[You waved goodbye to Tim, his words about wanting to resign still echoing in your mind]

Tim’s words weren’t exactly earth-shattering, but they seemed to have pointed the dancer in a new direction.

So much so that she was immersed in them even while on the road, nearly rolling down a long slope, thanks to her agile Frosmoth.

After a long climb, the dancer finally found the Frosty Mountain Gym.

The building, isolated from the town and perpetually covered in white snow, seemed quite lonely. But upon entering, the soft warm light and pleasant temperature instantly changed the atmosphere.

[You inexplicably felt a sense of peace]

The Gym Leader, Gulu Xia, a boy with a particularly well-dressed and delicate appearance, initially made Baimu think he was a girl based on his pixel character artwork.

The dancer seemed to have made the same mistake.

[You feel exceptionally apologetic for mistaking the other person’s gender]

In the Pokémon World, there always seem to be one or two characters who are drawn as female but are actually male.

After registering, the Frosty Mountain Gym tested the dancer by asking her to [ski according to a designated route]. Baimu discovered through online searches that Gulu Xia was once a professional snowboarder who had won many awards.

But later, he had to retire due to a serious injury.

Does having Gym challengers ski serve as a way for Gulu Xia to reminisce?

The reason is unknown.

For the dancer, skiing basics were not particularly challenging.

Her strong physical flexibility and balance allowed her to grasp basic skiing techniques successfully after just one fall, passing the test smoothly.

Even Gulu Xia, who couldn’t stop talking about coldness, praised her despite his trembling words.

The official battle began.

The dancer had long heard that Gulu Xia was the strongest among all the Gym Leaders, so she prepared as much as possible, including but not limited to researching the Pokémon Gulu Xia specialized in.

[You felt very relieved that the battlefield was dry enough and that it didn’t snow today]

Without any Ice-type Pokémon on the team, the snowy Frosty Mountain would inflict all sorts of debuffs on the challenger’s Pokémon.

Nevertheless, the dancer and her Pokémon still suffered under Gulu Xia’s challenge.

First, Frosmoth brought [Snowscape], combined with [Aurora Curtain], which made it unexpectedly tough compared to its usual fragility.

Additionally, the massive Beartic became elusive due to its [Snow Concealment] trait, causing confusion for the dancer and Quaquaval, not to mention it was even more resilient than Frosmoth.

After finally defeating it, an even tougher Cetitan appeared.

[Thick Fat] trait plus increased Physical Defense from the [snowy] weather, combined with [Aurora Curtain]’s halving of dual attack power...

It was simply a monster!

The Fire Attribute [Awakening Dance] of Oricorio felt like mere itching, and eventually, the dancer had to resort to Volcarona’s trump card [Butterfly Dance] plus [Fire Dance] to unleash the Fire God Dance.

Countless phantom "fire people" charged at Cetitan with unique steps and poses, reflecting the images of the dancer and Pokémon like Quaquaval.

The special effects reached the pinnacle of pixel artistry.

Undoubtedly, this was Volcarona’s "Ultimate Move", devised after long observations of the dancer and Quaquaval, then materialized into flames.

"Amazing," Baimu gasped.

This move was undoubtedly similar to Ash Ketchum’s [Counterattack Shield], representing a pioneering use of a special move, relying on the Pokémon’s mastery and the rapport cultivated with the Trainer.

According to Dr. Kukui, this was the result of the Pokémon and Trainer’s minds becoming one.

The Gym Battle was reaching its climax.

Gulu Xia’s final Pokémon was Altaria, which became Ice-type after a Great Crystal Transformation, engaging in a fierce battle with the Water Attribute-transformed Quaquaval.

Fortunately, the snowy weather and Aurora Curtain eventually ceased.

This eased the immense pressure on the dancer and Quaquaval, allowing them to explode with full force, managing to take down the Ice Attribute Altaria with swift and fierce Close Combat.

Brother Ya never disappoints.

[You defeated Frosty Mountain Gym Leader Gulu Xia and received the Frost Mountain Badge]

With the seventh badge in hand, the dancer felt completely relaxed.

The two Gyms on Frosty Mountain undoubtedly put a lot of pressure on her, prompting her to return to school midway to grow.

[You joyfully hugged Quaquaval, feeling an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and excitement]

The dancer never imagined she could make it this far.

If not for Quaquaval, Oricorio, and all her experiences and the people she met, perhaps she would still be stuck in the resentment of being unable to defy her family’s arrangements.

This journey of traveling with Pokémon, earning invaluable experiences along the way, was a treasure she couldn’t give up.

’Treasure hunting’.

She gradually understood the significance of this extracurricular activity—it didn’t have to be an item or a specific event; what mattered was "what you gained".

The dancer, newly enlightened, seemed to have reached a state of transcendence.

[You left the Frosty Mountain Gym, heading to North District Three]

The dancer hadn’t forgotten about someone she must meet—

Melok.

Descending along the snow slope north of Frosty Mountain.

The dancer was finally able to encounter wild classmates again. Frosty Mountain’s harsh environment meant that unless one was challenging the Gym or living in Montenevera Town, few would venture up.

The habit led her to start gathering intelligence related to the Celestial Star Team.