Clapping my hands briskly against my arms, I tried to warm myself up a bit by jogging in place. Neptune had decided to send me and a small group of grunts on a two-day pokemon hunt out near Lake Acuity. Being in this area brought back lots of memories of when I journeyed through Sinnoh back when I was young. Unfortunately, they were being tainted by the detestable job I was doing now.

In order to get the "ingredients" Neptune needed to make more Tigrice, we were now going through the forest catching Sneasels, Snorunts, Snovers, and even the occasional Smoochum. If we ever encountered a fully evolved pokemon, all of the grunts in my group looked to me and I had to force myself to battle and catch it. We had already been in the area for a full day, and I was appalled at how many pokemon I had caught. Last night I slipped into the storage area where we kept the bags and released two of the fully evolved pokemon at random. Pikachu had done his best to explain to them what was going on and to tell their friends to hide... but most ice pokemon were solitary creatures. I wondered if it had done any good since I had already stumbled on two Glalie and a Weavile that Pikachu had defeated without much trouble.

The first day we had stayed mainly around Lake Acuity, but today we ventured further into the forest closer to Snowpoint since the grunts with me were having a hard time keeping up with the pokemon left around Lake Acuity. I was disgusted when one of the grunts found a nest of pokemon eggs. Their prideful boasting at how great they were at "hunting" made me sick, and I ended up sending all of them back to the jet carrying as many eggs as they could while I kept searching for pokemon on my own.

With a long exhale, I watched as my breath crystallized into a cloud of fog in front of my face in the cold air. I hadn't spent too much time in snowy climates, but I had always kind of liked it. The brisk air that made your teeth hurt if you sucked in a breath too quickly made me feel alive and like I hadn't even tapped the surface of what my body could withstand. I was pulled from my thoughts when I realized that the bright sunshine from a minute ago had become obscured by dark clouds and I couldn't help but frown at this development.

"What do you think, buddy?" I asked, looking up towards the sky.

Pikachu's ears pressed against his head with a worried look and I could relate. Weather in the mountains could be volatile, and I had no doubt those clouds meant trouble. Slipping my hand into my pocket though, my frown deepened when I felt the oddly smooth edge of the ghost evolution stones that I had put there before leaving Mount Coronet.

"We better hurry," I said decisively, beginning to jog through the snow in the direction where Snowpoint City was located.

Director Falon had sent an agent to Snowpoint to pick up the evolution stones I snatched and I had been waiting all day for a moment to leave the group so I could deliver them. The storm clouds were making me uneasy though, and I hoped that I would be able to make it there and back to the jet before the storm hit. I didn't want to have to explain to the grunts I was with why I disappeared.

I had just stopped to check the map on the device Neptune gave me when the snow began to fall. Cursing my rotten luck, I picked up my pace from a jog to a run. Pikachu slipped down to huddle inside of my jacket to keep warm and I held him close to me with one arm as I ran through the slick snow.

"Help!"

My even pace came to a screeching halt when I heard a female voice floating on the wind.

"Did you hear that buddy?" I asked Pikachu, who was shivering slightly inside my coat. He peeked his head out and moved his pointy ears around to try and pinpoint what I heard.

"Anyone, please! Please help!"

"Pika!" Pikachu pointed to the left, even though with the snow and wind I would never have been able to pinpoint where it was coming from. I trusted his ears though and pushed through the snow, both on the ground and floating around me, in the direction Pikachu was pointing.

Following his ears, Pikachu directed me through the forest and I shook my head inwardly at myself. I knew it was important to get the evolution stones to Snowpoint, but with how quickly the storm was coming in I knew I wouldn't be making it back to my travel companions, so I might as well answer the call for help while I was stuck myself. Besides, my day was filled with so much evil that I couldn't resist the chance to do something good for a change.

After a few minutes, the voice was getting closer, but it also sounded hoarser, like they had been yelling so long it was hurting their throat. I frowned heavily and pushed on, even though the snow was getting thicker by the second. Finally, I pushed through some thick branches of some truly gigantic pine trees and felt my heart drop all the way down into my intestines.

"Serena," I choked out as I stood frozen by the scene in front of me. What looked like dozens of knocked-out Sneasel littered the clearing, surrounding Serena who had an unconscious Absol laying across her lap and an injured Eevee resting in her arms. Her pale pink parka had streaks of blood on the front and even from here, I could see the tracks of tears flowing down her red cheeks.

