Coffee Shop in Twin Dragons City.
Natsuhiko took a small sip of the rich, bitter coffee, savoring its sweetness afterward.
"The sweetness after bitterness is even more captivating."
Watching Eevee and Vulpix play on the table, Natsuhiko couldn't help but smile.
Vulpix gently exhaled, tiny ice crystals mixed with a bit of snow floated onto Eevee.
"Bui~ yi~~"
Eevee shivered instinctively, its gray-white fur covered with a bit of white.
"Awoo?" Vulpix was startled.
Seeing Eevee's reaction, it quickly hid its head in its tail.
"Bui~ bui~"
Eevee shook vigorously twice, and the fur shook off each glittering ice fragment onto the table.
Vulpix peeked through a gap in its tail, and upon seeing that Eevee was fine, it quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
But Eevee's small mouth grinned, revealing a mischievous smile.
It pounced straight toward Vulpix, using both hands and tail.
Unleashed its special move "Itch"!
Vulpix's laughter soon rang out crisp and clear as ice crystals collided.
"Alright." Natsuhiko reached out and pressed down on the heads of the two little ones.
If they kept this up, the entire coffee shop's attention would be drawn to them.
He fondly ruffled them, feeling one side soft and the other cool, "I've mostly sorted out my thoughts, it's time to get things done."
"Bui!"
"Awoo!"
The two little ones raised their heads, appearing quite excited.
Being able to help Natsuhiko was their greatest joy.
"Bui?"
Natsuhiko slowly stood up, "Let's first retrieve what should belong to us."
Leaving the coffee shop.
A pair of curious eyes emerged from the dim compartment at the top of the coffee shop, watching Natsuhiko, Eevee, and the little Vulpix as they left.
...
...
Longmu Town.
A town in the Unova Region not particularly eye-catching because it neither has much modern urban architecture nor a Pokemon Dojo.
All it has is an ancient legend passed down to this day.
The legend says that long ago, a meteor fell from space into Longmu Town, and inside it was a terrifying giant beast with a menacing face. This beast liked to appear at night, accompanied by a massive amount of ice crystals and cold air, and it liked to capture humans and Pokémon and eat them.
So Longmu Town looks like a town enclosed by giant walls, and there's even a mandate in the town prohibiting nighttime outings.
But for hunters, Longmu Town is their best starting point.
Northeast of Longmu Town is a vast forest where a large number of wild Pokémon reside, and the deeper you go, the less traveled by people it is, the stronger the wild Pokémon become and the more valuable.
Moreover, the nighttime curfew in Longmu Town allows hunters to take large-scale actions at night.
Of course, such convenience is not only suitable for the Hunter Guild, but also for some thieves and even the Plasma Team.
Natsuhiko rode Latios directly from the sky, descending into the forest outside of Longmu Town.
Snap.
As he landed, breaking a twig, Natsuhiko's gaze involuntarily cast into the distance, toward the towering direction resembling a high mountain or a menacing giant mouth.
That is the "Giant Cave," once a mining site, now abandoned for some reason.
After an unknown length of dormancy, today's "Giant Cave" is no longer a place one can casually approach.
A large number of wild Pokémon live around it, mainly Ice-type Pokémon.
Due to the special environment, these Ice-type Pokémon have very favorable living conditions and considerable strength.
Especially a group of Cryogonal, whose number is currently undetermined, said to be very united, and will mercilessly strike at humans or Pokémon that approach without permission.
Even the Hunter Guild, which specializes in capturing wild Pokémon, does not dare to approach casually.
Others may not know the reason.
But Natsuhiko knows it's because the terrifying beast from the legend of Longmu Town, dubbed the "Strongest Dragon-Type Pokémon," Kyurem, lives within.
Even if they could break through the wild Pokémon, entering the interior of the "Giant Cave" and encountering Kyurem would leave no doubt about only one possible outcome.
Although the title "Strongest Dragon-Type Pokémon" is somewhat exaggerated, Kyurem's strength is indeed terrifying.
Currently, Natsuhiko doesn't have the guts to press his luck.
If he could gain the recognition of one of the Ideals and Truths Dragons, perhaps there would be a chance to explore it.
He withdrew his gaze.
Surveyed the surroundings.
"Bui~~"
Eevee, sniffing here and there on the ground, barked, pointing at a wrapper in a pile of fallen leaves.
Natsuhiko smiled and patted its head.
"It's indeed a trace of human activity, but it's not uncommon here. We need to go deeper."
"Bui..."
Upon hearing this, Eevee's ears drooped, its hind leg somewhat unenthusiastically kicked at the dry leaves on the ground.
Natsuhiko's smile grew wider as he watched its actions.
"But your observation is very keen, Eevee. I'll need your help later on."
"Bui!"
Hearing Natsuhiko's praise, Eevee shyly scratched its head, then put on an "leave it to me" expression.
Natsuhiko threw out another Pokeball.
Monferno was summoned as well.
With Beedrill and others reaching the Elite Candidate Level, he's finally able to devote more attention to raising these little ones.