~Chapter 5~

~Up On The Mountaintop~

Breathing in the extremely cold night air, the blonde trudged up the rugged mountainside with six of her Pokémon by her side. They stayed out of their Pokéballs because they loved their master. However, because of the extreme weather and environment, she had been hesitant about letting them travel alongside her. When one of them tripped and failed to get up after several tries, she nearly forced the creature to get back in its capsule.

"Listen, Delia. I know you're really strong for your species, but honestly, these harsh conditions are bit much for you, don't you agree?" The blonde crouched down near the creature, who was shivering from the effects of the mountain air.

"Sanny, Nnnnnna. Nnnya, Nya-n-n-n-nnnnn." Doing her best to understand her Pokémon's native tongue, she spoke back to the struggling bug type.

"I know it's no good to argue with you, but you have to admit: all of the others either have a fur coat or protective armor. All you have is your skin. I know you're chilly, because I can see you shaking. I don't need you getting sick. Please return to your Pokéball, or at least ride on Dustin's back." At her words, the spoken of black dog perked his ears and went over to sit closer. He was quite obedient, and would listen to whatever his master told him to do.

"Grrrowr?" He nudged her gently with his head, and the girl rested her hand atop his skull. He was warm to the touch. With his help, Delia may be able to travel more comfortably up the mountain.

"Dusty, can you let Delia ride on your back? She doesn't have fur like you, and she's freezing up here. That is, unless you're cold as well." The dog shook his head, indicating that he was not chilly at all. It would seem disgraceful to his kind if he had been even the slightest bit cold.

"Thank you." The girl took Delia in her arms, and placed her on Dustin's backside. The creature looked up at her master thankfully, before her eyes fluttered shut and sleep overcame her. Looking around at the rest of her companions, the blonde motioned for them to continue forward. By now, she had realized it was a mistake to take a shortcut through these mountains to get back to her native region.

"Bulb... Bulbasaur..." The group had only gone several feet before another Pokémon seemed to be faltering from the effects of the weather. She collapsed, and the blonde quickly ran over to her side.

"A-Annabell... Are you going to be okay?" The girl spoke to her Pokémon with a shaky voice. She was clearly worried.

"Bulb." The creature slowly lifted her head off the snow covered terrain, and attempted to stand up. However, she quickly fell back down. She obviously didn't have the strength to carry on. If she stayed out in the weather for much longer, she probably wouldn't live on for much longer.

"This is ridiculous. I want you in your Pokéball. Now." The blonde teen pulled the creature's Pokéball off of her belt, and tried to withdraw the creature. However, she simply popped right back out of the capsule.

"Bulba, Saur. Bulbasaur, Bulbasaur." The Pokémon called out with stubbornness.

"Get in the Pokéball."

"Saur."

"Get in the Pokéball now, or I'm going to be upset with you."

"Saur." The creature shook its head at every one of her master's orders, and the blonde was beginning to get frustrated.

"Please get back in the Pokéball! I don't need you freezing up here. Can't you just act like a regular Pokémon for once?" By now, the girl had several tears streaming down her face. She was cold, tired, and frustrated. Her other Pokémon sat quietly nearby, watching the scene unfold in front of them.

"Saur... Saur!" Once again, the Pokémon refused to listen to her master's orders.

"Annabell, get back in your Pokéball, PLEASE!" Crying out in hysterics, the teen was beginning to grow desperate. Hence, she resorted to shouting.

"SAUR! Bulba SAUR!"

"P-PLEASE... Just get in, please..." The girl had calmed down, though hot tears were quickly cascading down her cheeks.

"S-Saur..." The Pokémon feebly rejected the offer yet again, before collapsing face first into the snow.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

"Did you hear that?"

"Pikapi?"

"Listen."

A Pokémon and his master were both trudging along rough mountain terrain, hoping to come across wild Pokémon that could be potential opponents. However, the human had come to abrupt stop, claiming to have heard something.

"Pi...ka?" At once, the Pokémon perked his ears, and looked at his master. Through his eyes, he indicated that he had also, in fact, heard something.

"Maybe we should see what's going on. It sounded almost human-like, and perhaps someone is in trouble. Come on." The male turned around, and started to sprint in the direction of the sound, with his Pokémon right on his heels. Flurries of snow were beginning to fall out of the sky, and the human knew he didn't have much time until he would have no choice but to return to the cave he called home.

"Pikapi... Pikachu, Pi." The rodent-like Pokémon continued to run alongside his master, almost looking distressed. By now, the calls were becoming louder. It seemed that a human and a Pokémon were communicating with each other. It was difficult to pinpoint exactly where the cries were oriented, for sound bounced around the various mountain peaks. The mouse Pokémon noticed that his master seemed to be fatigued, but didn't speak up as they both kept a brisk pace through the rugged ground.

At once, the Pokémon's master came to an abrupt halt. His yellow companion nearly smashed into his legs, but was able to stop at the last second. Holding his finger to his lips, the human signaled for the duo to listen.

"K-K-Kasumi, p-p-please get up-p-p!" The human and his Pokémon heard what sounded like a female in anguish.

"G-Get Up-p, p-please!" It was also clear that she was sobbing. Whoever it was obviously had a problem on her hands. Looking down at his Pokémon and nodding, the boy walked toward where it seemed the sobs were coming from. He rounded several small peaks, looking desperately for whatever was in such distress. Yelling out in frustration, he rounded one last mound of earth before stopping dead in his tracks.

In front of him appeared to be a girl with her arms wrapped tightly around an unconscious Pikachu. The Pokémon in her clutches had ice clumped in her fur, and looked eerily still. The girl wasn't much better, for she was somewhat underdressed for the freezing climate of the mountain. Her attire consisted of jeans, a jacket, and a hat. She also lay still, though she would occasionally whimper out that name of her Pokémon. Surrounding the trainer and her Pikachu were four other creatures. One of them, a Nidorina, immediately perked up and jumped away from her master and directly towards the intruder.

