To say that Dendemille Town was chilly would be an understatement. Having stopped by the local shop after their flight, Felicity and Jamie bought themselves winter jackets to combat the frigid cold. Walking out of the shop, they sighed in relief.

"Man, I completely forgot how cold it gets up here," Jamie said as he pulled on his winter hat.

"We are south of Frost Cavern after all. It's no secret why this place is so chilly this time of year. Some of us however, don't seem at all affected by it," Felicity added, casting an inquisitive look Seth's way.

Seth didn't bother buying a new coat as the one Allie bought him, along with the pair of gloves, was warm enough. Having been taken to Frost Cavern on several occasions by Mathilde, he had grown used to the chill. While it didn't bother him as much as others, he knew that his skin was still prone to frostbite like everyone else.

"You guys remember that first field trip we took during our freshman year?" Jamie asked, his eyes turned toward north toward the snow laden path that lead to Frost Cavern. "Seems like forever since the last time we came here doesn't it?"

"Yes, I do. I also distinctly remember two boys who had it in their heads to dump snow down the backs of their classmates," Felicity said frowning, shooting Seth and Jamie a wary look while keeping a snowball hidden behind her back.

"You're not still sore over that are you?" Seth chuckled, knowing full well she was up to something.

"Me, sore? I wouldn't go as far as to say that, however," she paused, a playful smirk twisting onto her face as she whipped around and nailed Jamie on the side of the face with a freshly made snowball.

"Ack! Felicity, what the hell!?" Jamie shrieked after being hit.

Felicity went into a fit of laughter as Jamie brushed the snow from his face and spat out the rest that was in his mouth. While Felicity was pulling herself together, a sudden rush of cold slid down the back of her neck and into her jacket, causing her to scream.

"SETH!" Felicity screeched, rounding on the brunette and chasing him. "You little sneak, I'm going to make you eat snow for that!"

"Get back here!"

Deep within the Frost cavern, a team of individuals in orange coats and boots could be seen carefully treading the icy floors. Among them was a woman with dark blue hair wearing a combination of a dress and a suit with thigh high boots to match her orange ensemble. A pair of what looked to be night vision goggles, rested over her eyes 

"The amount of energy this cavern is giving off is astounding! Everywhere you look there's a Pokémon brimming with power!"

The woman looked around excitedly while her team kept an eye out for anything noteworthy.

"Any of these Pokémon would make for a fine gift for Lysandre, but according to my readings there are even stronger Pokémon lurking farther in! I can hardly contain my excitement!"

"Mable, if I may... wasn't the goal to catch as many Pokémon as possible?"

Mable giggled at her cohort's statement and turned around to face him, hands on her hips as she made eye contact.

"That was the initial goal, yes. However, we need Pokémon who can really give the Ultimate Weapon a boost! Right now it's been feeding off a dormant energy source, which is fine for now, but if we want to bring out its full destructive power we need several powerful life forces to make that happen."

"I'm guessing that's why we haven't been ordered to capture anything yet," said another member of the team.

"Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!" Mable chirped excitedly. "We are aiming for the best of the best, and these readings are telling me that we're really close to something big!"

Having said that, the team continued their trek through the Frost Cavern while Mable lead the way.

"You know, sometimes I wonder why I am friends with you two," Felicity grumbled, wiping the remains of their snowball fight from her jacket before getting off the ground.

"Because without us you'd be bored to death," Seth replied as he got up and shook off the snow that had clung to his body.

"I suppose that's true. Life was a little dull before I met you two. Thankfully I'm not as stiff as I used to be," Felicity laughed nervously.

"Yeah, you were a bit of a goodie goodie back then. But, you lightened up around our sophomore year. I'll admit, I never would have expected you to actually prank a teacher. While the old bucket of water over the door gag was predictable, you pulled it off rather easily," Jamie chuckled, placing an arm around Felicity and grinning.

Felicity crossed her arms and frowned. "He had it coming to him after the rude remarks he'd put on my term paper. My research was more than adequate it was impeccable. I should have gotten an "A," but he saw fit to dock me points because he didn't like one of my explanations."

"Not only that, but you were never suspected of pulling the prank either. Instead, the usual class clowns were brought into question," Jamie said with a chuckle.

