Sneasel snuffed at the edge of the cave like a dog searching for buried treats. The first obstacle was deciding where the Vulpix went after leaving the cave, and Sneasel was having some trouble making up his mind.

The rain was still coming down, likely inhibiting Sneasel's sense of smell. It was definitely inhibiting Cashe’s. All he could smell was damp rock and dirty clothes, the smells prominent thanks to the cave they stood in front of and the clothes on his back.

Lindon paced as Sneasel took his time picking up the scent, uncaring that the rain was soaking through his clothes.

“Come over here, get out of the rain.” Cashe said, looking at Lindon with concern. “If we end up chasing Vulpix for too long or into a deep cave you are going to freeze to death.”

Lindon grunted and joined Cashe in the cover of the cave, “Why is it taking him so long?”

“Just give him a second,” Cashe said, “We only found the tracks a few minutes ago.”

“Vulpix could be getting away!”

“Then it will get away,” Cashe said in a steady tone.

Lindon looked at him with a terrible glower, “That’s not fair!” He balled his hands into fists, “You and Emilia already-” He cut himself off, staring at the ground, “It’s not fair.”

“That’s life, Lindon. Sometimes things don’t go your way. Believe me when I say I know what I’m talking about.” Lindon flushed with Cashe’s words. He didn’t need him to explain what he meant. Cashe’s difficulties were not exactly a secret, even if he hadn’t quite told him the exact circumstances.

“Besides,” Cashe continued, “It looks like you’re not going to have to wait any longer.”

Sneasel was pointing away from the cave, to the south side of the mountain and took off into the soaked grassland. Lindon gave a shout of excitement and dashed after him.

Sneasel led them on a wandering path, very much that of a pokemon going about its daily life. The rocky, grass fields were still flooded with water, making their traversal slow, difficult, and dangerous. The rocky terrain left flowing rivers and gathered pools all along the path and the soaked earth was slippery and made it difficult to balance. Despite taking his time, Cashe managed to slip and fall more than oce, ending up in a pool of water and soaked, necessitating several minutes to change his clothes. The ordeal was made all the more difficult as Cashe’s arm was still in a cast.

“Really need to see when I can get this thing off,” he muttered.

Sneasel came to a stop after an uncomfortable hour of wandering away from the mountain at a pool of water that had chunks of ice floating on its surface. Lindon nearly shouted for joy seeing another clear sign of the ice type pokemon they were pursuing, stopping himself so as not to alert their quarry in case it were still around the pool.

Sneasel circled the pool sniffing at the ground again, moving back and forth along the water’s edge. He looked back at Cashe, giving him a little scowl.

“Sneas.”

“That’s not great,” Cashe said with a frown.

“What?” Lindon looked up at him, worried, “What’s wrong. Did we lose the trail?”

“Sneasel thinks Vulpix has realized it’s being chased. It is actively trying to lose us now.” Cashe grimaced, “It means we have to rush.”

“So let’s go!” Lindon said, “Come on, Sneasel, lead the way!”

Sneasel ignored him, looking up at Cashe. “Sneasel.”

Cashe grunted. “We really need a flying type pokemon.”

Lindon gave him a confused look, “Why?”

“Sneasel, go after it, but do not battle.” Cashe ordered. Sneasel took off into the grass, moving at speeds Cashe and Lindon had no chance of matching.

Lindon ran several steps after Sneasel, but stopped when Cashe did not follow. “What are you doing, Apollo? We need to go!”

“Hold on,” Cashe pulled out a second pokeball, summoning Primeape from it.

She emerged from the ball and looked around, confused, glaring up at the sky as if it had offended her simply by existing.

“Ape!” She complained.

“I know it’s raining, get used to it.” Cashe said, “I need you to follow Sneasel. Make it as direct as you can. Use everything you’ve got.”

“Ape?” Primeape tilted her head to the side with the question. Considering her head was essentially her entire torso, it gave her an awkward posture.

