Route 216 proved to be much kinder to the teenagers. The snow lashed at them but in a more gentle, winter wonderland way than before. Rolling snow banks and towering coniferous trees lined the route. They even saw other trainers. An occasional cabin dotted the landscape with bright windows and smoke pouring out of chimneys.

"Do you enjoy this?" Esper asked.

"Enjoy what?" Carrie brushed a lock of hair back.

"This. The weather, cold and fierce. Almost unforgiving."

Carrie gave a grin bordering feral. "Absolutely. The cold makes me feel alive and home. I strictly raise ice type Pokémon."

Esper raised an eyebrow. "Really? I've yet to meet them. You've mentioned a Froslass you're fond of."

"Oh yeah! Moonya is the best." Carrie paused and reached for her Pokeballs. She grabbed two.

"Moonya and Nox come out!" The Froslass and Sneasel appeared. Moonya stretched her arms and smiled at her trainer, floating closely by. Nox seemed more upset at being woken from his slumber.

"Oh relax Nox. Meet my friend: Esper!"

The duo turned to look at the pale teen. Something seemed different about her. It reminded them both of their trainer.

"Moonya has been my day one partner. Nox is my most recent capture!" Carrie rubbed on the dark types head, who pretended to hate it but secretly loved the attention. Moonya rolled her eyes.

Esper smiled at the trio. "You seem to have another with you, one that's incredibly strong. Why not call that one out too?"

Carrie's expression turned cold. "I can't do that, I'm sorry."

Esper nodded. "I understand, that's totally okay." Carrie smiled and brightened up again.

"Hey you!"

Carrie whipped around to see a familiar boy.

"It's you!"

The well dressed teen approached. His jet black hair slicked back in a somewhat cool way. He had a friendly smile on his face. Carrie recognized him immediately and smiled back.

"Hey Carrie! Told you I'd see you again!"

"Hey Killian," she replied with a soft smile.

"Have you two met?" Esper asked.

"Yep! When I trained under Miss Candice, I battled Killian. It was pretty awesome!"

"I'm ready for a rematch! We'll kick your ass this time!"

Carrie got fired up. "Oh yeah? It'll go just like last time!"

Killian showed a feral grin "We'll see! How about a double battle?"

Carrie had never done a double battle before. But her two battlers were out already.

"Fine by me!"

"How about we move and make space on the trail for other trainers to pass by?" Esper asked sort of meekly. These two definitely stoked a fire in each other. Carrie rubbed the back of her head and Killian laughed nervously.

Rearranging themselves in a clearing with the main trail visible, Carrie had Nox and Moonya in front of her.

"Alright, Royce and Beam, let's go!"

The Swellow appeared again, as did an Ampharos. Carrie felt her heart accelerate as sweat seemed to pour down her face. Her scar burned at the sight of the bird. Esper got worried as her friend began to panic.

"You got this Carrie!" She called out. Esper blushed immediately and tried to rein herself in.

Carrie felt herself begin to relax at her friend's voice. Moonya and Nox relaxed as their trainer did.

"If you won't move, we will! Beam use light screen and Royce use brave bird!"

A green glow emanated across Killian's side of the field as light screen took affect. The flying type began charging a brave bird as Carrie prepared to counter.

"Nox use ice punch! Moonya prepare a protect!"

Moonya knew that Royce would target her. After their last battle it was only fitting. Nox channeled ice energy into his fist, ready to enact a counter on Royce.

"Signal beam!"

Carrie's plan got thrown into disarray as the signal beam irradiated the protect. Nox had to cancel his attack to evade, which resulted in him being hit by Royce's brave bird.

"Shit! Regroup!" Her loyal monsters got to her side once again. Royce felt shockwaves across his body as recoil took its affect. Soon it was as if the field had reset.

"Alright, Moonya go with a shadow ball and Nox a quick attack!" Given the high speed that Sneasel's normally carry, the dark type quickly retaliated and slashed across Royce's breast before returning. "Go with a hone claws!" Nox sharpened his claws on the ground as shadow balls began to rain down on Killian's side.

"Ampharos use discharge and Royce protect!" The flying type surrounded itself in a green bumble as arcing electricity shielded them from the barrage of ghost attacks.

"Damn! He's good at these double battles." Carrie cursed as their attacks were neutralized.

"Carrie, focus! You can do it!" Esper shouted her support.

Carrie blushed and took a deep breath. Her cheek scar suddenly felt icy cold. She opened her eyes and saw him. The cloaked figure, standing behind Killian.

