Sevii Archipelago, Four Island…

Four Island, one of the smallest islands in the Sevii Archipelago, located south of the Kanto region. Having the second largest town after Three Island, this island is also the location of the Icefall Cave, a deep, frigid cavern with an exit to the sea, inside a high, steep mountain, a rather unique place in the archipelago, since it's the home of many rare Water and Ice-type Pokémon, although the place is very restricted and only the locals are allowed to go in and out freely, under their own responsibility. And it's this island where the story of one of the members of the Kanto Elite Four begins.

A fourteen-year old teenager, rather tall for her age and with a nice figure, with long, red hair tied in a twirly ponytail behind her head, walked calmly towards the northwestern corner of the island. Lorelei was one of the most prominent students at the local Trainer School in Floe Island. She was just a couple months away from turning fifteen and thus being able to legally get her Pokémon trainer license. However, it was no secret to anyone that amongst her age group, she was the most skilled. This, combined with her intelligence and physical attractiveness, made her quite popular with the townsfolk, and everyone expected her to become a great trainer in no time. In fact, that very day she was on her way towards the local Pokémon Daycare Center, since the elderly couple who ran the place had a gift for her.

"Ah, Lorelei, you're here early," the old man awaiting next to the entrance greeted her, clearly expecting her.

"Good morning," the redhead replied politely. "Actually, I just came because the others insisted that I should, besides, they said you guys had something for me?"

"Only if you want it, lass. Come on in, please."

Lorelei and the old man entered the house, walking towards the backyard. The Daycare was a very important place at the island, since most, if not all, of the new trainers usually received their first Pokémon in that place (the only other being the Icefall Cave, provided that you had a friend willing to help you capture one in that place). They passed over a large amount of shelves full of Pokémon eggs inside their incubator cases, awaiting for their time to hatch and meet their would-be trainers. Upon reaching the backyard, the old man's wife was feeding some of the Pokémon playing around the place, cradling an egg case in her arms like a newborn kid (which didn't seem that far off).

"Lorelei, so you came," the elderly lady greeted her. "I assume your friends have already filled you in?"

"Vaguely," the young woman replied. "I'm still not sure about this, I mean, I still have a few months before I can claim my Pokémon trainer license."

"Yet nobody doubts you'll be the first, lass. Don't undersell your talent. And what's the harm in you getting to know your first partner a little ahead?"

The lady handed over the case, which was starting to beep as the signal that the egg would hatch very soon. This particular egg, of a white-bluish tone, came from a female Dewgong they had cared for years, and sometimes, to make things easier for a trainer and his or her Pokémon to establish a bond with each other, the best they could do was getting them to know each other since birth, so they could have that initial approach. Resigned, although at the same time anxious, Lorelei accepted the case, as the beeping started to speed up; the egg would hatch very soon.

"We should be leaving," the old man said. In order for the Pokémon to see its trainer as the first thing upon being born, it was best to leave them both alone.

The elderly couple went back into the house while Lorelei could only sit and wait. For other trainers, this would be as much fun as watching the grass grow, but Lorelei had always had a personality relaxed as the water flowing, so she didn't care. No doubt she was quite excited at the thought of finally meeting her new and first partner. Finally, when the case gave her the signal, she pulled out the egg and carefully held it in her hands. It started to glow and slowly became larger, taking a more defined form: a slightly elongated, chubby body ending on a bifurcated tailfin, flippers to the side, and a round head with a small horn. The little (male) Seel opened up its black eyes to the world for the first time, meeting the smiling face of his new trainer.

"Hello, Seel, welcome."

The small seal-like Pokémon started squeaking and clapping his flippers happily, and wasted no time to extend his tongue to affectionately lick his trainers face. She didn't put any resistance, she was delighted that her new partner was this affectionate. After a few minutes, the elderly couple came back to check on them, and they were quite happy to see the young redhead with Seel in her arms.

"Look at that, isn't it adorable, darling?" the lady asked.

"And he's so small," the old man added. "But there's no doubt he will grow to be big and strong with our dear Lorelei as his trainer, isn't that right?"

"I'll do my best," Lorelei said as she stood up. "So then, can I take him out for a while? I know you guys still have to care for him until I get my trainer license, although…"

"By all means, lass," the old man said. "It's just fair that you two spend a few days together so you get used to each other. And don't forget…"

"That I often have to take him out for a swim. Yes, I know." Lorelei assured them. "Thank you so much, it means a lot that you guys do this for me."

"You can thank us by becoming a great trainer, that's all the reward we want," the old man said.

Thanking the elderly couple once again for their gift, Lorelei walked back home. She was anxious to show her new partner to her friends, and besides, having her own Pokémon between her arms felt… somehow, maybe the word was "real", so to speak. Since she was a child, she had taken as a hobby to collect Pokémon plush dolls of all sizes and shapes, in fact, she had her bedroom full of them, one of her favorites being a Lapras large and fluffy enough to take a nap on it. From what she knew, wild Lapras could be caught in the Icefall Cave, although they were extremely rare and hard to see, but now, she felt a step closer to that. Someday, in a not so far off day, she'd go into that cavern and catch one for herself. That would be her first step to become a great trainer, it was something she had promised to herself.