"Serena!" I yelled out, dashing across the small clearing. Before I had gotten to her though, I slipped on a patch of bloody snow, crashing onto my side. Serena turned, pinned down by the large Absol, and I saw her eyes widen as she met mine.

"Satoshi?" Her voice was hoarse from calling out for help and her tear tracks were collecting snowflakes that melted and streamed down her cheeks along with the salty droplets.

"Are you hurt?" I asked, crawling through the snow to grab her shoulders and move her around so I could see where the blood was coming from.

"Satoshi..." she cried, looking like she was close to having a breakdown. 

I breathed a momentary sigh of relief when I moved her arms and realized that the blood was not coming from Serena, but instead was oozing from the Eevee she was holding onto so desperately. My relief was short-lived though as a screaming wind rushed past us, bringing more and more snow that promised to turn into a blizzard soon.

"We need to get out of here!" I yelled over the wails of the wind.

Serena shook her head and gripped the unconscious Absol's thick fur, looking more miserable than I had ever seen her before. Not needing her to say anything, I swung around to Absol's other side and lifted his head off of Serena's lap. She looked about to protest until I maneuvered his head and forelegs over my shoulder and then with a sharp tug hoisted him onto my back. Gripping his forelegs in front of me and holding onto his back legs near my hip, I made sure I had a tight hold and then looked down at Serena and jerked my head towards the trees.

Serena scrambled to her feet, wincing when she stood. I had no doubt the blood rushing back through her cramped muscles was painful but she didn't complain and did her best to follow me across the clearing and away from the fainted Sneasels. Once we were on the other side of the clearing I searched for several desperate minutes before finding what I was looking for: A thick, ancient pine tree whose branches were longer than I was tall. I pushed through the snow and leaned forward farther to make sure Absol wouldn't slip so I could use my arms to lift one of the massive, needle-covered branches off the ground. Just as I had hoped, there was a protected section right around the trunk that was big enough for Serena and me to fit in and take some shelter from the storm.

"In here!" I yelled over the wind at Serena. She ducked under the opening I had made and I followed after her, wincing slightly when the branch scraped against Absol's back and my shoulder when I let it go. Once we were safely under the tree I rolled the unresponsive Absol onto the hard but dry ground that was covered in old pine needles. It was still bitterly cold, but at least the tree was protecting us from the majority of the wind and snow.

"Is Absol alright?" Serena asked, coming over and stroking his side with a shaking hand.

"He's unconscious, but he's breathing," I answered while rubbing my shoulders slightly to ease the tension in them.

"Can you help Eevee?" Serena's voice sounded exhausted and scared. When I looked up I saw her extending the injured young pokemon toward me. "A group of Sneasel was attacking him for fun. I... I tried to stop them, but I didn't bring my pokemon. And then Absol jumped in to protect me and there were purple music notes in the air then everyone fainted and... I don't know what to do, Satoshi."

Serena's entire body was shivering now as tears streamed down her cheeks while explaining what happened. I bit my bottom lip, pulling Pikachu from my coat and swapping him with Eevee.

"Put Pikachu inside your coat, you can keep each other warm," I ordered as I gently rested the small Eevee in the crook of my arm.

It was pretty rare to see an Eevee in such a cold climate. I wondered if it had been making the trek to the Icy Rock that triggered an Eevee to evolve into Glaceon when it was attacked. The reason didn't matter though; it was here, and it was hurt. I turned my attention to the multiple slices across its side that were still bleeding sluggishly, turning his tan fur into a clumpy mess of black-ish red. Its breathing was shallow and I bit my lip even harder as I realized just how bad of shape it was in.

"I... didn't bring any medicine with me, Serena," I admitted, feeling myself freezing from the inside out. "Eevee's hurt bad... I don't... I don't know if he's going to make it."

Serena nearly choked on a sob as she crawled forward, pressing Pikachu against her neck as she sank down next to me. She looked down at the injured Eevee with pain and more guilt in her eyes than I had ever seen someone express without words. I gripped Eevee's weak body tighter and my elbow brushed up against something hard in my pocket. My eyes widened as I realized what it was and looked down at Eevee as I swiftly went through the pros and cons of this last-ditch option.

