I hope everyone is doing alright during these very difficult times. A lot of craziness has happened since the last update.

I've been keeping busy doing online classes and learning some new languages! And now that I've been able to return to Japan after visiting America, I've been even more preoccupied.

But enough about me! Enjoy the next chapter!

While the children were getting fitted for their skis, Candice stood off in the back of the rental shop, with Paul, Dawn, and Zoey.

"I can't believe you called me out here just to babysit, Miss Senior," groaned Zoey.

"I know, I'm sorry Zo-zo," Candice said, bowing to Zoey apologetically. "But one of the teachers called in sick at the last minute...and as much as the kids like me, there's no way I can take control of a class of twenty students."

Candice turned to Dawn and Paul, the latter of which was especially not happy about having to take care of kids. "But hey! It all worked out!" she said, happily. "You brought two friends along, which means each of us can handle five students at a time! This should make this trip easier!"

"I don't think so," objected Paul. "I came here to challenge you to a gym battle! I didn't come to play patty-cake with a bunch of snot-nosed brats."

"I know this is all sudden for you and Dawn, especially since I barely know you guys," pleaded Candice, "but I really need your help with the students. I'll take care of your rooms, your food, and I'll even treat you to a visit to the hot springs. Just please, help me with the class! Then, we can have a gym battle!"

Paul sighed. "Look, I'm not the right guy for this," replied Paul. "I don't even know the first thing about taking care of kids."

"I don't really know either," agreed Dawn. "I never had to take care of kids before."

"Me three," added Zoey.

"They may seem a bit rambunctious," said Candice. "But as long as you're nice, gentle, and friendly, the kids will do whatever you tell them to do."

After the young students were fitted for skis, they split up into four different groups. One group went with Gym Leader Candice, another group with Zoey, another with Dawn, and the remaining students left with Paul. They all formed a single-file line behind their group leaders. As they waddled up to the mountain, the students talked amongst themselves and happily sang songs.

Well, all except for one group.

Between not wanting to make him angry and thinking he was a jerk, the students in Paul's group remained silent, which Paul didn't mind at all.

"So far, these kids aren't too bad," thought Paul, "Let's hope it stays that way."

Suddenly, a snowball was thrown at his head. Paul quickly turned around. "Hey! Who threw that?!" he asked, angrily.

The kids all quietly snickered. "Why you little…!" Paul shouted angrily.

"Hey Paul, how are you doing back there?" asked Candice.

Paul was ready to lunge at the kids and grab them by their collars, but the sound of Candice's voice stopped him in his tracks. The kids looked back at them, snickering. "Just fine...Candice…" he growled through his teeth.

"You're supposed to call her Miss Candice," whispered a young girl.

"Shut up," said Paul.

Reluctantly, he turned around and continued leading his group up the hill. "Three days with these little runts," thought Paul. "All this solely for a gym battle?!"

Paul's thoughts were interrupted when he felt someone tugging at his pants. He looked down and saw a small, brown-haired girl with brown eyes staring up at him. "Hmm? What do you want?" Paul asked.

"Um...my name is Ally," the little girl said, softly. She jerked back a bit, somewhat frightened by Paul's abrasive tone.

"...okay?" replied Paul, confused.

"It's nice to meet you, Mister Paul," added Ally.

"Oh!" Paul said. He was rather surprised that one of the students was acting friendly towards him. "It's nice to meet you too, I guess."

Paul's group continued following the other students down the snowy trail. Paul looked ahead and saw Dawn and Zoey mingling with their students, asking for their names, and allowing them to ask questions about themselves.

Paul sighed. "Well, if I'm going to be stuck with these kids for the next few days…" he thought.

Paul turned around and faced the other students in his group.

"Hey!" Paul said to the other students. "If we're going to be stuck with each other these next few days, we might as well know each other's names."

The students were a bit confused by Paul's sudden sincerity. "So, my name is Paul," he said, reintroducing himself. He then pointed to Ally. "Her name is Ally. What are your names?"

