The Blizzard became more violent. It did not look like it would stop.
Inside the battlefield, the temperature got lower and lower. Soon, a layer of snow covered the ground. It was not very thick, but it was not thin either.
At this moment, it was hard to see anything ten meters away. Noland was also hard to see on the other side.
Gengar protected May. She breathed out hot air and pulled the towel closer around her shoulders. She moved a few steps closer to Natsui, but she still felt very cold.
She looked at Natsui's clothes. She thought about offering him her towel. But before she could speak, the two Articuno flew down through the Blizzard. They returned to the battlefield.
The Blizzard did not stop when they came back. But they were closer now. The power from their fight and the wind from their wings blew the snow away from the arena.
This was not their plan, but it helped everyone see the two Articuno again.
Natsui could see Noland again too.
He thought Noland was a very tough man. It was freezing cold, and Noland did not have a Pokémon to protect him. But he stood straight. He did not seem to care about the Blizzard at all.
Natsui thought about the people in this world. Their bodies were much stronger than people from Earth.
But then he thought about himself. He could stay underwater much longer than a normal person now. He was not a normal human anymore either.
He felt like he was slowly becoming part of this world.
He looked at the match again.
Noland's Articuno had more injuries than before. But Natsui's Articuno also had marks on its body. It had several claw marks from the hard fight inside the Blizzard.
The fight happened where people could not see. But everyone knew it was time to decide the winner.
Natsui and Noland had control again. They both gave orders for a big attack.
May stood right next to Natsui. She could see how he fought very clearly. She watched him closely. She tried to understand every move he made. She tried to think from his perspective.
On the other side, Noland saw May too.
But Noland only looked at her for a second. Then he looked away. He did not say anything. Maybe he was too busy with the battle.
He saw his Articuno was breathing very hard. Natsui's Articuno had much more energy left. Noland knew he was losing. He had to try one last thing.
He shouted, "Articuno, use Ice Beam!"
Using an Ice-type move against an Articuno was a hard choice. But both Pokémon were Ice types. He did not have many options.
He used Steel Wing and other moves earlier. Those were not Ice-type moves. They did not work well. So he went back to the Ice attacks he knew best.
He was not very worried. The other Articuno was also an Ice type. It probably could not do much damage to his Articuno either.
But they were both tired. The winner would be decided in the next moment.
Natsui gave a small smile. He gave the exact same order.
Two blue beams of energy came from the mouths of the two Articuno. They were very powerful. They flew toward each other.
Boom!
The two Ice Beams hit each other in the air. They made a big explosion and a bright light. The wind from the explosion cleared the snow. It created a round area with no Blizzard.
The wind reached Ash and his friends in the stands. It became weaker as it spread out.
May said, "Ah!" Her hair moved in the wind. Her headscarf almost flew off. She was light, so she hid behind Natsui to block the wind.
Legendary Pokémon were very powerful.
The two Ice Beams pushed against each other. But Natsui's Articuno was stronger. Its beam broke through Noland's attack. It hit Noland's Articuno directly.
Ash was very confused.
"Why did Natsui's Articuno win when they used the same move?"
Max and Scott did not know the answer. Only Brock spoke quickly. "It's because of that collar."
"The collar!?"
Ash and the others looked at the collar on Articuno's neck.
"What's wrong with that collar? What does it do?"
Brock touched his chin. "I think it is made of Never-Melt Ice. Wearing that makes Ice-type moves much stronger. That is why Natsui's Articuno won."
"Hey, isn't that cheating?" Ash looked angry. "Is it fair to wear that? Is he just bullying the other side?"
"Not really," Brock said. He shook his head. "Farfetch'd has a leek. Marowak has a bone. Machoke has a belt. Grovyle has a twig. These are all treated as items. The Pokémon League allows them. If the item is not too extreme, it follows the rules."
"But..."
Ash thought twigs and belts were just for looks. But then he remembered something. If a Farfetch'd loses its leek, it becomes weak. It is the same for Marowak. So, the Never-Melt Ice had the same effect.
But he still felt that Natsui's win was a bit unfair.
