As they ran, the other student caught up, and the Houndoom pack behind them occasionally used Flamethrower. Fortunately, the boys were quick to dodge; otherwise, being hit would have had dire consequences.
After running for a while, they saw that the Houndoom were still relentlessly chasing them. They are so persistent. What kind of hatred or grudge is this? What exactly did he do to make the Houndoom hate him so much? Eichi noticed that the other two's stamina was rapidly declining.
He decided they had run enough. "This won't work. We can't keep going like this. Go, Beedrill!" After releasing Beedrill, he instructed, "Beedrill, lure those Houndoom away."
Beedrill nodded and flew toward the Houndoom pack. It concentrated countless light needles in the air and launched them directly into the path the Houndoom were trying to take. The light needles hit the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust that enveloped all the Houndoom.
Taking this opportunity, the three of them spotted a pile of rocks ahead and hid behind a massive boulder. After a while, when there was no more noise behind them, Tetsu cautiously poked his head out to look. He then turned back and informed them, "The Houndoom are all gone."
The other student finally sighed in relief and plopped down onto the ground. "They're finally gone."
After a period of rest, the student stood up and said to the pair, "Thank you for saving me."
Tetsu quickly waved his hand. "I didn't do anything!"
"Don't mention it," Eichi replied.
The student introduced himself. "My name is George. I'm a third-year student from Class Three." The upperclassman had a brown buzz cut, a square face, and a somewhat stocky build.
"Oh, an upperclassman!" Tetsu said. "I'm Tetsu, a first-year student from Class One."
"I'm Eichi, same as him," Eichi stated.
"So you're underclassmen," George replied. "By the way, your Beedrill went out to lure those Houndoom away. Is it okay?"
"Beedrill is very fast; it won't be a problem, don't worry," Eichi assured him.
"Eichi was the winner of the Freshmen Tournament," Tetsu added. "His Beedrill helped him win the championship."
"Really?" George said, surprised. "That's incredible."
Just then, Beedrill flew back from a distance. Seeing its return, Eichi said, "Good work, Beedrill." He then returned it to its Poké Ball.
Tetsu suddenly asked, "By the way, George, why were those Houndoom chasing you? What did you do?"
George scratched his head, a little embarrassed. "I ran off with the leader's baby."
"You really are something," Tetsu replied, impressed. "If I were the Houndoom leader, I'd chase after you, too."
"So, what are you doing next, senior?" Eichi asked.
"I've caught the Pokémon I wanted, so I plan to head back," George said. "I'll bring the Houndour back in a few days. After all, stealing someone else's baby is pretty dishonest. By the way, are you two also here to catch Pokémon? You haven't caught anything yet, by the looks of it."
"I'm just accompanying him," Eichi explained. "He wants a Pokémon from another region."
George thought for a moment. "A Pokémon from another region, you say? Ah, I know! There's a cave up ahead, filled with ice. I heard there are Pokémon from other regions inside."
"Really?" Tetsu asked, delighted. "Thank you, senior!"
"Don't thank me yet. I'm not sure about this information," George admitted. "I heard it from a classmate. He said he saw a Pokémon from another region in there, one he didn't recognize."
"Let's go, Eichi, let's head over right away," Tetsu said.
"Mhm."
"Senior, we'll be going now."
"See you later," George replied.
The two then proceeded in the direction George had pointed. The area was no longer just forest but began to feature numerous rock piles. After walking for about ten minutes, a cave finally appeared.
Reaching the entrance, Tetsu asked, "Is this the cave?"
"This is the only cave nearby," Eichi replied. "It must be the one."
"Great, let's go in," Tetsu said.
The two then entered. The cave was rocky inside, and the temperature in the air was dropping rapidly.
Thanks to his constitution, Eichi only registered a drop in temperature, but Tetsu was already beginning to feel cold.
Seeing Eichi's lack of reaction, Tetsu asked curiously, "Eichi, don't you feel cold?"
"No, I don't," Eichi replied. "I just feel the temperature dropping."
"You're seriously tough," Tetsu said.
The further they walked in, the colder the temperature became, and the darker the light got. If they went any further, they might not be able to see. At this point, Tetsu sent out a Pokémon.
"Noctowl," Tetsu said, "use Flash."
Noctowl began to emit a white light, instantly illuminating more than half of the passage. The sudden intense light made their eyes temporarily unable to adjust.
After a while, as their eyes slowly adapted, they could see tiny ice particles had formed on the rocks. The earthy yellow rocks and ground were mixed with white and blue, creating a beautiful sight.
They continued forward, and after walking for some unknown amount of time, the passage suddenly opened up.
This was a very spacious area, likely a large hall. The hall was no longer filled with earthy yellow rocks; everything was ice. It was a world of white, containing a small lake. It was no longer dark here but very bright.
Tetsu and Eichi were slightly shocked by the scenery, but a chorus of Pokémon cries interrupted them.
Numerous Pokémon were inhabiting the area, and Eichi and Tetsu were clearly intruders. The Pokémon were all Ice-types: Seel, Dewgong, Shellder, Cloyster, Jynx, Delibird, Swinub, and even Sneasel could be seen. Some of these Pokémon showed strong hostility toward Eichi and Tetsu, while others acted as if they didn't notice them.
Eichi quickly led Tetsu to hide behind a block of ice.
Tetsu was extremely excited to see all the Ice-type Pokémon and no longer felt cold. "So many Ice-type Pokémon!" he exclaimed.
"Did you see anything you like?" Eichi asked.
Tetsu shook his head. "No. Let's keep going further inside."
The two then carefully continued deeper. The further they walked, the more Ice-type Pokémon they encountered. There was so much to see. Suddenly, Tetsu pointed to a spot and asked, "Eichi, look, what Pokémon is that?"
Eichi looked and replied, "That's... Snorunt!"