“Careful now!” Nina reached back to grab hold of Kerry, steadying the girl who almost slipped on the icey cliff face.

“Shinx!” This prompted Lynxie to yelp out in fright and bite at the hem of his trainer’s trousers as well. Looking super cute as he did.

Kerry muttered a silent thanks and plastered herself against the mountain, both hands shaking yet firmly grasped onto the thick piece of rope nailed against the rock face which served as a handhold of sorts for climbers going through the route.

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this…” Kerry murmured, voice full of regret.

Nina laughed sheepishly and eyed the precious cargo that Professor Oak had entrusted to her, currently strapped to the back of Nitey who was hovering in the air next to them. The Dragonite didn’t mind the Slugma’s pace that the two humans were crawling at. Nina’s partner understood her love of exploration more than anyone and he also found their struggles to be entertaining to watch as he occasionally snickered and jeered at them.

“It’ll be fine, Nitey will catch you if you fall.” Nina quipped, earning her a glare from Kerry.

If one were to exclude Flying and Surfing, there were effectively three ways that a person could go about crossing Mount Silver and go between Kanto and Johto. The first was the most common, which was through a highway and a tunnel that led straight to the other region. 

The second option was for someone who wanted a more scenic route through a newer hiking trail. Basically they would head up Route 23 to the Indigo Plateau on the mid-way point of Mount Silver, then back down again on the Johton side. This route was easier to navigate but they would miss out on the summit of the mountain.

And the last route, which was the one that Nina and Kerry were taking right now, was the original route. The one that their ancestors used to surmount Mount Silver in the olden days. It was basically a spider web of hiking trails etched all over the mountain, with some that even led into caverns and tunnels long abandoned. 

Nina would have loved to explore these abandoned spaces, but unfortunately, the trails leading towards them were also equally precarious, long neglected and almost crumbling. To date, only a handful of these hiking trails were in active use and occasionally maintained by the enthusiast mountain climbers that frequented the mountain. 

That said, the girls had encountered very few people along the way, since climbing a mountain at the tail end of winter wasn’t exactly the most pleasant experience.

“Oh well, maybe I’ll come back with Nitey some other time when Kerry isn’t tagging along.” Nina mused.

Nina huffed, mesmerized by her misty breath as she waited for the wind to settle before pulling herself forwards, being careful with the worn down piece of rope she was holding.

The path they were on was actually one of the better maintained ones, being that it led to an ancient inn nestled about two-thirds the way up the mountain — also serving as a waystation for any ambitious climbers looking to reach the summit. 

That said, accidents do happen. Especially under such extreme weather conditions. So it’s best not to place too much faith on such impermanent objects.

“DRAGOOO!!!”

As the two girls were steadily progressing through the precarious trail, Nitey roared and let loose an oppressive Dragon Breath to chase away a flock of Spearows and their leading Fearow. The existence of the latter was probably why they even dared to approach to begin with.

This was one of the many hazards of scaling Mount Silver. In fact, the League recommended that all climbers be equipped with at least one Flying Type and either a Rock or a Ground Type to deal with any emergent situations. They also recommended that climbers form teams instead of trying to go at it solo. The first point was strictly adhered to by the climbing community. The second point though, not so much.

And after another incident involving a Graveler blocking off their narrow path, Nina and Kerry made it to the precipice of the inn just as the sun was about to set.

“Wow…” Kerry awed, gasping at the scenic view before her; of vast lands below, dotted by the occasional lights of civilization amidst sea of trees, winding rivers, shimmering coastlines and a scarlet grey sky, adorned by the fading sun in the distance.

Nina grabbed hold of her friend’s gloved hand and gave it a little squeeze. “Not bad right? Makes the whole ordeal worth it all the more.” Nothing beats the catharsis of a hard earned sunset at the end of a difficult journey.

Kerry nodded. “Yeah, I get why you wanted to come here now…”

***

The inn itself was built into a recess in the mountain; a fairly small two storey construct that could be considered a traditional toji inn of sorts. There were no hot springs but there were heated baths that made use of the natural spring water flowing from the mountain’s pristine glaciers.

It was said that the inn’s baths had the magical effect of soothing aches and rejuvenating climbers. Though more than likely, it was just placebo. A hot bath, any hot bath, would do wonders to soothe one’s overworked physique.

“Good thing we don’t have many guests this time around, so feel free to grab one of them futons in the closet.” The man who was guiding Nina and Kerry was one of the trio of elderly innkeepers that maintained the place. 

It was honestly quite impressive for someone of such advanced age to be living in such extreme environments. But that was mostly out of necessity since they were lacking in successors. Hence why every guest who visited the place made sure to pull their weight and help out in any way they could.

