Pokémon: I have no choice but to do this old thing?

Sunlight pierced through the clouds, illuminating the boundless snowfield. Zhang Jianying trudged through the knee-deep snow, each breath sending up a cloud of rapidly condensing white mist.

The tattered cloth and hay were made into a simple winter coat, which barely wrapped him and the Ralts on his shoulders, but it was still difficult to completely ward off the all-pervasive chill.

Ralts, its azure hair streaked with tiny ice crystals, nestled close to Zhang Jianying's neck, drawing warmth from the meager comfort it offered to its trainer.

The test of survival was far more brutal than imagined. The pomelos they had stockpiled before setting off were long gone, and hunger, like a cold, icy hand, gripped Zhang Jianying's stomach tightly.

But the experience from his previous life still made his gaze like the most sophisticated radar, painstakingly searching for any possible signs of life in the monotonous white world.

"Ralu!"

The little creature on the shoulder suddenly stirred. It keenly sensed the trainer's anxiety and excitedly pointed its tiny fingers towards a clump of low bushes almost completely covered by thick snow.

A thought struck Zhang Jianying. He trudged forward and began to dig through the cold snow with his bare hands. The moment his fingertips touched the hard ice shell, a semi-transparent data frame quietly appeared in his vision:

【Orange Fruit】

[Status: Frozen (must be thawed before consumption)]

[Effect: Restores a small amount of stamina.]

A touch of hopeful orange, like ancient vitality sealed in amber, hangs quietly on the branch.

"Found it!" His hoarse voice was filled with barely suppressed joy. He tried to pick it, but the fruit was unusually firm due to the freezing temperature.

Ralts immediately understood, its crimson eyes narrowing slightly. Its invisible psychic power, like a sharp blade, accurately sliced ​​through the frozen ice. With a thought, several Orange Fruits fell lightly into Zhang Jianying's already red and frozen palm.

He tucked the fruit into his bosom, pressing it against his warmest chest, using his body heat to melt this gift of ice and snow. After a long while, he finally shared the slightly softened fruit with Ralts.

The tangy, slightly sweet juice slid down my throat. Although it wasn't enough to fill me up, the clear sensation was like a refreshing rain, temporarily quenching my thirst and nourishing our hearts that depended on each other.

As evening fell, they were fortunate enough to discover an abandoned burrow of a digging rabbit. Although the entrance was half-collapsed, it provided much-needed cover.

Zhang Jianying cleared away the remaining snow and pebbles inside the cave, while Ralts busily used its "psychic powers" to move appropriately sized snow blocks and rocks, clumsily but earnestly filling in the leaky gaps.

Neither side spoke, yet their collaboration was as natural as breathing.

As night fell, the temperature inside the cave plummeted. Zhang Jianying wanted to light a campfire, and he looked at Ralts, who understood his meaning.

So it tried to use "magic flames" on the prepared pile of firewood. It tried to concentrate, and a faint light appeared on the horn on its head. A cluster of "magic flames" flashed with a "poof", but it was extinguished after flickering like a candle in the wind.

A hint of frustration and exhaustion flashed across Ralts's small face. It was still too young, and the freezing cold and the weakness brought on by not having eaten for a long time made it unable to maintain its skills for long.

"It's okay, take your time," Zhang Jianying comforted gently, cupping its cold little hand in her palm and breathing on it. "Don't worry, I have other ways."

"Ralu..."

Zhang Jianying began to try to make fire by rubbing sticks together. Weakness and the severe cold made his fingers stiff, and no amount of experience could overcome the weakness in his body.

The rough wooden stick chafed his palms, and blood slowly slid down the stick, quickly becoming viscous in the cold air, while the tinder only emitted a few wisps of smoke.

Lalulas anxiously sensed all of this. It bypassed Zhang Jianying and took out a fruit that looked like a green pine cone that it had found during the day from their meager baggage, and tried its best to hand it to Zhang Jianying.

Limousin

Status: Normal

[Effects: After consumption, it can dispel cold, heal and prevent frostbite.]

Without hesitation, Zhang Jianying took a bite and handed the rest of the fruit to Ralts.

A pungent, burning warmth, like a mountain stream thawing in early spring, surged from my throat to my whole body, dispelling the chill that had almost frozen my blood, and my stiff fingers regained feeling.

