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Tristen started to make his way around on the ice, albeit slowly, trying not to lose his balance as he traveled. It was obvious he wasn't practiced at this and never had any opportunity to do so. In a way, it was a little silly seeing him nearly flail about as he attempt to move forward. At the lake's edge, Freth kept an eye out, trying to make sure Tristen wasn't going to kill himself on the ice and also tried to at least humor the icy Darumaka. Freth looked up, taking note to the Cryoganal that lofted about, making their pass in the region, prompting her to call attention to it to her Darumaka to humor the temperamental child.

However, Freth would stop for a moment, perking up. A new presence was around. It was fairly strong, yet close, for the time being but for it to just show up out of nowhere was unsettling. She was trying to get a read on it, to figure out where this pressure was coming. She looked down towards her Darumaka, then the Snagems that scattered about, then back out on the ice towards Sub and Tristen. Then down to the ice itself. "...Sub?" Freth then tried to call out to the Snagem leader.

"Hey, that sounds fun!" Sub said in response to Darts' idea of a game, blissfully unaware of the cheap goods inside of it. He watched as the Giratina hybrid hurled the sack across the ice and watched as it slid across, his entire body twitching, ready to dash forward and get first pick of the contents inside. One thing stopped him though, the sound of another hybrid calling out his name.

"Eh?" He turned his head to look back at Freth. "What is it? Give me a moment, I got some chumps to show up. Won't take long, I'll be right back!" With that said, unaware of Freth's uneasy feeling he began to move one foot forward and then the other and before long he was gliding across the ice once again, headed straight for the center of the frozen lake where the bag of gifts was. Unknown to him however the ice began to crack, said crack initially hidden by the sack but soon, with additional weight in that area, it would grow larger and larger, however the Snagem leader would not notice.

Freth constantly looked down at the ice. She was sure of it now. The ice was starting to give way, not because of the ones on the ice, but whatever it was below it. She had the feeling she knew what it was. "Tristen! Sub! Get off the ice!" Freth finally shouted. Tristen stared in confusion for a second, then started to hear the cracking of the ice. More pronounced than normal. He looked back for a moment, then started to hobble his way to the edge of the lake as best he could. Once again, his inexperience starting to take hold in skating.

"Crap." Freth sat the Darumaka down. "Stay. Here." Freth said, not really having the time to get into detail about why the icy newborn had to stay put. Freth then made the mad dash to the lake to go help Tristen off the ice.

Wren would ride Asphodel toward the lake for as long as it took to reach the edge of the frozen water and looked out over it, watching the others enjoying themselves. "That does look kind of fun..." He admitted, looking at the skates on their feet warily. They were shoes. But they were necessary for this fun everyone seemed to be engaged in.

"Why don't you put on a pair and go join them?" Lykas asked, walking over to the Grass Channeler as he spoke.

"I don't think I can..." Wren replied with a small sigh. "I always feel so disconnected when I wear shoes of any kind."

"Disconnected?" Lykas asked, curious. "What do you mean?"

"I can't feel the earth beneath my feet. I don't feel grounded. It's like I'm just floating in the air and... It scares me." Wren finally admitted.

Lykas thought for a moment and a realization came to him. "You have acrophobia, don't you? Or is it basophobia?"

"Huh?" Wren asked Lykas he looked out over his head, watching the horizon in the distance.

"Look at me, Wren." Lykas stated firmly, noticing now that the man had yet to look directly at him since the conversation had started.

"I'm fine watching everyone else..." Wren replied, a nearly imperceptible hitch in his voice as he spoke.

"You do!" Lykas yelped, sensing a very minor increase in the man's anxiety. It was a good thing Odd had been teaching him to use his ghostly senses a bit more lately or he'd have completely missed that. "That explains a lot, though." He muttered to himself as he looked out over the water.

~~~

Inside the cabin, Cassava bounced around on the floor with Hemlock, his flower folded inward quite a bit of not helping him stay aloft in this cold weather. He assured Hemlock he'd have a flower of his own someday, explaining that Wren had an Oddish of his own that had evolved into a Gloom already.

~~~

Odd smirked at Sub as he was passed and sped up a bit, wobbling for a split second as Sub's words sank in, before he caught himself and regained his balance. "You jerk!" He called back to the temporarily depowered Dark Channeler. When Darts suggested a race to his gift bag sliding across the ice, the Ghost Channeler raced toward in in agreement with sub. That did sound fun. However, only a moment later, he'd come to a screeching halt. Something was moving under the ice. Something big. Something strong. Something angry.

"Sub! Everyone! Stay back!" He called out, pulling a Dusk Ball from his belt and releasing Celesta from it and quickly applying the Shadow Vaccine he'd been intending to give her since returning from Realgam Fortress. Fortunately, it seemed to take effect almost instantly.

"Mimi?" The Mimikyu asked as Odd pointed toward the sack of dime store gifts.

"Something just below the ice. The moment it breaks through, give it the strongest Thunderbolt you have!" He told the Pikachu lookalike.

"Kyu!" Celesta nodded, standing stock still and sparking slightly as she built up a charge in front of Odd.

Tristen was still hobbling, trying to get off the ice once the Gyarados crashes through the ice. When it looked like Tristen was going to get caught up in the rampage of the odd colored serpent, Freth rushed in and snatched up the Manetric hybrid and took him to the edge of the lake. "Are you alright?" Freth asked.

:"Yea, I'm fin-oh no, Sub!" Tristen said. Sub unfortunately didn't make it out of the Gyarados's wake.

"Ugh, are you for real!?" Freth asked. She quickly took out a Pokeball. "Walrien!" Freth then shouted, tossing the ball. Out came the massive Walrien, ready to go.

