Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.

I stood at the top of Mount Silver, watching the smoke raising in the distance. The snow felt cold as it fell onto my face. It turned to water immediately touching my face, despite the fact I was freezing. I rubbed my hands together, wishing that I had gloves that would cover my fingers. I saw an explosion occur in the distance, hoping that is wasn't in a town where there were thousands of people dying. I made my hands into fists, just thinking about how the people of this world could do this to themselves. You see, I wanted no part in this war. But war would be such a lightening word, if you will. I didn't know what to call this abomination. I didn't even want to know how the world was functioning. But I did have a pretty good idea. I could watch the world coming to an end from the spot on the mountain I lived on.

Six months ago, I had gone down from the mountain after I had been hiding out. However, when I went down, I didn't expect the war to be this bad. I was naïve, assuming that the explosions were smaller than they were. When I got down, people looked as if they were starving in New Bark Town. People were sinewy and begged for food, not even money. This scared me. People were looking like skeletons. That poor Johto town just didn't stand the chance.

Anyway, I came back from New Bark Town and I didn't even want to see the rest of the world. It was too scary; almost unreal.

I was too scared to even track down my parents because I was afraid of the outcome. My father was out battling with his Pokemon to try and end this war even though he wasn't a great trainer. I don't know where he is, and I have no idea where my mother could be. She probably tried to follow him. I wasn't even there when the war started. I was only on my journey, with mere pre evolved Pokemon. I'm only assuming here, except I know for a fact my father left to go fight with his Pokemon.

I had no idea what caused this war to even start. I just fled when I was almost caught in an explosion. I went here, to Mount Silver. It was a pretty good idea to be honest. I was surprised no one even thought about coming up here, except the Master who was always up here anyway. But I've never seen him. And we could really use him. Well, I guess people just don't like the cold but I don't mind it, really. Sure, it gets very annoying in the winter when it gets super cold out and the blizzards trap me in the cave I currently stay in as I starve for months. But I survived and I'm in much better shape than most down the mountain in reality.

I guess I'm just trying to escape reality and the real world for the most part, I won't deny that. Denial is the first step to insanity in this situation I think. Or maybe the first step is living in a goddamn mountain freezing to avoid reality. It didn't really matter to me considering there's no one up here to judge me accept my Pokemon who are smart enough to be around the fire in a cave.

My feet were becoming numb due to the cold, but I was in a reverie, staring at the explosions taking place somewhere far away. A few tears fell down my cheeks just thinking about my family and the other people who should have come up in the mountain instead of hiding in their houses that couldn't save them no matter how much they wanted them to.

I felt my Glaceon nudging at me, trying to get me inside the cave with everyone. I needed her to considering I couldn't get out of my thoughts by myself. I simply nodded and followed her into the cave. As I sat down on the blankets, she nudged a berry towards me and I ate it. Even though it was only some kind of berry, I was content that I actually had something to eat unlike the skeletons down there in Johto. I didn't know about Kanto, but I especially didn't want to know about Kanto. I was sick to my stomach just thinking about Johto. Thankfully, my family was all in Kanto and it couldn't have been anything as bad as Johto. But I did know people in Johto. I didn't want to think about them.

"Glaceon," I started, feeling my voice crack with the lack of use and I was probably coming down with something. Anyway, she looked up at me and tilted her head slightly to the right. "Do you think Emma's okay?" Emma was my younger sister. She was a pretty girl with her blonde hair and light blue eyes. I didn't know where she got those eyes from, but they were perfect; innocent. She was four years younger than me. She was supposed to start her Pokemon journey about two years ago. Instead, this war probably delayed her. I doubt she even had a Pokemon to call her own.

"Glaceon." My blue ice Pokemon said and rested her head on my left thigh and closed her eyes to go to sleep. I smiled down at her. I was lucky to have such a beautiful and perfect Pokemon. I wasn't really a trainer that strived to defeat gym leaders for gym badges or anything. I was just a trainer. I guess you could have called me a wanderer; an adventurer. My only Pokemon were Glaceon and this Swinub. But the Swinub wasn't really my Pokemon. I never called him. He just tagged along. I assumed that he had gotten lost from his family about a year ago. I sort of lost track of time here once my Pokegear stopped working.

I decided to go deeper into the cave to the hot springs that the Swinub had actually showed me. Glaceon got up and began to follow me down to where it was warm. I think I had forgotten about the hot springs for a moment. Maybe I am going crazy.

The next morning, or I assumed it was because I could see the sun and no stars, I got up and decided to drink some water to fill the void of my hunger. I put some water in my old plastic water bottle that I had used every day and put some icicles that were hanging from the sides of the cave that were close to the outside. The coldness of the morning shocked me. I could easily see my breath and felt my nose burning due to the sudden change in temperature I exposed myself to.

I swished some of the water in my mouth and spit it out to get that awful taste of morning breath out. I should have bought toothpaste in masses last time I went down. I probably could have found some, but I doubt it considering the state New Bark Town was in. I then drank the rest of the water and ventured outside to go pee somewhere. I found the tree I usually used, leaned against it so pee wouldn't splash all over my legs, and went.

I found a few berries on some old trees. I was actually surprised that berries grew here the first time I had to go find food, but then I figured the Pokemon that live up here must eat something. I gathered some berries and brought them back for Swinub, Glaceon, and I.

I began to think about Emma again, thinking that she was starving or worse, dead. I wanted to go find her, but I didn't want to go in the smoke of gunpowder and seas of skeleton people to find her to be one herself.

I broke out of the thoughts of my sister when I heard footsteps that were very unordinary. Didn't sound like a Pokemon to me, so I decided to go see what it was. With Glaceon walking beside me and Swinub behind, I knew I'd be all right unless it was the Master who was known to get angry.

I gasped when I saw the boy in front of me. His dark blue eyes with his dark red hair were unmistakably his, but I couldn't believe it for myself. So, I stood there with my mouth slightly gaping thinking that I had seriously gone insane. "Gracie, I've finally found you!" He said and hugged me so tight I could hardly breathe. But I did miss the human contact. I longed for a hug from someone for so long, I forgot what it felt like. I hugged him right back and mumbled some stupid things, such as I missed you and I can't believe you're here.

The hug finally broke. "Ry, what are you doing here? I mean…how are you still alive? I went to New Bark Town and saw the state it was in and you don't look like them. What I mean is, you aren't skin and bones and now I'm just babbling like an idiot." He chuckled a bit and rubbed his hands together.

"Gracie, I haven't really been in Johto since this whole war started." Ry admitted. "I feel bad though because my family's probably still back there. I've just been wandering around trying to find you forever."

"Sorry about that." I said and led him over to the warm part of the cave, where the hot springs were.

"Don't be." He said and sat down. "Wow, you sure do have it made in here. No wonder you haven't been around. It's so much nicer in here, you know? It's like a good hideout."

"Well, that's what I've been doing." I said. I watched Ry pet Glaceon.

"Hey, I notice you've got a Swinub here."

"He isn't mine officially. He just follows me and Glaceon around. I don't mind him though. He's like part of my weird family in here." I said.

"Ah," Ry said. "You climbed up pretty high in the mountain, you know."

"I did?"

"Yeah. You're so high up. The air's pretty thin here."

"I hadn't noticed."

"You wouldn't have considering you've been here for a while." I nodded, agreeing with him. I offered him some berries which he accepted.

"Do you know what it's like down there? You know…in the regions." Ry hesitated before he answered my question. His facial expression completely changed from content to a look of sadness. I was afraid to know the answer.