"Nido Nido!" It protectively leaped in front of her trainer.

"Hey, hey, we mean no harm. What's going on?" He looked at the poison-type innocently, and he held his arms high in the air.

"Rina, Nido. Nidorina, Nido Nido." The Nidorina gave the boy a sour look, before calling over one of the other Pokémon. It appeared to be a Rhyhorn. It was surprisingly small for its species.

"Rrrrrrrrn?" It also gazed at the newcomers with hostility.

"Look, can we please just have a look at your trainer? She looks like she's in bad shape and snow is beginning to fall." The male took a step towards the motionless girl, but both the Nidorina and Rhyhorn jumped in front of him.

"Rhy, Rrrrrrrrrn."

"Nido Nidorina." They both growled up at him, and he realized it may be harder than he thought to get the girl to safety.

"Ugh, listen! That girl is obviously in danger. I know where shelter and food is, and I can guarantee you that I won't hurt her or you." The boy spoke with kindness, though his voice was starting to waver. The two defensive Pokémon glanced at each other unsurely before allowing the boy and his Pikachu access to the spot where their master lay.

The first thing the boy observed was the Pikachu she held tightly in her arms. She had a green cloth tied around her left ear. The mouse appeared to be nearly frozen to death, and he realized action must be taken quickly.

"Okay, uh... Are you all fit to travel any further? There's a cave further up the mountain a bit, and I know I can start a fire and warm you all up. Is there anyone who can't keep going?" He glanced around at the rest of the Pokémon surrounding the girl. There was, of course, a Nidorina and a Rhyhorn, but there was also a Houndour with a sleeping Caterpie on its back. The three conscious creatures shook their heads, each indicating that they were all too capable of traveling further.

"In that case, would any of you mind if I had one of my own Pokémon carry your master? I would do it myself, but we have no time to waste." The three Pokémon looked at each other with uncertainty, but eventually the Houndour gave a low growl and a nod.

"Grrrrrowr."

"Thank you. Go, Donphan!" The male tossed a capsule onto the ground in front of him, and a massive elephant-like creature materialized in front of him. Instinctively, the Nidorina and Rhyhorn jumped right back in front of their own master, for the Donphan was much larger than either of them.

"Hey, take it easy. He's not gonna hurt her!" The frustrated male called out to reassure the two Pokémon, and his words seemed to calm them down slightly. Once again, they gradually moved out of the way.

"All right, Donphan. Can you please carry this girl on your back, all the way up to the den? I'll put her on for you..." The Armor Pokémon's trainer trailed off before approaching the still girl. He tenderly grabbed her around the midriff, and removed the Pikachu from her grasp. He set the mouse-like creature on the ground before gently laying the female on the back of his own Pokémon. Turning his attention back to her Pikachu, he grabbed her just below the arms. Immediately, he was in for a literal shock.

Though the voltage was not very strong, the Pokémon electrocuted him. He was fairly used to feeling by now, but it had startled him due to that fact that the Pikachu was in a near-death state. Shaking off the layer of soot that now coated his skin and clothes; he motioned for all of the living creatures to follow after him.

Dodging through the stalagmite-like rock formations on the terrain, the Donphan led the way. Being careful not to throw his passenger off, he kept a hasty yet smooth, steady pace. Behind him ran his master, holding the girl's Pikachu close to his body, with his own Pikachu right beside him.

"Nido!" The Poison Pin Pokémon running behind the male let out a startled cry before falling face first into a snowdrift. Quickly pulling out of the obstacle before anyone could help her, the Nidorina shook the snow off her face and grunted before carrying on.

It seemed like they would never stop running. Even the boy who knew the mountain like the back of his hand was beginning to believe that they had missed the cave. Ordering his Donphan to slow down, he stood, looking around for the place he called home. Snow was falling very heavily now, and the trainer was beginning to grow weary.

"Pikachu," he spoke to his companion in a near whisper, "where is the cave?"

"Pika, Pikapi." The electric rodent twitched his ears a couple of times before jolting off in the direction opposite of which they had been running.

"Hey, wait up!" The Pikachu's trainer motioned for all of his followers to draggle behind him. Without hesitation, they all did. With each passing moment, they were all beginning to trust this human less and less, for his promises of warmth and safety had so far gone unfulfilled.

"Rnnnnn!" At once, the girl's Rhyhorn stopped abruptly, and her Nidorina followed suit. Hearing the roar of the Spikes Pokémon made the boy turn around and look disbelievingly at the two creatures.

"Come on, guys! We're really close to the cave now, I know it. Just push a little more, and we'll be there." Unlike they had done previously, the two Pokémon stayed firmly put on the snowy ground and did not comply with the male's orders.

"Rhy, Rhy Rhy Hrrrrrrrrn." The Rhyhorn shook her head sassily, defying anything the trainer in front of her attempted to persuade her with. Beside her, the Nidorina seemed to back her up.

"Nido Nido. Nidorina."

"S-Seriously? Your trainer is freezing to death, and you're failing to do anything? I'm sure she'd be so proud of you." The male had become very irate with the two Pokémon. He didn't understand why they wouldn't listen to him; he was only trying to help their trainer. Not wanting to leave them out in the snow, he walked up to the body of their master. He fumbled with the capsules on her belt, trying to figure out which of the spheres belonged to the Pokémon sitting stubbornly in the snow. Taking two of them, he aiming them at the creatures.

