Pokemon: Radical Redux
Chapter 384: Pryce Ice Master

Chapter 384: Pryce Ice Master

As the Director groaned on the floor, slowly trying to right himself like a turtle on its back, Misty stepped carefully closer to the edge of the ice, arms crossed, "Okay, so... we’re assuming this entire floor is just one big accident waiting to happen?"

"I’d say deathtrap," Mary muttered. "But sure, let’s go with ’accident.’"

Ash knelt near the edge of the ice and tapped it lightly with his knuckles. "It’s not cracking... but it’s ridiculously smooth. There’s no friction."

"No rails either," Brock added grimly, pushing his hand against the wall.

Whitney poured some Moomoo Milk into a thermos and handed it to Vee. He hugged it, warming it up with his Flareon heat, then gave it back to her and handed the warmed one over to Mary.

Mary took it with trembling fingers and whispered, "Bless you."

Then came a sound. A door at the end of the hall cracked open, followed by the distinct slapping of stomachs on ice.

From the door, two Seel came sliding in, belly-slapping the ice. Behind them was an old man in a blue jacket with a scarf loosely wrapped around his shoulders. He wasn’t walking with a cane, he was in a wheelchair, looking around with concern. It was Pryce.

"Aha! I thought I heard screaming... I must say, that floor gives visitors a world of trouble. You should be proud of yourselves for finding a way down here at all," Pryce said, glancing over everyone.

The chairman stood up from the ice in shock. "Wait, you’re Pryce?!"

"Eh?" Whitney blinked at him, glancing between the two rapidly. Then she flinched back in disbelief. "You mean this shriveled little mummy is a Gym Leader? No way!"

Mary felt a sweatdrop roll down her head. "Hehe, Whitney, will you shut up..." she mumbled.

"I’m the Director of the Pokémon Association. Please accept my apology for bursting in unannounced," the chairman said, stepping forward and bowing.

Pryce waved his hand dismissively. "Tsk. I’m honored someone went through all the trouble."

"But why all the security?" the Director asked, crossing his arms.

Pryce rubbed his cheek. "Yes, well... we seniors tend to be cautious. Even elderly Gym Leaders. I wouldn’t want any hostile intruders on the premises."

Whitney leaned over to Ash and Mary and mumbled, "Like anybody would bother."

Pryce rolled his wheelchair forward and beckoned them. "But please, follow me! I’ll tell you more over a cup of tea."

The group exchanged glances, then quietly trailed behind as Pryce rolled ahead, the two Seel playfully sliding alongside him like they were butlers.

As they walked, they entered a side room where ice sculptures lined the walls, each one shaped like a different Pokémon. At the end stood a massive sculpture of Suicune.

"Whoa..." Yellow whispered, awe spreading over her face. "This place is beautiful."

"Is he some kind of professional ice sculptor?" Mary asked, looking at a chiseled block of ice with tools lying nearby.

Whitney rubbed her chin as she examined a sculpture of a Chansey. "He won’t gain any fame or fortune if he never leaves this Gym."

"Maybe he just doesn’t want that," Brock said. "I remember when I was younger, my father used to carve rocks. But he never sold them or even showed them off to anyone. I imagine since Pryce lives all the way out here, he probably doesn’t want fame."

Pryce rolled over and poured tea into several cups. "You pretty much hit the mark. Why would I need fame when I have everything I need right here? I can sculpt my ice, and I have my Pokémon to keep me company."

Pryce poured with surprising steadiness, steam curling from the delicate cups as he set them one by one on a tray. The Seel helped, one balancing sugar cubes on its nose, the other sliding around offering napkins like a sommelier on flippers.

Ash took a cup with a nod, his eyes flicking around the room before settling on Pryce for a moment as he took a slow sip.

"Hm. Good tea."

"It’s snowberry tea," Pryce explained, his eyes locking with Ash’s. "Good for circulation and calming nerves. You young folks seem like you’ve had quite the day."

"More like quite the week," Misty muttered into her cup.