Scott laughed. "Think about it differently. Natsui worked hard to get that item. That is a skill too. Using an item you found yourself is fair."
Ash wanted to argue again. Scott stopped him. "In the end, winning is what matters. In the Pokémon League, you can win by luck. Or your opponent can quit. A win is a win. People only remember the winner."
These were serious words for Ash. Scott knew Ash might not understand yet. But he hoped Ash would remember this. Pokémon battles were not simple.
In the arena, Noland's Articuno fell to the ground after the Ice Beam.
Ice moves do half damage to Ice Pokémon. But Articuno is very strong. With the boost from the Never-Melt Ice, the damage was still high.
Noland's Articuno could not get up yet. Natsui's Articuno moved in fast.
It jumped and used its sharp claws. It slashed at Noland's Articuno.
This Articuno had fought many strong Legendary Pokémon. It was acting wild now. It liked to fight with its claws and body.
Noland's Articuno was not used to this style of fighting.
Usually, other Pokémon gave up when they saw its snow and ice. It was never bullied like this. Only other strong Pokémon could make it feel this way.
It was in pain. It tried to use its claws too. But it was pinned down. It could not do much damage.
Its feathers were torn and scattered across the ground. Its tail looked messy. It did not look beautiful or noble anymore. It looked like a bird in trouble.
Noland's Articuno tried to use Sheer Cold to fight back. But Natsui's Articuno was faster. It used a stronger Sheer Cold first.
Two bursts of Sheer Cold energy exploded. Everything nearby froze. The two Pokémon were in the middle. The ice grew outward quickly.
"Watch out!"
Gengar shouted. It used its power to protect Natsui and May. Noland used another Pokémon to protect himself.
The Sheer Cold froze everything. Huge ice pillars grew like a giant flower.
The ice moved toward the stands. It reached Ash and the others. Pikachu used electricity to break the ice. They were safe.
The Sheer Cold stopped. The entire arena had changed. It was covered in clear ice. With the snow falling, it looked like a world of ice.
The middle of the arena was a giant ice flower. It was frozen solid. No one could see inside.
Then, people heard a breaking sound. The ice shattered. The Articuno with the collar flew into the sky.
It spread its wings. It cried out happily. It was the winner of the battle.
The other Articuno was on the ground. It was not moving. It was unconscious.
Wait? Is it over?
Sergio ran over. He was careful. He looked at the bird and shouted loudly, "Articuno is unable to battle! The winner of this challenge match is Natsui!"
Noland was shocked. Then he shook his head.
He lost. He lost completely.
He saw that Natsui's Articuno was stronger. It had more experience too. It was simply more powerful.
But then he felt the cold.
He was not fighting anymore. He felt very cold. He shivered. He told Sergio to help Articuno. Then he ran to Natsui over the ice.
May gave him a towel.
He wrapped the towel around himself. He finally felt warm again.
"Finally, some warmth..." He moved his feet. He looked at the Articuno in the sky. Then he looked at Natsui. He smiled sadly. "I did not expect your Pokémon to be this strong. Even your Legendary Pokémon are powerful. I really don't know how you do it."
Natsui did not say much. He gave his usual answer about traveling and training a lot.
His Articuno landed. It was almost as tall as Natsui. It started cleaning its feathers. It did not look like it had just fought a battle.
Natsui touched its cold body. Then he walked to the stands with May and Noland.
On the way back, Natsui looked at May. He asked quietly, "Well? Did you feel anything?"
May did not say anything.
She did not know how to answer. She could not even see the fight clearly. Natsui's orders were very simple. But his Pokémon understood him perfectly. This was much better than the battles she usually saw.
Natsui saw she was embarrassed. He patted her head.
Then he realized something.
He was used to doing this to Misty. He did it without thinking. Habits really do become second nature.
He moved his hand back. He said, "It's okay if you didn't feel anything yet. These things take time to accumulate. Once we've spent more time together, you'll start to understand."
"I... I understand..."
Natsui spoke normally. But May looked down. Her face was red.
She was shy. Natsui had touched her head. Even if it was for a second, she felt shy. Two red blushes appeared on her face.