At once, the Nidorina disappeared in a ray of red light. Once returned to the Pokéball, the Poison Pin Pokémon struggled to get out of the capsule, but the male kept a firm grip around it. All the while, the Rhyhorn sat snickering at the scenario.

"You think this is funny? I think you should straighten out your act. And-" the boy pulled a different capsule off of the girl's belt, "-return!" However, nothing happened again. This caused the Spikes Pokémon to roar with laughter, causing the impatient boy to try another one of the empty spheres.

"RETURN!" The Rhyhorn's chuckling ceased, and she was pulled into her Pokéball. She struggled and struggled, but her attempts to break out of the capsule were unsuccessful.

Sighing, the male continued along running, and shortly found the cavern he had been looking for. His Donphan came to a slow stop in front of the cave entrance, and the trainer followed suit. He carefully walked up to the sturdy slab of wood that stood at the entryway. He moved it out of the way, and allowed for his Pokémon to walk inside. He also stepped in, followed by the freezing girl's Houndour and Caterpie.

"Okay, Donphan, I'll take it from here. Thanks for your help." He walked over and gently removed the girl from his Pokémon's backside, and then returned the large elephant-like creature.

"All right... I need to slowly warm her up somehow. Do any of you know how to creature pure water energy?" The male looked down at the Caterpie and Houndour before realizing how stupid the question was. The conscious of the two, the Houndour, gave him a look that said 'honestly?'

"Oh, that's right. I've seen five of your trainer's Pokémon. Does she have a sixth Pokémon? If so, would it be of any help? We gotta hurry." Now the Houndour gave him a hopeless look. The final Pokémon of his trainer's team would be no help at all in the current scenario.

"I get the feeling that we might be in trouble... It uh, doesn't hurt to try though, does it?" He looked at the Houndour nervously before bending down and reaching for the girl's belt. Instantly, he felt hot fangs sinking into his arm.

"Ahhhhhhh! Ow, Ow, OW!" Houndour, what in the name of Mew do you think you're doing?" The black hound had sunken his teeth into the boy's forearm. He had even fired them up a little bit, only adding to his pain.

"Let go, please!" The boy began shaking the dog around wildly, hoping to loosen his grip.

"Grrrroooowwwww, Grrrrrowrowrow." Unclamping his jaws, the Houndour jumped away from the male trainer and landed neatly on his hind paws. He didn't seem at all happy with the boy's attempt at getting close to the Pokéballs, or the girl.

"I'm. Not. Going. To. Steal. Her. Pokémon. Or. Hurt. Her." Fuming because of what the black Pokémon had done, the male put dramatic emphasis on every word he uttered. Still, though, the Houndour seemed suspicious.

"Do you not get near other people very often?"

"Growwwwwwwr."

"Ah. I see." The boy pretended to understand, seeing that it may make the dark-type more comfortable around him. At first the Pokémon gave him an incredulous glance, before heaving a large sigh. He moved out of the way, allowing the male access to his master. Once by her side, he took all six of the Pokéballs off of her belt and lobbed them onto the floor of the cave.

Of course, the Nidorina and Rhyhorn appeared. The second they were released, however, they ran straight over to the boy and slammed him to the ground.

"Rhhhhhhy, Hrrrrrrn!"

"Nidorina, Nido, Nido Nidorina Rina!"

They both bellowed their names, and it seemed to be in a jeering and insulting fashion. With exertion, the male did manage to get onto his feet.

"Y-yeah. I do suppose I d-deserved that. But hey! We're here in shelter, just like I promis-" He stopped abruptly when he saw a motionless figure on the ground.

It was a Bulbasaur.

"I... Was this the sixth Pokémon? Is it all right?" He rushed over to aid the creature, but then remembered why he had tried to call it out in the first place. Realizing none of the girl's Pokémon would be of any assistance in generating 'pure water energy,' he decided to take matters into his own hands.

"Ugh... I guess I'm going to have to trust that you can do this for me. Go, Buizel!" Upon being summoned, the water weasel stood confidently in front of his trainer.

"All right, Buizel. I know that you haven't been able to master the ability to use pure water energy like Squirtle and Totodile, but I need you to try really, really hard because this girl needs your help." He pointed at the unconscious girl on the ground.

"Bui!" The water weasel gave an affirmative nod and shook his head. Immediately, he emitted a slow stream of what appeared to be water onto the female on the floor.

"No, no, Buizel. Fill the recess at the back of the cave with water. I'll bring her over to you."

"Zel..." The Pokémon did as told, but looked mildly confused. His trainer dragged the body of the girl over, and waited for the Buizel to finish the job. However, the results of the Pokémon's efforts were futile.

Shortly after the little orange weasel had filled the area with water, it slowly seemed to disappear into thin air.

"Awww, c'mon Buizel! We can't have non-pure energy now. I need you to really focus." His trainer egging him on, the Pokémon attempted once again to fill the recess in the floor. However, his efforts were of no avail.

"Bui, bui, bui..." By now, the weasel was growing frustrated, and it was clear. He knew that someone's life depended on him, and he was doing a terrible job.

I bet Squirtle and Totodile could do it, he thought pitifully to himself. Nevertheless, he tried one last time.

"Bui... zel!" He let out a massive stream of water, and this time it stayed in the hole without fading away. For a moment the Pokémon stood with his mouth agape, as did his trainer. Then, the two slowly faced each other before giving one another a high five.

"You finally did it!" His trainer exclaimed in joy. "Dawn would be proud."

These words made the water weasel Pokémon gleeful, but sorrowful as well. He missed the spoken of blunette dreadfully. For a moment, the two remained silent before they remembered the problem at hand.

The male turned around, and lifted the girl up by her wrists before gently setting her in the pool of water. He stood back up and recalled his Buizel, before sending out the Pokémon that would be crucial for the rest of the warming procedure.