"Uhh…I'm Veronica," said one of the other girls in the group.

"I'm Ryo!" one of the boys said, proudly.

"I'm Sota!"

"My name is Patty!"

There was one other boy who hadn't shared his name. "And what's your name?" Paul asked.

"Um, my last name is Ner," the boy said.

"Ner?" Paul asked, confused. "Okay…what's your first name?"

"Ichiwee," replied the boy.

The other kids laughed. "Your name is Ichiwee N…?" asked Paul.

Paul quickly stopped when he realized what he was about to say. The kids laughed anyway. "You said Itchy Weiner!" laughed the boy.

Paul clenched his fist and gritted his teeth, ready to pound the young child into the snow. But before he lost his temper, he quickly calmed himself down. He reached out and patted the child on the head with an evil smile. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Itchy Weiner!" he said, confidently.

"Actually, my real name is Toh-…" said the boy.

"No, no. You told me your name is Itchy Weiner," interrupted Paul. "That's your name from now on."

"Haha, your name is Itchy Weiner!" laughed Sota.

"Itchy Weiner! Itchy Weiner!" chanted the others.

"Shut up! That's not my name! You guys know that."

Paul continued walking with the other groups. "Let's go, Itchy Weiner!" Paul said. "You better hurry up before you get left behind!"

"That's not my real name!" protested Tohru.

But his words fell on deaf ears, as everyone walked alongside Paul. "That oughta teach him to be a smartass with me," he thought.

Ally spoke again.

"Mister Paul, do you live in Snowpoint City?" she asked.

"No," answered Paul. "I live in Veilstone City."

"Veilstone City?" asked Ryo. "My dad says that's where all of the bad people live."

Paul merely bit his tongue, trying not to blow up in the children's faces. "It's…not that bad," he replied. "Your dad is probably just joking."

"Veilstone City? Where's that?" asked Sota.

Paul thought about the best way to explain it to his group. "It's on the east side of Sinnoh," he said. "It's close to Solaceon Town and Pastoria City."

"Oh. And where are those places?" asked Veronica.

"Pastoria City is in the south, where the swamplands are. And Solaceon Town is to the west, close to that place that's always foggy."

"...what does west and south mean?" asked Ryo.

"You know what, let's just say it's far away from here," Paul said, realizing explaining any further would only confuse everyone.

"Like really, really far?" asked Ally.

"Yes. Really, really far."

"Really, really, really, really far away?" asked Veronica.

"Yes, really," replied Paul, sounding more annoyed.

"Really, really, really…"

"Yes, it's really far away!" snapped Paul.

The kids laughed as they tried to get under Paul's skin by asking him more questions, many of which were silly and annoying to him.

Soon they reached the hill where the students were to begin their first ski lesson. At the bottom of the busy mountainside was a small hill. With it being at a gentle incline, it was perfect for children to practice skiing before moving on to the more serious ski trails.

Candice looked around, but the instructor was nowhere to be seen.

"That's weird," said Candice. "The ski instructor isn't here."

"I guess he's running late?" asked Dawn.

Candice crossed her arms and pouted. "Well, that's just great!" she complained. "Doesn't he know we're only here for a few days?!"

"Maybe we're here early?" suggested Paul.

"I'm sure he'll show up soon," Zoey said.

Just then, one of the students spoke up.

"Hey, Miss Dawn!" shouted a student. "Can you show us your Pokémon?"

"Yeah, show us your Pokémon!"

The students all clamored around Dawn, begging to see her Pokémon. Dawn stepped back, overwhelmed by the children's excitement. "Well…I don't…"

"Hey! That's a great idea!" Candice said. "We should have a Pokémon Show-and-Tell!"

The students cheered at Candice's idea. "Are you sure?" Paul asked, cautiously.

