Story Notes:
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter 2
"W-what the hell's happening?!" Sirius yelled in surprise when he saw that the reflection looking back at him was a Glaceon. "W-why am I all- AH!" He had no time to think as he was tackled and pinned to the icy floor with a blow so heavy he was left seeing double. He cried in panic when he saw the murderous red gleam of the Luxray's eyes and her huge, sharp teeth, ready to finish him off in mere seconds. "N-no, Mira!" He cried. "It's me, Sirius!"
"You are?" Mira growled, not letting go of the Glaceon in her grasp.
"Y-yeah, It's me, it's me! Now LET ME GO!"
"What is this rumpus?!" Nash approached the two, clearly upset. "Miss Mira, why are you pinning that Glaceon against the ice?!"
"That's not any Glaceon!" Lucida barked at the Luxray. "That's Sirius! Let him go, Mira!"
"Alright, alright..." Mira let go of Sirius, allowing him to get up before taking a good look at him and beginning to laugh. "Heh, what a fitting look for you, sissy!"
"What's happening?!" Sirius asked shakily, looking at himself. "Why am I blue?!" He continued. "And what are these weird, diamond-y things hanging from the side of my head?! And," He lied on his back and looked at himself, noticing his diamond-shaped tail. "And what's up with my tail and...And why's my butt so big?!" His voice was trembling. He was definitely freaking out.
"You evolved," Lucida explained. "Your body adapted to the cold of the place while you were sleeping. That's why you look so different."
"Different?" Mira scoffed. "I 'girly's the right word!"
"Oh, man, I look like a girl!" Sirius shook his head, staring at his reflection once again. "Scratch that... I AM a girl!" He slumped down into the ice, whimpering.
"You are not," Nash walked closer to the newly-evolved Glaceon. "You are simply more... Androgynous than you used to be."
Both Mira and Sirius stared at the Espeon, leaving it clear that neither of them understood what he meant.
"For the last time," Mira grunted, annoyed. "Not all of us can understand what you say!"
"What I meant to say is that you are still a male, Sirius. Regardless of how... Feminine or delicate your appearance might suggest you are. Like myself."
Mira and Sirius kept staring a Nash before the Luxray began to laugh again. "In other words: You are a girl."
"Oh, no..."
"Leave him alone, Mira," Lucida stared sharply at the laughing Luxray. "You don't understand what Sirius must be going through. He just evolved into something he didn't want to be, and there's no changing back for him now."
"And I hadn't even thought of that!" Sirius cried again before being swatted against the ice by the Luxray's heavy paw.
"I hate crybabies."
"Accidents happen, boy," Nash told the Glaceon. "But one must learn to accept them and continue. Will you do so? Or will you stay here, crying for what can no longer be repaired?"
"I... I'm gonna stay here crying!"
"Yup," Mira continued, watching Sirius cry. "Figures."
"Come on!" Lucida approached, but tried to keep her distance. After all, the last thing Sirius needed was the excessive heat her body produced. "It's not all bad! Look at the bright side: The cold won't bother you no more!"
"Uh-huh?" Sirius answered, looking at the Ninetales.
"You won't slip on the ice so easily..."
"Yeah?"
"You can wander around blizzards without any trouble!"
"Yeah," Mira interrupted, sarcastically. "Because we get a lot of blizzards in the badlands." She was going to continue, but preferred to keep quiet when she caught another look of Lucida's sharp, scolding stare.
"And the best thing of all," Lucida said. "You have a type now! There are plenty of new moves and things like that open for you now!"
"Indeed," Nash added. "I assure you, you will be amazed by the plethora of new skills open for you to master."
"Well, I guess it can't all be that bad..." Sirius slowly got up and began to walk in the ice, having a little trouble adapting to this new form. Every few steps, he'd fall to his side as he would step on one of the diamonds that hung from the sides of his head. Still, Lucida was right; He was having no trouble at all walking on the ice; he could even run on it if he wanted to now. Maybe later, though.
"See?" Lucida told him. "You've got to remain positive!"
"You're right..." Sirius sobbed a little, looking at his paws. "I guess I should."
"Yeah, you should," Mira answered. "But staying positive won't stop a pack of wild Mightyena from eating you alive. Or a pack of Manectric from killing you... Just saying."
"Did that ever happen to you?" Sirius turned to ask Mira. Every time she talked about life in the badlands, he became more and more surprised of her. "When were there Mightyena in the badlands?"
