... I swear, these delays are not intentional. I meant to get this chapter out last Monday, but it wasn't even half finished by then. And until a few days ago, I was afraid this chapter would be disappointingly short. Now I'm not any more and quite frankly am happy with how it turned out.

And this chapter marks a milestone for me. This chapter has now officially made this story the longest (word length) one I've written, ever. Yay for me! And it's going to be even larger, I promise you readers that.

And to nerfherder97, good things come to those who wait. I have plans for both Anna and Kristoff.

Now a small note, I've been re-working a few of the previous chapters, and plan on editing all of them. There won't be any real major changes, mostly just some cleaning up work. However, if there is any changes, I'll let you know at the beginning of the chapter. So keep that in mind. You might want to re-read the previous chapters.

Now without further ado, I present Chapter 10: What am I going to do?

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or Frozen. This crossover is a work of fiction by OrangeGalen and does not reflect the views or wishes or blah blah blahs of the genius creators who made these two awesome things.

Edit- 3/some date/17: Basic editing

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Carolina looked away from the monitor and turned to Elsa. "I'm sorry." She paused and continued on. "I ran the scan twice. It identified the signature of your clothing and recognized it as a different from this world's, but there was no sign of any other signatures. No disturbances, no portals, and no scars. I don't know what to say." Carolina finished and she hung her head in defeat.

However Elsa didn't hear any of this. All of her fears came crashing down on her. Her fears of being stranded in an unknown world. Her fears of being labeled as a monster because of her powers. Her fears of never seeing Arendelle again. Her fears of never seeing her sister again. That last one was by far the worst.

And like the clockwork of old, her fears were getting the better of her.

Even though she had figured out that love thaws, that doesn't actually solve the problem of her powers getting out of control in the first place. A misplaced emotion or another argument here or there could result in another eternal winter. And right now, it seemed like the lab was getting the frosty treatment.

Carolina was about to say something else but then she noticed something strange. The monitor that she was just looking at had frost crawling over it. Her eyes widened as she looked around and saw that most of the equipment had been covered in frost. She then noticed that the temperature had dramatically dropped and there was a wind starting to blow, like an overacting AC unit.

Elsa meanwhile was caught in her own fears. I'm stuck here. I'm stuck here. I can't get back. I've lost my sister, and she's lost me all over again. I failed. I promised that we would never be separated again. And here I am, in another world where we cannot ever see my sister again. What am I going to do now? I'm trapped.

The wind started growing stronger and the frost solidified into ice. Certain machines were starting to whine in protest to the change and there was a subtle change in the lighting as the ice covered it, making the room start glowing a blue color. A small snowstorm started building around Elsa once more.

Aren was panicking, seeing Elsa like this again. "Elsa! Elsa please! Just-"

Just. Just what? Calm down? Elsa thought. When has that ever helped? How can you ask me that, to calm down?

"Elsa?" Carolina said.

Elsa's eyes snapped up and she locked them with Carolina's. In her eyes, she saw curiosity, pity, and fear. Fear of what was going on. Fear because of her powers. Fear because of her.

It's just like my coronation night. They all had the same expression on their faces when they saw my powers. The saw me for what I was. What I truly was. No, Elsa! Stop this! They didn't know. They were surprised at seeing magic. No! They were afraid of me once they saw. They all are once they find out. But Emily wasn't. Yes she was! No she wasn't!

During Elsa's internal war between herself, Carolina came closer. The room had gotten cold enough so that almost everything had a layer of ice over it. The machines were turning off by themselves to prevent damage from being done to them and Carolina's breath was clearly visible. She was the only one that had their breath visible.

"Elsa?" She said again.

Elsa's eyes snapped back to Carolina, and once she noticed how close Carolina was she stepped back and held out her hand. "Please, just don't get any closer." Her voice was terrified. The flurry intensified.

"Elsa!" Aren shouted, "What do you think you are doing? She's not going to do anything! What do you think she's thinking?" That was a bad question on Aren's part in hindsight.