"Hmm, I see," Pryce said as one of his Swinub crawled over and jumped into his lap. "So, may I ask now, what do I owe the visit to, exactly?"

"Oh, right!" Mary said, snapping to attention. "We wanted to ask you some questions about... the stuff concerning the Legendary Beasts."

Whitney huffed and leaned back, hands behind her head. "I bet he doesn’t know anything. I mean, he’s way down here, right?"

"Actually, I do know," Pryce said calmly. "The Legendary Beasts are attacking Gym Leaders. Am I correct?"

Whitney sputtered. "Wait, how do you know that?"

Pryce shook his head slowly. "You can’t really be interested in an old man’s ramblings."

The Director leaned forward, excited. "So, can you tell us what you know? And... do you think you might be targeted next?"

Pryce looked down, rubbing his Swinub’s fur. "Well, I can tell you what little I know. As for the Legendary Beastsm I’ve been training to battle them, because I fear they may come to challenge me."

"Wait, fear? Come on," Whitney said, raising an eyebrow. "For a super-experienced Gym Leader, you must be crazy strong, right? Why wouldn’t you look forward to it? I know I’m excited for when I get my shot!"

"Well, you heard what I said. I said fear, not hope. Like a Gym Leader should."

Whitney flinched. That one felt like a jab, and she sulked into a corner, muttering under her breath.

Mary cleared her throat and took the lead again. "So, you said you were training. How do you train for something like that?"

Pryce chuckled, glancing down at his Swinub. "Maybe I should show you. Swinub, can you?"

Swinub let out a little snort and breathed out a puff of frost. Cold steam hissed along the floor, and thenm before their eyes, a smaller Swinub made of ice formed on the ground. It began to move, its joints shifting like it was real

As everyone stared, Pryce explained, "You see, after years of training, I taught my Pokémon to master control over ice. They can melt and refreeze parts of sculptures at their joints, making them move. I use these to train my Pokemon."

"Wow, that’s amazing," Misty said, her eyes lighting up.

Brock rubbed his chin. "That’s to be expected from such an experienced Gym Leader. Still... using animated ice sculptures for training? I’d never have thought of that."

Mary leaned forward, fingers laced together. "So you do believe they’ll come here. Do you think you can win?"

Pryce let out a little chuckle, but as he was about to open his mouth to say something, the side door suddenly opened and a Lapras peeked her head through, making a small sound.

Pryce suddenly shifted as he looked at her. "Ah, La Glace, I’m so sorry, I forgot since I had guests."

Pryce looked at everyone. "I’m terribly sorry, but I have to feed the Lapras in my Lapras sanctuary."

Misty’s eyes lit up. "Lapras? Oh, can we come with you to see?"

But before she could continue, the Director pushed his way past her. "Yes, we can! We can take pictures and record a video and—"

But he was interrupted when Pryce finally showed a frown and looked at him. "No," he said. His voice made the Director shiver from how cold it was. "No cameras, and no videos. I don’t mind if you look, but you better leave all your equipment out here."

The Director froze mid-step, blinking as if someone had just dumped a bucket of ice water on his dreams. "B-But... people love Lapras!"

Pryce didn’t move. He just looked at him coldly. "I said no. If this is how you want to act, then you may stay outside."

Mary gently tugged the Director back by the collar of his jacket. "Let it go. You’ll live."

The Director mumbled something about "artistic integrity" and sulked near the tea table, holding his cup like it was all he had left in the world.

Misty stepped forward, almost bouncing on her toes. "So... can we still go see them? Just to look?"

Pryce looked at her for a moment, probably debating whether or not to allow it, but nodded. "Fine, but you kids better not cause any trouble, or I will have to take action."

Misty beamed and gave a little hop. "Thank you, thank you! I promise I’ll behave. Actually, I have a Lapras too, can I let him out so he can meet them all?"

"Sssss..." Brock, Yellow, and Ash inhaled, since they remembered that Misty’s Lapras wasn’t exactly nice. I mean, he liked Ash’s Lapras, but humans? Yeah, he didn’t even like Yellow, so that should tell you all you need to know.