"Go, Charizard!"

The massive dragon-like Pokémon materialized with a roar, and let out a small stream of fire, which alarmed his trainer.

"Charizard, we're kinda indoors if you haven't noticed!" The fire-type gave a snort and a shrug, before awaiting his master's command.

"All right. Now Charizard, we kinda have a problem at hand. See that girl?" he pointed over to the water-filled crevice where she floated peacefully, "I found her in the mountains today. She was nearly frozen to death, as was her Pika-" He stopped abruptly, suddenly remembering the Pokémon the girl had been clutching in her arms. Alarmed, he looked around desperately for it.

What he found was not exactly what he wanted to see.

"Nido nido! Rina, Nido!"

"Rhy, Rhy Hrnnnn..."

"Pi.. Pika, Pika Chu!"

In the far corner of the cave, he noticed his own Pikachu trying to warm up the unconscious one that belonged to the girl. However, the Nidorina and Rhyhorn didn't seem to approve of his actions.

"Ack! Pikachu, move, Nidorina, Rhyhorn, move... I need to warm her up along with that girl..." He sprinted over to where the four Pokémon were, and went to pick up the nearly-frozen Pikachu. The Rhyhorn and Nidorina both growled at him, but didn't so much move a muscle. The male quickly made his way back to the pool of water, and gently slipped the Pikachu into the water along with her master.

"Now that that's taken care of," he paused to catch his breath, "Charizard, I need you to slowly heat the water up. Slowly." The trainer was sure to add emphasis on the fact that the water needed to be heated gradually; he knew how careless his fire dragon could be.

The trainer sat on the floor of the cavern and waited for around a half hour. He made sure to frequently check that his Charizard wasn't making the water too hot, and that the girl and Pikachu within it weren't overheating. When he felt like the two bodies had gotten to a reasonably warm temperature, he slid them out of the water and wrapped them in blankets made of warm Tauros fur. Afterwards, he carried them both over to the ventilated fire pit at the other end of the cave, and set them beside it before ordering his Charizard to use 'pure fire energy' on a pile of logs that were in the middle of the pit. It smoldered for a while, but eventually became a large bonfire with flames leaping high into the air.

He waited patiently for several hours, alongside his own Pikachu, and the girl's Nidorina, Rhyhorn, Houndour, and sleeping Caterpie. As he looked around at the Pokémon, he suddenly felt a sense of dread.

"Wait... W-where's that Bulbasaur that was here earlier?" Instantly, all of the Pokémon whipped around to face each other before looking towards the entryway of the cavern.

"Arrrrooo!" The Houndour yelped and leaped over to the place where the Bulbasaur lay. She was breathing, and almost appeared to be sleeping. She didn't seem to be in as severe condition as the blonde or her Pikachu. The black fire-type howled to the male trainer by the fire, and he came over to inspect the Seed Pokémon.

"Hmmm... She appears to be resting. I don't think she has any problems, so I'll just set her over by the fire until she comes to." He picked the little grass type up and carried her over to the fire with the rest of her companions.

He sat by the flames for maybe an hour more, before finally beginning to feel fatigued. Looking around at the other Pokémon around the fire, he realized that most of them were already asleep. The Houndour had curled up in a fetal position with the Caterpie by his side, and the Rhyhorn had fallen asleep, as well. His own Charizard and Pikachu still lay beside him awake, as did the Nidorina. His eye lids were beginning to close when suddenly, the Pikachu with the green ear-tie began to stir.

"Pi...Ka?" She opened her eyes and looked around at her surroundings. Immediately, she let loose several thundershocks upon seeing the unfamiliar environment. This caused the male overlooking her to grow slightly annoyed.

"Why do you do that? You were in a near-death state earlier and you shocked me then, too! You might wanna look into controlling your electricity." He admonished the yellow mouse, and she gave him a disgusted look before noticing her motionless trainer that lay beside him.

"Pikapi? P-Pika, Pikachu Pika Pi?" She immediately ran to her master's side, and tried to snuggle into her arms. Small tears were beginning to form in her little blue eyes as she turned to the only other human in the cavern. She gave him a malicious look.

"Chu! PikaPi, Chaa, Pikachu!" She seemed to be threatening him. The tears that had welled in her eyes were beginning to slowly flow down her cheek fur, and only caused the charge in her cheek pouches to crackle.

"Whoa, whoa, I didn't do anything to her. I found her half-frozen on the top of the mountain, and she probably would've died if I hadn't showed up." He held his hands up in a nonthreatening position, and his own Pikachu seemed to back him up. Looking over the two, the female Pikachu still held her aggressive disposition. However, she glanced over at the still-vigorous Nidorina for possible answers. The Poison Pin Pokémon gave her a subtle nod, as if to say that the two strangers were in fact, telling the truth. Allowing a few more tears to dribble down her face, the Pikachu gave the male and his own Pikachu an unsure look before crawling back over to her trainer. She buried her head in her master's arms, and sobbed herself to sleep.

The boy looked down at his Pikachu with a nervous expression, before seating himself back on the ground. He decided to return his Charizard to his Pokéball; the massive dragon would only add to the insecure feelings of the little female Pikachu.

By now, the male was incredibly tired. He tried his best to keep from dozing off, but even the surges his yellow rodent would occasionally send through him eventually weren't enough to keep his away from sleep.

He was in a comfortable slumber when a scream jolted him awake.

"Wha-What? Was gon' on? P-Pikachu thunderbolt er somethin'..." The male jerked his head up abruptly, but he wasn't fully functional yet. His Pokémon did not send out any sparks, seeing how out of it his trainer was.

"Wait a minute, aren't y-" The girl who had been unconscious for the past few hours spoke for the first time, but stopped herself immediately.