"I'm sorry you got blamed for that," Felicity sighed. "Still, it was pretty funny wasn't it?"

"It was hilarious. Changed our view of you that day is what your little prank did," Jamie added grinning.

Felicity smiled. As much as she hated to admit it, these two were the best, period. Sure they were a little on the dense side at times, but she knew that they would never let her down.

"Hey, what do you say we all go to Frost Cavern? For nostalgic purposes that is," Felicity propositioned. "We could finally explore the deepest parts since we never got to the first time. I bet there are some really cool Pokémon in there."

"I like the sound of that actually," Seth replied, cycling through his team in his mind. "I could use another teammate since I need to capture forty."

"That's right, you still have to follow that rule don't you? Most people by now would have at least half that or more. But knowing you, you put time into raising what you caught before catching anything new," Felicity murmured.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Seth asked while arching a brow.

"What I mean is that you're very detail oriented. Any assignment you were given, you took your time to complete it. Even during projects when we worked together, you were slow to finish, but when you did, the result was amazing. It's kinda like your Bisharp. You had him since school started and while it probably recently evolved, it was because of the time you spent with it that it became so strong," Felicity finished.

"Basically, you're a bit slow," Jamie cut in, earning a frown from Felicity.

"I mean... I wasn't gonna say it," Felicity muttered, palming her face.

"But you were thinking it," Seth mumbled with a sigh. "You are right though. I have even taking my time with this. I've been gathering teammates that work well with what I currently have."

"So I've seen," Felicity mused, stroking her chin. "Seth, might I suggest a defensive Pokémon? You have, from what I've witnessed, some real offensive beasts. They could benefit from something a little more tank-like."

Seth thought for a moment. He had Carbink and Bisharp as far as defense was concerned. While they did well, they weren't exactly what he would call heavyweights. He knew he needed something sturdier, he just didn't know what.

"I see your point, so what would you suggest?"

"Well, there is one," Felicity trailed off while looking toward the snow-laden path leading up to Frost Cavern.

Deeper and deeper into the cavern went Mable and her team as they searched for Pokémon they could add to their growing collection. Thus far they'd managed to capture a Piloswine and a Beartic that Mable found promising, along with a Jynx.

"Yes! These will make lovely little conduits for the Ultimate Weapon! Lysandre will be most pleased!" Mable shouted with glee. "Now all we need are a few more powerhouses and we can be on our merry way!"

"Those last few were quite strong. The farther in we go, the more dangerous the Pokémon become. This cave isn't visited very often for that very reason," an Expansion-suited co-hort said somewhat nervously.

"And that is precisely why you have that nifty little getup. I programmed it myself you know," Mable bragged, checking the readings on the environment around her.

Coming to a stop, Mable looked up at what appeared to be an entryway into one of the Frost Cavern's more spacious rooms. Her goggles began flashing more wildly, eliciting a devilish grin from the scientist's blue lips.

"It's here!" She exclaimed in a hushed tone while giddily dancing in place. "Ooooo! There are two big ones back here. This is gonna be interesting..."

Looking back at her team, she waved them forward while happily humming a tune in her head. As the team marched into the room, they were greeted with the sight of a herd of tiny quadruped Pokémon—in the shape of ice chunks—roaming about the cave. Just the mere presence of the walking miniature icebergs made the room colder.

Mable scanned the room, her smile growing wider by the second as her eyes landed on a massive sleeping Pokémon that had the semblance of an iceberg on four cylindrical legs.

So it was this Avalugg that made my goggles go bonkers! The energy leaking out of it is astounding! This is amazing but... where's the other—ooooooo!

Mable's eyes locked onto the other Pokémon she'd been getting a reading from. The Frost Tree Pokémon stood about thirty yards away from the group, and it was supervising a few little Bergmite that appeared to be practicing a new move they had learned. A thick white fog shrouded one of them while a veil of sorts surrounded the other.

Looks like daddy's teaching the little ones new tricks. As adorable as this is, we have a job to do. They haven't noticed us yet, so we have the perfect opportunity to strike first! Mable thought, reaching down to her belt to grab hold of a ball.