A couple months later…

Lorelei certainly took her time to get close to her new partner. First thing she did was taking him to the local Pokémon Center for a full examination, and she was surprised to learn that amongst the moveset he had just upon birth it included Icicle Spear, which would most certainly come in handy. Nevertheless, Lorelei had no intention to get him into actual battles just yet, for the time being she was just happy showing him off to her other friends. Everyone was happy for her, although some of them expressed a little bit of envy that she got her first Pokémon ahead of time, even more being such an adorable one.

That day, Lorelei was by the beach shore, watching her little friend as he swam around, being careful of not letting him be dragged away by the currents. They had spent the whole day training, trying to perfect Icicle Spear and be ready for the battles once Lorelei got her trainer license, which would be very soon. Finally, when she decided it was enough, she called him back for them to return home.

"That's it, good boy." Lorelei kneeled down to pet him on the head. The little Seel gladly accepted his owner and soon-to-be trainer's petting, she had a very special touch.

"So the rumors were true?" She heard a voice behind her. Lorelei didn't even have to turn around to know who it was, she would perfectly recognize that voice anywhere, anytime. An old childhood friend had come to visit, it seemed.

"Frey, good to see you," she greeted.

The young man, whose name was Frey, had gotten his trainer license little over a year before, and had started his journey just as soon as he got the chance to. His hair was short, of a dark blue-purple shade and matching eyes, he was about two years older than Lorelei and barely an inch taller than her.

"Same here. I think this past year has been generous to you, you look pretty good," he said, winking at her.

"You were always the flatterer," Lorelei replied, although she half-smiled at his remark. "Stopping by for a visit?"

"Yeah, I figured I'd take a rest and see how everyone's doing around here. I heard you were given your first Pokémon a little ahead of time. Not that I'm that surprised, but I decided to come and see with my own eyes."

Lorelei picked up her little Seel to get close to Frey and show him up close. The young man looked at him, assessing him. The previous year, Frey was at the top of his class at the Trainer School and everything seemed to point that Lorelei would become his successor.

"He looks nice, if a little on the small side," he said. Seel seemed to take offense at this remark, but Frey was quick to laugh it off and calm him down. "Whoa, easy there, buddy, I was just kidding. I know you're gonna grow big and strong in no time."

"He's got a fine breeding," Lorelei said. "He was born with the Icicle Spear attack, I've been trying to help him perfect it."

"Whoa, that sounds pretty cool. So, what's your plan once you get your license? That's gonna be in, what, one, two weeks?"

"Well, first thing, I think I'd like to go into the Icefall Cave," Lorelei replied. "I'd like to catch a Lapras in there. Afterwards, I think I'll sail north on it to the Kanto region and try my luck first at the Indigo League."

"Always looking into the future, that's the spirit," Frey said. "Although, if you want to catch a Lapras, why waiting until you get your license?"

"What do you mean?" Lorelei asked. "Seel is nowhere near battle ready, and you know it's not allowed to enter that cave without a Pokémon to protect yourself."

"That's not a problem if I am here." Frey took out one of his Poké Balls. Immediately, Lorelei knew where this was going. The redhead crossed her arms and gave her childhood friend an inquisitive look.

"Frey… we've known each other since we were kids," she said a little coldly. "What do you want from me?"

"What, is there anything wrong with me wanting to help my best friend do her first capture a little ahead?" the young man replied innocently.

"Frey, don't try to play dumb on me. I know you'd want to call in the favor later."

"Guilty as charged," Frey replied in resignation. "Alright, let's do something. I'm just planning on staying for a few days, I promise I'm not gonna ask you anything until the next time we meet. How's that?

Lorelei was still a little indecisive. While Frey had been a good friend of hers for a long time, everyone in the island knew of his habit of helping others and then calling in favors when it was convenient. Then again, usually his demands were fairly small and never something people couldn't afford or at inappropriate times, so she could cut him some slack. After pondering for a few seconds on it, they agreed to meet at the Icefall Cave entrance the next morning. Though Lorelei still had some doubts, since Lapras were rare and hard to find even inside that cave, Frey assured her that they would find one "if they knew where to look".

The following morning…

Keeping his word, Frey accompanied Lorelei inside the icy cavern, convincing the sentinels who watched the entrance that Lorelei would be fine with him. Since it would be something simple enough, Frey only took one of his Pokémon, leaving the rest at the Pokémon Center. Lorelei, meanwhile, took along her Seel herself, thinking it wouldn't do any harm for him to gain some experience in there.

"It's cold in here," Lorelei said, feeling a little envious of Seel. Of course, there was a reason they called it Icefall Cave. The two of them needed to rent protective clothes for the cold in order to get inside, and they still felt the chilling air in there. "Where are we going exactly?"

"The deepest part of the cave," Frey replied. "The reason why Lapras are so hard to find is because most of them are born at the innermost zone, and they take the exit to the sea once they feel bold enough to get out."

"I see."

Lorelei understood what he meant. Even though this was the first time she entered the cave, at the Geography class she had been shown once a complete map with the layout of the cave, which no doubt would come in handy should she ever decide to venture herself in there, and indeed, the north part of the cave had an exit to the sea, through a long waterfall. It was a one-way trip, of course, should you go down there, there was no way back up and you'd have to take the long trip across the island's shore, unless you owned a Pokémon capable of climbing waterfalls, although it was quite convenient to return much faster to town, especially considering the path they had to walk in order to reach the entrance, and how far they had gone into the cave.