"Am I wha...?" The drowsy boy still wasn't completely awake, but was slowly beginning to regain the memories of the situation he was in.

"Never mind that. Where am I? Who are you? Why are my Pokémon all sitting around this fire?" She rattled off questions hastily, which the male answered easily.

"You're on Mt. Silver, in a cave, I'm Ash, and your Pokémon refused to leave your side." He gave the responses casually, but when he mentioned his name, he thought that the girl was about to go berserk.

"Whoa-ho-ho, you mean that you're the Ash that-" She stopped herself again. Ash noted that she seemed almost scared to continue. Brushing off the odd behavior, he decided to remain silent. They both sat quietly for a few minutes, before the girl spoke up again.

"Well. You haven't really said much. What happened, and why am I in this uh, well-furnished cave?" She glanced around at her surroundings, and noticed they almost looked the interior of a small house.

"Uh, see, I was up searching for Pokémon to battle against, when I heard someone screaming from further down the mountain. I came across you, and all of your Pokémon. Your Pikachu was nearly frozen to death, as were you. I brought you all back to my cave, and here we are now." He gave a half smile and shrug, as if the whole incident was really not that big of a deal. However, the girl's eyes widened and she reached down and picked her Pikachu up.

"We nearly died? See, Kasumi, this is why you should have gotten in the Pokéball." She stared down at the Pikachu in her arms, and the rodent looked up at her with a sheepish expression.

"Yeah. I had my Donphan carry you back, and then I had my Buizel and Charizard help with heating you slowly." He shrugged.

"Well, I'm grateful for your efforts. By the way, I'm Sandy." She gave him a polite nod, before looking around at the rest of her Pokémon.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sandy. May I ask, though, why you were climbing over Mt. Silver in the middle of the winter?" Ash gave her an inquisitive stare, and she looked over at her Houndour.

"Well, I started traveling around Kanto several months ago, obtaining and training Pokémon. I decided to head over to Johto for a bit of extra experience, and I caught some Pokémon along the way." She gazed proudly at her Houndour, who was still snoozing happily by the bonfire.

"That's great. Any specific reason you're going to such lengths to make your Pokémon stronger?"

"Yes. I'm actually going to compete in the Indigo League for the first time this September, and I want to be prepared. But, I could ask you the same thing. Why in the world are you on the top of Mt. Silver? It's dangerous up here, and I heard only some of the best trainers in the world have the nerve to stay up here and train." Sandy gave the boy an odd look, before he responded.

"Well... I actually travelled to the Unovan Islands around the beginning of May, but left for this mountain at the end of June for special training. I didn't feel like I was really progressing that much as a trainer anymore, so I actually-" he paused for several seconds before continuing, as if not sure if he should continue or not, "came here so that I could grind a little it and get my Pokémon in tip-top shape for the Indigo League Conference this September." At this, Sandy let out an audible gasp.

"But... the competition isn't that far away, and you need eight badges to qualify. Shouldn't you get started?" Although the girl already knew that he had the eight badges needed, she had to act like she didn't.

"Huh, now that you mention it, it is-" he looked over at several scratch marks on the right side of the cave, "about time that I get down off of this mountain. It's kind of grown on me, though. My Pokémon and I have had some interesting adventures up here." He smiled at his Pikachu, who grinned back at him.

"What do you think, buddy? Should we leave this big, bad mountain and go back home, where we belong?" The yellow mouse perked up, and cried out rather jovially.

"PikaPi!" He nuzzled his master's hand with his head, and the boy returned the affection.

"I see, I see. It'll be nice to get out of this harsh weather, huh?" He chuckled, and sat contently with his electric rodent for several seconds before speaking up.

"Say, I don't know when you plan on leaving, but would you mind if I had a battle with you? You have to be a pretty good trainer to survive up here this long. You're the first person I've seen since I've been here."

"R-Really?"

"Yeah, sure, it'll be fun to challenge a person instead of wild Pokémon for a change." He laughed.

"Hm. In that case, you're going down!" She pulled out a capsule from her belt, before Ash halted her.

"Whoa, we're kinda in my home if you hadn't noticed. And," he waved his hand at Sandy's six Pokémon sleeping by the fire, "all of your Pokémon are out of their Pokéballs. I'm not sure how much good that Pokéball you're holding will do you." Looking at her already released Pokémon, Sandy hastily put her Pokémon. She felt her face heat up with embarrassment, and Ash chuckled at her.

"W-Well, let's just go outside, then! I'll return my Pokémon and then my Pokéballs will be useful!" Sandy began to walk towards the entryway of the cavern, before Ash stopped her.

"I don't think that's a good idea. I'm pretty sure that it's around 3 A.M. right now, and I have a feeling that there's still a blizzard raging outside. We should get some rest and do it tomorrow." He yawned, and then motioned to what appeared to be a bed. "You can sleep up there. I normally sleep there, but I think I should offer my visitor some hospitality."

"How kind of you. Where will you sleep, though?" She looked around the cave for any other area suitable for resting, and did see what appeared to be several Tauros fur blankets on the floor a few feet away from the fire.

"I have some extra Tauros hides I can use. I'll just sleep by the fire. If you get cold, I can always get you another blanket." He dragged a few of the blankets over to the fire, and wrapped himself in them.

"Goodnight." He closed his eyes, and appeared to be asleep after only a few seconds. It was no wonder, considering that he had been watching over Sandy for several hours.

"Night." She crawled up into the bed-like structure, and found that sleep easily overcame her. After a few minutes, she was also snoozing away like the raven-haired trainer next to the fire.

