It was snowing.

Or, at least, that's how it felt to Aaron. The wind complicated matters, however every now and then something cold and icy would land on his cheek. Afterwards, whatever it was that landed on him would melt into a frosty watery liquid until another chunk of ice took its place. Slowly but surely, the environment became overtaken by the elements. More ice would get in his face, and indeed some got into his eyes. He was thankful he wore warm clothing that day. Who knew how he would deal with the clouded weather otherwise. He couldn't walk an inch without witnessing some sort of chill. Ahead, through the rapidly falling chunks of ice, he could still see lights.

That was his only hint that he was still inside a town.

Yes, it was snowing. It was snowing in the region of Hoenn, a region that was never known for its snowfalls.

Yet, this sort of thing had become normal within the last ten years. Certainly, the townspeople tolerated the strange severity of the weather. They weren't entirely sure what else to think of it. Ever since Kyogre and Groudon were set loose on the world yet again, the entire region of Hoenn had assumed that a change in the weather system was only a natural progression. There were some who had called the changes a sign from Arceus of their sins. It was perhaps no secret that how much the citizens of Hoenn enjoyed their tropical environment.

Then again, there were some who thought that there were ulterior reasons for the drastic change in the environment.

However, the only thing on Aaron's mind was the need to find shelter, and fast. The wind had quickly turned into the beginnings of a blizzard, and it was already difficult to see. Up ahead, all he could make out were the blurred lights and moving figures he assumed were townspeople moving about. Every now and then, one of them would pass him by and he could see the fear in their eyes. He tried to talk to them, ask them what was going on with the weather. No one had any time for small talk, they all just wanted to run away and hide. Aaron too had wanted to run.

To think, that earlier that day the sun was shining bright, and the ocean breeze was pleasant and warm. Hoenn was known for that kind of weather, it was what made it such a popular tourist spot. The fact that the weather could go through a complete u-turn within an hour, that was beyond terrifying. How could anyone blame the townspeople if they ran. It wouldn't surprise him if all of Hoenn wanted to run.

'It doesn't make sense why it's only here in Hoenn' he thought. The weather wasn't at all odd anywhere else. Although, there was that one recent snowstorm in Unova that made the news globally. 'That was Team Plasma', he reminded himself, 'This is different.'

While he was a League Champion, Aaron remembered receiving no news concerning Hoenn. He was under the impression that no one did. Poor Hoenn, no one could ever respect them to recover from nearly losing themselves to the forces of the land and the sea. By all accounts, many other regions had it easy, even Sinnoh with the threat of being eaten away by Giratina's wrath. By all accounts, the people of Sinnoh proved to be more than prepared for what might have happened. Yet in Hoenn, no one could ever imagine the consequences. The very thought, that perhaps the people of Hoenn were still experiencing the effects of Kyogre's and Groudon's powers, seemed more than possible.

Perhaps an even more shocking discovery, roused Aaron from his thoughts, as a speck of black danced in front of his eyes and landed on his shoulder. Another speck went by, and then another, until the air had turned from a dull shade of grey to a dark mist of ice. Curious by the black specks of ice, Aaron caught one on the tip of his tongue, before immediately spatting the offending speck out. It wasn't pure water, whatever it was. In fact, it tasted more like- "Ash! This is Ash!" He was too shocked to not say such an exclamation out loud, even though there was no one around to hear him. What bothered him most, was the direction this storm was coming from.

"Mr. Steven Stone would like to remind the populace that the volcano on which Sootopolis is built is hollow and dormant and will not be erupting any time soon. While there was indeed an eruption between the cities of Mossdeep and Sootopolis during the hours of 1500 and 1600, we believe that it wasn't on a large enough scale to cause any permanent damage to the ecosystem."

Olea sighed, feeling torn by the events that were occurring around her. She still hadn't seen or heard word of the former champion. For all she knew, he could had already disappeared to the next town over. She hoped that he was safe, wherever he was.

"The snowstorm that is sweeping across the ocean appears to have finally hit the shores of Lilycove. Citizens are advised to keep indoors until the storm has passed. Similarly to the west, there have been reports of strong winds conjuring up miniature typhoons. Some of which have caused some damage to buildings in Rustboro City. President Stone of the Devon Corporation, ensures us that the Devon Corp. Building remains standing as tall as ever and will continue to do so. Dewford Town, however, is not so lucky. The head trendsetter of Dewford Hall has been reported missing as of 1714 hours, and a search party is currently in effect. If anyone can provide the location of a Mr. Babs, the town of Dewford will be forever grateful for your assistance."