"What do I think?" Elsa hysterically said. "It's what they think! What they all think! They see my powers. I can't go anywhere without people seeing me as a monster!" Elsa was in full panic and the snowstorm inside was getting worse, to the point where clothing was being blown around.

"You are NOT a monster!" Aren growled. "You are a person. Yes you have powers, but how else are you different from Cynthia? From Emily? From Anna?" Aren said finally.

"Anna?" …I'm never going to see you again. I'm trapped here.

"Yes, Anna! Do you think that she sees you any different from another person?"

Elsa's fear had started to die down as she started thinking about Aren's questions. Does she see me differently? Yes…? But she loves that part of me. Even as a kid… But even when she had her memory removed she still wanted to be with me. She didn't see me as a… a freak, she saw me as a sister and a friend.

Aren saw that the panic in Elsa's eyes was dying down and she was thinking more rationally now. "No she doesn't. From what I understand, she loves you as a sister: not as a magician, and not as a queen. As a sister. Even if you didn't have powers she would love you the same."

"Yes." Elsa whispered, and the snowstorm stopped, the snowflakes hanging in midair. Carolina watched in silent awe at the spectacle playing out before her.

"And do you think that these people, the ones that have taken care of you and taught you about this world would suddenly turn on you just because you have the same powers as I do? No they won't! They will see them as wonderful abilities with a wonderful person. Yes it might be strange at first, but they will get to know you, not your powers. They will understand."

Elsa sighed and the fear drained out of her, leaving behind a tired and confused young woman. "You're right. You're right…" She said. "It's just… well, you know." Aren nodded in understanding.

"Are you calmed down now?" He asked.

Elsa took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes."

"Good, because now you get to do the explaining." Aren said.

Elsa looked up and saw Carolina staring at her, slightly shivering now. Then she saw the state of the room. "Oh, I'm sorry." Elsa said apologetically and held out her hands. It took a little bit more, but she brought up the feelings she had for Anna and gathered up all the ice and frost in the room into her signature snowflake, then made it disappear.

The machines in the room slowly started up again as their mechanical innards warmed up. The temperature returned to normal and Carolina stopped shivering as the heaters kicked in automatically. Carolina now looked at Elsa with curiosity. "Elsa… you… you caused that?" She asked.

Elsa lowered her head and nodded. "Yes… yes I did."

Carolina kept looking at her, analyzing her with her eyes. "You can make ice?"

Elsa nodded again and said, "And snow. I've had the powers; well actually I was born with them. And no, I don't know how." She said, answering Carolina's next question of how she got them.

So Carolina moved on, her mind on overdrive thinking. "You had them since you were born?" She paused. "I assume that many didn't accept your powers then from the way you reacted." She said kindly.

Sighing, Elsa shook her head, "At first it was fine. It was only a few people in the castle: my parents, a few servants, and my sister." She fell silent.

"Something went wrong then." Carolina said.

Elsa closed her eyes, trying to block out the memory of that night while telling it. "When I was playing with Anna one night, I accidentally hit her with my powers. She needed magical help and had her memories of my powers removed. For the next thirteen years I was separated from her until I could control my powers. But I didn't and my parents died before I could control them. Both of us were alone: Anna without our parents or myself, and me knowing that I could hurt Anna again."

Carolina nodded her head. "I won't pretend I completely understand what you're feeling, because only you can know what you feel. But I can compare." When Elsa looked at her quizzically, Carolina explained. "My son and his wife, Carolina and Emily's father and mother, are venturing into unexplored regions of this world. The last time I saw them was nine years ago, when they showed up to send off Cynthia on her own journey with Gibble. I don't even know if they're alive right now because they are doing important work, the nature of it even I can't disclose. So I had to practically raise Cynthia and Emily by myself after my own husband passed."

Elsa was surprised at this knowledge. "I-I didn't know that. I'm sorry." She said awkwardly.

