Chapter 1

It was beginning to get dark. The sun had set already; dark red and magenta streaks marred the sky as dusk started to approach. The darkness reflected off the layer of thick snow below, creating an ominous atmosphere as light slowly faded. The snow-capped trees seemed intimidating, their silhouettes looming above. The cold breeze had transformed into a bitter chill; icy air scraped past the trainer's face, although her pokémon was perfectly at home. In fact Glaceon loved the wintry weather.

Worriedly May scanned the surroundings, then stared at the pokénav clutched in her gloved hand. She repeated the process continuously as she walked an unknown path, utterly clueless. The pokénav's battery was dying, occasionally flashing a map with dots. But now it had become even worse after hours.

"It's glitched again!" May yelled, though it was merely a whisper against the howling wind. She hit it, a futile attempt to fix it. "Please don't be lost... again, May," she told herself dismally. It would have been smart to have bought a manual map, but May had never needed to rely on one therefore buying it in Hearthrome City never crossed her mind. Oh how she wished she did.

Mount Coronet was the most confusing mountain range she had ever encountered; there were so many routes, dead-ends, random cave openings that lead to the summit and narrow trails, that she had gotten lost too many times to count. May guessed that she'd probably even went round in circles at some point. A few danger signs were around the caves, but that was it.

After the success off winning the Hearthrome Pokémon Contest, thus swiftly earning May her fourth. She intended to enter the Alamos Town Pokémon Contest to win the final ribbon in order to qualify for the Sinnoh Grand Festival. Since it was going to be held a month later, she had decided to visit Snowpoint City. Training Glaceon was one of her priorities, and what better place to do it than in a winter wonderland. She had never won four ribbons in such a short amount of time- the Grand Festival was many months away!- so she naturally wanted to train her pokémon soon so they had a good advantage against other competitors. May was supremely confident about her fifth ribbon.

But her confidence in her navigation skills was far less. May muttered angrily under her breath as the pokénav completely switched off, having exceeded it's final moments. She bitterly stuffed the useless piece of technology in her bag, searching for something useful instead to help her navigation. Skamory and Altaria, whom she obtained in Johto, were not suited for this particular climate, and Beautifly would find it hard to fly with the tough winds starting to gain momentum. In her bag there were ball capsules, contest seals, potions and herbs, a pokéblock case, several cards, her contest case and some snack bars and a water bottle. Her orange backpack didn't contain anything of use for this problem either. May rarely camped, choosing to temporarily reside in Pokécentres trainers' dormitories instead. They were more comfortable, free, and it was fun socialising with other trainers because she travelled alone. Plus, it meant she didn't need to carry a heavy load with her all the time.

May slumped in defeat, succumbing to the fact that nothing could help her. She glanced at her only companion visible, Glaceon. The ice pokémon rubbed head against her leg, offering some sort of solace. She petted it with a soft smile.

"Guess we gotta keep walking straight and pray for a miracle," she sighed sadly, "but I'm sure we're not too far. The pokénav said Shelter Town was nearby..." or a mile away.

It was times like these she sorely missed having company alongside her. May often reminisced about her first adventures with Ash, Brock and Max with sweet nostalgia. "Maybe you should go back in your pokéball," she suggested, watching the snow starting to swirl of the ground from the cold gusts of wind. Glaceon vehemently shook her head, happily skipping across the snow. May placed the pokéball back inside the bag strapped around her waist, grinning as Glaceon pranced about.

The full moon shone brightly, illuminating the grim sky. The freezing gusts started to increase; strong blows of wind carried May's tightly-wrapped scarf away. She immediately reached out, but it was too late. She could hardly make out the light blue woolly scarf flying in the distance, but Glaceon chased after it instantly.

"Glaceon, stop!" May called out frantically, hugging herself to retain warmth. The scarf wasn't as important as finding a place to stay. Or humans. The coat was thick, but the frigid cold of the night seeped in. It started to hail; crystal spheres of ice rained down heavily. And just like that, Glaceon suddenly disappeared from sight. It was it's ability: snow cloak. Anxiousness shot through her body as helplessness seized her mind, destroying any shred of calmness she had stored. "Glaceon!?" But again, her voice was drowned by the brewing storm.

She could feel her limbs growing numb, her lungs finding it difficult to breath and unable to think logically as dizziness overcame her. She squeezed her eyes shut and shielded her body to protect herself from the icy onslaught. Her knees were weak; no longer strong enough to hold up against the relentless weather. May collapsed, finally giving in to the snowy torment.

Glaceon sprinted after the scarf; it was vital she retrieved it! Glaceon remembered the look of joy when her trainer first saw it Hearthrome City, and the glee when she wore it in front of the mirror. May loved that scarf. Glaceon wouldn't allow it to be lost. Naturally accustomed to the harsh climate, it wasn't too hard racing on the snowy terrain. Her light feet allowed graceful strides, while the frosty winds were simply a caress against her fur. Glaceon blended well with the snow and ice; it was her playground!

The scarf was caught on a tree branch. With a sharp smile Glaceon spotted it, elegantly leaping and catching it in her mouth. But her triumph was short-lived. As the scent of her trainer waft from the scarf to her nose, shock struck her. Where was May? She looked around; the snow in the distance made it impossible to discern her human friend.