"I don't see why not," continued Candice. "The students can learn a lot about you from what Pokémon you're training. And since these kids are studying to become Pokémon Trainers, what better way to motivate them than to show off some of your strongest Pokémon?"

Zoey nodded her head. "Good thinking, Miss Senior!" she said. "Come on, Dawn! Show these kids your Pokémon!"

The students continued begging for Dawn to show her Pokémon.

Dawn was still uneasy, but she smiled and nodded at Zoey. "Alright, let's do it!" she said, happily.

Dawn then grabbed two Poké Balls. "Alright! Prinplup! Buneary! Spotlight!"

Dawn threw the Poké Balls into the air and her Prinplup and Buneary popped out.

The children gasped as Prinplup and Buneary stood before them. "Everyone, this is my Prinplup and my Buneary," introduced Dawn.

"Hey, that's the Prinplup that beat Fantina's Pokémon in Hearthome City!" mentioned Candice.

"Um, again. It was a tie," replied Dawn.

Dawn's word fell on deaf ears as the children crowded around her Pokémon, especially Prinplup. Buneary was intimidated by being surrounded by the children (who were roughly the same height), while Prinplup crossed her flippers and soaked up all their attention.

"Now let's see your Pokémon, Zo-Zo!" suggested Candice.

"Okay sure," she replied.

Soon, Zoey's Glameow and Mismagius joined alongside Prinplup and Buneary. The children were as equally impressed with Zoey's Pokémon as they were with Dawn's.

Paul stood off to the side, watching his group be amazed by Dawn and Zoey's Pokémon. "How about you, Paul?" asked Candice. "Let's see some of your Pokémon!"

"No, I don't think that's a good idea," replied Paul, bluntly.

"Paul...I think showing the kids your Pokémon would be a good thing," insisted Candice.

"Trust me, it's for the best," replied Paul. "I doubt my Pokémon are able to tolerate little kids any better than I can."

"Oh, come on, Paul!" pleaded Candice. "They can't be that bad."

"Forget it, Miss Candice," said one of the students. "Mr. Paul's a jerk."

"I bet he doesn't have any cool Pokémon like Miss Dawn or Miss Zoey," said another student. "That's why he doesn't want to show us."

Paul felt a bit hurt by the children's comments, but he did his best not to show it. "It's for your own good," he growled quietly. "My Pokémon are strong, maybe too strong for you!"

"Then, let's see them!" shouted a kid.

"Yeah!" said another.

Paul was very worried about how his team would react to being swarmed by little kids. He was also worried they may start another brawl with Dawn's Pokémon (a fear Dawn shared as well).

Finally, the children's remarks were too much for Paul, as he reached into his pockets and took out a Poké Ball. "Alright! If you little jerks really want to see my Pokémon," he boasted. "But don't say I didn't warn you!"

He was about to throw the Poké Ball into the air but suddenly stopped himself. He looked at the kids. "You guys might want to back up a little bit," he warned.

The kids complied, although some rolled their eyes. "Torterra, stand by!" Paul called out.

The Poké Ball opened and Torterra appeared in front of everyone. The children all gasped. At seven feet tall, Torterra towered above everyone, especially the young children. Some jumped back in fear of the imposing Pokémon.

Upon having his feet touch the snow, Torterra let out a loud sneeze (frightening some of the kids) and shivered.

"Whoa! He's huge!" gasped one of the students.

"He's not the only one either," bragged Paul. "My other Pokémon are just as big and strong! But he's the only one that won't bite or attack you!"

"Paul, don't scare them!" scolded Dawn.

"Got to admit, Torterra's pretty impressive," said Zoey.

"Please Paul, tell the students about your Pokémon!" said Candice.

"Oh! Uh…okay," he replied.

Paul stood next to Torterra. "This is my Torterra," he said to the students. "He's one of the strongest Pokémon in my team."

The students all gasped. "How long have you had Torterra?" asked Candice.

"A very long time," Paul replied, "I've had him ever since he was a Turtwig."