"What for?" Carolina asked. "Why are you sorry? It was their choice to take the assignment and I supported them. But you were forcefully separated from the ones that you loved by things that weren't entirely under your control."

"My powers." Elsa said.

"Partially, but you said that it was an accident right? You were… eight then." She said, mentally calculating Elsa's age. "It was just an accident. Yes it involved magic, but in principal how different is that from any other accident two kids get in? And Anna was fine afterwards, correct?" Elsa nodded. "So then everything is fine now. You know what you can do."

"It's not just that." Elsa interrupted. "When I loose control over my emotions, I loose control over my powers. Just like you saw. I can't help it. As much as I try to stop it, they come out."

"I can't answer that." Carolina said. "The answer to your predicament must come from you. But you can undo what you can make. So nothing you do can be irreversible."

"It almost was." Elsa said sadly, "When my powers were revealed to everyone, I ran and made an ice palace. Yes, the same one we were at when I came here to this land," Elsa added. "Anna came after me and I lost control. I struck her heart and she later turned to ice." Elsa looked down and the ghosts of tears were showing in her eyes. "She died, but she sacrificed herself to save me. An act of true love can thaw a frozen heart. And that's how I discovered how to thaw my own powers."

"But you still lose control every once in a while." Carolina held up a hand to stall Elsa's response. "It's natural. Even the best of us loose our temper once in a while Elsa."

Elsa frowned at that. But I'm not. I can't. I'm a queen and I'm not supposed to let my emotions show. It's the sign of a bad monarch. Papa told me so.

Before Elsa could protest, Carolina spoke again. "Don't deny it Elsa. We're only human, and Pokémon," she added with a glance at Aren. "We all have emotions and we need to live with this fact." She paused a moment, remembering an earlier comment she made. "I guess I was wrong."

Elsa frowned, "What do you mean?"

"I guess you do understand about having powers." When Elsa still looked confused, she added, "When I compared you having Aren's powers."

Understanding dawned on both of them. "Oh, well, yes." Elsa gave a sheepish smile.

Carolina had another thought. "Emily knows, doesn't she?"

Elsa nodded. "By less than pleasant circumstances."

"You had a breakdown again, didn't you? I'll take your silence as a 'yes'." She said when Elsa didn't respond.

"It was worse than what just happened." Elsa said.

"So now, what are you going to do?" Carolina asked.

Elsa frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Are you going to tell Cynthia too?"

Elsa paused and thought. "I… I'm going to. But… there's never a good time." The two instances, or three, where people found out were more than less than desirable.

"Best get it over with soon. I know my granddaughter and she doesn't like to be left in the dark."

Elsa nodded. I know the feeling, or rather, Anna knows the feeling… Anna. She suddenly remembered why she just lost control and some of her fear returned. What am I going to do? I'm a stranger here; a stranger misplaced in time and worlds. A few people accept me, but what will happen when the masses find out? What will they do? Will they accept me or will they view me as a freak? And the way I can understand Ice Type Pokémon isn't normal here, or just Pokémon in general. How can I live here all by own? I'm clueless and it'll be strange if I need help for things that are considered basic. Anna, I need you to be strong…

"… I will." Elsa said finally, "But I don't think I can do it today. I can't think straight."

Carolina nodded. "Alright. Don't push yourself too much. But the more you wait, the more it could be potentially bad when you do."

"I know. But not now. Not today." Elsa said softly.

"You have things to think through, I get it." She paused and looked back at the machines. "I could keep the search running if you wish. If there are any more disturbances coming from your world we could pinpoint them and track them and eventually investigate."

"Elsa?" Aren nudged her when she didn't answer.

"I don't know." Elsa said, sounding lost. "I-I need time to think things over. Please." She said.

Carolina looked at Elsa, analyzing her. Then she nodded. "Alright. I think that's enough for today. I'll take you back home- to our place I mean." She added, knowing that she couldn't take Elsa back to her real home. Not yet anyway.

Elsa nodded. "Thank you. For everything." She said softly.