"Before you were born," Mira answered looking away. "My tribe kicked them out and sent them off to the mountains in some forest to the north."
"There's a lot I don't know about the place I live in..." Sirius whispered.
"It always pays to know your history," Lucida told him, glad the new Glaceon was no longer sulking about his evolution and trying to push the subject away.. "Though Mira's gory stories about death and struggle for survival really aren't the best way to do so."
"There was ONE gory story!" Mira grunted. "And this guy wasn't even around when I told it!"
"What gory story?" Sirius asked curiously.
"The story of that time I got eaten by a bigger predator and I had to eat my way ou-"
"-I'm begging you to stop," Lucida told the Luxray before she could finish her story and give Sirius nightmares.
"Fine..." Mira growled. Why was it no one liked that story? For one, the Swalot didn't taste so bad... Kind of like jelly, really. The only bad thing was hat slight poisoning afterwards, but that was gone quickly.
"Well, we are all good and awake now," Nash commented, looking into the icy tunnel ahead, illuminated by the light blue glow of the pulsing crystals on the wall. "I took myself the time and liberty to have a look at the map, and this tunnel is the path to follow." He walked towards the tunnel, swaying is body and tail in that elegant way and stopped by the entrance. "Shall we?"
"Uh... I guess," Sirius answered, slowly walking towards the Espeon. He was starting to get the hang of walking better than before, no longer tripping. Yet he still couldn't get used to the sensation of this new body. It just felt so odd... But Lucida was right; there was no turning back from this, and complaining about it would only make Mira comment more things about him, so he was better off keeping quiet.
"Let's go," Lucida walked forward, following the smaller Glaceon before whispering at him. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine," Sirius answered. "I just need some time to get used to this, I guess." He couldn't help welling up when he heard her. She was actually worried about him!
"About time we got a move on!" Mira walked ahead as well. "The sooner we get the treasure, the better for me!"
"After you," Nash said, stepping aside once everyone was at the entrance to the tunnel to let them through. Sirius was about to enter the tunnel when the Espeon stopped him, lifted him with his psychic powers and pulled him aside, letting Lucida and Mira walk in first. "Ladies first, boy. Have some manners."
"Thank you, Nash~!" Lucida told the Espeon as she headed into the tunnel, feeling as flattered as she did whenever he did something like that.
"Simple manners, my dear," Nash answered, making a slight bow.
"Oh, what a line!" Lucida huffed, rolling her eyes upward as she walked into the tunnel as well.
"Now can I get in?!" Sirius asked, suspended in the air by the unnatural blue glow.
"Go," Nash answered, releasing his hold on Sirius and dropping him into the ice with a thud. Sirius got up and rubbed his head a little, then walked into the tunnel followed by Nash.
The mystifying glow of the crystals illuminated their path as they ventured further into the glacier, driven by their wish to find the treasure. Sirius didn't really need it for the reason he had to get it in the first place, but a little money could still be useful. Mira and Lucida were walking ahead of him and Nash, talking. And his eyes unwillingly went to the Ninetales once again, noticing the way in which her golden fur shone, acquiring a silver tint with the glow of the crystals on the wall. She was so perfect... And she worried about him, which was more than half the Pokémon he knew did.
"He's just amazing, isn't he?" Lucida was telling the Luxray as they ventured deeper and deeper.
"Huh? Who?"
"Nash, of course!" The Ninetales looked up and sighed. "It's great to know a male who actually gives one the respect she deserves!"
"Respect's good and all that," Mira nonchalantly answered. "But I like males that I'm sure have always been males."
"Oh, trust me," Lucida said. "And I'm not lying: He's twice as much of a male as anyone you might ever meet."
"You really like him, don't you?" Mira asked. "I mean, fancy socialites like you, no offense, prefer males like him, but, quite frankly: Can you even picture how someone like he is must be when mating?" She chuckled a little before continuing. "I mean, he must be a real disappointment. I prefer someone strong, you know? Someone wild."
"That's just part of the act," Lucida answered, softly swaying her nine tails from side to side. "When the time to get down to business comes, there's no one like him! If you want strong and wild, he's the one!"
"More than I wanted to know, Lucida," Mira said, a little upset. "More than I wanted to know..."
"The first thing that you must learn now, Sirius," Nash was telling the younger Glaceon as they walked forward, focused on their own conversation. "Is that you are not suited for taking your opponents on at close quarters; leave that to the Flareon or Leafeon... We, my boy, are Special Attackers."
