The snow fell heavily on Sunday morning. The whole streets of Aeterna were covered with snow and nobody wanted to go out. Ryo and Akira were in the living room, sitting near the fireplace to keep themselves warm. While Akira was sitting comfortably, Ryo drank a cup of hot chocolate. As the two were relaxing, their father suddenly came.
"Boys, move your lazy butt. It is time to go to the church!" said Daisuke to their children.
"Aww, but dad, it is too cold and the snow is everywhere," said Ryo.
"There are no excuses! Don't let cold weather hinder your devotion and faith in Arceus! Religious worship requires dedication and effort. Now MOVE!" said Daisuke
"Yes father...Come on Ryo, let's go!" said Akira. Ryo let out a groan. The two then went to the church to attend service. The three were the first ones to arrive at the church and they sit on the front row. Daisuke looked around. There were only a few pokemon present in the church. Suddenly, Ryo heard a familiar voice.
"Hi Ryo! Remember me?" said Natalie the glaceon. Upon hearing that voice, Ryo began blushing.
"Ummm...hello there Natalie..." said Ryo nervously.
"I heard that your father is very religious. So, it would be logical to assume that your father and his children will always go to church even if the weather is very unfriendly..." said Natalie.
"Well, unfriendly for us, but not for you. You're an ice type...Now what do you want?" asked Ryo.
"You see, I'm an only child and my parents are away for quite a long time, so I feel very lonely at home...Because I have nobody to play with..." Said Natalie.
"You want me to go to your house to accompany you after service?..." asked Ryo.
"Exactly!" said Natalie.
"Well, Sure..." said Ryo. Ryo actually had a huge crush on Natalie, but he was hiding it the best he could. Despite the crush, Ryo was just ten years old. So nothing could go wrong....
An hour later, the church service was over and Ryo went to Natalie's mansion to accompany her.
"Please, make yourself at home Ryo..." said Natalie.
"Yes Natalie...By the way, can you light the fireplace? It's freezing in here..."said Ryo.
"Oh, of course sweetie!" said Natalie. Ryo blushed intensely when he was being called 'sweetie' by his crush.
"Would you like to have a drink? A cup of tea or something?" asked Natalie.
"A cup of tea will be great, Natalie. Thank you..." said Ryo.
"Good, now play chess with me because I'm bored!" said Natalie.
"Sure, why not?!" said Ryo eagerly.
It only took Ryo a few steps before he could say 'checkmate'.
"What?! But how?! Don't tell me I lost after just five steps! I have underestimated you! Have you been practicing chess tactics secretly?" asked Natalie.
"...Sometimes I play chess with Alicia..." said Ryo.
"What?! Alicia?! I know her! She studies a lot and doesn't have many friends! But enough about her! I want a rematch!!!" said Natalie.
"Fine..." said Ryo.
Three matches later, Natalie became extremely frustrated. She lost three times in a row to a ten-year-old. She had never been defeated so badly in chess before. Natalie was indeed smart, but Ryo was a genius.
"Oh God, I give up...Why are you so good at chess?! You are a fighting type for god's sake! Fighting type pokemon are supposed to be stupid!" said Natalie angrily.
"Did you just call me stupid?..." asked Ryo
"Are you deaf?! Read my lips; fighting types are naturally DUMB! You are not supposed to win three times in a row like this!" said Natalie. After hearing that, Ryo started to shed a tear. Natalie then realized what she had done.
"Wait...no...no...I'm sorry! I got carried away by anger! Don't cry Ryo!" said Natalie. But it was too late.
"*Sob*...Professor Magnus said exactly the same thing....This is probably why I will never get accepted at the university of Aeterna...*sob*" said Ryo as he continued to cry.
'Oh my god, he looks so cute when he is crying. But I can't just leave him crying like this...' thought Natalie.
"There, there Ryo...Don't cry...Please forgive me...I did not think before I talked...I'm very sorry....Will you forgive me?" asked Natalie.
"I don't know if I can forgive you, you hurt my feelings so bad..." said Ryo.
And then, without warning, Natalie kissed Ryo on the cheek. Ryo blushed again uncontrollably. This was his first kiss ever.
"Are you feeling better now Ryo?" asked Natalie.
"DID YOU JUST KISS ME?!" asked Ryo.
"Why? You want more?" asked Natalie. Ryo took a few steps back and covered his face with his paws.