Suddenly, a figure appeared beside the tree. Glaceon instantly jumped into a defensive stance, peering behind the foot of it. Much to her surprise, an Umbreon nonchalantly stepped out of the shadows. Confusion etched on Glaceon's expression, clearly expecting a larger, scarier pokémon to attack. The pokémon observed Glaceon with a careful eye, realising that the ice-pokemon was somewhat similar to himself.

To Glaceon, the Umbreon- if anything- seemed peaceful. Disciplined. Tamed. He must have a trainer! After all, what else would a random dark-type pokémon be doing here, in the snow?

My trainer is lost in the snow! Please tell me you help me? She desperately implored. Hope ignited inside Glaceon.

Umbreon quickly looked shocked, but then quietly nodded, urging her to follow him. Glaceon sprinted alongside Umbreon, not to far off. Eventually they slowed down when a wooden cabin came into view. The light were on, indicated someone was inside and awake. Glaceon followed Umbreon's actions, jumping on the ledge and entering through the open window.

"You're back early," Gary commented, "got tired of watching the moon for the hundreth time, eh?"

Umbreon constantly clawed the window at night, begging Gary to let it out. After all, Umbreon was mostly a nocturnal. It preyed at night, enjoyed whisking in the darkness that it provided, and watched the moon silently drift in the midnight sky. It was Umbreon's favourite habit, so Gary allowed it out of it's pokéball and outside the cabin. It was strong enough to fend for itself, so Gary was not afraid of it being hurt in the least. Moreover, not many ice-type pokémon stayed awake during the night, according to his studies. And ones that were preferred to be left alone. Also, Umbreon was an intelligent pokémon. It would return late, huddling on the bed beside Gary, who would already in a deep slumber, snoring quietly under a pile of cosy blankets.

The amateur researcher was hunched over his desk, a pencil in his hand as he scribbled down notes from his findings yesterday. Nothing much happened, except a few statistics that had to be compared and sent to Professor Oak- his grandfather. Nothing cool like discovering a new pokémon. Unfortunately. On the corner of his desk was a stack of books about Sinnoh mythology. One was opened, but abandoned: The Tale of Uxie. Gary current research were on ice-type pokémon and their distinct behavioural patterns, as well as ancient legends that were popular in the north of the Sinnoh region. Near his right was a mug of hot chocolate which his sipped from time to time.

Umbreon let out a troubled growl. With a strange feeling mustering in his stomach at his pokémon's weird reply, Gary diverted his attention to Umbreon. He gasped, seeing a Glaceon in the room too. He gently put his pencil down and knelt beside it with wonder. It was the first time he'd seen a wild Glaceon in this area. It was odd. Though the ice-rock wasn't too far from here, most Eevees that were evolved belonged to trainers.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, stroking it's back. It was usually soft for a undomesticated pokémon. As he observed closely, it was plainly obvious that this pokémon was well-groomed; its fur recently trimmed and conditioned. No, this Glaceon had a trainer. The fresh-snow pokémon placed the woolly scarf in his lap and cried with concern. Umbreon joined in, and soon enough the gravity of the situation settled on Gary's face. With a serious expression plastered on his face, he flung his coat off the hanger and zipped up. He wore his snow-boots and threw a hat on.

"You're saying your trainer's in danger?" he clarified, furrowing his eyebrows as he grabbed his backpack, first aid kit (it could come in handy). Glaceon verified it with a low, deflated sound. Gary opened the cabin door, the two eeveelutions behind him. The small snow-storm had subsided. This particular area had a few snow-storms in the past week, but none were especially hazardous or life-threatening. Gary silently prayed that the trainer was okay.

"Glaceon lead the way." And with the stern order, Glaceon retraced it's steps with speed, Gary and Umbreon running behind it. Judging by the depth of his footprints the snowfall was light, the layer of snow only an inch higher. This brought a sense of relief to his frazzled mind. After minutes of travelling a few feet south, a body could be seen lying unceremoniously on the freezing floor. As he arrived closer, he saw that the trainer was a girl. He kneeled down, immediately taking her ice-cold wrist in his hand. Her pulse was slow, but it indicted she was still alive nevertheless.

"She's gonna be just fine," he informed Glaceon, who cried delightfully. "It could've been really dangerous if she was left alone for longer. She needs medical assistance, but the pokécentre's too far from here. I gotta take her to the cabin." He gently picked her up, bridal-style. May stirred lightly in his arms. He looked down as she moved closer to his chest, trying to preserve as much warmth as possible. It wasn't be long until they reach the cabin now. Gary grinned, watching Glaceon and Umbreon playing around in the snow as they didn't bother waiting for him.

He'd never seen Umbreon this exuberant in a while.

This is my first ever pokémon fanfic. Brunettshipping is my guilty pleasure (also, Umbreon and Glaceon are so cute!), and I'm disappointed that there aren't many good Gary/May stories out there. So here's a little contribution to the shipping. Constructive criticism is appreciated. I hope you enjoyed reading this, and don't be afraid to send me what you think or any potential ideas! Review are my ultimate motivation, so after a few I'd be likely to update. I'm going to try and not make the characterizations accurate, and keep it more grounded.

Thank you :)