I had always wanted to write a Pokémon story. And it took a while before I could get one that was decent, because I had sooooooo many Poké-plot bunnies swirling around in my head!

This one was one I thought about years ago, but at the time I first conceived of it, it had different elements to the story, but the idea was still the same.

Any who…I don't own Pokémon; it is owned by Nintendo and Satoshi Tajiri. I created Samantha "Snowy" Labelle.

Now, on with the show!

Location: Dragonspiral Tower

Date: July 20

Time of Day: Astronomical Dawn

Wrapping the woolen blanket tightly around her shaking body, with only her face poking out, Snowy hunkered as low as she could against a collapsed pillar on the tower's fourth level. Approximately twenty minutes ago, she had awoken on the stone-cold ground on the seventh floor—the top floor—alone, the blanket forming a makeshift cocoon around her.

In the first few minutes, Snowy had lain still, afraid to move or even breath, fearing that he would be close by, waiting. But then she got to a sitting position and found, to her confusion, that he wasn't there. After a moment, she began to relax. His absence was a good thing. For now.

Once Snowy got her bearings, she found that she had had her head propped on her backpack. She searched through it, half-hoping to find Joey's Poké Ball before realizing that he'd been out of his Poké Ball when the two got separated. Snowy didn't have to worry about where he was, though; last she saw him, he'd been with Lonzo and Sapphire. They'd look after him until she got back. This she was positive of. It gave her a sense of comfort after what had happened.

There wasn't much in her bag, to her great displeasure. One of her Berry Pots was still there, but the berry she'd planted in it hadn't sprouted yet. There was a can of Super Repel, but it was half-empty. Or was it half-full?Focus, Samantha, she'd told herself. There's gotta be more in here. Keep looking.

Her Dowsing Machine was cracked and broken, so she had to toss that aside. The Good Rod she had gotten in Dewford Town many months ago was still in one piece, but what use would this be for her now?

Snowy kept rifling. She found two Max Potions, an Antidote, two Heart Scales, a Star Piece, a flashlight with the reflector cracked (but it still worked), and a Muscle Wing. That was it.

Snowy was displeased, but she couldn't complain. Not now, when she had to get out of her before he showed up.

She stuffed the items back into her bag, save for the flashlight and the Max Repel. Then she rose to her feet and slipped the bag's straps over her shoulders before wrapping one end of the blanket around her shoulders to form a kind of cloak, the other end trailing along the ground like a bridal train. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Snowy began walking towards the stairs.

Once she reached the bottom of the staircase, Snowy held out the Max Repel and sprayed it once. Max Repels lasted two hundred and fifty steps, she'd been told. Half of two hundred and fifty was one hundred and twenty-five. Snowy figured that, if she used it sparingly during her trek down Dragonspiral Tower, she could make it past all the wild Pokémon until she reached the second floor, the closest she'll get to the exit before they realized she was defenseless, at which she would abandon her blanket and run for it.

That was what she had hoped for. Her plan had provided her with a sense of assurance that lasted until she had reached the steps leading down to the fifth floor, when she heard the call of a Golurk ringing through the tower. Snowy halted, nervous once again. Did the Golurk ever come this far up the tower? But if they did, wouldn't she hear one?

Snowy used the Max Repel a second time before stepping slowly, carefully down the stairs. She was just at the bottom when she heard something whoosh over her head. She chewed her split bottom lip and crouched low. The blanket was pulled atop her head. She held her breath, trying not to move, trying not to breath, as she heard the sound of whooshing back and forth.

Don't be a Druddigon, don't be a Druddigon, please oh please don't be a Druddigon...

Two high-pitched voices had been heard over the noise of the swooshing. Emolgas. That was what Snowy had seen when she'd looked up. Emolgas weren't normally found in the tower, but the tower had windows; they must have slipped in through one of them.

The two Emolgas were hovering over her, chatting with each other about the little white-haired girl that was wandering through the tower alone. Where were her Pokémon, they wondered. Did she have them with her? Didn't she know better than to go into a Pokémon-infested place without them?

Before, Snowy would've have opened her mouth to make a snappy retort. Now she was wishing that they'd just shut up and leave her alone. Why did she have to have this stupid ability to communicate and to understand what Pokémon were saying?

Snowy huffed and had begun making her way down the steps. The Emolgas' chattering became distant, muffled. She reached the bottom of the steps and used another spray of Max Repel. She clutched the can tightly in her left hand, while the flashlight, lit but not bright, was gripped in her right hand.

She had to think of something other than Pokémon right now. And of what had happened hours ago. Let's see…there was a town south of the tower, she recalled. What was it called? Sirius City? No, Icirrus City. She'd make her way down to there, get to a Pokémon Center, explain the mess she'd gone through to the Nurse Joy, and then ask if she could use the phone.

