Prologue

I: An Icy Path

Light glittered in sparkling rays from the walls and ceiling of a cave. Puffs of hot air emanated from the mouth of a young boy as his eyes marveled at the sight, shining as brightly as the frosty ice that surrounded him. Behind stood an elderly man dressed in a light blue overcoat, his gaze equally transfixed though unlike the youth's innocence, he instead possessed a gaze which belied an all-encompassing knowledge of his surroundings. On the boys right stood a woman, her features strikingly similar to that of the elder, but softened and warmed. She was smiling.

"Beautiful isn't it?" The young boy found no words, instead nodding in agreement.

"I agree, it sure is a sight. But we didn't just come here to look at shiny things Noelle!" said the old man stepping past them whilst retrieving a poke ball from his coat pocket. "Remember were here to check up and make sure that the Ice Path stays just that. An ICE PATH. The way the temperatures have been going lately, it won't be long before all of Johto is caught up in a summer heat wave! Last thing I want to see is the sole habitat of ice types be ruined in our region!"

"Now papa, no need to worry. I'm sure that everything will be just fine. So we've broken a few daily temperature records the past few weeks. That doesn't mean that the Ice Path is going to melt!" The old man simply rolled his eyes before tossing the poke ball high into the air. There was a bright flash of light as a large and hairy mammoth like creature burst into existence.

"Alright mamoswine, we are here to inspect the lower floor of the cave this time. If my theory is correct, then an Ice Rock is sure to be down there! That will get the attention of Professor Elm without a doubt. Maybe then he will listen to me a bit more about habitat preservation." The group clambered onto the great pokemon's back as it began to meander into the cave, clearly enjoying its surroundings.

"You know William, your grandfather caught Mamoswine in this very cave when it was just a baby swinub!" The little boys face flashed brightly.

"That's right! I know that story! Grandpa tells it to me every Christmas!" The old man chuckled.

"Well it is a good story after all."

"Maybe I will catch my first Swinub in here too mama!" said the boy, eagerly looking around the cave for any sign of movement.

"Now William I've told you before your first pokemon doesn't have to be the same as your Grandfathers."

"But I want it to be! I want to be exactly like him when I grow up Mama! The best gym leader in the whole region!" Pryce let out a loud cackle at this.

"See, your grandson knows the truth when he sees it Noelle. But I admit, at the last gathering Bugsy sure did give me one heck of battle with that Scizzor of his. Darn things so fast we could hardly keep up with it!" Mamoswine had veered down another path at this point, and the ground started to slope downward. The further they went, the colder the air seemed to get. William could feel his cheeks turning red at the bighting air, but did not mind. He was used to feeling the cold all around him after all the time he had spent in the Mahogany town gym.

He reached into the pocket of his jacket, hand curling tightly around a sole pokeball. It had been given to him by his mother on his seventh birthday, secretly of course. Dad did not approve of Pokemon battling very much, finding it to be a dangerous waste of useful time. Lucky enough, he had Mama on his side. This was no ordinary pokeball either, it was a luxury ball! One that was guaranteed to increase the friendliness of whatever pokemon he managed to catch. He hoped that before long, he and his swinub would become thick as thieves.

"Alright we should be getting close now," said Pryce motioning for Mamoswine to halt. The trio descended onto slippery floors while the gym leader eyed the walls and ceiling carefully. "Yes, yes something is different this time. We must be getting close, but confound it, where in the world is that rock?!"

"Here Papa, let me help." Said Noelle, retrieving a ball of her own, "Jynx, use flash!" There was burst of light, first from the pokemons appearance, and second from the technique it used. The whole cave lit up as if the sun had appeared where Jynx now stood, illuminating every dark crag and crevice.

