Dawn of a New Journey: A Pearlshipping One-Shot

by Ds Freaks9900

Direct sequel to "Dawn Of A New Reunion." After an unexpected reunion, Ash and Dawn had to part ways once again to continue aiming for their personal respective goals. One was missing the other, which was the key to an all new, exciting adventure for our heroes.

"Dawn of a New Journey"

It had been a few months since a group of friends were traveling together. Several incredible locations were visited, new friends were made, many more Pokémon were seen and caught, several old friends were reunited, and those same people and Pokémon had grown together. It was a time to behold for these young Pokémon Trainers. However, all good things eventually have to come to an end, and that was true for this group as well. As one of their friends parted ways to continue their travels around the world.

In a vast open snowy field found in the cold scenic land of Sinnoh, we find ourselves a blue-haired girl walking through the open field with a blue penguin Pokémon riding along on her shoulder, both with warm smiles on their faces. It appears they had been through something truly wonderful, but there was more than meets the eye, however. As the two were traversing through the cold, memories of past adventures kept their minds flooded for who knows how long. It was the one thing that they couldn't stop thinking about after returning to Sinnoh.

"You know, Piplup?" The girl started as she faced her Pokémon. "That time we spent in Kanto with Ash, Goh, and Chloe… And the time we spent with Chloe when she came to Sinnoh… All of it was everything I could ever want."

A flashback had hit the girl's mind, and it was the latter memory that she had mentioned to Piplup. It was when the girl was with Chloe, one of the friends that she had mentioned, and they were out in a forest in the middle of the night, looking after what looked to be a very rare, maybe even legendary Pokémon. The girl wanted Chloe to try something out, and so she wanted to show her a demonstration of what she wanted her to try. She was even all dressed up in a moon-themed dress just for this one small moment.

"All right, Piplup, spotlight!" The girl shouted as she tossed a Poké Ball into the air. When Piplup came out of its Poké Ball, it did so with lots of bubbles surrounding it, making an eye-catching appearance upon doing so.

"Now Piplup, use Whirlpool!" The girl then said.

Piplup jumped into the air, and surrounded itself with a large whirlpool of water. Lastly, it popped out of the top center of the whirlpool while spinning in mid-air, which left Chloe and her partner Pokémon Eevee in a state of shock and awe. "That was so pretty, Dawn!" Chloe said in excitement. And then the flashback faded.

Dawn was starting to feel a little emotional. She misses her friends a lot. But she's not going to let that get to her, as she was on her way north to visit another friend that she hasn't seen in a very long time. It was someone that meant a lot to her as a Trainer. A mentor, in other words.

Meanwhile, in the coastal city of Vermilion in the Kanto region, we find ourselves at the laboratory of Professor Cerise once again. In the back, known as Cerise Park, we find the very friends that Dawn was thinking of: Ash, Goh, and Chloe. All three of them were hanging out in Cerise Park as they watched their Pokémon hang out with each other. They had just returned from an exciting trip to the Johto region to learn more about two of the evolutions of Eevee: Espeon and Umbreon. Now the group was trying to decide what to do next. Well, at least for Goh and Chloe.

Even though Ash was also enjoying the adventures he went on with Goh and Chloe, as expected from him, something was starting to bother the raven-haired Trainer. It almost felt like something was missing in him, which is unusual for someone like Ash. He's had to leave behind plenty of things throughout his life, everyone does. However, there was really something bothering him, but he didn't want to concern Goh or Chloe.

Several flashbacks started to flood Ash's mind, most of which involved his friend Dawn in some way. The young Trainer was always thinking about his friends, but Dawn kept popping up in his mind for some reason. There was a growing instinct to want to visit his friend, but wasn't sure how or if he should do it. And those emotions were starting to become noticed by Goh, as he looked over to Ash.

"Is something wrong, Ash?" Goh asked his friend.

"Oh, it's nothing," Ash quickly responded. "I'm fine. No need to worry!"

"Hmm… Something's telling me that you're not fine. You usually don't feel this down unless you have lost a hard battle."

"Uhh…" Ash felt nervous about how he should explain his feelings to Goh. He's not used to talking about missing his friends all that often to other people. Sure, he likes to mention them from time to time when the moment is right, it normally doesn't bring down his mood this much, however. Before Ash started to explain to Goh what was on his mind, he took a deep breath before making eye contact with him again. "Ok, you got me. There is something that's been on my mind for a while."

"Did something happen that we don't know?"

"Oh, no, not that. It's just, ever since Dawn left for Sinnoh a few months ago, I haven't stopped thinking about all of the adventures that we did together. All of the battles, all of the Pokémon that we met, all the places that we had visited. It was all awesome. I usually don't like having to pick a favorite region I explored, because I think all of them are awesome and worth going to, but the Sinnoh region is just one of my favorites. And I'd love to see Dawn again really soon, too. I feel like there was a lot that we hadn't done yet, even though we did a ton of stuff together while she was visiting us here."

"Ash…" Chloe said after listening to what Ash had to say.

"I get it, Ash," Goh said. "We all miss the friends that we had to part way with. It's all natural. Our friends are such an important part of our lives, after all. It's okay to feel like this."

"Plus, I'm sure Dawn meant something special to you, too," Chloe added. "After seeing the way that you two get along, it's more than clear that you two share an incredible and inseparable friendship. I think that's amazing."

"Say, do you really want to head out and meet up with Dawn again? And maybe even get some research done for Professor Cerise while we're at it, too?"

"Yeah, I like that idea a lot!" Ash responded with an excited attitude.

"Now that's the Ash that we know!" Goh said. "Chloe, you wanna join us, too, if it interests you?"

"Sure!" Chloe responded. "I kinda wanna see Dawn again, too."

With the idea fresh in all of their minds, the group heads inside to go ask Professor Cerise. Knowing Professor Cerise, there is always some form of research for Ash, Goh, and Chloe to complete for him, which gives all three of them confidence.

"Hey Dad!" Chloe shouted as soon as the group found Professor Cerise.

"Oh, hey, Chloe!" Cerise said. "And Ash and Goh. Is something up?"