"Please no...that is enough...I can't handle the feelings..." said Ryo.
"Be honest with me Ryo. Do you like me?..." asked Natalie.
"Do YOU like me?" asked Ryo.
"Of course. I love you Ryo...You are like a sweet little brother to me...I have always wanted to have a little brother to play with..." said Natalie. Ryo strangely felt a little bit disappointed when he heard Natalie saying that.
"Well...You are like a big sister to me..." said Ryo dishonestly.
"Awww, how adorable! Thanks Ryo!" said Natalie as she hugged the riolu. Ryo was enjoying every moment of it. Being kissed and hugged by his crush was more than what he ever wanted.
"By the way, your tea is getting cold. You should drink your tea now..." said Natalie.
"You too..." said Ryo.
As Natalie was about to drink her tea, suddenly the cup cracked, spilling the green tea that it contained all over the table.
"...."
"Are you okay?" asked Ryo.
"This is not a good sign...." Said Natalie.
"What do you mean?" asked Ryo.
"Well, I know that I shouldn't believe in ill omens but I have a bad feeling about my parents" said Natalie.
"They have been away for two weeks and there is no news about my parents until now. They are traveling to Dubris, a city not very far from Aeterna. Usually, a journey to Dubris only takes two or three days...so I'm worried about my parents...What if they have been captured by bandits?...." said Natalie.
"You are worrying too much Natalie...I'm sure they are fine..." said Ryo.
"Yeah...I sure hope so. By the way, do you want to have a sleepover?" asked Natalie.
"Sorry...not today. Tomorrow is Monday." Said Ryo.
"Oh yeah... I forgot, hehe..." said Natalie.
Ryo continued to accompany Natalie at her mansion until dusk. At 4 pm, the blizzard subsided so Ryo decided to go home. He bade goodbye to Natalie and walked through the thick snow to reach his home. By the time he arrived, he was too tired so he slept right away.
On the next day, the members of the knight's guild were shocked by the news that were brought by Rowley the kecleon, the head of the intelligence division.
"People, I have an important announcement to make. We just received news last night from the spies that Nicolas van Deventer and his wife were captured and held hostage by Boris the Magmortar!" said Rowley.
"Boris? The leader of the bandits of Fort Fellhammer?! Oh boy! I have been waiting for an S rank mission for weeks!" said Brendan.
"Me too!" said Renard.
"Thank goodness. I can get many gold coins from this mission so I can feed my brothers..." said William the Dewott.
"Wait. Has anyone taken the mission already?" Asked Renard.
"Apparently not." said Rowley.
"Good, lets rescue the aristocrats and we'll divide the reward evenly," said Renard.
"Yeah!" said Brendan and William.
The three pokemon wasted no time, they immediately went to fort Fellhammer to rescue the van Deventers. However, Boris was prepared for the attack. He had a dozen of magmars working for him and they were more than ready to face the members of the knight's guild.
"Can you imagine Brendan? Saving the richest aristocrats of Arcadius! The news about them being captured by Boris has spread all over Arcadius! Saving them will certainly make us famous!" said Renard as the three pokemon walked to Fort Fellhammer.
"We are already famous Renard. The members of the knight's guild are already well known by the people of Arcadius" said Brendan.
"Then we will become even more famous than before! I will certainly beat Akira in terms of popularity if I succeed in this mission." Said Renard
"Not I but We. There are three of us. Personally, I don't really care about fame. I just want to save my family from poverty by working hard and earning a lot of gold..." said William.
Eventually, they arrive at fort Fellhammer.
Before blood was shed, William tried to negotiate with the Magmortar.
"Boris! This is our final warning. Release the hostages, or you will die!" said William.
"I'm not afraid of you! KILL THEM!" said Boris.
Five magmars charged at the three pokemon. They all used flamethrower. William had predicted the attack so he used hydro pump to counter the flamethrower. As the two attacks collided, a thick steam was generated, making the pokemon in the battlefield unable to see.
"William, Brendan, pull back! I've got this!" said Renard as he used the move discharge to paralyze the attacking Magmars. Since discharge is an area attack, it will hit even if the attacker is not aiming at the enemies.
"Very clever.." said Boris.