“Would it be safe to leave our belongings unattended?” Nina asked, the skeptical side of her otherworldly origins rearing its ugly head.

The accommodations in the inn were gender segregated shared spaces. So the concern wasn’t entirely unwarranted. And if it weren’t for the fact that Nina was escorting such precious cargo, she probably wouldn’t have cared.

The elderly innkeeper laughed. “You may rest assured, the guests here tend to be honest folk. Though if it makes you feel better, you’re free to leave Pokemon behind to guard your belongings. So long as they aren’t too big of course. These rickety old floors can’t handle much strain.”

Nina thanked the old man and grabbed a futon before setting up by a corner and releasing Sir Clodington and Brucey to guard their stuff. The former couldn’t get into the baths due to his Poisonous nature and the latter disliked baths.

“Are you sure it’s okay to leave those two alone together?” Kerry asked as she followed suit with her own futon. Even the young Joy was well aware of the conflict between the pair.

Nina shrugged. “We’re not going too far so Espy will still be tethered to their minds.” If they misbehave in any way then the Espeon will chime in with a warning and a severe headache. Nina then turned towards the two trouble makers with a stern gaze. “Alright, you two. If you behave then I’ll give you extra treats for dinner later. Otherwise, I’ll have Gastly pull you into a nightmare tonight, understood?”

“Clood!” The stalwart knight cried out in affirmation, sounding a little offended by the insinuation that he would be anything but well-behaved. A fact that would be true, if it weren’t for who his partner was.

“Kukuku…” Brucey let out his usual laugh, eliciting a scowl from Sir Clodington and a sigh from Nina. 

“Yeah, this might be a bad idea.” The girl murmured.

“Cloood!”

“Gol! Kukuku…”

The two Pokemon were insistent though, eager to prove that they could be trusted. So Nina reluctantly left with Kerry to the baths, but not before another round of warnings. “Remember you two, Espy’s watching!” She exclaimed on her way out of the room.

***

The bath itself was carved into the rocky shell of the mountain, with a fairly rustic and noisy little boiler to the side responsible for heating the bath’s water. 

Nina was particularly enamored by the ancient machine, being careful to avoid touching its scalding hot surface as she examined every nook and cranny that was visible to her. It wasn’t until the girl started sneezing that she relented and entered the bath itself.

“Ahhh…” Nina moaned as she submerged her shoulders into the spacious stone bath. “Nothing like a hot bath after a long hike. Isn’t that right, Poppy?”

“Po-po!”

“Shinx!”

Poppy splashed around in the water as he wrestled with Lynxie, his new best friend. The Popplio was especially excited since it was the first time he’d ever been in such a large bath.

Nina chuckled and reached over to restrain the two precocious Pokemon. “Poppy, Lynxie… You guys can’t play around in the baths like that. It’s against the rules.”

“Po…”

“Shinx…”

The girl smiled and nuzzled against the mischievous duo, before turning to apologize to the other occupant of the bath; a rugged looking woman, covered in scars and built like a Machoke.

“Sorry… I should have gone over bathing etiquette with them before bringing them in here.”

The woman laughed. “Haha! No need to be so stiff. I’d rather it be a lil’ noisy than deal with an awkward silence. You girls looking to climb the peak?”

Nina nodded. “Yup! My name is Nina and this is Kerry. Are you looking to head that way as well?”

The woman gave a casual wave in denial. “I’m Valerie. And nah, I just came back from there. Figured I’d stay another night before heading back down tomorrow. Which route are you planning to take?”

Nina tilted her head in confusion. “There’re multiple routes?”

“Haha! Well depends on what you consider a route,” said Valerie. “You can use the stone steps and head up the shrine like the pilgrims. Or…” The woman made a climbing motion in the air. “If you’ve got the guts, then you can go up there the old fashioned way.” Apparently, there was a side of the mountain that was relatively safe and often used by hardcore mountaineers like Valerie.

Nina’s eyes sparkled as she looked towards Kerry, only to be shot down by a vehement shake of the head from the timid girl. “Aww…” Nina moaned, eliciting laughter from Valerie.

“Don’t worry, missy. Plenty of climbing to do on the main route too.” The woman chimed. “Make sure to bring rope with you, there’re some gaps that might be too much for your stubby lil’ legs.” Valerie then gestured towards Espy who was leisurely soaking in the water. “That Espeon of yours will come in real handy so make sure to use ‘em. Don’t be stubborn.”

Nina pouted. “My legs are not subby!” She exclaimed. In fact, she was taller than most other girls her age. “Anyways, any other advice?” She continued. “Like what can we expect on the summit and stuff?”