"We were wondering if there was any research that we can do for you in the Sinnoh region?" Goh asked.

"Sinnoh, huh? Let's take a look. Ren?"

"On it!" Ren, one of Professor Cerise's assistants, responded, and attempted to find some research on one of the lab's computers. "This might interest you three!" He then said, putting up an image of a Pokémon on the holographic display in the middle back of the room.

The Pokémon that Ren showed to Cerise and the rest of the group looked to be a Pokémon with a quadruped build with an icy blue body, and an crown-like forehead. The image really caught Ash's attention, as it looks to be a Pokémon that he had encountered in the past. Even Pikachu seemed to have recognized it as well.

"Oh, that's so pretty!" Chloe pointed out in awe of what she's seeing. "What Pokémon is that?"

"Looks like it's another one of Eevee's evolutions, I'm assuming?" Goh asked.

"Sure is!" Chrysa, Professor Cerise's other assistant, responded. "This Pokémon is known as Glaceon, an Ice-Type evolution of Eevee. It was originally discovered in the Sinnoh region, and supposedly Eevee evolve into this Pokémon when it's near a very icy rock somewhere in the northern part of the region."

"That's really interesting," Chloe said as she pointed her Rotom Phone to the image of Glaceon to load the Pokédex information about it.

"Glaceon: The Fresh Snow Pokémon," Chloe's Pokédex started. "And an evolved form of Eevee. An Ice Type. Having the ability to control its body temperature, Glaceon can freeze its surroundings into a diamond-dust flurry, creating small ice crystals in the process."

"It's so cute!" Chloe said.

"It looks cool, too!" Goh added.

"It is," Ash said. "I know a friend who has one of their own."

"Really?" Goh asked. "That's awesome! Can you introduce us to them?"

"Sorry, but I haven't seen them in forever, and I doubt we'll be seeing them in Sinnoh since they're originally from Hoenn."

"Aw, man… Oh well. Can't be helped."

"So, I take it that you three would like to learn more about Glaceon, then?" Professor Cerise asked.

"Yes!" Ash, Goh, and Chloe all responded in unison.

"Just as I expected!" Cerise said after he chuckled. Ren then pulled up a map of Sinnoh, zooming in on the northern part of the region. "Right around here is where the icy rock should be located," Cerise then started. "Somewhere in the vicinity of Snowpoint City, which itself is right near Lake Acuity. You three will have to prepare for the environment up there, as it is the coldest area of the Sinnoh region."

"Ok!" All three said together once again.

Chloe noticed that her Eevee was getting very ecstatic about meeting another one of its evolutions. "Sounds like you're excited," She said as she picked up the fox-like Pokémon. "Looks like I'm joining you guys, anyway."

"All right!" Ash shouted.

"We should probably get ready now," Goh suggested.

"Yeah, you're right," Ash said.

Ash is beyond thrilled to be heading back to the Sinnoh region, even though he, Goh, and Chloe were there very recently. Something clicked in Ash's head though as he was packing, which sent his excitement crumbling faster than a Rock Slide. "What if Dawn isn't at Snowpoint City?" He asked himself. "What if she isn't even in Sinnoh at the time that I'm going?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Ash," Goh said. "You can always call Dawn if you're that worried about seeing her. Even if we don't see her while we're in Sinnoh, you can still talk about this adventure with her when we get back."

As Ash and Goh were talking, both of them heard someone knocking at their door. "May I come in?" The person asked.

"Yeah, it's fine," Goh said with confidence. He recognized the voice behind the door. It was Chloe visiting them.

"You two are almost ready?" Chloe asked as she entered the room.

"Yeah, we're almost done," Ash answered.

"All right. Goh, I sort of heard you talking right before I knocked. Was everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," Goh answered. "I was just telling Ash that he should call Dawn that we're coming to Sinnoh since he was worried that we might not see her."

"That's a good idea. If this makes you any better, I do remember Dawn telling me the last time I saw her that she was heading to Eterna City for a Pokémon Contest."

"That's the part that I'm curious about," Ash said. "She had already done all of the Contests she could compete in when we were traveling around Sinnoh. But I suppose it doesn't hurt to try to reach her, either." He then said as he pulled out his Rotom Phone to try to call Dawn. Sadly, there was no answer from her, to Ash's disappointment.

"Don't fret about it, Ash," Goh said. "We'll try again later. I'm sure she will be very excited to hear that we're coming anyway once we do get a hold of her."

"Yeah, you're right. As Dawn would say…"

"'No need to worry!'" Ash and Chloe said in unison.

"I'm assuming she said that a lot while you two traveled together?" Chloe asked.

"'A lot' is an understatement," Ash answered. "Whenever she told me not to worry is when I would start to worry the most."

All three of them shared a quick laugh before finally making their way to the airport in Saffron City. Right before they boarded their flight, Ash tried to call Dawn again, but once again had no luck. "Wonder why I can't reach her?" He said.

"Maybe it's possible that the northern part of Sinnoh just has really spotty service?" Goh asked.

"That sounds possible," Chloe said. "I've heard that that area of the region gets slammed with heavy snow very often, with frequent blizzards leading up to the Acuity Lakefront."

"Maybe we can try calling from a Pokémon Center once we land in Sinnoh, then," Ash suggested.

"That's a smart idea," Goh said.

At long last, the group boards their flight to Sinnoh, and eventually land in the busy city of Jubilife. The sight and thought of returning to Jubilife not too long after visiting Sinnoh for the first time is making Chloe and Eevee very nostalgic. Ash and Goh were also feeling a rush of fondful memories of when they got to Sinnoh, too.

It wasn't time for Ash, Goh, and Chloe to be sightseeing, though, as they had a long journey ahead of them, and a cold one, too. Chloe figured the fastest way to cut time on getting to Snowpoint would be to take a bus to one of the towns that sit on the base of the mountain that splits the Sinnoh region: Mt. Coronet.

The group did manage to board a bus to head to Eterna City, one of the many towns that sit on the base of Mt. Coronet. "So, this is Eterna City," Chloe started. "Last time I saw Dawn, she was on her way here for a Contest. Looks really pretty, too."