"Moonya use ice beam, quickly! Nox use a quick attack into ice punch!" Her anxiety rose.

Those emerald eyes. Her Pokémon targeted Killian's and scored direct hits. But she intended to hit her true target. This was beginning to annoy and scare her.

"K-Killian! Look behind you!" Carrie called out.

"Psh. I'm not falling for that!"

A silver glint caused Carrie to scream in fear as the figure raised it above Killian's head.

"Stop! Carrie what's wrong?" The white hair teen fell to her knees in the snow as Esper made her way over. Even her Pokémon stopped as did Killian and his party.

"Carrie what's up?" Killian said as his pokemon trailed behind him.

"H-him!" She pointed to an empty space. Esper looked over and walked to where Killian was standing. The male teen did his best to relax Carrie and returned his Pokémon, cancelling their battle. Esper noted there was a second pair of shoes. They seemed to be much larger than Killian's.

"Well, something was here. There's footprints. But they just…are here. Nowhere else. As if they appeared and vanished from this one spot." She knew they couldn't hear her. What could this mean?

"Nox I'm okay," Carrie said with a tired smile. Between the Swellow and the figure she felt exhuasted. What was wrong with her? The dark type seemed insistent to make sure his trainer was okay. Moonya knew what to do but Nox was being rather intrusive.

"He's a good little guy. Loyal, and he cares about ya," Killian noted as he helped pull Carrie to her feet.

"I know, he worries about me as much as I do about him." The dark type nuzzled into his trainer's leg.

"Carrie, something was there."

She felt herself stiffen except her hand petting Nox's head. Moonya floated behind her. Sending small tendrils of spiritual energy, Moonya felt connected with her trainer. She was able to emanate calming feelings to rest her trainers flaring spirit.

"Did you see it?"

Esper shook her head as she brushed snow off her shoulder.

"Then what did you see?" Killian asked.

"Footprints behind yours. They're much bigger than yours. No footprints matching them. It's as if they just exist right there and no where else."

Killian shivered at the thought. "B-behind me?"

Carrie felt a surge of fear before Moonya planted a hand on her shoulder. She began to settle and grounded herself between her two Pokémon.

"I saw something…it was metallic. Like a knife."

Killian seemed to get even paler. "Arceus I wish I wasn't so close!" He almost wailed out.

"It's okay, no one got hurt. It's not here."

"I don't sense him. I wanna leave now," Carrie said quietly.

"We're as good as gone," Esper said as she helped Carrie to her feet. Killian helped steady her as she took a few steps. Eventually they were able to get a steady pace going with Esper and Killian on either side of Carrie and Moonya behind watching everything.

"Where are you two heading?" Killian asked as they got back to the main route. Killian still felt slightly weak in the knees at his unknown would be assailant. He needed to be better about being on guard!

"Mount Coronet, then Hearthome city."

"If you battle Fantina, be careful. She's a real threat," he told them.

"I will. With both Moonya and Nox it'll go totally fine!" Carrie said, trying to sound confident.

Killian laughed slightly. "Alright, I'm gonna head back to Snowpoint City. I trained on these routes so I can battle the gym again. Maybe I'll stand a chance since you aren't there Carrie."

Carrie gave a soft smile. Esper just watched the exchange with a straight face. She could tell he was trying to make Carrie feel better.

"You bet! I'll kick your ass next time! You got lucky, I was just warming up," she said with a grin. They laughed and kept making verbal jabs at each other until eventually Killian bade his final farewell.

"Let's rock and roll!" Carrie said as she bounded ahead. Esper shook her head and smiled. She seemed to bounce back quick after the incident.

True to her word, Route 216 was an easier hike than Route 217. No snowstorm and, despite the trainers, it was an easier path that was shorter as well. A clearing in a patch of pine trees appeared. They were close to the base of the mountain range as the peaks easily towered over them. Large rocks and overgrown tree roots were visible on the mountain side as well as huge swaths of pine and cedar trees.

"Camp for the night?" Carrie asked.

"May as well. It's a better spot than anywhere else most likely." Esper responded as snow lightly began to fall. The trees lightly swayed in the wind. The sun was setting and painted a dark blue and pink sky. Grey blanketing clouds in the horizon told of a cold night.

The sun broke through the next morning. Bright light reflecting off a fresh blanket of snow was almost blinding to the two teenagers. Esper had awoken first, gathering pots and utensils to start making breakfast. A few wild Pokémon showed signs of life and provided movement in the forest.

