The Ice Path between Mahogany Town and Blackthorn City had a reputation for being a formidable obstacle. Hours after James, Jen and Hunter entered the frozen labyrinth, it had more than lived up to that reputation. As the time on James' PokéGear slid towards late afternoon, Hunter was ready to have Steelix bulldoze a direct path out.

“No way,” Jen said when Hunter suggested his plan. “It sounds great, but it would probably bring the whole tunnel down on top of us. Getting squashed under some cold rocks isn't part of my grand plan for life.”

“Alright, alright, it was kind of a joke anyway,” Hunter answered, putting Steelix's Pokéball away. “Any ideas for how to get out of here?”

“What haven't we tried yet?” Jen asked. James held up a hand, raising a finger as he named off failed plans.

“We sent Golbat ahead to scout for the exit, but he got lost. Typhlosion tried to follow that clutch of Swinub, but they got away. And we've nixed Hunter's Steelix solution.” Hunter glared as James looked at him and Jen. “So, I think it's back to the old standby: wander around until we trip over the exit. It's worked before.”

“I'm not spending any more time than necessary in this natural walk-in freezer!” Jen shouted; as if in agreement, an icicle smashed to the ground several yards behind her. “There has to be a way out, and we're going to find it!”

The trio's wanderings took them to a vast, icy stretch of ground, as if a massive skating rink had been laid down over the floor. Jen looked at the two boys, who were giving each other uneasy looks.

“...how are we going to get across that?” James asked. Hunter shrugged in response.

“Did you pack three sets of skates when we left Mahogany Town?”

“Of course not. I knew the Ice Path was treacherous, but I didn't think...”

“Quiet, both of you!” Jen shouted, looking across the ice to a faint speck of light. “I think we found the exit.”

“You mean we...” James began.

“Yes, we tripped over the exit as usual. Now it's just a matter of getting over there.”

“Well, like I asked, did we bring ice skates?” Hunter asked. “I don't like the idea of trying to cross that sheet ice on foot.”

“We might just have to risk it,” Jen said. She walked to the edge of the ice and looked at the surface. “It looks like there's solid rock underneath the ice, so there isn't much chance of falling through.” She turned to the others. “You guys aren't afraid of a few slips and falls, right?”

“I...it's going to take a while to slide across this thing, isn't it?” James conceded, looking at Hunter. The other boy merely shrugged, and a few minutes later, they were shuffling over the icy surface, trying to stay upright. Jen was a bit bolder than they were, and had fallen twice already.

“This is fun!” she called as she slid a little way forward. “You guys should try to slide forwards instead of just shuffling, you'll move across faster.”

“I kind of like staying on my feet, thanks!” James called. As if on cue, Typhlosion slid by him at a tremendous rate, not stopping for several yards. “Oh, sure, take her side!” The Fire-type laughed and initiated another slide, nearly reaching the other end. It seemed to take hours, but the three youngsters were soon near the cave exit.

“Well, that wasn't so bad, was it?” Jen asked. James and Hunter merely stared at her in disbelief. “Oh, please, you guys had fun. C'mon, let's get to the town before it gets dark.”

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After another half hour of walking, they had arrived in Blackthorn City. The buildings looked old, almost like Ecruteak's, or even the oldest buildings in James' neighbourhood on Violet City's north side. Only two visibly modern buildings stood out: the Pokémon Centre, which stood next to a row of shops, and a massive, cathedral-like building with a circular window at its high point; the window's pattern resembled an eight-petaled flower. Two dragons stood atop pillars at a wrought-iron gate.

“That must be the Blackthorn Gym,” Hunter mused as the group looked at the building. “Subtle, isn't it?”

“The dragons really give it away,” James answered, a grin crossing his face.

“I guess that's the type we'll be facing in this town,” Jen said as she checked the time. “It's nearly five, so I'm guessing we won't be able to set up a challenge today. What do you guys want to do?” James checked the map on his PokéGear.

“There's a big area just south of here. It looks kind of treacherous, so we'll have to stay close to town, but it might be a good place to train.”

“And maybe find some new Pokémon,” Jen added. When James looked confused, she continued. “You and Hunter don't have full teams yet, and you'll need them when we get to the Silver Conference.”

“That's right,” James agreed, as Hunter nodded. “All the matches in the Victory Tournament are full battles.”

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“Then let's head out there and see what we can find. It's gonna get dark soon, so we'll have to be quick.”

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On Route 45, the group passed a cave entrance with a familiar signpost.

“Dark Cave? It extends all the way up here?” James shuddered, remembering their wanderings through the pitch-black labyrinth.

“We're not going in there, so relax,” Jen answered. She looked around and noticed a small area with sparse trees dotting the landscape. “Maybe we can find something over there. Any idea what lives around here?”

“No. I suspect a few Rock-types, since we're in among the mountains.” Hunter said, walking towards the trees. James and Typhlosion followed him, and James spotted several small bear-like creatures shuffling up and down the thin trunks. Each one had creamy brown fur, a light crescent mark above its face, and prominent round ears. Every so often, one of the creatures would stop and stuff a paw in its mouth. Jen spotted the creatures and took out her Pokédex.

“They're adorable,” she said as she listened to the device's information.

“Teddiursa, the Little Bear Pokémon. Its paws are constantly soaked in honey, and its crescent mark glows when it finds any in the wild.” Jen wandered towards a particularly small specimen, and the creature backed away in alarm.