"Sure does," Goh said.

"And there's a Pokémon Gym here, too," Ash said. "This was where I got my second Sinnoh Gym Badge. Man, that battle was awesome!"

The group couldn't stay for long, even though Ash did want to give the Eterna Gym Leader a quick visit. Before they made their way toward Mt. Coronet, they stopped at the Pokémon Center to call the Center in Snowpoint City to see if they had seen Dawn up there. They were told by the nurse that they did see someone that matches the description of Dawn's appearance, but never got the name. The nurse offered to ask the Snowpoint City Gym Leader if they had seen Dawn, which the group accepted. The nurse then told them that they'll call one of them back when they do get more information, which Ash was thankful for.

After that phone call, the group started their long trek to Snowpoint City. To even get there, they had to climb through Mt. Coronet, which wasn't a problem for Ash. For Goh and Chloe though, this was a new challenge that they had to be ready for, especially for Chloe. Before they had left Kanto, Professor Cerise had recommended the group to carry at least one Fire-Type Pokémon for warmth. While Goh had his partner Pokémon, Cinderace, a tall bipedal rabbit Pokémon from the Galar region, Ash was without one prior to the trip. So Ash had to make the decision of taking one of the Fire-Type Pokémon he had raised in the past for the trip, and he felt confident about which one he decided to take.

The climb up Mt. Coronet proved to be just as difficult as Ash had remembered, which no doubt took Goh and Chloe by surprise. Each of them had their Pokémon assist them throughout the climb until they got outside of Mt. Coronet once again. They were able to power through despite the difficult conditions, though.

Once they finally got outside, Ash, Goh, and Chloe noticed a considerable change in the climate, a cold one at that. Now was the time for them to whip out their winter gear, as it was only going to get colder as they continued to get closer to Snowpoint City. As the group carried on, the snow was gradually becoming deeper and deeper, making traveling only more difficult for the Kanto Trainers.

Even despite the ever-increasing difficult conditions, the group had lucked out with finding shelter to sleep for the night thanks to Ash's Lucario using its Aura. That luck was not going to last for them, however, and they were starting to become aware of that as they got closer to Acuity Lakefront. The weather was only starting to get worse, as a fierce blizzard was getting ready to strike the area, and the group was about to get caught in the middle of it if they didn't hurry.

Aware of the decreasing weather conditions, the group reaches the Acuity Lakefront just in time, which means that Snowpoint City is not that far away at all. Luck was on the group's side once again, as Ash noticed someone he recognized in the distance just as it was starting to snow. He saw the person waving at them, and called out his name. It was in fact who he thought it was: Snowpoint City's Gym Leader Candice.

"Ash!" Candice shouted. "Are you okay?!"

"Yeah!" Ash responded. "We're fine!"

"Head over this way quickly! There's a bad blizzard heading our way!"

"Blizzard?!" Goh said in surprise. "We gotta move then!"

"Hopefully we'll be somewhere warm, soon, too," Chloe said. "It's getting too cold for me."

"Follow me," Candice said once the group got to her. "I'll take you guys to my place."

"Great, thanks," Ash said.

As much as Ash wanted to introduce his friends to Candice, he knows that's not important at the moment, as finding shelter with Candice was way more important for everybody. The short walk to Snowpoint from Acuity Lakefront felt a lot longer for everybody thanks to the fresh heavy snow that had accumulated already, and only more was to follow. Thankfully, the group had finally reached Candice's home just as the snow was about to pick up.

"Just in time, too," Candice said as she looked out the window, seeing the snow pick up, reducing the visibility. "That was too close. Is anybody hurt?"

"We're all fine, thanks," Goh answered. "And thank you for helping us as well."

"Yeah, thank you very much," Chloe said.

"No problem!" Candice said. "It's been a while, Ash!"

"Yeah, sure has!" Ash said.

"I'm assuming these are your friends?"

"Yeah, they are."

"I'm Chloe," Chloe started. "And this is my partner, Eevee."

"Vee!" Chloe's Eevee proudly said.

"I'm Goh," Goh said.

"Well, it's nice to properly meet you both!" Candice said. "I'm Candice, and I'm the Gym Leader here in Snowpoint City!"

"Miss Senior, do we have company?" Someone with short red hair asked as they were coming to the door from another room. "Oh, Ash! Long time no see!"

"Hey, Zoey!" Ash said. "It sure has been a while!"

"I'm surprised to see that you three came to Snowpoint just as a blizzard was about to hit. Looks like you guys got here just as things were starting to get really nasty. But you got here safely, which is all that matters. And from what I've been hearing from the other room, you two must be Goh and Chloe, right?"

"Yep!" Goh answered.

"Yeah, you're right!" Chloe also answered. "Nice to meet you!

"Nice to you, too!" Zoey said. "My name's Zoey, and I'm a Pokémon Coordinator!"

"You're a Coordinator, too?" Chloe said. "Just like Dawn! That's cool!"

"Oh, so you met my best friend, Dawn, already?"

"Yeah, both of us have!" Goh said.

"Nice!" Zoey said. "When Dawn was traveling around Sinnoh with Ash, we had quite a rivalry, but we also supported each other plenty of times. Both of us got to the final round of the Grand Festival here in Sinnoh, and she did extremely well despite that she lost to me. She told me that she wasn't gonna stop training so that she can catch up to me, and I give her so much credit for that."

As the group continued talking to each other, they were quickly interrupted by a small Pokémon running into the room, with possibly its Trainer close behind.

"Heh, speaking of," Zoey pointed out.

"Piplup, you know you shouldn't run into people like that!" The Pokémon's Trainer said as they were picking it up. "You guys talking about me- Oh, Ash! Goh! And Chloe, too!"

"Dawn!" Ash shouted as he and his friend exchanged a powerful high-five.

"Great to see you again!" Goh said.

"Same to you!" Dawn said. "But, what are you guys doing all the way here in Snowpoint? During a blizzard of all things, too?"

"Well, Ash and Goh were in the mood to travel to Sinnoh again, so we went to ask my dad if there was any research in Sinnoh that we can do together," Chloe explained.