Carolina smiled back at her. "You're welcome. I wish that I was only able to do more."

"You've done so much for me. I don't know how I can repay you."

"Don't even think about it." Carolina said.

"Alright…"

There was a silence again before Carolina blurted out, "Do you think that I could have a blood sample?" She at least had the decency to look abashed at the question.

Elsa frowned. "Why?"

"You're curious about your powers as much as I am. I figure that, well, I could have a sample of your blood to study and see what makes your powers tick."

Elsa's frown deepened, and Aren also seemed to get a little on edge, feeding off his trainer's emotions. "I don't think so. At least not right now."

"Right. Sorry, but I had to ask. I'm naturally curious, hence why I'm a scientist."

Elsa nodded, "I understand, but that was not the right time to ask."

"You're right. I apologize." She looked around. "Well then, I'll just set the machine to run a continuous scan and then we'll be on our way." Carolina went over and pushed a few controls on the panel, then went back over to Elsa. There was a moment of silence before Carolina said, "Let's go."

They all left the room, the machines humming away in a constant background noise that would soon become normal for the center. If the machine ever shut itself off, or the sound stopped, then Carolina would rush in and restart it, making sure nothing was missed. It would continue for a long time before the visits into the room became less and less. Then would come a fateful day where the events happening around them would cause them to forget about it.

Memories of a hope long lost by then.

But for now, it would remain at the forefront of the Center's minds.

Elsa and Carolina came out of the room and walked down the hallways to the main lobby. There, they found Cynthia and Emily waiting for them. The two girls turned to look at them coming back and moved over to them. "How'd it go?" Cynthia asked.

Elsa's eyes turned sad and Carolina answered for her. "We didn't find anything. As far as we know the portal has sealed up. Elsa's going to remain here a little while longer." That's a nice way of putting it, Elsa thought. Both of the blondes turned to Elsa.

"Elsa… I'm sorry." Emily said.

"Thank you for your concern. I-I need to…" Elsa coughed and her voice returned to normal. "I need to think about some things. First. Before…" She trailed off as she didn't know where to go from that.

But they all nodded understandingly, realizing what Elsa was going through. Cynthia stepped forward and gently gave Elsa a hug. Elsa instinctively tensed, old fears haunting her for a brief moment, before she relaxed a bit, awkwardly putting her hands around Cynthia's back.

"I feel so sorry for you Elsa. What you went through as a child." Elsa tensed up a bit, but Cynthia continued. "Emily told me a bit, and I know you need your time to open up to me as well." She stepped back a foot and said, "I'll wait until you're ready. Until then I'll give you your space to deal with things."

Elsa nodded, still concerned as to what Emily told Cynthia. But when she looked over at the girl in question, she mouthed, "Don't worry about it." I guess I have to trust her judgment on my own trust.

"Thank you." Elsa said to Cynthia.

Cynthia smiled, "Don't worry about it." She said, copying what Emily just mimed.

Elsa glanced around. "If you don't mind. I would like to go back to your house if that's okay."

"Sure thing." Cynthia said. She turned to Carolina, "I'll see you when you get home then?"

"Of course. Maybe by then I'll have thought of something new to try." I don't think it's going to work, Elsa thought. Call it a gut feeling.

"Well, until then." Cynthia hugged her grandmother and Emily was next.

Elsa was close enough to hear Carolina whisper to Emily, "I know Elsa's secret." Emily's eyes widened a bit but she recovered her expression and nodded slightly in comprehension when they parted.

"See you later." Emily said as if nothing had happened. With that, the three blondes and the Pokémon left the research center.

The ride back home was short and quiet, nobody really speaking. Cynthia was still getting her mind over the fact that Elsa had, for lack of a better way of putting it, a crappy childhood that continued into her young adult life. Emily was still feeling guilt ridden over what she had told Cynthia about Elsa. While it not being a complete lie, it was not the entire truth and that made it almost as bad.

