Chapter 8 - "The Cold Pillar — Big Ben" (Patreon)

Far away from Orange Town and Blaze Ranch...

Far away from the desert heat and sunrise battles...

Another part of Cresva stood beneath an endless white sky.

The Frozen Mountains.

A brutal wasteland of snowstorms, frozen cliffs, and temperatures cold enough to freeze a Pokémon solid overnight. Even experienced trainers avoided this area unless absolutely necessary.

Yet despite the violent winds and knee-deep snow...

Hsu Ren continued walking calmly through the mountains.

Well...

Mostly calmly.

His scarf whipped violently against his face while snow piled over his boots with every step.

—...This weather is unreasonable.

The young trainer adjusted the hood of his heavy winter coat before pulling out his phone.

After a few seconds, the call finally connected.

A woman appeared on the screen.

Hsu Lin — Ren's mother and one of Cresva’s Elite Four.

—Ren, can you hear me properly?

The boy immediately straightened his posture.

—Yes, Mother.

Lin sighed.

—Relax a little. You sound like you’re reporting to a military officer.

—Sorry, Mother.

—...You’re doing it again.

Ren stayed silent.

Lin rubbed her forehead tiredly.

—Anyway. Did you reach the Frozen Mountains already?—Yes. I’ve been searching the area since sunrise.

Snow continued falling around him as he walked.

—But I still haven’t found any signs of Big Ben.—Well, you gotta keep looking. I'm pretty sure he's already there.—I know that. But, quite frankly, I' prefer still focusing on my journey through the gyms.—Remeber that this is your top priority, not Cresva's League.—Yes, mother.—And please, be careful if you do find him.

Ren nodded immediately.

Big Ben —One of Cresva’s strongest Pokémon.

A gigantic Beartic feared throughout the entire region.

Also known as...

The Cold Pillar.

According to the stories, entire blizzards followed the massive Pokémon wherever he walked.

Lin crossed her arms.

—There’s another problem too.

Ren looked at the screen attentively.

—The Green Future has started moving around the region recently.

Ren’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Even he recognized that name immediately.

The largest corporation in Cresva.

A company involved in almost everything imaginable: technology, food, medicine, energy, construction, transportation. Practically half the region depended on them somehow.

—Officially, they claim they’re helping preserve Cresva’s ecosystems —Lin continued calmly —But recently, they’ve shown unusual interest in several powerful Pokémon habitats.

Ren immediately understood what she was implying.

—You believe they are searching for the Pillars.

Lin stayed quiet for a moment.

—...I hope I’m wrong.

The wind suddenly became stronger.

FWOOOOOSH.

Snow exploded across the mountains violently.

Ren stopped walking immediately.

Something changed.

The temperature dropped so suddenly that even his breath became harder to see.

Lin noticed his expression instantly.

—Ren?

The young trainer slowly looked toward the mountain ahead.

A gigantic blizzard had appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

His eyes sharpened.

—Mother...

A deep roar echoed through the mountains.

The snow beneath Ren’s feet trembled slightly.

Lin’s expression changed immediately.

—That’s him.

Another roar shook the entire area.

Ren immediately started moving toward the storm.

—Ren, wait. Don’t engage directly unless necessary.

—Understood, Mother.

The signal suddenly began breaking apart.

The cellphone screen started glitching.

—Ren, if Big Ben really appears, prioritize obser—

KRZZZZT.

The call ended.

Ren lowered the phone slowly.

Then looked toward the blizzard again.

The storm somehow felt alive.

Without wasting another second...

He ran directly into it.

The deeper he moved into the mountain, the worse the storm became.

Snow struck his face like needles.

Visibility dropped lower and lower.

Then suddenly—

BOOOOM!!

An explosion echoed nearby.

Ren stopped instantly.

Voices.

People shouting.

Pokémon roaring.

A battle.

He rushed forward through the storm.

2 trainers were facing a gigantic Beartic near the edge of a frozen cliff.

No...

"Gigantic" barely described it.

Big Ben towered over the battlefield like a living mountain.

The enormous Beartic’s fur looked thick enough to survive any storm in existence.

Every breath escaping his mouth became freezing mist.

And his eyes...

His eyes looked furious.

Several Pokémon attacked him at once.

Electric attacks.

Fire attacks.

Rock attacks.

Everything exploded against the giant Beartic one after another.

But Big Ben kept fighting.

One swing of his claw sent two Pokémon flying instantly.

Another roar created freezing winds strong enough to knock trainers into the snow.

Yet the group continued attacking him relentlessly.

Ren’s expression darkened immediately.

—...What are they doing?

One of the trainers noticed him.

—HEY! Don’t just stand there! Help us weaken this thing!

Ren looked at them carefully.

Black uniforms.

Green symbols on their jackets.

Something about them immediately felt wrong.