"You dad?" Zoey asked.

"Yeah, Chloe's father is Professor Cerise, who lives in the Kanto region!" Dawn said.

"Ah, I get it now. So, what research did he send you guys here for?"

"We were looking to gather some information and learn more about Glaceon, one of Eevee's evolutions," Chloe answered.

"Oh, so, it's not because you wanted your Eevee to evolve into one?" Zoey asked.

"Yeah. Plus I want my Eevee to decide what she wants to evolve into on her own, as she is still indecisive about what she wants to evolve into right now."

"Ah, I see. Maybe I can help you in some way!"

"Wait, do you have one of your own?" Goh asked.

"Sadly, I do not," Zoey answered. "But I do vaguely remember where Trainers in Sinnoh have to go to evolve their Eevee into Glaceon, and I can show you guys where to find it if you want me to."

"That would be great!" Goh said.

"I can help navigate you guys, too!" Candice said. "We can all work on this together! As soon as this blizzard clears, we'll go searching!"

"Sounds like a plan!" Ash said.

As the group was getting excited about going out to find what Zoey was talking about, the lights in Candice's house suddenly went out! "Oh, no, the power's out!" Chloe said.

Candice took as good of a peek out of her window as she could to see if downtown Snowpoint City had also lost power, and sure enough, it has. "Looks like the entire city is without power," She said. "The storm is just too strong for the power system."

"I feel like the city would've been prepared for stuff like this?" Chloe wondered. "Given how cold it is up here and how frequent it snows, too."

"For heavy snow, yeah," Zoey said. "But it seems the wind was just too much for it. And that means that we're without heat, too."

"Great, and we just started to get warm, too."

"Candice, I see that you have a fireplace," Dawn stated. "Do you have any wood that we can use to build a fire?"

"I got a few stacks," Candice answered. "Enough to hold us for now. I'll go get some."

"Great. In that case, Quilava, come on out!" Dawn then said as she tossed one of her Poké Balls, calling out one of her Pokémon.

"Oh wow, I think this is my first time seeing your Quilava in person, Dawn!" Zoey said.

"It is?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah, I've been watching some of your Contests outside of Sinnoh on TV when I had the time. It looks like you've been raising it very well ever since you used it as a Cyndaquil at the Sinnoh Grand Festival. Consider me impressed."

"Oh, thank you, Zoey!"

Both Dawn and Zoey shared a cheerful grin with a slight blush before Candice came back with some fire wood ready to be burned. "Oh, you got yourself a Quilava?!" She said in surprise. "That's awesome, Dawn!" Before she could let Quilava distract her, Candice put some wood in the fireplace. "Alright, take it away, you two."

"Right," Dawn said. "Quilava, can you light up a fire for us?"

Quilava nodded at Dawn, and shot a Flamethrower at the wood in the fireplace, lighting a picture perfect fire. Everyone quickly gathered in front of the fireplace to try and get warm. With the blizzard still raging outside, this was the only source of warmth and light they could get until the power could get restored.

"This is great and all, but there is one thing that I'm concerned about," Goh said.

"What's that?" Ash asked.

"Do we have enough wood to burn until the power comes back on?"

"Hmm, we do have enough to get through the night at least," Candice answered as she looked back at how much wood she has right now. "But that's about it. We're probably going to need more at some point."

"Then we should probably get some more before it becomes impossible to leave the city," Ash said as he booked it to the door.

"Ash, you crazy?!" Chloe said. "It's too dangerous out there!"

"Hold up, Ash, I'm going with you!" Dawn said as she grabbed her coat and followed Ash.

"Dawn, not you, too!" Goh said. "Wait for me!"

"Goh, stop," Candice said.

"But, what about them?"

"I know you want to go with them, but you should stay here though, where it's much safer. Ash and Dawn can be pretty stubborn together, and always do some pretty crazy stuff, too. When the two of them are together, nothing is impossible for them."

"Miss Senior does have a point though, Goh," Zoey said. "I'm sure you've witnessed plenty of that during the time that you and Chloe have spent with Ash."

"'Plenty' is a nice way of putting it," Chloe said.

Despite the very heavy snow that had accumulated throughout the day, Ash and Dawn were able to reach the Acuity Lakefront with relative ease. Dawn had kept Quilava out, and Ash had called out his Infernape, the very powerful Fire-Type Pokémon that he had trusted throughout his journey in the Sinnoh region, to assist Quilava. Luckily, there was no shortage of trees for the two to slice up to grab some firewood for the house.

To help speed up the process, Ash called out his Sirfetch'd to slice up some of the trees, and asked Infernape to carry some of the wood. Just as they were about to head back to Snowpoint though, the blizzard picked up even more, basically blinding any visibility that was left. The wind howling in their ears, the snow blowing every which way, with seemingly no end in sight. What started as a simple little trip is now becoming a fight for survival.

"It's too dangerous out here!" Ash shouted. "We gotta find shelter now!"

"But how in this blinding snow?!" Dawn asked. "We can't even see a thing!"

"I have an idea. Lucario!" Ash said as he called out yet another one of his Pokémon while putting away another. "See if you can find a place we can seek shelter in from this blizzard!"

Using its Aura, Lucario scanned its surroundings for a safe spot to take cover from the storm. It managed to find an opening in a nearby rocky hill, large enough for everyone to fit in. Upon telling Ash and Dawn the direction, Lucario asked Infernape and Quilava to clear a path in the snow to make it easier for everyone to get to the opening quicker.

With their combined Flamethrowers, Infernape and Quilava cleared a large path in the snow that was shallow enough to run in. But it was going to be difficult to stay on the path thanks to the blinding snow. Even the Fire-Type Pokémon were going to have a hard time walking without shielding their eyes. That gave Dawn the perfect idea. One that she should've done when she and Ash left Candice's house.

"Hang on, I got just the thing to get us through!" Dawn said.

"What?" Ash asked.

"Mamoswine, we need you!" Dawn then said as she tossed a Poké Ball in the air, calling out a massive mammoth Pokémon.

"Of course!" Ash said. "Mamoswine can see through the snow with no problem!"

