From the spot where she had built her snowman, anyone at the entrance was backlit.
Lucario's figure was also close to a human's. With a little concealment, anyone who didn't look closely would have trouble telling whether she was a person or a Pokémon.
Clearly, the person who had kicked the snowman knew he was in the wrong. Seeing someone come out holding a shovel, he ran off in a series of quick hops without even looking back.
If it had been an adult, he wouldn't really have been afraid. Adults generally showed some restraint when getting physical.
The problem was that Lucario was about the height of a half-grown child. Kids that age had no sense of restraint and really would swing at someone.
Lucario didn't chase him. She just picked up the ice pillar she had made and built another snowman.
This time, she also sprinkled some water on the ground. Once some time had passed and the ice pillar had frozen firmly into place, anyone who came back for another defiant kick would be in for a nasty surprise.
Lucario's stakeout had achieved some modest success, and Corvisquire returned to the roof after making a long circuit.
Xin Mu got up and went to the kitchen to prepare some food. Meownei was tidying the house, while Squirtle was still asleep.
"Meow. (He's been sleeping more and more since it got cold. He's not actually hibernating, is he?)"
"He couldn't hibernate at this indoor temperature. He's just refusing to get out of bed. There's nothing much to do anyway, so let him sleep a little longer."
"Meow. (All right. Once he's up, I'll take him for extra training to make up for the time he slept through.)"
Meownei rubbed his hands together and planned the next stage of