Glaceon attacked.

The little ice type was horrifyingly quick to leap onto its closest target- Coin’s Toxicroak- and rapidly spread ice all across its victim’s skin. In all of my times fighting Croagunk in the Mirelands, I had never even heard anything close to the scream that Toxicroak gave off in that moment as the Freeze-Dry ravaged its already coarse skin.

Riley rushed in to intercept Abomasnow, but the thing fixed its bloodshot eyes onto him and it belched out a deep scream. The blizzard intensified. I had to fight to even stay on two feet. But Riley was heavy enough to push through and landed a hard Shadow Punch onto Abomasnow’s abdomen. The ice type was sent screeching back across the quickly slickening ground but managed to maintain its balance. It held its tree-trunk thick arms outwards. A green wooden texture layered itself up to its shoulders. With a roar and an almost frenzied swinging of its arms, Abomasnow charged Riley with powerful Wood Hammers.

On the right, Toxicroak screeched in agony but managed to land a Poison Jab straight into Glaceon’s face. Its head rocked back over and over as Toxicroak violently wailed onto it in an attempt to throw the ice type off of it, but Glaceon was barely even scratched. A revenge Ice Beam utterly carved through Toxicroak’s right arm and the poor poison/fighting type howled before collapsing onto the ground. With a savage Shadow Ball to its head as a finishing blow, Glaceon hopped off of Toxicroak and hissed in fury. Venom dripped off of its chin and bled onto the ground, but Glaceon barely seemed fazed.

Back on the left, and I was yelling orders to Riley to help fend off Abomasnow. The giant ice/grass titan was obviously far stronger than my entire team and I needed to work strategically to fend him off until Glaceon could help. Irida, for her part, was deathly silent. Even as she started dispassionately at Glaceon, it seemed as though she was wordlessly conveying instructions through mere looks.

“Bibi!” I cried right as a Wood Hammer was about to land on Riley’s head. That blasted Abomasnow was completely wild and looked to be harming itself more than anything else, but its stamina was incredible. Bibi manifested a Protect just in time, but Wood Hammer simply blew through it and Riley took a slightly eased-off hit to the top of his head. I flinched as the impact blew off some of Riley’s clay armour, but the giant construct needed more than that to fall.

“Block with your left!” I called out and Riley lifted his forearm to block another Wood Hammer where his clay was densest. The blow shook the entire tunnel and Riley clearly wasn’t too happy about taking the hit, but it temporarily disabled one of Abomasnow’s arms for counterattack. “Use your weight!” I screamed upon sighting the opening. “Punch low!”

A weak, almost desperate, Wood Hammer from Abomasnow’s other arm was blocked by Protect, which just about held enough for Riley to swing his right arm and send a Shadow Punch straight into Abomasnow’s chest. “Again!” I cried.

Working his arm like a spring-load, Riley lurched his arm back and used a burst of his internal energy to send his fist crashing back into Abomasnow’s body. The frost tree Pokémon bellowed in indignation and its arms flailed, but Clover screamed at it in rage and clarity instantly returned to its eyes. Opening its gaping maw wide, a seriously strong wind started to below straight onto Riley’s left arm. My eyes widened when I watched Riley flinch back as his entire arm started to ice over. And when Abomasnow turned its attention to Riley’s head, I felt my stomach drop.

“Bibi!” I screamed, half-panicked, but Bibarel’s Protect only held for a second before Icy Wind blasted through. With a groaning, creaking sound, Riley clutched at his rapidly freezing head. I yelled for him to back away, but the ice was too fast. With a creaking groan, Riley jerked and fell stiffly onto his back. “NO!”

My desire to protect Riley overrode my instinct for self-preservation and I immediately recalled the clay-Pokémon back into his Poké Ball. That ice would take time to defrost off of Riley’s head, but I needed to get to safety before worrying about that. In this moment, my strongest defender down. How on earth would I take on Arcanine?!