"Is it just me, or does it feel a little colder in here than last time?" Jamie wondered aloud as the trio trekked through the cavern, their eyes wandering about for any potential new partners.

"This cave is home to mostly Ice-types and other Pokémon that prefer colder living conditions. Beartic live in places like this along with Cryogonal and many others. But those are found deeper in as it gets much colder there," Felicity rambled on.

"Yeah but, this feels like there are at least a hundred Bergmite around. They cool things down a lot," Jamie muttered, stuffing his gloved hands into his pockets for more warmth.

Felicity nodded in agreement and then turned to look at Seth who, at first glance, was lost in thought. Felicity knew better than to assume.

"Seth," she said, drawing the brunette's attention, "you haven't said a word since we got inside. You've been pulling that same grouchy expression for the past fifteen minutes. Out with it, I know something is bothering you," she said sternly.

Seth took a deep breath and crossed his arms, the concentration on his face growing deeper by the second. Something didn't feel right, and he wasn't entirely certain as to why. Nothing in the immediate area screamed of danger, yet here he was with the same vibe he'd felt back in the Glittering Cave when his friends were in danger. He wasn't sure how to explain the feeling to them, but he knew he'd have to or they'd bug him about it.

"This might sound weird to you guys but..." Seth trailed off, going into detail about the incident with Team Flare during the time he'd spent with Serena, Trevor, Shauna and Tierno. "...and that's the feeling I'm getting right now."

"Someone actually got shot!?" Felicity exclaimed, her eyes growing wide with worry after what she'd heard Seth say.

"At least she's okay now. It could have ended a lot worse than that," Jamie offered, pointing out the positive. "And Seth took care of those clowns and sent them packing."

"At the risk of getting himself killed. Now he's telling us that he's got a sinking feeling something similar is going on here..." Felicity muttered, palming her  face with a sigh.

"That's why I didn't want to say anything. I didn't want to worry you guys, but it's a little late for that now," Seth grumbled, turning his head to look over his shoulder at the twin blades that were invisible against his back. "Cerise?"

The two crimson blades materialized into view and replied saying, "I've been listening... and you aren't the only one that feels as though something is wrong. Ever since we've set foot inside this cave I've had a strange premonition that something bad was going to happen or already was..."

"I thought so. Now if only I could somehow get a read on why I'm feeling this way," Seth mumbled to himself as he took a few steps forward ahead of his friends.

Mathilde taught me that Aura Sight allows me to see the aura of any Pokémon within my line of sight as well as ones that I cannot see depending on how strong their aura is. Let's see here...

Seth's eyes began to glow more vibrantly as he poured aura into them, enabling him to see his surroundings in an entirely different way. Gone were the walls of the cavern that stood between him and the aura of any Pokémon that might be hidden behind them. It was as if all obstacles became transparent the moment he empowered his sight. Varying degrees of aura were felt and seen as his aura spread through the cave, allowing him to reach even deeper into the caverns beyond. That was when he saw it. Several powerful auras were gathered in one place and moving around very fast. The glow dimmed in his eyes and an urgency overtook him as he took off into a sprint.

"Where are you going, Seth!?" Felicity called out as she too broke into a run after Jamie took off sprinting.

"I'm not sure what's going on but something tells me it'll be exciting," Jamie called back as he followed Seth's pattern as he ran down different pathways as he came across them.

"Yeah, or dangerous!" Felicity shouted as she ran.

"Felicity, we carry creatures on our belt that could either burn us to a crisp or eat us if they wanted to, and you're concerned about whatever danger Seth might be leading us toward!?" Jamie retorted as he rounded a corner, stopping as he saw Seth staring up at the large entrance to one of the cavern's many rooms.

"That's different, they won't attack us if we don't mistreat them or aren't considered a threat," Felicity said after pausing to catch her breath. "Now can someone explain to me... why we decided to turn this into a marathon?"

The sound of a pained cry echoed from within the room in front of them, giving her all the information she needed to know. Something was being attacked, and voices could be heard shouting commands. The walls began to shake as if an earthquake had occurred. Everything about the situation was telling the trio that it was a terrible idea to go inside and yet the sound of the ensuing battle compelled them onward and forward into the chaos that had unfolded prior to their arrival.

