We walked through the snowy night. Nira stood very close as we tried seeking shelter. It felt like we were walking for hours as the night became icy cold. It was rough on me, but Nira had it worse as the cold clearly drained him. It got to the point where I had to carry him. Not really a good idea, since he weighed quite a lot, but I managed to carry him along.

I was so tired. I could barely carry Nira after twenty minutes. My legs were numb as I pushed through the snow covered ground.

Shaymin: S- so tired… So… Cold…

Shaking my head, I continued to push further. But soon, I couldn't really continue. I ended up falling due to the snow building up and it was difficult to push through it. Nira was on my back, so he ended up falling onto me as I was engulfed by the snow which had to be a foot or two by this point.

Groaning, I slowly pushed myself up. My arms shook heavily as I looked around. I looked back to Nira and he was completely out from the cold. I sighed and removed him from my back so I could stand up. Once up, I bent down to pick him up. I held him in front of me as I looked around.

Shaymin: I can't see anything. Did I… Come this way? C- crap…

Due to me falling, I completely lost track of where I was going. The snow was so thick that I couldn't see more than a feet. Being nighttime, it's even harder. I was just trapped in what felt like an endless void.

I was so weak as I walked very slowly. I walked for five minutes before reaching a wall with a roof. This somewhat excited me. We finally found shelter. So walking along the wall, I tried finding a door. There was no door however. The only thing I found was a small opening. Not wanting to freeze to death, I decided to squeeze into this opening.

So I placed Nira down next to the opening and went first. I got down and crawled into this hole. Once I was in, I reached my arms out and took Nira's legs. I then pulled him in. Once he was in, I took his bag and began searching through it. I was so glad to find that he packed a fire starting kit. I quickly took it out and flicked on a lighter to search around. Nothing to burn.

Looking out from the opening, I tried finding any sort of wood that wasn't snowed on. No luck either.

Shaymin: Crap…

I sighed and went back to Nira. I looked into the bag and spotted his tent. I took it out.

Shaymin: Guess he can get a new one…

I unfolded it and began ripping it apart. Once I had decent pieces, I placed them into a pile and sparked the lighter. It took just a second for the tent to light up. It felt amazing upon feeling the warmth. I sat there for a moment before pulling Nira near it as I started to warm up.

I still felt so tired, so I just sat up against a wall and closed my eyes. It wasn't long until I passed out.

1 Year, 313 Days Ago
4:10 PM
Mt. Overlook

Sitting on a bench, I just looked out across the land while drawing. I've been sitting here for 30 minutes before I heard footsteps behind me. When I looked behind me, I saw Suicune.

Suicune: Hmm… I knew I sensed someone on my mountain… And it appears to be you. Hadn't seen you in quite a while… What brings you here Springmin?

Shaymin: H- huh…?

Looking down, I sighed. My paws and ears were still pink due to the spring season.

Shaymin: R- right… Um… Anyways… There isn't really a reason. I just like it here.

Suicune: Is that so? Alright…

He walked up to me and stared out.

Suicune: You draw now, hmm…? Surprisingly…

Shaymin: Oh, uh… Mew told me I should try and get into it.

He chuckled and turned back.

Suicune: Hadn't seen her in a long time too. But eh…

Suicune walked up the path that leads to the summit. He looked back at me and spoke.

Suicune: Follow…

Tilting my head, I closed my notepad and got up to follow Suicune. He lead me to the top and it was a massive shrine dedicated to Suicune. A large marble statue of him in the middle surrounded with decorations. I watched as he went to the edge and looked down.

Suicune: You know… I am actually glad you finally turned up.

I looked a bit confused as he spoke.

Suicune: I have a task for you…

He collected a bag and gave me it.

Suicune: There is an area South from here. A small patch of rocky land. I need Malachite. Know it? I located some there… I need a few chunks. You better get going.

I asked why he couldn't do it himself and he explained it was deep within cracks and other impossible to reach places that Suicune cannot reach. I just sighed and agreed before heading down the mountain to do this for Suicune.

Current Day
Unknown Time
Unknown Location

Waking up, I was instantly confused to see myself in a bed. I slowly rubbed my eyes and got off the bed. I looked around, somewhat dazed to see myself in a room.

Shaymin: W- where…?

Walking to the door, I gently opened it and looked out. It was a small hallway with a staircase leading down.

Unsure what to think, I stepped out and walked to the stairs. Walking down, I entered a living room and rubbed my head. I wandered around the room before looking at a clock. I was surprised that I was only out for a few hours since it was only 2:30 AM.

Shaymin: Surprised I hadn't slept for longer…

I stepped back and heard a voice behind me.

Unknown: Ah, your awake…

I tensed and swung around to notice a Braixen. This made him chuckle.

