An Embrace and the Ice Empress's Careful Guidance

Chi Hong looked at Charizard sprawled on the floor, snoring away, and fell silent for a moment.

His plan had fallen through.

Professor Oak had sent a message. Charizard only needed to swallow one Source of Life to reach the ten-thousand-year level, but digesting it would take a long sleep.

During that time, the Source of Life would transform and enhance the bloodline inside it.

Only then could Charizard withstand the power of Mega Evolution.

Chi Hong put the Key Stone and Charizard's Mega Stone X into his backpack, then returned Charizard to his Poké Ball so he could sleep undisturbed.

"Greninja, Lucario, we don't know when Charizard will wake up. The next battles are up to the three of us."

Chi Hong turned to them as he spoke.

Greninja gave a slight nod, maintaining his cool composure.

Lucario pumped a fist in confident agreement.

The Ice Empress lay on the hotel's large bed, one slender, pale leg raised. She said evenly:

"If you really can't manage, you can ask me to come out and help you once. It wouldn't be a big deal."

Chi Hong patted Lucario's head.

"Don't worry. I believe in my two partners. Besides, I have a strategy."

That strategy, of course, was to forget all the fancy tricks and stack Swords Dance. If he stacked it enough times, he could knock out any opponent in one hit.

For some reason, the Ice Empress sounded displeased. She gave a huff.

"It's a good thing Charizard is asleep. I've figured out how to help your Greninja master Ultimate Ice."

"Really? How?"

Chi Hong raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

The Ice Empress spoke softly.

"Greninja's understanding of ice has gradually deepened, but he still hasn't truly felt Ultimate Ice. It'll be hard for him to master it. And you're the key to that."

Chi Hong pointed at himself.

"Me?"

The Ice Empress nodded.

"That's right. You need to serve as a conduit so Greninja can feel Ultimate Ice, and you need to fight alongside him to deepen your bond."

"That will also fire Greninja up. Right now, he's a little too calm. He doesn't have enough killer instinct."

Chi Hong and Greninja looked at each other.

"You're right. Greninja and I have never really fought together. Just thinking about it gets me excited."

A spark of fighting spirit lit in both their eyes as they looked forward to the next battle.

"But does that mean you'll let me draw on your Soul Power?"

Chi Hong turned to ask her.

The Ice Empress wrinkled her delicate nose.

"Idiot. Of course not. I told you that would set back my cultivation. We'll do it the way you usually help me cultivate, except this time I'll transfer Ultimate Ice Soul Power to you."

Chi Hong realized what she meant.

"Dual cultivation, then? No problem."

The Ice Empress gritted her teeth and glanced at the two Pokémon.

"Put those two away first."

Greninja and Lucario stared with wide, innocent eyes as Chi Hong mercilessly returned them to their Poké Balls.

"Let's do it."

Chi Hong approached the bed, about to climb onto it and sit cross-legged as he usually did when they cultivated.

The Ice Empress hugged her arms to herself, suddenly flustered.

"W-what are you doing?!"

Chi Hong asked, puzzled.

"What's wrong now? Isn't this how we always do it?"

The Ice Empress paused. Her voice grew quieter.

"If I'm transferring power to you, touching palms won't be enough. We need closer contact."

Chi Hong tilted his head and hesitated for a moment.

"Contact? What kind of contact?"

"Hmph. Idiot. A hug, obviously."

The Ice Empress turned her head away, not daring to look at Chi Hong's expression.

Chi Hong found it amusing. The Ice Empress was usually so proud and aloof. Seeing her like this was rare.

Chi Hong smiled and opened his arms without hesitation.

"All right, we'll do it your way. Come here."

She felt Chi Hong's body draw near, along with the warmth radiating from him.

The Ice Empress gritted her teeth.

"Idiot, I'm not ready yet! You should be grateful enough that I signed a contract with an idiot trainer like you and have worked so hard to make your Soul Beasts stronger."

She kept grumbling and complaining, but her arms told a different story. She obediently opened them, her delicate cheeks flushed pink.

For all her complaints, the moment Chi Hong embraced her, she fell silent and buried her face against his chest, too shy to look up.

Surrounded by the unfamiliar closeness of a human, her head grew hazy. She seemed to forget what she was supposed to do.

Chi Hong quietly took in the sensation too.

The Ice Empress was so small he could hold her snugly with one arm, though her whole body felt cold.

But as time passed,

Chi Hong discovered firsthand just how much a Soul Beast's body temperature could rise.

He gently stroked the Ice Empress's glossy green hair, feeling rather pleased.

After all, on an ordinary day,

Greninja's skin was damp and sticky, Charizard's was rough and hot, and while Lucario felt the nicest to pet, he left Chi Hong smelling like a dog.

Not one of them made a decent pet.

The Ice Empress was entirely different. She felt wonderful, and she smelled lovely too.

"Ahem. Bingbing, when can you start?"

Chi Hong pulled his wandering thoughts back and forced himself to ask calmly.

His voice brought the Ice Empress back to her senses. She froze, then buried her face even deeper, her arms tightening without her noticing.

Crack—

Chi Hong's eyes went wide. He felt an inexplicable sense of relief in his lumbar vertebrae, as if he couldn't feel them at all for a moment.

"Ice Empress! That was deliberate!"

Chi Hong grimaced in pain.

The young woman in his arms was no helpless girl. Her true form was a four-hundred-thousand-year-old Ferocious Beast!

If she had used even a little more force, he would have been done for. Only Chi Hong's superhuman Pallet Town constitution had saved him.

The Ice Empress loosened her grip but still refused to look up. She forced her voice to sound cold.

"Sorry. I... I'll help you cultivate now."

Phew—

Chi Hong breathed a sigh of relief. A four-hundred-thousand-year-old Ferocious Beast really was more than an ordinary person could handle.

She was fierce!

Their conversation ended.

The two gradually immersed themselves in the transfer of power.

The Ice Empress calmed her mind and slowly channeled the Ultimate Ice she controlled into Chi Hong's body.

She was nothing like Chi Hong, who could only crudely draw on the Plate's power.

The ice she wielded was both precise and powerful.

She used every wisp of frost to perfection, wasting not a trace of power.

Chi Hong focused on the sensation.

His mind gradually began to merge with hers.

It was a strange feeling, as though their souls were tightly linked and could not be separated.

Step by step, the Ice Empress guided Chi Hong through feeling and wielding Ultimate Ice, like a careful, dedicated teacher.

Chi Hong learned with an open mind.

At the same time, he understood why she couldn't teach Greninja directly. Only the contract between her and Chi Hong made such a deep mental connection possible.

He wouldn't be able to guide Greninja the way the Ice Empress guided him.

But the connection they shared in battle would surely let Greninja grasp the Ultimate Ice within Chi Hong.