"I'll never get used to the cold," Esper shivered as she got a fire going. The pale teen did her best, but it didn't seem to match Carrie's skill.

Oh well. The fire beckoned as Esper fed small logs into it. She reasoned it was around six thirty as the sun began to rise further into the sky. The wind blew and made the fire dance to the left. She began to work on making some form of food.

A yawn broke her from h the concentration she didn't know consumed her.

"Morning Esper," Carrie said as she wrestled a hat onto her head. Her snow white hair was all bundled underneath her beanie leaving her scars out in the open for Esper to truly see for the first time.

Esper looked for half a second and spoke. "Goodmorning Carrie. I tried my best, but unfortunately I can't match you."

Carrie gave a small laugh and sat next to her. "You did just fine. Cooking is difficult, especially in the wilderness like we're in. Don't be too hard on yourself."

Esper merely smiled and poked the fire with a stick. "Wanna take a crack at it?"

Carrie shook her head. "You got this, I believe in you."

Esper managed to boil water successfully and cook vegetables and basic protein for the two. She struggled with eggs and non-sausage meat.

"It's good!" Carrie said with a smile as they ate.

Esper shook her head and took a bite. "Not as good as yours."

"Give yourself credit. It's good!"

Esper smiled as a small blush hit her face. "Well thank you."

They ate and watched the sun rise over the pine trees, casting a brilliant light on Mount Coronet. The ancient rock seemed destitute yet alive. Carrie thought how many trainers like them had sat just like this and watched the sunrise onto the mountain like they were. It was serene.

A Snover came into their camp, however, ruining their perfect morning. It began to ransack their tent in search of food.

"Hey!" Carrie set her food down and made her way over in a huff.

The Snover got angry because of the interruption. It launched a razor leaf attack at Carrie who jumped out of the way.

"Asshole! Nox, let's knock some sense into it!"

Esper rolled her eyes at the pun as the Sneasel appeared, snoring.

"Nox!" Carrie stomped her foot in frustration. Nox lifted his head and yawned. The ice beam to the face got his attention, despite not doing much damage. He jumped up and got battle ready.

"Night slash then ice punch!" Nox quickly flanked the Snover and unleashed the dark type attack then the ice punch. Snover cried out in pain and flew a few feet away. Esper watched intently by the fire pit.

"Nox, quick attack! Don't let it get away!" Nox quickly charged into the grass type, inflicting further damage. Snover got itself up and hit Nox with a surprise double edge followed up with a seed bomb.

"Oh shit! Those are egg moves! Nox quickly retreat!" Her faithful dark type returned to her side, damaged heavily from the attacks. Unfortunately, Sneasels weren't known for taking too many hits.

The Snover got to it's feet and charged with another double edge.

"Dodge quickly! Then use Night Slash!" Nox jumped diagonally away, before slashing an x shape into the back of Snover. It crashed a few feet away. Carrie found a spare Pokéball and threw it at the low health ice type.

What seemed to be an eternity passed before a click and chime emanated from the Pokéball. She had caught a new team member.

"Hell yes!" She cheered as Nox panted with a smile on his face. A job well done.

"Here, eat this berry!" She quickly fed him an oran berry which helped. "Return. You deserve a long rest." Nox was returned in a red beam of light.

Esper was impressed with what she saw. Carrie seemed to have a knack for battling.

"Well done," Esper said with a smile. She approached brimming with pride for her friend.

"Thanks Esper. Nox did the hard part." Carrie thumbed the Pokéball for Snover in her hand. "I guess I'll send it out to heal and name them."

The grass type emerged from the Pokéball, bruised and tired. Noting there was an extra white line on it's torso, Carrie deduced it was a male Snover.

"Spruce! That shall be your name!" Carrie pointed a finger to the sky triumphantly. Spruce just cocked his head. Esper sighed.

"That doesn't seem original," Esper pointed out.

Carrie huffed. "I don't care, he's my little Spruce. Aren't you, big guy?" Spruce seemed very put off by Carrie but feigned compliance. Esper could sense that the ice type already didn't like his trainer. He must've preferred living in the wild.

"Do you wanna show off your moves? You already seem to know some powerful egg moves!"

Spruce seemed to inflate at this. Now he seemed to like her. Talking about his battle prowess and strong moves? That fueled his ego even more so. Spruce nodded in delight and found a nearby tree to test.

Demonstrating the moves already known, Carrie was surprised to see Spruce already knew Wood Hammer and Blizzard as well. Just what level was this Pokémon?