"Precisely! Hurry, let's get on!"

Everyone quickly got onto Mamoswine's back, and Dawn asked Mamoswine to follow the trail that Infernape and Quilava made in the snow, which was quickly filling back up with even more snow. Even the harshest of snow was not a problem for Mamoswine, as it was traversing the snow with little to no problem at all. The path eventually led into a small forest, coming to a stop right at the side of a large hill; The very spot that Lucario found.

"Thank you so much, Mamoswine!" Dawn said after she got off her Pokémon. "Rest up for now." Then she followed Ash and the other Pokémon into the cave on the side of the hill. Little did everyone know, there were some other Pokémon seeking shelter in this very cave, too. The Pokémon inside were not even ones that were native to this part of Sinnoh. In fact, there were two of them!

"What the?" Ash said.

"Why are there two Eevee out here in the middle of a blizzard?" Dawn asked.

The two Eevee looked terrified. They were stranded thanks to the blizzard. And they were only feeling worse when they saw Ash and Dawn approach them with all of the Pokémon by their sides. They weren't sure what they could even do to defend themselves.

"They look really scared," Dawn softly said. "They look like they've been out here for a long time. Almost too long."

"Looks like they had the same idea as us," Ash said. "Seeking shelter in a place like this. In the middle of a blizzard, too. Wonder why they're here in the first place."

"I'm glad we found them, but we could've also waited for Candice to help us, too."

"If we waited any longer, we wouldn't have been able to get out to get more firewood though. Or find these Eevee."

"I get that, but you shouldn't have gotten reckless like that, Ash! We're so lucky your Lucario found a safe spot for us in the first place!"

"I don't know about you, but I'd rather make sure that we had enough wood to stay warm instead of staying stuck in a house with no heat!"

"We had enough wood for the night though!"

Lucario quickly got in the middle of Ash and Dawn, interrupting them immediately. While it cannot speak human language, Ash was still able to understand what Lucario was attempting to tell both him and Dawn. "You're right," He said. "Arguing about it is not important right now."

"Wait, Lucario can talk to you using its Aura?!" Dawn asked.

"Nah, but Lucario and I can understand each other's feelings quite well. For now, we better get comfy in here."

"You're right. We gotta do something to prevent the wind from being blown in here, too."

"We could build a wall out of something here."

"What about the trees just outside of this cave? We can chop them up and use the logs to build a wall to cover the cave."

"Great idea! Sirfetch'd, I choose you!" Ash said as he threw his Poké Ball, calling out his Sirfetch'd once more. "Use Fury Cutter to chop up the trees!"

The sword-like leek-wielding duck Pokémon went to chop down plenty of logs in a matter of seconds. Infernape and Lucario quickly worked together to grab the logs and build a wall, successfully covering the exit of the cave. Using the spare logs that they have from those trees, Ash sent out his Gengar to build some further supports on the inside to further prevent the wind from blowing down the wall.

To prepare and be extra safe in case the wind does blow down the log wall, Ash, Dawn, and the rest of the Pokémon move further into the cave, away from the exit. Since they had plenty of wood from before they had to move to this cave, Ash built a fire to keep everyone warm, and provide a light source as well.

Saying that the Eevee were thrilled about the fire is an understatement, as they quickly cuddled up next to the fire. Dawn's Quilava sat around them for further warmth, which the Eevee very much appreciated. The cave was large enough for Mamoswine to comfortably fit in, so Dawn asked it to stay in the direction of the exit for even more protection. They're taking no chances with this blizzard.

With everything prepared to the best of their ability, Ash and Dawn were able to relax somewhat, even though it was still dangerously cold, even in the cave. As they were resting though, Pikachu and Piplup noticed a slight glow coming from the back of the cave. Both Eevee also saw the glow from the same direction. Curious as to what it was, all four Pokémon ran toward the glow.

"Pikachu?!" Ash said.

"Piplup?!" Dawn said. "Eevee?! Wait for us!"

Ash and Dawn started to catch up to the Pokémon, with Infernape and Quilava not too far behind. The Trainers were worried that the Pokémon would get lost in the cold cave, but they didn't have to travel very far, as they had found the very object that was emanating the light that the Pokémon had seen. It was some kind of rock with a bright icy blue color.

"Is that… Some kind of rock?" Ash asked.

Curious about the rock, Pikachu attempted to touch it, but quickly reacted to how cold it was to the touch. Piplup did the same to see if it's just as cold as Pikachu was making it out to be, and sure enough it was.

"Hey, could this be the very rock that May took to evolve her Eevee into Glaceon?" Dawn asked.

"Now that you mentioned it, you might be right," Ash said.

"I gotta get a video of this!" Dawn then said as she was pulling out her Rotom Phone.

Dawn couldn't have timed that better, as the Eevee was approaching the rock, and touched it themselves. The Eevee then started glowing themselves, and their bodies started to change. They were growing in size, two large flaps started to dangle from their ears, a crest was forming on their foreheads. Both Eevee were evolving.

"Gla!" Both Pokémon shouted after they stopped glowing, revealing what they were.

"Oh wow!" Ash said. "Both of them evolved into Glaceon!"

"So this is the rock that Eevee touches to evolve into one!" Dawn said.

"Uh, oh no! I forgot to record the evolution!"

"No need to worry, Ash! I got it all on my phone!"

"Oh, you did? Thank you."

"Of course! I can go back to Kanto with you to give it to Professor Cerise as well, if you want?"

"That would be great. Thanks."

"No need to worry!"

"That's when I worry the most!"

Ash and Dawn shared a quick laugh before giving each other a high-five. Both of them flinched, as the impact of the high five stung for both of them. They were still really cold, and decided to head back to the fire.

The recently-evolved Glaceon were eager to go outside into the snow, but Ash and Dawn both told them that it was too dangerous for them. They were sad about it, but understood why, and went to go cuddle next to Mamoswine. With nothing else they can do, and with the sun setting, Ash and Dawn decided to try and get some sleep. Quilava went in between Ash and Dawn so that it can keep both of them warm throughout the night.