The remaining magmars then proceed to attack with physical attacks such as fire punch. Renard quickly able to dodge all of the attacks, pulled out his sabre and slash the neck of the magmars, nearly beheading them. Meanwhile, William also managed to outspeed the attacking magmars using the move aqua jet. The battle raged brutally and Boris knew he was losing the battle. Suddenly, using the sunshine to conceal his attack, Brendan used the move hi jump kick and fatally wounded the Magmortar.
"Argh! You will pay for this" Boris then used the move dynamic punch on the Blaziken. Brendan blocked the attack, but he was knocked back far enough. Before the three pokemon came closer to the Magmortar, Boris used earthquake, hitting all pokemon in the battlefield, including his own henchmen. However, the earthquake did not manage to make the knight's guild members faint.
"Your earthquake is weak, Boris. How pathetic!" Said Renard.
Boris was cornered, but he was not out of ideas. Suddenly, he grabbed Nicolas van Deventer and put a blade on his neck, ready to slit his throat.
"Darling!" said Lady Evelyne.
"If you move a muscle, I will cut his neck!" said the cunning Magmortar.
"Boris you dirty fighter!" said Brendan.
"I'm not bluffing!" said Boris as he slashed Nicolas van Deventer's left cheek.
"Do what he says!! I don't want to die yet!" said Nicolas van Deventer.
"You heard the man! Now...surrender calmly...and walk into the iron cage that I have prepared for you...You three will become my new hostages...." said Boris.
Brendan, Renard, and William had no choice. The three walked into the cage and the remaining magmars locked the cage, trapping them inside.
"Just as planned...hehe...all according to plan..." said Boris.
"This is not over yet!" said a female voice from afar.
"Who are you?! Show yourself!" said Boris.
Then, a pokemon covered by black clothing from head to toe appeared. It was the black riding hood.
"HOHOHO! Even the black riding hood wants to join the party! This will be great! I've heard the rumours about you form other bandits. They say that you are a tough fighter, but an ice type pokemon, while I am a fire type! Killing you will be as easy as pie.... If I kill you, all the bandits in Arcadius will respect and fear me! HAHAHA!" said Boris boastfully.
"Kill me...If you dare..." said the black riding hood.
"Then PREPARE TO DIE!!" said the Magmortar. He used the move overheat on the black riding hood to burn her. However, the black riding hood endured the hit.
"What?! Impossible!" said Boris.
"Oh I see, you are wearing a focus sash! That explains everything!....Wait, why are you glowing?" said Boris. He did not know that the black riding hood was using the move mirror coat. The overheat attack then backfired on the Magmortar with the damage doubled. The Magmortar then fainted instantly. The overheat attack burned the outer clothing that the black riding hood wore, forcing her to take off the outer garment, revealing the face of the black riding hood.
"What? Natalie....is that you?..." said Nicolas van Deventer.
"Wow...the black riding hood is a female glaceon...." Said Brendan.
"And she is cute..." said Renard as he admired the glaceon.
"Father...I was worried about you. When I heard the news about you being captured by Boris, I rushed immediately to fort Fellhammer to rescue you. I'm glad you're okay...Please don't be mad at me...I know that you want me to inherit the family business, but in my heart, I want to be a warrior and dragon slayer..." said Natalie.
"Honey...our daughter is a warrior!" said Lady Evelyne to his husband.
"I know, and it is awesome!!!" said Nicolas van Deventer.
"WHAT?!" Asked Lady Evelyne.
"You heard me! I never thought that our daughter would become a great warrior! Forget about the family business! Natalie, If you want to become a dragon slayer, then I will support your decision to the fullest!" said Nicolas van Deventer.
"Then who will inherit the family business?!" asked Lady Evelyne.
"We are still young! We can make another baby eevee. Don't worry! Our second child will inherit the family business." said Nicolas to his wife.
"Oh well.... Natalie...I am with your father...Go be the second Daisuke Yamazaki!" said Lady Evelyne.
"Thank you, mother." said Natalie.
"Ummm, excuse me. Can you set us free?" Asked Brendan.
"Oh yes" said Natalie as she grabbed the keys from the fainted Magmortar. After Natalie unlocked the door, Brendan pulled out Renard's sabre and began knighting the glaceon.
"Natalie van Deventer! By the will of the guild master, you are now officially a member of the knight's guild! Congratulations!" said Brendan.
"Thanks a lot!" said Natalie happily.