"And those are..."
"We fight just as fiercely as anyone else, but we do so from a safer distance. You've seen how both Lucida and I take our opponents on..."
"Uh-huh," Sirius nodded, a little intrigued. Truth be told he always felt mystified when he saw the way in which Nash or Lucida would simply lift their opponents from the ground and slam them or throw them aside without moving a muscle. "That actually does sound a little interesting..."
"I can show you a thing or two about what skills we might have in common, but for the most, discovery of your new abilities is up to you."
"Good, I guess... I mean, better make the most of this, huh?" Sirius sighed, staring at the blue in his paws. It didn't look so bad, now that he stared with more attention. What he really wanted right now was a chance to get a better look at himself; something he couldn't do properly in the ice as his image was distorted and dimmed.
The group kept going along the passages, descending further and further into the harsh temperatures of the glacier they were on. Soon the icy tunnel was over, and the team found themselves in the way of yet another impediment to their adventures. Time went on rather slowly for them until they reached another chamber in a cave inside the glacier. There wasn't much ice or snow this time, which meant they had actually entered solid land, but this only caused the ground to become colder. The ceiling seemed to be nowhere in sight when they looked up, and more of those glowing crystals were spread along the ground while a few crude drawings of a Floatzel and two Nuzleaf adorned the wall. The impediment, however, was quite large: They had to climb a steep, iced rock wall that got in their way, but were at a loss as of how they could do so.
"Well," Nash spoke out, looking up in hopes of getting a better look at how far high up the obstacle went, "This is quite an impasse for our progress. May I suggest stopping for a moment of thought while I try to find a way to keep on our advance?"
"Aye, then," Mira replied, "It's steep, but we can just power through, as always. I say we just climb it."
"Give it a try, Miss. But I assure you the outcome will be painful."
"What do you know?" Mira scoffed, "Watch!" Saying this she began running as fast as her toned, huntress body allowed her to, reaching the wall and jumping on it, and starting her climb. However, she was not able to accomplish much before her paw slipped in the ice and she fell, landing on her back with a short grunt.
"Miss Mira!" Nash said in a mixture of surprise, and, to a lesser extent, worry as he hastened to her side, "Are you well?"
"Never felt better!" Mira cuttingly replied, springing to her feet and attempting her climb again, and again, and again.
"She keeps trying, but I don't think she'll make it," Sirius commented, watching the Luxray climb and fall one more time.
"She's stubborn, but that often plays in her favor," Lucida answered before focusing her attention on the Glaceon and asking, "How are you feeling? Is everything okay for you?"
"Yeah, I'm good, I guess," Sirius looked down, "I mean... There's nothing I can do about it. So I shouldn't really cry, huh? But it's still such a mess..."
"Everything happens for a reason," She reassured him, "Sometimes we can't see it, but it happens."
"Damn!" Mira roared in frustration as she hit the ground once again, panting from all the effort she had done recently. "Stupid wall!" She grunted, tackling the rock with her side and causing some ice chunks to fall on her.
"Stop trying before you hurt yourself, Miss," The Espeon told her, feeling the wall with his paw to test how steep it was before finally deciding, "We can climb it. But it is only a few of the rocks that lack enough ice to help us climb. We might need to try by trial and error until we figure it out."
"My," Lucida answered with a slight concern, "Is there any way for us to get to the high ground without having to risk massive injuries?"
"I'm beat, and my paws can't do it," Mira grunted, then looked at Nash, "Why don't you try?"
"I know better than that," Nash replied with a confident smile. Somehow, he knew that was just what the Luxray was going to tell him, "My fine, soft paws are not meant for such a continuous effort, and my body, although strong, is quite frail."
"I'd slip," Lucida commented.
"So, none of us can," Mira finished, "Unless..." She looked at Sirius with the glow of an idea showing in her eyes, which was quickly followed by the other two, "I think we know who can do it."
"You can't do that to him!" Lucida protested, "If he falls, he'll hurt himself!"
"Gotta take risks, huh?"
"Lucida, I can assure you that no harm will come to him, and he will be of great help," Nash replied in hopes of clarifying why Sirius was the most fit to assist them, "His fur and paws are made for this environment. His physiology, if you would, allows him to climb the ice, and in doing so he can point out to us which rocks are fit for climbing."
"Hey! Has anyone even asked me how I feel about this?!" Sirius questioned them, feeling both excitement at being useful for something and fear of what could happen if he failed.