The next morning, some light was leaking through the log wall, possibly indicating that the blizzard had finally cleared out. Mamoswine was the first to wake up, along with the Glaceon as both of them felt Mamoswine to get up and stretch. Quilava, Infernape, Pikachu, and Piplup all heard the other Pokémon wake up, and got up themselves. That woke up Ash and Dawn, who also saw the light coming through the logs.

"Looks like the blizzard finally stopped," Ash said.

"That means we can get out of here, then!" Dawn said in excitement.

Dawn put her Mamoswine back in its Poké Ball for the time being so that there's enough room to get out of the cave. Both Glaceon were so eager to go outside and get in the snow for the first time since evolving. First things first, though, was to break down the log wall that everyone helped put together the night prior. Dawn had her Ambipom take care of knocking down the wall with its Double Hit move, which knocked down the wall with little trouble.

Both Glaceon were unbelievably excited to be in the snow, as the two of them leapt from the cave, and dived right in head first. They were rolling around, chasing each other, and sliding down any hills they could find. They were no longer bothered by the cold since they're Ice-Type Pokémon, so they were able to appreciate the beauty of the fresh snow with little to no worries at all.

"Aww, look at them!" Dawn said as she watched the Glaceon play. "They're so cute!"

"I bet they're relieved that they can be outside again, too," Ash said.

"For sure. I can only imagine how frightened they were before we got to them."

"Yeah, same. Let's head back to the others now."

"Good idea. Glaceon! We're heading back!"

Both Glaceon stopped playing so that they could hear Dawn call for them, and they quickly ran to catch up to her and Ash. With both Glaceon walking by their sides, Ash and Dawn started to make their way back to Snowpoint City. As they were heading back, they saw Goh, Chloe, Zoey, and Candice in the distance, and called out to them.

"You two are alright!" Goh said as he, Chloe, and Zoey were running to Ash and Dawn.

"You're not hurt, are you?" Zoey asked.

"Nah, we're fine!" Ash answered.

"We did what we could to survive in the blizzard," Dawn said.

"Oh, thank goodness," Chloe said as she sighed in relief. "So these are Glaceon?"

"They look amazing," Goh said. "Where did you find them?"

"While we were out looking for more wood, we had to seek shelter in a nearby cave, and we found them as Eevee in the cave," Ash answered.

"And little did we know that the cave we were in had an icy rock that lets Eevee evolve into Glaceon!" Dawn added.

"Really?!" Goh said in surprise. "That's so cool! Wait, that means you got to see them evolve. Did either of you get a video of them evolving?!"

"Yep, right here!" Dawn answered as she was pulling out her phone to show everyone the video of Eevee evolving.

"Actually, Dawn, do you think you can show us that when we get back to my house?" Candice interrupted. "I'm sure you two must be freezing right now."

"Yeah, on second thought, let's do that first," Dawn said as she shivered.

"With you on that one," Ash said after sneezing. "Is the power back on yet?"

"Yeah, the power was restored around dawn," Goh answered.

Ash and Dawn stared at Goh, and Goh knew just what they were about to say. "You're telling me that we didn't need to go out at all?" Ash said.

"I told you so, Ash Ketchum!" Dawn yelled. "I told you we did need to leave the house at all!" She added as she threw snowballs at Ash's back.

"Hey, hey, stop it! All right, you asked for it!" Ash said as he was making a snowball of his own. "Take this!"

"Hey, I wanna have a snowball fight, too!" Goh said.

"Wait, what about…" Chloe started to say, but stopped after seeing the three of them throwing snowballs at each other. "Oh, well."

"Say, Chloe, Zoey, care for some hot chocolate while we leave these three alone?" Candice offered.

"Sure!" Chloe answered. "I'd love to!"

"That would be nice, Miss Senior!" Zoey said.

"Wait, hot chocolate?" Goh quickly asked. "Wait, I want some!"

"I want some, too!" Dawn said as she and Goh started running toward Candice, Chloe, and Zoey.

"Don't forget me, either!" Ash said as he tried to catch up, but kept slipping and tripping in the snow.

Once the group finally got back to Candice's house, Candice made cups of hot chocolate for everybody while Ash and Dawn put the extra wood they had gathered away. This gave them more than enough time to finally get warm after spending all that time in the harsh north Sinnoh cold. While all of this was going on, Ash was reminiscing about the time he first came to Snowpoint City with Dawn and one of his other friends, Brock.

"By the way, what are we gonna do with the Glaceon?" Goh asked. "Are we really just gonna leave them here after what Ash and Dawn did for them?"

"Well, I think the obvious choice is to take them back home with you," Candice suggested. "I'm certain they would be thrilled to spend more time with you, Ash."

"Me? Raising a Glaceon?" Ash asked. "Let alone two of them?!"

"Well, how about I catch one of them, then?" Goh offered. "I can get Glaceon registered in my Pokédex then!"

"That's a pretty nice idea, Goh," Chloe said.

"Hold on," Ash quickly said. "I just thought of something after seeing Eevee evolve."

"What, Ash?" Dawn asked.

"I just remembered one of my friends that I met in the Alola region was given an Ice Stone for one of their Pokémon. Is it possible that Eevee can evolve into Glaceon with an Ice Stone, in addition to the rock Dawn and I found? And are Ice Stones made from whatever that rock was?"

"Those are some really good questions, Ash," Zoey complimented. "Sounds like that's some more research for you guys to uncover!"

"Yeah," Ash said. "So, anyway, back to the Glaceon."

"Right, right. So, do you wanna take one for yourself, and Goh can take the other?"

"Hmm… Not sure yet."

"If you don't want it, I can take it," Dawn offered.

"Actually, Candice, can you look after one of them?" Ash asked.

"Oh?" Candice asked. "Why me?"

"I imagine after evolving, Glaceon had become much more comfortable being in this area of Sinnoh, and they love playing in the snow. So I think keeping one of them in an area that is always blanketed in snow is the best thing for it. I can't really think of any reason why I need a Glaceon for myself, as I have plenty of other Pokémon that I need to train, and I feel like someone else would do a better job at taking care of Glaceon than I would."

