Brittany's POV

The ship that we were sailing on docked at Snowpoint City's port.

"Welcome to Snowpoint City. Thank you for choosing us for your travel needs. Enjoy your stay." the captain announced.

My Aunt Dawn and I had been invited to visit her childhood friend, Zoey. We were both carrying a suitcase in our arms as we disembarked the ship. I shivered as the cold air bit at my skin. It was snowing lightly, so a light coat of snow was beginning to cover us.

"You weren't kidding about the cold weather here." I told my aunt.

"Twinleaf Town is usually warm, but Snowpoint City is snowy all year 'round." she explained.

"Well, I'm glad that you told me to pack warmly."

My aunt was dressed in dark blue jeans, a pink coat with white fur lining around the hood, with a pink sweater underneath, and white boots with white fur lining around the tops. I was wearing black jeans, a light blue coat with a white turtleneck underneath, and blue boots. I also had a white cap on my head that was just like the one that my aunt had worn when she'd traveled across Sinnoh.

"Aunt Dawn, I have a question. Something that's been on mind that I've wanted to ask you."

"Of course, sweetie. What is it?"

"You've told me many times about how you're good at reading people, understanding their emotions, and helping them emotionally with any problems. Have you always had this ability? Were you born with it or something? Does it just come naturally?"

"No, I wasn't born with it. It only started to manifest after I saved Mesprit from Team Galactic during my first Pokemon journey with Ash. At least, that's when I first began to notice it. Over the years since then, it's gotten easier for me to read people and understand how they're feeling. But I'm not sure how it got easier for me over time.

"Maybe it's because as I got older, I got wiser and more mature. Maybe it's that being chosen by Mesprit might have made it easier for me to read people because I gained some of its power. I don't know for sure, but if I ever see Mesprit again, I want to ask about it."

"Well, it's still a cool way to gain an ability that helps you in understanding and reading people. I hope that I can meet Mesprit someday." I said, even though neither of us knew the answer for sure.

I personally believed that my aunt being chosen by Mesprit caused the ability to grow over time and become known. Meeting Mesprit allowed her to make the discovery of this ability.

After walking for a bit, we reached Zoey's house. It looked like a wooden log cabin on the outside. We went inside, since Zoey had told us to just walk in once we reached her home. Zoey and her son, Brad, both greeted us at the entrance as they heard the door open.

Zoey was in her late thirties. Her hair was dark orange, its length was almost grazing her shoulders, and it was spiked. She was wearing a purple tee, blue jeans, boots, and sunglasses were on her head.

Brad had orange hair that was spiked and similar to the style Zoey's hair had been when she was younger. He had dark red eyes and tanned skin and he was wearing blue jeans, a black and red shirt, and red sneakers. He was nine years old, the same age as me.

Zoey and my aunt shared a hug, since it had been a while since they had last seen each other. Brad and I had met once when he and his mom had visited Twinleaf Town last year.

Without much thought, I hugged Brad...but quickly realized that he wasn't hugging my back. I pulled away and saw that his eyes were nervously looking from side to side and his face was very red with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, I hugged you out of habit. You see, my friends and I back in Twinleaf Town always hug one another when we see each other." I said awkwardly, since I had clearly made him feel uncomfortable.

"It's okay. It's just that...you hugged me so suddenly, I was taken aback. Plus, nobody besides my family have ever hugged me, so I wasn't sure how to react. It felt strange, but I...also kinda liked it." Brad explained.

"I'm sorry, Brad. Since we're friends, I thought that you wouldn't mind."

"It's okay, just...give me a heads-up before you do it next time."

My aunt and I removed our coats, boots, and my hat, and hung them up neatly before we followed Zoey and Brad into the living room.

There was a large fireplace against the wall with a fire burning, warming the room. A picture of Zoey was on the mantle from when she had won the Grand Festival in Sinnoh, defeating my aunt. There was also a photo of her daughter when she had won the Grand Festival in Kanto two years ago.

I noticed that the living room had the same log cabin look, like the outside. There were wooden chairs with cushions on their seats and a large multicolored rug on the floor as well. The living room as a whole had a rustic charm to it.

I then noticed a Leafeon and an Eevee waking up from a nap on a cushion by the fire. We had likely woken them up when we had arrived.

"This Eevee here is my Leafeon's daughter, who hatched from her egg about seven years ago. I keep them out and let them roam the house while we're home." Zoey explained.

I walked over to the two Pokemon and knelt down, petting Eevee's soft fur. Eevee nuzzled against my side with her eyes closed, looking happy.

"Wow... Eevee is only recently getting used to being around other people, but you've obviously made a good first impression on her, Brittany. Eevee naturally gravitated toward you." Zoey told me.

As I stood up, Zoey asked if we were hungry, since it was now lunchtime.

"Yes, we are." my aunt replied. "We had to take a long boat ride to get here."