"We can go, or we can just sit here and die in time," Mira told him, "it's your choice."
"Okay, fine..." Sirius stepped up to the wall, looked up at the climb that awaited him, and sighed. Slowly, he placed one paw on the wall, followed by the other, and began climbing. Much to his surprise, he wasn't slipping and he actually found the feel of the ice against his paws quite pleasurable. "Okay," He called down once he had climbed up high enough, "It's a straight climb until this point!" He shimmied to his right, slowly advancing towards the next spot that was not so iced-over and signaled again. This time Nash, Mira and Lucida began climbing behind him, following the path he had shown them. And, after tugging to pull himself up the last ledge and Mira almost falling again, they had made it to the top.
"Excellent!" Nash commended the Glaceon, "Top shelf, indeed!"
"Who would have thought you'd be good for something?" Mira tried to congratulate him in her own way, patting him all-too-strongly with her heavy paw. And causing Sirius to see stars for a brief moment before Lucida approached him.
"You did great," She told him, "I'm proud of you, Sirius."
"Thanks, Lucida..." The Glaceon looked away, blushing slightly, "But we should keep on, right? W-we've got a treasure to find."
***
"And I ran away!" Mira said as she lied down next to the fire and ate some of the berries Lucida had cooked. After a further descent, they had reached a deeper underground chamber. This one had no ice in the least; in fact, the air itself had suddenly become warmer and some grass was sprouting from fertile ground in the corners. Every now and then, droplets of water would fall, making a light click as they hit the ground, "I didn't need them back then, and I still don't. Ever since, fighting and hunting's been my calling in life."
Nash let out a short, low laugh as he watched the way in which Mira excitedly told the story of how she had become an 'independent' predator. He would have been most impressed, but what amused him was the fact that, thanks to his training as a spy, he was able to see through the Luxray's lies and bluffing. He wasn't entirely sure of when she was lying, however. He had to admit there were cases in which she told some certainly surreal stories, but showed no signs of lying. His laughing, however, did not go undetected by Mira, who looked at him.
"Something to say? I doubt you know what life's like out there, having to fight to survive everyday. You've always had everything given to you."
"Au contraire, Miss Mira," Nash serenely replied, "There are many things about me that are unbeknownst to you. I am perfectly familiar with struggling to survive, perhaps even at a younger age than you. We are similar on the matter."
"What's he talking about?" Sirius asked the Ninetales, "Do you know?"
"He's never been willing to tell me, I'm afraid," Lucida replied, her fur shining with a beautiful golden glow in response to the fire burning near her and giving the crimson in her eyes a vivid gleam, "That's something he will always keep for himself."
"Well, what about you, lad?" Nash asked Sirius in interest, "Let's hear about you."
"I'm from the badlands, and..." Sirius started, "Well, I don't know. I've been living there my whole life, and I wanted to evolve into something different from the Jolteon... I guess I got my wish granted, huh? And this trip's the single, most important thing I've ever done."
"What a dull life," Mira commented.
"Now, now, Miss, not everyone's lived the... Thrilling experiences you have... But I am sure young Sirius is quite enjoying this, despite how regretful he may appear."
"Could be..."
***
"The first and most important thing," Nash told Sirius as they sat in a dark corner of the cave, the fire's light barely reaching them, "Is to remember that your strength comes from your spirit, not your muscles."
"Got it," Sirius nodded.
"Now, I want you to close your eyes and focus..." The Espeon murmured as he drew a small, perfectly round drop of water out of one of their bags using his psychic power and made it levitate in front of the Glaceon, perfectly suspended, "And freeze this drop of water."
"Okay..." Sirius closed his eyes and, as instructed, focused, but failed to do anything before opening his eyes and sighing, "I can't do this!"
"Try again."
"Okay..." Sirius tried again, this time trying to focus harder in the drop of water. Where it was... It's shape... He had it. Now all he had to do was focus on freezing it... Not too difficult. And that's when he sensed it: He felt his own power awakening, if only to a lesser extent, and smiled triumphantly as he, in his mind (and possibly in reality) froze the water drop. However, he opened his eyes to see the Espeon staring dully at him, face covered in thin diamond dust.
"Fine job, Sirius," Nash told him, "Perhaps next time you will freeze the water drop, though."
"Sorry..."