Lilycove wasn't the only town experiencing strange weather patterns. Olea turned off the radio, not wishing to hear any more concerning the events happening around Hoenn. She approached her sleeping Pokemon; her Venomoth who always looked so at peace, and her large and lovable Muk. She was glad she had them at least. Muk never really seemed to mind the elements, and her Venomoth always kept her warm. She didn't dare send out her Nidoqueen, who had quite the temper when things didn't appear to be in the Pokemon's favor. The Gym Trainer quietly nuzzed against the Venomoth, who would brush back affectionately every now and then. The Pokemon were just as fearful as she was, concerning the sudden change in weather. Out of all of them, Olea perhaps had the best relationship with her Venomoth, who understood her completely. "Oh what should I do Venny?" she asked, burying her face into the warm fur.

A knock came at her door, followed by the voice of a trainer, "Excuse me? Do you have a second?."

Olea didn't leave her Venomoth's side, which had shuddered at the intrusive voice. "Door's unlocked. You can come in." Olea shrunk into the fur of the moth Pokemon, shying away from the intruder. She really didn't want to speak with any trainer at the moment, but she was also curious.

"Bruce told me he saw you speaking with the former Indigo League Champion earlier."

The accusation sent chills down Olea's spine, who shuddered accordingly. "You saw us?"

"Everybody did." In spite of her words, the trainer did not appear to be malicious. The way she spoke had a soft and gentle edge to it, like a kind flower.

Olea poked her head from underneath her Venomoth's wings to stare in wonder at the intruder, who appeared to be so fragile. "Who is this Bruce?" she asked.

The girl who had entered her room smiled kindly, "He is our leader. And he wanted to know whether you were going to visit the floating castle." She fumbled with her hair as she said this, keeping her distance from Olea's Pokemon. "He thought that you could ask the former champion as well to come along, if he wanted."

Olea frowned, it was clear what this Bruce's intentions were. "Tell Bruce that he can ask the former champion himself!" The forcefulness in Olea's voice frightened the female trainer, but Olea didn't care. She was nobody's errand girl. The fact that people saw her talking with the former champion was enough to tell her not to trust these people. "And what about you? You don't want me to join your little group for any other reason do you?" Olea continued, looking at the trainer dead in the eye.

The poor girl squeaked in response. "I thought...well, I thought you looked sort of lonely." She gazed over at the walls, trying not to look back at the Gym Trainer. "I mean, that champion guy looked sort of mean, and I honestly don't want him in our group myself. That's all Bruce's idea; he wanted me to mention it, but I-" Before Olea could stop her the girl bowed the upper half of her body in apologetic respect. "I'm sorry!" She cried, closing her eyes tight so she could avoid staring at anything let alone the ground. Olea's Venomoth exchanged a worried look with her master, before she flew over to the nervous trainer and offered a comforting wing. The trainer only flinched, clenching her fists at her side and shaking her head. "Sorry." She said again, inching away from the Venomoth.

The girl was clearly afraid of Bug Pokemon. With a sigh, Olea returned her Venomoth, and walked up to the trainer herself. "It's fine, really. I would love to join you on this journey, but I'm not sure you guys have the right idea. Only those who are invited can get in. The most everyone else can do is watch the news for updates on its tournaments."

With a sniffle, the girl nodded. "Most of us were invited. Well, I wasn't, but Bruce was. He thinks that we can all sneak onto the castle together."

"What a stupid plan. Look, if I were you I'd just leave the guy. Go and do what you want to do. Hoenn's a great region, and there is plenty to see and explore here. He's going to get you all arrested, and I would very much like to talk to him right now, if you don't mind."

The girl nodded, and lead her down the motel's hallway back to the main entrance. From there she was led to a large room, furnished so that it was a place of warmth and comfort. Warm colored futons and sofas were placed here and there around glass coffee tables, and small magazine racks. Most of the magazines were Pokemon magazines meant to educate the reader on proper breeding techniques or the newest Pokemon products. There were also game tables and Poffin mixing machines, to be used at anyone's leisure. Near the machinery was a vending machine filled to the brim with bottles of soda, lemonade and water. It was a nice little lobby, a place of relaxation for trainers who stayed at the quaint motel. A congregation of trainers have gathered themselves by a large stone fireplace, decorated with flowers grown in nearby meadows.

