Humming as they walked, Carrie found herself enjoying Route 217. The crossroads was the furthest west she ever went. Lake Acuity was her only real destination outside of the city. That was until now.
The snow leopard was at the forefront of her mind. Finding Chien-Pao meant finding answers.
Finding closure.
"Lass?" Moonya pointed to a nearby tree. A Sneasel was sleeping underneath it, rather peacefully.
Her boots crunched on the snow as they approached carefully. The Sneasel jumped up in surprised before taking an attack pose.
"Shit! Moonya use will-o-wisp!"
Moonya quickly launched a blue fireball which the Sneasel dodged effortlessly. The follow up ice shard struck accordingly though.
"Hell yeah! Moonya, let's roll with a shadow ball!"
Moonya nodded and launched a purple orb from the shadows. Sneasel barely got up as the ghost move hit hard.
"Alright, I think that's enough." Carrie tried to be level headed.
The Sneasel was hardly able to move. It looked up at Carrie and Moonya, scared but unmoving.
"Wait, I recognize you! We fed you at the Snowpoint Ruins!" Carrie exclaimed.
The Sneasel threw it's claws up as if it were trying to tell her that in the first place. Carrie blushed intensely as did Moonya. How foolish! This poor Sneasel!
"Here, let me heal you," Carrie said apologetically.
Sneasel feigned disapproval but let Carrie heal it. She used a mixture of a potion as well as some oran berries. This little guy seemed to love lean berries.
"Hey, how do you think about joining us? We've run into you two days in a row now. We can grow really strong!" Carrie said happily. Moonya floated a bit behind Carrie, maybe a bit too ominously.
Sneasel nodded his head 'yes' quickly. This would be great! A trainer would help him find the strength within him.
"Oh wonderful! Hold on let me get a Pokéball!" Carrie said. She rummaged through her bag as the Sneasel tapped his foot somewhat impatiently. He had a grin on his face the whole time.
"Aha! Here it is! Alright, I'm gonna tap this button on your claw, okay? You'll get sucked in," Carrie explained softly.
Sneasel nodded. Carrie gently tapped the sphere against his claw and he was transported in. Almost immediately the ball went 'ding!'
Carrie did it. She caught her first new Pokémon.
"Fuck yes!" She said jubilantly. Moonya also gave a small cheer. She quickly released the Sneasel. He yawned and curled up on the ground.
"Hey buster, wake up!" Carrie said, kneeling down.
"Snea?" The dark type just wanted to sleep.
"Well, I have to at least give you a name! How does 'Nox' sound?"
Sneasel was slightly indifferent. It seemed to fit him. He nodded.
"Sweet! Nox it is! Care to show me some moves? I want to see what you're able to do. There's a pine tree there we can use as a dummy."
Nox slightly huffed and got up. He launched a frozen fist at the tree and then used an icicle crash attack. His claws glowed black and he swiped down on a branch, showing off a knock off attack. Both his claws then glowed black and he slashed in a spin. He then used a quick attack to circle the tree.
"Wow!" Carrie was simply amazed. "You're so strong!"
Nox puffed his chest. Moonya rolled her eyes.
"Alright, I'm gonna keep you in your Pokéball for a while so you can rest for a bit."
Nox nodded his head happily. Oh, a nap would be great!
Carrie returned him and clipped his Pokéball to her belt. "He seems to enjoy taking it easy."
"Lass," Moonya said in agreement.
They continued on the trail and the snow began to fall harder. Carrie didn't mind. However, the sun dropping in the sky was making her second guess how far they should go. Luckily in the woods there were clusters of trees everywhere.
"What do you think Moonya, should we set up camp tonight? The snow is gonna get worse," Carrie called over the wind. Moonya communicated that she believed that was the best idea. The tent was pitched and night fell.
The morning brought an eerie warmth. Well, above freezing and no wind. Carrie stretched as she awoke. Everyone was in their Pokeballs. She was alone for the night.
Sun rose, and the weather persisted from the evening. Carrie contemplated what to do. The wind had died which made the snow fall straight to the ground.
"No use in sitting. We gotta move," she said low to herself. Packing up her gear, she decided to let Boreas walk with her to gain some more friendship and let them get used to the cold. The normal type yawned and shook, getting ready for the day.
"Alright Boreas, we're continuing south. We're not too far down Route 217 unfortunately. Let's keep moving." Boreas simply chirped happily, eager to prove themself.
Slinging her bag on her shoulders, the two immersed themselves into the snowy wilderness, continuing to run down Mount Coronet. Carrie had a feral grin on her face as she trudged forward. She lived for weather like this.
"How ya holding up Boreas?" She called through the snow.
A low growl alarmed her. Boreas seemed to be struggling with the lower temperatures.
"Do you need to return?" She faced her companion fully, wiping away a snowflake from her nose.
They shook their head, not wanting to falter. They wanted to prove themself!
"Okay, let's keep moving."
Snover, Sneasel, Swinub, even the occasional Snorunt scampered by. The rare Machoke dashed into dens. Carrie loved seeing them in their habitat. Route 217 was often given with a warning: expect the worst. Not many could endure the harsh wintry climate, especially in the winter months.
But for Carrie? This was life.
A low growl caught her attention. "What is it?" Boreas moved in front of their trainer defensively. Something was in the snowfall.