"The highlight of this lesson, however, is that you managed to let loose some of your potential. Not too much, but you will continue in time. Now, let us prepare to move on," He told him as both began their walk back to the fire where Lucida and Mira were resting, "I am sure that, no matter how far we've come..." He looked at the hole in the cave wall opposite to the one they had walked in from, "We still have a long way to go."
"You are?" Mira growled, not letting go of the Glaceon in her grasp.
"Y-yeah, It's me, it's me! Now LET ME GO!"
"What is this rumpus?!" Nash approached the two, clearly upset. "Miss Mira, why are you pinning that Glaceon against the ice?!"
"That's not any Glaceon!" Lucida barked at the Luxray. "That's Sirius! Let him go, Mira!"
"Alright, alright..." Mira let go of Sirius, allowing him to get up before taking a good look at him and beginning to laugh. "Heh, what a fitting look for you, sissy!"
"What's happening?!" Sirius asked shakily, looking at himself. "Why am I blue?!" He continued. "And what are these weird, diamond-y things hanging from the side of my head?! And," He lied on his back and looked at himself, noticing his diamond-shaped tail. "And what's up with my tail and...And why's my butt so big?!" His voice was trembling. He was definitely freaking out.
"You evolved," Lucida explained. "Your body adapted to the cold of the place while you were sleeping. That's why you look so different."
"Different?" Mira scoffed. "I 'girly's the right word!"
"Oh, man, I look like a girl!" Sirius shook his head, staring at his reflection once again. "Scratch that... I AM a girl!" He slumped down into the ice, whimpering.
"You are not," Nash walked closer to the newly-evolved Glaceon. "You are simply more... Androgynous than you used to be."
Both Mira and Sirius stared at the Espeon, leaving it clear that neither of them understood what he meant.
"For the last time," Mira grunted, annoyed. "Not all of us can understand what you say!"
"What I meant to say is that you are still a male, Sirius. Regardless of how... Feminine or delicate your appearance might suggest you are. Like myself."
Mira and Sirius kept staring a Nash before the Luxray began to laugh again. "In other words: You are a girl."
"Oh, no..."
"Leave him alone, Mira," Lucida stared sharply at the laughing Luxray. "You don't understand what Sirius must be going through. He just evolved into something he didn't want to be, and there's no changing back for him now."
"And I hadn't even thought of that!" Sirius cried again before being swatted against the ice by the Luxray's heavy paw.
"I hate crybabies."
"Accidents happen, boy," Nash told the Glaceon. "But one must learn to accept them and continue. Will you do so? Or will you stay here, crying for what can no longer be repaired?"
"I... I'm gonna stay here crying!"
"Yup," Mira continued, watching Sirius cry. "Figures."
"Come on!" Lucida approached, but tried to keep her distance. After all, the last thing Sirius needed was the excessive heat her body produced. "It's not all bad! Look at the bright side: The cold won't bother you no more!"
"Uh-huh?" Sirius answered, looking at the Ninetales.
"You won't slip on the ice so easily..."
"Yeah?"
"You can wander around blizzards without any trouble!"
"Yeah," Mira interrupted, sarcastically. "Because we get a lot of blizzards in the badlands." She was going to continue, but preferred to keep quiet when she caught another look of Lucida's sharp, scolding stare.
"And the best thing of all," Lucida said. "You have a type now! There are plenty of new moves and things like that open for you now!"
"Indeed," Nash added. "I assure you, you will be amazed by the plethora of new skills open for you to master."
"Well, I guess it can't all be that bad..." Sirius slowly got up and began to walk in the ice, having a little trouble adapting to this new form. Every few steps, he'd fall to his side as he would step on one of the diamonds that hung from the sides of his head. Still, Lucida was right; He was having no trouble at all walking on the ice; he could even run on it if he wanted to now. Maybe later, though.
"See?" Lucida told him. "You've got to remain positive!"
"You're right..." Sirius sobbed a little, looking at his paws. "I guess I should."
"Yeah, you should," Mira answered. "But staying positive won't stop a pack of wild Mightyena from eating you alive. Or a pack of Manectric from killing you... Just saying."
"Did that ever happen to you?" Sirius turned to ask Mira. Every time she talked about life in the badlands, he became more and more surprised of her. "When were there Mightyena in the badlands?"
"Before you were born," Mira answered looking away. "My tribe kicked them out and sent them off to the mountains in some forest to the north."
"There's a lot I don't know about the place I live in..." Sirius whispered.
