Pokémon: ICE COLD

"Who knew this is where we'd catch our first Pokémon?"

Lucas and Barry stood in front of a dense horde of pine trees, their thousands of evergreen needles coated in ice and frost. A large gap between the trees looked like a mouth ready to swallow them or a portal to another world.

"Verity Lakefront..." Lucas murmured, his voice tinged with nostalgia. This was where all the kids from Twinleaf used to play. He recalled their laughter as they tumbled and rolled in the vibrant grass, chasing each other until the sun set. "Well, I certainly wouldn’t have guessed we’d be catching a legendary Pokémon here, especially not as our first Pokémon."

Barry flashed him a smirk, a playful glint in his orange eyes. "You mean my first Pokémon! First come, first served!” he shouted, sprinting into the forest’s opening.

“Hey!”

Lucas’s laughter echoed through the trees as he followed his eager friend. They ran through a tunnel of frozen foliage, the towering trees blocking out the sunlight.

They dashed toward the glowing light at the end of the tunnel, snow and pine needles crackling beneath their boots. When they burst into the open, the bright light hit their eyes like a white flame.

And when it cleared...

“Lucas, look! The lake!” Barry exclaimed, laughing in awe.

Before them lay a vast, flat expanse of silvery water that sparkled with light. Surrounded by heaps of evergreen trees, Lake Verity was as beautiful and serene as Lucas remembered.

“I’ll never forget the last time we came here…” Lucas said with a smile.

Barry raised his eyebrows.

“Last...time? Have we ever been here together?” he asked, tilting his head in confusion. When had they ever visited the lake together?

Lucas’s mind spun, as if struck by a truck. “What? You don’t remember the last time we came here and met that strange man with blue—”

Something was very wrong. Very, very wrong.

“Lucas!” Barry cried, his voice tinged with panic. Lucas was on the ground, clutching his head and whimpering. “What’s wrong? What happened? Are you okay?”

Barry pulled off Lucas’s red cap, revealing his rugged black hair.

“I feel like we shouldn’t be here…​​I shouldn't be here, Barry...” Lucas groaned, gripping his hair in pain. “My head! I feel like I’m about to pass out…”

It felt like a drill was boring into his skull, like lightning was tearing through his brain. Barry’s eyes twitched in distress, his hands shaking as he tried to help his friend. What could he do? Who could he call? What–

“What’s the meaning of this screaming and anguish?”

Barry looked up and froze.

Standing before them was a man with blue hair.