“Yes, everything, I want you exhausted by the time we catch up,” Cashe said, “Consider it training.”

“Ape!”

Primeape took off after Sneasel, tearing the ground up as she charged through the terrain.

Lindon stared at the mess Primeape made as she tore through the grass, rocks and ground in her pursuit of Sneasel. “Cashe, what are you doing?”

“Calling Emilia,” Cashe said, taking out his pokedex.

Lindon stuck out his tongue at Cashe, “That’s not what I meant.

The call went through but he got no answer. He frowned at the pokedex, “Must still be a bad time. She’s not picking up.”

“Can you please explain to me what’s going on?” Lindon said, “Why aren’t we chasing after Vulpix? Are you trying to teach me life isn’t fair? I already know that, my mom tells me all the time!”

“We can go now,” Cashe sent Emilia a message, letting her know they were in pursuit and not to expect them anytime soon. He walked after Primeape, following the destruction her chase caused.

“Please answer me!” Lindon said, hurrying to keep up with Cashe.

“I sent Sneasel after Vulpix to find it and contain it.” Cashe said, “Sneasel is our best shot at keeping up with it since he’s a natural predator and lives in the same environments as Vulpix.”

“Yeah, and then you waited around a bunch and brought out Primeape!” Lindon complained, “We can’t keep up with either!”

“I know,” Cashe said, “But Primeape can keep up with Sneasel, or just about.”

“So?”

“So,” Cashe gestured to the torn up grass and shattered rocks in front of them. Even with the pouring rain and howling winds, they could hear the sounds of Primeape wrecking the environment as she pursued Sneasel, clearing the path of most hazards, “She’s not exactly subtle. Tracking her is much easier than tracking Sneasel, which we just can’t do.”

“Oh,” Lindon made a face, “It’s a good thing all the Pokemon Rangers are busy right now, otherwise you would be getting in big trouble.”

Stolen story; please report.

Cashe grimaced, “That’s why I was complaining about not having a flying type with us. Even with something like a Pidgey we would be able to follow Sneasel much more easily.”

Primeape’s path moved almost in a straight line, a sign that Vulpix was not just trying to lose them, but actively fleeing Sneasel’s pursuit. Cashe picked up the pace to a light jog, able to do so since their own path was made much easier thanks to Primeape tearing up all the obstacles. Lindon needed to run to keep up, however, and before long, he was slowing and winded.

“Let’s stop for a moment to eat. We aren’t keeping up with them anyway.” Cashe said, pulling out some more route rations. It had been half an hour since they had any sign of Primeape, apart from the broken path.

Lindon buckled over, gasping, accepting the snack Cashe handed him with a cough and a word of thanks. Cashe took the opportunity to check his messages from Emilia. No response.

“Maybe she’s visiting with Dee and the girls,” Cashe frowned.

“What?” Lindon gasped.

“Emilia’s not responding. It’s not like her.”

“She said she was meeting Dee today, right?” Lindon said, “They are probably just hanging out. It’s not like she has anything else to do in the village.”

“That’s what I said.” Cashe bunched his face up in frustration. For some reason, that just didn’t feel right.

They rested for a few more minutes before setting off again, moving at a more comfortable pace now that they had a bit of food in their stomachs. Even with Primeape’s path of destruction to guide them, it was well into the afternoon before they finally caught up with Sneasel.

Vulpix had retreated back to the mountain, frantic to get away from Sneasel. It was a desperate move by the Vulpix, as Sneasel was more at home in the darkness of the caves than the open light of the fields. When they finally came upon Primeape, she was standing in the mouth of a small cave. She was screeching in victory and hopping up and down in place, elated that she had caught up to Sneasel. She paid no attention to what was going on in the cave, making it clear she had no idea the purpose of her chase.

“Ape!”

“Yes, good work,” Cashe grinned, “You did very well. Now back you go.” Cashe returned Primeape to his pokeball, letting Lindon enter the cave first.