"It always pays to know your history," Lucida told him, glad the new Glaceon was no longer sulking about his evolution and trying to push the subject away.. "Though Mira's gory stories about death and struggle for survival really aren't the best way to do so."
"There was ONE gory story!" Mira grunted. "And this guy wasn't even around when I told it!"
"What gory story?" Sirius asked curiously.
"The story of that time I got eaten by a bigger predator and I had to eat my way ou-"
"-I'm begging you to stop," Lucida told the Luxray before she could finish her story and give Sirius nightmares.
"Fine..." Mira growled. Why was it no one liked that story? For one, the Swalot didn't taste so bad... Kind of like jelly, really. The only bad thing was hat slight poisoning afterwards, but that was gone quickly.
"Well, we are all good and awake now," Nash commented, looking into the icy tunnel ahead, illuminated by the light blue glow of the pulsing crystals on the wall. "I took myself the time and liberty to have a look at the map, and this tunnel is the path to follow." He walked towards the tunnel, swaying is body and tail in that elegant way and stopped by the entrance. "Shall we?"
"Uh... I guess," Sirius answered, slowly walking towards the Espeon. He was starting to get the hang of walking better than before, no longer tripping. Yet he still couldn't get used to the sensation of this new body. It just felt so odd... But Lucida was right; there was no turning back from this, and complaining about it would only make Mira comment more things about him, so he was better off keeping quiet.
"Let's go," Lucida walked forward, following the smaller Glaceon before whispering at him. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine," Sirius answered. "I just need some time to get used to this, I guess." He couldn't help welling up when he heard her. She was actually worried about him!
"About time we got a move on!" Mira walked ahead as well. "The sooner we get the treasure, the better for me!"
"After you," Nash said, stepping aside once everyone was at the entrance to the tunnel to let them through. Sirius was about to enter the tunnel when the Espeon stopped him, lifted him with his psychic powers and pulled him aside, letting Lucida and Mira walk in first. "Ladies first, boy. Have some manners."
"Thank you, Nash~!" Lucida told the Espeon as she headed into the tunnel, feeling as flattered as she did whenever he did something like that.
"Simple manners, my dear," Nash answered, making a slight bow.
"Oh, what a line!" Lucida huffed, rolling her eyes upward as she walked into the tunnel as well.
"Now can I get in?!" Sirius asked, suspended in the air by the unnatural blue glow.
"Go," Nash answered, releasing his hold on Sirius and dropping him into the ice with a thud. Sirius got up and rubbed his head a little, then walked into the tunnel followed by Nash.
The mystifying glow of the crystals illuminated their path as they ventured further into the glacier, driven by their wish to find the treasure. Sirius didn't really need it for the reason he had to get it in the first place, but a little money could still be useful. Mira and Lucida were walking ahead of him and Nash, talking. And his eyes unwillingly went to the Ninetales once again, noticing the way in which her golden fur shone, acquiring a silver tint with the glow of the crystals on the wall. She was so perfect... And she worried about him, which was more than half the Pokémon he knew did.
"He's just amazing, isn't he?" Lucida was telling the Luxray as they ventured deeper and deeper.
"Huh? Who?"
"Nash, of course!" The Ninetales looked up and sighed. "It's great to know a male who actually gives one the respect she deserves!"
"Respect's good and all that," Mira nonchalantly answered. "But I like males that I'm sure have always been males."
"Oh, trust me," Lucida said. "And I'm not lying: He's twice as much of a male as anyone you might ever meet."
"You really like him, don't you?" Mira asked. "I mean, fancy socialites like you, no offense, prefer males like him, but, quite frankly: Can you even picture how someone like he is must be when mating?" She chuckled a little before continuing. "I mean, he must be a real disappointment. I prefer someone strong, you know? Someone wild."
"That's just part of the act," Lucida answered, softly swaying her nine tails from side to side. "When the time to get down to business comes, there's no one like him! If you want strong and wild, he's the one!"
"More than I wanted to know, Lucida," Mira said, a little upset. "More than I wanted to know..."
"The first thing that you must learn now, Sirius," Nash was telling the younger Glaceon as they walked forward, focused on their own conversation. "Is that you are not suited for taking your opponents on at close quarters; leave that to the Flareon or Leafeon... We, my boy, are Special Attackers."
"And those are..."
"We fight just as fiercely as anyone else, but we do so from a safer distance. You've seen how both Lucida and I take our opponents on..."