"There... may be something I can do," I started hesitantly, looking up to meet Serena's eyes. She held my gaze, looking confused at my hesitation and I licked my chapped lips as I tried to figure out how to explain this without putting her in danger. "The facility where I work is trying to create a new evolution stone," I explained slowly, rubbing the Eevee's stomach gently to try and keep it warm. "The stones are experimental and I don't know if it would even have an effect on Eevee... but if it does it could cause him to be in a massive amount of pain."

Serena's eyes widened as I laid out the facts as honestly as I could. She looked down at the Eevee in my arms and then back up to meet my serious gaze. "Will Eevee survive if we don't use it?" she whispered, sounding scared but slightly hopeful.

I grimaced and looked down at Eevee again. Even in the short amount of time I took to explain, Eevee's breathing had gotten weaker and his body was becoming limp in my arms.

"I don't think so," I breathed out, absolutely hating that this was the only option. Serena looked at me and scootched a little closer, reaching out and placing a hand on top of Eevee's round head in a comforting gesture.

"We have to try then," she whispered shakily, rubbing Eevee's head gently.

"It might not work," I reiterated, thinking back to the Eevee in Proteus's lab that had cried after it was forced to evolve using their Rock stone. Is this really the right thing to do? I wondered desperately. My whole body jerked when I felt a cold glove press against my cheek without warning. Glancing up, I saw Serena staring right at me, looking calm and determined now.

"If it doesn't then at least we've tried. And if it works and it does cause Eevee pain then I will take responsibility and find a way to help him. But at least he'll be alive."

I couldn't tear my gaze from the determined kindness shining in Serena's eyes and I slowly nodded. Serena removed her hand from my cheek, going back to stroking Eevee's head and ears and I reached in and pulled out one of the two evolution stones I had nicked from Neptune's storage.

Please forgive me, I silently begged the Eevee before laying the flat side of the circular stone against the worst of Eevee's cut. Serena and I watched with bated breath as the stone rested against the injured Eevee. Just like in the lab, a bright light shone from where the stone connected with Eevee. But this time a deep purple glow began to spread across Eevee's body. Eevee moaned slightly, already too exhausted to cry out in the pain it was no doubt experiencing, and Serena and I watched as its body began to change.

Eevee's body grew longer and sleeker, looking reminiscent of its Umbreon form. Its tail became wispy, and the tips of its ears also rippled like ghostly flames while the same strange ripple began to sprout out of the small gem that appeared at the bottom of its throat. When the shimmering light that marked an evolution faded, Serena and I looked down at Eevee's new form and I heard her sigh in relief.

"Eon, Misteon," the Eevee cooed, floating gently out of my arms and coming to land on the ground. Its fur was sleek and looked to be a purple color, but its eyes were gleaming blue stones that reminded me of a Sableye.

"How do you feel... Misteon?" Serena asked, looking relieved but slightly worried as the self-named Misteon screwed its face up in a grimace of pain.

"Eon eon mist," Misteon said, pushing slightly against the ground and floating in the air like a Christmas ornament.

"I'm so sorry. You were dying and we didn't know what else to do so we evolved you without your permission. Can you forgive us?" Serena asked sincerely, reaching out her blood-stained glove to the new eeveelution.

Misteon regarded her hand and drifted past it, sniffing at the blood that was dried on her parka. He floated up to look at Pikachu who was huddling inside Serena's coat for warmth, and he reached out and patted him gently on the nose. Pikachu scrunched up his nose in response to the gentle tap but then shifted to the side, unzipping Serena's jacket a bit and beckoning Misteon to join him. The new eeveelution let out a happy sigh and swooped into the narrow opening. Serena giggled as Misteon squirmed inside of her coat before popping his head and misty ears out of the opening Pikachu had made and cuddled up next to him. I could see him wincing at the physical contact, but it didn't seem bad enough to make him brave the cold alone so that made me feel a little better.

Even with both Pikachu and Misteon snuggled up against her though, Serena was shivering violently. The blizzard outside was whistling angrily, not showing any sign of stopping, and I was beginning to feel the effects of the cold as well. Absol was still unconscious next to me, so I awkwardly dragged his large body so that he was pressing against my left side, then I reached out and wrapped my arms around Serena's stomach.