An ear-splitting roar greeted their ears, followed by the sound of several pained Pokémon cries as a monstrous Avalugg repelled a Mightyena and a Liepard with a powerful Icicle Spear assault. Seth and his friends hid behind a cluster of stalagmites that were jutting out of the ground. As the two Dark-types rose back onto all fours, commands from their trainers went out, prompting Seth and company to direct their attention toward the voices.

"That's it, keep up the attack! Tire them out so we can round them all up!" Mable cheered while her cohorts battled on.

"Hang on... those suits," Felicity said, realization hitting her upon recognition. "These guys belong to that group you described don't they?"

Seth nodded as he peered around the corner while the battle continued. His eyes shifted over to the Abomasnow that was fending off the other intruders that were going after that Bergmite at his feet.

"And one of them tried to hurt Melody," Jamie said through gritted teeth.

"Not just that, but other people too..." Seth muttered, Allie's face flashing into his mind as he spotted one individual wearing an Expansion Suit. Looking down at his belt, he reached for a sphere and expanded it, his friends following his lead.

"Shall I start us off m'lord?" Cerise inquired, knowing full well what they were about to do.

Seth peered around the stalagmite and saw that the woman had released a Weavile, and it was beginning to give the Abomasnow trouble. Following his eyes, Cerise spotted where they were focused and without needing any instruction, slid into the shadows and tore off into the fray. As she slithered through the shadows toward Weavile, Liepard leaped upward to execute an Iron Tail while Mightyena empowered his fangs with searing hot flames as he ran toward Avalugg, ducking around his Icicle Spear attack as he closed in. As Liepard closed the distance and swung her tail, a powerful pulse of water blasted her into a far wall while Mightyena was bashed away effortlessly by a force much heavier than himself. Weavile was slashed across his abdomen by a double Sacred Sword that sent him skidding along the ground, ending up at Mable's feet.

"Oho?" Mable mused, "and what have we here?" she wondered, her eyes now turning to the source of the disturbance.

Standing between her teammate's Pokémon and the Avalugg was a small, bipedal Pokémon resembling a theropod. The Royal Heir Pokémon snarled and bore its fangs at the adversary that was slowly recovering from being bodied. A good distance away from that was a small blue crustacean with a pincer larger than its entire body located on its right side. Standing by him was a massive, bipedal black and white Pokémon resembling a humanoid panda bear.  

"Dammit, not this guy!" One of the Expansion Suit wearers grumbled upon spotting Seth.

Mable canted her head at this statement and then turned back to look at the trio who had barged in on them. That's when her eyes met with Seth. The excitement she'd been feeling up until that point began to grow even more. Her goggles, upon scanning him, began to go berserk, piquing her curiosity even more.

"I came here for a powerful Pokémon, and what to my wondering eyes should appear? something far more interesting than any Pokémon I've ever seen..."  Mable giggled as she reached for another ball on her belt. "Change of plans for now everyone. It would seem that we have a new prize that we can take back to the boss," Mable said as she released a Houndoom into the battle.

Houndoom stalked forward, Mightyena and Liepard darting out to surround Tyrunt and Avalugg.

"What's all this about Team Flare?" Seth hissed, stepping beside his Tyrunt and keeping an eye on the three adversaries that surrounded them.

"What do you mean? Can't a few trainers do what they do best and capture Pokémon? That's not a crime is it?" Mable asked with a chuckle.

"Cut the crap, do you really expect me to believe that you're all in here just to catch Pokémon? After the shit you pulled at the ball, I'm surprised you have the gall to lie to me like that," Seth spat, glaring at them as he pointed toward the one wearing an Expansion Suit. "If you were just catching them, you wouldn't need to be wearing one of those."

Mable shrugged. "Maybe we're just taking precautions. Either way, it's none of your damn business what we're doing. After all is said and done, none of you will be around to find out anyway so what does it even matter?" Mable giggled in reply. "Now why don't we cut the small talk and get right down to the nitty gritty, hmm? Houndoom, Fire Blast!"