"Uh-huh," Sirius nodded, a little intrigued. Truth be told he always felt mystified when he saw the way in which Nash or Lucida would simply lift their opponents from the ground and slam them or throw them aside without moving a muscle. "That actually does sound a little interesting..."
"I can show you a thing or two about what skills we might have in common, but for the most, discovery of your new abilities is up to you."
"Good, I guess... I mean, better make the most of this, huh?" Sirius sighed, staring at the blue in his paws. It didn't look so bad, now that he stared with more attention. What he really wanted right now was a chance to get a better look at himself; something he couldn't do properly in the ice as his image was distorted and dimmed.
The group kept going along the passages, descending further and further into the harsh temperatures of the glacier they were on. Soon the icy tunnel was over, and the team found themselves in the way of yet another impediment to their adventures. Time went on rather slowly for them until they reached another chamber in a cave inside the glacier. There wasn't much ice or snow this time, which meant they had actually entered solid land, but this only caused the ground to become colder. The ceiling seemed to be nowhere in sight when they looked up, and more of those glowing crystals were spread along the ground while a few crude drawings of a Floatzel and two Nuzleaf adorned the wall. The impediment, however, was quite large: They had to climb a steep, iced rock wall that got in their way, but were at a loss as of how they could do so.
"Well," Nash spoke out, looking up in hopes of getting a better look at how far high up the obstacle went, "This is quite an impasse for our progress. May I suggest stopping for a moment of thought while I try to find a way to keep on our advance?"
"Aye, then," Mira replied, "It's steep, but we can just power through, as always. I say we just climb it."
"Give it a try, Miss. But I assure you the outcome will be painful."
"What do you know?" Mira scoffed, "Watch!" Saying this she began running as fast as her toned, huntress body allowed her to, reaching the wall and jumping on it, and starting her climb. However, she was not able to accomplish much before her paw slipped in the ice and she fell, landing on her back with a short grunt.
"Miss Mira!" Nash said in a mixture of surprise, and, to a lesser extent, worry as he hastened to her side, "Are you well?"
"Never felt better!" Mira cuttingly replied, springing to her feet and attempting her climb again, and again, and again.
"She keeps trying, but I don't think she'll make it," Sirius commented, watching the Luxray climb and fall one more time.
"She's stubborn, but that often plays in her favor," Lucida answered before focusing her attention on the Glaceon and asking, "How are you feeling? Is everything okay for you?"
"Yeah, I'm good, I guess," Sirius looked down, "I mean... There's nothing I can do about it. So I shouldn't really cry, huh? But it's still such a mess..."
"Everything happens for a reason," She reassured him, "Sometimes we can't see it, but it happens."
"Damn!" Mira roared in frustration as she hit the ground once again, panting from all the effort she had done recently. "Stupid wall!" She grunted, tackling the rock with her side and causing some ice chunks to fall on her.
"Stop trying before you hurt yourself, Miss," The Espeon told her, feeling the wall with his paw to test how steep it was before finally deciding, "We can climb it. But it is only a few of the rocks that lack enough ice to help us climb. We might need to try by trial and error until we figure it out."
"My," Lucida answered with a slight concern, "Is there any way for us to get to the high ground without having to risk massive injuries?"
"I'm beat, and my paws can't do it," Mira grunted, then looked at Nash, "Why don't you try?"
"I know better than that," Nash replied with a confident smile. Somehow, he knew that was just what the Luxray was going to tell him, "My fine, soft paws are not meant for such a continuous effort, and my body, although strong, is quite frail."
"I'd slip," Lucida commented.
"So, none of us can," Mira finished, "Unless..." She looked at Sirius with the glow of an idea showing in her eyes, which was quickly followed by the other two, "I think we know who can do it."
"You can't do that to him!" Lucida protested, "If he falls, he'll hurt himself!"
"Gotta take risks, huh?"
"Lucida, I can assure you that no harm will come to him, and he will be of great help," Nash replied in hopes of clarifying why Sirius was the most fit to assist them, "His fur and paws are made for this environment. His physiology, if you would, allows him to climb the ice, and in doing so he can point out to us which rocks are fit for climbing."
"Hey! Has anyone even asked me how I feel about this?!" Sirius questioned them, feeling both excitement at being useful for something and fear of what could happen if he failed.
"We can go, or we can just sit here and die in time," Mira told him, "it's your choice."
