I don't really understand what just happened. A second ago, the Delibird kidnapped us by putting us inside her bag. A second later, the darkness suddenly brightens up, revealing a snowy-white ground. And I am still screaming.

And oh, I am falling towards it. "Oof!" M-my nose...!

I hear other thudding noises around me, and then groaning noises.

"Ow..."

"Ung..."

"Ouch..."

"Wheee! That was fun! Let's do it again!"

"No..." I groan.

I hear a chuckle from behind us. "Whoops, sorry kiddos."

I stand up, one paw rubbing my poor nose, and turn to see our kidnapper, smiling sheepishly and scratching her head.

"I sometimes forget what I'm carrying inside my bag..."

I am about to yell at her or maybe attack her, but I hold my breath when I notice the giant hole on the ground behind her. I blink. "Uh... Is that...?"

"Hm?" the Delibird turns around and looks at the hole. "Ah, yes," she nods and turns to me. "Try not to fall over there. I don't think any wingless creatures can survive such a great height, especially non-evolved ones."

"R-right... Wait, you flew us out?"

She nods with a proud smile, puffing her chest. "As your Pikachu friend instructed me to do!"

"It felt like we were teleported," Vixie groans.

I still don't understand what just happened. Does time stop when we're inside a Delibird's bag? She doesn't look like she's tired from carrying all of us. Then again, her bag didn't seem to have gained any weight when she put Saur and Fay inside. I wonder if that's how Santa does his work back home.

...yeah, I'm losing my sense of reality...

After my friends got back on their feet, we said our thanks to the santa bird, albeit a bit awkwardly, and we watch her fly back down the hole, and Saur manages to catch Fay's tail with his vine before she could manage to leap after the bird. She earns a smack from all of us.

And with that out of the way, we continue our journey, Saur and Fay on the lead. It's still cold out here, but at least it's bearable now than inside the ice cave.

It looks like that we are traveling in a valley, surrounded by trees on both sides, and taller mountains beyond. If the area has snow, then we are probably on a very great height, or maybe we're already outside the border of Kanto and Johto? I do remember Arceus' temple located north from Johto, and the entrance is located in the Unown...ruins.

God freaking damnit!

Sigh...it's too late to go back now, I think...

The trees are all covered in snow, and the air is calm and gentle, and so are the Pokémon living around the area. They are mostly ice type, but there are also a few flying types like Pidgeys and Hoothoots, their nests and burrows near the trees. Sentrets, Stantlers and Tediursas. And I'm quite sure that I just saw an Absol running in the trees. Cool! I wish I got a better look at that cool-looking Pokémon. I look around, and up ahead is an angry Growlithe that is walking towards us.

...uh...

We stop, almost immediately.

Shock sighs. "Here we go again..."

Lithe rolls his eyes and...walks past Saur and Fay...walks past Shock, though he gives him a very nasty glare...and then walks by Vixie and I...

I blink and turn around, and see Lithe keeps on walking away from us.

...what just happened?

"Oi!" Shock calls, and Lithe stops. "What's the matter? Afr—mmf!"

I kick my hind leg, throwing a thin layer of snow at his face. I hide my amazement from my lucky blind aim.

Saur gets the idea, and immediately wraps his vines around Shock's mouth before he gets the chance to say something else.

"Hi, Lithe!" ...unfortunately, that means he can't catch Fay, who is already running towards him.

Vixie and I run after her. Lithe turns and yelps when he suddenly sees our Rattata friend in front of him.

"How're you doing?" she asks oh so cheerfully.

Lithe blinks at her. "...good?"

Fay nods, and nods, and nods, while she's being dragged back by Vixie pulling her tail with her mouth. She finally notices. "H-hey! Let go!"

Vixie just rolls her eyes.

I sigh and turn to Lithe. "Sorry about that."

He replies with a grunt. "What do you want?" he asks me nicely. And by nicely, I mean with a dangerous tone and an angry glare.

I arch an eyebrow. I shouldn't be near him though, but I don't feel like he's going to attack any of us, anyway. No harm in pushing my luck a little. "You're usually going after Vixie. Now you're not. I just wanna know why."

He keeps on glaring at me for a few more seconds before he grunts at me again, turns around, and walks away.

"...that went well..." My ears droop. Then again, I'd rather have a leaving Lithe than a fighting one. I wonder what happened to him.

He suddenly stops walking. "I just wanna go home," he suddenly says, his back still on me. "Let's just say that I now know what it feels like to be chased by someone I don't want to be with," and he then continues to walk away.

"Chased by someone?" Vixie asks, standing beside me. She turns to me with an uncertain look. "Do you think he was talking about that human that caught the two of us back in the forest?"

I lightly shake my head. "Dunno... But at least we won't be worrying about him now."

She nods, smiling gently. "There's no one who's gonna stop us from being mates now."

"Don't push it, girl," I glare at her.

She chuckles and gives me a lick on my cheek.

...I pretend to dislike it by wiping my paw on my wet cheek.

She rolls her eyes.

I turn around, and yelp when, from the distance, a familiar human trainer is running towards us. He looks like he is having a hard time running in the snow.

Vixie yelps beside me, making Saur and the others turn around. They let out a surprised gasp and quickly run to the trees before the human got them.

"Blaze! Wait!" the trainer shouts tiredly, and I hear a faint Lithe-like yelp from behind me. "Oh, cool! Another Vulpix!" he smiles at us as I growl at him. He then looks ahead, and gasps. "Blaze! No! Don't go!" and he quickly turns back to us. "You! Don't go anywhere! I'll be back to catch you! Blaze!" and he runs off, chasing after a much faster Growlithe.

I blink at his retreating form. "That was him, huh?"

Vixie shivers and nods beside me. "Y-yeah..."

"Should we wait for him?"

"Cresselia's poop, no!" she hisses and bites my tail, and rushes back towards the others.

I chuckle as I enjoy the slightly painful but free ride back towards our friends.