At the same time, Ralts, having eaten the berry, had a faint glow on its horn, and a tiny but tenacious spark of "magical flame" landed precisely on the hay.

"call--"

The orange flames finally rose, and the flickering light dispelled the darkness, illuminating two relieved faces.

The warmth of the campfire and the lingering heat of the limu fruit mingled within him. Zhang Jianying gently pulled Ralts to his side and stroked its sky-blue hair with his newly warmed hands.

"Thank you, my partner."

Ralts didn't say anything, but simply leaned closer to him, her crimson eyes reflecting the flickering firelight, warm and peaceful.

In this snow-covered forest, they were not alone. They had helped a snow-eating insect that had become separated from its kind, melting the ice prison that bound it with their body heat and "magical flames".

I once encountered a sneezing bear whose front paws were scratched by ice shards. At that time, Ralts gently tugged at its collar, its crimson eyes full of pleading.

The boy sighed. Their own situation was already precarious, so how could they have the energy to help others? But seeing the helpless look on the sneezing bear, he still slowly approached.

"Don't be afraid, we won't hurt you."

Sneeze Bear cautiously backed away, but eventually stopped after being persuaded by Ralts.

The boy crushed the Peach Blossom he found and applied it to the wound, then used the little cloth he had to disinfect and bandage it. Ralts, meanwhile, used her ethereal "Enchanting Voice" to soothe the creature's unease.

As the days went by, mutual assistance with the snow creatures became the norm. Each time a helping hand was extended, the reward might only be a few oranges, a handful of clean snow, or a friendly nuzzle from the other party. But the kindness they conveyed to each other wove an invisible net in this icy world, supporting them on their journey.

With each act of kindness, their bond deepened, Ralts's psychic abilities became more refined, and her skills grew increasingly proficient.

It could even materialize past events using telekinesis. When Zhang Jianying saw this, he stared in disbelief. He wasn't from this world and didn't know what psychic-type Pokémon could do, but based on information he had gathered from his previous life, no Pokémon could do such a thing.

Ralts, its eyes crinkling with excitement, fiddled with its Psychic Image, proudly showing it off to its trainer.

Zhang Jianying excitedly squatted down and stroked its mane: "Great job! My partner, you're amazing! I think I've accidentally picked up an incredible little guy. From now on, my safety is in your hands!"

"Ralts!" Ralts adopted a reliable, bossy stance, patting her chest with her little hand as if to say, "I've got your back!"

"Haha, let's go, Ralts, let's set off."

"Ralu!"

However, trials always come unexpectedly. The weather in the snowy realm is unpredictable. One seemingly peaceful evening, they walked through the canyon, searching for food beside a stream that was not yet frozen.

Suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed from the mountaintop. An ominous premonition, like a cold, venomous snake, instantly crawled up Zhang Jianying's spine. His heart pounded, and the scenes he had just witnessed flashed through his mind like a series of images.

The mountaintop, the valley, the snow, the stillness, and the fluctuating temperatures all foreshadowed a terrifying scene—an avalanche!

Fear, like a death warrant, drove him to act before he could think. He grabbed Ralts, who was sensing his trainer's anxiety, and ran headlong toward the canyon exit without looking back.

"Damn it, I didn't even have time to get the Poké Ball out!"

Ralts nestled in her trainer's arms, the sound of Zhang Jianying's heavy breathing filling her ears. Looking up, she saw the boy's face contorted with a ferocious anxiety...

A sudden image flashed through Ralts' mind: the snow line, like a colossal white beast bringing death, roared and devoured everything in its path, including the trainer it was determined to protect. As a Psychic-type Pokémon, it could barely levitate to avoid it, but what about its trainer?

"Raru..." (No, no! It just promised to protect its trainer, it just said it would look after him.) Zhang Jianying, who was running wildly, did not notice the bright light shining from the crimson eyes of the small figure in his arms.

In just a few breaths, visibility plummeted to almost nothing, and the howling wind whipped up ice pellets that lashed at their faces like knives. Zhang Jianying instinctively pulled Ralts into his arms, wrapping it tightly around himself, curling up to brace his back against the fury of the wind and snow.

