She had been so small when they first met.

The very first thing Sarah had done after releasing her from her pokéball had been to pick her up and raise her above her head, beaming up at her as she pronounced her new name. It had been a curious feeling, Snowy reflected, waving her stubby feet helplessly in the air, looking down at those bright eyes, and hearing those two syllables. Slowly, she had understood Sarah meant her, and that her days dozing off inside her cozy pokéball had come to an end. From there on out, she'd to be this brand new trainer's constant companion.

The name had annoyed her at first — she had been perfectly content being called Swinub — as had the idea of traveling with the girl. She was loud and easily excitable where Snowy preferred peace and quiet, and her habit of lifting her off the ground and pressing her against her chest had made all the hairs on Snowy's fur stand on end. Sarah never stopped laughing. She was like a babbling brook, constantly moving and making noise, while Snowy was a creature of ice and frost and slow movements.

And yet, with time, Snowy had begun to thaw. Sarah overflowed with energy, yes, but also with kindness. Each sweet berry, each friendly word, each victory they earned together cut another chink in Snowy's icy exterior, and soon enough, she found herself snuggling against Sarah when they camped outdoors, in hopes she might help her trainer keep warm.

Sarah's hugs no longer repulsed her, and once she evolved and became far too big to be picked up, she rather regretted not appreciating them while she had had the chance. Sarah kept pampering her, combing her long fur until it was glossy and smooth as silk, and polished her tusks so they gleamed in the sun. Snowy began earning ribbons alongside badges, and she loved the former more than she ever loved the latter; the badges were earned by the entire team, but the ribbons were just her and Sarah, just like it had been at the very start of their journey.

Sarah captured many members for her team, and often sent old partners to live with her Ranger parents. Snowy alone was never replaced.

As Snowy basked in the early afternoon sunlight and reminisced, she heard Sarah slowly stir in her bed, and she hastily left the sunny patch on the floor to be by her trainer's side. Sarah had been sleeping a lot lately. Not that Snowy found it strange after how far they had come. If anything, it was only fair that for once, Sarah was living her life at Snowy's pace and not the other way around.

"Snowy..." Sarah murmured. She raised her hand to stroke Snowy's head.

Snowy leaned into the touch and gave what she hoped was an appreciative trumpet.

"Do you think you'd be happier as a mamoswine?"

Snowy had no answer. She had met mamoswines on their trek through Sinnoh, and though she had been awed by their size and massive tusks, being small had its advantages. She never could've come indoors to watch over Sarah as a mamoswine.

Sarah smiled at her with half-hooded eyes. "We'll go to a move tutor after I get better if you want."

Her mind made up, Snowy made a sharp sound that humans, or at least Sarah, usually assumed to mean "no".

"Oh." Sarah closed her eyes. "In that case, let's go back to the mountains, instead. So you can play in the snow..." She laughed. "Remember when that boy got so mad he lost that he kept pelting us with snowballs until we ran indoors?"

Snowy rubbed her head against Sarah's arm.

"That's right..." Sarah's voice was faint. "We'll go there. Our next big adventure."

With that, her breathing became even once more. Snowy stayed by the bed, Sarah's hand on her head, and as the sun moved on the sky and the rays engulfed the bed, she too dozed off in a blissful calm.

"Grandma?"

A sudden crash woke Snowy up. She could see nothing through the sunlight, but the voice belonged to Heather, Sarah's grand-daughter.

There were hasty footsteps, then silence, then a gasp for breath.

"Mike!" Heather cried, rushing away. "Mike!"

Snowy wondered about her distress, but the sunlight was so warm and the spot so comfortable she couldn't help but close her eyes again.

When she next woke up, both Heather and Mike, Heather's brother, were in the room.

"So it goes," said Mike. He had a deep, booming voice, but right then it sounded distant, like the rumbling of faraway thunder. "At least we know she went peacefully. Look at the smile on her face."

Heather was in tears. Snowy began to feel uneasy. A part of her wanted to go and comfort Heather: she had always been good to her, even if she had tugged at little too hard at Snowy's fur back when she had been very small and Snowy had allowed her to ride on her back.

"Uh, well..." Mike's words were so thick Snowy barely understood them. "I'll call Mom and Dad, okay?"

"Uh huh," Heather managed between sobs. From the sound of footsteps, Mike then left the room.

Before Snowy knew it, Heather crouched next to her.

"Oh, Snowy." Heather hesitated, then slowly removed Sarah's hand from her head. "I'm so sorry."

Snowy was too drowsy to do much, so she simply nudged Heather, hoping it would signal everything was fine.

All of a sudden, Heather's arms were around Snowy, and she was crying against her back.

"I'm so... glad you... were here with her," she managed.

The tears clung unpleasantly to Snowy's fur. It would take ages to dry, she knew, especially now that the sun had begun to set. Still, she leaned her head against Heather's shoulders, hoping the weight would comfort the human. She was one of Sarah's, after all, and therefore family.

At length, Mike returned, and soon the room was full of people speaking in mournful, hushed tones. Snowy found herself unable to care. Once Heather's tears dried, and she left Snowy with one last squeeze, Snowy allowed herself to drift back to slumber.

After all, she needed to gather strength for her and Sarah's next big adventure.