He knows Pokémon better than me.

The entire No. 8 Road ruins are just a large, sunken pit.

After wandering around inside several times and struggling up and down the iron ladders several times, Xiaozhi and his companion finally followed the stone steps to the exit on the other side of the high slope.

"call--!"

Climbing to a high point, away from the obstruction of rocks, one can clearly feel a biting, cold wind blowing from ahead.

For the ice-type Mr. Mime, it was naturally as refreshing as returning home, but for Draco Messia, it instantly tensed up and emitted a low growl:
"Messi!"

The next second, the little dragon crawled into Ash's collar, curled up in a ball and trembled.

Xiao Zhi hadn't taken more than a few steps when the originally yellowish-brown mud and sand turned lighter in color, gradually becoming white.

It felt like just a few steps had taken us from autumn into the dead of winter.

Beside a narrow intersection, there is a landmark signboard that reads "Battle Bay".

There was even a middle-aged man, bundled up tightly, who was setting up a stall at the entrance, selling cotton-padded coats.

"Young man~ Battle Bay is just ahead, the temperature is below zero. Dressed like that, you'll freeze into an ice goose if you go in!"

The middle-aged man climbing the mountain was stunned when he saw Xiao Zhi's outfit.

Shorts, a short-sleeved shirt, and just a thin sleeveless vest over it. Is this the kind of gear you'd wear to Battle Bay?

Ash rubbed his hands together, just about to buy one. Battlegrounds is also covered in snow and ice, so it would be perfect for him.

"Bari~!"

However, the thrifty Mr. Mime suddenly blocked the way, waving his finger triumphantly.

It was prepared for this situation!

Immediately afterwards, as if by magic, the Mr. Mime pulled a thick, dark blue cotton coat out of its bag.

Because it was compressed using my own telekinesis, it doesn't take up any space at all.

"It's all thanks to you, Mr. Mime, otherwise this family would be doomed!"

Xiao Zhi immediately gave it a thumbs up and quickly and happily put on his coat.

Sizzle—!
I zipped it up, and the size was just right. The hem fell to my calves, and I felt much warmer immediately.

"Messi!"

Dorgon Messiah immediately burrowed back into his coat, this time finally managing to peek his head out from the collar.

Seeing that his business had fallen through, the middle-aged man climbing the mountain immediately curled his lip and sat back down in his original seat, losing interest.

The Mr. Mime didn't seem to care, straightened his suit collar, and led the way.

Not long after we entered this path, the temperature plummeted again, and the ground turned into frozen soil covered with snow.

As far as the eye could see, all was a vast expanse of white.

"Is this Zhanjing Bay?"

Ash looked around with curiosity, as if he had arrived in some kind of polar region; in the distance, he could even see...
glacier?

However, since this is a bay, the coastline appeared before us after only a few steps.

Zhanjing Bay is a unique bay composed of seawater, permafrost, and floating ice, and it is all ice blue as far as the eye can see.

In some places the water is wide, while in others it is very narrow, separated and squeezed by paths made of floating ice and frozen coastlines, with crisscrossing waterways and complex terrain.

"Perfect. I've decided on you!!"

Ash grinned and threw a Poké Ball towards the sea.

boom!
As the red light fell, Lapras landed steadily on the icy shore. The frigid seawater, ironically, made the Lapras let out a comfortable low growl.
"Lap~!"

Knowing that Battlegrounds was covered in snow and ice, Ash made a point of bringing the veteran along this time. "Then I'll leave it to Lapras; I'll have to rely on you to carry me on my journey again."

Ash skillfully mounted Lapras's back, patted its cheek, and then sat on the "bow" of the front half of its shell.

The Mr. Mime also stepped to the back, like a lookout, cautiously looking around.

"Lap~~!"

After gaining a firm footing, the dragon let out a soft cry.

It glided its flippers and began swimming towards the depths of Battle Bay.

Holding onto the spikes on their carapaces as handrails, Ash and Pikachu exchanged a glance, their minds filled with memories of the days when they traveled together in the Orange Islands, carried by Lapras.

However, that was a tropical southern sea area, completely lacking this icy and snowy environment—

Even on Twin Islands, the ice and snow are only inside the caves; outside, it's still a hot beach.

"Let me see if there are still a lot of Pokémon I haven't seen before!!"

Upon arriving, Ash was excited, glancing around at the shore on both sides while pulling out his Rotom phone to search for information.

For example, along both sides of the coast, you can occasionally see some white, spiky "sea urchins" lying idly on the ground, their color extremely similar to the snow, making them indistinguishable without careful observation.

"Beep beep! Snow-eating bug, ice and bug attributes, can spit out silk carrying cold air, likes to eat snow on the ground, and uses it to make the ice spikes on its back, Loto~!"

Ash looked pleasantly surprised. This must be the first time he'd ever encountered an Ice/Bug type combination.

"Bari!"

Beside him, Mr. Mime also pulled out his own phone, Rotom, and added information using AI voice:

"The Snowflake Moth, which evolves from the Snowflake Infestor, is somewhat similar to the Volcarona from the Unova region, isn't it?!"

Of course, it is not a difference in regional morphology.

They also fell short in many ways, including in terms of power and status.

However, many Galar locals still prefer to consider Edelweiss as a Pokémon that is "symmetrical" to Volcarona.

"Bari!"

Mr. Mime then pointed to the other side of the coast, where a Pokémon resembling a funny little person appeared behind a snow slope.

This one is an example of regional morphological differences.

"Beep beep! A fiery red roly-poly toy, Galar form, Ice attribute. Because it lives in an icy environment all year round, the fire sac inside its body has degenerated due to the low temperature, and has been replaced by an ice sac that produces cold air. It uses its exhaled cold air to make snowballs to throw and play with, Loto~!"

"The attributes are completely opposite? Interesting."

Ash looked up and saw that the Galar-shaped Flame Toy had completely transformed into a small white snowman—

His facial expression still appeared exaggeratedly joyful.

There are usually no wild drakes in Zhanjing Bay, but two or three bright red tumbler dolls suddenly started laughing and exhaling cold air, which condensed into snowballs and threw them at us.

"Bari~!"

Of course, the Mr. Mime standing behind simply raised a finger, and the spreading psychic power easily froze the snowball in mid-air.

Puff-!
With a press of the finger, the snowballs fell into the water.

However, Mr. Mime's expression did not completely relax. The most dangerous thing in Battle Cove is not the Pokémon on the shore, but underwater!

Looking around carefully, you can see a dark blue "ball" hidden beneath the surface of an ice floe ahead.

"Bari!"

This immediately put the Mr. Mime on alert, raising its finger, ready to attack at any moment. (End of Chapter)