
The moment the berries left their container, a faint fruity fragrance spread. Vulpix, face still buried in Lucas's chest, practically bugged out its eyes—but it was afraid of the Sandslash and didn't dare peek out, falling into a deep dilemma.
With their keen sense of smell, the two Sandslash naturally knew how delicious the berries in Lucas's hand were. Their expressions clearly turned hesitant.
Lucas planned to press the advantage and "capture" both Sandslash with food, then abduct them. But unexpectedly, the two Sandslash suddenly cast their gaze on Mimikyu—
To them, Mimikyu was undoubtedly the highest-level threat. The Sandslash couple's pupils shrank; they roared, drawing omnipresent Ice-type energy onto their frozen back spines, launching dense icicles at Mimikyu.
Icicle Crash!
Naturally, Lucas and Vulpix were also within the Sandslash's attack range.
Without needing a reminder, Mimikyu stepped forward. Its whole body flared with dazzling light. Under the glare, the whistling icicles shattered en masse.
The two Sandslash froze. With a furious little glare, Lucas's Mimikyu spread its shadow underfoot; in an instant, it connected to the Sandslash's shadows.
Then, two pairs of massive, razor-sharp Shadow Claws crashed down on the stunned Sandslash. With a heavy smack and dust flying, the Sandslash couple lost the ability to battle.
Lucas: "…"
He felt rather sorry for the Sandslash. He had trespassed first, then had the "homeowners" beaten up. A sin, a sin.
Thinking that, Lucas pondered how to make it up to them. After failing to come up with anything, he simply shut his eyes and deftly took two round balls from his pocket, tossing them at the Sandslash.
The balls struck the Sandslash, fell, shook a few times, and then—ding!
Lucas opened his eyes and looked at the two quiet Poké Balls on the ground, revealing a "plan accomplished" smile.
His plan was simple: since he couldn't quickly think of a way to make it up to them, he'd bring them back to the farm and feed them well!
This abacus is practically beaning me in the face!
"Vulpix…"
Sensing the Sandslash's aura completely vanish, Vulpix finally plucked up some courage and poked its ostrich head out, curiously looking around, as if puzzled why the two Sandslash suddenly disappeared.
Lucas set Vulpix down and had Mimikyu look after it. He stepped forward to pick up the two Poké Balls, thought for a moment, then opened one.
The smaller, female Sandslash reappeared in the burrow. Vulpix jumped in fright and hid behind Mimikyu again.
The Sandslash was clearly bewildered—not only from being knocked out by Mimikyu's single claw, but also by the strange sensation of being captured. After hesitation, it ultimately did not attack Lucas.
It still maintained a faint vigilance, though. Time for the tried-and-true food-temptation strategy.
Lucas set a few Yache Berries and some Poké Puffs on the ground before Sandslash, then stepped back a few paces to signal he had no hostile intent.
After some inner struggle, the female Sandslash couldn't resist the food's allure. She temporarily put her mate out of mind and feasted on Lucas's offerings.
Once she started, she couldn't stop. Feeling the warm current in her body and tasting flavors she had never experienced, Sandslash's worldview was being reshaped.
So there are foods this delicious in the world.
Her gaze at Lucas changed. As for aggression and wariness? Already vanished over the horizon along with her mate.
Seeing her relax, Lucas smiled. "Calmed down now?"
The female Sandslash hesitated, then nodded lightly.
"Here's the deal—you realize you've been captured by me now, right?"
Lucas met her eyes. After receiving her confirming nod, he continued:
"To be frank, I plan to bring you back to my farm. There will be food like this every day, even more variety. You also won't need to go out in blizzards to forage."
Sandslash's eyes lit up. Could there really be such a good thing?
"Of course, since you'll be enjoying a safe home and food, you'll also need to contribute to the farm when needed—like maintaining the cold in the farm's ice cellar. That shouldn't be hard for Ice-types like you, right?"
Lucas laid out the responsibilities as well.
Before Sandslash could answer, Vulpix, who was tentatively peeking out, widened its starry eyes, full of longing.
Oh my, there will be even more delicious food!?
The female Sandslash hesitated with a touch of restraint. Lucas's offer was too tempting. She also judged Lucas and Mimikyu were so strong that there was no need to deceive her. Plus, being captured naturally made her feel a non-irrational closeness to Lucas.
In less than ten minutes, the female Sandslash chose to yield completely.
With one defector in hand, the other, a fiercer and more combative male Sandslash, was easy. In under two minutes of a Lucas + female Sandslash "joint persuasion," he dizzily accepted as well.
Farm Ice-type roster +2!