Elsa obviously had it the worst. Her own thoughts were now chaotic, and the short reprieve that she had from talking to Carolina had faded to a distant memory as she sat in the car. Desperately she was trying to not freeze the car over from her emotions and, as much as she hated it, was at least practicing part of her 'conceal, don't feel' mantra. But it was still a relief when the Shirona house came into view.

The three girls and Aren piled out and got out their merchandise that they had bought earlier that day. Once Cynthia fished out the key for the door, they brought in the stuff and separated it by whose it was. "Here Elsa," Cynthia said, handing her the clothes she bought, "these are yours."

Elsa numbly nodded her head, but Aren spoke up. "Hey Elsa, I know you need time to think, so take the clothes upstairs and try them on while you think. It'll give you something to do."

"That's a good idea Aren," Elsa said, then turned to the two sisters and said, "I'm going to go upstairs and try these on. I do not want to be disturbed." She said half-pleadingly.

Both of them nodded, "Please take your time. I know you need it." Cynthia said.

"Let us know if you need anything; sweets, food, a heater, anything at all." Emily said. Cynthia gave Emily a quick glance at the heater mention, but Elsa knew exactly what Emily meant.

"Thank you, but I'll be fine for now." Elsa gave both of them a soft, sad smile before she took her bags and went upstairs, Aren following her.

That was the last time they saw Elsa for the rest of the day.

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"I hope Elsa is okay." Emily said as the three family members, Cynthia, Carolina, and Emily sat around the table eating dinner. It had been several hours since they had seen Elsa, but that was the least of their concerns. Sometimes they could hear her pacing in Cynthia's borrowed room in a constant circle, punctuated by silence for a few minutes before it started again. What was worse though was when they got closer to the room, they could hear muttering through the door. No words could be understood, but nobody really wanted to pry this time. Emily had learned her lesion, Cynthia thought she knew the story, and Carolina was old enough to know when someone needed to work through their thoughts on their own.

"I'm sure she's fine Emily." Cynthia said, but then almost immediately corrected herself. "I take that back, she's probably worried sick right now. I would be." She shuddered, then got up and went over to the thermostat and turned it up a few degrees. Emily and Carolina spared a glance at each other, pondering if Elsa was having trouble with her powers. Scratch that, she most certainly was. That was the third time someone had adjusted the heat higher, and the night wasn't that cool to warrant such a change.

"What are we going to do for Elsa after this?" Emily asked.

"We'll take things one step at a time. For now, she can stay here until she feels ready to do something." Carolina said.

"But she can't stay here." Cynthia said, "She's a queen and her kingdom needs her. From what she's said, Elsa is the only reigning monarch. She needs to get back to her home."

"That much is obvious!" Emily said, her voice rising a bit. "And how do you suggest she does that?"

"I don't know." Cynthia said, growling a bit. "The only option I could think of was the one we already tried, and that failed. What do you want me to do? I have things I need to do as well. The Pokémon League is starting and I need to go to the gyms. I can't stay." She said a bit accusingly.

Emily blinked, then looked down ashamedly. "Sorry." She muttered.

Carolina sighed, "This is getting us nowhere. We cannot speculate on what Elsa wants to do now. We need to let her decide her life from this point on."

"So what if she decides that she wants to continue looking for a way back home?" Cynthia asked.

Carolina closed her eyes and shook her head. "I won't stop her, but I can't exactly help her either. We don't have the means. What I did earlier was the best I could do. And even if we did find the portal, we would have to find some way to open it and send her back. If theoretically we could do that, the risk would be enormous. If we miscalculate even the slightest variable, we could send Elsa off to a completely different world from either of ours."

Cynthia and Emily both nodded, "Right, you're referring to the Multiverse Theory." Emily said.

"Yes. An infinite number of worlds, and the same number of variables. If the portal wasn't exactly right, then Elsa could be sent off into anything. And if the portal destabilized, then it could destroy both hers and our worlds. The worst possible situation would be that collapse could theoretically spread throughout the Multiverse and destroy all of existence. So in a way, I'm glad that we didn't find anything." The two girls didn't say anything, both knowing that their Grandmother still felt bad at not being able to help Elsa.