"Well, come on into the kitchen and 'll make us some hot soup."

"After being out in the cold, it's the perfect meal." Brad added.

So we walked into the kitchen and I saw that even though the outside of the house and the living room were rustic, the rest of the house looked like a modern-day home. Before long, we were at the table with piping hot beef and veggie soup and coffee or hot chocolate to drink. The perfect combination to warm up on a cold day, and Snowpoint City was likely always cold, given its name.

"Soup tends to be one of the most favorable meals in this house. Despite being born and raised here, it's nice to have something to warm you and take the chill off." Zoey said.

"So Zoey, what are you doing here in Snowpoint City nowadays?" my aunt asked as we ate.

"I'm now working as a fully-fledged teacher at Candice's school, teaching all of the same classes that she does. I also teach a special class to help kids who want to become coordinators someday, while Candice teaches to the kids who want to be Pokemon trainers. So I've been keeping myself busy, but I enjoy my work, passing on the knowledge and skills I've acquired to the next generation. Right now, it's the weekend, so I get to stay home and spend time with you for today and tomorrow."

"That's great, Zoey. It's the perfect job for you. You're still doing what you love and getting to teach the future generations to come."

"Well you're lucky, Dawn. You don't have to work at all, since Ash makes so much money as the Pokemon Master!" Zoey joked with a laugh.

My aunt chuckled and gave a slight smile. "It's nice to have a hardworking husband, but I do miss working sometimes. Having everything you need and not working as much can get boring. I just stay at home and take care of the house, and with Adam traveling, I don't have to care for him anymore, either. At least when he was home all the time before starting his journey, I had him to care for, so I stayed busy."

"Anyway, on Monday, Brittany can come with me to school for a day and sit in my class. After all, you and Ash spent a day in Candice's school when you came here on your journey. You can come too, Dawn. I'm sure that the students would be thrilled to meet another Top Coordinator like you."

"I'd be honored, Zoey. What about you, Brittany?"

"Sure! I might learn something new about contests that can help me when I start my journey." I said eagerly.

After lunch was done, Brad and I decided to explore Snowpoint City and to see some of the Ice Pokemon that lived in the wild outside the city. I hadn't seen many Ice Pokemon before, so I was excited about this opportunity. Brad was wearing a red coat and gloves to stay warm.

I had Eevee in my arms, since she had insisted on joining us. She had become very attached to me in the short time that I had been there. I wondered if it was because some of my aunt's natural approachability had rubbed off on me.

As we walked, we started up a conversation with one another.

"Do you attend Candice's school where your mom teaches?" I asked.

"I do. My mom's special classes to help upcoming coordinators have helped me a lot. I'm more prepared now for when I begin my journey to become a Pokemon coordinator." Brad replied.

"That's good. I've been preparing like you as well. Except I have my grandma to help me in learning things, since she was a coordinator in her younger days. I also regularly watch my aunt's videos of her contests."

"Oh right, Johanna Berlitz. My mom has some videos of her that she's shown in class, along with Dawn's. We've seen many famous coordinators, both past and present."

"Really?"

"Yeah. We've seen your grandma, your aunt, May, Drew, Kenny, my mom, Fantina, Solidad, Harley, the list is endless. As my mom says, each coordinator offers a different look in performing. We just have to find which we like the best, then put our own spin on it."

I nodded my head at his words. He'd clearly learned a lot from school and his mom was clearly a very good teacher.

"Have you decided on what you'll wear in your contests?" I asked him.

"No, not yet. I wonder how I'll look?"

"I'm sure you'd look handsome in a tux, just like my Uncle Ash did when he competed in the Wallace Cup in Sinnoh when he was young."

"You...you really think so?" Brad asked nervously, his face turning red again.

I wondered why he was blushing, like he did when I'd hugged him earlier. I was only just trying to give him some words of encouragement. What was with his reaction this time?

"Anyway, I haven't yet decided on what I want to wear in my contests, either. I just hope that I look as beautiful as my aunt did when she was competing." I said, trying to continue the conversation.

"Yeah, my mom admitted on several occasions that your aunt was the best-dressed coordinator that she'd ever seen, even more than herself. Anybody can wear a contest outfit, but Dawn always seemed to make it stand out, no matter what contest dress she wore. It always just fit the scene so well."

But then, Brad looked sad and upset all of a sudden.

"What's wrong?" I questioned.

"It's mostly girls who want to become coordinators. Because of that, I've been made fun of by some of the other boys at my school. They say I'm too girlish and I just want to play dress up, since it's required to dress nice for being in contests."

I felt anger towards the boys who made fun of Brad. No one deserved to be made fun of for following their dreams.