But Pryce didn’t know. His face softened, then hardened as he thought about something. "Yes, you can let your Lapras out. I would like to... observe him."

Misty nodded happily as everyone followed Pryce into the other room. You see, if there is one thing in this world Pryce loves, it’s Lapras. And if there’s one thing he hates more than anything, it’s people who don’t treat Lapras right.

If he finds out that Misty doesn’t treat her Lapras right, well... let’s just say it won’t be the first time he took a Lapras away from a trainer that didn’t deserve one.

They moved into another room, where it was cool, with a pool, and in it, there were a good 50 Lapras at least. Some of them were nuzzling with each other, and some even had eggs nestled between them, as Pryce sent his Ice Pokémon to help him feed them.

And by the way, if you noticed, Ash wasn’t saying much, well, there was a good reason for that, but he wasn’t saying it. He was good at hiding and putting on a smile-poker face. He just looked around at all the Lapras.

"La Glace," Pryce called gently, and the Lapras from earlier swam forward, nuzzling her head into his hand.

"This..." Misty whispered, "...this is incredible."

Even Whitney was quiet now, her expression awestruck as she took in the sight. "This doesn’t feel real..."

"They were rescued," Pryce said after a moment. "During the darker years, smuggling, hunting, oil spills, or abusive trainers... I keep them safe."

Pryce turned slowly in his chair. "Misty, was it? You said you had a Lapras. Please... release it. I’d like to see how it behaves."

Misty nodded eagerly, stepping forward and pulling out a Poké Ball. "Alright, Lapras! Come on out!"

The moment her Lapras materialized, the temperature in the room seemed to drop a degree. The large sea Pokémon blinked, then turned its gaze across the room, head held high. He didn’t growl, but he did stiffen as he looked at the other Lapras, then at the people. Then at Pryce.

Misty’s Lapras gave a low, disapproving "grruuuhhh," his eyes narrowing at Pryce ever so slightly. Not aggressive... but certainly not respectful.

This was completely weird. Lapras are naturally very friendly, it is very hard to get one to be aggressive. Even when Pryce took in abused Lapras, they didn’t look that aggressive. If Pryce didn’t know any better, he might think that this Lapras was abused, but just one look told him this Lapras gets treated well.

He said nothing as he rolled his wheelchair close to the water, inspecting it. "Tell me, why are you so angry?"

Lapras huffed, "Laaaa! [None of your damn business, old man. This is just how I am, you got a problem?!]"

Of course, Pryce had spent most of his life with Lapras. He understood the language at this point, so he understood what he said. He held his cane and lowered his voice so the group couldn’t hear him. "Did that girl do something to you?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

Lapras understood. Those were the same eyes he looked at Misty with. Lapras clicked his tongue, "La! Lapras! [Watch your tongue, old man. I’m the only one that gets to bully her. She’s my human, so you better not do anything to her!]"

Pryce nodded. He didn’t smile, he didn’t change his facial expression, but he could at least tell that this Lapras cared about Misty, in his own tsundere way.

Misty didn’t understand anything that was going on, but she did see Lapras glare at Pryce, looking aggressive. She walked up. "I’m sorry, he’s been like this forever. Ever since he came out of the egg."

Pryce didn’t immediately respond. He simply stared at Misty’s Lapras for another long second, then slowly leaned back in his chair. His Swinub, still nestled in his lap, snorted softly as if sensing his shift in mood.

"I see... that is quite strange," Pryce said, as he tapped his cane.

"Yeah, usually he calms down if Ash’s around," Misty said, looking at Lapras giving a side-eye to all the other Lapras. "Oh yeah, wait, Ash, why don’t you send out your Lapras?"

Pryce blinked, but he didn’t change his expression. He looked at Ash. "You also have a Lapras?"

Ash gave a small laugh as he scratched his cheek. "Oh yeah," he said as he put on a smile, grabbing a ball from his belt. "Here she is."

Ash opened the ball, and in the water, Ash’s Lapras came out. She let out a little yawn, looked around, and then looked at Pryce. She gave him a cute little smile.