The evening light was just enough to reach the back of the cave. Cashe should make out Sneasel, only, his eyes and feathers the only visible parts of his body. He glowered, sinister at the small, bundled form of white, which Cashe assumed was Vulpix. He could see a crack in the wall of the cave, a deeper shadow than that of Sneasel, covered by his pokemon to prevent his quarry from escaping. The crack was just large enough for Sneasel to get through, but much too small for either Lindon or Cashe. Luckily, Sneasel had noticed the problem and cut off the escape before it could become a problem.

Cashe turned his gaze to Vulpix. No, both Vulpix. What he took for the small form of the vulpine pokemon was actually the form of two, huddled together and quivering, terrified and exhausted after the hours-long chase. The pokemon were gorgeous, tiny foxes with a vibrant white coat of fur covering theri body. Despite their obvious exhaustion, their fur was unmarred by dirt or injury. Sneasel had taken his orders seriously and did not lay a claw on the pokemon. One of the Vuplix’s eyes narrowed, resembling opalescent jewels as it glared suspiciously at Cashe and Lindon as they entered its line of sight. The other took a step back, hiding behind its sibling, yipping in fright.

Cashe felt a surge of guilt, seeing the Vulpix flinch as their movement. “Why are there two?” Cashe said.

Lindon’s voice was tinged with worry, “They normally live in packs. Skulks.”

Cashe but his lip. “Sneasel must have separated them to make things easier for us. Don’t know how he got two though.”

“Sneas. Sneasel, Sneasel.”

“Oh,” Cashe frowned.

“What?”

“He didn’t. He separated one and the other wouldn’t abandon it like the rest of the skulk.” Cashe swallowed, “They probably thought they were being hunted for food.”

“Oh,” Lindon’s voice broke and his face twisted in anguish, “I’m sorry.”

He approached the pair of ice foxes and they retreated, yipping at him as they pressed up against the wall of the cave.

“Lindon, those are wild pokemon, they could seriously hurt you!” Cashe kept his voice low so he wouldn’t frighten the pokemon further, “Get back here and capture them normally.”

“They’re so scared,” Lindon said, his voice high and tight, “Hey there, little guy. It’s okay. I won’t hurt you or your sister.”

Cashe still had no idea how people could tell the gender of a pokemon at a glance like that. He glanced over at Sneasel trying to communicate that he should interfere as soon as something went wrong. Sneasel blinked at him. Hopefully that was a blink of understanding.

The Vulpix were shaking as Lindon continued his approach, but they had stopped yipping. The smaller of the two was staring at him now, filled with suspicion, while the larger one had its head down and hackles raised, ready to pounce.

“That Sneasel scared you, huh? Don’t worry, I can protect you from him. He’s not that scary, to me.” Lindon looked over at Sneasel, who narrowed his eyes at the boy. It appeared he didn’t like being called scary. Or not that scary. Who knew with dark types.

Lindon took another step close and reached behind his back. The motion caused the larger of the Vulpix to growl and pounce half a step forward, trying to intimidate him.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Lindon brought both his hands in front of him again, revealing a pair of pokeballs. He flopped down on the floor of the cave, only a few feet away from the Vulpix and held out his hands, pointing the pokeballs at them., “See these little buttons? If you press your nose against them, you’ll go somewhere warm and safe. Or cold and safe, I guess.”

“Pix?” Surprisingly, it wasn’t the larger of the two Vulpix that moved first. The smaller Vulpix poked her head out from behind her brother, looking at the pokeballs and then at Lindon.

“No,” Lindon shook his head, “My friend, Dalia. She’s super nice and she loves pokemon. She tries to give the pokemon she takes care of the best life possible.”

The smaller Vulpix took a step forward, her nose only an inch away from the pokeball. Her brother gave a small warning yip, but she ignored it, moving the final bit forward. The pokeball cracked open and Vulpix was gone in a flash of red light.