"Ah! Turtwigs are usually very small," added Candice.

She used her hands to demonstrate how small a Turtwig can be. The students had a hard time believing that a small Pokémon could evolve into something so massive.

"Was he your first Pokémon?" Zoey asked.

"Y-yeah," Paul replied, somewhat embarrassed. He began to reminiscence about all the places they've been to and all the battles they've won. "We've been through a lot together. We've gone to many places, competed in many tournaments, and had a lot of adventures. And when my other Pokémon act up or misbehave, he's quick to set them straight!"

Paul put his hand on Torterra's head. "If there's any Pokémon on my team I put all of my trust in, it's him."

Flattered by Paul's kind words, Torterra rubbed his head against Paul's body. "Wait, Torterra! Stop that!" scolded Paul.

"Don't worry, Paul," replied Zoey. "He's only showing his affection."

The children inched closer to Torterra. Torterra closed his eyes and let the students pat him on the head (well, more like his face). Eventually, they warmed up to him. "You sure this is a good idea?" asked Dawn.

"Well, so far he's behaving himself," said Paul. "I think he'll be fine."

"What? You're worried he's going to freak out or something?" asked Zoey.

"Let's just say my Pokémon don't really get along with kids all that well," replied Paul. "Or with most people."

"Why am I not surprised?" asked Zoey.

"Hey! Look at me!" shouted a shrill voice. "I'm king of the jungle!"

Everyone turned towards Torterra…and were horrified to see that some of the boys had climbed onto Torterra's back and started swinging from the trees. "Hey, get down from there!" snapped Paul.

"Paul's right!" shouted one of the girls. "Stop or you're gonna fall!"

Despite the protests from everyone, the boys continued monkeying around on Torterra's back. Torterra tried to gently (later violently) shake them off, but the boys held on. They laughed as they continued climbing and jumping all around the trees on Torterra's back.

"Oh no, this is really bad," worried Dawn. "We need to get those kids off before Torterra gets angry!"

But it was too late. Fed up with the boys' horseplay, Torterra growled and he lifted his front legs up. He then slammed them hard into the ground (causing it to shake) and let out a ferocious roar so loud, everyone had to cover their ears. The roar could be heard all around the ski resort and even throughout the city.

Far out into the outskirts of the city, Ash and Pikachu were sitting on the ground, panting heavily. They had been running for quite some distance, trying to reach Snowpoint City by sundown. They had run so fast, they left Brock far behind!

Suddenly, Pikachu's ears perked up when he heard a faint roar echoing from far away. He looked towards a large mountain far off in the distance. Ash looked towards the same mountain as well. "Did you hear that too, Pikachu?" he asked.

Everything was quiet. The only sound that could be heard was the whispered howling of the wind. All of the skiers on the slopes stopped to look at the commotion.

All of the students (as well as Dawn and Zoey's Pokémon) were shaking in their boots, some even hugging each other for comfort, as they were all now deadly terrified of Torterra's rage. Even Zoey was afraid of Torterra.

"Wow…P-Paul wasn't kidding," whimpered Zoey. "Torterra really is strong!"

"I was afraid something like that would happen," replied Dawn.

"You three! Get off Torterra now!" scolded Candice.

The young boys wasted no time climbing down from Torterra's back. Once they did, Torterra turned towards them and roared, scaring them even further. "What the heck were you thinking?!" scolded Candice. "You could have been seriously hurt! And now you made Torterra angry!"

"Sorry Miss Candice," cried the three boys simultaneously.

"Apologize to Torterra too!" added Candice.

"Sorry, Torterra!"

Torterra only snorted in their faces. Paul quickly walked up to Torterra and patted him on the head, hoping to calm him down. "Th-That oughta teach you to be respectful to Pokémon!" Paul said, sternly. "Not just my Pokémon, but all Pokémon! Pokémon don't like being treated like a playground for you to jump on!"