As she walked behind Frey, Lorelei looked at her surroundings. Despite the cold, there was a certain beauty and flair in that place, due to the icy crystal formations all over the cave. As a matter of fact, another of the reasons this cave was so valued by the locals, aside from the Pokémon living in it, was that this place had some kind of special crystals, very rare and valuable. The locals had christened them as "Nevermelt Ice", as they were extremely cold (to the point humans couldn't touch them directly without protective gear) but they didn't melt like ordinary ice. Instead, they irradiated some kind of freezing energy, which in close proximity of an Ice-type Pokémon could give a little power boost to its attacks. An excellent source of business for trainers, since many would pay good money to get one of these for their Pokémon, and the local craftsmen would also give them in many customized forms, such as collars, bracelets or more, so they would look cool and not just be useful.

"Alright, we have to cross over here. Try not to look down below," Frey warned.

The part they were passing through was a very thin edge, with barely room to cross by literally crawling sideways against the wall. Lorelei somehow managed to take Frey's advice, but at one point, she stepped on a crack and the floor gave up below her foot, almost causing her to fall. Fortunately, Frey managed to get a hold of her hand before it happened.

"Whoa, look out. One false step here could be fatal," he said.

"Thanks." She let a sigh in relief as he helped her back up.

This time, Lorelei watched carefully her steps so as to not to fall again, until they finally reached another, more open area where they could walk safely. And surely enough, they soon saw the actual reason they were in that cave to begin with.

A small group of Lapras was there, half a dozen of them to be exact, apparently just chilling out. Two of them were quite big, while the other four barely seemed big enough to carry one or two people on her backs, they were much younger. So as to not to scare them off, the pair hid behind some rocks, for now they would just watch them.

"Well, looks like it's our lucky day," Frey whispered. "Six of them came out of their hideaway, you've got plenty to choose from."

"They're so beautiful," Lorelei commented. "Although… I'd feel bad for attacking them like this."

"Hey, you want catch one or not?" Frey pointed. "That's why we came, remember?"

"Yeah, but…"

As the two started arguing, the Lapras started moving towards one of the passageways leading out of there. Most likely, they'd be going back to the depths of the cave. Frey immediately told Lorelei for them to better get moving so as to not to let them out of their sight, as they couldn't miss out this chance. The more they went in, the more the temperature dropped, and even with their clothes, they could still feel it. This was one of the main reasons most of the trainers wouldn't go that much inside the cave, unless they wanted a certain Pokémon in particular that badly.

Luckily for them, the Lapras were moving calmly and they didn't seem to be in much of a hurry, so Lorelei and Frey could follow them with little to no complications, and the path was relatively human-friendly and accessible. However, the two friends had to climb up to the top of a small plateau when they had no path to keep following them on foot, and when they reached it, none of them expected their priorities would drastically change, just because they ran into something, or rather, someone.

The place they had reached felt as the coldest so far, and soon it was evident why. They had reached the very center of the icefall cavern, where the largest of the Nevermelt Ice formations found inside that place rested. The crystals took unimaginable forms, it was a sight to behold, but from afar, because even with warm clothes, it was impossible to get close to that formation without feeling the icy atmosphere, and there was no way to touch it directly with your bare hands without suffering (at minimum) first-degree frostbite.

Which was why, they both were quite shocked to see someone who was not just touching it. She was trying to tear off a piece, from what they could see. With her bare hands.

"What the? Hey you! What do you think you're doing?!" Frey called out.

The stranger, whoever she was, quickly took notice that she wasn't alone. Lorelei and Frey ran off to face her, and quickly took notice of several things. First off, it was a young woman around two or perhaps three years above them, extremely pale skin, bluish-white hair cut short, except for a long and thing strand falling down her left temple. Second, she was most definitely not a local, since in such a small island like that everybody knew each other's faces. And third, most unsettling of all, the girl wasn't wearing clothes other than a blue sports bra, extremely short shorts and matching running shoes. She should have been dead by hypothermia, but she wasn't shaking or gave any signs of being affected by the cavern's cold. For Arceus' sake, she had even torn off a piece of Nevermelt Ice and was holding it with her bare hands!

"Who the hell are you?" Frey asked.

"And how come you're here dressed like that and not freezing to death?" Lorelei added. The girl barely wore enough clothes to preserve her modesty.

The stranger didn't reply, she just gave a few steps backwards, apparently she intended to run away as soon as she could. Lorelei, couldn't help but notice that the eyes of the girl had the look of someone who was confused or scared, even though she seemed to be (barely) holding up her nerves.

"What are you doing with that Nevermelt Ice?" Frey asked.

"The Nevermelt Ice in this cave belongs to the locals. You can't just waltz in here to steal it," Lorelei warned her.

"You guys don't understand. I need it," she said. "I mean you no harm, just let me go on my way and I won't cause any trouble."

"You really think we're letting you off the hook that easy?" Frey pulled out his Poké Ball.

"I'm warning you, I'm not looking for a fight here."

"Too bad, because you already found one," Frey retorted. "We don't appreciate thieves here. Maybe I'd have to give you a little lesson."

Frey threw his Poké Ball to release his partner. Extending his wings and letting out a fiery roar, the Charizard who came out took a menacing stand, awaiting his trainer's orders. But neither him, nor Frey, nor Lorelei, that the sole presence of this Pokémon would press a trigger on the stranger, in whom with just seeing him, something cold, cruel and violent awakened inside her.