Thankfully, by that point, Glaceon had finished off Toxicroak and Irida’s eyes slid to Abomasnow. With a fearless, almost song-like cry of glee, Glaceon leapt straight onto Abomasnow’s arm and a Shadow Ball blasted right into the side of its head. Unlike the weak finisher that had hit Toxicroak, this Shadow Ball rocked the entire tunnel and Abomasnow lurched to the side against the force. Glaceon held on tight when Abomasnow started to flail its arm around in an attempt to dislodge it and a violent Water Pulse exploded on impact with Abomasnow’s flaky fur, sending showers of twinkling ice sheets into the air.

“Rei!” Palina screamed into my ear. My attention immediately diverted towards her panicked face. “We need to go!”

It was then that I noticed Hisoko had Teleported next to me and was desperately trying to get my attention. My eyes widened and fear sent my heart straight into my throat, where it wedged in an uncomfortable tightening sensation. Arcanine. “Irida!” we started to collectively yell at the Pearl Clan leader. “Irida!”

Glaceon had been slammed into the cave wall and was currently enduring an assailment of falling stones as Abomasnow attempted to crush it, but the tiny thing refused to let go. Shadow Ball after Shadow Ball continually ravaged Abomasnow’s body until only its wooden interior skin was visible where it once was hidden underneath its fur. Irida turned to us and I was momentarily stunned by the fierce violence plastered onto her face. “The bandits!” was all she yelled back.

Clover looked terrified at the sight of her Abomasnow drooping before her very eyes, and Coin had already escaped deeper into the cave. I could only guess the third bandit was diverted with doing her mind-control thing on Arcanine- why else would she be so inactive? But that could change at any moment now that Arcanine was onto us. “We’re going to get trapped if we wait any longer!” Palina screamed. “Arcanine might flame out the entire tunnel!”

Whether it was logic or the promise of finding herself trapped in an enclosed space surrounded by fire, Irida nodded before shooting a glare towards the cave's inner chamber. “Fine!”

A deep crash momentarily sent us stumbling. Abomasnow finally fell- looking more like a wooden scarecrow now than the ice titan it previously was- and Glaceon merrily frolicked over to Irida as she started to flee out of the cave. Without Abomasnow’s Icy Wind cooling us down, the heat soon rose to an unbearable level as we neared the cave exit, but Irida’s Glaceon was happily exuding enough frosty air to keep us cool. The second we emerged from the cave, I turned to egg Bibi onward who was lagging slightly behind. But by turning my back to Arcanine’s lair, I failed to see the yellow blur slam into the volcano mere metres away from me. The explosion of debris and rocks that followed Arcanine’s Wild Charge almost send me flying into lava, but Glaceon bailed me out with an ice wall to break my fall. “Bibi!”

With a deep cry and a determined glint in his eyes, Bibi flung himself as fast as I’d ever seen him through the collapsing cave entrance and made it out just in time. But I was forced to recall him when his paws and fur started to burn against the shimmeringly hot rock beneath his feet. “I need to re-release him near Glaceon!”

“Irida, no!” Palina’s cry echoed over the din of roars and rumbling. She was screeching towards Glaceon, who had a Water Pulse readied for Arcanine’s rump. But, for whatever reason, it hesitated upon hearing Palina’s voice. It was a huge mistake. With a roar that eclipsed all other sounds, Arcanine turned and his yellow glow brightened to almost blinding levels. Without warning, a torrent spiked rocks erupted beneath Glaceon's feet, bursting through the lava to spear the ice type with a violent abandon. Glaceon screeched more in surprise than pain as it was flung high into the air, where it sailed somewhere into the distance on the other side of the circular arena.

With his Stone Edge succeeding, Arcanine turned his attention to Irida. The Pearl Clan leader barely had a second to dart out of the way of his dark-wreathed fangs, but Irida was completely disabled by the searing heat now that she was unprotected. Without Glaceon’s cooling ice around her, the blonde woman started to scream into the sky- raking her nails across her skin as if she were on fire.

