Mount Silver. One look at its majestic heights could send shivers down anyone's spine. Most people take in the landscape's beauty from afar, safe from any dangers the mountain would throw at them. However, there are few who desire to seek out what Mount Silver had to offer, from the hidden secrets kept within or simply the thrill of conquering the journey to the clouds. Pokémon too seek those same dreams; some even make the mountains their home.

nethowin presents

With one final step into the deep snow, he chuckled with accomplishment as his heavy breaths instantly iced into mist from the freezing temperatures. Luckily, the wind that day had died down hours earlier and the clouds made way for the sun from every point in the sky which gave off more heat than what he was used to. The young man took a quick look behind his shoulder to see a vast downhill slope of pure snow, few trees, and cliffs of various heights. It was a perfect day to hike up Mt. Silver.

But the young man didn't take a five-hour hike nearly up to the summit of the great mountain for the view or just for exercise. No. He came for the thrill he always enjoyed ever since he learned to do what he loved. Snowboarding. That particular run he had planned in his mind was nothing special though. The town's folk would say that his planned run was dangerous and crazy, and it was, but it quickly became normal to him after riding it so many times in the past.

Seeing the surrounding mountains again melted his heart in a peaceful way. Beautiful. And one could see a town or two if they looked hard enough.

A vibration suddenly became known which snapped the man out of his trance. He opened a zipper in his heavy winter jacket and pulled out a touch screen cell phone before sliding part of it up which revealed a keyboard, activating the lit screen. The device held an icon on the screen which meant he had a new text message. A few moments of navigating, he opened it and it read:

"From Lexia: 'Hope the trip up was as pleasant as the sunny sky Lyte. When will you return?'"

The young man, Lyte, grinned. If anyone knew when he'd be back, it'd be her since she usually tagged along. Then again, she never enjoyed being left alone without him. She was like a shadow; following him wherever he went, enjoying the same things he did. Lexia, Lyte began reminding himself, had ,in fact, lived with him for years now and she too loved the mountains. Most importantly, he was always grateful that she adapted to the harsh winter environment instead of being forced to a warmer climate.

After removing a glove momentarily, he keyed in a reply: "Sometime around three maybe. See you then." The time on his cell told him one forty-five in the afternoon; enough time to ride the casual run. He slid the device back into the pocket of his jacket and pulled off his grey toque to run a hand through his lengthy black hair before putting it back on his head. "Ughh, that's right." Lyte rubbed his forehead in self-disappointment, letting out a sigh. It just hit him that Lexia wanted to go shopping later that day, to which he totally forgot. "That's probably why she texted," he mumbled to himself. But even if they didn't go, Lyte knew the stores would be open the next day too so there wasn't any rush to get back. Still, he didn't want to let her down... again.

Lyte checked his gear, making sure every piece of clothing wouldn't get ripped or caught on the way down. Ski pants, winter boots, snowboard jacket, toque, ski goggles, and gloves, everything was secure including the lightweight backpack he wore which held emergency supplies and a multi-decalled snowboard. A few loosened straps from his pack later and his board was free, holding it by his side with one arm, still gazing down the mountain. It was no ordinary snowboard, however. When stored on his backpack, it could change its size from a full-length snowboard to the size of a skateboard by a mechanism that allowed both ends of the board to shift and slide down the core. Also, the board didn't need traditional bindings either. With one pair of snow boots at a time, it syncs and binds together tightly with the same technology as Pokéballs. One would think that what held the boots and board together was the power of magnets, but that wasn't the case. The unique snowboard had been his most prized possession for quite some time after he built it. It was, in fact, a prototype.

With his gloved fingers, he pressured a certain part on the board and made a small pattern near the Lyte Bindings, his name for the prototype binding mechanism, which activated and extended the board in a few seconds flat. He smiled proudly, staring down his run. That was the best part: the start of something thrilling and exciting. With a running start down the slope, he took one giant leap, placed the board right side up beneath his feet in mid-air, made contact with the board using his left foot causing the locking mechanism to activate, and locked both of his feet firmly onto the board, all before landing in the deep snow.