"Ahhh this is good! See the way these formations are sloped? That's ice runoff. Its draining down somewhere deeper into the cave. Come with me!" With surprising agility for that of an old man Pryce was off, his party following suit. They trekked deeper and deeper into the cave, stopping occasionally so that Pryce could re-examine the walls. "I'm sure of it… We'll find it this time without a doubt!" Eventually the group came to a small passage way that required the returning of both Jynx and Mamoswine to their respective pokeballs. Noelle and Pryce themselves had to hunch just to fit.

"Papa, maybe this isn't the best time to be cave spelunking. I know that you said it would be fine to bring William, but this seems a bit dangerous."

"Nonsense Noelle, the boys perfectly fine, Hell he is probably better off than we are!" he said with a gruff. "At this rate he might be the only one that can see this thing through!" Indeed, the child was quickly becoming the only one who could properly fit between the frosty walls.

"Hey grandpa! I see an opening up ahead!" he said shining his flashlight forward. And then he saw it. A small rump of brown fur scurrying away from them. There was no doubt in his mind, it was a swinub. "YOURE MINE!" Shouted William, and in a state of frenzied excitement took off after the fleeing pokemon, ears to busy rushing with excitement to hear the cries of distress from his mother and grandfather. He emerged from the passage into a large chamber whose ceiling was like that of a cone. A ray of light was shining down, and a hole had appeared in the center of the room, melted from the warmth of sunlight. For moment he thought he had lost his quarry, but then he saw it again, this time properly as well. A swinub was standing perfectly opposite of him, watching with great intent. Williams hand flew to the ball in his pocket as he readied it for a toss. "I know that you're supposed to weaken a wild pokemon first, but trust me. You and I, we're supposed to be best friends! So there's no way this won't work!" He took a couple of steps forward, raising the ball in his left hand. Then he noticed that he was still moving. Faster and faster. He had failed to realize that the floor was a cone as well, steep and slicked with a layer of ice. Now he was sliding straight towards that great hole in the floor. He tried to resist, tried to fight but the more he resisted the faster he slipped his way towards the gaping crevice.

"Wait no! This isn't right! Grandpa Pryce! Mama somebody help!" He turned to catch one quick glimpse of his Mothers head poking out of the small crag into the chamber before weightlessness took him and he descended into the darkness.

When he next woke, William was lying in a large pile of powdery snow which had broken his fall. He could see from the light shining above that he had fallen a great distance, and silently thanked his luck. Looking around he found that he was in an even larger chamber than before. There were several large chunks of rock that rose up from an icy floor, each peppered with snowcaps. To the right was a small pond of snowmelt, as stalactites loomed menacingly above.

"how am I gonna get out of here?" He wondered taking a few steps. A low growl stopped him in his tracks. "Uhhmmm hello? Is anybody there?" He was greeted with the appearance of a hulking mass of brown fur and sharp tusks. He recognized it immediately, the secondary stage of Swinub. "A wild Piloswine!" He had only a moment to marvel at the Pokemon before it charged straight at him, forcing William to fling himself upon the floor to avoid being skewered. The pokemon gave a snort, angry that it had missed its target. William had barely managed to get back on his feet before it gave a second charge. This time he managed to scramble behind one of the large rocky pillars which shuddered as the pokemon collided.

"There has to be a reason! Grandpa Pryce always told me that Piloswine are usually really relaxed pokemon!" Not wanting to run face to face with the angry beast William climbed to the top of the barrier that protected him. "Alright I should be safe up here," he thought. He was quick to change his mind however when a flurry of sharp ice came flying towards his head. "That's ice shard!" He realized, falling flat onto his stomach to avoid a second barrage of frozen bullets. Obviously he had intruded into the Pokemon's territory, but that alone could not explain its irrational behavior. He managed to peek across the way from his post, and found an answer in the form of a nest. Two Swinub were cowering within, whilst an egg took up the rest of the space.

"A mother protecting her young of course!" This answer did little to help him though, as now he knew that the mother probably believed he was a thief come to steal her children. "Oh if only I had some of Grandpa Pryce's berry treats!" There was a cracking sound as the Piloswine charged over and over into the base of the stone. It wouldn't be long before he was back down on the ground, and then it would be game over.

