Despite Agni's refusal, Mamon still yanked him onto her back and forced him to ride on her throughout the journey. Elgyn didn't make it any better when the Pokémon decided to stay and keep watch of the igloo. With his psychic powers, he could do well in defending against the tribe, toying with their minds as if they were slime and putty. Wistfully, the man gave in to both Pokémon.

Mamon trudged forward in the snow. A blizzard swept across the land when they passed by the lake from two days ago. Now, it had returned to its frozen state and reflected the aurora above. There was a calming effect to it, as if Agni was meditating.

"Mamo," the Pokémon cried, pointing her tusks at something glowing in the distance.

"Relax, Mamon. Are you afraid of lightning?" Agni laid low and pressed his ear against her fur. Rubbing her back, he said,"It's alright. We'll keep moving forward. We'll seek shelter nearby if you don't want to go on."

It had been two hours since they set off. The Pokémon shifted her weight and grunted, looking down at her feet.

"It's taxing for you and your baby, isn't it? Then don't press yourself further."

At Agni's words, the Twin Tusk Pokémon lifted her head and took a shaky step forward. The man was not heavy, but it was the force of the blizzard that pushed them back again.

"Ma," Mamon cried and tried once more. One step after the other, they made slow progress.

Coniferous trees gave way to them and the northern wind offered them berries and nuts. They felt the hospitality of nature as they moved forward. The surroundings had been unfamiliar to Mamon at first, but as they went past the trees, she saw the shadow of a cave.

Agni heard a choked sob coming from the Pokémon and leapt off her back before stroking her cheeks. When he saw the Pokémon smile, he stopped and turned to the cave.

Icicles hung from its ceilings and rocks piled up on the cave floor. It resembled the mouth of a Seviper, one of which he recalled coiled around him viciously when he was with the tribe. The thought made him shudder and he, startled, backed away.

But he had to be brave in front of the Mamoswine. Stepping forward, he raised a hand against the pelting snow and entered the cave. Outside, Mamon stood with bulging eyes. Agni shook his head and kicked a pebble. He watched it roll into the depths of darkness till he was met with silence. He tapped the earth with his feet, but found streaks of brown fur stuck to his leather sandals.

"This is..." He pulled the fur off and brought it closer to his eyes. Bits of red and black lined the thin streaks, inviting a familiar scent of rotten flesh into his nose. Throwing it onto the ground, he went back for Mamon. She retracted when he held out a hand, grunting and turning away.

"Mamon," he said. "Your kind. Some of them died here, right?"

The Seviper's eyes—two grey rocks atop the cave's arched entrance—gleamed at them.

"But it's safe now. You have me. We should seek shelter before the thunderstorm arrives."

No, it's not quite safe. That Seviper... He blinked at the thought and forced himself to maintain eye contact with Mamon. He could sense the reluctance in the Pokémon as she carried herself forward gradually, her gaze shifting from icicle to icicle as she whimpered.

"Everything's going to be fine. Everything's going to be fine." Agni comforted both the Pokémon and himself as they settled near the mouth of the cave.

Only that the streaks of lightning were closing in on them, and that was not at all right.

———

Thunder clapped after a series of holes and roars from the storm. As if the falling snow was insufficient, nature had more ways to torture the humans shuffling across the land. Their spears and bows had been sharpened and the tribe's blacksmith ensured these were the best weapons of the day.

The father and son had stayed behind, but it did not matter. A hunting party without two weaker hunters changed nothing of their menace.

"I don't understand how they can lose such a large Pokémon. Mamoswine aren't slippery or small like lame Relicanth," one of the five humans muttered.

"Speaking of Relicanth, didn't that Agni survive on them? Strange, if you ask me, how one can be satisfied with something so small and unappetising." Another hunter juggled the flint knives in her hands as she spoke.

"Do you want to visit him? Maybe he's already dead. His igloo's nearby."

On reaching the man's home, all the five people could find was a little green humanoid staring at them as he sat on the snow.

"What's that? You think that's edible?" A woman clapped her hands and licked her lips. "But it's so cute."

Their leader, a blonde man donned in thicker clothes, said,"No, but if it's got some electricity, that'll be good. That Togedemaru we nabbed northeast of here seems ill. Maybe this guy will do as a good replacement."

"He's Agni's?" The woman said while pointing at the glaring Pokémon.

"Who cares? Finders keepers." The man scooped up the Pokémon and tickled him. Elgyn observed silently and waited for an opening.

When their guard is down, I'll teleport away. I can't let them hurt Agni or Mamon. I have to warn them. Elgyn contemplated over his plans and nodded.

"What a cute little guy," the woman sang. The others circled around her and their fingers ran across Elgyn's cool body.

Now. The Elgyem shut his eyes and let a white glow engulf him. I'm coming, Agni. Something's brewing where you are. My telepathic powers tell me so.

At once, when the light faded, Elgyn struggled out of the man's grip and returned to the orange-haired man's side.

Oh no. I'm so sorry. I forgot to wiggle out of his hands before teleporting. What have I done? What have I done? Elgyem shivered and cowered under a stack of fur. No, I could have just warped their memories. Where's my spacecraft? Why did I land on this frosty place? I'm sorry.

"Well, well, what do we have here? Seems like this lil' guy is more useful than we thought." The man's voice boomed and his words were like arrows, piercing the Cerebral Pokémon for his mistake.

I can teleport them back. I can make them forget. I can—

The man's words interrupted Elgyn's thoughts. "So, we meet again after so long, Agni. And it seems we have found the missing Mamoswine, too."