“Vul!” The brother cried, snarling at Lindon. Cashe glanced at Sneasel, his mouth already halfway open to issue a command.

“Wait!” Lindon called out before Vulpix or Cashe were able to act. He pressed the button again and Vulpix reappeared, unharmed but looking slightly disoriented. “She’s safe, see?”

The smaller Vulpix blinked twice before her brother jumped on her, pinning her down as he sniffed all over to confirm it was her. A small series of yips and barks passed between them until they stood together in front of Lindon, staring at him with expectation. Lindon smiled and held out the pokeballs again. Together, the Vulpix stepped forward, pressing the buttons simultaneously, disappearing in a flash of red light.

Cashe let out a breath of relief and scowled at Lindon. “That was dangerous!” He scolded, “Never do that again! Are you trying to get killed? What would have happened if they attacked? You were a foot away! Sneasel would never be able to intercept them in time.”

“They weren’t going to attack!” Lindon said, standing up and glaring right back at Cashe, “I could tell. They were just scared! Attacking them until they fainted wouldn’t have helped at all!”

“It would help you not get killed!” Cashe shouted. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, “I’m serious Lindon. You can’t do that. You know better, I know you do.”

“They weren’t going to attack me, I could tell,” Lindon crossed his arms, staring down Cashe.

“We’ll talk about it later,” Cashe said, taking another deep breath and rubbing his hands over his face. Now he knew how Emilia felt when he approached the troupe of Mankey. He would have to apologize to her again. He opened his eyes and glanced at Lindon, giving him a small smile, “Two Vulpix, huh? Maybe you should be a professional catcher instead of a trainer.”

Lindon relaxed as well, grinning and nodding in agreement, “Yeah. I don’t know what’s supposed to be so hard about finding rare pokemon. We caught them on our first day!”

Cashe’s smile widened, “I think we got really lucky with the rain. I was thinking about it, and I think it might be the only weather that someone can reasonably catch a Vulpix in.”

Lindon frowned, “What do you mean?”

“Think about it. Vulpix are ice type, so the best weather to find them in would be the freezing cold. A blizzard or something.”

“But we’d never find them in there,” Lindon pointed out, “”They’re all white and the cold doesn’t affect them.”

“Exactly, but the other option is sun. They are at their weakest in the sun and they don’t like the heat. They would never leave their caves, and if that is anything to go by,” Cashe pointed to the small passage at the back of the cave, “when they hide in the mountain, we probably can’t get to them.”

“So it has to be cold and dark enough for them to be comfortable but bright enough to actually find them.” Lindon looked down at his soaked and filthy clothes, “I don’t feel very lucky.”

Cashe laughed, “You will tomorrow. But now we need to set up camp, I don’t think we are making back to Tapu Village before sundown, and I don’t-”

Cashe cut himself off as a deep sense of foreboding washed over him. It was a premonition of doom, a presence so thick that he broke out in nervous sweat. It passed over him in waves that cascaded from the cave’s entrance. He shook in place for a full second, mind blank until he pulled himself out of shock.

“Sneasel, to me!” He spun around, running to the entrance of the cave. Sneasel was beside him in an instant, coming up to him as he came to a stop in the mouth of the cave. The chill he felt could only come from a powerful pokemon. Something extraordinary or otherworldly. It didn’t feel stronger than the Salamence, but infinitely deeper, more ominous. He grabbed at his belt, searching for Ivysaur’s pokeball when he saw the pokemon and froze.

Standing on a rocky outcropping in the dim evening light, stood a panther-like pokemon. It gazed down at Cashe, eyes serious and foreboding. It was covered in white fur, a crescent shaped blade extending from its head. Its presence was tangible, thickening the air with a deep sense of dread.

“Sol.” Absol, the disaster pokemon, turned and fled, sprinting in the direction of the town.

*****