Valerie let out a mysterious smirk. “Well, that depends. How good of a Pokemon Trainer are you?”

Nina tilted her head in confusion and looked towards Kerry who just responded with a shrug. “I mean I just got my first Gym Badge not too long ago? Why?”

The woman stretched out her arms with a moan, fully accentuating her chiseled muscles and scarred complexion. It was said that each scar contained their own story and Nina couldn’t help but wonder what was Valerie’s.

“There’s someone up on the peak.” Valerie replied. “In fact, I rushed up the mountain the moment I heard wind of his presence. That and the fact that I was on vacation and was, coincidentally, already in the area anyway.”

The woman looked at Nina with a discerning gaze while assessing the Pokemon she had on display, which didn’t include Nitey since he was too big to fit in the baths — another downside of his Evolution. “If you’re not looking to test your mettle, then just declare your intentions right at the start and you won’t have any trouble getting through to the shrine.”

Nina frowned, trying to decipher the woman’s cryptic words. “Is this guy like a gatekeeper or something? Is he hostile?”

Valerie laughed at the girl’s words. “Oh no, not at all. I’m sure he’s a big softie once you get past the act. But don’t expect him to go easy on you, and make sure to pack loads of healing items. It’s dangerous to climb back down without any Pokemon.”

Nina looked towards Kerry who gave her a reassuring nod. Nina had only packed some basic medical supplies, Potions, Antidotes, status heals and so on, leaving any advanced healing supplies to the Apprentice Nurse. Meanwhile, Nina mostly filled her space with survival items, Pokemon training stuff and rations in order to optimize their luggage space.

“Yeah, kid or not, it must be nice to be travelling around with a Nurse Joy.” Valerie chimed, chuckling all the while. “Y’know, your family really ought to consider sending more of your girls over to the Ace Corp. We’re as rare as Eevees these days.”

Both Nina and Kerry jolted and looked towards Valerie with sparkling eyes. “Wait, are you an Ace Trainer?”

In response, the woman’s face shifted into a little smirk and a wink. “Heh. Meowth’s out of the bag. But word of advice, don’t just take my word for it. You should also ask to see any identification if someone claims to be an Ace. Believe it or not, there’s lots of imposters out there.”

Nina nodded. “Then can I see your ID? You might just be giving us that warning to get us to let our guard down.”

Valerie laughed. “Ha! That’s the spirit!” She then gestured towards her gloriously naked body. “But seriously, do I look like I have anything on me? I’ll show it to you afterwards.”

Nina nodded with a blush and a sheepish look on her face.

“But well, since we’re being honest here. Good job on being careful and not throwing your status around — Legacy kids always have too big of a head. And thanks for all the mess you made in Celadon too. Took a while to clean that up.” Valerie chuckled in a self-deprecating manner.

Nina froze. “Of course, if she’s an Ace Trainer then she probably has access to my profile. Question is, is her presence here truly a coincidence?”

“We’re not being followed are we?” The girl asked, after deciding to be candid about her doubts.

“Hah! As if! We don’t have nearly enough numbers to follow you kids around. But if you’re worried about Koga then don’t be.” Valerie’s tone suddenly shifted to take on a more somber note. “We’ve not found the bastard yet, but we still have a small team dedicated to hunting him down. And besides, Lady Sabrina said he doesn’t have much longer to live, so he might just be dead in a ditch somewhere for all we know.”

The woman then went on to assure Nina that she was indeed on vacation. “I like it up here, y’know? Especially in this season — I get to be all alone at the top of the world, take in the winds, empty my mind and just be at peace.” Valerie smiled in melancholy. “You’ll know what I mean, once you get up there. That is, if you’re not all riled up from the battle that is. Haha.”

Nina nodded, fully relating to the woman’s sentiment. It was one of the reasons why Miles always went off on solo trips in her past life. “So who is this guy you keep talking about and should I actually battle him?”

Valerie smirked once more. “That’s up to you. But from what I remember reading in your profile, I’ll say that he might appreciate a little spar with your team.”

Nina thanked the woman and decided to just shelve the matter. She would make a decision once she got to the top of Mount Silver.

***

Author's note:

Ch 218-Ch 223 with a Ch 222.5 in between. That was how many chapters I wrote over the past few nights. And these were mostly extra length chapters as well. I was on FIYAHHH!!!

It's good that whatever frenzy drove me to write GESTALT carried over to Into the Unown. Because now I have finally written (arguably) the most important arc of Part 3 and gotten that out of the way.

Although, my sleep schedule is now out the window. Hurray!!

Time to wind down a bit and write the next mini arc before things kick into gear again. Uma Musume time!

PS.