"Waaaaalll!" The Walrien roared out.

"Walrien! Sub's caught under the water! Get after him before he drowns or freezes! Move it!" she said. The Walrien breaks through the ice himself and dives under the water, rushing after Sub.

Tristen frantically took off the ice skates that he had on then got back up. "I'll try to help keep the Gyarados off of you." Tristen said to Freth. Tristen then took out a Pokeball himself. There was really only one way he knew how to drop a Gyarados in a grand hurry. "Galvantula!" Tristen shouted. The boy tossed a ball himself and released the giant spider out for battle. "Galvantula! That Gyarados is crashing the party! Thunder!"

The Galvantula's compound eyes locked on to the red Gyarados as it rampaged upon the lake. The spider sparked furiously then a massive discharge down towards the rampaging serpent.

Sub fumbled and struggled in the freezing waters, Magikarp slapping and flailing against him, however his body had quickly gone numb and so his brain didn't even register the bangs and bruises it was being subjected to. It wouldn't be much longer before he succumbed to hypothermia, the cold hand of the dark void quickly approaching. That was when a familiar blubbery Pokemon breached the waters and fought its way through the horde of Fish Pokemon and made it to the Snagem. The man didn't have the strength to hold onto the Pokemon, or even acknowledge it, and so the Walrein would have to carry the man its self, with its flippers or via some other means. Either way the Magikarp wouldn't intentionally prevent them from escaping to the shore and the Red Gyarados was otherwise occupied.

The Red Gyarados let out a mighty and angered roar as the Dazzling Gleam went off, momentarily blinding it, the light of Fairy energy painful. Next came the pelt of rocks from the Rock Slide which while Super Effective and certainly hurt served to make the shiny serpent even angrier, the sky churning even wilder than before, a twister beginning to form around it as its eyes took on a dark red color. It was preparing to use a move, something terrible and powerful.

"Odd!" Hemlock cried out as he bounced across the snow, running straight for the lake and the angry Red Gyarados at the center, running right past his fallen teammates. The little Weed Pokemon completely disregarded its own safety as it rushed headlong towards the Gyarados, its Black Glasses fixed firmly on its face. It noted the Galvantula charging up for a Thunder, which would certainly take down the Gyarados, however even Hemlock could note the Dragon energy collecting around the beast which might dull the effect of the Thunder and allow it to cause trouble for a little while longer, and they did not have any time to spare for a second longer might mean the worse for his trainer.

At that moment a fierce wind blew towards the Red Gyarados, carrying the promised Crygonal with it, their cries echoing out. Deciding to use this to his advantage little Hemlock leaped up into the draft and hitched a ride onto one of the snowflake Pokemon, closing in on the Red Gyarados quickly as the twister rapidly forming around it drew in the Crygonal. With what was meant to be its battle cry the Oddish jumped off the Crygonal to land on the head of the Gyarados and gripped its crest tightly with its blades of grass and proceeded to execute a move it didn't even know it could use; Strength Sap. Its motivation to weaken the Gyarados just long enough for Galvantula to strike a clean hit awakening this skill. The energy would begin to flow from the Red Gyarados and into Hemlock, causing the twister to fade quickly, though if left alone it would soon return as the Gyarados would easily overpower Hemlock.

However, in that moment, something happened, a bright light consumed the Oddish just as the twister started to reform, the light soon disappearing in a flash to reveal a Gloom in its place. With newfound strength Hemlock resumed the Strength Sap and disrupted the and dispelled the Dragon energy around the Red Gyarados giving Galvantula a clean shot that would deliver the full power of its might upon the Gyarados. Hemlock the Gloom would shout out to Galvantula to reassure it that it would be fine.

And so as the spider summoned forth the wrath of the sky a fierce bolt of electricity crashed down upon the Red Gyarados from the sky above, lightning up the entire area with a bright flash of light which was followed by a booming thunder seconds later. After all was done and said the Snagems would see the Red Gyarados laying on the ice, fainted and slowly slipping back into the lake's waters. It would be fine, though no longer would it terrorize them or anyone else for the foreseeable future. As for Hemlock he too was knocked out, passed out on the ice, its Black Glasses discarded several feet away from it. He too was fine but would be feeling that one for awhile.

As for Sub? He would be okay, Walrein had gotten to him just in time but he probably needed to get warmed up and and probably taken back to HQ to Doc Owl. His holiday was over early.

As the mighty bolt of lightning crashed down, the Gyarados was reminded of its own weakness to the elements. However, as the serpent fell over and started to slink back in the pool, Tristen had a bit of a realization. In fact, many flew right on him at once. Quickly, he took out an Ultra Ball and gave it a hard toss, pegging the red serpent right on its head before it finally submerged fully into the lake. The ball landed on the ice and it started to shake...

(1-30 = failure)

The ball rattled a fair bit on the ice. Tristen began to wonder if the ball was going to fall in the breach the Gyarados made in the ice. But apparently, the electrical onslaught was more than enough. It finally succumb to the Ultra Ball. Tristen made his way out onto the ice, hobbling, trying to keep his footing on the ice. He then reached down and picked up the Ultra Ball. "Sub might want to see this...though...we better hurry and make sure Sub is going to be okay." He then told his Galvantula.

Walrien who nearly had a close call getting fried himself from the massive electrical onslaught by Galvantula managed to pull Sub free. Freth would quickly recall her Walrien and snatch up her tempermental Darumaka who didn't particularly care to be taken all over the place. Freth would then take out Kadabra and teleport herself, the Darumaka, and Sub back to headquarters. Treatment for frostbite was probably in Sub's future.