"It is true that it's mainly girls want to be coordinators. But some of the best coordinators in the world are guys, like Drew! Just because it's mainly girls doesn't mean you're too girly. And it's not fair that it's bias with guys being coordinators when trainers can be either or! You follow your heart and your dreams and don't let anyone stop you, Brad. People are just jealous that you have the courage to follow a different path than most do."

Brad smiled at my words. I had managed to cheer him up.

"So do you have any close friends who live here?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Yes, my best friend, Carter. He's the son of Candice and he's my age."

"That makes sense, since your moms work together and grew up together."

"My older sister and Carter's older brother are very close as well, but I think their friendship is far more than what it appears to be...if you understand what I'm saying."

"Oh, they may be more than friends?"

"Maybe so. But they haven't had the courage to act on it yet."

We finally reached the forest outside of Snowpoint City and before long, we'd spent a long time out there. We had seen Swinubs, Piloswines, Snovers, Snorunts, and Delibirds in their natural habitats. I was fascinated by all of the Pokemon.

"We've been out here for hours. It's getting dark, and I'm cold." I said.

"Same here. Let's head back." Brad replied.

But as we turned around, Brad looked slightly confused.

"Uh...we walked further than I thought and I...I don't know which way to go."

"We're lost?"

"I...think it's this way."

So we started walking, but I noticed that the wind was steadily growing stronger as we wandered the snow. And as we walked, more snow fell. Soon, it was a full-on blizzard! I could barely see in front of me. I clung to Eevee tightly, trying my best to keep her warm. Brad grabbed my hand to help me and to make sure that we didn't get separated in the blizzard.

"We have to find shelter!" Brad yelled above the wind and snow.

"But where?!" I yelled.

"There!"

Our shelter was going to be an ice cave. We hurried into it and followed the cave deeper inside, since we could still feel the wind coming in. Once we couldn't feel it anymore, we sat down on the cold floor, sitting close together, hoping for someone to come for us. Even Eevee was shaking, her thick fur unable to keep her warm. I unzipped my jacket and stuck her against my chest to keep her warm as best as I could.

I wasn't sure how much time had passed, but it had to have been a few hours because soon, what little light was left had vanished. Night had fallen. We were still shivering from the cold and were hungry, tired, and sleepy. But we knew that we couldn't fall asleep or we might never wake up again! It was so dark in the cave that I could barely see anything.

I wondered if anyone was even coming for us. How would they know where we were? This blizzard was raging and wasn't letting up anytime soon, so even if they did know where we were, they'd never be able to reach us. What were we going to do? We were trapped there and couldn't find our way back home.

Suddenly, a light was visible at the end of the dark ice tunnel.

"What's that?" Brad asked.

"You see it, too?" I asked.

"Yeah..."

We struggled to our feet, unsure if our minds were making us hallucinate or not, but we headed towards the light. Soon, we found ourselves in a small cavern with a large purple crystal in the center that was emitting a bright glow.

"What's that?" I asked.

"I have no idea. I've never seen this or heard anything about it." Brad answered.

Suddenly, Eevee jumped out of my coat and slowly walked towards the crystal, as if it was silently calling out to her.

"Eevee? What is it?"

Brad and I looked at one another, confused and unsure. Eevee looked back at us with a look of confidence and reassurance. A look that said, "I know what I'm doing."

Eevee reached out her paw and placed it on the crystal. Immediately upon touching it, the crystal began to sparkle and Eevee began to glow in a white light. As the light died down, Eevee was no more. Instead, a Glaceon stood there in her place, with no sign that the cold was bothering her.

"Glaceon is our way out of this!" Brad cried. "Now that she's evolved, Glaceon can go and get help. The cold doesn't affect her anymore. She'll be able to get through the blizzard and get help!"

"Can you please help us, Glaceon?" I asked. "Our lives depend on you now."

Glaceon nodded her head.

"Please hurry, we can't last much longer. We're counting on you!"

With that, Glaceon ran towards the entrance of the cave and out into the blizzard. Not long after she had left, Brad collapsed on the floor, unable to stay awake any longer.

"Brad!" I cried.

But before I knew it, I was seeing black and I felt myself hit the ground. Like Brad, I knew that time was nearly up. The last thing I remembered was telling each of my family members goodbye, and that I loved them.

I shifted and I realized that I was on something soft. I opened my eyes and as they adjusted and I sat up, I realized that I was in a guest room in Zoey's house. I was in a bed and in my pajamas. I was also nice and warm too, considering the last thing I remembered was being freezing cold. Plus, the morning sun was coming in through the window.

But then I realized that there was no need to worry. I was safe and sound, which meant that Glaceon had managed to succeed in finding help! I sighed in relief, but then remembered Brad. Was he okay? Did he survive? Or was it too late?!

As my thoughts started to get out of control, I noticed my aunt was sitting in a chair, slumped over with her head on the side of the bed. She was fast asleep and must have fallen asleep by my bedside because she didn't want to leave me. I must've been in really bad shape when they found me.