"All right, so we'll have a three-on-three battle. Is that okay? I'll let you use your Pokédex to swap in your strongest Pokémon." Morning had come quickly over Mt. Silver, and Ash and Sandy had already found themselves outside in the fresh snow, preparing for their Pokémon battle.

"Uh, sure. If you could give me a minute, I'll go swap 'em out. Can I have a moment in your cave?" Catching the hint that the blonde wanted a bit of privacy with her Pokémon, he allowed her access to the cavern. Once inside, she closed the door and took all six capsules off her belt. She tossed them on the middle of the floor, and each of her companions materialized in front of her.

"Hey, guys. I'm not sure if you heard or not, but I'm going to have a battle with Ash." She looked around to make sure all of the creatures were paying attention, and then leaned down close to them.

"You know, he's a fairly tough trainer. To my knowledge, he's normally pretty incompetent, but his little stay up here might have helped him with his abilities." She was sure to whisper these words, because she technically wasn't supposed to know any of the information she was disclosing.

"So, I need to swap out three of you. Believe me, I know that you're all really strong, but I need some of my most experienced Pokémon out there for me." She offered them all a warm smile, before continuing.

"Well, I was planning on using Eleanor, Camille, and Chrissie. I understand that two of them are evolved, but believe me; I'm not trying to be biased. I just think that they may be able to give this guy a run for his money." Every Pokémon except for the Nidorina cringed when she stated who she would be using. Though they had nothing against the Pokémon themselves, they noted that they were all of course, evolved, with the exception of one.

"Good. Who is willing to switch out for the time being?" All of the creatures glanced at each other, before three of them stepped forward.

"Rhyhrrrrrrrnnnnn..."

"Nido."

"Growr."

The Houndour, Rhyhorn, and Nidorina all volunteered to leave. They were often annoyed that they were usually the ones to leave, and not the Caterpie, Bulbasaur, and Pikachu. They often felt like their trainer enjoyed their presence more than any of her other Pokémon.

"Thanks. Dusty, Lavera, Harlynn... return." She held up their respective Pokéballs, and they were contained within them. The blonde then held up her Pokédex and pressed a few buttons, which caused the three capsules to vanish, before three different ones took their place. She murmured a few words to the spheres, before getting up and heading back out into the crisp, cool mountain air.

"I guess I'm ready." Sandy approached the end of the clearing furthest from Ash, where she took a confident stance.

"Okay. I'll choose first. Go, Tauros!" A massive bull appeared in front of the raven-haired trainer.

"Hmmm, interesting choice. In that case, go, Chrissie!" Upon being summoned, a ghost-like creature materialized in front of Sandy. She floated up next to her trainer, and licked her cheek mischievously.

"Ack, Chris, stop it! I called you out to battle, not play!" Though the Pokémon was being slightly obnoxious, Sandy couldn't help but laugh.

"Haunta, Haunt..." The ghost faked sadness, and floated next to where the Tauros was poised.

"All right. I'll start us off! Tauros, Wild Charge!" The raven-haired trainer's bull took off running, nearly colliding with the Haunter. However, at the last second, she floated away from him.

"No... Tauros, spin around and try to get her!" Once again, the large brown Pokémon took off after the ghost-like creature. However, it seemed that Sandy had a counterattack ready.

"Chrissie, Psychic." The rampaging bull came to an abrupt halt, and was lifted into the air. He tried to free himself, but seemed unable to do so. The Haunter continued to lift him higher and higher, until finally, she stopped using the attack, thus causing the Tauros to plummet back towards the ground.

"Tauros, brace yourself!" The raven-haired trainer cried out to his Pokémon, but he was just a bit too late. The bull crashed into the ground, causing flurries of snow to uprise.

"Are you okay?" He called out to the bull, just as he was getting to his feet.

"Mrooooo!" He bellowed, signifying that he was still conscious and willing to battle. Ash was about to order another attack, when Sandy took advantage of his momentary pause.

"Chris, use Hypnosis." Immediately, the Haunter sent supersonic waves at the Tauros, and he fell asleep at once.

"Get up, Tauros!" The male trainer screeched at his Pokémon, though his efforts were futile.

"All right Chris, Dream Eater." Obeying her master's commands, the Haunter held out both of her hands, and emitted a red aura that engulfed both of the battling Pokémon. The Tauros began to toss and turn as though in pain, all while staying asleep. Eventually, though, the bull lay still. He had been rendered unconscious.

"So I see I've underestimated you. Tauros, return." Ash recalled his large brown bull before pulling a second capsule from his belt. "I know I haven't had you for very long, nor have used you very much. Go, Snivy."

The snake-like grass Pokémon appeared in front of her trainer, and gave a sassy jig before engaging in a battle stance.

"Use razor leaf, now!" The small grass type summoned several large leaves, and hurtled them at the ghost across the make-shift battlefield. They hit the target head-on, and the ghost plummeted towards the snowy terrain. Upon impact, the Haunter entered a state of unconsciousness.

Interesting. To my knowledge, he hasn't had that little Snivy of his for a very long time, and she's already knocked out Chrissie. Sandy looked thoughtfully at the little snake on the other end of the clearing. Not wanting to use the creature she was certain would have the best type advantage, she sent out her other Pokémon.

"Go, Eleanor!" At her words, a large, muscular turtle-like Pokémon appeared before her. It was a Blastoise.

"Hmmm, let's not waste any time. Leaf Tornado, Snivy!" The green Pokémon stood with her tail in the air, whipping a large windstorm imbued with light green energy formations. She aimed it directly at Sandy's Blastoise, and caught the Pokémon in the vortex.

"El, get out of there, now! Rapid Spin against the direction of the wind current!" Heeding her master's command, the shellfish pulled her limbs into her shell before commencing in a quick spinning motion. Though the energy within the tornado had begun to transform into leaves, the Blastoise was able to escape the attack in the nick of time. However, she seemed a bit drained from the effort. Nevertheless, she followed her master's next command.