"Man, I love this board!" Lyte happily yelled out loud, performing a couple carves in the deep snow for a condition test. Satisfied with how soft the snow was, he leapt up, straightened out his board and headed directly downhill with impressive speed. Enjoying every second of it.

Winters Passion

Way down, below the clouds of the mountains, stood Lyte's two-level wooden home, away from most of the trees that made the forest. The wooden house was triangularly shaped, vertically except at the base, and a large glass protected the interior on the mountain-view side of the home from the blistering winter cold with its crystal clear see-through attributes. To the side of the home was a connected garage, nearly big enough to be a workshop capable of fitting two large pickup trucks. On the roof, a few large solar panels were carefully placed to take in as much sunlight as possible, giving the structure more than enough power.

Lyte's house was close enough to reach the upwards slope in little time but far enough to avoid the nasty avalanches that roar down on occasion.

Inside, a beautiful, slim young girl, who appeared to be in her late teens, carried various bright, colourful flowers in her hands to the centre of the carpeted living room before kneeling down to put them inside a vase where they sat atop a glass coffee table. The girl's short, blonde hair that she kept straight, flared outwards like a wave from her head while two areas stood up and back symmetrically like wings. Since it was almost always cold outside, she enjoyed wearing casual white cargo pants, and a simple white t-shirt which was covered by an unzipped pink, red, and white light winter jacket, clean hiking boots so it wouldn't mark up the carpet, and finally a silver bracelet on her left arm which sparkled like diamonds in the sun. But it was her eyes that made her stand out though; her bright autumn eyes that held such joy and happiness.

Lexia smiled, partly because the room was nicely organized and clean, and partly from the sun which shone brightly in from the window, giving the flowers their bright, beautiful colours. From the same large window, almost the whole mountain could be seen; from the summit to the bottom. Eventually, if she waited, Lexia could clearly watch Lyte riding down when he got close enough. There were already two or three faded trails from his past runs written in the snow from the day before.

She slumped down on the large couch, head rested on its armrest while she gazed out the window and silently sighed. Why did she have to sleep in? If she didn't, she could've gone with him like usual. Well, Lexia thought, he was nearly at the top so there wasn't any point catching up just to head back down. So instead she tidied up the house and fed the two Pokémon before eating herself. It wouldn't be too long till he got back anyway. Shifting her head to rest on top her hands, she waited, hoping to see a figure rushing down the mountain. Hopefully, Lyte remembered to take her to Newbark Town before the shops closed. Last time they went, she found a certain store that sold miniature wooden statues of all kinds of Pokémon. One particular statue caught her eye but they didn't have enough money to buy it at the time. Now that Lyte withdrew more from the bank yesterday before heading home, she could go back with him and buy it.

That is, if he returned in time. A quick glance at the digital clock sitting on an end table and she found the time; two-thirty in the afternoon. Lexia tilted her head in a thinking expression, trying to remember what time the shops closed. Four maybe? Four-thirty? She shook her head. Five the latest, that's for sure.

"Arrrrrw!" Along with the howl and a couple barks, scratching noises began originated from the door as it was heard by Lexia instantly. She got up from the couch and made her way past the kitchen to the main door beside the garage door, knowing of only one Pokémon who made those noises when he wanted to come back inside. Dagger; a mightyena on Lyte's team. Once she turned the doorknob, Dagger did the rest impatiently and pushed the door open with his head, rushing inside covered in snow. Lexia took a step back and covered her eyes with her arms when the mightyena shook his fur free of snow, leaving it to melt on the black door mat before brushing his paws clean on said mat. Lexia closed the door and frowned at Dagger, because Lyte taught him not to do that again but mostly because she just finished cleaning the entire house!