"So when do you think Elsa's coming out?" Cynthia asked Emily.

She shrugged, "I don't know. She has to eat at some point. Even a queen needs to eat."

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Elsa had been pacing for hours, her thoughts racing. Her bags had been set down on the bed and had half-heartedly pulled out a skirt before she broke down mentally. The room immediately grew frigid, but thankfully no frost or ice formed. Aren had tried to calm Elsa down, but she was long gone, lost in her own mind.

I can't go back. I can't go back. I'm stuck here, alone, stranded in a world that is alien to me. Technology is so far ahead of what we have back home that it might as well be magic. I don't understand the customs, the people, Pokémon for that matter. But I do, or at least Ice Types. But what am I supposed to do? What can I do here? Here I have nothing. No title, no family, no Anna…

Anna. I need to go back for her. If I'm gone then she'll break down. She has Kristoff, but she'll never get over me. My absence would destroy her. I need to get back. Anna will have to rule Arendelle if I'm gone. She wouldn't be able to with the constant thought of me in her mind. Arendelle wouldn't have strong leadership and nothing would get done. I've destroyed Arendelle almost as assuredly if I had just made another Eternal Winter, just by disappearing.

Why did it have to be me? Why did I have to have ice magic? Why did I have to hit my sister? Why did I have to hid myself for thirteen years? Why did I get pulled into this world? Why me? Why? Why? Why? Haven't I suffered enough? Haven't I gone through enough yet?

These were the types of thoughts that were going through Elsa's mind for hours on end. And with those thoughts, the room got colder and colder. Every once in a while a sudden thought would send ice up the wall and drag Elsa momentarily out of her thoughts. But then once she was finished melting the ice, the thoughts she used to melt it came to haunt and mock her.

Aren was becoming increasingly worried about his trainer. First it was fine and understandable. The pacing and the look on her face were consistent with humans in deep thought from he had seen on other trainer's faces. But as he watched the hours tick by, Elsa became more and more withdrawn, to the point where when Aren called to her, she barely even looked up. And then Aren became completely alarmed when Elsa started muttering out loud. Sometimes it was snippets of songs, sometimes she was thinking out loud, and other times she seemed to be having, or reliving, conversations she had with her parents.

The most concerning was when she started to hold herself, hiding her hands and muttered "Conceal, don't feel. Don't feel. Don't let it show. Get it together Elsa," when the ice started covering the room in a more liberal layer. At this point she started talking to herself, or a different part of herself. The obedient good girl, and the Elsa that she wanted to be and would have been if her life had been different.

"Elsa!" Aren tried again, "Please let me help you."

Elsa paused a moment and actually looked at Aren for a moment, and in that moment Aren hoped that he had managed to get through Elsa. But then Elsa lowered her head and muttered to herself again. "I can't get help. I'm stuck here. I'll hurt people if I'm out. I have to be alone…." She stopped again. "But I don't want to be. I want to be with Anna. But I can't. I have to leave her alone. Or I'll hurt her again. But I've already done that by being separated from her."

Her pacing continued. "Thirteen years. I've tried to control it. But I can't, and I don't want to." Her voice got louder. "I want to let it go, I want to be free from the fears that control me. ~It's time to see what I can do, to test the limits and break through.~" Elsa's face now had a smile on it, but it quickly faded. "Papa wouldn't like that thought. Conceal it, don't feel it. Don't let it show…. Who cares? It didn't help anyway.

"Thirteen years it didn't work, thirteen years down the drain, thirteen years… wasted." She growled out the last word. "Thirteen years, gone in less than a day. But that was the best thing to happen to me in those thirteen years. I saw Anna again. And I learned how to thaw! Yes, I can control my powers!" Elsa finished and what ice covered the room thawed out once more.