"While she's focused on that, use Hydro Pump, and hurry!" The blue turtle quickly gathered water-like energy, and dispelled it over the Snivy. At once, the snake was thrown back against the cold, snowy ground.

"Snivy, can you get up?" The raven-haired trainer called out to his Pokémon with concern in his voice, and after much effort, the snake was able to get to her feet. "Great! Can ya muster enough strength to use a vine whip?"

Nodding, Snivy shot a vine out from under her yellow collar. It quickly wrapped around the large blue shellfish, who was not quick enough to evade the attack. She tried to pull the Blastoise closer, but quickly regretted her decision, as did her master.

Eleanor, the Blastoise, had grasped the vine and was now pulling Snivy towards her.

"Snivy, get out of-" Ash had begun to tell his Pokémon to retreat, but a new strategy was formulating in his mind. After waiting until the Grass Snake Pokémon was nearly in grabbing reach, he called back out to her. "Use razor leaf, now!"

Now it was Sandy's turn to panic. She had speculated something like this would happen, and had actually prepared a counter-strategy. "Ellie, water pul-"

Her command, however, came a bit too late, and her Blastoise was subject to the grass-type attack. It hit her square in the face, and she instantly fell to the ground. On a regular basis, the large shellfish would've been able to continue the battle, but the added effects of the extreme environment were taking a toll on her, as well as the Snivy's prior attack. So, she continued to lay motionless on the ground, thus causing her trainer to recall her.

"Awww, it's 'aight, Ellie. You did a good job." Sandy replaced the shellfish's capsule onto its place on her belt, before taking out the last Pokémon she would be using.

"Go, Camille!" She tossed her final Pokéball out onto the battlefield, and a rather small serpentine creature appeared. The sight of it made her opponent visibly cringe.

"This may be a bit tough for you, but I know you can handle this! Try wrappin' this one up in vine whip, Snivy!" He knew this strategy probably wouldn't fail this time, since his adversary's Pokémon didn't have arms to reel his Snivy in by her vine. The blue serpent attempted to pull away from the little snake, but here efforts were futile.

"Tini..." She called out, looking back at her trainer hopelessly. She was new at battling, and didn't feel like this was how a battle should go. However, her master looked at her steadily, as if telling her to wait. At the last second, she belted out an order.

"Cami, use Thunder Wave, now!" Obeying Sandy's orders, the Dragon Pokémon sent sparks flying from the small point on her forehead. The electricity directly hit the opposing Pokémon, causing the snake to loosen her grip.

"Hurry, Dragon Tail!" The little serpentine-like Pokémon began to make her tail glow blue by generating dragon energy, and then dispelled it on the Snivy by hitting her dead-smack in the stomach. The strong attack knocked the Grass Snake Pokémon out almost instantly. The raven-haired trainer recalled his Pokémon, before grasping the Pokéball of his final Pokémon.

"Go, Glalie!" Ash sent out his Face Pokémon with confidence evident in his voice. He also decided to take the first move of the battle before his adversary could react. "Use Ice Beam!"

The attack almost seemed unfair, as it came incredibly fast and directly at Sandy's Dratini, who had still been recovering from her last attack. It sent the serpent flying backwards, where she landed with a 'thud.'

"Camille! Are you okay?" Sandy called out to her final Pokémon, and she slowly raised her head up off the ground. She was nearly to her full height, when she collapsed back to the ground, unable to battle. The blonde recalled her and muttered a few words to the capsule, before walking over to meet with Ash.

"You're really good. It's amazing how you were able to utilize a basic Pokémon like you did. Not many people can do that." Sandy looked at him sincerely.

"Well, thanks. Mt. Silver can help a guy. Nevertheless, you did well, too. I'm not sure how long you've been a trainer, but I can bet that you'll go far in the Indigo League this year." Ash looked down at Sandy, before abruptly changing the subject. "Y'know, that was really fun. But, what'dya say about getting off of this mountain before another blizzard hits? I have most of my things packed, but I still need to take care of something before I leave."

Sandy nodded her head, agreeing. She walked over the cave where she had sheltered in overnight and entered it. She found her bag next to the fire pit, and emptied it to make sure all of her belongings were still there. She was unsure of when she'd ever be back on the mountain. Upon seeing that everything was in check, she went over to where Ash was standing and waited for him to finish collecting his chattel. He turned to face her, signifying that he was almost ready to leave. They both walked towards the door, where he turned and took one last look at the cavern that had acted as his home for the past few months. He heaved a deep sigh, before taking a capsule off of his belt and rolling it around in his palms. He tenderly dropped it onto the floor, and the Pokémon that it contained materialized.

"I promise I will one day return." He looked at the Pokémon in front of him, and his eyes began to grow a bit glossy. "I know that I have twenty-nine more of your kind, but you have always been the most faithful. Please take care of the cave while I'm away, and please don't get hunted down by any of the other mountain dwellers."

Ash tried to keep a strong facade up while talking to the Pokémon, but it was rapidly beginning to falter as he continued to speak.

"Y'know, you're one of the Pokémon that has been with me the longest. You've helped me in a lot of tight spots, and I'm thankful for that. As... As I spent time up here on this mountain, I began to think a lot about my life, and how I've broken so many promises. But please, trust me when I say I'll be back." The raven-haired trainer had a tear threatening to fall out of one of his eyes, and Sandy turned away.

"I'm gonna miss you lots, buddy. I'll get back to you as soon as I can." Ash reached out and placed a hand on his Pokémon's head. "Goodbye, Tauros."

And with that, he turned and pushed through the doorway. Sandy followed him, and silently trailed him for a few hundred yards, before he finally spoke up.