Dagger didn't seem to notice anyway as he padded his way down the hallway where the staircase to the second floor was and out of sight. All the girl did was shake her head in annoyance and broom the rest of the snow that was on the wooden floor onto the mat where it would melt without a mess. Dagger, was the team's mess. Still, she knew the mightyena was one tough Pokémon. Lyte certainly did a great job teaching him to become strong, like he did with her. Lexia believed being around him made her behaviour change for the better. Just like him, she always took the most efficient way to solve anything and barely took any nonsense from anyone. Not to mention he made her more independent too.

Lexia snapped out of her thoughts and eventually made her way back to the living room, nicely adjusting various decor along the way. Once there, she fell back onto the couch and grabbed her cell from the coffee table, checking the time again. It was almost three. Surely he should be back soon... Hopefully. After another silent sigh, she shifted herself along the couch to a more comfortable position. Midway through her movements, she took a quick look out the window and realized that a fresh line was created along the snow. He was back! Lexia jumped off the couch with excitement, rushed to the door and outside onto the walkway where most of the snow was shovelled earlier that day.

After quick glances from right to left, he was nowhere to be seen on that side of the building. So without hesitation, she chose the left side along the garage, past the parked snowmobile and peeked around the house. Lexia smiled and rushed up to Lyte who was knelt down in the snow, back turned to her while fiddling around with his snowboard before being interrupted by a tight hug from behind.

Lyte nearly jumped, chuckling as he padded her arms that nearly strangled him. "Hey, sleepyhead."

Lexia released her hug attack and knelt beside him in front of the prototype snowboard before her giving him a playful frowny-face. Lyte shook his head in amusement before returning his attention back on the board, using small tools to release a binding. Whatever he was doing confused her to some extent. Being beside him the whole time while he built the prototype, she was familiar with how it was constructed, but she couldn't understand why he was taking it apart.

Because of her reaction, Lyte noticed and explained the problem. "The board worked fine all the way down, but it locked up on me when I tried shifting it down again," he explained as he scratched his head, sighing at the contraption. "Not quite sure why."

Remembering how the board shifted, she eyed the miniature gears sharply and immediately noticed tiny rocks held together by snow, jammed in the joints of the device's interior. Perhaps Lyte didn't see it because of all the snow? Lexia narrowed her eyes at the problem and pointed where the most buildup was, before gazing up at his confused expression.

"Hmm?" Lyte lowered himself for a better angle and saw what she found. "Huh, would you look at that," he mused, returning to his original position. "That shouldn't happen..."

Lexia knew damn well how rocks got in there, and so did Lyte; he just didn't want to admit it. So she sat back, crossed her arms, and raised an eyebrow at him.

It was pointless arguing with her. Lyte just gave her a guilty smile as he recalled the rough parts of his run. "What? It was only a few jumps. Besides, that's what testing is for." Guilty as charged. Lexia rolled her eyes with a grin, stood up, and looked beyond the trees behind her where the general direction of Newbark Town was.

The message was clear as day for Lyte. It was only a matter of time before he had to give in to her 'silent' demands. Well, he did promise her. "Alright Lexia," he said with a playful, unenthusiastic tone just for the sake of bugging her. "Guess I'll just fix this later. Go grab the truck keys and we'll go."

Lexia instantly spun around and clapped her hands together happily, a wide smile on her face as she ran back into the house.

Left behind was a dumbfounded Lyte. Typical of her; always showing tons of excitement and happiness. Lexia had been like that ever since he's known her, even from the moment he first laid eyes on her. He planted his hands on the snow behind him and leaned back, eyeing the beautiful sky above. "And I still don't know how she does it," he wondered to himself. Only a few times has he seen Lexia get mad; two of those three was because they got into a fight. Even then, it wasn't directed at him... But the third, he began to think before forcing himself from bringing up the memories. Never again. Lexia was still a lady in his eyes and she deserved to be treated like one.

But... Was it the right thing for him to do? Did he deprive her of her rightful freedom because she got too accustomed to his lifestyle? That, Lyte did not know. And the truth was a haunting dream that troubled him nearly every day.