Aren took this as a sign to try again. "Elsa, how are you feeling?"

Elsa flinched and looked at Aren, blinking. The fog that had covered her eyes was now gone. "What do you think?" She said, slightly bitter. "After thirteen years of being separated from my sister I finally get to see her. For six months before fate decided to damn me again by stranding me here, where I am truly alone. It's like someone wants me to suffer! I'm stranded in a world with strange creatures, technology that I can't even begin to understand, and I have absolutely no hope of getting back. So I ask again, what do you think?" Elsa finished, her eyes flashing dangerously.

Aren had scooted back slightly on the bed, intimidated by the feelings he could sense. "Elsa, don't loose hope. You'll find a way back home, you'll see."

Elsa turned away from Aren and said, "How? You heard Carolina, she did everything she could and she doesn't know. I want to go home."

"I know. I understand." Aren said.

"How can you?" Elsa shot back unexpectedly. "You never had a home. You've said it yourself; you've been wandering around this region. How can you understand?"

Aren bristled and the temperature dropped, this time by Aren's doing. "I can understand the desire!" He shouted. "I wanted to have a home, parents to love me, to raise me, to nurture me, but instead I was left behind and had to survive on my own. Every time I came near humans, or was spotted by them, they wanted to capture me because I was different. I had to learn quickly to survive. I chose you because I could feel that I could be with someone that would care for me finally, like I always wanted to be."

"Why me? I don't know a thing about raising a Pokémon. I don't know anything about this world, the people, the Pokémon."

"But you can learn. And I'll be right there learning with you. You're my trainer now."

"But I didn't want to be!" Elsa shouted. "I don't know how to be a Pokémon trainer, and I don't know if I want to be. Everybody expects me to understand and be perfect, like a good queen should be. But I'm not!" She waved her hand and a few blue sparkles came off of it. "You see this? I'm nowhere near perfect! I'm… I'm…" She stopped, thinking about what she was going to say.

I told myself I would stop thinking that way. I'm not a monster; I'm not a freak. I'm not... But what am I?

Aren could see the panic reforming on her face. "Elsa, please just calm down." Wrong thing to say.

"That's what my father said to do. He was afraid of me even back then. Why? Why was he? Why? Why?" Elsa's lip began to quiver. "Why does this have to be me? Why can't I be with Anna? Why?" She sunk to her knees and she started sobbing, the stress and the confusion finally getting to her.

Aren jumped off the bed and nuzzled up next to Elsa. He didn't say anything and let Elsa cry to get it out. She kept going for a while. After a few minutes, Elsa's arm snaked around Aren and she hugged him tightly. He accepted it and pressed himself closer to Elsa.

Her sobbing slowly died away and there was only a few sniffles left. "I'm sorry," she muttered at last. "I didn't mean to lash out at you like that."

"You don't have to apologize for your actions Elsa. They were completely understandable."

Elsa finally seemed to get a hold of herself and shook her head slightly. "That's still no excuse. I should have had more self control."

"Elsa, believe me when I say that you are the best you can be right now. Not many would be able to hold up after what you have been through."

Elsa gave a small laugh. "When were you the expert in psychology?"

Aren smiled a bit. "Just doing my best."

Elsa giggled a bit then sobered up. "I'm stuck here. I have no way to get back. I don't know anything about this world. What am I going to do?"

Aren thought about it, then said, "How about you learn then?"

"What do you mean?" Elsa asked quizzically.

"Cynthia said that she was going around this region, actually was going to be gone yesterday. Maybe if you asked nicely you could go with her." He said.

Elsa thought about it. "I'd be intruding on her. I've already imposed enough."

"Well it's better than staying here, using up her room." Elsa laughed a bit at that. "Seriously though, you say you want to learn more about this world? Then I think Cynthia has been practically gifted to you."

Elsa fell silent in thought, and eventually she reached a decision. "You're right. I can't stay cooped up in one place again. And if I'm going to be in this world, I might as well try to learn about it. I-I think I'm going to ask Cynthia."

