The little Eevee was still digging away in the same spot.
After what felt like an eternity, it finally managed to clear the snow, revealing the hard ground underneath. Eevee noticed that Allen and Cynthia were still digging, so it let out a tiny "Vee!" But they didn't hear it.
Undeterred, Eevee stomped its little paws around, trying to dig harder. But the ground, frozen solid by the snow, was tough. Eevee, though, was determined.
With all its little might, it kept digging, pushing through the soil bit by bit. But as it dug, its tiny paws slipped, and suddenly, it fell into a hole that had appeared out of nowhere. The hole led to a small gap, and Eevee, curious as ever, stretched its short neck to look into the unknown.
Still, it didn't dare to explore it further. 'Better tell them,' Eevee probably thought to itself, but just as it was about to turn back, snow debris fell from the right side, making a soft sound.
"Vee?" Eevee was startled, jumping backward in shock. But before it could react, the hole shifted slightly, and another small hole appeared right in front of it.
"Vee!" Eevee cried out, its eyes wide with alarm as it scrambled to its paws, knowing it needed to alert the others.
"Vee!"
"..."
"Vee!!"
"..."
"Vee!!!"
"Vee!" Eevee cried out a few times, but Cynthia and Allen were still too busy to pay attention.
Feeling a little annoyed, Eevee then saw its chance. Both were distracted, and Cynthia was digging with her little butt sticking out, completely unaware of the tiny Pokémon. Eevee took a few steps back, lowered its head, and got ready for action.
Eevee charged—
And then, with all its might, it tackled Cynthia's little butt!
Cynthia, completely unaware, plunged face-first into the snow. When she pulled her head out, she blinked and looked up to see the culprit.
"Eevee!" Cynthia was furious, but her anger faded when she noticed the hole behind Eevee. "What is this?"
Allen, hearing Cynthia, followed her gaze and was equally shocked.
The hole seemed to have been hidden in the cracks of the stone and was usually covered up by snow.
The gap was in a strange position, probably only big enough for both of them to fit through.
The gap was relatively deep, but the most important moment came when both of them moved closer. A faint sound echoed, and when they both heard it clearly...
"Llen!"
"Thia——!"
"Hear us?"
"Allen, that voice—" Cynthia said excitedly as she quickly stepped forward, wanting to look into the hole.
But Allen grabbed her hand. "Better wait for Grandma Wilma to check." he said it first.
At this moment, the people outside had already been digging for an hour.
Professor Carolina had never stopped shouting Allen and Cynthia's names. By now, her voice was hoarse.
"Allen!"
"Cynthia!"
When Grandma Wilma perked her ears near the hole, her eyes lit up with hope.
"Cynthia, that's probably your grandma.."
"Really?" Cynthia's face brightened with joy. She immediately imitated Grandma Wilma, perking up her ears to listen.
This time, the voices became clearer, and Cynthia could definitely recognize the warm yet concerned tone of her grandmother.
She didn't hesitate. "Grandma! Grandma!" Cynthia shouted with all her might.
Allen could only shake his head helplessly at her excitement. He reached out, pulling Cynthia back and forcibly prying off Chingling, who was still cosplaying as a bell on her head.
DING~DING~DING
Chingling furiously shook its bell-like body, refusing to let go of Cynthia.
Allen frowned. "Do you want Cynthia to stay trapped here forever? How can you protect her if you won't help?"
With that scolding, Chingling hesitated before reluctantly levitating toward Allen.
Allen quickly thought about what moves Chingling could use to alert the people outside.
Right now, they could hear the voices from the outside, but he wasn't sure if those outside could hear them clearly. Their best bet was Chingling.
'Uproar? Definitely not. Hmmm… probably…' Allen thought before instructing, "Alright, Ching, use Growl!"
Chingling hesitated for a moment, looking toward Cynthia. Seeing her nod, it finally obeyed.
A loud, piercing shriek echoed through the cave, distorting the air around them.
[...The user growls in an endearing way, making the opposing team less wary. The foes' Attack stats are lowered...]
Unlike Uproar, Growl was a status move, meaning it didn't contain an actual attack. It was much safer than Uproar, which could accidentally trigger another avalanche.
Cynthia's shout was lost in the howling snowstorm, drowned out by the fierce winds. But Chingling's Growl was different.
Even though it was faint, Professor Carolina immediately recognized the familiar sound of her own Pokémon.
'She's really here!' Relief washed over Professor Carolina, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
The others also caught the distant, bell-like chime.
"That's my Chingling! Everyone, they're here!" Grandma Wilma exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement.
A surge of determination spread through the group.
"Allen, don't be afraid! Grandpa is here! Grandpa is here to bring you home!" Grandpa Drayton called out, repeating his words like a lifeline.
Cynthia cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted back. "Grandpa—!"
The sound of her small voice so close sent a jolt through the rescue team.
Without hesitation, they dropped their tools and began digging frantically with their bare hands. The children were near—too near. They couldn't risk injuring them with shovels.
"There's no need," Officer Jenny finally spoke, taking control.
She reached for her Pokébelt, selected a Pokéball, and threw it into the air. In a flash of light, a majestic Arcanine appeared.
"Awooooooo—" Arcanine let out a deep, earth-shaking howl… then smacked its lips, yawned, and stretched like it had just woken up from the best nap of its life.
Its golden mane fluffed up as it lazily shook its head, blinking groggily at its own trainer. It let out another half-hearted "Awoo…?" as if to say, 'Why did you wake me up for this?'
But then—wait. Hold on.
It wasn't just its trainer staring at it. A whole crowd of people was watching.
Arcanine froze. Its sleepy eyes widened.
Oh no. It had been caught looking uncool.
In a panic, it quickly puffed out its chest, straightened its posture, and let out a dramatic, fiery snort—a tiny flicker of flames escaping its mouth like a hurried cover-up.
Yes. That's right. It had meant to do that all along. Totally majestic. No one saw anything.
Officer Jenny sighed but went along with it. She pointed at the wall of snow ahead and commanded, "Arcanine, use Flame Wheel and guide us!"
"Awooooooo—" Arcanine howled in response before its entire body became enveloped in swirling flames.
With slow, deliberate steps, it moved forward, the intense heat melting the thick snow little by little, clearing a safe path as everyone followed closely behind.
Soon, everyone saw it—the hole hidden within the cracks of the stone, previously concealed by snow.
Without hesitation, they released their Slugma once again, and the temperature around them quickly rose.
The gathered Slugma clustered together at a single point, radiating comforting heat.
"Grrrrr..." Arcanine, who had been enduring the icy winds on its mane, groaned in pure bliss.
It was just like how people blast the AC at full power, then immediately burrito themselves in a blanket. Seriously, why not just turn off the AC?
Feeling the warmth seep into its fur, it let out a satisfied sigh before flopping onto the ground with a heavy thud, stretching out its legs and resting its head on its paws like a giant, toasty loaf of fur.