"Hold on! Find a chance to hide inside the ball..." His shouts were torn apart by the raging wind. Just as a wave of snow was about to engulf them, Ralts in his arms erupted with an unprecedented psychic light!

"Instant teleportation!"

The dizziness from the spatial distortion brought on a violent nausea. Zhang Jianying felt as if his body was being torn apart and thrown by an invisible force.

The deafening roar had faded into the distance, and the next moment they landed in a sheltered rock hollow dozens of meters away. Outside, the wind and snow continued to howl, but this small patch of land had become Noah's Ark. The ravine they had just been in was now submerged by the roaring snow.

"Raru..." A faint groan came from beside me.

He turned around abruptly and found Ralts lying limply in the snow, its sky-blue hair somewhat dulled, its breath faint and its body weak. This extremely long-distance, far-overloaded "teleportation" had almost exhausted all of its mental and physical energy.

"Ralts!"

Zhang Jianying's heart felt like it was being squeezed tightly. He rushed over and carefully hugged the small, cold body into his arms, pressing his still warm chest against it.

"Hang in there... It's alright, we're alright..." The voice trembled.

Without hesitation, he took out the last treasured Limousine and held it to Ralts's lips. "Quick, eat it, it can save you..."

Ralts weakly opened its eyes, its crimson pupils losing their usual luster, yet still clearly reflecting his worry. It shook its head very slightly, and with its last bit of strength, pushed the berry toward him.

You need more...

Without a word, Zhang Jianying understood its persistence.

In the end, this fruit, symbolizing life and death together, was shared between a man and his pet in the silent twilight on the high ground after the catastrophe. The spicy warmth, when tasted now, carried a sweetness called "bond" that brought tears to one's eyes.

Night slowly fell, and the temperature continued to drop. To make matters worse, the Ralts in his arms was ice-cold, but its forehead was burning hot. He wasn't sure if the Poké Ball could keep Ralts alive through the night, and he was even more worried that it would silently leave inside the Poké Ball.

After tightly wrapping the weakened Ralts in dry grass and rags, he stepped out of the ditch to search for firewood. Fortunately, there were still a few dead trees hidden by boulders. Ignoring the warnings his body was sending, he raced against time to gather branches and kindling, his mind filled with only one thought: "I must save it."

He rushed back to the crater and, with all his might, lit a small, hopeful fire. He carefully carried Ralts out, and as he looked at her once lustrous hair now dull, his heart sank.

Carefully place it by the campfire, melt the snow with the last of the clean cloth, drape it over Ralts' forehead, and make a simple sleeping bag out of scraps of cloth and hay so that it can get a better rest.

Listening to Ralts's gradually calming breathing and her relaxed expression, Zhang Jianying finally breathed a sigh of relief. He held Ralts close and drifted off to sleep…

The snowstorm will eventually stop, and the night will eventually pass.

As the first rays of dawn fell upon the once-silent snowfield, Ralts in my arms stirred slightly.

It opened its eyes, and although it was still tired, a glimmer of light had rekindled in its crimson eyes.

Zhang Jianying had already woken up, gently stroking its hair, her eyes filled with the relief of surviving a disaster, and a tenderness as firm as a rock. Last night, they faced death together; now, the rising sun crowns them.

As they embarked on their journey once more, several special "farewell companions" quietly appeared—the snow worm that had been rescued brought several treasured orange fruits, and the recovered sneezing bear stood at a distance, emitting a low, farewell-like whimper.

There were no elaborate rituals, only the most genuine gratitude of the snow-covered creatures.

Zhang Jianying accepted the gift and bid a solemn farewell. He lifted the slightly recovered Ralts onto his shoulder once more. The little guy's weight and the comfort of his embrace were all he had at that moment, and all the courage he had to continue his journey in this foreign land.

Golden sunlight draped the pristine snowfield in a shimmering veil. The boy and his spirit, treading on the white snow, appeared small in the vast expanse of heaven and earth, yet their unwavering bond made them incredibly steadfast.

Just as he was about to leave the edge of the forest, Zhang Jianying suddenly stopped.

He keenly noticed a striking mark on the snow—it was definitely not a Pokémon footprint, but a clear imprint left by a human boot, winding its way towards the unknown distance beyond the forest…