"Wow Spruce! You're awesome!" Carrie's eyes shined as Spruce seemed very proud of himself. Esper almost thought he was an Empoleon for a second.

"Hey Carrie, wanna help me clean up our campsite so we can get a move on?" Esper tried to sound gentle so as to not ruin Carrie's good mood.

Carrie faltered for a second but a smile came on her face. Esper swore there was a blush as well.

"Absolutely! Return Spruce." The grass type was returned and appreciated the long rest he needed.

The two teens looked at each other, then the mountain before them. They didn't realize how close they were to the cave entrance of Mount Coronet.

"We're almost there. I can see the top of the opening," Carrie said, a slight tinge of fear in her voice.

"Are you okay?" Esper asked.

"Yeah, this just feels like I'm really doing it. Really on my own. I know nothing past this."

Esper felt sorry for Carrie. She had the joy of getting to travel before. There was no freedom compared to being with her Pokémon.

"Looks like half a mile till we're there. Let's keep moving."

Esper nodded at Carrie's words and they continued forward. Carrie led the way with Esper closely behind.

The path was straightforward. Uphill a small bit, some landings, another hill. There was a large cabin right at the entrance to Mount Coronet that was a rest area for trainers. There was a ranger station opposite of it.

Entering the ranger station first, a young woman greeted them in a green ranger outfit at a large wooden desk. "Hello! I'm ranger Anna. We have supplies for caving, hiking, rest, health, clothing: you name it we can help! We're also here to accept reports of dangerous Pokémon to help keep trainers, rangers, travelers of all kind safe as well as native Pokémon."

Carrie smiled at the bubbly woman. Rangers were very common in Sinnoh, Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn. They were slowly branching out to other regions. Very slowly as Esper didn't know what a ranger was.

"I'm sorry, but what is a Pokémon ranger?" She asked. Anna's eye twitched.

"In a nutshell: a ranger is someone who helps protect people and Pokémon from wild and dangerous Pokémon," Carrie answered, hoping to show they weren't totally clueless. Anna smiled at the answer.

"More or less that! We're here to keep out dangerous Pokémon like Rhyperior, Steelix, Weavile, other apex predators such as those!"

Esper shuddered. "You mentioned clothes?"

"Yep! We have small shops sectioned off and easily identifiable. While it isn't anything designer, it'll help with either Mount Coronet or traversing through routes 216 and 217."

"Can you show us the way, please?"

Anna nodded and guided the two teenagers to a far corner of the building. While it seemed small on the outside, it was huge on the inside with a lower level. Various rangers moved about down there as they went to go tame more dangerous species.

"Here you are! There's rangers in each area for help. Don't forget to pay!"

They both deadpanned as she walked away.

"She seems nice!" Carrie said cheerfully.

"I felt like an idiot," Esper said as she grabbed some clothes to call her own. Grabbing a coat, a lighter jacket, leggings, socks, boots, shirts and pants, she was ready to go. She even grabbed her own backpack.

"How're you gonna pay for all of that?"

"Don't you mean how are you going to pay for all of it?"

Carrie sighed and paid for her friends clothes. She had a hunch Esper would return the favor. "I got you, I promise," Esper said to her. She didn't have money currently but that would be remedied.

She made her way to the bathroom and changed into her new wintry clothes. Carrie figured she'd buy some new undershirts, boots, and other items. Better to be safe than sorry.

When Esper returned, she donned a new lavender coat, tall boots, black pants built for the winter, and a lavender beanie that kept her purple and black hair out of her face. Carrie smiled upon seeing her. Esper held the bag which now had her old clothes in it.

"You look amazing!" Carrie said. Esper blushed lightly. "It's nice having clothes to call my own. Thank you for letting me borrow yours."

"Anytime, that's what I'm here for. Come on, let's go see what other stuff they have."

They wandered through the ranger station and got pocket maps, a compass, more camp cooking utensils, a better sleeping bag for Esper to use (as well as a small spare), flashlights, and more food.

"You two seem ready to go! Anything else I can help you with?" Annie said cheerfully as they returned to the main entrance.

The two looked at each other. "Not that I can think of," Esper said.

"Well, any tips for going through Mount Coronet to Hearthome City?"

Annie nodded. "Be patient and ration. That's a long way down. It's okay to duck out and hit cities such as Oreburgh and Eterna. Celestic Town is also a good stop although much more a small stop compared to the cities."