Big Ben roared again after another attack struck his shoulder.

The giant Beartic’s movements were becoming more violent.

More unstable.

Ren clicked his tongue.

—Raboot. Go.

His Pokémon appeared in a flash of light.

The Raboot immediately understood the situation.

And sighed tiredly.

—Raboo...

Then—

FWOOOSH!!

Raboot launched himself forward surrounded by flames.

One clean spinning kick instantly knocked out a Houndoom.

—WHAT THE—?!

Another trainer turned around too late.

THUD.

Raboot’s Quick Attack slammed directly into his Pokémon, sending it crashing into the snow.

Chaos immediately erupted.

—This kid’s attacking us?!—Take him down first!

Several Pokémon charged Ren and Raboot simultaneously.

But the difference in skill was overwhelming.

Raboot moved through the battlefield like fire itself.

One Blaze Kick after another dropped Pokémon across the mountain.

Within seconds, the trainers panicked.

—Forget this!!—That thing’s gone insane anyway!

The group immediately began retreating through the storm.

Cowards.

Ren did not chase them.

Because something much worse was happening.

Big Ben was staring directly at him now.

The giant Beartic’s breathing had become heavy and violent after enduring so many attacks.

And unfortunately...

Raboot still smelled like battle.

Ren slowly stepped forward.

—We are not your enemies.

Big Ben answered with a deafening roar.

The entire mountain shook.

Ice cracked beneath Ren’s feet.

Then suddenly—

BOOOOOOM!!

Big Ben charged, fast. Way too fast for something that enormous.

—Raboot! Dodge!

Raboot barely escaped the giant claw by jumping sideways.

CRAAAAASH!!

The attack shattered an entire section of frozen ground.

Ren’s eyes widened slightly.

Even Raboot looked shocked.

—Use Flame Charge!

Raboot blasted forward surrounded by fire and slammed directly into Big Ben’s side.

The super effective attack exploded beautifully against the Beartic’s fur.

But...

Big Ben barely moved.

The gigantic Pokémon slowly turned his head toward Raboot.

Angrier than before.

—...That’s not good.

Big Ben raised one massive arm.

FWOOOOOM!!

An avalanche of freezing wind exploded from his claws.

Raboot crossed his arms defensively—

BOOOOM!!

—and got launched violently across the battlefield.

—Raboot!!

The Fire-type crashed against a frozen rock wall before collapsing into the snow.

Big Ben roared again.

The mountain itself seemed to shake alongside him.

Ren immediately rushed toward Raboot.

—Can you still move?

The exhausted Pokémon slowly pushed himself upward.

Barely.

But before either of them could react—

THOOM.

THOOM.

THOOM.

Big Ben approached slowly through the blizzard.

Each step felt like a building collapsing.

Ren clenched his fists.

No escape route.

No cover.

No chance.

Big Ben raised his gigantic claw high above them.

And then—

FWUMP.

The claw stopped completely.

Ren’s eyes widened.

Someone...

Had caught it.

Bare-handed.

The enormous Beartic growled furiously while trying to push downward.

But the mysterious man did not move an inch.

A gigantic figure stood between Ren and Big Ben.

The violent snowstorm and the heavy coat covering his body made it impossible to see his face clearly.

But one thing was obvious immediately.

This man was huge.

The stranger spoke calmly.

—Not bad, kid.

His voice sounded deep and relaxed.

As if stopping a monster like Big Ben was completely normal.

Then the man reached toward his belt.

—Blastoise!

A massive Blastoise emerged instantly.

And unlike normal Blastoise...

This one radiated terrifying pressure.

—Aura Sphere!

Ren’s eyes widened.

Blastoise gathered glowing energy between its cannons—

Then fired.

BOOOOOOOOM!!

The Aura Sphere struck Big Ben directly in the chest.

The explosion shook the entire mountain.

When the snow finally settled...

Big Ben collapsed.

Unconscious.

Silence filled the Frozen Mountains.

Ren stared in disbelief.

One attack.

That was all it took.

The giant man casually pulled a Poké Ball from his coat.

Click.

The Poké Ball struck Big Ben.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

DING.

Captured.

Ren froze completely.

One of the Pillars of Cresva...

Had just been captured.

The blizzard slowly began fading afterward.

The mysterious man picked up the Poké Ball calmly.

Then glanced toward Ren.

Even now, his face remained hidden beneath the storm and his heavy coat.

—You’ve got guts, kid.

Ren immediately stepped forward.

—Wait! Who are you?!

The man chuckled softly.

Then turned around.

—Take care of yourself out here... oh, and say "hi" to your mother from me, would ya?

And just like that...

He disappeared alongside the fading blizzard.

Leaving Ren alone in the frozen mountains.

Silent.

Confused.

And for the very first time since arriving in Cresva...

Truly worried.