Aren gave a cry of joy at the news. "Yes! You finally decided something. I was wondering if you had broken finally."

"I don't know." Elsa said softly. I might have been already broken.

"Anyway, do you think we can go downstairs and get something to eat? I'm hungry and I'm sure you are too." As if on cue, both of their stomachs growled and they fell over laughing.

"Come on then," Elsa said, "lets rejoin life again." She gave the room a glance over and saw now ice at all. Even the temperature was back to normal. Nodding to herself, Elsa went over and opened the door.

"The weather seems to be strange tonight." Cynthia commented as she turned down the heater for the first time that night. Emily hoped that it meant what she hoped it meant. Sure enough, they heard a door being opened and closed, then footsteps on the stairs.

Everybody looked up from the table and saw Aren bound down the stairs with Elsa following. They could all see that her eyes were slightly red, but they weren't in as much pain anymore.

"Elsa? Are you alright?" Emily asked.

Elsa gave her a small smile and shook her head slightly, "No, truthfully I'm not, but I'm not going to let that stop me again. Thank you though for your concern."

"Alright, as long as you don't have another breakdown."

Elsa gave a nervous laugh, "I think I got that out of my system now, so you don't need to worry. However I have decided something." Everybody was paying rapt attention now. Elsa took a breath, "I know that you have done more than I could ever ask somebody, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I haven't exactly been forthcoming about who I am because I'm still coming to terms with it myself. Emily, Carolina, I hope you understand. And Cynthia, I will tell you, I promise, but let me do it on my own terms when I'm ready." Cynthia nodded in understanding.

"And I have two more things to ask of you. Cynthia, I know you were about to go on a journey around this region and I delayed you. Forgive me. However I have a request for you. Could you let me come with you when you leave?" That took them by varying degrees of surprise. "I am a stranger here, and I have no way of getting back home, so I might as well accept it that I'm stuck here. I want to learn more about this world, and about Pokémon, and I don't think there is anyone more qualified to do that than you are. So if you would let me, could I join you?"

Cynthia thought for the briefest of moments before nodding. "I would be happy to let you come with me. Besides, you have a promise to keep." She added jokingly.

Elsa gave a small bow. "Thank you. I hope that I will not disappoint you."

Cynthia waved it off. "Don't worry about it. We all started somewhere. You'll be fine."

"You said that you had two questions?" Carolina asked.

"Yes I did. The other thing is… can Aren and I have some food please?" Elsa asked somewhat embarrassed.

They all gave a laugh at that. "Don't worry, I'll get something cooked up for the both of you." Carolina said, then got up and went into the kitchen.

"I'll help you." Cynthia said, and followed, leaving Emily and Elsa at the table. Elsa took a seat across from Carolina's spot, next to Cynthia's spot.

Emily leaned across the table and asked softly, "Are you fine?"

Elsa sighed, "I've been better, but for the moment I'm not going to freeze anything."

Emily nodded and said, "I'm glad you're feeling better."

A few minutes later Carolina came back with a plate of food for Elsa, and Cynthia with a bowl of Pokémon food for Aren. The five began or resumed eating, all with a feeling of satisfaction that things were changing for the better.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Well I hope this chapter was worth the wait. College is definitely putting a cramp in my writing, and it's only the start of the third week. Sigh, oh well. Life sucks sometimes.

Anyway, the list of Pokémon Elsa, Kristoff, and Anna is mostly still open. I've got several that are solidified that I want them to have, and are going to have, but keep suggesting Pokémon to me. However, I want them to be mostly fourth gen Pokémon, so in other words, no Unova or Kalos. But if you have a good reasoning for a certain Pokémon regardless of generation, please don't hesitate. You have a few more chapters (3) before I stop asking, so make sure you get them to me.

Alright, that about wraps it up for me. Stay tuned for chapter 11: Back on the Road.

As always, R.R.F.F (Read, Review, Favorite, Follow)

Until next time
-OrangeGalen