The duo nodded, thanked her for her time and help, and left the ranger station. Hopefully they'd see another one at some point in their journey through the range that divided Sinnoh.

Carrie and Esper walked into the cabin to see a few other trainers in a lounge area playing a card game and an older man at the front desk.

"Hello! Welcome to Snowside Inn. How may I help you?"

"We would like a room, please." Esper spoke for both of them.

The clerk nodded and typed on his computer. Carrie looked around at the decor. It felt slightly dated but incredibly cozy. Mountain patterns, all wooden furniture, gingham patterns on the furniture cushions in the lobby area. She could imagine living in a place like this.

"We have one vacancy on the second floor. It's just one bed, is that okay?"

Both of them slightly blushed. "Yes that's okay," Carrie eventually answered. The clerk chuckled and began to get them registered.

"For one night, it will be four hundred pokedollars."

Carrie nodded and presented a credit card. The clerk took it for a few minutes and handed it back to her. Two keys were given to the pair. "220, second level. When you get off the elevator, go to the right and it'll be all the way to the end to the right. Enjoy your stay at the Snowside Inn!"

They both thanked him and made their way to the elevator. Carrie was excited, it had been a week since she had gotten to sleep in a bed or even take a shower. Esper seemed quiet.

There were only two floors and a quick ride up got them to their destination. Ten doors to the left and ten to the right. Going all the way down to the end got them to their room: 220. Going inside, it was gorgeous. Carved wood bed with flannel light comforters, dim lamps, wood dresser and side tables. The queen bed looked comfortable to the tired trainers. The bathroom had a very cozy feel to it as well. A toilet and shower, sink, as well as a couple framed photos of Mount Coronet and the surrounding wilderness.

"I call the shower first!" Esper quickly called out. Carrie cursed and accepted defeat. Esper slinked into the bathroom and took a hot shower. She reveled in every second of it.

Carrie took to the bed and set her bag down on the side chair. She finally felt like she had a minute to think. She missed her parents. She missed her aunt and uncle.

Rummaging through her bag, she managed to find her cell phone. She plugged it into a charger and laid on the bed, eyes closed. She realized she still had her clothes on and went to remove them. Luckily, the inn provided free robes so she grabbed one quickly. No chance she wanted Esper to see the extent of the damage on her body. Her right side was fine. Her left side was covered in scars. While her facial ones were always seen, the ones on her abdomen were the worst and thus always covered.

Her dirty clothes were put into a different chair. Carrie secretly hoped there were washing machines here for her and Esper to wash their clothes before going through Mount Coronet. They needed a little refresh.

Before long, Esper came out of the shower. Her long hair tied up in a towel with another wrapped around her torso. "All yours," she said calmly as she laid on the bed.

Carrie nodded and hastily got into the bathroom. She disrobed herself and looked in the mirror. All the way from her ankle to her forehead, scars of all sizes were present. Carrie traced some of them before reaching her face. The three inch gash that had been inflicted in her cheek was the most ghastly one of all. It was the one everyone saw.

"Damn," was all she said quietly. She didn't know what to feel. She wanted to feel beautiful and express herself freely. Something was holding her back. Why did this happen to her?

Carrie shook her head. The thoughts left as quick as they came. She looked at her hair. It was all a mess from constantly being in a beanie and not being washed.

The hot water running down washed away her anxieties. "Oh thank Arceus!" She said with a smile. It felt like the best shower she ever had.

Emerging from the bathroom wrapped in the robe again, her short, wet hair clung to her face. It ended right at her jawline. She laid down next to Esper who was snoring softly. She ultimately decided to wake her up so she wouldn't sleep in wet towels.

They both changed into some night clothes, with Esper borrowing some of Carrie's. Just some random tee shirts and gym shorts.

Both getting back into bed, they watched the snow fall outside the window. Green lights flickered around the mountain range. They saw some wild Pokémon run around enjoying the fresh snow.

"It's peaceful, isn't it?" Carrie asked softly. Esper nodded in agreement.

"This reminds me of home," Esper replied. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes.

"Will you take me there?" Carrie turned to face her.

Esper smiled. "Absolutely. You'll love it there just like you love it here."

Nothing else was said between them. Eventually Carrie turned the light off and they watched the snow fall before sleep took them.

AN: I apologize for this taking a bit to come out. I was a bit at a loss for how I wanted this chapter to go. But all in all, I'm happy with it. I hope you are as well! Until next time dear reader. Read, review, and above all: enjoy!