"Ash…" Dawn started. "I get it. You care more about making sure that Glaceon is happy as opposed to training it for your Pokémon World Championship battles."

"Yeah. And since Candice specializes in Ice-Type Pokémon, I feel like her taking care of one of the Glaceon is perfect as opposed to me."

"Now that's what I call some smart thinking, Ash!" Candice complimented. "I respect your choice! Thinking about the Pokémon instead of your own personal gain! I like that!"

"Ash may be a Pokémon freak, but he absolutely cares about them," Chloe said.

"That's not a bad thing, though," Zoey said. "Thinking about the Pokémon should always be one of your top priorities to being a good Trainer, whether it be for Gym battles or Contests. They may be your partners, but they're obviously living creatures, too, so they deserve as much care as possible."

"Right on, Zo-Zo!" Candice said. "So, Goh, that said, you going to take one of the Glaceon?"

"As long as that's okay with you?" Goh asked.

"Fine by me! One of them is going home with you guys in the first place, and I think that's wonderful!"

"All right, it's settled then!"

Both Candice and Goh prepared their Poké Balls to catch each Glaceon. After both of them were caught, Goh and Candice immediately sent their Glaceon back out to continue hanging out with everybody until it was time for Goh, Ash, Chloe, and Dawn to go back to Kanto. While everyone was continuing to converse, the Pokémon really wanted to go outside and play in the snow, especially Glaceon.

"All right, fine," Dawn said. "You guys can go outside and play."

"I wanna have another snowball fight!" Ash said as he grabbed his coat and rushed outside.

"Don't leave me behind!" Goh said as he was doing the same.

"Wait, Ash!" Dawn said. "Goh!"

"Come on, Dawn!" Candice said. "How about you, Zo-Zo, and I form a team and go against Ash, Goh, and Chloe?"

"I'm down for that!" Zoey said. "We would be an awesome team! Chloe, are you okay with that?"

"Sure!" Chloe answered. "I don't mind that!"

"Then let's go!" Candice said. "Let's get our kiai on!"

The group had a little friendly competition with their snowball fights, with plenty of instances of everyone getting hit in the face at least once. It was all in good fun though, as the weather was night and day better compared to the day prior, albeit still very cold. While the Pokémon didn't join the snowball fight, they all worked together in making a snowman, went sledding, and were rolling around in the snow. Everyone was just having a wonderful time, and it was a great way to conclude Ash's, Goh's, and Chloe's trip to Snowpoint City.

Instead of having to walk all the way back down to Eterna City for the next few days, Candice offered to take the group down by riding some three-headed bird Pokémon called Dodrio in the morning. The trip down Mt. Coronet was much quicker thanks to this, and they were able to reach the bus station in Eterna City by the late afternoon.

"Well, that was a ton of fun!" Goh said.

"I'm glad you three came to visit!" Candice said. "If you guys ever want to come back, you know who to call!"

"We will, thanks!" Chloe said.

"You're going with them, too, Dawn?" Zoey asked.

"I told them that I would go back to Kanto with them so that I can give Professor Cerise the video I got of Eevee evolving into Glaceon," Dawn answered. "I'm sure he would very much appreciate it."

"Ah, I understand. Hopefully the next time we see each other will be in another Contest. I wanna see what my top rival has been doing in person!"

"You bet I will! And I will finally become a Top Coordinator like you!"

"That's what I like to hear!"

Dawn and Zoey shared a handshake before they gave each other a quick hug. Even as rivals, they had so much respect for each other as close friends. The amount of confidence the two of them had as they stared at each other shows that neither of them are going to be slowing down anytime soon, which is exciting for both Dawn and Zoey.

"Please, again, come visit whenever you're around!" Candice said. "I'd love to have you guys over again!"

"Yeah, thanks for letting us stay at your place!" Goh said. "And I'll be sure to take good care of Glaceon, too."

"I'm sure you will. I'm not worried at all. If Ash and Dawn trust you, then I can, too. And Ash, if you're up to have a battle with me again, you know where to find me!"

"You bet!" Ash said.

"We better get going then," Chloe said.

"Yeah, you're right. See you two!"

"Bye for now!" Chloe said.

"See ya!" Goh said.

"Bye Candice, Zoey!" Dawn said.

"Take care, you four!" Zoey said.

"Keep your kiai up!" Candice said.

With that, the group was on their way back to Jubilife City to catch their flight back to Kanto. By the time they got on the bus did they just realize just how physically drained they were from that trip. Needless to say, it was exhilarating from start to finish for everyone.

The sun was just starting to set in Sinnoh by the time the group got onto their flight and left for Kanto. Goh and Chloe were just starting to fall asleep, with Ash and Dawn looking out the window, seeing the beautiful sight of Sinnoh at dusk. "Hey, Dawn," Ash started. "Once we get back to Kanto and talk to Professor Cerise, you wanna have a battle?"

"Of course you were gonna ask me that at some point during this trip," Dawn said with a sassy attitude. "But sure! I'd love to! It's been too long since we've last battled after all!"

"Yes! I can't wait!"

The sun was starting to rise in Kanto by the time the plane had landed in Saffron City. Slightly refreshed on sleep, Ash, Dawn, Goh, and Chloe decided to head straight back to Vermilion City instead of getting a little more rest at the Pokémon Center. They figured they were going to make it to Vermilion around the time that Chloe's family was going to sit down to eat breakfast. So Chloe called Professor Cerise to tell him that they had landed in Kanto, and will be home shortly.

About an hour and half later, the group finally made it to Chloe's house in Vermilion City. Chloe's family was really eager to see her home, especially the family's pet Pokémon Yamper. "Hi, Yamper!" Chloe said as she was petting the dog Pokémon. "I'm excited to see you, too!"

"Welcome home, Chloe!" Professor Cerise said. "And welcome back to the rest of you!"

"Thanks!" Ash, Goh, and Dawn all said in unison.

"Oh, Dawn, you came with them, too? That's a pleasant surprise!"

"Actually, Professor, I have something that would help you with your research," Dawn said.

"Oh, you do? Please, show me when we get to my lab! I'm eager to see it!"