"William hang on! Jynx quick use psychic!" William felt a strong force overtake his body as it was lifted into the air, a pinkish tint glowing around him. Near the center of the room where he had fallen he saw his mother and her Jynx whose eyes were closed in focus. "Hold on son! Grandpa is on his way! Jynx bring William over here!" With a woosh William flew towards his mother and her pokemon, grateful for its psychic abilities.

"Mom! That Piloswine! She has a nest down here!"

"I see. Well that explains why she was trying to maim you! Quickly now William, Stand behind me. Are you ready Jynx?" the pokemon gave a fierce nod before turning to face the oncoming Piloswine who had not yet given up her pursuit.

"She's using fury attack. Alright then, now it's our turn. Jynx, use Ice beam!" A sphere of energy materialized between Jynxes hands before she fired a bright cyan ray toward the charging pokemon. It struck, blasting the Piloswine backwards and covering it in a thick layer of ice. "good work Jynx! That should by us enough time, now quick use Psychic again on my mark. Ok, ready Papa? Then Jump!" William saw the frame of his grandfather as he leapt down through the hole in the chamber up above. Before he could fall too far though Jynx caught him in her telekinetic grasp, lowering him gently towards the ground. The sound of ice shattering returned Williams attention to the Piloswine who was really in a frenzy now. The wild Pokemon made yet another charge at them, though this time Pryce was ready.

"Alright you lout that will be enough! Mamoswine go! Take on her charge!" there was a flash, then Mamoswine stood, far larger than anything else in the room. The two Pokemon collided, with the wild Piloswine repeatedly jabbing Mamoswine with her tusks. "Now Mamoswine, give it back to her all in one go! Use Avalanche!" Mamoswines great tusks turned bright blue as it released a loud roar. In response a massive sum of snow came crashing down, burying Pilloswine. As the powder settled, it became clear that the wild pokemon had fainted from the battle. "Well then, disaster averted! See Noelle I told you there was nothing to worry about the boy is just fine!" Noelle shot her father a rather dirty look before attending to William.

"Are you alright? Did anything bad happen to you? You're not hurt right?

"I'm fine Mama really I am!" said the boy with a smile. "That was the coolest thing ever! But is she going to be alright? That Piloswine. She was only trying to protect her nest!"

"Yes yes, she will be fine," said Pryce, walking over towards the fainted Pokemon with berries in hand, "Once she's had a few of these she won't be so mad at us."

"Papa, we need to do more than just give her berries. You knocked her out, here use one of my revives on her." Noelle threw over a small yellow crystal which Pryce caught. Quickly he popped it into the Pokemons mouth, and in seconds she was awake and back on her feet. She did not attack though, rather quickly took to the berries in Pryce's hand.

"There you are, see you hard headed brute. You've got nothing to worry about." William felt a tinge of excitement in his heart again.

"Mama, there are some Swinub over in her nest just behind that rock! Do you think that I can catch one?" Noelle thought hard about her son's question, knowing full well that the pokemon were probably too young for a trainer to own.

"Perhaps William, it would be better if, at least for now we let them stay with their mother." Her words however were lost upon the young boy whose attention had instead been grabbed by a new sight.

"What on earth is that?!" He said pointing up towards one of the rooms rocky spires. Perched atop was a small, black creature with sharp claws, and a long red feather sticking out of its head. In an instant it leapt down to the floor darting about quickly as it snatched the last remaining egg out of the Piloswines nest.

"By Jo, that's a Sneasel!" Cried out Pryce, "quick after the little sneak he's stolen the egg!" The group rushed after the sneasel which ducked down quickly into another small opening in the wall. "Oh not this again!" Without a second thought William ducked down into the crevice after the thief. It was his fault that the mother had been distracted, he couldn't let this sneasel get away.