"Satoshi," she gasped through her chattering teeth.

"We'll freeze if we don't stick close," I explained, gently pulling her back so she was leaning against my chest and her fuzzy hat was nestled against my cheek. "Sorry," I said quietly against her ear. 

Serena shook her head silently and wiggled a bit to get into a more comfortable position, pressing her back and shoulder more fully against me. We stayed like that for several minutes with nothing but the screams of the stormy wind to keep us company.

"How did you find me, Satoshi?" Serena suddenly asked, pulling me from my thoughts of how I was going to explain why I only had one evolution stone to offer the agent waiting for me in Snowpoint.

"Just a crazy coincidence," I responded with a chuckle, turning a little so I could press my freezing cold nose against Serena's hat to try to warm it up.

"That seems to happen a lot with us," Serena observed with a chuckle, and I was glad to not hear a shiver in her voice this time.

"No kidding. But if it's fate that I have to run into someone whenever I'm in a forest then I'm glad it's you and not the Stoak siblings," I said with a grimace. Serena laughed at that and I heard Pikachu let out a content huff. "What are you doing all the way out here anyway?" I asked while banging my feet together to try to keep the blood circulating a bit.

"Bree has a sister that lives in Snowpoint so we came up here to visit her and I am going to be competing in the contest next week. But I came out into the forest to help Absol find a new home."

Blinking in surprise, I looked down at the Absol I had pressed up against my side. "I didn't know you had an Absol, Serena," I said with surprise.

Absols were notoriously difficult pokemon to find but made awesome partners for both battles and contests. They were usually a Pokemon that trainers didn't try to catch until they were more experienced though, which Serena really wasn't when it came down to it.

So Serena told me her story of how she had come to be Absol's protector of sorts. When she described the trainers that ganged up on Absol I recognized them instantly from when I had come upon them fighting an Aggron and I no longer felt any guilt for that guy who broke his arm. Listening to her talk about Absol and how standoff-ish but surprisingly kind he was, I could almost feel her love radiating from her in a warm glow.

"I remember when I had to let go of the very first pokemon I ever caught." The words were out of my mouth before I even realized I had thought of them while my Butterfree flitted around in my mind's eye.

Time didn't seem to flow normally as I found myself sharing stories with Serena about my pokemon journey days. We traded stories back and forth, catching up and getting to know each other even better than before and I couldn't remember the last time I had felt more relaxed. Even though we had just barely saved an Eevee from dying and were huddled under a pine tree in the middle of a blizzard... I honestly didn't want the time to end.

Just when Serena was describing her latest contest win, Absol's body shifted next to me. A low groan came from deep in his throat and I instinctively reached a hand out to stroke the thick fur along his neck. The dark type stiffened at the contact though and rolled away, surveying Serena and me huddled underneath our natural shelter and his red eyes narrowed. A throaty growl rippled through the small space and Serena rose to her knees, reaching out a hand towards Absol while holding Misteon and Pikachu against her chest.

"Easy, Absol. Satoshi is my friend. He helped us out of the storm," Serena explained soothingly.

Absol focused for a moment on Serena and then looked over at me suspiciously, not seeming convinced. Luckily, Pikachu chose that moment to squirm around so his face was poking out of the top of Serena's jacket and he began to explain the situation. Absol listened to Pikachu, still not looking pleased, but he eventually relaxed and nodded his understanding.

"Come on then, we have to keep each other warm until the storm passes," Serena said, sitting down and leaning up against me once again. I slipped my arms around her waist as if it were the most natural thing in the world and Absol sniffed unhappily. He didn't make a sound though as he padded over the needle-covered ground. To my surprise, he actually came up alongside me and then carefully stepped over both mine and Serena's outstretched legs before laying across both of us, covering as much of our legs as he could like a living blanket.

Even though Serena's face was turned away from me, I could feel her smile as she rested her arm against Absol's back and stroked his head lovingly. From the way she had described him, I was surprised at how affectionate he was acting, but I wondered if maybe seeing her being attacked by those Sneasel had triggered his protective instincts.