"Fire… fire… I hate fire…"

The stranger clenched her fists, which then created a bluish mist. This however was nothing compared to the icy blue glow her eyes took, which distracted them from the ice spikes that began forming around her hands. Raising them and then violently lowering them, she threw the spikes like darts towards Frey's Charizard, who only managed to use his wings to shield him, as he obviously didn't expect to be attacked by a human. Having done this, the ice girl immediately turned around and ran the other way.

"Charizard, stop her, don't let her get away!" Frey yelled, already recovered from the initial shock. The Fire-Flying lizard immediately flew off to try and cut off the thief's escape, but she wouldn't give up that easily.

"Get out of my way!" she yelled, pulling back her fist as it created an ice layer, delivering an uppercut to Charizard's jaw. Whether it was that she actually hit him that hard or the surprise of her doing that at all, it actually worked and it gave her time to run the other way.

"Was that… an Ice Punch?" Lorelei had her eyes open like plates.

"Charizard, use Flamethrower to block her way, but don't hurt her!" Frey commanded.

"Char! "

Charizard roared and launched a stream of fire to cut off her retreat. Whatever her aversion to fire it was, they decided to exploit it, and since Charizard could fly, that was another advantage. However, the stranger simply tried to get away, her reflexes were actually pretty good and she could move with great agility. As soon as he saw the chance, Frey ordered Charizard to get a hold of her but without hurting her. Of course, the stranger wasn't going to let herself get caught that easily, and as soon as he got a hold of her, she began struggling and kicking around.

"Let go of me! Let go, I say!"

But Charizard didn't let go, and the girl just kept on fighting to try and break free. The Pokémon's strength was clearly superior, so being unable to use her arms or legs to get him off of her, she struggled to break a hand free, which she used to create a large ice spike, and immediately stabbed Charizard hard in the arm with it.

"CHAAAAAAAAARR!"

Screaming out in pain at that treacherous stab, Charizard immediately let go of his prisoner. And before he could recover from the shock of that, the stranger delivered a couple more of Ice Punches to his stomach, causing him to lose his air (and fire), and if it wasn't enough, she circled around him and inhaled, her gaze focused on the Pokémon's tail flame.

"What are you doing? Stop, don't!" Frey yelled, rushing towards the girl, but it was too late.

First an Icicle Spear, then Ice Punches, and now, for good measure, Frost Breath. The girl was smart, attacking Charizard's tail flame directly was a dirty tactic, but given the circumstances, and since she (apparently) didn't have any Pokémon on her to fight, she didn't have much of a choice, did she? At personal risk, Frey wouldn't let her do that to his Pokémon, and shoulder-tackled her to get her to stop the Frost Breath when she seemed close to put out Charizard's flame completely. The fire lizard collapsed on the ground, unable to keep fighting, and with him out of the way, the closest next target was Frey.

"I SAID, GET OUT OF MY WAY!"

The girl kept on screaming in rage, lunging at Frey to deliver a barrage of Ice Punches on him, as he tried to defend himself as best as he could, yet the girl clearly overpowered him, and delivered an uppercut that caused him to fall backwards. With Frey on the ground, the girl once again opened up her mouth and started blowing her Frost Breath again. The boy had no choice but to shield himself with his arms, he was lucky to be wearing protective clothes, although he still felt that artic current and caused his hands to go numb. Lorelei, who up until that moment was too shocked with what she had seen to do anything, finally decided to act.

"Seel, help Frey! Use Headbutt!" she yelled throwing her Poké Ball. The small Seel came out at once, and obeying his master, charged at the apparent aggressor. Upon getting her away from Frey, Lorelei immediately rushed to help her friend. "You alright?"

"What the heck is going on with this girl?" Frey managed to get back on his feet. "How does she…?"

But before he finished that sentence, the ice girl punched out Seel, knocking him away, and before he could charge at her again, she created more Icicle Spears, larger than the one she used before to break free from Charizard, that she threw at him in quick succession. The result was a makeshift ice cage, leaving him unable to go anywhere. Next, she followed suit with some smaller, yet sharper ones. She had her eyes set on Lorelei now, and violently threw them at her. Frey didn't even have to think, he just reacted.

"Watch out!" he yelled, grabbing her to get her out of the way and shielding her with his body, but although he prevented the spikes from reaching her, that was of the cost of him receiving them. "Aaargh!"

"Frey!" Lorelei cried out.

Although she was unharmed, the spikes thrown by the ice girl nailed on his shoulder like darts, and the girl didn't seem to be done just yet. She approached them, stomping furiously, inhaled and then exhaled, letting out another artic current at them. Since Frey was in the way, he took the full brunt of another Frost Breath, at point-blank range. It first froze his clothes until it finally reached his skin, and if the spikes were not enough, this one definitely made him feel a mortal cold.

"PLEASE, STOP!" Lorelei yelled in desperation.

The ice girl suddenly stopped, as if she had heard Lorelei's scream. The icy glow in her eyes suddenly vanished, returning them to their natural color. The girl blinked a couple of times, as if she had woken up from some kind of dream or trance, and stepped backwards upon seeing the scene in front of her. Her expression became of total horror, and she looked at her hands, which started shaking (and not exactly due to the cold). Without a word, she turned around and ran off in the opposite direction.