Torterra growled as Paul continued lecturing the other students. "Now…if any of you pull something like that again, Torterra will roar so loud, it'll bring this entire mountain down on everyone!" threatened Paul. Torterra snorting at the children only confirmed this threat.

"Understand?" Paul asked.

The kids frantically nodded their heads.

"Uh….is now a bad time?" asked a voice.

Everyone turned and saw a man dressed in sports gear, quite literally shaking in his snow boots. "Are you the ski instructor?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah, that's me," whimpered the ski instructor. "But…maybe it's best if I came back later?"

"No, no! Everything is fine!" Candice said, frantically. "We've been waiting for you!"

The ski instructor turned his attention towards the students. "Sorry I'm late, everyone," he said, "let's get started on today's lesson! Just follow me."

The students did as they were told and followed the ski instructor to the training site.

"Great, even Paul's Pokémon are jerks!" complained one of the boys.

"You were dancing on his back, stupid!" snapped one of the girls.

With the students out of hearing range, Paul walked up to Candice and bowed. "Miss Candice," said Paul, "I'm…I'm really sorry about Torterra."

"It's not your fault," interrupted Candice. "Those boys were in my group. I'm sorry that the students did that to you and your Pokémon. Don't worry! Torterra's little outburst won't cost you a gym battle against me."

"Thank you. I'm glad to hear that."

Paul then let out a sigh. Sensing his frustration, Candice kindly patted him on the shoulder. "You're gonna do fine," she said, sweetly.

"I don't know," said Paul. "I can't even go two hours with them, let alone a few days."

"For what it's worth," said Candice. "I put most of the troublemakers in my group. The kids in your group are usually pretty well-mannered."

"Yeah, they seem okay so far," said Paul.

"Just relax, be patient, and be respectful," advised Candice.

"Okay," sighed Paul. "But I'm still keeping my eye on that Itchy Weiner kid."

Paul then walked over to where the class was, leaving Candice confused. "Itchy Who-now?" she asked.

Zoey and Dawn stood off to the side, having their own conversation. "Well, I can see why you guys were worried," said Zoey.

"Yeah…" Dawn said, defeated. "The rest of Paul's Pokémon are like that too: big, powerful, and very brutish. They don't really get along with others."

Dawn realized what she was saying and quickly turned to Zoey. "That doesn't say anything about Paul though!" she said, frantically. "It's not like he's a mean trainer or anything! I mean…his Pokémon are pretty rude…and he kinda is, but he's a good guy!"

Zoey only laughed. "You sure have a…unique taste in guys," laughed Zoey.

"Zoey, please," groaned Dawn. "I'm telling you the truth, Paul really is a good guy."

"Well…I do like that he turned it all around and made it into a lesson about respecting a Pokémon's boundaries," said Zoey. "Some of the kids were being a little too grabby with Glameow."

"Yeah, some of those boys were tugging on Buneary's fur and she didn't like that," added Dawn. "Good thing Torterra set them right."

"Who knows? Maybe the kids will respect Paul and not give him too much of a hard time."

"Let's hope so," said Dawn. "I don't want him to miss out on another gym battle just because he was being a jerk."

"Huh?" Zoey asked, surprised. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh! Uhh…nothing," replied Dawn. "Just thinking out loud."

But Zoey was still suspicious. "What are you trying to hide from me, Dawn?" she thought to herself.

TO BE CONTINUED…

A/N: A bit of a shorter chapter this time. As much as I love writing very long chapters to make up for however long I've been gone, with how busy my life is right now and with other hobbies I like to pursue, I think from this point I'm going to try and keep this fanfiction updated with short, bite-sized chapters. Hopefully, I can update my stories a bit more frequently by doing this.

NEXT TIME: The skiing lesson begins! The class starts out by practicing on the small bunny hill, perfect for young children beginning to learn how to ski. Surely, Paul will have an easy time with his students during the lesson.

Right?