I quickly took my exhausted team to the Mauville City Pokémon Center. After the intense battle with Wattson, my partners needed immediate care.
While waiting, I overheard excited chatter: "The Ice Elite Four is at the Food Court!" "I hear she's ordering the special Tundran Terrine!"
My ears perked up. I grabbed my restored Poké Balls and followed the surge of people heading towards the sprawling Food Court, hoping for a glimpse of a top-tier trainer. However, the sheer size and confusing layout of the center city, with its multiple pathways and bicycle lanes, quickly disoriented me.
I ended up cutting through a quiet, manicured park—a small, enclosed oasis of green surrounded by the city's high, reflective walls. Defeated, I stopped to reorient myself.
That's when I saw her.
Sitting alone on a pristine white bench was a young woman. She had stunning blonde hair tied back simply and wore a shimmering blue dress that suggested both elegance and the cold element she mastered. She was slowly enjoying a large platter of food, likely from the very Food Court I'd missed.
I recognized her instantly: Glacia. Her presence commanded respect.
She glanced up, her bright blue eyes meeting mine. She smiled, setting her utensils down neatly.
"Stephen, isn't it?" she greeted me warmly, her voice calm and surprisingly soft. "I thought I recognized that frantic look. Don't worry, the queues for the Tundran Terrine are monstrous today."
"You... you know my name?" I stammered, surprised she recognized a challenger who had just won his third badge.
"I do," she confirmed, rising gracefully. She was taller than I expected. "I watched the full recording of your battle against Wattson. Your use of Sableye to set up Light Screen and your final, defiant Crunch with Mawile—very strategic. A truly shocking performance."
She smoothed the front of her dress, her attention entirely on me. "I assume you're looking for a battle?"
I hesitated only briefly before recalling my question. A spontaneous battle with an Elite Four member was an opportunity I couldn't pass up.
"Thank you, ma'am," I said, stepping onto the grass. "I accept."
I opted for raw, super-effective power. "Go, Torchic!"
Torchic materialized, ready for battle, stomping its feet and letting out a determined chirp.
The Elite Four member, who I now recognized as Glacia, the master of Ice, smiled with an almost clinical detachment. Her blonde hair and elegant blue dress made her seem perfectly suited to the frigid element.
Glacia grabbed a Poké Ball. "Let's begin. Go, Glalie!"
The spherical, floating Ice-type Pokémon appeared, its mouth frozen in a permanent, toothy grin. The type advantage was heavily in my favor: Fire was 2x effective against the pure Ice-type Glalie.
"Glalie, start the show! Hail!"
Glalie floated high and roared. The sky above the park immediately darkened, and sharp pellets of ice began to rain down, instantly cooling the air and freezing the grass in the center of the arena.
"Torchic, Flamethrower! Don't let the Hail settle!" I commanded.
Torchic unleashed a powerful stream of fire. Glalie didn't dodge; it simply took the flames and countered.
"Glalie, use Ice Shard!" Glacia commanded.
Glalie spat a barrage of sharp, prioritized ice fragments. The Ice Shard met Torchic's Flamethrower mid-air. The flames partially melted the shards, but the impact scattered the attack and briefly obscured Torchic's vision.
The Hail continued to fall, stinging Torchic and making the ground slick.
"Use Flamethrower again! Aim for the head!" I insisted.
"Glalie, Icy Wind! Keep the temperature low!" Glacia's command was firm.
Glalie released a powerful stream of freezing wind. The wind struck Torchic, not only dealing damage but immediately slowing my Pokémon's movements, making it clumsy on the slick ground.
"You must rely on speed, Stephen! Don't allow yourself to be slowed!" Glacia called out, her voice rising slightly.
"Torchic, Peck! Ignore the range and hit it!"
Torchic tried to charge, but its feet slipped on the frost-covered grass. The reduced speed from the Icy Wind meant it couldn't close the distance effectively.
"Glalie, Ice Beam!"
A powerful blue beam shot out. The slow-moving Torchic had no chance to dodge. The Ice Beam slammed into my starter, encapsulating it briefly in a layer of ice before it shattered, leaving Torchic knocked out on the ground.
Watt, who had arrived from the Food Court area to monitor the impromptu match, raised the green flag. "Torchic is unable to battle! The victory goes to Glacia!"
I rushed to Torchic, recalling it to its Poké Ball. Glacia walked over to me, her steps graceful even across the icy field. She recalled Glalie, offering a look of respectful acknowledgment.
"You have a valiant starter, Stephen," she observed. "But you made a common error when facing my element."
I looked at the field—it was completely covered in a treacherous sheet of ice, shimmering under the pale Mauville sunlight.
"I relied on the type advantage," I admitted, frustrated. "Fire should have been decisive."
Glacia smiled faintly, looking not at me, but at the icy ground. "Fire is power, but Ice is control."
She leaned in, offering her final word of advice:
"Ice is defensively weak, Stephen. We know this. Therefore, we never allow the enemy to fight fairly. My method is to eliminate their agility and break their momentum. We must master the environment and make the battlefield lethal for anyone who dares to fight us."
"That is how Ice survives."
She gave me a slight, elegant nod. "Go heal your partner. The challenge awaits."
I stood there, contemplating the strategic depth of her method. It wasn't about surviving hits; it was about ensuring the opponent couldn't land one in the first place. A crucial lesson learned right here in a small city park.