"Hm… The blizzard is still raging outside? Looks like my guess was close."
After a brief exchange with the Sandslash, Lucas learned a bit about the outside.
The Sandslash felt the sudden blizzard was unusual and eerie, so they cut their foraging short and returned.
Looking at the cute little thing in his arms and the likely abilities of its elders, Lucas felt he had the answer.
This blizzard was likely whipped up by Vulpix's parent, Ninetales, to search for its child.
Alolan Vulpix have two abilities: Snow Cloak and Snow Warning. The former naturally conceals them in storms; the latter is like Politoed with rain—they can innately summon hail/snow.
After a moment's thought, Lucas recalled the two Sandslash, had Mimikyu return to his shadow, then picked up Vulpix and called out Dragonite.
The moment it emerged, Dragonite looked at the Vulpix in Lucas's arms. Its eyes lit up and it immediately spread its arms to give Vulpix a big hug.
Vulpix flinched, but chose to trust Lucas and his Pokémon. It didn't move, accepting Dragonite's warm embrace.
Lucas: "…"
Don't hug it—this kid will hard-counter you in the future!
Once Dragonite was satisfied and released it, Lucas held Vulpix and mounted Dragonite's back, glancing up at the hole overhead, looking conflicted.
Seems Dragonite might not be able to fly up due to its size?
As if foreseeing Lucas was about to call it fat, Dragonite stomped in annoyance. Since the Sandslash couple had been abducted anyway, it went with the most violent exit—
Under the wide-eyed alarm of little Vulpix, Dragonite raised its head and gathered terrifying energy in its mouth. In the next instant, a Hyper Beam that nearly pierced the blizzard outside blasted forth!
As the burrow began collapsing under Dragonite's destructive force, it spread its wings, wrapped itself in blazing Dragon-type energy, smashed through falling stones and earth, and burst into the howling blizzard!
Exposed to the storm, Vulpix began looking around as if sensing something. Its reaction confirmed Lucas's guess.
This blizzard had to be caused by Vulpix's parent!
Without hesitation, Lucas shouted in his mind, "System, guide me!"
[Okay, host. Head that way.]
Following the system's guidance, Dragonite descended onto a relatively flat snowfield. There, they saw a regal silhouette flickering in and out of the storm.
Covered in flowing, pale-blue fur—the true spirit of the snowy mountains—Ninetales (Alolan Form)!
In Alola, Ninetales appearing with a blizzard is even regarded as a divine incarnation—enough to show how sacred and elegant it looks.
In a flash, Vulpix seemed to recognize the Ninetales in the raging snow. It broke free of Lucas's arms and ran toward it, excited.
Seeing this, Lucas felt a bit helpless.
He had planned to package-deal Vulpix and Ninetales both. Now it looked like he might end up losing both.
Reaching Ninetales, Vulpix affectionately nuzzled against it. Ninetales lowered itself and licked its long-lost child, rumbling in its throat with a sound like gentle scolding.
At some point, the blizzard ceased. Watching Vulpix and Ninetales bathe in the sunlight, Lucas smiled and prepared to turn away.
"Ninetales~"
Ninetales suddenly lifted its head and called out to stop Lucas.
Lucas paused and met Ninetales's intelligent ice-blue eyes. He found he could see appraisal within them.
Ninetales's gaze shifted between Lucas and Dragonite. Remembering what Vulpix had chirped in its ear just now, it judged that Lucas was a good person.
Ninetales understood things well and knew this snowy mountain was a human-made biosphere. It was much older than the ecological Terarium and knew very clearly why humans had built it.
After all, it had once belonged to a now-deceased teacher at Blueberry Academy.
Rather than having Vulpix be unknowingly captured by someone someday, Ninetales preferred to personally choose a human worthy of entrusting its child to.
The Lucas before it fit perfectly.
He had great patience with Vulpix, generously offered delicious food, and even brought Vulpix to find it. More importantly, his Dragonite gave Ninetales the feeling that it stood no chance—even with type advantage.
Strength and character—having both in a trainer is rare.
Ninetales nudged Vulpix forward with its nose, urging softly.
Stumbling forward with frequent glances back, Vulpix was a little confused. Did Mama not want it anymore?
But under Ninetales's urging, Vulpix returned to Lucas's side and let out a few soft calls.
Sensing Ninetales's intent, Lucas picked up Vulpix and promised solemnly, "I'll treat it well."
Ninetales nodded slightly, turned, and headed deeper into the snowfields. The wind and snow rose again; in the whiteout, several more Ninetales and Vulpix appeared in the direction it left, as if waiting for it.