Carrie felt her hair stand on end. Something was in the frost. She saw it. The tall figure from Lake Acuity's entrance. The snow seemed to die down and her vision focused more. Thankfully they were on the path.
But so was this intruder.
"Boreas, stand by," she murmured. Boreas simply nodded, ready to defend. The cloaked individual took two steps forward. Carrie stood her ground. The being seemed to notice this. The emerald eyes cut through the gray atmosphere.
"I'm not afraid." Carrie spoke confidently. Her scar on her cheek was burning.
"I know." It vanished. Snow lightly flurried down. The clouds disappeared and the sun shone. Carrie shivered as her body adjusted. Boreas relaxed. The threat was gone.
"I don't know who that is, but we need to get a move on," she said quickly.
A bright light happened and Moonya emerged from her Pokéball, wondering what was going on. She could feel her trainer's distress from her Pokéball.
"Lass!" Moonya hurried over to her trainer. Carrie smiled, albeit a bit wearily, at her faithful companion. "I'm okay Moonya. Boreas here did an excellent job of protecting me."
"Fros?" She seemed to ask the normal type.
"It was that thing again." Carrie spoke solemnly.
"Lass," was all Moonya said. Carrie understood she wasn't going to return to her Pokéball.
The smell of smoke and wood suddenly filled the air. "Someone has a fire going!"
Moonya pointed south to a cabin in the distance. With the snow barely falling and the sun out it was noticeable.
"Let's head there and see if anyone is home," Carrie said. Her two companions nodded.
Trudging along route 217, the sun's brilliance radiated off the snow. Carrie rummaged for some sort of eye protection. A pair of ski goggles would work for now. Boreas happily plodded along as Moonya floated carefully behind them. Something was off.
Reaching the cabin, they saw only the faint glow of a fire in the window. Carrie gingerly knocked on the door as the three awaited some sort of answer. She gently rubbed the scar on her face. The one that ripped her cheek in half.
Her blue eyes were met with a pair of brilliant gray eyes. His blond hair styled back slightly messily. Carrie had to barely look down at him, but he gave off an air of arrogance. He seemed friendly though.
"Can I help you?" His voice was cautious and the door cracked. Only half his face and body were shown.
"My name is Carrie, and these are my Pokémon. Well, we saw smoke from the chimney and we were just wondering if anybody was home. We'd love to spend some time inside," Carrie said hopefully. Moonya didn't change her expression. Boreas cocked his head in confusion.
"My name is Skylar, and this is my partner, Squall," the teenager said as he opened the door more. A Farfetchd was on his shoulder, but a much different one. The boy was dressed rather smartly, a brilliant black suit with a sharp red tie. Her eyes landed on the Farfetchd rather quickly, however.
Carrie felt her heartbeat quicken at the duck. It didn't look like one from Kanto. She wasn't very familiar with the Galar region, she probably had the least bit of knowledge about that region. But this seemed to be a Galarian Farfetchd. She was snapped out of her thoughts when he quickly followed his introduction.
"What is that thing?" The teenage boy spoke in disgust.
That's right. Type:Null weren't known to the public. Carrie forgot to return them.
"Don't call Boreas a thing, they're a pokemon! Just like Moonya!" The ice type immediately got on the defensive, ready to defend her trainer.
The fighting type, meanwhile, was ready to defend his trainer. It got down on the ground and readied his leek, almost begging for them to come closer.
Carrie felt uneasy. The Farfetchd felt wrong. She almost felt repulsed by it. It wasn't instinctual like during her battle with Killian and his Swellow. This was more in her head.
"Squall, it's okay. This girl and her…things aren't going to bother us," the blond teen tried to reassure the fighting type.
Carrie felt her temper flare. "Is it? You called my Pokémon a thing! You're the one who's throwing names around. We were just looking for a place to rest!"
The teen looked at Carrie. "It looks like it was made in a lab! It's horrifying! We're not letting you in."
Boreas growled at the accusation while Moonya was really beginning to feel the need to attack. The Farfetchd, supposedly named Squall, was feeling the same.
"That doesn't make it less of a pokemon like yours!"
"It does so!"
Carrie lifted up her goggles to keep her hair out. "Listen you-"
"Your face! What happened?" Skylar blurted out. His face reddened with embarrassment but he stood firm.
Carrie felt herself grow red in embarrassment as well. She hadn't had a reaction like that happen to her in years. Her scar burned intensely.
"Nothing to worry about yourself with, Skylar," Carrie's words dripped with potent venom. Skylar's partner was growling.
Skylar held Squall close, retreating inside and closing the door. "Keep that monster away. We're not welcoming you in."
The door closed. Carrie was fuming. Boreas looked to Moonya as to what to do at the situation. It wasn't cold nor was the snow and wind bad. But a house was always appreciated, despite how cozy their tent was.
"Oh that fucking ass! He better hope I never run into him again!" Carrie marched away. Moonya gave a look to the normal type as to say 'let her be'.
"I'll show him, Boreas is not a monster. They're just like any other Pokémon." She knew all Pokémon were monsters, but Skylar meant something else. Something horrible.
Her sweet Boreas is not a monster.
Carrie kicked at the snow as they continued down route 217, a pair of brown eyes watching the two worried Pokémon and the angry teenager.
AN: Shorter chapter, I know. But we are meeting our first OC: Skylar! Submitted by LevelNineCPU! These two didn't get off to a hot start. This took me a few different rewrites to get it to where I like it hopefully you do as well!