I gently shook her awake and said, "Aunt Dawn?"

Her eyes slowly fluttered open and as she sat up and saw me, I gave her my usual loving smile.

She sighed in relief and pulled me into a warm, loving hug. I hugged her back, glad to be safe.

"I'm so glad you're safe. I was so worried." she whispered, then released me.

"How did I get here?" I asked.

"When you and Brad never returned and the blizzard began, we were so worried. And since the weather was so bad, we couldn't go out to look for you. We had no idea where you two were and we would've gotten lost ourselves. But then, Glaceon arrived at the door. At first, Zoey didn't know who the Pokemon belonged to, but Glaceon was persistent with trying to tell us something.

"We then realized that Glaceon knew where you and Brad were. So we called the police and Glaceon led them to the ice cave where you two were hiding. You were both then brought here and we did all we could do to keep you warm and hoped that you both woke up. I asked Arceus to watch over you and let you be okay, and I'm so glad it helped. Then, we realized, after seeing Glaceon and Leafeon interacting with one another, that Eevee had evolved."

"Is Brad okay?" I asked.

Before my aunt could reply, the door opened and Zoey and Brad walked in.

"He just woke up and insisted on seeing if Brittany was okay." Zoey explained.

Brad then surprised me by jumping onto my bed and hugging me tightly. It was a very different reaction than with our previous hug. But I was so grateful to see that he was okay, so I hugged him back just as tightly.

"I'm glad you're okay! I woke up and didn't see you and I was so scared." I said.

"Same here! I woke up and didn't see you and I was worried! But I'm glad to see you're okay." Brad replied.

As we ended our hug, Glaceon walked into the room and leaped onto my bed and sat in my lap. She then rubbed up against me. She was happy that I was okay.

"Thank you, Glaceon. Thanks to you, we got help." I said, petting her head.

"Yeah, we owe you our lives, Glaceon." Brad added, and rubbed her head.

"But...how was Eevee able to evolve into Glaceon, anyway?" I asked.

"It was that crystal that helped Eevee to evolve. She sensed that you both were in trouble and knew that she needed to do something to help." Zoey explained.

"That cave is the same cave and the same crystal that May's Eevee used to evolve. It's the only place in the world where Eevees can evolve into Glaceons." Aunt Dawn added.

Glaceon then leaned up and began licking my cheek and saying something in her language. I laughed and smiled at Glaceon, but I shook my head as she continued to speak.

"Sorry, I don't know what you want."

My aunt clapped her hands suddenly, understanding. "Glaceon, do you want to stay with Brittany and be her Pokemon?"

Glaceon nodded her head.

I was shocked, but also happy at the idea of owning my first Pokemon.

"Zoey, is that okay? Glaceon is yours, after all." I asked, looking at her.

"If that's what Glaceon wants, then I want her to be happy. She can be your Pokemon from now on. And if you're anything like your aunt, then I know you'll take good care of her, Brittany." Zoey said.

"Then I'd love to have you as my first Pokemon, Glaceon!" I declared, making Glaceon very happy.

My aunt handed me a Pokeball and Glaceon placed her paw against it and was caught. I stared at the Pokeball. I had a Pokemon that I knew would protect me.

"I won't be starting my journey until I'm ten, which is a few months away, but I'm glad that I have my first Pokemon, who will be with me when that time comes."

"We'll probably be seeing a lot of each other in contests, since we both want to be Top Coordinators." Brad said.

I smiled and nodded my head. "I'm looking forward to starting my journey and seeing you!"

"Me too! I can't wait! Our time is almost here!"

"You two are probably hungry, so I'm going to make some breakfast."

"Yes!" we cried.

So we followed Zoey into the kitchen, with Brad and I talking about what to do that day.

"It's a nice day today, so we could go ice skating. I could call Carter and he can come and join us too, and you can meet him."

"Yes! And Glaceon can come with us." I added. "I can tell that I'm going to really enjoy this visit to Snowpoint City."

"Yeah, just as much as I enjoyed my visit to Twinleaf Town last year." Brad replied.

It seemed that our traumatic night in the ice cave had somehow brought the two of us closer together.

And as we sat down at the table, Brad told me, "I'm so glad that you're my friend, Brittany."

"I'm glad to have you as a friend, too." I replied, giving him a warm smile.

Author's Note: Dawn and Brittany visit Zoey and her son in Snowpoint City and catch up with each other for the first time since their last meeting in the previous story.

After surviving a night in a blizzard together, Brittany and Brad seem to be closer friends, and Brittany gains her first Pokemon: Glaceon, who evolved from Eevee to save Brittany's life and Brad's. Now Brittany has a Pokemon ready for when she begins her journey, and both she and Brad want to become coordinators!

We hope that you enjoyed this chapter and we'll be back with Adam, Jason, and Megan in the next chapter of Pokemon NG!