Several other commands went out as the room erupted into chaos once more. Tyrunt lifted his right leg and slammed his foot into the ground to give rise to a cluster of jagged stones that formed a path toward the Houndoom, dispersing his Fire Blast and causing him to jump out of the way to avoid the Stone Edge that threatened to put him out of commission. Mightyena and Liepard charged forward, tails encased in steel-like energy as they swung them at Tyrunt and Seth. Tyrunt whipped around and slammed Mightyena with a Dragon Tail that sent him crashing along the ground and sliding into a snowbank.

Seth unsheathed his sword and parried an Iron Tail from Liepard, forcing her a fifteen feet away after he gave her a follow-up Force Palm. Avalugg looked between the two that were defending him, almost baffled by what she was seeing. So many questions were swimming around in her mind after seeing what Seth had done. Who was this human, and why was he able to do that? Avalugg needed answers, but now was most certainly not the time. As the trio of Dark-types closed in, Tyrunt stepped forward, snarling as a dangerous crimson aura surrounded his body. An enraged roar pierced the air and shook the cavern walls.

Battles ceased momentarily as the glow around Tyrunt grew brighter and brighter until it engulfed him completely. Snarling and gnashing of teeth could be heard as the pressure of Tyrunt's aura grew more intense. The little dino-dragon began to transform, his body growing in stature. His arms grew slightly longer, and his tail elongated as well. His head became larger, developing more powerful jaws and a ridged snout. He had a light gray lower jaw now which was covered by what appeared to be a beard of white feathers. A row of five spikes that resembled a crown, rested over his eyes. His thick scaly skin had become a dark brownish red. The eyes of the Despot Pokémon fixed themselves upon his adversaries, the very action itself causing hesitation among his foes.

"Shit..." Mable cursed under her breath upon seeing the monstrous beast. "So you've got quite the arsenal don't you? Not that it matters, it's still all of us against you! Weavile, Ice Punch! Everyone else, get them!"

Tyrantrum swung his tail, putting the full weight of his body into the attack as he lashed out at Weavile. The impact that was made sent Weavile upward and backward, crashing through several stalactites before plummeting to the ground, out cold. Mightyena and Liepard were slammed to the ground by their necks by Felicity's Pangoro. One by one, Team Flare's Pokémon were defeated. Mable could hardly believe her eyes. These most certainly were not average trainers. As her team gathered around, they all looked to her for any sign of a way out.

No choice huh? That's fine, we've caught plenty today... and one of them is our ticket out of here...

"Jynx, Teleport us out!" Mable shouted as she gave the ball a toss.

Upon being released, Jynx immediately began to channel psychic energy through every Team Flare member near her.

"It's been fun kids, but I really don't feel like losing so I think we're gonna call it a day. Until next time my blue-eyed sword wielding friend," Mable giggled as she teleported away with her team.

Seth sheathed his sword and breathed a sigh of relief. Looking around, he saw Jamie and Felicity recalling their Pokémon.

"I'll be damned, they got away," said Jamie. "Should have guessed they would pull something like that. I've watched enough movies to know that every villain has an escape tactic."

"They're quite lucky they managed to escape. If I was able to get my hands on them I'd wring their necks for Melody," Felicity hissed.

"You might get your chance soon," Seth replied smirking. "Judging by what that woman said, I have a feeling we will meet again..."

"Excusez-moi m'lord, but you might wanna turn around."

Seth could feel an icy presence behind him. Turning on his heel, he found himself staring down the ice behemoth that was Avalugg. Curiosity had gotten the better of her, causing her to venture closer to the human who had come to their aid.

"Good to see you're OK, Avalugg," Seth stated, reaching out a hand to gently stroke her ice cold head.

Avalugg gave an approving "lugg" at the gesture before taking a step back and staring up at Seth, a question lingering in her eyes.

"I think she wants to come with you," Cerise pointed out, "am I right?"

Avalugg gave a quick nod to Cerise and then turned to look at Seth once again.

"Are you sure?" Seth asked her, his eyes shifting to the Bergmite who were skating around.

Avalugg pressed the matter by taking another step forward. She was adamant and it appeared as though she would not be swayed from her decision. Seeing the resolve in her eyes, Seth reached for the black and white sphere on his belt and held it out as if to tell her that the choice was still hers to make. And make it she did. Tapping her head against the ball, she was snatched up in a beam of crimson light and taken inside.

The ball twitched thrice before going still with a satisfying ding!