“Easy. I'm not going to hurt you.” The Teddiursa continued backing away, then scampered up a nearby tree. “Well, that wasn't how I thought it would go.” A few seconds later, Jen found herself diving away from a large shadow falling from the tree. James and Hunter ran over to her as a second shadow fell down, vocalizing to the Teddiursa in the area. The shadows turned out to be two much larger bears than Teddiursa, their eyes narrowed in fury. A large tan circle marked their chests, and their claws looked menacing. James surreptitiously took out his own Pokédex to learn more about the bears.

“Ursaring, the Hibernator Pokémon, and the evolved form of Ursaring. It collects food from trees and streams near its home, and will snap tree trunks to gather up the berries that fall.” The second Ursaring began gathering the scattered Teddiursa, while the first one took a threatening step towards the group.

“Uh-oh. I think this one's the dad,” Jen said quietly, while James and Hunter backed away. Typhlosion followed the youngsters' lead, but the flames on his back were up in warning.

“Let's hope they don't...” James started, but the closer bear began running towards them. “Never mind! Run!” All three youngsters and Typhlosion made a dash for the tree line, but noted too late that they were headed right for a rocky wall. As Ursaring closed in, James took out a Pokéball and tossed it out. Elekid emerged and spotted Ursaring, grinning as he squared up. “We're gonna catch this bear, Elekid. Get ready.”

“Are you insane?” Hunter shouted as he and Jen scattered, while Typhlosion jumped in front of Jen. “That thing's trying to run us off, and you want to battle it?”

“It looks pretty strong, so I'm going for it!” Elekid looked to James as Ursaring ran at him. “Elekid, Thunderbolt!” A blast of electricity stopped Ursaring in his tracks, and Elekid fired another blast. “Settle, Elekid. Brick Break while it's stunned!” Elekid's karate chop hit Ursaring right on the top of his head, and the bear swung his arms to try and put Elekid off. “Keep going! Another Brick Break!” As Elekid's next blow landed, Ursaring swung a glowing claw at him as he tried to recover, and caught him full in the face.

Elekid went flying, hitting the rock wall and landing hard on the ground. The impact roused a large group of creatures nearby that resembled flying scorpions. Their pink bodies had pointed ears like a bat's, and blue membranes stretched between their clawed arms and rounded feet. They lifted from the ground and flew in a panic through the area. James noticed Ursaring taking swings at some of the fleeing creatures as they went past, and decided to take advantage of the chaos. He pulled a Pokéball from his bag, drew back his left arm and threw it as hard as he could at the bear. Ursaring responded by slapping the ball away with a swipe of his paw, sending it flying off to the right, and James growled in frustration.

“How did he spot that? He must be able to concentrate even when he's angry!” James took out another Pokéball, turning it in his hand.

“What are you doing? Just throw it already!” Jen yelled, trying to shield herself from the frantic Gligar. James shook his head and kept turning the ball, adjusting his fingers over its surface.

“In a minute!” He finally found a grip he liked and swung his arm around like Elekid often did. “Dad told me not to throw this pitch until I'm fourteen. It might not even work the way I think it will.” he murmured to himself. “Well, I'm almost twelve now, and I really want to catch this Ursaring. So I'll throw him a real curveball!” He let the ball go, torquing his arm as he did. Ursaring looked ready to slap this one away too, but the ball dove out of his reach and hit him on the right leg. The bear was surrounded by red energy and sucked into the ball. James watched as the ball shook twice, then a third time, then the familiar capture chime sounded. “Yes! I got an Ursaring!” He ran over to pick up the ball, but as he did so, the ball glowed white and disappeared in a flash. “Hey! What gives?” Hunter and Jen walked over, and Hunter looked around.

“I've heard of that happening. How many Pokémon did you have again? Before catching Ursaring, I mean?”

“Five. I know you can only carry six, but Ursaring would have been my sixth.” Elekid ambled over and looked just as confused as his trainer. “Hey, Elekid, you're alright. Thanks for your help catching that bear.” Elekid grinned, and James recalled him. “Okay, so what happened?” Jen frowned as she considered.

“Didn't Ursaring bat that first ball away? It might have...hit...” All three youngsters turned to look at each other. Hunter seemed to cotton on first.

“Those Pokémon that flew out during the fight! When Ursaring knocked the ball away, it must have caught one of them by mistake!” James raised an eyebrow.

“What? How? I've never heard of that happening before.”

“Those things were flying all over the place. It wouldn't surprise me if one got hit in all the confusion. If we can find that Pokéball, we'll have our answer.” James nodded, and Typhlosion started looking around with the others.

“It's gonna be tough to find it in this light,” Jen said as she searched a clump of bushes. She released Magmar, whose flame lit the area. “Thanks, girl. Now, let's find James' missing Pokéball.” She looked up and noticed a glint in the grass. “Hey, guys! I think I found it!” They ran over, and there was the nondescript red and white ball lying on the ground. James picked it up and turned it in his hand.

“So, you caught a Pokémon I didn't mean to catch, huh?” He tossed the ball lightly, and the pink-bodied creature emerged from it. It looked at James in confusion. “Yeah, I'm just as mystified as you,” he said as he took out his Pokédex.

“Gligar, the FlyScorpion Pokémon,” the device announced. “Gligar glides silently towards prey, then clamps the victim's face before stinging them with its tail.” James stowed the Pokédex, then recalled Gligar.

“Well, that was weird. Now what do we do?” Hunter indicated the darkening sky.

“Let's get back to town. Nurse Joy might know what to do about Gligar and Ursaring.”