I stood completely frozen. The trauma of listening to Irida’s agonised screams utterly dimmed all logic and I was aware only of my throbbing heart in my chest. As if aware Irida’s time was near, Arcanine started to wrap himself in flames while he readied what looked like a signature move. But before he could finish her off, a tiny wisp of flame smacked into the back of Arcanine’s head and the Noble turned with disdain in his eyes. I gaped down at Growlithe, who stood up to his Noble friend to save Irida from doom, but Palina reacted quick and yelled for Growlithe to get back.

Facing Growlithe’s retreating form as he bounded back to Palina, Arcanine snarled and started a deranged sprint towards us- continually snapping his mouth open and shut over and over again while flames erupted and spewed from his throat. The sight of him barrelling towards me finally snapped me back to my senses and I released Bibi to help out, but it was too late. With a cry, we all had to dive out of the way as Arcanine raced past us. I felt a terrible burning sensation sear its way across my back as his flames barely missed me. I fell hard onto the ground and my palms instantly screamed in agony. It was so hot. It was so hot. It was so hot!!!!!

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

With willpower I didn’t even know I had, accompanied by adrenaline and fear and agony, I screamed at the top of my lungs and lurched myself back onto my feet. My palms were completely roasted- the skin a deep red with large streaks of white and I could already see blisters starting to form. The pain was unimaginable. It was so… bad! It hurt, it hurt, it hurt! And all I could do was whimper at the all-encompassing agony ravaging my mind.

Slightly behind me, Palina had been saved by Iscan who’d grabbed onto her as they fell. She was utterly fine if not a tad burnt, while Iscan’s entire right arm looked as bad as my palms. Meanwhile, Arcanine had slammed himself into the other side of the arena and was in the process of turning himself around for another run. Flames spewed out of his mouth like a constant flamethrower of orange fire and his eyes had turned completely feral as the golden energy around him fed into his frenzy. My blessed Pokémon reacted of their own volition. Bibi spat a Water Pulse upwards and Hisoko manipulated it into a Life Dew, sparing a third to assuage to heat from Bibi’s paws, a third to cover Iscan’s arm, and the last third to soothe my burnt palms and legs. I let out a trembling squeal when the pain spiked before calming into a soothing numbness as the cold water started to work its healing magic.

I was fogged up less by pain now, but I was still scared beyond belief. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking. I couldn’t stop thinking about how hot my feet were growing as the heated rock below me melted its way through my shoes. Arcanine had finished turning fully and allowed us a warning roar before he charged once more. His speed was staggering. I could barely keep track of him as he blurred straight towards us. But Bibi stepped forth and shot out a Water Pulse that rocketed across the arena and straight into Arcanine’s body. Despite the attack simply splashing harmlessly off of his form, Arcanine immediately slid to a halt and let out a strangled whine of terror. He reared up onto two legs and his forepaws flailed and jerked as if he were accosted by a swarm of Combee. It took an embarrassing second for me to cotton onto the fact that Bibi had simply followed one of my earlier instructions for him to shoot water at Arcanine if he ever drew near. Thank you, Bibarel!

Before Arcanine could wrench himself out of his water-induced panic, a strong caw sounded overhead and Braviary swooped in just in time to catch Arcanine with a flurry of white arcs of air. Fur exploded from Arcanine’s body and he reared in confusion, but the rock-hard skin beneath was barely scratched. As if bolstered by Braviary’s timed arrival, a contrastingly cold sensation crept its way past my back and I blinked in sheer awe at the sight of snowflakes flittering past me. Edith landed onto the ground in front of me but screeched in pain and bolted back up into flight when her talons started to burn into the ground. “Good job, girl!” I smiled in relief at the backup.