"Oh for goodness sake, Papa remind me never to listen to you again!" snapped Noelle as she retrieved another pokeball. "Evee quick! Follow after William! Help him get that egg back!" A flash and a small brown fox appeared. Its size and speed allowed it to quickly catch up to William.

"Evee!" he said with a smile, "see if you can catch up to that sneasel!" The little pokemon gave a quick bark before dashing ahead. William continued on after, and before long the sound of a scuffle filled the small tunnel. "She must have found him!" Sure enough the tunnel came to an end opening into yet another chamber. The sneasel stood claws barred on one hand, the other holding its prize while Evee circled around. "Evee! Do whatever you need to get that egg back!" Noelle's pokemon gave a curt nod before flying forward at a tremendous speed. The Quick Attack was a direct hit and sent the sneasel flying backwards into the icy walls of the room while the egg landed softly into a patch of snow. The dark pokemon was quick to react however, unleashing a blast of freezing cold air which struck Evee head on.

"It's using icy wind! Evee quick do something!" The Fox pokemon seemed lost though without the command of a proper trainer, and in its falter the Seasel made a second attack, slashing at Evee with its long claws. The normal type let out a cry of pain, before angrily striking back with a barrage of star shaped rays.

I need to end this now, but how?" Thought William. A second blast of cold air filled the room as the sneasel struck again, the biting cold forcing William to hide his face and hands within the folds of his jacket. There he found his answer.

"Evee! Hit with one more quick attack!" He yelled retrieving the pokeball from his pocket. Evee was gone in a flash, charging head first into the sharp clawed pokemon who was knocked to the ground. "Now's my chance! Go!" Shouted William as he threw the ball, there was a flash of light as the wild sneasel disappeared into the pokeball which began to rock back and forth upon the ground. Time seemed to stop for those few precious moments, William felt the beating of his heart in his throat. Then there was a loud click! As the button on the balls center blinked once. He had done it. He had caught the sneasel!

"William, my boy you need to quit charging into situations like this! Your mother is never going to trust me with trips if you keep getting into danger!" came the voice of Pryce who had managed to finish crawling through the narrow tunnel. "Well what's this? Did you manage to catch that sneasel all by yourself!" The boy gave a small nod.

"There goes my chance of befriending a swinub." Pryce saw the crestfallen features furrowing his grandsons face.

"Well my boy, you should count yourself lucky! Why sneasels are one of the rarest sights in this cave. An ice type and a dark type, speedy little fellas. Lucky you managed to catch up with him in time!"

"But Grandpa, I, don't want my first pokemon to be a thief!" Pryce chuckled.

"Now hold on there, don't be too quick to judge. Sure Sneasel wanted the egg, but hey everybody's got to eat right? Poor fella must have been desperate to steal from a nest all by himself. Normally they hunt in packs. This guy must have been cast out for some reason. Here, give him some of these berries later, I'm sure he will love them."

The duo returned to the piloswines chamber where they found a brightly smiling Noelle.

"Oh good you've got the egg, Excellent! And look at what I found Papa!" Noelle led the group to the nest, carefully placing the egg back next to a now friendly pilowsine. Behind her the found a small outcropping of rock, the center of which bore a large crystalline stone. Upon seeing it Pryce let out a large gasp.

"WE FOUND IT! The Ice rock! Oh at last we finally found it!" As he spoke Noelle's evee approached the stone curiously. In a matter of seconds, the pokemons body began to glow brightly as its shape morphed into a new form. When the process was complete, a Glaceon sat proudly licking one of its paws.

"Isn't she beautiful!" Cried out Noelle who gave her newly frosted pokemon a hug. Later, after a few hours of deciphering their exact whereabouts in the cave, the Pilowsine revealed a hidden path to the group that led them all the way back to the main route of the Ice Path. Night had fallen when they returned to the warm summer air of the surface and though all had not gone exactly as planned, William could not have been more ecstatic. He finally had a pokemon all his own. He was finally a trainer.