"Wait, stop!" Lorelei yelled, but with Frey having been injured as he was, she couldn't chase after her, let alone when she dove into the water and vanished under the current. "Frey, come on, let me help you."

Frey was shivering, although at least, having been attacked in the back, he could still walk, although he needed Lorelei's help. The Frost Breath she had attacked him with apparently hadn't been that strong, and the frostbite burns she caused could heal if they were treated quickly. The ice spikes, on the other hand, she had no way to know if they could have caused any further damage, and she wasn't going to risk out a blood loss by pulling them out. And there was the other problem, how was she supposed to get Frey out of the cave in that state?

"Lorelei... go get some help," he said, trying to put up with the pain of the spikes and the frostbite burns on his back.

"Are you kidding? There's no way I'm leaving you here," Lorelei replied.

However, in a way, he had a point. In that state it would be hard to get him out of the cave, at least through the route they had taken to enter. The only viable path to get back to town fast enough would be using the exit towards the sea, but that wouldn't be possible without a Pokémon. Charizard was down, and Seel was too small to carry any of them, or even drag them.

"What do I do?" the redhead asked herself, trying to keep calm. "Should I send Seel to get help? But what if he doesn't find anyone?"

Suddenly, she heard some chanting that seemed quite familiar, and less than a minute later, out of the water came up one of the Lapras he had seen before. One of the smaller ones, more specifically. The plesiosaur-like Pokémon started splashing on the water with its fins and calling out, until it finally got Lorelei's attention. Helping Frey, the girl approached it, and she had to take a second look to be sure of what she was seeing. Did this Lapras come to help them?

"You… you want to help us?" Lorelei asked.

Lapras squeaked and moved its head up and down as if saying yes. Next up, it placed itself sideways and got closer to the edge so they could get onto its back. Lorelei wasn't sure as to why or how, although she already knew that Lapras were very empathetic Pokémon by nature and they were shown to be always willing to help the people they ran into, as long as they were treated nicely. With no more choice, Lorelei recalled Charizard and Seel to their Poké Balls, and along with Frey she jumped on Lapras' back. Holding herself to onto one of the knobs, and hoping that it would understand her message, Lorelei dared to make her request.

"Please, take us to the back exit of the cave. We need to go back to the town, fast."

With an affirmative squeak, Lapras began surfing as fast as its fins could take it on the water surface. Lorelei couldn't do anything else but to try and give Frey encouraging words for him to hold, since if they returned through the back exit, they could go back to town much faster by circling around the island and get him to the clinic sooner. As if understanding the emergency of the situation, Lapras picked up the pace on his way out. Lorelei and Frey had to hold on for dear life when they reached the waterfall, bracing themselves for the inevitable descent. Anything to go back faster, and to hold herself from screaming, Lorelei shut her eyes hard and clenched her teeth. Hopefully, she'd get to the clinic in time.

A little later…

Lapras was quite efficient during the whole ride. Having come out of the waterfall descent unscathed, getting out of the cave was no problem, as it accepted Lorelei's commands without a question. The ride could have been even fun, if it wasn't for the urgency of trying to get Frey to the clinic as fast as possible. The locals were quite shocked to see when Lorelei showed up surfing on the back of a Lapras, bringing along a Frey who was still in shock for what had happened, with ice spikes still protruding from his shoulder, and the back of his jacket completely frozen off. Without wasting a second, they all helped him get to the clinic. After waiting for about four hours, the doctors said he would be fine, but that incident would of course leave mark, in more than one sense. They said she could stop by to visit a little later, but until then, it was best for Frey to rest, until he got over the shock and was in condition to relate what had happened in there.

The redhead, at the lack of something better to do, and since she couldn't visit Frey just yet, decided to go out for a walk on the beach. She was quite surprised to see that the Lapras who helped her get out of the cave and took her there so her friend could get help was still in the same place. Was it waiting for her?

"I couldn't properly say thank you," she said as she approached it. "You helped me save Frey, I don't know how I could repay you."

Lapras happily squeaked, and then lowered the head to rub it against Lorelei, who gladly accepted. This fellow seemed quite friendly, and as she petted it, she could think more clearly. These Pokémon were always characterized for being extremely mild and gentle, and the ones who lived in the cave seemingly preferred to stay hidden and avoid conflict. Yet this one, somehow knew that she and her friend were in a pinch, and didn't hesitate to come to their aid, even obeying her without having been captured.

"What I don't understand is… how did you know we needed help?" she asked. "It's not possible that you just happened to be passing by, or that you returned just because, is it?"

"I asked him to," Lorelei heard a female voice behind her back.

She turned around and became alarmed when she saw the girl she had ran into back at the cave. Her natural reaction was obviously to place herself in-between the girl and Lapras, but the newcomer made no movement nor did she make any hint of wanting to attack her. She raised her hands on a pacifying gesture, trying to make it clear that she wasn't looking for trouble.

"Easy, I mean you no harm," she said. "I just came to… apologize. For what happened back at the cave, I didn't mean to hurt your friend. Is he alright?"

"What you did is gonna leave him a mark, but he'll make it," Lorelei replied. "Meanwhile, I've got many questions for you. Starting with… who are you?"

"I'm assuming you want something else than just my name?"

"That would be a nice start, but… yeah, I guess so."