At the center of the group, was a tanned boy trainer whose dark hair grew long and wild. He wore clothes that were made for warm tropical climates, which showed of his heavily muscled build and scars running up and down his arms. Around his head he wore a white headband with a blue symbol of a Pokeball on the front. Rather unimpressed by this Bruce guy already, Olea approached him trying to look as intimidating as possible. The trainer who had led her there backed off into the crowd, where a couple trainers already started questioning her about whether or not Olea was joining them.

"So." Olea started, glaring at the Black Belt. "You're the one in charge of this operation huh?"

Bruce regarded her with pride, believing that he was one step closer to victory with both her and, by extension, the former Indigo League Champion by his side. "Yup! Bruce is the leader of this infantry!"

Infantry? Olea, wasn't too sure whether this Bruce guy was serious. She certainly hoped he wasn't serious. "You aren't serious. Are you?"

Bruce only laughed, a big hearty laughed. It was the sort of laugh Olea heard from the sailors on the SS. Tidal while they were on break. This guy was definitely serious! "Bruce likes you, friend of the former Indigo League Champion!"

"Hold up, who said I was his friend?" Olea was pretty sure the former champion hated her, positive in fact. The other trainers didn't seem to buy her denial, as they began to beg her to put in a good word. "You guys are nuts! What, you really think the former champion of the Indigo League will want to help you guys? Even if he was my friend, which he isn't by the way, he'd be totally against this!"

"Bruce thinks that you have the wrong idea. This is an operation of justice! Bruce does not trust the floating castle in the sky, and Bruce's infantry agrees that there is evil afoot in the region of Hoenn!"

Olea rolled her eyes, the guy thinks he's some sort of hero. She wanted to scream, at all of them. How could anyone want to follow this guy? "You're mad! Whatever your little theories are, they aren't worth it. You'll all get arrested!"

Instead of Bruce bickering back, a Punk Trainer with hair the color of blue lightning spoke up, "Please. Lady, there ain't no way they'll even know where we're even there."

"He's right. We're going to be flying there." A Bird Tamer added, looking mighty proud of himself, and the Pokeballs he carried at his side.

Olea fumed, "Don't you guys think anybody tried that before." The question triggered some defensive responses, which in turn made Olea want to just leave. It was bad enough they were blindly following a guy who spoke in third person, but to actually believe they stood a chance against that flying fortress was ludicrous. The people who ran the show up there had made it clear you couldn't make it in without an invitation. Many had tried to get inside before, and all have failed. The idea that it would be any different with Bruce's infantry, it just didn't make sense.

"Excuse me!" the heads of all the trainers in the room, including Bruce and Olea, turned to face the entrance to the recreational room. A young man stood at the door, with an artist's profile in hand, looking quite out of breath. "I hate to interrupt, but have any of you seen Aaron anywhere?"

Now everyone was staring at Olea, who looked rather confused. Who was this guy, and how did he know Aaron. Everyone else was just as confused as she was, and curious as well. Olea tried to ignore the burning eyes that belonged to the Black Belt Bruce. "Why?" She demanded. "Has something happened to him?"

The young man only walked up to her, cradling his portfolio like a precious treasure. "There's a painting in here, that I drew of him. I was hoping he had already booked a room here before the storm blew in, and that one of you might give it to him for me."

The possibility that Aaron was still probably out there, out in the storm, hit Olea like a brick. Soon, it dawned on the rest of the room as well. Even Bruce had lost his grin, as he realized that his dream of having the former champion on his team was in jeopardy. "He's outside, in the snowstorm." Olea muttered to herself, her body beginning to feel like stone.

"I'm sorry?"

Olea pushed the young man out of her way, making a mad rush for the door, and ultimately the motel's exit. That boy she had met on the deck of the SS. Tidal was in trouble, and while he might not have liked her Olea just couldn't let him stay out in the blizzard and die. Bruce, who was still in a daze by the terrible circumstance that had occured, soon snapped and ran after Olea. He too, didn't want to lose Aaron to the storm. "Everyone stay here!" Bruce called out to his comrades. "Bruce will find the former champion, and Bruce will help save him!"

"Wait!"

Both Olea and Bruce stopped, for only a moment, as the young man caught up with them. "I'm coming with you!" Olea noticed that he still held onto the portfolio in one arm, and he was wearing a determined look on his face. "I still need to give him his portrait."