And it’s the complete opposite of Misty’s. Misty’s Lapras makes the other Lapras want to stay away from him, but Ash’s just makes them all feel at peace and want to approach.

But when they tried to swim over, Misty’s Lapras glared back and swam in front of her protectively and glared, "La... [Don’t even think it.]"

Pryce looked at Misty’s, then went back to looking at Ash’s and saw her little smile. It was just a little too similar to a smile from another Lapras he could see anymore, just a little too happy, just a little too kind, just a little too friendly. He rolled forward and reached his hand out, and Ash’s Lapras saw and leaned her head, nuzzling her head into his hand.

Pryce’s face remained neutral, but there was a small shake on his lips, barely noticeable, since most people were looking at the Lapras. Well, except Ash. He saw it out of the corner of his eye and said nothing.

Pryce looked at her. "So... are you happy?"

Lapras smiled. "Laaa! [Of course I’m fine. I’m always happy, I have so many friends and get to have fun every day.]"

Pryce nodded as he pulled back, rolling his wheelchair away. "I see... where did you say you found this one? Did you also hatch her from an egg?"

Ash shook his head. "No, I found this girl. She was left behind by her herd. When I found her, some losers were beating and whipping her, so I kicked their teeth in and threw them into the water."

Most people were surprised at how crudely Ash explained that, but Pryce didn’t flinch. Actually, he nodded approvingly.

"I see," he said, rolling his wheelchair back.

In Pryce’s eyes, anyone who had a Lapras that liked them could not be a bad person. It didn’t matter if the world hated them, if Lapras liked the person, then they were good people in his eyes.

Misty’s Lapras grumbled under his breath but didn’t start anything. Maybe it was the sheer number of Lapras around him, or maybe it was because Ash’s Lapras was giving him a calm, don’t be a jerk right now look.

Yellow watched the interaction with a soft smile as Chuchu perched on her shoulder. "It’s weird, huh? They’re so different..."

"Kind of like their trainers," Brock whispered with a smirk.

"I heard that," Misty snapped, folding her arms as she pouted and looked away.

Ash chuckled. "It’s fine, Mist. You’re doing better, so be happy about that~" he said teasingly.

Misty didn’t honor that with a response.

Pryce, who had wheeled over to a raised ledge, gently rapped his cane once against the ice. "So, shall we go back? You are more than welcome to leave them here for a bit. They will be safe, I give you my word."

Ash didn’t even need his Aura to tell that Pryce was telling the truth. But he didn’t say anything more. In fact, it was starting to be noticed by Brock, Misty, Yellow, and Pikachu, he was talking a lot less than normal. Although Vee had only been around for about a month, so he hadn’t noticed anything wrong.

As they got back to the warm part, Whitney jumped back onto the couch. "Ha, much better. Nice and toasty," she muttered.

The director was still quietly grumbling that he didn’t get to take a picture of all the Lapras, but everyone ignored him for now.

"So, is there anything else I can do for you all?" Pryce asked, glancing at the radio team. "I know you said you came here for an interview, I don’t mind telling you more, however."

Then he turned toward Ash and the others, eyes narrowing slightly as he focused on Ash. "What about your group? I find it hard to believe you’re just here to help them."

Ash nodded slowly, meeting Pryce’s gaze. "Yeah... there’s something else. I came here for a Gym battle."

Pryce regarded him with a small nod. "Ah... I see. Forgive me, I don’t get many challengers these days."

"It’s fine. I don’t blame you," Ash replied, matching his calm tone.

"So, you’d care for a battle?"

"That’s what I said."

"How many badges do you have?"

"Five. This would be my sixth."

"I see."

"So we’ll use five Pokémon, right?"

"You may use five, yes."

Ash and Pryce’s back-and-forth went on for a bit, making everyone look at them like they had something to prove, though they seemed pretty chill. It was probably just because they were going to have a battle and couldn’t let emotions get in the way, yeah that was probably it

Pryce pointed toward the stadium side entrance. "Then let’s have a good battle...."

Ash met his eyes and, in the same tone he was using, said, "Yeah... let’s have a great battle."

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