Braviary screeched and flapped her wings perilously while hovering just above Arcanine’s form. Pink, wing-shaped arcs of psychic energy tore into Arcanine’s body and he screamed and whined in pain at the powerful attacks which tore through his body. “No!” Palina’s scream barely managed to eclipse the howlingly cold wind that was blowing its way through the arena. “Stop it! Stop it! Please don't hurt Arcanine!”

“Palina!” Iscan yelled at the top of his lungs. It was starting to get frigidly cold. I could see the lava pools around us start to solidify and steam up. My feet no longer burned and Hisoko’s Life Dew stopped evaporating rapidly in all the heat. I actually felt a shiver work its way up my spine. “We need to run!”

I then realised what was happening. Glaceon. It must’ve heard Irida’s screams and decided to turn this entire island into one giant blizzard to protect her from the heat. I turned to where I had last seen Irida. The Pearl Clan leader was lying on the ground- seemingly unconscious- but I quickly dismissed her to focus on the rapidly spreading ice that was crackling and slinking its way towards us. My mouth dropped. Glaceon was going to freeze this entire island over! Palina finally noticed the sudden shift in temperature. Through teary eyes, she let loose a harrowing wail that was equally filled with grief and panic. “But Arcanine!”

“Irida won’t harm him!” Iscan yelled back. “We need to get out of here before her Glaceon freezes us! This is our chance to get Rei out of this place, Palina!”

“B-but…!”

“Trust me!”

With one final glance back towards Arcanine, Palina eventually nodded and steeled her expression. “I trust you, Iscan. Let’s go!”

I felt hope surge through my veins. Was this the opportunity we’d all been waiting for? I had to admit I felt really horrible for Palina having to abandon Arcanine, but there was no way we’d ever be able to do anything. He was just too strong for the likes of Growlithe and I, while Iscan didn’t even have any Pokémon with him. I lifted my feet to start to flee towards the arena’s exit but found that the ice had completely fused my melted soles onto the ground. With a deep cry, I wrenched the shoe off completely and cursed at the sight of the entire sole having remained lodged in ice. The run back was going to be exceedingly painful on bare feet, but I had to do it.

I recalled Bibi and Hisoko to spare them from the growing cold and asked Edith to watch over us from above. The ground momentarily shook when Arcanine recovered himself enough to break past Braviary’s onslaught and latch onto her with a snarling Crunch. Braviary’s screeches thrummed through my mind as we ran away. I turned and saw an abstract mess of fur, feathers and wings before I forced my gaze back ahead of me. By now, it had grown so cold that I was actually shivering. Only Arcanine and Palina’s Growlithe seemed to be able to produce enough heat to stay warm. Iscan lead the way, holding onto Palina’s hand as we sprinted as fast as we could down the narrowing path back towards the shore. I smiled in relief through the burning in my lungs when I felt the air around me start to warm, but that soon turned into a grimace when my feet started to burn against the hot rocky ground.

When we burst out of the volcano’s clutches and onto the shores of Firespit, a chaotic scene met our eyes. All of the Magby and Magmar we had left behind were running around in a panic. One of the trees was on fire and there were several patches of burnt sand and even glass. Palina let out a whimpering cry at the sight of their fear but allowed herself to be pulled towards the water. I almost charged straight into Iscan when he stopped at the water’s edge. The icy pull of the ocean lapped at my ankles, but I worryingly couldn’t feel any sensation on my feet. “What now?!” I darted my gaze around the island. How would we escape?! I needed to get Bibi out so I could hold onto him as he swam!

“One moment!” Iscan snapped in an uncharacteristically demanding voice. Before my eyes, however, I watched his face soften and his shoulders relax despite all the panic. He lifted his head ever so slightly and opened his mouth wide. “Haaa, ahh, ha, haaa ahh.”

It was some sort of melody. But why on earth was he singing?! I was freaking out. I turned back towards the volcano. There was a swirling blizzard rising high from the rocks and into the air like a giant tornado of ice. Gone was the shimmering and the blackened exterior, replaced as it was by sheen-like icicles and layers of frost. The sheer power at display left a burning question in my mind; what was that Glaceon?!