"You can call me Krysta. At least, that's the name my parents gave me, anyway. As for who… or rather, what I am…"

She raised her hand and once again she let out the icy mist, as she produced an ice crystal. Lorelei, despite everything that had happened, had to admit that she was quite in awe to see that kind of ability.

"Those who are like me, they call us 'bloodliners'," Krysta explained. "I think we've got some kind of dormant gen or 'bloodline', as it's called, which somehow grants us Pokémon-related abilities."

"I had heard about them, but I thought it was all rumors." Lorelei said.

"No, I can assure you, we're quite real." Krysta replied. "Thing is, most of us don't know that we're bloodliners when we're born. We don't know why, or how do these abilities manifest. Looks like it's different for everyone."

"How did it happen for you?" Lorelei asked. Krysta took a deep breath. It seemed like she would have to relate something very, very hard for her, but she had to put up with it.

"It was when I was about seven," she finally said. "I was caught in a fire, everything around me was a raging inferno. Never in my life had I been so scared. I was crying and calling out for help, but no one could hear me. I thought I was going to die, but then…"

"Then?"

"I don't know exactly what happened, but by the time the firefighters reached me, the fire was gone. In fact, the whole room had been completely frozen. Before that, I had a strange sensation, like something inside me, something different, something… cold, suddenly awakened. I didn't know what it was until a lot of time later, because afterwards, I blacked out and when I came back, I was already at the hospital."

"I see." Lorelei nodded. "Was that why you went berserk when you saw Frey's Charizard?"

"I still haven't gotten over it," Krysta replied, clearly ashamed. "Every time I see fire, even if it's a small amount… that day comes back to my mind. I'm sorry, I never meant to…"

"Forget it, that part is already clear," Lorelei interrupted her. "Please continue your story."

"Sure. It took me a while to finally learn what I was." Krysta explained. "A few years later, I finally understood what had happened, when I met a researcher who studied bloodliners. Apparently, I'm an Ice-Heart type bloodliner. That means that I can learn any kind of Ice-type move, and I also can talk to any Ice-type Pokémon. In fact, it's more than just talking. If they're wild Pokémon, I can get them to do what I want, without even training them. I can control them if I want, although I normally don't like to do that. This time, however… I decided to make an exception."

"Does that mean… it was you who asked this Lapras to help me and Frey?"

"I felt really bad for what happened, and also for running off like I did." Krysta said sheepishly. "I came across him while I escaped, so I thought… maybe I should do something to make up for it."

Saying this, she got close to Lapras, who looked at her before letting out a long squeak. Krysta replied with a giggle, and exchanged some words with the Pokémon, who replied in her own language. She seemed to laugh as if Lapras said funny jokes. Lorelei couldn't help but feel a little envious.

"Do you really can understand what he says?" the redhead asked. "That's amazing, I'd really love to be able to do that myself. The weirdest part is, in fact, Frey and I were in there because I wanted to catch a Lapras for myself."

Krysta looked at Lorelei, and then turned to Lapras. After a few seconds of silence, and still feeling a bit guilty for the incident, she thought perhaps there was still something else she could do about it. She approached Lapras' head, specifically to the place where his ears should be, and whispered something. Lapras squeaked, and seemed unusually cheerful, more than what he had shown to be so far.

"What's he saying?" Lorelei asked.

"I asked him if he'd like to become your partner," Krysta answered. "And he said yes."

"You can't be serious," Lorelei replied, looking at her suspiciously.

"I'm serious," Krysta insisted. "Look, I asked him if he could just let you catch him. Since I ruined you and your friend's little adventure, seems like a fair way to make up for it, don't you agree?"

Lorelei opened up her mouth to say something, although she was unsure as to what she could say. Yes, she and Frey had entered the cave in the first place to catch a Lapras, but catching it this way, it didn't quite feel, "right"? She would have expected to pass the challenge herself the traditional trainer way, but she had always wanted to have one of these Pokémon for herself since she was a child. Could she waste this chance she was being given on a silver tray?

"That's… really generous of you," Lorelei finally said, deciding to finally accept. "It has to be amazing, being able to communicate with them, and understand what they say."

"There's more than that." Krysta said. "Pokémon are truly mysterious creatures. There's a lot of them that we humans can only imagine. And if there's something I've learned, is that even their language is not that hard to learn."

"What do you mean?" Lorelei asked interested.

"They talk with their feelings, not with words," Krysta explained. "It's a little tricky to explain. You don't need to listen with your ears, but… with the heart."

"The… heart?" Lorelei repeated.

"Exactly. Even if you don't have powers like mine, anyone can come to perfectly understand their Pokémon given enough time. All you have to do is create bonds with them. That's something that even you can do."

"Even so, those powers you have are pretty amazing," Lorelei insisted. "Just the thought of being able to understand my Pokémon is great in itself, but using those ice-based attacks? I wouldn't mind being able to do that myself."

Krysta's smile became a little downhearted upon hearing that. From the outside, some could think having these abilities would be supercool and incredible, but Krysta knew firsthand that it wasn't always the case. In fact, this reaction from Lorelei came of as… unusual, to say the least.

"You're the first person who says that to me," she said, sadly. Lorelei turned around to see her. The icy girl continued. "Having these powers isn't always as cool as you might think. For almost my entire life, I've been living on the run. Most of the time, when people learn what I am, what I can do, their natural reaction is either fearing me and running away, or trying to somehow harness my powers. I can never stay long in a single place. I always have to keep escaping, never to settle down."