Just like at that moment. It was hopeless pondering on the matter like he did so many times in the past. So, instead, he narrowed his eyes to the blue sky again and whistled five notes which, when played together, sounded like a soft melody that echoed throughout the area. He waited and listened. Silence followed as a cold breeze passed by, rustling the thick trees around him. Then he heard him, the flaps of his strong wings that disrupted the calm air pattern.

"Pidgeeoo!" Lyte grinned at his flying type's loud cry and stood up to search the sky for him. From the east, he spotted the large Pokémon closing in the distance before the pidgeot swiftly landed before his trainer.

The bird Pokémon stood tall, taller than Lyte, before he gladly allowed his trainer to ruffle the feathers on his head. "How you doin' Aero? Eat yet?" Aero cooed softly along with Lyte's touch, shaking his wings in response; his way of saying yes. That second, Lyte heard the door open and shut.

A few more second later, an excited Dagger raced around the corner, already recognizing Lyte's scent, and just about tackled him to the ground. Dagger stood on his hind legs and rested his front on Lyte's chest, wagging his tail as he panted. Lyte laughed at the Pokémon's usual reaction. "Hey, buddy!" He scratched around the mightyena's ears, to his great liking. "Is our fourth coming?" In response, Dagger barked and made various groaning noises. "Oh yeah?" He pushed Dagger down on all fours, petting him. "You guys stay here alright?" With that being said, both Pokémon did as told and looked at each other before Lyte picked up his board and tools off the snow and made his way inside the house. Behind him, he heard Dagger and Aero conversing in their own way.

"Lexia?" Lyte called when he entered the house. "I got Dagger and Aero waiting outside! Are you ready?" Not waiting for an answer, he entered the garage through another door, flipped the lights on, and saw the white coloured, four-door pickup truck parked on the far end. "Damn it needs a car wash," he grumbled to himself, realizing how much mud and dirt stuck onto the vehicle from his last outing. Lyte made a mental note to clean it later and set down both the tools and the snowboard atop a wooden workbench.

What was taking her so long to find keys? Now that Lyte began recalling his last trip, it was possible he didn't bring them inside... He walked up next to the driver door and opened it, causing the vehicle to produce chiming noises from the interior. Lyte hung his head and sighed. The chime only meant that he did leave them in the ignition. "Found them!" he yelled before climbing inside. A press of a button on the rear-view mirror commanded the sliding garage door to open, revealing a bright white canvas of snow outside. As soon as he started the engine, Lexia entered the garage and jumped in the passenger seat of the vehicle.

Lyte eyed her with a grin, one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the shifter. "Guess where they were?"

One look at the silver keys hanging from the ignition was all it took for Lexia to figure it out. She playfully rolled her eyes which made him chuckle before he reversed the truck out of garage and next to the two Pokémon who friendly sparred on the snow. Lyte remotely closed the garage door and opened the drivers. "Hey, you two!" Dagger looked up from his position on top of Aero, seeming to have won the fight. Lyte grinned at their playfulness before the two got up in attention. "We're going to Newbark Town," he started. "Aero, do you want to follow us or go back into your Pokéball?"

Aero walked forward, lowered his beak and pointed it near Lyte's waist where he stored the team's Pokéballs; Aero, and the whole team's gesture that meant to return. "Ok." Lyte understood and pulled out his Pokéball before recalling him. "What about you?" he asked Dagger who predictably placed his front legs on the truck's step-up. Lyte reached an arm over and opened the rear door, allowing Dagger to jump in before closing it.

With one last breath of fresh mountain air, Lyte pulled himself in the driver's seat, shut the door, pulled his goggles off his head and onto the dashboard, and navigated the vehicle toward Newbark Town.

Welcome and thank you for taking the time to read my brand new story I've been working on for over a year now. I really enjoyed writing this story and I do hope I can provide entertaining content. One thing that's completely different from my other stories is that this fic is nearly complete. My plan is to release each chapter one month apart from each other. Whether I follow that plan or not... is on me. I'm not going to lie, life hits us at unexpected angles, but I'll try my best!

OC's are used with permission.