Chasing After A Legend

Stepping Out Of The Comfort Zone

"Human talking"

'Human thinking'

"Talking in a Flashback/Memory"

"Pokémon talking"

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Mount Silver, border of Kanto and Johto

It was that time of the year. The most dangerous and treacherous season of all. The time to prove supremacy over all challengers, and claim the greatest prize of all, the reward that would make the winner's legacy last for generations to come.

Yes, indeed, it was time for the most ferocious war of all: mating season.

With the harsh, rough climate of Mount Silver as the battlefield, male Ursaring upon male Ursaring clashed in the hopes of impressing and convincing a female onlooker to choose him as a partner. The battles were what you would expect from such a competitive roster: Hammer Arms almost smashing skulls in, claws decorated with blood from near-lethal Slashes, battered bodies resulting from merciless Thrashes, among other things.

Typical mating fervor.

One Ursaring in particular found himself with the worst luck in this year's "love competition." Having overslept, he arrived at the site of competition late, when most of the female Ursaring had already been claimed. For those few potential lovers that weren't already taken, he had to attempt to fight off the last combatants who also laid eyes on them. He fought with everything he had – which wasn't exactly much, considering he was still feeling groggy from his extended nap. It didn't end very well.

Now our lonely Ursaring was scaling up the frozen slopes of the mountain, hoping desperately that he could find just one last maiden who wasn't already won over by some other contender. He had dreamt of this day ever since he was a little Teddiursa, and damn it, he was going to make it happen. Even if he had to go to the very top of the mountain. Never mind how unlikely it was that any Ursaring – or for that matter, any creature – would be residing at the peak. He would, quite literally, go to any height.

It had been maybe almost an hour before our determined Ursaring had nearly reached the summit. He had searched every possible spot he could think of as he made his trek, and now that he was almost at the end of his path, he began to realize that it was hopeless. It looked like he would just have to wait until next year. If he could even wait that long. Stopping in front of a small cave, he let out an angry growl of frustration, furious at himself for messing up the most important day of his life.

Someone else growled soon after.

Ursaring's head shot up, his eyes wide. Could that have been...? He looked around frantically, trying to pinpoint just where that sound came from. A second growl rang through his ears, making him look straight into the cave. Ursaring roared in a bid to elicit what seemed to be a response to his presence. He waited, hopeful that the source of those growls was indeed his soulmate. A few more moments passed before, finally, a third growl echoed from the cave, followed by...a shot of water just barely falling short of reaching him. He blinked a few times before dashing into the cave. That shot of water certainly had to be a splash, an invitation for him to join his new female companion for a swim. He came to the end of the cave, expecting a pool of water and his soon-to-be mate waiting for him.

What he got instead was a strange, blue creature shorter than he was, odd sticks with holes protruding from what appeared to be a shell, and some kind of puny, thin rock formation next to it, just barely visible under the shadows. Ursaring stared blankly at them, as the creature across from him turned its head, its brown eyes meeting with his, expressing some sort of...disappointment?