"That's really sad," Lorelei suddenly felt sorry for her.

"Besides… I don't know if you'll believe me, but at times… I feel as if my powers were another personality altogether," Krysta said. "That thing that happened with your friend… actually, it's not the first time. At times, I feel like there's something else inside me. Something like… a beast, or perhaps a wild Pokémon, who wants to come out. And that scares me. The last thing I'd want would be to hurt someone the way I did today. I don't know if it makes sense, but..."

"Actually, when you put it that way, it does," Lorelei said. "Look, I don't know the first thing about your powers, where they come from, or how they work. But if you want my opinion, maybe it's not that you're just human, Pokémon, bloodliner or whatever you want to consider yourself. Whether you want it or not, these abilities, this "Pokémon side"… is a part of you."

"Then what should I do?"

"Don't try to fight it. Embrace it. It doesn't have to be something bad. The way I see it, this gives you the chance to establish bonds with Pokémon in a way that others like me could only dream of. You can get the chance to experience firsthand what it feels to be one of them, to see the world through their eyes. And that in itself is wonderful, you can't deny that."

Krysta stared at her hands, reflecting on Lorelei's words. Could it be possible? Could she really believe in them? Admittedly, the capacity to understand and talk directly with Pokémon (even if it was limited to that specific type) was something that she loved. As a matter of fact, that was the only of her abilities that she could say without fear that she actually enjoyed, the only trait of her powers she liked. But she was still scared, scared of not being able to control them and do something like she did today, and hurting someone in the process, even with fatal consequences. However, the other part of herself, the one who wasn't afraid, wanted to believe in the redhead's words.

"You can use your powers for good, or for evil," Lorelei said, grabbing her hands. They did feel a little cold, but not as much. "It's all up to you."

Krysta felt a strange affinity for Lorelei for some reason. She had just met her, and yet she felt like she could speak to her naturally, without fear. Why was that? Unsure as to why, she took her back and extracted from it the Nevermelt Ice shard she had stolen in the cave. It seemed that she was about to hand it over to Lorelei.

"Maybe I should give this back," she said. "I shouldn't have stolen it."

"That's another thing I'd like to know. Did you want it for yourself, or for your Pokémon?"

"Mostly for myself, I guess." Krysta admitted. "When I arrived at this island, I heard some locals talking about those Nevermelt Ice formations inside the cave. I figured, if that works for Pokémon, perhaps it could work for me too, to better protect myself."

"If that's the case, you can keep it." Lorelei decided to cut her some slack, finally understanding why she had stolen it. "It's just a small shard after all, and there's plenty more where that came from. Also, I have nothing to hold it with; unlike you I can't hold it directly. Although, I'm just sorry, the local craftsmen could give it a better and prettier shape if you wanted. Making a necklace, a bracelet or whatever you like."

"I've never liked jewelry, to be honest," Krysta replied, putting it back in. "In any case, thanks a lot."

Both girls stared at each other a little longer, it seemed like there was a little more they wanted to say, yet they couldn't find any more words. Lorelei was the one who decided to break the ice (no pun intended).

"So… I'm assuming you're leaving soon?" Lorelei asked.

"Like I said, I can't stay in a single place for long," Krysta replied.

"I understand. Too bad. To be honest… I have to admit I was taking a liking to you."

"Are you serious? Despite everything that happened?"

"Modesty aside, I… consider myself pretty good in reading people." Lorelei smiled with a little of pride. "If you say you never meant to hurt Frey, I believe you."

"Do you think he already told someone about me? I can't blame him if he hates me for what I did."

"You want this to be kept between us? I'll make sure it stays that way," Lorelei said. "I'll think of something to tell everyone, besides, it's gonna be hard for them to believe the actual story."

"I guess," Krysta agreed. "In that case, I'll be going now."

Krysta pulled out of her bag a Poké Ball, and opened it up to let out a large, blue walrus with white head with large tufts of fur on the sides. A large and heavy Walrein floated over the water, and Krysta hopped onto its back.

"It's time for us to go now, partner, we're continuing our journey." She petted its head.

"Hey," Lorelei called out to her. "Before you leave… look, I cannot even imagine how hard your life out there could have been. But no matter where you go, if you ever need a friend… remember that you'll always have one in Lorelei from Four Island."

Krysta smiled in gratitude at those words, although she was unsure as to what to say, she felt that just saying "thank you" wouldn't be enough.

"I'll be getting my trainer license very soon. I hope we can meet again sometime, somewhere," the redhead continued.

"Yeah, that would be nice. Goodbye… Lorelei from Four Island."

Krysta then gave her Walrein a slight pat on the side to get him to start surfing. Lorelei just waved her goodbye, as she watched her surf away into the distance. Upon seeing that she was alone with Lapras, Lorelei decided to check if the offer Krysta had made her was true. Well, only one way to find out, and that was the reason she had entered in the first place.

"So then… do you want to be my partner?" Lorelei asked, taking out the empty Poké Ball to catch him in the first place. "Do you want us to travel together?"

Lapras raised his fins and started splashing over the water as he happily moved his head up and down in agreement. Even without understanding the Pokémon language, Lorelei assumed that he meant "yes". Hoping for the best, the redhead threw the Ball at him. Tapping him slightly, Lapras was covered in a red light that absorbed him inside. The Poké Ball closed up and landed on the ground, shaking off a couple of times, but barely a second later, the activation button became dull and with a sound of *PING*, it stopped moving. Lapras was hers.