Topaz: Don't worry, heh… I'm friendly. I am Topaz and I sorta found you and an Umbreon under a shack. Not sure why you'd want to stay there though… I was just walking home when I noticed a glowing light and well… Found you two.

Shaymin: U- uh… We got lost… And we were so tired, so I just decided to hide away there.

Topaz crossed his arms and nodded.

Topaz: First time here I guess, huh?

Shaymin: Um… What do you mean?

Topaz: This town just gets hit by random blizzards. No matter what season… Most visitors are caught off guard. Anyways… I'm just glad I found you. Very little wind resistance for sure down there. It wasn't really easy dragging both of you here, but I did… Damn though, you two were ice cold. I'm just glad you are up.

Looking to the side, I spoke quietly.

Shaymin: T- thanks…

He simply smiled and nodded.

Topaz: Your Umbreon friend is okay too. He is currently asleep in another room. Made sure to turn up the heat as well, so just relax.

Topaz walked off and sat at a table. He began working on some papers it seems as I sat on the couch and kept quiet for most of that time until I decided to check on Nira. I went upstairs and checked a few rooms before finding Nira. He just laid there as I walked in. He seemed to be awake but very dazed as I looked over him. He took a few minutes before rubbing his eyes and looking up at me.

Nira: Huh…?

Nira sat up gently and yawned.

Nira: Damn… I feel… Numb but warm… What… Happened?

Shaymin: You uh… Passed out and I found a place for us underneath a house… However, um… A Braixen found us and brought us to his house…

Nira sighed and rested his head against the pillows.

Nira: Um, sorry. You know… Getting us lost.

Nira shook his head and stretched.

Nira: I really thought my time with my previous team paid off.

I looked a bit confused. He looked at me and his ears perked up.

Nira: Right… I didn't really tell any of you.

He inhaled and spoke again.

Nira: Before joining Hexa… I was apart of another team. A team of seven… They were quite a bundle of personalities. And they were quite a fun and energetic group. I actually remember overhearing them one day when they entered a shop. They were just starting out as an adventure team who wanted to explore all sorts of places. The piece of conversation that caught my attention was that they were looking for one more member. A navigator. They were all very poor with navigation skills, and I was a master with mapping out and making routes through places. Didn't matter if it was above or below ground.

Nira rubbed his head and looked to the side.

Nira: A year passed with me being their navigator. We were quite a good team as I directed them through cave systems and mountains.

He then stopped and closed his eyes.

Nira: But… Something bad happened… I don't… Really want to think about it…

He looked at me and shook his head.

Nira: And well… I joined Hexa a month later while wandering aimlessly. Found a nice little job at Saz's bar and all. And err… Stood there ever since.

Nira got up from the bed.

Nira: It's kinda weird… But I actually really enjoy this time outside the bar. Uh… Minus the near freezing part.

Shaymin: What about the others though? I'm still worried about them…

Nira: Don't think I forgot. I'm worried too. But we can't really see out there. Is it still snowing?

He walked over to the window and pulled the curtain back. He sighed and shook his head.

Nira: Yep… Dark and still dumping snow.

Turning to face me, he spoke again.

Nira: So, err… Who is this Braixen?

Shaymin: No idea… Only heard that his name is Topaz and he just found us while walking home.

Nira: Huh. Well, I'm glad…

Nira stretched and rubbed his legs.

Shaymin: He did tend to us. Luckily no frostbite. I think at least…

Nira: Thankfully… I'm just hoping the others are doing okay too.

Nodding, he just walked around the room, somewhat limping. He continued this as I walked to the door.

Shaymin: Guess I'll walk down to the living room. I'll let you warm up.

Walking to the door, I opened it and stepped out. Closing it behind me, I walked down the stairs and looked around. Topaz was still working on his own stuff as I stepped up to him. He sat back in his chair and sighed before looking up at me.

Topaz: Hey. Is he doing fine?

Shaymin: Y- yeah. Thanks for helping us…

Topaz: Of course. You should just rest up for tonight… The snow will surely die down by the morning like always.

Shaymin: Okay.

Laying down on the couch, I stretched out and closed my eyes. I then fell asleep not long later.

11:34 AM

Nira and I prepared to leave the house. The sun was out and I was glad that the snow was already melting.

Nira: Thank Arceus that the heatwave is back. So… Are you ready to search for the others?

Shaymin: Yeah… Lets hope we find them.

Nira: Yep. Well, lets get going!

Nira opened the door and ran out as I followed. He looked around and pointed down the road.

Nira: Hmm… This way? Well… Lets just wander around. I'm sure they're searching for us too.

Shaymin: Yeah, sounds good. Lets get going.

He smiled and nodded before walking down the street. I've followed him down the road as we began searching for the others...