But who could she call? She hadn't met a lot of people in Unova that she had thought to be nice enough for her to consider friends. There were the Nurse Joys she spoke to at the other Centers, yes, but who else? There was Marlan, that boy who was raising a team of Water-type Pokémon in Undella Town. There was Julie, the girl who hailed from that railroading town that could only be accessed by...well, rail. And what about Waldo, the bookish boy from Lacunosa Town? What about him? What about the others? Would they be willing to help her?

Oh, no, wait. They couldn't. She didn't know any of their phone numbers. She never carried a phone on her, finding them corny to have around when there was a whole world to be explored. Besides, Julie had been traveling home when they'd met, and was probably there by now, no doubt too content to leave and come bail her out of this mess. Marlan wouldn't know how to get to her, being on the other side of Unova and all that. And Waldo's aunt hadn't liked her all that much. That left the Nurse Joys.

But there was another she could call. Problem was, she lived all the way back in Sootopolis City, with her cousin. She hadn't known what Snowy was going to do, and would probably be furious if she heard Snowy's voice on the phone. So furious that she'd hang up before the girl got a chance to explain her situation.

Snowy sniffled at the memory of her last encounter with that woman, the fight that had caused Snowy to take this perilous—and moronic—journey to Unova. Leaving in the middle of the night, no goodbyes, no letters promising to return some day…oh, what kind of a daughter was she?

Snowy reached the bottom of the stairs and wound up on the fifth floor. Something was flapping over her. Snowy stopped. Her flashlight wasn't providing a strong enough glow to see what was where, and who was near.

Think, Snowy, think! Snowy shut her eyes, trying to remember what kind of Pokemon lived in this stupid tower. He made this his domicile, but who else called this place home? The Emolgas lived outside, but the Golruk and their Golett offspring lived inside. Them, as well as the Mienfoo and Mienshao, and the…

Oh, no!

An angry screech was heard above her head, and Snowy ducked down in time to avoid the claws of a green and orange Druddigon.

"Trespasser!" the Druddigon yelled at the human girl. "Who do you think you are, coming here?"

Snowy hugged her two possessions to her chest, but kept her head down. "I'm sorry!" she cried. "I didn't mean to come here. I was just leaving. Please let me pass." Any other time Snowy would have been thrilled to see a shiny Pokémon, especially a Dragon-type, in front of her, but without her Pokémon, she couldn't do anything except beg for mercy.

"If you face me in battle, I may consider," the Druddigon said. Snowy lifted her head to see the dragon Pokémon less than five feet above her.

"I…I can't," Snowy said. "I don't have my Pokémon with me. But if you let me leave and go get them, I'll come back here and battle you."

The Druddigon began to snarl. "Liar," he said.

"It's true, I swear!" Snowy exclaimed. "Here, let me just show you my ba—"

The Druddigon roared once again and raised his claws to strike her down. Snowy, in turn, raised the Max Repel and sprayed as much of it as she could in his direction. Hissing with anger at the feel of the Repel as it took effect, the Druddigon withdrew from what he felt was a pointless battle, at the same time unintentionally allowing Snowy to pass.

The can was empty now; she'd used it all up defending herself from the Druddigon. Snowy tossed it aside and kept running until she made it to the collapsed pillar, which had been located on the other side of the room. There, she had shut off her flashlight and planned to wait until the sun rose before continuing her trek downwards, provided that he didn't decide to return. Hopefully, she'd bump into some early bird trainers who'd allow her to walk out with them. Given that they weren't going to try and capture him, of course.

Snowy gritted her teeth and huddled even closer to the pillar as she remembered her first encounter with him, and all the events that had led up to that horrifying revelation.

It filled her with…pain. Pain of not knowing for all these years.

It filled with disgust. Disgust of knowing now that everything that was aberrant about her had been because of him.

And it filled her with fear. Fear of what would happen to her, now that she knew. If he found her trying to escape, what would he do to her? Would he hurt her? Kill her? Take her to the Hall of Origins, where she would be judged by the other deities, and determine what to do with her?

Weeks ago, she had set out on this trip with the hope of finding the answers to the questions that hadn't been answered for years, and the determination to show everyone and anyone she had known that she could be more than just the white-haired half-pint that practically terrorized Sootopolis with her band of wild, talking Pokémon only she could hear.

Snowy shut her eyes. Tears trickled through the closed eyelids and rolled down her cheeks.

Everything she had done had been in vain.

Her journey was ending in tragedy.

She was going to die here. Alone. Without family or friends by her side.

She should never have left Sootopolis.

Well, there's the beginning of the story. Who do you think "he" is? What kind of questions was Snowy hoping to answer? What happened that got her trapped in the Dragonspiral Tower?

Review, and you shall soon know.

:)