"Lapras… I hope we can get along from now on." She smiled as she picked it up.

At the clinic, nighttime…

Once Frey was allowed to have visitors, and the young man had recovered from the shock after that experience, Lorelei could finally enter the room. He looked unusually calm, although she could see in his eyes that he couldn't quite be happy with what had happened. Lorelei took a deep breath, she had to be careful with the things she was gonna say.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Still in one piece," he replied. "The doctor said that if one of those spikes had gone just a little deeper, it could have pierced the bone. And that was some killer Frost Breath, I'd say, that's gonna leave a mark, and I have yet to regain the sensibility. But I'll survive."

"Frey… about that girl, have you told anyone else about what happened in the cave?"

"Not yet," Frey replied. Lorelei felt a huge relief after that. "I was thinking which would be the best way to tell everyone and make it sound… believable."

"Frey… I think it's best that we don't tell anyone about this," Lorelei said.

"You're kidding, right?" Frey asked, but upon looking at the redhead, he saw that wasn't the case. "Lorelei, exactly what are you thinking right now?"

"She never meant to hurt you," Lorelei said firmly.

"Really? Could have fooled me, she went quite frenzy for someone who didn't want to hurt me, and I've got the marks to prove it."

"Frey, think it over for a while," Lorelei insisted. "If you recall, don't you agree that she seemed scared when first we ran into her?"

"Now that you mention it… But that has nothing to do with…"

"I insist, think about it. She looked like she just wanted to escape at any second. She just went berserk when she saw your Charizard. Do you understand where I'm going?"

"I have a slight idea. How come you suddenly know of her?" Frey inquired. Lorelei knew she had to give an immediate answer. Better not to fool around and tell him the truth.

"She told me. Her name, by the way, was Krysta. I met her at the beach not long ago. She really felt bad for what she did to you, and asked me to apologize on her behalf to you."

"So you let her go, just like that?"

"You think I could have done something to stop her?" Lorelei replied.

"Point taken." Frey accepted. "And come to think about it… how in the world did she do that?"

"Frey, have you ever heard of something called… "Bloodliners"?"

Frey was left speechless upon hearing that word. Maybe he had heard it in passing during his travels, but he had never seen one in person. The rumors (since he was sure it was just that, rumors) of humans capable of using Pokémon attacks and abilities were interesting, as crazy as it sounded, but he never saw one with his own eyes, so he ended up dismissing them… until now.

"Are you saying… that girl was a…?"

"Yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying." Lorelei interrupted him. "Look, how about that I share with you everything she told me when you get out of here? Taking my sweet time to go into details, but in exchange, you'll have to promise me not to tell anyone else."

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't tell anyone first."

"I'll give you two." Lorelei said. "I've always told you I consider myself very good at reading people. Krysta was just scared, and after she told me her story, I can understand why. I promised her I would convince you not to tell anyone else, and I intend to keep my word."

"Alright, that's one, and a very good one at that." Frey agreed. "And the second is…"

"I saved your life when I got you out of that cave to bring you here. I know how much you hate being in debt, so here's my proposal: do this for me, and that debt is paid."

"Hey, you're good at this." Frey couldn't help but smile sideways. The redhead certainly knew how to bargain with him. "Alright, you win. I won't tell anyone about her. I'll tell everyone I went overboard, and a Pokémon did this to me, happy now?"

"Thanks a lot." Lorelei smiled back.

"*Sigh*, my only regret is that, after all this ordeal, we couldn't catch that Lapras as you wanted."

"About that…" Lorelei pulled out the Poké Ball and held it in front of Frey. The way she was smiling, the young man didn't have to be a genius to get the message.

"No kidding, you caught it, by yourself?"

"Believe it or not, when I went to the beach he was still there," Lorelei said. "In fact, I owe it to Krysta, she was the one who sent it to help us when we were inside the cave. And when I told her about it, she "convinced" him to let himself get caught, with no resistance."

"Just like that?" Frey couldn't believe it.

"You want the rest of the details? You have to keep your promise of not telling anyone," Lorelei insisted.

"Hmm… alright, I get it. Well, if we look at it that way, everything that happened today was worth it." Frey admitted. "Now you have what you wanted."

"I know." Lorelei smiled. "I was thinking, since you're gonna take a while to heal after what happened in the cave, and it'll most likely be after I get my trainer license, what do you say we travel together for a while?"

"Together? You and me?" Frey asked, feigning indifference, although Lorelei could see the glitter in his eyes.

"Just for a little while. I could use a little of your experience. Afterwards, when I feel a little more confident, we can go separate ways. What do you say?"

"I say, there's no way I could refuse that."

Lorelei knew she had a long way to become a great Pokémon trainer, but she wasn't planning on looking back. Although she knew that Frey preferred to travel alone, after what happened in the cave she decided that she would stick for a while to watch his back. Of course, she actually had a couple more motives to accompany him. The first, "keep your friends close and your enemies even closer", she wanted to study him as a rival and thus find the way to eventually defeat him. The second… that was on a much, more personal level for her. And perhaps, someday, she could meet again with that bloodliner girl, to properly thank her and keep her word on that friendship offer she had given her.

FIN.