As the Blizzard faded, peace returned to the world...
The seawater receded from Shamouti Island, revealing land before us once more. Yet none of the island's buildings had escaped the sea's devouring waves.
"There's nothing but bare land left here. Have you decided to stay, Melody?" I looked around at the endless wasteland.
"Our ancestors put down roots here, and our people have a mission of our own. We'll rebuild this place with our own hands," Melody told the other islanders.
"I wonder where Articuno flew off to..." I gazed out over the boundless sea, lost in thought.
"Ash, where did you meet Articuno?" Melody suddenly looked at me in earnest.
"At the Seafoam Islands! Actually, there's something I've been wondering about..."
"You're wondering why the Ice God was at the Seafoam Islands instead of Ice Island, and why the Ice Orb was there too, right?"
"Exactly!"
"Actually, this Articuno isn't the one you met ten years ago."
"What?!"
"The Articuno from ten years ago passed away. I don't know the exact reason."
"But don't Legendary Pokémon have unlimited lifespans?" I recalled what the elder of the Seafoam Islands had told me.
"Yes, they do, but only under natural living conditions. They can still get hurt, and they can still die from their injuries."
"Then did the Articuno from ten years ago die from severe injuries?"
"Perhaps. You know there's more than one Articuno in the world, but only one Ice God, right?"
"Yes, I heard about that at the Seafoam Islands."
"When the Articuno serving as the Ice God dies, its treasure, the Ice Orb, automatically seeks out another Articuno to inherit the position. That means the Ice Orb chose the Articuno from the Seafoam Islands."
"But the elder said they'd protected Articuno for generations."
"That doesn't contradict anything!