"I'm sure the four of you must be hungry," Talia, Chloe's mother said.

"Yes!" Ash, Dawn, Goh, and Chloe all said together.

"Just as I expected!" Talia then said after she giggled. "Luckily, I'm making plenty more for everybody!"

After everyone had eaten a delicious breakfast made by Talia, it was time for Professor Cerise, Chloe, Goh, Ash, and Dawn to head to the lab. The first thing that Cerise wanted to see was the footage that Dawn got of Eevee evolving into Glaceon. "All right, let's see it!" He said.

Dawn's video got displayed on Cerise's holographic display, and he was in awe of what he was seeing in the video. He was able to get a good view of the rock that the Eevee touched to evolve into Glaceon.

"Amazing!" Chrysa said.

"This is incredible!" Ren said. "This is going to help us a ton, no doubt! Thanks for helping out, Dawn!"

"No need to worry!" Dawn said.

"Oh, yeah, Ash, didn't you wanna ask the professor something, too?" Goh asked.

"Oh yeah," Ash said.

"What is it, Ash?" Cerise asked.

"Back when I was traveling in the Alola region, one of my friends was given an Ice Stone for their Pokémon to evolve with. Do you think it's possible that Eevee can evolve into Glaceon with an Ice Stone, too? And are Ice Stones made out of what that rock was?"

"Hmm… Those are some really good questions, Ash. That is something that we can definitely look into. I appreciate you asking about that!"

"Look at you, Ash, bringing up the important questions," Dawn said.

"Hey!" Ash said.

Everyone bursted into laughter after Dawn teased Ash. After everybody had calmed down, Ash, Dawn, Goh, and Chloe talked to Professor Cerise about their trip. Eventually, it was time for Ash and Dawn to finally have their battle afterward.

"One Pokémon good for you, Ash?" Dawn asked.

"Fine by me!" Ash answered. "You ready, buddy?!" He then asked his Pikachu.

"Pika!" Ash's Pikachu responded as it jumped off of Ash's shoulder.

"You're up, Ambipom!" Dawn said as she threw her Poké Ball, calling out a twin-tailed monkey Pokémon.

"It sure has been a long time since we've battled, Ambipom!" Ash said.

"'Kay, Ash, you got the first move!" Dawn said.

"You got it! Pikachu, use Quick Attack!"

Pikachu started to approach Ambipom at amazing speed, hitting Dawn's Pokémon before Ambipom could even try to find where Pikachu was.

"Now, Ambipom, use Swift!" Dawn commanded.

Once Ambipom had regained focus after being hit by Pikachu's Quick Attack, it fired off a beam of stars, landing a direct hit on Pikachu.

"Use Electroweb!" Ash shouted.

Pikachu created a web of electricity from its tail, and attempted to throw it at Ambipom as a way to slow it down.

"Quick, use Double Team!" Dawn quickly said.

In the nick of time, Ambipom created clones of itself, successfully avoiding the Electroweb entirely. Pikachu sees itself surrounded by Ambipom's Double Team, with seemingly no way out.

"I should've seen that coming," Ash said. "But that's no problem for us! Spin and use Thunderbolt to clear the Double Team!"

"What?!" Dawn said in surprise.

Doing exactly as Ash said, Pikachu spun on the ground, sending bolts of electricity from its Thunderbolt flying all around the Double Team, clearing it instantly, setting Pikachu free, and hitting Ambipom.

"Ah, so you used a counter shield," Dawn said. "That was smart of you. 'Kay, Ambipom, use Double Hit!"

"Dodge, and use Electroweb once more!" Ash said.

Avoiding getting slapped by Ambipom's tails, Pikachu successfully threw an Electroweb at Ambipom, stopping it dead in its tracks.

"Great job, Pikachu!" Ash said. "Now use Quick Attack!"

"Get out of there with Double Team!" Dawn said.

We find ourselves a little repeat of events from earlier in the battle, with Ambipom surrounding Pikachu with its Double Team again.

"Quick, use Swift!" Dawn then said.

Using the clones from Double Team to its advantage, Ambipom left Pikachu with nowhere to go as it shot Swift at Pikachu, landing massive damage to the yellow rodent.

"You alright, buddy?" Ash asked.

Pikachu looked back at Ash with a firm nod, telling him that it's okay, and can continue battling.

"How about you, Ambipom?" Dawn asked.

Ambipom gave Dawn the same response as Ash's Pikachu, showing that it had more than enough stamina to keep going.

"Great!" Dawn said. "Then use Focus Punch!"

Ambipom tightened one of its tails into a strong-looking fist, and booked it towards Pikachu.

"Use Iron Tail!" Ash commanded.

Pikachu's tail suddenly became hard as steel, and somersaulted toward Ambipom. Both attacks collided at the same time, resulting in a cloud of smoke emanating from the powerful impact of both Pokémon. The smoke covered the battlefield, leaving both Ash and Dawn clueless about the condition of their Pokémon.

When the smoke cleared, it showed that both Pikachu and Ambipom were still standing, but not for long. Both Pokémon started to struggle to stay up, and they eventually collapsed at the same time, resulting in this battle as a tie.

Both Ash and Dawn were surprised about the outcome, but they had a warm smile on their faces shortly afterward. The two Trainers walked to their Pokémon to check on them, and met each other at the center.

"That was a great battle, Dawn," Ash complimented.

"You, too, Ash," Dawn said. "You and Pikachu were amazing out there."

"Ambipom also did great as well. I kinda forgot just how strong Ambipom was, so it definitely took me by surprise. Which made this battle even more exciting!"

"Well, you did raise Ambipom before me, after all."

"Yeah, you're right about that. But we should have another battle someday though!"

"Yeah! After you and I compete against each other in another Contest that is!"

"It's a deal!"

Ash and Dawn gave each other a firm high-five, with Pikachu and Ambipom doing the same. Dawn was able to do as well as she did thanks to what she learned from Ash. Ash was able to pull some neat tricks of his own, like the counter shield, thanks to what he learned from Dawn. The past experiences that the two had came together in this exciting battle, and was an exciting way of concluding yet another big adventure for our heroes.

-The End-