"Okay, fine..." Sirius stepped up to the wall, looked up at the climb that awaited him, and sighed. Slowly, he placed one paw on the wall, followed by the other, and began climbing. Much to his surprise, he wasn't slipping and he actually found the feel of the ice against his paws quite pleasurable. "Okay," He called down once he had climbed up high enough, "It's a straight climb until this point!" He shimmied to his right, slowly advancing towards the next spot that was not so iced-over and signaled again. This time Nash, Mira and Lucida began climbing behind him, following the path he had shown them. And, after tugging to pull himself up the last ledge and Mira almost falling again, they had made it to the top.
"Excellent!" Nash commended the Glaceon, "Top shelf, indeed!"
"Who would have thought you'd be good for something?" Mira tried to congratulate him in her own way, patting him all-too-strongly with her heavy paw. And causing Sirius to see stars for a brief moment before Lucida approached him.
"You did great," She told him, "I'm proud of you, Sirius."
"Thanks, Lucida..." The Glaceon looked away, blushing slightly, "But we should keep on, right? W-we've got a treasure to find."
***
"And I ran away!" Mira said as she lied down next to the fire and ate some of the berries Lucida had cooked. After a further descent, they had reached a deeper underground chamber. This one had no ice in the least; in fact, the air itself had suddenly become warmer and some grass was sprouting from fertile ground in the corners. Every now and then, droplets of water would fall, making a light click as they hit the ground, "I didn't need them back then, and I still don't. Ever since, fighting and hunting's been my calling in life."
Nash let out a short, low laugh as he watched the way in which Mira excitedly told the story of how she had become an 'independent' predator. He would have been most impressed, but what amused him was the fact that, thanks to his training as a spy, he was able to see through the Luxray's lies and bluffing. He wasn't entirely sure of when she was lying, however. He had to admit there were cases in which she told some certainly surreal stories, but showed no signs of lying. His laughing, however, did not go undetected by Mira, who looked at him.
"Something to say? I doubt you know what life's like out there, having to fight to survive everyday. You've always had everything given to you."
"Au contraire, Miss Mira," Nash serenely replied, "There are many things about me that are unbeknownst to you. I am perfectly familiar with struggling to survive, perhaps even at a younger age than you. We are similar on the matter."
"What's he talking about?" Sirius asked the Ninetales, "Do you know?"
"He's never been willing to tell me, I'm afraid," Lucida replied, her fur shining with a beautiful golden glow in response to the fire burning near her and giving the crimson in her eyes a vivid gleam, "That's something he will always keep for himself."
"Well, what about you, lad?" Nash asked Sirius in interest, "Let's hear about you."
"I'm from the badlands, and..." Sirius started, "Well, I don't know. I've been living there my whole life, and I wanted to evolve into something different from the Jolteon... I guess I got my wish granted, huh? And this trip's the single, most important thing I've ever done."
"What a dull life," Mira commented.
"Now, now, Miss, not everyone's lived the... Thrilling experiences you have... But I am sure young Sirius is quite enjoying this, despite how regretful he may appear."
"Could be..."
***
"The first and most important thing," Nash told Sirius as they sat in a dark corner of the cave, the fire's light barely reaching them, "Is to remember that your strength comes from your spirit, not your muscles."
"Got it," Sirius nodded.
"Now, I want you to close your eyes and focus..." The Espeon murmured as he drew a small, perfectly round drop of water out of one of their bags using his psychic power and made it levitate in front of the Glaceon, perfectly suspended, "And freeze this drop of water."
"Okay..." Sirius closed his eyes and, as instructed, focused, but failed to do anything before opening his eyes and sighing, "I can't do this!"
"Try again."
"Okay..." Sirius tried again, this time trying to focus harder in the drop of water. Where it was... It's shape... He had it. Now all he had to do was focus on freezing it... Not too difficult. And that's when he sensed it: He felt his own power awakening, if only to a lesser extent, and smiled triumphantly as he, in his mind (and possibly in reality) froze the water drop. However, he opened his eyes to see the Espeon staring dully at him, face covered in thin diamond dust.
"Fine job, Sirius," Nash told him, "Perhaps next time you will freeze the water drop, though."
"Sorry..."
"The highlight of this lesson, however, is that you managed to let loose some of your potential. Not too much, but you will continue in time. Now, let us prepare to move on," He told him as both began their walk back to the fire where Lucida and Mira were resting, "I am sure that, no matter how far we've come..." He looked at the hole in the cave wall opposite to the one they had walked in from, "We still have a long way to go."