The "Totems" of Mt. Silver

Heiduo wasted no time. After hurriedly finishing his morning training, he ate dry rations as he headed toward Mt. Silver.

Through Umbreon's "hard work," its [Minimize] could now maintain the size it had as an Eevee for three hours. It was rare for this guy to willingly practice moves on its own while Heiduo was away from home.

But for now, like Red's Espeon, it could only either rest its front paws on Heiduo's right shoulder and its hind paws on his left shoulder like a scarf, or place its front paws on his shoulder or head while bracing its hind paws against his backpack.

Both positions made it numb after crouching for too long, so Umbreon usually alternated between them.

"So quiet."

Umbreon looked at Mt. Silver in the distance, its peak invisible as it towered into the clouds. Different clouds hung at different heights; the lowest were only a thousand meters up, while the highest could reach over ten thousand meters.

And as one of the tallest mountains on the continent connecting Johto—ah, no, Sinnoh, Johto, and Kanto—standing nearly four thousand meters high, Mt. Silver was wrapped in countless clouds.

Heiduo raised his head and imagined standing atop its summit. Would he be able to overlook the entire continent from there?

Mt. Silver in winter was not actually much different from the forests outside.

Silent, peaceful, and deserted.

Few wild Pokémon wandered through these bare trees. There was no food, and the weather was freezing. Unless they were Ice types, who would want to loiter around here?

After walking for a little over half an hour.

The Pokémon Heiduo saw most often were Spearow, huddled in nests made from thin branches inside tree hollows on either side. They watched him warily but did not attack.

Did those two