Just as I was about to throw myself into the water and take my chances swimming, I heard a slightly gargled cry and a Basculegion blasted its way through the water towards us. I was never happy to see such an ugly, intimidating face on a Pokémon in my life.

“Palina, you need to control him!” Iscan turned to his crying girlfriend and held both of her hands in his. “Rei is going to have to hold on tightly. It’ll be a squeeze, but you two can just barely fit.”

“What about you?!” Palina cried.

“Don’t worry about me!” Iscan briefly glanced towards the volcano. “I’ll stay here. Someone needs to… needs to look after the Magby, after all.”

“Iscan, no! I can’t abandon you!”

“You’re not! We’ll meet again, my love! I promise you!”

“She’ll kill you!”

“She won’t! I swear to you I’ll make sure she won’t!” there was a slight pause, then. “You need to go, now!”

Palina and I both noticed the slight tremble in Iscan’s voice and turned towards the volcano. What we saw sent horror shooting across my chest like darts of ice. Through the blizzard, a faint outline of two figures were drawing closer to the shores. A woman and her Glaceon. “Iscan, I love you!” Palina pulled the Diamond Clan member close and squeezed tightly.

“I love you, too!” Iscan replied and, for a moment, his voice hitched with emotion. “Now, get on!”

Palina rushed to mount onto Basculegion’s saddle, who didn’t seem all that fussed about the blizzard nor our panic. I pounced from foot to foot while she hurriedly sat down and strapped herself in. I didn’t need to be asked twice when she yelled at me to hop on behind her.

I moved my foot to straddle Basculegion, but I found it had suddenly been frozen in ice. I yelped and panic eclipsed all logic as I thrashed my foot to try and break it free, but it wouldn’t let go. “Growlithe!” Palina yelled, and the tiny Pokémon threw Ember after Ember into the ice, but even that didn’t do anything.

Irida was slowly emerging from the misty sheet of ice and sleet. The entire right side of her body was mildly burnt, and her clothes were in rags. She looked like some sort of damned mummy- walking as she was towards us. Her Glaceon followed, blackened in some areas but otherwise unharmed. I felt the wind pick up with a howl. The water around Basculegion started to sleet over ever so slightly. I renewed my struggling, but I soon started to feel an unnatural cold seep its way into my veins. It felt like I had swallowed a ton of ice. Everything started to slow… down… and it became so… achingly… cold.

“Iscan, she’s freezing him!” Palina screamed, but I barely registered the words.

So… cold…

I felt my foot finally free itself from the ice. There were warm hands. So lovingly warm. On my arms. Under my armpits. Hauling me onto Basculgeion’s wet back. My teeth chattered. I couldn’t think straight. But my hand moved to the pouch on my belt ever so slowly. Ever so slowly towards the last trick up my sleeve. My last shot at life.

“Is he on?!” I heard Iscan yell… but who was on what? All I knew was ice.

“I don’t know!”

My trembling fingers unclasped my pouch. I was drawn to Irida’s eyes. They were empty save for the cold fury boiling within those blue irises. She really was… pretty… even burnt…

“Rei, I need you to hold on!” somebody shouted. But I could hardly feel my limbs anymore. And the blood roaring in my ears was too loud. I lowered my eyes as a heavy blanket of tiredness fell over me. It felt so warm… so warm. Unlike the blue skin covering my frost-covered bones…

“I never told you directly what would happen if you disobeyed me, Rei.” Irida’s beautiful voice was the only thing that broke through the numbness. “Now, you’ll learn.”

My hand emerged from my pouch. The paper-thin casing of my scatterbang clutched tight in my palm. I was shaking so badly I feared I would drop it. I couldn’t even feel it in my hands.

“Rei!” someone screamed, but I was too gone to care.

With the last of my strength, I raised my arm and lifelessly threw the scatterbang onto the sand.

And then, a booming explosion.

Everything went white. Like snow.