"I'm sorry for getting so emotional back there. It's just that I've been thinking a lot lately, and I feel like I've betrayed so many of my friends, human and non-human." Sandy looked at him with a sympathetic look, while remaining quiet.

"I left my native home here years ago, and left so many memories behind with it. As I matured and grew older, I began to realize how I had never really stopped and cherished some of the memories from my early years." He continued talking, and the blonde could tell that he was about to start venting his feelings out to her.

"When I started traveling Unova, I started to rethink some of the things I've done in life. There were so many opportunities I missed, and I could have done things so much more differently. I'm not saying that I regret anything I've done, as I have met some of the best Pokémon a trainer could as for, and also some irreplaceable friends. I just never really slowed down and enjoyed them. I promised one of my friends that I'd see her again frequently. Instead, I saw her maybe twice since I left her. I continued to contact her, but as I progressed in my journey, I almost seemed to get too caught up in everything. I really miss our chats, and I can't help but feel as though she'll never forgive me. I have other friends, but there's something about her that... I don't know. I'm unsure as to how to explain it, but then again, there are various things I don't understand, mainly concerning her. The reason, I'll never know why, but whatever." The boy seemed to have ended his little vent, and now walked silently. He actually didn't talk much at all while traveling down the rest of the mountain, but eventually seemed to have grown tired.

"Y'know what, I'm hungry. Let's stop here and eat." He went to his bag to pull out some food, before slowly looking up at Sandy with a disturbed expression.

"Did... You... Bring... The... Food?" He said the words slowly through gritted teeth. He didn't seem angry, but rather panicky.

"No, I didn't..." Sandy drawled the words, and at once, Ash went into hysterics.

"We're gonna STARVE!" He ran around the area and began looking under rocks and digging through snow, hoping to find some food. Sandy sat quietly, laughing at the comical sight unfolding in front of her.

"Ash, chill. I don't know how long it will take us to get to the bottom of the summit, but I do know that we won't starve. Just... stop being silly and keep leading us down the hill."

"BUT THERE'S NO FOOD!" He had come very close to her face, and had shouted the words right into her ear. She cringed, and then thumped him on the shoulder.

"Would you stop acting so childish? You're what? Sixteen? I'm no expert here, but perhaps you should save your energy so you can walk to the base of the mountain without dying." He looked at her with a scowl on his face, but picked up his bag and decided that she was actually right.

"I find it intriguing how you can go from such a serious, solemn person to one that overreacts upon discovering that there is no food. Let's go." The blonde pointed to the downward part of the mountain, and Ash started walking, though looked quite unhappy while doing so. They walked maybe a hundred feet, before he began to complain.

"I'm hungry."

"Then eat some rocks or something. Snow would be all right, too."

"But that's not very nourishing."

"Whatever." Sandy rolled her eyes at him. Normally, she was rather immature herself, but not quite like he was. He was just starting to moan about how his feet were tired, when the blonde whipped out her Pokédex.

"You know what? Why don't you just get out your silly little Pokédex and switch in one of your Pokémon capable of flying? Isn't that a splendid idea?" The sarcasm in her voice was obvious, but he chuckled in response.

"That's a great idea, I already have a Pokémon all too capable of that already here!" He whipped out one of his capsules and tossed in proudly onto the snowy ground. Out of the sphere came a large, orange dragon-like creature. Sandy felt her eye twitch upon seeing the Pokémon, but wordlessly pressed a few buttons on her Pokédex before receiving a new capsule that contained a Pokémon that she could use for flying.

"G-Go, Ezreal..." She dropped the sphere onto the ground, and a Skarmory screeched out cockily once he materialized.

"Ezreal? Isn't that normally pronounced 'Ez-Ree-Ahl?" Ash looked at Sandy curiously, before she sighed and explained the pronunciation of her Pokémon's name.

"Yea, but I just thought it would be nice to call him something different. Now, come on, EzREA; let's fly down the mountain a bit. She mounted the steel bird, and Ash followed suit on his Charizard. They both tenderly kicked their Pokémons' sides, and they both began to take flight down the mountain.

"Hey Sandy..." The silence that had come over the two trainers didn't last long as Ash barraged his new comrade with new, pointless questions.

This is going to be a long ride, she inwardly though to herself as they both made their way down the summit, all which feeling gentle flurries of snow lick at their faces.

Author's Notes: But... But Pokéstar... I thought you said you'd either update on Friday or early Saturday? You lied?

Well guys, I finally got this one done. It was actually kinda fun to write, and I really don't have a whole lot to say about it, other than I'm sorry that it's a bit late. However, I do have miscellaneous subjects I wish to address down here.

It has come to my attention that some of you have stayed around and reviewed my story... This really means a lot to me. The most prominent supporters that have reviewed for me have been Wafer, Ready to fly, Jemzyboz, and Arthur Dewalt. I really wish that Ready and Wafer had accounts, because I've really wanted to thank them for their continued support! As for Jemzy and Arthur... I really wish you guys could check out their stories. I know Jemzy is writing an amazing PokéShipping fic right now, and I also heard somewhere that Arthur might be releasing something soon... Anyways, I'm just pointing how thankful I am to all of you. I'm also pleased at how many followers I have, and I appreciate your support, too!

Oh! I almost forgot. In my last chapter, I quoted one of my friends in my story... it was 'Cfghjlljgdstuhvf.' I would re-edit my last chapter and put this in there, but I'm not sure how to do that. Either way, I vowed to my bud that I would use her quote and credit her for it so smh...

Anyways... See ya'll sometime within the next three weeks... Oh, and don't forget to Review, Favorite, and Follow if you like my work!

Word Count: 8,936 Words