That'd be great if Absol decided to be Serena's pokemon for real. He couldn't ask for a kinder trainer, I thought to myself silently and I couldn't help but lean my cheek fully against the top of Serena's head and squeezing her closer for a moment. There are lots of wonderful people in this world who don't deserve to die. I have to work even harder to take down Team Galactic before Neptune tries to destroy everything.

"You never told me why you are here, Satoshi," Serena pointed out quietly, being careful not to move so she didn't displace my head. I leaned back at that question though and chewed my inner lip, worried that if I actually bit my lip it would bleed because of the cold.

"Actually... I got a promotion at my job," I said, once again trying to give her as much truth as I could to make things more believable.

"You did? That's great!" Serena exclaimed, leaning her head back against my shoulder so she could look up at me. I chuckled at her expression and I couldn't stop my strange urge to reach over and pinch her cheek between my fingers. Serena's eyes widened and she immediately whapped her gloved hands over my fingers.

"Your fingers are freezing!" she exclaimed, pulling them off her face and rubbing them briskly between her two hands.

"I'm alright," I said, trying to pull my hand from hers, but she stubbornly held onto it.

I blinked in surprise when she wrapped one hand around the back of the one she had captured and then took my other hand around her waist and shoved both of them as far into her parka pockets as they would go. I was surprised at the instant change in temperature it caused and I wiggled slightly closer under Absol's weight so I could roll my hands around and hold hers in mine within the protection of her pockets.

"That feels a lot better actually. Thanks, Serena," I said gratefully. Serena turned her head away so I couldn't see her expression, but she squeezed my hands briefly before cozying up against me more fully.

"So, what are you doing now with your new promotion?"

I couldn't keep myself from grimacing as I thought of what I was helping Neptune get away with. Still, I tried to keep my voice light as I responded.

"They were impressed with the pokemon I brought back for research so they made me in charge of catching more for different projects they are working on. They've got me traveling all over Sinnoh and it just so happened that yesterday and today they sent me to explore near Lake Acuity."

The wind, which had been shrieking incessantly for who knows how long, was finally beginning to quiet. I glanced past the small openings in between the branches but it still looked like sheets of snow were swirling around, definitely not the weather you'd want to be traveling in if you weren't looking to poke your eye out on accident or end up buried in a snowdrift.

"That's great that they recognized your talent with pokemon! Has it made you miss traveling with your pokemon like you used to?" Serena asked, and I noticed that both of her thumbs were sketching gentle circles against my hands in her pockets. I wasn't sure if she was doing it consciously, but the small movement was soothing in a way.

"You have no idea," I said with a sigh, trying not to let out just how badly I missed being a normal trainer.

"Why don't you quit then?" she asked, her voice sounding hopeful. I couldn't help the derisive laugh that barked out of my chest, startling both her and Absol. 

I gave Absol an apologetic look as he raised his head and glared at me, his red eyes making it look even more intimidating than your average glare. He eventually shook his head at me, obviously unimpressed, before stretching out again and resting his head in Serena's lap.

"Sorry," I said awkwardly as Serena looked over her shoulder to study my face. "It's just that I signed a contract that I had to work with them for at least a year. If I quit before then I have to pay a crazy fee, so I'm kind of stuck for the foreseeable future."

Serena's eyes shone with disappointment as she looked at me sympathetically. "I'm sorry, I didn't know," she said quietly. I shook my head and tried to laugh naturally.

"I'm the one who thought I needed a break. There's no one to blame but myself. At least this way Pikachu's got plenty of opportunities to battle." 

Pikachu peeked out from inside Serena's jacket to give her a convincing smile before hiding away from the cold air again. I could see him cuddling up against Misteon like they had been friends for their whole lives and chuckled quietly.

"Well... maybe we'll bump into each other more often now," Serena offered with a hopeful smile before shivering and scootching closer to me. I squeezed her in my arms to try and siphon more of my body heat into her and I couldn't help but smile as I leaned my cheek against the top of her head.

"I'd like that."

A/N Don't worry, they won't freeze before the storm ends, this chapter was just getting long so I had to stop it there :P I hope you enjoyed the slightly fluffy nature of this chapter. Their relationship is just so pure and sweet and I adore it when they can be together :P So yah, hopefully you enjoyed it too :D Oh, and the artwork for Misteon was made by the incredibly talented Rueme XD Rueme's fake eeveelutions are my absolute favorites! So gorgeous :D